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/ FARMING In this department each week will be given general information to farmers 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 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 Artichokes The tubiToiiH rootfii artithoke is crown to a very limited extent in On- tario. Commercially, it is not a money making crop on a large scale, an<l only a few growers have anw artichokes. Kitchen gardens do not generally have this crop, because of the rank i,'r.)Wth ef the plant, and also becauBC the crop, if not given attention, soon develops into a weed. , The tubers should be planted in rows at least 30 inches apart, and many pre- fer to set Uiem 3 ft. by 4 ft wlileh allows for clean cultivation and gives the plant plenty of room to grow. Often- times a steep hillside is planted to this crop. (;ultivatn as for potatoes. Dig in the fall, and all the land should be thoroughly turned over, for any tubers left in the soil will soon infest the ground as weeds. Crop should be stored the same way ap potatoes. . , » The demand for good artichokes is increasing. Asparagus Asparagus is one of the first garden crops which come through the grouna in the early spring. In a well euUi- Bte ' healthy 'patch the tender shoots Ippear very early and afford a pleasant, ??.?Il. vegetable' foo,l. This orop is easily grown and requires very Uttle ^are during the season as compared with many tf the other vegetable crops U has a peculiar flavor which most people relish, and, considering the com- ITS.e ease with which 't can be crown, shoul.i be found in the back yard gardens of many city people, as Idfaf in the kitchen gardens on every farm Vegetable growers find in tins c?ora source of income in the early months of the season before many of the other vegetables are barely plan ed^ Truck growers, or those who grow tnis crop to any large extent for outside maTkets or^for canning purposes con^ Bider that a well-established patch of aa."ragu8 is one of their best money- Z^ll In the Niagara district some larcc fruit growers have adopted this crop as an inter-crop and also as one to which they can look for considerable ^come while waiting for yo"°B J^" chards to come into bearing. Aspara- cus requires sufficient cultivation and manuring to keep the orchard in a good ^:te of fertility, and yet it is not such a gross feeder as to diminish to any aopreciabl.t extent the supply ot plant fiL required by the orchard. Aspara- E^VeedB cultivation and at ention at Ch times of the year that it does not hinder in any way the operations of the •'^a^agus roots are grown from seed. Tins does'^uot in all cases come true to name The seeds are usually sown rathe; thinly ia rows three feet apar in the months of April or M'O', as soon as the soil becomes warm. Will, a see<l drill use live pounds per acre When the seedlings are from .J to i in ches high they are thinned out so as to stand about three inches apart in the rows, the strongest plants being left Krequent cultivation is advised, and it is necessary to keep down all weeds. Where one has the convenience of a greenhouse, the seeds can be sown during the winter in Hats and m the greenhouse temperature the plants will quickly grow and be ready to be trans- ferred during the spring and summer. The seed should be sown thinly in rows three inches apart and at a depth of one-half inch. Slightly cover the seeds with soil and place flats on or near the heating pipes. Many plants cuii be grown in this way and a year gained on the outside method. Of course, care nuist be taken to carefully harden these young plants off in told frames betore attempting to permanently plant them in the field. ., Asparagus will grow well on any soil from a sand to a heavy clay, but does «,il m ;i good Harden soil of a sandy loam nature. Stony and gravelly soil should not be used for an asparagus bed The soil should be rich, and be m a good condition, well cultivated and not worn out. It will prove worth while to fit a soil one year previous to us being used as an asparagus bed. Ihor ough ploughing, disking and harrowing will give results on this crop. Twenty five feet of a row will be sufTicient for an average family. Needs Lots of Food This crop is one which must be well fed Many vegetable growers annually top-dress their asparagus patches with iifirii i;ii to r.i) tons of good manure per acre. This should be applied ilirectlv after the cutting season is over. Con trary to the general belief, this is the I,ro|,er lim.' to apply any manure to this crop, for it is at this time thnt the plant commences to store up its food and prepare the shoots for the next â- pring'B crop. As above stated, '.iO to 60 tons per acre is a good dressing or nn a H.i.aller plot thr.e or four incli.'M of ordinary horse or barnyard manure will not be any too much. A top dress ing of nitrate of soda of 200 pounds per acre will hurry the crop nlong in the spring. This can bo applied by sprinkling the nitrate around the root and by raking or harrowing it in. Care should be taken that none of this slioiibl touch the tender shoots, as oonsidernble damage will result from burning. Hen manure has been found to give excel lent results on this crop, but on account of ita high percentage of nitrogen can not be used in such large quantities. More good than harm will come from a thorough disking of the asparagus patch immi-diiitely following the cutting season. It is the custom of many large asparagus growers to disk the ground between the rows and over the rows to a depth of three to four inches. This should be done so as .o loosen the soil to allow air to eirculate and allow moisture to get in and also to work in the heavy coating of manure, so that the plants will receive immediate bene- lit. This point is one which many gar- deners will do well to pay more atten- tion to, and it is certain that large yields of asparagus of a superior qual- ity will result. Another good method is to open up a furrow between the two rows and pile the manure in this. The earth can be drawn back over the man uro with a disk harrow or cufCIer. One-year-old plants give the best re- sults in setting out a new asparagus bed, because there is less danger of the plants receiving any serious check at this age than at any other. Good healthy, stocky plants should be used, and great care should be taken to en- sure that all weak, sjjindly ones should be discarded. On this depends a large amount of the success that, is reached when the crop comes into bearing. Where this practice has not been rigidly adhered to, it is quite possible to pick out the weak crowns from the strong, healthy ones in a patch some live or six years old. It is possible to secure asparagus crowns of two or three years of age. These are sold by all seeds- men, and some years ago this was con- sidered the best way in which to start an asparagus plantation. This idea has practically been given up by all up-to-date vegetable growers. The one- year-old stock will give a cutting just as soon as a three-year old crown, and it is much easier to handle in the young- er and smaller state. (To be continued.) THE CHICK B«moval from Nest. Ordinarily, chicks should be left with the mother hen in the nest in which they were hatched until it is certain the hatch is complete. Some- times the hatch is delayed considerably by a few weak chicks due to some of the eggs being chilled during incuba- tion, to the setting of eggs varying greatly in age, or to one or more of various causes. Should the hen wish to leave the nest she should be al- lowed to do so else she is liable to be- come uneasy and trample some of the chicks. In such cases chicks not yet dry and strong and those which have pipped the shell but have not emerged should be given to another hen until strong enough to be added to the flock. Adoption of Chicks. It is frei|iKMitly advisable if a num- ber of hens are "set at the same time to give the chicks to some of the hens and reset the others which should be those in best condition and which prove faithful setters the (irst time. A hen in good condititd when first set, and properly cared for, may be used for two hatches, bui, should not be trusted for a third. The hens to be reset should not be allowed to remain with the chicks too long lost they turn their attention to raising the chicks and take a dislike for brooding. Just be- fore pipping the eggs may bo given to another hen to hatch, but this hen should be one which has previously hatched chickens. If it is wished to reset a certain hen the sound of hatching chicks should be beyond her hearing. She should never be left without eggs or substitutes at this Htagi'. Give her a few door-knobs, round, smooth stones or imitation eggs to keep her contented. It is usually useless to try fo make a hen set once she has left the nest in disgust or anger after being robbed of her first hatch. In transferring chicks to another hen great care must be exercised. Usu- ally it is best to give dark colored chicks to dark colored hens .and light cidored chicks to light ccdored hens. Should a dark colored hen hatch light colored chicks and niollicr them well, if other chicks are added they too should be light colored, and vice versa. Hens are sometimes very peculiar in this respect. Some will not accept I liicks unless of their own c(d<ir, some will aei'ept only those of the same icdor as they hatch, others are not par- jticular and will gladly take any they lean get, irrespective of cidor. When !llie idiicks are introduced to a strange hen they should be placed beside and in front of her. If she calls them un- lUT her she will in all ]ir(d)ability adopt them, but if she [licks them they should not be trusted further to her care. If she seems to regard them with suspicion or indilTerciice watcli them closely until it is perfectly ovi dent whether she will adopt them or not. This work should be done dur ing the day. If chicks are given to n strange hen during the night :in<l she ob.jects to them on seeing their color in the morning she may kill them he fore she can be prevented. Occasionally, after the hens and chicks have been placed in their coops a cliii'k will go into the wrong coop. Many chicks have made this fatal mis take and it must be gua (led against if one or more of the hens objects to 1 liicks of a certain color. Coop.i should be placed far enough apart to reduce tlie danger to n minimum. (Continued next week.) "MENTAL INDIGESTION That we digest with our minds as well as with our sfomnchs, is the nsser tinn of T)r. Chavigny in the Paris Mcil ical. He says that most of those who seek the stomach specialists cherish spe- cial fads in regard to their diet or about going farefoot, or have other odd ideas. They often seem to thrive on a diet that normal persona eouhl digest only with difficulty. And ho cites several cases in which "mental dyspepsia" was cured by re- training the mind with gymnastic exer- cises and military discipline. Too Many Egg Hunters and Not Enougli Easter Bunnies TtrtOMAS Sheep Require Water Some farmer.s seem to think that .sheep do not need water and will do ju.-^t as woll without it. Although not heavy drink- ers, .shcop certainly need a regular daily .supply of water in winter a.s well as in sum- mer. If they cannot get clean water, they will find dirty water or eat snow. Experienced .sheep men .sec to it that water for sheep is alwa.v.s and ea.sily accessible. The best of feeding with hay and grain is u.seles.s without water, the appetite is lessened and a poor, mn-down animal is the result. Besides water, the .sheep need salt. All these things are necessar>' to keep sheep in good condition during winter months. Chickens in an Orchard BY C. C. PARKER POULTRY THE EGG How to Make the Nest. The nest for the average hen should be fourteen or fifteen inches s(iuaie and about the same height. A box of this height and width but twice as long, with a board four or five inches wide across the box at the base, di- v'.dinp it into two equal parts makes a good nest. This board holds the nesting material together and pro- vides a place for the hen to stand if she wishes to come off the eggs for a few minutes and you do not wish her to stray away. This nest must be covered, the entrance being in the end opposite where the hen sits. A bar- rel cut in two parts crosswise, cover- ed, with an entrance in one side makes a good nest. It is very neces- sary that the hen be able to walk di- rectly on the nest and have plenty of room in which to turn around. Do not make it necessary for her to jump down on the eggs. If the nest is on the ground it is well to have only a piece of wire net- ting, say half inch mesh over the bottom, but if on a cement or board floor, place a sod or a few inche.s of moist earth in the bottom. Have it on the ground il possible. On the earth place an inch or two of fine oat chair and round it out into a saucer shape. If it is too flat the eggs may roll away from the hen and become chilled but if too low in the centre the eggs may pile up and be broken or lieatcd unevenly. Transfer of the Hen. This should be done after dark. Place a few door-knobs or round stones, if not too cold, in the new nest before getting the lion. Then gently remove her from where she i.s sittin>;r> cany carefully to the new nest, place her gently on the door- knobs or stones (she thinks tlicy arc eggs), hold her there for a sliort time an<l if she cuddles down upon tliem and cluck.s as if perfectly satisfied with the change in all probability she will set. If .she .seems unea.sy and in- clined to walk about she may or she may not set. If she stretches her neck apparently looking for some- thing which isn't there, commences to cackle, or gets up and walks around she resents the change ami will likely be balky and refuse to set. All these operations should be car- ried out in the dark and without the use of a lanti'i-n. Cover the nest so it will be dark next day, but still so plenty of fresh air will be admitted and do not go near or molest the lien until almost dark the following day. At that time the nest may be opened up and "biddy" allowed off for sup- per. She should be watched carefully at this time. If after eating aijd ilrinking .she walks back on the nest she is almost .sure to set. If she is inclined to not go back she can often be persuaded to do so by a little at- tention. Do not place eggs under her till it is perfectly evident she will be a faithful .setter. Before having had any experience in the art of poultry keeping, I had always heard it said that an orchard was the ideal place for a chicken yard. Thi.s seemed to me very logical and an excellent scheme. In the first place the chickens would eat all the insects, bugs and pests which harm fruit trees and, al.so, they would fer- tilize the orchard, thus benefitting the crop of the orchardist. On the other hand the orchard would produce .shade for the chickens in summer and food, both in the form of insects and rotten or poor fruit which would otherwise waste on the ground . Therefore, in our chicken yard was bet out a nice little orchard composed of apples, peaches and plums. The chickens were supporc/J to have free range in this entire orchard, which comprised about an acre. It was on a .southern slope, with an eye to pleas- ing and benefiting both chicks and trees. It was all inclosed with a high wire fence. It also had a hedge and trees across the northern end. Early in the sprinc we bought 200 baby chicks in addition to our sev- enty-five fowls. Of course, the chicks when quite young had colony houses and .small temporary inclosures within the large one. At the usual time the insect host arrived with its variety of caterpil- lars and bugs. The.se derived sump- tuous meals from the tender young leaves of fruit trees, but the meals the hens made off these pets were nil. Such fare did not appeal to their gas- tronomic taste. The time came for .spraying the fruit trees on the rest of the farm and this .spraying was shortly done. Hadn't we better .sprav the hen-yard trees al.so? we a.sked. But no! The poison spray would fall from the trees to the grasc beneath. and woe to our chicks now on free range. So no spraying was done and the trees .suffered the consequences. The next year the same thing hap- pened. In due time a few peaches ap- peared. The hens pecked at a few that fell near by, but were not en- thusiastic enough to range far for them. The trees were most inconvenient in teaming to and from the hen house? and they also prevented the entire yard being plowed. Hence that orchard-poultry theory seems to me rather a poor one, as it benefits neither fruit nor fowl. If the hens were asked, they would much the hens made off these pe.sts were nil. from the trees to the .grass beneath, prefer the vegetable garden. They scale the fence from the orchard to the aforesaid garden on every possible occasion. It seems to me that the large free yard clear of trees except round the edge is best. This can be all plowed up, and if a little lime is added the entire ground is sweetened and a crop of rape, oats, grass or any other green stuff palatable to poultry can be easily grown. If planted in the fall the hens can come out on it early in the spring and it will be right for the young chicks. This will furnish food and shade and keep the ground in good condi- tion, free from disease germs and con- tamination. Keep the chicks out on this green in smaller yards, which can be moved easily, with wire tops to prevent their getting lost or taken by hawks, crows or cats. Later take the small yards away and move the col- ony houses often. The yard, of coarse, can be divided in two, and one- half of it planted in fall and one-half in spring so that the chickens may be out on one or the other at all times. A Little of Everything First English Newspaper. The first Kuglish newspaper was a weekly issued in London in 1642. IT MUST BE GOOD. "That Heioved Cheater of Mine," a song written by L. Wolfe Gilbert and Kdna Williams, has sold in excess of half a million copies. It was inspired by the Robertson-Cole special, "The Beloved Cheater," with Lew Cody as star. 10,000 LOVE LETTEES. Lew Cody, "the man of a thousand loves," received more than 10,000 love letters in a contest to find the best one. The Robertson-Cole star is screendom's male authority on affairs of the heart. Pocket Coat and Hat Hanger. A recently patented coat and hat hanger which can bo carried in a poc- ket and attached to any wooden sur- face without tools will sustain a weight of sixty pounds. Dr. E. D. W. Greig, of Calcutta, re- ports that biscuits made of peanut meal are rich in the vitamine that pre- vents beri-beri. LONGEVITY OP ANIMALS Elephants are perhaps the longest- lived members of the animal kingdom, averaging between 100 and 200 years. There are records of elephants living 350 years. Most riaturalists allow the whale about the same length of life as the elephant. The camel comes third, averaging about 7.5 years. The average life of a lion and a tiger is 40 and 25 years, respectively. It is the boast of the dairymen of Holland that in their country there is a cow to every inhabitant. A bridge in Peru, more than 200 feet long, is supported bv ropes of eactus- flbre. WILL lEEIGATE BRAZIL Brazil's new President has urged on his congress the irrigation of more than 2,000,000 acres of laud in the north- east of the republic, where famine has cost more than 1,000,000 lives since 1877. TESTS AIE ABOVE TOWNS By means of an instrument invented by Dr. J. S. Owens secretary of the British committee for investigation of atmosphere pollution, it is possible to measure and record the dirt in the air over a town at any and every hour. MEMOBIALS TO JAMES WATT Permanent and practical memorials to James Watt, who died a century ago this year, are planned by a number of British scientific and engineering or- ganizations. Sour Milk for Poultry ": * Sour milk is an important food for laying hens at all times of the year. It is a conditioner, and enables them to consume more feed and to make better laying records, without injur- ing their health, than they would without it. When fed to breeding stock during the winter it produces better egg production, higher fertil- ity and higher hatchnbility. Stronger chicks may al.so be expected. The re- sults warrant buying some .skim milk lor breeding stock if it is not other- wise obtainable, even if as high ii- two cents a quart has to be paid. So valuable is soui' milk in the estima- tion of some of the most expert poul- try men that thev purchase milk powder and pre))arc sour milk from it. Keep Hens Scratching It is important to keep the hens ^cr:^trhing durinir the summer, but it i- doubly yo during the winter. It is by wovk and exorcise that the fowls are kept contented, their blood is kept in ( ircubiticn and their boilics made warm. Never be without litter on the Moor, into which grain is scattered. Thi.< plan has been proved excellent by nearly all practical poultrynien, for in addition to the advantages named it also keeps the fowls busy and , prevents such vices as egg-eat- ing and feather-pulling. Fowls naturally like to .scratch, especially when rewarded by finding a good meal in the bottom of the litter. When- ever we visit the poultry house we want to see the hens busily at work, for experience has taught us the idle hen seldom lays. A Few Don'ts Don't expect chilled or off-sized eggs to hatch. Use normal eggs only. Don't fail to let plenty of sunlight into the poultry house. Don't buy a cheap incubator and think it should hatch every egg. I 'on't blame the weather when you find that leaky brooders are full of dead chicks. Don't leave repairs to the incubator and brooder until eggs and chicks are ready to gx) into them. Don't think you can make a suc- cess of iioultry because you have failed at everything else. Don't give up hope, however, with- out a fair trial, it may be just where you belong. Don't keep a male bird with hens not intended for breeding. Have You Noticed The Improvement in This Newspaper ? CATS ON THE PAYROLL There are many business concerns, chief among which are the dairy pro ducts companies, that make provision for the maintenance of from six to twenty cats as a protective organiza- tion. These cats aro considered ns necessary a part of the operating ex- penses as the employment of a night watchman, and it is said that they save hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of food yearly from destruction by rats and mice. The best possible rat catcher ia a wary, lemi-hungry eat. Of course you have. Kvery member of the family must read this paper every week. There's something In it for each. Forst ot all comes the lo(ral news ot the district. Then the general news, and n review ot the principal news events ot the week. There are features in this paper which up to now were published only in the city dailies. The current comment, comic strips, fashions and other photographs, motion picture news, boy scout department, ad- vice to girls, twok reviews, farming department and other features are written especially for YOU, and appeal to the entire family as well as to individual members. Our readers are invited to write ua asking questions or giving their Ideas. Let others benefit by your ejcperiences. We are at your service. Write this paper whenever you are In doubt about anything or want information or advice. Patronize the advertisers in this paper and Buy Goods Made in Canada. ALCOHOL FROM COAL GAS An English engineer, Ernest Bury, claims that he has succeeded in ex- tracting ethylene alcohol from coal- oven gas on a commerci-il scale, says the Scientific American. The practical working of the process at the Skinuing- grove works, where 5,800 tons of eoal are carbonized per week, reveals an average yield of l.fi gallons of alcohol per ton of coal. The total weight of coal reduced to coke in this country during 1918 was 14,635,000 tons, so that the application of Mr. Bury's process to this quantity of coal would yield 2:!,41(i,('40 gallons of alcohol, vvhicl would be available as liquid fuel. Coal treated at gas works would yield a fur- ther 27,000,000 gallons, or, taking alcohol and benzole together, 'll4,000,000 gal- lons of liquid fuel per annum could be produced from the carbonization of coal in this countr.v toward meeting the total requirement of about 160,- 000,000 gallons. PRICELESS POSSESSION This charm of manner is of far more value to the possessor than mere per- fection of feature and form. It warms and attracts where beauty leaves one cold and uninterested. The charming woman thinks of the feelings and comfort of others before gratifying her own wishes. She is tact- ful, and her speech never rubs people the wrong way. She says only kind things of all men, and has a happy way of making people feel pleaseil with themselves, and en- couraged by her society. She listens attentively to the most boring details and sympathizes with the reciter, shar- ing her joys or woes as the case may require. The sad she soothes and comforts with genuine feeling: the glad she laughs with, and encourages their hap- piness. She is a human ray of sunshine that thaws the most frozen and bitter of human hearts, and radiates with self- lessness and sympathy. The Brotherhood Movemet. A British delegate from the Na- tional Brotherhood Movement of Great Britain, .speaking at the meet- ing of the Federation in Montreal re-v cently, said that he had revealed to him in a dream a theory of the uni- verse, the underlying principle of which was the unity of all life from which he deducwl the necessity for brothtuhood. He is a Fellow of the Iloyal .Asti-onomical Society of Great rSritain, and savs that the spirit of brotherhood had its source in the gos- pel of Chri.Nt. but ho found it express- ed in other forms in the Far Fast. The Brotherhood movonient is active in a large number of Ontario towns. "What am I putting the.se little sleds under the pumpkins for?" said ihe California farmer to the curious Easterner. "I've simply got to do thla or have the pumpkins worn out by the fast-growing vines dragging them over the ground. But notice these teeth on the sled runnel's? Well, while the vines are dragging the sleds over the ground these teeth are plowing the ground for the next crop. or we would never be able to keep up with the seedings." Aoimals Killed for Skins. Nearly 70,000,000 wild animals are killed yearly for the sake of their far.