312 THE LURE OF THE LAND 



The last contribution of the national government to 

 agricultural education has been made under an Act of 

 Congress approved May 8, 1914, granting ten thousand 

 dollars a year to each State to promote agricultural ex- 

 tension work. According to Section 2 of this act the 

 character of the work to be done is defined as follows: 



That cooperative agricultural extension work shall consist 

 of the giving of instruction and practical demonstration in 

 agriculture and home economics to persons not attending or 

 resident in said colleges in the several communities, and im- 

 parting to such persons information on said subjects through 

 field demonstrations, publications, and otherwise; and this 

 work shall be carried on in such manner as may be mutually 

 agreed upon by the Secretary of Agriculture and the State 

 Agricultural College or colleges receiving the benefits of this 

 Act. 



The appropriation of $480,000 is made to carry the 

 provisions of this Act into execution. This sum is to 

 be increased, year by year, according to the following 

 provisions: $600,000 for the second year, and for 

 each following year a sum exceeding by $500,000 the 

 sum appropriated for each preceding year, and for each 

 year thereafter there is permanently appropriated for 

 each year the sum of $4,100,000 in addition to the sum 

 of $480,000 hereinbefore provided. This makes the 

 enormous sum of $4,580,000 which will be appropri- 

 ated permanently from the Treasury of the United 

 States for the promotion of practical demonstrations 

 of agricultural processes. To this must be added the 

 $4,100,000 which States must contribute, making the 

 total sum annually available $8,600,000 ! 



DANGER OF OVER ENDOWMENT. 



I am of the opinion that agriculture is being too 

 generously endowed in this country. Overfeeding is 



