J\-I ti t> :i ; ! ' ■ 1 > 1 I >^ <^ I Ls 



JUL 2 S 1922 



HAMPSHIRE COUNTY ^..o ...i 



FARMERS' MONTHLY 



Vol. VII. 



NORTHAMPTON, MASS., MAY, 111:: 



HOLSTEIN BREEDERS MEET 



The Hampshire-Franklin Holstein- 

 Friesian Club held the second meeting of 

 the year in Northampton, Saturday, 

 April 22. After a short business meeting 

 the club was addressed by W. F. Howe, 

 Assistant State Club Leader on "Calf 

 Club Work in Massachusetts". 



Dinner was served at Boydens after 

 which many of the members of the club 

 gave their experiences in breeding Hol- 

 steins. While the attendance was not 

 large the interest of all present was keen. 

 Secretary Montague suggested that each 

 member tell his neighbors and friends 

 how the Club was started for the mutual 

 benefits of all Holstein breeders in Hamp- 

 shire and Franklin Counties and that 

 they would like every breeder in the two 

 counties to become members and take an 

 active part in the club. 



The following is the very interesting 

 program for the rest of the year: 



SATURDAY, AUGUST 12 



Field Day — Ladies Invited. 



Northfield, Mass. 

 11.00 A. M. — Inspection of Farm and 

 Herd at Northfield Sem- 

 inary. 

 12.00 M.— Basket Lunch. 

 1.30 P. M.— Address: .Judge F. M. Peas- 

 ley, Cheshire, Conn., Presi- 

 dent New England Hol- 

 stein Club. 

 Continued ou page 6, column 1 



CERTIFIED SEED ARRIVES 



Did You Get Yours? 



Over five thousand bushels of certified 

 seed potatoes were shipped into Hamp- 

 shire County this spring. This means 

 that there are a good many farmers who 

 realize that there is a difference in seed 

 potatoes. It also means that these far- 

 mers have eliminated one of the risks in 

 potato production by starting with the 

 best of seed. Many farmers will only 

 plant certified seed, while there are others 

 who wish to see what selected stock or 

 home grown seed will do compared with 

 it. 



Last year certified seed outyielded home 

 grown seed (largely only grown here one 

 year) 81.8 bushels per acre. In one dem- 

 onstration certified seed gave 33 1/3% in- 

 Coutinued ou page o, column 2 



COUNTY AGENT WORKS! 



TILTON DEMONSTRATION 



ORCHARD STARTED 



Over Six Acres of Orchard Planted 



Goshen farmers had an opportunity to 

 .see how to stake out and set an apple 

 orchard at a demonstration meeting held 

 recently on the Spencer Tilton Demon- 

 stration Farm by Prof. R. A. VanMeter, 

 Extension Fruit Specialist of the Agri- 

 cultural College. 



The Tilton place was left to the town 

 to be used as a demonstration farm. The 

 trustees asked for the cooperation of the 

 Extension Service in developing the pro- 

 ject. Last year it was decided to start 

 the orchard on the east side of the farm. 

 Last fall over six acres were cleared and 

 plowed. During the winter the trustees 

 met Prof. VanMeter and the County 

 Agent and decided to confine the planting 

 to three varieties ; namely, Baldwin, 

 Duchess and Wealthy, the latter being 

 filler trees. Later it is planned to set a 

 block of Mcintosh. 



The method of planting was to 

 set permament trees 45 feet each way 

 with filler trees only one way so that 

 crops could be grown for years between 

 the trees. This method seemed best as it 

 is necessary to cultivate young trees and 

 where a complete filler system is used it 

 offers too great an excuse to stop culti- 

 vation. Then too by growing cash crops 

 between the trees there will be an in- 

 come annually which will help to put the 

 Continued on paf^e 6, column 1 



POTATO DISINFECTION 



AND CUTTING 



Demonstrations Well Attended by 



I Interested Farmers 



The proper method of disinfecting and 

 cutting seed potatoes was demonstrated in 



j ten towns of the county lately by Prof. 



!.J. B. Abbott, Extension Agronomy 

 Specialist of M. A. C. and the County 

 Agent. All of the meetings were not only 

 interesting, but were also instructive both 

 to the farmers and to the County Agent. 



It was shown by real potatoes and by 

 a series of five photographs, largely taken 

 in this county, what Rhizoctonia or Little 

 Potato Disease is, what it looks like on 

 the seed, how it eats off the sprouts on 

 the seed pieces and results in missing and 

 weak hills during the summer, and how 

 the resulting tubers show knobs and 

 cracks and in extreme cases how there 

 may be from 25 to 200 little potatoes in 

 the hill. Most farmers were familiar 

 with the disease but many had never be- 

 fore realized how important it is to con- 

 trol it. 



Fortunately the disease can be largely 

 controlled by soaking the UNCUT seed 

 one-half hour in a solution of 2 oz. of 

 corrosive sublimate in 15 gallons of 

 water. The corrosive sublimate was dis- 

 solved in an earthen ware dish in hot 

 water as it goes into solution very slowly 

 in cold water. Then the dissolved poison 

 was poured into a barrel containing 15 

 Contn:iued on page T. column 1 



