The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-02-22 00:00:00

It griculturt.

610,717 hones,
3,661,594 cattle (including 1,633,378
mulch cows), 3,487,785 sheep, sod only
linen ACIIICAILVVIIAL sieve -Nos.—The live stock in
Ireland in the year 11458 is returned ILA followa—vis. :
The Pig!, however, have increased since 1857 fr0m1,255,165 to 1,402,812, and of these 1,073,100 are under
one year of age. The value of the live stock is esti-
mated to be asfollows :—horses, E 4,865,736 ; Cottle,
1,4tr2,512 pip.
EZ1,600,361 ; sheep, £3.K16.56:1; and gdp, £1,753,515,
meking a grand total of £34,276,175 against a 3,700,916
in 1857. Sir W. Donnelly, the learned Registrar-
General, reiterates his annual, but apparently unheeded
protest against the pernicious. growth of weeds in Ireland,
unfortunately prevalent throughout the country • and he
states that an anxious desire is generally expressed for
some legislative enactment to protect the improving
farmer who cleans his land from the woeful injuiy
inflicted on his crops by the winged or flying weds of
noxious weeds carried by the wind from the field of
some lasy or negligent neighbour. The attention of
lord Naad will doubtless be attracted to this flying
grievance. The above returns are accompanied by a
blue book which gives the extent of the land- under crepe
in Inland fur the year 1858. It appears that last year
there were 2,748,401 acres of land lying under cereal
crops (551,886 under wheat and 1,076.929 under oats)
against 2,786,8P4 acres in 11457; 1,617,958 acres lay
under turnips). The total increase in the extent of land
under green crop. (1,160,056 under potatoes,and 337,677
under crops last year was 2'3,375 acres. The Registrar-
General thanks the landowners and farmers of Ireland
for their generous assistance in the collection of these
statistics, with a broad and by no means uncalled-for
hint that their example is not undeserving of considera-
tion in England.
Victor's A 3insui.—A case of some interest to the
owners of horse. and dogs has recently been decided in
the Wakefield County Court, in which the plaintiff was
nonsuited in an action for damages for an injury done
by the defendant's horse to his Mara while at grass.
The evidence altogether was very slight ; but it went to
prove that the injured mare, being at grass in a field
adjoining that in which were the defendant's horses, the
latter had broken down the gate separating them, and
had worried and kicked her, by which injury was done
to the value of £2l lfis. 6(1. Mr. Smith, for the defence,
contended that there ought to have been some evidence
to show that Mr. Creentield (the defendant) knew his
animals were liable to do this kind of mischief. He
cited a case in support that it was not "negligent keep-
ing," but " keeeing with knowledge," that rendered a
person liable in ouch an action as this. It lay upon the
complainant to prove that the defendant knew the
horses were guilty of doing similar mischief. He should
prove that thm mare contributed to her own injury, and
that the animals were quiet ones—one 7 years old, and
the other 11. In • recent number of the Lao Molts,
in an action arming out of a man being killed in descend-
ing a coal mine, Lord Campbell held that, although it
wax the duty of the owner of the pit to test the rope
every day, yet the deceased had evinced gross negligence.
He knew the teat was requisite, and that the rope had
been injured the night before by fire, but he and other
workmen neglected this warning, and, in going down the
pit. the rope broke, and they were precipitated to the
bottom. Judgment, therefore, went for the defendant
in that case, and he submitted that the same rule must
be ai.l lied to this action. But there was even a stronger
Oise than this bearing upon this action, and reported in
the Lill, riga! report., tried before the Houseof Lords.
A foxhound went into a field and worried SOWS sheep.
The owner of the sheep sued for damages; but he did
not aver that the dog was of vicious propensities, which
were known to the owner of the dog, and that it was
negligently known to be at large. It was held that
blame could only attach to the owner of the dog, when,
after having ascertained that the animal bad propensi•
ties not generally belonging to his race, he omitted to
take proper precaution to prut.ct the public against the
ill-consequences of the az lee, habits. His Honour
said there must be a :::::: suit. The last caw cited showed
that it must he averred and proved that the defendant
know his animal was vicious, and that not being given
in evidence, the case was at an end. Nonsuited accord'
ingly.
AGRICULTFRAL NOTES or THE MONTH I'OE WEST
Siniensgr.—The winter thus far lIIS been OM of the
iiiihleet we ever recollect ; in fact, in moot respects
•'ler to the first part of last winter, with the exception
of being more wet and stormy, the weather during
nearly the whole of the past month being of that
descnption. We have had no frost scarcely since the
beginning of November last, aluneit continually wet,
which has fully supplied ue with water for flooding the
meadows, km., which have now the verdure of spring
upon them, and such has been the mildness of the
season, that the trees are begi tttt ing to show symptoms
of returning aniuiation, and the thrush is to be heard
in the morning, " warbling his wood notes wild" with
the vehemenence which usually characterises him in
April. The young wheats are looking remarkably well,
especially the latter sown ; the mild rainy weather
which has prevailed for wine time has been most favour-
able to the germination of the seed, and the subsequent
growth of the plant. The young clovers and winter
tares also are looking very promising, and are thick on
the ground. The common turnips are rapidly shooting
up their seeding stems, and if not speedily consumed
will lose the better part of their feeding qualities.
Swedes are being taken up SIMI stored in heaps, where
intended to be consumed on the land, goO that their
second growth will be put a stop to. Sheep, considering
the unfavourable nature of the IiCISIJiI, have done tolerably
well on turnips. From the incessant weteess of the wea-
ther. the field work is not .luite so forward as usual at this
peri.el. Very little turnip land has been sown to wheat,
farmers considering that at present prices barley is more
profitable ; coneequently, we anticipate that a larger
breadth of this grain will be sown than there has been
for some years past. The lambing season has just com-
menced in this neighbourhood ; (min 1111/111y farms we
hear most uefavourable reports of the results. Many
of the lambs conic down weakly, and we have heard of
numerous eases of ewes bringing dead lambs, which oftsn
jeopardises the life .4 the ewe also; f ascribe it
to the wetness of the season, and doubtless, on arable
farina, where the ewes are kept al t entirely on tur-
nips, this is the Cause. We should suggest to all sheep
farmers the importance of dry food and shelter to the
pregnant ews the last month or sic weeks of gestation,
al.& preventive of bail" luck," whenlainhing time comes.
The corn trade still retains the same dell monotonous
, tone which has prevailed for some months, good samples
of wheat fetching only 40s. per qr. Considerable quan-
tities are being used for feeding cattle,
being of opi tt it .n that it will fetch more in the shape of
' beef. The cattle market presents a marked contrast to
the corn trade.