The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1915-02-27
THE COUNTY AGENT.
Explanation of Plan on Which Many
Washington County Towns VIII Vote.

Washington County Towns Will Vote.
As articles nave been placed in the
warnings of several town meetings in
Washington county to see if the towns
will appropriate their share, on the basis
of grand list, for the support OF county
agricultural agent, the subjoined article
Is printed from The Mirror and Farmer
to explain what the county agent Is.
The total annual cost OF such an agent IS
50 600. of which amount the national
government will furnish 81 200, leaving
for the towns of the county the collee.
ton OF $500. The Mirror and Farmer
says:
'Doubtless many farmers do not man
fest an interest in the county agent
movement for the reason that they pic
ture in their mind an entirely different
person from the typical county agent
They have not vet Invested themselves
Of the idea that prevailed very generally
generation ago, that person paid a
goodly salary for giving instruction IN
farm operations must be an Impractical
sort Of a fellow, with very little in com
mon with their daily work upon the
farm. A group of farmers in Custer
county. Nebraska, wishing TO learn the
plain truth about the county agricultural
movement, sent delegates TO three other
counties to investigate the work All the
delegates returned with favorable re-
ports One investigator described
county agent as a common sort OF lei.
low, raised on farm, who has finished
course in the agricultural college and
4 not afraid Of work His hands are
hard and his clothes are common. He
has increased the yield of oats from five
TO 40 per cent. by treating for smut; ne
has sprayed orchards and fine apples
are to be found where decent apples
didn't grow before. Farmers are contn-
uaIly coming into his office or calling by
phone for advice.
"The two other delegates found com
mon fellows at work in other counties.
One had vaccinated a thousand head Of
hogs in single week, had stimulated
the building of IS silos, and had pur-
chased $4,000 worth of stock for the
farmers, besides spraying orchards, seed.
ing alfalfa, and buying seed corn. Some.
one has likened the county agent 70
human spigot. through which runs
stream OF information from the rcser.
yoirs that experiment stations and agri-
cultural colleges have made available 70
every farmer who will accept share.
The best agents are the common fel-
lows who know practical agriculture
and have also been trained in the science
Of the soil. A noted authority says one
handicap 70 the spread of the county.
agent idea has been the fact that L y
an too simple, aud that the best agents
are such plain fellows, devoid Of the
spectacular methods that have charae-
terized some of the movements saddled
onto farm communities
"Wbile this movement i but about
ten years old. IL has made wonderful
progress IN nearly all sections Of the
country II has made progress because
Of is merit OF course some mistakes
have been made that have retarded -
progress in some sections Of the coun.
try. but these have been triAing com
pared with the great results already ac-
complishcd.
aPlain, practical men. with farming eN-
perionco and educational training IN aRTl-
culture. are now invariably selected for
the work and such men are winning the
confidence % the farmers with whom
they come in contact very rapidly II
: only a question OF time when coun.
~ agent win b. located IN every county
Is NeW England a. they arc IN sections
~ ire SOUTH and those counties that
become Organized and ready for the work
frst viii b. the ones b. reap the fret
brnefts Il s movement that has
aaur il stay. for i v demonstrating t.
great usefulness and talue