Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-04-02
FARMERS WEEK.
"OPENS TUESDAY

| Especial to The Kennebec Journal)
.Orono. Apr. 1.-The first day of
Farmers week opened here this
morning with the annual meeting
of the Maine Federation of Farm
Bureaus the meeting of the Maine
| Seed Improvement Association, the
first sessions of the poultry school,
the agricultural discussions and the
Home Economics discussions.
President Julian Emery of Sails
bury Cove presided at the Farm Blu
reau meeting and spoke. E. b.
Lord Of Lebanon, treasurer, made his
annual report, while Arthur l.. Deer
ing OF Orono, secretary, submitted O
| similar report. DR.. Clarence C.
Little. president Of the University of
Maine, delivered an address to the
county delegates. This was followed
by an executive session with Leon s.
Merrill. director OF the Extension
Service.
Mr.. Deering reported on the prog
ress of the Farm Bureaus, both in
regard to work and membership,
pointing out that on March 10 the
membership numbered 1854. This
TIT an increase of several hundred
over the enrolment at the same
time last year.
In speaking of the value Of Ex-
tension work, MIR. Deering declared,
An effort was made to summarize
in terms of dollars and cents the
value of extension work done during
the past year. Yet such summary
at best would be very incomplete.
However, to give one an idea Of its
value there was one Home Econom-
les project out of the ten or more
In the county programs last year
which returned the women of this
State more than $4,000. Among the
~ or more projects in tn eagricul-
tural program one alone returned a
net profit TO the farmers Of Maine
OF more than $4,000.
"Yet these values sink into COM
parative insignificance were 1t DOS
sible to measure certain extension
work upon which no monetary fig
ures can be placed. Who can meas
ure in dollars and cents the value of
nutrition and health work being
done? Nor can one attempt to
measure the worth of the following
extension projects: Farm Manage
ment. Home Management. Accredit-
ed Herds or Accredited Flocks, Boys
and Girls Clubs and in fact more
than two-thirds of the work being
done cannot be measured in this
manner"
The secretary then explained what
had been shown by a survey of 1884
farms in 10 towns. The following
are the points he brought out.
!. The chief sources of income
were from dairy cattle, apples. poul-
try and sweet corn.
z. Dairy cattle. Forty percent of
the total number of herds are locat-
ed in four towns. There are 341
herds or A percent having eight
cows or more without q registered
bull. Thirty-five percent of the
farms have less than four cows and
10 percent having eight or less cows.
=. Apples. Seventy-three percent
of the total number Of trees are To-
Gated in five towns, while IS rercent
of all orchards of 200 trees or more
AMI 30 percent OF orchards OF 1000
trees or over are to be found in these
same five towns. There are oniy
approximately 800 men in the conn
ty that have sufficient trees to make
1t economical to purchase the cquip-
ment necessary to produce good
fruit.
4. Poultry. There are but 81
focks OF over 200 hens and only two
with over 500 birds. Three towns
only have as many as 40 fiocks.
8. Sweet corn. Fifty-four per-
cent of the farms OF the county are
growing sweet corn, 4S percent of
which is grown in three towns OF
the county. Thirty-two percent OF
the farms are growing one-half
acre or less and 10 percent are grow
ing three acses or more.