The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-08-21
COUNTY AGENT TELLS
OF EMERGENCY WORK
Reports of Past Three Weeks Give In
teresting Information to Local
Farmers.

Reports from County Agent Arthur w |
Sweeton covering his work for the past
three weeks were forwarded today to the
county agent leader. Aside from prelim
mary plans for an exhibit of boys and
girls club work at the Valley fair the
reports have to deal with emergency work
which the county agent has been called
upon to do Following are the reports by
weeks:
The Valley Fair association has asked
the cooperation of the farm bureau in
making a special feature of boys and girls
exhibits at the valley fair, Sept. IS and 10,
and an effort is being made to make this
feature an important one. Our boys and
girls have done great amount of various
kinds of club work and this exhibit should
give the public more of an idea of the i'm
portance of this work with boys and girls.
A large green caterpillar known as the
saddied prominent is attacking the foliage
of the naples in many large sugar orchards
in Guilford and Halifax. The authorities
can give us no remedy for these insects
when working in a sugar bush or timber
| lot. On fruit trees or shade trees spray
| ing with arsenate of lead will control them
| There have been many calls in regard
| to the proper time to harvest spring
| wheat, which is nearly ready. The wealth
er is very dry and corn and potatoes
| are suffering from lack of moisture.
[ am receiving more reports of the de-
struction by the saddled prominent in ma
pie orchards in Guilford, Halifax, Brattle-
| boro, and ,Newfane This infestation is
quite widespread and looks rather seri-
Gus although there is little doubt but that
nearly all Of the naples will leave out
| again in the spring Most trees have made
| their seasons growth already SO that the
defohating is not nearly as serious as
| though it had occurred month earlier.
| A. H. Gilbert of the Vermont extension
| service spent one day inspecting potato
fields about the county for potato mosa-
| ic and other diseases He found the mosa-
ic common in many fields and very few
| where none occurred This disease has
mot attracted much attention heretofore
but apparently it is the cause of many
uneven fields and poor yields. 1t is hoped
that many farmers may go over their
fields marking the hills affected with mo-
sale and separate them so as to have seed
potatoes which are free from trouble.
This should aid very much in securing a
good yield another year
The field meeting at Walpole, n. H.
in cooperation with the Cheshire coun
ty and the Sullivan county farm bureaus
was great success. The tractor demon
stration which included six of the lead
ing makes, was very interesting and dem
onstrated Just what tractors might do un
der various circumstances. Speaking by
the New Hampshire food administrator
and state commissioner of agriculture was
very interesting and instructive. A large
number of Vermont people attended Tht
total attendance at this meeting was abou
l2000.
Potato aphids are causing damage il
Windham. Visited several fields and ad
vised best methods Of control
Mr. Vance of cereal and grain invests
cations here for one day to inspect sprin
/ wheat for smut and other diseases. Visite
, several fields and found no troubles.
: Went to Amherst Agricultural colleg
to secure latest information on potat
aphids and the new stem disease. In Mas
: saehusetts the aphids disappeared Aug
10, as they did last year, and no furthe
: trouble is looked for this season. Th
! stem disease in Massachusetts, also ha
caused considerable damage and seems t
be more prevalent where crop needs pot
ash Mosaic causes much loss ii yield
Many are threshing oats and wheat frer
: field. Am assisting in securing threshin
machines where none are available in tn
community.
Attended New England Milk Producer
association meeting at Rutland in compan
with H. w Frost of East Putney, /. "
7 Fullam and L. A. Miller of Westminste
4 who are the county officers of this vail
1 able association.