THE HAMPSHIRE COUNTY FARM BUREAU MONTHLY 



HAMPSHIRE COUNTY 



FARM BUREAU MONTHLY 



Published By The 



Hampshire County rarm Bureau 



A. P. MacDougall, County Agent 



Office, First National Bank Bldg. 



Northampton, Mass. 



Entered as second class matter 

 Nov. 9, 1915 at the post office at 

 Northampton, Massachusetts, under 

 the Act of March 8, 1879. 



OFFICERS OF THE FARM BUREAU 



Lc sli^e R. Smith, President, Hadiey. 



W D. JIandell, Treasurer, NorUiajiip 



ton 

 K. K. Clap'.), Secretary, Nortliamp 



ton. 



Advisory Board 



I-pslie R. Smith. Hadiey 



Chas. R. Damon, Williamsburg 



Ferley E. Davis, Granby 



C. E. Hodpkins, Northampton 



Vv nrren M. King, Northampton 



\i. A Aiorse, Belchertmvn 



Martin Norris, Southampton 



EDITORIAL 



Plymouth County boys and girls 

 besides being eligible for the prizes 

 offered by the Mass. Agricultural 

 College in agricultural work have 

 over $800 offered for prizes, by dif- 

 ferent individuals or organizations. 

 This does not include any of the lo- 

 cal prizes offered by community 

 organizations for local exhibits. 

 Have we not some organization in 

 this County which will be interested 

 in offering prizes for this good 

 work? 



Be sure and soak your seed po- 

 tatoes in corrosive sublimate this 

 sprng. Then spray your vines with 

 bordeaux at least five times. Fer- 

 tilizer is high and we must use all 

 other means to increase the yield. 



Commencing April 20, the Farm 

 Bureau engaged Mr. R. S. Wether- 

 bee, a senior at the Mass. Agri- 

 cultural College to spend three days 

 a week organizing boys and girls in 

 garden and club work in the Coun- 

 ty. Mr. Wetherbee has been very 

 successful in enlisting hundreds of 

 boys and girls in this work. The 

 plans are for the Farm Bureau to 

 direct the work until July 1st and 

 then procure local leaders to super- 

 vise it during the summer. If time 

 and funds will permit, more or less 

 assistance will be given through the 

 entire season. I 



The directors in the town of Ware 

 have been successful in obtaining 

 the Percheron Stallion Ker David 

 from the Mass. Agricultural College 

 to stand in the town of Ware from 

 May 4 to June S. A paper was cir- 

 culated by Mr. Timmins and Mr. 

 Green and nearly thirty mares were 

 obtained. Mr. Timmins has gener- 

 ously given stable room free. The 

 Ware Agricultural & Driving Asso- 

 ciation has also offered prizes to be 

 given at their Fair in 1917 for draft 

 colts. These prizes are open to colts 

 from any horse, but a special prize 

 will be offered for the best colt from 

 Ker David. The College stallion is 

 black, weighs over 1800 and consid- 

 ered one of the best Percheron stal- 

 lions in the State. 



TREATING SEED POTATOES 



Soaking seed potatoes with form- 

 aldehyde or with corrosive sublim- 

 ate to prevent scab and other dis. 

 eases on the tubers has long been in 

 practice. If properly carried out, this 

 precaution is well worth while and 

 a profitable investment. Seed treat- 

 ment will not be effective, however, 

 if the soil where the potatoes are 

 to be planted is already infested with 

 scab. 



In practically every section of the 

 County, potatoes are found infested 

 with what is known as Rhizoctonia 

 o.' "Little potato" disease. In sonk 

 ing the seed, formaldehyde 'n- not 

 St long enough to control this riiiiaiis 

 and corrosive sublimate must be used. 



At the potato show held at M. A. 

 C. this spring, practically every ex- 

 hibit was effected with this disease, 

 showing that it is wide spread. This 

 disease does more to reduce the yield 

 of potatoes outside of serious infec- 

 tions of late blight than any other 

 disease. It can be told on the seed 

 by the small specks or scabs that 

 look like dirt but which will not rub 

 off. In the field the disease often 

 causes missing hills, or after the 

 vines are up, it may work on the 

 stem and cause the vines to drop 

 over as if cut by the cut-worm. In 

 some cases in digging, one will find 

 a mass of very small potatoes. 20 or 

 25 in number, but none marketable. 

 In most cases the cause is the "lit- 

 tle potato" disease. This disease is 

 very dangerous as it is not often 

 recognized, and a farmer does not 

 realize the damage it causes. Be 

 sure and take the precaution of soak- 

 ing your seed in corrosive sublimate. 

 Use 2 oz. to 15 gals, of water and 

 soak 1 % hours. Be accurate and 

 careful to follow directions as this 



material is very poisonous and if too 

 strong, a solution is used or if 

 soaked too long, the seed may be in- 

 jured. The solution may be used 



! three times with good results. 



I 



M.-^SSACHUSETTS BOYS' AND 

 GIRLS' PIG CLUB IN HAMP- 

 SHIRE COUNTY. 



Last year there were forty-two 

 Hampshire County boys and girls in 

 the State Pig Club, most of. whom 

 lived on farms in the following 

 towns: Amherst, Chesterfield, Cum- 

 mington, Hadiey, Northampton, 

 Williamsburg and Worthington. 



These boys and girls fed and 

 managed one or more pigs from 

 weanling age to maturity; keeping 

 records of all feed given, labor used 

 and the gain in weight. This work 

 was part of the State Pig Club Con- 

 test in which the members competed 

 for prizes given to those that pro- 

 duced the best pig at the lowest 

 cost. At the end of the contest ths 

 records of all members in the state 

 were figured on a standard basis and 

 prizes awarded to the winners. There 

 were over 400 members in the state. 



Hampshire County was well rep- 

 resented in the prize list. Edward 

 Fydonkevez. North Amherst, being 

 the leader in the county and finishing 

 twelfth in the state. This lad fed 

 and cared for a pig that made a 

 daily gain of 1.34 pounds at a cost' 

 of five cents per pound. He re- 

 ceived second prize that entitled him 

 to a Free Trip Through New Eng- 

 land, also a pure-bred Yorkshire pig 

 donated by Mr. H. C. Barton. South 

 Amherst to the best member in 

 Hampshire County and a sum of 

 money donated by the Northampton 

 Pair Association. Young Pyden- 

 kevez is a pupil in Hopkins Acad- 

 emy and a sturdy farm boy who will 

 become a good farmer. 



Myron Gale of South Amherst won 

 a third prize that gives him a week 

 at the Amherst Summer Camp. He 

 fed and managed one pig that made 

 a dily gain of 1.23 pounds at a cost 

 of a little over five cents per pound. 

 He is also a pupil in Hopkins Acad- 

 emy and a boy who does a great 

 deal of farm work. 



Mary Devine of North Amherst 

 was one of the girls that made a 

 good record, by feeding and manag- 

 ing a pig that made a daily gain of 

 1.05 pounds at a cost of six cents 

 per pound. This young lady was 

 very careful in her work, handling 

 her pig as would a veteran hog man. 

 She and her brother (also a good 

 Club member) were keen rivals in 



