The Exeter Advocate, 1924-7-3, Page 7Address communications to Agronomist, 73 Adelaide St, West, Toronto
TOO MUCH CORN CULTIVATION.
More corn is destroyed by cultiva-
tion than by pest, storm or drought.
The' average corn grower plants his
corn j es nothing with it until it
is hig -'Hough to plow with a culti-
vator .,equipped with a big, broad,
sharp -pointed blades and fenders to
keep the dirt from covering the corn.
Then he sets his cultivator to plow
as deep as possible and as close to
the corn as he can go. If his corn
kas been checked, he will plow it both
ye in this manner. And he will
thus cultivate his corn four or five
times, never adjusting his cultivator
to plow shallow. Generally at the last
cultivation his corn will be so high
that the cultivator will break much
of it down.
I once had a neighbor who thus
cultivated his corn at the last culti
• vartion, when his corn was so high that
his cultivator broke down a large per-
centage of it. We were in the midst
of a summer drought, and he was
making the cultivator's points go as
deep as he could make them go, and
at the end of the rows when -he lifted
the points to make the turn they were
cluttered with great masses of fine
Born roots. Less than thirty minutes
after the rows of corn were thus
plowed the corn blades began to with-
tas they do under a midday sun
during a summer drought. Before he
began to thus cultivate that corn it
bore every evidence of producing
seventy or more bushels to the acre.
It didn't produce thirty bushels to, the
acre.
My corn, just on the other side of
the fence, cultivated in a way to con-
serve the corn roots and conserve
moisture, produced ninety_ bushels to
the acre.
Experiments have proved that plow-
ing corn three inches deep, six inches
from the plant, cut the crop six bush-
elsto the acre, and plowing four
inches deep cut the yield eighteen
bushels to the acre.
The best method of cultivating corn
is to cultivate it before planting.
Assuming that you have a good
s bed containing an ample supply
of. -j,_: t food to grow the crop, then
this seed bed must be kept free of
weeds. The best way to get the good
seed bedand free it of weeds Is to
plow it deep enough and disk and har-
row it until the soil is fine and cthe
weeds are killed. And it ought to be
disked and harrowed two or more
times.
Having planted good seed, the grow-
er should start with a harrow and
weeder as soon as the corn comes
through the soil.
If you follow the foregoing method
by cultivating your corn crop before
planting it, and then running laver it
with harrow and weeder two or more
times after planting, your job of culti-
vating your corn is more than half
done. And then if your subsequent
cultivations are done with cultivator
points that will not penetrate more
than an inch in depth or just deep
enough to destroy weeds and make a
inulch you have properly cultivated
your corn crop.
THICKENING THIN• MEADOWS.
Frequently a new meadow is too
thin, or has a patchy stand. A 160 -
acre farmer near us, who has about
half of his farm in hay and who pro-
duces in the neighborhood of $2,000
worth of prime market hay each year,
'takes great pains in securing a per-
fect and clean stand of grasses and
clovers in his meadows.
His method of thickening a thin
first year's stand of timothy is to
harvest the young, thin .fields a little
late. He says that it is not necessary
to allow the timothy to become over-
ripe for self-feeding, but fully mature.
Then, in harvesting, enough new seed
will shatter off in the field to reseed
the land completely and heavily. At
the same time the hay, will make good
feed with proper handling.
With this farmer's rather large
acreage of meadow, a week or more is
required to harvest all the hay crop.
Some fields must be cut first, and some
must wait a week or more. He cuts
the fields of thickest stand first, al -
:5'L,W`�'MY""' �•rn°"'�I: M+Y�"^•'++WP+a'N1�
This photo shows Capt. A. W. Stevens with the new Fairchild six -mile
aerial camera which he will use in photographing the Amazon from the air.
Home Education
"The Child's First School Is the Family"--Froebel."
The Child's Social Problem-- By Sophie Kitchener
In a more or less hushed, expectant,
unresisting attitude a group of chil-
dren were waiting for one of their
number, who was at that moment
howling his way across the street, to
reach his mother "to tell her on
them." The occurrence was not a new
one. In another moment the boy's
mother would hurry out of the house
in answer to her son's lusty cries and
cross the street to learn what had
happened to him.
The children were not afraid of her.
There was rather a sense of long-
suffering endurance in• the way they
waited for the scolding and her
threats that "they would get into
trouble if they did not leave Jimmy
alone." They were quite bored, al-
though they did not know the name
for the feeling, at the frequency of
this same happening. They were con-
scious, too, that they did not go out
lowing fields of thinner stand to be of their way to hurt Jimmy. They
handled last, when the seed will be rather liked him and were really
friendly. But it was his inability to
play along with them and accept the
general give and take of their youth-
ful society that had become annoying;
a disagreeable shadow was cast when
On this same farm, where red clover{ he joined the group. The shadow was
is mixed with•timothy, the owner al -I `specifically that of his mother, ready
lows all of the late summer and fall at all times to come out to defend and
growth of clover on land of rather protect him from them. This was, of
thin stand to mature and remain in course, because she could not see that
the field to fall down and reseed the he needed no more protection in his
soil. Clover, being a biennial, with social experiences than the rest of
timothy will die out after the second them.
year, leaving timothy only. But, by When Jimmy went crying home,
allowing late summer and fall clover they knew in some vague way that
to ripen and remain on the land with
clover and timothy mixed, perpetual r" ---
clover in the crop may be secured.
riper and when self -seeding will
result.
The method, of' course, is both
simple and inexpensive.
POULTRY.
As the time for culling approaches
it is well to spend a little time and
effort in getting together the sort of
equipment that will both simplify the
actual culling and prevent too serious
discomfort for the hens while this
necessary work is being accomplished.
It should be recognized clearly that
Se,:,the process of catching and handling
the hens tends to check the produc-
tion of those that are laying. It is
important, therefore, that the hens
be caught in such a manner as to
frighten them as little as possible.
A catching coop or crate which has
a hinged or sliding door on top and
a sliding door in one end is most con-
venient for this purpose. The crate
should be set outside the house with
its open end over the regular hen
exit.
The hens are then easily driven into
the crate from which they may be
taken one at a time for individual
inspection.
It is often desirable to know just
how many eggs a flock of hens must
produce daily in order to pay for the
feed that is being consumed. A very
simple formula for arriving at this
information is to divide the price of
feed a hundred pounds by the price the lump was lanced, a small tooth, her Iap and Topsy sat by her side, was the little domed nest of the warb-
of eggs a dozen and multiply the re-' was found to be the exciting cause, while Popsi lay flat on the warm ler. It was made of • dry grass and
sult by three. The figure thus ob-i and after this was taken out, the ab- grass and looked up into her radiant roots, and lined with hair and
twined will be the percentage egg scess rapidly healed.face. feathers
yield your hens must show in order to' — p
pay for feed under the price condi- •
ThickCrearn and Thin.
tions stated.
If feed is costing $2.76 a hundred! Thick cream has less milk serum
pounds and eggs are bringing twenty-' than thin cream and because of this
five cents a 'dozen, we have (275-S25) I does not spoil as quickly. This is an
X3-33. This means that the flock advantage to the farmer who can not
must be laying at the rate of 33 per bring his cream to the creamery very
cent., or thirty-three eggs a day for often. Souring of the cream is not
each hundred hens—if of the Amer- objectionable, but when it is soured
lean or general purpose breeds—in' at random, undesirable odors and over
order to pay for their feed. With ripening may.. occur, resulting in poor
Leghorns and other light breeds it, quality butter. Thick cream being
is more nearly correct to use 2.5• as lighter than thin cream, the express.
-multiplier because of the lower feed charges are lower, and there is less
toiess consumption. of these breeds. I bulk for the creameryman to handle.
Under, commercial flock conditions Thick cream .pasteurizes more effi-
it\is commonly estimated that feed ciently and larger amounts of starter
cost: constitutes 60 per cent of the may be used, which aid in controlling
totar'scost ot keeping hens ,for egg the flavor of the butter. For proper
production. If we multiply by five churning, the cream should not be
instead of by three we can arrive at less than 30 per cent. butterfat.
theapproximate production necessary
HORSE.
The Beauty of Simple Wali
BY ETHEL CARPENTER,
Every woman wants her home to be flat oil paint may be applied directly
pretty, and if she has striven to make on the surface.' Though costing more
it so she takes more pride in fix at first, this finish wears well and
beauty than she does in the perfee. justifies itself in the end.
tion of its cleanliness, and that is soya When a'wall is of wood, no matter
ing a great deal, It gives any woman how rough .or Unsightly, it may be
keen delight to know that her home' painted intpile of the oil colors ad -
is lovely, that it is in style, that it vised for any interior wall. Or it may
is the prettiest one in the counryside; be covered with wall board, which
in other words, that she sets the style, may be painted or papered.
in these matters instead of follow- Wall paper always makes a de-
ing it. 'fghtful wall finish: Usually a plain
And any woman, no matter how or a two -toned paper is the trisest
busy she is, could steal a few moments choice, and one of these papers is
here and there to plan and to accom-' what I should select myself in Pur-
plish decorative improvements in her nishing most farmhouses.
home, if she felt sure she knew what
honestly would improve it.
So it is because I know from ex-
perience the thing that will work the
greatest miracle in any home that I
say without hesitation that your walls
should receive first consideration. To
illustrate the absolute necessity of
proper walls, I must tell you about
some wall of mine in a little house
fifty miles from any big city. When
the house first became mine its down-
stairs
own- In choosing any sort of figured pa -
paper" of
were papered in .parlor per, as large a sample as possible
the ethics of their group, their child's Paper of the most discouraging sort. should be fastened to the wall for
society, had been violated. The tat It was of gilt and brown and ecru, testing purposes, since many designs
tier who, instead of standing up and in garish stripes and large. round are hard on the eyes when actually
taking the little hurts they all had to motifs, and, seen In combination with covering the whole wall.
endure, or fighting it out if it reached woodwork of seemingly unfriendly But unless professionally guided,
such a pass, always ran home to his gray, the effect was melancholy and very few of us are able to choose a
mother, roaring his chagrin at the depressing indeed. desirable figured paper. And so, since
top of a powerful pair of lungs withA WHITEWASH MIRACLE. the plainer ones are in really better
no thought of shame, was in a sense I felt many moment of discourage- taste and allow more leeway in the
an outlaw. ment about this house in the month rest of the room furnishings, I should
They were too young to realize that between taking it and moving in, advise the use of one of these smart
it was not entirely Jimmy's fault. His though I had ordered the paper re- plain papers.
mother had encouraged his natural moved from the wall and whitewash As I have said, the plain papers
timidity with her own overweening applied instead as a temporary may be understood to include the self
sense of protection. Furthermore she measure, tones and the two tones. In these lat-
desired to have her mind at rest The day of moving in stands out in ter may also be included the pale
through knowing "everything he did." my memory. I opened the door into neutral papers showing black cross -
So sheshad cautioned him to come to the living room, which gave directly bars, stripings and dots. These are
he`r whenever anything went wrong, on the road, with the impression very effective and result in a practi-
to tell her when anyone hurt him and, strong upon me of the old brown -and- cally one -toned wall.
in general, to come running to her grayness of my last visit—and I stood The tones to choose in wall paper
with every petty difficulty attendant confronted by a miracle. are ivory, tan, cream, putty or any
upon finding his bearings in the so- The walls were the simple and beau- pleasant pale gray. The paper should
cial order. tiful white that creamy whitewash show a flat, unglistening surface, and
Nor did she realize that Jimmy gives to things: Tho woodwork was when another tone is used it should be
would have little innate power to de- the same gray it had been, but in corn- velvety in texture rather than metals
fend himself in the increasingly intri- bination with the new white walls it lic. In the self tones, select stripes,
cate social struggles if she acted as had taken on a mysteriously decor- dots, crossbars or small vine effects.
a shield for him throughout his child- ative quality, so that the room achiev- Some unglistening ceiling papers in
•hood, the determining period of his ed the effect of space, dignity and a powder design make admirable wall
life. , beautiful simplicity. The house had covering at low expense. As a rule,
So, with the circumstances such as become decoratively new and lovely unless the ceiling plaster is very un -
they were, all Jimmy could continue on account of the new treatment of even, a plain flat -finish paper a trifle
to do was disturb his playmates and its walls alone, •paler than that used on the wall is
acquire for himself a disposition that I want to tell you just what kind of the best choice. But do not be overly
walls accomplish the greatest beauty troubled about uneven plaster. This
for the farmhouse and accomplish it is the day of hand -made things. Do
at no great expense. not try to make your farmhouse too
The simplest treatment, and one sophisticated and ready-made looking.
that is very beautiful, is water tint. In selecting a wall tone, whether
This is` applied to plaster, either it is to be paper, tint or paint, it is
rough or smooth, and results in a love- a good plan to decide on one pale
ly velvety surface somewhat resem- enough so that it is possible to do
bling whitewash, but much more the ceiling in this tone too. If a tan,
smooth and fine. It is suited to any or a deeper gray is selected, the cell-
room and to nearly any house. ing should be done in a tone a few
It creates an artistic effect wherever tints lighter. Do notrun borders of
it is used, if the proper color tint is any description on your walls. If it
selected, and if no border trimming is necessary to have some finish at
or stenciling is employed. t the ceiling turn, use the plainest sort
The colors which may be advised of picture molding and paint it to
are cream, pale putty -tan, pearl gray,' match the walls er the woodwork.
dove gray, pewter gray, honeysuckle TREATING THE WOODWORK.
yellow—which may be lightened with The woodwork should be considered
white—and white. It is best to avoid a part of the wall treatment, and
any really definite color in most wall since all walls should be made to take
treatments, though a tint may lean their place as effective backgrounds,
more toward a certain desired color the woodwork should be pale and neu-
by adding a little of this color to a tral and lighter than the walls, or
pale and neutral tint. I exactly the same tone ex the walls --
Water tint may be applied to walls, with one exception; and that is when
by the veriest amateur, the material, the woodwork is made to count de -
costing two or three dollars a room. coratively by painting it a color con -
Walls tinted in this manner may not, trasting with the walls which aro
be cleaned, but they usually stay fr s:x' either neutrally plain or unobtrusive -
two to four years, depending upon the' ly figured.
use they receive, and when they do Colors that may be advised for such
got shabby it is a simple and inex-' painting of the room woodwork are
pensive matter to do them over. An -I apple green, olive green, peacock blue,
other wall finish that recommends! gray and a very dull soft yellow. One
itself is a covering that comes ready, of the most attractive farmhouse in-
to hang, painted in oil on cloth, and teriors I have ever seen depended
which may be applied to any flat sur -I largely on its woodwork of olive green
face. A flat finish in a plain tint is for its charm. There was a great deal
to be advised in this •material. The i of this woodwork in the living room --1
fabric wears well, does not fade, peel cupboards, shelves, latched doors, fire.
or crack, and may be cleaned with ai place surroundings, and in combina.
damp cloth. I tion with the walls of ivory, the wood,
When plastered walls are in good work did much toward furnishing the,
condition and warrant the expense,' room.
EFFECTIVE WALL PAPERS.
But occasionally just the right
figured paper may be used. This
should be selected for its quaintness
and should show a pattern similar to
those used in English chintzes or the
paler calico designs. Foliage papers
of the smaller and less elaborate de-
signs may be used and these should
be very pale and of a neutral gray
or putty color, without spottiness.
would be difficult to escape in man-
hood—and simply because his mother
brought no real thought to bear on
the working out of his problem as an
individual and as a future man.
Spring is so much the loveliest time
of the year."
—' "But you love Summer, when she
Poll evil is just what its name indi-
cates—an "evil of the poll," which in
horses denotes that part of the head
just between the ears.
Starting as a small swelling just
back of the ears, the owner thinks it
has been caused by a bruise or too reeds. All the wild things had been
tight a halter or bridle. As it resists up and about since early dawn, hunt-
ing, breakfasting, singing and chat-
tering, and seeing to their own do-
mestic affairs. Now there was a hush
-THE CHILDREN'S
HOUR
•
GOOD-BYE TO SPRING.
It was a lovely morning in June;
tiot a cloud in the sky, and only the
gentlest of warm breezes stirring the
all treatment and goes from bad to
worse, he may lance it himself or sum-
mon a veterinarian. A careful ex-
amination reveals the true condition,I'throughout the land as if all were
and in poll evil we have one of the weary with the strenuous morning's
most difficult maladies to combat in! work.
surgery. I Even spring that hard -worked
The reason for this is because the: fairy, was tired that morning. Her
puss burrows down under the big; busiest time was over. The year now
cord that controls the movement of • was fully awake, and everything was
the neck. The under part of this. growing and flowering and nesting
cord or ligament now becomes diseased i and mating in the full tide of life.
and looks much like a frozen' wattle' So she came down through the reeds
on a chicken. Sometimes a portion i te, the river and sat down by the
of this ligament, several inches in : water -lilies where a little furry,
length, is taken out entirely, so that, round -nosed water -vole was also sit -
all diseased tissues may be removed ting enjoying the quiet June sunshine.
and the poll -evil abscess given a! To the river, too, came the children,
chance to heal. I chattering down the winding pathway_
Very peculiar foreign objects may On hearing them, the vole slipped
comes, don't you?" said Spring.
"Why, Boodles!" said Topsy. "Just
think of hot days by the sea, when we
can paddle and bathe again."
"I'd rather have Spring, with all
the birds making nests," said Popsi.
"That reminds me," said Spring.
"When you were looking for the dra-
gon the other day, did you hear a
willow -wren singing?"
"Yes!" cried Topsy. "We did hear
a sweet little warbly song."
"Before you came there was a little
water -vole sitting here, and he told
me that this morning Mrs. Willow -
wren had hatched out four little
birds!"
"Oh! Can't we go and look at
them?" they cried, all together.
"Well, I shall have to make you in-
visible I think, , or the little mother
might be afraid to come back!"
"We'll be just as quiet ac little
mice," said Popsi.
"Come then!" said Spring, and
silently she led them through the
thick undergrowth.
"I see the nest!" cried Popsi sud-
denly as they crept on hands and
knees through the tangle. "Oh, such
cause poll evil. In one case a horse quietly into the water, but Spring for a darling little nest! Look! It has a
had been troubled with a sore on his once was not in a hurry and let therm little roof, and a door in the side!"
head, just back of the left ear. When' gather round. Boodles climbed into On the ground, in a tangle of weeds
from the flodlc to pay all costs of egg Cold Drinks for Field Hands.
Production.
During the extreme hot weather
Write your `' name each day in men at work in the fields enjoy a
gentleness, -kindness, patience, cour- drink of cold water. To meet this
tesy. Good deeds, are life's brightest requirement I took an earthen gallon
stars. They shine in the daytime 'as jug and fitted two thicknesses of as-
bestos paper . round it, tying securely,
then covering with burlap, sewing
this on. Fill the jug with cold water,
The optimist is the man who has dampen the covering, and you will
a good time wherever he goes, because have cold water a half day.—Mrs. C.
he carries bis good time with •him; C. M.
well as i:; the night.—John Wane -
maker. _
"Well, children!" said Spring. "I "Where are the babies?" asked stillness a little
am glad you found me to -day, for I Boodles. song was heard. It
shall not be here very much longer." "They must be asleep!" began with a long high note, t 'l seft-
"Oh!" cried the children in chorus. "Now," said Spring, "I will make down and down, and died away, soft
"You haven't got'to go away, have you all invisible, and you must lie very ly, sweetly, into the air.
your At once from the other side came
"Why, . of course!" said Spring,
smiling a little. "You can't' have me
here all the year round!" "Oh dear!"
cried Boodles. "I wish we could.
quiet, and then perhaps we shall see
the little birds being fed."
Spring touched them, and the chil-
drenbecame one with reeds and bush-
es and splatter of sunlight. In the
another note—a sharp call, and out
of the nest -door popped four little
heads with big bobbly eyes and wide-
open mouths. The lovely song of the
father bird had only soothed them to
sleep, but when mother called like that
—then there was something worth
Own a ray of sunshine, there came e
clear silvery voice:
"Good-bye, children, good-bye! My,
work is done for this year; when the
roses come out, then Summer comes
in... Good-bye ... Good-bye , , '1,
—Olive Hocken in "The Pageant of
Nature."
Warm -Weather Shipping.
This is the season when greatet
care shenld be given the loading and
waking up for. Out came the little shipping of all kinds of livestock but
heads, and in a flash the mother was more especially hogs. A sudden rise
there with a caterpillar in her beak. in temperature, increased humidity,'
and away the mother -bird flew, while, too much bedding, overloading, a stock
Into the throat of the nearest it went, car sidetracked where all breeze ie
the four heads vanished into the
darkness of the nest.
"Peep!" Again came the call; again
the heads appeared. This time No. 2
swallowed the titbit, and all was quiet
as before. For an hour the children
Tay and watched. Sometimes the
mother would come with grubs or
flies, and sometimes the father, until
at last all were satisfied. Then tje
willow -wren sat again on the bramb e -
bough and went on with his own little
plaintive song.
At last the children could keep still
no longer. They jumped up and look -
I .M. King Gv
Nowhere
George and the King of Italy are here shown leaving Victoria ed round forarefairy Spring.'
as she to be seen!
Station for Buckingham Palace during the Italian monarch's visit to London. Out of the glitter at noon, ringing
cut off by other cars, buildings or
sheds may easily nark up sudden
lasses by death of excessive shrinkage,'
All livestock should be kept as
quietly as possible before loadingi)
Undue and unnecessary assorting;
noise and disturbance should be
avoided. Excessive manure should be
removed from cars before fresh bed-
ding is put in. Cars to be loaded with
hoge should have no bedding other
titan sand which should be well wet.
ted. `Load comfortably full without
overcrowding, yet too' light loading
occasions jostling which in turn cause
es increased shrinkage.
Time is gold.