Notes and Gleanings.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 384, 13 July 1889, Page 4

Notes and Gleanings.

A South African Visitor, — Mr Christian Water nieyer, a well-known sheep farmer of Graaff-Reinefc, South Africa, visited the Australian colonies recently to see for himself the position of the sheep industry in that part of the world. From Melbourne he wrote to a friend the other day, and the following excerpt from his letter may not bo uninteresting: —"I can almost say that ever since I have been here I have been up to my neck in sheep and shows. The veiy day after my arrival the Melbourne Show opened, and I had enough to occupy me two days going through it. Combine all our shows in one and you will hardly come up to this show for machinery, stock, etc. — counted by hundreds of entries. The only disappointment of the show was in the sheep, but that was accounted for by a special show of sheep held on Tuesday and Wednesday, and the show there was certainly not disappointing. I was a day on my legs attending thesale of stud sheep, but the best sheep went at unapproachable prices— £soo, £600 and £630. Anyway, they would not have suited me as the fashion for sheep here is Lincoln (or geelvei). I was disappointed in the Victorian ewes offered for sale. They were not at all up to the mark, and I would not buy, as I consider [ I have as good myself. This much I learned. That Tasmania, not Australia, is the place to go for sheep. All I bought were Tasmanian, and I found that all the famous breeders of Victoria cultivate the Tasmanian sheep. lam glad I came over here, as I now find out how utterly ignorant wo are about the Australian sheep."

A Strange Result of Irrigation.— A Californian paper has the following : — "Several years ago, when irrigation was first begun extensively in Tulare county, so much water was taken from Tulare Lake that the borders thereof were exposed and became dry for a distance of four or five miles all aroued. The ever vigilant landgrabbers noted this tact, and they gobbled up the land under the provisions of the Swamp Land Act. Some of the grabbers, who sold their claims, made large sums ot money, but others have come to grief. It seems that so much water has been used in that section that the earth, to a distance of many feet, is completely saturated. In the towns the wafeer percolates into the cellai's, as if siping through a new levee. Another result has been that the Tulare Lake is getting back much of its water, and where the festive land-grabber drove his stake several years ago there is fifteen feet of water. Of course, so long as irrigation continues, there are no hopes of the lake again receding, but, on the contrary, the lake is likely to become larger and deeper."

A Foot-rot Medicine. — There are thre c essentials for a successful foot-rot medicine' says a correspondent of the National Stock' man. It must be slightly caustic, in liquid form and cheap enough to use freely. Ib is highly important that it bo a liquid, so it can penetrate all the hiding places of the disease. After experimenting with about all the known, aud some of the unknown kinds, I find nothing equal to blue vitriol dissolved in vinegar. Vitriol is formed by the union of sulphuric acid and copper, and from this acid cur medicine derives its caustic properties. The vinegar is an acid, but so weak that it does nob affect animal substances. While the vitriol will dissolve in cold vinegar, the solution can be made stronger by the application of heat. The addition of a little tarpentine makes the mixture more penetrating. This preparation is cheap, easily made, and vrill cot stain the hands or eat|the clothing. It can be applied with a swab or allowed to drop from a bottle by means of a perforated cork.

A Horse which Wears Spectacles. — The American Druggist tells of a horse which wears spectacles. The farmer which owned it having come to the conclusion, from various symptoms, that the animal was shortsighted, got an oculist to take the necessary measurements, and had a pair of spectacles manufactured for it. They are made to fasten firmly into the headstall, so that they do not shake out of place. At first the horse appeared startled by this addition to its harness, but it soon got used to the glasses, and liked them. "In fact," said its owner, " when I turned it out to pasture it feels uneasy and uncomfortable without the goggles; and last Sunday it hung; around the barn and winnied so plaintively that I put the headstall and goggles on ib; and it was so glad that ib rubbed my shoulder with its nose. Then it kicked up its heals and danced down the pasture." This is only a variant of Joe Miller's cow which wore green spectacles, and ate shavi ings, thinking they were grass. Then there are the humane and magnifying spectacles invented by the German professor, whopitied the horses which suffered in break; ing in from the manifold cruel appliancesof the horsecoper. In place of heavy .curb. bits and bearing reins, used to produce^the " Piccadilly prance," his magnifying spectacles were used. These made the, paving stones look like boulders, over which the horses tried to step, and they thus acquired the fashionable, gait. ' ;.