FARMERS' MONTHLY OF HAMPSHIRE COUNTY 



11 



pruning is done this fall, leave a few 

 branches on the ground for the mice to 

 eat. (2. To prevent damage from rats 

 in the apple storage). In putting up a 

 nevsr storage, "build them out." Rat 

 proof walls and floors are an ideal form 

 of insurance. Use poison baits, or if 

 room is tight, practice fumigation. 



A new material known as red squill, 

 which is poisonous to rodents alone, has 

 recently been devised. For details con- 

 cerning the use of the newer poison baits 

 or of the fumigant, calcium cyanide, the 

 grower should communicate with his 

 county agent or with Mr. Mills at Am- 

 herst. —W. H. Thies, M. A. C. 



REGULARITY IN FEEDING MORE 



IMPORTANT THAN IN MILKING 



Of all dairy operations, milking on most 

 farms takes the greatest amount of time, 

 and to many persons is the most irksome 

 task. It has commonly been assumed that 

 cows should not only be milked regularly 

 but also by the same man each time. 

 Doubtless this has had much to do with 

 the distaste many persons have for dairy 

 work. 



Experiments by the United States De- 

 partment of Agriculture at the experi- 

 mental farm of the Bureau of Dairying 

 at Beltsville, Md., show that with cows 

 that are average to good, milking may 

 take place at irregular hours without any 

 marked effect upon production. Whether 

 very high producers would show similar 

 results has not been determined. 



It was found, however, that when irreg- 

 ular milking was accompained by irreg- 

 ular feeding the production was lessened 

 about 5 per cent. Apparently cows are 

 more sensitive to changes in the feeding 

 routine than to variations in the hours 

 of milking. The conclusion is not to be 

 drawn from these experiments that reg- 

 ularity in doing the dairy work is a mat- 

 ter of little importance, but rather that 

 cows can occasionally be milked earlier or 

 later than usual if thez-e is something else 

 to which the dairyman desires to give his j 

 time. 



Though it is generally believed that a 

 cow will produce more when milked al- 

 ways by the same per.son, the practice in 

 many large dairies where there are 

 several milkers is to milk the cows as 

 they come, rather than to reserve certain 

 cows for each man. At the bureau's ex- 

 perimental farm, 12 cows were divided 

 into three groups of four cows each, and 

 each group was milked regularly by the 

 same man for 40 days. The 12 cows 

 were then milked by the same three men 

 in such a way that no cow was milked 

 twice in succession by the same man. 

 After 40 days the cows were changed to 

 regular milking again for 40 days. The 

 results .show an increase of only about 

 0.0.5 per cent in the milk and butter fat 

 through steady milking by the same man. 

 This is so little as to be almost negligible. 



LOOK OUT FOR COLORED ALFALFA 

 AND RED CLOVER SEED 



The Federal Seed Act, as amended 

 April 26, 1926, requires that all seed of 

 red clover and alfalfa imported into the 

 United States be colored. The following 

 types of coloring are required: 



(a) Ninety days after the formal de- 

 termination by the Secretary of Agricul- 

 ture that seeds of alfalfa and red clover 

 from any foreign country or region are 

 not adapted for general agricultural use 

 in the United States, these seeds are pro- 

 hibited entry into the United States un- 

 less at least 10 per cent of the seeds in 

 each container is colored red. All alfalfa 

 and red clover seed for which the country 

 of production can not be shown is pro- 

 hibited entry unless at least 10 per cent 

 of the seeds in each container is colored 

 red. 



(b) Except as provided in paragraph 

 (a), all alfalfa and red clover .seed is 

 prohibited entry into the United States 

 unless at least 1 per cent of the seed in 

 each container, if produced in Canada, is 

 colored violet and, if pi-oduced in any 

 other country, is colored green. 



If the purchaser of seed is in doubt as 

 to whether the seed has been colored or 

 not, an easy method of making a deter- 

 mination is to put a tablespoonful of the 

 seed in a glass half full of wood alcohol 

 or denatured alcohol and stir it up. If 

 the seed has been colored, the character- 

 istic color will appear in the alcohol. 



The Federal Seed Act makes it pos- 

 sible for the purchaser of alfalfa and red 

 clover seed to determine definitely 

 whether the seed he is buying is of do- 

 mestic or foreign production. 



Samples of the.se seeds, stained to con- 

 form to the requirements of the Joint 

 Regulations of the Secretary of the 

 Treasury and the Secretary of Agricul- 

 ture, can be seen at the Extension office 

 59 Main Street, Northampton. 



Hog wallows, manure pits, dipping 

 vats, milk cooling tanks and a concrete 

 water heater are also illustrated and in- 

 structions are given for building them. 



FARM USES OF CONCRETE DESCRIBED 



IN THE NEW U. S. BULLEllN 



The building of many small concrete 

 structures useful on the farm is feasible 

 by the farmer himself, provided a few 

 simple directions are observed, says the 

 United States Department of Agricul- 

 ture. 



Farmers' Bulletin 1480, "Small Con- 

 crete Construction on the Farm," ju.st 

 issued, describes how to build sidewalks, 

 feeding floors, basement and barn floors 

 and similar pavements. 



The method of building tanks for 

 watering stock and storage of water is 

 outlined and tables are given to show 

 the amount of reinforcement required for 

 square and round tanks, of such sizes 

 as are readily built by one unskilled in { 

 the use of concrete. I 



*'A Hundred 



and One 



Farm Uses 



of Concrete'* 



Wouldn't you like to have 

 more time for yoursell? Wouldn't 

 you like to know you were 

 through fixing up fences for once 

 and all? Wouldn't you like to 

 know when you build a hog 

 house that you will never have 

 to repair or rebuild it? 



You can be sure of these things 

 when you build with Concrete. 

 Concrete is not only sanitary and 

 economical. It is permanent. 



Send today for your free copy 

 of "A Hundred and One Farm 

 Uses of Concrete." 



This practical litde book has 

 been especially prepared for you 

 and other progressive farmers. It 

 is well illustrated, and contains 

 samples of blue prints which will 

 help you in your building im- 

 provements. 



It also gives you worthwhile 

 information about Concrete silos, 

 dairy bams, barn floors, feeding 

 floors, hog houses, milk houses 

 and many other forms of Con- 

 crete construction. 



Finally, it tells you exacdy how 

 to make good Concrete; how to 

 proportion and mix the materials, 

 how to get the greatest values out 

 of every sack of cement you buy. 



You simply cannot aSord to 

 be without this practical little 

 book. And remember, it is free. 

 Write for it today. 



PORTLAND CEMENT 

 ASSOCIATION 



10 High Street 

 BOSTON, MASS. 



o^ National Organisation to Improvt 

 and Extend the Uses of Concrete 



Office* in 31 Cities 



