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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1948-11-10, Page 3piie Lucky Prize ny MARION WALLI! Pref slapped the ❑ater from his hat, carefully removed his rubbers before stepping inside on the itn- maculate floor. It was good to be home, to be faring a relaxed even - Ing while the storm lashed the out- side world, "Alfie?" he called. The muffled reply sounded like: "where else would I be but in the kitchen?" Pushing open the door, Fred sniffed appreciatively and kissed his wife. 'Apple piel Hnnnnun, The boys home yet?" he inquired, glanc- ing at the headlines. "Ralph is. But Jack Won't be home ---they're having some kind of banquet at school." Alfie observed: 'It's too bad they have such a bad night for the bingo - party," "litntnnun . , ." The pie smelled delicious . Apprehension gripped him. "What bingo party?" Ralph barged in and.. his mother gave the hay an amused glance. "Your father has the queerest mem- ory, If it were a .wrestling match or a ball game--" Looking at Fred: "The bingo party I bought the tick- etq for last Monday. We have to go tonight." He hedged. "Why do we have to go? You bought the tickets, that was the main thing they were inter- ested in," "But I like to play!" she insisted. "They have the grandest prizes—and you know how lucky I ant!" Thinking of the warmth, the un- read lnag;vines, Fred reflected un- happily that Alfie night be lucky, but he most certainly was not. For Fred it was a particularly dull evening. IIe -got no pleasure at all from pushing little wooden squares around on a piece of cardboard, and certainly ne material gain came his way. Empty-hancled, after two hours of tiresome effort, he looked across the room to find Ailie triutn- phantly gathering up a set of glass ash trays and a string of plastic measuring spoons. ' "1 told you I was lucky l" site crowed, ignoring Mrs. Deerfield who was struggling past her with a set of glass crystal boudoir lamps. Allic chattered happily all the way home; the rain had stopped and a half moon was struggling to come through the clouds. "Of course, we had plenty of ash trays, but they'll save me the expense of buying some- thing next time 1 entert:ria the club. As they rolled into the drive Fred eaw people standing on their porch, ,.Gash—Alfie--molal Do yon sup - post tt.•. r,'s been a lire:" he slam- med on the brakes, "Oh, Mrs. lemisou!" That was Mrs. 1taegerty who lived next door. "Oh—if you'd heen home 1" "What happened? ? Is it the boys!" 1 elan Alfie fearfully. "It's tile phone! The lucky num- her program! They called ,your number and if you'd been hone they were gore to give yon a thousand donate! ; beat on your door, think- ing nt. -'.,c you didn't hear—" "No," said Alfie, slowly . "We weren't at hone tonight." With head high she utarched past into the home Frei tea away the car. A thou- sand dollars, just for staying home, being cot'nfartablc! Going in the nous., h,• didn't bother to wipe his feet. :11iie was in the living roost, the pais, nowhere in sight. ' "Luck always hits twice," she said loudly, "Even lightening hits twice in the same place sometimes. Why, s... ;, people say' what Happens once v;i.i happen three tithes you can't tell, can you, Fred?" "\,.pe." he gemmed, easing out of his :! All le leaned forward eagerly, "We'll stay hotne every night— ntayhc they'll call ngaiu—they could do it, couldn't they, Fred?" •• 1-1e delight of the happy even- ings at 4,010 which now cnn front - him, "Why sure they cottltll" be agreed heartily again: "Satre it could happen again!" lie reached for a magazine, lean- ed hack. Ile didn't know when a thousand dollars he hadn't gotten had ever bought as much. The End 1tiugenca, the Greek philosopher, used to scent his fret because the vapors rising from the feet perfutn- ed the whole body, Lots of Steak—If You Had the Price—This 1050 -pound Angus steer was awarded the grand championship in the steer cis os at the Royal Livestock Show et Kansas City. I<enneth Eitel, (left) who showed the animal is receiving a check for $1000 donated by the Angus Breeders' Association. With that he should also be able to buy himself a porterhouse when the steer fulfils its destiny, .` d•A P(w`s e Gwer-doli.r.e P. Cie„ Dke Last week we had two cats, four kittens and a huge fancily of mice. This week we have two cats, one , kitten and no mice. And we are very upset—but not about the mice! Our kittens, Mary, Martha, Mathew and Mark were really cute, and growing like weeds. Recently they decided the barn was a pretty good place to hunt and play—not only that but there' was always nulla to drink if they were around at the right time, However, I thought it was still a good idea to feed them bread and milk at the house twice a day; and if the kittens were not around at breakfast time I would call them and wherever they were they would hear me and conte on the double. But one day Mathew was missing. Later Partner told me- lte seemed sort of dopey—just sit- ting around. Gambling on his nine lives I wasn't too worried, thinking he would come along .when he felt like it. But next morning Partner brought a very sick Mathew to the house—too weak to walk. It seem- ed impossible a kitten could waste away so quickly. I tried to feed him whisky and milk; but it was no good, he was too far gone and in a few hours he was dead. The others were just as peppy as ever, But alas, two days later Mary fell sick. In another two days she also had to be buried. Today it was Martha, so now Mark is the sole survivor of our kitten family, All the poor little things acted the same way — Just weak, and couldn't, or wouldn't, eat. I think it was "couldn't" because so often Martha went up to her ciish as if site would just love a drink of milk if she could swallow it We thought they must have picked up some poison somewhere, so, when Martha also became sick I phoned the "Vet" but unfortunately he. was away so that Martha was already dead before I got hint. But he told Inc the trouble was undoubtedly distemper; and that it was every- where, that he, had given at least t fifty cats and kittens "a shot" dur- ing the last two weeks. Without wasting anymore time I rounded 'You'll be sorry if you order an appetizer for me. I'm hungry enough as it i9." up Mark and mother Whisky, and Bob took them down to the "Vet" right away. I hope we were not too late—Mark was already showing signs of moping around. * * • I ant telling you this in detail because farms will be over -run with rats and mice if this distemper should be wide-spread—and appar- ently it can be prevented if the kit- tens are immunized at about three months old. Not only that but many people hate to lose their cats and kittens just as we do, Never before have we had an epidemic strike our feline fancily — otherwise I would have had more sense and acted quicker. * * * And now we come to the mice ... and with the cats away the !nice were surely at play They were everywhere, even to our sideboard drawers and my filing cabinet. I set traps, but all I caught were it few odd rodents, hardly big enough to be out without mother. The big ones knew enough to keep away from such things as traps. The situation was ,getting serious—cats dying and mice multiplying. Sud- denly I rentetnbered a packet of "mouse seed' which I had never opeted ... I bought It about five years ago but had never had enough faith to try it, "Well, it can't do any harm," I said to myself, So I opened the little packet; placed some seed in a saucer as directed— and the mice actually ate it, For two days now I haven't seen a mouse anywhere, except one wee, dead one. So it looks as if it works. But one thing worries me .. where are the mice and is there any like- lihood of them being more offen- sive dead than alive? Anyway, I had to take that chance. * * * Apart from trice and manmtals, we have been busy. Partner finds plenty of "getting -ready -for -winter" jobs to do; Bob has been ploughing and I have been working on a paper -and -paint job in the dining - room. But one day I got really fed up, It was a lovely day—sun sltin- ing and pleasantly waren—the sort of day we are not likely to have so many of now. And I said to myself —"Are you crazy to stay in the house scraping off wall -paper when you could be outside?" So I shut tate front door and drew down the blind ---just to protect anyone front shock if they should happen to come around while .I was away—be- cause, believe ane, it was some room I was leaving! Anyway I found Partner and Tippy outside and the three of us went off to the bush. I came back with as huge armful of autumn leaves—maple and red oak. If only Daughter could see olein. She writes from Fort Willlant— "One thing Isere disappoints cue very notch—there is no rich autumn colouring.'- The leaves just turn brown and drop off," Since starting this column I have had a good deal to says about DDT and other chemical iusectides which, in the past three years ,have shown promise of finally solving one o£ the oldest problems to face man- kind—the problem of insect control. And it is hardly too much to say that DDfr and its chemical rela- tives have had almost as great an effect on our war against insect pests as the atomic hotnb has had on our ideas of human warfare. * * * But now the other side of the story is beginning to be heard. Now we're having disturbing reports of what these chemicals do not only to plants but to people. Warnings have been issued about their use front high sources. And in order that readers may get the whole picture, I propose to quote, from articles published in leading agri- cultural magazines and elsewhere, some of the things everybody should know regarding these in- secticides. * * * As a rule before any new insecti- cide is offered to the public—before a single ounce is trade available for general use—it is carefully tested and cross -tested for from 8 to 5 years. But when DDT was first developed, this procedure was not followed. Those who would test first and sell later were outnunr- ber.e 1. Everybody who could secure a wkly of gallon jugs and coal - oil went into the fly -spray busin- ess. A minute quantity of DDT. a gallon of coal -oil and a jug—and we had another gallon of something labelled "DDT Fly Spray -100 per cent active ingredients." * * * From the very beginning an in- sect -harried public went for it in a big way, purchasing huge quanti- ties of DDT and its several rela- tives such as BHC, chlordane, chlorinated camphene, parathion etc. They have been sprayed, any- where and everywhere, Home- owners have treated their houses and lawns. Farmers have covered their crops and their livestock. Whole communities— even large cities—have been doused from the air with clouds of insecticide. * * * But while this was going on, scientists have been going on with the tests which probably should have been completed before these products ever went on the market. They have tested the effects of the new compounds on human beings, on animals, on plants, and even on the microorganisms In the soil. The reports of these scientists are com- Ing to hand; and they carry the sobering, even frightening message that these bug -killers may be TOO EFFECTIVE. * * * One of the great advantages of DDT was its straying power. One spraying would have an effect last- ing for months. But now they're finding that, under certain condi- tions, it's not only long-lasting—it is practically ir' -grnctible. With- out changing form it accumulates in soil, also in tltc bodies of hutnan beings and animals. "Soil to which DDT was added in 1045," says the U.S, Dept, of Agriculture, "appears to be as potent with. the insecticide as ever, DDT and its coo,ina are nut dis- solved by water. When turned under the .soil -surface along with stems and other plant -residues, they re- main as potential trouble -makers in the upper few inches of the ground. In heavy concentration they can completely stop the action of the nitrogen bacteria, without which we cannot hope to grow good crops. In one test a content of' DDT amounting to 100 pounds to the acre cut down a rye crop by 50 per cent. * * * Naturally nobody would apply any thing like 100 pounds of in- secticide to an acre in any one year. But if what was put on this year is still there 10 years from now— along with what has been applied each season between now and then —it would appear as if farmers were going to find their yields de- creasing, and gardeners discovering their garden soil sterile and useless. Y, * * Take, for example, orchards. "Many orchardists already apply 50 pounds of DDT a year to each acre of their orchards," says one authority. "If experimental results mean anything, within 4 years they'll not he able to raise good rye or other cover -crop. Because DIDT stays near the surface it's not likly to harm old trees. But when the fruit grower has to replant with young trees, their roots will be near the surface and may be in- jured. "What can be done about it?" he goes on to say. "These insecti- cides are so valuable to agriculture that we're not in a position to say they should not be used. But we do want to give warning that careless and excessive use may cause trouble." * * * All this may sound serious en- ough, but there's even more dis- turbing news to follow. There are many ways in which DDT and its relatives can find their way into the human body. One is by people eating crops grown on insecticide - treated ground, although so far only two of these bug -killers have been discovered noting from soil plant. One of these is parathion; the other BHC. * * * But folks aren't likely to eat much BHC—at least not willingly. Its strong, musty ordor will warn thein, as some potato -growers know. In the past year many of then used BHC in the soil to control wire - worms. The potatoes turned out well—high-yielding and snttoth. But they were so tainted with BHC that they couldn't be sold. tl' * * Space considerations prevent us from printing the entire story re- garding this important natter In this issue. Be sure and look for the balance next week. Comforting Nervous Passenger: "I don't feel at all safe in this leaky old ferry boat." Boy: "Dpn't worry, ma'am, If anything happens to you, I'll take the blame." 7t. STA TING SO Be Sure and Watch For It—Clip It Out and Save It A GREAT NEW WEEKLY FEATURE HOW -TO -FIX -IT by Tom Gregory By means of pictures and easy -to -follow directions, Tom Gregory goes through every room in your house, from kitchen to parlor, basement to attic—and outside too. HOW -TO -FIX -IT covers kitchen equipment, closets and bothersome bureau drawers; discusses plants, dishes, silverware, cleaning and tools. It's clever, sincere and packed with handy information you will delight in putting to use. DON'T MISS IT HOW -TO -FIX -IT STARTS IN AN EARLY ISSUE Great Danger in roodlot Depletion In his last public appearance as Minister of Planning and Develop- . tuent, Mr. Duna Porter uttered a warning that .ught to be widely heeded. Speaking at the opening of the second annual Exhibition of Industry and Progress at Kitchener and Waterloo, he referred to the fine and long-established industrial development of these two progres- sive cities. But he also pointed out. that the reservoir of skilled and ex- perienced labor in that area tended to attract other industries in in- creasing numbers. Though this ex- pansion was superficially exciting, and perhaps produced boom con- ditions and apparent prosperity, Mr. Porter pointed out that over- expansion industrially had dangers for the smaller cities of Western Ontario, says the Toronto Globe and Mail. Not the least of these is the danger of exceeding the water sup- ply. It might seem extraordinary that this warning should be neces- sary in an area which only last spring had an "overabundance" of water swirling across its farms and down its streets. Those Roods were the warning signal of the shortage to come, because they indicated that there was nothing to check the headlong runoff of the spring rains and melting snows. In mho: words, the people 02 Western Uut:trin, past -and present, had cut down b_n, warty of the trees that ate nature.`:- brat means of holding back the P1ec•ious surplus of spring. Mr. Porter pointed out that scvrr- al of the Western t' natio communi- ties are dependent on springs and artesian wells for their water supply. If the water table falls too low, these also will tend to dry up. Unless corrective measures are undertaken on a large scale immediately, there Is every probability of a disastrous water shortage in a very few years. Much of the cause of this serious condition lies in woodlot depletion.. At least 20 per cent of rural land ought to be covered with trees. But in Essex County, for instance, there is only 2 per ems' of forest cover. Middlesex County is slightly better with 6 per cent, and Waterloo County approaches almost halfway to the desirable cover with 9 pet' cent. This is far too little, A. remedy lies at hand in the forma- tion of the river valley conservation authorities, which have broad powers to promote reforestation and other conservation measures. They can only proceed, however, as fast as public opinion will allow. It is time that a concerted effort was put forth to avert the disaster pending, and for which, if it falls, the chinas., rural and urban alike, will have only themselves to blame. a Ltr Fir WO ZOT QUE PERRAULT of Ste. Agathe ales Monts, Que., is hero in gasoline tank Ablaze Atruck bad been taking on a load of gasoline from one of the huge tanks in the oil company's storage yard. Suddenly there was a small explosion and a spurt of flame licked hungrily around the mouth of the tank. In a few seconds the entire tank was ablaze. As no chemicals were avail- able, the Tire Brigade could only pour water from three hoses on the burning tank... and onto the two adjoining ones, as yet untouched. CITIZENS WARNED Several hours later the tank was still blazing . . , and as a disastrous explosion was pos- sible at any moment, Ste. Agatha citizens were warned by loud. speaker to stay clear. Young Zotique Perrault then decided that there was only one thing to do. If the valve on the tank were closed, the gasoline could no longer continue to feed the flames. He found a pole with a hook on the end ... and came as close as he could to the blazing tank. Then, cooly and calmly, he worked with the pole until he finally succeeded in shutting the valve, A short while later the fire was brought under control. We are proud to pay tribute to the bravery and unselfishness of Zotique Perrault of Ste, Agathe des Monts, Que., through the presentation of The Dow Award. THE DOW AWARD ie a citation for outstanding Hero. inn and includes, es a tangible expression of appreciatimt, 4 $roo Canada SSavings Bond. Winners are selected by the Doti Award Committee, a group of editors of leading Canadian daily newspapers. An explosion seemed almost in- evitable ... and with four oil cont parties is the area a terrible disaster might have bean ebe result, Citizens were warned by loud -speaker to spay well away from the fire. Gallant volunteer firemen poured water on the blaze for hours — with- out success. S;' s RCHIII AND ' �NUGHBAD BOUGHT Ai CD sVaRY UM NC1 LEA ELBOD 13t,IT THE MART... THqq �4VHYOU PA T 11' TO SUNk! p0 SWIM lig irO SHORES r By Montana