Commissioner of Agriculture 357 



With the exception of poultry, the bulk of the products con- 

 sumed in the city, which could be grown in the surrounding 

 country, came from a distance. Even a large portion of the milk 

 came from Vermont. One dealer paid over $400 for western- 

 boxed apples. The bulk of the potatoes, mutton and pork were 

 also brought from a distance, yet the surrounding country did once 

 and can still produce all these things, and at their best. Most of 

 it is excellent farming land. A difference was found in the pro- 

 duction of dairies of from $45 to $125 per cow. Here was evi- 

 dently a lack of coordinate effort and local leadership. 



A report of the survey was later made at a meeting of citizens at 

 Glens Falls. Probably a farm bureau will eventually result. 

 These facts will make valuable material for institute workers in 

 this section during the coming winter. 



cow testing associations 



With gratification and some pride attention is called to the 

 tabulation of the cow-testing association work. Despite the loss 

 of eleven associations, the handicap from lack of funds during 

 the summer which prevented any pioneer work, and the spread 

 of the foot-and-mouth disease during the winter, there are now 

 doing business thirty-seven associations, with approximately 930 

 members and 19,963 cows. Were the three associations organized 

 since the close of the calendar year, June 14, added, New York 

 would have one-fourth of all the associations in the entire United 

 States — this without a dollar of appropriation other than that 

 from the institute funds. 



The maintenance and advance of the work has been made pos- 

 sible by the cooperation of the farm bureau managers. Only 

 three associations have been organized in counties in which there 

 are no farm bureaus. The illustrations given in the following 

 pages from the report of Mr. A. J. Nicoll, bear testimony to the 

 value of this work. 



Mr. John A. Ennis spent the month of January at the State 

 School of Agriculture at Alfred instructing a class of young men 

 from the dairy division in cow testing work. From this class 

 have come some of our most efficient testers. Mr. F. G. Helyar, 

 Director of the State School of Agriculture at Morrisville, has 

 also specialized in training young men for similar service. 



