TY NEWSY

NOTES -

I! ACID-NOLA

Tug MOON IN AGRICULTURE.

! had been on the Island a there was a sort of l inaugurated at a near- J“ School which 1 made a point of by ' The speakers dealt with

l j when a; or ttvo.

‘Lfiilirx-lghiid were thoroughly ao- “siiitcn-i Wllil the sublect. I

but towards the close one l; a fals; notfi. d lAt his lecture e ca e or mellbcllirfrand one man responded gghould one plant in the full of mean?" In a flash the lecturer "l. back: "Were not farming the $5.‘... tolllgili!" As you may im- gmc there was a roar oi laulthti?!‘ Bu,“ which the crest-fallen en- ade himself Leg-cg. Isgnny; ' htende n .ligslilgr‘lsxbuil that uncalled-for fault-ole warned me off. 0n enquiry .mund the district I found that a. 0d uuuibri- of people believed psi the moon actually had some uifluence ill agriculture. I; l; s very old belle! that plant- [pg when the moon is "Will-big" w- mmages growth above ground; pianllylg u-llll a wailing moon en- mmw growth below ground. Whe- mei- tiiat is so. is unknown to the mm who was usually too busy at lmting time to notice the ‘moon. m; gardener mid me that no got mm growth and b15891‘ 700i! by gpvlng illicit-r a waxing moon; and put root-vcgutables sown during a waning moon tended to be woody. lleie is all opportunity for readers is sdd to our knowledge oi the ‘ubjm next spring: when plant- in; tuo matter what crop) notice [he phase of the moon, and see how the crop turns out.

Pliny, the famous Roman scholar, and author of a “Natural History." “pig about the r1 ht phase of the moon during whic it is desirable to harvest. "Ii you want to sell pups," hi» suys, "then harvest them ll lull moon. because you will have m. nice fruits. full of juice; but ifvou want toQtoic them. it is bet- tei to use the waning moon." Among the coolles of the tea-growing lands it was a belief that the quality oi p‘; leg was improved by delaying (hg plucking of ihe_1eaf till after lull moon _ , The press-lit ivrilcr can neither endorse nor disprove these beliefs, hut their antiquity as well as their universality seems to warrant lur- tiier research. I shall be 81M! $0 put on record any information Blflll! this line which readers may rupplv

l\ JESTEIVS PHILOSOPHY

‘ muugiit’. oi them 5m"

in Gilbert and Sullivan's finest light opera. “The Yeomen of the Guard," Jack Point, the professional jtster. inxscs his voice in song to give this piece of philosophy:

“if givcn to the world in merry

guls. Unpleasant truths are swallowed with it will; 0h. he ivlznrl make his fellow, fel- low, fellow-creatures “'19s, Slloultlil always giid tile philosophic pl l"

IPills have miller given place w tablets nolv-a-days. so it is perhaps necessary to recall that druggisls iued to coat. their worse-tasting

pill \\'llll thin gold leaf). Many a true word is spoken in Jest. said mother philosopher; and Dr. Stephen Leacock. Canada's forc- most humorist, once wrote 1.111s: ‘The only trouble for us Can- adians hos in the words "honestly "iii Dwpcrlv." We no sooner see Sflveriiment luoney in sight, 1.11am we iilli‘ up in sccilons, with local interest cvovyivheve clamorous. Worse than that, if one may say it l"? lie-filly. in dealing with gov- imment mnncy we are individually 110i lint quite exactly what you'd call honest. Iii our private lives we l" as straight as a. string. But ._ . we have somehow grown up with the idea that the Govern- ment is there to be cheated. that of Nurse it _nnlst pay too much and Eli too lliilc." Nit is cvzdrni that public expendi- '-e must. from ‘its very nature, be rastcfill. and ‘hat state work tends vibe done at an uneconomic price, W“ “pm "Om Breed or avarice 11591010511‘ among public ser- mllls. Tlilshrlscs from the fnct H" Dublic work there is no real ii-itol .\(‘i'\‘li‘(‘ If a workman tor “"10" Pills off bad \l‘01‘k ill pri- mal lilltivlxaklngi the private em- mzer villi cccllne t0 accept it. The dmuot competition is absent in mdullls “i111 Dublic bodies. and nits “£51 fl slackncss that is almost. wk“ l__.\ in lhc vices that D1‘. bea- ‘ c-iiilkvfi us with.

“"1 WORD "vixlivc."

‘Ell: wold liking is very generally aoiloulicctl: lately I heard a "a C-‘Pvnkcr. somewhere in Cen- nnuyanadrl." nnlioullcc “the vic- andhimlk. Vik or Vick. in the hue beilmu ‘tongues appears to [reeks o?‘ Slllillllfliiy applied to the “term”; ilfllds of the coast and n8 ls to L10 iittlc iowns that

M mill on their beaches. ‘Pile 11W. “l: w“ l° flDDly the suffix town dvlloic the inhabitants of i,,,,_.. .1; ‘lilo were thus "Vik- Jwi bv ti“ was "WY extensively n "mil" Anglo-Saxons. and was mm“ l" loose application, as -_\L“h“b"e“is people 01‘ tribe.

FUX MEAT

Boneless Horse Meat 50's 5c Lb.

Gr . °"‘"_?‘Mec|' 50's — — 5c lb ,, ,2: - - g l-Ze lb i — — I-lc lb

il °Yi ums ALL new PACK.

Milli Gold Storage liompany

6°05 M. or desoen“ ‘s of. The 511m? W001i} transplanted 'Vik" to England also, where it Iii-appeared as Wick, or wich. There were occasions when the "W" was not sounded as in Berwick, pronounced Derrick and Elswlck, (Elslck). “Vik" is found from Reykjavik (Iceland) and Ulltrrnavik (Greenland) right 811F055 Northern Canada to Aklavik on MaoKenzie River.

Till TYNESID! NATIONAL ANTHEM

That expression means tothe pea- Ple 01’ Northumbria, the old and fan-tiller tune of "The Keel Row." The words are of the simplest char- acter, as will be seen:_

"As I went up Sandgate, up Sand- cate. up Sandgaie, As I went up Sandgate I heard

e. lassie sing‘-

Weel may the eel row. the keel row. the keel row.

Weel may the keel that my lsddies in!"

There was a second verse. that

stripped of its "vain repetitions," read-

"He wears a blue bonnet . . . .a dimple in his chin:

And weel may the keel row that my

inddies inl

‘The beautiful and inspiriting niel- ody was popular on Tyneside over 200 years ago. and few tunes are as positively identified with a district as it is. Sasldgate tSang-get, in the vernacular) s a short steep street in Newcastle leading down to the Quay (wharf). a word derived from the Old French and pro- nounced Key. The river Tyne was formerly too shallow to allow ships t0 “Mud it. so the coal was load- ed into barges I-nd poled-hot row- ed-ia the mouth of the river where it was transferred to col- liers for export. These barges were the "keels" of the song and were peculiar to the e.

It will be noticed that the dialect of the Tyneside has a good deal of resemblance to that of the lowlands oi Scotland and this has led to an error on the part of the uninitiated. Thus a dance-album published in the U. s. A. has a. Eriicturo oi two kiitcd lassies dancing

s Highland fling. with the words "rho Keel Row" as the title. Our Old Time ilddlers probably play from this book, since they too an- nounce “ at Scottish dance, the keel Row."

gill they correct this mistake or do

NOTES ON ISLAND PLANTS THE BORAGINACEAE

This is the Borage family and though some of the species have been admitted to the garden as ornamentals. I cm inclined to look upon them with suspicion since they take too ldndly to our climate and soil. and might easily turn out to be a nuisance. As an example, a friend sent me some seed to Echium or Bugloos, which flourished and bloomed delightfully: but I saw that it was about to produce seed enough to sow several acres. Fear- ing it would become as great a pest as the daisy, I cut it downlbeiore the seed was ripe. Most species have blue or bluish flowers and many carry the blooms in scorpioid in- florescences; that is the spike is curved like a bishop's crozier.

Hist on our list is the Stick- seed. Lappula echinata. This has earned an evil reputation as one of the "Farm Weeds oi Canada." ‘Phat useful publication gives a. col- ored plate oi the Stickseed, arid says it is troublesome to sheep on account oi the fleeces becoming matted by burs it produces. As the plant has a disagreeable odor stock will not eat it. so it takes possession of roadside and rough pastures. On two separate occasions this weed has been sent in for identi- fication; probably it is well estab- lished in certain localities.

Professor Groh, in 1928, found the Comfrey, Symphyium oiilcinale, growin on the Island. It is a coarse- king plant, that cives point to the saying that "hand- some is as handsome does," for de- spite its appearance it is still quot- ed in the herbals as useful in lung troubles, and as a poultice for obstinate ulcers. The mucilaginous root is the part used

We have two species o! Myosctls: the Smaller Forget-me-not. iii. lam, and the Field Scorpion Grass. M nrvensis. These are low soft-hairy herbs with little bluish flowers, well known for their sentimental value‘ Nothing is'known of their medical or economic properties (if any).

Last oi the family is the Small Bugloss, Lycopsls nrvenala. another denlren of dry sandy fields, and reputed to be scarce in Canada. It is an adventurer from Europe. like most of the Boraginaccac. Nothing is known of its properties.

GRAPES 1N CANADA

It. may int/crest my readers to learn that 16,000 acres are devoted to the cultivation oi grapes in the Niagara peninsula, and further plantings in British Columbia, raise the total acreage of Canadian vine- yards to 20,000 acres nearly. It is a young industry as such enterprises so. for in 1880 there were but 400 acres under cultivation. and it tukes.

full five mrs before a vineyard begins to r. The blue Concord. and the white

Niagara grapes are the varieties principally favored and this is he- cause oi their high sugar content. The vineyards resemble nothhg so much as a well-spaced collection of carefully pruned hed es running in parallel across the ields The first grapes are ripe in Sepirmbvr and the harvest lasts another month Just as we employ potato-Plow“ the grape-farmer employs labor at 30 cents per hour, to "cut his grapes. for which he will receive anything from I25 t0 I40 P01’ w,"- The price stood It the 11181101‘ "il- ure in 1940. which meant an in-

come oi 01000-000 to be divided nmon the producers: this would have on a larger figure had the

crop not been below avers!!! 119'“

wet. weather. ttle of this crop aw 11110

Very li

Weekly Live Stock ‘Market Report

UITAWA, Canada, February 20,

1941.. SUMMARY:

ed in last 2c ., cattle market were retrieved in the current; trag- ing session, selliig rates advancing Anywhere from 10c to 50c 0r more. The market, however, appears se-nsl- tivc to supply at the moment. Tlic improvements this week was credit- ed solely to the light nature oi re- ceipts and it is Probiematicai if present prices would hold under heavier offerings. Present demand isprlncipaily Vol a local character, prices ruling in the United Ftatcs not proving attractive enough iu take very many cattle across irle line. Calves closed 50c lower at To- ronto after export buyers had sat- isfied their demands but, elsewhere, tile market was stgady to firm. There was little change in the ho: market situation except for a gain of 15c at Toronto. Sheep and lambs remained steady.

Eastern Oattle Markets

Steers and heifers opened steady at Toronto but gained 10c to 15c on a short run at mid-week. Other classes were strong sellers. Some choice weighty steers sold at $9.85 to $10 and others $9.50 downward, while butchers rated $7 to i’. 75. Stocker trade was inclined to be slow at $6.50 to $7.65, with 100 head unsold at the close. Montreal prov- ed an exception to the general rule, steers being estimated at 25c lower in spots and other kinds steady. Good steers were $9 m $0.50 and good cows mostly $6 to $6.25. There is a decided lack of the het- ter grades of cattle on Maritime markets. where good to choice steers were quoted at $8.25 to 9.25.

Western Cattle Markets

Most killing cattle at Winnipeg gained around 50c and some medium kinds showed o. larger advance, un- der sharply curtailed reccii s. Bidding was keen to fill orders but it IS doubtful if any appreciable increase in offerings would mcet with similar troatmeiit pending an improvement in United States prices. Top steers were eligible for $9 and steers soiling at $8.50 down- ward were definitely firmer. The few replacement cattle offered were well cleared with suitable feeders at $7 to $7.50. Calgary cattle trade was iairly active at an advance oi 25c or more. good butcher steers making $8 25 to $8 75 and choice up to $9 Receipts 4' Eciinolltoli were bad‘y Sjificlélli’, to fill re- quirements mid on strong trade choice our: were ritcd at iii ‘o $8.25, with extrecr»: tops $0.50. Prince Albert had some good butcher sicers at $7 25 to $7 50 willie Moose Jaw paid $7.50 :0 $7.75 for o few choice butcher steers and Regina had the odd steer at $8. A few real cod steers at Sask- atoon brought to $8.50, a sharp advance over the previous reek. Good fed steel-s at Vancouver brought $8 50 to $8 75.

United States Market

Export business was light and Buffalo had only a couple of loads of Canadian siecre selling at $11 to $11 25 Tliesc sales would be vouch- ly equal lo about $9.50 to $9.75 n1 Toronto. Si. Paul quoted medium to good Canadian steel-s at 9 to $10. medium to good bulls from s7 to $7.75 and good cows at $7.25.

Exports for the week were 1.345 beef cattle, 1'13 dairy, 708 calves nnzl 59 hogs. Exports to dale this jvcal" total 15.712 beef, 1,031 (itilljv. 6:123 calves and 511i hogs. cccnparcd with 8,908 beef. 1.320 dairy and calves in the corresponding period of 1940.

Calves Lower at Toronto After export buyers had filled their rcqlliremc-llts at Toronto.

choice venls dropped to a top price of $13 on Wednesday. a decline of 50c. Ot-Fcl‘ markets. however. held their previous lcvcls, hfnntrcnl pay- ing up to $12 and as liisrli r..- Q3 for some vimlce veals. while Vliliul- peg was firm lit $10 to 11.50. The best of the veals at Cnlgavl: dildo 10 to an extreme $10.50. Edmonton up to $10, Prince Albert and Moose Jaw 9. Regina $10. Si kn tooli $10 25 and Vancouver $8.50 medium quality.

Ontario Ho): Prices Higher

tarlo packing plants showed some advance Toronto was up l5: uitli grad:- B-l at $11 15 in $11.40 dressed, whilc dirt-ct deliveries to plants showed similar" increases. Elsewhere prices remnitied about unchanged. Montreal paying $11.50. Winnipeg $10 25 to $10.45. Ctilglrv

the fruit Ll-zldc; (11051 of it goes to be turned into piano juice in Nov- ember; or to bc lnndc into wine, the fermentation of which ls hurried so ns to be completed before lilo lvcatlicr gets really cold. ‘Ilium is. as is wcll known. wild yeasts ill abundance on both grapes and all other fruits. and the home .vili~- makcrr relies exclusively on than for fermenis, and usually with sat- isfactory results But the u . - maker iii the "winery" cannot af- ford any uncertainty". alid so has ills own cultures (if yt-zist-slixilzls, whelcby 11c srcurcs a uniform pro- duct.

Tho Oninrlo govcrnincnt gives considerable silpporl lo tlic grape industry Its inspectors sci the price pIliiI for the grapes. nlld su- pervise thc operation of tho winer- ies, Not a boillc oi the win/z may be sold llnlcss it. bours the 110V- emrileiit siainp.

The Concord urnpo is a highly’ de- veloped varictv of iili‘ Northern For Grape (Vlliv IEIIIIINPIU of New Enz- ]u-i~(l_ and l: still tlic subject if hy- btidisis who sock to furilici- im- prove lt. Another succics llie Rivvr- bank of Frost grape IV. villninal grows well on our North Shore. where the situation may be con- sidered rather bleak, and is nlwztvs about 4 tic-preps lower in tum-irra- lure iheul the Soillli 5111114‘. If one could be surn- of oillcr twenty vents 1o otlcfls crt-tlii. lhiv plant would form a good subject for hybridiza- tion mo.

Practically all tile loss/s sustaln- ,

run cmuztorrarpww GUARQIAN

FMR

/ CONSER

l WEEKLY COLUMN OI‘

MABSHFIELD.

mac-nor. ornnolvs or ms VITAL issims “norms rm; uses AND NATURAL rmsouncls n! cm. ummw JENKINS.

VATION?

ABUSE! 0F

Tlllt‘. STEEL ‘IRA!’

In thess days when our emrgies are concentrating on com-Lerviiig our lcspurccs and righting some of the wrongs and crueltes rampant in the world today, would it not be well to give some thought to some of those ccmmztted in our own country and try to do something to have them corrected? I refer to the c lit-ices ilnpDscd upon helpness wild-life by the use of the steel

"ap.

1n North America alone. ove: one hundred ions of warm-blooded animals are caught in steel traps eveiy year, and at the present moment countless thousands are suffering untcld agonies of pain. cold, hunger, tilfrst and fear.

We have splendid societies look- ing after the interests oi our dom- estic animals. What a cry would co up from almost every home in these provinces if onlv a small frac- tion them were being trappcd and tortured in the manner being done to our wild animals. Thcv are just as intelligent in fact tests have shown tlhat they are endowed with senses superior to our domestic ani- mals and so are capable of the same feelings. Who of us who have watch- ed the tender solicitnde of our wilds mothers for their young, have not been touched with the most pro- found feelings of admiration and despect

When the steel trap was invent- ed about eighty years ago, some In- titan tribes wculd not use it". said it. caused tco much suffering to the little wood folk. It was left for the white. man to inflict upon wild- life what has been called "history's foulest horror".

To even hold a wild animal so used to its izeidom, is to inflict the 111193305? 11261131. to say nothing of the pain. The steel trap does not kill at cnce but cnuscs long drawn- oui. suffering. Th: average animal caught in a steel trap suffers for days, many dlavs sometimes, before it dies miserably of cold or hunger or is killed, depending upon ivhether it 1S caught in a settled district or remote wilds. There ought to be a scvcrc punishment for anyone not visiting traps at least once a day, let alone for periods of weeks, as is being done on lengthy trap lines and sometimes in bad weather even st month no thfltlght being given to the diurnal excepting the hope t-‘nrit it nily freeze o: starve to ditath, and not be mutilated or gnaw its legs off and escape.

At present, when so many makes of humane traps are on the market which kill an animal at. once. or fez-hold traps capable- oi’ holding an alrrnnl without breaking the bone Cl‘ hurting it. so it mav be ve- lensed II not wanted, would it not. be well for all to wsrk for the en- acting of laws for the abolition of the steel trap?

The raising of fur-bearing ani-

ial srflilitiml. We are glad to know that for fifteen years the Anti-Stcel-Trap

i i

League formed by D. Edward Breck, well known to Canadians, has bcrn dong valuable work, no‘. cnlv in America. but acrcss the Atlantic as well. His experience in tho wilds and th." night-long llcart vending clus of a bear caught

t;ap line as seen with his ovm eyes.

lln a slecl trap, the horrors of the

for [

madc such an impression on him til-it lie resolved to spend the last years of his llteto end forever the diabolical crucify of the steel trap. And not without results as stmc

of t-lie Stairs have aboli liliEfl ii: the >

State of Kentucky prohlbring its use after January lst, 1940.

Someone has said that the dis- covoiy oi the nineteenth century has been that. we are of one blood with the lower animals. The 571m’) wise Clmtor made us zed as we look into the eyws of some animals. we niav well wonder vvlliat is ilic diffurnce between the souls of our four-footed fellow mortals and our own.

The question oi blip siccl trap is pav-iclllarly n women's. a» siie ulenrs most. of tho filrs and 11's the finer feelings. which should be out aged as she thinks of the cruelty inflict- ed on the helpless animal whose skin she is “raring. but which had to give up its life oficri m agony. m that she mllzlit have a little pleasure. To a sensitive conscience.

I tlic mp1s nlartyrdoni cvcl" one him-