lowed.

IT

si-JPTEMBER 2.1.24.4

l-—

Silver Fox‘ Far

u

TIMELY NOTES ON TOPICS CONNECTED WITH

ming _

m.) week's Fox Notes‘ will be

i‘ o distemper-no a very rdelflfljl Qnhject to write about but pop that deserves attention - “new the prevailing epidemic “udog distemper in this province.

~, $1 me mail last evening we receiv- ' a notice for publication from e. g K, Gunn. superintendent “ kEQIIIETIIIICXIEBl Station, Summer- ‘.3. which appears below. The ’ Bomb, 1s oogri zant of the gravity the situation and his notice

' uld be read by every rancher .1. 51110.1... province and his advice fol-

brief discussion of dis- kgggrlf; axes .. - - Among the infectious diseases of fur were W323i. ‘tars’ . ds em er e - ‘aydirgtmilnllie mostpdestructlve. The . 51...... to fox and mink population or n ranch from it cannot be over- siimatCd. strikes with sudden- aess seemingly out of a clear sky nrfwlll spread throu h a ranch ‘ and take a terrible tol of its in- 1" galillldllli. Evidence is on record of ranchcs having been almost com- 1M1 cleaned out, notwithstand- _‘ “g t efforts were made to , mock the disease.

- ks of distemper have bfitlirlf: in this province, the last o... having occurred in i931. That

icplvdgml’) decimated some oi the finest ranches and its effects have been ivlt cver since because of the m; o; almost priceless breeding foxes. This factahould be suffici- . mt to cause us to take stock of Du.- prosent situation and to use enm- posslble endeavor to re- vent a recurrence of an outbrea .

aus of distemper. - . - Dis- wggfi.“ ls ecaused" by a filterable I . mus n partial microbe. It can paas through a filter so fine that ord- .inary bacteria are not able to pass through its meshes. This Virus i; hml-SllUClllC. that is. it will af- icct only certain families of ani- fllIIlS. The groups of hosts suscept- . lble to this virus includes ferrets and minks. the raccoon family and . the dog family. which is comprised of foxes, wolves and the domestic doc. The buslc virus infection is found in Llle dog. and this virus .15 able to infect all the other sus- ceptlblc animals mentioned above in a similar manner. When the 'rirus has invaded the cells lining ‘the respiratory track as happens more often in the fox. we sPeak of tho respiratory type of distemp- cl‘. Whcn the digestive system is .il‘lflt‘lll.'illy involved as evidenced ‘ y diarrhoea with greenish-yellow color and a peculiar odor, we speak of the intestinal type of dis- temper. When the Vlfll! “Wilde! the rrlls making up the nervous s)‘. m. the brain and the spinal co . he cnsc is diagnosed as the npyvnlis type of distemper. In the wing ivc often encounter the skin- ' type of distemper in which we find the rolls covering the outer surface of the body diseased.

Time is a different degree to susceptibility of animals l0 U115 distisc. some take it more severe- 1y than others. There are also JTITIEIIIS in strains of virus which rh " mori- invasive properties for in rrll systems than for oth- \V cn a certain number nf lls are destroyed more than they can be replaced thc iininl dies. the animal .9.“ replace the destroyed cells rapldlv enough or the newly form- ed crlls show sufficient resistance to tho virus. or If the animal can prorlucc certain substances which nriuixiliz- it, that iinimnl recovers and is zhcn said to be immune-

throllilh fox or

"W18 Pmalble by tlgkfxfictrlllcn? tn‘: body excretions of a sick animal such as tbs discharges from eyes‘ nose and mouth and urine and Mes. contain the live vii-as Direct contact between animals, erlchang. in! water and feed dishes. contgm- meted body and clothing of the caretaker, the handling of healthy animals after sick ones. visit; or birds. flies, rats, gm, m “n. w Bllread the disease. A healthy. well nourished animal shows s higher deBrec of natural rekistance than does the under-nourished Ol‘ para- sited fox or min Thus many outbreaks of distemper may u. sume disastrous proportions be. cause the ranch has prgcflggd in. Ildflqllflbc- Pllilsitic control.

Treatment and reventlon. - . . As mentioned be ore losses in n ranch which has been invaded with this disease may run up to 90 per cent if its course remains uric ecked. Success or failure de- pends upon the nutritional stand- ard of the ranch, the freedom from parasites, and sanitary precautions. Poor management of a ranch from a sanitary stand int is not con- ducive to a quic and effective check of the disease since the spread of tho virus through such a ranch is very rapid.

The most effective treatment has been developed by Dr. R. G. Green of the University of Minne- sota, who is now attached to Fromm Bros, largo western Uni. ted States fox ranchers. Dr. Green has perfected s serum which is said to immunlze foxes against dis- temper. Experiments have also been conducted in Canada and we are confident that Dr. C. K. Gunn is no doubt familiar with these treatments and will have made preparagns for certain serum: should outbreak occur here.

Our principal reason for bring- liig this so prominently to our fox ranchers’ attention is that we may guard to every extent possible against an out reek. And now we introduce the precautions which Dr. Gunn has so well outlined. Cut them out and pin them up in your ranch where they can be seen and read by all employees.

DISTEMPEII.

Fox ranchers owning or having dogs in their ranches should take special precautions these days. when dog distemper is present among the domestic dogs of this province. to see that their pet dog or watch dog in the fox ranch is not allowed to mingle with other dogs on the streets. which may carry distemper to your dogs - and from the dogs to your foxes!

Remember that foxes are report- ed to take dog distemper and that it is an exceedingly dangerous virus disease that should demand

rue Ql-IARLOTT

Iprud) ws shot tM Har- bfll‘ Mr.‘ Biflhlgd! ollnxig. 19. la; (Se: Guardian. Aug. 22.

The wing-spread of 8 ft. 8 in. is extraordinary: textbooks say that u" 55111 Ellie runs from 6 ft. 4 to I ft inch

. 4 es.

In the United States this bird is protected b law: is tho om. adian law dif erent?

In the Bulletin of iois. tho s". annah S arrow (54.2.2) was listed as an Is and "Summer Resident."

ne cannot be sure if it is plenti- f or otherwise. since it n“ the general brownish coloration of some other sparrows when soon from a distance. A specimen w“ brought in on August 24 , i944, and on close examination I not- 1°¢l1= Whigs. head. back. and tell. a rich brown: breast and sides whitish. streaked brown, but no central spot on th breast. A yel- low patch or streak over the eye, and a blackish or darker atch below it. Head with a. centra yel- low streak on the crown. On the under-surface of the wing, at its "Elbow". is a narrow marginal etch of yellow. similar to that o the Wilson's Warbler. I had only hand- lletg 111258 specimen before-on Oct.

There is an instructive note on Prairie Same birds, in the Family Herald. Aux. 23. 1e44, page 2. The ‘"1"? Hppears to be troubled about the future of the native Prairie 3111191461. "the finest lame bird of

Er

Iranian Coal-Mining

Chambers’ Journal, a Scottish publicatio . recently told of t Russian ethod of "Mining Wit out Miners" which deserves to more widely known. i was reared in a coal-mining district and have been down mines on several ec- caslons: and although oung at the time, "bservation taug t me first. that the miner's life was exceed- lngliy caborious, perilous. and un- pro itable to himself and secondly that there was a terrible waste in the winning and utilization of the coal. Since I came to Canada I have learned that hard as the min- er’s lot was in the Old Countr ii. was apicnic when compared with the miner's life in the coal-fields of the United States.

The Russians, 'wiio are among the world's greatest innovators. have "at one sweep" done away with the coal-grimed miner, and the waste inseparable from the British and American system of mining. By that system it is usu- ally not possible to remove more than sixty to seventy per cent of the coal in the seam. In the Rus- sian system the coal is set alight underground. and comes to the surface as gas. The coal is never seen. It burns away to ash and hard clinker which prevents earth subsidence. always a danger in mining districts. (I have seen fields that looked as if they had- been bombed. pack-marked with craters and utterly ruined.)

The gas thus generated in a natural retort. comes to the surface by means of a shaft. It is controlled and collected; the tar is recovered to produce amulti- tude of other substances, and the gas is utilized to produce heat. light and power. Round the "minc-

vars: can

the greatest precautions by fox rancher. not only for the safety of his own ranch but for that of his neighbour.

It might be advisable for all fox ranchers to adopt the lowing; safety measures during this enzoo- tic period of dog distemper on

.I.

(l) Report l sick dogs to your local veterlnar an for diagnosis and treatment.

(2) Keep your pct. dog from possible carriers of temper.

(3) Keep all dogs out of your‘ ranch or quarantine your watchl dog, so that he does not come lni contact with dogs outside the. guard fence. I

(4) Avoid contact with sick dogs‘ and take sanitary precautions be- fore handling your foxes or their

away , dis- 1

“;rl\t-ra.i21_<1_e5r@ed or dlaisrg?’

feedstuffs. '

- NEWSY

Edi‘ v ' Concerning The Strawberry

In a book published in 1643. and cmiiicd "A Key to the Language oi North America". the author says: “this berry is the wonder oi the fruits growing naturally in lhcsc ran-ts. It is of itself excel- lciii; >o that one of the cliiefest Doctors in Enfrrid was wont to Bil’ that God could have made. but God nevci- did make a better berry" No praise could be higher. Yet lllc writcr had in mind only cur common wild strawberry. the Fi-agiiria virginiana. What would he have written if he could have

srrn .s niodcrii descendant. ‘r119 ttrairhcrry rf our gardens? We, on our port. never think nf thc

ion; rvolution which has produced the largo and luscious fruit: we nc- ' if it liiid always existed. in. too. there is ii wild Frngarla vcsca; iis abundant as rc is also found as n gar- l-iaut-liois straw- liitiorl whose origin is l-. vcacn. and whose larger flllpflfflilly a triumph of vcsca. with

fze is lhe pliint DFCCGCI‘. F. llllillllflii‘ of 12 rnni. and witli- 14 chromosomes. was first described

(Ii the vcor i330. Two hundred Years lairr came the liaut-bois with a iliamctcr of ill mm. and 42 I1ll'0lll0n‘Ell110.§. The increase in the illmbrr of chromosomes has some- Illlllll to zlo with the increase 1n the file of the barrios, though it is cer- flln that the early plant-breeders} ievcr hoard of chromosomes. 19x1 Pl‘: ocoat lmc In i700. when’ f. chiloansi introduced; from south Ania on? It measured 32. 711m. across. zll had 53 chromo- ioriics, which lattcr number it lmhaiiiittcd to its descendants. ftcns Scedlim; (1821) had the llllle measurements. but had .:i Ilorc rcsulur shape and a higher ‘-““1!,1Y»‘- Finally. In i892. appered m“ Rival Sovereign" which sho\v- l trrico of F. olallocnsls in its 5B ~1ll'0il1:‘i)"l':3. .-"l its somewhat fainted shape: it was 44 mm. by ' min: the future will 71 that. as far as size

I concerned.

ll \i"il HQ

II AGIIGOIJ .

ll d. all be- Eft” liiliilfiihl?“ JFTE.“ "Virginie or Scarlet Strawberry.

two species of Eagles‘ the Gfllden Engine‘ a ing as Eagle for many years. and this is because southward _ ihc mountainous west of tinicrit. d wr t en own ual visitor. Its claim to distinction. iviicn it dpcsniéomc. 1S l1 w. , a

.§‘.‘,rd5“.,'.“°§wy, However, I have no record of its fllllielmnce dmma my term of residence.

we Eagle. _ was classed as on 00085101151 "15 itor. but today‘ come commoner. spread and locally’ partsd n Cana a. _ thing of a preference 1°‘ i1“ "P" n1 regions. Two instances gun“ time were noticed in the

Thad-I

1940 This record is highly cred"

able could sa? 1119 “me

DUES.

i940 it Wail reported "l" '1 B d Eagle. adult and spread at lum.

FOX RANCHER3

THAT KNOW. USE AND

COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS

58 QUEEN 8T," CIIARLOTTETOWN’

' |

advantage of beginning with 56, chromosomes. and has been sue-i cessfully used in start new variet-l ies. I-Iovey's seedling. the first of these, originated in i834 in the U. S. A.. but unfortunately I have no measurements. In i861 a list of 8'1

Bird Notes

as summer visitors.

We have. nd the Bald Eagle. leth- been heard of the (aolden

it is from Alaska star “£1100, down throush the con- he east It must be

In t as a very rare cas-

It is strongest of our

The story is ver different when come to speak of, the Balfi In Francis Balns time

it is tending to be- Though widely resident in most the United States and seems to have some-

distriot. Here are tho reo-

Mrn-ray River. freed the bird. 11w’. "Fairhaven" SIP-l Sunday. Jun! 33-

, 1 ih i to all concemcfg! “$151.”:

October 8th.

Pleasant.

camp, OH

In The Guardian of

of a ft. 3 inches. W" 51"”: Marshficld by Lloyd MscCnl I

3 id Eagle ('1 feet will!-

RECOMMEND BORAX

DISTRIBUTORS

head" are chemical factories, elec- tric power-stations, synthetic oil and rubber plants. and ammunition factories, all operating on the en- ergy of the unmined coal or util- izing the abundant raw materials won from the coal-tar.

Ex erlments in the underground gasif cation of coal, were first be- gun by a group of Russian scien- tists in 1933. and five years later the first complete unit was erected at Garlovka in the Donetz basin. The idea, however. was first broach- ed by the great Russian chemist. Mendcleeff. about eighty years ago. Sir William Ramsay was interest- ed in Mcndeleeffs researches. and tried them out in the urham coal-fields but nothing came of it. The English were Loo conservative: besides, a very great amount of capital had becn put into mach- inery for the coal mines as they stood. Lenin. in Tzarist days (1913) heard of Ramsay's work. and tried to interest Russian chemists but without success. By 1931, the third Five-Year Plan was well under way; and the Russians began to see the light, with the result above noted.

The Bad Old Times

In previous papers it has been statu that people. both in Eng- land and in Canada. drank "hard liquor" to a surprising extent, a generation or two ago. A Greek acquaintance once told me: "In my country (where the weather is fine and warm) we drink only light wines; but‘ I do not wonder at the English drinking whiskey, the cold climate drives them to it.‘ This gallant attempt to explain the Briton's devotion to the worship of Bacchus was not altogether sat- isfactory. still I had to admit some, modicum of truth in the remark t But cold climate or not. public opinion has mightily reduced drink- ing. in both countries. since I can remember.

Half a century ago Tam credibly. infomed. there was never any gath- ering. tea or festival. in the Island. that did not have its bout of fisti-l cuffs. Liquor was plentiful at such meetings, and under its influence ancient grudges came into he open "to see who was the best man." In one or two instances the fight spread to the proportions of- a riot. and a man was killed.

By 19i0—the year of_ my advent -though there was still a lot of drinking done. the drunken fights at public gatherings had already taken on the character of tradi- tions. There had been some sort of law attcmpted—I don‘t think it was the same as the present law-t and that. together with a stiffen-l ed public opinion. had driven drink- ;

in QUFELLTIJPRQP". “"‘.1..°11FPY..1'F°.9§§§

"PIJLVEX

Flea-Powder

Shipment due to arrive

Sept. 8th. Ranchers re- quiring powder should

book requirements im-

medlately.

W. ll. JENKINS

212 Great George St.

g underground. Men drank in low 11

-.. ...w|

my‘ _..

ficzny Cattle

By James McCooir Canadian Pr€s5 Stall Writer

VAL MARIE. Sask., Aug. 31 - (CP) - In this range country where the fat, Hereiords graze they say the monument to progress ls a fence.

Remember the stories 0i the oid_ west when six-shooters barked at, the man who dared to Wt IVIIE" on anv part of the wide range? But, here. amid the restoration of cow-‘ boys‘ skills and a return to range-‘

i l

land operations as opposed to wheat farming. they say the prairw ie farm rehabilitation act fence is. something symbolic of a new age.! of ‘prosperity in a land which has‘ suf ered many trials.

That fence. with its creosoted cedar poles and it, five strands of barbed wire circles more than 160.- 000 acres. on which 3.000 cattle graze. Not so many year; ago, the sage flourished more than grass and cattle grew thin questing tor food and water in the long days of the summer and fall. But now. with all the walls within the community spotted and most of them devel- oped. and with efficient Srazing practices enforced by expert in cattle management, there ls ood for all the season.

Archie Sinclair. Manitoba and Southern Saskatchewan PRRJL, supervisor, like, to recall the dayl of 1936 and i931 when he and other officials were selling farmers the idea of sending their cattle to thei community pasture marked out in,

land where wheat-growers could never hope to prosper d which wag taken oiver by the ominion.

He remembers a meeting where a farmer, with long experience on pole fences and the ability of range cattle to et through them. made the devasta ing comment that the PF.R.A. required a five strand fence to keep cattle in. then the ground must be so poor that, he for one would never send- hls shock there.

‘ " Complete

But, as Mr. Sinclair says. the fence is needed to keep cattle out rather than in. When the P.i".R..A. took over the sub-marginal land of which the community pasture is composed. it had fallen on evil days because of drought, and, in some cases over-grazing. Now. in less than seven years, it has been re- stored and ‘hora farmers are ap-l

lying to have their cattle placed. dnttiae pasture than can be accomo-.

a

e . The Val Marie pasture is only one out of '10 scattered throughout Manitoba and Saskatchewan, all; developed as the result of drought, and hard times in the 30s when; the farm and ranch income faded», At first the rehabilitation act. was- sn emergency measure designed] to develop water resources by the, construction of dams and dugcutcn now it, has become a standby of‘, the farming communitv with the‘

community pasture providing s. service by which the farmer can grow when on good ind sboil

rationalist

ETOWN GUARDI

.r0zz-1za

WE/ATIIER-PRQQFED nouiei

* “are 1 saute

‘Ili-(tilliliill “unveils u’ ill?l,nf‘iili l°°' t an . l! ¢ _ ~ _ civil‘ _ ' Elsi l“ 1‘,”‘.'.,‘$’so:‘i‘¢.,°§$mt n9 9"“; will.‘ u” m‘ 05.31112‘: _ t. sac-cg; - m.ini=‘;-,e‘,,,,h.i. s anwlalei as it oro v Y

. ' - i- N .r.:t/i.ii w. -,' 4

Pasture

On Abandoned Land

—

this farm and be a rancher as well g with his cattle growing fat on thc lllfifilllfllfid (Or cxpcrt

community pasture under supervision.

[he pagture is brougm back toifor thc season from April l to ‘ gcod condition through supcr- 0°? 31- T116 bfvfdlrlg fhfllge is‘ vised grazing, the numbers of cat-"lliis pruiiwfrd in arms Whore drift- tle the farm-ranchers may place F‘? ~“°11_P°'~'P~Y°I1 PIMP in 1987 and on it are increased. In the year ‘L '1°1"'1-"1"‘<< CWI‘ if s (if thous- cnding Mai-ch 3i, 38,791 cattle 5N1- Of acres on land which other-, 13,025 horses and 12,134 sheen “d” "W" 11PM been non-ora-

‘i BRINGING

were handled on the ‘I0 community