188 



development, and bring into effect in my state and my community the 

 same sort of work." 



Furthermore, the conference has developed the fact that one of the 

 most important things a state can possibly do is to make a soil survey of 

 the land and promulgate information as to its agricultural possibilities 

 and requirements, showing what sections of the state are fitted for agri- 

 culture and what kind of agriculture, and what sections of the state are 

 not so fitted. Thereby the present and prospective citizens of the state 

 may be informed, intelligently directed, and may not be exploited by 

 the unscrupulous real estate agent or otherwise misled through representa- 

 tions that cannot be fulfilled. 



Then as to fertilization. Pennsylvania spends eight or nine millions 

 of dollars in fertilizers annually, and it is the duty of the state, through 

 proper agencies, to inform the people as to proper methods of fertilization, 

 what method they should use and what they should not use. Farmers 

 in many instances pay out large sums of money for types of fertilizer they 

 do not need or could grow or buy cheaper in other forms. In other words, 

 we want a system of fertilization calculated to serve the exact needs of a 

 particular soil, at the least cost to the farmer, and without injury to his 

 land. 



Then, one of the next most important things is the farm demonstrator. 

 The agricultural colleges have developed a remarkable store of informa- 

 tion which does not reach the farmer, for the colleges are not in close 

 touch with the farmer. There has not, in the past, been money or method 

 of getting to the farmer on the farm. Thus the county agent or farm 

 demonstrator has evolved with the idea that ultimately we will have 

 such a man in every county of every state in this union who will go among 

 the farmers and show them, right on their farms, the newer methods of 

 agriculture and soil conservation. 



You have several notable examples of this, notably in County Agent 

 Ross, of Bedford County, who is doing a great work in his section, and 

 Dr. Hurd, of Massachusetts, will tell us in a few moments details of this 

 work in various sections of the country. 



And the real achievement uppermost in our minds is improvement 

 of the country schools. We feel that if not the largest measure, then a 

 much larger measure of aid should be given to the country boys and girls, 

 to the elementary schools; to the largest number of boys and girls who 

 are in school for a short time. 



We find in many states, in my own for example, 300,000 boys and 

 girls attend the country schools, 90 per cent of them there receiving all 

 the education they ever get, and many of these schools are poor enough 

 at best. We frequently penalize the country children with schools a self- 

 respecting town would not tolerate. 



In Boston we noticed the inscription on the facade of that great 

 public library, ''The Commonwealth requires the education of all the people 



