Farm Bureau Work in New York vState for 19 14 2139 



cabbage, and ]o6tatoes, the farm bureau has advised them to drop out 

 the oat crop and to do their seeding with the corn crop. This theory 

 was not accepted by the farmers at first, but the results obtained by two 

 practical farmers during the year 1913-1914 are causing others to feel 

 that it is a good practice. 



treating oats for smut 



A great many farmers followed the advice of the farm liureau in treating 

 their seed oats with fomialin. It was impossible to get any data on the 

 comparative yields of treated and untreated plots because of the rainy 

 season at harvesting. 



LIME 



The farm bureau never loses an opportunity to encourage a farmer to 

 use lime when seeding his meadows. There probably has not been any 

 material purchased by the farmer that he understood less about than 

 lime. The fact that he did not understand gave unscrupulous agents a 

 chance to bunko him all the more. Coarse, inferior limestone was in 

 191 2 sold for any price the agent could get; cases were reported where 

 farmers have paid as high as from $4 to $5 per ton. After a campaign 

 in 1913, coar.se limestone was sold for $1.70 per ton, f. o. b. Cortland. 

 During 1914, 3000 tons of lime were brought into Cortland County, this 

 amount being about ecjually divided between good grades of hydrated 

 lime, ground limestone (a finely ground, superior product from the mechani- 

 cal point of view), and the coarser limestones. 



Already the farm bureau is in touch with one company, which is in- 

 stalling a large ground limestone plant at their quarries and is ready to 

 start operations. Ninety-two per cent of the first grinding was fine 

 enough to pass the standard, or 2500 meshes to the square inch, and 

 analyzed a trifle better than 50 per cent calcium oxide. That product 

 is to be sold for $2 per ton, f. o. b. Cortland. 



THE renewal of OLD ORCHARDvS 



Before dairying was so extensively carried on in Cortland County, 

 the farm orchard yielded a good income. For twenty years previous to 

 191 3, the orchards were neglected. To the best of the manager's knowl- 

 edge, only two men sprayed orchards in 1912. Demonstrations have been 

 given in pruning and spraying, and in 1914 over t 0,000 apple trees were 

 sprayed in Cortland County. The farm bureau has developed the idea 

 of spra^ang and has encouraged three men to do commercial work. One 

 of these men made use of two outfits in the field during 19 14. At the 

 agricultural carnival, 117 plates of apples were exhibited. 



POTATOES 



In 19 13 there were 2 men cooperating with the fann bureau in growing 

 potatoes. This number has been increased to 32 men during 191 4. The 

 systematic work done by the farm bureau in cooperation with the potato 

 growers' association has established a precedent for better work with this 

 important crop throughout Cortland County. This association with its 

 gtanda-rd is producing potatoes th§ quality of which is second to none. 



