FARM, GARDEN AND ORCHARD NOTES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 2965, 16 July 1891, Page 4

FARM, GARDEN AND ORCHARD NOTES.

♦ Compkenski) Vkcktabi.ks. — Largo quantities of compressed vegetables_ are annually prepared for u«e in the liritish army and navy. In addition to separate sorts, a mixed is much esteemed, which consists of 40 per cent, of potato, SO of carrot, 10 of cabbage, 10 of turnip and 10 of seasoning vegetables, such as onion and parsley, Tho method employed is to dry the vegetable and then comprcs them into small slabs which are packed in sealed tins. Washing Eggs.—The question as to whether or not, eggs should be washed previous to being placed for hatching, is one on which there has always been some littlo difference of opinion. The Feathered World takes the affirmative sido of the matter. It advises before (Jggs obtained from strange yards are placed under a hen or into a hatching machine, they should be carefully washed with soap and warm water, rinsed in cloau water, and wiped quito dry. If this is carefully done, it says, there is not any possibility of injuring the eggs ; on the contrary, they will be in better condition, as the pores of tho shell have been freed from dirt. It is believed that disease germs may bo conveyed in tho dirt attached to the shell of fin egg. The efigf! should not be washed until they are to lie placed in a machine or under a lien.

Tiik'hin.k i v J'oniv. —In connection with tho removal of tho German embargo on American pork, tho regulations carried out in tho principal towns of Germany for the detection of trichina; possess some interest. There is a staff of collectors of specimens who are solely occupied in visiting the slaughter-houses, and taking specimens of tho flesh of every carcase from the " stumps " of tho diaphragm, the tender loin muscles, the muscles botween the ribs, and sometimes from tho tongue. These aru enclosed in a small tin box, labelled in correspondence with a numbered tag fastened to the carcase. Tho specimens are taken to the laboratory, where they are microscopically examined, and when any evidence of trichin.e, or the germs of any otherdisease dangerous to human beings is obtained, the earcasc indicated is condemned as unfit for human food, andhas to bo boiled down for fats, oils, &.o. So well is tho work done that trichinosis is said to have become nearly extinct among the people of the large towns.

How to Ti:r.i. Goon Oats.—Good oats aro clcan, hard, dry, sweet., heavy, plump, full of Hour, and rattle like shot. They have a clean and almost metallic lustre. Each oat in a well crown sample is nearly of tho .same size. There aro but few small or imperfect grains. Tho hard pressure of the nail oil the oat should leave little or no mark The kernel when pressed between the teeth should clip rather than tear. Tho skin should be thin, The sizo of the kernel will be less in proportion than the skin is thick, The colour of the oat is not very material, but white oats are generally thinner in the skin than black. Again, black oats will grow on inferior soils. Short, plump oats are pre ferable to large, long grains. Bearded oats must have an excess of husk. Oats are not necessarily bad because they are thin skinned or bearded ; but they must contain a less amount of flour per bushel than thin skinned oats without beards.

What a Clyuksdat.k Can IYi,i,.— Scotch men never tire of singing the praises of the Clydesdale ; nor, for the mutter of that, of giving a dig at the shire horse. In a recent paper rend by Mr Archibald Maoneilage at the Fife Farmers' Club, he relates what a Clydesdale can pull. He says " The average weight of the lorry in common use in Glasgow is about I9cwr,. The average Laid generally carried on one of Ihese lorries is about 2 lons lOewt. ,b,it very frequently a ton more is put on ; and it is 110 uncommon thing for 4- tons to be taken liv one horse from the goods station of the various companies to the docks. This makes the gross weight drawn by one horse about o tons. Of course, so long as the lorry is kep 1 ; moving there is no very great strain on the horse on the route that requires to be taken in this case ; it is when the exigencies of tho traffic at crossings necessitates the halting of the horse and his suddently starting again, that, one sees thu Clydesdale fairly put on his mettle, and an exhibition of his powers as a draught horse. In one ease a load of •') tons 10 ewt. nrt, that is, about G tons 11 ewt. gross, was taken by one hori-e from (larugad-road, westward of one of the stations ; and it is a significant fact that the lory broke down, but the horse did not. lie bad, however, been soured by his long and hcavv draught., and it took three horses to shift the load after it had beeu transferred to another lorry. The break down took place on a gradient up which the one horse was gallantly toiling when I lie mishap occurred ; and but. for this there is no doubt ho would have lauded it homo alone.

Fkkm'H Kaumkks' C<> orHi.ATivr. As::iii'l.vthins. — Under the name of Syndic,-its A»rii - olus, co operative agricultural as social ions hnvc tipro-id over tin.' wliolo of France in less I turn six years. Started in I In-spring of IKSI, they now number at, ] p:i-t. I lirtl. Ijfinjr the number given ollicially in tin; last report,. Tim total iiumV'i'of members is not given, Init, an rvei.il ot them have from three to live thousand each, ami a few from ,'jix to thousand, the lo'al tini-t bo verv large. 'l'bey are. nol, at all like what wo style syndicates. They liny inamires, seed, feeding stuffs, implements, and other farm requisites at the lowest wholesale prices, with guarantees as to quality, and supply .the same to members without profit. They analyse some of these commodities to insure purity, and publish the standard of purity which they stipulate for in what they receive from manufacturers or merchants who semi in tenders. Arrangements aro also made for low rates on railways. Some of the associations are beginning to sell as well as to buy for their members, and, perhaps all, or nearly all, may see the desirableness of this iuinortaut development. Before they existed French farmers were shamefully victimised by vendors of adulterated poods, as well as pillaged by means of exorbitant prices ;

but, now the members of the syndicates are secured -igaiiwt. frarnl, and it is said that the reduction in the cost of what they buy has been as much as lO'o.'SO per cent. Many of the syndicates promoto agricultural instruction and experiments, the destruction of injurious insects, and various other objects of service to their members : and many, again, have es tablished insurance anil benefit societies, as well as funds for tho relief of oxeep tional distress. However this may be, there is no doubt as to the Syndicats Agrieoles having proved institutions of the greatest, value to the farmers and cultivators of Prance.

Da iky Hands. - The Lea'ler writes aB follow* :—The establishment of butter factories and tho impetus given to the dairying industry i« creating n difficulty in connection with the care of the milking herds. Where tho owner's family is capable of looking after tho cows all goes well, but when help is to be hired tho result in more frequently unsatisfactory than otherwise. Tho worker for a weekly wage, as a rulo, does not take a very deep interest in the welfare of the herd, and is by no means too careful in milking or too cleanly in habits. How this particular class of labour is to be improved is a problem. Providing tho workmen with more com fortable and homelike quarters would go some way towards attracting steady and more reliable hands ; but even with this improvement some considerable time must nacessarily elapse before the demand for good and careful milkmen will be fully met. The large dairy farmers would prob ably find the practice which obtains in a portion of the South Coast of New South Wales was a very suitable on? to introduce. There herds are given in charge to contractors who are responsible for the welfare of the animals. The contractors, who are usually married men with families capable of attending to the work, raceive so much per gallon for tho milk of herds entrusted to their chargo. This payment by results causes tho contractor to take as much ir terest in the herd as the owner. The milking is carefully attended to and uuprofitable cows are noted and got rid of as quickly as possible. The more milk the contractor can deliver the heavier is his weekly or monthly cheque. This plan has been in operation on tho Kaineruka estate, near Boga for somo years and has been found to work most satisfactorily. Large dairy farmers and owners of estates who contemplate engaging in the business of supplying butter factories would do well to give the subject some consideration.

EXPERIMENT IN THE MEAT TRADE.

The Central Queensland Meat Export Company, Limited, with a view of proving that it is practicable to convey chilled meat from Queensland to the southern parts of the continent, without deterioration,has just made an experiment which although not completely successful, goes to provo that with properly fitted ice rooms in the steamships the trado can be profitably and advantageously conducted. Latterly the officials of the company have had representations mado to them by business people that, if it feasible to send frozen meat to England, it should not be impossible to open up a trade in meat treated simply by the chilling process with tho southern colonies. By this means, if the system can be once initiated, it is contmded that the deterioration of tho meat under tho present system, consequent on travelling animals across the continent from Queensland, will bo done away with, and without any advance in price to the consumer. For the purposes of the experiment a sheep and the hind quarter of a bullock wero shipped from Roekhamptan per the steamer Aramac on the Bth June, and on the arrival of tho steamer in Melbourne on Thursday, the 18th, both the beof and the mutton wore found to be fairly well preserved considering the diflicultios under which the experiment was made. Tho preservation of the meat,howover, was not actually perfect., tho fattv portion presenting tho appearanco of having been exposed to tho air for some timo. The cause uf this is easily explained. It appears to be the custom of the vessels of the A.U.«S.N.Co,'s lino to tako in their ■upplies of ice at Sydney on the journey to Melbourne. In consequenco of this rule, the ice rooms are generally cleaned out and the meat placed on the deck during tho timo the vessels are in port at the New South Wales capital. This was done on the present occasion, and the slight damage to the condition of tho meat is no doubt attributable to the fact that it was left on deck for abont two days when the Aramac was in Sydney. MrT. Hunt, the representative of the Central Queensland Company, states that it is not the intention of the company to initiate a system of bringing supplies of chilled meat regularly to Melbourne, on its own responsibility, and no steps have yet been taken for the commencement of the trade. As, however, it. is felt to bo feasible to conv?y chilled meat between Queenland and Victoria without deterioration, provided that it is placed in properly constructed ice chambers,it is believed that a number of influential business men in Melbourne will combinc to initiate the trade, the company simply acting as butchers, supplying them with all the meat they require, as is at the present time does to many of the Queensland butchers. As to the cost at which the meat could be sold in Melbourne, Mr Hunt, is of opinion that it would bo equally as cheap as tho meat now sold in Melbourne establishments as it can be supplied at the Queensland port at 2d or 3d a lb.