The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1909-07-10
MORE MONEY GIVEN
IN THIS STATE FOR FARM
DEMONSTRATION WORK.
Special Agents Will Go From Farm
to Farm This Fall Giving In
formation.

lnGtOn once Oh the UnlleQ SLdLeS
farm demonstration work arried in
Columbia Wednesday for confer
ence with Commissioner Watson and
Prof. Ira W. Williams, the State
agent tor South Carolina of the farm
dela aonstration work.
The annual appropriation for farm
demonstration work in the United
States have just been made by the
General Education board and Mr..
Ca,nnheli brought the exceedingly
gratifying news that in making the
annual appropriations for the fisc;.i
year i909-10, an increase had been
allowed this State Of about $4,000
or $4,000.
The situation in South Carolina
was thoroughly gone over with the
result that this fall this valuable
United States demonstration work,
practical work with the individual
farmer by special agents going form
farm to farm and giving specific III
structions for the betterment of farm
ing methods, will be 80 extended that
every county in the State, with the
exception of seven, will be under
this work another crop season. Only
the territory where drainage is so
badly needed and the agricultural
industry amounts to but very little,
will be omitted during the next
crop year.
While the appropriations for some
of the other Southern States are
perhaps larger than South Carolina it
is a noteworthy fact that practical
ly this entire State will be covered
during the coming fiscal year, while
with the funds available not more
than one-half of the territory in
North Carolina, Georgia and Virgin
ia, for instance, will be covered.
DR.. Knapp has been much pleased
with the earnest support given by the
State department of South Carolina
and by the people Of the State them
selves, so much so, in fact, that he
has insisted on the broadest eXpan-
sion of the work in this State, not
withstanding no State aid has been
given as in other States. The results
obtained have been most gratifying
to the office in Washington. Further
more everything that has been ac-
| complished in South Carolina has
been done since the season Of 1907,
when the work was first introduced
here by DR.. Knapp at the earnest
request of the State department and
| upon its assurance that the people
of the State would welcome it and
sh0w substantial results. During
| the past two years a most remark
able headway has been made, as has
been shown by greatly increased
statistics, in diversified agricultural
crops, and much of this has been due
to Mr. Campbell, who was here as
State agent for some time before
being called to Washington, and to
his predecessor, DR.. Barrow, now at
Clemson college, and to the earnest,
active State agent who now directs
the operations of the farm demon
stration agents in South Carolina.
Among the counties which will re-
ceive the extension Of the work this
year are Oconee, Pickens, Greenville,
| Spartanburg, Florence, Marion, Ball-
berg, Barnwell, Edgefield Saluda and
Abbeville. The men who will be
agents have all practically be de-
+ termined upon.
Commissioner Watson, In speaking
Of the gratifying increase of the ap-
preparation and development of this
work, said: 81 am of course deeply
gratified at this manifestation of ap-
probation of results that has been
shown by DR.. Knapp. Our people
have taken most kindly to this prac-
tical result-giving method of devel-
oping the agricultural industry, and
| VIC udNc iHooL Il'oi hSN ''N1'N
way under it, 1t is particularly graf
flying when we consider that up to
the present time the State has not
been asked for any supplemental ap-
preparation for the conduct of the
work, such as is being given in othe,'
States where this work is being pros
ecuted, nor have our banks and other
interested concerns made any sub
scription to any fund with which
to supplement the appropriation
made from Washington. / have not
asked the legislature for any appro-
priation Of this character heretofore,
because We wished to show what
could be accomplished. The increase
of the value Of our corn crop from
$l7,500,000 in two years time to
100000 I consider result that
warrants this department in asking
the legislature at its next session
for a supplemental appropriation
with which we will be able to in
crease in every county in the State,
save the seven that must be omitted
for the present, to full time county
agents. In a number of counties
now in operation the agents can only
be employed for SO many days out
of the week, and this will be true
under the extension next year unless
the State, by direct contribution,
and banks and other concerns by