HAMPSHIRE COUNTY 



FARMERS' MONTHLY 



Vol. IX. 



NORTHAMPTON, MASS., SEPTEMBER, 1924 



No. 9 



SUCCESSFUL POULTRY TOURS THE LESSON OF | 



RISING PRICES 



Poultrymen Show Interest in what the 

 Other Fellow is Doing 



One hundred twenty-five people inter- 

 ested in poultry production attended the 

 three Poultry Tours held in the county 

 on August 1.5th, 19th, and 21st. The 

 purpose of these trips was to see how 

 practical poultrymen are meeting pre- 

 sent problems. All of the plants visited 

 were carrying on the Disease Control 

 Program with excellent results. 



Central Trip 



The first trip held on August 1.5th took 

 in five poultry plants in Amherst and Bel- 

 chertown. The first stop was at the com- 

 mercial egg plant of C. A. Cook in South 

 Amherst. Mr. Cook explained that this 

 was the second year in the poultry busi- 

 ness and that those expecting to see a 

 model plant would be disappointed as their 

 .outfit was still in the process of construc- 

 tion. He said that they hatched their 

 own chickens and by obtaining an average 

 hatch of 70 per cent were able to sell 

 some day old chicks. He believes thor- 

 oughly in avoiding disease so has started 

 this year rotating his range. Consider- 

 able interest was shown in the 2800 egg 

 Blue Hen incubator which gave the 70 

 per cent hatches and which is set up in 

 the house cellar. It is a double deck 

 machine and Mr. Cook stated that there 

 was no difference in hatches between the 

 •decks. 



The range used this year has about 

 1800 pullets on it. Portable 8' x 12' 

 brooder houses are used to start the 

 ■chicks. The first lot of chicks were 

 transfered to the M. A. C. open air 

 houses when six weeks of age. Screens 

 were used on all sides of these houses 

 early in the year with splendid results. 

 Mash and scratch are kept before the 

 Wrds in the M. A. C. range hoppers. Mr. 

 Cook stated that he tried out two lots, 

 one with hand feeding of scratch feed, 

 the other with both scratch and mash 

 before the birds in hoppers. When the 

 broilers were sold the hopper feed chicks 

 were very much the heavier. 



The laying houses are 30' x .30' with 

 a 2/3 span roof. The fronts are open 

 and there are windows in the back and 

 on the sides. These houses are light, well 

 -ventilated and satisfactory for large 

 Continued on page 3, column 1 



There is one outstanding lesson from 

 the rise of prices that has occured in 

 grain, hogs and cotton, which ought not 

 to be lost. It is that the low prices in all 

 of these products were due simply to 

 excessive supplies, a condition that could 

 be remedied in only one way, viz. : by 

 smaller production. Legislation can do 

 nothing for a state of over-production. 

 Measures to support prices artificially 

 have the effect of continuing the over- 

 production instead of correcting it, and 

 no matter how rich a country may be it 

 cannot afford to subsidize people to pro- 

 duce things that are not wanted and 

 which cannot be sold on the markets in 

 the usual way at remunerative prices. 

 There is no end to such subsidies, except 

 in final abandonment, because the situa- 

 tion does not naturally correct itself so 

 long as they are continued. They influence 

 people to keep on with operations that 

 are unneeded by the public and unpro- 

 fitable to themselves. 



r\»ntiniu-d I'll pag:e 2. colinnii .I 



POULTRY CERTIFICATION 



Massachusetts Association of Certified 

 Poultry Breeders Formed 



Certification, as the term is applied to 

 poultry, means the identification and ap- 

 pioval of certain birds, or flocks of birds, 

 as superior and especially desirable for 

 use as breeders. It is done in order 

 that:— 



( 1 ) Purchasei's may be as.sured of re- 

 liable sources of hatching eggs, 

 chicks and stock. 



(2) To properly identify breeders of 

 quality stock and protect them 

 from unfair competition and ex- 

 travagant advertising, and 



(3) By so doing to encourage higher 

 standards of breeding and hus- 

 bandry. 



This subject was first called to the at- 

 tention of Massachusetts poultrymen in a 

 circular letter .sent by the present Secre- 

 tary of the A.ssociation in the Summer of 

 1922 to about 300 breeders whom he 

 thought might be interested. At the fol- 

 lowing Poultry Convention one session of 

 the program was devoted to a discussion 

 Continued on page 8. column 1 



POTATO TOUR 



Fields of Certified Seed Potatoes Visited 



A small but interested group of potato 

 growers visited four of the fifteen fields 

 of certified seed potatoes in Chesterfield 

 and Cummington Wednesday, September 

 3rd. Last year potato growers tried to 

 produce certified seed in the western part 

 of the county but failed becau.se the par- 

 ent stock showed 20 per qent of disease. 

 Last fall several men agreed to try it 

 again so Professor J. B. Abbott located 

 a source of seed which showed practically 

 no disease in Vermont. This seed was 

 purchased by the Western Hampshire 

 Farmers' Exchange. The result has been 

 that after two inspections these fields 

 have shown practically no Mosaic and, 

 but a trace of leaf roll. Professor Osmun 

 of M. A. C. states that these fields are 

 the freest from disease that he has ever 

 seen. 



The trip started at William Baker's 

 field in Chesterfield. There were two 

 and one-half acres in the field and two 

 inspections have failed to show any dis- 

 eased plants. The field was plowed last 

 fall for the first time in thirty-five years. 

 This spring 1000 pounds of 5-8-7 fertilizer 

 were spread broadcast and 800 pounds 

 put in the row. The field was planted 

 -lune 1st. At the pre.sent time the tops 

 are green and Professor Abbott estimated 

 that they would gi-ow a month longer if 

 fi-ost kept off. At the present time the 

 field will yield 200 bushels per acre and 

 should yield 300 bushels at digging time. 

 After lunch another field of Mr. Baker's 

 was visited where other seed was used 

 to .show what Mosaic really is. 



At H. L. Merritt's a comparison be- 

 .tween different sources of Vermont 

 seed was seen. In all there were nine 

 acres of potatoes on this farm, four of 

 which are to be certified. Mr. Merritt 

 stated that his practice was to use about 

 a ton of high grade fertilizer per acre 

 and after the potatoes were planted to 

 use a roller to level the ground. Then 

 the whole piece was gone over with either 

 the weeder or the spike tooth harrow. As 

 soon as the potatoes showed above ground 

 they wei-e covered and rolled again and 

 the harrowing repeated. In all, the plants 

 were covered three times. Practically no 

 hand work was done yet the fields are 

 f'ontinued on page 11. column 1 



