Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1913-09-05
new YORK NOTES
Death of a Prominent State
Grange Official.

orange Halls a sign OF prosperity.
Organizing the Young People.
The New York state grange sustain
ed serious loss in the death Of Wal
ter W. Ware Of Batavia. a man Of
state wide reputation in all affairs per-
tanning to the organized interests of
farmers. He was born on the farm
on which he died, just outside the linn
ITS Of the town of Batavia, on July G,
1852. He held Office almost continu-
ously in the state grange from the
year 1895 or 1896, being elected
steward of that organization in 1896.
in which position he served four years.
He was elected to the executive com
mittee of the state grange in 1905 and
was serving his second term as secre-
tary of the committee at the time Of
his death. He was county deputy Of
Genesee county several years and had
been master of Stafford grange. Mr..
Ware was prominent in all the agri
cultural interests of his town and
county. apart from his connection with
the grange.
Mr. Ware is generally credited with
being the originator of the plan Of
school gardening AS trustee of one of
the schools in Batavia he established
the scheme of assigning to the pupils
small plats of ground which they were
to cultivate and study as they did their
books in the school. The idea soon
spread over the country, and there are
many schools now carrying on a SINH
lar work to that which Mr.. Ware origi-
mated in Batavia. He was also n pio-
neer in the reclamation of swamp
lands and was so successful in it that
his farm was visited by many special
ly interested in such work and his
methods were studied by agriculturists
in all parts of the country.
Interesting the Changers.
The Poughkeepsie chamber Of com
merce has adopted o rather novel idea
to interest the members Of Duchess
county oranges in its operations and
at the same time to have the business
men of the city get into closer touch
with the grange. The chamber of COM
merce invited fifty grangers to be its
guests at the next lunch of the
organization for the purpose of "look-
ing each other over" and to see
if there would not be a mutual ad-
vantage in meeting together occasion
ally incidentally the chamber of COM
merce is interesting itself in getting
the next meeting of the state grange
for Poughkeepsie. but we would not
attribute this new move to that end
exclusively. for its president expresses
the desire to have the members of the
chamber cultivate friendly and in
innate relationship with the forces that
are included in the membership Of the
oranges of the county. 1t is something
for the grange to be thus openly recog-
nized as one of the upbuilding forces
of the community. 1t is worth while
also to mention the fact, which is man
ifesting itself in many other communi-
ties. that business men are beginning
to recognize the grange as genuine
factor for helpfulness in city affairs,
indirectly if not always directly
New Grange Halls.
There will be a large number of
grange halls erected this year in New
York state Two or three are under
way in Duchess county; Ulster has
just dedicated one; old Fredonia, with
her more than $50 members, has re-
Gently purchased q site for a hall such
as only grange No. l should have. and
in the northern part of the state 9TH
ers will be built before another winter
comes. There is no better evidence of
the stability Of grange in a commu-
nifty than the ownership of the hall in
which it holds its meetings,
Old No. Active and Efficient
Fredonia No. l is unusually active
this spring if we may judge by the
report of a recent meeting. BY a
unanimous vote it was decided to erect
new hall for a grange home. and no
time was lost in voting $1,000 for the
site. The grange has $1,000 in the
treasury. so that it has a good start
and the amount required for the struc-
ture will he forthcoming beyond n
doubt when it is wanted. The i'm
pelling idea is that it is due the fame
of the Order. which made Fredonia its
starting point, to have one of the fin
est buildings in the country devoted
TO such pUrposes for this first grange
IN the world. which was established
Just forty-ive years ago.
Organizing the Young People.
One of the features of the recent
meeting OF the Chautauqua county
On. " grange was the conference in
the interests of the young people of
the grange. which lasted for two hours
and elected much interest on the part
of the older as well as the younger
members of the order. The general
topic of training the young people of
today to be the leaders of tomorrow
was discussed. and ii is probable that
a distinct county organization of Po-
mona young people will be effected.
which will meet in connection with the
regular meetings of the Pomona
grange At another hour there was n