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HAMPSHIRE COUNTY ^''cLuil'" 



FARMERS' MONTHLY 



Vol. VII. 



NORTHAMPTON, MASS., JUNE, 192-2 



No. 6 



ONION THRIP CONTROL 



Texan Information Shows Oood Results 



Last year the Thrip reduced the onion 

 crop of Hampshire County at least fifty 

 per cent. Until recently no effective 

 methods of control have been found. This 

 past year experiments carried on in 

 Texas have given great promise of suc- 

 cess. The following letter from Fred W. 

 Malley, County Agent, Laredo, Texas, is 

 timely and should interest every onion 

 grower of the county. 



"For about three years I have been con- 

 ducting demonstrations with the use of 

 Nico Dust against thrips attacking Ber- 

 muda onions. It is not necessary to go 

 into details with the previous history, ex- 

 cept that our final tests this year have 

 demonstrated the following points: 



"L You probably know that all of our 

 seed in this district is sown at the rate 

 of about 2.5 to 40 lbs per acre in seed beds. 

 These seed beds are dusted thoroughly 

 at least once or twice just before trans- 

 planting. This is done to make sure that 

 the pest is checked as far as possible in 

 the seed bed. For this dusting we have 

 found what is called the 10% formula to 

 be very effective. This means a 10% 

 Black Leaf 40, with some powder, either 

 Fullers Earth, or Hydrated Lime, in 

 fact meaning really a 49; active free nico- 

 tine formula. This strength is absolute- 

 ly efficient, having a very high killing 

 effect, and having it immediately. 



"2. It is usually found that the thrip 

 infestations are first found in distinct 

 spots of any given field. When these 

 centers of infestation are discovered, we 

 have found that it is possible to control 

 the spread by using this same lO'r for- 

 mula on the infested .spots. By doing 

 this as quickly as the infestation is dis- 

 covered, the killing effect is so great that 

 the crop usually goes to maturity far 

 enough, so that a later heavy infestation 

 can not do much real injury which would 

 greatly effect the yield of the crop. Up 

 to this time in the growth of the crop 

 the 10% formula can be used even 

 though it is very expensive. 



"3. Should the infestation spread to 

 the field as a whole, the expense of the 

 10% formula would probably be too great, 

 except that the prospective price of 

 onions was very encouraging. For that 

 reason a weaker formula is used which 

 Contmueil on page 0. column 1 



USE NITRATE OF SODA 



Valuable for Fruit and Hay 



Too few farmers know the value of 

 Nitrate of Soda and Sulphate of Ammo- 

 nia as a top dressing. Many who will 

 have to buy hay next spring could have 

 avoided it if they had made a small in- 

 vestment this spring in either of the above 

 chemicals. Last year in South Hadley 

 two demonstrations showed that on a 

 good sod, 1.50 lbs. of Nitrate and 300 lbs. 

 of Acid Phosphate per acre doubled the 

 hay crop. In another case the use of 200 

 lbs. of sulphate of ammonia apparently did 

 the same thing although no weights were 

 taken. There is another advantage from 

 using these chemicals that is often over- 

 looked. The increased root growth which 

 results means more organic matter in the 

 sod to be turned under and also means in- 

 creased crops following hay. 



This year there will be top dressing 

 demonstrations in seven towns of the 



C<'Mtiuued on page 5, column 2 



FERTILIZERS REJUVENATED 



STARVED FRUIT TREES 



The following summary of experiments 

 in fertilizing apple oixhards is given by 

 C. E. Stockdale in Circular 31 issued by 

 the West Virginia Experimental Station: 



"All the trees in the series of four ex- 

 periments were given clean cultivation, 

 and cover crops were grown." 



"It can safely be said that nitrogen is the 

 only element of plant food that has 

 brought about results worth considering, 

 and it was only in the old and starved 

 orchards that the grains from nitrogen 

 were sufficient to justify the use of this 

 material. In some cases, however, phos- 

 phorus in combination with nitrogen gave 

 some indications of benefit, but such indi- 

 cations were not sufficient to warrant a 

 positive recommendation for its use." 



"Acid phosphate is mainly of value in 

 growing a sod mulch or cover crop in an 

 orchard." 



"Good results were indicated from the 

 use of nitrogen and phosphorous on old- 

 bearing trees in poor soil." 



"It has long been claimed that the 

 color of fruit could be improved by jiroper 

 fertilization .... Color develop- 

 ment is purely a question of light and 

 sunshine." 



ALFALFA DEMONSTRATIONS 



Solving Hay Problem on Light Land 



Alfalfa, while not naturally adapted 

 to this section, has a distinct vaule as a 

 forage crop in- Hampshire County. 

 Census figures state that there are 92 

 acres grown here. This indicates there 

 are many who could use this crop who are 

 not doing so. Experiences of local 

 growers show that it can be grown suc- 

 cessfully here. 



Ed. Searle of Southampton has had 

 alfalfa on his farm ever since he can re- 

 member. So thoroughly have his fields 

 been inoculated that alfalfa will be 

 grown in practically every field. He has 

 found alfalfa to be a great factor in re- 

 ducing the grain bill. 



Clarence Gunn of Southampton has an 

 alfalfa field which should interest every 

 o^^^ler of plain land. On one side of the 

 field is a sand pit while on the other is 

 ;i, fine growth of scrub pine, white bii'ches 

 and the familiar bunch grass common on 

 dry land. In fact he states that if he 

 could not grow alfalfa the land would 

 4niply serve to hold the world together. 

 His method of seeding is different from 

 that usually recommended but works well 

 under dry plain land conditions. He 

 plows a light coat of manure under in the 

 spi'ing, limes heavily, harrows thoroughly 

 and sows alfalfa alone early in May. 

 July and August are not the months to 

 seed on this dry land as moisture condi- 

 tions are far better in May. The corn 

 crop following alfalfa is always a success. 



Wilfred Parsons of Southampton is 

 growing alfalfa successfully on plain 

 land of about the same type as Mr. 

 Gunn's although it seems to be more re- 

 tentive of moisture. His field was seeded 

 early in .July in corn and the stand is 

 well worth seeing. 



In South Hadley, E. H. A. Bagg has 

 an alfalfa demonstration well worth see- 

 ing. On the ridge behind his house he 

 has not had profitable hay crops in spite 

 of fairly heavy manuring. Last July 

 after cutting a small hay crop, the piece 

 was manured lightly, plowed, limed heavi- 

 ly and seeded early in August with alfal- 

 fa. The last of May the crop was knee 

 high and still growing. By using from an 

 old alfalfa field as near a perfect inocu- 

 lation was obtained as we have seen. On 

 Continued on page T. column 1 



