5. Fair Exhibits The scope of the Fair Exhibits this year was greatly broadened from that of last year. The exhibits were prepared by the Extension Service in cooperation with the State Council of Defense and the Committee of Food Supply and the State Leader served on the Food Exhibit Committee. The Food Exhibits covered the following lines of food conservation: 1. A War Kitchen illustrating the housekeeper's shelves of substitutes for wheat, sugar, and animal fats was arranged as one exhibit and demonstrations of wheatless and sugarless breads and cakes were given all thru the day at the various fairs. 2. Cereal Exhibit, much of the material being supplied by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. 3. Sugar Exhibit showing ways of conserving sugar thru use of substitutes. 4. Cottage Cheese and Milk Exhibit where demonstrations were given daily in uses of cottage cheese. 5. A month's rations for War Workers and the weekly ration for a family of five. 6. Canning Kitchen where the steps of the cold pack process of canning were shown and where marmalades and jellies with sugar substitutes were demonstrated. Photographs were made of every exhibit and descriptive text was compiled to be of use in future exhibits. Suggestions for small fair exhibits were sent to Home Demonstration Agents and their chief work during September was to plan and set up exhibits at their local fairs, one of the best of these being that of "The Well Fortified Family," showing the wide uses of farm products. BOYS' AND GIRLS' CLUB WORK Junior Extension Work A. J. Brundage, State Club Leader. Helen Bolan, Assistant State Club Leader. M. E. Sprague, Girls' Club Leader. *Harold A. Brundage, County Club Leader, Litchfield County. (resigned) *A. W. Greer, County Club Leader, Middlesex County *A. C. Sheldon, County Club Leader, Tolland County *P. L. Sanford, County Club Leader, Windham County (resigned) *Bertha Hallock, County Club Leader, New London County. *Employed jointly by the United State Department of Agriculture, Connecticut Agricultural College and the County Farm Bureaus. The extension work of the College and Farm Bureaus is divided into three general types; work with men, work with women, and work with boys and girls. The Junior Extension Division embraces the work done with boys and girls. This work is done mostly with boys and girls who are conducting some home enterprise and are organized into club groups under leadership. BOYS' AND GIRLS' CLUBS-Boys' and Girls' club work is not a fad but a State and National Institution supported by State and Federal laws as part of the National program for the promotion of agriculture and the improvement of country life. Club work is an organized system of Extension teaching for young people conducted by means of group meetings, home projects in agriculture and home economics and practical demonstrations in the field and home. It contemplates the organization of young people into groups called clubs for the purpose of definite work under carefully prepared programs and adequate leadership. From the ranks of club work will be recruited many of the rural life leaders of tomorrow. This is borne out by the fact that twenty-five club members have enrolled for or completed courses at the Connecticut Agricultural College although club work has only been organized for five years in Connecticut and the number of club members who have reached college age is very small. CLUB PROGRAMS-A club's seasonal program includes regular meetings, with discussions and demonstrations, summer field days and club festivals, exhibits and achievement days. Club meetings are held at least once a month and are divided into three general parts; business, including subject matter discussion, demonstration related to discussions, and social, including songs, games and contests. CLUB ORGANIZATION-Each club has a corps of officers who conduct club affairs under the direction of the local leader. The club is in reality a miniature democracy as the club members have a part in building their own program. Club leaders work with and thru club members and not over them. PURPOSE OF CLUB WORK-It is the purpose of club work to demonstrate that life on the farm and in the home can be made interesting and profitable and to give boys and girls practical training that will make them more useful citizens and enable them to give and get more out of life. This is done thru the ownership of home enterprises, conducted in such a way that a profit results and thru the socializing influence of club meetings. This is one of the best ways to "pull the stingers" out of common toil and put real purpose in the job, thereby developing intelligent, willing workers who get fun out of their work. TYPES OF CLUBS-During the period which this report covers the clubs which have been organized have been Corn, Potato, Garden. Canning, Home Economics, Food Saving, Sewing, Poultry, Pig, Calf and Sheep Clubs. The Garden, Canning, Home Economics, Poultry and Pig Clubs have been the most popular. DISSOCIATED CLUB MEMBERS-In the past many juniors have been enrolled to carry out home enterprises who have not been associated with organized clubs. These boys and girls have not had the assistance of local leadership. As might be expected a much smaller percentage of these boys and girls complete their work than those in organized clubs. By completed work is meant the carrying out of the home enterprise, keeping cost accounts of this activity and reporting accomplishment at the end of the season. Some of the boys and girls in this unorganized group, however, have done exceptional work and have taken greater interest in rural life thru the encouragement which they have received. INSTRUCTIONS-Instructions related to the conduct of home enterprises have been prepared and sent to all boys and girls enrolling for this work. In this way authentic information has been available for many thousands of boys and girls, thus enabling them to better conduct their home work. LEADERSHIP AND COOPERATION-It is apparent that leadership is essential to the successful conduct of any educational work with juniors or with adults, and this is especially true of club work. Clubs are never organized until local leadership, either volunteer or paid, is provided. Under good leadership often-times one hundred per cent of the club members carry their work thru to completion. It is thru organized clubs under good leadership that the best work has been done with juniors in Connecticut. The success of the junior work, as with the adult work, depends entirely upon the cooperation of local people. The boys and girls thruout the State have shown a most responsive attitude toward club work and the response by adults as individuals and groups has not been lacking. The success of the junior work is largely due to the fine spirit of cooperation that has been shown by individuals, school officials, Women's Clubs, Banks, and all extension workers thruout the State. The Boys' and Girls' club work year naturally divided into crop seasons and as this report extends from October 1, 1916, until September 30, 1918, parts of three years' work must be reported for the most intelligent conception of accomplishment. 1916 During this year 2794 boys and girls were enrolled as club members. Of this number, 979 completed their work. The products resulting from the efforts of these 979 club members were valued at $14,392.00 produced at a profit of $6,385.63. The production of the entire enrollment probably doubled these figures. 1917 The war conditions in this year together with growing interest in Boys' and Girls' club work helped greatly to increase club enrollment, which more than quadrupled. This showed the willingness of the boys and girls of the state to do what was expected of them. Additional enrollment could not be cared for without additional leadership, which was forthcoming. In April the first county club leader was appointed on full time in Fairfield county. The total number of paid and volunteer leaders increased about in proportion to the enrollment over the previous year. County Club Leaders or Assistant County Agents in charge of the junior work were later appointed in all the other counties. Considerable time was spent by the club forces choosing exhibits and training judging and demonstration teams for the contests at the Eastern States Exposition. This time was well spent as the winnings at Springfield demonstrated. A much better showing could have been made if it had been possible to take the best products from Connecticut to Springfield. SUMMARY OF RESULTS IN 1917-The number of club members completing this work increased from 35% of the total enrollment in 1916 to 52.1% in 1917. The products grown or represented by the 6871 club members were valued at $100,503.58 and were produced at a profit of $22,662.20. The value of the total production of all enrolled members was estimated at $200,000. In June of 1917 it was the misfortune of this department to lose from active service Miss M. E. Sprague, who had given so freely of Her time and energy since her entrance into this work in 1914. The war emergency called for a woman of broad vision and forceful personality, who knew Connecticut people and could work with them in the interest of food production and conservation. Miss Sprague more than met these requirements and was placed at the disposal of the State Division of the Federal Food Administration. She was appointed Home Economics director of the state by the Food Administration, in which position she has since effectively served. Miss Helen Bolan was appointed Assistant State Club Leader to continue Miss Sprague's work. 1918 On account of the increased demands made upon the college for work with boys and girls along diverse lines, it seemed wise early in 1918 to extend the activities of the club workers to cover a broader field. The work done by the Extension Service in conducting demonstrations with boys and girls along production and conservation lines is now classified as Junior Extension Work in Agriculture and Home Economics. By authority of the State Council of Defense the Connecticut Junior Food Army was organized under a sub-committee of the Connecticut Committee of Food Supply. The Junior Extension forces of the State were placed at the disposal of this committee to help develop the Junior Food Army Program for 1918. The State Junior Food Army Committee, after completing plans for developing the work, requested local war bureaus to appoint local chairmen. From this point on, the county club forces cooperated with local chairmen in the development of the work. Boys and girls were enrolled in the 12 projects chosen by the State Committee, and where leadership was available and the local communities desired, clubs were organized. The club organization plan of previous years was thus used to meet the war emergency. The Junior Food Army included all juniors in the State engaged in production and conservation work who enrolled in this unit. The unorganized members corresponded to the boys and girls of previous years who were not organized, while the organized members were club members in addition to being Junior Food Army members. All Junior Food Army members received instructions and record books and other supplies from the Farm Bureaus to assist in the conduct of their projects. |