66 AGRICULTURAL APPROPRL\TTOX BILL, 1924. 



needed and where there is a demand for them. I tliink that the 

 same situation applies, perhaps, in other Southern States in about 

 the same j^ercentage on the basis of the counties tliat we have in 

 Texas. 



I think also there is a growing demand — I know it is true in 

 Texas — on the part of the people of the counties for assistance from 

 the department in establishing these agents to render service to the 

 homes of the counties. I know that demand has increased substan- 

 tially in our State in the last 12 months. "We are having now more 

 requests for the establishment of the county home-demonstration 

 work in the counties on the part of the local people, without anj* 

 effort at all on the part of the institution, than we have ever had. 



ECONOMIC SITUATION OF FARMER IN SOUTH. 



Moreover, the agricultural situation in many respects in the South, 

 the economic situation of the farmer, is a very depressing one. Of 

 the 1,500.000 women who work in the fields of the United States, 

 about 1,250,000 work in the cotton fields of the South. Somebody 

 says that is largely a problem of the southern negro. I am a 

 southerner and have all the prejudices and opinions of the average 

 Texan on that question, but that is a substantial ])art of our agricul- 

 tural citizenry, and any work we may do in rural places that helps 

 to improve that situation certainly helps to raise the standard of the 

 whole citizenship of our section. 



Regardless of what the intent of the Congress might have been or 

 those responsible for the appropriation of the sui)plemental fund 

 hreetofore as to its j^ermanency or as to its being a temporary fund, 

 there is no doubt that we are faced with situations now that could 

 not have been contemplated or known by those who were responsible 

 for the passage of the Smith-Lever Act in its original form. Condi- 

 tions have come about that make it inadequate to meet the situation 

 if we are to put county workers with a properly balanced extension 

 staff in all the agricultural counties of tlie United States. That is 

 certainly true in Texas, and I think it is true the country over. 



VALIE OF EXTENSION WORK TO FARMERS. 



I understand it is not necessary to argue with this committee on the 

 importance of the service these people rendei-. I am sure you gentle- 

 men realize that tlie farmers' situation now is perhaps as unsatis- 

 factory as it has been at any time for a decade or more, and 1 believe 

 this service offers the best opportunity of reiulering constructive 

 service to the agricultural people, and tliat it is a service that helps 

 to make the whole situation on the farms very much better. 



That is all I caiv to say unless there are some (luc-tions you axw 

 to ask about the situation in the South. 



Mr. AxmcRSON. Is there anything further. Mr. Christie^ 



Mr. CiMMSTiK. T do not believe we should talvi> much niori> of your 

 time. We want to emphasize the fact that in the 2.S0() counties in (he 

 TTnited States we have agents in about 2,100 of them. We niight 

 agree that we do not need agents in all of these, but we do know it 

 to be a fact that a large numbei' of counties not yet tu-gani/.ed must 

 have hel]) if we are going to carry out the program which has been 



