ORGANIZATION 59 



Iowa in relative proportion of granges to agricultural population; 

 a result which the comparative sparsity of population made 

 possible with a considerably smaller number of granges. Mis- 

 souri also experienced a phenomenal growth during the period, 

 while Minnesota continued to advance slowly, though it fell 

 back in relative rank from second to fourth place; but the 

 Territory of Dakota, with only twenty-five granges, surpassed, 

 on October 18, all the states east of the Mississippi in relative 

 proportion of granges to agricultural population. In the old 

 Northwest Territory, the order advanced rapidly in Indiana and 

 Illinois and made considerable gains in Wisconsin, while in Ohio 

 and Michigan it obtained a secure foothold during the year. 



Turning to the South, a much smaller development of the order 

 than in the North Central division is seen, especially as regards 

 proportion of granges to agricultural population, but here it is 

 necessary to take into consideration the fact that the census 

 figures of agricultural population, on which the statistics are 

 based, include large numbers of negroes who were not admitted 

 into the ranks of the Patrons of Husbandry. In view of this 

 condition, it is probable that a given ratio in the South represents 

 as extensive participation by the white farmers in the work of 

 the order, as would a ratio nearly twice as large in the North- 

 west. On May 19, 1873, South Carolina ranked first among 

 the southern states both in actual number of granges and in 

 relative proportions, but the rapid development of the order in 

 Mississippi soon carried that state to the front, and by October 

 18 there were 392 granges within its borders. In Georgia, 

 Tennessee, Alabama, and North Carolina, the order was also 

 making rapid strides; Kentucky, Virginia, Arkansas, and 

 Louisiana showed a healthy growth; and in Maryland, West 

 Virginia, Florida, and Texas, the first granges were organized 

 during the year. Thus by October 18, 1873, every southern 

 state except Delaware had been entered by the order. 



Little progress was made by the Patrons of Husbandry on 

 the Pacific coast previous to 1873; and, indeed, the first move 

 toward effective agricultural organization in that district came 

 in the form of independent clubs. The extortions of various 



