THE FARM DEMONSTRATION WORK 



brought to bear upon the instructions, to correct any defect that may 

 be in them. Thus our instructions have the following elements of 

 perfection: First, what the Department at Washington knows from 

 its vast stores of information about cotton; secondly, what the 

 State Experiment Stations in the South have demonstrated to be the 

 most advantageous, thirdly, what the best farmers in the South have 

 tested and proved the most successful upon the farm; fourth, the 

 knowledge obtained by the traveling agents of our Demonstration 

 Work, who especially visit and have personal knowledge of every 

 portion of the states in which they are stationed. Even then our 

 instructions are along lines of correct principles, leaving many de- 

 tails to the good judgment of the farmers." 



On December 6th of the same year he issued a letter to 

 the agents in which he told them about his visits to Wash- 

 ington and New York in the interest of the work. He said 

 that nothing had been done towards putting in an extra appro- 

 priation for fighting the boll weevil on the front lines of its 

 advance. He said the Secretary of Agriculture and the Chief 

 of the Bureau of Plant Industry were anxious to help, but had 

 been unable to do anything because of the jealousy of other 

 departments, and suggested that the initiatory move should 

 be made by the people. In this letter he adroitly and wisely 

 suggested methods by which the people benefitted by the work 

 might let their congressmen know about it. Sufficient to 

 say, the appropriation was forthcoming. Afterwards money 

 came as rapidly as Dr. Knapp was willing for it to come. He 

 wanted additional territory taken up and additional work done 

 only upon the basis of previously demonstrated success. - It is 

 interesting to note that while on this trip he met about twenty 

 of the ''wealthiest and most progressive men in New York." 

 He also addressed a large influential body of educators at the 

 University of Virginia. He told the agents that the trip 

 would benefit the cause in which they had enlisted. The Gen- 

 eral Education Board soon made liberal appropriations in the 



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