14 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



No industry within the State has made more rapid strides in its 

 development than that of poultry. To such extent has this industry 

 grown that we have today nearly 200 commercial poultry farms in 

 actual operation, most of which are developing egg production. At 

 these plants is placed in practice a most approved method of housing, 

 feeding and general care and management, resulting in the produc- 

 tion of eggs to an average value in many instances of over f2.00 per 

 hen. The farm poultry of the State has. possibly, in its care and 

 management, made a still greater improvement, such as clean, well 

 ventilated houses, the introduction of thorough-bred stock of all 

 varieties. The rural delivery service is affording a splendid oppor- 

 tunity for the farmer, especially the poultrymen, to reach the con- 

 sumer in towns and cities by sending packages of fresh eggs daily, 

 and farmers Avho adjust there products and market conditions to this 

 method are in the line of procuring greater profits for the products. 



FARM ADVISERS 



Possibly no legislation enacted within the last decade has provided 

 so efficient an agency in aiding the farmer in the matter of adopting 

 scientific and approved methods than that brought to him by the 

 Farm Advisers, who take up Crop Rotation, Soil Building, Plant 

 Growth, Dairy Husbandry in all its branches, together with Poultry 

 Management, Farm Drainage, etc., since there is no greater need 

 for development on thousands of farms within the State. The Market 

 Gardener and Fruit Grower has been fortified in his work; also the 

 co-operation in Buying and Selling Farm Products has directed thou- 

 sands of farmers as to the best location to market their products. 

 Home Sanitation is not the least important branch of this work as it 

 relates to the health, comfort and happiness of the farm homes in 

 Pennsylvania. 



A slight idea of how this work is appreciated by the farmers of the 

 State and the good it has accomplished, we beg to quote a few sta- 

 tistics of its existence ending November 30, 1914, the date of which 

 the advisers enter into Farmers' Institute work until the middle of 

 March. During the first 11 months there were visited 7,665 farms in 

 Pennsylvania, giving advice and counsel to there farmers on the in- 

 dustrial problems that confronted them. 



Mr. E. B. Dorsett, Adviser on Co-operation, visited 45 counties in 

 the State, many of them several times, spending much of his time 

 in perfecting Farm Organizations, such as the Grange, Farmers' 

 Clubs, Unions and other farm organizations. All these organiza- 

 tions gave valuable assistance, and in return received many benefits. 

 161 public and 50 private meetings were addressed by him during the 

 season, the average attendance at these meetings was 150, making a 

 total of 30,000 farmers addressed. Through the medium of his work 

 many sales were made of agricultural machinery and implements 

 bought and sold. He supplied, approximately, 3.000 tons of fertilizer 

 and fertilizer chemicals at an average saving to the farmer of $5.00 

 per ton, 40 tons of binder twine at a saving of 2| cents per pound, 

 2,000 ton!»i of feed at a saving of $4.00 per ton. These are only a few 

 of the many transactions in which the farmers were able to save 

 money. Fully 500,000 farmers were benefited directly or indirectly 

 by these transactions. In addition to buying and selling he gave as- 



