STATES RELATIONS SERVICE. 353 



keep simple farm accounts, while 1,759 farmers had kept such records 

 for one year or more. 



Nearly every farmer who cooperated in keeping accounts used to 

 some extent the information contained in his records. Illustrations 

 of what was done are numerous and varied. 



The plans for imi)rovement were made by each farmer as a result 

 of studying a record of his farm business and comparing his figures 

 with averages of several near-by farms. 



It has been of benefit to county agents to conduct farm-management 

 demonstrations, because this work has impressed upon them the neces- 

 sity of thinking at all times of the entire farm as the business unit 

 with which the farmer is dealing. 



EXTENSION WORK WITH FARM WOMEN. 



The section of extension work with farm women was created near 

 the close of the fiscal year 1915-10 Avith Miss Florence E. Ward in 

 charge. Two well-defined types of women's work are cooperatively 

 maintained by State, Smith-Lever, and department funds, (1) State- 

 wide home-economics extension work and (2) home-demonstration 

 agent work. 



State-wide w^ork. — The number of women employed in State-wide 

 work, primarily with Smith-Lever funds, increased 30 per cent dur- 

 ing the year. The special demand made by home makers awakened 

 to their responsibility in matters of household thrift in connection 

 with the war crisis has given this work additional impetus in every 

 State. Home-economics specialists putting aside their usual varied 

 program have inaugurated effective campaigns along food lines, such 

 as increased food production, preservation of food, prevention of waste, 

 use of perishables and local food products, conservation of special 

 foods. Instruction has been given by means of extension schools, 

 single lectures and demonstrations, exhibits, personal visits, and con- 

 ferences. The number of full-time workers in the field has increased 

 from 88, June 30, 1916, to 132, June 30, 1917. 



The number of w^omen organized in groups or clubs for the purpose 

 of making the w^ork of permanent value increased one-third during 

 the year. This work is gaining steadily in efficiency from the stand- 

 points of subject matter taught, methods employed, equipment and 

 illustrative material used, standards instituted, and " follow-up " 

 instructions given. 



HoME-DEMONSTRATioN AGENTS. — The home-demonstratiou agent 

 work carried on by trained home-economics leaders and organizes 

 who are permanently resident in a county or district was started 

 practically at the close of the fiscal year 1915-16, but two such 

 agents being employed cooperatively on the all-year basis at that 

 time. During the year 1916-17, 15 workers have been added, as 

 follows: New Haven County, Conn.; Blackhawk County, Iowa; 

 Franklin, Hampden, Norfolk, Barnstable, and Worcester Counties, 

 Mass.; Seward County, Nebr. ; Cheshire and Sullivan Counties, 

 N. H.; Monmouth County, N. J.; Otsego, Jefferson, and Cortland 

 Counties, N. Y. ; and Millard County, Utah. 



Although this work is in its infancy in the Northern and Western 

 States, reports from the field already indicate something of its value 

 as a means of increasing the efficiency, the economic prosperity, and 

 83382°— AGE 1917 ^23 



