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The Exeter Advocate, 1917-3-8, Page 2Conducted by Professor Henry G. Bell. The object of this department is to piece at the service of our farm readers the advice of an acknowl- edged authority on all subjects pertaining to soils and crops, Address ail, questions to Professor Henry G. Bell, in care of The Wilson Publishing Company, Limited, To- ronto, and answers will appear In this column in the order in which they are received. As space Is limited it Is advisable where immediate reply is necessary that a stamped and addressed envelope be enclosed with the, question, when the answer will be mailed direct. Question --W. W. M.: ---Is there any quantity of spring wheat grown in Kent and Essex Counties? Would you advise planting spring wheat in Kent County on a good clay loama soil, tiled 3 rods apart, 4 in, tile? When should it be planted so that it will be sure to ripen? Answer: -Spring wheat has been successfully grown in both Kent aid Essex counties, In 1911 Kent Caun- ty was growing 1,018 acres while L 1914 there were only 183. In 1911 Essex County was growing 1,345 acres and in 191.4 there were reported only 177 acres, From a study of the climatic conditions, both the range of temperature and the rainfall,, I see no reason why spring wheat cannot be successfully grown in these counties, if proper precautions are taken, According to investigations at On- tario Agricultural College, spring wheat should be seeded as early as the ground can be worked. I note that your ground is clay loam and is well supplied with tile. This ground should not be worked while it is sticky, nor should it be left unworked until it plows up into a rough seed -bed. In order to insure a good stand of wheat, you would do well to apply 200 to 300 pounds of a fertilizer carrying from 2 to 3% ammonia and 8 to 10% available phosphoric acid. The am- monia will give the young crop a good, vigorous start, while the available phosphoric acid will hasten its ripen- ing. At a recent meeting of the On- tario Experimental Union, Prof. Zavitz strongly recommended the use of Marquis wheat. If this is sown at the rate of one and a half bushels per acre • on well prepared land, there is' good reason to expect a profitable re- turn. Question -S. R. P.: -I had a bad dose of srnut in my wheat last sum- mer. What treatment will make it safe to use as seed next spring? Answers - The disease in your wheat last summer may have been either the loose smut or the stinking smut or Bunt. About the only cure for the loose smut is careful selection of seed from grain which is healthy, followed by soaking the seed five hours in cold water and then 10 min- utes in water at 130 degrees Fahren- heit. It is most likely that the disease in your crop was stinking smut or Bunt. This attacks the young wheat seed- ling and the seeding parts or spores are carried in sacs which take the place of the wheat kernels. Ex- perimental tests show that the best method of lalling Bunt or stinking smut is to immerse the. seed 20 min - Utes in a mixture of 21 gallons el wa- ter to one-half pound of formalin. There are other tre atzneuts, but ;tide is one of the handiest and most effec- tive, as formalin can easily be pur- chased at any drug store. Some farmers prefer to sprinkl: the mixture of water and formalin on the wheat and to cover the wheat -pile with bags over night, so that the formic acid gas, which is dissolved in the mixture of water and formalin, will be kept in around the wheat as long as pos- sible. It is this gas which kills the. tiny snort spores, Question -K. G.: -We had 40 acres of alfalfa which we cut three times last summer. Ani afraid it went into winter rather weak. I have a good supply of manure. Would you ad- vise manuring this field? Would you advise liming it ? If so, when? Answer: -If alfalfa has gone into the winter in weak shape it should be given good care early in the spring, if its vigor is to be revived and a good crop is to be produced. If you have some fairly well rotted manure, I would advise spreading at least two to four tons of this to the,,acre on the alfalfa field. I would also advise ap- plying from one to two tons per acre of finely ground limestone, evenly dis- tributed over the field. When the snow is gone in the spring and the alfalfa has gotten a good start, it will greatly help it to top -dress the alfalfa with about 250 to 400 pounds per acre of acid phosphate or bone meal. The late Joe Wing, the great American alfalfa authority, said: "The phosphorus generally stimu- lates the little alfalfa plants and makes them hustle to get ahead of the weeds and grass. On Woodland Farm we have used raw bone meal and acid phosphate with about equal re- sults, as far as the' eye could see: 'It is our practice to put on 250 to 400. pounds per acre of 16% acid phosphate. when the alfalfa is sown on soils well filled with lime. Acid phosphate is about the most soluble of the phos- phatic fertilizers and thus is best for top -dressing when there is abundant lime in the soil . . On our farm we give the alfalfameadows a heavy dressing of phosphorus (phos- phoric acid, and' this practice pays well." If the alfalfa field is fairly .1 soil and it appears to be pretty close- ly compacted, it would greatly help the alfalfa to work the field by har- rowing with the teeth of the harrow turned back so as not to tear the plants out. This also would stir up a soil mulch and help retain the wa- ter that is so necessary to big crops. frr� Sometimes a cow is uneasy, steps or moves or even kicks when being milk- ed. See if there are stray hairs on the udder that are being pulled. Re- move them by the use of shears and note if the cow is more quiet. Don't neglect to have the box stalls ready for the cows that are to calve in the early spring. "Lest we forget" let me again urge that if the stables are not quite warm enough) blanket the new-born, calf. Pieces of old wool blankets washed clean are justthe thing. This is im- portant. These blankets are easy to. make. Fasten them by strings, tied at the neck, around each hind leg, and under the belly by the fore legs. As the calf grows these strings can be let out. My calves have grown and worn these blankets until they were a mere patch on their back AY004 rgrN dr aNdexwdaa Y VW tar,lxYA N.r These Kiddies Depend This group of refugees is typical of the bulk of the Belgian people to -day. Their faces show pitiably the hard - 'Alps they have undergone in the last two years. Most pathetic of all are the children. r,Ohanks to the splendid work of unsel- fish philanthropists, they are being led well. But apart from this there s little that can be done for them. It simposszble, for instance, to su ppl Y '-'hem with homes, or with those use - i„ ess but delightful gifts that eliaract rise the holidays nn more fortunate. Leqa, t of all can theee, e chil- elt- ands. ren know the joy that t comes of Melt - fig sttch• gifts, icircumstancesnh purely n these e t people of the. British Empire eas ttlie t e P Upon You For Milk. can do is to see that the Belgians and their babies are fed. And this they have been doing. British,' Canadians and Americans have responded nobly to the call, and have kept alive the na- tion that saved them from the Ger- mans. In full confidence that they will con- tinue their generous gifts the Bel- gian •ian Relief Committee is reminding g s that every day of the year as long as the Germans are in Belgium it is necessary that food be supplied to the grown-ups and the kiddies of this stricken land. Contributions for this purpose smay be b sent to the Central Belgian 'Relief Coi'rinrtttee, 59 St. Peter Street, Montreal, or the local offices in each community or district, ROOFING FARM BUILDINGS The Cedar Shingle, Standby of a list Generation, Giving Place to Lightning -Proof, Spark -Resisting Metal. By W. E. Clark' Fifty years ago, when good cedar stock was in abundance- and labor cheap, the farmers used to manufac- ture their own- shingles by salving, splitting and shaving, ''and there are many roofs yet throughout the come try where split ca• shaved cedar shing- les were applied fifty years. ago. These sliiitgles were genei• Lily about % to 1/2" thick, but time and weather have reduced the thickness of .the ex- posed portions to that et cardboard, Under the natural tendency of things, however, the days of split or shaved cedar shingles are passed, and in re- cent years the shingle became the pro- duct of the saw mill, and the manu- facturers of shingles were not so par- ticular as to the kind of stock they allir. and lightning is minimized by its use, inducements in the W ay of reduced premiums to encourage the use of galvanized covering, as a building,; with such a roof, properly connected to the ground by a water spout or a 'wire contact,' is proof against a lightning bolt, and burning` embers from another. fire can do it no damage. Metal shingles erre light in weight. While wooden shingles average about 250 Ib to the 100 so. ft., slate' about 600 lb, a first-class Metal Roof does not average 100 Ib., thereby lessening the needed :strength of the superstruc- ture and trusses. Tlien, too, heavy and wet snow wild not remain on slop- ing metal roofs, whereas it attaches it- self to wooden shingles as readily as plaster does to lathing, and this snow load averages sometimes 60 Ib. to the square foot. When speaking of durability of a metal roof, galvanized materials only are referred to. Farmers in this coun- try, nearly twenty years ago, applied painted roofing, and the repainting of tris leofing, tvluch zn some case „: „y , should have been an annual affair, was used as was the farmer whoneglected, andthe consequence was ly made his own suPply. T1eitcome that corrosion set in, and the ifs was that shingles were put on the market at a price which commanded trade' but gave much less satisfaction, d f 1 ld ff d an many a armer w zo eou a or it replaced his cedar shingles with. gal- vanized iron in one forma or another. Until recent year's, however, a gal vanized iron roof was a luxury, but the introduction of modern machinery has reduced the cost of: galvanizing to a minimum and it is now possible to get a substantial and almost everlasting' roof in the form of metal shingles at a very moderate cost. One feature of the Metal Shingle and Roofing is tlia,t it does not take an expert workman to apply it. Any un- skilled buyer with a moderate degree of adaptability, a pair of snips and a hammier can apply these up-to-date ,shingles as well as sheet roofings and siding. Probably the greatest virtue .of the metal roof is that the risk from fire rapzaly aeterzorareo, out znn case 'with Galvanized Roofing. In the rural districts, where sulphurous acid gases etre not prevalent, a Galvanized Roof made of good material and pro- perly applied, should give satisfaction for half a century at least. • In the march of progress a rapidly growing number of farmers, recogniz- ing the merits of metal, are now adopt- ing, as _a safeguard against fire, light- ning and: decay, many forms ofsheet metal products, such as metal roof- Ings, sidings, ventilators, 'silo covers, etc., thus reducing risk as well as maintenance cost SUNDAY LESSON NAAs• INTERNATIONAL LESSON MARCH 11. Lesson X. Jesus The Bread Of Life. -John. 22-40. Golden. Text -John 6. 35. Verse 24. Capernaum-It does not say that they found him there. Inverse 17 the ultimate objective is Caper- naum but Mark expressly says they airnec{ at Bethsaida, and then finally that they crossed to "Gennesaret.": So here it is said vaguely they found him on the other side. al 26. In the dialogues of this Gospel we regularly find Jesus going direct- ly for the thought behind the words. 27. Perisheth-Cornpare Col. 2. 22. Son of man, as elsewhere, recalls his ultimate function as Judge of men. He will judge us then according to our treatment of his offers now. " Seal- ed -As his complete Representative. The. seal- was the mark of ownership. 28. This verse and verse 29 sum- marize the New Testament doctrine of justification by faith, the recovery of which made the Reformation. In every religion men "slide into the treason" of thinking they can accumu- late merit and claim God's supreme blessing of right. That is like ty- ing apples on the boughs of a dead tree. What God wants is life, and that comes from the surrender of trust in Christ. 30. That the Jews were always seeking for a sign we know from many sources. On this occasion the demand seems, purely stupid, when fallowing a sign so much like that of the manna' that they quote. It comes' apparently from that half-witted con- servatism that gives the phst a sort of ex officio transcendence, and can- not imagine God hmselif outdoing his former deeds. 31. Written-lzrrl5sa. 78. 24. 32. Giveth-Is offering you now. True bread -The only one that com- pletely satis`hes the name. The manna was only partially so, for those who ate it Imngered again. 33. The World -As in John 3. 10. the essence of the gift is that it has' no limit of race or time, 34. The appeal is to be composed with that of. the (Samaritan women in John 4• 15. Here it seems that a real, though blind desire, for the hea- venly gift went wih ineradicable pre- judices that made it impossible for them to receive it: verse 30 is enough to prove it. 36. This is the converse of John 20. 29. Yet is not in the Greek `either .here or there. 37. The form of this verse is one often found in this Gospel; see John 1'7. 24, where the American Revision has put the` true translation in the margin. The objects of redemption are first brought together into a unity, and when distributed as individuals. Our doctrine of the church will come from the careful consideration of these passages. The Father giveth -The thought is developed in Rom. 8. 29, 30. Such statements Seem to leave no room for human free will, which is authoritatively asserted by our own and, set forth b Paul i consciences, y n the same breath with the complement- ary truth, Phil. 2. 12, 13.. The doctrine of God's immanence will solve the spe,, culative problem, so far as our finite intelligence can solve it here. The fact is what matters most: God "gives" to his son all who are willing to hear his call, and the son will never reject them. • grektee Impaction of the Colon may be pre- sent for some time without marked symptoms, then slight, colicky pains. Sitting on haunches, pressing croup against any solid object, little or`no passages of feeces, a general fullness of the right side of the abdomen, are other symptoms. Give a purgative, follow by 2 -dram' doses of nux vomica 3 times daily, feed bran only. ive rectal ;injec-` tions. If• pain be well marked give, 2 drams solid extract of belladonna. Oats is the principal grain for horses, but a little bran or oil cake might profitably be added to put the horse in condition. Boiled oats might be fed occasionally, and care must be taken not to overfeed on hay. Don't buy a field implement without a spring seat. Why? Becauseifyou come in leg -weary from the field the chances are the horses will not get the attention they should have i -i the way of grooming after a dusty day in the hot sun. Cribbing is a vice that is hard to be kept in a box stall without mangers or racks. In themajority of cases the vice can be checked by buckling a strap rather tightly around the horses's throat. Do not have it so tight as to interfere with breathing or swallowing. Wheat must be fed carefully to horses in order to avoid digestive troubles and skin eruptions. As the kernels are small and hard they should be rolled for all farm animals. • If ground too finely the meal must be. mixed with coarser feed to . avoid forming a pasty mass in the animal's mouth. Wheat has feeding value about equal to coin, but, for horses oats are preferable. oUr '", 0)LfLILCT scf- %.i' „,,,761447, ,, .r Mothers and daughters of ail ages are cordlalty invited to write to dcpertment. Initials- only will be published with each question and its answer as a means of identification but full name and address must 'be given in each letter. Write on one side of, paper only, 'Answers will ba mailed direct if stamped and addressed envelope is enclosed. Address alt correspondence for this department to Mrs; Helen Law. 73 Castle Frank Road, Toronto. Mrs. >F M;:-1. If lesions and oranges are placed in boiling water or in a hot oven for five minutes before. squeezing the juice can be easily ex- tracted. 2. Vegetables should not be served in individual side dishes, but. should be placed on the dinner plata with the meat. 3. A. child's Tam o' Shanter hatafter being, washed should be steeteled over •r. dinner plate to prevent it from shrinking and lositrg shape. 4. Cornstarch added to the flour for pie crust will make it more flaky. If you are using pastry flour add one tablespoon to every cup i of flour; if ordinary flour add two tablespoons to every cup. 5. The task of washing the family handker- chiefs is easy according to the follow- ing. method: 'In a vessel containing at least two gallons of warm water, put four heaping'tablespoons of any good soap or powder dissolved and one tablespoon coal oil.' Plunge soil- ed handkerchiefs into this and bring slowly to a boil, then put them into clean strong suds and very little rub- bing either by hand of machine will snake them snowy white. 6. Colored clothes should be ironed on the wrong side. 7. Boil a slice of raw potato in fat which has been scorched or has. a burned taste and the flavor will be restored; 8. Sprinkle starched clothes with warm water to make them stiffer. F. R. E.:-1. , If you _wake ,tired it. is probably due to one of the follow 1001/11:14 Charcoal sharpens a hen's grinders: The colder the day the more corn needed., A. salad of chopped cabbage puts a good keen edge on the bird's appetite. If you can't get milk maybe you can get whey. It isn't quite up to the mark of milk, but it makes a fair sub- stitute. Cracked 'corn should be sifted be- fore being fed to the poultry; the amount of meal saved will more than Offset the labor. Growth ' and development r require q both quantity and quality of food, in order to °build up good solid frames and give strength and vitality to the growing stock. Don't let- -any cabbage or other roots go to waste, rl'ie a stout string around the roots` of several cabbages, and hang them inthe hen -house so that the hens can just reach them nicely. , Have you ever' found hens on the floor under the roost, dead? Uusualiy ing causes: (a) insufficient sleep; (b) the poisonous influence of stale air in the bedroom; (c) a late and heavy supper; (d) general nervous condition. Remedies for the first three are obvious. For the fourth it is usually, sufficient to rise promptly, to dross briskly, thereby improving the circula tion, and to take a nourishing break- fast. 2, To gain weight, eat raw eggs and milk, cr'earn, rice, cereals, olive oil and grape .juice, butter and starchy vegetables. 111. M. R. -1. Towels which are to be given to a; prospective bride should be embroidered with the initials of her maiden name, not that of her prospec- tive Husband, 2. Nothing you could give your college friend would be more highly appreciated than a knit or crocheted set of afghan and pillow in the university colors for the inevitable college couch.. A pennon made of felt m the colors is also most accept- able. G. H.:--1. David Lloyd George was. born M Manchester, England, in 1863, of Welsh parentage. His father, a poor and invalid schoolmaster, died in early manhood, and David was brought up in humble circumstances by an uncle in Wales. 2. To venti- late a room without'' draughts, take an old ,window screen, stretch thin mus- lin or cheese -cloth across it and tack. it in place, and put it in a window as you would a fly -screen. 3. A secre- tary "pro tempore" is a secretary "forte thetime being." the hen which dies this way is rather • 9Q�y well alon in years and has been fed freely. of food that makes fat. She tee,6 became too fleshy and died of fatty degeneration. It .seems sometimes as if it makes little or no difference how dusty the windows of the poultry houses are. But it is a fact that clean windows tend to health and happiness. That makes it worth while to clean the darkened windows often. When hens eat snow, somebody is not on his job. 'Vater - is what the birds need, not snow. If you have customers who like rich" brown eggs, that means that you should keep some Plymouth Rocks or Brahmas. - • There was a noticeable decrease last year in the number of deaths from hog cholera in places where .it waslong prevalent. We suspect that a 'closer attention to sanitation had a great deal to do with the change. Milk, shorts, and finely -ground oats make the best feed for young pigs, and very little is required the first few weeks after weaning. Care should be taken at 'all times to :'have. the pigs clean up the feed in the trough after every meal' The feed- er must use his judgment as to the amount of grain to feed. Don't give the ewes corn. Corn makes them feverish and inflames the udders. Inflamed udders are a bad thing at lambing time. Neither crowd nor pinch the sheep in foddh.r. An unruly ram is a good candidate for the meat shop. A ewe that is soon to yean should not be too fleshy.' .. If your neighbor keeps sheep of the same breed as yours, be sure to have yours -marked. Sheep will break out sometimes, and if two flocks become miked it is a hard mati'er to divide them. The right kind of sheep in a neigh- borhood where there .:are the right kind of dogs ought to be a winning proposition. Unfortunately opinions differ as to dogs. Silage is sometimes fed in small quantities to sheep with fairly good results. Be sure the silage is of good quality, not -'moldy or soured. Start on a very small quantity daily and gradually increase. Start giving a pound or two to each matured sheep daily. Pregnant ewes have leen fed up to four pounds or four and one- half pounds daily with no bad results,' Of course, clover hay and a few oats and if possible a few roots should be fed as .well. Be sure the silage is good. Under no circumstances feed sheep spoiled silage. USE OR LOSE THE LAW - OF LIFE God Rewards a Man, in Himself, If He Will But Make an Honest and Earnest Effort To Do His Best. - "Then he which had received the- one talent came." -Matt., xxv., 24. Most of us, I am sure, ,sympathize with this one talented man, because most of us , are one talented persons ourselves. We feel that this man was not treated fairly. It does not seem just to expect a man to accom- plish anything with one talent when another has been given five. Most of us' have felt the temptation to try to hide behind our own littleness. When a man discovers that he is one talent- ed, and that the chances are he will never rise very high or accomplish great things, there comes a peroid of discouragement when he feels that it is useless to try. A young man en- ters college with exalted dreams of what he will accomplish in the world. He will be a great scientist. After a time he discovers that he has not the ability that many of his companions possess. They do with ease what he can accomplish only with prolonged effort. So he says to himself:-- "Whir€ is the use? 1 can never suc- cessfully compete with these men. Therefore I will not try." Or one starts inthe business world saying a - "I will amass .a. fortune. I will be- come a power in the financial world." He discovers soon: that other menhave more ability ;than he, know how to organize industr;,r have the faculty of foreseeing the market. He cannot compete with them, becomes cliseour- aged andu cease'Ts`o to try. tr.r •le Be l4'faintained e3 Are we to excuse Such people for giving up the s tri. glc r Well, God aloes not excuse them. The same falx operates With re:ferenee to them as the lives of two talented and five talented people. Use or lose. ' If you will not use to the : utmost the ability you possess it shall be taken away. The trouble with the one talented man was that he had not done his best. He was assigned a certain task and neglected it. It was not that he lack ed opportunity. He did not have tlic excuse that the times were hard. Business was good. His fellow ser- vants had each gained a hundred per cent. Yes, business was excellent. But he comes haltingly to make excuse for failure. Notice the mock mod- esty. Notice the false position in which he undertakes to place the one who has trusted him: --"I knew thee that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and I was . afraid, and went and ;hid they talent in the earth; 1o, thou hast that is thine." No Excuse. For The Cowardly. That is a misrepresentation. By his dealing with these other two men the master proved that he was not "hard." Cod rewards a man, in himself, if he will but make an honest and earnest effort to do his best. It is only l to the ,cowardly and the indolent, the "slackers," that He appears to be a hard master. So ttie master takes the servant at his own word: "If thou lcitewest, that I was a hard inastcr thou shouldst1 have taken so much the more pains to please me." There is no ex- cuse for the cowardly. When we have done ourb e ., t r � ( ,,o is . a �l continually saying,"Well dons:" When we have not done our best we must suffer the eoitsticltienceg. J,lzn. Ereixatlty is this; --"Take thou the talent 'frrorn him I" Use or lose. '.Chat is the law of lift. --Reda Frank Oliver Hall, 1).D,