EFFECTIVENESS OF EXTENSION IN REACHING RURAL PEOPLE \j 
EXTENSION METHODS WHICH INFLUENCED FARMS TO CHANGE 
PRACTICES 
Every farmer and farm woman interviewed was asked to name the 
extension means or agencies which had influenced in any way the 
adoption of each of the improved practices reported adopted. This 
was rather difficult information to obtain, because in many cases the 
changed practices had resulted from the cumulative effect of several 
means none of which was outstanding. In other cases, however, the 
extension method which had influenced the home maker or farmer to 
adopt the better practice was definite and clear-cut. 
For purposes of this study, the means or instruments commonly 
employed in extension work have been roughly classified in three 
Fig. 3.— ITome demonstration group learning to use the gummed-papcr dress form. The making of 
such forms was one of the outstanding home practices reported in all areas 
groups: (1) The personal-service group including farm and home 
visits, correspondence, office calls, telephone calls, study courses, 
leader-training meetings, and extension schools where systematic 
instruction is given: (2) the propaganda group including meetings, 
bulletins, exhibits, circular letters, and news service; and (3) uie 
object-lesson group including adult and junior demonstrations. In 
addition to these three groups a fourth might be added to take care 
of the indirect spread of practice growing out of personal-service, 
propaganda, and object-lesson methods. A farmer may copy a 
better practice adopted by his neighbor and in turn pass it on to 
several other farmers. Tlius the original extension method involved 
soon becomes difficult to identify. 
Of the 2,912 farms reporting the adoption of better practices, 6S per 
cent reported the influence of methods falling in the propaganda 
group, the variation in percentage in the four States ranging from 51 
to 92. (Table 7.) Methods falling in the personal-service group were 
67897— 26 f 2 
