FARMERS' MONTHLY OF HAMPSHIRE COUNTY 



and will be a frequent contributor to the | 

 farm press. He will assist county agents ' 

 wherever possible in planning- and carry- 

 ing out soil improvement campaigns and i 

 will be glad to give individual farmers I 

 the benefit of his advice if they care to ^ 

 write to him directly. He will begin his 

 new work October 1st with headquarters 

 at Bellows Falls, Vermont. 



THE CORDWOOD SITUATION 



It appears at the present time that the 

 anthracite coal strike will be a long 

 drawn out proposition, and this means 

 that more than the normal amount of 

 wood will be burned during the coming 

 winter. Many dwellers in rural villages 

 who ordinarily burn coal will go back to 

 wood, while many city dwellers will piece 

 out their diminished coal supply by burn- 

 ing wood in fireplaces and stoves. Well 

 seasoned cordwood therefore, should find 

 a ready market. Those who have such 

 wood are advised also not to hang on to 

 it too long. Generally speaking, it will be 

 wise to have it sold, and for cash, before 

 the first of the year. 



If wood is cut now before December 1, 

 it will be seasoned enough for use during 

 the latter part of the winter, February 

 and March, and it is very likely that there 

 will be a market for it by that time. 

 Grey and White birch, hard and soft 

 maple and beech will burn fairly well 

 when only partially seasoned. Oak, on 

 the other hand, is a poor wood to burn 

 green and a slow species to season. There 

 is a chance for the woodlot owner to clean 

 up a little income in the hardw-ood lot 

 this winter and he will be doing himself 

 a double favor if he will take out this 

 wood in the form of an improvement cut- 

 ting. 



H. O. Cook, Extension Fwester. 



CONIFEROUS TREES AS A FARM CROP 



Profitable crops may be obtained from 

 the poorer areas on many farms by plant- 

 ing coniferous trees. Even in small 

 sizes the conifers may be sold at a profit 

 as Christmas trees, and in the large sizes 

 they have an assured mai'ket for lumber 

 or pulpwood. As a class they promise 

 earlier and larger money returns to the 

 farmer than other kinds of trees. Coni- 

 fers are also very effective as windbreaks. 

 And although they grow best on rich, 

 deep, well-drained soils, some species of 

 conifers — the pines in particular — will 

 ordinarily take hold better than hard- 

 woods on poor soils such as worn-out 

 fields or pastures, sandy areas, cut-over 

 and burned-over woodlands, and areas 

 vi-ith shallow soil. 



Information on how to obtain trees for 

 planting, as well as complete instructions 

 for producing home-grown .seedlings, for 

 planting them, and for caring for the 

 plantation, are given in Farmers' Bulletin 



70 PER CENT OF ONION PRICE 



GOES FOR DISTRIBUTION 



More than 70 per cent of the price 

 paid by consumers in Boston for Con- 

 necticut Valley onions in the season 

 1920-21 was absorbed in handling costs 

 between the producer and consumer, and 

 less than 30 per cent went to the grower-. 

 Retailers' margins absorbed 54 per cent 

 of the price to the consumer and whole- 

 sale and jobbing margins S per cent. 



These figures are cited by the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture in a discussion of 

 distributing costs in the onion business. 

 It is also noted that distributing agencies 

 do not always make a profit. In 1922 

 the margins of country dealers handling 

 Texas Bermuda onions averaged zero. 

 These distributors not only failed to 

 make any money out of the crop but 

 lost their expenses. In other recent 

 years, however, the margins of country 

 dealers handling Texas Bermudas have 

 ranged from 10 per cent to more than 20 

 per cent. 



Many factors tend to widen the spread 

 between the producer price and the re- 

 tail price of onions. Country dealers 

 who assemble and ship onions, whole- 

 salers who receive and sell onions in 

 carlots, jobbers who supply the retail 

 tiade and other distributing agencies 

 have to be reimbursed for expenses in- 

 curred. They also expect to make a 

 profit. Necessary charges include grad- 

 ing, packing, transportation, storage, la- 

 bor, display space, and commercial risk. 

 When dealers take a loss on the consign- 

 ment they endeavor to recover it by extra 

 profits on others. 



These cost factors together with oth- 

 ers vary in importance according to sea- 

 .son and crop, business conditions, and 

 numerous other influences, all of which 

 must be considered before the amount 

 charged by any distribution agency can 

 be judged fair and adequate. 



1453, just issued by the Department of 

 Agriculture under the title, "Growing 

 and Planting Coniferous Trees on the 

 Farm." 



Eighteen States listed in the bulletin 

 now operate nurseries or provide in some 

 other way for distributing tree seedlings 

 for planting. These States usually fur- 

 nish the seedlings at cost or free. Good 

 planting stock can also be obtained from 

 commercial dealers. 



With the possible exception of two or 

 three species of hardwoods, nearly twice 

 as much saw-log timber can be taken from 

 a fully stocked merchantable stand of 

 conifers as from a similar stand of hard- 

 woods. Conifers can be matured in 

 greater numbers per acre, and their 

 straight, unbranched trunks yield more 

 saw logs. In general, therefore, for tim- 

 ber production conifers are the best choice 

 for farm planting. 



KEEP COWS CLEAN 



The use of milk as a food has increased 

 from 42 gallons per capita in 1918 to 

 more than 54 gallons in 1924. This is 

 due very largely to an appreciation by 

 the public of the food value in daily pro- 

 ducts and a growing conviction that they 

 are produced and kept under sanitary 

 conditions. The greater the consumption 

 of dairy products, the greater will be the 

 demand with a consequent effect on price. 

 A clean milk supply properly safeguarded 

 until it reaches the consumer in the form 

 of milk or other products, is essential if 

 the use of dairy products is to be in- 

 creased. 



Soon, dairy cattle will be kept in the 

 stable at night and later during a poi-- 

 tion of the day as well. When kept in 

 the stable, cows need additional attention 

 if clean milk is to be produced. 



Most of the dirt that gets into milk 

 comes from the cow's body. Manure or 

 chaff on the hind quarters or on the ud- 

 ders of cows falls into the milk pail dur- 

 ing milking. Straining removes the 

 coarse portions of the dirt, but it cannot 

 take out the part that dissolves. The 

 manure and dirt which goes into solution 

 taints the milk, increases the bacteria and 

 injures the keeping quality. 



Also the work of keeping the cows clean 

 can be much lessened if the stalls are 

 supplied with plenty of bedding. Plenty 

 of bedding is important at all times while 

 the cows are stabled. It helps to keep the 

 cow stalls dry and more comfortable. 

 When sufficient bedding is used, it tends 

 to work into the gutter and helps keep 

 the cows clean when they lie down. 



The amount of dirt and filth that can 

 cling to a cow will be greatly reduced by 

 removing the hair on the flanks and ud- 

 ders. Reducing the amount of filth that 

 sticks to a cow reduces the amount that 

 falls into the milk. With the long hair 

 removed, a cow can be easily cleaned by 

 brushing or wiping with a damp cloth. 

 Clipping the entire body of a cow in the 

 fall makes possible a new growth of hair 

 and the cow does not become itchy. A 

 comfortable cow produces more econom- 

 ically. 



Careful attention given to every factor 

 that contributes to cleaner and better 

 milk is important if the present eflTorts 

 toward securing an increased demand for 

 dairy products are to be successful. 



Think big, talk little, love much, laugh 

 easily, work hard, give freely, pay cash 

 and be kind. It is enough. 



Before and After 



An old darkey upon being a.sked which, 

 in his estimation, was the most useful 

 domestic animal, replied: 



"A chicken, of course. He am de mos' 

 usefullest animule dere am. Yo' kin eat 

 him befoah he am born an' aftah he am 

 dead." 



