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communication* to AgrMMMlNt 7 Adlal<* 81 West. Toronu Dairying By Guess and By Goh. , As the dairy herd comes fresh for another years' yield of milk, it is a; 0ood time for the farmer to start toting his com and knowing what each one doe* or does not. The dairy farmer who does not keep systematic records of each milking cow in his herd is not doing justice to himself nor to his cow*. He may be over- feeding a record-producer or ho may be .over-feeding a worthless scrub, either of which is not a paying: proposition. A farmer may have a world-record cow and not know it if he doe* not test. Tom Barron, of Brantf ord, Ont., never would have known that he had a cow capable of producing nearly 1,600 Ibs. of batter in a year, if lie had not been testing Bella Pontiae. As a result of a year's testing, this cow advanced in value from between S200 to $300, to a value of anywhere be- tween ?5,000 and $10,000. Pretty good pay for only one year's work on one ow! The actual time of weighing and testing, probably did not take Sir. Barron over two minutes a day for weighing the milk three or four times a day; while the testing was done by Government-employed men in the Record of Performance, the actual cost of which was very little prac- tically nothing but the cost of board and lodging for the inspectors while at the farm two days a month. In addition, the cow was tested under Record of Merit rules part of the time, for which the owner is required to pay the supervisor $3 per day and traveling expenses. It is doubtful if the whole cost of having this cow's milk tested officially for a year was more than $150. This was money well invested, but before it was invested, Mr. Barron had himself carried on testa that demonstrated something of the great possibilities of the cow. But suppose, on the other hand, he had kept blindly on? What an oppor- tunity would have passed rijrht by the Barron farm! The dairy farmer has three systems f public testing open two applicable to those who keep pure-bre\l cattle one of these open to but one breed, Holstein-Friesian; the othe-r, open to all dairy or dual purpose breeds. The third is the cow testing association open to all dairymen whether they keep pure-bred cows or grades. All hould easily be able to get into one or other of these three plans for test- ing cows Record of Performance, Record of Merit, or Cow-Testing As- sociations, and receive the benefit which comes from contact with others Interested in a similar line of work. There may be farmers who, for various reasons, are unable to take up testing in any on of the three public systems mentioned, but who would like to know what each cow U doing in the herd. This may be done by following the following ral*: To do any job well, we must hare proper tools. This applies to cutting wood, a ditch, or to any on of a dozen pieces of work on a farm. So, for testing cows, we must have suit- able tools. These are: a milk scale, preferably of the circular-dial, two- hand-type; milk pails all of the same weigiht, a milk sheet properly ruled for days, or three days a month weighing for each cow; raid a lead pencil attached to the milk sheet for convenience. If every dairy fanner went no further than this and weighed each cow's milk regularly throughout the year, he would have taken a mark- ed step in advance over the "by guess and by gosh" method of simply not knowing what his cows are doing or not doing. .The milk scale can be bought from any dairy supply house at a cost of ! from $3 to $5, and when properly I cared for, will last 25 years. It should ! be kept dry, oiled occasionally, and not be subjected to heavy loads. It | should be used only for milk weighing 1 purposes. Good milk pails cost from $1.25 to $1.50 each from hardware dealers or tinsmiths. If there is any difference in weight, this can be ad- justed by adding solder on the bottom ! of the pail. Although th* daily weigh- ing gives the farmer the widest pos- | siblo knowledge of what each cow is j doing, weighing three times a month is accurate enough for all practical ' purposes, say on the 1st, 10th, and 20th. If a cow gave an average of 30 Iba. daily for a month, she would be credited with 30x31930 Ibs. for that month. The milk scale may be hung from the ceiling of the stable or milk room by means of a wire or rod; or, it may be suspended on a wall bracket so ' that the pail will be clear of the wall when weighing 1 . The milk sheet may be tacked on the wall, or kept in a cabinet which can be made or pur- ' chased. It should be kept clean by having a glass or paper for the milk- er'* hand to rest upon when recording weights. If everything be convenient it will not take a minute a day to weigh and record each cow's milk in ; the herd. At the end of the month, the totals should be obtained for each cow, and these transferred to a Herd Record Book. On the evening of Dec. 31st next, the monthly totals for each cow should be added, and the average for the year made. All cows which have not produced at least 6,000 Ibs. of milk, except their milk testa high in fat, may be regarded as unprofitable. Some owners are adopting standards ; of 8.000, 10.000 and 12.000 Ibs. of milk per cow per year. When we consider that the average pounds of milk per ' cow is probably between 3,500 and 4,000 Ibs. we can see that there is much room for improvement in the t dairy herds. This improvement can , be brought about only through im- I proved breeding, and by weighing the I milk from each cow during the whole j lactation period. The foregoing is the first step In systematic improvement of dairy cat- tle. The next is that of testing for milk fat Fortunately, in the Babcock test we have a comparatively simnjej method of determining the fat con- tent of milk. The owner may test the milk himself by using a four- bottle machine, costing about $10. He ought, however, to take a few lessons, or a short course, in testing. It is very important that the sample be properly taken. After all the milk j is in the pail, stir and take out about: a tablespoonfui, placing it in a bottle j having the name or number of the) cow marked on the bottle. Do thig night and morning, preferably for two or three days. In hot weather, a pre- | servative will be needed if samples I be taken for more than one day. ' Preservative tablets may be purchased I of dairy supply houses. If these j samples are taken once a month dur-l ', ing the lactation period, results will] be satisfactory. Some claim that if samples for fat testing 1 be taken dur- ing the second and fifth months of! lactation, that this gives results ac- ' curate enough for all practical pur-j j poses. The main point is to take, i samples for testing, often euough to, know how each cow's milk tests for 1 fat This is especially true where; milk is sold on the fat basis. To apply the results: Suppose a cow. has given 930 Ibs. of milk during the' month, and her milk testa 3.6 per cent ' fat She will be credited with 930x! 3.6 plus 100 equals 33.48 pounds fat,' or nearly 40 Ibs. of butter for that; month. <When calculating butter j from fat, add one-sixth to the pounds j of fat.) Although this may look like con-! siderable extra work, when it is once started and the owner becomes inter-' ested in knowing just what each cow ia doing, the work is easy and the time is not begrudged. With every, fanner using systematic methods in his stable, the work is not only more, interesting, but much more profitable, j Protect Locks from Rust. Sometimes very simple devices will! do a lot for protection and convenience and can be made by anyone. Padlocks ' are frequently found frozen, and also rusted from continual exposure. Here is something that prevnts all this Cut a piece of rubber from an old boot ! leg, about six-by-six inches. Tack it to a strip of wood one-by-six inches, 1 and nail it to the building above the staple that holds the padlock, so that the rubber will hang down over the lock. Here you will always find your, padlock dry and not frozen. Do this; when the lock Ls new. It can't rustj then. W. E. F. -O The risk of being struck by light- ning i five times greater in the coun- try than in cities, and twer.ty times greater mt sea than on a railway. The strong pigs in the litter never lose their start on the smaller ones. It is these larger ones from which we get the greater profits. A great deal depends on the condition of the sow, whether she will produce good strong pigs and feed them well, or a litter of weaklings and then have nothing for them to eat; whether her system is nice and cool or feverish and hot. In the one case the sow will be good-natured and let the pigs suck, and will furnish plenty of milk; in the other, fretful and peevish, the chances are that she will eat her pigs aa soon as born, if she gets a chance. All these conditions depend very largely, if not entirely, upon the way the sow is treated and fed during pregnancy. It is an almost unheard of occurrence for a brood sow, running out on good pasture, to eat a pig. Sows are not cannibals by nature, and are only made so by poor feeding, lack of exercise, etc. Pigs should not be weaned until they are at least eight weeks old, and if the sow is not to have a second litter, or if there is time enough jn case she is, it is better to let the pigs suckle until they are from ten to twelve weeks old. Farmers often get in a hurry and wean pigs when they are only six weeks old, but unless there is an abundant supply of milk and especial- ly good care is given, the pigs are likely to become stunted, sometimes so severely that they never recover. The cheapest way to put gains on young pigs is through the sow. She has a strong digestion, and can turn coarse grains and pasture into easily digested milk. Careful experiments show that a pound of weight taken from the sow will make more than one pound of gain in the pigs, the flesh of the ani- mals containing more water. The sow should be fed to produce a high yield cf milk, and the pigs should be kept with her until they get to eating a fall feed of both grain and pasture.' When the time comes to wean the pigs, cut down the sow's rations to water and a little grain. Take away the stronger pigs first, leaving the weaker to suckle for a few days long-, er. These few things carried out will, have much to do toward pork profits. TneToLacco cf Qua! i Home and School Club Encourages Music in the School By May P. Munro, Fergus, Ont. Four hour*' hard thinking exhatwti the tissue* a* much as ten hours of manual labor. Teach Children to Avoid Traffic Dangers. Parents should teach their children i to use the utmost care- wherever there j ia traffic, either congested or other- wise, if they wish to save them from danger which, as time goes on, will be worse instJead of better, unless some unforeseen wisdom is put into action by authorities. Women's Clubs in die Province of Quebec Do You Realize That You Can Own An Overland Motor Car Fully Equipped For TOURING ROADSTER SEDAN COUPE Now $785 Now $785 Now $1295 Now $1095 Freight from Toronto and Taxes Extra. Use Coupon B*U Wlllye-Overljrrd Limited Toronto, Canada Without obligation on me, pleate eend, postpaid, your latMt Catalogue to NAME POST OFFICE ItR. No.. After learning the principles of domestic science and agriculture in domestic science schools and convents of higher teaching, the girl* and young women of our rural districts in the Province of Quebec are organ- ized into clubs under the name of, "Women's Clubs" tCeneles de fer-! mieres). The first of these clubs i was established in 1915. There are to-day seventy clubs, including 4,740 French-Canadian farmers' wives and daughters, under the general super-, vision of Mr. Alphonse Desilets, B.S. A., whose headquarters are at the provincial Department of Agriculture,! Quebec. In seeking to promote the economic interests of mankind, the essential part, played by woman and the influ- ence that she exercises upon the vo- ! cation of children should not be for-; gotten. Under intelligent manage- ment by devoted mine, the domestic science schools endeavor to influence women to remain on the farm. They do this by training dutiful wives, thrifty housekeepers and experienced helpers for the "man with the hoe." However, it ie only a small number, as yet, of fannerV daughters who go to these centres of science and practical training. The majority of the women and girto in our rural districts have yet to be reached, and the women's clubs are the means by which this work can be done. The fundament*! idea of this undertaking is to keep our population on the tend, to pro- { tect it against the lures of the city [ that attract our rural youth, and to : direct this youth towards its natural ; and normal vocation by fostering a liking for family life, for farm life and for the parish or community life. This movement, which has for its motto "Cling to the home and to the farm," has therefore a double object: to attach woman to the home by in- dissoluble ties, by making pleasant and easy the accomplishment of her duties aa housekeeper, wife and teach- er, and to keep on the land our sons and daughters by making rural life more attractive. The. Quebec Depejt- ment of Agriculture gives a liberal assistance to local organizations that will take pert in this useful, patriotic and social work. The means employed by the cluba are practical, limited in number and well defined; the aim (a) $o make more attractive and easier for the woman the accomplishment of her moral and material duties towards her husband, her children and herself;' (b) to show her and her family how indispensable an.l how health-giving: the work i>f the farm is; (c) to make; her the champion and main support 1 of the eomaiuniiy organization, main- tained in the peace and the love of the traddtione that have safe-fruarded our race. The accomplishment of this pro- frram is entrusted to loca-l councils of supervision, constituted of enlightened women mothers of families or per- 1 sons who?* conduct and authority en- sure sufficient influence for the suc- cess of this work. The provincial Department of Agri- culture gives material assistance through its domestic science division, supplying a general director and teachers experienced in domestic' science, in the care of children and in woman's wwrk in agriculture. Each club receives from the Department an ! annual grant covering the expenses of administration and permitting the organization of competitions and similar work. A large quantity of vegetable seeds and flower seeds, of, egg* for hatching, of pure-bred fowls.i of bee-hives and bee material are dis- tributed anrmally by the Department,- and encouragement ia given to the reorganization of domestic textile in- dustries for wool and ftax. On the other hand, the chtbs organ- ize courses in domestic science, cook- ing, sewing, hygiene, care of children, and nursing the sick. One day each month is set apart for studies. Agri-' cultural community days are arranged as well as mother's days and all other manifestations likely to keep up the brotherly and patriotic sentiment in healthy religious tradition. A general congress of women's clubs is held every three years; one was held in 1919 and one is arranged for this year. The clubs are supervised by the pro- vincial council*, and they have an official organ in "La bonne fermiere," a domestic science and agricultural review for women, which is published every three months. The main provisions of the statutes are aj follows: Each club is administered by a Board of Directors composed of a president, a vice-president, a secre- tary, a treasurer, a librarian, a lec- turer and two councillor*. All women and girls taking an ac- tive interest in agricultural work are eligible as members of the club, after being presented by the Board of Di- rectors and accepted by the majority of the members of the Board. The annual membership (ge is not less than fifty cents. For the study ami the diffusion of good method? of agriculture and do- mestic science, the members of the club divide into committee?, each charged with the stiuly and promotion of a special line of work. This year our Home and School i Chib experimented with the question of encouraging the teaching of music in our Public schooL How did we! do it ? First, our club renovated a hall ( part of the school property 1 and equipped it with chairs and other furniture. Then, adding to an exist- ing piano fund, we bought an instru- ment and presented it to the School Board. With the san<tion and co- operation of that body we persuaded one of our ckib members, a lady who has had a thorough training in both instrumental and vocal music, to take charge of the music classes. We di- vided our school into two classes and gave each class about a forty-minute lesson per week. Our idea was to simply teach the children to sing sortgs, but our teacher goes deeper than this, and is following the course laid down by the Department of Education. Just here ia where our greatest dif- ficulty lies. Our classes are too large, and we would like to have three class- es instead of two, but the salary is totally inadequate to the services rendered and w feel it would be im- posing on good nature to ask our teacher to devote more time than she i doing unless we substantially in- crease the remuneration. I would like to bring to your notied the fact that, no matter how prcfi: : ent a -music teacher is or how much ex- perience she has. no Government grant is given to a school board unless the teacher of music holds a teacher's certificate and has taken a few months' course in music. If we had that grant it would aid materially in the salary question. We expect to finance our music classes by means at entertainments and a school concert once a year. I might say that Guelph is up against the same difficulty we have. They wanted to engage a local teacher of splendid attainments, but they would lose the irrant. so they engaged a qualified teacher from Brantf ord to come '.hree days a week. We think our music lessons ar most valuable. The children are learn- ing Co sing by note in proper time, and with proper inflections. They are getting a number of songs which are used in the s.-hoolroom, and are a great help to the teacher who ia not able to sing or to teach a new song. Of course, we realize results would b better if we could have two lessons a week instead of one, but, on the whole, we feel that our efforts aw bearing fruit. Wearing Spectacles. BY DR. C. H. LERRIGO. If you are forty or past, and you suddenly discover that your vision is not what it used to be, dont be alarmed. It is nothing more than a natural deficiency. It means that the crystalline lens of the eye s not so flexible aa heretofore. It is beginning to harden. It never will work again quite as well as in the old days and you must give H the artificial aid of a glass with a slightly convex lens. The fitting of spectacles assumed in middle life to adjust such natural changes can be done without any use of "drops" in the eyes to dilate the pupils. The real need for "drops" is when there is aetigmatism or some other error of refraction and the doc- tor needs to examine the whole eye very carefully. Th is even more likely to be required in children who need glasses than in adults. The fact of the matter is that it is more important to have the eyes of a child correctly fitted than those of the adult. When children, especially those in school, require spectacles, it is usu- ally because of near-sightedness (myopia). The ciliary muscle, which controls the lens of the eye is exceed- ingly active in children and a proper examination ia quite impossible until it is put at rest. That is why medi- cine is dropt>ed into the eye by the doctor before the examination is made. The medicine quiets the nfuscle and the dotcor is able *e see properly and judge of the real condition. Perhaps it is worthy saying that homatropin, the medicine now chiefly used by doc- tors for eye examination, is quite transitory in its effects, the eye be- coming active again in 36 hour or less. Never make the mis-take of using spectacles bought at a notion store or of a travelling peddler. It is great folly to trust the can- of your precious eyes to some man whose education in the specialty is limited to a few weeks training in "fitting glasses." Yon need hne thoroughly trained, not alone in the eye but in all of its relatim* :o the whole human complex. When you get your sr'ass;'* let the doctor tell y*u ju>st -how to wear them, jn.i have him personally examine the frames to see that they are properly adjusted. To (five full efficiency, not only mut the centres of the lenses correspond to the ocular centres, but the distance of the lenses from the eyes mut be proper. There should be just sufficient spnce to prevent the eyelashes from touching the glass. Breeding ewes suckling lambs all summer become run down in fleh and out of condition. This is not a fault of the ewes, but rather a deairaWa quality, as it shows a tendency to- ward liberal milk production essential to growing a profitable lamb crop. After the lambs are weaned th ewes should be put onto scant pastur* for a few days to dry up the milk flow and give the system an opportunity to adjust itself. The ewes need from now on every possible chance to re- emit up in flesh in a natural healthj manner. Heavy feeding is not ad- visable for the present. If possible turn the ewes onto I stubble pasture. There is always i variety of feed on stubble land tha( will stimulate the appetite, and at th same time cause the ewes to take on flesh gradually, which will put them in good condition for the mating sea- son. If the stubble pasture becomei scant supplementary feeding may bt advisable or other pasture that is rarf too succulent to induce scouring 1 shook be provided In every flock there are a few ewei that show unusual tendency toward milk production and if they havi suckled twin lambs during the sum- mer, are likely to be well reduced in flesh. These ewes should be closely watched and jriven the beet of can us they are the most valuable ewe in the flock. It may re necessary to divide the flock and put the thin ewes by themselves where they may re- ceive a light grain ration. Australian Aborigines are us'uallj reRnrded asa very low type of hu- mani.y; yet one who reaently died waj a clever shorthand-writer and ^ keee stuilcnt of English !:te:V'Ute. I '