Farm Bureau Work in New York State for 1914 2165 



of soda. Allowing one- third for shrinkage, the yield of mow-cured hay 

 was 3 J tons. 



In a large number of cases the bureau cooperated with farmers in ordering 

 chemicals for mixing fertilizers at home; and wherever the farmer desired, 

 the bureau assisted him in the mixing. Many fertilizer dealers, as well 

 as the farmers' cooperative companies, report that the present tendency 

 is for farmers to buy more unmixed chemicals and mix them at home 

 than formerly. 



On the advice of the farm bureau, in sections where organic matter 

 w^as ver\^ deficient and w4iere barnyard manure was scarce, several farmers 

 have sown and plowed under soy beans and, in some cases, rye and vetch, 

 in order to return organic matter to the soil. In some cases, the soil 

 was inoculated and lime w^as applied; in other cases, lime was applied 

 Vjut no inoculation was done; and in still others, the soil was not inoculated 

 nor was lime applied. This afforded an opportunity to test the value 

 of lime and inoculation on the legtimes. 



drainage 



Assistance has been given in several drainage problems. One, in the 

 town of Vienna, was cleaning up and draining a swamp where the black 

 muck varied from eighteen inches to several feet in depth. The land 

 is now practically subdued and can be worked at any time. The method 

 of drainage used w^as a series of open ditches about three feet deep, three 

 and one-half feet wdde at the top, and sloping to a shovel's width at the 

 bottom, placed at intervals of thirty-three paces apart. The New York 

 Central P.ailroad Company aided in this w'ork by giving the use of a 

 ditcher for a short time. 



PUBLICATIONS AND EXHIBITS 



The farm bureau has endeavored from time to time to furnish the 

 various papers, both daily and w^eekly, with seasonable articles on the 

 various farm operations. The aim has been to adapt these articles to 

 local problems. They covered questions of lime and liming, the renewal 

 of old orchards, alfalfa and how to grow it, the use of bordeaux mixture 

 on potatoes, and like topics. 



At four of the fairs in the county the bureau supplied exliibits of an 

 educational nature. At the Boonville and the Rome fairs the farm 

 bureau had exhibits showing the results of w^ork done by the cow-testing 

 association, results of spraying potatoes with bordeaux mixtiire, and 

 results from renewing old orchards. At both these fairs cow- judging 

 contests for men and for boys under eighteen years of age were conducted. 

 At the Paris Hill and the Vernon fairs exhibits of potatoes showing the 

 difference in yield of those sprayed with bordeaux mixture and those 

 unsprayed w^ere shown. The average difference in yield on two different 

 fields was 51 bushels per acre. 



farm labor 



The farm bureau in cooperation with the New York State Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture has acted as an agency for farm labor, and several 

 hundred men have been given work, While not all the men furnished 



