Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1920-12-30
: TENSION DIVISION
BENEFITS THOUSANDS
OF TENNESSEE FARMERS
Carries Message of Better
Farming and Home Making
to Remote Parts of State

During the past year the Extension
Department of the College of Agricul-
ture of the University of Kentucky has
served in a most effective way, thru
short courses in agriculture and home
economies, by means of visits upon the
farm and in the hame by county and
home demonstration agents, thru
boys and girls clubs of various kinds,
adult community organizations and
field demonstrations, more than 300,
600 people of Tennessee.
The Division of Extension has been
an active integral and organized part
Of the University since 1914 and there
is probably no force that is of so wide
a bepetit or Is giving greater returns
to more people of the state than this
organization with Its corps of able and
efficient men and women agents and
specialists.
Rural progress in Tennessee is writ
ten In every line of the annual report
of the Division prepared by Charles A.
Refer, director. 1t is the purpose of
the extension service to carry directly
to the farms and the homes of the
country and secure the adoption in
practice of the best available infor-
nation regarding agriculture and
home economics thru county agents,
who deal with farm problems; home
demonstration agents who deal with
the problems Of the home; club lead
erS who carry on work with young
people, and specialists in the various
branches Of agriculture and home eco
Monies.
the county agent is a white collar
farmer" meaning that he does not get
out among the farmers in the field, but
spends most of his time in the Office,
can not be held against Tennessee
agents. The annual report shows that
IS per cent of their time was spent
In the field and only Is per cent in
their offices. Statistics are not always
interesting, but the following, showing
the accomplishments of the agents,
will convince the most skeptlcal that
county agents work is worth while:
In performing their duties of the
year the agents visited 1858 demon
strators, 1894 co-operators, 1881
farmers not directly cooperating with
them, 1900 business men, 6,717 boys
club members, making total number
of visits by them 1867. They tray
elcd 276,57S miles had 22,3S2 personal
calls, 1904 calls by telephone and as
sisted in 1913 farmers meetings which
were held under their auspices or Dl-
vision of Extension. They addressed
4,7S3 meetings, with total attendance
of approximately 100000 and conduct
ed 662 field meetings. with the total
attendance of 1857. They wrote
27,123 official letters, prepared for pub
licationS 2,045 articles, sent out 100000
circular letters and distributed 50,255
United States Department of Agricul
ture bulletins, %, 13S bulletins or cir
culars for the State College of Agri
culture and the Division of Extension
and visited 1921 schools to interest
them in agricultural work. More than
$3.50 farmers are now practicing fall
blowing; 1850 selecting seed and 2,305
are growing improved seed for sale.
AS evidence that this work is OF
money value to the farmer, enabling
him by the improved methods put into
practice to pay off mortgages and open
bank accounts, agents report that over
GOO farmers have opened bank ac-
counts for the first time since begin
ning demonstration work, and 1,0Sa
have been able to increase their bank
deposit. More than 1000 farmers
have paid off their mortgages on their
farms since starting demonstration
work and 6S per cent Of the farmers
cooperating with the agents are de-
creasing their Indebtedness, 65 per
cent are showing increased interest in
agricultural meetings and &c per cent
are showing a desire to study the farm
business and progress. Labor saving
devises have been placed in $40 homes
of co-Operators and demonstrators as
result of agents work. Some of the
more noticeable effects of farmers,
homes and family as resulting from
the work of the agents Is the building
of better homes, barns, breeding Of
better livestock, attendance at fairs,
short courses and conventions, taking
of more papers and magazines, pur-
chase Of automobiles, improved roads,
installing of water and light systems
in the home and providing of home
amusement.
Some Of the outstanding pieces of
work done by the agents demonstrates
the value of the work.
The 1911 acres of corn grown under
methods advocated by county agents
in 1919 produced an average of 46
bushels per acre; the average yield in
these same counties was "a bushels
per acre, which shows that the yield
was practically doubled due to- demon
stratlon methods. This applies equal
ly to cotton. tobacco and small grains.
The agents influenced S74 farmers to
select seed corn in the fall for next
= II