THE EVOLUTION OF THE MOVEMENT 185 



nmlated the state policies affecting county agent work: in- 

 creasing the food supply and agricultural education. 



The first was the idea of the development and conserva- 

 tion of the agricultural resources of the country by increas- 

 ing the area and productivity of the tillable land and hence 

 the Nation's food supply. This idea was also probably at 

 the root of the Chamber of Commerce and railroad interest 

 in the county agent movement. It was and for the most 

 part continues to be the background reason in the minds of 

 city dwellers and consumers as to why the government 

 should interest itself in the farmers ' problems. By increas- 

 ing production, it is vaguely hoped that the cost of food 

 will be reduced. So in the state's legislation the words "de- 

 velopment" and "improvement" frequently occur. Thus 

 in Pennsylvania the counties appropriate "for the purpose 

 of improving and developing the agricultural resources of 

 the county." The New Hampshire law provides for "the 

 development of the farming industry," while Indiana ex- 

 pects "to promote the improvement and advancement of 

 agriculture, ' ' and Illinois ' ' soil and crop improvement. ' ' 



The other dominant idea in the public mind, as indicated 

 in the state legislation and official statements of those in 

 charge of it, was education the extension of the accumu- 

 lated knowledge of the state colleges of agriculture and 

 the experiment stations, so as to make it readily available 

 on the farms. In Missouri, for example, it was thought 

 that "it is the chief function of the farm adviser (county 

 agent) to bring to the attention of Missouri farmers these 

 more profitable systems of farming which have been deter- 

 mined by the most careful and painstaking investigations of 

 the experiment stations. ' ' In Oregon, the useful application 

 of c ' the vast fund of agricultural information ' ' was stated as 

 the first and most important reason for county agent work. 

 The majority of the state laws provided for the employment 



