14 
BULLETIN" 1384, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
touching the people living in the open country even more intimately 
than those living close to town. 
Table 1-2. — Relation of distance from county extension office to farms changing 
practices 
Group 
Number Average 
of farms distance 
of farms Qf farms 
Miles 
Under 10 miles 1,171 5.5 
10tol9miles 1,894 14.7 
20 miles and over 889 23.8 
Percentage of farms chang- 
ing practices 
Agri- 
cultural 
Home 
economics 
Any 
practice 
03 
68 
76 
27 
33 
39 
68 
73 
82 
Average 
number 
of 
practices 
3.2 
3.7 
3.1 
NATURE OF ROADS 
Only 2 per cent more of the farms located on improved roads (con- 
crete, macadam, gravel) reported changed practices than of the farms 
located on unimproved or dirt roads (Table 13). This would indicate 
that extension workers are reaching the people living on back roads 
just as effectively as those living on main highways. 
Table 13. — Nature of roads as related to number of farms changing practices l 
Group 
Number 
of farms 
Percent- 
age of all 
farms 
Percentage of farms changing 
practices 
Average 
number 
of 
practices 
changed 
Agricul- 
tural 
Home 
economics 
Any 
practice 
71 
72 
Improved roads 
1,766 
1,649 
52 
48 
68 
67 
32 
28 
3.5 
Unimproved roads _ 
3.1 
For three States only, as this information was not obtained in Iowa. 
MEMBERSHIP IN EXTENSION ASSOCIATIONS 
In three of the States — Iowa, New York, and California — the 
farm bureau has been the farmers' organization cooperating with 
public agencies in forwarding the extension program. As would 
naturally be expected, a larger proportion of those enrolled in this 
association have been influenced by extension to adopt better prac- 
tices than in the case of those not affiliated with the association. 
Table 14 indicates that 86 per cent of the present farm-bureau 
members reported changed agricultural practices as compared with 
SO per cent of the former members and 47 per cent of the nonmembers. 
Table 14. — Membership in farm bureau as related to number of farms changing 
practices l 
Group 
Number J*™* 
of farms a f ar <£ al] 
Members of farm bureau 1,093 
Former members 679 
Nonmembers 1,417 
Percentage of farms changing 
practices 
Agricul- Home Any 
tural economics practice 
Average 
number 
of 
practices 
changed 
4.3 
3.4 
2,4 
1 For three States only, Colorado not being included. 
