FARM, GARDEN AND ORCHARD NOTES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 2876, 18 December 1890, Page 4

FARM, GARDEN AND ORCHARD NOTES.

Locusts in Fkani-k.— Locusts inadi: thei appearance some weeks ago in the Canto of Saint Chaptes, in the Department c t>ml. Kvery expedient to destroy thes pernicious insects lias proved useless Hesides the Commune of Saint Chuptes the Communes of Dions and Sainte Anas ■ tasie are also attacked. The uuharvestei crops have bct-n seriously ravaged. Grea consternation prevails among the peas ants of those localities. A (J(ji)u Sjikki" Doc—A Rouiewha: remarkable instance of the sagacity of i dog is repojtcd fnim France. A farmer o Bergtnicols recently took to mnrket i tto::k of al.out, st-vi-uty .■-hoop, which hi -did to another fiirimir, giving hi* do; into t!iK bargain. The new oiv'nerstartec form home with about 100 lit'iiil of having bought others, the whole bJutr it one ilouk. JMnre they urrived at thei; destination night u-ime on, mid they wen -topp' (1 nt a neighbouring town Umiujj this sl.;i v I ho do.; separated his l;i to muster": sheep from this others, and drove then Uiuik to iheii-qiiiirrerH. Tho s-hec-p \ver< suhsi'(|iiM T ]tlv ret.nrm.-il to their hiwfii owner, bat the dog , was allowed, to remain with liis old master. lloltNUsiioKisi; rMii-;):Ciir.Oiwi''oK>r.— An experiment with chloroform has just becu tried on a horse in Milwaukee. The hoi'ho, usually ;rontlo biicamo vicious the moment his bind fi.-ct were touched, and every iittomp to put shoes on him proved fntilo. Finally chloroform was suggested. The horse waa Hccured on the " amputating,' table, and made to inhale six ounces of chloroform, which took tit'ect after a liipsa of .six minutes. A blacksmith in twenty miuntos attnehed a pair of stroug shoes co to the animal's hind feet, and half an hour later the subdued kicker "came to." For fully ten minutes ho tried his best, to Iling olf the shoes, but finally give in and trotted away meek nnd humbled. The horse apparently suffered no inconvenience whatever from the chloroform, Mules,—At the last meeting of the Bombay Natural History Society, Sir J. H. (Heel rendu jmtiei- upon mules, which ia well worthy the attention of farmers in this country. After pointing out that the value of a j»ood mule i«, in India, higher l nan that of a horse—and it may be added that tho same is the ease in the Western States of America—hs discusses the question of mule breeding. Ho lays special stress upon the fact that while only good mares should be nml for horsebrcediuir, a very inferior animal is <;ood enough to bo the mother of a inulo ; and this is recognised by tho Korse-brccding Department of tho tinvorninent, wliicli encourages horiio-broedinjj and muloonly in those districts where ijood horses are not produced. There is the utlvaritiisre, too, that not only is a very ugly raaro cnpable of producing useful mules, but unsoundness is seldom transmitted from a mare to a mule offspring. Tho mule costs little to rear, is fur hardier than the young horse, :irid exhibits a notable freedom from disease. Great numbers of farmers possess marcs which from various causes are unlit for breeding horses, but which arecapahln of producing excellentmulc.M, The<c animals are yaiu injj in public cfttimuliou, and, although their value is as yet lower than that of ■■•. holje, it it probabla tbut farmers might tind it uilvuutiigfcous to breed them. Huaijla.nd.s.—There is no doubt that many fields are kept fonl by the filth which (jrowa on the headlands, and for !.liwri'asuii,i:isLead of beiuf' more neglected :hau tho re:it »f the Ik-IJ, they sliouli .■ec-eivo more attention. H is the practice ivii.h many careful fannirs lo plougli the jutsid-.JS of the field.'! a.< soon as the corn irops, arc'.A', «o I'm; they may be jrettiujr i spci.'iiil tillage. A itio«t i.-ii"ual obsurvuiiii: a I: this ; ;n.T--<i:i <,f tip- ~ia..'s of a field iViowliow I he ui fdn an , from hr> :mil ililcli.-s, and miles:) tho ■not:! ■avp o.hociiod the I'diich will ;;cl ; a long vh:i airot.s tiii- hiin.'llnnds before ho winter plocmhings av.' done. ,'hn h,<iuli:iiids :'iro inon-. dilliclt o e|p;iu on all occasions thiiu the rest of he Meld, bf-causo it is impossible to cross fork thom ; but if the oui.-idrs are left. inl.il thpy have been trampled by the lorsps when turninir, the <;ri<und becomes a pounded that nothing but vi:ry pcciul efforts will olean them. Jlm:h as armors like to pel: on with Jiutumn nil ivntinns, thoy know that these must

the aid of steam is resorted to, but there are often dull days in harvest when very Httlo can bo done in the corn, and when it is unu'iso to stir old tilth, and such occasions us these mav well be taken advantage of for pougliing 11 few furrowH round the ontnides of the fields. When the furrows are turned buck iu thin manner they will i»et u chance of mellowing, and the subsequent cleansing will be easy, even if the outsido furrow ih a mat of rubbish, for a very pood job will be prepan-d for winter, when the filth mtiv be shaken out with n fork , The Cow an» it.s Milk.—lt is very curious that thu best milk and butterprod iieing cow is never, or ■ Vearcely ever," the animnl which the judges of life stock select as the best of hnr breed, Oα the contrary, it. is generally the unnoticed or th"? despised of her sex which proves hersi If the most profitable in the presence of the milk-pail or churn. There may b« frrouiids for this seeniinir paradox in the ease of shorthorns and other in? breeds, when other qualities than milk .mil cream have to be taken into occount, when making the awards. With Jereeys, which are regarded as existing for nothing else than to provide milk, cream, and buttsr, it is somewhat unaccountable that, There should such difference be Twixt tweudle-duni and twucdlu-dec. But so it is, At the recent dairy show at I Islington for instauce, the first prize and gold medal, iu the Jersey butter tests were takeu bv Cleopatra, a cow which was unnoticed by the judes iu her class, aud which gave :illb. lloz. of milk, yeildiujr 2lb. ;f.';(iz. of butter, uqutil to upwards of lolb. of butter per week. Last year tlio prizu was won by a cow, Barons Progu*s, which then gave the ratu of over 'Jolb. of butter p:>r week. She was in competition again this year; but in consequence of having had milk fever, gave » ratio, of just under 121b. of butter weokly. The silver medal cow (also the winner of the fir.it prize in the milking trials), which also was passed over by the judges as a eitiv, gave in a day 321b. Soz. of milk, yielding 21b. U.oz. of butter. The bronze medal cow, or third prize, was the only one which received notice, being highly commended. These facts are worth studying alike from the breeder's dairy keeperV, and juil-rcV puiut of view.