2 
to do more effective work, decided to formulate plans 
to build up the organization. About this time word 
was received from the Secretary of Agriculture urg¬ 
ing a State-wide campaign, and offering a prize to 
the county making the greatest gain in new members 
tor the Board of Agriculture. A new survey of the 
number of farmers in each county was taken and the 
greatest gain per capita of new members for the 
board used as a basis for competition between the 
counties. The executive committee of Mercer County 
decided to draw a line through the center of the 
county and have a contest between the northern and 
southern sections, the ladies taking the active part in 
managing the work in one half and the men in the 
other. As chairman of my half of the county, I want 
to tell a little about how we won the contest and 
helped bring the State prize to our county. 
GETTING TOGETHER.—Of course, I realized at 
the outset that I needed helpers throughout the coun¬ 
ty, but, because of the fact that I knew less than 10 
per cent of the farmers, it looked almost impossible 
to find the right workers. I finally decided to have 
the men come together for a dinner where they 
would become better acquainted with each other and 
learn about the aims and work of the board. The 
best way to reach the right men was one of my 
hardest problems. I threw aside the suggestion that 
1 use any single organization, such as Grange or 
lodge, or even use the already active workers of the 
board, as a basis for my group of workers, as being 
too limited. I simply visited each section or neigh¬ 
borhood in the county and asked several farmers 
whom they considered the best man to push the 
work in his district. I then selected my workers 
from the list secured by this method, visited each one 
and invited him to meet with the others for dinner. 
Thinking I might further insure getting the right 
men I asked each m^n to bring a near neighbor who 
would work with him. With the exception of three, 
all invited attended, an<l several brought friends. 
Thirty-seven men enjoyed a bountiful dinner (each 
paying his own expenses), became better acquainted 
with each other and with the work of the board, and 
proved by their record later to be the most eilicient 
band of workers in the campaign. Before leaving 
for their homes it was decided that each man pres¬ 
ent be chairman of the work in his own district 
COVERING THE COUNTRY.—I followed this up 
by visiting each chairman and tracing out for him 
ilie roads in his district, using a large detail map 
with a different color crayon for each section. Each 
district was "covered" by neighbors appointed by 
the chairman of that district, so that every road in 
the county was covered. We tried to have not over 
two hours’ work for each individual. At the begin¬ 
ning of each week of the two months’ campaign I sent 
postals to the several different chairmen urging them 
to their best efforts. These postals were short, snappy 
messages, one serving to open up competition be¬ 
tween the districts; another reminding them of the 
value of getting the junior members—the boys and 
girls we wish to keep on the farm. One gave an ex¬ 
ample of stick-to-it-iveness, and was sent to keep all 
of the men "on the job.” Each postal had a distinct 
message of its own, vital to the success of the drive 
for new members for the board. The last card was 
an appreciation of the hard work of the men. This 
organization did wonderful work; nevertheless, when 
the campaign was half over I began to realize that a 
good many people would be missed, so I went to 
work planning other ways to reach them. 
THE GRANGE HELPS.—I sent a letter to the sec¬ 
retary of each Grange and asked for Grange co¬ 
operation. The ladies of the other half of the county 
worked entirely through the Grange, so I urged our 
Grange members not to let the other side win, for if 
they did it would mean a defeat for the men of our 
Grange. Our Grangers responded and did fine work. 
I visited the different Granges and told them of the 
drive to bring them in closer touch with the work of 
the board. Since the campaign I have been very 
much pleased to see the way the Grange and the 
board have united for the betterment of agriculture 
in the county. Not content with the two organiza¬ 
tions mentioned above, I found other small ways of 
gaining members. Three men in different sections of 
the county held vendues or sales which attracted 
many neighbors. Before the time set for the sales I 
sent these men application blanks, and over 50 new 
members were gained by this method. Membership 
blanks were sent to local banks which deal mostly 
with farmers, to small post offices, stores, and a con¬ 
siderable number of names were gained in this man¬ 
ner. 
THE VALUE OF ADVERTISING.—We tried to 
have a good worker attend different public meetings 
of farmers, also Pomona Grange meetings and at our 
RURAL NEW-YORKER 
own farmers’ institutes had a large sign put up at 
the back of the platform: 
: I iie Mercer County Board of Agriculture. 
• Are you a member? 
At these institutes we always found time to have 
some interested person tell about the contest. We 
never over-emphasized it, however, but with a few 
good, sound remarks made the farmers realize that 
the names of all would help the board, and that the 
board in return would mean much in the future to 
farmers in the county. To help the people realize 
l.ght away some of the good things we hope to bring 
them, we arranged just before the close of the cam¬ 
paign for our biggest, all-day meeting, with I)r. 
Henry Van Dyke of Princeton, former Minister to 
Belgium, to talk in the evening on the war. All who 
signed were given free tickets to this lecture, which 
was extensively advertised. Farmers without tickets 
v. ere allowed to enter if they signed application 
blanks, which were approved by one of the dozen 
farmers and their wives (from all over the county) 
who acted as a reception committee. Almost 1.500 
attended this meeting, and before leaving they be¬ 
came better acquainted with each other and with the 
work and aims of the board. We feel now that with 
over 04 per cent of the farmers and their wives a 
Fondant Fed in Paper Plate Inverted Over Clustered 
Bees. Fig. 2 
united band of workers for the board, this board will 
make itself felt as a power for good for agriculture, 
end that the hard work of the campaign for new 
members has proven well worth while. 
New Jersey. earle dilatush. 
January 4, 1019 
moved at the end of the house so that the bees can 
more easily pass out. This saves some loss, for hun¬ 
dreds of bees are killed by flying violently against 
the glass, either because they see the light outside, 
or have become impatient of confinement. When 
the hive is so arranged that the bees can fly both 
outside and in, it becomes an easy matter to ex¬ 
clude them from the house when the plants are to be 
fumigated or when spraying is to, be done. The 
bees must not be allowed to fly in the houses at 
these times. 
SIRONG COLONIES NEEDED.—It is necessary 
to have the blossoms well fertilized, so that there 
must be plenty of bees, and they should be at work 
as soon as the first flowers open, for it is the early 
ciop which pays the best. Unless the colonies are 
strong and well cared for, they will become so de¬ 
pleted that the results will not be satisfactory. Al¬ 
though the cucumber blossoms yield pollen, they 
produce almost no nectar. In warm weather when 
Hit bees can fly outside they may get enough nectar 
iiom other plants. As a rule, though, it is necessary 
to do considerable feeding with honey, sugar and 
water, or a prepared fondant which may be pur¬ 
chased. The sugar and water plan is usually adopted. 
The syrup may be placed in feeders in the hives or in 
shallow dishes outside with sticks floating in them. 
Most commonly nine-frame hives are used, and they 
are likely to be of cheap construction. The average 
greenhouse man knows but little about the care of 
bees. He is usually satisfied to buy new colonies 
each season, although a few cucumber growers have 
become sufficiently expert in handling bees to carry 
them along year after year. A colony without much 
attention will last eight or 10 weeks, which is long 
enough to get off the crop. 
HIGH-PRICED BEES.—Sometimes the cucumber 
growers find it hard to get enough bees. This has 
been the case the last season, and from $12 to $20 
has been paid for colonies, which is double the 
prices charged a few years ago. Bees have been 
shipped to Boston from bee-keepers in Vermont, and 
even in New \ ork State. A grower has been known 
to pay as high as $150 for bees in a single season. 
All too often the colonies are not so strong as they 
should be, for the bee-keepers who provide market 
gardeners with bees have a way of making three or 
four colonies from one. The bees give no trouble to 
the men working in the greenhouse, a sting seldom 
being reported. 
HAND-POLLINATED CROPS.-Some attempts 
have been made to use bees in fertilizing tomatoes 
under glass, but it has been found easier and just as 
satisfactory to fertilize the flowers by hand, for it is 
only necessary to rap the wires or strings on which 
the vines are trained with a paddle. Greenhouse 
men who grow strawberries under glass would be 
very glad if they could use bees, for the blossoms 
nave to be fertilized by hand every unny day. 
When bees have been used they have invariably 
caused the strawberries to be misshapen and have 
Lad to be given up. e. i. Farrington. 
Using Bees Under Glass 
/ T"'HE GREENHOUSE HIVE.—Bees have been 
A found indispensable when cucumbers are 
grown under glass. Of course it is possible to fer¬ 
tilize cucumber blossoms with a stick or a cemel’s- 
lmir brush in the way which was used when only 
a few plants were forced. But the expense is so 
great that cucumbers could not be grown under 
glass profitably if such practices were necessary. 
In all the immense cucumber houses near Boston, 
and in oilier places where the industry is well de¬ 
veloped, bees are sure to be found. In the smaller 
houses a hive is placed at each end. When there is 
an extensive range of houses a hive is placed every 
150 feet. Formerly the hives were set along the 
center aisle, and this plan is occasionally followed 
now. Experience has shown, though, that it is bet¬ 
ter, as a rule, to have the hives at an outside wall, 
so that the bees can fly both in the house and out¬ 
side. Very often the hive is set on the inside, but 
close to the glass, and a pane of glass is removed to 
allow the bees to fly outside. 
FAVORABLE ARRANGEMENTS.—When Spring 
and Summer crops are being raised, though, it is 
1 ’referable to have the hives outside the house, but 
with a pane of glass removed at the entrance so that 
the bees can fly into the house. The bees will often 
leave the houses through the ventilators, but will 
again find their way back to the hive if the latter is 
outside the house. Sometimes a pane of glass is re- 
The Modified Bordeaux Mixture 
T^' < *R three years I have used a Bordeaux worked 
A out in Nova Scotia. This consists of any usual 
poison, but uses only three to four pounds of copper 
sulphate to each 100 gallons water. We also use 30 
lbs. of lime in this quantity of water. After the 
bloom I drop to one pound bluestone to 100 gallons 
water, with the 30 lbs. of lime as before. I think 
Nova Scotia possesses a climate which induces more 
fungous troubles than any other apple center in 
North America. Now my fruit has been, during 
each of these three years, about the best in Nova 
Scotia. I had 2,400 barrels in 1910, 1,700 barrels in 
Dl<, and l,d)0 barrels in 1918, so had a sufficient 
quantity to tell from. Our Prof. Sanders of Annap¬ 
olis (Nova Scotia) has proved that lime-sulphur at 
usual strengths—sometimes at least—works great 
damage in the set of apples. 
So much to the credit side of modified Bordeaux. 
But with all this lime it does not control oyster-shell 
bark louse. Prof. Sanders advises me to use for the 
splay light, after the bloom soluble sulphur, very 
weak, and with some lime, to control the bark lice. 
I also plan to use a cask of soluble oil on part of my 
orchard when the trees are dormant. I would advise 
gieat caution in using soluble sulphur as strong as 
makers claimed two or three years ago. 
Caxi any reader put me in touch with where to get 
that bluestone plus kaolin dust? The bluestone was 
dissolved and mixed with the kaolin and mixture on 
drying fell into finest powder. I would like to try 
this. The sulphur dust is very good for bugs, but not 
A1 at controlling spot. joiin buciianan. 
Nova Scotia. 
