24 CIRCULAR NO. 117, BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY. 



Southern States, 62 of them also took farm papers and received agri- 

 cultural bulletins. Of this latter number, 32 favored farm papers, 

 15 favored demonstration agents, and 7 favored the agricultural 

 bulletins; 1 decided in favor of agricultural books, while 7 said 

 that none of the agencies was of any assistance. This again brings 

 out the popularity of the agricultural press. 



VALUE OF RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS AS A SOURCE OF INFOR- 

 MATION. 



Two hundred and fifty-five farmers, or 6.9 per cent of those visited, 

 had written for advice either to one of the experiment stations or to 

 the Department of Agriculture. Practically 90 per cent of those 

 writing expressed themselves as well pleased with the treatment 

 received and the results obtained from the advice given. 



EDUCATION AS RELATED TO THE USE MADE OF BULLETINS. 



In connection with these statistics it was desired to see what 

 influence, if any, education has upon the use of agricultural bulletins 

 and the number of those who reported no help from any agency. 

 Tabulation of the data collected shows that of the 3,258 farmers who 

 had attended only the common school or no school at all, 1,316, or 

 40 per cent, received bulletins, of which number 590, or practically 

 45 per cent, practiced something read therein. Of the 440 possessing 

 higher education, 287, or 65.2 per cent, received the bulletins, and 64 

 per cent practiced matters contained therein. Of the farmers having 

 a common-school education, 1,531, or practically 46 per cent, reported 

 no help from any agency, while of those having preparatory or 

 college education only 85, or 19.4 per cent, reported no benefit from 

 such sources. 



ARE THE RESULTS OF THE SURVEY REPRESENTATIVE ? 



The results secured in this survey may or may not be typical of 

 conditions as they exist over the country generally. Only about 

 3,700 farmers were interviewed out of a possible 6,000,000. In so 

 far, however, as the bulletins, agricultural papers, books, and agri- 

 cultural societies are concerned, parallel data were secured in all 

 four sections of the country, and the conclusions drawn from any one 

 section would be practically identical with any other one. In the 

 three sections of the country where it is fair to compare the data with 

 reference to farmers' institutes, conclusions could be drawn from any 

 one that would apply to either of the others. Many more data are 

 necessary in order to justify any conclusions with reference to dem- 

 onstration agents. 



[Cir. 117] 



