Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1917-02-09


in the milk strike of the New England
Milk Producers Association last Oc-
tober. Since the strike was settled an
attempt has been made to reorganize
this association so as to make it strong
enough to keep the price of milk where
it ought to be. On December 80 meet
ing was held in Brattleboro for the pur-
pose of perfecting the organization of
the n. T.. M. p. A. in this county. The
matter has not been pressed because less
than car of milk is shipped out of
the county. If the large shipping sec
lions organize we can follow along and
organize with them. With the right
kind of leadership this should mean
much for the producers and shippers of
whole milk.
Some time has been given to the boys
and girls club work. This has been
mostly in giving assistance to the Brat
tleboro schools in working up their gar
den clubs. During the month of July
over 30 of these gardens were inspected
and a few words of encouragement and
advice left here and there. Pigs were
scored for several members of the state
pig clubs. This work with boys and
girls is more important than the imme-
date results indicate. Practical lessons
learned in boyhood will last through
life.
Home economies has been taken up
in limited way. During the year the
county has had the services of Miss
Bessie NJ. Thayer for a series of meet
ings at two different times. In the
month of May demonstration of
Seasonable Dishes for Spring Menus
was given at West Brattleboro and
| H.. IL
Wardsboro. In the month of August
canning demonstrations were given at
Athens, Marlboro, and Wardsboro. The
attendance at these meetings was good
and l think that l voice the sentiment
of the women in Windham county when
l say that more attention should be Civ
en- this branch of work and that we
ought to have the services of a home
economics specialist for at least six
weeks, instead of six days, during the
year.
The grasshopper infestations were Sc
rious in the towns of Dummerston, Put
ney, Newfane, Townshend and Brook
line during the months of June and July.
In answer to our call for assistance,
Harrison f. Smith of the United States
bureau of entomology, put in nearly two
weeks helping to treat the infested
fields where all the neighbors who had
infestations would do likewise. Sever
al early morning demonstrations were
given and at least 175 acres were treat
ed with the poison bait. The poison
bait was not as effective as when used
the year before, the prevailing cloudy
weather during the months of June and
July being very unfavorable for the
control of the hopper with the poison
bait. However, the results were fair
when the applications were put on sew
eral times.
There have not been quite as many
meetings as in the. year previous, but
the average attendance has been larger.
Large field meetings were held at A. A.
Dunklee's in South Vernon; at w. II.
Bruce's Newfane, and at the pond,
Athens, in cooperation with the Sax
tons River, Grafton. and Townshend
Oranges. The local committee in charge
reported 500 in attendance. Four ex-
tension schools have been held during
the past year. In February they were
held in Jacksonville and Bellows Falls,
and in December in Wardsboro and
Windham. The home economies Sec
tons held in Jacksonville and Windham
were well attended and much interest
shown.
About the first of December a long
list of questions was sent to all the
members of this association asking them
as to their own operations and to the
practices in their communities. The pur-
pose of this QUESTIONABLE was to find out
if possible how the members felt about
the work of their farm bureau and as
to whether the practices advocated were
being put into practice. Also for sug-
gestions for improving the work Out
of 800 sent out lip of them were re-
turned. Many interesting points were
brought out and a summary is being
published in the January News Letter.
A few of the more important items are
as follows: Seventy-one men report us
ing 422 tons of lime in 1915 and 1916;
30 report good results, IA no results as
yet, and four no results. Thirty-seven
men reported growing 1l6 acres of soy
beans and corn; 30 of these expect to
grow them next year and five think that
they will. Fifteen expect to grow them
next year for the first time. Nineteen re-
port sowing SO "a acres of alfalfa in
1916 and 30 say that they expect to sow
some in 1917. Nineteen apple growers
report following the county agent S sug-
gestionS or demonstrations in the prun-
ing Oh t,-lo trees; Il 1OllOWed SuggeS-
lions i'll the spraying of 3,1S5 trees; II
reported the planting of 1000 young
apple trees. Eleven men used poison
bait for grasshoppers. Twenty eight of
the liz adopted rations suggested by the
county agent Fifteen kept records and
tested 27l cows and discarded 81. The
estimates on the number of silos show
that there are about 5l7 in the county
and that 81 of these have been erected
during the past year. Among the sug-
gestions as to new work for the farm
bureau to take up the following might
be mentioned here: That the county
agent assist the Grange lecturers in Sc
curing material for their programs.
That matters relating to creamery man
agement and cream gathering be taken
up. That sales list of stock, etc, be
published in the News Letter. That the
sweet corn industry and prices be in
vestigated. That the News Letter con
tain more advice for the ensuing month
That the county agent spend more of his
time on the hill farms and not quite so
much on the farms near the villages