Addren communications to Agronuniict, 73 Adelaide St. Want, Toronto FEEDING FOR WINTER EGGS Enemies of House Plants BY JANE LESLIE KIFT. No other place presents such op- portunity for making a splendid profit from poultry as can be found on the farm, but inattention and lack of proper care often serve to make many of our farm flocks an expense rather than a profit-producing factor which they should be and would be under proper management. Assuming that the fowls have fair- ly good houses to stay in, the next most important thing to do to get win- ter eggs is to feed properly. This make the birds work to get it. Keep In mind that only active birds are egg producers. Watering the Flock. Lack of water for the farm flocks is one of the greatest drawbacks to getting a good egg yield. Be sure the birds have all the water they want to drink. I have been out among farm flocks during cold, freezing weather and have seen the poor birds standing around an old pan or dish of some . into laying condition and to lay, t.hey It requires eternal vigilance to keep house plants in a healthy, growing condition, and when they cease to put forth new growth, it Is quite likely that they have been attacked by some insect pest. Soft-wooded plants, such as fuchsia and heliotrope, which are usually rapid growers, are mure like- ly to become covered with insects than are the slow-growing hardwcod varieties. Persistent efforts will overcome these enemies if the remedies are ap- plied before the 'Insects have inter- fered with the growth of the plant. Once the growth is retarded the in- sects are much harder to rout. One of the commonest insects to at- tack soft-wooded plants is the aphis, or green fly, which multiplies very rapidly. Florists destroy the aphis by fumigating their house* with to- bacco twice a week; believing in pre- ventive measures, this plan is con- tinued throughout the year. Of course, such treatment is not practical in the house, where the smallest quantity of smoke would permeate every room. It a general overhauling and cleaning! and put about six inches cf good dry litter of some kind on the floor. Regularity of Feeding. Almost as Important as what to fwd is the regularity with which you *eed. Regularity in feeding is ono ofi the primary factors in getting a good gg production from your flock. You ' will be surprised, if you have never fad regularly, how soon the fowls will *et to know when It is feeding time.j A sufficient amount must be given thtj birds to keep up the body require-! Went*. Many people awern to think! the reaaon they do not get eggs in the ' winter is because they do not have variety enough of grains to make a good producing mixture. This is not) o, for very good egg yields can baj had from a mixture of cracked corn nd oata or wheat and oats will do v<ery nicely for a scratch grain, sup-j plemsnted by a good dry mash and ome aour milk, beef scraps orl tankaff. Give the birds some green food' three of four times a week in the 1 ahapo of cabbage, rape, or mangel 1 wurtzel beets if they are available. Green food is a good regulator for! the birds and seems to help to keep them in good condition. If the flock is' composed of Leghorns, Anconas or other of the smaller breeds, feed about one quart of the grajn mixture a day to 15 hens. If for Plymouth' Rocks. Wyandottes, Rhode Island) Reds or other fowl of this class, allow one quart to 12 hens, feeding oiw- fourth of the amount early In the 1 morning:, another quarter some time between 10 o'clock and noon and the! remaining one-half at about 3.30 In the afternoon especially during the hort days of the late fall and winter montha. As the days begin to grow,' longer, advance the feeding time' about 16 minutes each day until your! afternoon feed comes at about 4.30.' This will make the change so gradual : that the birds will hardly know It is taking place. A good mash mixture should be kept where the flock can have access! to It at all times. One composed of' equal parts by weight of cornmeal,! bran, middlings and beef scraps or' tankagre will give good results. Milk In any form is splendid and where one has enough to keep it before the fowls all the time, the beef scrap or tankage may be cut down from one-half to thrss-f)iiarters. Splendid results have been obtained by making the milk take tha place of the animal protein (beef arraps and tankage). If milk is fed, do not feed it sweet one day "anil! sour the next for bad results are 1 often experienced by changing from| one to the other and are noticeable in tho loose condition of the droppings ' It is best to feed milk in tho sour' state. The question is often asked: "What is a good egg yield for a farm flock in the winter?" One egg to every three ; hens a day or 38 1-8 per cent is very' good. There are no secrets in the proper feeding of hens to get eggs whether it be winter, spring or sum- mer, but it does take a little pains to feed thfl birds so as to keep them In nic healthy condition. The grain should he scattered in ths litter throughout the house (not Just thrown down in a pile) so as to W " tcr but th *** take the chill On very cold days a warm mash fod ; at noon, about all the birds will -eat up clean in 10 minutes, will help to! fill the egg basket. Provide lime and grit in some form as it is absolutely necessary for the fowla to have grit with which to grind their feed and lime for tho purpose' of making shells for the eggs. This can be done by having a good-sized box of gravel about the site of peas and some old plaster; or by purchas-j Ing commercial grits and oyster shells.! In going among the birds, do not hurry or move about too quickly i\s[ every time you scare them, you check their egg yield. Before going into! the poultry house, call to thom.l "Chick, chick!" or rap on the door so! that they will know you are approach- j ing and will not be taken unawares.' Leghorns, which are considered a highly nervous fowl, can be made very tame by careful treatment. It often bothers one who is start- Ing to keep poultry, as we'll as thosn that have been keeping it for years, to know when tho birds arc getting enough food. This can easily be de- termined by going out to the poul- 1 try house at night for a few nights after the birds are on the roosts and, feeling the crops of a few of them.' If they are full, the birds have had] enough to eat. Otherwise, they arei not getting food enough. The following rations have been tested and found to be excellent for; Leghorns, Anconas and the smaller breed*: The number two ration, known as the wheatless ration, was fed by many! during the war when it was impos- sible to get wheat. It gave splendid results on many farms throughout the country. The number three ration Is especi- ally good for Plymouth Rocks, Orp- ingtons, Wyandottes and Rhode Is- land Reds. It goes without saying that which, ever ration you choose, its efficiency! rests upon the quality of the grains composing it. Ration The most practical method for house 1 'plants is to gather them in as compact 1 a mass as possible, and thoroughly wet the foliage of each. The best way| to accomplish this is to use a water- ing can to which is attached the noz-j zle with tho smallest holes. When the foliage is partly dry, dust it with powdered tobacco, and if this is un- available, use snuff. If this is done; while the foliage Is damp, the tobacco will adhere to tha leaves and stems.: Be sure it reaches the under surface : of the leaves, as this is the insect's! favorite lodging place. After apply- j ing the tobacco, cover the plants with paper to prevent the escape of fumes which either kill or sicken the green; fly. After twenty-four hours the flies] should be syringed off. Another insect as destructive as tho aphis ami equally as common is the' mealy bug, which florists frequently! call the "white scale." It is white in color and can easily be detected at; the base of the leaves and about the! under surface of new growths; it U' usually found In clusters. The best way to rid a plant of these insects is to wash them away. To do| this, lay the plant upon its side and; syringe it thoroughly, then turn III over and syringe the other side, thus' drowning the bugs. Or they can bci brushed off with a small camel's-hair! brush. If th<- bugs are very niimer-! oub, go over the stems and leaves with! a small brush dipped in a solution composed of one part alcohol and three parts water. A little of this solution goes a long way. Another remedy requires a tablespoonful of kerosene to two gallons of water, and being inexpensive can be applied with a rubber hand sprinkler. A third rem- ! edy is obtained by boiling the green ! leaves of tomato vines, draining the ! water through a colander. This water ' is deadly poison to the mealy bug, but as tomato lenves are only obtainable i in summer, the use of the remedy is restricted to that season. Red spiders arc tho most trouble- some of all insect enemies. They are i very common, seem to flourish in a hot, dry atmosphere and are so small j that it takes an experienced eye in detect them. Their color is a peculiar red, they always attack the under sur- face of the foliage and work rapidly. ! In a week they will skeletonize an | entire leaf, leaving only the main ' veins intact. They weave a web so ! fine that it almost defies detection. The best remedy for the red spider j is cold water, vigorously applied, ' either with a syringe or with full force from the mouth of. the pump, or . faucet, as this destroys the web and removes the spiders, but this treat- ment must be persistent. One appli- cation is worthless and only repeated efforts will keep them away. Red spid-J ers attack both hard and soft wooded ; plants. Of course, the latter are al-| ways harder to cleanse, as the tender growth must be handled so carefully in order to prevent injury. The enemy to plant life that is real- ly the hardest to combat is the scale. Numerous varieties of scale attack! house plants. Some are soft and easily destroyed; others are hard- shelled, clinging tenaciously to the stems and under parts of the foliage. To rid a plant, especially a large one, of any of these scaly insects requires a great deal of time and labor, but it can be done. Turn the plant on its side and clean off the scale with the aid of soft paper ami OLD CHUN TneTobacco of Quali ty Straw Stacks Are Fur Pockets Straw stacks and hay stacks are fine tooth- veritable fur pockets for the trapper brush literally scrubbing them away; who exploits these places. As soon as then sponge the plant with strong ft stack is established, whether built eoapsuds. Whale-oil soap is the ' foothold. Furthermore, snow covers up signs and smells that have been left in setting the trap. Raccoons will climb to the top of a hay stack and dig for vegetables, *!"" * v.t ovip *l*t l-| * . , , . lit* Ju 1_ iety florists prefer for this purpose. ! of ur P h *; "*>" that wx>uWnt go under ( 8U ch as cabbage, carrots, sweet ap- Scale insects seem to thrive best on ' over> or of straw foliowng the thresh-: pies, if these are buried for bait, or the many varieties of Nephrolepis, or ins * M(>n - ll at once becomes an- for meat or scent baits; especially will Boston fern. Here we flnd them - Bpartment house f !L ne l d - mu;e ' >-|the laccoon come for birds or dad Furthermore, th 8| chickens buried a foot deep. v tion of a straw stack makes a, Minks will not climb up as will most '"?*" * ? ther *"*"* if ** * nt food ' food or for but will explore every nook and cre- for Mash mixture 16 Ibs. cornmeal, (!'/4 Ibs. meat scraps, 1 Ib. of bran, I 1 Ib. of middlings. Grain mixture 8 Ibs. of cracked corn, 8 Ibi. of wheat, 8 Ibs. of oats. Ration Two. Mash mixture 8 Ibs. of cornmeal, 1 Ib. of meat scraps. Grain mixture U lbs>. of cracked corn, 1 Ib. of oats. Ration Three. Mash mixture 1 Ib. of cornmeal, I Hi, of bran, % Ib. of meat scraps, t Ib. of mkUilings, 1 Ib. of ground oats. Grain mixture. 2 Ibs. of cracked corn, 1 Ib. of wheat, 1 Ib. of oats, 1 Ib. of barley. Remember the following: Feed! regularly; scatter the grain In the lit- ter; be sure the birds have all the 1 water they want to drink; feed milk! either sweet or sour preferably' sour; move among the birds carefully; see that the birds have enough to eat, and have access to grit and oyster shells. In a short time you should be getting a satisfactory ejrg yield. When the egg yield is unsatisfac- tory, there is a removable reason. cow approaches freshening redure the other feeds, whatever they may be,! and gradually increase the bran. In a few days the cow will' relish having! the ration dampened. A great deal of | trouble may be averted at freshening! time if dairymen would follow the above practice. 4 Breaking Heifers to Milk. About a month ago I got hold of a! "long" two-year-old Durham heifer. : She had never been handled, not even tied In a stable since .she was a calf, and consequently was as wild as a hawk. About two weeks ago she came fresh, and now I am milking and! handling her as nicely as any old cow' I have. My method of handling her, I which is my usual way, may be of in- 1 terest if not of help to some of your ' reader*. The first night we had her, it took my father and I a long time to drive' hr into the barn, and still longer to, get her into a stanchion. Thon we| Boston fern. Here we flnd them espe- cially hard to eradicate, as the foliage "*" and veTmln - of the plant is so soft and pliable !?* VI that one grows weary long before the filie place . "g a f ? x last insect is killed, but unless the country ' "** '' work is thoroughly done, it is better, en * nlle *- ! vlce underneath. A good mink set is not to undertake it. Skunks are found under stacks, and made by digging out a hole in the If the plant is badly affected, cut' 80 nre nM>ii *- Pci"y ' wood- side of the stack near the ground, the top off entirely and fertilize the chuck been accommodating using a pointed stick or bar to ream soil about the root with weak manure "* to burrow underneath. How- out a hole thre* feet dep. In the water or any good plant food It wrll cver> both skunks alul rabbits will rear of this hole fih -br.it may be soon respond to such treatment, send- ' f r ?*l ue!ltly . di * dt>n * umJer tha stack " ing forth a new head of growth .| Minks visit stacks in quest of rabbits Cleanliness is the greatest enemy to :and bu ' dl that " e '' k shelter here - So insect life ^ 'a' 1 ' 001 **- Foxes and coyotes visit such places to hunt mice and vermin. S>>, if you have ar old hay or straw which will catch r.ot only minks, but is a dead sure set for all skunks that pas. Some of the belt trappers do not stake a trap of any kind set in a stack, but merely securs it to a clog. , , . bridle bu in the loop, ma<ie by this' 8tack in the fleW 9Onl ewhere, you will A fence-post makes a go.xi clog for buckung. The hol.-s in the strap en- lbe 8Ure to CBtch f ur bearers there, ordinarv animals and is not ausoccted al.le me to adjust the strap us to , ,, able me to adjust the strap as to y oxet like to c | Imb on top , nd d[f as it Iieg on the stai , k Or the clQg length, as is required by_ the size and for food . Your traps should be buried for the trap may easily be buried in a few inches under the surface. Use the straw. As soon as an cr.imal is rhaff to cover them, and wrap e*ch trapped* he leaves the stack, when if degree of "meanness" of the cow. To apply I put the heifer in 8'tanchel. Then placing the strap by steel trap with wax paper. Use from the trap was staked securely he would the snap end I put it around the lefV three to five traps, according to the do considerable scrambling around hind leg, just above the gambrel joint,! *' ze ' * ne stack. Bury bits of cheese and mlgUt spoil your chance of catch- from behind forward, on the outside,' scrap a foot deep. This will attract lug other fur animals. slip tho snap through the ring of the!'* 1 * mice, and eventually coyotes and) Of course straw stacks too close to bit which is fast in the strap; then! ' oxes "''' '' o:mv A few inches of farm buildings will not be likely to crossing the strap so as to bring the' * now covering the top makes your! yield more than skunks, but in many snap again from the renr to the front Canoes better because with snow on section* there are plenty of stacks in on the outside of the right leg, I snap lne ground the food of furbearers is: more remote locations which are h*d- it into the free ring of the bit. Tl.en more limited, and tho fox or coyote quarters for other fur animals. Very pushing the right leg back as far a can mor * readily climb to the top I often trappers miss good eets near. it will go, I sit down and begin milk- 1 when snow helps him got a better I at home. ing, avoiding all roughness and milk- ^"~"~ ~~""~ ~~ ~ ing rather slowly for a few times. Thin "r\a" make, a mod i , , i "handout es from ,. he flt)0r , t ., a ,, H quickly applied and can in no and is a little easier to fasten and unfasten. I have used this method a great number of times, and it has always successful. C. A. Co-operation and consolidation are essentials of business and farming freshened we could handle her without her showing excessive nervousness or fear. When I began milking her I fasten- ed her legs, using a "rig" I have used nearly ever since I began farming. I take a quarter strap from H single harness, putting a snap in where it fastens to the breeching ring, buckl- ing it back with im ordinary "joint" kept a rust and rat expense _ __ for a month, you would kill little or no chance of their grease the tools without being told. hurtinsr me; in fact, the only danger is of their fallinc: over on me in case they try to kick, and that danger is Anyone can go down hill, but it negligible. The stray, including snap' takes determination to make the up- and bit, should be from thirty to grade. thirty-?ix inches long, the smaller or "meaner" the cow the shorter. \ snan! , \.- \. with the tongue broken o I . * ls p racc whlch hook works m wi-il ' , <>a ) lng: * determines the winner; it is that little ; L___:__!2!^i 8nft P 1 extra effort to do better which makes i success in farming. | The Dairy Wheat bran is extremely valuable In the ration for dairy cows and is relished by them. When It is fed in limited; quantities to cow* producing a largo flow of milk, thers is less dan- ger of the animals going "off feed." llrnii is highly palatable. It is quite bidky and, when added to the ration, anlsta digestion and keeps entire di- gfeslive system in good working con- dition. When a ration is compounded from concentrated freds, such as corn- meal, flnuly ground oats and cotton- seed meal, it is advisable to lighten the ra/tlon by adding a liberal amount of bran. Hevy producing cows on a dry ra- tion with limit ml succulent matter need, in addition some klml of feed hjirinj* a l.'ixnii. effoct upon diges- tion. From my oxporience In feeding dairy cows under varied conditions I consider bran a most excellent feed for this purpose. Cows confined to staWes during the winter should re- ceive a liberal feed of bran daily to preserve tho dijrestive system and promote food assimilation. Dairymen should not, however, look upon liran ns an economic source of proUin, oarlwhydrovtos, or fat. Many a dairyman has reduced his profits from his herd by going to the extreme of feeding too liberally of bran, think- ing that if a lit I In is good more Is bet- tor. Bran, like other feed-*, should be fed Judiciously to add bulk, palntabil- ity and mineral matter to tho ration. Oows freshening in thp winter should be taught to eat bran ninsh. This can easily be accomplished by beginning to ft<p<l a. limited amount of brnn ulong with ,'tliev foe, Is two weeks proviouv to freshening. As the Irrigated Farms in Southern Alberta In tho Fa.uon, V*iuhall District Bow miv.r Irrtg-a'ion Projtct An especially aootl location for mlx*J farmlM arut 'hilrytnf. Splendid op- i>ortunli\ fnr VOUIIR nin now living in alatrlcls where B(M><I laud caiinot he tiouK'it 'it vci'.jioiiiiMi' iirle THIS TS NOT I'lONKRHlXfJ. tha llrst 10.000 ncrost ur* I'l'lly icttl*d anj another ID.OOO nc-i-es nnw rudy for settlement: maximum Jlstano* from railroad, seven nille*. "jopj roads, tfleiihoucs and si-hcml*. Rny riy- ni*nts. cxtenriltiK over 18 yran. This I the BCB-. laal Bay la Alberta write for further Information to: CANADA LAND And XBBXOATXOjr COMPANY, LIMITED Medtotnt Hat. . Albrt CENTRAL NURSERIES Have the kind of Trees, Shrubs, etc., want to plant. The best that grows and to pteaae. Free catalogue. No Agnts. A. G. HULL A SON ST. CATHARINE*. ONT. you oouomso? uas Spohn's Distemper Compound to break It up urnt get them bacli In condition. Thirty years' ui hat naoa ^BPORN'B' 1 lndlepnable l n treating Couthe nd Colds. Influenza and Distemper with their re- ultlng complications, mid all i<lea<<e of the throat noee and lunge AoU marvelously a* preventive: act* equally MI cure. Sold In two !z<- at all drug- store*. well 3POHN mSXOAX. OOMFA-IY. QOaKXM, INDIANA, A CANADIAN GIRL PIONEEH At a pioneer post In the interior of n.r.. between Sinlthors ami 1'rlnce George, ut Francois l^ake, Is a tiny log cabin hospital maintained by the Presbyterian women of Canada, and In charge of the hospital Is a young Canadian WOIIKIII doctor, Dr. Mnygll \i. Wllllnius, (\ gratlunte of Toronto Unl- verslty of '^1. Dr. Williams, wl.ose blrthplnci' in lleetoii, Out.. In doing unlquo work for so youthful u Klrl In a fii iitifr IK*! and is iloliiK il with conspicuous success. I YOUR HENS MUST LAY REGULARLY IN ORDER TO PAY YOU BEST SWIFT'S MEAT SCRAPS Produce More Bgg* and Bigger Profits for you. Mix one part Swlffa Mat Scraps with 3 Bran and Short* for fat results. Write for Free Uookte* awl Prices. SWIFT CANADIAN CO., Limited g 1185 KEELE ST. TORONTO g ; .