300 FARMERS' ORGANIZATIONS 



Aaron Jones, Worthy Master of the National Grange, speaking 

 before the National Grange meeting in Portland, Oregon, in 1904, 

 summed up Grange achievements in these words: 



"A generation has passed, crowded with greater advancement than any 

 similar period in the world's history, since our organization was founded to 

 meet conditions essential to public welfare. It was consecrated to develop 

 the best type of social conditions, to foster and promote good citizenship, to 

 develop agriculture, to secure equity in the business relations of the agricul- 

 tural classes with the industrial and commercial interests of our country . . . 

 The Grange removed the isolation of the farm homes, inculcated and promoted 

 education, fostered and secured better schools for our children, raised the 

 standard of intelligence among the farming population, developed the latent 

 talent of its members, making them logical thinkers and writers and fluent 

 .speakers, understanding the relation of agriculture to the varied and complex 

 social, industrial and commercial interests of our country and the world. These 

 glorious results were attained by steadfast adherence to the principles of our 

 Order and methods suggested by the founders of our Fraternity." 



The greatest significance of the Grange, as well as its most 

 lasting achievements, have been in the social and educational 

 influences which it has mobilized. Farmers and their wives and 

 daughters have here met together, and together have enjoyed their 

 music, their literature, their recreations, their beautiful and digni- 

 fied ritual, and their serious deliberations. This wider neighbor- 

 hood contact has been wholesome and pure and good. It has made 

 for a certain culture and refinement not so easily attainable by 

 the rural dweller as by the urbanite. It has tended to socialize 

 the community and to foster community leadership by the farmer, 

 for the farmer, and of the farmer. 



3. Local Farmers* Organizations. For many decades farmers 

 have maintained with conspicuous success local and State-wide 

 organizations along economic and educational lines, with the 

 emphasis on the educational side. Thus we have the various State 

 Agricultural Societies, the State Horticultural Societies, the Pomo- 

 logical Societies, and so on. Most of these societies meet annually 

 and publish a volume of proceedings. The discussions have dealt 

 almost entirely with the production side of the problem, rather 

 than with the marketing side. Live-stock associations form another 

 large groups of a similar nature. A mere list of the names of these 

 would fill many pages. 6 



In more recent years these local farmers' organizations have 

 more and more gone into marketing questions. Thus we have an 



6 The 1917 Yearbook, United States Department of Agriculture, pp. 595- 

 603, contains a list of 7 National Live-stock Associations, 19 National Poultry 

 Associations, and 314 State Associations of live stock and poultry. 



