HAMPSHIRE COUNTY FARM BUREAU MONTHLY 



FARM BUREAU MONTHLY 



PUBLISHED BY THE 



Hampshire County Farm Bureau 



A. F. Mat'Doiie.'ill. County Agent 

 Helen A. Harriman, Home Deni. Aeent 

 C. H. Gonlcl, Mojs' and Girls' Club I-eader 



Office First National Bank Building 

 Northampton, Mass. 

 Entered as second class matter Nov. 9, 1915. at the 

 Post Office at Nortbamptou, Massachusetts, under 

 the Act of March 8, 1879. 



Price, 50 cents a year 

 $1 a year, including memljership in Farm Burean 



Officers of the Farm Bureau 



Leslie R. Smith, President, Hadley 

 William D. Mandell, Treas., Northampton 

 Ernest S. Russell, Secretary, Hadley 



ADVISOKV HO.\KU 



Leslie R. Smith, Hadley 

 Charles R. Damon, Williamsburg 

 Perley E. Davis, Granby 

 Clarence E. Hodgkins, Northampton 

 Warren M. King, Northampton 

 William N. Howard, Ware 

 Edwin B. Clapp, Easthampton 



Appropriations 



The article in town warrants asking 

 for appropriations for the Farm Bureau 

 met with favorable support in nine out 

 of ten instances. This is a most gratify- 

 ing endorsement of the work of the Farm 

 Bureau. Needless to say the Bureau is 

 appreciative of this suppoi't, and trusts 

 that the action of these nine towns will 

 convert the voters of those towns where 

 meetings are yet to be held. 



In passing, a comment on the adverse 

 action of Northampton may be necessary 

 to destroy any notions that Northampton 

 really disapproves of the Farm Bureau. 

 The action of the City Council in vetoing 

 an item of $500 for Farm Bureau sup- 

 port, finds little or no backing among the 

 well informed citizens and business men 

 of the city. 



It is much to be regretted that such a 

 blunder of the Councilmen should receive 

 such wide publicity at this time, for the 

 moral effect on the county can be made 

 a greater loss than a material $500. It 

 looks bad for Northampton not to en- 

 dorse an organization that makes the 

 city its home office. It would be perfectly 

 reasonable for other towns to look 

 askance, and hedge on giving their money 

 to an organization which the county seat 

 will not endorse. But to dispel this feel- 

 ing, we beg to state that the city fathers 

 fail to admit that agriculture is the chief 

 industry of the county; that whatever 

 makes for rural prosperity means pros- 

 perity for Northampton. They voted un- 

 intelligently. 



However, there are those who know 

 that it is poor policy to bite the hand that 

 feeds them, and a movement is on foot 



Federal income Tax 



We print some directions for the in- 

 come tax because a number of conflict- 

 ing interpretations have been offered in 

 numerous farm papers. The procedure 

 and interpretations printed in this issue 

 come direct from Federal authorities. 



The income ta.x is one which the gov- 

 ernment has found necessary as a war 

 measure, and is not so heavy that farm- 

 ers cannot pay it. The Farm Bureau 

 stands ready to assist in making out re- 

 turns, and can put you in touch with the 

 proper authority. Returns must be made 

 by April I, 1918. "Ignorance of the 

 law is no excuse." 



whereby $500 will come from Northamp- 

 ton. The faith of the rest of the county 

 in Farm Bureau work should not be 

 shaken. We do not believe that it will. 



I County Notes 



The County Food Con.servation meet- 

 ing will be held in Northampton Febru- 

 ary 15. 



Hampshire County was well repre- 

 sented at the State Food Conservation 

 Meeting at Boston January 31. 



Mr. Smith, of the Farm Bureau is^ 

 making an effort to have farm help, and 

 farm owners exempt from the draft. 



Hampshire County Farmers have con- 

 tracted for 23 tons of Government ni- 

 trate. 



Using Potatoes to Save Bread 

 "Sir Arthur Yapp, the Director of 

 Food Economy, is anxious that the pres- 

 ent very large surplus stock of potatoes 

 and vegetables should be utilized in all 

 private houses, and Hotels, Re.staurants, 

 and other Public Eating Places, in such 

 a way as to save bread. It has been 

 brought to his notice that in many Pub- 

 lic Eating Places the charge for a por- 

 tion of potatoes and other vegetables is so 

 relatively high as to encourage people to 

 order bread instead. This is very much 

 against the national interest at present, 

 and Sir Arthur Yapp desires to be clearly 

 understood that he expects the manage- 

 ment of all Public Eating Places to alter 

 their arrangements accordingly. It is 

 stated that it is still quite common for 

 Meat, Eggs, etc., to be served on toast or 

 bread. This practice should be imme- 

 diately discontinued, and the use of bread 

 should be discouraged in every way pos- 

 sible, so long as potatoes and other vege- 

 tables are abundant. In particular, it is 

 most desirable that in all Public Eating 

 Places as little bread as possible should 

 be served at lunch and dinner when po- 

 tatoes and other vegetables are available 

 in abundance, at present. Sir Arthur 

 urges the public to give their full sup- 

 port to these recommendations, as this is 

 of great importance in utilizing the na- 

 tional food supply to the utmost ad- 

 vantage." 



We quote the above from the Frnfter- 

 hurgh Herald, Scotland, under date of 

 December 4, 1917, in connection with re- 

 marks on the next page about potatoes 

 as a flour substitute. Also, to prove that 

 our conservation efforts are appreciated 

 we quote the following from the same 

 paper under date of December 18, 1917: 

 "Economy has become a national duty 

 of the highest importance. The man 

 who wastes food today is a national curse. 

 The waste of food has become treason — 

 treason to the nation and treachery to the 

 Allied cau.se. This festive season we 



Mr. Machmer, the District Market 

 agent has marketed about 2,100 bushels 

 of potatoes for growers in Chesterfield 

 and Cummington this last week. 



Seed Corn is Scarce. 



Buy Your Seed Corn Now. 



Mr. Carl Pratt of Hadley has an 18 

 months old Jersey Bull, whose dam and 

 granddam on both sides are Register of 

 Merit animals. This bull is for sale at 

 a low price. 



Those interested in the purchase of an 

 Iron Age potato digger and Planter, also 

 a four row traction sprayer apply at the 

 Farm Bureau office. 



The Present Potato Situation 



The potato situation is most unsatis- 

 factory, both from the standpoint of 

 price to the consumer as well as of the 

 movement of the crop. 



According to the Bureau of Crop Esti- 

 mates, the 19 northern potato producing 

 states east of but including Colorado, 

 had on hand January 1, 147 million 

 bushels of potatoes. Deducting from this 

 amount the quantity of seed required to 

 plant the 1918 crop in these states and 

 the average shrinkage due to rot, loss of 

 moisture, etc., it is estimated that the 

 movement during the next 150 days must 

 be approximately 950 cars per day, or 

 piactically four times that during the 

 latter part of December and early por- 

 tion of .January. 



must win enjoyment from companion- 

 ship and meeting with friends; not, as 

 usual, from over-eating. America is 

 showing us a most stimulating example. 

 Practically all the biead we eat we get 



j from that country. There is no other 

 source open. We are, therefore, in- 

 debted to the voluntary self-denial of the 

 people of the United States, millions and 

 millions of whom are going short in order 

 to save a margin for us. They willingly 

 cut down their consumption so that we 

 shall not starve. Let us then, evei'y one, 

 show our gratitude by joining the League 

 of National Safety at the meeting to- 



j morrow night." 



