hamrshire: county 



FEB 5-1918 



FARM BUREAU MONTHLY^ 



Published by the Hampshire County Farm Bureau 



PRICES 50 CENTS PER YEAR; $1.00 PER YEAR INCLUDING MEMBERSHIP IN FARM BUREAU 



Vol. 2 



Northampton, Mass., flay, 1917 



No. 5 



THE APPLE CROP 



Along with the propaganda tj 

 increase the acreage of the staple 

 crops in the county, emphasis should 

 he laid on improving the apple crop 

 by checking the production of poor 

 quality apples and by practicing a 

 more efficient method of spraying. 

 Some farmers are of the opinion 

 that next fall prices will be po high 

 that apples will be looked upon as 

 a luxury and that the demand for 

 them will be correspondingly low. 

 This is a mistaken idea. The food 

 value of the apple ranks favorably 

 with the value placed upon th 

 common foods. Apples at $3 a bar- 

 rel are equivalent in energy value 

 to potatoes at $1.75 a bushel. Out- 

 side of the energy value the applJ 

 is wholesome, palatable and attrac- 

 tive as a food, furnishing a very 

 important part of a well-balanced 

 diet, especially during the winter 

 months when green vegetables are 

 at a premium. The apple is very 

 easy to store, many varieties re- 

 taining their crispness and flavor 

 well into the spring. 



The season for the dormant spray 

 on the apple trees is past, but the 

 foliage sprays in many sections 

 should commence at once. In orch 

 ards where the tent caterpillar, bud 

 moths, cuculio, aphis, or scab does 

 damage to any great extent, a spray 

 should be applied just before the 

 blossoms open. For material use 1 

 gallon lime sulphur, 1-2 pounds of 

 arsenate of lead (powder) or three 

 pounds arsenate of lead (paste), 

 and if aphis is present, 3-8 pint ni- 

 cotine sulphate 40 per cent to 50 

 gallons of water. 



The second and most important 

 spray of all Is applied within a 

 week or ten days after the petals 

 fall. Use the same material as in 

 the spray already described. This 

 application is mainly for the cod- 

 ling moth, cuculio and apple scab 

 Remember not to spray while the 

 trees are in full bloom because then 

 there is danger of killing bees. The 

 spray should be applied, however, 

 before the calyx lobes on the ap- 

 ples close; otherwise it will not be 

 effective for the control of the cod- 

 ling moth. 



In orchards where the codling 



moth or scab and sooty fungus are 

 especially prevalent a third foliage 

 spray should be applied, using the 

 spray already described with the 

 exception of the nicotine. 



Spraying will help improve t.h3 

 quality of the apple more than any 

 other factor. Spray thoroughly at 

 t.he right time and with the right 

 material. Careless spraying is a 

 waste of time and money. Good 

 spraying will be paid for by the 

 saving in grading fruit alone. Poo: 

 apples hardly pay for picking whila 

 apples of high quality give as high 

 return on investment as any other 

 product of the farm. 



Bureau has voted to hire a woman 

 to take permanent charge of this 

 home demonstration work when the 

 right person becomes available. 



THE WAR AGAINST WASTE 



The general increase in produc- 

 tion is significant and helpful only 

 as it is followed up by conservation 

 of everything not immediately con- 

 sumed. Preserving will soon be the 

 watchword of the hour. 



Those in charge are convinced 

 that in this national crisis we must 

 take steps to insure the elimination 

 of waste in our handling of food- 

 stuffs. The Hampshire county com- 

 mittee on food conservation has been 

 active of late, to be ready tor tae 

 work to come. It has enlarged its 

 membership and organized under 

 the name The Woman's Council of 

 the Hampshire County Farm Burfeau. 

 The members are as follows: Mrs. 

 F. W. Bement, chairman, Mrs. Jo- 

 siah Parsons, secretary and treasur- 

 er, Mrs. Henry Sleeper, Mrs. B. B. 

 Hinckley, all of Northampton, Mrs. 

 Clifton Johnson of Hadley, Mrs. An- 

 son Morse of Amherst, Mrs. Thad- 

 deus Graves of Hatfield. Mrs. J. E. 

 Brown of Easthampton, and Miss 

 Grace Spencer of Ware. The Council 

 is running a column in both of the 

 Northampton newspapers. It' is 

 called The Economy Column and 

 women are urged to use it to ask 

 questions concerning the problem 

 and processes of food conservation. 

 Directors have been appointed in 

 each town of the county and they, 

 working in correlation with the 

 county committee, are arranging for 

 various local lectures and similar ac- 

 tivities. Plans have been made for 

 instruction in food conservation in 

 all the towns of the county, and the 



MANUFACTURERS' PROJECT 

 WELL BEGUN 



The project of the manufacturera 

 of Northampton and nearby towns, 

 by which they plan to raise fifty 

 acres of corn and thirty of potatoes 

 in the Hockanum Meadows, is well 

 in hand. Mr. Josiah Parsons, who 

 has made a notable success in po- 

 tatoes and other crops in the Mea- 

 dows, has been secured to oversee 

 the work. Three pairs of horses 

 have been bought and are now at 

 work plowing in the less arable 

 parts. For the rest a tractor en- 

 gine has been rented from George 

 P. Smith of Sunderland and is be- 

 ing operated by Fenner Gardner. 

 Eighteen acres are ready for plant- 

 ing. The seed potatoes have been 

 dipped and cut, and as soon as the 

 fertilizer arrives will be put inta 

 the ground. 



50-50 PLAN MOST SUCCESSFUL 

 The so-called 50-50 plan for 

 raising money for increased acreaga 

 among the farmers, whereby tho 

 townsman who invests his money for 

 seed and fertilizer, shares the crop 

 on an equal basis with the farmer 

 who furnishes the land and does 

 the work, has met witli most grati- 

 fying success. Between five and 

 six thousand dollars were readily 

 raised, in Northampton for the most 

 part, and almost as readily placed 

 among the farmers on the hills. As 

 a result Cummington is already 

 planting eighteen more acres than 

 usual, Goshen fourteen, Chsterfleld 

 fourteen, Plaiufield four, Pelham 

 five, and other towns accordingly. 

 The County Committee is now rais- 

 ing another tliousand dollars on 

 the same basis. Too much praiss 

 cannot be given to Mr. Purringtoa 

 of Haydenville who first conceived 

 the plan in a large way and who 

 has given a great deal of time in 

 promoting it. Mr. Willard, secre- 

 tary of the State Commttee o,n Fo(J4 

 Production and Conservation, has 

 said that the 50-50 plan is wholly 

 unique with Hampshire county. 



