Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-01-31
Farm Ihrllers With Pests as Movie Stars Produced Her

partment film which depicts the causes
OF decay In transit to market, and
portrays methods of handling the fruit
SO as to minimize losses. Laying
Lumbricus Low" is a picture which
shows property owners and golf
course managers how to combat earth
worms which destroy the greens.
Poor Mrs. Jones" the title Of all
other film taken in Washington. shows
by contrast the lives of city and coun-
try women:
She's Wild" says the department
in a picture of broncho busting on
the Western plains. 'Mollie of Pine
Grove Vat" tells the story Of tick
eradication in the South. Mollie, the
heroine. tracks down he dynamiters
of the dipping watts. the ticks arc
finally wiped out, the county is re-
leased from quarantine and better
times come 10 the community.
More than 100000 people made up
the Department. him audience Esr
year. The pictures were exhibited il
practically every important acriCul-
tural county in the United States.
They were seen mainly by farming
people in sparsely settled communi-
ties, where moving visual demonstra-
| tons of improved agricultural prac-
tees may be expected 70 be most eff
feCtive
This figure" according TO Fred ".
| Perkins. in charge Of the motion PIC
ture work" does not include the mil
! lions of people in urban communities
| who have come in contact with the
| department through the use of por-
| tionS of department films in the news
| WeeklieS, screen magazines and Cfh"r
commercial productions of that NJ.
/ ture. These wou.1 probably triple the
| estimated audience of 1000, 900 people.
That the beneficial results in
spreading agricultural knowledge arc
| comparable with the size of the audi
| ence," he added, lis Indicated by hun,
dreds of expressions that have teen
received from users Of our films. G'he
county agricultural agent at Duncan
Ariz.. for example, reported: The
showing of moving pictures has done
more to arouse interest in this county
| than any other one thing that I have
/ tried An extension specialist at the
Illinois College of Agriculture writes:
Motion pictures are the most salts
| factory means of bringing educational
facts before people in country com
| munities.'
The popularity of the films is shown
by the fact that the film shipments
from the department laboratory last
| year totaled 4,260. compared with
! . 066 in 1922 Twenty-eight new films
| Of one or more reels each were made
last year, and SO old films were re
vised.
| A MoNG the new films are titles
"A such as. 1.-THE Green Barrier.
| sheep in Psalm and Sage" Weighed
| in the Balance" Good Turns for Our
Forests Board Feet or Bored TIM.
Der" THE Road Goes Through.
Across the Great Salt Desert" and
Pan and Ceres in the Movies" Pra c
tically all Government departments in
| Washington cooperate in the agrtcul-
tural movie work.
Commercial film experts have de-
clared that the Government pictures
are comparable with the best in story
and photography. The laboratory here
is the largest and most completely
equipped south Of New York. The
newest movie devices are used TO en-
able the camera men to turn out a
product that will compete favorably
with films designed mainly for enter
tainment purposes.
A strict censorship Of the films Is
maintained in the department, the
board of cenSors being composed OF
the Secretary of Agriculture and
chiefs of bureaus. These Censors are
exactfng critics who examine the films
carefully for scientific accuracy in
handling film subjects. The pictures.
say department officials. are intended
to acouaint the public with the
methods and significance of important
agricultural activities, to gain public
cooperation and, through making
common property of the results of
scientific Investigations, to spres d
knowledge of improved methods in
agriculture and kindred pursuits.
nizafiopS schools col
leges, churches, theaterS. and other
lagencies or persons desiring to borrow
films may make application for them
through county extension agents. dc
partment field workers. directors Of
extension work Of State agricultural
colleges, or to the department direct
in Washington. The department :
film library contains 1852 reels con
sisting of ] to SO copies of more than
200 different pictures.