THE EVOLUTION OF THE MOVEMENT 191 



agricultural statistics and records could be kept available 

 or made most useful to the people of the county, or where 

 information and advice as to what the best practices and 

 methods, could be locally at hand. These needs and others 

 the county farm bureau office and the county agent have 

 met. Now farmers wonder how they got along without such 

 a headquarters previously. 



SUMMARY 



The ideals of a movement, the scope and possibilities of 

 which could not be entirely foreseen, have by processes of 

 evolution and as a result of new perspectives, now come to 

 a more or less common ground. Old viewpoints have given 

 way to new and more competent ones. While there would 

 undoubtedly be disagreement as to the relative importance 

 of the various ideals, according to local conditions and 

 points of view, there has come to be more general accord 

 as to the ideals which should properly govern the func- 

 tions of a county agent. These may now be summed up 

 in the order of the degree in which it seems that they prob- 

 ably vitally affect the farmers' and the nation's welfare. 



( 1 ) Rural leadership in its broad sense, including the dis- 

 covery, stimulation and training of farmer leadership help 

 to help himself. 



(2) The teaching, chiefly by demonstration, of sound and 

 improved farm and market practices and methods to the 

 end of greater farm efficiency. 



(3) The organization and federation of the local agricul- 

 tural forces to the common purpose of more efficient pro- 

 duction, marketing and distribution. 



(4) The establishment and maintenance of a useful 

 county headquarters for agricultural affairs. 



(5) The giving of advice to individual farmers on their 

 farm practice, farm management and marketing problems. 



