1 Ava., 1898.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 177 
blackberry is making serious inroads in some parts of New South Wales. He 
says :—‘“{In the Wingicarribee or Robertson district it is making terrible 
headway, and in that rich stony soil it will cost many thousands of pounds to 
clear it off. I think the day is not very far distant when it will be found 
that a small farm clear of noxious weeds and scrub will be worth more than a 
large one in the state that many good properties are being allowed to get into. 
No one knows what it is to eradicate blackberries till they try it.” 
The blackberry, we understand, finds as congenial a home about the 
Stanthorpe district as docs the sweet briar about Tenterfield. It may be just 
as well for residents and divisional boards to keep an eye on this exuberantly- 
growing bramble. 
PIG MEMS. 
(From the Farmer and Stock Breeder.) 
Remember to feed profitably, it must be done with regularity and care, 
PRroriraBeE feeding will not be secured by indiscriminately filling the troughs. 
Samm quantities given often will have far greater results. 
Tne keystone of successful pork production lies in the treatment of the young 
ig. 
Sere or pinched after weaning means little or no profit, but, on the other 
hand, generous and judicious feeding ensures success. 
Ayorn cheap, indigestible foods, which prove, more often than not, both costly 
and expensive, 
Waren the local requirements, and study your buyers’ wishes, and thus pro- 
duce the desired requisites to meet your local market. ; 
Tuts modus operandi may not be to your mind correct, but, if followed, will 
doubtless prove profitable, by the fact that there is always more competition 
realised for articles that fulfil the local demands than those which do not. 
Never offer for sale pigs unless they are of first quality. 
A RUBBER EXTRACTOR. 
One of the objections to the method of collecting rubber by aboriginals, 
whether in New Guinea or in other rubber-producing countries, is the crude- 
ness of those methods. All sorts of extraneous matter are mixed with the 
product, and lengthy processes have to be adopted to turn out a pure article in 
first-class marketable condition. We seem to have now arrived at a point 
when invention will master all such difficulties. Atan Agricultural Exhibition 
at Trinidad recently held in that colony, a most interesting exhibit was to be 
seen in working order in the Botanical Department in the shape of a new 
mnachine for the extraction of rubber from the latex or milk of the Castilloa 
tree. In two minutes the rubber was separated, and then was set to dry. In 
the space of about three hours, sheets or slabs of fine, clear, marketable rubber 
were produced, free from the usual amount of proteid and albumenoid matters 
which are usually found in rubber produced by the ordinary process. 
TRIAL OF A POTATO DIGGER. 
A crear deal of interest at this time of the year is naturally centred in 
potato digging, and any implement which can facilitate the lifting of the 
tuber without in any way damaging it is certain to command a considerable 
amount of attention. This proved to be the case at the trial of Jack and Son’s 
patent ‘“ Caledonian” potato digger, which was held recently at Mr. B, S. 
Oppenheim’s farm, Sassafras. The trial proved very successful, very few 
potatoes being injured. As an instance ot the saving in labour effected, a 
dozen men were kept fully occupied in trying to keep up with the machine 
bagging on a crop yielding close on four tons to the acre,—Awustralian 
Hachange. °° Tre 
