Bureau q-e Ageicultuee. 455 



JEFFERSON COUNTY. 



Owing to tlie fact that the agent first appointed was 

 made assistant State agent, I did not receive my ap- 

 pointment from the Agricultural Department at Wash- 

 ington until May 15th. 



Before this time, however, I had rendered eleven 

 days of service in the field, planting tomatoes, visiting 

 homes and canning by demonstration. 



The enrollment of pupils was made from the county 

 schools by my predecessor, but on visiting the homes, I 

 found the causes of this small enrollment. Some of the 

 girls could not obtain the 1/10 acre for planting, others 

 could not obtain plants, three had removed from the 

 neighborhood, some were away visiting, and three had 

 surgical operations. I began work with twenty girls, 

 out of which one stopped from lack of interest, three 

 removed from Jefferson county, and seven had no to- 

 matoes from the 1/10 acre plats, this being due to the 

 cool rainy season, and the lateness of their plants being 

 put into the ground. 



Notwithstanding the failure of the tomato crops, the 

 girls were faithful in their attendance at club meetings, 

 and canned for home use ssparagus, peas, beans, beets, 

 com, cherries, strawberries and plums, and blackberries 

 for commercial use. 



At the first meeting of each of the five clubs the girls 

 made the standard cap and apron; at each succeeding 

 weekly meeting they reported the work done in their 

 tomato gardens, and the number of jars they had filled 

 at home according to the instructions given at the dem- 

 onstration lesson. 



One of the interesting features of these club meet- 

 ings was the large attendance of visiting girls, who, be- 

 cause of lack of tomato gardens, were not registered club 

 members, but who took the instructions and practiced 

 canning and preserving at home. 



By special permission of the State Agent, a class 

 of fourteen women was formed at the Cabbage Patch 

 Settlement. This class met every alternate week, while 

 the settlement was open for demonstration work in can- 

 ning and the proper methods of cleaning and cooking 

 vegetables for table use. 



