i

iggRUAkY 15. 1941 ,.

"TNEWsY NOTES -

N ‘GI-NOLA

piiosarrcs, arc

there a sred m1“,‘§f’{l.§8'9i=nhiie ggrgum." "may An oil-i Teacher, where- ” advocated the spell-and-say 0d of teaching reading to the m firming, The alternative ‘W15 Oi course the " honetic h appears to e gam- ' and according to Old Tee/eh- Now this Note is not in- voke a ttzordy nezvs- " inn but P155911 l» ‘ mficifiiis renders to think over. ' .16“. i5 that a phonetic system ‘ ‘Imus u-onici save one year out ‘fay seven in school life-but no phonetic system can be " upon the present alphabet. eyflmpie "Q-N" spells “on," but ‘ ‘1_..T.Q-N" phonetically? And ,1‘. || iuconc

y “ton. ill

H dreds oi other cquR

. mplai.

fog only ‘m,

was intro" the l

t0 i110

iy cogent

n. tic shorthand.) ' up by compiling a "print" alphabei. gig: oun trimllfaé°fci>i§g etiirii.’ salphubet “ mmiorized it was not necessafy W“ w spell: one heard the ‘I , and pill. down the letters that 9'11! ‘ilic alphabet was, as a tter oi course, much longer than ‘ one in us.» at present: with letters, if I remember Foreigners always have a shelling. but if been adopted. i- ctiid have been able to read wiiililil‘. any trouble once A Bit the alphabet-even if. ,. didnt underptand what they

. I their, was this alphabet not “hi: adopted. when its ad- ‘ manifest? first, B tish people are ugly conservative and dislike . .; witness the monetary sys- ..right-hnnd driving. etc. Sec- iund more important, still is tue tthat every "iouni." of type in . Kingdom would have to be dis- ried and replaced with the new .. abet. all inintypc machines and writers would have in be re- lied; and all the millions of already printed would, in the ,.. » oi a decade. become unread- . lo the rising generation. no cotmtiic have adopted zietic iililiiililclsf Germany and key. l know little of the former. it was the late Kemal Ataturk ordered the Turks to get rid their old intricate Arabic abet, and to adopt a phonetic . constructed by himself. The . hand a . alphabet, which is a modi- tion oi the one with which we familiar. Some fngenin-zs ptations are embodied in it. For nee the German ~- abet does away with the letter Tusinz K in its place: hence words as Kamoraci for com- . But Kmial retained the iplalnl for the K-sound. and t little appendage (not as big

-.. t i0 tiy. _ lilo with out‘ t stein hiltl

lcctiillal below it to show the Padmit that the

nd, The two sounds of "G" t indicated in the same way. '~ Dflllfli» as far as one need to show the tnnirner in which ‘itirkisli loader met the situ- but his phonetic alphabet done more for the nation than ‘Elli’! that has been devised for -' S. lltkninz to the "Spelling Bees" 1WD I notice that all the child- illoiltotmccd the letter H as t ttli:'ln the letter o! Jany. 28th. Maid to be "MiiCh." Which is ' i? Thc writer was taught it ltliool as "illiCh," mo; and lei liy here that Northumberland is of the _En!iisi1 counties that ‘Us no mi hikes in its aspirates. w >l notice the use of “nee" 1°11 we call “Zed.” and this, 1110!. originated in the U. .5, A.

mom: ABOUT NUTS

‘fiflfisvrlscll. Corsair. who owns Mo {fluid in York County, ‘Adéonas a letter in The Farm- “ t (Ollie. which is not without n. "m “i "is Pr" of “m; ‘with reaard to Euro- werofs and sweet chestnuts. or b ‘l]llii(“l_l('(i$ of thou ands of .. °‘_1 Rlllds imported from , slgtelill. Sardinia. Corsica and “In,” T" [he W" now not a native fmos m "om Europe‘ . on this (‘ggncllltletstaréuts arebto be winked the ire“ as s light Carson's; own ' 1i ~ 0mm were .‘ liigglgwlnand he travelled in a t - . kt stiiliiiies trgsrtesirrinéggmh lg; his customers. He got t“, ‘£51101 these prices: filburts n. 1mm f‘. English walnuts, ' - small b, “Pi-ti: black walnuts, ‘ Wfliilliigck Walnuts s" Jap- - “is s, ‘H 32-25: Japanese mum's h-lckecould secure no ums- ories. nor sweet,

bwhflml-itg.” Mr. m“ 1 iscovered l" and their Qlfirf" and “P? 1" providing pro- Yhsvc h do‘ “hildrens teeth. ... M,‘ Ovfiome correspondence “me rmiisan. who has a con- lir other ‘tlfliuon- as a naturalist‘ fiiifi: fill. W35. and he advises W!“ and Japanese in P. E I. but ntmcnd other kinds re fiiboitglinns‘ of the Island ‘ ltemr thhtsthho“~rl do well. and m, “Wnablgr grail-fret for them ~ m, as ytm ere is no over-

‘ fllercise

v- n. in...

, V‘ "91 rem are

‘ifierefiarl LOOK BACK nu in N”? Flhali colony of It- ‘ m; mfm-lr nn Tyne. livhn m; my “mfllflfer -treets. and q We ['15 l0 themselves. notion,‘ the water the It- “ '1 '10 in for hard flaw. building. and

id nbortn Newcastle. A Zfigirlli-gm as night watchmen Mm‘; father than mus-

~ r.-_i.,,,;nftl. one or two ran ‘ n, iivnrif. natorinc urin- lwi‘ l compatriots: and "-1 _ 11d set himself no f"! wince, in s little "5 stocked ""1111 ll Chianti

8

phonetic ‘have had something

with Ital- wine, L

°11W 011. and the different kinds fdfiflmm- Bww. perhaps half- n- 1W1 “baa 0n which they 601d toe-cream in the summer time. and the beat was usually near a. gate of one of Newcastle's thirtwn public parks; in this way the “tite- srrrrwwnatm Y _ 16 ohildrens pennies. His “Pmmh- W" =- eaudlly painted handcart. m which was the ice- atirmctmr“ l“ "n" rashes m to ké °fW1101e being covered But Lhfiplofl the sunlight, lic eye we u)‘ mo“ m the pub’ w“ “m,” e WEBB-Grinder." It ~ possible on Occasion to meet the old-fashioned kind of "Kin-Finder. With his "hwdww- to mm’ b l mmlkey anchored immlm 1f; 9- 0m; slim chain. His e11 W85 technically a barrel- "8811. Operated bv tuming n crank continuously; me‘ sound was duced by reeds and bellows, 1'35 31$: lububrious it was. The reeds set in motion by a pggged “r1126 £111" "1 the style of what each organ“ almusica] bu)“ and a dozen umwld Brlnd out hair matte tunes,

Tho dc luxe instrument of this filly; hoglcver; wag ins "pimomrgarf. m Sig’ per or modern instrument, wheelsapfi resembling a piano o" duce {he ‘also was cranked to pro- made b “he. but the sound was‘ sues my tgégts striking metal ton- lmulument a’ 1" w“ 11 percuslon effect w“ ilnpt a wind one. The the sound V9 y and inspirfting and awa N could be heard shim; wasyécc "TJY fllwflys the mnisirsl

“nlmllled by his wife. who (eiglleoatxxcg the pence while he cram‘. “the cmgfmetimes the baby, in n. back or m8. was strapped to the

9 “Btrumeflt; The men were rather picturesque, with moustaches a la brigand. and heav "gm" ear-Floss: not bad-looking for those ilind “Heath-ed smiles" The wom W 0 Save a coin or two look!“ 6:1 may have been as good. Medngmial We time. but. like on wear welilieaxfirraceth they did "0' very n n e piano-organ was had “B90531 y welcomed FillCC it mombu! Cass of lively and liar.

s mu ic on its repertoire" and nowhere more than on t...‘ poorer streets where the children dam“! t0 the music with a grace “f.” .3235 ..’ii‘é‘.i".‘“..€"ii‘““~ 15mm by the presght rwi-‘itrefpeifli there should be evident hrirrk); a‘ bl3°°d 19911118 between the in- u 651mg: of Newcastle and chm

of the sun," the It,- glélgg; 113151 Briton was, in my dim m5 own kgligd to be distant with foreign r Th. and more so with Mmmf Si] e Italian Datrlflt.

. ad once found refuge in the North about the middle of ti nineteenth century, and this moi; sympathy for his cottgntirgrrfelfi}? tit?- fyénilerb walker Scott points out (in or may? begfeve) we think more those whom]! lave [helped that of cuned to 18p us. If we are in-

3° fufifilégillflk. wit: must

R was the first of a chain oiaiiig? gilittlisfiances that transformed the {e s Isles from the haunig o; a

w squalid tribes to the centre of 9- mllhty Empire.

a srrocx T0 THE PROVINCE

Ne"? did our news

merit its proud title o 72:2‘ Gzfiftfif ‘an ma" by the publication of the cqllmseous. disputed. and timely eciiorial of Feby. 1st. under the above caption. "Every ml-Qoaffjaie 01' Justice. 0n whatever grounds of fate compassion or sentimental- ity. ls an encouragement to fur- ther outbreaks of the same kind." It has often been reenarkted, in statistical documents that homl- cfde cues in Britain are a mere fraction compared with those in the North American contient; and there is never any donbt why that is so. “Crime does not pay" there. be ause punishment is inevitable and no one is exempt.

An atrocious murder was com- mltted on the Canadian mainland last fall, and a youth was con- victed and sentenced to hang. Im- mediately the sentlmentaiists got busy, and the sentence was com- muted to imprisonment for life. The prisoner smiled when told of it, said the newspaper account. There does not seem to have been any sentiment wasted on the victim in his forgotten grave.

Another queer quirk that I've noticed is a tendency to excuse a criminal on the grounds that "he has been drinking" or that he was drunk: he is supposed to be not responsible for his action! And an- other bemuddled idea is current in some quarters that unless an ne- cused person is actually seen to commit a crime. he cannot be con- victed

AGRICULTURE IN THE NORTH

)

The writer who would discuss agriculture of a. local type in Ens!- land, is at once faced with the question "where must I begin? ’ Now while we have no written records- we have certain indis utable evid- ence that, agriculture n the North hzd its small beginnings prior t0 the Roman occupation of what is now Northumberland. That reillp" supported a great population 0f Celtic origin; every hill is crowned with the circular earthworks that enclosed and defended their cities. and the rides of the hills. below the earthworks. still show the nar- row, shelf-like traee= of terrace cultivation.“ Caesar found the trP-‘ES in the South cultivating grain and we can imagine our Northumbrians had 50ml! ki-nd of oat: growing in their terraces-where they would be H011‘ to keep an eve on the fzfllu- Th!" were wild cattle too. and their des- cendants survive to this day: but no Roman historian has left any “ccord as to whether our northern abori- ginws herded them or hunted h'"n

The lone Roman occupation of the North and the comparative 'ectlriiy of the Roman province must hflyt‘ nrrdttced great changes in the nrimiiive svwem of fltll'|"ll1‘lll‘° Th; wmnn Wall alone called for a garrison of 15.000 men and the nurmroug "camps" m our country would double the number: and W8

' $11.25 and

Weekly Live Stock Market Report

East and West followed opposite trends in cattle prices this week. Toronto recovered last. week's loss 0! =6 was. While maid n. good clearance but western ma! eta were bawly steady to 25 cents and 5o cents lower with export. demand lackhil- Only the moderate offer- ing on hand saved the price struct. 11W 1n 1110 West from "shazper dec- line!- Calves closed lower at Mont- rwl and Winnipeg but elsewhere were undisturbed. The only change in the hog market was a shade eas- ier feeling at Montreal-towazd the close and a. gain of 10 cents to 25 cents on Alberta. merksts. The lamb market Wis stwncer at Toronto and Steady 1o firm at other centres.

Elstem Cflflle Prices Stronger

A gain of 25 cents was recorded in cattle prices at TORONTO wzth 8- 8°00 cleanup made by the close. Some choice weighty steers sold at $9.75 to $10 and others from $9.50 down, while butchers flanged no- tween $7.25 and $9. with g light, o1- fermg 0n hand MONTREAL was steady to a shade firmer, although the:e was a weaker tendency on cows toward the close. With no top quality on hand, good steers com- manded $8.75 to $9.25 and cows ranged from $4 to $6 and an odd $6.20. Receipts in the MARITIMES continued below requirements with a resultant advance of 25 cents in price, good to choice steers making $8.25 to $8.75.

Weslern Cattle steady to Lower I

Lack of support from export buy- ers was mainly responsible for irOn- ing out some of the recent price increases in the West. Moderate de- liveries, however, served to prevent any verv severe declines. WINNI- PEG was 25 cents to 50 cents lower on yearlings and most killing steel-s lacking weight were fully 25 cents down. Most slaughter steers sold atom $8.50 downward. Cows and bulls, however, held steady and al- so replacement cattle. Feeder steers were quoted at $7 to $7.50 with some fleshy kinds around $8. CALGARY was also steady to 25 cents lower and had the best of the butcher steers offering at $8.25 to $8.75 after record- ing an early t0p 0f $9. EDMONTON closed fully steady and unchanged with the high in the steer division at $8.50. To sales at PRINCE AL- BERT, M0 SE JAW, and REGINA reached $8 for steers, SASKATOON $8.25 and. VANCOUVER $8.53.

United Stain Market

The Buffalo market was lower imfs week, while ‘Iloronto advanced and the margin at present is in favour of Toronto. Odd sales of Canadian steers were made at. Buff- alo at $9.25 and $9.85. off car weights Latest quotations from St. Paul on modiiun to good Canadian steers were $10 and good cows $7.5).

Export shipments to the United States again dropped sharply only 1,912 beef cattle crossing the line during the week, 177 dairy and 937 calves. Totals to date this year a- munt to 13.875 beef, 1,223 dairy and 4,163 calves, compared with 7.275 beef, 1,096 dairy and 3.889 calves in the corresponding period of last year. '

Calvt‘: Steady to suici-

Calves sold readily at $13 to $13.50 for choice at Toronto but Mont- real became weaker as the week progressed and closed around $1 lower. at. $12 down. Winnipeg also lost ground, with good to choice veais mostly $10 to $ll. There was little change elsewhere wliim top sales at Calgary $10.25, Edmonton $10, Prince Albert and Moose Jaw $9, Saskatoon $10 and Regina. $19-50-

Iittle Change In H0: Market

There was very little change in hog prices. The basic grade at Tor- onto yards and plants ranged from $11.26 w $11.45, with most of the closing sales at $11.35, off trucks dressed. Montreal opened at $11-50 but eased to $11.35 by the finish. Winnipeg held unchanged at $10.10 to $10.45 but Alberta. markets B-ilhln took on addw strength, Calgary paying $10 to $10.85 and Edmonton $10.15 to $13.25. Prince Albert sold grade B-l hogs at $9.60 to $9.95. Moose Jaw $9.75 with a few sales at $9.85, Regina $9.75 to $9.80. Saskatoon $9.75 to $9.95 and Vim- couvei- $10.75 to $11.20.

Lambs Gain at Toromo

Western lambs finished Z5 66111-5 higher at Toronto with sales M; $1l.i0. A few ewes and wethers at Montreal made $10 and Winnipeg held flzm under light receipts up w s1). The mp paid at Calgary was $9.60, on a steady market, while Edmonton was un- changed up to $9.50. The hiflh BF Prince Albert was $850. SBKB-f-OO" $8.75, and Vancouver $10.50.

can imagine that the needs of this huge force quartered on and about the Wall would accelerate the pro- duction of food for both man and beast. villas sprang up outside the walls of the "camp" (castra): these were worked by means of Britons who were reduced to servitude. Traces of a "three field system of rotation are still to be seen. The Roman villa later became the manor of the Anillv-SHXOH. Hlld. later still. that 0f the Norman. These are many passages in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle which go to show that agriculture had made important progress: loss of cawle in hard winters and by “murrains, is often mentioned. while 0118 R803 of "the badness of the weather by which the fruits of the earth were much marred. and the produce of the trees over all this fan.‘ almost entirely perished." But agricuk-Ire was no‘. properly systematiaed ur.- til after the Norman Conquest. when the power of the Church we‘ able to direct it. This must form the subject of a future Note.

A LOUD EXPLOSION The autumn of i883 was char-

actcrized by the rnoat brightly color- ed silnsets I have ever witnes ed.

it (Continued on page ll. O01 ‘D l

» c0Ns§R_\_/_._AT10N »

A Will! COLUMN OI PRACTICAL OPINIONS 0P ‘I'll! VITAL ISSUES AFFICTNG THE USES AND ABUSIS 0i NATURAL RESOURCES BY MB. LUDLOW IABSHFIILD

JENKINS

Can one ever forget the finding of his first woodcock's nest? Mine was in a patch of young second- growth of oaks and maples where the stone-studded ground gave chance for little undergrowth. The bird rose almost in my face, and re- vealed the four beautiful eggs at my feet. A few yards away she a- liflhted. and nervously, and seem- insly in pain. threaded her way 1010b! the r-Oush frost-river: bould- Brl. seeking w draw me from the spot. When next the place was visited I failed at first to IluSh her and thought that she was away from the nest, but finally detected her within a. foot of my shoe. An attempt to stroke her back Just failed she slipped away from under my hand. Almost daily I went there. 11001118 to see the newly hatched young, until one day only the dis- carded shells were found. Those particular young birds I was never able to find, but a5 the recurring Spring sped by many mother birds that were guarding their bufii‘ short-billed youngsters came under my observation, and many interest- ing habits were revealed.

The woodccck lays its eggs, almost always four in number, in a. hol- lowed place in last year's blanket of leaves. ‘Though they seem large for tlhe are of the bird, they are so cunningly marked with buff and brown that the closest scrutiny of- ten fails to reveal them on their leafy bed. In Louisiana and Fiordia its southern limit, the bird may lay in January or even in December. Further north the date is succes- sivelv later. and in the norther- most haunts it: may be late May ere Uhe season is deemed suitable. For three weeks the patient mother guards them from cold and storm, and not infrequently i5 hurried by In early snow-rail. Undoubtedly the male bird assists he. in Lne incuba- tion. else the mother would have no shance to feed. When the eggs hatch she leads the tiny buff and black-spotted babies away almost at once, and the discarded shells may usually be found in the aband- oned nest. If danger threatens she attempts, usually with success, to decoy the enemy from the spot, and often carries one or more of her defenoeless babies out of the danger zone. Thu; habit has been noted many times by reliable observers. both in the case of the old-world Woodcock and our own species, and is accomplished in several ways. In the only instance personally obser- ved the young apparently was held between the thighs of the mother, but others have seen the voung grasped by the feet of the old one, and thus carried to safety.

I am not, aware that the food of young woodcocks has ever been studied, but it is almost certainly the same as that of the adult- Earthwornrs constitute the principal item of the diet, though various in- sects found by the bird beneath the leaves are also eaten. Captive wood. cocks have been known to devour twice their weight in earth-worms each day, and their demands for food usually lead to their liberation. On at least one occasion young birds raised in semi-captivity became so tame that thev would fly up and alight on the shoulders of their owner.

This, then is one of the birds that SOme writers would have us believe carry no esthetic charm. This lovely creature, that sings to its mate from the air. that guards so closely its eggs that one may take it in hand, that carries its helpncss young to safety when danger threat-us. ‘has no -value, we are toic, 50.112 the. which may be measured by the 10y attending its pursuit. and the suc- culence of its flesh, merely because it has been designated as a game bird. And for the present gratifica- tion of its putsuit, the gunners seem willing to destroy the bird for- ever. It is not enough that its nest- ing haunts are ravaged by fire, that storms of unusual severity take cruel toli of the fast-diminishing remnant, and that the telegraph wire have now been added to the list of it destroyers.

Close students of the Woodcock warn us of its impendmg extinc- tion unless the present rate of des- truction be curbed, and there is a widespread demand from natural- ists. seconded by many sportsmen, that more decided measures for ‘ts protection be adopted. Forbush, himself a sportsman a keen natur. uralist. who has studied the wotd- cook for many years. after recount- ing some of the dangers that at- tend the bird in its winter home, says: "But their greatest dancer. the country over, lies in the mul- tiplication oi gunners. An expert shot with a good Woodcock dog can kill moat of the b'rds his dog puts up. In the upper Mississippi Valley the Woodcock is now practically a thing of the past. Its greatest re- fuge and breeding-ground at pre- sent is the Atlantic coast tcrrito-y. particularly New England and the southern part of the Maritime Provinces. If we do not adequately protect it here, its extirpation is only a question of time." “legislation in favor of this Splen- did species has always lagged far behind the bird's real need. 171N6- quarters ‘of s. century ago Fank Forester. Lewis, and other thought. ful sportsmen began to um- its greater protection. Thcsc carlv ef- forts wg-g directed mainly toward the abolit’on of summer and sprln; shooting. which caused the destruc- tion oi many young birds scarceiv able to fly, or the parents of still helpless young. Gradually b-ith sum. mer and spring shooting we:e out- lawed. in Rhoda Island as early as i840. and in Ohio 1878. declared a bag-limit of twenty-five birds a day and Illinois a clos» seascn of fou- veers beg'nn'ng in 191i. In i911, A. K lfishe- natura‘tist and 500'“- man, published o powerful Bppfifll for legislative and voluntary reduc- tion shooting lo save this "Valli"!- ing bird" from extincflon. it somewhat disco-wring to note that at that time. more than half a century after the warnng had been

sounded. ten stains gave a-bsolutrlvl

no protection. and nine others s'ili

permitted slimmer shooting. No out. standing mindful manual. -

rover. resulted from this upper;

though since that time bag lillliis have gradually been lowvemd, and in many cases seasons have bcen shortened. The Federal Migratory Bird Law, and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act have undoubtedly great- lv helped by the bird, but these halve not sufficed to offset the ef- feots attendant on our increasing population, and its facilities and will for destruction. In even a brief statement of the legislation affect- ing the woodoock two factors that contributed to its former wholesale destruction should be mentioned. The demand for its flesh resulted in seventy-five cents each being a com. mo-n price for time seven or eight- ounoe birds. In the days of unres- tricted market-hunting this natur- ally led to great slaughter when large flights were encount . Jud- gtng by the scores admitted by pro- minent sportsmen of those days, that class was no less culpable. The comparatively early breeding, and the consequent maturity of the bLds at a date when no other shooting ‘was permissible, resulted in an Open season beginning in summer. and this practice, as has been noted, was difficult to drive from mind.

The hours of dazkness are toe woodcock's delight, and 5o well is able to take care of himself then, that we have yet to find a record of the capture cf the bird by 61W species of owl, though the _snra1lei~ predatory mammals probaby des- troy some, and cats are known t0 kill many. In his daylight activities also, in a state of Nature. he ap- pears to have been very self-reliant. He moves but seldom of his own accord, and fs not easily flushed. Only one Woodcock, taken by a marsh hawk, appears in the re- cords of the stomach contents of nearly a thousand ha/wks, ‘ sentlng nine species, and including large numbers of those kinds known to subsist mainly on birds. As all these hawks represented localities and seasons when wcodcock were presumably present, we may acquit the birds of prey of any oomplzcty in lessening the ranks of this spec- ies. But the trained dog unerflntlly points out the woodcocks lurking place, the birds tamcness allows the hunter to plaice himself in the most advantageous positron for a. shot. and the proporfion of birds killed is probably greater than in the case of any other game bird. Many hunters claim more than a fifty per cent kill of wroodcock start- ed: one killed thhty-eight out of forty-one flushed. Frequently wood- cook will fly only a short dstance, and often they will alight_within sight. They have also a liking for 9, particular place and often can be found in the same thicket on suc- cessive days. Most of this clzstruc- tion occurs during the southward flight, mainly at the tmc of the bright moon of October, when t-hc birds congregate by dav in favored haunts.

What may happen to a bird like the Woodcock was well shown in mid-February, 1899, when a very severe snowstorm, follotved by freez- ing weather, occured over most 0f the eastern seaboard. Great num- bers of wintering and northward- migrat/ng Woodcock. then concent- rated in the Carcllnas and other southeastern states, were over wheimed by deep snow and frozen feeding grounds. and pezishcd in vast numbers from cold. starvation. and tu-irestricted shooting. A n“ liable and careful observer, A. T. Wayne, estimated that tens of thou- sands were killed by _so-called sportsmen on th‘s occasion. The name of the wretch who in a. 16W hours shot two hundred pairs of these freezing, straving, emaciated birds is fortunately not Ncorded- The dearth of sympathetic observ- ers in the affected area prevented any adequate estimate of the total damage. but it was tremendous- Barrow-loads of the slaughteed birds were offered for sale. The ef- fect was apparent for many years. but; beyond the recording of the phsnomenon in a few journals the tragedy was treat/ed mertly as a passing incident, and no helpful legislation seems to have nsultcd.

Present day facilities for quick transportation have made possible the massing of gunners in places Where undue numbers of Woodcock congregate in migration, due convergence of flight 111155 causvd by peculiar coast trends. It is a sadi

game protection that such oppotw‘ tunities for destruction are almostt never met bv any effective restrlc-l titve measures.

For hundreds of years tho wood- cook of Europe has been much cs- teemed by sportsmen. and it was natural that the American b'rd should early claim the attention of hunters, especially after the im- p-ovcment of firearms. Accounts of the abundance in earlv days road almost like fairy-tales, and recoi- lections pf our own boyhood exper- iences bring up memories of throm- ing autumn coverts and well-ten- uted breeding places that we Wish might be repeated. But the effects of continuous persecution ore all too apparent. Thoughtful writers testify to the birds growing scarcity throughout its range. Occasionally a unusual combinaton of weather conditions may result in the ap- pearance of large numbers in certain places. and create a false impres- sicn of abundance in the minds 0f the uninformed. But these alzeiega- tiom almost always result in slaughter, and are really indicative of lessened numbers.

Aside from the Java Woodcock and one or two insular forms of doubtful validity, only two species cf tvue woodcocks are known. The Eurasian species. Scolonax rusticola, ranges from western Ellmpe cast- ward to Jaoan. and fro-n the Hima- lavas nofihwaid lflfn Sibcrfa, The other is our own Amt-roan bird. Phiiohein for Rulfcolal minor,

Mi...

which breeds fr-m southern Can- ada. south to Florida and icuiflrna. and west to the Mississippi Valle." and casually fa-ther. Over at least

the aver,

he fox farmers were in the doldrums.

iepre- d

commentary on our methods o.‘__

TIMELY NOTES ON TOPICS CONNECTED WITH

Silver Fox Farming '

J. Walter Jones. M.A.. MLA. Bunbury. whose activities embrace farming in all its branches. stock- PRLSlilR~DrlflClD81iY Holsteins —— fox farminit. some years airo added a few pairs of mink, Wednesday he was very gratifiedtoreceive in the mail an account sales from the Maritime Fur Pool Ltd.. uoncton. N3. for 36 mi nipped throuirh . . ..ure. These brought $4 B. or an averaile of $13.00 each. The litters totalled 56. but 20 of the best_ were selected for keeps or re- placmd adults pelted. Mr. Jones was a bit timid about mink breeding at first. sharirul the view popularly held that because of the proximity of salt water. pelts would not be as well furred as in more inland bro- vmces. However, he is pretty well over that idea now. and is of the opinion that mink farming offers a greater return 0n the investment than fox farming.

Mo.

more people did not zo in for mink farming in this province. It is mt that we did not. know about it. thcte were two or three mink farms here doinz rather well fifteen or more years aao. vet somehow it dld not appeal to the fox ranchers. ber-

enousth with their own line. How- more wrdeawake people in 011191‘ Darts of Canada went ahead and some have made fortunes the past three or four years. while we

There are ranches in Ontario and Quebec. plenty of them. raising front three thousand to eight thou- sand mink annually and their prq- fits are enormous. One thing mink farmlmz did for us is that it took away considerable attention from fox farming. otherwise there would have been more people in our line cf endeavor and .the markets would have been even more giutted than they were.

The Canadian Fur Auction Sales Company. Limited. will hold their next auction of silver foxes Thurs- av. February 20. when the first section consisting of 7.400 belts will be offered. On the following dav 7.000 wits of the second section will be auctioned. We understand that the collection is practically all fresh lts, with a large number of se- ects and a. small number of 1n- ferlors. This sale promises to be one of the most important cf the entire season. Fromm Bros.’ sale of Federal sf‘- ver fox pelts (OOIISIBUGd bv other breeders to them) had an auspicious ipening in New York last Monday when 97 Der cent. of that day's of- ferings [were sold at an advance cf from 71d to _10 per cent. (quality for quality considered) over the previ- ous December sale. The ton price

It is really rather peculiar that 6s and son of Frank Tuplin,

Bill. of a man and came into fame first as a carrying the mails for the Farzo Express. and as a scout for their -

around 900.000 to 1.000.000 skins. Of these. it is estimated that about 700.000 will be ranch mink and be- tween 200.000 and 300,000 will be wild mink. Most oi‘ the Cana- dian mink will be consumed in the United States as well as all all of the American mink. production of ranch mink . fine skins. about 350,000 medium and lower grade and the balance consisting of about 150.000. suitable for_ trim- mings and accessories. It is esti- mated that the finer grades would produce about 10.000 garments and about .000 of the best - would retail for $3.000 or more. An- other thousand would be nriced at $2,500. about 1,200 in. the $2.000 class and the balance would sell anywhere between $550 and $1.500.

We note by F-ur Breeder that of Michisan. breeder of champion fox- one oi’ the pioneer ranchers of this province, has sold his fox farm due to illness. and is now taking treat- ment in the western Dart of the United States.

One of the most successful plat-

the American Roland Tuplin.

haps because they were doing well inum ranches in the United States is known as the Buffalo Bill

Fox Farm at Cody. Wyoming. Foxes from this ranch won the principal prizes at the Michigan-Ohio Fox Show, 1940. Many of our readers

will remember the exploits of W11-

llam Cody. better known as Buffalo He was a magnificent figure

rider on the Ponv Express. Wells

the United States troops in wars with the Indians. When the Union Pacific was being built he undertook to supply izanszs of work- men with Buffalo meat and he was

such a successful buffalo hunter that

he was given the soubriquet Buffalo Bill. Years after he formed a wild

west circus and toured the United

States. Canada, and the principal capitalsrof Eurooe- He made a great hit with King Edward VIL, who was a frequent visitor to his show in London. and Codv was i - vited to dine at Buckingham Pals c. He was a deadly shot with a rifle and revolver. It is probable that the proprietor of the Buffalo Fox Farm at Cody is a descendant of the one and. only Buffalo Bill.

Tihe Illinois Fox and Fur Breed- ers’ Association held their annual belt show at the Faust Hotel, Rock- ford, January ll. There was a splendid line of pelts shown and the Judge had his hands full picking out the prize winners. One of the nrin- cipal winners was Rav Ca-llaizhan. of_Geneva. president of the Associ- ation. whose entries in the sweep-

“(8-5 $115 for a very beautiful full silver. Goods in the $50 to $60 class were m _pa.rt1cuiarly strong de- mand. the price rise at these levels averalzinn 10 Der cent. in contrast to a ‘Ila per cent. average increase in the sales below $50. Tire total number of skins to be offered was 25.000. 0f which only s. part. were disposed of on Monday. It would probably be last Thursday before the entire offering was auctioned. The average price realized for Mon- days belts was $30.69.

i

C. J. James, who has made a sue. cess of breeding fisher. writesavery interesting article in the form of a questionnaire appearing in the Am erican Fur Breeder for February.

Q. Are fisher anything like mink?

A. Yes. They have much the some short legs anti fairlv long body. but oi course. are much larger.

Q. Do you feed anything like mink?

A. Yes, the same food. Any satis- factory mink ration would probably suit them. Thev require about twice the quantity or a little more on the average.

Q. Are iisner ooiyizamotis?

A. Yes. young fisher can be run together in groups of one male to several females at mating season,

Q. When is the mating season?

A. pril. Fisher mate when a yea:

old. Q. What is the period of gestg. ion°

AfApuroximately 51 weeks. Fe- males mate again a week after w

ll.

Q. How many kits Der litter? WA. From 1 to 5. average 3 or

r.

Q. Whv raise fisher?

A. Because it is beautiful fur cf fine dark color with some contrast- ing gray brown on head and shoul- oers.’ It. is comparatively rare so it is still an exclusive fur. For these reasons it is always in demand. There is a, future to fisher farming.

bet-

Dr. Agnes Fav Morgan. Universi- tv of California nutrition eurpert. 7f Nutrition that she, has able to produce oatinum foxes by controlling a certain vitamin in the animal's diet. the platinum effect was obtained by depriving the foxes temporarily of the vitamin B. "filt- rable factor," a substance which re- sists grayiniz in some animals. Dr. Morgan ventures an opinion that thereisapossibility that fur breed- ers could produce a platinum effect with ordinary silver foxes by care- fully controlling the anti-gray fac- tor in their feed. She dld say that the foxes on the deficient diet are ltkeiv to be of poorer quality than the normal silver fox.

has recently reported in the Journal been -

stakes medium silver class took first. second ‘and third place awards. His pelts also won first and second place in the three-quarter silver class. Most unique of the awards was the Purina tronhv. known as the Dalton Gavel. and made of wood from the fox pens of Sir Charles Dalton's original silver fox ranch located on Cherry Island off the coast of Prince Edward Island. where silver foxes were first raised successfully in cap- tivity. At the business session vrhich follotved the show, Ray Cal- laghan of Geneva. was re-elected president. Mrs. E. M. Nioholls of Princeton. secretary. E. M. Nicholls, treasurer.

Ray Callaghan referred to above is a son of our esteemed silver fox rancher. W, P. Callaghan, formerly oi St. Louis. but now residing in Summerside. Mr. Callaghan was a great friend of Sir. Charles Dalton. and in his dav bred some of the fin- est forces ever produced in this country. foxes which were the pro- genitors of manv of the prize win- ners and best breedinz stock in western Canada ranches, notably t _..________________._

(Continuedon page 13. C01 B)

For lots 0F BIG Eggs

mil!!!”-

No writing. No money orders. No bother. Just phone, or drop in,

J. II. Campbell, Allllion

J. Barry Green. Central Berleque

Charles E. Worth. 226 Great George Street. Charlottetown

Arthur H. Brycnton, Kenslngfon

0. C. Johnson. North Tryon Francis B. Tralnor, Vernon Rlver

PAGE ELLE VILN

By Stuart L. Thvmpson O+Q+O-O—O—O—OO-O-OQ—Q-O++O-OO~O O4

THE ROBBER. BARON OF THE SNOW CASTLE

Om winter day while crossing a . snowy field I came upon the marks of tiny footprints in pairs, left by a. little animal as it had bounded over the snow. I knew it at once to be the trail of a weasel, for it was mudh too large and extended for that. of a mouse; and far too small to be left by a skunk or cat. What puzzled me was that a weasel should be away out here on an open field. so far from shelter of any kind. Ho generally seeks rougher spots f0? his hunting. Curiousity led me to follow the little tracks, for many interesting facts come to light as one unravels a trail.