EXTENSION DIVISION. 221 



schools and other farmers' meetings. Demonstrations have been con- 

 ducted in fourteen counties. In Muskegon, Ottawa, Saginaw and St. 

 Clair counties, where there are large areas needing drainage, the demon- 

 strations have led many farmers to use tile drainage; in Saginaw 

 county 150 car loads of tile were used in one community; in St. Clair 

 county on one farm alone, three car loads were used; in Ottawa county 

 40 farmers Avere induced through the demonstrations to drain their 

 farms; in Muskegon county 15 demonstrations have been made and 

 ditching machines have been purchased cooperatively by the farmers in 

 four communities. In Alpena county four demonstrations of the use of 

 dynamite for ditching in swampy land where men and teams can not 

 Avork to advantage, were given. Tlie difficulty in getting tile, the scarcity 

 of labor and the lack of ditching machinery have checked the progress of 

 this work in all of the counties this season. 



* FARM CROPS. 



standardization of Crops through Commumty and Countij Organiza- 

 tion: A fundamental need in relation to larger and more economical 

 production as well as successful marketing has been concerted action 

 on the part of communities and counties in the elimination of varietal 

 mixtures, and impurities, the replacing of the large number of poor vari- 

 eties and the 'maintenance of the purity of these by community action. 

 It is very gratifying to note the progress that has been made this year in 

 the movement toward standardization of crops through community and 

 county efforts. There have been formed 21 pedigreed seed associations 

 and 6 potato groAvers' associations. In cooperation Avith the Farm Crops 

 department a Avell organized movement has been started for locating all 

 the pedigreed grain grown in the counties; for inspecting and certifying 

 such fields of grain and advertising it so that it may be used for seed by 

 larger numbers of farmers. 



Red Rock Wheat: Special effort has been made to place the growing 

 of Ked Rock Avheat and Kosen rye on a community and county basis 

 and the results have been very encouraging. In 1913 a peck of Red Rock 

 Wheat was sent to each of the Agricultural Agents then employed. The 

 small demonstration plots made possible in this Avay interested many 

 farmers and more demonstrations AAere made in 1914-15 Avith the result 

 that in 191G several counties began to make this variety their standard. 

 The agents in these counties urged farmers having fields of this wheat 

 to have it insj^ected and this has aided greatly in supplying the big de- 

 mand that has arisen for pure Red Rock Avheat. 



Rosen Rye: The groAving of Rosen rye has furnished an excellent ex- 

 ample of the value and need of community action. Its superiority over 

 common r3'e is at once admitted by all Avho have had an opportunity to 

 see the Iavo groAving under similar conditions. This, coupled with the 

 fact that it mixes by cross-fertilization, at once challenges the best that 

 there is in community spirit in vje. groAving sections to show the possi- 

 bilities of standardization for more i)rofitabl(' production and better mar- 

 keting. The results of the lack of commnnily action are very evident in 

 tlie fact that of the estimated 15,000 acres of Rosen rye in the state, 

 prol)ably not more than 5% of it is 99% ])ure. St. Joseph county has 

 made a good record in the introduction of Rosen rye having about o,- 

 500 acres, the largest acreage of any of the counties of the state. How- 

 CA-er, the strong campaign that has been made for it this year promises 



