FARMERS' MONTHLY OF HAMPSHIRE COUNTY 



11 



A NEW KIND OF POTATO RACE 



The 300=Bushel Potato Club of Mass. 



Potato growers in Massachusetts will 

 be interested in the plans that are being 

 developed by the Extension Service for 

 the organization of a 300-bushol potato 

 club. Membership in this club will be a 

 mark of distinction that is well worth 

 working for. Having raised 300 bu.shels 

 per acre of a crop that has a state avei-- 

 age of only about 12.5 bushels per acre is 

 no small chore and deserves the recogni- 

 tion that this club plans to give. 



Any grower in Massachusetts may ap- 

 ply for membership and those who are in- 

 tere.sted are urged to make application at 

 once to the County Agriculural Agent for 

 a copy of the rules and regulations of the 

 club. All those who qualify for member- 

 ship will be presented with appropriate 

 medal or other insignia of merit. The 

 State Department of Agriculture will 

 also make appi'opriate awards to the 

 three growers making the highest pro- 

 duction i-ecords and qualifying for mem- 

 bership in the club. Suitable awards will 

 also be made for those producing at the 

 lowest cost per bushel. 



Candidates for membership in the 300- 

 bushel club must have an area of at least 

 two continuous acres on which to base 

 yield measurements. Along with the 

 yield records a report must be submitted 

 to show the cost of production. Blanks 

 for this will be supplied by the County 

 Agent upon receipt of application. Judges 

 of the contest will consist of the County 

 Agricultural Agent, one grower in the 

 county whom the agent will select and a 

 third member to be a 4-H Club member 

 appointed by the County Club Leader. 



All entries must be in the hands of the 

 County Agent by .June 1.5th. Plans are 

 underway to .supply all contestants with 

 special service during the season. This 

 will include printed material on potato 

 growing, hints relative to controlling 

 pests and market news from the crop re- 

 porting service. 



"If clover fails, put on about two tons 

 pjr acre of pulverized lime.stone and in 

 six or eight years repeat the application". 

 "Use plenty of manure and fertilizer in 

 addition, because lime does not take the 

 place of fertilizer. In fact, on these two i 

 experiment fields, fertilizer has given 

 greater profit on limed than on unlimed 

 land, and the yields with lime alone with- 

 out any fertilizer or manure are very 

 small", Prof. Connor .states. 



MINERALS FOR DAIRY CAT1LE 



The problem of mineral deficiencies in 

 dairy rations i.s in a large measure a re- 

 gional one. 



In experiments lasting for five years, 

 benefit has not been observed from the 

 practice of adding finely ground bone 

 meal to the dairy cow's ration at the Mas- 

 sachusetts Agricultural Experiment Sta- 

 tion. 



The findings set forth in Bulletin 229 

 of the Minnesota Experiment Station are 

 quite opposite. Animals fed upon rough- 

 ages deficient in phosphorus grown on 

 certain soils in northern Minnesota, show 

 abnormal conditions and very poor devel- 

 opment. Sterilized, finely ground bone 

 meal, cured and prevented these condi- 

 tions when fed with a fair dairy ration 

 which included common salt. 



The problem in Minnesota is apparent- 

 ly a phosphorus deficiency, while here in 

 Massachusetts where heavy grain feeding 

 is practiced, if there be a deficiency at all, j 

 it is in calcium and not in phosphorus. 

 The feeding of plenty of high-grade 

 roughage will safeguard a calcium short- 

 age. — J- B. L. 1 



INDIANA TESTS ANSWER 



LIME QUESTIONS 



Field experiments conducted by the 

 Indiana Experiment Station bring out 

 some interesting results which are cited 

 as answers to the question. Is 500 pounds 

 of hydrated lime on each grain crop equal 

 to two tons of ground limestone? 



"It is not, and farmers who depend 

 upon that small an application of lime 

 will be disappointed", says Prof. S. D. 

 Connor, of Purdue University. 



"These te.sts indicate that the value of 

 lime and limestone is in proportion to 

 their neutralizing value. Seventy-four 

 pounds of hydrated lime are equal to 100 

 pounds of fine ground limestone, no more, 

 no less". 



GOOD TIMBER 



The tree that never had to fight 

 For sun and .sky and air and light, 

 That stood out in the open plain. 

 And always got its share of rain. 

 Never became a forest king 

 But lived and died a .scrubby thing. 

 The man who never had to toil. 

 Who never had to win his share. 

 Of sun and sky and light and air. 

 Never became a manly man. 

 But lived and died as he began. 

 Good timber does not grow in ease ; 

 The stronger wind, the tougher trees. 

 The farther .sky, the greater length ; 

 The more the .-;torm, the more 



strength ; 

 By sun and cold, by rain and snows. 

 In tree or man good timber grows. 

 Where thickest stands the forest growth 

 We find the patriarchs of both, 

 And they hold converse with the .stars 

 Whose broken branches show the scars 

 Of many winds and much of strife — 

 This is the common law of life. 



"The Speaker." 



the 



Poultry Insurance 



Experience with Eastern States Feed 



Convinces J. E. Laurie Tt»at They 



Reduce Risk and Loss. 



"W'c h.-ivi.' 3.11110 chick.« ordcn-d 

 for March 16th. They will be 

 rai.«ed entirely on Eastern States 

 feed.'. We feel that if it were 

 impo.s.sible to get Ea.stern States 

 srain."! wo should not try to re- 

 main in the poultry business." — 

 J. E. Laurie. Walpole. N. H. 

 Laurie wrote the Eastern States 

 Farmi-rs' Exchange on February 20 

 and concluded his letter with this 

 paragraph. Here is some more of 

 the same letter: 



"We have tried several other- 

 kinds of feeds before and after 

 trying- Eastern StatiiS and have 

 decided that no other feed is in a 

 class with Eastern States. I 

 bought l.non chicks. R. I. Reds 

 from Hubbard Farms of Wal- 

 pole, N. H., December 14th. 

 They were very fine chicks. To 

 date we have 990 first class 

 birds. They were started on 

 Eastern States Growing- Mash 

 (old formula) — at about one 

 month changed to new formu- 

 la. At this time we also fed 

 baby chick scratch (Eastern 

 .States). The change ivas made 

 abruptly, without mi.ving from 

 old to new formula. At 8 -weeks 

 I began mixing Eastern States 

 ingredients into a mash by the 

 new formula. Changed again 

 abruptly. Neither change affect- 

 ed the chicks at all. The gain 

 has been rapid and even at 6 

 weeks they averaged about IV2 

 lbs., at 9 weeks they averaged 

 from 2 to 2M lbs., wn'th the best 

 birds weighing 2-"i lbs. 



"The broilers will be 10 weeks 

 old Tuesday. February 22. and I 

 plan to start shipping about that 

 date. Nearly every bird lost has 

 been accident.al." 



The confidence which Laurie has 

 in Eastern States feeds of course is 

 based on his own actual experience 

 with them. The reason why he has 

 found them so satisfactory is. of 

 course, the fact that the Eastern 

 .states feeds and feed ingredients 

 are tested for quality in the farmers' 

 own chemical laborator.v, at the 

 farmers own mill at Ruffalo. The 

 standard is not "Will these suit the 

 feeder well enough to meet competi- 

 tion and show a feed manufacturer 

 and dealer a profit?" The standard 

 is "Will these feeds and ingredients 

 give the feeder the greatest possible 

 return in terms of health, growth, 

 and production?" 



For information on the Eastern 

 States co-operative feed service, a 

 service which should not be confused 

 with car door service offered by pri- 

 vate manufacturers through dealers 

 or groups of farmers, write the of- 

 fice. 



]^astGra§latcs parnici's j^xchongc 



A non-.Mfoek. non-profit orBaniza- 



«ion owned and controlled by the 



farmers it serves. 



Sprinfifreld, 



Massachusetts 



