The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1860-01-31 00:00:00

BLANDFORD.

RIILIt CORPS. —The uniform of this corps haa been
decided on. It is to be similar to the Poole, Dot.
cheater, and Sherborne uniform, and of a green
colour, with black braidings. The subscriptions and
donations have now reached the noble sum of £5OO,
about £5O of which is annual subscriptions. The mem-
bers number over 50 effective..

DISEASK IN CAITLE.—We are sorry to hear that
a gentleman has lost, on his farm, at Tarrant
Hinton, seven or eight Scotch steers, from the fatal
disease plura-pneumonia. Others have shown first
symptoms, but we trust the timely adoption of
remedies will check the further progress of the disease.
We believe th 3 beasts that have been attacked
were lately purchased in Scotland, and, if this he
the case, no doubt the change from a dry atmosphere
to one of an unusually humid character, has had a
tendency to develop the disease. Prevention is the
great object to be aimed at, and therefore stock
should be pastured, as much as possible, in high and
dry localities, and more dry food given than is ordi-
narily the case, even at this time of the year, other.
wise a continuance of excessive moisture will endan-
ger the health of stock generally, and probably
cause the present lambing season to be a disastrous
one.

THE ROOT CROP. —The October frosts seriously
damaged the marl,' wurtzel before little had been
secured, and the later rain and frosts have proved :
disastrously injurious to the turnip crop. The plan
of stacking turnips is not generally adopted by
farmers in this neighbourhood, and therefore the
roots in ground intended to be fed off within the
next two months are, with the exception of a few
favoured localities, in a rotting condition. This
evil will be severely felt by farmers, as more stock is
now kept than was ever kept before, and their
principal dependence for extra keep is on the root
crop. A similar failure occurred about the year
18.39, but its consequences were not so severely felt
then, as they are likely to be now, on account of leis
stock being kept and the value of roots less appre-
ciated.

FARMERS' Cixs.—The members of this club met
on Saturday evening It. and decided on the subjects
to be discussed during the coming session. Diseases
of roots, their cultivation, rearing and management
of stock, chemistry, the social position of the labourer
and other useful subjects are to be introduced by
members of the club.

Itt six Coxes.—The two officers sent by Govern.
ment have inspected the ground selected for rifle
practice, and approved of a spot having about 800
yards range. The ground decided on is situated
near the old race house—the well-known point of
interest in olden racing days. It is comparatively
level, and lays in a bottom surrounded on all sides
by elevated ground, therefore there can be little
danger from ride bullets shot wide of the target.
Mr. Farquharson has kindly granted the use of the
ground.

Doitser 'MAL. —We lately passed along the
Wituborne and Blandford line, about the opening of
which so many promises have been made, and so
much disappointment experienced at their non-fulfil.
ment. The land-slip near the village of Oakley is a
very serious matter, and the large quantity of rain
that has fallen during the last few weeks hassoewollen
the river and inundated the adjacent land, asgrestly to
increase the difficulties in the way of rectifying the
mishap. The course of the river has been turned
into another channel, abreast of the old one, but
considerably farther distant from the line. This has
obliged the tilling up of the old bed; and as the great
overflow and force of the current washed away much
of the material as soon as it was thrown in, the labour
has been much greater than it would have been
under more favourable circumstances, and as • con-
sequence, the work is, as yet, in • very unfinished
state. One hundred hands are still employed at this
work, and in our opinion to very little purpose, since
the demolishing force of the overflowing water must
now be continually washing away and lessening the de.
posit, thereby negativing the efforts made to obtain
a firm and durable foundation. The receding of
the water into its proper channel appears to be essen-
tially necessary before material progress can be made
in this work. We observed that the water had
nearly reached the level taken for laying the rails this
side of Corfe, and NI floods as great, if not greater than
the present may occur in the future, we presume
sonic steps must be taken to secure this portion of
the hue from the risk of being flooded. The im-
mense amount of labour yet to be gone through,
owing to the land-slip, and the unfinished appear-
ance of other parts of the line, forbid the hope be-
ing entertained that this first section of the Dorset
Central will be opened before the close of autumn or
in the following spring. In spite of delay and ob-
stacle, the shareholders are as sanguine as to the
ultimate success of this first portion of the line as
they have ever been. Hope thus deferred cannot,
however, be favourable to the increase of the share
list, remunerative to the shareholder, or tend to make
marketable the shares. We have, however, heard of
stock having changed handset i'AS below par.
Revivals. About two months since United
Prayer Meetings were commenced in this place
under the most hopeful prospects. The Revs. W.
Harte, It. Farquharson, anal E. Stuart, clergymen
of the Church of England, combined their efforts
and influence with dissenting ministers and influ.
ential laymen of all denominations, in inaugurating
anal conducting such meetings. The first meeting
took place in the National School-room, was
numerously attended, and, with the exception of
occasional trifling outbursts of characteristic Wes-
leyauism, was marked by features of decorousness
agreeable to the feelings of the most fastidious of
religious worshippers. All interested were looking
forwent with considerable pleasure to succeeding
meetings, and not a few prognosticating an un-
bounded extension of religious good as the result.
Rut there was a worm at the root of the gourd, and
this promising impact of religious enterprise may be
said to have come up in a night and perished in a
night. All appeared to lament the failure, and many
ingeniously speculated as to the cause, but mystery
appeared to enshroud the motives of those who had
thus the power absolutely, and without explanation,
suddenly to puff out the flame they themselves had
kindled. We refer to these facts that we may
draw attention to the strange religious supineness
that seems to have supervened on these healthy
showings of religious life and activity. If the
stimulus to hold such meetings was great, then it
is greater now, when revival success is attested by
neighbouring towns and villages, and that which
was at first mildly designated religions enthusiasm,
is now regarded as an undoubted token of divine
favour. Earnest petitions from the pulpit are not
wanting, and congratulatory observations freely pass
from one religious individual to another when the
press reports revival PUCCINI here and there; but still
energies remain dormant, the wet blanket is thrown
over the leaders of the different religious bodies in
this place and appears to have numbed their spiritual
sensations and paralysed their efforts. The known
anal prized religious character of those who preach
and teach the gospel in this place will not permit us
to believe that sectarian jealousy is the cause of the
unchristian like disunion manifested in reference to
this important movement. If such, however, is the
lamentable fact, it is time for the laity to move with-
out their recognised leaders, and to prove that neither
gown nor cassock is essential to religions enterprise
or program. —A Correspondent.