Rural School Leaflet. 745 



My Dear Boys: 



It will not be very long until spring. You boys know that wonderful 

 changes take place then. Now, everything is frozen and dormant. 

 The trees seem to be dead and the soil lifeless, but in a little while 

 a change will come to both trees and soil. They will take on new life 

 in preparation for another season's usefulness. Did you ever think 

 that we can take a hand in this changing life — that we can do things 

 with our hands in co-operation with nature which will bring us interest- 

 ing and profitable results? 



We are all used to the regular chores on the farm. We have all 

 helped our fathers in the fields. We have often found it hard work. Our 

 backs became tired, our hands were blistered; all in a kind of work that 

 we did not like. 



Now, I want to ask your advice. What do you think of our planning 

 to have a "httle farm" of our own? John, suppose you ask your father 

 for a quarter of an acre on which to plant your own corn, and, George, 

 suppose you speak to your father about another quarter of an acre for 

 growing your own potatoes. Then perhaps James is interested in the 

 cereals as wheat, oats, buckwheat and the rest. 



"Well," you say, "what is the good of all this? I have enough work 

 to do without taking up this 'little farm.' " Now, just a moment! This 

 is not going to be all work. There is going to be some play. How 

 would you like to form a club of young farmers, asking in the other boys 

 around the neighborhood who would like to start a "little farm? " Let 

 us have meetings once in a while to go over the plans for the spring, and 

 then after our crops are in, talk over plans as to how to take care of them 

 best and market them. Now do not forget that we are going to market 

 these crops ourselves, and of course the proceeds will all be ours. What 

 boy will get the best results from his farm this summer? 



Yet this is not all. You have seen your father or your neighbors 

 exhibit produce at the County Fair. Why cannot you and I exhibit 

 there? Your County Fair Association would be glad to make room for 

 an exhibit of farm products raised on these "little farms" by this band of 

 young farmers. A great many premiums will be offered for this work, 

 so that George or James may not only manage his own plot of ground, 

 sell his own crops, but exhibit at the Fair, possibly winning first prize on 

 his corn, second prize on his potatoes, and establishing a reputation 

 through that country as having for sale the best seed corn and seed 

 potatoes. 



But we will not stop at shnply exhibiting at the Fair; we want to get 

 some more fun out of this work. Suppose that we ask the County Fair 

 Association to plan one day for the yoimg farmers when we can get 



