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HINTS FOR FARMERS.
Protect the Yocxg Pigs. — Before a
Eow farrows fix 0 inch slabs all round the
sides of her stye at 5 inches from the bot
tom, to prevent her lying on the yoang
NciBAXCES os Stock.— Lice and mort
gages (remarks an American contemporary)
are tbe two worst evils you can get upon
tbe backs of your animals ; carbonic acid
and water will keep off the one, and
economy and industry the other.
Big Hoheks. — A late number of the
London Live Stock JoiuiioIsb.js: — 'Ov-er-
big horses for any purpose are a mistake —
so the Corporation of London have found
out. When they started to do their own
scavengering, instead of contracting for it,
they Eelected all the jriants they could get
—seventeen hands was preferred. The
mistake has been found out ; sixteen hands
is now the favored height. These do more
work, are less subject to roaring, and are
altogether more healthy/'
IXSKCTS AND VermiST. — The Chemist
says that if a little chloride of lime b9
sprinkled on the soil, rats, mice, and insects
will soon desert it. Plants may be easily
protected by it from insect 'plague by
simply brushing over their stems with a
solution of it. It has often been noticed
that a patch which has been treated in this
way remains free from grubs, while the
unprotected beds round about are literally
devastated. Fruit-trees may bs guarded
from their attacks by attaching to the
stems pieces of tow smeared with a mix
ture of chloride of lime and hog'a lard.
Ants and grubs already in possession will
then rapidly vacate tbeir positions.
Cmxrsr. Sc.vuKcnow-. — This consists of
a bamboo Crroly fixed in the ground, to the
extremity of which are fastened pieces of
cord. These are passed through bottles the
bottoms of which have been knocked out.
To the end of each cord is attached some
light material -which the wind can easily
blow about. The Chinese generally use
part of a cuttle-fish for this purpose, but
anything will do that will wind-wave, even
a piece of slate ot board. The bottles are
fastened by their necks to the cords, aud
inside them, attached to the cord, is a nail
or a. small piece of iron, which, striking
against the sides when the wind moves
the apparatus, produces a singular kind of
noise Siufiiclently loud to frighten the birds.
Care must be taken to prevent tha bottles
from striking against each other. When
two or three are put on one stick the cords
should be of different lengths.
Usjxg T.\l-t Keixs— A taut rein can
be used with entire propriety on horses of
fine easy up carriage, especially wliile in
morion, but if the muscles and bony struc
ture of the neck extend forward horizon
tally from an upright shoulder rather tha;i
striking out foom a slanting sho:ilder, then
the most intense suffering will te indicted
by straining the neck up to an angle entirely
unnatural to the animal, especially if this
strain be long kept up. To strain a culprit
up by tie thumbs till only his toes tbacli
the ground is certainly one of the severest
admissible punishments that can be inflicted
upon mortal, and the check rein is un
doubtedly akin to it in its extreme applica
tion.
ToSTnr.TCiiWmF..— Slaplethe end of tha
upper wire securely to the first post, then b/
passing a smooth stick through the spool.
Two men can unwind the wire by carrying
the spool along the line of the fence. Cut
the wire so as to reach the last post, but no
longer ; now get a green pole three inches
thick at the butt, and 1j or more fest long; j
fatten the wire to it about IS inches from i
the butt end ; put the butt end against the
pcet where the upper wire i3 to be fastened,
use the pole as a lever to stretch the wire, j
then staple to the posts between, with tvo
6taples to each post, -well driven in, to pre
vent the wire from slipping from post to
post. The wire should ba stretched as tight
as possible ; no danger of breaking it.
Desteoyixg Wallaby.— Take a goo.l
stout eapling about twice the thickness of a
bullock-drivers whip-handle, to wiiieh
attach a line such as is used foi catching
large fish like cod. Select the tract or pad
of the wallaby (the animal always keap9
the one path to the crop or feeding
ground); place two stout pegs on either
side of the track; each peg must have a
notch cut in it near the top, so as to take in
a crose-piece. Then fix the sapling in the
ground a little distance from the track;
make a running loop at the end of the line,
and attach the cross-piece above it ; bend
the eaplir-g over the two pegs, and fix the
cross-piece in notches in the pegs with the
loop hanging to the ground. When the
wallaby passes along the track (which it
does with its head to the ground) it pushes
its head through the loop, and as the
notches in the pegs are on opposite sides the
wallaby forces the cross-piece out, and the
sapling snaps the wallaby off its feet and
keeps it there until taken off.
Speaking of the weather and the crops,
the Muira Record eay* : — ' The weather is Btill
mmtieatonableandtbesplendidiaius which have
fallen gladden the heart of everyone. The sharp
frests and cold weather prevent the crops or
grass from growing very fast, but the wheat ;
plant* are rooting down and stooling out, and
look very healthy. Altogether the general
opinion is that there is, so far, a better prospect !
than ire have had for some years past.' ;
The Clare paper states that ' the weather
continues cold, and froBts are frequent, con- '?
aeqnently vegetable growth is greatly cheeked. !
There is a scarcity of feed for stook, as the '
gracs keeps very short, a little warmtli being
ncceseary to give it a start. The early-sown
wheat looks healthy, but it is feared that the
crops generally will be rather dirty, as wild oats :
and drake tire showing in most cultivated fields. '
The late sown wheat is just appearing above :
ground, and there is a chance of its being
cleaner than the early sown. The farmer*' :
prospects on the whole ate good.' :
The NortJicrn Argus is desi oxs of know
ing when the Clare committee of management '
intend io hold.the annual stock show. It says
— 'The prolonged silence is rather ooimous.and
if it is intended to do anything noiice to that
effiot should be given witiiout delay. This year,
however, being cocsidered a marvellous one by ?
the disciplcsof Came Shipton, possibly one of
the wonders may be that the society has become
defunct. 'We, with many others, would JLiee to .
know what the committee intend doing. We
fear that tbe leading spirits have become faiat
hearted.^ but if they intend to tkrair up tha
sponge timely notice should be given to aliord :
others an opportunity cf stepping in and reviving '
the institution, and thus preserve the fame or '
the Clare Stallion Show.'' |
The latest issue of the Clare paper states j
that there are some farmers who have not vet
finuhed feeding. The favorable eeasou has no
donbt induced them to extend operations, but
those who eow at the end of this month can
hardly expect heavy returns. All the early
sown wheat continues to maintain a healthy !
color and is rooting well, although not making '
much progress above ground, ffhere are a great !
many fields where the young plant is just i
making its way above ground. A few warm j
dajs would bring it forward, but as frosts have j
been prevalent the earth is cold, snd vegetable
growth is in contequence rather inactive. Frost,
however, will not hurt tho wheat wliea young ;
it is when the wheat is in bloom that it does
damage. The farmers are encouraged in their
work, as the season eo far has been favorable
and the young crops look well.
'We have received from Mr. Stratford !
Strettle a pamphlet on Captain Raymond's core j
for the rabbit-plague — the oat-phosphorus '
poison. Captain Laymond was one tit the !
pioneers of Southland, New Zealand, and at !
one time an extensive and successful sheep- '
farmer. His fine property at Avondale was, -
however, devastated by rabbits, and ia j
six j cars the earnings of a lifetime ;
were swallowed up. When his ruin was
accomplished he claims to bavo discovered
a means for annihilating the pest. The recipe
acd directions for its use are published in tho
pamphlet, together with the certified opinions
of many farmer* and others who have tried the
remedy, and found much benefit from it.
Kunserous favorable notices from the New
Zealand snd Viotorian' newspapers are aleo
given, from which it U evident that the cpecifio
is held to be of great utility in the extermina
tion of rabbits. The captain'states that he made
the discovery of phojphorised oats in November,
1679, and at once gave particulars of the
poison to his immediate neighbors and others.
After six months' test the poison was pronounced
a general success. The specific was t*»fn pub.
liched in cne of the New Zealand papers, and
reproduced in the Victorian press. The remedy
has been subjected to a good trial, and opinions
axe all but unanimous in its favor. Our own
farmers and others who suffer from the rabbit
pest in this colony would do well to read the
pamphlet,
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