

16 Experiment Station Bulletin 345 



(4) The use of rural resources data in projecting secondary high- 

 ways. 



(5) Town development of priorities in local road improvement and 

 maintenance. 



(W. Robert Parks and John C. Holmes) 



Operation of the Agricultural Conservation 

 Program in Selected Areas 



An analysis was made of the use of acreage of open pastures as one of 

 the determinants in the allotment to individual farms in the Agricultural 

 ( :<>nscrvation Program. The agency records from Merrimack, Rocking- 

 ham, and Belknap counties were examined. It was found that area of 

 open pasture was not correlated with carrying capacity. Operators who 

 had improved their pastures tended to be handicapped in comparison with 

 the men who had a large acreage of worthless pasture. In the same county 

 one dairyman with 20 cows had no credit toward his allotment from his 

 50 acres' of good pasture, but a man with one cow and 60 acres of so- 

 called pasture was credited with $19.00 toward the allotment on his farm. 



The wide differences in the acres of open pasture per cow is an 

 indication of the difficulty of using pasture area as a determinant of the 

 allotment. A sample of" 359 farms drawn from the records in three 

 counties was distributed according to pasture per cow. The fact that 

 73 operators, or more than 20 per cent, claimed over 15 acres per cow 

 indicates confusion as to what may be classified as pasture. (Harry C. 

 Woodworth) 



Freezer-Locker Plants 



New Hampshire had no freezer-locker plants up to June 30, 1942, 

 but interest is increasing. One plant is being constructed now, and more 

 are contemplated. 



Because New Hampshire conditions are much different from those 

 in the Middle West, where many plants are in operation, it was believed 

 desirable to bring together data which might aid in considering their 

 applicability to our conditions. 



A survey was made among farmers and others in the Laconia area. 

 Of 100 families contacted, 42 per cent showed definite interest in a locker 

 plant, 26 per cent showed possible interest, and 32 per cent were not in- 

 terested. About two thirds Mere commercial farmers, of which the 

 majority were dairymen. Almost half the families had never eaten frozen 

 foods. Almost two thirds of the interested group had tried frozen foods, 

 while less than one third of the disinterested group had tried them. 

 Families with four or more at the table showed greatest interest. Half 

 or more of those families eating 500 pounds of meat and up were in- 

 terested in freezer lockers. 



While more producers were interested in dressing off pork than 

 beef, a much greater increase would be shown in dressing off beef if 

 freezer lockers" were available. Much interest is indicated in freezing 

 fruits and vegetables. 



The purchase of frozen products not raised, in jobbing lots, might 

 be desirable to utilize lockers when home-produced products were not 



