rganizations which largely control community action. If we are to
understand the relation of the farmer to his community, we can do so
only by knowing the organizations and groups to which he belongs, for it
is in them and through them that his loyalty to the community arises.

_The Grange._--By all odds the strongest local organization of farmers
throughout the northern and western states is the Grange, which is the
local unit of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry. For half a century,
from the time of its organization in 1868 until 1920, it had a larger
influence upon national legislation than any other organization of
farmers, and it was largely through its efforts that many of the more
important acts for the benefit of agriculture were passed by
Congress.[69] The growth in membership and number of local granges in
recent years testifies that the grange meets a real need in farm life.
Its maximum membership was in 1875 when 858,050 members were paying dues
to the National Grange. From then it declined to 106,782 members in
1889, but in the next thirty years it grew to approximately 700,000
members in 1919. State Granges are now organized in thirty-three states
and there are approximately 8,000 local or subordinate granges. In the
earlier years of its history there were many granges in the South, but
since the decline in the '80's there have been practically no granges
south of Virginia and Missouri.

Although the Grange is a secret order or fraternity, with a ritual
similar to other fraternal orders, its membership is open to any one of
good character, and the local granges frequently hold "open" meetings to
which all the people of the community are invited. The strength of the
Grange as a community organization is largely due to two factors: first,
its broad program, and second, that it is a family organization. Both
men and women are admitted to membership and in several states junior
granges for the older children are numerous. Although the grange
actively supports state and national legislation for the benefit of
agriculture, it is strictly non-partisan in politics and is
non-sectarian with regard to religion. In the earlier years it undertook
to operate numerous cooperative enterprises, including many cooperative
stores, and it was the failure of many of these which caused its sudden
decline of membership in the late '70's. In recent years, although it
has vigorously sponsored cooperation, it has favored independe