282 THE AGRICULTURAL PRESS 



nation, and each paper reflected the fineness of mind and the clean, 

 wholesome constructive personality of its founder. 



The Specialized Farm Paper. The differentiation of the farm 

 press, as mentioned above, has been carried to a very high degree. 

 No sooner does a specialized farming interest develop, apparently, 

 than a paper is organized to meet that need. As an example of 

 this fact the case of the Lake Erie grape belt may be mentioned. 

 Grape culture was instituted here and finally spread to an area 

 some three miles wide and sixty or seventy miles long. At once 

 there was established the paper to fit this industry, "The Grape 

 Belt" by name, and it continues to reflect faithfully conditions 

 in that small district. Thus the farmer interested in pigeons, 

 bees, any breed of poultry or live stock, any kind of tame hay or 

 field crop, any kind of fruit or berry, or any social aspect of rural 

 life, will be able to find a paper to suit his needs. 



The Country Weeklies. The country weekly newspaper, up 

 to recent date, has taken its color and ideals largely from the city 

 press. It has aimed to furnish the farmer primarily and frankly 

 a political newspaper, with all the advantages and limitations of 

 that aim. In other words, it considered the farmer as first, last 

 and all the time a voter and a partisan. His class interest as a 

 farmer was not recognized, in most cases. However, in late years, 

 due chiefly to the county agricultural agent movement, a change 

 has come over the wide-awake country weekly. The interests of 

 permanent agriculture begin to give color to the paper. A " literary 

 revolution" is taking place in the editorial make-up of these papers. 

 Since these papers are published in every rural community, and 

 literally go back to the grass roots, the significance for good of 

 this revolution is hard to measure. 



Agricultural Press and Scientific Farming. The agricultural 

 press forms the most important medium between the farmer on 

 the one hand, and on the other hand the United States Department 

 of Agriculture, the State Departments of Agriculture, the State 

 Agricultural Colleges and State and Federal Experiment Stations. 

 Scientific bulletins are translated into the language of the farmer. 

 And conversely successful practices worked out and applied by 

 individual farmers, are examined and described by the agricultural 

 press so that all farmers may be acquainted with what each 

 successful farmer is doing. 



Agricultural Publishers Association. The agricultural press 

 has developed an organization of its own known as the Agricultural 

 Publishers Association. It is hoped that one effect of this organiza- 



