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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Seaforth News, 1943-07-29, Page 3•- THURSDAY, JULY 29, 1943 Doc Grether's Potent Dew Remember the gardens of your childhood, those tranced places of stogy and dream, peopled lay fairy queens said mischievous pixies? If you kept very still at night you could see the elves come to quaff wine from nasturtium horns. Then with magic wands the little folk would work their wonders, Of course they made the garden grow. And of course, when we grew up our botany teacher disillusioned us. Gremlins in the garden—bosh! Everything was soil food and rootlets and ergs of sun -energy. Dreadfully convincing and dull. Now we can poke our tongues out at those stupid old textbook -worms, They're wrong. There is magic in the garden. Science has started to study the world of growing things in an absol- utely different way and is discover- ing gremlins and fifinellas galore. So tremendous are the conclusions to be drawn from the latest garden experiments that it is safe now to say publicly what some bio -chemists have secretly •believed for two or three years: not only gardening but also large-scale farming is on the thresh- old of extraordinary advances. For science is going to turn all the world's green fields into one great magic garden. Agriculture as, we know it is re- pellently crude. Even science has labored under the humiliating no- tion that "nature knows best," so that all man can hope to do is keep out of nature's -way. Thus, the books say that we fertilize the land in or- der to return those chemicals nature originally provided, and which we stupidly remove by growing crops. Actually, we can make better soils and grow infinitely more and better foodstuffs than nature can. When prehistoric man first cultivated food plants he mastered nature. Today we are rulers of the plant kingdom. But only recently have wt begun to realize that nature's tiniid magic can be vastly improved, not only for the sake of ultimately beautifying our planet, but now, for banishing hun- ger in the postwar world. We cannot even summarize all the studies being made in garden magic. So we'll just follow one of the mag- icians. Until a few years ago he was a chemist working on dyes and drugs: Dr. Ernest Grether of Michi- gan. All his life he had been a gard- ener by hobby. One day his firm, the Dow Chemical Company, decided to let Doc Grether combine job and pleasure into a new kind of research. He was turned loose in the garden and told to find out what really makes this grow. The Grether approach was startl- ing in its novelty and simplicity. In Michigan, as in many parts of Can- ada, there are millions of acres of muck lands. This "soil" consists al- most entirely of decayed plant mat- erial. According to conventional theories, muck has all the elements. contained in plants. But as every gardener knows, few things grow in such soil, Why? Doc Grether read all through the library and found no answer. Maybe gremlins? Thus began the Grether research on humus. Countless experiments produced a mucky extract that could be decomposed with bacteria to give ever more foul-smelling chemicals. In April 1936, these stinky stuffs were put to historic tests, They made pansies grow better than any fertil- izer could—made them grow as if pixilatedI Dr; 'Grether couldn't name his smelly, magic, He called it "Plant Stimulant No, 10." He tried it on potatoes next. The yield increase was 40 to 70 per cent. Next year on the same feld with no further No. 10 used, 30 per cent more beans grew. And so for two more years: heavier crops without additional stimulant. Results with carrots were astound ing, While a standard fertilized field gave 10% tons,; per acre, a similar field touched with the No. 10 wand produced 261/2 tons. Many , carrots from the test weighed over two lbs. And they tasted better, ripened earl- ier and were more resistant to dis- ease and frost. Delphiniums and foxgloves rose to new heights �f beauty *hen Stimul- ated with a touch of the mystery stuff extracted from humus. One un- usual result was that flowers achiev- ed remarkable power of self -seeding. What is Plant Stimulant No. 10? It seems to be a mixture of magic substances. And we use the word magic on purpose. If you mixfi No. THIS WEEK GEORGE DREW will speakover all Radio Stations THURSDAY, JULY 29, 8.30 P.M. SATURDAY, JULY 31, 9.00 P.M. SATURDAY, JULY 31, 11.30 P.M. Vote for a Strong Ontario Wed., Aug. 4 Mark Your Ballot for the - PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE CANDIDATE 10 with water—jest one part to four Million of water --and if you clip Plant cuttings into this solution for a minute or two, then powerful root- ing action will result when the eat- ing is planted. That any substance in such excessive dilution could so in- fluence plant growth is contrary to all the old theories, Farm Life in U.K.. Can Vie With City City children in Great Britain are calling attention to the feet • that Ofe on the, farm can be made more int- eresting than that "under the great ;white lights." In addition to the regularly formed brigades by schools for the collection of all kinds of sal- vage, metal, rubber, waste paper, in- cluding kitchen leavings for pigs and fowls, searching the highways and byways for hedgerow herbs for med. lollies and rose haws for syrup, school children for the past three years have become adept in beekeep- ing and in vending honey. In this work, neighboring farmers showed a keen interest, As a result of helping in the har- vest and in the usual farm chores, naers after the war, This, says the U. 1010 toivias 'to find a bhiglator lige dill many of the children, particularly K. Information Bureau, is having a that their own lite could be bright fl those mooted from the cities, have powerful hatluenee pn country boys o e 11 , they cared. to make it so.' stated that they want to become jar- anti glOs who have hitherto drifted I GEORGE McCULLAGH President and Publisher, Toronto Globe and Mail Thursday, July 29 —10.30 p.m. Friday, July 30 10.30 p.m. CFRB and Network His Subject: "This . Election Decides Canada's Future" TE WEDNESDAY, AUG FOR OWER TAXES -BETTER INCOMES A SECURE FUTURE The people of Ontario have much to gain from the Progressive Conservative programme, outlined by the Leader, George Drew, on July 8th after months of consultation with farmers, merchants, drovers and all classes of citizens all over the Province. The Progressive Conservative Government will: Establish county comniiftees of leading farmers to plan production -and distribution of farm products to meet domestic and foreign demands on a profitable basis—to assure for the farmers a fairer share of the national income. 2 Eliminate speculation in livestock by converting stock yards into a province -wide publicly owned service. Relieve farmers and all home owners of one-half the school taxes. 4 Revise the whole provincial tax system to stimulate home improvements and house building. 5 To provide for every child all the education that can be usefully absorbed. 3 6 Introduce such vocational training in schools as will imbue farmers' children with pride in and love for agriculture as a basic and honourable calling; and fit them to make it in their own life time a more gainful occupation than it has been in the past. 7 Educate the rising generation to earn their own living and make their own way. 8 Improve the health of children by furnishing them with adequate medical and dental care. 9 Increase mothers' allowances and old age pensions. 10 Reduce the cost of electric power to farms and homes. The rural population, which is more senses than one have their feet on the ground, will approve the note of authority and confidence which animates the Progressive Conservative platform. The farmers will welcome the advent of a strong aggressive administration to Queen's Park—an administration which will employ the most advanced economic and scientific methods to develop and utilize the agricultural, mining, forest, and other natural resources of the Province, to build up a strong provincial economy, furnish steady employment to men and women and establish social secdrity for all classes. The Progressive Conservative Programme affirms that the moral, spiritual and material welfare of Ontario will be best assured under British democratic institutions and within the British Commonwealth of Nations arid Empire. THE ISSUE 1S NOW IN YOUR: HANDS ... VOTE FOR (1$ The Progressive Conservative Candidate—(No Party in tide history Of this Province ever attracted a more representative group of candidates): The Party is pledged to carry out every commitment given in the Drew 22 -Point Programme. Drew has faith in Ontario, faith in its people, faith in the future. Only Dre+tl' can win. (2) We want and need a change—vote for a change—but weigh the facts. Don't vote for a party whose aims you have never studied or who would destrby individual property rights and everything else you hold dear. Drew's progratiloie is clear and sound. Don't east a vote that will set Ontario back 100 years. Vote to assure George Drew a strong bvotking Majority in the Legislature. Take the necessary time off on Wednesday, 4th of August, and mark your ballot for the Progressive Conservative Candidate. MAKE • ONTARIO STRONG VOTE FOR AND AVOID ANOTHER COSTLY ELECTION Published by Progressive Conservative Party of Works 4 Elect DR. TAYLOR in Huron