Rural Column.

Clutha Leader, Volume III, Issue 145, 20 April 1877, Page 7

Rural Column.

A gentleman who recently arrived from the Lower Warrego, informs the Darling Downs Gazette he left that country m a frightful state of drought. He. was assured by the stockowners that sufficient rain to make grass grow had not fallen for a period extending over three years 5 many places were suffering in an extraordinary degree from jvant of rainfall, the frontage to the river presenting the appearance of a ploughed fieid, not a vestige of grass to be seen. Still, stock were in good condition, some of the cattle being really fat, their stand-by in the way of food having been the saltbush and mulga back from the frontages.

The proprietor of the Darling Downs Gazette, the oldest provincial paper in Queensland, exhibited a commendable degree of public spirit in offering valuable prizes at the late show of the Drayton and Toowoomba Agricultural Society. The competition for the prizes was, however, limited to subscribers to that paper. For the best sample of wheat, 12 bushels, a first-class reaping machine, value L4O, manufactured by Joseph Nicholson, of Melbourne, was offered. For the best three bags of threshed maize, a first-class husking and shelling machine, value LlO 10s. For the largest three, bunches ot grapes, any variety, a combined washing, wringing, and mangling machine, value L 9 ■ and for the best 61b of butter, in lib pats, a washing and wringing* machine, value VLß. We have received a photograph of the third prize bunch of grapes, and some others which competed unsuccessfully. The heaviest bunch weighed 81b 2oz. As the prizes were announced only a week or two before the show, the grapes were not specially grown, for competition. The Darling Downs, it is observed, is an elevated table land of rich volcanic soil, enjoying a climate more temperate than any portion of the colony, and is known in the colony as the garden of Queensland. W heat is extensively grown, as well as maize, barley, and oats. Nearly all English fruits grow to perfection, as well as oranges — the remarkable success of which fruit has encouraged several settlers to lay out extensive orangeries. The vine also flourishes on this tract, giving* splendid results, and the winemaking industry — although yet in its infancy — promises to attain very great importance..

Mead and Wax. — Mead is made in tha following manner : — To every gallon of water put four pounds of honey, and boil for three-quarters of an hour, skimming it well in the meantime. To every gallon of this liquor add an ounce of hops, then boil for half an hour, and let it stand till the following day, when it is to be put into the cask, and to every 13 gallons of the liquor add a quart of brandy. Let it be tightly stopped till the fermentation is over, and then bung it very close. If a large cask be made, a year should elapse before bottlinp-, for smaller casks the time to be proportioned accordingly. Wax is obtained by putting the refuse combs into a cheese cloth, and boiling them in a large pot of water over a slow fire. Tf the bag is held down at the bottom of the pot so much the better. The wax soon rises to the surface, where it appears like oil ; it is skimmed off and strained through flannel kept warm by being placed in front of the fire-. Tt may be again boiled in water and strained to render it more pure, if desired, NEW GRUBBER. The Agricultural Gazette states that a public trial was made on the farm of Mr Coon -in, Moonee Ponds, of a newly introduced grubber and scarifier, for which a patent has been granted to Messrs James Hay and C0.,. 0f Eliza-beth-street. The inventor is Mr W. Craig, Old Meldrum, Aberdeenshire, in which Colony the implement is now generally used in sacrifying and clearing turnip land, for which work it is doubtless well adapted. The shares are three in number ; two are fixed in a circular frame 28 inches in diameter, and the third in the centre of the frarre. They are 7\ inches in widtli, so that they will cut clean a space of 22 £ inches at least. But by causiug the frame partly to revolve they operate on a width of 36 inches, leaving, of course, two strips of soil more or less imperfectly stirred. The best effects therefore are produced when the shares are set at the narrowest gauge.

The following statistics have been published in the Queenslander in reference to the duration of the germinating power of seeds : — " The figures indicates the number of years in each case in which the seeds may be depended upon as preserving their vitality or power of growth, although in most cases thay must not be considered a minimum, of limitation. They represent the periods of time after which the various seeds mentioned have been found perfectly good, and may be of some use as a guide -to those who are uncertain whether to throw away or keep old packets of seeds: — Seeds of artichoke (globe) lasts good forbears, asparagus 4, basella 3, basil 6, beans (garden) 6, beans (French) 2 to 3, beet o, burnet 2,' cabbage 5, cardoon 7, carrot 4, cauliflower /), celery 7., chervil 9, chicory 8, corn salad 4, cress (garden) 5, crass (water) 8, cucumber 5, dande-. lion 1, eggrplant 7, endive 8, fennel; 6, gourds 5, leeks 2, lettuce 5, maise 2, ■melon 5, mustard 5, nasturtium 5,

r. ions 2 to 3, onions (Welsh) 2, orachp 1, parsnip 1, pars-ley 3, pean -i to 5, nepper (long) i, potatoes 4, purslane 8. radish 5, ram;jion 5, rhubarb 3, salsify 2, savory 3, scnrzonera 2, t>orrel % spinach 5, spinach (New Zealand) 5, strawberry 8, thyme 2 to 3, tomato. 5, and turnip £."

WHEAT. The following* is"? an extract from a , paper read by Mr John Fisher at a recent meeting of the Cambridge Club, Auckland : — "-Next to a clean seed bed, it is important to have a good seed. T prefer spring to winter wheat. It is less time in the ground, ripens nearly as soon as winter wheat, and I have found the a erage yield to be larger. As it does not tiller so much, it requires more seed to the acre, but the growth is more rapid, therefore more effectual in keeping down weeds. The time of sowing has a powerful influence in changing the nature of wheat, as by repeatedly growing at any one season wheat can easily be changed in its habits as regards the time of ripening. Wheat is liable to certain diseases, of which smut is one of the most common ; a great number of preparations are recommended for preventing this disease, bluestone being among the surest. My practice has been to place the wheat in a heap, and to every bushel of wheat apply IJ--* oz. of bluestone dissolved in water, at the rate of one gallon to five bushels of seed, turning over the heap until it is thoroughly well mixed ; the grain will absorb the whole of the moisture, and be ready for sowing in the course of two or three hours, and will keep as long as if it had never been steeped at all. It is 18 years ago since I tried this plan, and although my crops hanve ever been entirely free from smut it has been confined to the odd head here and there, and, as far as I have noticed, answers as well as the most laborious one of steeping in tanks or casks. Tt has this great advantage, there is no danger of the wheat sprouting if the sowing is delayed by wet weather, or other cause. Of rust, I cannot speak, as I never been troubled hv it. Sowing broadcast by hand requires some care to spread the seed evenly over the ground, not overlapping, or leaving a vacant spaoe between the casts. The drill is gradually coming into use in the neighborhood of Auckland. By ifc the farmer is able to regulate the ex;ict quantity of seed, to sow it equally all over the field, at a regular depth, to ensure it being properly covered, thereby securing it from the attacks of the sparrow. Dibbling, and even transplanting are completed with the drill in the old conutry. The amount of rolling required will depeud on the nature of the soil. The best time, I think, is shortly after the plant commences to draw its support from the soil instead of the seed. Spring wheat requires to be a little riper when cut than winter wheat when cut, but if allowed to ripen full}*, though not so apt to shake as winter wheat, yet the straw becomes very brittle, and the ear is apt to break off. 1 have come across ears of spring* wheat in which one of tbe rows was entirely blind. The following* peculiarity is noticed by Mr Ilallett, the celebrated grower of pedigree wheat, who, in a description of his plan of selection, says :-=-~" No single circumstance has struck me more forcibly than the. fact that of the grains in the same ears, one is found greatly to excel the others in viral power. Thus, of two ears containing 87 grains planted singly, one produced 10 ears, containing 688 grains, anil not only could the produce of no single grain compare with them, but the finest ]0 ears which could be collected from the produce of the whole of the other 86 grains, contained only 598 grains. The following year the grains from the largest ear the fiuest stool were planted singly one foot apart. One produced a stoolconsisting ol 52 ears, those next to. it on either, side, 29 and 17 respectively, and the finest of all the others only 40 ears."