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Show j How the Farmer May Utilize the Facilities of the I United States Department of Agriculture This ofTlco supervises for tho department de-partment what Is known ns farm demonstration de-monstration work, Including boys' club work and girls' canning club nnd home economics work, In fifteen Southern States, Including Maryland and Oklahoma. With ono cxcoptlon tho work Is carried on in each state In cooperation with tho state agricultural agricul-tural college Tho states, counties, other colleges and schools, agricultural agricultur-al and commercial organizations, railways, rail-ways, and other agencies within tho states also cooperate with tho depart ment and the agrlcultur.il college in paying salaries or county agents and In many other ways. This work was begun in Texas In 19(M ns part or tho department's campaign cam-paign against the Mexican cottonboll woevll. It rapidly developed Into a comprehensive system for giving agricultural ag-ricultural Instruction to farmers and tholr families on their own farm. At the present time there are employed In this work, outside of the District of Columbia, 1,192 agents, working In 720 counties. Of this number, 833 are men, working with adult farmers and boys, and 359 are women, en gaged In the (Iris canning club and homo economics work. Approximately Approximate-ly 100,000 adult farmers nnd about an oqual number of boys, women and girls on the farm received direct instruction in-struction and did definite work ot somo kind under the supervision of this ofllco and Its corps of agents during dur-ing the year 1914. The work Is carried car-ried on largely through personal contact con-tact with farmers and tholr tnmtltes on tho farms and In tho homes; by means of definite object lessons cnll cd demonstration farms, and through local organizations, such as farmers' clubsand boys' and girls' clubs. This Is ono olllco or tho Buroau of Plant Industry which docs not conduct con-duct experiments or do any kind of research work. Its solo object Is to disseminata among farmers and got Into common uso, tho storo of agricultural agri-cultural Information already accumu 'ntcd at tho colleges, tho department, and by tho beat 'farmers. Cooperating Cooperat-ing with all other bureaus nnd offices offic-es of tho department nnd with the experiment stations, and colleges, It has grown to bo, to a largo extent, tho field service farm of theso Institutions Institu-tions In this territory. It Is imposslblo to enumerato nil tho activities or a county agricultural agent. A partial list may show how farmers can utlllzo tho facilities of this ofllcn of tho department. Demonstration Farms Theso nro a fundamental part of his work and vital to Its success. Thoy nro tracts, usually from Ii to CO acres In oxtcnt, on which tho farmer far-mer with his own labor and entiroly at his own oxpenso, undertakes to i grow somo pnrtlcular crop under tho agent's careful supervision. Any crop may bo grown, tho selection depending de-pending on tho neods of tho com munlty and tho lesson to bo taught. Careful account Is kept of all operations opera-tions and expenses and n full report mado at tho end of tho season. Each agent Is required to arrange for as many of such farms as ho cm prop erly supervise. Tho usual m.mbcr In a county Is Irom 2fi to f0. T'icv must bo woll dlstilbntcd and ad pub llcly located ns It Is posslblo to get them. , Each farm Is an object lesson. Intended In-tended to itlio'v rore definite, con-croto con-croto achlovenH.it, la ea'culatod io arouso interest nnd fendly rivalry among, farmers In that community and to gain llio conlidcuco of InOlf Terent farmors by providing that the agent knows whut he Is about and that It pays to follow his instruction. Such farms tffo.'d an especially affective af-fective way for teaching better cultural cul-tural methods and the value of and how to grow hitherto untried cropp, such as alfaU, the variolic legumes etc. In the amo way, Mvo stock Je monstratlon farms are established to promote this industry In the Souih. Cooperating with the teacusra lu rural rur-al schools and other agencies, he also al-so organizes boys' corn clubs, clover clubs, pig clubs, or other Junior clubs suited to tho agriculture of tho par tlcular Bcctlon. Deflnlto Instruction and assistance Is glvon tho members of such clubs at meetings and by letters let-ters and personal visitation. Field Meetings On such demonstration farms meetings meet-ings nro held at convenient times to which farmors in tho community nro invited. With tho ngont thoy go over tho fnrm nnd Informnlly discuss the operations In progress and tho ro , suits expected or secured. At cuch meetings with tho help of coopcratug farmers various farm operations nnd processos aro sometimes demonstrated. demonstrat-ed. Tho novelty of farmers mooting togother out on a farm to dlscuna actual ac-tual conditions and operations at tracts to tho meeting Indlfforsnt farmers far-mers who would nover nttend nn Institute In-stitute or farmors meeting of tho us tial kind. Demonstration farms and field meetings aro most effective means of reaching nil classes of farmors, arousing their Intorest. and securing tholr cooperation. Demonstration of Methods and Processes At field meetings, special meetings, nnd on Individual farms demonstrations demonstra-tions showing how to do certain things about tho furms tfo frequently frequent-ly given. Among othor motho-la nnd riocossos taught In this (VdV nro: The ubo of improved implomonts and farm dovlcos; better mothods of cultivation; cultiva-tion; orchard manngomont, p'unliig, sprnylng, grnftlng, and budding; pull-lng, pull-lng, burning, or blasting stumps: how to ubo tho Bnbcock taster and tl.o cream separator; uses of tho farm i lovel; terracing to prevent eroalon; laying drain tllo; testing soli ror acidity; ac-idity; how to build silos nnd dipping vats, and various farm buildings; vaccination vac-cination of hogs to provent choltM and of cattlo to provent blackleg; how to caponlzc, castrate, and any other rami operation or .process that may bo mado tho subject of definite demonstration. B Promotes Rural Organization a To extend his work and develop I rural leadership, tho couni ngont on- I courages and 'promotes nelpful rural I organizations of various kinds. Far- 8 mors' clubs, seed breeding, llvo stock 1 and truck growers assoclnllono, cow testing associations, poultry clubs, shipping clubs, and local associations for cooperative buying partlcu'arly of fertilizers, puro bred seed, or llvo stock for breeding purposes, aro examples ex-amples of organizations most frequently fre-quently promoted. He ondeavorg to mako uso of all existing rural organizations or-ganizations or agencies, and to coordinate' coor-dinate' their activities so that all may work unitedly and efficiently. Such organizations are extremely helpful In extending tho Influence and furth' I erlng tho work of county agents and 1 In developing a helpful spirit of co- R oporatlon among farmers In each com 1 munlty. . I Gives Advice and instruction To Farmers Generally Such Instruction may pertain to any activity on tho farm or or rural llfo. How to grow, fertilize, or cultlvato various crops; methods of corabntlng plant diseases nnd Insect pests; tho core, management, and feeding of llvo stock; tho prevention or control of diseases of llvo stock, and rotation of crops nnd Hystom8 of farm management man-agement nro but a fow of tho subjects sub-jects on which hl3 advice nnd help Is sought nnd given. Much o'f Uils, help Is glvon by putting tho farmor 1 In direct touch with th0 export at tho agricultural collcgo or of tho do- 1 pnrtmont, who is particularly quail- 1 fled to help him, and by tho dlstrtbu- 1 tion or bulletins nnd circulars of H theBO Institutions dealing wlUi,, the N particular subject on which advlco Is " r$ sought. Tho-agent Is the link con- $ necting tho farm with tho experiment Jj station, tho agricultural college, and , 11 tho United States Department of Ag- W riculturo. ifl Women and Girls' Work J ,Women nnd girle' work Is conducted I by womon county ngonta, supervised 1 by tho contrnl ofllco. It was begun In 1 1910, nnd Is tho loglcnl outgrowth of 3 tho work with men nnd hoys. Tho I woman county ngont Is to do for the 1 womon and glrlB, niid tho homo what ' tho fnrm demonstration ngont doos for tho mon and boys nnd tho fnrm. Tho aim In each enso Is to get dono (Contlnuod on pngo seven) V HOW THE FARMERS MJITjJ fc ' UTILIZE THE MIITIES OF THEJMITED STATES (Continued from pago b x) ouio definite worth while things, thnt tonch a lesson nnd Inspire to greater I achievements. In tho girls' canning ' club work tho girls are Instructed how to grow tomatoes and other vego tables on ono tenth of nn ncrc, and how to preserve, can, plclc'e, and in other ways utlllzo tho product Win ter garden clubs nnd pott try clubs hnvo naturally followed tho work In canning nnd summer gardening Urcnd mnklng and many other forms of homo Improvement work hao n's1 been tnkon up. This work trains girls to become efficient home mnk ors, dovolop tho resources of tho fnitn to Improvo tho quality of the countr" life, nnd to becotuo economlrnl'y In dependent. From tho girls' garden to tho mothers' kitchen nnd tho homo Is n short nnd easy Btep. Tho work with girls has opened tho way fo ssytcmntlc homo economies work In tho rural homo, and hns developed tho logical organization nnd methods for doing this work. Farmers In any of tho 720 counties of tho South having locnl agents should not fall to get In touch with such ngont nnd secure his nsslstanco In building up nnd Improving tho farm Encourage tho boy and girl to Join their respective clubs nnd cooperate coop-erate with the college and the dopnrt-I dopnrt-I ment In this work In ovory posslblo way. Where there la no local agent farmers desiring this help should write to the director of extension work of the agricultural college, to tho state agent, or to tho Washington Washing-ton office |