The Colorado statesman., 1916-09-30
Important New Parsonage in the
Rural Life of the United
States.
MORE Than 1000 AT WORK
Nation-Wide System of Instruction Re-
suit Of Cooperation by Uncle Sam
With States and Local
Communities.


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 further expand the
great educational work that is being
done among the farmers and their fam
lilies throughout the country.
The county agent is the agricultural
general physician of his neighborhood.
if farm is sick and run down, he
visits it, diagnoses the cause and pre-
scribes the remedy.
The nationwide system of agricul-
tural instruction, in which the county
agents play so important a part, has
been made possible by cooperation be-
tween Uncle Sam and the various
states and counties.
During the last fiscal year nearly
$5,00O,000 has been spent in the fur
fherance of this enterprise. OF this
sum little more than $2.OO0,000 came
from the United States treasury about
$1,20O,O00 from the various state treas
urieS; a little less than 81 100000 from
county moneys; $225,000 from the state
agricultural 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 exten-
sion act. IL the states contribute the
share required of them, more than S.
100000 will be spent annually by the
final year 1922.
Nearly $2500,000 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 one thou
sand of these agents and their number
grows steadily as the farmers come to
appreciate the value of their service.
county agent is sort of n deputy
secretary of agriculture. He is the
joint representative of the local COM
munity the state college and the de-
partment of agriculture. Through him
the nelghborhood, the state and the
nation give their help to all the farm
ers in the county
This help is varied and the list of
the county agents activities is long
one. They supervise the construction
of silos, assist in the importation of
purebred stock, demonstrate the use
of serums for the control of hog chol-
cru, anthrax. blackleg and other ami
NAL diseases, further the work of tick
eradication. plan terracing and drain
age systems, give demonstrations in
the use of lime and the mixing of fer
dlizers, organize cOw-testing associa-
tons, promote the formation of coop
erative purchasing and marketing as
soclations, help the farmers in their
bookkeeping.
The county agent is the connecting
link between scientific and CONNER
cial agriculture. 1t is his task to pour
over the land the treasures of the once
dcSplsed "book farming"
The work, however, is not confined
to farming alone. The agricultural ex-
tension act expressly provides that u
part of the money appropriated in nc-
cordance with its tern,s shall be spent
in giving to women the same assist.
ance in their problems that the men re-
ceive in theirs.
1t has been thoroughly realized that
the production of crops-even the pro-
ductIon of crops at profits not the
sole purpose of life in the country The
farmer, 1t is true, must produce to live,
but he does not live solely to produce.
The comfort, the health, the welfare
and the happiness of his family de-
pend on many other things than the
yield of his fields and herds.
Many Woman Agents at Work.
Nearly four hundred woman county
agents are now at work In Is southern
states
Moreover, anything which benefits
the children Is of vital interest and
benefit to rural women. The work for
boys corn clubs, pig clubs and poul-
try clubs. as well as that In such or
Hnnizations as the peanut, baby-beef
ana potato clubs for farm boys and
fnrm girls, directly touches the home,
and hence operates to the interest of
rural mothers, daughters and wives.
There are over five thousand women
who have volunteered to cooperate
with the department of agriculture and
the state colleges in promoting this
work. Many women are giving large
part OF their time without compensa-
ton. The last available figures show
an enrolment of 250,000 young people
In the various progressive-agricultur
clubs under the direction of county
agents and wnman demonstrators, as
sisted by volunteer experts of both
sexes The volunteer work is lncreas-
Ing In scope, and 1t is probable that be-
fore long 10000 women will be work.
Ing In direct cooperation with the de-