The Yale expositor., 1917-11-29
AgriculturiStS Now Are Employed
in 81 CountieS-0nly Few
Districts Disapprove.
WORK WAS STARTED IN 1912
AIpena County First in Retaining
Trained Worker to Cooperate
With Farmers In Building
Up Agriculture.
From Office Of Publications, Michigan
Agricultural College.

Agricultural college,.
East Lansing, Mich.-A little more
than five years ago the county OF Al
pena, in northwestern Michigan, drew
ridicule and horse-laugh from the
old guard and standpats in the farm
ing game by announcing TO a compla-
cent and unsuspecting world that 1t
had made a place on its pay roll for
an agricultural specialist" whose
business il would be TO advise and
work with farmers in Alpena county
and their neighbors in Pressure Isle
and Montmorency. The experiment
was undertaken at the suggestion OF
and in cooperation with the Micnighl
Agricultural college and the United
States department of agriculture,
''More nonsense" fumed some of
the skeptics.
But Alpena's supervisors were OF
pioneer stock and they could not be
laughed out of their determination to
give the county-agent plan trial. A
few weeks later they were Joined in
their experiment by Iron, Kent and
Kalamazoo cOunties-and with them
now are half-hundred others.
The public, however, has thus far
heard as rule only criticism of the
county agent, criticism that oftimes
has emanated from more or less dis
appointed persons who in attempting
to fleece the farmer may have been
foiled in their designs by wide
awake agricultural leader. Contrast
ing with these derogatory plants
stands the report issued few days
ago from the college by the director of
extension and the state leader of coun-
~ agents.
What the report showed was this !:
Michigan now has 81 county agents in
the service of as many counties, while
in the remaining 81 counties u major
ity have indicated that they will en-
plOy agents by the first of the coming
year. Only half-dozen have refused
TO take on men. The counties have
discovered Gas with beer before Michi-
gan took the pledge) that as rule
there are no bad agents; some are
merely better than others.
OF these 81 counties which since
1912 have joined with the college and
the United States department of agri-
culture in the employment of cooper
ating agriculturists, 81 were provided
with men before the war broke out.
The others have "come in" as a result
largely of what they saw during the
summer of the work of the temporary
field men employed to help cope with
problems arising in the food cam
palgn. The terms of these temporary
agents ended on November /, where
upon 10 counties voted at once in
favor of keeping someone on the job
permanently. This has left 81 coun-
ties still without agents, though as
surance has been received by the lead
ers at M. A. T.. that most Of these
will make the necessary appropria-
lions before the present year ends.
That such cordial reception of the
county agent plan would be encount-
cred was hardly looked for even in
quarters most confident of Its ultimate
success.
AS ii has really turned out, not more
than six or eight counties have fatty
rejected county agents, and where this
has occurred it has been found that
the fault can be laid not to the county
agent idea but to either the man who
acted as agent, or to the dampening
efforts of certain influential reaction
aries.
Considering, however, that most of
the men who acted as emergency
agents appointed in a hurry, without
opportunity being given the state to
thoroughly try them out, the insists
among them were few. One turned
out to be more of a real estate boomer
than an. agricultural agent; another
his political fences mended that he
couldn't find time TO give farmers as
sistance In mending theirs, and In a
third instance just plain Incompatible
ity Of temperament I'm the agent was
the thorn which stuck in the ribs OF
the supervisors and kept them from
voting an appropriation for continual
ton of the office.
Gradually, where such untoward
conduct is detected, the responsible
individuals are being dismissed.
But that such difficulties are rare
has been well borne out by the report
showing 81 counties definitely com
mitted this year 10 the county agent
plan, where five years ago Alpena
stood alone.
With Alpena now are Iron, Kent,
Kalamazoo, Allegan, ST. Clair. Branch.
Saginaw, Houghton, Newaygo, Gogeb-
&c, ST. Joseph, Marquette, Dickinson,
Lenawee, Ontanagon, Cheboygan. OF
tawa. Mason, Muskegon, Van Buren,,
Berrien, Manistee, Menominee. School
craft, Missaukee. Presque Isle, Delta,
Wayne Chippewa. Tuscola, Alger,
Luce. Emmett, CharIevoix, Antrim.
Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Osceola.
Glare, Oceana, Bay, Clinton, Shiawas-