164 
FOREIGN AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 
Jbretgn 2lgrtatlttrral TStzws. 
Bt the steamer America, we are in receipt of our 
foreign journals to 6th of April. 
Markets. — Ashes same as per our last. Cotton, an 
advance of f d. per lb., with large sales. Grain and 
Flour in consequence of late unpromising weather, at a 
trifling advance. Provisions, dull, with a moderate 
demand. Lard, lower. 
To Kill Ants.— Scald them with boiling water, or 
pour spirits of turpentine into their runs. — Gardeners' 
Chronicle. 
Remedy for Mildew. — Apply flour of sulphur to the 
plants the moment the mildew appears. — Ibid. 
Paint for Iron Work. — Take one part of Stockholm 
tar, and two parts of gas tar, lay it on while quite hot, 
with a brush, spreading it as thinly as possible.— i"6 id 
Death of Dr. Koch. — Hooker's Journal of Botany 
announces the death of Professor Koch, of Erlangeu, 
the distinguished author of the " Synopsis Flora? Ger- 
manicaj et Helvetica?," and of many other useful and 
talented botanical disquisions. His knowledge of Eu- 
ropean plants was surpassed by few if any botanists of 
the day. 
To Prevent Rats Undermining Buildings. — Rats 
cannot burrow through shingle (beach pebbles, nor small 
stone chips). To secure the foundations of any building 
against them, it is only necessary to lay the foundation 
in a bed of shingle, or rough gravel, from six to ten 
inches thick. — English Paper. 
Importation of Sugar Cane into England. — A short 
time since an importation of sugar cane took place 
from Madeira. Another importation of the kind has 
lately taken place from Madeira, and in addition to this, 
an arrival of some packages of sugar cane has taken 
place at Liverpool from Havana. 
Fishing for Rats. — A new branch of industry has 
sprung up in Newcastle. Juvenile disciples of Isaak 
"Walton — the shade of the old angler frowns upon us 
while we write — may be seen in the streets, patiently 
reposing by the side of a grate, with a line and baited 
hook in the sewer, to catch rats. Their prey are sold 
to the jackals of the rat hunters, men who keep hun- 
dreds of rats in store, and sell them to sportsmen. — 
Gateshead Observer. 
The Potato Restored in Ireland. — " Everybody is 
amazed," says the Clare Journal, "at the immense 
quantities of potatoes which have been for some time 
past pouring into the Ennis market. We have, also, 
had occasion to report an equally astonishing supply in 
the markets of Kilrush, Miltown, and Ennistymon ; and, 
indeed, in all the market towns throughout this part of 
the country, the same unexpected sight is to be wit- 
nessed. Other agricultural produce is also freely 
brought in." It is admitted, on all hands, that potatoes 
are not only abundant, but excellent in quality ; and 
they are sold at comparatively moderate prices. 
Sale of Louis- Philippe s Stud. — Twenty race horses, 
the private property of his Majesty Louis-Philippe, 
forming the royal stud at Meudon, were sold by auc- 
tion, at the park of Mausseaux, in Paris, a short time 
since. The sale was well attended. The highest price 
obtained was 3,220 francs, for an English chestnut mare, 
11 years old. A yearling colt, bred at Meudon, was 
purchased for the President of the Republic, at the 
price of 1,525 francs. A two-year-old bay filly was 
likewise purchased for the President of the Republic at 
1,870 francs. The sale produced 25,000 francs. 
The Potato Mania in Ireland. — A correspondent of 
the Times writes to that paper as follows : — " I learn 
on the authority of a gentleman of the highest commer- 
cial standing in cork, that no mere newspaper report 
can convey even a remote idea of the potato mania 
which has seized all classes in that extensive district. 
Grass lands, parks, demesnes, every available nook, 
have been cut up for the reception of seed. The whole 
country promises to be one monster potato field. The 
cultivation of wheat has been almost totally neglected, • 
as there is no prospect of that crop ever again proving 
remunerative, and the only cereals that have been sown 
are barley and oats, and these to a very limited extent. 
Supposing the potatoes to escape disease, and the yield 
to be an average one of former years, he calculates that, 
from their abundance, they can be readily purchased 
for a penny a stone. There is, it is said, ' method in 
madness,' and such, it seems, is the case in the present 
instance, as the experiment now in progress is made 
with a view of preparing the land for a succession of 
other green crops in the year following." 
Great Sale of Shorthorn Cattle. — The celebrated 
herd of the late Thomas Bates, of Kirkleavington, York- 
shire, consisting of 70 head, is to be sold on the 9th 
inst. His tenants, J. R. & T. Bell, will ako offer 40 
head on the same day. Several American gentlemen 
will be present at this great sale, and purchase, if they 
find anything there at fair prices, worthy of transporta- 
tion across the Atlantic. But, from what we hear of 
the late breeding of this stock, anything out of the 
Duchess or Wildeyes tribes would be of little value as 
a fresh cross on our own fine native herds of shorthorns. 
Variation in the Composition of Peruvian Guano. — 
By the examination of more than thirty specimens of 
Peruvian guano, it has been ascertained by Professor 
"Way, the consulting chemist to the Royal Agricultural 
Society of England, that the per centage of ammonia 
and phosphate of lime, the most important ingredients 
were confined within the following narrow limits : — 
Water, 
Organic matter and salts of 
ammonia, 
Sand, 
Earthy phosphates, 
Ammonia yielded by 100 parts, 
Lowest Highest Mean 
8.88 
37.78 
1.17 
19.46 
15.98 
22.68 
58.82 
2.95 
34.45 
18.94 
13.09 
52.61 
1.54 
24.12 
17.41 
Experiments in Cattle Feeding. — An account of an 
experiment in feeding cattle, by James Laidlaw, of 
Frampton-on-Severn, as detailed in the London Agri- 
cultural Gazette, is as follows : — 
1. Lot 1st, 13 three-year-old heifers, mixed breed. 
Lot 2d, 7 three-year-old bullocks, mixed breed. Lot 
3d, 9 three-year-old heifers, Hereford breed. 
2. Lot 1st, soiled in yards during summer; put up 
to fatten 6th October. Lot 2d, ditto, ditto. Lot 3d, 
put into open yards as soon as bought. 
3. Lot 1st, tied up in stalls 10-J- ft. long by 4-J ft 
wide. Lot 2d, ditto. Lot 3d, in open yard, with shed 
to he under. 
4. Lot 1st, each beast consumed daily 70 lbs. ; raw 
Sweeds, 2J lbs. ; linseed meal, sooked in cold water, 
2 lbs. ; barley meal, and 8 lbs. straw chaff. Lot 2d, 
each beast consumed daily, 90 lbs. ; raw Sweeds, 1\ 
lbs. ; linseed meal, soaked as above, 2 lbs. ; barley 
meal, and 8 lbs. straw chaff. Lot 3, put in the yard to 
freshen up for stalls, receiving a small quantity of tur- 
nips, with as much straw as the can consume, but no 
account taken of the quantity. 
5. Little wheaten straw, no account taken of the 
quantity. 
6. Lot 1st, estimated increase in weight by Christ- 
mas, 10 imperial stones (140 lbs.) ; the value depends 
on the market price when sold. Lot 2d, increased in 
size more than the first, but not so forward. Lot 3d, 
going on yerv well. 
