The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1915-04-08
COUNTY AGRICULTURIST PROBLEM.
". {. Patterson Enters a Plea for Farm
Counselor. Points out Advantages
and Gives Proof.

has hired experts whose duty 1t
is TO devote their whole time to
furthering the efficiency of their
employers machinery and en-
ployees. No detail that makes
for better conditions is too small
to be overlooked. Through the
work of these men, employers
add thousands of dollars to their
profits that could have been gain
ed in no other way. To tell Of
the benefits of their expert su-
pervision would crowd out the
balance of this article. No farm
er can, alone, employ such talent;
but the combined farmers of a
county can do so at a much lower
cost per individual than can the
owners of manufacturing plants.
Counties are asked to pay but a
small portion of the cost. The
State and Federal Governments
pay the balance. 1t is to secure
a man for this county that Mr..
Patterson, ofAyr township makes
an earnest plea. His letter fol-
lows:
Fulton county looks forward
proudly to possessing a railroad
within another year. Ours is a
farming county almost exclusive
ly. Are we to only keep up our
present rate of production in
corn, wheat, hay, and potatoes?
These, with our bright boys and
girls, are about our only exports.
Why cannot we use more of these
products to better advantage at
home? Only one half of our clear
ed land is being titled. The rest
has been impoverished by these
very exports. Why not make
our soils deeper and richer by
marketing on the hoof? Why do
whole communities fail to sow
cloyerseed in sufficient quantities?
Why is it that many farmers fail
to breed their cows because there
is no bull in the community?
Why do no farm papers come to
a rural postofficepatronized Who'll
ly by farmers? Is it any wonder
that many of our brightest boys
have left our farms?
One section of our county, that
is fairly we'll farmed, is almost
entirely in the hands of young
men. Another section is held
largely by old'men who farm by
old fashioned methods. They
buy their fertilizer by weight.
They test it by smell. and they
pay the dealer a handsome profit
when they could buy it through
cooperation.
We come back to the first wor-
ry. What is the railroad going
to haul? Few of US know. A.
B. Ross could tell US if he had
time. The railway men could
tell us if we ask them. We could
help each other if we were more
accurate and business like; but
that is not what we are here for.
Our great need is for a County
Agriculturist who should spend
his whole time in promoting ag-
riculture, organizing corn clubs,
canning contests, advise as to ro-
tation of crops, improvement of
roads, &c. &c.
"A number of these agents
were in attendance at State Col
lege during Farmers Week at
the last holiday season, and from
one of these men | learned that
Chester, Blair, Montgomery Mer-
Ger, Butler and Berks counties
were all represented on that oc-
casion to the number of AZ boys
and girls in corn and other clubs,
and that they beat the old-line
farmers all to a frazzle." Blair
county is a frozen-up section on
top of the Allegheny mountains;
but it contains Altoona a ametrop-
oils of 1875, coo inhabitants. These
people had to be fed and they
called on the Federal government
and State College, for aid. r.
B. Dunlap was made County Ag-
riculturist. This young man got
busy right away to produce more,
to bring the producer and the
consumer closer together, and to