Farm and Garden.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 285, 14 July 1877, Page 21

Farm and Garden.

At the last meeting of the Cambridge (Auckland) Farmers' Club, the following motion was adopted:— " That the club ask its member to submit to the House of Assembly a motion proposing a bonus of £IOOO for the first 1000 tons of salt manufactured in the colony at ss. per ton under the price ruling during the six months previous to manufacture. The said £IOOO to be laid out in improving the machinery for the manufacture of the same." The management of agricultural societies seems to exercise the Wairarapa people. One society got on pretty well, but difficulties cropped up, owing to the scene of the celebrabration being annually changed. Then a second society started, but it was discovered that two couid not well be supported, hence a movement for amalgamation. A meeting was held at Masterton on Saturday, and there was a very long discussion on the subject, but ultimately it was decided to recommend to the respective societies amalgamation. The Canterbury Times says a correspondent to an Australian paper recommends the practice of sowing grain on horseback—and states that though many labor-saving machines have been invented, no one appears to have thought of "making the horse perform the labor of walking, carrying seed-bag and sower to and fro across the field during the operation o

sowing the grain." The writer declares, after long experience, he has found that the seed could be distributed more regularly from the saddle than on foot—as any good seedsman will find after short practice.

CELERY. The following plan given by a correspondent of The Garden shows what an amount of care and pains is taken in celery culture in England, and which might be adopted here with advantage, and may be especially recommended to amateurs who have only a small extent of garden ground. The necessary modifications to suit the climate will be sufficiently obvious, especially as regards the use of glass, which, though it may be used with advantage for early crops, may be safely dispensed with and calico used instead. "In the first place, the seed must not be sown too thickly," a piece ot very important advice, for nothing has a more injurious effect on the plants or causes more trouble afterwards than allowing the plants to become drawn and weakened by standing too thick in the seed-bed. "As soon as the seedleaves are formed, tbin out the smallest plants, leaving the strongest an inch apart, and keep them close to the glass in order to prevent them from becoming drawn. As soon as the plants are fit to handle, prick them out six inches apart on a bed prepared for them in the following manner :—lf for an early crop employ a frame set on a slight hot-bed, on which place a compost consisting of equal parts of well rotted manure and soil, mixed together and made quite solid to the depth of four inches When finished the surface of the bed should not be more than six inches from the glass, as the frame can be gradually raised as the plants increase in height. Ventilate early m the morning, when the weather is favorable, and close early, slightly damping the plants overhead. As the season advances ventilate more freely by degrees, and after a time the frame may be lifted off altogether, paying every attention to watering when required. In preparing the trenches a line mark should be made every three feet apart, according to the number required ; take the soil one foot deep out of every alternate space and fill up with wellrotted manure, mixing the manure with the second spit of soil and leaving a hollow in the centre in which to place the plants. Owing to celery being a surface-rooting plant, it is best to make the trenches tolerably wide, as, in that case the soil can be levelled back, with the exception of eighteen inches, which should be> left for the celery row ; the intervening spaces can be prepared for other crops, but care must be taken that they do not interfere with the routine culture required for the celery, or more loss than gain might be the result. Four or five days previous to planting out run a sharp knife down the centre of each row of young plants the depth of the compost, and do the same crossways ; finish off with a thorough watering, which closes the opening and prevents any check to the plants ; in four or five days time a 3pade may be run under the plants, which may then be lifted, placed carefully on a hand-barrow and conveyed to the side of the trench, in which they should be planted ten inches apart and one inch deeper that they were before they were moved, placing the soil firmly round each plant. When completed give the whole a good watering to settle the soil, and cover the surface with lawn-mowings or half-decayed leaves, which will prevent evaporation and encourage the growth of sur-face-roots. Should the weather be dry as the plants progress give them a good watering every ten days or so with clear water, and if manure-water is used, let it be weak, for if given too strong it destroys that delicious flavor and erispness which is so highly in first-class celery. A piece of soft matting should be tied around each plant so as to prevent the weather from breaking down the leaves and the centre from becoming green Earthing up should be done gradually and carefully in order that the plants may not be pressed out of shape, and when the soil is in a friable condition. Pinch off the tops of the leaves and raise the matting, as when the foliage gets yellow the celery becomes discolored. The cause of celery growing hollow or spongy is due to over-feeding with rank manures, while sudden checks cause it to run to seed. Erom the time the seed is sown until the last earth-ing-up, avoid sudden checks and rank manures."

ANIMAL AILMENTS. Lumps in Udders. —Take poke root and chop it up fine and beat into pumice ; take a teacupful and put it in a quart of meal, and feed to a cow whose udder has lumps in it, and they are removed at once. An exchange says this remedy is infallible. Cracked Heels. —Take of oxide of zinc one drachm ; powdered gum benzoin, ten grains ; camphorated spirits, one drachm ; lard, one ounce. Mix thoroughly, and apply a little over the irritated surface with the fingers every second day. The heels should not be washed after the first application of the medicine. Before applying the above gently remove all the scabs. Puerperal Eever in Cows. —Give her half a drachm of tincture nux vomica and two drachms each of powdered nitre and Jamaica ginger, thoroughly mixed with six ounces of raw inseed oil, morning and evening, until she is able to stand on her feet ; then stop. Apply a stimulant the entire length of the spine, composed of one ounce each of tincture of cantharides and spirits of turpentine and threeounces each of laudanum and camphorated oil, well mixed together. Apply this morning and evening the first day ; then once a day after as long as it is necessary. Cracks on Cows Teats.—Cracks across cows' teats inflict pain on the animal, which thus becomes troublesome to milk. The easiest mode of milking them while under this complaint is nieyling, while stripping aggravates the sores. When care is used not to bruise the skin of the teats with long finger-nails, or pinch the substance of the teats, but to keep them clean and dry, this evil is not so likely to occur. The following simple and efficacious ointment witf afford relief to chapped or cracked

teats ; Melt and burn some fresh butter m a frvincr-pan, and mix with it half its quantity of tar °While it is hot pour into an earthen vessel'and use it when cold. The ointment >s washed off with warm water, and the udder and teats dried with a soft linen cloth, before milking commences; they are washed with the soft linen cloth, and the ointment again apP Cramp.—Where the spasms are severe, violent or long continued, the nervous excit,me. t should always be allayed as promptly as possible by the internal administration of anodynes opiui is invariably resorted to. . For externa application the following plaster is invaluable : Take of finely powdered corrosive sublimate and gum samphor one ounce each ; spirits ot turpentine, one quart. Mix, and after being allowed to stand for three days, during winch time it should be occasionally agitated it is ready for use, and may be applied with the hand, the quantity being regulated by the surface to be affected. It is, of course necessary that the diseased muscles should be determined before making the application, the more so as this mixture is very penetrating and serviceable when actually required. The pain caused by this medicine is very intense and excruciating, but, so to speak, momentary, and in this respect has a decided advantage over ordinary blisters. The swelling appears within twelve hours, and subsides rapidly. By paying particular attention to the ammal while laboring under the fit, you can see the spasmodic, tremulous movement and contraction of the attected muscle or muscles ; thus you will be enabled to applv the medicine intelligently.