HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY                      107

several meetings having been called at Center Point by the secretary,
David A. Notter. At one of these meetings a committee on location was
constituted, which selected the site adjoining the town of Center Point.
This did not meet with general approval and nothing further was done
that year. The following year (1872) a meeting of the directors of the
still surviving society was called to meet at Center Point, Saturday, June
22d. A few days preceding this meeting, the Weekly Archives, published
at Bowling Green, in calling attention to it editorially said:

    On Saturday next the Clay County Agricultural Society is called to
meet at Center Point. We presume the object of the meeting is to discuss
the propriety of reviving and reorganizing the old society.
    The farmers of the county should manifest a lively interest in this
meeting and by their presence and deliberations reach a wise and prac-
ticable conclusion in so important a matter. That an agricultural society,
well supported and zealously guarded, is a benefit to every farmer in the
county, is fully proved in the experience and progress of those counties
which have regularly maintained such societies.
    But it seems to us that more benefit, at much less expense and labor,
might be reached through the organization of a farmers’ club for the
investigation and discussion of all questions pertaining to soils and their
cultivation, crops, and influences and conditions which best develop and
mature them, the improvement of stock and the culture of fruits.
    This organization should be efficiently officered, with a vice president
and corresponding secretary in every township to organize branch socie-
ties. The township organizations should hold monthly meetings, and the
county club should meet semi-annually.
    The majority of farmers idle away more time during the year than
regular attendance at these meetings would require; and suppose farmers
should take an active and earnest part in the work by a mutual inter-
change of their views and experience, what, in ten years from this time,
would be the stage and value of improvements induced by this means?
    In the start the move would be unpopular, of course, as are all
reformatory and progressive measures when introduced. The suspecting,
overly cautious farmers, who know more about soils, grains, fruits, and
stock than any of the book makers, would stand aloof and avow that the
knowing ones had combined for the purpose of fleecing them of their
honest and hard-earned gains. But time and patient labor would over-
come these prejudices and pioneers in the good work would ultimately
reap their reward in public approval.
    We hope to see something of this kind done, and we shall be pleased
at any time to lend the cause our aid by way of publications.

    Pursuant to this announcement, the society convened, with President
Ackelmite in the chair. After calling the house to order the president
briefly stated the object of the meeting, and the secretary was then ordered
to read the minutes of previous meeting, which were approved.
    The roll of townships was then called by the secretary, when H. M.
Pierce of Posey, W. D. Wolfe of Dick Johnson, Jno. Steed of Van Buren,
John E. Slack of Jackson, John Frump of Washington, R. L. Kennedy of
Sugar Ridge, and H. L. Ashley of Brazil, responded. There being a
majority of all the directors present, the president announced the meeting
in working order.