Quincy City (part 12 of 12)

Claims In Behalf Of Necessary Employees

A further duty with which the advisor is charged is to confei with employers of necessary farm workers, and to instruct them as to their right under the regulations to file a claim for deferred classification in respect of any registrant who has failed or refused to file a claim for deferred classification in his own behalf. This, in the opinion of the War Department, is a very important matter. The apparent injustice of placing many registrants in Class 1 is often due to the fact that employers have failed to make claims for deferred classification on behalf of necessary workers. It is to avoid a repetition of this trouble that farmers should see that all of their necessary employees, whether sons or other laborers, of the draft age have made for them just claims for deferred classification.

One important explanation is made in the new Selective Service Regulations in connection with the expression "skilled farm laborer." The questionnaire provides deferred classification for the "necessary skilled farm laborer in necessary agricultural enterprise." The new regulations provide that in Class II shall be placed any registrant found to be engaged in a "necessary" agricultural enterprise, and found to be necessary to such enterprise in the capacity of a farm laborer - "especially fitted for the work in which he is engaged." This quoted phrase constitutes an explanation of what is meant by "skilled" as applied to farm laborer. The. expression will make easier the determination of the status of many registrants.

According to a letter received from Leonard G. Robinson, President of the Federal Land Bank of Springfield, 117 National Farm Loan Associations have been organized in its district. This Association sent in 4141 applications for loans aggregating $12,551,784. Thus far, 3055 of these applications for an aggregate amount of $7,913,595 have been approved. Of these 1793 loans have already been closed, and $4,839,695 has thus actually been made available to the farmers of the district. The following table shows what this bank has done in the eight states comprising the First Federal Land Bank District to August 31:

Although new applications are coming in daily and loans are being made at the rate of $500,000 a month. President Robinson feels that not everything is being done that can and ought to be done, to bring home to the farmers of the District the facilities that their Land Bank offers them.

Farmers in Norfolk County who wish information regarding methods of securing a loan through the Land Bank should communicate with the Secretary of the Norfolk National Farm Loan Association of Walpole, Walpole, Mass.

How to obtain large production most economically is the great pioblem of every dairyman. Economical production depends primarily on selection, breeding, and feeding, care and management. It requires that all unprofitable cows be eliminated, that the remainder be bred to first-class bulls, and that each cow in the herd be fed a properly balanced ration according to production. It also requires the intelligent feeding, care, and management of calves and young stock.

With eggs retailing at 90 cents per dozen, and dressed poultry at from 40 to 50 cents per pound, the outlook for the poultryman is most encouraging. In fact, it is so encouraging that we are tempted to keep our entire flocks. However, we much realize that every pullet will not pay for her keep, so we need to selec; our pullets rather carefully. We should select those birds that are well matured; have prominent, bright eyes, good sturdy legs; wellrounded breasts; full crops; bright red combs and wattles; short, curved beaks; long straight backs; good straight breast bones; smooth clean-cut feathers; thin pliable pelvic bones; and a vigorous constitution. Of course, those birds that have laid in September and October ought to have been banded before, for they possess most of the above mentioned characteristics. The culls may be fattened and sold for Thanksgiving.

Having disposed of the culls, we now have the problem of housing and feeding our selected birds. Of course, the house should be thoroughly cleaned and sprayed before the birds are allowed to enter it. We must remember that from now on, birds will do -fully as well when confined to the house as when they are allowed to roam over our newly seeded yards. So we must put them in clean airy quarters. The floor, whether wood, concrete, or dirt, should be covered with clean sharp sand and a good litter. There are several kinds of materials which may be used for litters, and inasmuch as the feed formula depends somewhat upon the litter used, it may not be amiss to discuss the different kinds of litters at this time.

Perhaps some of us, either from lack of time or lack of machinery, will not be able to get our grain threshed, and may decide to put the straw into the houses with the grain unthreshed. This is by no means a new practice and saves grain and labor. Rye, barley, buckwheat, wheat, and oats may be fed in this way, leaving those grains out of the scratch feed used. The birds will soon find the grains and will pick them out. Or, the straw may be used after the grain has been removed, and then the regular scratch feed may be used. To those who do not have the straw, we would suggest leaves, hay (especially rowen containing some clover), silage, pine needles, or even the corn stalks themselves. The use of dried lawn clippings, however, is to be discouraged, because the birds eat the short clipped grass and many cases of crop-bound birds may be the result. The litter makes the birds forage for their feed, giving them their regular amount of exercise, makes the floor warmer, and with the droppings makes a splendid mixture to be spread on the land in the spring.

The feed ration is our next problem. Tlie nutiiment in tne ration for layioi,' pullets serves a twofold purpose - to repair waste and furnish heat to the body, and to supply the egg-making materials. Only the surplus over what is needed for the body is availaljle for egg production. The proper feed, therefore, should be fed in sufficient quantities to induce this production. Many have discovered that they can get nearly as many eggs by leaving the wheat out of the scratch feed and using bran and middlings or mi.xed feed in the mash. At any rate, wheat will be almost an impossibility, so that we may leave it out of consideration. Either the "war ration" or the one recommended by the Massachusetts Agricultural College may be used. Here at the School we shall probably use the following ration, which is much simpler than either of the above mentioned, and has produced excellent results:

Succulent food must be supplied in some form. Mangels and cabbage make ideal green feed, one ton of the former furnishing enough feed for 100 hens for the winter. Turnips, carrots, silage, and even apples have been used with varying results. Sprouted oats are used by many owners of small flocks. Beet pulp soaked in warm water for 24 hours makes a palatable feed. However, mangels are probably used to the greatest extent by the owners of large flocks.

Single and rose combed Rhode Island Red breeding cockerels from pedigreed trap-nested mothers with good egg and non-broody record at reasonable prices.

The increased interest in grain growing in this section has prompted a good many inquiries regarding the results of this season's crop, which Is now practically all threshed. The Bureau of Crop Estimates of the U. S. Department of Agriculture released on October 14, 1918, a crop report giving the following yield per acre of grains in the several New England States:

Potato fields planted with Massachusetts grown seed seem to liave more weak plants and a more uneven stand than usual this year. The plants vary considerably in height, vigor and often there is a poor stand. "Weaker plants are likely to show a rolling of the leaves and brown areas on the leaves, while others are healthy.

It has long been known that for most parts of the state. Northern grown seed is ordinarily better than home grown seed. This year we hear frequently that Northern grown seed potatoes are better than our own and fields demonstrating this are numerous.

Possibly the hot Aveather of last summer reduced the vitality of home grown potatoes more than usual and some of the poor results may be due to the chilling of the seed during the severe winter.

While in Medway recently, we had an opportunity to visit a field of Sweepstake's corn owned by Mr. J. G. Sarder^on. This variety of corn requires a little longer season for maturing in this section than the Flint varieties. Mr. Saiiderson had planted this corn to cut for silage, but seeing that there was a possibility for it to ripen, he allowed a little more than an acre of it to stand until maturity. The amount of corn which this has produced is very satisfactory, and will give considerable feed for his poultry and hogs. Mr. Sanderson clnims that the corn cut from this field will turn out the best ensilage thnt he has ever made. He al«o thinks that if it had been planted as early as possible, all of it Avoukl matured and could have been used for gram. However, we believe that he will get as much value from the corn in the silo as usin? it in any other way. We believe that a corn which will come near to maturity makes the best ensilage in any case, and if the owner of cows is planning to feed ensilage and h,as the acreage, it seems advisable to use the variety which will come as near maturity as possible, rather than to use sone of the large varieties which produce huge stalks and not many ears.

After a crop of beans has been harvested, threshed out. and stored, it is discouraging to find later on when getting a supply of them ready for cooking that many are infested with weevils. The weevil in all its stages of growth may he killed hy treating beans In either of the following methods as soon as they are threshed and cleaned: (1) Place the beans in a chamber and heat them to 140 degrees F. and hold at that tempeiature one hour. If the beans are to be used for seed, this treatment will have some damaging effect upon their gerniiiiating power, especially if the temperature is allowed to reach 150 degrees. (2) Put the beans in a tight container and place on top of them a shallow dish containi g one ounce of carbon bisulphite for each 100 pounds of beans. As soon as the carbo ' bisulphite is poured into the dish, cover the container air-tight, and leave for 48 hours. The temperature at which this method of weevil control is most effective is 70 degrees, and if it is below 50 degrees, it should not be attempted. Carbon bisulphite is an explosive and should be kept away from flames, and used witli as much caution as gasoline.

The first apple crop on the young orchard of O. N. Mason i'l Wrentham has been harvested this fall. Mr. Mason has an orchnrd of 28 acres, containing 1800 trees, divided among the following varieties: Delicious, Winesap, Mackintosh, and Wagner. This orchard has been developed under the system of cultivation, and the trees have gi-own exceedingly well. In going over the orchard with Mr. Mason, we noticed that one half the orchard was bearing considerably better than the other half. On asking the reason for this, we were told that the half which was bea'Mng so well was set very early in the spring, just as soon as the holes could bo dug in the ground to receive the trees. The half which was not bearing so well was set the same spring, only several weeks later. This df^monstrates very clearly the difference between early spring planting a'-d late spring planting. If it means that trees will come into bearing a year earliev by being set four or five weeks earlier in the sprins, certainly those earlv set trees are much more profitable, and pay well for the effort to get them into the ground early.

Mr. Mason 'has harvested a very fine crop of fruit, high colored and very free from insect and fungus diseases. The f'-uit as It is picked from the trees is handled with all the care possible in order not to bruise it. and placed in boxes to be carried to the sh^d where it is packed in the westcn that several buyers from the cities had come to the o'-ohard to bid on it. It is very gratifying to him to find that good fruit is being appreciated by those who handle it, and by the consumers.

The undersigned on leaving Massachusetts, as a final com^^iuni cation to the beekeepers, urges the conservation of every possible colony to the end of maximum honey production in 1919. Small nnd wenk colonies should be united. (Reference books and bulletins are available on this subject.) Colonies to be wintered in most instances will be housed out of doors in packing cases. There should be provided at least six inches of insulation on all sides, as packing. Four inches of packir.g are desirable below and ten inches above. The colonies .should be packed in November or early December according to the season. (United States Department of Agriculture, ParmerS' Bulletin No. 695, relates to wintering.) Each colonj' will require before supplies are available in 1919, about thirty pounds of stores. Colonies which are at present short of supplies should be fed before October 1st. (Apiary Inspection Bulletin No. 14 contains suggestions on feeding and wintering.)

PROCURING SUGAR. The Food Administration has authorized the beekeeper 100 per cent, of his needs. Application for this needed sugar should be made to the nearest local Food Administrator, on "Statement B", which form is available through him. It should be remembered, however, that thirty pounds of sugar for each colony is not necessarily to be purchased. It is the difference between the weight of the present stores and the necessary stores. It is advisable not to extract honey from your colonies too closely.

During the past eight years, the writer has enjoyed his work and the continued co-operation of the beekeepers. In resigning the beekeeping work In Massachusetts, he wishes them the fullest success.

During the yeai- 191S-1919, a country-wide campaign for child saving is to be carried on by the Children's Bureau of the United State Department of Labor and the Woman's Committee of the Council of National Defense. The weighing and measuring of babies which has been carried ov in most of our communities is only one feature of this program. The purpose for determining this information is so that the mother may know how nearly normal her child is. Children of the same height should weigh approxi nately the same if they have been properly nourished and have not been stunted by some disease.

This children's year program not only includes an effort to save a large number of baby lives, which are unnecessarily lost each year, but aims to improve the health of growing children. Too many mothers are complacent about the health of their children, thi king that the problem of malnutrition is someone else's problem. A survey made by Dr. Thomas "Wood of Columbia University, which included ten thousand rural and city school children, showed that malnourished child'en were not found in one class of children alone, but in all classes. The child of well-to-do parents is not only often badly nourished, but under nourished, because he is usually given too much spending money for candy, soft drinks, etc., and is allowed to cater to his own appetite. In the survey above mentioned, a large per cent, of rural children were found to be improperly nourished. This may be accounted for by the fact that children living in the country usually eat the heavy food provided for the men who do out of door wbrk, and thus overtax their digestive systems; or to the fact that there is so much fruit and food on the farm that the children have the habit of lunching between meals, thus spoiling their appetite for meal time.

High prices and the need of using substitutes for accustomed foods this past year have meant that malnutrition among children has greatly increased. Seventy per cent, of the men examined for the navy were rejected as physically unfit and few adults attain the maximum efficiency of which they are capable. This reflects upon the food which they were given during the early years of their life when the body was developing.

The report of the New York Board of Health for 1918 revealed the fact that 611,000 children, or 61 per cent, of the pupils in the New York publjr schools, are below the normal standard of nutrition. Practically the sami ratio exists in the majority of our schools. Educators everywhere arc realizing that it is foolish to try to educate a hungry child or one suffering from the effect of unwholesome food. Germany realized this over a century ago and adopted school feeding as a universal educational movement. In the state of Washington, school lunches are required by state legislation in every rural school, and we find that this movement is spreading with great rapidity.

There is oftentimes quite a misunderstanding as to just what the idea of a Avarm school lunch is. It is not a lunch served during the morning and afternoon sessions of school as is sometimes imagined, neither is it a course "in Domestic Science. It is one or more warm dishes served with the noon meal to supplement the cold lunch brought from home. We are familiar with the care which farmers exercise in preparing and balancing the rations of their stock so that they may realize greater financial returns from their investment. It is not unusual for farmers to have heaters installed to warm the water for their cows to drink in cold weather, realizing that they will produce more butter fat under these conditions. Heaters are also employed in winter for cooking hog feed as a matter of business economy. And yet some of these same thrifty farmers will let their children walk two or three miles in the cold and snow to school, eat a cold lunch at noon, and make the return trip home in the cold before supper. We are slow in coming to realize that our boys and girls must be well and properly fed in order that they become vital men and women properly equipped to give the most efficient service.

The primary purpose of serving something hot at noon to those who carry lunches is simply one of efficiency. In schools where this project has been tried, it has been found to have these definite results: greater interest in school work; increased mental alertness with better school grades; greater resistance to disease; greater physical development; and less need of discipline.

The equipment for serving hot school lunches may be very simple and inexpensive. It may be provided for by a fund appropriated by the School Committee, donated by the pupils of the School, or bought from a fund raised by giving an entertainment. It is better to start in a small way than to buy a large amount of expensive equipment. A cupboard with doors and shelves, made by the boys of the school will provide a place for dishes, cooking utensils, and supplies. A large dry goods box may well be used PT the foundation for this cupboard. The stove problem is easily solved as a two, or better still, a three burner oil stove with a portable oven will answer every need. If a school room already has a stove installed for heating purposes, it can be used as well for cooking purposes.

The question of supplies is often raised. Sometimes the parents prefer to contribute money, and in that case the food is all bought, or a sum of money which the teacher can use for supplies may be raised through an entertainment. The food may be brought from home by the pupils, each one taking his turn in contributing. This matter can easily be regulated by the teacher and a record kept. Occasionally mothers may wish to prepare a dish at home and send it to school to be served. A home-made fireless cooker is a great aid in keeping it hot. This gives the boys of the school another opportunity to make a practical application of their work in Manual Training.

The preparation of the hot school lunch is one of the best ways of teaching Home Economics to the girls. The older girls should take turns in managing the lunches for one week at a time. It is well to have them work in groups of two. The managers should be responsible for getting to school a little earlier than usual in the morning, starting the dish, continuing it if necessary at recess time, and finishing it just before the noon hour. The experience which the girls gain in planning the week's lunch menu, deciding upon the amount to make, and getting the food cooked on time, is excellent training in developing initiative, responsibility, and skill in cooking. Two housekeepers should be appointed each week to be responsible for the dish washing, and in this the younger girls and boys also can take part. Following are some simple dishes which have proved popular for school lunches:

The chief burden of managing a school lunch will necessarily fall upon the teacher, and no community should undertake the hot lunch without the sympathetic cooperation of the teacher. It will at first make her day's work harder and longer, but the majority of teachers who have undertaken it have become enthusiastic about it. After establishing the routine of getting the supplies and managing the cooking, serving and clearing up, they find that the school lunch, rather than adding to the burden of their work, really makes it lighter, for the pupils are easier to teach and less time and energy is needed upon the discipline problems.

The Home Demonstration Agent will be glad to answer any questions or assist in organizing a warm school lunch in any community where there is a need or a possibility of introducing it. A list of equipment and definite suggestions and receipts will be available at this office for any community desiring to undertake this project as a means of improviiig the' health of the children and the standard of the school work.

The majority of householders in Massachusetts have received during the summer twenty-five pounds of sugar with the stipulation that this sugar be used only for preservation work. This sugar has been so carefully used in many homes that there still remains a few pounds which the housewife has kept for her late fall preserving work. Hard fall pears and quinces are just coming on the market and can be preserved in a variety of ways. Cane sugar syrup has been used in the following receipts to stretch the sugar supply.

Pickled Pears

Boil sugar, cane syrup, vinegar, and spices ten minutes. Skim thoroughly. Wipe and pare fruit and place in cold water to prevent discoloration. Stick each pear with 4 cloves. Cook in the boiling syrup half at a time, until soft. Place while hot in sterilized jars, filled to overflowing, and seal while hot.

Ginger Pear

2 c. cane sugar syrup Pare and core fruit, and chop. Cover with sugar and syrup and let stand over night. In the morning add chopped ginger and lemon and simmer until amber-colored and the liquid is of a syrupy consistency. Seal in sterilized glass jars.

Quince Honey

Bring the sugar, syrup and water to the boiling point, and add the grated quince. Cook slowly until the quince is of a reddish amber color and the liquid is of a syrupy consistency.

Cider Syrup

Cider apple syrup may be made from cheap fruit and can be used to sweeten apple products, and as a substitute for maple syrup. Place 7 cups of cider in a large kettle and heat. Add 4 teaspoons of powdered chalk, boil five to ten minutes. Pour into quart jars and let stand. When clear, pour off the clear liquid and evaporate to one cup. The powdered chalk neautralizes the acid in the apple.

During the summer months there has been a surplus of milk in Massachusetts, and the housewife has been urged to use all dairy products abundantly.

Now that the cattle are not turned out to pasture, and owing to the fact that many dairy men have felt obliged to sell their cows, we are experiencing a shortage of milk which directly affects all dairy products.

We must still use all the milk that we are able to get, for there is no other food that gives us so great a return for the money spent. The Pood Administration is asking us to use butter with economy until larger supplies are available. Butter substitutes should be used entirely in the preparation of foods. A special request has been made that the American cheese be used sparingly, as this product is needed in large quantities to ship to our armies in France. Cottage cheese, however, may be used freely. It is easily made and. is very nutritious.

The ruling made by the Pood Administration limiting the amount of flour sold to individual customers to one eighth of a barrel or one bag of flour, has been removed.

The Pood Administration has preferred to set no hard and fast limit on the amount purchased, requesting only that consumers should purchase in moderaite amounts consistent with economy of delivery, and should in every case vse at least one pound of snhstitutes wijth each four pounds of flour.

It is more important now than ever before that economy be exercised in the use of flour. The crop of 1917 w^as exhausted almost to the last bushel before the new harvest became available; but the present prospects are that if the American people live strictly up to the 80-20 program, and in addition make the usual amount of corn bread with little if any wheat flour, there will be a margin of safety to carry over lagainst a possible shortage in the next crop.

The housewives in Massachusetts have been asked to keep a record this year of the amount of canning, salting, jelly making, and pickling which they have done so that it may be determined to what extent the people of Massachusetts have made themselves self-supporting for the coming winter. The results of these records will also give an idea of the importance of the home effort in relieving the food situation. This undoubtedly will be quite gratifying to many housewives who feel that their efforts are so futile.

The Massachusetts Food Administration and the Massachusetts Agricultural College have printed census sheets which are to be circulated throughout each community, and on these the preservation work done in each household is to be recorded. These sheets have been given to the Food Conservation Chairman in each town, the number of sheets in each town being based on the population of the town. The means of circulating these reports will depend wholly on the local committee.

The epidemic of influenza so prevalent throughout the country has interfered greatly with the taking of this census and has made it necessary to extend the time to November 20th for completing the work.

In the food survej'' which was taken one year ago, Norfolk County was able to fill 100 per cent, of the records assigned. We are hoping for as good a rating in the 1918 food preservation census. Will you not cooperate with your local conservation committee and assist them in making the records from your town complete?

The Home Economics Clubs which extend from February 1 to May 1 are proving to be of increasing value each year. Their work does not supplant the Household Art instruction in the schools, but supplements it by practica,l application in the home. Many a mother has found her housework lightened by the assistance of her twelve-year-old daughter in breadmaking or preparing meals, or by helping with the family darning. Garments for younger sisters and brothers aid materially in increasing the scanty leisure of busy mothers.

The club requirements, which include bread, garment making, and housekeeping, are as follows: During the three months the member must perform twenty hours of either bread or garment making, and forty hours of household tasks. She must exhibit the garments made, together with her patch and darn. These are preferably made on some garment instead of on a practice piece of cloth. Or, if she has chosen bread m.aking, a loaf of bread, war bread at this time, is exhibited.and carefully scored by the judges. Keeping an accurate record sheet of time spent and work accomplished, and the writing of a story of experience, complete the four requirements.

Many members who faithfully completed the required work in garment and bread making were unable to finish the records and story, and therefore lost the club pin. This brought down the percentage of members finishing all requirements, and made few banner clubs throughout the county.

In Norfolk County, 615 members enrolled, and 257 completed the state requirements. Many others who did not complete these requirements derived much benefit from the work. A summary of the work done by the Home Economics Clubs throughout the state has shown that Norfolk County has more members completing the club work than any other county in the state. It is hoped another year that we will have a larger percentage of the enrolled members completing the requirements. With the enthusiasm of the club members, and with more idea of the responsibility in finishing a task once undertaken, we are sure of the hearty cooperation of leaders and parents to help make the coming season even more successful.

It was decided this year to give a first and second prize in each county for the Home Economics Club contest, instead of state prizes. The first prize is a week's camping trip at Amherst at the Agricultural College, the second a book. Many a boy or girl has spent one of the most delightful weeks of his life among the hills of western Massachusetts.

To gain these prizes, the members must have fulfilled all the requirements, have done faithful conscientious work of high standards, and have shown an enthusiastic and ambitious club spirit. Often a girl who has worked under difficulties has f»f<ined the true idea of club work by cheerfully assuming responsibilities at home, and has assisted in the club by her" hearty support. Such a girl is more worthy of a prize than one who has done higher quality of work but has lacked helpfulness and perseverance.

We are glad to announce the following prize winners in this county: In sewing: 1st, Esther Fitts of Medfield; 2d, Sibyl Percival of Medfield. In Bread Making: 1st, Dorothy Healey of Needham; 2d, Marie Davis of Weymouth.

The following verse which has been used in country sections in the Liberty Loan campaigns may well apply to club members, for many of them have to'd me alKiut bonds and war saving stamps they have been buying with the financial returns from the club work:

"There was a Yankee farmer, and he raised a Yankee pig. He fed it Yankee corn, and he made it fat and big. He sold that Yankee pork, and he bought a Yankee bond, And it paid for Yankee bullets that went straight across the pond." Nove - ber will see the completion of the 1918 Six Months Growing Contest which has kept many boys and girls busy during the summer and fall. Soon after December first, the club stories and records will be due, and then the tabulating and grading will begin, to determine who has been the best club member for the season. Many last year's members have lea'-ned a lesson about how to win in a club contest, so in addition to raising good pigs they are planning on sending in well-written stories with r.eat covers and accurate well-kept records. All of these things are necessary and important parts of the club work.

Sow And Litter Contest

Not every club member can have a sow, and neither are all the sows owned by club members good enough to save for breeding, but there are a good number scattered over the county which can and should be saved and bred for spring litters of little pigs. The Sow and Litter Contest was started a year ago, primarily to take care of these boys' and girls' pig^ which were to be saved. This year the same contest is to be carried on. Boys and girls owning brood sows (whether in the growing contest or not) can enter the contest to see which boy or girl can get the most, b^st, and cheapest pigs from his or her sow. Enrollment cards and instruction sheets will be sent all club members entered in the Growing Contest, some time in November.

Briefly, the requirements are that the boy or girl keep cost records from time of breeding until the little pigs are weaned, write a story and send it in with the records.

Last spring the demand for little pigs was so great that any sort of a pig so long as it had a squeal left, found a ready market at a good price. Because of this, much poor and scrub stock found its way to market, with subsequent disappointment to the purchasers. By saving the good sows, caring for them correctly, and giving the little pigs a chance to grow, members in the Sow and Litter Contest can do a great deal to help remedy this condition another spring, and put on the market little pigs that will grow and at the same time turn in a good bit of money with which to buy Liberty Bonds and thrift stamps.

The Massachusetts Agricultural College is this year offering a short course in practical agriculture, intended to meet the needs of young men and women who wish agricultural instruction of a practical nature. This course should appeal to all young men and women who wish to make the farm produce more land pay better. It is intended as the first term of a two-year course, but the work of each term iis complete in itself. This first term runs from December 2, 1918, to March 22, 1919. Students may thus secure training during the winter months which will increase their productive efficiency, and return to the farm in time for the spring work. No entrance examinations are required, and the tuition is free to residents of the Commonwealth.

The instruction will be given by the regular college faculty, and the class room work supplemented by laboratory work with the college farm equipment. The results of the latest investigations in agricultural science and their practical application will thus be made available to the students in these short courses. Following is a list of subjects offered, from which students may choose those that meet their individual needs: Soils, Field Crops, and Fertilizers; Selection, Breeding, and Care of Farm Animals; Business Principles of Farming and Marketing Farm Products; Poultry; Dairying; Fruit Growing; Market Gardening; Insect Pests and Plant Diseases; Farm Management; Farm Machinery.

Single and rose combed Rhode Island Red breeding cockerels fiom pedigreed trap-nested mothers with good egg and non-broody record at reasonable prices.

100 bu. Sheffield Yellow Cap Corn, 200 bu. Stickney Yellow Cap Corn. Buy now and be ready for next spring. Price $5 on the ear until March 1st, then on the ear or shelled.

On Tuesday evening, October 29, the Norfolk County Associated Boards of Trade were guests of the Walpole Board of Trade at the Agricultural School. The speakers on this occasion were county officials and Employees, officers of the Agricultural School, and the State Agricultural Agent of the Board of Education, namely: Samuel Capen, Sheriff; H. D. Humphrey, Treasurer; R. B. Worthington, Clerk of Courts; Erastus Worthington, Civil Engineer; E. F. Richardson, County Commissioner and President of the Board of Trustees of the Agricultural School; F. W. Kingman, Director; Rufus W. Stimson, State Agent.

The scope of the county's activities and the relations of the State and Federal governments to the Agricultural School were presented in an able manner. Meetings of this kind are valuable in placing county institutions and particularly the Agricultural School, before the public in the right light. Mr. Stimson»explained how the school, which had stai'ted in time of peace, had risen to meet the War Emergency. Practically half of the expenditures for the past year have been made for the Farm Bureau Department of the School. The Federal and State governments share in the cost of this service. ^ The school aims to help every community in the county through its extension work.

The Agricultural Department of the Weyn-outh High School, v,'-irh '3 a branch of the Norfolk County Agricultural School, opened the fall term of its third year on October 23, 1918, with ten students enrolled. The Weymouth Department is under joint control of the State, represented by Mr. R. W. Stimson of the State Board of Education, and the Board of Trustees of the Norfolk County Agricultural School, with Mr. F. W. Kingman as Director.

It is the purpose of this department to enroll only those boys of the South Shore section of Norfolk County who are seriously interested in some form of agriculture, and whose parents are willing to cooperate with student and instructor to the fullest extent. The course offers a study of scientific agriculture dealing with the following subjects: Market Gardening, Dairying, Poultry Husbandry, Fruit Growing, Soils, Manures and Fertilizers, Feeds and Feeding, Field Crops.

Interested parties should communicate with either Director F. W. Kingman of Walpole, or the Weymouth Department, located at the High School in East Weymouth.

At a conference on the American potash situation, held October 15, in the office of Williaan Wallace Mein, assistant to the Secretary of Agriculture, in charge of fertilizer control, it was stated that the view of the Department of Agriculture is that the Government should do all that is possible to encourage the production of potash from the cheapest sources in this country, in order to enable farmers to obtain it at a low rate, because foreign supplies are now unavailable.

Some Promising Sources

Some of the domestic sources of potash that may be further developed are blast furnaces, from the fumes of which potash-bearing materials may be precipitated; cement mills, greensand, certain shales, the brine of some lakes, mostly in Nebraska, and the giant seaweed (kelp) of the Pacific Coast.

The domestic production of potash for the coming year is expected to be about 60,000 tons, much more than the previous year, but still only about one-fourth of the annual prewar consumption, according to A. W. Stockett, of the Bureau of Mines.

Many Crops Need Potash

Representatives of the Bureau of Plant Industry of the Department of Agriculture pointed out that certain crops in the East are showing unmistakable signs of "potash hunger," and the general agreement at the meeting was that farmers should be informed of facts bearing on the value of potash for crop production, and that all efforts should be made to supply the farmers' demand.

Material for covering the strawberry beds should be ready for use, and as soon as the ground is frozen sufficiently hard to bear the weight of a man walking over it, the strawberries should be covered. Leaves, corn stalks, meadow hay, or pine needles are generally used, but be careful in applying the cover not to put too much on the crown of the plant. It is better to have the crown lightly covered and most of the material between the plants. Do not use vegetable rubbish containing weed seeds, because these seeds will grow next year and cause a lot of work to keep the weeds cleaned out. The mulch protects the ground from sudden thawing and freezing which "heaves out" plants not protected.

As each spring comes, somebody is quite concerned as to hoAv he can save fruit trees that have been girdled by mice and rabbits. Owners are ready to go to any reasonable expense to save injured trees, yet almost every one of these growers has been warned and urged to protect his trees by putting wire netting or paper about the trunks. The wire should extend from an inch or two below the surface of the ground to fifteen or twenty inches above. If there is mulch or grass about the trees, it is well to remove it, thereby giving mice no opportunity to nest where they are in easy access to the trunks. It is easier to keep trees from being injured than it is to repair the damage once it is done. Those who have had losses by neglecting to protect their fruit trees realize the necessity for doing it, and those who have not taken precautions to ward off mice and rabbits will learn a costly lesson if the practice is continued.

If the old fruiting canes of the raspberry and blackberry bushes have not been cut out, do this before winter begins. After the fruit crop is matured the fruiting canes die and are likely to harbor insects and diseases. Cut out and burn these and also all small weak canes. Mulch the patch with rotted stable manure or other decayed vegetable matter and work this into the soil in the spring.

By the time these notes appear in print, the harvesting and storing of the various vegetable craps should be completed and everything in the garden cleaned up. Do not allow any weeds or litter to lie ai-ound; insect pests of various kinds are making their headquarters for the winter in such material.

A good plan is to make a campost heap of stable manure, leaves, weeds, sods, etc., piling in alternate layers, and next spring the compost can be thoroughly broken up and passed through a three fourths inch mesh screen, making (with the addition of some sand) just the right kind of soil in which to sow seeds of early vegetables.

Bean poles should be looked over, and any that are sound enough to be used another year should be stored in a dry place. A good way is to tie them up in bundles of ten or twelve and set them in a corner of the shed or barn, or put them overhead on the cross beams where they will be out of the way and ready when needed.

Hotbeds that are intended to be used very early next spring should be covered up and means provided to prevent the inside from severe freezing. Otherwise a large amount of heat from the fermenting material used in making up the hotbed will be absorbed and its efficiency impaired.

All garden tools cost money, and therefore should not be allowed to pass the winter out of doors. Clean them, wipe over the bright parts with an oily rag, and have a place in some building to put them.

Mr. C. A. Wilson of West Medway has proven the advantage of fall plowing in a field of corn on his farm, one part of which was much more thrifty and gave a much better yield than the remainder. The treatment of the crop with regard to seed, fertilization and cultivation was the same for the entire field, with the exception that Mr. Wilson had started to plow the piece last fall when the ground froze and prevented his finishing. The poorer yield was on the portion of the field which was not plowed until spring. Fall plowing gets a lot of work out of the way before the spring rush, it giv«s the frost a chance to help out with the harrowing of the land, and contact with the subsoil is pretty thoroughly re-established by planting time.

Many calls have been received during the last month asking "how to make hens lay." Sometimes it is possible to make hens lay and sometimes it is impossible. Some hens lay fluently and some lay rather influently. The question is, do we really want our hens to lay now? Before we answer this question, we should decide whether we wish to use these birds for layers or breeders. If we wish to use them for laying purposes only, then it may be policy to force them through the molt. This may be done by the addition of a small amount of oil meal to the regular ration, provided the ration does not already contain oil meal. Sometimes sunflower seeds are added to the scratch feed to hasten the molt. Green feed is also essential.

If we have decided to use our birds as breeders, it may not be advisable to hasten the molt and endeavor to force for egg production. Many Experiment Stations tell us that the eggs from hens that have been forced for egg production do not hatch as well as those not forced.

In some parts of the county there seems to be shortage of middlings. Here at the School in poultry feeds we have been using mixed feed in place of bran and middlings with excellent results.

A recent survey by marketing agencies and members of the Food Administration brings out the fact that the squash situation at this time is really serious, because the markets are glutted, due to the fact that hundreds of tons of squash for want of storage facilities must be moved immediately to prevent almost total loss through freezing'. We have produced some of the best squash ever raised in the State, but strange as it may seem, it is not keeping well, and if it is to be saved it must go into consumption immediately. The growers responded splendidly in the spring to the appeal for greater food production, and were rewarded with a large yield of squash. To buy squash is not only good economy, it is also sound patriotism,.

Use squash liberally, regtilarly - buy a whole squash at a time to reduce waste and extr'a cost of handling. This is one way to help the conservation movement and thus carry through to the end the splendid program started last year.

Squash Baked In The Shell

SQUASH BAKED IN THE SHELL Wash squash. Cut into halves, or into quarters if it is very large. Re,move seeds. Bake in a moderate oven. When it can be easily pierced with a fork remove from the oven, scoop the squash from the shell, mash, season with butter, salt, and pepper. Serve hot.

Squash Pie

Use the dry mealy squashes. Stew or bake the squash until tender. Sift it and allow one cup and one half for an ordinary sized pie. Mix with the squash one and one half cups of boiling milk, one half cup of sugar, one half teaspoon of salt, one fourth teaspoon of cinnamon, and one egg beaten slightly. Line a granite pie plate with paste, allowing enough for a fluted rim, fill with the squash mixture, and bake in a hot oven until the crust is brown, and the squash puffs up in the center.

Squash Muffins

Cream shortening, add sugar, egg well beaten, and squash. Sifi; flour, cream of tartar and soda together. Add flour and milk alternately to first mixture. If the squash is very dry, more liquid m'ay be added to make a drop batter. Bake in a fairly hot oven twenty to thirty minutes.

Since it is still difficult to obtain sugar in many localities, it seems probable that many housewives are having difficulty in their cooking. In spite of the fact that the sugar allowance has been increased, it is not always easy to get, and the nation still feels the pressure of the sugar shortage.

There are many substitutes for sugar on the market, the most common being honey and the various syrups, maple, cane, and corn. Saccharin has been used to a slight extent as a sweetening for tea and coffee but it is regarded as an adulterant by the United States Department of Agriculture, and its continued use is likely to impair digestion.

In regard to the syrups, those made from sugar cane are milder and sweeter on the whole than those from corn. They also lack the pronounced flavor which makes corn syrup so objectionable to many people. A combination of maple and cane has given the greatest satisfaction thus far. Many people who object to all syrup in cooking are using part syrup /and part sugar, thus stretching the possibilities of the sugar allowance and securing the same flavor as with all sugar. When substituting corn syrup for sugar in any recipe, slightly increase the amount of sweetening and decrease the liquid. In using cane syrup, a little less syrup than the amount given for sugar is required, since the cane syrup is very sweet. Judgment will be needed in determining the amount of liquid necessary. It must be remembered in using any recipe where syrup is advocated, that every brand of syrup varies nn sweetness and consistency, and must therefore be experimented with to determine the best results. Honey being somewhat acid, requires the addition of soda to neutralize its acidity. One eighth of a teaspoonful to one cup mixed with the honey proves very satisfactory.

It was 'With the idea of sugar saving rather than substituting that a circular of forty recipes has been compiled by the Home Making Department and is available for distribution at cost, two cents a copy. Single copies may be obtained upon request, or in quantities through the local Food Conservation Chairmen. The recipes have been collected from many sources, but have all been tested by this department before being recommended. Following are some recipes taken from this circular.

Carrot Pudding Prune And Raisin Pie

One large c. prunes soaked over night and simmered the next morning until soft. Remove pits and chop with Vo c. seeded raisins. Add 1 T. lemon juice and 1 T. syrup and % t, salt. Bake between two crusts made of barley flour. This is better than all prunes.

Creamy Raisin Pudding

Make a sauce of cornstarch, sugar, and milk. Cook until thick. Beat whites separately Four sauce slowly on one white, stiffly beaten, and then fold in the other. Flavor with vanilla.

Grape Tapioca

Cook tapioca in heated grape juice twenty minutes or until clear. Add syrup to yolk of separated egg. Beat until light. Beat the white into a froth. Add the yolk to the cooked tapioca. Stir and cook for one minute. Remove from the fire, add the vanilla and lemon juice, and fold in the stiffly beaten egg white, and pour into a wet mould. Serve with custard. Other fruit juices or other flavors may be substituted for grape juice.

Peanut Butter Cookies Chocolate Cake

Melt fat and chocolate together. Sift dry ingredients. Beat egg yolk, add syrup and water, and beat well. Combine liquid ard dry ingredients. Add chocolate and fat. Bake as little cakes or loaf.

With the stimulus given to food production last spring, and the existing need for each family to become self-sufficing in providing an adequate food supply for the eoming winter, several towns thought it advisable to establish canning kitchens as a means of ir creasing food preservation. Community canning kitchens were etablished in the following eight towns in Norfolk County, and in the ^majority of these towns were active for two months during the summer: Brookllne, Cohasset, Dedham, S. Dedham District, Franklin, Milton, Norwood, Quincy. The committees responsible for these enterprises have felt that the following definite results have been realized from these community organizations:

(1) the amount of food preserved has been greatly increased, and food material which would otherwise have been wasted has been saved; (2) families that would otherwise have depended upon a commercially canned product have been provided with a winter's supply of fruits and vegetables; (3) the products canned have been done for a minimum cost; (4) much educational work has been done by giving the volimteer workers excellent practical training, and in furnishing an informaton bureau on preservation subjects to the women of the town. Statistical reports received from seven of the eight canning kitchens show that 37,515 jars of fruits and vegetables and 133 jars of jam have been canned during the summer of 1918 in the Norfolk County community canning kitchens.

Early last summer a committee was formed in the Oakdale district of Dedham to consider the advisability of starting a public cannery in that district. They felt that an experienced worker in food preservation was as much an essential in a country community as an agricultural expert, anjd that if such a worker were provided canning could be done more cheaply in the community kitchen than at home. There being no fund for this purpose in the town, the committee secured a subsidy from private sources for paying their expert, and a price was set at four cents per jar to cover the cost of fuel, salt, and rubber rings. At this price they believed that no one would be excluded from the cannery by reason of expense. The cpmmittee secured the services of Miss Murray, head of the Domestic Science Department of the Dedham schools, as manager of the kitchen. Through Miss Murray, and with the cooperation of the school authorities, thirty-eight girls gladly agreed to give their labor a certain number of days during the ten weeks term of canning. They were to receive careful instruction and in return for regular attendance and satisfactory progress were to receive credits on their school course in Domestic Science. In addition, the committee offered thrift stamps for the girls holding the record each week for neatness and general efficiency, and a prize was offered for the season's best work.

The cannery was open four days a week and a general invitation was extended to the public to attend at any time, in this way making each session a demonstration to those wishing to preserve food at home. That community canning for a popular price is a real help to every housewife in these days when additional labor is so hard to procure, has been unquestionably proven by this experiment. Over 140 families have profited *by the opportunity, and several have learned the process. There has been a great stimulus in experimental canning in the community, and many housewives can exhibit on their shelves such unusual products as corn canned on the ear, vegetables, salads, shelled beans canned with bacon, and oysterplant.

The cannery closed in early September with a season's record of 5137 jars canned with one tenth of one per cent, spoilage. The largest number of jars canned in a single day was 336. All of the girls who signed for the class canne through with credit for attendance. Some became so expert that they formed a demonstration team, and on more than one occasion gave public demonstrations. Many of the girls have gone into their homes and relieved their mothers of the labor of the summer's canning, and a few of the most interested have decided to shape their course at the High School so that they may fit the,mselves later to be experts in the expanding field of Household Arts.

The Woman's Food Conservation Committee in Foxborf) has proved itself on more than one occasion to be of inestimable value to the community. Its latest venture has pl'aced it in the front ranks among the infiuential organizations in the town.