FARM, GARDEN, AND ORCHARD NOTES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXX, Issue 2471, 12 May 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

FARM, GARDEN, AND ORCHARD NOTES.

Surjißi'iwsniATKs and Potatoes.—The result of many long trials in Scotland has shown that there is no doubt that potatoes and other root crops specially require " food ready to their hands," and although ou some of the lighter soils various forms of undissolved phosphates are somewhat readily decomposed ami assimilated, yet on many, if not on most soils, ground coprolites from only a poor substitute for Peruvian or Ichaboe guano, or for dissolved manures in general. Butter in Denmark.—ln ISGO the British Consul in Copenhagen reported that the butter manufactured in Denmark was execrably bad. But within the past twenty-seven years ten dairy schools had been established with the aid of a Stat.subsidy ; and the quality of the butter had risen so materially that its exportation was now an important branch of Danish trade. Its present value to the little kingdom was now nearly three millions sterling a year.

Monster Onions.—-What have onion growers to say to the following F :—The editor of the Alpine Observer has been shown some splendid onions (two of which weighed alb.) grown by Mr J. Woods, of Barwidgen. In previous years Mr Woods has achieved fame as an onion grower; but his crop this year cxcels all others, yielding at the rate of 4o tons per acre, [t is evident that the soil anu climate of the Alpine country are suitable to the culture of that esculent. Ax Auntkalian* Fkuit Preserving Company.—Tne Australian Co-operative Fruit iixpnrtiuir, Preserving' arid Cool Storage Company, which was started recently in New South Wales in the interests of the has so i'.ii proved a highly Hureessfsil enterprise. The company has made upwards o! 120,001J tins of canned fruits, and has besides <30,000 lists not yet tilled, and a large quantity of other preserves. The company received orders far beyoud what it could execute CiutiLlNC Ckkaji (reasoning from analogy) must injure the keeping quality of the butter made from it. Butter, the product of cream, will not keep long after being chilled and exposed to a wanner atmosphere. It is therefore reasonable to suppose that chilling the butter fats before cluiruing must have a similar elFect. Yet those in the habit of chilling cream stoutly affirm that no injurious results follow the practice. But as far as we know, no well-conducted

scientific experiments have been made to determine this question. Indeed, few experiments have been made to settle any of the disputed points in dairying. These common things are overlooked in reaching for more obscure and abstruse

things, which have their uses, but do not give the dairyman that light on evcry-c'ay operations which he most needs.

Cattle Breeding in America.—The London Live Stock Journal, writing on the attempt that is beinir made to transfer

the South American trade for pure bred stock from Ensrland to the United State?, ventured to express a doubt whether cattlo bred in the United States of America would bo found so suitablo for

the purpose as Engl'-sh cattlo. A correspondent, who has had many opportunities of closely examining the cattle in both countries, writes as follows :—" In my opinion English-bred cattle are verv

far superior to cattle bred in any other country. I have seen so-called 'Herefords ' that havo been bred for several generations in Maryland and Canada brought up into Illinois, small mean things, with no size, substance, or anything about them, exccpt that they were red, with white faces j but these caws when crossed by im imported bull produce very fine calves, as good as from imported cows, or nearly so, which shows ti at they must have fresh blood. No doubt Australia wants fresh

blood very badly. Perhaps thoro is a small part of Kentucky, about Lexington, ftliat is naturally adapted for cattle and horses, and I believe there is a limestone formation of the soil in that district. Land there is quite as dear as in England. It is the one bright spot for English breeders of pedigree stock to look forward to that our enltlo must degenerate without fresh blood."

HmisK-Brkkdixo in- America.—A good many of the American farmers are boi^iimiutr to devote more attention th in formerly to horse-breeding. Iu :id dressing a fanner's in-titute in New York recently, Mr.Tamos Wood, of Winche-tcr County, said that as horses roared upon the rich pastures of Holland and Belgium could not compare in ftumina and soundness with tlio.-o raised upon the hillier and hardier soils of Northern France, and tho horses of the fens of Lincolnshire and its Adjoining counties in Kmrla.n.l were "soft" when leafed lieside those from dry uplands and well turfted hills, so the horses from great portions of the west were deficient in endurance and defective in their feet when comparer! with horses reared in New York, Other important considerations give still further encouragement. The. demand for horses is constantly increasing Europe cannot supply her own needs. Britain annually imports 20,000 from other countries. Tho immense armies of the continent are making an ever-increasing demand ; and. if the threatening war cloud bursts, tho destruction of horses will be so great that this demand will be beyond tho possibility of supply. It is freely announced in Europe that America alone c-in meet these demands. Competent officers from the German, French, and British armies have made extensive examinations in the United States as to their equine resources, and have furnished full reports to thoir respective Governments. Evca iu lime of peace they are drawing upon them. Mr Wood saw, not very lony ago, a regiment of cavalry stationed in Dijon, France, mounted entirely upon American mares. He arjrued from this and the fact that in

New York City alone 1-1,000 horses die every year, and as ninny more become lame, or tiro other wine disabled. The Butter Trade : How it Pays. A few days back we gave some interesting' particulars of the cheese exports from this district, and since then wo have been given some figures by Mossrs Cummins, Sharpo and Co., which show clearly tho

results of a shipment of butter from Wnniramii. Tho consignment was ouo of fifty kegs, »cnt Home by the Tainui, as an expori:neut, with a view to testing the market. Some of the butter was done in pats, some was put down by dairymen, and some by Mr Cummins at the shop. There was also some butter made froin refrigerator cream. The casks, too, varied, oak, tawa and to tarn being used. In their letter to the brokers tho firm asked that care should bo taken in spiling the butter to see that the price of each different lot was oarefullv noted, and that special mention should bo made of the condition in which they arrived, so that some knowledge might bo gained an to which timber suited best for making kegs, Mr Cummins being of opinion that totarn would be found to be the best on account of tho absence of smell and sap. The kegs, it may be said, were all very carefully treated iu brine in the saino way. Now for the results.

Three oak kegs in rolls, put no by firstclass dairy thru, each roll wrapped iu butter-cloth, realised 70s per cwt.

The balance of the oak kegs, packed in tho ordinary way for salt butter by dairymen, brought 80s per cwt.

The tawa and totara kegs filled by dairymen brought tho same figure—Bos, while 23 totara kegs put down by the firm sold for S is.

The remainder of the shipment was two kegs of butter made of cream from thp hand-made separator, for which the firm are agents, and this realised top price, 00s per cwt.

Account sales show that on the total shipment, which on leaving here weighed 29Gllbs, the shrinkage was -lllbs. The gross receipts were £105 10s lid, aud the expenses, including kegs, freight 1H per lb., freight from Wangauui, etc., came to £29 6s 7d, or 27:,' per cent, of tho whole Messrs Cummins, Sharp and Co., are satisfied that the ordinal}' expenses are less to London than they are to Sydney, apart from freight, but although they purchased this butter at s|d there is nothing in the transaction, and they barely eleared themselves. They have, however, sent another lot from which bettor results may bo obtained, but thev are convinced that separator butter wiil be tho only article on which there is likely to be a profitable return, and that must be tho butter of the future.

As to the condition in which the butter reached Home, their agents report tint it was more or less stale, though of fairly good quality. All the casks were well made, and they did not find that any one description of wood was more suitable for hutter than the others. All the cask* were somewhat dirty and discoloured. 'This was duo to iron hoops haviuir been used, but galvanised hooping- will be used in future). The oak casks came our. particularly rusty. In the opinion of (lie shippers, tntnra will be the wood for the future, as the kegs are cheaper, aud the butter comos out of them just as good as

it does from either tawa or oak.—The Yeoman.

A Yaskke who visited Western Australia is reported to have called it the best country he ever saw for running through an hour-glass. Recently a Mexican military party crossed the Rio Grande, and entered the United States territory. The party consisted of a lieutenant and three men, whose ostensible object was to buy horses, but they were really in pursuit of a deserter, whom they eventually secured, and were attempting convey to Mexico, when they were prevented by the United states sheriff's posse. In tho conflict which took place with the latter two of the. Mexican sol iters were killed and tho lieutenant was wounded, but made his escape with the other soldier. The deserter was also badly injured. Tun Oriental express, on its way to L'aris, had, on tho night of 4th March, a narrow csoapo of being maliciously wrecked. It was saved by tho presence of mind of a gatekeeper, who, coming unexpectedly on a barricade thrown across tho line, improvised with an ordinary lantern and rod handkerchieef, dauirer signal, which forunatoly was seen at 500 yards distance. Tho barricade was built of sleepers, rails, and stones which had been heaped up beside the line, and was so massive (hatasfjuad of navvies fetched in haßte were more than half-air hour in removing it. The London correspondent of tho Manchester Courier says:—"lf all accounts be true a certain voting gentleman whose debut on tile turf last year ca used sune sensation, has succeeded even beyond tho anticipations of his acquaintances. No secret is made of the fact that since ho has devoted attention to racing he has spent | something like a quarter of a million of money, Ho is still full of courage, I believe, and has hopes of recovering his own again. Perhaps when ho retires from the turf he will follow tho example of many men of eminence of our time, and give the public his reminiscences." During the cruise of the labor schooner Winifred among tho New Hebrides Group, and while the vessel was anchored on the. Western side of I'enteeost (says the Fiji Times of 4th April), a volcano suddenly burst out on the adjacent island of Ambrym, lighting up the whole island, vomiting forth ashes (not lava) without

intermission. An existing crater on the island was only affected to the extent of

[ smoking. The whole face of the country is destroyed by the volcanic dust, and tho native inhabitants are more or less, scared at the visitation. Twenty-four hours after the eruption commenced, and, as if evoked bv the fiery discharge, forked lightning flashed vividly and continuously over tlie orator, lie,'ivy peals of thunder forming an ai:i:o:.ipaniinent, and so adding to the dreadful splendor of the scene.