The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1915-03-12
THE COUNTY AGENT

schools contributes the following valu
able article, on the county farm bureau
proposition. 1t was recently published
in the columns of the Bangor Advance
and we are pleased to present the same
to the readers of the True Northerner
At the regular spring election, April
&, 1915, there will be submitted to the
voters of Van Buren, county, the ques-
ton of whether or not they want a
Farm Commissioner, County Agent or
County Agricultural Agent, as he is
variously called.
Believing that fair vote can be
gotten upon this subject only after It
has been squarely looked at, and be-
lieving that the average citizen of the
county will not stand in the way Of
progress or in his own neighbours light,
have attempted this article.
Before a County Agent can be ap-
pointed in any county the question Of
whether or not the office shall be Great
ed in that county must be submitted to
a NOIt VI luc qudllhOu CiCSIoAo'
If the electors vote to have County
Agent, he is then appointed by the
three cooperating parties-the United
States Department of Agriculture the
Michigan Agricultural College and the
County Farm Bureau. If there is no
County Farm bureau, consisting of rep
resentatives from all farmers organ
izations within the county, the board
of supervisors then acts with the col
lege and the U. S. Department Of Agri-
culture in appointing the advisor,
whose term of Office is two years.
In financing the work the govern
ment and the college together general
ly pay at the rate of 800 per month.
This they do under the Smith-Lever
act. This gives us $1,000 per year. The
total expense, including the Agents
salary, varies from $4,000 to $4,000,
making it necessary for the county to
raise about $1400, either by appropria-
ton or subscription or both. One of
the supervisors of this county estimates
that it would cost the people of the
county in the neighborhood of five
cents per thousand assessed valuation.
| The county agent is the cooperating
factor between the U. S. Department
of Agriculture, the Michigan Agricul-
tural College and the people of the
county This means that the people of
the county have through their farm
| commissioner the whole force Of these
| two well organized institutions at their
command They have corps of ex-
perts equalled by none in the world TO
help them with their farm problems.
Some of the duties of the agent or
commissioner are as follows:
To be of every material benefit to
the farming and fruit interests of the
county.
To render advice and instruction 10
the people of the county who need help
most, to make for successful cultiva-
ton and cropping of the soil for all
products grown therefrom.
To cooperate with farmers through
out the county for demonstration and
experimental purposes.
To instruct as far as possible the in
habitants as to important farm ques-
tions relating to soil fertility, crop ro-
tation, fertilizers and kinds of crops
best adapted to various soils.
To stimulate interest for more scien-
tifc farming and fruit growing and in
every reasonable and practical way
raise the standard of farming and fruit |
growing in the county.
There are in Michigan Is counties
employing county agents. Let us see
what some of these men are doing
First, the agent may make an agri-
cultural reconnaissance which consists
of general examination of the agri-
culture of the county as exhibited by
the topography, soil, climate, people,
transportation, markets, crops, live
stock and rural organizations. After
this preliminary examination the agent
attempts to establish better farm prac-
tice in connection with soils, crops and
animals.
Now the agent may try to strengthen
existing organizations and if need be,
build up new ones within the county.
But the real work of the agent comes
in the Improvement of the farm bust
ness. This is brought about by the
profitable and productive management &
Of the farm unit, by encouraging farm I
ers to operate their farms as a part OF Y
a local system. This means the stand a
ardization of products, the purchase of 7
supplies and profitable sale of products a
also form large part of his work. r
However, this does not mean that the U
agent will attend to the financial end t
II 1t. He will not handle money for {
anyone, but simply brings the buyer p