The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-03-19
NE W ENGLAND NOW
 SEEKING ID BUILD UP AGRICULTURE
Cooperation Being Stressed as Great Necessity in Pre- venting Alarming Move
 ment From Farms

BOSTON, March 1s.-New England, thoroughly aroused over it's aban- 6oned farms and the drift of popu- lation from the country to the city, which has been more marked than ever since the war, is making a de- termined effort to build up an agri- cultural prosperity which shall rest on a firm foundation. Cooperation is being stressed as the great ne- cessity. and not merely cooperation among the farmers themselves and between the farmers and the agri- cultural colleges and the state ex- pertinent stations, but between all these elements. and the industrial interests of this section of the coun- try.
 At recent agricultural confer ence in Boston the interdependence of agriculture and industry was em- phasized, and means of making New England more nearly self-support- ing in it's farm products were dis cussed. It was brought out that such products to the value of approxi- mately half a billion dollars were being brought into New England an- nually from other parts of the coun- try.
 Farmers We'll off.
 Even under present conditions the New England farmer is well off as compared with those of other sec tions, according to state and college authorities. President Ralph D. Hetzel, of New Hampshire College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, said, in recent address that the oldtime trend to the west had passed and that western farmers T because they saw a bright future for agriculture here, due to the nearness of markets. The Massachu- setts department of agriculture, in one of it's publications. said it could be proved that the average Massa- chusetts farmer was more prosper ous and got more out of life than the average farmer in any of the wheat-growing western states.
 Farming in Massachusetts" said this publication, has changed from extensive to intensive crop produc- ton. The importance of state agriculturally is usually rated ac- cording to heS production of grain, beef cattle and swine, with little attention to such crops as potatoes, onions, market garden vegetables, orchard fruits and berries. It is in these agricultural specialties that Massachusetts. and the other New England states excel"
 Giving detailed figures comparing farm costs and production in Mas sachusetts and in 8 certain western grain-growing state. the population sets the general value of the whole farm crop per acre here at s5S.10 and in the western state at $19.20. Vnrfou. Method. Ir.ea
 Various methods to bring about the desired result are being worked out. Farmers are being encouraged to devote thousands of acres of land which have been proved too barren for raising crops, to the creation of new forests to replace those cut down by lumbermen. Dairy farmers, livestock owners, and fruit growers are for.ling cooperative associa- tons for buying feed, fertilizer and other supplies, and for marketing their products.
 In Aroostook county, Maine, which leads the country in potato raising, campaign h in progress to increase interest in bettering the crop, grading 1t properly for mar vantage. In Vermont livestock own CTS are getting together in bet ter sires, better stock" effort.
 In New Hampshire the extension service of New Hampshire college has mapped out program of assist ance to farmers which includes de- tailed studies of selected farms in different parts of the state in order to point the way to better organ fzed farm unit; surveys of the best methods of crop rotation in order