The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-04-08
TO HELP FARMERS
 BY EXPERT ADVICE
Bedding Progressives Start a
 Movement For a Fairfield County Farm Bureau.
The Nat ional Government Gives $1,OOO Yearly and Lo-- cal Contributions Must Sup ply What Is Needed in Ad- r dition.
Especial to The Farmer.l

I Especial to The F'armer.9
 Bedding, April 8-To progressive citizens of this town belongs the credit looking to the establishment of a | county farm bureau through govern | mental aid provided for in a bill pass 1 ed at the last session of Congress. The plan for the extension of such aid was first embodied in a measure known as ! the Snith-Lever. bill and although this ] failed of passage another bill closely ! following the same lines subsequently ] went through. The act carried an ap- < fpropriation providing for an annual fal1owanoe of $1,O0O to each county which should organize a farm bureau under certain conditions, the cen | tral feature and figure of the bureau being an agent qualified to give expert instruction and advice on agricultural subjects in general. Of the eight counties comprising Connecticut, Hart ford and New London have so far 1 completed arrangements for the crea- l ton of these bureaus. In Fairfield county the first step in that direction was taken at meeting recently held in Grange hall under the auspices of Bedding Grange and the Protective League.
 The weather being very stormy and the travelling bad only about dozen present, deep interest to the explanatory ad- dress given by Prof. c. B. Jarvis of the Connecticut Agricultural College, this institution having been designated by the U. S. Agricultural Department as the latter's agent for aiding to put into operation the project in question. The formation of a county organiza- tfop is the first requisite and the local meeting if it accomp1ishes it's object will set the ball rolling. At the close of Prof. Jarvis talk the following resolution was adopted:
 That it is the sense of this meeting that a farm bureau would be a. bene- fit to all the people in Fairfield county and that we endeavor to interest our townspeople to cooperate in the for nation of such a bureau"
 As soon as the other towns have fallen into line by preliminary action, in the way of endorsement and hnan-. cia1 support a representative county conference will be held to perfect a central organization. The details for working out this scheme are yet in the tentative stage, but the suggestive has been made that local. .organizatfon be former with a membership fee of $1 with long term and life member ships at sums varying from $1O to s1O0. Such financial support Is neces- sary to supplement the. government
 
 qualifications cannot be had for less than $3,000 to $4,0e0 a year The rais- ing of the additionaT sum by private contributions should not be difficult matter as railroads, banks and boards of trade will be asked to help An appeal to them is justified on purely business grounds because, while the farmer would receive the direct, inn mediate benefit of the bureau an en- largemept in the volume of agricu1- turaI products means more freight for the railroads and more business for the banks and merchanti1e interests Viewing the matter in this light the Air Line railroad made contribution of $500 towards the Hartford county bureau. Attorney S. c. Shaw will probably be asked to endeavor to in terest the Bridgeport Board of Trade in the movement.
 The Bedding promoters will hold another meeting before long to ad- vance the project, and intend bringing it before the quarterly assembly of the Fairfield County Grange to be held here in June. In the<West the forma-# ton of these bureaus has progressed much more rapidly and extensively than in New England. Considering the multitude of ways in which they can be of practical benefit to the farmer the backwardness of this sec-' ton, in taking advantage of the. as sistance proffered by the national gov ernment seems indeed surprising. With the system in operation any farmer can obtain free of direct expense, the best professional skill towards solving the numerous problems with which he is confronted. Soil analysis will show the reason why certain ground fails to give satisfactory crop yields, what missing element of fertility must be supplied to produce the results sought for and what particular crops the same soil might give without spe- cial enrichment if right methods of cultivation were employed.
 The most advantageous care and feeding of stock, orchard and small fruits growing, poultry raising and egg production are some of the other more common phases of rural industry in which the best ways of doing things as disclosed by scientific research mean the difference between a profit and a loss To assist the farmer to correct his mistakes by the substitu- tion of the right way for the many will be the province of the bureau ex- nert In addition the bureau ought to render effective service in the line of establishing systems for cooperative methods of marketing what the farm CTS have to sell and buying what they consume In fact the bureaus oppor- t,1nftfes for usefulness are almost linn itless.
 ST. PATRICK's DANCE.