THE FARMERS' MONTHLY, MAY, 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. Hovi^es, Cummington 

 W. H. Atkins, Amherst 

 L. L. Campbell, Northampton 



PLAY ALL YOUR CARDS 



Although last winter was an ex- 

 ceptionally hard one for alfalfa, particu- 

 larly last year's seedings, although the 

 county agent has obsei-ved a number of 

 first year fields in different parts of the 

 county which have come through the win- 

 ter well. 



Successful fields this spring, generally 

 are the results of attention to all the re- 

 commendations suggested in growing the 

 crop. 



Seeding or cutting in ample time for 

 the crop to make a good growth before 

 winter, sufficient lime applied so that it 

 had time to sweeten the soil before seed- 

 ing, adequate fertilizer to give the crop a 

 real boost before freezing weather, and 

 ample innoculation of the seed, are some 

 of the factors which have made the dif- 

 ference between success and failure. 



Yes, alfalfa growing requires a big 

 investment and attention to details but 

 the returns over a period of years, make 

 the growing of the crop well worthwhile. 



Cooperative Specialists 



To Ul at N. E. Institute 



NEARLY 620,000 BOYS AND 



GIRLS IN 4-H CLUBS 



From surveys made, it is estimated that 

 the college trained farmer earns $5 for 

 every $1 earned by the man with a com- 

 mon school education. 



With some of the best known authori- 

 tes listed on the program, the second 

 annual New England Institute of Co- 

 operation will be held at the Massachu- 

 setts Agricultural College, Amherst, 

 Mass., June 26 to 29, inclusive. 



The program this year (the first insti- 

 tute having been held last year at Storrs, 

 Conn.) will be built around the general 

 subject, "The Place of Cooperation in New 

 England," according to those in charge of 

 organizing the institute. Dr. Ross, Cornell 

 University, Dr. Black, Harvard Univer- 

 sity, and several representatives from the 

 United States Department of Agriculture 

 are already scheduled on the list of 

 speakers. 



Problems relating to the marketing of 

 the more important New England pro- 

 ducts and to cooperative buying will be 

 considered. An attempt will be made in 

 each case to tie up the discussion with an 

 analysis of the New England situation 

 and what cooperation may be excepted to 

 accomplish under New England condi- 

 tions. 



Representatives of cooperative organi- 

 zations throughout New England will also 

 lead discussions and will take an active 

 part in the general discussion periods. 



Details of the program, when complete, 

 may be had by writing H. B. Rowe, M. A. 

 C, Amherst, Mass. 



Asparagus Fertilizer Program 

 Available 



A very complete and up-to-date pro- 

 gram for aspai'agus fertilization has been 

 compiled by Victor A. Tiedjens of the 

 Market Garden Field Station at Wal- 

 tham, Mass. 



Copies of the program may be obtained 

 by writing to the station and requesting 

 a copy of the March issue of the Field 

 Station Journal. 



The Song of the Potato 



I have found eyes so I can see 



The children's plans for cooking me. 

 The foolish ones get out the pan to fry ; 



The wise ones bake me, mealy and dry. 

 Or if they boil me, they'll pare me thin 

 For something they need, lies under my 

 skin. 

 I'm good for children and grown folks, 

 too, 

 So cook me the best you know how to 

 do. 



—Winifred Stuart Gibbs. 



Don't forget the Summary Meet- 

 ing at Laurel Park June 12 at 10 :30 

 A.M. 



Final figures on the number of farm 

 boys and girls who carried on 4-H club 

 work in 1927 aro announced as totaling 

 619,712. "This total,"said C. W. War- 

 burton, director of Extension Work, 

 United States Department of Agriculture, 

 "is a source of pride to all cooperative ex- 

 tension workers and the department and 

 the State agricultural colleges which they 

 represent. 



"It means," Director Warburton stated, 

 "that during the year over 619,000 young 

 people, of rural communities in every 

 State voluntarily undertook to demon- 

 strate an improved farming or home- 

 making method and cooperated in an ef- 

 fort to benefit their communities. Whether 

 or not the individual club member was 

 able to complete his or her club under- 

 taking, he had the benefit for a time of 

 contact with others who were interested 

 in farm life and with ways for making 

 it an 'up-and-coming' enterprise. Four-H 

 club work with its four-fold development 

 of head, hand, health and heart through 

 practical experience in the latest and best 

 methods for agricultural and home eco- 

 nomics activities under the direction of 

 co-operative extension workers, furnishes 

 such opportunity. 



"Club enrollment is growing steadily 

 through the combined efforts of all co- 

 operative extension workers," said 

 Director Warburton. "Each year we 

 have increased the number of boys and 

 girls who have participated in 4-H club 

 work even though the number of agents 

 has not materially increased. That this 

 has been done through the use of sound 

 educational principles is shown by the 

 fact that the quality of work has been 

 maintained with the increased number of 

 club members. In 1924, with 3,419 county 

 extension agents, 55 per cent of the boys 

 and girls who enrolled in 4-H clubs com- 

 pleted every detail required in their 

 undertakings. The next year, with 54,000 

 more boys and girls enrolled and only 19 

 additional agents, 58 per cent of the en- 

 rollment completed. In 1926 the percent- 

 age was 62.8. This pa.st year when we 

 increased the number of boys and girls 

 enrolled in clubs by 33,000 over the pre- 

 vious year and the working staff of coun- 

 ty extension agents by only 22, we were 

 still able to make a little better record in 

 completions than the year before, 64.4 per 

 cent of the boys and girls who enrolled 

 carrying on to the finish. This, I feel, 

 could not have been done ^vithout the 

 generous amount of time and interest 

 given by the 60,000 local men and women 

 who acted as volunteer leaders of clubs 

 and the steadily improving methods in 

 conducting club work." 



