26 CIRCULAR 661, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
would seem more practical to foster existing plants, at least in the 
early stages of development. 
Although the Yuba area contains somewhat above the average run 
of farm woods in the southern part of the Lake States, it is by no 
means exceptional. There are a number of other localities in the 
southern belt which would be suitable for cocperative effort if the 
farmers were given encouragement and shown the advantages to be 
gained from such cooperation. For the largest part of the run-down 
farm woodland area in the southern part of the region, however, 
such efforts must be restricted until, through education, extension, 
and technical assistance, the farm woods are built up to a higher level 
of productivity. 
In the northern part of the Lake States there is a growing need, 
not only among farmers but also among other workers residing in 
and near public forests, for more cooperatives of a different type. 
Here the large acreages of publicly-owned timberlands, management 
of which rests with the public agencies, offer opportunities for coop- 
eratives of woods workers to act both as a purchasing agent to buy 
the public stumpage, and as the selling agent to obtain favorable 
markets. They may also assist members in getting credit from local 
banks to finance logging operations and may help members to sell 
timber products cut from their own lands. Several cooperatives of 
this type already are organized in Forest, Washburn, end Bayfield 
Counties, Wis., and have proved effective and fairly successful. 
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN FARM-FORESTRY PROGRAMS 
The United States stands high among the nations of the world 
in facilities for helping farmers to follow the best agricultural 
practice. The results of research conducted by State agricultural! 
experiment stations and by bureaus of the Federal Department of 
Agriculture are disseminated through publications, through the ex- 
tension services attached to the State agricultural colleges, and 
through county agricultural agents located in most of the counties 
of the Nation. The Soil Conservation Service, Agricultural Adjust- 
ment Administration, the Forest Service, and other bureaus of the 
Department of Agriculture, have developed action programs designed 
to conserve physical farm resources and increase farm income. 
A great deal of public aid is aimed toward better farming and 
better farm living. The agricultural staffs of the State colleges and 
Smith-Hughes teachers in the secondary schools are engaged in pro- 
moting a knowledge of agricultural science and practice among pros- 
pective farmers and other workers in the field of agriculture; and 
the colleges through short courses and the Smith-Hughes teachers 
through adult classes reach some of the farmers themselves with the 
best information available on the various branches of farming. The 
State agricultural extension staffs and the county agricultural agents 
apply extension methods in the distribution of similar information 
cirectly to farmers. Many of the activities of the State departments 
of agriculture give direct aid to farmers in growing and marketing 
their crops. ‘The various State and Federal agricultural relief and 
loan agencies are directly involved in promoting better farming 
practices among the farmers who have come to them for aid. 
