FARM, GARDEN, AND ORCHARD NOTES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 2614, 13 April 1889, Page 6 (Supplement)

FARM, GARDEN, AND ORCHARD NOTES.

Mild Winter in Enoland. — Tht. winter in England is proving ouo of tliu mildest experienced for many years. In the middle of February bird nesting win DoinmoD in Yorkshire, and it is reported by a Canterbury correspondent that in several gardens iu that city the rose trees were in hud. Norwegian Fish Potash.—A high estimate is placed on Jensen's Norwegian Fish Potash, by Mr J. Rust, Kridge Castlo, in the Gardeners' Chronicle, who says it is a very valuable inannio, and is making headway in favour. It i* made from the heads and bones of codfish, which are dried and ground into powder.

It suits all sorts of plants and troes, especially grape vines, being sprinkled on the soil, raked in, m.d followed by a jjond watering. It is also valuable for potplnnts—Cineraria*, Pelargoniums, etc.— two or three tablespoonfulsto each pot.

Cattle Companiks and their Tuiam In a review of ilia etutu of Scottish American cattle companies, a Dunde paper eays they are the victims one yen of drought ; in another year tho blizzan makes havoc among them ; some of then have visitations from wolves ; others, lik the Arkansas company, suffer from i plngne of squatters, which comes iin< never goes. Some of them have paid fo herds they never got. To low prices am phantom herds they chiefly owo thei present position. Then follow figure showing the present depreciation in tli shores, and that £4,000,000 of capital i yielding no interest and has yielded non for yeans. Alfalfa.—The Colns.l San says:Alfalfa should never be pastured. Ii thu first place it will pay better to cut i and feed it to the stock. There is ai immense waste in having a lot of stool in on a rank growth of alfalfa. Tli' waste is more than is eaten down. It i evident that in this way the weeds sooi take the field, but it it is cut the wholi is taken down together, and when eivei a fair chance alfalfa will not be rootei out by any weed. If a person has evei as many as 10 or 12 head of stock ti feed he will find that it will pay bij to mow it and haul it out to them A Held will feed three times as mud stock and save the grass from being killec out by weeds. Rolling v. Printing Buttkr.—Th< print is the very worst form in whie! butter can be put for preserving it. delicate flavors. Small rolls stand bes in this respect. In both cases the dange: of injury is lessened by wrapping in ; napkin, or cloth saturated with brine The waxed or parchment paper whiol has come into use within a few years als< furnishes a good protection. If butter ii to be printed at all, every print or lumj should be carefully and closely wrappec in the water-proof paper, to make ; package as nearly air-tight as possible before leaving the dairy-room where it ii made. Thus protected, if well coolef ind firm, the closer the prints are packet iud kept till sold or used the better. Ti Facilitate close packing the square am brick forms are much preferable to th< roll and round print or " pat."—Ex change. KussrAN Exports of Agricultctra; Produce.— Russian export returns fo LBBS are just published, and the sales o jereal produce arc found to surpass ul previous records. They amount in ail t< astonishing quantity of 151,000,001 jwr., against 111,000,000.-\vt. in 1887 ind 77,000,000 c wt. in 1886. A gooi iverage would be 100,000,000cwt. Tin lules of wheat last year were 59,363,0!) i ;wt., of rye 32,083,000cwt., ef barla; !1,046,000f!wt., of oits 17,980,000cwi. md of m-iize 5,106,000cwt. The maiz ixports alooe were somewhfit below th. nean, which is about 7,500,000. The inlux of gold into Russia which thiH agri:iiltural wealth has created has proved an mormons aid, but, if reports are to be jolieved, it has rather deferred a crisis in, han restored prosperity to, Russian agrilultural finiince. _

A Wholesome Law.—The Pure Food Bill, introduced into the American Home of Representative* list session, has found its way to the Senate, but whether or not it will get further is a matter on which there seems to bo differences of opinion.

The bill aims at the establishment of a purs food divbiou of the Department of Agriculture, to provide for inspection of livo stock about to be slaughtered at .-li-iuuliter housfis, c.mniug, salting, packing and rendering establishments, the osircavos and products of which arc intended for human consumption in any State or territory other than where slaughtered, or for exportation to foreign countries ; find to prohibit the introduction of adulterated or misbranded foods or drugs into any state or territory, or the district of Columbia from any other State or territory or foreign country. Beetroot Culture in Ireland. —The project of tho growth of beetroot for the manufacture of sugar in Ireland has, says tho Farmers' Gazette, been revived. It is believed that the low rate of wages and the reduced rents, combined with the dopressed value of other agricultural products, would enable those embarking in tho undertaking to produce .sugar at a price quite as low as that of any nou bounty fed continental sugar sent to tho English market. At any rate, it in likely, from what wo hear, that the experiment will be again trird ; and though wo have never yet been satisfied that the sugar manufacture will pay the farmer as much fur a crop of white beet as stock would pay him for tho same, or for a crop of mangel* grown at (he same cost, wo desire to give nil the assistance in our power to those willing t> join iu the enterprise. Mules and tiucih Mkuits.—A mule is always worth 2-3 per cent, more than a horse, because 50 per cent, better. Close acquaintance with mules for about five years bus taught me this fact. They arc really more docile than horses ; are hardier, do morii work, cat loss, and thrive upon coarser fare, are never sick unless shamefully ill-need or ill-fed ; live longer and are more useful while they live. I never saw a mule team run away. Mules rarely stumble on the roughest roads; are scarcely ever balky, and will pull heavy loads, as steadily as oxen, hanging on in the traces with all their weight, without any jerks or giving back. Consequently the harness lasts longer than with horses. They may be made as kind in disposition as horses by the same kiud treatment. A pair of youDg mules, coming three years old, which I have raised, will come when I whistle for them frorc the far end of a 100-acre pasture lot; will eat corn or take salt from ray hand ; will enjoy petting as much as the horse colts, and have never yet lifted a foot to kick. Tho mule is made vicious by vicious treatment, it baa the patience, hardiness, abstemiousness and docility of tho ass, with the strength and intelligence of the horse. There is money in rearing mules and economy in using them anywhere."—Correspondent of America paper. Agricultural Crisis in , Russia.—A series of articles on The Agricultural Crisis in Russia, contributed to a Russian paper called tho Agriculturist, have been creating a good deal of attention. According to the author of these articles, there aro nine chief causes acting against tho prosperity of Russian agriculture, but tho fundamental one is the shutting out of Russian cereals from the European markets, where they can no longer compete with Transatlantic grain in quality, accurate delivery, or in cheapness of price. The Russians are defeated in international grain markets solely on account of the extreme backwardness in their manner of mercantile dealings, as also in the organisation and workings of their ways of communication. The appointment of a ipecial commission recognised the distri ss as an acknowledged fact, and it was so regarded by the writer of the article above mentioned. The principal causes which ho names are low prices, imperfect transport, high rail rates, crushing impeiial and local taxation, protectionist duties ou agricultural machinery, insufficient means ot storing grain, the exhaustion of the soil, the indebtedness of thd cultivators, and the exaction of usurers and middle-

men. The writer proposes the reduction of taxation and railway rates, flio general introduction of coin elevators, as it) America, ehoap advances of money on security to agriculturists, and other reforms to remedy the evils he conpluiiis of. AcriICri.TniIALTjH'f.KMKNTS — Al'Mciilhive, likt; Mi i.ihev of the arlsund sc.ii lues, hii.s toen woud-rful urivunoe within the hist century in tin- lim.' of loois. Improved machines nnd mechanical thvitrs of ni-iny kinds have .'.'really rednrsi-d the farmi'i-'s mani.'nl labour, and made an immc.n-r; increase in the power nf l.rndiieinsr with a. arivpn anvmnt, of labour. The ninwinuf ina;;hine has almost supplanted the >cyi.hi\ and the ilnil is fast becoming nn interesting relic. Yet as late a? 1830, in some pari-sluM in Kngland, the labourers went about destroying every horso-power threshing machino they eonlil find. Littlo prejudice now remains against labour fiiiv'iim: farm machinery, and tlio farmer is thought behind the times if be mows with ■i scythe or threshes with a fliil. The model farmer now mows, spreads and rakes his hay with the mower, tedder and horse rake, and then lifts it from hay rack to barn loft with a horse fork. He

in the weft at least, with a snlky plough; then uses a harrow, cultivator and pulveriser all in one, and sows his seeds with a mechanical seed sower. When manuring time comes iu fall or sprinsr, he can use a manuro spreader if ho wishes. Wheel hoes save the farmer's hack lots of etitoht-s, or a horse hoe can be used. One of the devices that is now no lontrer thought a luxury is the windmill. Anyone who rides through New England with his eyes open knows how h>any of these are in use. Some are utilised for cutting wood, hay and roots, and for other mechanical purposes, hut they are as one. iu a hundred to those used for pumping water There is almost no limit to the height which water can be raised by the windmill, and it need not be put directly over the well : in fact, it may bo many feet away, provided the. vertical distance be not great. Old Proh says, and experience proves, that hereabouts the wind blows about one third the time, so the tank used for storage must hold at

least three times as much as the amount required iu any one day. Thus water can be stored to supply the house, barn or fields, and the farmer can be almost independent of ruin. The smallest mill put up, with fair winds, will store from 250 to 400 gallons of water an hour. Such mills as farmers ordinarily use cost from 125 dol. to 400d01., and the purchaser can, if he wishes, easily erect them himself.— Boston Globe.

Useful Information" r?, Manures.— An experimenter, known as the Marquis de Paris, has published in a Parisian

agricultural journal his rscities for artificial manures suitable for different kinds

of fruit and vegetables, from which, as he states, he has obtained some astonishing results. For fruit trees grafted upon

Quince or Paradise stocks of average vit;or ho recommends as follows, the French measures being: converted into English :—olb 6oz of sulphate ammonia, 91b of phosphate of lime, 2Jlb potash, H-lb sulphate of lime. For the above it in"neeeßS iry to mix the manure before winter, and to sow 10oz per square yard around the root of each tree, taking care to cover the entire spire which the roots are believed to occupy. In cases where trees do not grow as ibey ought to do, the proportion of sulphate of ammonia should be inure isel ; line on tha other hand, where tli"V anw too rapidly and yield little fruit, it should bo diminished and the superphosphate increased. For crops of beans nud peas the following mixture is given - —ISoz nitrate soda, GJlb of phosphate, lib of putash, -Hlb of sulphate of lime. For vegetables, potatoes, tomatoes and other plants of this family : — 2'i-lb nitrate of soda, 91b phosphate, potash, 4£lb sulphate of lime. For cue cabbage family, and especially for cauliflowers:—44lb nitrate of soda, 2|lb sulphate of ammonia, loj superphosphate, Gjjjlb potash, IA-lb sulphate of lime, For the asparagus family the mixture is similar to that for potatoes, except th it tlie nitrate of soda is doubled and a little more potash is given. For strawberry beds : —ISoz nitrate of -soda, ISoz sulphate of ammonia, 6Jib superphosphate, 2\\b pota.sh, 4-ilb sulphate of lime. Iu all cases the dose is 10oz per square yard Whenover there is a fresh planting , of any of the above, or fresh seeds sown, the

manure should be added. The Marquis suggests that in every instance loz of sulphate of iron should bo added per square yard, and especially for fruit trees and beans. The quantifies given are minimum quantities; they can bo increased iu reason without fear, except in the case of the potash, which, being au alkali, must necessarily be prudently employed. The above manures have been used upon calcareous clay of a rich and compact nature ; upon other soils they might naturally be modified in accordance with their composition.

Insect Pests.—Wo (Bristol Times anr Mirror) havt received the Second Aunun' y'\oport of Uio Agricultural Adviser to tin Lords of the Committee of Council fo Agriculture. Mr Charles Whitehcm gives in it a description of this and otlu pests of the year, the moth caterpillar

and ejrgs being , This book, which only oosts 3Jd from the Queen's Printers, must be very useful to tho;e who wished to know how to destroy these pests, and what farmer or fruit-grower does not? During theattack on tlvj fruit trees last summer, upwards of 2,000 circulars were distributed amongst persons interested. The " Agricultural Adviser" says:—lt should be observed with respect to the modes of prcvculiou against the attacks of the insects described in this report, as well as concerning the remedies prescribed for them, that they may be modified and supplemented and probably improved. Practical farmers and fruit-growers will be able, without doubt, to invent better systems of treatment, or intelligently modify those suggested, when they are fully acquainted with the origin of the evils and thp histories of their cause.-". With regard to washes, for example, it would be ea.-y for them to try experiments with various substances, such as pnrailin. oil, carbolic acid, and other like substances, to discover the maximum quantity that may be

applied without injuring the loaves, or flon'ors, or fruit. In America and Canada α-iitihcs of ail descriptions are used to iin extraordinary extent. For applying those, there is a large collection of all sorts of machines, some fearfully and wonderfully made. The composition of washes and their proper distribution avo made a science there; but they have nothing better, it is thought, for washing trees, and high plants, than the hop washing engines with powerful pump. , -'. For distributing small quantities of liquid poisonous or offensive matter, or finely powdered poisonous or offensive matter upon low plants, they havo not a more valuable apparatus, it is believed, than Strawson's Air Powder Distributing Machine American entomologists wonder that we do not employ arsenic in England as an insecticide. It is used in enormous quantities in tho United States and in Canada for the attacks of many different insect*. Against the ravage, of the Potato Beetle, Doryphora de;:cmlineata, arsenical compounds are particularly tflioacious. Paris green, arsenate of copper, is tha best form of arsenical compound, applied in tho form of a wash, or :.is a powder. This has been used in America more extensively than any other eubstance. As a wash, about a pound is put into 10 ; ) gallons of water. When used dry, dusted on as a powde>\ aboiU one pound is put to thirty pounds ol ilouc, or plaster of Paris, aud about twenty pounds distributed over au aero. " Lmiduu purple" is also another and cheaper arsenical substance, containing, according to an analysis given by Profo-sor Liiloy, " 43-Ga per cent, of arsenic acid." This is cheaper than Paris green, and is applied in tho same quantities, and in similar ways. The air powder distributor, as our readers are aware, is a machine patented by Mr Strawson, of Newbury, by winch small a quautny as ~no yalluu of paralliu tin be spread over an aero, and almost; infinitesimal atqoun.ts of finely

powdered flubstimocß may i')fi distributed over large areas. It will doubtless bp, common to talk dbout a r.rop, ii Held or a ri>:ul, as it is now to speak of ren.[>insj (.ho fir-t, ploughing the Mi:cn<i .iiir] tlio third.