STATES RELATIONS SERVICE. 447 



work dealing with the practical operations of the farm and the farm 

 home. Studies of the organization and work of the extension special- 

 ists have also been made with a view to a more perfect coordination 

 of their work with that of the county men and w^omen agents. Much 

 attention has been given to problems connected with the development 

 of demonstration work among the negro people on the farms. This 

 work is already conducted on a substantial basis with very useful re- 

 sults and constitutes a bond of helpful relations between the ex- 

 tension agents and farming people of both races. 



PROGRESS IN INVESTIGATION IN HOME ECONOMICS. 



The Office of Home Economics has tried to meet as far as possible 

 the greatly increased demand for new information on the problems 

 of the household, growing out of the larger development of instruc- 

 tion and extension work in home economics and the increased burdens 

 on family incomes with reference to food, clothing, household equip- 

 ment, and operation. The limited funds of this office restrict its re- 

 search to a few problems and even with those it is difficult to conduct 

 its experimental inquiries on a scale sufficient to secure definite and 

 satisfactory results without undue prolongation of the work. The 

 information accumulated by this office from various sources is dis- 

 seminated as rapidly as possible through the department's agencies 

 which reach the schools, extension forces, and the public generally. 

 But this very useful service is necessarily to a considerable extent at 

 the expense of the research w'ork. 



AID TO VOCATIONAL EDUCATION IN AGRICULTURE. 



The interest in vocational education through the secondary and 

 elementary schools continues to grow rapidly throughout the country. 

 This has put greatly increased burdens on the limited number of well- 

 trained teachers and has brought into the work many teachers poorly 

 equipped for this kind of service. This has brought on the States 

 Relations Service, through its cooperation with the Federal Board 

 for \'ocational Education, the State agricultural colleges, and State 

 departments of education, an increased demand for up-to-date sub- 

 ject matter and illustrative material on agricultural topics in form 

 for immediate use in the schools. It is believed that no work of the 

 States Kelations Service is more useful than what it is doing to aid 

 teai'hers in the instruction of youth who are to spend their lives on 

 our farms. 



DUTIES AND ORGANIZATION OF THE SERVICE. 



In general, the States Relations Service represents the Secretary 

 vif Agriculture in his relations wnth the State agricultural colleges 

 and experiment stations under the acts of Congress granting funds 

 to these institutions for agricultural experiment stations and coopera- 

 tive extension work in agriculture and home economics, and in carry- 

 ing out the jn'ovisions of the acts of Congress making api)ro|)riations 

 to the Department of Agriculture for farmers' cooperative demon- 

 stration work; investigations relating to agricultural schools, farm- 

 ers' institutes, and home economics; and the maintenance of agri- 



