Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1917-01-12


demonstration orchard. Just previous
to the demonstrations there was ten
inch fall of snow and this accounts for
the small attendance, 1853 farmers at
tended the seventeen demonstration
meetings,
COMMENTS ON ORCHARD CONDITIONS IN
ADDISON COUNTY,
At the New England Fruit show this
fall, Vermont received thirty-one out of
a possible seventy first prizes; fifteen
first prizes came to Addison county. No
State other than Vermont received as
many first prizes as Addison county,
There are several commercial fruit
growers in the county who are produc-
ing fruit at good profit, There are
hundreds and probably thousands of
farmers with small orchards who are
apparently not making a profit from
their orchards. The reason for this is
because the commercial men care for
their orchard, and develop a market,
while the farmers do not care for their
orchards and market their fruit for what
the buyer offers them. The executive
committee of the Addison County
Farmers association seems to be in
favor Of launching alarge apple project
to cover the management Of the orchard
in order to produce better fruit and
the development Of the market so that
this fruit may be sold at a profit,
SOIL MANAGEMENT WORK.
II. j.. Wilder agriculturalist, States
Relation service, visited the county
agent twice in order to get under way a
few soil management demonstrations.
With three different farmers three dis
tinct problems were lined up. The OBJ
iect of the different demonstrations is
to build up soil conditions, draining
where necessary, lining, adopting
proper methods of cultivation and es-
tablishing definite fixed crop rotations,
and handling farm manures and com
mercial fertilizers more efficiently. This
work has not as yet progressed far
enough so that any definite statement
as regards its value can be given. This
will be carried on further the coming
year.
COW TESTING ASSOCIATIONS.
There are at present three COW test
ing associations, carrying about 1900
cows in the county doing active work.
Another has been organized and will
start work March |, 1917. These as
soclations are in charge of the State
Department Of Agriculture.
A year ago one Cow Testing associa-
ton was doing active work in the
county. Through the efforts of the
county agent working with the AS
sistant State Commissioner af Agricul-
ture one old inactive association and one
new association were organized and
started active work March /, 1916.
Much care was used in selecting men to
handle the COW testing association work
and as a result all associations are in
very healthy condition with dairymen
waiting for a chance to join. Two
questions loom up at present in this
work:
!. How are we going to keep good
men in charge?
2. How are we going to keep the
farmers actively interested in the
work?
The men in charge do not receive
large enough salaries. The rate of
charging in this county is Sl.O0 per COW
pr year, with a minimum charge per
dairy of $500. This leaves after ex-
penses are deducted, about S450.00 to
$500,0 90 for the man in charge. Two of
the men in the county are not going to
continue the work unless they receive a
larger salary. The only solution is for
the farmers to pay more per COW or pay
on day basis rather than on a COW basis
We find that several men drop out
each year, mostly because they do not
take enough interest in the work to
make the 81. 90 per COW profitable in
vestment. Also several farmers seem
dissatisfied with the basis on which cost
and returns are figured. The county
agent has held conference with the
menin charge of the work in the county,
at which time the State man in charge
of the work was present. Several
problems in regard to this work were
taken up and recommendation were
drawn up to be presented to the mem
bers of each association at the next an
nual meeting.
DAIRY INVESTIGATIONAL WORK.
The dairy division of the Department
of Agriculture, working through j. B.
Bane, specialist, placed a man in Ad-
olson county to carry on dairy investi-