Loading...
Zurich Herald, 1954-07-08, Page 6Grass -legume silage has been made at the Smithers Experi- mental Substation, B.C. during each of the past three seasons The results obtained have been extremely satisfactory, despite the lack of familiarity with sil- age making in general on the part of those supervising. The quality of the feed so preserved has varied considerably, but generally it has been excellent, The actual loss of material has been small, and the improved health of the cattle herd at the station during the winter months has been marked, says Superin- lendent W. T. Burns. * It has often been stated that proper moisture content of the material to be ensiled is most im- portant for a high quality feed. Three years experience has cer- tainly emphasizedthe need for care in this respect. Some rather slimy and unpalatable silage has been produced from material too moist, and some charred silage has resulted from material that was too dry. Though there was undoubtedly some loss of nutri- ents in the charring, practically no material was discarded as a result. Slimy silage was not readily eaten and proved exces- sively laxative, but again it was :necessary to throw out a very small proportion. * * :. During the first two seasont, actual shinkage in the weight of grass material stored as compar- ed to silage fed, was 25 per cent. Results for the 1953 silage are not yet available, Most of this shrinkage represents moisture loss. Unfortunately, the weight of discarded material as a result of spoilage is not available. How- ever, when it is considered that no nutrients are lost from the crop as a result of Weathering, all being preserved in excellent condition, the loss through spoil- age experienced has been very .reasonable. In spite of this, it is felt that with the experience that has been obtained, grass -legume :mixtures can be ensiled to re- duce losses below those of the previous years. * * * in stressing the advantages of Wring the hay crop in a silo, the improved feeding quality cannot be over -emphasized. The shorthorn herd at this Station has been wintered in much better condition since a part of the ra- tion has been grass -legume sil- age. The animals are more active, their coats are not dry, dull and brittle, but glossy and smooth, indicating good health. The cows have less difficulty in calving and produce strong, healthy calves. Also the cows milk better, especially those calv- ing early in March, which means smaller losses and more rapid growth. * * * There are many problems to be worked out in preparing to Ettore the hay crop in a silo on each individual farm. Without exception, those problems can be solved with careful planning and careful attention to details such as moisture content, packing and +covering. Suitable equipment Is now available for whatever quantity is to be stored. Cer- tainly the experience at the Smithers Station during the past three years has proved the value of silage as a method of "making good hay in bad weather," and PS a high quality feed to raise healthy animals. * * * Shrinkage has quite a bearing in a livestock transaction. The amount of shrinkage varies con- siderably and depends on several factors, says H. J. Hargrave, Lethbridge Experimental Station, Alta. The following are among the important ones: * * * 1. Length of trip. Usually, the longer the trip the greater the shrink; however, the loss of weight does not bear a direct ratio to the distance travelled since the greatest loss occurs in the first few miles. * * * 2. The degree of comfort. Ex- tremes in weather, either hot or cold, increase the shrinkage. Badly crowded cars or trucks and rough runs with many stops add to the weight loss in market- ing livestock. * * 3. The condition of the animals at the time of loading has a bear- ing on shrink. Tired, hungry, •or thirsty animals are likely to show high shrinkage when being marketed, 4. The kinds of feed used. Grass cattle will usually shrink more than grain -fed cattle. Ahi- mais that have had large quanti- ties of hay or silage will usually lose more weight than those that have been on a full feed of grain. Laxative feeds such as beet tops and cover crop result in more shrinkage than non -laxative feeds. * k * 5. The class of animals. Thin two-year-old feeder steers will shrink more than the same aged cattle that are fat. Long three- year-old steers off grass will .shrink less than long yearling steers off grass. There will be little difference in the shrinkage of heifers and steers of the same age. Fat lambs can be expected to shrink less than feeder lambs, while ewes will shrink more than feeder lambs. Hogs usually shrink less than other farm ani- mals. N S ch Tiiing As "Empty" Spac, Is the space that surrounds us a vacuum? Or rather if we could remove from space the stars, planets, nebulae and com- ets, would we have left a vacuum? No, space is far from being empty. Not many years ago as- tronomers at the Carnegie In- stitution of Washington found that an average cubic yard of "empty" space between the stars contains: 20,000,000 free electrons 20,000,000 hydrogen atoms 5 sodium atoms 1 potassium atom 400,000 photons, or light -darts Thiswe must add 1 calcium atom for every ten cubic yards of interstellar space, and 1 titan- ium atom in several hundred. thousands of cubic yards. In ad- dition, a particle, perhaps as big as an average smoke particle might be filtered out of every quintillion cubic yards of the space between the stars. Sir Arthur Eddington sum- med it up like this: "An atom en- counters another atom about once a year," in interstellar space, Dr. Edwin P. Hubble has been quoted as saying that the pro- portion of matter to space could be approximately indicated by imagining one grain of sand in a hollow sphere the size of the earth. All this matter is called cosmic dust, or interstellar dust. eieeseile There'll Be No Caat:astraphe—Tabby probably had many a motorist in a frenzy as she fouled traffic at the highway patrol stop station. The officer holding up the traffic, so the kitten Gould cross the street, is unidentified, Don't Leave ekkor Mat ) t For Burchrs Before you and the family take off on that summer vacation make sure to thiefproaf your home, illustrated. below are six tips, on how to safeguard your home agolnst burglars. They're from crime expert John Mosier, who predicts the public will be burglarized i-nore than 1296 times every 24 hours during July and August. Cancel all milk and newspaper deliveries until you return home. A cluttered porch is a come-on sign to burglars. Don't leave gems, cash or valu- ables in your home. Take them down to the bank for safe -keep- ing while you're gone. Inform your postman about your temporary change in address, A stuffed mailbox is an invitation to burglars. Notify police as to how ang you'll be away. Neighbourhood policemen will watch for any strange goings-on. Tell a trustworthy neighbour where you can be reached. Ask him to call police if he notices suspicious activity. Lock all your doors and win- dows. Don't just slam the door. Lock it with a key so that the bolt provides added security. Name-Ye„rM1.x a;~ oy As every mother knows, small boys have an uncanny faculty for getting their heads caught in fences, their tongues frozen to metal pipes and their pockets crammed with strange, stray objects. The first two usually result -•t in nothing more serious than ;t bruised neck and a skinned. tongue. But the collector's in- stinct in a small boy can lead to tragedy. Several weeks ago a nine- year-old . Montreal boy was nearly blinded for life because he didn't realize the danger hid- den inside some harmless look- ing objects he found while play- ing around a construction site. They were blasting caps, used to detonate commercial explo- sives. But the boy and his play- mates thought they were fire- crackers and were eager to set them off with a bang., After building a fire in a ring of rocks, the nine - year - old dropped one of the caps into the flames. When it failed to ex- plode immediately, he fed an- other to the flames. At that precise moment the first cap exploded, setting off the second. The blast hurled to the ground One lad standing four feet from the fire, filled the air with metal- lic slivers and left the first boy bleeding and temporarily blind- ed. Another similar accident happened there since. Blasting caps and dynamite are essential tools in countless construction projects constantly in progress across this fast - developing country. Contrac- tors handle them without fear or injury because they are. skilled in their use. But in the. hands of children or inexperienc- ed adults, they are dangerous to life and limb. A blasting cap is so sensitive that heat, a tap from a stone or a hammer, even a prick from a pin or a nail, can cause a serious accident. Legis- lation governing the manufactue and use of blasting caps and explosives, their handling and shipping was enacted years ago, But the law finds it difficult to curb the curiosity of a small boy. There are two different but equally potent types of blasting caps. Both can be recognized by their small aluminum or copper cylinders about the diameter of a lead pencil. One is often mis- taken for an empty .22 cartridge. This has an Open end, is about - one -and -one-half inches long and is designed to be detonated by the flame from a fuse. The other type can be mistaken for a firecracker or a pencil holder. It is an elec- tric blasting cap with two wires extending from one end so it can be fired by an electric current, These caps are from two to five inches long and are sometimes brightly colored. Parents and children should also realize that explosive cart- ridges are not to be trifled with either,. They are usually about eight inches long and an inch or so • in diameter. But they may be as much as 16 inches to two 'feet in length and four to eight inches in diameter. They are usually covered in brown or waxed paper or encased in card- board tubes. Blasting caps and dynamite cartridges should never be touch- ed by inexperienced hands — not even with a.. ten -foot pole. Any- one finding them should give the a '=wide berth and . report their location immediately to the police or other authorities. Wise parents would be practicing an ounce of prevention if they de- clared areas where men and machines are at work this sum- mer strictly out of bounds. Is There Life On Otter VV Ids? In our own solar system there are eight other worlds like the earth. The earth is probably the only one, however, on which living creatures are to be found. For many years astronomers have wondered. about life en Mars, our red neighbor planet. Now, because Mars has so little at- mosphere and water, we know that there are propably no human beings or other living creatures t h e r e. Recently astronomers have come to believe that certain kinds of plants do grow on Mars. Many astronomers believe that there are probably other famil- ies of planets like our own solar system. It seems very likely that if our sun, which is just an ordinary star, has planets moving around it, other stars niay have planet families, too. Astronomers have not been able to prove this, however, since even the biggest telescopes are not large enough to show other plan- ets which might be revolving around other stars, Rip OW Age Doctors all over the world are discussing the . amazing longe- vity of a Lebanese shepherd named Assad Mohammad El -She - mi, who celebrated his 115th birthday this year. The old man recently paid his first-ever visit to a doctor — not because he felt ill, but because he thought it would be "a good idea to have an overhaul at my age,” The doctor, a leading Beirut practitioner, says the veteran's heart, lungs, liver and stomach are as healthy and robust as those of a young man. This is believed to be due to his open-air life and wholesome diet of milk, bread, fruit and vegetables. Blue-eyed,. white -bearded Mo- hammad has never smoked or drunk alcohol. He sleeps eight hours nightly, has good sight and hearing and declares his greatest desire is to live till he is at least 150, Ile is a widower and is now head of a family of seventy. His., grandfather lived to be 12,2 and his father died at 132 after marrying twice. HE KNEW TOO MUCH Sammy Epstein was a • consci- entious lawyer who was very careful about living up to every inch of the law. One day he came home and found his wife walk- ing on the ceiling. "For goodness' sake," he demanded, "what do you think you're doing?" "Walking on the ceiling," re- plied his wife, "and I'm having a wonderful time." "You can't do that," protested., Sammy. "It's breaking the law of gravity." Immediately she fell to t h e floor with a bang. She sat stun- ned by the fall, then she burst into tears. With a sob of resentment she cried to her husband: "Because you know the law, do you have to open your big mouth?" FAST SERVICE An old lady had lost her purse. She rushed into a police station and told her story. The officer in charge was very kind. Putting his hand on her arm, he said: "We'll. leave no stone unturned to find your purse, madam." Leaving the station, she noticed a group of workmen busy• tearing up the street for a new sewer system, and re- marked to herself: "Well, they don't lose much time — I'll say that for them." . AY CHOU SS N Aly Rev It Barclay Warren. B.A., Are We Growing As Christians? 1 Corinthians 3: 1-3; Ephesians 4: 11-16; 2 Peter 1: 5-7; 3: 18. Memory Selection: Grow In grace, and in the knowledge of Our Loral and Saviour Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3: 18. There were a number of con- ditions in the 'church at Corinth that were not satisfactory. That could be said of any church to- day. Paul pointed out that their envying, strife and divisions were an evidence that they were but babes In Christ. They were walk- ing after the flesh and not ac- cording to the Spirit. They were carnal. No church is perfect. But Christ has given to the church apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers for the per- fecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. Babes in Christ are expected to grow. If a child does not develop physic- ally it is tragedy. So it is in the spiritual. We are to grow in Christ. We are to become more gracious by adding to our faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, p a t i e n c e, godliness, brotherly kindness and love. Each day we should become more like Christ. As we increase in these graces and in the knowledge of Christ we shall not be blown about by every wind of teaching. We shall know what the truth is in Jesus Christ and we shall exemplify that truth. We shall strive for rnore and more of that charity. or divine love so beautifully des- cribed in the thirteenth chapter of First Corinthians. Paul writes to these people at Corinth, "Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." If we will let the Holy Spirit direct our lives we shall grow as Christians. Noises In The Night' When furniture creaks and cracks and groans, it is probably because of changes in the tem- perature. It is generally true that wood, and most other sub- stances, expand as they are heat- ed and shrink as they are cooled. During the day, the air has been warmed up by the heat of the sun, or by the warmth given out by the furnace in the house. At night it is usually much colder both in the house and out-of- doors. Furniture is 'likely to shrink more Or less at night, as it cools, and to expand with the greater heat of daytime. A .part of a chair or a table may sudden- ly slip a little and make a creak- ing noise. As the furniture shrinks a little, the joints do not fit as tightly as they did before. The amount of moisture in the air may also have something to do with this. We notice the creaking of fur- niture, or of an old house, more at night than we do in the day- time because it is usually much more quiet. -then. However, fur- niture and hom^ do creak in the daytime as well. tilero Pas A Price—The cost of ga hero is high and Carle- tonbeing West will be the first to agree. While he was saving a drowning women, police gave hvn a ticket for illegal parking.