294 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
April  4,  1901. 
the  impulses  that  stir  within  us  as  we  remember  its  glorious  past,  and 
vainly  wonder  whether  by  any  chance  Egypt  will  reassert  herself ! 
Nations  come  and  nations  go  ;  the  wheels  of  time  never  stand  still ; 
but  amid  all  the  changes,  and  all  the  chances,  the  old  Nile  still  rolls 
onward,  and  loses  itself  in  the  blue  and  sunny  sea.  Egypt  without 
her  river  is  a  body  without  a  soul.  Those  waters  speak  of  fertility 
and  plenty ;  let  them  fail  or  be  cut  off,  the  land  is  an  arid  desert. 
We  English  are  very  stolid  ;  we  see  nothing  incongruous  in  the 
oddest  contrasts.  We  take  rail  to  Jerusalem;  we  light  Rome  by 
electricity ;  we  bicycle  o’er  the  plains  of  Marathon ;  we  picnic  as  near 
the  North  Pole  as  we  can  get;  and  we  attend  agricultural  shows  in 
Cairo.  A  friend,  knowing  of  our  love  for  all  things  agricultural,  has 
sent  us  a  daily  paper  with  some  account  of  the  show  held  in  Cairo 
in  January  of  this  year.  It  appears  the  Khedive  is  an  ardent 
agriculturist,  and  shall  we  say  his  example  has  made  showing 
fashionable  ?  Certainly  it  has  encouraged  it. 
We  do  not  quite  expect  to  hear  of  an  Egyptian  show  spoilt  by 
bad  weather  ;  it  sounds  very  home-like  to  read  of  a  stormy  morning 
and  a  soaking  ground,  we  have  seen  so  much  of  that  here  ;  but  there  a 
drying  wind  soon  puts  all  to  rights.  The  death  of  our  good  Queen 
cast  a  gloom  on  this  show,  a  deeper  gloom  than  the  worst  of  weathers. 
Of  course  it  was  shorn  of  all  public  parade  out  of  deference  to  the 
feelings  of  loyal  English  subjects  and  a  sympathising  people.  We  are 
struck  by  the  lists  of  machinery  exhibits,  by  the  recurrence  of  well- 
known  names,  and'  by  the  appearance  of  machines,  the  uses  of  which 
we  can  hardly  divine.  We  soon  see  we  are  far,  very  far,  from  home; 
but  our  implement  makers  have  been  awake,  and  have  adapted 
themselves  to  the  needs  of  this  far-off  spot.  Naturally  irrigation,  on 
which  so  much  hangs,  is  responsible  for  many  of  the  machines,  and  as 
there  is  water  pretty  handy  there  is  a  great  deal  to  be  done  in  the 
way  of  working  trials.  Machinery  in  motion  is  always  an  attraction 
to  the  visitor,  whether  on  business  or  only  on  pleasure.  We  think 
as  an  attraction  it  ranks  next  to  the  jumping  in  the  horse  ring. 
We  do  not  know  whether  the  light  railway  running  round  the  show 
ground  was  intended  for  visitors  or  only  for  goods ;  we  only  know  how 
foot-sore  show  grounds  have  made  us,  and  how  we  should  have 
welcomed  a  ride  rouod  any  of  the  Royal  Show  enclosures.  We  give 
this  as  a  hint  to  the  Hanover  Square  authorities. 
For  the  exhibits  of  working  machinery  of  Messrs.  Allen  and 
Alderson,  Ruston  of  Lincoln  supply  the  motive  power.  A  little 
machine  which  will  burn  either  coal  or  petroleum  must  be  a  useful 
thing.  A  machire  which  converts  cotton  seed  into  cake  and  oil 
“  while  you  wait  ”  will  doubtless  attract  much  attention.  It  is  not 
mentioned  whether  the  seed  is  cleaned  or  not,  previous  to  crushing.  It 
appears  that  it  is  only  ten  years  ago  since  Wheat  and  Barley  threshing 
machines  were  introduced  into  Egypt,  and  this  year  sees  the  Maize- 
sheller,  manufactured  by  Clayton  &  Shuttleworth. 
Naturally  there  are  ploughs,  and  the  first  prize  goes  to  the 
Khedive’s  right-hand  man,  Mr.  Wright,  for  his  patent  Kowbbeh 
plough  ;  a  medal  goes  also  to  Ipswich  for  a  balance  plough,  and  the 
far-famed  Oliver  plough  only  comes  off  with  a  bronze  decoration,  as, 
though  it  is  good  as  far  as  the  shape  of  the  mould-board  is  concerned, 
it  is  not  quite  the  best  as  calculated  for  Egyptian  work.  It  is  a  strange 
sight  to  see  these  stately  Orientals  in  their  flowing  robes  moving 
among  such  “  up-to-date”  machinery,  and  it  is  only  by  a  miracle  we 
think  that  they  keep  clear  of  revolving  wheels.  The  customer  is 
catered  for,  as  behind  each  stand  of  exhibits  in  a  snug  tent  with  gilded 
arm-chairs  and  the  inevitable  cup  of  coffee.  We  ate  used  to  the  tent, 
the  claret  and  biscuit,  or  whisky  and  soda,  but  not  to  the  gilded  chair 
or  coffee. 
Now  for  the  live  stock,  it  all  seems  so  utterly  different.  With  us 
at  a  show  the  first  thing  is  the  horse,  and  it  is  marvellous  to  note  the 
countless  classes  and  distinctive  features.  There  are  light  horses  and 
heavy  horses — horses  for  use,  horses  for  pleasure,  all  for  profit ;  horses 
young,  from  the  foal  to  the  aged  mare,  the  joyful  mother  of  many  a 
ribbon-bedecked  youngster.  We  remember  at  one  Royal  the  grand 
parade  of  prizewinners,  headed  by  a  glorious  old  Shire  and  finished  off 
by  “  Good  Friday,”  the  tiny  Shetland  stallion.  Here  we  notice  one 
class  alone,  and  that  for  agricultural  horses — think  of  that !  but  as 
compensation  there  is  the  camel  and  dromedary  class — Ihe  camel  so 
dear  to  the  heart  of  Rudyard  Kipling — and  the  mules  and  the  donkeys, 
both  telling  of  hot  sandy  plains.  Buffaloes,  too,  are  in  the  list,  with 
three  breeds  of  native  sheep  and  one  for  those  of  loreign  extraction. 
We  see  there  is  a  school  of  agriculture,  which  successfully  competes 
in  several  of  the  classes. 
It  is  so  funny  not  to  see  a  class  for  Shorthorns  or  any  of  our 
favourite  breeds  of  horned  stock.  They  appear  to  be  named  from 
their  districts,  and  we  see  one  class  for  what  we  should  call  the 
cottager’s  cow.  We  find  also  goats  figuring.  We  have  poultry  and 
eggs,  but  who  ever  saw  here  a  basket  of  “  twelve  goose’s  eggs  ?  ”  It 
is  a  funny  way  of  putting  it.  There  are  pigeons  and  rabbits,  also 
grain  <  f  all  sorts,  hot h  of  home,  and  foreign  varieties,  and  griin  we 
are  not  accust  med  to  see.  Lentils  we  know  in  our  soup.  Sesame, 
which  appears  to  be  an  oily  seed,  we  associate  most  with  the  Arabian 
Nights.  Fenugreek  appears  to  belong  to  the  Clover  tribe,  we  know  it 
enters  into  the  composition  of  a  stimulating  food.  There  is  red 
Wheat  and  white  Wheat,  but  there  is  no  mention  of  a  Major  Hallet ; 
perhaps  the  native  raiser  or  improver  is  to  be  found  in  one  of  the 
numerous  pashas  or  beys. 
The  cotton  classes  are  strong.  We  do  not  know  the  commercial 
value  of  Egyptian  cotton,  whether  it  is  better  or  worse  than  Indian 
or  that  from  the  States.  We  have  sugar  and  Sugar  Canes,  Beet  and 
Potatoes,  and  these  latter  are  under  two  heads — 1,  Potatoes;  2, 
Potatoes  for  export.  What  on  earth  can  be  the  difference  ?  What 
on  earth  is  Semneh  ?  We  leave  that  as  a  riddle  for  our  readers.  We 
cannot  solve  it  Tomatoes  aud  Onions  (there  should  be  the 
Cucumbers,  the  Melons,  and  the  Leeks,  the  Garlic  along  with  the 
Onions)  reminds  one  more  of  a  horticultural  show,  but  the  butter, 
and  honey,  and  wool  bring  us  back  to  our  bearings.  We  are  glad  to 
see  the  School  of  Agriculture  takes  both  butter  prizes,  but  where,  oh  ! 
where,  is  the  cheese?  Honey  naturally  fo  lows,  and  after  it  the 
sweet  and  toothsome  Date.  Henna,  is  not  that  a  dye  extracted  from 
a  shrub  of  an  orange  colour  ?  The  last  exhibit  must  appeal  to  all 
the  ladies,  for  who  does  not  love  the  soft  gracefulness  of  an  ostrich 
feather  ? 
Work  on  tlie  Home  Farm. 
March  has  not  gone  out  like  a  lamb,  but  more  after  the  manner  of 
the  proverbial  lion.  Most  unusual  is  it  to  find  pumps  frozen  up  at  the 
end  of  March,  but  so  it  was  last  week  on  at  least  three  mornings.  We 
had  not  much  snow,  and  the  cold  snap  was  more  inconvenient  and 
hindering  than  really  harmful ;  in  fact  the  stronger  soils  have  gained 
greatly  in  condition  through  the  action  of  the  frosty  winds,  and  if  the 
rain  will  but  keep  off  or  oome  in  moderation,  spring  sowing  may  yet  be 
completed  more  favourably  than  was  expected. 
We  find  that  the  dressing  of  Barley  with  smut  preventive  is  largely 
on  the  increase.  Considering  the  prevalence  of  this  harmful  pest 
amongst  Barley  of  recent  years,  it  is  surprising  that  farmers  have  not 
taken  preventive  measures  sooner,  but  as  a  body  they  are  very  slow 
to  move.  Though  it  has  been  too  cold  for  Barley  drilling,  good  work 
has  been  accomplished  amongst  fallows,  which  have  worked  very  well. 
Fields,  too,  which  have  not  been  moved  since  autumn  on  account  of 
their  wet  condition,  have  been  dry  enough  for  cross-outting,  and  have 
turned  up  better  than  could  have  been  expected. 
It  has  been  too  cold  for  cattle  outdoors  lately,  and  grass  looks  very 
bare  again,  so  notwithstanding  the  scarcity  of  straw  the  animals  have 
perforce  been  brought  up. 
Lambing  results  are  as  variable  as  ever  as  regards  loss,  but  the  lamb 
crop  is  good  with  few  exceptions.  Early  lambs  have  not  done  very  well, 
and  fat  Easter  lamb  is  likely  to  be  dear. 
Spring  sales  are  going  off  in  a  fairly  satisfactory  manner.  Old 
harness  as  usual  is  making  much  more  than  it  is  worth,  and  implements 
are  selling  well  considering  the  large  number  of  sales  in  the  district. 
The  newest  articles  are  almost  always  the  cheapest ;  a  practically  new 
one  will  make  about  two-thirds  of  its  cost,  whilst  one  half  worn  out  will 
make  nearly  as  much,  but  farmers  seem  to  set  themselves  a  limit  when 
purchasing  at  sales,  regardless  of  the  intrinsic  value  of  the  article  for 
which  they  are  bidding. 
Before  cattle  are  permanently  turned  away  to  graze  they  should  be 
examined  for  warbles,  which  can  easily  be  felt  by  handling.  A  small 
quantity  of  mercurial  ointment  applied  to  each  warble  will  kill  it  and 
prevent  the  pest  from  spreading. 
- - 
Winter  Diet  for  Fowls. — “No  Corn,”  says  one;  “Plenty  of 
Corn,”  says  the  next ;  and  both  are  getting  good  results  in  eggs.  One 
very  large  farm,  where  egg  production  is  the  chief  end,  uses  large 
quantities  of  Corn,  and  the  owner  speaks  right  out  for  Corn  as 
deserving  first  place  as  an  egg-producing  food.  Why  such  a  difference 
of  opinion  ?  The  general  condition  of  the  birds,  and  the  general 
conditions  under  which  they  are  kept,  may  have  much  to  do  with  this. 
One  grower  of  poultry  and  eggs  keeps  his  stock  in  range  order,  as  a 
general  thing  ;  another  keeps  his  nearly  fit  for  the  butcher  at  all  times. 
The  birds  already  fat  might  sood  go  off  laying  on  a  diet  of  Corn,  while 
the  lean  flock  might  be  pushed  to  laying  condition  by  the  same  feed. 
Then  one  owner  might  cry  down  Corn,  while  the  other  extolled  it  as  an 
egg  producer.  A  point  not  often  considered  has  been  touched  on  by 
Dr.  Woods  in  one  of  his  practical  letters.  He  says  : — “  If  you  feed  a 
diet  rich  in  protein,  and  neglect  to  provide  exercise,  you  Bimply  pay  for 
high-priced  feed  to  produce  fat,  which  can  be  more  cheaply  produced 
by  feeding  fatty  food.”  This  is  a  point  where  the  general  conditions 
under  which  the  birds  are  kept  may  influence  results  In  straw-littered 
pens,  in  which  all  the  grains  are  oast,  to  be  worked  out  by  continual 
exercise,  a  variety  of  feeds  would  bring  eggs,  if  dryness  and  light  were 
a  part  of  the  conditions  also.  In  the  sunny  barn  cellar  the  result  would 
be  similar,  but  if  there  were  no  litter,  and  no  sunny  wallowing  spot,  any 
kind  of  food  would  bring  the  inevitable  result  of  inaction,  viz.,  fat. 
Proteid  foods  might  bring  the  same  result,  or  worse,  a  condition  of 
actual  disease,  if  too  freely  used  under  conditions  not  allowing  exeroise. 
