99 



natur.al cli'ainaj<;e I ever saw. The uplands are -wholly prairie, seemiugly well adapted 

 to tlie production of small grain of all kinds, or of corn. Spring-wheat has been tho 

 main wheat crop heretofore, but winter-wheat is bcgiuniug to bo quite extensively 

 sown. It seems to promise well so far. 



Angora goats in Utah.— J. E. Johnson, editor of the Utah Pomolo- 

 gist, pubKshed at Saint George, has just formed a co-operative company, 

 and negotiated for the importation of a herd of 130 Angora and Thibet 

 goats. By a terrible storm they lost a unmber on the Union Pacific 

 Eailroad, but have finally succeeded in getting 108, which appear in 

 good health. They intend crossing with the common goat, bringing up 

 the quality to full-blood. 



Alkaline lands in Utah. — Mr. John Woodhonse, of Lehi City, 

 Utah, writes that some of his heaviest crops are from land which, four 

 years ago, was totally barren, in consequence of the alkali it contained. 

 He states that the proi)er treatment of such soils is to plow in an abun- 

 dance of coarse, half-rotted manure, and then flow water completely 

 over the land, instead of arouiul it. Generally, this will bring the land 

 to in from two to five years, according to the proportion of alkali in the 

 soil. 



Tree-planting in Kansas. — Mr. Eiley M. Hoskinson, of Burlin- 

 game, Kansas, informs us that he now has on his prairie farm several 

 thousand trees, planted by him and his family within the last five years, 

 among which are oak, walnut, soft-maple, elm, white-ash, sycamore, 

 catalpa, white and yellow willow, mulberry, and cottonwood. Many of 

 his cottonwoods are now about thirty feet high and sis inches in diam- 

 eter. 



A HARDY VARIETY OF OATS IN TEXAS. — IMr. George A. Smith, Bel- 

 ton, Bell County, Texas, says : 



We have a valuable oat here — the pea or rustless oat — that always succeeds and 

 yields from 30 to 100 bushels to tho acre; a great acquisition to the South, where the 

 crop so often fails from rust. 



Wheat-seed in Iowa. — Mr. George Huston, Dodgeville, Des Moines 

 County, says : 



A general infusion of new seed- wheat would be a great blessing to the State of Iowa, 

 spring-wheat deteriorates more rapidly here than any other seed. The great reason 

 for this consists in the fact that we never allow a piece of wheat to. stand until it is 

 fully ripe, and then save it for seed. • 



Wheat experement in Minnesota. — Mr. L. P. Pike, Owatonua, 

 Steele County, last spring, sowed Eed Australian spring- wheat, received 

 from this Department, in drills about one foot apart, hoeing out the 

 weeds. His effort was a fiiilure, as was also those of a number of neigh- 

 boring farmers. This variety is thought to be too late for that climate. 



Orange grove. — A correspondent writes that H. J. Sanford, of 

 Melonville, Orange County, Plorida, is now setting out 125 acres in 

 orange trees, which will be, in a year from now, the largest orange grove 

 on this continent. He is also planting largely of other semi-tropical 

 fruits. 



Progress of steam cutivation in Europe. — At an agricultural 

 meeting lately held in Scotland, Mr. Grey, of Aberdeen, gave some ac- 

 count of the progress of steam cultivation since 1855, in which year the 

 late John Fowler started his first steam-i^low in Essex, which was a 

 very successful attempt. He subsequently expendetl $350,000 in experi- 

 ments, but after a few years he had nothing to represent this amount 

 of invested capital except a lot of old machinery. The solution of the 



