HAMPSHIRE COUNTY 



FARMERS' MONTHLY 



Vol. VI. 



.\i»1;T1IA.M1T()i\, MASS., AUGUST, 1921 



No. 8 



TWILIGHT POTATO TRIP 



Successfully Meld in Qranby 



Have you as a farmer ever found any 

 good in Day-light Saving? If not, you 

 should have been in Granby Monday 

 evening, August 1, where the Farm Bu- 

 reau staged the first of its Twilight Pota- 

 to trips. If this trip had been held in 

 work hours instead of starting at 6.30 P. 

 M. (Mass. Improved Time) we might 

 have had six farmers out. As it was, 

 about .3.5 farmers were present. 



Starting at Henry Baker's ten acre po- 

 tato field, the County Agent pointed out 

 the most serious potato disease and in- 

 sects, advising seed disinfection with cor- 

 rosive sublimate for scab and rhizoetonia, 

 thorough and often spraying with home- 

 made bordeaux all through the growing 

 season so as to keep the vines covered. 



At Galusha's Granby Hay Farm, plots 

 on a field scale were inspected showing 

 seed one year from Maine vs Maine certi- 

 fied seed. This plot showed clearly that 

 even seed saved one year does not pay. 

 Another section of the field shows plots 

 sprayed with home-made Bordeaux vs 

 Pyrox. Results of this test will be given 

 out later. 



Prof. .1. B. Abbott spoke on soil fertili- 

 ty problems connected with the crop ad- 

 vising fall plowing with thorough and 

 frequent harrowings before the croj} was 

 planted to make available the nitrogen in 

 the soil. 



At E. Thornton Clark's a striking dem- 

 onstration of what may be expected if 

 home grown seed is used was seen. These 

 potatoes came poorly and were practi- 

 cally dead while the certified seed gave 

 an almost perfect stand and were doing 

 well. Here Prof. MacDougall spoke on 

 the importance of potatoes as a cash crop 

 to supplement the dairy business. At the 

 barn a real herd of cows wa.s seen. The 

 average production of the 16 head was 

 12 000 pounds per cow the past year. 

 One cow gave 20,700 pounds in 12 months 

 and is still milking over 40 pounds per 

 day. It is an interesting fact that with 

 all the experience Mr. Clark has had in 

 feeding dairy cattle that he finds it 

 profitable to weigh each cow's milk daily 

 and to feed according to production. 

 Other dairymen would find this practice 

 profitable. 



Taken altogether, it was not only an 

 interesting but also a profitable trip. 



COLLEGE JERSEY MAKES 



FINE RECORD 



Bred, owned and tested by the Massa- 

 chusetts Agricultural College, Amherst, 

 Lass' Princess has proved to be a pro- 

 ducer. At three years of age she was 

 first placed on oflicial test; she completed 

 this record with a production of 7588 

 pounds of milk and 4-5.5 pounds of butter- 

 fat. Again she started test at four 

 years and ten months of age ; this record 

 she has recently completed with a pro- 

 duction of 10798 pounds of milk yielding 

 j 701 pounds of butter-fat. 

 I Dui-ing this last record she carried a 

 j living calf 211 days, qualifying her for 

 Class AA and a gold medal. 



She is by Interested Prince of M. A. C. 

 1147.38, and out of Lass 3d of Hood Farm 

 167900. She is the result of the blending 

 of the two great families: Owl-Interest 

 and Sophie-Tormentor. 



MARKETING 



How Are You Solving This Problem? 



The opportunity to market farm pro- 

 ducts presents itself to all, yet few make 

 the most of their opportunities. The first 

 problem is to have what the market de- 

 mands and the next is to present these 

 products .so that the public simply can- 

 not get by without leaving their money 

 with you. Sounds simple doesn't it? But 

 it really is a big problem. This is how 

 some of our farmers are meeting this 

 problem. Roadside stands have been in- 

 creasing in number on roads where auto 

 traffic is heavy. One of the most success- 

 ful stands of this kind in Hampshire 

 County was operated by C. E. Stiles of 

 South Amherst. Here the apples from a 

 2.5-acre orchard were profitably marketed 

 last year and it surely was "some" apple 

 year. In the door yard in plain view of 

 the road, Mr Stiles has his packing table 

 where the apples are graded and packed 

 in peach baskets. After they are picked, 

 the baskets are placed on the front lawn 

 which slopes toward the road. Before 

 reaching the lawn, signs with letters 

 large enough to be read from an auto 

 moving at a fair rate are placed, calling 

 attention to the fact that apples are for 

 sale there. The customers are welcome 

 to look around, see the packing and select 

 Continued on page 7, column 2 



PRODUCING BETTER TOBACCO 



O. Fred Pelissier Tells Why and How 



More tobacco growers should have 

 heard the speeches given Tobacco Day at 

 M. A. C, .July 29. For those who did not 

 attend, the following extract from Mr. 

 Pelissier's talk is given: 



Manufacturers and Dealers in Con- 

 necticut Valley Havana seed tobacco 

 state that our tobacco is deteriorating 

 and it is a fact. Both dealers and 

 growers are to blame for this and if it 

 continues, manufacturers will look else- 

 where for their wrapper tobacco. The 

 dealers part in this deterioration of the 

 crop is due to his method of buying in the 

 bundle. Figures obtained from coopera- 

 tive packing plants show that two crops 

 of tobacco grown in the same town had a 

 dilTerence of 37 cents per pound in value 

 yet who ever heard of dealers paying over 

 a few cents per pound to growers? The 

 dealer is not entirely to blame for this as 

 he does not know just how every crop 

 will sort out and he must buy good crops 

 cheap to average up with the poor crops 

 he had to buy at a good figure. 



Mr. A. produces a crop worth 60 cents 

 1 per pound. Mr. B.'s crop is worth 23 

 cents per pound. Mr. A. used high grade 

 ', fertilizer, he handles the crop carefully 

 from start to finish and finds it cost him 

 2.5 cents in the bundle. Mr. B. used 

 cheap fertilizer and handled the crop 

 roughly. His crop cost 15 cents in the 

 bundle. When these two men sold, A got 

 24 cents and B got 20 cents. That is 

 one big rea.son why the tobacco here is 

 growing poorer and is due largely to the 

 dealers method of buying. Just so long 

 as the good grower continues to sell his 

 crop in the bundle, just so long will he 

 continue to support the poor grower, and 

 just so long will the poor gi-ower exist, 

 and tobacco taken as a whole will not im- 

 prove. 



There is nothing to prevent a group of 

 growers getting together and hire a com- 

 petent man to sort and sell their crop. 

 If a grower does not raise good tobacco 

 he should not join an association as it 

 cannot make good tobacco out of poor, 

 and it costs as much or more to sort poor 

 than good tobacco. There are good 

 growers who sell at a profit in the bundle 

 but did you ever hear from them how 

 much they got? If they told, the man 

 Continued on page 3. column 3 



