Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1914-04-22
COUNTY MEN HELP TO KEEP BOYS
ON THE FARM.

COUNTY MEN HELP TO KEEP BOYS
ON THE FARM.
STAY on the farm" instead of
Back to the farm" has been the
motto of Wisconsin ever since the
state began it's agricultural extension
work % years ago. 1t was this
idea that originated the first farmers
institute in the United States which
was held in Wisconsin, and it is this
slogan which is being followed right
now in the agricultural representa-
tive work being carried on in eight
of it's counties.
agricultural representative work"
sounds important and imposing, and
the movement is really twice as
important but only half as imposing
as it sounds. The agricultural repre-
sentative is not known as an expert,
not even an advisor as in many other
states, but a representative. He is
the representative of the Agricultural
College, acting as a middleman be-
tween the Experiment Station and
( the farmers. He does not pose as a
soil doctor. He does not claim that
he knows all there is to be known
about the agricultural situation in
his county. He is not a dictator,
insisting on his own pet theories.
He is highly trained, experienced,
practical man who is in the work
because he likes it, and because he
knows that the prosperity of Wiscon-
sin as state and of every individual
in it depends primarily on the pros
perity of the farmer.
The call for the representative
comes from the county itself. A law
recently passed provides that the
state shall pay part of the salary
while the county pays the rest and
furnishes all Office and necessary
equipment. In some counties the
authorities have become so enthusi-
astic over the results which have been
accomplished that they provided
automobiles for the representative in
order to enable him to get around
more quickly; others provide motors
cycles The men in the work are
busy fellows; they have to move from
one place to another quickly, but
they do not demand touring cars for
the purpose.
High production and low cost is
the aim of the representatives. They
experiment with crops, trying to find
the one that will yield the most for
the least expenditure; they do any
thing and everything for the better
ment of the farm and the profit of the
farmer. They offer short courses in
agriculture for farm boys, and these
have been very popular. The farmer
is not expected to try experiments
which involve large risks; he is not
expected to put his whole farm into
alfalfa because the expert thinks the
conditions wei! adapted for it. Per-
haps half an acre is seeded to alfalfa,
and proved to be the right thing for
the soil before any chances are taken
with it.
Although ten counties have already
voted the money, but eight counties
now have agricultural representa-
tiyes. BY another year six more
counties will be entitled by law to
have them. The movement has pro-
ceeded slowly because the men for
| the work had to be tried out and
chosen with the greatest care. The
following are now in the field:
! F. d. Otis, Barron, Barron county
6. r. ingalls,, Eau Claire, Eau Claire
county; r. A. Kolb, Medford, Taylor
county; Griffith Richards, Phillips,
Price county; Oscar Gunderson, Eagle
River, Villas county; w. d. Juday,
Rhinelander. Oneida county; A. H.
Cole, Merrill, Lincoln county; and F.
g. Swoboda, Amigo, Langlade county;
E. L. Luther, Rhinelander, is state
superintendent of the representative
work They are doing a vast amount