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CONNECTED WITII Silver Fox and Mink Farming

At last week's Canadian Fur Auction Co-rnpanyb sale in Mon- treal, 77,416 muskrat were offer- ed and the sales room was crowded to bid on the season's first offer- ing of fresh spring muskrat. Competition was keen and prices were estimated at around 25% above April. some dealers firmed the offering 100% 501d. TOD price for eastern Ontario springs was $5.15 and for Quebec springs $4.95; Alberta's $1.75 to $4.00. New Brunswfckh $4.30 to $4.35, North- em Quebec $3.20 to $4.10. Beaver I150 had a big sale, the 12500 alum, mostly of Ontario origin, were largely disposed of with a top price of $69.50. Several lots sold from $62. to $66.

The Silver Flox sale opened at the Hudson's Bay Company fill Tuesday June 1st and attendance was slightly up from the previous day. The continent was the main ibuyer throughout the day, with Belgirm most active. Top price for (lurks, good colors was $100; Silvers, ordinary colors $11; half- iailvers, good colors $26; ordinary colon $16; three-quarter Silvers selected colors. $21: sovd c0101‘! $31; Full Silvers selected colors $41; White Marked Silver good’ colors $29; ordinary colors $14-50; Platinum was mostly withdrawn. The official report ls that l0% was sold, ma‘ to Belgium. at prices slightly sier than March. Top prices were Pearl Platinum 051; Platinum $50.

Eastwood do Holt with a small- n- offering of Silver Foxes fol- lowed Hudson's Bay Company and they oilfilcialiy report that 20% was sold with strong price resist- ance in all grades. Belgium and other contiuen-tal countries were the chlelf buyers. Prices are, Full silvers up to $16.40; three-quarter Silvers up to $25. It appears to us that the line ovflfered by East- wood dz Holt was not on the high quality offered by the Hudson's Buy Company.

The Seattle Fin: Exchange held u sale June lst. Wild mink was 90% sold with a top price of $35. I-‘tandh mink 118,000) was 82% aold, fine females brought $13. to e18: ordinary $10. to ebb; fine males $92. to $23; ordinary $17. to $21; 2,000 Silver Fox were offered end 40% was ac-ld. Selected skins brought $15. to $122; full silvers I14. to $16", three-quanta!" Silvers C12. to $13; halves $9. to $10; 300 Platinum Silver Fox were 28% sold; mediums brought $25, darks $25. White-face Silver Fox pelts brought $12G, mediums $14 and darks $10. ,

Headed Last Call, Morris Hes- eel, a. retail manufacturing furrier in New York had a large size spread in the evening newspapers offering 1,000 fox jackets. capes and stoles at savings of 55 cents on every dollar. Silver Fox jack-

‘ets forunerly $225. were offered at $100. Here's iwihy, says the ad-

vertising copy The bottom iii-is (ii-upped out of the fox industry. Most of the fox farmers have already quit raising foxes -_ more will be forced to shortly. Why? Tliey cannot. make a profit any- more. But now before this crisis results in a. scarcity and shoots the prices high we have planned a gigantic sale. The advertising is bolstered by reproductions c-f clippings reporting the critical plight of domestic fox breeders who have seen their prices fall as fox imports increased."

The New York Auction 001p- any held a special sale of muta- tion minks Thursday. June 3rd, and according to the company 95% of the 34.063 Silver-bins were solizi. The tradie showed excep- tional eagerness to bid and to pay a good price for all quality mer- chandise. Females in particular were wanted and exhibited un- ‘usual strength. This can be ex- plained partially by the demand for use in capes and other small pieces. Females are said to be running large and are suitable for these fur pieces. The top price for standard males was s76 and $56 for females. A parcel of Breath of Spring Silver-blus brought $80 and was about half and half male and female. Most of the ordinary goods sold be- tween $34 bird $4.5. Better merch- andise was selling mostly in the $50 to $60 class. The above strong sale of Sllverblu mink was not entirely unexpected in view of the recen-t demand for mink goods. The extent of the rise, however, caused eyebrows to lift through- out the day.

While the fox breeders have de- clded on an international meet- ing at Charlottetown July 12th to 16th., the fur trade has also lie- cided to establish an Internation- al Fur Trade Association and a ‘meeting will be held in the Savoy Hotel, London. on September 18th. Backing this Association are organizations like the Hudson's Bay Company, Anning, Chadwick at Kiever, and some thirty fur trade associations in Europe.

We have received from Dr. E. Rendel Bowness a copy of the addresses he delivered at l-he Ont- ario Fur Breeders’ annual Short Course held at the Ontario Vet- erinary Collcge, Guelph, on Julie 2nd and 19rd. It is a masterly paper and the result of years of study and experiment. and will be read by all our ranchers, partic- ularly mink ranchers, with crest interest. He gives considerable in- formation on the critical factors in shed construction and goes very exhaustively into the effects of light in increasing the matur- lty of pelts and its affect on the breeding female and tnale. It is enhanced by the result of care- fully conducted experiments at Leitchcroft Farm, where the Doc- tor has quite a. number of mink

and foxes that he observes care-

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nlllslv llotssmoll toms Eli g

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villi W3 mu l‘ - a

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DU can DOUBLE the food value of your hay if you only cutit early

-—or at the first bloom. For long-term

[CSCB it

Far

Dominion Experimental

ms prove that early-cut hay

contains 16% or more protein, a; against only 8% for late-cut hay.

But you ma: cure it. quickly and

‘win it'| ll the mow you must

spread Malagash Hay Salt over it

CVC

nly to prevent moulding or self-

firlng and add to its palalability. . . . Here's how to do it, according to

D

iii.

r. W. W. Baird, Superintendent

Nappan Experimental Farm:

"The quantity of salt that wc have found satisfactory to apply to new- cut hay is a maximum of 2_0 pounds to the ton spread carefully in the mow. It should NEVER be thrown on in handfuls, but evenly distributed over each layer an it gocn in."

So follow the lead of sue- ceuful rower: everywhere and ca! your hay the Mllagnh way. Ger it at .~ your dealer's-or if any difficulty write and we'll lee that you are supplied.

.51.LT[U.I.TD.

Ali/Tl SEIJTIA

Spraying glows and? Heifers Against lilies

__‘_.

(Experimental Farms News)_ spraying dairy animals against flies at regular intervals during tile summer months should be a. "must" in -lhe routine of herd man- agement. The increased production of milk and the efficient gains of young stock brought about through the oontrol.o.'. flies is immeasur- able. In addition, there will be an improvement in quality of milk and a more sanitary condition of milking utensils by a. planned. schedule of spraying against files, says V. 5. hogan, Division of Field Husbandry, Dominion Department of Agriculture, Ottawa.

Spraying the live stock should be begun on or just before turning the animals out on pasture. It should then be continued at regu- lar intervals of from two to five weeks depending on the duration of the effectiveness of the spray used. After exposure to heavy rains additional spraying ls noes..- sary, particularly the milking cowe.

There are a nu ' of ooinmer cial fly sprays available. some of these contain DDT and other pols- onous ingredients, while others have varying concentrations of DDT mixed with water or paraf- fin.

As u. result of ksta made in co- operation with the Division of lin- tomology a spray is now being used at Hie Central Experimental Farm, on dairy stock made up as follows: Mix one pound of 50 per cent DDT water-dlsrperslble powder in 2 1-2 to 5 gallons of water. This gives a concentration of from one to mo‘ per cent spray which has proved satisfactory for controlling flies on cattle.

A similar spray, but of greater DDT concentration, is used in and about the dairy and stables to control cattle fliss. This spray is made up of one pound of 50 per cent DDT water disporslbie pow- der in one gallon of water. Care should be taken to ace _tha.t all food or drinking vessels are oov- ered before spraying, as like most other insecticides, DDT is poison- ous to livestock when swallowed in large amounts.

fully and from these observations his deductions are rnade. He has also the experience of others who have conducted experiments along the same line to guide him. Prince Edward Island can well be proud that one of its sons has through hard work, a good brain and at- tenticn to scientific fox and mink breeding, attained a top position and is recognized as an expert ll0i1l in Canada and the United States. . , I . The cool weather the past week lhas been helpful to fox ranchers WhO do the mecossary cleaning preparatory to the hot weather. All houses and dens should be tho-roughly cleared of stra/w and litter and this should be burned and the houses and dens sprayed with a cheap coal tar disinfectant in the proportion of one part dis- infectant to 40 parts warm water. Mix thoroughly and then spread the-roughly. We presume the foxes have been removed and the houses shut up for the simmer months. A piece of wood two or three inches thick should be placed between the cover of the house and the top so that a cur- rent of air can enter and dry out house and den thoroughly. Wood impregnated with the disinfect- ant will smell pretty strong for some months and no fleas can live in that environment.

Bones and other residue should bc raked out of the pens and carted away and burned 0r bur- ied. The adult foxes should be gone over for fleas, treated with L8 minim Nema capsules for hoolclvorni, round worms and with cannite lotion for earmites. This should be repeated if they appear in bad condition, in two weeks time and again early in Septem- ber. The pups should be treated with 8 minim Nemais, the oldest owns first and the May pups not until around July lst. Earmltes and fleas should be looked for and precautions taken against than. By now the hay Ol‘ straw which lids been used to cover the wire bottoms can be dispensed with and the sheds thoroughly cleande and disinfected.

‘Iihe use c-rdieinfectant at in- tervals of two or three wee-ks will prevent fleas and save the randhcr a lot of trouble later on. If you have not already done so it will now be time m take away the shutters at the bottom of the sheds as hot weather may hit us very soon 45nd that will make the young foxes more comfortable. Cleanliness throughout the vmole season should be the watchwcrd and lange litters of foxes should be ‘separated now so that they will each get its proportion of the food and fighting and comequent injuries will be avoided.

We know that the times are discouraging. in fact the meet discouraging we have ever exper- fenced in our long connection with this industry. We also kncm that they were very dftcolmlifll to mink farmers around 10D and a greet nleny of them went out of the business but thou who re- mained have made fortunes and so it may well be with the fox rancher who win atly in the blin- lnes-a, cull out his poor ltoelc, ff necessary buy better atoehtuke

mind rinht to m-orli lobrggflingw u herd out will be ready to provide

I the cows, which must be consider-

care of his foxes and rrut- his"

Grand Duchess our. sister o! m, {g coming to canad-a to become a. farmer. Immigration officials said the family had not chosen the site of their farm, which probably will be in Ontario. The party consists of col. Nikolai Aieksmdrovitch Kulik-

slnce 1919. According to chief commissioner of immigration

Turning Milk Bows To Pasture

(Experimental Farms NHWS)

Th, dam m, MIME}! dairy cattle are turned out to pasture in the spring is important. 1t marks a change in routine and feeding f0!

ed, and the posturing must be arranged in a way to get the most benefit and do the least damagifi to the sod.

Cattle at the Central Exped- mental Fermi, Ottawa, says C. D- Mmplgenzig, Division of Animal Husbandry, are put on 985W“ as

gvgky, the grand duchess‘ husband, their two sons, duchess‘ lady-in-waiting. The family has beerrliving in Denmark information supplied by H. C. P. Cresswell,

early as growth, land, aild weather conditions will allow. The best time is when the grass is abcut four inches high. Although it is desirable to got i-lum out early, care is taken that the land is suf- fiqlgntly dry to carry the anlniaisf and so prevent damage i0 i116 505-‘ It is important that weather ccrn-‘ ditlons are suitable. If nece-‘sary qglws gt first are kept in at night. It has been found that if they are turned c-ut too late, valuable, early {failing is lost and the growth may get too far ahead of the animals.

Due to the flush growth in the early pasture season it ls generally advisable to limit the area. pastur- ed at the beginning. This may lbe carried out by forcing off by an eleotill: ifenoe aipproxlilotelyj one third of the usual pasture area, allowing it to grow for hay or grass silage and posturing the‘ aftermath on this area at a later date. In this way the pasture ls grazed more uniformly, resulting in better use of grass and less wastagef Losses in weight due to the laxative effect of flesh grass may be reduced if animals are given old grass or dry ihay to supplement the pasture when they are first tumed out.

There are other considerations that merit attention in D3Sl-llTlllg_ cows. The distance -to and from milking facilities should be as near as possible, and there should ‘be enough safe fencing and en- closed areas to. prevent lniury by crowding. Shelter in the form of shade trees, a plentiful sunply of good w-ator and salt should be provided at ell times.

peltrles of good

quality when the market improves. ,

The big cloud that is hanging over foxel at present/ls the large number unsold the United States. We know of a rancher there who has held pelts since 194:5, or at least he had them six months ago. He has had two oth- er crops to pile up ‘on top of the i045 one, and now his condition is really worse than ever before.. He would have been out of bus-i lness, had he not had the backing of powerful interests. Then no doubt the Fromm; and Niemane with a total production of 15.000 flied many carry-overs fmm 1040- land with this year's crop they

have very formidable numbers to i

dispose of. If today the market was reasonably bare of Sliver Foxes and mutations there is no doubt but that a t- ebackyould be in order before next season. I

-_.¢._

One d! the greatest financial men that everiivdomon who became a

billionaire through the mania--

ation of kiroaene oil will, John Di Mvlflfillfl‘. vna uked his ed- vioe on bow to speculate and it no this: "Iuy when everyone Ia selling and uii when everyone it buyina.” We nld that many veara ego but ulortunatclywl fefed to carry out John D's preceptl and hence are very far my from he ‘olg monied cleee._ V» ‘»

the late Czar N‘cholas II of Rue-

and the grand

and colonization for the Canadian

Pacific, not only is Col. Kullkovsky a fully qualified agriculturizt, but ‘the two sons also have had extensive agricultural experience.

Growing Green Ducks

(Experimental Farms News)

Growing green ducks is a spec- ialized slde line in poultry keeping and is becoming quite popular with pouitrirmen who are located near thickly populated centres. Returns from fnvostmenfs are attractive, and the turnover is rapid.

Considerable experimental work with different varieties of ducks, and the use of different feeds fed in different ways has been can-led on at Lhe Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa. says A. G. Taylor, of the Poultry Division, and re- sulfs indiicate that duckllngs of the Pokin breed make the best gains with the least amount of food. When properly handled duckllngs of this breed make one pound of gain in weight on 3.2 to 3.5 pounds of feed consumed. A suitable duck ration can be made of equal parts by weight or cornmeal bran and shorts with l0 per cent beef meal added. There is also 2 per cent fine oyster shell and 2 per cent fine salt included in the ration. Where animal proteins are diffi- cult to obtain and expansive, and vegetable proteins such as soya bean oii meal and alfalfa meal are available these protein can be used to make up the necessary protein content in a duck ration. ‘rho beef meal can be entirely eliminated and 20 per cent soya bean oil meal and 5 per cent alfalfa meal sub- stituted. The ducks make slightly better gains on the mash contain- ing the animal proteins but both rations are satisfactory.

Frequent feeding promotes rap- id growth. Feed six times dilly from the start until the duckiings are three weeks old, and five time). daiiv until they are ready for market.

Duel: mashcs ’should be moisten- ed with water before feeding. ft ls a good plan to moisten the mix- ture about two hours before feed-

.lng so that the masli may become

swollen and more easily digcsmd. Add sufficient water to make the inasli quite moist and let it stand for two hours.‘ When ready to feed it should not be sloppy but jus wet enough to stick together ice ly. Sprinkle coarse sand over the mash before feeding. The sand serves as grit and aids digestion. Feed only what the ducklings will eat up clean at each feeding. Finely chopped green food should be added to the mash after the ducklings-are three or four days old. Freshcut clover or alfalfa

lwhich has been chopped fine makes

excellent green feed. Start with oily e very small amount and in- crease the green food gradually until it represenie about one-fifth of the ration.

When the duoklinge ere Qbouf seven weeks old the green food should be gradually eliminated and fat f0!n1il'lI_ foods such as corn-

[flS fflmffl Aid]

_ Charles i. Wertll , 21a poem ll. thou sun-l.

If. A. lellq. 014017, Charles, l. Inlay, I

mi w. any, tiiiima ' i". 9M It ii- . .

Swedes For Stuck Allll Export

_‘___‘ . (Apartments! Farms News)

Swede turnips continue to be an important crop in the Maritime Provinces. some farmers who keep a. large dairy, herdlare substituting corn and gnu silage for rootl: but the majority find awedu I more economical source of succu- lent feed for winter use.

Under present conditions e quantity required by a email her does not appear to warrant the penditure- for silo » and ensiling machinery. In addition to their use ea feed for livestock, lwedu for export are usually a conven- ient source of cash revenue.

Experiments conducted at the Dominion Eltperlmental’ Station, C‘ lothfnwn, says D. C. Schw- man, have shown that, unlul care in lelecting aeed atoch is shown every year. varietlel and strains of ewedee soon lose the smoothness, shape and uniformity of size which characterized them when “first they were made avail- abletotbeaeedtrade. PRU!!!» reason it would pay farmers in produce their own _ swede need. choosing roofs of aver-ale I sine, with short, small nech. smooth shoulders and body. uniform in size and colour and havinl a. lfnlll tap root free from prongs or other forms of root-inns.

Consider’ the pnice of cem- mercial seed. .it may ofton appea that it would be cheaper to buy rather than to produce the email amounted need required. However, after I. few you! of careful aebc- tion, the value of the superior qual- ity of roofs from home-grown seed may amount to a great deal more than the trifling aum saved by buying cheup need. The old be- lief that the crop from home- grown seed will not keep u well in storage as that from imported seed has been disproved.