No. 4.} BOYS' AND GIRLS' CLUB WORK. 457 



petition with adults. Competitors in corn gi-owing and potato 

 growing are required to exhibit samples. This, heretofore, has 

 been done at the annual winter meeting of the State Board of 

 Agriculture in December. 



School Competitions. 

 Another feature of the organization consists of enlisting the 

 co-operation of the public schools. This is done by means of 

 cups and cash prizes awarded to the city, town or school which 

 makes the best showing in the promotion and supervision of the 

 whole field of club work, including both the Home and School 

 Garden Club and the Boys' and Girls' Agricultural Club. 



Finance. 



The club work is financed in part from funds of the college 

 appropriated for the Extension Service of the Massachusetts 

 Agricultural College, in part from funds appropriated to the 

 State Board of Agriculture, and in part by funds from the 

 Federal government through the Bureau of Plant Industry of 

 the Department of Agriculture. The funds derived from the 

 Extension Service are devoted chiefly to the payment of sal- 

 aries, travel and maintenance of the Home and School Garden 

 Club. The funds obtained through the State Board of Agri- 

 culture go toward the payment of State premiums and awards 

 in the Boys' and Girls' Agricultural Club, both for individual 

 and gi'oup competitions, like cities, towns and schools. The 

 State Board of Agriculture is granted a supplemental fund of 

 $200 for each agricultural or horticultural society which draws 

 State bounty. This fund is devoted entirely to the payment 

 of awards to children and youths under eighteen years of age 

 for agricultural and other products. The funds from the Fed- 

 eral government are used for the payment of salaries and 

 traveling expenses of persons engaged in the promotion and 

 direction of the Boys' and Girls' Agricultural Club. The funds 

 from all these sources for all features of the club work amounted 

 in 1914 to something like $12,000 or $13,000. This includes 

 salaries of two persons, traveling expenses, printing, premiums 

 and incidental expenses. 



