arm sellers. The blank contains questions
in regard to the location of the farm, its size, distance from
communication lines, and inhabited places of various sizes and market
facilities, its soil, its fences, buildings, water supply, ownership,
price, and other points intended to show the condition and value of the
farm for sale. The office distributes these blanks among the county
agents, from whom the farm sellers secure the blanks. The county agents
forward the completed forms to the main state office, which periodically
publishes the collected information for farm buyers.

This information is available to farm buyers for the mere asking. Anyone
can see, in the state office or in the published volume, the blanks
describing in detail the farms for sale. In this way they can be
directly connected with the seller of the selected farm, without agents
or advertising cost to either side. Thus misrepresentation can be
avoided to a certain degree. The Extension Service, however, does not
enter into any financial arrangement or give any guaranties. Aside from
the information contained in the filled forms, it gives information of a
general character concerning the agricultural possibilities of the state
and of various sections and localities in it. At present the Service is
particularly interested in locating the returned soldiers.

As such a public agency system is of comparatively recent origin and has
not had time to develop, it is impossible to judge with certainty its
future possibilities. In theory the operation of the system seems to be
an easy matter, but in practice it is complicated. The farmers who
intend to sell their holdings have to be informed of the work of the
office, and equally the farm buyers have to be acquainted with the plan.
This involves education of the farmers by an extensive advertising
campaign, which requires time and expenditure of public money. However,
there is a real need for such a public agency and the results of the
attempts to establish and develop it have been encouraging.

It would be desirable that the states which have already established or
will establish such public agencies should co-operate with one another
through the Federal Department of Agriculture and, with the assistance
of the latter, should organize a central office as a clearing house.
Nation-wide advertisement should be made by the central office for all
the states in co-operation. In this way the farm advertisements wou