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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Seaforth News, 1961-03-30, Page 11NW ng Fr ends On A Jungle Rood The first people I saw in Nigeria had come out of a bus,. The bus had its name painted on it , , , and it was in a, ditch by the side of the road with a creep- er of bright redflower tangled In the bundles tied to the lug- gage rack. The passengers were scattered in t h e erf u 1 family groups over the, road, Some of them had their cooking pots and Were frying up the bananas and stew they had carried with them, some of the men were chatting together, and several had settled themselves comfortably to sleep. Everybody seemed pleased to see our car, and one of the cook- ing women pressed a banana on me, The bus would be there two hours, three hours, or perhaps. a day or so, she said, It depended on. when the men from Mamfe came to drag It out of the ditch. We tried to edge past the bus— carefully—because we had seers. further back the burnt-out wreck of a lorry which had got too. close to the side of the road, and rolled over into the trees down the hank. Several of the bus passengers woke up or left their food and lined the side of the bank, testing the mud, pushing at our wheels, and telling us to an inch how near the ditch we could go. We were on our way from B men a da in the Cameroon„ to Calabar in East Nigeria, Mostly we had travelled on the worst road I had ever seen, It was nar- row and twisting, and open to one wary traffic only, the direc- tion of the traffic changing on alternate days. During the Rains one day each week was reserved by the Public Works Depart- ment for running repairs. But even so the ruts in the road were deep enough to make ordinary English sedan ears' stick with their wheels hopelessly turning Inches above the hard surface, The ears that can manage these roads are Continental, American, or best of all, long wheel -based Land Rovers with four wheel drives to get them out of the worst mud patches. In a French ear we got through, but at the and of the journey our exhaust pipe. had been knocked off and was tied to the roof -rack and we had also stuck four times.; be- tween Mamfe and Calabar. But. this did not matter much because even the empptlest bit of jungle imiraculously produced a crowd of people within a minute or so to help push us out.... . It was a good way of com- ing into Nigeria. For most of the journey the road was a narrow track through very dark, very dense forest with tall straight trees, almost branchless,. but PHOTOGENIC — Lilly, a od0- pound hippo, gives out with a heap of no expression. The oni- madwas sold by the New York Central Pork Zoo to a eireus, with festoons of erceper hanging from them. Everything Was try- ing to push its way upinto the ,sun above tree level, and after time I wanted to see the sun toe. Very' occasionally there was colour in the dark green flame-eolotired flowers, or leaves striped With white... But nettling worse than stick- ing in the mud happened to us, and the machets we saw were all Waved at us in the most friendly way,—Prom "Nigeria: Newest Nation," by Lois Mitehison, Hide All Your Shiny Articles People who visit a large os - trial farm in Soutli Africa are usually; asked by officials to hide all shiny articles they may have brought with them. This is because ostriches might otherwise gobble them up, Os- triches are used to swallowing bright pebbles which help ;them digest their normal food and they find visitors' rings, brac- elets, watches, buttons and spec- tators irresistible. While in the Kalahari desert of South Africa, traveller and novelist William J. Makin re- ported that twenty large and small diamond's were found in the stomach of one ostrich which had been allowed to wander freely with his companions over the diamond fields. Mr, Makin reported that the ostriches often swallowed dia- mortds to assist their digestion, preferring the gems because of their hardness or because they were naturally attracted by their brilliance in the sand, The South African government claimed that since the ostriches had taken the diamonds from the fields, they were the prop- erty of the state. A large number of coins weigh- ing more than four pounds and worth, $10 .were found in the, stomach of 'an ostrich which died in the Buenos Aires zoo, And a London • Zoe' ostrich's stomach yielded two shillings' worth of coppers, a bangle; several pieces of silver, jewellery, glass, a watch -chain and a glove, as well as smaller articles. Ostriches still give us many everyday articles. Their tough leathery skins are -made into handbags, shoes, wallets, belts, gloves and even Bible and 'other book covers. And their bones,, when milled, yield a good -quality bone meat. In fact, South African breeders pride ' themselves. on using ev- ery part of their birds, except their brains. Gaiety girls, flaunting gor- geous ostrich • plumes, created huge business for..ostrich farms in Edwardian .days, and feathers fetched prices as high as $500 a pound, which often worked out at $750 a feather. Nearly a million ostriches were farmed in one district alone. But to -day, the feather price has slumped to below $30 a pound, and the same district supports, no more than 50,000 birds, When fully grown an ostrich could easily beat champion run- ner Herb Elliott, Within seconds the bird can reach 40' m.p,h, and keep it up. A siiogle kick from an ostrich could kill a man, Curiously, the male ostrich, though i11 tempered and resent- • ful of htnnans, is thoroughly domesticated. Under the female's eye, he builds the nest and sits on the eggs for the first five days. After that, the female sits by day and father by night. That goes on for forty-two days,. until the eggs• are hatched. Orators in Grandpop's day used• to say that history is at the crossroads. Now we're at a cloverleaf, CROSSWORD PUZZLE ACROSS 2 11n ce rubbed 1. Dry o,t 4. Bishop's 3. Chess piece Jurisdiction 4. rent for 7. Wife of - stir Tying Abraham irela•hl 12. CoaetollatIon 64.• Tina, 12„Resists 7 t 91i rale , 13. Good-luck`'tab.). object 7.11t 17, flurry R, 11 -alt {tailor 12, 1lxclamatnon 19, Pack .. 20. Anchor tackle Si,And not 22. Swallow quickly 22. Study 24, ltentotandnm 20, Lanai measure 26. [tide 28 Pronoun 20 Maintain 30, Perform. 22 Wobbles s8 is 21 Absent 30. Some 27 Expense 34 minnow vessel e0 ignited 40, Throw 41 Near 32,Front 46, llturopse eWallow 46,leorstVenppaq 12. Black (Wakes 0, Deal with 0Small child if, int•, artiste DOwt4 ' A. Amor: Ot h Uncle 0. 55an god 10. One of"The b orepand Three 11, Worthless Musketeers" leaving' 11. Core 22, Dress leather 14, Chancellor's 23, Marling card office 24. Separate 23, Quill for 34. Irrigate winding silk - 37. Balloon 20, Satisfied„basket e1. Nothing 9. Phial 22. Merry 40 ''argon 22. .Noida - 42.By way of 24. Von til 43, Sound -of 20, Rofuae wool cattle 27, Existence 41. cattle 29. Affectedly 411. Myself shy 47. That thing Answer elsewhrea on this page HIS OWN RACCOON HAT — Sleddy Reynolds, 10, wears his Give racoon hat, "Gordy.” His parents were performers at a Sports - 'men's Show. THEFA1Th! FRONT Joku Domestic di,:"npearance of beef cattle, averaginr 38,700 head weekly in 1960, set an all-time record for Canada, reported Ralph K. Bennett, Canada De- partment of Agriculture. He said the long-term picture of the industry "can hardly be anything, .but 'bright." Total fisarketings in 1960 o3 2,465,000 head were nearly seven per cent higher than. in the pre- vious year. Alberta •accouiuted for 33 per cent of the total out- put, Ontario 30 per cent 'and Saskatchewan 19 per 'cent, Inspected slaughter of cattls totaled 1,942,000 head,• an in- . crease of 11 .per cent over 1959. . 0 it 41 - There There was a dramatic rise in the'marketings of Choice grade cattle, he pointed out. In 1960 the weekly average was nearly 11,900 carcasses, or 32 per cent . of ' the total kill: Mr. Bennett . calledthis figure startling when compared with 2,450 Choice grade carcasses, or 11.1' per cent of the kill ten years ago. * * * The increase in Choice grade reflects the improvement in cat- tle and growth of the cattle feeding industry •in. Canada, Mr. Bennett stated. The greatest increase in Choice and Good grade cattle during 1960 has taken place 'in Alberta, where marketings totaled. 430,000 head, about 55 per cent of total deliveries.. He said that human papula- tion in Canada was' climbing steadily but cattle numbers had not increased much in the pest five years. The cattle total on December 1, 1955 was almost 10 million, Last December 1, it' steed at 10,9 million, an in- crease in five years of nine per cent or an average of 1.8 per cent per year. During the same five-year period, the human population rose from 15.7 mil- lion to 18 million,. a 13.5 per cent boost, or an average yearly gain of 2.7 per cent. * ♦ * Predominantly, Canadian cat- tlemen were on an export econ- omy with their fortunes linked Very closely to those of Ameri- can cattlemen. In 1960 Canadian cattle exports td the United • States were about 10 per cent of total marketings - rnuoh less than the 655,000 live cattle and 53 million pounds of beef ship- ped in the peak year of 1958. That shipment, was the equiva- lent of 760,000 cattle or 28 per cent of the total marketings for 1958. 4. * * He noted a decreasing supply of boneless beef anti an ever --in- creasing demand for this pro- duct, A decrease in the number, of dairy cows in the past 25 years 'had meant fewer canners and cutters for slaughter. "M” grade carcasses in the 1960inspected kt1i totaled 218,000 or 11 per cent Artificial insemination was re. during the number of bulls in Canada, In 1060 the number of carcasses in the "C" grade to- taled 63,013 or a little more than three per cent. The 1948-51 aver age was approximately five per cent, 0 i Cattle prices at the year's end, he said, were "about $25 for Choice steers in Toronto and $23 for the same grade at Cal- gary." The potential capacity to pro- duce on the North American continent was still tied basically to the carrying capacity of the Western rangelands, Grass was a limiting factor because "every piece of beef starts out as a calf and cow on grass." Analysis of two significant facts in the beef cattle industry —the limita-tions of grazing lands, andthe growing demand • for beef arising from the rapid growth in human population— indicated a basically favorable situation, * * 4 There were 6,764,196 hogs graded in 1960, a drop of 1,804,- 021 'frown the near -record 8,568,- 217 carcasses graded the previ- ous year. Canada 'Department of° Agri- culture figures show that on a national scale 30.5 per cent were Grade A. It was the highest per- centage o'f Grade A's since 1951 - when the figure stood,at 31.3 per cent. In 1959, the pecentage of carcasses grade A was 29.5 per cent, * * 4 Elgin Senn, chief cif the grad- ing section, Livestock Division, said that the percentage of Grade A's has risen slightly each year . since 1954. In 1940 the percentage of Grade A hog carcasses rose to ars unprecedented 32.4 per cent. In 1954 it fell to 26 per cent. Mr. Senn' states one factor 4nay have influenced` the picture in 1960. "It's the first full year we've had since A and B grades were altered on October 5, 1959," he said, "At that trine the mini- mum weight for Grade A nags was dropped five pounds while the back fat measurements were tightened slightly." In any case, the number of car.. casses graded A is increasing slowly and with the change in the payment of the Federal Gov- ernment premiums from $2.00 on A and $1.00 on B grade to $3 00 on A grade, a further idnprove- menu in 1961 is anticipated. ' I ND YSCII00J LESSON By ltev. 10, Barclay Warren B.D. Jesus Gives His ,Life John 19: 17-24, 29-30. Memory Selection: I air the good shepherd; the good shell- herd hepherd giveth his life for the sheep. John 10:11, Chapters 13 to 19, nine in all, of the 21 chapters of the Gospel as recorded by St. John, are, de- voted to the last 24 hours of our Lord's life before His death on the cross. Why such detail? Examine the biographies of the world's great and no where else will you find a biographer de- voting so much space, in fact, more than a quarter of the book to bhe last day of the man's life. What'is the explanation? The death of Jesus Christ has very special significance, The Psalmist and the prophets, parti- cularly Isaiah, had spoken of it centuries before. As our title states, "Jesus Gives His Life." The men who came to take him in the garden fell to the ground at his word. (18:6). Ile said, "I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me,but layI it o down of myself." hy did He give him- self to die at the age of thirty- three? To answer this question thoroughly calls for a study of the whole Bible. It is especially clarified in the Book of Acts, the Epistles and bhe Book of Revela- tion. Man through disobedience in Eden fell from the state of innocency. He no longer enjoyed fellowship with his Creator. He was now sinful. Jesus. Christ, God's Son, same to pave the way for a reconciliation. He cabrrie as a man to save men, He haft no sins of His own, As man's re- presentative He bore our sins in His own body on the cross. We are saved from our sins when we repent of them and believe on Jesus Christ, We are saved by His Grace, "Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were an offering far too small. Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all," We may have salvation through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, Time To Order Garden Seeds While perennials are the back- bone of the flower borders, most people look forward to growing many of the lovely annuals each season, and now is the time for ordering seed. Annuals add color and variety to the garden. With a little plan-' ning and their long blooming pe- riod,one can have an abundance of flowers all summer and into the autumn. Use them to fill gaps in the perennial border, in front of shrubs, or in among newly planted shrubs which are small. 'Plant them among bulbs to hide Upsidedown to Prevent Peek no OEM BBB MEM MEOW OM EC ©©B© IMMOlil con MOW0 Ell OMMM©oo ' ®® MO E©'❑© >:®00 ma mom ODM ECM: fly© MUM MEM ' ©©li�NWMIE�� ' O 0 MCC00 : `© E9 ' ©© the fading foliage al? tulips and daffodils,: or around bleeding heart, oriental poppies, and other earlyrb]ocming plants, For making gardens in new or rented homes, annuals are • a ""- wise choice. They will bloom in six or eight 'weeks from seed and continue all summer. The seed catalogues are such fun that exercising restraint is difficult, If the resulting garden is to be a joy and not a burden, however, thoughtful planning is a,ntust. We need to select vari- eties that do well in our location. In the South are hot, dry sum- mers. In the North we need quick flowering: A definite eolor plan and only a few types of flowers lnassed for effect' and in blending tones are usually better than miscellaneous mixed colors and too many kinds, Annuals are classed ashardy, half hardy, and tender. The hardy can be sowed as early a$ the ground can' be worked. Sweet peas, cosmos, larkspur are hardy. Half'- hardy annuals, such as snapdragons, should not be planted in the open until after the last spring frost date for the locality; and tender annuals, such as zinnias, must be planted only after the soil is warm, If you have no book showing average spring and autumn frost dates for your region, ask your nurseryman or agricultural ex- tension station what your dates are In the front of most seed cata- logues are the new flowers for the season, Seeds of these may be -more expensive, but itis re- freshing efreshing to try a few new kinds. • MOST EMBAIRRASSING In Miami, Florida, blonde, freckled Marjorie. Curry :from Washington, D.C., bought a new bathing suit, wore it in the water and sued the store for $5000. The reason: The suit got so transparent when Wet, claimed Marjorie, that people could count all ofher freckles, causing her "embarrassment and humilia- tion," . • The most galling problem, harassing a suburbamlte was to. keep dogs from tearing up fii3f.:` patieptly-cc;i vaned lawn, 'His rorominent " eep Off the Grass""'"' sign wasn't' taken seriously • kW.' any of the dog owners Seeking a fresh' approach, ' he ' exfected. a ' small sign on a newly -seeded area. It read: "Protect .your dogs • Lawn specially treated with poi --^t son." Not a dog touched a blade. AH, SPRING Knorke, a go- rilla in the Berlin, Germany, zoo, seems to be waiting for the vernal equinox: He receiv ed the flowers on his : fifth birthday. ISSUE 12,— 1961 LVA COURIER — EXPLODER VIEW — A speedy Elva Courier sports car, guided by WI d -t Widdowson at a Smithfield, Tex,, track Lace, mis-es 0 turd. Plying hay }5cles and flying E;vti' parts Were captured by the camera of.nswsp:.per photographer Bob Jackson.