RURAL NOTES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1814, 21 February 1884, Page 3

RURAL NOTES.

It is much the better way to mix a!&ike with timothy, or the common icel clover, or both. When thus mixe 1 they are a help to each other. The alsike, being a native of a cold climate 1 , does not winterkill, and, besides, it acts as a mulch in the winter and spiing to common red, and keeps the latter from being destroyed by the heaving-out process. As the ted clover shades the roots of the alsike, which grows close to the surface, it pio tects the latter fiom the effects of drought. The timothy and led clover being both upright growers, lift and keep up the alsikc from the giound, which ib very desirable. The stem of the alsike is too fine to support its many branches in an upright position, and hence is moie inclined to lodge than the common red. For the reasons given the combination of the three named plants is \ery important, and will pio\e successful wheicver tried. — Toronto Globe. Professor Sheldon thinks that every dairy farmer should have a set of graduated ctcam gauges— simple things, costing only a few shillings — so that he may ascertain the quality of each cow's milk, and he should keep a record of this, as well as the quantity, entering both of them iv a book against the cow'.s name. This method of going to woik has a very consideiable educational value ;it is essentially practical, and not at all theoietieal in itb beanngs : it tells the fanner which aie his best cows, which are the best to keep and bleed fiom, which of them responds most ireely to itnpiON ed food, which of them is the best " all round," which has the gieatest " staying power," and so on, acting and reacting in \arious ways to the fanner's advantage. — London Squire. The success of a daily depends very much upon individual attention to the animals. A cow that is not a good milker should be fattened and killed or bold. The food should also bo regulated by the milk-producing powers of the cow, and as the milU declines, reduce her coin and give her less costly food. Special care should also be taken that the cows are thoioughly milked, as a careless milker will sometimes not diaw more than half the milk that the animal is capable of J ielding. In oidcr to have healthy and profitable poultiy it is nece=sary to keep the houses clean. Coal ashes can be used to good advantage by scatteiiny them two 01 tluec turns a week m the poultiy quar- | teia o\ei the dioppings. These aie then kept 100-e, diy, and easily dish lbntable — making a leady and poueiful manute — and tin* fowls aie siveel fiom cholera or similar diseases which spiead in enclosed chicken pen-?, as zymotic diseases do among oui selves, by contagion from the undiied, unbuiicd, or uulxuncd laces of those attacked. The chief value in Guinea fowls lies in the fact that they aie meat dcstroyeis of noxious insects and their loryo 1 . Do not neglect horse-hoeing among the root crops. Hoeing is the very lite of young ciops, and for this reason we have always advocated diilling, so that hoeing can be earned on at an early, as well as an advanced, stage. Mangels can be hoise-hoed until the leaves Kiss each other aeioss the lows. Han owing young crops is also very beneficial to them. Some fanneis aie afraid of lnjuiing &uch ciops as potatoes w hen the ' ' shaw s " are just above the gtouud ; theie is not the least fcai, but the good ausing from such. a com so is unmistakable A day's harrowing, then, is equal to a week's hoeing a month later. Theie is no doubt but that exposure to thcoiin is lnjuious to niaiiuic. The sun dims the manure, and icmoves the nioistuic fiom it. Tiieinoistuicin the maiuue absoibs whatever ammonia may iiave been foi mod by the decomposition ol the oigaiii^ mattei, and of coiuse the vapour so foimed cinies oft w ith it tl'c \olatile 01 gaseous ammonia, so that tlie ovposuio of inanuic to the <nn, with repeated moi?t°ning and dijing of the maiiuie, will in tune completely amove all the valuable nitiogcn in it from whic'i tin* ammonia it> dt-ii\eil, and which is the most useful pa it of the manuio. It is a good plan to cover the heap with soil. An ingenious implement, called the " X " cultivator, to facilitate the eiadication of weeds ami the pulveiisation of the soil was exhibited mwoik upon Mi R. Uilw mS fai in at Salisbtny on Monday, Januaiy '!] It it, the invention of Mi 1L Cockoiell, of aSToi th Melbourne. It works upon a p'aii something like that of the Amciican disc harrow, but there aie about double the number of revolving wheels, shaped like the lowels of a spin, and some twenty niche-, aeioss. The fiame is of wide bar iron, about siv feet each vvaj, making a squaie, auel the spuiml elites mn diagonally fiomcornei, foiminga figure like a letter X, which »ivi". the name to this paiticul.ir fiom of caltivator ; but tlieie aie other shaj es cilled the "tiiangle" anel the "pole' Wlien fiist started upon a piece of fallowed ground the implement toie it up to a depth of about Sin and a width of oft Bin, scatteiing a great number of haul clods upon the surface which had previously been buried beneath. A common bcanfier was aftei wards put upon the same spot and did no better m respect to crushing the clods, but some of the visitors expressed the opinion that the woik done was more s.iti^tactoiy. Aftei doing several louuds upon this licld and making some veiy fair woik, au alteration having been made in the setting of the implement, it was taken into a paddock fiom which a ciop of hay had been mown this season. Hm'C an especial feature was well illustrated. The giound was well caked down, but the spokes on the disc cut into a depth of about two inches, ami vei y completely broke up and pulverised the soil, cutting out a gieat deal of the vviie weed, anel bin ying any seeds of lubbish that might be lv ing upon the surface, leady foi the eaily rains to start into giowth, so that they might be ploughed under as soon as the land is fit for that purpose. As a pulveriser it is piobable theie aie few implements that can better perform the work, especially if the soil is of a friable nature. The land near S ilisbury seemed to be rather compact, anel the clods that were turned up were very elry and hard. The draught seemed to be very easy, and the three horses employed were in no way distressed with their work. — Adelaide Observer.

The trade of the Cape Colony has fallen off to such an extent that, instead of giving full employment for a fast line of fourteen large steamers, six are now found to be ample. Iy Russia the Nihilists are now broken up into widely-scattered groups, each more or less independent of the rest, and all left pretty much to their own devices. At> tne steamer Columbia was entering the harbour at Panama she was struck by lightning, but the iion foremast acted as a conductor, and little damage was done. Portions of the iron of the ship became magnetised, so that alterations will have to be made. The compass w ill not point correctly, and a movement of the wheel will deflect it. All of the magnets on board were demoralised. Mr John Knox will sell at thr Hamilton Auction Mart on Saturday next, iron bedstead*, produce, potatoes, apples, peaches, and will hold a clearing sale of sundries. One Shilling. — Francis J. Shortts' Popular Art Union. — Ten first-class Oil Paintings by celebrated artist.->. 5000 tickets at Is. The prizes are magnificent and costly. Country subscribers sending stamps or otherwise will have tickets by return post. Enclose stamped envelope for reply.— Fkancis J. SHonrr, 140, Queen-street, Auckland.— [Anvi.] Lifk in the Bu&Ji— Then and Now. — It is genera|ly supposed that in the bush we have to put up with many discomforts and privations in the shape of food. Formerly it was so, but* now", thanks to T. B. Hiix, who has himself dwelt in the bush, if food does consist chiefly of tinned mrats his Colonial Sau.cu gives to them a most delectable flavour,' making them as well of the' plainest food most enjoyable, and instead as hard biscuits and indigestible damper his Improved' Colonial, Baking Powder makes the very be?t bread, scones, cakes, "and pastry far , superior and' more wholesome' than Yeast ,or< caven, Sold by all ktorekeepers who can'i^b-'