362 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Eioht thoii,sand nine hundred and fifty-four orchards were cared 

 for AvhoUy or in part according to recommendations of agents, inchid- 

 ing the following of suggestions on pruning and recommendations 

 for spraying to control insect pests and fungus diseases. 



Legume ackeage greatly increased, — Considerable time was spent 

 in helping to stimulate the raising of more legumes, both for forage, 

 seed, and soil improvement, resulting in the sowing of 77,755 addi- 

 tional acres of alfalfa, 26,990 acres of sweet clover, 66,854 acres of soy 

 beans, 8,798 acres of cowpeas, and 10,097 acres of vetch. A large 

 number of demonstrations were conducted to show the importance of 

 using lime, inoculation, and proper drainage, as well as following the 

 best methods of seeding and harvesting legumes. In many counties 

 where sweet clover and soy beans had been grown but little, if at all, 

 farmers were encouraged to try a small acreage, with such satisfactory 

 results that these crops will be grown much more extensively. Nearly 

 100,000 acres of clover and other legumes were plowed under for soil 

 improvement. 



Succulent feed provided. — Eealizing the importance of conserving 

 succulent feed, especially for dairy cows, the county agents in several 

 States carried on definite campaigns to encourage farmers to build 

 silos, which resulted in 7,245 silos being erected at their suggestion or 

 as recommended. Silo-building camj^aigns were carried on most in- 

 tensively by the county agents in Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Penn- 

 sylvania. The reports indicate that nearly a third of a million acres 

 of silage corn were grown last year at the suggestion of county agents 

 in the Northern and Western States. 



More and better live stock. — The production of more and better 

 live stock with less expensive feed and greater profit to the producers 

 has received considerable attention in nearly all counties. During 

 1917 the agents assisted in the organization of 160 live-stock breeders' 

 associations to encourage the use of better sires, and 182 cow-testing 

 associations to eliminate unprofitable cows and bring about more 

 economical feeding. Through these associations and those organized 

 with the assistance of agents in previous years 127,835 cows were 

 under test, resulting in at least 8,724 cows being discarded as un- 

 profitable. Primarily through these organizations 10,986 farmers 

 were induced to adopt balanced rations for their herds, and the fol- 

 lowing number of head of registered stock were secured at sugges- 

 tion of agents: Bulls, 3,285; cows, 4,836; rams, 1,469; and boars, 

 2,974. The agent also brought about the transfer to other herds 

 of 3,370 valuable registered sires by means of information given to 

 individual farmers or through exchange lists published by the farm 

 bureaus. 



In order to increase the production of live stock to meet the war 

 needs, farmers were encouraged by personal conferences, at meetings, 

 and through circular letters and newspaper articles to raise more live 

 stock, resulting in more than 40,000 additional head of cattle, more 

 than 100,000 additional hogs, and 148,211 sheep being raised or 

 placed on farms. In some States a special effort was made to save 

 calves from being slaughtered for veal, resulting in 10,499 additional 

 calves being raised. This work was carried on most extensively in 

 Wisconsin, from which 2,459 head of calves from high-grade or reg- 



