12 



THE AGRICULTUEAL JOURNAL. 



been cultivating it for seventeen years, 

 and until two or three years ago got as 

 much as I wanted ; generally three or 

 four crops during the season. I planted 

 on ridge land, and with plenty of bone 

 dust. After it has been growing, say, five 

 years I plough it in, and it provides 

 splendid humus. Then I plant mealies, 

 and the following year turnips, lucerne 

 the next year going in again." 



Implements. 

 In some conversation which we had on 

 farm implements, Mr. Hall said he was a 

 good deal struck by Mr. John Marwick's 



observations (No. 25, Vol. III.) on the 

 anti-clog weeder, and that he intends 

 trying one. He will, however, inspan a 

 mule or a horse on account of the quicker 

 pace of those animals. I was par- 

 ticularly interested in the seed and the 

 fertiliser drills employed by Mr. Ball. 

 Both are made by Coultas, of Grantham, 

 England. They have been in use for 

 some years, and Mr. Hall spoke in the 

 highest terms of their efficiency. The day 

 I visited Mr. Hall was not favourable for 

 photography, but I managed to get a 

 picture of a group which will be repro- 

 duced and published in a future issue. 



Coia storage and Refrigeration. 



THE enormous progress made in recent 

 years in matters connected with cold 

 storage and refrigeration has affected the 

 shipping industry perhaps more than any 

 other business ; and the striking fact that 

 by means of this advance Canada has been 

 able to increase her butter exports from 

 £:5(;(),(K)0 in 18'.)(; to £1,20U,(K)() in 1S'.)'.I, 

 her cheese exports 25 per cent., and her 

 export of eg-S, fruit, poultry, and other 

 perishable food products 33 per cent., is 

 very convincing testimony of the truth of 

 this assertion. The improvements in 

 refrigerating machinery have been 

 amongst the most potent causes of the 

 great increase in the size of latter-day 

 steamers, for perishable cargoes want 

 plenty of space, and cooling chambers on 

 shipboard, in order to be economical, must 

 be large and roomy. A great deal of use- 

 ful and interesting information on this 

 subject is afforded in a report just pub- 

 lished by Mr. Arthur Getty, of Her 

 Majesty's Consulate at Chicago, the details 

 of matters connected with cold storage 

 and refrigeration in that town being gone 

 into very minutely. It appears that in 

 Chicago there are four large cold stO''age 

 houses, representing some millions of 

 cubic feet, each carrying on an extensive 

 business in meat, eggs, poultry, butter, 

 cheese, and fruit, and that the science of 

 ariificial refrigeration is carried on success- 

 fully in oil refineries, glue factories, india- 

 rubber works, packing houses, dwelling 



houses, hotels, restaurants, distilleries, 

 breweries, soap and chocolate factories, 

 and wine merchants' establishments. 



During the Paris Exhibition the demand 

 for frozen poultry was enormous, and this 

 year one company alone shipped 40,000 

 boxes from Chicago to the United King- 

 dom and France, whilst it is expected that 

 the export of poultry this year will be 

 the largest on record. An enormous 

 business is already done, it appears, in 

 the egg " canning " industry, America 

 being said to be the only country yet en- 

 gaged in this business. The pxtent to 

 which the trade has alreaily grown may 

 be estimated from the statement that two 

 packing-houses have now in their " chill " 

 rooms about 216,000,000 eggs, obtained 

 from the Western States in April and 

 May last, at from 4d. to 6d. per dozen, 

 and for wdiich the wholesale price is now 

 about 7^d. per doxen. Before being put 

 into the cold chambers, which are kept at 

 a temperature just below freezing point, 

 the eggs are carefully "candled," i.e., 

 examined by being held up to a strong 

 light in a dark room,, and either packed 

 in white wood boxes or stored in bulk in 

 aOlb. tin cases. It is suggested that when 

 taken out and thawed eggs should be 

 used as soon as possible, that they should 

 not be stored near cheese or other strong 

 smelling product, and that the tempera- 

 ture of the room should not vary as much 

 as one half a degree. 



