THE FARMERS' MONTHLY, JULY, 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 



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 



CONNECTICUT VALLEY 



ONION ACREAGE DE- 

 CREASED 23 Si^ FROM 



LAST YEAR 



The total acreage planted to onions this 

 year in the Connecticut Valley shows a 

 decrease of 20'/r from that of 1927, ac- 

 cording to a .survey ju.st completed by 

 the New England Crop Reporting service. 

 The .survey .shows 3,.5.34 acres in onions 

 this year compared with 4,605 acres last 

 year and 4,519 acres in 1926. Of the to- 

 tal acreage this year, .3,500 acres are in 

 Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire coun- 

 ties, Massachusetts; 21 acres in Wind- 

 ham county, Vermont ; and 13 acres in 

 Cheshire county, New Hampshire. While 

 a decrease in both seed and set onions is 

 evident, the greatest decrease is seen in 

 the seed acreage, which totals only 2,126 

 acres this year or 26 per cent below the 

 2,886 acres la.st year. The set acreage 

 totals 1,408 acres compared with 1,719 

 acres in 1927, a loss of 18 per cent. Sets 

 this season comprise about 40 per cent of 

 the total acreage compared with 37 per 

 cent last year and 48 per cent two years 

 ago. 



Massachusetts shows 3,500 acres total 

 compared with 4,550 acres last year, a de- 

 crease of 23 per cent. There are 2,095 

 acres of seed and 1,405 acres of sets this 

 season compared with 2,843 acres and 1,- 

 707 acres respectively in 1927. The de- 

 crease this year over last amounts to 26 

 per cent in the case of seed onions and 18 

 per cent in sets. 



Low prices received for the 1927 crops 

 are the dominating cause of the decrease 

 in acreage. Seed onions particularly in 

 1927, made very low yields. Potatoes and 

 tobacco are being substituted for onions 

 in the hope of receiving better returns. 

 Set onions appear in about average con- 

 dition and fields are generally clean. Seed 

 onions came up to a good stand and ap- 

 pear in good condition, but the excess 

 rainfall and cloudy weather is retarding 

 their growth. Weeds are coming fa.st and, 

 despite all efforts to keep the fields clean, 

 a small portion of the acreage in .some 

 towns may be abandoned. 



About 85 acres of seed onions, which 

 are not included in the above totals, are 

 being raised for next year's sets com- 

 pared with 65 acres last year and 20 acres 

 two years ago. 



Preliminary estimates of acreages in 

 the intermediate states (Iowa, Scott coun- 

 ty, Kentucky, New Jersey, Texas, Collin 

 county; Virginia and Washington) show 

 8,160 acres this year compared with 8,010 

 acres in 1927 and 8,880 acres in 1926. 

 For the late state only information re 

 garding the intended acreage is available. 

 A total of 48,520 acres was intended this 

 year up to May 1 compared with 49,940 

 acres harvested last year. Indiana has 

 8,100 acres intended, compared with 8,100 

 acres harvested in 1927; Ohio 7,070 com- 

 pared with 7,000; New York 8,120 com- 

 pared with 8,460. The early Bermuda 

 acreage is estimated at 23,310 acres this 

 year compared with 18,070 acres last year 

 and 18,110 acres two years ago. The 

 combined onion acreage in the United 

 States, counting the May 1 intentions as 

 planted acreage, totals 79,990 acres com- 

 pared with 76,020 acres last year and 74,- 

 200 acres two years ago. Further infor- 

 mation regarding the acreage in the late 

 states will be released as soon as it be- 

 comes available. 



C. D. STEVENS, 

 G. BURMEISTER, 



Statisticians. 



industry of the state. Everybody interest- 

 ed in gardening professionally, com- 

 mercially or otherwise, is invited to visit 

 the station for the purpose of obsei-ving 

 the scientific work in progress as related 

 to vegetable production. 



A complete assortment of gardening 

 tools and machinery will be on display. 

 Motor cultivators, hand cultivators, 

 weeders, seeders, sprayers, dusters, five 

 different makes of irrigation systems, 

 and all manner of equipment necessary 

 in modern vegetable farming will be at 

 the disposal of visitors for actual trial 

 under practical conditions. Trying before 

 buying may save disappointment. 



Specialists will be available for person- 

 al consultation on plant diseases, insect 

 pests, soil fertility, greenhouse manage- 

 ment and other problems of the grower. 

 Bring your sample of disease and insect 

 injury along with you for diagnosis. If 

 you suspect that certain areas of your 

 soil are sour, bring samples of the soil, 

 and it will be tested for you and treat- 

 ment recommended. 



F. J. Sievers, Director of the Experi- 

 ment Station at Amherst is the speaker 

 of the day. 



A caterer will be in attendance and 

 there will be plenty to eat at a reasonable 

 price. 



The Field Station lies to the Northeast 

 of Waltham Center, between Waverley 

 ] and Waltham on Beaver Street. In case 

 [ of confusion inquire for Cedar Hill which 

 is a well known location in the vicinity. 

 The hours are from 10 to 4. For trans- 

 portation call the county agent. 



— R. M. Koon. 



IMPROVING NATURE 



VEGETABLE GROWERS 



ANNUAL FIELD DAY 



Augu.st 1 marks the date on which 

 Feld Day will be observed at the Market 

 Garden Field Station at Cedar Hill, Wal- 

 tham. On this date there will be oppor- 

 tunity for everybody interested in vege- 

 table growing to inspect the work done 

 by the Massachusetts Agricultural Col- 

 lege in behalf of the market gardening 



"Folks", says Ezra, "listen here"! 

 This sounds, to me. almighty queer. 

 A feller what's pryin' into nature's biz, 

 Claims attention for a scheme of his. 

 He says the eggs that biddy lays 

 Respond to treatment with these X-rays. 



I First, he says, that he's a booster. 

 Because his contraption lessens the roo.st- 



j er. 



And, instead of hatching a lot of males 

 With spurs and feathers in their tails. 

 The female of the species a.scends to 



power, 

 When eggs is X-rayed for about an hour. 



And then there's other important things 



Like makin' hens without any wings. 



That's mighty fine in fact immense, 

 ] For it means a savin' on buildin' fence. 



But it seems to me he might do more, 



Without makin' anyone the least bit sore. 



And if he'd do it I'd give him a prize 



With tears of gladness in my eyes. 

 1 It ain't so important about the size. 



If only he could make 'em without any 

 necks. 



For the neck, to eat, is somethin' vile. 



It appears to me that would be worth 

 while Spec. 



