IIXMPSHIRE COUNTY FARMERS' MONTHLY 



FERTILIZING THE HAY CROP 



Outline of a Practical and I'lofitable 

 System 



At Extension Schools held in the 

 county during Febiuaiy, Prof. J. B. 

 Abbott likened the usual system of 

 of fertilizing the hay crop to a problem 

 he had in arithmetic during his school 

 days. The problem stated that a frog 

 was in the bottom of a 30 foot well. 

 Every day he climbed up two feet, each 

 night he slipped back eighteen inches. 

 Find how long it took him to get out of 

 the well. 



In fertilizing the hay crop, the general 

 practice is to put 20 to 30 loads of manure 

 per acre on the land before .seeding down, 

 usually on the corn crop. Little or no 

 attention is given to fertilizing the hay 

 crop till the yield is about one-half a ton 

 or less per acre. Then the field is plowed 

 up, manured heavily again, and reseeded. 

 Under this common system the soil is like 

 the frog in the well except that in most 

 cases it has not gained six inches but is 

 right back at the point where it started. 



The one good thing about this .system 

 is that it is as unnecessary as it is uneco- 

 nomical. Experiments have shown that ten 

 tons of manure plus 400 lbs. of acid phos- 

 phate per acre equals 1.5 tons of manure 

 alone. Hence the first step is to use acid 

 phosphate to make the manure go further 

 when seeding down. Not only does it in- 

 crease the valu3 of the manure in this 

 way but it also encourages the growth of 

 clovers so that the seeding needs no top- 

 dressing till one crop has been removed. 

 The next spring JOO to 150 lbs. of nitrate 

 of soda per acre should be used as a top- 

 dressing. In the fall after the second 

 hay crop has been removed, the mowing 

 should be given a topdressing of 10 loads 

 of manure per acre. All of the land not 

 manured in tne fall should be topdressed 

 in the spring with 200 lbs. per acre of an 

 8-6-6 fertilizer or its equivalent. 



By following this system, mowings 

 would yield profitable hay crops for 5 to 

 7 >ears. Then before the mowings are 

 run out they should be replowed and the 

 system stai-ted again, taking care to har- 

 row in a liberal application of acid phos- 

 phate with the manure. By turning 

 under a good sod instead of a pooi' one, 

 the farmer gets the equivalent of 7 to 10 

 tons of manure per acre. 



Now is the time to put this system into 

 practice. Instead of putting 30 loads of 

 manure per acre on the land to be seeded 

 after the corn crop, use 15 loads plus 300- 

 500 lbs. of acid phosphate. On good 

 mowings which have had no manure, u.se 

 200 to 400 lbs. of an 8-6-6 fertilizer per j 

 acre or if you prefer home mixing, use j 

 100 to 175 lbs. nitrate of soda plus 75 to 

 150 lbs. acid phosphate plus 25 to 50 lbs. 

 muriate of potash per acre. 



This fall, plan to use all the available 

 manure to give a light topdressing to as 

 much of your hay land as possible. Like 



I 'oniinui-d fium p;ij;e 1, column :J 

 received from each, as well as expenses 

 connected with each source of income. 

 These accounts are to be used next year 

 as a basis for Extension Work. Then, 

 instead of talking about : cme other 

 section of the state, the figures will 

 pi-esent a picture of the business of the 

 ccmmunity. The ones to get the most 

 value from this study will be the men 

 who.;e figures make up the picture. They 

 will see themselves in a business way 

 i while the others will fail to take the 

 lesson for themselves. They will simply 

 hs among those present. 



In the towns where dairying is im- 

 portant, studies were made of the Corn 

 Crop, the Hay Crop and a Sy.stem of 

 Permanent Soil Fertility for Dairy 

 Farms. The ob.iect of these discussions 

 was to bring out the importance of home 

 grown feeds for milk production and to 

 point out weaknesses in the jjresent pro- | 

 duction system. 



I In fruit sections, the importance of 

 I growing good fruit was stressed. The im- 

 j portance of apples as a source of farm 

 income was presented and many agreed 

 to start orchards this spring, either to 

 take the place of useless old trees, or to 

 ; increase the size of the present business. 

 i For the poultrymen, the main emphasis 

 was placed on the importance of con- 

 trolling infectious diseases. Over twenty- 

 five poultrymen have agreed to keep 

 records and report monthly. Incubation 

 and Brooding were taken up in detail. 



Taken as a whole, the experiment of 

 specialized extension schools was a suc- 

 cess. The specialists, we believe, got 

 moi'e people than usual thinking serious- 

 ly about farming as a busine.ss. 



the frog in the problem you can get out 

 of the well if you are willing to put on 

 he chains and stop slipping. This sys- 

 tem shows just how the chains can be 

 used. 



H. VV. Haswell of Easthampton has one 

 of the best illustrations of the value of 

 acid phosphate used as outlined in this 

 system that we may have ever seem. A five 

 acre field was limed heavily and manured 

 with about 20 loads per acre. On the 

 we.st half of the field 300 lbs. of acid 

 phosphate per acre was thoroughly di.sced 

 in. Two years ago the oats appaiently 

 were a little better on this half of the field. 

 Last year the clover crop was double that 

 obtained on the lialf receiving .just linu: 

 and manuie. Naturally he is sold to the 

 value of acid phosphate. You, too, would 

 be if you would just try it once. 



Last year several demonstrations in 

 different parts of the county proved that 

 nitrate soda and acid phosphate u.sed as 

 a topdressing for good mowings in the 

 h:pring was profitable. Now we want 

 farmers to go still further and adopt the 

 whole system. If you will try it out, let 

 the County Agent know as there are 

 manv who will be interested. 



Northampton 

 •ji National Bank ,^ 



WARRE:N M. king. President 



C:. H. PIERCE. Vice-President 



I:DW1N K. ABBOTT, Cashier 



J. MALCOLM WARREN, Ass't. Cashier 



CM'I'I'AI, AS\) sriil'I.rs. S7IS.I1IIM 



iiKPosri's. -i.i.i-niii.iKiii 



Savings Department 

 Interest Payable Quarterly 



We are quali6ed to act as Executor. 

 Administrator and Trustee 



Whj' not make your will appointing 

 this Bank as Executor? 



THE BANK FOR EVERYBODY 



H. D. SMITH 



Hatfield, Mass. 



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