Norwich bulletin., 1915-06-17
Where the Agent Is Working.

During the past week, the County
Agent spent several days in studying
farm problems in different localities.
NianticS Mystic and North Stoning-
ton were each given a day for this
work. One farmer was furnished with
plans and a rough estimate on the
cost of remodel1ing his dairy barn, not
only to comply with milk inspection
laws. but also to give him practical
working equipment.
A canning demonstration was held
in Hadlyme in cooperation with the
Hadlyme Junior Agricultural Club,
and besides the very practical talk
and demonstration of methods given
by Miss Sprague of the Agricultural
College Extension Service, members
of the club were given actual prac-
tice in the use of apparatus and the
sealing of tin cans with cap and
solder. In this connection, we would
like to announce that word has been
received from the Extension Service
at Storrs, that they are now ready to
conduct canning demonstrate and
any Canning Club, Grange, or other
organization in this county interested
in this work should notify the County
Agent so that arrangements can be
made to hold meetings to accommodate
the greatest number
Monday was the last opportunity
for children in the New London city
schools to register in the National
Achievement Club and at present Sc
are already enrolled in this work.
A summary of the weeks work by
the County Agent shows that 81 far
mers were visited on their farms, "a
letters were written, 2 persons called
at the office, telephone calls were
answered, and 1 meeting was held at
which 20 were present.
The coming week. the Agent will he
in Preston, Wednesday, will address
the New London County Pomona
Grange in Lebanon on Thursday, and
will spend the day in Lebanon, Fri
day, working on Farm Survey records.
Radium Fertilizers.
Recently there were a number of
magazines which carried advertise
ments of so called ''radium fertilizers
setting forth the extravagant benefits
to be derived from the use of radium
as a. manure.
These fertilizers are in most cases
ordinary nitrogen, potash, and phos-
phorus fertilizers, with the addition
radium, derived from the residues left
after the extraction of all CONNER
cially available radium from it's ores.
Since the present market price of
radium is $4,000 per grain, or s7O,-
000, 900 per pound, it is readily appar-
very much of it, even when sold at
the high price of 1925 per pound
The claims that radium aids plant
growth are, at best, by no means
| proven. Professor Cyril G. Hopkins,
| of the Illinois Agricultural Experiment
| Station, found that the application of
radium to the soil, in quantities worth
| as much as 800 per acre, had no no
| ticeable effect in increasing the crop
yield. No doubt these ''radium fer
| tilizers'' are of benefit to the soil, but
| the benefit is in all probability due
rather to the nitrogen, potash, and
PHOSPHORUS they contain than to any
radium which may be present. Until
the value of radium as a. fertilizer has
been actually demonstrated the econ
on1y of paying high prices for such
fertilizers is decidedly questionable.
Stem Blight of Alfalfa.
The cold weather which continued
| late into the growing season this year,
| has made it necessary for alfalfa
growers to guard against a severe at
tack of stem blight. The disease US
ually appears from the middle of May
| to the first of June and can be easily
/ recognized from the following des-
cription. The steams get watery
| semi transparent in the early stages
and have a yelIowish, green color
| which soon changes to amber due to
| the subsequent drying of a thick, clear
! eXudate. This eXcretiou gives the
stems a shiny, vanished appearance
and a slightly rought feel to the touch.
These stems blacken in six to eight
weeks, become very brittle and are
| easily broken.
| The disease seems to run its course
| with the first cutting, and is not seen
again until the next year.
The cause of the blight is a germ
which enters the stems through cracks
| which have resulted from freezing.
AS a means of control, we recon-
mend that the frosted alfalfa be clip
| ped, with the mower set low, as soon
as it is reasonably certain that the
danger from late frosts is past. This
will rid the plants of the diseased por-
! lions, and afford an opportunity for
| the early growth of a new cutting.
The Shifting Tenant.
Specialists of the Department OF
Agriculture who have been making an
| investigation into the use of land by
| high schools in teaching agriculture
| and in the encouragement of boys to
| carry on supervised home projects
! make the following suggestions as to
how the AGRICULTURAL instructor maX