192 
FOREIGN AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 
A Miniature Elephant. —A sow in the possession of 
Mr. William Higgs, pig-breeder, living at Phoenix Cot¬ 
tage, on the Tewkesbury road, has farrowed 12 young 
ones. With reference to 11 of these, there was nothing 
remarkable, but the other was certainly a most extra¬ 
ordinary lusus natures —the head presenting exactly the 
appearance of that of an elephant. The lower jaw, 
the trunk, the eyes, the ears all exactly corresponded. 
This singular little animal only lived one hour and 
ten minutes. 
Emigration to America.—It is said that more people 
are preparing to emigrate to Canada and the United 
States this year than ever before known. 
Oil Cake regularly fed to calves is found to prevent 
the malignant disease called the black-leg. 
The following items we cut out from the New 
Farmer’s Journal:— 
Professor Liebig, the eminent chemist, is said to 
have taken out a patent for a variety of artificial ma¬ 
nures, suited to all the principal crops which are 
grown in this country. 
Sagacity of a Pony. —Last week, a pony, the pro¬ 
perty of Mr. Cookson, Bottom Boat, near Wakefield, 
having lost a shoe, went alone to the farrier’s shop, 
got shod, and returned home to his master. 
Inferiority of Dutch Cheese. —The reason that Dutch 
cheese is always inferior in flavour, &c , to our Eng¬ 
lish—has a bad sale—and is at last driven out of the 
market by the American, the flavor and richness of 
which is so superior, that their method of soiling their 
cows in house always, is the main cause of their ill- 
flavored cheese and butter. Cut food given to cows 
never answers so well as the natural pasturing of the 
animal—so I have found, after several years keeping 
cows. Soiling cattle for the butchers is one thing, and 
the soiling of cows for their milk is another 5 although 
the animal lives and does well, and is quite healthy. 
Destroying Worms. —An infusion of the leaves of 
the common walnut, when poured upon the ground, 
brings the earth-worm immediately to the surface. 
A Great Layer. —A small common hen, the property 
of Mr. Grierson, slater, Dunbar, has, from the com¬ 
mencement of the laying season last spring till the 
close of the present season, produced the wonderful 
number of two hundred and eight eggs. 
A Wonderful Ewe. —A ewe belonging to Mr. William 
France, of Quernmoor, yeaned, when one year old, 
two lambs; when two years old, three ; when three 
years old, four ; when four years old, four; and when 
five years old, four; making in all 17 lambs in the 
space of four years. But after yeaning this year, both 
she and her progeny died in one day.— Lancaster Gaz. 
Ley of Soap-boilers as Manure. —If, in making soap, 
vegetable ashes, lime and common salt be used, a ley 
will be obtained containing much chloride of potassi¬ 
um, some gypsum, sulphate of potash, common salt, 
and 3 to 4 per cent, of brownish soap. In some soils, 
and for some crops, it is very good manure ; thus it 
will show itself useful wherever the soil is deficient 
in chlorine and potash, and where plants are grown 
which require those substances to a considerable 
amount. The soap-boilers let the ley run off as use¬ 
less fluid, so that it maybe always had very cheap. It 
is commonly used for the manuring of meadows over¬ 
grown with moss ; but we must take care not to use 
too much, else it will destroy not only the moss, but 
also the useful meadow herbs ; in order to avoid which, 
it must be diluted with water, and used in autumn, or 
early in spring. It would be very well to slake burnt 
lime with ley, as it would thereby be dried off. Pro¬ 
fessor Lampadius has used this mixture to advantage 
for the manuring of rye. I manured with ley for barley, 
which was improved thereby strikingly, but the effect 
was not very visible till the second year.— Far. Jour. 
To Preserve Wall Nails from Rusting. —Heat them 
quite hot on a fire shovel (they must not be red hot), 
and then drop them into a glazed flower-pot saucer, 
half-filled with train oil. Thus prepared, they never 
rust, will last for many years, and it is said the efflu¬ 
vium from the oil keeps insects from the trees. The 
nails should remain some hours in the oil.— Gar. Chron. 
To Preserve the Bark of Trees. —The following is a 
composition to preserve the bark of trees from being 
injured by hares and rabbits. Take three quarts of 
common train oil, one quart of the best tar (not coal 
tar), and four ounces of fine powder of rhododendron; 
mix them well together by the fire, shake it every 
time of using, and use it carefully in the same man¬ 
ner as paint: no hares or rabbits will injure the trees 
for six months after the application. The less quan¬ 
tity there is put on the tree the better, so that all 
parts within reach are brushed over.— United Gard. Jour. 
Carrot Seed. —In sowing carrot seed, as it is so slow 
in appearing, it has been suggested to mix it with 
mustard seed, which comes up quickly, and enables 
us to hoe and clean the ground between the rows 
without injury to the line of seed. Some sow oats 
with the carrot seed. With all root seed I shall al¬ 
ways mix twelve times its bulk of fine charcoal dust, 
as it is proved beyond a doubt it facilitates rapidly its 
growth in dry weather.— Gar. Chron. 
Value of Agriculture and Manufactures in Great 
Britain. —Mr Bain, in the Journal of Agriculture, esti¬ 
mates the agricultural productions of Great Britain, 
at £600,000,000, and the manufactures at £47,000,000 
Arguing for the necessity of an enlightened cultivation 
of the soil and an increased production he says : 
“ While Rome continued to cultivate her own territo¬ 
ries, she continued great and powerful; and the mo¬ 
ment she ceased to cultivate, and received corn from 
her conquered provinces, she declined. The reason 
was this—abandoning the wealth that supported her 
people she abandoned her people, or she made them 
idle dependants upon others. The possessor of 10,000 
Latian acres might, at a few shillings an acre, have a 
sufficient income for himself and his herdsmen; but this 
was not equal to the state to the subsistence of 10,000 ac¬ 
tive citizens ; so the cheap corn Of Egypt, proved the ruin 
of Rome. On the very same principle, the cheap corn 
of the Ukraine, were it our own province , would tend to 
undermine Britain, and I hope the principle is under¬ 
stood ; wealth and numbers will always be where 
there is most steady labor in valuable matters. 
Stock in New South Wales.— -The whole of Port- 
Phillip district contains a population of 20,000 souls, 
occupying a territory larger than Ireland, for the 
greater part in perfect peace and security. This pop¬ 
ulation possesses upwards of 1,500,000 sheep, 100,000 
cattle, and about 5,000 horses, which yield an export 
of £300,000 per annum. This may be considered as 
the income of the population, giving an average of £15 
a-year to every man, woman, and child.— Quart. Journ. 
of Agriculture. 
Nitrate of Lime.—- This is the most soluble salt 
known at 60°, one part of water dissolves four parts 
of this salt. It would form, I have no doubt, a valu¬ 
able manure, especially for grass-lands, and might 
be prepared from our ordinary manure.— ib. 
Agriculture and the Increase of the Human Species. —It 
is easy to see how close the connection [is between 
agriculture and the multiplication of the human 
species. Cultivation has no other object than the 
production of a maximum of valuable substances in 
the smallest possible space.— Liebig. 
Sweet Cider for Fever. —Dr. Brown says, in the Medi¬ 
cal and Surgical Journal, that he found sweet cider, in 
a state of fermentation, of great benefit to himself and 
wife when violently attacked with fever. In health, 
he asserts, that unfermented cider was disagreeable to 
him, and he had drank none since a child. 
