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A WIFE'S 20 YEARS SICKNESS.

--'----RURAL LIFE.

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RURAL LIFE. BY A SON OF THE SOIL. A NOTE FOR SHEPHERDS. It is always pleasing to hoar from Colonial or foreign friends from over the sea. and as Mr. Dillworth Fox-who has many friends in the West country-writes me all the way from Can- terbury, New Zealand, about a paragraph I gave last autumn, I have pleasure in reproduc- ing his letter and the accompanyii:g sketch. He writes as followa from Scargill, Canterbury, N. Z. I saw in your columns an illustration of a race' for. dividing sheep, and enclose you a rough sketch plan of my drafting yards. The Doubie gates at A. dividing flock into three lots if required. B, long gate to swing to either side of race. Gates at E (two places) in handling or forcing pens, to open upwards, with uprights like lower sash of window. AN AUSTRALIAN "RACE." side gate in the race is entirely superseded by the double gate at the end. as it only requires one man to work. and however fust the sheep may be running any careful man can discrimi- nate the difference with from 8ft. to 12ft. to look at the sheep. Fifteen inches is plenty width to take even a big Leicester or Lincoln ram. and more would result in frequent jamming, especi- ally if separating ewes from their lambs at shearing or weaning time. We ar., always care- ful to brand draft sheep as little as possible, even when drafting fat stock." A NOVEL LAWN SPRINKLER. A correspondent, to whom I am greatly obliged, sends me particulars of a novelty in lawn sprinklers, which has recently been inven- ted by a man living in Oregon. The device con- sists of a central tube supported on a standard, to which a fixed-gear ring is attached. Swivelled at the top of this tube is a nozzle formed with a bracket, which carries a paddle-wheel. The cast named is provided with a peripheral worm thread adapted to engage the teeth of the gear I ring. In operation the tube is connected with the yvater supply, and the water flowing out of A NOVEL LAWN SPRINKLER. the nozzle is directed against the vanes of the wheel, causing the latter to rotate and feed itself with the nozzle around on the gear ring. The water striking the vanes is spread as a shower over the lawn, and as the nozzle revolves a Large area is covered. REARERS AND THEIR TEMPERATURE. The temperature of the sleeping-compartment of an outdoor rearer, taken midway between the floor and the tank 'providing that top heat is in vogue) and when the chickens are in it. should be 90deg. Fahr. of back heat -or the first three or four days: but after that the tem- perature should be gradually lowered, uriril, at the end of three weeks, it is not above 70deg. Fahr. during the night. A certain judgment and constant supervision must be exercised, for the heat should be regulated according to atmo- spheric conditions. Advantage should be taken of any sunshine, and from the first the t rood should have the advantage of the sun's g'{"tial warmth. On a hot aucoer's tLiv artificial heat may be expensed with entirely, except in the case of v'y young birds, when, if the nights are cool, it will be necessary to provide warmth for the chickens. In cold weatha^ chickens should be supplied with artificial h- until they are eight or ten weeks old, but after the third week or so it should bo again reduced to 60deg., and the birds shoakl be gradually accustomed to do without it. The behaviour of the youngsters themselves will generally be the best criterion; if more hrat be required they will resort to the .sleeping-eompartmcnt during the greater part of the day, whereas if they seek its shelter only after long exercise it id a sign 'that all is w-alli. A NEW NARcissra. Aeccr'ing to that very sound authority, the Gardeners' Chronicle, the Narcissus Evangeline, of which an illustration is given, and which was shewn for the first time at a recent show of the Royal Horticultural Society, is one of the most I A N-XW NAECISSIS. I beautiful specimens yet produced. At present it is not easy to obtain, for it is in few hands; but by another season it will be on the market, and then there is certain to be a big demand for it. The perianth of the bloom is pure white, and I the corona lemon coloured. THE COLUMBIAN PLYMOUTH ROCK, Glancing through the pages of the latest issue j of the American Reliable Poultry Journal, my P-ttention was drawn to an excellent illustration by Mr. Louis P. Graham, of a charming yet un- familiar fowl. This, on closer inspection, proved to be a representation of a Columbian Plymouth Rock cockerel, as bred by Mr. F. M. Clemens, Mechanicsburg, Ohio; and from the accompanying text it appears that a club for the variety was inaugurated at the late Madison Square (New York) Show, and is'known as the ) American Columbian Plymouth Rock Club." In a description of the fowl Mr. Ciemens says that in the Columbian Plymouth Rock we have a new variety which combines beauty and utility so well that it must "OOll become one of the most widely-bred branches of the Plymouth Rock family. It is claimed for the Columbian Rock that it is the American ideal of an all- purpose fowl, being of medium size, quick of growth, and having smooth yellow shanks, vellow skin, and a tendency to fill the egg- basket at all times *>f the year. To join the Plymouth Rock utility with the light Brahma beauty is. we are told, the ambition of Colum- bian Plyteouth Rock breeders; and we are assured that so much enfhusia-m prevails among those who have taken up the breed that it i. safe to predict a great future for it. Whether the variety will have as wide a vogue in the United Kingdom as the Columbian Wyandotte has achieved, remains to be seen; but in the meanwhile our readers will be in- terested to learn that it is being bred to the following standard in the I'nited States: Dis- qualifications: Feathers on shanks, feet, or toes; ear-lobos shewing more than half positive white; solid black feathers in back; shanks other than yellow or reddish yellow; also other general dis- qualifications as for other Plymouth Rocks in the standard. Colour of male and female: The same as required by the standard for light Brahmas, except, beak, which is horn-colour, shading to yellow at the point; and except that black spots in the web of the feather in the back of the female, while a defect, shall not dis- qualify. Comb. shape, and weight of both male and female to be the same as the standard re- quires for all Plymouth Rocks. GRAFTING FRLIT TREES. Although the various methods of grafting are so frequently described, several important de- tails, which experience brings out in prominent form, arc either omitted entirely or are treated so lightly that they are liable to be disregarded, says a writer in the Field. There has been a re- awakening with regard to the benefits of graft- ing orchard trees that are useless either because they are varieties ill-adapted to the district or of inferior quality. In many localities serious efforts to improve the established fruit trees are being made, and though at present the re- formers are in the minority and somewhat isolated, the movement is in the right direction and merits encouragement. In the first place, a mistake is commonly made in regrafting all trees irrespective of their age, health, and condition; the result is almost invariably considerablo dis- appointment after much waiting. Every tree be- fore being cut back should be carefully ex- amined, and if the mtfin stem or any of the prin- cipal branches are badly affected by canker or other disease, they should be destroyed. The next step is to reduce the number of branches. and this is especially necessary with Apples and Pears having bushy and perhaps crowded heads, a common condition in old orchards. When too many branches are retained the state of the tree, when the scions have grown, will in time be as objectionable as it was previous to the opera- tion. The branches to be grafted should be evenly spaced and preferably growing outwards, so that the new shoots will have a chance to ex- tend away from each other and from the centre of the tree. A tendency prevails also to cut the limbs for regrafting too far back into very thick wood, which is attended by several disadvan- tages. It then becomes necessary to work several scions upon each branch to refurnish the tree in an adequate manner quickly, which not only leads to a stumpy appearance, but is also a fre- quent cause of crowding. Under such circum- stances it is difficult to induce the young growths to spread equally, and pruning to encourage this leaves them more or less one-sided. When the cut-back branch is very thick it is not easy to secure a thoroughly good union between the stock and scion, the consequence being that some of the latter are liable to be blown out, especi- ally when in full leaf or bearing fruits. On younger wood not exceeding two inches in dia- meter. one stout scion will usually suffice, or at most two, and a union can be effected that will cover the whole cut surface with new tissue. Beyond these points there is one which should not be overlooked, and that is selecting scions from varieties of strong vitality. This word is commonly rather indefinite, but. horticulturally its meaning is cloar enouprli for all practical pur- po; it is the power of auick healing in wounds made with the knife. The difference in this re- spect is conspicuous amongst, varieties of all hardv fruits, but especially in Apples, Pears. and Plums. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. WELLINGTON." — Thanks. I have given the very interesting fetter of your correspondent in this week's colurrm. All correspondence affecting this column should be addressed to A Son of the Soil," care of the Editor of this journal.

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RHUDDLAN.

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ABERGELE.

. Church Eisteddfod.

ST. GEORGE, ABERGELE.

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