Both are due to the foresight and wisdom of the late Dr.Seaman A.Knapp, of the United States Department of Agriculture.

As early as 1903 Dr.Knapp had been showing by practical demonstration how the farmers of Texas might circumvent the boll weevil, which was threatening to make an end of cotton-growing in that State.

He was able to increase the yield of cotton on a pest-ridden farm.

The idea of the boys' corn club was not new when Dr.Knapp took it up in 1908 and made it a national institution.

The girls' canning club was soon added to the list, and then came the pig club for boys and the poultry club for girls.
The General Education Board, which, with its large resources, had been seeking the best way to aid education in the South, was forced to the conclusion that any educational development must be preceded by economic improvement.