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Gng Ontario's Natural (esourcei G. C. TONER Ootirlo Fcdaration of Anglers. (No. 33) THE OWLS' FOOD The ahoi't-eared owl should Jiavai « real welcome from tvery farmer Kiuce it is one of our most notvnt ilcstroyei-B of mice. It U t l»ird of the open fields or mui'shcs. The only place where 1 havo ever keen it waa Calaraqui muish, near Kirgston, where Kd- wln lU-aupic foand it breeding many year* ai;o. These owls have lato winter or spring roosts in 4|Toves of evergreen trees. They holt their food entire, regurgita- tiog the skin and bones as a pel- let when digestion is completed. So, when a roost is found, ex- amination of the tfround under ihe trees will often show many pcHrLs and these, if collected and .sorted, give a definite picture of the recent food of the owl. What They Ate L. L. Snyder an<l C. E. Uoj)e of the Jloyal OntMrio Museum of Zoology hav« been studying tbo food of this owl for some time past On a golf course near Toronto they found a roost of these owls in soma ornamental evergreens, to which they resori year after year. In 1986 during April the observere collected a h«If bushel of the pellete from this roost. From other evidence they assumed that about 18 owls vftte present and that the pellet.s represented about 1,000 meal* of theM birds. The next step was to sort out and find what animals were rep- resented in these remains of the food. They did this by compar- ing the bones that they found in the pellets with bone specimena that they have in the museum. Ai each animal haa characteris- tic skull or teeth it was a fairly •impic job for one who knows â- how. Mostly Meadow Mice They found 1,181 meadow mice, 400 deer mice. I hou-se mouse and the remains of 15 birds. Figured in percentages the owls took, as food, during the month of April 72% meadow mice, 27 ',0 deer mice, the remain- der making up less than 1%. To niy mind, it .shows that the short- eared owl ii definitely bene- ficial. The mice taken by these birds had been doing consider- «bly damage to young trees and Arubs. Property owners told tlie authors that mice were a reritable plague in the vicinity tiiut year. The owls helped con- trol this plague witliout cost to man. Outstanding Movie Actor and Actress of 1940 Maid of Erin By HOWAKD L. TERRY I came from the laud where the khamrock, green growing. U the emblem of love in the homes of the Isle, .Where free was my youth as the wild waters flowing Tturough highlands, through low- lands, through green-walled defile. {'ve kisiicd the blo&sed stoue iu our dear Castle Blarney, I've paddled my boat on the waves of Killainey, I've soarched the dark chambers of Fingal's vast c.ive, I've climbed the high mountains. I've s^vunl the blue wave. I've scaled the steep peaks which the boldest decline. The wild beasts subdued by thcee dark eyes of mine. Uy father had castles and riches untold â€" 1 cared not for riches, the life they unfold. And many a one who had courte'd me long, Must needs be content with a amik* and a song. I loved but the mountains, the . moorlandi, the sea. The roar of tlie ocean was music lo me. T1i« Khadnwy wood and the pin- nacled height. The fast-racing waves and the brifrht stars of night. Oh, to live in the love of thts freedom uf mine. To gaze (.n earth's beauty, to drink of itt wine. -And so all untHrnpd the sweet days pa.xsed away, Dut now, far fioin home arc the raven locks grey. And memorj' nurses the sorrowftil strain, "Oh! give me my -youth and my Isle agsin," Itetafl »a\a% c>f gasoline in Can- •da during (he fir<tt nine month* ef \'MU amounted to §<>0. 105,000 Ions compared with (iOl.lOl,- lO gallons in the rorro»pondint{ period of l'.>3t». Ginger Rogers, crowned the outstanding actress of li)40, is shown, LEFT, arriving for the annual dinner of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and .Sciences, accompanied by her mother, Mrs. Lela Rogers. James Stewart was awarded the "Oscar" for the best actor of 1940, at the same banquet, and Jimmy is shown here accepting the award. THE WAR-WEE Kâ€" Commentary on Current Events TURKEY'S STAND KEY TO BALKAN SITUATION "The position taken by the Bulgarian government does not lead to consolidation of peace, but to extenalon of the sphere of war and to Bulgaria being Involved In it. In view of this, the Soviet Government, true to its policy of peace, cannot render any support to the Bul- garian government In the ap- plication of ite present policy." â€" Soviet Note to Bulgaria. "Turkey will oppose by arms any aggression directed against her territorial Integrity or her Independence." â€" Foreign Mln- ieter Saracoglu of Turkey. * « » The dlp1oma.lic seunution of the week cams when, for th» first time ainca January 16, the Kremlin la Moscow mads a pronouncement relative to the war In Europe which could be term»d official. The long sUenco was broken with the hand- ing of a sharp note to Bulgaria â€" iacldeintally an Indirect slap at Hit- ler â€" containing the Information that Russia refused to give sup- port of any kind to Bulgaria's new Axle-dominated policy. Ankara Gives Closest Ear The Soviet reproof to Bulgaria had a ^vai'iety of repercussions In the capitals of the world. London waa Inclined to discount Its value as a factor in the tense Balkan situation. Berlin Inferred that Mos- cow "didn't understand." In Ath- ens, the Moscow mors appeared to have been 'timed carefully to oo- inclda with Brltish-Qreek negotia- tiona taking place there. (It could not tail to stiffen Oreek resistance to the (Jorman "peace" offensive). But In Ankara the closest atten- tion was paid to the Russian note, It became strongly evldtvnt that Turkey was encouraged to fake measures against any further Rer- man moves, feeling that it could count on at least passive Hiisehm approval .should it nwike a firm stand. Would Turkey Fight? Turkey's rocent pledge to "hon- or all her obligations" still did not make It clear what action Turkey would take should Gorman troops not S'weep towards the Dardan- elles; should German or Bulgarian armiea not attacic the borders of "Turltey-iu-Europe" . . . but solely v.'ere concentrating on tiie CIreok frontiers in order to force a poace upon Greece. Would Turkey fight if Or«ece went underT in the ans- wer to that (juestion lay tho key to Ihe outcome of the Bnlkan situ- ;il1on. Natl Aims In Balkans The Nazi press last wpek declar- ed that the military occupation of Bulgaria was to prevent any British effort to . "disturb the peace" in the Balkans, that is, to open up a nCTV war front in that zone. The indications were that Hitler desired at all costs to avoid an upheaval there and that ho ex- pected to achieve his objectives without threatening Turkey direct- ly. Hitler's immediate aim, as we have pointed out before was to bolster the flagging Italian war ef- fort at as llttlo cost as possible so that Mussolini could continue to ke<ep a large section of the Bri- tish fleet busy in the Mediterran- ean, plus formlda1)le British land forces, far from the scene of the Battle of Britain. (His occupation of Bulgaria secondarily served to give Idle divisions of the German army something to do; and added considerably to Axis prestige in southeastern Europe and the Near Piast). For the present, the Dar- danelles and Suez could wait. Hit- ler's actions Indicated. But the Bri- tish might move first, from Sal- onlca, and scotcli his plans by forcing him to accept the reality of a two-front war. Supremacy At Sea Unless she can maintain suprem- acy at sea, Britain must succumb. Such supremacy involves ability to keep the sea lanes open (the Axis presented a strong challenge in the Mediterranean and the North Atlantic), and particularly to trans- port In safety the Industrial out- put of the United States. The Uooeevelt administration in Wash- ington last week was thought to have readied plans to give the Bri- tish, following the pissago of the Lease-Lend bill, what they so vlt ally needed; repsiir facilities iu Un- ited States ports; a supply of mer- chant ships; and couvoys. U. S. Takes Risks The Uuited States !u the opinion of most experts was expected to adopt a full war economy for the nation Inunedlately after enact- ment of the bill, since each and every provision made to aid Bri- tain could bring war to the west- ern hemisphere. The U. S. would have to be ready for anything. Nevertheless a war incident was deemed much more likely to occur in the Pacific than the Atlantic. In the Far East American naval and air power had been mobilized with due consideration for even- tualities. And there, the U. S. was ready to fight. St. Patrick's D&y Games "The question of what kind of world our children will live in is being asked us now." Mrs. Wendell L. Willkie. Many Are The Requests For Suggestions For Games 8uit> able For St. Patrick's Dayâ€" From A Number of Source* The Following Have Been Gathered RING TOSS: On a good sized piece of board draw and paint a green shamrock at least a foot across. In each cf the leaves drive three nails, long ones with large heads. Have them well separated. Paint beside or under each nail a figure to be the value uf the ring tossed upon that nail. Provide each player with three rubber jar rings from the kit- chen. Give a prize for the high- est score made when the rings are tossed from a distance of three feet or more. SLIPPERY SNAKES: For this, have a supp.ly of long macaroni, cooked and drained. Provide each player with a silver fork and a piece of macaroni. Line there all up to tacfi ' «yos3 the room. When a piece of macaroni slips from a fork, the player carry- ing it is out of the race. First one at the goal wins. ROCKY ROAD TO DUBLIN: Cut out of wrapping paper or cardboard snaall and large, ir- regular pieces. LaV them on tjie floor in as big a ring as possible and fasten each to position with a tiny bit of melted candle wax underneath,^ • On linoleuni flour paste will i€ the trick and is eas- ily removed afterward. The play- ers in turn try to run the "rocky- road," without missing a single-^i piece of paper or stepping on the floor around the bits. The one who completes the circle without error in the fastest time wins. FAIRY RINGS; Each player receives ten small brass curtain rings and a knitting needle. The rings are laid flat on the floor. At a signal, each player stoops and tries to get the rings on the needle without touching them or the floor with the hands.. First player with all rings on needle wipi. Any player whoso hand touches floor is disqualified. PADDY'S PIGS: Green plasti- cine is provided for each ^>layer, and green toothpicks are passed around. Each one tries to model a pig. For variation, brown plasticine may be used, for model- ing potatoes. IRISH SONGS: From a plug hat decorated with clay pipe and bunch of shamrock, each player draws the name of an Irish song or of a person mentioned in an Irish song. When called upon by tlie leader, each player is expect- ed to sing, play or recite one vei-se or chorus of that song before the count of nine. Failure results in paying a forfeit to be decided by the whole group. last year have increased the need of testing seed before planting. This has been demonstrated re- cently at the Ontario Agricultural College, Quelph, where it was found that some plump seed of satisfactory color germinated poor- ly while some badly weathered lots germinated much better than their ai>pearauce would Indicate. CAN BE DONE AT HOME The only sure way to make post tire your seed grain will give maxi- mum crop returns, is to have it tested for germination and this can be done at home by every farmer lu Ontario. Full directions for germination tosts are contained in a small pamphlet written by D:-. G P. Mc- Rostie, Ontario Agricultural Col- lege, Uuelph, and can be obtained from your Agricultural Represent- ative or "i.y writing direct to the Statistics and Publications Brancti, OnL Dept. of Agriculture, Toronto. Seeds.of the following crops can i>agjBaMatactorily tested at home: om, barley, wheat, rye, bucn { iM^eat, field corn, peas, beans and iMVybeans. 1940 Grain Crops The third estimate of the 1940 Canadian grain crops in bushels is as follows, with the 1939 pro- duction shown for comparison: 1940 1939 Wheat 551,390,000 520.623.000 Oata 880,526,000 384,407,000 Barley 104,256,000 103,147,000 Rye 13,994.000 15,307,000 Flaxseed .... 3,189.000 2,044.000 Peas 1,355,000 1,307,000 Beans 1,477,000 1.527.000 Buckwheat 6,092,000 6,848,000 Mixed grains 43,133.000 44,072.000 Com for husking .. 6,956,000, 8.097,000 Should Test Seed Then Plant It That's the First Step In War Crop Production For 1941 â€" Pamphlet Outlining Methods of Home Germination Tests Can Be Obtained From Ont, Dept. of Agriculture VOICE OF THE PRESS BIG TIME PROSPECT The 'finance companies that offer loima up to $500 on easy repayments might be able to in- terest the Dominion Government. â€" Woodstock Sentinel-Review. ».;.>â- ' "•'; !â€" 0â€" •j'CANT BEAT PIONEERS .'*rhW enthusiastic golfer is stiiU face to face with the fact that the axe and bucksaw have done more for this . cotintry than the niblick ever will. â€" Guelph Mer- cury. IT'S EXPENSIVE, TOO Owing to some oversight a man was recently appointea a judge in Nicaragua who has been dead for four years. That habit of not burying the dead has caused some strangfe apji'oihtments in CalMa, too. â€" Toronto Satur- day .Night. FIGlpr FOR, THE -TflARKET OutaSfv farmers had better look tVJteir laurels. In the first eix weeS^,'of 1941 Ontario farm- ers have '^eliyered to packing plants 225,00(1^^ vhogs. Alberta farmers have delivered 176,000. Last ^eek Albertans delivered 31,000 against Ontario's 33,000. Competition for markets for farm products within Canada has never been great vrhile the west could rely on selling its wheat crop. With the wheal market badly clogged western farmers are turning to mixed farming products which compete more di- rectly within Canada. What is happening in hog production shows what the west can do when forced to it. â€" Lethbridge Herald. Safer To Fly Than ToWalk Air FaUlltles / Arfi Fewer Than Those Whieb Tak* Toll of Pedestrians No mode of travel carries an ab- solute guarantee of safety, says t3i» Gait Reporter. Probably mora people meet their ends while uslns the simplest form of locomotion provided by nature, walking, thaa by utilizing swifter modes of trar- el, such aa airplanes. Death oomM to them individually. A pedestrian here, knocked down and killed by an automobile. Another, thousands of miles away, slips on an icy pave- ment and receives tata> Injuries la the fall. These isolated incidents ot death attract little attention. A few paragraphs in the local papers, and that is all, unless the person enjoyed national prominence. We accept these fatalities as th« logical consequence of the hazards we must continually meet In this risky business of living. Fat^l train wrecks and alrplan* crashes receive a prominence ont of all proportion to the really f»w fatalitifiis directly attributable to these modem modes of travel. Tlis ingenuity of man has made it safsr to fly than to jay walk across th« ice-encrusted street ot a busy- city thoroughfare. However, certain hazards remain, and one ot several possible ones turned the westbonnd flight ot the Trans-Canada Airlines plane into a tragedy at Armstrons the other week, a tragedy hi whleh 12 lost their lives. Previously, 81,000 passengers had been carried by T.C.A. without ia> jury of any kinu. A total ot 8.1Wf DOO miles had been flown In ersnt- ing this splendid record. UFE'S LIKE THAT By Fred Nehw With Ontario being geared for the greatest possible crop produc- tion this year, the first step in farm war production effort Is to make sure the seed you plant tests high in germination, otherwise you may harvest poor crops despite favor able weather conditions. UnrHvornl>le harvest conditions in Central and Western Ontario "Let'« organize a bridge club, girls, then we can eit down and talkl" REG'LAR FELLERS â€" Just Practice By GENE BYRNES 2? ^Mriift riHH â- M