Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-11-11
BIG ACHIEVEMENTS
OF FARM BUREAU
Formation of Cow Testing and Farm Loan Associations Are
Among the Big Accomplishments Under Direc-
ton of County Agent H. G. Niesley

of 295 visits. to the farms of the
county.
Greater service, however, was rem
dered to callers at the office. Farm
ers of the county visited the offices
no less than 526 times for aid and
service from the agent, In matters
of lesser importance and where the
farmer lives at a greater distance
! from the city, the use of the tele-
phone served, and no less than fS9
times did Mr.. Niesley furnish advice
and information to the tillers of the
soil over the telephone.
Meetings of various Sorts under
the auspices of the Dauphin County
Farm Bureau, were staged in the
bureaus offices and in various locali-
ties. Big attendances were had at
all, and Mr.. Niesley on a number of
occasions attended other meetings to
speak.
Cow Tester Employed
The formation of the cooperative
cow testing association was one of
the big steps forward resulting from
the efforts of Mr.. Niesley, backed
up by the bureau. Twenty-six
farmers are included in this associa-
ton. which employs a skilled cow
tester, Wilmer Grubb, who visits
each herd once a month Every
member of the body has spoken fa-
vorably of the achievements of this
association, and one member has
gone so far as to say that it saved
him more than $50 in six months.
he had been feeding too much corn
10 MS COWS, he said, and since the
formation of Ahe bureau he saved
that amount in corn alone.
A farm loan aSSnpiafinu
lied during the summer, is expected
10 prove of distinct benefit to tho
farmers of the county as an aid to
them in purchasing their own farms.
RESIDENTS of many sections of the
county We're enthusiastic in their de-
sire for the formation of such a body
and requests were made by these
farmers for loans of $105,4OO for
the Improvement of their ground. A
tull corps of officers was named by
these men.
Demonstrations and tests, of wide
variety, were included in the pro-
gram of the bureaus activity for the
year. Some of them have already
been completed, but many more are
still in progress.
| Hog pasture demonstrations, to
| illustrate the most economical meth
DDS OF pork growing, were of wide
importance and attracted keen at
tention from the hog growers and
| others throughout the confines of the
county. Four demonstrations were
staged during the year in such COM
munities of the county as were ac-
cessible to all growers.
Pork Production
How pork can more economically
be produced by pasture rotation than
by feeding in the pen was most en-
phatically shown. Results have
shown that the cost of producing
pork on pasture was but from 10
to IL cents, as compared to more
| than 19 cents where fed by the sys-
tenn ordinarily employed in this city.
Pig and poultry clubs for the
younger boys and girls attracted COLI
siderable interest. There were a
total of five pig clubs, which had a
total membership of 55. Big gains
were shown by many of these pigs
and the record pig of the county
showed gain of 1.9 pounds per day.
A boys and girls stock Judging con-
test was held in cooperation with
the Oakdale Grange, and a poultry
culling demonstration has resulted
in the bettering of many fiocks of
the county.
Soil fertility, farm crops and dis
ease control received considerable
attention from officials of the bureau.
Widespread interest was shown in all.
A soil tester has been purchased
and Mr.. Niesley has made tests on
soils from many farms of the county.
In this way he has been best able
to advise the owner of the fertilizer
to be used on the soil. Certain top
dressing and fertilizer demonstra-
tions were staged at intervals to best
determine merits of top-dressing and
of various kinds of fertilizers.
Three corn variety tests, in which
more than a score of varieties of
corn were tested. were held. AS n
result of these demonstrations farm
ers have made plans for planting
changed varieties of corn in many
sections of the country. Other tests
were made of alfalfa and wheat.
Efforts of the bureau in the way
or disease control produced material
benefits of Importance. A trio of
demonstrations were held, in which
variety of sprays were used. An
approximate increase of 20 bushels
per acre was shown. A corn root rot
demonstration, to demonstrate the
effect of diseased corn on the Yield
attracted n big gathering of farmers
near Middletown.
A. r. Shenk. of Hershey. 's presi-
dent of the bureau: John Clemson.
'atffax, is vice-p~os'dent: Howard
| Speece. of Speeceville secretary. and
1 Franz Gnoxyofxr ~