34 AGEICULTUEE AND RURAL-LIFE DAY. 



There is great promise iu tlie fact tliat wliole classes of graduates of agri- 

 cultural colleges go back to the farms, having learned, how to make them 

 profitable. 



— Secretary James Wilson, in Year Book, I'Jll. 



O. H. KELLEY. 



The National Grange, or Order of Patrons of Husbandry, a secret 

 order of farmers that has enormously benefited agriculture, was 

 founded by Mr. Kelley in December, 1867. Its immediate purpose 

 was to reunite the people of the North and the South, and in this 

 effoii it was very successful. The permanent work of the Grange, 

 however, has been to help farmers become better fitted for their work 

 and to make better neighbors of them. 



To this end the local granges hold social gatherings, banquets, lec- 

 tures, and literarv and musical programs. The Grange has also 

 been very successful in making the farmer's dollar go farther. In 

 various sections it conducts cooperative buying operations for its 

 members and maintains mutual fire and life insurance companies. 

 It is now working out a plan for cooperative selling of its members' 

 farm products. 



In the legislation of benefit to farmers which the Grange has had an 

 influence in passing are the laws bettering agricultural colleges, 

 establishing an agricultural experiment station in every State and 

 Territory, making the head of the Department of Agriculture a 

 Cabinet officer, creating the Interstate Commerce Commission, re- 

 forming the tax sj^stem in many States, favoring pure food and dairy 

 products, and establishing rural free delivery. 



The Patrons of Husbandry is said to have been the first secret 

 organization to place woman on a plane of perfect equality with 

 man. The order is now in about 30 States, and it has a very large 

 membership. 



HORACE GREELEY (1811-1872). 



As the first great editor of a daily paper printed for the general 

 public to open his columns to agricultural topics and to advocate 

 better farming methods, Horace Greeley gave a great stimulus to the 

 betterment of the farmer's condition. In addition to writing many 

 editorials in his newspaper, " The New York Tribune," on country 

 life, Mr. Greeley founded an " agricultural department," appointing 

 Solon Robinson as the Tribune's agricultural editor. 



