The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-06-04
FARM BUREAUS DOING MUCH FOR
 NEW ENGLAND
An Agricultural Uplift Likely To Result From
 Their Activities.

The farn bureau movement has taken deep root in New England this spring. From many New England counties have come reports of the or ganization of such bureaus and the appointment of county agricultural agents or advisers, who, under the law must be men trained in the agri- cultural colleges. In many counties these men have been at work for some time, with results which speak eIoquently of the advantages derived from this form of organization.
 The progress which this movement has made in the last year is shown by the fact that Connecticut now has organizations of this Kind in six counties. The farm bureau move nent is organized different lines from the extension work of the agri- cultural colleges, though there is a close working alliance between the two. The extension work is organiz- ed by states, while the farm bureau movement is organized by counties. Moreover the farm bureau is an or ganization of the farmers and busi- ness men for their mutual benefit; and while the work of the county agent amp1ifies the extension work of the various agricultural colleges, a farm bureau in each county also tends to intensity the extension ser vice of the colleges, on which heavier
 
 than could really be met, due to the limited appropriations for extension servce work.
 Simply told, the farm bureau is merely an organization of farmers and business men of towns and cities to develop the agricultural resources of the county and in this way help to develop other industries. It is a. federation of, many different interests farm CTS and business men sharing in itc-T yI7 ture of the farm bureau is the em- ployment throughout the year of one or more agricultural experts to dem onstrate the most efficient methods of agriculture, farm management and marketing, and whose services are to be had by any farmer belonging to- the organization.
 Aside from giving actual -demon- strations, the work of these county agents or advisers covers a large field. They give talks to assemblages of farmers; they prepare and circu- late literature pertinent to the local agricultural conditions; and last, but not least, they organize clubs among the boys and girls on the farms and seek to arouse them to the advant- ages and possibilities in rural life. In short these county advisers are supposed to be the moving spirit in advancing agriculture and bettering conditions generally in the rural dis tricts.
 At the lowest estimate, it takes at least $4.00O to run a farm bureau for a year. Some are already spend ing much more than than. The gov ernment gives $500 towards this, and, in addition, in some states, the money which the government gives to the state college for extension work un- der the Snith-Lever law is being l contributed to the farm bureaus
 The principal work of the agri- cultural adviser is to give instruction IS to the proper fertilizer to use, the | selection of seed, use of lime and the 1 most profitable crops to grow on the farms
 The horticultural expert has been giving from one. to three pruning demonstrations in each town and is at the call of any farmer who wants to improve his orchard. So, too. with the poultry man. whose work also takes in the cities and wherever chickens are kept.
 In Connecticut, the farm bureaus besides receiving $500 from the De- partment of Agriculture, are getting $500 from the State College out of the Snith-Lever appropriation. This money, of course, goes only part way towards the support of the bureaus, the remainder being raised by sub scription.
 Aside from bringing greater de- gree of prosperity to individual farm CTS, this movement should accom- pliSh in the long run what will be of great benefit to future generations, namely, the rejuvenation of New England soil. For these agricultural agents are telling the farmers to use a little more of the fertilizing eIe- ments than are necessary in order to make good the deficiency of past years. They are also inducing them to grow cover crops. such are rye and vetch, to restore hunaus, to the soil This has never been practised to any extent in New England, but is a great feature of the new farming In fruit growing, the farmers are being told to standardize their fruit, to get it more nearly of one size and quality, in which case the comner-t cia1 men will handle it, instead of the outside product In dairying, the county advisers are showing members of these bureaus how to breed up and increase their product
 The calls made upon some of these bureaus indicate that many farmers are responsive to these efforts and that, through contact with these county agents, their conservatism is tslow1y giving place to a more pro- gressive spirit. While, as yet, too l early to predict results with any defi- niteness, the formation of so many 1 of these bureaus seems to indicate that the tide is changing and that be- 1 fore many years have passed a large part of New England may see, in stead of a rural decline, an actual 1 agricultural renaissance.