10 



HAMPSHIRE COUNTY FARMERS' MONTHLY 



possible with a lime sower, indicating- 

 great variation in the natural condition 

 of the soil within short distances. 



Just recently I tested the soil in a very 

 successful four year old stand which was 

 limed at the rate of only a ton and a half 

 per acre four years ago and found it free 

 from acidity. The following day I tested 

 the soil in a two year old stand which is 

 beginning to fail and found an injurious 

 degree of acidity, in spite of a two ton 

 application of lime only two years ago. 



The lesson is clear. The first con- 

 clu.sion is that alfalfa will not make a 

 real success unless the soil is limed heavi- 

 ly enough to neutralize all acidity in the 

 plowed .surface and the second conclusion 

 is that the amount of lime required to do 

 this will vary according to the natural 

 acidity of the soil. One ton of lime per 

 acre may be enough or it may require 

 four. That being the case it certainly is 

 unwise to risk loss of .seed and labor by 

 sowing on land which may have been 

 limed enough or may not. 



The county is prepared to test your 

 soil for acidity and can estimate very 

 accurately how much lime is needed. The 

 method now in use is a new one and is 

 far superior in every way to all of the 

 earlier methods. 



A test may prevent a failure and alfal- 

 fa is too good a crop to be allowed to fail 

 for the lack of another ton or two of 

 lime. And by the way, it is an important 

 chemical fact that a combination of lime 

 and acid phosphate is more than twice 

 as efficient as lime alone in removing toxic 

 materials from most acid soils. 



Lime as indicated by the test, use at 

 least 500 pounds of acid phosphate per 

 acre, inoculate, .sow hardy seed, follow 

 good cultural practices in seed bed pre- 

 paration and seed before the 10th of 

 August and you will be very unlikely to 

 fail. It is not a bad plan to put in seven 

 or eight pounds of timothy per acre with 

 the alfalfa for the first seeding so as to 



be sure of a hay crop even if the alfalfa 

 does fail to make a perfect stand. This 

 also takes care of low spots where there 

 may be winter killing. 



COUNTY NOTES 



Labor Efficiency 



Fred Bean of Florence finds that he 

 can care for his 200 pullets properly by 

 using 70 minutes a week. He used hop- 

 pers for the dry mash and cracked corn, 

 and has piped water to the range. The 

 water pipe and valve cost but little 

 money. Compare this with the time and 

 labor saved. The feed hoppers originally 

 contained "Cream of Wheat" and 

 "Shoulder Clods," and were obtained at 

 a local market. Each of these has a roof 

 to keep out the rain and has to be filled 

 only twice a week. Fred finds that he 

 can employ the time saved in looking 

 after a strawberry crop and other farm 

 interests. If he wasn't naturally a 

 hustler, he would have just so much more 

 time to fish or hunt! 



Alfalfa Demonstration Plots 



The best demon.^tration plot where the 

 alfalfa-clover-timothy mixture was used 

 is owned by Earle Parsons of Northamp- 

 ton. The piece, containing three acres, 

 was seeded after early potatoes last year. 

 The first cutting gave about three tons 

 per acre of a fine hay mixture in which 

 the alfalfa predominated. Mr. Parsons 

 likes it so well that he is planning to put 

 in 10 acres more this August. 



W. W. Haswell of Easthampton has an 

 alfalfa plot worth seeing. It is on land 

 which normally grows golden rod, bunch 

 grass and birches. A year ago the piece 

 was plowed, manured, limed and 500 

 pounds of acid phosphate per acre used. 

 The alfalfa was .needed in oats. Last 

 year the weeds were so thick that the 



RAISE HEALTHY CHICKS! | 



CORROSIVE SUBLIIVIATE | 



is valuable for • ! 



Disinfecting Brooder Houses and Yards 5 j 



We carry it in powdered form J) 



Put up in the size package you need !. 



It is cheaper by the pound 



WISWELL THE DRUGGIST 



52 Main Street 



Northampton, - - - Mass. 



BISSELL'S TIRE SHOP 



NOKTHAMPTO.V, MASS. 



Miller, Goodyear and U. S. Tires 



Tires and Tubes 



Vulcanized by Steam 



Ooodyear Service Station 



FIIKK .VIR 

 G6 KING STREKT Tel. VMX-M 



Quality WITH Economy 



Successful poultrymen believe that the best in care 

 and feeding is none too good for their hens. For the 

 laying flock, they seek a quality mixture which is 

 known to produce eggs. Price is secondary. 



This is as it should be. Price is sometimes a good 

 index to worth. But not always. Economics through 

 volume methods of manufacture and distribution 

 make the Eastern States Open Formula Poultry 

 Feeds relatively low in price, although the high 

 quality represented would call for a greater ex- 

 penditure elsewhere. Send for new edition of free 

 folder — "Better Poultry Feeding." 



K7WW What Yon Feed! 



Eastern States Farmers' Exchange 



A non-.ilock, non-profit oryaiiizatioK 

 owned and controlled bi/ the farmers it serves 



SPRINGFIELD 



MASSACHUSETTS 



piece was mowed three times. This year 

 he has a fine alfalfa crop. He likes it 

 so well that he is putting in 5.V acres this 

 summer. 



Levi Burt and Sons of Westhampton 

 are getting a fine yield on their Alfalfa- 

 Timothy plot again this year. The field 

 is attracting the notice of a good many 

 farmers. Woodchucks from the sur- 

 rounding farms are also taking notice 

 and moving in. The Burts say the 

 "chucks" are coming at a rapid rate and 

 arc being as rapidly exterminated. More 

 alfalfa plots in the town would help sim- 

 plify the Burts' "chuck" problem! 



Clever Watering Device 



It is a problem to regulate a valve so 

 that the water will not run over and mess 

 things up in the hen houses and on the 

 range. W. F. TegethofF of Belchertown 

 has a device made of a baking soda can, 

 a piece of spring steel wire and a "shut 

 off" that works to perfection. The can 



