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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1923-12-06, Page 3'FARMING IN PACIFIC Night"Yin"' at Sea' Night Sinks on the wave, COAT' PROVINCE: Hollow gust are sighing, Sea birds to their cave Viso' the gloom are flying. • B.C. LANDS WORTH $120 PER ACRE. Few Sections of American 'Continent So Well Adapted to 'Diversified Agriculture, :. The Province of •i3ritisb Columbia ` Pecupiee an unique p1ac a in Canadian agriculture which is Summed up in the fact that whilst the average price of occupied farm land throughottt. the Boirtininon'is yS'40 per acts, in the Pa - cilia coast province it is $120 per acre. British Columbia farms are more in- tensive 'and a greater diversity of crops' is possible of production than in • Any section of Canada. Whilst in cer- • tale sections ranching, mixed farming and grain growing prevail, the small •'farm is •tlie general rule, upon which all. fruits, .withthe exception of the tropical, are produced, whilst` expert-' znents which are continually under way reveal that with the greaterset- tiemept of the agricultural lands Bri- tish Columbia will achieve a renown :as a producer of fruits, nuts and "other crops which are hardly thought of at the present time. A survey receptly conducted by the Dominion Government reveals that there are 21,973 farms of one acre or over in British Columbia, as compared With . 16,958 in 1911 and 6,501 in 1901. The figures illustrate that whilst the agricultural activity of the 'province has ' increased tremendously in the last decade, the average size of pro- vincial farms Lias diminished some- what, revealing an increasing ten- dency in the province to intensive farming. Total farm acreage in the province in 1921 was 2,860,593 ae against 2,540,- 001 in 1911 encl• 1,497,419 in 1901, re- presenting a gain of 69.6 per cent. in the twenty-year period. The average size of farms, in 1921 was 130.2 acres; in 1911, 149,8 acres; and in 1901, 230.3 acres. Thirty per cent. ad the farms in 1921 were between ten -and fifty. acres in extent, whilst some ,seven per cent. were under five acres. Some- thing over nine per cent. of the farms were occupied by tenants in the lat- ter year compared with thirteen per bent. in 1911. British Columbia's rural population increased from 98,478 in 1901 to 227,200 in 1921. The un an or town population, on the -other land, increased only from 90,179. to 247,562 In the same period. Improved Land'•Area. The area of improved land in 1921 was 544,464 acres compared with 4'77,. 590 aures, in 1911 --and" 473,683 in 1901. Fieldbroils were 345,201 acres cam- pared with 239,649 in 1911 and .171,- 447 in 1901.. The area in orchard was 37',233 acres as compared with 33,618 acres in 1011 and 7,502 in 1901. Small fruits occupied 6,319 acres compared with 1,336 acres in 1911. The value oaf *11 field crops from the province in 1910 is given as $7,246,018, which in- creased to $12,424,554 in- 1920. , The production of orchard fruits increased from $1,022,576 to $3,602,995 in the same ten years, whilst the value of production in grapes, _small fruits, ani maple syrup increased from $312,528 to $1,249,177. In 1920 apples contributed 50.16 per cent of the value of all fruits. The :ap- ple ` crop in 1910 was - 175,377 bushels, Whilst in 1920, the crop wass 1,704,303 bushels.: Plums, apricots, and prunes increased in the ten-year period from 80;444 bushels to 195,574 bushels; pears from 51,000 to 129,290 bushels; cherries from 27,147 to 114,451 bush- els; and 'peaches from 44,032 to 92,-. 124 bushels. • . The value of all, livestock in the province. in 1921 was $23,009,202 com- pared with $14,186,000 ten years ear- lier. Animal products, including milk, butter, cheese, eggs, wool, honey and wax increased in the decennial period 1910-1920 from '$3,678,433 to $10,392,- 027. Many Phases of Farming Possible. - Opportunities exist in British 'Col- umbia for the pursuit of practically every phase of farming, and thein - creasing extent to which each is be - fag followed is.apparent from the fore- going figures. Beekeeping and dairy- ingares increasing rapidly, wbilst flag' is being cultivated successfully on a !mall scale. ' The climate of Van- couver and 'Victoria is peculiarly. adapted to the production of flower Ing. bulbs. The varieties of fruit 'grown include apples, apricots, cher- ries, loganberries, peaches, plums, prunes, raspberries, strawberries, nec- tarines, grapes, figs, :almonds ` and other less hardy fruits and nuts. Holly is grown on a commercial scale on the coast and .the: hop culture II an increasing induetry in certain sections. Theacreage devoted to seed growing is fast increasing each year and tobacco has been produced •'suc oessfully. All kinds of. vegetables are grown to ` perfection, potatoes, toma- toes, cniana, celery, rhubarb and sugar, being unsurpassed in quality any- where. Cereal trope and livestock production are equal in •standard to other parts of the Domininon, Few sections of the American continent lend themselves to such a diversified egricui ural production as the Pro- elece of British Columbia. Red Catsup. It whole spices are placed in a bag and theft put into the catsup, they will savor the catsup without causing It to lase Its •clear bright color: Olr should storms come sweeping; Thou in heaven unsleeping, O'er Thy children yigil. keeping, Hear and save, hear and save., Stars look o'er the sea, Few and sad and shrouded, Faith• our light must be When all else is clouded. Thou whose voice .came thrilling, Wind and billow stilling, Speak Armee more Thy prayer fulfilling, Speak once, pow'r dwells within Thee. --Felicia. Hemans. Making Butterflies to Order. What must sorely be .one of the most fascinating industries in the world is carried on in Southern France where . special butterfly farms have been established. Here, under scien- tific .guidance, hundreds of beautiful specimens are bred, Cross -breeding has been tried, and numerous experiments, are conducted to obtain brilliant and original mark- ings on the 'wings of the insects, which are afterwards sold to collectors or for the adornment of women's hate and dresses. The farms are provided with special leafy trees and plants on which the eggs are hatched: Directly tbe young appearthebranches are cut off and taken to a specially ventilated room, where they are:placed' in vases of water. As soon as the tiny caterpillars have eaten up this first supply of leaves fresh branches are provided. Having. been in an even temperature for about two weeks the young caterpillars are taken out. into the open, where they are placed on plants that are protect- ed from birds by long nets. When they have become fully grown this protective net is removed, and soon they retire into cocoons or roll themselves up into leaves. These are collected and stored in specially ven- tilated boxes, where, in a very short time, butterflies of wonderful hues are evolved. No Games of Chance Vacationist --"Do they play games of chance at this resort?" Native—"Well, frankly, no—one is never given a• chance." --AND THE WORST IS YET 'Q,CQ.ME //, C""'".151.661) 110 ..em: -Cao ' Vegetable Medicines. Most vegetables and fruits have curative qualities. Spinach has a direct effect upon the kidneys, whilst onions, garlic, leeks, and, shallots pos- sess medicinal qualities which have a marked effect upon the circulatory system. A raw onion eaten before going, to bed is an excellent remedy for in- somnia, whilst soup made from onions has a soothing and restorative effect upon weak digestive organs-. The lettuce .and the cucumber cool the system. Beets and turnips are excellent appetizers, and celery has such an admirable effect upon the ner- vous system that it has been known to cure neuralgia and is• of great use in rheumatic cases•. Tomatoes are good for the liver. Figs, currants, cherries, and straw- berries are cooling and 'purifying. Eaten first thing in the morning, an. orange will cure dyspepsia sooner than anything else. Praise for Canada. "I,.believe Canada is the greatest wheat producing country on earth. The time wki,come when the United States will .kiuy its wheat from -Caie- da. Our commercial relations `s are close and profitable. We have the consumers, and Canada, for years to come, will be producing foodstuffs in large quantities. The Canadians are a splendid, alert, progressive people." =--Joseph L Brittain, U,S. Consul Gen- eral, Winnipeg. tules for Success. A reader asks: "How can I induce my'employer to take notice of me, and to give. hie a 'rise' without my having to ask him for one?" Here are a few.ways that will help: Command attention because of the attention' you give your job. - Go 'to' work and forget the clock. Look to your job, but also look be- yond it; To be paid more, do more than you are paid for, • Give your employer the benefit of year }grains even if you think. you are being 'paid only for the work of your hands. ;as Get ready for your promotion before you seethe remotest possibility of b,. Mg • promoted. Read everything you can buy, beg, or .borrow relative to your business. Fall in love with your work, and if you ,'can't find it in your heart to do e ,. try- for another job. wireless in the Yukon. Iehasbeee recently announced that a. party ras at, work establishing wire- less• t chis i !Dawson.: and Mayo in dve i aLti • Word'has> now been received that spn the 20th sof Oc-. tober, official communication was es- tablished by radio between the two places. The Gold Commissioner re- ports] that the two stations are work- ing orking splendidly. Thisconstitutes the first link in the Dawson -Edmonton wireless system. Singing Strengthenb Gas Affected Lung8. The'phonograph is playing a big part iathe rehabilitatiou of wounded and disabled soldiers at the Veterans Mountain Camp of the American Le- gion, Departmelit of New York, situ- ated on 131g Tupper Lake in the 44- iroudaclt Mountains, Singing to the accompaniment of a phonograph has been found very beneficial in strength- ening the gas affected lungs of . the tubercular patients. In hl.s annual report mads at the -re- cent State convection of the Ameri- can Legion 'at Saratoga,. Dr, Samuel Lloyd, president of the :camp, stated that before the cold weather set in about 200 patients will be receiving treatment of. which masie is a part. ,A phonograph is placed on a stand in the woods and daily sings, under the direction of a competent leader, are held. The veterans find great sol- ace in music and say it aids them to "come back" -Blotting Paper from Wood -Pulp, As a result of investigations • recent- ly carried out by the Forest Products Laboratories of the Forestry Branch of the Department of the Interior, Can- ada, in their experimental paper mill, blotting paper with excellent absorp- tive qualities has been produced en- tirely from wood -pulp. This is an en- tire departure in the manufacture of blotting paper, the best grades having hitherto been made from rag -pulp. An interesting feature of the new product is that it contains a large proportion of pulp made from a wood which, al- though plentiful,bas found little em- ployment in the pulp industry in Canada. His Handicap. "Well! Well!". ejaculated the book agent. "When the airplane went over just now everybody about the place except that fellow lounging over there looked up, called each other's atten- tion to it and watched it out of sight. He never, gave the slightest indication that he knew it was passing over. What is the matter with him?" "Nothing more than common," re- plied Farmer Flint.. "That's niy hired man. I'gues she happened to be look- ing ooking at the ground at the time and thought it would require too great an effort to raise his head and look up at the sky." Long Neck. The London Zoological garden in Regent's park has a giraffe with a neck so long that the animal is un- saleable because it is too high to pass through railway tunnels when boxed for shipping.. "That's :ae may be," replied the pa- tient "But my name happens to be. Patrick." Gladstone, ` when Primo Minister. of England, remarked: "Believe me when I tell you that the thrift of time will repay. you in after life with a usury of profit beyond your most sanguine dreams, and that the waste of it will make you dwindle, alike in intellec- tual and in moral stature, beyond your darkest reckonings," Sleepy Head, When I was young and, sleek sweet , (0 I was liuoh a elespy head And hated to ;get out of bed); Night seemed a shadow on the !noon. And each now morning sun .0r rain A sad, sweet voice would rise to me Tip the old stairs in softest strain, "it's time to get up, Jelin, Q:Johni" And I would answer and forget, (For I was such a sleepy Bead And hated to get out of bed), But just when I had dozed asain And all the room was still as snow, Up the long stairs would come to me The summons that I ,dreaded so— "It's time to get up, John, 0 3ohni" fihen. I would wake and stretch and turn, (0 I was such a sleepy head And hated to get out of bed), And earl up for one last short nap, When Mother's feet a path would trace 'Lp the long stairs to my small room And lay her hand upon xray face And say, "Get up, 0 John, 0 .John?" Now I am old and wake at five, (No longer I a sleepy head, With morn I cannot' stay In heat Night lingers+ so I long for dawn, But 0 to know youth's sleep again, Wake with her hand upon my head Or hear her voice in softest strain— "It's tine to get up, John, 0 John!" —John Richard Moreland. was`. Winter Rain. It falls freezing On the fields On the weeds On the reeds in the marshes On the Iong gaunt branches, That sway And creak „- And ache Away from the burden of ice. The silver rain falls, Falls in straight silver strings That hang taut and vibrating. .A. pale wind _ Fingers. lightly The harp of the rain Strikingvague piercing strains, As one dreaming. —Kathryn White Ryan. Didn't Take His Audience by Storm., "Poor old Jones was delayed by a storm, of wind and rain on his -way to make his first political speech-"° "Yes; and was stopped altogether by a storm of protest as soon as he began to make it." Let your life prove what your lips say. Summing Up the Summer Services By Laura B. Durand So long as the iron frosts of winter bind the forests, . woods, meadows, fields and gardens, myriads of eggs debosited by insects during the fore- going summer and autumn, remain quiescent and harmless. For most in- sects emerge from eggs. Some in- sects, suchas the green aphis, of the family aphidae of the order Hemip- tera, produce young alive with won- derful rapidity, generation after gene- ration, in one season. The female parent of . egg -laying insects deposits and fixes her eggs in positions where the young will find suitable food in readiness for them when they are hatched. The ingenuity all species of insects display in affecting this end confounds and taxes the wit of man- kind to check -mate. The young insect 1s called the larva (plural, larvae). Some larvae are provided with short. legs , or feet; all are wingless, and move about, usually by crawling, All eat enormously, and grow rapidly. The larvae of flies are usually called maggots or slugs, the larvae of beetles are called grubs; and the larvae of moths and butterflies are known as caterpillars. The young of the latter order of in- sects, known as the Lepidoptira, come through the cold season, in most In- stances, in cases or cocoons. As the sun climbs the sky, on its journey, northwards, its rays become more vertical, and hence, warmer. Neat Is the magic touch that brings forth hordes of crawling things in springtime. Coincident with the revival of in- sect life is the arrival from the south of the birds. They come by the tens, the hundreds, the thousands, the mil- lions, by short rushes, or by steady travel, finding 'animal food every- where,. The intimate relation of these two enormous orders of living things, insects and birds, is one of the mar- vels of nature, and of inestimable in- terest and value to man, The settlement of this continent has altered even its climatic conditions, t has also upset the balance of nature. The cultivation of millions of acres of accuient plants as our food has pro- vided a new and never -failing food ripply for the insect world. The more cod, we grow` for • ourselves, the more • we provide to encourage and nourish three young. Over 200. trips were made by the parents, carrying cater- pillars chiefly. • Red -eyed Vireo's nest was watched. There were three young, one day old. red by regurgitation 14 times between 7 and 8 a.m., and 125 times in 10 hours, while observed. Ttosebreasted Grosbeak's nest was watched, young ready to fly. Record began 6 a,m, Young were fed by one or the other parent between 6 and 7, 52 tittles; 7 and 8, 47 times; 8 to 9, 43 times; 9 to 10, 30 times; 10 to 11, 36 times; 11 to 12, 27 times; 12 to 1, 32 insects and small vermin. At the same time, throughout the settlement of the continent, men have killed off entire species of birds, deci- mated other species, and greatly re- duced the numbers of all species of birds, excepting, perhaps, the crows. Birds are a priceless heritage. Peo- ple more generally, recognize this; and plan for their protection and increase. We have the conclusions of the most highly trained specialists, arrived at from the examination of thousands of birds' stomachs, and accurate obser- vation of their food habits in life re- times; 1 to 2, 38 times; 2 to 3, 41 tines 3 to 4, 22 times; 4 to 5, 58 times, total, 426 times. There were, be- sides 4 hours of feeding when the nest was not watched. The insects fed were larvae . of leaf rollers from the neighboring oak trees. The mother came 3 times to .two visits of the garding the economic value of many of the familiar species of birds. Most species of birds devour grass- hoppers with enjoyment. Here is a partial list ofthese, proved by stom- ach contents: Crows, Quail, Jay, Mea- dowlark, Robin, Kildeer, Sandpiper, father. bird. He was sometimes occu- Wren, King birds, Catbirds, Night - hawks, Veery, Thrush, Viro, Cedar- waxwing, Brown Thrasher, Maryland. Yellow -throat, Yellow Warbler, Chick- adee, hickadee, Tanager, Herring Gull, Plover, Hawks of several species, Owls and: Ducks. In the crop of one Catbird were found remains of thirty grass- hoppers. Prof. Aughey observed a pair of Longbilled Marsh Wrens carry thirty-one locusts to their young in one ]tour. Prof. Beale found sixty grasshoppers in the stomach of .one Nighthawk. This last-named bird, a little haunter of the summer skies, takes up the service of the daylight birds as they go to rest,'and devours countless night -flying moths and beetles and flies, and specializes in mosquitoes, as many as 5,000 having been counted in one crop. The work of the Nighthawk is only rivalled by that of the little Scheech Owl, which specializes in mice and grasshoppers,. A committee appointed by the,Penti- sylvania State Board of Agriculture obtained some valuable information ori the food h a% of the following ape- cies: Members watched: Purple b1artins' nest front 4 a.m. to 8 p.xn. Results: male Martin made 119 visits with in- sects and grit; female made 193 visits with bill full of insects. 'Tis was one day's. service, Clipping Sparrow's nest watched from 3;40 stasis to 7,40' Data There wore of the Birds. pied in chasing away intruding birds. On nearly every trip two or more cat- erpillars were carried. A Chickadee was observed to make six visits to young with its bill filled with insects on each trip, in 13 min- utes. Mr. Bailey, an expert, esti- mated that each individual Chickadee devours, on an average, 30 female canker worm moths per day, from March 20th to April 15th, whenever these insects are plentiful. As each of these insects lays 185 eggs in these 25 days, one Chickadee would thus destroy 5,550 cankerworm eggs in one day, and in the 25 days during which the moths run or crawl up the orchard trees, one bird destroyed 138,750 eggs. In one bird's stomach 41 of these des- tructive moths were found. Now, di- gestion is extremely rapid in birds, and beyond doubt the stomachs of these birds are filled many times a day. RLMt vett s fpt 1M1E: ` 0t-gt SISTe.R PRoMISEO -fp MA .g( M LP:Sr Mleii r .to Sv S' tAE,ARD NER f Pte% tic Po�e tc,— aSta 'assaadoiwesa This tiny and cheerful bird is not known to have any faults, but a large number of the highest virtues. Dr. Beal, one of the Washington Biological Survey Experts, found in the stomach of one Yellow Billed Cuc- koo: 217 failivele worms and in that of another Cuckoo 250 American tent caterpillars. He found 3,000 ants in the stomach of one Golden -winged Woodpecker (Fleeter) and 5,000 ants in the stomach of another Fleeter. The food of the glorious Baltimore Oriois is 83 4/10 per cent. insectivor- ous, caterpillars forming 34% of the whole. This bird ranks among the foremost species which eat hairy cat- erpillars. It is worth more than its weight in gold to the orchardist and forester for its services in destroying both gypsy and browntail moths. Those rays of sunshine, the Gold- finches, are as useful in the world as they are beautiful. They eat an enor- mous number of small insects, butter- flies and grasshoppers during the sum- mer, and are equally valuable in the winter in eating weed seeds, An ex- pert counted In the stomach of one of these golden birds no less than 2,210 eggs of the white birch •aphis. These birds never molest cultivated fruit, .The House Wren Is 100 per cant, insectivorous, any vegetable matter taken being accidental, The beloved Robin is a ground feed- er and oats a number of worms;'grass- hoppers and destructive beetles, Too much is said about the small fruits and cherries that this stately and self- conscious fellow feels at liberty to take and too little of its valuable ser- vice to us. I;lnight fill the whole issue of title newspaper with statistics of the proved services of our birds to us in one summer in reducing and control- ling noxious insects. But the space of many issues would be demanded to deseribe the pleasure and interest which the birds have contributed to our life during the summer, by their sottg,'their beauty, and their dharac. ter.istic ways. Spring would be a failure without the. Robin's call; the orchards dreary Without the vivid flash of Orioles, and sitntxter days bleak indeed, without the Bobolinks, the Warble«w and the never -silent 'r'irecs.