H.—29b

32

condition of the stock that was being fed on it, and the cost. Other phases of agricultural work were'also studied in the same way, the parties sometimes consisting of seventy or eighty farmers. An enjoyable and attractive feature of each tour was the dinner provided in a central hall. The Amerioan farmer is being taught, among other things, exactly how to compute the number of hours of horse and man labour required to raise each crop on his farm. Simple charts are prepared for this purpose, and the agent, is of assistance in planning his cropping system of the farm so as to beep the horses busy. Just, how thoroughly this problem is considered may be judged from ait extract from a Kansas agent's report. " The expense of horse labour," he said, " may be reduced by having the teams composed of good brood mares. The period of least work runs from the Ist September to the Ist April (the months would be reversed for New Zealand). The mares might be bred to foal in September and suckle the colts until weaning-time the next spring, when they could be turned on grass. The mares should be large and draughty, and should be bred to purebred draught stallions of the best type." County Agent or Farm Demonstrator. —ln some parts of the United States the work of the County Agent or Farm Demonstrator is being organized without Government assistance, the funds being supplied by membership fees and subscriptions. In these cases the demonstrator gives his time only to members of the association. The definition of a Farm Demonstrator is not very easy, and the idea of an adviser or expert is being departed from in some cases, but the demonstrator is coming to be regarded as a common carrier of ideas—not his own necessarily, but largely those furnished by the successful farmers of the community where he is working, the ideas of demonstrators working in other sections of the country, the ideas of experiment-station. and agricultural-college men, and the ideas of agricultural thinkers, writers, and workers in all parts of the world. The Office of Farmers' Co-operative Demonstration Work in the United States is a division of the Bureau of Plant Industry. The present organization consists of a special agent in charge, Mr. Bradford Knapp, with a staff of assistants and a clerical force at Washington; a State agent in each State; in most States a special agent in charge of the boys' corn club work and a special agent in charge of girls' canning club work; from two to four district agents in each. State; and, as far as possible, a local agent in each county in the State. The organization is somewhat military in character, giving close supervision over every phase of the work. The total agency force as at present dividod is as follows: State agents, 12; district, agents, 36; local agents, 625; boys' corn club agents, 39 ; girls' canning club agents, 146 : total, 858. Agricultural Extension Work. The State agricultural colleges maintain a distinct administrative division for the extension work and home economics, co-operating with the department. At the head of each State division is a Director, controlling several men in charge of various lines of work. In addition to these supervising agents there are generalty specialists engaged in conducting movable schools and in other ways co-operating with the County Agents in the instruction of farmers and their families. The principal work so far has been the farm demonstration and advisory work. The advent of the County Agent, enabled the demonstrations to include all the standard farm crops, gardens, pastures, and in later years the breeding, raising, and feeding of live-stock. Meetings are held at demonstration plots to give information to a large number of farmers, and at these meetings the agent goes over the farm with those assembled, discussing the operations informally and inviting questions. . The results of the demonstrations give the farmers confidence in the ability of the agents. For the last five or six years County Agents have been working with organized bodies of farmers such as farmers' unions, agricultural associations, and farmers' clubs, as it has been found that, where such co-operation is secured the work, becomes far more effective. Out of this experience has developed a, systematic effort on the part of County Agents to work through organized bodies of farmers and create organizations in communities where there are none. It, is recognized that the County Agent should be a man of practical experience in farming, and of such personality as to enable him to become a leader among the farmers of his county. He must also have agricultural education and technical training, and, other things being equal, preference is given to graduates of agricultural colleges. One of his main duties is to bring to the farmers on their own farms the results of scientific investigations in agriculture and the experience of successful farmers, and to influence farmers, through demonstrations, to put these into practice. He gives instruction not only in improved agricultural practices, but also in farmmanagement, marketing, and purchasing supplies. In some of the States organizations called "farm bureaux" have been developed to co-operate with the County Agent. These are open to any person who is interested in better farming. Under the heading of " extension work " comes the organization of boys' and girls' clubs, and girls' demonstration work, which includes gardening, canning, preserving, poultry-raising, and so on. Extension work is also being organized for women and girls on the farms, and where sufficient, funds are available a well-trained woman agent is employed to give instruction in home economics. In this work, as in the ordinary extension work, there are agents, movable schools, "neighbourhood" meetings, conferences, and so on, with specialists to assist the agents. Among the problems now being taken up are children's welfare, the selection, preparation, and preservation of food, canning of fruit, and vegetables on the farm; the selection and protection of watersupply, sewage-disposal, house-ventilation, household equipment and management, the use of labour-saving devices and machinery, and the control of insects and other pests. The movable schools, for which the local arrangements are generally made by Hie County Agent, give short practical courses of instruction, accompanied by demonstrations, illustrated lectures, and exhibits, organized and conducted by specialists attached to the agricultural colleges. These schools commonly occupy a week, but in some cases longer or shorter periods.