STATES RELATIONS SEEVICE. 609 



Many of the agents indicate that negro farmers are improving 

 the quality of their land by growing leguminous crops, better care 

 of manure, and the use of better methods of cultivation and imple- 

 ments. These agents were also influential in encouraging the negro 

 farmers to purchase better stock to be used in improving their herds 

 and also to improve their farm and home buildings. This is indi- 

 cated by the fact that 6,000 buildings were painted or whitewashed, 

 4,500 farm buildings were improved, 2,500 new buildings were 

 erected, the sanitary conditions on 8,420 farms were improved, and 

 the home grounds in 5,320 instances were fixed up. 



The colored women agents enrolled 24,000 girls and 23,000 women, 

 of whom in each instance 16,000 completed their records. Alto- 

 gether the girls completed demonstrations in connection with 43,570 

 projects and the women in connection with 56,500 projects, and 

 160,000 other girls and women were influenced to change their 

 methods of home making. 



The i^rincipal activities were those relating to the conservation 

 of fruits and vegetables, in which 13,440 girls and 15,000 women 

 participated as demonstrators, influencing the practices of 30,000 

 other homes. Next in importance was the garden work, in which 

 9,200 girls and 10,000 women were enrolled and resulted in starting 

 or improving gardens on 25,000 other farms; 4,600 girls and 7,500 

 women were also active in carrying on extension work v^ith poultry 

 and were an effective means of changing poultry practices on 8,800 

 other farms. 



THE OUTLOOK. 



With the maximum funds now available under the matured 

 Smith-Lever Act, extension directors are taking stock of their ex- 

 tension organizations and ability to accomplish results. Rapid ex- 

 pansion is being replaced by introspection. The extension program, 

 its development and carrying out so as to reach the maximum of 

 farms, is being studied critically. Standards of work and methods 

 of measuring results are being given attention. With about three- 

 fourths of the agricultural counties having county agricultural 

 agents, one-third having home demonstration agents, and one-tenth 

 having county club agents, the extension system may be regarded 

 as about one-half completed. As time goes on and each line of 

 work more fully proves itself, further expansion will undoubtedly 

 follow. • Just now there is a halt in expansion which will probably 

 continue until the research work upon which extension work is based 

 is more adequately financed. 



OFFICE OF HOME ECONOMICS. 

 C. F. Langwoetht, Chief. 



The Office of Home Economics was from the first authorized to 

 study and to disseminate information concerning the utilization in 

 the home of agricultural products for food, clothing, and other 

 household purposes and the labor incident to their use. This has 

 determined the character of the work during the past j'ear, 

 as heretofore. It has included problems pertaining to food selec- 

 tion, preparation, and preservation ; to household labor, particularly 



