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In the early history of this country it was generally accepted that the purpose of education for rural youth was to fit them for occupations other than farming. As farming became more of a business enterprise and the problems of agriculture became more complex, a need for some special training in the field of agriculture and country life was evident. First came the state agricultural colleges. Helpful as these colleges were and are, it was soon apparent that only a comparatively few farm young people could attend and most of those who did attend became teachers and investigators.
The demand for some type of training for those who remained at home was especially pronounced during the period from 1890 to 1900. One of the first organized attempts to meet this demand for service to rural youth was made by the New York State College of Agriculture at Cornell University. About 1896, a movement was started to encourage a greater interest in farming and rural life through the study of nature. Under the leadership of Dr. Liberty Hyde Bailey, John W. Spencer, familiarly known as "Uncle John," and others, junior naturalist clubs were organized in the rural schools. A membership button was given to each and a charter to the club. The dues were a letter written each week by each member. Upon the retirement of Mr. Spencer the club idea was gradually dropped and attention given to the Rural School Leaflet.
In the Middle West efforts to meet this demand for training young people for rural life took a different trend. W. B. Otwell, president of the County Institute of Macoupin County, Illinois, distributed selected seed corn to 500 boys who agreed to grow it and to exhibit it at the Institute the following year. O. H. Benson of Iowa, A. B. Graham of Ohio, B. J. Kern of Illinois, all school men, together with others, developed the idea further and gave instruction in agriculture to school clubs. They sensed that it was useless to give instruction in agriculture en masse and limited their activities to those who were interested in the club.
Dr. Seaman A. Knapp, for several years in charge of Farmers' Cooperative Demonstration work in the Southern States, quickly saw the importance of the work of Otwell and others as a means of interesting and training young people in agriculture and country life, and also saw in it an opportunity to demonstrate to the community the value of good farming practice. Under his direction boys' and girls' agriculture clubs received widespread publicity.
In the South, too, were started the first homemaking clubs, girls' canning clubs having been organized in Aiken County, South Carolina, in 1910.
In 1914, the Federal Congress passed the cooperative demonstration act, popularly know as the Smith-Lever Act, which made available Federal funds to the different states for the purpose of extending the services of the State Colleges of Agriculture to the people who could not leave home to attend college. This act greatly strengthened the extension work of the State Colleges of Agriculture and Home Economics and made possible the County Extension Agent system and the appointment of State Leader of Boys' and Girls' Club Work.
Up to this time this movement for rural youth had no nationally recognized name or plan of organization. Each state or community had a plan of its own, or more commonly, no plan, the clubs having sprung up here and there under the guidance of some interested person.
With the passage of the Smith-Lever Act, O. H. Benson, who because of his work in Iowa had been appointed as an associate of Dr. Knapp, was called to Washington and placed in charge of Boys' and Girls' Work for the Northern and Eastern States. It was Mr. Benson who furnished the inspiration for the name "4-H," the motto, and much of the plan of organization now followed. In 1915 there were 317,601 enrolled in boys and girls 4-H clubs in 47 different states.
During World War I, the energy of the extension service was turned from improvement of farming and homemaking to food production. The slogan was, "Food will win the War." The four- fold program of the 4-H clubs was temporarily abandoned and the energy of the members devoted to raising food. Additional local, state, and Federal funds were provided and a large staff of temporary agents was employed. The result was a rapid increase in the number of 4-H clubs and club members. During the height of the war, 1,002 County Club Agents were employed on full or part time and more than 1,000,000 4-H club members were enrolled.
The period immediately following the close of the war was a difficult time for 4-H clubs. Many local, state, and to some extent Federal funds were withdrawn, making it necessary to reduce materially the number of extension agents who had been developing club work. Quite as serious for the individual club member was the rapid decline in prices of agricultural products which spelled for him financial loss and frequently left him in debt for seed, fertilizer, and livestock purchased at war prices. Membership dropped from more than 1,000,000 in 1918 to 636,000 in 1919.
This real blow to many of the enthusiastic supporters of club work was the beginning of a sounder and broader program. Gradually public support increased; methods of organization were perfected; recreation, health education and community service were added; and the whole program was studied with regard to sound, long time aims and objectives and the means of attaining them. From a membership of 636,000 in 1919, there has been a steady increase; over 2,000,000 were enrolled in 1953.
4-H Club Work in New York State
Reference has already been made to the early work with rural youth under the inspiration and guidance of Dr. Liberty Hyde Bailey, John W. Spencer, and others at Cornell University. It was but natural when 4-H club work was introduced that its guidance was placed in the hands of those who had been associated with these early efforts. Miss Martha Van Rensselaer, who had worked with both Dr. Bailey and Mr. Spencer, was the first State Club leader. Later the responsibility for developing club work, then known as Junior Home Project Work, was placed with the Department of Rural Education, and Professor F. L. Griffin was named State Leader of Junior Extension, February 1916. For several years 4-H club work was conducted as the Junior Naturalist clubs had been, through the rural schools in cooperation with the special State Schools of Agriculture. C. O. DuBois, a teacher in the State School of Agriculture at Alfred University, was one of the first club agents appointed. He organized clubs in Allegany and Steuben Counties during the war period. Others were appointed at most of the other special State Schools and in cooperation with the County Defense Committee in Nassau, Rockland, Montgomery and other counties. Most of these were discontinued at or soon after the signing of the Armistice. Several city and village school systems appointed school garden supervisors during the war under a special "Director of Agriculture Act" of the Legislature, and received State aid for their employment. Many of the school gardeners were enrolled in the 4-H clubs. Most of these school gardens were discontinued after the war. In Troy, the school garden work developed into one of the first county club agent organizations financed cooperatively by Federal, state and county funds, with Albert Hoefer as county club agent.
Mention should be made here of the work of Rufus Stanley of Elmira. Believing that young people needed and desired a greater opportunity for self-development than they were receiving, he organized, about 1900, a small group of boys in and about the city of Elmira to provide this opportunity. A club known as the Omego Club was formed as an outgrowth of a loosely organized group known as the Ramblers Club. During the winter months the club met evenings. They worked in groups of 14, according to their year in the club, in a woodworking shop where all sorts of articles were made. Workmanship and care of tools were stressed. In the summer each member planted and cared for a small garden on a farm to the west of the city of Elmira. A camping program was set up and pilgrimages were made annually to the College of Agriculture, the Geneva Experiment Station, and to the State and National Capitols to gain first hand information and a broader viewpoint.
Gradually Mr. Stanley expanded the work into the Chemung County Achievement Club, working in the Elmira city schools, where a gardening and homemaking program was developed. Finally the 4-H idea was adopted and Mr. Stanley was appointed Chemung County Club agent in 1919.
Development of the County 4-H Club Agent System
Professor Griffin resigned as State Club 4-H Leader in November, 1918. He was succeeded by Professor W. J. Wright, Director of the State School of Agriculture at Alfred University, who had been responsible for the direction of the 4-H clubs in Allegany and Steuben Counties during the war period. Shortly thereafter a plan of organization was perfected whereby federal funds, through the State College of Agriculture, and state funds, through the State Department of Education, were made available to counties employing county club agents. The county administration unit was the County Board for Junior Extension composed of representatives of the Farm Bureau and the Home Bureau, the District Superintendents of Schools, and other interested organizations. During 1920, eight counties, namely Chenango, Chemung, Erie, Livingston, Oneida, Otsego, Rensselaer, and Westchester, were fully organized and employed full-time county 4-H club agents.
In 1930, the State Department of Education withdrew its financial support of 4-H club work. The State Club Leaders' Office was removed from the Department of Rural Education and was made an administrative division of the Extension Service. In 1931, the Constitutions of the County Farm and Home Bureau Associations were revised, to include: a Farm Department, a Home Department, and a 4-H Department, all on a coordinate basis.
After twenty-four years as State 4-H Club Leader, Professor W. J. Wright retired on December 31, 1942. He was succeeded on February 1, 1943 by Professor Albert Hoefer who had served as Assistant State 4-H Club Leader for eleven years.
Professor Hoefer retired on December 31, 1955. On January 1, 1956 he was succeeded by Professor Wilber F. Pease who had served as Assistant State 4-H Club Leader for 5 years.
During World War II food production was again uppermost. The 4-H Club Staff, both state and county, organized and conducted the Victory garden program that included nearly 1,500,000 gardens. The State 4-H Club Leader served as Executive Secretary of the N. Y. State Victory Garden Council and County 4-H Club Agents served as County Victory Garden coordinators and secretaries of County Victory Garden Councils. Both adults and young folks were Victory Gardeners. 4-H Club members were active in all war programs. For outstanding war work they named a Liberty ship "Carl E. Ladd" and were cited by the U. S. Treasury Department for distinguished service in the war finance program.
Beginning January 1, 1949, fifty-four counties are served by County 4-H Club Agents.
Readjustment was again necessary, but accomplished more rapidly than following World War I. The state enrollment of 35,883 members in 1942 increased to 71,934 in 1944. In 1947, it decreased to 46,787, but since then has increased each year, exceeding the 1942 enrollment by more than 20,000 members, reaching 58,814 in 1955.
Program adjustments have characterized the post-war years. In 1948 the first State 4-H Club Conservation Training Camp was held at Arnot Forest, a 4,000 acre tract of land owned by Cornell University. This work camp for older boys provides intensive training in forestry, wildlife management, and soil and water conservation. The training camp gave impetus to the development of additional projects in each of these areas of conservation.
Other additions to programs offered 4-H Club members include Tractor, Lawn and Garden Power Equipment, Bicycle Safety and Care, Ornamental Horticulture, Entomology and Home Management projects.
The decreasing numbers of farms and of farm population and the rapid growth in population of rural non-farm and suburban areas have had an effect on the composition of 4-H enrollment. The percentage of potential farm youth reached by the 4-H program is higher than any period, but the numbers of farm youth reached have gradually declined. The numbers of rural non-farm and suburban youth reached have increased greatly. In 1964, the total 4-H enrollment in the state was 81,246.
To meet the needs of a changing audience new programs were designed. These include chick incubation and embryology, light horse, electrical, fire control, automobile safety and control, dog care and training, child care, tips for waitresses, stretch fabrics, money management.
Equally important is the program enrichment during this decade resulting from improvements in using the 4-H project as a basic educational method. Learning experiences which emphasize the scientific method and the science related to projects, which incorporate employment opportunities related to the project area and which highlight management principles and practices are among the major improvements effected.
A third major change during this decade is that of employing methods which reach youth with program offerings far beyond those enrolled in local 4-H Clubs. By 1964, over 30,000 youth in addition to the 81,000 enrolled members were being reached by a variety of short-term but intensive programs. The incubation and embryology program, for example, is offered through schools as well as 4-H clubs. Conservation field days for school children and short-term agriculture and home economics programs in schools are other methods. One county conducted job training programs for older girls in cooperation with the Youth Employment Service.
Until the early 1960s, the great increase in numbers of urban youth in the 4-H program were mainly suburban youth. Then a response was started to requests from cities for the 4-H program for their youth. In Buffalo, Glens Falls, Niagara Falls, Rochester, Syracuse, and Utica these programs were directed primarily toward disadvantaged youth. The initial efforts preceded the Economic Opportunity Act.
More rapid increases in the numbers of youth reached, experimentation and testing of program ideas and methods, and program enrichment characterized the 1956-1965 decade. These will continue in the years ahead as the 4-H phase of the Cooperative Extension Service makes its contributions to the needs of youth in a changing society.
Contact the 4-H office for more information at 272-2292.
Or email us at tompkins@cornell.edu
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County provides equal program and employment opportunities.
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