1912. 
THE JEFFERSON COUNTY FARM BUREAU. 
Part I. 
The organization of the Jefferson County, N. Y., 
Farm Bureau, and the possibilities in connection with 
the employment of a county agricultural expert, to 
assist in the agricultural development of Jefferson 
County, was first conceived in some of the active 
minds in connection with the Watertown, N. Y., 
Chamber of Commerce. This body of 
business men was far-sighted enough to 
appreciate the fact that any benefits that 
might accrue to the farmers through the 
practicing of better agriculural methods 
would result in more business, and hence 
greater prosperity in the county. It was 
not without considerable difficulty, how¬ 
ever, that these men finally secured the 
interest and support of the three pri¬ 
mary forms of government and one of 
the leading traffic corporations in the 
country in an agreement whereby the 
project could be cooperatively financed. 
The Jefferson County Farm Bureau is 
cooperatively maintained by moneys fur¬ 
nished as follows: From the United 
States Department of Agriculture, 
through the Office of Farm Manage¬ 
ment, $900; from the„New York\State 
Department of Agriculture, $600; from 
Jefferson County, $1,000, which sum is 
appropriated by, the ..County Board of 
Supervisors annually. In addition to 
these sums the county expert receives 
$5 per month from the New York Cen¬ 
tral and Hudson River R. R. and is pro¬ 
vided with a pass over the company’s 
lines within the county. The funds ap¬ 
propriated by the Federal and State De¬ 
partments of Agriculture apply on the 
salary of the county expert and those 
from the county apply on salary and 
Bureau expenses. This Bureau is gov¬ 
erned by a Board of Control consisting 
of four men, one each representing the 
four individual supporting agencies. The 
county expert, theoretically, acts under 
the directions of the Board of Control, 
but actually he is left to himself very 
largely in working out his local problems 
and in undertaking such lines of work 
as he finds most important and neces¬ 
sary in his territory. Since every coun¬ 
ty has its own local problems, it is 
practically impossible for any board of 
control to outline the special work that 
each county man shall undertake. 
The Jefferson County Farm Bureau 
has been organized and in active opera¬ 
tion since April 16, 1912. Hence it has 
been actively engaged for approximately 
six months. Whatever success the Bu¬ 
reau has met with since its organization 
has been due as much to the active in¬ 
terest and support given it by the farm¬ 
ers of Jefferson County as to any activ¬ 
ity on the part of the officers in charge. 
This is evidence that the time is fully 
ripe for this class of agricultural activ¬ 
ity in many sections of the country. 
The agricultural expert may well be 
classed as the county hired man, be¬ 
cause he should be at the beck and call 
of any farmer in the county. Flis first 
task is to become intimately acquainted 
with his conditions and his people. He 
must be intensely practical in everything 
pertaining to farming. He must realize 
that farmers want facts and not theory. 
He must appreciate the fact that every 
farmer knows as much about his own 
farm, perhaps, as anyone else. He must 
win the confidence of his people at the 
earliest possible opportunity, and this he 
may do most easily by showing results 
and by making use of such convincing- 
illustrations, demonstrations and argu¬ 
ments that there is no denying that they 
are all right. 
DISTRIBUTION OF TIME AND WORK.—By 
far the greater part of the county expert’s time is 
taken up by visits to farms in various parts of the 
county on request of the farmers. The giving of 
specific advice and assistance on various agricultural 
topics to the farmers on their farms will always 
occupy the greater part of his time. Approximately, 
then, his work will be distributed as follows: Visit¬ 
ing farms and giving specific advice and assistance 
THE RURAB NEW-YORKER 
to the farmers, 75 per cent.; office work, 10 per cent.; 
lecture and demonstrational work, 15 per cent. After 
the work has become systematized and organized a 
certain amount of investigational work may be car¬ 
ried on in order to determine to what extent certain 
methods may be improved or modified. On the whole, 
the county experts will have but little time to devote 
to investigational work. Their time and efforts may 
EFFECT OF LIME ON CLOVER. Fig. 507. 
GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH THE FI AIRY VETCH. Fig. 508. 
A ROW OF JEFFERSON CO„ N. Y., HAYSTACKS. Fig. 509. 
be used to better advantage when devoted to high- 
class demonstrational and advisory activities. 
WORK THIS BUREAU IS DOING.—While the 
greater part of the work of county agricultural ex¬ 
perts should have to do with giving the farmers direct 
advice and assistance on matters relating to every¬ 
day farm problems, there are many other duties he 
may and should perform. He should actively, but 
quietly, take a leading part in every agricultural ac- 
1319 
tivity and civic movement which has to do with the 
welfare of the farming population in the county. Fie 
should be closely affiliated with and work in coopera¬ 
tion with all of the different agricultural departments 
in the Federal and State departments of agriculture 
and the State college and experiment stations. Fie 
should do these things in order to be constantly on 
die alert to make use of any new principle, or any 
new feature that may be discovered by 
these various institutions, and to keep 
these institutions posted in regard to 
the conditions and problems that are 
confronting the farmers in his district. 
Standing between the farmers and their 
local problems on the one hand, and the 
departments whose purposes it is to in¬ 
vestigate and teach on the other, the 
country experts are in position to bring 
these two elements into closer contact 
in order that the farmers may benefit. 
In Jefferson County the dairymen are 
burdened with a heavy expense in con¬ 
nection with the practice of purchas¬ 
ing feed. With a view of securing 
some earlier varieties of silage corn, so 
that its feeding value will be increased, 
the Bureau has introduced some new va¬ 
rieties of early maturing silage corn. 
These varieties have been grown by 30 
farmers during the past season. One 
of these varieties promises to be of 
superior value to some of the more 
common varieties, but another year’s 
trial will be tried out. Several trials 
of Soy beans and silage corn this sea¬ 
son have proven that Soy beans may be 
grown to advantage in many parts of 
the country. .The Bureau finds that the 
Medium Green variety promises to give 
the best satisfaction, and that they may 
be grown either for seed or for forage. 
This practice will of course improve 
the feeding value of silage. The wild 
vetch (Vicia angustifolia grows with 
vigor throughout the country. This led 
the Bureau to try out some of the 
Winter vetch (V. villosa). Five farmers 
are now attempting to grow vetch for 
seed, and several more are growing it 
for forage, and with Winter rye for a 
green crop to improve sandy soil. Pres¬ 
ent indications are that the growing of 
vetches may make a valuable addition 
to the crops grown in the country. 
The growing of Alfalfa although yet 
in its pioneer stage in the country, 
promises to become very general. 
Winter-killing of the Alfalfa plants is 
apt to occur. With a view to overcome 
this the Bureau is trying out varieties 
of Grimm and Turkestan Alfalfa. Of 
the former we have six plots and of 
the latter one plot. Drainage, liming 
the soil and inoculations are being tried 
out in this connection. While the Bureau 
is encouraging trials of these newer 
legumes, it realizes fully that at the 
present time the clovers are the most 
important and valuable legumes for the 
north country. In connection with 
means for growing larger crops of clover 
the value of drainage and the use of 
lime is being demonstrated and proven. 
The conditions which at present make 
clover growing uncertain may all be cor¬ 
rected and improved by the average 
farmer. By far the most important 
cash crop grown for sale in the country 
is hay. Little attempt has previously 
been made to grow larger crops or 
crops of better quality. The possibili¬ 
ties in this connection are very large. 
In this connection the Farm Bureau 
has been fortunate in interesting Dr. 
Webber of the State College into intro¬ 
ducing a quantity of his improved 
Timothy grass seed in the county to be 
carefully grown under directions from 
the college, in order that the seed may be 
kept pure and the quality increased as rapidly 
as possible. Forty-five hay growers are now 
cooperating in this work. Two years from this 
as rapidly as possible. Forty-five hay growers are 
now cooperating in this work. Two years from this 
Fall it is planned to hold a Timothy improvement 
show in Jefferson County which will be of great value. 
J. E. ROBERTSON. 
