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Thursday, April 29, 1920. THE FLESHERTON ADVANCE. Page Three FARMING in thia department each week will be given general Information to farmer* and stocl<men. No attempt will be made to criticize tlie wori< already being done by Canadian farmers; but an effort will be made to present to the farmers of the country summarized information contained in government reports, and the actual experiences of men and women who have achieved success in farming by following modern methods. Farmers who have found new "wrinkles" or have made a success in any special line of agriculture are invited to send short letters to this paper giving their experiences, or criticizing any of the information contained in these columns. Vegetable Growing BEANS. Wax beans are of easy culture and should be found in all kitchen gar- dens. It is doubtful if they rank very high as a money-maker for the vege- table grower, because they require considerable time in harvesting. Wax beans are the only sort that can be grown successfully in Ontario. Pole beans do not thrive owing to the cli- mate. Pole. Beans require a warm, loamy soil full of humus for best results. Planting. This crop is usually planted by hand in rows 3U inches apart. The easiest and safest method is to open a furrow one and one-half inches deep with the corner of a hand hoe, plant the beans three inches apart and cover lightly with soil. Too much soil holds back germination. Some growers follow the plan of placing three or four beans in hills 12 to 18 by 30 inches apart. These openings can be made with an ordinary hoe and should be shallow. Cultivation. Cultivate sufficient to keep down weeds with hand and wheel hoe or scHffler. Do not work among beans when plants are wet. Harvesting and Marketing. Pull beans by fcand. They are usu- ally sold in bulk or in 11 quart bas- kets. Beets. Beets are one of the easiest vege- tables to grow. They should be found in all farmers' gardens, as well as in the majority of city gardens. This crop is usually grown from seed plant- ed on the level in the garden by means of an ordinary seed drill. It is not ad- visable to ridge up the soil to grow this crop successfully. The rows should be from 14 to 18 inches apart. Soil Beets do well on almost any garden soil, but thrive best in sandy loam. Thev may be fairly well grown on heavy soils. The best soil for growth of this crop shouW contain an abun- dance of vegetable matter. Manure. It is not advisable to use fresh ma- nure on beet soil. Much better is the practice of giving abundant applica- tions of well rotted manure. Fresh manure may be applied in the fall and plowed in, thus requiring only disking in the spring. Planting. Plant with ordinary seed drill or in rows 14 to 18 inches apart as soon as possible in the spring. For a late crop the seed can be planted as late as the end of July. Ctiltivation. Beets are usually cultivated with the wheel hoe and hand hoe. This should be done immediately after the young plants show through the ground. The beets should be thinned to four or five inches apart in the row for early, and one and one-half for late. Harvesting. Beets for early market should be pulled when one and one-half to two inches in diameter. They should be washed clean and all dead or withered leaves removed and tied in bunches of three to five. For winter use they should be pulled before danger of severe fall frosts. The tops should be twisted off instead of being cut off with a knife, as this ' will cause bleeding and decay is liable to set in. Marketing. For the early local markets beets are sold with the tops on in bunches of three. Winter beets are sold iu Onsuei boxes, or_ when shipped, usually in A NEW SWEET CORN. BY ROSWELL PHILIPS. storing for Winter. This crop can be kept satisfactorily in any c|pol cellar well into the win- ter. They should be placed in bushel boxes and stored in a comparatively cool part of the cellar and the windows should be darkened. If cellar room is not available beets can be pitted very well and will keep until spring iu many cases as well as potatoes. Transplanting. Market gardeners make a practice of starting some early beets in the greenhouse or hot-bed between Febru- ary 15th and March 1st. Transplant them in flats and secure a plant three to five inches long for transplanting early in the spring. Many beets are grown in the hot bed and are trans- planted from these to the field. They are planted out of doors in rows 15 to 18 inches apart and from four to six inches allow^ed between the plants. These usually are ready for market a week or ten days earlier than those grown from seed. THE EGG DUSTING TO DESTEOY LICE. It is well to dust the hen with a good lice powder when she is first set, again at the end of ten days, and a third time about the 17th or ISth day of incubation. Under a setting hen lit p breed and reproduce very fast and if they are not kept in check they may become so numerous as to make her leave the ne«t and give up brooding. It is also necessary to give the chicks a good start in life. They will never thrive if covered with lice at hatching time. A very effeotive lice powder may be niaue at home iu a few minutes and at little expense. It is made by mixing three parts gasoline, one part crude curbolic acid (.90 to 95 per cent.), plas- ter of paris. Mix the gasoline and carbolic acid and stir into this the plaster of pai-is u little at * time until all the surplus liquid is absorbed by the powder. It takes approximately four times as much plaster of paris as of the liquid. Do not add more plaster of paris than ti.e liquid will moisten. Spread out on a board for a few minutes, the-i put in a closed can and use when neces- saiy. If carbolic acid 1,90 to 95 per cent.) is too expensive do not use a weaker grade. Cresol may be usod in- stead and in the same amounts. _ To dust the hen put a little of the powder in a tin can which has some nail holes in the lid. Hold the hen by the feet, head down, and dust the powder under the wings, among the loose fluCfy feathers below the vent, and between the legs and the body. Do not applv it iu too large quantities, espeeiallv "if the powder is freshly made, aiid just before the chicks are due to hatch. (Continued Next Week.) Rural Mail Carriers' Wages. Rural mail delivery is one of the activities of Government, about which there is much well-grounded dissatis- faction. The remuneration has never been adequate in cases where horses are necessary, and feed as high as !i is and has been. On the Brantford and Woodstock routes a large num- ber of contractors have thrown up their work on account of the utterly inadequate rates. Three dollars a day for horse or motor car is not possible even for the most patriotic to exist on at present. The remedy would appear to be in the develop- ment of the parcel post service \ihich is cnrbefd tor the benefit of 'he express companies. With a pro- per parcel post the rural mail de- livery could be made a lucrative business capable of paying adequate wages to those employed. Carelessness A lump of beeswax tied in a cloth should be kept near at hand when ironing. Also have salt sprinkled on a newspaper. As you use each iron rub it, while hot, with the wax cloth then run it over the salt and you will have perfectly smooth irons. Carelessness is personified and caused to blame itself for most of the world's misery in an unusual adver- tisement issued recently as part of an anti-accident campaign. The novel message, which was printed on car windows, billboard posters and in news- papers, was worded as follows: Who Comes Here? I am more powerful than the com- bined armies of the world. I have destroyed more than all the armies of the world. . I am more deadly than bullets and I have wrecked more homes than the deadliest of siege guns. I spare no one and I find my vic- tims among the rich and poor alike, the young and old, the strong and weak; widows and orphans know me. I massacre thousands upon thou- sands of wage earners in a year. I lurk in unseen places and do most nf my work silently. You are warned against me, but you heed not. I am relentless. I am ever.vwhere; in the home, on the streets, in the fac- tory, at railroad crossings and on the sea. I bring sickness, degradation, death: and .vet few seek to avoid me. I destroy, crush, maim, take all and give nothing. I am CABELESSNES8. On October 7, 1917, the Massachu- setts Horticultural Society awarded to Dr. Frederick 3. De Lue a silver medal for the production of a new hybrid sweet corn, which he had christened Golden Giant. The Massachusetts Hor- ticultural Society is a very concerva- tive institution. It does not pass out honors promiscuously nor without the most painstaking investigation. Evi- liencc of this characteristic is found in the fact that this was the first medal granted for sweet corn in sixty-seven years. William P. Rich is secretary of the society. He is a genial, quiet man who has spent many years as guardian of the state's horticultural interests. "The society awarded a medal for a new sweet corn two or three years ago f " I asked. "Yes," Mr. Rich replied, "to Doc- tor De r.ue. It is a large .yellow sweet corn with the peculiar qualities of the rjolrTen Rantnm and the size of the Evergreen and other white varieties." "You consider it a good cornf" I nsl<e.|. "Yes," he said, "a very good corn. I grew it in 1918 and in 1919 in<my own garden. Before that I grew many r'tlier varieties of corn, and Golden Giant is the very best sweet com I I'ver lite. In my opinion it is superior to anv other corn now on the mar- ket. ' ' • ' Would you mind telling me in what wa.v it is superior. ' ' ' ' You have eaten Golden Bantam ? You know, then, its excellence flavor.' Well, Golden Giant is just as sweet as Golden Bantam, just as fine flavored anil the ears grow more than twice as large. The ears grow from six to nine inches long and are practically the same from tip to butt. It has the size" 0',' the large white varieties and the flavor of the Bantam. In fact, it was produced by crossing Golden Bantam on Howling Mob a large white vari- etv. If vou want the whole storv vou had better talk with Dr. De Lue. Call him up and make an appointment with him. ' ' Golden Bantam has been a favorite for a number of years with back .vard g.'irdeners because of its delicious fla- vor. I selected the yellow kernels from the large white ears. The next spring T planted the seed thus selected and tliat fall obtained ears that were about half white. My seed stock for the next ye;ir was selected from those ears hav- 'I'liz the largest proportion of yellow kermis. The third year I grew some ears that were almost wholly yellow nn.l that were fully as large as their white parent. From that time forward I li.Tve continued to select seed from the most perfect ears until now the t.vpe of ear is fixed and less than one per cent, of the kernels show the white strain. ' ' Let me show you some of the corn. I> 's r!ither late in the season foi fresh roasting ears, but vou can get some idea of what the corn is like even if it is rather far advanced," He had half a dozen ears which he spread before me. "Notice the husks," he said; thick and lieavy and completely cov- ering the ear. That is a characteristic of Qold.'U Giant. Then notice the size of the ears. Did you ever see a yellow sweet con; with such perfect earsf" They were all from seven to eight inches in length, with small cobs and of equal diameter from the butt to the rips. Then he read me several letters from men in different parts of the country who had grown some of his corn. One man stated that he had grown eight ears on a single stalk and another said he grew five, while three were not at all uncommon. I took one of the ears of corn with me and had it cooked. It certainly had a very excellent flavor and wa.s very sweet. It was just a little too ripe, however, to enable me to determine its quality, but I know it was a very excellent com. "There were evidently two ways in which 1 could improve the size of the Golden Bantam " the doctor explain- ed. "I could cross it with a yellow field corn and then select the wrinkled kernels from the field corn. That would be the quick and easy wa.v, but 'h doing so 1 knew I would lose the sweetness and the fine flavor of the Bantam. The other way was to cross the small yellow ear with a large va- riety of white sweet corn and then select the yellow kernels from the white ear. •â- That I knew would require .vears of effort, but I felt sure the results would justify the labor, because it would take vears of careful selection to breed out the white kernels. I realized also that the time required to do this would I'liable me to fix the type of ear. "Fortunately, in 1906, Just when I began my experiments, there was in- trndiieed a large white variety of .sweet corn known as Howling Mob. v/hich possessed all the qualities I wanted as to size and shape and ear- liness of maturity. Both the Bantam and the Howling Mob possessed the qualities I desired. They were both verv sweet and both grew on short stubby stalks and fruited near the base. That characteristic is espeeiall.v valuable where the corn is grown in .1 section of the country where high winds and rain are prevalent. "I planteil the two varieties in alter- nate rows and when the ears matured People who know ask for it in the markets, but it has not been as much iif ;i r':ivoriti' with market gardeners as it should have been because of its small size. There are three things everybody wants when he goes into the market. He wants good qualit.v full measure and a reasonable price. .\s a market- able sweet corn, Golden Bantam pos- sesses the first of these essentials, but it is deficient in the other two. If it had size equal to its quality it would be ideal. From what Mr. Rich told me it seemed that Dr. De Lue had pro- duced a corn that met all these re- ijiiirements. FOR SOLDIERJETTLEMENT. Nearly Sixty Millions Loaned Qualified Returned Men Through Federal Board. By C. W. Carers, Ottawa, in Cuudian National Railways Magaiine. asked to list these farms in the dis- trict olfic-jg of the board. The board enlists the co-operation of reeves and other officers of municipalities and of- ficers of the G.W.V.A. in listing these properties and ascertaining and eol- lati«g whate'-er information can be ob- taineil regarding them. The boar..! has made arrangements with manufacturers of implements harness, wagons, etc., to give soldier settlers special prices on their re- quirements, very substantial reduc- tions have been secured, amounting for instance, in the case of harness to .10 per cent. ' The board also purchases horses and other livestock of good quality, and soldier settlers are given a wide choice of animals at the very best prices, with guarantees as to the suitabilitv of the animals purchased. The Canadian Lumoermen 's Asso- ciation has also given soldier settlers favorable rates on lumber. The reductions from the ordinary re- tail prices of all the commodities are in all cases quite substantial and a considerable saving is effected. The board also supplies free of charge, to soldier settlers 'plans of houses and other farm buildings, suit- able for their requirements, and gives free services of experts in providing for the erection of these buildings. Farm Training. Those soldier settlers recommended for further agricultural training are given the opportunity of a short course at a training farm, where nothing but practical agriculture is taught, and after that, the soldier, to complete his farm education, is placed with a re- nil - • , ,1 "'»'5le farmer for a vear. In the case spring. There is a gfeat demand iii ^f Imperial soldiers, 'who have not 4d the west for new land, and the indi- . farming experience in the old land it A department of governmental activ- ity which has shown remarkable prog- ress in the past year is that of the Soldier Settlement Board of Canada, which has loaned to returned soldiers more than $57,000,000. It was just a year ago that the government gave this Board authority to purchase land in any part of the Dominion for re-sale to veterans of the war. More than 45,000 cf these veterans have applied for the privileges of the act and up to February, 35,;il:i returned men quali- fied for financial assistance. The num- ber of loans to actual settlers in the year was 15 083, and over 12,000 sol- diers are actually established on the land. It is expected that this year will see a largo increase in the volume of work accomplished by this board. Many who were qualified last year will have chosen the farms on which they desire to settle, and will appear before the Loan Committees for the financial assistance they require. Of the number of returned men as- liiated by the board, (),049 received soldier grants â€" free landâ€" in all eases, of at least 160 acres and in many cases of aoO acres. Those who go on Dominion lands are entitled to finan- cial assistance amounting to a maxi- mum of $3,000 for the purchase of stock and eijuipment, and the erection of buildings. The great difficulty the board found was to secure suitable free lantis convenient to railways and it has been found necessary to withdraw from forest reserves and to purchase from Indians, lands suitable for agri- culture which have not been fully util- ized. A number of theee reserves will be thrown open for settlement this beeon.e available. The acreage of the i free lands alr^eady allocated to" returned j Canada:"u;der''ihrsupervis^on'"o°/th1 board. Those who have had experi- ence a sufficient time to become fa- miliar with Canadian methods. Such settlers are required on the purchase LIVE STOCK NOTES PLANT EAELT PEAS. .\niong the verv first things that can be planted outdoors are early peas. I.ate frosts that mean a quick death to beans or tomatoes or peppers and j Qn the basis of live stock per unit jierhaps hopeless injurv to corn have I . , , .,.• ... . i-t»i „ „ „ff „♦ „i .;„„. of human population there was prac- Iittle or no effect on peas. ' '^ . The government experts tell us that tically no comparative increase in the just as wrinkles in a man's brain reg- production of cattle, sheep and hogs ister its quality, so do the wrinkles in ;„ Canada during the past decade, the mature and dried pea seed denote gt^tjgti,, ,,,o^ ^„ i„„eage in the Its good or bad character. Bound, , , , ,,. â-  ^ , • .,«,« smooth-seeded peas. like many hu- ! ''^'^ stock holdings in Canada in 1919 mans, are good only when caught ' as compared with 1909, of approxi- young. The depth of the wrinkles in j mately 2,850,000 cattle, 716,000 sheep the pea seed and their nutnber tell of " sugar, that the pea has remained sweet during its entire life. The smooth-seeded kind were sweet only in their infancy. When they grew old the.v became tough. Wrinkles Among the Dwarfs. At first all dwarf peas were of the smooth-seeded kinds. We are indebt- ed to the English gardeners for put- ting the wrinkles into the dwarf class by careful crossing and selection. The dwarf, smooth-seeded peas are of de- licious quality when picked before the.v reach maturity. Let them get old on the vine, and the pith in a dried corn stalk would be as tast.v. But tiie.v are hard.v and will not rot in the ground as do their more delicate wrinkle<I relatives. In a well-drained, sheltered spot the.v can even be plant- er in the fall and left in the ground over winter, so the.v are a useful gar- den asset and should be widely plant- ed to start the pea crop, but pick them VIIUU''. HINTS TO OABDENEBS. When cauliflowers begin to head, pin the outside leaves loosely together with a toothpick. This makes the flower large and heavy. The leaves can be boiled and served as cabbage. Cress grows freely and if it is cut. leaving the roots in the ^arth, it will renew itself and a small patch of it will last all summer. Cress makes a good variation for salad. Cocoa is very much improved in fla- vor if a pinch of salt is added in the making of it. If troubled with indigestion boil one-half pint of wheat three hours in a quart of water. When done, strain: drink warmed one-half pint of liquor two Or three times a day. and 1,120,000 hogs, while a compari- son of the human population for the same years indicates an increase for l!)I!l over 1909, amounting to approxi- mately 2,315,000 persons. The following table aptly illustrates the statistical situation: No Head Per L"nit of Human Population. Class. 1909 1919 Cattle 1.08 1.12 -;heop 40 .38 Hogs 44 .45 If domestic consumption per cnpita hi\d remained constant, the volume of tlie export surplus during 1909 and 1919 would have been about equal. Statistics show however that the ex- imrts of animals and animal equiva- lents during 1919 were in excess of those of 1909. to the extent of 596,800 cattle. 53,990 sheep and 1»171,857 hogs. The increase of exports by per- centages were: Cattle, 325.81 per cent.: sheep, 1.34 per coat., and hogs, 115.00 per cent. The inferency; is that the growth in live stock population has not been rppid enough to allow of a wider mar- gin of exports without infringing on normal domestic requirements. Recent marketings have been in ex- cess of normal chiefl.v owing to unfa- vorable feeil and weather conditions. Any further increase in the volume of exports will clearly still further en- cMoaeii upon domestic consumption of meats, except on the basis of increased irodiiction of live stock. â€" ^^Live Stock Commissioner. Soak French-fried potatoes in cOld water, then put for a moment in hot water just before cooking. Potatoes prepared In this wa.v will be crisp and light brown on the outside and soft on the inside. soldiers is about one million six hun- dred acres. Will Make Good. Among the settlers already located, specially greatest throughout ilio west, the I °^ '»°d t" pay 20 per cent, cash down optimism prevails and re- â-  "" ^^^'â- ' purchase of the land. While soldiers are in training, the board na.vs allowances amounting, in some eases, to $55 a month for the subsistence of each soldier and his de- pendents. This not does apply to Im- perials. The Chick A very good coop may be easily con- structed from an ordinarv packing box' obtained from a store. ' The top and one side should be removed, one be- Up to $1,000 on buildings and I jf S i^e front of the coop, the other the ports indicate that a large percentage of them are permanently settled and will make good on the laud. The Set- tlement Board aims to piace only those soldiers who possess the qualities nec- essar.v for successful farming, and to select only such lauds as are of good agricultural value, and are well sit- uated. The board may grant loans up to $7,500 to qualified settlers purchasing throughout the board, as follows: i,a," Up to $4,500 on land purchase. {b) Up to $2,000 on stock and ecjuipmeut (e) other permanent improvements. j bottom. The front should be slatted. On the purchase of land, the sol- | I*P J*"*! '^°'^^; ^ith slats about one (Her is reiiuired to pav 10 per cent. ""^" ''"â- ^^ ^lid t'«'o inches apart. The upper half of the front however must be covered with netting, rather fine mesh, to keep out varmints and yet admit of ventilation. The lower half cash down. Five per cent, per annum is the interest charged and the ad- vance for the purchase of land and permanent improvements are repay-, able in not more than twentv-flve vears i °° - should be closed at night. A on the amortization plan. " The "loans i removable floor should be used as pre- for stock and equipment are repaid | y'"^"s'y mentioned. The top of a pack- in not more tlian four instalments, be- "'.^ ""-"^ ''""P "'"st be either covered genning the third year, and no inter- i T"*^ "J^' '-â- '°t'> or other material to est is charged for the first two vears. i ^, " ""^ '^ater or made with a roof To settlers on Dominion lauds the : ^}°P\°S '"ward the rear. The roof board may loan up to $3,000 for live i ^"""''^ alwav-s project a few inches stock, equipment and permanent im- , '"''" '" i^oat of and behind the coop proienients. i *° prevent the sun and rain entering The board mav loan up to $3,500^"" °""^'' "nd to carry the rain awav for the removal " of encumbrances on j """» f^e rear of the coop. ' ' agricultural land owned and used b.v ; Location of Coop. a settler but the amount advanced A chicken coop should be placed not shall not exceed fifty per cent, of the too far from the dwelling house Thia appraised value of the land, repayable permits of closer attention on the part in not more than twenty-five equal in- , of the attendant and verv often saves stalments at 5 per cent, amortized. | many chicks from attack bv hawta, The boaid may also loan up to $2,000 | crows and other enemies, it should for live stock, implements and other : not. however, be sufficiently close that ei|uipment, and up to $1,000 for per- i the chick will make themselves trou- manent improvements, but the total U>nn to such settler may not be more than $5,000. How to Get Land. A returned soldier who is eligible, from a militar.v standpoint, to secure the privileges of the act, is required to make application to the board for a qualification certificate. Agricul- tural Qualifications Committees in every district investigate the qualifi- cations of each applicant with regard to his general fitness, his physical fit- ness and his previous occupation and experience. If the applicant is sin- cere in his desire to engage in farm work and possesses the necessary ex- perience and aptitude for the work, the committee may grant him a cer- tificate to farm forthwith. If he lacks sufficient agricultural experi- ence, but is judged to be a suitable person, the committee may recommend him for agricultural training. This training may be gained at a training centre, specially equipped b.v the board, or on the farm of an experienced and successful farmer in the districrt in which the applicant proposes to lo- cate. In every district also there is a loan committee, composed of men who un- derstand farm values, and each appli- cation for a loan is investigated by this committee. The board secures an appraisal of the farm on which a loan is asked and, if the land is found to be suitable and the price satisfactor.v. tlie app'ii'nt'on i.-s (rrr>nte/1. The boan) v. i",' j.u; h.i^. •; required, paying .T.sh for snme. !':i.-ni crs and owiKT" of vacant land are blesome by running into the house. Xear the garden is a favorable place so far as the chicks are concerned and unless there are ripe tomatoes, straw- berries, etc., the chicks will not likely do a great deal of damage if they are well fed, and fed early in the day be- fore helping themselves from the" gar- den. The garden furnishes a great deal of hade which is essential in hot smnmer weather. The coop should be set in the sun until the weather be- comes warm enough to make the hen uncomfortable, when it should be lo- cated so as to be in the shade during the warmer part of the day. Avoid setting the coop on a low" piece of ground. It should be on the highest point in the immediate vicinity if the same is satisfactory in other "respects. Neglect or over-sight of this point means the drowning of many farm chicks every year. Speaking' gener- ally, a grass run is preferable to bare ground for the location of the coop. It usually results in a more sanitary condition of the coop. However, a range over cultivateo ground is pre- ferable to one over grass, especially in the late season. Ordinarily the coop should fac(B the so'ith. If prevailing winds or driving r;iins come from the south face the coop to the southeast or east. It should be protected agninst wind and rain as much as possible by windbreaks. (Continued Next Week.) Goldvy-, }i;'s cnii:uenced produc- tion of "Th^; Branding Iron," a cur- r*-nt novel. Uii-'sell Simpson will be the featured player.