HAMPSHIRE COUNTY FARMERS' MONTHLY 



Coutinued from page 1, column 1 

 complete fertilizer on other plots the 

 yields have been normal, and where 

 manure has been applied year after year 

 the fertility of the soil has been fairly 

 well maintained, as evidenced by yields 

 of 72, 56 and 61 bushels per acre. 



"Now the question comes as to just 

 how much capital must be invested to 

 bring back run-down land, — in case it 

 may be brought back at all? Last year 

 the experiment was abruptly reversed to 

 get an answer to some of these important 

 questions. Approximately eighteen loads 

 of manure per acre (a ton to the load) 

 were applied to the whole field. Corn 

 was grown. The rapidity with which 

 these run-down plots responded to the 

 treatment was astonishing. The yield on 

 previously unfertilized plots jumped from 

 1 bushel per acre to 60. On the plot 

 which had received acid phosphate alone 

 for these thirty-three years, the yield in- 

 creased from 9 bushels per acre to 51 J 

 bushels. Where lime alone had been ap- 

 plied for thirty-three years — and you re- 

 member the old maxim 'Lime and lime 

 alone makes both land and farmer poor' — 

 the yield was increased from 22 to 65 bu- 

 shels by a single manuring. 



"It is not possible to give all the figures 

 in this article. They will appear later in 

 Experiment Station publications. It is 

 very evident, however, that all of this 

 maltreatment or lack of treatment failed 

 to injure the soil permantly. This is one 

 of the peculiarities of New England soils 

 and the New England climate. We may 

 depress the yield temporarily, but the ra- 

 pidity of response to good treatment is 

 little short of marvelous. 



"One thing, however, should be stated, 

 the corn crop produced last year could 

 hardly be called profitable. The 50 or 

 60 bushels yield of corn is fair. The cost 

 of eighteen loads of manure per acre 

 must be estimated at $48. We brought 

 back the land ; for a profit we must look 

 to succeeding years. And this means 

 nothing more nor less than has been 

 stated time and time again by the Massa- 

 chuetts Agricultural College that outside 

 capital is needed to bring back run-down 

 soils. In all probability the first year's 

 cultivation of such soils will not be profita- 

 ble. After that it depends upon the in- 

 telligence and business ability used in 

 managing the soil." 



t.'uMtimu^d from page 1. c.iluiiiii 'i 



same date 1920, 98,992; entire season 

 1920, 166 6.34. Their total .shipments 

 after Dec, 24, 1920, 67 642 cars. If total 

 shipments from the 1921 crop prove to 

 be about the same part of the total crop 

 as they were in 1920, they should amount 

 to about 4.3,.305 cars of the late crop. 

 Deducting the shipments to Dec. 24, 1921 

 would leave 30,648 cares yet to ship, as 

 against 67,642 cars shipped after this 

 date la.st year. 



I Continued from pau'e -. i-olumn I 



' tion, but it is just as well to think it 

 over foi' a couple of months before cut- 

 ting them down. If a sound trunk and a 

 start toward a top are left, a vigorous 

 old tree should be able to grow a new top 

 in a short time. The breakage is often 

 no more severe than the dehorning which 

 has been successfully practiced on many 

 old trees. The broken branches should 

 be pruned away cleanly and large wounds 

 should be smoothed to facilitate healing 

 01' at least to retard the progress of de- 

 cay. The amount of time that a fruit 

 ■ grower can afi'ord to spend on a tree of 

 this kind must be left to his own judg- 

 ment. 



A great many vigoi'ous old trees have 

 had one or more large branches broken 

 to the ground. If there is a rea'osably 

 large and sound piece of wood connecting 

 such a branch to the tree, the branch may 

 be pulled back into place with a block and 

 tackle and bolted fast The sp'it crotch 

 will usually decay after a while but some 

 valuable crops may be harvested in the 

 meantime. In other cases it may be best 

 to remove the broken branch and smooth 

 the wound to keep decay out of the trunk 

 as long as possible. The part of the tree 

 [now standing will probably last longer 

 under the latter treatment. 



Breakage in young orchards is not so 

 widespread. A young tree will often re- 

 construct one side of the top if the trunk 

 is not ruined. A scaffold branch that is 

 split ofi" with a large part of the trunk 

 may be fitted snugly into place and if it 

 is bolted firmly the branch will often 

 I grow fast, and bark "grafting" itself 

 i across the split and laying successive 

 layers of new wood over it. In such a 

 case the crotch must be made water-tight. 



Peach 1 rees Reto\er Rapid'y 



Vigoi'ous peach trees that are badly 

 broken recover rapidly. Those who re- 

 member the great storm of 1898 tell of 

 the remarkable way in which some of the 

 peach orchards, with little but the trunks 

 left standing, reconstructed their tops as 

 ever and the severe pruning should be fol- 

 lowed by a wonderful growth. 



If a branch of a peach tree that is still 

 strongly attached to the tree is rai.-ed into 

 place and securely nailed or spiked, it 

 will often last for years. The branches 

 should be further supported by a wire 

 I brace placed several feet above the broken 

 i fork. The wi e should never be drawn 

 j around the branch but can best be 

 fastened to a screw eye fixed securely in 

 the branch. A screw eye with a one inch 

 bit or "screw" is heavy enough. The 

 wire should then be passed across the tree 

 and fastened in the same way to a branch 

 on the opposite side. 



No matter what is to be done, you have 

 until spring to think it over. In matters 

 of judgment second thoughts are said to 

 be more sound than conclusions hastily 

 drawn. 



Northampton 

 ^ National Bank ^ 



WARREN M. KING, President 

 C. H. PIERCE, Vice-President 

 EDWIN K. ABBOTT, Cashier 



CAPITAL AND .SURPLUS, $680,0(10 

 DEPOSITS, $2,000,000 



Interest Paid on Special Accounts and 

 Certificates of Deposit 



We are qualified to act as Executor, 

 Administrator and Trustee 



Why not make your will appointing 

 this Bank as Executor? 



THE BANK FOR EVERYBODY 



FERTILIZER 



You can litMK'fit 1)y the low prices 

 prices .secured tliroui;;ii the purchase 

 of a fifteen tiiousaiul ton contract 

 by sending your order this month. 



Write for particulars and further 

 information to the 



EASTERN STATES 



FARMERS' EXCHANGE 



SPRI^OFIELD, MASS. 



The Habit of Saving 



Is at the b()tt()iii of most 

 big successes in the busi- 

 ness world. Begin the 

 h;ibit l)y opening a .sav- 

 ings account witli the 

 Haydenville HHvings 

 Bank. One dollar is 

 enough to start with. 

 BANK BY MAIL 



HAYDENVILLE SAVINGS BANK 



HAYDBNVILLE, MASS. 



