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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1922-11-16, Page 2satress comrnnloat1one 4o itaron ei Sweet Clover for Lighter Soils, erw►+lt, 7a Adelaide se West. Toronto Unquestionably, white sweet cloves Sweet clover is fast proving itself to be one of the most important and most valuable crops that has ever been introdueed into this section. Its place in our cropping system is no longer questioned by progressive farmers—its wonderful qualities have been demonstrated again and again on hundreds of farms. It is the opinion of the writer that several acres of this valuable legume she -old be grow- ing on every farm, and . doubtless many farmers who are farming sandy soil will find it advisable, as has the writer, to adopt sweet clover as the principal legume crop in the regular rotation. For hay, pasture or fertilizer, sweet clover has many advantages not pos- sessed by any other legume. It is fully the equal of (alfalfa in feed value, and is far superior to timothy, absike, or red clover. If a fair supply of lime is present, sweet clover will produce good crops on soil that is too light to produce alfalfa profitably. It also seems to grow quite well on muds or other soils that are much too wet for alfalfa. The writer has seen a vigor- ous bunch of sweet clover growing in the.' bottom of a ditch, where its roots were ocvered with mud and water during most of the growing season. Sweet clover is not recommended in preference to alfalfa for heavy, fer- tile, well -drained soils that are well supplied with line, and free from quack grass, or June grass, unless the cost of seeding must be considered. It; will grow to perfection on such soils, but alfalfa usually produces heavier crops of hay per acre. For summer pasture, sweet clever is probably without an equal. Its ability to withstand frost, drought, and grass-, hoppers, and produce an abundance of high-class feed throughout the grow-! ing season places it in a class, by itself,' Many farmers are learning that this. hardy legume will solve the problem of summer feed for their stock, and at small expense. Last year a num-' ber of farmers reported that their sweet clover pastures carried one cow per acre throughout the season. On our hilly lands where clay, gravel, or stony soils predominate, it, is usually very easy to secure excel-' lent . stands of sweet clover, and it grows luxuriantly. Very likely many ' of as will find it highly profitable to seed our hilly lands to this crop, and, use them for permanent pasture. In; that way our despised' hills- may prove' to be among our most profitable ac ! Probably it will b rough. its preme qualitie builder `'this sturdy legume wi • prove to be of the greatest and :most ' permanent value to Ontario farmers. Continuous profitable production of field crops de- pends upon the adoption of a system- atic program- of soil feeding. is the very best green manure crap that can be successfully grown. Many a sandy land farmer with very limit.: ed meant, who once believed itimpos- impos- sible to'build up end maintain the fer- tility of has soil, and at the same time produce a living for his family, is solving the problem with. the aid of this hardy legume. The fact that it will often produce a good erop of hay or pasture the same season it is sown, and a fine orop of hay and an excel- lent green manure crop the following season, together with its extreme hardiness and wide range of adapt- ability, combine to make sweet clover the ideal green manure crop. On our farms we hope and expect soon to be able to plow under second - crop sweet clover each year, for every acre of cultivated crops to be planted. We find that many farmers in this section . are planning their crop rota- tions with the same object in view. The writer has encountered a number of farmers this season who have from ten to fifty acres of this legume grow- ing on their farms. If weather 'and soil conditions are normal, sweet clover may be seeded successfully. at any: time from April. 1 to July 15. Barley, oats, peas and• buckwheat are good curse crops. The 'Seedbed. should be carefully prepared and, if possible, firmly packed, both before and after seeding. On sandy soil, chances of success will usually be best if not more than one bushel of oats or barley, or one peek of buck wheat per acre is sown. Seeded alone early in the spring, on a carefully prepared, fertile soil, sweet clover will usually produce a fine crop of hay the first season. It is usually possible to secure a stand of sweet clover on a sharply acid soil by seeding alone, provided the seedbed has been carefully pre- pared and is wholly free from weeds or grass. In our experience, however, such soils have usually failed to pro- duce profitable crops. We are now experimenting in an effort to deter- mine whether or not it is possible to inoculate and enrich such soils so they will produce profitable crops of this legume without the use of lime. Sweet clover should not be sewn in the fall, either alone or•with wheat or rye.. Seed sow,»_at that time will produce a.crop of tiny seedlings that will be killed by the first hard frost. On sandy soul it seems to be prac- tically impossible to secure a success- ful stand of sweet clover by seedi re . in - he spring, : on fall whea ry 't,ap.pen t rie gg mea but as never t8��matiy ti t er seen it succeed, Evidently the wheat and rye absorb the available moisture so rapidly that the tiny clover Plants cannot make a healthy start. On fer- tile gravel, clay, or musk soils the re- sults might be more satisfactory. How to keep' up the winter milk flow is a problem confronting a great many dairymen, ,more so in sections where thetemperature is severe than in the milder climate of British Col- umbia. Invariably the price of milk gees up in the fall and down in the spring and just as untiringly the sup- ply drops in the fall and increases in the spring. The dairyman; ;given good cows, the proper proportion bred to freshen in the fall, and conditions suitable for gond general management in the matter of sanitation and thor- ough and regular milkers, it is then up to the feeder 'to keep the milk sup- ply up to the maximum. The dairy ,cow is a manufacturing machine and requires suitable raw ma- terial from which to manufacture milk. She can make excellent use of much rough feed if supplied in conjunction with concentrates in the proper am- ounts. Among the most popular or u- es are hay, used winter xo gha,g straw, ensilage and roots and for dairy cows legume hays are much more valuable than grass hays. For milk production good alfalfa hay has no equal, but if this is unobtainable, good clover or mixed hay is satisfac- tory. Damaged hay can be made more palatable by cutting and; mixing ;with silage or pulped; rests. e same holds true regarding straw. To ,pe ovide the necessary succlileince in a ration for dairy co'vW'm, roots or silage, orr both, are Invaluable, Net only ars these feeds succudesst brut they aro balky and 'comparatively cheap. Generally it fa goad business to give a milking etstv en those feeds she will consume. Thia does not hold true regiaod'Ing concentrates. A popular practice is to feed the cows one pound of grain far every 8 to 4 garit of milk they odt1 e. This is a good genera'/ rale io folloW. What the grain mixture should be will depend upon prices of I. °"•'CHH4]STMS Curs Their Oatalogua Will be sent ori request KLLIS BROS.,. LIMITED ,0e14}'011ers 8848 VONoe Sr. TORONTO Try them for your the different feeds at that time, bran, oats, barley, oil meal, shouts, soybean meal, brewers Igrains and cotton seed meal are the commonly used concen- trates. Bran 4 parts, ground oats 2 parts, ground barley 2 parts, oil cake meal 1 part, makes an excellent grain mixture for a commercial dairy herd. It ,should be kept in mind that a freshly calved cow abundantly and carefully fed -will usually produce the cheapest milk. At this time a pound of grain is equivalent to several pounds given later after the cow has decreased in her milk flow. Besides the roughage and concen- trates heavy producing ,cows should have plenty of clean water and salt, and many successful feeders at the present time provide bone lineal, lime, charcoal and other minerals. When All's Said and`Done. When the robin sings on a cherry bough,— And the blackbirds call from yonder wood, When the furrow turns from the early plow— Doesn't it make you feel the world is good? When the radish gives you the tang of spring, And the hoe calls for its daily task, When the violets peep, warmth welcoming— You think, "What more can a fellow ask?" Then the roasting ears and the chicken Ery! And you think that heaven is for you— here When yeti top it off with a bbaelobe . rz'y pie - Would you think you could ever again be blue? 'When the crops are In, and the air grows chill, And you're sett of tired through and through, Doesn't it comfort you and buck up Your will To know alt will happen again to you? `. The gecous use of legume hay ettet down the amount of protein grains reggitred to secure best feed- ing arecyulte, llhey say we' efiart dying the day we are horn, but why hurry the pro - teas by unhealthful living;l, . Emile Coue The originator of the phrase, "Every day, and in every way, 1 get better and. better," and the head of a new school Of healing, which has conscious sug- gestion as its basic doctrine, He is. coming from France to this country soon to introduce his beliefs. , Protection of Fruit' Trees from Mice and Rabbits. While the depredations :from price and' rabbits in winter varyfrom one year to another, depending on the scarcity or abundance of food, the number of mice which are. in the vicinity and the character of the win- ter, - the injury is always -greatest when the orchard is in sod, and when there is rubbish lying •about; hence• the latter should be removed before the winter sets in. In most `cases it is not necessary nor advisable to have the orchard in sod, particularly when the trees are young, although it is highly important to have. a ' cover crop, which also may sometimes be- come a harbor for nice. As mice may be expected in greater or less numbers every winter, young trees should be regularly protected against their ravages. Mice usually begin working on the ground under the snow, and when they come to a tree 'they will begin to gnaw it if it not protected. A small mound of soilfrom eight to twelve inches in heightraised about the base of the tree will often prevent their injuring the tree,,and even snow tramped •about the tree has beep quite effective, but the cheapest and. surest practice. is to wrapp the t with ordinary building paper, ti -e of; practice is to Wrap t is also effectual, bat: injured by using guard against t paper will :do a is wrapped ar a little eartl lover end eginning t a ••sbarr in their way. ever, that an young trees with buiidin Experimental have been pra where the mice :h the paper to get at the tree. The use of a Wire protector or ,one made of tin or galvanized iron is, economical in the end, as they are. durable. There are a number of washes and poisons recounnended for the prote'e- tion of fruit trees andthe•destruction of the mice and rabbits, but none of these is very satisfactory, as if the mice or rabbits are nu'merus the poison has not 'sufficient effect upon them to prevent injury altogether. The following method orf poisoning has been found fairly successful for mice, but rabbits are very difficult to deal with. Make a mixture of one part by weight of arsenic with three parts of corn meal... Nail two pieces of board eadh six feet long and six inches wide together so as to make a trough, In- vert :this. near the trees tobe pro- tected and place about a tablespoon- ful of the poison on a shingle and put it near the middle' of the run, renewing the poison 'as often as is necessary. Un -Balking the'Balker. Recently I was awakened one rainy morning at 2,20 a.m. by hearing a man whipping his hoarse. I -went to the window and sawan able-bodied horse hooked to a small milk -wagon. The man was trying all kind's of per- suasion to get hint up a slight bill; he would talk to him kindly, and at the -same time pull on the bridle, but to no • avail. Then he tried whipping him with a light carriage whip, but the animal would not budge.: Finally en ante/nubile passed, and the milkman hailed the chauffeur, "Say; Buddy, can't you help a fellow out of trouble?" The machine stop- ped and five men came hack. One sug- gested that they push the wagon up on the horse, but another said: "No, don't do that,, I'll tell you what to do. Just lift up the right front foot and hit him on, the bottom of the hoof." Then bidding the driver get into the wagon, in order to be ready to drive the horse, he tapped the ani- mal on, the frog of the foot. Immedi- ately the horse plunged forward and they had no further trouble.—L. G. H. Cattle for the Christmas Trade The early December market,* cater to the Christmas trade and invariably show a premium on choice fat cattle over the general run of good stock. Choice' cattle for the Christmas market can scarcely be too fat, and farmers having near -finished stock of good type night do well to prepare the same for the holiday trade . and eflt by the increased price per \.of gain. e to four weeks additional feed- fodder—combined eed- fodder combined with ain ration will put such t class condition and re - margin over cost, resent generation the night. boo is a 'laughable super - are doctor says: "No wonder o: much fresh air in the coon Country people use so little s ;Educators What Becomes of Sonny's Work—By Mabel R. Young Sonny now goes to school, and al most every day brings home some lit - tie article he has made. He comes home, full of enthusiasm over his work, telling just how it was done, how long it took him, and above'^slat, how carefully he did it. There is pride in his voice as he tells you about it- pride in his bearing as he shows his prize; for his work has meant thought, effort, and painstaking care. What becomes of his handiwork?' Probably Probably it is praised, then laid aside, to 'be lost or even thrown away. At first Sonny is surprised and just a little disappointed when his work is thus disregarded. Then he reaohes the "don't care" stage, where he often throws his pictures or cardboard toys in the street on the way home. Finally. his schoolwork is done iir--a careless, haphazard manner; for it has become mere task to be done. a There is no longer any incentive to much effort. What can we do about it? Here is one mother's idea. Make a sufficiently large book of heavy brown wrapping -paper, either sewing it together or fastening it with ,small clips in' order that additional pages Winter Care of Geranhuns ., BY JANE LESLIE KIF',C. To make geraniums bloom well in winter they should he kept in pots all summer, Plants kept in sm!al1-s•izud pots all summer will' bloom all winter, provided you keep them in a sunny, light room, It does not matter in -the least if the room is quite cool, just o it is free from frost, When you take them into the house in the fall do not repot them, but keep them in the same small pots. Should you repot them they are likely to start growing, and this is the very thing to avoid, It is flowers,: not foliage, which you want. Another matter of great importance Is ventilation. Ger- aniums require fresh air; therefore, raise the windows every day, if not too cold, ,and do not keep them very wet. If kept cool during the winter, geraniums require very little water. If you do not have plants for pot- ting, take cuttings from outdoor plants and pot then at once in three- inch pots. 'For cuttings use good, firm, young growth, about three or four inches long. You must be large- ly governed in the length of the cut- ting by the condition of the wood. If you make the cutting so long that the bottom of the slip is very tough and hard, it will be a very long time in rooting; but if cut nearer to the end of the shoot, where the Wood is softer, the cutting will root in .from ten days to two weeks, aecording to the temperature of the place in which the eutting is growing. In making a geranium cutting, smooth the heel of the shoot with a sharp knife, then trim off about two- thirds of the foliage. Also, carefully remove all the little wings which you will find at the base of all geranium leaves. After making the cuttings, prepare some nice sandy soil in which to plant them. The cuttings can be rooted either in separate pots or in larger pots, putting several cuttings in each. If in larger pots be sure these are half -full of broken crockery or char- coal for drainage. Use a little stick to make holes for planting the cuttings. Have the soil pretty soft. After planting, give the cuttings a good watering to settle the earth around them. They can stand in any ordinary window, but you must be careful to shade them from the sun each day until they are firmly rooted. Also, be careful not to overwater theth If one of 'them begins to show the el!ightes:t sign of decay pull it out at once, or the decay will spread to the rest and you will lose them all. When you are ewe the cuttings are rooted, lift them carefully and pot in separate pots, using a soil composed of.,equal parts of goodgarden loam, sand and manure. The young plants will flower in these same pots during the coming winter months without; needing a transfer into larger sizes,: Geraniums must have their growth retarded in all vases for winter flow ening. :When they are starved and. pot-bound, the strength of the plant' all goes into the blooms. Repot them; and they will stop flowering at once, and devote their energy to developing; growth. If you keep shifting the. plants into larger pots, you will soon have a window full of growth, very soft and luxuriant apparently, but no flowers, . except possibly weak truss: oe the end of a stalk a foot long, This. of course, as not attractive. Another trouble with soft, growthy specimens (besides failure to bloom) is that plants in this condition are likely to be covered with. insects, especially green flies. These' little; pests, once they gain . a foothold, will soon attack every plant in the house) If any of my readers feel they haven't spare OT time to devote to' raising .young plants from cuttings and are anxious to -have' their old plants flower, 'let them carefully and surely remove about four -inches -of old wood from every shoot. This will. start the plant to growing and will: form a new growth, which will likely, produce some flowers; but even with' this method an old plant will neveec flower so freely as a young plant, and the flowers that are pat forth aro likely to be rather ` indifferent. For some unknown reason single varieties are always much better) bloomers than the double flowering sorts. Geraniums require much less care than the majority of house plants. Give themplenty of ventilation; a sun -I. ny window, some heat (it really does not seem to matter a great deal --68! deg. is sufficient), and water thenar daily but sparingly. These truly homey little plants will be sure respond to such treatment, and favor, you with blossoms the entire winter season. Though quickly made. of low -nose materials at home the equipment of mash hoppers, grit and ,shell holders, water containers and the like, can grill be as praetical:as`, any .yenehased aid:pment. One ein}ple'type 'of hop= per is a small shallow box, across the top of which slats are nailed at inter- vals, If toils and materials are handy, it can be made in not much more thanfifteen minutes. Another style endorsed by side -lines • poultry keepers is made of a box three inches deep and two inches wide by thirty- six inches long, or similar proportions. A piece of half-inch mesh poultry wire, cut to fit the box and placed on the mash, prevents the hens scratch- ing the mash out. • If either of these hoppers is left on the floor, it willebe necessary to clean it out occasionally, as the hens will likely scratch pieces of litter into it. It is well -sometimes to mount the hop- pers on platforms, in'which ease the can be added as desired. Havre sec- water pan, a container four inches or tions for drawing, cuttings, faldedl so deep, should be firmly attached on articles and pictures. Let Sonny tale an extension. full charge of his book, and paste in Still another style of successful each clay's work after it has bad due mash hopper is made with a rather 'admiration, to keep it elean and safe. wide eighty -quart wooden pail. With He•will take great care of his book, one pail in an upright position, a indeed, he will be prouder of it than second ora piece of suitable wire is of the most expensive 'volume you could buy him; for this is•his own, his, very own work, and proves , to hili attached at right angles to it, upright, and the two are lashed together at' the top. This ball arrangement pre -1 what his young hands can do. 1 vents the hens perching on the rim tot Then not only will Sonny himself 1 eat, I enjoy the book. It will be a delight; For charcoal, grit and oyster shell,' to younger brothers or sisters. Many' a rather shallow small boli divided an otherwie dull hour will be shade into three compartments and attached to the wall, will do, Or another prac- tical way is to use three large tin cans, bending back the top edge and nailing the cans to the wall a little off the floor. The latter idea, modified. can be used for water. A flat -sided bright and happy; as together they inspect its contents, and big brother re -makes their favorite . articles'tfor them, just as he learned to do "in school'," THE SORT OF CROPS MANITOBA PRODUCES, •Calabar grown by 'a Dutch soli•tior on a ]Vlitniteba• homestead show Something of the site vegetables attain on western sail. pail should be • obtained, and a hole made near the top with which to hang it over a nail in the wall. A round pail thus hung would give trouble. Poultry. house "furniture" gets out of order and wears out. Take the time occasionally to clean things up and renovate. Ship-shape egiripment cheers the hens and cheers the poul- try keeper. into the house when the :time comes for the Christmas services. ` After . it is all over, take -the tree outdoors and• let it grow till spring, when you ,ear plant it out again „1 her txe�+ be- chosen next, time this way the trees are no The womenfolks may ri►r�lc bucket more beautiful by' :cover a: . over for Ohristtnas Day with somal pretty paper. To Burn Waste. Purchase two yards of of a -yard wide and three-fourths yards of (ap- proximately) five-ei,gdhths-winds hen wire. Bend the wide wire into a cyl- inder, over -lapping the two ends enough to make a good closing, and fasten by twisting the cut strands of wire together. Bend over the ends of the narrow wire, marking an approximate square. Wire the middle of one side loosely to the. top of the cylinder, thus form- ing a cover. This makes a perfectly adequate, inconspicuous and inexpen- sive incinerator for burning loose papers-' and waste. Set it in •a convenient open spot, secure it to the ground with a loop of stili wire (an old croquet wicket is good) and, once a week, empty into it contents of scrap 'baskets and all wasto papers,aput the cover on and set burning. The coming up of a sudden breeze cannot blow burning scraps about, endangering crops and bitildhngs. The heavier, the hotter, when 11 comes to firewood. Hickory, oak, locust, beech and ash give good heat Help to Save Trees. Every year et the holiday season, acres of land are cut over to get little hemlocks, pines and sprlhces for Christmas. Nothing is prettier; no- thing pleases the little folks more; and yet, a tree cut is a tree gene, and we need "trees very much, not simply at the Christmas time, but also for lumber and pulp -wood. Here is a suggestion which will ap- peal to every lover of trues. Before the Christmas tree is needed, get a F good big bucket; a large candy pail is good. Fasten some handles on the sides to lift it by, Before ,snow acmes, take up the tree you have chosen forthe Christmas time and plant it' in the 'bucket, rising some good rieli earth, That wbioh •comeo'from where the tree grows is best. Take the tree, bucket And all, f.. Make 'eat Lay! Your hens and pullets should be laying heavily,a- now. If not, you can start them, and keep Brett at it,with Ada Poultry Regulator —the natural tonic that supplies to cooped-tiP birds those health 'ilea. ments which . Nature provides them in sum. mer. `'PRATTS" rouses appetite, aids digestion, stirs up the sluggish egg -organs, preserlres health and vigor. That mans MORE EGGS. PRRA T TS Reap Beinedy, used in thedrlelan ovater,preWantt and cures colds And roup. Your Money Back If YOU Are Not Setts&ed 1ppA OVOODs tiingfedAhTTt - Carlu+v Ave. Toronto 1