358 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGEICULTUKE. 



NEGRO WORK. 



There were on June 30, 1918, 142 negro men agents, 83 of whom 

 were employed on emergency funds, and 194 negro women agents, 

 163 of whom were employed on emergency funds. The negro 

 agent as a rule is appointed assistant to the white county agent. 

 Under this plan the regular county agent has general supervision of 

 the work. 



CooiDerative relations have been perfected in most of the States be- 

 tween the negro agricultural college and the extension division. The 

 leader in charge of the negro agent work has his headquarters at the 

 negro agricultural college. Negro agents have been very effective in 

 the past year in stimulating the growing of more food crops, giving 

 special attention to the home garden, and to canning and drying of 

 fruits and vegetables for home use. They have also materially as- 

 sisted in helping in the labor problem by urging the negroes on the 

 farms to work six days in the v^^eek. 



OFFICE OF EXTENSION WORK IN THE NORTH AND WEST. 



C. B. Smith, Chief. 

 L. A. Clinton, Assistant Chief. 



ADMINISTRATION. 



The Office of Extension Work in the North and West is charged 

 with general administrative duties, as follows: 



(1) The formulation of plans, the supervision of work, and the expenditure 

 of funds under direct appropriation of Congress to the office for " farmers' 

 cooperative demonstrations outside the cotton belt." 



(2) The consideration of plans for cooperative extension work in agriculture 

 and home economics as submitted by the 33 States of tlie North and West, and 

 the administration of the provisions of the cooperative extension act of 1914 as 

 they apply to these States. 



(3) The consideration of plans for extension work by the various bureaus 

 of the department having funds for this work, and the correlation and adjust- 

 ment of these plans in so far as practicable with those submitted by the States. 



(4) The administration of special war emergency funds provided by act of 

 Congress for increasing fqod production and aliminating waste, and promoting 

 conservation of food in the Northern and WeJfetern States. 



In all the department's extension activities in the States, the terms 

 of the memorandum of understanding entered into between the de- 

 partment and the State colleges of agriculture have been closely ob- 

 served. This memorandum provides that the extension work of the 

 department in each State shall be in cooperation with the State agri- 

 cultural college, and performed under the immediate supervision of 

 the director of the State extension service, who assumes responsi- 

 bility for the direction of the department's work in the State as well 

 as for that of the State workers, thus making it in effect one piece 

 of work. 



The problems of administration during the year were greatly in- 

 creased through the stimulation of activities of various organizations 

 for war work, and because of the many new problems arising for 

 solution. Through frequent conferences in the States, and in Wash- 

 ington, the needs of the States have been made known, and plans 

 agreed upon for meeting these needs. Through the stimulation of 

 the county-agent work, the work of home-demonstration agents, and 



