Farm Bureau Work in New York State for 1914 2135 



Considerable work has been done in trying to eradicate the common 

 scab from potatoes. Although it is difficult to impress farmers with the 

 importance of this, owing to the work necessary in treating seed potatoes, 

 the farmers who did treat their seed were more than pleased with the 

 results. I anticipate that the treating of seed potatoes will be the general 

 practice rather than the exceptional during the coming season. 



Some potato breeding was done. This work clearly demonstrated the 

 fact that the only place to select seed potatoes is in the field when they 

 are being dug. As a result there are many farmers in the county who 

 have choice " hill selected " seed stock for next year's planting. 



The most important work in com this last season was the conducting 

 of four variety tests, in cooperation with the other counties in the northern 

 tier, for the purpose of determining which variety or varieties are best 

 adapted for use as silage in this section. In these tests ten varieties 

 selected with some care were used — five of dent com and five of flint 

 com. In Clinton County these tests were scattered as much as possible 

 and conducted under different conditions. At the time the com was 

 harvested the amount of green matter yielded per acre by each variety 

 was calculated; then a sample of each variety was forwarded to the State 

 School of Agriculture at Canton, in order to determine the amount of 

 drs' matter per acre. The results of this year's work plainly indicate that 

 some varieties are much better than others for this locality, and that 

 many farmers are not using as good varieties as the}- shoiild. This work 

 will be continued next season. 



More than twenty fertilizer and lime tests have been made in the county. 

 This work is being done for the purpose of determining the kind and 

 the amount of fertilizer that our soils need for the most economical pro- 

 duction of crops. Undoubtedly this work will be continued another year. 



In addition to these different problems that have been mentioned, 

 I have rendered what assistance I could to other agencies interested 

 in the promotion of agriculture. This consisted in aiding the school 

 superintendents to conduct a potato contest, in assisting at farmers' 

 institutes, in helping the State College to conduct a farm demonstration 

 school, and in getting the proper authorities interested in the soil survey 

 that has been made of Clinton County this year. This survey, when 

 published, will be of great benefit to the residents of the county. 



During the coming year I would like to conduct more cooperative 

 demonstrations wdth the farmers, w^hich will be of interest not only to the 

 cooperators but to all the farmers in the immediate vicinity. I feel sure 

 that the results we can accomplish by working individually are very 

 small compared to what can be accomplished by working with groups of 

 farmers. C. B. Tillson, 



Farm Btireau Manager of Clinton County. 



CORTLAND COUNTY 



During the first year, every effort was put forward to study the needs 

 of Cortland County. A systematic farm survey was made of the town 

 of Homer, which was exemplary of the needs of the entire county. The 

 analysis of this surv^ey determined to a large extent the projects to be under- 

 taken, which are outlined as follows: (i) promoting work through groups 



