10 



HAMPSHIRE COUNTY FARMERS' MONTHLY 



REGARDING ALFALFA 



FAILURES 



The following letter from Prof. J. B. 

 Abbott of the Massachusetts Agricultural 

 College to the County Agent contains so 

 much valuable information regarding 

 alfalfa production that we are printing 

 it. It explains why we want farmers to 

 put alfalfa in right or not at all. 



"I am convinced that there is no one 

 thing which we can do which will pro- 

 mote the culture of alfalfa so effectively 

 as to take steps to cut down the number 

 of failures, even tho at the same time we 

 cut down the total seeding. As I have 

 stated before at various times, every- 

 thing in which the public has any in- 

 terest, or which is given any consider- 

 able publicity, serves to demonstrate and 

 convince in one direction or the other. 

 The number of failures with alfalfa 

 which have occurred in past years has 

 been sufficient to all but convince the 

 public that the crop can not be made a 

 commercial success in this territory. 



If we really mean business it is up to 

 us to reduce the number of failures to 

 as near the vanishing point as possible 

 and establish demonstrations that will 

 demonstrate success rather than failure. 

 Let me point out some of the commoner 

 reasons for failure of alfalfa and urge 

 you to take every means at your com- 

 mand to eliminate them. 



1. Inadequate neutralization of soil 

 acidity, resulting from not using lime 

 enough, not harrowing in thoroughly and 

 deeply enough or not putting it on long 

 enough before seeding. The best field of 

 alfalfa which I have seen recently was a 

 nine year old field in Wayland. Ten years 

 ago the farmer applied .3 tons of lime- 

 stone per acre and seeded but for one 

 reason or another did not get a good 

 stand. The next year he applied 4 tons 

 more per acre and reseeded. The stand 

 has been completely successful ever since 

 and last year, the ninth year after seed- 

 ing, it cut 5 tons per acre. I tested the 

 soil with the Soiltex outfit and found that 

 it tested green. Adjacent land tested 

 orange. Another case: Payne and I 

 held a field meeting one evening last sum- 

 mer and visited five or six pieces of al- 

 falfa, every one of which impressed me as 

 being sick. In every case the Soiltex re- 

 action showed very light green or yellow. 

 Finally in desperation we asked if any 

 one knew of a really thrifty field of al- 

 falfa. One man did, so we drove there 

 and tested the soil and got a dark green 

 reaction. I could multiply these examples 

 by the dozen. Merely liming is not 

 enough. It takes a lot of lime, well 

 worked in, some time in advance of seed- 

 ing; and I doubt whether first class 

 stands will usually be secured on strong- 

 ly acid soil until the land has been 

 limed, plowed and lime the other side up. 



2. The second great cause of failure 

 as I have ob.served it lies in trying to ' 

 seed in mid-summer on a seed bed which 

 has been rendered too dry by previous 

 production of peas and oats or some other 

 crop. That .scheme will not work except 

 in abnormally wet summers and is not to 

 be recommended. 



3. The third most important reason 

 for failure is delaying seeding until so 

 late in the summer that the crop does not 

 make adequate growth to go thru the 

 winter without injury. Without a doubt 

 it is better to seed before the first of 

 August. 



The merits of the crop are so great 

 that it will repay the grower for the ex- 

 tra expense involved in liming right and 

 preparing a seed bed right. I believe 

 that it would be distinctly profitable for 

 us to make a special eff"ort to sell this 

 idea and at the same time to do every- 

 thing possible to prevent the ■use of half- 

 baked methods with resultant demon- 

 strations of failure. 



If we are to carry out this idea, it is 

 evident that it will be necessary to take 

 appropriate steps to get in touch with as 

 large a proportion of those who propose 

 to seed as possible and persuade them to 

 do it right this summer or wait until they 

 can." 



EGG LAYING CONTEST 



Many high egg production records 

 were reported in March by those in the 

 egg laying contest. While the average 

 egg production for all the flocks leport- 

 ing was 16.4 eggs per bird the following 

 records made by the leaders show that 

 higher production is possible. 



Eggs 

 Small Flocks per bird 



1. P. L. Wheelock, Amherst 22.0 



2. D. C. Warnock, Northampton 20.7 



3. A. H. Ballou, Ware 20.1 



4. A. Parsons, Southampton 17.1 



5. Miss M. Moody, Amherst 17.0 

 Farm Flocks 



1. S. F. Thomas, Amherst 21.7 



2. S. G. Waite, Southampton 20.0 



3. Mrs. E. H. Alderman, M'field 19.8 



3. H. T. Newhall, Amherst 19.8 



4. W. S. Chaff^ee, Pelham 19.5 

 .5. R. S. Schoonmaker, Amherst 19.3 



Poultry Farm Flocks 



1. Hillside School, Greenwich 23.0 



2. F. D. Steele, Cummington 22.4 



3. G. E. Scott, Belchertown 19. .5 



4. E. S. Howlett, Southampton 17.9 



5. F. Rood, Southampton 17.4 



Commenting on the March reports, 

 Professor F. H. Branch says, 



"The average egg production for all 

 flocks for March was 16.4 eggs per bird. 

 This is an increase of 4.6 eggs over the 

 average for February and is the normal 



c 'i.iil iTuii-'fi I'll pHge 11, column 1 



FEEDING ON PASTURE 



Now is the time for the dairyman to 

 take an inventory of his cow pasture, not 

 in terms of acres, but of feed. We all 

 know that our cows are not high enough 

 producers, but, even so, they have come 

 a long way from the natural state of pro- 

 ducing just enough milk to raise a calf. 

 During the same time our pastures for 

 the most part have gone back in capacity 

 for feed production, just about as far as 

 the cow has advanced. Much has been 

 said, and is being said, about the proper 

 kind of a grain mixture to go along with 

 pasture. Let me say that the quantity 

 fed is far more important than the parti- 

 cular ingredients used. Feed plenty and 

 let the milk scales be the judge. 



Almost any mixture containing three 

 or four diff'erent grains, and around 15 

 per cent protein will do. Good pasture 

 rations are on the market, or one can be 

 made up of 800 pounds bran, 700 pounds 

 corn meal or hominy, 300 pounds gluten 

 feed, 200 pounds cottonseed meal. In- 

 stead of bran alone, middlings may be 

 used at the rate of 300 pounds middlings 

 to 500 pounds bran. In some cases it 

 might be well to add 20 pounds each of 

 ground limestone, bone meal, and salt to 

 the ton mixture. 



The amount to be fed will vary. In 

 some few cases it may be necessary to 

 feed a pound for eveiy four or five 

 pounds of milk. In others, not more than 

 a pound to six pounds of milk. But feed 

 enough to keep up the flow and keep the 

 cows in condition. The money spent will 

 be returned with interest by a saving of 

 grain next fall and early winter. The 

 two ways to save on next winter's feed 

 bill, are — grow plenty of good roughage, 

 and don't let the cows slump on pasture. 



4;ri>\viii.«' IC4MlK'lt'lK*e I*:i>k 



I'lintiiuuil from page 1. column 1 



clover and alfalfa being grown on the 

 farm. With a good growing season there 

 should be available thirty tons of this 

 leguminous hay for next winter's feeding 

 period. 



Another way of interpreting results 

 should mean something to the owners of 

 cows who regularly sacrifice one-third or 

 more of their milk check to pay the grain 

 bill. In 1924 Mr. Chapin sold .$5,400.00 

 worth of milk and had a grain bill of 

 only $963.00 including that fed to dry 

 cows. The average price for the milk 

 only $2.45 per hundred weight or about 

 five cents per quart. 



How many dairy farmers in Hamp.shire 

 County know the amount of feed con- 

 sumed and the amount of milk produced 

 from their herds during the past four or 

 five years, or for that matter the past 

 four or five months? If it takes forty 

 pounds of grain instead of twenty pounds 

 to get 100 pounds of milk, there ought to 

 be a good excuse for such a heavy ex- 

 pense. 



