HAMPSHIRE COUNTY FARMERS' MONTHLY 



FARMERS' MONTHLY 



Pl'BLISHED BY THE 



Hampshire County Trustees for Aid to 



Agriculture 



EXPERIENCE 



STAFF 



Rolund A. Piiyiie, County Agent 

 Milllred IV. Itoioe, 



Home Denionstrution Agent 

 Noriimn I'*. Wliippen, t'oiiiity Cluli Agent 

 I>liiry liitiioiKl, <'lerk 

 Mary .siilli\an, A.ssl. 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. 



"Notiee or Entry" 

 "Acceptance for m.ailing at special rate 

 of postage provided for in section 1103, 

 Act of October 3, 1917. Authorized Oc- 

 tober 31, 1917. 



I'riee, .'►0 eents :i 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, Cunimington 

 Mrs. Clifton .Johnson, Hadley 

 Warren M. King, Northampton 

 John A. Sullivan, Northampton 

 Charles W. Wade, Hatfield 

 W. H. Atkins, Amherst 



POULTRY POINTERS 



FOR MAY 



Get Chicks Roosting Karly 



The time to let the hiooder fires out 

 is when the chickens are roosting. It is 

 entirely possible to have Leghorns on the 

 roosts at six weeks of age and Rhode 

 Island Reds at eight weeks. It requires 

 a little planning to do it. The first re- 

 quirement is to have roosts available for 

 the chicks. A common mistake is to put 

 these roosts up too high. Put them level 

 to the floor and not over one foot up. 

 Ellis Clark of Williamsburg had eight 

 weeks old Reds roosting the first of May 

 this year by following this method. If 

 the chicks do not take readily to the 

 roosts, keep them shut in on a pleasant 

 day and they will soon learn what roosts 

 are for. 



Runs Too Small 



The tendency is to confine chicks too 

 long to small yards. The first three 

 weeks the chicks do not need a large run 

 but after that they quickly eat off the 

 grass. From this time on the runs .should 



E.xperience is knowledge gained by trial and practice. It may be either 

 po.sitive or negative. Positive experience shows one how certain results may be 

 accomplished. It is not only valuable to the person possessing it but is also 

 valuable to others in the community. There is a great need for experience of 

 this kind at present. 



Negative experience is also of great value if properly used. Unfortunately 

 it is often abused. The following story illustrates the point: — 



"A farmer asked a neighbor if he ever had a horse with worms. 'Yes,' 

 replied the neighbor, 'and I gave him turpentine.' The farmer returned home 

 and gave his horse turpentine. In a few days he saw his neighbor and said, 

 'That turpentine killed my horse.' 'It did mine, too,' replied the neighbor." 



Many people do not know that the State Experiment Stations are conducting 

 trials and experiments to establish positive experience. After the facts are es- 

 tablished, it is the work of the Extension Service to present the information to 

 the farmers and to try to get them to demonstrate that the method works as well 

 on the farm as it does at the experiment station. It may sound easy but how 

 many of the things that the Extension Service has been advocating through this 

 paper, through letters, lectures at Extension Schools, and through personal visits 

 have you tried? 



We never ask a man who has a system that works to discard the old and try 

 the new entirely. We simply ask him to try a small portion of his crop, flock 

 or herd in a new and presumably better way. If it works better than the old 

 way he has gained positive experience. If not, he knows that the new system 

 has no advantages for him. There is nothing to lose by this system and everything 

 to gain. 



Last year we had an interesting experience. We had noticed that a certain 

 orchard in sod had been steadily going back. We suggested to the owner that he 

 use nitrate of soda. "How much does it cost a ton?" he asked. The price was 

 $70. "You County Agents are trying to bankrupt us farmers," he said. Finally 

 he did agree to try 100 pounds and the county agent bought the nitrate for him 

 and helped put it on. This spring this same man is using a ton of nitrate on the 

 oichard and the County Agent did not have to order it for him and he has not 

 been asked to help put it on. This man's experience showed him that it paid in 

 bigger and better apples. 



However, "all that glitters is not Gold." Last year Professor Abbott induced 

 a certain farmer to use acid phosphate to suppliment manure for his corn. It 

 was tried and the corn ripened seven days earlier with the acid phosphate than 

 it did on manure alone. This man stated that he wanted his corn to grow longer 

 and would never use it again. 



We hope and strive for experience similar to that in the nitrate story. 



be rapidly increased in size to keep the 

 sod intact. Trouble is usually noted soon 

 after the grass is worn off. If you have 

 such spots and cannot move the brooder 

 houses, fence the chicks off the bare spots 

 and give the grass a chance to grow. 

 Placing the drinking fountains and feed 

 hoppers at .-some distance from the house 

 will help keep the sod good around the 

 brooder house. 



Feeding Tobacco Dust 



Mix two pounds of Gold Leaf Tobacco 

 Dust in 100 pounds of dry mash for the 

 chicks when they are twelve weeks old. 

 Keep this mash in the hoppers for a 

 period of three weeks. Fifty chickens 

 .should eat 100 pounds of the treated mash 

 in three weeks. If they do not eat at 

 this rate, cut down on the amount of 

 scratch feed. 



It will be well for you to place your 

 orders for Tobacco Dust with your local 

 dealer now so that he may have it on 

 hand when you need it. You will need 

 about 4 pounds of "Gold Leaf" tobacco 

 dust for every 100 chicks to be treated. 

 I). F. Howard & Sons and the Ware 



Grain and Coal Company, both of Ware, 

 have been added to the list of dealers in 

 this county carrying "Gold Leaf" Tobacco 

 dust. 



Labor Saving Devices 



The two hardest jobs from now on are 

 feeding and watering. There are easy 

 methods of doing both. The mash hopper 

 illustrated elsewhere in this paper is a 

 great help in feeding growing pullets as 

 it does not have to be filled every few 

 hours. Another type of hopper is illu.s- 

 trated in Extension Bulletin 76. This 

 hopper holds about 300 p:unds of dry 

 mash. It takes considerable lumber to 

 build but it saves labor and will last for 

 years. Many men have found that pul- 

 lets on range do better if the mash and 

 •scratch feed are always before the birds. 

 Keeping the .scratch feed before the birds 

 is comparatively new but it works. 



Contrary to common belief it is not 

 necessary to carry water to birds every 

 few hours. In small flocks, a 5 or 10 

 gallon keg can be used. These can be 

 easily transported on a wheelbarrow. In 

 larger flocks, barrels put on skids can be 

 Continued on p.igo 11, column 1 



