North Carolina Newspapers

JTSJIjjX WwX RIDDING GARDEN OF RODENT FOES ... ..... . .A 4 i -.- our-Footed Pests .Work Mainly at. Night or in Subterraneans u; Storage Places, f T LIST OF FUR-COATED FOES Brown Rat and Mouse Are Most De structiveLittle Animals Not Al- ways Found in One Place or Under Similar Conditions. ' Prepared by the United States Depart : ment of ' Agriculture.) , ' Of all the pests with which garden ers Jhave to contend, the fur-coated ones ; are often the ; most , baffling. Weeds can be kept down by cultiva tion Destructive insects usually work ty daylight. There is little doubt as to where they are or what they are doing. Four-footed pests, on the other hand, work mainly at night or under ground, are wary and agile, . and, in consequence, are particularly difficult to apprehend, Unless the man with the hoe is familiar with the signs and habits of, the destructive quadrupeds, he wonders what became of the seeds he planted : y . . Among the native American animals which invade gardens are raccoons, woodchucks, ground squirrels, prairie dogs, rabbits, rats, mice, moles, and pocket gophers. To this list special ists of the United States department of agriculture add a few emigrants from the old world, notably the brown rat and the house mouse, the two most destructive animal pests in the world. Fortunately, these rascals are not all found in one place or under the same conditions. : May Kill Woodchucks in Burrows. The woodchuck or' ground-hog de vours a wide variety of garden prod ucts; it fs especially fond of bean vine's. It may be caught. In a steel trap set at the entrance of its den. When in a burrow, it may be killed there by an ounce and a half of car bon disulphid ' absorbed ' in cotton The Mole Is Just One of the Ro dents the Gardener Must Keep Out. waste, or by an ounce of blasting powder in a bottle exploded by means -of a fuse, all entrances to the burrow : being' closed in either case before vthe gases are liberated. In the Mississippi valley and to the westward there are prairie dogs and many kinds, of ground squirrels de structive to seeds, fruits and greaa vegetation. They may be caught La steel traps set at the entrance to their burrows or where their runways lead through a fence. Kaccoons destroy corn in the roast ing ear stage and have a curiously artistic habit of removing the edible part of a melon through a hole in the rind the size of a silver dollar. They may be caught In steel traps; carefully covered and baited with meat or fish, or may be hunted with dogs at night Rabbits attack bean vines, many Veg etables, berry bushes,' and the bark of . young fruit trees. They may be kept out of a garden by a, fence built of , 1-lnch poultry netting, extending 2 inches below the surface of the ground and 2 feet above it. Moles eat but little vegetable food, but they are disliked in gardens be cause their burrows often follow the drills in which young vegetables are growing, "causing the roots to wither and die. Worse than thrs is the fact that t their tunnels are thoroughfares for mice which destroy seeds, pota toes, sweet potatoes and. other vege tables. Moles are caught in traps es pecially designed for the purpose, Their skins are valuable as fur, and find a ready sale. v ' Mice Favored by Trash. Native rats and mice are outdoor animals at all seasons. Many house rats and mice join them in summer. All of them feed on seeds, and several of them destroy bulbs, tubers, root crops and young trees. They may be caught in traps baited with nut meats or rolled oats. Those making runways may be caught in an unbaited trap set so they will touch the pan in passing. A useful poison for rats and mice may be prepared by mixing a quart of moist oatmeal with one-sixteenth of an ounce of powdered strychnine alkaloid. rocket gophers maintain an elab orate system i of tunnels in the earth, wnicn tney - are , continually extend Ing. They are voracious feeders and store quantities of potatoes, roots and eeeas ior winter , use. They may be caught by opening the end of a bur row where soil has been thrown ont and setting in it a gopher trap. They can be poisoned by placing in their .ourrows email pieces or fresh sweet potato or parsnip coated with pow dered strychnine alkaloid, the propor tion Deing one-eigntn of an ounce of strychnine to four quarts of the bait Farmers Bulletin 670. -Field Mice as, irarm ana urcnard Pests:" 707, -CottontaO Rabbits in Relation to en thieves. Foxes and hawks are par Trees and Farm crops ; and 932, "Ro-! tionlarly nlentv and bold dent Pests ontne Farm,- contain full urecuons nr. comnaung these anl- aala. - TALL FESCUE GRASS HAS ITS ADVANTAGES Produce More' Feed Than the Common Meadow Variety Only Apparent Objection to It Is That It Does Not Produce Seed Abun dantlyGood Plan to Sow After Wheat or Oais. (Prepared by the United States Depart ment of Agriculture.) ' Tall fescue, an upright, f perennial grass, has advantages over the more commonly grown i meadow "fescue, which it resembles closely. Tests with the two grasses conducted by the Uni ted States department of agriculture Indicate that the tall fescue produces more feed and is In general more hardy or robust It does not appear to be susceptible to attacks of oat smut, which frequently damages the seed crop of the meadow fescue in Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri. While some-( what coarser it appears to be equally palatable and nutritious. Apparently the only objection to it is that it does not produce seed as abundantly as the meadow fescue, and the principal rea son why it is not more generally grown Is the high price of the seed. Because the seed is scarce and expensive J t Is frequently poor In quality, which is accountable for the difficulty experi enced by some growers in getting a good stand. , . ' , j Tall fescue has the undesirable hab it of ripening its seed very unevenly, and this fault, with the fact that it sends up few seed-producing stems, makes the yield light' Fields in north eastern Kansas which ordinarily yield 12 to 18 bushels of meadow fescue seed produce only three to seven bush els an acre of tall fescue. Tests at Pullman, Wash.j indicate that in east ern Washington seed can be produced more successfully than Jn eastern Kan sas Planted ;n rows 18 inches apart and ' cultivated, yields as high 'as 24 bushels an acre have been obtained In eastern Kansas and Missouri fall seeding of tall fescue seems to give the best results, but' in sections where the winters are - more severe, and where there Is considerable freezing and thawing, causing the ground to heave badly, spring seeding Is prefer able. It is a good practice to sow on ground that has been previously in wheat or oats and which has been plowed in July or early August. Tall fescue is also sown successfully in fall wheat or rye. Seed may be sown ei ther broadcast or with a press drill. the latter method giving the best re sults. When a drill is .used it 1s well to sow one-half of the seed each way, so as takeover the ground more evenly. A perfect stand is sometimes secured with about fifteen pounds of seed an acre, but 20 to 25 pounds are. recom mended under most conditions. ; When the meadow is intended pri marily as a hay crop the grass is cut with a mower just as It is coming Into bloom'. The processes of curings and stacking are similar to those for tim othy and other hay grasses. In har vesting the seed crop the grass must be cut as soon as it begins to take on a yellowisi color, otherwise consid erable seed will be lost through shat tering. It is cut with a grain binder and placed in small shocks to cure and the thrashing ordinarily is done directly from the shocks in the field. An ordinary grain separator can be used for thrashing by cutting off most of the, blast from the fan. Special screens are of value, but are not neces sary, as a wheat riddle does fairly sat isfactory work. POTATO BIN IS VENTILATING . - V ' - Material Required Includes Four Strong Sticks, a Discarded Framo - and Gunny Sack. To make this bin four sticks of fire wood, or other: similar material are required for supports, and a dis carded picture frame and a gunny sack. The sack is taken apart to form Gunny Sack Supported on a Frame Mounted on Posts for a Simple Ven tilating Potato Bin. one thickness and tacked to the frame. The ' texture of the material is suf ficiently open to allow plenty of good ventilation. If no picture frame Is at hand make a frame of 2 by 4-in. stock. Edward R. Smith, in Popular Science Monthly. . KEEP SHARP WATCH FOR CATS Poultryman . Must Keep Up Fight Against Furred and Feathered f Chicken Thieves. 4 Look out for hawks, foxes, cats and Othpr TTlflfllTlrtorfl of Ma can unn Va will need, to wage war all the! time 1 mtntt a Iki.i. tions. .The hawk, esneclallv thi little bullet hawk, will do away wltt a lot Ipt Uttie chicks. iwiii PLAN OF GRAZING FOR GOATS Give Vegetation Opportunity to Grow by Dividing Range on Which Animals Forage. (Prepared by the United States Depart ment of Agriculture.) The production of more mohair and meat can be obtained in raising goats on the range by following a plan of crazing which will give the vegetation a chance to grow sufficiently to main tain itself. Most goat ranges are used throughout the year. This and the. general practice of driving the goats out from a corral at the ranch head quarters and- back every day for months or throughout the year have been largely responsible for deteriora tion of the range. An excellent method of. giving the forage a proper oppor tunity for growth is to divide the range into three areas one for spring, an other for summer and fall, and a third for winter. The number and distribution of the goats on these divisions should be such A Flock of Angora Goats on a Texas Ranch. as to- secure proper and uniform -utili- should be protected from grazing ex cept" during the seasons determined upon. On successive partsof the sum mer and fall range grazing should be deferred until after seed maturity of the forage plant's so as to insure proper revegetatlon. On winter range the for ;ge close to the sheds,, should be re served for stormy periods only. The old practice of bedding the goats on the same bed ground every night in the year prevents proper manage ment of the range and results in over grazing, in uneven utilization of thi .forage and general depreciation of tin range. This in turn has a bad effect on the condition of goats and the pro duction of meat and mohair." The uso of many bed grounds widely distribut ed over the range aids materially In Improving the quality and. quantity of. the forage, reducing the trailing and driving of the goats, end securing bet ter growth of goats and mohair. Th ideal system is to bed the goats wher- ever night overtakes them, and it 1 this system, called the "bedding-out" system, that growers of goats, are urged to adopt whatever practicable. The bedding-out system cannot be strictly adhered to during kidding, dur ing periods of stormy winter weather, nor just after shearing; but its use at other( times, hf practicable and it has many advantages. Range to be suitable for goats should possess a mixture of browse, grasses. and. weeds, be free from continued heavy rains and snows, and be well supplied with bed grounds and water ing places. Browse furnishes most of the t range feed for goats throughout the year, so that it should be abundant Grass and weeds are necessary for does and kids during, the spring and summer, and are of considerable value at all times to give variety to the for age. . , , . - Plenty of fresh palatable feed has a marked beneficial effect on mohair pro ductiqn, growth of the goats, and the proportion of kids raised. It also re duces the proportion of losses. There fore, instead of overstocking a range with, inferior goats, the producer should stock it , with, the number of high-grade goats which it can coivserv atively carry. The.jrange goat should be the largo, well-built, early maturing Angorai pro ducing a large quantity of fine mohair. The body aad chest should be relative ly broad and deep the back wide and straight, the thighs full,- the ribs well sprung, and the. legs short, strong, and set wide 'apart. r Such' Angoras make possible a substantial revenue from two sources c;ohalr and meat. The does should be uniform, of good Sfce, have good constitutions, be gpod producers of mohair, and should pro duce : sufficient milk to insure ; proper growth of their kids. The bucks should more nearly approximate the ideal thai the does. - They should be large and vigorous and should produce a large quantity of high-quality mohair. Only those Wethers which produce a very large quantity erf fine mohais should be retained in the herd- after they are two years old. v Most Popular Hog, ; The; butcher hog; weighing' betweer SOOdSO'.piindsVk Uie most popu iar wiin ine pacKing - companies be cause It furnishes everything that it desirable in . meat, . and, consequently will command a higher pri. v 8 WATCH FOR IMPORTED PESTS Little Excuse for Passing- Stock In fested With Ega Masses of Gipsy! ..... or Brown-Tall Moth. j : - (Prepared by the United States Depart ' ;-, ment of; Agriculture.) ;yr The ;main .arguments "of objectors to plant quarantine o. 37, which will greatly restrict 'the entry , of nursery stock and other plants and seeds, be ginning June 1, 1919, are that either no pests are brought - in on siichj im ported stock or that . thorough- inspec tion abroad, would eliminate any unde sirable insects. ; There is no question but . that; .the chief exporting; foreign governments have given to their nur-r sery. stock the best Inspection which human skill and science -can afford. Failures are due to the human equa tion and to conditions not subject - to change, which make " inspection and certification Insufficient safeguards. J The Inadequacy f of such! inspection since 198, when -it became operative, is shown by . the findings , resul ting from reinspection of; imported mate- rial at destination in- this ; cbuntryv Data gathered by the. United States department of agriculture show that there have "been received from Hol land 1,051 Infested shipments, involv ing 148 kinds of insect pests; from Belgium -1,306 infested shipments, in volving 64 kinds of insects ; from France 347 infested shipments, Involv ing 89 kinds of insects; from England 154 infested shipments, involving 62 kinds of insects ; from Japan 291 In fested shipments, involving 108 kinds of insects ; from Germany 12 infested shipments, Involving 15 kinds of Insect pests. Many of these Intercepted In sects are not known to-be established anywhere In this country, and num bers of ' them. If established, would undoubtedly become Important pests. Typical of the Insects thus import ed, some of which have come In on more than' 1,000 shipments, are the records in relation to gipsy and browp-tail moths. ; ; .Under the system of : Inspection which has been established in . the principal exporting countries there is little excuse for the passing and cer tification of stock infested with the egg masses of the gipsy moth or with the large and rathei conspicuous leafy winter nests of the larvae of the brown-tail moth. In point of fact however, during the period in which the highest possible grade of inspec tion has been enforced no less than 52 different shipments of plants from foreign countries have been f5und to be 'infested with egg masses of the gipsy moth or larval nests of the brown-tail moth. Three of these were from Japan and the others were from France, Holland or Belgium. Unfortun'ately these records do not necessarily comprise the total entry of these two ti They represent merely the Instances of mfesfation discovered by reinspection on this side. Under the law the Inspection of Imported .nursery stock In this Imported Stock Ready for Planting. country Is left to the inspectors of the states, and the finding of Infestation Is there entirely dependent on the . ef ficiency of state inspection. In many states this inspection Is of a high or der, and probably most if not all in stances of infestation are found. In other states the inspection service is inadequately provided for and insuffi cient, and In a few states the .service has little support 'and little If any effi ciency. There is therefore the possi bility that one orjoth of these pests have already gained foothold at one point or another in the United States and have not , yet been discovered and reported. In this connection It should be remembered that the gipsy moth was 20 years in Massachusetts before It was known. '-...v':;:..t,v s , The establishment of these two in sects in different parts of the United States would soon lead to their gen eral spread throughout the country. vvnat. tnis would mean In cost and damage and also in human, suffering can narcuy oe estimated. Only a por tion, of the New England states la now invaded by these insects, and yet the rAHuuure in , ciean-up . and control wor?c, alone amounts to more than; & mil lion : dollnrs a year, by, the states concerned, in addition to an aldlns federal appropriation of upwards of --The ' food supply- would be probably -better selected,; varied and cooked, if. v the . daily supervision ?jwere ;alloted -': definitely to one who has been trained v.for the purpose.' and chosen because of .J capacity for the office. ' " Cake Is to the appetite what mirth is" to the melancholy. , , . .t . ' CAKE MAKING. ' Just a word to those who are yet in experienced In the art of cake making. First of all. have all the materials to be used' , ready at hand before be ginning, or in th midst you will find soine im portant ; Ingredient miss ing which ' will need ; a change of plans. Most cooks have some standard recipe which they will vary with flavoring, spice or fruit, or bake In different shaped tins with different fillings, or frostlngs, which will give a large variety.; vt' - . . L- .The time was when .much creaming of butter - and stirring of sugar and butter was thought the only way to make ,, a butter cake, but' these busy days are teaching us many ways of simplifying 'our work, and cake mak ing, must keep pace.. The shortening, If softened not melted will mix with the sugar and it. takes but a short time to cream It ; add a little hot water or milk; if, hurried for time and then give the mixture a' gobd beating, add ing the eggs beaten and give another good beating. : A fair cake, good, enough for' e very-day use, is one using three , tablespdonfuls of - butter or but ter substitute, one cupful of sugar, half a cupful of milk, two eggs, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder and a cupful and three-quarters . of sifted flour. Add flavoring and bpke lna hot oven. A circle of well-creased, paper placed In the layer tins, as well as deeper tins, "will help to remove the cake without breaking.,, A cake that is baked with as little flour as, will hold it up makes a, much more tender and delicate one. The baking Is 'a most important factor in good cake making. Have,, the oven very hot for layer . cake and bake from .10 ,tov,12 minutes. For a loaf cake which needs 40 minutes to bake, divide the time into quarters. The first ten, minutes see that the cake begins to rise, the second ten 'minutes It finishes rising and begins to brown, the third ten minutes it finishes brown ing and begins to shrink from the pan, then th last ten or quarter it finishes baking. If a cake crackles as if still cooking when ' taken from the oven, put It back for a few minutes. Fruit Layer Cake. For a delicious cake to use for company, or on special occasions, this is excellent. Cream a thpful of shortening, add two cupfuls f warmed sugar to hasten the cream ing, add six well beaten eggs, two and sne-half cupfuls of flour, a cupful of aallk, a teaspoonful of vanilla and three teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Beat well and bake in three layers. Only the possesslqns which we use are of present value to us. A man may have a money fortune, and. yet be poverty stricken in. the very things which that money would buy him. The money is his all the time; but it is of little or no value to ' him because he . lets it alone. WHAT TO, EAT There are few people who feel that a meal has been satisfying that is not finished with some kind of des sert, and usually feel If none is provided, that the dinner Is not a. success." Peach Sherbet. -Put a pound of sugar and a auart of water on to boll 20 minutes ; let cool, then add one and one-half cup fuls of peach pulp, the strained juice of an orange and the juice of half a lemon. . Freeze. ; Date Crackers. Put' a pound of washed and pitted dates, with a cup ful of sugar and half a cupful of water, In a sauce pan and cook until soft and smooth. Cool. Crcnm n' cupful of shortening, add a cup of brown sugari two and one-half cupfuls of rolled oats which have been parched to a light brown , two cupfuls of flour ; stir and mix well; add a teaspoonful jot soda to half a cupful of hot water and stir Into . the mixture. Roll out, cut and place a spoonful of the fruit on. a cooky, cover with another, then bake. Mint Sherbets Soak half a cup of chopped mint leaves In the juice of two lemons and three oranges half an hour.; Boll two cupfuls of sugar and a cup of water five minutes, then pour over the ofVer ' ingrellents. When cold strain into a freezer, add the grated i !nd of the fruit and .the' white of an, egg beaten stiff with a cup of whipped "renin. This sherbet may be served as r a dessert or as an" accom paniment to a lamb roast. V : Junket is as most delicious dessert for a hot day when one wants just a dainty finish to the meal. - Add a tablet of rennin to a quart of lukewarm milk, sweetened and flavored. Stir well after -rushing the tablet and dissolving it In a tablespoonf ul - of water. ' Then pour the mixture Into the ? sherbet, cups or glasses In which it is to be served. When well' set put on ice to chill. -'ir Chocolate pie . may be prepared in the same way. adding'- two squares of melted chocolate, or a prune pie, add Ing" a cup of prunes which have been put througn a jricer., , r The veterans us,d t s deeniv e faces stoop shouldered one Pinned-U1, 'ZLtJ Their deeds flfioHc! . v 31 tronw histories . But there Is s a new veterans BVOPV rr c ., dered ; I very Chestv ,n, good cause. Not ,:eQ turned dfrom thehVHiS an annual reuni ..J nevertheless. try. Savior ofthe,03 3 there is n ctm I And of veterans crying world stage. ThejM war. xney may never Rotel Uuuro UJ- mem in .H the world itself may LK again. ueyerkJ ..These newer veteranre fc fellows who have been fil? the . boy scout movement first-class -scouts. They upon themselves the scout S for. life. They haverS tocai scout authorities for the community in any emerg j ""tuie vxu continue to bJ In' his life whether or not heS the uniform and the badge U order that the movement shaflf 1 "cuamp or tttei). nation most effectively, sms clples should continue to cxnwusu oeij sojut in the active, tlve form which the veteran scoc bodies in his allegiance. '4 A SCOUT PARADISE. I know of a wonderful spot forJ on the edge of a shimmer! .5 And a lake that's as blue as tie J uvci :uu, txim as sweet as thtrf at your door. There the red-winged black-bird caj his mates , to bathe in the iia pond; . ! M And the banks overflow w ith the bias that grow at the touch of Fats , ture's wand. There the soft breezes whisper theses of -rest while away on the ttjj we row; And the swimming is flae in the be sunshine, and at evening the a fire agrlow. There's a jolly old lodge with a joHj crane a-swing in the old flre-pi And a Jolly old chef with a jolly old c on the front of his Jolly old te There we pitch our tents with a rf that s immense and we smooth our bunks with delight; In the blankets we crawl and someii! we fall, to the tune of the w sounds of night Why not Join in our song as were along1, and gather your troop on way; You will hit up scours pace when: get rear the place, and be read: work or for play. ; . .. -By R. N.Rfl SCOUTS BOOSTED IN BOSTO A letter to the Boston Transd signed among others by Charles it lot and A. Lawrence Lowell, sai part : J We are entering an era of rea mepts In wages and prices, b qises lack of employment and els of opinion between employers andi ployees will be inevitable. Unles adopt every reasonable means to? mote right understanding and P feeling between our various grot? unless we keep to the front theW tance of hearty co-operation- hard feeling is sure to begenetf and we' need only read the nefspj to' be warned of the possible res .We cannot expect a .complete' guard against this danger, but .W lie Is coming to recognize that scont movement gives conaflBj prtAection, because it promoWJ tnal understanding and good tt BOHEMIAN BOY SCOUTS Scouts in Prague sounds i xvi i- ,,nHn(r A letter 1-1 there reads : th, p "Bohemia's boy scouts of Scout troop at Prague in tne siovaKian repuDiie r1ct. their brother scouw m ' 'Members of tins iwv - . yacht,' canoe, tramp, winter they skate and 1 sm, camping with sledge "The troop has W"?, rowing boats, two s.. , motorboat. their houseboat, j feet long with club r.1" aie ior w at anchor In Prague SCOUTING ALIVE AT c0tU ' .j.i.-hnf r The University oi n adopted scouting v'-lf'Con3ici says Chancellor S. B. 31J faculty members scouting subjects, aT.f 6 coakery and the ciuu ters have been startea SOLDIER THANKS BOV - -nfPl . Scout Harry M Mass.. is justly ProUd .e s a soldier in w jf. The doagnW of the scout's splendid j p war iaaviugo write He'rVs the bjn4 fJA your earnest lUtrA i xi 1 nA onniOOeo. .S best, and you have done more than L" -iuu,wu annuall- . . . 1 3