GLEANINGS.

Waikato Times, Volume XX, Issue 1699, 26 May 1883, Page 4

G LEAN ING S.

Linseed* Tins is tlie seed of the flax plant, the J.iman usitatissimum of botanists, and the tppe of the liliaceous group of vegetation. The seed contains on the Average about twenty-two per cent of oil, ton of sugar, forty-five of starch, and tightecn of albnminous matter*. When the oil is cx« pressed the residum is linseed cake, a highly nutritious c.ittle fond ; aa are also the seeds themselves in a crushed or half-boiled state. There can be no Houbt of tho nutritious advantages of tho plan of crushing and boiling the flax seed, ami steeping in the fluid the usual allowance of dry food, over that of giving animals the seed whole and alone, or in con* junction with dry food in its ordinary 6tate. The. plan which has been found to answer best is to mix tho crushed or ground linseed in tho propoition of one of linseed meal to one gallon of water, adding three pounds of beans, peas or oatim-al, to neutralise its oleaginous properties, and to give it when cool. It is stated that a cow supplied with the usual feed of hay and turnips, which gave four quarts of milk per day, yielded eight quarts besides improving in condition "on getting two additional feeds from one bushel of ilax seed chaff pressed in a tub of boiling water, allowed to stand for twelve hours, and mixed with two pounds of oatmeal, and four ounces of salt." These feeds were thus given : The first feed of steamed mixture at 7 a.m. ; then some hay ; at 10 a.m. thirty pounds of sliced turnips ; the cows were then let out for two hours, until the house was cleaned out and fresh littered ; the next feed was thirty pounds each of mangold wurzel, and at 7 p.m. another steamed feed and hay for the night.

Slaughtering by Electricity. The suggestion for rapid killing of animals by means of electricity lias been actually canied out. Some yeais ago Dr Richardson made use of the large induction coil up in the- Royal Polytechnic Institution for testing the question, and killed several s,hccp and other animals by the eleett ic shock. The experiments led toiesnlts which were to a certain degree promising, and to a certain degieo disappointing. ThceleeMic discharge always succeeded in striking the animals into instant insensibility, and in many instuuees, after the temporary production of all signs of death, there were indications of recovery : so that the death had to be completed by other means. It was found also that, when animals intended for human consumptson as food were lulled by the shock, some parts of the animal weie maikcd by dirk lines and spots, Which to a consider ible extent interfered with the sale of the oarcas3e.«. Lastly, it w;i3 found that the dangers to the wokmt'ii attendant on the systematic introduction of the method into Reneial use a (Forded an important reason for not lfjcomincnding it. At the same time the (juestion remains .sub jtriltn, and the Council of the London Model Abattoir Society pi onuses to consider the clectiic w ifcli othei painlos mofchoiU of biking aw.iy the life ot thoM 1 members of the in feiior ci cation which minister dm ing tlieir livco to our pleasures or our ncccs s tics.

Dairy Pastures. A woid 01 two may now ho said about il.-ury p.i-»tnii's. J).my f.iiminjr exhausts tlio soil of phosphate of l i mo chiefly. It is within the c\pciienec of many colonial Jaiineis that their cow pastures have fallen off in piotlueth eness tliiough longeontiuued feeding, and that the application of phosphfitio guanos, or gooil bonedust, has had tlif cfl'oct of bringing thorn back to pood condition. A cow yielding 7-30 gallons of milk per annum, withdraws phosphate of lime f i om the pasturage equal to something like 2311) of dry bone, or 40lb of rirst-class bone dust. To this we must add, sny 101b for the bones canicd oIF by the yearly calf. Thus, it is seen that the laud loses what is certainly equivalent to 5011) of bone manure every year, or about a ton in 45 years. This calculation is made fionl the composition of Bntish bone-dust. It is to bo lccrettffl th \t the colonial ai tide is much pootci in phosphates, owing chiefly to iidultciation. A libcial use of bonemanure is the surest moans of renovating worn out daily pastuies. — Jlclvor't I'\n'»u')t>' Annual ,

A"s liislimaii in Franco was dunking with some company who proposed the to.i'-t, " The, land we live in." " Ay, with all my sowl, my dear,'' said he — •' hcic's poor ould lioland !" A LirrLi; Mixed. — " Fellow-citizens !" cried <i stump orator the other day j 11 tellow-citixcns ! I solemnly warn you that our country is rapidly drifting into arnica !" Perhaps ho meant anarchy. "I wish, madam, that you would pay a little attcution to what I nm saying," snapped an exasperated husband to his wife. "I nm paying just ns little as I can, my dear/ was the mock reply, It ia astonishing how full four women can fill a church pew made to accommodate six when feome womon thoy do not like comes along the aisle inquiringly looking for a place td stb doWm Wk know a man ao croSs-eyed that lit 1 put his hand into another man's pocket and abstiacted a watch. He wnutud to learn tho time. The judge told him it Mould he three years* Likk is a pack ofcaids, Childhood's best cauls are lieai ts ; youth is captured by diamonds : middle age is conquered with a cluli ; while old ago is inked in by the insatiable spade. A Yankee told a story about a flock of crows tin ee nidus long, and so thick you could not see the sun through it. "Don't believe it,' 1 was the reply. "Wa'nl said the nauator, "you'ie a- stranger, and I don't w.mt to quairelwith you, so to please you I'll take off a quarter of a mile in the thinnest part." Tin: JUtknino Qri:sTioN.— Mistress, to new cook : " On Wednesdays and Saturdays I shall sro to market with you." Now cook : "Very well, mum ; but who's a-goin' to carry the basket mum ?"' Rather Bold, but Successful. — " You are Mich a stianire pill," said Charley ; roily, I don't know what to ninke of you." " "Well, then, I'll tfll you, Charley'," replied Arsimiuta ; " make n wife of me." Charley did so the eailiest opportunity. An elderly customer observed that the fair glover in a I'aris "mngasin de gant&" was accustomed to look long and earnestly at his snowy and well-starched \est;andone day she said inquiringly, " Monsieur always wears a white waistcoat?" " Always," was the reply. " Winter and summer ?" " Winter and summer." " And during a prolonged period ?" " For the last five-and-twenty-yeais, at least," she was told. "Ah!" ciicd the Belle Gantiere, enthusiastically, " If I had only been Monsieur's washerwoman !" HofiVRTK AXU UTS '* PATRON." — Hogai th w as once applied to by a miserly old nobleman to paint for his staircase a representation of the destruction of Fhaiaoh's host in the Red Sea. In attempting to fix upon the price, Hogarth became quite dissatisfied, The miser was unwilling to give more than one-half the real value of the picture. At last, Hogarth, out of all patience, agreed to his patron's terms. Within a day or two the picture was ready. The nobleman was suprised at such expedition, and called to examine it. The canvas was painted all over red. " Zounds !'' said the purchaser, "what have you here ? I oidered a scene of the Red sea," " The Red Sea you have," said Hogarth, still smarting to have his talents undervalued. "But where are the Israelites ?" "They are all gone o\ er." " And where are the Egyptians?" " They are all drowned." The miser's confusion could only be equalled by the haste with which he paid his bill. The bitter was bit. Buy t.he best sewing machines, packed in boxes, carriage paid. Home Shuttle, £Z ; White, £3 10«; AVertheim, £4 10s; Fristcr and Rossman's, £i 10s :in walnut cover, £6. Knit-nin(j-machine<i, £7; Singer's, Howes, Davis.',Jones', Standard, and all the better classes of machines in stock. Cash, or deferred. D. S. Chambers' Wholosalo and Retail Machine Depot, 70, Queen-street . opposite the Bank of New Zealand- * . ' , i . .