HAMPSHIRE COUNTY FARM BUREAU MONTHLY 

 BOYS' AND GIRLS' WORK 



CHARLKS H. OOl'LI), t.cailer 



Poultry Campaign Started 



Much interest has been aroused in 

 poultry by the appearance of State poul- 

 try leader in the schools of the County. 

 A. Lawrence Dean, State Poultry Club 

 Leader has stimulated much enthusiasm 

 in the Winter Egg Laying contest. 



The contest starts December 1st and 

 continues for six months, during which 

 time numerous flocks of five or more 

 fowl will compete for the egg laying- 

 record, under the supervision of numer- 

 ous young poultrymen. 



Sow and Litter Contest to Start 



Hampshire County boys are getting 

 ready to form a profitable pig club. 

 Among the pigs distributed by the Bu- 

 reau last spiing, were several good sow 

 pigs. These will be bred this winter 

 and will insure a good supply of .spring 

 pigs for various communities next 

 spring. 



Go.shen, Cummington, Hadley and Am- 

 herst claim most of the junior hog breed- 

 ers. Watch these boys work. 



Items 



A beautiful silver cup was recently 

 awarded to the South Amherst school, as 

 the school doing- the best garden work 

 in Amherst. 



How I Raised My Crop of Potatoes 



FRANK BILSKE. HADLEY 



I began the work of my pi'oject for 

 the year 1918, on the 10th of May. 



I hired help to plow and harrow the 

 land, it cost me $4.00, including man 

 and team. 



I bought 1100 lbs of fertilizer at the 

 cost of $33.00. I sowed it broa,dcast so 

 that the fertilizer would be all over the 

 plot and so that all the roots would get 

 a little. 



The seed, I bought from H. G. Sears of 

 Holyoke. It cost me $7.67. I cut the 

 potatoes from 3 to 4 times so that each 

 piece had at least two sprouts. 



On May 11th, I had my plot marked 

 out. I sowed 300 lbs. of fertilizer in 

 the rows and then drew a heavy chain 

 through them to mix the fertilizer witli 

 the soil. The rows were 3 ft. and 2 

 inches apart and I planted the potatoes 

 from 18 to 20 inches apart, and about 

 six inches deep. As I had plenty of 

 time, and as I was rather particular, I 

 turned the sprouts up so that they would 

 all come up together. That would save 

 the sprouts from coming around the po- 

 tato from the bottom, but would shoot 

 right straight up. 



The potatoes did come up about the 

 same time, in the week of May 26th. 

 Every potato came up, but two pieces. 

 One of these finally came up, but did 

 not mature. 



I cultivated my potatoes June 3 when 

 they were about four inches high. I 

 used a deep cultivator so as to loosen 

 the soil around the roots and to mix in 

 the fertilizer thoroughly. I cultivated 

 them three times. They grew very 

 quickly after being- cultivated the first 

 time. 



I hoed my potatoes three times. Hoe- 

 ing helps, without question, to make 

 things grow. But toward the end of the 

 season, I neglected them because of other 

 farm work. And when I dug them, it 

 was necessary to first go over the lot 

 and pull out the largest weeds. So I 

 had to go through all that extra work, 

 because I neglected them. 



The beetles and slugs were unusually 



May Be So 1 



Possibly the following will answer in 

 your minds, also, why some boys leave 

 the farm: 



"Why did you leave the farm, my lad? 

 Why did you bolt and leave your dad? 

 Why did you beat it ofl' to town 

 And turn your poor old father down? 

 Thinkers of platform, pulpit and press 

 Are wallowing in deep distress. 

 They seek to know the hidden cause 

 Why farmer boys desert their pa's." 



"Well, stranger, since you've been so 



frank, 

 I'll roll aside the hazy bank: 

 I left my dad, his farm, his plow. 

 Because my calf became his cow. 

 I left my dad to sow and reap 

 Because my lamb became his sheep. 

 I dropped the hoe and stuck the fork 

 Because my pig became his pork. 

 The garden truck that I made grow 

 Was his to sell, but mine to hoe." 



"It's not the smoke in the atmosphere, 

 Nor the taste for life that brought me 



here. 

 Please tell the platform, pulpit, press: 

 No fear of toil nor love of dress 

 Is driving off the farmer lads; 

 It's just the methods of their dads." 



Roger Scott of Hadley made a profit 

 of $1.3.30 on his home garden last sum- 

 mer. This boy's story and record book 

 show a very creditable piece of work. 

 The garden measured 16 square rods. 



Returns from the County Canning 

 Club to date show that boys and girls 

 have canned 3,976.i quarts, valued at 

 $1,744.10. The final count will proba- 

 bly swell this quantity to above 4000 

 quarts. 



Amherst is getting to be a hard to-wn 

 to beat in club work. The three local 

 canning clubs of the town have made a 

 record, 1218 quarts, for the entire town. 



From the Canning Stories 



"On every Tuesday I would have to 

 walk twelve miles. It is six miles from 

 my home to Plainfield." — Mabel JoJmson. 

 "The girls were trying to get ahead of 

 me, but they found out that it was too 

 hard." — Wm. Schoit, Ea^thampton. 

 "We've a Canning Club in Plainfield, 

 'Tis the best in the land. 

 Where the girls all get together. 

 We learn to dry and can. 

 We believe in conservation, 



j So we'll work with a will 



■ And help to feed the Nation, 

 And to beat old Kaiser Bill." 



"I went to Shelburne on my vacation. 

 Some of the people there did not know 

 how to can by this Cold Pack Method, so 

 I showed them about it. They said they 

 liked it very much." — Hadleij. 



How about it Mr. Dole? 



early and plentiful this year. I first 

 sprayed the potatoes with paris green 

 and water. But as it rained the follow- 

 ing day, it didn't do any good. 

 I As the weather was dry and my pota- 

 I toes began to die away, I sprayed them 

 with Pyrox. 



I used 5 lbs. of Pyrox with good re- 



( suits. I put it on rather thick and it 



I certainly did kill the beetles and slugs; 



but did not keep off' the blight. But I 



think it wasn't blight, but it was time 



1 Continued on page G 



Canning Club Records of Interest 



Florence Eddy of Amherst has canned 

 $12.5. .50 worth of fruits and vegetables. 

 It cost her $5.60 to preserve 247* quarts. 

 This is a record for the County. 



William Schott of Easthampton has 

 canned 124 quarts, valued at $54.60. He 

 had to purchase his outfit, and produce. 

 This cost $60.66. He needn't be dis- 

 couraged over the $6.06 loss. He's 

 ready next year for bigger results. 



Canning Club Names 



Easthampton — Allied Canning Club 

 South Amherst^The Canning Quartette 

 Westhampton — Clover Leaf Canning 



Club 

 Northampton — Liberty Club 

 North Amherst — Noam Club 

 Hadley — Helping Hand Club 

 Goshen — Good Luck Club 

 Belchertown — Helpers of Uncle Sam 

 Amherst — Busy Bees 

 Enfield — Kold Prosso 



