2138 Farm Bureau Circular No. 6 



caring for the pigs. On November i, reports were submitted by each 

 member, which included all exyjcnses as follows: cost of original pigs, cost 

 of feed and pasture, and cost of caring for the pigs. Total receipts were 

 obtained by having the pigs officially weighed November i, and by 

 calculating their value at 9 cents per pound, the market ]jricc. 



All reports submitted were carefully examined, and the boy receiving 

 the highest percentage, Harry Tayntor of McGraw, received the first 

 prize. Mr. B. S. Winch ell has offered $100 in cash to the boy who raises 

 the best ten pigs during 191 5 ; the same conditions are to govern the contest 

 that were in effect this year. 



POULTRY 



Cortland County ranks twentieth among the counties of New York 

 State in the sales of poultry per acre. Consequently, the farmers should 

 give greater attention to this important industry. The farm bureau has 

 given advice to farmers in the selection of their flocks and has also 

 secured experts from Cornell University to help them. 



The Cortland County Boys' and Girls' Poultry Club was organized 

 at the farm bureau office. The club has had nine active members. At 

 the end of each month, every member sends in a report giving the number 

 of eggs his hens have laid, the price per dozen, the number of hours of 

 labor expended, and the cost of feed. 



CROP IMPROVEMENT 



Through the efforts of the farm bureau, there has been a steady growth 

 in the number of farmers who are growing alfalfa. Twenty-nine are 

 growing this crop according to methods suggested to them. In the two 

 years, there has been only one failure and that, in 19 13, was due to poor 

 seed. 



The fertilization of meadows by top-dressing with chemicals had never 

 been practiced to any extent in Cortland County previous to 19 13, and 

 that year the farm bureau was able to get only three farmers to cooperate 

 in this experiment. During farmers' week and other meetings, 78 farmers 

 purchased upwards of 400 tons of chemicals for home mixing, and caused 

 some agents to drop the price of ready-mixed fertilizers. A good share 

 of this was used in fertilizing potatoes and in top-dressing meadows. 



The yields on fertilized and unfertilized fields on farms in different 

 localities were determined. In selecting the fields care was taken not 

 to get the largest increases, but to get fair, representative results. This 

 was done by harvesting equal areas of fertilized and unfertilized plots, 

 and by calculating the amount of the product in terms of barn-cured hay 

 with approximately 11 per cent moisture. The chemicals used were 

 nitrate of soda, basic slag or acid phosphate, and sulfate of potash. The 

 average net increase from six separate acres was 4092 pounds, which 

 if sold for $12 per ton would have brought $24.55. The average cost 

 per acre for chemicals was $6.44, leaving a net profit of $18.11 per acre. 

 For $1 spent for chemicals there was a return of $3.81, or 381 per cent. 



A NEW METHOD OF SEEDING GRASS 



There are a good many small farms in Cortland County that support 

 large dairies. In order to enable these farmers to raise more com, alfalfa. 



