The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1914-04-17
County Demonstration Agents in

FLORIDA.
Prof A. P. Spencer who was in "a
latka last week at the farmers rally
and on the following day appeared be-
fore the county commissioners to urge
the appointment of an Agent in Put
nam County, writes from Gainesville
of the progress in demonstration
work throughout the Peninsula State
He writes:
The County Demonstration Agents
of Florida recently completed four
days convention at the University.
There are "a counties now carrying
on Demonstration work, each with a
county agent, the salaries ranging
from $3.50 to $4,000 per year. When
one considers the agricultural devel-
opment in Florida five years ago, he
sees quite an improvement and pro-
gressive movement in the agriculture
of the State. Particularly is this
true when the county commissioners,
with one or two exceptions, have
made appropriation sufficiently large
to put man in the field whom they
think can carry out the work These
appropriations range from $175 up
W Dl,IOO, ollu 1uNlIioiloi 1dhNS 81
raised from other sources.
The State Demonstration work is
now under the supervision of 2. ii.
Rolls, Director of University Extern
sion; C. X. McQuarrie State Agent;
A. P. Spencer, District Agent for
South Florida, and E. S. Pace, Dis.
trict Agent for West Florida, and
Miss Agnes Ellen Harris, Assistant
Agent of Girls Canning Clubs.
The purpose of the meeting of the
county agents was to put these agen IS
in more touch with the lines of work
the Experiment Station and Univer-
sity are pushing land to give them sug-
gestions for carrying out their work
in a uniform manner. Up to the
present the demonstration work OF
Florida has been chiefly concerned
with improving the corn and cotton
crops. A much wider field is now
thrown open for the work, which
takes it into the forage crops, live
stock, trucking, and even citrus in a
few cases.
The corn and cotton crops will
still be emphasized, while other lines
of farming will be taken up as fast
as the agents can handle the situa-
ton.
The first morning of the meeting
was taken up with matters concern
ing the Boys Clubs. In the after.
noon the discussions were about hog
raising, curing meats, hog cholera,
etc. At night DR.. Cox, of the Uni
versity of Florida, presented a splen-
did address on the Farmer of the
Twentieth Century"
The second days discussions were
more of general nature. First came
Tick Eradication in Flori Ia, then
Crop Rotations, Soil Building, Irish
Potatoes, Fertilizers, Co-ope 'ative
Buying of Fertilizers, and de ron
stration of incubation with hog chol-
era serum. These topics were ham
died by professors of the University,
county agents, and the State Veteri-
marian. Probably the most interest
ing discussion of the day was led by
Mr.. T. X. Cooley, of Waldo, the
sweet potato king, who has made
sweet potatoes a very profitable crop
and who answered a great many
questions regarding his methods of
raising sweet potatoes. Mr.. Cooley
is the best known sweet potato grow
err in the South, and his lecture was
most instructive and interesting. 9th
err discussions were on Legumes,
Beef Cattle in Florida, Grazing Crops,
Sugar Cane, the Cotton Boil Weevll,
Cost of Removing Stumps, and one
of the most important things, if not
the most, was demonstration of I'M
proved machinery on the Experiment
Station grounds.
The final session was one of in
struction by H. E. Savely, Of Wash
ington, and State Agent McQuarrie.
Mr.. Savely emphasized the important
place that the county agents have Ir
the development of agriculture in the
county. He urged the agents to OBJ
serve carefully the general devlope-
ment of agriculture in the county.
He urged the agents to obesrve care
fully the general Developments, and
rquested them to make note of all
matters, even though outside of their
work, that led to better conditions in
an agricultural way in their county.
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