ITEMS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 878, 7 February 1879, Page 4 (Supplement)

ITEMS.

A correspondent of the London Standard gives an account of the fruits of Afghanistan, -which recalls to mind the report of the Israelitish spies on their return from the brook of Eshcol. He says :—" The fruit all along the line of march is cheap, and in great quantity. As for its quality, I have never seen it equalled in any country of the world. There is one kind of grape of which it is no exaggeration to say that each one is the size of a large walnut, and the bunches are often so long that a tall man cannot hold them clear of the ground." Peaches have been sold in the Western States of America for two pence halfpenny a bushel, and grapes for three farthings a pound. j

A famous horse breeder of France has reared his stock for twenty years on a diet of parsnips instead of carrots and oats, with the result of "great vivacity of spirit, and sleekness of coat" —conclusive evidence of healthful condition. The yield is about twelve tons per acre; the roots can remain safely in the ground, evendurnig an "Icelandic winter," it is said, and efforts are being made to extend their cultivation for cattle and milch cows.

The customary Agricultural Returns for the United Kingdom have been issued under the able and judicious direction of Mr. Giffen. Taken as a whole, the salient features may be pronounced as satisfactory. We note that for the ])ast year the total quantity of land in the United Kingdum, including the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, returned as under cultivation is 47,327,000. Heath, mountain land, and woods and plantations are excluded. The most noticeable feature in the returns still continues to be the increase of permanent pasture. Of the 1.500,000 acres which Mr. Giffen shows that there are now under cultivation in excess of what there were ten years ago, very nearly 1,200,000 are laid down in grass. It is a mistake to expect to succeed at farming without plenty of good honest work. Some men may have made money without work, but no farmer ever made a crop without a good deal of that indispensable article. More than one-fourth of the annual consumption of agricultural produce of Great Britain, according to James Caird, is now obtained from foreign countries. Of breadstuffs they get about one-half from abroad; and of meat nearly one-fourth of the whole supply. An" Oregon paper states that recently a team hitched to a self-binder ran away through a standing field of wheat containing about 100 acres. Strange so say, the machine kept together, and bound every bundle that came to it with lightning rapidity. When the team was stopped, it had nicely bound about 150 bundles.

Dr. Adam Clark has made this curious calculation :—" Suppose that each thistle has 80 heads, each containing only 300 seeds; the first crop is 24,000;' the second, 276,000,000; the third, 13,824,000,000,000 ; the fourth, 31,776,000,000,000,000 ; the fifth, 7,962,624,000,000,000,000,000. This wounderful power of reproduction should teach every man to attack and destroy the thistle whenever found. Peach stone kernals are rich in hydrocyanic acid. One grain of this poison is considered a fatal dose for an adult, and two-thirds of a grain would probably kill a child. A case of poisoning occurred lately by eating peach stone kernals.

A new invention, of great practical utility both to " the horse and its master," is shortly to be introduced to the public at Astley's Theatre, in a new and simple form of harness, by which, should the horse fall down, the driver can, by the pressure of a spring, instantaneously release the animal from all connection with the vehicle and almost as rapidly readjust it. A Berlin paperstates that the Colorado beetle has made good its establishment in ."Russian territory. In the neighborhod of Ssuwalki (Russian Poland), the potato crops have been almost devastated by the pest, and what little remained of them was necessarily at once destroyed, to prevent the extension of the disaster. The fact is causing considerable anxiety in German agricultural districts on the Russian frontier, owing to the absence of any regularly organised provisions for meeting such an unexpected visitation in the Czar's dominions, crowded as the country is with, spies and police of all kinds.

Mr. Allsop, of Hindip, has purchased the shorthorn cow Airdrie Duchess 3rd, imported to England from America by

Mr. Beattie. The enormous gmL6OOO was refused for her and v heifer-calf. **>

The exportation of live stock f M Canada has increased amazingly durM the past three years. The o'ffieiaUfl turns for 1877 (from February ]!s 1877, to February Ist, 1878) have b issued, and they show that the mta\l of animals exported were nearly 0 half more than the returns for the v"' preceding. Altogether the Can a £ exports for 1877 have realised 1,092 Jo. dols. over those of 1876.

The annual hop circular of M W. H. and H. Le May states that tW is a fair supply of prolines and o th early hops on the market, the q Ua ]j? of which is, witli but few exception very indifferent, most of them beS very bad in color, anil diseased. tt° crop this year will, it is estim a J. reach to at least 300.000 old duty large proportion of which will )%\ poor color and quality.

On the Muir o' Blair, an extend tract of land lying between Ehtitgowri' and Couper Angus, strawberries J grown on a large scale. It ere tj le are from 20 to 30 farmers who on nothing else for a livelihood, 'n fruit is gathered as it ripens, and i* into barrels capable of holding 1 cwt. to 3 cwt., and in this way 60 tons leave the Muir annually for tl preserve works of Dundee, Glasg 0 » Edinburgh, Arbroath, Dumfries, auj Belfast. On the seven years' grort of the plant the average value is L 25 per acre, and when it is in its tbjj or fourth year as much as L4O or Lj may be realised from the crop.

The Scandinavian nations, »| thought themselves so ill-used by IV, land in regard to imports of jealous enough of that country. Jj Veterinary department of the Prff, Council publishes the fact that tin Norwegian government, by an edij dated August 17th, absolutely prohftl the import from Great Britain of eitfo horned cattle, sheep, goats, or dogs.

The English Cart Horse Society j already more or less supported by tlliit counties in England, while Irelani Scotland, Wales, and America are uls represented. There are now upwaj of 300 members, which augurs well f the success of the Association. %

counties of Cornwall, Cumberlai Gloucestershire, Hants, Hereford, Nort umberland, Monmouth, Rutland, Shra shire, and Westmoreland are as yetn; represented, but it is to be hoped ttf soon will be.

An Irish contemporary propounds view of the " agricultural situatio: which, while perhaps by no mca: novel, lias the merit of being express with epigrammatic brevity. Once, w our friend, it was— Man to the plough, Wife to the cow, Girl to the sow, Boy to the mow,

And your rents were netted, But times are changed, and now it isMan, tally ho ! I Miss, piano, Wife, silk and satin, Boy Greek and Latin, And all are gazetted. —Agricultural Gazette. The prize-sheet for the Royal Slit next year promises to be a most libei one, especially for foreign biwds horses, cattle, and nliecp. frizes i foreign Shorthorns will be offered I the Shorthorn Society of Great Brih and Ireland, and the remainder of tl prizes will be given by the Mara House Committee. At the prat time it is contemplated to offer pi for Charolais, Garonnais, Limoiis Norman, Breton, Dutch, Flemish, Sw Spanish, Portuguese, Angela, and Ji land breeds of cattle, as well as I " other foreign breeds" respectively! meat-producing and milking purpoa The amounts of the prizes have not; been announced. The Society's pis and permanent buildings have been! moved to the site of Kilburn, which» fixed upon for the Exhibition.

A better proof of the importance the newly-developed industry of ostrii fanning could hardly be given than l brief announcement made recently the South African Press, that il public sale of ostriches at Middled 20 pairs of breading ostriches reali an average of £2OO per pah. " lowest price given for a single cot] was .£l3O and as much as £2Bs' paid for one pair of birds. We belK even these prices have been exceeded the case of well known breeders, a recent sale of ostrich feathers at F Elizabeth a parcel of selected real the fancy price of £67 15s per lb., about 15s. for each separate feall Similarly high prices were paid other qualities, and this notwithstJ ing a large increase in the supply. The following figures will she* rapid increase in this trade :—ln I 1 the quantity of ostrich feathefl ported from the Cape of Good B was 2,2971b., valued at £19,261. years later the quantity had inert more than twelvefold . and the ' fivefold. In 1873 the quantity 31,5811b., and the value £lss, while last year the value had inert to £393,406.

Beales was an agriculturist, (* inch of liini. He had an amateur* in his back yard. He had clii* and ducks, and a great big tui'kefi! termattusses, and terpunkins, aiw* fruit, all growing side by side- j turkey was Beales' pride. He'd W life on it every time. He'd beenjfj that turkey all he could hold for** back, and the turkey reciprocal, getting as voluptuous as an aIfWJ Beales thought that it was and proposed to. have it for dio* Sunday last. Every time the Bealeses would look into the cooP ( mouths would water, and ,u " Yum, yum, yum." They had & neighbors' boys in inspecting *"'' * coming martyr, and the little would get ungry while looking bird. On Friday little Toning found a box of Brandreth's motion pills in the kitchen P wondered if the turkey could ea E He would try. The turkey di* Beales went out with an &~> Saturday night, he saw the tmw but a skeleton. Beales dined on salad and sardines next day-