Farm Bureau Work in New York State for 19 14 2159 



farm bureau and the district superintendents of schools are working 

 cogether in mapping out a plan whereby all of the children in the county 

 will be given an opportunity to study or at least to hear something of 

 agriculture. The boys' and girls' club work will be reorganized and 

 wherever possible school gardens will be instituted. In visits with the 

 district superintendents to over forty schools in the county, it has been 

 found that the teachers are very willing to cooperate. The canning 

 demonstration, given under the auspices of the farm bureau by Pro- 

 fessors Graham and Benson, has certainly aroused some interest in boys' 

 and girls' club work. The State School of Agriculture at Farmingdale, 

 when it is completed, should go far toward solving the school problem 

 on Long Island. 



In order to get in touch with inarket conditions, the manager has gone 

 to the markets with the farmers for the purpose of finding out the con- 

 ditions existing there. The \'illagers are not getting a .sufficient supply 

 of fresh vegetables, and it is hoped to remedy this in part by bringing 

 about the establisliment of some local distribtiting point where a farmer 

 may sell a load of produce for cash and return at once to his farm. There 

 is too much duplication of work "in carr\dng produce to the New York 

 and the Brooklyn markets. 



Some well-organized work should be done in the cooperative buying 

 of seeds and supplies, which the farm bureau has already fostered in 

 a small way. No doubt the granges will render much assistance in this 

 respect. 



The question of the economical purchasing and of the judicious use of 

 fertilizers and lime, needs careful consideration. Large quantities of 

 commercial fertilizers have been and are being used, often times at a loss, 

 because of the farmers' incomplete knowledge of the fundamentals of 

 fertilizing soil. The use of lime is growing in favor, and wherever used 

 marked results have followed because most of the Long Island soils 

 are acid. Of course, potato growers need to be very careful in using 

 lime. 



Long Island soils need more himius. Some of the most successful 

 farmers keep live stock; some purchase New York stable manure, which 

 is becoming a ver^- expensive practice; while .some grow leguminous 

 crops. There are too inany farmers who do not add humus to their soil 

 by any farm practice. The farm bureau advocates keeping more live 

 stock and growing more legtunes. More cows are needed in Nassau 

 County, for there is an excellent local market for milk, and there is much 

 need of the manure to supply humus. The farm bureau also recom- 

 mends that farmers cease to bum their potato vines unless they are diseased, 

 for these would make humus. 



Demonstrations on the most successful farms will be conducted, and 

 plans already started in securing the cooperation of farmers to conduct 

 practical tests on their farms under the direction of the farm bureau 

 will be followed out. The farm bureau expects to organize and complete 

 a farm survey this spring. It is desired to get some data as a basis for 

 further work in farm management and farm practice. 



Lloyd R. Simons, 

 • Farm, Bureau Manager oj Nassau. County. 



