The Express.
London, England, 1868-08-12 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, WEDNESDAY 3VENLNG, AUGUST 12, 1868.

years I ban been engaged in cattle and sheep farming in
South Australia, and that during my residence there the
peetansge at times from drought has been so scanty that we
have resorted to the practice of cutting down trees for the
imbeistehee et the stook ; those were principally the shea
oak (Casurina% which are constantly used by bullock
drivers whs. travelling for feeding their bullocks, and on
these trees they do pretty well. I have also known the
HUM tree (Eucalyptus) used for feeding purposes, and have
had them cut on my own sheep runs for food, but from
their aromatic and very astringent character, sheep suffer
from constipation after eating them for tea or twelve days.
Comparing the leaves of English trees with Australian, I
think they are far more suitable for sheep and cattle food,
and if carefully housed they would eat them readily dur-
ing the winter. They might be mixed with chaffed hay.
If the leaves of all the deciduous trees in England
growing in the hedge-rows wore collected, they would
in many counties exceed in weight that of the hay crop.
In valuing sheep runs in those parts of Australia subject
to drought, an extra value belongs to those runs whero there
is an abundance of rhea oak trees. There is also another
comparatively neglebted description of fodder, which a
summer like the present makes unusually valuable—that
ia, the wheat straw. We have had a summer of most un-
usual heat, quite an Australian summer, hotter and drier
then the la.t five I passed in the southern part of Aus-
tralia. There we stack large quantities of wheat straw
for winter food for our cattle and horses. During our
mild winters they may be seen regularly every evening
leaving their pastures for their usual supply of straw at
. the straw stack, and sheep also will oat it readily during
the wet weather. Now, why do Australian cattle, bred
from Engliil cattle, readily eat straw in Australia ? The
straw of the same wheat is generally coarser and longer
than the F..ngli:l straw, not out earlier nor stacked more
carefully.
Mr. BROWNE answers his own question by say-
ing that the extreme heat of the Australian
summer developes more saccharine matter in the'
straw, andhe then remarks that he has known work-
ing bullocks kept entirely upon straw for months.
These animals "were taken from the s'traw-yard
" early each morning and watered, thenjfed with
" fresh straw, yoked up at 8, worked until 4,
" watered, and put in the straw-yard again.
_ _ .

" They did their work of ploughing eaiily, and
" kept in good condition." This is surely very
curious. The old story of the philosopher who
attempted to keep a horse upon air, and only
failed through the animal perversely dying just
as it was becoming accustomed to straw, would
seem to have a different meaning to the one
popularly assigned to it. If Mr. BROWNE
be correct—and it is noteworthy that
he speaks from personal ob3ervation and expe-
rience, and does not hesitate to give his name and
address—our farmers are to be congratulated upon
an easy way out of what might be a serious
trouble. We have complaints from all "parts
of the kingdom of the deficioncies in the
hay-crop, but we shall at least have plenty of
dead leaves, of chaff, and of straw. If any or all
of these can be so mixed with hay as to make a
palatable and nutritious food Australia will have
taught the mother country a valuable lesson. Few
experiments will be more cheaply and easily tried
than that suggested by Mr. BaowNE.

ACCORDING to the latest rumour, Lord MAYO
Will not go to India after all. Sir STAFFORD
Norma:Yrs is again first favourite for the appoint-
ment. It is said that Lord Mayo himself never
wished for the appointment, but that it was in a
manner forced on his acceptance. The CHIEF
SECRETARY for IRELAND may not be the fittest man
to succeed Sir Jonx LAWRENCE, but it will be
satisfactory to find that he has recognised be-
comingly the univeral exclamation of astonish-
ment which saluted his seleJtion for the govern-
ment of India.

MEE MAJESTY, it appears, has already begun to
make excursions from her charming residence at

Lucerne, and it is almost

to add that

the loyal and indefatigable British vulgarian has
followed the movements of Her Herzerr with his
usual assiduity. We are glad, however, to hear
that the QUEEN has made this truly British
loyalty somewhat difficult by putting all the
vehicles and animals in the neighbourhood under
requisition for the use of her establishment.

Piz can confidently confirm our Paris correspon-
dent's peremptory denial of the absurd report of
a supposed affront to the Empress Euoutis in
the guzzles not returning her visit. Them was a
perfect understanding between the two sovereign
ladies on this point, and nothing could be more
cordial than their mutual relations.

Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess
of Walee, with smite, arrived at Abergeldie Castle yester-
day afternoon. The weather was very wet, rain having,
for the first time there for three months, been falling
heavily and steadily for the specs of 16 hours.
His Royal Highness Prince John of Glilclusburg
is expected shortly to arrive on a visit to the Prince and
Princess of Wales at Abergeldis Castle, Aberdeenshire.

Their Serene Mighneeses the Prince and Princess
Edward of Saxe-Weimar have arrived in Dublin from
town, the prince having joined his regiment in that city.
The marriage of the Earl of March, eldest eon
of the Duke of Richmond, 8.G., with Miss Ricardo will
take place in November.
The death of Mr. John Douglas Cooke, the
editor of the Saturday Review, who died at his residence
in The Albany, Piccadilly, on Monday, shortly before mid-
night is announced. Mr. Cooke was for some years editor
in chief of the Kerning Chronicle newspaper during the
period that journal belonged to the Peelite party.
The Emperor's return to Fontainebleau was the
occasion of a grand dinner at the palace on Sunday, fol-
lowed by a ate in the evening. The Empress gave ordere
to admit the public to a part of the reserved gardens look-
ing on the Cour des Fontaine.. The band of the Dragons
de l'lmpfratrioe played overtures and military pieces, and
at 9 o'clock it placed itself at the head of the whole regi-
ment, executing round the large piece of water and in
various parts of the park a promenade with torches.
Afterward. a display of fireworks was let off near the
water. The Empwor, on appearing at the balcony, wan
received with loud shouts of " Viva l'Empereur !"

The King of Bavaria, letters state, appears con-
stantly in company with the Emperor and Empress of
Bemis at Xiesingen. The greatest intimacy seems to pee-
ved between their Majesties. The Grand Duke of Hesse
had arrived, and the imperial pair, with the King and his
brother Prince Otho, went some way out to meet him.
Prince Humbert of Italy and his bride have
arrived at Baden from Holland, and were present on Fri-
day afternoon at one of the children's balls regularly given
there each week. In the evening they went to the Ant
performaam given by the company of the ThEittre-Fran-
ads. Oolonbem and La Chaim were represented, Mme.
Madeleine Broken, Begnier, and Wont playing admi-
rably.

The Paris authorities will not tolerate an &Noe
any more than • Lantern,. The sale on the public way
has been withdrawn, and the Nositeur announoes that
the journal L'Alipas will be prosecuted for an obscene
print. . The .fficlipso is published weekly, and the
front page has a picture on it. This picture is
always submitted to the censorship before pub.
&aim This was done in the ease of last
Saturday's publication, and the official visa was gisen.
It is strange that the obscenity was not apparent to the
censor in the first instance. It appears that the picture,
under the disguise of • melon, contained, when looked at
from a particular point of view, the Limes* of an illus-
trious personage. M. Andre Gill, the author of the de-
sign, repudiates indignantly the charge of obscenity. "My
designs," he says, "are often intentionally xuaignef but
never intentionally obscene."

NATIONAL ENBIBITION OP WOIDIS OF ANT, AT
Lies, 1868.—Beturn of admissioas:—Tuesday. August
11—By sewn tit*" 613; by Paratat of IL wok 1,790; total, 2,203.