HAMPSHIRE COUNTY 



FARMERS' MONTHLY 



Vol. VIII. 



NORTHAMPTON. MASS., SEPTEMBER, 1923 



No. 9 



TOP-DRESSING 



PERMANENT PASTURES 



Prof. John B. Abbott Outlines Test Plans 



Director Brooks of the Massachusetts 

 Experiment Station demonstrated, many 

 years ago, that it was possible in some 

 cases to bring about a vast improvement 

 in pasture sod by application of chemicals. 

 Similar results have followed many of 

 the pasture top-dressing tests conducted 

 by Prof. Earl .Jones, and later by the 

 present writer, in cooperation with coun- 

 ty agents. In some cases, however, sat- 

 isfactory results have not been secured. 

 Such failures, of course, have tended to 

 discourage adoption of the practice of top- 

 dressing pasture land, even though it is 

 admittedly very profitable when it works 

 out right. 



As a result of the tests which have been 

 conducted several facts stand out very 

 plainly. The first one is that the im- 

 provement in quantity and quality of 

 pasturage almost invariably comes about 

 through a marked increase in the amount 

 of white clover, irrespective of the kind 

 of fertilizer applied. In some cases, on 

 the Tillson farm at the Experiment Sta- 

 tion, for example, potash and lime turn 

 the trick and other chemicals such as 

 acid phosphate are without effect. In 

 other cases, such as in the vicinity of 

 Great Barrington, for example, acid phos- 

 phate alone produces the desired result 

 and other chemicals appear to be unneces- 

 sary. Yet in spite of the difi'erent treat- 

 ments applied the final results in these 

 two cases are almost identical. A photo- 

 graph of an unfertilized plot compared 

 with a potash plot at Amherst would do 

 equally well as representing an unferti- 

 lized plot compared with an acid phos- 

 phate plot at Great Barrington. 



The top-dressing problem, therefore, 

 can not be solved by any empiric recom- 

 mendation to apply this or that chemical 

 with the certainty that the desired re- 

 sults will follow. The statement that 

 "potash brings in clover" is true only in 

 case potash is the deficient element, and 

 the same is true for phosphoric acid and 

 lime. It would be more nearly accurate 

 to say that application of the deficient 

 elements of plant food, particularly the 

 mineral elements, tends to bring in clover. 

 Continued on page 10, column 1 



POULTRYiMEN AT LEGO'S PLANT 



COME TO NORTHAMPTON 



Three Big Fair Days 

 October 2, 3 and 4 



YOUR County Fair will be held in 

 Northampton, Tuesday, Wednesday and 

 Thur.sday, October 2-4. Indications are 

 that it will be the best ever. 



The directors have spared neither time 

 nor money to make this the best fair ever 

 held in the county. An honest effort to 

 eliminate all objectionable features of the 

 midway has been made. Premium lists 

 have been carefully revised and in many 

 cases larger amounts are offered than in 

 previous years. 



The real test of the fair will be in the 

 number of agricultural exhibits shown. 

 You must have something on the farm of 

 which you are justly proud. Why not 

 show it at the fair so that others may 

 know how well you are doing? 



In the cattle department, premiums 

 have been greatly increased over previous 

 years in hopes that more of the good 

 cattle of the county will be shown. Why 

 not slick up a few of your best animals 

 and show the people that Hampshire 

 County has cattle as good as any? 



The poultry department too offers 

 worth while premiums on Cock, Hen, 

 Cockerel, Pullet, pen of fowls (1 cock and 

 4 hens), pen of chickens, ducks and 

 turkeys. We have a lot of good flocks 

 Continued on page 7, column 2 



SUCCESSFUL POULTRY TOUR 



Poultrymen Visit in Kastern Part 

 of County 



One of the most successful field trips 

 ever held in the county took place August 

 23 when seventy-five poultrymen from all 

 parts of the county visited four successful 

 plants in Belchertown, Enfield, Dana and 

 Greenwich. Good weather, lively in- 

 terest and fine roads helped make the trip 

 a success. The plants visited were not 

 models according to the definition "model, 

 a small imitation of the real thing" for 

 every one of them had a man sized job. 

 The plants showed that success may be 

 attained in a variety of ways but all had 

 four points in common: Healthy Stock, 

 Early Hatched, Comfortably Housed, 

 Well fed and Cared for. These with 

 Volume of Business always make suc- 

 cessful plants. 



Schmidt's Egg Plant 



The tour started at Ed. L. Schmidt's 

 plant in Belchertown. This plant is con- 

 ducted solely as a market egg proposition 

 with broilers and fowl as necessary by- 

 products. Twenty-eight hundred day-old 

 Rhode Island Red chicks were purchased 

 the middle of March. In this way the 

 birds are all of one age and labor is 

 greatly reduced. As soon as the cock- 

 erels weigh two pounds, they are sold as 

 broilers. 



Continued on page 2, column 1 



