FOREIGN AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 
67 
FOREIGN AGRICULTURAL NEWS, 
By the steam ship Cambria, we are in receipt of our 
"European journals to the 4th January. 
Markets. —Ashes have slightly declined. Cotton, 
we are rejoiced to see, has advanced during December, 
from id. to id. per lb. The market is firm, and though 
the amount of the present large crop was pretty 
shrewdly guessed at in England, it was thought in con¬ 
sequence of the increased consumption, and active de¬ 
mand for goods, that there could be no further decline 
the present year in this staple article. Stock on hand 
at Liverpool on the 1st of January, 749,'580 bales 
against 653,900 same time last year. The consump¬ 
tion for the coming year in Great Britain is estimated 
at full 1,500,000 bales, so that there is only a six months 
supply in market—not a bale more than they ought to 
have. Flour continues dull. Naval Stores have ad¬ 
vanced. Provisions .—The trade in these is continually 
on the increase. Beef, Pork, and Lard in good demand. 
The best brands of American Beef are now preferred 
to Irish. So much for our improved system of pack¬ 
ing. Butter and Cheese, advanced. Rice in good re¬ 
quest. Seeds, especially Clover and Flaxseed, quite 
active. Tallow, brisk. Tobacco , without change. 
Money is abandant at 2 to 2£ per cent, per annum. 
American Stocks .— Considerable is doing at an ad¬ 
vance. The Illinois commissioners have returned in 
the Cambria, having succeeded in getting the loan 
filled up. 
Trade has rarely ever been better, and Great Britain 
seems to be advancing in wealth, power, and intelli¬ 
gence, beyond all precedence. The commerce with 
China proves profitable, and in many things has more 
than doubled the past year. 
The Weather has been intensely cold throughout 
Europe. The celebrated astronomer Arago, predicted 
an uncommonly severe winter. When the weather is 
unusually cold in Europe, we have generally noticed 
that it was mild here, and so vice versa ,. 
Cocoa-nut Fibre, for Folding Sheep, is found to last 
much longer than the tarred hemp netting; it is also 
more easily handled than the common hurdles. 
Number of Domestic Animals in Austria — We observe 
by the last census, just issued by the Minister of Com¬ 
merce, that Austria, in 1843, possessed 2,300,000 horses, 
10,400,000 cattle, 25,000,000 sheep (yielding 55,000,000 
lbs. of wool), 5,800,000 swine, and 1,245,000 goats. 
Caesarean Operation .—The following circumstance 
occurred on the farm of Mr. H. Mason, at Comberton, 
Herefordshire. A neighbor’s cow, near calving, in 
making her way through the hedge, had the misfortune 
to break her leg She was immediately killed on the 
spot, and a fine bull calf extracted. The calf is now 
alive and doing well 
Strawberries in December .—There is now growing in 
Mr. Richards’s garden, at Bridgnorth, a bunch of straw¬ 
berries (Keen’s seedlings). The largest measures 
three and a half inches in circumference, and is well 
colored. They have had no protection, except being 
covered with a hand glass since the nights have been 
frosty. 
Oaks in Hyacinth Glasses —If an acorn be left for 
some weeks suspended by a string, at about half an 
inch over the surface of some water contained in a hya¬ 
cinth glass, it will throw down long white roots, whilst 
its stem will rise upwards, and become decorated with 
bright green and delicate leaves When it grows over 
the top of a hyacinth glass, it looks a very pretty object. 
A College of Chemistry is proposed for promoting this 
science, and its application to agriculture, arts, manu¬ 
factures and medicine. 
More Large Potatoes .—We gave a record of big pota¬ 
toes in our last, but here is something that beats all 
we have yet seen. We suspect, however, that the 
printer meant eight and not eighteen pounds. “A kid 
ney potato weighing eighteen pounds, was taken on 
the 9th ult., from the garden of Mr. John Diggles, 
Woodbine Cottage, Cheapside, near Burnley.” 
Smithfield Show of Fat Cattle .—The 47th exhibition 
of fat cattle took place during the first and second 
weeks of December An increased attention seems to 
have been paid to it—the number of visitors exceed 
60,000. The Queen, for the first time, was present at 
this show, attended by Prince Albert, and several of 
her foreign visitors. The royal party examined the 
animals and all other matters with much attention, 
kindly patting the fat oxen and sheep as they walked 
along. We wish American ladies in this respect would 
take example of the Queen of England. Prince Al¬ 
bert, and many of the most distinguished noblemen 
were exhibitors, although they were not quite as for¬ 
tunate as the plain farmers in obtaining prizes. The 
first prize of £20, and silver medal to the breeder, and 
gold medal as the best beast in any of the classes, was 
awarded to Mr Henry Brown, of Leicestershire, for 
a four years and six months old Durham cow. 
Manufactured Goods in France .—It is said there are 
enoughof them on hand at present in France to sup¬ 
ply the market for three years. 
Exports of Wheat and Flour from Canada to Great 
Britain and Ireland .—From 11th October, 1843, to 5th 
July last, these amounted to 145,598 bushels of wheat, 
and 133,256 barrels of flour. During the same period, 
175,960 bushels of wheat were imported into Canada 
from the United States. 
To Force Early Grass. — A light top-dressing of 
guano, in March, is said to have the effect of forcing 
grass unusually early in the spring. 
Fat Tail Sheep .—Those which weigh dressed not 
over 50 to 60 lbs., have tails weighing 14 to 18 lbs. 
Tussac- Grass .—At the Horticultural Society’s Gar¬ 
den, the Tussac-grass recently received from the Falk¬ 
land islands has vegetated freely in a peaty soil. 
India Rubber for Paving Stables is said to be unequal¬ 
led by anything ever yet tried for this purpose. It 
prevents the lodging of stale matters, and their conse¬ 
quent noxious exhalations. It requires little litter, 
and preserves the knees and other parts of the horse 
from injuries which are apt to be received in stone 
paved stables. By a little precaution, the ammonia 
which now exhales to the injury of the horse’s health, 
may be collected and sold as a manure, from 21. to 31. 
per horse per annum. The stables at Woolwich dock¬ 
yard have been paved with this material for upwards 
of two years, and are superior in point of cleanliness, 
freedom of smell, and healthiness, to what they were 
previous to laying down the elastic pavement. 
Utility of Rooks.— A flight of locusts visited Craven, 
and they were so numerous as to create considerable 
alarm among the farmers of the district. They were 
soon, however, relieved from their anxiety, for the 
rooks flocked in from all quarters by thousands and 
tens of thousands, and devoured them so greedily that 
they were all destroyed in a very short time. It was 
stated in the newspapers, a year or two back, that 
there was such an enormous quantity of caterpillars 
upon Skiddaw, that they devoured all the vegetation 
on the mountain, and people were apprehensive they 
would attack the crops in the inclosed lands ; but the 
rooks (which are fond of high ground in the summer) 
having discovered them, in a very short time put an 
end to their ravages. 
Death of M. Fellenburg .—The celebrated founder of 
the Hofwyl Agricultural School, in Switzerland, M, 
Fellenburg, died on the 21st of December. He has 
done much good in his day, and through his school 
has greatly improved the science and practice of agri¬ 
culture, not only in Switzerland, but in the neighbor¬ 
ing provinces of France and Germany. 
