HAMPSHIRE COUNTY FARMERS' MONTHLY 



A Profltalile Egs I'liint 



Continued from pagre 1. column S 



is not over 2 weeks' difference in age. 

 This results in a saving of labor as the 

 chicks can all be handled alike. Then, 

 too, the mature pullets are uniform when 

 put into the laying houses in the fall. 

 Thus energy is conserved through the 

 whole year and results are indeed pleas- 

 ing. 



Another way in which this plant is 

 different is that every pullet is sold before 

 she has completed a year's production. 

 In past years every hen was sold by the 

 time the chicks arrive. Thus every min- j 

 ute could be devoted to the chicks. This 

 past year, Leghorns were kept and it was 

 found that they maintained their produc- 

 tion well into the summer. By selling 

 the birds at the time of the Easter Holi- 

 days, Mr. Schmidt gets the highest price 

 per pound and also the birds are the 

 heaviest at this time. Another advantage 

 of this system is that the laying houses 

 can be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected 

 before the pullets are put into winter 

 quarters. As soon as eggs are laid on 

 the range, the more mature pullets are 

 housed. Once a pullet is put into the lay- 

 ing pens, she is never let out doors till 

 she is sold. 



Three years ago, Mr. Schmidt liad 

 trouble with paralyzed birds. The at- 

 tack, while not severe, showed him that 

 to stay in the business he must change 

 his methods. For two years, he has been 

 growing his chicks on clean ground. As 

 a result he has not had a case of paralysis 

 since he started rotation of his range. 

 Gone is the paralysis but not forgotten ! 

 This winter, six new portable brooder 

 houses are being built so that all the 

 chicks may be reared on clean ground 

 next spring. Four of these have already 

 been completed. This brings out one of 

 the factors that makes Mr. Schmidt a 

 better poultryman than most — he plans 

 his woi'k ahead and gets it done before 

 the rush season. 



In 1922, 2,000 day old chicks were pur- 

 chased. From these about 900 pullets 

 were raised. As the poultry houses 

 could only hold about 400 birds Mr. 

 Schmidt was faced with a housing prob- 

 lem. Lumber was high and carpenters 

 higher. Now Schmidt, besides using his 

 head, wields a wicked hammer. On the 

 farm is a good barn which was only used 

 to house a flivver, a few apples in the 

 fall and miscellaneous equipment. Cows 

 he has none, but there was the ordinary 

 cow stable with a scaffold above. He 

 simply took out the stanchions, boarded 

 up the back and put a tight floor on the 

 scaffold. Then ten openings were cut on 

 the south side of the barn. Result — as 

 good a 500 hen house as there is in the 

 county at a cost of about .$250 for lumber. 

 It may interest some to know that the 

 hens upstairs do as well as those on the 

 ground floor. OF COURSE he u.-^es 



lights. If you are ever down in Belcher- 

 town between 8.30 and 9. .30 p. m. and see 

 a barn from which stream large patches 

 of light — that's Schmidt's. When the 

 lights are used, the scratch feed is in- 

 creased to keep up the body weight of 

 the birds so no trouble comes from moult. 

 As a result, eggs are laid when they mean 

 profits. 



The four factors on which success with 

 poultry hinges — (1) Healthy Stock, (2) 

 Early Hatched, (3) Comfortably Housed, 

 (4) Well Fed and Cared For— .so often 

 discussed in poultry lectures, are put into 

 practice on this farm. These with a fifth 

 — Volume of business — make this plant 

 what it is. 



From the foregoing paragraphs the 

 reade)- could reasonably conclude that 

 "Edwai'd L" was the whole brains -and 

 works of the plant. One would only have 

 to make a call when he is not at home and 

 have Mrs. Schmidt show him over the 

 plant to realize that she is fully as con- 

 versant with the many details as Mr. 

 Schmidt. The Schmidts are not a family 

 that "do it alone" but work out their 

 problems together. Their two young 

 sons, Edward and Albert, before many 

 years will undoubtedly take an active in- 

 terest in the plant. 



We have not told the whole story. 

 They say that seeing is believing, so when 

 in Belchertown look up the Schmidts. It 

 will be well worth your while. 



USE PLEASANT DAYS 



JANUARY SPECIAL SALE 

 SUITS AND OVERCOATS 



If you have been waiting and 

 watching for our January sale, 

 now's the time to get busy. 



Every winter suit and overcoat re- 

 duced now for a quick clearance. 



.$30 Suits and Overcoats 



$3.5 



$40 



$4.5 " 



$.50 



$24..50 

 $29.50 

 $33.50 

 $37.50 

 .$42..50 



MERRITT CLARK 8C CO. 



NORTHAMPTON, MASS. 



IN PRUNING 



Every industrious orchardist is using 

 all of the pleasant days to get his prun- 

 ing done so that he will not have to hiie 

 extra help in the spring. We will all 

 admit that the best time to make prun- 

 ing cuts on a tree is just before or just 

 as growth starts, but this advantage is 

 not of sufficient consequence to let all of 

 the pruning go and hire help to get it 

 done. Prune out the dead and diseased 

 limbs first of all as you go around the 

 tree. European canker must be cut out 

 as it spreads by getting into the cuts or 

 i damaged places. Then take out the cross 

 limbs, I mean tho.se limbs that cross over 

 into the other side of the tree as well 

 as those that cross each other. Try to 

 have the tree in such shape that there 

 will be two or three good openings into 

 the center. Such openings facilitate fu- 

 ture pruning, spraying, thinning and har- 

 vesting. Next thin out the thicker places. 

 When two limbs are parallel take out 

 one altogether and do not whittle up both 

 of them. Do all the pruning necessary, 

 but do it with as few cuts (and therefore 

 as little expense) as possible. 



Start with the older trees and leave 

 the young ones till last, but be sure to 

 got the young ones pruned. 



Prof. Fn'fleiirk E. Col,-. 



OLD DEERFIELD 



FERTILIZERS 



'■K<>:isoii:iitlo iti Dollars tin A Sen.st-" 



MANTFACTURED BY 



A. W. HIGGINS, Inc. 



SOUTH DEERFIELD, MASS. 



ri-l(>l>li<>ne I iO 



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