FARM, GARDEN, AND ORCHARD NOTES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 2829, 30 August 1890, Page 6 (Supplement)

FARM, GARDEN, AND ORCHARD NOTES.

The Earliest Potato.—A gardener at Great Yarmouth considers Sutton's Ringleader the earliest potato in cultivation, he having dug them on 7th May, and many other authorities have expressed a similar opinion.

Rkcil'K fou ax Embrocation.—Two hard eggs well beaten, -l a piutof vinegar, 2o■/,. spirits of turpentine, i oz. spirits of wino, ■!; ox. of camphor. Those ingredients to be beaten well together, then put in a bottle and well shaken. After which, to be kept well corked. A pint of vinegar added to this makes an admirable strengthening application for any young animal with weak legs, and will cure almost any lameness. In the human being it is good rheumatism, sprains, bruises, unbroken chilblains, cold on the chest, croup (it has saved the life of mnny a poor person's baby), and anything of a like nature when the skin is not broken.

Salt as a Manure.—As a goneral fertiliser common salt is often valuable. It has been used as a miiDure over 2000 years. In small quantities it promotes decomposition of the animal and vegetable matters contained in all cultivated soils. In small proportions it acts as a direct plant food. When applied to fallows it has the power of destroying noxious insects, slugs and weeds. It possesses stimulating powers on growing plants. It increases the power of certain soil for absorbing moistnro from tho atmosphere. Nine bushels of salt per acre, distributed broadcast, is about right. Wheat, oats, barley and ryo do better when Bait dressed, as it strengthens the straw and protects tho grain from attack of mildews and othor psrasitio disease.

Jews ah Kaii.mer.s.—lt has been commonly said that the Jews have never, at least in modern times, been successful as farmers. According to a New York correspondent, however, several colouies of Jews who settled in America when they were persecuted, mobbed, and virtually driven from their homes, in Russia, have doue well. Some settled in the west, others in the south, and at least one colony in the east—in New Jersey. The colonies settled in Dakota, and it Alliance, in New Jersey, it is said, have attained an exceptional degree of prosperity. When 150 families of Jews were iirst sent to New Jersey, in ISS2, the natives of that State were disgusted and indignant, and threatened to drive them out, on the ground that they never would make farmers, and that they woul 1 be evildoers aud vagrants, filling the poorhouses and gaols. However, the Jews set to work to grub up the bush, and planted vines, trees, plants and seeds, furnished by the relief society which sent them to America and provided them with laud rent free. The same society helped to support the people until their land became remunerative. The men worked for neighbouring farmers, and the women and some of the men made shirts and did other work of the kind. And so they eked out their means of subsistence until their farms began to pay. To-day, it is said, they are prosperous, many owning as much as 3000 dollars, and few less than 500 dollars. Their mainstay is the growth of fruit, and last year they sent to New York and Philadelphia 25,000 dollars worth of strawberries, raspberries and blackberries.

Adulterating Butter.—The British Vice-Consul at Caen, iu his last report, says that, in spite of the special laws adopted very recently agaiust the fraudulent practices of the butter dealers and merchants iu largely introducing various fatty compounds to mix with the pare butter. This fraud has and is still being carried on extensively, and the exporters have for some time past been introducing the hitherto excellent Normandy butter to the English market largely adulterated with the compounds. A syndicate of the butter merchants of Northern France has been formed, and they have recently issued au appeal to all the honest butter merchauts to endeavour to avert this disaster to the trade through the decrease of the exportation to foreign markets, attributable to the adulteration of the hitherto pure butter exported. The export of Normandy butter in ISS2 to the English markets alone amounted to the value of 59.900,000f., while in the year ISS7 it had fallen to 55,100.000f., and since the latter year there has been a still further decrease. The syndicate proposes, as a precautionary measure, that a new law shall be passed to oblige the makers of the compound to give it some colouring matter other than the hue of butter in its unadulterated natural state, so that it will then be impossible to mix it with the pure article without showing some traces of margarine. The adulteration of buttor is extensively g rried on in Caen.

English Capital Seeking Investment.—The acting Ministei oi Lands last week received the following letter, from Mr Alexander Sparrow, of Liverpool: — "Sir,—l understand that a few years ago the concession of a large tract of laud was made by the Government of Victoria, at or near a placo called Mildura, to two foreigners, with a view to fostering the industry of fruit cultivation. I beg to enquire what concessions would bo made to an Englishman or a party of Englishmen possessed of capital, say £30,000 to £40,00, in consideration of their sottling in the colony and fostering and developing fruit cultivation. I am of opinion that if a concession wero made in a suitable and healthy district, with water rights and with railway facilities, that the emigration to Iberia and Los Augelos by young Englishmen would be diverted to Australia, providing the affair was in the hands of Englishmen of known commercial standing and experience. Something should bo done to foster preservation of fruits by canning or jamming. Machinery for can making should be admitted duty free, or the new industry will have to coinpeto with English made jams and with American canned fruits. In England sugar is duty free, and in America a drawback of 90 per cent, of duty on all tin plates re-exported as cans for fruit, moat, fish, etc. Land is cheaper in America than in Australia, and railway facilities are greater. But the British sentiment is in favour of Australia. What Australia wants is not so much vast squatting as the development of soil and climate possibilities by special cultivation. This requires capital. What inducement will the Victorian Government offer capitalists to invest money and settle in tho colony ?"

To Make Soft New Milk Cheese.— The morning's milk, well aired by pouring it through a strainer from one pail to nnoth«r several times, by which it in reduced in temperature to 70 or 72 degrees, in mixed with the evening's milk in 11 wooden vut, of convenient dimensions. The temperature of the whole should then be raised to not less than 78 and not more thnu 81 degree*. Add the rennet, aud well mix in with the milk by stirring thoroughly, and it one hour the curds should form. If too much rennet is used, so that the curd forms seoner, the cheese will have a sharp flavour, and will be hard and tough, Tho curd is then cut with a long-bladed knife into small squares not more than [-inch in size. After tho curd has stood half an hour, some of the whey is drawn otf, and heated to nearly boiling. It is then poured on the curd, and well stirred until it indicates a temperature of 100 degrees. After remaining half an hour, draw off the whey, break the curd well with the hands, throw it into a heap in the centre of tho tub, cover with a cloth, and leave for ten minutes. Then break it up fine, salt at the rate of 2oz. salt to 71b of curd, put it into a hoop lined with cloth, and put to press. Change the cloth the second day, und also on the third day. After pressing three days, take the cheese out, and turn daily for several days. At the end of three months it should be fit to use. It should bo kept in a room or dry cellar, where the temperature is not more than Go degrees,

Allotments From a Ploughman's Point of View,—ln a prize essay on ''The Condition of Farm Servants" in the People's Journal of last week, Mr John Stewart, ploughman, Aldroughty Farm, near Elgin, gives his opinion as follows on the subject of allotments: — Now I say if we are to get allotments, it should be on the same condition as crofts, either from tho proprietors or from Government, for it would not do to get the allotment from the farmer as part perquisites, for different reasons. One reason is, that the hours of labour are already too long, and if we had to look after two or three acres of an allotment, it would only make matters worse. The getting the allotment tilled in proper season would be another difficuity. Some farmers might be fair enough, but, as a rule, one would only get away to till his allotment wheu the land on tho farm was :n an unfit condition, no that these allotments would only be the means of causing disputes between master and servant. There should be more allotments or small holdings, and fewer large farms, and we would have a more prosperous country. The holdings should be of such size that a man could bring up a family in a fair degree of comfort on them. The size would depend entirely on the nature of the soil. With good soil, at a fair rent, about 20 acres should support a family, but if the soil be inferior, 30 acres might be required to support a family ; or if a man could find temporary employment within a reasonable distance of his holding, from 3 to 6 acres might be sufficient for his support.

Shelter J'ok Orchards.—The following summary of opinions gathered from various quarters is taken from the Bullotin of the Agricultural Department, Cornell University, United States, America : —" 1. A windbreak may exert great influence upon a fruit plantation. 2. Tho benefit derived from windbreaks are the following Protection from cold ; lessening of evaporation from soil and plants ; lessening of windfalls ; lessening of liability to mechanical injury to trees ; retention of snow and leaves; facilitating of labour; protection of blossoms from severe winds ; enabling trees to grow more erect ; lessening of injury from the dryiug up of small fruits ; retention of sand in certain localities; hastening of maturity of fruits in some cases : encouragement of birds ; ornamentation. 3. The injuries sustained from windbreaks are as follows :—Preventing the free circulation of warm winds, and consequent exposure of cold ; injuries from insects and fungous diseases ; injuries from the encroachment of tho windbreak itself ; increased liability to late spring frosts in raro cases. (a.) The injury from cold, still air is unusually confined to thoso localities which are directly influenced by large bodies of water, and which are protected by forest belts. (6.) Tho injury from insects can bo averted by spraying with arsenical poisons. (c.) The injury from the encroachment of tho windbreak may be avertad, in part at least, by good cultivation and by planting the fruit simultaneously with the belt. i. Windbreaks are advantageous wherever fruit plantations uro exposed to strong winds. 5. In interior places, dense or broad belts, of two or more rows of troes, are desirable, while within the influence of large bodies of wator thin of narrow belts, comprising but a row or two, are usually preferable. G. The best tree? for windbreaks in the north-eastern states are Norway Spruce, and Austrian and Scotch pines, among the evergreens. Among deciduous trees, most of the rapidly growing native species are useful. A mixed plantation, with hardiest and most vigorous decidnous trees on tho windfall, is probably the ideal artificial shelter belt."

Making Hex a .sit by Mesmerism.— The task has been accomplished of hypnotising a hen and milking her hatch, out of her proper season, a brood of chickens. Tho proceeding is described by Mr 15. T. Chaplin, of Palace Gardensterrace, London, in a letter to the Spectutor, in the course of which he says : — •' Same choice OtT#rs being sent me for hatching purposes (having no hen at that time broody and no incubator) I determined to set one of my hens on these eggs and keep her there by the force of mesmeric power. Tho eggs were not fresh when I received them, and to keep them with the uncertain hope of a hen becoming broody might havo been fatal to their batching. I therefore went against nature and sat my hen upon these esgs ; she was in full lay at the time, and remained 60 throughout tho three weeks that she was sitting, laying, according to her wont, two out of throe days. Marking the eggs I set upon," Mr Chaplin continues, " I was able to know and withdraw the eggs she kept laying. The first day I placed her on the eggs it took me half an hour to bring her into a hypnotic condition, but each successive day, after having roused her to drink and eat, I was able to soothe her to drowsy placidity in much less time; also there were days, for which I can give no reason, when I had to go to her move than once in a day, she being in a restless, cxcited state, trying to get off the nest, 'J'ho result lias been, much to my astonishment, that four out of the seven of these eggs have hatched, and are healthy, happy little chickens. At night 1 can still influence their mother to her maternal duties, but in tho daytime she takes no notice of them." Wo may expect to hoar very shortly that tho " now force " has been pressed into tho service of poultry rearers in general, and into that of rearers of every of other kind of stock. Farm servants will come to be experts in tho art, and wo shall hear of kicking horses aud of cows that have overturned the milk pail being " hypnotised " on the spot as a regular thing.