of this movement. Whether it develops as an integral part of the farm bureau or not, its friends should not make the mistake of failing to link up very closely with the state and national agricultural extension organizations. The importance of this work in relation to the problems of labor shifting, and public health, as well as in reducing the cost of living and promoting the utilization of waste land and fertilizer, makes it one that should receive special attention in an organized way in every city of the state.

HELPING FARMERS OBTAIN SEED-The spring of 1917 developed a shortage of seed potatoes, seed beans and buckwheat. The Food Committee of the Council of Defense brought into the state quantities of these seeds to meet the situation. The farm bureaus assumed a large measure of responsibility for seeing that the needs of the farmers were met. Acting independently the county agents did much to relieve the situation. A total of 3500 bushels of seed potatoes, 125 bushels of buckwheat, 150 bushels of seed corn, 110 bushels of seed beans and sixty bushels of soy beans were located by county agents for farmers who were unable to find their own seed.

1918 SEED CORN CRISIS-In 1918 the only critical seed situation was in relation to corn, and here the conditions were the worst that have been experienced in a generation. The county agents have never devoted themselves more intensively to any one piece of work than to the campaign to meet this extremely serious situation. Under the able leadership of B. G. Southwick, Extension Agronomist, County Corn Shows were held in every county, early in the season before we knew conditions were serious. Two hundred and fourteen farmers entered fifty-ear exhibits at these shows. Germination tests were made upon these exhibits. These shows first revealed the fact that seed corn was becoming bad. Every means of publicity at their disposal was focused by the farm bureaus upon this situation. In Windham County corn meetings and suppers were scheduled for every town. More than seven hundred samples were sent personally by the county agents to the New Haven Experiment Station for testing. It was found that only about thirty per cent of this corn was fit for planting; in Fairfield County about ten per cent.

In February the United States Department of Agriculture asked Connecticut to send all her extra seed corn to the North Central states, where the seed had been almost entirely destroyed. The county agents handled the business details and the Experiment Stations made the official tests. Six carloads, which brought the farmers more than $15,000, were shipped to North Dakota and Wisconsin.

Late in March an emergency seed corn committee was brought into existence by the Committee of Food Supply. Thru this Committee the rural ministers brought the seriousness of the situation to the attention of their congregations and thru the State Board of Education reading lessons on the situation and the method of testing were placed in all rural schools. High schools were asked to test seed corn for farmers in their community.

No. of Bushels

The following table shows statistically the results of county agent activities in this work:

No. of

50-ear

HELPING FARMERS OBTAIN LABOR-In March, 1917, the farm labor situation began to become somewhat acute. In an effort to meet the situation the county agents made every possible effort to obtain labor for farmers. They cooperated with existing labor organizations but for the most part depended on their own resources. They had the thorogoing cooperation of the Boys' Working Reserve in securing this type of labor.

In central and western Connecticut much good work was done. In justice to the county agents of eastern Connecticut it must be said that no agency thus far has been able to find adequate labor for the farms in that section. Paul W. Ives in New Haven County, Otis Moore in Hartford County and Allen W. Manchester in Litchfield County are agents deserving special mention for their success in devising means of meeting the labor problems. Interesting, and in some cases successful, experiments have been worked out in using convict labor and boys camps, particularly in New Haven County.

In 1918 the Federal Employment Service representing the U. S. Department of Labor took over control of the labor activities in this state. The Boys' Working Reserve and the Woman's Land Army became affiliated with them. The farm bureaus placed themselves at the service of this organization in matters connected with labor and were asked to act as an agency for locating labor on farms. A satisfactory and mutually helpful division of work has resulted. The following table shows the labor, man and boy, regardless of source, which has been placed on farms by the farm bureaus during the past two years:

During the past year Elijah Rogers, Farm Labor Specialist of the Department of Agriculture, with offices with the Federal Employment Service, has contributed much to the solution of the farm labor problem. The county agents will continue this work as long as it does not constitute a duplication of effort, and as long as it is the desire of the Council of Defense for them to continue.

POULTRY SELECTION DEMONSTRATIONS.

1917 CAMPAIGN-One of the most successful and clean cut educational campaigns of the year 1917 was the drive for the elimination of non-productive hens. This was conducted by the county agents under the leadership of and with the assistance of R. E. Jones, Extension Poultryman, and Prof. W. F. Kirkpatrick, head of the Poultry Department of the Connecticut Agricultural College. The Connecticut Council of Defense Committee of Food Supply gave invaluable support thru its publicity department. The County Agents arranged and advertised the demonstrations. Mr. Jones, Prof. Kirkpatrick and their assistants did the actual demonstrating.

1918 CAMPAIGN-The 1918 campaign is being carried out at the present time under the same direction and leadership and with the same demonstrators. An attempt is being made this year to reach more communities than last and to reach those sections which have not heretofore received demonstrations. Following is a statistical report of poultry selection demonstrations this year as far as they have proceeded.

In seventy-nine demonstrations given in sixty-nine different towns in the State, 1,504 farmers were instructed in the methods of selecting non-productive birds. In attendance at the demonstrations and in the number of birds pledged for selection, Fairfield County easily leads the State. In attendance at demonstrations, Hartford County led, 302 farmers having attended her eight demonstrations. This speaks well for the efficiency of the advertising methods used by County Agent Brown.

Following is an itemized report of the demonstrations held by

In these seventy-nine demonstrations a total of 8,442 hens were handled by the demonstrators. Of these, 5,016 were kept as good producers and 3,426 were condemned as slackers. As a result of removing these 3,426 hens, which constituted 37.1% of the flocks handled, egg production was decreased only 6.2%.

In addition to these seventy-nine demonstrations, the method of selecting non-productive hens was demonstrated at fairs in every county in Connecticut. In some counties continuous demonstrations went on from the beginning to the end of the fairs. A bulletin on the methods of selection was printed and circulated throughout the State by the State Committee of Food Supply and attractive posters were placed in every post office, railroad station, library and town hall in the rural sections of Connecticut, calling attention to the necessity of eliminating non-productive birds. The result of such a campaign it is hard to estimate, but we believe we are conservative in saying that at least 2,500 farmers in Connecticut have received definite. instruction in the methods of eliminating non-productive birds.

THE SLACKER HEN DEMONSTRATIONS FOR 1918.

Farmers and farmers' wives to the number of 1,265, attended demonstrations in selecting non-productive hens.

The "slacker hen" campaign carried on this year by the Extension Poultry Department in cooperation with the County Farm Bureaus has been even more successful than that of last year.

In 81 demonstrations given in 75 towns, 1,265 persons were in attendance and 564 flocks, representing 38,965 fowls, were pledged for immediate culling. In number of towns having demonstrations and in number of demonstrations, Litchfield County led the state. In total attendance Hartford County led.

In these 81 demonstrations a total of 9,664 hens were handled by the demonstrators. Of these 5,898 were kept and 3,766 were rejected. The average daily egg production for one week previous to the demonstrations was 2,611 eggs while for the week following the demonstra

tions it was 2,361 eggs. There were 3,766 hens, or 39% of the flock, marketed with a drop of only 250 eggs, or 9.5% of the production.

The success of the year's campaign following that of last year's is a warranty of the value of such demonstrations, the financial value of which can be measured in dollars and cents and easily proved.

A detailed report of this campaign by towns for both 1917 and 1918, prepared by the Extension Poultryman is on file in the office of the County Agent Leader at Storrs.

AGENTS OF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

The county agents as employees of the United States Department of Agriculture have been required to act as its agents or as agents of the War Department in several matters of importance to the farmers. The work of this nature done by the county agents is herewith summarized.

a. Sale of Seed Corn. They acted as agents of the U. S. Department of Agriculture in sampling and arranging the purchase from farmers of 3881 bushels of tested seed corn at $4.25 per bushel.

b. Purchase of Nitrate. When the government commandeered our import of Chilean nitrate a certain amount was set aside for distribution to farmers for crop production. The county agents were required to act as agents of the government in its distribution. Following are the amounts of nitrate sold in the several counties in this way:

Difficult transportation conditions delayed delivery until extremely late in the season and several of the county agents were obliged to go to New York and make special arrangements for delivery. The transportation committee of the Council of Defense gave valuable assistance in this work.

c. Approving Furloughs. Under an act of Congress of March 16, 1918, power was given the War Department to grant furloughs to enlisted men to assist in agricultural work for short periods during the planting and harvest season. Every recommendation for such furlough required the concurrence or dissent of the county agricultural agent as representative of the Department of Agriculture in his county.

d. War Emergency Threshers Report. Under the provisions of an act of Congress passed August 10, 1917, the Department of Agriculture is required to secure reports from farmers and threshermen of all wheat and other grains threshed by them. The county agents