FOREIGN AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 
323 
FOREIGN agricultural news. 
By the arrival of the Steamer Britannia, we are in 
receipt of our foreign journals to the 4th of Septem¬ 
ber. 
Markets. — Ashes a considerable advance. Cotton 
had receded from §d. to |d. per lb., and was dull of 
sale. Flour and Grain, another serious decline. Pro¬ 
visions in moderate request. Naval Stores in good de¬ 
mand. Rice the same. Tobacco firm. Wool an ad¬ 
vance of Id. to 2 d. per lb. 
Money still continues in great demand at 5 to 7 per 
cent. Numerous failures had taken place, particularly 
among the grain and provision merchants. These 
have had the effect of exciting great distrust, and have 
cast a general gloom over all business transactions. 
The Crops have proved very abundant on the Conti¬ 
nent, and have been uncommonly well secured. In 
Great Britain and Ireland they are a full average. The 
potato-rot has manifested itself in some instances, 
though not to an alarming extent. Should it prove as 
virulent as last year, its effects would not be near so 
disastrous to the people, as they have cultivated other 
roots to a considerable extent this season, together with 
several varieties of grain, making them in a great mea¬ 
sure 'independent of the precarious potato-crop, which 
has formed for a long time, almost exclusively, the sus¬ 
tenance of the bulk of the Irish people. 
Disease in the Wild Potato. —It is a curious fact that, 
the wild Mexican potato, carried from Mexico last 
spring by Mr. Uhde, and planted in the garden of the 
London Horticultural Society, was the only kind there 
that appeared to be much damaged by the prevailing 
disease. 
Application of Ether in Taking Bees. —Several suc¬ 
cessful experiments are said to have recently been made 
in France on the etherization of bees, so as to be able 
to take their honey while they remain in a state of in¬ 
action, without the necessity of destroying their lives. 
Forage of the Canadian Army. —The daily ration for 
each horse of the cavalry and artillery consists of 10 lbs. 
of oats (or when required, 14 lbs. of bran in lieu), 
weighing at least 36 lbs. per bushel; 12 lbs. of the best 
Timothy hay ; and 8 lbs. of straw of the best quality, the 
whole required to be perfectly free from weeds or dust. 
For other troops, staff, and departments, the daily ra¬ 
tion of each horse is 9 lbs. of oats, 16 lbs. of Timothy, 
and 6 lbs. of straw. 
Salt as a Manure. —Common salt may advanta¬ 
geously be employed as a manure directly to the soil, or 
it may be mixed with the dung-heap. In the latter ap¬ 
plication of it, it must be borne in mind that in large 
quantities it is capable of suspending fermentation al¬ 
together, so that if the farmer wants his dung to heat 
well he must be careful in the use of salt; but in small 
quantity during the fermentation, or in full supply to 
the manure a short time before its application to the 
land, salt is likely to be of great service. Not only does 
it render the ammoniacal compounds less volatile, but 
it is capable of destroying the germs of both vegetable 
and animal life, for there is little doubt that we too of¬ 
ten introduce into the soil with the manure the weeds 
which choke, and the insects which devour, our crops. 
Salt will prevent all seeds from germinating when they 
are sufficiently saturated with a solution of it. No 
fear, however, -need be entertained of its effect when the 
manure has been properly mixed with the soil; it is 
then too diluted to interfere with the germination of 
seed .—English Paper. 
Spanish Stock. —So far as I could judge, and from 
what I saw, judgment seems more wanting in the 
cultivation of the soil than in the rearing of animals. 
The breed of horses is deserving of very high commen¬ 
dation. Sheep, pigs, and cattle are much like what 
Goldsmith, in his !£ Animated Nature,” describes as 
common to such countries. For my own part, I think ! 
no kind of sheep, generally speaking, could be better 
adapted for the migratory life these animals lead; and 
when we consider they generally are the property of 
the Spanish aristocracy, no wonder that something like 
taste should pervade the flocks. The pigs are gene¬ 
rally, in color and figure, more like those of Hampshire 
and Berkshire than any I know, but fully more hand- 
, some, and from the manner in which they are fed, often 
on Indian corn, better ham cannot be; even the wild 
boar, of which they may hold a cross, cannot excel 
them. The cattle are most admirably adapted for the 
draught, being clean made up (as a dealer would say), 
healthy looking animals, many of their points much in 
keeping with the Devons; the horns, however, more 
like the buffalo. Those which are slaughtered are, 
however, thin and ill fed, and require all the oil and 
garlic to fit them for the Spanish palate. With five or 
six months feeding on such pastures as in the land of 
Erin, they would make very nice beef, and, with a 
little additional feeding, say of ten or twelve sacks of 
turnips, and a few pounds of Indian corn, would excel 
the roast beef of old England; yes, beyond a doubt.— 
Monthly Far. Jour. 
Egyptian Commerce. —According to the Alexandria 
Custom-house annual report, it appears that during 
the year 1846 the total value of exports was 1,900,000/. 
sterling; and of imports, 1,750,000/. sterling. Both 
of imports and exports England has had by far the 
greatest share. There were exported from Egypt to 
England, besides other minor articles, 200,000 quar¬ 
ters of beans, of the value of 118,800/.; 41,000 of wheat, 
45,948/.; 6,000 of Indian corn, 3,800/.; 13,330 of len¬ 
tils, 12,864/.; 28,720 ofbarley, 18,880/.; 2,000 of sesame- 
seed, 4,382/.; 1,700 of linseed, 9,000/.; 4,000 tons of 
cotton, 178,700/.; 3.000 of flax, 64,750/.; 295 of gum- 
arabic, 17,360/.; 45 of senna, 1,980/.; 225 cwt. of 
henna, 1500/. The imports from Great Britain include 
the following articles :—Cotton manufactures, 323,460/., 
coals, 40,000 tons, besides the quantity imported for the 
use of the East India Company, and the Peninsular and 
Oriental Company; cochineal, 11,520/.; indigo, 20,- 
000/.; hardware, 13,800/.; earthenware, 6.670/.; tin¬ 
plates, 4,360/.; sugar, 6,000/.; wines and spirits, 9,000/. 
sterling. The total exports to the United Kingdom 
amounted to 651,000/.; and the imports to 615,000/. 
During 1846, 1,218 vessels of all nations entered the 
port of Alexandria, and 1,225 left it. Of these 251 were 
English entering and 220 leaving it.— Agricultural Ga¬ 
zette. 
Saving Grain in Damp Weather by Straw. —A field 
of white oats, near Plymouth, was cut wet, and the 
weather continuing the same, was at last stacked in 
layers, with dry straw between. Where no dry straw 
is to be had, it may be dried in sheaf; either by a sim¬ 
ple kiln, or without risk of fire, by lime, as follows:— 
If the rick be made hollow, with the grain turned in¬ 
ward, a sufficient quantity of fresh quicklime placed 
within, and then all closed in from bottom to top, and 
covered over to exclude the external air; the lime will 
rapidly dry the air within, which will as rapidly draw 
moisture from the grain; and so continue until the 
grain is dry, or the lime fully slaked. And as quick¬ 
lime will absorb about one-third its weight of water, a. 
ton of lime will take between 6 and 7 cwt. of water, and 
thus probably dry 6 or 7 tons of grain and straw; for 
all this water must come from the grain, if the air is 
well excluded, and the lime raised from the soil by a 
bed of stones, grave], or straw. The lime must not, 
of course, touch the grain; and therefore room should 
be left for it to swell in slaking and for turning it over 
to slake all through; and a sort of door-way must be 
left on the side of the rick, which can be opened for 
putting in the lime, and for turning it over; but must 
be closed up immediately, and kept close, except at 
those moments.— Farmer's Herald. 
