The Washington herald., 1913-03-09
UNCLE SAM TO TEACH FARMING AT HOME

expects 10 contribute not more than
81 200 in each county, requiring the county
through its local organizations, such as
chambers Of commerce. the grange, agri-
cultural societies. county boards OF super
visors &C.. to pay the remainder of the
salaries and expenses. And also to fur-
nish Office room and necessary facilities
Usually the chamber Of commerce Of
the leading town within the county may
be glad to furnish the agent office room
and facilities and in this way show their
interest in agriculture. Sometimes quite
a feature can be made of this by so
organizing the work throughout the
county that the farmers may become
a ssociate members Of the chamber OF
commerce. They can then make the
chamber OF commerce a sort Of club
| when they come into town. and in this
way bridge the gulf that sometimes ex-
lists between town people and country
people.
1T is expected to cost from s.. 400 to
s. 900 a year to employ a competent coun-
ty agent and 20 pay his necessary travel
ing expenses. The salary will average
around $3.50 to 5000 wear Sometimes
the county people may know of good
man fer whom they may be willing to
pay more. and in these cases they may
pay as high as $500 to s3,Oc0 a year The
expenses Of each agent will vary from
$500 to $40 per year. He may even be
furnished with an automobile. which will
double his efficiency and enable him to
cover more territory each day. The
county agent will be right on the job
all the time. 1t is intended to % arrange
II that he can be reached at any time by
telephone or by letter So that he may go
out on any farm whenever he Is invited
to do so. That will be his business and
his services will be free.
Many Companies Organized.
We have already organized about sew
enty-fve counties all the way from Ner-
mont to Oregon. and plans have been
made for cooperation with twenty-five
more counties. All the money contributed
by Uncle Sam will have 10 be eaualed by
the counties or by the States. II is con-
sidered very important that each county
contribute the same amount given by the
general government.
We do not want the farmers nor the
business men Of the country to get
wrong idea of this work at the very out
set In the very nature OF things the men
who will be placed in the counties at first
will be strangers to that section, but they
will be men trained in the science OF aSri-
culture. although being unfamiliar with
local conditions Before these men can
themselves with what the farmers are
already doing. The first year in which
they take up the work they may not re-
turn to the county in value received much
more than the salary paid them. but be-
ginning with the second and third year.
and from that time on. they should be
worth in actual value received more than
ten times as much as they cost.
"As Illustrating this point We now have
an agent in Pennsylvania by the name Of
A. b. Ross. He became interested about
five years ago. At that time he lived
in a little four corners county town and
first took up the work on his own re-
sponsibility. He knew nothing of agri-
culture. but the poor condition OF the
farms around where he lived convinced
him that something should be done So
he began to study up the bulletins OF the
State experiment station and those from
this department. He got interested in
seed corn and tried it out on his own
little place and then commenced TO talk
with his neishbors. Later he extended
his operations to truck farming and ex-