FARMERS' MONTHLY OF HAMPSHIRE COUNTY 



CLUB WORK 



ANNUAL 4-H EGG LAYING 



CONTEST STARTS 



November first sees the start of the 

 annual contests among poultry club mem- 

 bers to see who has the best laying flock 

 of birds. The competition always has 

 been keen and this year promises to be 

 no exception. In fact, the class of large 

 flocks of 40 or more birds will be much 

 larger than ever with several flocks of 

 100 or more first class pullets, both Reds 

 and Leghorns. It is going to be ex- 

 tremely interesting not only to the con- 

 testants but to many outsiders to see how 

 this class comes out. Last year only one 

 large flock managed to place in the Honor 

 List. It will be surprising, to say the 

 least, if three or four don't this year. 



The prizes are not ready to be an- 

 nounced yet although there will be some 

 good bi-eeder in the county that will give 

 some of his best stock to the boy or girl 

 that does the best work with Reds and 

 Leghorns. Perhaps four females and one 

 male. This will be in addition to the 

 monthly prizes of grain and first, second 

 and third prize ribbons. 



In order to join the poultry project and 

 the egg laying contest any boy or girl, 

 ten or over, must keep records on, and 

 care for, five or more pullets or hens. 

 This is the first year. After that they 

 must increase their flock each year. Very 

 few members start with as few as five 

 birds as it is just as easy to care for ten 

 or twenty birds as for five and much bet- 

 ter results can be obtained. 



Organization of Poultry Clubs 



A poultry club can consist of any 

 number of young people interested 

 enough in poultry to complete a year's 

 requirement in the poultry club project. 

 A standard club shall consist of at least 

 five members. 



In a community where at least five 

 young people are interested in poultry 

 work, a poultry club should be organized 

 under the leadership of some older per- 

 son. In case conditions are unfavorable 

 for an organized group, the years work 

 may be carried on individually. 



An organized poultry club should elect 

 officers : president, vice-president and sec- 

 retary; meetings should be held every 

 two weeks or once a month and a definite 

 program should be carried out at each 

 meeting. 



On a visit to Huntington recently, the 

 club agent found that the Domestic 

 Science teacher, Miss Mildred Gillette, 

 had three sewing clubs organized with an 

 enrollment of nearly 60 girls, one club 

 of grammar school girls, one of Junior 

 High and one of High School girls. Not 

 bad for a starter. 



THE STORY OF GEORGE NOBLE, STATE BABY BEEF CHAMPION 



George is one of the club members who has risen fast in the few 

 years he has been in Baby Beef Club Work. He joined the club in the 

 fall of 1923 and raised a steer which was placed first in its class at the 

 Eastern States Exposition and sold his steer at lid per pound for which 

 he realized a profit of about $80.00. As a result of his efforts he was 

 made County Champion and attended Camp Gilbert last summer. 



Last year he raised two steers which ranked high in their class and 

 scored high in the feed and management contest, winning the State 

 Championship. 



This year George is raising two steers and is President of the Club. 

 It will be his last year in the Baby Beef Club which he deeply regrets. 

 George is a royal booster for 4-H Clubs and is a mighty fine all-around 

 club member. Very few who were at Camp Gilbert last year will fail 

 to remember George Noble. 



IJairy <"liili rroduetiun Contest Knds 



Continued froni page 1. column 2 

 milk counted 45 per cent and the accuracy 

 and promptness of the reports counted 

 the remaining 10 per cent. The amount 

 of 4 per cent milk was found by using 

 a Wisconsin formula which takes into 

 account both the milk and butterfat, and 

 is probably the fairest method known of 

 comparing the production of different 

 breeds of cows. The competition in this 

 part of the contest was unusually keen, 

 the three leaders being very close. Joe 

 Sena's Holstein finally led in the produc- 

 tion of 4 per cent milk with Pratt's Jer- 



sey only a little over 100 pounds behind. 



C. Hilton Boynton of South Hadley led 

 the second part of the contest that of 

 producing 100 pounds of 4 per cent milk 

 at the lowest cost. His three year old 

 Holstein, Sarah Pontiac Prilly, produced 

 4,541.6 pounds of 4 per cent milk at a 

 cost of $1.12 per hundred pounds, a very 

 low cost, indeed. A Guernsey of the 

 same age owned by Robert Cole of Hunt- 

 ington, was a very close second in this 

 respect being only one cent per hundred 

 pounds higher than Boynton's. 



The scores for the contestants was as 

 follows : 



