SEPTEMBER 23¢

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Jack Miner A

nd The Birds

51 Jack Minor Hhnelf-A Hieiorycf ‘This Notable Bird Iflyfl-‘g Life

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"Prevention 0f

i329.‘

Mechanical Injuries To Potato Tubers

QHAPTEB V BOB WRIT! QUAIL

M, as z had swwn from bor- hood to man and had become the fgthei‘ in a little “home, aweet home;- my responmbilities naturally m,“ m; to take life a little more Imugjynuhsaaboyloveaiogc “mg-wt and play marbles in the mrjyjg cf the year, when fa.1l came my whole body and soul seemed to "w, Que for just one sup fo pure. upsduliarahd nature. and many m4 many a mornlns. after I have W; cver to the factory and built I my under the boiler, have I taken | stroll by twilight, before break- mg, 5nd stepped up into a fence corner, leaned e-gulnst the old mu; and stood and breathed the pure air of a, new-born day. Pos- pbly the awishing-sh-sh-sh of s. flock of small wild ducks might be heard overhead as they darted their way southward: the note of the wood-thrush might also be noticed. and the flirtter of the deer old "ycodcockb wings have sometimes nmcst caused me to flinch. Then u the last ltara were cleoim their 9y“ for the day and the white

we drlfiills arrows. Not that he gets B"? of his living there, but just fliel time for shelter during the severe storm; of winter,

As to them becoming ac numer- ous as to quarrel and not breed. quail do not nest or breed in the woods. When we came to Canada 1n 1618 there were twenty-five where there hasn't been one during the last ten years. I am euro I have $8611 one hundred and fifty quail on an ordinary farm: and this ohimse is not because the wire fence has taken the place of the rail, eta. All these excuses are false and without foundation.

low here is the positive fact: ‘lie great mistake the sportsmen have made is that they have directed all their attention on the death-deal- ing weapons, as tohow to destroy the quail. The breech-loader has taken the place of the old muzzle- loader; the six-shot pump gun has taken the place of the double-ber- rellcd breech loaders; the quick nitro-exploaivea have when the place qf the slow black powder; and thus we 110W gone on and on for the iaet thirty-five year-s, to my

(m: of the early-October moming became visible on the top rai1,_awe.y to the eaat would come the faint ‘esii of the quail. That voice would hardly die out beforo he fhther c! another family would start cali- ing the roll, right in the next field; then one to the south: anchor bevy near the woods, to the north; and lgain to the west would some these cheerful notes; until the frosty air would fairly ring all around me, with the melody of Bob White's roll 0e11, the head 0f the fs/lnily calling and each nwmber answering. And ifaililwclkarsdnonehmiflng, 1n about three minutes all is still and one would not lcnow there was IQUMIIHthQGGHIH1,ID-1OIOI hawk happened to dart among them: than a shrill alarm b given. and all buzz for cover.

.Ncw it 1e said that there never ‘an a tsibe of heathen discovered ' ht did not worship some kind d iicl. This I am not prepared to prove. But I will say this: That no intelligent man can live in this peat, out-of-dcors and study the creatures that occupy it before man ins any control over them, combin- ed with the regularity of the sun, moon and whispering stars, without bcinz compelled to believe that there is an over-ruling Power. And although I had not read s. word cm the value of our quail, this thought often presented itself to me: "What did God put them here for?" Yes, loan recall time, and time again, when, after I had Ofllptled the quail out cf my hunting-coat pocket‘ I have gone to the kitchen door and thrown out by the handful the weed-seed that had worked out o! their buratcd crops; and how often in the aimamer, I have seen them picking insects, as they atrutted by m1’ 111111118 place! No. I am proud f» my. 1 have ram shot a quail in ‘_ “my "WWW years, and I am still

Pmuder to say that I have this much confidence in humanity, thm today there wouldn't be one qugil ghot where there are five, if these shoot- "! would first consider‘ their, cheer- fulnoss, beauty and value while alive. For one Bob White sitting on the icp rail, sounding h‘a beautiful “m- brlnls more gladness and more chem- to more people than twenty- flve will in a bloody game-sack. .

' Now about the only argument the h“ ‘hwtfl h” to put up is that "it who fence has taken the place _ of the old rail and weedy fence row “d h" destroyed their cover, and that u m didn't shoot them the ‘Null would only fight, one among “it others, and would not nest. I am “° 1"" to My um mu man has no brains, but I w:1l say that the ‘Whine or his trigger-finger u» niece "mfihius 11M got control of his brains; and when I hear him blow- luz or: this nun r time father's 4 rtfivice, and "drop it." For the pos- lve fact is that the old fence row h‘ “"1 MWIYB was, the worst death ‘"1’ "mt queu ever took anemi- m. 3:1 tight of a sportsmanu ambi- md u‘ to see them alight there; e llwwliirg house-cat has a

3°" “dvdntlsc there; and when march comse, mat is just the place ‘Mk for a bunch of dead quail— gush that sorflit shelter them urmq the winter months, were zilluilinocr. and died. an thinking m‘ u i1 admit that when quail n N111 need of shelter, this old

-_ l knowledge, thoughtless and ignorant cf what we were doing, not taking into consideration at all the increasing number of shooters, War by year, imtil st last we have wsked ilp to nnd that our hint have decreased over ninety per cent. during that time.

Has the wire fence destroyed m; ducks, the beautiful trumpeter swans, our mourning doves, the woodcocka and meadow-lurks? These migrat- ory birds have decreased the same aa our Ontario quail have, and God- Kivm intelligence, wrongly directed, is responsible for it all.

Now just picture North America if, during the last thirty-five years.‘ we had paid as much attenion to the protection and inor-eaae of our birds as we have to these death- dealing weapons. What a. cheerful difference it certainly would have madoi

"we About toil Natl I80 I started to protect the quail in earnest. I made eight feed-racks.

The boxes are eight inches square and four inches deep. The cover is shout three feet wide and almost one foot from the feed. If a lime mow does drift in. it is very light and the birds will scratch and get the feed, as no sleet or rain can reach it.

‘R10 (lull soon found the food and 1 was agreeably lurprised to see the number of tracks around theseracksthefirsttimelwentto visit hem; but when 1 returned three or fow- dare later chm was scarcely s. quail to be seen. On m. vestigation I found that the hawks had apparently struck the Klon- dyinoftheirliveasnditwaaal- moatauredeathfolobtogoneer the feed, as Mr. Ha/wk was always watching. '

Then I bought a few No. 1 jump traps and cut three poles, fifteen 0r twenty feet long and from four to five inches through at the butt. I, then drove three or four small nails in the butt-end of each pole, to stay the trap and keep it from blowing off, but leaving it free en- ough lo that when it caught its victim he could fly up and misc the trap off the top of the pole. A sruull brush-clog was fastened u, m; end of the chain and a nail was driven in the side of the pole about a foot from the trap, to hang the 010g ou- About six or eight small staples were driven in around the pole, near the trap, to put mg. ments of weed and greag in go u to disxuise the trap, making 1e ‘p. DEB-r like an old spar-cow's neat. Then I stood the polo, with the butt up, beside another mull u" go that the boughs of the tree would PPOJBot a foot or so above the trap: then wired the p019 to m, tree, When a. hawk or owl gets his toe in such a trap there is nothing solid f0!‘ 119111 $0 jerk 3.3311152, but hg Mn fly down with the trap md (figs, and isn't apt to jerk out. Moreover,

number one is not up there, fia/p- Plniz, to scare him and make him shy-oi’ this pole. I have known them time and again. to alight on the same pole and then fly down and kill and eat the hawk below who was flapping around with the trap and clog.

M Proof that bfrds visit the same places. I will say that I haven't

a’ 15 Yklthlng but a fennel haw‘ In a fill-y drawback quail 0M0 “ ‘llVcstorn Ont-arc, and 1n| N‘ ' 5- “~11. is the dssppearing of

Woods that sheltered them from

caught over fifteen hawks and owl: down there in any one winter, in those three traps since.

(Continued on Pug; 14)

when hawk number two comes along‘

(Experimental Farms Note)

For some years farmers in the potato growing sections oi’ Canada] have been reminded of the neces- sity c! preventing mechanical in- juries to potatoes whether grown for seed purposes or for table use.

The most common mechanical injuries are cuts, cracks. skinning and bruises. Outs. are most notice- able but bruises are considered of greater importance because what may appear tn be a minor bruise jg actual] an area of crushed tissue giving rise to many internal cracks the forerunners of storage mtg yo. suiting from mechanical injuries and responsible for appreciable losses. Of the agencies causing such injuries the potato digger ia the chief oflender. The potatoes may also be damaged as they are‘ picked up and hauled in the ceb‘ 1B1‘. It has been determined ex- perimentally that tubers are injur- ed but very slightly when poured from a height of 80 inches, howev- er, injury by cracking and bruising is very severe. As a further precau. tion against such injury the newly due Potatoes should be left exposed to the air for at least 30 minutes. Furthermore, the potatoes should‘ be reasonably mature as tuber; crack very easily if they are still growing rapidly at dissing time. By uvoldius lets Dlantins this source 0! 11111111 may be materially re- dueed.

Since most of the injuries are caused by the digger it should be selected with care and adjusted to insure the least , " damage f0 the crop. Accordingto authorities on the subject diggers should be at least M inches in width and oper- ated deep enough to dig m; w“. toes without cutting. sufficient dirt should be elevated over the chain to cushion the potatoes and the roar should be adjusted just him enough to free the potatoes from the soil but not too high lest bruising occurs. It is usually ne- cessary to pad the digger chain, especially if the potatoes are im- mature. If fire soil is damp it may stick to the rcda and offer suitable

in; __.--

lforms. Where mussel mud is near

THE CHARLOTTETOWN GUARDIAN

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The Value o: Ground Limestone

(Experimental Farms Note.)

In the economical management of any farm in the Maritime Prov- incea, the production of large quantities of legumes, such sa red clover, is cf prime importance. In securing a stand of this valuable crop there are many controlling factors which play an important part, such as soil fertility, abund- ance cf manure and organic mat-l tea, hardy and fresh seed and rm- dom from weeds. The limiting fac- tor, however, in perhaps the maj- ority of cases Ls lime in one of its

at hand, satisfactory results are obtained from its use. but in loc- alities where mussel mud is not easily obtained, ground limestone is to be preferred. It is cheap, effec- tive, easy to apply and may be sown at any time of the year.

0n Prince Edward Island Illus- tration Stations, especially Iona, Wood Islands, Montague, I-‘ted Point and Rose Valley, it has been found that an application of ground limestone was absolutely necessary in order to secure a eat- isfactory stand of red clover 'I‘heI soil at the above-mentioned stat-‘ ions is distinctly acid. At the first ,' three it blight and sandy, while' at Red Point and Rose Valley it is a. clay 10am. At these latter two stations the physical condition of‘ the soil was noticeably improved.

Remarkable increases in yields of clover have been obtained from the uae at limestone. In 1932 from nine stations the yield of clover with- out limcstcne was 0.88 of a ton, while with limeatoie 1t was 1.35‘ tons, or an increase of b8 per cent. At Montague the unlimed plot yielded 0.96 0d’ a ton,while the lim- ed plot yielded 2.26 tons. an in- crease of 137 per cent. At four stations in i981 the yield of clover without ‘-' tone was 0.00 of a ton, and with limestone it was 1.64 foneperacmorinotirerwcrds an increase due to the limestone of 173 per" cent. Needless to say the quality of the clover on the lim- ed areas was much superior to that on the irntreated areas-

During the past few years on the stations it has been the practice to add three pounds of alfalfa to the gram mixture. Wirfle only s few satisfactory stands have as yet

protection. When the soil is so dry that it sifta through the chain or belt other measures must be taken and for this it is preferable to split pieces of rubber hoee and tie them around the rods. Similarly it is hifihly important to Dad all hard sud solid PB-Yts of the digger with which potatoes maycome in contact. Any ‘ditional informa- tion may be obtained by writing ec Your ‘ Dominion Laboratory of Plant PsthclogyP-R. 11.. Hurst, Dominion Laboratory of Plant Pa- thology, Charlottetown, P. E. I.

Lobster Stimulus For Stomach Juices

(Fisheries News Bulletin)

Investigation carried on by Do- minion fisheries scientists has dis- closed that the flesh of the lobster is a powerful stimulus for the juices of the stomach.

Previous work done in this field at the Atlantic Biological Station of the Biological Board of Canada-the fisheries research body operating under the control of the Dominion Minister of Fisheries - had shown that the flesh of the haddock caus- es the stomach in secrete its juices in much the same fashion as beef, and the later studies have now re- vealed that lobster causes consider- ably more juice to be secreted than in the case when haddock is eaten. Lobster meat, says a progress report by the Biological Board research worker who has been dealing with this particular problem, "stimulates the stomach glands to produce a much greater volume of the juice and also a higher amount of the digestive enzyme." ,

In carrying on the research the investigator‘ did not consider lobster and haddock cnly ,but cod and mackerel as well. What he found was that " s far greater amount cf juice was poured from the stomach walls upon 250 grams of lobster than upon the same amount of cod, had- dock, cr mackerel. It is therefore believed,” he writes, "that this large amount of juice should greatly fac- ilitate the digestion of lobster. This fact"--and here is one of the im- pcrtant points- "should be of great value to people suffering from a functional depression of the stom- ach juice."

So fer as volume of jaw. secreted is ccncemed, the tests showed lob- ster flesh the greatest stimulus, then mackerel, then haddock, tnen cod. Lobster ranged well ahead but there was not a very great spread between mackerel and haddock or haddock

been secured, it may be said to be gradually establishing itself. At each and every stat/ion ithe growth of alfalfa has beenhoticeably sup- ericr on the areas which received an application of ground limestone in recent years-R. O. Parent, Do- minion Experimental Station, chllT1fl1i"fO\Vll, P. E. I.

Flax Growing Countries

Canada and the Irish Bee State are the only Empire countries other than the United Kingdom produc- ingflax in any appreciable quantity. The production of the United King- dom comes mainiy from the United Kingdom acreage in Northern Ire- land, and, in reference to this it is interesting to note that seed has been grown for the Department of Agriculture of Northern Ireland by the Fibre Division of the Dominion Experimental Farms at Ste Anne d8 la Pocatiere, in the province of Que- bec. In Russia and Poland and in the neighboring countries, a con- siderable quantity cf flax is grown primarily for the seed, from which the oil is extracted and used in cooking or as a substitute for other edible fats. Only a poorer grade of flax fibre is obtainable under such conditions, but where purchasing power and standards of living are low, retting 1a nevertheless carried out. In addition, however. the dolgdn- eta variety, which is grown chiefly for the fibre, is cultivated upon a large scale in Russia. However, the best flax is obtained where fibre is made the primary object, says the Empire Marketing Board, and where water containing certain special qualities is available for rotting, as in Northren Ireland, Belgium and France. The difference between the two types of production is de- monstrated in the fact that upon the figures available, Russia's yield averages. 1% cwts, per acre against as much as 8 cwts. in France and Belgium. According to the 11811185 for 1931, the world area under flax

waa 0,643,000 acres. _W

to output was given when lobster was taken, but both haddock and cod had more effect than mackerel.

"After cod and haddock there was} a much larger volume of juice sec- reted in the first hour than in the’ second hour. After lobster and‘

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much more favourable for

DERS

Selecting The Laying Stock

(Experimental Farms Note)

It is advisable to star-t selecting the laying stock just as soon as possible after the pullets are fully feathered out. First of all, select e11 pulleis from your best matings. That is,‘ the pulleta selected for laying stock" should be from dams that have laid‘ at least 175 eggs averaging 24 oun- ces per dozen and better still, from dams having 300 eggs to their credit sired by a cockerel whose dam has laid 200 eggs per year with an aver- age cf‘24 ounces per dozen. I

There are three types of pul1ets| usually found in the flock. The first‘ is the clean-cut, deep-bodied, close-i iy-feathercd, angular bird that is always alert. The second is the round-bodied, loose-feathered, slug- gish bird that fattena readily and very seldom proves to be a profit- able egg producer. Then °ne will generally find a few that are per- haps a. combination of the two types just mentioned.

It is well, then, to select the lay- ers from the first type or group, put them on a range by themselves and perhaps go over them once or twice again before they are put into their winter quarters. It is extreme- ‘ ly advisable in the interest of eco- nomic production to satisfy your- self that you are not retaining in the laying flock pullcts that do not conform fairly closely to the first type previously described. Experience has taught us that the individual that conforms to the egg producing type ta one with s. deep body, as‘ measured from the front of the breast-bone to the centre of the back; a deep gradually tapering flat side, wedge shape: a long, straight back carrying its v/idth well out to the base of the tail. The keel or breast bone should be large and parallel with the back. A good ‘full breast and plenty of width at the pelvis are desirable. Dc not over- look the head as it h an excellent index of quality. The head should be clean-cut, medium in length, deep, wide and more or less flat, the width increasing uniformly from beak to a point directly behind the eye. The eye should be large, bright and prominent. A smooth, clear, lean akin over the facade desirable.

The matter of selection is made easier when the birds are of uniform size. Therefore, it is good practice to try to have all hatches come of! within as short a. period as possible. At the Experimental Farm, Nappan. it has ..hcen found that from April lat to 15th makes a. very suitable period,

Use only good sires, preferably pedigree birds and select carefully the laying stock and you will find that the poultry flock rs one of your most profitable sources ef farm re-v- enue.

Natures Potassio Fertilizer

The ashes of wood have long been recognized aa a fertiliser of very considerable value, indeed their use in agriculture ia historic, says the Dominion chemist. In all coun- tries practising agriculture, including Canada, they have been highly prized, especially for clover. grapes and fruit trees and leafy crops generally on sandy and light loams. It was only through the advent of high-grade potash salts that their use fell on’, though, of course, the production of ashes in decreasing quantities c1. late years, owing to the disappearance of our forests. has been an import-ant factor in making it more and more diiilcult for the farmer in the older settled districts to obtain them.