Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-03-04

1
the benefit of those who cannot or will
not read the bulletins of the department
or who. if they do read them. do not
profit by them. 1t is one thing for
! Farmer Jones to read bulletin on seed
selection and another for him to find
Farmer Smith on the next farm following
government instruction and doubling his
| crop. The bulletin may or may not be
all right but If Smith is doubling his
crop that is a thing close at home and
wants looking into. That is the way
the work goes When farmer sees
something good done he is more than
likely to want to duplicate the success
| himself.
Four Hundred Agents at Work.
| The demonstration work commenced in
1904. There are now 400 regular agents
In the field and each farmer that is in
structed acts as a missionary. The work
| is very simple. The Department Of
=! Agriculture merely goes into COM
munity and shows single farmer how
| without extra expense he can either
| double the crop he has been raising or
| raise a new crop that is more profitable
There has long been a prejudice among
| the men with the hoes against what they
style book farmers" They thought that
| agriculture could not be taught in schools
i ana that the mere TACT tnaI man WAS
wearing a billed shirt would prevent his
giving them any useful pointers. The
practical farmers are finding out, how
/ ever. that the men sent out by the de-
| partment can give them pointers In spite
of billed shirts or even of manicured
| fngernails.
Began in the South.
The work was first taken up for the
| beneht of the south. 1t has now ex
tended TO the south Atlantic and gulf
states and to oklahoma. Arkansas and
Tennessee. Whether 1t will be extended
to other sections will depend largely on
the congressional appropriation. II has
| been of real benefit to the communities
where 1t was established and despite the
inroads Of the boil weevil has enabled
many farmers to make something more
| than living where without 1T they would
have made something less.
| The method 70 simple. The agent of the
department goes into community and
| to experiment with. Farmer Jones may
object to lending himself to the expert
ment In that case the agent will talk
Farmer Smith into the notion and start
| Of the agreement is that the work Is not
going to cost Farmer Smith any more
| than his old method.
Three Requisites Outlined.
The department agent tries to inculcate
three simple truths. They are that a
good crop will depend on good seed. good
seed bed and good cultivation.
The next lesson is that these things
must be had without spending more
money, or else the larger crop may eat up
more than It's own profits
| Finally the farmer who has been taught
| TO raise as much Of a crop on half as
much land as formerly is shown how to
put the remainder Of his acres into profit
treat the soil so that he IL not robbing
It. but 10 making 1t better.
DR. 8. A. Knapp, who is In charge OF
the demonstration work. said that the
the truth to 60 after it. He said that
last year in inaugurating the work at
| county seat IN North Caroline the farm
ers who attended were asked 10 bring TO
| intended to plant the following year
| This corn was laid out on long tables
and labeled with the name of the owner.
Results Of the Exhibit.
By the time the farmers had compared
the samples on the tables more than half
OF them had taken their names from the
exhibits and Sophisticated their corn. All
Of them wanted TO get corn from the best
exhibits This year all Of them are
| raising seed corn in special plots and
the chances are that in another year the
| corn yield OF the community Will be
| doubled Yet the most OF tGese farmers
when they came to the meeting honestly
| thought they were doing the best they
could and that their methods were better
| than those OF their neighbors.
The demonstration work goes further
than into the mere raising OF field crops.
There has been a great deal of talk about
| the need Of educating the boys, but the
agents Of the department agree in say
| ing that the home life on many OF the
| farms makes such an unpleasant impress
| sion on the youth that he takes the hrst
| chance to get away from the farm. and
then it is impossible TO win him back
Therefore, the demonstrators go AT the
home life as well: show the farmers
wives how to preserve and can their vege-
things they eat. and. by saving money. TO
raise the standard OF home life 90 that
q boy will not want to get away from
the farm. but will be willing to stay and
grow up q modern farmer.
Small Work Of the Farm.
The department sends out numerous
bulletins on the small work Of the farm
and the country home, all tending to
raise the standard Of country living, but
the farm demonstration does more. for he
puts into practice in his demonstration
work many small things that are not
mentioned in the bulletins. but that prob
! ably would not be put into practice were
they not rubbed In, 50 to speak. by close
contact.
The ravages OF ats-in the corn cribs
is a constan. source of loss and worry
10 the farmer. 1t is no use to talk TO q
farmer who Is barely making a living
about the virtues OF concrete foundations
and rat-proof construction. But when he
Is shown that he can discourage rats In
his unhueked corn by sprinkling a little
lime over il he will do 1t willingly and
soon save enough perhaps. to build q
rat-proof crib In the same way the
demonstration shows how the corn can
be protected from weevil by sailing down
the unhusked ears.
Fight on Texas Fever.
The department has spent much time
and money lighting Texas fever among
cattle. 1t has worked out plans for
clearing the ticks from large herds, but
the demonstrator Is working for the
small man and he shows him how a
little salt and sulphur mixed with the
feed will make the cattle ticks drop or
1t IL in little ways such these that the
department is being carried to the
farmer