349 



Bayou Lafourche, are all well adapted to the growth of the tree, and 

 generally have good facilities for shipping- the frnit to market. 



The destruction of shade-tkees. — The wanton destruction of 

 shade-trees is meeting with just condemnation in influential quarters in 

 England. The Gardeners' Chronicle calls for the api^ointment in each 

 town and city of a public officer, to be called the conservator of trees, 

 whose duty it shall be to protect from ruthless destruction all ornamental 

 and shade-trees on the line of public highways and side-walks. Officers 

 with similar jiowers are needed in this country. 



EiCE-cuLTURE IN CALIFORNIA. — The Sacramento Bee states that rice- 

 culture has been successful in the swamp lands. In district No. 28, two 

 persons planted a few acres in rice, last year, with results so encourage- 

 ing- as to induce them to greatly extend their enterprise this year. There 

 is reason to believe that this branch of production may be greatly en- 

 larged in these swamp lands. 



Tea-seed from Japan. — W. W.^ Hollister, of Santa Barbara, Cali- 

 fornia, has received fifteen to twenty bushels of tea-seed, from Jajian, 

 to plant on his farm near Santa Barbara. 



Cheap cooking apparatus. — E. C. Coombs, of Cherokee, Iowa, 

 states that he uses, in cooking food for stock, a box, chiefly of 2-inch 

 oak plank, made flaring, the length being 8 feet, the depth 2 feet, and 

 the width 2 feet at bottom and 2J feet at top. The bottom of the box 

 is made of heavy sheet iron, lapping on the sides and ends. The box is 

 set on a brick or stone flue, and is found especially valuable in cooking 

 corn on the ear for hogs. 



Cattle-disease in Dakota Territory. — A note has been received 

 from the post-surgeon of Fort Randall, J. Frazee Boughter, M. D., giving 

 the following statement concerning the disease among the cattle of that 

 vicinity : 



A disease lias appeared among tlie cattle at this post ; over fifty head have died in 

 less than four mouths. The animals are generally sick only a few hours before dying. 

 The disease I regard as a blood-xioisou, of some malignant nature; the spleen and liver 

 are the organs principally affected. If you can give me some information, or refer me 

 to some authorities, I shall be greatly obliged. I think the disease here is the so-called 

 "splenic fever." 



It. may be the Texas cattle-fever, if we may judge from the reference 

 to the organs mainly implicated. What are the other symptoms? Are 

 Texas herds, recently arrived, kept in the neighborhood, or have any 

 such herds been driven over the feeding-grounds of the native stock? • 



• The western cattle-blindness. — A singular disease of the eyes, 

 resulting in blindness, is prevailing among cattle in Western Missouri. 

 In the early stage of the disease the eyes commence swelling, at the 

 same time running water. The swelling lasts from five to fourteen 

 days, and when the discharge of water ceases, a firm white film covers 

 the eyes, completely destroying sight. The disease is said not to impair 

 the general health of the animal. The Kansas City Times, (Jackson 

 County, Missouri,) states that this " epidemic" is spreading rapidly 

 through that county, and along the line of the Memphis and Kansas 

 City Eailroad. In Independence from thirty to forty cattle, some of 

 them verj^ fine animals, are completely blind, and in Kansas City there 

 are two hundred blind cows, some of the dairies having had fifteen blind 

 milkers at one time. 



