HAMPSHIRE COUNTY FARM BUREAU MONTHLY 



FARM BUREAU MONTHLY 



PUBLISHED BY THE 

 Hampshire County Farm Bureau 



A. F. MaoDousrall, County Agent 

 Helen A. Harrinian, Home Deui. Aeent 

 Bena G. Erliartl, County <'I«b AKent 



Office First National Bank Building 



Northampton, Mass. 



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

 Post OfiQce at Northampton, Massachusetts, under 

 the Act of March 8, 1879. 



'* Notice of Entry" 



"Acceptance for mailing at special rate of post- 

 age provided for in section 1103, Act of October 3, 

 1917. Authorized October 31, 1917." 

 Price, 2ij cents a year 



Officers of the Trustees 



Clarence E. Hodgkins, President 



E. B. Clapp, Vice-President 



Warren M. King, Treasurer 



A. F. MacDougall, Secretary 



Trustees for County Aid to Agriculture 



Edwin B. Clapp, Easthampton 

 Charles E. Clark, Leeds 

 Clarence E. Hodgkins, Northampton 

 William N. Howard, Ware 

 Milton S. Howes, Cummington 

 Mrs. Clifton Johnson, Hadley 

 Warren M. King, Northampton 

 John A. Sullivan, Northampton 



THE NEW YEAR 



First of all, let us wish you a happy 

 and prosperous new year. 



With each incoming year, a great 

 many people make resolutions regarding 

 their future plans for the conduct of 

 their business, their home, and their in- 

 dividual habits. Not that one day is any 

 better than another for making resolu- 

 tions, but New Years Day appeals to 

 many as a time to start with a clean 

 slate for more prosperous and happy 

 homes. 



What will your resolutions be? Have 

 you decided that your family deserves 

 more conveniences in the home and that 

 you will start this year putting some of 

 your ideas into operation? Or have you 

 decided that your boys and girls are fast 

 growing up and you want to do more to 

 make them feel as if they were necessary 

 to the successful management of your 

 farm and home and will be inter- 

 ested enough .=ome day to continue the 

 enterprises that you are now developing? 

 Or have you decided that this year you 

 will run your farm as business like as 

 possible, keeping accurate accounts so as 

 to be sure of the projects you are most 

 successful in and be able to discard those 

 enterprises that are not worth while? 



The day is here when the farm and the 

 farm home must be made as attractive, 

 convenient, and efficient as possible. May 

 your resolutions aim toward making your 

 home and community an ideal place in 

 which to live. 



WHY HE LEFT THE FARM 



The other day an anonymous letter 

 came into the office with a poem enclosed, 

 parts of which are printed below. The 

 signer of the letter stated that "It was 

 such things that sickened the children 

 and of the farm, machinery and help 

 outside, nothing in the house. Some 

 pleasure for the man, drudgery and 

 cursing for the family." 



The editor would like to add that 

 "Thank goodness conditions are changing 

 and the mother and children are coming 

 into their own on the farm and in the 

 home. The boy is being made a pardner 

 on the farm and the daughter to feel 

 that she is a necessity on the farm and in 

 the home. Running water, bath room, 

 washing machine, screened porch, auto- 

 mobile, etc., are all helping to make the 

 farm home an ideal place in which to 

 live." 



"I left my dad, his farm, his plow. 

 Because my calf became his cow; 

 I left my dad — 'twas wrong, of course — • 

 Because my colt became his horse; 

 I left my dad to sow and reap 

 Because my lamb became his sheep; 

 I dropped my hoe and stuck my 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 or love of dress 

 Is driving off the farmer lads, 

 But just the methods of their dads." 



— Anonj/mous. 



PRUNE YOUTaPPLE TREES 



Thousands of bushels of poorly colored 

 apples are marketed in Massachusetts 

 every year. They form the strongest 

 argument for more general pruning that 

 can be advanced. The inferior prices 

 which they bring constitute a loss to 

 farmers in dollars and cents that would 

 probably pay for the pnining of every 

 apple tree in the state. 



Pruning the trees is just as important 

 as picking the apples and will just as 

 surely add to the farm income. Few 

 farmers neglect their trees intentionally; 

 they know that they canot afford to 

 neglect them. But pruning is put off 

 until spring and in the rush of spiing 

 work it is often half done or put off en- 

 tirely for another year. The trees need 

 a light pruning each year to keep them 

 vigorous and productive, and the farmer 

 who has many trees to prune will find it 

 to his advantage to start the work right 

 away and utilize every mild day until 

 the job is complete. 



Where only a few trees are involved it 

 may be more satisfactory to prune them 

 in spring, but it is of far more impor- 

 tance to get the trees pruned than to 

 prune them at any particular time. 



UNION AGRICULTURAL MEETING 



In Horticultural Hall, Boston, January 

 20, 21, 22, 23, will be held the Big Agii- 

 cultural meeting of all State agricultural 

 organizations. The Fruit Growers, Dai- 

 rymen, Poultrymen, Vegetable Growers, 

 Nurserymen, Beekeepers, etc. will all 

 meet. Speakers of national reputation 

 are scheduled on the program. Hamp- 

 shire County men and women can well 

 afford to take in at least a part of this 

 program and it is hoped a large number 

 will attend. 



January 1, 1920, the yearly subscrip- 

 tion price of the Farm.- Bureau Monthly 

 will be 50 cents. It is hoped to inaugu- 

 rate new departments in the paper and 

 make it more valuable to our subscribers. 



Do you want a hired man that never 

 complains of long hours or under pay? 

 Then ask Chas. E. Clark, Leeds about the 

 collie pups he has for sale. A good cow 

 dog is of the utmost value on any dairy 

 farm. 



Wright A. Root of Easthampton is 

 winning national prominence with the 

 wonderful quality apples he is producing 

 and his attractive displays exhibited at 

 ' different fruit shows. At the New Eng- 

 ! land Show held in Providence, Mr. Root 

 was awarded first prize for the best col- 

 lection of apples arranged for decorative 

 effect. This exhibit created a great deal 

 of favorable comment. 



An enthusiastic teacher in South 

 Amherst told the Home Demonstration 

 Agent recently that all children who 

 carry lunches to school bring either 

 cocoa or milk. No coffee or tea in that 

 school! How many other teachers can 

 say the same? 



The School Lunch 



The Home Demonstration Agent will 

 gladly help in organizing the work of 

 preparing school lunches. The women of 

 every community may well take up this 

 matter of serving a warm dish to the 

 school children carrying a cold lunch. 



The Home Demonstration Agent has a 

 list of speakers available on Home-mak- 

 ing and other subjects. Those interested 

 in planning Grange or Club programs 

 may secure a copy of this list from the 

 Home Demonstration Agent. 



Enfield, Williamsburg and Huntington 

 Clothing Efficiency groups have reported 

 excellent results in teaching new mem- 

 bers. One woman alone in Williams- 

 burg is teaching a class of seven. 



Encourage your boy or girl to join a 

 State Club this year. No better way to 

 interest them in the fai m and home. 



