THE FARM DEMONSTRATION WORK 



A similar thought is contained in this brief extract from 

 a letter to a prominent member of the Federation of Women's 

 Clubs: 



"One of the foundation principles of our work is that the 

 farmer should raise the food for the family and for the farm stock 

 so that his principal cash crop may be all profit. If your people will 

 take that as an axiom to live up to, I believe that it will help them. 



This development in agricultural education was not lost 

 upon the bright and inquiring representatives of foreign na- 

 tions. The Minister from Siam requested Dr. Knapp to send 

 one of his leading agents to that country as adviser to their 

 king along agricultural lines. Delegations dropped into the 

 Department of Agriculture from England, France, Australia, 

 South Africa, Argentine and other parts of the world to learn 

 all they could about the Demonstration Work and to transmit 

 it to their own countries. One of the most thoughtful of these 

 visitors was Honorable Theodore Krystofovich, Agricultural 

 Commissioner of the Russian Government. In 1909 Dr. Knapp 

 wrote him as follows : 



"We have found in the United States that the main cause of 

 small production in a crop is due to a poor seed bed, imperfect seed 

 and unwise cultivation. We have, therefore, laid great emphasis on 

 the improvement of the farm in these three things. I have no ques- 

 tion but that this will apply to all parts of the world. By improving 

 the seed bed, seed and cultivation, we have been able to increase the 

 crop two or three times and sometimes four or five fold, with no 

 additional cost. 



I apprehend that you will find it necessary to modify somewhat 

 our American plans to adjust them to Russian conditions. For our 

 state and district agents we employ men of education and exper- 

 ience, but we are able to find very intelligent and progressive farmers 

 in every section of country who can, at a nominal salary, take up the 

 work of local instruction. It is possible you may find a similar 

 class in Russia, but I apprehend not so generally as in the United 

 States. We find it important that the local agent shall be a man in 



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