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Zurich Herald, 1952-01-10, Page 9Which Way Does Pig's Taps Curl? Recently published, in an Ameri- can farm paper was the sketch' of a pig with its tail curled ..to the left. In a short accompanying article the question was asked whe- ther the artist had curled the tail in the wrong direction. Readers were invited to write anal give their opinions and obser- vations, Over 1,000 letters and pos- tals were received. Here's .a tabula- tion of the replies: Thirty-two per cent said a pig's, tail curls clockwise (or right); 13 per cent, said a pig's tail curls left; 55 percent said it curls either way —and that's correct: The most surprising thing was how nmasay folks had never paid any attention to that portion of a pig's anatomy; ,had never had the ques- tion raised. Sonne interesting farm beliefs came to light in these replies. Quite a few farmers said that if a sow's. 'tail curls to the right, that's a • sign of a good brood sow. Others' were just as certain that a left curl was a sign of a good brood sow.' Some folks said it was a matter of sex, some thought it was the breed that determines the direction of the curl. Many a reply said: "1 don't know, ' but I went out and looked at our logs." Several sent snapshots of their pigs to evidence. Some of the vo-ag 'teachers had their students snake counts, on pigs. in their proj- ects and 'send the, tabulation off right curls and left *curls. • One country school teacher in Michi- gan had all the fourth grade pupils look the matter up and write ' a reply, then all the letters were mailed. in ,one huge envelope. The letters came from oldsters as well as youngsters. A farmer wrote: "I am 70 years old and havelived on a farm all my life. 1 never saw a pig with its ° tail • curled .to the left." A farmer, 65, correctly ,.observed that tails can curl either way. A farmer's wife in Texas said: "My husband. and I went out and looked, just to make sure." A boy who has raised, fed, exhi- bited and. judged hogs for three years said the curl of the tail had never been called to his attention. Another young farmer who had really spent some time watching his pigs carne up with this obser- vation: "A pig seems to have per- fect control. While I watched them, some pigs curled their tails left, then let them uncurl and twisted them to the right:" One point on which many agreed was the importance of curl in a pig's tail. A curled tail, • they allowed, was a sign that a pig is feeling good, doing. Weil. A sick pig, or a chilled pig, usually lets its tail hang., straight. Is Mall. a Fighter By Nature or Training? Do Wren and animals fight be- cause of some inherited inner urge? Or is it because they are trained to be belligerent? Some light is thrown on these questions by ex- periments that Drs. J. P. Scott and Ernil Fredericson of the Roscoe .1B, Jackson' Memorial Laboratory have been conducting with rats and - mice. The laboratory has long been studying the behavior of animals to determine the relative influence of heredity and environment 011 beha- vior. Though heredity, especially the male -hormone factor, may be im- portant in some situations, train- . ing proves to be more important. Drs. Scott and Fredericson regard this as hopeful because the same laws of learning and habit -forma- tion apply to all higher animals. Birt the two investigators find that.niore research is necessary before it is Workn GfrI's Boudoir Wardrobe Should Be Practicai This brushed rayon gown in coral was designed for thepaycheck girl:; It's edged in white Venice lace, has a mandarin collar, white pearl buttons, and is ratted at the aides for comfort. $Y EDA IMES HE girt whoo earns her own living and must therefore get an entire, wardrobe from her paycheck each season quickly becomes a shrewd shopper. When she shops, she looks . for practicality as well as fashion, In choosing boudoir fash- ions, she passes up gold- etched tricot and the pleated nylon nets in, favor of gowns and pajamas'ihat are charm- ing but inexpensive. And, in making her (;;selections, she looks for fashions that are young, that are _ comfortable, that launder well. Designer Myrtle Mayfield has done at series of just such gowns and pajamas for Colura in hie fashion colors and in warm and washable brushed rayon. These havea styling that's definitely y.b u n g. They're done in warm, glowing col- ors: aqua, coral, pink and/ sand. Some ha v e clean touches of white in big pom- pons while others are sparked by bright ribbons. The mandarin collar, the Warne wear for a wintry night is the over-all raiama in aqua brushed rayon. Waist - length jacket has a wide slit collar touched with coral ribbons. Peter Pan collar and the dol- man sleeve appear in these gowns and pajamas, both for fashion and for comfort. Flowing cuffs are used, too, and often they are piped in a contrasting color. safe to conclude that training equal- ly influences fighting in higher ani- mals, man included writes Walde- mar Kaempffert in the New York Times. Apparently there is no spontan- eous internal eo s me nal natural cause for fighting. Rats and mice, and per- haps man, if some extrapolation is permitted, do not need to fight. If they; fight it is because of goading and 'training. The spontaeously arising need for food may be as- sociated .with . fighting through training. The converse is also true. In other words, if the environment is tight, mice and rats can be train- ed to keep the peace. Drs. Scott and Fredericson point out that there are departures from the behavior patterns of rats and mice in some other species. Dogs, baboons and men "gang up" on an individual. Rats and mice never do. It . may be that this is a here- ditary difference. If so,, then what holds true of rats and mice does not hold true of some other species. To discover if man is naturally a fighting animal, or if he is belli- gerent because he :ia often,,taught to walk around with a chip on his shoulder, is not easy. Rats and mice do not read newspapers or listen to rabble-rousers. Men do and are thus inflamed against whole nations, races and social classes. Such cultural factors will be diffi- cult to control if it turns out that what applies to rats, mice, dogs and baboons also applies to man. SALLY'S SALLIES J j� 0 12.11 <w wn 1m.4ana..,,m, unu we. am. "There's no longer any,discount —not even for high government ' nR3ciala!" "Angel" In The Wings—Taking time out from her role as an angel in a production of "Christmas 'Through the Ages," little Loretta 'Young, 4, gets in a few licks as a stage hand, Thi all -girl show, featuring four -and -five-year olds, was produced by a Children's Aid Society center. Royal Bank Statement Sets New Record As Assets Cross $2.5 Billion Level Total deposits at $2,350,314,347, reach new high point for Canadian banking -Liquid position strong—Increased profits offset by higher taxes. New high records in the field of Canadian banking are revealed in the annual financial statement of The Royal Bank of Canada for the year ending November. 30, 1951. The report, just issued, shows total assets have now topped the $2.5 billion mark,and stand at $2,515,645,208, an increase of $18,268,886 over the record figure of a year ago. Deposits have al. reached the highest figure in Canadian banking history, the total at the end of the Royal Bank's fiscal year standing at $2,350,314,347 as compared wtih the previous year's figure of $2,337,503,468. This increase has oc- curred despite a reduction in Gov- ernment deposits of nearly $46,- 000,000. Interest-bearing deposits have also reached• a new high level of $1,123,723,791, an increase of $19,805,565 as compared with the corresponding figure in -1950 bal- ance sheet. The steady rise of in- terest-bearing deposits, characteris- stic of bank statements during the past few years, shows a tendency to level off, due no doubt to the im- pact of heavier taxes and higher liv- ing costs. Non-interest bearing pub- lic deposits have increased by $39,694,767 and now total $1,085,- 717,203. 1,085;717,203. Demand for commercial loans in Canada has continued heavy, due to the high level of comercial and industrial activity during the past twelve months. This is reflected in an increase of $67,122,070 under this heading as compared with the cor- • responding figure in 1950. Much of this increase occurred prior to the Government's announced policy of credit restriction in February. Call loans in Canada standing at $21,- 191,848, 21;191,848, are down by $31,347,547. The liquid position of the bank con- tinues very strong. Cash assets total $488,057,439, which is equal to 20% of all the banlc's public liabilities. Liquid assets: amount to $1,624,599,- 059, ,equivalent to, 66.96% of. ;the bank's liabilities to •the public. In- cluded in the bank's liquid assets are Dominion, and Provincial secu- rities totalling $836,209,958. Bank Premises Account has in- creased from $17,068,704 to $19,- 508,884, due to the bank's continu- ing programme of branch building and improvement. During the year major improvements and extensions were completed at a number of branch points for the better accom- modation of the bank's steadily in- creasing clientele and staff and for increased efficiency. If You're Modernizing Your Home These Hints May Be Helpful .Many people can easily spot a modern piece of furniture or a modern interior. Yet they search in vain for a common denominator, or a rule which says "this makes modern." Kim Roffman, world famous de- signer, believes he has found a formula which will help solve the problems for the average layman. Modern, he believes, is not a series of elements. It is not char- treuse walls an‘ pink sofas, nor spindly iron furniture, nor sling c h a i r s, nor free -form tables. Though legitimate in themselves, these pieces, he says, cannot make modern, "It is the atmosphere rather than its separate components t 11 a t counts," he says. Modern Means Special Outlook. "Going modern" to him simply means sharing a special philosophy and a special outlook on life. Mo- dern has character. He. chooses to describe it in three strong charac- ter qualities — honest, simplicity, and generosity. Honesty, he says, enters the pic- ture when you stop disguising things to look like what they are not. Using marbelized paper to fake a marble table top he cites as a good example of what should not be done. It means courage to refrain from covering every column with mir- rors, and to hang draperies without a covering valance. Simplicity is the second defining quality and the one which he con- siders most difficult to achieve. People who have been exposed to the flapper era of "cuteness" do not always take to it kindly. "There is nothing cute nor coy nor fussy about a modern interior," says Mr. Hoffman. "Rather it is a study in understatement and ma- turity. We do not fear the empty spaces outside our houses; why then, trust we fear them in our rooms and on our furniture? In- stead of buying more furniture, why can't we buy better furniture? An empty corner or a bare wall has quiet restfulness, and there is real pleasure in looking at fine woods." Generosity, :the last word in his trilogy, implies, he says, generosity in line and treatment. For instance, where several small tables, chairs, lamps or pictures were used in the past with cluttery effect, modern interiors employ fewer, but larger pieces. One long 'row of unified book- cases or chests takes the place of innumerable small commodes of different heights. Instead of fram- ing three windows individually with six panels, one generous cur- tain now covers the whole wall, In- stead of two or three short sofas or love seats varying in type and size, one long sofa continues hori- zontal lines. One or two bold, gen- erous patterns are used to accent plain fabrics. Generous lighting calls for fewer lamps which give stronger light, and clearer lamp shades which cast a whiter light. Generous carpeting means wall-to-wall carpeting or linoleum to take the place of seven small scattier rugs. In understanding overtones of "going modern," Mr, Hoffman be- lieves hone owners will not seek just to be fashionable or modish. They will rather seek the intelli- gent applications of their own aes- thetic ideas, to make contemporary rooms which are airy, spacious, comfortable, and useful. FIRST COME A visitor to the village attended church and afterwards a resident asked hint what lie thought of the service. "I liked the service very much," said the visitor, "but one thing puzzled met wby'id the congrega- tion hurry out so quickly after the 13 enediction ?" "Well," the native replied, "the sexton makeb ...them leave their umbrellas in the porch, and those who get out late haven't much of a choice,". .� s.�-•k..aiXew�,.+ HRONIC.LES %INGERFARM Y x.offal° D Ct&t1 e What do- people do with their spare time—that is, when it isn't Christmas?. Read, play cards, run around to dances, parties and shows? Yes,' we know people do many of these things—some more, acme less—but there are also plenty of folk who make use of their spare time to develop their own creative talent. And I believe their number is on the increase. At least that is ' my impression after visiting local bazaars, hobby shows, and more recently, a sale of arts and crafts. It is also evident in the tremendous response in this district when night school classes were organized by the Department of Agriculture, for the purpose of teaching art, leather - craft, sewing, woodwork and other -forms of handicraft. Obviously,:, people like to work with their hands and their brains. Perhaps I should put it the other way round because a person must first use his brains before he can work with his hands. Small town bazaars are more or less conservative in their set-up. The work that is contributed and the articles offered for sale are generally along the lines of knitting, crochet, fancy work, baking and candy, probably because these items are always sure of a ready sale. Church members responsible for all this fine work certainly wouldn't have much spare time left on their hands for idle amusement. Think of the number of work hours involved in such an undertaking! It must be colossal. At hobby slsotvs we find a greater variety of handicraft. Here there is work that has been adopted pri- marily as a hobby—craftsmen, both men and women, taking a delight in making something that is new and different, testing their own skill and ingenuity. Occasionally hobbies also develop into profitable sidelines. Somebody once said—"Show me what a person does in his spare time and I can tell you what kind of person he is." There is a lot of truth in that observation, isn't there? When there are so many creative pastimes to work at and to hold our interest surely none of us need be guilty of "killing time." Last Saturday 1 picked up two of our nei hbo nrs and Took them to a sale of arts and crafts at a neighs bouring town, cleverly timed to catch .the Christmas gift -buying public. It was wonderful... but terribly hard to make a choke for the presents one wanted to buy. Pottery 'of all kinds— useful- ar ornamental. And as an added attrac- tion there was a .young lady artist from the Sovereign Potteries de- monstrating free-hand painting on luaodmade pottery. It was.fascinat- ing to watch her., at work. A few deft touches of the brush -and there was a water -lily in full bloom. There were also bowls, vases and ashtrays in natural terracotta clay, from soil taken straight from the nearby village of Terra Cotta, The streaky clay mixture looked 'some- thing like marble cake, only pinky - white. Of course all the pottery was glazed and baked and was most attractive. Another display was quite unique —at least I had never seen anything like it before. Costume jewellery in the very finest of leather—in all kinds of artistic colours and designs. I bought a beautiful orchid pin, in bronze and gold, that I am,. sure Daughter is going to love wearing on her lapel on her brown fur coat. I wouldn't have had any trouble in choosing one for my own use but I couldn't afford to be Santa Claus to rnyself. In handwoven goods there were guest towels, place mats, scarves and most attractive evening bags in a pleasing combination of colours. Between us we came away with 'three- bags and ,two towels. Friend : ,Phyllis was havingc a wonderftil. time—picking 'out cos- tume jentellery, thinking about it afterwards, and then deciding a different colour would really be much better for her sister-in-law. It was changed with the best of good humour. Then she bought a bag for Aunt Susie . in a few minutes she wasback again—she had to have one in blue for Pamela. . . . and that one in coral shade would be grand for 13 -year-old. Bonnie! Finally we'.had a cup of tea awl. made tracks for home, very well pleased with our purchases, and grateful for the initiative of the Arts and Crafts Guild who made our purchases possible. Wore A Uniform Broke Into Rash That a United States soldier had to be discharged from military ser- vice because he broke out into a rash every time he put on uniforms is by no means a mystery to the medical profession, for the fact that certain people are allergic to pecu- liar influences' is an .old -established one. A few years ago a doctor re- ported that one of his patients broke outin sores and inflamma- tion behii. the ears and on the bridge of the nose for no apparent reason. Eventually it was found that this was caused by the nickel - framed spectacles he wore—such as are worn by thousands of people -ithout ill effects, But the doctor found that if he placed a nickel coin on t'.e palm of this man's. hand for a few hours. the skin be- neath looked as though it had been burnt. A young wife who became ill at intervals was found to be abnor- mally sensitive to flour in its raw state and was only unwell aft..r she had been snaking cakes. The con- tact of silk with the skin of some I .pie has a most harmful effect. The fact is that our bodies have fads and fancies ust as much as we, their. owners, have. Fortunately, most of tis are not adversely af- fected by things with which eve come into contact on frequent oc- casions. In a country church an a'ii.sent minded verger was showing two late strangers into a pew when the preacher announced his text: "Paul we know and Apollo we know, but who are these?" "Just two commercial travellers from the Red Lion Tavern," aiiswcr, ett the verger. 44 w:a.ia..¢, v#'.s•.,' ..ea�,"i .is ..'°.....w .,/ #:t NU Member of the ULdergt'ound—You may laugh al this pocket gopher's buck teeth, but he won't. His chisel -like incisors are just about the most important thingshe owns. He uses them fo. dig• ging tunnels, cutting roots, stems and tubers The little rodent's teeth grow a total of approximately 46 inches a year, or aLout six times his body length, according to a recent study And I-•ow'c you like to spend a year looking into that face in order tr those teeth? Huh --not even for science9