398 



English spaekows in Australia. — It appears from complaints re- 

 cdved by the lioyal Horticultural Society that fruit-crops iu Australia 

 have been seriously injured by the English sparrows imported into that 

 country. 



ExpEEi3iEN:rAL STATIONS. — The system of agricultural experimental 

 stations is rapidly extending in Italy. In consequence of information 

 obtained and circulated by the minister of agriculture, respecting the 

 exijerimental stations in Germany, seven new stations have* been 

 established on the German model. These are located at Undine, Mo- 

 dena, MiLan, Lodi, Padua, Florence, and Turin. 



xYGKICULTURAL specialties in iSTORTH CAROLINA. — Mr. J. L. 



Labiaux, a native of France, now residing at Eidgway, North Carolina, 

 writes us that he is making efforts for the introduction into his section 

 of experts in various agricultural specialties. He commenced by 

 arranging for the settlement of two gf his countrymen, skilled gardeners, 

 lately employed near Philadelphia. Their capital being too small to 

 jiurchase and stock land, Mr. Labiaux negotiated for them a partner- 

 ship with a citizen of Ealeigh, for five years, on terms mainly as fol- 

 lows : The 'latter furnished OCi acres of land near Ealeigh, valued at 

 $40 per acre, and $1,000 for horses, implements, seeds, manures, &c. 

 The interest on this capital is to be an equivalent for the labor of his 

 copartners who are privileged to borrow from the company's funds 815 

 l)er month, each, for the first six months, as a ])rovision for their sus- 

 tenance meanwhile. At the expiration of the partnership), the entire 

 capital advanced i« to be repaid by the company, when the surplus 

 accumulated will be equally divided. The arrangement was perfected 

 last November, and, at this time, is working to -ftie satisfaction of all 

 parties concerned. Since the inauguration of this enterprise, Mr. Labiaux 

 has formed other associations of like character, one of which is a part- 

 nership between himself and Mr. V. Clerc, from Vaucluse, France, chiefly 

 for the imrpose of viniculture ; but the latter being an expert in the cul- 

 ture of madder, it is intended to devote four or five acres to that specialty. 

 Mr. Labiaux further informs us that a steam fruit-drying establish- 

 ment has been recently erected at Eidgway. It uses the " Baltimore 

 process" of pneumatic evaporation, claimed to be covered by the 

 patents of Marshall P. Smith, of Baltimore, Maryland, and identical 

 with that commonly known as the Alden process. 



The New York ^ieat-market. — The following are the chief points 

 of a recent article in the New York Times, giving some statistics of the 

 New York meat-market : The markets of the city require weekly 8,000 

 to 9,000 cattle, 3,000 calves, and about 26,000 sheep. The first-class 

 beeves of the New York market are mainly Durham grades, (as in 

 London,) and there is no considerable proportion o^ these where the 

 grade is higher than half-blood. Illinois, Missouri, and Kansas are the 

 most important sources of supply, both in quantity and quality. The 

 evils attendant on cattle transportation are still severely felt. Cattle 

 continue to be transported in crowded and badly constructed cars, in 

 which they cannot be either fed or watered without much loss of time. 

 As a consequence they become restive, and before reaching the journey's 

 end many of them are so badly bruised that when they are slaughtered 

 large portions of their meat are unfit for use. The improved trucks 

 which were temporarily used on one or two lines of road have been set 

 aside, because they could not be quite as quickly loaded and unloaded, 

 nor packed with as large a number as iu the case of the common trucks. 



