Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1914-06-26
NOT MERELY TO GIVE ADVICE
What the Agricultural Representa-
tive is to do fer County Az
riculturaI Development


cultural representative. Most people
think that all he is for is to give
advice and most of them Immediate
ly say to themselves and many times
low tell me?
| Well, it is true that he is to give
advice where it is possible to give
advice but advice is only small
| part of his work. The present force
of agricultural representatives is Civ
ing advice to farmers daily and more
and more farmers are coming to con-
suit them for advice. But advice is
only a small part of the work.
First and foremost the agricultur-
al representative furnishes a leader
ship or gathering point for farmers.
He is the man who is their man
and to tell him they may look as a
sympathizer in their business con-
nections. He furnishes reliable
rallying point for that part of our
population that is scattered and thus
has been pretty much leaderless. Bus
mess men are coming to see that
they need commercial secretaries
and the really progressive towns
have hired commercial secretaries.
If our best business men are COM
ing to see the worth of commercial
secretaries as rallying points for
them, it would seem that farmers
would benefit by having man who
serves in the same capacity in ag-
riculture that a commercial secre-
tary does in wide awake business
towns. He is an ever present, alert
agent, looking for agricultural ad-
vantages for his county.
Another of his works is to organ
ize among the farmers such associa-
tions as ordinarily benefit farming
communities. Some of these are cow
testing associations, pure seed asso-
Citations, community potato growing
associations, cattle clubs. Just now
resentatives are jumping to the
front in the potato growing business.
These counties are also improving
their live stock through organiza-
tions encouraged by the agricultural
representatives.
The whole business of marketing
70 in hot mr.
with better results for the farmers
falls within the scope of the work
of the agricultural representative.
The agricultural representative
studies the economic condition of the
county and endeavOrs to swing the
agricultural activities into the direc-
tion in which the county will make
most of it's soil, climate and posi-
ton. Through plots on farmers farms
new crops and methods of handling
soil and present crops are tried out
to see if more approved cropping
system may not be found
The above are the big things, the
things that count for every farmer
and business man in the county
| whether the agricultural representa-
| tive ever gets onto every farmers
farm or not. They are the things
which are acting for agricultural de-
Velopment whether all of the farm
ers and people approve or not And
l
showing the effects of this work.
Farmers whether they take advan-
| tage of what the agricultural repre-
sentative can do for them personal
ly or not fall under the general good
effects of the work. One farmer put
it we'll the other day in one of the
counties having man when he said
to a group of business men: That
man has given the farmers of this
county some standing.
But what can the agricultural rep
resentative do for the farmers who
will let him do for them? What can
he really do? Good question. Here
arc some of the things:
| 1. Test milk, skim milk and
cream for butter fat
2. Test farm seeds for purity and
: termination.
8. Secure soil for inoculating al
: falfa and soy beans.
4. Help to secure lime by the
carload for lining soils needing
lime.
5. Plan farm buildings and fur
nish working drawings and blue
prints free.
6. Plan and survey drainage sys
g TENS.
0 Z. Look into plant and anima
v diseases and suggest remedies.
= 8. Help secure better seeds ant
pure bred cattle.
3. Work out balanced rations.
l. 10. Assist in locating and build