r^'rAt N274 ALBERT R. MANN LIBRARY New York State Colleges OF Agriculture and Home Economics AT Cornell University Cornell University Library S 544.N274 Agricultural extension; something of its 3 1924 001 028 947 Cornell University Library The original of tiiis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924001028947 AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AS RELATED TO BUSINESS INTERESTS SOMETHING OF ITS MEANING, THE FORCES ENGAGED IN THE WORK. AND OF THE RESULTS OBTAINED r C0UFI1.ED Mabch 1st, 1916 Bylhe AgbicdltpbaI Extension Committee NATIONAL IMPLEMENT & VEHICLE ASSOCIATION — 76 West Monroe Stbeet CmoAoo AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION SOMETHING OF ITS MEANING, THE FORCES ENGAGED IN THE WORK, AND OF THE RESULTS OBTAINED Compiled March 1st, 1916 By the "Agricultukal Extension Committee of • By C. A. Cobb, Assistant State Agent in charge of Boys' Club Work in Mississippi, Jackson, Miss. Plans for Helping Boys' and Girls' Pig, Poultry, Baby Beef, and Can- ning Clubs .... ... 75 Rural Schools. — Part I. Consolidation of Schools .... 79 Part II. County Agricultural High Schools ... 83 How to Build up Communities Through Co-operative Clubs, and How Such Clubs May be Organized .... . . 8S By Miss Bessie R. Murphy, Director, Woman's Department, Bureau of Farm Development, Memphis, Tenn. The Agricultural Extension Department of the International Harvester Company. — Its Purposes, and What it Offers in the Way of Assistance to Local Organizations . 92 By Prof. E. 6. Holden, Director, Agricultural Extension Department, International Harvester Company of New Jersey, Chicago, 111. The Newspaper. — Its Relationship and Duties Toward the Development of Farm and Rural Communities .... 93 By C. P. J. Mooney, Editor of The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tenn. What the American Bankers Association Has Done and is Doing in Farm Devolpment Work . ... 96 By B. F. Harris, Chairman, Agricultural Commission of The Ameri- can Bankers Association and President of First National Bank, Champaign, 111. What the Railroads are D oing in the D evelopmgnt of Farn i ^anjj_ Ru ral Communities '. ... . . 103 B y*?noJg Bjye ,] g^ y,l; pn, President of the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railroad, Nashville, Tenn. How the Country Merchant or General Store Keeper Can Aid in Build- ing up the Farms and in Developing Rural Communities 106 By R. K. Gernert, Cloud Chief, Oklahoma. The New Task of the Rural Church ... 109 By Rev. W. W. Diehl, Hinckley, 111. The Woman on the. Farm — Her Needs and the Forces Available for the Betterment of Her Condition 115 By Mrs. Nellie Kedzie Jones, Auburndale, Wisconsin. The Problem of Tenant and Landlord ih the Ccftton States 118 As solved by Mrs. G. H. Mathis, Birmingham, Ala. Reproduced from bulletin of the Bureau of Farm Development, Memphis. Rural Credits 126 A statement of the attitude of the Rural Credits Committee of the National Implement and Vehicle Association on the subject of pro- posed Rural Credit Legislation. Why the National Implement and Vehicle Association is interested in Farm Development I27 By Mr. E. W. McCullough, Secretary and General Manager. 4 AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION Reasons for the Publication of this Series of Articles Relative to Agricultural Extension. By Geo. R. James, Chairman, Agricultural Extension Committee of the National Implement and Vehicle Association. There is nothing new about the necessity of developing the agricultural resources of our country, for in reality the idea is older than our Govern- ment itself. Scientists and students have for many, many generations devoted their lives to the study of soils and plans, and many of our earliest and best statesmen realized the importance of the subject, as may be evidenced by the establishment of the Department of Agriculture, which to the life of the nation is the most important branch of our Government. A nation that can feed and clothe itself at home occupies an impregnable position: witness Germany since the beginning of the European War! There is no question but what our own United States is the greatest agricultural country in the world. The constant increase In the volume and value of our farm products makes this statement an indisputable fact. On the other hand, the same set of statistics which discloses this all important condition also brings to light the further facts that, first, our lands are being depleted and our increased production has been, to an alarming degree, at the expense of the natural resources of our lands; and second, the growth and prosperity of our rural population has been nothing like that of the people of our cities. The disparagement between the development in our rural and urban communities has been the subject of study and thought for many of the brightest minds In our country, and this is bringing about an unprecedented era of co-operation between the leaders in both city and farm life. The articles following, by Dr. Tait Butler, Mr. C. J. Haase, and Dr. W. E. Taylor, set out very clearly the desirability of city leaders co-operating with their brothers on the farm, and it is unnecessary for me to go into these matters at this time. Suflice it to say that this co-operative spirit is reaching out in every direction, and we have to-day all classes of men and women not only realizing the importance of the upbuilding of our lands, the increasing of our soil production and the improvement of rural life, but anxious to participate in the great work of bringing about co-operation, which alone can equalize the increasing prosperity of our country. The one great obstacle confronting this co-operative movement is a lack of knowledge of the many* efficient forces alrea^dy at work in farm, development. Pew people realize the forces available i!<^r promoting better or safer farming, and it is the purpose of this work to aequapt the mem- bers of the National Implement and Vehicle Association, the implement and vehicle dealers of the country, and others who call upon the Agri- cultural Extension Committee of the Association for advice and instruction as to how best to proceed in helping the movement, with at least a part of what is being done and how they might co-operate with some of the forces in this very important public duty. Much space in this work has been given to the South, its needs and accomplishments along farm development lines, for the reason that the South is, as shown by Government statistics, most in need of development, since its "one crop" system of cotton raising has depleted the lands and made its rural population poorer than in any other section of the country. It Jias very pertinently been said that the boll-weevil was the rejuvenator/ of the South, since it was largely due to the havoc wrought in some sec- tions of the cotton growing states by this "wealth destroyer" that farmers were awakened to the wisdom of the agricultural experts from the De- partment of Agriculture and the colleges in advocating diversification and in arousing the people of the cities and towns, as well as the farmers, to the necessity of seeing to it that the South should feed itself at horned Articles, briefly setting forth the accomplishments and possibilities of some of the forces 'at work in farm development, have been prepared by experts eminently qualified to discuss the subjects touched upon, and are published herewith in order to familiarize the interested layman with the work in hand and to enable him to get in touch with the proper authorities when the time comes for co-operative action in his own local community. Every trade center should have a bureau of farm development whose object should be the co-ordination of the agricultural forces available in that particular community. The principal duties of such a bureau should be giving publicity to the work of the Government and collegiate extension- forces with a view to having the farmers of the community take advantage of the educational opportunities offered and in helping to bring the farmers and city people together in solving the gigantic problem of marketing the products of the farm in the most economical way. Great assistance in the work of the bureau of farm development may be hid for the asking from the railroads and from the extension depart- ments which are maintained by many of the large industrial corpor- ations, notably the International Harvester Company, whose extension department is doing a wonderfully efficient work in the furnishing of expert lecturers, statistical charts, lantern slides, seed testers, etc., for agricultural campaigns which have been and are being cah-ied on over practically the entire United States. The bureau should make it one of its duties to see that every county in its trade territory has a county demonstration agent. Get in touch with the chairmen of the county courts, and if any county is found to be without its demonstration agent, get busy with the bankers, business men and farmers, and get one. By Act of Congress, through the Smith-Lever Bill (see page 51), the Department of Agriculture is authorized to co-operate with the various states and counties in demonstration work to the extent of providing supervision over the county agents and furnishing funds for the payment of part of their salaries. The work of the county agents, being confined exclusively to the counties in \^^hich they operate. Is purely local and con- sequently most effective. Keep in mind the basic principle that all life— human, animal, and plant — depends upon the maintenance of a fertile soil. The educated farmer is taught from the very beginning that to succeed he must put back into the soil the elements to replace those taken from the land in the production of his crops. The farmer farms the land, and the business and professional man or woman who depends upon the farmer or his products for a living may truthfuly be said to "farm the farmer"; therefore, it stands to reason that 6 the same principle that requires the farmeV to put something back into the soil holds good in the relation of the city man or woman to the people of the farms. If you would reap profitable harvests of wealth, health, comfort, and happiness as a result of your eiSorts in "farming the farmer" you must in turn pay back to the source of your success something of the same elements that have been taken. It consequently becomes the sacred duty of the successful city man or woman to contribute most generously from that same success to the like success of the rural population. The banker must take "interest in" as well as "interest from" the farmer! The implement manufacturers and dealers must study the needs of their farmer customers with a view of furnishing them tools and equipment that will prove of actual ben'efit and be really economical in the operation of the farm rather than try to "rib up talking points" that will separate the farmer from his hard-eaxned money whether he needs the implements or not. As a rule, our town and city schools may rightfully be pointed to with pride as models of eflBciency, but what about the one-room, one-teacher school of the remote isolated districts where so many of the children of the farm must get their sto^re of knowledge? Here is where your town and city men and women will find a fertile field for the employment of surplus energy and thought. Get in touch with your county school system and by your hearty support and co-operation assist the authorities in securing consolidated schools and proper educational facilities for the backwoods children. "The Woman on the Farm: Her Needs and the Forces Available for the Betterment of her Condition," which subject is so ably discussed by Mrs. Nellie Kedzie Jones in her article' in this pamphlet, is worthy of sincere consideration, and the problems presented should have the most serious study. There is really no problem involved in "keeping the boys on the farm" if once the girls are made happy and contended to stay there. Just think this over yourself! I wish every man, woman, and child could know Dr. W. W. Diehl, who has contributed an article on "The Preacher" for this booklet, for certainly their viewpoints would be broadened and the road to salvation made easier. Much time, energy, and money is annually contributed to the work of "foreign missions" which, if properly directed in our own individual com- munities along the lines adopted by Dr. Diehl, would bring far greater returns or profits in the saving of souls. Go out and get acquainted with your country cousins! Organize parties of your townspeople and your farmers — men, women, and children — and pay a visit to your own state colleges and experiment stations. See what YOU are getting for YOUR money, that is being spent in maintaining and operating YOUR OWN institutions, and believe me, YOU WON'T REGRET IT! In concluding my appeal for your interest and assistance in securing organized effort to better rural and farm conditions, let me say that I know from my own experience that it will pay you — if not in cash, it will in happiness. The Need of Local Organizations of Business and Profes- sional Men for the Study and Development of Rural Conditions, and What Such Organizations Can Do in the Way of Bringing the Farmer in Closer Touch with the Various Forces that are Qualified to Teach Better Farming. By Dr. Talt Butler, Editor Progressive Farmer, Memphis, Tennessee. If It be true, as so often stated, that on the prosperity of the farmer is largely based the prosperity of the business man, the banker, the merchant and the manufacturer, then it clearly follows that the commercial interests of the South are as one with those of the farmer. The Southern farmer while prosperous in numerous individual instances has simply "cashed in" on the fertility of the soil and the ability of the negro to live at the lowest possible cost. The Southern farmer has not for the last half century produced sufficient per acre or per man to accomplish his own prosperity or that of the middleman — the merchant. He has pro- duced less than two hundred pounds of lint cotton and twenty bushels of corn per acre. While not taking time to discuss the reasons, I doubt If even the chief reason is to be found entirely in his inefficiency, although that has been an important factor. Candidly/l believe the lack of pros- perity of the farmer has been due as largely to the Inefficiency of the middleman who has served him and the large toll he has taken for this Inefficient service as to his own inefficiency. Before going further let me state right here that I do not belong to that class of agricultural economists who believe It desirable or possible to eliminate the middleman. This is an age of specialists, and the efficient merchant or business man can render a more efficient service to the farmer than he can himself perform. The efficient merchant is a specialist, an expert in buying and selling, and not alone in these, but also in the pre- paring for market and the marketing of farm products. But let it be thoroughly understood that middlemen have no excuse for existence unless they can and do render efficient service in buying what the farmer has to sell as well as in selling what the farmer has to buy. In no case is he entitled, to collect a toll greater in value than the service he renders. If, then, the farmer has not been prosperous because of his low earn- ings per man, his low yields per acre, his poor soils and his own inefficiency, and also because of the inefficiency of the middleman and the too large tolls taken by him for the services rendered, and as a result the merchant and manufacturer have not been as prosperous as they' would have been had the farmer been more prosperous, it is apparent that there is need for the organization of business men fof the improvement of rural conditions. The merchants of the South have a higher and more efficient service to render agriculture than the mere selling to the farmer the things he needs to buy. All middlemen are not parasites and "grafters," although some are, and all farmers are not inefficient, although too many undoubtedly are. As a matter of fact, the men of any community, trade or calling, of equal education and culture, are about equally honest, and differ as little as a general rule, in efficiency. The most inefficient merchants are found sell- ing to the most inefficient farmers, and the most efficient farmers are found selling to and buying from the most efficient merchants. Local organizations of merchants and business men are necessary: first, to increase their own knowledge and eflBclency to those they serve; second, to aid the farmer to a better knowledge of preparing his products for market; and third, to provide the marketing machinery for handling the products the farmer has to sell. i Progress, development, and education do' not proceed from below up- wards, but from above downwards. Likewise, this organizing cannot pro- ceed from the country merchant to the wholesaler, jobber and manu-. facturer, but must start with the latter. The first organization required is of the manufacturers, jobbers and wholesalers, and the large dealers. But these must organize for a different purpose, or with different aims than has been the case in the past. They must organize, first, to help to instruct and to organize the local or small merchants. The merchants of the small towns must then orgapize to learn the marketing and handling of farm products and for teaching the farmer how the markets demand that farm products be marketed. No man is so close to the business of the wholesaler and jobber as the manufacturer. No one is so close to the business of the country or local merchant as the banker, the wholesaler and the jobber. Likewise, no one is so close to the business of the farmer as the local or supply merchant. For these reasons we are convinced that the organization of the local or supply merchants, while necessary to reach the farmer, must be brought about through the influence of organizations of bankers, wholesalers and manufacturers of the larger cities. The merchants, bankers and other business men of any large city or trade center owe it to themselves, and to those with whom they do business, to organize for the purpose of organizing the merchants in their trade territory and for the purpose of improving the conditions and efficiency of their own and their customers' trading. They should organize to organize the local or country merchants, because only by the organization of the local or country merchants can be brought about those marketing facilities and trade relations which the farmer has a right to demand of his local merchant. He is going to demand, as an excuse for the existence of the middleman, a more efficient, and let me say, a fairer service than he has frequently received in the past! The organization of local or supply merchants can and must provide efficient local marketing facilities and marketing machinery for handling the farmers' products. The successful local mer- chant of the future can no more elect only to sell .what the farmer wants to buy and refuse to buy what the farmer has to sell than can the manu- facturer refuse to make what his trade demands. No business man can do the kind of business he wants to do, but must do the kind which his customers demand. Likewise, the local merchants cannot continue to sell to the producers unless they also as individual^ or as an organization provide a market for the products the farmer has to sell and efficiently perform their duties for a reasonable toll. There is now too large a toll taken for placing in the hands of the consumer the products of the farm. But the local merchant now rightfully claims that he does not know how to handle the products which tlie farmer has to sell, or that he does not care to engage in the buying and selling of farm products. If this be the case, and it often is, then he must learn how to do so, or his inefficiency will eliminate him. In the reorganizing of the local or country supply merchant, the city merchant, the wholesaler, the jobber and the manu- facturer must come to his aid. Or the local merchant may give as his excuse for his failure to furnish a market for the farm products of his section at a lower cost, that the farmers do not produce the quality or kind of products that the market demands, or that they do not prepare their products in suitable form or condition for the best marketing. If any or all of these reasons actually exist, as is often the case, then it is the duty of the local merchant and also to his financial interest to show or teach the farmers the kind, quality and form of products which the market demands. There is no more reason why great efforts and much money should be expended in agricultural extension teaching as contemplated by the Government in the enactment of the Smith-Lever Bill, than that the bankers, wholesalers, jobbers and manufacturers should organize for ex- tension teaching in commercial lines, nor than the local merchants should, as experts in merchandizing, organize to conduct extension teaching to the farmers in the art and science of preparing and marketing their products: The local merchant has no right to exist unless he can render a more economical service to the farmer than the farmer can perform for himself. This he should and can do as a specialist and expert, but he cannot render such service unless he makes of himself a specialist or expert in his business. The farmer will only pay for a service, which, because of its eflaclency, is economical. The middleman must render this efficient, eco- nomical service, which we claim he can and will do, or he will go out of existence. We cannot and will not continue to pay the present high toll for carrying products from the producer to the consumer. Local organ- izations of merchants, then, are essential to the continued existence of the middlemen, for only by organization will efficiency be obtained. We stated that the local or supply merchant was closer to the business of the farmer than any other person or agency. If this be the cas,e, he can then best reach the farmer to bring to him the services of the various agencies for the extension of agricultural information. Those engaged in the teaching of agriculture to the farmers on the farms, who are beyond the school age, have not, as they should have, recognized and made use of the services of the business men as a means of reaching the farmer with agricultural information. If it be true that the local or supply merchant Is closer to the business of the farmer than any others, then the local merchants should be organ- ized for the purpose of putting the farmer in touch with the numerous forces which are qualified to teach better farming. The ignorance of the merchants and business men of the country as to agricultural conditions, and of the work that is being done for the promotion of agriculture, is a serious handicap to their efficient service as middlemen. If for no other reason, the merchants, bankers and manufacturers should organize for a better study of the activities along agricultural development lines. The same reasons exist for the organization of the local or supply merchants. They could not better serve the farmer than to acquaint themselves with the work of the agrlcultul-al colleges, experiment stations and national and state departments of agriculture, in order' that they might put their farmer customers in closer touch with these helpful forces operating for the aid of the farmers. The greatest, in fact almost the sole, cause of any inefficiency of these agencies, working for the promotion of agriculture, is the fact that so large a per cent of the farmers do not know that any help can be obtained out- side their own narrow or limited experience, or If they feel the need of ' help they do not know how to take advantage of the help available. The 10 local organization of business men can perform their greatest service to agriculture and incidentally to themselves, by aiding in bringing their farmer customers in closer touch with these agencies now doing so much for the upbuilding of agriculture. Any local organization of business men who will, for instance, cause the farmers of their section to visit the State Agricultural College and Experiment Station, will perform a service of far-reaching influence for the betterment of farming conditions, which in the end can only result in better business for the efficient merchant or business man. Why Bankers, Merchants, Manufacturers and Professional Men Should be Vitally Interested in Farm Development. By C. J. Haase, President of Bureau of Farm Development, Memphis, Tenn.; Junior Member, Marx & Bensdorf, Investment Bankers. Every interest, financial, industrial, commercial or professional, con- sciously acknowledges its dependence upon the farm. Only a very fdw have the intelligent judgment or the sense of justice to seek to better the c6ndition of the support on which they lean. An international banking house in New York sends out a letter expressing its opinion as to the probable business conditions throughout the country and the fundamental basis of its calculations is the crop conditions in the farming territory. The manufacturing concern, intelligently considering Its production, first, thoroughly investigates the same conditions in the territory in which it expects to market its output. The wholesale merchant buys his stock with these same conditions under first consideration, and when he sells, predi- cates the amount of credit allowed upon the report of the agricultural conditions in the vicinity of the prospective buyers. Yet, with the exception of the active agricultural work carried on extensively by a few and spas- modically by a greater number of railroads, and the recent active campaign of the American Bankers Association, and the extremely constructive work of a few agricultural implement houses, very little direct effort has been made by any of these interests to induce improved conditions among the farming classes. Unquestionably, this is a short-sighted business policy. There would be little or no difficulty in developing a satisfactory plan for the operation of the farms in any particular section of the country. In fact, investigation would probably show that through the very extensive and thorough investigations made by the experts in the national Department of Agriculture, co-operating with the state universities and agricultural colleges in the seiveral sections, a most admirable plan has been devised and an effort made to introduce same. It is in the introduction of these improved plans, which carry a practical abandonment of the fixed methods of a lifetime, that the real difficulty arises. Regardless of our individual sympathies in the European War, the most impressive feature of that struggle is the manner in which the German nation, cut off almost entirely from the markets of the world, with possibly ten millions of its able-bodied men taken from the productive occupations, is still able to feed those ten millions and its full population of sixty-odd 11 millions from the products of its own fields. The area of Germany is about equal to the combined area of Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi and Alabama. Consider the possibility of these four states attempting the same task! Germany has a paternal government. When scientific In- vestigation, coupled with practical experiment, determines the agpicultural methods necessary to get results, the details of the plan are taught to the people, beginning with the children in the schools, and the law is passed: "In this way must you farm your lands for the well being of your country and yourself," and this Is the way the place is invariably farmed. Such a method of inducing the adoption of improved plans Is not possible in our much-prized democracy. We do not so easily enact such laws, nor so readily obey them when enacted. The introduction of any modified system of training in the public schools of even one state in our Union would entail an amount of political wire-pulling and general maneuvering that would require years to obtain perfection of the plan, and the average farmer in the United States will sit on his rail fence and listen to the advice of scientific demonstrators and then proceed to raise such crops as he pleases and destroy the fertility of his soil with the self- satisfied thought that he is an independent American citizen and can do as he darned pleases with what belongs to him. There is, however, just one power that can both enact and enforce a correct system for the use of farm lands — that is the power of an intelligent self-interest among the financial, industrial, commercial and professional branches of society, who indirectly, if not directly, control the actions of the farmer. Naturally, the first step in a movement of this kind must originate in the banks, because the banks, through their control of credits, more nearly reach the proprietary power of a paternal government than any other force in this country. The bank's influence upon the farmer would rarely be direct. In nearly every instance the purpose would be reached through such a chain of Interests as to veil the fact that the financial interests were really directing the transformation. If any one doubts the correct- ness of this theory, a close investigation of the manner in which the large banking Interests of the United States frequently transform public opinion, will readily remove the doubt. If the large banks of the metropolitan city in an agricultural territory grant their credit to the local supply merchants and principal country banks, evidencing at the same time a direct interest in the conditions on the farm and suggesting an improvement to those conditions to avoid unnecessary perils, the city supply merchant and the country bank would in turn develop a similar personal interest in the farmers with whom they are dealing, or the country merchant through whom they are financing the farmer, and the response would be Immediate. In the last analysis practically each individual planter or farmer would have his supply of money upon which he depends for his year's operation given to him with an implied requirement, if not an explicit demand, that he so operate his farm as to insure his ability to repay the money advanced to him without the hazard that now attends advances on farming operations in most of the agricultural territory. There would be strongly impressed upon him the necessity of feeding himself and his live stock on the farm, so that much, if not all, of the marketable crop which he produced would be available for payment on account of the money advanced him. In the cotton territory, for instance, the prevailing method of farming has been a suicidal one, and the present comparatively impoverished cohdition of the South, as contrasted with the more progressive sections 12 of the covmtry, may be directly traced to a mistaken agricultural policy. The farmer has raised cotton on every available acre, buying from other sections of the country the food for his family and the feed for his animals at prices much above what it would cost him to produce the same things at home. He has made his cotton crop entirely upon credit, buying his supplies from day to day at abnormal prices, because they were bought on credit, and finding his crop at harvest time so far pledged for the pay- ment of debts that an immediate sale of same must be made, regardless of price, to meet the demands of his creditors. The summer of 1914 found the cotton planting section entertaining the most roseate ideas of, crop prospects and resulting financial condition. The European War stopped the sale of cotton, prevented its transportation to foreign markets, reduced the price to a point far below the actual cost of production, and in fact prevented any material sale whatsoever. As a result, this entire section of the country was placed in the unenviable position of mendicants before the financial world. Unable to sell cotton, having no other crops, they had not the money ' with which to pay for the things to eat and wear, the prices of which naturally increased ab- normally because of the excessive foreign demand, due to the war. The actual producer in the field, seeing no hope of obtaining for the harvested crop a price sufficient to pay his debts and give him a! surplus for his own use, was really indifferent as to whether or not he harvested the crop. The country merchant and the planter who had made advances to the pro- ducer saw no hope of collecting the accounts due them, and in turn saw no way to pay the amount due from them to the city supply merchants and the country bank. The city merchants and the country bank, in turn, saw no way of meeting their maturing notes held by the large banks in the metropolitan cities and money centers, and proceeded to declare a little moratorium all their own. This apparently disastrous condition pro- duced a benificent result, if only it were possible to develop the wisdom to take advantage of that result. The crop of the following year was pro- duced on a basis lower than had been deemed possible prior thereto and this basis was reached solely because the refusal of the various agencies to supply the daily needs of the producer compelled that producer of necessity to do the thing which an intelligent foresight would have prompted him to do each year; viz.; to raise his food and feed at home. In consequence, the harvest season of 1915 found this country in better financial condition than had existed over a period of fifteen or twenty years — a direct reversal from the condition of one year previous. It might be assumed that the majority of the producers, with the unfortunate con- dition of 1914 still fresh in their minds, would have the wisdom to avoid a return to the methods that had produced that unfortunate condition; but as a matter of fact, it will require a most energetic concerted effort on the part of the financial and commercial interests to prevent an over- whelming return to excessive cotton planting, for the reason that at the present market prices cotton and cottonseed combined are producing a return in excess of the possible return from any other form of production on the same land. The danger of a reduced price on account of excessive production, of a glutted market, compelling premature sale, with a con- current abnormal price of feed products, is completely lost to sight. If permitted to do so, the farmer proceeds to gamble once more. Here the intelligent self-interest of those who are in position to indirectly control his action must interpose to obtain for him, in spite of himself, the sounder basis of living. 13 It is particularly unfortunate that many of the farmers who have seen the wisdom of an improved method of agriculture are not only denied assistance in adopting that method, but are not even permitted to work out their own salvation. There has grown up a credit system under which the supply merchant and the owner of tenant farms control the destinies of the debtor farmer as absolutely as the rancher in Mexico controls the peons. It is not an infrequent thing to hear the farmer say, "I would be very glad to plant a part of my acreage in corn, wheat, oats or hay, or raise a few hogs, but I cannot get any credit on such a crop." Through the efforts of. the banks and the large merchants, this limited class, who are now exploiting the producer, must be brou^t to understand that in the end such intelligent greed does not produce the best results even for themselves. With the continuance of the single crop system, a part of the land itself is being sold off each year with the crop produced, because of the reduction of the fertility of the soil. This gradually produces an impoverished and degenerating people, destroying the prosperity of an entire section of the country. The supply merchant will find his profits reducing through the abnormal loss from bad debts, the land owner will find his property destroyed by wasteful operation. It would be easy to point to entire counties in the farming section of the South, which In the anti-bellum days were among the richest in the country, that to-day will not produce an average of one-tenth of a bale of cotton to the acre. The towns supported by such territory have followed the same process of deterioration and present a pitiful spectacle of neglect and desertion. Fortunately, within the past eighteen months there has been an awaken- ing in many sections of the country, an enlightened interest on the part of the intelligent and powerful financial and commercial forces in the affairs of the farmer. This was probably bom of the European War and arose from a consideration of the problem of preparedness, the thinking people realizing that the fundamental basis of any system of preparedness must be an ability to support at home the entire people, and incidentally an army in the field. A, consideration of the problem from this point of view has Induced a further consideration along more altruistic lines and the recognition of the fact that the city has been exploiting the country, drawing not alone its worldly substance but also the best part of its citizenship. As a result of such thought we find to-day an almost general movement throughout the United States towards a reversal of the con- dition heretofore existing. The general interest in rural credit legislation, the increased demand for farm lands and the increased willingness of financial agencies to provide money for loans on farm lands are all symp- toms of this awakened conscience. Other indications are found in the creation in various localities of organizations of bankers and business men, working, in many instances, at a personal sacrifice of time towards the improvement of rural conditions. Newspapers and other publications devote a much-Increased portion of their space to the problems of the farm' and it Is safe to assert that' within the next ten years the national Department of Agriculture and the state departments of agriculture, and the other scientific workers In behalf of improved farm conditions, will find their task much easier than heretofore. 14 Why Implement and Vehicle Manufacturers and Dealers Should, More than any Other Class, be Desirous of Assisting in the Betterment of Farm and Rural Con- ditions. By Dr. W. E. Taylor, Director of Soil Culture Department, Deere & Co., Mollne, 111. While the prosperity of all industries and the welfare of the people generally is dependent upon the product of the soil, the implement and vehicle manufacturers and dealers are more directly dependent upon the prosperity of the farmer than any other class. The relation between them is very close and the benefits derived are mutlial. Because of improved implements, the farmer has been able to keep pace in production with the increase in our population. Through improved implements the reduction in cost of labor and time required to produce crops has been remarkable. A little mors than a half century ago three hours of time were required to make a bushel of wheat; to-day, ten minutes. Then the cost was approximately 17% cents per bushel; to-day, 3% cents. The time required to produce a bushel of corn was iVz hours; now, 41 minutes, and the price has been reduced from 35% cents to 10% cents. A like reduction has been made in time and labor in the production of hay and other products of the farm which can be attributed entirely to improved Implements. The future development of the farming industry will depend, in a great measure, upon the inventive ingenuity of man in developing new machinery to further reduce the cost of production and marketing. Improved meth- ods of transportation and travel have also made wonderful strides during the past few years. To-day a large per cent of farmers use automobiles for business and pleasure, and beyond question that mode of travel is doing much towards keeping farmers on the farm and inducing town people . to move to the farm. The motor truck is rapidly taking the place of farm wagons not only in doing hauling on the farm but in transporting products from the farm to market. Both vehicles are becoming economical factors on the farm and {heir construction is stimulating a great manu- facturing industry. In this connection it is very apparent that the good roads movement is largely due to farmers who own automobiles and trucks and to manu- facturers who realize that the new method of travel and transportation will become general only when the roads are serviceable three hundred and sixty-five days of the year. While it is true that the manufacturer has an ulterior motive when he lends his moral support and financially assists in the construction and maintenance of good roads, the farmer is equally benefited and should co-operate in futhering the movement. Some farmers are Inclined to criticize the activity displayed by Imple- ment manufacturers and dealers in advocating better farming methods, or in other words "meddling with their business." The farmer should, however, appreciate the fact that while the manufacturer and the dealer unquestionably have a selfish motive in view, the results obtained from scientific farming are too important to be ignored by him because of any prejudice he may have. I am taking the liberty to mention just a few of the many things a dealer can suggest and some of the things he shpuld do in the way of assisting the farmer, thereby benefiting himself. 15 The dealer should not only thoroughly understand the mechanical con- struction of the implements he offers for sale, but should know how to operate them in the field to the best advantage. Often a farmer will buy his first gang plow, knocked down, believing that he can set it up with the aid of printed directions and start plowing. Very often he will be disappointed in its operation and the draft, due entirely to its being set up wrong or imperfectly adjusted. Unless the dealer is sure that the farmer has previously set up and operated that type of plow, he should take the trouble to set it up, adjust the hitch and plow a few rounds.. The same thing applies to mowers, hay loaders, corn planters, binders, and many other modern farm implements. The dealer should also be able to advise the farmer regarding the adapta- bility of implements to the soil in which they are to be used. I have known a farmer to buy a 12-inch plow to use in a light fluffy soil and condemn the implement because it would not scour, when the same type would have scoured and done splendid work had it cut a 16-inch or 18-inch furrow. Hence, the dealer should have a knowledge of the character and texture of various soils so that he can advise the purchase of a plow that will give the best results. The cost of a trip to the farmer's field will be insignificant compared to the mutual benefits derived. While these things may seem trifling, they are of the utmost importance, not only to the dealer who is anxious to dispose of his goods but to the farmer who wants to secure the best results from his operations. A disc harrow is usually recommended to pulverize the soil, when In reality that is only one of the many functions it performs. Pulverizing is very important for it makes available plant food hidden in hard lumps. In addition, it is one of the best implements to use as a packer. It should be used, not only after the ground has been plowed, but before plowing. If used before the ground is plowed surface lumps are pulverized and trash is worked into the seed bed so that when the furrow slice is turned the contact' will be compact between the bottom of the furrow and the "earth turned. If lumps and trash are turned to the bottom of the furrow they are sure to form air spaces, a very bad condition in the event of drouth. If the disc harrow is used immediately after grain has been cut, a mulch is formed "which prevents in a great measure the escape of moist- ure. Again, the disc harrow is indispensable in kneading the soil. When the baker makes bread, he puts the flour, yeast, milk, sugar and salt into the pan, but this mass comes far from being bread until it is kneaded, a process which brings the various el^nents and substances together, start- ing bacterial action. Likewise, the disc harrow brings together plant food elements, starting bacterial action in the soil which results in making plant food elements into available compounds. ■ The full value of the manure spreader is not understood by many farmers. Often they will appreciate its worth only as an economical method of spreading manure. The dealer should explain to them that the substance of the manure is just as valuable as the plant food elements it contains, for it is finally resolved into humus when worked into the seed bed, and to secure the best results, an even distribution should be made, not only of the coarser substance, but of the plant food elements. If left in chunks or bunches, there is too much fertility in one place and not enough in another, and the bunch if turned under creates air spaces that stop the upward movement of capillary water and materially retard the downward growth of roots. The dealer should also call the farmer's attention to the remarkable 16 advantages to be gained by giving pastures and meadows a thin even coat of manure, which can be done economically with a spreader. The fertility sinks into the ground after rains, stimulating the growth of plants, , and the coarser substance protects the roots in winter and is of material benefit in stopping the evaporation of moisture during summer drouths. It has been repeatedly demonstrated that top dressing fall grains, meadows, and pastures will increase the yield from twenty-five to fifty per cent. In this connection the farmer should be advised that stock raising and crop raising are interdependent and indispensable, not only to secure more than the market price for the rougher products fed to the stock, but to maintain the fertility of the soil. In short, if the dealer will masteK, the more essential features of scien- tific farming and exercise discretion in advising his customers, his efforts will be appreciated and all concerned will be benefited. Farm Conveniences: Most of our progressive farmers are equipped, not only with modern implements, but have conveniences about the farm and barns that materially lessen the burdens and reduce the cost of oper- ation. They have the elevated water tank at the barn, the gasoline engine to grind feed, shell corn, and pump water, the grain elevator, the self feeder, cooker, etc.. But how about the home, the housewife and the chil- dren? Is the equipment of the farm home in keeping with the farm? Does the housewife enjoy the modem conveniences that are found in the city home? Unfortunately too many do not. With her the day's work is never ' done. Drudgery confronts her from early morning till late at night. Pump- ing and carrying water, running the washing machine, chum and cream separator are for her to do as well as many other burdens wKiph could be lessened by using modem appliances. When she visits her city friends and enjoys the ever-flowing faucet, the kitchen drain, the bathroom and its auxiliaries, and contrasts the electric lights with her oily lamps and many other things that might be mentioned, the farm home is repulsive and she longs to leave what can be made the most delightful abode on earth, the old farm. With modern devices at a very moderate cost, the farm home can be made as convenient and attractive as the city place, and when that is done the rural dweller is delighted to invite his city friends to his country home. The gasoline engine has become a very economical and popular power. With it water is pumped from the well or cistern and forced to the tank both at the barn and in the garret of the house. A pressure tank in the basement can be adopted instead of the reservoir in the garret if deemed advisable. A small gasoline engine will churn the butter, skim the milk, wash the clothes and even the dishes. A medium sized engine will, besides mnning the various devicesi men- tioned, generate electricity at the same time, which can be stored in a storage battery and used to light both house and barn. A bathroom and lavatory can be installed at a small cost. By installing a septic tank the sewage and drainage from bathroom and kitchen can be safely and economically disposed of. All of these conveniences are available and the cost is only a small per cent of the cost of the up-to-date imple- ments on the farm. A furnace of sufficient-^ capacity to heat an ordinary house and heat water for the kitchen, bathroom, and lavatory is no more expensive to maintain than the ordinary hard coal burners. Furnaces are on the 17 market which are not only economical, but are equipped with an auto- matic device which regulates the heat. If the dealer will take the trouble to suggest these modern conveniences and make a survey of the premises, estimating the cost and pointing out the many benefits to be derived from them, he will not only prove a bless- ing to the farmer's family, hut will materially benefit himself. How to organize and Keep Going a Bureau for Farm Development. By H. M. Cottrell, Manager, Bureau of Farm Development, Memphis, Tenn. The one way to secure a steady increase in bank deposits, sales from stores and incomes for professional men in a trade center is to develop the purchasing power of the farmers in that district. The farmer must get his profit first. The additional business that follows his greater pros- perity will make all lines of business better in the small town where the farmer spends his money, and when the small towns thrive business flourishes in the cities. There can be no considerable permanent increase in manufacturing, merchandising and banking in either small or large trade centers that depend ultimately on farm production unless the farmers' profits become greater. In the two great corn states, Illinois and Iowa, the average yield is one good ear per hill, and the farmers plant with the object of getting three stalks to grow in each hill. The average stand after the first cultivation is only sixty per cent. In other words, out of every hundred aores plowed, harrowed, planted to com, and cultivated, there are .forty acres without a single stalk. Only a very small proportion of farmers test their seed corn. The yield of oats in most districts is reduced ten to twenty-five per cent by smut. Five cents worth of formaline will destroy the smut on seed enough to sow an acre. Beginning July 15th, every thirty days' delay in preparing land for winter wheat reduces the yield ten bushels an acre. A large part of the fifty millions or more acres sown to winter wheat in this country is not prepared until September. Most cotton growers get their seed from the gin where the seed from all kinds of fields is mixed together, instead of securing it from the plants that yield the most cotton. The average yield of cotton is less than two hundred pounds an acre. It has been demonstrated again and again that by the use of clovers that grow in the winter, between the time of picking and the time for planting, that poor land can be made to produce five hun- dred pounds an acre. The enormous losses from hog cholera (seventy-five million dollars in 1915) can be prevented largely by intelligent community co-operation. On the average farm four pigs a litter are raised to weaning; on well-managed farms eight are raised. The only difference is ^a. little better selection and care. One-third of the dairy cows in the United States are kept at a loss; the products of another third are barely worth as much as the feed; and another third are good money makers. 18 In most communities a large proportion of the men who fatten beef cattle sustain heavy losses if they keep at the business many years. On some general farms $1,000.00 or more is made yearly from poultry; on many farms the poultry is kept at a loss? In most communities the farmers sustain heavy losses from not pre- paring their products properly for market. The annual loss to the farmers from marketing spoiled eggs averages a million dollars per state, — a loss that could be prevented with no expense whatever. In one winter-wheat growing state alone, the farmers average a loss of three million dollars a year because they sow hard and soft wheat mixed together. These are a few of the many unprofitable farms practices that make a heavy cut in the profits of the farms and reduce the buying power of the farmers fifty to seventy-five per cent of what it could be. They are the reasons for the bankers and business men spending time and money to induce better farming. ORGANIZING A survey of farming conditions in their trade territory will show the bankers and business men that their help is needed in making farming more profitable. When they appreciate this and are willing to spend time and money in the market, it is time to organize a bureau of farm develop- ment. When there is a live, hard-working organization of business men associated in a commercial club, business men's club, or chamber of commerce, it is usually best to organize the farm bureau as a special branch of business organization, either as a bureau or as a committee. Where the local business organization is inactive, or has little force, or is indifferent to agricultural work, it is best to form an independent organization for agricultural development. Every banker, business man, and professional man who is sincerely interested in doing what he can to make farming more profitable in the trade territory of his town, should be asked to become an active member of the farm organization. The organization should have a chairman or president, a secretary- treasurer, and three members to act with the chairman and secretary as an executive committee. These five men should be active bankers and business men, who have large interests and who are willing to spend the necessary time as leaders for farm development work. There should be a consulting committee of successful farmers to advise with the executive committee and help execute the plans. When funds can be secured a competent agricultural expert should be engaged for his whole time to plan and lead the work. The organization should keep in close touch with the forces of the United States Department of Agriculture, the experiment stations, the agricultural colleges and schools, and live farmers' organizations like breeders' associations, dairy associations, and corn-breeders' associations. The United States Department of Agriculture has specialists on almost every line of farming, and these experts can usually be secured without expense to work for several weeks in a district if they pan be assured of the active help of the bankers and business men while working in a terri- tory. These men may be secured through direct applicatipn to the Secre- tary of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. It is best to send a copy of the letter written to the Secretary to the Congressman and United States Senators of the district and ask their help in securing these experts. 19 Every agricultural college has a force of specialists whose business it is to work with the farmers. The services of these people are secured on application to the director of the extension department of the agricultural college of the state in which the work is to be done. ' The Government and college agricultural experts have the information which is needed to make farming more profitable. They can tell what to do and why. The successful farmers know how to do it to make money. The combination of the information of these two classes of men should be the information that a bureau of farm development should spread. CONDUCTING A CAMPAIGN The method of conducting a campaign for more profitable farming will depend upon the area of the trade territory. The method of conducting the work, no matter whether the territory be small or large, should be based on the fact that banks and business men have a strong influence with men to whom they give credit. Suppose that a bureau of farm develop- ment is organized in a town of five thousand people. Bach local banker will have from one to five hundred farmer customers. He should go to the successful ones and to the Government and college agriculturists for advice. He should call the less prosperous farmers, one by one, into his bank or make personal calls on them at their farms in a cordial and friendly way and discuss with them their farm problems. Nine out of every ten farmers approached in this way will be glad to act on the banker's sug- gestions. The farmers who need advice and help the most are those without bank acfiounts; young farmers just starting; unsuccessful men who operate their own farms; and the larger proportion of tenants. These farmers can be reached, by the merchants who give then credit, if the merchants will follow the same friendly methods recommen(fed for the bankers, and go to these customers with practical advice. The farm bureau can secure the services of Government and college farm experts t6 visit local farms, hold farmers' meetings and make farm demonstrations, and the influence of these experts will be increased tenfold at least if bankers and business men who belong to the bureau will arrange to accompany the experts on their trips. Schoolhouse meetings can be arranged in every district in the trade territory at which these farm specialists will speak and a full attendance and interest can be secured if every member of the bureau will personally invite his customers who live in the school district to meet him at the meeting. In cities that are jobbing centers, the farm bureau should collect the Information that Is needed for promoting the special line of farming that it decides to develop. The banks should send this Information to their correspondents in the smaller towns and ask them to push the proposition vigorously. The jobbers and manufacturers should do the same with their customers, and in addition should have their traveling men carry the message. A national organization, like the National Implement and Vehicle Asso- ciation, can divide the country into districts that follow the same lines of farming as the Northern Corn Belt, the Hard Winter Wheat Belt, the Spring Wheat Belt and the Cotton Belt. The association, through its members and through banks and agricultural leaders, can ascertain the agricultural needs of each district, the lines of agricultural methods most practicable to develop and the best methods of conducting the work. The national association can then take up the campaign through its members, 20 their jobbing houses, state retail associations, and retailers in the terri- tory to be covered. State implement associations should ask bankers' associations and state associations of other interested lines to join in the movement, and the retail dealer should secure the help of the bankers and business men in his town. SOME LINES OF WORK TO TAKE UP Every spring and every fall there is need for a vigorous campaign for better seed in every rural school district in the United States. Some years ago the seed corn in Iowa was unusually bad, showing only fifty per cent germination. The farmers were indifferent and showed no intention of testing it and selecting ears that had strong germination. Corn is the big crop of the state and a low yield affects adversely every line of business in the state. The Greater Des Moines Committee decided to save the crop by making public opinion in favor of testing the seed so strong that every farmer in the state would get good seed. Data was collected and large posters urging this testing of seed corn were sent out to be put up in every bank' and store in the state. Articles urging testing of seed com were supplied for every issue for five weeks to every paper in the state. Twelve hundred commercial clubs were Induced to secure testing of seed corn to their territories, and twenty-two hundred manufacturers took the matter up directly with their customers. The State Bankers Association got sixteen hundred banks and trust companies to use their influence in every possible way to have the seed corn tested. The employers of over two thousand traveling men arranged to have each traveling man take up the matter of testing seed corn with every customer before he took up the sale of goods. The superintendent of schools in every county were asked to have testing done in every rural school and in all city schools where the pupils could go to farms and get samples of seed. It was estimated that a hundred thou- sand school children each tested a different farmer's corn. The telephone company called up every farmer who had a phone and asked each if he had tested his seed corn. If he said "No" the telephone girl courteously asked him to test the seed. The influence throughoui the state was so strong that the farmers generally tested their seed and finally secured seed that was good. Similar methods can be followed to secure the testing of seed oats to kill smut, the testing of spring sown grains to find seed having vigorous germination, good methods of securing hay, the early preparation of land for fall wheat, the selection of seed corn from the best type of stalks and the growing on every farm of some of the soil building crops like alfalfa, red clover, alsike, crimson and bur clovers, or vetch. The Introduction of more profitable dairy cows, better paying beef and pork animals and of sheep and poultry is usually more likely to be suc- cessful if the campaign is limited to a county or a country trading district. Hay is second in commercial value of all the crops of the United States, and the National Association of Implement & Vehicle Manufacturers can well afford to conduct a nation-wide campaign in 1916 to furnish instruction in the principles of making hay, which are now known by one farmer in a hundred, and in methods that will produce better grades of hay. Farm development bureaus should get business men and farmers to visit the agricultural colleges and experiment stations, and secure the bulletins of the state experiment stations and of the United States Depart- ment of Agriculture. They should get the men who own and operate farms 21 into the habit of writing to the state exppriment station whenevei- agricul- tural information is needed. Local and state bureaus should undertake to get each county in their trad© territory to employ a competent county agriculturist. When such a man is engaged by a county the bankers and business men of that county should have at least two men to look after each school district to induce the farmers in that district to co-operate % with and use the expert to the limit. KEEPING A BUREAU OF FARM DEVELOPMENT GOING The executive committee of a bureau of farm development, national, state, district, or local, can keep the work going year after year, and each year increases its influence if it will push lines of development that are practicable and seasonable in the territory covered. The plans proposed must be those that will appeal to the thinking farmers in the territory. The recommendations must be safe and feasible. The work must be followed persistently month after month and year after year. The Committee must be as active and insistent when general interest lags as it is when every- body is shouting in its favor. Any campaign of farm development must be planned to be carried on for several years if it is desired to influence the larger proportion of farm- ' ers in the territory. The Work of the United States Department of Agriculture, as Outlined by D, F. Houston, Secretary of Agriculture, in His Report as Published in the 1914 Yearbook of the Department of Agriculture. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY Evidence abounds that more attention and more intelligent thinking are being directed to-day to the study of the fundamental problems in agriculture and in rural life than ever before. The last two years have been fruitful of significant state and federal legislative and administrative measures designed to foster agriculture, to improve the distribution of agricultural products, and to better rural life. The people of the nation, urban and rural alike, are keenly interested in efforts to increase the supply of the necessaries of life, and recognize the supreme importance not only of making agriculttlre efficient and profitable, but also of making rural life comfortable, healthful, pleasurable and attractive. Agriculture has made marked progress in a number of directions, but as an industry it has not kept pace with the other activities of the country. Relatively speaking, there has been a neglect of rural life by the nation. This neglect has perhaps not been conscious or willful. We have been so bent on building up great industrial centers, on rivaling the nations of the world in manufacturing and commerce, fostering these by every natural and artificial device we could think of, so busy in the race for populous municipal centers, that we have overlooked the very foundations of our industrial existence. It has been assumed that we have a natural monop- oly in agriculture, that it could take care of itself, and for the most part we have cheerfully left it to do so. 22 The direction and emphasis of the national thought is changing, and we are witnessing the marshaling , of many forces in the struggle for greater prosperity and fOr better conditions of living in the rural districts. We are witnessing a great increase in the expenditure of money to foster agriculture through all sorts of scientific and practical measures on the part both of the states and of the Federal Government. Material results are forthcoming, and while great civilized nations of the world are in the throes of a deadly and destructive war, the farmers of every section of the Union except one are prosperous and are enjoying their work and its fruits free from the burden of militarism and the threat of wholesale destruction of life and property. Thoughtful men cannot 'fail to be opti- mistic over the agricultural situation and prospects, but optimism must not blind us to certain shortcomings. PRODUCTION The progress of agriculture reveals itself more particularly in its diver- sification, in the riSe of minor crops to larger proportions, than in the increased production of staple products. For example, dairying ifi the last generation has become an exceptionally important branch of agricultural economy, the annual production including more than one and a half billion pounds of butter, a half billion pounds of condensed milk, and a third of a billion pounds of cheese, having a value of approximately $600,000,000. The t)roduction of orchard fruits exceeds 216,000:000 bushels a year, with a value of more than $140,000,000. The value of the annual production of vegetables is in excess of $400,000,000. The production of hay and forage approximates 100,000,000 tons, with a value in excess of $800,000,000; the poultry products of the United States have reached a point where their annual value is about one-half that of the cotton crop at normal valuations ; and marked increases are noted in the , quantity and value of the cereals. We know that the wheat crop of 1914 of approximately 892,000,000 bushels is the greatest ever pi'oduced in our history, and that the crops of oats, barley, rye, potatoes, tobacco, and hay are unusually large. The cotton crop, forecast in October at 15,540,000 bales, is the second largest. The apple crop, estimated at 259,000,000 bushels, is the greatest ever harvested. The total production of six leading cereals is estimated to have been nearly 5,000,000,000 bushels or about 428,000,000 bushels in excess of the crop of 1913. For the country as a whole the crop yields per acre were 2.3 per cent better than the average for the past ten years. The average yield per acre of all the staple crops was 9.4 per cent greater Jhan in 1913, and, except for corn, oats, and flaxseed, greater than the 10-year average. But after all our efforts, while there is an increased diversification of agriculture and both a relative and absolute increase in important products, such as wheat, forage crops, fruits, dairy products, and poultry, we still note not only a relative but also an absolute decrease in a number of our important staple food products, such as corn and meats. In the former, in the las^ 15 years there has been no substantial advance. In cattle, sheep, and hogs there has been an absolute decline — in cattle, from the census year of 1899 to that of 1909, from 50,000,000 head to 41,000,000; in sheep, from 61,000,000 to 52.000,000; in hogs, from 63,000,000 to 58,000,000. Since 1909 the tendency has been downward, and yet during the period since 1899 the population has increased over 20,000,000. This situation exists not in a crowded country, but in one which is still in a measure 23 being pioneered, in one which, with 935,000,000 acres of arable land, has only 400,000,000 or 43 per cent under cultivation, and in one in which the population per square mile does not exceed 31 and ranges from 0.7 person in Nevada to 508 in Rhode Island. Just what the trouble is no one is as yet sufficiently informed to say. It can scarcely be that the American farmer has not as much Intelligence as the farmer of other nations. It is true that the American farmer does not produce as much per acre as the farmer in a number of civilized nations, but production per acre is not the American standard. The stan- dard is the amount of produce for each person engaged in agriculture, and by this test the American farmer appears to be from two to six times as efficient as most of his competitors. Relatively speaking, extensive farming is still economically the sound program in onr agriculture, but now it is becoming increasingly apparent that the aim must be, while maintaining supremacy in production for each person, to establish supremacy in pro- duction for each acre. The continued solution of the problem here suggested is one which now seriously engages the attention not only .o£ the agricultural agencies of the several states, but also of the Federal Government. Through every promising approach the Department of Agriculture is studying and attacking the problem of increasing production. Through breeding and selection, the improvement of cultural methods, and the con- trol of plant diseases, experts in plant industry are lending their as- sistance. They are introducing new crops and better varieties of existing crops from other parts of the world, including drought-resistant plants for the semiarid regions of the West and better forage crops for the South; they are breeding higher yielding varieties of staple and other crops; they are indicating better cultural methods and practices, encouraging stan- dardization, and suggesting utilization ' and disposal of crops in such man- ner as to make thern. yield an adequate return to the producer; they are stimulating the citrus-fruit industry; and they have produced by hybridiza- tion new and comparatively hardy types of citrus fruits which will become important additions to the home supply of useful fruits, especially In the Southerp States. They have established new plant industries in various parts of the country, such as date and cotton growing in Arizona and the Imperial Valley of California. They have pointed the way to the continued successful growing of cotton in boll-weevil districts. They are protecting the farmer against seed adulteration. In co-operation with other agencies, especially the Federal Horticultural Board, they are taking effective steps to safeguard the great potato industry of the nation. They 'have developed grain and cotton standardization to the point where beneficial results can be secured not only in further production, but also in more just and efficient distribution. In like manner the experts of other bureaus have labored efficiently for the increased production of farm crops. The entomologists have pointed the way to the control or the extermination of many harmful insects. They have developed means for the control of the alfalfa weevil, assisted in the protection of crops against damage by chinch bugs and the Hessian fly, developed sprays for controlling deciduous fruit insects, and lessened the injury to orchards by the apple-tree bores. They have devised protection against the tobacco horn worm, carried on successful work in the eradica- tion of the Rocky Mountain spo.tted-fever tick, studied the control of insects conveying disease to human beings, and rendered other service of marked value. 24 The experts of the Bureau of Soils have continued their studies of soils and have prosecuted their investigations into additional sources of ferti- lizer supply. They have extended the work of surveying and mapping the soil areas of the United States, having surveyed and mapped in detail since the inauguration of the work 329,539 square miles or 211,000,000 acres, and, in addition, , have made reconnoissance surveys of 434,000 square miles, or 278,000,000 acres. THE MEAT SUPPLY , The experts of the Bureau of Animal Industry have intelligently and zealously prosecuted their tasks, but it remains true that this country faces a serious situation in the matter of its meat supply. Just what factors have brought this situation about no one can define with certainty, and no systematic attempt to define them has been made until recently. Realizing the urgency of the problem, I have appointed a committee, consisting of the best authorities I could discover, to study the subject. This committee is making a survey of the whole field and will report at the earliest prac- ticable moment. Its study embraces an investigation of production and consumption and of the methods of producing, finishing and marketing meat. " When a conclusion is reached, such measures as may be helpful for increasing production and bettering distribution will be inaugurated. In the meantime, however, certain things are clear, and definite plans for increasing the meat supply are in operation and can be continued with promise of large results. It is evident that we have been considering the meat supply of the nation too exclusively in terms of the big ranch and of beef animals. Obviously it is important that we continue to help the cattlemen and to assist in further developing the big ranch. No pains will be spared to do this. The department is now spending money to develop the live-stock in- dustry in connection with the reclamation projects and is asking for more. But unquestionably the largest hope for a considerable increase in our meat supply lies in four other directions: first, In a more satisfactory handling of the public grazing lands; second, in systematic attention to the production of beef animals in settled farming areas of the country, particularly in the South; third, in increased attention to the smaller animals, such as swine and poultry; and fourth, in the control and eradica- tion of the cattle tick, hog cholera, tuberculosis, and other animal diseases and pests. The present methods of transforming the grasses of the public grazing lands into beef and -mutton are generally conceded to be wasteful. It is estimated that under a proper system the quantity of beef and mutton produced on these lands could be increased by at least 50 per cent. The public grazing lands, in addition to 150,000,000 acres in the national forests, embrace about 300,000,000 acres. Under the present laws any person may graze any number of stock at any time on any part of these 300,000,000 acres of the public grazing lands or grazing lands outside of national forests. In earlier years, when there were comparatively few cattle on the range, the treatment of the lands as common worked fairly well, but the increased 'domestic and export demand for meat' has resulted in over- grazing. Unseasonable and excessive grazing weakens the vitality of the range plant and permanently reduces the crop. Furthermore, as years have passed the area of the grazing lands has been greatly reduced through the taking up of homesteads, and in many cases the better lands were thus disposed of. There is no doubt that under legislation providing for an in- 25 telligent system of handling grazing lands a very large Increase In the meat supply of the nation can be secured. This is not mere conjecture. The opinion is based on the experience not only of the state of Texas in handling its public lands, but also on that of the Federal Government in the management of the grazing lands in the national forests. For 10 years the United States Government has been conducting a successful experiment in the forests. So quietly has this experiment pro- ceeded that few people have known even of its inauguration, recognized its importance, or appreciated its results. Under the forest service system, annual grazing permits, with the necessary regulatory provisions, have been in force for nearly, a decade. The results have been striking. In 1905, 81 acres supported but; one animal; in. 1914, the average was one animal for each 51 acres. This increase of 59 per cent has been due to many factors which cannot be detailed here. The net results are that the grazing lands in the forests under permits to nearly 29,000 live-stock grow- ers support 1,600,000 cattle and horses, with their calves- and colts, and 7,600,000 sheep and goats and their lambs and kids. In addition, the forest ranges furnished temporary grazing to millions of other animals which passed through the forests under crossing permits. The capacity ot the range has not been reached. There is room for more animals on this part of the public domain. It has been demonstrated that under systematic management the grazing value of the lands can be restored and increased, that the range can be made to produce heavier animals, eVen with In- creased numbers, and that these lands can be improved faster in use than In Idleness. Even with the very moderate grazing fees charged the stock- men pay the Government over $1,00.0,000 annually. Their gross receipts probably exceed $30,000,000, and their Invested capital is more than $100,- 000,000. A proof of what this constructive 'handling of the range problem signifies may be found in the desire of many stockmen to have the depart- ment's system of grazing extended to the open public range outside the national forests. There is no question that the average farmer in the settled areas of the United States generally, North, East, South and West, can produce without great expense a larger number of beef animals, if only as by-products, to the betterment of his farm economy. In this direction the farmer in the South enjoys unusual opportunities. It is further apparent that farmers everywhere, if they will apply existing knowledge, can largely increase the supply of swine and poultry products, which constitute a large and grow- ing part of the consumption of the avej-age family. In no other way can a considerable addition be so quickly made to our meat supply as through increased attention to poultry and swine on all the farms of the nation, and particularly in the South, where the deficiency Is so marked. The annual value of the poultry products alone aggregates half a billion dollars, or 50 per cent of the total value of the cotton produced in the United States. The last census, however, shows a lamentable neglect of live stock in the South. While in Iowa the average farm has 6 milch cows, in North Carolina and Alabama it has less than 2, and in South Carolina 1. While in Iowa the average farm has 35 hogs. In North Carolina and Ala- bama it has less than 5, and In South Carolina less than 4. While in Iowa the average farm has more than 108 head of poultry, in North Carolina and Alabama it has less than 20, and in South Carolina less than 17. An in- vestigator has recently said that the average farm home in Georgia pro- duces less than 2 eggs a week; about two-thirds of an ounce of butter and two-thirds of a pint of milk a day; one-third of a hog, one-twelfth of a 26 beef, and one-hundredth of a sheep a year for each member of the family; and that the cotton crop of the state does not pay the state's food and feed bill. No Southern state is giving sufficient attention to the production of foodstuffs either for human beings or for live stock. A conservative estimate indicates , that Texas imports from other states annually more than $50,000,000 worth of wheat, corn, and oats; Georgia more than $24,000,- 000; South Carolina more than $20,000,000. Twelve Southern states import more than $175,000,000 worth of these three commodities and $48,000,000 worth of meats, dairy products, and poultry products. It may be admitted that most of these states sh6uld not undertake the production of these commodities for foreign or interstate shipment in competition with the great states of the middle west, but every student of the subject must recognize the unwisdom of the neglect to produce enough of these things for the consumption of their people and for the laying of the foundation of a prosperous live-stock development. Too exclusive devotion to a single crop anywhere is unwise for normal times and spells disaster in times of disturbance. It is bound to produce just such a catastrophe as has befallen the South in the present emergency. It prevents the full utilization of land and labor, fails to fill the gaps in the work schedules, and furnishes no reserve. If farmers in the South had heretofore practiced diversification on a sufficiently large scale, producing their own home supplies, that section would not be in its present hard case. The experts of this department are laboring earnestly to bring about a better direction of the agricultural activities of the South. If this is especially successful the coming season, and a much larger part of the land, labor, and capital of the South is devoted to the production of foodstuffs, relief will be afforded in this emergency, and there will be promise there for a permanent wiser farm economy. This undertaking will require the co-operation in the South of all the agents of the department, of the farmers, of the business men and of the bankers. If the department had available an additional $100,000 or $150,000 with which to place a number of experts in live stock, marketing •and other subjects in the field, much greater headway could be made. But an easier and more definite program for a large increase in the meat supply involves the eradication Of the cattle tick, of tuberculosis, and of hog cholera, and the prompt suppression of serious outbreaks of such diseases as the foot-and-mouth disease. The federal Department of Agri- culture inspects meats passing into interstate commerce. Of 57,000,000 animals inspected in the fiscal year 1914, 533,000 were found to be infected with tuberculosis. This disease is increasing. It is estimated that hog cholera caused a loss in 1913 of over 6,000,000 hogs, valued at more than $60,000,000, and that the cattle ticlj causes an annual loss of from $40,000,- 000 to $100,000,000 or more and prevents the proper development of the live-stock industry in the infected area. The department is now directing the expenditure of a fund of $500,000 for the -eradication of hog cholera, and In many of the states they are like- wise spending considerable sums. The two agencies are working in co-operation and are making experimental and field demonstrations in the control of this disease. Unquestionably the appropriation of half a million dollars for the eradication of hog cholera should be continued. The work of tick eradication is progressing. It has resulted to date in the clearing up and freeing of 220,000 or more squanre miles, an area ex- ceeding that of Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi combined, or greater than that of France or Gerjnany. There still remains an area 27 about double that of the state of Texas, or more than twice that of Ger- many or Prance, which is infested. A more vigorous effort with larger funds for the clearing of this area would be wise economy. Other animal diseases interfere seriously with meat production, and from time to time great actual loss in cattle and hogs and still greater disturbance of industry are caused by the foot-and-mouth disease. This disease affects cattle, sheep, other ruminants, and swine. It manifests it- self by abnormal elevation of temperature and by ulcers or vesicles in the mouth and on the feet. It is not necessarily fatal, but frequently affects very seriously the value of the animals. There were outbreaks of foot- and-mouth disease in this country in 1870, 1880, 1884, 1902 and 1908. Since the close of the fiscal year 1914 the sixth outbreak has occurred. The first three, those in 1870, 1880, and 1884, were comparatively trifling. Those in 1902 and 1908 were more grave. The present is the most serious and extensive of all. In 1902 the outbreak occurred in the New England States. In 1908 it originated in Detroit. The origin of each of these outbreaks was traced to the Importation of vaccine virus for the propagation of vaccine for use in vaccinating people against smallpox. The vaccine virus was imported from Japan, where the ~ foot-and-mouth disease exists. Each of these out- breaks was stamped out by methods which have proved most effective in preventing the disease from gaining a footing. These methods involved the killing of all infected and exposed animals, the burning of the car- casses, and the thorough disinfection of all premises with which the animals may have come In contact. On October 18, 1914, the Bureau of Animal Industry of this department learned that cattle in the vicinity of Niles, Mich., were infected. It was thought for a time that the trouble might be confined to two counties in Michigan and two adjoining counties in northern Indiana, but evidently before the disease was reported and before it was diagnosed shipments of infected animals passed through the Chicago stockyards. Upon tracing shipments from these yards animals infected with the disease were found at points In Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, Kentucky, Iowa, and Massachusetts. Subsequent points of infection have been discovered. The existence of the disease in Montana has-been traced to animals from the Infected area in Wisconsin, and its existence in Washington has been traced from animals which crossed the trail of the Montana herd. The department has taken every step possible to control the disease and to prevent its spread. It has worked in close co-operation with the state authorities and with great numbers of indivi- duals and of associations of Individuals. It has pursued its former policy of purchasing diseased and exposed cattle at an appraised value and of slaughtering and burning them. It has established and maintained a very strict quarantine. The expense of this task will be very great and it will be necessary to ask the Congress for an emergency appropriation of several millions of dollars. The interests at stake are vast and justify any reasonable expenditure. It is not possible at the present time to state positively what the origin of the present outbreak was. The disease is highly contagious It may be carried by birds, dogs, cats, rats, or ruminants, or by human beings passmg over territory which diseased animals have traversed Horses going over infected ground may convey the disease in dirt adhering to their feet. When one animal in a herd becomes affected it has usually spread to all the others. As has been stated, the outbreaks in 1902 and 2S 1908 were traced to vaccine virus. The jnost plausible suggestion as to the origin of the present outbreak is that it was introduced with importa- tions of an article used in tanning. This article is imported from several countries. There is in the vicinity of Nlles, Mich., a small tannery using the article in question, and swine owned by employes of the tannery kept in this vicinity were the first animals known to have contracted the malady. Since the disease exists in a great part of Europe, in the Orient, and in South America and other places, there^ will be danger so long as there is any trade or travel with such countries. Apparently the only certain way to prevent the introduction Of the disease into this country from abroad is absolutely to isolate this nation from others. The only reasonable thing which can be done is to enforce as carefully as possible the inspection laws, to give the Department of Agriculture sufficient authorization and emergency funds to copeiwith the disease when it does appear, and to institute such scientific inquiry find experiments under absolutely safe conditions as may be practicable in an attempt to discover the cause of the disease and to ascertain and apply the remedy. The present situation suggests the wisdom of legislative action to this effect. If the interval between the sessions of Congress had been longer, the department would have been without adequate funds to deal with the problem. FARM ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS METHODS A different but strikingly important aspect of production and of farm operations is the application of economic principles and of sound business methods. This subject has received little consideration. In every other industry successfully prosecuted the employment of sound business prin- ciples from the outset is regarded as a prerequisite. In this direction, as in others, farming has lagged behind, and the several farming activities have been too largely conceived as being separate rather than as closely interrelated. It is highly necessary that the farmer, as well as any other business man, should know at all times just how his business stands, what parts are profitable, what unprofitable, and how he should redirect his activities to assure success. For this purpose the farm must of neces- sity be looked upon as a whole. It is the object of the Office of Farm Management to do this. The service of the economist should be enlisted in all our agricultural undertakings. All agricultural enterprises and the work of all agricultural establishments are economic in their character, and yet it is true that up to the last two years neither the farm a^ such nor any institution or establishment dealing with the farm has invoked the assistance of the economist. For the most part the economist has not realized the obligation resting upon him and has paid scant attention to the urgent economic problems in the field of rural life. It is probably true that not more than ten or twelve of the economists of this country could ' qualify as experts in rural economics. Their attention has been somewhat exclusively absorbed by problems growing out of the industrial life of the nation and out of its international relations. The emergence of acute business problems in agriculture and the complexity of the problems of distribution and organization justify a different attitude on the part both of the economist and of the authorities responsible for agricultural leader- ship. The inauguration of work in farm management is a hopeful indi- cation of change. The business of the student of farm management is to make an analysis of the operations of the farmer, to study the proper adaptation of the type 29 of fanning to local conditions, such as soil and climate, the size of the market, market demand and transportation, the quality of the farm busi- ness, its diversity, its organization, the distribution of farm enterprises, and the costs of each sort of product. 'The investigations of the Office of Farm Management are yet in their infancy, and there is much to learn in this branch of agricultural science, but the inquiries thus far pursued furnish a deeper insight into the causes of success and failure in farming and give promise of helpful results in- the increase of production on a profitable basis. DISTRIBUTION A constructive agricultural program must of necessity contemplate dis- tribution as well as production, and, vital and urgent as are the direct problems of production,' even more important in a sense, and more im- mediately pressing are the problems of distribution and marketing. The solution of problems in this field is essential not only for the increase of production but also for the elimination of injustice, and for the guaranty, on the one hand, to the producer that he shall receive a fair reward for his labor and the right value for the specific product which he sells, and, on the other, to the consumer that he shall receive the exact commodity for which he pays a specific price. The attempt by governmental agencies to solve problems of distribution and marketing is recent. Considerable head- way has been made, and the indications are that the thought both of the state and of the nation has been keenly aroused and that further effective measures will be adopted. One of the greatest weaknesses of American agriculture at the present time arises from the lack of a knowledge of the facts of distribution, of business organization, of co-operation, and of resident leadership. Attention has heretofore been directed to the new enterprises of the department in marketing, in co-operation, rural credit, and the general organization of rural communities for their intellectual, sanitary, and social betterment. Already the Congress had laid the found- ation for work along these lines by making available a fund of $240,000 and by enacting the Cotton Futures Act. Other measures of great importance, such as those dealing with cotton standards, grain standards, a permissive warehouse system, and land- mortgage banks, have been pushed toward completion. Generally speak- ing, all these measures- have for their object the elimination of waste, the systematizing of the processes of distribution, the injection of adequate business methods into these activities, and the development of the requisite degree of business co-operation among farming units. Several of these measures merit further comment. MARKETING Sufficient indication of the scope of the work of the Office of Markets was given in the department's last annual report. Initiated a little more than a year ago with an appropriation of $50,000, an expansion was made possible by the increase in the amount to $200,000 in the current appro- priation for the department. In a new and untried field of this kind the first concern must be to secure the requisite number of trained men, very difficult to find, who can undertake efficiently the several lines of investi- gation. The organization has now reached a fair stage of development and is actively prosecuting its tasks. It has obtained much reliable information concerning co-operative marketing and purchasing. It has demonstrated that co-operation in some form is much more prevalent in the United States 30 than is generally believed. A record of more than 8,500 marketing associ- ations, about 2,700 co-operative and farmers' elevators, 2,500 co-operative and farmers' creameries, and more than 1,000 co-operative fruit and produce associations has been secured. While the survey is not complete, it is reported that over a billion dollars' worth of agricultural products are annually marketed by co-operative and farmers' marketing associations. The majority of these associations have furnished the office detailed statements of their plans of organization, of the products handled, of the forms of business, and of other important items, including constitutions, by-laws, and financial statements. The conclusion seems justified that in communities where farmers' associations are properly constituted and operated, better results are obtained than under a system of individual handling. Advantages present themselves in the standardizing and pack- ing of products and in the discovery of the best daily market. Much infor- mation has been secured as to the laws of the various states under which such organizations may be created. The effort is being made to determine the principles on which the enterprises that have succeeded have operated and those upon which the enterprises that have failed have proceeded. The business practices of the enterprises have been carefully considered, and the results of investigations are being tabulated and formulated. At the earliest possible moment the results will be incorporated in circulars and bulletins. Likewise, inquiries have been set on foot concerning market ' centers, the market surplus, the rate of movement, the outlets for com- modities, the prices of specific products by definite trade areas, and the possibilities of increasing distribution in an economical way. Lists of producers, producers' organizations, shippers, transportation agents, and officials from whom information on specific perishable products may be secured are being compiled. For exapiple, the records show that the number of points from which commercial shipments are known to originate for certain specific products are as follows: Strawberries, 900; peaches, 1,800; tomatoes, 600; cabbage, 1,700; onions, 1,500. A special inquiry has been made concerning the commercial storage of cabbage and onions in the North, to guide growers in southern areas. In all these directions information has been furnished to producers in different sections. There have been special investigations of the marketing of peaches and cantaloupes in Georgia; of cantaloupes and truck cropp in North and South Carolina; of cantaloupes, strawberries, and truck crops in Virginia; of peaches, cantaloupes, and strawberries in Delaware; of peaches in Mary- land and West Virginia; of peaches, strawberri^, and truck crops in New Jersey; of peaches and truck crops in Pennsylvania; of potatoes in Maine; of cantaloupes and cabbage in Colorado; of truck crops in Mississippi and Texas, and of fruit and potatoes in Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, and Kentucky. Much advice and assistance has been furnished to growers in these sections. City marketing and distribution, including the various types of public markets, wholesale terminal markets, and auctions and other methods of distributing food products in cities, have likewise been the subject of in- vestigation. At Jackson, Mich; Providence, R. I.; Trenton, N. J.; Phila- delphia, Pa.; St. Louis, Mo.; and Jersey City, N. J., in response to requests from city officials or producers' organizations, the municipal public market situation has been analyzed. Personal investigations have been followed by extensive reports containing specific advice regarding suitable types of markets, their design, cost, construction, and advantageous location, the arrangement of transportation facilities, and many other details. Muni- 31 cipally and privately owned public retail markets, producers, wholesa e and retail markets, wholesale terminal markets, and auctions have heen studied in Boston. New York, Norfolk, Baltimore, Washington, Albany, Rochester, Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, Madison, Pittsburgh. Cincinnati, Columbus, Toledo, Dubuque, Des Moines, Kansas City, and Denver. De- tails have been secured of market costs, maintenance, construction, sani- tation, location, offerings, prices, and the service, or lack of it, which these markets render the people. A special object of inquiry has been the possibility of marketing by parcel post and express. Many experiments have been conducted by send- ing, receiving, and examining experimental shipments. Exhibits have been made at many gatherings. The first experiments in this direction were made with eggs, in family-size lots, the results of which have been published in Farmers' Bulletin No. 594. It has been found that where proper care in packing and handling commodities is exercised the marketing of cer- tain products by parcel post and express can be profitably undertaken. The marketing of live stock, of meats, and of animal by-products has been investigated. The object has been to determine the relative efficiency of the marketing of beef cattle in the central and local markets in the various producing areas of the United States, and to ascertain in what particular improvements may be made. The areas selected for these studies were the East, the South, the corn belt, the Northwest, the Southwest, and the Pacific slope. Data have been obtained chiefly by selecting typical shipments of cattle whose approximate cost of production is known, by following them from the farm, ranch or plantation through the stockyards, packing houses, and wholesale and re- tail markets to the consumer, and by keeping itemized accounts covering the transportation, selling and slaughtering of the live stock and the dis- tributing and retailing of the beef. As far as possible, normal factors of loss, such as mortality, shrinkage, condemnation, bad accounts, and de- preciation, and also items of expense which the consumer must pay in- directly, such as rent, heat, light, handling, storage, cutting and delivery, have been considered in these statements. In this manner twelve lots of beef cattle have been traced from Oregon, Montana, Kansas, Texas, Ala- bama, Illinois and Virginia to the open market at Portland, Ore., Fort Worth,- Kansas City, East St. Louis, Chicago and Baltimore. The beef yielded by the cattle has been followed to its destination, the principal shipments having gone to Portland, Ore., Seattle, Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Detroit, Cleveland, Baltimore, 'Jersey City, New York, Brooklyn, Provi- dence, Boston, and a number of smaller eastern cities, and ultimately having been sold to family, hotel, restaurant, and dining-car trade. Information has also been obtained relative to the methods and cost of dressing and handling bee^ by local butchers in various sections and under various conditions. Tests of this kind have been arranged at Urbana, 111.; Auburn, Ala.; South Haven, Mich.; at the municipal abattoir at Paris, Texas; and at the farmers' co-operative packing house at La Crosse, Wis. A directory and descriptive file of all centralized live-stock markets In the United States, including their railroad facilities, stockyard equipment, selling agencies, buying interests, number and character of rpceipts and shipments, and the sources of supply and outlets for finished meat prod- ucts and by-products, is now being compiled. Further investigations and a more complete analysis of the facts in hand will be necessary before definite conclusions can be stated as to the 32 relative cost of transporting, slaughtering, wholesaling, and retailing beef, and the extent to which the cost may be reduced in each instance. Each of the large markets draws its supplies from at least several states, and some lof them from a larger area. During the present grass season, for ejf ample, Chicago has received Mexican, Canadian, and Florida cattle at about the same time. Steers raised in California by an Oregon operator have been shipped through Denver to Omaha and the beef dent to points on the Atlantic coast. Hogs raised in Illinois and sold at Indianapolis have been slaughtered at Boston and a part of ^ the cured bacon shipped to Los Angeles. Michigan dressed veal calves expressed to South Water Street commission houses at Chicago have been returned "to the identical shipping points from which they came to fill orders from local retail mar- kets. The Importance of this work and the results thus far obtained justify a larger support of this service, especially as its organization has now pro- gressed to the point where it is possible to utilize ampler funds with the requisite efficiency. GRAIN AND COTTON STANDARDS The matter of the standardization of grades of grain and cotton is of great practical consequence to the farmer and to farming. , This is a work upon which the experts of the Bureau of Plant Industry have been engaged for years. During the last year the adequacy of the data accumulated with regard to corn made possible the formulation and promulgation of grades for that grain which, if generally adopted and uniformly applied through- out the country, will simplfy the relations between producers, dealers, and consumers. Under these grades, fairly used, the grower or shipper of a superior quality of grain will be in a position to demand from the buyer the fair value to which the quality of his product entitles him. On the other hand, the producer of a product of inferior quality will receive a lower return. The beneficial influence upon agriculture of a uniform system of grading staple crop products will be very great through the financial incentive afforded the fai'mer to improve the quality of his product by the careful selection of varieties, skillful culture, and adequate and effective methods of harvesting, handling, and protecting it while in his hands. Advice that he improve his methods, no matter 'how sound and well intended, will not m^ke and ought not to make much impression upon him unless it can be clearly demonstrated that it will pay him to improve his products and his handling methods. Concrete evidence of the profitableness of this course in the form of larger net returns for his output will do more than any other single factor to arouse action and effective interest in crop improve- ment. Investigation of the handling and standardization of other staple grains, particularly wheat and oats, is. proceeding. It is gratifying that a considerable proportion of the state grain-inspection departments and com- mercial organization maintaining . grain-inspection departments located in the grain belt and the Gulf coast sections have already adopted the Govern- ment grades for corn or have declared their intention to adopt them. In addition to the continuance of the preparation and distribution of standard grades for cotton, promulgated under statutory authority some years ago, investigation of the spinning value of those grades has recently been undertaken with a view to determine as accurately as possible the relative value of the various grades through tests conducted on a com- mercial scale. Methods of determining the exact length of staple cotton have been developed, which may eventually be applied 4n the cotton grade. 33 Measures for securing the adoption of grain and cotton standards In trade have occupied much of the time of the Congress, and the indications for their enactment into law ere favorable. WAREHOUSE SYSTEM Another proposal is that for a permissive warehouse system for grain and for cotton. 'The study by the department of the warehousing of grain/ has not proceeded as far as its study of the warehousing of cotton, bur this work is being prosecuted actively, and the results should be available in the near future. Interesting results have already been furnished by the investigation of the cotton-warehousing situation. A detailed survey of the > state of Georgia shows that there are in that state more than 1,000 ware- houses in operation. Reports from 700 of these give a storage capacity of 1,200,000 bales uncompressed. The remaining 300 probably have a total capacity of at least 300,000 bales. To these may be added the storage houses belonging to the cotton mills of the state, which take care, approx- imately, of 400,000 bales. In North Carolina there are 129 warehouses, with a storage capacity of about 200,000 bales, and the mills of the state can store 375,000 bales. The situation in South Carolina, Alabama, and Mississippi is similar to that in Georgia; Virginia, Tennessee, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas have warehouses with storage capacity exceeding the annual production, but these are located for the most part at shipping points, such as Norfolk, Memphis, Jacksonville, Pensacola, New Orleans, Houston, and Galveston. Comparatively few of the small towns have warehouses. Taking the entire cotton belt, it is probably true that the warehouses now in existence could store the cotton that would be offered during any ordinary season, but the warehouses are not evenly distributed. Most of them are con- structed without reference to the standards recognized by underwriters and have to pay a high insurance rate. Pew of them are bonded, and financial Institutions which might advance money on cotton certificates from bonded warehouses are cautious in dealing with them. If the ware- houses in existence were remodeled so as to comply with the undewriters' requirements and were bonded, and if adequate business methods were adopted, the financing of the cotton crop would be materially improved. Such a system would furnish relief in times of emergency and would form a useful part of a normal distributive system. It is probable that a federal law for a permissive warehousing system would stimulate this desirable development. COTTON FUTURES ACT The Cotton Futures Act is the first definite, systematic, legal approach to the solution of difBcult problems in this field of distribution. Interest in the economics of the cotton situation has grown rapidly in recent" years and has been especially marked during the present season because of the difliculties arising out of the European War. For many years there has been a growing dissatisfaction with the future markets as a means of price insurance. The demand for reform in certain practices and methods of the exchanges resulted in the passage of the Futures Act, which is de- signed to increase the safety of the future contract as an insurance and to limit somewhat the possibility of manipulation. The enactment of this legislation is of importance to cotton growers because of the fact that in normal years the price when the farmer sells 34 is usually based directly on the quotations of the future marlcet. It is generally admitted that the undesirable features of future transactions are due to the number of different standards in use in the markets, to the fixed- difference system of establishing the value of other grades than middling, to the fact that very low qualities of cotton suitable for spinning use by only a few mills stometimes compose the larger part of the warehouse stock of an exchange and are deliverable on contract, to the fact that tenders of cotton under contracts do not indicate the qualities to be de- livered, and to the fact ^that under the pro forma delivery practice several weeks sometimes elapse before the person who is obligated to receive cotton knows the grades tendered to him, for which he has contracted to pay at the time of delivery. The act, by prescribing a form of contract, provides that future con- tracts must be based on uniform standards established by the Department of Agriculture; prohibits the pro forma deliveries and the tendering of cotton of less than seven-eighths inch in staple in settlement of future contracts; provides for the settlements for grades above or below the basis grade in accordance with prevailing commercial differences; allows an appeal to the Department of Agriculture in case of a dispute as to grades, staple, or quality of cotton tendered in settlement; lodges power with the department to ascertain commercial differences actually prevailing in the spot markets, and thus to safeguard the exchanges from unintentional error which might subject their contracts to taxation; makes it the duty of the department to determine which are bona fide spot markets, and to designate the ones which shall be used as a basis for determining com- mercial differences; and imposes a prohibitive tax upon contracts for the future delivery of cotton on a basis price if they do not conform to the terms of the act. The act as a whole is constructive and regulatory, not destructive or oppressive. It recognizes that the exchanges, when they are properly con- ducted may benefit both the purchaser of raw cotton and the manufacturer of goods. The administration of this act has been intrusted immediately to the Office of Markets in collaboration with the Bureau of Plant Industry. A new standard set of grades, more truly representative of American cotton than any hitherto in use, has been prepared. The requisite surveys have been set on foot, tentative regulations have been prepared, and hearings held with a view to secure advice and suggestions for the revision of the regulations and the adoption of them in their ultimate form. No effort will be spared to lay the foundations for the enforcement of the act and to give the necessary information at the earliest possible^moment, so that the exchanges of the country which desire to do so may operate in accordance with the terms of the new law even before it becomes effective. RURAL CREDITS Closely related to the production and distribution of farm products is the securing of capital by farmers on betters terms. This problem has attracted the profound attention of the country and still awaits a full solution. The difficulties arise partly from the diffusion and sparseness of the rural population, partly from the failure of proper business adjustment, and partly from the inadequacy of the security which part of the farming population normally can offer for loans. The problem is one of extending the banking machinery and facilities more intimately into the country dis- tricts for the convenience and the assistance of the rural population and 35 of the effective mobilization and utilization of the resources of the country people themselves. The chief difference of opinion arises over whether there should be special aid furnished by the Government. There seems to be no emergency which requires or justifies Government assistance to the farmers directly through the use of the Government's cash or the Government's credit. The American farmer is sturdy, independent, and self-reliant. He is not in the condition of serfdom in semiserfdom In which were some of the European peoples tot whom government aid was extended in some form or other during the last century. He is not in the condition of many of the Irish farmers for whom encouragement and aid have been furnished through the land-purchase act. As a matter of fact, the American farmers are more prosperous than any other farming class in the world. As a class they are certainly as prosperous as any 'other great section of the people; as prosperous as the njarchants, the teachers, the clerks, or the mechanics. It is necessary only that the Government, so far as geographic and physical conditions permit, provide machinery for the benefit of the agri- cultural classes as satisfactory as that provided for any other class, and this the Government has attempted and is attempting to do. It is the judgement of the best students of economic conditions here that there is needed to supplement existing agencies a proper land-mortgage banking system operating through private funds, just as other banking Institutions operate, and this judgment is shared by the leaders of eco- nomic thought abroad. The national banking system up to the present time has labored under restrictions imposed by law which made it im- possible for the national banks to solve the problems in the most effective way. State banks with fewer restrictions, with smaller capital require- ments, and ability to lend on real estate have established more intimate touch and have perhaps rendered greater assistance. Likewise certain agencies, such as building and loan associa'tions, insurance and mortgage debenture companies, and the co-opefative credit associations recently created by state legislation in Texas, Massachusetts, New York, and Wis- consin, operate to extend capital to the farming districts, and thereby in a measure tend to cut down the rate of interest. When the national banking law, commonly called the Federal Reserve Act, was under discussion in Congress, the matter of farm credits was con- sidered and debated, but it was decided that the subject as a specific program should be separately dealt with in another act, The Federal Re- serve Act was passed with a view to the improvement of the banking conditions of the country in the interest of all classes; to the restoration of normality in banking; to the establishment of a reserve or banking power which could be utilized in times of emergency; and therefore, with a view to secure good banking at all times and to prevent panics. ' It is not a banker's law, or a business man's law, or a manufacturer's law, or a farmer's lawi it is a law for all classes— for all the people. However, there were incorporated into the act several very important provisions which had in mind specifically the needs of the farming classes and the possibility of extending banking facilities to the rural districts. It was specifically provided that a federal reserve bank might "discount notes, drafts, and bills of exchange arising out of actual commercial trans- actions—that is, notes, drafts, and bills of exchange issued or drawn for agricultural, industrial, or commercial purposes, or the proceeds of which , have been used or are to be used for such purposes." The Federal Reserve Board was given the right to define the character of paper thus eligible 36 for discount. It was further distinctly provided that nothing in the act should be construed to "prohibit such notes, drafts, and bilte of exchange secured by staple agricultural products, or other goods, wares, or mer- chandise from being eligible for such discount." It was provided that the ordinary notes, drafts, or bills admitted to discount of not more than 90 days, but that notes, drafts, and hills drawn or issued for agricultural purposes or based on live stock might have a maturity not exceeding six months. Not only is paper arising out of agricultural transactions made eligible under the act, but it is given a longer maturing period than other forms of paper.. This apparent dis- scrimination arose naturally out of the fact that agricultural operations are seasonal and involve a longer period than ordinary commercial tran- sactions. Again, it is provided in the act that national banking associations not situated in the central reserve cities may lend on improved and unen- cumbered farm lands within the federal reserve district, and that such loans may be made for any period up to five years. Such loans may not exceed 50 per cent of the actual value of the property. Any national bank under this provision of the act may lend on farm lands an amount in the aggregate equal to 25 per cent of its capital and surplus or one-third of its time deposits. The Federal Reserve Act, therefore, so far from discrimin- ating against the farming classes, distinctly bears them in mind, and while not discriminating in favor of them, takes just and particular knowledge of their requirements. The matter of additional legislation concerning farm credits was prompt- ' ly brought to the attention of Congress by the President at the regular session in his annual message, and many experts have been giving per^ sistent and careful attention to the problem. The explanation of why special bahking arrangements were devised abroad, but have not been extensively planned and operated in this country, is to be found in the difference in economic, social, and banking habits and conditions. This is the only large country that may be said to have the ordinary banking habit developed in a high degree, with banking and lend- ing associations democratized and in touch with the masses of the people. The great masses of people in a number of European countries do not have the ordinary banking habit and know little about banking practices. The habit of depositing money in hanks, of checking against such deposits, and of making loans through banks in such countries is not general. This may be illustrated by a reference to the Bank of Prance. This bank, with a billion dollars of bank notes, has only $285,000,000 of deposits. A bank can utilize its assets either through notes or through discount and deposit and checking. In this country the assets of a bank are utilized to r slight extent through bank notes, the total volume being about $725,000,000 while the total deposits in all the banks are $17,000,000,000. This testifies to an unusual development of the banking habit among our people. Partly be- cause of the lack of the ordinary banking habit on the part of European, peoples, partly because of the lack of banking facilities, and partly because of other social and economic factors, special agencies had to be devised. There was great need for some addition to their machinery. The land mortgage and the co-operative credit arrangements grew up of necessity. Likewise, the savings banks were created for similar reasons. It is note- worthy that only recently have savings institutions been established in great numbers in this country, and that still more recently the Government postal savings system has been evolved. 37 Notwithstanding the fact, however, that the people of the United States have ampler flnanclal agencies than any other in the world, and have developed the habit of using these agencies to a greater extent than any other people, students of rural problems have been keenly alive to the need of further improvements. They have insisted upon extension of the national banking facilities and the creation of special agencies in intimate touch with farmers with a special view to the betterment of financial con- ditions in the country. At least two definite measures have been prepared and have received special consideration. They are similar in many re- spects. They provide, in brief, for land-mortgage associations with small capital, which may make loans on farm mortgages within a district of a state or within a state to the extent of 50 per cent of the real values of th^ farms. TJie money arising from such loans is to be used for pro- ductive purposes on the farm on which the security is based. It is con- templated in one way or another, either through separate associations or through a central agency, that debenture bonds may be blanketed on the mortgages and offered to the public. It is proposed that the oper- ations of the system shall be supervised by a central agency in Washing- ton and that there shall be adequate safeguards in the way of examination and .inspection. It is thought by students of the question that such deben- ture bonds would be safe, would attract capital, and would bring into the investment field, especially, small holdings scattered through the country which do jiot now easily find satisfactory investments. A plan of this kind, operating through private funds, should work safely and would prob- ably result in a short time in systematizing credit transactions in rural districts and in reducing the rate of interest. The Office of Market and Rural Organization has continued its study of rural credits. Information bearing on farm-mortgage loans has been secured from two-thirds of the savings banks, trust companies, and state and private banks in the United States. The estimated total of farm mortgages held by these banks as loans exceeds $930,000,000. This fund is very unevenly supplied. Iowa banks alone furnish nearly one hundred millions. Illinois and New York approximate eighty-five millions each, California sixty-seven millions, and Missouri fifty-eight millions. In In- diana, Vermont and Minnesota the sum in each exceeds forty-five millions. The tdtal of farm mortgages held by these banks in the ten states of the cotton belt is approximately the same as that held by Iowa banks. Bankers in many states, especially in the middle West, furnish almost as much money for farm loans through their activity as middlemen as they do through loans from their own bank funds. In such cases the banker acts as an agent, usually for some insurance company, mortgage company, or other bank. It is estimated that approximately $565,000,000 is thus handled through members of state, private, and savings banks and trust companies. Information secured from insurance companies shows that more than $600,000,000 of their funds are invested in farm-mortgage loans. While mainly confined at present to the corn belt, these investments are being extended into the South and West. The companies have trained field inspectors or rely upon the statements or guaranties of local agents as to land values. Insurance companies usually limit their loans to 40 per cent of the value of the security and to a fixed maximum per acre. The prevailing period of such loans is five years, with the privilege of pre- payment on interest dates. The business of existing mortgage companies in the United States is 38 often that of agents or brokers who bring borrower and lender together and render other services connected with mortgage loans without assuming liability. Such business can be built up with very little Capital. The mort- gage is made out directly to the lender, who assumes all responsibility. It is evident that the market for such loans is restricted to investors who know the nature of the security, who are willing to lend' the particular amount desired, and who will assume ali risks. A limited number of companies deal in mortgages as a- jobbing or merchandise business. The mortgages generally are sold after suitable investors have been found. A few of these companies retain ownership in a portion of the mortgages, deposit them with a trust company and ' issue debentures secured by the mortgages as well as by the capital of the company. The debentures are issued in even amounts of $100 and upward and for varying periods, affording the investor some of the usual conveniences of bonds. However, inasmuch as the purchaser of a debenture does not know the particular mortgages used as security he must rely on the integrity and solvency of the company to protect his investment. , The students of rural credit recognize the desirability of another piece of legislation which may probably be had at the hands of the several states or of the Federal Government, namely, legislation authorizing and encouraging local personal co-operative credit associations. Some states have already taken steps in this direction and others are contemplating taking them. The Department of Agriculture has made earnest investi- gations in this iield and is in position to offer suggestions as to legislation and as to the form and operations of rural credit co-operative associations. Such associations as these will perhaps render their largest service in the sections of the country where there are many small farmers whose indi- vidual resources may not be sufficient to enable them to secure the requisite credit. Their largest field for operation would probably be the South. Characteristics of such associations of small farmers are: unlimited lia- bility of members; the pledging of the faith of each to the other and of the whole to the lender; the use of funds for clearly defined productive purposes; and the supervision by the association of the use made of the funds. It has been objected that the feature of unlimited liability will prevent the organizatioti of such associations in this Country, but in certain sections of the country the liability of small farmers is already unlimited, and this could not be said to be an insurmountable obstacle. In reference to such proposed associations, as well as to land-mortgage banks, it is of the utmost importance that attention be centered on the use which may be made of borrowed money. It is of high importance that there should be guaranties of the use of funds secured for productive purposes on the farms covered by mortgages or other obligations; other- wise, the field for speculation will be opened and more harm than good may result. The investigations of the department indicate that a relatively small -number of the banks of the country pay any attention whatever to the purposes for which loans are made, and in replies to inquiries many of the banks reporting did not even attempt to give data bearing on this important point. The Office of Markets and Rural Organization has continued its investi- gation into the field of personal credits. From data gathered it appears that the state, private, and savings banks and trust companies supply approximately $1,000,000,000 for short-time loans to farmers and that national banks furnish $750,000,000. As may be expected, because of thei differences in the relative importance of agriculture in various states, these 39 short-time loans are very unevenly distributed. The funds are used chiefly in the financing of cattle raising, feeding and marketing, or dairy- ing, of hog and sheep raising, and of grain and cotton growing and marketing. GOOD ROADS Good roads are equally intimately related to both the production and the distribution of farm products. They are prerequisite not only to eco- nomical production and distribution but also to the promotion of the broader life of the communities. The great need, obviously, is for roads which shall get products from the farm to the nearest railway station, enabling the farmer to haul when he csCn not sow and reap, and to haul at a lower rate, to transport his children to consolidated schools, and to enjoy comfortably his spcial enterprises. The railway will continue for an indefinite time to be the nation's highway. Emphasis is needed on the community roads. It is estimated that it costs 23 cents under existing conditions to haul a ton a mile on the average country road, and that this could be reduced by one-half if the roads were improved. The prob- lem is partly, of course, one of funds, but even more largely one of methods, of instrumentalities, and of administration. The United States to-day is spending annually the equivalent of the huge sum of $200,000,000 for roads, an enormous increase in the last decade. Much of this is directed by . local supervisors, and it is estimated by experts that of the amount so directed from 30 to 40 per cent is, relatively speaking, wasted or misdirected. Less than half the states have expert state highway com- missions, and very few of them have any sort of expert local niachinery. The problem, so far as the Federal Government is concerned, is how to inject its assistance into the situation primarily so as' to secure eipcient expenditures. The people of the nation are Intensely interested in this problem, and pressure will continue for action by the federal Government The matter is of sufficient importance to justify again an attempt to indi- cate the wise course of action in case the Federal Government is further to expand its activities and lend direct support. If direct federal aid is to be expended, it should be done only under such conditions as will guarantee a dollar's results for every dollar of expenditure, and, as has been stated the emphasis should be placed on the community road, on the necessity of improvement in an economical manner of the dirt roads of the country, particularly through the cheaper fprms of construction, such as sand-clay, gravel, and earth. Legislation should provide for co-oper- ation between the Federal Government and the states, and that the state through an expert highway commission should be the lowest unit with which the federal machinery should deal. If the Federal Government recognizes any other unit than the state highway commission, it will complicate the situation in those states where satisfactory developments have taken place and it will retard movements in the right direction in other communities. If, on the other hand, the law recognizes only a central highway commission it will strengthen the hands of those that now exist and secure the creation of such bodies in the 26 states that do not now have them. The mere creation of such bodies in every state would be a marked gain. The federal department and the highway com- mission of each state should be empowered jointly to select the roads upon which the ^work is to be performed and to determine the manner and methods of constructing roads under projects mutually agreed upon previously. 40 It seems desirable that if federal money lis to be expended, it should be limited to construction projects and' should not be used for main- tenance, and, furthermore, because of the time required for the develop- ment of the requisite machinery and because of the difficulty of assumption by either jurisdiction of a large initial burden, the federal appropriation should at first be relatively small. Expenditure for maintenance would involve the Government in a very unsafe and uncertain course. It would be a continuing appropriation on a vast scale. It would seem only prope;- that if roads are secured, the states and the communities should maintain them. I clearly recognize that it is difficult to draw the line between construction and maintenance on the simpler forms of road; but, after all, the line can be drawn and would be much clearer if proper methods of construction were pursued. As an automatic check to a drain on the federal treasury in- case federal aid is extended, provision should be made that each state shall malce available for construction at least as much as is set aside by the federal Government, preferably twice as much, and that it shall give a satisfactory guaranty to. maintain the roads constructed. On all projects on which federal money may be expended in co-operation with the states it should be provided that the two authorities shall fully co-operate, and that before federal money is made available for any projects such pro- jects shall have Tseen mutually agreed upon by the federal department and the state authorities, with clear understandings as to methods of construction, specifications, materials, and the development of a road system. It will be objected by some that this suggestion involves an invasion of state rights. As a matter of fact, it simply looks to the use of federal money for the purpose for which it may be voted, and to its efficient ex- penditure. Those who fear invasion of state rights can easily obviate the danger by declining to ask for federal money. If they demand federal money, they cannot easily decline to have its proper and efficient expend- iture safeguarded. It is no argument to assert that gtate a,gencies may be trusted. As a matter of fact, they are not the officials who have to assume the responsibility for the expenditure of federal money. We do trust state authorities fully to vote and expend state funds. They assert the right to look after the expenditure of state funds and do so with great jealousy. They should show a willingness to have the federal officers assist in the supervision of the expenditure of federal moneys. One thought should be clearly held in mind, namely, that it is highly unwise to discourage state and local effort. Only in recent years have the states begun seriously to attack many of the problems which it was origin- ally contemplated they should solve. If the Federal Government were to make a very large appropriation, it is not improbable that the states would begin to look to it somewhat exclusively for funds with which to build roads. Such a development would be calamitous. DISSEMINATING INFORMATION The nation is spending through the department large sums in acquiring agricultural information. It would be little short, of criminal to spend millions of dollars to acquire information and not to use every possible efficient agency available for placing it at the disposal of the people as promptly as possible, for it is certain that if the average farmer could be induced to apply what the experts now know or what the best farmers practice, a revolution could be brought about in the agriculture of the na- 41 tion. It has seemed a matter of great urgency that through every proper channel at the earliest possible moment there be brought home to the 6,000,000 farm families of the Union the knowledge which the department has acquired and is increasingly acquiring. It is the purpose of the depart- ment, with as little delay as possible, through every proper medium to give the kno-B)iledge which the department possesses as the result of investiga- tions and field work to all the people who desire it or should have it. Up to a comparatively short time ago the printed matter conveying information was in the form of bulletins and circulars limited to issues ot from 2,000 to 40,000 copies. Not infrequently much time was required for the final preparation of the bulletin, for its printing, and for its dis- tribution. In the nature of things, the bulletins could not reach a great mass of the farmers. Many farmers did not even know of the existence of the department and knew nothing of the service it could render. They did not know of the existence of bulletins which would be helpful to them or how to secure them; and in many cases they could secure them only with considerable inconvenience and some expense. Furthermore, the bulletins were not infrequently difficult to interpret, to understand and to apply. Emergencies frequently arise in which information, to be of value, must be placed within a few hours in the hands of farmers. The delay in issuing official printed bulletins and mailing them often defeated the pos- sibility of service. In case of distant states the mailing time to and from Washington caused from 12 to 14 days to elapse before the desired infor- mation could be delivered. In many cases, where the department's supply of printed publications was exhausted, it has been necessary to inform the farmer that he must Send 5 or 10 cents to the Superintendent of Docu- ments to obtain the desired publications. This involves on the farmer's part the writing of a second letter to the Superintendent of Documents and another delay of 12 to 14 days. In cases actually worked out, where the publication desired was not available from the department, farmers in Pacific Coast States have been unable to obtain the information in less than 30 days. As the result of long observation, as well as of careful survey, the department reached the conclusion that, aside from the conveying of infor- mation by competent persons directly to farmers on their farms, the most efficient medium for reaching the farmers was the agricultural press, and that, next to this, the most efficient mediums were the daily and weekly newspapers which devoted space to agricultural matters. It was ascer- tained that these journals would gladly use material if it were furnished to them in Such form as to be readily available. It seemed desirable to have an office which could do this, because through it the matter could be more accurately and adequately presented. It was also discoverard that correspondents of representative journals would telegraph to their home offices items giving important and timely agricultural information bearing upon pressing problems. This whole matter was made the subject of a conference with the chiefs of bureaus, other officers of the department, and experienced writers and journalists. As a result of this conference the Office of Information, was established. Not only has the establishment of this Office of Information resulted in a fuller knowledge on the part of the farmers of the fact that they can get assistance and that bulletins are available, but it has led to a much larger call for bulletins and supplied a vast amount of information to the press. 42 During the fiscal years 1913 and 1914 the staff of the office prepared and Issued in mimeographed form to the agricultural press a,nd news- papers 512 summaries or condensed statements of fact and 30 special items to the jress associations covering quarantine notices and supplementary statements regarding crop estimates. In addition, each week from 10 to 20 pages of typewritten material have been prepared specially and sup- plied to rural weekly papers. In every case the summary was circillated only ,to editors in the geographic or agricultural territory to which the information was directly applicable. The office also co-operates with many editors or their representatives, and others who write, or telephone, or call in person for special information needed by them in the preparation of agricultural articles. It answers daily many letters requesting information not covered directly by existing publications or not falling within the pro- vince of any one of the department's bureaus or offices. While no effort has been made to keep a complete account of the use of material by publications,, a computation of the circulation shows that the information issued through the office is appearing monthly in over 250,000,000 printed pages. This computation does not include the total cir- culation of this information. It does not include the departments material which appears in the pages of nearly every agricultural journal and much special material on practical farming carried by weekly country papers. As a result of this service many dally papers which heretofore had given no attention to agriculture are now devoting considerable space to publish- ing the department's brief, simple st?,tements of direct local value as to improved methods of farming or as to control of crop pests. These reach the farmers promptly through the rural free delivery service. This service is not now being used and never has been used for private interests, either directly or indirectly. It limits itself to the dissemination of established facts and of officially approved information. It has refrained from dis- cussing individuals, from entering into controversies, and from commenting on legislation. It has the simple aim of attempting to convey to the farmers! through the press, as effectively and quickly as possible, the latest discoveries in agricultural science and the best practices. » CO-OPERATIVE EXTENSION ACT But bulletins, circulars, and press notices conveying information for farmers, no matter how excellent they may be and how numerous, will not solve the problem of reaching the farmer and of inducing him to adopt the best methods. Personal contact in this field of education, as in others, is essential. The method of demonstration by competent individuals to farmers on their farms has been tested by the department over many years. It has been justified by its results and has been formally sanctioned by Congress in the recent Agricultural Extension Act. This measure is of vast significance. It is one of the most striking educational measures ever adopted, by any government. It recognizes a new class of students — a class composed of men and women working at their daily tasks on the farm. The federal and state governments take the adult farmer and farm woman, as well as the farm boy and the farm girl, as their pupils. The measure provides for co-operation between the states and the Federal Government. It guarantees a co-ordination of the forces of the two jurisdictions. It places the brains of the two great agencies in conjunction, elimihates waste and friction, and insures efficiency. Providing for an initial appropriation of $10,000 to each state, to be lexpefided through the 43 land-grant colleges in co-operation with the federal Department of Agri- culture, it stipulates that the amount shall increase by approximately a half-million dollars from the federal treasury each year until 1921-22, and that each state accepting the act shall appropriate an amount equzy to the increase above $10,000. The result will be that for the fiscal year 1922-23 and thereafter there will be expended, without any further legislation, from the federal treasury $4,580,000, and from the state treasuries $4,100,000 or a total of $8,680,000. This sum must be expended in direct Instruction in the field, as the act is very specific in prohibiting its use for teaching or erecting buildings at institutions and in limiting the proportion that can be expended in printing bulletins. If we add to this fund the direct appropriations to the department for educational extension work and the excess appropriations of the several states, it probably will be found that the nation will be expending in 1922-23 and thereafter, without any further legislation, a sum In excess of $10,000,000 or $11,000,000. Every state in the Union through Its proper authority has accepted the provisions of the act. Most of the colleges have already submitted their projects for the current year and are laying the foundations of machinery which will be adequate to the handling of this great task. This piece of legislation -(vill do more than provide effective machinery for efficiently reaching the farmer. It will greatly improve the relations between the institutions of the several states and the federal department. It will pro- mote harmony ))etween them and will lead to wiser planning of work. Believing that the . provision for the, co-ordination of work under the extension act was wise, and realizing that it was desirable to have only one piece of machinery in each state undertake this sort of task, the department suggested to the several state establishments the advantage of co-ordinating with the work under the extension act the extension work for which the department is directly responsible through its special ap- propriations. This suggestion was received with favor by the state insti- tutions, and in every state except two or three thia further co-ordination has been brought about, and. thus the two great agencies are working in each state in full accord and harmony for the interest of the whole people. FORESTRY PROBLEMS While the chief task of the department in forestry is the administration of the national forests, its work has a larger aspect. Most bf'the country's timber is in private hands. Here the situation is far from satisfactory. Very little private timber is handled with a view to the production of a new crop. Lumbering now involves much waste partly because of the limited market for the lower grades. In spite of the growing sentiment against forest fires, and the spread of organized fire protection, there is still a heavy fire loss. Altogether our timber resources are undergoing both depletion and dissipation, notwithstanding the generally recognized need for conserving what we have and for producing a new crop. It is as much the Suty of the department to seek means of success in the growing of this crop as of any other. That forestry can be practiced in this country with good results the experience of the department in managing the national forests makes clear. The main difficulty in the way of private forestry can no longer be held to be the lac;k of adequate knowledge or of successful example. Unquestion- ably the existing situation is brought about by various causes, some of which are due to unchangeable economic conditions, . while others are probably removable. There is great need for a careful inquiry to ascertain 44 just what and how important these various causes are. Such an inquiry has heen inaugurated jointly by the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Commerce. Its purpose is to obtain the basis for a con- structive public policy with regard to the timber question in all its phases — present conditions of production and marketing, the effects of timber specu- lation and the danger of private monopoly control, waste, the effects of competition, the various elements which enter into the cost of lumber to the consumer, and the question of future supplies. An important part of the forest problem is to get the right line drawn between farm and forest. Under private ownership, considerations enter which do not always lead to the best use of the land. On the national forests th"e question is determined by a careful study of what the land is best fitted to produce and what the public most needs. Agricultural de- velopment is provided for either by excluding from the forests land chiefly valuable for other than forest purposes or by listing land for settlement under the Forest Homestead Act. The work is carried out through land classification, which was aggressively pushed last year. The elimination made or determined upon -totaled over 2,000,000 acres, while systematic classification was conducted on 100 of the forests and over 280,000 acres of land were listed for settlement under the Forest Homestead Law. The area in the forests . at the close of the year, exclusive of land not the property of the Government, was slightly over 165,000,000 acres. There is need for similar classification work outside of the national forests wherever the public domain is timbered. There are still many areas which should be added to the forests. Wherever the land will have the largest permanent value through use for forest production, it should be held in public ownership. Timbered portions of the public domain are now unprotected against fire and trespass and are often a source of danger, to adjacent lands. Under existing law, the President has, in the seven states of California, Oregon, Washingtot, Idaho, Montana, Colorado, and Wyoming, no authority to add such lands to the present national for- ests. Legislative provision should be made "for applying the classification principles in these states. There is also need for legislation to permit the consolidation of national forest holdings through land exchanges with states and private owners. Some of the forests contain a great deal of land which was acquired from the Government before the forests were established. Exchanges of land on the basis of equal values would be very advantageous to the Govern- ment, since the cost of administration and protection would be materially reduced. The national forests, of an immense property value, must first of all be safeguarded against destroying agencies. Their most serious menace is fire, though heavy losse's may also result from the ravages of insect pests and tree diseases. The control of all these grows yearly more ef- ficient. A most dangerous fire season has been concluded with remark- able results. A drought of unusual severity and duration created tinderlike conditions throughout most of the Northwest. To this was added at times the peril of high winds, which greatly increased the difficulty of fire con- trol. That the season was terminated without and appalling destruction of both public and private property in. and about the national forests is due to the preparedness of the Forest Service organization, the yearly expanding equiprnent of the forests with means of communication and movement of both men and supplies and the aggressiveness with which the fires were fought before they had time to develop. 45 It Is beyond question that the cost of discovering and fighting these fires was repaid many times over. A billion dollars' worth of Government timber — to say nothing of other resources, or private property, and of human life — was brought through the season with a comparatively trifling loss. To achieve this result it was necessary for the department to create a large deficiency, since the appropriation for emergency fire fighting was wholly inadequate. In consequence a deficiency appropriation must be asked from Congress. A larger emergency fund is needed. In the summer of 1910 unpre- cedented fires resulted in a deficiency which Congress met by an appro- priation of $900,000. To prevent such a contingency from arising the followmg year an emergency fund of $1,000,000 was made available, to be drawn upon only in case of unusual need. This fund has been cut down in the successive appropriation acts since, until in the current year It has become only $100,000. Experience has made it plain that only in very favorable years is this amount adequate. The administrative task which the national forests present goes far beyond their protection. Use of their resources must be provided for under plans which aim at their systematic development. Timber, forage, and water are the resources of primary importance. Their full development is possible only through accurate knowledge of the factors which control their yield and painstaking study of the methods which will secure the most complete use. Investigative work is the key which unlocks these resources for the public. Use of the national forests is being developed along lines which are at once thoroughly scientific and thoroughly practical. In its handling of timber sales on the national forests -the department is confronted with a situation radically different from that which obtains with respect to the grazing. While almost all the range on the forests is in demand, most of the timber is not. To a large extent, development work here means so handling the timber that it will be an Important factor in opening up the country. Wherever and whenever general business and market conditions make is possible to sell large bodies of now inaccessible timber, the aim is to offer the timber on terms which will tend to increase transportation facilities, promote settlement and build up permanent com- munities. Where timber can be sold, the benefits of Government manage- ment of the forests as public resources are apparent now. Where, how- ever, the timber is not in present demand, a difficult situation sometimes exists. It has been urggd that, with the vast supplies of virgin national forest timber, the Government should greatly increase its sales by lowering the price asked for stumpage. To the extent that such a course had any effect at all, it would be in the long run an effect unfavorable to the public inter- est. Upon the greater part of the timber it would have no effect, because no manufacturer could, under present conditions, afford to cut the timber at any price. Where timber is thus not in demand because still inacces- sible, as a rule the possibility of marketing it depends on the adi^ent of a period of greater activity in the general lumber trade. When, as at the present time, lumbermen are forced by general market conditions to cur- tall output, the department cannot expect to make many large sales. Never- theless, It is wise even in such times not to cease offering large bodies of timber on terms which may attract purchasers, and this is being done. At the same time all possible effort is given to develop small sales for the supply of local needs, and sales to industries which require wood for 46 ' special purposes, since sales of this character provide a fairly steady, mar- ket for national forest stumpage, even when the general market is de- pressed. In a word, the timber-sale policy, no less than the grazing regu- lation policy, aims to make the resource serviceable to the public now, as well as in the future, in the fullest degree which scientific production and utilization can make possible. FURTHER SPECIAL COMMUNITY AID In regions where timber is the chief income-producing resource, ab- sence of demand for it often works a serious hardship upon those who have entered the region as the advance guard of civilization and are seeking, in the face of many difficulties, to establish homes. There are counties in which a sparse local population of pioneer settlers find themselves sur- rounded by a wilderness largely consisting of national forest land, which is almost Idle so far as any form of present use is concerned. In other words, a great, if not the greatest, potential source of wealth in such counties, held in trust by the Government for the benefit of the public, not merely contributes nothing now to the upbuilding of the communities which will give value to the foresta, but actually adds to the burden which these communities must assume. Were the forests private property they would pay their fair proportion of the cost of road development, public schools, and other public activities, through taxation. The Government, unlike the private owner of timberland in such regions, is holding the timber, not in order to make a profit later by its advance in value, but in order to make it promote the public welfare. That it should be made to serve the local as well as the national public welfare has been definitely recognized in the provisions of law for the use of 35 per cent of all gross receipts from the forests for local public purposes. To carry more fully into effect this already established principle a further step should be taken. It should not be necessary to wait until the period of hardest struggle Is past before these public resources begin to assist local development. Before the national forests begin to yield large incomes, as well as after, they should be made to participate in the work of building up the country and giving value to all its resources. The first need of the public In undeveloped regions is for more and. better roads. Without them the struggle of individuals to gain a foot- hold is much more difiicult, while isolation from neighbors and the out- side world means meager educational opportunity, a lack of comforts, and conditions unfavorable to community life. A road system, however, con- stitutes a capital investment which a handful of settlers must make a little at a time. When their roads must be built largely through national forest lands, which pay no taxes, their case is much more diflicult. In such regions the Secretary of Agriculture should be authorized to make a study of the local conditions and to gather all the data necessary to formulate a plan for public-road development based on local needs. These plans should be carried into suflicient detail to provide a reasonably accurate esti- mate of the cost of the road construction which it is proposed that the Government shall undertake. They should be accompanied by careful and conservative appraisals of the value of the national forest timber in each locality and a forecast of the future income which the forests will bring in from all sources. On the basis of the showings of fact regarding the value of the Government's property, its potential income-yielding capacity, and the needs of the public. Congress should be asked to appropriate for 47 the construction of specific projects recommended by the Secretary of Agriculture. Tlie cost of such road construction by the Government should constitute an advance of the amounts which the forests would later make available for local use. In effect, therefore, the roads would become an obligation upon the forests, to be extinguished as their resources come into commercial demand. , Water is a national forest resource of even greater importance than timber or range, for the forests feed every important western stream. Water supplies and the value of water use depend to a large extent on the methods employed in handling the timber and forage resources, for both the volume and the purity of the water yield may be disastrously impaired by bad forestry or grazing methods. Of all forms of water use, that which supplies municipal needs should be given most careful attention. Some 1,200 western towns derive their water from national forest watersheds. The authority of the Secretary of Agriculture to protect such water from contarnination is inadequate to safeguard the public health, and should be enlarged by further legislation. ' Recreational use of the forests is by far the chief of what may^be called their secondary uses, and is certain to grow rapidly in importance. While water, wood, and forage production must be given first place, constructive study of the 'problems which the value of the forests for recreational use present is also an urgent need. Among these problems is provision for the use of land by persons wishing to build summer homes within the forests, and by hotel enterprises. At present the only course open to the department is to grant applicants for such privileges a revocable per- mit to occupy the necessary land. Provision for term leases is highly desirable, and legislation to this end is urged. REORGANIZATION The Congress at its last session authorized and directed the Secretary of Agriculture "to prepare a plan for reorganizing, redirecting, and sys- tematizing the work of the Department of Agriculture as the interests of economical and efficient administration may require." It ordered that such plan be submitted to Congress in the book of estimates for the fiscal year - 1916, and that the estimates of expenditures, of the department for the fiscal year 1916 shall be prepared and submitted in accordance therewith In compliance with this authorization and direction, a careful survey has been made of the organization and work of the entir^ department. It was evident from the outset that in the rapid growth of the department some lines of work had been located illogically in different bureaus out of im- mediate touch with closer related lines and, in some instances, witho^it any reference to the adequacy of the machinery of the bureau to handle them. Furthermore,it was apparent that the three leading lines of depart- ment work— the regulatory, the research, and the educational — had become in a measure intermingled in the various bureaus, so that no satisfactorily clear view could be had of them in their entirety either in any bureau or in the department as. a whole. It was obvious that some work was done at cross purposes and that a certain amount of conflict of interest, lost motion and inefficiency resulted. It is clearly desirable, as far as possible, to differentiate and segregate each kind of work from the other, to see to it that the policing or regulatory functions do not interfere with the re- search work, or either of these with the educational or extension work, but that, oil the other hand, they are organized and related that each may 48 re-enforce and foster the other. A committee consisting of officers drawn from various bureaus made a careful study of the situation and submitted its report, which, after revision, was approved by the Secretary and will be reported to the Congress for its sanction. The estimates of the depart- ment have been submitted in , accordance with the plan, as directed by , the Congress. The first important feature of the proposed change is the definite outline or segregation in each bureau of these three groups of activities — the regulatory, the research, and the , extension. The conclusion was reached that it was not only not necessary to interfere with the bureau and office organizations existing, but that it would be distinctly unwise to do so. The suggestion of grouping the services of the department as a whole, according to the purposes in view, into regulatory, research, exten sion and other groups, each with a large number of similar small units, was carefully considered and was abandoned as unnecessary and undesirable. It was decided that better" results would be secured by retaining the existing organizations, with certain modifidations and rearrangements. This segregation, however, which is highly important, is a matter of internal concern and in the interests of administrative efficiency, and requires no legislative action. The work will be shaped in conformity to the segregation, and the administrative officers will have a clearer view of the several activities under their direction. Pains will be taken to assign- those who have research talent to the investigational work, those who have administrative ability to the regulatory, and those who have special talent for direction of extension work to that entirely. The changes in these directions cannot fail to be conducive to efficiency. The second and equally ' important suggested change is the relocation of important lines of work, as follows: It is proposed to remove from the Bureau of Plant Industry the Office of Farm Management and the farm-demonstration work for both the North and the South, and to attach the former to the Office of the Secre- tary and the latter to the Office of Experiment Stations, the name of which it is proposed to change to the State Relations Service. -Farm manage- ment conceives the farm as a whole. Its problem is not primarily a plant industry problem. It is rather a business or economic problem. It is not one for which the agronomist has necessarily the requisite training, although the service of the agronomist as well as the services of experts of other bureaus are Invoked. Since its function is that of studying the farm from the business point of view in all its aspects, it seemed advisable to relate the office to that of the Secretary, so that the officers might feel conscious of no bureau limitations. Similar considerations led to the. con- clusion that the farm-demonstration work should not be attached to a particular bureau. Heretofore the agents in this work, attached as they have been to the Bureau of Plant Industry, have experienced some em- barrassment in demonstrating things coming within the work of other bureaus. Obviously the farm demonstrator must be prepared to demon- strate anything the department has of value to the farmer. He cannot conceive of the farm partially. The change in the name of the Office of Experiment Stations to States Relations Service is proposed because the term "Office of Experiment Stations" is no longer indicative of that part of the department's activities. 'That office has in addition to the super- vision of the experiment-station funds the supervision of other funds expended by the land-grant colleges, and has logically been charged with the administration of the new extension act. The direct farm-demonstra- 49 tion work Is similar to the work which will be carried on under the extension act, and, as has been stated, arrangements have been made for co-ordinating it with the work under the extension act. It is proposed to change the name of the Office of Public Roads to the Office of Public Roads and Rural Engineering, to eliminate from the Office of Experiment Stations the work in irrigation and drainage, and from the Bureau of. Plant Industry the work in rural architecture, and to locate these three lines of work in the newly named office. There seems not to have been any logical reason for locating the work in irrigation and drainage in the Office of Experiment Stations and that office in its higher administrative branches is not organized with a view to the direction of engineering work. The Office of Public Roads is primarily an engineering office, and irrigation and drainage, as well as architecture, naturally belong to it. To the new Office of Markets and Rural Organization it is proposed to transfer from the Bureau of Plant Industry the work in farm- credit and farm-insurance investigation; from the Bureau of Animal In- dustry the market-milk investigations, and, in part, in co-operation with the Bureau of Animal Industry and Bureau of Chemistry, the poultry and egg investigations. It is proposed to transfer from the Bureau of Soils to the Bureau of Plant Industry the soil-fertility investigations. The committee of experts reporting on this matter were unanimous that the work in soil-fertility investigations and that in soil bacteriology and in plant pathology in the Bureau of Plant Industry should be located in the same bureau. They are closely related, and work in one could not in all cases be carried to a satisfactory conclusion without a close and intimate co-ordination with the others. After a most careful consideration it seemed wise and practicable to propose that the transfer be made to the Bureau of Plant Industry. Other less important changes include the transfer of poisonous-plant in- vestigations from the Bureau of Plant Industry to the Bureau of Animal Industry, investigations of duck diseases from the Biological Survey to the Bureau of Animal Industry, and of wood-distillation work from the Bureau of Chemistry to the Forest Service. There is good reason for believing that the re-direction and relocation of the work as proposed will result in a marked increase in the efficiency of the labors of the department. CONCLUSION I have sought to bring into view in the main some of the larger constructive tasks and proposals of this department. I have not under taken to review the work and services of certain great offices of the department, such aS the Weather Bureau, which is giving highly valuable aid not only to the farmer, to the business man and to the navigator, but to all the people of the nation; the Office of Experiment Stations, which has such broad and intimate relations with the whole land-grant educational machinery of the nation; the Bureau of Chemistry, which is charged with the administration of the Food and Drugs Act; the Bureau of Biological Survey, which is intrusted with many difficult tasks, including the ad- ministration of the Migratory-Bird Law;^ the Bureau of Soils; the special boards, such as the Federal Horticultural Board and the Insecticide and Fungicide Board; and the Office of the Solicitor, whose activities are essential to the orderly haiidling of many important departmental, legis- lative and, administrative affairs. I have not attempted to outline the activities of divisions of these or of other offices and bureaus. I should 50 deeply regret it If my failure to do so were interpreted to indicate that their work is in any measure less valuable and helpful than that which has received more specific and elaborate mention. Where activities are so varied, the task must of necessity be one of selection and emphasis. For a full comprehension of the undertakings, activities and services of the department the reports of the several bureaus and, offices separately published must be consulted. Through such legislation, enterprises and labors the Federal Govern- ment is attempting to solve the problems of agriculture and of rural life. It finds valuable allies and co-workers in the great agricultural agencies of the several states. Nothing short of a comprehensive attempt to make rural life healthful, profitable, comfortable and attractive will solve the problems. It is the only sure way of retaining in the rural dis- tricts an adequate number of efficient' and contented people. That the thought and effort of the nation must be persistently and systematically along these lines is clear. The urgency of the task is emphasized by the fact that while the population of the United States in the last fifteen years has. increased 23,000,000, the strictly rural districts have shown an increase of perhaps less than 6,000,000. While we labor to increase the supply of material things we cannot neglect the higher things — the intellectual and social sides of rural life. The conservation and development of the people is the greatest problem of conservation confronting us. We must see to it that some of the finer results of civilization accrue to the people of the rural districts and are not the peculiar possession of urban communities. An expenditure of effort and money in this direction cannot be a burden. Through such measures wisely executed and with such protection rural life will become more efficient, and the farmers of the nation may without fear face the competition of the world. Smith-Lever Act. (Public— No. 95— 63d Congress) ; (H. R. 7951.) An Act to Provide for Co-operative Agricultural Extension Work Between the Agricultural Colleges in the Several States Receiving the Benefits of an Act of Congress Approved July Second, Eighteen Hundred and Sixty-Two, and of Acts Supplementary Thereto, and the United States Department of Agriculture. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled. That in order to aid in diffusing among the people of the United States useful and practical information on subjects relating to agriculture and home economics, and to encourage the application of the same, there may be inaugurated in connection with the college or colleges in each state now receiving, or which may hereafter receive, the benefits of the Act of Congress approved July second, eighteen hundred and sixty-two, entitled "An Act donating public lands to the several states and territories which may provide colleges for the benefit of agriculture and the mechanic arts" (Twelfth Statutes at Large, page five hundred and three), and of the -Act of Congress approved August thirtieth, eighteen hundred and ninety (Twenty-sixth Statutes at Large, page four hundred and seventeen and chapter eight hundred and forty- one), agricultural extension work which shall be carried on in co-operation 51 with the Unl.ted States Department of Agriculture: Provided, That In any state In which two or more such colleges have been or hereafter may be established the appropriations hereinafter made to such state shall be administered by such college or colleges as the legislature of such state may direct; Provided further, That, pending the inauguration and develop- ment of the co-operative extension work herein authorized, nothing in this Act shall be construed to discontinue either the farm management work or the farmers' co-operative demonstration work as now conducted by the Bureau of Plant Industry of the Department of Agriculture. Sec. 2. That co-operative agricultural extension work shall consist of the giving of instruction and practical demonstrations in agriculture and home economics to persons not attending or resident in said colleges In the several communities, and imparting to such persons Information on said subjects through field demonstrations, publications, and otherwise; and this work shall be carried on in such manner as ipay be mutually agreed upon by the Secretary of Agriculture and the state agricultural college or colleges receiving the benefits of this Act. Sec. 3. That for the purpose of paying the expenses of said co-opera- tive agricultural extension work and the necessary printing and , distrib- uting of information in conijiection with the same, there is permanently appropriated, out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated, the sum of $480,000 for each year, $10,000 of which shall be paid annually, in the manner hereinafter provided, to each state which shall by action of its legislature assent to the provisions of this Act: Provided, That payment of such installments of the appropriation hereinbefore made as shall become due to any state before the adjournment of the regular session of the legislature meeting next after the passage of this Act may, in the absence of prior legislative assent, be made upon the assent of the governor thereof, duly certified to the Secretary of i the Treasury: Provided further, That there is' also appropriated an additional sum of $600,000 for the fiscal year following that in* which the foregoing appropriation first becomes available, and for each year thereafter for seven years a sum exceeding by $500,000 the sum appropriated for each preceding year, and for each year thereafter there is permanently appropriated for each year the sum of $4,100,000 in addition to the sum of $480,000 hereinbefore pro- vided: Provided further. That before the funds herein appropriated shall become available to any college for any fiscal year plans for the work to be carried on under this Act shall be submitted by the proper officials of each college and approved by the Secretary of Agriculture. Such addi- tional, sums shall be used only for the purposes hereinbefore stated, and shall be allotted annually to each state by the Secretary of Agriculture and paid in the manner hereinbefore provided, in the proportion which the rural population of each state bears to the total rural population of all the states as determined by the next preceding federal census: Provided further. That no payment out of the additional appropriations herein ^pro- vided shall be made in any year to any state until an equal sum has been appropriated for that year by the legislature of such state/or provided by state, county, college, local authority, or individual - contributions" from within the state, for the maintenance of the co-operative agricultural ex- tension, work provided for in this Act. Sec. 4. That the sums hereby appropriated for extension work shall be paid in equal semi-annual payments on the first day of January and July- of each year by the Secretary of the Treasury upon the warrant of the Secretary of Agriculture, out of the treasury of the United States, to the 52 % treasurer or other, officer of the state duly authorized by the laws of the state to receive the same; and such oflficer shall be required to report to the Secretary of Agriculture, on or before ttie first day of September of each year, a detailed statement of the amount so received during the previous fiscal year, and of its disbursement, on forms prescribed by the Secretary of Agriculture. Sec. 5. That if any portion of the moneys received by the designated officer of any state for the support and maintenance of co-operative agri- cultural extension work, as provided in this Act, shall by .any action or contingency be diminished or lost, or be misapplied, it shall be replaced by said state to which it belongs, and until so replaced no subsequent appropriation shall be apportioned or paid to said state, and no portion of said moneys shall be applied, directly or indirectly, to the purchase, erec- tion, preservation, or repair of any building or buildings, or the purchase or rental of land, or in college-course teaching,' lectures in colleges, pro- moting agricultural trains, or any other purpose not specified in this Act, and not more than five per centum of each annual appropriation shall be applied to the printing and distribution of publications. It shall be the duty of each of said colleges annually, on or before the first day of January, to make to the governor of the state in which it is located a full and detailed report of it^ operations in the direction of extension work as defined in this Act, including a detailed statement of receipts and expendi- tures from all sources for this purpose, a copy of which report shall be sent to the Secretary of Agriculture and to the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States. Sec. 6. That on or before the first day of July in each year after the passage of this Act the_ Secretary of Agriculture shall ascertain and certify to the Secretary of the Treasury as to each state whether it is entitled to receive its share of the annual appropriation for co-operative agricultural extension work under this Act, and the amount which it is entitled to receive. If the Secretary of Agriculture shall withhold a certificate from any state of its appropriation, the facts and reasons therefor shall be re- ported to the President, and the amount involved shall be kept separate in the treasury until the expiration of the Congress next succeeding a session of the legislature of any state from which a certificate has been withheld, in order that the state may, if it should so desire, appeal to Congress from the determination of the Secretary of Agriculture. If the next Congress shall not direct such sum to be paid it shall be covered into the treasury. Sec. 7. That the Secretary of Agriculture shall make an annual report to Congress of the receipts, expenditures, and results of the co-operative agricultural extension work in all of the states receiving the benefits of this Act, and also whether the appropriation of any state has been with- held; and if so, the i-easons therefor. Sec. 8. That Congress may at any time alter, amend, or repeal any or all of the provisions of this Act. Approved, May 8, 1914. 53 Agricultural Colleges in the United States, Including Only Institutions Established Under the Land-Grant Act of July 2, 1862. (Copied from Yearbook of the Department of Agriculture, 1914.) College instruction in agriculture is given in the colleges and univer- sities receiving the benefits of the acts of Congress of July 2, 1862, August 30, 1890, and March 4, 1907, which are now in operation in all the states and territosies except Alaska. The total number of these institutions is 68, of which 65 maintain courses of instruction in agriculture. In 23 states the Agricultural Colleges are departments of the state universities. In 16 states and territories separate institutions having courses for white persons and several. of those for negroes offer four-year courses in agricul- ture and its related sciences leading to bachelors' degrees, and many provide for graduate study. About 60 of these institutions also provide special, short, or correspondence courses in the different branches of agriculture, including agronomy, horticulture, animal husbandry, poultry- raising, cheese making, dairying, sugar making, rural engineering, farm mechanics, and other technical subjects. Officers of the agricultural colleges engage quite largely in conducting farmers' institutes and various •other forms of college extension. The agricultural experiment stations, with very few exceptions are departments of the agricultural colleges. The total number of persons engaged in the work of education and research in the land-grant colleges and the experiment stations in 1914 was 7,537, the number of students (white) in interior courses in the colleges, of agriculture and mechanic arts, 55,129; the total number of students in the whole institutions, 105,803,' the number of students (white) in the four-year college courses in agriculture, 14,246; the total number of students in the institutions for negroes, 9,251, of whom 2,200 were en- rolled in agricultural cours.es. With a few exceptions, each of these colleges offers free tuition to residents of the state in which it is located. In the excepted cases scholarships are open to promising and energetic students and in all opportunities are found for some to earn part of their expense by their own labor. The expenses are from $125 to $300 for the school year. AGRICULTURAL COLLEGES IN THE UNITED STATES State or Name of Institution. Location. President. Territory Alabama Alabama Polyteohnie Institute Auburn, C. C. Tbach. Agricultural Scbool of the Tuskegee, Normal and Industrial Institute Tuskegee Inst., B.T.Washington Agricultural and Mechanical College . . „ for Negroes Normal, W. S. Buchanan. Arizona CoUeee of Agriculture of the University „ of Arizona Tucson, R. H. Forbes.! . Arkansas College of Agriculture of the Uliiversity of Arkansas Fayetteville, Martin Nelson.' Branch Normal College Pine Bluff, F. T. Venegar. Cahforma College of Agriculture of the University „ , , „ of Cahforma Berkeley, T. F. Hunt." Colorado State Agricultural College of Colorado , . Fort Collins, C. A. Lory. Connecticut Connecticut Agricultural College Storrs, C. L. Beach. Delaware Delaware College Newark S. C. Mitchell • State College for Colored Students. Dover, W. C. Jason. Florida College of Agriculture of the University of Florida ; Gainesville, - J. J. Vernon.' Florida Agricultural and Mechanical College for Negroes Tallahassee, N. B. Young Georgia Georgia State College of Agriculture .... Athens, A. M. Soule. Georgia State Industrial College Savannah; R. R. Wright. Hawaii College of Hawaii Honolulu, A. L. Dean. Idaho College of Agriculture of the University of Idaho Moscow, E. J. Iddings." ^Not including students in correspondence courses and extension schools. 'Dean. ^Acting dean 54 * • State or Name of Institution. Territory. Illinois College of Agriculture of the University of IlUnoia ■....,,... Indiana School of Agriculture of Purdue Uni- versity Iowa Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts . . . . f Kansas Kansas State Agricultural College Kentucky College of Agriculture of the State Uni- versity Kentucky Normal and Industrial Insti- tute for Colored Persons Louisiana Louisiana State University and Agridiil- tural and Mechanical College Southern University and Agricultural and Mechanical College of the State of Louisiana Maine College of Agricultural of the University , of Maine Maryland Maryland Agricultural College Princess Anne Academy, Eastern Branch of the Maryland Agricultural College.. Massachusetts. . . Massachusetts Agricultural College Massachusetts Inst, of Technology^ Michigan Michigan Agricultural College Minnesota College of Agriculture of the University of Minnesota Mississippi Mississippi Agricultural and Mechanical College Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical CoUege „ Missouri College of Agriculture of the University of Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy of Uni- versity of Missouri* Lincoln Institute Montana Montana State College of Agricultural and Mechanic Arts Nebraska CoUege of Agriculture of the University of Nebraska Nevada College of Agriculture of the University of Nevada New Hampshire . New Hampshii*fe College of Agriculture . and the Mechanic Arts New Jersey Rutgers College (New Jersey State College for Benefit of Agricultural and Mechanic Arts.) New Mexico New M&xLqo College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts ....'..._. New York New York College of Agriculture North Carolina. .The North Carolina Cqllege of Agricul- ture and Mechanic Arts The Agricultural and Mechanical College for Colored Races North Dakota. . .North Dakota Agricultural College Ohio College of Agriculture of Ohio State { Umversity Oklahoma Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical CoUege Agricultural and Norhial University , . . . Oregon .Oregon State Agricultural College Pennsylvania.. . .The School of ■ Agriculture of the Penn- sylvania State CoUege Porto Rico CoUej^e of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts of University of Porto Rico . Rhode Island State College . The Clemson Agricultural College of South CaroUna - - ■ The Colored Normal, Industrial, Agri- cultural, and Mechanical CoUege of South CaroUna ; . . ■ .South Dakota^ State College of Agricul- ture and Mechanic Arts Tennessee College of Agriculture, University of Tennessee ; •;^" iV i Texas Agricultural and MechaI^cal College of Texas ■ ■ . ■ • - • ■.• • Prairie View State Normal and Industnal College Utah Agricultural College of Utah ,- - Vermont College of Agriculture of the Umversity , of Vermont Vircinia ■ - ■ The Virginia Agricultural and Mechan- ical CoUege and Polytechnic Institute . The Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute Location. Urbana, Ija Fayette, Ames, Manhattan, Lexington, Frankfort, Baton Rouge, President. E. Davenport.* J. H. Skinner.4 R. A. Pearson. J. H. Waters. J. H. Kastle.< G. P. RusseU. T. D. Boyd. Scotland Heights, Baton Rouge. J. D. Clark. Orono, College Park, Princess Anne, Amherst, Boston, East Lansing, University Farm, St. Paul, Agricultural CoUege, Alcorn, Columbia, RoUa. Jefferson City, Bozeman, Lincoln, Reno, Durham, L. S. Merrill.4 H. J. Patterson. T. H. Kiah. K. L. Butterfield. R. C. Maclaurin. J. L. Snyder. A. F. "Woods.* G. R. Hightower. J. A. Martin. F. B. Mumford.* B. F. Allen. Jas. M. Hamilton. E. A. Burnett.* C. S. Knight.* E. T. Fairchild. New Brunswick, W, H. S, Demarest. State College, Ithaca, Geo. E. Ladd. B. T. GaUoway.* West Raleigh, D. H. HiU. Rhode Island . . . South Carolina . South Dakota . Gfeensboro, Agricult'l College Columbus, StiUwater, Langston, CorvaUis, State Cqllege, Mayaguez, Kingston, " J. B. Dudley. J. H. Woi-st. H. C. Price.* L. L. Lewis.8 L. E. Page. W. J. Kerr. R. L..Watts.* R. S. Garwood.* Howard Edwards. Clemson CoUege W. M. Riggs. Orangeburg, Brookings, Knoxville, CoUege Station, \ Prairie View, Logan, BurUngton, Blacksburg, Hampton, R. S. Wilkinson. E. C. Perisho. Brown Ayres. W. B. BizzeU. E. L. Blackshear. J. A. Widtsoe. J. L. HiUs.* J. D. JIggleston. H. B. FrisseU. 4Dean. "^Does not maintain courses in agriculture. ^Acting President. 55 state or Name of Irlstitutiun. Location. Territory. Washington. . . . State CoUego of Wualiington. Pullman, West Virginia, . .College of Agriculture of West Virginia Univeraity Morgantown, Wobt Virginia Colored Institute. ....... Institute, Wisconsin CoIIcrc of Agriculture of the University of Wisconsin > Madison, Wyoming College of Agriculture, University of Wyoming Laramie, ^Dean. President. E. A. E^yan. E. D. Sanderson.' Byrd Prillerman. H. L. Russell.' H. G. Knight.' Agricultural Experiment Stations of the United States, Their Locations and Directors. (Copied from Yearbook of the Department of Agriculture, 1914.) Alabama (College), Auburn: J. P. Duggar^ Alabama (Canebrake), Uniontown: L. H. Moore. Alabama (Tuskegee), Tuskegee Inst.: G. W. Carver. Alaska, Sitka (Rampart, Kodiak & Fairbank) : C. C. Georgeson.' Arizona, Tucson: R. H. Forbes. Arkansas, Fayettevllle : Martin Nelson. California, Berkeley: T. F. Hunt. Colorado, Ft. Collins: C P. Gil- lette. Connecticut (State), New Haven: E. H. Jenkins. Connecticjut (Storrs), Storrs: E. H. Jenkins. Delaware, Newark: Harry Hay- ward. Florida, Gainesville: P. H. Rolfs. Georgia, Experiment: R. J. H. De- Loach. Guam:'' A. C. Hartenbower." Hawaii (Federal), Honolulu: J. M; Westgate.' Hawaii (Sugar Planters'), Hono- lulu: H. P. Agee. Idaho, Moscow! J. S. Jones/ Illinois, TJrbana; E. Davenport. Indiana, La Payette: Arthur Gqss. Iowa, Ames: C. P. Curtiss. Kansas, Manhattan: W. M. Jar- dine. Kentucky, Lexington: J. H. Kas- tle. Louisiana (Sugar), New Orleans: W. R. Dodson. ^Special agent in charge. ^Address; Island of Guam, via 'San Francisi Louisiana (State), Baton Rouge: W. R. Dodson. Louisiana (North) Calhoun: W. R. Dodson. Louisiana (Rice), Crowley: W. R. Dodson. Maine, Orono: C. D. Woods. Maryland, College Park: H. J. Patterson. Massachvtsetts, Amherst: W. P. Brooks. Michigan, East Lansing: R. S. Shaw. Minnesota, University Farm, St. Paul: A. F. Woods. Mississippi, Agricultural College: E. R. Lloyd. - Missouri (College), Columbia: F. B. Mumford. Missouri (Fruit), Mountain Grove: Paul Evans. Montana, Bozeman: F. B. Linfield. Nebraska, Lincoln: E. A. Burnett. Nevada, Reno: S. B. Doten. New Hampshire, Durham: J. C. Kendall. New Jersey (State), New. Bruns- wick: J. G. Lipman. New Jersey (College), New Bruns- wick: J. G. Lipman. New Mexico (State College) : Pa bian Garcia. New York (State), Geneva: W. H Jordan. New York (Cornell), Ithaca: B. T. Galloway. North Carolina, Raleigh and West , Raleigh: B. W. Kilgore. '•.'Vgronomist in charge. ■'Acting director. 56 North Dakota, Agricultural Col- lege: T. P. Cooper. Ohio, Wooster: C. E. Thorne. Oklahoma, Stillwater: W. L. Carlyle. Oregon, Corvallis: A. B. Cordley. Pennsylvania, State College: R. L. Watts. Pennsylvania (Inst, of Animal Nu- trition), State College: H. P. Armsby. Porto Rico (Federal), Mayaguez: D. W. May.' Porto Rico (Insular), Rio Piedras: W. V. Tower. Rhode Island, Kingston: B. L. Hartwell. South Carolina, Clemson College: J. N. Harper; South Dakota, Brookings: J. W. Wilson. Tennessee, Knoxville: H. A. Mor- gan. Texas, College Station: B. Young- blood. Utah, Logan: E. D. Ball. "Vermont, Burlington: J. L. Hills. Virginia (College), Blacksburg: W. J. Schoene.' Virginia (Truck), Norfolk: T. C. Johnson. Washington, Pulman: I. D. Car^ dife. West .'Virginia, Morgantown: E. D. Sanderson. Wisconsin, Madison: H. L. Rus- sell. Wyoming, Laramie: H. G. Knight. State Officials in Charge of Agriculture. (Copied from Yearbook of the Department of Agriculture, 1914.) Alabama: Commissi6ner of Agri- culture, Montgomery. Alaska: Director of Experiment Stations, Sitka. Arizona: Director pf Experiment Station, Tucson. Arkansas: Commissioner of Agri- culture, Little Rock. California: Secretary of State Board of Agriculture, Sacra- mento. Colorado : Secretary of State Board of Agriculture, Port Collins. Connecticut: Secretary of State Board of Agriculture, Hartford. Delaware: Secretary of State Board of Agriculture, Dover. Florida: Commissioner of Agricul- ture, Tallahassee. Georgia: Commissioner of Agri- culture, Atlanta. Guam: Director of Experiment Station, Guam. Hawaii: Secretary of Territorial Board of Agriculture, Honolulu. Idaho: Commissioner of Immigra- tion Labor and Statistics, Boise. Illinois: Secretary of State Board of Agriculture, Springfield. Indiana: Secretary of State Board of Agriculture, Indianapolis. Iowa: Secretary of State Board of Agriculture, Des Moines. Kansas: Secretary of State Board of Agriculture, Topeka. Kentucky: Commissioner of Agri- culture, Frankfort. Louisiana: Commissioner of Agri- culture, Baton Rouge. Maine: Commissioner of Agricul- ture, Augusta. Maryland: Director of Experi- ment Station, College, Park. Massachusetts: Secretary of State Board of Agriculture, Boston. Michigan: Secretary of State Board of Agriqulture, East Lan- sing. Minnesota: Secretary of State Agricultural Society, St. Paul. Mississippi: Commissioner of Agriculture, Jackson. Missouri: Sec'retary of State Board of Agriculture, Columbia. Montana: Commissioner of Agri- culture, Helena. Nebraska: Secretary of State Board of Agriculture, Lincoln. 57 Nevada: Secretary of State Board o£ Agriculture, Carson, City. New Hampshire: Secretary of State Board of Agriculture, Con- cord. New Jersey: Secretary of State Board of Agriculture, Trenton. New Mexico: Director of Experi- ment Station, Agricultural Col- lege. New York: Commissioner of Agri- culture, Albany. North Carolina: Commissioner of Agriculture, Raleigh. North Dakota: Commissioner of Agriculture, Bismark. Ohio: Secretary of State Board of Agriculture, Columbus. Oklahoma: President of State Board of Agriculture, Oklahoma. Oregon: Secretary of State Board, of Agriculture, Salem. Pennsylvania: Secretary of Agri- culture, Harrisburg. Phillippine Islands: Director of Agriculture, Manila. Porto Rico: Director of Experi- ment Station, Mayaguez. Rhode Island: Secretary of State Board of Agriculture, Providence. South Carolina: Commissioner of Agriculture, Columbia. South Dakota: Secretary of State Board of Agriculture, Huron. Tennessee: Commissioner of Agri- culture, Nashville. Texas: Commissioner of Agricul- ture, Austin. Utah: Director of Experiment Sta- tion, Logan. Vermont: Commissioner of Agri- culture, St. Albans. Virginia: Commissioner of Agri- culture, Richmond. Washington: Commissioner of Agriculture, Olympia. West Virginia: Secretary of State Board of Agriculture, Charleston. Wisconsin: Secretary of State Board of Agriculture, Madison. Wyoming: Director of Experi- ment Station, Laramie. State Officers in Charge of Co-Operative Agricultural Extension Work. (Copied from Yearbook of the Department of Agriculture, 1914.)^ Alabama: J. F. Duggar, Alabama Polytechnjc Institute, Auburn. Arizona: S. F. Morse, College of Agriculture, University of Ari- zona, Tucson. Arkansas: W. C. Lassetter, College of Agriculture, University of Ark. Fayetteville. California: W. T. Clarke, College of Agriculture, University of Cal- ifornisl, Berkeley. Colorado: C. A. Lory, State Agri- cultural College of Colorado, Fort Collins. Connecticut: H. J. Baker, Con- necticut Agricultural College, Storrs. Delaware: H. Hayward, Delaware College, Newark. Florida: P. H. Rolfs, College of Agriculture, University of Flor- ida, Gainesville. Georgia: A. M. Soule, Georgia State College of Agriculture, Athens. Idaho: O. D. Center, College of Agriculture, University of Idaho, Boise. Illinois: W. F. Handschin, College of Agriculture, University of Illi- nois, Urbana. Indiana: G. I. Christie, Purdue University, La Fayette. Iowa: R. K. Bliss, Iowa State Col- lege, Ames. Kansas : J. H. Miller, Kansas State Agricultural College, Manhattan. Kentucky: Fred Mulchler, College of Agriculture, State University, Lexington. 58 Louisiana: W. R. Dodson, Louisi- ana State University, Baton Rouge. Maine: L. S. Merrill, College of Agriculture, University of Maine, Orono. Maryland: T. B. Symons, Mary- land Agricultural College, College Park. Massachusetts: W. D. Hurd, Mas- sachusetts Agricultural College, Amherst. Michigan: R. J. Baldwin, Michigan Agricultural College, East Lan- sing. Minnesota: A. D. Wilson, College of Agriculture, University of Minnesota, University Farm, St. Paul. Mississippi: E. R. Lloyd, Missis- sippi Agricultural and Mechanic- al College, Agricultural College. -Missouri: A. J. Meyer, College of Agriculture, University of Mis- souri, Columbia. Montana: P. S. Cooley, Montana State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, Bozeman. Nebraska: C. W. Pugsley, College of Agriculture, University of Ne- braska, Lincoln. Nevada: C. S. Knight, College of Agriculture, University of Ne- vada, Reno. New Hampshire: J. .C. Kendall, New Hampshire College of Agri- culture and Mechanic Arts, Dur- ham. New Jersey: Alva Agee, Rutgers College, New Brjinswick. New Mexico: A. C. CoUey, New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, State Col- lege. New York: B. T. Galloway, New York State College of Agricul- ture, Ithaca. North Carolina: B. W. Kilgore, North Carolina College of Agri- culture and Mechanic, Arts, West Raleigh. North Dakota: T. P. Cooper, North Dakota Agricultural College, Ag- ricultural College. Ohio: H..C. Price, College of Agri- culture, Ohio State University, Columbus. Oklahoma: W. D. Bentley, Okla- homa Agricultural and Mechanic- al College, Stillwater. Oregon: R. D. Hetzel, Oregon State Agricultural College, Corvallis. Pennsylvania: M. S. McDowell, Pennsylvania State College, State College. Rhode Island: A. E. Stene, Rhode Island State College, Kingston. South Carolina: W. W. Long, Clemson Agricultural College of S. Carolina, Clemson College. South Dakota: E. C. Perisho, South Dakota State College, Brookings. Tennessee: C. A. Keffer, " College of Agriculture, University of Ten- nessee, Knoxville. Texas: Clarence Ousley, Agricul- tural and Mechlanical College of Texas, Cpllege Station. Utah: E. G. Peterson, Agricultural College of Utah, Logan. Vermont: Thos. Bradlee, College of Agriculture, University of Ver- mont, Burlington. ' Virginia: J. D. Eggleston, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacks- burg. Washington: J. A. Tormey, State College of Washington, Pullman. West Virginia: C. R. Titlow, Col- lege of Agriculture, W. Virginia University, Morgantown. Wisconsin: K. L. Hatch, College of Agriculture, University of Wisconsin, Madison. Wyoming: A. E. Bowman, College of Agriculture, University of Wyoming, Laramie. 59 The Work of State Universities and Colleges and the Free Educational Advantages they Offer to the Farmer, By Dr. H. A. Morgan, Dean of College of Agriculture, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tenn. The colleges of agriculture in the United States were organized under an act of Congress known as the Morrill Act, approved July 2nd, 1862, by which each state accepting the provisions 6t the Act was given 30,000 acres of land for each Representative and Senator in Congress, the pro- ceeds of which were to be used as an endowment for the institution. The states were to provide all necessary land and buildings, and the colleges were to teach agriculture, mechanic arts and tlje sciences and arts related thereto, including military science and tactics. The scope of the institu- tions was broad, providing for a liberal education directed to prac- tical ends. In some states, Mississippi and Iowa being examples, an independent college of agriculture and mechanic arts was created under the Morrill Act; in others, such as Tennessee and Wisconsin, existing universities were designated tly State Legislature to receive the benefits of the Act. We shall assume for the purposes of this discussion that such state universities as include a college of agriculture and mechanic arts in their organization, and the separate colleges of agriculture organized under " the Morrill Act of 1862, are to be considered. Since the Act of 1862, these institutions have received substantial grants from Congress; in 1887 an Experiment Station was provided for in each state with an annual Congressional appropriation of $15,000, to which in 1905 an additional sum of $15,000 was made by the Adams Act. In 1890 a second Morrill Act gave $25,000 per year as an additional support for these institutions, and in 1914 provision was made for a Division of Extension in Agriculture and Home Economics. Primarily the colleges of agriculture, whether existing as departments of state universities or as separate institutions, are designed to give a liberal education which shall fit men and women for life on farms. During the 54 years since the first Morrill Act was passed by Congress public opinion regarding the practical value of these institutions has undergone a gradual change; sjow to win approval at first, their work in recent years has gained general acceptance among all classes of citizens. Without attempting a historical review, let us look briefly at the work of the uni- versities and colleges and see wherein they are a benefit to American farming. The college of agriculture is the great source of definite information regarding his work for the farmer. It is diflicult to compare farming with any other productive occupation. The farmer is a manufacturer, but he cannot control the elements of production to anything like the degree attained by the majcer of the implements with which he works. The wagon-maker using wood and iron and steel, with machines of precision and skilled mfechanics, works with a definiteness impossible to him whose materials are air and water and soil and developing life. The wagon- maker's materials are known not only to him, but to his workmen; there Is a well defined knowledge of these things — wood and iron, which one may hold in his hands — and the eye and hand of the skilled worker control almost absolutely the form they assume, the result of tl)e labor expended upon them can be foretold with accuracy. But who can handle, with the same , definiteness, air and water and soil, and who can tell with the same 60 I accuracy what will be the result of the tillage, and of the feeding of the crop to growing animals? There is need of vastly greater knowledge on the farm than in the shop, and there is need of equal skill. Unfortunately for the development of agriculture, the farmer has been slow to recognize his need of knowledge. His has been a handicraft, not a profession. , With far less skill than the trained mechanic he has been too long content to plow and plant without thought of the laws that govern the crops he cultivates. It has been the business of the college to deter- mine these laws, and more and more it Is the business of the college not only to investigate, but to give to the men of the farm, in terms useful to them in their work, the results of agricultural research. Agriculture means vastly more than farming. One reads of the science of agrieulture, but as yet there is far more science related to agriculture than there is real agricultural science. We have a science of botany, a great m'ass of systematized knowledge of plants; and a science of zoology, of animal life; we have a science of chemistry, of physics, of geology — books and books — a great library of knowledge growing so fast that one may hardly keep abreast of it all. But here in America the science of agriculture is hardly born; the oldest college of agriculture, since its establishment in 1868, has witnessed almost its entire development. There has been life from the beginning of the world, but knowledge of life is a thing of at most a few centuries; and the relation of life to its environment, the effect of improved surroundings on the growth pi plant and animal, these basic things of agriculture are only the care of recent years. Plants and animals in their relation to one another and to their sur- roundings, the improvement of useful forms, the betterment of environ- ment, these are the great problems of production in agriculture; and once production is accomplished there are the great economic problems of distribution — buying and selling and storage and transportation; agricul- ture cannot stop at the farm, its interest in all humanity' is vital. The college of agriculture that would confine its endeavors to farming as we usually understand that term defeats, then, the purpose of its organization. For farming is an art. Insofar as it is based on science it is a profession. Without reasons for its processes it is a handicraft, hardly to be called a trade. The great work of the universities and the colleges of agriculture is ' to investigate and determine the science on which the art of agriculture is based, and to instruct the people to apply this knowledge in plant and animal production and distribution. The more the great problem of agri- culture is studied the more fully do we realize its complex, many-sided character. One may become a wonderfully skilled plowman, an expert propagator, without becoming a great farmer. In my boyhood two epoch making books on agriculture appeared: Johnson's "How Plants Peed" and "How Plants Grow." They brought to American farmers the science of chemistry and botany as applied to the culture of crops. They dealt with the food elements necessary to plants, their sources and means of supplying them, and the, manner of their us'e in the plant. They told of soils and their origin, of manures, of plant physiology. And they told the reasons for the culture of plants. These two books brought into small compass knowledge gathered from many sources. For years they were the standard works in their lines and are 61 still authoritative. But In the Intervening years the colleges and univer- sities have called an increasing number of, investigators and students to their service. The literatures of the world have been carefully scanned and their lore has been translated and made available for us. Hundreds of trained men are devoting all their time to research in the problems of agriculture, each in his separate field. There are investigators of plant diseases and man will spend years in the study of peach yellows, of pear blight. There are students of helpful and harmful insects, hundreds of men seeking to find ways of protecting the farmers' crops. The chemist, the physicist, the biologist, all are intent on a study of soil; for we know that a mere knowledge of what' chemical elements there are present in a field is not enough for the farmer; the fineness of its particles Is the chief factor in the movement of 'moisture in a soil, and the presence of friendly bacteria is necessary to its fertility. In Johnson's time soil was the field of the chemist. And there has arisen much specialization In every line of science related to agriculture; it is no longer enough to be a botanist; working on the grass family alone, we have specialists each devoting all his time to cereals, to corn, to canes, to grasses. Among entomologists we have specialists in beetles, in ticks, in scale insects, every family of insects has its special students. And when the country Is visited by such a scourge as the San Jose scale, or the Cotton Boll Weevil, every farmer feels the need of all the help that all the trained men can give. The colleges and universities have become the acknowledged centers for all this scientific research whose ultimate purpose is to aid the farmer. Notionly are the colleges promoting the study of natural science; they are especially Interested in the application of natural agriculture. In this great cause they have developed a force of trained workers whose task is to take the knowledge of t^e chemist, physicist, botanist, bacteriologist, zoologist, geologist, and apply it to the making of crops and to animal husbandry. And thus within a generation new groups of specialists have been developed. In the early history of the colleges there was a chair of agriculture, a single professor was expected to cover the whole subject. To-day we have chairs of agronomy, pomology, floriculture, forestry, land- scape gardening, plant breeding, animal breeding, feeding, dairying, veter- inary science, farm engineering, farm management, agricultural education, rural economics; all of these offer many courses of study to their students; all of them base their instruction on the work of the scientists. How the field broadens as we contemplate It! Even as we do so we recognize Its growth year by year, almost hour by hour. I have endeavored to suggest, however. Inadequately, the work of the universities and colleges In research, in bringing together from all possible sources existing knowledge, and applying it to the use of the farmer. In this work the National Government has played a prominent part, for the research and regulatory service of the United States Depart- ment of Agriculture has benefited largely every part of the land. Other Governments have bent their energies to a solution of the problems of agriculture. A great fund of information has been collected and sys- tematized. It has reached vast proportions. The work Is only begun. But the colleges would fail of their purpose were they content merely to collect knowledge. They are intent on finding ways of widely dis- seminating what they have gathered. EVom the days of their founding the colleges and universities have given classroom and laboratory Instruc- tion In agriculture and its related sciences. In the early days there were few students of agriculture; not only did farmers fall to realize their need 62 of technical education for their work, but the professors were not them- selves masters of their subjects, they did not realize the magnitude of their task nor the training necessary to its accomplishment. It was not until the closing years of the last century that interest in agricultural training became marked. Within the past twenty years, however, no educational field has compared with agriculture in phenomenal develop- ment. All the universities and the agricultural colleges in the United States combined had fewer students of agriculture twenty-five years ago than any one of a dozen institutions enrolls to-day, and the total number of students of agriculture in the United States reaches into the thousands. The greatest development of agricultural education has been in the states pf the upper Mississippi basin, but the South and the East show almost as marked a growth. Thousands of men are graduated from four-year courses in agriculture every year. They find employment in farming, in college and Station work, in rural schools, in the research and regulatory work of the United States Department of Agriculture, and the several states. IJirectly and indirectly they are all engaged in the great many-sided business of Ameri- can farming. For the man who is teaching agriculture in the schools and colleges of the land, and the man who is engaged in the problems of the scientist and the agricultural specialist, is even more a worker in agricul- ture, a potentially greater factor in farm development, than the man who goes from his college course direct to the farm, there to apply his education in crop production. The teaching of agriculture by the colleges and universities, and the results of investigation of agricultural matters by the experiment stations, have not been appreciated in times past — "book farmers" and "college professors" have been the butt of many a Joke; but year by year the work of the institutions has met with increasing approval, until to-day progres- sive farmers everywhere look to the agricultural college for guidance, and accept enthusiastically its leadership. Without exception the agricultural colleges offer a four-year' course of instruction, and most of them offer briefer courses for such students as may not be able to take the full four-year course. The four-year courses in addition to the usual instruction in language and mathematics, are par- ticularly strong in the science on which agriculture is based; botany, zoology, chemistry, etc.,- are taught by laboratory methods, and the student is given a power of independent research. These subjects, however, may be studied in any modern college or university. As a rule the equipment of thei college of agriculture is much more complete for science study than that of the literary college and more attention is given such instruc- tion. Aside from the scientific instruction, much emphasis is placed upon technical instruction in the various lines of agriculture; soUs and crops, animal breeding and feeding, dairying, horticulture, and veterinary science occupy at least one-half of the entire four-year course. Well equipped farms are provided for demonstration purposes. The student of agriculture to-day is taught pruning and spraying and the other operations of horti- culture in well managed orchards and truck farms. He is given thorough practice in judging various breeds of farm animals by the actual handling of carefully selected type animals. He studies soils and crops in the fields as well as In the laboratories. The character of the instruction becomes increasingly practical so that in any standard agricultural college the opportunities offered the student are comparable to those offered the student of engineering in the best technical schools. 63 Here in Tennessee the University, through its College of Agriculture and Experiment Station, has had marked influehce in the development of better farming. It has taught 'the farmers the value of liming the land, and has thereby made possible the successful cultivation of red clover and alfalfa, the greatest of forage crops. It has induced the general cul- tivation of the' soy bean, one of the most valuable legumes in the world; it has promoted the culture of crimson clover, a valuable winter pasture, and green manure; it has promoted the dairy interests of the state and has been of great service in introducing better live stock and more economical feeding. While the work of the University in instruction of students in agricul- ture has been notable, far more people have been reached by articles in the press and bulletins of the Experiment Station and by correspondence with farmers. 'Thousands of letters are written every year by members of the College and Experiment Station Staff in answer to requests for help in the problems that confront the Tennessee farmer. One may hardly e'stimate the benefits arising from this work. The professors are> in demand throughout the state for lectures before farmers' clubs and other organizations, and their advice is constantly sought in the purchase of pure bred live stock, in the use of fertilizers and in matters of farm management. i It is not claimed that the University alone deserves credit for the im- provement everywhere apparent in our farming, for the press, the schools, organizations of farmers and business men, the State Department of Agriculture — all have been powerful forces in rural betterment, but among these influences the University has been eminent. With the passage of the Smith-Lever Bill the opportunity of the college and the university is greatly broadened; for this measure pro- vides means for carrying the work of the college and experiment station to the farmers on their farms. By demonstrating improved methods of crop and'live stock management by rural organization, by work in home economics, by instructive club work among the boys and girls of the farms, the college of agriculture will extend its influence from its own farms and halls to every rural community. The county demonstration agent and the home economics agent, representing the agricultural college and the United States Department of Agriculture, aided by the specialists of the Division of Extension, will secure for the farmers and homemakers of every community information that may help to solve the problems of the farm and the home. Since all the people cannot go to the colleges, Congress has provided ways and means by which the college can go to all the people. The divisions of extension of the colleges of agriculture are offering opportunity for the study of farming to the people in their own homes. Movable schools are provided, a corps of specialists spending a week or more in a community, sometimes carrying with them a carload of teaching equipment; specimen animals of the leading breeds of live stock; sample grains, dairy, pruning and spraying outfits, etc. These schools are ar- ranged at times of the year when home activities will permit the farmers to spend a part of each day with the specialists, who are skilled teachers selected with a view to making clear the principles of agriculture to non- readers. Oftentimes as many as 200 to 300 farmers will be found in one of these schools and they get not only inspiration but definite ideas that they can apply in their own work. 64 Experiment Stations. — Their Purposes, and How Assistance for the Farmers May be Obtained Therefrom. By E. R. Lloyd, Director of Mississippi Experiment Stations, Agricultural College, Miss. Coupled with the conception of the idea of the establishment of agri- cultural experiment stations was the knowledge that soil and climatic conditions vary greatly in the widely distributed territory of our country, and consequently farming operations to be successful must be adapted to local conditions. The primary function of the experiment station being to ascertain what crops may be grown and what farming methods adopted in order to pro- duce adequate returns on the labor and capital invested, it became neces- sary to locate the stations somewhat in accordance with the variation in lands and climates. Hence the state experiment stations and the branch experiment stations installed in the different sections of the several states. With very few exceptions, the experiment stations are departments of the agricultural colleges. Should any disease break out among the animals or plants in your vicinity, or should there be any urgent problem in farming at any time, promptly notify your experiment station and the matters will have prompt attention. In our work at the experiment stations we are trying to solve some of the agricultural problems which confront the farmers of the state. To-day the investigators are in closer touch with those whom they are trying to help than ever before. Science and practice are tending towards a common end. Fields have taken the place of laboratories. Agricultural science is living largely the outdoor life and for that reason is reacting powerfully on the practices with which it is associating. The experi- menters are working with living things more largely than with theories. Science did not help the farmer much until it released itself from the narrow confines of the laboratory and got out into the fields and among the flocks and herds. The experiment stations have enlisted the help of practical farmers in conducting experiments which are of vital importance to them. We have returned to the original sources of information — soils, animals and plants. As a result, science is no longer jeered at by farm- ers; they respect it as a friend and willingly co-operate with the experiment stations. If experiment stations and investigators would gain and retain the confidence and co-operation of the practical farmers, they must remain on terms of the frankest intimacy and be mutually helpful one to the other. The soil problems of a field cannot be reliably understood from a mere chemical analysis. The experimental fields have, to a large extent, supplanted the pot test and the greenhouse. The experiment stations to-day are conducting field tests with every combination of fertilizers and determining the value of fertilizers when applied to different kinds of soils and to different varieties of plants. This information is thoroughly practical and reliable and the farmer can take the results and apply them to his own farm.* In our experiments with forage crops we have deter- mined the crops best adapted to different kinds of soils, so if the farmer is in close touch with his experiment station it is unnecessary for him 65 to spend money and time experimenting to find out the land best suited for alfalfa, clover and other forage crops. He can simply visit his ex- periment station and get the information. If the farmer is undecided as to the kinds and amounts of fertilizers to use on his crops, he can get this information from his station. When the feeding of a single steer under uncommon conditions was displaced by the feeding of a carload under ordinary farm conditions, beef producers began to profit by the work of our experiment stations. Last winter this station fed and finished two carloads of Mississippi raised steers and made a net profit of nearly five hundred dollars per car on them. Such practical experiments as this encouraged many cattle raisers in the state to finish their steers rather than sell them at a lo-yv price off the pasture. The feeding of cattle on the farm means much more to the farmer than merely the profit on the cattle. It means more manure to apply to the soil, a richer soil, and cheaper crops in the future. As a result of the mule breeding experiment at the experiment sta- tion more farmers than ever before are buying good draft mares to raise mules for home use and for market. Our experiments show that the cost of producing a three-year-old mule Is^ from $75.00 to f 100.00, and we have sold some of our best mule colts for $200.00 each before they were three years old. The station is conducting some interesting and valuable experiments in raising and feeding poultry, hogs, cattle, mules and horses. These experiments are all planned and conducted in a thoroughly practical way, so that the information obtained may be put into practice on the average farm. 6ti The Work of the County Demonstration Agents. — Boys' Corn Clubs and Girls' Canning Clubs, and What it Means to Foster and Develop these Organizations. By W. D. Bentley, Director of Co-operative Agricultural Extension Work, 1 A. & M. College, Stillwater, Oklahoma. It is, indeed, an ill wind that carries no good omen on its wings. It was the cotton boll weevil that paved the way for co-operative agricultural demonstration work on American farms. — Even the boll weevil cloud has had its silver lining. In the spring of 1903 at Terrell, Texas, was laid the foundation of what was to be the greatest movement ever attempted for agricultural improve- ment. The boll weevil had been sweeping the southern states. Cotton growers predicted the elimination of cotton as an American product. At Terrell, Texas, Dr. Seaman A. Knapp contended in vain that cotton could successfully be grown in spite of the boll weevil by applying proven agri- cultural principles. He asked for the use of a tract of ground to prove this theory. The cotton growers scoffed. Finally Dr. Kiiapp agreed to put up an indemnity bond of Seven Hundred Dollars to be forfeited if he failed in the undertaking. He did not fail. On the other hand, the demon- stration tract yielded double the cotton, acre for acre, of that grown on other farms in the section. The first farm demonstration had won. The -experience which Dr. Knapp obtained froin this incident established firmly in his mind the cardinal principle of moderh agricultural exten- sion work — that of actual demonstration on the farm by qualified itiner- ant teachers. Dr. Knapp is the father of modern farm demonstration. He had the vision that looks ahead. The county agent and his co-worker, the woman agent, is the pivotal figure in modern agricultural extension work. Right along the line of this modern idea of demonstration work for adults has come the demon- stration clubs for the training of the boys and girls of the farms. Into the discard have gone the thousand and one extravagant schemes for the long-distance education of the farmer. A brilliant editor is quoted as saying that "Tons of literature on farming go out into the country, but only pounds of it are ever read." The Experiment Stations, without the county agent, will always remain a mystery to the farmer. Special trains, the "talking institutes," and every device that has been concocted , with an idea of uplifting the fanner through the medium of spouting orators and 42-centimetre literary guns have failed dismally except where there has been leadership to carry the work throughout the year. To persuade a farmer to adopt new ways you must first get i his confidence and this can only be done by contact on the farm and by unlimited pa- tience and persistence. To get some idea of the wonderful growth of the demonstration work since the small beginning at Terrell, Texas, in 1903, turn to the report of the allotment of funds by project for co-operative agricultural ex- tension work for the fiscal year of 1915-16. Pjom all sources, federal, • state and local, the report shows a fund of $2,497,426, available for this fiscal year. This is in addition to the money available for home demon- stration and boys' and girls' club work. The Smith-Lever Funds promise unlimited opportunity' for demonstration work in future. On the basis of the present census enumeration, there will be available from the Federal 67 Government in 1922-23 and thereafter the sum of $4,580,000 under the terms of the Smith-Lever Bill. This does not include state support which must, in each state, he within $10,000 of the sum alloted by the Federal Govern- ment. It does not take into account local aid, sentiment for which is growing in every state where co-operative demonstration work is fostered. The following table shows the allotment of funds from all sources, federal, state and local, for each state in the Union for county agent, home demonstration, and club work.. The table does .not show the total amount available for girls' club work because some states carry this expense under the head of home demonstration and others with the boys' club work: County Home Boys' Club Pig Poultry Total Agents Demonstration Work Clubs Clubs Alabama... $138,806 $89,423 $17,710 $6,950 $2,508 $800 Arizona 26,430 7,300 1,100 2,800 Arkansas 137,633 94,097 18,350 .... 2,550 CaUfomia 90,254 62,100 4,000 4,700 3,000 Colorado 53,905 32,600 3,250 2,500 'Connecticut 44,809 26,102 4,400 Delaware 16,059 8,400 2,000 Florida 83,397 47,452 28,563 2,600 Georgia 166,378 92,098 • 29,400 3,050 Idaho 34,409 12,300 4,400 5,750 IlUnois 149,539 93,207 12,450 2,400 Indiana 182,362 110,571 4,200 15,400 Iowa 229,878 47,210 30,000 13,482 Kansas 109,469 39,636 9,380 3,520 Kentucky 121,888 69,527 22,717 2,880 2,520 2,220 Louisiana 107,031' 64,217 14,940 11,310 Maine 26,078 10,980 1,650 Maryland 57,607 24,890 11,570 2,680 Massachusetts 109,390 58,574 4,666 10,431 Michigan 86,530 54,957 6,552 2,484 Minnesota 127,721 69,351 8,040 5,190 Mississippi 125,140 66,547 25,237 7,137 Missouri 114,718 58,050 .... 9,450 Montana 56,232 29,000 5,700 2,800 Nebraska 115,856 29,370 4,750 16,590 3,000 2,000 Nevada 17,134 1,050 2,450 New Hampshire.. . . 30,426 18,000 1,600 New Jersey 55,559 30,509 4,099 New Mexico 36,914 21,500 2,500 3,000 New York 219,791 116,464 5,900 3,035 North Carolina 192,154 98,309 43,265 10,525 North Dakota 83,566 55,246 5,900 6,010 Ohio 117,279 41,188 " 16,900 5,164 Oklahoma 142,182 85,830 26,576 4,565 Oregon 104,555 44,691 3,150 6,990 2,700. Pennsylvania 114,253 68,281 6,060 2,660 Rhode Island 23,741 9,850 1,850 4,325 South Carolina. 135,934 62,084 36,790 South Dakota 63,34L 36,252 2,775 3,800 Tennessee 136,604 59,240 32,654 2,800 2,800 Texas 234,537 141,180 24,237 7,550 Utah 52,410 18,470 5,000 6,763 Vermont 48,635 30,748 2,500 3,101 Virginia 130,296 89,145 20,945 .... 2220 Washington 61,990 33,840 2,300 7,100 West Virginia 121,859 67,018 14,156 12,175 Wisconsin 103,960 46,180 9,000 3,300 Wyoming 43,641 25,442 2,900 3,100 Total $4,782,270 $2,497,426 $542,732 $236,917 $16,270 $8,040 While complete statistics are not available as to the success of the demonstration work throughout the United States as a whole, the figures 68 for Oklahoma are probably representative of the work being carried on in the fifteen southern states that are under direction of the State Re- lation Service. The annual report of Oklahoma for the year 1914, and which is available in printed form, shows the following summary of results obtained in the demonstration work in this state: THE FOLLOWING SUMMARIES ARE TAKEN FROM THE 1914 ANNUAL REPORTS OF THE COUNTY AGENTS, SHOWING AVERAGE YI|:LDS per acre in pounds of seed COTTON AND BUSHELS OF GRAIN. A FEW AGENTS FAILED TO GET IN THEIR REPORTS IN TIME TO BE INCLUDED IN THIS REPORT: COTTON: Total number of cotton demonstrations 816 Total number of acres in cotton demonstrations 8,945 1/2 Average number of acres in each cotton demonstration. . . 10 9/10 Average yield cotton demonstration plats — pounds seed cot- ton per acre 994 Average yield on similar land nearby 605 7/10 Difference in favor of farm demonstration plats — pounds.. 388 6/10 CORN: Total number of corn demonstrations 890 Total number of acres in corn demonstrations 10,400 Average number of acres in each corn deinonstration 11 6/10 Average yield per acre in corn demonstrations — bushels . . 29 2/10 Average yield on similar land nearby 16 2/11 Difference per acre in favor of demonstration plats 13 GRAIN SORGHUMS: Total number of grain sorghum deihonstrations 374 Total number of acres in grain sorghurn demonstrations . 3,905 9/10 Average number of acres per grain sorghtim demonstration. 10 4/10 Average yield of grain sorghum demonstrations — bushels ... 32 2/10 Average yield on similar land nearby — lyishels 17 8/10 Difference in favor of demonstration plats — bushels 14 4/10 OTHER CROPS: There were 404 demonstrations in other crops, total acres being .• • • 4,208 Total number of demonstrations in all crops 2,484 Total number of acres in demonstrations, all crops 28,265 Average size of each demonstration plat — in acres 11 2/10 SUMMARY OF WORK PERFORMED During the calendar year 1914 the agents made a total of 22,302 visits to the farms of demonstrators and co-operators. They attended 1,288 public meetings and 637 field meetings, with a total attendance of 67,001, at which they spoke on some phase of the demon- stration work. In the discharge of their duties they traveled 108,016 miles by rail and 110,918 miles by other conveyance. 69 The above figures do not include the work of the women agents, the reports o£ their work for seven months having been destroyed In the Morrill Hall fire. In addition to the lines of work outlined above, the Extension Division actively participated in the campaign against hog cholera and in cdttle tick eradication. During the year 1914 the county agents vaccinated a total of 20,272 hogs; only 2.2 per cent of the hogs vaccinated died after treatment. During the year the agents vaccinated 11,582 cattle against blackleg. Other ways in which the agents helped in their community was in the organization of farmers clubs, In road Improvement work, in a 94 per cent increase In the acreage sown to small grain in the cotton counties, and In a general war against the Hessian Ply. ' Oklahoma now has 62 county agents and 21 women agents. There are 77 counties In Oklahoma and the time seems not far distant when every county In the state will he organized under the co-operative demonstration plan. This, In brief, Is the record of one year in the demonstration work for adults In Oklahoma. The results in 1915 are greatly superior to those afforded In 1914, and there were a third more counties organized than In the year covered by this report. In general It may be said that the county agent is a success or a failure, depending on his xown energy, earnestness, tact, good sense and ability. The personality of the agent Is everything in farm demonstration. Where the agent measures up to standard the work is uniformly success- ful. In counties having poor or indifferent agents the work does not meet approval of the local community. The county agent should have reached mature years and must have a thbrough knowledge of the local farm prob- lems of the section In which he works. The first conception of the county agent by many farmers is that the agent is a conceited individual who claims to possess superior knowledge on all farm subjects. The average farmer resents this implication. This feeling all vanishes before the demonstration plat of corn or cotton or other crop Is harvested. The great cause of agricultural education can best be served by work- ing to increase the earning capacity of that large majority of the rural population who now are able to earn barely sufficient for necessary food and clothing. To do this It Is absolutely necessary that the soil they farm be made more fertile, washing prevented, and the plowing be deeper, better seed beds be made, better seed used, better stock and more of It, and scores of other equally important reforms be brought about by those who actually do the plowing and planting and suffering by reason of im- proper farm methods. There is no better or quicker way to get these reforms brought about than by the small demonstration plat, properly fer- tilized, plowed' and planted. Whatever the demonstration may be it is sufficient to bring the county or woman agent into frequent personal contact with the farmer and his family at his ownihome and prove to him that these things can be done, that he can do them, and that they will pay. The effect of this work properly handled Is to put hope and courage and content- ment into the hearts and homes of men, that could not otherwise be reached in a lifetime. The Boys' and Girls' Demonstration Clubs are of later origin than the farm demonstration work for adults, but have grown up from the success of the adult work. It soon became apparent to Dr. S. A. Knapp, that the demonstration work, to have a permanent and complete value, should start with the boys and girls on the farm. The first of these clubs was organized 70 under the direction of Dr. Knapp in 1907 and the movement has grown until 300,000 boys and girls are now enrolled in these clubs. In the fifteen southern states organized under direction of the States Relation Service, 334 boys produced yields of more than a hundred bushels of corn to the acre in 1914. One corn club boy, Jerry Moore of North Carolina, in 1910 produced 228 bushels of corn on an acre of ground. .The home canning clubs organized among the girls has had a tremendous in- fluence in the "raise the living on the farm" movement. The boys and girls have lead their parents in the work of diversified farming and in better home making. The following paragraphs, taken from an article written by Herbert Quick, editor of Farm avd Fireside, sums up admirably the purposes and achievements of the Demonstration Clubs: "The great revival in farming among youth is most significant because it is winning the hearts of the young people back to the farm. It is teaching them the great truth that farming is brain work. The various clubs, which have absorbed the energies of so many of our young people are as directly conducive to the development of modern civilization as were the military games of the ancient Spartans. It is the game which leads directly into life. "The work has only just begun. Long before the younger people are middle aged, the rural schools of this country will have taken over all this work as a part of their regular curricula and instead of the pres- ent ominous tide of farm people setting to the cities in order that their children may have a better chance for an education— there will be a tide of city people to the farm — for the same reason." As outlined by Dr. Knapp, the work for boys and girls represents a four- square training, emphasizing four needs of citizenship and home life. This training is typified by the "Pour H's" — representing Head, Heart, Hands and Health. In Oklahoma the past year there were 6,251 boys and 5,227 girls en- rolled in the Demonstration Clubs. So strongly has the value of these clubs to the state been impressed on fair association, civic organizations, bankers, business men and public spirited persons generally, that a total of $18,500 in cash and scholarship prizes were distributed among club members at the county and state fairs. In many of these fairs the crop exhibits made by the club boys were entered in competition against ex- hibits made by adult farmers and "in a vast majority of cases first prizes went to the club boys. Nine clubs are being organized in Oklahoma for the year 1916. These include Corn Club, Grain Sorghum Club, Cotton Club, Pig Club, Peanut Club, Canning Club, Poultry Club, Better Bread Club and Crop Rotation Club. So long as human frailty exists, the farm demonstration system will never become perfect. So much depends upon the personality of the county agent that the work can never rise above the agent — improvement must come in the agent himself. But selection and training are improving the quality of men engaged in this work and the outlook is bright. Certain it is, that there has never been devised a better way of reaching the adult farmer than through the system of co-operative demonstration work founded by Dr. Knapp. The Demonstration Club work is admitted on all sides to be fruitful of results. The child's mind is not even partly closed to conviction. Where his elder requires continued and undisputed proof, the child accepts readily. The Demonstration Club work is bound 71 to thrive and prosper where it is given half a chance. With the county agent and the woman agent on the job and the Demonstration Clubs in full swing, agricultural "uplift" has at last come into its own. Boys' Clubs. — What they Can and Do Accomplish as Shown by the Following Report on "The Boys' Club Work in Mississippi." By C. A. Cobb, Assistant State Agent in Charge of Boy's Club Work in Mississippi. (What has been done, in Mississippi, along these iines, can and should be done in aii other States and Territories. — Connmittee) The Boys' Club Work of Mississippi is divided into four divisions: The Boys' Corn Club; The Boys' Pig Club; The Boys' Baby Beef Club; and the Farm Makers' Club for Negro boys. In this report I shall treat the first three named and in a supplemental report will discuss the work among Negroes. The four men conducting the entire work traveled 32,387 mile^ by rail: 4,321.5 miles by team and other conveyances; 148 meetings were held during the year; with a total attendance of 23,336. Our mailing depart- ment sent out 87,477 letters and 25,597 circulars and bulletins. The total enrollment was made up of 5,986 members as follows: Corn Club, 4,082; Pig Club, 1,607; Baby Beef Club, 162; Farm Makers' Club, 145. THE BOYS' CORN CLUB Seven hundred sixty-four Corn Club boys made reports, which show that the boys made an average yield of 59.5 bushels of corn to the acre, with an average profit of $26.37 to the acre. The number reporting this year is larger than that of any previous year, indicating the growing inter- est and a clearer understanding of the sevei'al phases of the work. Our ten best records are of special Interest, showing an average yield of 133.14 bushels to the acre, with an average profit of 1102.60 per acre. The best of these ten records is that of Emmet Brantley of Ethel, Miss. This boy's yield was 177.4 on one acre, at a cost of 19 cents per bushel. Valuing this corn at $1.00' per bushel his profit is $143.37! This, so far as we are able to determine at this time, is the world's record for 1915. Considering the unusual weather conditions that prevailed throughout the state during the growing season this. is an unusual record and one that we should be very proud of. Such droughts as we have experienced do not occur often, and we very likely will not have this handicap another year. Of course, it is a handicap that teaches great lessons, but still it has a great influence on the interest of the boys. Examining the crop estimates made by the Federal Government for the year 1915, we find that the average yield of corn in the entire United States was 28.2 bushels to the acre, and that of Mississippi was 19 bushels to the acre. If the average yield of the state had been half that of the boys our yield would have been increased by 21,900,000 bushels. I make this comparison to bring before us the wonderful opportunities for de- velopment in the corn growing industry of the state. The fact that our yield is so much below the average of the entire United States at first 72 glance indicates that we have not heen doing much toward improving this wonderful crop. But a close study of corn production for the past several years indicates that we have made very substantial progress and that we are now confronted with the most promising era in the history of the corn growing of this section. The following data, I believe, warrants me making the statement: On the plantation of the Delta Planting Company at Scott, Miss., 200 acres in one block averaged 100 bushels to the acre, a total of 20,000 bushels on this plat. Such yields as this were unheard of anywhere in the United States before Demonstration Work was begun, and indeed are rare, per- haps common only to the South. Many of our agents reported 100 bushels to the acre and in some instances the rise of this. Corn breeding work is under way at the Experiment Station at Starkville, Miss., and on the plantation of the Delta Planting Company. From one to five farmers in each county of the state will be enrolled in corn improvement work under the direction of our county agents. Each of these men doing the corn work will undertake the improvement of some one of our southern pro- lific varieties that has been, found to give good results in the past. It is the plan to have these men grow suitable seed corn for distribution, which will go a long way towards bringing our yield up to the average. That we may look still further into the progress made, the following has been taken from data compiled by the United States Department of Agriculture: In 1909 the yield was 28,429,000 bu., with an average of 14.5 per acre. In 1910 the yield was 53,095,000 bu., with an average of 20.5 per acre. In 1911 the yield was 54,000,000 bu., with an average of 19 per acre. In 1912 the yield was 56,840,000 bu., with an average of 18.3 per acre. In 1913 the yield was 63,000,000 bu., with an average of 20 per acre. In 1914 the yield was 58,275,000 bu., with an average of 18.5 per acre. In 1915 the yield was 69,350,000 bu., with an average of 19 per acre. We have in the state a fairly well organized Corn Improvement Asso- ciation which Association has for its purpose the improvement of the corn growing industry. To create a state-wide interest in better corn, better methods of producing corn, and to- give a definite idea of the dost and value of this crop, a contest has been staged. This contest is on a five acre basis and the points to be considered are: Yiel^ pe^ acre, cost per bushel to produce, history of crop, and selection of show ears. The first prize Is a Bull Tractor given by the Bull Tractor Company of Minneapolis Minn., and the Gale-Hooper Company of Memphis, Tenn. The James ' & Graham Wagon Company of Memphis, Tenn., is offering, through its Pres- ident, Mr. Geo. R. James, one of their best farm wagons. Other prizes will be announced later. . Before leaving the subject of corn and corn clubs, mention should be made of the manner in which the press, business men and professional men are supporting us. Thousands of dollars are being put up for expenses and prizes, and quite a number of scholarships are offered. Among them, three to the Knapp School of Country Life. The State Fair has annually appropriated $799.00 to be offered as prizes, a portion of which is used to purchase an automobile which is offered to the Superintendents of Edu- cation. Our show at the State Fair this year was the best by far in the history of our work. A study of it was sufficient to convince any one that a great deal of judgment was displayed in the selections. It was unusuatl to find an exhibit that was not excellent. There were only a few bad ones. More 73 than six hundred boys placed exhibits in this State Pair Show. This show is one of our greatest helps. It calls attention to what we are doing and creates an interest and enthusiasm where interest and enthusiasm might not be created otherwise. A great many farmers spend hours studying these exhibits, and it must be that they go back home with a new vision of what may be accomplished, and with this new vision, a desire to try. BABY BEEF CLUBS Our first Baby Beef Club work was organized in Covington County under the direction of the County Superintendent of Education and the County Demonstration Agent. This first effort was a decided success and attracted a great deal of attention. Other counties and communities hearing of the work done In Covington County became interested and pretty soon we found quite a general demand for this phase of our work. In the fall of 1915, Dr. Frank W. Farley, of the Bureau of Animal Industry, who had been sent into this state to. do special beef cattle work, was asked to assist with the Baby Beef Club work, and with the consent of his superior officers took active charge of the work. Since that time eight counties have had more or less work. 162 boys and girls were enrolled and 125 reported. An examination of the report data shows that 113 of those reporting belonged to the Covington County Club. Our first State Baby Beef Show was made at the State Fair in October and created much interest. So much, that a number of our best cattle men grew enthusiastic enough to offer their assistance and along with this assistance some financial help toward carrying the Idea fully into effect. This Baby Beef work will be an important phase of our 1916 club work, and one that we believe will be very helpful in improving the general, cattle growing in- dustry of tiie state. We feel very sure, too, that a greater love for better farm animals will be created in the hearts of those boys and girls who enter the work. PIG CLUBS This is the first year of this work and the enrollment was quite large for the beginning. As previously shown, 1,607 boys were enrolled, and qiy,te a large sum of money was spent for prizes. 178 boys submitted final reports, which reports show an average profit of $10.00 in each instance. Quite a number of these boys sent pigs to the State Fair, making the first state show ever held In this state. The outlook for the 1916 Pig Club is very bright, as Is indicated by the following loans made to the boys by the banks of the several counties in which Pig Clubs will be conducted: • Attala County, $590.00; Chickasaw County, $500.00; Choctaw County, $1,000.00; Covington County, $3,000.00; DeSoto County, $200.00; Grenada County, $800.00; Harrison County, $500.00; George County, $250.00; Hinds County, $1,200.00; Holmes County, $1,200.00; Lowndes County, $1,000.00; Madison County, $700.00; Monroe County, $1,000.00; Noxubee County, $500.00; Pike County, $500.00; Yazoo County, $500.00; Lee County, $2,000.00; Webster County, $300.00; or a total of $19,150.00. What the people of the state think of the work can be very well ex- pressed by the manner in which they offer financial support. The total money won by the boys in 1915 was $6,523.07. A few counties failed to send in financial reports and data from them is not available. This is certainly a very generous expression of faith and good wishes. 74 Plans for Helping Boys' and Girls' Pig, Poultry, Baby Beef, and Canning Clubs, as Worked Out for the Jackson Board of Trade, of Jackson, Mississippi. (These plans are worthy of the consideration of Commercial , Organizations in all sections of the country, as they offer an example of agricultural development which can be followed with profit and success — Committee.) PIG AND POULTRY CLUBS One of the most important works undertaken by this organization during the present year is the "Jackson Board of Trade Boys' Pig Clubs and Girls' Poultry Clubs." This was first suggested by Secretary Lusk in his annual report, read before the annual meeting, June 14, in which he pointed out that it was prob&,ble that the Board of Trade would undertake at an early day the system of having the business men of the city stand as financial sponsors for the boys and girls in the adjacent farming territory and "bank" for them, in starting them in the -pig and poultry raising industries, — the boys and girls to be vouched for and, in turn, give their promissory notes to pay back the "banker" or "lender" out of the proceeds of the increase—' the notes to bear 6 per cent interest. In this way, as he pointed out, it was hoped that a remarkable Impetus might be given to the pig and poultry raising industries in this immediate section,' with the much desired result of greatly increasing its wealth, in inspiring the boys and girls with new hope and life and, at the same time, seriously Impressing them with the great value of business principle and obligation. Hon. F. E. Gunter, the live and energetic President of the Board of Trade, who was elected by unanimous vote at that same meeting, at once got behind the proposition with his accustomed push and vim, and ap- pointed a live committee, composed of J. Clyde iJicGee, Jno. M. Alex- ander and Isadore Dreyfus, to interview the business men of the city and secure their endorsement and support of this most worthy cause. The result of the work of this committee was most gratifying, inas- much as the business men of Jackson responded almost to a man, and with only a little effort about $1,200.00 was promptly pledged with which to launch this splendid movement. President Gunter hopes to very ma- terially increase this aknount at an early day in order to reach the out- lying territory in all directions and give every possible stiihulus to its worthy and ambitious boys and girls. At the request of President F. E. Gunter, C. A. Cobb, in charge of the Boys' Club Work, and P. H. Sanders, in special charge of the organization of Pig Clubs in this state,' have mapped out a practical plan whereby the "Jackson Board of Trade Pig and Poultry Clubs" may be launched. The plan worked out by Mr. Sanders is as follows : First, that a thorough canvass of the schools of the county be made by the Agent in the Pig Club Work, accompanied by the County Demon- stration Agent, the County Superintendent of Education, and a representa- tive of the Jackson Board of Trade, if possible, that a full enrollment be made of all boys and girls who wish to become members of the Pig Club in the territory embraced. 75 Second, that it be recommended by this committee to the Joining mem- bers that, wherever possible to obtain a good pig at home, that the fund offered by the Board of Trade be not used. Where no pig, or only a poor grade of stock, can be had at home, however, that at the recommendation of the Agent of the Pig Club Work to the Secretary of the Jackson Board of Trade, money is to be furnished to boys of known worthiness and reliability under the terms of the following contract: Recommendation "I , know of R. P. D., iSTo County, Mississippi, to be an honest, industrious and trust- worthy boy, and recommend him to receive one pig under the terms of agreement proposed by J. B. Lusk, Secretary, Jackson Board of Trade, Jackson, Mississippi, herewith attached. (Person recommending sign here). Parents' Waiver "I and , parents or guard- ian of R. F. D., No County Mississippi, do hereby waive all right and interest in one certain pig bought by htm through J. B'. Lusk, and agree that said pig and all profits and increases therefrom shall be the individual and separate property of said . . . ™ and that he may sell and dispose of said pig and its increase without let or hindrance from either of us. (Parents or guardian sign here.) Boy's Agreement "I of R. F. D., No County, Mississippi, in consideration of the services rendered by J. B. Lusk, Secretary of the Jackson Board of Trade, in assisting me in securing one pig do hereby agree as follows: "1. To raise one-half acre of feedstuff during the year 1915, and to apply said feed or as much as may be needed for the raising of said pig and its increase. "2. To report the progress of said pig, and its ificrease, from time to time to P. H. Sanders, Jackson, Miss., and on January, 1916, to make a full report as to said pig and its increase and profits, and the amount and character of feedstuffs raised and used by me in caring for it. , "3. If said pig is a sow pig to accept service for her from some boy who owns a boar and to give for said service one pig when same is old enough to ■ween. "4. If said pig is a boar pig to give service to any boy having a sow pig and to charge one pig only for said service. (Boy sign here.) Third, the amount of money per capita to be proportionate to the age and general worthiness of the boy, i.e., that for a boy twelve years of age, a 12-week-old sow pig be furnished; that for a boy sixteen years of age a bred gilt be furnished. 76 Fourth, that in order to facilitate the third and fourth clauses of the hoys' agreement, pigs he placed in community circles, one breed to the cbmmunity, and not more than one boar to the community. Fifth, that the names, addresses and price lists of reputable pure bred hog breeders be secured by the Agent in Pig Club Work; that this list be furnished the boy who is to receive part of the Board of Trade fund; and that an arrangement be made with the breeders in question. Whereby the boy can go to his farm, select the pig he desires, and the bill be forwarded to the Secretary of the Jackson Board of Trade. <*? BABY BEEF CLUBS Under a motion offered by R. E. Kennington at a meeting held October 11th, it is also the intention of the Jackson Board of Trade to co-operate at once with and stand behind Prof. F. M. Coleman, Superintendent-elect ' of Education of Hinds County, S. M. Yeates, Farm Demonstration Agent for Hinds County, and Mrs. J. T. Calhoun, in charge of the Girls' Canning Clubs of the County, in promoting the Baby Beef Club, Poultry-Club, Can- ning Clubs, and other useful movements among the boys and girls, through the consolidated and other schools of the County, with a view of securing a higher standard of training in Home Economics and a wider diffusion of wealth among the people. In keeping with this intention, and with the advice and co-operation of Frank W. Farley, State Agent in Animal Husbandry, the above named officials, or committee, have drafted the following recommendations to the Jackson Board of Trade, with the view of launching the Baby Beef Club movement in this County, and it goes without saying that they will meet with the cordial endorsement of this body and bfe put into execution at once: 1st. That a Baby Beef Club be organized in Hinds County to teach the boys and girls of the County the art of cattle-raising; to inspire them with thrift, and fill them with a love for farm life; to place good cattle in every community. 2nd. That boys and girls living in the County who are between the ages of ten and eighteen be entitled to active membership in this Club. 3rd. The men who furnish or stand for the money to launch this move- ment shall be Directors of the Hinds County Baby Beef Club. 4th. That the County Agent, S. M. Yeates, Demonstrator, Mrs. J. T. Calhoun, and Superintendent of Education, F. M. Coleman, organize and look after this Club. 5th. That the Board of Trade assume the responsibility of procuring prizes for the Baby Beef Club. The Committee suggests that the prizes be pure-bred calves and that the leading cattlemen of the County be re- quested to help furnish them, the prizes to be as follows: • For best pure-bred heifer exhibited, first and second prize; for best pure-bred bull, first and second prize; for best grade heifer, first and second prize; for best grade steer, first and second prize. 6th. That the Board of Trade request the banks, or a number of lead- ing business men of the County, to establish a fund of at least $3,000 with which to purchasp Baby Beef calves to be placed with boys and girls of Hinds County. That the boy or girl receiving such calf shall pay 6 per cent interest on the amount of the purchase prize; that these animals shall be purchased by P. W. Farley, State Agent in Animal Husbandry; S. M. Yeates, County Demonstration Agent, and F. M. Coleman, County Superintendent of Education; that tHese gentlemen, together with Mrs. 77 J. T. Calhoun, Demonstrator, become the custodians of these animals, whose duty it will be to receive reports, suggest methods of feeding and care, and visit 'them whenever opportunity arises; that the Board of Di- rectors shall be the real owners of these calves until purchase price, plus interest shall have been paid. 7th. That as soon as practicable a Hinds County Baby Beef Show will be staged where prizes will be awarded, and the calves be sold at auction. In case a club member desires to retain the calf and become the owner he may do so by paying the purchase price plus the specified interest. Boys' Agreement "1. I address in consideration of the fact t^lat a calf has been placed in my care by the Board of Directors of the Hinds County Baby Beef Club, do hereby agree: To provide sufficient feeds to feed said calf Recording to directions out- lined by the Executive Committee; to take good care of said dalf; to report on the first of each month to F. M. Coleman the progress of said calf; to exhibit said calf at the Annual Hinds County Baby Beef Show; and to offer same for sale, and out of proceeds to receive such amount — above purchase price plus the 6 per cent interest. "In case I fail to comply with the above agreements, I will freely give up possesion of said calf." Committee's Agreement "We hereby agree to solicit membership for the Hinds County Baby Beef Club; to use our best judgment in selecting honest and industrious boys and girls for whom we will purchase Baby Beef calves with funds provided by Board of Directors of Baby Beef Club; to inquire regularly as to the condition of said calves and see them as often as possible; to take said animal out of the hands of incompetent and indifferent members and dispose of said animal as we see best; to hold an annual Baby Beef Show and Auction Sale. (Signed) . (Signed) . (Signed) . (Signed) , Parents' Waiver "I and parents (or guardian) of R. F. D., No Hinds County, Mississippi, do hereby agree for , my to receive a calf; and see that said calf receives proper care at his hand, and that shall receive all profits therefrom. (Signed) (Signed) " Hon. E. K. Middleton of Hinds County, President Southern Cattlemen's Association, and one of the most progressive stock-raisers and industrial leaders of this section, will give this movement his earnest help and co- operation. 78 Rural Schools. PART I. PONSOLIDATION OF SCHOOLS. ! PART II. COUNTY /AGRICULTURAL HIGH SCHOOLS. A Compilation of Extracts from Bul,letin No. 9, Issued by the State Depart- ment of Public Education of the State of Mississippi, and Published Herein as Offering Suggestions to Persons Interested in Scholastic Improvement. PART I PRESENT CONDITION OF MANY COUNTRY SCHOOLS IN MISSISSIPPI For several years in Mississippi the great educational problem has been the rural school problem. For many years yet to come the great problem will be the same. It cannot be, otherwise because of the fact that Miss- issippi is a rural state, eighty-eight per cent of her population being rural. Within the last five years, possibly greater progress has been made in the rural schopls of this state than of any other Southern state. Our excellent school laws permitting local taxation, issuance of bonds and transportation, have been of very ^reat service to us. The value and adaptability of the consolidated school to Mississippi conditions and needs are no longer debatable questions. Fifty counties in the state have tried the consolidated school, with transportation wagons, and have furnished abundant evidence from county superintendents, teachers, patrons and pupils that they are satisfactory. We need not any longer speculate on the advantages and disadvantages but simply ask those who have tried the experiment. Seven thousand happy school children in our own state are ready to answer your questions and point you to the actual demonstration. The movement is on in Mississippi to carry adequate school advantages to the country children, to equalize oppor- ■ tunity and thereby destroy class distinctions in education. In January, 1910, the legislature placed the first law on the statute books authorizing consolidation. In 1912 the law was so amended as to allow communities to issue bonds for buildings and levy taxes for the support of the local schools. This was simply an enabling act which allowed the people in any country community to do for their children what town and city people have long been doing. Consolidation is simply a form of educational co-operation in which a number of small schools join their forces to accomplish what would be impossible working alone. The rapid growth of this movement is ample proof of the insistent demand among farmers for better educational facilities, for high school advantages, under home influence and In reach of all the children of all the people. Through the county agricultural high schools and the consolidated schools we are providing courses of study that have a practical relation to living, and find educational material in agricultural and other country life subjects. Through school gardens, demonstration plots, boys' and girls' clubs, the consolidated schools can teach these things that will assist the farmer to live a richer intellectual and spiritual life. This is the >vay to dignify labor. WHAT IS MEANT BY CONSOLIDATION By consolidation is meant the grouping of small schools into one school. The number of small schools varies from two to eight. Sometimes 79 transportation at public expense Is furnished, an(^ sometimes It Is not. The law permits such transportation of pupils living two or more miles from the school, but many times consolidation Is effected without the necessity of transportation. If the district contains 25 sections or more, a levy may be made for supplementing salaries of teachers, lengthening the terms and for paying all the cost of the school when run longer than the county public schools. In such districts bonds may be issued- for the erection, repair and equip- ment of buildings. Consolidated schools with 25 sections or more have the same privileges as separate districts. They may add high school studies and the trustees have the privilege of setting the salaries of the teachers. These schools must always run not less than seven months. The total number of teachers employed In a consolidated school is usually less than before consolidation in the same territory. The cost of tuition per child per month is usually less than before consolidation, but on account of the fact that high school studies are added the attendance is greatly increased, also because of transportation expense the entire cost is more than before consolidation. A levy is usually necessary in order to meet the additional cost during the county public school term and to extend the term to seven or eight months if the county schools do not run seven or eight months. ' CONSOLIDATION OF SCHOOLS IN MISSISSIPPI There are enough consolidated schools in Mississippi now to prove beyond any reasonable doubt that the plan is practical. Many of these schools have been in operation for four years and almost without a single exception they are growing in favor. In almost every community where these schools were organized, there were citizens who honestly believed that for one reason or another they were not desirable, but in almost everj' case now, those who once opposed them give them their heartiest support. One serious objection most frequently given, is that these schools cost too much. In some places it is necessary to make a levy on the property of the school district in order to meet extra expenses of higher priced teachers and longer terms. The objection raised on account of additional cost is soon overcome when the school has an opportunity to prove its value. Comparatively few people realize that a levy of three mills means only $3. on every thousand dollars worth of property. The extra cost to the com- munity is usually much less than the cost of sending six or eight pupils to a boarding school. The industrial life of the community is so much invigorated by the consolidated school that its productive capacity is increased very much more than the cost of the school. In fact, I belie\re that a traveler easily recognizes the difference in the appearance of the farms as soon as he enters one of these districts. Possibly the greatest advantage of con- solidation is found in the quickening of industrial and religious life of the community. This is true in every consolidated school district with which I am intimately acquainted. SOCIALIZING INFLUENCE OF CONSOLIDATED SCHOOLS One of the greatest advantages of' a consolidated school is its social life. A small group of people can never have as interesting social ad- vantages as a larger group. Children with but few companions are usually 80 gainfully shy. The writer has witnessed many changes in this respect that have come over children when changed from little schools to con- solidated schools. Association with other children enables the child to make a more correct estimate of himself. He begins to believe in his own ability to be something and to do something. The contests of various kinds engaged, in by large schools against other schools, give a child an attitude toward his own school which he could never have toward a little insignificant school. The lessons in co-operation, learned in play in large schools, will be of great service to every child in after life. Rural people, just as town people, need meeting places for educational, economic and social purposes. The consolidated school provides a proper center for such meetings; in other words, the deepest mea;ning of a con- solidated school is that it tends to socialize community life; it tends to break up unsocial or anti-social tendencies. Its very erection is a form of co-operation which makes easier other co-operative efforts. A NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER The consolidated school should be the natural gathering place for the social, intellectual and industrial life of the neighborhood. An assembly room, or at least an arrangement of sliding partitions which would provide an assembly room, should be a feature of the consolidated school house. Here could be held lyceum courses, literary and agricultural society meetings, farmers' institutes, and entertainments of various sorts. Indeed, the fact that such a place was available would encourage activity in all these directions, and would thus add greatly to the attractiveness of country life. This advantage of consolidation is not quite so obvious as some of the others that have been mentioned, but it is certainly worthy of careful consideration. In direct connection with it is the matter of "school spirit." It must be perfectly evident that there will be more enthusiasm for school when the attendance is greater, the classes larger, and the spirit of emulation both in study and in sports more keen. One of the very first effects of consolidation, as shown in the experience of our own state and other states, is to hold the boys and girls in school — simply because school is more interesting. A FARMERS' MOVEMENT About 80 per cent of the people of Mississippi live in the country. The prosperity and happiness of this great rural population, as well as its con- tribution to the gener^al upbuilding of the state, depend chiefly upon two things: success in agricultural pursuits, and the standard of excellence maintained in the rural schools. It is a fact that the work of improving our rural schools has not kept pace with the progress toward better methods and better results in farming. It is doubtful if the country schools are as good as they once were, since there was a time when men and women of mature years could be secured to teach them. Many plans have been proposed to try to make the isolated rural schools meet the require- ments of modern times, and practically all who have given attention to the matter, and have kept watch upon the various experiments tried, are agreed that the plan of uniting small districts into larger and more adequate" school units has proven the most effective. It ought to be a farmers' movement. Its strongest feature is its certainty of making farm life more attractive and successful. It need hardly be said that children 81 who are sent to town for their schooling are almost inevitably educated away from country life. The problems they solve, the compositions they write, the influences thely encounter, all tend to the same end. This Is not to say that country boys and girls should be deliberately educated away from the city. Much of the best manhood and womanhood of the cities comes from the country, and always will. But the tendency^ to drift to the town is already over-strong, and the real attractiveness and opportunity of country life should have the utmost chance to assert itself. The boys and girls of the country are entitled to the pleasures and refining In- fluences of music, literature, and other forms of culture just as much as the city's boys and girls. The consolidated rural school will bring these things to the country children, so that they may be enjoyed by all, whereas under the present system these advantages are reserved too largely to those who leave the country and go into the towns to finish their education. DISADVANTAGES OP SMALL SCHQOLS Among the disadvantages of the one-teacher or small rural school may be mentioned: a. That there are too many classes for one teacher; classes too small to stimulate interest and arouse competition; isolation of teacher and lack of professional companionship; b. The taxing unit is too small to provide adequate buildings and equipment; sufiicient salary and length of term; resulting in absolute de- pendence on the general fund for all purposes ; c. That no high school subjects are taught or can be taught, under the law, for the law does not provide for high school subjects in common county public schools; d. That recitation periods are too short; e. That there Is no interest in any kind of club work or other vitaliz- ing forces; f. That sessions are too short; g. That the salary is too small to be attractive to the best teachers; h. That there Is no library In the school; I. That the school has no literary society; j. That teachers do not attend Teachers' Association meetings; k. That there are not enough children in school to have Interesting games; therefore, one of the most helpful activities is not in operation; 1. That classes are too small to get up friendly rivalry; m. That the school does not observe Arbor Day or any other day re- commended by the State Superintendent; n. There Is no music or domestic science in the school; o. That the school is dominated by one person. ADVANTAGES OF CONSOLIDATION Among the special advantages of consolidation of schools may be mentioned: a. That a larger taxing unit makes possible better buildings and equipment; b. That the equipment Is better; the teaching force is better trained and more stable; better attendance and classification of pupils; division of labor and longer recitation periods; the elimination of the inexperienced teacher problem by placing young teachers under the supervision of the experienced; 82 10. A center for larger community interests and a stimulus to co-opera- tive enterprises of all kinds weakens the force of the chronic kicker and makes possible the teaching of agriculture, manual training, domestic science and the enlargement of the social and economic outlook of the community; 'd. That it provides that ' equality of educational opportunity for the country boy and girl which is so much desired and puts them in possession of real social ideals. TRANSPORTATION WAGONS In consolidated schools having transportation, great care should be ex- ercised that the wagons be of the right kind. They may be owned by the contractor, by the school district or by the county. In any event the trustees and county superintendent must see to it that the wagons are comfortable and ample, and that the teams are sufficient to carry the load. Usually it is best for the school district to own the wagons, for, if the contractor furnishes the wagon he must necessarily be paid more for his contract. Besides, this, if the school dis- trict owns the wagons the trustees can the more easily see to it that the wagons are of the right kind. All transportation wagons should be covered with waterproof- covering, tbe sides of the top should be practically straight and perpendicular and the top should be practically flat, thus insuring comfort to the occupants. Spring bolsters should be used under the body. Seats on both sides of the body, running lengthwise with comfortable backs and steps in the rear with curtains for both ends, should always be provided. The length of the body is governed by the number of pupils. In order to give plenty of room between the seats it is necessary to let the seats project from four to six inches. The bodies must be sufficiently strengthened by Iron bars and braces. Wagons may be bought ready for use, but usually it is cheaper and in soAe respects more satisfactory to buy the running gear of a farm wagon and have a carpenter-blacksmith make the body and top. Spring bolsters and bows of correct shape may be bought. PART II COUNTY AGRICULTURAL HIGH SCHOOLS WITH COURSE OF STUDY The county school boafU of any county is authorized and empowered to establish an agricultural high school an(J determine its location. Any town or rural community in a county has the right to bid for the location of an agricultural high school, and at any time may request the county school board to convene for the purpose of considering the bid to be submitted. The board shall not accept a bid that does not guarantee to the county a donation of at least twenty acres of land, a suitable school building and dormitories with dining room facilities sufficient to accommodate forty boarders. If no community makes such' a donation the county may pur- chase the land, and erect the buildings, either by a bond issue or a tax levy. After a bid has been accepted by the county school board, the build- ings erected and the land acquired, the law makes it mandatory on the 83 board of supervisors to levy a tax, virhich together with the state appro- priation, shall be sufficient to maintain the school during the session. Two counties may co-operate and locate the school at, or near, the county line. By "this co-operation, the school will receive annually from the state double the amount appropriated where only one county operates the school. HOW TO MAKE A SUCCESS OF THE SCHOOL The first requisite to success, and one without which such a school will certainly fail to perform its function is to secure the services of a skilled agriculturist as a member of its teaching force. This teacher should know as much about farming as any farmer in the county. In addition to the teacher skilled in the knowledge of agriculture the , school must employ a teacher of home science. In addition to these teachers, those of literary subject must, of course, be employed to assist the principal and other teachers. THE COST OF THE SCHOOL The trustees should look closely into this feature of the school. Board, after the first year, should not exceed $6 per month, and if the dormitory is well managed, from $4 to $5 per month should defray all expenses. If these schools are to be within reach of all the people they must be within reach of their means. We now have forty-five of these county schools in operation and eight more in course of construction. It is exceedingly gratifying to note that there are nearly five thousand pupils in attendance at these forty-five schools, with nearly twenty-five hundred boarders en- rolled. The average cost to the pupil before giving credit for work done is $6.35 per month, and after giving such credit the average cost, per month is only $3.88. More than twelve hundred of these pupils are working part of their way through school, while three hundred of them are earning enough to pay their entire expenses during the session. For the first time in the history of the state we are enabled to place high school education within the reach of the pocketbooks of all the people. WHEN THE SCHOOL WILL FAIL When the school is made purely literary and fails to carry out the course of study found elsewhere in this Bulletin, state aid will be imme- diately withdrawn by the state board of education. • No school can hope to receive state aid that fails to carry out the idea the state had in mind when the law providing for its establishment was passed. The board proposes to keep faith with the people. INSPECTORS OF AGRICULTURAL HIGH SCHOOLS Prof. J. C. Fant, of the University, and Prof. Thos. A. Early, of the Agricultural and Mechanical College, are the official inspectors of the agri- cultural high schools. They are commissioned by the state board of edu- cation to act in this capacity. Their reports on an agricultural high school will be accepted by the state board of education. Their' recommendations concerning the success or failure of the schools will govern the action of the state board of education in its relation to the schools. In addition to these inspectors these schools will have the hearty co- operatipn of the Government demonstration men of the state and all the 84 forces of the agricultural and mechanical college, and the Industrial insti- tute and college. No schools in the state enjoy such expert supervision as do these agricultural high schools. COURSE OF STUDY FOR AGRICULTURAL HIGH SCHOOLS A committee representing the county high schools in operation and those building has worked out a course of study for the schools. This report, together with the course of study adopted by the association of agricultural high school principals, follows; YOUR COMMITTEE RESPECTFULLY REPORTS: 1. That it re- cognizes the following subjects as a proper field for secondary education and as constituting suitable branches of study for the Mississippi agricul- tural high schools: AGRICULTURE — Plant and animal life, field crops, soils and fertilizers, breeds of live stock, care and feeding of live stock, dairying, drainage, surveying and terracing, marketing farm products, farm management and accounts, and business forms, co-operation on farm industries and com- munity ownership of improved live stock and of farm implements, simple carpentry and farm mechanics, poultry raising and marketing, fruit grow- ing and gardening, bee culture, sanitation and hygiene. HOME SCIENCE — Cooking, serving and etiquette, sewing, millinery, home care of the sick, feeding of invalids and infants, laundering, die- tetics, house planning and decoration, gardening and fioriculture, poultry raising and marketing, preserving and canning, sanitation and hygiene, study of texture, manufacture, cost, durability of fabrics, household management, making and keeping of accounts. ENGLISH — Grammar, composition and rhetoric, selected classics and history of American and English literature. MATHEMATICS — Arithmetic, algebra and plane geometry. HISTORY — Ancient, medieval and modern, English and American his- tory and government. LANGUAGES — Latin, German, French, Spanish. MANUAL ARTS — Blacksmithing, mechanical drawing, tool and bench work. SCIENCE — Sanitation and hygiene, physics, chemistry, physical geog- raphy. 2nd. That the course of study for every school shall include four units of agriculture for boys; four units in home science for girls; four units in English; two and one-fifth units in history, ancient, medieval and modern histories being taught three periods per week in second and third years, respectively, and American history and government five periods per week in the fourth year; and two units in mathematics, embracing algebra and plane geometry, in the second and third years, respectively; making a total of 12.2 units of retjuired- work. 3rd. That the field of elective studies shall include as many of the above named branches, not included among the required studies, as prac- ticable for a given school to oflfer, there being 3.8 units of elective work. 4th. That the course of study for the agricultural high schools shall extend through a period of four years, and cover a range and extent of subject matter so organized that the required studies taken in connection with elected subjects shall be equivalent in amount of work to sixteen units. 85 5th. That, all pupils completing fifteen units (15) of this total of six- teen units, shall he eligible for graduation. The ultimate aim of this school is to improve and uplift rural life, to lessen drudgery, to increase comforts, to make more attractive the home and the school,- and to lead in the development of a suflicient and satisfy- ing country civilization. It represents the high school opportunity for the country boy and girl, and its immediate aim will be to train these young people for patriotic and serviceable citizenship on the farm. Your committee is of the opinion that this course is a practicable one, and that it is founded on sound principles. It places the chief emphasis on agricultural teaching, home' science and on a study of the mother tongue. Completion of such a course virill give good training for the prac- tical duties of life; it will afford an excellent high school preparation for the work of teaching; it will fit for college those who desire to continue their education in some higher institution of learning. This committee believes, furthermore, that the activities of this school should not be confined to the narrow boundaries of its own campus, nor that the instructive agencies of its faculty should be devoted only to the needs of Its enrolled pupils. It conceives that the work of this school should be country-wide, and that its force and influence shall be felt in every beat, in every community, and in the social and economic life of the people. Through its extension work it should come into direct contact with all the agricultural interests of the county. It should lead in the establishment of co-operative industrial clubs for the raising and market- ing of crops suitable to local communities. (In south Mississippi there is a virgin field for the formation of clubs for the growing of cane and for the manufacture and sale of cane syrup. Other practical clubs would be the growing of poultry, market gardening, fruit and berry growing, etc., etc.) The school could send out men to do terracing, to check epidemics of disease, to treat sick animals, etc., etc. Your committee recommends, further, the desirability of early con- necting up with this school a teacher-training department. The present practice of young people passing directly from the r61e of pupils In a rural school to that of teachers in the same or a like school is a futile process and begets a system of in-breeding in education which can but result in stagnation and IneflBciency. No lower standard of teacher-preparation should be tolerated than that a school should be in charge of a person having not less education than that provided for by the school of next higher grade. As the highest school in the county, this school is the logical institution to assume the main burden in the preparation of teachers for service in the rural schools. There should go out from this school, under the direction of the county superintendent of education and in co-operation with the teacher-training department of the school, supervisory teachers for the elementary schools of the county. ' ' The farm demonstration work might be organized about this school to the mutual advantage of all; and from it, as a center, there should be dis- seminated literature, bulletins and tracts of all kinds bearing upon farm life and farm conditions. The formation of short-term adult courses each winte^ is urgently re- commended. Such courses should be open to all on terms that would exclude none, and be conducted in the interes;t of the farmer who is S6 already at work, but who desires to come up to the school to learn of better methods and how to Improve his work. Now, Mr. Chairman, your committee recognizes the fact that among the many elements making for the success of this school, none is more potent for good or bad results than the character or method of instruction. Th« work of this school should be done according to the laboratory method. The work-shop idea should prevail in every class and every department of the institution. The purpose should be to teach the pupil both to know and to do; and the test of knowledge at every point should be the learner's ability to put into actual practice the thing he is taught. This method should apply in the teaching of every subject in the course, in mathematics as well as in scierice, and no less in language than in agriculture. ■ AGRICULTURAL HIGH SCHOOL COURSE OF STUDY FIRST YEAR I. Agriculture (boys) — Kve recitations per week. II. Home Science (girls) — Five recitations per week. III. English — Five recitations per week. (Grammar, 3; Composition, 2.) IV. Arithmetic — Five recitations per week. V. Elective Study — Five recitations per week. AGRICULTURE— General Agriculture. ENGLISH — Grammar and Composition. (Composition work to be based mainly upon subjects relating to the home or to social life, as Is developed in oral discussion or drawn from suitable reading matter.) ARITHMETIC- SECOND YEAR I. Agriculture (boys) — Five recitations per week. II., Home Science (girls) — Five recitations per week. III. English — Five recitations per week. (Composition and Rhetoric, 3; Classics, 2.) IV. Algebra — Five recitations per week. V. History — Three recitations per week. VI. Elective Study — Five recitations per week. AGRICULTURE— Field Crops, Soil Fertilizers. ENGLISH — Composition and Rhetoric, Selected Classics. ALGEBRA— HISTORY— Ancient History. THIRD YEAR I. Agriculture (boys) — Five recitations per week. II. Home Science (girls) — Five recitations per week. III. English — Five recitations per week. (Composition and Rhetoric, 3; Classics, 2.) IV. Plane Geometry — Five recitations per week. V. History — Three recitations per week. VI. Elective Study — Five recitations per week. ENGLISH — Composition and Rhetoric, Selected Classics. 87 FOURTH YEAR I. Agriculture (boys) — Five recitations per week. II. Home Sclei^ce (girls)— Five recitations per week, in. English — Five recitations per week. (History of English and American Literature, 2; Eclectic Classics, 3.) IV. History — Five recitations per week. V. Elective Study — Four recitations per week. AGRICULTURE — Farm Management, including Farm Accounts, Business Forms and Marketing. HISTORY — American History and Civil Government. N.B. A syllabus on this course of study will be worked out prior to the opening of the schools in September, 1915. How to Build Up Rural Communities Through Co-Operative Clubs. By Bessie R. Murphy, Director, Wbman's Department, Bureau of Farm Development, Memphis, Tenn. This is an age and time of re-adjustment, change and restlessness. We hear a great deal about the "rural problem," the decline of rural life and "back to the farm" movement, and we often pause to ask, "Why this re- adjustment?" and "What will the end be?" We think these conditions are new and that they are new problems for .this civilization, but the truth is, this rural problem is as old as civiliza- tion and rural community life has had its decline in all ages. It is well that our land is aroused over the decline of rural life, for, as in all other ages, this decline means the beginning of the decline of the nation, and we realize that on the solving of this problem of "back to the land" our welfare as a nation depends. Why are we having this problem in America to-day? First of all, be- cause of the city trend of our times. During the past generation we have been thinking of our cities, their social and industrial betterment. All our plans are made for their development — in fact, everything has been a tendency towards encouraging the country boys and girls to move to town and to think that only in the city can they win success. As a consequence, all have suffered. We are realizing that our very strength as a nation is depending on the same attention being given to the social and Industrial welfare of our rural oommunitiesi. We can talk and preach "Back to the Farm," "The boy and girl staying on the Farm," but it must be more than talk — ^we must make the farm and farm life more attractive, build up the farm from the social as well as the productive side. It is- true that we must teach the care of the soil, but at the same time we must develop the caretaker. There are a gredt many forces to-day all working to prevent the rural decline, and we know we must have good roads, we must have con- solidated schools, we must have systematized and scientiflo marketing, we ' must have conservation, we must have many things, but all these agencies are powerless to stop this decline of rural life until the great enemy of rural development has been overcome — that lack of co-operation, petty jealousy, and lack of community interest; it is the one factor to-day 88 ^ destroying our rural life. This first step in rural development must come from the community itself. Farmers cannot co-operate with city or town forces until they co-operate at home. Rural life needs awaken- ing, it needs larger ideals and visions of beyond that of the little com- munity, something new, something broader. Secure this community co- operation and it will be the nurturing spirit for all good things needed. It will make money and save money, it will get good roads, it will bring better schools, unite communities in matters of creed and will bring to the farmer all that progress demands for him. Securing this co-operative spirit we can turn our attention to those three great agencies of rural development, — the home, the school, and the church. It is true that the standard of agriculture can rise no higher than the level of the farm, and the farm no higher than the level of the home. We hear a great deal about the passing, away of the rural home, but it is only passing through this; period of readjustment, and out of this will come three things that will mark the rural home of the future, — the farm homes will be more convenient and sanitary, there will be more labor saving conveniences and the life will not be a copy of city or town life, but will be distinct in itself. In passing a farm we cannot help but get an i.dea of the character of the man who lives within, and especially is this true of his home. So many of the farmers live in dilapidated and unsanitary homes, looking forward to the time when can retire from the farm, move to town and have a comfortable home. Commercialism has invaded even the rural home, the dollar mark often being seen on the front gate. If. th^e is any life that a comfortable home means more to, if there is any one that should have a comfortable home, .It is the farmer and his family. It means more to them than any one else, as the farmer is the only professional man that must live with his business. The farm home must be more convenient if we expect to keep the boy and girl on the farm, and if we expect the homemaker to look on her home as a haven of rest and not as a workshop of drudgery. It must have better heating and water system. Who more than the farmer needs and should enjoy a water system. Think of the weary steps that the homemaker takes to the pump, often two or three hundred yards from the house, or at the spring down at the foot of the hill and the thousands of palls of water that must be carried Into the house through- out the year. These inconveniences may seem small to the farmer, but It is just such little things that when the young people on the farm return from school or a visit to town in homes with such conveniences, and then go back to coal-oil lamps and the water bucket they determine "no farm life for me." Another thing lacking in the rural home is proper sanitation. We think that the farmer's life Is the most healthful of all lives, but It Is not so. It is greatly decreasing. We find unsanitary and unhealthful con- ditions In the country that would not be tolerated in a city. Laws are needed to require healthful living conditions in the country as well as in town. The modern farmer realizes the value of labor saving devices on his farm but Is often careless of labor saving devices for his home. Many wives whose husbands use modern mowing machines, still use the old dash churn, and whose husbands use harrow carts, still use the old wash- board. There are many women to-day on the farm working under con- ditions In which Pharaoh suffered death in the Red Sea. She works from early morn until late at night, cooking, washing, ironing, caring for the children and often the live stock, and when the census man writes her name he writes "no occupation." At the end of the farm year when the crops are all sold what share does this homemaker get for Ikhor saving devices or comforts for her home? None — it goes for plows, barns, silos, and other conveniences for the farmer, and the little homemaker is left to battle another year with all the inconveniences. The rural problem will never be solved until the, home and the homemaker come in for their share of development. The rural school must take its turn in this readjustment age. In the past we have educated, as we thought, the rural boy and girl to return to the farm with all their knowledge, but our education has failed; they have not returned to the farm. Our rural schools must educate along rural life and not city life. I believe in higher education for rural boys and girls, with all its advantages, but along with this "I love, you love, they love, — plural, We love, y.ou love, they love," should come, "I farm, you farm, he farms,^ — plural. We farm, you farm, they farm." We must have fewer schools and better schools,- better paid teachers, teachers who are leaders in communitylife and whose home is a part of the school. Our rural schools should have a course in agriculture, a demonstration garden, teaching the use of modern labor saving devices and implements. Girls in the rural schools should be taught homemaking, how to plan and cook well balanced meals, how to furnish and make her home attractive and how to select and make her wearing apparel. The rural church, like the rural school, has failed to adjust itself to changing needs. The rural church must answer its call, because in times past it has given the highest ideals to the world and has ever been the leader in the uplift of mankind. The mission of the church has ever been to teach men that they, were made in God's image and for His glory, and that man is the "upward looking one" and not the "man with the hoe." The rural church must not confine itself to a few hours of worship one day in the week, and often one day a month. The church should be the "meeting place," for God is interested in everything that pertains to our well being. He. brings joy into the midst of the world of toil and sorrow and keeps us in His loving care always. The rural church must unite and forget the old sectarianism, wrapping themselves up in denominational pride and the community about them drifting away from God and out into darkness. The rural church must get out of the narrow confines of self and realize it is here to minister and not to be ministered unto. Our rural life is awakening for there are so many splendid messages of hope appearing on the horizon, proclaiming a new day, watching and encouraging along the way. Some of these messengers are the Department of Agriculture at Washington, with its hundreds and thousands of workers, studying and sending to us the best; the experiment stations of our state agricultural colleges; the introduction of agriculture in our schools; the farm bulletins and magazines that are being published, the agri- cultural experts and county advisers,— both men and women, — that are being employed; the farmers' institutes, short courses, and the efforts on.the part of the bankers, business men, manufacturers of agricultural implements, railroads, teachers and ministers, all ready and willing to assist in building up this great rural life of our country. ' Just how can we overcome this lack of co-operation, this common interest, and petty jealousy, and build up our rural communities? In 90 Shelby County this end has been attained through the organization of Co-operative Clubs. These clubs at first had as members only women and girls, but in every club the men o£ the community have asked for mem- bership and they attend the meetings regularly. The clubs have no dues or membership fees and only three ofllcers, the President, Vice-President and Secretary. The three units the clubs stand for a^e the Community, the Home and the School. The fact of not having any dues makes it possible for every family in the community to join, realizing that they ' can give without any cost, two things, — service and co-operation, which means so much to a community. Each member serves on one of the following committees, — Education, Sanitation, Recreation, Civic Beauti- fication, Membership, Home Economics and Marketing. Each committee has meetings of its own and plans such work as can be done, calling on the other members to assist, reporting at the monthly meeting the work accomplished. Monthly Club bulletins are published containing Club news, programs, dates of meetings and demonstrations to be given. In Shelby County within four months we have twenty-three Co-operative Clubs with a membership of over eight hundred men and women, all co-operating and working for the upbuilding of their community, home and school. The work accomplished by these Clubs has been wonderful. Sani- tation was studied for two months and the result was more sanitary communities and homes. The Committee on Education has assisted in beautifying school grounds, introducing domestic science in the rural schools and assisted in starting scjiool gardens. The Committees on Civic Beautification have beautified rural churches, cemeteries, and started rural recreation parks. The Committee on Recreation has accomplished a wonderful work. The subject of recreation is one of great importance in rural communities. Every one needs good wholesome amusement. To this end" Community Centers have been established and they have exceeded expectations in the good they have accomplished. They have brought the community closer together and have given it a new lease on life. We have three types of these centers, — a vacant room at the school, the women working on the house-furnishing part and the men making the furniture. No money was given or raised in any way — it was all furnished by each member, giving time, service and material. Another type is the abandoned school, on account of consolidation. Communities will be more willing to consolidate schools, if in turn are given a Social Center. In this class of Social Center two rooms are used, — one a lecture and reading room and the other a home science room. The other type is a log cabin club house. These social centers are open every Friday night, some kind of simple social gathering for all of the community. One .rural club woman re- marked,— "think of having some place to go every week." A place where her husband and children could go with her, spend a pleasant evening with their neighbors, go home happy and with something new to think about. Farm bulletins and magazines, as well as magazines for women are kept on file at the club room. Lectures and cooking demonstrations are given each month, the Home Economics Committee having this in charge. The Membership Committee looks after new members, visits members who are ill and keeps in close touch with all club members. The Marketing Committee reports on good markets and market prices. I believe the future of rural development is in "helping the rural com- munity to help itself," giving them organization and co-operation and 91 developing rural leadership, and giving the farmers' wives and families a comfortable home. The farmer smd his family should appreciate the fact that they hold part of the destiny of our nation in their hands, and in proportion to the way they perform and discharge this obligation, to that degree will civilization advance, and they must rise to this responsibility and have the Idealism that goes with it. The Agricultural Ejctension Department of the International Harvester Company. — Its Purposes, and What it Offers in the Way of Assistance to Local Organizations. By Prof. P. G. Holden, Director, AgriculturEtl Extension Department, International Harvester Company of New Jersey, Chicago, 111. The following is a brief outline of the scope and purpose of the Agri- cultural Extension Department of the International Harvester Company of New Jersey. This Department was organized about three years ago — not with the intention of supplementing the work of any educational institution or organization doing similar work in the United States, but with the most sincere motives and in the spirit of helpfulness to every agency doing agricultural educational work in America. This company has endeavored to make the work of the department co-operative, for it is not our purpose to do charitable work. The com- pany sends its forces to work with the people who want to do something for themselves. We believe it is truly said that "You cannot make a mathematician out of a boy by working his problems for him — he must work them out for himself." And it seems that if people are to be sue- . cessful they must work out their own problems; but the department stands ready and willing to do all that it can to help in whatever stands for the betterment of the agricultural community. The real prosperity of both town and country lies hidden in the fer- tility of the soil. We cannot be permanently prosperous where the land is poor. "Every farm is a factory," and in every state there are thou- sands of these farm factories which need the best thought and effort available to make them productive and pro^table. Primarily the pur- chasing power of the people is measured by the producing power of the farm. Campaigns for alfalfa, corn, wheat, and hay — beef, pork and butter, will assist to make the land worth more, build good homes, make good roads, and support better schools. To this end the Agricultural Extension Department of the Harvester Company has been directing its efforts: 1st. By conducting agricultural campaigns on a co-operative basis with agricultural colleges, and other educational institutions; with the field demonstration agents of the United States Department of Agriculture; with chambers of commerce, railroads, bankers' associations, newspapers, and other agencies. 2nd. By loaning free, agricultural lecture charts and lantern slides to agricultural colleges and schools — in fact to any individual, school or organization which will make efficient use of the material. 92 3rd. By the distribution of educational literature on many subjects pertaining to agriculture, live stoclj, dairying, home economics, and many other subjects. 4th. By furnishing reliable information through correspondence, to all who ask for it. 5th. By advocating diversified farming and the growing of live stock as the surest and most profitable system of farming. 6th. By the publication of special articles in magazines and newspapers covering educational subjects on agriculture. 7th. By the use of moving pictures and illustrated stereopticon lectures on agricultural subjects. 8th. By conducting emergency campaigns to meet unusual conditions — campaigns for the eradication of insect enemies to crops, such as the boll Weevil, corn root worm, etc.; health compaigns to get rid of flies; campaigns against hog cholera, cattle tick, etc. Up to January 1st, 1916, the Extension Department had assisted in organizing and conducting in the North, South, West and Central West, forty-eight campaigns in twenty-four different states, which were attended by 1,911,673 people. Over 700,000 miles were traveled over railroads and 175,392 'miles by automobiles. The greater number of these meetings were held at the farm homes. The Newspaper. — Its Relationship and Duties Toward the Development of Farm and Rural Communities. By C. P. J. Mooney, Editor of The Commercial-Appeal, Memphis, Tenn. I heard a man several years ago say that one-third of the editors of the United States ought to be ploughing. This was not a compliment to the ploughers. The majority of the editors of the United States have neither the sense nor the training to be good ploughmen. It more of our editors knew how to plough they would be better editors. Ploughing is an art. When one is a good ploughman one does the highest possible service as a producer. Good ploughing requires as much intelligence as good surgery. If all the editors in the United States should insist that the average furrow be 8 inches instead of 4 inches, the agri- cultural wealth of this country would be doubled pvery year. A daily paper can be a tremendous factor in the development of the agriculture of this country. Editors of the daily papers have neglected a magnificent, opportunity to be of service, }n that they have not given attention to agriculture. About ninety per cent of the activities of the world are in agriculture and in mining. In this country about ninety per cent of the time of the people, in thinking places, is consumed in politics. About two-thirds of the editors of the United States do not know what they are here for. The editors of our daily newspapers are so busily engaged in attempting to control politics at Washington, and in the European capitals, that they have little time to devote to the things about them. The average editor of the daily newspaper is more eager to get himself quoted by other metropolitan papers than he is to be of real use. All the editors in the United States could not make the Republicans come to free trade, or 93 make the Democrats go to protection. The Republicans are selfish, and the Democrats In their opposition are foolish. Neither side has the patriotism nor the courage to strilte the average. The average would probably be conducive to the benefit of the greatest number. The editor of a dally newspaper can help towards mailing two blades of grass grow where one now grows. He can do a whole lot towards filling in the scarred southern hillsides. The editor of a daily newspaper can set forces into motion which, in a few years, will bring about the production of 25 bushels to the acre of wheat where 15 are now secured. I know of one editor who has been able to raise the production of corn from 20 to 40 bushels an acre. The prosperity of these United States depends upon the prosperity of those nearest the soil. In the cities are the consumers and the middle- man. They produce little. It is, therefore, to their fnterest to have those in the country produce much. I am editor of a paper in a city that is in the heart of the richest agri- cultural region in the world but whose production in agriculture is low becEiuse of the single crop habit. Six years ago I saw where I was wrong. I tried to quit talking about politics in the paper. I sought to Interest my readers in bogs, in chickens, lespedeza and in alfalfa. I tried to show to the people in the country that it was better business to sell corn in a steer and in a hog rather than to sell it plain. I first attempted to interest the small farmer. I suggested to him that he improve his garden. I told him that he could grow green stuff the year around. I told him that green cabbage, green lettuce and green radishes would make his digestion better, yhen I began to write about growing corn as well as cotton. Then after I discussed corn I took up cow peas. I insisted that cow peas would make the soil rich enough to produce a bale of cotton on land that hitherto had produced only half a bale. Then I went from corn and peas and cotton to live stock. Then I got in touch with the agricultural agents, and I made the paper the clearing house for information. ' I printed a series of articles prepared by men who knew what they were writing about. I invited the 'farmers to use the paper in telling their wants. I printed a series of short articles. Each article I ran seven times. I printed them under the head of "Farmers Attention." They did not run over 300 words. I used the same methods in getting these articles to the attention of the people that the advertising man does in bringing before the mind of the reader the virtues of "Beacham's Pills" or "Rad- way's Ready Relief." The farmers, the bankers and the merchants began to wonder why a metropolitan paper was devoting so much space to agriculture. I told the .bankers and the merchants that I was devoting this space to agriculture in order that the city itself would not perish, and in order that their banks would not fail and merchants would not go bankrupt. To the man that wag extremely selfish I explained that I was selfish. I wanted more readers; I wanted readers who would be able to pay for their subscrip- tions. If I could fill the country with better farmers and have those farmers out of dfebt, I would get more subscriptions, get more circulation and I would get more advertising because the advertisers would get better results. Ten years ago The Commercial-Appeal did not carry $2,000 a year in farm implement and seed advertising. Last year this sort of advertising yielded us revenue of about $18,000. We quit liquor advertising a year 94 ago. Our agricultural and implement advertising more than compensates for the loss of the liquor advertising. I preached diversification because I wanted a little money to be coming along all the time instead of all of it coming at once. I wanted to reduce the interest rate to the borrowers froin 10 to 6 per cent. 1 1 knew it could be done if the farmers grew enough at home for themselves and their stock to eat, and made cotton their money crop. The campaign for diversified farming in The Commercial-Appeal, of which I am the editor, has been going on for 8 years. My friends have taken it off my hands. The farmers' associations, merchants, bankers and manufacturers in this territory have perfected organizations. These organizations have employed experts; everybody is trading experiences. The experts are practical men. A veritable crusade has been going on in this territory for two years in faVor of more corn, more lespedeza, more live stock; fewer acres of cotton but more cotton to the acre. This paper sought to bring the banker, the implement man, the farmer and the merchant in close touch with one another. It sought to disarm the prejudices of each one. But the paper did little itself. It started the work: Others took it up and carried it to a splendid success. To-day I can give attention editorially to other things because the merits of my former preachments have impressed themselves upon a great number of men who are now carrying on the work. This paper Is no longer a leader in the work. It is the clearing house. As an editor I do not direct the diversification campaign. The experts tell me what to print and I print it. I insist only that they be not too eager to make changes quickly. We have been growing a single crop in this territory for fifty years. Two generations have given attention to cotton alone. We cannot, therefore, radically change in a year or two years; we cannot over night make an expert binder driver of a negro who, all of his life, handled no other agricultural implement than a turning plough or a hoe. You cannot get the banker who has been advancing money on cotton alone, and who has a dead shot, through crop mortgages, on being paid to make a loan on a bunch of steers, or to loan a man money to buy a drove of hogs. In these parts cotton is collateral any day in the year. We can get money on cotton when we could not get it on a gold bond. Therefore, the banker will not quickly turn from cotton as collateral to corn and live stock. But the banker is turning — he is changing sanely. To-day the Memphis bankers are leading exhorters for diversification. In this campaign I have been liberal in giving free advertising. I do not hesitate to recommend a "McCormick" selfrbinder, to praise a "Bull" tractor, of to say that a farmer should have a good "James & Graham" wagon. I have devoted columns of free space to advance stories of sales of blooded stock. I must say also that the agricultural implement men and the stock growers have been most generous in their co-operation. If we attempt to get up a contest of any sort, we are seldom refused if we make a tequest for a wagon or a plow, or even a gasoline engine as a prize. The paper, bankers, merchants and implement manufacturers or sales agents co-operating, can put the American farmer on the road that leads to better living, better health and greater prosperity. A daily newspaper can be a valuable asset in the development of any community, if it gives attention to the things of the community, and then thoroughly familiarizes itself with conditions. It must, however, be more 95 than a mere exhorter — it must be a doer, a leader, and while It assumes to be a teacher it must also be a learner. If the daily papers of all the cities of the South and the Middle West would give more attention to common sense agriculture and less to Wash- ington politics, they could be instrumental in doubling the productivity of the Soil of these territories within five years. What the American Bankers' Association Has Done and is Doing in Farm Development Work. By B. F. Harris, Chairman, Agricultural Commission of The American bankers' Association and President, First National Bank, Champaign, 111. Last summer a conference was held in Chicago. Deans and professors of colleges of agriculture, editors of farm journals, country school teach- ers, a number of well known women, ministers, county agents, farmers and bankers met to learn what could be done to bring about a better agriculture and country life. There were more bankers than those of any other class present, for this conference was under their auspices:— KJalled by our Commission. A large banner, inscribed "The BANKER-FARMER Platform," bore these words: Citizenship, Co-operation, Better Schools, Better Roads, Farm Demonstration, Soil Fertility, Better Tenancy Methods, Community Building, Farm, Home, Town and Church, Rural Credits, Marketing and Distribution. While other banners were inscribed as follows: "Create a soil as well as a bank reserve" "Take interest in the farmer as well as from him" "American citizenship and salvation means co-operation" "The hope of American agriculture Is in the children of the country schools" "A settled country that isn't worth a good road, isn't worth living in" "The throbbing heart of American prosperity and national life lies in the the growing crops — in the keeping of our farmers" This meeting was the Banker-Farmer Conference. It was a natural development of the effort of the bankers of the United States to co-operate in a great task. It is only a few years since the bankers realized and took advantage of their great opportunity, but now the Banker-Farmer movement is known far and wide. What is the Banker-Farmer movement? It is the effort by the American banker, through his state associations and as an individual, to aid the farmer in his endeavor to 'build up a permanent agriculture and a better country life. It is co-operation. It is good business. But above all, it is good citizenship. 96 Germany, Denmark and Switzerland have long demonstrated the power of centralized co-ordinated effort, economically, industrially, sanguinarily. These are the days when only the prepared man and the prepared nation wins. Why should this great nation, the hope of our fathers and of all Christendom, fall to be prepared in every way — prepared that a happy destiny may be ours^prepared against internal troubles, as well as against outside aggressors ? "Why should we fail of industrial, agricultural, com- mercial, maritime, social, political and peaceful independence, and the helpful use and example of this independence for all? So long as we realize that our own well being, and the perpetuity of it. all, depends upon the success and prosperity of the average man and woman and the average boy and girl, so long will we put the public wel- fare in the first place and bend all our energies of co-operation to that end. We hear a great deal of "co-operation" these days— but it usually stops at co-operation between men of one group (of one more or less selfish purpose), but the real big effective co-operation that is to get the real results must be inter-co-operation — the co-operation of one group with and for another group of men. Of all great state and national organizations of business or professional men, there is but one that has stepped beyond the borders of its class or organization and undertaken such a work. Thirty-nine state bankers' associations and the great American Bankers' Association have publicly acknowledged and practically demonstrated the banker's belief in and relation to thei public welfare. Our state associations have active and aggressive committees on agriculture and education, and the Anlerican Bankers' Asso9lation has an Agricultural Commission that aids In di- recting the work. This commission alone is spending thousands of dollars each year, and with many devoted adherents, is earnestly working for a better agriculture and rural life; for the big, broad, human side of things — for a better civilization. It has urged and encouraged the state associations to appoint similar committees until we now have some thirty-eight state committees. We have so aroused interest, that most of the state asso- ciations devote from half to two-thirds of their annual convention program to the subject, and the American Bankers' Association annual convention gives about one-third of Its set program to agriculture and country life. It is only in recent years that the many, including a large percentage . of farmers, have begun seriously to appreciate the dominating and the newer and larger possibilities for agriculture. Despite our tremendous in- dustrial development — and the "trend to town" — nothing but our great food supply — which warriors as well as peacemakers needed — could have turned recent international cash demands on us into balances In our favor. We turn to farm yields and prices to get the truest data on trade tenden- cies — for it is the one indispensable and dependable Industry. We are realizing more than ever that we can and must greatly increase acre yields — and that while there Is something more than bushels, yet th^ basis of a better farm life Is a greater earning capacity, to help farm- ing, and to build It up on its social side as well as Its productive side. We have not begun to get the natural yield of an honestly treated soil. Our general farming has not reached — and will not reach In our gener- ation — the point where we need to be concerned about the cost of an increased yield — rather we must be concerned about the Increased cost per bushel where our yields have been decreasing. The only thing that has saved the American farmer so far has been increase in crop prices and land values. It required a campaign of twenty-five years in Germany 97 to raise the average wheat yield ten bushels per acre. On higher priced land the expense eats up the average acre yield. The profit — and the only profit — is in the excess yield abovei the average, produced by rational methods. Low yields show lack of method or fertility— one or both — and mean low social conditions. Despite som^e theorists, the fact remains that big acre yields and big crops carry prosperity in their wake. We have led that great movement for county farm demonstrators or agents and urged soil surveys and the necessity for a careful study of the commercial fertilizer propaganda. Our committees are working for better rural schools, better schools everywhere, fitted to the needs of citizenship and consolidated wherever possible; for poor country schools drive more good farmers to town than any other one thing. It is a maxim of German statesmen, borne out by developments, that whatever you would have appear in the life of a people you should put into the schools. It is a splendid commentary that our bankers have shown greatest interest in our suggestions for better schools. We know that commerce and a better marketing system begin on the country road, that good roads lead in more good directions than can easily be recounted and that a settled country that isn't worth a good road isn't worth living in. We realize that the wholesome, prosperous country town is an absolute necessity and that community building and fostering of the social spirit and community centers is one of the big needs and tasks with which the nation should be concerned. We will always remember that farming is a life as well as an industry and business, and ever have in mind the mother's welfare. Much of the success of all this program — as of all commercial and industrial activities of the nation — is dependent upon better marketing and distribution efficiencies as well as proper and ample credit facilities, with the perfection of which we are in especial sympathy. Our Agricultural Commission of the American Bankers' Association has issued regularly each month a non-commercial magazine, THE BANKER-FARMER. Its success has exceeded our fondest dreams. While the specific purpose of this monthly and the propaganda in general is centered on agricultural betterment, yet it also attempts to show by num- berless specific instances that the banker who frequently lent his time, his brain, his heart — who most often discounted personal interest in the things that made for the moral, physical and spiritual welfare of his com- munity — gained deposits of faith, friendship and good will, as well as of cash. It has tried to drive home the idea that the real banker should be as well and as favorably known in front of his counter as behind it. It is sent each month to some twelve thousand bankers and various individual bankers are purchasing and giving out almost twice that number of copies to their customers. In addition, a large number of persons, in- cluding a number of people, banks and institutions in Canada give us individual subscriptions and quantity orders, for the purpose of distributing the magazine among their rural friends' and customers. THE BANKER- FARMER does not concern itself to any extent with the details, but almost wholly with the economic and organization features of better farming, schools, roads, rural life, credits and community building. We try to carry in our publication inspiration and ideals with a clear note of citizenship; a call to take up the constructive work of the country and community building through practical and helpful co-operation. Old and wise heads in the American Bankers' Association are kind 98 enough to say that this is the greatest work the Association has ever done, and they will not let us off. Newspapers and publications of all kinds have been most generous in their editorial comment, and their quotations from THE BANKER-FARMER. Bankers' state associations' agricultural committees have been busily engaged advising and encouraging individual banks and bankers to co-oper- ate with the colleges of agriculture, to induce farmers to take advantage and put into practice the vast amount of valuable work that has been ac- complished. Probably the most pretentious and constructive work done by any one bank was the Conference and Corn Show of the Corn Exchange National Bank of Philadelphia. It distributed $1,250 in prizes to boys. Thi^ did much to arouse interest in the banker-farmer movement throughout the United States. Not the least results was the effect upon the country bank- ers. Many came to see that agricultural development must be all Important if a great city bank is willing to spend so much time and money on it. An- other remarkable corn contest was conducted at Waterloo, Iowa, by the Leavitt and Johnson National Bank last year. The bank spent $1,300 in prizes and as much more in making the contest a success. It hap resulted in inducing farmers to use pure-bred corn acclimated to the section, and corn of one breed. The county board voted $5,000.00 to employ a county agent and it was the only Iowa County out of 99 that had made such an appropriation at that time. Bankers of many states have conducted successful corn contests for many years. Each year Wisconsin bankers put on about twenty contests in as many different places and the men of the state college of agriculture say that it has been the most potent factor in extending the influence of the department of agronomy. Banks everywhere have held exhibits in their lobbies and in public halls, either as individuals, or co-operatively. Printed advertising alone will not make these contests successful. It requires personal effort and personal solicitation for exhibits and attendance, and when this is given results are far reaching. The First National Bank of St. Paul employs an agricultural expert to devote his entire time to farm business. Prof. H. R. Smith, formerly professor of animal husbandry in the Minnesota College of Agriculture. Another bank in this new field is the Plymouth County Trust Company of Brockton, Mass. This bank has employed a former county agent in Con- necticut. This field agent works for the boys' and girls' clubs. He seeks to find a satisfactory way to loan money to farmers. He visits farms, takes financial statements and advises on methods of operation. The plan Is that it is unwise to loan money unless it be for productive purposes. He also encourages farmers to open a savings account to gradually pay off the loan. Among other institutions which maintain such staff men are the Holyoke National Bank of Holyoke, Mass., and the First National Bank of Still- water, Minn. i It has been predicted by Dean Skinner of Purdue University that the time is not so far distant when every bank will hav? as a regular officer a bank -agriculturist. Bankers in nearly every state have helped to establish county agents. Texas bankers have devoted much of their effort to establishing and ex- tending the work of the county agent. There are now over one hundred county agents in Texas. Merchants were shown how necessary it is that credit be extended only to those farmers who through diversification and sufficient investment in live stock put themselves on a, self -feeding and sus- ' 99 talning basis. Bankers are shown the advisability of loaning money for better farming and of refusing it to those farmers who Insist on farming one crop only. Farmers reluctant to make use of the county agent on their own initiative have been induced to do so. In other words, Texas bankers have created a demand for the services of a county agent after he has been established. Bankers in nearly all states have individually and co-opera- tively worked hard for the county agent, and where care has been used in the selection of the man and the field has been prepared for him, we may expect to see some phenomenal results in increased production and in farm life generally. Methods of education are bound to become much more practical, useful and attractive. The bankers' farm bulletin has become popular with both bankers and farmers. The bulletins are usually prepared by men of the colleges or of the Department of Agriculture at Washington and printed in large quanti- ties by the bankers' state associations, the banks subscribing and circu- lating them among their farmer customers. Nearly 100 banks In Wiscon- sin are putting out thousands of them monthly. They cover one subject only, in a few clear words, — something of particular interest to the farmer at just the time he receives the bulletin. Some banks are editing and publishing their own monthly paper. The First National Bank of Joliet, Illinois, is one of the best known banks doing this. The Lancaster State Bank of Lancaster, Wisconsin, is another. It Is becoming commoi) for banks to send out special lettefs on farming. A plan to assist in breeding up live stock has been followed by many bankers with success. The banier buys pure bred cows and distributes them to farmers on a profit sharing contract. The farmer furnishes the feed and care, takes all the milk and divides the increase. Another plan Is to buy a bull calf, turn it over to a farmer during two breeding seasons and then sell It. This is not philanthropy, It is good business. The calf that cost $50 is sold for $100 and perhaps more. The farmer takes no risk and is breeding up his herd. The state association committees have been very busy. Illinois, under fhe leadership of S. E. Bradt of DeKalb, and W. G. Edens of Chicago, has secured one of the best road laws in the United States, and good roads in Illinois are becoming common. Washington bankers hired a field or- ganizer and placed him in the office of the Superintendent of Public Instruc- tion to stimulate interest in more practical things, especially In agriculture. Missouri bankers have held various meetings at which dairy demonstration work has been conducted. Cow testing and breeding associations were organized and plans perfected for securing additional dairy stock. More than 100 seed demonstration farms have been located. In many states special trains have been run to encourage farmers to select, care for and use better live stock. Exhibits of all kinds have been brought about by the bankers' activities. Blooded cattle have been imported and distributed at cost. Bulletin posters, prepared by the colleges of agriculture, have been hung In bank lobbies. Farmers have been induced to have the soil of their farms examined to determine the elements of fertility lacking and what drainage, if any, was necessary. The bank's regular advertising space in newspapers has been given up to preaching farm efficiency. The Ameri- can-National Bank of Richmond, Va., has been conspicuous in this work. Many banks In more unsettled portions of the country have brought In new money from the East, or from the better settled portions of their own state, and loaned it at the nominal rate of 6 per cent without commission, be- lieving that their business would develop by reason of the development of the farming business. .. To-day practically every bankers' state association considers its commit- tee on agriculture and education one of its most, if not its most important, committee. The committees which, are securing the greatest results are doing this by co-operating with their state colleges of agriculture. In- stances of successful co-operation are furnished by the Kansas association which has co-operated with the Kansas agricultural college in placing 30,000 farm record books in the hands of farmers; and by the Michigan association which held a successful conference on agricultural development at the Michigan agricultural college on February 29th, and the Wisconsin bankers are planning a two-day "round up" at their college of agriculture, in March. In the Bast, supposedly committed to a belief that its interests were industrial rather than agricultural, the bankers are arousing their com- munities to a sense of the great importance of the agricultural industry. The New York Bankers' Association has recently formed a committee on agriculture. A great movement to bring agricultural efficiency to New England is crystallizing. It is spurred by the wonderful work in Hampden County, Mass., by the Hampden County Improvement League. Merchants and bankers co-operated with farmers in raising an annual fund of |10,000 and the county appropriated a similar sum. With this fund not only a county agricultural agent, but also a home-making advisor, a woman who works With the farm women, and other proponents of the new agriculture and country life are employed. It is estimated that the work of the league has already meant a half million dollars of added wealth, not to estimate the great gain in a better country life. The First National Bank of Blooming Prairie, Minnesota, has fitted up a rest room for the wives of their farmer customers. A. F. Dawson, a bank president of Davenport, Iowa, organized a county association which secured a county agent, who earned $410,000 in better crops in a year. The First National Bank at Thief River Falls, Minnesota, loaned $15,000 without interest to encourage the building of silos, an example followed in other states by progressive banks. The Bank of Fairview, Montana, led a campaign for consolidated schools successfully. Copies of THE BANKER-FARMER containing articles on better schools were used in the campaign. Four banks in Halifax County, Va., annually send four boys to the short course in agriculture at, the state college. I am advised that in the South particularly, the bankers, individually and collectively, are doing very active and effective work in agricultural extension. It is reported that one Southern bank, the Union Trust Company of Little Rock, Arkansas, an institution with approximately $500,000 capital and surplus, and $2,000,000 deposits, devotes practically the entire time of one of its principal officers to the work, and last year expended some- thing like $7,500 as its part in financing the movement in that territory.' Quite a number of Arkansas banks are sending worthy boys and girls through the agricultural schools and colleges, paying for their board and tuition and supplying limited amounts for clothing and incidentals. Banks in Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama and other states have pro- vided "ways and means" for supplying communities with pure bred breed- ing stock, which is certainly a most commendable enterprise. Several banks are financing the boys' pig clubs by furnishing money on the plain paper of the boys, who by their good character and habits are eligible to membership in the clubs. These notes are made payable twelve 101 months after date and bear Interest at 6 per cent. It Is a noteworthy fact that so far as Is known, none of the boys have defaulted, though cases have occurred where the "pig died" and it required very strenuous efforts on the part of the maker of the note to meet its payment at maturity. This plan serves the double purpose of giving the boy real financial assistance as well as educating him to the proper relationship of the bank to its customer, consequently it would seem well worth while to encourage the practice. The banks of Jonesboro, Arkansas, joined together in employing for their community an expert poultry man whose duty it is to teach the far- mers how to manage their flocks, grade, pack and ship the chickens and eggs, and finally, to market the products. The scheme has worked out very satisfactorily, the project is now self supporting and the deposits of the banks have very materially Increased as a result of the industry. The Texas Bankers, under the leadership of that "wheel horse" and member of our commission, Joseph Hlrsch of Corpus Christl, have ac- complished wonders in their efforts toward a uniform warehouse law, and in making it possible for the cotton producer to dispose of his product , gradually rather than to throw the entire crop on the market at one time, thereby creating a distressed condition and consequently greatly reduced prices. I regret that space prohibits the mention of the splendid work of hundreds of other banks, in almost every state, the banks mentioned simply giving only a mere idea of the great work being done. It does not seem that we can easily estimate the material value of this work or the impetus it has given the movement for a better agriculture and rural life. We know that we cannot over-estimate the reaction it has had on the banker himself — that alone is worth all the effort and cost. We don't begin to live until we try to do something for some other body or cause than our own, and the banker-farmer movement has given many bankers a new light and lease on life. It is demonstrating that the valuable man in any business or community is the man who can co-operate with other men, and that men succeed only as they utilize the services and ideas oi other men, and that we all must qualify as real citizens. The members of your organization, the National Implement and Vehicle Association, rely almost wholly upon fanners for business; you come in more constant contact with them than any class of men, and so you have the great opportunity and obligation for service. Service is the great watchword of modern business life to-day — though some of our efficiency methods are very inefficient in that respect: The kind of service that believes in honesty for its own, not policy's sake; that co-operates; that realizes that the transaction is not ended but only begun when the consumer and producer, the banker and his client, the implement dealer and the farmer, make their exchange of commodities, and that the welfare of each is not independent of or separable from that of the other, or the community. Several conspicuous members of your association have individually taken up this work, and I am sure they feel well rewarded for it, not in dollars only but in the good they have accomplished in a large public way. I believe it would be of mutual benefit if our BANKER-FARMER was brought to the attention of your membership and we- would be glad to be informed of and mention your plans and progress. We welcome you to the ranks and will be glad to co-operate with you in every way. 102 What the Railroads are Doing in the Development of Farm and Rural Communities. By Jno. Howe Peyton, President, Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railroad, Nashville, Tenn. That agriculture is, and must continue to be, the basis of material prosperity in this country is a proposition that requires no sustaining argu- ment among thinking people. Indeed, since the primary need of the human family is sustenance of life and maintenance of energy and capacity for action, no proofs are required to convince us that the industry of first importance in forwarding human accomplishment and progress is that one which provides the means of existence and supplies the necessities for physical upbuilding in brawn and brain. In densely populated countries, where the demands of civilization keep pace with the increase in numbers, appreciation of the value of soil pro- duction is intensified and every available plot of ground is cultivated to make it yield to the utmost. In our own country, with its immense areas of tillable ground and its exceptional variety of climate and soil, we have been slow to realize, the incalculable worth of our agricultural lands. So abundantly have we been blessed with natural advantages that we have become accustomed to de- pend too largely upon Nature and her beneficence of rain and sunshine and soil, and not enough upon our own skill and endeavor. We have been prodigal in expenditure and negligent in labor. Except in some more densely peopled communities, where farm holdings are relatively small and the need of more intensive farming is emphasized, the art of agriculture in the United States has been slow in progress or much retarded by peculiar conditions. This is notably true in the South, with its larger farms and plantations, its ignorant negro laborers and Its longer growing seasons and abundant rainfall. This combination of con- ditions has tended to foster a contentment with such under-production and unscientific methods as require a minimum of study and effort. But Southern farmers are rapidly changing their attitude in this res- pect as they realize that farming is not a mere employment but a noble profession capable of wonderful scientific development; a profession offer- ing high rewards and justifying commendable pride in expert achieve- ments. Much has been done in this country in recent years for the promotion of agriculture. This progress has been greatly encouraged and aided by Government investigation and experiment and by the scientific research conducted by educational institutions. The great financial and business interests of the country are now paying deference and tribute to agricul- ture as the foundation factor of dependable prosperity. No great business interest of the country has a more direct and vital concern in the farming industry than the transportation industry. This is natural and logical. No other enterprise comes in closer or more intimate touch with agricultural and rural community interests than the railroad. The railroad and the farm have a mutual interest, and in the comprehen- sive conception of production and distribution the interests of the farm and the railroad are identical. One cannot prosper without the other, and if loss or misfortune befall the one the other must suffer. Obviously, therefore, the railroads should be in sympathy with every wisely and prudently conducted movement for agricultural extension and 103 Improvement and rural upbuilding. If for no other reason than to advance their own interests and increase the volume of their trafflc, the railroads must feel a lively concern in the promotion of scientific agriculture. They are now evincing their realization of this in practical and helpful ways. They are giving special study to the needs, difficulties and opportunities of farmers and are trying to aid and encourage them in Improving their farms and the quantity and quality of their products. This railroad attention to farm Improvement is becoming more note- worthy and general every year. In the earlier periods of railway building and development the managements were fully absorbed with the construc- tive work — the building and equipping of lines and extensions to cover the salient positions and Interlocklngs of the country's transportation service; but now, with established systems and their myriad complications and vastly Increased and still increasing cost of operation, the dominant problem has become one of economic management and assurance of reasonably profitable trafflc. Whatever may have been the wrong-doings and -justly condemned manipulations of some railroad corporations In the past when struggling for control or greedy for Ill-gotten gain, the railroads of to-day are working on legitimate lines of endeavor and are honestly trying to fully correlate their business with all the upbuilding Interests and agencies of the country, and especially with the rural Interests, with which by far the greater body of the people are directly Identified. So, besides making constant effort to adapt their transportation facilities more and more effectively to the needs and convenience of farmers, the railroads are giving more attention to Industrial co-operation with them to improve their lands and Increase their productiveness. The first consideration on this work is land Improvement. Approved methods of soil redemption and fertilization can be and are being demonstrated for the information and Instruction of farmers. Waste and barren ground that has hitherto been neglected, untouched by plow or hoe, is by proper treatment being made to respond to cultivation. Im- poverished and abandoned land is shown to be susceptible of restoration to full productiveness. Poorly cultivated and scant-yielding ground Is being proved capable of atnple fertility. Coupled with these demonstrations of scientific soil tre&tment are illustrations of soil adaptations to different kinds of growths and crops and of the best methods of cultivation. In this form of educative work the railroad is frank to admit that it , has a selfish interest but It is a self-interest so closely allied with the farmers' best Interests that it serves as an exemplification of the comity of feeling and spirit of co-operation which are essential to the common good and an assured and stable prosperity. To be more specific as to some of the means employed by railroads In furthering agricultural enterprise, reference may here be made to meas- ures taken by the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway, with which the writer is most familiar. This road has. In recent years, begun actively to foster farming industries in the sections of Tennessee tributary to its trafflc. Farms have been purchased at different points on which the soils are being scientifically treated and various crops are being planted and cultivated on Improved scientific plans. Special attention Is being given to the analysis of soils with a view to interesting and instructing neighbor- ing farmers, as well as those who come from a distance to observe and learn. In all of this work the railroad is acting under ^he advice and guidance of the Agricultural Department of the University of Tennessee and In full co-operation with the State Agricultural Department. 104 In addition, the road is ever ready to assist farmers in their efforts to improve their own lands. For instance, in repeated cases the road has furnished and transported free of charge sample carloads of ground lime- stone for farmers to test on their lands, this limestone dust being not only a corrective of acid in soils but also havipg a peculiar upbuilding property not yet fully explained by the scientists. In other ways the road is en- couraging soil treatment and fertilization with gratifying results and with gratifying assurances of appreciation of the aid rendered. It would require too much space to go into details. Suffice it to say that this interesting work, although a feature of railroad enterprise, is in thorough harmony with and supplemental to the highly efficient agricul- tural educational work that is carried on by the University of Tennessee with federal aid through its college training and its system of experiment stations. In soil-building a purpose is kept in view, namely, the utilization of the most easily available and economical means, so as to avoid greater cost in the purchase of manufactured fertilizers. Certain of these ferti- lizers are indicated in special cases, but much of the necessary soil food may be provided by the intelligent use of clover, alfalfa. Soy beans, peas and other legumes, with a judicious rotation of crops and due attention to subsoiling. When the character and needs of the land are studied and the proper remedies are applied, the results are convincing to the farmer, and his self-interest and pride of achievement lead him onward in the march of improvement. But the production of crops is only a part of the great work of the farm. Its full success as an enterprise compasses a variety of industries, chief among which is stock raising. This is a most important function of farm- ing not only because of its economic value but also in its contribution to the needs of humanity. Crop culture and stock raising should go hand in hand. The raising of stock is a desideratum in itself for the direct profit it brings; it is also an invaluable auxiliary in farm improvement. It is estimated by experts that ninety-five per cent of the food consumed in the growth and development of the animals is returned in soil food to the farm. That is to say, only five per cent of the substance of the farm is carried away when the animals are sold. This compensating advantage emphasizes the importance of breeding stock not only as a means of creating values in animals but also in its equally important co-ordination in the successful production of crops. It is the desire and aim of the railroads to encourage a broad and com- prehensive policy of farming in the production of the best crops, the Breeding of the best types of animals, the improvement of the varied other adjuncts of agriculture and the application of economies which utilize what under the old humdrum system, or lack of system, goes largely or wholly to waste. All this, in its practical activities and its educational aspects, tends to make the farm what it should be, a progressive and self- sustaining institution, and to inspire the farmer with a truer sense of the potentiality and dignity of his calling. Every forward step in agriculture and rural community advancement will have the co-operation of the railroads, which look to the vast possi- bilities of the future. This expected development, especially in the great and inviting field of the South, will be gradual but with ever progressing rapidity. The prospect for our country with its wonderful resources is one of the unparalleled opportunities which, rightly appropriated in co-opera- tion and mutual confidence by the great agencies of material progress, of 105 which the transportation system, constituting the arteries of communica- tion and trade, is not the least, presages an unexampled prosperity. But we should never forget that prosperity with all its benefits and allurements has its dangers. History is replete with its warnings in this respect. There can be no permanent prosperity without the sustaining bulwark of a high moral standard of living. Wealth without virtue is not a blessing, but a curse. With all the material advantages that may come to the American people who have been so singularly favored by a kind Providence it is of paramount Importance that they should uphold the ideals of integrity and probity and be true in their fidelity to the prin- ciples of right and justice, neighborliness and charity and all the finer sentiments of humanity. If these standards be maintained by the people and the organizations that represent them in social, political and business life, and If they are blessed with a prosperity such as appears to be in store for them, this nation of ours will have added to Its already great prestige and power an immeasurably greater opportunity and influence for good in the world. The moral strength and attainment essential to the highest and last well-being of a people, however, must have its basis in religion. Without a reeognition of the Divine Power and a dependence upon His goodness and favor there can be no assurance of permanence of prosperity or Government. Christianity is the spiritual hope of the world and also the only guarantee of abiding conditions for the promotion of public weal and happiness. The nation that forgets God may prosper for a time, but the Power that rules in heaven and earth; that gives the sunshine and the rain in its season; the Power that fashions the lily and overturns empires, will hold us and all peoples to account. How the Country Merchant or General Store-Keeper Can Aid in Building up the Farms, and in Improving Rural Communities. By R. K. Gernert, Cloud Chief, Oklahoma. Ten years ago I settled in what was left of Cloud Chief, southwest Oklahoma. Cordell, a rival town ten miles northwest of us, had stolen the county seat of Washita County from us. One general store, a black- smith shop, and the post-ofllce, were holding a sort of Irish wake. I had fifty dollars and decided to start a store. You who have bought an open- ing stock know how far fifty dollars goes. The owner of a vacant room said: "You are welcome to the use of my building." The proprietor of the general store was a good fellow, and liked the sound of the money in my pocket. He sold me half dozen lots of staple groceries at cost. So one morning there were two stores In Cloud Chief. One dollar and seventy-five cents of my fifty dollars went for a box of cigars, and I opened my store with free cigars for everybody. My place became popular at once, and that night I used a salmon box to check up my sales; in fact, it was the only chair I had in the store for a year. The box is still in my possession, but I have had many tussles with farmers who wanted "a box." I carried my cash down the street to the other store for more half-dozen lots. In a month's time I was ready to place my first order with a jobber. At the end of the third month I employed my first 106 clerk. I now began to co-operate with the farmers, from whom I was going to make my money. I secured the agency for a cream separator, and selecting some of the more prosperous farmers, I began to talk dairy cows. It was the hardest kind of work to interest our cotton raisers in this source of revenue; in fact, I am only now, after ten years, getting the cream business going good. But I have made a lot of good cash customers out of some mighty poor credit customers. I got hold of several poorly advertised separators, at first; but I soon saw It would pay me to secure a weU-advertlsed cream separator. I made a contract with the DeLaval people, and now my separator business is on "easy street." I sold five separators last week. I sell separators on installments, the customers paying so much a week in cream. This looks easy, and is easy, for the farmer. He pays for his separator out of his cream without missing it, and forms the habit of coming to Gernert's Store about three times every week in the year. I have farmer customers who sell me as high as $16.00 worth of cream a week. Once getting the farmer interested In dairying, it was easy to create a demand for better dairy cows. Two years ago, I introduced pure-bred Holsteins, and now dairying will soon mean "ready cash" sure enough. Having sold my customers cream separators, it became necessary to • • find a market for the cream. Cloud Chief is ten miles from a railroad, and in summer-time cream is highly perishable. I, bought a team, and my clerk and I took turns about delivering cream at the depot and bringing in freight. I pursued the same tactics with incubators. I bily as high as twenty cases of eggs and 1,000 pounds of poultry a day. Last Christmas, I bought $159.00 worth of turkeys from one woman. I have held three annual poultry shows, an agricultural fair and numerous picnics. The agricultural fair cost me $300.00 but it was worth the money. My clerk was a tinner, and I had worked In my father's harness shop. We solicited repair work from the farmers on dull days. Six months after I opened my store, I got out my first printed advertising. It was a small hand-bill quoting prices, and may be called the mother of my store paper. In the fall, I employed the second clerk, and added dry goods and hardware. In 1907 I had outgrown my room and moved to a larger build- ing. In 1909 I erected my own building, which was again enlarged in 1913. I now occupy a building 50x70 feet, with several warerooms nearby. I do not carry a very heavy stock, but a good assortment of nearly everything the farmer needs. My stock Invoices $9,859.69. I have a care- fully kept want list, and fill in every week. This makes me a good turnover. I was in a rather serious auto wreck last year, and consequently was not in close touch with my business — yet my sales for 1914 were $54,680.17. My best printed advertising Is my store paper. My business has grown as I have improved the paper. The first four years I used hand-bills at irregular intervals, with good results. In 1911 I gave these circulars a uniform heading: "Gernert's Bulletin." The idea was a good one, and pleased the trade. In March, 1912, I got out my bulletin in the form of a newspaper and made it a monthly. October 5, 1914, I secured second- class mailing privileges. In March, 1915, I made it a weekly; and it now has all the earmarks of a wide-awake country newspaper. Some time in August I am going to get out a special edition. I already have some fifty 107 photographs of Interesting subjects In and around Cloud Chief. I came Chicago especially to secure a bunch of advertising contracts for tl special edition of Gernert's Bulletin. My subscription price is 25 ceni but I am preparing to raise it to 50 cents. I have a paid circulation of 500 loyal subscribers who believe wh Gernert says is so. I know this, because many manufacturers whose goo I' sell furnish me with cuts illustrating their products. I find our sal on products thus specially advertised in the Bulletin double and ofti treble. We have increased our sales on Burson hose and Ivory Soap t\ hundred per cent the last month by running these cuts. I have come believe that I can sell anything through the columns of the Bulletin. I often tell my sales force it is easy to get business: the hard pa is to keep it after you get it. Here is where another kind of advertisii comes in. It may be called service — co-operation — or pleasing tl customer so well that he will not only come back but tell his friends abo your store. I find it is much easier to push up the sales on national advertised goods through the Bulletin than it is to increase ^he sales ( less well known goods. I devoted two issues of the Bulletin to nationally advertised goods March and our sales for the last week of March were nearly double tho for the corresponding week in 1914. The manufacturers who sent n newspaper cuts of their product came first; those that sent small sampl came second, in point of increase of sales. I made quite a hit with Cam bell Soups. Mrs. Gernert suggested that we put on a demonstration Campbell's. She and a friend fixed up a nice table in one comer of tl store and served soup from 10 a. m. to 1 p. m. Now we cannot sell ai other kind of soup. I believe national advertisers can increase distribution materially 1 using farm journals and country weeklies more. These lie close to tl heart of the farmer. I find the farmer is pretty strong on personal fei ings — a little friendship goes a long way — and what their friends, Jol Fields, of the Oklahoma Farm Journal, and Gernert of the Bulletin saj goes out our way. Several years ago, while Fields was out our way addressing some fan ers at a picnic, I took up the subject of interesting the farmers in bett methods of farming, by getting more of them to read good reliable far papers. I suggested helping him boost fiis subscription list. I reason^ If the farmers pursued better methods of farming they would have mo money to spend with me. I have customers who go so far as to say th an article that the local dealer won't carry or recommend surely is n very good. A lot of farmers to the west of me mail-ordered some twii but so far as I know not one of my customers went in on the deal. Th pai(i 8 cents a pound and 90 cents per hundred freight. I am selling 10 cents. Soon after the mail-order twine was in, a farmer came to i and said: "Those fellows got stung. A ball of their twine weighs ounces less than your twine, and runs 275 feet less to the ball." A few examples of the putting power of the Bulletin: A short tir ago I advertised "Rooster Day." I advised the farmers to sell th( roosters or separate them from the hens during hot weather. I enlarg on the loss sustained on account of rotten eggs, and how the farmer mig overcome this by producing infertile eggs for market. "Rooster Da brought a big crowd to town and we bought two wagon-loads of rooste; One farmer was so enthused he sold all his roosters and later his w: made him come back and buy back some of them as she wasn't throu 108 hatching chickens. I gain the interest and eventually the trade of farmers by visiting them in their homes. I give them nice notices in the Bulletin and in a day or two they come back and ask for sample copies to send to their friends. The other evening I delivered a cream separator to a farmer east of town and on my way out stopped to talk to another farmer who had just come to the end of the row. I joked him and said, "Well, I brought you a cream separator." To my surprise he said, "Well, all right, just leave it up at the house." Then I explained that I was taking this separator down to Mr. B., down the road, but would bring one to him the next day. I did not even know he was in the market for a cream sepa- rator. A little friendly visit with the farmer pays. I made a hit with the farmers last week by offering to deliver all orders for goods amounting to $5 and over during the harvest. Two neighbors clubbed together next day and phoned me in an order, just to see if I would do it. They got their goods all right, and now they are giving me some good advertising. I make it a rule to examine every piece of advertising that comes to my desk and get many ideas that help me to make my advertising grip the reader's interest. I had some little trouble this spring getting my paint advertising to take well. I painted my residence, and this with what advertising I did in the Bulletin, resulted in the sale of eight bills of paint during the month of May. A short time ago a Cordell merchant opened a competing store in Cloud Chief, and started in to cut prices. It made me a little warm, and I gave him a gentle roast in the Bulletin. I did not hurt my business nor help it much that I could see, but his trade picked up considerably for about two weeks. It doesn't pay YOU to advertise the other fellow's business. The New Task of the Rural Church. By Rev. W. W. Diehl, Hinckley, 111. One of America's greatest present day needs is a new and progressive type of rural life. We need on every farm men who understand and prac- tice the principles of scientific agriculture. The depletion of soil fertilities in large areas of our agricultural sections, the relatively small acreage still open for settlement, and our rapidly increasing population, make rural life development a grave economic question of nation-wide import. One-half of our population lives under rural conditions; one-third upon the farm. On this part of our population we depend for food and cloth- ing, the basic necessities of life. Without the farmer and what he pro- duces the whole fabric of our civilization would collapse. In the light of these facts it becomes clear that he who in any way contributes to the uplift of rural life performs one of the finest services within the reach of man. Many agencies are now at work on the task of creating this new rural civilization. Our agricultural colleges, the Federal Department of Agriculture, agricultural extension agencies, experimental stations, editors of farm journals, the rural press, merchants, manufacturers and bankers are all rendering efiiclent service in this great enterprise. What can the church do to aid In furthering this noble work? First of all, the church must supply a new type of rural minister. Religiously, country people are not having a fair chance. As a general rule, clergy- men avoid as far as possible work in rural sections. They regard the country parish as undesirable, offering limited opportunity for men of 109 culture, capacity and worthy ambition. Laymen, both in the city and country alike, share in holding this false and most pernicious opinion. Only rarely do we find ministers of wide culture, superior intellectuality and large capacity for leadership spending their time in a rural parish. The order that now obtains must be changed. We must man our rural churches with ministers of large vision, who can see clearly and are gripped firmly by the splendid opportunities for service presented by the country church. In the second place, the church must get a new and an enlarged conception of her mission. Heretofore, the church aimed to get the christian life into the individual and then sought to get the individual into the church. This program is well and good but it is not large enough. The church must do more. She must seek to get the life and spirit of Christ into all phases of community life. She must make bad community conditions good and good community conditions better. To this end, a careful community survey must be made. Every community has its own peculiarities and presents its own peculiar problems. A careful and intelligent survey will indicate clearly the tasks that should be done and the assets at hand with which to work them out. This program has been followed in a practical way in the church I now serve, and for this reason I am asked to state what we have done and whether the results obtained justify the methods employed. ' The survey revealed good school advantages for our children but offered at the same time room for improvement. We set out at once to establish in our community a high school doing the quality and quantity of work required to place the school on the accredited list of high schools. Opposition was at once encountered. The cry was raised in many quarters, "Our school tax is already too high; to make the contemplated cha.nge will make the tax burden still higher." Believing the change contemplated to be for the community good, we began an active campaign, building new community sentiinent. The value of higher educational advantages for our children while at home with their parents was set forth. Every legitimate means looking towards the achievement of our task was used. In the course of two years a school board was selected, all of whom favored an accredited high school. The change was made, and now we have in our village one of the finest and most efficient high schools to be found in any rural section of the state. The people are all pleased and have a commendable pride and new interest in our educational affairs. When the survey was made, we found social life for the young people meager and very unsatisfactory. "A Biographical Study Club" was or- ganized and boys and girls from thirteen to twenty years of age were gathered into this club. Meetings were held in the church once in every two weeks. The program consisted of devotional exercises, followed by literary and musical productions. At every meeting two short biographical sketches of distinguished characters were given. Each member was sup- posed to give at each meeting a current event item worthy of note. After the literary program was finished, the young people spent an hour or two in social enjoyment. The work done by the accredited high school and the Biographical Study Club has proved highly inspirational. We now have twelve young people from our church graduates of the high school, who are taking work in some higher institution of learning or preparing to do so. So far as the young people are concerned, the social and intel- lectual barrenness of rural life has been corrected. 110 The survey revealed opportunity for new development among the farmers themselves. To secujre this new development we organized a Eural Life Progress Club. The members of this club live in the country from two to six miles from town. As a group the members are intelligent, progressive and thrifty. According to the terms of the membership, each farmer was to do one or all of five things each ^ar. First, something to improve the soil fertility on his farm; second, something to improve the quality of live stock kept on his farm; third, something to improve the buildings on his farm; fourth, something to raise' the standard of life in his home; fifth, something to improve community conditions. From the very start the club has been a success. Meetings were to be held once a month during the winter only. The people are so pleased that they continue to hold meetings once every month during the entire year. After operating for the brief period of two years splendid results looking toward community betterment already appear. One of the officers elected was the Co-operative Agent. When we used the term "Co-operative Agent" some one said, "What wUl you do with him?" I answered, "Harness him, hitch him up and put him to work; if he balks and refuses to pull we will unhitch him and turn him out to grass; if he works well, the advantage of having such an agent will be, evident." Farmers as a class are "riotously individualistic." They boast of their independence and exercise it with great freedom. Pronounced indi- viduality is a most excellent characteristic, but when pushed so far as to destroy the spirit of needed co-operation it becomes a hindrance rather . than a help in building economic, social and community relationships. Farmers, more than any pther class of people, need the Ijieneflts that may accrue through the practical exercise of the sane co-operative spirit. This agent, by his work, has wisely led the people in co-operative measures and caused them to see the advantage of practical community co-operation. He purchased alfalfa and ground raw limestone in carload lots, and furnished the farmers with these articles, greatly to their advantage. H^ also purchased a concrete mixer to be used in btiilding concrete founda- tions, sidewalks, feeding floors and such other things that make for permanent and useful farm improvements. Under his direction several more co-operative measures are contemplated. His work has built into the community a new co-operative spirit. Mr. Eckhardt, our county advisor, says, "So far as we now know, on the majority of soils in our section of Illinois, three things are necessary in order to maintain soil fertility unimpaired, and at the same time pursue agricultural methods with profit: Limestone to sweeten the soil and make possible the growth of legumes; the growing of legumes to furnish humus and combined nitrogen available for plant food; and phosphorus." This last element can best be supplied by applying raw ground rock phosphate to the soil. When these three things are wisely used in agricultural prac- tice in this section, we may say farmers can indefinitely furnish feed and , foodstuffs for the people and maintain unimpaired the crop producing power of the soils. Our Co-operative Agent has helped to make possible the use of these articles. As a consequence, the best methods of agricul- tural practice are being followed by several membters of this club. Those who really understand the Import of this statement will pronounce this achievement as something greatly worth while. One great cause for dissatisfaction with farm life grows out of the fact that the farmer's wife is compelled to do so much laborious work. As 111 a rule she performs her tasks with inefficient equipment. Consequently she becomes discouraged and dissatisfied; she longs to leave the farm and go to the city, where she may have modern conveniences and release from the excessive burden imposed upon her. The club meetings are held at the homes of the various members. When one farmer installs some improve- ment in his house, all of the women of the neighborhood sooner or later come to see this improvement. As a result, the improvement made in one home is duplicated in other homes. In this way, many of the burdens Incident to life on the farm are so removed or lightened that the farmer's wife can do her work and have some time for leisure, culture and recreation. The organization of this club has done much to bring about this desirable result. Indeed, there are homes In this community that are now equipped with hot and cold water, and with gasoline engines for pumping water, operating washing machines and performing such other, service as will very much lighten housework on the farm. The social barrenness of rural life is also a source of discontent among the young people and among the women on the farm. Under the auspices of this club social gatherings are held once a month throughout the year in such form as to furnish sane, wholesome and satisfying social life. So popular are these social gatherings that almost all of the young people, as well as the women and the men, old and middle aged, are invariably present. The Hayseed Glee Club furnishes music, the young men engage in athletic sports, the women discuss items dealing with questions of home economics, while issues of national import furnish topics for conversation among the men. Cafeteria lunches are served by the women. Everybody has what they call a "delightful time." What I am saying is that this club has solved for this comm'unity the prdhlem of rural social barrenness and has helped to make country life what it should be, i.e., the most desirable life to be found anywhere. One of the most perplexing problems confronting the farmers in the corn belt is that of land tenancy. At the present time from 'thirty to forty per cent of the farms in the corn belt are farmed by tenants. Under the present system of farm leasing the tenant, in order to make good and pay his rent, is compelled to rob the soil of its stored- fertility. In the long run this is disastrous to the land owner himself and to the farm. Ultimately it reacts unfavorably upon the whole community. Tenant farmers, now members of this club, are pleased with the neighborhood in which they live and prefer to remain in the neighborhood or community because living conditions are so satisfactory. In this fashion permanent tenancy is greatly encouraged. The landlord feeling that he has a good tenant, makes good terms for him when drawing up the lease contract; the tenant makes a better citizen and a better farmer because he lives under more satisfactory conditions. He treats the farm more fairly be- cause his contract enables and encourages him to do so. This club, in a measure, has helped to solve for this community the troublesome problem of land tenancy. All these improved conditions work together toward the production of ideal community life. The young people, while taking part in the literary exercises of the club, come to realize their latent possibilities their ambition to acquire a liberal education is inspired, a genuine satisfaction with farm life is created, the possibilities of living a large, active, efficient and wholesome life on the farm are made evident; and so it has come to pass that young people who have been members of the Biographical Study 112 Club, of the Rural Life Progress Club, and have graduated from the Ac- credited High School, are now in college taking the four year course in agriculture with the expectation of returning to the farm and there prac- ticing both the art and the science of modern agriculture. They expect to spend their lives, not in the city, but on the farm. In the days to come they will be the leaders who will demonstrate to the world that the farm is not only the best place to be born and bred and to acquire that most important of all essentials to success, the power of initiative, but that it is also a good place for men of ambition, capacity and culture to invest their lives. Given such men upon the farm, and we have, at least in its beginning, that rural life so necessary to the economic, social, intellectual and religious welfare of the whole nation. But such men will not return to the farm after graduating from college unless opportunity for increased culture and scope for noble leadership are offered. These opportunities the rural church has not furnished in the past. She must furnish them in the future. Instead of several small struggling churches working in the same community we must have strong, commanding churches, building rather than destroying the spirit of co-operation, churches having for their directing motto, "To serve," not "To be served" — churches that appreciate ability and willingly pay for it; churches in charge of ministers of noble native power reinforced by the best training offered by our most liberally endowed colleges and divinity schools — prophets of God, who can make real and attractive the character and power or the unsurpassed and un- surpassable Teacher of all the ages; in short, builders of The Kingdom. At this point two pertinent questions emerge: First: How can we secure properly qualified rural preachers? Second: How can we get strong commanding rural church societies? We shall never get far in solving the rural church problem until some false notions are cleared away. It is believed in many quarters that superior ministerial ability is re- quired for city work and that only ordinary ability is needed in rural churches. Such is not the case. The new type farmer has come — the man of culture and scientific training. In large and in rapidly increasing numbers will he continue to come. To meet him, religiously, we need specially equipped preachers; men who in addition to the training neces- sary to success in a city pulpit, have sufficient acquaintance with the natural sciences to make sympathetic contact with the trained agricul- turist. Then too, the notion is common that he who ministers to city people as pastor occupies the place of power and influence. As a result, preachers generally treat the rural parish "not as a field to work, but as a perch from which to fly." The competent rural pastor, did he but know it, occupies a position affording fine opportunities for noble life investments. In the past our great leaders have come from the country. If what masters in our large cities now say is true, we must look not to the boulevard but to the farm as the source from which we shall continue to draw the leaders of men. The late Senator DoUiver said, "In an inscrutable fashion there comes up from the soil through the bare feet of country-bred boys a mysterious force, that matures in after years into greatness." Evidently the rural pastor has it in his power to touch into life more potential leadership than has the city pastor. Let this truth grip college 113 professors, divinity school teachers and preachers themselves firmly, and another great advance is made in solving the rural church problem. We shall never have rural preachers of the right type and in suflScient numbers until much better financial support is given. Living on a meager salary is not a mark ot, piety as some would have us think. The truly pious man seeks to invest his life virhere it will build best for the Kingdom. A small salary hinders rather than furthers this end. When country churches begin to pay from $2,000 to $3,000 per year for ministerial support, the competent rural preacher will soon be in evidence. How shall we proceed in order to secure strong, commanding, rural church societies? The answer is simple. Consolidate! The task is complex and difficult. Unite all small churches in over-churched rural communities into one strong organization. Centralize. , The writer is familiar with a rural community containing a population of about twenty-two hundred people. There are In this community five Protestant church structures, representing an investment of $50,000; four parsonages representing an added investment of $12,000; the total salaries paid the five pastors represents a further expenditure of $5,000 annually; the combined membership of these churches is about seven hundred. The returns from this Investment of money and men are disappointing. None of these churches is noted for great and gratifying prosperity; all experience difficulty in meeting current expense bills; five competitive social centers are created and fostered. The co-operative spirit so essential to right rural life does not exist; no solid commanding rel;gious impact is made upon the unchurched classes; none of the preachers are strong enough to lead in any movement for community betterment; the non-churchgoer feels quite content in his religious indifference;' im- moralities are boldly flaunted without fear, shame or successful rebuke; ambitious people, who are able to do so, move away and go elsewhere, because the desired social, intellectual and religious life is not here found. Briefly, slum conditions are created in a rural community. Having grown up under these conditions the average citizen is not shocked or startled by them. The alert progressive business man would not allow such waste of resources and possibilities for a single day. Neither should the church.. Consolidate all the churches in the above named community, and note the great things made possible. A $50,000 church structure, easily constituting the finest building in that whole region; a $4,000 parsonage would meet the ordinary needs of one pastor, leaving $8,000 of the $12,000 invested in parsonages to be used in some wise way for community betterment. Three thousand dollars for the pastor's salary would secure a preacher strong enough to serve the people religiously in a fashion far more satisfactory than they are now being served, leaving one thousand dollars to be used for music and musical education, and another thousand dollars to be used for lectures, entertainment, etc. A church membership of seven hundred would constitute the strongest organization in the community, a society so strong, when ministered unto by an able preacher, as to crush and drive out existing community evils and carry through any legitimate reform program. Great spirits and able leaders would seek rather than flee from such a center. 114 Farmers should have, and our national welfare demands, just such chuVches. We have said the task involved in consolidation is complex and difficult. Even so, hcpeful signs begin to appear. The rural church problem is being forced in almost dramatic fashion upon the minds and hearts of all serious Americans; among the church leaders themselves the folly of multiplying religious denominations and over-churching rural communities is clearly recognized; more and more trifling and sectarian differences are being ignored; increased emphasis is being placed upon christian fundamentals, concerning which there is no dispute and upon which we all agree. The best men everywhere of every church and denomination are learning the same things. A new spirit of freedom, love and unity is abroad. The forces making for a better rural life are multiplying and in spirit, uniting. Heralds of the coming day are here. In the near future, the properly equipped preacher will be found in combination with the strong rural church, first in one center, then In another, then wherever needed. He who contributes in any fashion to this upward movement renders patl-iotic service, performs noble christian duty and builds solidly into the Eternal Kingdom. The Woman on the Farm. — Her Needs and the Forces Available for the Betterment of Her Condition. By Mrs. Nellie Kedzle Jones, Auburndale, Wisconsin. "The woman on the farm," is a subject only less broad than the "woman ip the world" for there are so many millions of women on the farm and their conditions vary so widely. We are not considering in this discussion the best placed and most prosperous ten per cent, who have every convenience and comfort — yes, many luxuries even — but the ninety per cent who have a hard lot indeed. There are farm homes (we do not refer to the "gentleman's country estate," but to homes of real farmers who are making their living out of the soil) where there may be found the furnace, hot and cold water under pressure throughout the house, bath and toilet rooms on every floor, elec- tric light plant, complete system of sewage disposal, complete up-to-date laundry arrangements in the cellar, etc.; homes with pianos, choice pictures,' plenty of good books, the children receiving college courses, the husband driving the latest automobile and so on to the end of the chapter; but where there is one such home there are scores, yes thousands, of farm homes where the wife is working with the fewest and poorest tools and has no prospect of anything better. Many a farm woman does not have even a decent cook stove whereon to cook the food that is to nourish her husband and grow her children. Many a farm woman is working twice as hard, and twice as long as necessary, and not getting one-half the result she is entitled to. , I have seen women do a big washing without a washboard even, rub- bing the heavy dirty garments between their bare hands. A good washing machine and wringers, with a strong-armed husband or son to turn them, 115 would seem to such a woman heaven. It is hard enough to work with tools: to work without them is slavery. The average American farhier ' lives In an age of machinery, unless he be a one-mule one-season cropper who has to be "staked" by some landowner, he expects to do his work by machinery that is up-to-date, and own the machinery, even though he be a tenant. On the average, he has hundreds of dollars in machinery and when he cannot pay cash down usually some Implement dealer will take his note and wait patiently until he gets a crop. Not so with the farm- er's wife! How many implement dealers are sending their best salesmen to interview the farm woman, studying her needs and co-operating with her in getting the best implements for her home — implements that will emancipate her from ceaseless toil, from benumbing drudgery, even as her husband has been emancipated? Who Is taking her note at only six per cent and a year's time? The farm woman is putting in more days In a year and more hours in a day at hard labor than any other class in America. After a wide experience, I say that with due deliberation and without qualification. She bears the children that stock the farm, and she sends the surplus of brain and brawn to replenish the city. Who deserves better from the nation.? .Who gets less? Don't pity the farm woman! She won't stand it for no one has more pride. Don't let the city . club woman patronize her as an object of missionary effort. She resents patronage. The sociological expert who goes into her home to "Study country life," labeling her home as "Exhibit A" or "Exhibit B," as the case may be, gets a very cold reception. But do help her: or better, help her to help herself! Understand her! Catch a vision of what a country home may be and show it to her. It may be so much better than her present home that she will regard it all as a beautiful fairy tale and be all the more hopeless when she comes back to earth and faces her own real conditions. But fortunately, the better farm homes, the exceptional homes, are Sprinkled all over our land. Seeing is believing. How shall the woman far from town and with few neighbors see the best that is In. the more progressive rural homes? The farmers institute at the county seat does a great deal of good, but the women who most need it do not go. Then go to her, as a cultured trained woman has done, Miss Bessie Murphy of Memphis, Tennessee, with, her county co-operative clubs. In helpful fellowship she seeks them in their homes and interests them in a woman's club. Neighbors, meeting from house to house, see the best features in each home and so a good idea gets into circulation among farm women. When we teach each other we are best taught. Soon the local organization is knit up with the best in the county and that in time with the best in state and nation. The country banker, the local merchant, the implement dealer, perhaps cannot personally get into the home and confidence of the farm woman but his representative, some well trained home maker, some broad minded woman, can and will, with the proper backing. Various business organiza- tions are taking hold grandly of this fellowship idea. The farmer is a customer but he is more— he is a brother— and his family and my family are neighbors. Let us all get together! As soon as folks find out it is not another movement to exploit the farmer but a real friendship campaign, he will meet you half way. His wife is hungry for the best things for her children and she is always found to be responsive. The rural club, more months of school, church privileges, a co-operative phone to 116 bind the neighbors and the town together, the social center, the farmers institute, the short course, the county agent, the circulating library, the consolidated school (roads and population permitting), the township nurse, the community visitor (the woman proposed by the Smith-Lever Bill), the demonstration farm, the demonstration railway train, good roads, local reading circles, correspondence courses and so on, are each and all grandly worth while, but where is the farm woman who is doing the cooking, the washing, baking, nursing, gardening, dairying, and poultry-raising on a farm, to get time for any of these things, unless the latest and best time saving machinery is put at her disposal? The farmer's wife is a generation or two behind her husband in the use of labor savers. That she may have time and strength for the higher ends of living she must have relief from her hard labor and too long hours. She must have more holidays. Even if her husband could afford a hired girl for her all the time, the hired girl in many places is not to be had. What then? The heavier parts of her labors must be shifted onto the men's shoulders: the carrying of wood and water, the turning of the washing machine and the wringer, the cuttipg up of meat, the care and curing of same, the care of calves and pigs, the heavier parts of the gar- dening and poultry keeping, all hard lifting and lugging, milking many cows, turning the separator and pumping water for stock, and so on. Not that any one woman does each and all of these things, but all of them and many other forms of drudgery I have seen loaded onto farm women. Freed from all these things, she will have burden enough laid on her when she bears, jears and trains for citizenship a family of children, cooking and sewing for them, nursing them in sickness and guarding them in health, while she keeps her house and cares for husband and hired help. How much is left of the ordinary woman after all this? What is left of her in the way of strength, enthusiasm and time might go to self-culture, recreation and the discharge of her duties to church and neighborhood. The city woman has, as a matter of course, the gas range, electric lights, running water, making possible bathroom and toilet, steam heat, vacuum cleaner, and all meat, milk, vegetables, groceries and ice delivered in her kitchen just before she wants to use them. Deprived of these, the country woman ought to have at least things of this sort — a kitchen cabinet, a good modern range with reservoir, fireless cooker, steam cooker, bread mixer, a good washing machine with wringers and tub rack, modern churn with butter worker and cream separator, sausage grinder and meat chopper, steam pressure home canner, sewing machine, high-grade in- cubator (any other is an abomination), brooders, a kitchen sink with waste pipe, and plenty of kitchen utensils. A good span of mules costs more than all of the above mentioned labor savers put together. A conveniently arranged house cuts the work in two, but that is too long a story for this paper: in a word, the other parts of the house should be a series of short cuts to the kitchen, her work shop. Give the farm woman a chance at her children; give her children a chance at their mother. A drudge may bear children, but a drudge will dwarf the soul of the child. I believe that every good man wants to do his best for his wife, but he does not know what is best for a woman, and she may be ignorant of these indispensables. A campaign by men to enlighten farm men as to the rights and privileges of the farm woman ought to be the next step taken by our great business organizations that have the public welfare at heart. 117 The Problem of Tenant and Landlord in the Cotton States. As solved by Mrs. G. H. Mathls, Birmingham, Alabama. Reproduced from Bulletin of the Bureau of Farm Development, Memphis. Mrs. G. H. Mathis, Birmingham, Ala., is one of the large land owners of the state. A few years ago she went into the hills of eastern Alabama and bought 1,060 acres of poor land at $8.00 an acre; 580 acres of red clay, 320 acres of shale and 160 acres of mountain land. The renters on this tract were poor and had hard work to make any sort of living because the land was so badly impoverished. Six years later her tenants, under her direction, had built up the land to an average production of a bale of cotton an acre, and she sold out for $40.00 an acre. Since that time Mrs. Mathis has made a business of buying run-down and worn-out farms, and with tenants bringing up the land until it pro- duces one to two bales of cotton an acre, and then selling them. She re- invests her money in more run-down farms, and under the same system of farm operation brings up their fertility to be sold in their turn. Five out of seven of the large numbers of tenants that have rented land of her have made enough mon^y to buy farms and make comfortable homes for themselves. HER METHODS ATTRACT NOTICE Mrs. Mathis' business management of her farms, her uniform success in making money, and the prosperity of her tenants have attracted atten- tion throughout her state. The Alabama Bankers' Association has en- gaged her for a year to travel through the state and show tenants and landlords how both can follow her profitable methods. Mrs. Mathis rents land to both white and negro tenants. She says that the negro tenants make as much money for her and for themselves as do the white tenants, and she has as little diflBculty in getting them to produce good yields of all the crops she has them raise. She says that when they have made enough money to buy farms for themselves, the white tenants follow on their own farms the methods she has taught them, while the negro tenants go back to their old shiftless methods as soon as they leave her. She has a tenant for each 50 acres of cultivated land. The tenant must have two good horses or mules. In addition to the 50 acres of land in cultivation, each tenant is furnished a pasture for a brood sow and her pigs, a cow and a yearling calf. COTTON THE CHIEF CROP Cotton is the chief crop on all her farms, but Mrs. Mathis insists that with everyone of her tenants cotton must be a surplus money crop and that out of their share of the other crops and the live stock which they raise they must provide for all their living expenses — food, feed, clothing and farm expenses. When a tenant has sold his cotton, the money that he gets for his share must be surplus— not a dollar of it needed to meet any expense incurred by the tenant during the year. She says that when the tenant makes money, the land owner makes money. Mrs. Mathis compels a tenant who rents 50 acres of cultivated land from her to plant 16 acres in corn, 5 acres in oats (to be followed by cowpeas), 3 acres in hay, 2 acres in vegetables and potatoes, 1 acre In . 118 watermelons and 1 acre in sorghum. TWENTY-TWO ACRES MUST BE PLANTED IN COTTON. In addition to the crops, the tenant signs a con- tract to keep a hrood sow and raise $100 worth of meat per year, and to keep a cow and raise a calf to be a year old before killing. He must also agree to work one brood mare and raiseone mule colt each year. ALL LAND IS SUBSOILED Mrs. Mathis begins the year's work in September, starting with worn- out land. All land must be turned with a two-horse plow and be sub- soiled by a subsoil plow pulled by two horses or two mules. The plows are followed by a disc harrow; then the land is compacted with a roller. The land is then sowed to crimson clover and hairy vetch, using 20 pounds of crimson clover seed and 10 pounds of vetch seed per acre. In May the clover is cut up with a disc harrow and turned under with a two-horse plow. Cowpeas are sown on the freshly plowed land, 1% bushels of seed an acre. On poor land the clay long-vine pea is used, and on land In fair condition the whip-poor-will variety. The cowpeas are cut up in August with a disc harrow and the land is turned with a two-horse plow, set to run 6 to 8 Inches in depth. In September the land is sowed with the following seed per acre: Oats, 1 bushel; crimson clover, 15 pounds; hairy vetch, 10 pounds. Either the appler or the red rust-proof variety of oats is used. These crops are cut for hay early in the following June, and the hay is a profitable money crop. As soon as the hay is harvested the land is planted to corn and cowpeas, or any other crop desired. Crimson clover and hairy vetch are again sown on the land in the fall. The following spring the land is planted to cotton and on upland will average a bale to the acre. Oats, with crimson clover and hairy vetch, are sown in the cotton rows after the first pick- ing, and the rotation is started over again. The acreage of oats, crimson clover and vetch to be followed by corn and cowpeas is varied somewhat each year to allow for the required area of vegetables, potatoes, water- melons and sorghum. Bur clover is used in the place of crimson clover when found more convenient. The high returns secured under Mrs. Mathis' system are secured through the growing every winter of crimson or bur clover and hairy vetch on the cotton land and of raising cowpeas on all the land in corn. With this system, all land produces a cash crop and an enriching crop every year, and the winter growing crops prevent the loss of fertility from leaching that occurs every winter on most farm land in the South. MEETING WITH TENANTS Mrs. Mathis offers small prizes to the renters for the best crop of any particular kind, for instance, a hat for the one who raises the most cotton per acre, or a pair of shoes for the one who raises the most corn per acre. Some simple prize for each crop is offered. She has found that yields are materially affected by the intelligent interest of the man who is cultivating the land. For that reason she holds meetings with the renters, out under the trees, and there discusses the needs of the crop — what can be done to benefit this or that crop. This convinces the renters that each acre of his crop is being watched and that his success is a matter of interest to everybody on the farm. At these meetings in the spring, the tenants discuss with her the best 119 variety of each crop for the different soils. The methods of tillage that should he used on the sandy lands and on the clay lands. As the season progresses, they consider the methods of tillage that will secure best re- sults, taking Into consideration the season and the condition of the crops at the time of the conference. If at one of these meetings it is found that certain tenants have grassy fields or their crops are behind those of the other tenants, an explanation Is called for. The successful tenants tell the poor ones why their crops are poor. This friendly but Intense competition is very effective in securing good farming. Mrs. Mathis tacks up cards every month in every tenant house, so that the wife and children can read them, with a list of the work to be done that month, giving careful directions. She prints a list of crops which rob the soil and a list of those which help to restore fertility, such as clovers, peas, peanuts, beans, alfalfa and vetch. There are family dis- cussions about the feed and care of the mules, the cow and how to feed and milk her. RESULTS OBTAINED BY MRS. MATHIS John Stewart rented 30 acres from. Mrs. Mathis. He cannot write his own name, but has made enough from his share of the crops to buy a farm of his own. In 1915, on 30 acres, he raised 18 bales of cotton, 500 bushels of corn, hay to feed liis teams for a year, all the potatoes, garden stuff and meat his family could use for a year and a yearling calf and has kept a cow. He has received for his year's work $1,100 in cash, a living for his family and feed for his teams. Mrs. Mathis has received for rent from these 30 acres $350 cash, 125 bushels of corn, 2 tons of hay and 100 bundles of fodder. Sam Hamilton is another tenant who has bought a farm for himself. In 1915 he rented 46 acres from Mrs. Mathis. He raised 20 bales of cotton, which, with the seed, brought $1,500. He also raised 600 bushels of corn, 150 bushels of sweet potatoes, 2 hogs, weighing 300 pounds each, and has kept two cows, besides his garden, hay, etc. He will get $1,500 cash, the living for his family and the feed for his animals as his share from the 46 acres. THE STORY OF "BUD" JONES The story of "Bud" Jones is characteristic of the results obtained from Mrs. Mathis' system. "Bud" Jones was a wandering tenant who moved every year. He had a "sorry" team and had hard work to make even a bare living for his family. He pleaded with Mrs. Mathis until she rented him 45 acres of land that she had built up. After he moved she found that he owed $750. She will not allow a tenant to owe bills, so she took "Bud" to her bank and went his security on a note for $750. She introduced "Bud" as a renter on her farm for the year and a share cropper, making him her partner. He had never been in/ a bank before, and the cordial reception given him by the bank's president made him feel more like a man and equal to the year's work. "Bud" sowed 10 acres of spring oats. He harvested 100 bushels of grain for feeding and cut the balance of the crop for hay. On two acres of the oat land he planted sweet potatoes and on 8 acres corn, with cow- peas between the rows. On 12 acres of the poor land he made 7 bales of cotton; on 23 acres of the better land he raised 19 bales. His cotton and cotton seed brought exactly $2,002. He raised 70 bushels of corn an acre on 9 acres. 120 The crops that he sold brought $3,-300, and he paid Mrs. Hathls $1,100 cash rent. This left him $2,200 cash besides his living for the year and grain and hay for his teams. He paid his debt of $750 and spent $450 for furniture and conveniences for his wife. This left him $1,000 and he bought a farm for himself. On his own farm he has followed Mrs. MathlS' methods strictly and has prospered accordingly. LEASE USED BY. MRS. MATHIS THIS AQREEMBNT AND RENTAL CONTRACT is made between JOHN STEJWART and MRS. G. H. MATHIS, the owner of the farm located in Section 36, near Gadsen, on ; Public Road. John Stewart desires to rent fifty (50) acres of land, a two-horse crop, south of the center of Section 36, the metes and bounds of said fifty acres having been decided upon by mutual agreement. I, John Stewart, agree, to perform the following named duties over and above the proper cultivation of said land, also agreeing to cultivate the land in such crops and as is directed by Mrs. Mathis. I, John Stewart, agree to work the roads through the farm at such times as Mrs. Mathis may direct; I agree to assist in keeping the pasture fence in perfect condition the year through; I agree to put the small repairs on and about the premises, to keep all filth and manure removed, so as to protect the health of my own family and the water supply for other people. And I agree to furnish all my farming implements and stock. CROPS I agree to plant 16 acres in corn on such land as Mrs. 'Mathis may assign to that purpose; I agree to plant 5 acres in oats, and 3 acres in hay; I agree further to follow the oats with peas, one acre of which shall be cultivated In rows and harvested as a pea crop, Mrs. Mathis to receive one-third of the crop, and I to receive two-thirds. If I desire to sell the peas, Mrs. Mathis agrees to buy them at the market price. There shall be two acres of land devoted to early maturing crops, sUch as Irish potatoes, corn and fall crops of turnips, or other small vegetables. I agree to raise these crops and sell them co-operatively with other rent- ers on the farm, and under the direction of Mrs. Mathis. I agree to plant one acre in watermelons, the balance of the land is to be planted in cottdn or whatever surplus money crop may be agreed upon between me and Mrs.' Mathis. SALE OF CROPS I agree to pay Mrs. Mathis one-third of all crops raised on the place, either as one-third of the crop itself, or one-third of the money received from the crop, as she may direct. I agree to harvest and house all hay and the entire crop without any expense whatever to Mrs. Mathis; she to furnish one-third of all fertilizer used. Mrs. Mathis is to furnish me a house to live in, with necessary outbuildings, and good pasture for my stock, during the year. And I agree to turn and sub-soil all lands planted to crops, and to make a proper and thorough cultivation of the crops through the entire year. I agree to keep a brood sow in the pasture and to raise $100 worth of meat per year. I agree to put a good cow in the pasture and raise a calf to be one year old- before killing. I agree to work a brood mare, and raise one mule colt each year. 121 , I agree to plant one acre In sorghum and make at least one barrel of molasses for my own use. I agree to plant legumes in the fall, in any and all lands used, as di- rected by Mrs. Mathis, she to pay for one-half the legume seed and I to pay for the other half. I, John Stewart, futhermore agree that the business shall be conducted in a fair and orderly manner, and without dissension and fuss. Mrs. Mathis agrees to counsel with me through the year and assist me with Instructions and advice as to the crop, its cultivation and sale. THIS AGREEMENT entered Into and signed by: Date 1915. WORK AND TIME TABLE FOR THE FARM January FIRST WEEK: See that all contracts are properly signed and that you start in the year with a clear understanding. Be sure that each man knows the exact land that he is to use and how much Is to be planted in each crop that is to be grown during the season. Ditching, clearing and mending will be /the principal jobs for January. SECOND WEEK: Each man should go on the land he Is to cultivate, clear up and clean up for his own crop, probably taking some fresh land to be used for sorghum, corn or watermelons. The same to be free of rent. THIRD WEJJK: Clearing land,, pruning fruit trees, and a general round- up of the wood-getting, mending and other necessary things for the farm. Pruning of fruit trees should be finished. FOURTH WEEK: The indoor work should be accomplished, such as preparing the surplus com, hay for a mixed feed for the stock. Orchard planting may continue through all of the winter months. February FIRST WEEK: Indoor work is about all that can be accomplished as a general thing In^Rebruary, except clearing new ground, getting wood for the summer months, clearing and ditching. SECOND WEEK: If the weather Is dry enough, arrange for early spring gardening, plant English peas, radishes, beets, Irish potatoes; plant to- matoes and the tender vegetables in boxes indoors for early transplanting. CabbE^ge can be planted outdoors. THIRD WEEK: If the weather is dry enough, get in the Irish potatoes and early spring vegetables. FOURTH WEEK: Work in the blacksmith shop, getting all tools in readiness, arranging the compost pens or scattering the manure, broad- casting the field. Bed out sweet potatoes. March FIRST WEEK: March Is the general planting of all the hardy crops. Arrange the garden and get in most of the vegetables, plant Irish potatoes and early sweet corn. :^egin spring plowing, if the ground Is dry enough SECOND WEEK: Spring plowing should be pushed, corn planted and any left-over jobs finished. Orchards can be planted and strawberries planted. 122 THIRD WEEK: Push the plowing and corn planting, begin to bed the land for cotton planting; get in the remainder of the garden. FOURTH WEEK: Push the plowing and subsoiling of any unsubsoiled land. Turn under the cover crops that were planted for that purpose. Get in the early corn and a few of the later vegetables. Plant goobers and soy beans. April FIRST WiEEK: Plant the garden. Peas, beans, cucumbers, okra, squash and all of the mid-season vegetables. Plant sweet potatoes if the slips are ready; plant cotton and corn not already in. SECOND WEEK: Plant iield peas, especially iron peas to be harvested as a seed crop. Get in the cotton and other general field crops; plant the sweet potatoes. THIRD WEEK: Plant the peas for hay, plant sorghum, get the cotton in. Plant second crop of cabbage, transplant tomatoes. FOURTH WEEK: Plant out sweet potatoes, corn, cotton and the mid- season vegetables. Plant cowpeas. Plant goobe;rs and soy beans, plant pop-corn and velvet beans, plant watermelons, muskmelons. May FIRST WEEK: Plant the watermelons, work the garden every week. Plant sweet potatoes, second planting of sweet corn. Plant the mid-season cabbage, get in the late field corn and cowpeas, velvet beans, soy beans, pop-corn. SECOND WEEK: Get in all legumes, peas, beans of all kinds; keep the crop clean and worked with shallow tools, not disturbing the soil over two inches around the growing plant. Chop cotton. THIRD WEEK: Chop the cotton, plow the corn shallow, work the garden and plow the sweet potatoes. FOURTH WEEK: The entire crop must be worked ajter each rain and certainly every eight days, shallow cultivation of the crops to form a slight dust mulch around the plants. Set out sweet potatoes, keep Irish potatoes well worked. Chop cotton. Scatter manure. June FIRST WEEK: Plant the late watermelons, plant tomatoes, plant late peas, late corn, dig the Irish potatoes, plant sweet com after the Irish potatoes, begin to harvest the hay; work the entire crop after each rain and certainly every ten days. Shallow cultivation. SECOND WEEK: Cut the sweet potato vines and plant them; harvest the hay; harvest the oats and wheat. Turn under the stubble and plant cowpeas. THIRD WEEK: Harvest all the grain and turn the fields as soon as pos- sible and get in legumes, cowpeas. Keep the crop well cultivated. Watch for the bunches of grass and have the hands keep them chopped out. FOURTH WEEK: Plow the cotton shallow and very frequently; lay by the early planting of corn. Plow the sweet potatoes and keep up with the late corn and watermelons. July FIRST WEEK: Dig the late Irish potatoes, cut off the sweet potato vines and plant them. Plant the late cowpeas. Plant late roasting ears; plant tomatoes. Cultivate the entire crop every eight days, shallow plowing. SECOND WEEK: Keep the entire crop plowed every eight days; harvest 123 the early goobers; plant the second crop of goobers; harvest the first crop ot cowpea hay. Take off the early sweet corn and plant to rutabaga turnips. Clear the ground in the garden o£ early vegetables and plant cowpeas where 'the vegetables were. THIRD WEEK: Watch the crop carefully and plow after each rain and certainly plow it every eight days, rain or no rain. Cut off sweet potato vines and plant them. Plant the late fall Irish potatoes. FOURTH WEEK: Plant the fall Irish potatoes, rutabaga turnips; keep the crop well plowed. The fruits will be ripe and canning will be in order. August FIRST WEfcK: Finish plowing the crops; stop plowing the corn when it' tassels; harvest the pea vine hay; plant the fall Irish potatoes, if not already planted. Plant bunch beans in the garden, beets, mustard and turnips. SECOND WEEK: The main crops are near enough matured to be un- disturbed by further plowing. Harvest the fodder of the early corn; cut and stack the corn; harvest such hay as is ready; kraut the cabbage; can the beans. THIRD WEEK: Harvest the hay and the early corn; get in the turnips and cabbage, collards, beets, radishes, lettuce, mustard, onions. FOURTH WEEK: Shocking the corn, mowing hay, picking the cotton, planting Siberian kale, Brussels sprouts, lettuce. September FIRST WEEK: Clear the ground and plow for turnips, beets, carrots, onions, cabbage. Plant. SECOND WEEK: Turn the stubble and all lands to be planted in grain that which is not already in a crop. Plow deep, subsoil, cut with disc harrow and roll with heavy roller. Plant to oats, rye or other winter grain. THIRD WEEK: Make the land rea.dy for hay crops. Plow, subsoil, disc and roll. Plant 1% bushel oats per acre, 15 pounds crimson clover seed, 10 pounds hairy vetch. The clover and vetch must not be planted so deep as the oats, and seed must be inoculated. FOURTH WEEK: Continue planting hay. Barley hay about same pro- portion as oat hay. Plant oats between cotton rows and corn rows. Get in crimson clover on all land that needs building. Get in wheat and all grain crops for winter cover crops. Get in onions and any remaining late vegetables. September is harvest month. Gather and house all crops that are mature, such as peas, cotton. RAINY DAY JOBS: Bale the hay under shelter. Fix the potato house. Get the barns cleaned and ready for the incoming crop. Mend the tools. October FIRST WEEK: Continue to plow and subsoil all land that is free from crops. Plant some kind of a grain cover crop to be turned under in the spring to make humus in the ground. SECOND WEEK: Plant oats and iron peas in the cotton rows and corn rows to be harvested next spring as an oat crop. The peas will be on the ground a few inches high and will not need replanting. THIRD WEEK: Finish the plowing and getting of grain and cover crop, especially wheat. Plant strawberries, plant orchard. FOURTH WEEK: Plowing continues as long as the ground is dry enough, until the whole farm has been turned. October is harvest month. Gather 124 and house the corn, cotton, peas, hay. Make up the molasses, gather the peanuts and stack them. The fall apples should be stored, sweet potatoes dug in a dry time as they keep better. RAINY DAY JOBS; Bale the hay under shelter. Pick the peanuts. Ar- range storage room for all crops. See that proper shelter is given lor stock. November FIRST WEEK: Continue to harvest cotton, corn, hay, peas, potatoes, pumpkins and all crops that are to be housed. Plow any unplowed land, turn under the cotton stalks at least lour inches deep in all weevil terri- tory. Wheat is the only grain that can be sown so late as this with absolute dertainty. Plant onions. SECOND WEEK: The harvesting continues and lall plowing through the month, with such winter cover crops as may be desired. THIRD WEEK: Harvesting continues and fall plowing with preparation for shelter for live stock. The fattening hogs should be pushed to take on flesh rapidly. FOURTH WEEK: Harvesting should be about finished; potatoes should be in the dry house; plowing continues if the ground is dry. Hogs should be slaughtered if the weather is cold enough. December FIRST" WEEK: Harvesting continues, if not finished. Plowing continues if not finished. No planting unless wheat. RAINY DAY JOBS: Get up wood for the winter. SECOND WEEK: Burning off the ditch banks, opening the drainage on the larm; burning off the hedgerows; getting winter supply ol wood; starting new ground clearing. THIRD WEEK: Ditching, clearing, storing ol tools, work in the wood shops on rainy days. FOURTH WEEK: Ditching and clearing lands, shelling corn, picking peanuts, putting repairs on houses and lences. Christmas. 125 Rural Credits. A Statement of the Attitude of the Rural Credits Committee of the National Implement & Vehicle Association on the Subject of Proposed Rural Credit Legislation and the Extension of IVlore Adequate Credit Facilities to the Farmer. (As adopted at its meeting in the Association Offices, February 9th, 1916) ADDED FACILITIES FOR LOANS ON FARIVI LANDS NOT NEEDED We believe that the demand of the country does not exist for facilities to borrow money on farm lands. Good lands owned by men that make a good moral risk can secure all the money needed at low rates of interest. If it is thought necessary to have the Government interest itself in farm loans we recommend that the organization and facilities of the Federal Reserve Board be used rather than create a new and expensive organiza- tion as recommended in many of the bills recently introduced. TENANT FARMERS NEED MORE ADEQUATE CREDIT FACILITIES We believe that the tenant farmer is much more in need of facilities for borrowing money than is the farmer who owns his own land. This is a subject that would require considerable study and we suggest that the Federal Reserve Board take the matter under consideration to the end that member banks and Federal Reserve Banks be permitted to offer ade- quate facilities. We realize that every safeguard will have to be thrown around loans of this kind, but we do believe that greater facilities than now exist should be offered to permit reliable tenant farmers to secure adequate credit. If sufficient safeguards can be thrown around loans of this class, five-year obligations with partial annual payments of principal would be a great incentive to better agriculture among the tenant farmers who now comprise a substantial proportion of the farmers . of this country. RURAL CREDIT LEGISLATION SHOULD BE DEFERRED We believe that Rur.al Credit Legislation could well be deferred until the new laws now on the books have had sufficient opportunity to prove their efficiency to the agricultural community. We refer to the Smith- Lever law that was enacted to improve agricultural conditions through the assistance of the Agricultural Department and the state agricultural colleges, and to that part of the Federal Reserve Act that provides for the rediscounting of farmers' paper that has six months maturity. A campaign of education in regard to the benefits of both laws would be exceedingly beneficial to the agricultural community. CO-OPERATIVE BUYING AND SELLING Before co-operative buying or selling ^ is adopted as a national policy, we suggest that a careful investigation be made on the ground, relative to the manner in which implements and other supplies are handled by the local dealer. Insofar as the implement manufacturers are concerned, service plays almost as important a part in their trade as do the implements themselves, and it is essential to the life of the industry that this service be maintained. 126 Why the National Implement and Vehicle Association is Interested in Farm Development. Here is an organization founded twenty-seven years ago taking its first steps in showing its practical interest in this great question of agricultural development, yet its members have for nearly a century manufactured the equipment which has made progressive farming possible. Could there be more convincing evidence that this age is taking a broader view of things and are fast realizing the interdependence of man- kind in our present mode of living? The lines of demarkation between country and town which placed the dwellers in each into separate and distinct classes are being wiped out and the amalgamation is producing a people who realize that as those in other occupations flourish their opportunities expand. If the farmer-businessman prospers he has more needs for the town- businessman to supply and as they both develop, the community, county, state and nation advance. It has been a diflScult matter to break down this barrier of prejudice and even hate, but it has been accomplished largely by getting the children and young people to work together. The evolution which has been going on among manufacturers for the past twenty-five years has not been less interesting. Factories with locked doors and walled yards, were common — processes of manufacture were securely guarded. So-called trade secrets regarding even the most common lines were relied on as capital. Associations of manufacturers were rare and were organized either for strictly social purposes or for motives which law would not now countenance. These organizations did accomplish one important thing, perhaps the most important as a preliminary to all that followed — namely they pro- moted acquaintance which led in many cases to friendship. The idea of associating together for the purpose of exchanging business information relating to the manufacture and sale of their commodities or to educate their less informed competitor was too radical a thought to be entertained. Some years later competitive condition^ forced the facts upon them that in the strife for trade some concerns were forcing the sale of goods at a loss because they had no knowledge of their producing costs, also were creating innumerable varieties almost completely destroying factory economies — then came the truth that they were not independent to do as they pleased, but that conditions created by their competitors were really controlling factors. To meet the situation, forfeit supposed independence and treat with their fellowS in a co-operative way, required years of effort and many con- cerns either gave up or were forced out of business, because they failed to submit and adjust themselves in line with this new progress. The next step was quite as revolutionary, namely the education of the retailers of their products, for unless this their channel of passing their wares to the consumer, the farmer, was kept clear and satisfactory, serious interruptions would occur. As yet no better agency has been discovered to serve both the consumer and manufacturer as satisfactorily and at as low cost as the retail dealer. This effort to supply the dealer with in- struction regarding correct business methods and have him accept and use it required first a careful study of his condition which resulted in finding that the greater portion of those entering the implement business 127 came from the farm with limited capital and often without previous busi- ness experience. It was clearly shown that they failed or passed out of business for some cause at the rate of twenty-five per cent a year. A further analysis discovered the prime cause to be a lack of business knowledge. Ten years ago at Kansas City the manufacturers and dealers entered into a co-operative educational plan and it has progressed step by step, from platform lectures and literature to the organization of dealers' local clubs for the study of local conditions and the application of knowl- edge to meet those conditions. To-day the situation is very greatly im- proved but of course as new dealers come into business from year to year this education like that which concerns farming must go on perhaps forever, yet, in the meantime the conditions are made better for all that it is more than worth the effort. I have recited this history of Association or co-operative work among manufacturers and dealers simply to show that their next step is to carry this gospel of better methods to the farmer who uses the equipment they produce. The same power previously used, personal interest and co-operation will accomplish this task as the others heretofore mentioned. A beginning has already been made by well organized agricultural ex- tension departments in some of the larger companies, but each manu- facturer whether large or small, can find a way to help along this move- ment. Every manufacturer who appreciates his opportunity will personally see that the Commercial ' Club or whatever organization exerts the most- In- fluence in his community arranges for an agricultural extension campaign ■ — the agricultural department of his state will welcome the opportunity to arrange it for him. Then in his own establishment he can inspire the interest of his own employes and especially his selling forces who in turn can arouse their customers, the implement dealers. This work not only will return rewards in personal gratification of having helped the country toward greater prosperity, but it cannot fail to produce greater income for the farmer also increase his demands for more ' equipment, conveniences an^ even luxuries which he will be able to pay for. To paraphra.se, "it is casting bread upon the waters" and being able all the time to see it doing good and returning to you in manifold benefits. NATIONAL IMPLEMENT & VEHICLE ASSN. E. W. McCullough, Secretary and General Manager. 128