THE BEGINNINGS OF COUNTY AGENT WORK 173 



added. Poultry clubs were popular. Nutrition clubs are 

 the latest and most progressive addition to the club groups. 

 The same general plans and ideals that governed the boys' 

 club work were applied to the girls ' clubs and with equal 

 success. 



The growth of the work has surprised even its sponsors. 

 A few figures will suggest its extent. In 1918, a war year, 

 there were established in fifteen Southern states 9,026 girls' 

 clubs with a total membership of 286,278. They cultivated 

 77,264 one-tenth acre plots, put up 6,629,590 containers of 

 vegetables; 65,734 containers of fruits; 54,128 cans of 

 meats ; 42,751 containers of pimentoes ; 62,342 cans of relish 

 and chutney and many other similar products. The sew- 

 ing clubs turned out 39,175 caps and aprons, 7,711 dresses 

 and 64,220 miscellaneous articles, such as towels, laundry 

 bags and holders. 



But the great result was the training of so many boys 

 and girls to do useful things, and the encouragement and 

 stimulus to them to go to school and college, which many 

 of them did. 



All of this work with boys and girls in the South was 

 carried on by the county agricultural and home' demonstra- 

 tion agents. So popular and productive was it that in some 

 counties the agents gave over practically all of their time 

 to it. But as this resulted in a neglect of the work with 

 adults, and as its popularity waned somewhat after the 

 war, there is now a tendency toward better balance. A 

 county agricultural agent in the South is not supposed to 

 and probably on an average does not give more than fifty 

 per cent of his time to boys' clubs. Home demonstration 

 agents expend up to sixty per cent of their time and effort 

 with girls' club work. 



