326 



STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE 



of our wide publicity campaigu, we have received requests for information 

 on land clearing and possibilities of land clearing stretching from New 

 York to Seattle and as far south as Central America. 



To interest the young folks and also to further interest the older 

 folks in land clearing, a land clearing story contest was carried on in 

 each of six counties. Over a thousand essays were submitted and prizes 

 were awarded to the winners. 



Practical land clearing education was carried on this spring by a 

 series of 38 land clearing schools conducted in ten counties of the Upper 

 Peninsula. Over 1,000 jieople attended these schools. The school was 

 made up of eight cars donated by the railroad; 18 men, supplied by the 

 college; six stump pullers, sn])plied by stump puller companies; two 

 tractors, supplied by tractor companies; and dynamite and dynamite 

 tools from three powder com})anies, as well as Picric Acid. The "learn 

 by doing" method was adopted in the field, clearing a total of 86 acres. 

 About 2,70(i farmers took the complete course. We know that all who 

 attended these schools carried away some ideas which will be beneficial 

 to them. 



This fall another series of land clearing schools were held in the 

 north east section of the lower peninsula. Twenty-seven stops were made, 

 in seventeen counties and 4,700 peojile attended. 1,300 of these com- 

 pleted the course and will receive certificates. The train was run in 

 the same manner as the Upper Peninsula train but carried a crew of 

 10 men instead of 20. Of course this necessitated our cutting down on 

 the amount of equijmicnt carried. This series, as the other, was a suc- 

 cess from all points of view. 



It was also the duty of this office to distribute 1,874,000 pounds of war 

 salvage picric acid to the farmers of the state. This was done through 

 the county agent system, farm bureaus organizations and county clerks. 

 Twenty-four cars, or ,550,000 ])ouii(ls were placed in 17 counties of the 

 Lower Peninsula' and the remaining 20 cars, or 457,000 pounds were 

 distributed in 14 counties in the Upj)er Peninsula. It is estimated that 

 22,000 acres of land were cleared with tliis explosive at a saving to the 

 farmers of about .fl 43,770.00. 



Demonstrations held 



Ccuntv Agent Conferences. . 



Exhibits at county fairs 



County board meetings 



Business men's meetings. . . . 



Farmers' meetings 



Land clearing schools — U. P 

 Land clearing schools — L. P 



Days 



15 

 5 



44 

 9 

 30 

 75 

 70 

 38 



The goal as set for the Upper Peninsula has been and will be 60,000 

 acres per year for five years. It is based on a five acre per farm produc- 

 tion and will at the end of five years give the average farmer sufficient 

 cleared land to make him independent of logging or mining operations. 

 Statistics will be gathered at the winter meetings to show the actual 



