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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1924-7-30, Page 7itc" esi • 13fficient Farming SIMPLE RULES FOR CULLING, I'nonlayer, olid ypu can feel what you We know that is cverY flock that, • cannot see in the difference between :e has been laying heavily throughout layer and `a nonleyer, the winter and spring the production begins to drop aft quite materially in July, The heavy -laying hen along in the summer will have all of her old fea- thers intact. She will show no pin Among well eared for hens this fall- feathers or the appearance of new tug off in production is due to one plumage. The old feathers will be reason only, and that is that the na- dry and rough to the touch. They turally poor birds, the nonpi•odueers, will be soiled and dirty. Many of them quit laying early, but the naturally may be broken off, especially around heavy -laying hens keep right on lay- the top of the bead and the tipe of ing throughout the summer and into the tail feathers, the early fall. A bird with this old worn plumage The problem of culling is to .elimin- with no appearance of new feathers, ate from the flock these poorer birds is in all probability laying heavily at as they stop laying during the sum-jthat time. mor months. I. But if you find a bird that is"neat-: The problem of culling simply re -,Ing and its body is covered with pin solves itself down to ane question, is feathers and she has grown in any she or isn't she laying? I new feathers, especially on the body It has been found that the appear- or wings, she has rested a consider- once of the lien is closely influenced able time while these new feathers by egg production. The birds ehange,were being grown, or she has quit for their appearance very materially i the summer. In all probability the when they are in heavy-layingcondi- latter is true. • tion, as against their periods of non-) The average hen does not change laying, so all we' have to do then in her plumage and lay at the same time. order to determine the cull birds is There may be exceptions to this' rule, to determine the appearance of those but they usually occur in the case of external characters which indicate late molting hens in the fall. non -production and production, The art of culling is simple, but if After the Strawberry one wishes to go into it and make.. a Harvest. very careful study, it is possible' to In Ontario most strawberry etches predict with great accuracy, not only , y p whether a hen is laying or not, but are kept in fruiting two years. The how she has been laying, how long condition of the patch 'after the first since she stopped laying, about how crop, with the plants crowded closely many eggs she bas laid and about how together, the ground weedy and pack long she will continue to lay, These more technical problems, however, require long study and ex- the patch is merely to allow for a perience. To the every -day poultry keeper, certain simple rules and rela- system of cultivation and fertilization which will build it up for the next By far the simplest character to summer's crop. The quantity and study in culling is that of the comb. When the ovaries are active and eggs are being produced in abundance the comb is large, swollen, bright red in color, warm to the touch and has"a tendency to stand erect. This is due to the large quantity of blood which is circulating through it. When, hibwever, ovarian activity ceases, the comb shrinks rapidly in size, it becomes cold and dry to the touch and it becomes shrunken and 'covered with a whitish deposit, which is dead skin tissue. So, if you are 'looking to eliminate the culls, look first at their combs. Those which have the small, dry, shrunken, thin, cold combs, are surely not laying. All pullets as they are coming into maturity, if they are of the yellow - skinned and yellow-shanked variety, and have been well grown, have an abundance of yellow pigment on their bodies. This is•evidenced in the beak, in the skin color, in the shank color, kept up until fall. In the colder dis- and, in the white ear -lobed varieties, in the ear lobe itself. As this pullet comes into laying con- dition and begins to produce eggs rapidly, it bas been carefully observed ed by pickers, calls for some system of renovation or cleaning out. The renovation or clea'ning up of tions are all that are necessary. quality of this crop depends largely on the cultivation and fertilization following renovation as will be sho+ -n later, One of the best methods of handling the patch, after harvest, is to mow the leaves with a scythe or mower and rake them, together with straw or other covering material which may have been used as a mulch, off the patch. This is burned, but if the mulch is to be used a second year it is raked off before the leaves are cut. In the latter process the crowns of the .plants should not be injured. To reduce the number of plants the rows have all except a narrow margin on one side plowed away. This is more satisfactory than plowing a furrow away from each side of the row be- cause the latter method leaves the old plants to reformthe patch rather than the younger vigorous plants on the outer edges of the row. Following plowing the ground is worked down and constant cultivation tricts it is advisable to cover the plants after the ground freezes with a mulch of straw or strawy manure. This is raked between the rows in the that this yellow color disappears first spring, helping to conserve moisture from the skin, especially in the vicin- and keep the fruit clean. ity of the vent, then from the ear It has been shown that 'the buds which r lobes. At the same time it disappears produce the fruit clusters of from the flesh immediately around the strawberries are formed in the late eye ring and then gradually it dis- summer and early full preceding the appears from the beak. Lastly it re rop. cThus it follows that any prac- cedes from the shanks and after rice which will help to strengthen the plants and aid the formation of these months of heavy laying the shanks will be absolutely free from any yel- buds will increase the next year's low pigment. Just as soon as the bird crop. It Is evident then as before stops laying, color again appears in mentioned that the time to get this these sections. ---.First it appears in effect will be after the.renovatlon or the vicinity of the vent, then in the with a new patch from July or August ear lobes and eye ring, followed .on. This does not mean that the new quickly by the return of the color to or old patch is to be neglected earlier the beak and finally. after a few. in the season but to stress' the need of weeks' rest, the shanks will begin to constant latercultivation and point take on their rich yellow color again. but that fertilizers to have any effect The degree of pigmentation can be on the crop must be available the fall used then as direct evidence in culling. "preceding. As far as practical exper- If the vent and ear lobes are bleached 'ionce or experimental evidence goes and white, the bird is 'in all probabil- no effect has been secured from spring ity laying. • applications of fertilizer, although If, However, the vent is surrounded until recently many thought that the by yellow skin and the ear lobes are. spring treatment of the pateb largely yellow' in the white ear -lobed varieties influenced that year's crop. -D. A. and the beak and shanks" yellow, the Kimball, 0. A. College. bird is resting and has been resting for some time, Breaking _Up the Broody Hen. So, use the degree of the yellow pig -1 A couple of years ago I kept a small Ment in these sections then, as an in -'flock in a part of my barn; adjacent dication first of present laying and to it I made a roomy yard. also of past performance, I IIaving merged this flock with an- One of the best evidences of laying other, the place is -vacant. The nests or nonlaying is the condition of the are covered and now when Mrs. Hen vent, In periods' of reproduction the becomes broody she is placed in this vent is much enlarged. It is soft, roomy enclosure, where she has every inoist and oval in shape, whereas in convenience a hen might want, except periods of dormancy oe nonproduction an opportunity to sit, I am careful to the vent is shrunken, the skin is hard- remove them to this place before they layered with fat, it represents more of have remained in a broody condition a -circular shape and is dry I any length of time, They enjoy get- Just take a couple of birds, of which ting into the yard and "dusting" or you think one is laying andone not "ruffling" in the dirt., Change of sur - ,laying, and examine the vent care roundings doubtless contributes .to _a fully to see, how pronotmced this dif-' change of mind. They do not lose, ference is, I weight, are contented, and usually When eggs are being produced, forget about being broody in about rapidly, the abdominal section of the three days. bird's body is enlarged, It is soft and Why not give the flocks large, pliable to the touch. There is a eon.' roomy yards when there is an abun- siderable spread between the pubic I dance of land? It pays. Many times, bones or the lower thin points of the , with land going .to waste, the flock pelvic arch. There is considerable dis-:is kept in a prison -like yard in which thrice between these pelvic bones and 'grows no living. thing. I have yards the rear of the; keel. The skin is solt large enough to admit of something 'to the touch. When any bird ceases to 'lay, the ovaries become contracted and in. native, the abdominal section seems to shrink and shrivel, The shin becomes dry, thick and hard, Just lay your hand on the abdomen growing in then all the time, .and I never saw a more happy -looking buti h of hens, -Il, C. When prices for farmproducts are down, as good returns can be had from the farm of 120 to 140 acres as of a heavy -laying hen and with the 'from larger farms, since the large tips of the fingers feel the looseness 'farms multiply losses unless they are and pliability of this section, and then properly stocked with efficient ani- eompare the same condition in the mals and welt managed. Hogs on premises where Foot and Mouth Disease has been found are killed and buried.. TRAINING OUR CHILDREN aY IRENEAYERY- JUDSON. JOHNNY AND THE COMPANY. Company was coming. The atmos- phere of Johnny's home. was tense; the very shininess of woodwork and furni- ture, the forbidding spick spanners of every room, even to the nursery, caus- ed the tired eyes of Johnny's mother to 'glow with satisfaction and the round orbs of Johnny to overeloud with gloom. Two busy days of preparation had brought the heavy droop to the shoul- ders of the mother, who little realized how many irritable words had been thoughtlessly, impatiently directed to the defenceless laddie. And now when all was ready and the guests were due, tho fresh, crisp linens that gave John. ny such a smartly starched appear- ance merely heightened the uneasiness that filled the boyts heart. The company arrived and there was a flood of warm embraces; the strain, alas! was very hard on Johnny. Then the long anticipated visiting began, and who could wonder that the general relaxation caused all the pent- up steam in Johnny to burst forth most shockingly? The laddie's mother, near distrac- tion, thought not of the reason for it, but remembered only how fatigued she was from much unnecessary work. Too weary to think clearly, she pun- ished him -it little matters how ---be- fore the strange, onlooking crowd. Terrible .Humiliation bore down upon Johnny, and causedthe fair young head to droop with shame. The world was black indeed, filled with harsh indifference, and the"truel peo- ple in it smiled behind their hands! 0, if he had just been punished where they could not see -those eyes now so amused at his distress! Then he and his mother might have kept it all a secret. Ile need not have lost his boyish self-respect. Yes, if she had but thought a mo- ment, and given him a chance to quiet that excited little mind in the seclu- sion of hisroom, later to come forth from there rested, self-controlled, then he could have met their faces with frank -boyish purpose 56 disturb no longer. That would have spelled a victory for Johnny. But as it was, in silent mortification, he slunk away from everyoup, and the memory of that day was never bright. Bruise not the fine stem of the flower, 0 Mother! lest it lift its face less frankly to the light. The old idea' of slapping youngsters on the back and telling them to "stand like a soldier" is inaccurate, say pos- ture specialists. "Erectness with ease is the idea," they say. The Sunday School Le $ail AUGUST 3. The First Disciples of Jesus, John 1: 3541. Golden TE t Jesus saith unto him, Follow me, -John 1: 43. ANALYSIS. L NEW EXPERIENCES, 30-40. IL NEW NMES, 41-42. III. New HOPES, 43.61. lemeonuexzorr-One of the first acte of Jesus was to gather round him a circle of young men who should be the witnesses and supporters of his min- istry; and to whom, in course of time, he might communieata the divine'se- cret of his Mesaiahship. What had come to him in his baptism must ono day be published to•the :world, and for this the proper instruments could only be men whose hearts he had won, and whose souls he had led step by step into the light. All our Gospels men- tion the calling of a group of disciples at the beginning of the ministry, but only St.' John ,records that certain members of this group hadpreviously belonged to the ranks of John the Baptist, As men who had come under deep religious impressions during the mission of John, the latter were spe- cially prepared to receive the call of Christ. At this time Jesus himself would, to the outward eye appear only as a disciple and assistant of John. Gradually, however, the assist- ant attracts more followers than the master, and John, himself recognizing this, gladly hands over to Jesus the choicest of his associates. I. NEW erceneeeNCES, 85-40. The first followers of Jeans began their discipleship with new exper- iences which attached them to Jesus for the rest of their lives. V. 35. The names of the first two v Growing Breeding Males. disciples are not given here, but from After, the surplus cockerels have v. 40 we gather that one of them was been sold as broilers and the best Andrew. It is generally concluded youngsters selected to be grown into from the silence observed with regard future breeders either for sale or for Ito the other that he was no other than ,John, the source of the special teach - home use it is a problem on many ing of this Gospel. farms how best to take care of these Vs. 36, 37. The Baptist points the „ young roosters. Itwo disciples to Jesus with the words: 3, Catch -my -pal One of the first If only a few are to be grown it is `Behold' the Lamb of God." These principles adopted by General Booth often especially difficult to find a suit- words represent the aspect under m Planning for the continuance of the able range. Where large numbers are which the disciples finally came to reafounder ove ent�oawhich he was to be raised it is best to put as his understand the mysterious calling of diem in Jesus. They came to see him as the ,own kind." This was the method of flocks of not over fifty each in large sin -bearer, who on the cross laid down the first disciple of Jesus, who became runs that are well shaded, with onehis life, thus takings the place of the at once the first missionary, and be - old cock to boss the lot. I Passover -lamb, which .in the older gan in hie own home. The greatest days supplied the "blood of the coven- act of Andrew's splendid life was ant." At the beginning they did not bringing his brother Peter to Jesus, If a man understand this mystery, but it was is not a Christian in his own gradually revealed by Jesus. home, it is doubtful if he is one any - Vs. 38, 39. The - disciples ask timid- where. There i a story of a devout ] where Jesus dwells and on receiv- man who was concerned for his bro- an open heart, only a personal exper. iencc can prove what Jesus is. Vs. 47-49. Trow markedly different from Nethanael's first word about Jesus, is the welcome of Jesus to Na- thanael1 Jesus received him as a pat- tern "Israelite" devoid of the "guile" which had characterized the ancient Jacob, Nathaniel is astonished at the salutation, and still more aston- ished that Jesus had already read his thoughts as he was sitting under the fig tree, and he at once takes up the words of the other disciples, hailing Jesus as the San of Gad, the King of Israel. Vs, 50, 51. But Jesus premises Na- thatiael and the other disciples still greater discoveries. He assures thein that they shall yet see him in his heavenly glory, as the true fulfilment of the vision which Jacob had once seen at Bethel, Gen. 28:12. They shall come to see that it is Jesus who truly leads men up from earth to heaven, and who is thus, "the way, the truth, the life." APPLICATION. 1. Tho Country Preacher. In to- day's lesson we have the stimulating word -picture of one of the greatest preachers in the world's history, with a congregation of but two men. That sermon, by the uncouth country preacher, led the two young men to Christ.; "One of the two was An- drew," the first of that famous group. of men to whom we owe all our knowl- edge of Christ and the gospel. Let us be humbly grateful for the faithful testimony of "the voice in the wilder- ness." 2. "What Seek Ye?This is a pene- trating question, searching out not only deeds but motives. For what port are you bound? John's preaching made the young men in the story feel deeply the need of something they had not. It awakened a divine discontent. This old male will solve many of the problems' that otherwise come up, as he seems to have a very quieting influence on the youngsters. Another big help is to have plenty of outdoor roosting poles in the .runsing the invitation "conte and see" they ther and prayed earnestly "0 Lord, so that any. rooster that is being, join him. It was now the tetnh hour, touch him with thy finger.' Then in chased can get away frock his tor- which,reckoned from 6 a,m., would be a dream he heard the voice of God mentors. They can follow him up on 4 p.m, and the disciples remain with say, "Thou art my finger; go and the pole but they can not stage a very their new-found Master for the°rest touch him. Having kindled our successful fight on a small pole three of the day. What did he teach them? torches, let us hand them on to others. Where did he have his dwelling? Does The modern brotherhood of St. An - the evangelist mean that he had his drew, whose sole object is the spread dwelling -place in God, and that this of Christ's kingdom among young men thea ret which his first disciples and boys, has two rules -1. Prayer, to s or four feet above the ground. Weighing a Spring. was c pray daily for youngmen. 2. Service, A spring -which furnished a water discovered? Certainly the disciples,P Y supply by gravity became so low dur- became at once aware of the spiritual, -to make an earnest effort each week ing a protracted dry spell that the magnetism of Jesus, since they re-tto bring one young man within the flow of water was interrupted daily, mained with him not for that day- hearing of the gospel. Thus in ever - till it being impossible to obtain water only, but for the whole rest of their br ng iSimon,circ�and John s AV ds James, from a tap for an hour or more at a lives'and Philip finds Nathanael. This is time. To overcome the difficultyfive II, NEW NAMES, 41, 42. the way in which the Church has galvanized, iron bushel baskets were The first effect of the interview on grown and will grow. placed bn the surface of the water in• the spring and loaded with stones, S Christ. h The Live Stock Market. each basket being weighted with all d A d There is a noteworthy feature in it would hold without sinking. The the Dominion Live Stock Branch mar - displacement made by the weightedv baskets raised the level of the water inspiration. B th A d 8,i report for the week ending July 3, inasmuch as the top price for select and increased the pressure to such an bacon hogs at Toronto is quoted as extent that a normal flow of water which $9.75 as against $9.35 for the same was available during a dry period date last year, thick smooth hogs at when the supply`of water would have have we found in Jesus to make us $8.90 against $8.50, and heavies at been too low to keep the pipes filled. $8.25 against $7.50. For other kinds the prices average unchanged. Lambs The New Dictionary. and light sheep also show an increase, That great work, the Oxford Die- the former of the good kind being tionary, after more than forty years quoted at $17 compared with $16.31, of toil,' is almost done. Parts of the letters U and W, the only letters not and common at $15.75 Heavy ycoand cod witn 14 topprices. a yet completed, will ,soon be published. $ , p s He t y and common W has proved the most difficult letter, sheep were a bit down, but light sheep for it abounds In onomatopoetic words, are quoted 56 the top a $6.50 com- pared with 86. 6 last year. such, far example, as "whiff" and From January 1 to July 3 this year "whush." The dictionary will finally contain approximately four hundred thed5,820 shipped to England number- contain twenty-flue- thousand words and ed 36,820 compared with 31,094 dur- Andrew is that he brings his brother Simon to st, Thus Jesus atonce inspires in his followers the mission- aryspirit, an m n rew s words, "We have found the Messiah, or an- ointed one," we see the secret of their o A Andrew- andSimon apparently were waiting for the hope. of Israel, and now it is the spiritual character of Jesus w is •convinces them that the Saviour has come. What wish that others might know and love him? V, 42. Jesus discerns the future strength of Simon, and gives him the. new name of Peter, that is, "the Rock." This, in Aramaic (the lan- guage of Jesus), "Cep has," a is "Ce haas," in Greek it is "Petrol," -Pater. Notice how Jesus discerns, and by such names brings out the hidden strength, the future possibilities of his disciples. III. NEW HOPES, 43-51. Vs, 43-45. Jesus and his disciples now leave for Galilee, and there a fourth disciple is added in the person two million quotations. A "canning . budget" enpb'.es the housewife to put up just about enough of each vegetable. From the standpoint of value, dairy animals are the most important class of live stock on the Canadian farm. It is declared that our eyes are the primary -contributing agent for about seventy per cent -of'our muscular ac- tivity. This should impress upon us the need of looking well to the preser- vation of this sense. ing the same period last year, an in - of Philip Philip in turn brings Na -i! crease of 4,126. The sales of cattle at thaniel by declaring that Jesus is no I the principal stock yards of the coun- other than the Prophet foretold in theiry thisyear total 348,762 compared Law (Dent.n18:15),the Messiah .prom -It- reit- 317,068 last year, 146,422 calves ised in Isaiah anei'sewhere in the' prophetical books. ' against 119,998, 638,026 hogs against V. 46. Nathaniel is at first sceptical., 520,708, and 75,237 sheep against The Jews had not a very high opinion 92,089. of Galilee, for Galilee had originally a mixed population, and even at this time it was lot so leavened with strict Pharisaic piety as Judea. Hence the mention of Nazareth affects Nathan- ael unfavorably. Philip's answer to Nathanael's prejudice is "Come, and have the sight of your eyes." Only Shooting sonttict cheep on infected farms -Foot and Mouth Disease. --G Sweet Clover Milk. Two years' tests at the Dairy Dept,, 0.A.C., on milk from cows fed on sweet clover pasture indicate that there is apparently no reason why cows fed or pastured on sweet clover should not produce satisfactory milk for the making of good Cheddai cheese. The average yield of cheese per 1,000 pounds of milk was 91.23 pounds for the sweet clover lots, and 92.33 for the non -clover lots. The per- centage of moisture in the green and ripe cheese was practically the same, 'The average total score teas 93.15 for the sweet clover lot and 93,6 for the non -clover cheese. There was prac eically no difference in the acidity at time 01 dipping between the sweet clover and the non -clover vats of milk. o. Precautions in the Use of Paris 'Green. An Account Book for Farmers. e farmer who desires fig adopt The simple :method of bookkeeping, in order to ascertain with accuracy What the farm is earning, would do well to give a trial to the system devised by the Dept. of Agriculture at Ottawa. The Publications Branch of that department supplies a book of entry, known as the Farmer's Account Book,. which will enable a farmer to keep track of his business with very little trouble and without any special knowledge. The book is designed to cover one year's business, and ex- plains just how the entries are to be made. It is an account of the farmer with his farm, and does not include faintly and household expenses, The first step is to make as neeur- ately as possible, a valuation, item hy item, of all possessions in land, build- ings, live stock, implements, feed, and supplies. The farmer then proceeds through the twelve mouths following to enter in their respective places the amounts paid out and the sums received. The book is arranged so that separate ac- counts can be kept for cattle, horses, sheep, swine, poultry, crops, labor, etc. The entries may be made say at the end of each week, or at any eon- vonient time, from items jotted down in a pocket memorandum book. At the end of the twelve months, a summary of the year's business is made out on the form provided. This will show precisely what the gain or loss has been on the year's business after allowing for cost of hired help, value of family labor, interest on capital, and interest on mortgage, if any. A Flight Experiment With Geese. An especially interesting experi- ment with migratory birds is recorded by the Dominion Poultry Husband- man, Mr. G. C. Efford, in his report of the Poultry Division of the Experi- mental Farms for 1923. In the spring, four wild geese were sent to Ottawa by Jack Miner of Kingsville, Ont. As a wing was clipped the birds had to stop 'at the Central Experimental Farm until they were able to fly. The birds bore Mr. Miner's usual band with his name, date, and a verse of Scripture. On reaching Ottawa they were fitted with the recognized band from Washington. In addition to these four, five wild geese were hatched by the Poultry Division, and without being pinioned (a wing taken off at the last joint), were given their liberty to fly. They were banded with the Washing- ton band, and it was expected they would go south with the Miner quar- tette, if the latter did not return to Kingsville, The question then was, would the nine on their return stop at Ottawa, and thus possibly establish a permanent flight line? lTp to January, 1924, the geese had not left the farm. preferring, as Mr. Elford says, the flesh pots there, though they we se flying freely in the fall for apparent ly miles in every direction. It was thought possible that they might go north in the spring, but they only took short local flights. How to Prevent -Bacteria from Spoiling the Milk. Even after all reasonable care hoe been taken to prevent bacterial con- tamination of the milk, some contam- ination will occur, that is, a few bee- teria will have got into the milk in some way or other. If these are allot. ed to multiply in the milk they will spoil it The best way to prevent their rapid multiplication is the milk is to chill it immediately in the cooling tank and keep it cold until used: A small am- ount of bacterial multiplication will take place, even at refrigeration tem- peratures, and this will show itself in the condition of the milk in c,.urse of time. But inilk that has been ob- tained under clean conditions and leas been kept cold •houid be in excellent condition even after forty-eight hours. Prevent dust, cow hairs, bits of hay, straw and manure, flies and drops of dirty water from getting into the milk during milking operations. Thorough- ly clean and sterilize all pails, cans, bottles and other utensils. Cool the milk at once down to refrigeration temperature and keep it cool and cov- ered until used, so says Prof, Dan Jones, Dept. of Bacteriology, O.A.C. -Consult Bulletin 265. . Watch Out for Mites. About this trine of year the co:union red mite or roost mite can be expect- ed to make its first appearance iu really formidable- numbers. Miscellaneous treatments, such as fumigation, banding roosts with sticky tree -banding material, medicating the roosts, giving sulphur compounds in the drinking water, hanging bottles of repellant substances above the roosts, tiling medicated nest eggs and treat- ing individual hens, were found to be generally ineffective under practical conditions. Itecoranunclations made fof the con- trol of mites are as follows: "Heavy oils from coal ter and wood If a double quantity of good, freshly tar, or such oils diluted with a lighter slaked limo or hydrated lime be mixed oil, such as kerosene, so that not"loss with the Paris green and then the than 20 per cent. of the mixture is mixture made into a paste with water heavy oil, will successfully control and allowed to stand in, this forte: chicken mites, provided the premises some little tune before diluting and are thoroughly sprayed and the ma - spraying, the lime will combine with terial not stinted. the greater part of the free arsenious! "A heavy mineral -o11 emulsion con. oxide and removo its loaf' scorching; taming at least 20 per centoil in rho property to a great extent, so says actual sprit, will no efficient undj,r Prof, II, Punster, 0, A. College, `similar conditions 4.