36 THE COUNTY AGENT'S SERVICES 



Smith-Lever Act the federal government leaves it to the 

 states to determine the character of the program to be 

 carried on, so the colleges for the most part are leaving the 

 definite and detailed programs in the counties to the local 

 people in each county to formulate according to their 

 needs, subject of course to college approval before they 

 may expect college participation in carrying out these 

 programs. 



It is clear that the actual teaching program of each 

 county is in the hands of the farmers themselves to deter- 

 mine. What then do farmers expect of the county agent? 



This question is a difficult one to answer, because too 

 little definite evidence is available. From known expressed 

 opinions of farmers, but chiefly from the county programs 

 of work made by farmers themselves, it would appear that 

 they expect leadership in educational affairs and in the 

 organization of the farming industry for greater efficiency 

 in production and distribution of farm products, together 

 with the provision of a county headquarters to function 

 as a clearing house for reliable agricultural facts and in- 

 formation. Farmers do not of course express their needs 

 in just this language, but this is the essential significance 

 of the county programs. The answers to nearly all the 

 questions raised by farmers in these programs is such use- 

 ful and practical education and information so applied as 

 to result in sound and wise action. When correct teach- 

 ing, especially that effectively driven home by a good 

 demonstration which makes the answer clear, is not put 

 into practice by those who see and hear it, then the re- 

 sponsibility is clearly not that of the county agent or of 

 the agencies which support him. 



There is always a group of farmers, as of other classes 

 of people, who think that they do not need more educa- 

 tion. They say truly that they already know more than 



