| OCR Text |
Show IE ISTBUCTIS TO DEHWORS I gricultural Education Plan I for Utah Is Now in I Operation. fORK IS IMPORTANT r. Widtsoe, President of the Agricultural College, and Others, Give Approval. At a meeting held last Wednesday I jrnincr .it the Utah Agricultural coi-ie, coi-ie, final instructions "were, given to jfi county demonstrators who have re-jived re-jived appointments to different counts coun-ts in Utah. Several demonstrators jve been appointed, including one mian. as the work is not to be con-ied con-ied to agricultural interests, but is include the field of household 'once. jrhe bill providing for this new work i in ngriculturo was passed by the last state legislature, and provides for the work in tho following tonus: Tho board of trustees of tho Utah Agricultural college is authorized au-thorized and is directed to place practical farm and homo demonstrators demon-strators in various parts of tho state of Utah. Those demonstrators demonstra-tors ohall study comprehensively the existing farm and homo conditions condi-tions within the district assigned. They shall visit as far as possible from farm to farm and from homo to homo and shall present such facts and principles and practices of modern agricultural and homo science as may soom needed in tho development of tho districts assigned. as-signed. Thoy may assist in tho introduction of new crops, new mothods of cultivation and new I machinery; encouraging boys' and girls' farm and homo contests; in assisting cow-te3ting nnd similar organizations; in advancing county and local fairs, and in promoting in such othor ways as may bo decided de-cided upon, the agricultural and homo interests of tho districts to which tho demonstrators are assigned. as-signed. For tho purpose of carrying car-rying into effect the provisions of , this bill tho following monoyo have boon appropriated from the state treasury, not otherwise appropriated, ap-propriated, namely, $6000 for tho year 1913, with an increase of $2500 for each succeeding year until a total of $25,000 a year is reached. Approved by Widtsoe. President J. A. Widtsop of the Utah Agricultural college characterized tho work as follows: This work is simply another expression ex-pression of the policy of educating all of tho peoplo of t.ho country that this nation has decided upon. Science has grown very rapidly tho last .100 years and the application applica-tion of scionco and tho needs of man have multiplied rapidly tho last twonty-fivo years. Tho ronl problem is how to bring all of theso now facts to tho people This movemant is an attompt to put j into tho possession of tho peoplo tho facts and principles that may bo applied in making more profitable profit-able and more desirablo all phases of farm and homo life. It seems to me to bo a uecossary supplement supple-ment to the work already being dona by the oxporimont station and the agricultural college Its results are suro to bo of very grat value to the state. In tho beginning begin-ning it may have a few hardships. Experieuco will havo to be gath-orcd, gath-orcd, but if tho peoplo will havo a little patience until the work can be brought well under way, it will show itself to bo ouo of tho most important movemouts evor inaugurated inaugu-rated in the state. Dr. E. G. Peterson, director of tho extension division of tho state agricultural agri-cultural collogo, unhesitatingly designates desig-nates this work as "tho most important impor-tant step that has over been taken in tho reclamation of agriculture; the most ambitious plan ever inaugurated by any country, and tho most far-reaching far-reaching in its possibilities. Evans Enthusiastic. Dr, Robert J. Evans, in charge of the work in Utah, i3 enthusiastic over tho future of tho work. "It is the final and biggest step in the development develop-ment of agriculture. "We havo found a way at last of placing the latest and most advajicod ideas in agriculture dv rectly in the hands of tho farmer and our county demonstrator insures then-correct then-correct application," , Uintah basin, with Carbon, Emory, Millard, Beaver, Gadoid, Iron and So-yicr So-yicr counties, in co-operation with tho Utah Agricultural collego and tho department de-partment of aRriculturo at Washington, havo already provided themselves with demonstrators, the following having been assigned to tho various countiu; Uintah basin, W. J. Glenn; -Carhon and Emery. It. II. Stowart; Millard, Josoph P. Wolch: Beaver, Garfiold and Iron, Kobert Wngley and David Sharp; Sevier, Se-vier, Lorin Merrill. Miss Amy Lyman has been selected to tako charge of tho work in tho home economics phase of the work, her territory not being definitely decided upon as yet. Tho value of this work can bo estimated esti-mated only after consideration as to what thoso county demonstrators aTO to do in tho respective counties as-signod as-signod to them. Duties of Agents. The duties, of a county agent are thus oxprossed by Mr. Wilson, recently secretary of agriculture, in his 1912 report: re-port: Tho duties of a county agent are to acquaint himself as rapidly as possiblo with the general agricultural agri-cultural conditions of the locality; study tho various types of soils, tho crops that have been found to "be best adapted, and the typos of farming that have been most successful suc-cessful on each typo of soil. . To Bpend his entiro time in the interest of improved farming in the section, studying the methods and practices of tho most snccoss-ful snccoss-ful farmers who are following tho various types of farming; to visit the farmers on thoir farms, study their plans, and aid them in forming form-ing bettor plane. j To study every phase of all tho farms ho visits, no that ho may know what mothods, crops and HystemH are best for tho locality, aud at all timos, whorover ho goes, to give tho farmers tho beno-Jfit beno-Jfit of tho information ho gets, including in-cluding the results of scientific investigations in-vestigations conducted by tho various vari-ous experiment stations and tho Unitod Statos department of agriculture agri-culture relating to all kinds of farm practice. Comprehensive Plan. The comprehensiveness of tho plan is astounding. While in tho past tho farmers of Utah have boon reached only indirectly through tho Agricultural Agricul-tural college or directly through short and necessarily iucompleto wookly schools held in various parts of Utah, or through bulletina published by the oxperimoift station, very often unread, now the idea is to placo a trained man directly upon tho farm. This man will be a permanent resident in tho community. com-munity. Ho will tako a personal interest" in-terest" tho growth of the section and in the farmers themselves. Ho will become be-come acquainted with every farm and every .farmer in his district. Ho will know, in time, tho peculiarities of ev-. ery piece of ground, tho adaptability of every bit of soil around. He will study market conditions, encourage tho building of roads, and be roady to supply tho farmers with government and stnte literature upon all phases of agriculture. His coming will place a man in the county who feels that he is responsible for the welfare of the en-tiro en-tiro community. Ho will not bo interested inter-ested in ono farm alone, bnt every farm will bo his charge. Tho first instance of the valne of tho county demonstrator's work appeared ap-peared more than fifteen years ago in the south. Duo to the boll weevil, the entire cotton crop of the southern states was threatened. It was fast bo-coming bo-coming impossible to grow cotton. The government intervened and put experts upon tho ground, who, in co-operation with the larmers, found that with the introduction of special methods of cul-turo cul-turo tho cotton could bo raised in spite of the boll weevil. Still Greater Problem. A much greater problem ia presented to tho county demonstrators of the west. Hero every phase of agriculture is practiced and it is tho duty of the county agont to understand and foster every kind of farm activity, Colorado led out in this work in the west, and although it is but a year since active work was startod tliero, great good has been accomplished. Our example in particular will show how incalculable may bo tho work done by the county dromonstrator. Mr. Winsor, a graduato of tho Utah Agricultural college, countv demonstrator for the San Luis valley, Colorado, noticed shortly after taking up his duties there that the hogs of the valley seemed to be diseased. He immediately wired for the state veterinarian, who promptly pronounced the diseaso the dreaded hog cholera, By private subscription two veterinarians wero immediately engaged en-gaged to combat the disease and it was exterminated, The hog situation for tho valley wns saved and with it thousands of dollars, In ono county figures compiled by tho county showed that the county agent increased the production of the county $125,000 in one year. These special cases serve to prove the value of the men placed in the counties, but after all the greatest good will bo dono by the quiet dailv work of tho agent, making sonic small improvement here, a small eai'.ng there, gradually t raising thTTuBl ol agriculture m'tho county fiajMl years the good accomplisffia iJB enormous, "mea mllUV Aims of Demonstrator. 9(f The aim of the demonstrate y3H I a ono to increase tho aroS rfu W ' tho farmer. Ho is coKLriCturS larly with the increase nof pronta of the farm. Ho aui iha ."K the cost of Production a? weft6 crease the amount produced I Leforc many years it is 0xnMS that every county in Utah wil S "5M vided with a county demonEtrator Agricultural coIIoro of Utah .l'5HlO ready as rapidly aKs tho fESft nut, to co-operate with any coiMSB cities, private -or public organiSK wilhng to share tho expense of "ufltf venture, and place, a trained demST strator in the district desired. moW Wo seo in tho curryinir ouf iCH Bonnion bill the final atop fn a JMLi plan. The first decisive step inSB luterests of scientific agriculture -Hl taken in 1SG2, when congress mllW possible the present great systetniB agricultural colleges throujjtiout nation. When, later, the exporunftr stations v.-ere established and tharenlH a means of doing research work CM' second great step was taken. Now ib the last and 'greatest step of all 'E havo a practical method of applyBHK dircctlv to the farm all of those nrnV ciples developed by the colleges anaVdHji perimeut stations through all of thdR years of existence, |
