FARM, GARDEN, AND ORCHARD NOTES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXX, Issue 2456, 7 April 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

FARM, GARDEN, AND ORCHARD NOTES.

Death ok a Famous Pomomioist.— Xavier Gregoire, the groat raiser of tejdling pears in Belgium, is dead. He wan born at Brnbant in 1802. Ztspherin Grcjgoire, an excellent pear, is, we are disposed to believe, the only variety bearing his surname to be found in colonial collections. It is said that his activity in raising new pears was prodigious ; hi* seedlings might be counted by the hundreds of thousands ; of these, of course, only a small proportion have survived. A. week before his death he was still engaged in selecting seeds for sowing.

Dishorning Cattle.—The practice of dishorning cattle was never more prevalent iu America than at the present time. In Illinois hundreds of cattle are being dishorned by farmers in the belief that the animals thrive better after being thus treated. Nor is this State a prominent exception. In other parts of the country dishorning is extensively pursued, though it is considered by many a work of cruelty. One contemporary discussing the question wisely recommends to those who dislike horned cattle the use of Red Polled Aberdeen Angus or Galloway sires, which will soon dispense with the imaginary blemish without the aid of tho knife.

New Grain Loading Machixk. — A new grain machine has just been exhibited at Buffalo, U.S.A., which may perhaps work a change in tho unloading of grnin from vessels into boats and warehouses. It is known as the Pneumatic Grain Transfer. The grain is sucked through a 15-inch tube from the vessel's hold on the warehouse into an iron balloon-shaperl receiver, which holds 2030 bushels, and is fitted on scales. The suctiou is created by exhausting the air out of the receiver by means of two engines. After the grain ie weighed, it is forced out of the receiver by a strong pressure of air into its top and conducted through pipes where wanted.

Short Breast Mould Boards.—A change of opinion as well as of practice is taking place in England respecting long and short mould hoards. According to a writer in the Agncoltwal Gazette thoskort curved breast of the Howard chill plough is better than that of the long breasted squeeze furrow Howard plough, or the

xhort breast of tin American plough. The fact that the draught of the Howard chill plough is less than the draught of the Howard long breasted plough and depth and breadth of the furrow slice being the same, and that the seed furrows of the short breast yields the best crop, proves the soundness of the conclusion arrived at. The mechanical reason of less draught is uot far to seek, for the enormous friction and squeezing of the long breast, especially in heavy, tenacious is almost nil in the short breasts. The rough broken furrow slice of the short breast is an advantage in its favour, as it allows the free ingrese of rain, frost, &c., to pulverise the'clods ; whilst thesqueezed furrow slicer of the long breast, exclude the pulverising action of the winter months, so that a double stroke of the harrows is necessary in spring to get enough mould for the seed drill to work upon. And this is not all, Fcr next year, hi autumn, in ploughing the stubble the squeezed furrow slices of the long breast turn up as hard and as solid as ever.

Pifi-i'EEDiSG.— A recent bulletin from the College of Agriculture at Illinois records the results of Home interesting experiments iu pig feeding, liy Mr Thos. F. Hunt. The tirst was to determine the value of skim milk as compared with corn, maize, meal, and the value of shelled corn as compared with corn meal. After detailing the experiment Mr Hunt says : —It appears that under favourable conditions, it require" 10 to 151b of skim milk to produce lib of increase ; that from 21 to 3Jlb of skim milk are equivalent to lib of corn meal; that the best results are obtained where the amounts of milk and corn meal used are about in the ratio of 2 to 1 ; and that when the price of corn is 30 cents or less per bushel, skim milk cannot lie economically fed to fattening hogs, except whore it is a waste product which cannot be utilised in feeding young animals. Comparing the lots f«d with corn meal with thosu fed with sholled corn, it was fouud that about 10 j lb. of increase were produced by a bushel of corn ; about 101b. by a bushel of corn meal. The greater cost of food per 1001b. of increase from corn meal (practically 2S cents.) was mainly due to the coat of grinding , . The hog raiser considers a difference of 28 cents, por 1001b. an important matter in selling a bunch of hogs. The same difference in the cost of production is more easily within bis control. Looked nt from all sides these trials indicate that when fed dry, wholo corn produces better results thau corn meal. These gains were made during tho very variable and sometimes severe weather of January and February, and the food consumed—corn only, be it remembered — cost on an average of 2'io dol. per 1001b. of increase, and the hogs sold at the close of the trial for s'oo dol. per cwt., leaving a handsome marjrin of profit besides the increased value of the hogs per lb. during the feeding.