The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1919-09-23
ENCOURAGE COUNTY
DEMONSTRATION AGENTS
Times -Union)

The following letter to the editor
of the Times-Union from one of the
best known bankers, farmers and live
stock men in the state, shows the
trend of public opinion with regard to
the farm demonstration agents:
"In your issue of Sunday under the
head of 'Duval County is Lame,' you
made an appeal for cooperation with
the county demonstration agent.
cat the last session of the board of
county commissioners in this county,
economy cut out the appropriation
fol a demonstration agent, and were
about to put us back for eight or ten
years. | am writing to say that the
banks here all cooperate with the
county agent, and that our bank in
particular values the work to such an
extent that we went before the board
and gave them a donation of $500
in order that we might have the coun-
ty agent continued. The result is that
they have added somewhat to it and
with the government appropriation
o. $500. we are going to have $4,000
in this fund and get a better agent
than we have had heretofore.
"Your news columns have had an
account of this donation from our
bank to the board of county commits
sioners, but | thought l would call
your attention to it, inasmuch as l
am anxious for you to know that we
value very highly the progress which
has been made from that agency in
Marion county:
Yours very truly,
81. c. Chambliss, Vice-Pres.,
"Munroe & Chambliss Natl. Bank" D."
Mr.. Chambliss is one of the old res
idents of Marion county and one of
the pioneers in producing the better
grades of live stock in the state. 1t
was his baby beef that attracted so
much attention at the last state fair
in Jacksonville and which sold for so
cents pound at the close of the fair.
He and his associates in the bank
have set an example that is worthy of
emulation by the banks in many of the
counties of Florida. In his talk before
the large gathering of representative
| citizens, farmers, breeders and bank
ers at the Herlong sale Wednesday,
| Mr.. Chambliss said his bank did not
make this offer for any other reason
| than to encourage better farming and
live stock raising and because it paid
his bank to do so, as it brought more
money into the county and enabled his
| bank to do more business and make
more money.
There has been a disposition in sew.
eral counties to abandon the plan OF
employing county demonstration
agent, the commissioners claiming
| the results obtained have not war
ranted the expenditure. The reason
for the failure to produce results~is
probably not the fault of the system
but more likely because of the fact
| that the sum provided for paying
these experts was insufficient to Sc
cure the best and if good man is Sc
cured he finds his expenses more thar
his income and the becomes discourag
ed with his work, which is no sinecur,
if he does it properly.
With a sum like the one provided
in Marion county first class man Cal
be obtained and he will be making
enough to warrant his best efforts anC
results will soon be in evidence. If 1
leading bank in one of the oldest ant
most developed agricultural section
finds it profitable to offer $500 to
ward maintaining an official of abilit,
to improve the agricultural and liv
stock conditions in the county it woult
seem that the banks of every othe
county could we'll afford to do a
r1uch.
If every county had first class ad
wiser of known ability to obtain re
suits, Florida would soon flourish an
develop into a state of productivenes
that would rank among the very frs
in the nation.