JANUARY 28, 1950

- THE GUARDIAN,

CHARLOTTETOWN

q,

The Canadian Fur Auction Sales gompnny, Ltd., will hold a public suction in Montreal commencing Monday. January 30th. That day the offering will be 8000 beaver, 8000 wild mink, 1500 otter. 1,200 crossfox lnd other furs. Tuesday, January 31st. 30,000 ranch mink. 10.000 mutation mink. 800 fisher. 2.100. white fox. Wednesday, February 1st., 75.000 muskrat, 40.000 ermine, 13m marten. 1.4100 blue fox and 11.000 red fox. Thursday, February 3nd,, 150,000 squirrel. 10,000 rac- cqgn, {ON} skunk, III» W011, 15° timber wolf. miscellaneous furs. and that afternoon 5.000 platinum fox. Friday. February 3rd. 10.000 silver fox, white marked and stan- dard. The general collection and foxes will be on show Friday. Jun- uary 27th., and ermine on show until sold.

The biggest single offering of Aleutian mink brought forth a very good demand at the New

York Auction Company's sale, Jan- uary 18th when 90 per cent oi the 9,000 offering was sold. Aleutian IIQ s new mutation having been offered for the first time in much smslier quantity last year. At that time they reached a top of $81. On this sale they reached a top price

of $59. for one lot of males pro- . . - .

d-uced by Lsnry Moors. This bun- dle was purchased by Rltter Bros. of New York, one oi the heavy buyers oi the sale.

An important announcement was made at the outset of the sale by General Manager McNamara. i-le stated. "It is the intention of the New York Auction Company and the Mutation Mink Breeders Association not to sell dressed mutation mink between sales. This statement follows the expressed in- lention oi’ the mutation mink breeders to recommend to auction companies the elimination of priv- ste sales. The bulk of the male Aleutians were sold between $45. lIld $55. with some going over $60. and others selling for from $30. to $415. Still others brought less than 330. but they were in the minor- ity. Pastel mlnk sold briskly, buy- ers paying from $20. to $42. for males and from $19. to $26. for re- uules.

Women's Wesr Daily, New York. reporter attending the Hudson's Bay Company's mink auction in Montreal last week reported Sil- verblu mink 50 pcr cent sold while s small collection of pastels was reported easier end white mink very strong. An offering of 168 Arctic Blue fox brought a top price of $1535 for silvery. A small of- fering oi cross fox was withdrawn Ind red fox mostly were with- drawn. with s top of $4.50 for l-B dark. 0n Tuesday's sale the com- psny reported officially wild mink 15.500, on outstanding collection, 85

.per cent sold.

Women's Wear Daily. reporting the silver fox sslo st Hudson's Bay

Company stated that the 9.575 pskins were marketed at prices -lh0wing s substantial advance

Fever recent quotations. It was the _- first sale of silver fox st Hudson's ; Bsy Company's Montreal auction glnd so no comparison could be ;msde. New York and Canadian i-deslers bid actively and a large percentage of the sections offered h in early trading changed hands. .Qllality and freshness were com- Imentod upon favorably. Full silv- 'Iry ranged from $13.50 to $20.50 with most around $10.50 to $17.50 . and some 81B. to $19. Full silvery . "filed from $13M to $18.50 with ' many around $16. to $16.50. Reg- lllll‘ full silvery numbered 2.456. 011055 ranged from $111.50 to $20. sndyrlrrdinary full silvery from $12 o .

In the afternoon some cheaper bts of regular full silvers brought

. 3-15- 6 . 8-16- 6 (8% Borax) 5-10-10 (1% M-G-Q) 5-10-18 (1% M410.)

.-...._- ...._... _._....-.-.._ .--.-._.-..-..-..

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TIMELY NOTES ON TOPICS CONNECTED WITII

Silver For and * Mink Farming

~04 wmv.

"we 7x90

mY..¥\i\. ‘Ysiifliwstiihl "4-\1Y,\ w $8.50 to $12.50 and silvery $12.50 to $14.50. New York and Montreal dealers were buyers and some lots were said to have been taken for European account. Full silver in- teriors 1,834 brought $6.50 to $15.50 for silvery and $5. to $13. for fuils. They were‘ largely bought by Can- adian manufacturers and dealers. All sections of standard silvers sold high percentages; half to three- quarter silvers were divided into selected regular and. inferior. The catalogue was small and complete- ly sold. The range for three-quor- ter selected, $20. to $25.50, one lot of this brought $28. Regulars num- bering 260 brought from $15.50 to $22.50 for three-quarter, while in- feriors ranged from $11. to $18.50 for halt silvers. Pearl platinums selected, extra light brought $19.- 50. light $18.50 t0 $24., mediums $17.50 to $%.50. Regular pearls brought from $15. to $20, for light and $14.50 to $21. for mediums. Interiors ranged from $1050 to $17. for light and $9. to $18.50 for med- ium.

George A. Caiibeck, manager oi

the Canadian National Silver Fox Breeders’ Association. vwho attend- ed the above, summarizes the sell- irlg oi the fox catalogue as follows Standard silvers. number of skins offered 5.574. 59 per cent sold, average price $14.57; standard platinums 2.186 offered, 54 per cent sold, average price s1s.so;_whlte marked silvers 1.000 offered. 70 per cent sold, average $10.70; pearl platlnums 446 skins offered, 100 per cent sold. average $17.31, In addition there were 145 standard low grades and 152 mutation low grades offered, no prices quoted for them. Now that the Hudson's Bay Company's sale of silver fox ilas been so encouraging with such an upturn in prices. we will all he looking forward to next Thursday and Ilriday when 5,000 platinum fox of all varieties and 10.000 sil- ver fox including white marked and standard will be sold by the Canadian Fur Auction Company in Montreal. We will endeavor to get a report for our readers for Sat- urday if at all possible. but oi course it is difficult to secure data on a sale the same evening that it is comple‘ ‘. No doubt there will be considerable rivalry between the two auction companies and that will be all to the good for fur ranchers. As we remarked inst week in these notes the London market has shown a decidedly stronger tone for silver fox and it may well be that we are seeing a change for the better in our in- dustry. Certainly ii we can clean up the quantities of fox now in storage this season the least bit of demand should bring prices to a level where we can get the cost of production.

Denmark is o. comparatively small country but its people sre very energetic and solid. They are excellent farmers and when they turned their attention to fur farming some years ago they soon mastered its difficulties and are now producing quite a large num- ber of silver fox and mink. Inst Monday a oonubined mink and fox sale opened in Copenhagen. the Danish capital. with the following quantities . 445.000 Standard mink, 5,000 mutation mink. 6.000 silver fox, 4.000 blue fox and l0.- 000 nutris. It will be interestinz to see whst prices the goods fetch. Danish money is hooked with sterling so of course that would give the-m an advantage in R1110!-

JORDAN FAILS. Ont. — (OP)- An old lead mine near here is being probed for molybdenum — a mineral used to toughen steel. Paul Varner and Leon Croft say they have found s “good quantity’

FERTILIZERS

THAT MAKE FIRM FRIENDS

AMMONIUM NITRATE, 33% SUL. OF AMMONIA. 20% SUPER-GRANULAR. 20% MURIATE OF POTASH, 80%

F, 0, B. curs our factory Our 1949 prices in brsckep Orders subiect to confirmation

IBICES SUBJECT T0 CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE Packed in five ply paper bags 100 lbs. each

Make Your Fertilizer 5's 0o ’Further

island Fertilizer Co.

Charlottetown, P. l. I.

of ore which is beinfl time l" Ottawa and Halifax. »

($43.00) ($46.00) ($45.60) ($49.20)

A Long Time Guernsey Producer

Dora's Princess Nancy owned and bred by Carl Ellis, Hespeler, Ontario, stands at the top oi the Honor Roll for longtime produc- tion in Canada Born on April 20th, 1930, she is still a good look- ing cow at almost 17 years of age. She completed 12 records on R. 0. P., ten of which were 305 day tests beginning with 455 lbs. of butterfat as s two-yesr-old in 365 days, she was never lower; than 435 lbs. of butterfnt in 305 days as n sthree-year-old. and five re- cords are over 500 1b.. all made on the 305 day test, with a seven- year-old record of 573 lbs. of milk and s 13-year-old record of 530 lbs. of fat.

Nancy was sired by Cairnpst Nancy's Prince by Milligsns Prince and out 0t Princess Nancy of Hill- side, two of the great animals of the breed. Princess having n re- cord ot 13,122 lbs. of milk and 607 lbs. of fat made when she was 18 years old, and had n lifetime pro- duction of 106.347 lbs. of milk and 4.969 lbs. of fut in ten tcstcd lec- tations.

The darn of Nancy was Walmer Dora with s mature record of 521 lbs. of fat made as s mature cow in 305 days, The importance of good foundation stock cannot be over estimated, when we find great cows in any breed, we gen- erally find great ancestors behind them,

Guernsey Class Lenders In East- ern Canada, December, 1949.

B05 Day Division-

Mature-Cairnpat liiajcstyk Maid —-8.687; 497-1”, M. Fox, Foster, Quebec.

4 Years-None.

3 Years-Patricizfs Jacqueline- 10,507; EEG-G. M. Magee, Ber- wick, N. S.

2 Yenrs-Elmhill M0llle’5 Beauty -8.605; 448-1-1. R, MucKenzic, River John, N, S.

305 Day Division

Mnture-Wilsonia Murctis-8,826; ‘100-C, N, Wilson. East St. John. N. B.

4 Years — Nappan Blanche 317-9318; Wright, Kinsman; Corner, N. S,

3 Years -— Brackley Sweet Pen- g22l2gr; I36B—Guy Rodd, Brackley.

Prospect -— J. K.

2 lfcors —- Avon Valley Foremost Annette—6,822; 321 —- Avon Val. ley Greenhouses, Falmouth. N. S.

Types 0f Farming in Canada

What crops do Canadian farmers grow? What is the extent of the livestock industry? Where are apples. small fruits and tobacco produced? These are a few o1 the many questions often asked con- cerning Canadian agriculture. Per- hllls the dominant place of wheat in the agricultural economy of Canada has» overshadowed in the minds oi some, the many other kinds of farming practised in the country,

A most useful guide to Canadian agriculture is s recent bulletin. Types of Farming in Canada which is a joint study by the Economics Division, Dominion Department of Agriculture and the Census Divis- ion. Dominion Bureau of Statistics.

Climate. topography and soils

play an important part in a counry as vast as Canada. and along with them of course, are the economic factors-availability of markets, transportation, labour and prices. Taken together, it is such matters as these that dictate the types of farming found throughout the dominion. In addition to large-scale map indicating in colour the general types of farming. use is made of smaller maps to show the location and density of the principal crops and the importance of livestock and livestock products in various areas. The bulletin may be obtained from the Dominion Department oi Agriculture,_ Ottawa. Ask for Pub- lication 825.

CHECK BT01!) GRAIN F01]. MITES

. Mites are small animals, scarce- ly visible to the human eye, which at times infest cereal and other food products. They are soft- bodied creatures snd of more or less pearly white colour. They may occur in other foods, such ss cheese. '

During the esrly winter it is often necessary to store grain on

the farm. Farmers would do well to examine their gflin frequently during this period of ~ storage. Damp or tough grsirl is especially susceptible to Attack by mites. and serious infestations may occur during the winter months.

m order to tut ior mites. groin should be sifted over s screen of about 80 lneahes to the inch. This will retain the grain and coarse dookage while allowing the dust and mites to through. The accumulated dust should then be spresii out in s thin ls er-prsier- ably on s sheet or b sot paper. The mites being White in colour sre readily seen. particularly ir a magnifying glass is used. In -cold weather the mites ms be sluggish. but if the paper is he d for s short time about tsn inches shove the state. they will warm and move more rapidly. Ii the dust is tipped onto another paper. many of the mites will remain on the original one. as they tend to cling to the surface beneath the dust.

It is well worth taking lime out

- NEWSY

The Pine Siskin.

_0n November W. 104B. I "res. cued a small ra/ther dowdy-looking bird from the house est. 1t was only slightly hurt. so as nightfall was coming on I turnql the bird loose in the machine shed, whence it emerged next morning safe and perhaps sound. Elxaminailon showed it to be a Pine Siskin. I had often observed flocks of these birds but did not know what they were. in the absence of pronounced markings.

"The Pine Gbldfinch" (as Bain calls it) "is s winter bird. some- times seen in company with the Chickadees and Redpolls, from which it is abundantly distinguish- ed by its clear voice and strong buoyant flight."

Dr. Taverner. in Birds of East- ern Canada, states that as it is only a visitor with a strong part- lality ior the fruit of conierous trees, it ls a neutral species; doing perhaps no great good but certain- ly no harm.

Pine Siskln or Finch. AOU. 533. Irregular Winter Visitor. Plvmage (both sexes): above dull ollvac- eous. heavily streaked dusky and

ish; wings dusky, most of the feathers edged yellow. and yellow at the base; tail short, well notch- ed, dusky, all but the middle fea- thers, yellow at the base; under- parts whitish. heavily streaked with dusky. Length of adult 5.0 inches.

Atlantis. the lost continent.

Plato. the Greek quoting Timaeus. an earlier his- torian, tells of the subsidence 0i the island continent of Atlantis in a single night. This ls a tradition which through the centuries has given rise to poetic and historic elaborations. The Aiiantearls were said to be the most warlike. the most learned. and the most cul- tured oi mankind in their day.

Solon, one of the seven sages of Greece. ls said i0 have been told by the Egyptian priests at Sais. that the most famous exploit of the Athenians was their over- throw of the power of the Atlan- teans. (It may be stated here that the Egyptians had records ante- tiuting those of other countries.) Atlantis, they said. was a con- tinent lying over against the Pil- lars of Hercules (now the Straits of Gibraltar) which was greater than Libya and Asia put together and was the passage to other is- lands and another continent, of which the Mediterranean Sea was only the harbor. Inside the Pillars the Atlantenn Emrplre reached to Egypt and Tyrrhenia (Tuscany). This mighty power was rival to Egypt. Greece, and all the count- tries bordering the Mediterranean. Furthermore, said the priests, Athens (Solon’s city) had won re- nown over the whole earth. for when all the other Hellenes had de- serted her, she repelled the Atlan- teans and of her own accord gave liberty to all the nations within bhe Pillars. A little while after this. said their records. there was a great earthquake and the great Island of Atlantis disappeared i_n- to the sea. One critic calls this a nebulous history, but at the bottom is a strong presumption of truth.

But did the continent actually sink? Examine the map commonly called the Mercator! Projection. Observe how the two Americas match western Europe and Africa. like the sections of a jig-saw puz- zle. Were these in close juxtaposit- ion when time began. and were they rent apart by some terrible catastrophe? Had the Arizona meteorite anything to do with it?

There is evidence, says David Dietz, that the continents consist of lighter granite rocks which are floating, as it were. on a lower sub- etrsturm of glass-like basalt. "This

philosopher.

to test stored grain during the winter. If infestations are found they should be reported to the Dominion Entomologist, Depart- ment of Agriculture, for further advice.

brown. feathers edged pale gray-i

Ottawa. i

~Qco<§x o@>oc<eec@>oo@>oo@oc@oo@os<s>ec@oc<

NOTES -

ly Agricola >oo<Q:-oc-Qoe~@oo<@oo@>co@c

i theory, that the continental masses float in s state of equilibrium on a basaltic substratum. is known as the “theory of Isostacy" (Dietz, “Swrv of Science") Occasionally one reads newspaper articles which aver that our continent has drifted a little to the weelward.

To go back to the meteorite. A meteor is, in popular parlance, s “shooting star." If it reaches the ground it is a meteorite. Shooting stars are particles of rook or iron varying in size, which drift into the earth's atmosphere from outer spare. In general they are burnt up by friction with the sir. but the larger particles may reach the ground. Meteorites have been found which weighed several tons. but none of them can compare with the Arizona meteorite, a prehistor- ic monster!

Where this massive body fell. is a bowl shaped crater four-fiiths of a mile across. the bottom being 440 feet below the natural level oi the surrounding desert. As the meteorite struck it threw out a rim of more than 200,000,003 tons of rock. The largest block is eL-iim- uted to weigh over 7.000 tons!

Meteorites rarely bury themsel-

vos more than ten feet deep, but engineers drilled for this one for |two years before the drill found the tough iron at 1.376 feet! From a consideration oi all the circum- stances it is believed that this mass of iron was 300 to 500 feet in diam- eter, with a minimum weight of a million ions! ,Thc impact of a million tons of meteoric iron drove Atlantis to the westward where it is now known as the North American continent; and South America reluctantly followed. The European and Afric- an people who looked westward next morning saw only turbid, i raging walter.

What of the Atlanteans? Were they the Mayans, Toltecs and Az- tecs. (or their ancestors) who left mighty pyramidal temples, and pillars covered with inscriptions resembling the hieroglyphs of Eg- ypt? Some. at least, of these in- scriptlons have to do with an ast- lroncmic calendar; most, however. have not yet been translated. Stat- ues and has-reliefs show a people with strongly isquiline nos- es. projecting chins and high but retreating foreheads: all of which indicate an overbearing and de- termined disposition.

There are several other features of this hypothesis that need con- sideration, but I must conclude for the present. '

Genealogy of Shaw family.

It has been my privilege to hand over to the Librarian of the Public Library, City. a copy of a M. S. geneology 0f the family of Neil Shaw and his descendants. This M, S, history strikes me as being originally the work of the late Ilubert MacCallurn of Brack- ley Beach who was greatly in- terestcd in preserving the records of the pioneers.

. Ncll Shaw. his wife and family, came to P. E. I. from Cantyre, Scotland in 11769 or 11770. They re- sided at New London for a while. then settled at Covehead. Later on their son, Duncan Shaw, settled in Brackley Point, where this branch has representatives at the present day. In 1798 (when the first cen- sus was taken) Neil was still living. as an occupant of his son Mal- colm's house, in Lot 34. The cen-

‘sus gives another son, Duncan. as

, living in the same Dot. ' .

I The M. S. is more than fairly correot; 1n fact lack of dates is

its greatest shortcoming. This for-

tunately has been renedied

through the kindness of H. H.

Shaw. E-Sq, of Charlottetown. It

is certain that there a number of

members of the family who are not yet included in the genealogy.

Po them I would say-visit the

Library and add your name to the

list. A good idea would be to give

‘your fathers and grandfather's

lnnmes with dates. s0 that future

pcdigrcc-huzitcrs would find the work easier.

STILL A STICK-IN-TIPMUD

of! Norfolk. Va.

cruisc. All climls in irrv tho 131:1‘.

.§

and destroyers frantically

— Tugs work lo free the USS MlSSCRFl irom-a mudballk in Hampton Roads

Tho "Mighiy Mo" ran aground as it lett on a routine

iibhli) have so iar bccn fuiile,

New Bulletin 0n Mink llanching

A new bulletin entitled Mink Ranchlng outlining methods of ranching mink licablc to con- ditions generally in Car-lads, has just been published by the Dominion Department of Agricul- ture. Ottawa. Written by Dr. C. K. Gunn. Superintendent, Experiment- al Fur Ranch. Smnmerside. P. E. 1..

the bulletin is well illustrated throughout and carries some ex- cellent photographs showing the

various steps in the construction of breeding sheds and pens,

.F0r convenience of description, the subject material has been sub- divided under the following main 1188-01088: location of the ranch, housing of mink, selection of breed- ing stock. mink breeding methods. feeding 0f mink and primeness of fur and the pelting of mink.

Scientific breeding methods, such as the application of linebreeding and specific genetical formulae for various crosses of new mutant type mink are discussed and explained. Willie mink nutrition is a. debat- able question and feeding practices vary across Canada, the writer has made an attempt to standardize 1hr- available information from his personal experience and that of outstanding mink ranchers across the country.

The bulletin is available on request from the Dominion Depart- ment of Agriculture, Ottawa. Ask for Publication 827.