The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-04-05 00:00:00

AGRICULTURE IN AUSTRALIA.

It has long been a matter of general belief that the
summers of Australia are all sunshine and drought,
rarely tempered by a passing shower; but the fanners
have had during the last year or two convincing proof to
the contrary; never before, however, to the same extent
as this season. Ever since the earliest hay crops were
fit to cut the weather haa been broken, not a week pass-
ing without • heavy fall of rain. so heavy in some parts
of the country as to cause serious damage, and very
much to impede and delay the operations of harvest.
There was a terrific thunderstorm at Geelong the other
week, during which an se quantity of rain fell
within • very short space of time. This was succeeded
by hail of alarming and destructive magnitude. Near
town the hailstones did not exceed th, size of walnuts,
but on the plains to the north-eastward lumps of ice
fell some of which measures more than six inches in cir-
cumference. These, of course, beat iown everything be-
fore them, passing through the roofs of houses, smashing
fences, stripping fruit trees, killing fowls, calves, and
even full-grown cattle. Such a quantity of hail fell in
some places that, although the storm occurred early in
the afternoon, on the following morning masses of the
hailstones, four or five feet thick, were found even then
unutelted, having been blown or washed together by
the Hood, which exceeded anything ever witnessed be-
fore in that part of the country. Geelong has been
often visited previously by hailstorms severe enough to
break &quantity of glass and do other damage of a simi-
lar nature, but this storm far exceeded them all, in
violence. The general state of the country may be
imagined from the fact tbat, at the trial of reaping
machines near Melbourne a th since the machines
when set to work actually bugged in the harvest field,
although this is on high and sloping ground, well
hituate for drainage. So soft were some portions of the
field that the work allotted to the machines could not
be performed, and each had to be tried by itself where
the ground was sound enough to carry it. At this trial,
which was not very largely attended, the fanner,, being
now well acquainted with the different reaping machines
11l use, the prize was taken by a Melbourne-inade
machine with a sidle delivery, and some trilling improve-
ments in the cutting parts.. . . .

Mr. Ledger, whose. is known in England as the
persevering collector of alpacas in Peru and Bolivia for
shipment to Australia, and whose arrival at Sydney was
notified I.ollle time since, has sent an agent hither
to offer the whole dock to Government on terms which
we scarcely think will be accepted. There is little pros-
pect of disposing of these animals at Sydney, as they
must be sold in one lot or not at all, and the amount is
more than individuals are inclined to risk on an experi-
ment. The price for the entire flock, consisting of 270
in all, is fixed at .E.3.i,000. If a sale cannot be effected,
Mr. I.Alger would, we believe, be willing to bring them
to Victoria and settle here, provided that the sum of
£10,01.10 is advanced to pay off liabilities incurred in
South America, and a run is given to him rent free. If
neither of these propositions be agreed to, the whole
flock is to be sent back to Chili without the sale of an
individual animal, such being Mr. Ledger's agreement
with his creditor there. As to the likelihood of alpacas
thriving in this colony there is lunch difference of
opinion. It is doubted by many that the climate of any
inhabiksl part of our territory is suited to their habits,
and with this feeling IN) general it is scarcely to be ex-
pected that Parliament will place so large a 1•14111 at the
disposal of liovernment for an experiment which ought
first to be tried out a smaller scale.

VALE E OF %N. EL L• BRED CATTLE.— Another great sale
of Short-horns took place on Wednesday week. The herd
of the late Mr. Harvey Combo. of Cobham Park, Surry,
was then brought to the hat tttttttt ; and Mr. Strafford has
the satisfaction of again connecting liii name with
another extraordinary illustration of the great value of
well-bred cattle. Sixty-three head of cattle, namely 35
cows and bellow. 17 heifer calves all by " Marniaduke,"
and 11 bulls soil bull calves, constituted the herd. The
whole sold for 4.818 guineas, averaging EBO 12s. 4.1. each,
being thus about 011 • par with the herds of Mr.
Ambler, Mr. Majoribanks. and Sir C. Knightly, which
sold—it) for £B4 each, TO for ill° each. and 78 for erlo
apiece, respectively. The meows and heifers sold f0r2.719
guineas. averaging LSI ID. 44. each. Among theta*
were "Cambridge Rose 6," purchased at the Kirklea-
vington sale and sold now at 10 years and 3 months old,
to Mr. Fisher for :110 guineas—" The Beauty," her
produce by" Puritan," sold to Mr. Jonas Webb at 54
years old for 160 guineas—" Darlington it," mold to
Colonel Pennant for 12U guineas—" Leila," 3 years old
sold to Captain Spencer for 170 guitteas--" Dustie," 2
years and 10 months old, *old to the Duke of Devon-
shire for 1040 guineas ; and "Gaiety," 2 years and 8
months old, sold to Mr. Rich, of Diilmarton, for 150
guineas. The remarkable feature of the sale was, how-
ever, the price reached by the calves, all of them by
" Marmaduke." Sevenk•en Leifer calves, I. r, reckoning
all as such, calved since March 1858, sold for 1.253
guineas, averaging £77 7s. 10d. each. Among these
Mr. Wetherall purchased " Samphire" for 120 guineas.
" Looey," the calf of Capt. Spencer's Leda, named
above, realised RE, guineas ; "Blush," the calf of Mr.
Webb's Beauty, was bought by Mr. Hale for 110 guineas;
and Aye'', a 1111•3 months' calf, was bought by Mr.
Crawley for 110 guineas. Much the highest price is as
however readied by "Moss Rose," the calf of " Cam-
bridge Rose li," which at 8 months old was sold to Mr.
Hale for 260 guineas. She is certainly • beautiful
animal, of perfect form and colour and extraordinary
pedigree. Her dam "Cambridge Rose 6," with her
produce, viz, two bulls and three cows and calf, aold for
NI guineas, i.e. £147 7s. each ; thus proving the esti-
mation in which the influence of Mr. Batea's breeding
on the value of stock is still held. The bulls were 11 ia
number, realising 866 guineas, or £B2 13s. 3.1. apiece.
The only remarkable price reached was by "
duke," Who was bought by Colonel Pennant for 310
guineas. He was in perfect condition, and considering
the quality of his stuck just sold, he ought to have
fetched a higher price. The MOH now realised is 150
guineas less than that at which lie was bought two
years ago. But it must be remembered that his value
has already been to a great extent received, and in the
quality of hie calves and the prices they have reached,
Mr. Combe has already been repaid fur his former
spirited outlay.
Mummy Wiir tr.—To the Editor of the Times—Sir,
—ln the Tinos of to-day there is a notice of the doubt
entertained by M. de N'ilinurin, of the Jurrmal Pratipir
tr Agriculture. as to the vitality of the wheat found in
the cases of Egyptian mummies. In 1845 I received in
New Brunswick two grains of *annuity wheat from the
late Dr. William -Hamilton, of Plymouth, which I
plaided in the spring, and which produced two small
ears of bearded wheat ; this grain was resown in the
j following spring, and remained in the grime' through
j the *emitter and winter following, and in the succeeding
I mummer produced a most luxuriant crop, the ears being
j five and six inches in length. It was impossible that
there could be any doubt that this corn was produced
from the two grains received from Dr. Hamilton ; and
although in souse degree it resembled the Tgavara
bearded wheat, yet It was distinguished from that
variety, and of more luxuriant growth. I am. Sir, your
obedient servant, "C." 'llia preservation of the grain
is sufficiently accounted for by the dryness of the atmos-
phere in Egypt, where there is no rain fall; as, without
air, beat, and moisture there mold be no germination
or decay.