The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1915-01-05
MONSTRATION WORK OFU.S.
! DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
&s and Girls Club and Home Economics Activities in
Fifteen Southern States Supervised by. This Branch
of the General Government.
Government Office of Farmers
Demonstration Work.
Dekly News Letter U. S. Depart
ment OF AgricultuTe.)

government Office of Farmers
DHOperative Demonstration Work.
~ office s~upervises for the de-
gtment what is known as farm
nnonstration work, including boys
10 work n girls canning club
= home economics work. in Is
D0theFn States, including Maryland
- Oklah INA. With one exception !
]e work is carried on in eac State
cooperation with the State agricul-
'101al college. The States, counties, |
cher colleges and schools, ;.gricul-
oTal n commercial organizations, |
always, and other agencies within
states also cooperate with n
apartment and the agricultural col
oge in paying salaries of county
I4gents, and in many other ways.
This work was begun in Texas in
800 as part of the departments
Ampaign against the Mexican cotton
oil weevil. 1t rapidly developed into
= comprehensive system for giving
~ogricultural instruction to farmers
md their families on their own farm.
~ the present time there are en-
4 SOyed in this work, outside Of the
(astrict Of Columbia, 1892 agents,
1orking in 720 counties. OF this
lumber, $50 are men, working with
adult farmers and boys, and 359 are
women, engaged in the girls canning
XGAOO dIlU HoIIlc ctOiOIllIcS WOIk. LAp-
&proximately 100 900 adult farmers
<And about an equal number of boys,
@women and girls on the farm receiv-
p ed direct instruction and did definite
work of some kind under the super
/ vision of this office and it's corps of
agents during the yea 1914. The
work is carried on largely through
personal contact with farmers and
their families, on the farm and in
the homes: by means of definite OBJ
h ject lessons, called demonstration
farms, and through local organiza-
tions, such as farmers clubs and boys
and girls clubs.
This is one office of the Bureau of
\ Plant Industry which does not con
duet experiments or do any XII of
research work. Its sole object is to
I disseminate among farmers, and get
4 into common use, the store of agri
cultural information already accumu-
lated at the colleges. the department,
and by the best farmers. Co-opera-
ting with all other bureaus and Offices
of the department and with the eX
pertinent stations and colleges, it has
grown to be, to a large extent, the
field-service arm of these institutions
. In this territory.
IT is impossible to enumerate al
the activities of a county agricultural
agent. A partial list may show how
farmers can utilize the facilities OF
this office of the department.
demonstration Farms.
These are a fundamental part o
his work and vital to its success. The!
are tracts, usually from 5 to SO acre
in extent, on which the farmer, will
his WI labor and entirely at his owl
expense. undertakes to grow som
particular crop under the agent
careful supervision. Any crop ma,
be grown, the selection depending Ol
the needs of the community and tn
lesson to be taught. Careful accoun
is kept Of all operations and expense
and q full report made at the end Q
the season. Each agent is required t
arrange for as many of uch farm
Is he can properly supervise. Th
usual number in a county is from 2
so so. They must be well distribute
and as publicly located as it is Pc!
sible to get them.
Each farm is an object lesson, il
tended to show some definite, cor
crete achievement; is calculated t
rouse interest and friendly rivalr
among farmers in that communit,
and to gain the confidence of indiffe
ent farmers by proving that the ageI
knows what he is about, and that
pays to follow his instruction. Sue
farms afford an especially effectiN
QSy for teaching better cultur;
Methods and the value of and how
grow hitherto untried crops, such
alfalfa, the various legumes, etc. ]
the same way, livestock demOnstr
ton farms are established to promo
this industry in the South. CO-ope
ating with the teachers in rur
schools and other agencies, he al!
organizes boys corn clubs, Glow
clubs, pig clubs, or other junior clu'
suited to the agriculture OF the pa
ticular section. Definit instructit
and assistance is given the membe
of such clubs at meetings and by IL
ters and personal visitation.
Field Meetings.
ON such demonstration farI
meetings are held at convenient tim
TO which farmers in the communi
are invited. With the agent they
over the farm and informally discu
the operations in progress and the
suits expected or secured. At su'
meetings with the helm of cO-OneI