Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1917-03-14
Notes

Notes
We were all very much disappoint-
ed not to have Mr.. Deuel. with US the
past week. He was called to Chit
tenango, N. Y, by the illness of his
father, who died before he reached
his home.
During the week of Feb. 9Th, an
organizer of the n. E. M. P. A,
spent several days in Orleans county
and locals were organized in sever
al of the towns, Newport, Browning
ton, Irasburg and Orleans, with over
100 members. Owing to sickness in
some of the towns no meetings were
held E. S. Kelley of Bloomington
was elected president of the county
organization. On Feb. % the coun-
ty presidents met in Boston and
those from each state elected state
director to be a member of the ex-
executive committee. Herman STAN
nard of Fair Haven was elected to
this office from Vermont. There are
over 1000 members of this organiza-
ton at the present writing with SO
locals in Vermont.
Owing to our county agent being
called away this week it seems to
fall to me to finish the work of this
months agricultural issue. You will
bear with me if | do not carry out
the plans of Mr.. Deuel. as he intend
ed, and any errors or omissions are
due to my inefficiency rather than
neglect or lack of interest.
This is the time of year when we
must all be alive and making plans
for the coming season, and which for
many of US will be different from
any we have ever seen. It is i'm
possible to predict what the future
will bring, but one thing stands out
clearly, prices will be high, whether
it is for what we buy or what we
have to SELL This is the year when
every farmer should make the most
of the opportunities offered through
the Agricultural association, of which
he is a member or should bs. If the
meeting at Orleans Friday was any,
thing to go by this coming year will
be a banner year for the Agricultur-
al association (your association.
Do you realize it will pay to take
care of and save your feed bags?
They are worth from five to ten
cents each, that means 81 to So per
ton less for your feed. The next
stormy day sort them out and tie up
in bundles of so or rs.
Be careful and do not let the high
prices tempt you to sell your seed
potatoes. This coming year will see
good prices and the man who has
seed or who can afford to paw $40
an acre for seed, ought to realize a
good profit next fall.
Smut in oats may be prevented by
soaking them in a solution of for
maldehyde. Spread the grain around
thinly on the barn floor. Take pint
of the formaldehyde and mix it with
so gallons of water With a sprink-
ling pot moisten the oats and leave
them a couple of hours. This will
not injure the germ of the seed at
all, but will kill the smut germs.
A Questionary.
Has the Orleans County Agricul-
tural association been of any value
to you during the three years of it's
existence? If not, why have YOU
paid your dues? So you would have
a clear conscience to ask for infor-
nation from the association or coun-
ty agent? 1t is free if you haven't,
but do you know it takes some form
of organization in order to get the
$1,000 the federal government is pay
ing to the county agent, and this
$1,000 the towns are paying to help
the farmers get information and i'm
prove themselves?
Do you realize the farmers of Or
leans county are getting at least 20
cents hundred more for their milk
through the efforts of the county
agent and agricultural association
Did you help boost during this work
last fall? Has it been worth the
membership dues of $500 per year
to you (this includes II issues of the
Monitor)? II not who is at fault?
Have you improved your dairy ra-
ton during the past three years
Have you tried alfalfa? Have
you one of the successful stands?
Have you bought chemicals and
mixed them according to the needs of
your farm?
Can you point to one single i'm
provement in the condition of the
farmer that is not directly or indi-
rectly due to the organization of the
farmers, the Orleans County Agri-
cultural association.
G. w. Richmond,
Sec'y