Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1877-08-10

the market.
The importation of potatoes from
America has been prohibited by legisla-
ton in Germany, France and Belgium,
on account of fears that the Colorado
beetle may be introduced abroad.
Grasshoppers are animal barometers.
1t has been observed that rain invaria-
bly, occurs within half an hour after
sudden descent Of swarm from the up
per regions to the ground
The cactus is regarded by Californi-
ans as nuisance. A firm of rope
makers in San Francisco has recently
discovered that from species of the
plant, fine quality of rope can be man
ufactured.
w. F. Dodge, of Hopkinton, n. II.
who has tried it, says bath Of strong
brine is as good as tobacco wash for
killing ticks on sheep, besides being
cheaper, and less injurious to the ami
NAL
An English sheep breeder sheared
125 Lincolnshire sheep this spring, all
under fourteen months of age, which
produced 2257 pounds of wool; sixty of
their feeces weighed 1901 pounds, and
four weighed %, 24!, 25I, and BOZ TBS.
respectively.
The boiler of a steam thresher in ope-
ration about mile from Nashville, ILL.,,
exploded with great force, injuring n.
w. Moore and Harvey Lee so badly that
they died during the day and dangerous
ly wounding George Wells, William
Arehan, and young son Of H. McCrack-
en-.
From a great number of infested dis
tricts of Southern Minnesota, it is learn
ed that the hoppers are rising and fly
ing with the wind to the Northwest
While crops in some localities have
been badly hurt by the hoppers, the re-
ports generally indicate that not much
damage has been done as. YETI
The hooking bird, hitherto almost
exclusively confined in it's habits to the
Southern States, gives some indications
of becoming migratory and visiting the
North in summer. A pair have recent
ly been discovered in Rochester, n. Y.
where they have nestled and are raising
brood of young.
Gen. Stoneman is cultivating the
pomegranate to the extent Of 5000 trees
and thinks he can make it succeed in the
Eastern market by sending it there il
large quantities in proper cars for the
purpose. This may be classed among
the promising experiments.
England is beginning to appreciate
American horses At the sale of Mr.
Sanbern's yearlings, in Kentucky, two
colts and two FLIES were bought by an
agent of the duke of Hamilton, who pur-
chased Prcakness some time ago. The
duke will probably enter the colts fol
the Derby and the FLIES for the Oaks
for 1879
Consumption of Indian corn is in
creasing in Europe. In Italy the price
has risen much to the disgust of the
poorer classes, who use it largely, on ac-
count of the Italian government having
decided, contrary to all former customs
to feed cavalry horses with equal pro
portions of corn and oats. Heretofore
their feed has been confined exclusively
to oats.
In 1860 the United States produced
434 2O9, 461 pounds of tobacco. During
the year 1870 there were employed in
the United States, in the preparation
of tobacco, in its various forms for con-
sumption, $4,000 persons whose wages
for the year amounted to $14,315, 3342
the value of the product 81 1854
capital invested $25, l02, $50.
At the London cattle market $500
cattle and 10000 sheep are about the
average sales on each weekly market
day 1t will be noticed that mutton
bears much larger proportion to the
whole receipts than in this country.
American farmers must give more atten-
ton to sheep raising and supplying the
the English market with first class
mutton.
A sheep farmer in California drove
flock Of 1000 pure blooded merino
sheep to Colorado He was sixteen
months on the way, and brought in his
merinos in good order. 1t is stated
that number of sheep raisers in Cali
fornia having 10000 sheep on these
ranges, contemplate driving them to
Texas, on account of the splendid pas
turage to be obtained in that State.
The number of wolves in Russia is
estimated at 100000, and their annual
consumption of flesh is twenty five hun
bred weight per head. Last year they
ate, among other items, 161 human be-
ings, and it is estimated that, in one
way or another, they cost the country
$10,000,000 Hunting has declined
since the emancipation of the serfs, and
the wolves have increased.
Several correspondents write to an
nounce the complete oxtirpation of rats
and mice from their COW stalls and pig
geries since the adoption of this simple
plan: A mixture of two parts of we'll
bruised common squills and three parts
of finely chopped bacon is made into
stiff mass, with as much meat as may
be required, and then baked into small
cakes, which are put down for the rats
to eat.
Before the drouth of 1864, Los An
geles Co., Cal, was renowned for the
number of her cattle. During 1864
hundreds of thousands of cattle died of
starvation. The disappearance of these
cattle inaugurated the era of farming in
Los Angeles. 1t was blessing in dis
guise, and most Of the thousand pro-
ductive farms of which the county now
boasts owe their existence to that
drouth
Minneapolis handled 5,2500O0 bush
els of wheat the past year, but sent
abroad only $4,000 bushels of the grain.
The rest Of it came down to the sea-
coast in the form of barrels of -four,
branded Gilt Edge, Sea Foam, Red Let
ter, Old Glory, and other imaginative
titles in which the millers there take
delight, and Minneapolis was according
ly $3,O0O,0OO the richer for having man.
ufactured her raw material, instead OF
having exported it direct.