STATES RELATIONS SERVICE. 337 



some way to meeting its needs. The chief burden has necessarily 

 fallen on the two extension offices. The Office of Experiment Stations 

 has promoted extension work in Alaska, Hawaii, Porto Kico, and 

 Guam, which had regular appropriations available for this purpose. 

 The office has also encouraged the stations in the States to adapt their 

 work to the emergency conditions, which they have done in large 

 measure, not only supplying the needed information but taking an 

 active part in the various elforts for stimulating production, avoid- 

 ance of unnecessary loss, and making the farmers' efforts more ef- 

 fective. 



The Office of Home Economics made special studies of war foods and 

 diets and prepared numerous publications which were widely used 

 in connection with the extension work, as well as through general 

 distribution by the department and the Food Administration. 



The Office of the Director dealt with a large number of adminis- 

 trative problems growing out of relationships, projects, and expendi- 

 tures under the regular and emergency extension acts and a vast 

 amount of details connected with the appointment of thousands of 

 new employees, authorizations for their work, and settlement of their 

 accounts. 



The broad range of the extension work, especially under war con- 

 ditions, has brought the service into more or less definite relation- 

 ships, not only with the department bureaus, the State agricultural 

 colleges, and the county organizations with which they ordinarily 

 deal, but also with the Federal Board for Vocational Education, the 

 Bureau of Education, State boards and departments of agriculture 

 and education, the Food Administration, the Council of National 

 Defense, and other National and State organizations dealing with wai' 

 problems. The extension forces and the organizations supporting 

 their work deal in some way with practically all the problems of 

 agriculture and country life. Increasing attention has therefore to 

 be given to the formation of helpful and harmonious relationships 

 with other organizations operating to any extent in the same field. 



Considering all the circumstances a remarkable task has been ac- 

 complished. On July 1, 1918, at least 2,435 counties had the services 

 of an agricultural agent and 1,715 counties had a home-demonstra- 

 tion agent. There were also home-demonstration agents in about 

 200 of the larger cities. About 2,000,000 boys and girls were con- 

 nected with the agricultural and home economics clubs. 



Much remains to be done to perfect this organization and make it 

 in all the counties a permanent factor in the development of the com- 

 munity. A broad foundation has been laid. The American farmer 

 and his family are now in close personal touch with a large corps of 

 well-trained men and women so linked with Federal and State insti- 

 tutions for the promotion of agriculture that the farming people 

 can readily avail themselves of the results of scientific research and 

 practical experience the world over to aid them in their work on the 

 farm and their life in the home. Fully two-thirds of this extension 

 organization has been developed during the past year. 



Through the home-demonstration agents, boys' and girls' clubs, 

 and gardening specialists very many city people now have expert 

 advice and assistance in food production and conservation. They 

 are also getting a better understanding of the problems involved in 



