STATES RELATIONS SERVICE. 343 



100 bushels of corn per acre. Some good records were made in other 

 farm-crop clubs. 



Farm makers' clubs for negro children -were organized during the 

 year in several States. Much work has been done every year in these 

 clubs among negroes, but it was systematized as a separate project 

 in 1916. The average yield of corn made by these clubs throughout 

 the territory was 35.9 bushels. 



Pig clubs, promoted in cooperation with the Animal Husbandry 

 Division of the Bureau of Animal Industry, are very popular. 

 Thousands of pure-bred pigs have been distributed among the boys, 

 with excellent results. The boys' pig clubs have made well-bred 

 pigs common in places in the South, where formerly a well-bred hog 

 was scarcely known. The costs per pound of gain varied from 3.G 

 cents in Georgia to 6 cents in Oklahoma. Reports show that the 

 average profit made by members where grazing crops were used was 

 $22.18, and where grazing crops were not used, $11.25. 



The use of club work as a home project for school work by teachers 

 in public schools increased during the year. In some States credits 

 for graduation are now being given for agricultural-club work. 

 Community clubs are being organized throughout the territory under 

 local leadership. Approximately 2,500 of these clubs were organized 

 during the year. Short practical courses in agriculture for club 

 members have been provided in nearly all the States. The boys 

 attending these courses are usually prize winners and have their 

 expenses paid while attending the camps or schools. Many boys have 

 been inspired by the work to continue their studies in the agri- 

 cultural colleges. There are a number of county agents who received 

 their first training in agriculture in these clubs. 



SPECIALISTS. 



In addition to the county agents a considerable force of specialists 

 in different branches of agriculture and home economics from State 

 agricultural colleges and department bureaus are engaged in exten- 

 sion work. 



The importance of these specialists in the accepted plan of co- 

 operative agricultural extension work under the Smith-Lever Act is 

 being appreciated more and more as the work grows and develops. 

 As a larger number of people avail themselves of the services of the 

 county agents to help solve difficult farm problems the county agents 

 depend more on the specialists for expert advice and assistance. 

 The specialists assist the county agents in farmers' meetings, county 

 short courses, special campaigns, etc., and especially with difficult 

 problems that call for special scientific laiowledge. Each specialist 

 plans, in cooperation with the county agents, to carry on a number 

 of demonstrations to bring about the adoption of farm practices 

 that the experiment stations and other reliable sources of information 

 have proved to be the best. These demonstrations are made a definite 

 part of the county agents' work. In most of the Southern States the 

 itineraries of the specialists and the county agents are arranged to 

 the best advantage of both. The county agents usually arrange the 

 preliminaries for meetings and demonstrations at which the specialist 

 presents the problem requiring his special technical knowledge. 



