DEVELOPMENT OF THE FARM DEMONSTRATION AGENCY 



a grave mistake. He may leave some day. Then another leader 

 must be trained which should have been done in the first place. The 

 county agent who becomes a leader himself and fails to develop 

 leadership among his constituents is a failure, no matter how efficient 

 he may be otherwise. So is the county agent who undertakes to do 

 things for his constituents which they should properly do for them- 

 selves for he is fostering dependence rather than development among 

 them. The true function of a county agent is not to be anybody's or 

 everybody's hired man or clerk. His job is infinitely bigger than 

 that, so much bigger that it is useless to attempt a full definition. 

 Happily most counties and their agents understand this right well 

 and they are progressing as they should." 



There is more opportunity for advanced and helpful 

 service as a county agent than in the positions in regularly 

 established lines of education. This is one reason why this 

 kind of work appeals to a man of originality, ingenuity and 

 aggressiveness. State and district agents may help, and staff 

 specialists may contribute unusual and necessary knowledge, 

 but the county agent is on the firing line. He makes the points 

 of contact. He unlocks the treasure houses of knowledge and 

 gives the golden key to his fellow men. He opens the doors 

 of opportunity to young and old who have not had a chance 

 to enter before. Each Agricultural College has a Director of 

 Extension, but the real director is the man who is changing 

 the nature and output of the crops in the fields, the standards 

 of breeding of the farm animals, the direction of thousands 

 of lives, the trend of events and the destiny of our civilization. 

 Such work is being done and these men are doing it. 



An editorial appeared in the Southwesi Trail, a few years 

 ago, which described a pioneer agent and gave something of 

 his method of work and some of the results. The following 

 extract is taken from The Trail: 



"Fifty years ago the circuit rider, a bible in his saddlebag, 

 was a familiar figure in the woods, making his house to house visits 



["9] 



