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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Seaforth News, 1959-01-29, Page 3Pussy Cats 'Way Down East Much as I try to avoid thele, I have some subjects thrust upon ine, and now comes a nice Jotter from a lady who wants to know what is a Maine coon cat. It suddenly conies to me that I have heard the term "cooncat" all niy life, and don't have the slightest idea what it means. We have had coon eats off and on, as cats eome and go, and they can be seen on every hand around here, I can look at a cat and tell you if it is a coon cat or a calico, but that's about it. A• eoon cat has hair, unless it has rubbed overlong on the un- der side of the grain box, or slept too close under the parlor heater, or has other wise under- gone some transformation. Quito a good, bit of hair. The coon eat is a handsome thing, and tends to become a slob. He takes advantage of you because he is handsome. He sleeps up on the furniture and 'acts as if he were meant to, And, as with all cats, there are those who love him. There are two important things about Maine pussy cats, I have always been told, and even it they are true they are interest- ing. One is the origin, the other the perpetuation. Maine cats are supposed to have been assembled on our shores bythe wandering w r ng sea- farers of other days, coming here indiscriminately from all corners of earth,. It is supposed to have happened because of rats. A cat -bringer might be, let us say, in Persia, which I under- stand has since disappeared, and as he had, some rats aboard his vessel he picked up a local cat. The cat performed well aboard the vessel, became a pet of the skipper, and in due time the ship arrived ,back in Maine, Closing his binnacle and picking up his cat, the skipper walked up the hill to his home, and gave the cat to his wife, who im- mediately said, ”Oh, isn't oo a witty pitty bitty puddy tett" and in this way the Persian cat was introduced to Maine, On the beach this immigrant was joined by similarly introduced cats from other sections, until we had every nationality of cat in: the world. As to the perpetuation, I am told (but have no exact know- ledge myself) that the genera- tions of the cat are repetitive. An old Mommie cat may have star-spangled kittens at random, but if there was once a Manx cat in the background there will regularly appear a Manx cat in full possession of his deficiencies. So, too, with ,all the others. Thus it happens that the orig- inal types, all intermingled in, MUSIC "AUTOMAT" -Hep kinder in Munich, West Germany, don't have to wait for a record store to open to get their platters. A coin-operated vending machine outside a record shop supplies their wants. present » day Maine cat affairs, persist, There may be sixteen short -haired eats in a clutch, but the seventeenth will be a throw- back to some patrician ;Persian with smoky mien, pale eyes, and whiskers like platinum wires. The sixteen may grow up in the barn and range the wildwood to howl all night, but the seven- teenth will sit on silk and velvet and drink cream and acquire culture and affluenee. This is why you can be rang- ing the Maine countryside and see a oat sitting on the door- step of a tar -paper, pulpwood cutter's shanty which looks ex- actly like the animal that won best -of -show in the latest high - society cat contest. Many folks, admirers of high quality cats, have paused at such moments to ask if they might buy this hyperion, which usually startles the owner who has been trying to give her away for six months. If inquiry is made,these oat fanciers often learn that the handsome cat's mother was a long-tailed racer,. or ridge runnerof pied hue and wary eyes, given to ripping shingles off the shed wall and hunting weasels. The father was probably a tourist with a yank in his tail and one ear sawed off, originally of the tiger tribe, never fondled by the hand of man, The brothers and sisters .of the paragon, now out on a buzzard hunt, are of various stripes, none appearing t o be loin, This doorstep eat, about to be carried off to the big city (the cheers of the pulpwood cutter swelling in the background) will undoubtedly acquire a pedigree as long as a budget message in the next few weeks, and will have his picture in the cat jour- nals during the Winter. Of : course, many a handsome cat is never discovered in this way, and spends his time mid the scenes of his childhood, catching lobsters by his tail, and never knowing that chance has passed him by - never know- ing that he, too, were' fate so kind, might be lolling on cash- mere pillows in the mansions of the elite. We once had a handsome coon cat who dissipated his chances. He was magnificent until he dis- covered salt fish at Bart Bubier's cod works. Not many cats care for salt fish. But this fellow went for it. Shortly the salt diet peel- ed off all his lovely hair, and his tail shriveled. He would eat salt fish, after which he would sit lapping his paws for a time; then he would race like a colt• to Spar Creek for a drink. He would drink all afternoon. His eyes became lackluster, and he became a hater of mankind. He lived up on beams and would snarl. You certainly would never know, to look at him,. that ex- cept for salt fish he could easily win first prize in any cat show. But he was a . crumb. He also did as he pleased and although he was of noble ancestry, he didn't care. "Do what thou wilt," he used to say. If anybody wants a cat, Maine is. a -good place to catch one. If you promise good care and pious home that doesn't keep late hours, you can get about any- thing .you want, and coon cats are as plentiful as anything. Personally, I am not offering myself as a go-between, and I hope no specific inquiries are addressed to me: You've got to find your own, and you may have to shake them out•. of a tree, but we've got 'em.''- By John Gould in The Christian Science Monitor. A young couple, on hearing of the arrival of a friend's fourth child, sent a play -pen as a gift. The Ythank you note" left them'' somewhat astonished. "Thank you so much for the pen," it said. "It is a perfect god- send. I sit in it every week -end and read, and the children can't get near me." CROSSWORD PUZZLE B Myth. munete 3. Stain 10. Word of J0, infant BOrroiv 11, m Distribute a by measure 10. Groove 19 Foreboding 21. Soiled ACROSS mother 22. Coins of 1. Humid 4. Freshman Macao 5. Personality cadets 28. The merest B. Wander 6. Goddess of trifle 12, 10111ptical discord 24, Macaw ^ 13, Propel a boat 0. Tibetan 28. Native 'of 14 Leer gazelle Denmark 16. Matter ' 7. Nocturnal 20, Legendary 1.7. iTnruly child 'bird blind .PPT 18 Place of 8. Plunderer 417 Dusk nether dark - nava 19 Stoat 20. Soak up. 2l, Matron 23, Baseball en- thusiaets 25. Turned aside 28 Babylonian war. god 80 Nobleman 31 The Halls 82, Dashing men 24, Algonnulan , Indian 86, Mind. 30, Sooner than 87. Ornate 40. 40th State 43. Possessed with Murder- ous frenzy 44. Of snakes 48. Ceremony 47, Measure of yarn 48 Bested ted. 49 tnrnuntes 50. Light tough 61 S1aVe DOWN 1. Hound root 2. Mnrly Siberian tribe 8. Related through the 3. Small neolclare case 4 Bed on rockers 20. Yale 7, Agricultural establishment 8. Pr, friend 9. Short letter 0, "Mnby lllrlc'e' ' purs04r 1. Cane (var.) 2. IlIng. princess 4. Advanced In. Years 45 Vegetable 2•a°ititiL®®®�°0O°°1111®®'ie �M°'i:'p.°+'p 11®11®' hill®11111111®® ®®®::.:.:®.i®®':::°°31$I 1111111111111111111111iiiiiiiiii11111111 ®®11®®.'; 7s13®®®®®11 ®�®:•:°:!:1111 ...�® Answer elsewhere on this page "PROFESSOR" WAS RIGHT -The "professor" at the pool hall- oops-billiard academy of another day claimed that the game was a science. His vindication is supplied at Smith College, where department of physics has a billiard table as an item of laboratory equipment. Reason: collision of billiard balls resemble in their actions collision of atoms, in some instances. Mary Mosher, left, and Shirley Fleischer, pool their skill In an experiment. TIIEFA2NFRONT John. What's in a bag of poultry feed? A few years ago it contained' simple feed -stuffs like whole, cracked; or ground grains, or some product of the . milling industry such as• bran, shorts, and middlings, or a high - pro- tein supplement like linseed oil, oil meal, fish meal or meat meal. * * * Today the bag contains a complex mixture of different Ingredients designed to satisfy the complete nutritional require- ments of growing or laying birds. * * * A ration must contain energy, proteins, minerals, and vitamins to s a t i s f y requirements for growth, fattening or reproduc- tion. Originally these needs were supplied from familiar natural feed - stuffs, Today, however, many synthetic vitamins, and. in some cases synthetic amino acids, are substituted. Additionaly, a number of in- gredients which cannot be classi- fied as essential nutrients are. added. These include compounds like antibiotics,' arsenicals and ethers which tend to promote rapid growth. In many cases ra- tions also contain certain medi- caments for control or treatment of certain diseases. * * •* • Because of today's multiplicity of ingredients, there is often an .air of mystery surrounding a bag of feed, says. T. M. Maclntyre, poultry - nutritionist. But, he adds,• in each case there are nutritional reasons for incorpor- ating the particular product in the ration. At the Nappan farm, it has been proved that synthetic; amino acids can be successful where natural products fail. In- edible anima] tallow or some other fatty product has been found to be a useful source of energy. Addition of fat results in improved feed efficiency, and most broiler and many laying rations now ocntain added fat. Too, use of ingredients such as antibiotics and medicaments which are not generally classed es nutrients have resulted in lowered mortality and improved. growth and thus indirectly con- tribute to improved nutrition. * * * ° "In general, each new addition means more meat and eggs from a bag of feed," sums up Mr. Mac- Intyre. * * * A flick of a switch is all that is needed today to grow vege- tables and' bedding -out plants for spring transplanting. Electricity has taken over the job of heating hotbeds, replac- :ng decomposing manure,' which, while used successfully for many years, caused occasional failures due 'to overheatingand under - heating, * * e Gardeners requiring I a r g e numbers of plants can realize substantial savings by growing the plants themselves. A federal harticultu ist points out there are three basic requirements for malting an electrically -heated hotbed: (1) A suitable frame, complete with glass. or, plastic sash; (2) Soil 'heating cable; and. (3) A tem- perature regulating thermostat. * * * The frame can be of two-inch planking and ordinary storm sash "or specially - constructed ;two -layer plastic sash may be used. Heating cable can be pur- chased in lengths of 60 or 120 feet, with the shorter length being used on a 110 -volt power supply and the longer length on a 220 -volt power supply. Each 60 -foot length of cable will heat 36 square feet of frame space. This is sufficient to start '1,000 to 1,200 plants. Multiple .arrangements of cables can be used where more space is requir- ed. A reliable waterproof ther- mostat will maintain the hotbed temperature at any desired level. * * * Plants may be grown in a bed of soil covering the heating cable, or in flats that can be set on a framework above the Cable. Use of flats is preferred because of the ease of handling and greater heating efficiency, ;pgrticularlyin cold , weather. Gardeners are warned to pur- chase cable that is sheathed in iead. Want A Shorter Wort; Week ? While many . advocate still a shorter work week than the prevalent 40 hours spent on most professions and jobs, one European country's population refuses to cut down its working hours, The industrious Swiss over- whelmingly rejected a reoent move to give the government the right to reduce their week- ly working hours from 48 to 44. They voted against the reduction by 586,188 votes to 315,910 - a majority of 270,278. Their argu- ment ... was that the govern- ment would use the privilege to meddle in affairs that should be settled between workers and employers. There are many arguments on the advisability of a shorter work week in the United States. A four-day week, for example, would give Americans more. leisure time. Proponents advance the theory that a shorter week would create employment for more persons. Conversely, a 32^hour week would create more problems for employers who would have to train the additional help, Cer- tainly there is much to be said on the inefficiency which would result in such a transition. One argument which certainly seems valid is against a shorter work week for reasons of the soaring cost of living. To cut the work week to four days would 'mean that the worker would have to be paid the equivalent wages of five days' work for only four days labor. At the same time the employer would be forced to raise the price of his products or commodities to meet the wage increases. , . Then there's the argument that many Americans already are blessed with too much leisure time. This theory merits full con- sideration, America's choice spot as a world power has been ac- complished only through the hard work of our ancestors. - Daily Sun (San Bernardino, Calif,) Will Sun Blow Up? One fine night when he Was in his early teens, Yorkshire- born Fred Hoyle was walking homewards when he paused to gaze up at the sky. It was studded with myriads of twink- ling stars. The sight filled him with sudden awe. There and then Fred Hoyle vowed to become an astronomer. His vow has been more than ful- filled. Today he is a pioneer of modern astronomy. And a short time ago he became one of Cam- bridge's newest professors when he was appointed Plumian Pro- Sessor of Astronomy and Experi- mental Philosophy in the Uni- versity. Bespectacled Fred Hoyle is 42. It is ,his belief that there may be many other planets apart from the earth where favorable conditions for the evolution of human life exist. His theory of an ever-expand- ing universe caused an astro- nomical sensation in 1950. It has been said that Hoyle describes the birth of stars "as if he were some kind of stellar midwife". He has said that the sun virtually a new star at the mo- ment, but one day it may blow -up and roast the earth. Guns Were Hos , Great Passion Jack Bender was more than a gun buff; he was gun mad. Des- pite his modest salary as a fur- nace installer and the expen- ses of bringing up a family of five young children, he had in his small Chicago apartment a television set - to watch West- erns - and a collection of 23 hand guns. He spent hours prac- ticing the fast draw -and -fire techniques of the Western gun fighters. He named his youngest son Wyatt Earp Bender. On Christmas Eve, Bender was practicing draw -and -fire with one of his prized guns -a repro- duction of the Buntline Special made famous by the early U.S. marshals - while little Wyatt Earp, 14 months, played on the floor with another of daddy's guns, a .32 -caliber revolver. As Bender pulled the trigger of his Buntline, the baby toddled into the line of fire. The baby died, a bullet in his abdomen. Sobbing with grief, Bender told police; "I didn't know it was loaded," I won't say that the orchestra was bad, but a waiter dropped a tray full of dishes and six couples started dancing. JJ$MY SC1001 LESSON By Rev 11. Barclay Warten fl.A„ 13,D.. Jesus Reveals lis Authority Matthew 21;12.13, 23.27 Memory Selection: He taught them as one having authority. Matthew 7:29. One of the most dramatic scenes during the ministry of Jesus was when in the temple he overthrew the tables of the moneychangers. and the seats of them that sold doves. It was on Monday, afterr his triumphal en- try into Jerusalem on the Sun- day now known as Palm Sunday. No wonder that on Tuesday when Jesus returned to Jerusa- lem from Bethany the chief priests and elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, "By what authority do- est thou these things? and •whe gave thee this authority?" A straightforward an ewer would only have deepened their hate and he needed another 3 days for further teaching before he should give his life on the cross, He con- fused them by asking if John's baptism was of heaven or of men If they said, "of men" they would be revealing the sin of their unbelief for they had not accepted John or his message, If they had believed John they would have become disciples of Jesus and they would have readily known the source of his authority. On the other hand they feared to say that John's baptism was of men for fear of being stoned by the people. Hap- py are those who recognized that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God and bow to his authority. Captain Fuchida, who was in charge of 360 bombers that rained destruction on Pearl Harbor came to the Christian Servicemen's Center in Sasebo, Japan, to give an address. He told of the exper- iences that changed the direction of his life. He declared; "Under orders from Tokyo I led the at- tack on Pearl Harbor. Now I' am serving under higher orders." The examples .of two young Christians influenced Fuchida to become a Christian after Pearl Harbor. A friend of his impris- oned in USA was kindly treated by a girl whose parents had been Christian missionaries in Jaw - In the fury of the war they were sent to Manila prison, cruelly treated and finally beheaded by the Japanese. Their last act was to write their .daughter asking her always to love the people of • Japan. Later he met my friend, Jacob DeShazer, who had been crelly treated in a Japanese prison but is now ministering to the Japanese. Fuchida read the Bible for himself and yielded himself to the authority of Jesus Christ. He now tells his people of his faith. He who hesitates may have to wait a long time before he comes to another gas station. ISSUE 4 - 1959 Upsidedown to Prevent Peeking GREAT BALLS OF SNOWI-'Lake Flower, near Saranac Lake, N.Y., is a mass of largo snowballs, rolled by capricious winds. A rare combination of wind, snow, temperature a n d humidity made the phenomenon possible. Goggle-eyed residents stared unbelieving as thousands of snowballs rolled around the lake as if by the hands of invisible men.