298 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



The splendid news that Iowa has g-one "over the top" in the matter of 

 county agent, and has attained a stage of "100 per cent efficiency" in 

 this important respect, was announced to those who visited the booth of 

 the Iowa Farm Bureaus in Agricultural Hall. Iowa has 99 counties; there 

 are today 100 county agents. The fact that Woodbury county (one of the 

 largest in the state) has been divided into two sections, each one of which 

 has an agent, explains why the state has one more agent than there are 

 counties. The work of getting the state "over the top" was accomplished 

 within the last year; within the last few months, in fact. On July 1, 1912, 

 just six years ago, only one county in Iowa had an agricultural agent. 

 That was Clinton county, the pioneer in this good work. A year later the 

 numiber of counties with agents had increased to eight. On July 1, 1914, 

 there were ten counties with farm agents at work. A year later the num- 

 ber had increased to eleven. On July 1, 1916, there were twenty counties 

 with agricultural agents, while the same time next year found the number 

 increased to tw'enty-nine. That was just a year ago; yet in the twelve 

 months intervening, the number has increased from 29 to 100 and every 

 county in the state now has a farm agent, with a very noticeable effect in 

 the increasing of crops and the improvement of farm life conditions gener- 

 ally. The further information was given out at this booth at the fair 

 that there are 992 officers and directors of the 100 farm bureaus in the 

 state, with 33,187 members enrolled, the annual membership fees being 

 $149,140, and the annual budget being $387,340. The amount of govern- 

 ment aid given the various bureaus in this work now approximates $180,300, 

 while the county aid amounts to $57,900. There are 12,400 farm bureau 

 co-operators. The 100 county agents are assisted by two club leaders and 

 41 home demonstration agents. Iowa has the great credit of being the 

 first state west of the Allegheny mountains to have an agricultural agent 

 for every county. It is likewise the first of all the big agricultural states, 

 regardless of location, to go over the top, with every county represented 

 in the work. These and other interesting facts were given to all who 

 visited the- farm bureau booth or attended the county agent conference at 

 the Iowa State Fair this week. 



The building of the Iowa State College always repays an extended visit. 

 There is always some striking exhibit or novelty w^hich rivets attention 

 to the work of the college. This year it was to be found in the stairway 

 display which confronted the visitor as he entered the main door. It was 

 the "stairway to victory and prosperity by man-power efficiency, with the 

 proper farm organization and management." Such efficiency in labor, or- 

 ganization, and management, accomplishes wonderful results, according to 

 the data which was placarded on the stairway, which led from poverty up 

 to prosperity, via an Iowa farm. Three years ago the state college made 

 a comprehensive survey of all the farms in twelve townships in the state. 

 The average for all of the 832 farms was secured; likewise the average 

 for the 109 farms which proved to be the best of the 832 in the survey. 

 Comparisons are sometimes odious, never more so than when a farmer sees 

 how he is losing money as compared with his neighbor, when he might 

 easily do fully as well, if only he would apply a little brains with his 

 brawn. The Ames statistics of the 109 best farms in the survey and the 

 average of all the 832 farms showed the farmer wherein his foot had slip- 

 ped on one or another of the steps in the stairway to victory and pros- 

 perity. For instance, the number of acres per farm on the best farms in 

 the survey was 213; the average number for all in the survey was only 

 156. The number of pounds of live stock per man on the average of all 

 the farms was 123,000; on the 109 best farms it was 172,000. The acres of 

 crops per $100 worth of machinery were 23 on the average farm; 24 on 

 the best farms. The acres of crops per horse were 17 on the average farm; 

 21 on the best. The acres of crops per man were C3 on the farms as they 

 ran; 76 was the average for the 109 farms which proved to be the best. 

 The farms, as they came, good and poor, produced 1,001 bushels of corn 

 per man; on the 109 farms which were the pick of the lot, 1,378 bushels 



