The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1920-06-30
De monstra
Work

pay bOts the Sltlt ana cOlln-
ty get n satisfactory return for
money investody An attompt
was made TO answer tins uucs.
ton in n recent issue of the
News" by telling some OF the
things that agents did in 1919.
In Virginia 90 white and - ne
gro agents made reports. Space
torblds an extended quotation.
but after the statement that an
increase of 10 bushels of corn
per acre WAS due to county
agents work they remarked
that can increase of even half
this w"nid more than pay for
the total cost of the county
agents work in the state.
Important gains were made
also m live stock, hay raising
alfalfa clover aud other H.
gumcs 1851 acres Of SOY
beans are reported Agents
have contributed II the IN
creasing practice of "liviug at
home.
The hundreds Of demoustra-
tious IN pruning aud spraying
orchards, work on Tie borcrs
aud other vermin is bound to
hnYc a paying effect on fruit
productions Perhaps the most
important single material con
tribution is in tile Introduction
of pure bred live stock. Tie
reported list stands 3G stall
lions and Jacks, ii mares, l52
dniry bulls, 291 dairy CONS, llG
beef bulls, 32l beet COWS. $50
bonrs, 900 sows and gifts, 81
rams and 81 ewes, all pure
bred
ia The writer's opinion, the
great, ~ contribution Of all is IN
the intangible something known
us the dissemination of ideas.
An idea has been the basis of
many II fortune and the live
agent who goes from man To
man may ana does pick up and
pass along ldcns aud practices
thnt wonid be- otherwise an.
known, unthoughl and unused
by any but the uriginuturs.
Even with all this array Of
profit making items tic aver
age county agent is TOO much
like the farmers horse which
stands idle aud eats expensive
feed while the man does the
team work by hand. tho agent
Is not used to his fun capacity
he ~ left to hunt around to find
out whore he may bc useful and
in so doing he has varied expo,
ricncos The writer was told
by one farmer that he had ncy
er done anything Il dcmoustra
Tor asked linn to and the aid not
intend to. la looking about his
place | could easily believe he
told the truth.
The writer has many times
urged simple practices that
would mean many dollars of
profit If adopted, but in the
majority of eases the matter
would be dismissed with "ieX
pcct that's a good idea
Bulletin 52S contains tho fol
lowing as a final word "scll.
kill or coniinc all male birds ms
soon as the Matching season is
over, 80 ms 10 produce infcrtilc
eggs. The malc bird has no cf-
feet on the number OF eggs pro
duced. y The Department Of
Agriculture estimates an annual
loss up into the millions Of dol
lars every year in eggs that
would have remained in Il con
dilion To use had they been IN
fertile have seen many cock
birds that were kept way be-
You'd their period of usefulness
either because of ago, scaly leg
long spurs, fro2en combs or
toes. The male is the most i'm
portant bird in the flock and
should be not only standard
bred but be kept in the pink of
condition. Pure bred in all
lines are the result of years of
intelligent selection for highest
efficiency and crossing usually
tends to go back ward instead
of forward.
w. S. Goss, County Agent,
w a