Quincy City (part 9 of 12)

The kind of tree to order is one not over two years old, with a well developed root system, free from disease, and of a variety known to be in demand "on the market, or that will be used and liked by the individual family in case of small plantings for a home plot. Two-year trees in some cases are preferable to one-year trees, although the latter are used extensively and give good results. Order all trees now from a reliable nurseryman whose reputation has been established, and v>rhose future business depends on the quality of his stock.

It is very important that all the corn we use for seed should be from healthy vigorous ears. If one or two ears have been frosted or were immature when picked, so that the kernels from them will not sprout, it will mean a considerable loss in yield, or at least extra labor in replanting. In order to be sure to secure only good seed, it is necessary to test the corn.

There are several methods of doing this very cheaply and with little loss of time. Probably the easiest is what is called the "rag doll" test. In this, a piece of Canton flannel about two and a half to three feet long and ten to twelve inches wide Is marked off into two-inch squares. There will be three lines of squares, with a margin of two to tliree inches on eacji side and about three inches on each end. Number each square. From different parts of each ear pick five or six kernels, place these in a square and number the ear to correspond to the square. After the "doll" is full of kernels, carefully roll it up, tie it at both ends, and set it on end in a pail in which there is a half inch of lukewarm water. Keep this in a warm room, renewing the water as necessary. At the end of about seven days the test should be completed. Unroll the "doll" find examine the germination. Those ears from which the kernels have not sprouted or have sprouted very poorly should be discarded, as the kernels from them would also do very poorly in the field if used for seed.

Another method is to pack sawdust, wet with lukewarm water, into a box about four inches deep. On top of this nail a piece of damp cloth that has been marked into two or two and a half inch squares. In these squares, place the kernels as in the previous method. Cover them with a damp cloth. On top of this place a cloth about eighteen inches larger on all sides than the box. On this place some warm moist sawdust, and pack down Avell. Fold the rest of the cloth b ck over the sawdust. Keep the box In a fairly warm room. As in the previous test, this will require about seven days. Care must be taken in rolling back the cloth, so as not to disturb the kernels.

Either of these tests or variations of them are satisfactory, and will insure the corn grower good seed. In some states, particularly in Iowa, the yield of com has been very materially increased through the proper selection and testing of seed corn.

It might be well to mention here that it is always best to use seed corn that has been grown in the locality. A large number of experiments have shown that corn from other sections does not yield as well, at least for the first few years, as locally grown corn.

The home gardener is again showing the desire for information that will help him in getting the most from his efforts in the garden. The Market Garden Department of the Agricultural School has already scheduled eleven talks and demonstrations on subjects pertaining to the home garden.

There are some persons who may have yet to find a way to be of service in furthering the nation's war program. The opportunity which the home garden offers toward providing the family with more of its food and thereby relieving the necessity for bringing it to town over an already overtaxed transportation system, should not be neglected by any who are equipped with good land and ability to plant and care for a garden.

The State Food Production Committee is anxious to have the home garden produce and supply the operator's family with all it can use during the season, and a surplus for canning, but it wishes to caution against attempts to raise vegetables on unsuitable land and unwise selection of crops.

The home gardener should not raise produce for the purpose of selling in competition with the commercial truck growers, as they will offer their surplus to cities and thickly populated sections where home gardening is necessarily limited. Some home gardeners will be able to sell produce profitably, but the majority will meet disappointment if they enter into competition with men who have made it their life business. The home gardener should make his garden do war service by making it furnish food for the family at home.

Produce all the garden stuff that can be eaten or canned or stored for winter use in the home, but no more. It won't help much toward winning the war if quantities of vegetables aie produced to an extent that will glut local markets. It will mean transportation for something that is going to be wasted after it has taken up the space that should have been allotted to needed materials. The same thing happens if you are in a position to raise some of your food and don't do it, for then shipping facilities needed tor other things will have to be used to bring it to you.

Obeen Food For Poultry

Now is the time to plan for growing green food for poultry. Green food is necessary for best results for growing young stock and for laying hens. It furnishes mineral matter and acts as an appetizer. Plenty of succulence will decrease the amount of grain consumed and thereby cheapen the ration. Dwarf Essex rape and mangels - Mammoth Long R,ed variety - should be grown even where there is a small flock of poultry kept.

Rape grows quickly, being ready to cut in si.x to eight weeks. It is sown in May, June or July. If the crown is not cut off, the plant will continue to thrjw out a new growth, and several cuttings may be obtained during the summer. A few rows will give an abundant supply of good green food for the growing stock. If fed to hens, it gives a dark color to the yolks of the eggs, but otherwise has good effects. The culture of rape is similar to kale.

The mangel is a very economical winter green food. They produce well, keep well, and the hens like them. The average yield in this section is ten to twelve tons per acre. We should grow about ten pounds for each hen we expect to winter. They also make a good feed for cows. Mangels are best grown in drills two and a half feet apart and thinned to about six inches apart.

Regarding The Purchase Of Avheat

There seems to be a misunderstanding regarding the purchase of wheat for poultry feeding. The United States Food Administration has ruled that wheat cannot be sold separately. Wheat is being consented for the army and for export to the Allies. It is easier to ship and more valuable as a human food than many other grains.

In order that all poultry feeders can have some wheat in the ration, a ten per cent allotment in a grain mixture is allowed. The grain dealer is allowed to make any mixture of grain the poultryman may order, provided he does not order more than ten per cent w^heat in it. The cost of mixing and bagging by the dealer is given as ten cents per hundred in one thousand pound lots. The cost for mixing smaller lots would be a little more.

Mash constituents for the "Standard War Ration" can be purchased separately. The "Standardized War Ration" will cost about $3.80 per hundredweight for materials at retail, plus about ten cents a bag for mixing, according to local prices quoted today. The dry mash will cost about $3.20 per hundredweight for materials. The local prices used are as follows for 100 pounds:

A modification of the mash ration replacing 25 pounds of the beef scrap with 25 pounds of dried brewers' grains and changing the scratch grain to: cracked corn 300 lbs., oats 250 lbs., barley 450 lbs., omitting the wheat, will at the above prices, cost for dry mash ingredients about $3.10 per hundredweight, and about $3.70 for scratch feed after allowing ten cents per hundredweight for mixing. For years, in the Pacific Coast States, barley, which has the same feeding value as wheat, has been wholly substituted with as good results. The modified "War Ration" is as follows.

Shortage, irregular supply, and prices of feedstuffs make' it necessary to frequently change the ration at present. These changes should be made intelligently rather than by guess or in a haphazard way.

We have some tables of analyses of digestible nutrients of the common poultry feeds by which one can tell fairly well what substitutions can safely be made in the ration. These may be had upon application to the Poultry Department, Norfolk County Agricultural School, Walpole.

For Sale

One 240 egg Prali'ie State Incubator and one Standard Cyphers 240 egg size. Price $12.50 each. Six 50 chick and one 75 chick brooders, $10.00 and $13.50 respectively. All in good condition. Reason for selling - putting in larger equipment. All prices F. O. B. Stoughton.

Three Cyphers outdoor brooders equipped with adaptable hovers, in good condition. Price, $9 each or $25 for the three. Cost when new $17 each.

Conservation of food does not mean eating less than is necessary for good health and full strength, but it does mean using more of our locally grown foods, and substituting other foods for the four staples meat, wheat, fats, and sugar that we must ship to our armies. We have been too apt to overlook our plentiful, home-grown foods in search for the unusual, imported foods. Our impaired transportation facilities have made it difficult, if not impossible, to depend upon other than our local foods. As a result of this condition we are, fortunately, going to use our New England products more extensively, and know a greater use for them.

One of our most common and plentiful crops is the Irish potato, used daily on our tables, but not to its fullest extent. The potato crop in the

United States this last year was above normal. We have not had a surplus of potatoes on our markets this winter as they have been held back in storage. They are being released at the present time, and as soon as shipping accommodations will allow they will come into our markets in abundance. It is essential that we use these potatoes before the new crop comes in. The farmers were urged last year to produce unusually large crops of potatoes. If we allow any of these to go to waste it will serve as a discouragement to farmers, and they will not be willing to respond this year to a repeated request for increased potato production.

The potato is a splendid food, and excellent for our bodies. It serves as fuel in our bodies. It furnishes starch which burns in the muscles, giving power to work, much as the gasoline burns in an automobile engine to make the car go. One medium sized potato gives as much starch as two slices of bread. When potatoes are served for a meal, less bread is needed. Potatoes can save wheat. Many of us have failed to appreciate the potato as an extremely valuable source of mineral salts. These salts are necessary to build and renew all the parts of our bodies and to keep them in order.

An old king is said to have tested each cook before hiring him by asking him to boil a potato. Even the best potato can be spoiled by a poor cook.

To Itoil tlioni, so that they will be "fit foi a king", drop the unpeeled potatoes into boiling salted water and cook twenty to thirty minutes. Drain the water off at once. If they are cooked too long or allowed to stand in the water they get soggy. If you peel the potatoes before cooking them you will waste time and potatoes both. You may throw away a sixth or even a quarter of the good part of the potato with the skins. Also, if the potatoes are not covered up by the skins while cooking, some of the valuable material will soak out into the watei*. Even very small potatoes can be economically used, if they are boiled in their skins.

Let us show our patriotism by using move potatoes in our meals, and let us satisfy our families by serving them in a variety of ways. Have you used potatoes in these ways?

To the shortening, sugar, salt, and potato, add the milk; when lukewarm add the dissolved yeast. Gradually knead in all the flour, though the dough will be very stiff. Let rise until it doubles its bulk. Again knead, put into greased pan. Let rise until loaf doubles Its bulk. Baite about 50 minutes.

Put the meat in an earthen dish, add salt and pepper to taste and hot gravy. Mix the remaining ingredients with the mashed potato and spread on top of meat. Bake in a hot oven until potato is brown.

1 c. salt codfish cut up in small pieces and put in cold water. Bi'ing to the boiling point, add one quart sliced potatoes, and boil until soft. Mash flsh and potato together, add 2 T. oleomargarine or salt pork fat. Add egg and mix thoroughly. Bake in buttered dish until browned. Serve with white sauce and garnish with sliced hard boiled eggs.

To 2 c. hot riced potato, add 2 T. oleomargarine, 1-3 c. milk, and % t. salt. Beat vigorously with a fork. Add 2 canned pimentoes forced through a strainer, and continue the beating until the mixture is thoroughly blended. Pile evenly on a shallow buttered baking dish, and make four cavities. In each cavity slip a raw egg, and bake until eggs are set. Serve hot.

Scald the milk with the onion; add the milk slowly to the potatoes. Melt the oleomargarine, add to it the dry ingredients; stir the mixture until it is well blended. Add this to the liquid mixture, stirring constantly, and cook the soup for ten minutes. Strain if necessary. Add the parsley and serve.

The ordinary potato soup may be varied by following the above receipt, but omitting the parsley and adding 3 T. of tomato catsup just before serving.

Arrange diced potatoes, diced carrots, and slices of cold boiled eggs in a buttered baking dish in alternate layers. Cover each layer with white sauce and sprinkle with finely chopped parsley. Add crumbs to top layer and bake in a hot oven about 15 minutes, or until the crumbs are well browned.

Mix the mashed potatoes and seasonings with the ground nuts, fish, or meat. Add beaten egg. Form into little cakes or sausages, roll in flour and place in greased pan with a small piece of fat or salt pork on each sausage. Bake in a fairly hot oven until brown.

Food Facts

Mr. Endicott issued the following statement in his last bulletin: "Until March 3, rye flour may be used as a wheat flour substitute, but will not be permitted after that date."

Preservation Of Eggs

March is the month when eggs are lowest in price and best in quality for preserving. Water-glass or sodium silicate is a satisfactory and simple method of preserving eggs for home use. This material can be purchased from drug stores, grain dealers, poultry supply companies, and general stores. The per dozen cost is slight. Eggs, may be preserved for a year and yet be sufficiently fresh for cooking.

Secure clean, fresh, infertile or sterile eggs. Infertile eggs - those produced by hens without the presence of male birds - are considered best since there is never any chick development in such eggs, and if slightly heated there would be no tissue formed to decay and spoil the egg.

A cool, dry, dark cellar, free from rats, is a good place to store them. The temperature should not go over sixty degrees Fahrenheit nor low enough to freeze the eggs. Clean stone jars or galvanized iron cans make the most satisfactory containers. If water glass is used, it should be diluted in water which has been boiled and allowed to cool. The exact proportion cannot be definitely stated as the water glass varies in density. However, the general proportion given is one part of water glass to nine parts of water. The mixture should be sufficiently heavy to allow the egg to pass leisurely down through the liquid. Place the eggs in this solution taking care that none are dirty or cracked. Keep an inch of solution over the eggs. Cover the jars to prevent evaporation.

If you do not have hens of your own, now is the time to engage the quantity w'anted, since after March eggs increase in price and decrease in quality.

Poultry Club

Poultry Club members in the Winter Egg Laying Contest have been learning what not to do, as well as what they should do. The following quotation from one boy shows this. He writes: "My hens are not laying yet, and as this is an egg laying contest, I haven't much show except for the 'booby' prize. Next year, though, when I enter the contest again, I will have chickens that were hatched in 5Iarch and not in May as mine were this year." Another boy says "I went out skating Saturday afternoon and forgot to feed my hens, and didn't get up 'till late Sunday morning, so my hens had no water, breakfast, or supper except their dry mash. That week I got 22 eggs less than the week before (14 hens), so my skating trip cost me about $1.50. Now when I go near the hen house the hens seem to say to me, 'No supper, no eggs', and they get their supper on time."

Pig Club

Pig Club members from last year are already asking about pigs for spring and now is the time to start looking them up. March pigs, for the Pig Club, have proven the most satisfactory as they still come under the head of "spring pigs" but are old enough early in May to be transferred to the club member's pen and become settled there before the contest starts June 1st.

The demand for small pigs tvill be great unless the prices go extremely high, and there has been talk of bringing in large numbers from other states. There are many farmers, however, who bred one or two sows this winter instead of killing them for market, and these will add to the local supply.

Trust companies that financed the pig clubs last year are preparing for a la'rger demand this year, and several other banks and trust companies are considering advancing money to pig club members on their notes.

Have you planned your garden yet? This is a question for all garden club members and for gardeners in general. If you haven't planned your garden, bought your seed, ordered your fertilizer, etc., the sooner it is done the better, or you may be disappointed. Some seeds are very scarce; shipments are slow and uncertain, so, like the early bird, the early planner will be more syre of getting what he wants.

Home Economics Club

Thirty-three clubs in fifteen towns, with a total membership of over 700, is the present standing of the Home Economics Club in Norfolk County.

Quality of work, rather than numbers, was the object sought for when the club was started, but when the work was explained in the schools it was impossible to keep the enrollment down. To keep the quality of the work up, however, and to help the local leaders in handling the clubs. Miss Blanche S. Brennenstuhl, Domestic Science teacher in the Braintree High School, is giving her afternoons to meeting with the various clubs - conducting demonstrations, giving sewing lessons, etc.

The towns where the work is being carried on are: Braintree, Canton, Cohasset, Dedham, Foxboro, Holbrook, Medfield, Medway, Millis, Needham] Norfolk, Plainville, Randolph, Stoughton, Weymouth.

It has turned out that the forces that fight for freedom, the freedom of men all over the world as well as our own, depend upon us iu ail extraordinary and unexpected degree for sustenance, for the supply of the materials by which men are to live and to fight, and it will he our glory when the war is over that we have supplied those materials and supplied them abundantly, and it will be all the more glory because in supplying them we have made our supreme effort and sacrifice.

Are you interested in tiie Norfolk County Agricultural School? Are you doing what you can to bring the school and its activities to the attention of the people in your community, especially to the young men and young women of your acquaintance?

You may not realize that in spite of the splendid start that the school made last year, it is now facing obstacles that are difficult to overcome without the heartiest cooperation. The war has cut down the attendance one third, and has shortened the time spent at the school from six weeks to two months. The school is competing with high priced labor, both industrial and agricultural. We are finding it difficult to convince the students that the rewards of attending an agricultural school are comparable to those of industrial or commercial pursuits in war time. An immediate labor income of abnormal size is a powerful incentive to ctut short a boy's school life. To counteract such an influence, there must be a strong interest in the courses offered by the school, a clear conception of the larger money value of specialized training and whole hearted encouragement from the parents and friends to remain in school.

The importance of the farmer in our economic life is being recognized now as never before, and it is to be hoped that social recognition equal to that of people in other callings will not be deferred much longer. We are looking to the friends of the Norfolk County Agricultural School to do their part in removing some of the long standing prejudices against farming as a vocation. We are ushering in a new order and we must have at this juncture the zeal of the reformer.

Talk with boys and girls about their choice of a life work. If vou learn of any who are interested in country life, tell them about this "institution and the opportunities which it affords for specialized farm training and general education. If you are not as well informed yourself as you would like to be, visit the school and learn at first hand from the director and teaching staff. If you can not visit, confer with the members of the school's advisory committees and superintendent of schools in your own town. Send for the new catalogue, which is about ready to come from the press. The school authorities of your town will be glad to cooperate with you in selecting students who :are qualified to attend the Agricultural School. You will find that most school superintendents In these days are more concerned about placing boys and girls in schools where they ought to be, than in retaining them In their own school systems regardless of their ability to meet the students' needs.

Remember that the Agricultural School is your school. Your town helps to support it. Young people from your town should share in the school's advantages. You need the school's help. The school needs your help. We shall go forward in spite of the Wjar if we are united. "United we stand, divided we fall."

by teachers and students. It is expected that Professor Hermann, the school's instructor in physical training, will be present to direct the exercises in this important department of education.

Poultry Talks Garden Talks

The meetings will be held at the Hol'lis School, Braintree, at 8 P. M: on Wednesday evenings, commencing March 27 and continuing for four weeks.

We have a limited number of Single Comb Rhode Island Red and White Plymouth Rock hatching eggs for sale. These eggs are from pullet and cockerel pens. The price is $1.25 for 15 eggs.

Hatching eggs from strain of Rhode Island Reds which were prize winners at the Storrs Egg Laying Contest. Can supply a limited number at $1.50 for 15. Apply to Everett Harper, Stoughton, Mass.

Because of the coal shortage, m'uch wood hias been used for fuel this winter, and consequently many people have wood ashes which are very valuable to the land. Hard wood ashes contain about four to eight percent potash and about thirty percent lime, provided they have been free from the leaching effect of the rains. The lime in ashes will benefit most soils, as most of our soils are slightly acid, especially if not under a high state of cultivation. Lime corrects this acid condition in the soil, and it is important that this condition be corrected, as most vegetables will not do their best on acid soils. The potash in the ashes is especially valuable at this time when this plant food, which before the war came mainly from Germany, is so high in value and difficult to obtain.

Wood ashes may be profitably applied at the rate of 1000 to 2000 pounds per acre. They should be put on after the land is plowed, and harrowed in. Do not mix wood ashes with manures. By mixing wood ashes with manures, the ammonia is set free and passes off in the air. This is the most valuable of the fertilizing constitutents, so its loss should be guarded against. Wood ashes are valuable to corn, beans and most garden vegetables. Potatoes are apt to be more susceptible to scab if wood ashes are added to the soil, especially if the disease is in the soil or scabby potatoes are used which have not been treated with formalin.

Now is the time to treat seed potatoes if there are any indications that scab or rhizoctonia are present. The former is probably so familiar thiat it needs no description. In the latter, the surface of the potato is more or less covered with w^hat resemble little specks of dirt, that can be scraped off with the finger nail. This disease has been very common in this locality the last few years.

If scab alone is present, it is sufficient to immerse the seed for two hours in a solution of one pint of formalin (40 percent formaldehyde) to thirty gallons of water. When rhizoctonia also is present, the potatoes should be immersed in a solution of four ounces of corrosive sublimate to thirty gallons of water for one and one half to two hours. Corrosive S'Ublimate is effective for both of these diseases. As this is a deadly poison, it should not be left exposed to live stock or children. In contrast to formalin, it loses its strength very readily and the same solution can be used only three or four times. The seed should be treated before it is sprouted or cut, as is described later.

After the seed potatoes have been treated, they must not he put in hoxes or bags that contained untreated potatoes or they are apt to become infected again. Furthermore, potatoes should not be planted in fields that grew potatoes the previous year, as the ground is apt to be infected with the spores of scab or rhizocton'ia.

When 'an early crop is wanted, and the ground is rather wet and cold, it is desirable to sprout the potatoes by placing them in a light room about two weeks before planting. This will develop short thick sprouts that will begin to grow almost immediately after being planted. These sprouts should not be allowed to grow more than one half inch long or they will be easily knocked off in .cutting and planting. Another decided advantlage from sprouting is that in cutting it is easily seen what buds grow well, and care can be taken to have at least one vigorous bud to each seed piece.

Having started the hotbed in good season with tomatoes, cauliflower, -and other long season crops, it is necessary that these plants be properly hardened off before transplanting to the field. If coldframes are not available for this purpose, the hotbed which has gradually lost its intense heat can t)e used to good advantage. Raise the sash a few inches each night and take them off wholly during the day; when the nights are warm the sash may be kept off altogether. Whatever you do, dotft ever let the plants be - keep them growing all the while. The young tomato seedlings in the cold frame will require careful attention in the way of watering and ventilation; otherwise, many plants will be lost by damping off or from sunscorching during bright days.

Transplanting of the crops started under glass or Indoors should not "be neglected; especially is this true of tomatoes. As soon as the first pair of rough leaves appears, shift them either to a flat with more room or to individual pots. Small paper pots may be purchased for this use at a very slight cost. Then, when the plants are set into the field, the roots and root hairs will not be disturbed as they would be if planted in a flat or in the soil in the hotbed. Eggplants, cauliflower, and peppers should be siiifted or transplanted often to produce the best results. In transplanting any seedling, set it a little deeper than it was in tlie former seed bed.

Peas are a cool weatlier crop and must be planted sufficiently early to perfect the crop before the hot weather of the summer arrives. The com'- inon garden peas are of two general types, smooth-seeded land wrinkled. 'The smooth-seed varieties are the hardier, and will germinate when the soil is so cold and wet that the seeds of wrinliled varieties would not. Peas are sown so that the seeds are one to two inches apart in the row. The plants are never thinned, except occasion'all'y by cutworms. The depth of planting varies but is usually two to three inches.

It is the early bird that catches the best worm, so order your spray materials now before the price advances to a yet higher point. Estimate your need for this summer and place your order now. The same is true with spray pumps and other spraying apparatus of every kind and make..

Having ordered our nursery trees, we will now consider setting them' in the field. The preparation of the land ought to be as thorough as the circumstances will permit, covering a period of a year in advance. It is preferable to have tlie land under cultivation the year before the orchard is set out, growing a crop of beans, corn, or potatoes, i=o leaving the land in good condition. If the land is sod ft should be plowed as soon as the weather permits. A much better plan, however, is to fall plow.

In setting out the young trees, some uniform plan should be used. There are many methods among the best of which are the square method,, the triangular method, the hexagonal method, etc. In laying out the orchard, do not be satisfied with getting an almost strlaight line - get it straight. Too many men are satisfied with the hit or miss system of setting trees. A planting board can be used to good advantage, and is very simple to construct.

If the subsoil is hard, dynamite should' be used to loosen the subsoil. Generally speaking, where the soil is hard or the subsoil clayey and impervious, dynamite may well be used, but it is not needed for sandy or open topsoil or subsoils. To obtain the best results, the user should have a clear undertanding of the principles of blasting and dynamiting. Always set the trees a little deeper than they were in the nursery, being S'Ure that the roots are spread out and fine soil in and around the finer roots, so they can start quickly. Pfrm the soil once or twice while the hole is being filled, and also after the hole is filled, then spread a shovelful" around the tree to provide a mulch to prevent evaporation. The common practice of watering trees is not well founded, for if the soil is in good' condition and well firmed around the roots the trees will live and grow better than if watered.

With a marked decrease in the number of chicks to be raised this spring, it is highly important that we make every effort to brood our chicks economically and with the least lo'ss of life and materials. A little forethought and planning ahead will mean much :at this time.

The brooding equipment should be put in readiness and tested out several da,ys before they are to be used". A thorough disinfection should be given the brooders to destroy disease germs carried over from last year. If a coal stove is to be used in a colony house, it is necessary that the house be well cleaned and disinfected with some coal tar preparation. A coat of whitewash will add light to- the house and" has antiseptfevalue. An inch or two of sand on the floor will supply grit for chicks^

Turnish a dust bath, and keep the floor warmer. Many of the best poultrymen never use anything but sand on the floor for litter. If litter is to be used, it should be fine material which the chicks can easily scratch. Cut clover or alfalfa, hay chaff, shavings, or straw cut one to two inches make a satisfactory litter for the brooder. Sawdust should not be used, since the chicks sometimes eat it, death being the result. Whether sand or litter is used, care should be taken that it does not be- <come damp or 'filthy. Damp litter makes a good growth medium for certain molds which are very harmful to chicks.

Chilling is a frequent cause of loss among chicks in the early spring. They should be taught the source of heat by confining them near the brooder for a few days. This can be done by placing a strip of screen about eight or ten inches high around the brooder. This leaves no corners in which the chicks may huddle and chill. This wire should be gradually enlarged around the brooder as the chicks learn the source of heat, and after a few days removed.

Over'heating is a frequent cause of loss. The brooder should be kept in the beginning at ninety to one hundred degrees F., and gradually reduce three or four degrees a week until the chicks are eight to ten weeks old, when no artificial heat need be supplied. The comfort of the should be considered rather than a set rule of temperatures. It will be found that the temperatures giving comfortable conditions will vary a great deal depending upon the season, ouside temperature, and vitality of the chicks. It is better to have a temperature too warm, with access to a cooler place, than too cool. The ideal temperature is reached when at night the chicks can be seen to lie flat on the floor and apart from each other. If they are crowding near the lamp or stove, then the hover is too cool, and if they are outside the hover it is an indication that the temperature is being carried too high.

With hen-hatched chicks, close attention must be given to the control of lice. Incubator chicks are not troubled so much with lice, but should be watched closely for them. A little lice powder dusted under the wings and around the vent will control these. Head lice may be treated with a very small amount of vaseline or some commercial head lice ointment. Only a little sliould be 'Used or bad results may follow. If hens are used for brooding they should be dusted well each week with lice powder.

Careful attention should be given to the lamp or stove. This should be looked after often. If oil brooders are used fill the lamp and trim the wick each day. If a coal stove is used, put on fuel at least twice a day and oftener if necessary.

There is too often a tendency to overcrowd the capacity of the brooder, thereby producing stunted chicks and a high mortality. We should rarely run over fifty chicks under the oil brooders or two hundred under the coal stoves. A safe rule on the coal stove capacity is to run half as many as the manufacturer advises.

Leg weakness is a coiimon cause of loss among brooder chicks; especially is this true when the chicks are confined on cold hard floors. "Plenty of sand on the floor with litter for exercise will help to keep off this disease. Bone meal in, the feed will give bone development to the rapidly growing chick, aiding in the prevention of leg weakness. A piece of sod placed in the brooder will provide mineral matter and exercise. In preventing leg weakness it is highly important to get the chicks on the ground and in the outside air as soon as possible. If the weather will permit, the chicks should be allowed to run outside after a week old, even if they can be left out for only a short time. When they begin to huddle they should be placed in the brooder again. After placing them out a few -.times they will learn the way back themselves.

Some of the grain dealers have shown a willingness to mix the poultry war rations recently recommended by the Agricultural Colleges in the Eastern States. These rations are mixed at about the retail price for the ingredients, and are more economical than the ordinary scratch feeds. The ten per cent, allowance for wheat is included.

The objects in chick feeding are: (1) quick maturity of a large proportion of chicks hatched; (2) development of large, strong, well-proportioned frames; (3) low cost as is consistent with other requirements. The essentials are good wholesome food, cleanliness, regularity, exercise, proper quantity,, animal food, green food, mineral food, and pure water.

The first food should not be given until the chicks are 36 to 48 hours old, since the egg yolk nourishes them until this time. The first meal may consist of rolled oats with a sprinkle of bone meal, charcoal, and chick grit. This should be moistened with either sweet or sour skim milk and fed in shallow pans. Tiiis should be given five times a day the first week. A little commercial chick feed may be sprinkled on the sand the first day. If possible, the only drink the first few days should be either sour or sweet skim milk. We believe that skim milk is one of the best foods that can be given chicks, both to promote growth and prevent disease. White diarrhea and other chick ailments are often prevented by the use of milk. Wherever possible, skim milk should be used in the feeding of chicks. When water is given, it should be kept clean and changed often.

A little green food in the form of finely grated mangels, sprouted oats, or lettuce should be given daily from the. first. After the first day, a growing mash should be kept constantly before the chicks in shallow trays or boxes. This mash may be kept available for the chickens until maturity. A growing mash which has been used by hundreds of practical growers and has given satisfactory results is as follows:

After the first week, the rolled oats feedings may be substituted by the above growing mash moistened with milk, adding a little chick grit and charcoal. The number of moist mash feedings per day should be gradually reduced so that by the sixth week only one a day is given. It is important that several feeds be given each day during the first several days to get the best results. However, where time forbids, one may start off with three feedings of moist mash per day and the results will be satisfactory,

The fine commercial chick feed should be fed in the litter to induce exercise until the fourth week when it may be gradually replaced with intermediate scratch grain or the "War Ration" chick scratch grain as given elsewhere in this bulletin.

When chicks are attended to the last time at night, the crops should be examined to see that they are well filled, This indicates proper feeding, and will insure good growth, Plenty of exercise must be given to keep these rapidly growing birds in good health. This is best secured by feeding the scratch grain in litter and providing free range.

There is still time enough to hatch chicks which will grow and develop properly. General purpose or American breeds such as Plymouth Rocks, Rhode Island Reds, and Wyandottes, may be hatched until the last of April and give good results.

"Poultry production should be increased greatly, especially in back yards and on farms where waste material is available and the purchase of expensive grains and, other material is not required.

"Increased poultry production may be attained most economically by early hatching; by confining mother hens at least 10 days after the chicks are hatched; by reducing losses on account of rats, weasels, and thieves, and from cold, damp conditions; by thorough sanitation; by discouraging the marketing of early hatched pullets as broilers; by eliminating nonproducing hens and keeping good layers through at least two laying seasons; and by the poultryman raising his own feed as far as possible."

"Rule 15, of the Poultry Division of the United States Pood Administration seems to have opened the door wide to what appears to us at least gross irregularities.

"This rule should be interpreted as permitting the farmer to sell only in a most limited way to retailers or consumers in his immediate vicinity, that is, his city, town or village, and in no case more thian one or two pair at any one time."

Representatives of Poultry Departments of Eastern Colleges, including the Massachusetts Agricultural College, recently held a conference for the purpose of adopting a standardized war ration for chicks. The report follows:

"It was appreciated that this question will soon be a very vital one where chicks are reared in considerable numbers, and the limitation as to the usage of wheat contributes to make the problem still, more acute. After careful consideration the representatives of the four colleges assembled approved the following rations and recommended methods of feeding and authorized their immediate publication and release for general use.

Chick Rations And Methods Of Feeding Chick Scratch

2. When chicks are about six weeks of age the above chick scratch may be mixed by substituting coarse cracked corn for the fine cracked corn and whole wheat for the cracked wheat.

3.. After chicks are ten weeks of age the Standardized War Scratch Ration for Laying Hens, previously adopted, should be gradually substituted for the above chick scratch.

Chick Mash Methods Of Feeding

During the first week feed the above chick scratch ration four or five times daily, feeding same sparingly or what they wall clean up and be hungry at each succeeding feeding. Prom the third day on keep wheat bran before them all the time.

Skim milk or buttermilk is considered indispensable in the feeding of baby chicks especially during the first week, which period is especially critical in the development of the growing chick. In order to insure that all chicks become familiar w^ith the milk and secure a sufficient amount it is further recommended that no water be given during the first week. If milk is available it is recommended that its use be continued.

Milk is one of the many foods that has almost doubled in cost during the past year, and as a result of this increase in cost there has been a general decrease in the amount consumed. The advance in the price of milk has been justified by the increased cost of food for cows, and in order to make milk production a paying proposition for the farmer, the price was necessarily increased.

Economy in the diet does not always depend upon limiting the use of certain foods, but sometimes is a question of increasing foods which furnish nutritive material at a low cost. Milk is an example of this type of food, and we find that milk at 15 or 20 cents a quart is a comparatively cheap food.

We eat food for three main reasons: first, for energy; second, for building material; and third, for body regulating substances. In order to have a healthy well-nourished body, all these needs must be met. The value of a food to the body is measured by its ability to supply one or all of these needs. The cost of a food is measured by comparing its cost as a source of energy, building material, or body regulating substances, with the cost of these things in other foods.

To Supply Energy At Equal Cost

Dietary experiments have shown the nutrients in milk to be of exceptional value. The proteins of milk are very superior, and are particularly good and necessary in the diet where growth is taking place. Milk must be included in the diet of the child, and can well be used as a substitute for meat in the adult's diet. Although milk is not a cheap source of energy, we find the energy yielding constituents, fat and sugar, to be peculiarly valuable. Milk sugar does not easily ferment in the digestive tract, which is an important factor in the feeding of young children. The fat of milk contains a substance essential for growth, and occurs in but few foods in amount sufficient to promote normal growth. Although milk has been so liberally praised for the quality and cheapness of its protein, this is not the only conspicuous function of milk as a bodybuilding food. Milk as a protein yielding food can be replaced in the dietary more easily than milk as a lime yielding food. Comparatively few common foods contain, in the amounts that can be eaten and digested by a child, a sufficient quantity of lime to provide for normal growth. Milk is the richest in available lime of all the common foods, and its absence in the family dietary or its use in very limited quantity may prove to be an expensive procedure as well as an unsafe one. The. abundance of lime in milk makes it at eight or ten cents a quart the cheapest possible source of lime, and at even fifteen or twentj^ cents a quart a very cheap source of lime. There must he plenty of lime in the children's food, for a great deal of it is needed for their hones and teeth, and some for their blood and all other parts of the body.

Milk is comparatively rich in phosphorus as well as in lime, and forms an important and cheap source of this valuable element. Milk is low in iron, and when it forms any considerable part of the diet it should be associated with foods rich in iron. In spite of its low iron content, it is an important food to use when the blood is low in iron, because lime in food is believed to increase the ability of the body to utilize iron.

Many people do not realize how nutritious skim milk is. They imagine that because it so generally has little or no commercial value it is hardly fit for human food. As a food it is not so valuable as whole milk and cannot take the place of the latter in the diet of children. Nevertheless, skim milk can be used to great advantage in cooking and is altogether too valuable to be wasted. Compare the composition of whole and skim milk. Skim milk is equal to whole milk in food value with the exception of the fat content and the growth producing substances.

Those who buy milk seldom have much skim milk to use unless they follow the custom of skimming their own cream. This is an economical way of solving the milk and cream problem and should be more generally practiced.

The war has placed an increased demand upon our milk supply. During the past year we have shipped three times as much butter as in any previous year, and we will doubtless be called upon to ship five times as much this coming year. To meet this demand, we must be economical in our use of butter and prudent in our use of milk. Waste of milk in any form should not be permitted in any household.

(2) If the soda is mixed with the dry ingredients, more gas is retained in the product, but any undissolved soda will appear as brown spots. For this reason it is better to dissolve the soda in the liquid just before mixing.

(4) Slightly more than twice as much cream of tartar as soda is required if these are substituted for baking powder. Two and one fourth teaspoons of cream of tartar and one level teaspoon of soda are needed for one quart of flour.

(5) To substitute sour milk for sweet in any receipt, use about one fourth of a teaspoonful of soda to one cup of buttermilk or loppered sour milk. This replaces one teaspoonful of baking powder in the receipt . If the receipt calls for four teaspoons of baking powder, we may use one fourth teaspoonful of soda and one cup of sour milk to replace one teapoonful of baking powder. Three teaspoons of baking powder will still he needed to make the product light.

The Food Administration has issued five rules to guide the housewife in buying. Two of these rules give suggestions regarding the purchase of milk.

Allow one quart of milk for every child if possible, one pint without fail. It is desirable to allow one pint a day for each adult in the family; at least allow them one cup.

Many adults and children who object to raw milk will take it when disguised in desserts, soups, etc. Milk is the foundation of the following receipts. Have you ever tried them?

Cream Of Turnip Soup

Scald one quart of milk with two slices of onion in a double boiler. Add one cup cold mashed turnip and cook ten minutes. Add a little cold milk to two T. corn starch and rub until smooth. Add to the scalded milk and cook ten minutes. Add three T. oleo or nut margarine. Season with salt and pepper and strain if desired.

Appledore Soup Scalloped Ham

Beat eggs thoroughly and add to milk. Place alternate layers of ham and cheese in oiled baking dish. Pour milk and egg mixture over all and bake 25 minutes in a moderate oven.

Mock Crabs

To 3 T. of nut margarine or vegetable oil, add 1-4 c. corn starch mixed with 1 1-2 t. salt, 3-4 t. mustard, 1-4 t. paprika; then add gradually 1 1-2 c. milk, 1 can corn, 1 egg slightly beaten, and 3 t. Worcestershire sauce. Pour into a buttered baking dish, cover with buttered bread crumbs, and bake until the crumbs are brown.

Creamed Rarebit

Scald the milk in double boiler.. Cream the oleo and corn starch well together. Add to the scalded milk and cook 10 minutes. Add the seasoning and the grated cheese to the hot white sauce, stirring constantly until the cheese is melted. Serve on dry toast. One half a cup of chopped olives may be added. This sauce is very delicious served with an egg omelet.

Omelet

Cream the fat, add the flour, and add gradually scalded milk. Cook in a double boiler for five minutes. Add the yolks of the eggs which have been beaten until tliiok and lemon coloredi. Remove from the fire, add the seasonings, and fold in the white of the eggs, beaten until stiff and dry. Heat omelet or frying pan and oil the sides and bottom, turn in the mixture, spread evenly, place on a range where it will cook slowly, occasionally turning the pan that the omelet may brown evenly. When well puffed and delicately byown underneath, place the pan on the centre grate of the oven to finish cooking the top. The omelet is cooked if it is firm to the touch when pressed by the finger. Fold and turn on hot platter. Serve immediately.

Sea Moss Blanc Mange

Place one quart of milk in a double boiler. Shake 2 t. sea moss farine very slowly into the milk and add 1-4 c. sugar or syrup. Stir it well to prevent lumping while it is slowly heating. A slow heating gives a whiter color and better flavor. Add 1-8 t. salt. Flavor with lemon or other extract. Pour into molds and serve cold with cream or preserves. The juice from one bottle of maraschino cherries folded into whipped cream and served on the blanc mange, garnished with cherries, makes a very delicate and attractive dessert. The pudding may be varied by adding 2 T. cocoa with the sugar. w

Mix the corn.starch, sugar, and salt, dilute with cold milk. Add to the scalded milk, stirring constantly until mixture thickens, afterwards occasionally. Cook 1.5 minutes. Add the white of eggs beaten stiff and the pineapple. Mix thoroughly, mold, chill, and serve with soft custard.

- Beat eggs slightly, add the sugar and salt. Stir constantly while adding gradually the hot milk. Cook in a double boiler. Continue stirring until mixture thickens and a coating is formed on the spoon. Chill and flavor. NOTE: When eggs are scarce, use yolks of two eggs and 1-2 T. cornstarch.

Reaching the individual hom.e in food conservation work is a difficult problem, but most essential. In order to make the work more farreaching, a plan was suggested to the conservation committees in several towns whereby a local person should be appointed to act as a leader in food conservation work. Eight towns chose leaders, and a series of eight lessons were given these women in demonstrating war cookery. After completing this course, the leaders formed neighborhood groups in all sections of their towns, and have given out information and receipts which they received. These leaders have been most enthusiastic in their vi^ork and have accomplished splendid results. One leader for the past month has averaged four demonstrations a week in her town, having had an average attendance at her meetings of thirty women. As a result of her work, probably 500 women have been reached in this one town.

One leader has completed the course in war cookery with three groups in her own town, and as a result of her success here has been called to a neighboring town to give the course to a group which has been formed there.

The establishment of a food centre in one town has been the outgrowth of one leader's enthusiasm in food conservation work. The weekly demonstrations that she gives here have been very well attended, and the appreciation which the women have expressed for the information received" has been most gratifying.

A group of fifteen women in Quincy have recently been chosen to serve as local leaders. These leaders are at present taking their course in war cookery, and will soon be able to give instructions to neighborhhood groups.

The enthusiasm and efforts of the women doing this work is most commendable, and we feel that by this method of instruction many women have been reached that otherwise would not have been.

Foxboro is quite alive to the great need for food conservation. As a result of the efforts of the Woman's Food Conservation Committee, a food' centre has been established. Two attractive rooms in the^ central part of the town have been procured, and these rooms are fast becoming the centre of food conservation work in the town. One room has been fitted up with sufficient equipment for demonstrations. In the adjoining room, various food exhibits are displayed, receipts are posted, and quantities of bulletins arranged for distribution.

Although this food centre has been established less than a month, It has been very well patronized by the women of the town. The rooms are' open two afternoons a week, and once a week a demonstration is given on war cookery. There are m:any possibilities that may be developed in this centre, and it is expected as the season advances that a greater use will be made of these rooms.

Anyone interested in visiting this food centre should make arrangements with Mrs. Mabel C. Swift, chairman of the Food Conservation Committee.

Classes in the renovation and remodelling of clothing have beenstarted in Franklin and Holbrook. There are fifteen women enrolled in each class, meeting once a week in the home of one of the members. The course consists of nine lessons in practical dressmaking, being given under the instruction of Mrs. Edith L. Tyler of Somerville. Mrs. Tyler is not only a practical dressmaker, but has been teaching dressmaking during the past winter in the Somerville Evening School.

The first lesson is devoted largely to the explanation of commercial patterns, explicit directions being given for using and adjusting the various patterns to fit the individual. Suggestions are also given for cleansing and pressing material for renovation. Each woman- brings her individual problem, and suggestions are given her as to what patterns could be used for the material which she has. The following five lessons are devoted to the making of the garment under the supervision of the instructor. In one class the following garments are being made over: small boy's coat, woman's coat, evening dress, child's dress.

We hope as a result of this instruction the women in these classes will have received suflRcient information to make possible a better utilization of discarded material which is not worn out.

The State Leaders of Boys' and Girls' Club work in their conference at Washington, February 14 to 20, adopted the following outline for a standard club:

5. There shall be held at least six regular club meetings during the club year. The secretary shall be required to keep definite records of these meetings and also of the progress of each member of his project.

12. When the first four requirements have been met, a Standard Club charter will be issued. When all the requirements have been met, a National seal of Achievement will be awarded.

The following out of this outline will assure a uniformity of work throughout the whole United States and give a fair basis for the comparison of state achievements.

The most important change is the lengthening of the club season to December 1st. Last year a lot of the club members' pigs were just beginning to grow well when the contest closed, the first of October. This year these members will have a chance to try again under better conditions. Mr. Rice, State Leader of the Pig Clubs, besides outlining the rules for the club work,, also gives some good advice. He says: and which is so sorely needed as a human food both here and in Europe.. Of course, you will need to buy some grain to feed in order to get paying results, but you must grow as much of your own ifood las possible. As soon as I receive your enrollment card I will send you a half pound of Dwarf Essex Rape seed with instructions for planting. This will furnish your pig with a lot of cheap food during the summer. You should also plan to grow some field corn; 20 to 25 rows about 100 feet long will furnish corn for a pig for two months.

"Begin to make your plans now, find out where you can get a good pig, build him a nice house and moveable pen, get your ground ready to plant, etc.

Massachusetts Boys' And Girls' Pig Club

The following is an extract from a letter recently sent to the chairmen of town food production committees and local newspapers by the County Food Administrator:

"The Food Administration regards the plan of the Boys' and Girls' Pig and Poultry Clubs as promising great assistance in the production of food this year.

"To carry out this plan successfully in every town, it is essential that the Board of Health in every town be as lenient as possible. If there are any local rules or ordinances that would interfere in any way with the largest possible increase in the numbers of pigs and poultry, will you not take it up with the local Board of Health, to get them to work with you as far as possible?"

The Saturday lessons for high school boys who have enlisted for farm service this summer were started April 6, with an attendance of thirty-two boys. The towns sending boys were as follows:

Farm Practice Course For High School Boys

9:00 Teachers and Principals - Conference in Director's Office. 9:20 Welcome by Director F. W. Kingman - Assembly Room. 9:30 Address by Mr. W. A. Munson, County Agricultural. Agent, Norfolk County Farm Bureau. 10:00 Registration of students.

A garden course, covering actual work in planting, care, cultivation, and spraying, including short talks on these subjects, will be given at the school this spring if there is enough call for it. Commencing May 1st the course will be given Wednesday afternoons at 2:30 for a period of six or eight weeks. If you are interested in such a course, will you please communicate with the Director?

The New England Branch of The Woman's National Farm and Garden Association will be the guests of the Norfolk County members of the association at the Agricultural School, Walpole, Saturday afternoon, May 4th. This live organization is doing a splendid work in stimulating interest in food production and turning the attention of young women toward farm and garden work. At the close of the session a visit of inspection will be made to Westwood, where a group of young women ~is to be employed on a farm the coming season.

Two Candee Mammoth Incubators, one with nine sections, one with eight sections. Any reasonable price considered. Purchaser to take down and pack.

The Massachusetts State Board of Agriculture has secured from Henry Ford & Son, Inc., an option on 1,000 of the Ford tractors. These machines tare being manufactured at a factory specially built for the purpose, at Dearborn, Michigan, and are the same type as an order of 6,000 now being, completed for the British Government.

These tractors have not been put on the open market and the Ford Company is distributing them only through governmental agencies. . The price is $750 f. o. b. Dearborn, and the freight on carload lots to Massachusetts points will not exceed $15.

The Board of Agriculture has made an arrangement with the Oliver Chilled Plow Company for furnishing tractor two bottom plows at $143 f. o. b. Worcester. The plows will, be shipped direct to the buyer's station.

Market gardeners are studying the detail of their business for all possible conservation of labor and materials. The prices of their products at wholesale have not ruled higher than in pre-war days, and unless special measures are found which will reduce the_ expense it will be impossible for many of them to maintain their usual production.

It is proposed that market gardeners stop bunching many of the vegetables now treated in that way. This is believed to be a wise measure which will worlk no hardship to the public and will bring considerable saving in labor and materials which will be free for other more essential work. We hope that the consumers of Massachusetts will 'Cooperate fully with this proposed plan and be glad to buy such crops as celery, beets, carrots, parsnips, turnips, radishes, unbunched and by count, where they have hitherto hought the;m by the bunch.

It is planned to start this change in handling on May 1. All the Market Gardeners' Associations in New England have been approached, and most of them have agreed to adopt the plan.

The methods of drying have been greatly improved over those used last year and the dried products are bound to grow in favor. There is much less percentage of loss in the dried than in the canned produce and the greater saving of space required for storage is much in its favor. Also, those who have done much drying declare it to be a very great saving of labor. The article does not deteriorate in flavor and if placed in suitable containers, can be kept over a period of several years. Such vegetables as corn, peas, and beans, which are inclined to flat sour in the process of canning, are always successful when dried. The German housewife often has more than a year's supply of vegetables and fruits dried and stored in paper bags.

On April 2 and April 16, the garden supervisors who have been appointed by local food production committees met at the Farm Bureau t)fiice for a conference. Timely topics relating to the home garden and ways in which the supervisor can be of most value to the citizens of his were discussed.

One of the best plans advocated for bringing to the attention of the individual the correct making and care of a garden, is the neighborhood demonstration. If a successful backj'ard gardener can be found who will invite to his garden those of his neighbors who are interested in getting the most from their plots of land, and there discuss with them the practices he has found to give the best results, and demonstrate his methods of preparing land, applying manure and fertilizers, treating seed for diseases, planting seeds, cultivating, thinning, weeding, transplanting, spraying, staking tomatoes, and the use of the various garden tools, much, more is accomplished than by simply giving out information as it may be requested. Seeing a thing done is always more impressive than telling about it, and those who depend entirely on their own personal experiences and investigations are considerably longer in getting results than those who gain from the experience of others.

Those present at the last supervisors' meeting believed that a great many timely suggestions could be brought to the home gardener's attention by having garden bulletin boards placed in the most frequented public places. In order that these suggestions might be authoritative, a request was communicated to the Massachusetts Agricultural College for printed bulletins with seasonable suggestions for posting on the boards.

It was voted to hold the next supervisors' meeting on April 30. All present felt that the exchange of ideas was of much value and helped materially in advancing their work. These meetings are open to any who are interested in the promotion of home gardens and wish to attend.. Any seasonable subject desired by those present will be discussed.

About two hundred and fifty people interested in poultry keeping met at the State House on Tuesday, April 16, for the organization of the New England Poultry Producers' Exchange. A report of a national poultry convention was given at this meeting, showing the seriousness of the poultry situation over the country and especially in ISTew England. A Constitution and By-Laws were discussed and adopted. The objects of the organization are given as follows:

2. To encourage, introduce, and apply improved business methods in poultry culture and to promote cooperation with State, County, and local organizations in New England which are engaged in the work of developing poultry producers' interests, especially those concerned in cooperative buy^ing or manufacturing of supplies and in the distribution of products.

4. To secure efficient economical and uniform methods in grading,, packing, transporting, marketing and advertising of poultry and poultry products.

5. To rent, buy, build, own,, sell and control such buildings and otherreal and personal property as may be needed in the conduct of its operations.

6. To protest against rules and regulations detrimental to our interests, and to suggest from time to time rules to regulate abusive practices in handling supplies necessary in our business.

7. To affiliate with the Eastern States Farmers' Exchange in the purchase of its supplies and marketing of its products and to avail itself of the facilities of the Eastern States Farmers' Exchange and participate in its management through sueli representation as may be authorized by

Ihe Executive Committee of the New England Poultry Producers' Ex- -change and by the Executive Committee of the Eastern States Farmers' Exchange.

The organization authorized the appointment of a representative in Washington to cooperate with the Food Administration in securing favorable rulings which affect the poultry industry. A special effort is "being made to secure a better grain situation immediately.

The Exchange plans to conduct an educational campaign concerning the food value of poultry products with emphasis upon the value of fresh -or New England produced eggs. Any who are interested in this organization should write to Professor J. C. Graham at Amherst, for a copy of the constitution and by-laws and for other information about the work.

The Boston Work-Horse Relief Association, an incorporated charitable society, maintaining the annual Work-Horse Parade and a Free Hospital for Horses, will be glad to assist any person desiring to purchase a horse in the city of Boston. We have an agreement with several leading dealers under which they agree to give a good bargain to any person recommended by us, and in case of any dispute arising from the sale, to abide by our decision in the matter. We make no charge for this service, and receive no commission. We require only that the intending purchaser shall call at our ofJice, 15 Beacon Street, Boston, and register his name and address, and shall be willing to pay a minimum price for any horse which he buys. We fix a minimum price - 'Usually about seventy-five - because we do not wish to assist in the sale of any horse unfit for work.

This agreement has been in successful operation for some years, and has saved many persons in different parts of New England from being swindled by fraudulent dealers. We are permitted to refer to Wilfrid Wheeler, Secretary of the Massachusetts State Board of Agriculture, State 'House, Boston, and to the Honorable Andrew J. Peters, Mayor of Boston.

Testing of seed corn has been urged in every way possible, yet we have our attention called to some cases where farmers are going to plant seed without testing. This is taking a long chance, for reports are coming in from many reliable sources that many samples of corn which gave every appearance of being good for seed have given a germination test under fifty per cent. Some reports say that corn which tested high last fall does not give as good test tliis spring.

It takes but very little time to test a lot of corn, yet that time will pay the biggest returns of any spent on farm operations this p-eason. It will mean that the man who is sure of his seed and has spent time and money in preparing the land and fertilizing it, may feel that he has an even chance of getting a profitable crop. The planting of untested seed will mean that the chances are largely against a uniform stand of corn. If the corn plants are missing, even to the extent of five percent, there is a five percent reduction in the crop. This is not a large figure, but indications point to nearer fifty percent missing plants from untested seed. That means the loss of one half of all expenses of growing the corn, besides the crop itself.

If testing shows the seed to be very poor, the best thing to do is to look for a new supply. The surest way is to test the corn ear by ear, and then, after all dead ears have been discarded, the seed can be depended upon to be uniform.

Every person planting a garden should be prepared to fight insects and diseases from early spring throughout the whole summer. In fighting them we must know the habits of the peculiar kind of insect or disease we are trying to control. Insects are divided into two main classes; one, we call biting insects, the other, sucking insects. As these insects have different methods of breathing and taking food, they must be controlled differently.

The biting insect has a well developed digestive system, eating food like an ordinary animal. This class of insects may usually be killed by a spray of a poisonous solution, or by dusting poisonous powders on the plants attacked. Arsenate of lead is the one most commonly used, giving very good results in most cases. This poison may be purchased either as a powder or paste. The former contains twice as much actual poison, so in using the powder half the quantity given below will be sufficient for ordinary spraying for such insects as potato bug, currant worm, tomato worms, etc. Use three pounds of arsenate of lead to fifty gallons of water; for some insects (gypsy moth) the amount of lead may be increased to five pounds. This spray will be all right for cabbage until they start to head, after that use either pyrethrum or hellebore.

For the destruction of insects which suck sap from the plants, such as the true bugs and plant lice or aphids, it is necessary to use a mixture which kills by contact or substances which smother the insect. These insects usually collect on the under side of the leaf, so it is necessary to spray the plant all over. A good formula is one half ounce nicotine sulphate, one half ounce hard soap, two gallons of water. A kerosene emulsion is frequently used, one half pound hard soap, one gallon soft water, two gallons kerosene. Dissolve the soap in the water which should be hot, then add the kerosene and churn with a pump until the material gets thick. This is a stock solution. Dilute one part of this stock to nine of water.

The ordinary blights are usually prevented by spraying with a Bordeaux mixture. Formula: copper sulphate 4 lb., lime 4 lb., water 50 gal. Suspend the copper sulphate in a dish of water until it dissolves, then dilute to 25 gallons. Slake the lime carefully, adding water slowly, and stir until it is a thick cream; then dilute to 25 gallons. Pour these two solutions together, stirring them all the while. Prepared Bordeaux may be purchased by the small gardener in combination with lead arsenate in the form of pyrox, and is very good for use on potatoes and various other garden crops as an insecticide and fungicide. In order to control blight, start early in the season and keep at it every week or ten days throughout the entire summer. In spaying, use a nozzle that gives a fine mist, for it is very important that every part of the plant be covered and kept covered during the whole growing season.

The suspension of the rule forbidding the slaughter of live poultry will throw upon the market a large number of birds which should be retained for laying another year. We believe this is a good opportunity for those who have made no start toward a backyard flock to secure mature stock at a fair price. Birds which were hatched last spring will usually pay if kept another year in small backyard flocks, while they might not pay under commercial conditions. Since it is too late to begin hatching now, a good way of starting the home flock is to purchase some of these birds from poultrymen and farmers who are making room for their growing stock. It not only has the advantage of avoiding the dangers of rearing, but will also conserve the potential supply of hens and add to future production.

Many poultrymen, as well as small flock keepers, are this year considering the production of grain and green food as far as possible for their flocks. It is true that where a large flock is kept, one cannot well produce his entire supply of grain, but he can produce part of it and most of his green food. We believe that corn should be grown where practicable, and after large enough, use as a range for the young stock or hens. Rape and mangels make very desirable green foods for poultry and can be easily grown in this section. Rape is very desirable for growing stock, while it gives dark yolks to the eggs when fed to hens. This dark color is not harmful, but injures only the appearance. In feeding rape, simply cut the outer leaves without injuring the bud, and the plant will continue to yield during the summer. The mangels may be stored for winter use when green food is scarce. It has been found by experiment that plenty of green food reduces materially the grain bill and promotes the health of the flock.

The high cost of feed and the scarcity of labor has somewhat discouraged a number of dairymen and in some cases caused them to sell their herds. The purpose of this article is to try to show that there is a bright side to the business, due to the demand for dairy cows and products, both during and after the war.

In this connection, Carl Vrooman, Assistant Secretary of Agriculture of the United States., stated recently in an address to the Wisconsin Dairymen's Association: "The dairy nerds of the old world are depleted to an appalling degree. There is not a country in Europe where, the people have enough dairy products, and this process of depletion is going on every day and will continue to the end of the war. When the war is finished, we will find the world with a demand for dairy products twofold, fourfold, tenfold greater than the supply. Europe (every country in Europe) will come to us with outstretched hands, and say to us 'We must have milk; give us canned milk, dry milk, give us butter, cheese, give us dairy cattle, give us animals to build up our dairy herds again.' Unless America has stimulated the production of dairy products, has increased our supply of dairy animals far beyond anything in the past, we will be entirely unable to supply this demand. We will supply as much of it as we can, for they will be willing to pay practically any reasonable price for our live stock; and we will supply so much that our own resources will be exhausted. Then this country will be without sufficient dairy products."

In 1917, for instance, we exported about 325 million pounds of butter, cheese, and condensed milk over against 22 million in 1914; also in 1914 we imported about 86 million pounds of these products while in 1917 it amounted to only 33 million. This demand for our dairy products, as Mr. Vrooman says, is bound to increase. This foreign demand, together with the increased demand in this country, due to the more generally recognized food value of milk, surely point to a very bright future for the dairy industry.

The main uses of the soy bean in this section are for silage, forage, and green manure or cover crop. For silage it is used in connection with corn. If used in this way, the silage should consist of one part of soy bean to three or four parts of corn. The soy bean adds protein to the silage and thus makes it more nutritious. It is probably best to plant the corn and beans in separate fields and mix them when putting them into the silo, although some farmers have planted the beans with the corn, with the disadvantage of the corn shading them. Some others have omitted every fourth row of corn and planted beans instead. When planted alone, they should be drilled in rows about two and a half to three feet apart, and about four seeds per foot. This will require about two or three pecks of seed per acre. This planting is done about the same time as that of corn, and the cultivation is also like that of corn. When cut for silage, the beans should be well developed, but the stem should not be hard and the leaves ready to fall off.

Under most circumstances where beans have not been grown before, it is probably best to inoculate them. This is especially true where they are used for green manure. This will furnish the plant with the bacteria that take nitrogen from the air for use in the plant. The nitrogen is later put into the soil when we plow under the beans, and the soil is thus enriched. The inoculation is done by scattering soil (200-400 lbs. per Acre), in which beans have grown, over the field, or a culture may be obtained from the Massachusetts Agricultural College at Amherst and used according to the directions.

Feed Bills Abe Ruining The Dairy Industry

It will be only a matter of time, and a short time at that, before Midd'esex County dairymen are forced out of business unless they turn to rai ing more corn, clover, and other crops of high feeding, value instead of such a large acreage of hay of low feeding value. Conditions have changed and it is no longer possible to buy feeds at market prices and compete successfully with dairymen of other sections who grow a much larger portion of the ration.

Feed Prices Fell For Thirty Years

During the thirty years following the civil war, there was a tremendous expansion of North American agriculture, both in total acreage, due to the settlement of the west, and in productive capacity per man, due to the development of labor saving farm machinery. Overproduction of farm crops was reflected in declining prices of grains. During the latter part of this era prices were so low that Eastern dairymen found it more profitable to buy large amounts of concentrated feeding stuffs than to go to the expense of growing crops of high feeding value. A very large percentage of the improved land was allowed to lie in hay. Tihat system of farming still persists but has long outlived its usefulness as the conditions which brought it about have disappeared. There are no more cheap feeds nor are there likely to be.

Feed Prices Have Been Rising For 20 Years

Since 1897, consumption has overtaken production, the tide of prices has turned sharply upward and economical production of dairy products solely, or even largely, on the basis of purchased commercial feeds has become almost impossible. The increase in prices since the outbreak of the war has been particularly rapid but has been offset in part by increases in the prices of dairy products;. Hay, which exceeds all other crops in acreage by a wide margin, has not increased in price nearly so greatly as the grains and concentrated feeding stuffs, and hence is relatively less profitable to grow than it was ten to twenty years ago when the price of a ton of hay would buy nearly a ton of grain.

Adtancing Feed Prices Force A Radical Change In Cropping System

The time has come to cut down the acreage of hay and increase the acreage of crops of higher feeding value, and thus decrease the expenditures for commercial feeding stuffs. The saving thus effected will much more than offset the increased cost of doing so. Silage corn, field corn, clover, peas and oats and alfalfa, wherever it can be grown, are particularly well adopted to this purpose.

The fact that the present world war is not being fought on our soil and that our lands have not been devastated in the conflict has made it harder for us to realize our individual responsibility in the war. Are we doing everything in our power to keep the battlefield on European soil, or shall we, because of our indifference, allow the scene of battle to shift to the United States? This will undoubtedly happen unless we furnish a continuous and sufficient food supply to the men in our allied armies. The United States is almost the sole supply of food for the European armies and for our boys that are at the battlefront.

The food supply for our armies is in a critical condition at the present time. We not only have a limited supply of food, but we are handicapped by our transportation facilities. Our wheat situation is today the most serious situation in the food supply of the whole allied world. Consequently, Mr. Hoover has discarded the rules for wheatless days, and instead is requesting us to use no wheat before the new harvest in August. True patriotism does not confine itself to saluting the flag and singing the "Star Spangled Banner." The following extract from Mr. Endicott's weekly bulletin will show us how- we may be truly patriotic:

"Householders who can do so are asked to give up all use of Avheat products from now until the new harvest comes in in August. This request covers not only white flour, but also graham flour, whole wheat flour, wheat breakfast cereals, macaroni, noodles, spaghetti, vermicelli, and all crackers, bread, pastry, cakes, doughnuts, etc., containing any wheat flour. Householders who have hitherto baked at home and are able to carry out this request will not begin now to buy bread of bakers. To do that would defeat the purpose of the present request.

"Any who are not able to follov/ this request to give up wheat products altogether are instructed that they should absolutely limit their use to a voluntary ration of one and one-half pounds per person per month. Those who give up wheat products altogether will have seven wheatless days a week. Those who conscientiously have to use a little wheat flour or bakers' bread will distribute it carefully through the week so as to use just as little as possible. No household ought to use more than two pounds of bakers' bread per w'eek per person, and every loyal person will less than that if possible. Of course no loyal person will use wheat flour for general cooking purposes.

"Bakers' bread is necessary for the subsistence of a part of the community and should be left exclusively to that part. Bakers have to use a considerable proportion of wheat flour because their bread must be durable. Beginning April 14, bakers will be required to use 25 percent of substitutes, and not permitted more than 75 percent of white flour in their bread."

Many people are suffering from the delusion that their personal peculiarities make it necessary for them to have wheat flour in their diet. Most of these claims are the outgrowth of selfish motives. Dr. Alonzo B. Taylor in his address at a conference of hotel men in Washington, has classified people of this type quite properly. The following is a quotation from Dr. Taylor's address: or that, merely because they are accustomed to this or that other thin^,. or because they have had idiosyncrasies bred in them or developed by luxury.

"Now, gentlemen, whenever any one of your patrons tells you that he or she can't eat oats or rice or corn, but must have wheat, that individual is either a crank or a slacker and deserves from your hand only the consideration proper to the one or the other.

"We have all to decide whether we will serve the Allies, who need help the most or* whether we will serve ourselves, who need it less. We' had better begin serving the Allies now."

The cereal substitutes which we have purchased with our wheat flour will not keep. Do not let them accumulate, for you are contracting needless expense and allowing a waste of food. Your families will eat them if they are well prepared and served in a variety of ways.

Mix together rice, salt, melted shortening, beaten egg and milk- Add corn meal and baking powder. Beat well and bake in greased tinsfor twenty-five to thirty minutes.

Mix and sift dry ingredients; add the well beaten egg to the Karo,. milk, and melted shortening. Beat well. Pour into well oiled muffin tins. Bake in a hot oven.

Sift buckwheat flour and potato flour three times. Sift in the baking powder. Add salt, well beaten egg, milk, molasses and melted fat^ Bake in well greased cake tin.

smooth paste Mix the dry ingredients; add the beaten egg and the peanut butter mixture. Drop from a teaspoon on an oiled tin and bake in hot oven.

Beat egg thoroughly, add the sugar and beat. Add the milk and Beat the whites until stiff and dry. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the and let stand 15 minutes. Bake fifty minutes in a moderate oven.

1 T. lemon juice Beat yolks until thick and lemon colored. Add the sugar and beat. Add the water and flavoring and continue to beat with the egg beater. Beat the whites until stiff and dry. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the beaten yolks, and fold in the stiffly beaten whites. Bake in a moderate oven.

Food preservation must include more this season than merely canning fruits and vegetables. We must can, dry, and preserve more fruits and vegetables than ever before in order to make each family self-supporting. We cannot afford to have failures this year. Foods are too costly and precious to be wasted, "and time is too valuable to be spent without having results to show for it.

In order to make preservation work in Norfolk County more efiicient, we are planning to have two courses for training leaders in methods of preservation. These schools are to be held for two days, and will consist of practical work in the canning and drying of fruits and vegetables by people participating in the course. Community enterprises and club work will be discussed. The schools are conducted by the Massachusetts Agricultural College in cooperation with the Home Making Department of the Farm Bureau, the instructions being given bytwo instructors from the College.

These training schools are to be held the week of May 20. In order to accommodate leaders from all towns in the county, we are hoping to have two centres, one in Norwood for towns in the western part of the county, and one in Quincy for the convenience of the towns in the east'- ern end of the county,. We should have an attendance of fifteen leaders in each school. After receiving this training, the leaders will be equipped to act as information bureaus and give demonstrations to neighborhood groups in their respective towns during the summer months. Do you not think that your town would be benefited by having one of these leaders?

The Food Administration makes the following statement regarding the supply of sugar: "Sugar may be used at the rate of three pounds per person per month. A supply of sugar will be provided later for canning under direction of the Government."

The Norwood Civic Association is cooperating with the Committee of Public Safety in opening a Conservation Centre at the Model House, 10 East Hoyle Street, Norwood, Mass. The Centre is to open on Thursday, April 25, with Miss Marion P. Crawford in charge. Mrs. Eugene Endlcott,, Woman Food Administrator of Norfolk County, is to have general supervision.

Three rooms have been attractivfely fitted up for this purpose. One is to be used as a library and. reference room, where the messages from the Food Administration, exhibits, and war-time receipts will be posted. Two rooms are to be used for the preparation and cooking of war-time foods.

Classes of eight members will be offered a course of eight lessons in war cookery. A Home Demonstration Department will also be established at this Centre. It is planned to offer courses in the renovation and remodeling of clothing.

The Centre will be open daily from nine to five, except on Mondays and Saturdays. On Mondays the hours will be from two to five, and on Saturdays from nine to twelve.

More than 80,000 quarts of fruits and vegetables were canned in community kitchens in Massachusetts last year. In addition to the caning, several hundred bushels of products were dried. These figures do not include the thousands of quarts of products preserved in the homes of those who came under the influence of one of these community centers.

were remarkably successful in that they increased quite largely the preservation of food materials. The loss from spoillage was very small, in no case being more than 2 percent and in most cases running less than 1 percent.

The cost of doing the work where volunteer labor was used was very low, running from 3 cents to 7 cents per quart with an average price for all fruits and vegetables of 6 cents per quart jar. In those communities where all paid labor was used the prices ran from 7 cents to 13 cents per quart jar, with an average for all products of 10 cents per jar. The items included in the cost were labor, sugar,^ salt and the rubber ring.

Patrons of these community canneries who had to buy new jars were able to purchase them at a price 2 to 3 cents per jar below the regular retail price. This was made possible IJecause many communities bought their jars in car load lots and were therefore able to supply their patrons at wholesale price.

There should be many more of these centers organized this season. Such an enterprise is worthy the careful consideration of every community interested in food conservation.

1. They will produce the maximum of food preservation, because the community becomes saturated with the idea of food conservation. The majority of people become enthusiastic and increase their store of preserved foods and the slackers and indifferent ones are shamed into activity through the work of their neighbors.

It economizes in time, energy and fuel. Five women in a comimunity kitchen can do all the canning and drying that would be done by" 40 to 50 families. This would relieve 35 to 45 women for work of other kinds. Think of the saving in fuel and energy. We need to conserve our woman power, and this would be one good way of doing it.

There are many in every community who do not know how to canj and dry. Others who do not have the time, and still others who do not have the inclination. A community kitchen will take care of all such, families.

6. Last but by no means least, is the friendly spirit of cooperation which has developed in those places where the work has been done. The influence on the ajuount of food preserved has been very marked.

Your community should have an organized center this year, even if it is operated only one or two days per week throughout the canning and drying season.

Let the slogan of every community be "A quart of preserved fruits or vegetables for every day in the year for every family in the community."

This song was contributed by the Weymouth club members, but could be used for a county song by substituting the words "Norfolk County Workers" for "Weymouth Willing Workers."