136 THE COUNTY AGENT'S SERVICES 



ful county agent because of his broad experience and dem- 

 onstrated ability is immediately in great demand by 

 commercial or cooperative concerns dealing in farm sup- 

 plies and commodities or in more advanced positions in the 

 extension service and in related fields able to pay larger 

 salaries. In other words, county agents' work is a great 

 training ground for young men for the general agricultural 

 field and is often a stepping stone to other and still more 

 lucrative and satisfying fields of service. 



DISADVANTAGES 



Aside from its disadvantages the county agent's job is 

 far from an easy one. It means lots of hard work and 

 long hours. Hard work is not in itself a disadvantage, 

 but there is a limit to the endurance of all men. When to 

 hard work, which any healthy virile young person should 

 welcome, is added the element of long hours, many of them 

 at night, with duties of an exacting character, even an 

 ambitious high-idealed youth wearies of it sooner or later. 

 The facts show that he does. 



If it is a great advantage to have the acquaintance, con- 

 fidence and support of large numbers of farmers in the 

 county, it is equally a disadvantage to have to be at their 

 constant call when information or other help is wanted. 

 Contact with all these individuals must be maintained in 

 some form in order to keep the opportunity for service 

 open and to carry forward the work. This is one of the 

 penalties of all such public service and one which wears 

 on most men in time. To some, of course it is less irk- 

 some than to others; but of all it exacts much time and 

 energy. 



To be constantly on the alert to do things that need to 

 be done, to get them done, and in so doing not to offend 



