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itllh by agronomist this department is for the use of our farm readers who want the advice i an expert on any question regarding soil seed crops etc if your question 1 of sufficient genera interest it will bo answered through this column tamped and addressed envelope is enclosed with your letter a complete answer will be mailed to you address agronomist care of wilson publishing co ltd 73 adelaide st w toronto raising green ducks for market the profit in duck culture comes from selling the young ducks as soon as they begin to get their mature coat of feathers by that tine they are rake reaper or a grainbinder they should be cut when approximately threefourths of the seed pods have turned dark brown to black at this time some flowers and many immature pods will be found on the plants but about eight to ten weeks old and are thc fiew m a brownish co termed greei ducks after that they m j the grow less in weight and condition m becqme somewhat more the green duck in the hands of a j mature before more seed is competent chef will in taste closely shattered when m are cut at resemble the flavor of the famous and h than but now almost extinct canvasback duck fa y necessarily a loss as the green ducks bring the best prices i gram h u3e for the most part in june and from then on the price j m sem sections where shattered gradually falls from september to sec depended upon to reseed the november ducklings again commend good returns the saleable market duck must be fat plump and round and the skin must be of a uniform color flavor is imparted to the carcass of the bird by the food it eats the wild herbs plants and fish which ducks eat give the rank taste to the meat and eggs feeding largely upon wild celery is what gives that delicious taste to the canvasback duck it is said the- congo chickens owe their superiority of flavor to the pineapples they eat the flesh of the grouse of the far west is aromatic with the wild sage there is a fishy flavor to the meat of wild ducks and other sea- fowls for good flavor green ducks are fed a grain ration of equal parts of bran and cornmeal with a proper amount of beef scrap bran must not be left out of the feed for its absence will cause a loss of appetite as the market demands a white skin green food or a very little of it should not a threshing ring be fed to ducks grown for market i an community cooperative enter two weeks will be sufficient time p that has been active for seven for fattening ducklings beginning y a is still popular and prosper land much seed may be lost if harvesting is delayed for only a few days many fields have been observed in which ninety per cent of the seed had shat tered in less than two weeksafter the time the plants should have been cut cutting the plants when they are damp from rain or dew will reduce loss by shattering when it is possible to thresh in a week or ten days after cutting the crop should be threshed directly from the field ordinarily little seed will be lost during this time and the work of stacking will be avoided the seed may be threshed either by flailing or by the use of a grain separator or a clover huller the yield of sweet clover seed varies from two to ten bushels of recleaned seed to the acre sweet clover straw may be utilized for soil improvement or as a rough age for stock live stock items the poorest animal requires the hardest selling a good animal sells j itself to a good buyer j you can not put big bones on a pig that was not born to have- them if you want bigboned hogs breed for them never pour cold water on hot hogs do not load hogs too closely in hot weather bed the cars with sand and wet it thoroughly lambs for august market must find the grain trough well supplied dur ing july a lamb ought to gain half a pound a day an weight have a cow freshen about lambing time so that there will be milk for the lambs if the ewes are short remem ber that cows carry their calves 285 days thunderstorms do not cause sour milk however the warm temper ature and high humidity which accom pany thunderstorms are favorable to the growth of bacteria which cause milk to sour sweating is aft indication of the the cheerful cheru mmmm mct i ill tmmammmmamm the erth just travel silervtly and never ets to lewcjk or sing 5o fr from ijl tke other strs it must be lonely poor old thine i v to get kid of cutworms last spring the cutworms cut down most of my early cabbage one cool evening when i thought there was horses need of water twice a day i danger of frost coming i took some may be often enough to water in cool gunny sacks and closely covered part weather when horses are idle but many horsemen consider four times not too often in august early lambs are profitable when there are good markets the breed ing season for early lambs begins in july and the lambs are dropped from december to february warm build ings are necessary at lambing time build before winter hogs need shade and clean water during summer too much direct sun light and heat are frequent causes of hogs failing to thrive and often cause hogs to die during july and august small pigs often blister on the backs and about the ears sometimes causing bad sores when they are seven weeks old at first they must be fed lightly the amount should not be increased for about five days after that they can be given a little more each time as long as they eat it greedily an ex cellent fattening food is made of four parts cornmeal two parts lowgrade flour one part bran and two parts beef scrap all these parts by weight add to this a little sand shell or grit to aid digestion the killing is done with a knife the bill is held open and a cross cut is made in the back of the throat on the inside so that no wound shows on the outside this severs the large arteries and pierces the brain causing relaxation of the skin and muscles immediately afterward the fowl is struck on the head with a club the blood is caught in a galvanized pail and picking begins the picker sits on a chair drawn up alongside a box which fo about as high as his knees the feathers as pluck ed are thrown into the box the duck is held placed across the lap the head is held between the knee and ous is admittedly beyond the experi mental stage judged by this rule a neighboring threshing ring organ ized in 1911 by ten iuinois farmers cansafely be considered a going con cern hopelessly tired of waiting their turn after delays some years lengthen ing into weeks this group of men met organized elected officers paid 80 each into their treasury erected a 300 storage building for their thresh ing outfit and were ready to put their ring to ringing all within a week after their initial getting together included in their getready move ment was the borrowing at six per cent of 2200 at a local bank which with 500 remaining in their treasury was used to purchase a 20horsepower engine and a 3660 separator here is the outcome briefly told five years laterlheir loan was fully paid and in addition the conclusion all oads lead to airway crossings use precautions of the ground the next morning after sunrise i took the sacks off and found all the cutworms on top of the soil where they were easily picked up and destroyed i then tried the same plan on the rest of my garden covering up all cut off or injured plants so as to exclude the light the next morning on removing the cover ings the cutworms were easy victims there being from one to three on top of the soil under nearly every cpv ering the cutworms do their dam age at night coming out of the ground during the night and returning at the approach of day a productive orchard a good gar den laying hens and cows which pay their board will help make any farm a desirable farm- care of the garden in hot dry weatkr are not supported an additional ad vantage of staking is that the plants can be cultivated throughout the sea son and thus be protected against drought more effectively to have a continuous supply of vegetables through the summer and early fall it is necessary to make suc cessive plantings this is especially true of sweet corn and string beans a piece of ground should be saved for the late plantings and should be when the balmy days of spring give place to the burning heat of summer the gardeners enthusiasm is like to drop from blood heat to zero hot weather if accompanied by frequent rain is favorable for the growth of weeds and if not accompanied by rain the result is drought either condi tion demands that the garden be fre quently cultivated to save the plant food moisture and sunlight which would betaken by the weeds get rid of the weeds before they appear above worked over with a harrow or culti the ground vator after every rain for a few weeks the bad effects of drought can be before planting in order to save largely taken care of by consistent enough moisture to sprout the seeds cultivation breaking up the surf ace if planting takes place at a dry time layer of soil with a cultivator hoe or when planting sweet corn in dry wea- rake checks the evaporation of moisj ther be careful to place the seed in ture by forming a fine mulch on top j moist soil below the surface mulch of the soil affd thus holds the water successive plantings of string beans in the soil below each rain should bo may also be made if similar prccau- regarded as ifit were the last one tions are taken to save moisture for for a long time and as soon as the the seedbed plantings made during soil becomes dry enough to work it the last half of t july are especially should be thoroughly cultivated and likely to yield good crops because the a fine mulch formed on the surface of plants will have the benefit of autumn the ground cultivation should be rains when the pods are developing by john b httber ammd dr huber will answer all sinned letters pertaining to health if yout question is of general interest it will be answered through these columns if not it will be answered personally if starrped addressed envelope is en closed dr huber will not prescribe for individual eases or make diagnosis address dr john b huber md care of wilson publishing co 73 adelaidt st west toronto mouth inflammations there are several varieties of stomatitins as doctors call iifla vma- tion of the mouth in babies generally of g to 18 months small yellowish white blisters may form herpetic or apthous sto matitis this is due in most cases to uncleanliness bad hygiene or impro per feeding the remedy lies in cor recting these untoward conditions and in proper regulation of the bowels and mouth washes containing boric acid a teaspoonful to the pint of water that has been boiled marasmic scrofulous or anemic children may suffer perleche fissure or cracking or ulceration of the mu cous membrane at the corners of the mouth this is very painful on open ing the mouth wide as in yawning the doctor may apply a 5 per cent solution of silver nitrate after which a simple powder zinc oxide or bis muth is dusted over the sores k 11 vomits a good deal the nipple and the childs mouth must be frequently- cleansed 110 grain doses of calomel given daily the boracic acid mouth wash used and the causes mentioned removed in bad cases the child may have to be fed by means of the stom ach tube questions and answers question my husband takes cold very easy and it hangs on to kim so that it worries me terribly i have wanted him to go to a doctor and get examined but he says he feels well enough only that he is terribly tired out he has a sallow complexion is working nights now he seems to take bad coughs worse than ever answer your husband should be thoroughly examined nothing is sadder than the neglect of what might be remedied until the time for a euro has passed night workers always or i make their occupations manifest to a salve may be used bismuth gr 10j the physician by reason of their pale ofvthe year furnished them a dividend repeated at least once in ten days if there is ah abundance of rain- of 28 for each member of the ring even f n0 rain occurs in the mean- fall during the summer it is possible last years dividend was 55 a mem- time it is surprising how much to grow good crops of late vegetables ber after painting their storage build- drought some crops can endure if the on ground which has had an early ing and making all necessary repairs nioisture from each rain is saved by crop harvested from it whenever pos to an ounce of vaseline or a 3 per cent resorain ointment or benzoin- ated zinc ointment or lassar paste all to be had of the druggist there may be catarrhal stomatitis of a portion of the entire surface of the mouth during the eruption of the first teeth or by reason of un cleanliness irritating excessive hot and unsuitable food stomach and bowel aiilments or fevers the mouth is at first red dry and hot later there is increased flow of saliva coat ed tongue constipation slight fever and thirst the mouth is like to be open and there may be swellings of the glands under the jaw this trouble may last a week during which time suckling is most painful the child is naturally fretful cries and perhaps complexions it is quite possible that your husband has tuberculosis indeed i fear so from your letter further information on this subject is being mailed you question what should i do tc overcome an anemic condition there are so many medicines thai are said to be beneficial but i do ncj approve of any drugs unless thej are recommended to me by a medical authority answer you are quite right drugs should be used only on thj doctors prescription the leadini of the healthful life good food at tention to the bowels the kidncyi and the skin are the essentials to tht cure informatioivon the hygieni life is being mailed you i i tliii vrnr n this u hoini- written cultivation sible this should le done since the the box to prevent fluttering and tnat lms year as tnis is deing written i the blood that escapes may not get on the rings yearly accounts have not in spite of cultivation some crops land is sure of being kept free from the feathers while the picker is re- oeen reckoned but the members are moving the feathers dips his fingers into i may tho pin feathers are removed by catching them between the blade of a knife and the thumb this operation is more rapid when the pin feathers of their equipment which with good care is depreciating but slowly how is such a successful trick turn ed each member has his oats garden is within reach of a water- the weed seeds produced one year re- supply whenever the garden is wat- suit in a lot of unnecessary labor in ered it should be given a thorough the garden the next year j application enough to soak the soil to during the summer season insects were at my command i was my own the farm cure for tired souls i tried the life of the mill the clatter of its wheels distracted me i dreamed of noise and hurry and worry there was no time for calm quiet clear thinking i was one of the cogs of the machinery nothing more the lure of the great office caught me i was vcs a caged tiger no one cared for me my work was never done the air of the room stifled me i could not sleep and grew old and gray before my time in an evil day i listened to the seductive call of public office- i was a slave was found fault with kicked from pillar to post loaded down like a packhorse by men who had no use for me save as they could gather up a few chestnuts raked from the fire by my poor burnt fingers sore of heart i crept back to my farm joy came to me like a dove flying home to its nest the flowers nodded me a glad welcome birds sang my tired spirit to sleep now there was trine to think to plan to live and to love the perfume of tree and field was medicine to my soul the creatures at the barn the horses tho cows the sheep even the dog loved me all the forces of nature suffer on account of drout weeds if it is graying a crop of vege v if the drou for a tables no weeds should be allowed a d of water a 50 annual dividend during the life long time the is fortunate if the to go to seed in the garden because which is always within reach this causes tho feathers to cling to the fingers enabling the operator to re move them more rapidly and with f s al much less exertion threshed for 1 cents a bushel and a considerable depth light sprinkl- are likely to be in abundance in tl master my neighbors loved me and other grain in proportion instead of i in arc of little value since they do garden and they should be controlled i loved tham i leaned my ear down the growing and varying highprices not reach the roots enough water the insects which eat the foliage of to the breast of old mother nature usually charged the money paid by should be put on at a time to last at plants such as potatobeetles and and she whispered her choicest secrets members goes into the fund of the least a week follow each application blisterbeetles may be killed by spray- to me i worked i grew tired and i e member also furnish- of water with a thorough cultivation ing with arsenate of lead flea-beet- rested i was at peace with myself rqund is dry enough les which riddle the foliage of egg- my fellows and my god 1 know the i plants potatoes and tomatoes can bo farm cure for tired souls f v crew is made up cf the members or besides cultivation and watering controlled by spraying with combined their farm heliers the variations in ccr cvops will need protection bordeauxarsenateoflead mixture the size of threshing jobs are ad- th hot sun head lettuce plantlice which suck the juice from justed by the number of helpers j t has not completed its growth the leaves of melons and various furnished reckoning at a daily wagel wn the hot weather arrives should other plants and cause leaves to curl determined at the beginning of each be sven artificial shade iy tacking may be killed by spraying with nico- season burlap or muslin over a frame to tine sulphate or kerosene emulsion when the threshing season is com- shade the plants the same frames fungous diseases which attack the pleted the secretary has a record can be usc to shade late cabbage or foliage of vegetablesmay be con- showing the number of bushels of c plants trolled by spraying with bordeaux each kind of grain threshed for each to protect cauliflower heads from mixture member and the number of n sun the outside leaves of the in a nutshell here are the things to plants should be drawn together and do in a garden in hot dry weather are wet the head neck and wings company au uinimn ii arc not plucked a string is tiedi fuel for his threshing job and as soon as tne around the body of the bird to hold the name indicates the threshing to jg tho wings firmly in place immediately after the carcasses are dressed they are plunged into ice cold water which removes the animal heat shrinks the flesh and makes the fowls more plump they are kept in this water until shipped to market the pekins are the commercial ducks of canada as the aylesburys are of england they are rapid grow ers and mature early this breed is probably the only one that ever pro- rin duced ducklings weighing five pounds hands each furnished at the different when seven weeks old of late years j the adjustments of debits and the indian runner has come into tho credits is then a sun pic matter market as a broiler duck and while in addition the ring every year it is no competitor it supplies a de- completing the threshing for its i own members allows its outfit to work control of currant worms the imported currant and goose berry worm or sawfly is common in some localities and is very destruc tive to the leaves of these bushes there arc two broods a year the first appearing quite early in the summer if there is no fruit on the bushc3 they may be sprayed with arsenate of lead one pound of the powdered form or two pounds of the paste form tied at the tops as soon as the heads cultivatetiic garden earlywater the to each mty gallons of water appear i garden if necessary and possible but whe fruit is on the pushes use tomatoes may become scalded be- do not try to substitute watering for hellebore which will kill the fore they ripjn unless they are pro- cultivation protect plants from the tected from the sun fruits lying intense heat of the sun make sue tmusrofitabtev 2 gr0u f sfp ccssive plantings of sweet corn and proiuaoi n to the broilci com i furnishes llkely to he sunscalded tomatocs string beans do not allow weeds to class what the pekin istothe roasting harvesting sweet clover seed white sweet clover and biennial but the company a crew sufficient to operate the en gine and separator as a protection against misuse of their machinery iiiic vc vhki mm umiiinai could these ring members be in- jjyehow sweet clover may be harvested duced to go back to the old regime of forsecd the year following seeding watchful waiting for tho itinerant htho time of cutting the seed crop threshing outfit and consequent wast- gshould be governed largely by the ma- age of grain and time the ring re- yhinery which is to be used if thofrain when this question is put is lants are to be harvested by a self- nothin doin that have been staked and tied have go to seed in the garden fight in- a decided advantage over those that sects and fungous diseases ilemove uhubarb seedstalks i dc of july after thjs date the plants seedstalks which develop upon should be allowed to develop normal- 3hubarb plants ought to be removed i ry to make and store plant fool in the ficforo the blossoms set seed seed roots from this plant food the development draws heavily upon the shoots and stems are produced early wlant one of the most prevalent the following spring if harvesting auscs of failuve with rhubarb in the lome garden is sccdatalk develop ment this causes tho leaf stems to jvjcomc smaller and smaller year after ear until it hardly pays to care for to plants vjhubarb should be harvested vtrden after about the mid- is continued too late in the season the plants will be greatly weakened and a lower yield will be secured during tho next few years expert knowledge mixed with com mon sense nwks a farming formula hard beai in hot weather all kinds of disease germs flourish and multiply rapidly and for this reason frequent disinfecli ing of brood and roasting coops h advised there are many kinds of disinfecting materials the most con venient of which are the liquid disin- fectants sold for poultry purposes these are mixed with water according to the directions on the containers and applied to coops and utensils with a spray or brush they kill all germs which they touch and if applied fre quently there is not much difficulty in keeping disease away lice and mites if allowed to live in the coops and on the chicks soon mul tiply to the extent that they make life miserable for the youngsters and make satisfactory growth and health impossible feeding lousy chicks ia the same as feeding lice and is not profitable to kill the large body lice any of the lice powders in general use can be used and to destroy tho little mites which live in the coops and on the roostsin the daytime and which annoy the chicks at night liquid lice- killers can be provided which do the work thoroughly kerosene is also fairlv effective j clean out the fence bows on a recent little trip round mj part of the country i could not hel noticing that on many farms the liiu between adjoining fields is badj grown up to brush n stop and think for a moment wj tho brush and trees which grow ala such lines do in the first place t take a great deal of fertility ouj the soil the v extend far no each way this root system deny i nourishment no man who hasiio a row can fail to notice that the g grown alongside are poor and well developed the goodness ij gone out of the soil into the l growth and then in every sue 1 there is a strip of land each jl the line that can not be tilled it is practically waste land to cleor these rows out is g a hard job the main thing j worms but will not harm people who eat the fruit apply the hellebore at it and do it a sharp ax either by dusting lightly through a i and a stout scythe nre cheesecloth sack or by putting one needed large saplings can ounce in three gallons of water and i out with the tractor the applying by means of a spray to make fairly sure that pump or a whisk broom apply cut off will not grow up ag promptly when the injuries are first j after haying the sap noticed unless the worms are field in the branches and tru in check they will defoliate the bushes cutting will be practically and ruin the fruit and perhaps kill the matter the brush n the bushes as well piled along the row and will help to destroy thc t v the western crop cultivating corn a few miles souii of sskstoda j swat the fly the amount of harm done to stock because of annoyance by flies is not a settled matter however it- ii an j happiness established fact that flies are a sourco of annoyance to animals in pasture and in the barn flies keep cows from pasturing and annoy thecows as well as the milkers at mjtlungtime there are several good fly repcllants on the market and they are effectivo in protecting animals from flies it is possible to make up such repcllants at home but the homcmado articles are not likely to be so effective as the manufactured ones although they ercoai the wprld is just wakv fact that the farmer iss 0vc1 to life liberty and jnay be a trifle cheaper the great west g loan comff toronto office a 4 allowed oi interest comput patf withdrawable inxl intcrcstpayablf paid up capu ep given losing ff and cuti- i next a soap ealthy ndmcj ft sold taddreul a f