170 BACKGROUND AND MEANS OF SERVICE 



mation on agriculture and home economics and to encourage 

 the application of the same. ' ' This is accomplished by the 

 appropriation of considerable sums of money to be dupli- 

 cated by the states, and expended and administered 

 through the state agricultural colleges. Although not spe- 

 cifically so stated and wisely as it has turned out it was 

 undoubtedly the intent of Congress that the greater part of 

 this money would be used in the support and maintenance 

 of county agents. This act, with the accompanying state 

 legislation, made permanent the county agent plan and sys- 

 tem and guaranteed its future, as far as. government, can 

 accomplish this (see Chapter X). 



FARMERS TAKE A HAND 



Up to this point, as has already been pointed out, the 

 county agent system was an overhead outside agency chiefly 

 promoted by urban and government interests. This fact 

 was recognized by many state leaders and organizers of the 

 work, who also realized that the movement could not be per- 

 manently successful nor reach its maximum of usefulness, 

 unless farmers had a larger share in its management and at 

 least partial responsibility for it. No sooner was a realiza- 

 tion of this fact borne home upon those in charge in the 

 states than steps were taken to correct it. 



In New York, 1 in Illinois and in Iowa, as early as the 

 summer of 1913, the organization of county associations of 

 farmers, variously known as county Farm Improvement, 

 Soil Improvement, Better Farming and Farm Bureau Asso- 

 ciations, was begun on a paid membership basis. In the 

 beginning practically the sole object of these associations 

 was to cooperate with the public agencies in the support 



1 The Broome County Farm Improvement Association was organ- 

 ized on Oct. 10, 1913; the Chemun^ County Farm Bureau^ Association 

 on Aug.. 29, 1913, 



