BOYS' FARM CLUBS 



trip to Washington was offered by Dr. Knapp personally to 

 the Club Boys in Mississippi when he was on a visit there. 

 It was the beginning of many interesting prize trips to the 

 Nation's Capitol, to fairs, live stock shows, to colleges and 

 other places. 



By the time the Boys' Demonstration Work had been well 

 established in the fifteen Southern States, public-spirited citi- 

 zens were giving more than $50,000 worth of prizes a year to 

 the boys. These awards took the form of cash, pigs, plows, 

 colts, calves, shotguns, books, bicycles, implements, hats, cloth- 

 ing, trips and scholarships. Senator R. L. Owen, of Oklahoma, 

 offered a thousand dollars and asked how best to distribute it. 

 Dr. Knapp advised that he give it to teams from the clubs 

 who would make the best average records. Thus these club 

 members strove to bring honor upon their counties. As the 

 work developed the boys attached more and more importance 

 to the recognition and honor involved in the awards. Blue 

 ribbons, certificates and diplomas were cherished as highly as 

 awards of money. 



It was a matter of great personal pride to the founder 

 of the Demonstration Work that the prize winners in the Corn 

 Clubs elected to take scholarships in the agricultural colleges, 

 when such prizes were offered them. It was a matter of great 

 gratification to him, also, that the agents who were appointed 

 in the different states to give special attention to the Boys' 

 Club Work became the connecting link between the Depart- 

 ment and the agricultural colleges in their extension work. 

 The memoranda which he drew in perfecting the agreements 

 with the colleges whereby such agents should become agents 

 of the Department and representatives of the colleges really 

 forecast the provisions of the Lever Extension Act. It 

 was very fitting that the man who was the founder of the 



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