Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-07-21
PLANS
FOR EXPERT SOON
Executive Committee Of County Agri-
cultural League Getting Busy
on Advisor scheme.
ROCK ISLAND COUNTY is Tagging
other Sections of State Are Securing
Remarkable Results From Ser
vices Of Crop Agent

Plans for the launching Of the final
campaign to start the Rock sland
County Agricultural league activities
during the early fall are being con-
sidered by the executive committee of
the league and are expected to be
presented to the various committees
within short time During the last
few weeks the farmers interested in
the project have had little time to
devote to the work OF organization,
but it is believed now that they will
resume their activities determined to
settle the issue at once.
Announcements from all over this
state and Iowa of the plans of county
agents for the coming year and the
programs of farm work which are TO
be presented for the benefit of farm
ers have aroused the Rock Island
county men TO the realization that this
county is tagging behind in the pro-
Fressive management of farms. Ad-
ans county next week will have a SER
les of agricultural meetings which
will cover the entire county devoted
to alfalfa raising. One meeting viii
be held in every township and in many
eases two or three gatherings are be-
ing arranged in townships. In all, %
sessions are TO be called to interest
farmers in alfalfa growing. Farmer"
Rusk, as the county agent has been
named, is in charge of the preliminary
arrangements and has secured DR.. W.
L. BurlisOn of the University of Hi
nois to be the principal speaker. Diff
ferent farmers in localities through
out the county have been selected for
the morning and afternoon meetings,
while evening gatherings will be held
in villages or at some central meet
ing point
Fave Paper in Mercer.
In Mercer county, the Mercer COun-
ty Farm News is issued monthly to
the members Of the association, and
keeps them informed of the progress
of the work throughout the county, af-
fOrding an easily filed volume of sta
tistics based upon investigation in
that county. Four cars of limestone,
at an immense saving, have been pur-
chased through the agent, for delivery
in the east end of the county, and
various other activities point to the
success of the county agent plan in
that county.
Success in Belgium.
throughout the middle western
states the impression has gained wide
circulation that the county agent plan
or farm advisor is something new"
The Philadelphia Ledger, however,
disCOuntenances this rumOr and in an
interesting article traces the develop
ment Of the farm agent idea and work
from 1884.
According to the Ledger the farm
agent plan was introduced in Belgium,
then a poor agricultural state that had
made a pronounced failure of farm
produce. Realizing this, a number of
instructors were sent out to the. peo-
pie to teach them the proper methods
OF farming. The instructors lived
study of conditions. They, too, were
subject to much criticism and were
known among the farmers as "migra-
tory teachers" pedestrian farmers"
and various other names. They work
ed wonders for Belgium, however, and
soon raised it from a poor country to
one of the richest and most desirable
OF the old continent.
Other nations soon awOke TO the
great value of the county farm agent.
Germany always quick to respond to
scientific advancement, copied the
plan, and England, Ireland and other
nations Of the old world rapidly join
ed the movement. On this continent,
Canada was the first to adopt the plan,
and it was not until 1911 that the idea
penetrated to Wisconsin. In four
years 500 counties scattered through
out nearly every state of the United
States had adopted the systenl)and in