HAMPSHIRE COUNTY FARMERS' MONTHLY 



Farmers' Stock F«'i*iliiiK Problenifi 



Continued from i):iMe 1. column 2 



During the two decades these stock 

 raisei'S have been vvoi-king to get ahead, 

 many changes have taken place in the 

 ways of feeding animals. The outstand- 

 ing progressive step taken has been the 

 wide adoption of the balanced ration. 

 Other improvements in the order given 

 by most of the .500 farmers are: more 

 liberal feeding, feeding more legumes, 

 better water supply, providing minerals, 

 feeding according to production, feeding 

 more protein, and more regular feeding. 

 At the same time they list the common 

 errors in feeding which are responsible 

 for poor results, poor combinations of 

 feeds being the one most frequently men- 

 tioned, followed by underfeeding as the 

 next most effective reducer of profits. 



Practically all of these .500 farmers 

 had raised at one time or another scrubs, 

 grades, and purebreds, and almost to a 

 man they joined in a paean of praise of 

 the purebred. Only 1 per cent of them 

 i-eported that they had failed with im- 

 proved stock. It was brought out that 

 these men consider that purebreds make 

 about 40 per cent better use of feed than 

 common stock. Another questionnaire 

 sent out by the department a year ago 

 showed that purebreds have a general 

 utility value 40 per cent gieater than 

 common stock. 



It is worth while to note that more 

 than 22 per cent of these farmers who 

 answered the Government questions cred- 

 ited the farm press as the principal source 

 of their knowledge of feeding problems. 

 Farm papers, books, bulletins, and records 

 make up the sources given by .5.3 per cent 

 of them. 



Qovernment Grades of Eggs 



The U. S. Department of Agriculture 

 has established tentative national grades 

 of eggs which are intended and suitable 

 for use in the purchase of eggs from 

 producers by country egg buyers and the 

 marketing of eggs in wholesale, jobbing 

 and retail channels of trade. The final 

 grades, when adopted, should be given 

 the largest possible use to the end that 

 eggs may be marketed on a definite 

 quality basis and c|uotations established 

 which represent unifoim and comparable 

 qualities of eggs in all trade channels. 

 The use of such grades should result in 

 more efficient and economical marketing 

 of eggs and a premium price to the pro- 

 ducer of eggs of premium quality. 



Egg and Poultry Bulletins 



The following Farmers' bulletins which 

 contain useful information for poultry 

 and egg producers may be obtained free 

 from the Division of Publications, U. S. 

 Department of Agriculture, Wa.shington, 

 D. C. 



No. 



287 — Poultry Management. 



574 — Poultry Hou.se Construction. 



528 — Hints to Poultry Raisers (on rais- 

 ing poultry). 



585 — Natui-al and Artificial Incubation 

 of Hen's Eggs. 



624 — Natural and Artificial Brooding of 

 Chickens. 



682 — A simple Trap Nest for Poultry. 



801 — Mites and Lice on Poultry. 



806 — Standard Varieties of Chickens, 1. 

 The American Class. 



849 — Capons and Caponizing. 



889 — Back-yard Poultry Keeping. 



898 — Standard Varieties of Chickens, 



II. The Mediterranean Cla.ss. 

 957 — Important Poultry Diseases. 



1040— Illustrated Poultry Primer (for 



beginners) . 

 1U52 — Standard Varieties of Chickens, 



III. English, Asiatic and 

 French Classes. 



1109 — Preserving Eggs. 

 1067 — Feeding Hens for Egg Production. 

 1112 — Culling for Eggs and Market. 

 1116 — Selection and Care of Poultry 

 Breeding Stock. 

 Marketing Eggs (In preparation). 

 Marketing Poultry (In piepara- 

 tion). 

 Department Bulletin 56.5 — How to Candle 



Eggs. 

 Bureau of Chemistry Circular 61 — How 

 to Kill and Bleed Market Poultry. 



3\'ortl)atu}iliiu. MaaB. 



H. a SMITH 



Hatfield, Mass. 



GRAIN, COAL, ICE 



AND 



FARM MACHINERY 





WESTERN ELECTRIC LIGHT AND POWER 



You can have confidence in a WESTERN ELECTRIC LIGHT and Power Out- 

 fit. Visit our exhibit at the Three County Fair. If you want to know more 

 of the reasons why you should buy the Western Electric, drop a line to 



Suriner & McBreen, Electrical Contractors, Northampton, Mass. 



Ui-altTs for I1:llll|>^llire < oiiiity 



Attractive iiroposition to first customers in each community. 



