310 ANNUAL REPORTS OP DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTL'RE. 



FARMERS' COOPERATIVE DEMONSTRATION WORK, 



Tlie cooperative demonstration work amon^ farmers in tiie South 

 has been conducted durinj:: the past fiscal year witli increased effective- 

 ness and greatly extended inlluence. Until April 1, 1911, this work 

 was under the supervision of the late Dr. Seaman A. Knapp, and 

 since that date has been in charge of Mr. Bradford Knapp. 



During the year the benefit of this work has been extended to many 

 counties in the various Southern States, and the number of field 

 agents has increased from 437 at the close of the fiscal year 1910 to 

 581 in 1911. Of these agents, 553 are State, district, and local agents 

 in demonstration work an/ong the adult farmers; 9 are specially 

 engaged in the boys' and girls' demonstration work; and 19 are col- 

 laborating in certain work connected Avith the institution of girls' 

 demonstration work to foster the home production of supplies. 



During the present season 89,7G4 men, 55,075 boys, and 3,153 girls 

 are receiving direct instructions from this ofTice. This is an increase 

 of 24,764 men and 13,000 boys over the number enrolled for instruc- 

 tion during 1910. The work among the girls for the production of 

 home supplies was begun during the past fiscal 3'ear, and will be 

 extended in the fall of 1911. Indirectly the work has reached many 

 more farmers and many more boys than are indicated by the figures 

 presented. 



Results of the work. — It is found practically impossible to ob- 

 tain accurate reports fi'om all farmers instructed. Many reports 

 are mere estimates and must be discarded in giving accurate figures. 

 Carefully compiled reports were received from adult demonstrators 

 showing the results obtained in 10,576 cotton demonstrations, with 

 a total acreage of 83,599 acres, and from 11,144 corn demonstrations, 

 with a total acreage of 66,601 acres. It must be remembered also 

 that this acreage is simply that which was measured and the crop care- 

 fully weighed. The influence of the work extended to a great many 

 more acres than those mentioned. Of the cotton farms mentioned 

 6,117, comprising 68,297 acres, were in States wholly or in part 

 infested with the boll weevil. A great number of additional reports 

 were received from cooperators where the crops were not weighed 

 or measured with sufficient accuracy to make the results of use in a 

 statistical statement. Everywhere largely increased yields of corn 

 and cotton were obtained by those who followed the methods advo- 

 cated by the department in comparison with those who used ordi- 

 nar}^ methods. A careful computation shows that the average yield 

 of cotton on demonstration farms was a little more than 85 per cent 

 greater than the average yield of cotton of the whole States, as shown 

 by the figures of the Bureau of Statistics. Even this does not rep- 

 resent the full benefit of the work, because the cotton raised under 

 demonstration methods always shows a better percentage of lint than 

 that grown by ordinary methods. The average yield of corn on the 

 demonstration farms showed an increase of more than 93 per cent 

 over the average production under ordinary methods. 



The most noteworthy feature of the demonstration work in boll- 

 weevil territory during the past fiscal year has been the pronounced 

 success of a large number of demonstrators in raising cotton. The 

 department's method of producing cotton under boll- weevil conditions 



