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Thursday, S^y 6, 1920. THE FLESHEBTON ADVANCE. THREE 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. Best Bull in America Valued At $75,000 Vegetable Growing BSUSSELS SPBOUTS. I Brussels sprouts belong to the same family as cabbages and are somewhat similar to cabbage in flavor. They differ from the cabbage in that sprouts grow from the stalk, \yhich sometimes reaches a height of 18 inches to two feet. The sprouts, or small cabbages, come out at intervals on the stem on all sides. This crop is handled in practically the same way as the cab- bage crop and can be grown on the same kind of soil. Sowing Seed. The seeds of Brussels sprouts should be sown in April in spent hotbeds or cold frames. Eows should be two and a half inches apart ami the seed should be treated in a similar manner to cabbage and cauliflower. They should be planted out of doors as early in the season as possible, two or three feet apart. Cultivation, Sprouts should be cultivated with horse seuffler as long as foliage will permit. Like cabbage and cauliflower they respond to frequent and thorough cultivation. On small gardens the soil may be stirred frequently with the hand hoe. Harvesting. The sprouts when ready for use are from an inch to an inch and a half in diameter, and should then be broken off by hand, or cut off with a sharp knife. This can be done in the field, but usually in the late fall the whole plant is carried into a shed and the sprouts are then cut off more conveni- ently. Marketing. The demand for Brussels sprouts is not as large in the Ontario cities as it is in some cities in the States, and yet the crop is easily grown and the sprouts have a more delicate flavor when cooked than cabbage. Sprouts are usually sold in quart baskets or berry baskets. Storing. Brussels spcouts should be stored for winter use as directed for cabbage. Some growers make a pile 18 inches high and about two feet long and cover with soil. They will commence to decay if stored in larger piles. A cool cellar or shed is an excellent stor- age for this vegetable. General Hints. Brussels sprouts should be grown in every kitchen garden because of their eating qualities. The demand is in- creasing on the markets of Ontario, particularly in Toronto, during the last five years." The leaves do not need to be removed toward the end of the growing season. CABBAOB. Many acres are annually devoted to the production of cabbages, some for early market, and some tor storing for winter use, and some for pickling factory purposes. It is an important crop and is considered to be one which will give good average returns year in and year out. Cabbage is not so particular about the soil in which it is to be grown and it is a crop which is often grown on land which is not adapted to other crops. Any well drained soil holding plenty of plant food in an available condition should grow excellent crops of cabbage. Land with a loose grav- elly sub-soil should be avoided. Manuring. As previously stated, there should be an abundance of plant food readily available in a good cabbage soil. This can best be secured by largo applica- tions of manure. It is recommended that land for growing a first-class crop of cabbage should receive not less than 20 tons of manure per acre annually. This should be applied in fall or win- ter as convenient for best results. Orowing Plants. For an extra early crop of cabbage it is advisable to plant the seed in flats in hotbeds or greenhouses about March 1st. Seed should be sown in drills one-quarter inch deep and usual- ly covered with sand. The plants should be transplanted before the rough leaf appears into flats and should stand one and a half to two inches apart, particularly the latter distances for very early plants. Two er three-inch paper or clay pots can be used for this purpose for a limited quantity. The plants should be carefully wa- tered and given plenty of fresh air to prevent damping off. They should be hardened off in cold frames, so that thev will be able to stand any ordi- narv cold weather after planting out. For late cabbage the seed is usual- ly sown in a row in the field, or in svccially prepared soil, which can be covered with screens to prevent th'3 cabbage root maggot fly laying its eggs. Sow seed for lato crop not la- ter than June 1st and transplant not later than July 15th. Plants can be grown quite thickly in the rows. Planting Out, Early cabbage plants should be planted on land with a southern ex- posure, which is usually much warmer than any other. Planting should take place after danger of severe frosts is over. Some growers, desiring to se- cure an early crop, take long chances with frost and plant very early. Plants should be set 18 inches apart in rows iiO inches apart. Late varieties should be planted 2x3 feet on an average garden soil. The plants to grow very early cab- bage are usually dibbled in. Plenty of earth should be kept around th-j roots. Care should be taken with this commodate this. U8ua,Uy this dibber is made from a broken fork or spade handle, sharpened and being 12+0 15 inches in length. The cabbage ground shou'd be in good condition, so that when the dibber is used the soil can very easily be packed in around the roots. Care should be taken with tnis parr of the planting, for often if the earrU is left loose around the root.s the plant receives a check which helps to losseu the returns from the crop. For the late crop on large acreages the hor.se transplanter is used with good success. This machine drops a quantity of water in the hole where the plant is set. Some growers make a practice of watering the hole in which the plant is to be set in all methods of planting. Another plan CLUB ROOT DISEASE STAYS IN THE SOIL Apply Lime Immediately After Diseased Crop Has Been Removed. Bonnie j.. owned by B. B. Maeb of Tbomasvi Ue. Ga.. was judged grand ctiamplon and giveu title of being the best bull In America, at the Dlaced at S75.0(K> Be weighs 24&« ixmnda TO GET GOOD PRICES ' FOR NEXT TWOTEARS Farmers' Outlook Bright, Says [Speaker at Agricultural Committee. IF I HAD SOME SILAGE. Farniors tliroughnut -Canada will continue to get good prices for their products during the next two year.s, according to the opinion of Dr. J. W. •Robertson, C.M.G., who addressed the Parliamentary Committee on Agricul- j ture and Colonization at Ottawa re- i cently. i It w^ould take at least two big crops ' to 'catch up to anything like normal supplies of breakstuffs, ten years to attain pre-war status on milk proa- 1 .. J â-  »" _ i,„" i,»tt„ „* "o„ii w^s. an<l four or five vears for beef adopted is to make a batter or soil â-  p.. j„„^_ and water and in this immerse the P _, roots of the young plant. Cow ma- nure, a little soil and water also make an excellent preparation in which to immerse the roots. These methods are all useful, the last one in particular, because the plant has a supply of plant food right at hand and the moisture al- lows the closer packing of the soil around the roots_ Cultivation. Cabbage responds readily to culti- vation. A tine mulch on the top of The speaker deplored the feeling in some quarters that the United States was not carrying out its war obliga- tions to the full. Together with Great Britain, the American Govern- ment w^as financing the sending of food to no fewer than ten countries, with approximately 14,000,000 destitute and starving inhabitants. Announcement was made that the Federal Government is intending to send one or more representatives over- seas to watch European markets. It was also decided to take steps to plae the so.il which helps materially to con i a printed copy of Dr. Bobertson 's serve moisture is necessary. This can speech in the hands of every Caua- bo kept in proper condition by thor- ough cultivation with a horse =!juf- t!er once a week and particularly after each rain. Hand hoeing is uuneccs sary in fairly clean soil of any acre age. Cultivate until the size of vi'e heads prohibits. Harvesting. Early cabbage are cut off the root with a sharp kuife just as son as they are largo enough for marketing. La'e cabbage are handled in the same man- ner for early fall sale. For winter sale or storage they are usually pulkd up by the root toward the end of the season and stored. Splitting of the heads may be prevented by lifting the lieud and setting it upside down oj top of the soil or by loosening the root. Stoiing. Cabbage can be kept well on into the winter months under proper ci>n- ilitious. Cellars, trenches or pits or regular cabbage storage houses are used It is absolutely necessary thr,t a good supply of fresh air be avail- able in a cabbage storage. A moist, humid atmosphere will soon ruin the heads in storage. A common method is to dig a trench three or four feet wide and ten inches deep in a well-drained part of the field and stand the cabbage in layers, Iiead down, the second layer fitting In be- tween the roots of the first layer. Bring the rows to a peak at the top by cutting down the number in the dian consumer. THE EGG BBOEIiN EGGS XN NBST. It is necessary to watch broody hens carefully to see that the eggs do not bocoine badly soiled by manure, mud or broken eggs. If an egg is broken in the nest the contents be- come smeared over the other eggs and close up the pores in the shells, suf- focatiiif^ tlio chicks inside. If the hen soils the cgqp badly by getting her feet muddy, or if she is not allowed off frequently and they become soiled with manure the result will be the same. This must be carefully watch- ed. If any eggs become smeared with broken egg or they become too dirty, they must be immediately cleaned. Wash the soiled ones in just lukewarm water. Be sure it is not too hot. It should bo just slightly warm to the hand. Try it with a thermometer if you have one. It should bo about 100 to 10,3 degrees V. Clean out the nest, add fresh chaff and replace the eggs. If the trouble is noted in time and these directions followed perhaps no harm will be done. Hatching Time, Hens should not be molested at this time. Thev usuallv go on the nest layers each time. Soil should*e piled | j^gj before 'the chicks begin to "pip" .._ -- _, ^^^j ^j^ ^^^ come off again until they A Silo on every farm. The realization of this slogan would givi' marvelous iiicKiitive to dairying by increa.sing the production and profit troui the I'ows of Can- ada. A silo on every farm vrmild lead to a demand lor moie than one silo on most tarms. Such an accomplishment would re>iult in i?iiougli sKos lioiiig built on every farm to provide every animal, from the hen to the cow, with as much succulent food as it needs every day in the year, wiiiler ana summer. I do not know how much that would iiicryuhc the average yeaHy production of the cow« being milked in Canada, but 1 do know that the basic fundamental principle of feeding for large, economical produc- tion demands that cows shall have an abundance of palatable succu- lent, nutritious, bulky food. I know thai cows must be properly fed every day in the year and not just periodically, and that no feed can be used more successtu,iy and more cleaply than silage as the basis of all rations when luxur- iant, green grass is not available. I know that we have now entered the period of Canadian agricul- ture, not to depart therefrom, when the one who profits most from livestock and dairy farming will be the one who saves and utUiezs most efficiently that which has heretofore been wasted. Some day there will be a silo on every farm and then wise men will sit on cool, well screened porches, when summer nights are hot. and in comfortable, steam heated rooms on cold winter evenings. ,ind relate to their children and grandchildren amazing stories of how there was a time when men actually left 40 per cent, of their com crops out in the fields to go to waste. WHAT IS A TON OF ENSILAGE WORTH? "One ton of silage esuals one ton of sugar beets. "Three tons of silage equal one ton of clover hay. "Three and one-half tons of silage equal one ton of alfaffa hay. "Two and one-fourth tons of silage equal one ton of mai-sh hay. "Three and one-half tons of silage equal one ton of prairie hay. "One-half ton of silage equals one ton of pumpkins." CHICKEN VERMIN IS BAD ONLY IN CROW DED RUNS. The More Range and Space Fowls Have, the Better They Can Keep Clean and Take Care of Their Health Without Aid of Owners. Club root of turnip and related plants causes a considerable loss in the eastern provinces. Diseased roots are greatly swollen, distorted and sometimes rotted. Once established, the disease remains in the soil indef- initely unless preeautionury measures are taken. If the following precautious and practices aro adopted, the disease can be greatly reduced, if not completely controlled: (1; Plant onl.v on disease free soil â€" A comparativeh- new jiioce of land which has never been planted "•itii turni])S, cabbage, rape, etc., and which hence may be regarded to be absolutely free from the disease is pre- ferable. Under no circumstances use a field which has previousl.v produced a club-root infected crop unless it has been heavily limed and the lime has had three or four years in which to free the soil of the organism, (2) Liming is a good practice â€" Considerable benetit may be secured by applying three tons of air slacked lime or live tons of ground limestone any time before planting the crop: but the best results are obtained when the lime is applied immediately after the diseased crop has been harvested and a period of three or four years al- lowed to elapse before turnip's or cab- bages are again planted. Liming will not only control club-root but turnips and caggages do better on soils rich in lime than where lime is lucking. Acid reacting fertilizers encourage the disease. (3) Manure â€" Manure from stock fed on club-rooted turnips should not be used as it invariably carries the disease and infects the soil to which it is applied. Where possible. It Is good practice to apply to the turnip crop only such manure as comes from stables where turnips have not been fed at all. Rotation and Sanitationâ€" Plant sus- ceptible crops on the same soil not oftener than once in eight years. De- stroy all diseased roots or "boil them before feeding. Keep down all weed of the mustard family. Eaise cab- bage and cauliflower seedlings on dis- ease free soil and never throw infect- ed soil from seedling boxes where it may be spread to clean fields. " G. C. CCXXIXGHAM. Pathologist for Root and Vegetable Crops. over these as the season advances and air vents placed at the peak. Cab- bage may be kept in the cellar of the uouse if the temperature is kept low and a good circulation of air is kept up. For best results they should be pi'ed on shelves three or four layers to a shelf, which should have a slat bottom. Marketing, Cabbage are shipped in bulk or in slat crates holding one dozen heads. Locally they are sold by the single head or b.v the dozen. The principal object of manuring farm crops is to increase the yield, but other results follow. The quality of the crop is improved, its date of ripen- ing in some cases strengthened, and its feeding value made greater. In sonic parts of England at the present time the mininuim intrinsic valueof well-cultivate<i agricultural land is about .^!100 an acre, and under good farming this land returns a profit of nearly !i>20 an acre. Many farmers however are selling at from $200 to •fSOO an acre. Use grass where iiossiblc in pork pro- duction; it cheapens the cost. are all hatched. About the seven- teenth to nineteenth days be sure to have sufficient feed handy so the.v can easily secure enough to last them over the hatching period. When it is certain most of them arc hatched it ma.v do no harm to gently Uft the hen and remove the broken shells, but do not do this too soon or too often. If, during the hot weather, or on a very hot day, a hen which is setting or about to hatch chicks is observed standing on the nest there is no cause for alarm. As soon as the eggs are cool enough she will sit on theni_ Such details in her affairs she understands equall.v as well as we and generally speaking should be allowed to continue unmolested in the discharge of her du- ties. By Lord Ogilvy. Cats are supposed to keep off rats that attack chickens. A good many renegade cats kill chickens themselves. The weather has certainly been hard, but fowls have laid well notwithstand- ing. It is hard to head them off at this season, if only the.v are fed auf- lieient ogg-niaking material. I will not pose as an expert on chicken vermin, but only those who have large numbers of fowls in crowd- ed quarters need be badly troubled. Fowls at liberty with reasonabl.v dis- infected houses should not have much trouble from this cause. Starving the voriniu out is one great remed.v. Be- sides, one can clean ui) an empt.v house by much more drastic wa.vs than one to which the fowls must returu to roost. Creosote applied in quantity with a spray will produce an impossible con- dition for almost any living creature in a tight-shut house in hot weather. It is permanent in its effects where the wood becomes soaked, and will also keep the house from rot. Wood heav- ily creosoted will eventuall.v come to the surface through several coatings of good lead paint, at least as a stain somctinu's with pleasing, and some- times with poor, effect. Creosote Lasts Better Than Kerosene. Creosote is nearly ns penetrating as kerosene and far more lasting: on the whole, one of the cheapest and most [ |.|„,jj(y „}• ^i^, satisfactor.v things arouiiil the fowl ' house if the birds can have some other ^ying place for a while. Sometimes, in warm weather, it is not a bad thing to let the chickens roost in the grass for a while. It,,,, f,,^;^ ^,^5^,^ qualities, certainly tends to clean them up and | ,^1 ;., ..„ 1.,,.;.,.. ..1,; dusting jilaces 1 have prepared for them have met with disfavor and neg- lect. The other day I made a little roofed place in a warm corner, think- ing it would be grateful in cold weather. We had the cold all right but not a chicken has been near it. What I deemed ideal lacks something or everything in the birds' estima- tion. I will admit to being something of a joke as a hen man, because I keep but four to ten, though I have at times been jiestered with huudriMls, or as many as women folks could get hatched; each new chick cause of re- joicing; though all were equall.v use- less ill producing eggs except at the ihenpest so;ison. Few Fowls Increase Production Batio, When I run 'em it is on the theor.v that four hens that do» their dut.v is enough for each member of this fam- ily and some to spare, and that the fewer the fowl on a given run the a good run most any kind of fowl will lay except such as occur in all breeds that are almost non-layers, and these are much more easily detected in a small than in a big flock. Then the guillotine does its duty. There is more danger of overfeed- ing a few chickens, but so far as I know, tliiit is the only disadvantage. Considering the egg la.vers with fowls for the table, the proposition changes and more must be kept. The eating liicken mainly dopen<is on the finishing feed, and it is at this time also that there is the biggest j)r()lit to those on a small place, oven with only a coop, ('an very well buy cliickciis and i)ut the last artistic touch Start the bo.y off with a calf, lamb or pig and let it bo his in reality as well as name. The proceeds from this in time will purchase a pure bred, and thus the foundation is l;iid for a keen interest in livestock and the farm. There is no laying cliicken that will make a first-class broiler or roaster, and the olili'r they gef, the worse: so that for most people in confined quar- ters, attention is best devoted to lay- i ers onlv. The meat fowls can be A good seed bed is essential for good crops. The work of preparing it must be thoroughly carried out. meanwhile one has a free hand to clean the houses with mixed batteries of sul- phur caniUes and any other sort of germicide. The worst fault I have found with moving the birds about is, that they , ^ ^^^ .,„,, ,â- ,,„,,,„,,, lav in new and secluded places, ^o tar i .»..-, -nt^^i. n ^ »,,. as sheltering them in summer, a bit of ; Ga"'e B^^d Cross With Better Flavor roof and a roost is all that is neees- If a bird such as the Cornish game sary, and air.v quarters are beneficial, j be crossed on even fowls of poor oat- It is a wise man who could say what 1 ing qunlit.v for the late hatches one kind of dirt chickens really prefer to can get along with one set of hens and dust in. Some days they like it dry secure better results with eggs and and at others moist. Usually any j llesh than with intermediate breeds. The Chick Care of Chicks. The grass around the coop should be cut short before the chicks are al- lowed out and if the weather is suit- able they may be permitted to leave the coop from the first. Should the weather be continually rainv and cold a temporary protection should be made in front of tlio coop 30 they niav run out a little without danger of being wet and chilled. They must not be permitted to run in long wet grass or be out in cold rains. If there is a heavy dew they should be confined un- til it largely disappears. It is often advisable to make a small yard bv fas- tening a strip of poultry netting, one inch mesh or smaller, to the front cor- ners of the coop and stretching it out as far as possible. For very young chicks use wire about eighteen inches wide, making sure it fits closely to the ground in all places. Chicks will get out through a very small hole but will nut returu through the same. The hen should be confined to the coop at least while the chicks are very young and especially if there is an'v danger of her taking the chicks to undesirable places if running at large. When the chicks are three or four weeks of age the hen may be allowed to run, but she must be confined to the coop with the chicks at night. Growing chicks should have free range, ordinarily. It is conducive to strong constitutional vigor and rapid economical growth. The practice of confining chicks to a very small yard absolutely void of vegetation, cannot be too strongly condemned. Chicks cannot thrive under such conditions without more care than we usually are able to give them. It is well to have the coops on fresh ground each year. Ground mav be- come ••chicken sick," in which con- dition chickens cann».t grow well upon it. Sometimes the soil becomes in- fested with disease germs and, if more chickens are i)ut on this ground they are almost certain to contract the dis- ease. The germs are picked up in the chicken's food. Ignorance of this fact has discouraged many an enthusiastic turkey laiser, A disease, blackhead, affoits young turkeys very seriously, and the germs of this disease will live in the ground for several years. Rais- ing young birds on this contaminated ground year after year is sure to re- sult in a very high mortality. For poultry raising a heavy soil, 'such as clay, is not as satisfactor.v as a light open porous soil. Chickens cannot be raised as thickly on heavy soil and it is more likely to become "chicken sick. ' ' Ground on which chickens have been raised should be olowed or worked up thoroi;ghly before more are placed upon it.