The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1913-04-22
BY |. L. TOTEM.

Only few years ago the farmers
needs were given very little considera-
ton by our law-making bodies. The
farmer was not looked upon as a very
important factor in the progress of
our nation. Today the sentiment is
quite different, and the farmer is
gradually coming into his own.
The people, as whole, are realizing
more and more the importance of our
agriculturalists; they feel that some
thing must be done toward putting the
occupation of farming on a more busi-
ness-like basis. In fact, the ideas re-
garding farming have been practically
revolutionized, and instead of lam
pooning the farmer as formerly, prac-
tically everybody seems inclined to do
al they can to help him along.
Each year we find the agricultural
work of the state coming closer and
closer home to the farmer The latest
move in this direction is the county
agricultural agent. The legislature of
Indiana recently passed a vocational
bill, and it is now law, that contain
ed section regarding the county
agricultural agent.
According to the provisions of this
act, where twenty or more residents
of the county, who are actively inter-
ested in agriculture, file a petition
with the county board of education,
and deposit $500 to be used in defraa
ing expenses, the county council shall
appropriate $500 for the payment of
salary and expenses, and the state will
pay one half of the salary, up to
pert agriculturist and soil man to be
employed in the county.
Duties of the Agent.
The duties Of the agent are: to ad-
wise farmers, test soils and do all eX-
perimenting that may seem wise, to
assist the county school superintend-
ent in the organizing of boys and
girls clubs, to assist in farmers insti-
tutes, and to do everything that is
possible, in a general way for the ad-
vancement of agricultural and rural
life in the county.
The county agent proposition, of
course, is not original with Indiana :;
but I have not heard of another state
that has taken the matter up on just
exactly the same basis as it is handled
in Indiana
Now, the question arises: are there
enough live farmers in various coun-
ties to take advantage of the opportun-
ity offered to get this service? Only
thirty of the counties in Indiana can
avail themselves of this opportunity
during the year ending September
30th, 1914.
Benefits IncaIcuIabIe.
Many counties in the various states
have taken up the county agent propo-
sition without state aid. In many
places the business men realizing that
their interests depended largely upon
the development of the agricultural in
terests of the county, have dubbed to-
gether and employed an agricultural
expert and it has proven very profit
able. There are localities where farm
ers at first did not take kindly to the
advice of the expert; but eventually
the sentiment was completely revers-
ed and today the expert in such local
tiles is the busiest man in the county,
anu Tic USISl1tS Vi HIS Sci VICE are CO1l-
sidered incalculable
The work of the county agricultural
agent in some counties which have al
ready added his services to the county
is not confined solely to advice regard
ing crops and stock, but he investi-
gates general conditions, such as: CO.
operative buying of fertilizers, CO.
operative selling of farm necessities,