Catoctin clarion., 1882-08-31

House and Farm.
AprjcuIture Abroad.

CATTLE IN FRANCE. France may
he said to have no herd book, save tor
Durhams, and which only dates from
1871. vet she hiss several eycellent ma
tive breeds Of cattle whose purity
merits a special register; her famous
breed Of ferc.1e1pn horses, has no her
edilary archives of which to boast
the United States, which commenced
to buy ur all these valuable horses,
keeps a record Of the race. The Dur
ham breed of cattle has many oppo-
nents in France, and a study OF the
statistics respecting the animals OF
this race, born in or imported into
France, reveals few interesting facts.
The records of the herd book in
question are official, and comprise the
period 1871 to 1879; during the form
er year, there were $50 Durhams born
in France, of which total, 23o were
males, and 293 females. In 1873, the
births were $50, comprising 1913 males,
and 336 females, in 1879, the births
were $50, and consisted Of 26@ males,
and 297 females. A glance at these
figures, exhibits the great dlspropor-
ton between the sexes; the females
uniformly predominant over the males
This popularity besides would appear
to be special to the short horns. Nor
malIy, the sexes maintain almost an
equilibrium, as over a wide range OF
births, the males pred slightly,
IN the ratio Of JOG, to 100 females, but
MS shown by the foregoing totals, the
ratios are: Sl., 96, IS! males, to 100
lau~les, respectively. This is the re-
suit of the Jaw Of heredity, by which
breeders direct their efforts to wea ken
Che temperau,ent Of the bull in order
20 produce what is known as hneness
The figures further Indicate, that
while in 1879, the total registered
purfams $50. and in 1873, G59, the
\ ,,aber in 1879 fell to 800. This di-
,o;aution is to be attributed simply to
af slling { If in the number OF breeders,
and fact very curious, that while tue
breeders Of Durhsms belonging 20 the
npper or arstocratc classes, remained
variable, those who may be rank d
as working agr'cultursts, have re'ln
nu,shed the treedng Of Durhams, as
nnremunerative. while the wealthier
rla~ees continue their rearing, appar-
emily as luxury.
IRRIGATION Very great attention
Is given at present in France to irri.
CATION. Soil is female, water male,
savs an Arabian proverb To be able
10 irrigate land appropriately, ia to
briug fecundty, where without such,
The soil wouId remain sterile, despite
all labor and manuring. But the
acriculturists must be instructed how
to employ, and bring economically,
The water within their reach, from
springs, rains. and streams. Thedepar'-
,nent Of the Var, is one Of the dryest
in Southern France, and one of which
has most suffered in it's vineyards from
the rhvlloxera. Proprietors have
employed steam engines to pump wa
ter from rivers and innndate the vine
wards in autumn, thereby drowning
the phylloxera to large extent. The
cost Of plant &c, amounted to 2,4O0f
per acre in the year 1875, when the
flooding began to tell; in 1881, vine
wards which six years previously
represented but dead loss, yielded a
clear profit in nine of 1000 per acre,
or 25 per cent. The expenses would
be very much less, where the water is
furnished by canal, or tapped from
springs. Small proprietors frequent
" unite to secure water supply, for
if snbmersion in autumn be not cure
for the phylloxera, in certainly mini
mizes its ravages.
The role of water in vegetation is
most advantageously ensured, when
the irrigations are intermittent, in
stead Of nom continued, between April
and September; the sheet Of water ar
irving on the soil after an interruption,
forces The stratum Of air, which has
replaced the first watering. to descend
into the soil, renewing there the at
mospheric oxygen around the roots of
the plants. Two or three irrigations
per week suffice. The same number
Of irrigations is not required for every
kind of culture, as science has demo .
strated there is a connection betweer
the weight OF water which ought te
pass by evaporation ofthe leaves, anc
the gross weight of that yield. Tha
connection represents 60 times the
Weld in the green state; in oIhe
words; the less suculent the prodnc
the less the quantity Of water requlr
ed.
FOOt.ROt I'm sheep.
Tho 1;cea.o com,nence1 bet Ween th