i4o6 Rural School Leaflet 



one year behind in this work, for they have not only an interest in rural 

 studies, but a determination to succeed. 



The agricultural club furnishes both weapons and ammunition with 

 which to check the city migration. The people who inhabit Delaware 

 County are, as a rule, very conservative and chary of new and strange 

 movements. The school agricultural contest was new to the coiuity, and 

 few had even read of this movement in the West. They did not think 

 that it woiild be possible to carry on such a club and were loath to support 

 the movement. 



The first agricultural club was organized during the winter of 1913. 

 The children were eager to take part and to hold what was called a school 

 fair. In spite of all efforts, the parents and the older people looked on the 

 contest as a joke. The fair was held October 30. Three rooms in the 

 Franklin school building were filled with exhibits. A majority of the 

 estimates placed the attendance at about five himdred persons. The 

 adults came out of curiosity, they remained out of interest in the exercises' 

 they approved of the exhibits, they endorsed the movement, and they 

 insisted that it be made an annual feature. A few days after the fair 

 several schools were asked the question, "Shall we hold a school fair 

 next year?" If there was a dissenting voice, it was lost in the chorus of 

 assent. 



Plans for the 1914 contest were begun at once. Registration cards were 

 printed, three inches by five inches in size so that they might be filed in 

 a standard cabinet. Each contestant filled out the cards in duplicate 

 and had his parent sign one of them. The duplicate card was for the 

 county farm bureau agent, who could assist in supplying the contestants 

 with the best ctdtural directions. Contests were arranged for in canning, 

 com raising, garden making, potato culture, poidtr^' raising, and bread 

 making. Each contestant was furnished with a complete set of directions 

 giving the best methods of working out his individual contest. Consid- 

 erable use was made of the Cornell Rural School Leaflet on agricultural 

 contests. 



From time to time written commiinications containing helpful sugges- 

 tions and words of encouragement were mailed to the contestants. Each 

 boy and girl was encouraged to write to me, telling how the contest work 

 was progressing. Many contestants did write. One boy wrote to me each 

 month, and it may be interesting to know that he took the sweepstakes 

 prize for the garden exhibit. As often as possible personal inspection was 

 made of the work being done. However, a district superintendent does 

 not often have the time to inspect personally the progress made by the 

 contestants. 



In September printed blanks were sent out for the written report, an 



