FARM, GARDEN, AND ORCHARD NOTES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 2713, 30 November 1889, Page 6 (Supplement)

FARM, GARDEN, AND ORCHARD NOTES.

American' Cor\ Cuop.s.—Great " corn weather" is almost universally reported from America and if frosts do not come abnormally early immense yields of this staple will be gathered. Tho prospects arc excellent at present for securing the maize crop, as a few days more will see it safely over the danger line from t.bo attacks of nipping Jack "Frost. The out crop is simply immense ; that is tins only word which litly characterises the situation.

Fjne Onioss. —In connection with a bean show at B.mbury, Mr Devcril exhibited a collection of his famous onions, stugiug VI bulbs of Roushjm Park, weighing 20lb. ; VI of Ailsa _ Craisr, a magnificent now variety, weighing 301b. ; VI of C'ocoiiJiut, weiffiiiiifi- iJOlb. ; VI of Wroxton, weighing ITilb. ; and 12 of Anglo-Soauish, weighing 181b. One bulb of Anglo-Spanish, measured 1 Scinches in girth, and weighed 21b. Vlor. Tho largest of the 12 Rouaham Park was IS inches in girth, and weighed lib. IS.'.nz.

CiritE r>K Yellows in Peach Trees. —A cure for chlorosis, or yullowe in the poach, hiia been discovered and proved by Mr W. H. Divers, who gives his experience of the use of green vitroil in the Gardeners' Chronicle of the 7th September, and is congratulated by the edi or on his enterprise aud success. The soil was removed a foot in depth, nnd the vitroil (sulphate of iron), at the rate of ;J lb dissolved in 5 pints of warm water, poured over the roots and washed in with a plentiful supply of clean water. The soil was rostored aud the tree has become quite healthy. Wheat Yields in Various Countries. —M. Uraude.au gives the following figures as to the yields of wheat iu different countries, which show that Great Britaiu is still far ahead of all other nations. Great Britain produces 2S bushels per acre; Germany, 17"2 ; Australia, 17; France, 15'0 ; Anstriarlungary, l.">: Spain. 14 ; Canada, 12 "3 ; Italy and the United Status, 108 ; Algeria, 10 ti ; and India, 10. France, which until recently produced more corn than any other country on the globe, has now fallen considerably behind the United States, while the production of Russia is surpassed by that of India. Extort uf Cattle From Jehsev Island. — Jersey Island, the plaoo from which we obtaiu tho favourite Jersey cow, is a small spot of land. If squarod, it is G;.' miles each way. Yet this little islaud'has a population of 00,000 human beings and over 12,000 cattle, aud has had that number for tho last 20 years, for the census of 1861 gives 12,037- Aud yet they export, an an average, annually 2000 head. Roughly speaking, on this ishind they manage to snpport one head of kine to every acre, while iu England there is only one hoad to every Id acres ; therefore, iu proportion to its size, Jersey exports as many cattle every year as England coutaius. If England were to export cattlo at tbo samo rate, her whole stock would bo swept away iu a single year. A J3u> Hkifer.—At the last show of stock in Paris tho champion prize for the toest t'omalc was won by M. Siurnoret, the well-known breeder near Nevers, with a heifer 12 months old of a cross between a Shorthorn bull aud n cow of tho Chiirolise breed. Shu watj grazed until she was thrbo years old, aud was then taken no mid stall-fed for six months. Kor tho fir»r. mouth she was fed on bay and brau, while iu the second mouth sho was given mangel, beans, and other farinaceous food, followed afterwards by cake. She fattened remarkably well, and was sold to a Paris butcher for £.33. The report as to how she turned out after being kilh d is now published, and it appears that sho yielded 12701b. of meat, itiGlb. of suet, and !)91b. of skin, which is considered to be eminently satisfactory.

Steixwedei/s Early Prolific Wheat. —Messrs Mason Bros., of theSheppartou Park Farm, have 450 acres under Stein Tvedel's early prolific wheat. In commenting on the above, the Shfpparton News says :—" It is now in car of some two or three weeks, and will be harvested early next month. Such an even crop in a line with the fences and extending over

such an area is seldom to be met with. This wheat is fully a monthj«nrlier than any other variety abundantly prolific, with a good, strong, clean »It;wv and line uniform head, qualifications as they are desirable, and their importance to our farmers in such a dry district as ours cannot, be over estimated. This year Messrs Mason Bros., after seeing the wheat in the stock at tho Government Experimental Farm last November, ordered 100 hags for seed, and paid the

extraordinary price of 10s per bushel for it. We understand it is their intention to dispose of it for sued this yearat a very reasonable price. The Wav to Catch Swine.—Swine of all ages nud conditions ore commonly avcrw! to bcinsf handled, and they manifest their disapprobation of it by squealing, kicking and fighting, aud when a number are together of certain breeds, tho pugnacity of tho whole herd is aroused when you attempt to handle one of their number. Pig's of a size that one roan can handle should be caught by one hiud log with one hand, while the other hand and arm is passed around tho body, and they are taken up in the arms, with their back against the catcher. - Larjje swine should be caught first by the bind legs, when two other hands seixe him by the ears and bristles. Now he opens his mouth, aud like a stentor crios " murderation !" Now have a noose on the end of a rope ready and slip it around his snout. In order to get the ropa on the hiud leg , , when they aro feeding at the trough «o up carefully behind them and lay the noose on the floor, close to the foot, holdiug it with one haod, and touch the lesf with a little stick, and tho piir will take up hin foot, when tho nonso must be instantly moved, so that he will step int.o it, Now raise it above the hoof, nearly to tho hock joint, aud draw it tight, and he is fast.

Rosoommox SiiKEr.— The Roscommon is a native Irish breed of sheop, which originated in the old province of Conuaus;ht. That province has from time immemorial been the principal sheep raising section of Ireland. The Connautfht sheep of tho old style wore cornso, Ion? lefruod aaimals of slow growlh, not attaining maturity and full weight until three or four yours of aue. But great improvement has been wrought in the breed by careful selection and the infusion of Leicester blood. By thin crow both earcase and fleece wero greatly ameliorated. Tho mutton lost its enavsn quality, resembling tho iint;ly marble flesh of the Kusrlish breeds ; the ileene became denser, and tho staple long and lustrous. In earlv maturity, quality of mutton, lencth and quality of fleece, the improved Ro«eommon sheep somewhat remsemble the Lincoln-, but they are lisrhter and fur more active. The ewe weighs from 1401b. to 1801b., fat wethers from 2001b. to UUOlb. Tho wool is soft, silky and lustrous. The average weight of fleece is Sib. to 101b. for ewes, while full irrown

rams hiivo yielded clips as high as 201b. Tttkxino in' Clrkkn Cuoi's.— Very few farms make snflioient manure from the animal feed to properly manure the soil, unless stowed to their full capacity, and then only when gru.it care is taken to save and make manure with j>ll its constituents intact. This is a laborious work, and costly as well. Hence the utility and ocunmny of ploughing under green crops. ]>y this means the whole value of the crop is returned to tlic soil, while in the feeding of anitmla only a minor part is so returned. Hence, again, the value of covered fallow, rather than of nnked ones, when a fallow is considered absolutely necessary. The more advanced farmers of tha country are adverse to allowing land to be naked at all, except during the time a crop is springing up. Ploughing under green crops is the system of manuring they adopt, which comes very near to nature's plan, the only difference being that it is far swifter. In this system of manuring the

faster growing a crop may be the better results, and with modern ploughs and attachments for dragging under trash, little difficulty is experienced in covering over a heavy growth of any plant. But argument is useless, perhaps. Let any farmer then who is unconvinced make the experiment for himself of raising a screen crop of some kind on part of his fallow, and ploughing it under, and compare the results against a similar portion treated as bare fallow. The verdict, and j it lias nnver been known to vary, will be given in favour of the former method. .Diri'iNi: SiiKKi. , .—We never yet heard

uuy iioekinaster who carefully dipped his sheep complain of the result, providing a good dip is used, but this very essential operation is frequently ho hurriedly aud careln.-isly performed after shearing that tin) benefits :iro scarcely equal to the cost.

There are few articles in common use that

are subject to severer tests than sheep dips ; not ouly are the parasites which they profess to destroy remarkably tenacious of life, but the wool and even the skin afford thorn an almost impervious protection besides. Thus etiicieucy of the dip with.-.ut thoroughness and care in its application will effect little, perhaps nothing,. Thoroughness is necessary in eanh and every detail, from the bojnuniu}* to the end of the operation. The dip should bu thoroughly mixed, bo well stirred up from the bottom just before beginning to dip, and whenever any stoppage occurs, a:id every sheep should be kept moving in it until the wiish has been worked into the fleece to every part of the skin. Ore is equally necessary, and nothing , must bo guessed or taken for granted. The water must bo measured, and it should be remembered that n. bucketful of guesses

won't make that bucket, a standard measure ; nor can they bo trusted to l-;ilco the plane of ascertained facts in deoiilinir the capacity of the bath. Neither should it be taken for granted that the notion of the sheep swimming , on the too will keep the bath stirred from the bottom, nor, because the sheep have been passed through the bath, t-honld it brj taken as a matter of course that the wash has thoroughly renched the pelt. Should, therefore, the owuor or responsible manager not personally superintend the operation, his presence is necessary to ensure the work being thoroughly done by others. The golden rule for success, whatever the dip used may be, is to uso it strictly according- to directions.—Exchange. Wheat - growing Profitable at Thirty Shillings a Quarter.— ProfessorM'Connell contributes a long article to the Land Roll on the subject of Wheat Growing. The professor commences by saying that about ten mouths ago he delivered a lecture on English farming, and some of the statements he made on that occasion were adversely criticised,

and in particular that in which he had said that he had found it paid well to grow wheat at 30s per quarter. Pie then goes on to say that as after the lapse of half-a-year, and the realisation of another crop, ho has not seen fit to change his opinion on tiie matter, he takes the opportunity afforded him in the Land Roll, to go into details aud adduce evidence to prove his statement. Ploughing once, he says, cost 12s; seed, 15 «; harrowing four timt's, 4s ; rolling, 9d ; manure, £2 ; harrowing once in spring, Is; harvesting, 15s; threshiug and marketing, lOs ; rent, tithe, etc., H Os od—total, £u". The returns are 30 bushels of wheat per acre, at 30a a quarter, coming to £o 12s (3d, and £1 10s for straw—total, £7 2s Gd. Apparently there is a profit of £1 2s b'd per acre. There is no charge for hoeing, as Mr M'Connell does not hoe his wheat. With respect to the somewhat small charge for manure, he explains that this is usually applied to a preceding crop, and, therefore, is not all charged to the wheat crop. The land is kept in good heart by being laid down with ' ; seeds " for four years at n time. In conclusion, the writer says :—" It will thus he eeen that tho growth of wheat at a profit at 30s per quarter does not depend on any one great outstanding point, but that every little item must ha attended to, and everything done in tho cheapest and easiest manner oonsistent with efficiency. The old-fashioned way of lavish expense in fallowing , and in working with cumbrous insufficient implements did well enough when wheat was worth gQs to (jOs

per quarter, but now that only half that sum cini bo realise! it is necossmay to prow it itt half tho cost, and I havo detailed above how it in done hero by my father anil pelf. Thu rhrurcs are not fanciful, theoretical onus, but those of our actual practice, and therefore lhave come to rognrd wheat as a good payimr crop durius* the hist few years, notwithstanding all that has boun said to the contrary."