October i, i88x.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
345 
FARM MEMORANDA. 
Flies and Horses. - 
flies inflict upon hor 
as we recently endure 
the minds of many. ' 
is so real that 1 venti 
describe a plan which 
-The incessant torment which 
ics during such hot weather 
d may not have occurred to 
.'hough a minor misery, yet it 
re to ask you lo allow me to 
ltlUE 
)ly the 
jid 
with 
rubb 
appli 
Otnei 
tion 
day, 
flies 
from 
into 
sects is also not at 
and these, therefore 
the dreaded tsetse i 
shy of Biniilarly am 
it deserved a trial, 
incalculable boon, 
•mosquitoes.— J. Jaw 
field " (iu the Dail 
LlVEK FOR F0W(.f 
long spell oE parchi 
which should have 
was at a standstill 
grubs which fowls i 
where to be found. 
more parts of olive oil. This should be 
tly all over the animal with a rag, and 
re thickly to the interior of the ems and 
most likely to be attacked. This applica- 
iced to be repeated in the course of the 
hile any odour of the acid remains, the 
to settle, and the horse is completely free 
sir annoyance. The nervous, irritable state 
horses get from the attacks of these in- 
) not an infrequent cause of' accidents; 
therefore, may also be obviated. Whether 
tsetse of Eastern Africa would also light 
larly anointed animals I cannot say, but 
a trial, and if successful would be an 
t might also prove obnoxious to 
E3 Ridge, M.D., London. — " En- 
News.) 
. — Some little time ago we had a 
ig east winds here. Vegetation, 
>een growing rapidly at the time, 
and all kinds of insects and 
evqur with such relish were no- 
The most inexperienced poultry- 
keeper 
affect tl 
which b 
almost ceases. This was the 
ing the period in question, 
that the want 
s, especially in 
begins to 
uutil 
ad I 
hava had 
be 
stood, begun giving a lil 
Not more than three oi 
bad this they one aud 
not stop again until rail 
was given. 1 have tried 
fowls during such a tin 
so good as tho liver". ' 
dunug the very kind of 
1 attribute wholly to tl 
of food was made. As 
easily procured, probably 
of some of your readers I 
until the supply 
i tli my fowls dur- 
obably I should 
tho weather and earth had 
t, when I saw how matters 
;tle raw chopped liver daily. 
: four days after the hens 
all started laying, and did 
many 'kind! of llesh food for | 
le, but have found nothing 
Their recommencing to lay [ 
weather which stopped them • 
le liver, as no other change 
liver is so cheap and can be | 
• it may be to the advantage 
to know this, and as we may 
have much dry hot weather shortly, I consider the 
matter well worth publicity. — (Correspondent of Jour- I 
nal oj Horticulture.) 
AuRICULTURAL EXPERIMENTS AT WoiiURN. — These 
experiments wire instituted last year for the purpose 
of a-ivr;aining the vahi" of dissolved and undissolved 
phosphates. Tho results already obtained siiow that 
ftft <■ cannot be profitably grown on the light soil at | 
Wolmin, and probably not on similar sandy soils 
elsewhere, for a limited number of yoars, even when 
tho best artificial manures containing both mineral 
and nitrogenous constituents are applied to the land 
in much larger proportion than c mid be done in actual 
farm practice, on account of the cost of the manures. 
On strong wheat land, containing a largo proportion 
of good elay, such as that at llothamsted, Dr. Lawes 
has grown both whoat and barley on tho same land 
continuously for about 30' yearn.— Ilmiv Farm. 
FRUIT EVAPORATION, 
( From the .1 «.'/• i <i<iitn.) 
Our readers will doubtless remember t he deiei ipt ion 
given S 
87 
thrco years ago in th '-e edmum ,.| the 
Alden patent process of drying fruit in the United 
States of America. It was claimed for this process 
that raisins could be prepared of superior quality to 
those ordinarily sold at much less than the usual 
cost ; that apples, peaches, plums, and apricots could 
be dried or "evaporated" in a superior manner, and 
that the Aldon process was in general use throughout 
tho United States. Wc now learn from our Adelaide 
contemporary, the Observer, that a Mr. Pulleine, from 
Tasmania, has been describing to a meeting of the 
Chamber of Manufacturers a similar process, which 
he is of opinion could be utilised in these colonies. 
By its aid tons of fruit that now go to waste could 
be prepared in a marktable form. Tho approximate 
cost of a machine that would turn out five tons 
of fruit per day would be £500. A youngster ten 
years old could turn out about a bushel an hour ; 
fuel in Tasmania costs little ; a ton of coke costing 
16s., would last eight weeks, at the rate of 14 work- 
ing hours a day. Mr. S. Davenport (who took the 
chair), Mr. T. Hardy, and three other gentlemen were 
requested to report on the subject. According to Mr. 
Pulleine, the driers of apples and peaches in the States 
have not been as particular as was desirable iu secur- 
ing uniformity of sample. The boxes have been ex- 
tensively "salted," i.e., the best layers have been 
placed on the top ; these practices have, in the long 
run, an injurious effect upon the trade, creating dis- 
trust and lowering prices. On this and the other 
matters we will allow Mr. Pulleine to speak for him- 
self. Thus, speaking of this condition of the trade, 
he says : — "This I attribute to the fact that the articles 
are purchased by merchants in outlying districts, 
who are a,t the mercy of the producers to a great 
extent, aud this evil can only be remedied by having 
a packing factory, where the fruit packed for export 
would be uuder the immediate supervision of a 
thoroughly practical manager, who would see that 
goods sent out were uniform in quality, brand, and 
package. The price of evaporated fruits cannot be 
positively fixed, and like other articles of commerce, 
the value on the market is subject to the great question 
of demand and supply and the quality of the article, 
which conditions, as in cereals, are influenced by fa- 
vourable or unfavourable harvests. It must, neverthe- 
less, be borne in mind that fruit skilfully evaporated, 
packed, and pressed, will retain its original quality 
unimpaired for an indefinite period, having by that 
process been rendered imperishable. The prices of 
evaporated fruits for the seasou 1S70- 1 SSO were:— In New 
York— Apples, 7d to Sd per lb. ; peaches lOd to Is 
3d. In Oregon— Apples, 5d to aid ; peaches, lOd. 
In London, September, 1SS0— Apples, wholesale, 7d 
to 8id ; retail, lOd to Is. I am however convinced 
that the best samples on view at the Exhibition wauld 
command a higher value. The time occupied in my 
process depends partially on the atmospheric coudidon, 
but in this colony there would be little variation. 
Different varieties of plums aud apples take slightly 
different treatment, but approximately the time occu- 
pied is :— Apples, 2 J to 3 hours ; peart, 2i to 3 ; plums, 
3J to ; blackberries, 2J to Jty ; grapes, t) to 10 ; 
hops, 3 to 3A ; apricots, 2§ to 3£. It ia my intention 
bo experiment on vegetables, meats, kc, and 1 have 
already achieved results of assuring nature. I may 
stato that this colony has, in my opinion, advantages 
above any other, especially in the atmospheric condi- 
tion necessary to successful evaporation, and 1 am 
satisfied that should this industry bo established oua 
sound basis, in a very short -time South Australia 
would not only produce a sufficiency ol raisin*, 
currants, and other fruits lor home consumption, but 
would bo in a position to export to ot er colonies. 
Though temporarily a resident in Tasmania, Whiah 
produces fruit of undeniable quality, 1 cannot I at 
recognise the immense resources of this colouy iu 
