380 RURAL SOCIOLOGY 



of the county agent. Of late years the financial cooperation 

 from local sources has practically doubled the service and met 

 the appropriations dollar for dollar or more. During the early 

 days of the development of the work men often served for the 

 love of the service, and hence the rule was rather low salaries 

 considering the service rendered. The work was always prac- 

 tical and direct. As it grew and developed and the men became 

 more expert, the whole system gradually took form and certain 

 well recognized methods were followed. 



What does a county agent do and how does he teach by dem- 

 onstrations? The county agent goes to the farm and gives his 

 instruction while the farmer is at his everyday duties. The aim 

 of the work was and is to place in every community practical 

 object lessons illustrating the best and most profitable method of 

 producing the standard farm crops, or of animal feeding, etc., 

 and to secure such active participation in the demonstration on 

 the part of the farmers as to prove that they can make a much 

 larger average annual crop, or feed or produce livestock more 

 economically, arid secure a greater return for their toil. Dr. 

 Knapp said that it might be regarded as a "system of adult edu- 

 cation given to the farmer upon his farm by object lessons in the 

 soil, prepared under his observation and generally by his own 

 hand." 



The teaching was very effective because at first it was simple 

 in character, direct, and limited to a few fundamental things, 

 such as the preparation of a good seed bed, deep fall plowing, 

 the selection of good seed, and shallow and intensive cultiva- 

 tion. In the early stages of the work Dr. Knapp framed what 

 he called the "Ten Commandments of Agriculture," as follows: 



1. Prepare a deep and thoroughly pulverized seed bed, well 

 drained ; break in the fall to a depth of 8, 10 or 12 inches, ac- 

 cording to the soil ; with implements that will not bring too much 

 of the sub-soil to the surface; (the foregoing depths should be 

 reached gradually). 



2. Use seed of the best variety, intelligently selected and care- 

 fully stored. 



3. In cultivated crops, give rows and the plants in the rows, a 

 space suited to the plant, the soil and the climate. 



