Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1886-07-01
INDUSTRIAL BRIEFLETs.

The stockmen of Nevada complain Of
the quantities Of jack-rabbits which in.
fest the cattle ranges and are rapidly
denuding the country of all vegetation.
Never since the settlement OF that sec.
ton have these animals been so plenti,
full, and unless some means Of destroy
ing them is soon found the experience
of extensive portions of Australia bids
fair to be repeated. In many parts Of
California and Oregon, where the rab.
bits have multiplied SO as to become q
pest, they have been thinned out by a
combined move on the part of the set
tiers. All the residents of given
neighborhood by common consent have
turned out for half dozen entire days,
and, well supplied with arms and am
munition, have waged successful war;
fare against the common enemy. BY
this means thousands have been de-
stroyed in a single day.
Twelve men in Bridgeport, Conn,
are about to invest capital to have the
experiment of breeding quail tried.
Their chief object will be to provide
means of sport any time in the year on
their own ground without infringing
any known state game law. The club
have leased for term of years 1900
acres few miles north of this city, and
have already liberated 200 birds there,
and expect to liberate 200 more. These
quail come from Pennsylvania, and are
very lively birds. Grain will be sown
and corn planted, the understanding
being that the quail are to have full
range and be undisturbed by any save
members of the club.
A California paper says: Eastern
farmers do not usually commence hay
ing in midwinter, yet in the middle of
February the somewhat anomalous
spectacle, even for California, was seen
in one of the southern counties of a
farmer busy with mowing-machine in
cutting and curing a crop OF alfalfa
hay. No trouble whatever was expert
enced in securing the crop, and while
it is not the rule that haying is success
ful in the month of February, even in
this state, still it adds one more to the
varied possibilities of our soil and eli
mate.
The celery crop of Kalamazoo, Mich,
will be larger this year than ever be-
fore. Last season about 1900 acres
were planted with this pleasant escu-
lent. This year the area planted will
exceed 1000 acres. The value of this
crop to Kalamazoo is enormous. 1t is
estimated by those in the business that
it brought to Kalamazoo last year over
100000, If which almost the entire
amount is spent or invested at home.
The small item of seed is almost the
only expenditure which takes any Of
the money away from the city.
Prof Caldwell says that some exp,n-
iments made with common salt proved
that the soil of q grass-plat which had
been dressed with it was found to con-
tain, ten days after rain had fallen on
it, twice as much water as an adjoining
lot which had received no salt. The
plants on the sailed portion were grow
ing vigorously, while those on the I'M
sailed plat were suffering from drought.
This was obviously an exceptional case,
but it shows promise from similar
trials.
The editor of London Truth writes:
Kerry cows ought to come into fashion,
for they give far more milk than any
others, and they are very hardy and
cheap to keep. The little Kerry cow
which Lord Rosebery sent from the
home-farm at Mentmoro to the Isling-
ton dairy show, last winter, gave four
teen quarts a day after calving; and l
heard of another heifer of this breed
which was giving seven quarts a day
nine months after calving.
1t is evident that dairy farming is
still highly profitable in England, for,
at the present time, there is not sim
gle farm vacant on any of the large
dairy estates in Cheshire, and there are
numerous applications for any farm
that may become vacant on the proper
ties of the duke of Westminster, Lord
Tollemache, Lord Cholmondeley, Lord
Egerton, of Tatton, Lord Crewe, or
Lord Combermere.
The largest tish-breeding establish,
ment in the world is at Howietoun,
Scotland, near the battlefield of Ban
nockburn. There are thirty ponds sup,
piled with water drawn from springs.
Eggs and breeding fish are sent from
this establishment to nearly every part
of the world.
The demand for young men to take
charge of creameries at the south is Sc
great that the Mississippi Agricultural
college is forming class for special in
struction in this industry.