STATES RELATIONS SERVICE. 375 



a^'e^age yield of corn grown by club members was 42.8 bushels, 

 while the average for the Southern States was 19.4, 



The demonstrative value of club work is being felt throughout 

 the South. Boys' club work has not only gone a long way toward 

 definitely directing and applying the rural boy power of the South 

 into channels of useful work, but their intelligent application of 

 experimental data has in many instances demonstrated to the adult 

 farmer the value of improved methods. 



EXTENSION SPECIALISTS. 



The agricultural extension work centers around the countv aa'ent. 

 It is through him that the great store of information regarding 

 better farm practice is carried from the United States Department 

 of Agriculture and the State agricultural colleges and experiment 

 stations to the large body of farmers scattered through the States. 

 It is also through him that the unsolved problems arising on the farm 

 are brought back to the experiment stations and the department for 

 their solution. It is obvioush^ impossible for the county agent to 

 have a broad enough knowledge of the various sciences necessarj" to 

 solve, offhand, all of the problems arising in a county with its great 

 variation of crops, live stock, soils, plant diseases, and the like. That 

 the county agent may be able to assist in the solution of these prob- 

 lems, each State maintains a force of specialists whose duty it is to 

 furnish the county agent definite information on matters pertaining 

 to their particular line. 



It is very gratifying that as the extension work progresses a better 

 understanding of the relationshij:) between the specialist, the county 

 agent, and other extension workers has developed with it. It is 

 being more clearly recognized that there must be a definite interlock- 

 ing of the efforts of all members of the extension force if the organi- 

 zation is to function to the greatest advantage. To this end, in 

 practically all cases, the specialist and the county agent are planning 

 their work cooperatively. The specialist maps out, in project form, 

 various kinds of demonstrations designed to meet the problems 

 arising in his particular line. The county agent selects from these 

 projects those particularly applicable to his county. The farmer 

 v\-ho conducts the demonstration is selected by the community club 

 or volunteers his effort for his own good and that of his neighbors. 

 Tlic selection is approved by the county agent and the specialist. 



Specialists have also rendered effective service by speaking and 

 giving practical demonstrations at meetings, arranging and looking 

 after exhibits at fairs, and assisting in the judging of these exhibits. 



NEGRO WORK. 



Work with negi'oes was continued aloug the same general lines as 

 in previous years with a small increase in the number of agents. As 

 a rule the negro agent is appointed assistant to the Avhite agent so 

 that the regular county agent has general supervision of the work. 

 In counties without negro agents the regidar county agent does con- 

 siderable work with negro farmers so that they receive the benefits 

 of the extension work even though they have no agent working 

 direetlv with them. 



