1052 SUCCESSFUL FARMING 



the promotion of agriculture. Then, as now, far-sighted men realized 

 that the welfare of the country was based largely on the prosperity of 

 the farmers. 



The first attempt to form a national agricultural organization was 

 made in Washington, in 1841. This attempt was unsuccessful, and it 

 was not until after the Civil War that the first national agricultural society 

 was successfully launched. This was established in 18G6 and known as 

 the National Grange or Patrons of Husbandry. The organization has for 

 its chief objects the promotion of the welfare of the agricultural classes 

 through better legislation, better systems of agricultural education and 

 co-operation along all lines, especially with reference to buying and selling 

 products. Under its auspices many co-operative stores have been estab- 

 lished. For various reasons many of these have failed, although some 

 have been successful. Co-operative creameries and co-operative whole- 

 sale buying and selling through local agents have been more successful. 



At this time the country has need of the conservative advice and 

 constructive criticism of the conservative farmer on many of the live issues 

 of the day. We find the grange in both its state and national meetings 

 discussing such questions as public roads, taxation, rural education, co-oper- 

 ation, woman suffrage and many other of the issues that conern the nation 

 at large. 



In recent years farmers' clubs in large numbers have been organized 

 in all sections of the country and these have proven successful chiefly 

 because the membership covers a small area. This enables the club to 

 consider matters that are of practical local interest to all its members, and 

 affords an opportunity to discuss topics at close range. Such clubs have 

 been instrumental in advancing the welfare of the neighborhood through 

 securing postal routes, telephone lines, the introduction of pure-bred 

 stock and pure-bred seeds, and various other improvements. 



These various agricultural societies frequently carry with them social 

 advantages, and the bringing of farmers together helps to overcome the 

 conservativism for which they are frequently criticised. 



Extension Work. — This consists in conveying information to the 

 people at large, whether it be from the university, the college, the experi- 

 ment station or other sources of information. In no field has extension 

 developed more rapidly than in agriculture. This information may be 

 conveyed through circulars and bulletins, by means of correspondence 

 lessons, through lectures delivered by college and experiment station mem- 

 bers or by means of the farmers' institutes. More recently these methods 

 have been very effectively supplemented by means of the county farm 

 advisor. While the old method carried information, it too frequently 

 failed to get it put into operation. The last-mentioned method of extension 

 overcomes this more fully than any of those previously used. 



The passage of the Smith-Lever Bill by the United States Congress 

 has given the farm advisory work financial support that far exceeds that 



