The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1913-05-07
WILL DO MUCH GOOD
THE LEVER AGRICULTURAL En-
TENSION BILL

CONGRESSMAN Lever Explains His Bill
and Tell the Public What He Hopes
It VIII Accomplish.
In an article in Business Amer
ica," magazine, Congressman Lever
sets forth what "The Lever Eill" is
intended to accomplish and why he
believes it will. After reviewing
conditions as they actually exist, Mr..
Lever proceeds in his article as fol-
lows:
Outline Of Lever Bill.
Machinery, adequate for this pur-
pose, in the opinion of all masters of
the subject, is provided in the bill
tH. R. 22S74) to establish agricul-
tural colleges in the several states.
and known as the Lever Extension
Bill", which without a dissenting
vote passed the House Of Representa-
tiyes on the 23rd day Of August Of
this year and is now pending in the
Senate. This bill, simple, direct in
its terms, makes it possible to reach
the farmer in the most positive way
with the lessons which science and
practical experience have taught. 1t
takes into consideration the farmers
well known version to the acceptance
Of new theories and practices with re-
spect to the methods Of conducting
his own business. The fact that "my
father did it this way and it is good
enough for me" is not overlooked.
and the bill makes special provision
to meet his innate predisposition to
cease to cavil only when he is made
to know, to stop doubling only when
he sees. The central thought of the
bill is to dispel skepticisms by ocu-
lar demonstration. The farmers
farm, with it's special natural and
economic environment, is to be the
field for this work.
The Lever bill, in brief, appropri-
ated to each state the sum Of S10,-
600 annually, and beginning in 1914
proposes a lump sum appropriation
Of S30o,0oG, this sum increasing at
the rate OF 100000 year over the
preceding year until 1928, when the
total amount appropriated will be
s3,00o,oo0 plus $4,000, the initial
appropriation additional. The ini-
tial appropriation to any state is con-
ditioned upon the fact that such state
provides in its agricultural college
for the estab blishment Of an extension
department to be devoted to giving
demonstrations in agriculture and
home economics, through the med
ium Of field demonstrations, publica-
tions and otherwise. The additional
lump sum appropriations are condi-
toned upon the fact that the states
receiving them shall provide for the
support Of their extension depart
ments a sum equivalent to the
amount received from the federal
government annually. Assuming,
and there can be little doubt Of it,
that the states will meet the condi-
tions of The federal appropriations
fully, the total amount available for
this work by 1923 ana annually
thereafter will be the sum Of So
$4,000.
Under this plan, it will be posi-
Bile to put into every agricultural
county Of the country at least one
agent or adviser who must combine
scientific knowledge with practical
experience relating to agriculture
and home economics in the brcadest
meaning Of these terms. This agent
or adviser will become the agricul-
tural physician resident in the coun-
ty to whom the farmers may go with
confidence with their sick soils, their
anaemic crops, their pest outbreaks,
and other ills to which the profess
sion is heir. Such man must not
only have expert knowledge and
practical experience, but in addition
must possess tact, common sense,
and be enthused with optimism for
his work and for the future Of agri-
culture. He is to be the middle man,
through whom the demonstrated
theories and best approved practices
of the profession, emanating from
the colleges and stations, are TO be
carried directly to the farmer and
put to the living test under his own
eye. To break down any prejudice
which the conservation OF the farm
er may set out against this method
of adult teaching, it will be neces-
sary for him to not only come into
personal contact with the farmer re-
ceiving the instruction and to make
the farmer himself a participant in
the actual demonstrations Of the
practicability Of the lesson sought
to be taught, but it will be necessary
also that the method advocated shall
be successful. The farmer is at this
time in a receptive mood for following
methods which promise betterment
Of his condition, and this bill recog-
nizes all of these peculiar conditions
and in it's very simple terms, IN sec
ton two, 1t is clearly set out that
the duty of these. extension depart
ments shall be "to give instruction
and practical demonstrations IN ag-
riculture and home economics, :.
on said subjects through field demon
strations, publications and other
wise" To more significantly empha-
size the field demonstration ideas as
: contrasted with the old method Of
teaching by bulletin and lecture, 1t
is made obligatory that 'there shall
be extended each year for field in
struction and demonstration not less
than seventy-fve per centum OF all
'r,oneys available under the provi-
s,,ns Of this act" The demonstra-