The Brecon County Times Neath Gazette and General Advertiser for the Counties of Brecon Carmarthen Radnor Monmouth Glamorgan Cardigan Montgomery Hereford

IUsSIA FIGHTING DESPERATELY GERMANS CLAIM SUCCESS ON THE DNIESTER. ENEMY FALL BACK ON VISTULA. the defeat of General von Linsingen's army 5^PS which he threw across the Dniester at J^&vno, -whale it bas had! the effect of check- A astro-German thrust ov Lvoff. and Sjfprfivented the breaking of the lines of the J^sian armies on the Galicia front, bos w-t sufficiently decisive to stop the f 2?tmg jtlong the remainder of the line. :<■■■ «normous losses, the AustroGenuau on the San have again advanced on they were recently severely Germans claim to have recaptured uravno, which is on the south bank of the ij^sster, and to have taken' other bridge A new movement appears to have been jT^Bienced by the Austrians on a thirty-miles north of Horodenka, nea* Nezwiska, ■ the Russian front towards the Bukovina 8 tad to be adjusted. FURIOUS INFANTRY ATTACKS. g The Russian offioial communique issued on Friday says: In the trans-Niemen region the yesterday opened an attack on our Position.s €ast of Mariampol. On the Nareff during the night of June llth-12th, Pe v'~ere skirmishes with, patrols between Oniuleff and Rozova. n the north of Prasznysz the enemy, at fee o'clock yesterday morning, opened a v«re fire from his heavy artillery, and then S1011* noon launched furious infantry attacks. of the Mlava railway two enemy batta- L^ns attacked the #a rm of Pomiany, but the r*avy losses which they suffered forced them ^oandon the offensive. *ar the Vistula, in the region of Staror- ba, the enemy, who suffered1 severe losses in i s .offensive, on June 11th, fell bac-k the fol- ^ng night to his original position. Oll the left bank of the Vistula the enemy-, the evening of the 1.1th, concentrated a *ry heavy fire in the Bzura sector, from tne S^th of the Pissa to the village of Soukha. during the night and aext day. he at- J^ked our positions with forces amounting to ^Out two divisions. Galicia yesterday morning tfre enemy, in d formation, attacked our positions OH 5* Lower Laibaezewka. In the region of j*°S(*iska the enemy, who1 suffered heavy on the 11th and 12th, did not resume offensive. OR the right bank of the fester, in the direction of Mikolajew, there 4s rifle firing.

THE ZURAVNO VICTORY. OVER 15,000 PRISONERS TAKEN. i Russian headquarters sfcaif eommu- I issued on Saturday night says: |v j* the three days' battle on the Dniester, I ? *he region of Zuravno, which lasted fro-isa 8th to jUne 10th, vee captured alto- «*fcher 34g officers and 15,431 soldiers, with j^nty-eight machine-guns sevente** A large quantity of arras, ammuni- waggons, field kitchems, a-ad a transport tO f-ell jflt our hands, fat order to support IL Anstro-German army which felt back on eo right, bank of tho River Dniester, the 'undertook the offensive Odl both "banks JJ the River Tysmenicft, and o» June'10th L^eeded in carrying the village of Gruszow, L was immediately driven back by our r. 2^>ps, who captured thirty-three officers and E^SfO men. PS GERMAN CI.AIMS. Berlin official report of Sunday's date says: jji*11 the eastern theatre of war, north-west of our attacks are progressing well. We '•& mec' an(^ occupied1 K-uze, repulsing enemy ^w-attacks. We captured eight officers d 3,350 men, as wel'l as eight machine-guns. eaS^ tli-o road Mtiriampol-Kovno again coimwenced against an e 1 nforc-eme n ts coming from the 100 prisoners* Prasznysz took a further IÙFotiowing ollT penetration of the hostile tj^ s s?uth of Bolimow, .the Russians during counter-attacked but were re- W I caP^ured positions are irmly in hands. Our capture«i at thie place have eased to 1,660 prisoners and eight cannon. r*ong them two heavy ones, and nine *phine-guus. | the south-eastern theatre of war we re- ^turert the bridge-head of Sieviiava rester- The enemy lost 5,000 prisoners. "Night ^fcter-attaeksi by the enemy failed.

FRENCH PROGRESS. SUCCESS AT SOUCHEZ. >.S^nday afternoon's French official report £ as follows: in was an incessant cannonade all night r district to the north of Arras, where 9 got possession of the railway station of I ez. I^tL • southern part of The Laby- (fi*?" there was an obstinate struggle with ^"grenades, but, in spite of the "desperate r's of the enemy, we maintained all our ■q8 of the preceding days. Weti ^roRl^ night passed GERMAN LINES RUSHED. following communique was issued on sector to the n>nth of Arras there rena es, but, in spite of the desperate t8 of the enemy, we maintained all our ■q8 of the preceding days. Weti ^roRl^ night passed y. GERMAN LINES RUSHED. t'.de following communique was issued on y night: 8sector to the uarW of Arras there ■a violent artillery duel ih the afternoon. W stacked the ridge situated to the north sugarr refinery of iSouchez which has pov.'erfnlly organised by the enemy. 'I] ridga was carried by assault. We organ ^it[j ^llrselves there and held our ground not- ^andirig an intense bombardment. ?f j*1? morning we attacked to the south-east j^g .^onterne, the German trenches adjoin- Puj re road from Serre to Mailly-Maillet. jh^fant-ry, in a single ius!i. carried the ^■eniy lines and reached its objective, over 100 prisoners belonging. to four regiments, including the 170th. Qpriisoners stated that, in the Course of k* tij 9 tiill- of the last few days, we inflicted e e-I 11 b .ernian troops very heavy losses. Cc-r- L, llIt9 intendled to deliver a counter-atteek I ^oihilat-ed' as soon as their ranks were {x artill-ery caused a very strong explosion It was followed by a fire and « ^ich the shooting of our guns increased, ^'e.-inans attempted to recapture th? Qlif8 ta^en by us to the south of the farm ,e nnevieres, east-of Tracy-le-Mont. They ^mPlcL( Iy repulsed, and, in pursuing e made progress.

NEARINQ TRIES I 2. MOTHER PASS CAPTURED BY 'l'h l ITALIANS. r V* 2i"°"wing commanique from the Gecc- *bt 1 »«6 issued in Rome on Saturday Along the frontier of Tyrol and the {-I "kirmish.es between our most a,v »r°ops and the enemy continue. gradually Jailing bac-k, and at cc ti? ? retreated. Our artillery co: "t 0,, Cln°ii?h fortifiedi works of the enrnrv lNa: T; n'Ja the Alpin-e troops captured C e > 3.];1 ?> taking twenty-fivo prisoners. O.i ^sonao detaehreente of our troop tv '• inl ^wing the night of June 9th an Vy rIV Sudden attack oni the left bank c" VlPzv Plava. Tbs^y were tierce!, ',>ih€Vei'tlCL+^8<' th« €*i:-t»my, who bed 0 Retire in face of our repeatt Seic] a tacks, leaving numerous dead o. e 200 in our Bue 0jp ^atfcacks by the enemy with 11 po^^gtng our troops- from the car n on the> right bank were con ^f.'y ni,oL,ower Isonao ooir heavy batte;; tlatr Y li,n,Cl forward almost ae far as fJw accurate shooting, and de Cf\.nf,ir Sa-grade a dyke on the Mon fol 'n ',r) a.+ m,e'aTia which the er.em;. itocy^an ex^ena'v^ regior.i at the foot h1 txvw umdexuw our advance.

SITUATION IN GALICIA. OREAT RUSSIAN SUCCESS. ENEMY DRIVEN ACROSS DNIESTER, Once again the Russian army, apparently hopelessly beaten, has made a marvellous re- covery. The Austro-German thrust on LvofT. following on the fr.'I of Przemysl and Stanis- lau and the battle, of Strv. has been met by a eountefblow, and General von Liii, army, which had crossed the Dniester at Zuravno. has boeji defeated by the Russia,]; army, reinforced by f-rosli troops brought southward from Rohatm and Mitolaief. The battle>extended along a front from Zuravno to Sivka, and the Germans were driven over ilw Batesler with kesvy loss. RUSSIAN OFFICIAL STATEMENT. 6.500 PRISONERS TAKEN. The following communique lias been issued 'by I he Russian. General Headquarters: I n the course of Thursday our troops, by heroic efforts, drove back to the right bn.nk of the Dniester important eonemy forces which had crossed to the left bank near Zuravno, and had exie-nded. along the Zuravno-Sivka front. The esemv suffered heav-y losses. I After an obstinate battle we captured -seven- teen guns, forty-nine machine guns, 188 officers, and about 6,500 German and Austrian soldiers. Among the prisoners is an entire company of the Guard Regiment of Prussian Fusiliers. PILES OF GERMAN DEAD AT WIRE ENTANGLEMENTS. The loMiowiag oommuniqiae from iftie sian Headquarters issued on Friday evening was received in London on Saturday: On the night of Thursday and to-day the i Germane, after a furious bombardment, re- newed their determined attacks from the west of Sitavli op the front of the village of Koirji- j Lace-Rakievo to the viuife of Einoraitsv., During the night the Germans on several occasions reached at some points our barbed- I wire defences. Fach time they were thrown back by our fire, leaving piles of killed and wounded before our trenches. SUCCESSFUL. NIGHT ATTACK. I In ibe region aorth of Shavli an enemy de- tachment, principally composed of cavalry, has advanced slightly in the. direction of Shakinovo coming from the west. On the left of the Dubissa, from Shavliauy j to Betigola, we have assumed the offensive against the German forces advancing -on, this front, and on the morning of Thursday we gained an important success, having taken by means of a vigorous night attack over 500 I prisoners, with gune, mitrailleuses, and other ibooty. The enemy ha6 continued his fruitless j attacks in the region of Mosciska. BOOTY ON THE DNIESTER. I On the right, of the Dniester we continued on Wednesday and Thursday to press the enemy on the front bet-ween the rivers Tis- menica and Svika, 4tapturirig in this region many prisoners and quick-firing guns. and other booty which has not yet been checked. In this region the enemy, with the object of covering his retreat, despatched an armoured train and five armoured motor-cars, supported by iiifantec, m fce dirHi of Stryj amd Mikolaieff. The accurate fire of our guns compelled the train and motor-cars to beat a rapid retreat. train and motor-cars to beat a rapid retreat. RUSSIANXAPTURES. In this action the head of our column of infantry, which developed an energetic offen- sive, made prisoners of the whole of the 5th Company of the 19th Austrian Regiment. On the left bank of the Dniester, on the front Golechove -I- Boukoczovtsy, obstinate fighting since the night of Thursday for the villages of Golvheye, Lapchine, Novochine, Vysehnuve, and Kozara, terminated, as has villages of Golvheye, Lapchine, Novochine, Vysehnuve, and Kozara, terminated, as has been announced, by the complete defeat of the enemy, who was thrown across t-he Dniester. THE LINE READJUSTED. The enemy sustained especially severe losses near the village of Vyachnuve, in the sector of the Prussian Guard, where we cap- tured ten guns, eighteen mitrailleuses, and many prisoners already announced in the preceding communique. The deployment of our troops on the line of the Dniester above Galicz rendered neces- sary a corresponding modification of the front of our troops occupying the Pruth line. In the course of the execution of this manoeuvre, our troops operating to the east of Stanislavoff, which we evacuated without fighting, repe-lled German attacks near Pod1- lougie, and further south in the direction of Otyne we captured 1,100 prisoners in the course of our counter-attacks on Wednesday.

THE FRENCH PROGRESS. INCH BY INCH TO LILLE. Friday afternoon's official French commu- nique announced: There is nothing importent to add exoept, first, fresh successes in The Labyrinth," where they continued to drive thee.Tiemy back; second, some progress to the east of "The Laby- rinth," where they oa-rried several German communication trenches nea-r the high road front Arras to Lille and. third. the exten- sion- in the Hebuterne district of gains to the north and south of the front which was the kene. of felie attack on tlae 7t1, and! the cap- ture- of several trenches. At, this point the French made 100 prisoners and captured some machine guns. BOOTY TAKEN AT.NEUVILLE-ST. VAAST The official French communique of Friday evening says: We consolidated our positions in front of Neuville-St. Vaast. The inventory of booty, which is still being taken, has so far resulted in the discovery among the debris of three 77- millimetre guns, three trench mortars, fifteen machine-guns buried or damaged, thousands of grenades, 800,000 cartridges, 1,000 rifles, incendiary implements, shells of lOii-milli- raetre calibre, a very large quantity of engi- neering tools, and numerous boxes of explo- I sives, equipment's, and provisions. I In the region of the Touvent Farm (south of Holuiterne) we organised the positions won yesterday evening and this' morning, when we took 130 new prisoners, including i battalion commander. Brides these numerous German wounded were collected by our ambulances. The enemy corpses are to be reckoned by hundreds. I We captured three more machine-guns, and pierced the German lines for a length of more than a mile and a-haif and a depth of over half a mile. A- strong counter-attack de- livered this morning by the eritemy was com- pletely repulsed. In the region of the Queanevieres farm I (east of Tracy le Mont) our trenches were 'strongly established in immediate contact with the enemy, who did not counter-attack I to-day, and only mode- .his .presence felt by his artillery. ¡

IN THE DARDANELLES. j J TURKS' HEAVY LOSSES. j { POSITIONS CONSOLIDATED. A Paris official Not? says: In the Darda- relies we have consolidated the results ob taiued in the fighting of June. At the right extremity, in the ravine of I Kereve Ik re, we have by isolated actions made some fresh progress. Interrogation of pri- soners has confirmed that the losses of the enemy were considerable. A 'message from Mitylene states that the attack on the Gallipoli peninsula. continues. The artillery fire was exceptionally effective agaiiJst the main Turkish position. The Fleet is continuously bomfbardling.

I AC 65 I I MeMANN. ,n. -• tr

DRKSSMAKlNU AT HOME. i BY SYLVIA. 1 I The New Raglan Coat. The coats which are popular just now vary between, the three quarter length and the quite short affair-at least, this was the case in Paris when I was there quit-e recently. As the former kind foi'mi? a most useful style of wrap I have illustrated a model for you this week in No. 1,893 which I hope will appeal to Tn-aiiy of my readers. This is cut. on Raglan lines, which style at the moment hay quite taken the place of the kimono or Magyar modes, the only difference being that the line of the sleeve is taken some- what lower down than, of yore. The skirt portion- is always* full, but in many afcase-s this, is arc.a^ged- ia pleats—a PI at the back and flat ones, in front, or the basque may L-,e lsit quite loose, according to taste and the fabric employed. So fa.r as the latter is concerned, striped or patterned material is preferred to plain, at any rate in P-aris, where plaiel fabrics, or, as fcbev are called. ecosaais," M'e the fancy of the moment. These- mQdls. tox-i, are better suited to a. thin material than the more ) closelv-wove-n gold's which are required for I fitting tailored garb. The coa-t I have selected for illustration is one that the home' dressmaker can well attempt, as it is quite an easy style -to fabricate. To Cut Out and Make Up. The fronts, of t-he, eoat, must be placed to the selvedges, and due allowance made for the hems of this portion. The eentre I Pattern X o. 1,898: I back must be placed to the fold, as this is seamless. The centre of the sleeves, as you I see from the stripes, must some on the straight, i.e., Lengthways of the material. w t, Allow good turnings, after. you have marked round carefully. The upper part only is lined, and yen must cut this lining the same as the coat, using silk, satin, or polonaise, as preferred. When cut out, outline the whole with tack- marks, and be very eareftjl not to stretch the top edges of front or 'back.' Hex-t- turn in and tack the front edge5, then tack, in the lining, after which the sleeves can be tacked in posi- tion double, then the under-arm seams, and the coat fitted on. If. it hangs quite correctly, you may stitch it at the scarus, bind them neatly, and press well, then tnn) up the lower edge. hem, and press. The collar is interlined with French canvas, and should next be EICICLirL-d to the neck, pressed and finished off, the lower edges of the sleeves turned up, the little back cuff secured in place, and the lining .felled neatly inside over the turnings. Make the band, which, like the collar, must be interlined with French CGnvas and faced with silk. It is passed through two straps secured to each side of the coat, which keep it in place. The finishing touches in the way of buttons and buttonholes can now be added, and the whole finished off. For the coat you will need about four yards of double-width goods, and three yards of silk lining. A Baby's Pelisse. The small person's out-of-door must not be overlooked, so I' have selected for my next sketch, No. 1,894, a simple little French model for a pelisse, which I hope will be lltmwl L'ATVSiiN V. 1,894. liked. It ought to for its simplicity, as it is cut without under-arm seams, and is joined up the centre-back and at the shoulder, the frilly ekiri effcot being given by means of a double row of gathers—over cords—at the waist-part, or an elastic could be substituted; and where washing material is concerned, this is an excellent method, as it can be easily taken out, but you must put a fastening where the gathered parts meet. Another idea is to sew on wide slot insertion and run ribbon through and tie in front. To Cut Out and Make ti p. The fee :t: must be p lL1 ( ■ to 1" he selredg which will cause the centre-back to come on iW bias, v.hilsfc the collar and cuffs will pro- bablv be managed out of the. corner pieces. For this little garment you should allow good I turnings, as the small person is at a rapidly- growing stage, and you can quite well have it I rather long at first, so that it will last for some time. When the fronts and hems are done, make and sew on the collar, which is of single material, edged with narrow frilling, and is neatened at the neck by a strip of crossway material, and theft s-ew on the fas- tenings. Now make the cuffs,, which, like the collar, are edged with the frilling, then I arrange them comfortably in the armholes, I -is and sew in firmly and finish,off neatly. The buttonholes can now be made and the but- tons sewn on, unless you may prefer to sew cord to the edgei and leave loops for the but- tons. If the material is thin or fray-ey, this .is the better method. About two yards of 36in- goods will be required. I

HOW TO OBTAIN THE PATTERN. Our paper patterns are specially pnt for us from designs expressly prepared for this column, and the cost of each complete pattern is 6Jd. post free. Address all letters, enclosing stamps for patterns, to Sylvia," Whitefriars House, Carmelite- street, London, E.C. Be sure and mention the number of the pattern required when ordering. Patterns will be despatched within three days ot the application being received.

I POULTRY KEEPING. A PROFITABLE HOBBY. j I BY "UTILITY." I HOPPER FSET>i:CG. I. T asked question# this subject, and it is evident'that the're is a good deal of interest in it, aitliough the system is but little practised on this side of the Atlantic. The reasons given by American and Canadian experts for hopper feeding is that each bird gets its full share. A fowl goes to the food hopper, v. ill eh often centaine many days' stipp-ly, a-iid eats two or three niou-thf-uls f)f the dry masli, fcakkig ti«*e to I turn )t over and property witk sal:ra, and then turns in search for ether bits, as a I few grains of wheat GV eats. There is thus I ample time for eaeh bird to help herself to all she waafe, and consequently all gc-fe a fair share. The pith of the arguvne.Mt ■(ar(hng to a Canadian experl) for tity weHllg lies jn cas- ing slowly a bit at a time ;.fet a mouthful of dry mash, then a bit of gr-ai«, then to the drinking foawtajn fcr a sip lti which is exactly the "N-, I th° fowl or chick eats when running wild and finding its feod hit by bit.. It is Nature's way far a frnvl to feed, and if the essential food eJ-siB-ffK^s are snpplied, so that the birds caH take what tkey want and as they want it. the c-einsJiH&ns to he right for them to eat- i« the natural way. They will eat no mere than they want, a.nd ear in the way -their systems can host appropriate and assimilate the feed. A hopper is made, and while there are numerous desists- the one shown in the I sketch is simrJe and easily made. The size does not' greatly rss.tter so Issg as the trongh is arfee-ut 4in. wide -and deep. II; i-s best fixed 'at a I i i t-l", hc- i from the. gretsad, and it will avea good deal of i-,asti if soma sort of tray is placed underneath to eatch foed dropped' by the birds and prevent it getting into t-he litter. itself is ts save waste by only affering a' limited quantity of food at c, t:«ie, but when- thef b J;nL, to it first thing in. the morning very hangry tl.l-ey are apt to f(j:¡e m<l.-e than tRey can gulp down, and the rest is dropped; but. if the floor or tray is fairly clean, they will peek it all up 'before returning to the hopper. The htpwe'r is also intended to be a lahour- save-r, and" undoubtedly (ices so, though it is cow-tended by some that the ordinary method of givisi-g soft f-ood in the morning -and grain in the litter is cheaper, and produces equally geod. egg-laying results. With birds kept in close eon-firi-ereent there rs the danger of over- feeding, which already is too eemmon, under A HOPPER. suc-h circumstances. But fowls kept on the colony system, having libercv to forage over a wide area, will wanstcr so fer and expend so much energy in pro,portion to the food they find that the risks of overfeeding from the hopper are much less, while, if necessary, the birds could be left without any attention ior several tkiys at a time, provided plenty of water is available. The food suit-able for feeding by hoppers is "what Americans call a dry mash. A good niixfure may be prepared of the following, the numbers referring to parts by weightBran 2, middlings 1, linseed meal i, Indian meal 2, beef scraps 1, clover meal 1, ground oats 1. Another suitable mixture is: Bran 2, mid- dlings 3, barley meal, linseed meal "1, clover meal 1. The system is certainly worth trying under favourable circumstances, but for the first week or two a close watch should be kept upon the fowls to see that they are not abusing it. Another use for hoppers is the provision of oyster shell and other grit, which is so essen- tial to all classes of poultry kept in confine- ment. Those who g.ive their fowls a grass run I are frequently disappointed to find that the grass is gradually worn away, and that bare patches .grow larger and larger. Unless the run is very small, this is chiefly due to the birds' ceaseless searching for sharp grit for their gizzards, which leads them to tear up the grass, whereas if the grit were supplied in a hopper the grass would" have a better chance. Lack of sufficient animal food would also cause the grass to be to-rn up in the search for worms and insects. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. "N. G. T."—EGG EATING.—This is a very bad habit. You should spare no' efforts to stop it at once. Make sure thai you have a sufficient number of nest-boxes, each of which is quite clean, though dark. Some people provide false bottoms in the boxes so that the egg rolls out of the hen's reach as soon as it is laid. If a few china eggs are placed in the nests and about the run, ,they may discourage the ha,bit if it is not too fixed. If it is, empty the contents of a few eggshells, and fill them with a mixture of mustard and paraffin, and. pu.t them where the egg eaters can sample them. B. D. N.HFNs LAYING BADLY.—The reason for this may be that they are not pro- perly fed, but it is much more likely that they are overfat. If, when you pick them up, you find they are very heavy, feed much more sparingly, giving not more than one ounce of grain to each bird night and morning, and, if possible, bury this in deep litter, so that they have to scratch for it or go hungry. Do not give any maize or barley, but wheat, oats, or J' buckwheaL. Add a small quantity of Epsom salts to the drinking water. "W. T. T."—CHICKENS WITH Pip.-Wwh the nostrils with permanganate of potash, as they are probably clogged with mucus. The horny growth called pip is usually due to mouth breathing. It can be remoH2, but the injury may be troublesome to hial. It is better to a,pply borax ana noney. Give half a tea-spoonful of Epsom salts and a teaspoonful of carbonate of soda in each pint of drinking water for a. few days. This reply had to be held over with others because of lack of space. The hatching of chickens without is new in my experience, and I should be interested' to know if other readers [ have met with it. In the absence of particu- lars, I should expect to find that the hens which laid the eggc wc~ b^r'ng kept, under unsatisfactory conditions and were in need of some sulphur in their food. If the trouble has been extensive you would do well to write to the Department of Agriculture, Upper Merrion-Street, Dublin. "11. G. H."—CAMPBELL DuciKFj. These ore. amongst the best laying ducks, and st-iie of them have been known to average 6ver 250 I eggs a year each There are two varieties, and the better known is the Buff o- Tr- ■ -:i Campbell. The ducks are entirely of a Jč1 f'' nr. with a lacing of darker buff-or. c:, and! the drakes fc^ive tlie hoad and r green, j "T. L."—BLOOD IN Ec,Gs.Ys.rs. J have) several times been asked about this trouble, the blood being fo;ind both as, clots and s'treaks. It may b8 caused by the breaking of ] s blood vessel, or may be due to ovarian diseasa.' Sometimes the addition of Ensoill salts in the drinking water stops it. Failing I this, try giving about a quarter of a dram of tincture of iron to each pint of drinking water. ( If the trouble still continues, the bird re- I sponsible for the eggs should be killed off at the earliest opportunity. I

All correspondence affecting this column should toe addressed to Utility," care of the Editor. Requests for special information must b« aecota- Paaled by a stamped addressed envelops.

THE WEEK'S GARDENING. Hard-wooded plants which have eompletecl their spring growth under glass require turn- ing out of doors, and thus riore room will be made for other inmates of the structure. This matter of turning hard-wooded plants out is of the utmost importance, as it matures flower-buds, refreshes them, and makes them in harder condition to withstand the winter when it comes. Hydrangeas are often allowed to remain for several years in the same pst or tub without making any provision for their feeding, and this may often be the explanation when they make a disappointing show of bloom. If there is sufficient space to allow of top-dressing, apply a' mixture of loam, bone-meel, and weH- decayed manure. If the receptacle* are Sifted wifh roots, the necessary stimukwit must be supplied in the shape of liquid manure or same of the highly- concentrated plant foods now se much used. After flowering, any ppeak and exhausted wood may be cut out, the object being to en- courage the firm, stout sheots which produce the finest heads of blossoms. A sowing fer a supply of plants next year may now be made of Canterbury bells. Seeds may be had in mixture, or in blue, mauve, pink, and white. In addition to the ordinary single sorts there are the cup and saucer varieties and a strain with double flowers. Sow the seeds iin drills one foot apart on a border outside, plant out to a prepared bed when large enough, and transfer to the flower- ing positions about the end of September, Canterbury bells thrive in most garden soils so long as the plants are not heavily shaded. Anemone pods jn4 Uo gathered before they can burst, and if the seeds are sown at once they will germinate more quickly than if kept for a time. The seeds should first be separated from the feathery appendages by rubbed in a handful of dry sand. The «4ed3 may then be mixed with the sand and -own in shallow drills in a ahady position. The plants may be moved in autumn, and many of them should flower the following spring. The soil should contain plenty of leaf-mould, or, failing that, thoroughly de- composed manure, and as much moisture is needed during the period of growth there should be enough sand to make the soil porous, so that- the surplus water may readily escape. The Judas tree is a low-growing tree, which bears myriads of beautiful pea-shaped flowers of rose mauve, relieved here and there by the clusters of newly-opened, pale- green, reniform leaves. It is quite hardy in this country, but does not always flower freely, though where quite at home a fair quantity of blossom is produced each year. The colour of the flowers varies in intensity on different trees. The Judas tree is so called from the popular belief that it was on one of these trees that Judas Iscariot hanged himself. The same thing is al-so said of the elder. As soon as lilacs have finished flowering they may be pruned. If a vigorous thinning out of shoots was more extensively practised many of. our gardens would show much finer blooms. The deterioration of many of the named varieties is largely due to want of attention annually at prortng time. There is a form of tuberous begonia which has long, thin, drooping stems clothed with elegant narrow foliage, and bearing large pendent clusters of narrow-pet a lied flowers. This is specially suitable for cultivation in hanging baskets in conservatories and green- houses, as it forms well-furnished specimens and flowers freely throughout the summer. This, like other begonias, is easily propa- gated either from stem cuttings or leaves, and it also comes fairly true from seeds. The best kind of basket to use for it is the half- sphere made of stout wire, and it should be lined with moss before the soil and plants are set in it.. When garden peas are flowering freely they need- attention, especially if the weather is dry. Loosen the top soil with a fork. and apply a mulch of manure or a substitute. Water may then be given, and it will sink into the soil instead of running away by the top. Liquid manure may be applied after rain or after watering, just when the -soil is wet. Seakale is so commonly forced that many people aire not aware what good eatins it makes when it is grown in its natural condi- tion. Where much is raised there will he a good deal of what was blanched, now pushing and showing its close flower heads, like the shoots of purple sprouting broccoli. If these shoots are cut with the flower in embryo when about 5in. long, and are washed and put into boiling water, with a pinch of carbonate of soda, with the usual boiling, they will turn out a beautiful green, and be as soft and sweet as marrow. It docs r.oc injure the plant in the least or affect its subsequent bloom to nip out the shoots now showing. When runr.e.r beans are Teady to stake, the supports should be put to them as soon as po"¥i:ble, and before they (-an get too long. Take car/ to insert the stakes firmly, so that they may Withstand- high winds. Fairly tall stakes are necessary, but when these cannot be obtained it is quite possible to get good c'nns mm the plants if they are occasionaUy ?' ibfc cww t'vrn.ffc much the 1 > of dwarf French, beans. When -grown in ■"is /asn'on less sn-aee should, of .course, be i.llowed between the row3. not her .-»v* of beans should now f0' -es-sion. Place the seeds in a ie row 1 n wide drill, and cover them dec-i cultivated soil that has well •• -red il.,oold be chosen to yield ibest re Why, it remembered that the leaves of P!n' lungs, it will be understood 'e v ale removal of leaves of "ivvoa results in a weakening of the >' by depriving them of one of the chief •vrces of nourishment. Yet leaves are often i-^Toved far too heavily. Only parts of leaves should be removed, and then only when pre- venting the sun from reaching the fruit. This removal, also, should not commence until the plr: ir. stopped and feeding is about to begin. Fig trees on walls which are making vigor- ous growth n"'f'-d not he cut back now. Spread out the branches thinly, and fasten them close to the wall. TI very strong branches are tied down in a horizontal position for some weeks till they finish growing, their vigour will be checked. Weak side growths that pro- ject from the wall may be shortened to three or four inches, and they may give a few fruits this year. If the trees bear a heavy crop of early or first fruits, they may be fed with liquid manure to enable them to swell these to large size. Young growths are constantly being pushed out of the holes and branches of fruit-trees of mature growth. øspedalh- in the ease o! standards. If a. sharp tug is given to these growths whilst still young they will come away/bodily, and leave no eyes to produce m^refishoots another year, as- is the case when left u"til they have to be cut away at prun- ing time. •

« « THE WEEK'S WORK. Thin annuals. J Sow Canterbury bells and anemones. Peg down verbenas. Remove rhododendron seed pods. Feed hydrangeas. Plant out Brussels sprouts. March and water garden peat, Thin carrots. I Plant. out marrow and ridge cucumbers. Watch for slugs among strawberries. Remove suckers from fruit-trees.

AGRICULTURAL NOTES. BY A PRAOTFCAL FARMER. A NEW FODDER PLAN-F. From time to time attempth- have been made to introdue-e new sorts of forage plants, and though most of the introductions have failed to catch on there is no particular reason- whv oovelrties of real value should not be brought into the country. There is one called pe-lusk:. which is a leguminous plant resembling the field pea, and is grown extensively hi Den- mark, Norway, Sweden, and other Conti- nental countries. either alone or in mixture with oate »r other crops, chiefly as a forage crop for feeding in, the green state. A small quantity of seed was obtained Jby the Board of Agriculture and was sent to the Midland Agricultural, and Dairy College to be tested in. order to ascertain its value as a forage crop. The waG sown alongside a plot of vetches for comparison. The soil wc t! "a light gravelly loam, which had been cropped with wheat the previous j^ar. The seed of both crops was sown broadcast at the end of May, at the rare of about, three bushels per ac-ie. The crops were mown green on August 29th. The following yiekls ef green fodder were produced per acre: Peluski, 6 tons ILjcwt. vetches, 4 tons 1U cwl The peluski, there- 2 fore, gave a much heavier yield than the vetches. It was about tw weeks earlier than the vetches, the poe<s being developed when, the vetches were in bloom. It also stood- up rather better than the vetches. The fodder was very similar to that of vetches or peas, and was readilv eaten by horses, cattle, and-pigs. P;elii,k-, appears, therefore, to be a very promising crop for this country, and it is hoped to continue the trial with it. • A COUNTY MILK-RECORDING SOCIETY. One of the county milk-recording societies which was formed under the Govern meet's Live Stock Improvem-eont Scheme about this time last year is already recording forty-four hord-s comprising 1,000 cows or more, The members pay a subscription of 5s., a.,d for ibis the society undertakes the free testing of milk. Members are required to have their cows "ear marked" for purposes of ideKtifieatiou, by and at the expense of the society; to weigh the milk morning and evening at least o-nee a week, and to record the same on sheets pro- vided for the purpose by the Board of Agricul- ture; to provide, at their own expense, a dial- faoe-d spring balance (approximate cost. 17s. 6d.). The Society send their "recorders" to check the weights at least once in every six weeks, and take for testing, ,if re- quired. The B o ar4 of Agriculture issue to members, on application, certified certificates of the milk yieftl of each or any cow for a complete year or part, of a year, being not Ie%s than six months ending on the close of the society's year of operations. The records are absolutely private, unless a member chooses to publish or allow them to be published. The cost to -members for re- cording for the current, year lias- worked out. at Is. per cow—less thani the value of one and a- half gallon of milk. The extra labour en- tailed is. weighing milk once a week is alto- gether negligible, and amounts to a few seconds per cow only. R-?eoromg doe6 not interfere with the f-ree sale or movement of the cows involved. MISLEADING INVOICES. There is very interesting reading to be I found in the reports of the agricultural de-. partmeni of some. of the county councils, and. it is evident, that more useful work than ever is being corr-c,d on by these author;ties. In the report of the Stanoj. n.sir.re County Council, Mr. Rushton gives S0;nK> valuable notes on the valuation and_ pnre laee of arti- ficial tnanure s. The Fertilisers a,:d Feeding Stuffel Ac-t requires the vendor o up-ply the purchaser with an invoice m ';ch is stated the quantity of nitrogen, soiub.e- and in- soluble phosphates, and potash respectively, if any, the manure contains. let, as Mr. Rushton points out, many farmers do not avail themselves of the protection aitorded by this Act. Purchasers of Ulan-Lire insist on being supplied with urded in- voice showing the composition o the manure. No invoice should be apcep e_ 1 n wdiich the amounts of the a-bove ingre ie^lt- are not stated in a proper ls' as nitrogen, soluble -phosphate, ii.so ufole phos- phate, and potash. Sp«cia^ attention is directed to this subject, because it has been, m and is still, customary Ior soriie v«ndors to state the nitrogen as ammonia or sulphate of ammonia, the potash as su.p ia e of potash or as potash salts, whilst the phosphates are at times stated as total phosphates or as "partially" or mostly soluble The com- position of manures givef i?- 1J,S fanner might lead the purchaser to ttank he ,ls buy- ing a better-quality menore than is rea.lly case. The relationship of the compounds to the pure ingredients is as f°ll°ws- Per cent, nitrogen equals 1 £ p61* cent. <*mi .onia, or 4f per cent, sulphate of aw"50"151' JK cent, potash equal's 1 4-5i?hs per ccn • s" P tate of potash. The term" potash s.Jts is vague and unsatisfactory, and&li,,),,I.d neier be accepted. When an a.nal}'6-' nou stated in a proper manner the purchaser shoir.d require the vendor to give Mm »n 11 mV f according to the requirc-meB e Ac-t. o • LAMB DISEASES. The South Eastern z;, 1,tul-al CoJlege recently called together a e; ^T.f ',>er °f sheep breeders for ah impor-J *-1«nce at Wye, Kent. Many subjects of- the 8f«aJ*st in- terest at the present JL, i' among the papers read were -Ta ones of a veterinary- character § J Pro- fessor T. D. Cave, of the c0 -+i The first of these pap**6 -a ,vw disease, the chief symptom of The 6eoqnd spotted liver of new-born subject was tapeworm in lambs, 1 hird- and most important, dealt wi:th P c gas- tritis or inflammation of the f omach, also known as Lincolnshire l-a' .'e- is due to myriads of minut-e 1' u] the fourth stomach, and after s P. r lambs become affected it may be a *° e there are any symptoms. The P s-etddeniy fall away in condition, have diarrhoea and swelling under the jaws, an to the ground and die soon.. They <1° n°t recover when serious svmptoms develop- The worms are very emaW aT1<^ practically invisible t-o the naked eye w .eil "11p'e wnh. the food in the stomach. Pro'ave sr'3_ geeted that if breeders had mcilS^ their lambs after weaning look in the fourth stomach. J /tould tie this at both ends and tase m o some covered shed, and have W glaf^ Jai f-nd a tumbl«r. Pour the contents ° -° etomach into the jar. Fill the tumWfr *]" stir up the contents of the wi h the wooden end of a penholder, inS ? it were too dry. Then wasbt-ic penholder in the tumbler, and hold it «P-to Ul"3 p«r" haps they might see as many as or y para- sites. They would be easiiy ,r-eL() ':=d after a little practice, and cowio scenetimes be identified by their movenie<'i' As to treatment, there was any number of suggestions, and he had tn,y.. many drugs. He had tried creosote even uP doses, but it had no harmful Wi the worms. Petrel made off t" th out- put of eggs, and turpentine* 13l1olC ln heavy doses, and other drugs tftcd Knot found to be of any real va!u6. The w appeared to fail because they could nc. reach the fourth stomach. Any drug tat would reach the fourth stomach, would to be given in sufficient doses to poison the sheep. It is necessary to recogi)lse the disease as early as jpoissible, and then treat the whole flock. Professor Cave fayo he has had some success with oil of turpentine; but it might be a success in one ease and in another useless. This is characteristic of many cf the remedies said to b iafallible. The advice given was to use a Variety of drugs, sucb. as the following i mixture: Extract of male fer 7oz.; oil of turpentine. 7oz. tincture of a-afcetida, 7o0. creosote, ddr. raw linseed oil, one quart. The dose for a lamb is one taolespconful, a two for a sheep, and it should be repeated after three days. This preparation h88 beet very successful on some occasions.