Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-04-25
AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION
~ DR. ANDREW NJ SOULE

Simply by consulting and advising
with the IS farmers concerned, help
ing them to select their seed more
skillfully so as to insure a better
stand, to prepare and fertilize their
land along different lines to that
which they had previously follow
ed and to cultivate their corn more
persistently.
The county agent cannot be 4
pected to go into community and
revolutionize it's agriculture. He
holds no brief for such purpose.
On the other hand it is his duty and
privilege to. bring to the attention
of the landowner information and
data of an essential and valuable
character. The agents business is
to induce the landowner to follow
different methods of practice, wheth-
er they are new or old, and to show
him that by doing so he will in
crease his yields and profits as we'll.
The facts and the instance cited
above illustrate very nicely what
is to be gained by the services OF
such man in the mere matter of
stituted only very small part of
the agents activities after all.
In addition to the corn demonstra-
lions noted above, 20 were made
with oats, So with wheat, with
rye, 23 with alfalfa, with Grim
and with soy beans. Seventeen
farmers were interested in making
tests calculated to show that perma-
nent pastures could be established in
Newton county. Twenty others were
interested in making tests with
the silo. Six practiced seed selec-
tion with the idea OF improving their
seed for home use. Ten began the
practice of testing seed so that the
terminating and useless seed
might be eliminated before planting
time. Eight started crop rotations.
Five took up problems associated
with farm management. Information
on fertilizers was given to 300 indi-
viduals and II fertilizer tests were
undertaken, while three farmers
were induced to use lime.
The work, however, was not con-
fined to adults, because there were
As boys in the corn club, 40 in the
pig club, and Fl in the calf club.
These young farmers made many
exhibits at different fairs. They
learned good deal about. feeding
records on the cost Of production for
the first time, and they made a. prof
1T from. handling the corn or the
pigs or the calves they were work
ing with; This gave them new
viewpoint viewpoint with reference to the pos
munity and made them feel that they
were capable of holding their own
With their fathers, also that under
the best methods. Of management
they could make a profit from farm
operations, and that agriculture after
all offers to them many opportuni-
ties which they have previously
been slow to realize.
coming now to consideration OF
other phases of the agents work, it
IS interesting to observe what was
accomplished in the matter of inn
of animal Industries. Ten farmers
TOOK up the feeding of beef cattle
Sixty were advised relative to han
ding dairy cattle, seven relative to
the feeding of hogs and five relative
TO the feeding Of work stock Nine
hogs were inoculated and 81 others
treated for various diseases. Sixty
cows were tested, eighty dairy cows
bought, 10 breedings hogs bought and
sold. Information was furnished
to six individuals on the curing of
meat. Advice was afforded to 20
poultry keepers on handling and
management of the flock Five farm
ers were encouraged to plant or
chards, II to prune their orchards,
20 to worm the trees and IS to spray
the trees.
Home gardens were established on
three Tenant farms and seven win
ter gardens established on other
farms. Eight farmers were induced
to grow sweet potatoes as a truck
crop and ten to grow Irish potatoes
on the same basis. Six farmers were
aided in building sweet potato, nous es;
four in putting water systems into
their homes and two lighting sys-
| TENS. Two farmers were induced to
buy cultivators, seventeen were en-
couraged to terrace their land, while
aid and advice Of a miscellaneous ma
ture were furnished to 200 other in
dividuals taken as an aggregate.
Do you not think the man who
performed all these different char
acters of service in connection and
association with such a large num-
Der of individuals performed rather
an active year of service work? Do
you not think he had many trying
situations to deal with in order to
satisfy so many individuals? Are
you even surprised that some of them
should complain, or that those, whom
it might have been a physical i'm
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