940 Rural School Leaflet. 



TO THE TEACHERS OF NEW YORK STATE 

 Milton Pratt Jones 



Each month during the year we will send a Leaflet to the farm boys 

 and girls in which there will be suggestions for lessons in agriculture, 

 for general outdoor study and for good times in and about the farm home. 

 We want to make this Leaflet worth the while, since it will reach thous- 

 ands of young persons. In the Leaflet each month will be a letter to the 

 boys and girls which will not mean much unless in your school district 

 a. club has been organized. 



There will be development in the club for the young persons in the 

 rural school. In the first place it will give birth to the broad spirit 

 which tolerates organization. One of the chief disadvantages which 

 the farmer has had to contend against is his ultra-independence of spirit. 

 Cooperation will be needful for the farmers of the future, and it is well 

 that the farmers of the future begin now to realize this. I was recently 

 in a school in which they were holding a school fair, and so great was the 

 school spirit in that place that every one of the young exhibitors was 

 willing to sacrifice his own personal interest, that the organization, as 

 they called it, might be helped. 



For various reasons we urge you to consider the value of agricultural 

 clubs for boys and girls. Who will encourage the young people to organ- 

 ize? What individual in each district will help to start and foster such 

 an organization? We know that the teacher will help but she is away 

 during the summer months when much active work can be done between 

 the College and the young folks. Is there not some man or woman in 

 every district iii New York State who cares enough for boys and girls 

 to keep them in communication with the University throughout the 

 year? As stated before, we can not correspond with each boy and girl 

 in the State, but we can reach them by means of leaflets, letters, and 

 the like, if there is some one person in a community who will distribute 

 material sent out from the College. 



While we hope to have the boys and girls in the clubs get some benefit 

 along many lines, through the Leaflets, and communication with the 

 College, we want each year to have one definite piece of work well 

 developed that will be closely related to agriculture. This year we 

 would like to have a celebration in every rural school, of the great 

 American crop. Corn, on the afternoon of Friday, January 29th. This 

 day is known as "Corn Day." We want the club to make a corn show 

 the main event of the day. At this show, each member of the club 



