78 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



monioiis and cordial relations between the offices concerned, and is 

 believed to be a happy solution of a very important problem in the 

 department's extension work. 



PIG CLTJBS. 



During the year 13 specialists in as many States supervised the 

 work of 21,673 members of boys' and girls' pig clubs, which is an 

 increase of 96 per cent over the membership of preceding years. 

 This work was carried on in the States of Alabama, Arkansas, Cali- 

 fornia, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Ne- 

 braska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Texas. The number 

 of members reporting showed an increase of 148 per cent. The pres- 

 ent membership is nearly 30,000. Records on over 6,000 pigs show an 

 average daily gain in weight of 1.044 pounds at a cost of 5.12 cents 

 a pound. The members average 13.7 years of age. Seventy per cent 

 of the members have pure-bred pigs, and 69 per cent are using pasture 

 or grazing crops. A shortage in the supply of available pigs is a 

 limiting factor in nearly every State. 



Financial aid by bankers plays an important part in the success of 

 this work. Last year bankers in Arkansas, for instance, furnished 

 pure-bred pigs (most of them gilts) to 1,800 of the 2,100 pig club 

 members on 6 per cent interest-bearing notes. The notes run from 

 12 to 15 months, so that members may pay for the original gilt from 

 her produce. 



The pig clubs are influencing meat production, as is indicated by 

 the plans in several States to have clubs in various counties send a 

 carload of fat hogs each to the State fair or fat-stock show to com- 

 pete for prizes, then to be marketed cooperatively. Good attention is 

 given to breeding, as is shown by a boy winning first in a class at 

 the National Swine Show and selling his winning gilt for $250. 



BEEF CATTLE EXTENSION WORK. 



Field agents in the beef cattle extension work gave specific advice 

 to 5,300 farmers and addressed 539 meetings, with an attendance of 

 58,786 people. They were instrumental in bringing in and placing 

 with farmers 2,991 breeding cattle, besides 960 hogs and a number of 

 mares for breeding purposes, and also brought in 1,432 feeder cattle. 



Fifty-eight baby-beef demonstrations, including 1,109 animals, 

 and 150 steer-feeding demonstrations, using 5,517 head, were super- 

 vised. Direct assistance was rendered in building 58 silos. Forty-two 

 pasture demonstrations for cattle and over 1,000 for hogs were made. 

 Twenty-five additional live-stock organizations were formed. At a 

 meeting of one of these associations, at Amarillo, Tex., 36,000 head 

 of cattle were sold. 



POULTRY INVESTIGATIONS. 



FARM POULTRY INVESTIGATIONS. 



The poultry-breeding ex]ieriments at the Beltsville farm have been 

 continued along the following lines : 



About 600 pullets, as well as hens 2, 3, and 4 years old, have been 

 trap-nested, and about 60 matings made to continue the study and to 



