FARM, GARDEN, AND ORCHARD NOTES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 3076, 2 April 1892, Page 1 (Supplement)

FARM, GARDEN, AND ORCHARD NOTES.

Contagious Abortion in Cows,—lt is curious to find, when an endeavour is being made to attach the blame of contagious abortion among cows in England to close podigree breeding and unnatural treatment, a correspondent of the Albany Cultivator complaining that his herd ia suffering from this'misfortune ; although they feed in " the piny woods " and havo extra fodder night and morning. Another correspondent also notes that this year ho has suffered from " epidemic abortion losses not easily borne." Both affirm the most curious feature of this plague ia that all the cows always seem in perfect health.

Small Farmers and Money Lenders. —The experience of small proprietors in every country in the world—from India to Minnesota —proves their liability to fall into the hands of money-lenders. The American farmers themselves are bound to the banks ; the small holders of the Rhine country are enslaved to the Jews ; in France, whese peasants have the training of centuries and the most favourable conditions as to market and climate, they only escape by limiting the size of their families, and by brutalising thrift and toil—and even so they are deserting their holdidgs in the north of Fiance, and drifting into the cities. National Observer.

Sweet Peas.—Sweet peas, which are somewhat negleoted in many gardens, are so very beautiful as well as fin sly scented that they ouuht to be more extensively grown than is tho case at present. Great improvements have of late been effectul in tho varieties. Among those of which descriptions are given in the English periodicals are Princess Beatrice, one of the loveliest varieties, from whatever point it may be regarded, whethor for its effectiveness in the garden or when cut. It is deseribed as carmine rose in colour. Mrs Gladstone is equally as pretty, a most charming flower in lighter hues, being of a pretty pink shade. Butterfly is distinct, being white, marked with lavender blue, Indigo King has a maroon pnrple standard with blue wings. Qneen of the Isles is scarlet, mottled with white and purple. Seed should be sown in autumn.

Progress of Dairying is Victoria. From the latest report submitted by the Victorian government dairy expert, Mr A. Wilson who by the way is now making a tour through this oolouv, we extract the following particulars |Of the extraordinary progress being made by the neighbouring colony in the important matter of dairying for export. As showing the progress we have made, wo started the firot season, 1889 and 1890, by sending away 400 tons of butter, mostly in cisks ; average return, 9d per lb. In 1890 and 1891 we exported 1000 tons, one-half casks and the remainder I boxes ; average price, 10|d. With the sailing of the s.s. Cusco on 20tli, the last of,' this season's shipments will be sent

•iway, U143 tons packed in 85.02S ci.ses, mid ruilising tliu handsome avcruge m London of U pc lb, U-in«ii.tr.i«ito the colony close upon £2.>0,000 for five montii'« butter. The nuney pan for fmHit amounted to £05,000. With the continued increase of our factories, our next season' shipments should not iall h b"rt of oUUO tons. SCHUBBERS.—'Tho Meli-ournn Leader writen :--Any cno possessing an ordinary knowledge of stock going through the dairy herds of tho colony ncust ho struck with the preponderance of inferior, or, what Amoncunn call, " scrub'' cattle, that is nondescript animals of 110 breeding and very Bmall milk producing qualities. It has always boen a mistake to koop such a class of cattle on a farm, but fiß grazing was until reoently a fairly profitable adjunct to farming, the farmer usu My managed 10 make sorroihinir out of liia stock The position, how over. it. now vory different. Grazing cannot poßsibly bo profitable until a stock iax is put ou, but apart from that, the great ttpi oad of the dairying industry makes it imperative tbat an all round improvement should take place in our dairy herds. If dairying is to become tho great industry that all who have the welfare of the colony sincerely at heart hope, the productiveness of dairy herd* must be increased. This can only be done by grading up the cattle, a process winch will tako considerable time, much careful selection on the part of tho breeder?, and the use of pure sires of recognised milking breeds. It is impossible to discard the present herds and sab.-titu e pure stock-. There are not enough pure cattle of milkinif breeds in tho colony to admit of tl.is being done, and in auy case fnrmirs could not afford tho outlay. Griding up is therefore tho only m:;iin of improvement that can bo generally followed, and tho sooner attention is directed to this important matter the better. Too much time has already been lost. If farmors had really good cattle now, instead of the nondescript animals that usually make up tho herds, the output of milk from tho farms and butter from the factories would bo nearly doubled. Except amongst the breeders of pedigreo stock, there is not a herd of cows in Victoria that will compare with those found throughout tho wholo of the south coast district of New South Wales, where dairying has been the staple industry for a number of years, and where the value of tho cow is based upon its milking qualities. This matter is of foremost importance to dairymen, and tho longer they wait before energetically setting about improving their herds the greater will bo their loss. A bad us much to keep as a good one, but thero is a wide difference in the roturns obtained at tho end of a year. Tho improvement of dairy hords is imperative, and those who set about it without loss of time will bo the greatest gainers.

The selling value of coppcr produced in tho United States lost year was about £7,G00,000. That of the silver was less than £11,000,000.