HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1976-01-22, Page 15REM-MIX
CONCRETE
All Types of Concrete Work
McCann Const.
Ltd.
DASH WOOD
Phone 237-3381
(free estimates)
Bill Stewart's
aown tO earth
Canadian influence in Cuba
EXHIBITION PARK—TORONTO-10 AM TO 6 PM
OKIHRI/Va
THE LARGEST SELECTION OF AGRICULTURAL EQUIPMENT
DOER ONE ROOF IN CANADA
I °111
PREVIEW THE 1976 PRODUCT LINES
4OR5 CANADA'S FIRST IN-DOOR
THURSDAY & FRIDAY AT 7 PM
The Purina "Non-Ureas"
Are Doing Well!
40 GOLDEN MILK CHOW
B16 & B18
• COW CHOW B38
• GOLDEN STEER B32
BULK SERVICE A SPECIALTY
BEV. MORGAN
& SONS
RR 1, Hental1 /35-1487
Get big, healthy, fast growing
pigs . AT LOW COST!
FEED..!..
Purina Feeder Pig Chow
FROM 25 TO 50 LIVE WEIGHT
SMA1.I. NURSING PIGS NEED . . .
Purina Baby Pig Chow LW.
BEV MORGAN
& SONS
RR 1, Henson 235-1487
A
NEW TRACTORS 111 8
1—Formal 766 D w/standard equipment
1—Formal 1066 without cob
1—Formal 1466 with cab, 20.8x38 tires
1—Farmal 1466 D, cab, air, 20.8x38 tires
1—Farmall 1566 D cab, air, 20.8x38 tires
1—Int. 674 D w/18,4x30 tires
USED TRACTORS
1—Farmall 766 D w/roll guard Low hours
1—Farmall 1066 D w/cab, 550 hours, 1 yr. old
1—Farmall 1066 0 with cab, 1700 hrs, Real good
1---Farmall 1066 D without cab, 1700 hours, sharp
1—Farmall Hydro 70 w/cab, 200 hours
1—Int. 656 D Clean & good
1—Int. 275 gas. Reconditioned
1—Farmall 544 D New tires, Sharp
1—Case 730 D. Cheap power and 1 SOLD
1—Massey Super 90 gas. Runs well
1—Massey 255 D, loaded, only 490 hours
1—Massey 135 D. Clean & good
1—Int. 354 gas w/1550 loader. 800 hours
1—Leyland 384 D. w/Dunham loader
1—Farmall C w/cultivator
1—Farmall Super M gas
1—Farmall Cub w/Woods' mower
1—Oliver 550 gas with loader
1—Int. 434 D, power steering, 1501 loader
1—J,D. 1020 gas with #37 loader
1—David Brown 1200 diesel, real good
1—Farmall 1256D with cab. Excellent
1—Int. 504D w/2001 loader. Real good
\*1 N. T. MONTEITH
EXETER LTD. 235-2121
"Tile best in service when you need it most!"
MAJOR DOOR PRIZES OF A
JOHN DEERE CHARCOAL GRILL
• CLARK LOFT, RR 3, Ilderton
• JACK MACGREGOR, RR 5, Clinton
TWO OTHER PRIZES WERE WON BY
• S. DIETRICH, RR 3, Dashwood.
• R. A. FULLER, 39 Sunset Dr„ St. Thomas
THANK YOU
We extend our sincere thanks to all the people who
visited us during our grand opening last week. We
enjoyed showing our modern sales and service
facilities, although a few people couldn't make it to
our open house due to bad weather conditions. Please
feel free to come in any time, we'll be glad to see you.
HURON TRACTOR
(EXETER) LIMITED
Hwy. 4, north of Exeter 235-1115
JOHN DEERE
C. G. FARM SUPPLY LTD.
236-4321 ZURICH 236-4934
Attention Contractors!
Make 1976 A EIS]
Year With .. .
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year after year, more
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Before Buying . Drop In And See
Our Machines
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Your local dealer of Cose Industrial Equipment
Times-Advocate, January 22, 1976 Page 15
Woodlot improvement
increases farm profit s
In mid-December, I had the op-
portunity to visit Cuba for a
week'. as part of a special
Holstein-Friesian Goodwill Tour,
organized by Claire Burt of
Brampton.
Leaving the cold and snow of
Ontario to spend a week in 80"F.
weather was something to look
forward to. However, we arrived
in much cooler weather with
severe north winds. Only on the
last three days of the week in
Cuba did the temperature warm
up and the north shore beach
become safe for bathing.
Our group met with Ramon
Castro. Minister of Agriculture
and brother of Premier Fidel
Castro, spending most of one day
with him, viewing Canadian
Holsteins and their offspring.
One would be impressed with the
effect artificial insemination of
cattle and research has had in
improving milk production on
the island — but more credit is
due to the infldence of Canadian
Holstein blood lines.
On several of the large state
farms visited, we found average
milk production to he about 50 to
55 lbs. per day. A few cows were
'tireducing 100 to 115 lbs. a day.
We were advised Canadian-born
Holsteins were kept under cover
of shade at least 8 hours a day.
Native-born Holsteins could
stand the warm climate much
better and were not given any
special treatment.
Although much modern equip-
ment and new concrete cow
sheds (open on both sides) have
been built by the state, many of
the Canadian Holstein breeders
on the tour felt improved handl-
ing and caring for the cattle
would pay handsome dividends.
More bedding and less wet
manure in the loafing areas
might have reduced what we
thought might have been un-
desirable arthripe conditions in
the cattle.
Canadian Holsteins have been
used extensively for cross-
breeding with native cattle —
resulting in vastly improved
milk production. And of course a
great deal of beef is produced by
the raising of all the calves to
maturity.
Seldom had anyone on the trip
seen so many miles of, barbed
wire fences dividing the farms
into 5 to 8 acre pastures which
would be rotated every few days.
Concrete posts 6" x 6" x 7' were
placed approximately every 10
feet 'with 5 strands of barbed
wire fastened to the post in much
the same way as an Ontario
farmer would fasten wire to an
iron post. The posts were all
painted white as were most of
the dairy buildings.
Cuba has a large cattle popula-
tion — grass grows well with the
average annual rainfall of over
21 inches coupled with the warm
year-round climate. We saw no
clover or alfalfa but we heard
research into growing these
crops was underway. Cuba im-
ports over half a million metric
tons of corn for livestock and
poultry feed annually.
Pork production is being ex-
panded as is ,,egg and poultry
production. Eggs were selling at
about 10e each, We visited a
Crocodile farm with ap-
proximately 35.000 crocodiles be-
ing raised for their hides. We
were told the farm would have a
population of at least 50,000
before any would be processed
since it took that many to main-
tain a steady supply of leather to
the market. They were a vicious
lot and I wouldn't want the job at
any price to look after them.
Sugar cane is the main crop of
Cuba, with thousands of acres
just starting. to be harvested.
Much of it is cut by hand,
although several mechanized
harvesters are coming in par-
ticularly for use on the enormous
state-run farms. Private land
owners still carry on — many liv-
ing under very primitive con-
ditions by our standards — but
using their red and often stoney
soil to produce vegetables,
coffee, tapioca, pineapple,
bananas, citrus fruit. sisal (for
baler twine), and of course sugar
cane. We saw several yoke of
oxen being used to plough and
work the land and to haul the
long wagon loads of sugar cane
to the 150 sugar factories
throughout the island.
Never could I have even im-
agined so many old cars still be-
ing used. Even Model A Fords of
pre-1930 vintage could be found.
While some cars were showing
their age, one might see more
rusted-out cars in Ontario. Cuba
might be described as an antique
car fancier's paradise. Some
new European compact cars are
coming in particularly for use as
taxis in Havana, the capital, a
city of over 2,000,000 people.
Next to.Canada, Cuba has the
world's largest supply of nickel.
The Cuban fishing industry is ex-
panding. A $900 million order for
fishing boats has been placed
with Spain. These boats will be
known as fishing factories.
Already Cuba has fishing boats in
every ocean except the
Mediterranean Sea.
Rum, which is a by-product of
the sugar industry, is readily
available everywhere. Rum and
tobacco, particularly cigars,
were virtually the only items
tourists could buy. All other ar-
ticles require ration books,
which of course only are
available to Cubans or to those
working for the Government
from abroad. and there appeared
to be several of these!
Only those. who owned houses
or farms prior to the Revolution
of 1959 can retain them. They can
turn them over to members of
their family but cannot sell
them. All other people live in
rented accommodation owned by
the Government. Factories supp-
ly members of their staff, known
as 'builder brigades', to build
apartment houses. These are go-
ing up virtually all over Cuba,
but particularly in the urban
fringe of Havana. The workers
pay 6ri of their salary as rent
where factories build such
apartments. Salaries range from
80 to 600 pesos per month — in a
country where everyone is sup-
posed to be equal, it appeared to
me that some were a bit more
equal than others! For those not
living in such accommodation,
the rental fee is 1.0`'- of salary.
Farm workers are given free liv-
ing accommodation when
employed on state-owned farms,
, We rode in air-conditioned
tourist buses recently imported
from Spain by the Cuban govern-
ment as part of an order for 115
such buses placed with Spain.
The Cuban government is
definitely interested in in-
creasing the tourist industry. We
were told 96 new tourist hotels
are being built by the Govern-
ment, We have pictures of some
of these and in fact we lived in
one for the week we were in
Cuba. Night Clubs flourish. We
visited the Tropicana in Havana,
the largest and most popular,
The floor show involved over 200
performing artists, from dancing
to gymnastics, and of course all
done to music, The show lasted
over two hours and will run for
approximately a year, And that
was only one night club! We
wondered how they could stay in
operation. However, since
everything else is rationed in
Cuba — and there is supposed to
be no one unemployed — Cubans
could freely attend these night
spots. We were told prostitution
and gambling have been com-
pletely wiped out in Cuba.
Gas rationing provides for the
owner of any car to obtain suf-
ficient gas coupons to travel ap-
proximately 250 miles per
month, The cost of this coupon
gas is 600 per gallon. However,
gas is available over and above
the coupon allowance but the
price is $2.00 per gallon, an effec-
tive and unique way of rationing!
Hydro power is available and
widely used. The rates are based
on useage, but a normal average
urban home would pay 7 Cuban
pesos per month ($8.40 in Cana-
dian funds). Telephone service
left much to be desired but cost
an average residence occupier
about the same as hydro. Natural
gas was mostly used for cooking,
but I didn't get a price on that.
Compulsory army service is
required for three years for all
young men. Call-up time is
between the ages of 17 and 26,
with those up to age 35 being,
placed in the reserves after their
three-year compulsory stint.
Havana resembled an armed
camp, bristling with all sorts of
military hardware, as
preparations were made for the
first World Communist Party
Congress ever to be held in Cuba.
The city was sealed off on the
day we left, which was the day
the Congress officially opened.
Our plane was 11 2 hours late in
gotting away from Havana air-
port due to strict security placed
on all traffic. It was good to see
the Canadian crest on our plane
and better still to touch down at
Toronto airport 3T t hours later.
If the trip did nothing else, it
made us all realize how much we
A properly managed farm
woodlot will furnish a convenient
and economical supply of timber,
fuel and fence posts for home
consumption and, at intervals,
will yield valuable sawlogs and
veneer logs for market,
Farm woodlots will produce
much valuable material without
improvement work, but there will
also be many undesirable,
crooked and defective trees of
little value (hat could have been
eliminated, More efficient
management of many of these
woodlots could double or triple
the value of their output.
The majority of farm woodlots
in Southern Ontario are in need of
some type of improvement work.
Instead of being left to grow
untended, young second-growth
woodlots may be treated to
produce more high-quality wood
more quickly for higher profits.
• The most important treatment
in a young woodlot is a thinning
when the trees are four to ten
inches in diameter and 30 to 60
years of age, Thinning is done by
cutting or girdling low-value
trees to stimulate the growth of
the remaining trees and to im-
prove the quality and com-
position of the woodlot. Thinning
the young forest may be com-
pared to weeding a garden in that
the production of wood is con;
centrated on the most valuable
trees.
Older woodlots will benefit if
the less valuable species and the
leaning, twisted, branchy,
crooked, diseased and over-
mature trees are removed.
There is a great difference in
the commercial value of the
different species, those of least
commercial value being known
as !'weed trees", These "weed"
species will never grow into good-
quality timber and should be
removed as early as possible.
Improvement work in such older
woodlots may still be carried out
have for which to be thankful in
this country. Democracy may
have its weaknesses, but at least
if we don't like the way our
elected representatives are
legislating we can, and do, vote
them out of office by secret
ballot, Just witness the recent B.
C. provincial election. But of the
five Provinces in Cuba, only one
.is being given the right for
provincial government, and this
sixteen years after the Revolu-
tion. Even when these elections
are held later this year, there
will be only one party
represented on the ballot. The
choice will be between that par-
ty's candidates, Only those who
are active Communist Party
members can be candidates, and
they represent only 10% of the
total Cuban population of just
over 8,000,000,
Having been actively involved
in politics all my life and an
elected representative in On-
tario's legislature for the last
eighteen years, I came back to
Canada quite reverently thank-
ing God for the freedoms we en-
joy, but so carelessly take for
granted, in this great country,
at a profit if the trees are big
enough.
To assist woodlot owners in the
most efficient management of
their woodlots, Ministry of
Natural Resources staff will
inspect a woodlot on the owner's
request to advise on management
techniques, Of even more im-
portance, the Woodlands
Improvement Act authorizes the
Ministry to enter into agreements
with woodlot owners under which
woodland improvement work
may be done free of charge by the
Ministry.
All owners of five or more
acres of woodland qualify for
woodland improvement
assistance if the woodlot is ap-
proved as suitable for forestry
purposes. The Ministry of
Natural Resources provides the
labour and supervision to do the
actual thinning of young woodlots
or girdling of undesirable cull
trees in older woodlots at no cost
to the owner.
The responsibility of the lan-
downer is to protect the woodlot
from grazing and fire and to
report significant insect or
disease damage to the Ministry
office, The agreement extends
for a period of fifteen years in
most cases and, if the land is sold,
the agreement can be assumed
by the new owner for the balance
of the fifteen year period.
Any woodlot owner interested
in details of this assistance is
invited to contact the Ministry of
Natural Resources office at
Wingham, Ont. The Wingham
District includes Huron and
Perth Counties.
Legal tender is that green and
crackling stuff which is mighty
tender when you have it, and
mighty tough when you don't.
Centralia
Farmers
Supply Ltd.
Grain • Feed • • Cement
Building Supplies
Cool
228-6638
FREE
1976 SEED AND
GARDEN CATALOGUE
BEAUTIFULLY
ILLUSTRATED
Complete List of Flower and
Vegetable Seeds, Lawn Seeds,
Garden Supplies, Etc., Etc.
Clip Out and Mail Today!
ONTARIO SEED CO. LTD.
BOX 144, WATERLOO, ONT,
Name
Address
Prov,
Dealers hold
snownnobi le
safety day
One of the finest programs to
draw the attention of
snowmobilers to snowmobiling
safety is being conducted by the
Ontario Snowmobile Distributors
Association in six Ontario centres
this winter.
Called an "OSDA Snofari", the
kick-off event was held in Barrie
on January 11. Even though
heavy downfalls of blowy snow
kept large numbers of people off
the highways, over four hundred
snow machines and their riders
gathered for this excellently-
organized snowmobile safety
gala.
Working with local snowmobile
clubs which provide fifty miles of
well-groomed trails for each
outing, members of the
association have arranged a
superb opportunity for a
snowmobiling family to become
aware of the ways of the
snowmobiling fraternity. The
knowledgeable snowmobiler
believes the most agreeable and
safest way to enjoy the sport is by
joining a snowmobile club and a
"Snofari" experience proves
what good snowmobiling is all
about . . . scenic beauty,
challenging trails, awe of our
environment, congenial com-
panions and snowmobile safety
savvy.
GRAND OPENING — Huron Tractor had its grand opening celebration last Thursday
and Friday tq mark the opening of a new addition to the farm implement centre, in-
cluding a new expanded parts department, service centre, and office space. Officials
attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday included executives from John Deere,
Canada. From the left; Harry Winters, owner, Herb Verbeek, owner, Jack Van Bussel;
owner, Ken Simon; territorial manager, John Deere; Earle Long, Owner, Harry
Mykolashyn, general sales manager, John Deere, Ed Stahl, vice-president in marketing of
John Deere, Lawrence Ruud, division sales manager, Doug Knowles, Bank of Montreal
manager, Jim McRoberts, regional manager, Bank of Montreal, and Ralph Franklin, vice-
president of Bank of Montreal. photo by Robinson