The Portland daily press., 1877-07-17
News and Notes.

Signs indicate that the corn crop of New
Hampshire. this year, granting good season,
will be the largest ever raised.
Where fowls are confined in considerable
numbers to a restricted enclosure, they should
have good supply of wood ashes to walIow
in. 1t will pay to fill large box with ashes
and place it under shelter where the fowls
can use it at pleasure.
The crop prospects in Piscataquis county,
indicate that the hay crop will be below an
average, the first crop will be small and other
crops promise well. An unusually large area
has been planted and sown.
Grasshoppers are reported to be doing con-
siderable damage in Norridgewock.
The Aroostook Sunrise says: DIR. Decker.
the Bee King, informs US this is the best
year for bees he has known very recently,
Thursday last he had twenty swarms out,
and had taken out seventy pounds of box
honey, and in few days should have some
some hundreds of pounds ready for the mar
ket. The Doctor has some sixty-five or sew
enty hives full of workers, each one gather
ing sweets from every opening flower.
The hop crop of New York promises to be
abundant, and last years hops are selling
from six to eleven cents per pound.
It is estimated that there is from one to
two thousand acres of potatoes planted
within the limits Of Bangor, most of which
are looking well. This is more than double
the amount of any previous year.
The hay crop in Aroostook will not be over
one third of what it was last year.
At recent sale of Jersey herd in Eng
land, A head (36 females and s bulls) aver
aged three-pence short of a23 each-the av-
erage on females being slightly over that fig
ure, and on bulls e21 6s, Cd. The highest
price of the day was 50 gs. for a three-year
old COW.
The tobacco crop of Tennessee this year
will be larger than usual, and the prospects
are that the acreage will continue to increase
for some years. There are 10000 square
miles in the state well adapted to the growth
of tobacco, while only $4,000 acres are en-
ployed in that way.
The Patrons of Eastern Maine propose
starting cooperative store, with headquar-
tiers at Bangor.
Hon. John Conant. of Jaffrey, has just
given to the agricultural department of Dart
mouth College $4,000, making total of
$4,000 which he has given to this depart
ment.
The South, not to be outdone by the
North, reports the discovery of a new insect
enemy TO the sugar cane, which it is feared
will become as great pest as the Colorado
beetle is to Northern farmers.
The journal Of Chemistry says that hot
alum water is The best insect destroyer
known. Put the alum into hot water and
let it boil till all the alum is dissolved; then
apply it hot with brush 10 all cracks, clos
cts, bedsteads, and other places, where any
insects are found. tAnts, bed-bugs, cock
reaches and creeping things are killed by it;
while it has no danger of poisoning the fam.
lily or injuring property.
Many consider that ducks are more profit
able than hens, Tor home use, taking into &C
count the number and size of the eggs laid
by them. The solid matter and oil in
ducks egg exceed that of hen by fully one
fourth.
The grain crop of Virginia is uncommonly
good, and the farmers mean to hoard it in
anticipation of better prices.
French crops are reported good. The har-
vest promises better than for the last sixty
years.
1t costs only twelve cents per bushel to
ship wheat from San Francisco to Liverpool,
a distance of $4,000 miles. 1t costs eighteen
cents per bushel to ship wheat from Chicago
to New York by rail, though it is only half as
much by water.
Artificial Fertilizers.
Guano, which seems to be a mineral de-
post and not an animal, as has long been
supposed, is the most valuable of the arti-