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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1924-11-5, Page 7se jf • Efficient Farming .f leatelug Poultry Rouses — NIa.Y poultrymen experience year after year continued losses from some of the most common poultry diseases, especially those that are of en infec- tious type, such as chicken pox, roup and 'canker. Many of these same eoultrymen could absolutely eliminate these •dis- eases if they would but pay greater and more constant attention to ques, tions of sanitation. Though sanitation and cleanliness are important throughout the year, there is no time when they are mere important than in the fall. Too: many poultrymen proceed in the manner of careless housekeepers who sweep the floor by brushing the dirt under the stove or furniture. Such haphazard methods are really worse than nothing, because they offer the birds absolutely no protection or freedom from the germs of infectious diseases.'' If you have not already practiced a Sompleto cleaning of your poultry house in the fall, make a resolution to do so this year. Here are the steps which must be accomplished in a complete renovation and cleaning of the house: The first step is to remove perches, dropping boards, hoppers, drinking vessels and equipment of like nature. These should be taken out of doors in the sun forlater cleaning and disin- fection. The next step is to remove all litter from the house. There are a number of ways ofaccomplishing this effec- tively. If the manure spreader can be,back- ed up to the house and the manure loaded and healed out on the meadow and spread broadcast, it is the quick- est, cheapest and most effective way of getting rid of this material. In the first place, the ,litter is rich in poultry manure and nitrogen, and will show up in an increased yield of hay tho following season. In small flocks where equipment is not avail- able the litter should be bagged in b gee large burlap bags and hauled away and spread on the land just as soon as possible. After having removed all fixtures and litter, the next step is to dry- clean the house. This involves the sweeping of the walls; ceiling and the entire floor carefully and• completely in order to eliminate all accumulations of dirt, cobwebs and other accumulat- •ed filth. This must be done in considerable detail to be sure to get in all cracks and crevices, and considerable pres- euro on Alm broom will sweep out much of thedirtand filth which other- wise would be overlooked. Pains should betaken to see that dirt is gotten out of the corners and around studding, in order to get the housejust as clean as possible. Mus- lin curtains -should be beaten and swept to get all the dirt out of them. This step in the cleaning of the aver- age poultry house is often neglected.! Best Way to Disinfect—Next comes. the most important step in the fall', housecleaning. That includes the com- plete 'disinfection of the interior of the house. This should preferably be done with a spray, although in small poultry houses it can .be brushed on with paint or whitewash brushes. The sprayer, however:; puts the dis- infectant solution is-infectant'solution on with force,' gets. in cracks and crevices where the brush application would not be so effective. Where one has spraying apparatus for fruit trees on the farm, there is nothing better than this equipment for spraying the interior of the poul- try house, For the average poultry outfit a barrel sprayer with about twenty-five or thirty foot lead of hose is very satisfactory. For coarse sprays with which there may be mixed' whitewash solutions containing lime, there is nothing bot - ter than a Bordeaux nozzle, for it can be to quickly and easily 'cleaned and the coarseness of the spray can be so readily changed. For fine disinfecting sprays a whirl- ing spray nozzle is always the most efficient, because ft puts the spray on with great force and more or less as a mist, bringing about more equal dis- tribution of the solution on the walls of the house. Whatever typo of spraying outfit is used, considerable pressure should be back of the spray in order to force it into the boards and cracks about the house. It is a common practice, and right- ly so, to include in the disinfecting Solution a whitewash mixture of lime and certain adhesive compounds,not only to cleanse the house but to whiten 1t, up and give it an• extremely neat and attractive. appearance, • .4, efetehonse White= ale --There are a great many combinations of mix- tures which can be used and many of them aro effective, but for one who wishes 'to use a simple, easily mixed whitewash spray which sticks perfect ly to the house and which carries with in, powerful disinfesting properties, there is probably none superior to the following mixture: Hydrated Lime, one-half bag; common table salt, six pounds; molasses, one pint; ground alum, three 'ounces; and hot water, ten gallons, Add one quart of Sonne good disin fee tant. The beauty of the above formula is the fact that the hydrated lino does not reeuire slaeltimr.. as dues reek lime, but goes into solution readily upon adding the hot water, After the house has been tjioroughly sprayed it should be allowed to dry out for day or two before the next step inthe fall housecleaning is under- taken. In the meantinie the equipment which was plaeed out of doors should be thoroughly cleaned, sprayed with the same solution and replaced in the house. The windows should be wash- ed outside and in, Any broken equip, ntent or fixtures on or about the house should be repaired, and after the house has dried out the floor should be covered with four to six inches of good straw litter, and the nests should be filled to a depth of • one or two inchesewith clean shavings. The house is now ready for the birds.. A clean, sweet, safe environ meat is theirs. They are not from now opt handicapped by the presence of contagious disease germs in their midst, Keep a Record This Year—Keep a poultry fleck record this year, even if It is nothing more than a daily record of egg production, Better still, keep a record of receipts and expenses as well. Considering the small amount of time required to keep a simple record of this sort, there is probably nothing that you can do which will yield a greeter return in the direction of :im- provements in the poultry enterprise. In no other way can accurate com- parison be made of one year's results with another's. A record of past accomplishment serves to make the daily pare of the flock much more interesting, for one is then constantly striving to better the previous year's record. The satis- faction that comes from gathering on Thanksgiving Day 10 or 15. per cent. more eggs than the flock laid one year before can be appreciated only by one who has actually experienced it. In a few years one will"bo able to establish, by means of the daily egg record, a sort of standard for his strain of hens and his particular con- ditions. A glance at the standard when collecting eggs s will show how the flock is measuring up at any par- ticular time. Similarly, the income and expense 'record gives a measure in dollars of the progress of the poultry enterprise. If carefully studied it will give the key to many little ways of increasing the yearly returns. Dynamite "Don'ts" The list should be memorized by any one who uses explosives. Before handling any dynamite, glance over this list to refresh your memory: Don't smoke while handling explo- sives and don't work with them near a light. Don't leave explosives where stock can get at them. Cattle like the taste of soda and saltpeter, but other in- gredients miglit make them ill or even kill them. Don't tamp in a charge with a metal bar. Don't be in too big a hurry to see why a charge didn't explode. Don't use chilled or frozen power- ful explosives. Don't cut or break a- frozen car- tridge. • Don't carry blasting caps in your pocket Don't try to remove the wires from an electric is bla tin x blasting cap. P Don't dig out a hole that holds a charge that failed to go off. Dig an- other hole for another charge at least two feet distant. Don't force a primer into a bore hole, How to Fail in Dairying. Don't keep records; you will have to figute and think. This is hard work. Let the cows go dry in winter; it is hard to milk by lantern light. Feed the cows straw instead of bedding them with it. Then you can sell hay. Don't use balanced rations. Don't have a silo. Don't use legume hay. Keep a scrub bull. Have a fork handle ready to teach the cows their place. Keep 20 160- 1 pound sows instead of ten 300 FOR HOME A ND COUNTRY The Sault Convention, Health, Technical Education, Pro- matter of foode, foe example, it. was gram Planning, and Horne and -Scheel Co-operation were the subjects 9ceu- pying chief attention at the Annual Women's Institute Convention of Al - Dina and St. Joseph's Island held et Sault Ste. Marie in October. It was a real gathering ground for the forces of progress in that progressive 'part of Ontario with stimulating reports from the branches of things accom- plished during the Year and dines - skins as to future plans. "The Women's Institutes are wel- come visitors to the Sault," said Mayor Dawson in his welcoming ad- dress, "'We are interested in the agricultural success of thie district, are doing everything in our power to make it more prosperous, and gladly place this building and our services at your disposal now and et any time you decide to convene here." "We must try to give more voea, Coital guidance, help the student to find out his tastes and talents, train him, and then help .him to find his right vocation in life," said Principal Williams of the new Technical' School in an illuminative address at the close of which a committee was form- ed to secure classes in woodwork for the boys and young men of the rural districts. "Pure water and good milk are most important factgrs in good health for individual and community, Chlorin- ate the water and pasteurize the milk if you have any doubts as to the ex- istence of typhoid or other disease - producing germs in either," said Medical Health Officer Dr. A. S. Mc- Caig in a very practical talk. "Use fresh vegetables and fruit, get plenty of .fresh air in the sleeping rooms. We are redycing tuberculosis and can still further reduce it by right living and treatment in the early stages. "Cancer is not hereditary. It can be successfully treated with surgery, X-rays and radium, if taken in time. Watch all lumps or sores which do no 1 them attended to heal and have to promptly." "The Women's Institutes of Ontario are the first attempt made ley a people to sot up a State Department of Home -making and Community build- ing," said Miss Emily J. Guest of the Dept, of Agriculture,. Toronto. "They represent something very fundament- al in nation-building—the understand- ing co-operation of the man and the woman in the home, the co-operation of the homes of the community with each other, with the school, with the farmers' organizations in the Branch Institute, and the cooperation of the individual and the community with the college, the departments of State and the Government through. the In- stitutes Branch. of the Dept. of Agri- culture of each province." In their nfutualhelp program the Institute begins with a 'study of the improvement of the individual, the .home and then the community; how to achieve 100 per sant. efficiency in health through proper feeding, cloth- ing, rest, recreation; in work by train- ing and the exchange of useful ex- `periences; is citizenship by studies of the laws and how we are governed, with surveys of the legislation passed by each government; in economics by the study of production, preparation for market, markets, fair rewards for work, and wise expenditure. The rural women had made great advances in the last ten years. In the now a question of properly balanced as well as toothsome meals. An On- tario bachelor had recently criticized a housekeeperi She gave us corn and rice et the same meal. What do yea think of that for unbalanced feeding now?" Tho Benumb Institute was not just a woman's club but a home -makers' Study Centre related to the Dept. of Agriculture in much the same way as the public school was related to the Dept. of Education, locally self- ing is imparted to it. Jesus set b P es Y The Sunday School Lesson NQVBMBER 0 e . ee ng of the Five T ou san , Pim 6: I•15. Golden Text -1, am the bread of life.—John •6: 35. ANALYSIS. I. T4atT BIIALL Nee LIVE By 0004.0 ALONE, I1'. MAN LIVES BY THE WORD OF GOD 1N LIMRIST, 8.15, IN'rnomme10N The iets leon e; and the !lobos the scanty pxovislon multitude by Christ has a symbolic orlwhich the disciples had despised, mystical significance. It is connected and gives thanks to God. This aspect by Jahn the Evangelist, with Paea.•of the matter, the goodness of God in over time, and thus a Heli' ous me n - governing, with its own trustees or compassion, but not in compassion board of directors, if in good standing only. He wishes to,give et "sign" of as to membership, work, and reports spiritual things. The sign is that men receiving Government grants, liter- do not live by bread alone, but by the store, lectures and short courses. Its word of God spoken through him, It advantages were open to all interest -is theblessing of Christ which in the ed in achieving bettor homes, finer presenteneIndeedtChri t akes himselfhe aisBthe people, a bettor community, a happierltrue bread of God. We ought there, social •life, and a more scientific agri- fore, to think of the breaking of the culture, bread in the wilderness after the seine DFFICIDNT.PUBLIC SDRVICE. manner in which. we think of. the "We don't believe In waitin until Lords Supper. Both incidents had g apparently a sacramental significance. people are dead to send them flowers I. MAN SHALL NOT'. LIVE BY BREAD in the North," remarked a delegate. ALONE 14, "Send bouquets while they are alive This f T s llo o ws from the fact that the to enjoy them, and the Convention provision of ordinary, breadin the unanimously passed the following present case is not sufficient. It has resole;tions: Ito be made sufficient by the blessing "We wish to congratulate Mr. G, of Jesus. A. Putnam, Supt. of Institutes for Vs, 1, 2. The eastern shore of the Lake e£ Galilee to hl w c s Ontario, h Je us here 0 e on the completion of ewe t , on years' efficient service to the ind !repairs for' rest, is a wild and unin- vidual and community life of Northern' habited distfict. Nothing but an ax- Ontaxio. We trust that he may be'eited religious expectation would have induced a great multitude to follow spared for many years to come in Jesus there, but, as the evangelist ex - this 'work." plains, such an expectation existed. And "The delegates wish to express The multitudes were excited by Jesus' to the Honorable the Prime Minister,' miracles of healing in which they see the Minister of Agriculture, and Sup-' evidence of divine' power. They are erintendent Putnam our great appre-`sure at great events aro at hand, dation of the services being rendered aad thatht the kingdom of God is at to the homes of this area through the materialistic But Land worldly.expectation is still Institutes Branch of the Dept. di Vs. 8, 4. Jesus sits down on the Agriculture, The literature, lectures, hillside to teach. This is his method and short courses are practical and' of dealing with the excited hopes and very valuable. If we might add a; with the ignorance of his hearers. He request to our thanks we should like wishes to wean them from material to have a manual training course for l istic thoughts of God's kingdom. The country boys and young men added.) salvation which God is now awaiting to bestow is notan earthly, rt 1 but a Also, if possible,that the sewingY, heaven! or spiritual good.The even- coursebe given o the y P g v n same terms as I gelist explains that the Passover was the other courses." at hand. This indicates that in what NUGGETS FROM THE CONVENTION, now follows, Jesus is thinking of the The big thing is the little thing. Passover. He is to give the multitude a sacramental conception of the king - Getting the best in and for your own community is the big thing. If that dom of God. is done other big things will naturally Vs. 6-7. The first need of the multi - evolve in the province and will cause rude at the present moment is food. unnecessary things to fall away. The They have come the long journey study and development of your own withoutoilymaking any provision forp bodily necessities. Jesus asks Philip community is the big thing in the how they are to obtain bread for all these many mouths, The question is not due to any perplexity on Jesus' part, but to lead Philip and the other disciples to a deeper understanding of what Jesus now means to do. Philip answers by saying that the total re- sources of the disciples amount only to 200 denarii (that is about! $45), and that even this amount spent on bread would not be sufficient to pro- vide a meal for the whole company. Apart from Jesus, therefore, the ex- isting provision of bread is totally there in your patriotic work.—Mrs. inadequate. M. J. Nixon, Convention Chairman. II, MAN LIVES BY THE WORD of GOD The Institutes are very helpful with iN comm., 8-15. the follow-up work in Immigration and Vs. 8-10. Here now is Jesus' oppor- helping to receive and make the new- tunity. It is reported by Andrew comers part of the neighborhood life, that the existing provision, which is —Policewoman and immigration' in the hands of the serving -man, am worker Stark. ounts to five barley cakes and two fishes. Jesus asks the disciples with - Hilton Beach had no further use out further delay, to command the for a.jail after prohibition passed, so we turned it into a public library; juice and rind of the Lenton in a sauce- which t Institute nstitute h 1 e s to support. P Sep pan, and cook until it is a fairly thick —Mrs. P. MacDougall, St. Joseph's syrup• Peel, quarter, and core the Island. I apples, and place them in the cooled syrup. Simmer until the fruit is clear and transparent; then lift them care- fully to the serving dish, Just before serving, top generously with whipped cream, decorated with bits of bright red cranberry jelly. eyes of the Department.—Supt. G. A. Putnam. Hear as little as possible of what- ever is to the prejudice of others; be- lieve nothing derogatory until abso- lutely forced to it; never circulate an i11 report; always moderate the un- kindness expressed toward others; al- ways remember that there are two sides to every story—Mrs. A. H. Wil- led, Capreol. Canadianize the hired man. Begin FOOD I SERVE ON THANKSGIVING BY NELL B. NI,CHOLS. It is not until after the what -to - have for dinner problem has .been solved that I welcome the approach of Thanksgiving. • No woman wants to serve 'a trite holiday meal any more than a man desires to eat one. Some- thing out of the ordinary, but strictly in keeping with the occasion, is in order. And I always try to select sev- eral dishes which maybe prepared be- fore the festive day arrives. As I recall the feasts I've made ready ,in my home, I find that the pleasantest ones were those which re- quired little work at the last minute. Maybe I should not be boldd enough to say it, but I venture you will agree that it is mighty difficult to be thank- ful for a meal if you have to spend all 'the morning before . it is to be eaten iin the kitchen over a hot, steaming cookstove. It is much more fun to help the children set the table, crack I nuts, chine red apples, and.pop corn. FIRST PREPARATIONS. Ugly Enough to Win. lethel--"My dear; she's a ecreninl' Eve—"Yes•; almost homely e••ough to win in a beauty stow." • The, successful menufacturtr has been etudyl1g sales ever since the time errived when he could not -road.; fly sell all the things he meld produce.! With an increase in the facility of, Producing goods there has been an in -i crease in competition and men have had to struggle to get the consmner to buy their goods inetead of. those of eompatitore. Unless proper selling methods aro followed one is apt to, find that his competitors golf ail the' business. I always decide on my moms a week or twe beforehand. At the Sante time I elamino.tho tablecloth and napkins to be used, making certain that they Ile not need washing. ,• Then•plans for the table centrepiece are made. Usually I choose a basket. or dish filled with red and yellow ap- ples, russet pears, grapes, or any.fruit that is gveilable; ether times I prefer to use a large calve, which is to be served for the dessert, covering it with chocolate icing and adding tiny pumpkins cut from orange peel for decoration. • One year' I inserted,yel-. lowish candies in apples, of the same shade, and grouped these mooed a small pumpkin inwhich four large candles were placed. Of course, color- ful autumn leaves ' and flowers are charming. .The chief thing to -remem- ber is to keep whatever decoration you USA low enmrnh en that veil will net have to peek over -and around it to talk to your family. Another bit of work I attend to be- forehand is the polishing of the silver and the filling of sugar bowls and salt with a small, stiff -bristled brush, dip - and pepper shakers. These are de- ping this in hot water. Wash the ham toile, I know, but they cause hurry in warm water and cover it with cold and worry if left undone too long. Fruit cake and plum pudding arowater, Ietting it soak in this aver - traditional Thanksgiving Day desserts, ! night. In the morning drain off the water and rinse the meat in cool and the next !test thing abon; them. after the taste is considered, is that they oan be made several weeks be- fore being used. A custom in my home is to make either the pudding or the cake every year in large enough quantities for Thanksgiving, Christ- mas, hristutas, and New Year's days. If stored in a tghtly covered stone jar, both the pudding and cake improve with age, In cooking poultry, game, and fresh pork, I like to start with a hot oven, and just as soon as the meat be- gins to brown I lower the heat and complete the cooking very slowly, An oven thermometer is used in my kit- chen; I place the meat in the oven when it registers 400 deg; F., and Mont provide decoration Let soak then lower it to 824 degrees; several hours,' or overnight, Then rub the meat with a beaten egg an4 sprinkle it with brown sugar and fine bread crumbs, equal portions of which FESTIVE HAM. Select a small ham and scrape with a case knife; then scrub vigorously water: Place it in a large kettle and add enough cold water to cover by two inches.' Bring slowly to the boiling point, and add six whole black pepper- corns, one email pod of red pepper, and four .whole cloves. Continue to simmer, adding more water as is nec- essary to keep the ham covered, until the meat is so tender that a fork may be inserted in it easily. Remove the kettle from the stove, but let the Men remain in the water in which it is cooked until it is cold. Then drain, remove theskin, and trim off the surplus fat, Return tho Tram to the kettle, and pour six cupfuls of sweet eider over it, If one wishes, whole Cloves may be inserted in the Water and salt are notadded until the meat or poultry has cooked thirty minutes. If water is used before this, it steams and stews the meat, and prevents' the formation of the much- have been mixed together. Place in desired crisp, brown crust, while salt a roaster and pour the cider around extracts the rich juices, destroying the the, meat. Beke in a'slow oven about flavor. While searching in my recipe, files, I found several dishes that have been served successfully in my home on Thanksgiving days. I ani passing some of them on to you with special recommendations for those whichcan be :nada ready in advance, :APPLE TREAT.,. Six apples, 11/4 cups water, 1 cup. sugar, 1 lemon. Place the smear. wane, and the Aar! .ih+i'enr»er: oniens. Anti salt 0. two Moura, basting every twenty min- utes with the cider.' The loon may be' served cold or hot, A highly seasoned gravy may be made from the cider. PUMPKIN PIE. Two cups steamed pumpkin, 1 tsp. cinnamon, lee tsp., :nutmeg, 1 tbsp, bread crumbs, 1 tsp, salt, %.i cup sugar, '' eggs, le tsp. ginger, 1 cup thin steam, 1 cup'eheppe.i raisins, 1 n. sage, providing these supppliee, had been I overlooked by his follovrers. Tho latter had complained of the scantiness of what they had. Ile dwells reverently Ion its greatness. By his action, Jesus gives the bread and the fishes a sym- .bolic or, sacramental significance. As he prays, a deeply religious Moires - distributes cion steals over every soul. Then Jesus the bread, and to the won- der of all, it is found sufficient, Ys, 12, 13. It is not said that the bread and fishes were miraculously multiplied, But from the statement that the quantities of broken pieces which remained filled the baskets of all the twelve disciples, it is apparent 'that this is the thought by which the event is explained, Yet if we only 'think of the miraculous multiplica- tion of the material elements, we fall short of a true understanding of the incident, and some have thought that we ought to look on the whole incident as a sacramental meal, signifying that it is not bread alone that satis- fies, but Christ. This is in any ease 'the final truth taught by the incident, THE BREAD BROKEN. In Palestine bread is made in loaves that look like big, heavy pancakes; one of them may be enough for a !meal. They are half an inch thick and nine inches in diameter, They !are not cut to be eaten; it is regarded 'as wicked to use a knife on bread. It is always "broken" with the fingers. The Bible never speaks of "cutting" bread; bread is always "broken.'' Lamentations 4:4 gives a picture of !desolation and penury. Infants ask for bread, And no one is breaking it for them. When our Lord fed 5,000 people with five of these scones we read that after a blessing he "broke and gave the loaves " to his disciples"; s and he P did the same when seven loaves were used for 4,000 people, So in the Up- per Room Jesus "took bread, and blessed and brake it, and gave it to his disciples." When he was with the two disciples at Emmaus, he took the bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them." The Book of Acts tells us about believers "breaking bread from house to house, and the apostle Paul speaks of the "bread which we break." APPLICATION. This is the only miracle recorded by all four evangelists. It must conse- quently.have been of very great im- portance as to immediate purpose and spiritual significance. What do we learn from -this wonderful story? How human in his sympathies was the Lord Jesus Christ. He had such a passion for human souls that we axe far too apt to think he cared about nothing else. He cared greatly about the bodies of men, their physical weariness and hunger. He had a true body himself, and was often weary and worn and hungry. How superhuman in his essential nature was the Lord Jesus Christ, Some of Jesus' miracles of healing might be explained away as examples of faith care. But here, in the feed- ing of the five thousand. with five loaves and two fishes, there is an Un- mistakable display of divine power. the pumpkin, and stir in the b eaten eggyolks, the y . Add t e raisins and cream, and fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites and the grated rind of the orange, but not the juice or pulp. Pour into pastry -lined pie pan and %bake in a moderate oven. MARSHMALLOW SALAD. Two cups marshmallows, 1 cup English walnuts, 1 cup pineapple, et, cup whipped cream. Cut the marshmallows in fourths add tho broken nut meats and diced pineapple. Stir in the whipped cream,, and serve very cold an lettuce leaves. This salad may be trade a day before being used if left in a cold place over- night. HOLIDAY JELLIED SALAD. Two tbsp. gelatin, 1 cup cold water, 11/4 cups boiling water, Weep lemon juice, 1/4, cup sugar, 3 small tart apples, 1 cup celery, ri4 cup nuts. Soak the gelatin in the cold water ten minutes, and dissolve in the boil- ing water. Add the lepton juice and sugar. When the mixture begins to stiffen, stir in the apples, which have been pared, cored, and cut in small dice. the celery cut in small pieces,` and the broken not meats, Turn into one large or six small molde, which have been wet in .cold water. Chill overnight, Servo unmolded on a bed of lettuce, with salad dressing. FRUIT :CAKE. One-half cup butter, 31, cup brown sugar, `s cup seedless raisins, % cup currants, ef, cup citron (finely cut), ?4.: cup molasses, 1 tsp. orange ex- tract, 2 eggs, 'r4 cup milk, 2 cups flour, l•4 teaspoon Soii:n, 1 tsp. cinnamon, In tsp. s.11spice, 'r4 tsp. mace, 14 top. trove. Cream the (.butler and add the sugar, beating the mixture until it is light, Then stir in the' beaten egg yoks,•molasses, and the milk, adding the flour in which the soda and spices have been mixed, -alternately with the milk, .Add the chopped and lightly floured raieins, eurrants, and citron, and the extract. Fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites. Bake slowly in a deep pan or pans one and one-fourth hours, THE. TRA' GEDY OF IT The nit. of the practical fawner, s to increase his net profits. That s what the majority of us are 111 the farming business for. In this respect, many articles have been written on the advantages of high yields,. An ex- amination of costs of, and incomes from crops adds emphasis to the di- rect relation of yields to profits, Invariable . high yelde have as a chief basic condition a rich soil. The farmer who attempts to grow big crops on soil that lacks an abundance of potential plant food, as well as pro- per mechanical conditions, is taking a very long chance. As a practice, such an attempt has over and over again proven a failure, Thoughtful farmers everywhere have abandoned the idea. High -producing land is not only well supplied with all the chemical ele- meets required in plant growth, but it bousee those elements in such form and condition as to make them read- ily available, provides an optimum supply of moisture, favors organic ac- tivities which replenishes the plant food supply as the season advances. It also absorbs sunshine readily, and breathes in the gases of the air, In all, the soil conditions for the growth of maximum crops are extremely com- plex. Were they more simple, fertil- ity would not be the big problem it is. But, since it is complex and also essen- tial to successful handling of agricul- tural land, the farmer who fells to give attention to its solution will soon be a back number. The tragedy of it is that so few farmers actually succeed at increasing the productive capacity of the land they farm. Itis high time that more of us deliberately set about this big problem of providing a better soil for our crops. It LEAVING AN ESTATE 1.1 7P The life insurance companies are fond of gathering figures regarding the uncertainty of life, especially with reference to the accumulation of wealth. It is well that these companies do this for it brings to us a realization of what the life history of the average individual is. The one who get inter- ested in these figures becomes more cautious in the management of his finances, and endeavors to plan ahead. These statistics show that only three sten out of every hundred leave estates of $10,000 or over; fifteen others leave between $2,000 and $10, 000, while eighty-two of every hun- dred leave no income producing estates at all. In other words, the chances are better than four to one that you and I will die poor; we won't leave. the world with any more than we entered it. These figures almost scare a fellow, but the farmer need not take fright as much as the city fellow. The farm- er who owns a farm, has an estate to leave; it is an income-producing es- tate at that; at least it should be. If that farmer sells out and goes to the city the chances are that his money will get away from him, and he will be numbered among the eighty-two who die poor. So, from the standpoint of having something in old age and of being in a position to leave relatives at least a little remembrance, it seems a wise thing for a fellow to hold onto the farm. Apparently a good farm is good insurance. Winter Killing of Clover. If clover goes` into winter with only a thin stand, or if cropped closely, it is very liable to be winter killed. In the opinion of the supervisor of Illus- tration Stations 'of the Experimental Farms, heavy seeding is a great help against winter killing, as then clover roots entwine, forming a matted sod which is able to withstand the altern- ate freezing and thawing of opening spring. The more top covering left as winter protection, says the Super- visor, the greater are the possibilities of harvesting heavy crops next year. Consequently, at this season of the year, animals should not be allowed to pasture on newly seeded fields. Milk Cows Clean. "Milking is an important job," says a successful dairyman. "Wheel the cow tester was bore, we tested the strippings from the cow and found that they contained eleven per cent, of butterfat. This further impressed us with the importance of milking the cows clean." �o w Sewing Room Suggestion. Instead of pinning a pattern that is to be used many times, lay et on the cloth to be eat and ,fasten down with weights. Meek en edge with white Crayon and cut by the (nark after lifting pattern. Every uoodle has en eye mit for business and generally i<arrite its point. Take any old box for sboebrushee and polish, and call it a shoebox. Tl will save a lot of cleaning up,