The Brussels Post, 1948-7-14, Page 3Another 'C6Chronicle" In The Making
Fur years now one of the most
popular features .appearing on these
pages has been "Chronicles of Gin-
ger Farm", Many of our readers
have expressed curiosity regarding
the nnthor, Gwendoline P. Clarke,
and wondered whether the farm
was a real place, or just the creation
of an. author's imagination. So
above is Mrs. Clarke, tihotographed
while writing one of her articles
during a few moments "stolen"
front the never -ceasing duties of
farm work, while elsewhere on this
page is a picture of the farmhouse
itself.
The Clarkes are originally from
Suffollc County in England - and
writing semis to be in Mrs. Clarke's
blood. as her grandmother wrote
r�a
GREEN
ail/e�
TERM
Gordon Smith
While the peony is ordinarily a
hardy plant, there are many vari-
eties whose buds are highly sus-
ceptible to cold; and the spring just
past has been
particularly hard
on them. So
01 a n y peony -
lovers are mourn-
ing over poor and
badly formed
flowers and black-
ened buds, which
are more preval-
ent t h i s season
than in the past several years.
Injuries of these kinds are espe-
ci illy noticeable in low-lying sites,
inhere air circulation is poor -
also in areas where excess water
and poorly drained soil have added
to the trouble by causing root and
stent rot.
* * *
i'Ti,wever, many of the troubles
which afflict peonies, even in nor-
mal seasons, can be traced to faulty
culture. Two recognized phases of
peony suture are (a) soil prepara-
tion and 'planting .and (b) /minters.
ance of established 'plants; and since
the ,peony is a long-time proposi-
tion, the -first phase is the more im-
portant ,of the two.
In preparing the soil for plant-
ing, the 'ground should be dug 18 to
24 inches •deep - the latter depth
in heavy soil - and reduced to a
friable state. If sail is stiff, gener-
ous ;imotmis of coarse coal ashes
should be mixed with it, Organic
materials are also needed, but those
in a fresh or only partly decayed
state should be avoided. Well rot-
ted manure - one bushel to ten
square. feet - is best for this pur-
pose and to this should be added
either three pounds of superphos-
phate or a mixture of steamed bone
meal phis one pound of ground
limestone. The whole should be
thoroughly mixed with the soil,
especially the upper 15 inches.
* * *
Front the middle of September
until well on in October is the
proper time to plant peonies. Dur-
ing this period the foilage has teas-
ed active growth and the buds on
the crowns are - or should be -
plemp. Whether dividing your own
plants or using purchased ones, the
size of the divisions Is highly im-
portant, They should have at least
twct to five eyes and several good
plump cools.
Dividing a clump of peonies re -
retiree care and skill. Before lifting,
the ground around the clump is dung
to loosen it; then the clump is care -
toffy raised and the soil washed off.
A sharp heavy knife will make clean
cuts through the crown, but a hast-
ntcr ntny be necessary to force the
knife through. All decayed and
hrljm•ed roots should be cat away,
also any that girdle one another.
under an assumed name in the Vic-
torian era, and her brother was a
sub -editor in the great Reuters
News Agency.
Coming to Canada in 1919 the
Clarkes first went to the Prairies,
and four years later journeyed back
to Ontario, where they •settled on u
hundred acre farm near Milton
West. Mrs. Clarke's idea of doing
some writing in the small amount
of spare time available to a busy
farmer's wife seems to have sprung
directly from a "challenge" made
by a sister who was a graduate to
journalism.
* *
This sister insisted that success-
ful writing was impossible for any-
one who lacked a diploma - and
a typewriter. Mrs. Clarke thought
differently, and went merrily ahead
submitting articles in longhand 10
various papers and magazines. The
first piece she ever had accepted
brought her $l from The Farmers'
Advocate. The returns from her
first sale of any size went toward
the purchase of the typewriter
which she still uses.
She has been writing "Chronicles
of Ginger Farm" which appears In
this and other Ontario papers, for
the past five years, and has also
had considerable success with other
"free lance" work. She has no set
routine for such work, tapping out
her columns when she finds time
- and recalls occasions when they
were scribbled down in the hayloft,
between loads. Possibly one of the
reasons why her writing bears such
a stamp of authenticity is because
it has to compete with the endless
'chores" 0t a busy farm wife.
♦ • • •
The Clarke fancily numbers four
in all - Mrs. Clarke; her husband,
better known to readers of "Chron-
icles of Ginger rami" as "Partner";
sots Bob, back on the farm after
overseas service with the Canadian
army; and one daughter who, after
several years in Toronto, is now on
her way to see something of the
world - a move which her mother
thoroughly approves.
'"Work is easy to get these days"
she writes in her latest column, "so
why shouldn't young people - if
they have the ambition -work their
way and see the world?"
That's the sort of thing which
keeps the "Chronicles", even if writ-
ten by a person of thoroughly
mature years, always fresh and
youthful in spirit - as fresh and
youthful as the new growth which
conies out of the soil each year on
"Ginger Farm".
All automobile paints used to-
day, except black, contain alumin-
on. fakes to give a special sheen.
You've Wondered What It Looked Like -Here It Is 1 -For the past several rears countless
lovers of rural life have followed with intense and increasing interest the happenings on
"Ginger Farm" as described by the woman who lives there, Gwendoline P. Clarice. Many no
doubt have wondered just what the place actually loops like; so this exclusive picture was
taken to show then the comfortable, old-fashioned farnthnttse, situated near Milton, Ontario.
) ( A LE T
� bane Andtte,ws.
Every year countless cans of
home -preserved fruits, vegetables
and other foods go to waste because
of spoilage - and most of this
spoilage comes directly from im-
proper methods'of canning, or lack
of care during the process.
Today I am going to outline
briefly some of the most common
types of spoilage, together with
hints as to how they may be avoid-
ed. First and commonest, of course,
is:
Fermentation
Caused by yeast organism and
may develop in all types of canned
fruits or fruit juices. Can be iden-
tified by cheesy alcoholic odor; sour
taste; bubbles. Pressure, built up in-
side, may even break jar seal or
seam of can. Not actually harmful,
but unpleasant to cat.
Instead of open kettle method
use boiling water bath method, be-
cause more organisms may be pick-
ed up from the air when you fill
your jar or can from an open kettle.
When you heat the food in con-
tainers, you destroy these organ-
isms. Always be sure you have
a good seal.
Swells
May occur in fruits, fruit juices,
tomatoes and such vegetables as
greens, nature peas, shelled beans,
corn, Develops a few days after
processing and may be detected by
frothiness and bad odor - or in
vegetables rancid smell. Cas some-
times swells cans and bursts jars.
Not really dangerous but thoroughly
unpleasant.
Use clean sound food, clean
equipment and containers, Be
speedy as possible in gathering, pre-
paring, processing food and cooling
containers. Keep food cool when
preparing it for canning; store cans
in cool place. Don't use any sugar
with vegetables.
Flat Sour
May develop in tomatoes, tomato
juice, and vegetables such as peas,•
corn, greens, beans and pumpkin.
No gas and no change in appear-
ance of food. But food has sour
odor, acid or bitter flavor, cloudy
liquid, Although not actually poi-
sonous, food should not be eaten.
Take sante precautions as for
Swells, Bacteria that cause Flat
Sour develop best at 100-130 de-
grecs F. temperature. Don't let
CR SSW RD
PUZZLE
ACROSS
1, Suitable
4. \vetting
material
9. Constrictor
12. Lucky
14 Skill
18 C,ourtways
10. Love story
18 Attain
19. Adam's grand.
son
20. Prow
22, Mnsnnle
doorkeeper
25. Small shield
28. Lay waste
31. Protegee
93. 13razitlan
money'
34. Sort
36, Automobile
brake
88. Salt
89. Fortification
40. Indian
42. Burrowing
animal
42, Keep back
48. Abashed
6t. PafOo
52. 'yarn
measure
53. Carrying too
much load
85. (!areas
60. Baseball
tonins
51, Bern's
DOWN
1. Distant
0. Study
3. Cherished
4. Shoved
6. Article
9, Peel
9. Forhld. .-
10. Killer whelp
11, Devuu red
12, Address
17. Apart
21. Simple
23. wealoiosm
24. Volcano
25. Dance
25. Pitcher
27. Approached
20, writlnt; im-
32. Pl ayr1ln1 -'"0.1
ne;nter
37. ih ese
41. Chinese wax
48. Israelite 1.110
44. Sappy place
4G, teurapenn
river
47. bun's name
49, high peek
49. Understand
7. Ni on James pion
5. Not near 30. Pro
cat au. menu cove ing
uetive 54, Cones, nin1,
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The answer to this puzzle is elsewhere on this pap.
food stand at this temperature
'before, tiering or after canning.
Have food hot when sealed. Cool
jars or cans quickly after canning.
Mould
May develop on any canned food.
Fuzzy grayish growth - slimy tex-
ture in food. Musty odor. Not
dangerous in small amounts on
tomatoes or fruit - remove with
part of food near it, then boil rest
of food 10 minutes before eating.
Remove from jellies or jams, Dan-
gerous on meats or vegetables,
which should be hunted or buried
with lye.
To prevent mould be sure you
have good seal on jars or cans and
protective paraffin covering for
jams and jellies. Use pressure can-
ner for meats and non-acid vege-
tables. Usc boiling water bath in-
stead of open kettle to keep mould
organisms from forming on fruits
and tomatoes.
Putrefaction
May happen with fat meats,
greens, corn, mature beans or peas.
Fond darker than normal, slimy , r
soft. Cas is present, also foal odor.
Barn food or bury with lye. Never
taste suspected food - boil 15 to
20 minutes, while stirring. If foul
odor increases, destroy immediately.
Cause of putrefaction is under -
processing. Follow reliable time
tables and use pressure canner.
Have food, table, utensils and con-
tainers thoroughly clean. Use clean
water for brine :1vc'id canning very
fat meat.
Botulinum
May be present in all under -pro-
cessed meats and vegetables and
Is Deadly Dangerous. Sometimes
shows no signs nithough protein
foods may have gas present,
cheesy, rancid or rotten odor, cloudy
liquid. Boil any suspected food 15
to 20 minutes while stirring. Tf
odor either develops or increases,
destroy as above. Before even tast-
ing, all canned neat or low -acid
vegetables processed by any other
method than pressure canner should
be boiled at least a quarter-hour.
Cause of botulinum is also under -
processing. Vegetables and meats
should be processed in pressure
canner - following times given in
reliable recipes or bulletins, Use
every precaution against this type
of spoilage as it is most dangerous.
Who'll Win
Pat was engaged putting a water
main into the poorhouse. Saturday
caste and the boss saw Pat dole-
fully examining his pay packet.
"Mistake in your wages, Pat?" he
asked,
"Oh, no," said Pat, "but 1 was
just wondering whether me or the
water would be in the poorhouse
first."
Who Says Birds
Cannot Reason?
Those who believe that birds and
animals are without reasoning pow-
ers should consider what happened
not so long ago to a Nova Scotia
sportsman while walking along a
woodland trail with his spaniel on
a leash.
Suddenly a Canada jay flew in
front of his face, scolding noisily,
and then swooped through the air
to alight on a low branch of a
spruce tree 50 yards away, where it
kept up its racket. The hiker start-
ed to walk on ---and again the both-
ersome bird darted around his head,
jabbering excitedly, and again it
flew away to the spruce hough.
When this was all repealed still
once more, the inquisitive man
strode over to the tree -and saw
the jay's mate inn the ground, with
one leg held fast by a weasel trap,
Ile freed the bird, and though its
leg was broken it could fly with
ease. The two jays vanished into
the upper branches of a tall tree,
where their agitated chatter could
still be heard as they apparently
talked over the narrow escape.
Have Own Languages
Now, the question is: Did the
first jay come to the human being
for aid? Most of us would like to
think so. We're too old now to he-
lieve as we once did, that Peter rab-
bit and Jimmy Skunk carry on nor-
mal conversations in very good
English. But we imagine, perhaps
unconsciously, that animals and
birds have their °Wu languages in
which they discuss topical questions
and that their actions are governed
by thought-out motives rather than
instinct -especially the rabbit that
knowingly tris to discourage our
gardening by nihlling the tender
pea shoots the day before the plan
to fence the place off, and the sly
robins that cat tip the red -ripe
strawberries while we're in the
Sumpter cottage hunting for the
gauze net covering we used the
year before, No one can tell us
they don't think; in fart, they even
know what we're thinking, too,
• Between Two Perils
The naturalists, however, coldly
objective sten that they are, are in-
clined to believe that the Canada
jay in question war not seeking
help. Like any other member of
tine crow fanti12' the stupid little
birdbrain was raising a fuss over
seeing its state pinioned by the
trap, and then, seeing the man and
the strange dog approach, it flew at
then m an attempt to drive them
away, It was not trying to.lead them
to the wounded bird; it was simply
alternating between two perils -the
trap and the two strange beasts.
There is, as we say, lots of room
for debate about this, Just let the
owner of a pet canary or budgee get
the ear of a naturalist and he will
wish he hadn't cast doubts on bird
intelligence.
The organ was developed from
reed pipes, and works on the sante
principle as those wind instruments.
We are back in the chicken busi-
ness again - with a hundred eight-
week -old pullets. And for the first
time in our farming experience we
are raising white chickens - hy-
brids, Leghorn acid Plymouth Rock
crossed, Most of them look like
Leghorns, only a little heavier;
others have a few black feathers
here and 'there. After they arrived
we kept them shut up for a couple
of days to get used to their new
home. On the third day Partner
and I were putting up snow fenc-
ing to stake a run for thein. I could
hardly wait to get it finished, so
anxious was I to see the chickens
running around. As Partner worked
on the last post I said to him -
"Now can I let them out?" He
nodded, so away I went to give the
chicks their liberty. Eagerly they
crowded through the hatchway and
then, when most of them were out,
with one accord they made a bee-
line for the fence.... and through
it! Just as slick as that. Partner
watched thein and then exclaimed
- "Well, I'll be darned! What are
we putting alp a fence for, I
wonder?'
* * 1
It vas really too funny for any-
thing. �\ a expected some of the
smaller birds might get through
but the majority of them certainly
looked too big to wriggle through
the narrow slats of the fence. It just
is that the chicks are so well feath-
ered they look bigger than they
really are. However, now they are
used to their new quarters the
fence does act as a deterrent, and
it also keeps stray dogs and cats
from getting into the pen. In time
the chicks will find their little
bodice too fat to .squeeze thro.rrnh
the slats in comfort - but by that
time they may have learned to make
good use of their wings.
In between preparing for, and
loolcing after the chicks Partner and
I have spent most of our time in
the pantry on our remodelling job,
The day.came when it was neces-
sary to have electricians come in to
move the stove and put in a plug
for the refrigerator. Before they
caste we disconnected the stove,
turned it and everything else out of
the pantry into the, dining -room and
kitchen so we could lay the linole-
um. The boys fortunately were busy
with the trucking job, and away for
dinner. It was after four o'clock
before the electricians arrived -and
But No Fish
The school master was explain-
ing vulgar fractions, "If I take a
potato, cut it in half then in quar-
ters, and then in halves, again, what
shall I have?" he asked.
"Chips, sir," was the immediate
response.
in the meantime tate honk never
looked worse. And then the door-
bell rang.,.. and there on the step
was our minister. Did you ever
know it to fail? I just had to laugh
when I opened the door. However,
he also appreciated the ridiculous-
ness of the situation. Ile said he
was only going to stay a minute
. but once in tate living -roots the
three of us got into a lively discus-
sion - in fact it was almost an
argument - and we forgot all about
the time, and'about the muddle of
the other part of the house.
Answer To This Week's Puzzle
A P T.{$ N {i /•' t A. o v, r
FORTVNATE1,,,A%2 i
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Fiery, Itching
Toes and Feet
Fiero lan clean, stainless antiseptic o!
that will do more to help you get rid e�
Your trouble than an thing you've ever
used.
its notion Is ro powerfully penetrating
that the itching Is quickly stopnedi and
In n short time you are rid of that bother.
5loao. fiery torture, The same Is true of
Barber's Itch, Salt Rheum, Emmen-
other Irritating unsightly skin troubles,
Ynu can obtain Noone's Emerald 011 la
the original bottle at nay modern drag
store, It is sere to usr-and failure In
any of these ailments le rare Indeed.
DOES
INDIGESTION
WALLOP YOU
BELOW THE BELT?
Help Your Forgotten "28" For The Kind 0f
Relief That Helps Make You Rarin' To Go
More than hall of your digestion is done
below the belt -in your 28 lent of bowels.
8o when Indigestion strikes, try eomethin_g
that help, digestion in the stomach AND
below the belt.
What you may need is Carter's Little Liver
Pills to give needed help to that "forgotten
28 tent" of bowels.
Take one Carter's Little Livor Pill before
and one after meals. Take them according to
direotions. They holp wake up a larger flow
of the 3 main digestive juices in your atonaeh
AND bowels -help you digest what you have
eaten in Nature's own way.
Then most folks get the kind of relief that
makes youjoel better from your head to your
toes, suet be sure you get the genuine Cnter'a
Little Liver Pill, from your druggist -35e1
"Get an apple from the teacher
,..use NUGGET every day!"
31'40
DID.
YOU.
�; fOUg SHO. ES
Thi1S
a-411NINO$
REG'LAR FELLERS -Coming Our Way?
By GENE BYRNES
t SAW
THEM
DANCE
YESTERDAY'
FELLER JEST
WHIRLS 'pi' GIRL AROUND
ov R, YH' PLCws EL•
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