FACTS FOR FARMERS. GROWING BARLEY.

Waikato Times, Volume IV, Issue 230, 30 October 1873, Page 2

FACTS FOR FARMERS. GROWING BARLEY.

(Otagq Gzubdian.) Chevalier barley is almost the only kind used for malting ; it is the finest kind cultivated, and most profitable to the grower, bringing the highest market price for malting purposes. In choosing the barley seed, the farmer should select the Tery best he can purchase. It it supposed by some that any refu e e will do for sowing ; this is bad policy in every way, I m tlie crop is not only deficient in quality, but in quantity. It should bo free from stains, heavy, and full-bodied. In dry woather the grain is better for being steeped for two days. This gives all the seed an equal chance, as some may be buried deeper in the earth by the drill than other?, in which case the grains on the surface do not start so soon as those sunk deep. This cereal should not be sown on the same land as it was grown : if sou n on the same land more thnn twice, it rapidly degenerates, there fore, the seed barley should be changed at every crop. The best soil for barley is a sharp, friable, gravelly, and dry soil. Sandy soils are very well if well manured ; cold, clayey, or agrillaceous land is not adapted for its growth, unless it has been thoroughly well drained. As this crop is considered what 13 termed a white crop, it should not succeed oats, wheat, beans, or peas. It always answers best when it succeeds a crop of turnips, upon which sheep have been fed off during the months of July and August, or after crops of potatoes or clover. The land is prepared by a light ploughing, and well loosened by cross-ploughing, harrowing, or, still butter, the scarifier. After the seed is sown, it is essentially necessary to roll the ground. The loose soil requires this the most ; the action of the roller breaks up the clods, and brings the earth closer to the voots ; therefore, when the barley has grown to the height of three or four inches, it should be rolled with a heavy roller, which not only presses new earth to the young roots, but protects them from the too drying effects of the sun and air, In a dry season, on light lands, this is of great utility in another lense, as it has the effect of causing the plant to throw out a greater number of stalks than it otherwise would have done. So, should my of the seed miss, as it is termed, or not grow, the extra branches will compensate for dead grain. When the plnnt is fairly up, or about six inches high, great care should be taken to keop the land as free from weeds as possible, either by the hoe, or picking them out by gangs of young people. If weeds are suffered to grow without checking, the grain is injured in threo ways. The noxious weed robs the young barley and chokes it ; the green weeds cause the barley to lie longer on the field, aftor it is mowed, than it otherwise would. A few hours' delay, on the approach of bad weather, from this cause may cause the farmer serious loss ; and also the seeds of the weeds falling out when the barley is threshed requires more labour to clean the grain before it is fit for market. Sometimes the presence of these seeds in barley will cause the farmer a loss of 6d per bushel. In a wet spring the corn is apt to grow too rank. When this is the case, it is either mowed or fed off by turning a flock of sheep on to it for two or three days, after which it springs up snort and strong. Barley is fit for mowing when the straw is quite yellow. If cut before, the husk will not be filled, and a poor shrivelled grain will be the result. If the weather be very fine (during mowing time), and the straw not encumbered with weeds, it will be dry enough for carting in a few hours. When the grain is lying on the field to dry, it ought to be turned gently over with the handle of a rake or fork. Great care is requisite in this simple operation ; it should be done so as to expose to the sun the undried part, and at the same time not to shake out the grain. It requires some judgment to know when it is fit for stacking, because if cut too green or not sufficiently dry it will heat in the stack ard spoil the grain. If tfio spontaneous beat in the stack rise above 130 degrees Fahrenheit, the power of germination in the grain is completely ruined, and is thereby quite unfit for malting. Grain thus damaged may always be known by its peculiar red or foxy appearance. Great care ought to be taken, in threshing barley, not to cut or chip the grain by setting the mill too close, or puttine the grain through too rapidly. The rapid revolution of the beaters in the drum often breaks a quantity of the grain and chips the skin. Barley thus injured will not germinate; it soon turns mouldy on the floors, and in its turn communicates mouldiness to other grain near it. As shown above, too great care cannot bo bestowed by the farmer in the choice of good seed, and also in the cultivation of the grain in suitable soil. Great cave is also requisite in the- cutting, mowing, and securing of the grain in stack ; also in threuhing, as by an improper treatment of the grain in any of these particulars it is greatly deteriorated in quality, and will bring a much less price for malting than carefully grown and prepared grain.

Asparagus can be grown on any character of soil, from a blowing sand to a puro clay, when the ground is properly prepared beforo setting the roots ; but, other things being eqiial, a deep sandy loam, free from stones, will produce the largest spears and the largest yield. This is a well established fact. The method of underta) ing a bed with a body of stones is antiquated, and tho important step is to thoroughly underdrain the spot sclocted. The cheapest and most effectual way to do this'is by cutting open drains 3£ feet deep and 25 feet npnrt, and using two-inch sole tile, carefully jointed, so that when those drained are filled in no dirt can find its way into the pipes. Tho ne^t best material is narrow hemlock boards, nailed together in tho shtpo of the letter A. Tliete, laid on smooth bottom, with enough of fall to carry the water, will last a long time. In raising asparagus, cither for home consumption or market, earlincss is an important consideration. To ensure tbs» select a piece of ground thai will get the full benefit of the morning and mil-day sun. Frr m such a spot, protected from tho north w inds, you can begin to cut aspnrajius ten to twelve days earlier in spring. Before ppltiittr t,h c plants loosen and tnollow I■» ••■'i' to a depth of eighteen to twenty inches, being aviv lo keep Ilio suriacc soil on top. In loosening the soil in this n upturn under plenty of woll-rottcd ytrd manure. No fear need be

ntertainod of getting tho bed too rich ; tlio more manuro is ised the more productive tho bed will turn out. When the urface is mado level and smooth, by raking off the rubbish, tones, &0., then open, trenches nine inches deep, ten or bvvclve wide, and three feet apart. For garden culture set the asparagus roots 18 'inches apart m these tranches. Ererj root should be drawn out to its .full length, and at nearly right uncles with tho crown When placad in this place r cover theso roots with fire or six inch-* of the best surface soil, pressing this soil firmly, around the roots with the feet. Whon finished the line of the row should be raised two or three inches above the level of the adjoining surface, so that when the freshly disturbod soil will sottlo around the rootsthoro will be no depression, along the lino where water will , stand ; for newly planted asparagus roots are often injured frQin this cause, especially when sot out in the fall. It makes but little diiFerenco whether a bed is made in spring or autumn ; a great deal more depends upon the preparation of the soil than the time of planting. Ono thing, however, should be borne in mind, n d that is, it will be time and money thrown an ay to plant out roots more than two yean old. Strong ono year-old roots, are tho best ; next best are two year-old roots, and older roots ure only good for forcing under glass. Both tho quality and size of the spears will be improve ' by giving the beds a top-dressing of common salt every other spring, or once a year if tho salt can be bought at moderate price. Cutting is one of the nice jobs. A careless hand will often destroy a third to half of the entire crop, and market gardeners are always particular to select the proper perron for this work. The best shaped knife is one with a blade about 8 iror o les long I£ inches wide, rounded at the point. The knife is run down almost perpendicular alongside of the spur, cutting it two inches below tbe surface with the front of the knife being careful not to injure any young spears not yet above the surface. When cut the asparagus may be thrown on a cellar flour, where it may be loft for a couple of days without injury before bundling, if when bunched it is put into pure cold water for two or three hours before shipping to market. If tho spurs are bunched as soon as cut, the bunches may be kept covered in cold water for two or three days, and when taken out tho asparagus will look fresh and plump. Before commencing to drain land, it is {desirable to ask what we are about to endeavor to effect by means of draining. Is it to get rid of surface or of subsoil water ? Upon the answer to this question tho depth to which wo should drain depends. In a springy subsoil there is no question as to the necessity of deep drainage, but where only surplus surface water is to bo got rid cf, the obvioui remedy is close and shallow draining. On a lor^e portion of the heaviest lnnd if test-holes be dug in different parts of a field to tho depth of five feet, nothing but clay, more or less solid, will be turned up, and no springs will be tapped. On tho tops of hills, however, springs may be found bsneath considerable depth of clay, and in such cases it is of course necessary to tap them by making the drains & sufficient 'depth as they come to thkr port of the field* Muchjdisappointraent bas been caused by the neglect of this precaution, and a great deal of undeserved discredit has been thereby thrown upon shallow draining. The old practice was to drain only two feet deep, or even less, without regard to the nature of the subsci',, nml so without the preliminary digging of teat-holes, which is so necessary to unable us to ascertain the depth to which we should drain. Bt shallow draining may be carried oufc as indiscriminately as it is the fashion now to do deep draining, but it may aha ac d.aaa in an intelligent way with due regard to the circumstances under which alone it will be affected. Of course if farmers were going to cultivate bj> »ttnm a yard deep, shallow draining will, be insufficient, but to long as moat of th«m are content to cultivate & third of tbofc depth at the utmo fc, fcbere is no occasion on* fch» account to incur the expense of what for some time will be unneceaariny deep draining.

Particulars of the horrible death of John- La Mountain balloonist; at Michigan, on July 4, have beeti received. Immediately upon leaving the ground the mouth of the balloon began napping violently. When it was about half-a-inile from the earth it slipped between the ropes, . and the whole balloon became almost instantly inverted-'"'*^ above the network, the car and its occupants 'dropping like a shot. -With increasing velocity La Mountain desscended clinging to the car, and for aome time violently struggling. He strove to raise the basket, bottom upward, above him • in the hope of making it a parachute, and he finally succeeded in this ; but when about 100 feet above the earth he suddenly let go his hold, covered his face with his hands, and, feet foremost, struck the ground with a heavy thud, making and indenture in the hard gravel about six inches deep. The crowd, which numbered some 10,000, had waited tho fall in silent terror, but there ensued an indescribable panic and uproar. The unfortunate La Mountain was literally crushed to a pulp-, and no sign of life or motion was visible when he wa» picked up, Scarcely a whole bone was left in his body, many being splintered" to powder. His jaws had fallen upon hit arms and were broken to pieces. Blood gushed from the mouth and ears, . and scarcely any resemblance of the human form was left. The latest French-made dresses are dresses no more ; they arc mere drapings, with fearfully low necks, absence of all sleeves, a mere strap going over the naked' shoulder, joining ■ the dress at the small of the back and tho pit'of the stomach. The skirt is strangely and wonderfully hum*. It caps the folds : it is caught high at the hip or in the back, and is shapod tight about the entire figure. From beneath this drapery stream out an entire tram. Out-door costume* are made, as far as the drapery is concerned, in the same style. Those fashions demand revolving pedestals, and what dancers term the " slow movements." $o drees of this kind could be taken on its owner's back in a hurry anywhere. Of course corsets and a good many other articles of underwear hitherto deemed nlispensablewill have to be taken off fort he 'Eraoire" waist. At a very swell reception lately, the high-toned belles held their arms like trusted fowls, to prevent the silk and lace suspenders tli nt did duty dress waists from falling off their shoulders. The same bridal party were, to the number of a dozen, photographed, and if I were to tend a copy up to Connecticut, I'd not only be prayed for in the churches as one lost, but I'd be liable to indictment for sending indecent pictures by mail. No gloves ! That's dreadful for nice looks. No corsets ! That's bad for comfort. And no waists to our dresses! and that is going to be cool for summer, if it has no other decided advantage. — New York Letter to the St Louis Republican. In a letter to the JExambier and Times, of Warwick, Mr Aubui Howling, fluting from East Talgai, says of clothing and combing wools: — "The difference between a clothing and a combing wool, it would seem, is not very generally understood by sheep breeders here, being mostly treated as a mere difference in length of staple without sufficient regard to other valuable qualities. Length of the staple ranks first in our classification of the wool ; and there are certain, lengths which, with the other qualities combined, are most valuable. For we may have two fleeces approximating each other in length of staple; but tlie one shall be otherwisefree combing wool and the other a dense, felty clothing \^»ol. But they would not be valuable in then* respective classes, because of the groat fault in length ; the combing would be too short and the clothing too long. Now at to what the length would be. We will take one inch or thereabouts as the standard for a clothing wool ; and when that length i» combined with fineness, density, and good felting properties (the last is indispensable) we have a true clothing wool. Of course the shorter it is the more valuable it becomes, provided the staple is perfect and the quality kept up. But there must be nothing poor or stunted about it, but full of elasticity and richness. The finest Silesian — the most perfect clothing wool the world produces — is thoroughly elastic; it will stretch half as long again as its apparent length ; and it has been found by experience that those wools which arethe most elastic are the best. The general complaint amongst cloth manufacturers in England, about the Australian clothing wools, is that they are not dense and felty enough. Our climate has a tendency to impart a beautiful freeness to tho wool, so indispensable in combing, and it would appear that the pure Silesian soon loses its valuable clothing qualities in this country, and gradually becomes longer and more like »• combing wool. These ' wrinkley, stubby, waxy, Saxon rams ' as Mr Parr calls them, produce the perfection,' of clothing wool in their native country, but the climate is aftainst them here. We have now such perfect machinery tar combing wool that a much shorter staple can be combed thajuormerly ; and Mr Parr is right in his supposition, to. far in it goes,that a ' clothing wool is cnpable of being combed.' But he must not suppose that such a wool would be as valuable for that purpose as tho expressly bred for combing ; or else, why • should a clothing wool require different qualities to a combing ? As to what the desired qualities in a combing wool are : The first is length ; the longer the better ; it should not be less than three inches. The next is freeness, and tlritia indispensable, to prevent waste in the combing process ; whereas in the clot lung process it ia not to essential. Every staple, and every fibre in tho staple, should bo separate, one from the others, but as thick on the skin as you like. There should be nothing felty about it — another instance in whioh it differs from a clothing wool — the staple evenly waved or serrated from top to bottom. But this last is more a fancy point of the breeder, to show good breeding, than any necessary quality in combing. However, it is a natural and striking feature in nil good bred wools, both merino and tho course English wools. The French generally comb a much shorter stapled wool than we do in England : such a wool as was on Mr Parr's Champion clolhing ewe at last Toowomba show, which, by the way, was a beautiful sheep, but certainly more combing than clothing. In conclusion, I may mention that the above rcmaiks refer more especially to the merino type of combing and clothing wool. For the English Southdown wool (which wm coiuiderfd clothing although now more usually combed) is ab lung or longer in staple than our ombiug wool ; bu(. then the Lincoln and Leicester — their combing wool — has a staple often a foot in length." The London Time's Mutes I Las Mr James Baird, of Auchmedden, the Scotch lronmnnter, has paid over to a body of trustee?, to be called the Uaird Truat, the sum of £500,000, to be applied for reunions purposes in connection with thft Church ol" Scotland.

Women, it rau«( be a hnitted, are better at shopping than men If they had to deal with other matters of goods than thoao of .mere decorations or fashion, they are much sharper than men would bo In a former nge we have been told that they could be t«<!luJ o\Vr — Mint the fluent ihopman could induce them by she r eloquent, and l>j persevering in if, to buy almost any thing J'u wiVied. Now tho talking shopman is voted bad stylo. The sdent system is adopted at mo-t ot the West-end house*, ju-t as i*. is at tho » odein haircutti i>, uhorothc (•ustomori-.il) longer pest >rmi b.\ thebn'bei (o sive Inmselt in time fro'ii being bald b) ino.nting Ins head with a thaiiiimturgic.il unguent. "Sli.mng the ladies*' h a practice falli )•: int.) didiietude, or only perm it ted or followed in poor or hum')!e quarter.-. To be an Agreoal lj Rattle is no longer a quuhtioation for a shop as^istan ; he had better be a* reticent aud <n grate as the automaton chess pi iver. But ho can bo insinuatingly, if distantly, polite. He can be carelessly, though artistically, suggestive. Ho still, however, often meets his match. The thousands o( women in tho West-end during the season, who alternate a day of visits with .1 day of shopping, me up to all his tricks of t:ade. They lead him on until it is a wonder how his patience remains undisturbed— it nrobably would not, except fiom hi 3 economical snece-.es anil triumph*. It must be interesting for him to angle for a shy customer who just approaches, but will Dot take the fli. lie tries another cn«t. and (lien peril. ips alters trie colon, when his skill is rewarded by a capture, and he cal'a "Cish here," with the reliof and cntlunte;m of a fishermiu requiring the agency o( a lauding net.— Me Globe. The first bar of iron made from New Zealand ore (says J the Aye) «ai turneJ oat on August 29, at tho Melbourne Soiling Mdl«, Dudley street, West Melbourne, at t lie request of Hr Alexander Borthw ick, of this city. Mr Borthwiek Ins secured about two mile* square of ground at Para Pani, Golden Bay, Cook Strait, Nelson, New Zealand. The lai.d is said to abound with hematite, winch contains at the ien lenst 40 per cent, of pure iron Some of the surface ore t'iken from one of tho immense hills in the area mis put into the furnace, and it produced, when roMul, first m iM | statje, a really first-class malleable iron, which could be bent and twisted into any shape. Some ot the cold bars of iron were then put to the severest test, and were bent double under the largest hammer m the establishment without showing any signs of weikne« The iron produced from this New Zealand ore w!-ien cut has a bright clean surfnee win h nnir'i lescmbles polished steel. Tho proprietors of the 1101)1115 Mills, who bare been accustomed to the manufnotuie ot iron, state that the iron produced from tho ore is the best they have worked in the colon j, and that considering the hurried and necessarily imperfect way in which it was tested, no imported iron would stand tho same treatment with such satisfac} >ry results. There ate, within four miles of the locality where the iron ore is found, extensive coal deposits of tho best descriptions for furnace work, and there being splendid harbor close at hand, every /auhlt 1* ottered for the opening up of one of the 1 1 u-gest fields for enterprise in the colonies Tho iron it is alleged cm be put on the market at 50 per cent, lower than the most inferior description of iron imported from England. We noticed some time ago the exiitenco in Japan of an extraordinary mania for rabbits, which commanded fabulous pices The information is now subsiding somewhat, but it seiMin to have produced some tragic results. The Japan Mail gives t!io follow ing examples: — "The other day a young man was crucified for parracide, arising out of one of these- tranaa^'iom, and now we hear of a double tragedy resulting from Una pre|jo-,teious folly. A. man m Tok t', imbued -with the previ.ling passion, expended everything he had in the purchase of two rabbits, but to hi 3 chagrin they both died soon after ho had purchased them. Tin's lie took to heart, but he had still a daughter, and she, with an excess of devotions to her parent, and perhaps having no great aversion to the little itself, sold herself for a term to the proprietor of one of the Yojhiwarra brothels. With the money procured in t hi) way, two more rabbits ivcre bought, which presently died also. The man, in a fit of despondency, having lost everythinp, committed suicide ; and the daughter, hearing of this, followed her parent's example. Life is apparently cheaD in Japan, since the valuo of two human hres seems to be equal to that of two rabbits." A gent'e nan being askad bv an old lady with rather confused ideas as to horses and dogs, if his dog was a hunter, said "it was half hunter and half letter ; that he hunted until he found a bone, and then set down to eat it." The romantic sentiment which leads people to havo the mnmage ceremony performed in theatres and tops of mountains has reaehod tho last degree of absurdity. The sum of 25 dollars has just been paid by a high-minded couple m lowa for the precious privilege of being married in a circus rniir, the clown and the " Wild Horse ol the Pampas " being temporarily extinguished for that purpose. — American paper.