20 



THE AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



Cooling Dairies, 



IN the last issue an illustration was 

 given of an easy system of dairy 

 cooling, providing the local conditions 

 were suitable. Below will be found 

 illustrated another system adaptable for a 

 position which provides no natural con- 

 ditions for letting in air to pass 

 underground. The principle of these 

 systems of cooling is derived from the 

 fact that the ground at a distance of from 

 20ft. to 80ft. below the surface keeps the 

 same temperature all the year round, 

 which is slightly above the mean tempera- 

 ture of the locality. Less than 2Cft. from 

 the surface the soil gradually gets wanner, 

 and the same thing occurs l^elow 80ft. 

 from the surface, owing to the internal 

 heat of the earth. Our sketches are taken 

 from the Farmers' Bevieiv, Chicago. The 

 figures are self explanatory. 



Natai Botanic Gardens, 



CURATOR'S REPORT. 



M' 



R. J. Medley Wood reports : • The 



recent rains have been of much 



service, but in consequence of the way in 

 which they have fallen, though the 

 amount seems fairly large, viz., 8-11 

 inches since January 1, it has comedown 

 in small quantities distributed over 29 

 days, and therefore has not penetrated the 

 soil to any depth. Unless, therefore, we 

 should have coi)ious rains before the dry 

 season .sets in, our losses are likely to be 

 heavy. I am sorry to say that in conse- 

 quence of our not being able to obtam 

 sufficient native or Indian labour, we are 

 not able to undertake any improvement 

 in the Gardens, nor can we, in fact, keep 

 the ground in the condition I should like, 

 andl begin to think it will be necessary 

 to obtain indentured Indians, and supple- 

 ment them by such natives and free 

 Indians as we can obtain. I regret to say 

 that the greater part of the fruit of the 

 " sapodilla " was gathered unripe by mis- 

 take, leaving a very few only on the tree 

 to ripen. These ripened well, and showed 

 that the spodilla will prove a good addi- 

 tion to our list of Coast fruits. I scarcely 

 think that it is a fruit that will bear 

 carriage for long distances, and the con- 

 sumption will, therefore, be limited to 

 coast and vicinity. Seeds have been re- 

 ceived as under :— Italy, '\0 ; Agricultural 

 Department of Zanzibar, 1 ; Maritzburg 

 Botanic Gardens, 1 ; Scientific Depart- 

 ment, British Central Africa, 1 ; Col. F. 

 Addison, 1 ; T. W. Turner, I . Free grants 

 of plants have been made to the foUow- 

 iijg : — Government House, £39 lis. 6d. ; 

 Botanic Gardens, Maritzburg, £2 5s. 



In the Colonial Herbarium the prepar- 

 ation of the second part of the 3rd vol. of 

 " Natal Plants " has been continued and 

 will be completed before the date of my 

 next report. Specimens and drawings of 

 native plants have been named for various 

 applicants in the following localities :— 

 Weenen County 172, Klip River County 

 21, Durban County 13, Maritzburg County 

 3, total, 209. 



A horse will live 25 days without solid food, 

 merely drinking water ; 17 days without either 

 eating or drinking ; and only five days when 

 eating solid food without drinking, 



