The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1931-01-13
ZOO LOCALITIES ARE
ORGANIZED incomes
MOUNTING STEADILY
Monthly Meetings, With All Citi-
zens Taking Part, Back
bone of System
LEARNED PLAN IN DENMARK
Business or Economic, Civic and
Health, and Social SUBJ
jects Discussed

Baton Rouge, La, Jan. l3.-tNEA)
-Agriculture in Louisiana is on a
better foundation today than it was
five years ago. despite the business
. depression. and it's all due to a wom-
an. Mary Minis, state community or
ganizer.
"Louisiana's Mary as she IS af-
f%ectionately known throughout the
state, has efficiently organized 200
communities so that the living STAN
dards of farmers have been. raised
and their incomes have been steadily
mounting as the result Of scientific
knowledge of agriculture given them
by Miss Minis.
She was born and reared on a
plantation in north Louisiana. She
taught school for 16 years after she
: grew up, and then decided to become
!. a community organizer.
She heard of a plan In Denmark
! along similar lines. and journeyed to
that country to gather information.
!. She returned to Louisiana and set
up her plan Of organizing. receiving
authority from the state and assum-
ing sole control.
Visits Each Community
Her plan is simple. Every citizen
Of each community is included in the
program. Monthly meetings are held
IN each center, at which Miss Minis
takes charge. These meetings are
sponsored by the Louisiana Farm Blu
reau and State University Extension
department, Each community works
out its own detectives according to
Its requirements.
Programs have a threefold pur-
poSe-businesS Or economic. civic
and health, and social, with q spirit
ual theme woven throughout. In the
FIRST connection, Miss Minis aids in
organizing the community work for
grading of farm and dairy products,
and organizing community fairs
which serve as agents for grading
and improving livestock and agricul-
tural products.
Through the second and third part
of her program she strives to inn
grove the health of the community.
for identification of the home and
public grounds. and finally to i'm
prove the recreational centers of the
community.
Aids Dairymen
A specific instance of the good she
has done is at Enon. in Washington
parish. Each dairyman wa convey
ing his own milk to the railroad and
losing a lot OF time and money there
by She established a central milk
station at which all farmers delivered
their milk. and the community pros
pered. It built a new school. and
made other public improvements. In
addition to dairying, each family in
the community now has an orchard
and a flock of the same kind of
chickens. She showed them how.
In Natchitoches parish there are
Is organized communities. Last Sum-
mer a community meeting was held
by Miss Minis and 16 communities
participated in a community sing"
Over 1000 voices, those of grandmoth-
ers and grandfathers, their children !
and children's children, participated.
Then groups from each community
competed in chorus.
Mary Minis has a singing army
OF workers in Natchitoches, and with
them she is winning victories in CO.
operative marketing, and community
service.
Fairs Are Her Hobby
If she has a hobby, it is commun-
ity fairs. These she calls "laborator-
les where the farm folks bring their