TENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART X 579 



BOYS AND GIRLS' AGRICULTURAL CLUBS. 

 U. S. Department of Agriculture, Farmers' Bulletin 385. 



INTEODL'CTIOX. 



There have been few developments in recent years of greater educational 

 interest and significance than the work done by associations of boys and 

 girls in agricultural and domestic-art undertakings. As a rule, these have 

 had their beginning in some form of competitive contest for special oc- 

 casions or awards. The organization of clubs has usually been an inci- 

 dental outgrow'th of the plans for these contests, and the name applied 

 to the organization itself has varied widely with the different purposes 

 carried forward. Thus we find clubs for corn growing, cotton growing, 

 potato, growing, fruit growing, poultry growing, live-stock study, bird 

 study, home culture, and high school improvement. All of these have 

 been more or less agricultural in their general character. 



To any who are unacquainted Avith the nature of such clubs it may be 

 e.xplained that a corn-growing club is an association of boys who enter in- 

 to a competition to determine which can grow^ the most or the best corn 

 on a certain area of ground under definite rules of planting, cultivation, 

 and exhibit of their product. A cotton-growing club would undertake a 

 similar competition in producing the best yield of cotton under prescribed 

 conditions. For girls these contests have frequently taken the form of 

 bread-making, sewing, or joint contests with boys in gardening or poultry 

 raising. 



The results already apparent from such competitive co-operative work 

 may be summarized as follows: 



(1) Individually the members of such clubs have been led to observe 

 more closely, to recognize good and bad qualities in the products they 

 have grown, and in the insects, fungi, and other various conditions af- 

 fecting their work; they have met and learned to solve some problems in 

 the improvement of plants, fruits, animals, and house work; they have 

 learned that improvement in one direction is not always or even usually, 

 accompanied by improvement in all directions; they have learned some- 

 thing of the value of labor, the cost of production, and the keeping of sim- 

 ple accounts with different farm and household affairs; they have been en- 

 couraged to read good literature and have learned some of the sources of 

 good agricultural literature; their views have been broadened by contact 

 with others and by visiting institutions of learning, highly developed 

 farms, and other places of interest; and, finally, the power of taking the 

 initiative has in many cases been strongly developed in them as indi- 

 vidual and responsible members of the community. 



(2) Collectively they have learned the value of organized effort, of co- 

 operation, and of compromise; and the social instinct has been developed 

 in them — a matter of great importance in rural districts, where the iso- 

 lated condition of the people has long been a great hindrance to progress. 



