The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-01-28
County Agents.

The determination Of County Agent
| Sweeton of the Windham County Farm
bureau to give up his work and 20 into
practical farming on his own hook will
be seriously regretted by the farming
| interests of that county for we read in
the Brattleboro Reformer that he has
raised the agricultural standards of the
| county to a new level and has been the
means of saving thousands OF dollars for
the farmers" That County Agent Sweet
on chooses to continue in the farming oc-
cupation, with the difference that he will
be working out his own investment,
should bring new assurance that the
! farming occupation when carried through
correctly is almost certain to bring good
dividends. The only regret in this case
is that Agent Sweeton is going to Con
nectieut TO put his ideas into practical
! operation Barre Times.
We have come a long way since the
time when the old fashioned type of
| farmer used to refer to county agents.
| special extension workers and commits
sioners of agriculture as book farmers, -
refusing to bother with them or give
them a fair hearing. The experience of
Windham county has been duplicated in
some degree in every county of the state
where county agents are employed.
The decision of Mr.. Sweeton shows
two things, IL that he has the courage
Of his convictions and is willing to take
his chances running a real farm on his
own ideas, (2) that the farmers will
be fortunate hereafter if they can retain
the services of men like Sweeton with
the call to other fields and other activi-
ties as strong as it is.
| Ii is impossible to estimate the value
of services such as the retiring Wind
ham county man has rendered in rails
ing agricultural standards and introduc-
| ing profitable agricultural ideas. Many a
barren field has been made productive,
many a losing department has been made
to pay or has been cut out and many a
farm has increased in value thousands Of
dollars by virtue of better farming meth
DDS, introduced by the invaluable coun-
ty agents.
This does not mean that Windham
county has had a monopoly Of such serv-
ices; in fact, Rutland county, Washing
ton county and several other counties
have gained immeasurably by such serv-
ices, and the standard of work done has
been similarly high in other counties
The fact is that, relatively speaking, nc
single public enterprise has been of
greater practical value to the farmer
than the employment Of county agents
The recognition of this fact by the
federal government is good enough proof
of the same, and one of the early acts
of the T. S. department Of agriculture
will probably be in the direction of co.
ordinating the work of federal agents
and experts with the work done by
states, thus avoiding much of the dupli-
cation which now exists.
County farm agents work, farm bu-
reau work, home demonstration work
and commonsense agricultural teaching
in our schools have developed educa-
tional possibilities of the most important
nature, and the progress of such work
is certain to have a direct and visible
effect on the farming standards of the
future.
Windham county will find good man
to take the place Of Mr. Sweeton, and
the chances are that Mr.. Sweeton will
make a success of his own farming ven
ture, all of which represents progress
Rutland Herald.