Rural Column.

Clutha Leader, Volume IV, Issue 207, 28 June 1878, Page 7

Rural Column.

The Victorian potato crop is computed at 20,000 tons under the average.

A cheese weighing 70001bs, made at the Ingersol factory in Canada, required 35 tons of milk for its composition.

The number of sheep is reported to be decreasing annually in the United States. Georgia had 612,618 sheep in 1060, 418,365 in 1876, and 319,323 in 1877.

A correspondent of the Prairie Farmer suggests that agricultural societies should offer liberal premiums to students of meteorology, with a view to obtain reliable predictions regarding the weather of any future season, so that farmers might know what kind of seeds to bow in anticipation.

A Tasmanian paper dated May 18 says : — The flour mill at Orange is now in full swing, and is supplied, not only with Adelaide, but with an excellent New Zealand wheat. The Western Examiner is surprised at this, as " New Zealand has not yet acquired much fame as a grain-producing country. What struck us as a curious fact was that wheat from those colonies can be purchased in Orange cheaper than that grown in the district."

A lump of rock salt always left in the manger tends to keep a horse in health, and it also amuses him to lick it. The owner would perhaps find that the horse would be in better condition if fed four or five times a day on manger food— that is, on chaff and corn — than if fed on hay during the day j but a little hay might be left in the rack during the night. In order to get a horse into condition a quart of nlaltj steamed for an hour or two, and given every evening, is sometimes found beneficial. One-fourth part of the corn may consist of maim A few carrots should be given two or three times a day. The grooms should not be allowed to give the horses sulphur and nitre. The oats with which our horses are fed are always bruised.

A lawsuit even more bothering than the famous action between Nose and Eyes to decide to whom the spectacles ought to belong, has just been brought juge de paix of a village near Toulouse. A peasant had bought a cow of ono of his neighbours for the sum of L2O. The bargain being struck, buyer and seller retired to a quite coroner to pay and receive the money. The buyer holding his new purchaso by a rope, counted down on a stump 20 pieces of 20 francs in gold and a bank note of 100 francs. Urged by an inexplicable caprice, the cow approached the stump and suddenly swallowed the bank note. Strife at once arose between the peasants, one maintaining that he had paid for the cow, and tlie other that he had not received the price of her, adding, moreover, tbat, as the cow now belonged to the buyer and had pocketed the note in her way, the note was still in possession of the purchaser. The unfortunate judj^e to whom they have appealed has asked for time to puzzle' the case out.

It is not supposed that cows kept on a small farm are placed there for the purpose of raising calves for sale. They are placed there for the butter they produce. The question is often asked, Which shall they be, blooded or scrub stock ? The' question is easily answered. Keep only such stock as are hest adapted for the purpose. Our opinion, and also that of the principal dairymen of the country, is that the Jersey (commonly called Alderney) is above all others the best butter cow. They are easily kept, very docile — a point not to be overlooked — and beautiful, giving milk of superior richness, from which is produced fine coloured solid butter, having an equal texture and flavour. Butter made from such milk has been known to keep, when placed in a dry — not cold — cellar, without the use of ice, and when taken out was in a hard firm condition, and was then sold for twelve or eighteen cents a pound higher than the best ordinary butter. The cost of Jerseys is not much more than for scrubs, end they will more than make up the difference in price in a few months. — Live Scock Record.

Does it pay to purchase high-class Shorthorns at what seems extravagant rates ? In England the answer is in the affirmative, and Lord Bective's career in the shorthorn ring is selected as a proof. When the nobleman made such heavy purchases at the New York Mills sale, it appears the prices he paid were stigmatised as " outrageous" or nothing better than gambling, " but," writes a correspondent in the Mark Lane Express, "Lord Bective has quietly bided his time, and can now appeal to the results. Take the case of the Eighth Duchess of Oneida. Her original price was L 2868. Since she came to Underly she has bred two bull calves, missed a calf, and is again in calf. The first sold for 1750 guineas, the second for 3000 guineas, and now the Duchess herself has gone to Mr Allsopp, M.P., for L 4500? Fair commercial interest, this ! Mr Allsopp. has also taken Duchess of Underley 2nd, at L 3000; Grand Duchess of Morecambe, L 160 0; Red Rose of Tweedale, L 100 0; Marchioness lUh, L 50 0; Laday Alicia Bates, L4O0 — four heifers and two cows for Ll 1000. With these prices before us we mnst concede that high-class Shorthorn breeding should pay."— Sydney Mail.

There are more than 150 named varieties of wheat, but in many cases the distinction between them is very slight.

With regard to swine, the United States heads the rolls of all nations with 671 per 1000 of the population, followed by Spain, Denmark, AustroHungary, Portugal, Germany, France, Russia, Great Britain, Sweden, Norway, and Greece, in the order named.

Writing on the advantage of doublefurrow ploughs, the Rangateiki Advocate says : — " One of the best of these implements is said to be that manufactured by Reid and Gray, of Oamaru and Dunedin. This part of the Colony must be made by the plough. Its occupiers cannot afford to lounge about on leggy, long-tailed, weedy hacks looking after a few scabby sheep and humpbacked bullocks."

The North Britis-i Agriculturist states that a Cheviot ewe, which had been driven in a flock from Northumberland to Sutberlandshire, was found one day on her old pasture^ folio-wed by her lamb, having traced her way back hundreds of miles, probably from hill, with many devious unrecorded wanderings. Another ewe of the same breed found her way back from Caithness-shire to Roxburghshire.

The farmer (says Town and Country) often loses the richest portion of the cow's milk either by not milking her clean or by taking his Bhare of the milk first and then allowing the calf to " strip " her. Set a pan of milk, and the cream' will rise to the top, on the the same, principle that grease will float on water. The cream is composed of those cells of fatty matter out of which butter is made. Being lighter than milk or water, it rises to the top. It is the same way in the cow's udder, which is nothing more or less than a milking-pan. The cream is on the top to a certain extent, and hence the " strippings " are by far the richest Some people moke a practice, where economy is necessary, in order to supply butter for a large family, of saving a pint of " strippings " from each cow, and pouring it directly into the churn with the cream. If tho calf is not weaned let it have its portion first, and keep the last part. The cow is much easier milked after the calf has moistened the teats, and these should then be carefully washed before milking. The Daily Times thus summarises the returns recently published : — The complete agricultural returns for the colony of New Zealand show that in February last there were 20,519 holdings of over one acre in extent, of which 13,178 were freehold, 5102 rented, and 2239 part rented and part freehold. The extent of land broken up, but not under crop, was 272,605 acres. The area of land in wheat was 243,406 acres, estimated to produce 6,336,369 bushels; in oats, 31,351 acres for green fodder or hay, and 190,344 acres for grain, estimated to produce 6,029,902 bushels; in barley, 25.713 acres, estimated to yield 576,823 bushels ; in potatoes, 17,564 acres, estimated to produce 94,478 tons; in other crops, 138.455 acres ; total number of acres under crop, exclusive of land under grass-is, 641,833 acres; in hay, 45,090 acres, estimated to yield 58,671 tons; in grasses, after having been broken up (including land in hay), 1,007,454 acres ; grass sown lands not previously ploughed (including land in hay), 1,531,385 acres. Compared with the returns for 1877, these figures show an increase of 14,653 acres in. the extent of land broken up, but not under crop ; and an increase of 161,722 acres in the area of land under crop, exclusive of land under grasses.

A safe general rule may be followed in the kitchen garden — a rule which most farmers understand very well — namely, that plants grown for their roots and plant*-* grown for their seeds should follow each other in succession. As an instance, potatoes may be followed by peas, cauliflowers may be followed by potatoes •; for though a cauliflower is not exactly grown for its seed, practically it amounts to the same thing. It is really a pity that the farmers are so wedded to the everlasting potatoes and cabbage, as if nothing else was fit to grow or to eat Potatoes and cabbage are both good vegetables ; but are not cauliflowers, and parsnips, and peas, and beans equally deserving a place in the garden 1 There does not appear to be any reason why a farmer should not have as many good kinds of vegetables on his table as a nobleman, provided he has sufficient extent of garden ground to grow them, A succession of greens should be kept up all the year round. There is no difficulty whatever in doing this, if only successional sowings be made in spring and autumn. For winter use there should be broccoli, cabbage, kale, and savoys; for summer, cauliflowers, and cabbage, peas should be sown at regular intervals from February to June, and a couple of sowings of beans — one the end of February, the othor the end of March. Nor should a liberal supply of onions and parsnips be forgotten, getting the seed sown as early in March as possible. By a little attention to details, a farmers table may be supplied with a variety of vegetables all the year round, the expense incurred being merely nominal. The two great points to bear in mind are a full summer and a full winter supply, and these can only be secured by successional .sowings in -the spring and autumn;