170 YALE AGRICULTURAL LECTURES. 



ture. The requisites to success are 1st, short speeches; 2d, 

 an active, prompt chairman. 



The Farmers' Club proper, is an organization the simpler 

 the better of the farmers of a neighborhood. It was advised 

 to have, in general, no regular constitution, but a few simple 

 rules instead ; to elect a presiding officer at every meeting, but 

 to have a permanent secretary, with extraordinary powers, 

 appointed annually. The primary object of the farmers' clubs 

 is, to promote, in every feasible way, the improvement of the 

 agriculture of the district. This is accomplished by making 

 common stock of the knowledge possessed by each member ; 

 collecting statistics ; keeping a record of extraordinary events ; 

 distributing seeds and grafts ; testing implements ; aiding each 

 other by counsel ; maintaining regular meetings ; a library, &c. 



A plan for breaking up the boys' debating-society system, 

 which such clubs are apt to fall into, to the disgust of good 

 farmers, and the ultimate discontinuance of the clubs, was pro- 

 faced as follows : Suppose the clubs to represent fairly the best 

 farmers of their districts, and to meet all of them (that is, all 

 of the State or county) upon the same day, about the first of 

 each month. A set of questions for each month in the year 

 being set forth by the central State association, each farmer 

 may answer each question as concerns his own farm ; and as 

 the questions should be carefully prepared with a view to de 

 velop the most important facts and statistics, a summary of the 

 answers of all will give a view of the position of the town, 

 prospectively and retrospectively, as regards its products seek 

 ing n market ; sales and purchases ; crop prospects and results 

 of harvests ; increase of stock ; diseases among domestic animals ; 

 prevalence of disease among crops ; insect ravages, &c. The 

 plan is, that these monthly statistics should be placed on file; 

 a summary sent to the secretary of the county, or State socie 

 ty, as soon as possible, in order that the more important facts, 

 affecting the market, may be made public, while all should be 

 kept on file at one place or the other, for reference and inves- 



