FARM, GARDEN, AND ORCHARD NOTES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 2510, 11 August 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

FARM, GARDEN, AND ORCHARD NOTES.

South American Beef.—Wo quote the following from the Australasian and South American, received by the last San Francisco mail:—The bounty paid last year by the Argentine Republic to the exporters of beef and mutton, amounting to 550,000 dollars, has not brought about, the desired result, and its continuance for another year is opposed by the leading journals of that country. It is very seldom that an industry can bo sustained or oncouraged by taking money from taxpayers and turning it ovor to manufacturers, especially where, as in the sale of meat, demand and supply aro so inseparably connected. A Cheap Fertiliser, —A large farmer in the Chichester district of Sussex has for some years dressed both his corn and turnips with mineral superphosphate, containing 20 per cent of soluble phosphate, and costing 50s per ton. Other farmers have made similar statements; and there is no doubt that the use of mineral superphosphate is extending. Our Sussex friend reported that, although many persons in the district were incredu ■ ions at first in regard to tho value of such a cheap dressing, they gradually took to it; an«l they fiud 3cwt per acre a sufficient dressing for spring corn or turnips, costing 7s 6d per acre. In the case of corn, 1$ cwtof nitrate of soda per acre is added.

How to Circumvent the Slitgs.—A writer in Amateur Gardening plants a number of large lettuces between his rows of dahlias, and finds that tho slugs devote their whole attention to the lettuces. | The hint is a good one ; bnt it would be better to dig out a spit of soil, cram down any succulent weeds, place a stone on the top to keep them down, and search every day for the slugs. After the fourth day, and for a fortnight afterward, every slug in the neighbourhood will resort to the weeds; and they can be shaken out into a bucket with salt at the bottom. This is tho wholesale way of dealing with slugs ; and they will not touch the plants either belore or after they are killel if they are provided with wilted weeds. Dairy Cattle, said Mr Simmonds, in his recent address to the Dairy Conference at Sandringham (England), must be preeminently useful animals ; but, looked at from all points, we may obtain heavy milkers without sacrificing form, size, or quality. If, he urged, shorthorn breeders, by leaving out of sight altogether milk, have been able to produce the best beefmaking beast we have ever seen, it stands to reason that by devoting our attention solely to inilk an opposite result can be obtained. Mr Simtnonds, howover, would like to see the two systems blended together in order to produce milk, form, and constitution. He believes that bulls should bo used exclusively from dams of good heavy-milking properties; and he thinks that a Dairy Herd Book may be found of great value if it can be started and carried out in a practical manner. Should a herd lean too much to milk and lose flesh and constitution, an alteration should be made in the selection of the next bull, so as to remedy the defect. Mr Simmonds deprecates the plan of allowing tho calves to run with their, darns. He urges that pure breeds should be selected, as crosses are difficult to carry on.

Tiie Ramie Plant. —In a report recently laid before Parliament the British Consul in Barcelona furnished a number of interesting particulars concerning the ramie plant, whose fibre is equal to, and in some respects superior to flax, hemp, and jute. 111 conjunction with wool and silks the ramie fibre produces a tissue more durable and a better gloss than mixtures of cotton and silk. It is well adapted for the manufacture of string and thread ; aud it is said that much of the thread sold in Britain as silk is in reality ramie. The new material will take various dyes successfully, and there seems to be no end to its applications. Tho Consul goes as far as to believe that the cultivation of tho ramie plant will, in certain parts of Spain, extirpate the vine, as being far more profitable. This will be better understood when it is mentioned that the plant produces three harvests in the year, that it requires little labour in cultivation, and that the machines already in use are able to render it fit for marketable purposes.

Df.omnk in this Wkstep.n Cattle Business. — Not many years ago a well stocked cattle ranch favourably situated on the groat prairies of the west was a veritable bonanza. As a consequence, there was a rush to invest in cattle herd*. A western paper said : So fast and furious was the craze that cattle on the hoof were actually worth more on tho ranch than when delivered on the markets of Chicago and Cincinnati The result, was that a few shrewd men made barrels of money shipping cattlo from the Mississippi Valley *0 the far west. Being unacclimatised and unsuited to their new conditions, these cattle fell victims to cold winters and scant supply of food. In ordinary circumstances even the best selected and most thoroughly acclimatised stock require far more attention thau in tho Eastern States for a greater part of the year. When their herds wore small, and occupied well selected lauds, this was practicable ; and there was a great profit in them on account of the market created by the increasing herds of immigrants which poured into that country. It. seems that many of the published reports of the erroneous profits of the cattle business on those great ranches were " cooked " for the purposes of deception. Thousands of herds wero sold by " book count" without being seen bythe purchasers. As a consequence, great frauds were practisod. Evidently there are hopes for Australia yet.

Colonial Fruit at Ho mi:. —Oar London correspondent, writing on the 27th April, says " Many Australian producers who wish to Hml iu London a market for their wares appear to profit in no degree from the teachings of experience. The vignerons have been repeatedly informed that tho economy of employing ill made old casks seriously prejudices Australian wines in the estimation of the English buyer. The butter exporters have been urged again and again to be more particular in using only clean and tight kegs, with galvanised hoops and clean linen liDings. But the greatest offenders of all are the fruit-growers, to whom the expense of packing is a comparatively insignificant item, yet upon the amount of care and attention bestowed upon this department of the business depends the success or otherwise of this promising trade. This week two sales of Tasmanian apples, which arrived by the Victoria in splendid condition, were held, and as this was the first consignment of the season I had the curiosity to attend at the sale rooms to inspect the fruit, in order to see whether the advice and experience of previous seasons had been utilised. It bad not. The cased were of the very roughest description—rougher even than those customarily used in tUe colonial trade ; the apples wero rolled carelessly in raggedly torn pieces of red and green wall paper, which had in many instances communicated its vivid coloring to the skins of the fruit, a circumstance that did not enhance the price ; but the evidence of grossest carelessness was afforded by the mixed character of the contents of the cases. In cases containing splendid samples of ribstone pippins, noarly 4 inches long, of good Shape and color, wero also miserable little green windfalls, not more than lj; iuohes in diameter, This completely spoilt the tale for cases of 55 lb. that would have readily brought 23s or 24-t, sold for 16s and 17e. The average was 13s 9J, which will be fairly profitable, but the expenditure of 2d per cape for neat squares of clean white paper, cut to exactly encloso the apple; 2d or 3d «rtra on the making of the case, and a great deal more care in selecting the apples of one size and description for each ease, the nature of the contents being plainly indicated by a distinctive mark, would have added 3s or 4s, or evpu more, to the average price. The small apples wero not worth shipping. It would have been wise to have sent fewer oases ii the supply of first class

fruit ran short. The apples that, come from America are most carefully packed, and until Australian fruit growers are prepared to dovote more attention to this requirement of tho London market tliey must content themselves with very moderate prices for their produce."