HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Seaforth News, 1919-07-17, Page 2filliDAV 4Rv'cs.;�MZerei+ '.?'ac irelea.rs Reirs2 0i 1
SAVING GOOD-BYE.
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I This Department is for the use of our farm readers who want the advlee
ef`an expert on any, question regarding soli, seed, crops, etc. If your question
is of sufficient general interest, it will be answered through this column. If
stamped- and addressed • envelope is enclosed with your letter, a complete
answer will be mailed to you. Address Agronomist, care of Wilson Publishing
Co., Ltd.,73Adelaide'St. Toroito.p
W
Raising Green Ducks: for Market. ( rake reaper or a grain -binder, they
The profit' in duck culture conies should be cut when approximately
I three-fourths of the seed pods have
from 'selling the young ducke as soon' .
as they begin to get their mature coat' burned dark brown to black. At this
of feathers." By that time they are i time some flowers and many immature
I pods will be found on the plants, but
about eight to ten weeks old, and are; the field will have a brownish color.
termed "green ducks." After that they here a grain header is employed, the
grow less in weight and condition,; plants may become somewhat more
The, green duck in the hands of Eo mature before cutting. More seed :is
competent chef will, M. taste, closely shattered when the plants are cut at
resemble the flavor of the famous and
now almost extinct, canvasback duck.l this stage than when cut earlier;• but
i. this is not necessarily •a loss, as the
Green ducks bring the best, prices; grain header is used for the most part
in June, and from then on the pricein semi -arid sections where shattered
gradually falls. From September to' seed is depended upon to reseed the
November ducklings again commend land,
good returns. The saleable market. Much seed may be loot if harvesting
duck must be fat, plump and round,' is delayed for only a few days, Many
and the skin must be of a uniform fields have been observed in which
color. I ninety per cent. of the seed had shat -
Flavor is imparted to the carcass tered in less than two weeks after the
of the bird by the food it eats. The time the plants should have been cut,
wild herbs, plants and fish which Cutting the plants when they are
ducks eat give the rank taste to the, damp from rain or dew will reduce
meat and eggs. Feeding largely upon loss by shattering.
wild celery is what gives that delicious; When it is possible to thresh in a
taste to the canvasback duels. It is; week or ten days after cutting, the
said the Congo chickens owe their I crop should be threshed directly from
superiority of flavor to the pineapples; the field. Ordinarily, little seed will
they eat. The flesh of the grouse of be lost during this time, and the work
the far West is aromatic with the wild, of stacking will be avoided. The seed
sa
By Agronomist
ge. There ns a fishy flavor to the may be threshed either by flailing or
meat of wild ducks and other sea -` by the use of a grain separator or a
fowls. I clover huller. The yield of sweet All cads lead to ailway crossings.
Per good flavor green ducks arei clover seed varies from two to ten Ilse precautions.
Live Stock Items.
The poorest animal requires the
hardest selling,, A good animal sells
itself to a good buyer.
You can not put big bones on a
pig that was not born to have them.
If you want big -boned' hogs, breed for
them,
Never pour cold water en; hot hogs,
Do not load'hogs too closely in hot
weather. Bed the cars with, send and
wet it thoroughly.
Lambs for August niai'ket must find
the grain trough well supplied 'dur-
ingJuly. A lamboughtthalf
o gain 1 a
y
a pound a day in weight.
Have a cow freshen about lambing
time so that there will be milk for the
lambs, if the ewes are short. Remem-
ber that cows carry their calves 285
days.
Thunderstorms do not cause sour
milk. However, the warm temper-
ature and high humidity which accom-
pany thunderstorms are favorable to
the growth of bacteria, which cause
milk to sour.
Sweating is an indication of the
horse's need of water. Twice a day
may be often enough to water in cool
weather when horses are idle, but
many horsemen consider four times
not too often in August.
Early lambs are profitable when
there are good markets. The breed-
ing season for early lambs begins in
July, and the lambs are dropped from
December to February. Warm build-
ings are necessary at lambing time;
build before winter.
Hogs need shade and clean water
during summer. Too much direct sun-
light and heat are frequent causes of
hogs failing to thrive, and -often cause
hogs to die. During July and August
small pigs often blister on the backs
and about the ears, sometimes causing
bad sores.
fed a grain ration of equal parts of bushels of recleaned seed to the acre.
bran and cornmeal, with a proper! Sweet clover straw may be utilized
amount of beef scrap. Bran must not for soil improvement, or as a rough -
be left out of the feed, for its absence; age for stock.
will cause a loss of appetite. As the;
market demands a white skin, greeny A Threshing "Ring."
food (or a very little of it) should not;
be fed to ducks grown for market. Any community co-operative enter -
Two weeks will be sufficient tme; prise that has been active for seven
for fattening ducklings, beginninYears and is still popular and prosper -
'when they are seven weeksold. Al!tour is admittedly beyond the experi-
firat they must be fed lightly. The; mental stage, Judged by this rule
amount should' not be merea ed for, a neighboring threshing ring organ -a
about five days; after that they can'ized in 1911 by ten Illinois farmers
be given a little more each time, as: can safely he considered a "going con -
long as they eat it greedily. An ex-; cern."
celle. t fettenieg food :s made of four! Hopelessly tired of waiting their
part. cornmeal, two parts low-grade turn after delays some years lengthen -
flour. cee part Iran and two parts ing into weeks, this group of men met,
beefvii p, all these parts by weight. organized, elected officers, paid $80
Add le alis a little sena. shell or grit each into their treasury, erected a
to rid dieestien. $300 storage building for their thresh -
The t erg is done with a knife, ing outfit, and were ready to put their
The 1."1 Is held open and a cross cut ring to ringing all within a week after
is i tole in the Lurk of the throat on their initial getting together.
the is vee. so tint ne round shows on Included in their get -ready move -
the out: ie. This severs the large meat was the borrowing at six per
art' •its en i pierces the brain, causing cent, of $2,200 at a local bank, which,
reiaxati,-r, of the skin and muscles. with 8500 remaining in their treasury,
Immcti:atcig afterward the fowl is was used to purchase a 20 -horsepower
succi, •;n the head with a club, The engine and a 36-60 separator.
blool is caught in a galvanised pail, Here ;is the outcome briefly told:
and picking begins. Five years later their loan was fully
The r:.ker sits on a cl•.air drawn up paid, and in addition the conclusion
alone•idc on box which > about as high of the year furnished them a dividend
as, h's 1•: tees. The feathers as pluck- of $28 for each member of the ring.
ed nee thrown into the box. The duck Last year's dividend was $55 a mem-
is held ,?laced across the lap. The ber after painting their storage build -
head is held between the knee and ing and making all necessary repairs.
the Lox to prevent fluttering, and that This year, as this is being written,
the blood that escapes may not get on the ring's yearly accounts have not
the feathers. While the picker is re- been reckoned, but the members are
moving the feathers, he frequently agreed that they can count on at least
dips his fingers into a dish of water a $60 annual dividend during the life
which is always within reach. This • of their equipment, which, with good
causes the feathers to cling to the care, is depreciating but slowly.
fingers, enabling the operator to re-
move them more rapidly and with
touch loss exertion.
The pin feathers are removed by
catching them between the blade of a
knife and the thumb. This operation
is more rapid when the pin feathers
are wet. The head, neck and wings
are not plucked. A string is tied
around the body of the bird to hold
the wings firmly in place.
Immediately after the carcasses are
dressed they are plunged into ice cold
water which removes the animal heat,
shrinks the flesh, and makes the fowls
more plump. They are kept in this
water until shipped to market
The Palsies are the commercial
ducts of Canada, as the Aylesburys
are of England. They are rapid grow-
ers and mature early. This breed is each kind of grain threshed for each
probably the only one that ever pro- ring member, and the number .of
duced ducklings weighing five pounds hands each furnished at the different
when seven weeks old. Of late years jobs. The adjustments of debits and
the Indian Runner has come into the credits is then a simple matter.
market as a "broiler duck," and while In addition, the ring every year,
it is no competitor, it supplies a. de- after completing the threshing for its
manel for a small, delicious carcass own members, allows its outfit to work
that is profitable. It is to the broiler for conveniently located.non-members,
class what the Pekin is to the roasting. but the company invariably furnishes
a crew sufficient to " operate the en -
Harvesting, Sweet Clover Seed, gine and separator as a.protection
against misuse of their machinery.
White sweet cloves and biennial Could these ring members be in-
yellow sweet clover may be harvested, duced to go back to the old regime of
for seed the year following seeding, watchful waiting for the itinerant
The time of cutting the seed crop threshing outfit and consequent west -
should 'be governed largely by the ma- age of grain and time? The ring re-
ohinery which ,is to be used. If the. frain, 'when this question is put, is:
plants are to 'be harvested by a self- i "Nothin' loin'."
How is such a successful trick turn-
ed? Each member' has his oats
threshed for 1 cents a bushel (and
other grain in proportion) instead of
the growing and varying high prices
usually charged. The money paid by
members goes into the fund of the
company. Each member also furnish-
es fuel for his threshing job, and, as
the name indicates, the threshing
crew is made up of the members or
their farm helpers. The variations in
the size of threshing jobs are ad-
justed by the number of helpers
furnished, reckoning at a daily wage.
determined at the beginning of each
season.
When the threshing season is corns
pleterl, the secretary has a record
showing the number of bushels of
Remove Rhubarb Seed -Stalks.
Seed -stalks which develop upon
rhubarb plants ought to be removed
,before the blossoms set seed. Seed
development draws heavily upon the
f
I plant, One of the most prevalent
causes of failure with rhubarb in the
home garden is seed -stalk develop-
iment. This causes the leaf stems to
,become smaller and smaller year after
year, until it hardly pays to care for
the plants.
No rhubarb should be harvested
from the garden after about the mid -
die of July, After this date the plants
should be allowed to develop normal-
ly to make and store plant food in the
roots. From this plant food the
shoots and steins' are produced early
the following spring. If harvesting
is continued too, late in the season, the
plants will be greatly weakened and
a lower yield will be secured during
the next few years.
Expert knowledge mixed with corn
mon sense mak'.s a farming formula
hard to beat;,w:.�
THS CtIEEKf UL CtiEKUC
Thmoccviasearahrmassumasnmaccusaavii
e eat^th jvst traveI3
silently .
And never giets to
laugh or sing
So Fax From 'dl the.
other sirs
It must be..lrne.ly — ..
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To Get Rid of Cutworms.
Last spring the cutworms cut down
most of my early cabbage. One cool
evening when I thought there was
danger of frost coming, I took. some
gunny sacks and closely covered part
of the ground. The next morning
after sunrise I took the •sacks off and
found all the cutworms on top of the
soil, where they were easily picked
up and destroyed. I then tried the
same plan on the rest of my gard n,
covering up all cut off or injured
d
plants so as to exclude the light. The
next morning on removing 'the" cover-
ings the dutsvorms were easy victims,
there being from one to three on top
of the soil under nearly every cov-
ering. The cutworms do their dam-
age at night, coming out of the
ground during the night and returning
at the approach of day.
A prodpctive orchard, a good gar-
den, laying hens, and cows which pay
their board will help make any farm
a desirable farm.
Care of the Garden in Hot, Dry Weather
When the balmydays of spring give
place to the burning heat of summer,
the gardener's enthusiasm is like to
drop from blood .heat to zero. Hot
weather, if accompanied by frequent
rain, is favorable for the growth of
weeds, and if not accompanied by rain
the result is drought. Either condi-
tion demands that the garden be fre-
quently cultivated. To save the plant
food, moisture and sunlight, which
would be taken by the weeds, get rid
of the weeds before they appear above
the ground, •
The bad effects of drought can be
largely taken care of by consistent
cultivation. Breaking up the surface
layer of soil, with a cultivator, hoe or
rake checks the evaporation of mois-
ture by forming a fine mulch on top
are not supported. An additional ad-
vantage of staking is that the plants
can be cultivated throughout the sea-
son, and thus be protected against
drought more effectively.
To have a continuous supply of
vegetables through the summer and
early fall it is necessary to make suc-
cessive plantings. 'This is especially
true of sweet corn and string beans.
A piece of ground should be saved
for the late plantings and should be
worked over with a harrow or culti-
vator after every rain for a few weeks
before planting, in order to save
enough moisture to sprout the seeds,
if planting takes place at a dry time.
"When planting sweet corn in dry wea-
ther, be careful to place the seed in
moist soil below the surface mulch,
of the soil, and thus holds the water Successive plantings of string beans
in the soil below. Each rain should be may also be made if similar precau-
regarded as if pit were the last one tions are taken to save moisture for
for a long time, and as soon as the the seedbed. Plantings made during
soil becomes dry enough to work it the last half of July are especially
should be thoroughly cultivated and likely to yield good crops, because the
a fine mulch formed on the surface of plants will have the benefit of autumn
the ground. Cultivation should be rains when the pods are developing.
repeated at least once in ten days,' If there is an abundance of rain -
even if no rain occurs in the mean- fall during the summer, it is possible
time. It is surprising how much to grow good crops of late vegetables
drought some crops can endure if the on ground which has had an early
moisture from each rain is saved by crop harvested from it. Whenever pos-
cultivation. I sible this should be done, since the
In spite of cultivation some crops land is sure of being kept free from
may suffer on account of drought, weeds if it is growing a crop of vege-
especially if the drought lasts for a tables. No weeds should be allowed
long time. Then it is fortunate if the to. go to seed in the garden, because
garden is within reach of a water- the weed seeds produced one year re-
supply. Whenever the garden is wet -'suit in a lot of unnecessary labor in
Bred it should be given a thorough the garden the next year.
application, enough to soak the soil to During the summer season insects
a considerable depth. Light sprinkl are likely to be in abundance in the
ings are of little value, since they do garden, and they should be controlled.
not reach the roots. Enough water The insects which eat the foliage of
should be put on at a time to last at plants, such as potatoubeetles and.
least a week. Follow each application blister -beetles may be killed by spray -
of water with a thorough cultivation ing with arsenate of lead. Flea -beet -
as soon as the ground is dry enough les which riddle the foliage of egg=
to work. j plants, potatoes and tomatoes, can be
Besides cultivation and watering, controlled by spraying with combined
certain crops will need protection Bordeaux -arsenate -of -lead mixture.
against the hot sun, Head lettuce, Plant -lice, which suck the juice from.
if it has not completed its growth the leaves of melons and various
when the hot weather arrives, should other plants, and calise leaves to curl,
be given artificial shade by tacking may be killed by spraying with nice -
burlap or muslin over a frame to tine sulphate or kerosene emulsion,
shade the plants. The same frames Fungous diseases which attack the
, can :be used to shade late cabbage or foliage of vegetables, may be con -
celery plants. ,, I trolled by spraying with Bordeaux
To protect cauliflower heads from mixture.
the hot sun, the outside leaves of the In a nutshell, here are the things to
plants should be drawn together and do in a gardeh in hot, dry weather:
tied at the tops as soon as the heads Cultivate the garden early. 'Water the
appear, i garden if necessary and possible, but
Tomatoes may become scalded be- do not try to substitute watering for
fore they ripen unless they are pro-' cultivation. Protect plants from the
tected from the sun. Fruifs lying intense heat of the sun. Make sue -
directly on the ground are especially, cessive plantings of sweet corn and
likely to be sun -scalded. Tomatoes string beans. Do not allow weeds to
that have been staked and tied have' go to seed in the garden. Fight ili-
a decided advantage over those that sects and fungous diseases.
THE WESTERN CROP.
Cultivating pore a few miles south of Saskatoon,
Dr, Huber will answer all signed letters pertain'np to Health. If your
question Is of -general Interest it will be answered through these columns;
If not, It will be answered 'personally if stamped, addressed envelope is en.
closed. Dr. Huber will not prescribe for Individual cases or make diagnosis.
SAtd. dWreessst,DTr. or9oonttno B. Huber, M.D., careof Wilson Publishing
Co.,
73 Adelaide
Mouth Inflammations.
There are several varieties of
stomatitins, as doctors call infla infla-
tion of the mouth:
In babies, generally of .6 to 18
months, small yellowish white blisters
may form—herpetic' or apthous Ito-
matitis, j This is due in most cases to
uncleanliness, bad hygiene or impro-
per feeding. The remedy lies in cor-
recting these untoward conditions, and
in proper regulation of the bowels;
and mouth washes : containing boric
acid, a teaspoonful to the pint of
water that has been boiled.
Marasmic, scrofulous Or anemic
children may suffer perleehe, fissure
or cracking orulceration of the mu-
cous membrane at the corners of the
mouth. This is very painful on open-
ing the mouth wide, as in yawning.
The doctor may apply a 5 per cent.
solution of silver nitrate, after which
a simple powder (zinc oxide or bis-
muth) is dusted over the sores. Or
a salve may be used (Bismuth, gr. 10
to an ounce of vaseline, or a 3 per
cent, resorcin ointment or benzoin-
ated zinc ointment or Lasser paste,
all to be had of the druggist).
There maybe catarrhal stomatitis,
of a portion of the entire surface of
the mouth, during the eruption of
the first teeth or by reason of un-
cleanliness, irritating, excessive,
hot and unsuitable food, stomach and
bowel ailments or fevers. The mouth
is at first red, dry and hot; later
there is increased fibw• of saliva, coat-
ed tongue, constipation, slight fever
and thirst. The mouth is like to be
open and -there may be swellings of
the glands under the jaw. This trouble
may last a week during which time
suckling is most painful. The child
is naturally fretful, cries and perhaps
The Farm Cure for Tired Souls.
I tried the life of thee" mill. The
clatter of it's wheels distracted one.
I dreamed of noise and hurry and
worry. There was no time for calm,
quiet, clear thinking. I was one of
the cogs of the machinery, nothing
more.
The' lure of the great office caught
One. I was like a caged tiger. No
one cared for me. My work was
never done. The air of the room
stifled me. I could not sleep and
grew old: and gray before my time.
In an evil day I listened to the
seductive call of Public office. I was
a slave, was found fault with, kicked
from pillar to post, loaded down like
a packhorse by men who had no use
for me save es they could gather up
a few chestnuts raked from the fire
by my poor, 'burnt fingers.
Sore of 'heart I crept back to my.
farm. Joy came to me like a dove
flying home to its nest. The flowers
nodded me a glad welcome. Birds
sang my, tired spirit to sleep. Now
there was time to think, to plan, to
live and to love. The perfume of tree
and field was medicine to my soul.
The creatures at the barn, the horses,
the cows, the sheep, even the dog,
loved me. All the forces of nature
were at my command. I was my own
master. My neighbors loved me and
I loved them. I leaned my ear down
to the breast of old Mother Nature
and she whispered her choicest secrets.
to me. I' worked, I grew tired, and I
rested. I was at peace with myself,
my fellows and my God. I know the
farm cure for tired souls.- -F. V.
--..
Control of . Currant Worms.
The imported currant and goose-
berry worm, or "saw -fly," is common
in some localities, and is very destruc-
tive to the leaves of these bushes.
There are two broods a year, the first
appearing quite early in the summer,
If, there is no fruit on the bushes,
they may be sprayed with arsenate
of lead, one pound of the powdered
form or two pounds of the paste form
to each fifty gallons of water,
When fruit is on the bushes, use
white hellebore, which will kill the
worms but will not tarns people who
eat the fruit. Apply the hellebore
either by dusting lightly through a
cheesecloth sack, or .by putting one
ounce in three gallons of water and
applying by means of a spray
pump or a whisk broom. Apply.
promptly when the injuries are first
noticed. Unless the worms are held
in check they will defoliate the bushes
and ruin the fruit, and perhaps kill
the bushes as well.
Swat the Fly.
The amount of harm done to stock
because of annoyance by -flies is not
a settled matter. However, it is an
established fact 'diet flies are a source,
of 'annoyance to animals in pasture
and in the barn. Flies keep cows from
pasturing' and annoy the .cows, as
well as the milkers; at .milking -time.,.
There are several good fly repellents
on the -market, and they are effective
inprotecting animals from flies, It is
possible to make up such repellents
at home, but the home-made articles
are not likely to be`so eifeptive a's the
manufactured " ones, although they
¢nay 'be a trifle cheaper, n .. • ,
vomits a good deal. The nipple and
the child's mouth must be frequently
cleansed, 1-10 grain doses of calomel
given daily, the boraeic acid mouth
wash used and the causes mentioned,
removed. 'In bad cases the child may
have to be fed by means of the stom-
ach tube.
Questions and Answers.
Question—My husband takes cold
very easy and it hangs on to ham so
that it worries me terribly. I have
wanted him to go to a doctor and
get 'examined but he says he feels
well enough' only that .he isterribly
tired out. He has a sallow complexion.'
Is working nights. 'New she seems to
take bad coughs worse than ever.
Answer—Your husband should be
thoroughly examined. Nothing is
sadder than the neglect of what might
be remedied until the time fo`r a cure,
has passed. Night workers always'
make their occupations manifest to
the physician by reason of their pale
complexions. It is quite possible that
your husband has tuberculosis. Indeed
I fear so from your letter. Further,
information on this subject is being
mailed you.
Question—What should I do to
overcome an anemic condition?'
There are so many medicines that
are said to be beneficial but I do not
approve of any drugs unless they
are recommended to me by a medical
authority.
Answer You are quite right.
Drugs should be used only on the
doctor's prescription. The leading,
of the healthful life, good food, at-'
tention to the bowels, the kidneys
and the skin are the essentials to the
cure. Information on the hygienic
life is being mailed you.
In hot weather all kinds of di -case
germs flourish and multiply rapidly
end for this reason frequent dkinfeci
I ing of brood and roosting coops is
advised. There are many kinds of.
disinfecting, materials, the most con -i
venient of which are the liquid disin-
fectants sold for poultry purposes.'
These are mixed with water according
to the directions on the containers and
applied to coops and utensils with a
spray or brush. They kill all germs'
which they touch, and if applied fre-
quently, there is not much difficulty
in keeping disease away, :
Lice and mites if allowed to live in
the coops and on the chicks soon mul-
tiply to the extent that they make
life miserable for the youngsters and
make satisfactory growth and health
impossible, Feeding lousy chicks is
the same as feeding lice and is not
profitable. To kill the large body lice,
any of the lice powders in general use
can be used, and to destroy the little
mites which live in the coops and on
the roosts in the day time and which
annoy the chicks at night, liquid lice -
killers can be provided which do the
work thoroughly. Kerosene is also
fairly effective.
Clean Out the Fence Rows.
On a recent little trip round my
part of the country I could not help
noticing that on many farms the line
between adjoining fields is badly
grown up toebrush,
Stop and think for a moment what
the brush and trees which grow along
such lines do. In the first place, they
take a great deal of fertility out of
the soil. The roots extend far out
each way. This root system demands
nourishment. No man who has such
a row can fail to notice that the crops
grown- alongside are poor and never
well developed. The goodness has all
gone out of the soil into the wood
growth, And then, in every •such case,
there is a strip of land each side of
the line that can not be tilled at all.
It is practically waste lend.
To clear these rows out is not such
a hard job. The main thing is to get
at it and .do it, • ,, sharp axe,m built
hook and a stout scythe are the tools
needed,. Large saplings can be pulled
out with the tractor. The best time,
to make fairly sure that the stuff
cut off will not grow up again, ,is soon
after haying. The asp le then up
in the branches and trunk and ott
cutting will be practically the end of
the matter, The .brush ought to be
piled along the row and 'burned. This
will help to destroy: the roots.
The world is just waking up to the
fact that 'the farmer is indispensable
to life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness..-.
The Great West Permanent
Loan Company,
Toronto Office. 20 King St. West.
4% allowed on Savings.
Interest computed quarterly,
Withdrawable by Cheque.
S%z%o on Debentures,
interest payable half yearly.
Paid up Capital $2,412,878.
Life consists in large part of leave-
takings. We have to make up our
minds to part with those we care for
most in order to go with uncongenial-
ity, hardness of heart and misunder-•
standings. When the time comes to
say good-bye no •16`rig protraction of
farewell can overtake and cancel the
Diet that farewell" mast .be said.
Riddance of the good, the beautiful,
the true comes mournfully to us, as
well as severance from the vile, the
mean, the unmanly or unwomanly,
We must 'bid adieu to prized and con-
secreted things as well as to those"
that are rightly held in low esteem.
But we' owe praise and thanks to
the Power that 'guides our destinies
that we may still keep a few- hallowed,,
memories in our hearts against the
thundering heels and tramplings of all
the disturbers of peace. •
Saying good-bye is the hard ordeal
to which our mortality condemns us,
That we must undergo the pain and
loss of parting for a time is what
leads us, mainly, to place a value on
eternity. If eternity were a continu-
ing farewell instead of a continuing
reunion there would be no need of any
other hell.
The saddest affliction is to say
good-bye, one after another, to those
considerations that have made life
dear—our health, our youth, our in-
nocence, our fortune, our 'good looks,
our prospect of a career --but most of
all, to friends and 'those we love.
There is scarcely an event so com-
monplace as the departure of a train.
At all times of the day and night
their chugging processionals leave big
clangorous terminals and little rural
way -stations 'that 'drowse long hours
between -whiles.
Yet there are few rolling wheels
that do not carry the old, old tragedy
—or the new, new comedy— of the
human heart. The railway station .ie
the ceaseless' drama; the passengers
are actors, good or badi but all corn•
pelled, though inaudible and invisible,
to play n part through to the end.
Did you see that woman in black
as she bade farewell to her boy
through the car window when he went
to France? Now she is assured he
will come back to, her again, and at
her plain daily task with the beds and
the kitchen range and the dishes, in
her little, lonely house, she is trans-
figured.
Or -he is not coming back to her
again. That good-bye was said for the
last time. The inexorable wheels car-
ried the rear platform of the train,
with its wavin;; ilsure round th
curve and out of sight, and out of hor.
life forever,
No, not forever. For man's "for-
ever" is only the beginning of Cod's
hourless days and monthless years-
and he is in God's keeping till rho
comes.
Let any woman say to herself in
these hours of separation as nine wrote
on a last leave-taking:
"Lord, I know him true to me,.
Keep him ever tree to Thee!
Keep him from the foul and mean,
keep him innocent and clear.
If once more I see his face,
Grant that I may never trace
What I find not in those eyes
Kind and beautiful and wise.
If this kiss through eyes grown dim
Be for ine the last of him,
Take him from me, Lord, amid then,
Keep hint safe for me, Amen,"
-a
The Old Barn Frame Helped.
When we tore down the old barn to
give place for the new one, there were
a good many pieces of sills, beams,
girts and braces that could not be
used in the new frame. The most of
these were of hemlock, dry as a bone.
They would have made fine summer
wood or kindling, and there was a
temptation to use them this way.
T like to save every possible piece
of board or thither that I come across,
and so I said: "Boys, we will pile up
these old beams and other timbers so
that they will not rot. It may be
that some day we shall be glad we
have them."
Those posts, sills, beams and girts
have been a constant source of supply
in 'building all sorts of things.' If the
buildings we have put up since were
ever to be torn down, parts of the old •
barn frame would 'be found in hog
house, henhouse, ice house and gran-
ary. Mid they have saved me no •small
amount for new lumber or for timbers
hewed out in the woods. I am sure'
some of the old blocks are still about
the place,waiting to be given a niche
In some wilding,
- ., 1
I am in the land •Utopia-,.t,ai
Where the milk and honey flow,
I'm up and at it early
•'Jath the spade, the fork and hoe.
The plow and cultivator
Must be moving on apace,
„If I beat the weeds and insects
That are always in the race.
At a recent auction two mowing
machines were offered. One was sev-
eral years old and was pretty .• badly
worn,''but-had been housed carefully.'
.It sold for $80. The other machine
was two years old, had cut in all per-
haps thirty acres, but had been kept
outdoors: It sold for $15. '
Well -kept fences and clean fence
rows will do a'lot toward giving a
man credit at a bank.."
--
High-priced feeds have • done one
cluing -"they' have wiped oust thous<ide