UMASSTAMHERST 4i> 
 
 31EDt3b014'^a02'^2 
 
LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 MASSACHUSETTS 
 
 AGRICULTURAL 
 
 COLLEGE 
 
 SOURCE 
 
 "" M6 
 
 ce 
 
This book may be kept out 
 
 TWO WEEKS 
 
 only, and is subject to a fine of TWO 
 CENTS a day thereafter. It will be due on 
 
 the day indicated below. 
 
 MA?' 
 
 .. iC'^'i* 
 
 ^ir^H' 
 
 V3 
 
 CARD 
 
AE EXPERIii/IENT 
 IN 
 
 RURAL COmnnilTy PLAimilTG 
 
 E .L. Morgan 
 Extension Service 
 Massachusetts Agricultural College 
 
 1915 
 
^30. '505 
 
The term "Rural Community Planning" 
 as it is used among our Agricultural 
 Colleges refers to a praotioal, compre- 
 hensire, scientific planning for the 
 future by the community, along those funda- 
 mental lines which represent its gener- 
 al interest, usually embracing agri- 
 culturei education! sanitation, recrea- 
 tion, civic affairs, and transj)ortation. 
 
 Where such community planning has 
 been applied, it has resulted in the 
 working out of a long term program 
 ma^le up of projects some of which may 
 be carried out at once, while others 
 may ra^iuire years to achieve* 
 
 This, then, is a statement of the 
 manner in which this work is being done, 
 among the towns and rural communities 
 of Massachusetts as a part of the work 
 of the Extension Service of the Massa- 
 chusetts Agricultural College* We 
 
?/ish to present this statement along 
 the following general lines: 
 
 1 • A community aohieTement. 
 
 S. Some principles inTolTed. 
 
 3» Some results and plans for the 
 future* 
 
 4» A hroad application of this 
 work on county and state "bases* 
 
 The Achievement . 
 
 Early in the fall of 191.8 a call 
 came to our Kxtension Service from a 
 typical ^ew England community of some 
 two hundred homes, situated some two 
 and a half miles from a railway station 
 This call was not for a lecture on 
 dairying or pomology, but it waa for 
 assistance along the line of community 
 planning. They said they had little 
 community spirit, that they were not 
 pulling together, that there was the 
 misunderstanding, cross-purpose and 
 
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 in 2010 with funding from 
 
 Boston Library Consortium IVIember Libraries 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/experimentinrura191219morg 
 

 prejudice among their organizations 
 eo often found among unorganized rural 
 conmiunities, and that agriculture as 
 their industry was declining. Prior 
 to this time there had heen enormous 
 fugitive force of this nature "but there 
 had been no adeq.uate means of directing 
 it. 
 
 For the first meeting- in this con- 
 nection 3 they got together those few 
 who represented the leadership of the 
 community and went over very thoroughly 
 the possibilities of the community get- 
 ting together and working out a long term 
 program. It was finally decided to call 
 a m.a6s meeting to consider the whole mat- 
 ter* This m^ass meeting was attended "by 
 about 80 per cent of the adult population 
 of the community* A number of people 
 voiced their opinion of the existing 
 untoward condition of affairs and reme- 
 dies were suggested « All saw that 
 
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 nothing substantial oould be achieved 
 until a definite knowledge of exact con- 
 ditiona was obtained* To accomplish 
 this, six comiaissions were appointed 
 as follows: Agriculture, Education, 
 Sanitation, Recreation, Civic Affairs, 
 and Transportation* 
 
 The commissions were asked to do 
 two things: 
 
 1 . Make a careful stud^/ of the com- 
 munity, calling in from the outside 
 such assistance as they could command* 
 
 2. Formulate a few recommendations 
 in the form of projects which they 
 might submit to a second mass meeting 
 to be held two months after the first. 
 
 These commissions had scarcely 
 begun their wori^ when they came to ap- 
 preciate that actual facts were needed 
 as a basis for the formation of con- 
 structive projects* In a thorough sur- 
 
-5- 
 yey taken of the oommunity, the i'arm 
 Management Beotion of our Extension 
 Seryice secured information along farm 
 management lines, taking records on 
 a large number of farms and making cer- 
 tain recommendations relating to the 
 agricultural situation in general. The 
 facts along social j educational, sani- 
 tary, transportation, and recreational. 
 lines were secured by a man employed 
 by the community* 
 
 The Tarious commissions called 
 upon a number of state organizations, 
 boards and institutions which gave ad- 
 vice along their particular lines* 
 Some of these were: State Boards of 
 Health, six departments of the Agri- 
 cultural College, State Highway Com- 
 mission, Massachusetts Girio League, 
 State Library Commission, State Board 
 of Agriculture. After two months of 
 

 pairistaking work, these corrnniesions 
 reported to the seeond mase meeting 
 such projects ae they had been able 
 to work out* 
 
 ThiB was Indeed a v ery interest- 
 ing meeting. The community had coupled 
 the long term planning idea with a de -» 
 sire for efficiency. The keenest in- 
 terest was manifested as each project 
 wag taken up^ discussed, and either 
 adopted or rejected. Such as were ac- 
 cepted became the comir.unity long term 
 program* Some of the projects adopted 
 were: 
 
 In Agriculture - 
 
 1 . Making the raising of pure 
 bred cattle the industry and the pro- 
 duction of milk the by-product. 
 
 E. Cooperation in care of orchards 
 and sale of the product. 
 
 3« General cooijeration in both 
 

 buying and Celling, 
 In Education - 
 
 1 . Agricultural education through 
 extension schools, lectures, institutes, 
 demonetrations, and correspondence 
 courses • 
 
 8. The extension of the library 
 service and purchase of books on agri- 
 culture and country life* 
 
 3. further consolidation of 
 rural schools* 
 
 4. Introduction of the teaching 
 of agriculture and home economics into 
 the schools* 
 
 5. Introduction of Boys' and Girls' 
 home and school garden woric into the 
 schccls* 
 
 In Transportation - 
 
 1 . To ask the State Highway 
 Commission to furnish, a road engineer 
 to outline a plan for the construction 
 
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 and mairtenanee of roads. 
 
 E« The appropriation of $6000 
 to build permanent roads. 
 
 3. The purchase of a steam roller 
 to uee in road construction and main- 
 tenance. 
 
 4. The introduction of the split 
 log drag in road maintenance. 
 
 5. The careful investigation of 
 telephone and railway service and rates. 
 
 Without mentioning the other com- 
 misgions^ I am sure you are able to see 
 from the foregoing the nature of the 
 projects submitted* They did not rep- 
 resent the ideal from any one person's 
 viewpoint, but they did represent what 
 the people of that comjiiunity believed 
 wae for their best good^ and what they 
 themselx^ee would be able to apply ? for 
 after all no community will move any 
 faster nor any farther than the majority 
 
-9- 
 of the soiidj sound- thinking people 
 iDOth see and helieve, and their own looal 
 leadership takes them. 
 
 The application of this program 
 was at onoe seen to "be a greater task 
 than that of formulating it. It was 
 evident that the ooirjnunity had organiza- 
 tions enough and to spare, but there 
 was the usual amount in inertia^ erosE- 
 purpose and jealousy, that militated 
 against efficiency • To overcome some 
 these petty "bickerings and still get the 
 work done , one representative was ap- 
 pointed from eacb organization who, 
 together with the chairman of the various 
 commissions 9 "became a Comjnunity Council 
 or federation, v/hot^e function was not 
 to do the work "but to "be the custodian 
 of tie projects adopted and act as a 
 clearing-house for the organizations 
 of the comjiiunity. 
 
-10- 
 Some of the actual achievements 
 under thiB plan during the past two 
 years are as follows: 
 In Agriculture - 
 
 1 * Cooperation in the pruning 
 and spraying of thirteen orchards » 
 
 £* Cooperation in the purchase of 
 spray materials, fertilizers, and packing 
 accessories* 
 
 3. The adoption of an apple brand, 
 packing the entire crop hy an expert 
 packer, and ©elling through a committee 
 of the group* 
 
 4» The purchase of a few pure 
 hreds for the herds, looking forward to 
 the time when the community may be 
 known as a pure bred stock section « 
 
 5. The re-organization of the local 
 demonstration farm* 
 
 In Cooperation - 
 
 1 * The organization of a Parm.er's 
 
-11- 
 
 Exchange , incorporated tinder the laws 
 of the Go irmion wealth* During the past 
 two years it has transacted a very large 
 voltixne of husinees in both buying and 
 selling • I cannot emphasize this phase 
 too strongly. We have a numher in the 
 state. Their organization is sjn^le, 
 they fill the absolute needs of the 
 people and are doing good work. 
 In Civic Affairs - 
 
 1 . The removal of an unsightly 
 blacksmith shop to a point cut of general 
 view. 
 
 E. The erection of hor^e sheds 
 at a cost of $1800. 
 
 3. The erection of guide boards. 
 
 4. The working out of a plan for 
 the inrprovement of the common. 
 
 5. The introduction of an efficient 
 system in the keeping of town accounts. 
 
 6. Negotiations for a community 
 
-1^ 
 
 <C' 
 
 reoreatiori field. 
 
 In Transportation - 
 
 1 . The expenditure of $8000 in 
 the huilding of permanent roads. 
 
 2. The securing of better rail- 
 way service and the improvement of con- 
 ditions about the railway station. 
 
 3. An abatement of some of the 
 telephone rate nuisance and the secur- 
 ing of better service. 
 
 In Education - 
 
 1 . The placing of a sub-library 
 in each school of the township. 
 
 8. The holding of wci Agricultural 
 5!xtension School • 
 
 3. The inauguration of the boys* 
 and girls' club work in the schools. 
 
 4. The further consolidation of 
 rural schools. 
 
 5. An institute and numerous 
 other lectures all a part of a definite 
 
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 plan and not bap-hazard • 
 
 In Social Affairs - 
 
 1 . The adoption of an-all- 
 year-round recreational plan, picnics, 
 lyceuim, celebrations, and other events* 
 
 One of the most significant achieve- 
 ments has been the federation of two 
 churches which came about as a by-product 
 of the whole community movement* It was 
 not urged by anyone ^ but came naturally 
 as a part of their efficiency apprecia- 
 tion * 
 
 As a result of these two years of 
 work, the people of this community have 
 a plan that is working., they believe in 
 agriculture as an industry as it was im- 
 possible to do before. They also believe 
 their cominunity is the best place in 
 Massachusetts in which to live, they 
 have the community spirit, a community 
 plan, end are achieving things, For this 
 
-14- 
 statement, any one of a number of other 
 communities might have "been used as well. 
 Some PrirQipl ee I nvolved • 
 
 The achievements of this community 
 are tj^-pical of a num^ber of others in 
 Maeeachusetts where this general plan 
 is in various stages of development • 
 In each case a few principles which 
 stand as guiding stars in rural progress 
 have been kept clearly in mind. They 
 may be stated as follows: 
 
 1 . We have only one country life 
 problem* It has a number of phases 
 but is all one problem^, and must be dealt 
 with as such whether the work is being 
 done on a community, county, state, or 
 national basis • 
 
 In the ease referred to, the communi- 
 ty saw this clearly. The whole probleJn 
 was takerj up as a unit; its various 
 phases interesting various groups which 
 
-15- 
 dealt with each as a part of the whole. 
 Most communities are doing good things 
 along one or two lines, "but oome far 
 short of presenting a solid front in 
 their approach to this matter • In 
 Massachusetts I we believe that the 
 strengthening of agriculture as the rural 
 industrv in "both its farm management 
 and its marketing and exchange phases . 
 is of maximum importance in this ruri,l 
 progress campaign* Little can he achieved 
 along any line unless the industry is a 
 profitable one» It does not follow, 
 however, that better farming and better 
 business will in and of themselves bring 
 about better living. There are many sec- 
 tions of the middle western and north 
 Atlantic states where farring is being 
 very successfully carried on and where 
 the average farmer is well-to-do, but 
 where there is as marked rural decay as 
 
-16- 
 is to "be found in the hill sections 
 of either Ilew England or of the South, 
 where agriculture needs very serious 
 attention. In Massachusetts, great 
 care ie being taken to secure an a^l- 
 round coin32iunity progress for ?/e believe 
 that sort alone will be permanent* 
 
 II, Substantial and permanent 
 rural progress can come only where country 
 life is adeQ.uately organized. This 
 refers to - 
 
 A, A working federation of all 
 
 » 
 
 organizations in the field* working out 
 a differentiation of task, that there 
 may be a maximum of individual effi- 
 ciency and a minimum of overlapping, as 
 well ae overlooking* This form of get- 
 together is especially needed just now 
 along state and national lines. 
 
 B» The bringing about of such new 
 organisations as may be necessary to do 
 
-17- 
 
 any work that cannot "be done by an organ- 
 ization already in existence • This will 
 need to come to pass very generally when 
 the community or the county approaches 
 such questions as marketing and exchange 
 or the agricultural adviser work. 
 
 In the conmiunity inentioned, this 
 involved a practical working federation of 
 all local organizations and coirunitteesj 
 comprising seme thirteen in all. This 
 was called the Community Council and 
 was merely an overhead organization. 
 It was soon evident that none of these 
 organizations could foster agricultural 
 cooperation which the community had de- 
 cided to take up* To do this work, 
 an incorporated Cooperative Association 
 wae organized* 
 
 Thus organized, the forces for prog- 
 ress "became a unit* Ixpert assistance 
 concerning education, transportation, or 
 
-18- 
 pulDlic health aa well aa o^ny phaee 
 of agriculture does not come to the com- 
 Riunity in a haphazard nanner as the de- 
 sire of a specially interested few, hut 
 oouBS to the community as a whole j 
 knov/ing that his coming is a part of a 
 definite plan hearing directly upon im- 
 mediate possihilitias. Give this sort 
 of eomjnunity planning to 75 per cent of 
 the communities of any state and it will 
 double the efficiency of agricultural 
 extension work within the state* 
 
 III* Any form of rural intprove- 
 ment, whether it addresses itself to 
 ♦'hetter farmings better business ^ or 
 better living" must be rural in its 
 nature* It must be a product of a rural 
 environment • Methods in education, 
 public health, recreation, and so forth, 
 which are eminently successful under 
 urban conditions fail relatively when 
 
-19- 
 applied to a rural comiriunity. Agricul- 
 ture represents not only a distinct in- 
 dustry, but also a distinct and peculiar 
 system of living none of which can he 
 measured hy urban standards or ideals • 
 To be permanent, any such improvement 
 must give large place to the development 
 of the community idea, the neighbor- 
 hood unit, to the fact that the coinmunity 
 as a machine is one piece of mechanism ^ 
 and can be run without much of the cus- 
 tomary rattle and bang^ but that to do 
 thiB there rrxiet be a real living dom- 
 inant community spirit • 
 Some Hesul ts and Flans for the Futu re » 
 The results to the communities in 
 which this work has been done have been 
 trem.endous. They have been definite, 
 positive J and practical • Starting small 
 it has spread to a dozen others, and some 
 are on the way. There have also been 
 
-so- 
 other and more general results which 
 have been large faetors in the formula- 
 tion of what has "become the Massachuaette 
 Plans for Rural Progress? 
 
 One of these ha^ "been the practi- 
 cability of the principle of the federa- 
 tion of local forces for definite results* 
 Fhenever this has eome to pass, the organ- 
 izations comprising the federation have 
 not only found ne?/ tasks to do but have 
 found that in such union there was tremen- 
 dous strength • The futility of the im- 
 provem^ent association idea, the farmers' 
 club, or the social center idea in actual- 
 ly doing the work is painfully apparent. 
 It is our plan to pursue this work only 
 as fast as actual calls come fromx inter- 
 ested communities. 
 
 Another result has been the dem.on- 
 stration of the value of long-term plan- 
 ning in all phases of rural lifej in- 
 
-SI- 
 
 volving as it does the careful working- 
 out of practical projects. There are 
 ir MasBachusetts some eighteen state and 
 sectional organizations^ hoards and In- 
 stitutions cooperating in this work and 
 froK which a coiruuunity may receive 
 definite advice along their special 
 line of work* The successful use of this 
 planning principle has led to its appli- 
 cation on hoth county and state lines i as 
 will he mentioned a little later* 
 
 The imperative need of some ade- 
 quate system of leadership training h^s 
 been apparent as this work has progressed. 
 There is some^/here to be seen a lack of fit- 
 ness to lead on the part of those upon 
 whose shoulders the community places 
 leadership responsibilities* We be- 
 lieve it is the function of a College 
 of Agriculture to aesumie direction of 
 the training of the rural leadership 
 in a state* Aside from the regular work 
 
O '^ ». 
 
 at the College where there are a number 
 of coureee directed particularly along 
 this line, the following are aniorg the 
 special leadership training functions 
 carried on by the Extension Service • 
 
 1 • Local conferences on cornrfiunity 
 planning! at which time the general 
 principles of comiironity progress are 
 set forth in the light of the apparent 
 need of the comiuunity in which the con- 
 ference is being held. 
 
 2. The school for Tree Fardens, held 
 at the Agricultural College, which is 
 rendering these very important town 
 officers decidedly more efficient. 
 
 3. Extension Bchocls in Gcminunity 
 Planning • These are four day schools, 
 similar in organization to the Extension 
 School in Agriculture but dealing only 
 with the organization phases of agri- 
 culture and community life* Tne follow- 
 ing courses are offered -- Public 
 
-co- 
 
 Health, F^rm Management, Town Administra- 
 tion, Civic Improvement, Community Recrea- 
 tion, Home-Making, The Comir.unity Pro- 
 gram, EducaticKj and Agricultural Coop- 
 eration* Each course deals especially 
 with methods of organizing and pursuing 
 the particular lines, 
 
 4. The Summer School for Rural Social 
 Service, held at the College, at which 
 time two weeks ^ eourees especially for 
 ministers, teachers and community leaders 
 are offer ed« 
 
 5. The summer Conference on Com.- 
 munity Planning, also held at the Col- 
 lege, is a four day conference partici- 
 pated in by a number of state boards and 
 orgaTiizations, This has come to be a 
 tremendous force for rural progress 
 throughout all Hew England, 
 
 6. County Corferences on Community 
 Planning, which bring together the leaders 
 
-E4« 
 of a county to plan for the larger 
 county developments. 
 
 The future of our work muet see 
 the functions Just mentioned intensi- 
 fied in order that these actually 
 doing the work within the communities 
 may he the most efficient possihle* 
 Special School for tax assessors^ 
 tax eoilectorsi ro^d supervisors^ and 
 officers of cooperative societies ^^re 
 planned for the iamiediate future • 
 ^me__P,QS8ihilitie8 of this Wo rk al on^ 
 County and State Linegj. 
 
 In most ^Sections of the country , 
 the functions ascribed to the county 
 aa a political unit render it of 
 very great importance as a factor in 
 rural progress. Things are done hy 
 counties* Tnere can be created a 
 county spirit I a county pride, and 
 a county plan * 
 
 Owing to the fact that there are 
 
-£5- 
 a number of phases of the rural proh- 
 lem which can best be determined along 
 county lines, it is highly important that 
 county planning receive serious atten- 
 tion. The County Agent represents 
 a beginning. There is much to be done 
 along the lines of education, rural 
 government, transportation, and so 
 forth^ which can be most Buccesafully 
 achieved in this manner. 
 
 The county is the natural unit 
 through which to bring about further 
 federation « There are many county or- 
 g%isationa as well as community inter- 
 eats which need to be united on cer- 
 tain broad county policies. We are 
 calling these County Conferences on 
 Rural Progress. As an approach to this 
 in Massachusetts, the County Planning 
 Conference is being used with marked 
 Success. 
 
 Of still greater importance are 
 
-E6. 
 those larger problerriB which have to 
 do with the affairs of a state and 
 which can he solved hy states only. 
 Here it is that wa see a great need for 
 the federation of forces* The lacic 
 of an understanding and an unwilling- 
 ness to work together on the pQ'rt of 
 many state aided hoards and insti- 
 tutions is a vital matter '^nd should 
 he worked out hy a maars of differen- 
 tiating the tasks of each, thus avoid- 
 ing overlapping as well '^s overlook'^' 
 iiig the expenditure of state funds. 
 It is imperative that every state work 
 out a definite policy in the devel- 
 opment of agriculture and country life* 
 This should he prefaced by a compre- 
 hensive state survey of agriculture 
 and community life conditions, in order 
 that such a policy may he true to the 
 actual needs. 
 
-87- 
 
 The Massachusetts "R'ederation for 
 Rural Progress, whioh is made up of 
 some twenty-five state orgariizations, 
 boa^rds and institutions, is making 
 rapid strides to?/ard the achievement 
 of this end ^ Through its eommissions 
 of ?arm Inrprovement, Oommunity Life^ 
 and Marketing and Exchange, it is 
 promoting a definite propaganda, 
 results of which are iDeing seen^ 
 
 It will he only when the country 
 life of a state is thus thoroughly 
 organized on state ^ county and local 
 bases that we may expect results* 
 There is need that we appreciate to 
 the full the task that lies before 
 us« It is the task of developing 
 in this country a rural civilization 
 which will be a thing complete in it- 
 self, affording an industry and a 
 system of living which will be both 
 profitable and pleasant, such as we do 
 
-£8- 
 not have in any large measure today. 
 
 There are vast numbers of country 
 life fakirs abroad in the land who 
 are proclaiming that "their stunt will 
 turn the trick". Sometimes it is a 
 social center, a moving picture show, 
 increased agricultural production j 
 a comir^unity ingprovement association, 
 church federation, cooperation in 
 marketing and exchange, a farmers* 
 club, some new movement in rural 
 education, a courity agent, or anti- 
 Beptic farm homes. Each promoter unable 
 to understand why the others do not 
 forsake their hobbies and rally to 
 his project, which after all he con- 
 tends is the only real solution of 
 the q^uestion . 
 
 Such a rural civilization must 
 include most of the elements Just 
 mentioned, but in an efficient, har- 
 
-89- 
 monious iDalanee, My experience of 
 more than two years in this work leads 
 me to "believe that one of the serious 
 handicaps to rural progress is the 
 faot that not enough men connected 
 with the Agricultural Oolleges, Boards 
 and Departments of Agriculture, either 
 as administrators^ teachers, research 
 or extension agents ^ are making an 
 adequate effort to see this rural 
 q.uestion in its entirety. Don't we 
 too often "betray a modern interpre- 
 tation of the Puritan's prayer — 
 "The Lord hless me and my job, our 
 hoard of trustees, and the State 
 and Federal treasury, - we four and 
 no more!" 
 
 As employed officers, the chal- 
 lenge comes to us in three-fold form: ■ 
 
 1 . That we come to see our country 
 life problem aa clearly as our preju- 
 
-30- 
 dioe for our own work will permit us 
 to a^ie it . 
 
 E. That we see the proper relation 
 between our work and the prohlem as a 
 whole, - that is, that our work is 
 not the solution, hut that it stands 
 at best as only one segment of the 
 whole* 
 
 3. That we ^ee with charity and enthusi- 
 asm the relation of the work of the 
 other man to our work^ and to the prob- 
 lem as a whole « 
 
 This, then, is the statement of 
 the experiment in rural oommunity 
 planning, the eonsummation of whioh 
 was such that it has spread to some 
 fifteen other towns, to counties, 
 and to the state. In starting this 
 work we ware conscious of the fact 
 that we were doing pioneer work and 
 that there was the full possibility of 
 
error* We planned it as v/ell as we 
 could* The results have heen most 
 gratifying and betray elements ofgreat 
 value* It is the ultimate application 
 of this plan as a whole upon com- 
 munity ^ county and state lines which 
 we "believe will promote substantial 
 progress in agriculture and country 
 life, and will hasten the development 
 of our new rural civilization* 
 
 * - - It is not to be understood that 
 this plan will apply to every state 
 without some modifications ^ The prin- 
 ciples laid down should govern the 
 general plan, the activities in de- 
 tail should be based upon the needs 
 suid possibilities in a given state » 
 This does not represent a mere ex- 
 tension project, but rather the great^ 
 est view of the whole q.uestion. Let 
 
us not forget when thinking of the 
 larger phases of the question that thia 
 is the core* The great inajority of 
 our national prohlems generally will 
 never he solved until they are solved 
 by individual oomrrjanities* It is this 
 idea of ooimnunity solidarity, unity, 
 and purpose that must be the mainspring 
 of our efforts.