HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1931-01-09, Page 3IR'
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"As an official investigator for the
Sargon Laboratories, I have person -
.ally seen Sargon at work in many
thousand's of cases in different parts
of this country. I have seen it win
victory after victory over stubborn
ailments of leng standing that had
apparently defied all other medicines
and treatments.
"Based on recent discoveries by
Medical Science, Sargon is accom-
plishing its remarkable results by
methods undreamed of only a few
years ago and may well he considered
one of the great outstanding health -
giving remedies of the age."
Sold by Charles Aberhart.
PLAGUE OF MICE"IN NOVA
SCOTIA
Pictou county, lying on the north-
ern coast of Nova Scotia, washed by
the steely 'blue • waters of Northum.
berland Strait, has a storied history
In the annals of, the county are tragic
tales connected with the early settle-
ment, privateering raids, and pirate
foray, enemy incursions during per-
iods of empire wars, famine, and
pestilence, but no other calamitous
event surpasses the story of a horde
of strange invaders who descended
upon the district in 1815y leaving in
the wake of their onset devastation
and despair.
On a hazy day in late August of
that year, some farmers of the lands
bordering the sea, who had sheep
grazing on the hillside. pastures, found
their flocks down in the barn yards,
huddled close about the outhouses as
if bewildered and afraid, rejecting
food, and refusing to be started back
in direction of the folds. Knowing
how readily and from such simple
cause a panic could be raised among
sheep, an overturned feeding trough,
or some sudden collision often putting
whole flocks into stampede, ne spe•
sial significance was attached to the
present flight, though their apparent
terror and confusion appeared un-
usual factors on this present occas-
ion.
Throughout the forenoon the haze
deepened into an extraordinary dun -
like vapor, settling down upon all the
landscape, wrapping it like an mantle,
close and heavy.
At mid-day the strange obscurity
lifted, and the settlers beheld a
mighty host' of mice, swarming over
their fields, so packed, so dense the
mass, that it seemed like moving
sand -dunes overspreading all the
land.
The crops of golden grain, wheat.
oats and barley, sown with such toil
and hope, and almost ready for the
sickle, were first attacked. Ripe,
sweet and full, the heavy stocks fell
before the invading horde as if mown
by hand, until not a stem was left
standing.
They were not the common house
rodent, nor the ordinary field mouse,
but a. much larger species, reddish -
gray, with long tail and strong hind
. IT TAKES STRONG FINGERS
Somebody has to play' the string
bass in the Symphony. "How does
he get that way?" is usually the
first question that pops• into the
layman's mind as he watches the
sturdy arm bowing away and
listens to the sonorous vibration
of the strings. Somebody asked
the question of C. Greenwood, who
plays the big fiddle in the Toronto
Symphony orchestra. It was just
before the light flashed for the
opening of the Canadian National
Railways' A11 -Canada Symphony
Hour and Greenwood had a few
moments for a chat. "It was al-
' ways my ambition to play the
bass", he confessed. "Musicians,
I know, usually take it up after
other instruments, because the
bass' is needed in the orchestra,
but it was not that way with me.
.As a boy, nothing appealed to me
more •than the big fellow and I
still like it best of all. Why, I.
played the violin nine years to
get my fingers strong and limber
.enough to teenage 'the base!"
a
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ue. a ]fly11
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>.eP'ill : wJltt & W ' the Win*
a41 �derr aaa�C,'�o 'by Ire , oe..iie -
Cted ln��ablta'nts so. � ,
check Ow* devas'Gl tiAg 'Prq vs
bore" they could reach the. ve,ertarble
crops ' 'B road, deep trenches :and pits
*ere this round these and the garden
plots, brushwood piled high within
them and set ion fire. Other piles
heaped and lighted upon the open
ground in the route of their approach;
torches were flung ablaze into their
midst. All through the night under
the light of the harvest moon, they
worked, in frantic atte'mp'ts at
defence, women and children joining
in the warfare.
But all means adopted for destruc-
tion of the creatures failed to arrest
their onward march. "
"By thousands they Came,
By myriads and more."
a vast voracious, devouring horde.
Potato patches were burrowed and
sacked, not a tuber left within them,
corn and beans devoured, and every
succulent root of the gardens swiftly
consumed. Burrowing beneath the
foundations of the houses, they
entered the cellars, wooden pails and
firkins containing supplies being
gnawed through.as if but parer, any
provisions to' be preserved from theie
plunder having to' be placed in crocks
and iron pots.
On they swept, reaching next upon
their course 'the stretch of '`natural
grass, a coarse high stalk which grew
luxuriantly just above othe seashore
always cut by the settlers, and much
valued by them for rough bedding and
feeding, but even this "sandhill hay'
fell before the enemy the tough
blades left battered upon the ground
in mangled mass. And there, upon the
seacoast, no further forage ahead
gorged, languid and scarcely able to
crawl, the mighty horde perished
killed by their awn devouring lust
scattered over the. area they had
latest ravaged, piled•up in heaps and
long furrows upon the sands of the
blue strait, and spread far out algng
thebrown ribbed flats.
Terrible suffering followed. Not
only was the year's supply of bread
destroyed, but all vegetables as well,
also much of the fodder for the stock
and great distress was experienced on
all sides, many cattle dying for lack
of food. the settlers existing through
the winter under almost famine con-
ditions.
Seed was sown the following spring
and the crops put in under the
gravest apprehension, fearful of an-
other plague, but no mice were seen
in any part of the county, icor did
they ever again in any unwonted
numbers visit the vicinity.
Discussion upon the extraordinary
circumstance revealed as a probable
cause of the event, that the preceding
autumn had been an abundant beech-
nut year, the ground beneath the trees
being covered thickly with the fallen
nuts. Snow fell very early, lying
several feet deep over all the country-
side, and continuing late, the earth
remaining unfrozen. Thus the ordin-
ary number of field mice instead of
being partially destroyed by frost and
lack of food as usual, lived beneath
the snow, subsisting bountifully'up-
on the nuts. It was also recalled
that the ground near the beech groves
had been completely burrowed by
mouse roads, although nothing was
seen of the. rodents themselves, then
nor through the summer. Soave at-
traction of food had evidently lured
them until autumn within the forest,
where they must have increased in
numbers prodigously to have made
their advent in so vast a horde. The
strange stampeding of the flocks to
the farmyards was thereby explain-
ed. •
Ora :ought mOan�
FUR WORLD RULED BY KING
MUSKRAT
When John Jacob Astor bui't the
first American fortune through traf-
fic in pelts, the beaver was the ack-
nowledged king of fur -bearers. For
centuries, beaver was coin of the
realm throughout Canada. Values
were computed in beaver skins. In
those days, every effectual means of
pelt -taking was permissible end dili-
gently applied; animals were shot,
trapped, caight in dead -falls; they
were smoked out of their dens in
breeding season.
Under such persecution the beaver
failed to maintain ,his supremacy. His
very industry was a factor in his un-
doing, the inevitable dame adjoining
his habitat betraying his horse to
trappers. Then, too, the beaver failed
to reproduce his kind in sufficient;
numbers to keep pace with the de-
mand for his'. pelts. A monogamist.
he chooses his life mate in his second
year and requires three months to
produce a family—usually a litter of
not more than two or three cubs. So
the beaver lost ground. And, strange
as it may seem, beaver fur waned in
popularity as the number of available
pelts diminished. The rich brown
'coat was too heavy for our moderate
climate.
Through these years muskrats were
multiplying through the United States
and Canada. This prolific, semi -
aquatic mammal occurs over the
greater part of North America, from
the less frigid region of the Arctic
to the Mexican gulf. While the beav-
er was potentate, the sly little deni-
zens of our marshes and streams
were disdainfully ignored. To -day he
furnishes an annual crop of 17,000,000
skins.
It required a world war t ti bring
Johnny Musquash into .his own. Be-
fore that time, the secrets of dyeing
and finishing fur were jealously
guarded in Europe. Furs from
America had to be shipped abroad
raw, eventually to be returned to this
country and sold to the ultimate con-
sumer at about twenty times the cost
of , the hides. With the war, the
European dye centres seethed with
military operations, and the fur trade
was forgotten. So leaders of the fur
trade of America hurried to Europe,
determined to bring back at any cost
the secrets that meant their business
salvation. It proved a difficult task.
13ut' by offering fabulous sums. a
dozen families of experts were fairly
kidnapped into the United States
There are fent+ more striking illustra-
tions Of men being paid for what they
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Stocksi
MONEY SAVI
COMMENCING THURSDAY, JANUA
i
Flannelette Blankets
Famous Ibex Brand, double bed
Pink or Blue borders
PRICE
size. $1.98
Look
Men !
i
i
}gs
Ladies' Coats at New
Low Pric,
Valuesit Values
upto... •41�o up to W
Splendid fur -trimmed winter coats in
this group and a big range of colors
and sizes from which to choose your
kind of a coat. Furs
alone in most cases
are worth more than
we are asking for
these coats.
Men's Overalls
, WORTH UP TO $1.95
Snag Proof Overalls, Black or blue Q � 3
stripe. All sizes $
$25 Suits&
Overcoats
Good
Styles
Lovely
Woollens
$3.95
Winter Coats in new sport models,'.
Chinchillas, Tweeds, etc., in splendid':'
styles—Coats that will give a world'
of excellent service are yours now at
13.
Linen Roller Towelling'
REGULAR 18c
Pure Linen Towelling. 14 inches ide. 50 New Snappy Crepe Dresses
Close weave; good quality —New Styles—New Colors. 5i95
Do not miss seeing them.
DRESSES,
Suits that any man
will be proud to wear.
Tweeds and Worsteds,
medium and dark
shades. A wonderful
value at
$18.50
$35
Suits
& Overcoats
• Don't Wait, Men! They're going
fast and you'll be sorry when you see
the other fellow with a splendid suit
or overcoat you might have had at
this low price. All are super bargain
values at
X24.50
Men's Work Shirts
REGULAR $1.00
Good strong Big B Brand Work 79c
Shirts. A real bargain
i
New Crepe and Sills
Dresses. Size 14 to 42.
Regular $15.00.
$6.75
Mill Ends Print
REGULAR 30c
Fine quality, good patterns; fast col- 9C
ors; 36 inches wide
MEN'S
FINE
SHIRTS
Here is a real
value you should
not miss!
$1.29
Boys' Suits
i
0
Men's Felt Hats
ALL NEW STYLES
King, Brock, Borsalino, Horton. All
the best makes. All sizes
20 p.c. off
VALUES TO $13.50
Remember, former prices don't count
with us. We're bound to sell out ev-
ery Suit, so take them now at
20 PER CENT. OFF
Ladies' Hats
Felt Hats, re-
gardless of for-
mer prices.
$1.39
Women's Hose
REGULAR $1.00 to $1.50
Silk and Wool and Silk Plaited Hose
for women. Every pair perfect. Come
early
75c
i
BROS., - S[AFORTH
knew, rather than for what they did.
European fur sorters, accustomed to
working for a few pennies a clay, re-
ceived as much as $7,000 for three
months' work. Mere boys were paid
$200 a week. One American cam ex-
perimented on 200,000 muskrats and
25,000 pounds of rabbit hides before
it perfected an elusive formula for
producing "Hudson Seal." The Ameri-
can fur trade learned the business
"from the skin" up and almost im-
mediately rose to a position of lead-
ership in all branches of the industry.
To -day the United States is the
world's greatest producer as well as
consumer of fur. The annual har-
vest is more than twice that of Russia
and nearly five times that of Canada.
Louisiana alone produces more actual
pelts than all the provinces of the
Dominion.
Although $50,000,000 has been in-
vested in fur fanning in the 'United
States—chiefly for silver foxes—
muskrat farming has never been at-
tempted seriously. The muskrat re-
quires but little attention and it is
i�i,fi dill"
impractical to build fenced -in marsh-
es when millions of acres of marsh
land are available. At the same time
many of the choice .areas bordering
the Great Lakes and the coastal
marshes of Louisiana, Maryland, Del-
aware and New Jersey are known to
muskrat farms and are controlled by
business interests which patrol their
holdings and regulate trapping.
The great bulk of the finest fur.;
are still taken from animals in their
wild state. The sheltered city dwel-
ler has but little conce'ptio,i of the
role trappers play in twentieth cen-
tury life. With between 700,000 and
1.000 000 busily engaged during the
open season gathering the millions of
pelts absorbed annually by the fur
trade, the question has often arisen
as to whether or not our fur -bearing
gentry would be able to pay this toll
without eventual decimation. The
problem is met squarely by Johnny
M•usqu•ash.
The reigning king of our fur bear-
ers has actually thrived under. exist-
ing conditions. The same trappers
.
NN
who during the legal trapping period
send him to market in such huge
numbers have, by destroying his na-
tural enemies the mink, wildcat, coy-
ote and wolf, protected his family
during the all-important breeding sea-
son. A pair of muskrats will produce
from three to five litters a year, the
average litter consisting of from five
to eight young.
In direct contrast with his noxious
rat cousins. the muskrat is among the
most immaculate of creatures. His
domicile, not unlike the larger domain
of the beaver, consists of a mound of
aquatic vegetation with a spacious
'room in the centre always above the
water line, but with tunnelled exits
and entrances below the surface. He
is strictly herbivorous, his chief diet
consisting of three -cornered grass and
other veEetation of the marshland
that has never been considered of any
value to mankind.
HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES
How to Thread .A Needle Eeasily.
Persons who suffer from defective
[9�
eyesight sometimes encounter trouble
when they attempt to thread a needle.
To simplify the threading, insert the
needle through a heavy piece of paper,
an old envelope will do. Push the
needle down until the eye is level with
the paper. The white of the paper
will bring the needle's eye into bold
relief—then the thread is easily in-
serted.
* s'
Rubber bands, slipped over the op-
ened ends of boxes containing cer-
eals, lux, etc., will keep the contents
free from dust and will prevent spill-
ing when the boxes are accidentally
upset.
M * t
Shaped pieces of felt (cut from dis-
carded felt hat) glued to the 'bottom
of the legs of wicker or metal furni-
ture will prevent scratching the pol-
ished floors indoors, OT the painted
veranda floors --when suet articles are
being moved.
x * *
Saving Clippings.
I like to read a new mnagaziae a+ith
a pencil handy. When I find an ar-
ticle which I wish to cut out, I just
mark it and write the number of the
page inside the cover. When the
whole family have read the magazine,
'hen I can easily find the desired ar-
ticle and cut it out.
* m *
When Painting Stairs.
Many people hesitate to natnt or
varnish stairs because, of the incon-
venience during the drying process.
One •housewife solved the problem by
painting alternate steps, leaning every
other step to walk on.
* *
For A Neat Bird Cage.
For a bird cage with a round bot-
tom, use ten -inch paper doilies in-
stead of newspapers. They call be
obtained very reasonably frain*.fly'
ten -cent store and from, most depart,-
mental
epart-mental stores. This saves a e'at'
deal of time in cleaning the cagey a
gives a much more attractive .afr ler
ante. Use the incitation enYbrbit
doilies rathet than thrdso 3nr't
s imUla%e Ike.
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