MISCELLANEOUS.

Southland Times, Issue 1687, 10 January 1873, Page 1 (Supplement)

MISCELLANEOUS.

Enj?lish fermers give the preference to turnips for milch cows bier everf other kind of root, accounting them considerably superior for butter-making' to carrots or mangle- wurzela. The milk induced by inangle-wurzels is large in Bupply, but of poorer quality, aud not nearly so productive of cream as' that resulting from the use of turnips, and the taint, given by the former roots is more objectionable and less easy to obviate or overcome to a passable degree. In giving carrots to milch cows, the chief recommendation they have is the absence of all unpleasant . taste in the butter, as the milk is neither so abundant nor so rich as that obtained iv turnip feeding. It does not follow jthat although we have plenty of rain the soil will? remain moist. Evaporation is very active beneajth our hot summer suns. Heavy showers tend to compact the soil and render it. j impervious to water, which remans on i the surface until evaporated. . Little benefit then accrues, unless the bard | crust caked by the sun is broken up and the soil mellowed by cultivation. It is then rendered porous and absorbent, and | is less inclined to give up its moisture .at the demand of the scorching heat ; while at night, cooling more rapidly than the air, it recondenses and retakes in abundance the moisture it has been forced to give up during the day. Thus the crop never suffers during a succeeding drbught, | for tbe soil is always in a condition to supply its needs from the atmosphere wheu denied a supply from the clouds. Years ago, experiments made in England showed that burnt clay reduced to fine powder was a most valuable fertiliser. The crushing of the burnt clay way be performed in several ways according to the appliances most readily availatfte. , It may be ground in a mill, be crushed, or beaten, or by a heavy roller moving over the smooth, hard surface, or by revolving crushing wheela like those' used for grinding clay or crushing flax-seed; This method of manuring is not designed to do away with tbe use of dung that is produced by animals kept for meat, milk, or labor. It is said, too, that experience has- shown that the thoroughly preparing of* small quantity of soil b> burning and pulverising it, renders it unnecessary to plough and harrow , the great bulk of the soil to the extent that is ordinarily, done. This certainly would be in atccor^ d&'nce with . abcierttific - tbeoriea. pulvetißed soil ia t^pable' of easy solution iqt comparison with that which is in ; ha^d : masses. The partides of' limestone a^e; converted into quicklime by the prqpeps of burning, while much of tbe^Bilica as rendered soluble by the same- means.' lito these we add the products 5 ojF the combustion of the \" fuel, ; we /have, : ail the elements o| fertility, ' -