12 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



tical demonstrations of the best methods of increasing agricultural 

 production and securing the most economical utilization of the prod- 

 ucts of the farm. With remarkable promptness and unanimity, 

 these agencies addressed themselves to the important problems of 

 increasing and conserving the food supply and cordially furthered 

 the Department's efforts in this direction. Fortunately, as the result 

 of the investigations and experiments of the Department and of the 

 State experiment stations, extending over manj^ years, there was 

 already available a large accumulation of scientific information ready 

 to be put into practical use. 



To supplement the work of the county agents, special pains were 

 taken further to enlist the services of the specialists of the De- 

 partment and of the land-grant colleges. They serve as the con- 

 necting link between the research workers and the Extension Divi- 

 sions of the several States. The efforts of each specialist were 

 directed immediately toward methods of food production and con- 

 servation. For example, the crop specialist centered his efforts on 

 questions of soil improvement and profitable rotations for food and 

 feed production, the horticultural specialist sought especially to 

 increase the planting and yield of vegetables, and the animal- 

 husbandry specialist assisted in the formation of pig clubs, baby-beef 

 clubs, and poultry clubs, and in disseminating information concern- 

 ing egg and poultry production. 



EXTENSIOIV WORK EXPANDED. 



An appropriation of $4,348,400 was made by the Food Production 

 Act for the further development of the Extension Service. By the 

 end of October more than 1,600 emergency demonstration agents, 

 men and women, had been appointed, making a total of approxi- 

 mately 5,000 cooperative extension workers, including the specialists 

 performing extension work, employed through both State and Fed- 

 eral regular and emergency funds. This number will be further 

 increased as soon as men and women with the requisite training 

 and experience can be secured. Nearly 750 additional counties are 

 cooperating with the Department under the Food Production Act in 

 employing county agents. The total number of men in the service 

 now acting as county agents is about 2,000, and many district agents 

 have been designated to supervise their activities. About 1,300 State, 

 district, county, and urban women home-demonstration agents are 



