HAMPSHIRE COUNTY 



X;,J"F»Tqj A "^"^^ r>^ 



FEB 2 2 1918 



Oolite jj; 10 



^1 



FARM BUREAU MONTHLY 



Vol. III. 



NORTHAMPTON, IMASS., FEBRUARY, litis 



No. 2 



Farm Labor 



One of the big problems confronting 

 the farmer today is the question of labor. 

 The New England farmer has been 

 effected probably more than any other 

 by the demand and high wages paid by 

 munition plants, factories working under 

 government orders and other manufac- 

 turing concerns. These manufacturing 

 plants have drawn a great many of the 

 best men from the farmers. Along with 

 this, of course, men have been taken by 

 enlistment and by the draft. It may be 

 possible that the draft may be more 

 lenient this season on the men on the 

 farm but there is no surety. We must 

 take things as they are and make our 

 plans. 



What help is there available? Very 

 few good men with farm experience are 

 looking for .iobs. The transient man to- 

 day is generally one looking for a ,iob 

 with high wages and no work. These 

 are war times, and we must adjust our- 

 selves to the help available. The food 

 demands of our Allies warrant it. That 

 means more use of women and boys. 

 High School boys carefully selected and 

 properly .supervised have proved success- 

 ful. College women and girls and other 

 available women have also proved that 

 they are vei-y valuable when placed on 

 the right type of famis, and given work 

 adapted to their experience and ability. 



Boys' camps, made up of high school 

 boys under supervision, were located in 

 different parts of the state last season 

 and did very satisfactory work, working 

 out on farms for the day. An effort will 

 be made to have at least one camp lo- 

 cated in the county this season. 



Federal Income Tax 



Government tax collectors wLll be in 

 every County to assist taxpayers in mak- 

 ing out returns for the Federal income 

 tax of October 3, 1917. This tax in- 

 cludes all persons, whether from the coun- 

 try or from the city, whose income ex- 

 ceeds the government figures. 



Single persons with an income of less 

 than $1,000, and married persons with 

 an income less than $2,000 are exempt. 

 Married persons with children under 

 eighteen are allowed $200 exemption for 

 each dependent. 



Determine your income as follows: 

 Contiiiued ou page Ij 



Mating for Production 



Too often poult rymen and farmers 

 wait until a few days before eggs are 

 needed for hatching before beginning to 

 think of mating their breeding stock. 

 This practice tends to line up the breed- 

 ing pen very hurriedly without careful 

 study and selection, which results in 

 many instances in including in the breed- 

 ing pens, immature and otherwise poor 

 stock. The true poultryman begins to 

 study his mating problems even before 



I the chicks are hatched and continues 

 throughout the growing season, so when 

 the time comes to get his birds together 

 his mating problems have been nearly 

 solved, and there remains only the final 

 culling and placing in pens. 



Each bird on the place should be gone 

 over carefully and the entire flock divided 

 into three groups, those absolutely unfit 

 for breeding, those that are par excellent, 

 and those that are possible or doubtful. 

 In making these divisions, the past his- 

 tory of the bird should be considered, 

 particular attention being given to breed- 

 ing qualities and production, if the latter 

 can be determined. It may be necessary 

 later to transfer birds from the doubtful 

 pen to the best one or visa versa, accord- 

 ing to development. 



The size of the pens and the number 

 mated will depend upon the quality of 

 the stock and the number of eggs desired 

 for hatching purposes. It is very desir- 

 able indeed for practical poultrymen and 

 farmers to have their chicks come off in 

 three different hatches, if possible. This 

 plan will enable the poultryman to use 

 a large number of his own eggs for hatch- 

 ing and facilitate handling the chicks 

 after they are hatched. It can readily 

 be seen that this plan will cut down the 

 amount of incubation and brooding equip- 

 ment to a fairly low point. 



j The breeding flocks may be classified 

 under three different headings. The 

 small flock consists of from 8 to 20 fe- 

 males and one male, the number of fe- 

 males used depending entirely upon the 

 size and activity of the males. The 

 Asiatic males are usually given from six 



jto ten females; the American and Eng- 

 lish breeds from 12 to 15 ; and the lighter 



j breeds, from 18 to 25. 



Concluded on page 7 



! Keep the hens in laying trim. Their 

 "shells" are valuable food ammunition. 



February Feed Situation 



The grain situation continues to be as 

 perplexing as ever. Prices have not 

 changed in the past thirty days but the 

 feeds available are still few in number 

 and uncertain in supply, some feeds hav- 

 ing been alternately on and off the mar- 

 ket several times during the past month. 

 The ready rations are worth considering 

 more than ever at the present time and 

 this Department is recommending them 

 in many cases as the basis for grain mix- 

 tures. In places where the different 

 feeds may be obtained the following grain 

 mixture is suggested : 



,, 300 lbs. Wheat Bran, 



200 lbs. Cotton Seed Meal, 



I 200 lbs. Stock Feed, 



100 lbs. Gluten Feed. 

 This mixture will be rather bulky due 

 to the large amount of bran used, but it 

 has a feeding value that should give re- 

 sults and the large percentage of bran 

 will greatly decrease the cost of the mix- 



j ture. 



We wish to call to your attention at 

 this time the matter of grain feed for 

 young and dry stock. The high i)rice of 

 grain feed has caused many herd owners 

 to take away the grain altogether from 

 these clas.ses of live stock. This is good 

 practice where the roughage is right in 

 quality and quantity so that the animals 

 may be maintained in good condition. 

 However, it is well to remembei- that 

 every pound of grain saved now at the 

 expense of condition in the dry cows or 

 of growth on the young stock, will call 

 for a greatly increased expenditure for 

 feed later on if these animals are to be- 

 come profitable producers. 



Last year many dairymen foresaw the 

 feed shortage that we have now con- 

 fronted and prepared for the future by 

 growing more of their winter feed supply 

 either as corn, oats, a leguminous hay, or 

 better corn silage. This practice, always 

 good, is of increased value this year and 

 will no doubt be equally so next winter. 

 The cropping season is somewhat dis- 

 tant but it is well to urge the dairy- 

 man who is going to grow oats, corn, or 

 any of the legumes to be looking after 

 the seed for these crops. The supply of 

 such seeds is so low that there is a ques- 



j tion as to whether there will be enough to 



! meet the demand. 



1 W. F. Turner, M. A. C. 



