*906.] 



Miscellaneous Notes. 



629 



Demand for Agricultural Machinery in South Africa. — The 

 following particulars respecting the trade in agricultural 

 machinery in the Orange River Colony 



MiSC Notes e ° US and the Transvaal > taken from the Bulletin 

 Commercial (Brussels) of 2nd December, 

 may be of interest : — The development of agriculture, and more 

 especially the increased use of scientific methods, are creating a 

 large demand for agricultural machinery in the Orange River 

 Colony and the Transvaal. At the present time, owing to the 

 lack of draught animals, light ploughs are generally used, but 

 as soon as larger areas of land are under cultivation more 

 powerful machinery will be required. 



To give an idea of the demand for agricultural machinery in 

 South Africa the following list of machinery imported at East 

 London in one year by one German firm alone may be quoted : — 

 10,000 ploughs from America, 9,500 sowing machines, 350 har- 

 vesters, 200 maize sowing machines, 300 hydraulic rams, 15 

 perforators, 1,500 decorticators, 4 steam ploughs, 5 steam 

 threshing machines from the United Kingdom, 16 steam 

 traction engines for agricultural purposes, 1,750 skimming 

 machines from Sweden, and 1,000 ploughs from Germany. 



Reduced Railway Tariff for Agricultural Implements in Italy. 

 - — The Bollettino delle Finanze (Rome) of 17th December states 

 that the Administration Committee of the State Railways have 

 decided to grant a specially reduced tariff for the transport of 

 agricultural implements, with a view to stimulating the develop- 

 ment of home agriculture. 



Agricultural Machinery in Asia Minor. — 'The Levant Herald 

 remarks on the need for agricultural tools and machines in the 

 farming districts of Anatolia, and states that the United States 

 Consular-Agent in Samsoon, who is agent for American ma- 

 chinery, made a trip recently through the country, during which 

 he made considerable sales of farm implements, including 

 mowers, binders, reapers, flour mills, engines, threshing machines, 

 ploughs, &c. 



Protection of Fruit Bushes against Birds. — It has been 

 suggested that disbudding of fruit bushes by birds can be satis- 

 factorily guarded against by means of cheap loosely-spun white 

 cotton thread, which is thinly interwoven with the branches j 



