2174 Farm Bureau Circular No. 6 



The first issue of our sales list and exchange was sent to 700 men on 

 December i. There was more than $20,000 worth of stock advertised. 



The grange has been at all times willing to cooperate with the farm 

 bureau. There are twenty-four subordinate granges in Otsego County, 

 and many of thein have held joint meetings with the farm bureau. An 

 opportunity has been extended to the manager to meet the members of 

 the Pomona grange at each of their meetings. The manager assisted 

 in arranging for two debates, one of which drew an attendance of over 

 200 at a village eight miles from a railroad. 



Nine farmers' institutes have been held in the coiuity with a total 

 attendance of 2081. The work of the institute should be more valuable 

 than ever in counties that have bureaus. Even though we discuss the 

 same subjects, they are presented in different ways. 



Our annual meeting, on December i, proved to be a success. There 

 were more than 300 men at each of the sessions. Dr. J. F. De\'ine of 

 Goshen and Professor K. C. Livermore of Ithaca delivered addresses. 

 The chairmen of committees on cooperation, poiiltry, sheep, horses, 

 holsteins, and guernseys reported. Of the 203 men who paid for member- 

 ship for 191 5, 65 are new members. Since farm calls were made on mem- 

 bers of the bureau only, except in a few cases of special requests by non- 

 members, the increased membership shows a growing appreciation of 

 the work done. Township committeemen, of which we have 67, are 

 reporting many new members. 



Floyd S. Barlow, 

 Farm Bureau Manager of Otsego County. 



ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY 



St. Lawrence is a dair\' county, and the work of the farm bureau has 

 been mainly in connection with this industr\\ However, intense special- 

 ization in one branch of farming is not generally wise. For this reason 

 the farm bureau has tried to develop in the farmers an interest in other 

 branches of farming that might be carried on with dair\'ing. 



The work in dairying has been, first, the devleopment of a greater 

 interest in pure-bred cattle; second, the advocating of a more general 

 use of pure-bred sires from high producing families in breeding grades; 

 and third, the. elimination of low producing animals from the herd. The 

 last has been accomplished through cow-testing associations and by 

 arousing in the farmers a greater interest in weighing and testing the 

 milk of each cow in the herd. 



The manager has cooperated with granges, agricultural fair associations, 

 farmers' institutes, a breeders' association, a cow-testing association, and 

 small agricultural clubs from the beginning. 



Other work of the farm bureau has been the an^anging of farm demon- 

 strations. They have been planned for the following purposes: (i) to 

 show the value of drainage; (2) to show the value of chemical fertilizers 

 in growing hay; (3) to test the relative value of certain new as well as 

 certain well-known varieties of fodder crops; (4) to increase the yield 

 and the seed quality of potatoes. 



Drainage is generally acknowledged to be one of the big problems in 

 this coimty. Several farms were \'i sited where tile drainage is used. 



