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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1927-03-03, Page 2FARM MANURE MS A VALUE, IT 5 PART OF YOUR CAPITAL CHEMISTRY DEPT,, O.A.C. The care given to the farm manure is very important. The greater part of the nitrogen etch potash are found in tho urine, consequently, if the liquid is lost or the manure leached with water and the leachings allowed to drain away, serious lee's of nitrogen and potash will occur. Again, the nitrogen of the urine is largely in the form •of urea, a compound that is speediry changed by fermentation into ammonium carbonate. This compound • is 'readily broken up with liberation of ammonia, which being volatile may be lost, This loss of nitrogen •oeeurs 'svhiie the manure is still in the stable and the best way to dimduieh the loss ins by the liberal use of a bedding that will absorb all the liquid. DECOMPOSITION I5 RAPID. Farmyard manure readily under- goes decomposition; the nature of the product formed depends on the am- ount of air admitted or excluded. If the manure is thrown loosely into a heap it becomes very hot and rapidly wastes. The organic matter in this case is virtually burned, or is "fire - fanged" as it is commonly spoken of, and the ammonia is one of the pro- ducts lost. If, on the other 'hand, the manure is consolidated and kept thor- oughly moist so that tale is 'excluded, the mass ferments with but little rine in temperature, and some nitrogen gas is volatilized. The loss of organic ma- terial will be fax less with this kind of fermentation than in the previous one, but in both cases nitrogen is given of from the manure. Experience proves that there is less waste of ma- nurial constituents when the manure is preserved in a box stall or pen. Undoubtedly, especially on heavy lands, the best returns from the ma- nure Can be got when it is put on the land and at once plowed dna. The losses that are inevitable when the manure is stored would be prevented end a greater amount of organic mutter added to the soil Naturally, this is not always possible, but when the manure must he kept it should be made without delay into a solid heap or mass and' must not be allowed to become too dry. The practice is eome- times followed of drawing manure to the field 'during the winter months as fast as it is made. Provided the land is not too 'hilly or too clayey, this will give good results. It is evident, how- ever, that this method does not pre-. vent lenses, but is recommended tes economize later. When the manure is drawn to a field and put in a big heap care should be takers to make the heap es firm as possible. From what has been said it is evi- dent that there wiil be heavy losses of plant food during the storage of ma- nure. Lyon and Buckman in their book on Nature and Properties of Soils say, "Considering the losses which the food sustains during diges'- titm and the waste of the manure in handling and storage, it cannot be expected that more than 25 per cent. of the organic matter, 30 per cent of the nitrogen, 50 per cent. of the phos- phoric acid, and 30 per cent. of the potash of the original crop will reach the land in the manure." It is evident, considering all the fac- tors effecting the composition of ma- nure as it reaches the field that it is impossible to give an accurate state- ment of the amount of plant -food an stable manure. The nitrogen will vary' between .45 and .65 per cent., or even higher if produced by highly fed ani- mals. The amount of potash will Crary from .4 to .8 per Dent., and the phos- ( phorio acid from .2 to .4 per cent.' Thus one ton of farm yard manure may contain from 9 to 13 or 14 pounds • of nitrogen, 8 to 16 pounds of potash, f and 4 to 8 pounds of phosphoric acid! An approximate figure that can be easily remembered is that one ton al manure contains 10 pounds of nitro' gen, five pounds of phosphoric acrd' and 10 pounds of potash. NECESSARY TO EFFICIENT FARMING. Experience shows that no manure can quite take the place of the farm- yard manure. It is what may be spoken of as the natural return to the soil of the constituents taken from it.I All other substances are in a sense supplements, materials ,added to snake good some special deficiency in the soil, or to supply some plante food con- stituent particularly required by the crop to be grown. Hence, the care and treatment of the farmyard ,ma- nure is fundamental in all good agri- culture. If you are interested in Soils and Fertilizers the Dept. of Agriculture will be glad to send you Bulletin 322, as prepared by the Chemistry Dept. of the O.A.C. Vegetable Growing in the Far North. The reports of the experimentalists in charge of the Dominion sub -stations in the fax north, just published eel Ottawa, are of special interest as showing the possibilities of agriculture in that region. Three varieties of radish sown at Fort Vermilion, Alta., on April 30 were ready for use early in June. Long White Icicle sown June i 6 were ready June 18. They were ex- cellent quality and remained in use until late autumn. Cauliflower is usu- ally a good crop. It is sown under glass about April 24, is transplanted a month later and ready for use in an- other month. Cabbage and Brussels sprouts were treated the same way about the same time and were harvested in September. Tomatoes sown in hot beds April 27 and transplanted June 1 were harvest- ed between August 5 and 18. Earliest of All yielded 105 pounds large in size and of good quality. Bonny Best, Dan- ish Expert, and Earliana were also of good quality. Garden peas sown May 5 were 'available July 4: Twelve var- ieties of beans sown May 6 were gen- erally ready a few days after the mid- dle of July. All are reported good and tender only one variety being some- what stringy. Eleven varieties of broad beans sown May 6 and harvest- ed from July 1 to 5 were ready for table use August 4 and all of good quality. Onions suffered from the root maggot but the returns of four var- ieties were good and of two other var- ieties fair. Sown May 1 to 4, they were generally ready for use around the middle of June. Celery, rhubarb, pumpkins, cucumbers and potatoes all did well. Three varieties of table corn sewn July 7 were ready from August 12 to 14 and ran from 34 to 42 inches in height. Howes Alberta Flint was the most prolific. How a Heal of Ayrshire Improved. An illustration of what can be ac- complished in building up a dairy herd Is provided in the experience of the Experimental Station at Ste. Anne de la Pocatiere, Que, In 1921 the aver -1 age production of the milk herd was 9,492 lbs. of milk, containing 250.22 Ibis. of fat. In 1925 it had increased to 9,754 lbs. of milk, containing almost 500 Ilse. of fat. The increasing average prodduction' is due, for the most part, to the ob- servance of fundamental principles of management, which are good feeding for the twelve months of the year; regularity in the hours of milking and feeding; the keeping of milk, fat and feed record's; gradual elimination of the poor cows stud the replacement of the latter either through the rearing of heifers from record sires and dams or through purchase at an opportune time. Mr. Ste. Maxie the Superintendent of the Station states in his report that the logical Way to get rid of scrub cows ie to weigh and test their produce,. keep records and turn them out, Rape, Kale and Cabbage for Pasture. Rape, kale and some varieties of cabbage make excellent pastere for sheep, swine and •cattle, being par- ticularly valuable for young cattle and fattening steers. Grown in poul- try runs, they make a satisfactory free-range food for most kinds of poultry. They occupy a 'permanent place in the regular farm rotation in many European countries. They are, however, not yet utilized in Canada to the extent that their value warrants and in order to bring them to the at- tention of farmers the Dominion Ex- perimental Farms Branch has recently issued a pamphlet entitled "Fleshy Annual Pastures" giving information concerning these crops in the hope of bringing about their more general use. These fleshy annual pastures thrive under a great vaa_iety of climate and soil conditions, and they yield surpris- ingly well even where the summer rainfall is light. New land may be used toadvantege for growing them, and on muck soils they are frequently more profitable than any other forage crop. The pamphlet, which may be obtained from - the Publications Branch, Dept. of Agriculture, Ottawa, gives general information on the culti- vation ,of these crops and the uses to which they may be put. a.. HomemadeGoodies for Recess Nibbling. Sunday afternoonseand one evening every week through the winter we parch corn at our house ,for the chil- dren to take to sbheol for recess. Drip- pings are heated in an iron pot and in this the field cern is parched and salt- ed. The children wouldelo more thine of starting off to school without this treat than going without their books or lunch pail. From the •articles they bring home "in trade" .from other pupils who covet their corn it evident- ly appeals to all youngsters alike. Dried' sweet corn and crab apples dried with the peeling on are two other things I prepare each fall in goodly iuentities fax recess. Even the big boy of the household always takes a pocketful to "nibble at" when ho goes on a trip from horne.. These three delicacies have come clown in my :familythrough three gen- erations. They originated before we knew about calories and "an apple a day," but the general health of my four makes me feel that such knick- knacks" fit right in with the scientific thought of to -day. I know these things are ear more healthful than the candy and cakes consumed by other children at the play periods, for which my youngsters have but little appetite.—Mrs. B. P. Lime can be supplied, where oyster- shell is mane, by feeding cut clover hay es a green, -feed; substitute, scalds ed and mixed in the mash. A. piece of lime about the size of a walnut can be kept in the drinking -vessel. Green bone, cut tip to the fowls can eat it, furnishes considerable ]lire. I these Baby Beef, days, with the markt de- mond for light or handyweigl>tt cattle from which the high-class small cuts are obtained, the production of baby beef is important and real high qual- ity baby beeves usually sell at or neer the top of the market. A few years back an effort was made to put this class of cattle on, the market ataround fourteen or fifteen months of age, some going forward even younger than that, Butchers and abattoir men now claim that the beef .does not attain its best flavor until the animal is seventeen or eighteen months of age. It is a well-known feet that there is a stage in the 'animal's life between the veal weight and the beef weight dur- ing which it does not make very gads - factory 'meat, being rather tough and stringy and lacking flavor, so that it is important that cattle finished for baby beef carry not only the best possible beef type and finish but that they have reached the right age to insure good flavor. Of course, the best quality of baby beef is made; from well-bred cattle that have been allowed to nurse their dams. Mose feedens believe that whole milk is necessary in the production -of baby beef, and, undoubtedly the highest quality product is obtained front cattle which nurse until at least nine or ten months old. Experiments at the O. A.C. have proven that under average onditions with good grade cows rea- sonable profits may bemade front the raising of baby beef where the °elves suck the cows. In eddition ' to• the whole milk, as soon as the calves will eat it, goad alfalfa hay, pulped roots, silage and, while the calf is young, whole or rolled oats to whieh a little oilcake has been added, and latter dur- ing the finishing period a mixture of barley and outs or corn and oat* are. amongst the best feeds to be used. In all steer feeding it is well to remember that around a pound of good alfalfa hay per 100 pounds live weight and an average of one-half pound of grain per 100 pounds live weight during the feeding period generally brings good results. Usually the feeder starts with a smaller proporbion of grain than that mentioned, gradually increases until the middle of the periodwhen the andirndal gets the rate mentioned, while at the end of the period he may be getting nearly a pound of grain per 100 pounds live weight per day. In the handling of baby beeves, it is well not to let them out on grass unless it be in paddocks and only at night. All young cattle, particularly calves, that are being pushed for rapid gains, do better kept in partially darkened box stalls during the day throughout the summer. It is wise, however, to • let such cattle have some outdoor exercise bath winter and summer. An a in the open yard on fine days. anv�ter and spending the nights in titre pads docks during summer makes for.great- er vigor and bigger returns. - Garage Hog Troughs. We make most of our hog troughs from steel oil barrels which we pur- chase from the local garages and oil stations at a very reasonable price. We cut the barrels around the cir- cumference with a cold chisel about ten inches from thce top. Then both cut edges are turned and hammered down, making a rolled edge. Thus we have a barrel which can be used for mixing slop feed and for the trough. They are a lot stronger and more durably than most anything one can buy ready-made; a great deal cheaper. when figured on the purchasing price, and quite as serviceable too.—J. F. N. Most of the people who live to be centenarians are light in weight. Independence Comes With a Garden, WINTER SPORTS S FOR BOYS AND GIRLS There are few people who realize the value of a garden, because those that have them have never had to buy the things that come from them. A. prominent banker recently said, "I did not realise the true worth of my garden until I lost it in the dnrouth last spring. I am sure that a goad garden will reduce my living' expenses 75 per cent." Farmers think they are too busy to have e, garden. The result is that not more than 40 per cent of the rural people have igerdene and they are planted only in the spring. A good garden is something any- body can have regardless of conditions. Vegetables build strong muscles and bones in growing children. They fill their little bodies with blood that is rich in iron and other things needed for the growing child. The brain will be well developed and energy will be plentiful. A few •dollars a year in good seed, e few hours a week in hon- est labor will feed the family while the garden is growing and will provide a surplus for canning and storage der- ing the winter. Corn Husking. In 1916 a co-operative experiment was started in the testing of varieties of cern recommended by the Ontario Corn Growers Association, for Ontario conditions. The tests averaged 59 per year over the period of nine years. The yields were as follows: Golden Glow, 63.8 bushels; White Cap Yellow Dent, 59.5 bushels per acre; Bailey, 58.7 bushels; Wisconsin No. 7, 58.5 bushels; Salter's North Dakota, 55.3 bushels; Longfellow, 53:0 bushels; and Oomptons Early, 51.4 bushels peracre. The four highest yielders were dent corn, and the three lowest were flint. In addition to the seven varieties men tioned, the Gold Nugget variety of flint corn has been used in the co- operative experiments for a number of years. In yield of grain per acre this variety ranked .second in 1923 and sixth in 1922. Feed the Birds. Thousands of birds die each winter and spring of starvation and exposure. Yet all of these birds are insect de- stroyers and therefore of inestimable value to the farmer, the orchardist and gardener. They deserve to be fed and should be protected by every pos- sible means. Granted that they do steal some fruit and grain, but their bene- ficent services, as a rule, exceed their depredations. Let everyone help to prevent the ruthless destruction of birds -and see that they are fed and protected in winter -during times of storm sand stress. They -will richly repay our ministrations. A dollar an acre is all it costs an Iowa farmer for fertilizer. His fertil- izer is sweet clover, and on :ground where sweet clover has been grown he increases his corn yield by as much as 25 per cent. One of his fields yielded 75 bushels of corn to the acre last year. He does not let sweet clover run into two full seasons, but plows it under green either in the first fall or the following spring. • Every spring Ile buys quite a bit of clover seed and seeds it in small grain.—Y. B. The test of civilization is the esti- mate of woman. Among savages she is a slave. In the dark ages of Chris- tendom she is a toy and a sentimental goddess. With increasing moral light, and larger liberty, and more universal justice, she begins to develop as an equal hurn'an being,—Curtis. SKIING SONt,'• There's an inch of.: crust on 'a foot of snow; Put on your skis, COMO on .let's go! You may Abe fine in a football line Or any old a sport you're trying, But come on out with your skis, old scout, Let's see if you're .good';at flying! You can try your ektill on a half -mile hill With a ten -foot drop at the bottom; If you take that dip with your sk'its— ka-zip ! You're there if you still have got ern 1 Oh rnany''s the bump as you learn to jump And many's the drift you'll stick in; But do your ,stuff—though the sport is rough, It's one that you'll find a kick an. It's a bully test' of the pep and zest Of a Regular Human Being; Are you there with nerve and with vim and verve? Well, you'll need all you've got, for skiing! There's an inch of crust on a foot of snow; Put on your elcis, come on -let's GO! A SNOW TOTEM POLE. Of courseyou fellows have seen the totem poles of Indians—.sembols of families and clans—or pictures of the poles, at least. And some of you who are Boy Scouts have attempted to make totem pole models. A well de- signed, brightly colored prole is a novelty worth having on one's home grounds, but it is no small job to make one. A snow totem pole, on the other hand, isn't so difficult. A tree in the front yards clearly visible from the road, is the place for the model. To start a totem pole, plaster the tree trunk with snow from the ground as high as you wish bo have the Pole. Then roll a number of snowballs of assorted sizes, from twelve to eighteen inches, and cement then into the snow foundation, with enough snow below them to support the weight. With several balls or blocks in place, decide on what figures they are to be, and starrth the modeling. A garden ,trowel, a stick and a knife are ,good modeling tools. The blocks will have .to be cut 'away in places, hollowed out Int flattened, and built up ix' other places with sticks and tree branches for re-enfeecments. Byintrodu oddsand there ting d . , is no limit to 'possibilities. Chunks of .coal, tin cams, orange skins, harness ringsr . and mars, things at hand can be pressed into the snow to foam eyes and ears. An elephant's trunk is ease sly shaped around a branch embedded in the snow block. - And when all the carving bus been' done, you can obtain quite 'startling effects by adding color, Probably you Would not think such a thing possible; - but it can be done successfully with calcimines. Of eourrse colors cause snow to melt to a certain extent, but you need not apply them until after the totem pole has had a good chance to freeze solid. - TEN -CENT LIFE INSURANCE. Buy two awls, such as you can find' in any hardware store. Connect them. by a strong string. Place one in al pocket on one sideand the other in gal pocket on the other side, so that there, will be one within easy reach of each hand If you fall through the ice, take an, awl an etch hand. Stick the points into the ice end pull yourself up, as an animal does by using its claws. By placing one hand ahead of the other you may be able to "walk" yourself onto firm ice. If the ice continues to: break as you place your weight upon it, use the awls as ice picks and break a path toward solid ice or toward the shore. - Those who have broken through the ice into water too weep to stand in know how the hands slip' on the edges of the ice when an attempt is made to crawl out, and how the wet clothing, the weight of the skates and the cur- rent drag one clown, In Norway, where the device made of the two lawls and the piece of string is said to have been invented, they call it the ten -cent life insurance. policy.' A boy was asked, after crawling out of the water with this device, how he came to fall dn. He replied, "I didn't come to fall in, but I came prepared to crawl out if I did fall in?' WHY THE CAKE FELL Practical Suggestions for Careless Cooks. BY P. B. PRIOR. "I used the cake recipe you gave me, but my cake isn't Pike yours. Yours was so light arid moist, but mine was dense and dry." How often we hear complaints of. this nature from those who are given recipes which, though perfectly cal- culated, have failed to give satisfac- tion. I wonder how often we vary the, ingredients listed in a recipe, "just a little" to save ourselves time and trouble on baking day. Only an ex- pert cook should try to db this and even then it is not always cafe. All standard recipes call for a level, measurement. If you round your tea- spoon with baking powder or soda you have really almost two teaspoonfuls and this ehange may ruin your pro- duct. A well -packed cup of flour equals almost two cups of sifted flour. A cup simply dipped in the' flour bin, but not packed well equals a cup and a half of the sifted kind. And modern re - THE CANADIAN HOMEMAKER I. series y° _weekly artic4s - coverifJ PLANNING . BUILDING FINANCING DECORATING .:ruRNISHING . GARDENING Copyry4't 'rang. 1 Important Operations in Indoor and 1. If hot beds are to be of any use to raise plants fax setting cut early or crops for use, it is nowtime that the frames were put in order and the man- ure obtained. Generally about the last half of the month- is the proper trine to make the bed, but as the manure must be turned three or four tunes it must bo obtained earlier. 2. If the manure necessary for your garden and lawns has not been pro- cured, obtain it at once so thatrit may be spread before the frostleaves the ground. Avoid the displeasure of hav- ing the lawn and other areas cut up later in the spring. 3. Melons and Cucumbers for forc- ing in the greenhouse should nwir be started from seeds. Sow a few seeds to each pot and later thin out, leaving only the strongest. By early April the pante should be ready to plant in pre- pared mounts in the' greenhouse benobes. The Cucumbers, if growing cortllCiors are right, should be ready t to cut in seven weeks and the melons three or four weeks later,. 4: Take the cuttings which, have been Dreamed by the Dahlia tubers started kat month and insert them in the Propagating bench in the green- house, or if in the window in pits of sand and cover them in th-e latter case With glass sealers. 5. There are many valuable bedding By Henry J, Moore, C.M.H. plants which should be started during. late. March. Seeds of the following should now be sown indoors: Balsam, Coleus, Pinks or Dianthus, Marigold, Mignonette, Pentstemon, Snapdragon, also Petunia and Verbena, if not sown last month. These when later pricked ol'f (translriantea) into flats and finally Planted out will flower considerably earlier than annuals sown directly out. tlo. ors. 6. Ifat all possible in early locali- ties light soil areas in sunny sheltered position's should toward 'the end et the month be dug oven to receive during April, early Peas and Potatoes. For the very early crops a southern slope is best. Positions for such crops should in all cases Ise well drained. 1 li bed may now e 7. 'Upon the of e Y b sown Carrots for early use. Radishes and Lettuce. in a compartment of the hot bed may also be sown ananals of n an kinds. it is safe to row the seeds r y of all crops when thee heat of the bed declines to 82 degrees le ' 8. The pruning of Apples Pears, Peaches, Plasms, Quinces, Grapes, Cur- rants and Gooseberries should now r'e- neive your attention. Tho dead growths shottld be removed from Rasp- berries berries and the living ones be thinned out, leaving the strong •one's, spaced about six inches apart. These should then be shortened to a height of about Outdoor Gardens four feet from the ground. 9. The posts which support your Grape vines and the wires may need respectively to be replaced or be re- paired. See to this now. Then train at once the vines to' the wires. Next month or during early May the new growth will preclude the possibility of this being crone. 10. Early Sweet Peas may be pro- duced ' by sowing the seeds in the greenhouse or on the hot beet in hots and later planting them out, soil and toots intact, where to flower.. light or. nine seeds will su<fflce`for each five inch pot o•r other containers ofabout this size. ' 11. Tho so-called Teo Week Stock should now 18 sown In pots or pans in porous, wolf sifted soil. These plants des not require a tempera ure .higher her g than 55 degrees or so to favor sturdy dovelophi•ent. Start' the planes now either• in the window, greenhouse" or hot. bed mid later you will enjoy an early display of this :very beaiutitui dower. 12. Seeds of the Tuberous Begonia, iE sown now will produce plants to flower in pots during autumn in the window or green house, 01d tubers should at this time also °be started in. to growth in boxes of light 9 t 1 •soar . ous soil fax later potting or for planting in shady positions outdoors, • cipes call for sifted flour! So if you would 'have your cooking a success, use level measurements and -sift your flour at least once for nveasuiing. TOOLS ARE IMPORTANT. What kind of utensils de you use with which to measure? Do y>ou use teacups, coffee cups, or measuring cups? Try this test: Fill a teacup' with water and then pour the water into a measuring cup. You will fund the latter is • only about three-quarters filed. Do the same thing with a cafes` fee cup. You have enough water to fill the meatsuaing eup and more! °If the recipe you are using calls for one-half cup of milk and you have used a teacup to measure the milk,, how do you know when you have exactly !half a. cup? A cup that ape pears to be .half full would probably, not be, since the bottom Le smaller 'than the top. A graduated measuring cup that holds exactly one-half pint of liquid would do away with eny lack of ac- curacy. The most useful, kind to buy, is that which is divided into thirds and fourths. These maybe bought in bin, 'aluminumor glass. Measuring 'spoons can be purchased in sets of three—a -easure for one- half, one-fourth and one teaspoon. Then, if you have a standard' table- spoon—not a dlesssrt spoon, which is one-third mailer than a bablespoonn— and if you know that three teaspoons equal one tablespoon, sixteen table- spoons equal one cup and two cups equal one pint, you nave a set of measures that will guard you against cooking failures due to inaccurate measures. WEIGII INGREDIENTS. For cooking in large quantities, it its better to weigh ingredients rather . than to trust to measures of volumes. Reliable scales can be bought from any dealer in kitchen goods. Scales should always be in balance. Each; kind is regulated in its own way which, the housewife should have her dealer; show her ,at the time of purchase. "But," 1 hear you say, "I know many, old cooks, excellent cooks at that, who never . used any of these standardized articles for "'nueasering.". Of courser Onlyr tliey do really y. measure very easefully. in 'spite of the fact that they tell you . that they use "about one-half cup of milk." They have measured the "about ,one-half cup;' so long in whatever'uterail they use that they aresure of the amount. They have ,clevcloped a sense of men - sures which they know they can trust --and sometimes that sense fails! Standardized manning equipment eliminates the uncertainty of the re- sult of your recipe, llXeasure carefully and your chanees of success will ,be by fax the greeter. Buried citieswhich are being un covered in India prove that there was as mighty empire in, tfhat country 2,5"00 year ago. These cities had been bnIft on top of else anothate