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DOVER FARMERS’ CLUB. 
DOVER FARMERS’ CLUB AND HORTICULTURAL 
SOCIETY. 
A. K. BUSH, DOVER. 
We are not, strictly speaking, a horticultural society, but to make 
- our membership and attendance larger, our field of usefulness 
broader and our papers, discussions, etc.,do the greatest good to 
____ largest numbers, we consider subjects of general interest to farmers, 
___ stock feeders, grain growers, as well as matters horticultural. 
Ss This is about our manner of conducting meetings: A member 
__who excels in his specialty is invited to prepare a paper or talk ona 
__ gubject chosen for consideration, which shall furnish material for 
a general discussion, the president calling on each member for his 
. offering, “class meeting style.’ These gatherings, which are well 
a attended, are conducted in a very informal manner, questions asked, 
i suggestions made, experiences given, results compared, as made 
; from different methods tested. These “club” meetings are very 
interesting and profitable, and should be found in every neighbor- 
‘i ht hood. 
Our officers are a president and secretary. No dues or other 
expense is made, being a “free for all” institution, and it is doing 
good work in its small way. 
Pardon me for taking this opportunity to refer to another society 
of which I am a member, and believe to be almost “ideal” in many 
_ respects. It is conducted on very much the plan suggested and 
recommended by our worthy secretary. His thought has become 
& in part, our ‘‘Literary-Social Improvement Club,” which meets 
every other Wednesday during the winter months at the home of 
Es: some member, at 10 o’clock a. m. As this particular society is 
“at home” in the country, the male members make a tour of inspec- 
_ tion about the farm and its buildings after the teams are put in, 
+ comparing what they see with what they have. Many valuable 
__ lessons are learned and taught while making these tours. 
i‘ When invited into the house by the host, general greetings and 
hearty handshakings take place, followed by a social, all ’round, 
neighborly visit. “Gossip,” politics, etc.,are not allowed. At noon 
a lunch is served by the hostess from lap tables which accommo- 
date four persons. The food supplied is largely the product of the 
farm, garden and orchard. These lunches, spiced and relished with 
jokes and hearty laughter without a care, will cure the “blues” and 
are suggestive of that fabled “fountain of perpetual youth.” 
The president calls ‘‘to order” at 1 o’clock, when the program for 
the day is rendered as prepared by the committee. Atroll call each 
member responds with short items or quotations from literature, 
_ history,news or other information, as the program suggests. Vocal 
and instrumental music follow. Then papers are read on practical 
subjects written by practical people, and these are always discussed 
(with the “dis” never left off) and all are expected to take part inthe 
discussions. Our papers include such subjects as: ‘“ What Should 
be the Ideal Farm Life?” “Hygienic Cooking;” “Well Balanced 
Food Rations for Children”—also “for Grown People;” “How to 
Best Prepare Foods for Use;” “The Garden;” “The Orchard;” 
Te 
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