1 Ocr., 1898.1] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 825 
WHALE-OIL SOAP. 
Mr. A. H. Benson, Government Fruit Expert, writes: —It may be interesting 
to readers of the Queensland Agricultural Journal, who are fruitgrowers, to 
learn that whale-oil soap of 50 to 80 per cent. strength can be obtained in 
Brisbane. Whale-oil soap is largely used in California for making kerosene 
emulsion, and also in conjunction with sulphur and caustic potash. The latter 
mixture is a good summer wash for San José Scale and for other scale insects. 
Hitherto this soap has not been obtainable in the colony that I am aware of. 
A NEW HAY PRESS. 
Av the Royal Agricultural Society’s show at Four Oaks, Birmingham, Messrs. 
J. and T. Howard, of Bedford, showed a new power baling press, which is thus 
described by the Mark Lane Hapress :— 
The chief improvement consists of a self-wiring apparatus, which can be 
tended by a small boy, whilst continuous pressure is now used, the old 
followers being done away with; it was certainly one of the finest presses in 
the showyard. More than one hay-cutter will have cause to praise their new 
press, the Leeming Smith patent, especially the double-action one. Instead 
of the old racket aud chain business, and the men straining at a lever, all they 
have to do is to move a pump-handle up and down a few times, and the bale 
ig pressed. ‘The pumping or hydraulic arrangement is very effective, whilst the 
release action is instantaneous. The press is light, handy, and portable, and will 
doubtless be in great demand. The firm has also introduced a new cultivator 
for fruitgrowers, which by means of a couple of hollow steel dise-cutters, set 
at an unusual angle, will effectually cut off the runners of strawberry plants, 
and at the same time prevent their choking up the lines behind. It is 
evidently intended for shallow work, and for the use of market gardeners. 
A PERFECT POTATO PLANTER. 
Messrs. Ransomes, Sims, AND Jerrertes (England) have effected a great 
improvement in their potato-planting machine. They have also done away 
with the needle arrangement in their potatoes, and substituted for it a finger- 
and-thumb action, which is much simpler in construction than the needles ; 
besides it does not pierce the potatoes in the hopper, but picks them up; it 
will also pick up a stray pebble or two instead of these disorganising the whole 
row, as was the case with the needles. It has a hopper and a dise on each 
side like the prize machinés, but the discs are furnished with eight pairs of 
fingers or a‘ finger and thumb,” which pick up and hold the potatoes as the 
dise revolves. A cam opens the fingers, and the potatoes drop into their places 
as though put in by hand. This implement seems to have now attained 
perfection, and will supersede much hand labour where considerable breadths 
of potatoes are planted annually. 
A NEW CREAM COOLER, 
Messrs. Jaxemay, Farranps, anp Co., London, have perfected a new cream 
cooler, the Kas, which is a spiral conical, so designed that the thick cream will 
not drop straight down, as is sometimes the case when these are made quite 
perpendicular. On this cooler each succeeding dise is greater in diameter than 
the one above it. Their new cream or milk warmer and cream pasteuriser 
were all constructed on these principles. hey also entered a new milk filter 
adapted for small dairies, the principle being that of fluids finding their own 
level as the milk by its own pressure flows up through two filter beds of 
swansdown. It is rapid in its action. 
