350 
FOREIGN AGRICULTURAL NEW’S* 
wasting in proportion to the amount of exercise they 
undergo—hence, while they rove at large, they must 
receive from time to time new supplies in the shape of 
food, to make up for this waste, which are not needed 
when they are at rest, and consequently, by the system 
of soiling, less food will be required to fatten them. 
Thirdly, because by soiling there is an increase of val¬ 
uable manure, which, by the old method of grazing, 
was nearly altogether lost. 
American Provisions. —Within the last few days, 204 
boxes of American cheese have been received in Liv¬ 
erpool. Every year the quality of the American 
cheese improves. Another article, which is arriving 
in very large quantities, is American lard, which is 
coming into use for many purposes for which salt and 
even fresh butter has been employed. Very excellent 
salted beef has come from the United States in consid¬ 
erable quantities. 
Epidemic among Cattle. —This has broken out again 
in a most virulent shape in the north of England. 
Journal of Agriculture. — Miller’s Safety Reins. 
■—These consist of gut covered with leather, and are, 
therefore, proof against fracture; and being round, 
and of neat light appearance, form a rather ornamental 
and sporting-like appendage to harness or saddle. 
They are mounted in this way:—They pass through a 
hook placed on the head of the harness-bridle, and 
through a leather loop on the head of the riding-bridle, 
and come down on each side of the neck. About 
middle-way down the neck is a coupling with two 
swivels, which receive the reins from the head, and 
they then pass through the dees of the harness, and 
through the turrets of the harness-saddle, and along 
to the front of the splashboard to a rein-holder, by 
which they are held always ready for use. The head 
of the horse and the turrets of the saddle being both 
higher than the throat, and the coupling being short, 
and having leave to traverse the reins on each side of 
the neck, it settles on that part of the throat at which 
the reins, on being pulled, exert the greatest force, 
when, the windpipe being forcibly compressed, the 
horse becomes affected in his respiration, and, there¬ 
fore, stands still, or slackens his pace for breath, which 
he immediately obtains on the reins being slackened. 
Thus, feeling he is mastered, the horse shows no far¬ 
ther inclination to run off again ; but in case he should 
renew symptoms of starting off, a few firm grips of the 
coupling on the throat will let him feel the futility of 
his attempts. 
In explanation of the origin of the invention, Mr. 
Miller stated that he was a farmer’s son, and that, in 
his youth, he used to be employed at times to assist in 
catching horses at grass, by means of surrounding them 
with a rope, borne by a person at each end of it. He 
remarked that, in this service, although no restraint 
was laid upon the horses when the rope rested on their 
chests, yet, whenever it could be got upon their throats, 
they instantly stood still and allowed themselves to be 
taken. The idea which this recollection suggested, of 
the probable effect of pressure on the throat in stop¬ 
ping a runaway horse, led Mr. Miller to the contrivance 
of his safety-reins. In his first experiment, the band 
which connects the reins under the neck was attached 
to the headstall by hooks and straps; but it has 
been considered an improvement to allow it to 
move freely upon the reins, on which it settles in 
contact with the throat, in a proper position for use 
when required. 
Our communications with Mr. Miller impressed us 
favorably in regard to his contrivance; but, wishing 
to see it in practice we availed ourselves of an offer 
by him to afford us an opportunity of judging of it in 
operation. We, accordingly, on a day appointed, ac¬ 
companied him in a carriage drawn by one horse, for 
the purpose of trial; and we witnessed as spectators, 
as well as made ourselves, repeated tests of the reins, 
with the horse going at a smart canter, both on a level 
road and on a descent, and we invariably observed 
that the tightening of the reins caused the horse im¬ 
mediately to stop. No injurious effect seemed to be 
produced on the horse by the interruption of his res¬ 
piration. He always appeared to breathe freely, and 
to be ready to resume his work, as soon as the tension 
of the reins was relaxed. 
Upon the whole, therefore, we consider Mr. Miller’s 
invention to be a neat and simple, as well as, to ap¬ 
pearance, an effective contrivance for the accomplish¬ 
ment of its important object, in the prevention of the 
disastrous accidents which not unfrequently occur 
from horses running away; and we think it reflects 
much credit on the ingenuity of its inventor. 
Gardeners’ Chronicle. — Rhododendron. —There is 
a variety of the Rhododendron ponticum growing here, 
which appears to be different from any of the others. 
It comes into flower about the same time as the others, 
but instead of unfolding its blossoms at the same rate 
as its neighbors, it only opens , a few at a time, and 
continues long in flower. It did not cease flowering 
this season the whole month of August; consequently 
was nearly a month longer in bloom than the others. 
It has a southern exposure, and is sheltered from the 
north and east. 
Blight an Grain from the Barberry. —In the Chron¬ 
icle of August 19, under the head of “ Vulgar Errors,” 
we read as follows : “ People still maintain that the 
barberry blights their grain.” This is, nevertheless, a 
matter deserving attention; for in this, as in many 
other instances, a popular prejudice has been founded 
on truth, although the real cause has been often over¬ 
looked. Some writers have treated this subject with 
respect, and among them is Dr. Thornton. The latter 
says that the “ leaves are very subject to the rubigo , 
which will infect the grain in the neighborhood.” Here 
the secret is at once explained, and the aversion of 
farmers to the barberry-bush at once justified. The 
vulgar notion is, that the barberry exercises some evil 
agency upon grain within a certain distance, and ac¬ 
cordingly farmers will never suffer it to grow near 
their fields. They are right as to the effect, but they 
attribute it to a wrong cause. I have seen some re¬ 
markable instances of grain perishing in a semicircle, 
in front of a barberry-bush, and extending a good way 
into a field. Any one who has but superficially no¬ 
ticed the barberry, must have observed that the leaves 
and young shoots of the shrub were covered with a 
peculiar kind of blight or mildew. Now it is by no 
means extraordinary that this should be carried by the 
wind into grain-fields, and infect the grain so as to 
cause its destruction. This is the true explanation of 
the mischief caused by the barberry to grain in its 
neighborhood. [This is the common explanation, but 
if any one will take the trouble to examine the para¬ 
sitical plant which attacks the barberry, and that of 
grain, he will find that they are totally different things. 
One is the iEcidium Berberidis, and the other some 
species of Uredo or Puccinia, for it is sometimes one 
and sometimes the other. We should as soon believe 
that a hen’s egg would be hatched into toads, as that 
the seed of an JEcidium would produce an Uredo or 
Puccinia. We are aware of the facts mentioned by 
Mr. Wighton, for we have seen them ourselves, and 
they form a curious problem yet to solve.] 
