HAMPSHIRE COUNTY FARMERS' MONTHLY 



MARKET GARDEN NOTES 



H. F. Thompson, Professor of Vegetable (jardening 



It is difficult to grow good head lettuce 

 in the summer time. It takes a combina- 

 tion of the right soil, right treatment, 

 right kind of lettuce and good seed, to- 

 gether with some suitable weather condi- 

 tions. There is no reason to believe that 

 Central New York has a climate much 

 different from Eastern Massachusetts. 

 However, the lettuce is grown on much 

 soil which, with their cool, moist nights, 

 provide the right condition for lettuce. 



The variety tests at the IVTarket Garden 

 Field Station indicates that some strains 

 of Big Boston do fairly well, but there is 

 a tendency to tip burn which to date has 

 been difficult to overcome. The varieties 

 of Iceburg and Californian Cream But- 

 ter both show good heading qualities as 

 indicated by the varieties that were at a 

 marketable stage at the time of our Field 

 Day. 



grade the better the care that is taken of 

 it. The people who have the best to eat 

 are inclined to eat the most because it is 

 jthe best. It will be well to bear these 

 facts in mind at all times. 



Quite a startling illustration of the 

 value of large asparagus roots can be 

 seen at the Market Garden Field Station 

 where roots varying from a spread of 

 16 to 36 inches are planted side by side. 

 The largest roots at present have a top 

 growth nearly six feet high, with some 

 new stems showing which are three- 

 eighths of an inch in diameter. Of the 

 small roots a considerable percentage have 

 not yet shown much life, while most of the 

 growth is not more than 12 to 14 inches 

 high. With roots 24 to 26 inches across 

 there is a growth of 2 to 4 feet, measuiing 

 up to the best commercial plantations. 



In some parts of Massachusetts the 

 white grub has been a most serious pest 

 this year. In Bristol County areas of 

 land have been so badly infested that the 

 hay crop has been a failure, and that 

 such crops as lettuce, sweet corn and pota- 

 toes have been almost altogether spoiled. 

 The fall is coming when the best lemedy 

 known can be applied, that is very late 

 shallow plowing, not over si.x or seven 

 inches deep. This will turn up a good 

 many of the pupae of this pest where the 

 frost will act on them and kill quite a 

 large proportion. It is fair to believe 

 that parasites will do much to destroy 

 the unusual number, but man should do 

 all possible to help. The same thing is 

 true with reference to cut worms. As a 

 rule the eggs of the white grubs and the 

 cut worms are laid mostly on weedy or 

 sod land. 



Celery blight is again prevalent. 

 Weather conditions have been favorable 

 for its rapid development. Thorough 

 spraying with good Bordeaux will control 

 it. The Extension Service can supply a 

 bulletin on celery spraying for blight con- 

 trol. If you do not have it you can get 

 a copy at the Market Garden Station. 



History repeats itself very frequently. 

 Last year we wrote about the variation 

 in seed quality as indicated by crops. 

 This last spring we talked and wrote a 

 lot about seed quality as we know it 

 should be shown. At the Field Day there 

 was a small exhibit of carrots taken 

 "field lun", which showed very considera- 

 ble variation, some being very poor, and 

 others very good. Most any man can 

 find these on his own farm. Why don't 

 wo take steps to get the seed right? 

 Most all kinds of seed will retain life 

 several years. It will pay to test it 

 ahead. Why don't we do it? 



There has been a better market for 

 most products this summer than was anti- 

 cipated. We believe people aie eating 

 more and more vegetables. We want to 

 stimulate that consumption. Let us do 

 all in our power to see that they get these 

 vegetables when they are in good shape to 

 eat. Inferior packing at the farm often 

 damages sales. We have noticed that the 

 finest grade stuff that goes into the mar- 

 ket moves very quickly to the consumer. 

 The low grade stuff has to wait for a cus- 

 tomer. The lower the grade the poorer 

 it gets before it is eaten. The higher the 



It has already been noted in these 

 columns that the market gardener con- 

 tained his planting season from the day 

 the frost is out of the ground in the 

 spring, until into the fall. Celery is 

 often set on rich land as late as August 

 20. Lettuce is seeded as late as August 

 10. The planting of fall spinach fre- 

 quently begins about the 10th or 1.5th of 

 August, and continues until the 1.5th of 

 September. The seeding of rye for a 

 green manure crop may take place as 

 late as the middle of October. Surely 

 there is something going on all the time. 

 This is one of the advantages of the 

 vegetable growing bu.siness. 



The Market Garden Field Station is 

 very handy to the main road from Lex- 

 ington to Bedford and Lowell. We have 

 comparatively few visitors. We would 

 be glad to have a dozen or twenty-five 

 a day. If vegetable growers would only 

 get the habit of dropping in we believe 

 that they could learn things of value, 

 not because we know how to do work 

 better than do they, but because we are 

 at different kinds of work to benefit the 

 commercial vegetable grower. 



Northampton 

 ^ National Bank ^ 



WARREN M. KING, President 



C. H. PIERCE, Vice-President 



EDWIN K. ABBOTT, Cashier 



J. MALCOLM WARREN, Ass't. Cashier 



CAPITAL AND SURPLU.S. $71s,i)i;fi 

 DEPOSITS. «;3.:«KI,(KKI 



Savings Departitient 

 Interest Payable Quarterly 



We are qualified to act as Executor, 

 Administrator and Trustee 



Why not make your will appointing 

 this Bank as Executor? 



THE BANK FOR EVERYBODY 



H. D. SMITH 



Hatfield, Mass. 



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