2094 Farm Bureau Circular No. 5 



" The present system of open drains would be improved by the use 

 of tile drains in all the laterals and many of the smaller mains. These 

 may be readily manufactured from the subsoil of the Dunkirk clay and 

 the Clyde clay. Tile would drain the land much deeper and would greatly 

 facilitate cultural operations and harvesting. On clay soil the objection 

 is that water penetrates to the tile too slowly. This may be obviated 

 by catch basins and sinks made of stone, brush, or other porous material. 

 The above objection does not apply on the loam and sandy loam soils. 

 The open drains should be kept more free of rubbish and vegetation 

 which greatly reduces the flow of water and consequently the capacity 

 of the ditch. Tile should be laid below two feet to avoid displacement 

 by the frost. 



" On the heavy soils the use of the roller, except where small seed 

 have been planted, should not be practiced. These so^ls need loosening 

 up and not compacting." 



The farmers fairly generally realize that the topography and the soil 

 type make this section best adapted to grain and grasses. The common 

 rotation is: grass sod, corn, oats followed in the fall by wheat, in which 

 timothy is usually seeded in the fall and clover in the spring. After the 

 wheat is removed the next summer, the land is left in grass for hay and 

 pasture for from two to four years. Barnyard manure is sometimes 

 applied before the land is sowed to oats. In some cases commercial 

 fertilizer is applied to oats and wheat, but this is not a general practice. 



Not only is the drainage deficient in the greater part of this section, 

 but also the soil is deficient in organic matter. It is generally plowed 

 too shallow; therefore it is dense and poorly aerated. 



On the land most suitable for the growing of grain and hay, increased 

 crop production should be worked for by the followdng means: 



1. By the introduction of better systems of drainage. Tile drains 

 should be used where practicable, and community ditches should be 

 constructed in places where they are necessary. 



2. By the practice of deeper plowing. This must be done gradually. 



3. By the application of more organic matter to the soil. Barnyard 

 manure may be used, or cover crops, such as rye and vetch, that have 

 been seeded in the corn in August and turned under the following spring. 



4. By the use of barnyard manure as top-dressing on the meadows. 



5. By encouraging the practice of keeping good dairy cows, and the 

 more general use of silos. 



6. By the more general use of fertilizers that contain a high percentage 

 of phosphoric acid. 



7. By seed selection. 



Betterment of schools. — Although the agriculture of the northern and 

 southern parts of the county is dissimilar, 3'et there is one interest that 

 the inhabitants of the entire county have in common — namely, the 

 education of the farm boys and girls. One-third of the population of 

 Niagara County lives on farms. The farmers are progressive, and they 

 have the keen judgment that is bom of experience. In order to insure 

 the future agricultural prosperity of the county, many of the children 



