Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1877-12-26
FARM and FIRESIDE.
Farmers Club.


AT this time of year. the club should
be in active operation with plans for
vigorous winter campaign. If no club
exists near you, unite with some of
your most enterprising peighbors and
organize one. The expenses need not
be large. But few rules will be re-
quired. The first thing after organic
ing. is to make plans and get every
body interested, even if there is no
new thing brought out in the papers
or discussions. Select the officers for
year and if fears are entertained that
the interest will soon run out, SET the
time for meeting once in two to four
weeks. 1t is better to make thorough
preparation Or Eave a coed meeting
once in three weeks, than to have
them oftener and have little interest.
Let some of the best men as COM
mi:tee OF arrangements make out at
once programme for every meeting
of the year, This should be adhered
to. Every member can have copy
on a card and if he happens to miss a
month or two, he may know just what
Is TO come up at any meeting. When
once tried, this plan will not be aban
doned for the more tickle one of meets
ing without any definite subject for
discussion or for the mode of choos-
ing subject at the previous meeting
1t often works well to have stand
ing committees to continue for year
to look after ard occasionally make
brief reports on certain topics. as Il
Committee on live stock, or cattle, or
farm crops, buildings, roads, etc, etc
M mbers may the next year, if desira
bic, lie assigned to other committees
on other subjects To interest all,
ere must be used in selecting topics
TO ge5 these on variety of subjects.
and these should be suited to the time
OF year. 1t may sometimes be best t"
have two topics or more tor one meet
ing, though often more interest will
be awakened by adheriog to one sub
ject. Whether Il subject is started by
a report of a committee or otherwise,
some one should always be appointed
to lead off A question box will serve
to eDlIvsn the meeting Into this
may be placed questions or short sen
tlments which may be read for answer
If wheat is the subject for discuss
ion lei every one bring sample or
two, in the straw-or threshed, and so
of each subject. tSpeclmens on the
table will always interest and cal out
questions. Once year it may be
well to mold a ne'ghtorhood or tow"
fair. AT another tmSa sheep shear
ing festival, or a blowing match -
Strive 10 make every thing thorough,
lively, and on time. Some field meet
ings will be profitable. held on differ
cut farms about the cosutry. The
matter of eating together will always
increase the enjoyment and be a
desirable feature in the field or day
meetings, if too much pains are not
taken in preparing the food. In such
case, the trouble of preparing dinner
becomes lrksome. After a field
meeting may come the discussion. 1t
willhadd importance and variety to
have now and then a speaker from
abroad, or to have the best points of
the discussion reported for the local
paper. Send delegation now and
then to some other wide-awake club to
gather new ideas and let him make a
FULL report.
To make the meetings profitable,
some men must do a good deal of
hard work. Will it pay? An effort OF
this kind will always react for good
on the person making it. In this
way people become well acquainted
with each other. They become more
social and less selfish. They can
hardly fail to pick up many new ideas.
They become accustomed to express
ing themselves in public aud learn
parliamentary rules At first, a
meeting should not be too stiff and
formal. but it should always be ORDER
ly. The chairman should never fail
to be at his post ahd call to order on
time at the opening of the session, and
he Cab use much skill in encouraging
BEGINNERS and in checking those who
talk too much.
There is vide range of topics to
select from, as the various kiuds Of
domestic animals from the horse and
COW down to birds and bees. Then
other topics are equally appropriate
as drainage; rotation OF crops, fencing,
tools, best way TO manage weeds, the
construction and management OF hot
beds, tree planting, makiug roads,
each OF the farm crops aud orchard
crops and garden crops. ii there are
sumo qualified to instruct, talk OH
some sceut'hc subject will not be out
of place. A pllce and time must be
given to household topics, and aus c
and singing occasionally work with
the programme advantageously:-
Rural New Yorker.