\J 



HAMPSHIRE COUNTY 



FARMERS' MONTHLY 



Vol. IX. 



NORTHAMPTON, MASS., MAY, 1924 



No. 



KILLING WEEDS 



start Early and Keep Constantly at It 



The farmer called the new hired inan 

 at 3.00 A. M. "Get up! We've got to 

 mow oats today," 



The following conversation ensued: 

 "Are they wild oats?" was the sleepily 

 inquiry. 



"No, they are tame. . 



Well, go back to bed and we'll try to 

 sneak up on them in the daylight when 

 we can see them." 



Too many farmers take the attitude of 

 the hired man when it comes to killing 

 weeds. They wait till they can see them 

 l)efore they begin operations. With corn 

 and potatoes, the leveling harrow and 

 weeder should be used every few days 

 before the crops are up. The weeds are 

 small and easily killed at this time. If 

 allowed to grow they have to be pulled' 

 by hand or hoed. 



The general tendency is to plant en- 

 silage corn too thickly. In most cases if 

 2.5 per cent of the stand was taken out 

 with the spike tooth harrow or weeder, 

 the resulting crop would be greatly im- 

 proved. Professor Abbott says to put 

 the blinders on the driver rather than the 

 horse for the best results. In fields that 

 are exceedingly trashy this system may 

 not work unless care is exercised. 



W. W. Haswell of Easthampton got in 

 a jam last year and had the weeds started 

 fairly well on a twenty acre corn field. 

 He hitched the spike tooth harrow behind 

 the tractoi- and did the whole twenty 

 acres one way and part of it the opposite 

 direction in a day. He said he was sorry 

 he did not do it all over again as it surely 

 killed the weeds and did not hurt the 

 corn. 



In many sections potato growers are 

 rolling their fields after planting and 

 then using the spike tooth harrow or 

 weeder before the plants are up. Then 

 using the weeder both ways even after 

 the plants are six or more inches high. 

 A man with a hoe can only cover a 

 small area in a day. With a horse and 

 cultivator, his efficiency is increased 

 materially but he can do still more with 

 the weeder or leveling harrow. Start 

 before the corn and potatoes are up. 

 Keep the weeder going after the crops 

 are 3 or 4 inches high. It saves time and 

 time costs money if yoii liire labor. 



Stock Judging Contest, McConnell Farm, Easthampton 



POLISH WOMEN SHOW 

 INTEREST IN CLOTHING 



WORK 



Some time ago the Home Demonstra- 

 tion Agent met Mrs. Anna Cebula, the 

 school nurse at Ware. During conversa- 

 tion it was suggested that there might 

 be some Polish girls who worked in the 

 mills and stores who would be interested 

 in some clothing work. 



Two weeks later the agent received a 

 notice f)-om Mi's. Cebula stating there 

 were about thirty girls who wanted the 

 work. 



The first meeting was called and was 

 held in an ordinary school room in the 

 High Street School. The girls kept com- 

 ing and coming until forty-five were 

 present. There wei'e not enough seats 

 for them all. With this interest shown 

 we had to make different arrangements. 

 The school committee when approached 

 said we might have the auditorium of the 

 New South Street School. 



The second meeting was just as well 

 attended and bound button holes and set 

 in pockets were brought in by the dozens 

 for appi'oval. 



For the third meeting thirty-fiv'e ajDrons 

 were brought completed. All of them 

 had been bound by using the machine 

 attachment, the binder, and they had the 

 famous set-in-pocket and bound button- 

 holes. 



Continued on pag-e fi. column 1 



THREE AGRICULTURAL 



DEPARTMENTS MEET 



Fawcett Talks on Judging 



In this county there are three schools 

 besides the Massachusetts Agricultural 

 j College. Smith School in Northampton, 

 Smith Academy in Hatfield and Hopkins 

 Academy in Hadley each have an agri- 

 cultural instructoi'. It is the policy of 

 the Extension Organization to work 

 closely with these schools and their agri- 

 cultural instructors in carrying on the 

 junior extension work in this county. 

 Among the agricultural students we have 

 often picked county and state champions, 

 poultry judging teams and demonstra- 

 tors. Many talks to the agricultural 

 students given by college specialists have 

 been arianged in these schools. Recog- 

 nizing the value of the graduates as pos- 

 sible leaders in their respective communi- 

 ties the Extension Service willingly co- 

 operates with them. In each of the 

 schools there is moie or less club work 

 carried on in connection with the regular 

 school agricultural work. There is much 

 in common in Boys' 4-H Club Work and 

 Boys' School .Agricultural Work. One 

 should help the other in giving the boys 

 a better start to do worth while things 

 on their own places and in the whole 

 community. 



The three schools each have much in 

 common and the acquaintance of the stu- 

 t^ontinued on paye (> column M 



