HAMPSHIRE COUNTY 



FARM BUREAU MONTHLY 



Vol. IX. 



NORTHAMPTON, MASS., APRIL, 1919 



No. 4 



DAIRYMEN ADVERTISE 



THEIR PRODUCT 



Much Discussion Created 



The week of March 24th was "Milk 

 Week" in Noi-thampton. half-page ad- 

 vertisements were carried in the local 

 papers, an exhibit was made in one of 

 the department store windows, the city 

 was placarded with posters, milk dealers 

 left bulletins with each delivery of milk 

 and demonstrations were given before 

 different gatherings, showing the value of 

 milk. The campaign was financed by 

 producers and dealers. 



What were the results? The dealers 

 were pleased with the results shown by 

 a better appreciation of the value of milk 

 among the consumers and the consump- 

 tion was increased. Some of the smaller 

 dealers report an increase of as high as 

 lO'/f in their sales. From some sources, 

 however, came the report, "Why should 

 money be spent in advertising milk? Why 

 should the Farm Bureau connect itself 

 with a scheme to help the farmer sell his 

 milk and hoodwink the consumer into 

 thinking he should use more of it. In | 

 other words, a certain per cent of the 

 consuming public could'nt seem to real- 

 ize that a farmer had the right or need 

 to advertise his product. The idea of 

 the farmer advertising was rather new. 



The farmers found, however, that they 

 had a product that had more qualities in 

 its favor for advertising than any other 

 food or drink on the market. Price, food 

 value, health giving properties, require- 

 ments of children — all were in their 

 favor. 



On the whole, the consumers appre- 

 ciated "milk week" and were anxious to 

 find out the value of the product they 

 were buying. The farmers found that it 

 pays to advertise and also that their 

 product needs publicity. 



GET YOUR FIELD CORN SEED 



NEAR HOME 



Native Varieties Yield Bigger Crops 



It is a matter of common knowledge 

 and has been demonstrated many times 

 by Experiment Stations that ordinarily 

 field corn varieties grown near home do 

 better than varieties imported from a 

 distance. New varieties often improve 

 after they have been grown in com- 

 munity a few years or after they have 

 become adapted. 



This is of special importance in Massa- 

 chusetts where conditions that influence 

 the growth of corn are often quite dif- 

 ferent in a community or in neighboring 

 communities, due to the difference in 

 soils, elevation, air drainage, etc. In 

 Massachusetts we find many local varie- 

 ties of corn which have been gi-own on 

 one farm or in one community for some 

 years and such varieties are ordinarily 

 the best for that community. Years of 

 selection have made these varieties ac- 

 climated to the soils and climate of the 

 community. 



Concluded ou page 7 



SMUT WILL DECREASE OAT YIELD 



Can Easily be Prevented 



Are you interested in growing oats? 

 If so, are you troubled with having your 

 yield reduced by smut? The loss usually 

 runs from 2 to 10% in the fields of Mass- 

 achusetts. 



The remedy is simple, inexpensive and 

 effective. There are two methods prac- 



Concluded on page 5 



SOY BEANS MAKE IT POSSIBLE 

 TO FEED LESS GRAIN 



The demonstration in Hampshire 

 County last year on growing soy beans 

 for silage proved beyond question that it 

 is a practice that should be followed. 

 Mr. M. D. Griffin of Ware and W. H. 

 Morey of Cummington have planted soy 

 beans in their silage corn for several 

 years with very good results. 



Orders for seed should be placed im- 

 mediately. The Fami Bureau would be 

 glad to assist any farmer or group of 

 farmers in placing their order. 



Professor Earl .Jones of the Massa- 

 chusetts Agricultural College furnishes 

 the following information concerning soy 

 bean culture: 



CULTURE 



A majority of the farmers growing soy 

 beans follow the practice of planting 

 them in their corn. This is a labor sav- 

 ing practice and the expense of getting 

 the beans is largely the cost of seed and 

 the extra expense of hai-vesting both 

 crops. It is too much to expect that a 

 Concluded on page 7 



CHANGE IN TREATMENT FOR 



ONION SMUT ADVISED 



Present Formula Not Strong Enough 



Most of the growers in the Valley who 

 use the formaldehyde drip for onion 

 smut control, use formaldehyde 1 pint in 

 16 gallons of water, at the rate of 40 or 

 •50 gallons per acre. Recent experi- 

 ments in New York State have shown 

 that that rate of application is far too 

 small. At least 200 gallons per acre 

 should be applied in the furrow when the 

 seed are drilled. The formula then 

 should be 1 pint formaldehyde to 16 gal- 

 lons water and apply at the rate of 200 

 gallons per acre. A tank outlet of about 

 ■5-16 of an inch bore should be sufficient, 

 but this will vary with the arrangement 

 of the tank and the size of the conduct- 

 ing tube. 



CAN WE SAVE OUR PASTURES? 



Middlefield Man Fears the Brush 



"As we look over our farms, our own 

 farm included, we can't help but notice 

 that the woods are 30 — 40 — 50 rods 

 nearer the house than they were 25 years 

 ago. 



"What is the result? We can't keep 

 as much stock. We are hiring pastures 

 here and buying them there, which shows 

 that our pastures are fast going down. 

 We have pastures that 20 years ago, you 

 could drive by and count stock feeding 

 50 — 60 rods away, where now you can't 

 see a cow 5 rods from the fence. Of 

 course there ai'e many causes for the 

 condition, but the principal cause is, that 

 they are impropeily stocked and no pains 

 taken to keep the brush back. Even our 

 young people can remember when there 

 were 200 — 400 head of cattle brought into 

 town each year for our pastures, today 

 there are practically none. 



"Some of our farms are keeping as 

 much value of stock as usual, but high 

 producing cows don't improve a pasture 

 much. They are smart and soon learn 

 that a big per cent of their feed comes 

 from their mangers so they feed a little 

 while, then stand in the shade and look 

 toward the barn. Look at any of our 

 cow pastures and you will find a lot of 

 grass going up to seed and when you see 

 Concluded on page 6 



