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Show JgWHEE KILLS BEETLES IN EARLY SPRING ' , -'s; r- VPV4 . 7 Towhee" The Upper Part of Eody Is Black; the Under White and the Sides Chestnut. (Prepared tiy the United States Department Depart-ment of AKTieulture.) After snow has disappeared In the early spring an investigation among the leaves near a fence or in a thicket will often disclose the little bird known as the towhee, chewink, or ground robin, scratching for his dinner like a hen. This dinner will consist of beetles and larvae of insects harmful harm-ful to crops, which have been spending spend-ing the winter under old leaves. The good which the towhee does in this way can hardly be overestimated, since the death of a single insect at this time, before it has had an opportunity oppor-tunity to deposit its eggs, is equivalent equiva-lent to the destruction of a host later In the year. The towhee has also been credited with visiting potato fields and feeding upon the potato beetle Its vegetable food consists of seeds and small wild fruits, hut no complaint on this score is known to have been made So far as observation observa-tion goes, the bird never touches either cultivated fruit or grain; in fact, it Is too shy and retiring even to stay about gardens for any length of time. The towhee breeds from the middle states northward and winters in the southern half of the country. Naturally Natural-ly associated with catbird and brown thrasher, it lives in much the same places, though it is more given to haunting hedgerows along roads and fences. "Some Common Birds Useful to the Farmer" is the title of Farmers' Bulletin Bulle-tin No. 630 of the T'nited States department de-partment of agriculture, which describes de-scribes other useful birds. The pamphlet pamph-let may be had by applying to the department. de-partment. Management of the Sow During Pregnancy. Preg-nancy. The breeding season for spring litters lit-ters has just passed and the time for the sow to give birth to her young is at hand. During pregnancy two facts must be borne in mind. The first is that the sow is doing double duty. Not only is she keeping up her own bodily functions, func-tions, but the development of the litter Is an increasing drain on her system. Feeding at this time should be liberal, although it need not be so heavy as after the pigs are farrowed. The sow's condition should be "good" neither nei-ther too fat nor too lean. A very fat sow is apt to be clumsy with her pigs, and Bome times her pigs are lacking in vitality. The very thin sow will either not do justice to her pigs, or will become a mere wreck herself during dur-ing the time she is nursing her litter and the chances are that both these things will happen. The necessity of exercise must not under any circumstances circum-stances be overlooked. This may be provided by a large lot or even driving the hogs slowly for a short distance each day. In the second place, the main demands de-mands upon the sow are those for the building of new tissue. Therefore, the kind of feed is important. The nitrogenous nitro-genous or protein bearing feeds are needed at this time. These are bran, oil meal, peas, beans, oats and barley. The clovers, alfalfa, peas, beans, vetches etc., are also of much value to the brood sow. Special emphasis should be laid on the condition of the bowels during pregnancy and particularly particu-larly at farrowing, the special danger to be avoided being constipation. The grain ration should be given as slop and toward the close of the period of gestation, oil meal, or a small amount of flax meal should be Introduced into the ration Corn should not be fed In large amounts to breeding stock, because it does not furnish enough bone-and-muscle-forming constituents to properly prop-erly develop the unborn pigs. If possible, pos-sible, corn should not be fed at all to any but fattening animals. Hog Craves Green Feed. During the winter more care will be needed to keep the sow in good condition condi-tion on account of the absence of pasture. pas-ture. Not only does the hog's system crave green feed, but more or less bulk is demanded. To offset the lack of green feed, nothing surpasses roots These may be sliced or pulped and mixed with the grain or may be given whole as a neon feed. Care must be used in feeding roots, as they are laxative laxa-tive in effect, and if fed in excessive amounts, may bring about profuse action ac-tion of the bowelo. Some eastern farmers recommend the use of silage, clover, alfalfa, hay, sheaf oats or corn fodder to supply the bulky requirement require-ment of the ration. Charcoal, asheB, lime, and salt should be accessible at all times. These act as a vermifuge and preventive of disease and meet the hog's craving for mineral matter in the feed. During the entire period care should be taken to keep the system sys-tem well toned. The sow should become be-come accustomed to being handled and should look upon her attendant as a friend. The brood sows may run together up to within two weeks of farrowing time; then it Is well to separate them, placing each sow by herself in a yard with a small house, which should be dry, airy, and clean. A great deal of exercise will not now be necessary. The feed should be reduced somewhat and if there is any tendency to constipation, consti-pation, a slight change of feed may be necessary. The farrowing pen should be provided pro-vided with fenders around at least three sides about six to eight inches from the floor and six to eight inches from the wall. These should be strong enough to support the weight of the sow should she lie on them. They are constructed to protect the pigs from being lain upon during the first few days of their lives. This will go far to prevent a very fruitful cause of loss among young pigs for the little fellows will soon learn to creep under these fenders when the sow lies down |