Revort of Missouri Farmers' Week. 



469 



county is ready to co-operate with them in this enterprise. The 

 demand upon the institution for the appointment of farm advisers 

 is so great that the college does not feel justified in going into any 

 county until the people in that county are satisfied in their own 

 minds that such an official is wanted by the majority of the people. 



The future agricultural greatness of Missouri depends upon 

 the establishment of permanent systems of agriculture in the 

 State. Declining soil fertility and a decreasing rural population, 

 combined with an increased value of land, require a more skillful 

 type of agriculture. No system of agriculture can be permanently 

 prosperous unless it is based upon, a practice which will conserve 

 the fertility of the soil and at the same time be profitable. 



The function of the farm adviser is to help in the redirection 

 and reorganization of Missouri farms for the purpose of improving 

 and conserving the fertility of the soil and for the purpose of mak- 

 ing agriculture more profitable as an occupation. 



5. The co-operation of the college and the government in the 

 plan is conditioned upon legislative appropriation by the State. If 

 the Legislature appropriates funds to the college for this purpose, 

 then the United States government will appropriate a similar 

 amount and this money will be used entirely for developing the 

 agriculture of the county. The college can not make any definite 

 promises. 



THE COUNTY FARM ADVISER PLAN. 



(D. H. Doane.) 



For many years the Missouri College of Agriculture has been 

 investigating and working out the special farm 

 problems of Missouri. During this same period of 

 time the United States Department of Agri- 

 culture has been solving similar problems for 

 the United States as a whole. A vast amount 

 of valuable information has in this way been 

 secured, and this information has been supple- 

 mented by careful studies of the methods used 

 by successful farmers and the reasons for their 

 success. To carry this information to the 

 Prof. Doane. farmers of Missouri and to help to put it into 



actual practice on their farms, is the special function of the farm 



adviser. 



