THE EXTENSION SERVICE 171 



are primarily representative and promotional organizations, through 

 which farm people may be represented before legislative assemblies and 

 in conferences with other organized business interests; and by which 

 economic laws affecting the business of farming may be studied, and 

 the development of cooperative and private enterprises which will 

 work for the good of farm people and of all the people, may be pro- 

 moted. 



In this connection, after nearly ten years of service as farm ad- 

 viser in two corn-belt states, during which time I have myself done 

 some buying and selling for Farm Bureau members, it is my firm con- 

 viction that it is a mistake for the Farm Bureau as such to enter into 

 purely merchandising enterprises, where the object is to save money 

 rather than to do the work as a necessary part of a program 

 planned to build up a permanent agriculture. It is a mistake also to 

 use Farm Bureau membership fees as working capital in any buying 

 and selling enterprise; in any purchasing done for the Farm Bureau 

 members, the selling price should be enough above the cost to pay the 

 overhead expense. In other words, the Farm Bureau membership 

 fees should be used to maintain educational and promotional work for 

 the members and not to pay the overhead of business enterprises. 

 Neither should the time of the farm adviser be taken from what I 

 would call the legitimate work of the Extension Service and of the 

 Farm Bureau. 



In considering the future of the Extension Service, three de- 

 veloping conditions may well be brought to your attention. 



POTENTIAL LEADERS ON OUR FARMS 



During the past quarter of a century several forces have been 

 at work which have gradually developed a vast army of potential 

 leaders on the farms of Illinois. Hundreds of graduates of the Col- 

 lege of Agriculture are now on the farms. Six years ago, when Farm 

 Bureau work was begun in Woodford county, there were only two 

 or three men on the farms of the county who were graduates of agri- 

 cultural colleges, whereas now there are ten or a dozen of them. 

 One is president of the Farm Bureau, and one who had two years 

 of college work is president of the county farmers' institute. A home 

 economics graduate is president of the women's division of the 

 farmers' institute. 



The winter short courses have been the means of inspiring other 

 hundreds of men and women to study their work and to fit them- 

 selves to take places of leadership in their communities. The Illinois 



