4 ANNUAL EEPOETS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



improvement of farming which, in point of personnel, financial sup- 

 port, and effectiveness, excel those of any other three nations combined, 

 very many urban people were unaware of the existence of such institu- 

 tions, and not a few representations were made to the effect that an 

 administration ought to be created to secure an increase of produc- 

 tion. These people have seen the windows of cities placarded and 

 papers filled with pleas for conservation, for investment in bonds, and 

 for subscriptions to the Red Cross. They have wondered why they 

 have not seen similar evidence of activity in the field of agriculture. 

 They did not know of the thousands of men and women quietly 

 working in every rural community of the Nation and of the millions 

 of bulletins and circulars dealing with the problems from many 

 angles. They overlooked the fact that the field of these workers lies 

 outside of the city and did not recognize that both the problem and 

 the methods were different. 



Within the last year there has been a change. The attention of 

 the world has been directed to its food supply, and agriculture has 

 assumed a place of even greater importance in the world's thought. 

 More space has been devoted to it by the daily press and weekly 

 journals and magazines. This is gratifying. The towns and cities, 

 all of them directly dependent upon agriculture for their existence 

 and most of them for their growth and prosperity, must of necessity 

 take an intelligent, constructive interest in rural problems and in the 

 betterment of rural life. This they can do effectively only as they in- 

 form themselves and lend their support to the carefully conceived 

 plans of Federal and State organizations responsible for leadership 

 and of the more thoughtful and successful farmers. For some time it 

 has been part of the plans of this Department to enlist the more 

 complete cooperation of bankers and other business men and of their 

 associations in the effort to make agriculture more profitable and 

 rural communities more healthful and attractive. Recent events 

 have lent emphasis to the appeals and very marked responses have 

 been made in every part of the Union. 



THE AGRICULTURAL EFFORT. 



The efforts put forth by the farmers and the agricultural organi- 

 zations to secure increased production can perhaps best be concretely 

 indicated in terms of planting operations. The size of the harvest 

 may not be the measure of the labors of the farmers. Adverse 



