The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1912-01-24
Paper Read Before the Brother.
hood of the Congregation
Church Jan. 1912
EDUCATIONAL AIDS
TO EXTENSION WORK
Object and Aim of This Work
Says MIR. Gilbert Is to Make the
Best Practice of the Few the
Common Practice of the Many
(By H. NJ. Gilbert)

(By H. NJ. Gilbert)
Subject-"Agricultur Education
and Development Work"
The Bankers Association in twelve
states now have committees on "Ag-
ricultural Development and Educa-
ton" These states are Illinois, Iowa,
Wisconsin, Kansas, Minnesota, North
! and South Dakota, Montana, Idaho,
Washington and Oregon.
Three months ago these states, ex-
cepting Idaho and Oregon, sent dele
gates to an epoch making meeting in
Minneapolis and st. Paul. The First
annual conference of the Bankers
Committees on Agricultural Develop
'ment and Education. Mr.. w. d. Vim
cent of Spokane, represented the
bankers committee from the State of
Washington.
Our state committee is composed
Of:
]. w. C1ise-seattle. chairman.
w. D Ninosnt-Spokane.
Geo. p. Wiley-Waterville.
e. S. Burgon-Pullman.
H. M. Gilbert-Toppenish.
The committee has had one meet
ing in Spokane and has outlined it's
work with considerable earnestness.
The plan is to cooperate with existing
agencies; see that the State College
teaches agriculture effectively; that
our public schools train and teach
the boys and girls to be producers
rather than consumers; to assist in
"a lxt IN hA 70
and country life more attractive. One
idea Is to cooperate with the State
College. school boards, superintend-
ents and teachers, but especially to
do the more necessary work, get the
business public to help create a pub
lie sentiment favoring the big uplift
movement that Is sweeping over the
country as tho Back to the soil"
movement, vocational and agricul-
tural education.
You ask why the bankers. who are
supposed to be content to take care
of the money other people make, are
taking up the extension work. Some
will answer that 1t is for selfish rea-
sons, to increase their bank deposits
And It Is true that bank deposits have
been done. But after reading the
report of the Minneapolis-St. Paul
conference. and the statements from
the Illinois. Iowa and Minnesota as
sociations where the best agricultural
extension work has been done, 1 am
convinced the bankers first reasons
are not more deposits but the banker
wants to be relieved of the popular
. criticism that he Is a "financ ial baron"
, cold-blooded and has no real sym pathy
I with his clients. In other words the
. bankers have caught the new world
vide vision of service; that only as
the banker lends his experience, judg-
. ment and business sagacity to work
his life worth while.
Campaign of Education
The great problem of today is TAX
ing existing knowledge to the people;
making the best practice of the few,
Z the common practice of the many
The Department of Agriculture has
| done lot of good work the past
twenty years, studying, investigating,
experimenting and publishing bulle-
tins, But the men in charge have
found that more is necessary. Almost
SO out of 100 farmers have the work
carried to them, demonstrated in
stheir own neighborhood, almost be-
fore their own eyes.
This extension work was really
sstarted in 1904-eight years ago
when the "boll weevil" infection in
Texas threatened to wipe out the
cotton industry. Congress then APP
propriated funds and has continued
the work in ten states. showing the
farmers how to control the boil
weevil" pest and diversity and i'm
-prove their agriculture. As a result
the cotton crop instead of being
wiped out" last year, was worth
$500, 1000, 100000, three-flfths the varue
sof the corn crop.
Last year congress appropriated
$25O,000 for this WORK, which is now
almost wholly better cotton and corn
demonstration work. Why should ten
states in the South rather than all
the agricultural states have the bene-
fits Of this demonstra ton work?
What South Has Done
But first let me summarize What
4 has been accomplished in the South,
tn addition to saving billion dollars
year cotton crop?
1. The southern farmers prejudice
against the book farmers has been
overcome. He now respects and CO.
operates in every way. The work has
been recognized by every southern
sta tie. Alabama has passed a law APP
propriating $4,000 and authorizing
every county to appropriate as much
as $1,000 TO assist in the work Vir-
einia and Florida passed laws appro-
priating $4,000 each. Texas Missis-
sipi and Arkansas have passed SINH
lar laws authorizing each county TO
make appropriations. Practically for
every dollar expended by the United
States a dollar is expended by other
agencies, thus doubling results
2. The government is represented
by 600 field agents (practical farm
ers) Alabama has one for every
county-traveling about constantly,
demonstrating and supervising, in