MISCELLANEOUS.

Waikato Times, Volume V, Issue 291, 24 March 1874, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

Cook, the billiard champion, has performed th» unprecedented feat of scoring 933 off one break. He had once before scored 752, and bad often said that he expected some day to score the 1000. This h*» was rery no r doing a few days ago. He was playing against Joseph Bennett who had scored 386. when he had to sit down and see Cook, who was at 152, finish the game. In Mr Cook's break were 296 spot strokes, 273 of which were consecutive. It is said thai a* large scores have been made at the American game, but that game is played with four balls, and consists of winning, hazards, cannons, and forfeits. There was extraordinary excitement and enthusiasm in th« room when Cook reached the higher figures. The great objection among farmers to raising root cropi is the great danger of the destruction of the young plants bj weeds. There is no remedy that we csn tee, but in grester oare to cleat 1 the ground hy thorough following and thoroughly rotting the manure whioh must be well incorporated in the soil by at least three ploughing* and harrowing*. This will permit the weeds to start, and be ploughed under and torn up and rooted out by the teeth of the harrow. In the fine, rich soil thus produced, the wed will germinate quickly, and get ahead of the weeds that remain. A well-grown root crop it the most valuable, tnd will carry the most stock per &ore. " Tommy, my son, what are you doing there with your fat dandling in tM water?" "Trying, to oatoh cold, m», to that I rosy b*r* ioms of those cough lojtnges you'gire mo

Liming land ia common in British agriculture. It u applied by tome to the cod immediately after mowing, and thii sod U turned under either in the fell, or in the spring for wheat. It is claimed thai f Tie lime stiroulrtesthe growth of gratis, and nfferts faroi-ably »-v.»ry crop in the rotmion. It would be impossible, withoit*hmin», to koefJ up. the |?rnin farms to their present Hcgrer of prodNctivt-npiß. It is also claimed for the summer aoplimti.ii aivl the spring ploughing, thnt it distributee the luuo more equally, and keeps it near the surface. The lime w hich has been carried down by the fall and winter <aint is brought to tlie surface again when the sod » u verted. Bj this metbod nl?o the lime has more time to act uj>on the mart material Jn the soil, and to prepare plant food for the subsequent crop. Other farmers are quite as certain that the best time to apply lime is upon the inverted sod in the spring, while the ground is preparing for corn. They want to keep the lime as near the surface as possible, and hare no fears of its late action upon the crop. The quantity applied to the acre is from thirty to ft hundred bushels, depending somewhat upon the character of the toil, the price of lime>and the theorttictl riews of ths planter. Tht better tba toil, that it, tht mow*. clay and regetable matter it oontains, the more lime it will boar. Some think a hundred bushela too much* and that so much baa » tendency to turn the stalks yellow, and .to diminish the yield. Smaller quantities, say from 30 to 60 bushels, are more commonly applied. The lime is usually brought from the lime-kiln or depot in its caustic state, and I droppsd npon the land in heaps where it is to be used, tt 1 is thare slaked by the application of water, and is abont doubled in quantity by this process. It is then spread as erenly as possible orer the land. The effect is rery dfesrly maried whererer it is used. It keeps up the icitility of the soil, and makes remuneratire crops sren without manure. Of course, with manure the crops are larger and pay better. It must not be supposed that it is a difficult and eXptnsire process to burn lime. Very mnoh of this article is made upon the farms where it is used without rren a kiln for burning. The lime can be made by the most unskilled labour, ard with the roughest and cheapest kinds of fuel' In the ticinity of cities and large towns, oyster shells accumulate in quantities. They are easily reduced end afford cheap lime and generally of better quality than the rock yields. We beliere many of our fanners will find it to their interest to use lime.