The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1874-08-18 00:00:00

agriculture.

FARM NOTES IN DORSET.
AuOVsT D.—Farmer, perhaps never consulted their
bar 'tors with snore anxiety than they have during the
past fortnight, awl with good reason, for day after day a
strung wind from the north-watt has lslown up occasional
very 'laity showeni. Nothing however has happened
seriously to delay harvaiting, which jo progrussailli; very
rapidly. Especially early the barley crop, so that all
are coming la together, wheat, oats, and barley. Already
wheat is being brought in wiry rapidly to rick, and a few
days; more will Nee it safe and end- all anxiety. Oats are
also pretty well safe, and if the fine weather we have
at present —for fine it unlit be called—does but hold out
another fortnight everything except beans will be bar.
vested. Throughout the county I cannot hear of any
scarcity of labour. There lia4 not been sufficient rain to
tiling on any aftermath, so that our meadows are hare,
and keep very, very short. Ilay must of nocatsity be very
dear this winter, and roots scarce. The foot-and.mouth
disease is not on the increase, and all kinds of stock are
healthy. I have heard a the potato disease being present
in the county. but have not seen any trams of it near
here. From the exuberant growth which is exhibited by
many of the late varieties, I am led to fear there is much
" double shooting" Foing on spider ground; but whether
this be .0 or not, it is unquestimushle that from the very
Late frost.% in spring, and long continues! ilry weather in
s 1111 l mer, the potato crop of this year will bear no cons.
pa ri.it with that of RSTA There Is about half a general
crop of apples.

CANOE N'OYAGE IN GERMANY.
The "Avon " anal " Albion" canoes belonging respec-
tively to the Itay. G. Heaviside. 8.A., of Coventry and
Mr. J. Edwin Bennett. of Dorchester, have just 'com-
pleted a most auecessful. pleasureable. anal lengthened
voyage in Central anal Northern Germany. Proceeding
by steamer to Bremen anal train to Fulda on June Zth,
the paddling commenced on the Fulda river down to
alunden, anal occupied seven days. Ileinnien,
Ilendelal, Rotenburg. Blelstingen anal Cassel were
thoroughly visited. Caine the railway to the town of
Bleiningeu, on July 4th, the cruisers started down the
river Werra for Munden. This trip took nine days to
accomplish. The following towns were explored :
Wasungon, Saktingen, Varna, Berke, lierleshanacn,
Essewege, and Witsenhausen. On July 13tb, the
third aection was entered upon down the Weser from
Blundell to Blinalen. Karlshafen, liolzminalen, Roden-
werder, Hameln, Itinteln„ anal Vlotho proved resting-
places at night. The distance required seven days.
Omitting the aection from Minden to Bremen, as being
very fiat and uninteresting, the travellers carried their
Ikeda by train to the latter city, and thence, on July 20th,
marred for Bremerhaven, spending one night at Lienen,
anal safely entered that 111111,Ortant Ka harbour on the
following slay at noon. The entire distance run amounts
to between 400 and 500 miles, accomplishes' in 110 hours,
12 minutes (working time). The on ifteat run was 50
Mil. in 24 hours, of which six miles were cleared in 34
minutes. The " Avon" is a very small canoe, being 13
feet 10 inches long, anal 1 foot 71 inches broad at the
beam. She is built of yellow pine, anal decked with
cedar, which is highly polished. She weighs 511 lbs. and
mis completely fitted with lockers, latilk-heasia, racks, 'moat,
sail, thagmtaffs, air-tight leffis and cushions, wheels, and
India-ruddier bags lier chief features are, tint, a weather
I.ard, which throws the water off as it natio over her deck
and an apron of curious device, by which the canoeist
can ensure perfect safety an rough water, anal comfort
in hot weather. It folds up into the narrowest commas,
anal only weighs 21 Pis., yet ia strong enough to serve for
a table attiring meals, or a desk attiring sketching or
civ....: the
upset th
.boats
4ber
i n .
writing up of log. " Albion" weighs but 50 lbs., though
fifteen feet long and two feet broad, and pepved a splendid
canoe, whether for shoota down weirs or heavyllo sea work.
carry
is
tc.,:ons
in
ge,,te en
maaaalu tirely
ly
fl
yellowk. .
any mishap
ucEnctrtiise.i. ice the e.
h. Tl 4 tnoughsolimiande
ongatripon
,f e.. (
scarcelyrArn "Avon'
n.
r
rapid unaler some trees near Walldorf on the Werra, loom
his Royal Navy Hag and acorn head, and at Herzfeld,
through Wine rough.hanalling on the part of strangers,
attiring his temporary absence, had his '• weatherboard '
broken. The owner of "Albion " only once got into
difficulty by some houghs and snapped his flag-staff, and
on another occasion threw away his sponge, thinking it
a piece of nun'. and, on buying another, had the mortifi-
cation bi have it stolen at Eschwege. The enjoyment
derived was of the highest possible description, as
the weather was " Queen's," and the scenery for
11111.1 granal as could possibly be desired,
particularly from Cassel to Minden on the Fulda, from
Kreuzlourg to Menden on the Werra, anal near Karishafen,
Dolme, anal the Porta Westplialica on the Weser. Moun-
tains of great elevation (often laver 2.100) feet); forests of
full-grown oaks, fir, or beach, stretching for nearly 100
miles, often ea 111 l ing down to the edge of the river ; ruined
castles perched an noble, solitary, angular, craggy seats;
rust' bridges made of pine stems, laced together with
oiscra ; quaint villages with black-framed houses,
coloured in the intervening spaces, yellow, pink, green,
red, blue, salmon or white; fantastic dresses; mediaeval
mutton', ; unintelligible dialects' ; dragon.thea, heron.
storks, swallows, king-tishers, eagle*, larks, reeds, flags,
haymakers, droves of geese, gaits, anal sheep —all afforded
I a never-weaning source of interest. Sometimes the early
freshness of rnini„ with its ale's' and opening flowers;
I again, the golden splendours of aunset over the hills; or
; the pale shimmer ad the moon, stare or even comet, on
the stilly deep lake-like expanses of water, wooed the
canoeists (who are somewhat sentimentally inclined) into
dreanis4af happiness that linger still. As being the first
alien flown ththse streams, naturally great excitement was
shown by the country folks in the daily arrival or
departure of the "little ships," anal the press of the
nooglalseirliowl agsaau anal again spontaneotody favoured
the public with glowing accounts of the "daring" young
Englishmen's :mu:rests. Unfortunately for the prole of
Messrs. Bennett and Heaviside, on June 27th, soon after
their arrival in Germany, in the Frnakfort Jnornnl. a
ithragraph appeared, which informed the world that the
trip was undertaken for a wager, and, as if to make
:flatten; worse, added that the distance froni Fulda to
Bremer (about 350 miles) had to he completed an two
days! ! 'flunk of the spirit in which the canoeists read,
and here we quote evrhaf :—" Whether the two eons of
Albion have well considered beforehand the nieanderinge
etc., of the Fulaia-Flaiss, we know not." Nothing could
have possibly been more foolish than such a " penny-a-
liner," except the report which subsequently ranie to their
ears on the lower section of the Weser, viz., that for 1,000
thalera they had consented to try and reach London from
Bremerhaven by sea, in their canoes. Why, the steamer
which brooght them home took Ifi hours. Five minutes
" interviewing" On the part of the reporter to such papers
would have Saved the editors from being laughed at, and
the paddlers from much annoyance. Surely, for purposes
of health, change of air and scene, vivid and ennobling
experiences in a lovely land like that of the Thunnger
Wahl, it is sufficient for men fond of the water-form of
travelling to venture themselves so far from home without
spoiling 1,01111. of the noblest natural temples of God lay it
spirit tinged by a hankering after mammon. The " Avon,
as . 11l e of our readers will remember, last year did the
Ithine, labia, and Moselle. She is fatuous also for having
sailed down the LCILUI, Avon (twice), Severn ((rem
Llanialloca, at the foot of ilinlinnuoa, in Wales). Wye
(twice). .baker, Tame, Trent, Humber, Ouse. Bre, Swale,
Tees, Thames, and Sallwalin. The "Royal I 'anoe Club,
of which Mr. Heaviside is a member, now numbers over
41M tuembera, anal though established about eight years,
with active cruisers in all parts of the world, lias never
had a fatal anialent. This fact speaks for itself as to the
safety of canoe travelling, and when all the charms of
visiting new scenes anal peopleo are taken into considera-
tion, anal all the health, strength anal enthusiasm of body
aii4l spirit which such out-door exercise engenders, then
who would not exclaim in the language of the song.
"I'll paddle my own thanne."—Wermicksh;ns Chronicle.