ITEMS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 852, 8 January 1879, Page 4 (Supplement)

ITEMS.

Tobacco is the greatest robber of the soil that grows—a ton of tobacco exhausting the soil as much as 14 tons of wheat and 1.5 tons of corn.

The Pennsylvania Legislature have passed an act imposing a penalty of 25 dollars for the killing of any insectivorous bird, one-half of this fine to be paid to the informer. The birds that are classed under the head of insectivorous birds are robins, martins, swallows, blue-birds, wood-peckers, &c.

"We learn from Nature that the Minister of Public Instruction has given orders for the construction of an Agricultural Map of France, on a novel plan. It will be built up of specimens of the various soils, arranged according to locality.

An improvement in the manufacture of horse collars has just been devised by a Philadelphia mechanic. The collar, being stuffed with elastic cork, is light in weight, and adapts itself to the shape of the animal as readily as if it were moulded. It is highly elastic, does not chafe or gall the neck, and, the cork being a non-conductor, injury from heat is prevented. Lands are made to increase yearly in fertility, mainly in three ways—by buying commercial fertilizers, by ploughing under clover, by buying rich food for animals and saving all their droppings. That farmer understands his business who knows which mode is best for him. The most successful farmers practice all three.

Talk about the invertebrates being lower forms, the worm called Eunice gigantea has from 300 to 400 elastic rings, moved by 30,000 muscles. It is nourished by 280 stomachs, while its circulation is kept up by 600 hearts, and yet 3ft or 4ft is its extre.me length. In the face of th.eae faots, man, the egotist, proclaims himself the grandest work of the Creator. Why, his one stomach is out of order half the time, and his solitary heart often gets so fat that the valves ca.n't. work ; while a eunice cfvn sit long over the walnuts and the wine, and come up smiling the next day with 279 fresh stomachs. Homo, in the matter of hearts and stomachs, thou art somewhat behind the JD.orishranchiate annelidans !:—Chicago Times. There is a woman living in Van Buren county, Michigan, who went there one year ago last spring dressed in men's clothes, representing herself to be a man, and bought forty acres of land. She is about fifty years of age, stout built, has lost the use of one leg, and uses a wooden substitute. She has built a comfortable frame house, grubbed out by hand 14 acres of heavy oak, worth 25 dollars per acre, and fitted, for the plough ; chopped and split her own rails, and has eight acres in wheat. After finishing her house, and making sundry other improvements, she came out in woman's clothes.

The Royal Agricultural Show for

1878 was opened on 7th August in Dublin. were, upwards qf 1200 entries, tho.se including 7QQ horses. The show was considered a successful one,

The Victorian revenue returns for the third quarter of the year show a slight falling off in the Customs duties, and a larger one on the twelve months. But the land-tax leaves a surplus of £63,883 on the year. A Canadian schooner, with 17,000 bushels of wheat has sailed from Chicago for Glasgow direct. This is the first grain ever taken from Chicago for that port. Nine hundred million pounds of butter- and cheese, valued, at over 124,QQQ,QQQdql. were produced in the United States during the year 1876. There will be this year about an average grain crop in Great Britain, while France, Avhich is usually able to export, will this year be a buyer. The Kinross Agricultural Society held its annual show on the 6th of August, when a fine display took place. New and very attractive fe.atur.esa of- this show were b<M*se leaping and tilting at

the ring. On the authority of the Scientific Farmer, over 6000 species of grasses are known to botanists, whilst farmers know scarcely more than thirty,- and hardlya farmer sows or grows more than three or four kinds.

The export of wheat from New York City for the week ending September 14th was the largest ever known—--2,800,000 bushels. The American cotton crop of the present year will b,e the largest since the war.

The Masonic Savings and Loan Bank of San Francisco has failed.

The coal production of China has already reached 3,000,000 tons annually. A novel hive has been adopted by some Yorkshire bees, according to the Live Stock Journal. Two hives of bees were being taken along a street in Leeds when a swarm flew out, and took possession of a street lamp, from which all attempts to dislodge them have hitherto failed.

Deer-slaughtering is progressing at such a rate in the northern counties of California as to threaten the extinction of the species. An International Art Exhibition is to be held at Munich this year, and thenceforth every fourth year. It is' said that' the "annual average yield of a tea pjant' is l|lb'of cured leaves. The plants and yield ftbput

30 yeai-s." It has been stated officially that the poppy monopolises one million acres of the most fertile land in India. Thus, -while the people die for want of food, they have the satisfaction of knowing they can produce the means of stupifying and poisoning about a tenth of the race, with the encouragement of a paternal government. The United States last year exported 107,364,666Jbs pf oheese to England- If this were loa'dei). oh di?ays, £aeh carrj; ing one ton an<J occupying'eight yards, i the line would 1 extend 244 miles, or a' greater distance than from Washington to New York. ' '

The Madras Presidency in fndfa hai been suffering from a plague of lodiiato,which has greatly aggravated the tress from famine.. '

The State of New York has 1159

cheese factories,

Efforts are being made to induce the Royal Agricultural Society of England to hold its meeting in 1880 at Carlisle. An interesting way of freeing grain from worms is said to have been discovered. The plan is to put a living crab into the grain heap so that it cattnot get out. The worms attack the crab and enter the shell. In twentyfour' hours the crab may be taken out, and the shell will be found to contain worms instead of crab's meat. The crab is then burned, and a fresh one put in the grain. He who learns to produce most, and makes his products of the best quality, not only has a good deal to sell, but always finds a ready market at good prices. On the other hand, the indifferent farmer never learns the art of raising large crops or improved stock ; consequently he has but little to sell, and that of an inferior quality, so he is in effect almost excluded from the market.

The trade in flowers and planta assumes extraordinary proportions at Paris. The rent of the stalls in the various flower markets amounts to L4OO so that it may be imagined that no small number of geraniums, pansies,. and pots of mignonettes must be sold before any profit is made. The annual commerce in room plants is calculated at more than L 40,000.

Advices from Norfolk (Pall Malt Gazette) which is an important barleygrowing county, state that fully onehalf of the crop is still ungathered, and it is feared the grain has become too discolored to render it available for malting purposes. The earliest gathered wheat is certainly very fine, some samples from the Home counties giving a natnral weight of 651b per bushel, but the general condition of that which has been hurried to market is anything but satisfactory. Notwithstanding the large shipments from America, it is probable supplies will be absorbed at prices, if anything, not below those now ruling in the London i market.

Mr. Thomas Martin living near Kent Bridge, on the Thames, attempted to put a ring in the nose of a ferocious bull, and was attacked by the animal. He held on to the horns as long as his strength lasted, but when weakness obliged him to let go his old the animal stamped on and gored him, breaking some of his ribs and his collar bone. Fortunately the wind .carried away the ! man's hat, the bull rushed off in pursuit, | and he crawled out of the field.

The Massachusetts Ploughman saya that the. following incident recently oame to its knowledge :—■','' An old German had gathered about two quarts of ' clean' potato-bugs where no Paris, green had been used, and, being h&rd. up for material for a stew, determined: to try the bugs. They were cooked; with chopped onions and potatoes, and; flavored with pepper and salt and a, little butter; he smacked his lips as he, chuckled over his invention and pro,-. lQunced them ' gar shoen.'" Of course, his is true, for our Boston contem* )orary is not given to hoaxing ita •eaders. But what becomes of the itoviea of children having been poisoned" >y eating the beetles where, also, no Paris green had been used % A potato plant (Solanum Fendleri) 'rowing in great abundance in northern Sfew Mexico is supposed, says the ' Scientific American," to be the original of our cultivated potato. This lative plant forms one of the chief uticles of diet of the Navajo Indians. Dhe squaws dig up the sinajft Rubers, vith whatever implements, they can 0,b,;ain, often using a strong, smooth piece, )f wood with a end. The ilant grows on W, rich spots, and by ipring % earth is turned up in every ;onoeiv»ble direction in the search fo.r;he potatoes, The latter are from. QfiOo lalf tp. three quarters of stfl V\&\ W 4»V> neter, and of good flavors-tasting some. whatlike boiled chestnuts. The Navajo Miana consume auoh large quantities it a time as to cause griping pains, and is a remedy take at the same meal a quantity of earthly matter containing nagnesia, which relieves the stomach. Some years ago a quantity of the tubers rf this species of potato we,ra. md distributed by tlafi Ejenartmenji of Agriculture from" loc.alitie,s"stated" that,' in ;hese iuiprqveid unqer- cultivatio.ni and Increased largely in size. The New York Herald states that a remarkable discovery of pure rock salt lias just been made in this State, near ;he little village of "Wyoming, forty niles south-west of Kochester, on the, Rochester and State Line Railway, aborer, employed by a Mr. 3sV§r.st was, sinking an oil well near: the village, nrhen, at a depth of J2'oofeet, the drilj struck a stratum of rock salt which. oroved to be 100 feet thick. The full extent of the mine is not known, but t is supposed to. oovera large territory, md that the salt marshes of Syracuse Irain the bed. A document, signed by ;he Justice of the Peace, the Postmaster, md several merchants of the village, las been sent to this city, fully verifying the discovery. The salt has been jxamined by a scientific gentleman, and le says that it is the best rock salt, Chose familiar with salt say that thi^' lalt just discovered is pure en.au.gh. to. be, ihipped to market direot fro#i the vithout receiving chemical purification, Breed or blood is as much a factor, ia i, fruit, grain, herb, grass, or flower in egard to any particular quantity of brm, health, and every other desired jerfection or defect when under human nanagement and care, as it is in cattle, iheep, horses, poultry, or any other cuU ;ured animal, fancy or economic, under liinilar conditions; ''This is' scarcely sver thoughtpl among our —the same : men wh.ci so' readily adopt he idea in regard to their animal. Creameries for the manufacture of ratter and skimmed-milk cheese fac;ories are rapidly on the increase in Sfew York. The demand for fresh sreamery butter has so increased that for instance) within a radius of twenty niles of Sherburne, N. Y, may be :ounted 62 creameries where skimmednilk cheese is made, all of which were nanufacturers of full-cheese 'ty 1&$ L 869. ' •""' '•'• ""' '