STATES RELATIONS SERVICE. 345 



g^reatly increased the planting of velvet beans. The increase in these 

 States alone is estimated at 1,500,000 to 3,000,000 acres. Peanut 

 acreage is estimated to have been increased from 1,245,000 in 1916 to 

 2,000,000 in 1917. 



Besides this, special campaigns with reference to animal-industry 

 work were carried on through cooperation of State and Federal spe- 

 cialists with the county agents. • 



Live Stock. — Special efforts were made by extension workers in all 

 the Southern States to encourage the production of more and better 

 live stock. The county agents and State and Federal animal-industry 

 specialists, assisted by bankers and other business men, did every- 

 thing possible to aid farmers to obtain breeding stock of all kinds 

 and assisted with plans to produce the necessary feed crops and pas- 

 tures for their profitable maintenance. 



Dairy Work. — Extension workers made special efforts to increase 

 the production of dairy products. Cow-testing associations and 

 bull associations were organized; farmers were assisted in obtaining 

 pure-bred dairy cattle and instructed in the most profitable methods 

 of producing -milk, cream, butter, and in some localities cheese; silo 

 construction was encouraged as a means of preserving feed for dairy 

 cattle; 



Hog Cholera. — The county agents, cooperating with the State and 

 Federal hog-cholera specialists, were very successful in reducing 

 losses usually suffered from hog cholera. Statistics of the number of 

 hogs treated and the amount of sanitary control work done are not 

 available at this time, but it is evident that the disease was kept 

 under control better than heretofore and the losses greatly reduced 

 by reason of the active campaign for hog-cholera eradication. 



Tick Eradication. — Extension workers assisted actively in the 

 campaign of education for the eradication of the cattle tick. Special 

 progress was made in the States of Mississippi and Arkansas, laws 

 being passed requiring the people to kill the ticks. 



OFFICE OF EXTENSION WORK IN THE NORTH AND WEST. 



C. B. Smith, Chief. 

 . L. A. Clinton, Assistant Chief. 



The general administrative work of the Office of Extension Work 

 in the North and West has been continued essentially as outlined in 

 the report for 1916. Cooperative relations have continued with all 

 the 3.3 States of the North and West, the work of the office being 

 organized as follows: 



1. Cooperative relationships and projects. 



2. County agricultural agents. 



3. Boys' and girls' club work. 



4. Farm-management demonstrations. 



5. Extension work with farm women. 



6. Extension specialists. 



The office is charged with the administration of the provisions of 

 the cooperative extension act of 1914, in so far as they apply to the 

 33 Northern and Western States, including the preparation of re- 



