FOREIGN AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 
323 
FOREIGN AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 
By the steamer Europa we are in receipt of our foreign 
journals to Sept. 2 d. 
Markets.— Cotton, a trifling advance. Grain and 
Provisions, a slight decline. In other things we find no¬ 
thing worthy of notice. 
The Weather was rather favorable for the harvest, and 
the farmers were busily gathering their grain crops. The 
rot in the potato seemed to be somewhat abated, under 
the genial influences of more sunny weather. 
Death of Berzelius. —A letter from Stockholm an¬ 
nounces the death, on the 7th inst., of the illustrious 
chemist, Berzelius, aged 69 years. 
Small Pox in Sheep. —We regret to state a very 
heavy loss sustained by Mrs. Heard, of Seckford Hall, 
near Woodbridge. Mrs. H. purchased, a week or two 
since, twelve score of fat sheep and lambs, all of which, 
with the exception of a half dozen, have perished. So 
fatal and instantaneous is the disease that forty died in 
one day.— Ipswich (Eng.) Journal. 
Importation of French Bread Stuffs into England.— 
The steamship James Watt, from Havre, lately carried 
Into England 200 sacks of flour, and 26 of maize, or In¬ 
dian corn. 
The Beech Tree Struck by Lightning. —Early in Oc¬ 
tober, 1845, during a severe thunder storm, in Northum¬ 
berland, the lightning descended the trunk of a beech 
tree, and plowed up the soil to a distance of twenty 
yards from the base of the tree. The beech tree, there¬ 
fore, has no more claim than other trees to be consider¬ 
ed a non-conductor of electricity.— English Paper. 
Dice as Food for Poultry. —Rice is good food either 
for fatting or for growing fowls. It should be boiled, 
not too much ; if in skimmed milk or broth, all the bet¬ 
ter. It should, however, be mixed with chopped mutton 
^uet, pollard, and barley meal. Given uncooked, it might 
prove injurious, if they would eat it, from swelling in the 
craw. I have heard that a rice diet has a Tendency to 
cause blindness in fowls, but have no experience of the, 
fact, whatever may be the result in India.— Gardener's 
Chronicle. 
The Dorset Breed of Sheep. —As an instance of the 
prolific nature of this breed of sheep, I may mention 
that we have an aged ewe, that, in 1847, dropped twin 
lambs, which she reared ; they are both expected to drop 
lambs in the course of next month. On the 2d January 
this year, the same ewe lambed, on 4th May, the lamb 
was taken from her, and on the 4th inst. she gave birth to 
another very fine lamb, that is, six months precisely be¬ 
tween the lambs ; this is surely a very remarkable case. 
If this prolific quality could be generally relied upon, 
what a profitable breed for rearing lambs for the market! 
These are the only Dorsets we have, the rest of the flock 
being Downs, the ram also of the same breed, and allowed 
to run with the flock for the sake of having lambs at vari¬ 
ous seasons for table.— Agricultural Gazette. 
Mutton Legs. —Among the articles of food brought 
from the United States of America are legs of mutton, 
in casks, in a salted or slightly-preserved state, to be ma¬ 
nufactured into mutton hams. A vessel, just arrived from 
New York, has brought twelve barrels of these mutton 
legs, or hams, in the state mentioned. If only salted, 
they are free of duty, but, if they have undergone the 
process of drying or smoking, so as to bring them within 
the meaning of the term hams, as commonly understood, 
they become liable to the duty on that article. The same 
remark applies to the pork legs brought in considerable 
quantities from the United States of America.— English 
Paper. 
A Vegetable Monster. — The “ Aurora de Matanzas” 
states that an immense yam, one yard and six inches 
in length, and weighing 17 2 lbs., has lately been raised 
5 v D. C. Martinez, in Jabaco, island of Cuba 
English Fashions for August, 1848.—An umbrella, 
top coat, and thick boots, when out of doors ; a cozy little 
fire at home, and an extra blanket at night. 
Mode of Applying-Farm Yard Dung. —The best, 
mode of applying farm-yard, dung, consists in mixing 
and blending the soil and the dung, in the utmost possi¬ 
ble manner of intimate comminution. It is in direct op¬ 
position to the present most approved mode of the pu¬ 
trefaction of the substances, the generation of heat, and 
the evolution of the gaseous fluids ; but it rests on the 
undeniable specimens of nature’s chemistry which every 
where abound. And though a chemical combination 
may ever exceed our powers, yet we do not know how 
near to it a mechanical mixture may approach ; and if 
it be absurd to expect perfection in any attempt, there 
can neither be absurdity nor foolishness in making the 
nearest possible approaches to it.— Farmer s Herald. 
Diseased Ca ttle. —Numbers of cattle are dying in Nor¬ 
folk, England, from disease of the lungs ; but the epide¬ 
mic, which effected their feet and mouths for the last two 
or three seasons, is stated to be nearly extinct. 
Statistics of the Potato and Grain Crops in Ireland. 
—Under the administration of Lord Clarendon, in Ire¬ 
land, a system has been established for ascertaining with 
great accuracy, the number of acres planted of all cereal 
products, and from recent returns to Parliament the fol¬ 
lowing table is compiled :— 
Planted in 1847. Planted in 1848. 
Acres. 
Acres. 
Wheat, . 
_ 743 871 _ 
Oats. 
_ 2 200 870 _ 
Barley,. 
Rye,. 
_ 12,415 . 
Bc&ns ••••••« 
Potatoes,. 
From these returns it appears that if but one third of 
the whole potato crop should be saved in Ireland there 
need be no fear of famine prices. Though there has 
been this vast increase in the breadth of land planted 
with the potato, yet in no particular description of grain 
does there appear to be any material reduction, and the 
aggregate amount of acres including all descriptions of 
grain, show a greater breadth of land sown in 1848 than 
in 1847 by 2420 acres. 
Packing Grapes. —Formerly, grapes were packed 
closely in bran, &c. ; but by this mode they were ren¬ 
dered unfit for exhibition. They are now sent hun¬ 
dreds of miles without any packing amongst the ber¬ 
ries. They should be laid on the thickness of four 
sheets of cotton wadding, and tied down by the shoul¬ 
ders by means of soft, thick, cotton threads, or tape, 
previously made fast to the bottom of the box. Let 
the layer of grapes be composed of bunches placed 
closely together, and as nearly of equal thickness as 
possible. Put no paper over them. Let thin boards 
be fitted to rest securely over the grapes, and as closely 
as may be without touching them. Pad the upper side 
of these boards with cotton, on which secure another 
layer of grapes ; and thus proceed till the box is filled. 
After reaching their destination, the grapes should be 
suspended in a dry, airy place.— Agricultural Gazette. 
Canarian Emigration. —There recently arrived at 
Puerto Principe, in the island of Cuba, by the Spanish 
frigate, Maria Julia, 3S3 colonists, of both sexes, 
from the island of Teneriffe, with the view of engaging 
in agriculture. 
Food for Children. —The finest children I have 
seen in the United States, were fed mostly upon bread, 
milk, eggs, and poultry ; if parents would feed their 
children in this way, giving them little or no other 
animal food, they would not be so liable to disease, 
nor would contagious disorders be so fatal as they are 
now, owing to the excessive use of animal food, and 
particularly pork.— English Paper, 
