2i66 Farm Bureau Circular No. 6 



turned out as well as could be desired, many of them gave good service. 

 In one case a man furnished in the spring of 19 13 is still on hand doing 

 good service, and in two other cases the men furnished were, so the em- 

 ployers stated, the best that they had ever had on their farms. During 

 the auttmin a number of the local unemployed were given work on farms 

 harvesting apples and potatoes. 



alfalfa 



Another important work that the farm bureau lias acconiplishcd during 

 the past 3-ear is cooperating with farmers in different parts of the county 

 in growing alfalfa where it does not grow naturally. From the tenth of 

 June until the first of July from one to two fields of alfalfa were sown 

 each day. With perhaps one exception , where the preparation of the soil 

 was not thorough, the alfalfa sown in 19 13 gave excellent yields in 19 14. 

 It seems that wherever the field is dr>' enough, it is possible to produce 

 good yields of alfalfa when proper care is taken in supplying the elements 

 needed. The only matter to be considered is, will the necessary" expense 

 warrant establishing the crop? 



ventilation in stables 



Help has been given in installing the King system of ventilation in 

 three bams during the past year. 



POISON BAIT for GRASSHOPPERS 



In some of the sandy sections of Oneida County this year, grasshoppers 

 were a very serious pest and destroyed many acres of farm crops. The 

 bureau with the assistance of Professor Glenn W. Herrick of the New 

 York State College of Agrictdture helped in controlling this pest by poison- 

 ing the grasshoppers with bait similar to that used so successfulh' in 

 Kansas last year for the eradication of grasshoppers. In several cases 

 only one application of the poison bait was necessan.- to save crops of 

 com and buckwheat. However, in the more seriously infested fields, 

 three applications were necessary. 



THE boys' and girls' CORN AND POTATO CLUBS 



In cooperation with Mr. A. P. Snyder, boys' and girls' com and potato 

 clubs have been carried on in the first supervisory district of Oneida 

 County. This is the second year these clubs have been in existence, 

 and the results are certainly gratifying. The boys and girls have raised 

 crops of potatoes and com and have shown them in contests this fall. 

 An advanced contest was conducted in which boys and girls competed 

 to show the greatest economic gain on one-quarter of an acre. The 

 prize in this advanced contest is a trip to Cornell University or some 

 other point of equal interest. 



farm ACCOUNTING 



Last spring a bulletin on farm management was issued, which dealt 

 with farm accounts. This was a description of the work done on a farm, 

 giving the method of keeping cost accounts of different crops. It was 

 sent to the fairners throughout the county and resulted in many inquiries 



