Charlevoix county herald., 1913-08-23
DOING HELPFUL WORK
GOVERNMENTS AGRiCULTURiSTS
ARE SHOWING THEIR VALUE.
Help Farmers to Better Their Crop
Returns-Get Calls From All Dis
tricts for Advice and AS
sstance.

The farmers OF Michigan, particular
ly those of the western part of the
state. are slowly getting hold of the
idea that the main functions of gov
eminent is TO serve the people who
are the reason for government. This
change in attitude is noticeable in con
nection with the farm extension work
being conducted by the national de-
partment of agriculture. The old idea
held by the farmers was that govern
ment was a power located at dis
lance and which was mainly con-
cerned in taxes and the catching or
criminals, and was TO be kept away
from on all occasions. Now the rural
inhabitants are graspiIg the idea that
the real purpose of government is TO
be Of service TO those who need its
help. When the assistant agricultur-
lists from Washington first appeared
in western Michigan they were made
TO feel that they were unwelcome.
They plainly told the new men that
the farmer knew all there was TO
know about farming, and that il would
be impossible for any book man 10
learn them anything. The farmers
made great sport OF the agriculturists
boiled shirts and fried collars" and
limited that these agriculturists were
but new form OF parasite.
However, the agriculturists in most
cases were bright enough TO see that
they must demonstrate their value in
practical way. and Immediately went
into the field to prove 1t TO the farm
er. that although they wore good
clothes, they were his equal as far as
actual work was concerned and we're
more than his equal in the last analy-
sis, because of the vast amount of
scientific information they had at
hand Several of the agriculturists
were successful in helping farmers to
better their crop returns, and in con-
sequence the prejudice against these
federal men is fast disappearing. Fur
thermore. the men are getting calls
from all parts of their districts for add
vice and assistance
First Federal Men in 1912.
The first representative of the office
Of farm management of the depart
ment OF agriculture, was appointed for
Michigan only little over year ago.
Although he had tough shedding for
the first three months, public opinion
has so completely changed that today
there are fifteen federal men at work
in the state, and a number OF the
counties are now organizing associa-
lions which will result In additional
men being located before the close OF
the current year. The federal men
are under the direction OF DR.. Eben
Mumford, who is located at the Mich
igan Agricultural college at Lansing.
and who has the title OF state leader.
He is responsible to the Washington
office for the farm extension work in
the state. He has under him three
men who are district supervisors One
for northwestern Michigan, one for
north central Michigan, and one for
south central Michigan. In addition
to the district men are the county as
sistant agriculturists, ten counties |
having one each. Three counties, Al |
pena, Presque Isle and Montmorency
have an assistant agriculturist for the |
three. The ten counties with county
men are: Allegan. Branch. Genesee.
Houghton, Iron. Kalamazoo, Kent, Ne
waygo. Saginaw and ST. Clair
Michigan is probably the most ad-
vanced among the northern states as
regards farm extension work. The |
reason for this is that one of its con.
gressmen. Hon. James c. Mclaughlin. |
Muskegon. is responsible for this work |
being conducted in the northern |
states. He is a member OF the agri- |
cultural committee of the national I
house OF representatives. and while |
performing his duties as committee
man, he discovered that there were |
a large nun Der OF federal representa-
lives engaged in extension work all
through the southern states. On In J