The Devils Lake world., 1922-11-08
When L Visited
The County Agent

My orchard was in bad shape Trees
seemed to be unnecessarily dying and
the apples were scrawny and were
falling off before ripening. A neighbor
advised me to ask the county agent to look
at the orchard. had to call three differ
ent times before found him in the Office
The first time he was of down to the
southern part of the county helping
bunch Of farmers near Tibbiville organize
q cooperative livestock shipping associa-
tion. None of the farmers down there
are big shippers: the local buyers haven't
enough competition to make them efficient
so the farmers are planning to ship CO.
operatively to the city The county
agent took down set of contracts, rules
and regulations, and methods Of organiza-
tion that have proven successful for the
cooperative shipping associations that
have been operating the past two years
over east near Podunk. While down there
he helped sell some feeder pigs that had
been listed with him by farmers up at this
end Of the county.
The second time called for the county
agent he was taking man who had come
up from the college Of agriculture around
over the county testing dairy herds for
tuberculosis. They found seven in a
herd Of twenty from which Higginstown
had gotten most of its milk supply. They
found infected cattle in the most unsus-
pected places. While most Of the herds
were healthy they found eighteen cows
whose tainted milk had been endangering
the lives Of hundreds Of children and
grownups.
While out on this trip the farm advisor
gave much information regarding the
breeding records Of Holstein cattle to
farmers who wished to replace their
diseased cows. He also worked up an
interest among the farmers in co-opera-
lively bringing in an expert from the
Agricultural College to test the dairy
herds Of the county for butter fat produc-
ton. The farm advisor also suggested
rations that were properly balanced and
would keep the herds in state of health
and resistance.
i The third time tried to get him the
girl who keeps Office said that he would be
back about four o'clock, that he had been
asked by the Farm Bureau Community
Club Of the Hilldale neighborhood to 60
out and help them analyze their soil con-
tent. That is, he tested the soil in the
various farms to see whether it was sour,
too much alkali, worp out, too rich OF
what. That was new to me-havins
, your dirt diagnosed and doctored. But
you know for yourself that sometimes a
crop that grows rank on your neighbour
farm will only bring half yield on your
own. Where the farm advisor cannot tell
the needs and treatment Of the soil him.
self he is in direct touch with the United
States Department Of Agriculture Expert
; ment Station and can send samples in tt
be analysed by experts.
If it is alfalfa, clover, or other legume.
that are needed the farm advisor stands
ready to give information on seed anc
planting. Several of the state Farm
Bureau Federations have rock phosphat,
and limestone distributing department.
which operate quarries, make money :
saving contracts with mining companies
and ship straight to the farmer. TIL,
farmer orders through the farm advisor
who sends the order to state headquarter,
where it is taken care Of by the depart
ment where the fertilizer is purchased CO
operatively. This way the quarry com
panies can give discounts on large con
tracts. 1t is the same principle in eff
cheney that the wool pool portrays. Whel
the farm advisor gives his services j,
collecting and shipping the wool from on
point he eliminates the toll that the loca
buyer takes for his trouble and the farme
gets the added proit-vhich is available
because Of efficient handling. In botl
the case of cooperative buying of lime
stone and the cooperative selling Of wool
the goods 60 the shortest route from
the producer to the consumer.
While waited for the farm advisor t,
return three other farmers dropped in t.
Gee him:
One Of them had come in to get one o
the farm account books that the Farm
Bureau is distributing. He brought hi
income tax blanks along for help in film
his returns. He didn't have an accoun
book the past year. Ifrecords are proper
~ kept in the account book there will b.
no trouble in figuring up the results a
the end of the year.
The other fellow had come in to get
hired man. The Farm Bureau has auto
matically come to be quite an employ
ment agency. Men hunting jobs jus
naturally gravitate there and especial.
do the better class Of hired men go to tn
Farm Bureaus for tips on where to fin.
work. The County Agent tells me tina
he places one or two men every week o
the year and Of course during the harves
season great deal Of his time is taken VI
listing farmers who want help and direct
ing the travelling harvesters to the farms
The third man who was waiting aroun.
with us had come in to file claim. Th'
fences along the right-of-way Of the rail
| 4 A. .,,s. II, 80 for, Io,,o 1o>,