The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1916-10-03
COUNTY AGENT IS
FARM PHYSICIAN
MORE THAN 1000 AT WORK
Nation Wide Syst I'M of Instruc
tion Result of Cooperation
by Uncle Sam.

agent. 1t has been through the coun-
ty agent in the past few years that
Uncle Sam has been distributing the
stored up knowledge that has been
acquired through years of research
work by the government agricultural
experts and it is through the county
agent that Uncle Sam expects to fur
ther expand the great educational
work that Is being done among the
farmers and their families through
out the country.
The county agent is the agricul-
tural general physician of his neigh
borhood. If farm is sick and run
down, he visits it, diagnoses the
cause and prescribes the remedy.
The nationwide system of agri-
cultural instruction, in which the
county agents play so important a
part, has been made possible by CO.
operation between Uncle Sam and
the various States and counties.
During the last fiscal year nearly
s5, 100000 has been spent in the L,
therance of this enterprise. or this
sum a little more than S2,OOO,OvU
came from the United States treas
ury; about s1,2OO,OOO from the va
rious State treasures; little less
than $1,000.OOO from county mon
eys; S225,OOO from the State agri-
cultural colleges and the remainder
from miscellaneous sources.
Year by year for seven years, more
federal money becomes available un-
der the terms OF the agricultural ex-
tension act. If the States contribute
the share required of them. more
than $8,0OO,OO0 will be spent an.
nually by the final year 1922.
Nearly $2,50O,O00 Of the extension
funds, or more than one-half Of the
total, is used to carry on the work
of county agents.
More Than 1000 Agents.
There are now more than on,
thousand of these agents and thei1
number grows steadily as the farm
ers come to appreciate the value o
their service.
A county agent is a sort of a depu
ty secretary of agriculture He i
the Joint representative OF the loca
community, the state college and tn,
department of agriculture Through
him the neighborhood, the State an,
the nation give their help to all th
farmers in the county.
| This help is varied and the list O
the county agents activities is 3
long one. They supervise the con
struction Of silos, assist in the i'm
portation Of purebred stock, demon
strate the use OF serums for the con
, troll of hog cholera. anthrax. black
J leg and other animal diseases, furth
er the work OF tick eradication, plai
terracing and drainage systems. civ
demonstrations in the use of linn
and the mixing of fertilizers. or
ganiZe cow-testing associations. pro
mote the formation of co-operativ
purchasing and marketing associa
tions, help the farmers in their hook
keeping.
The county agent is the connectin
link between scientinc and CONNIE,
cial agriculture. It is his task I
pour over the land the treasures O
: the once-despised book farming "
The work. however. is not confir
ed to farming alone. The agricuI
tural extension act expressly provide
: that a part of the money appropria,
!, ed in accordance with it's terms shaI
, be spent in giving to women tn
!, same assistance in their problem
: that the men receive in theirs.
|, 1t has been thoroughly realize
that the production of crops-eve
= the production OF crops at a profit
I is not the sole purpose OF life in tn
country. The farmer. IL is true, mus
produce to live. but he does not liv
!, solely to produce. The comfort. tn
health, the welfare and the happines
of the family depends on many othe
r things than the yield OF his fields an
. herds.
Many Women Agents at Work.