ITEMS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 981, 11 June 1879, Page 4 (Supplement)

ITEMS.

At a meeting of the Edinburgh Botanical Society, Mr. Sadler, the recently appointed curator, referred to the severity of the past winter as being unexampled, at least in this generation ; and said the frost had entered the ground to a depth of irom 16 to 18 inches.

The total wool clip of the "United States for 1878 is estimated at 211,000,0001b5., which is the largest in the history of the country. Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas are rapidly increasing their production of wool. The California Wool product of 1878 reached 41,402,5001b5., which shows a deficit of 11,301,400 lbs., as compared with 1877, and 15,188,470 lbs. less than 1576.

It has been observed that in a single English paper 150 farms maybe seen advertised to let; bankruptcies, which were wont to be rare amongst farmers, mounted to 800, or four times their nominal average during 1878, and from the untoward opening of the present year, they may be still more numerous in 1879.

In a work on the phosphatic deposits of Russia, Alexis Yermoloff remarks, " We do not think that we exaggerate when we say that Central Russia reposes on phosphate of time, vitli which she is able to pave halt of Europe. 1 -"e rlpposit between the The area of _ ... Dnieper and Volfjn. rivers alone, is estimated at fifty millions of acres. '' A grain elevator is being constructed in New York, says the American Country Gentleman, through which, with the aid of steam shovels, a " car load " of grain can be conveyed from the " car " to a vessel in eight minutes. A vessel of 1400 tons can thus be loaded in about four hours.

It is stated that peach kernels act powerfully in causing precipitation of matter suspended in water. A Dutch hotel-keeper in the Transvaal, clarifies the turbid water of the district, it is stated, by throwing half-a-dozen dried peacli kernels, slightly cracked, into a large butt of water. In an hour or two, muddy water will be found to be quite clear. The truth of this may be easily ascertained by those interested. Benzine is said to be such an excellent vermin and moth killer, that it has been adopted in all the Austrian military establishments. The wool trade between Chicago and Colorado and other western points has already assumed larger proportions, and is yearly increasing. The pelts of slaughtered sheep are sent with the wool on. This is either sheared off or pulled out, and shipped forward when received at the great tanneries of Chicago, the pelts only being used. . The estimates of the National Department of agriculture in the United States of America show that in January, .1878, there were in the whole country, 10,329,700 horses, 11,300,100 milch cows, 19,223,300 oxen and "other cattle, " . 35,740,500, sheep, and 32,262,500 hogs. The State of Illinois has the greatest number of horses ; the State' of New-York has the- greatest number of milch cows-; Texas' 'is first with oxen and other cattle, arid Illinois next; the greatest ntimber of .sheep are:in California, which has 6,561,000: and Ohio has 1 3,783,000 Texas having nearly 'as many; whilst' lowa has 2,783,000 hogs, Missouri, Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois. : coining suooessivaly. in order. , , A Hew: York farmer says of Guinea, hens, that each. one will, keep an acre of potatoes clear .of bugs, and will, answer every purpose of a barometer in predicting storms. He also says that they will not scratch, and lay more and better eggsi than, the.;common .hen.—N. H. Farmer. •

W. Muller states. that in a series of experiments recently made, frogs that were frozen iri'blocks of ice for eight hours, were alive arid breathed normally as 'soon as the ice wa§ thawed. Of two. of these creatures, of equal weight, the •more, voracious ; consume:d v the larger quantity: of' .oxygen. : "" A most extraordinary fi-eak of nature (says thie" Moraya Liberal) # was related by Dr.-King''to several gentlemen, which forms quite, a, study for naturalists. Some . short time' since Mrs. King logtjher wedding aing whilst mix-ing-iip some foodi for the fowls, and had given up all hopes of findingit.... Yesterday morning,"whilst partaking of. an. egg," she felt something hard inside, arid jipon .examination;''fountt'.!- majf' tiieejjg. This

circumstance- is really wonderful, appears almost incredible; but -as Dr' King vouches for its accuracy, we jj£' lieve it to be true. It is certainly a ' " nut" we cannot crack, and -will form problem for the scientific to crack. :«j

If 100 heads of clover contain 08' grains of sugar, then 125 heads of clover hold precisely 1 grain of saccharine matter, and 12f>,000 he-ads 1 kilograttf of sugar. Now, estimating the number of tubes in a flower of clover to be 60 the bee, in order to cet 1 l-rilocnnni 0 f honej% must visit ">,600,000 Hovers • or to make a pound of honey, '_!,.")00,0fi() :flower.«.- Truly, " how doth tin: bu sy bee/' and besides rill this lie iii the wax gratis.—Qaeo a \\v>4;. N°w MoJp of iVp.M'i'vi.i!; - Mr. Joseph K. Boone, of lioo:i.;vii; e Mo., is the inventor of a new |,|-,, v<4 for preserving egg-?. it Is sisfc of a compound of alum an! ] in equal pi-opm-tinn:-;, dissolvi-d i , ; water, in which the owrs arr» and allowed to ivtutiin for ten .se.-sin, A cement is formed on the •.•;.-^-slivll > producing ail air-tight-, polished —Canada Mail. Remedy for Skin Sores on Horses.— To cure and heal up places of broken skin on the shoulders of draught horses dissolve six drachms of iodine in half a pint of alcohol, and apply it on the soro with a feather as soon as the collar is removed, and when at rest twice a day, morning and evening. The article should be in the stable of every ostler, as it is an excellent application on horses, where the skin is broken by kicks or other accidents, and is a sure cure for splints if used in a proper manner, says an exchange.—San Francisco Bui. letin.

Why Flowers Open at Different Hours.—Sir John Lubbock alludes to the fact that flowers have certain par. ticular horn's for closing. This habit is a very curious one, and different flowers have different hours for repose, lie reason, perhaps, is as follows: —Flowers which are fertilized by nocturnal lejridoptera and other night flying insects would possess no advantage in remaining open during the daytime, and those which are fecundated by bees would gain nothing, by remaining open at night, The closing of flowers, then, is connected with the habits of insects. Besides, it should be remembered that tin opening and closing of flowers ore gradual, and tliafc the hours vary much according to circumstances. At the Birmingham show it is said that LlO was offered and refused for " Lady Dartmouth's Silver Polish lien," A prize light brahma rooster and silverlaced bantams brought L2O each; a houdan and a dark dorking eight audi half guineas. The sum of £llsO has been refuset for an English shire-bred horse. Tliii is said to be the largest figure that Lai ever been offered in England for a cart stallion.

The question of infected milk is attracting much attention at tliii moment on the continent. It is sought to discover Avhether or no the milk o! cows that have become consumptive bj being kept pent up in large cities, I capable of communicating that fearful disease to young children. In the Italian section of the Vienn exhibition was shown a table-top cobposed of portions of human muscle, fat, sinews, .and glands, all petrifiedinti a single block by Mazini's process,,™ polished until its surface resemlilft marble. At a meeting of tlu v Cork !' unnerc Club recently. Alderman "i that their few remaining industries w threatened with a further decline. Even pound of oatmeal now sold in the citj of Cork was manufactured in Canadi That oatmeal could be sold in Cork fa £4 a ton under Irish oatmeal.

There is now living in the parishi Bolton, near Wigton, says the Irii Farmers' Gazette a small farmer, years old, who was observed by a cor respondent a few days ago busily tlading corn with a flail. He expressed Is intention, if spared, to thresh the wki of his corn, nine stacks, in the san manner. A German agriculturist has calculi that the droppings of 1000 sheep durinj a single night would manure an acre o. land sufficiently. | On stiff clays barley may yield» greater produce, but it is of a coaiser quality. On light chalky soils i| » thin skinned, rich in color, ancj light- in weight, well adapted for malting. On loamy lands saiifly BUffo it assumes grgatey. plumpness, yet still retains it piajting quality. English papers say they never have known so many farms of the better class in the market. They say if u'J man will take a pen and correct the prices of any former year's balance by the prices of to-day, h® wilj find sufficient cause for apprehension. Recently a cow belonging to Mr* William Mase®, p.f Outerthwaite Farm, near -Gvangeoyer Sjinds, Nortji shirp, produced four calves, twq bullf and two heifers, to the Holker bred sirfl (owned by Mr, Mason), Barpn Windsor 4th." Both dam and calves are doing well, and they, as well ftstliO sire, are all white, ' ' ;

The Clydesdale Horse Association of England will offer at the next sliow of the Royal Agricultural Society at LoD' don, two cups of £25 each for the best f male and female Clydesdale in the yard) The Secretary of the Clydesdale A 6BOO ' 1 ation is also authorised to wggest to the Royal Agricultural Sooiety the propriety of .offering premiums for Clydesdale colta and fillies. Steam ploughing' has yield of wheat 50 per cent it\ Algpriil; The superiority of Soofch oatmeal said to be partly to the being; cut ratlierS' glazy,'' that is, with a shade pf- gr£eri iipon it. Oat stra* is fa;* Itess nourishing for cattle when the crop is allowed to stand till it is dead ripe. Early cut oats 1 are heavier pe? bushel, fairer to the eye, and muallj sell for more money.' To destroy weeds on gravel walks soak them with carbolic acid, about the strength of one of acid to forty part* of water, 'This plan ia very successful) but will need to be repeated at lew® once a year) "• • A Califorhian writer says that posts painted with'linseed oil and powdere oharcoal will last for years. He says"Put a coat of this mixture over tM timber and: there is not a manwho wil live to see it rot."