Second-The fanning and grading to obtain a uniform seed, free from trash, immature grain and weed seeds. Third-Treatment of grain diseases by the use of formaldehyde, etc. Fourth-Testing for vitality of all seeds with the assistance of the school children of the community. SCHOOL CHILDREN BEST PARTNERS Seventy-five thousand school children germinated small grains for their farmer partners, in testers furnished through the Crop Improvement Committee, and as most of them send us a two-cent stamp for samples, it is reasonable to say that more than 100,000 children introduced this testing in thousands of schools. It is entirely conservative to say that at least that many children used the rag-doll corn testers, printed and distributed by the Crop Improvement Committee, and the team work instigated by the United States Government under Benson, the grain schools conducted by such men as Moore, Wilson, Bliss, Buchanan, Pugsley, Christy, Smith, Johnson, Doane, Shoesmith and hundreds of others whom it is unfair not to mention has carried this doctrine of seed selection into every school district in every county, in every state. *At the request of the brewmasters, maltmasters, grain men and others, several meetings have been held and an endeavor made to agree upon tentative grades which would be acceptable to all concerned. It is understood that the Government is to establish standard barley grades within the next year or two and it is therefore desirable that the barley interests should unite upon what standards would be satisfactory to the trade as well as to the farmers. A questionnaire has been sent out to several hundred interested parties and many of them have responded, and the matter is now open to a final conference. †The committee, in connection with the Government and two chemical laboratories, is now conducting a series of experiments to prove that formil gas will kill the smut spores in barley without affecting its germination. Also a series of experiments regarding the treatment of barley smut spores, by vaporizing the grain by formaldehyde steam. Both of these experiments have proceeded satisfactorily and far enough to warrant us in stating that both processes are effective and the problem now is to ascertain the proper proportions and economical method of administration. HONOR TO WHOM HONOR It is not modest for the Crop Improvement Committee to claim credit for the work of these men, yet through its publication, The County Agent, the news of this work has been disseminated into every neighborhood-urban as well as rural and the doctrine of community development where the pupils themselves belong and pay dues and where a competent man is employed as Secretary and paid to stay on the job, has become firmly fixed in the tenets of our country. While the headquarters of this committee are in Chicago, too much praise cannot be given to the loyal support of the committee men at each of the grain centers and a special vote of thanks must be given to that army of volunteer workers, one or more of whom are located in every grain county of the United States. The value of this local leadership cannot be over-estimated. They are from all callings in life-farmers, grain dealers, millers, bankers, secretaries of commercial clubs, dentists, doctors, all sorts and conditions of men who are united on this one thought—and make it their religion-personal service. Four years ago there was not a single Farm Bureau in America. There were some "Government Farm Advisors" working in the South without any local associations. In Broome County, New York, there was a man supported by a partnership arrangement including the Binghamton Chamber of Commerce, the Lackawanna Railroad and the United States Office of Farm Management, without any local membership. There was a man at Duluth working among the vegetable growers helped by the Duluth Chamber of Commerce and there was a man doing missionary work through the Pennsylvania hills and several doing investigational work for the Government here and there. Farm Bureaus are now established, according to the plan adapted to local conditions proposed by the Crop Improvement Committee, in more than 1000 northern and western counties and these Farm Bureaus have contributed three or four million dollars of their own money and are paying part of the expense in partnership with the County Board, the State and the Government which are furnishing as much more money. Twenty-six or more states have passed legislation which enables the county officials to help support the County Farm Bureau and the great Smith-Lever bill is now in effect, which enables the government to put money exactly in the spot where most needed, and it is the opinion of Dr. C. B. Smith, the highly efficient leader of State Leaders in the North and West, that it will only be a matter of a few years when every county in the United States will have a local association for better farming, better business and better living which will include the better agricultural and business brains in each vicinity and which will employ as part of the plan, a county agent who will be paid by all factors concerned. We should be congratulated upon the success of this great movement. Without detracting in any way from the glory and credit due to the myriad workers in this field, it is with great satisfaction "we point with pride" to the fact that the plans of organizing advocated by the Crop Improvement Committee are now in general use in every state except Nevada, and Dr. Smith tells us that Nevada is ready to swing into line. The Crop Improvement Committee was enabled to speak with authority because of the administration of a fund of $100,000— $1,000 of which was given to each of the first hundred counties which would organize a Farm Bureau, which great campaign was completed within one year from its conception. It is remarkable that none of these counties which have been properly organized, have failed to maintain the organization, which is all the more remarkable because each county agent had to invent his own job, had to fight petty politics, had to overcome the strongest kind of prejudice and to make a showing against almost insuperable difficulties. That is now all in the day's work, which is a matter of great satisfaction to those who inaugurated the movement. The work of crop improvement for the past year cannot be epitomized in a few sentences. The financial assistance given by the United States Brewers' Association has enabled your committee to conduct a line of work which otherwise would have been impossible. In the matter of publicity alone, the returns have been manifold. The circulation of The County Agent, which is published by the Committee, has been increased to 20,000 and the campaign now |