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The Barrie Examiner Thursday May 13 I976 County residents usually have nice spring season By BRIAN BAKER UTOPIA Located as we are on the southern ed of the Canadian Shield hal way between north and south and the lee of the Great Lakes we in Simcoe County pro bany enjoy about the nicest spring season in the world Unfortunately many miss the best part of spring impa tiently waiting for the coming of summer and bathing suit weather As farmer would say that the best place from which to observe the coming and going of spring is on the farm But this is not entirely so it can be observed from almost any place in the coun ty if we keep alert For Instance the other day while waiting for car repairs did little exploring around Queens Park and along it tIe ravine below Hillcrest School where counted such birds as horned lakes killdeer song sparrows crows red wing blackbirds with gorgeous scarlet wing patches blue jays red squir rels chipmunks also some lovely trees of silvery white pussy willows Again in the city of Barrie after attending Easter Church services at Burton Avenue United Church we enjoyed another part of spr ing in the form of picnic under the mature pine trees In St Vincent Park in sunny balmy shirt sleeve weather MOST SYMBOLIC of spr ing is maple syrup making as seen here in the demonstration woodlot of Nottawasaga Valley Con servation Authoritys Utopia Conservation Area on Bear Creek Baker RECOGNIZE THIS SCENE MEMORIAL SQUARE ABOUT 20 YEARS AGO BARRIE CNR STATION IN FOREGROUNI AND POST OFFICE CIRCA 1887 BEHIND Dairy Herd Improvement VAssOCia tion presean awards at annual meeting MINESING The Huronia Dairy Herd Improvement Association Club members held its annual banquet and awards evening at Minesing Community Cen tre Guest speaker for the even ing was Hunter Russel of Midhurst who gave talk and showed some outstanding col or slides taken as member of Canadian tour behind the Bamboo Curtain of China where he saw the workings of communal farms historical antiquities dating back 4000 years and the fabulous Great Wall of China stretching distance as far as from here toVancouver Guest of honor was Simcoe County Dairy Princess Joy Ann Kell of Gilford Fennels Corners who brought best wishes from the dairy in dustry and described herin teresting role as dairy princess for the 197570 dairy season ne of the highlights of the evening was provided by Mr and Mrs Paul Raymer and family who sang number of songs solos and duets Dorothy Gilten played the piano Holt thanked the speaker Various others related to the dairy industry were asked to say few words Gordon Coukcll made the presentation of the awards The audience had good natured laugh when super visor of the uronia DHIA Maurice Schaer usually talkative said least of all ex plaining that he would let the others have chance IIX ECU TI Executive members are Gord Coukell Bates Schaer Directors are Frank Bak Holt and Paul Raymer The drawing of tickets for door prizes added to the fun of the evening One woman whose husband said she would have to carry it out to the car won 50 pounds of cai tle mineral Award donors were Royal Bank of Canada Gordon Bishop Stayncr Stayner Feed Service Alden Nelson Frank Moreau of Moreau Farm Eqpt Coling Elliot of Rockeynol Farms David Bell for Brown and Hell DeLaval Lorne Power for Simcoe Dis loop of Barrie Stayner Farmers Cop certificates by the Livrstock Branch Door Prizes given by Somerville Farm Equipment McIntyre Hardware Simcoe Dist Toop Stayner Farmers Coop and Dr Humphrey Winner of the high Breed lass Average BIA herd award was Don Bell with herd RCA of 141 milk and 135 butterfat Runner up Joe KleinGebbinck and Sons Honorable Mention Doug Giffen and Sons Gord Coukell Frank Baks and Sons Clader Hunter In the yearling class Iedarlog Paula won first place for Joe KleinGebbinck and Sons with 160 and 156 They were also winners in the high two yearold class with cdarlog Clover with 186 RCA milk and 200 RCA Fat Hon mention Haks and Son and Villllltltlllltwtln Bros the threeyearold class llealandjoy Lynn won first place with 18934 pounds of milk and 730 fat in 305 days Honorable mention Vanlaarhoven Bros and II VanVugt lieldon Wendy Ranger Starlite was awarded the fouryearold class for Don Hell with 28000 pounds milk and 838 pounds fat in 305 days making this cow the new Canadian milk chain pion Honorable mention to Rockeynol farms and Doug liffen and Sons Holstein cow May won first place in the aged cow class for Don Hell with RCA of 189 milk and 162 fat Honorable mention Don Bell and Doug Giffen and Sons Members with cows having B2A of 150 or more are Gord Coukell Frank Baks and Son Garry Giffen Doug liffen Bob Walker Joe KleinGebbinck George McNabb Hank VanVugt Don Hell Ted lrieinstra and Son Rockeynol Farms Supervisor Maurice Schaer commented that the improve ment seen in llllA members herds is very en couraging Photo Erosion and ANGUS study of the Nottawasaga Valley as seen from the angle of the Not tawasaga Valley Conserva tion Authority in its rela tion to farmland in particular is well worthwhile According to manager Her man VanWersenbeeck the Nottawasaga Valley is com prised of some 1100 square miles Under the control of the authority are also the watershed of the Pretty lilack Ash and Hatteaux rivers and Silver reck in the killingwood area bringing the total watershed to over 1200 square miles As Mr VanWersenbeeck points out the watershed in cludes some of the most varied topography in the country from high rocky headlands of the eastward facing Niagara Escarpment to the broad flat sand plains of Alliston to the Simcoe Highlands composed of hun dreds of feet of glacial till and sand hills The curious north flowing Nottawasaga River has its source in Amaranth Township north of hangeville and has total length of 85 miles It drains all or part of Ad jala Tecumscth West Gwillimburv Tosorontio Essa lnnisfil ro Vespra Flos Mcdontc Sunnidale and Nottawasaga townships Nor theast of Harrie the water shed comes to within less than half mile of the water of Lake Simcoe Mr VanWersenbeeck points out that the deep ttomed river can fool you recording station at Baxter shows that the greatest flow recorded at this point over year period occurred in April of 1961 when whopping 13000 cubic feet per second passed this point Its lowest recorded flow was 20 cubic feet per second INSI€RVAIION These figures accent the need for improved conserva tion methods not just in few isolated areas but over the entire watershed Such measures include preservation or establish ment of recharge areas like highland swamps and woods not suitable for agriculture the Practice of contour crop and planting and cultivation on sloping land subject to erosion the use of grassed waterways and cat chment basins to start The main idea is to prevent rapid runoff from melting snow in the spring and heavy rains during the summer thus evening the flow throughout the season The effects of erosion on tributary creeks with fairly steep gradient are not always immediately noticeable ex plains Mr VanWersenbeeck However if we do not con listening to the waves strik ing the shore and the gentle sighing of the wind through the pines WOMAPLES Yet again proving that spr ing is Within each of everyone who honestly wants to find it we visited Tiffin Conserva tion area in North Essa Township at the outset of sap flow to watch the sap from some five hundred maple trees being boiled down into thick rich sweet ma Ie syru in continuous ow wo fired evaporator Bob Stanton testing the density of the boiling syrup explained how some 45 galons of sap have to be boiled down to produce one gallon of syrup Arnold Muir told us that the old timers could make several gallons of syru day using two or three ironliettles by good firing Vicki Barron and Brenda McArthur described how us ing wooden troughs filled with maple sap into which they dropped red hot stones the Indians were the first peo ple in the world to make maple syrup Visiting Early Rowe Provincial Park we were rewarded with the unex pected sight of 25 rainbow trout in the process of spawn ing over gravel bar amaza ingly holding themselves fast against the rushing water At other places notably around Oro and the Painswick area local creeks are filled with suckers and tasty smelts that can be scoo ed out by the pailful in han nests EOOI TIME our Thornton area farm when we get up at the ghastly hour of am to milk the cows is the best time to enjoy some of the sounds of spring including the trilling and warbling of thousands of frogs and toads killdeers down in the old pesture early next great horned owls talk ing back and forth between me of the most pleasing sounds is that of rooster crowing from the farm of neighbor Milt Betteridge Spring is almost exclusively the time when we areliable to hear the enchanting howl of HERMAN SIGNBIIIXK manager of the WER trol erosion on these tributaries they carry huge quantities of silt into the main river where it builds up to cause often serious flooding We made study with the cooperation of the students on the Penville Creek west of Bond Head where we found serious evidence of bank erosion In sharp contrast on the farm of Charles Cerswell who keeps his cattle fenced off from the creek we found that bank erosion was nil Shrubs and natural vegeta tion held the banks securely with network of roots and sheltering lants This in icates that much stream erosion could be prevented by contolled ac cess of livestock for watering purposes LITTLE DAMS Everyone can see the bad effects of gully erosion which ma eventually become so ba that it cuts field in half but not so evident is sheetero sion in which very thin layer of soil is washed off the entire surface of an exposed surface Take glass bottle of the muddy water from the bot tom of such field let it set tle weigh it and multi ly it by the estimated runof and it will scare you Working the field around the contour will prevent most sheet erosion by creating lit tle dams every few inches at rightangles to theslo Rain batter is ten not realized as the serious ro blem that it really is ain striking the bare soil loosens particles the smallest of wolves very early in the mor ning Just the other morning my wife looked through the stormscreen door of our se cond storey farm house apartment to see what from the distance looked like large jack rabbit It was no less than magnificent coyote or brush wolf of some 50 unds non chalantly catc ing mice down in our lower pasture field Through bonoculars we watched as it later took the typical wolf stance with ront feet on hummock head held high and full brushy tail bowling in the wind as it surveyed the surrounding countryside In Tosorontio Townshi we delighted in the comica an tics of newborn lambs gam boling mischievously around their mothers Three little darkies triplets were all trying to take their midmorning milk break from their patient mother ewe On an Adjala Township farm two weeksold Palamino colts played trot ting games on wobbl stilt like legs At another ace we saw ducks heads under and bottoms up in waterfilled ditch ROCK PICKING Nothing one would im agine could be more boring than the age old spring chore of picking up rocks from the fields That is not so What is bor ing about finding limestone mcks 400 million years old showing some of the world earliest life in the form of per trified snails clams corals and anemones or what we call hard heads granite and volcanic rocks that may have come from as far as Labrador in the great Ice Age rocks dating back billion years Like seeds on sesame bun glassy red garnets packed one dark grey rock we picked up Grape size round lobs of white feldspar set in dark green volcanic background made another striking specimen for my fieldstone collection Nottawasaga Valley con Some of our most pretty wildflowers may be seen at this time of the year around our fields and fences and the woods and swamps of the county In the maple woods you will find crimson redcap fungi Along sunny banks grow snow white bloodroot anemones Red wake robins and white trilliums grow in the shade of the heavier deciduous woods along with trout lilies and yellow mer rybells and waxy white Dut chmens breeches On south slopes you will find carpets of blue violets Earliest of all are the multi colored he aticas and the redveine pink spring beauties They will not come to you you must seek them out Even dull drizzling day especially early morning in ring can have its beauties Ii when speakling dro of rain hang suspended rom every twig in ever tree or when the colors the tree barks show in new spring colors pow ery white for birch red for osier dog wood copperred for choke cherry blue for beech yellow for popular grey for ample NOTTAWASAGA RIVER In Vespra we stood fascinated beside the Not tawasaga River almost overflowin its banks it swept by at four nots an hour 100 feet wide and 30 feet deep swirling and cutting carry ing an elm tree one foot in diameter branches roots and all as easily as mat chstick Standing back from the banks that could be under mined we remembered that this treacherous river claims human life almost every year ARBOR DAY Unfortunately the old fashioned Arbor Day of two or three decades ago when scth children in particular tidied up the schoolyard cant set children to such menial task today planted tree or shrubs and finished off the day with visit to trilliumfilled bush has been dropped Because of this pleasant schoolday carryover do not out highlights of the extensive feel sprin is complete unless plant ew trees This year planted rouping of pine trees and ee maple for shade in the pasture field and around the barnyard father once told neig bor he believed would plant the whole farm to trees if had chance After long winter of being houseand barntied spring brings the welcome change of getting on the landwith trac tors and cultivators working the frostcrumbled soil into fine deep seedbed into with crops of rain and corn can be plant The usual schedule is to break the ground up with heavy double discs and then cultivate it thoroughly before planting oats and barley corn or potatoes late enough to avoi late frost damage and early enough to take ad vantage of the abundance of spring meltwater and rain BY AIRPLANE This year we noticed that our neighbor David Leach very effectively employed an airplane to apply the initial spray to 400 acres of potato land in mere two or three hours 10 times as fast as by land methods At one farm we saw fertilizer dumped by the truckload on the ground at the edge of the fields ready for loading straight into special Spreaders and spreading as soon as the ground would bear giving head start on spring Spring weather is different in that it is unpredictable To firm the land and the roads up we always look for heavy rain for frostheaved roads and fields Last week whirl wind 100 feet across created by warm spring weather made subdued roar as it went across the fields and bush Just because spring is one of the busiest months filled with spring cleaning and on the farm crop planting is no reason that we cannot stop long enough to enjoy the violets and trilliums visit to sugar bush day spent fishing preseason picnic time to soak up the spring fresh air whether we live in the country or city 13 tawasaga River Baker servation Authority points watershed of the Not Photo which go into immediate suspension along with valuable soil salts and are swept away into creeks and rivers In rowing cash crops it is goo idea to remember that the taller the crop the less ef fect rain batter For the same reason it is essential that cash crops be encouraged to form ood cover as rapidly as ssi le With good catches of hay crops and well cared for pasture erosion is out almost to nil Grassed waterways from which hay and asture crops can be obtain are often an excellent substitute for municipal draina and other ditches because en you can take your machinery across these gently graded channels and not have your farm chop ped in half by them GRANTS AVAILABLE He notes that there are con siderable grants available to farmers who put in grassed waterways and make other approved conservation ef forts The authority also makes grant to landowners who plant trees or have trees planted for conservation pur poses if the survival rate is reasonably ood Althoug the issue is divided somewhat between those who think that trees help conserve ground moisture and those who think that the transpiration of trees take more moisture out of the soil than they conserve Mr VanWersenbeeck rely ing on first hand observation is convinced that particularly in swampy areas trees are definitely an aid to retention of water in the surface ground He describes the mass of roots put down into swampy areas by cedars tamaracks willows poplars and spruces along with the accumulations of leaves and humas as like ant sponge holding back ge volumes of water that would otherwise run straight if the land surface Protected by dense foliage and the layer of humus the dryin action of sun and wind is nul ified know from experience emphasises Mr Van Wer senbeeck That if you clear all the trees off swamp it dries up weeks earlier than an uncleared area If we destroy all of our recharge areas we are even tually going1 to have raging torrents in spring and dry creeks the rest of the year Actually in hot dr weather when the trees ave the minerals they want their pores close up through the da and then open up to take fulI advantage of nighttime dew He is great believer in the planting of shelterbelts in areas where windblown ero sion is serious threat since news of trees at right angles to the prevailing wind break up the wind pattern and slow it down He describes the catchment basin method of preventing gully erosion as the carrying of water directly down from one level to lower level by means of culverts and also by means of stonefilled ga bion baskets built across the slope in question An indication of the seriousness of erosion can be gained by looking at siltation charts ich show that as an example the centre of the Utopia Mlll pond has ac uimulated two feet of silt in four years At the New Lowell reser voir the situation is even worse number of worthwhile ojects have been and are ing undertaken by the Not tawasaga Valley Conserva tion Authority in the form of the construction of parks and dams or conservation areas as at New Lowell Tiffin Bush in Essa Utopia mill and reservoir Glencairn on the Mad River the Tottenham conservation area and an ex tensive antiflood dyking pro ject on the Pretty River With four years of ex perience behind the authori ty Mr VanWersenbeeck would like to see grassroots conservation program get tmderway with good public education an le He would ike to see even more interest shown by students and farmers for whom considerable library of books pertaining to the sub ject is available during visit to the Angus office Services will be ex lained and advice given to ose seeking it or with roblems are here to help in anyway we can said Mr VanWersenbeeck and farmers are particularly welcome to drop in and tal things over and browse around