354 ANNU.\L EEPOKTS OF DEPARTMENT OF ACrJCULTURE. 



The service directly administered reo;ular and emergency appro- 

 priations aggregating $7,304,940, and had administrative and ad- 

 visory relations in the expenditure of $4,020,000 of Federal funds 

 ($1,440,000 for agricultural experiment stations and $2,580,000 for 

 cooperative extension work) and $2,100,000 of State funds used as 

 an offset for Federal funds under the cooperative extension act. 

 In addition, the agricultural colleges and experiment stations used in 

 experimental and extension enterprises over $8,750,000 derived from 

 sources within the States. 



In the fiscal year 1918-19 the force carried on the rolls of the 

 States Relations Service aggregated about 7,000 employees. The 

 total number of persons employed in cooperative extension work in 

 agriculture and home economics was about 7,500. Over 2,400 coun- 

 ties had agricultural agents and about 1,700 counties and 200 cities 

 also had home demonstration agents. About 2,000,000 boys and girls 

 were connected with the agricultural and home economics clubs. In 

 the fiscal year 1917-18 the State agricultural experiment stations em- 

 ployed 1,G84 persons, of whom 419 did some extension work. 



Up to the signing of the armistice the service was busily engaged 

 in aiding the State and county extension forces and througli them 

 the farmers throughout the country in increasing agricultural pro- 

 duction j:o meet the war needs, and both country and city people in 

 conserving the products and making most economical and effective 

 use of available supplies. During the remainder of the year special 

 attention Avas given to the problems of agriculture and household 

 economj'- growing out of the discontinuance of military operations 

 and the beginning of adjustment to meet conditions arising in the 

 settlement of world affairs after the war. An effort was also made 

 b}^ the extension forces to perfect and establish on a permanent basis 

 the cooperating agencies among the farming people, in order that the 

 extension work might rest more securely on the initiative and active 

 participation of the people themselves. 



Uncertainty regarding the policy which would finally be adopted 

 in making grants of Federal funds in lieu of the war-emergency ap- 

 propriations made it impracticable to determine definitely the 

 amounts of State and local funds Avhich would be required to main- 

 tain the existing organization and work in the several States and 

 localities. For this and other reasons the fiscal year closed without 

 settlement of important problems regarding the continuance of 

 various agencies and methods for extension work on the scale on 

 which they had been organized in Avar time. It is noAV evident, 

 hoAvever, that the system of extension work extended so rapidly under 

 Avar conditions has commended itself to the people in very large 

 measure as a thing whiili Avill be useful to them m times of peace. 

 They are therefore making strong efforts to maintain it by local 

 contributions, as far as these are needed to sup])lement Federal and 

 State funds. The number of counties in Avhich it has been necessary 

 to Avithdraw the agricultural agents is much smaller than was antici- 

 pated. Several hundred home demonstration agents have been dis- 

 continued. But there is a general feeling that in a comparatively 

 short time the extension forces Avill bo as numerous as ever and that 

 the system will continue to grow until it coA'crs the entire country. 



