178 BACKGROUND AND MEANS OF SERVICE 



hand. And where their leadership was good, they won a 

 place of peculiar influence in the homes of the South, negro 

 as well as white. 



IN THE NORTH AND WEST 



Home demonstration work in the Northern and Western 

 states, like agricultural agent work, had a somewhat differ- 

 ent and much later origin. In most of the states it was a 

 direct outgrowth of the agricultural work, and the women 

 agents were appointed in cooperation with the county farm 

 bureaus. Boys' and girls' club work did not occupy as 

 important a place in the work here as it did in the South, 

 special club agents being employed for this purpose. In 

 Illinois home demonstration agents were employed entirely 

 apart from agricultural agents in cooperation with county 

 home bureaus, and in New York with a farm and home 

 bureau association which recognized both agents on an equal 

 basis. Its early history has been recorded by Miss Florence 

 E. Ward of the United States Department of Agriculture. 1 



"The work actually began in Erie County, New York, in 

 August, 1914, when Miss Mills was appointed home demonstra- 

 tion agent on state funds. The second appointment was that of 

 Miss Gertrude M. McCheyne, who began work in Box Elder 

 County, Utah, on May 1, 1915. Other agents appointed on state 

 funds were Miss Minnie Price, who began work in Hampden 

 County, Massachusetts, in July, 1915, and Miss Eva Benefiel, 

 who was appointed in Kankakee County, Illinois, in August of 

 the same year." 



During 1916 eleven appointments were made coopera- 

 tively between the state colleges and the United States De- 

 partment of Agriculture as follows: In New York four, in 

 Massachusetts three, in New Hampshire two, and in Utah 

 and in Arizona one each. In 1917 the number of home 



i Department Circular 141, January, 1921. 



