The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1915-10-08
The County Agent Movement.

The greatest movement of the age con-
sidered from the standpoint of material
prosperity is the awakening of the
people to the need of better farming
More than half century ago few of
the really great men of this nation
opened their eyes to the truth that upon
the product of the farm depends the
prosperity of the country and as re-
suit our Agricultural Colleges were
established.
The founders of Agricultural Colleges
did not realize the fact that all progress
in agriculture is founded on scientific
investigation and progress was indeed
slow until Experiment Stations were es-
tablished as well.
The Experiment Stations have worked
out and made available world of i'm
formation. The government has ex-
pended many millions of dollars in de-
veloping scientific knowledge .relating
to agriculture. The Stations have
gained enough agricultural information
if 1t were applied to double our yield
and triple the farmers income.
During the past twenty-five years the
Experiment Stations have offered the
farmers the results of years of research
published bulletins, but the great
mass of the farmers have remained
practically unchanged. The most pro-
gressive of our farmers have profited
by these bulletins, but the majority of
our farm population has seldom been
touched by modern methods. The men
in the field making the crop have gotten
very little real benefit from the Ex-
pertinent Station.
Agricultural leaders tried to deliver
the accumulated information by written
messages, by lectures from agricultural
trains and from Farmers Institute
platforms, but the large majority of
the farmers failed to accept and adopt
it. In fact, it was found to be impos-
sible to bridge the Is years gap that
existed between scientific agriculture
as developed by the Experiment Sta
ton, and the actual agriculture as
practiced on the farm by bulletins and
lectures. The large majority of farmers
are natural doubters and want to be
shown.
The history of the world proves that
some man is always equal to the &C.
casion. In 1904, DR.. Seaman A. Knapp,
one of the worlds greatest thinkers and
leaders adopted the plan of employing
a practica, scientific, money-making
farmer of good judgment to serve as
mediator or.connecting link between the
Experiment Station and the farmers of
a county. From 1904 until 1906 such
as J. A. Evans, w. F. Bentley and
E. Gentry went into number of
counties that were traversed by rail-
roads. These men held meetings in
towns and conducted demonstrations on
farms near the railroad stations. In
1906 the first County Agent was ap-
pointed and worked in Texas. This
County Agent, and the Agents appoint
ed after him, co-operated with the Ex-
pertinent Stations, the Agricultural
Colleges, U. S. Department of Agri-
culture, Farmers Clubs and other
Farmers Organizations to re-adjust
agriculture and rural life. on higher
plane of profit by taking the accumulat-
ed information to the men behind the
plows and inducing them to put it into
practice.
AS the work grew in magnitude it al
80 broadened in scope. Its aim was
not, as many still seem to think, just
simply to show farmers how to grow
better crops. Increased production
was sought only as a necessary means
of improving general rural conditions.
DR.. Knapp sought:
a. "To reform agriculture and
make it an occupation of profit and
pleasure.
e. To improve rural conditions.
g. To broaden and enrich rural life.
a. To make the farm attractive and
country residence desirable"
DIR. Knapp died in 1911. The nations,
and especially the South mourned the
death of this truly great man. DR..
Bradford Knapp had been assistant to
his father in Demonstration Work for
several years and was unanimously
chosen to continue the great work.
lie has proven to be most worthy
successor of his distinguished father.
The number of County Agents con-
tinued to increase until there were $40
field men-that is, County, Local, and
Boys Club Agents, with their supervis-
ing State and District Agents, and the
farmers continued to fall right into the
ranks with the great forward move
ment of agricultural progress under the
direction of DR.. Bradford Knapp and
his able assistants. The Boys's Club
Work was started in 1908. At first
corn was the important consideration
today the work has been elaborated,
taking in many other crops, such as
cotton, alfalfa, potatoes, also poultry,
pigs and baby beef. The Girls Club
Work was started in 1910. This has
grown until now it is known as the
Girls Canning Club and Home Demon
stration work, which is taking in the
farm women as well AZ the girls them
selves.
The great success of DR.. Knapp's
plan to put County Agents in Counties
to begin at the bottom and teach the
best methods of securing the largest
yields of field crops with the greatest
economy by ocular demonstration and
personal appeal accomplished such
wonderful results that a nation wide
demand was made on Congress for
most liberal appropriation for the work.
A number of bills were introduced