Report of Missouri Farmers' Week. 77 



very great degree to the men of Pettis county. We have a 

 splendid bunch over there; they are men as progressive as men 

 are anywhere and are doing an excellent work; but for the great 

 work in helping out in the schools and in the homes of Pettis 

 county we will have to give the credit to the good women of 

 that county. Do you endorse that? 



In addition to our organization of men, consisting of about 

 660 members, the Home Makers' Club has something like 280 

 members, and I believe that the 280 women got more actual 

 work done in the way of bettering Pettis county than have the 

 660 men. 



In the piece of work that we have taken up for further 

 organization we have only started it in Pettis county. We 

 found our organization as it was inadequate. We have one or 

 two organizations now already formed in the county, and I go 

 next Monday to assist in another one. Invariably these organi- 

 zations have started where there were some one or two or three 

 persons that could and would lead. There are a great many that 

 would like to lead out in the work, but are not capable of doing 

 it, incapacitated for some reason or other. Others attempt to 

 lead and make failures, so that without a leader in a community 

 it is a very difficult matter to get the work done that we would 

 like to have. 



A short time ago we began work to find out how many silos 

 are in Pettis county and how many acres of alfalfa are growing 

 in Pettis county. Together with the county superintendent I 

 wrote a letter to each teacher in the 102 rural schools. From 

 the 102 rural schools I received 71 replies. If we cannot get a 

 teacher to help in a community, what is the hope for that com- 

 munity? Seventy-one out of 102 made reply. I think one of 

 the reasons, however, that there were several that did not reply 

 is that we have some districts in the county in which there are 

 no silos, I am sorry to say, and some in which there is no alfalfa 

 growing, and I am just as sorry to say that. My objective point 

 will be to have at least a small field of alfalfa growing in every 

 school district of Pettis county in one year from now. The 

 facts are that alfalfa is easier to grow in Pettis county than red 

 clover. You believe that? Just a little bit of record of it. 



It is a good notion not to believe much. A neighbor of 

 mine used to say, "Don't believe anything you hear nor half you 

 say yourself," and that has been the plan I have been working 

 on here, especially when a fellow tells me something cannot be 



