_.. ms GUARDIAN. crraru.-orr-re'rovvr"rl

llutclr lists ‘can save clrorrlss From Birds

poerovu. — There are (01118 '0 M a lot of frustrated robins in mesa parts if Jacob Van Ecelen has his way-

Mynheer Van Be.-len is the '14-

,,-.old head of a fnmpus net- maklng family of Ymuiden, I-loir land. and if you go met all for sea- fond the chances are that the fish

u cat. has been caught in one ML his "best manllas." But the e.rand that brings him to Boston now has nothing to do with fish.

nwrrzcrrvn Nara’

The robins. grackles. our and other garden robbers won nice it, but Mynhe r Va-r Beelen is u-ying to int.ro:'ue to New Eng- land the nets fruit from the ravages of the birds, already in routine use in Great Britain and the continent. it's time the thinks, that the growers got at least a few of their berries and cherries. .

Many agree with him. Out in pr-anklin county this summer com- mercinl growers oi blueberries had to cover their bushes to save their crops from the rapacious birds. The suburbanltes' strawberries are pret- ty well digested by now and the nslrerrles are going fast. But by next, season, perhaps, the Van Beelen offensive may be on in earnest.

"They won’t let the bir;‘s eat their fruit in Europe," Mynheer Van Beelen says. To England alone we ship two or three tons of our garden ne's twice a week. The nets last for years and so are a [nod investment."

The nets are cotton fishing nets which have become hard from the action of the water and so will not hold the catch. They are cleaned and repaired for .their new job. They cost 6 1-2 cents per square yard at dockside in Boston or New York, a price that makes them a little expensive for large scale commercial use, but within the reach of the suburban gardener.

To protect a cherry tree. stakes are driven into the ground on either side oi the tree and the net spread over the stakes. Mynheer Van Beelen points out that the net must be far enough from the cher- ries so that the robins will not be able to reach through and grab a bite. "Let ‘em eat worms.”

H

EXPANDING EXPORTS

At his age, although he looks more like so than ‘M. Mynheer Van neelen didn‘t make this trip to America solel to save ar.ybody's cherries. Because oi the exchange situation, it is necessary for his company. as well as every other concern in the Netherlands. to ex- pend its exports to America.

Long before the war he sold fins manila nets to 1". J. O'Hara and sons. Inc., one of Boston's great fishing concerrs, and he visited‘ the o'Hara's while here to renew“ old acquaintances and get new orders. But his main purpose is to find a market for his garden nets and athletic nets—tennis. Bad- minton. football and so on—- which already are widely used in Britain and on the continent. \

"We have so man orders at our plant that we can't lnlsh them all." he says. "But we have to di ‘ ‘

that protect Your J‘

- ANEWSY NOTES -

jy Agricola

nus wmn cnovvnn sraaaow

\

i

This rather “ ‘ e bird.is conrpicioua .by n of the wide whitc median strips that passes over its crown, and is flanked by black stripes an each side. It is this feature that differentiates it at first glance from the white throat- ed Sparrow.

It is a western bird. and seems to have been scarcer in eastern Canada until quite recently. Bain. in a single linepreiera to it as a "wayward wanderer," associating with the Fox and Tree sparrows ln their migrations. local Mari- time _lists only mention it casually as a migrant. and the first real light on the subject came when Mr. Frank stems reported the Whitc-crown, as "fairly common since 1028." Tile late Mr. Ludlow

enkins of Marshfield, wrote “A great flight (of White-crowns) over the island, Spring 1903." There are also records from Pownal. furnish- ed by Miss Maude M. Jones. who brought this matter up to date by observing a white-crown on May 2. mo.

Their negoatlons take them from theisnesting places in the extreme gorth down to the latitude of North

arolim. for the winter. As they return north they join the Fox sparrow in nightly scratching among the fallen leaves in the thickets. There they find and feed on large numbers of dormant in- sects that would otherwise emerge in spring and injure the crops. etc.

White-crowned Sparrow. AOU. 554. Fairly common migrant (1949). Adult plumage: Crown oi head with conspicious -white stripes, bordered by alternate streaks ‘of black and white: ions) (spsce be- for eyes) black; no white on chin: Black rather fluffy. Upper parts ash-gray streaked’ brown and whitish; tail dusky. slightly notch- ed. Wings brownish. with two nar- row wing-bars. Underparts grayish white. immature birds with centre of crown grayish brown, and sides of crown rufous brown. Length of adults about 6.86 inches

ODDS AND ENDS

Hap Scotched Melody (or Polka). Most readers have heard the record of this music, but why "Hop scotch?" I was interested to learn that the game bearing this name is as popular in this neighborhood as it was in Ncrthumberland.

| I

in the State" which must be a headache for those Britons who are fond of nationalization.

Farm Incomes. -ma Maritime lllanner, March 7th. gives a table of farm incomes, “compiled from the figures of the statistical branch of the Dominion department of agriculture". Two years only, via 1003 and 1948, are tabulated. In loan the net income per farm in P. E. I. was 0181; in 1946 it was silos. In I book oi records relat- ing tc this Province. I find that there was a steady depreciation of farm income from 1915 until tne beginning oi the war in 1910. a period of Q years. From 1916 to will, farmers received one—third of the National Income. althouu they number almost half of the population. In the period 1926-19%. the farmers share had fallen to one-sixth ’of the National Income. and from 1030 to 194-0 the farmers, now fallen in number to about one-third of the population, re- ceived only one tenth of the Nat- ional income!

In the Guardian of Nov. 11th i941, it was observed that the net cash income per farm on P. E. I. was $463 in 1928: it dropped to sao n 1933. but had got back to 3 by 1937! It 'was about this time that I conjectured the farm- ers income to be shout $300. and this was to carry him for a yearl

In Dec 194i, it was given out that the value of farm Produce raised on the Island was s8.8'l4.0i)il but it was not stated whether this was farmers‘ or dealers’ prices. However. the Hon. J. Gardiner figured this at $7,240,000. and I leave it at that. I conclude this tedious and discouraging survey. with the hope that farmers will stand‘ together to secure 3 Netter deal.

Arcturus The sky has not been iavorhble for star-gazing this month. but I got a. look-in the other night. The cast window at- forded me a View of Ursa major, the Great Bear, (otherwise the

lDipper).rearing straight up. with

his tail hanging down. Following the curve of the tail (handle of the Dipper). I came to a bright star, at that time near the horizon. This was Arcturus. one of the stars mentioned in the Book of Job. It is the brightest star in the constel- lation Hooter. and is of an orange color. It has been computed that Arcturus moves at the rate of 54 miles a second. How immense must

It was a favorite game with the . "Space" be..

Younger schoolgirls. -though not -with their parents! since it had

the effect of scuffing the sole of

the rightflfoot boot. .into holes in’

short order. The scoring was done

I17 liropoliing a pot-sherd through.

a seriu of compartments (out- lined on the ground with chalk) by pushing it with the right foot. Since the left was to be kept on

the ground, the result was a hopl. TM I-ml. used as balancers. were:

heat at the elbows. so that the fore-arms were upright. This gave a kind of “sword dance" appear- Incl. and added the "scotch" to the title of the game. In Britain the potsherd was called a "boody",

a word whose lineage I could not.

trace. some children's games

»

Egg Market Firm And Demand Strong

The production of eggs in P E. I. is not sufficient to meet the de- mend, reports Mr. F. M. Nash. dis- trict lnspector. poultry products. The market is firm and the de- mand is strong and prices have advanced one cent per dozen on Grade A large and A medium eggs. All available supplies are prov- ing freely to Maritime and New- foundland points. V

Operators of grading stations

on , cm,“ . nnenhle mm W, _ but; are now quoting producers for un- I ham“ to mow um; s’;°wh.. graded eggs: A large 36-7; A med-

mors than a century end a half since its initial game. ._. P.

our customers in Holland an£”Brit- sin and take orders here ause We need the dollars. We have no choice in the matter.

SLOW COMEIIACK

"We sell nets not only .to the O'Hnras. but to the governments of Canada and Poland. They like our nets. They catcn good fish if there are fish."

Holland is coming back from the war very » slowlv. Mynheer Van 3°91”! l'¢l!0!’iB. although her peo le are working very hard. A drain on "*9 “°‘"llFY is the need of main-

lning armies in ldonesia. Then some marke‘s have di-.a:peare:l. (h)nce Holland exported her surpl"s

‘firing to Gen-nsnv but now Brit- 'f“' h“Vh’8 a sore and an army ° °°°llDation..hls taken over this ilminlt market. too“ '

Mynheer van neelen loves Amer- lio. but is a. Ittle confused by It

"EV°l'rbody‘is ri'ahl"g around," "9 SW8. “Everybody is always in a, hurry. woman as well as men. It's like a current."

He attributes his own‘vlgor .at .1 lo the practice of two rules:

Gel) late in the morning: and don't eat too much. will-E‘! ihmlatter rule he would im-

°l| O robina. but in “"7 Vilfnot thrive on it. W F‘

‘, r ‘E, _. ., . '0 A'TN.'I‘1II“"‘NNSIINS" IIAIII ‘-r.:. . " A,‘ ,. ' '-"

Then

ium 34-5: A pullet and B 25; C 20. (These prices are only two cents

_ In m__ under prevailing prices for same

"g (4, A_ 3__ I think the --Roch; period last year).

dale Pioneers". the subject of your‘

Wholesalers are quoting opera-

gnqujy-y_ '9]. . ‘mu, 0, mdmmfili tors of grading stations ficrr the

workers who began a grocery

“om graded pack fob station: A large «ii:

at Roclrdale. intheasriy nineteenth‘ A m“““"‘ 393 A Dime‘ ‘lid 3 3°? century. Rochdaie is a. town in the C 35-

ootton lP1!1n1IIg district of Lanca-

Wholeealers offering to retailers

shin. and lies about eleven miles at: A lsrge-43: A medium ii; A

north of Manchester. the County Town. At that time wages were ex- tremely low and the aforesaid workers found it hard to make a. living: they therefore de- cided to so into the grocery busi- ness for th elves, and save the "micldleman's" costs. I have heard that their first venture was the Purchase of a. chest of tea. from the wholesalers. They each con- tributed to the fund (or price) and

State Sounds Alarm Against Moth Menace

BOSTON. NII=-- The arm moth, most serious defoliatcr of flowing timber in the Northeast-.

is building up to a peak of infesta- tion in soartheastem Massachusetts.

A recent survey of areas defolia- ted by the caterpillars inst surn- mer shows 80,230 acres stripped of leaves by 25 to 100 per cent in the counties of Bristol. Norfolk and Plymouth. '

Conservation Commr. Arthur T. Lyman said the tot-al.wII two and a half times the total acreage of stripping reported in 1040.

He called on counties. towns and cities in general within the infest- ed areas to take advantpge of the new and, efficient methods of aerial spraying to eradicate the pest.

The significance of such cle- foliation will be more readily understood when it is realized that the loss of annual growth caused by the gypsy moth is directly propor- tional to the per cent of defolia- tion," he said. "A tree delcliated 'i6'per cent. only puts on 25 per cent of its annual growih.

“In addition to the losses sui- fered groin loss in growth by (‘e- ioliation are many other impor- tant factors difficult to e‘.'aluate. Young white-pine trees are killed Hordes of cajerpillars create a nuisance which affects the re-tal and value‘ of real estate.

“Unsprayed fruit. shade and ornamental trees are damn ed. Hundreds of oak trees in forested areas have been killed due to re- peated defoliation. and in some instances only one year's defolia- tion has killed these trees. De'o1i- ation and killing of trees affects the forest as a whole by opening up the stand so the remaining t ees become malformed. Removal of the leaves from forest trees causes the forest floor to dry out creating a hazard, and in addition, valuable ground water is lost th'.o"gh evaporation."

Commissioner Lyman etimated that the annual loss “is even more appalling when it is realized re can grow and market lumber here in Massachusetts for around $20 per thousand feet, against a cost of at least siao per thousand for that we must import."

Plans are being made to carry the aerial spraying program, in- ouguraied last Spring on Cape Cod into‘ Bris'ol and \"lymouth coun- ties this spring. said Lyman.

, I

Farm .Prrces 0'I'l‘ArW\A, March 1'! —(CP) - Canard-a's farmers generally got lower prices for their products in January than at any t’r.-ne in bire-

lnst two years.

The index of farm Bureun of statistics reported to- day. went down 0.7 points from 246.0 in December to 239.3 in Jan- uary.

The index is caloufatcd on the basis that 1935-39 prices equal 100. January's stan.d.i.ng was 18.4 points ‘lower than the 237.7 in January, a year ago. _

In the broad over-all picture. the annual average index for 1949 was N 12. a slight decline frc-rn 1918’: all-time high cg 252.6. .

The Maritime Provinces index with January. 1949, figures in brackets:

Prince Edward Island. 175.9 (106.5); Nova scotla, 200.7 (203.4); New Brunswick. 212.2 (227.71).

pullet and 3 3i: C 26.

Eggs are retailing to consumers: A large 48-9; A medium 46-7; A pullet and B 37.

prices. the

, 5 Canadian Garden Service 1950 E

I I

by Gordon Lindsay snrltli

9,‘ 7!

As Soon as Poarlble

In most parts of the country gar-

iho tn wu weishod out to etch deners will have to content them-

The result is a kind ad "atatewitlu

as his share. (There warin this gglveg largely with planning and case 310 mention OE GIVIGOIIG, since dxegmjni gnd reading ghg gged '“ ''''“‘°‘ °‘”'-) Th‘ "WW9 WW1 catalogues. Until weather and soil ‘N"V1'°'W‘m°'l WI‘ WIAIOMO‘ really start to warm there is not confined their «roots ions before a great deal of active work pos- othm was read! for mother slble.,But there are a few jobs that chest of tea! After-“trial end error", mum grid would be done, the dividend system was evolved Fruit trees can be primed and and this did more than anything thinned and also the late blooming 035! 9-0 Pofiularlu the movement.’ shrubs. so: the other kind it "Rochdala Oo-operative sprang up all over England. and ering season is over one can _also in big towns there was the prepare hotbeds or flats for early all its sowing. Often. too. there is a spot

Stores‘ in the garden where trout léavea joined to operate Flour. Milis,f early and the soil dries sufficient- rurniture Factories. and so only toaovl sweet peas.

lweet Peas

To do well. sweet peas must go in early. If one follows directions on the seed packet success is guaranteed, that is unius we live in that very limited area of Canada where suarrner beat. and aspec- iaily heat at night. is exestaive. Digatrench aboutafootor so deep. 'i‘r-amp in some well-rotted manure. leaves. etc. ‘top off with two or three inches of the finest and richest soil available and plant in this about three inches spart. list the weather gradually ml the trench to encourige deep root. growth. Provide the necessary

climbing rnstcrial—stx-lags or lunch —and when the plants start bloom clip daily.

r "nun Wsrlr Inrly. Too

Lawn grass is another plant that likes to get started early. one

oawtscwtoosooahihsntbg.

some people even broadcast over the last snow and as it melts it carrids the seed down into the soft earth. on a sloping place, of course. this might not be advisable where running water might carry seed . away. I Good grass seed usually comes inpa‘ .and it consists of a blend of several different grasses. ‘some of these germinate quickly, , providing some color and also the ,necessary protection for the later

I.

ll I ' Stores" usually but to wait until the flow- Imam parmmm‘ "rm For mm“

locations one should get I special. mixture. nither for pabehin or new ‘lawns lrass seed should sown liberally ard lightly raked in. ! Like most plants grass will ap- preciate good soil and an ‘ - al application of fertilizer. New grass is easily pulled out so one should make sure the mower is sharp.

Q lletbella and Window also

i

. where a large quantity of start- ed plants are needed one can save expense by growing.in a hotbed. it is best to get a government bull- etin which will gfve the details of construction and maintenance: .nriefly the affair is simply a bed of rich soil mounted on a layer of horse manure or scmethlrg similar [that will generate heat and the

“I -whole protected by a rough wood-

,an frame on which is a sloping ,window. a‘ one can use a shallow

ibox, t or four inches deep. Fill ‘with a are of fine poll, sand and leaf mould Until seed: ger-

minato cover lightly with cloth or blottlng paper. water through this and don't let soil dry out.

“.

.-.-.rr.r acres on rciics comer:-:n wmr, .Silver Fox and

Mink Farming

Tl

Us

gu. o~4N.\.\.\.w\.Y.\

Last week was silver fox auction ‘bland (mono silver ion, 5.030 plat- week in London, Hudson's Baylnurn fox and 66.000 blue,fox) ard company leading off for reported in the current year, production is prices unchanged to ten per cent‘ expected to be still lower. Mink advanced. of the 11,000 skins offer- 3 _. ‘uction, on the other hand, has ed during the first day's sale Iafbeen increased to w.ooo skins a per cent were disposed of. Darker year - - black, brown and mutat- types advanced ten per cent while ion mlnks. The Norwegians have full silvers were unchnnsed. De-jbeen breeding mink: for about 2. mand was strongest for half and years, though not to a large extent, three--quarter silvers and all the, and most of these have been sold f:h€B»D€|' S0i’iv5- TOD Pficea 01 11- B-’in Norway and in other European 0. were--three-quarter silvers, countries. The qualiinv of the good colors, 516; ordinary colors G10. norwegign mink, Mr. Lindstrom

Next Week—nursery stock, aoil.J

Annlng. Chadwick and Kelver auc-

tioned Russian sliver icx the nfm'- ' Norwegian foxes.

noon of March 'ith and they sold well at the following advanced prices . . . half-slivers, $26; ter silvers $23; three-quarter sil-

vers s28: full silvers %. The fol-

lowing day they continued selling

Russian and Norwegian silver fox

and platins and the market was

very strong. The collection nuns‘-

bered 6.500 and was 70 per cent

sold at an average price of $15. Arr

offering of 3,500,‘ mostly of the

same origin was 80 per cent sold.

Top prices for the day's sale were

quarter silvers, $15.50; three-quar-

ter silvers $34.50; full silvers 833;

platina $28. All Canadian silver

fox were withdrawn due to the

handicap of requiring hard cur-i rency purchased. Buyers were all; from soft currency countries.

Johan Lindstrom, Director of the Norwegian Fur Breeders’ Associat- ion, has issued an interview which will be of great interest to fax ranchers in Canada and the Unit- ed States. Norway, as it is well known. before world War 2 was the world's largest producer of ranched fox skins - - silvers, plat- inums ard blue foxes. Now they are, according to the interview. gradually shifting the emphasis of their productionfrom fax to mink in order to recapture their former position in the world market . , . . .

"Norway is reducing ifs fox pro- ductiun becauw we cannot make it pay any more". Mr. Linistrom explained. "lmrgort and currency restrictions as well as high sales taxes have made it difficult to re- sume normal t. ade relations with countries which formerly were Norway's chief customers for fox skins. England. for instance. runs a 100 per cent tax, France has had a strict import quota. and it has been impossible to sell a iinjle skin to Germany. only through barter agreements has _ it been possible to trade with other countries. such as Italy, with whom furs have been exchanged for hats, felt and food.