The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1918-01-08
Farmers Hold Interesting Annual
Meeting


Election of officers, fine exhibits of
field corn and apples, excellent ad-
dresses on timely subjects, and ban
quet were the features of the annual
meeting of the Burlington County
Board of Agriculture, held at the court
house on Friday. Another piece of
business was the passing of pream-
BILE and resolutions in relation to the
farm labor problem, as follows:
WHEREAS, the farmers. of Burling
ton county, responding to the call TO
grow abundant crops, planted large
acreage in 1917, which they experienced
difficulty 10 harvesting, owing to the
shortage of farm labor, one farmer
alone, as an example of others, having
80 acres of potatoes which were not
dug. and 1900 stacks of corn unhusk-
ed by December 18th; and
WHEREAS, wages for labor, prices of
machinery and fertilizers have adj
vanced so rapidly as to make it hazard
Gus to produce crop with Likelihood
of good yield and assurance of a pro-
fitable price; and
WHEREAS, there is likely to be a great
er scarcity of labor during the coming
season than last year, owing to the ex-
tremely high wages paid at nearby
ship yards, munition plants and Camp
Dix, and farmers must either meet
these prices, curtail production, or fail
in their enterprise; now, therefore, be 1T
Resolved, that we, the Burlington
County Board of Agriculture, beseech
the federal government as follows:
I ATNf 80 81 g. To-
men who are essentially farm operators
or farm laborers
2. To enact legislation curtailing
unnecessary industries in order to
liberate labor and supplies to industries
necessary to the national maintenance.
8. In fixing prices and making rules
of trade and transportation, to give the
farmers as much consideration as is
shown to those who deal in their pro-
ducts.
Resolved, that copy of these reso-
lutions be sent to the State Board of
Agriculture with the suggestion that
they take action on the subject at
their annual meeting, and that copies
be sent to Hon. ID. +. Houston, secre-
tary of agriculture; Hon. Herbert
Hoover, director OF food administra-
tion; Hon. Joseph Frelinghuysen,
United States senator, and Hon. Isaac
Bacharach, member of congress.
The officers elected were as follows:
President, J. Aquila Jones; first vice
president, John V. Bishop; sec
cond vice president, Howard Taylor,
Jr., secretary, Byron Roberts; treasur-
er, Henry B. Wright; delegate to Dairy
mems Convention, John V. Bishop;
delegate to State Board of Agriculture,
Harry Brick.
Prof. M. F. Barrus, of Cornell Uni
versity, gave talk on Potato Pro-
duction with Special Reference to Seed
Improvement He referred to the
many diseases of potatoes, and said
these are carried inside the seed. The
best remedy or preventive is to get
seed that is not affected. This can be
done only by watching the vines dur
ing the growing season and digging
seed from those hills that show no
disease. If the farmer raises his seed
he can do this without much trouble.
If he buys his seed he should purchase
from growers who follow this method
of selection and whose product is certi-
fed by state or other authorities as be-
ing reasonably free from disease.
Speaking about blowing under green
cover crops, Prof. Barrus stated this
has tendency to prevent scab.
Walter l.. Minch, of Bridgeton, told
of his observations from fertilizer tests
on potatoes. To get the best results,
he said, potash is necessary. The pres
eut price of that ingredient, however,
is so high as to make it prohibitive.
His advice was to plant potatoes only
on land that previously had had appli-
cations of potash or where barnyard
manure can be placed on the ground.
He is strong advocate of the use of
ground bone meal and the planting of
proper cover crops, which enrich the
soil not only for immediate but for flu
ture benefit, and are much better than
New York horse manure.
When potash was obtainabe at a
reasonable price, his experience was
that 1910 mixture gave the best re-
suits on potatoes.
Prof. M. A. Blake. of the New Jersey
College of Agriculture, told of the work
being done there in training young
men to be judges of fruit. Three stu
dents recently went into competition
with representatives of other state col
leges in Judging fruit at large show
in Pennsylvania, and the New Jersey
boys were decided to be the best of all
the judges.
Prof. Blake also gave talk on prun
ing and fertilization of fruit trees. He
advocated improving some varieties of
peaches. The Carman, for example,
could be improved upon. The college
has number of Seeding trees, of
known origin, that tits hoped will pro-
duce new and better variety. These
trees soon will be ready for distribu-
ton throughout the state in small
quantities.
He told of experiments in peach and
apple tree pruning conducted by the
experiment station covering period
of five years, and fertilizing tests of ten
years duration, the results of which
will be published in book form and
should be of value to growers. Sum-
mer pruning of peaches, it has been
learned, induces quite pronounced later
maturity of the fruit.
The college has learned, Prof. Blake
stated, that in north Jersey the present
severe cold weather has killed about
so per cent. of the buds on peach trees.
In the Vineland district, in south
Jersey, very little damage was done,
only about two per cent.
He referred to a national apple grad
ing law that is being considered and
will be introduced in congress. Some
modification of the proposed act is
necessary to meet conditions in New
Jersey.
l. H. Hutchinson, d. Budd Jones
and Merritt w. Smith told their ex
periences in raising peaches according
to modern methods. The work was
done under the supervision of the state
experiment station and Farm Demon
strator Reid.
Prizes on the corn exhibits were
awarded as follows: Reeds Yellow
Dent, first, Allen NJ. Fenimore; second
Harry Brick. Whitecapped Yellow
Dent. first. Edward Rogers: second.