COUMKV COMMIMIV I'ROCiRKSS 



more for country people than anything that has come 

 into play heretofore. The Smith-Lever Act, recently 

 passed by Congress, makes available a fund that is to 

 increase vear by year, based on the proportion of the 

 rural population to the total population. Ihis fund is 

 to be used by the State college of agriculture in each 

 State, in giving instruction away from the college, and 

 is designed to benefit those who are not in position to 

 take a course at the college. It is based, however, on 

 the cooperative idea; for example, no State can profit 

 by the fund, available year by year, unless it matches it 

 by a similar appropriation to be used for the same pur- 

 poses. 



The Farm Bureau work, now organized in nearly all 

 the States, while it antedates the Smith-Lever Act, is 

 now operated through the fund provided by that act. 

 This movement carries the cooperative idea one step 

 further because it requires the people of each county 

 that benefits by its privileges to form a part of the co- 

 operative plan. 7 he plan is to unite the Federal gov- 

 ernment, the State and the county in a joint program 

 for the improvement of rural conditions. The move- 

 ment contemplates the development in each county of an 

 organization to be known as " Ihc larm Bureau Asso- 

 ciation," whose duty it is to foster the work of the Farm 

 Bureau by assisting the local manager to deal with the 

 rural problems of the county. I he local manager or 



