Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1912-11-05

Correspondence on practical Agricultural topi,
10 solicited. Address all communications 4
tended for this department to HENRY
HAAA0ND, Agricultural Editor Oxford Der
ocrat. Paris. Ne.
Farm Demonstration Work.
Wallace Buttrick, Secretary of the Ger
eral Education Board, has made thre
visits to the University of Maine. o
his last visit, which occurred Monday
Oct. Z, arrangements were completed b
which the General Education Board fur
nishes money to carry on farming demon
strati0ns. The money furnished Is am
pie to pay for four directors. Four me
nominated by the University Of Main
and approved by the secretary OF tn
General Education Board will be put II
the field. Each man will be in charg
of the farm demonstration work In
single county. 1t is hoped to start tn
next farming season with at least on
hundred and fifty farmers engaged IL
demonstrations under expert direction
At present the work will start up0l
four different lines-truck garden farm
ing, fruit growing, farming for dairyinl
purposes, and growing potatoes ant
grain crops.
The work has been carried on In many
of the states of the south for . numbe
of years under the cooperative direction
of the General Education Board and thu
United States Department of Agriculture
The results obtained there have been o.
very great value. 1t is, indeed, fortu
nate for Maine that the board has turned
it's attention toward our state. 1t will en-
able the University to reach out ano
help the farming interests of the state II
more complete way than it has beer
able to do heretofore. A little later
complete and detailed program will be
announced.
In Maine the work is to be started In
four counties, probably Kennebec fol
general farming; Oxford for fruit grow
ing; Cumberland for market gardening;
and Washington for potatoes and grain
farming. A competent man is to be en-
gagged to have charge of the demonstra-
ton work in each county. he will So
cure his demonstration farms by Co
operating with and securing the CO.
operation of a number Of good farmers
in each town. This does not mean that
these demonstration farmers will neces,
sarily be- the biggest and the richest
farmers in the towns, or that the farms
will necessarily be the best farms, those
in the highest state of cultivation, OF
which have been making the most mon
ey, although such farms viii oe
most desirable. They will probably be
all sorts of farms, and the farmers will
be all sorts of farmers, but OF course
they will be the kind Of farmers who will
with the man in charge OF the
whole work for their own benefit and
the benefit Of their neighbors. The
farmers are not neces-
sarily going 10 undertake any new work,
that will undoubtedly be done
in a good many cases. The basis OF the
whole idea is that the demonstrator IN
charge will help those farmers who are
willing to cooperate with him In max.
ing farm demonstration to the end Oh
making most practical and successful
the operations which they wish to carry
on upon their own farms. The farmers
will continue to carry on the sort OF
farming which they desire to, but will DC
prepared to adopt and put into operation
the suggestions as to the methods which
NAV be made by the demonstrators In
charge, this of course with the expecta'
,ion that the methods which may DC
undertaken in cooperation with the ex-
pert demonstrstor will result In the
greater productivity of the farm IN the
line in which the demonstration is being
carried on, and will, therefore, be the
more profitable for the farmer. This
being the case, the demonstration VIII
have the greatest practical value TO tho
people of the county and town IN
which the demonstration Is being made.
This work will be under the general
direction of the University Of Maine, and
will be a practical part OF Its extension
work. 1t will be teaching OF the science
and the art Of agriculture in the most
practical manner. Being part OF the
extension work of the College OF Agri-
culture, 1t will come under the direction
of Dean Leon s. Merrill, by whom tne
plan of the operations will be laid out IN
Co operation with the secretary OF the
General Education Board, Wallace But
trick.
II is not to be understood that the ex-
pert demonstrator will In any manner
assume any authority in the management
of a mans farm when the owner of that
farm takes up some form of demonstra-
ton work; he simply secures the expert
advice and assistance of man trained
and experienced in that particular kind
of farming, without cost and with the
of making larger success
and greater profits. In return for this,
he is expected to make bis farm work 80
good, 80 profitable and successful In the
particular line being demonstrated In
his county that other farmers may see
the good work he has done, take pattern
after him and be benefited accordingly.
This is not new kind of agricultural
education extension, although 1t Is new
in New England. It will be the good
fortune of Maine to be the first state to
be benefited by this work which has
been most successful In the southern
states. Maine is chosen because 1t is the
largest and most important agricultural
state in New England and because 1t has
the greatest agricultural opportunities,
and, like all other states, it has great
need of agricultural improvement and
the extension of agricultural education.