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The Seaforth News, 1925-01-29, Page 7Andress communications to Agronomist, 73 Adelaide St. West, Toronto HARVESTING THE ICE CROP. The ice crop is the only one the loading a relatively easy task. Let farmer harvests that does not rob his the ropes extend across the load from soil of fertility and, considering the the tramway; hitch a horse to it and advantages- of .a good home supply of drag the blocks from the water onto ice, no improvement is more satis-'the load, factory than a good stock of ice. I The third gang of men should be at "laeep cool" is exceptionally good the ice house to place each load in'po- .sice :to the politieal spellbinder; it'sition and pack, sadwust around it as ams even better to the farm family on rapidly as possible. Eight men with hot summer days when the glass reg- - three teams can work rapidly in har- isters around ninety in the shade and vestileg a crop of .ice by this co-oper- the folks wish to preservefruit and ative method.. vegetables, and when cool drinks are, Where the ice is not quite thick so delicious. Then there is the milk enough. to `meet the need the snow and cream to be cooled and kept cold should be scraped off the surface the until ready for "market. t day before the cutting,is started, if Eighty per cent.. of the dairy +indications are that the night will be g Aral severely cold, The snow acts as an ducts of' the farm require artificial . q insulation and retards freezing, and cooling beforeuse, they are ready for mar- when it is removed not only is the let or home use while thirtyper cent. of the value of dairy products is lost 'entire mass of ice better frozen, but a w inches in thickness is added. through the failure or inability tocool few small p ponds the snow'may be egnick\t to a low temperature, Abun-I removed to the shore, but on large Tdant testimony can begiven by thefields, .especially if - the snow is deep,' manager c ofthe , as want, cheese. foe- it is ion raeticable to scrape the snow tory or creamery, as well as buyers of P cream and eggs. entirely off the field. It becomes neces ace on the farm is not a luxus It eary,'therefore, to pile it in windrows. y' laser Tag OAKES UNIFORM. is •a money saver and at the same After the snow is off the field is time adds to the comfort of the living ready to be marked for rutting. The during at least three months of the marking must • be done carefully so year. Six months is a long time to that all cakes will be rectangular, leek ahead, and these winter days do which aids in economical handling and not suggest the added heat of June, packing in the icehouse. If the proper July and August. But now is the time start is made in marking off the ice to "can next summer's cold." field no trouble will be experienced, When Jack Frost snaps a way' in but if not, subsequent cuttings will be January or February, it's a sign for difficult. the farmers to prepare for next sum- Success in marking depends largely mar's heat and the ice season is at on getting the first line straight, hand. There is no crop that is pro- which may be done by placing a stake duced so cheaply and brings higher at each end ofthe proposed line to returns than the ice crop. Instead of serve as a guide. depleting the pocketbook it enriches - A straight -edge, consisting of an the farmer and makes life more at- ordinary board about fourteen feet tractive to his family, because ft sup long, . is then aligned with the two plies a wider variety of high-grade stakes and the cutting tool or hand foods in summer, plow run along its edge, sifter which Co-operation in ice harvesting is the board is pushed forward and more important perhaps, than the again aligned with the stakes. This common community get-together at is continued until the entire distance threshing time., Ras best that the ice between the stakes has been covered. be cut out and hauled to the storage Another way is to stretch a line be - ,%house as anon as possible to permit the ice to form while it is yet cold, and of preventing waste if freezing weather is passing. Then, too, the Work can he done mndh more efficient- ly . when there are enough men and teams to do all the operations at the same time. To harvest toe efficiently a few ice tools will be needed. A steel scraper is desirable; sometypes of road scrap- be made. Care should be taken to tween the stakes and do the marking with a hand -plow, though 'this is not so satisfactory, as the hand -plow can not be operated in so straight a with the board. After the first line has been cut it can be used as a guide for the horse marker, if -this imple- ment is used, After the ice field has been lined of in one direction, the cross -lines should •e`a can be used for this work, ora have these at right angles to those' very good home-made scraper may be first drawn, which is accomplished by fashioned of wood and faced with an use of a square. A suitable square old crosscut saw.' An ice -plow is al- may be made easily by first nailing most essential if any groat quantity the ends of two boards together with of ice is to be harvested. This faotli- a single nail. Measure a distance of tates the removalof the porous sur- eight feet on the outer edge of one face ice and greatly simplifies cutting board and six feet on the outer edge take away the trees and the place, if into blocks.. Half a dozen: pike poles,;of the other board, then nail a third up dwellings for sale to set out some looked at at all, would be regarded bearing vertical points. and horizontal board: diagonally across the two, ad - hooks, are needed In- floating the ice jesting it until the two marks are ex- , to the loading platform. An ice saw actly ten feet apart on a straight line. may be useful or an ordinary crosscut Nail the boards together- securely, saw, may be used by removing one forming the desired square. If the a purchaser. One does not require a handle. first cross is drawn with care it is' very vivid imagination to realize the Ice cutting is best. conducted by easy to draw the remaining linesrvalue of this practice. A fine Iooking throe squads of men, each with a parallel. house that is completed and the grad - team. The first squad removes the HOW TO ESTIMATE QUANTITY NEEDED, ing only commenced is much less at - snow or spongy ice from the surface To calculate the amount of ice need- tractive than another of similar type facturing plants and warehouses are of the field and plows, saws and cute ed on a dairy farm, take the number presenting a grassy lawn and founda- being requested to join the movement the ice into blocks of a size most con. of cows kept as a basis. If the aver- tion shrubbery set out with judgment. by cleaning up their properties facing venient to handle. if the ice is more age cow produces 8;600 pounds of 8.71A very slight planting adds an air the railways and by maldng them as than twelve inches thick blocks two per Cent. milk per year, which is equal' of. mellowness and links the dwelling attractive as possible. Plots of shrub - feet square on the surface would be to 481 pounds of thirty : per cent.( with its surroundings. It makes it berg and beautiful lawns are being DAIRY The dairyman who pians to`bave his cows freshen during thefall -and' early, winter months finds himself eon-; fronted with the problem of.• stabling a number of young calves. The coon mon practice among dairymen is to stable a number of calves in one pen, stanchioning while feeding, and turn- ing; them loose for exercise. I have never been very successful in rearing a number, ote calves together. They, contract bad habits that not only im-', pairs their growth, but gives trouble later in life. • I Young calves eleould be given the best of care. They should not be bunt- ed and jostled around. I find it a good. way to provide small pens' about four by six feet to'keep the calves in for the., ,first .few weeks. These pens are made of` light panels and can be very easily put up and taken down., Each pen has a email feed box and rack for feeding, `Too' much stress cannot be placed upon „the importance of having light, dry„ well ventilated • quarters for young calves., Damp, poorly -lighted quarters are productive of many of the troubles attacking young•, calves, and' causes heavy - losses. Plenty of bedding, I find, helps to keep the pens dry ' and comfortable. Frequently cleaning of the pens is necessary, and, in case of -bad odor, the use of pow- dered lime keeps the pen clean and sweet. For: the first few' weeks during the whiter months, I like to keep the calves in.a warm part of the stable. Young calves are tender and sensitive to sudden weather changes. Later, as the calves get older, :they will stand considerable cold if 'the Pens are kept clean and dry. Give the young calves 'plenty of exercise. Well -Earned Rest. Qua day.a .farmer went to the coun- try fair and his hard-working wife re- mained at home to see that the farm suffered no loss during his absence. He returned about dark, and coming out on the porch he inquired: "I'm about tired; out, Mary. Is the cows in the barn?" "Yes, long since," replied: the wife. "Is the bosses unharnessed an' fed?" "Yes." "Fowls locked up?" "Yes." "Wood chopped fes morels'?" "Irk,,. "Be them ducks plucked an' dressed fes market?" „Ir63 n "Wagon wheel mended an' ready to start in hauling wood to -morrow morn- ing?" "Yes." "Well; then,"'he concluded, with a sigh of relief, "let me have my supper, Mary, and I'll turn in. Fannin' is beginnin' to tell on me." The wrong variety of soy -beans may get in wrong with the crop, This 'is the latest : study oft Capt. Anton Flettner,- inventor of the "new saillese boat, which has became the centre of attention in all engineering' I circles on the continent and in Ameri- Oa. Something Good Coming. Of the forty leading varieties of winter wheat under test in each of the past five years the six kinds which gave the highest average yields per acre were all produced at the College by cross fertilization and selection, some ofv which have' not yet been dis- tributed throughout Ontario. Of the fifty-two varieties of winter wheat grown under test in the past year the thirteen (18) highest yielders acre were' all produced at the O.A,C. !through 'hybridization and selection with but two exceptions, namely, Daw- sons Golden ,Chaff which came fourth and Red Rock which came tenth. Sports in Their Proper Place. College (dead—"And sports, have their proper place In our'curriculum, Student's Dad—"Glad to hear it— glad to know my boy will have some chance to study, you know." • The dairyman should ever keep in mind these facts: That the ration with a wide nutritive ratio has a ten- dency to put on fat, while one with a narrow, nutritive ratio tends to pro- mote milk 'production. gam Education 'The Child's.First School is tits .Felnlly"-Proebr6" Profitable Fussing --By Mary S. Stoner. A successful primary teacher of my acquaintance is an advocate of close supervision: in both work and play, so she sharply criticized the methods of a certain new -style private school. While visiting there she found one child fussing by herself with various boxes and other objects, on a small table. "What are you, doing?" she asked, The child tossed her curls and replied in a fretful tone, "I don't know what I'm doing." ' The visitor regarded this as strong evidence against the school and against every other planned along the lines of incidental education, To me, the happening by itself was not con- clusive. Surely : it isn't well to get children in the way of aimless work, play or idling, yet why shouldn't they fuss away sometimes, even irritably and resentfully, without knowing what will come of their efforts? All worthy creative workers have gone through hour 'after hour of such me- 'periences. Often, even as children, these future artisans and artists had a.definite goal in' mind but would have hesitated 'to disclose it for fear of ridicule. At other times their manipulations were purely experimental; the sum total of profit to be shown—wand perhaps shown only years afterward— was:mastery of the tools of thought and hand. All children need to spend much time just getting acquainted with. things. Rightly circumstanced boys and girls will do enough of this outside; bet how few in this.age are rightly circumstanced for' normal childish de - )a, Two years ego Cana first ambitious attempt elaborate winter fair 'in, he main, the city of'Toronto being selected location, Spontaneously '- blossomed blossomed forth as an agricultural event of the first importance, adleiev: I ing immediately that national ane international character 'desired, and attaining at birth a rank which platen it to the fore among similar events tee the continent. The first holding was declared, in size and importance, to be a "runner- up" to. the Chicago International Show in many respects. it was the finest •and most striking of tributes to the international standing of Can- ada's an ada's first industry of.agriculture. The two events which have taken place since that time have but served to enhance the prestige of the Royal IWinter Fair. The 1924 show was larger and better than ever, the en. tries being'more numerous, and of a superior class, and the. entire exhibi- tion being yet more representative of the supreme in Canadian agriculture. The international character.of the show was more pronounced than in. former years, and the Royal Winter Fair •asserts its position more zealous- ly and with greater justification as n rival of the great annual show"at Chicago, It is most representative, in every way, of Canadian agriculture in its breadth of production and supremacy of quality, There are no limits as to classes, but all. Canadian agriculture, in its minutest and most remote phase, is represented there. Staged' on a few acres is the entire. range of Canada's first activity, the gamut of production being epitomized in the best products. No event has so successfully concen- trated Canadian 'agriculture and -yet. comprehensively disclosed its ehiher- ateness. " BEST r,IVESTOCE ENTERED, The livestock showing in 1924 was undoubtedly the greatest ever made in Canada, comprising as it did a light horse show declared comparable to the Madison Square Garden event at New York and an array of dairy cattle which surpassed that of'the great National Dairy Show. All the possi- bilities of the horse were exhausted in the arena, whilst it is merely suf- jicient to say that the dairy classes were representative'of the Dominion without taking into account- entries from all parts of the , United States, The same was. true of sheep' and swine and the varied products of these class es of livestock. There were 'draught horse entries from all over Canada and the United States, and 1,860 entries in the saddle acid harness classes. Eight hundred head of dairy cattle vied be competi- tion, whilst the poultry exhibit,. with_ nearly 9,000 entries, was declared to be the largest and best ever brought together under one roof on • the Am- erican continent, The fox exhibit, tie representing what is coming to: be a major Canadian industry, was large,. the exhibit of silver -blacks, at the fair having a purchase value of nearly half a million dollars, 'A revelation was the flower exhibit, disclosing the wide possibilities, of Canadian produc- tion in this connection. Fruit, birds and fishes, dairy products, and all other agricultural products testified to the high excellence of Canadian pro- duction, There has never been any doubt as to the success of the Royal Winter Fair since it first blossomed. The passing years merely serve to inceunao its importance as an international event. It is the clearest indication of the supreme importance of Canadian agriculture and the superior standard of production that, at a single bound, the Dominion can stage an event of this kind which challenges interna- tional interest. velopment! Literally millions have no 'suitable home play apace and play- things; many. (rich, poor and middle class) have their hours too crowded with other things to allow•for develop, ing individually 'outside of school, They must have their chance there or nowhere. Directed play and study have their place, but are they not given too large a pl-.ce in the lives of most twentieth century children? That means too lit- tle margin for the experimenting, the observation •and first hand thought, the self -exploration and independent actions which are basic -elements of all true education. "Do something; don't idle!" was the frequent injunction of the mother of a famous son. This was good counsel, yet how often a child might fail to know that he or she was truly."doing something," •when engrossed' in a very worth while way! We have a homely word to describe such employment of one's time. It is "fussing." "I've been fussing over that for a long while," says the suc- cessful inventor, the author, the scien- tific investigator, the statesman, Co explain results over which we exclaim with pleasure and respect. What valuable creative work, or ex- ecutive work of the higher types, , is ever performed by indiyiduals o never spent long hours concerning which they must honestly say that they didn't know then what they were doing? Failure is often the road to success, and the habit of patient fuss- ing is a profitable one for every child to form. ••••••44.4444444444•4444014 .41.4444•44•444440 Triangle Experiments—O-12-' i. I 4—Best Yield and Largest Profit. This is the name applied to the Eosin of experiments that the Chemistry Dept. of the 0. A. College have been using to ascertain the needs of certain soils for certain crops. The plots are not triangle but the name refers to the arrangement of the quantities. of the three fertilizer constituents which are used on the different plots. The experiment as conducted on six farms growing potatoes in Rent, five in Wel- lington, and el-lington,'and four in Middlesex, called for twenty-one plots, giving twenty- one different arrangements of the three fertilizer constituents. One of the most important points that was demonstrated by: means of these plots throughout the season of 1922 'and 1928 eves that where clover was plow- ed down and some manure used in pre- paring ground for potatoes, no in- crease in yield was obtained from added nitrogen. Phosphoric acid in the form o#'acid phosphate always has a decided influence on the yield. The FINANCIALresults of .the first two year's' "Peri - It VALUE OF FLORAL DECORATION It has become the practice of house glimpse of such a home seen among builders in some cities who have put the trees. Strip away the vines or f - shrubs and get them growing before with disfavor. putting their property on the market. In the city of Toronto the apprecia- Even a small amount of preliminary tion of horticultural ornamentation is planting makes it much easier to find stirring some of the realtors of the city to action. It is announced that a, campaign has been started to make more attractive the approaches to the city.. The routes by. rail are to be looked after first. Owners of menu - most convenient; if it is thinner than; cream, it will require 491 times 1.18 appear to be at home and peaceful on planned by the realtors, and it is ex-. this, blocks_threefeet square can bel pounds, or about 500 pounds of ice, tol its site, which will often attract a petted that in a few years the ap- packed conveniently into the house.' cool the cream produced by each cow buyer that would otherwise make a preaches to Toronto will be of such a But thick ice should be cut in proper: and keep it in good, sweet condition further search for his prospective character as to make a fine impression blocks so as not to call forundue until delivered to market. In addition home. Ion the minds of the many thousands lifting. it is best to store 500 pounds addition- The speculative builder who does of visitors to the capital city of then The second squad of men cut looser al ice, or a total of 1,000 pounds per! planting does not do so from the good -province each year: the blocks and float them to the side' •cow ' . This is sufficient to cool the ness of his heart or because of his The city of St. Thomas, by working of the- open water where they are' cream. needed for household uses and eethetic sense. The few dollars,healong these lines through the instru- ready to be loaded on the sleigh_: or: allow for reasonable waste. There -1 invests return , to him not only tire' mentality. of the Hort cultural Society, wagon. Here a tramway with a pair fore, the twenty -cow dairy should have quicker sale of his house but a sub -'has worked a rev .cation not only in. of hooks attached to a rope will make 100 tons of ice stored. stantial profit on the investment, \the appearance of the town but in the In touring through the country one1 pride of the citizens in their streets of several years' work on this ques- may go into raptures over a romantic , and homes. tion: vine -covered cottage or theentrancing —Canadian Horticultural Council. -' POULTRY How to determine by an external examination'whether'or not an egg is fertile and, if hatched, what the sex of the chick will be, has been the subject of a' great deal of speculation, Aa a matter of fact, the "sure meth- ods" that have, been circulated from time to time are unsupported by ex- 2. A temperature of 101 deg. Fe perimental evidence'and are practical- throughout the period of incubation ly worthless, One of the more common beliefs is Lit long, narrow eggs will hatch only reale chicks, whereas short, round eggs will in most oases . produce fe- 1. The optimum temperature for — _.. _ .- ----- the incubation of hens' eggs was be- tween 100 and 108 deg. F., measured by standing thermometers in a . hot. air -type incubator, with the centre of the bulb one end a half inches above the egg tray. I measured with a standing thee -mo -1' meter, gave the best hatching results.! 3. The optimum temperature for the incubation of white and brown I eggs was the same. males. Experimental observation in- 4. White eggs usually pipped' and, dicates that in the long run both sorts hatched a ,few hours earlier than of eggs produce about 60 per cent.. of brown eggs at the same temperature. each sox. ' 5. Temperatures below the optimum Similarly the position of the air cell tended to delay the hatch and gave a is of no.value in determining the Sex large number of undesirable chicks. of the chick that will hatch from an G. Temperatures above the optimum egg. Other theories workout rill just brought the hatch off earlier, but gave about the same way. One will do best a greater number of undesirable chicks to plan on 50 per cent. in -ales and 50 than optimuni:oi• lower than, optimum per cent, females, although in some temperatures, • • • seasons` the actual results may vary 7. Standing thermometers with the rite a bit from. this equal division of middle' of the bulb one and a half to sexes. inches above the egg tray and near to One of the snort important consul- but not touching the eggs gave the orations in the successful operation of most dependable temperature for in- eseeaa i •cubatiou, incubator that of maintaining a _____a—___ Thi"s new life saving apparatus is so constructed that the person inside correct- temperature throughout the Can float ou the' water and still have excellent shelter, It Is equipped with incubation period. Fallowin are sonic Hard work is the ,best :oast with- t of the conlusions reached as a result which to raisedough,". ' a small apertwe to permit fire firing of a pistol, to attract attention: mental work all point to the fact that a fertilizer mixture of 0-12-4 type was most likely to give the best yield of potatoes and largest profit. This, year a little nitrogen in the fertilizer mixture gave paying results. This was probably due to the wet sea- son which kept the ground cold and delayed nitrification, thus nicking the added nitrogen especially useful. The results of the three years' experiments bring out very clearly the possibility of grooving sufficient nitrogen into the ground to make the use of added nitro- gen unnecessary for the potato crop in most seasons. It has also been shown that acid phosphate is •essential for economical returns. Triangle, experiments are also being conducted co-operatively with bean growers, sugar -beet growers, celery and onion growers. Corn Versus Sunflowers for Silage. Where corn does well it proves a more profitable crop than sunflowers for silage purposes. Not only do the sunflowers give a smaller crop yield but the crop is more difficult and ex- :o handle, besides this the quality of the silage is not quite as satisfactory. It is in the colder parts of Canada, where corn does not thrive well, that sunflowers find a place. .. The Dominion Field Husbandman in his report for 1928 gives the yield of sunflowers at the Central Experiment- al Farm as 20 tons to the acre, while the corn yielded about three-quarters of a ton less. In dry matter, however, which is a truer index of the value of a fodder crop, corn gave -almost a ton more. Both the sunflowers and corn were planted with the grain drill in rows 42 inches apart. In harvesting the crop the sunflowers were not so easily handled with the corn binder and gave greater difficulty in hauling and putting through the cutter. Sun- flower silage, owing to the large am- ount of, moisture' it contains, freezes much. ore readily than corn in the silo. This latter difficulty may, how- ever, be reduced, states the, report, by allowing the sunflowers to wilt foe a time in the field before hauling to the silage cutter. Sonic men never'think to see if they need gasotno until the car won't go any more,, Many women succeed in the, care, of poultry under adverse conditions that would cause men to quit in disgust: .. Brains as well as feed are import- ant factors ui poultry .culture. There must not be a shortage of 'either. • THE CHILDREN'S HOUR THE DAIRYMAN OF PASS - A -GRILLE.' Nestling in the blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico, a few miles off the southwest coast of Florida, there is a "little bit of Heaven" in the shape of an islandknown as Pass -a -Grille, and it is here that Silas Dent, the dairy -1 man, better known, however, as the "Hernvit of Pass -a -Grille," lives with his twenty-two cows, his horse, his dog, and a few chickens. His dairy is two and a half miles from the little townwhich has its be- ing on the south end of the island,' and twice a day Silas makes the round trip of five miles down the beach and back in his wagon drawn by "Charlie," old _and faithful. Every one of his cows and their calves are pals of Silas; each has a name which he, or she knows; and to which each gladly responds. One calf is called "Jessa- mine," a little Jersey who accompan, les her owner on his delivery rounds, riding in the wagon like a dog. It is by no means unusual to find Silas seated under is palm -tree with a calf in his lap, tenderly stroking it or scratching its head. It seems to be a source of sorrow to both when the calf outgrows the lap. Another sad event is when a calf inadvertently chances to be a male, and must go to the butcher. On these occasions Silas is invariably pensive for several days preceding and following the transfer. The friendly relations between man and cows and the utter lack of fear on the part of the cows, may have some. thing -'a great deal, in fact—to. do with the quality and output of the milk. While not Insisting that every dairyman shall rock his calves to sleep in his arms, would it not be a good, idea if more consideration were shown, all cattle, in fact all animals? Turkey Meat Healthful. Scientists claim that turkey meat has a much larger percentage of pro- tein, or flesh -forming food, than beef. It is more easily digested, because the fibre is shorter and yields more read- ily to the digestive process. Beef con- tains a high percentage of extractive matter which is nearly entirely lack. ing in turkey. Turkey diet is considered especially beneficial to persons troubled with acidity of the stomach, a condition often caused by an excessive beef diet. There are the same nutritive qualities in turkey meat as in beef. Beef stim- ulates the acid secretions of the stom- ach, and if there is an excess of acid, turkey counteracts the effects, "Has George decided on your pre- sent,yet?" "Tet—and my future." Tile.ejsdngi'el is.• a•haphazard cQ�ti1- binatione neither elle thingg nor, the other'''It is -'it 'weeds on the •: oul P3 fiv"r'm i ra The Guild of Vintners. The new Lord Mayor of London, Sir Alfred Bower, belongs to the Worship - fel Company of Vintners, one of the twelve City Guilds. One creed not make two guesses as to the meaning of Vintner, although to -day the name Is not used very frequently in common speech. The Vintners are the eleventh coon• pany in order of procedure, the firs three being the Mercers, Grooere, and Drapers respectively. The larges) Livery is the Haberdsliers, but the 'Wealthiest in the Mercers, with an an- nual income exceeding '500,000. The Vintners' 'were formerly divided into two classes. The Vineterii im- ported wine and the Tabernaril kept taverns, hors, and cook=houses, In the thirteenth century "early closing" was in farce, no traverner beln'g allowed to keep his doer open after curfew" - ring under a penalty of hail a mark, Moreover, all mietomete were ailoct'ed wine drawn from the cask—hence the ' old notice still to, be seen in London: "Wines from the Wood." It was 'an offense for a taverner to hang ki cloth Or a portiere ,before thodoor or hies cellar. •• This City Company's hail atte des. troyed by the Great Fire, but tee Mas- ter's Chair was saved and may still be seen in the'Vintry In Themes Street. The Vintners also still 1reservs their State funeral peal made of cloth of gold, with purple velvet pile. Only five oth . companies have ps'es.wved theirP, e . ,q 4 a