Walkerton Independent, Volume 51, Number 19, Walkerton, St. Joseph County, 8 October 1925 — Page 3

SILVER SPOONS IN THE FLOUR * By ANNA S. FIELDER ■'T (© by Short Story Pub. Co.) MA WILSON regarded the sack of flour with silent contempt. Pa Wilson shuffled uneasily. "Well, ma,” he said, “I tried to git Kingsbury’s Rocky Mountain Best, but Jed wuz clean out, and knowin’ as how you hed to hev flour, Jed says as this Is jest as good.” “Jest as good I Powerful lot Jed Summers knows about flour! It’s a purty howdy-do! Me with them cakes to bake fer the Ladles’ Aid, an’ not a teacupful of decent flour in the house! No, ’tain’t no use fer you to try to change It now, them cakes oughter be in this minute! I’ll hev ter use It. Like as not they’ll fail an’ I ain’t had a failure with my bakin’ in twenty year. Lucindy ! Come here an’ empty this sack of flour while I git the eggs an’ milk." Lucindy, a shambling country girl, appeared in the door as ma’s ample proportions disappeared pantryward. “Oh, ma!” came in excited accents a minute later, “look what’s in the flour!” “Lord!" ejaculated ma, dropping »n egg on the spotless floor. “A silver spoon ! Pa, look here!” “Well, don’t that beat all!” Pa took the shining object in his great hand almost reverently. “Jed said as uow they wuz premiums in some of the sacks, but I low he didn't know it wuz anything like this er he’d never sold—” “Don’t you tell him. Si!” gasp_d ma. “I’m goin’ ter make a flat failure out’n these cakes so’s they won’t nobody els., buy that flour. I’m goin* ter git all of these here spoons Jed’s got. I wonder how often they come.” “Oh, once in so often, I reckon. Won’t Billy's eyes stick out when he sees this? Well, I got ter go an’ put up the hoss." “Lucindy," said ma, confidentially, when pa was out of sight, “I’m goin’ to git half a dozen of them spoons. I’ve always wanted some real silver an’ this is my chance. I reckon TH take a fall out’n them stuck-up Higginses with their silver butter dish that the platln’s all wearin’ off.” That night. Instead of her customary knitting. Ma Wilson got out some •craps of flannel and made a long case containing six pockets. “Now, what would you embroider on it?” she inquired of Lucindy, “Spoons”? “Silver sounds a heap sweller.” Lucindy replied. “No.” ma objected. “Silver Is misleadin’. Knives an’ forks is silver; so’s Higginses' butter dish. I think Hl make it ‘Silver Spoons.’ ” And "Silver Spoons” it was when the case was reverently placed under ma's pillow that night In the two months following ma contrived to use four sacks of flour and was rewarded with two more apoons, and her soul soared heavenward as she slipped the third spoon Into its pocket and realized that the case was half full. Her thrifty soul would not permit her to waste the flour and she was driven to distraction thinking of ways to use it fast enough. The family lived on cakes and pies, thickened gravies and flour sauces until Bill remarked that he “wished she’d give him his flour dry if it would rush things any.” Three months passed and brought the fourth spoon. With it ma begun to develop a fear of burglars. Her sleep came to be mere cat-naps, from which she frequently aroused to call pa and send him down to see If he had fastened the cellar door. A night of unbroken rest was an unknown luxury to the long-suffering family. The fifth spoon only served to make matters worse. Ma’s old hand trembled piteously as she slipped it into the shining row. “Seems like she gits worse’n worse,” Billy growled. “Never mind !" consoled pa. “Praise be! They ain’t but one more!” And it was this thought that goaded ma on. She doubled her efforts and tripled her vigilance, but the sixth spoon came not. Weeks passed, leaden weeks of flour puddings and thickened gravies, and nights of sleepless anxiety. Pa grew sullen and ma’s rotund figure shrunk to gaunt proportions. She gazed at pa hollow-eyed across the breakfast table. Flour, flour everywhere! Flour in every imaginable shape and form. The climax came when she fainted one afternoon, opening a sack of flour. Th' doctor came, and tapped and sounded in vain. “As near as I can make out,” he said to Lucindy, “it’s a kind of nervous prostration. Has your ma been under any great strain lately?”

How Artificial Pearls Differ From Real Ones

Anyone can test a pearl for himself. Many artificial pearls are hollow glass i beads, with a sort of fishscale lining, I a product of a small Mediterranean fish. These can be detected by rubbing the pearl gently over the edge of your lower teeth. If it Is a glass pearl ft will feel perfectly smooth. If It is a real pearl it will be slightly rougn and grating. A Japanese cultured pearl cannot be detected In this way. for its outer structure is exactly like that of a real pearl. It is a pearl formed by an When Greek Meets Greek The phrase, “When Greek Meets Greek," when equal and great forces compete (a hard contest Is to be expected), is derived from lines In Nathaniel Lee's “Alexander the Great," “When Greeks Joined Greeks, then was the tug of war, ’ un allusion to the contest between the Greek states and Philip and Alexander of Macedon. 857-365 B. C.—Literary Digest,

Lucindy shook her nead. She didn’t want to tell about the spoons and the doctor went away mystified. As the weeks passed and ma grew weaker his mystification increased. She commanded each new sack of flour to be brought to her bed and opened, and at each new disappointment she sank back in a condition of collapse. During the intervals she lay weak and silent on her pillow, slipping the spoons in and out of their pockets, and regarding sadly the one empty space. “Bill,” said pa, one day. “Something’s got ter be done er your ma ’ll die. I’m goin’ ter hitch up an’ drive over to Grayson City an’ buy one of them spoons at the jewelry store.” That night he drove back triumphant and handed a spoon to Lucindy, saying: “Now, you sew that up in a sack of flour an’ praise be we’ll be shed er this spoon business forever!” “Why, pa I” Lucindy exclaimed “thL ain’t like the other!” Pa’s face fell. “Well, it looked like it in the jewelry store. Well —” he gazed around helplessly. “Ours has got little curly-cues here,” Lucindy explained, “an’ this one ain’t.” “D* you suppose she'll notice?" pa inquired, hopefully. “Notice? Ain’t she looked at them spoons enough to know ’em in the dark? No, it ain’t no use. We got ter git it out’n the flour er not at all.” Meanwhile ma had spent the day making her will, one clause of which afforded l.er honest pride—- “ And the family sliver consisting of spoons I bequeath to my daughter, Lucindy, for a wedding gift.” She had insisted on leaving the blank space. “For somehow,’’ she said, “I feel ’s if I couldn’t die til) I see them six spoons all together there in a row, an’ the number can be written in at the last minute." When pa read it he set his jaw firmly and strode out to the barn. “Bill,” he ordered “hitch up. I’m goin’ down an’ buy every sack of that blamed flour Jed Summers’ got!” An hour later they drove into the yard with the wagon full of sacks. Feverishly they worked opening and pouring the contents unceremoniously on the barn floor, the dust from the same turning them gradually to a ghastly gray in the lantern light, until they seized the last sack, tore Jt open, dumped It on the heap, and then gazed at one another in blank despair. At last Bill broke the silence. “My God 1” he gasped, gazing wild-eyed t the snowy mountain. “Think of the flour we’ve got to eat!” ‘Tm goin' back down to Jed’s.” Pa Wilson said, dully. “Maybe he’s got a sack left som’ers." Jed Invited them — to~look~for~them'selves and In desperation they looked. At last, under a heap of empty sacks In a dark corner they found a solitary sack left. “Bill,” the old man groaned. “You do It—l ain't got the grit.” Bill hesitated a moment, glanced at the -Id man’s haggard face, drew a long breath, then plunged in his hand and brought out —a spoon ! It was a gasping breathless pair that dashed Into the farmhouse kitchen a little later. Would they be in time? They tore through the diningroom and into the bedroom where Ma Wilson lay weak and white among the pillows, still counting her spoons. Bill tossed the shining new spoon on the counterpane before her. She started up from the pillows her face radiant with awe and unbelief. “It ain’t—” she whispered. “Oh, pa. It ain’t the other spoon!’’ “Sure. Mike!” Bill ejaculated. “That’s just what It is. the other spoon!” Ma Wilson turned It over, lovingly examining every detail of the design, all the little “curly-cues" which proclaimed it unmistakably the spoon, then slipping ft info the solitary empty pocket she fell back upon the pillows and contemplated the finished row with satisfaction too deep for words. The assembled family gazed from ma’s placid face to the spoons and from the spoons to one another, limp and silent with voiceless gratitude. At last ma spoke. “You can tear up that will, Lucindy,’’ she said. “I’m goin' to live to git a dozen of these here spoons!” Chinese Led in Canals It is said the Chinese understood ' canal building at a very early period. ‘ They are believed to have been the first to invent locks to raise vessels from one water level to another. Evidently canal locks were in operation in China at least 1,000 years before the Christian era. In Europe there Is doubt whether it was the Dutch or the Italians who first used locks on canals. — It’s a Strange Fact No man can understand how it is that all the narrow-minded people disagree with him.—Toledo Blade.

oyster about a core of mother-of-pearl ’ that has been slipped in the shell. One I way of distinguishing Japanese cul- \ tured pearls from real ones is examining them under a lucidoscope. By means of this machine one can look through the pearl and distinguish the core. —Popular Science Monthly. Great Spiders of Florida Doctor Gudger says that in Florida the spider known as nephila plumlpes is found, the female of which has been known to measure an extreme height of four and a quarter inches. The web of this nephila Is golden yellow, very brilliant and beautiful. Its stays and guys extend over a diameter of five or six feet or upward, with a closely orb-woven center three or four feet across. And Vice Versa It is possible for a man to hav® plenty to live on, but little to live for, —Portland Evening Express

/ lZ i - "'•’'T'"'-'""'"’?- JU—iXi’JL;—ll h » .«> L | J - | — '~ZXEIii&fs!SSSiSBKiNBSSSSiiiKBBMS **-—*%^ —— - ; ■ IT-a. JII reWow MO® I—Great Britain’s newest aircraft carrier, the Furious, going to sea for trials. 2 —President’s special aircraft inquiry board in session. B—Senator Raoul Dandurand of Canada, new president of the League of Nations assembly.

NEWS REVIEW OF CURRENTEVENTS What the Aircraft Board Is Learning From Army and Navy Officers. By EDWARD W. PICKARD COL. WILLIAM MITCHELL’S pet scheme, the creation of a separate department of aeronautics, received many sharp blows during the first week of the hearings held by the President’s special aircraft board. For the army, It was opposed by Acting Secretary of War Davis, Maj. Gen. Mason M. Patrick, chief of the army air service ; Major General Hines, chief of staff, and Brig. Gen. Hugh Drum, assistant chief of staff. For the navy, vigorous objections were voiced by Secretary Wilbur, Admiral Eberle, chief of naval operations; Admiral Moffett, chief of the bureau it aeronautics, and Admiral Strauss of the general board. Incidentally, Colonel Mitchell has been suspended from active service. Mr. Davis told the board and the American people that there was "no noed for fesr about tbe condition of the nation’s air forces,” insisting that the service would be quickly put in excellent shape if congress would grant larger appropriations. General Patrick, though opposing a separate aeronautics department in the cabinet, did favor the consolidation of the War and Navy departments Into a department of national defense; furthermore, he supported the charges made by Colonel Mitchell, that the development of an adequate air froce has been hampered by higher officials who do not comprehend Its vast Importance. He justified the policy of conservative building of planes until there Is more certainty as to the types wanted for quantity production. But in contrast with Mitchell’s assertion that the army has but a handful of effective, up-to-date planes. General Patrick said he has 896 fit for use In an emergency. Os these, 90 are bombardment planes, 249 observation planes, 26 pursuit planes and 31 training planes. He stated he had no attack planes. In addition, he has 40 obsolete planes and 1.000 others that could not be used in war. Asked just what is the matter with the air service. General Patrick replied : “The air service is not treated as a real member of the family. Our recommendations are frequently Ignored and our motives questioned. The fact is that the development of the air arm has lessened the importance of every other arm of the national defense. “Aircraft reaching out over sea have minimized somewhat the need of coast defense. “Scouting far In advance, they have made cavalry less necessary for reconnaissance. "Conducting operations far beyond the range of land guns they have made artillery less Important, and even the infantry, the backbone of the army. “So, coming Into being as It has, the air arm has not been welcomed. The i€‘commendations for its development must be passed on by officers belonging to these various other arms whose importance is being minimized by the new force and they—well, they don’t realize the importance of the new weapon. It was a long time before I could get any recognition of the air force in the War department.” Generals Hines and Drum disagreed with General Patrick as to the superior Importance of the air force to Infantry, cavalry and artillery. In the matter of congressional appropriations. Representative Vinson of Georgia, a member of the board, asserted congress had voted all the air force funds the War department had asked for.

EXT the navy came to bat, and 1 Secretary Wilbur led off with the declaration that to divorce the aeronautics arm from the navy arm would be “a well nigh Irreparable mistake.” Admiral Eberle asserted that adoption of the Mitchell proposals would “bring disaster to national defense Interests”; and Admiral Moffett argued that because of tbe Intimate Bribery Charged to British Labor Leaders London. —London is much aroused over the exposure of the chief Communist agitators among leaders in English life who have received money from Russia. A. A. Purcell, Labor member of parliament and one of the leaders of the left wing of the Labor party, was a member of the British trade union delegation which visited Moscow last December. On his return he was

connection between naval vessels and naval aircraft In the fighting of future sea battles. It would be suicidal to take aviation away from the navy and put it In a separate department. “Such a change in organization would violate the fundamental requirement of national defense, which Is unity,’' he explained. “The plan for a separate department Is unsound strategically, tactically and economically. The organization of a single air service would fatally complicate the national defense problem. This has been amply demonstrated abroad. Commander J. H. Towers, a naval aviator of wide experience, who has lately returned from duty abroad, has stated. ‘The more I see of the separate air force idea the more opposed I am to it.' ’’ Admiral Strauss said that the experiment of England and Italy with a unified air service has been a failure and England Is reverting to the old system. Secretary of Commerce Hoover and Postmaster General New were called on to tell the board about commercial aviation prospects, and they agreed that America is about to witness the development of the greatest commercial air transport system In the world, If only the government does its part. Mr. Hoover told the board that commercial aviation can be established on a vast scale In this country without the payment of the large government subsidies to private enterprise which have resulted In the development of the European aerial carriage systems and, he believes, without the payment of any direct subsidy at all. But it will be necessary for congress to enact air transport legislation analogous to the merchant marine law. he said, and to provide for air navigation service by the government such as Is afforded water navigation. BESIDES starting Its technical Investigation of the causes of the Shenandoah disaster, the naval court of inquiry brought out a number of facts concerning the dirigible’s fatal flight. It was learned that Lieutenant Commander Zachary Lansdowne had recommended that the flight be deferred until the second week of September, but this was not because of probable weather conditions, but solely on the ground of the limited time for receiving, regassing and refueling the airship at Scott field, Illinois, and at Detroit. The Navy department already had deferred to the opinion of Lansdowne that the flight should be made in September instead of July because the earlier month was the season of violent storms in the Middle West, but it disapproved of his suggestion to wait until the second week of September because it was desired that the dirigible should fly over a number of state fairs held during the first week. JOSEPH CAILLAUX, French finance •J minister, together with his colleagues of the debt-funding commission, arrived in Washington, prepared to settle the French debt terms quickly and avowedly hopeful of that result. On the way across the Atlantic M. Calllaux formulated the terms he intended to offer the United States, but he did not tell them to anyone, not even to the other members of the commission. Moreover, the American commission has agreed that the proceedings shall be in secret, so probably the public must await their conclusion to learn authoritatively what is offered by the Frenchman. It was stated in Washington that if no agreement has been reached before October 3, when Calllaux must leave f<y home to prepare for the opening of the French parliament, he will offer annual payments, beginning in 1926, of $40,000,000, to he increased after 1931. If this is not accepted he will ask the United States to send a commission across to study France’s financial situation and capacity to pay. He frankly said he expected easier terms than those granted Great Britain. AS WAS expected, the League of Nations found the Mosul question too hard for It to settle, and so referred It to The Hague court. The British and French members of the inquiry' committee had agreed that the league should handle the problem, but the Swedish delegate was obdurate, and as the constitution demands unanimity of all committee reports, he closely interrogated on December 29 by the executive committee of the trade union congress, of which he Is a member, about an alleged receipt for £5,000 ($25,000) from the Soviet government. Mr. Purcell said the money was his own. When pressed he said he had been robbed of £5,000 on the train going to Moscow and t’.ie Soviets made good the loss. Pressed to tell where he got so much money, he said It was intrusted to him by friends for a private trade deal.

carried his point and had the matter referred. The British, both the delegates in Geneva and the officials at home, are much disgruntled and now some of them begin to doubt the full efficacy of the league. As for Turkey, there is no assurance that she will accept the decision of the world court If it Is adverse to her claims. ACCORDING to the London Dolly Graphic, the British government has learned that since 1922 more than $3,000,000 of Moscow gold has been paid to Socialist members of parliament, trade union officials and prominent radical leaders. The home office has the details of the case and the paper says there would be a tremendous political sensation If the names of the recipients of the propaganda money were made public. The largest payment to an individual is said to have been $26,000. Another London paper says Georges Tchltcherln, soviet foreign minister, is likely to be removed because he failed to prevent Germany’s turning to England and France Instead of to Russia for a security pact. He may be succeeded by M. Karakhan, now ambassador to China. AMERICAN aviators who are In the service of the sultan of Morocco in the Rlfflan war have been warned by the State department that they are violating the law and are Hable to arrest and punishment in the United State*. But they assert they have taken no oath of allegiance, have signed no enlistment papers and feel quite justified in serving under the sultan. They declare they will remain there throughout the campaign. The French commander is making use of them continually and they have demonstrated their efficiency in many bombing operations, these frequently being against undefended Riff villages. It is reported tn Fez that Abd-el-Krlm has offered $5,000 for every member of the Sherifian squadron brought to him dead or alive. The French and Spanish armies are still advancing Into Riff territory but will soon be compelled to dig In for the rainy season. when the more mobile natives will have a chance for swift raiding. Their foes hope and expect that the winter season will bring famine that will compel the Rlffians to submit. TNSIDE facts of the futile campaign . to secure for Gen. Leonard Wood the Republican presidential nomination In 1920 were brought out in Chicago in the suit of William Cooper Procter of Cincinnati to recover $50,000 from Col. A. A. Sprague of Chicago. During the campaign they jointly signed a note for SIOO,OOO to obtain a loan from a bank. The defense alleged the campaign cost $1,750,000 and was conducted entirely by Procter who had sole control of the expenditure of the money, telling those who protested against extravagance that it was none of their business. D ROMINENT men who died during * the week included James Deering, Chicago and Miami millionaire and former official of the Deering Harvester company, who succumbed to a complication of diseases while at sea on his return from France; Sir Francis Darwin, son of Charles Darwin and himself an eminent scientist; Paul Bartlett, American sculptor, at his home in Rome; A. C. Bedford, chairman of the board of the Standard Oil company of New Jersey; and Sir Pratap Singh, the maharajah of Jammu and Kashmir, whose nephew and heir was the “Mr. A.” of the blackmail case which created such a sensation in London last winter. O ESUMPTION of civil war in Chinn A*- between the forces of General Feng and Marshal Chang Tso-lin Is expected “within a few days,” according to dispatches from Tokyo. The first fighting will be for tbe control of Shansi province, and Marshal Wu PeiFu is likely to take an active part there. The Japanese government has declared It will maintain neutrality. PRESIDENT COOLIDGE has issued 1 a proclamation recommending that the week of October 4 be observed as national fire prevention week. He appeals for “earnest study of the principles of fire protection’’ and asks all state and municipal officials and citizens generally for fullest co-operation. Five days before the opening of the Labor party congress at Liverpool Ramsay MacDonald, leader of the party and former prime minister, had launched a vigorous attack on Communists w’ho are seeking admittance to the party. Writing in the Forward, a Glasgow labor paper, he says their admittance is impossible. “In office and out of office we have found that their chief desire Is to hamper us,” he said. “Their criticisms are more unscrupulous than those of our sworw enemies.”

Sanitation Plays Important Part

Despite Progress Already Made There Is Room for Improvement. (Prepared by the United States Department of Agriculture.) Though the Influence of sanitary surroundings In preventing disease is widely recognized, the very direct part it plays is illustrated almost dally In federal veterinary activities. One of the most important lines of this work is the eradication of tuberculosis from live stock. Owing to the systematic manner in which the testing is conducted, together with retests of infected herds, definite records now’ take the place of casual observations. In one herd tested annually for a period of three years, each test disclosed at least two tuberculous animals. The premises and stable were in such condition that thorough disinfection was virtually Impossible, and rather than improve conditions the owner finally quit the dairy business. In contrast to this experience are scores of cases in which infected herds, kept in sanitary barns, are soon freed of tuberculosis and kept so for long periods. Striking Example. One of the most striking examples reported to the bureau of animal industry, United States Department of Agriculture, was that of an Eastern dairyman who had an excellent herd which he kept in a very old dank barn. The herd numbered between 30 and 40 animals, mostly pure bred, and the owner paid several thousand dollars apiece for some of his sires. This was some years ago when public enlightenment concerning tuberculosis was just beginning. Frequent deaths occurred In the herd and finally the dairyman decided to have his cattle tuberculin tested. The first test showed a large proportion of reactors, -nd later tests took still more, indicating that Infection was still on the premises. Ultimately his herd, representing years, of breeding work and a large investment, was practically wiped out. The cost of a few good cows used In the construction of a modern, sanitary barn would have protected the large Investment in the herd and prevented the inroads of tbe disease. So Important Is the sanitary condition under which cattle are kept, with relation to their health, that the United States Department of Agriculture now pays federal indemnity for tuberculous stock only after the premises have been properly disinfected. This is a new ruling based on an interpretation of federal laws and regulations and on many of the state laws. A thorough clean-up Is necessary, of course, before disinfection can be properly performed. The ruling Is expected to be helpful in reducing the number of reactors found on retests of infected herds. Unless disinfection is promptly and thoroughly done following the removal of tuberculous cattle from a farm, there Is serious danger of continued lurking Infection which may mean reactors to pay for at a later time. Such a practice Is contrary to good business methods and the program of federal economy. Room for Improvement. Practical live stock sanitation in-

LOOK CLOSE INTO VALUE OF UNKNOWN. FARM MATERIALS

Farmer Should Go Slow Before Buying Marl. "Farmers should go slow and compare prices before investing in ‘lime marl’ and other questionable values in lime and fertilizers.” says the New York State College of Agriculture at Ithaca. During the past few months salesmen have been offering farmers “lime marl” at prices approximately sl2 a ton, and claims have been made that it is at least half again as good as limestone. Marl is unsolidified limestone. The marl and limestone both contain lime in the same chemical form; both are of satisfactory fineness; both correct soil acidity, and make soil conditions favorable for growing red clover. This marl, says the college, is a good liming material when sold at a fair price, as analyses show it to have practically the same amount of calcium carbonate as good limestones, with practically no difference in “availability.” Experiments at Cornell show marl, on the whole, to be slightly less valuable than a good, fine limestone. Difference in price must be the deciding factor in choosing between the two products, say soils men, and Commercial Fertilizer Helps to Keep Up Humus If you are short of stable manure arc are using vegetable refuse of various kinds, and green manure, to keep up tbe humus supply in your soil, you will need a commercial fertilizer. A 5-10-5 fertilizer is recommended. It should be used at the rate of a pound to every 30 square feet. If you cannot get the above formula, get a 4-8-4 or some other high in the middle and lower at the ends. The numbers, which sound like a football signal, refer, in alphabetical order, to the percentage of fertilizing material—ammonia, phosphoric acid, and potash. Where poultry manure is available, it may be used on the garden at the rate of a pound to 10 square feet. Acid phosphate at the rate of a pound to 50 square feet helps to balance it. Wood ashes are good fertilizer but coal ashes are worthless except to loosen heavy soil. They should be sifted before being used for that purpose.

cludes such matters as good drainage, removal of manure at frequent intervals, foundations of concrete or other material that does not rot or harbor Infection, good light and ventilation, and smooth walls, floors and ceilings that can be easily cleaned and disinfected. The trend of progress is plainly in the direction of better care and housing of farm live stock, since sanitation pays both in a business way and from a health standpoint. But in spite of the excellent progress already made, department officials point out that there is abundant opportunity for more attention to this important subject. Fattening Turkeys for Market Requires Grain The marketing season for turkeys is very short. The best market usually runs from the middle of November to the latter part of December. Turkeys should be started by feeding night and morning, just enough feed at a time so that they will go away still a little hungry. The feed may be gradually increased in quantity until they are given all they will clean up three times a day during the week before they are to be marketed. A good feed, and one that most turkey feeders find satisfactory, is equal parts of wheat and oats during the first part of the fattening season, gradually changing to corn as th* weather becomes cooler. It is a common mistake made by most raisers to begin feeding about November 1 with corn only. But since no preliminary feeding has made the birds accustomed to such heavy feeding, scours often result, especially if new corn is used. Old corn, which is free from mustiness, is a much better feed than new corn. The wild turkeys put themselves In prime condition on a diet of nuts and acorns, and where these feeds are available, as they frequently are. they may be used. Best results, however, are obtained when a grain ration of oats, wheat and corn is fed. Flushing Ewes Previous to Breeding Is Favored As breeding time approaches for the ewe flock It Is well to consider th* practice of “flushing.” This consists simply in Increasing the feed to a point sufficient to insure liberal gains In weight throughout the breeding season. It matters not whether the increase be fresh, rich pasturage, or a light grain ration, the important point is that they be gaining, and in a normal, healthy condition. The advantages of putting the ewes in vigorous condition before mating—“flushing,” as it is commonly termed —are so well recognized by successful shepherds that they cannot be ignored. It Invariably results In a larger and more vigorous lamb crop. It may safely be depended upon to Increase the percentage of twins born at least 10 per cent and the number of lambs raised 20 per cent or better. This means pretty good returns on a little extra feed. Experience shows that the ewes should not be in high flesh, but gaining. This practice of “flushing” will not give so satisfactory results with ewes that are in high flesh to start with, as with those that are in thin or moderate condition.

compared on that basis, the marl loses. In one locality the marl costs sl2 a ton delivered, when good limestone costs $5 to S7 a ton delivered to the same station. The local farm bureau or the agronomy department of the State College of Agriculture at Ithaca is always readj’ to help farmers on soil, fertilizer, and lime problems. Experiments With Barley Experiments comparing soaked barley with whole barley and with ground barley have been conducted at a number of experiment stations and invariably they indicate that soaked barley is not anywhere near so good as ground barley. In fact in some cases the soaked barley has not been quite as good as ordinary whole dry barley At the Wisconsin station they found that one lot of pigs fed on soaked whole barley and tankage required 4C per cent more feed than another lot fed on dry ground barley and tankage. A word of warning should be given about cutting alfalfa too late in the fall. • • • Good judgment is necessary in deciding on this question of the proper time of cutting alfalfa. • • • A horse weighing 1.600 pounds is about right for farm work. It is not advisable to have him heavier. • • * Leather belts run with the grain side to the pulley will drive 30 per cent more than if run with the flesh side toward the pulley. • • • Crushed rock salt is the best chemical to use in killing the common barberry which spreads the black stem rust of cereals. • * • Lice will soon weaken the physical condition of the hogs to such an extent that they become easy victims of any disease that may be prevalent. ♦ * * Waste apples may be fed to the hogs, and they help out in balancing the heavy corn ration for early fattening. In this way, their value is much greater than the usual return from cider