18 Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. [10 Jan., 1919. 



bushels of oats, 70,000,000 bushels of maize, and 25,000,000 bushels of 

 barley. 



Extension Work. 



The most significant feature in agricultural education in the United 

 States during recent years is the development of the co-operative exten- 

 sion or publicity service in each State of the Union. 



The object of the extension work is to disseminate as widely as 

 possible the mass of information which has been accumulated as a 

 result of the investigations of the experiment stations and agricultural 

 colleges. 



Since the experiment stations were founded, there has been gained 

 by patient investigation sufficient exact and detailed knowledge of soils, 

 crops, and farm animals to enable the total wealth from agricultural 

 production to be greatly augmented if the information could be widely 

 disseminated and brought home to the last farm and the last farmer. 



There are many farmers who regularly secure double and treble 

 the yields of their neighbours. A wire fence frequently divides the 

 grower of a 30-40 bushel crop from the grower of a 10-15 bushel crop. 

 To encourage the many to do what the few are doing is the objective 

 of the extension or publicity work. 



The principal forms of extension work are (1) the County Agent 

 Scheme, (2) Home Demonstration Agents, (3) Boys and Girls' Clubs. 



The experience of the last fourteen years has demonstrated fully 

 the value of the county agent as a means of bringing to the people on 

 the farms the results of experience and scientific investigation. Nearly 

 every one of the 3,000' counties of the United States has a county 

 agent — a trained agriculturist located in the district — who works in 

 co-operation with local organizations to advance the agricultural 

 interests and improve agricultural practice in the county. 



Conclusion. 



"We have much to learn from America. It is a country of great 

 natural resources — and a country in which the Government and the 

 people have shown wise and energetic activity in developing those 

 resources. 



Three great contributing causes for this development stand out in 

 bold relief. They are: — 



(1) The resources of a country can only be fully exploited by a 

 large and increasing population. The American Government has, there- 

 fore, encouraged immigration in every possible way. This immigra- 

 tion has not lowered the standard of living or reduced wages, because 

 as fast as new immigrants arrived they were absorbed by the rapidly 

 growing primary and secondary industries, which have been fostered 

 in every Avay possible, even by the imposition of a high tariff, until 

 the industries were able to meet foreign competition. 



(2) The productive capacity of the workmen has been increased in 

 every possible way, but especially by the adoption of labour-saving 

 machinery and the development of cheap power. Thus the output per 

 workman has been greatly increased. This applies both to agriculture 

 and industry. The output of produce per capita is greater than that 

 of any other nation. 



If we look around the world we invariably find that where production 

 per man is greatest, there, too, are the richest merchants and the richest 



