The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-05-10
WASHINGTON COUNTY FARM
BUREAU ASSOCIATION.
Report for Week Ending May o

The meetings this week have been es-
pccially well attended. The discussions
proved especially valuable both to the
| farmers and to the county agent. These
discussions and the exchanging of ideas
are of unreasonable benefit to us.
AT this season of the year the two top
les that arc perhaps most in our minds
are seeding and fertilizing. The Wash
ington County Farm Bureau association
wants to be OF especial assistance to the
farmers on this question of seeds and
seeding. termination tests carried on
this spring have shown up the fact that
our supply of seed will be below normal
in this respect, that is, seed of all kinds,
especially corn and oats, hack in vitality
and it will be profitable idea for the
farmers TO test their seed wherever they
can before putting it into the ground, so
as to determine whether they will need
more than the usual amount to get a
fair crop.
Most of our fertilizer has been bought
for this year but not all of it has been
applied to the land and it is a good time
to give this question little study. We
must remember that the nitrogen in q
high grade fertilizer is more or less I'M
stable and must be used on the crop at
the proper time in order to get the best |
result. 1t would not be advisable to use
a fertilizer testing over per cent nitro
gen on our corn, as too much of the nj |
trogen would be cvapofated before the |
corn roots were in position to take 1t
up On the other hand, now is the time
to get the best results from top dressing
meadows with high testing fertilizer
because the grass roots have just got
started and are in a position to benefit
from an application of about $50 pounds
of nitrate of soda to the acre or 400
pounds to the acre of a commercial fer
tilizer testing or 0 per cent nitrogen.
While the farmers in Washington coun
ty buy considerable of the commercial
fertilizer and chemicals, these altogether
10 not amount to near the value of our
homemade fertilizer, namely. barnyard
manure. We realize this better when we
stop to think that it only takes from Is
o 20 loads of average manure to equal
he plant food in ton OF high grade fer
ilizer. Properly conserved, the barn
ard manure becomes one OF the farmers
,est assets. Besides furnishing the plant
God il furnishes humus to the soil and
ightens it up to make better seed bed.
II order to get the best results from the
se of barnyard manure we should get it
mixed with the ground as soon as pos
ibe after hauling it to the field as so G
much of il is wasted by being exposed to y
he sun. in which case much of the nitro g
en- evaporates in the form of ammonia T
as. t
II is especially gratifying TO the work b
RS of the bureau that the local organiza !
ons of oranges are taking especial in II
crest in the work of the association by \
liking up the topics in their meetings e
nd talking il over on their farms. 1t is Y
oped that all of the oranges viii take Ia
p the work with this cooperative spirit
mind and make Washington county Z
lie best organized county in the state, p
he county agent will be most glad TO m
axe arrangements TO attend the regular al
ceilings and explain the work OF the as &c
citation and discuss agricultural prob W
ms. m
An alfalfa demonstration has been ar st
nged on the farm of George May in Va
arshtield. This demonstration will con- te
It of five acres of land. part of which W
II be lined and part left without lime. ra
NO varieties of seed viii be used TO de- W
rhine their relative value. Any farm on
! who are interested in studying the
estion of more and better crops are en- di
lraged to confer with the county agent ed
regard to small demonstration plots of
alta, soy beans, clover, potatoes or A
is. f. H. Abbott,
County Agent,
q. s. Department of Agriculture.