18 University or New Hampshire [Sta. Bui. 330 



cooperative, an organization serving - the farmers of the region, could 

 be of assistance in securing employment for these people by chang- 

 ing its policy. By purchasing stumpage and contracting with mem- 

 bers to do logging, and bv furnishing supervision where non-farmers 

 wish to manage their holdings, it could aid materially in relating this 

 group to near-by resources. 



Still a third group are those with sufficient acreage and mer- 

 chantable timber to utilize all available labor during slack periods, 

 provided a program of forest management is adopted. In most cases 

 it would be to the interest of these people to alter their cutting 

 policy, limiting the cut in any one year to that amount which could 

 be handled by the regular farm labor. 



It is estimated that bv reasonable management of their forest 

 resources, farmers could increase production by about three times 

 the present level. Returns from sale of these products would be 

 largely reflected in the net farm income, provided the work was done 

 with farm labor. 



(Purnell Fund and B. A. E.) 



Pasture Improvement Studies CM. F. Abell) 



Results of studies on brush removal methods and costs of im- 

 provement were reported in Station Bulletin No. 326. 



Further results are being studied, particularly on the succession 

 of plants under various systems of fertilization. Brush cutting with 

 a power mower was tried on four farms with varying brush condi- 

 tions to determine labor required, kinds and size of brush capable 

 of removal by power, effectiveness of control of brush erowth and re- 

 production by this means, and methods that must be followed in re- 

 moval of regrowth in following years. With only slight variation, 

 a power mower with a four and a half foot cut would cut over about 

 an acre in two hours. The brush was gathered together with a horse 

 rake and burned when dry. Burning required about two hours ad- 

 ditional time per acre. 



Brush up to an inch in diameter was easily handled. Clumps 

 of high bush blueberries were most difficult but could usually be cut 

 on the second attack. Larger brush or trees were removed by hand 

 with an axe or pruning shears. Further work will be done on all 

 plots again this year, both with brush removal and fertilization. 



(Purnell Fund) 

 Economies in Purchases Made by Farmers (L. A. Dougherty) 



Feed dealers vary greatly in their policies and in the carrying 

 out of their policies in relation to discounts for cash, for farmer de- 

 livery, and for volume purchases. In many cases, no discount is 

 given for cash, although sizeable volume discounts may be tied in 

 with cash or short-term credit. There is every indication that small 

 groups of farmers within a neighborhood can make substantial sav- 

 ings in feed purchases by cooperating with the dealer in (1) ordering 

 cars in advance, (2) paying cash on delivery, (3) taking full truck 

 loads or a number of tons in one order. 



