THE BEGINNINGS OF COUNTY AGENT WORK 155 



the state agents. These local agents were preferably and 

 usually local farmers "in good repute with the people" 

 who had been practically successful with the control meth- 

 ods advocated by the Department, and who had local knowl- 

 edge of the problems and the methods of the people with 

 whom they worked. They traveled from farm to farm 

 and gave personal instruction to farmers who by actual 

 demonstrations showed that cotton could be profitably 

 grown in spite of the weevil. 



The farmers on these supervised farms were known as 

 " demonstrators. " In addition to these the local agents 

 secured the cooperation of other cotton growers in the 

 neighborhood who under their general suggestions also 

 practiced control measures. These latter were known as 

 "cooperators." The difference between the "demon- 

 strator" and the "cob'perator" was that the latter was not 

 personally visited on his farm, although he was invited to 

 visit his neighboring demonstrator to receive the same per- 

 sonal instruction from the demonstrator. Both received 

 the same instructions and made the same reports. 



In spite of the handicap of negro and "poor white" 

 tenantry, these local demonstration methods were so suc- 

 cessfully used that by 1906 a reasonable control of the boll 

 weevil had been obtained in the limited areas worked in. 

 Then there began to be demands for the application of the 

 plan in other areas and in other states, and it was soon 

 extended to parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Ala- 

 bama and Tennessee, everywhere with a considerable degree 

 of success. 



Not only was application of the method extended to new 

 areas, but it was applied to new crops and to new practices. 

 New crops, particularly corn and legumes, were introduced 

 and their growth and culture demonstrated. Crop rota- 

 tions, humus, its value, and how to get it and keep it, 



