REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. 33 



mary object of this fund was not to stimulate the planting of an 

 increased fall acreage of wheat in the severely affected drouth areas, 

 or even necessarily to secure the planting of a normal acreage, but 

 rather to assist in tiding the farmers over the period of stress, to 

 enable them to remain on their farms, and to plant such acreage as 

 might be deemed wise under all conditions, with a view to increase 

 the food supply of the Nation and to add to the national security 

 and defense. It was distinctly not intended to be used to stimulate 

 the planting of wheat or any other grain where such planting is not 

 wise from an agricultural view and where other crops or activities are 

 safer. 



The Federal land banks of the districts embracing the affected 

 areas were designated as the financial agents of the Government to 

 make and collect the loans. The cooperation of local banks was 

 sought and secured in the taking of applications and in the tem- 

 porary financing of farmers pending advances of Federal funds upon 

 approved applications and the execution of necessary papers. 



Assistant Secretary G. I. Christie was designated to represent the 

 Department of Agriculture in the Northwest, and Mr. Leon M. 

 Estabrook, Chief of the Bureau of Crop Estimates, in the Southwest, 

 in organizing the work and approving seed-loan applications. These 

 officers were instructed to cooperate fully with the land banks in their 

 districts acting for the Treasury Department. Several agronomists 

 and field agents were detailed to assist each of this Department's 

 representatives. The Northwest district included the western por- 

 tion of North Dakota and portions of Montana and Wash- 

 ington; the Southwest district, portions of western Kansas, Okla- 

 homa, Texas, and eastern New Mexico. Early in August headquar- 

 ters were established at Great Falls, Mont., and at Wichita, Kans. 

 Conferences were held with specialists of the State colleges of agri- 

 culture, and a list of counties was agreed upon in which it was 

 deemed wise to make loans. County agents represented the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture in each county and, with the assistance of local 

 inspection committees made up of members of county farm bureaus 

 and county councils of defense, inspected the fields and verified the 

 sworn statements of the applicants. 



Loans were made only to farmers who, by reason of two successive 

 crop failures resulting from drouth in the community had exhausted 



