THE DEMONSTRATION WORK 



"The sub-committees and their duties are, roughly, as follows: 

 The executive committee advises directly with the agent on general 

 matters and when the council cannot meet, acts in its stead. The 

 marketing committee lists live stock or other farm produce to be 

 shipped and sends the list to the county agent. This group also 

 assists the agent in all details of handling shipments, such as weigh- 

 ing, grading and loading. The crop and soil improvement committee 

 studies the cropping system and makes recommendations concerning 

 it; studies methods of improving the soil; and is now working on a 

 somewhat flexible system of farming for the county as a whole. The 

 finance committee handles all general funds, as those resulting from 

 shipping, and the publicity committee disseminates information of 

 general value, such as outbreaks of disease, shipping dates, agricul- 

 tural 'drives' and the like." 



Dr. Knapp talked more about the organization of public 

 opinion to support the work than he did about the organiza- 

 tion of farmers. A properly organized supporting public 

 opinion is a psychological necessity. Promiscuous organiza- 

 tion of all the farmers of a county may be an official liability, 

 especially to the agent vv^ho has not been on the job long 

 enough to become established in the confidence and esteem 

 of his constituency. Dr. Knapp said: 



"Public opinion is brought into harmony and made forceful by 

 the support of the press and the cooperation of the best farmers and 

 leading merchants and bankers." 



Hov7 futile will the efforts at general organization become if 

 the worker can not take the first two steps ! 



A successful Demonstration Agent naturally wants his 

 general and county-wide organization work to be successful. 

 The surest and best way to do so is to make each association, 

 club or bureau an excellent object lesson. Afterwards he may 

 encourage the organization of similar units and by and by 

 a county-wide federation, if conditions are favorable, but he 



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