The Seaforth News, 1924-07-24, Page 7tee' Cts' : r
Address communications to Agronomist, 73 Adelaide St, West, Toronto
CHOOSING .THE DAIRY HERD cult to provide accommodation for.
SIRE.. Whereverthese factors canbe over -
The choosin the 're ' come, the purchase of such a proven
doubtedly-the most important factor,
g of h sire is un- sire is undoubtedly'a move in the right
in a constructive breeding policy. It direction, for, apart -from his desir-
`
le the sire with his influence over the ability 'as a proven sire, there is the
whole herd rather than the female. added desirability of breeding from a
mature bull which undou tedlyhas-its
with her limited sphere of influence b
advantages An important point to
that raises the standard of the herd.
when •the choice is good, or lowers it
when the choice is a poor ono. Not
only is the siro the most important
factor in u constructive, breeding pol-
icy but he is, •inm'addition, the most
economical ohs, More rapid improve-
ment in a herd could be made by the
addition of high class feipales, but
such a method requires much more
capital than the average farmer has
at his :disposal these days.
In choosing a herd sire, pure -breed-
ing, size, type,.. character, individual-
ity, quality, record backing and if pose
sible, proven breeding ability are the
main requirements that tust be kept
in mind, The successful"buyer is the
onewho has the ability to know an
animal with the proper combination of
the above requirements, and the cour-
age of his convictions to pay what
such an animal is worth.
It is the experience of the Central
Experimental Farm and no doubt of
many breeders that individuals in-
quiring re breeding bulls often stipu-
late 'that the animal lnust embody
some specific character such as a
specified color, regardless of his mer-
its otherwise. In other words, they
are following a fad. ' Color is not im-
peetant so long,. as it is within the
requirements for the registration of
the breed. Pure breeding, size, eon -
formation, quality and record backing
should be given first consideration.
The 'desirability of pure breeding lies
in the fact that a bull whose ancestors
have bean bred for many generations
for one purpose (milkproduction) is
more certain to transmit that char-
acter than one whose ancestry is mix-
ed. Size for age is important, for,
other things being equal, the larger
the animal the more economical the
production. Size without the recog-
nized ideal • dairy conformation for the
breed is not desirable. There are too
many misfits as regards conformation
in most breeds at present without per-
petuating them. Size without quality
is even less desirable than size with-
out desirable 'conformation, for the
big, rough, coarse animal is rarely a
good producer.
While an animal embodying the
above characteristics in high degree,
is to be preferred to' one with these
characteristics in lesser degree, g , never-
theless
he is not
to be compared
'th
wi
an animal that has both individuality
and milk ,record backing. In sizing
up. the milk records on a pedigree, it
should be remembered that the im-
portant records are"those close up.
Too many animals are bought and
sold on the strength' of the 'record of 1 t
some individual three or four genera-; t
tions removed. The influence of such
an individual on the value of the'ani-,
• mal bought is so small that -it hardly!
merits consideration. Insist on high c
production records in the dam and the
two. grand dams. If such records can
be obtained for individuals furthers
back in the pedigreeas well, so much
the better. In the -case of the sires in'
the pedigree; some stress should' be .s
]aid on their breeding qualities es:1
represented by the number of qualified t
daughtors they' have sired. Such in-
formation is now available for prac-
tieally all the dairy breeds of cattle.
It may be possible in some cases to
-purchase a proven sire, that is, one d
that, has proven his ability to get
calves, and possibly old enough to
have daughters that have proved l
themselves heavy producers. When
m
t
N
keep in mind is that if improvement
in the herd is to take place, then the
herd sire must be of better quality
than any of the other animals in, the
herd: Similarly, if improvement in
the herd is to continue each successive
sire must' be at least •equal and pre-
ferably superior in all points to his
immediate predecessor. -
CULLING THE LAYERS,
Culling, generally speaking, should
bo continued throughout the year and
should include the elimination of hens
that are non-productive, sick, thin, of
poor vitality, ' At some one time, how-
ever, the whole flock should be given,
a careful and systematic culling. Each
hen shouldbegone over carefully with
the object of picking: out and retain-
ing the better producers and market-
ing the others. At this time it is ad-
visable to select- hens that will be
needed for breeders the following
spring. These should be leg -banded
and their eggs savd efor hatching.
The poor producers should be market-
ed as soon as possible.
Tho best time to cull is during th
latter part of August or the first pax'
of September. Hens that show indica
tions of laying at this time have: as
rule been the better producers for th
year, Hens that have been goodlay-
ers
y
ers during their first laying year' are
generally the ones that will be the
better producers in the second and
third years." Good producers through-
out the year should` be retained for
the next year regardless of age. Re-
latively few hens, however, will prove
to be profitable producers beyond
their second laying year, if they are
of the heavier breeds such as the Ply-
mouth Rock or Wyandotte, or beyond
their third laying year, if they are of
the "lighter breeds, such as'Legh ns.
It is also advisable to cull thoroughly
during July in order to eliminate. hens'
which have started to molt and have
stopped laying.
Hens po sessing the following char-
acteristics or a combination of such.
characteristics should be culled as
poor producers: sick, weak, lacking
vigor, inactive, poor eaters, those that
have molted or started to molt early,
those with small, dry, puckered vents,
with small shrivelled, hard, dull color-
ed combs, with v ,thick, rigid pelvic'
bones and nd rear end keel, and nd small
,
hard abdomen. In yellow -skinned
breeds, poor producers also should
show yellow or medium yellow shanks,
yellow bealcs and vent. ,
In a good producers, when laying,
the abdomen' is soft and flexible, owing
o its increased size, and there is less
endency at this time to put on fat.
As laying ceases, the abdomen be-
comes smaller, feels harder. When
culling, remember to depend upon a
ombination of these characteristics
rather than on any one point alone.
It will be found that birds of the
smaller breeds lay very few eggs
after the molting period starts,
whereas. the general-purpose breeds
uch as the Plymouth Rock, Rhode Is -
and Reds, Wyandottes and'Orping-
ons often lay well into the •molt.
A moist mash, being stimulating, is
of greater value at this time as an
emergency feed, that is, during the
production decline, than when fed;
ally during the year. If a moist
mash has not been fed, it may be used
to maintain a higher and more steady
ay during the summer and fall
months: Most poultry men prefer to
ave a moist mash feed at noon. The
egular dry mash is moistened to a
nimbly consistency, with either !four
ilk, buttermilk or water. This sys_
em followed during the spurner
onths in connection with f-reason-
ble amount of stalling .proves very
POULTRY.
Weak' and stunted 'goslings often
result from the efforts of the owner
to ]seep_ them .in small fenced en-
closures where they will not be harm-
ed by other 'farnl'animals. They often
do welh'on limited range until a week
or ten days old, and then some will
etand •humped up ' with drooping
wings. exposure to the hot sun may
cause the same result.
An orchard where there is plenty of
shade and fresh clover sod makes a
fine range for goslings., A field pro-
tected by
ro-
tected;by an evergreen windbreak will
help. induce them to range in the early
spring, when the days may be windy.
When the goslings become weak and
throw their heads back and die in a
short time it is"probably due• to con-
gestion of the brain caused by:intee-
tinal worms or indigestion. If the
droppings indicate the presence' of
worths, try giving each gosling a half -
teaspoonful of turpentine. This can
be placed rather deep in the young
bird's throat with a medicine dropper.
Two teaspoonfuls of castor oil will.
sometimes improve the digestive sys-
tem of a weak gosling and cause it to
return to normal. When a large num-
ber of goslings require treatment for
worms add :one-fourth pound of sul-
phur,; one-fourth pound of epsom salts
and two. ounces, of powdered .copperas
to twenty-five pounds of their mash.
The mash containing the medicine can
be given once each day, when the
birds are quite hungry:
Bacteria From Flies.
House flies- and stable- flies are
great, carriers of. putrefactive and
other contaminating bacteria. Hun-
dreds of thousands of these bacteria
niay be found ojdene leg of a fly. Flies
breed and,feed on manure and filth
of all kinds, and .from these sources
o they get heavily contaminated with
t the 'putrefying bacteria present in
such substances. Unfortunately, flies
a will also feed on good human and ani -
o mal foods, and when they settle on or
la- fall into such material they naturally.
contaminate it with the bacteria that
they have picked upfrom manure or
filth on which they have previously
been. In the summer time they are
present in great numbers around
stables and manure piles and milk
houses, and it is very common for a
number of them to get into milk.
Hence, as each fly isliable to have
hundreds of thousands of bacteria on
its legs, mouth and body, when a
number of flies get into milk during
the milking: or handling process, the
milk becomes badly contaminated. So
every care should be taken to keep
such a bull goes on the market, it is
usually because it can no longer ho
used in its owner's herd, and he,
knowing the value of the bull, offers it
for rale for - breeding purposes rather
than for beef, ]ilany buyers are diffi-
dent about buying such bulls on ae- a
uccessful.
count of their being vicious and diffi- s
Bone -Dry Crib 'Floors..
A cement floor in the corncrib :lay
be rat proof, but if const: ' ed care-
leasly it will absorb •,tur•e :from the
•
ground and CM] he grain to mold.
In the ge .ra1 construction of faun
▪ oil rd fivers' :of this tort, the
concrete is mixed and poured directly
upon the groundso that when the job
is - coMpleted rain or surface water
will be carried up through the porous
cement in the same manner that•'ker-
osene is drawn up tlt'ough a lamp
Wick: .
To overcome any such possibility,
strips of tar paper should be•enipleyed
in the building, of the 'foundation
floozy. A: layer of concrete is poured
in the usual manner and smoothed
carefully so that no sharp stonee will
protrude. Over this surface the Isy-j
ers of tarpaper are laid; lapping' them
an inch or •s'!. to cover safely every.
square inch of the concrete,' Several
inches of concrete are added to coin-'
plete the work.
A' floor of this kind, when finished,.
will be insulated against all moisture
front below and grain stored upon it
wall" -remain as dry as when placed
upon a flooring of boards or planks.
Painting the Engine.
It is a good practice to keep, the
engine, transmission and the like on
the farm tractor and truck well paint-
ed, as it not only preserves the metal
from corrosion' or rust but : it also
makes them 'sasier'to clean and keep
clean and to work on.
However,' the job must be donee
properly or the paint will not stick.
First remove the battery or :at least
make sure to disconnect 11 in order to
avoid any danger from sparks, as the
engine must be •cleaned thoroughly
with gasolineand a' -brush. Then go
over it again with hot water and a
good 'washing powder so as to wash.
off any. traces 'of gasoline or oil. Then
rinse carefully • with clean hot water
and let dry thoroughly, after which
it hi ready for the application of a
good metal paint which will ` adhere
perfectly.
----ma--
The farmP remises' can be made
brighter and cleaner by the liberal
use of some good whitewash.
flies out of the milk. Manure piles,
the breeding place of flies, should not
be allowed near the milk house. Win-
dows and doors -of milk houses and
stables should be screened, milk` cans
should be kept covered and every
other precaution necessary to prevent
flies •getting into the mlk
i should be
taken, so says the Department of
Bacteriology, Ontario Agricultural
College. Consult Bulletin 266.
Eat More Canadian Fruit
l
• and Vegetab es.
"Eat Canadian fruits and . vege-
tables while they are in season, and
can;' dry, and store the Surplus „for
winter use," is the sound advice` given
in a book of recipes issued by the Do-
minion Fruit Branch. It also points
out that 'Canadian-grownfruits and
vegetables are conducive to health, and,
that greater and more regular use off
them,throughout-the year would have
a positive beneficial effect: It is fur.
ther pointed' out that Canada produces,
cans and preserves more than enough
of these garden and field commodities,
unexcelled in quality, _flavor, and'•;„at-
traetiveness, to supply all the pos'$ilSle:
home demands, and that, is spiteof
this fact, the amount of these products
imported is rapidly increasing.' This
increase is largely in the canned, dried
and dehydrated fruits and vegetables,
and it is, in the hope of encouraging
Canadians to demand and consume
more of the products of their own
country that the booklet, which can
be had free on application to the Pub-
lications Branch, Dept. of Agriculture,
Ottawa, has been published. As well
as the seventy-five recipes, directions
are given for canning, drying and
storing.
fr
Sheep in Orchards.
Many a once fine old orchard is
now . a• pitiful sight of dead trees,
tangled brush and weeds. Beyond re-
demption in so far as fruit is con-
cerned, such an orchard might still
be put to profitable use and be less
unsightly. First cleaned of dead trees,
brush and trash, it melees a find place
for a few ewes and lambs. Not only
will the sheep keep down the weed
growth but will thrive on such forage
as blue grass, oats, rape, Sudan and
the like, any of which may easily be
grown.
An acre or two of old orchard,
grove or woodland is good for a truck
load of sheep every year, and a truck
load df sheep these days will convert
the old dumping ground for discarded
farm machinery .into a profitable' cor-
ner of the farm.
Home Education
'The Child's First School Is the Family"—Froebel.•
Co -Operative Training—By Margaret Conn Rhoades
I was somewhat astonished at the
poite of a young child who visited
unexpect-
edly
ex. ect-
inhome. She had n
m P
Y
ellleftbyher mother who had been
Y
called away suddenly. She had air
the earmarks: of an experienced vis-
itor, although to my knowledge she
had never been out of town before.
When her mother returned I asked if
it had been -'home training that had
made her so careful, so observant, so
much a 'model visitor.
"Oh, that is a result of our neigh-
borhood co-operative training," the
mother replied: "You see there are
some things children learn better in
another home, so a few neighbors in
our locality decided to co-operate.
Occasionally one of us would invite
week -end guests; these guests were
the neighborhood children. They
were required to pack their own bags,
see that their clothes were in shape,
and be prepared to visit for a city
or two. We were formal in our table
service during the stay of these little
people and planned special entertain-
ment for them. `In fact they were
treated throughout their stay as real
company.
"And you know children delight in
living up to an ideal. The training
was splendid for them and the sight-
seeing trips we took about the town
were instructive,.-. There was .no..let-
ting down 'of •the company attitude
with them and to -day we feel sure
these little folks understand wonder-
fully wall all the simple rules fo
r
rs
model v rters
"The cooperative plan did net stop
with visiting either, but we had sew-
ing classes where each child demon-
strated the making of a simple gar-
ment. This idea of ,learning some-
thing first and then teaching the
method was very inspiring to them.
They did this in cookery too. We
found that the group idea worked out
well, and one another's idea stimulated'
others mothers' children to real en-
deavor, - '
"Many things are made possible
through the co-operative training
plan. A cheery little group of chil-
dren who meet in a neighborhood liv-
ing room to study the Sunday School
lesson. on Saturday night will put re-
newed zeal into the heart of a Sun-
day School teacher the next day when
she realizes -that home effort is unit-
ing with hers in teaching spiritual
truths.
"The talent of one mother often
finds a quicker response when shared
with the child of another. Co-opera-
tion in child training is a worth while
experiment as we have -proved." '
• I felt sure she was right. As my
little guest bade the a cordial good-bye
she told me she had enjoyed her visit
"besides•' learning a new. dessert?'
A photograph' of Sir 'Thinnai3 Ward, who has arrived In Trak, with, a tech-
nical staff, to 'commence work to stbm,the flow of the Dials River, so as to
sarin a lake 400 miles square' to aid irrigation.
- THE FARM HOME ATTRACTIVE L
Curing Tuberculosis
Much Can Be Done Without Great Cost to Improve the ' At Home
Farm Surroundings. [1.
The possession of attractive home
surroundings is not beyond the reach
of any farmer' who owns his home,
while several tenants have made their
stay,enjoyable by a few bushes here
and there about the yard. There is
little relation between the size, costli-
ness, or simplicity of a home and its
surroundings as compared with its at-
tractiveness that may be given it by
proper arrangement and careful up-
keep. Beauty is not to be measured
by expense, and ornament of any kind
is not needed so much as a neat and
well -kept appearance.
Farm folksare coming more and
more to appreciate the value of home-
like and inviting surroundings as a
background for family life. The ideal
home is the rewardfor which we are
all striving. 'Then, there is that pleas-
ure which comes to the family having
home surroundings to be proud of. It
is an obligation which every titizen
owes his community to have his home
as attractive as possible. Ona little
farm mother put the truth in a sen-
tence: "Let the home beauty be its
sole duty.”
This is the proper spirit. The farm
home may be made beautiful by simple
means. Neatness and orderliness come
first; these combined with a good
greensward about the house a a shel-
tering growth of trees and shrubs, a
veritable, garden may ` soon be de-
veloped. "
The farm home isa combined resi-
dence and business headquarters. As
the farm business is but a means to
the home life, it is of first importance
that the farm as a whole should make
for pleasant home life. If children
are the most important crop the mod-
ern farmer raises, then it follows that
the most important function of a farm
is that of supporting a good home, If
every farm child were in attractive
home surroundings, many of the prob-
lems of life would be solved, and we
would be facing the question of keep-
ing the boys and girls on the farm.
The influence of farm environment
has a subconscious but potent effect on
children. Even while the barn is only
a playground to the children, here
may be taught orderliness and thrift,
as also in woodiot, orchard, meadow
and field, all giving one grand ex-
ample in living object lessons of good
farming. The orchards, while not
primarily intended . to serve as an
aesthetic purpose, may form the most
beautiful part of the farm. An orch-
ard of standard apples could profit-
ably be planted near the farm home
to become a' part of the background
using trees for this.
The pleasant farm surrounding is
vital, both for the present welfare of
the individual home and for the future
of country' life. Wide-awake young
people will usually hesitate at leaving
an attractive, prosperous farm •home
for uncertainties of city life. But con-
sider the farm homestead as it whole._
It is not merely a question of a few
daisies here, fresh, paint and new
porches, broad lawns or tidy doorstep,
but 'of having living 'places- that, in
their whole effect, aro pleasing and
elevating to older folk and children
alike.
A. well-planned and well -kept yard
will greatly improve an ugly house; a
pleasing house makes it far easier to
lay out an attractiveyard, A house
with a poor yard, or none, is inhos-
pitable and forlorn, Both the house
and grounds must be kept in mind in
planning. -
One of the .surprising 'features
about an 'attractive home surround-
ings is that few people candoscribe it
when they have left it behind, where-
as, if we visit a homely and unattrac-
tive farm home, we can usually give
it a very vivid description. In plan-
ning farm' homes, Professor Davies, of
Cornell College, advises that there are
seven points that we ahould empha-
size:
1. The place must be well furnish-
ed with trees and shrubbery.
2. The house should be prominent,
should have a good setting,
3. There must be an open space of
lawn.
4. The trees and the smaller .plants
should be massed or grouped at the
sides or at the rear rather than scat-
tered all over the place.
5. There must be no unnecessary
fences, walks or drives:
6. There must" be no curiosities con-
spicuously placed in the yard, such as
piles or stones, odd rocks, or shells.
7. The place must be neat and well
kept so that it may look as if the resi-
dents gave it loving care.
The house being headquarters, this
should be connected with the highway
and the surrounding buildings by
serviceable walks and drives. It
should have an attractive setting.
That is the first and main purpose
of the yard, by whichis meant two
distinct ideas: First, the house should
have a background of ,.sufficient
growth of trees and shrubs to give it
a protected. appearance; second, the
setting should afford apporunity for
outdoor life on the lawn and in the
shaded corners. .
Goldie Bumblebee and the
Blue Flower.
Goldie Bumblebee sat rocking in
the breeze on the end of a spray of.
goldenrod. It was a warm day, and
he did not feel at all like gathering
honey, for it was such sticky, , hot
world His mother, Mrs. - Busy
Bumblebee flew by with -a. load of
honey and saw him there idling.,
"Why, Goldie Bumblebee!" she
cried. "What'do you mean by sitting
there doing nothing? Who ever heard
of a lazy bee in the Bumblebee fam-
ily? If you do not bring home your
share of honey to -night, you shall
have no' supper,"
"Yes, mother," said Goldie and
stretched his wings slowly as he pre-
pared for flight. "I'll go to work at
once. Where do you think I can find
the most honey?"
"I should think there was enough
right under your nose," she replied
and hastened away to the clover field.
Goldie worked steadily for a time
and then began to grow tired. "I think
I shell make a -trip over to the pas-
ture yonder," he said to himself. "I
believe a piece of sky has .dropped out,
or maybe there's a little pondthere,
for I can see a big patch of blue."
Goldie sailed aitay- in the direction
of the patch of blue, and when he
reached it he found that it was neith-
er sky nor water, but made up of
countless blue flowers, such as he had`
never seen. They; Stood up very
straight and stiff in little groups, and
the heartof every flower was "protect-
ed by dark blue petals with silky blue
fringes.
"My," Goldie thought, • "doesn't it
look cool and pleasant:: down in the
depths of those • flowers!. I, think I
shall crawl into the biggest one I -can
find and have a little nap. Then I
shall feel more like'work, and I can
finish " filling my • hot e'f%-pot before
supper..•
It was 'even better in the depths of
the blue flower than he had thought.
Theelovely silken petals' protected him
from the -sun and shed a soft light like
a feint twilight. :
"This is pleasant!" breathed Goldie
softly, and fell'asleep;
Whes-he woke up he did not find it
so .pleasant The` sn must have gone
down, for it was very dark and he
coald' not. find' any way to get out of
the* flower. ' - The silken fringes had
twisted- themselves together tightly
and Master Goldie Bumblebee was a
prisoner. He buzzed and scolded and!
buzzed, but it was of no "use. He could;
not get out of the flower.
How he wished he had kept busy
and filled his honey -pot
mother
as his. m her
had told him
to0
d ! If he
had he
would no:
w have been safe andsnug
at home. with the rest of his family.
They could never find hint away off in
this pasture shut up ib the heart of
a flower,
He stopped buzzing and scolding at
last and lay very quiet and even went
to sleep again.
When he woke up the second time
it was no longer dark in the flower.
The sun had risen, and its light pene-
trated the blue walls of his prison.
The blue fringes above his head began
slowly to unfold, and soon he saw a
tiny opening no bigger than the head
of a pin.. It grew larger and a little
larger until, with a great jump, Mas-
ter Goldie pushed his head through
the opening and found himself free.
Was there ever a happier young
bee? He did not delay an instant, but
flew home as fast as his gauzy wings
could carry him.
You may be sure his family were
glad to see him, for they had begun to
be afraid that he was lost.
His brothers and sisters did not be-
lieve him when he told them of the
flower with fringes that folded itself
up et night, but Mrs. Bumblebee said,
"He is right. I know the flower well.
It is called the fringed gentian."
"I shall never go there -again,"
promised Goldie. "Next time I will
fill my honey -pot in the clover field
and conte right home with it."—Rose
D. Nealley, in Youth's Companion,
Dehorning Calves.
The causic potash method of de -
horning calves not only is the most
humane• but perhaps the easiest and
may be practiced without danger to
the animal. The proper time to de -
horn is when the calf is from five to
seven daysold, at which time the but-
tons are easily located.
Older calves, having small horns,
may also be dehorned by this method,
but the operation is slightly more dif-
ficult and less likely to be as effective.
The hair should first be clipped" from
around the 'buttons or small horns
and vaseline smeared over this clip-
ped area to prevent burning of the
skin.
In case of the animal being only in
the button stage, scrape the button
very lightly with a knife until the
blood oozes very little, moisten the
clipped area' with waterand ;rub the
horn with a stick 'of caustic potash
until it becomes white,
If the animal has small horns the
coverings or caps of them niust'be re-
moved before the potash is applied.
The caustic stick should be wrapped
in paper or cloth to prevent burning
the fingers. -
No doubt the- long absence free
home- is the chief objection to taking,
treatment at tuberculosis sanator-
ium, from the patient's viewpoint, A
a
young wife asks for:my "honest opin-.:
pion" whether her husband "can stay
, at home and follow rules carefully,
and conquer the disease:" There is
much more in the letter, which con-
; vinces ine that
on;vinees.ins'that she does not want my
honest opinion, but wants some justi-
fication for keeping her husband at
' home. -,My honest opinion is that any
patient with tuberculosis who can get
sanatorium treatment should take it.
His chances for getting well are much
greater than if he stays at home. It
is not that home surroundings keep
him from getting well, but home in-
dulgences do, The sick . man is not
reasonable. He wants to do things
that are not good for him. The home
folks yield "just for this time," tied
so it goes.
But it is quite possible to win the
fight Against tuberculosis in your own
home if you have the intelligence—
plus backbone. A Wisconsin man
named J, 1;. Stocker, who. accomplish-
ed this end, has written a booklet
about it, Mr. Stocker made the great
discovery about whining the fight--
that
ght—that it must be won, not by action,.
but by rest, Read what he says:
"Early in October, 1916, I went to
bed again. I took all my meals in
bed; I did not has much as move a
Anger unnecessariiy;.meats were cut
for me into small pieces to avoid the
exertion of my cutting them. I was
as careful not to make any quick or
sudden movement as I would be if I
were nursing a broken limb, News-
papers were cut for me, so I need not
take up more than one sheat at a time.
I, did not bend down to pick up any
objects from the floor, or reach up for
things that were above my head. I
did not put on: or take off ai shirt or
bathrobe without assistance.
"I avoided too much reading and
unnecessary talking; when friends
called I ,let them do the talking, ex-
plaining to then the. reason. When-
ever it happened that I was alone in
the house and a doorbell rang, I paid
no attentionto it, Under no circum-
stances would I get out of bed to
an'swor a telephone call.!
A patient who will give such con-
scientious attention to getting .well as
this, can get well at home as readily
as at a sanatorium. Dr. C. 11 Ler-
rigo.
letter lies before me now in which
Wire .Braces for Trees.
Every commercial orchard suffers
some injury from broken branches
each time there is a heavy crop of
fruit,
Wire braces are getting to be more
and more popular each year and many
large orehardmen make
a regular
Practice of wiringthe trees that
show
a tendency to form weak crotches..
If the weak crotch is noticed while
the tree is still small one can often
brace it by twisting two stnalI twigs
from :opposite branches, Sometimes
the twigs will have to be tied' together
to keep them from untwisting, but
eventually they, grow together, form-
ing a rigid, living brace that will sup-
port all the load that the tree may
ever put upon it.
As a rule the weak crotch is over-
looked until it is too late to develop
a live brace and one must resort to
wire. The best wire for the purpose
is No. 9 galvanized.
There are a number of ways of
fastening the wires in place. Some
growers use a screweye, some use
ordinary fence staples, some use
quarter -inch iron eye bolts that ex-
tend clear through 'the branch, and
others attach the wire by boring two
holes through the tree and threading
the wire through these holes.
All of these methods are practicaI.
The last mentioned makes the -strong-
est, neatest job, but it also takes the
most time, After boring two holes
in each of two opposite branches that
are to be braced, a wire is threaded
through the holes and twisted togeth-
er so that a double line of wire ex-
tends from one branch to the other.
The .holes should_ be placed abouttwo
inches apart in the branch. After the
loose ends of the wire are securely
twisted,` a stout stick is inserted be-
tween them and by twisting they .are
made as tight as is desired.
- ' ?Mineral Mixtures•
Minerals for livestock are import-
ant. The pariteular kind' of :mineral
mixture, however, is not so important.
It the certain fundamental' ingredi-
ents that the body requires for normal
growth and the building of healthy
tissue that should be -supplied. They
are (1) $odium, found in common salt;
(2) calcium, found in ashes, lime, or
gromid lithestone; (3) phosphorus,
found in bone meal, mew phosphate
rock or acid phosphate; and (4)
iodine, found tin potassium iodide.
Crops grown on land rich in these
elements,'especialiy fresh leafy legum-
irieusforage, may;supply'the animal's
most insistent demands. They will,
get some minerals. also. from direct
contact with the soil. • In 'winter when
the ground is frozen end' forage dry,
the miittuie of minerals is most im-
portant,—P.
1'
One bf the most useful -jewels in the
fine 'rnechanismthat .takes us through
our daily toil day after day, is he'
nese itr the performance of.our ;likt'