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%' THE FLESHERTON ADVANCE. •^Jf FARMING In thit department each week will be given general information to farmer* and stockmen. No attempt will be made to criticize the work 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 experience* 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 MUSKICELONS. Muskraelona are growa extensively in the warmer counties of the province, particularly for the early market. The muskmelon has become more popular since introducing a melon of the small type. The large melons in many cases have none of the superior flavor which has been secured in many of the small type varieties. Orowing Plants. For securing early plants the seed should be sown in hotbeds or ;^reen- houses five weeks before the plants can be transplanted into the field. In many cases the seed is sown in two- inch' pots. One plant is grown to a pot, although two or more seeds are sown, in order to secure a strong plant. When the roots fill the pot the plant should be transplanted to a four-ineh pot or an ordinary strawberry basket. The soil in these pots should be very rich, and should contain considerable sand. Some growers place an inch or an inch and ahalf of well-rotted man- ure in the bottom of the pot. The plants should be grown in a warm at- mosphere and should never be over- watered. Considerable care is neces- sary to grow good, stocky plants which will bear early fruit. Another method commonly used is that of planting sev- eral seed's in a piece of sod four inches square, the grass side being turned down. The sods are laid close to- gether in a hotbed St garden flat, and plants and sod are transplanted to field as soon as weather is suitable. Sou. Melons thrive best on sandy land •which has large quantities of manure well worked into it. It must be well drained, and a soil which warms up early in the spring. A sheltered southern slope is the ideal location for this crop. Htavy soils will not give a good crop of melons of first-class tlavor unless by the addition of quantities of manure it has been made very porous and to possess abundant plant food. Planting. Following the method described, the melon plants should be set at a dis- tance of sis feet each way. AH earth around the roots should be planted in the furrow. For planting in districts where late spring frosts often occur the melons are often grown in frames, having sash for cov- ering at night. In this way two melon vines are grown to each sash, the hills being placed at either end of the 'frame. Another system which is fol- lowed by some growers is that of dig- ging a trench 14 to 16 inches in'dia- n.eter. This is filled with ten inches of fresh horse manure, four inches of soil are added, and the melon plant, or even seeds of the melon, are placed in this. A small frame, to accommo- date one light of 10 i 12 glass, is •placed over this hill, and is in reality a miniature hotbed, and should be handled similarly, with the exception of watering. It is advisable to keep JOHN IS THE MOST COMMON NAME Came Originally From the Hebrew Jehohannen the glass on during the night until all danger of frost is over. This small forcer will help the seed to germinate quickly, and will keep the plants grow- ing rapidly. No water should be given in growing plants after this method. Seeds are often sown in hills six feet apart each way in the field. This should be done when the season is well advanced and warm weather is as- sured. Usually five or six seeds aire planted to the hill, depending on the germination, and only one strong plant left to a hill. A spent hotbed can be used for growing extra fine melons, the rotted manure making an excell-^'Ut â-  feeding ground for the roots. ColtlTatlon. I Itelons should be carefully culti- i vated in the field with a horse culti- ! vator and with a hand hoe. This I should be done every week as long as \ the vines will permit. Keeping a fine ' mulch on the surface of the soil is necessary to keep the melons growing rapidly. While hand hoeing it is gener- ally a good practice to draw a little earth up around the plants during the young stages of growth. This gives the melons a stronger stem and affords stronger anchorage for the plants. It is imperative that while cultivating the vines they should not be moved in any way, as considerable damage will re- sult. Watering. It is not advisable to water melon plants. Usually the plants can secure sufficient moisture from the soil if careful cultivation of the soil is carried on {hiring the growing season. Handling. It is advisable, when possible, to turn the melons several times while they are growing. This could not be carried on economiL'ally on a large scale, but where only a few melons are grown, the quality of the resulting fruit will be superior if the melon is not allowed to mature on one side. .\ shingle placeil under each melon will prevent any discoloration on the side of the melon. Harvesting and Marketing. For immediate sale or use the melons should be gathered when the stem sep- arates from the melon with slight pres- sure from the thumb. For shipping purposes ^hey have to be gathered somewhat earlier and in a green state. They ripen during shipment, but lose the flavor characteristic of a melon allowed to ripen on the vine. For local market muskmelons are sold in bulk, being drawn in in wagons or in large boxes. For shipping the melons are graded as to size and shipped in various car- riers. Some use slat crates, others large wicker baskets lined with hay, and others ordinary 11-quart basket with a slat top. It is imperative that the carrier be so made that there will be plenty of air space around the melons, for they will soon commence to decompose if otherwise shipped. JUST BOOKS BYiELINOR MURRAY. Registered According to the Copyright Act. SIXTY-FOUR MILLIONS FOR SOLDIERFARMERS Land Settlement Board Has Approved Applica- tions From Nearly 40,- 000 Men. The latest figures of the operations of the Soldiers' Settlement Board of Canada show the following results: Total loans approved, $64,535,098, for the following purposes: Iiand Purchase â€" Amount for purchase $35,321,708 Amount for , improvements.. 4,752,291 Amount for stock and equipment .... 14,221,904 $54,295,903 Charges on Dominion Lands â€" .•Amount for improvements .$ 1,623,952 Amount for S. & E 4,542,396 $ 6,171,348 Mortgages on privately owned lands: Amount for removal of en- cumbrances ...$ 1.930,384 Amount for improvements . 708,499 .V m u n t for S. & E 1,478,464 $ 4.117,847 $64,535,098 Number of loans approved, 24,894. Average loan, $3,945. The Agricultural Branch has re- ceived 51,877 applications for (jualifi- cation certificates and of these 38,157 were approved from the following provinces: â€" British Columbia 4.667 Alberta 10,-453 Saskatchewan 9,610 Manitoba *'.fi>'9 Ontario 3,525 Quebec 1,063 S'ew Brunswick 979 Nova Scotia 779 p. E. 1 442 33,157 The Board also reports a total of 6,386 Soldier Grant Entries. This means an acreage of approximately 1 .600,000. K£EF MOTHEBLESS CHICKS BUST. A keen poultry observer will tell you that a mother hen is always busy keep- ing her family on the move all day long, excepting for short periods of rest. Evidently she knows her busi- ness, because she usually has raised a very vigorous family by the time they are ready to shift for themselves. Un- doubtedly the feed and the way it is fed is the cause of more bother than any other one single factor. Many mis- takes are continually made along these lines, due to a lack of information or tf the carelejis application of the same. -V chick hatched in an incubator should develop in a normal way if the machine is properly run. He should come from the shell just as naturally and just as strong as if the mother hen had done the hatching. But to keep him strong and vigorous is the big problem of the feeder. PIQS THAT PAY. In olden times the pig was regarded as the one animal on the farm that thrived in filth. It was a mistaken idea on the part of a past generation, but, unfortunately, it has in many cases survived to the twentieth cen- tury. The pig is quite a c}«an beast, and thrives where hygiene and ordin- ary cleanliness prevail. It is. indeed, unnecessary to preach that-^doctrine to- day, for the modern piggery is usually built with the object of keepng disease that might be harbored by dirty sur- roundings and bad drainage at arm's length. We are looking for pigs that graze well and forage for a living, not too much given to rooting, but active, the bearers of good litters, and capable of suckling ten lusty "brats" when the occasion demands. There are so many different purposes in pig-breed- ing that we need all the pure races we can get, for the pig that will graze well and stand the sun there is a largo call. The breed that porks well and is turned off at a handy weight in a hurry has many supporters. Then there is the baconer, with his light jowl and fore end, his long sides and good hams. These are the three classes of pigs that are wanted, and, be it noted, that size must not be sacrificed in the race for quality. Uaily gain in live weight is not a thing that the practical man is disposed to overlook. "An optimist is a man who cher- ishes vain hopes, and a pessimist a man who nurses vain regrets." ' ' And what is a man who does botht" "Oh, he's just a plain ordinary human." The most gues.ed-about and talked- about of coming books is the auto- biography which Mrs. Asquith, wife of the Liberal ex-Premier, is now actively writing under a contract with one of Loudon's newest and most adventurous publishers, Thornton Butterworth. i'et, of all the statements made about it, not one has been authorized, and few have been correct. I am able, on absolute authority, to give the truth of the matter. Mrs. Asquith, who was Miss Margot Tenuaut before her marriage, has now a lifetime of exceptional memories to draw upon, and for many years she has been urged 'hy her intimate friends tu write of the world in which she has shone with a piquant and wholly indi- vidual light. Mrs. Asquith, as the wife j of her husband, has, of course, met i countless interesting and Ji^tiu- guished men and women, and she has enjoyed the special friendship of Ten- nyson, Gladstone, Arthur James Bal- four, Lord Morley and many others. But all this might be said of others. The special interest of Mrs. As^iuith's forthcoming book, and the restless j curiosity it excites, are due to the well , understood fact that adventures are to the adventurous in social intercourse as everywhere else, and Mrs. Asquith has always been adventurous, provo- cative, magnetic, original. And, as she has given, so she has received. Yet she has been slow to take up her pen in this enterprise. One of her most ardent persuaders thereto has been Mr. Balfour, who was vastly con- tent wken, last November, he met Mrs. As<iuith at Buckingham Palace, on the occasion of the reception of the Shah of Persia, and was told by her that she was taking the plunge. He re- plied with delighted congratulation, • • Margot, you have at last done the right thing." And, knowing how vainly for years he had tried to in- cite her to the task, he added: "The publisher who has induced you at last tu do it is a genius." Mrs. Asquith is nothing if not elec- tric, and on the very Jay of signing her contract she began to write. An early ris^r by habit, she devoted the hours from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. to her work, but soon became so keen on it that she has since worked sometimes seven hours a day. Consequently the book is well on its way to completion; Mr. Butterworth expects lo nave it in manuscript on his desk in St. Martin's Lane by the beginning of March, and the literary gossipcrs are at their wits' end for news and lorecasts. A dis- tinguished literary man, whom I am not at liberty to name, who has seen some of Mrs. Asquith "s earlier sheets of manuscript, lias already written to her, ' ' If you can keep it up it will be an amazing book.'' iord Morley, in his Wimbledon retreat, is keenly in- ti rested in its progress, and has made the like prediction, that Mrs. .Vsqu'th's autobiography will be • ' bright with rial knowledge of the world," and that, alike in its strength and weak- ness, it will never be petty or small. His fatherly advice, based on un- rivalled experience ' of the literary world, has been: "Be sure to trust yourself, and don't worry about the critics." The book will be new from begin- ning to end, a recent statement that it will include reminiscences which have already appeared in two London magiizines being quite incorrect. It will be in one volume, illustrated with portraits and with reproductions of drawings by Mrs. Asquith herself and others, together with a few facsimiles or' letters. Mr. Butterworth has hopes of issuing it in May, though it is quite possible that next September will be preferred. A TBIBITTE TO THE COW. By E. G. BENNETT. Missouri Dairy Commissioner. LITTLE do we realize the debt we owe the cow. During the dark ages of savagery and barbarism, we find her early ancestors natives of the wild forests of the old world. As the bright rays of civilization penetrated the darkness of that early period, and man called upon the cow, she came forth from her seclusion to share in the efforts that gave us a greater nation and more enlightened people! In 14S3 when Columbus made his second voyage to America, the cow came with him. Her sons helped till the soil of our ancestors, helped clear dense forests and made homes possible for the coming generation â€" and when the tide of emigration turned westward, they hauled the belongings of the pioneer across the sun-scorched plains and over the great moun- tain ranges to new homes beyond. Truly, the cow is man's greatest benefactor. Hail, winil, drought and floods may come, destroy our crops anil banish our hopes, but, from what is left, the cow manufac- tures the most nourishing and life-sustaining foods. We love her for her docility, her beauty and her usefulness. Her loyalty has never weakened â€" and should misfortune overtake ua, as we become bowed down with the weight of years, we know that in the cow we have a friend that was never known to falter. She pays the debt. She saves the home. God bless the cow â€" little do we realize the debt we owe her. For the Motorist .\ deposit of from 10,000 to 15,- 000 tons of sulphur has been discov- ered in the crater of an ice-covered mountain in the Aleutian islands. Robins range from Mexico to .Masks. For many purposes cast iron has been found preferable to steel because it is comparatively rustproof COBN liOSES ITS STTQAB FOTTB HOtJBS AFTER PIOKINO. Do you know why sweet corn cannot b" bought from the grocersf Don't accuse the grocer of selling sweet corn, because it isn't sweet. Corn loses its sugar four hours after being picked. It can't be kept overnight and retain its sweetness. .\ chemical action takes place which changes the sugar in the corn to starch. So corn must be home grown or grown very close to home if it is to be put on the table really sweet. FLASH LAMPS NEEDED ON AUTOS AT NIGHT. A hand flachligUt ought to be part of the tool box equipment for those automobiles that are not already fitted with a trouble light. Often enough the motorist is stopped on tne road in a dark spot for reasons of mechanical trouble, or perhaps to change tires. It isn 't safe or satisfactory to light matches in order to investigate what is wrong with a gasoline engine. The light from a flash lamp is steady, and the light can be set down somewhere so that it throws its beams on the work in hand. It may not often be needed, but there does come a time when having such a light handy is worth a great many times what it costs to buy one and carrv it arouuil. DONT'S FOE THE BATTEBY USEE. Don't use anytliing but pur>'. dis- tille.l water for the storage battery. Boiled water will not do â€" it must be iHstilled water from which all impuri- ties that would injure the battery have been rmoved. Don't lay tools, or anything else, across the top of the battery. Don't attempt to add acid or electro- lyte to the battery. This should be done only by skilled battery men. Don't fail to look at the battery oc- casionally and if the solution is spray- ed or spilled, wipe the box clean with ;i sponge moistened in ammonia. All metal parts or connectors which are not lead-coated should be kept covered with a thin coating of vaseline. Nobody is more anxious to avoid accidents and "close calls'' than the self-respecting motorist â€" notwithstand- ing the apparently deep-rooted opinion of the average pedestrian to the con- trp.ry. The Vancouver Auto Club has always taken a strong stand on care- â- il driving, realizing that the avoid- ance of accidents is dependent upon co- operation and harmonious understand- ing between drivers anil pedestrians. The following set of "rules'' is printed ill a handbook reeentlv issued bv tlie club: Take no chances. Precautions â€" look both ways for ap- proaching ears at intersections. Test brakes often. Make s:tre headlights !ind tail lights 'lurning. Keep in min4 speed laws and ordin- ances. Watch the "Other Felow." Watch for traffic and danger signals. Make turning signal in time to pro- tect yourself and others. Use your horn freely and listen for others. Street cars are confined to fixed tracks â€" you always know where to find rlioiii. 'They cannot turn to right or lift. Other traffic can. Think ••Safety First "â€"then go ahead. Don't cut in ahead of moving street car going in your direction. Don't try to "beat" street car or train over crossing. Don 't cut corners. Don't operate in fog greater than will permit you to stop within range of your vision. Don't hurry. Don't take chances. Don "t forget that a street car ' ' over- h.mgs" when turning a sharp curve. We stand for safety on our streets and roads â€" first, last and alwavs. HINTS ON CABE OF TUBES. Inflate that inner tube slightly be- fore inserting it in the casing. Be sure there is no dirt, sand or small stones in the eaaiag. Be sure that the inside of the easing > iry .-iiil use some soaps;: ii-. ;.;;: not too much. These little tube hints add not only miles to wear, with consequent saving in trouble, but will actually add miles to the tire itself. One of the dangers in putting tubes in casings is that the tube will be pinchcrd under the tire. Slight inflation of the tube will pre- vent this. Dirt or small stones in a casing grad- ually work through the tube, causing it to blow out or puncture. The use of wet soaoatone or dampness in the easing itMB will cause the tube to stick to t<i» casing and start ro». Due attention to these little things will give much more satisfactory and prof- itable service out of tubes. STOPPING A LEAK. If you have a leaky radiator or an obstinately leaking pump packing, add a small amount of shellac to the de- natured ;ilcoliol used in the anti-freez- ing solution. The shellac may also be used in summer in the plain water with which the cooling system is filled during the hot month.". IMPEOPER LOCKING. Don't attempt to change a tire from a rim with which you are unfamiliar. Serious accidents have occurred be- cause of improper locking resulting in tlieir flying off wlieu tlie tire has been inflated. Fun) CAUSE OF FAILUEE. Don't spi'ui a lut of time cranking tlie engine with the starter if it fails tn start after a few trials. Look for the cause of the trouble. Continuous cranking runs down the batterv. John is the most common given, or Christian name we have. Its history is curious. It came originally from the Hebrew Jehohannen, "God is gra- cious " The Greeks made it Johanan, and in the feminine it became Anna and Hannah. The name was unknown in Saxon England, and was seldom used among the Normans. In the Doomsday Book, the record of the in- habitants of England which William the Conqueror had compiled, only two John.s were listed, and one of them is a Dane. John was the name of the belsved disciple, and the writer of one of the gospels. As the Bible became more fainiUar to the people of Europe, this name became increasingly popular in Europe, especially after the Bible was translated from the Latin into the language of the people. Au enormous increase in the namber of Johns resulted from the pilgrimages and the Crusades. About the year 1000, it became customary for devout Christians to make journeys to the Holy Land in order to see the places made sacred by the life of the Lord. At first they went as peaceful travelers. Later they went as armed bands, in- tent upon rescuing the tomb of the Saviour from the infidel Each pil- grim was known by two signs â€" a cross worn on the shoulder or breast and a bottle at his belt. The cross was the symbol of his vow to rescue the tomb of the Saviour, and the bottle was to be tilled with holy water from the River Jordan. On the return of the pilgrims, the contents of their bottles were used in christenings. Happy was the mother who could secure a few drops of water from the river in which the Saviour had been baptised for the baptism of her own child. The name John would naturally occur as appro- priate for a boy baptizeil under these conditions, since Jesus was baptized in the Jordan by John the Baptist. It may also be said that the world went suddenly John crazy. It was soon esti- mated that two-thirds of the English males were named John. Families of six or seven boys were all named John. So common did this custom become that various methods had to be adopt- ed to distinguish one John from an- other The surnames Littlejohn, Pet- tyjohn, Mickyejohu, and its .-nuv, »u equivalent Grossjean (;mean Big or Fat John I, from which the immortal name of Bunyan is corrupted; Upjohn (John on the hill), Donjohn (Downjohn, or John in the valley i, are all examples of attempts to distinguish one John from another. Many of these names still exist as surnames. Considering the popularity of the name John, and the fact that at this time it was spelled "J-o-n" and pro- nounced "Jone, " the size of the Jones family will be explained. The name means '•son of John." John Jones is found in almost every community. In Wales this name is so common that, in the words of the -egistrar-general, it is a" perpetual incognito." A war- rant for •'John Jones" issued to an officer in Wales might almost as well have used the woni -'man," instead or the name. It would mean no one in particular. A single Welsh militia company had 36 John Joneses The German form is Hans, and some- times Johan. From these we have the surnames Hanson an.. Johanson. The liiminutive is found in Hanks, Hankin, Hankinson, Jankin, Jenkins, Jenson and Jennings. Shane is the Irish form or Joiin, and Jean the French. Mc- Shane and McGinnis are the equiva- lents of our English Johnson and Jack- son, the prefix ••Me" meaning '•the son of." Giovanni is the Italian form of John. The Scotch feminine forms are Jean, Joanna, Janet and Jessie. The Frencli have Jeanette, the Span- ish Juanita, and the Bussiane Ivanna. AU of them are ohns, varied to suit the usages of the various languages, the fertility of resourse is dis- ihd played in nicknames. forming diminutives and CRIMINAL CARELESSNESS "The fire, wliicli started in a waste- paper basket, is supposed to have been caused by a cigarette butt." Tile above summarizes the cause. But for the fortunate discovery by a pass- ing policeman at 11 o'clock at night, a valuable manufacturing plant would have been in ruins, a large number of employees would have been out of work, and considerable time would necessarily have elapsed before operations could be renewed. The 1919 amendment to the Criminal Code provides that ' ' Every one is guilty of an indict.able offence and liable to two years' imprisonment who by negligence causes any fire which occasions loss of life or loss of prop- erty. ' ' Criminal carelessnes was only offset by fortunate circumstances. A few minutes later and the fire would have made sufficient headway to ensure a complete loss. Shells increase in destructiveness more than in proportion to their inches. A twelve-inch shell is eight times more dangerous than a six-inch one. The age at which marriage may le- gally be consummated in India is ten years. The best type of man fsr long life is rather short and below the normal weight. New York wastes as much water every day as would supply a citv of 100,000 population. In India, if a man is not married at the latest by his twenty-fifth year, his reputation suffers. Upon attaining her majority Prin- cess Mary of EnglaBd received an an- nual income of $30,900. WANT ADS APPEARED IN EARLY PUBLICATION^^ In tlie reign of William ILL, one John Houghton, who combined the business of apothecary with that of a dealer in '•tea, coffee and chocolate," commenced an advertising paper which he called A Collection for the Improvement of Husbandry and Trade. In those old days the editor ot the paper anil the advertiser flrequently spoke in the first person singular, while the advertiser also often spoke through the editor. The issues of this curious publication contained many advertisements regarding the music:U profession, of which a few specimens taken at random will serve to give a tolerably good idea of the style then prevalent: '•I want a negro man that is a good house carpenter and a good singer." "If any young man that plays well on the violin and writes a good hand desires a clerkship I can help him to twenty pounds a year." • • I want a complete young man that will wear a livery, to wait on a verv valuable gentleman, but he must know how to play on a violin or flute." "I A'ant a genteel footman that can play on the violin to wait ou a person of honor." "If I can meet with a sober man that has a counter-tenor voice I can help him to a place worth thirty pounds a year or more." â€" London Musical Times. In the fiscal year, 191S-19, 12,723.000 pelts were imported into the United States from Canada. These imports in- cluded large numbers of rabbit skins from Australia and New Zealand and about 250,000 sheep skins from Aus- tralia. New Zealand, India and Peru. These figures demonstrate that Cana<la is exporting more furs than ever be- fore in her history, and that the num- ber of fur-bearers taken in 191S-1919 was in excess of the annual increment, thus trenching upon our capital stock. ...iin^S. .