Jefferson jimplecute. (Jefferson, Tex.) 1907-1926, 1912-07-25
The Government Cooperative Demon
stration Work.


understanding with persons as
TO the value and Importance of
the demonstration work now
being conducted jointly by the
L. s Government and the differ
ent counties of the Southern
States (sOme 500 in number), |
wish to state a few facts TO the
organization: its purpose and it's
results. The farmers co-opera-
tive demonstration work was first
organized under the late DR. Sea
man A. Knapp, iii the year 1904
Its object was to carry accurate
information TO the farmer on his
own farm. by means of demon
stration, and to secure such an
active cooperation i'm the work
on his part as to make the lesson
effective and Of lasting benefit.
The strong points in it's favor are
the personal contact of the in
StructOr with the farmer; the CO.
operation of the one receiving
Instructions and the certainty of
success under normal conditions
of the methods taught. From a
small beginning. with but u few
trained men in the field, it has
grown into Il great movement
for the wide discrimination Of
agricultural knowledge for the
man, the wife, the girl, the boy
on the farm. Today the force
engaged in this great work con
sists of special agent in charge,
a general assistant, two special
assistants, four field agents,
II state agents, 36 district agents
oS2 local of county agents and %
special instructors in the boys
and girls department. This con.
stitutes the faculty of the geat-
est university in America, or for
that matter, in the world.
And so well is the work sys.
tematized, and so strictly the
rules governing weekly reports
that if you were in Washington
City today and any Of those 5S2
local agents spent the previous
week, or any week during their
employment, he could TO their
weekly field reports on file in his
Office and tell you what they did,
who they visited and the condi-
ton of each mans crop on that
list. In this work the agent
takes a given number, 90 or
more, who will promise to cult
vate one or more acres of corn
or cotton, according to the plan
taught by the government, whom
he classes as demonstrators, and
these he arranges in different
neighborhoods Of his county and
visits once Il month during the
growing crop period and of
whose crops he keeps accurate
data. Another class he calls co,
operators, who consist Of 100 or
more farmers, who promise TO
cultivate one or more acres, in
accordance with instructions
furnished by the agent and
through bulletins he has sent to
them from Washington, and to
make out data Of cultivation,
yield, etc, of the crops thus
grown on blanks that are furn-
ished them and to mail TO the
department at Washin & ton.
These the agent will visit as he
has opportunity. In addition TO
Instructions in common farm
crops, the agent should be able
to give directions in diversified
ton, trucking, the intelligent
rotation of crops, and use of fer
tilizers, breeding of more and
better live stock; and especially
should he be able TO give demon
STATIONS in terracing the rolling
farms to protect them from
teaching and washing, that is so
rapidly destroying their fertility.
This last feature alone is worth
many times over to any East
Texas county, the amount appro.
priated for the maintenance df
the work. In addition, the agent
is expected To look after and as.
sist in the Girls and Boys club
work OF his county, at all times
TO press home such lessons AZ
the better drainage OF the soil,
deeper and more thorough pre-
paration of land for planting, the
value of humps in the soil, of
better seed, how TO select and
preserve II, testing seed before
planting, the proper spacing of
plants 10 suit soil conditions.
etc, the value of Intensive cult
walton and many other features,
which space forbids my mention.
luNs RgAuast fpliV