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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1923-09-13, Page 2• Address cominunleations to Agronomist, 73 Adelaide St West, Toronto conclusion of active oenetimes to obtain ?ill of the Ina- 1 Flax Production nada. Lilcd woel arid otlie of -the farm, flax is nowheirs e Dare ing the world war, a • inanner of everything else tlp be pro- duced flax $old free ed prices, 'even though a an quality," as Mr. R. J. Uatehine Fibre I)ivision at Ott report for the year GOOD VERSUS POOR REARING s OF HEIFERS. Tfilcet may be affected by feed—Is a superior or inferior cow born or 'made? To answer the question de- finitely has required and will require a deal a careful and well conceived investigational work. The matter is by zio means settled yet, but it is ad- visable to give out some of the in- formation now available, Feed is supposed to affect size, type and pro- duction; and though it would take a whole book to cover all these points, a few words may not be amiss here. Feed as affecting size—There is no dodbt that a heifer fed a heavy, grain ration will develop into a larger cow than one reared on roughages alone; but the difference in size is much more marked during the first few years and less so at maturity. Experiments con- ducted in Missouri showed the height at the withers of an eighteen -months • - old, heavy -fed heifer to be 8.5 inches more than for the poorly fed one, whilst at maturity the difference was only an inch. Feed as affecting type --Liberal •feeding may affect type temporarily hi that heifers so fed will be heavier and show beefiness of form instead of the angular conformation looked for in the good dairy cow. If, however, the heifer has inherited from her par- ents the factor of heavy milk produc- tion, she will usually milk off this extra fat during her first lactation period and ultimately develop into as good a producer as her more scantily fed inate. Feed as affecting production—A few years ago an experiment was con- ducted at Cap Rouge with twins, so as to minimize the chance of error due to breeding. Otte of them was well fed, produced 11,392 pounds of milk testing -5.75 during her first two per- iods of lactation, and qualified for Re- cord of Performance; her sister was not well fed, produced 3,1767 pounds of Milk testing 4.45 during the two first periods of lactation, and could not, of course, qualify for Record of Per- formanee, But experiments conducted in the United States have shown that "the milking tendency of a cow when nrature is not influenced to any appre- ciable extent by any ordinary eerie - 'lions in the ration fed during the growing period. What course to follow — Under erfain etonclitions, such as preparing pure bred stock for -sale or exhibition, • or when it is desirable to increase size somewhat, it might pay to feed very heavily on grain and it must be said that there is no 'fear of hurting heif- ers in doing so, for if the cows are bred right they will lose the surplus •body fat soon after calving. But, in general, the most profitable course to follow will be an intermediate one, be- tween the two extremes; on very good pasture, no. concentrate, and at other times, all° the clover hay they will consume, with silage and roots when • available, and a grain allowance of •from. 2 to 3 pounds per animal, per day, aCcording to age. tions greatly changed„ hriels freMlotal dealers. The use of cently it was found a good commercial mash also saves any but the best grad time in mixing, and guarantees that the end of 1921 man the birds will obtain the elements nee -e stocks on hand whic essary for egg production. I dispose of, With a Iiens will not gorge themselves on a market ivee. Rime dry mash just because the supply is to Europe, but colic] always •available. Instead, after a that only small gt few bites they need e drink to wash sold it remunerative It down. Then they will scratch in wards the fall of lai the litter or peck at green food. Many showed some improvem farmers have neglected to feed a dry ing agent was appeiet mash, believing that their hens would quarters, at Forest, Pp stand by the hopper and choke down the supervision of the many pounds of expensive feed. Such samples were assembled is not the case; a dry mash tends to and as a result, appro make the hen seek a diversified ration. hundred tons of fax we Considering its cost, I find oystee, at prices ranging fro shell's about the best possible invest-, twenty-five cents a po ment for use in our self -serve hoppers.; tion of these samples The lime supplied by the shells enables owing to the mixed ea the hens to place firm shells on every submitted, that the ne egg. They can't get enough lime from ing was brought prornii other feeds during periods of heavy, tice, and a grader was appointed by laying. Strong shells mean few eggs the Division whose duty it is to visit broken in the nest or in transit. They, the scutch mills and supervise this also .help to prevent the egg -eating work. habit. The saving of one four -cent Nor is it only by grading that the egg will buy four pounds of shells. work and usefulness of bee Fibre Di - 1 like plenty of sour milk in my vision have been extended.Experi- chicken cafeteria. It should be placed ments with Varieties of seed are being in crocks on low stands to keep litter1 conducted, not only at the Central Ex - from being scratched into it. Sour I perimental Farm, Ottawa, but at milk has more than mere food valuee branch Farms and Statione in seven for hens. It seems also to be a pre-, of the nine provinces of the Dominion, ventive of digestive troubles,. and, and in 1921 a flax mill was established helps to keep the hens vigorous. Hens: at Clinton, Ont., and upwards of 150 that get plenty of milk seem to pro -1 acres secured on which every branch duce eggs with a high degree of fer-i.of flax cultivation and"Tests of ma- tility; that produce healthy chicka. The chinery are possible. The movement sour -milk crocks and pails need fre-I in the last mentioned direction was quent scaldings to prevent bowel accelerated, it might be mentioned, trouble. I by the destruction by fine of the scutch Green feed furnishes the bull? that raill at Ottawa. our hens need when on a concentrated ration. I find that raangels are the ---.--ae----. Why Are Cows Poor Producers. tif of 'the yS in his itl-0 the . s; 011(11- ,u/it'd re - it, to sell fibre. At ewers had S could not securing id kvisit were euch "Chcould be res,• To - ear prices a sell - with head - •Under Dieielore hat place, atelyt four dIspesed of twenty to The eelec- VN o !difficult, eeef the flax 4sit of grad- • y into no - SELF-FEEDING MY HENS • PAYS ME. For efficient poultry -feeding I find the self -serve method pays best. It can be used for every item in the ration except the scratch grain. Fowls need • the exereise they get from hunting in the loose straw for the grain. • By far the most important element in the ration is the balanced dry mash. I have used both commercial and home-made mashes. The dry mashes recbmmended by the experiment sta- tions are first class, but it is difficult cheapest form of green feed; they can be sliced and fed in troughs, or whole mangels may be hung on nails. Cab- bages are also greatly relished by the birds, and can be fed whole -or sliced. If the sliced cabbages are fed in mod- erate amounts, none will be wasted; every bird will have a better chance at the green food if it is scattered around. . Sprouted oats are very appetizing to hens under winter conditions, and help to bring range conditions to the poultry -house floor. But it takes more time to sprout oats than to feed man - gels, and so I believe „mangels o.xe more, econormcal, especially if the 'flock is large. •- I never neglect the water supply in my chicken self -sere. It ie not heat- ed,. but given in galvanized pails just as it seines from the well. At noon the pails are emptied and refilled; they are always emptied at night to preeent freezing. Grit is another item that the hens will look for in their self -serve. I have seen hens eat grit like corn after a neglected supply has been replenished; they cannot thrive without it. I find that the commercial grit is economic- al; 'aefew hundred pounds will supply many hens. For small flocks, a few bags of fine gravel will do. The old method of feeding poultry consisted largely in shoveling out grain on the bare ground whenever the hens looked as if they needed feed. The neve method is based on a study of the hen's requirements for health and egg production. I often study my hens on the 'range, noting how they balance their own rations; first a bug or a worm, then a weed sped, followed perhaps by a few pecks at something green for a salad course. For profit- able production it is necessary to pro- vide these natural conditions in win- ter. This can be done by carefully managing the chicken cafeteria. SHEEP Every flock owner undoubtedly has observed 'at weaning time that some lambs in the flock have made more • rapid growth than others. These lambs are always the pride of the owner and he wishes that all the lambs were as large and fine as the The business of breeding ewes, apart from growing a profitable crop of Wool, is to produce strong healthy, lambs and keep them growing until weaning thne. • Breeding ewes vary decidedly in their capacity to produce a large flow of milk Subsequently at weaning time there is a lack of uniformity in the lanib crop despite the fact that the lambs were all dropped about the same time and the ewes given equal attehtiori throughout the • suckling period, This variation in the growth and development of the Iamb crop is in a large measure due to the milking capacity of the ewes. Dairymen long ago recognized the variation in the milk production of individuals in the herd. Flock owners mtist profit thereby and direct attentiou to the • selection of breeding stock of large ntilk production. Physical conformation, as in • the dairy cow, may in a measure direct the flock oWriet in the upgrading of his flock, but the teat of a ewe's milk- ing capnitty le„best eeideteed in the erbertli and developeeent of her off- Jprieg. twee lambs teteined to re- ederiith the flock should be seleeted from deep milking ewes that have suckled their lambs well and -encour- aged large bone and flesh. growth. Illustration Station Work. • • 4 Here are some reasons; choose the one that suits your case: They may lack breeding, or are underfedor it may be because they were bred too young, because they lack care and management, because of disease, espe- cially abortion, or because they, are not persisteiit milkers. Any one'of or all these factors will make sinhll xnilk cheques. The following are things that will make the eheves larger: Good bre-aliiirreTcid Sie7es), proper development ofti '•'fees , not I d'er) ;:4-X t •ib -al d Leslie • - s good care and healthy cowS'. Cow testing associations offer the best chance to find, out whether your cows are paying for kheir board. If there are twenety-six farnaees in your neighborhood who leave several cows apiece, talk up an, association. 'Twill At present there are in all eighty- nine Illustration Stations in operation under the Illustration Station system, adopted in connection with the Domin- ion Experhriental Farms some years ago. Of these ten are in New Bruns- wick, of which the Superintendent at Fredericton Experimental Station has general supervision, eleven in Nova, Scotia, of which. the Superintendent at ICentville Experimental Station has general supervision, and thirty-one in! the Province of Quebec, fourteen of which the Superintendent at St. Anne de la Pocatiere has general super-' vision and seventeen are superviged from the Central Experimental Farm,' Ottawa, A. report has recently been. issued covering the work of last year, which should be of special interest to ain p . h • In carrying on the work it is the prac- tice to select land facing on the main travelled highways so that the meth- ods of growing and handling the erops corno under the public eye. Not only is the work noticeable from the high- ways, but disetissions attended by farmers in the vicihity are held at the ‘Stations clurhig the growing season. Experitriental and practical work is thus brought close to the farmers in the different districts. The report can. be had free • from the l?uhlications Branch, of the Departinent of Agri- eulture, Ottawa. ••>:. •',Me eleeke oNTeR.:Ohi eke To Lecture in States The Earl of Birkenhead, who has arrived in this country en route to the Canadian Bar Association meeting en Montreal early in September, will also tour the States lecturing on con- ditions in Europe, Ten Commandments for the . Sheepmen. Use a good purebred ram. Discard all inferior ewes. Raise early lambs. Feed some legume hay in winter. Change pastures often., Treat for stomach wornis. Keep the wool clean. • Tie wrool with paper twine. Produce early top lambs and wool. . Sell product on its merles. The Man Who's Afraid. I've paid close heed to the ways of men, I've observed. what the world calls • luck, • I have silently .marveled, 'now and • then, • At ehe'potent newer of pluck; And this ii"a hit of truth I hail, - h sil' A e ce t at' worth o e s heed; sent 'elle man who is always afraid, hear . - , • Doesn't stand much show to steeceed! " Poe Greene -• »— Roy .• • n' The m subli ie moments lie very close , to the most painful situations. We get the ,good things of life with the hard things, the bitter with the PaY. ••sweet. How About the "Air" in Fair? Or Why Some People Do and Others Do Not Attend These Annual Events. • Why do folks keep on -going to fairs? This is a momentous question for fair managements as well as a reasonable one fax the people who at- tend, and also fax those who do not. Let us be charitable and say that the first reason -for folks attending fairs is to gain information. It must be remembered that the demonstra- tion method of education...has long people lack the necessary funds to per- mit them to attend. Or at least, they think they cannot afford what they get out of it. Also, there are a few who, no matter how broad may be the pol- icy of a fair management, caimot be appealed to. They are either sub-_ normal or abnormal and are too far away from ,the limits of the average person to be impressed with the pub- lic fairs. Their religious brinciple,s or been the method used by our fairs. In fact here is where this approved inch, erent notions are a barrier to the method of gaining first-class knowl- edge was introduced to the world. As an illustration of how thisplan is now used to improve our intellectual • is made far easier through equipment, we might refer to the old duct of life farmers' • institutesThe .general the- possession of a wide circle of , schrme of these institutes was to ex.1 permanent interests. They hold that change knowledge by word of mouth. To -day, however, extension men are using the, demonstration method al - meat entirely. They find the eye a far to which we can give attention meas - intelligence to the brait'than the old institute woekers found the ear to be. encrouchment of such institutions. SHOULD BE INTERESTED IN MANY THINGS. Psychologists hold that a wise con - our world of living can be .no wider than the number of objects to which we can attend with interest. We may move among many other' things; but better mediunt through which to carry only those parts of our surrounding ures the world in which we move. rn other words, our experience is what really gives life its deepest signifi- mcance , , terta ed. This is no small reason. fore, that the t h A second general reason for folk going to'' faies is to be amused or en- , It would appear, tre In fact, if we could poll the uncolored leading managers of our fairs have reasons why all our folks go to these annual events, the wrworked out in practical waythe iter is not cer- discoveries of these psychologists. teart hilt what the idea of being am - Certainly thereis no ihstitution ma), . useg or entertained would bring the ing a more all-around appeal to human majoeity of votes, •.,•, ' ititerest than does the up-to-date fair We should not clepricate this phase association. of the fair business. Healthful amuse.. All are too well acquainted with the tnent is important in the wall-rounded life and no place can be better adapted virtues of the' stock, dairy and potxl- try ethows to review them here. • The for providing a 'reasonable amount of same can be said of the fruits, grains, good amusement than are our fairs. Filially, a good reason fax attending' and florid departments of our Ontario fairs, Patrons are also well informed is to take the children. Often the on •the apiary work and the efforts question as to who is to have the which have been put forth to ieterest privilege of doing this wOrks no little the Women folks. frowe-ver, those hi - disturbance in our domestic relations. terested in educatiohal work and fine However, the reason is a valid one, for the fair is a great storehnase a things , arts are Oleften appealed to. Then, too, which every child hi every • home the plans for the boys and girls - should have the onhortnnitY of seeing-. i jeorreigtsyesthe efouirntfearitlerilieso.f the eurgthreentetnilkeiae, !WHY DO VOLES srAY AWAY FROM PAIRS?, the educational work coming from the I Let us now review briefly a feW,o/1 better babies contest, carries the in- ` the reasons why Seine folks do not tetest etfll another step toward heeled - attend these annual events. lo th& ing the entire family in the fah first place, many find it impossible to eeheme. The dog and at s otvo an do so. Their &aline wee ee arranged the extensive exhibits of, machinerY that they cannot leave When their par -1 all add to the dietinctive educational tioular fair is on. Again, many of °Ur., phescs of the fall lairs. An Olgiine Dancing Party BY M'ARGAR Come in overalls er calieo Singing "Heel; toe, and away we go!" • To our rustic BARN DANCE rare, When we banish time and care By .reels and old "square" dances "Round" one's too, and sweet, shy glances. (Time ) (Flue ) (Wagon will call at 7.30.) Wouldn't you love to send out that invitation • on fiddle -shaped brown paper for an old-fashioned rollicking dancing party such as your grand- mother or your great-aunt Ann have thrilled you in the telling? Maybe you've wished all, your life that some- body would give a real -for -sure Barn Dance, so that you could wear a pinls calico dress and • a frilly pink sun- I bonnet, Why not be that somebody , •' Ask the men to wear big straw hats! and give the dance yoursele? and the girls sunbonnets, and, if wraps are necessary, capes or shawls ihstead of coats. Arrange to have the older people come in automobiles and carriages, but have the young people conie in hay -filled farm wagons. ' The barn needs little or no decora- tion --maybe some wisp e of straw or hay, strands of vegetables, cornstalks upright in the corners, festoons of vines and leaves, and bouquets of wild flowers. Strew hay on the floor near the walls, where the young folks may sit between dances. • The older folk can occupy , boards stretched. across "horses" or camp chairs. Ordinary glass lanterns will, give sufficient light, although auto lamps would be safer. One or more large placards reading "No smoking" should be post- ed on the walls, and the men and boys should be requested not to smoke nor to throw matches about even in the barnyard, for fear of fire. The dancing will be just as merry whether the program is written on a blackboard or painted on a muslin sign and tacked on the wall in a con- spicuous place, or printed on indi- vidual cards. To accord with modern custoR, a shorter program is given than was danced in olden times. The ET M. SCOTT. dance wonid be more realistlei, t,00, if It were noised about preceding the dance that Madam Grundy used to , approve of a coupledencing 'the first and last dances and two other, but '4 looked askance on them when they danced more than a total of six together. As "extras" (round) were the joy of the dancers "ef the day that is gone," the ealler should annonnce ono, say, after every fifth dance. For one of these, partners might be selected try giving numbered bat crowns (or brOwn paper sacks) to the men and similarly numbered hat brims and pins to the ladies, who fit and pin to- gether corresponding crown and brim aad placing the hates on the gentle- men dance away with them. For an- other extra you might give pink paper -- sunbonnets (numbered) to the ladies, and similarly numbered pink"stream- ers and pins to the gentlemen, who find the matching bonnets, pin on the streamers, place the bonnets on the 'owners, and dance with them. I The music may be provided by ono fiddler, who also calls the dances, or by Idrum and piano, violin and piano, or ' several stringed instruments. During the intermission serve ree Fly freshraents consisting of quarter wedges of pie, doughnuts, apples and cider, No plates or napkins are need- ed, as .pie can _be eaten out of hand and cider drunk from a tin cup. Let the men who do not dance play checkers and quoits; the children. play • authors, parchesi, and bean bag; or all may play crambo. To play crambo, the leader calls a word out loud, and the first player has to make a two-line rhyme using thise word and another rhymingerith it. If he responds in a reasonable length of time, he is credithd with a red mark; if he fails to do it, a black naught is setdown against his name. The leader calls another worde- and the second player responds. This is repeated until all have responded, or failed so, to do. The one scoring the most rhymes has the fun of calling a word for which the leader must make.' a rhyme; and if he fails, the others who failed decide on a forfeit he neustepay. THE CI-IILDREN'S • HOUR AN UNPAID GARDEN WORKER. BY cgAi.?.T..ns A. DAVID: •• Soinetimes when working in the 4r4 -g-1.611 the hoe routs out from the shade of a cabbage plant a blinking, half -awake toad, with puffed -out sides, protesting in his toad Way against being dragged out into the heat and glare. Maybe you wondered -what such a creature's life arneunted to, and what excuse he had for living, anyway, especially in your garden? Btit if you could watch him for one night, and mark his wonderful work, you might change your views, and de- cide that the toad had earned the right to sleep anywhere in your garden. • Cutworms, grubs, slugs, and beetles go into hiding during the day, when their natural enemies, the birds, are on the job, and it is at night, when vegetation is cool and damp and when the feathered tribe is asleep, that they get in their work of destruction. ' As a rule, the damage to growing vegeta- tion is done between dusk and dawn; and it is in the morning that you find your plants neatly cut off just above the surface or prostrate on the gromid. Itis right here that the use- fulness of the toad is apparent, and the niche he fills in the econoiny of nature is understood and appreciated. The toad is a perfect crank about keeping cool. - He lingers in his, re- treat until the shades of evening come and moisture begins to gather on grass and.plants. Then he cornes'out and punches the time clock. He is first, last, and all the time hungry; and es his person is elastic, he cab put away an almost unlimited amount of food without too midi dis- comfort. Things might be different with him if he had Abe or bone bound- aries set to limit the stretching point. As it is his storage plant is not hamp- ered in the least, and he is able t� hold all the crawling, creeping things he can gather. The toad's tongue is a marvelous in- strument for this wholesale in -gather- ing, • It is fastened in the front of the mouth inetead Of in tho back, and can be shot out two inches or more, and withdrawn so quialy that the eye gets no impression as „to hlow it is done. This curious tongue eurls back with the tip resting about where you would expect to find the head's palate, and is smeared Over with a glee that is warranted to stick when it touches an insect. The toad never takes a -Ace unless the ganie is actually in motion, and the grub or beetle that is canny enough to freeze in ite trecks and 'keep perfectly still is safe. But the instant It moves, the automatic is brought into play, and the unfortunate flier pays the forfeit with ite life, for the toad is a "crack" shoi,, and rarely over misses. Since toads have rei teeth, the prey is swallowed alive and kick- ing. In fact, swallowing is the toad's streng point, Even his old Ain joina the proceesion of thing's he gulps down 4;410104 WhOn -is is throuqh with at, 1 he take it oft rolls it Fete a neat bimdle, aed swalloeve it. but the en thitee el does not swallow is water. He does his drinking by ab- sorbing moisture through the skin._ When twilight comes, • the toad knows it is about time for him to get up, and he opens one eye at a time, blinks them both to see if they are all: ,right, shoots out his tongue to Make sure it is in working order. It is estimated that every healthy toad with a coming appetite and a good digestion, is worth at least five dollars, a seam -Leto „the gardener 'ger the destruction of earth -worms alone. He has been known to devour a hun- dred rose beetles, or fifty army worms at a meal, and then get up from the table looking as if he expected dessert, My Cheap Water System. I solved the water situation on my farm twenty years ago by inetalling an inexpensive supply tank that,gave sufficient pressure eo force water into the house and to the other farm build- ings and -the feed lots. ' I set a wooden tank on a seven -foot brick foundation near the house,- on a • relatively high point of ground. This • tank holds 65 barrels of water. •In addition to furnishing Water for the house and livestock, I irrigate my gar- den in the summer, using a 50 -foot hose to carry the water from a hy- drant near the tank. ' I have never had any tremble front freezing. I use the space under the , my Meat. In extremely cold weather, build a small fire there to eliminate! entirely the possibility of freezing. tank made by the foundation to smoke ThIt e only rep every day, and the shade helps to keep - water is ,pumpecl in by the windmill maple tree. In the summer the water is always cool and refreshing. Ther;t is no stagnant water because fresh My supply tank is set under a, large airs in twenty years a have been a few new staves for the wooden tank. This entire system was, originally in' stilled for less than $100• r," I believe a convenient ;water supply is just as important on the farm aa a plow or a barn. It more thaci paid , for itself the first year, and now. it iS efc. twenty years old.—A. A. R. .......,••••••••-•.-011—.•••••••••• • • Don't Burn Stalks. Fax every ton of 'stalks burned, $3 worth of nitrates goes up in smoke. The potash and phosphorus are no lost, but left in heap of ashes are never evenly distributed through the soil. Plowing under the stalks land other litter has a three -fold benee fit. First, it adds much needed plant • food to the soil; second , e cay, ag vegetation, in contact with the soil, goes through a nitrifying process and renders available much plant -food that is already in the soil in an insoluble silicate form; third, it adds hinnus to the soil and assists in holding mois- ture for the next crop. .-?•••-Je. 111-.4•74-' en:a Have You Tried it? 'eletow do you make "-one wife notelioe to what yoe hate to ?" alk In toy eleello."