GLEANINGS.

Waikato Times, Volume XV, Issue 1323, 21 December 1880, Page 3

GLEANINGS.

Mr. GrBANT is again moving 1 to obtain the electric light inside the House of Parliament, London. The proposal to send an A ustralian and New Zealand football team to England is assuming definite shape. It is said that Hammerton, Murray iind Sweet e, all of Duuedin.will represent Now Zealand.

A wealthy' Victoiian t-qur»tter has had made, totally regardless of cost a magnificent set of double carriage harness, elaborately and profusely ornamented with bis coat of arms in solid colonial gold ! Seeing that piiffl can be brought up and fattened almost entirely upon lucerne, alfalfa, or clover, or upon weeds even, with a fortnight " topping up" upon meal or grain, it seems to uk that there is a great waste every way in failing to raise pigs to a very far greater extent than usual. There is labour attached to the industry, but there is also great saving to and for the soil, and considerable profit to be derived.

Mr J. Clay, manager of the Bow Park Herd, Canada, has sold a six months' old bull calf out of Oxford Belle 3rd by 4th DuKe of Clarence (33,597), to Mr A. J, Alexander, Kentucky, at £800. Oxford Belle 3rd was bred at Kingscote, and was sold by Colonel Kingseote to the Bow Park Company for 2000 guineas. She was then one year old. An Amexican prize essay on the management of cowh, contains the following paragraph relating to milking three times a day: — "During the heat of summer, the cow should be milked three times a day, at regular intervals— -about five o'clock in the morning,' one in the afternoon, and nine in the evening. The quantity of imlii and butter is considerably increased, and the quality improved, by this practice. The milk is injnred by remaining in the udder through the heat of the day, and the cow is made uncomfortable, which, of necessity, diminishes her usefulnehs. When cows are milked but twice a day in hot weather, the udder becomes too much heated and feverish, ai;d the milk is in a similar condition— the cieam seems to be melted, the milk Boon becomes sour, the cream does not rise well, and the butter is soft and oily. The-e difficulties, almost universally attending butter-ranking at this time of the year, are mostly overcome by the practice of milking three times a day, and the cow being 1 near at hand it is a small matter to adopt this practice."

Rye-grass. — Paliau ryo-grass is either {rood or evil, according to our treatment of it. With me it is a very valuable crop, for my 170 «heep and lambu have been on twelve acres of it for five months, and are still on it. Six acres are of first, and six acres second year's growth, for it ie a biennial. I never take wheat after it. but find it a capital preparation for peat>. It hhould be grown on light land. I never take it on heavy laud. Our sheep are folded ou it within iron hurdles on wheels, which are removed morning and evening ; one hurdle to carry five sheep. As the sheep always get supplemental food, such as cake, corn, malt culms, bran, and a little cut hay or chaff, they manure the land highly in the twelve hours, and when rain comes it is washed in, and up comes a rapid growth of fresh grass. We have actually had to mow a good deal on this twelve acres for our horses, and make some into hay. The sheep have fed it off four times. We are afraid to bewage it this growing year, as it would be too rich for the lambs' stomachs. I am often asked by visitorß, ' Where are your pastures ?" and I astonish them by replying that I have only t-ix acren of permanent pasture to 1(35 acres. of arable, and that I annually mow five acres of these hix for hay; but my iron huidlus, supplemental food given, on Italian rye-grans, o" clover, explains it. So I have only paid rent, rates, and tithes on twelve acrea of Italian rye-grass, instead of on probably tour times that urea if in permanent pahture and roaming- at large. The sheep manure is on land, and not under trees and fences. Italian rye-grass makes excellent hay if cut at the right time, and also quickly harvented. I once in ida three tons of hay per acre, and had it on stack by May 31. It is improper preparation for wheat. — J. J. Meohi.

The Piiucesß Beatrice is so marked in her attentions to the ex-Erapress of France, as to fctrengtheu the popular belief that she was intended for her daughter-in-law. The Princess was the first to meet the imperial lady, on. her return, from Africa, going aboarp thu t-hip.

The grandmother of tho Baroness Burdett-< 'outta was a servant in the house of a brother of the old banker and was named Su-an Srarkie. Her master had h«r carefully educated and then married her Her daughters became Countess of (x.ilford, Marchoine-'s of Bute, and Lidy Bardett. Mr Coutt'a second wife figures in "Vivian G v ey "as Mrs Million.