TEE AORICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



Gleanings, 



A dairyman says that milk should never be 

 taken to the factory or creamery in a springless 

 ■wagon, as the result will be the churning of the 

 milk and cream, which then becomes less avail- 

 able for the making of first-class butter by the 

 creamery butter-maker. 



An eifort is being made in Germany to stimu- 

 late the consumption of fruit, particularly pre- 

 served fruit. This is not because there is an 

 oversupply of the product, for the reverse is 

 true, Germany not growing enough to meet her 

 home demand, but physicians recommend it for 

 sanitary reasons, and the fruit dealers acquiesce, 

 believing that it will raise prices. The chief 

 reason, however, is believed to be the desirability 

 of finding an outlet for Germany's surplus 

 sugar, which could thus be largely utilised. 



The Queen was a genuine dog lover from her 

 childhood ; it is probable that in the course of 

 her long life she owned a larger variety of dogs 

 than any owner iu her dominions. She was a 

 frequent exhibitor, and the Queen's cottage near 

 the kennels in Windsor Home Park contains 

 numerous paintings of her favourites, both 

 those known to the public by their successes on 

 the show-bench and others. 



In August, 1899 the Egyptian Government, I 

 having been satisfied that rats were instrumental 

 in disseminating plague, issued an order direct- 

 ing the police to take measures to destroy all 

 the rats they could in Cairo. This edict ofEered 

 an opportunity of m^ney-making which certain 

 Arab swindlers qjickiy turned to account. 

 They industriously spread news of the police 

 order, but they stated that it was applicable to 

 ■pnuHvy. Natu.-ally, a scare followed. Hundreds 

 of natiye fowl-keepers sold their birds for what- 

 ever the swindlers chose to give them, and the 

 latter thus made a handsome profit. 



A singular race was run at Ridgewood Park, 

 New York, in the summer of 18'.t9. The coni- 

 petitors were a large elephant, ridden by his 

 keeper, a professional bicyclist, a motor car, a 

 camel, and an Australian horse, used in the 

 circus to which the other animals belonged. 

 The race was four times round a (luarter-uiile 

 track, and the management proposed to make it 

 a time handicap. This, however, could not be 

 done, as when the starter took his field in hand 

 there was too much unpleasantness. The 

 elephant objected to the cycle and to the mator 

 car, the camel objected to everything and every- 

 body, the horse would not go near the camel, 

 and the bicyclist was in mortal terror of the 

 elephant ; the motor car was, in fact, the only 

 decently obedient competitor of the lot. Eventu- 

 ally the elephant and camel were despi'.tcljed by 

 themselves with two laps start of the bisyclist 

 and horse, the motor car being scratch. It was 

 a sensational race owing to the conduct of the 

 field, but on the handicap the elephant won, 

 bicycle second, motor car third. 



In South America the breeding of mutton 

 sheep has increased until now about 70 per cent, 

 of the clip that formerly was all Merino is all 

 English or cross-bred wool. 



If you have not a weighbridge on your farm 

 you cannot be up to date. It is indispensible, 

 and infinitely more businessHke than dealing in 

 a haphazard manner. A farmer of an imoortant 

 holding told us the other day that he disposes 

 of his fat stock to the butcher at so much per 

 cwt. live weight on his farm. It saves expense, 

 and puts money in the farmer's pocket. — The 

 Farmer. 



Experiments in the treatment of potato scab 

 carried out in the United States have elicited a 

 result in favour of powdered sulphur as the 

 most effective application. This material is 

 dusted over the sets before they are planted, and 

 is also applied to infected land, the quantity 

 advised for the latter puroose being 200ibs. per 

 acre. In treating the seed potatoes they should 

 be shaken up in a sack with some flour of 

 sulphur, in order to make sure that all the tubers 

 are completely covered. 



The Field records the adventures of a lucky 

 horse. He was bought by a gentleman in 

 Cheshire, who hunted him until the war broke 

 out, when he accompanied his owner to the 

 front. He went through twenty-eight engage- 

 ments and was hit three times, twice in the nose 

 and once on the quarters. He was one of the 

 first horses to enter Ladysmith, and of 29(j 

 horses in the contingent to which he belonged 

 this was the only one to return home alive. 



William Taylor, in the Cap& Times, says : — 

 Some years ago I lived in a large old-fashioned 

 thatched house that was infested with rats. I 

 now and then caught a fine specimen and starved 

 him, Having got him ravenoas for food, I puc 

 a freshly-caught rodent in the cage. The starved 

 wrevch imiuediately fell upon the new-comer, 

 slaughtered him, and set to work to devour him. 

 I would then let the cannibal loose, and he 

 henceforth became a devouring enemy of his 

 kind. I cleared my house in this way of 

 hundreds of rats. The remedy is simple, and 

 costs nothing. 



In a few weeks, says the " Journal of Oorn- 

 merce " a new industry will be commenced in 

 Jamaica for the establishment of a factory for the 

 manufacture o2 cocoanut butter on a large scale 

 All the necessary machinery has already been 

 imported from the United States for the work, 

 and steps have been taken for the erection of 

 buildings needed for the industry. Contracts 

 have been entered into with Jamaican houses for 

 the sujjply of cocoanuts, and the whole scheme 

 is ■well advanced, and is giving satisfaction 

 throughout the island. 



