Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1927-02-17
Need For F arm Agent
in Watauga County
Normal School Student Presents Ar.
gument on Affirmative Side of
Important Question

Prof. |. G. Greer at the Normal in a
study of the subject of farm agent
for Watauga. AS reward to the
student VINO should write the best
paper Prof. Greer agreed to have it
sent to tie papers for publication
This first prize paper was written by
Miss Mabel Bingham, of Watauga
county,:
In the last few years there has
been great deal said for and against
a farm demonstration agent for Wat
Guga county. Those who oppose a
county demonstration agent contend
that he is not worth to the farmers
of the county what he coats. They
say, and with great deal of force
to the argument, that the chief diff
ficulty of the farmer, especially in
Watauga COUNT, is the excessively
high taxes which he has to pay; that
the tax rate is SO high th:t it is al
most impossible for him to pay his
taxes and support his family from the
products of his farm; and that this
condition is the chief cause for the
phenomenal depreciation in the price
of farm lands within the last four or
five years. They also argue that the
population of the county being large
ly rural, the principal source of reve-
nue. for the expenses of the county
must be derived from taxes levied on
the farm and farm products of the
county, and all expenses of the
county which are not absolutely ne
cessary should be cut out. Another
argument advanced against a county
demonstration agent is that all the
citizens and taxpayers are not di-
rectly benefited by his work, and that
only those who are benefited should
have to pay him.
Still another reason advanced is
that farm demonstration agent does
not understand local conditions and
that those who have lived in the COM
munity know more of conditions than
anyone they could obtain who would
be approved by the state and nation
cl governments, and that the eX
perience of the county with the
demonstration agent has proved very
unsatisfactory.
Having noted some of the objec-
tions to county demonstration agent
for Watauga county, let US examine
briefly some of the things in which
an agent for Watauga should special
ze.
First of all, he should specialize
in Irish potatoes, and that means
that he should know not only how to
raise them, but also how to market
them There is no crop, perhaps, to
which the soil of Watauga county is
so well adapted as potatoes, and GER
tainly no crop is so profitable.
He should also thoroughly under
stand how to grow and market cab
bage, with special emphasis on mark
eting If Watauga county could al
ways have a market at reasonable
price for the cabbage raised, it would
make farming in the county indie
pendent and would double the value
of the farm land suitable for this par
ticular crop.
Another, important crop in which
he could specialize is fruit growing.
The possibilities of this line of in
dustry is almost beyond estimation.
The soil and climate are ideal for ap
pie growing and there is always a
good market for first class apples.
The cheese industry for the county
is in its infancy, and county de-
monstration agent who understands
the cheese business could be of great
Another need of Watauga county
is to develop the canning industry SO
as to take care of surplus fruits and
vegetables, and demonstration
agent who understands this business
and can interest the citizens in de-
-veloping it, will be of great service
to the county.
The demonstration work that has
already been done in the poultry
business has been of great value to
the county, and is yielding fine
profits to those who are engaged in
the business, and are taking care of
their fowls according to what they
have learned through demonstration
work. This is field that has hard
ly been touched, and yet it brings
more money into the county at the
present time than any other single
industry.
Having considered-some of the OBJ