raqllNlhE wé- ~ TlMEl-Y NOTES 0N TOPICS CONNECTED WITH Silver Fox Farming q-he New York Fur Trade Re- vicw for August says: "N0 one knows gxncily how many silver fox skins were sold to the American trade during the past six months, bu; we believe it would be safe t0 estimate a total of about 200,000 5km, we base this estimate on {he quantities made available mrgugh the various auction sales, the amount of skins imported from foreign sources. and the number pf skills that still remain in the ownership of the fox breeders and the dealers. we can say that by ' pie end of July fur dealers and fur manufacturers were keenly inter- wed in further supplies of the de- uyed silvery and three-quarter and {up types of skins. silver fox is really one of the most anlazing furs because, al- though the supply has increased ueadily year after year, the pop- ularity of the article grow as it becomes more abundant especially in its better colors. The favorite classifications of course in this country are the full rilver gnd three-quarter silver, although the clear half-silvers have also been in excellent demand. We must attribute this popularity to the fact that the fur is unique in its beauty, it cannot be imitated and his undoubtedly one of the rich- est looking and most becoming furs available. It ranks high in the minds of all women as a de- tired article. and the supply large as it is. still falls short of world requirements. silver fox is fashioned today vrlth originality and seems to find new uses constantly. The manu- fuciurcrs have acquired amazing skill in the working, cutting and manipulation of this fur so that it is now utilized in the makin of every style of garment. It wil be tremendously popular during the coming fall. It will be worn for day and evening wear as a short cape, a medium length cape and long cane. It is being worn now in the folm of dainty little bolero- typc Jackets. It will be worn 1h h variety of new scarfs. It will be worn as a short boxey coat of the 5110115 type. as a swagger coat 1nd as a long fitted evening coat, and wilhnl. compared with other of the precious furs, it is not excessive in price. Before next December arrives 1114’ 511E101)’ of desirable silver fox iklns will be thoroughly depleted and we \vill import further qua“- titles of Scandinavian and can- luiian skins to fill our demand. For the first half of 1937 we imported over 31.000000 worth of silver fox fur from foreign sources. This M‘ mwfsalb’ in order to supple- ment the American supply which in lhc more silvery grades was $11011 0i the demand.” __.___.._ wiTcn million American women ‘7" 11" llbbarcl and fllr trim- lllrd gnrlncnis worn by movie Hrs in the releases nowscheduled _ 10l1_.\'l\'ood studios for the coun- 111.» picture houses during the nc.\t few months. Coats and capes. JMkPL‘ "lid 11010105. vrraps and hats nnd muffs, collars, l s. bands and borders, all of fur, precious and not so precious. short "l and lens lmlr. flat and sleek, 111111’ and bushy. -___ “Mn _ _ : everywhere —and vllogollrllsllflrs will be the motif of ‘HM? amous studio designers who h‘; to rlzguns and costumes that m mnv E b90111)’ 0f the glamour- :cn miilildllstilvfmelyvwll they “mar “mt note and Fur-it will be -____ “Xflcrts interviewed on the h“ 3 ‘of fall fashion trends and nélulxlrrlre of furs in the fashion Dwvehexiircss themselves as fol- -.— Luxurious long-haired furs gllillcd as an integral part of the “bdllllfi. to frame the face and l 88 entire borders of cos- "mP-s. Short box coats of seal. gmtillx-‘kl’ and sable, worn as part “nos llorltlme costume and some- o-n cmrllng the evening frocks M0310! the most interesting Fall élgt-h 5b lllle fur Jacket-tiny. hip- , h, ""135 developed in silver lie fox, kolinsky or sable." ____. ‘£11?! iclmndinn government f luff.‘ ,8 Dommlap Department‘ "n 10h affairs. is planning to m over muskrat marshes to the o ans ncar Cedar Lake, Man- msérvaltlid teach them practical {a ll on and the building up mh ""17 Sllllilly of muskrats in 1e Manitoba. By teaching Med lllls to care for their 2.1. Ir {barons the Government feels , e at in a short time the cup- ? 0f skins will bring the Indians l annual income that will kecp "l1 off the relief rolls. 5661118 l0 - Q tics, Ottawa. has released its ful- vance report on fur produciuh of Canada for the reason of 1035-36 1936.) The production was valued at $14,039,729 compared with $1 - 843,341 for the previous fiscal vmir The total is higher in value than any season since 1028-20, whcil the figures were over eighteen mil- lion. The most valuable“ fur pro- duced was silver fox, 142.814 pelts valued at $4,728,562. The second fur in value was muskrat with a total value of $2.148.605. The third was mink with 51.701577. The report shows that the average price for silver fox dropped from $36.05 to $33.11; muskrat ud- vanced from .900 to $1.32 and mink advanced from $8.41 to $11.03. Of the 154.279 mink skins mzlrklled 30.856 were produced on farms. The New York Fur ‘Trade Re- view‘; London letter which gives a. review of the fur trade says with -_____ ggllirrlinion Bureau of Statis- reference to silver fox:-“'l‘akhig a close-up view of this market, busi- ness is a little brlskcr than when I last wrote, but not a great (lenl. Silver fox is still the great sland- by. One merchant described ifs day to day sales as ten of slivers to one of anything clsc. Per- sonally I think his cnse is rather exaggerated. I should put the proportion at four to one, but even that shows silvers well in the lend. ‘There is a limited inquiry for both blue and cross fox and also for the best grades of white." The Soviet Republic's fur sales held at Leningrad July 11th, had a large attendance and there ems a good demand for merchandise. American, English and French merchants were the largest bin"- ers. Blue fox averaged $20.48. white fox $85. Russian sable $04110 mink $11.50, stone marten $16.00. Up to the end of May the im- ports of silver fox skins into the United States were 21,585, valued at $940976. ‘This number of foxes is nearly four times the number imported during the same period a year ago. It is certainly an ex- traordinary fact that the United States can absorb such quantities when one considers that there is a prohibitive duty of 50%. I‘. must be that the Norwegians and Canadians are producing finer specimens of the clear silvery skins or there could not be such a de- mand for the product. It will be noted that the imported skins av- erage about $44 per pelt; with 50"? duty-which is $22—the landed price in the market is $66. There will be a silver fox and mink show in connection with the Royal Winter Fair. Toronto. The dates are November 16th to 24th. Those desiring a Prize List should write to W. A. Dryden, Manager Royal Winter Fair. In this coll- nection it was pointed out to the writer that. with distemper rag- lng in certain parts of New Bruns- wick and Ontario, it would be problematical whether breeders from here would exhibit there or not. The representative of the Nor- wegian Government who is visli- ing Canada and the United States with the object 0f becoming better acquainted with our fur industry and comparing it with Norwegian enterprises, states that silver fox exhibitions are held in‘ great num- bers in his country and llrc used as a means of education for the breeders. They are not held as late as we hold them in this coun- try, in fact the Norwegian seems to have arrived at the conclusion that early furring of foxes ls de- sirable because thcy pelt their foxes for the markets in October and November. "Are thvy brlllllf?" I asked, “Yes? he said, "they are and they are good color too." Perhaps we are on the ivronx road and ollr friends in Norway have us buffaloed because We 8T1‘ all endeavoring to hold 110011 foxes and try and keep tllcm until the cold weather arrives in Decem- ber. By so doing W4‘ lllke 11"‘ F1“ of rains which discolor, and oih~r factors which deteriorate the pelt I am quite confident that the dare suggested for ollr silver fox show at Charlottetown 1's absolute- ly a wrong one-belonging to thl‘ outmoded past. December is llo time to hold a silver fox show in this country, because roads are generally impassable except on the improved hlghWRl/S- R011 111°" there is lack of interest because at- tendances are small. The nbicci of most breeders who are exhibit- ing is to sell live foxes and they cannot make sales it‘ the ncoole are not there to see the Slilfkl 1'1"‘ great advertising advantage which the Charlottetown show had is lost when the date is set buck. bc- Successful FOX Men Say- FEED the Ross-Miller Way In d Hum Rlmi MI. J. IOIIRT MUTCII Conn’: Waning" CNARLOTTIYOVIN, P. l. l. ' P. l. Island Agents Wu of Nam Rim. Mull: IIACI, MdIAY 4, - SIIMMIISIDI, P. I. l. @5055 Ml LER .411)’. L (f W Navaml FOX FOODS m lien! UNI/MN!) (twelve months ended June 30th, The Control 0f Raspberry Mosaic r (Experimental I'm-ms Note) “fillberry mosaic is caused by a lii-us prcseilt in the sap of dis lascd plants, even in the roots lhe symptoms are visible only o. the lcalcs. and therefore OIII; durliu; the growing season. The leaves are mottled and often more or lcss dwarfed and crinkled. The diseased plants are usually stunted, and the crop is small and of pcor quality. The disease is Rbread by sucking insects (aphids). The Use of Certified Nursery Plants The first step necessary for con- , troll rig raspberry mosaic ls Setting out a new plantation with mosaic. free plants. Certified raspberry nursery stock, which has been in- ] speclccl by a competent Govern- l ment Inspector, is the best stock rbteinable. and the only one that can be recommended for planting. Isolation the New Plantation The new plantation should be sci ollt at least 300 feet away from all otllcr non-certified raspberries lllvlurllne those across the neigh- bour's line and wild raspberries. If the new plantation is set out ad- incent to raspberries affected byl mosaic it i5 certain that the dscase will spread into the new plantation. Roguing the New Plantation The new plantation should be, carefullv and periodically inspect- ed cfurirg an first two years, and any plant found to be affect- ed with mosaic should be dug up. root and all. The vacant space should be kept free from suckers during the rest of the season. Rccucd plants must not be left in the plantation. otherwise the nphlflg \vill leave the wilting plants and on to healthy plants and inoculate them. The mosaic plants should hi‘ carried immediately. at least 300 feet. away from the pllllviniinn. or be completely de. liroyed. Care Should also be "ken 1n rolruing out diseased plants not to shake off the aphids. After the plants touch each other in the rows in a new plantation, 11 1-‘ Tlo longer practical to rogue 01ft diseased plants, The Use of Resistant Varieties Although varieties will be ehqger; ler-"vly for hardiness. yield and qualitv of berries. yet some can. adoration ghOUId be given to re. "laterlce to mosaic. some of the variclles commonlv nlanled in re_ cent years are here listed. those be- ing the most reelstant being first, "n" the least rc-i-tant. last: I-Ier- bert. Nevburr Adams R7. Viking; Lzlihanl, Cuihbert. and Newman. H. N. Racleol. Plant Pathologist Central Expcr'ml-hta| par-m ' Ottnwg, mi ‘ inq fillllres cause the breeders from Ontario. Quebcc and the Maritimes - not to speak of those from Great Bri- tain-will be elsewhere. They will have attended the shows in other Provinces and made their selec- tions. Those who have an eye to the welfare of the industry as a lvholc should get on their thinking caps and remedy a. situation which is only playing into the hands of promotors of other shows. P. J. Williams, of the Canadian National Silver Fox Breeders As- sociation. Summerside. has a. lead- ing article in the August Can- adian Silver Fox and Fur, that is well worth reading. It is headed. “Slolvly Rather Than Not at All". and contains suggestions for in- troducing new blood into the sil- ver fox herd with a view to im- proving quality. These are Just a few little extracts from it. “As we have in previous writings remark- cd n good plan is to get acquainted with breeders who are generally \vinners at shows of registered foxes. By attending a show a rancher has privileges of per- sonal contact with various breed- ers and of examination of their live stock not otherwise readily obtainable. As. fashion yet favors the pales and natllrallly go to their dis- play; but in the light of the price trends in the different phases one must not neglect to examine the distinctive beauty of the darker foxes. A well-bred fox of good make-up showing from 20 to 40'; silver and having qualities sel- dom equalled by even ihe best. sil- very foxes. is occasionally picked up at a price around half of that required to buy a sil- vcry fox. Good foxes in which glossy black necks fon-n a pleasing contrast with the silvered portion of the body are beautiful animals and it docs not seem unreason- able that the price changes On the recent London auctions of silver fox skins were in favor of halves and quarter silvers while others showed a decline in price. There is ll chance too that this price trend may yet be greater." Fur production in Canada is on the 11p and up. About 15% of Canada's total comes from the Mnritimcs according to the follow- released by Dominion Bureau of Statistics: The figures for the provinces and territories for the last two trad- ing years were as follows: 1934-45 I935—3fl . P. E. I 3 653,211] $ 740.100 N. s. 050,000 010.300 N. a 150,100 140.100 Quebec 1.915.100 1470.000 Ontario 2318.00 2.649.000 Manitoba 1,185,200 1.201.810 Saskatchewan 1.2331100 1153-00 Am", 1 414.000 1,006,800 n. c. 000.100 1.201.500 N, w_ T, 1010.500 1.102.000 YIN)! Rasllbcrry mosalc is a virus disease , _ncttlng should be held nut ‘lTHEmCl-IARLUFTETOWN GUARDLLN C ONSER VA TI ON Fox Fann Ghoppers v c" SCANDIA No. ti for large fox farm.» SCANDIA N0. 5 lighter than above without hand lever for small for farms. Procurahle from all Dealers. F. W. Lamplough & C0 Limited Montreal. Ql_l_o._ ANIMAL llisgllllllll THE ROUNDIIEADET) APPLE TREE BORER Apple trees. especially young trees betlvcen thrce and ten years old arc frequently attacked by this borer, the most pronounced symptoms being the retarded growth of the trees and the yel- low fdiage. On examination, fine, reddish sawdust-like casting will be seen sifting out through small holes made by the borer and closer examination may reveal a mark- ed discoloration of the bark over the new burrows. Should any tree- be found with the foregoing symptoms. all neighboring trees should be examined and if found infested. should be given immedi- ate attention. The adult insect is a conspicu- ous “long-horn” beetle about 3-4 of an inch long. The color is light- brown above with two broad white bands running the length of the body. It emerges in early sum- mer and about a week later com- mences to lay its eggs in slits in the bark, continuing to do so for forty or fifty days-adults have been taken from July to Septem- ber in some places-a single fe- male laying fifteen eggs or more. The beetles do not usually move far from the place of their em- ergence, consequently a. tree in which one borer is found is likely to have several and clumps of in- fested trees are the general rule. Most of the eggs are placed in the tree only slightly above the level of the ground. though rarely they are more highly placed. The young larvae tunnel chiefly in the inner bark their first sea- son, though some of them may penetrate into the sap-wood. work- ing down towards the base of the tree. As they feed they may make small holes in the bark through which they thrust the sur- plus castings. The first winter is spent in their ‘burrows near the ground, the bark over these bur- rows often cracking the ncxt spring, allowing the castings to sift out. The larvae extend their circular tunnels next season deep- er into the wood, those being of- ten girdled, especially when sev- eral larvae are present. The next season they penetrate still deeper into the wood. and sometimes dur- ing the summer they construct a pupae chamber about half an inch beneath the bark into which they transform to pupae the following year. The location of this chamber may be detected from the out- side as a somewhat depressed. dead area on the bark. . Pupation oc- curs about the time the apple blossoms open and the adults em- erge three weeks latcr. Worming. or seeking out and destroying the borers with a Strong pocket knife and a piece of stout wire bent into a hook at one end and a ring at the other is one method. The bnrk is cut away where a burrow is detected and the grllb is hooked ollt with the wire. Where the borers cannot be reached. a piece of cotton wool soaked in carbon blsulphide is thrust into the burrow and the Opening is plugged with wet clay. Protections of val-‘ous sorts are sometimes used where an orchard 15 Permanently infested to pro- tect uninfested trees. Paper. wire. or wood protectors are used and are lied tightly to the trunk just below the crotch and extending two inches below ground. Wire from the tree with a layer of cotton. AGRICULTURIST. Sweet Glover (Experimental Farms Note) Sweet clover offers considerable Promise as a supplement to the red clover crop in Prlncerlkfwafd“ Island. While it is inferior to alfalfa in nutritional value. qual- lty and palatability, it is more 985111’ RIOWII and gives a good yield of valuable hay. At the Do- minion Etcperimental Station. Charlottetown, heavy yields of sweet clover have been obtain-ed on rich land low in lime. and on land of medium fertility where 1-2 ton of ground limestone per A WEEKLY COLUMN OF PRACTICAL OPINIONS 0N ‘I'll! VITAL ISSUIB AFFECTING THE USES AND ABUSIS OP NATURAL I-BSOUICEH BY Ill- LUDLOW JENKINS. MARSIIFIELD- The following essay was writ- ing a game species of Duck. when lcn by Dorothy Gibson. aged 13, of the actual fact was the duck was Grade 1X Marshfield School for the recent Junior Aurlubon Essay contest for which she received second prize: SHOULD WE PROTECT HAWKS l 1 We, who have lived in an agri- icultural section of the country have no hesitation in saying, "Yes 1 we should protect hawks. because they are protecting us.“ The Royal-legged hawk is seen almost every day‘ from May until November in this section of Prince l Edward Island. This beautiful bird. ' l, soaring so easily across the mea- l ydows, then, almost like a flash‘ ldTUpS into the thick grass for some unlucky little creature. After a very brief pause we see him soar- ing away, ever on the elert for meadow mice, rats, and small creatures. _ We liberty loving Canadian peo- ple are proud to say that a person on trial is innocent until proven guilty. but we do not carry this principal into our thoughts when we think of our birds of prey, who as a class are blackened by the re- putation of a few species. To my mind no person i5 better qualified to speak with authority than our skilled biologists as they carefully examine the contents of a bird's stomach and they tell us that mice and small mammals con- stitute about 38% of the total food of Hawks, 30% insects. 20% game and other birds and 12% miscellaneous. Mr. J. D. Smith of the Boston Science of Natural History illus- trates thc possibility of error; in unchecked observations. for he once saw a Marsh Hawk feeding on the carcass of a, Buffle Henri Duck. Some people would im- mediately accuse the hawk of kill- applications of ground limestone have been distinctly beneficial. Land low in fertility, but which had received from 1 ton to i 1-2 ton of ground limestone, produc- ed a medium crop without fertil- izer, but a much heavier crop where, in addition to the lime, 400 lb. of an 0-10-6 fertilizer per acre had been applied at time of seed- . ing. Of the nine varieties tested for hardiness and yield, Common White Blossom and the yellow blossom varieties, Erector, _A1batrea. and Zouave were the moat promising. Yields have varied from 2 tons to <4 tons of hay per acre, depending on the quality of land and on the season. Yellow Blossom varieties, as a rule, have produced plants more branched and finer in the stem than Common White Blos- som. A problem is frequently encoun- tered when feeding pure sweet clover for the first time. owing to the fact that cattle and horses donot like the hay until they a:- quire a taste for it. This difficulty is easily overcome by adding a small quanity of sweet clover seed to the regular grass and clover mixture when seeding out. Animals ,fcd for one season on the mixed hay produced will afterwards eat- sweet clover readily-D. C. Schur- man, Assistant Superintendent, Dominion Experimental Station, Charlottetown, P.E.I. Less Eel Grass Salmon Stay Away Cause and effect are hard to pin down sometimes but it l5 possible that there may be something in the theory of the federal fisheries inspector in northern New Bruns- wick that there is relation be. tween diminished abundance of eel grass and lessened catch of salmon in his district. Certainly, when some elusive but very er- ficient parasite destroyed the eel grass on many parts of the At- lantlc Coast several years ago it also accomplished other things to its further discredit. For instance, it caused brant and geese to go hungry for pal-ts of the grass are one of their foods and the cup- Vboard was bare in many places. ‘For another thing. lack of this marine grass checked the opera- tions of manufacturers who had lbecn us’ng it in making insulating blankets. However. there relatonship between bird; and blankets and eel Eras: and salmon so how does the inspector work it ollt that absence of the grim af- fected salmon catch? Lack of the grass has clone two things in his Gloucester County district, the or- flcer says in one of his reports to .. of Fisheries. In tlze first place it has allowed continuous sharp currents 1o flow and eddy in shore waters where salmon trap nets are used, is no obvious with the result that it has not ‘been Possible m fish the net; steadily during the 5eg50n-- the inspector's reference eves to the 103a season specifically -and less 718111111! time 118s meant fewer fish caught. In the second place. so . file $1l9°fY_80e§.__tf_1e _ salmon were S SU/ERTPBISCIIT GUI! ‘moncmnna _ already carrion, having been caughl in s trap set on the marsh. In i another published instance a largr other . acre had been appliedfybut helTViF? Hawk was seen to enter a cllicker yard. The farmer. in a rage seiz» ell his gun, and as the Hawk rosr with its prey, shot the bird dead Imagine his surprise when he 1 found that the supposed lien Hawk ‘ had captured and was carrying away l. large rat. a destructive creature, which probably took num- erous young chickens for which the innocent Hawk was urliustl: blamed. From an economic standpoint more complaints have been made against Coopers, Sharpshinned Pigeon. Duck and Goshawk than against any others. Yet these five species together make only 8.7% of the entire hawk populalion the‘ other 91.3% make up what is known to Scientists as beneficial Hawks. In other words the good done by the ten, overbalarlced by far the harm done by the one. To the eager lover of Nature there are few thrills which equal the glimpse of a Pflll‘ of Marsh Harriers, tumbling like aerobats in their aerial courtship display. Or if we watch the Duck Hawk. cnc of the swiftest and most beauti- ful blrds in existence. at once we make a plea for his protection. Surely, we appreciate the beauty and majesty of those scaring. wide-winged hawks, with their motled plumage and bright gleam- ing eyes. And we renew our dc- termination to protect this bird who is a. check upon harmful rodents. and a control against the plant destroyhlg insects. To the increasing army of Nature lovers and bird students, he is one of the finest forms of bird life and worthy of our protection at all times. formerly attracted toward shore by the small marine creatures which they knew to live among the grass and knew. too, to be just the-very thing for a salmolrs din- ner. When the fish came shoreward in search of this food they also came net-ward. which was lucky for the fishermen but a mistake for the salmon. Now the officer believes. the disappearance of the eel grass. or a good deal of it. has meant also that the "small feed" that used to be abundant near it has been so scattered that the sal- mon go foraging ekewhere and fewer of them reach the nets set in the shore waters where the grass used to thrive. As one point l in support of this view the inspector reports that. although 511lm0n Iwere apparently more abundant in Chaleur Bay in 1936 rthey had been for a number of seasons before that. in his district very few of them were taken the "inside" nets. It's a theory. nothing more as (vet for positive conclusions in cases of th‘s kind can never saf€ly be stated until thorough study has been made of the facts. The zin- spector ooncemed. like everybody else who has had fisheries matters. is never wise to speak qlllckly in dogmatic explanation of fish behaviour. But this particular, case. and. for example. another case in Cave Breton where the fishermen ‘behave that an increase in smelt relic-h in 19716 was due to some ‘improvement in eel grass condi. flcns. lndicate< whv it ls that. fisherkxs research scientists both in Canada ahdltfha TTniled State- ‘have been giving some time in the past two or t-hrv-o years fin studying the eel grass case. knows it Suitable Varieties 0f Oats (Experimental Farms Note) Comparative trials with oaw conducted at the Experimental Farm, Nappan, Nova Scotia, have shown that varieties essentially differ in their capacity to yield, as well as in other characters of economic importance. "l over the winter. ‘Allover 28. 1p? IVVE WS Y NOTES i n sonlcou I GARDENJNU NOTES , Here is a furthrr rontribution to the study of "Blue, - that destructive mn . ., wlii~h has taken such a. largo loll cf my tomatoes. 1 have ou-r 10o plants. staked and trimmed in orlilodox- fashion; and these have suffered terribly. Some had no: a single sound fruitfarui I should sup- pose the loss to be llrarly 50 per cent. of the total crop. By chalice there was a small putt-h oi new land vacant, and having a flat 0i tomato plants left over from the main planting, I filled them mzo the new patch. seeing that I'd done such a lot of staking I dc- cided to let these run oil the ground, pruning thcm to lwu stems and removing all side shoots as usual. So far the fruit is rip- ening almosr without mishap. I have found less than half-n-(iozvn spotted tomatoes. Another gard- ener had had the same experience. and we have decided to quit stak- ing the tomatoes in the future. As our soil is sandy it is no trouble to get the fruit clean. i The cooler weather and the zvel- , come rainfall. will I think give my pompon dahllas a new lease of i life. The recent hot wcalhcl- wilt- yed the more tender varieties, and their buds turned black and grew no more. The coarser kinds bloom- ed "off-color": for cxanilzll- the amber-colored "Doris" \v;ls a . crimson this year. There is 111181- ‘ly a good showing of Duhllas at ‘ the Exhibition, but this year tileri were few. due to the cause above- mentioned. , The Columbine Lellf-nlilivi- has been abundant this sumlnrr. This is the maggot of a fly of the genus Phytomyza, and "it makes con- l spicuous white serpentine mines ili the leaves." The remedy, we art‘ told, is to hand-pick the infest- ed leaves and burn lhcm. some I gardens that I noticed 1h town the ,other day. were so badly infested ‘that every single Columbine leaf would need to be picked! I should be inclined to try “poison bait" for the adult flies in the early part of the season. Such a bait should consist of one-half gallon of water, one guart of molasses. and one quarter ounce of sodium arsenate. This applied as a fine spray has been follnd effective against other leaf-miners: it kills the adult fly before it lays its eggs in the leaf. Some time ago I wrote a short note on the Japanese Chrysan- themum. I. at the same time, pro- cured eight rooted cuttings of selected varieties from a special- ist in Vancouver. and they arriv- ed in good condition after a week's travel. Two of them are Just coming into bloom. and having ' been disbudded, the single blooms promise to be large. For those who do not lake the trouble tn disbud, the Chrysanthemum will . throw tufts of smaller flowers. $1180 1 This plant is destined to come to ‘ the front in Canada. but the trou- ble will be to preserve the cuttings Possibly the solu- tion is to send for rooted cuttings each spring; unless you are lhc fortunate owner of a glass-house. I The dry summer is going to af- cxoerience in r feet both the quantity and quality of locally-grown garden seeds. AT EXIIIBTION Through the kindness of a valu- ed friend, I was enabled to visit "lhe event of the year" - the Provincial Exhibition. There is, I noted. a considerable improvement in the lay-out of the grounds, since my last visit. for which the man- agement are to be congratulated. The main building. too. looked speck and span inside, and it was a good idea, to remind us of the great Empire lo which we belong. by inscribing the names of the "British Posscssions" round its walls. Of course I made to part of the Exhibition first. In ,spite of all the handicaps this 5 year (too much sun and too little rain) there were some really ex- cellent exhibits of cut flowers. The gladioli dominated the scone. and I surmised that "Beechwood Gar- dens" was well represented in this class. To get. such massive straight spikes meant that some- body had been carrying the lvnlcr- bucketi My gladioli. lcfi to Na- ture for their wafer-supply have revengcd ihelnselves by tirorillcinz wry-necked spikes. What is a cactusf’. the floral The term The length of time required to h“ 11"" "Pr-V 1°9~""1l' ll-‘fil lll 11"? reach maturity is an important consideration in selecting a variety. The range for the better varieties in this respect is from 90 to 104 days. Under optimum conditions the early varieties as a rule do not yield as well as the later sorts. In areas where the normal date of seeding is late, the early varieties are likely to be as productive, and produce grain of a higher quality. than the later kinds. In addition rto this; the crop maybe harvested and stored earlier. The choice of a maturity group should largely depend upon the normal date upon which seeding can be effected. In the late maturing group, Vic- tory, Banner, and Gold Rain are recommended. Under conditions as they exist at Nappan. victory has been a consistently high yielder, and is l commended for general use. Banner has yielded somewhat less than Victory. but can be depended upon to give a good account of it- self. Gold Rain apparently poc- sesses a capacity to do well on land of comparatively low fertility. All of these varieties mature in approximately the same number of days. and do not vary greatly in strength of straw. Of the early varieties tested. Alaska and Cartier have proven the most satisfactory. with latter variety yielding slightly more grain over s period of years. The percentage hull of these varieties the later maturing n-"rties given above, which would give them a iimgau unit 2mm; value. is considerably lower than that of i past. and plants used to bp ox- hibiied as Cacti that had no other relationship than that they wort‘ of a succulent character. The "Patridge- roast" or variegated Aloe, (A. varicgatal ls a case in point. It is a succulent fleshy‘ plant. with sharp-pointed. ra‘hcr cd with different I" Drevious years these plants were allowed to be entered as Cacti, but this year they were labelled “Not Cactus" and l1 sup- pose) disqualified. The judges were scientifically correct, in this and their action had all educa- tional value. It wouldlatipcar that the Drlze list might b.- amt-hum to read: (i) for thc best. specimen Cactus: l2) for the host succulent other than Cactus: thus giving the "partridge aloe“ and ihc like a chance. As to what is a cacius. botanical- 1y. the best disiinriion lies in the floral structure. The flowers are often vcry shosvy. and have nlim- eroils sepals. pc-‘nls. and stallions. . the filaments of the latter hr-ing long and threadlikc. The plan's themselves are succulent shrllb= with stems which may bc angular. two-edged. or "leafy". The laftcr. with‘ fattened stems — which some believe to be leaves-usually have the 1 brilliant marlct flowers. and are fairly common as house-plants. They belong to the genus Phyllo- cactus, whose name may be trans- lated as "leaky-cactus". Cactus leaves are. however. in most cases. very minute; being mere points-d mu with: 1M- belew t!" conical leaves. mottled and strip- ‘ shades of crccn. ‘ groups of spines, and soon lallilit 1 The Rats-tail Cactus IAPO tus flageilifornils) is a plant with rose-(oiorcd flu‘. l saw a specimen Inst ytrlz" in Mr: Cordon MacMlllairs gluss-liolt-c at Cornwall. Tilt.‘ Guardian u‘ Aug. 5th, i930. contained all al.- count of a Night-flowering Cac"l:_ probably Cereus Nycliclillls. owner by Airs. l-Iolclcll wliils. of Sulrllllf-r Jwldfi. ’1hl= flower opus at 7 or t pnr, hours and lusts but a icw illiilig tilt air with a hcavj." van ' Thcre was (i119 011111111: pci f ulllc. lii lhc Exhibition, and it W8! marked "Not tlic Cilrislliias Clic- lusfif The branches of the O;iu:‘.~ Lin.» may (asily b9 niisliiuh in leaves. since tilt-y are i I, ova. and green: but one spmills iron another, which lczivcs never dc The leaves arc lllc little polulo< , scales already‘ rcfcrretl ‘to. Opuntla.‘ lillcn have manic.» or initials f-CIHICIIDKI on lilllil! I lizlvc earlier lh;- " l‘l(.‘ki_\ par" the fruit of O vulgarls, it was a fruit wllh a sub-acid taste, arid slightly reirl- 1 geralit properties. Those little globular cacti prob- ably bcloilg to illc gl-nlls Elhino- cactus: while tho jruriteci ‘Christ- mas Cal-Ins", wcll represiriilii by sclcral cxlllbilors. is now ilnmecl Zygocnclus lruilcatus, lizollgii it yvas once classed as an Epqihyullim. Blll. let's change 1hr- .'~l.l1)_li'£.'l. since tilt-re urc said 1,0 b,» 801) kzilcis 0f Callus species! ‘Flicre was h good display of O11 tinlntillgs and water-color sketches. 'Among thtm urns a pazrlting of ' the famous "Singing Tower", which I bclicvg lo be rile most cxquiaite ‘piece of archileclurc on this con- itinciii. It is a lnll Cillllllflllllt’, W5 feet high, containing n carillon of 71 bells, lilo smallest l2 lbs, and the largest about 12 tons. This lovely tower is built of eoquiila. stone and up it's sides run nllt— lrcsses of pink marble. I‘, has ;been compared to the Taj Malia] yof India. but that is on a much » greater scale. The "Singing Tow- ‘c-r” is situated near Mountain Lake. Ffiorida. and is a gift to the ‘American nation by a. Mr. Boll lwho calilo to ihu country "as a poor Dutch boy." We have it seems a goodly num- ber of Juvenile arlists who go in for portrait painting. One or twa I note, leave the background white: their efforts woud be improved by a. shaded background fading out at the circumference, as we see in good photographs. All to whom I talked, regarded this year's Exhibition as better than that of 1936. GENES MAKE TIIE DIFFERENCE In the old 5101')’ tho Qliukcr tells his wife, "Everybodvs queer, Rachael. but me and thee; and sometimes I think thcels a little queer!” Though rather ungallnrlt, Rcubcns remarks were logical when you consider that nature never produces two people exactly nlikc, and that taking any one as , type. all the rest. will appear more l or less "abnormal? And we ask ' what makes this difference when every individual commences life I in lllg came \vn,v. by means of l1 jferiiiizcd ccll? Why should one llbrOllifT be fat. short, and dark, 3 and the other thin, tall and fair? Why is one man a fool, and an- , other a philosopher? The zitislvcr, V says M. Dcmcrcc, of the depart. , ment of genetics. CIIPPPIZIP Institu- i tion, lies in lie small ivord: genes. Now the definition of a gene, is “a minute organic particle, cap- able of reproduction. located in a chromosome. and rcspollsiblo for the transmission 0f a liercrliizlry characteristic. "The biologist 1h. sists that this definition is a statement of fact only. supported by expcricmclllal evidence which cannot he doubfcd. All living cells, \vliatcvvr =lze. are alike in that they filled with water, through which moves a substance called pf!)- toplilslll.’ and in file prntoplnsm l5 P- 5011501‘ 51301-4110 nucleus. The nucleus. under the micrlxscopl- “r9. sclnblcs .1 lfllilllv of thread. . (livi 0 their‘ are Whcll the (‘ell is about. to the threads shorten and thicken into rod-llilkc segments cfln\d chromosomes "wilose number is characteristic of ihc coll‘, qqnin ‘lllflilll! M. Dclllclec: nil hum-tr. cells for cxzlmpfp have 48 chromo. sfilllv-f- And in ihc f‘lll'OiliOSOll'ii‘n the llillc genes form strings fill-get ‘ strings of bends» ppm roman-h“. by isonic unknown force. It 15 Lhrgp ,nilnllin particles. which answer all 1110M‘ qllcsiiolis we 0.1-1.1 a, me beyzirlllinlr of this 1101!‘, and rlnhir. llllne whcllicr an individual shall he while. hrolvn. ycllov: or black; Pl 2"Illll5 or n fool. n. man or n ivo- man. ilscd lobe. in i111‘ Public , HIT] - _. all llllPlvkflllq heck cnllm i ie Thilri and Fourth Genera- which trcuicrl this sllbjcci m‘11'(‘ ll1'f‘('1$l‘1)' than is possible ir a 11°“'5Dapcr. I recall that it. gave fllflkfflms of the cell. with ehrolnn- , somes. Nlnlly books lmvp bam- ihc YHIIISIIIISSIOI". | lion“, , written latciv on of racial and oiher characteristics 5°")? ‘lfgglllch “the Libraryn ;.___ l :;—__ . I A use: rue cnor '"““'° l‘ 1"“ "on or healthy, Vlilflfolls pups this ycar by feeding ROYAL FOX FEED Results durmg Inn-mgr , shows that the use of Royal secure best hrccdlq results. Insist on Royal. A“ Yfllu‘ dealer today m- pg"; direct to fhe St. John “Iii-rig Company Ltd. Saint John New Brunswlcl ' y“. ._,.~.. - a... -»-<. _,,. fidifi». CF21‘? TF3’