H.—29b

30

establishing " cotton-culture farms" throughout the infested portion of the country. Farms were established near the business centres, and thousands of farmers agreed to test the department's instructions on their own farms. The results were astonishing, and the simplicity of the plan and its phenomenal success commanded widespread attention, and the scope of the work was extended to demonstrations in corn, cow-peas, and winter cover-crops. In 1907 the demand arose for more intensive work, and ,to secure an agent exclusively for their counties several communities offered to pay a large portion of his salary. The experiment was a marked success, and the County Agent became an integral part of the demonstration plan. Active propaganda for more and better live-stock was begun, and special attention was given to hog-raising. Roys' corn clubs, and finally girls' canning clubs, were added as branches of the demonstration work. The general scope of instructions had meanwhile been broadened to include every practical phase of agriculture, the improvement of homes, better farms, improved implements, the production of forage crops and home supplies, and the conservation of soil-fertility and greater economy in production and expenditure. It was realized in the beginning that the farmers should have an active part in the work, and as far as possible pay for what was done in their interests. Accordingly business men were asked to provide funds to pay for seed and fertilizers on the cotton-culture farms. The farmer furnished the land, teams, tools, and labour without other compensation than the expected increase in his harvest. Co-operative relationships now exist with agricultural colleges, Sta.te Agricultural Departments, Boards of Agriculture, county organizations, railway and civic bodies. In round figures, last year £140,000 was spent in demonstration work in the Southern States, £70,000 of it being a Congressional appropriation, £40,000 voted by the States, counties, agricultural colleges. Boards of Agriculture, and other sources, and i.;50,000 from the General Education Board of New York. But all classes everywhere have been found enthusiastically promoting the work. The co-operative demonstration work is now a system by which the fundamental principles of farming are taught directly to .the farmers in each community on their own farms, as the dissemination of printed information by bulletins and agricultural papers, or sporadic oral instruction, did not reach far enough. In beginning the work it is the aim first to impress a .few defiuite principles necessary to a good crop, and see them worked out and verified by the farmers on their own land. The local or county agent undertakes to do a definite thing, and locates fifty or more demonstration farms, with an eye to an even distribution of the lesson. These he undertakes to personally supervise, in order to be sure that his directions are understood and observed. As many other farmers as possible are then induced to promise to use the same methods on some part of their farms. These are called " co-operators," and receive their instructions from bulletins and circulars from the Department, and letters and occasional visits from the agent. The first result of the work is to rouse healthy curiosity, rivalry, and competition, and it has even been found that neighbouring farmers who have scoffed at the idea of an instructor have resolved nevertheless to beat the Government farm unaided. During the season the agent sends notice to all co-operating farmers, telling them when he will visit the demonstration farm in their community, and inviting them and their neighbours to meet him there to discuss the work in progress. These are called " field meetings," and are of great help in arousing interest and securing co-operation. Farmers who would never attend an institute meeting or read a bulletin are drawn by curiosity to such meetings, and are interested and instructed. After the seas&n ends and it is shown that the yield on the demonstration and co-operating farms is much greater than on others in the same community, confidence in scientific methods begins to grow. The agent therefore becomes the connecting-link between the farmer and agricultural colleges. Needless to say, the results of co-operative farming demonstrations have been of the utmost value, and phenomenal increases have been recorded in corn and cotton yields, in addition to which farmers and business men have been brought together in an invaluable spirit of co-operation and community interest. Boys' corn clubs and girls' tomato clubs were the form in which work was first started among the juveniles, and finally prizes were offered for the largest production on a given acre of corn raised under the department's instructions, economy of production being a condition. The clubs have increased from year to year until they have a membership of seventy thousand in the United States. The girls, on their part, take to tomato raising, canning, or poultry-farming. Agricultural agents and farmers' bureaux are doing good work in Kansas. The idea of an agent who will enter a man's farm and order things to be done is coming to be accepted in some of the States because of the undoubted results obtained, but this happy state of affairs is secured only by selecting for the work men of sound practical agricultural education and mature judgment and experience. The work in Kansas for, roughly, three years is worth summarizing, In that time the agents visited approximately three thousand one-hundred farmers on their own farms, and had about three thousand farmer callers at their offices. Five hundred farmers' meetings were addressed with an attendance of forty thousand, besides fifty other meetings with an attendance of twelve thousand. Seventy-three' farmers' associations were organized, including in particular two live-stock associations, one co-operative buying association, eight farmers' clubs, and one egg circle. In addition to frequent publications, five thousand personal letters of information were sent out. Eighty farmers were encouraged to make exhibits at agricultural shows. Farm buildings were planned on twenty-four farms. The suggestions of the agents led to the erection of 216 above-ground silos and 300 pit silos. Water-supplies and sanitary conditions were improved, and homestead grounds were planned or improved. Complete farm surveys or summaries of farm business were made on 175 farms, and farm plans, partial or complete, were prepared for sixty-eight farms. Rotations were planned and adopted on twentyseven farms. Drainage systems were installed on forty-five farms, and irrigation plants on