94 



the field to clean the fiber like dressed flax, from 1 to 15 acres per day 

 only requiriag from two to five men, with suitable horse or steam 

 power. 



Wool from New South Wales. — The secretary of tbe agricultural 

 society of New South Wales writes to the Commissioner that, owing to 

 preseut facilities of communication with New York, via San Francisco, 

 ■wool-buyers from the United States are now purchasing in the Austra- 

 lian rather than the English market. He states that he has shipped to 

 E. U. Forbes & Co., New York, for the Chamber of Commerce of that 

 city, thirty-three fleeces of wool which were presented at tbe last exhi- 

 bition of the society in Sydney, and requests the Commissioner to ar- 

 range for an examination of these samples by comi)etent judges. The 

 society proposes a system of exchanges of blooded stock between this 

 country and' New South Wales. The secretary says that on one or two 

 occasions rams have been received from the United States, but that 

 they did not appear to be the best specimens 5 not equal to descriptions 

 given in the reports of the Department. 



A report of awards on wool at the above-mentioned exhibition, held 

 in January, 1871, shows that, in class 1, of lots of twelve fleeces of 

 ewes' wool, compared according to length, density, softness, fineness, 

 elasticity, evenness of fleece, soundness, condition, and weight, the av- 

 erage weight of the lot taking the first i^rize of £10, was 4 pounds 1^ 

 ounce ; age of animal, two years ; age of fleece, three hundred and 

 eighty days. The average weight of fleece taking the second prize of 

 £0, was 3 pounds 11 ounces. The heaviest 'lot exhibited in this class 

 averaged 5 pounds 13^ ounces. In class 18, in a lot of five rams' fleeces 

 in grease, taking a prize of £6, the^average weight was 11 pounds 15i 

 ounces; age of the wool, three hundred and sixty-five days. In class 

 19, lots of twelve ewes' fleeces in grease, the prize of £6 was awarded 

 to a lot averaging 8 pounds G| ounces. These prize fleeces are included 

 in the shipment to New York. 



Australian prairie grass. — Mr. E. J. Vann, of Madison, Florida, 

 states that, having received from a friend a few seeds of "Australian 

 prairie grass," over a year ago, he commenced exi^erimenting with the 

 article, and afterwards distributed to planters interested in the subject 

 of grasses. His investigations have convinced him. that this i^articular 

 variety is of very great value for that region. One planting will afford 

 two crops, and, by plowing in in the fall, cropi3ing may be continued in- 

 definitely. 



Far:hers' club in North Carolina. — Mr. D. C. McMaders, secretary 

 of the Spero club, at Salem Church, North Carolina, states that one of 

 the members produced last year, on 18 acres of poor land, 650 bushels 

 of corn; on one acre, 78 bushels; another, 530 bushels of Irish potatoes 

 to the acre. 



White Schonen oats in Georgia. — Mr. John H. Dent, of CavG 

 Springs, Georgia, says : 



Last year I received a pint of the White Schonen oats from the Agricultural Depart- 

 ment, Avhich yielded a half bushel, not^vithstanding it was the most disasti'ous season 

 for oats, for this section of country, experienced for many years. I shall sow the half 

 hushel in February, and be enabled to give them a fair test for the year. The best oat 

 we ever raised in this country is the Grazing cat ; the Norway oats were a complete 

 failure. 



Condition of live-stock in Kansas. — Mr. J. M. Miller, Peabody, 

 Marion county, says: 



The winter has been very severe; stock is euffering much in eousequencb. On« 



