FARMERS' MONTHLY 



OF HAMPSHIRE COUINTY 



Vol. X. 



NORTHAMPTON, MASS., OCTOBER, 1925 



No. 10 



SANITATION IMPORTANT IN 

 ERADICATING BOVINE 



TUBERCULOSIS 



Though the influence of .sanitary sur- 

 rounding.s in preventing disease i.s widely 

 recognized, the very direct part it plays 

 is illustrated almost daily in Federal 

 veterinary activities. One of the most 

 important lines of this work is the eradi- 

 cation o" tuberculosis from livestock. 

 Owing to the sy.stematic manner in which 

 the testing is conducted, together with re- 

 tests of infected herds, definite records 

 now take the place of casual okservations. 



In one herd tested annually for a period 

 of three years, each test disclosed at 

 least two tuberculous animals. The prem- 

 ises and stable were in such condition 

 that thorough disinfection was virtually 

 impossible, and rather than improve con- 

 ditions the owner finally quit the dairy 

 business. In contrast to this e.xperience 

 are scores of cases in which infected 

 herds, kept in sanitary barns, are soon 

 freed of tuberculosis and kept so for long 

 periods. 



One of the most striking examples re- 

 ported to the Bureau of Animal Industry, 

 United States Department of Agriculture, 

 was that of an eastern dairyman who had 

 an excellent herd which he kept in a very 

 old bank barn. The herd numbered be- 

 tween .30 and 40 animals, mostly pure- 

 bred, and the owner paid several thousand 

 dollars apiece for some of his sires. This 

 was some years ago when public enlight- 

 enment concerning tuberculosis was just 

 beginning. Frequent deaths occurred in 

 the herd and finally the dairyman decided 

 to have his cattle tuberculin tested. The 

 first test showed a large proportion of re- 

 actors, and later tests took still more, in- 

 dicating that infection was still on the 

 premises. Ultimately his herd, repre- 

 senting years of breeding work and a 

 large investment, was practically wiped 

 out. The cost of a few good cows used 

 in the construction of a modern, sanitary 

 bain would have protected the large in- 

 vestment in the herd and prevented the 

 inroads of the disease. 



So important is the sanitary condition 

 under which cattle are kept, with relation 

 to their health, that the United States De- 

 partment of Agriculture now pays Fed- 

 eral indemnity for tuberculous stock only 

 after the premises have been properly dis- 

 i'oTUinuL-d on pagre in, coJuniii 2 



SUCCESS AT EASTERN STATES WHO'S WHO WITH POULTRY 



Dairy Boys Take $500.00 

 Poultry Boys Take $101.75 



Hampshiie County boys and girls had 

 twenty-seven dairy animals at the East- 

 ern States Dairy Club E.xhibit this year. 

 Three girls and twelve boys owned these 

 animals and had them in fine shape so 

 that members of the Hampshire County 

 Dairy club took five hundred dollars in 

 prizes. The money was given in gold 

 direct to the winners by Mr. Nathaniel 

 Bowditch who officiated for the Massachu- 

 setts Society for the Promotion of Agri- 

 culture who makes the Dairy Camp pos- 

 sible. There were twenty-one Holsteins, 

 four Guernseys and two .Jerseys in the 

 lot. 



The fifteen owners of the animals 

 stayed at the Dairy Camp during the 

 week and had the grand time you might 

 expect around the Exposition Grounds, 

 exhibits, amusements and dairy meetings 

 throughout their stay. 



Fourteen poultry members exhibiting 

 about one hundred and fifty birds took 

 one hundred one dollars and seventy-five 

 cents in prizes. Among the prizes were 

 19 firsts, 11 seconds, 8 thirds, 7 fourths, 

 .3 fifths, 4 sixths. Many of the poultry 

 exhibitors were there over one night on 

 the grounds. 



Hampshire County surely profited by 

 the opportunities of the Eastern States. 



CORN VARIETY TESTS 



Huron County and Lancaster County 

 Sure Crop Show Value for Silage 



At the Three County Fair, we put on 

 an exhibit of ensilage corn varieties under 

 the heading "Are you growing the best 

 variety of corn for silage for your con- 

 ditions?" The first variety shown was 

 the dent corn commonly grown for husk- 

 ing in the Connecticut Valley. This corn 

 is early maturing and makes fine quality 

 ensilage in towns where the season is 

 short. It grows about eight feet tall and 

 has a good sized ear. This variety is al- 

 ready popular in Middlefield and Ware. 



This spring, Earl Jones, formerly 

 Agronomy Extension Specialist in this 

 state, now holding a similar position in 

 Ohio, sent on some seed of Huron County 

 Corn. This variety was tried out by 

 D. C. Randall, Belchertown; W. S. Ben- 

 Contiiiuod on pn^v 10. oolurmi I 



Nine Months' Record Show 

 High Production 



Twelve of the poultry flocks in the 

 Hampshire County Egg Laying Contest 

 have either equalled or bettered the 160 

 egg standard of egg production for the 

 first nine months of the contest. This 

 standard, adapted from New .Jersey, calls 

 for 134 eggs per bird in the nine months' 

 period from November to .July, inclusive. 

 The figures below show the best produc- 

 ing flocks in the county irrespective of 

 size. 



Eggs 

 per bird 

 F. D. Steele, Cummington 162.4 



R. S. Schoonmaker, Amherst 151. .59 



Miss Minnie Moody, Amherst 150.6 



S. F. Thomas, Amherst 148.57* 



A. H. Ballou, Ware 146.39 



Hillside School, Greenwich 145.6 



H. C. Booth, Belchertown 143.8 



.John Bloom, Ware 140.0 



P. L. Wheelock, Amherst 138.5 



H. T. Newhall, Amherst 138.2 



S. G. Waite, Southampton 136.8 



W. S. Chafl^'ee, Pelham 134.58 



A. -J. Baker, Amherst 131.2 



J. M. Lowe, Amherst 130.99 



Mrs. E. H. Alderman, Middlefield 130.0 

 Mi.ss Mary H. Miller, S Hadley 123.8 

 * Flock sold, .July record not included. 



In the high producing flocks, Frank D. 

 Steele of Cummington heads the list. To 

 those who know Mr. Steele, this is not a 

 surprise as they know that he believes 

 that anything that is worth doing is 

 worth doing well. His high record is not 

 a happen stance but the result of seven 

 years of careful breeding. He has bred 

 for early maturity, persistency and non- 

 hroodiness. That he has made progress 

 in these things is shown by the flock rec- 

 ord. His flock was hatched in April, 

 raised under disease control methods and 

 housed by October first. This past year 

 the birds had reached a production of 11.4 

 eggs per bird in November. There was 

 no winter pause as production increa.sed 

 each month till the high point of 25.4 

 eggs per month was reached in April. 

 This flock will do better than 200 egg.^ 

 per bird for the year. 



R. S. Schoonmaker of South Amherst 

 has also made a fine record. His birdt 

 did not get .started quite as early as Mr. 

 Continued on page Ui. column 1 



