THE FARM DEMONSTRATION WORK 



demonstration farms and 34,176 cooperative farmers in 1909 dis- 

 tributed over eleven Southern States with 367 traveling field agents 

 who visit these farms and give instructions. 



At intervals during the crop-growing period the farmers of a 

 community meet with the Government Agent on a demonstration 

 farm and a field school of instruction is held. The results have 

 been to thoroughly acquaint the farmers with the best farm practices 

 and to cause rapid improvement of farm methods in rural com- 

 munities where work has been conducted." 



Many active and enterprising congressmen caught on to 

 this new line of work in the Department of Agriculture very 

 soon after it was established. They vied with each other in 

 trying to get agents in their respective districts. Dr. Ejiapp 

 wrote many letters to these congressmen diagnosing their 

 climatic and soil conditions, and also explaining the genius 

 and power of the work which he had in hand. He knew 

 enough about people and leadership to utilize the energies of 

 the congressmen, and he was sagacious enough to avoid any 

 of the complications of politics. 



The following extract from a letter to a Louisiana con- 

 gressman is fairly typical of many volumes of letters in the 

 official records at Washington: 



"You have asked me to give an opinion on the agricultural 

 possibilities of the South. The subject is so large that it will be 

 necessary for me to classify, and consider it under about four heads, 

 as follows: 



(1) Corn, hay, pasture and forage crops. 



(2) Stock-raising. 



(3) Fiber plants. 



(4) Truck farming. 



It has been thought till recently that the South would not raise 

 large crops of Indian corn but a little demonstration has proven that 

 the soils and climate are especially adapted for that purpose and 

 that larger crops can be raised than in the so-called corn states. 

 Climatic conditions are much more favorable for the com plant and 

 as a large portion of the plant is of atmospheric origin, climate is 



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