xxviii Report of the Dean 



production and food saving. This servdce is growing more effective 

 year by year, because it is absolutely removed from any idea of publicity 

 but aims to popularize the results obtained where they are of benefit to 

 the army of farm and home readers. 



During the past year this information service has conducted campaigns 

 on wheat-saving menus, for greater milk consumption, for larger use of 

 potatoes, and for home gardening and food preser\^ation. A record of 

 actual printings of its items as seen by the College shows that these reach 

 the amazing total of 43,000,000 printings. Items seen by the College 

 undoubtedly represent only a comparatively small proportion of the 

 total. 



Office of the State Leader of County Agents 



. War emergency conditions brought upon the farm bureau organization 

 new obligations and a vast amount of detail, much of it government 

 work, requiring immediate and careful attention. The bureau provided 

 the machinery through which the various federal, state, and other public 

 agencies chiefly made contact with farmers. They provided at once 

 county clearing houses for governmental projects such as the census, 

 seed exchange, supply of labor, and organs for responsible expression of 

 their needs by farmers. 



Fifty-five coiuities have active farm bureau organizations. The new 

 bureaus have come in with large memberships, and the percentage of 

 total farmers belonging to the farm bureau associations has steadily 

 increased from 11 in 191 7 to 20 in 191 8. 



Locally the bureaus have reorganized to the extent of changing from 

 a township to a community unit organization. In each community at 

 least one man is designated as a farm bureau committeeman. In the 

 fifty-five covmties there are approximately 2046 designated agricultural 

 communities, with a total of 6101 appointed commimity committeemen. 



Of particular interest is the appointment of a special agent, a Jew, 

 to work among the non-English-speaking Jewish farmers, of whom there 

 are large numbers in the State. This is the first definite provision to meet 

 the needs of foreign-language fanners in this State. 



Office of the State Leader of Home Demonstration Agents 



By July I, 191 7, five counties had been organized with home demon- 

 stration agents. During the spring and stunmer of 1917, through co- 

 operation with the New York State Food Supply Commission and the 

 Federal Department of Agriculture, temporary agents were placed in 

 thirty-six counties. On December i the work was reorganized, the State 

 Food Commission taking supervision of the city work and the College 



