American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1916-04-06
CONFESSIONS OF A COUNTY AGENT

Having read recently in The Country
Gentleman the very interesting Con-
fesesions of a Land Agent, and know
as l do that too often the activities Of
the land agent precede those of the
cou<A 1 am prompted to jot down a
few Of the many interesting exper-
fences that have come to me as a coun-
ty agricultural agent. hoping they will
be of professional interest to those who
are engaged in this line of work and
OF some interest to others.
There are people who think that the
work of a county agent is of little if
any value. To them l would say that
I consider it one of the most fruitful
fields for real service to be found
within the scope of progressive agri-
culture. There are those, too, who
think that a county agent is a panacea
for all the farmers troubles. These
also, are mistaken. Many of the pro-
blems that perplex the farmer have not
yet been solved by the scientist. How
ever, the agent who takes advantage
of his opportunities and has a clear
idea of the needs of the farmers in
his county and at the same time appre-
ciates their limitations and short
comings a accomplish much toward
the betterment of agriculture and the
Improvement of rural life.
The time covered by this sketch was
1875; the place less than 500 miles
from Chicago. l arrived at the coun-
ty seat in midsummer, equipped with
the official appointment papers issued
by the state leader, with farm expert
ence, a couple of degrees from an agri-
cultural college, supplemented by two
years work as a soil chemist and two
a as a country school teacher. l
was quite familiar with soils and o
ditions generally in that section of the
state, but my best asset was the fact
that 1 did no know a single person in
The county.
l was twenty-six years old, but with
the aid of a few gray hairs could east
1y pass for thirty. Thus at the very
outset / had many advantages a a
stranger. Local politicians had no
part in my appointment and of course
had no strings" to me. Hence 1 was
not condemned prematurely, but was
given a chance to prove my worth.
a, OF course, my coming was heralded
with much gusto by the local press,
so that when 1 really began personally
to meet folks over the county | felt
that they were regarding me as some
sort of strange geological specimen on
exhibition for the first time.
My office was not thronged with cal
1ers, at least for the first few weeks;
seeking advice on p%erplexing farm pro-
blems. Most of the questions asked
were about the soil, and many letters
and post cards that l received read
thu: Twill you please come to my
farm in jefferson township and go
owe it with me, rs l wish some advice
regarding the soil, methods of treat
ing it, establishing a rotation, and so
|. forth"
i Many humorous experiences result
ed from these almost daily trips into
the country. One day a good wife
would mistake me for a book agent,
while another would wonder if were
a farm hand looking for work.
The second month after l assumed
my duties hog cholera put i'll its ap
and spread with considerable
violence over the county. / advised
vaccination, but many were skeptical
because several herds had been treat
ed" the year before by a veterinarian
who used a fake serum of some sor'
and has since found it more profitable
to sell liquor without a license at q
summe resort.
His Own Press Agent.
However, with the aid of the STATE
veterinarian and a farmer who hat
an infected herd, Wi were able to dem
onstrate that ninety per cent of thu
hogs in the infected herds could b.
saved by the single treatment, and tina
cholera could be prevented absolutel!
in healthy herds by vaccination. l
won many of the lukewarm ones and
few knockers. The latter were
small, somewhat noisy, but not yer,
influential class. They served onl.
to make the work more interesting
as will be shown later Incidental,
several thousand hogs were saved, 10
which their owners were thankful t
the county agent.
Campaigns were conducted at op
perfume times for Better Corn" Bet
ter Wheat" More Alfalfa" "Livestoc
Improvement" and Better Care G
Orchards" Demonstrations were cor
Quoted to show the value of treatin
wheat and oats for smut, and potatoe
for scab, of using the right fertilize
as compared with the wrong one, {
spraying vegetables and fruits for tn
control of insect pests, and OF prever