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helping the program grow.
When Smith-Lever became law in 1914, the U.S. Department of Agriculture took over and extended the work to every portion of the United States. The demonstration work was transferred to Tech and became known as Extension work in agriculture and home economics. When this occurred, there were one state agent, four district agents, 50 county agents, and five special agents. In seven years, Extension had placed programs in 52 counties.
One of the first Smith-Lever programs was a 1915 joint venture between Extension and Norfolk and Western Railway. It showed that Extension had always been searching for new ways to reach the public.
Ella Agnew wrote in her thoughts on “The Story of the First Decade,” that “The N & W furnished the train, the farm demonstration agents helped the men on the way.” She also noted that they were home economics teachers who were loaned from the State Normal Schools at Farmville, Fredericksburg, Harrisonburg and Radford to help give demonstrations. I
The train, which traveled for five I weeks, started from Roanoke. According to the Extension history, ! “college of the Fields,” the train had two livestock cars and an animal display platform. The livestock consisted of one Percheron mare, two Hampshire sheep, one Duroc-Jersey, one Yorkshire and one Berkshire hog, one Guernsey, one Holstein, one Hereford, one Angus, one shorthorn, two Jersey cows, and two shorthorn steers.
The train also had two exhibit cars for machinery and outstanding examples of most of the state farm crops. Another car displayed products from women’s demonstrations, three more coaches were used for speaking coaches, and a private car accommodated the speakers.
The train was an immediate success, daily attracting between 1,500 and 2,000 persons. Farmers traveled to the “Better Farming Special” from as far away as 20 miles. Agricultural specialists often visited nearby farms while the train was stopped.
Jesse M. Jones, who directed Extension from 1916 through 1919, wrote, “the scope of the w'ork is so broad that there are few' farm or home problems the division cannot help solve and the service is free, honest, and impartial to all people within the state. By this means, agriculture and rural life generally are being readjusted on a higher plane of profit, dignity, and power.”
Extension focused on another innovation during this period - movable schools. They generally focused on horticulture, home economics, dairying, and general agriculture. The movable schools w'ere simply demonstration lessons that were taught by Extension staff members who moved their equipment and knew-how to various locations. Forty-five such schools were held between 1916 and 1918.
The fourth arm of Extension, community resource development, also can point to having started with the Smith-Lever Act. And, in truth. Extension has been involved in im proving communities since the verj beginning, even if there were no agents specified for the area.
In “College of the Fields,” it says the farm and home development program is regarded by many as the forerunner to CRD. It w'asn’t until
See EXTENSION, p, 14
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