FARMERS' MONTHLY OF HAMPSHIRE COUNTY 



FARMERS' MONTHLY 



PUBLISHED BY THE 



Hampshire County Trustees for Aid to 

 Agriculture 



started right, send in your receipts and 

 expenses for one or two weeks and we 

 will enter them in the book for you. 



STAFF 

 Roland A. Payne, Connty Agent 

 Mildred W. Boice, 



Home Denionstrntion Agent 

 Norni;iii F. AVIiippen, County Club Agent 

 Mary Ditiiontl, Clerk 

 Mary Sullivan, Asst. Clerk 



Office First National Bank Building 



Northampton, Mass. 

 Entered as second class matter Nov. 9. 

 1915, at the Post OfBce at Northampton, 

 Massachusetts, *inder the Act of March 

 8, 1879. 



"Notice of Entry" 

 "Acceptance for mailing' at special rate 

 of postage provided for in section 1103, 

 Act of October 3, 1917. Authorized Oc- 

 tober 31, 1917. 



Price, 550 cents a year 



Officers of the Trustees 



Charles E. Clark, President 

 Charles W. Wade, Vice-President 

 Warren M. King, Treasurer 

 Roland A. Payne, Secretary 



Trustees for County Aid to Agriculture 



Edwin B. Clapp, Easthampton 



Charles E. Clark, Leeds 



Clarence E. Hodgkins, Northampton 



Milton S. Howes, Cummington 



Mrs. Clifton Johnson, Hadley 



Warren M. King, Northampton 



Charles W. Wade, Hatfield 



W. H. Atkins, Amherst 



L. L. Campbell, Northampton 



FARM ACCOUNT SERVICE 



The keeping of accounts has never been 

 one of the popular indoor sports on the 

 farm. One reason for this is that most 

 systems of farm accounting take too 

 much time chasing a few cents from one 

 page to another. They place the farmer in 

 the same position as a dog chasing an 

 automobile. The question is what will he 

 do with it after he catches it? There is 

 a sy.stem which any farmer can keep up 

 to date in less than ten minutes a day. 

 This system is used in the Massachusetts 

 Farm Account Book. 



This book has the following advan- 

 tages. All of each month's receipts and 

 expenses are kept on one page. This is 

 made possible by using numerous columns 

 on the same page. At the end of the 

 month each column is added and the re- 

 sult shows the expense or the receipts of 

 each farm department. Men who are us- 

 ing this system like it as it gives them 

 necessary information regarding their 

 business with a minimum expenditure of 

 time and labor. Copies of the Massa- 

 chusetts Fai'm Account Book can be ob- 

 tained by sending fifty cents to Hamp- 

 shire County Extension Service, 59 Main 

 St., Northampton. If you want the book 



COW TEST RECORDS 



December Records Show Many Fine 

 Herd and Individual Records 



Fifty-one herds were on test in the 

 Hampshire County Cow Testing Associa- 

 tion during December. Five herds aver- 

 aged over 1000 pounds of milk per cow, 

 while thirteen herds averaged over thirty 

 pounds of butter fat per cow for the 

 month. Forty-five cows made over forty- 

 five pounds of butter fat during Decem- 

 ber. 



The following are the five leading 

 herds in average milk production per 

 cow: 



Owner 



Pelissier Bros., Hadley 

 H. H. Bissell, Goshen 

 J. G. Cook, Hadley 

 R. Pomeroy, Amherst 

 E. T. Clark, Granby 



The following are the leading herds 

 in the average production of butter fat 

 per cow: 



Owner I" 



Ellis Harlow, Amherst 

 Pelissier. Bros., Hadley 

 R. Pomeroy, Amherst 

 H. H. Bissell, Goshen 

 J. G. Cook, Hadley 



Fifteen cows made 

 pounds of butter fat during December. 

 The following table gives the details of 

 these records: 



FUEL FOR BROODING 



Substitute for anthracite may have to 

 be used this year 



Altho there is a ray of hope that the 

 coal strike may be settled soon, poultry- 

 men who have an adequate supply of coal 

 for brooding are indeed fortunate. Many 

 will have to depend upon substitutes for 

 anthracite. It may at first seem a hard- 

 ship for it means new experience and 

 more work; yet it can be and is being 

 done quite successfully. 



Some months ago contact was made 

 with the Fuel Administrator seeking to 

 secure preferential delivery of coal for 

 incubation and brooding. Such a ruling 



was not secured. When anthracite is 

 available at local coal dealers', poultry- 

 men can get special consideration by ap- 

 pealing to the chairman of their boards 

 of selectmen. 



Of the substitutes for anthracite to use 

 in regular brooder stoves, chestnut size 

 coke is probably the best. Men who are 

 now using coke, experience little difficulty 

 excepting the need of firing one half 

 again as often as when using coal. Its 

 fi-eedom from gas is really an advantage 

 in brooding. If a little anthracite is 

 available and it is used with coke, ex- 

 cellent results are obtained. Alternate 

 layers of coke and anthracite do extreme- 

 ly well in very cold weather. Boullets 

 and briquetts are probably the next best 

 substitutes. They are now giving quite 

 satisfactory service especially in the 

 larger stoves. 



Here at the Massachusetts Agricul- 

 tural College we are also experimenting 

 with buckwheat and soft coal. Buck- 

 wheat is fairly satisfactory if the fire is 

 not too thick, is tended frequently and if 

 the draft is excellent. In incubator 

 stoves with tall chimneys, it works fairly 

 satisfactorily. In small brooder stoves a 

 tall funnel should be used and the smoke 

 must be kept warm to insure a draft. 

 This means slipping a larger sized funnel 

 over the regular one from the roof line 

 up or wrapping the funnel with paper 

 and burlap from the roof up. Buck- 

 wheat mixed in alternate layers with 

 larger sizes of coal proves very satis- 

 factory and when mixed with twice or 

 three times the amount of coke it makes 

 an excellent fire. 



In some sections of the country they 

 brood every year with soft coal. Many 

 poultrymen experienced in its use report 

 satisfactory service. However, they all 

 say it requires attention during the night 

 and that one must be cautious to avoid 

 coal gas. At least a five inch funnel 

 should be provided and a small red spot 

 kept showing thru at one edge of the 

 fire. 



It is likely that oil burners will be u ed 

 extensively this season. They are con- 

 venient and for warm weather give very 

 satisfactory service. In early brooding 

 and during cold weather there is a ten- 

 dency to close the buildings and not afford 

 adequate ventilation when oil is used. 

 Most poultrymen have coal-burning 

 equipment and must use it. The prob- 

 lem then is largely a matter of learning 

 to use anthracite substitutes. Many 

 poultrymen are doing so now with early 

 broods of winter chickens. Coke, bri- 

 quetts and soft coal all do the job. It is 

 simply a matter of more work plus know- 

 ledge gained of experience. 



Those who must use anthracite sub- 

 stitutes this year will save loss as well 

 as worry by experimenting with these be- 

 fore the chickens come rather than after- 

 wards. — William C. Monahaii. 



