Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1913-12-19
GRANGE HISTORY.
A Glance Backward Recalls For
gotten Events.

The Order Of Patrons of Husbandry, a
Fraternal Organization, Shown by
Its Contributions For the Relief of
Suffering Farmers In the Early Days
Of the Order-An Educational Ven
ture In North Carolina.
In April, 1874, the Mississippi river
overlooked it's banks, carrying disaster
and suffering to n large number Of
farmers in Louisiana and Alabama,
many Of whom were Patrons of Hus
bandry. The executive committee Of
ne national grange sent $1,000 of the
grange funds to relieve the stricken
farmers and later expended about So
400 in purchasing flour and bacon,
which were distributed to the suffer
ing Patrons through the masters of the
state oranges. Nearly every grange
state contributed to their needs, some
giving as much as $1,000.
Added to this calamity to the farm
ers came the grasshopper plague, and
again the national grange sent about
S11, 900 to the masters of state oranges
in Iowa, Minnesota. Dakota, Kansas
and Nebraska to relieve the wants of
Patrons. Later $1,000 was sent to Ar
kansas Patrons and $4,000 to the Kan
sas state grange to enable it to pay its
dues to the national grange. During
the following year other contributions
were made. which brought these fra
ternal gifts up to $4,000 for the year
following.
In 1876 the state grange of South
Carolina received from the national
grange treasury the sum of 81 1000 to
aid sufferers from prolonged drought,
and a special loan made to the Ne
braska state grange amounting to $780,
600 was made n donation on account
of the continued distress in that state.
The contributions of the Ohio state
grange along about this period amount
ed to nearly $4,000.
These were the days when the ma
tional grange treasury was plethoric,
and it was so because of the rapid in
crease i'm the number of oranges. In
January. 1874. 2,119 new oranges were
organized; in February, 2.239; in
March. 2,O24: in April, 1,4S7. and from
That time on the decline was notable
ON Jan /. 1910, there were 21.G97
oranges in the United States.
The grange has always given its
ocSt efforts 70 the advancement of ed
ucational interests. \ notable illus
trntion occurs in the history of the or
Ger in the southern states, where the
Grange was Mt one time stronger In
numbers than in any other part of the
country But in the southern states
schools were very inadequate The
state grange Of North Carolina rec
commended that the subordinate
oranges interest themselves in estab-
fishing local schools. and If found prac-
ticable it was advised that primary
and even high schools be established
in connection with county and sub
ordinate oranges. The national grange
proceedings of 1882 state that grange
schools were established by subordi-
nate oranges in some parts of Louisi-
ana, North Carolina and Alabama and
possibly in some other southern states.
The grange fair. now so deservedly
popular in some states. is no new idea.
AS early as 1872 a local grange in Mis-
sissippi held n grange fair. and in
1873 state grange fair was held in
Alabama. Grange fairs were early
very popular in New England. as they
even now are. \ grange crop report
ing system was organized in 1874, au-
thOriZed by the national grange. but
as the oranges did not respond very
actively it was not continued after
1915, although the reports were said to
be of very considerable value.
The stamping grounds of the Order
in 1874 and 1870 were the states of In
diana and Iowa. There the great bat
ties of the grange in its various actlvi-
ties We're fought; railway legislation,
grange stores. grange business agen-
cies and cooperative schemes and poll
tics, each and all had their times of
greatest success, and then came dire
failure. These states had about the
same number of oranges, the high wa
ter mark having been reached in Janu-
ary 1873, with about 1000 oranges in
either state. There were 100000 men,
bers of the Order in Iowa at that time.
Missouri was also in the 1000 grange
class, though with somewhat fewer
members AS early as 1872 Iowa had
gone into the business of grange co
operation on large scale. According
TO the published proceedings of the
Iowa state grange of that year. third
Of the grain elevators i'm the state
were either owned or controlled by the
grange 1t is said that 100000 bush
els of grain and immense numbers of
hogs and cattle had been sold in Chi
cago by grange agents and in the pur-
chases of farm implements it is said
that the farmers of the state We're saw
ed $685., 600, and it was reported to the
state grange that year that the agent
of the Order had done a business of
100000 and effected a saving of 10
per cent on family supplies and 20 per
cent ON agricultural implements.
put tho noGf 10 only of hanaHt m tho