The Farmer. A Gigantic Flour-Mill.

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1851, 17 May 1884, Page 2 (Supplement)

The Farmer. A Gigantic Flour-Mill.

In order to compete with India and Bussia in the Wrist European wheat markets, Californian {$6Wera are now redoing their wheat to flour bi&ire it is shipped, afrd thus lowering the freightage by 20 per Bent. For this purpose li&ge flour-mills arc being built ; one on the Booth shore of the Straits of Carquinez,- two &ileB fiom IPorta 'Go%ta, being eight storeys high, and 300 feet long by 150 feet wide. The whole is built on piers of artificial stone, sustaining a platform or base 50,000 square feet in area. The mill will be capable of turning out 6,000 barrels of flour per day, and of storing 10,000 tons of wheat.

A Rotary Spade. A new agricultural implement, which is in reality a rotary spade, though drawn by a horse after the manner of a plough, has been devised by Dr. G. A. Betancourt. It consists of a frame-work into which the horse is harnessed, aDd a heavy rotating drum carrying a number of radial spades projecting from the periphery of the drum. As the drum revolves these spades dig one after another into the soil, thereby loosening aad turning it up. The spade may, of course, be worked by a stationary steam or a traction engine, instead of by horse-power.

lighted Harness. Few applications of " luminous paint " have been so ingenious as one that has been recently tried, and certainly none have been more novel. As is now tolerably well known, this paint absorbs light by exposure during the day, and gives it out again throughout the night or in darkness. Consequently, in the event of harness or bridle, or both, being coated with paint, prepared under the conditions mentioned, the parts so treated will be quite visible at night, and the position of the horse clearly indicated. There would appear to be undoubted advantages in connection with this invention. Horses, to be s.ure, are nervous animals ; but there seems to be no reason to suppose that they would Bhy at seeing the soft light of the illuminated harness, any more than at carriage-lights, &a.

The wise farmer will keep a good class^ of horsea or none. There are eases in which circumstances may interfere somewhat, but the man who tries to run a farm and get the beat results by getting along with old plugs of horses, certainly stands in his own light. The character of his horse is generally a pretty good indication of the character of its owner.

There is a new wrinkle just started about ensilage which may be worth thinking about —that is, to allow one-half the crop of corn grown to mature, and after securing the ears cut the stalks up the same as it is now done for the silo with the younger corn and mixing it all in one. This would have the advantage that while the matured corn-stalks would be just as good as the other the entire crop of grain would be secured, and it would be just so much gained. Of course, the two crops would have to be planted at different dates to use in this way. Another wrinkle is to allow the old corn, after the ears are removed, to be dried, then cut up and add to the young green crop and place and press in the silo.

What Kills Fruit Trees. Deep- planting is one error—to plant a tree rather shallower than it formerly stood is really the right way, whilst many plant a tree as they would a post. Roots are of two kinds— the young and tender rootlets ; composed entirely of cells, the feeders of the trees, always found near the surface fietting air and moisture ; and roots of over one year old, which serve only as supporters of the trea and conductors of its food. Hence the injury that ensues when the delicate rootlets are so deeply buried in the earth. Placing fresh or green manure in contact with the young roots is another great error. The place to put manure is on the surface, where the elements disintegrate, dissolve and carry it downward. Numerous forms of fungi are generated and reproduced by the application of such manures directly to the roots, and they immediately attack the tree. It is very well to enrich the soil at transplanting the tree, but the manure, if to be in contact or very near the toots, should be thoroughly decomposed.