FARMERS' MONTHLY OF HAMPSHIRE COUNTY 



WHAT ABOUT SEED CORN? 



Planting dead seed corn or seed corn 

 that is just enough alive to say so, won't 

 pay much on the labor and fertilizer that 

 is expended in preparing for the crop. 

 Nevertheless that is just what is going 

 to happen in a lot of cases this year if — 

 well the fact is that last fall the con- 

 ditions were not right for maturing corn, 

 and as a result the seed corn situation 

 isn't as easy as it might be. Conse- 

 quently this spring it will be good prac- 

 tice to look carefully and particularly at 

 the seed corn you have bought or are 

 going to buy. "The best people are doing 

 it", as they say of things less important 

 than testing seed corn. 



Some tests made in the Agronomy 

 Laboratory at the Massachusetts Agri- 

 cultural College indicate that high per- 

 centage of germination will be unusual 

 rather than the rule. Unfortunately it 

 doesn't take much in the way of appara- 

 tus to make a sprouting test of corn. A 

 box of moist soil or a rag doll tester, so- 

 called, can give a lot of information. 



One need not plant 10 acres to find out, 

 and too late, that a good share of the seed 

 corn used has passed the stage of useful- 

 ness in doing its part to fill the silo. An 

 hour spent in testing seed corn may mean 

 a good many dollars to the grower. Te.st 

 and be glad. 



METHODS OF STERILIZING 



MILKING MACHINES TESTED 



A number of methods of handling 

 milking-machines units between milkings 

 have been tested by the Bureau of Dairy 

 Industry of the United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture. In all the methods 

 te.sted the units were fir.st sterilized by 

 heating in water at a temperature of 

 160'to 165' F. for 20 to 45 minutes and 

 then were disposed of until the next milk- 

 ing as follows: (1) Placing in a weak 

 chlorine solution; (2) allowing then to 

 remain between milkings in the water in 

 which they were sterilized; (3) placing 

 them in a refrigerator; and (4) placing 

 them in a warm room. The bacterial 

 counts of the milk handled in these four 

 ways .showed that the methods rank in 

 efficiency in the order named. The weak 

 chlorine solution method gave an aver- 

 age count of 2,200 bacteria per cubic 

 centimeter; the water method, 2,570 bac- 

 teria per cubic centimeter; the refrig- 

 erator method, an average of .3,100 bac- 

 teria, and the warm-room method, an 

 average of 5,540 bacteria per cubic centi- 

 meter. Sterilizing at a temperature of 

 145' to 150' F. and holding in the water 

 between milkings allowed an average of 

 11,930 bacteria per cubic centimeter of 

 milk. 



An egg a day will supply 1/10 of the 

 iron a person's body needs. 



Successful Farmers 



are placing their 



FARM MORTGAGES 



with the 



FEDERAL LAND BANK 

 OF SPRINGFIELD MASS. 



Easy payments, long-term, non-callable mortgage. 



Ask for our new circular, "The mortgage that fits the Farm Busi- 

 ness." Address: Federal Land Bank, Spi-ingfield, Mass., or C. E. Hodg- 

 kins, Secretary and Treasurer, Court House, Northampton, Mass. 



LINCOLN ^^^^^, FORDSON 



JUNE ,21, 1926 

 NEW IMPROVED FORD PRICES 



All cars, Balloon Tires and Starters 



CHASE MOTOR COMPANY 



NORTHAMPTON, MASS. 



24 Center Street 



Telephone 470 



