Farming Items.

Feilding Star, Volume XV, Issue 341, 16 June 1894, Page 4

Farming Items.

In the metropolis of London tbe omnibus horse is generally worn out in five years, tbe tram horse in four, the post office horse in six, and the brewers' in from six to seven. A rather serious outbreak of swine fever has taken place in several districts in the county of Limerick, and the occurrence will, it is feared, injuriously affect the Inch bacon curing trade in the south of Ireland. It is reported that, not long ago, a cow belonging to a farmer in Scotland gave birth to four calves, all living. Though small, the calves were healtby and well developed. It haa been suggested that not a few farmers might make their dairies much more profitable if they would give come hard study to tbe nature of different grasees, with a view to improving their pasturee. At tbe end of last February no less than thirteen steamers landed at Liverpool during one week from American and Canadian ports 3281 cattle, 3137 sheep, lS,l92qrs of beef, aim 1375 carcases of mutton. These figures were much larger than for the preceding weeks. Lord Ashburton had given instructions that his 8000 acres in Essex and (Somersetshire, which would be brought to the hammer at tbe end of April, were to be parcelled out into lots, so as to give his tenants an opportunity of acquiring their holdings. Potatoes are for general feeding purposes in ruund figures worth about double the valu^ of mangels, ton for ton. This general statement will apply in thecase of cows kept for buttermaking, potatoes being a very satisfactory food for this purpose. It scarcely pays to cook them, as tbe animals eat them raw, and thrive on them. It is said that no less than fourteen millions ot th« inhabitants ut F -uce, or three-fourths of the a«,ricu mru. population, are engaged in farming on furrus uftwetty acres or less, general. > much less, t here are 4,502,G9? o these farms, winch cover an area o 'J4,'J00,214: acres. Butter, fgtfs, chickens, vegetables, fruit, milk, cueese, and in a way, caith; bheep uiid swine, are ihe Usual products. At Wrexham, in iMigland, three lo cal firms have been prosecuted by the Bacon Curera' Association of Great i>ntain and Ireland lor selling foreign bacon and bams as home produce. In one case, ior having bold Danish bacon as pale Wiltshire, a fine of 40s and costs was imposed, in auotuer case it firm and the <oreinan were charged wLh selling xmericau bacon as ' choice home-ied," in ttie evidence the loremau was solely 10 biume, an.l he wus fiiu (I Jb'i, the case v. aiust bauBuu being dismissed. In another case ior selling /inierican bam as " prime home led," the fine was 40s ana costs.