HAMPSHIRE COUNTY FARMERS' MONTHLY 



FARMERS' MONTHLY 



PUBLISHED BY THE 



Hampshire County Trustees for Aid to 

 Agriculture 



STAFF 

 Roland A. Payne, County Agent 

 Mildred W. Boiee, 



Home DenionKtratlon Agent 

 .Xornian F. Wliippen, t"oiin«j (lull Agent 

 Mary C. O'Leary, Clerk 

 Mary Sullivan, Axst. Clerk 



Office First National Bank Building 



Northampton, Mass. 

 Entered as second class matter Nov. 9. 

 1915, at the Post Office at Northampton, 

 Massachusetts, under the Act of March 

 8, 1879. 



"Notice of Entry" 

 "Acceptance for mailing at special rate 

 of postage provided for in section 1103, 

 Act of October 3, 1917. Authorized Oc- 

 tober 31, 1917. 



Price, no eents a year 



Officers of the Trustees 



Edwin B. Clapp, President 

 Charles E. Clark, Vice-President 

 Warren M. King, Treasurer 

 Roland A. Payne, Secretary 



Trustees for County Aid to Agriculture 



Edwin B. Clapp, Easthampton 

 Charles E. Clark, Leeds 

 Clarence E. Hodgkins, Northampton 

 Milton S. Howes, Cummington 

 Mrs. Clifton Johnson, Hadley 

 Warren M. King, Northampton 

 John A. Sullivan, Northampton 

 Charles W. Wade, Hatfield 



Sucee.«i.sful Poultry Tour 



Continued from page 1, column 3 

 Some of those on the trip were sur- 

 prised to see the relatively poor color of 

 the birds on this plant. Mr. Schmidt 

 however made it clear that he paid for 

 red paint for his building but the chicks 

 could be any color so long as they laid 

 brown eggs and lots of them. The eggs 

 he said were what brought in the "long 

 green" and what was his favorite color. 

 Every corner possible has been cut on 

 this plant to keep labor at a minimum. 

 The chicks are giown on land but once 

 in three years. Mash and cracked corn 

 are before the chicks all of the time in 

 hoppers, so feeding takes but little time. 

 His watering system too is a labor saver. 

 Running water is piped to the range. 

 Then a hose is used to fill barrels and lard 

 tubs in which faucets are fitted. These 

 allow the water to drip into pans or 

 crocks. In this way fresh water is al- 

 ways available and there is no hard work 

 connected with it. In fact, the 2800 

 chicks are watered in less than half an 

 hour each day. 



Last year Mr. Schmidt had more pul- 

 lets than he could house so he remodeled 

 his barn, using the entire south side. 

 Four pens were made which house 500 



LET'S GO TO THE NATIONAL DAIRY EXPOSITION! 



(^ f'ollow5 The Dairy Coiv 



Everyone Interested 



{in Better Dairying 



is going to tlie 



JVATIONAL 

 DAIRY EXPOSinOff 



Syracuse, f/.Y. Oct. 5-13 



WANTED: Every dairyman in the County to visit the National Dairy Ex- 

 position at Syracuse, October 5-13. It is sure to furnish many ideas for the 

 progressive farmer who wants to build up his dairy business because it assembles 

 all the latest and best ideas on dairy methods from all parts of the country. 



Syracuse is 224 miles from Northampton by auto. The roads are good and 

 there are quite a few men going by machine. Some of the cars may not be full. 

 Of course this is a waste! There are others who would like to go if they had 

 the opportunity. Our aim is to bring these parties together so that all may go. 



If you are going in your car and have room for any passengers, it will help 

 if you would write the County Agent or telephone Northampton 53, telling us 

 just how many men you can carry. Also what day you are leaving and how much 

 per mile per passenger you would charge. 



Those who wish transportation should also make their wants known so that 

 arrangements can be made. The cost of trasportation will not be over $6.72 each 

 way, we are sure. However to make the trip successful, we must know at once 

 who is going. Do it now! 



Probably most men will start Sunday, October 7, so as to be at the show 

 Monday. Some will want to stay a couple days, one to see the judging, the other 

 to look over the exhibits. 



birds at a cost of $250 for lumber. Two 

 pens are on the first floor and two on the 

 second. No difi'erence was noted in the 

 laying between pens on the first and sec- 

 ond floor. 



He Controls Moult 



Two hundred and fifty pullets were in 

 winter quarters. These birds never go 

 out of the houses till they are sold as 

 fowl next year. This is true of all of 

 the hens on the plant. The day before, 

 this pen of pullets laid 31 eggs. Some 

 asked if Mr. Schmidt was not afraid these 

 birds would moult. He stated that by 

 I using lights and by increasing the .scratch 

 feed to keep up the body weight of the 

 [birds, he had been able to successfully 

 ! control moult of pullets. He uses the 

 lights every night between 9 and 10 

 o'clock, starting about the middle of Oc- 

 tober. 



Bartlett Breeds His Own 



After having lunch at the Schmidt 

 plant, the eighteen auto loads of poultry- 

 man went to Emoiy Bartlett's in Enfield. 

 Mr. Bartlett started raising Leghorns in 

 1914 and 1915. Since that time no new- 

 birds have been brought to the plant. 

 The first year the average production for 



the flock was 120 eggs per bird. Last 

 year the whole flock of about 700 birds 

 averaged 180 eggs. His pen of birds in 

 the Storrs Contest have averaged from 

 160 to 170 eggs per bird every year they 

 have been entered. 



The breeding operations on the plant 

 are as follows: Every bird producing 

 above 200 eggs in the pullet year is placed 

 in the breeding pens if it also meets the 

 standard weight, shape and color. At 

 present there are 139 birds in the thirteen 

 bleeding' pens. Each pen is headed by a 

 pedigreed male and fiom the.se next year's 

 flock is produced. Every egg coming 

 from, these pens is marked and the result- 

 ing chickens are banded individually so 

 that a complete pedigree is kept. About 

 125 pullets representing each of the 13 

 matings are put into the trap nest house 

 and records aie kept for one year. In 

 this way progeny of certain males and 

 females are found which have the ability 

 to transmit production to their offspring. 

 By using pedigieed cockerels, this blood is 

 intensified in the entire flock. 



Mr. Bartlett says he has no breeding 

 chart which he follows. His records are 

 such that he can tell which males are 

 I'liMlinued on page 8, column 1 



