The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1916-06-11
dearly 10000 Persons, Sue
CeSSfM Farmers, Aid the
Department.

WASHINGTON. juno 1O.-Ncarly
10000 persons. largely successful
farmers. are now aiding the United
States Department Of Agriculture by
furnishing information, demonstrate
Ing the local usefulness OF new meth
DDS, testing out theories, experiment.
Ing and reporting on conditions in
their districts-by helping. in short.
In almost every conceivable way to
Increase the knowledge Of The depart
ment and 10 place that knu'Jlodgo n
the service Of the people. This army
or volunteers receives no Iny from
the government. Many Of these CO.
operators are aCtuatcd eI'cly by q
wish to he OF service to their neigh
bors. Others take part In this work
because Of their own keen interest
In testing new methods. or In trying
out for Themselves crops either new
TO their own sections or imported
from foreign countries through the
departments plant explorers.
II Is estimated that q least one
farm out OF every twenty Is work
Ing In some way with tho department
Of agriculture and thus has become
y NNAAN'A VI he HAllAf.1 hkNNNIllNIdl III"
formation for It's community. In al-
dillon to the farmers who work di-
rectly with the department of agrl-
culture, there are thousands Of 9th
ers who render n similar valuable
service TO the scientists and field
workers OF the state agricultural col
'eges and experiment stations.
Significant Change,
With such a large number of far
mers willing to work with tho de
partment and the colleges and test
out their recommendations. II is very
clear that a significant change has
taken place from the day when the
average farmer was decidedly skep-
teal about scientific agriculture and
slow or unwilling to give attention
to the recommendations Of what a
great many used to designate as
book farmers.
The Wide use made by the depart
ment Of this large number of practi-
cal farmers indicates clearly how err
roneous wns the once ]prev7lcr' ''"n
that agricultural scientists held them
selves aloot and that the department
of agriculture consisted mainly OF col
lege trained men. who were far more
at home in their Offices or l]aborator-
les than on actual farms. N a mat
ter OF fact. the scientific aEriCulturist
OF today does not attempt to evolve
theories In the s]ccluSion OF a govern
ment building. II is true, he may
develop ideas in his laboratory. but
before he Is ready TO advise farmers
IN admit NhHTn ~. fVflE fhaHHn NtVN tn
actual practice on Government farms.
and then calls m a large number OF
successful practical farmers to give
these ideas an Independent practical
test on some Of their own acres. In
many other cases tho scientist goes
TO the farmer both for his theory and
practice. He studies and analyses
the practice Of hundreds or thousands
of successful farmers In an endeavor
TO find the scientific basis or under
lying principle OF farming methods
which have. through long years OF
practical experience. been found to be
most successful for their farms and
nC!ghbOrhoOts. Frequently h @
scientist finds in one community GER
tain farmers who are successful and
others who are unsuccessful. He
searches for the reasons for the sue
cess and failure OF the two groups.
and then cndeavors to make clear to
the successful ones the scientific rea-
son for their success and to develop
sound rules which will enable the
unsuccessful TO apply to their own
farms the methods employed by their
prosperous n~eighbors. In many