Report of Missouri Farmers' Week. 467 



good work. Many calls come from members desiring help and 

 numbers of requests from men desiring work. Through the as- 

 sociation these men are brought together. 



The information bureau, through which many questions con- 

 cerning the farm will be answered as thoroughly and quickly as 

 possible, is another source of benefit for the members. 



The Farm Management Association holds its annual meeting 

 at Columbia during Farmers' Week, when plans for the succeeding 

 year and general policies of the association are discussed. 



THE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND THE FARM ADVISER. 



(F. B. Mumford, Dean of the College of Agriculture.) 



The work of the College of Agriculture and the Agricultural 

 Experiment Station has had a profound influence on agricultural 

 practice. New methods of conserving soil fertility, more economi- 

 cal methods of feeding live stock and practical demonstrations of 

 efficient methods of treating fungus and insect diseases have re- 

 sulted from the investigations conducted by the college. 



The college has attempted to carry a knowledge of the results 

 of these investigations to the farmers themselves by bulletins, by 

 lectures at farmers institutes, special trains, branch short courses 

 in agriculture and by other means. The demand upon the institu- 

 tion for this kind of service has become so great that it is impos- 

 sible to supply it without seriously interfering with the primary 

 work of the college and experiment station. 



In order to meet this growing demand, and in order to bring 

 to the farmer quickly the results of investigations which have an 

 important bearing upon agricultural practice, the idea of locating 

 an. agent or representative of the college in a county was conceived. 

 By this means we hope to bring to the farmer on his own farm 

 the benefits of the investigations carried on at the College of Agri- 

 culture and experiment station. 



So important is this work regarded by the Federal govern- 

 ment that Congress has made a special appropriation to carry on 

 this project in co-operation with the agricultural colleges. There 

 is now employed jointly by the United States Department of Agri- 

 culture and the Missouri College of Agriculture, a state leader, who 

 devotes his entire time to co-operating with counties in securing 

 competent farm advisers to work in the various counties of the 

 State. 



