212 Missouri Agricultural Report. 



farmer and your humble servant is the chaplain. Article 8 of 

 the constitution reads thus: "The officers, with one commit- 

 teeman to be elected by the association from each school district 

 in the co-operating territory, shall constitute the executive com- 

 mittee and shall administer the affairs of the association." 



Section 7 of the by-laws reads: "The executive committee 

 shall be thoughtful of the future activities of the association and 

 be prepared to suggest to the meetings lines of work which will 

 enable the association to render the best service to the com- 

 munity." 



It is not the purpose of the association to try to accomplish 

 everything needed in the locality at one and the same time, but 

 we are trying to do a few things well. 



In the first place, we are trying to make all our citizens 

 realize that the interests of the rural people and those of the 

 people living in town are entirely mutual. Laddonia has no 

 city problems. Her water, light, heat, health, sewage, high- 

 way and home beautification problems are the same practically 

 as those of the farmer. We have no enterprise except that of 

 agriculture, and as the success of the townspeople depends abso- 

 lutely upon the success of the farmer it follows that their interests 

 are one, and it is our aim to banish all prejudice and bring about 

 a co-operation of all the people in the interest of "better farming, 

 better business and better living." To this end we are trying 

 to secure as members all moral men and women and all young 

 people above the age of 15 years. One becomes a member by 

 signing an enrollment card, which is a promise to support the 

 work. No dues are charged, but the necessary funds are secured 

 by contributions and in such other ways as the finance com- 

 mittee may see fit to adopt. 



In the second place, we hope to do much for the schools and 

 we expect the schools to do much for us. The association has a 

 school committee whose duties are made plain in by-law 5, 

 which reads: "It shall be the duty of the school committee to 

 interest the various schools in the community in literary con- 

 tests, crop-judging contests, stock-judging contests, stock shows, 

 community exhibitions and such other activities as will tend to 

 teach the pupils to love rural life and to endeavor to better rural 

 conditions." 



It is our purpose to hold a stock-judging contest at an early 

 date, the school pupils acting as the judges. As far as we know, 

 nothing of this sort has ever been attempted in Missouri. The 



