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BXBNSION DIVISION, UNIVERSITY OP FLRCIDA
Project No. 1-A
SOURCES AND U0WNMBIT2
force an& Smith-Lever
Equipment 7 deral State Total
Director
Salary 5335.53 355.553 1666.66
traveling
Exzpeaes 50 800
Office furni-
ture ana LBS 1555
equipment
Secretary
SalaryT 020 100_600
Auditor
Salary 20__0 00
Clerk
Ralarv
150
150
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Editor
Salarr
266.66
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-I 266.6 ,
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AD0 .99
4439a35
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ALDRES.: OF DR. A. C. TRUE
Director of States Relations Service,
At the Annual Convention of State Leaders and State Agents in County Agent Work
Held at St. Louis, Mo., Nov. 16-19, 1915,
This has been a great year in the history of the agricultural colleges and
the Department of Agriculture because of the permanent nature of the work which
we are now undertaking, in organizing a system of agricultural extension work for
all the United States. In doing this we have been building on the foundations
already laid, and the great part of the work in which we all have been engaged
has been the adjusting of relations of workers and of the different phases of work
which have previously been going on, and the bringing together of all the agencies
for agricultural extension work to form a unified system in the several States,
and a nation-wide system, taken as a whole.
We.have met to consider especially the interests of the County Agent work,
and I take it that we all think that is a matter of "sufficient importance to jus-
tify our bringing together the Leaders in that work from practically all the
States of our Union. In extent, the County Agent work is bulking very large in
this extension system. About $5,000,000 will be spent during this fiscal year for
extension work in agriculture and home economics in the United States. Of that
amount, approximately one-half, or $2,500,CC00, will be spent on the County Agent
work. To put that in another way, if this was an endowed system, and its funds
were so invested that they drew 5 per cent, we should need an endowment of
$50, 000,000 to support the*County Agent work in the United Stat .-. thisc year. A
business of that size certainly cser.vcs very careful attention on ,he part of
those who are responsible for its management, and that leads ne to hni t-i":t, the
position of State Leader of County Agents in this system.is a very.in-oitaIt one.,
The County Agent, himself, is a fundamental factor of the system. This seems
to have been generally recognized throughout the country, because everywhere the
extension system seems to be based on the County Agent. If this is so, certainly
the men who are to supervise and, in a proper sense, manage the County Agents, oc-
cupy a very important position.
/ It has seemed to me that the State Leader has at least the following functions:
He should, in a large sense, be a good org:-iz.r, because he has not only to manage
the work which is going on in counties already or',a n-ed, but to have an important
part in seeking new fields and organizing new counties. He must also be a super-
visor of the work of others, and that means that he must have those peculiar quali-
ties which will lead him to be a good judge of men,. in the first place, and then a
fair and sympathetic judge of the work which the men associated with him are doing.
He is, in an important way, a connecting link between the County Agents and the
force of extension workers whose headquarters are at the College or in the Depart-
ment of Agriculture, and that means that he must not only be able to understand the
county Agent work but also to be in full sympathy with, and to comprehend the work
of the extension specialists and administrative officers connected with the College
and the Department in this broad enterprise, because while the County Agent work
is-:the largest single factor in this extension enterprise, there are a number of
other very important elements which must not at any time be left out of accounts
He is also, in some large sense, to be eyes and ears for the Extension Director of
the State, because we must never forget that the State Leader is under the immediate
direction of the Extension Director and responsible to him for his work. That
means, of course, that he must come in close touch with the Extension Director. He
.must endeavor to have the most cordial relations with him. He must be'so in the
confidence of the Extension Director that the two men can deal frankly and fully
with each other, on all matters relating to the work.
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We are trying to build up a unified system of extension work in the several
States, under the general direction of the agricultural college of the State,and
it is absolutely essential to the highest success of this work that the different
parts of this system shall be closely knit together and shall work in harmony and
unison all the time.
The State Leaders, as well as other officers connected with the extension
service, have certain relations to the U. S. Department of Agriculture under the
system of extension work which we "are developing in this country. Those relations
are determined in the several States by the project agreements between the Exten-
tion directors, representing the Colleges, and the officers of the Department, re-
presenting the extension service. The agreements are made in accordance with the
general memorandum of understanding between the Department and the College, and,
as far as the Smith-Lever funds and the Department funds are concerned. in accor-
dance with provisions of the Smith-Lever Act and the Department appropriation
actS. These relations should be quite definitely defined in the project agree-
ments, and there should be an understanding all around in some definite way as to
just what the relations of the State Leaders are to the Department service.
It may be well, in this connection, to remind you that the relations of the
Department to the extension services in the States are of two distinct kinds, as
I understand it. Tha first of these may be called the administrative relations,
or, perhaps, if we should use a-more definite term, the regulatory relations.
These grow out of the federal laws, which are so drawn as to give the Department
certain definite administrative functions with relation to a large share of the
funds which are used in extension work in the States. The Department is bound, by
the terms of these statutes, by its relation to Congress, and to the Treasury and
other Departments of the Government, to see to it that the federal-funds which
come under these laws are properly expended, and that such things as the franking
privilege are properly complied with..
Our Department and also the extension forces in the States must work in this
line according to the terms of the laws as they actually exist. It is not a ques-
tion at all of what we, as individuals, would like to have. in the law. The only
cestion we can consider is, "17hat is the law?" For example; in the Smith-Levor
Act there is a prohibition against using any of the money appropriated under that
act for promoting, directly or indirectly, "agricultural trains." Now there may
be a difference of opinion as to the wisdom of putting that particular phrase in
the Smith-Lever Act. Some people very likely think that agricultural trains have
served a useful purpose and that they still ought to be continued as extension
agencies, but, as long as that phrase is in the act, there is nothing to be done
except to cut out expenses'for agricultural trains from the charges against the
Smith-Lever funds. That question having been definitely raised, the Department.
has recently had to issue a ruling on that matter. Such is the field in which
the Department has administrative control of funds, and of work as related to the
funds.
A second kind of relation which we hold to the extension services of the
States is a cooperative relation, and that is a much more pleasant matter to
dwell upon. This cooperative relation is based on the free choice of the States
and the colleges. It was not necessary that any State should accept the Smith-
Lever Act or entet into cooperative relations with the Department of. Agriculture
through that act or through a memorandum of understanding for the carrying on of
extension work. But when the States have done that they are, of course, under
obligation to enter into the cooperation in the spirit of the agreement which
they have made with reference to extension work and the Smith-Lever Act. You will
remember that the Smith-Lever Act says that the colleges may inaugurate "agricul-
tural extension work which shall be carried on in cooperation with the U. S. De-
partment of Agriculture, ...and this work shall be carried on in such manner as
may be mutually agreed upon by the Secretary of Agriculture and the State Agricul-
tural Colleges," and each year "plans for the work to be carried on under this
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Act 61All b submitted by the proper officials of each College, and approved by the
Secretary of Agriculture." Now the key word of all that, as .-egrds cooperation, I
think, is mutual. In other words, there is to be a copartnership between the col-
leges and the Department, and this copartnership is practically to run through all
features of the extension system. In order to carry out such a cooperative system
on a mutual plan, it is obviously necessary that the parties in cooperation should
interchange views, should take into account the adaptation of plans to local, state
and national conditions, for the best interests of the work; and should seek, as far
as theycan, to make an. accurate definition of their plans and to put them in the
form of what we have come to call project agreements. That having been done, there
is, of course, obligation on all parties concerned to carry out such agreements.
It is because of these cooperative relations and the mutual -interest and re-
sponsibility which we have in all this- work that I attach great importance to such
meetings as we are entering upon today. There can hardly be any real cooperation,
inthe proper sense of the word, without a full understanding of matters from the
different standpoints of the cooperating parties, and to that end there should be,
of course, perfectly free and frank expressions of ideas and opinions with reference
to the work in order that we may have the moist thorough understanding of 'each others
points of view and the conditions as they are known to us severally. And thus, by
coming together as we are assembled here today, and having the opportunity, which
we all hope will be availed of to the fullest extent, of free discussion and in-
quiry, we ought to have the best chance of getting together and of remaining to-
gether in our cooperative enterprises; and while we are to consider mainly at this
meeting the phases of work that belong to the County Agent part qf our system, the
same spirit and fundamental ideas will apply to all branches of the extension
service.
In order that I may contribute a small share tc this complete understanding
of our enterprises, I am going to venture a brief definition of extension work
in agriculture and home economics, as we are trying to work it out in this country.
In my mind it is a permanent system of practical education for farming people,
outside of schools, conducted according tc well matured plans, by public officers,
for the benefit of all the people. There may be other things which ought to be
written into a complete definition of extension work, but we may have that as a
sufficient basis for our discussion.
Now I think we would all agree that it is essential to the highest success
of this system that we should have the sympathy, confidence, and support of all
classes of our people in this great enterprise. But while that is so, if this is
a public system, we cannot, it seems to me, allow individuals or organizations of
business men, railroad men, or even farmers to control the plans or the actions
of the public officers in charge of extension work. We ought to have, and I should
certainly hope that :e would have, advice and assistance from all kinds of people,
and particularly, of course, from farmers, but after the plans are made and agreed
upon by the properly constituted officers, they should not be departed from at the
dictation of anybody.
I speak of this because in my definition we are establishing a permanent sys-
tem of extension work, and it is an absurdity, in my mind, to undertake to establish
a system of that kind under public auspices if we are going to try to run it on the
basis of accepting the suggestions and plans of a variety of agencies, which want
to come in at their onm time and on their own terms, to do certain things when we
have other things definitely planned and agreed upon which we are trying to put intc
permanent iA?.-? and usefulness for the benefit of the people.
This extensio- system is not only a public and permanent service, but is
also under the highest obligation to teach the truth. I suppose that, among other
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things, it was for this reason that it has been connected with the agricultural
colleges and experiment stations and the Department of Agriculture, --because these
institutions are supposed to have the largest available funds of accurately deter-
mined knowledge regarding agriculture and home economics. That does not apply
simply to a knowledge of the science of agriculture but also it its practice, for
while these institutions may not have done all that they might have done along more
practical lines, yet they are in position, better than individuals certainly, to
find out what is the best practice, as well as what is the best theory of agriculture.
At many points this knowledge, we shall have to confess, is partial and defective,
but on the whole, in a large way, I believe it is the best that re have. For that
reason I think that all agents in the extension services are under obligation to
find out just what this knowledge is which the colleges and the Department have,
and to be guided by it in their teaching of the people, and this is particularly
true of such knowledge as rests on a scientific foundation. For example, take such
things as the cause, prevention, or treatment of animal diseases, or the nutritive
value of feeding stuffs or human foods, or the use of preservatives used in canning
food, etc. I speak of that particularly because, with the spread of popular interest
in such matters and the enormous commercial interests involved, we are having a
flood of newspaper and magazine articles, and even books, the ideas of which are in
many cases influenced by!.imperfect knowledge, careless statement, or even commercial
bias. Extension agents, must, therefore, it seems to me, tie up closely with the
College and Department experts in these subjects as, on the whole, they are the
safest guides in such matters. How to combine popular interest with accuracy and
tru-h in formulated statements is a somewhat difficult matter and that difficulty
is increased by the differences in the temperament and point of view of the workers,
The scientific man naturally thinks chiefly of accuracy in statement, and cares
comparatively little about the popular interest. The extension man, on the other
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hand, naturally thinks of how the people whom he is teaching are going to receive
the truth, and he may be tempted, therefore, to sacrifice accuracy of statement
to what io 3ometime3 called popularity of statement,. But certainly it should be
a matter of deepest concern to those people who are going out to teach masses of
our farmers that they shall have what they say to them, and what they demonstrate
to them, accurate and sound, as well as interesting.
Now in agriculture and home economics we are in much the same condition, I
judge, as we are in medicine. Nobody knows all the truth, and there are a great
many uncertainties and difficulties, as well as disagreements of opinion among
even the best experts. We have to deplore and confess the limitations of our
knowledge, but I think we would all agree that when we find the doctors disagree
on any subject, that is the very time when it is unwise for us to consult a quack.
In other words, we must do the best we can with the authorities that we have,
rather than to go outside and take up with the opinions of people who have not made
any careful study of any given subject.
Our aim, then, is to organize in every State and county of our vast country
a pernaanent, public, and truthful extension service, and as an aid to that end we
are assembled here today.
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