FARM EXTENSION WORK 



The ^' follow-up " work commenced by this bureau two years ago 

 has been carried on with success. The desire for individual 

 advice is becoming greater each year as the establishment of farm 

 bureaus in various counties indicates. 



The results of such advice, given under the direction of the 

 Farmers' Institute Bureau, during the past two years, are very 

 apparent. Many fields of alfalfa are now established and yielding- 

 good returns ; and renovated orchards have been a source of much 

 profit to their owners. A vast saving has resulted to many farmers 

 who have sought and received advice in drainage problems. The 

 necessity for drainage is now being quite generally recognized and 

 a large percentage of the farms visited desired information as to 

 the best methods. In many instances plans for the drainage of 

 large areas on individual farms have been laid out. 



During the period covered by this report, Mr. D. P. Witter, 

 Farmers' Institute Conductor, visited 378 farms and gave 

 instruction in drainage, orchard renovation and improvement, and 

 the growing of alfalfa and leguminous crops. Particular atten- 

 tion has been given to the growing of soy beans alone, and with 

 corn, and the reports of such experiments have been very satis- 

 factory ; also, in the selection of seed, cultural methods and the 

 spraying of potatoes. The following, showing the results of seed 

 selection with potatoes, is a sample of the work done and the 

 returns : 



Farm No. 1. This experiment was made with one hundred 

 tubers, and the seed was the result of two years selection. Each 

 potato was cut in four pieces and the four hills planted from each 

 tuber were considered as the unit in selecting the seed. The one 

 hundred potatoes thus cut when planted made four hundred hills. 

 Out of each one hundred hills eighty-four were set aside as the 

 hills from which to select the seed for the following year. Some 

 of the rejected hills gave a yield large enough to put them in the 



[1625] 



