Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-08-16

loted it successfully through that
| body.
'"The theory of this bill is to ex-
tend this system of itinerant teach
ing, the state always to measure the
relative Importance of the different
ideas or activities to be pursued and
to determine upon the most impor-
least one trained demonstrator or
itinerant teacher for each agricul-
tural county who in the very nature
Of things must give leadership and
direction along the line of rural ac-
tivities;, social, economic and finan-
clal This teacher or agent will be-
come the instrumentality through
which the colleges. stations and the
department of agriculture will speak
to those for whom they were organ
lied to serve with the respect due all
lines Of work engaged in by them.
ITO teach the farmer the best
methods of increasing production is
exceedingly important, but not more
vitality 50 than is the Importance
of teaching them the best and most
| 1t is not enough to teach him how
to grow bigger crops. he must be
taught to get the true value Of these
bigger crops, else congress will be
put in the attitude of regarding the
work of the farmer as a kind of
or demonstration will be expected to
| give as much thought to the eco
nomic side of agriculture, to mar
keting, standardizing and grading of
farm products as he gives to the mat
ter of larger acreage and yields. He
| Is to assume leadership in every
| movement, whatever it may be, the
ain, of which is better farming, bet
ter living, more happiness, more edu-
cation and better citizenship"
As early as 1915 the U. S. bureau
Of markets petitioned the State, Col
institutions, of similar nature To-
Gated in other states, to enter into
cooperative relations with it for the
purpose of employing marketing
distribution of their crops and live
stock. In this state. for instance. a
project looking to this end was APP
| proved by the chief of the states re-
lations office in July, 1915. and CO.
perative work along the lines indi-
that date down to this. The states
relations office, which has charge of
the handling and distribution of the
Sm1th-Lever funds, in SO far as the
holds that the use of these funds
Tor marketing. purposes is legal.
| They base their contention relative
to this matter on the addresses
| made in congress when the Smith
Lever act was under discussion, and
the position they take seems to be
fully substantiated by the excerpt
from Congressman Levers address
as quoted above.
Let us see if the efforts made to-
| wards marketing the farmers prod
uct in Georgia through the joint
into by the U. S. department of ag-
riculture and the state college have
been productive of any beneficial re-
| suits. A survey Of the situation re-
veals the fact that the county agents
and other extension employees have
| been busy for years past securing
| information and giving instruction
to hundreds and thousands of farm
ers in Georgia not only relative to
| the production and distribution of
preparation and proper STANDARDIZED
ton and the marketing of the same.
| 1t Is true that the agents have en-
phasized production, because it was
essential that they do so when the
work began. as we were then not
raising nearly as much of many of
the standard farm crops as was nee
essary for local consumption. A
great change has been effected in
this direction in the course of the
gia is now self-sustaining in so far
as her main crops are concerned. In
| other words. we have gradually
changed from IN almost exclusive
cotton-producing state to one in
which d;versification is emphasized
very strongly. Even at the pres
emit time we are producing nearly So
worth of non-cotton crops as COM
pared with 81 worth of cotton, and
it is hoped and believed that the
time is near at hand when we will
be raising So worth of non-cotton
crops as compared with 81 in cotton
values.
AS soon as the production cam
paign was well under way it became
evident to those associated with the
Smith-Lever work that advice must
be extended to the farmer relative to
marketing, and so plans were de-
vised for assembling, grading, pack
ing, and the cooperative distribution
of many farm products. Far more
progress in this direction has been
made than the average 1ayman sus-
poets. I am satisfied that the farm
er himself does not realize how
much has been accomplished. I ad-
nit that only a beginning has been
made, but the foundation is the most
essential and important part of any
structure, and if some success has