THE FARMERS' MONTHLY, FEBRUARY, 1928 



FARMERS' MONTHLY 



PUBLISHED BY THE 



Hampshire County Trustees for Aid to 

 Agriculture 



STAFF 



Allen S. Leland, County Agent 



Mary Pozzi, Home Demonstration Agent 



Harold W. Eastman, County Club Agent 



Nora Foley, Clerk 



Helen Clark, Asst. Clerk 



Office at 184 Main St., 

 Northampton, Mass. 



Entered as second class matter Nov. 9, 

 1915, at the Post Office at Northampton. 

 Massachusetts, under the Act of March 

 8, 1879. 



"Notice of Entry" 



"Acceptance for mailing at special rates 

 of postage provided for in section 1103, 

 Act of October 3, 1917. Authorized Oc- 

 tober 31, 1917. 



Price, 50 cents a year 



Officers of the Trustees 



Charles W. Wade, President 

 Mrs. Clifton Johnson, Vice-President 

 Warren M. King, Treasurer 

 Allen S. Leland, Secretary 



Trustees for County Aid 

 to Agriculture 



Charles W. Wade, Hatfield 

 Mrs. Clifton Johnson, Hadley 

 Warren M. King, Northampton 

 Edwin B. Clapp, Easthampton 

 Clarence E. Hodgkins, Northampton 

 Milton S. Howes, Cummington 

 W. H. Atkins, Amherst 

 L. L. Campbell, Northampton 



FERTILIZER QUESTION 



Should I buy double strength fertilizer? 

 You've wondered, haven't you? Well, 

 this seems to be about the story on double 

 fertilizers as against normal mixtures: 

 For a long time it has been recognized 

 that low-analysis fertilizers are un- 

 econmical for the consumer, especially for 

 those living a long distance from the rail- 

 road. The price he pays for it includes 

 handling and transpoi'tation costs on a 

 large percentage of inert material or 

 ballast. Then he has that same useless 

 material to cart and run through his 

 fertilizer sowers in order to apply the 

 small amount of plant food that it carries. 



The Massachusetts Agricultural Ex- 

 periment Station and other stations 

 strongly recommend high analysis ferti- 

 lizers in preference to the low-analysis 

 mixtures for a number of years. Then 

 the soil improvement committee of the 

 National Fertilizers Association launched 

 a Campaign in 1919 to increase the use of 

 them. 



Tests Started 



The possible injurious effect on seed or 

 plant by "burning" was a generally 



raised objection and in the spring of 1924 

 the Massachusetts Station decided to con- 

 duct a test to secure actual evidence. 

 Tests were carried on with tobacco, sweet 

 corn, potatoes, beets and hay. 



The effects of the concentrated ferti- 

 lizer on the stands were as follows: 



1. There was slight reduction in stand 

 in case of sweet corn and potatoes where 

 the high-analysis fertilizer was applied 

 either in the row or broadcast, but es- 

 pecially in the row. 



2. This reduction in stand did not bring 

 about a reduction in yield. The differ- 

 ences in yields were small, but, if any- 

 thing, in favor of the concenti-ated ferti- 

 lizer. 



The whole question appai'ently, sim- 

 mers down to whether or not the high- 

 analysis fertilizer is well mixed with the 



soil. It must be remembered that ferti- 

 lizer distributors attached to corn and 

 potato planters for noi-mal strength mix- 

 tures and without special attachments 

 have failed in past years to sow the 

 double strength material finely enough or 

 mi.x it with the soil thoroughly enough to 

 prevent rather serious burning. When 

 planting by hand or taking suitable pre- 

 cautions you are undoubtedly safe with 

 the double strength and you're saving a 

 neat little sum of money on your fertilizer 

 bill. 



WILLIAM F. HOWE 



ASSISTANT STATE 



CLUB LEADER 



Died February 3, 1928 



William F. Howe, assistant state 

 leader of junior extension work at 

 the Massachusetts Agricultural 

 College, died at his home in North 

 Amherst, early on the morning of 

 February 3. 



"No better friend of boys and 

 girls ever lived, and no one was 

 more loved than Mr. Howe," said 

 George L. Farley, state leader of 

 junior extension work. The esteem 

 in which he was held by these 4-H 

 club members and by other friends 

 was shown in the numerous mes- 

 sages which he received during his 

 illness which started the latter part 

 of November. 



Mr. Howe was born in Nashua, 

 New Hampshire, and would have 

 been fifty-five this coming April. He 

 was graduated from the North 

 Adams, Massachusetts, Normal 

 School, and after teaching in coun- 

 try schools for some years went to 

 the Avery School at Dedham, 

 Massachusetts, as head master. It 

 was here that he met his wife, Jena- 

 belle Dennett, who was a teacher 

 under him at the school. He leaves 

 besides his wife, his mother Mrs. 

 John Howe of Nashua, and three 

 childi-en, Dennett a sophomore in 

 Amherst College, Salley a junior in 

 high school, and John a freshman 

 in high school. 



He taught at Dedham for about 

 18 years, coming to the extension 

 sei-vice in May 1918. As assistant 

 leader he handled all of the agri- 

 cultural projects except poultry un- 

 til about a year ago. 



Dairymen Discuss Problems 



Continued fioin page 1, column 1 

 Agricultural College presented his very 

 interesting and instructive talk on raising 

 calves. He gave this talk to the Holstein 

 Freisian Club and it is reported in full 

 with the report of that meeting in this 

 issue. 



The ladies of Westhampton furnished 

 the men with a very fine boiled dinner. 



Important Subscription Notice 



I We are making every effort to improve 

 the quality of this magazine in every way. 

 We are optimistic enough to feel that we 

 have made a start, in fact some people 

 have been so kind as to tell us so, but as 

 this is your magazine we want your help. 

 We are only too glad to publish any news 

 articles, or news notices, without charge. 

 There are on our mailing list the names 

 of people who were town directors, pro- 

 ject leaders, Farm Bureau members and 

 representative people in nearly every 



' community in the county. We would like 

 to keep every name on our mailing list 

 but the only way we can do so is by re- 

 ceiving fifty cents ($.50) the cost of one 

 years subscription to this little paper. 

 There are two reasons for this : 



1. Postal regulations are strict, and re- 

 quire that all people not entitled to com- 

 plimentary copies must be paid sub- 

 scribers. 



2. Heavy cost of publication makes it 

 necessary to increase the revenue to keep 

 pace with the increased cost of producing 

 a better magazine. 



Subscriptions should be sent in at once 

 Make checks payable to the Hampshire 

 County Extension Service. 



Fill out ond send it in today. 

 Hamp.shire County Farmer's Monthly: 



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