HAMPSHIRI 



COUNTY 



FAR 



BURBAU MONTMl^Y 



Publisjied Monthly by the Hampshire County Farm Bureau 



PRICES 50 GENTS PER YEAR; SI. 00 PER YEAR INCLUDING MEMBERSHIP IN FARM BUREAU 



Vol. 1 



Northampton, Mass., September 1915 



No. 1 



SEED CORN SELECTION. 



This fall it will probably be es- 

 pecially hard to obtain good seed 

 corn, due to the late season, but 

 every farmer should make it a point 

 ifhe has good yielding corn, to select 

 the best mature ears in his field and 

 have it well dried and stored. 



One fault that we find in nearly 

 every section is that there are too 

 many kinds or types grown. Find 

 the best typ% or kind in your com- 

 munity, get the seed and build up 

 your own strain. Do not think that 

 it is necessary to send to a seed 

 house for your seed corn to plant for 

 grain. Better results are obtained I 

 by using seed that is acclimated and 

 that will mature in your locality. 



The easiest method of selection Is 

 to go to the crib in the spring, pick 

 over what corn is left, and select I 

 enough ears to furnish your seed, | 

 With this method the only thing the 

 farmer goes by is size of ears. In 

 all probability these large ears were 

 borne in hills where there were miss- 

 ing plants or for some reason they 

 had abnormal advantages as more 

 light, fertilizer, moisture, .etc. No 

 improvement in yield can be gained 

 this way as these ears will not to any 

 degree at least, perpetuate their good 

 qualities. Also crib selected corn is 

 not dried properly for seed and it 

 has been subject to much freezing or 

 molding that will injure its germin- 

 ating power. 



There are two practical methods 

 for seed corn selection: 1. while the 

 ear still remains upon the standing 

 stock; 2. at husking time. The 

 first method takes more time but Is 

 by far the best way. The only ob- 

 jection to it is that the work must 

 be done while the farmer is busy 

 harvesting. 



1. Go into your field just before 

 the time you get your first frost and 

 select ears that have matured. Sel- . 

 ect seed only from hills that are per- ! 

 fectly normal and surrounded by; 

 normal hills; do not select an ear! 

 from a hill that is lodged as this i 

 may be due to some inherent weak- 

 ness or lack of vigor; never select 

 an ear that is too high or too low : 

 on the stalk as this increases diffi- 

 culty of handling. Two ears to the 

 stalk are preferred for flint corn. 



After you have gathered all you 

 wisli, cull out all those tha.t do not 

 suit your ideal type. If only a few- 

 ears are gathered plant them next 

 spring in a seed bed, to select further 

 from the next beason. If your whole 

 crop is to be husked, instead of pick-' 

 iug the ears in the field, the stalks 

 may be marked with some bright 

 string or cloth and the selected ears 

 thrown out at liusking. 



The second method is selection at 

 husking time. This has the big dis- 

 advantage thi't we do not know the 

 bill conditions under which it was 

 grown but it has the advantage that 

 it can be done at a time when the 

 farmer is not rushed. The same 

 directions are fcllowed as in the first 

 method. Although this system is not 

 commendable, it is undoubtedly a 

 much better practice than selecting 

 ears from the crib the following 

 spring. 



But with either method you decide 

 to practice, be sure to properly dry 

 your corn. It is here that most 

 farmers fail. After the corn is 

 husked put it in a warm, dry place — 

 the kitchen makes an ideal place if 

 available. Rapid drying removes the 

 possibility of molding and conse- 

 quent loss of vitality. After the 

 corn is thoroughly dried it should be 

 stored in a dry room or attic where 

 it may even get below freezing, but 

 as a rule, most of the successful corn 

 growers never allow the temperature 

 of the room where the seed corn is 

 stored to fall below freezing. 



APPLE GRADING AND PACKING. 



Although we now have a state law 

 regarding the grading and packing 

 of apples, this law does not go into 

 effect until July 1, 1916. However, 

 this fall it is hoped as many growers 

 as possible will pack their apples ac- 

 cording to the law and give it a trial 

 before it goes into effect. Demon- 

 strations under the direction of the 

 State Board of Agriculture will be 

 given during October in many sec- 

 tions of the state to acquaint the peo- 

 ple with the working of the law. In 

 Hampshire County demonstrations 

 will be given Oct. 6 and 7, North- 

 ampton Fair; Oct. 9, Harry Wright's, 

 Williamsburg; Oct. 14, Bay Road 

 Fruit Farm, Amherst. 



Every grower in the County should 

 plaato attend one of these meetings. 

 Literature will also be available, ex- 

 plaining fully the operation of the 

 law. 



Prof. F. C. Sears of Amherst and 

 Mr. W. H. Woodworth of Berwick, 

 Nova Scotia have been secured to 

 give the packing demonstrations. 



It is an undisputed fact that if we 

 wish better prices for our fruit we 

 must use a uniform package and a 

 uniform method of grading and 

 marketing. It was to attain these 

 ends that the state law was passed. 

 It is hoped that this will be gained 

 and that the day of putting orchard 

 run of apples into the barrel and 

 stamping "Extra Fancy" is over. 



The following is quoted from Cir- 

 sular No. 50, State Board of Agricul- 

 ture: The Massachusetts Apple 

 Grading Law and sale of apples in 

 closed packages. The law applies to 

 all apples in closed packages, grown, 

 packed or repacked in Massachusetts 

 when offered for sale either within 

 or without the state, and also to 

 apples grown in other states when 

 such apples are packed and handled 

 as conforming to the Massachusetts 

 Standard. It establishes three stand- 

 ard grades; (Fancy, Grade A, and 

 Grade B) and provides that all ap- 

 ples sold in closed packages not con- 

 forming to these three grades shall 

 be deemed ungraded and so marked; 

 that every closed package of apples 

 packed or repacked within the State 

 shall be marked in a conspicuous 

 place with certain information as to 

 its contents. It fixes a standard for 

 barrels which is the same as the 

 United States Standard and a stand- 

 ard for boxes uniform with the prin- 

 cipal apple-growing states. 



The "Standard Barrel" is defined 

 as follows: 



Stave: length, 28% inches, thick- 

 ness, 2-5 of an inch. 



Heads: diameter, inside of staves 

 17% inches, distance between (in- 

 side measurements), 26 inches. 



Bulge: circumference (outside 

 measurement) 64 inches. 



Capacity: 7,056 eubic inches. 



Any barrel of a different form 

 than this but of the same capacity, 

 no matter what its dimensions are, is 

 a standard barrel. 



