l2Sf5 



CALENDARIAL INDEX. 



then Arc witer-ma imn, the d>M|i and Iambi wDI 

 I ,n fattening on then during the wool* of tha month, 



an Immeiuc adi u - nor. , , . 



Poultry of movt kmo* I 

 require looking after, toosethej do not injure one au..i 



..,,' mi. k'.l b] simn;rr CDI 



... QraU Lands. (5043.) 



,.t up, and th.g.i. 

 ttla nowlj i.i ""i an very apt to wander, 



and mora r« dj to i.i.-ik tin ..ugh faioai thani I to* neroag* 



dint, , , . , 



,hol up Rat hay about 



the end of tb* month, tbeewei and Iambi being then mm. it 



on joung artlfl 01 common provincial pastures, m 



- nil i for vatd .__« , ■ . 



common klndl .;ns.). and clovers, 



' " hand puked. ' >' '" 



. i, and rolled, eat 1;- in the month, and then shut up tor 

 tin-. 

 .. Arable Lands. (4925.) 



Finish toning all tha spring corns (£080.), peas, tar.% lu- 

 1 in, .uid all oUicr herbage, plants, and 



ITT l->v"> (."i'i'I.".) 



il.) may be sown during the whole of the 

 ■ i as I 080.), peas for late pod- 

 ding, and under peculiar circumstances, tares for cutting green 

 inOcto ember. 



MannjUclorial plant* , ;i. woad, madder, flax, hemp, mustard, 

 i !'•'. poppy, and such plants as are grown 

 . . or peculiar ua - In domestic economy, 

 u r |,„ . buck or beech wheat, cress, &C. may all 



|„. ,, 1W ii ... ,,! mted from the middle of last to the middle of this 

 I I first week in April will, in the greater number 



ol I* is. .lis. soils, and situations, suit the most of them. 



Id beet(.'ilSi!.)rparsnep(5117.),and Swed- 

 lih turnip (6409.), if not sown the last week of March, should 

 be tniishedduringthefirsttendaysof April. A bed of Swedish 



turnip* should lie sown In the garden for transplanting in the 

 1 of the month, or the first week In May. 



1 he last fortnight of the hlsthebaal eason for planting 



.■ill.. I ; in theearlieal situations this Is soon enough 

 i.. i .i tun . top ; In tb* lati -i. the middle of Hag will answer 

 better. For very early crops r of summer markets, 



,i rv nch Ids maj be planted In March. In tha 



I -, otland tl (ken plant In June, and ttlU h ,.. ■ 



eropj Hut. the potato is alike obnoxious to late spring and 



Ltumnal frost* 



7. Fences (2960.1, Roads (3523.), and Drains. 



(42 13.) 



All tlicse should have been put in order before, 10 as to leave 

 :.-,■ ,.f the farm ,771 1.), and the labourer of -ill work 

 1,7 11.1, dm* to assist in getting in planted crops, as potatoes, 

 , .\:e. in the fields, cropping the g rd.n, mo I 



other* ise dressing the orchard, shrubbery, la* n, or such orna- 

 mental or enjoyment ground as the farmer Indulges In round 

 his house. 



8. Orchards (4079.) <""< Hop-grounds. (5997.) 



In some cases fruit-trees may be so over-run wilh insects 

 Inwards the end of the month as to make it worm while to bum 



wet straw under them; but this rarely happens bet the 



middleof Mav, and even then farm orchards iii. iv almost alw tyt 

 be left to the birds and vigour of the trees. Hops are general y 

 poled in this month, and the ground between the lulls after- 

 ward* stirred with the cultivator or nidget as it is called in 

 Kent. (6026.) 



9. Wood-lands and Plantations. (3906.) 



All planting and pruning of deciduous trees should be 

 finished the first week of the month. Afterwards the | 

 and pruning of evir-reens may commence ; tirst the I 

 pine and fir, and afterwards the holly, jew, and other forest 

 evergreens. (3937.) If these can be watered, and staked, so 

 much the better. Barking oaks may in some warm situations 

 be felled the last week of the rat-nth, but .May is the more ge- 

 neral time. (4050.) 



MAY. 



Weather 



at 



London 

 Edinburgh 



Dublin . 



Average of 

 the Ther- 

 mometer. 



,'ifi (71 

 50 -I 

 5'i 1U3 



Greatest 



Variation 

 from the 

 Average. 



Average 



of the 



Barometer. 



.->0 02 

 gg 585 

 30 Obi 



Quantity 



of Rain. 



0-794 inch. 



1-945 



1-SU 



REMARKS. 



Vegetation now goes on with great vigour, though there 

 are often ver\ cold and even frosty nights, w Inch ma- 

 terially injure the blossoms of fruit-trees, and s, Ii a 



the young shoots of the hop and potato. Man, in com- 

 mon with other animals, being now full of life and 

 vigour, the consummation of animal desire is frequent ; 

 but marriage is better deferred till September, when the 

 offspring will be born in the May or June following, a 

 season of the vearwhen the poor man can better support 

 the expenses of an accouchement than in the cold month 

 respondent to marriages in May. 



1. Calendar of Animated Nature round London. 

 /ii the first week : the titlark (<41atida pratensis) sings, the 



Cuckoo ('('uculiis cani.nis) is heard; the gudgeon (CySprinns 

 Gobio) spawns! the redstart (ifotacilla Phcenicurus), swift 

 (//iiuiubi.lYus), whitethroat (Jiotacllla Sylvia), and stinging- 

 II ' nops cili ilr, in.) appear. 



s ' week: the turtle-dove (Cbldmba 7'iirtur) coos; the 

 red ant (Formica rubra), the laughing wren! Hdtacfll iCurruc t), 



ii flesh-fly :,,Vu>ca vomitoria), the ladj i >'w (Coccl- 



nell i bipu mil i a), grasshopper lark (.-(Linda /.ocusla- vocis), and 

 willow.wren (Jkfotacuia Saucaria) appear, 



; ;. 1 the blue Besh-fl) (JErasca vomitoria) appears; 

 black snails (Helix nigra] abound, and the large bat appears. 



/ rtti week: ii.e great white-cabbage butterfly (Papllio 

 tnd dragon fly I I.ibeliula 4-iii.u'iilat..) appear ; the 

 .iin shines, and the fern-owl, or goat-sucker (Caprimiil- 

 gus eu.-iip:e\is), returns. 



2. Calendar of Vegetable Nature round London. 



In the first n'eek : Geum urbanum, .drtemfsirt campestris ; lily 

 of the v.ill \ (( ..nv.illaria majalis), water-violet (Hottonifl pa- 

 tu i. tree (l.iriodendrontulipffera), and numerous other 

 I in tl.iwer. 



j week: the oak, ash, sweet chestnut (Castanea vesca), 

 hawthorn [JfespUus Ozyacantba), the common maple (.-lVcr 

 . ampestn I, hors. -chestnut (--E'sculus Hippocastanum), bar- 

 aria), and the A'jugi reptans in flower. 



, orpion-grass, or forget-me-not 

 ), lime-tree (TOia), milk-wort (PolygaJa 

 vulgar] ■ i A'tropu Bef/adduna), and various Ameri- 



can shrub, in flower, and r...- (Secale hybernum) in ear. 



week: oak*, ashes, and beeches now generally in leaf, 

 and the i.iuil.erri (Jforui nigral beginning to open its buds. 

 'i |u . innamon ro eand some other hardy roses In flower j and 



timachla 

 Nummularia), columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris), and various 

 othi r ir.-. s and shrubs in blossom. 



Farm-yard. (2902.) 



heeding and wintering on straw and roots generally ends, 

 ,.r pasturage 5568.) commences, in the 

 lirst fortnight. VVhei tonred milk and buttei 



ntv. then pasturage on dry-bottomed uplands It 

 to be prefi rred ; but where quantity and rkchness i- the object, 

 soiling with clover and (ares, and two or three hour*' pasturage 

 p. i day, for the sake of exercise, is the preferable sum. 

 Even on farms where there is nettling to mow I an ..Id me idow, 

 soiling with that will be found more economi cal th an pastur- 

 ing it. A field of in. adow in good heart, mown and eaten 

 green, will, at a rough estimate, produce treble the quantity of 

 milk it would have done if pastured, and four tin-es as much as 

 it would do in the form of drv bay. 



The uiik/« and pile are generally cleared of dung, urine, cic. 

 at this season ; and if no soiling goes on, they should be kept 



clean during the summer, excepting what room is required for 

 the dung of the few stock which are there constantly, as 

 pigs and poultry, or occasionally, as horses while harnessing, 



it. 



4. Live Stock. (6216.) 



In turning aittlc to -rass, consider the different systems of 

 pasturing (5816.) ; adopt what suits your rircumst an. . i, tnd 

 pursue it regularly. See that water is not wanting to each 

 held (4163.) ; nor shade, rubbing posts, and shelter. (0898.1 



Lean stock are generallv dear during this month, tr-m. the 

 number of persons who buy in and feed off on urass. \t hen 

 cattle or sheep are very numerous, they are found to f. ed better, 

 and do less injury to the grass, in small herds or flock., than In 



•Haret maj have the horse during the first week, but not later 

 i onsidering the season of p irturition. (0C37.) 



5. Grass Lands. (5ii43.) 



As most grasses send up their flower-stalks during this 

 month, it is of importance so to stock pastures, as to eat these 

 down. This is only to be accompltshi a in recently sown down 

 lands by overstocking, and not then completer) il ryegra Mi 

 vails. When grass lands are to be mown, the best crop of bay 

 will be obtained bv not pasturing after the middle of April. 

 Some mav think that where crude and sheep are ted till .May- 

 or June, the stalks left will come in as hay ; but as such fields 

 cannot be mown till the end of July, the stalks have long Ik- 

 fore shed their seed and become dry , and so shrivelled as to be 

 unfit for food. , ^. . - , , 



Where paring and iiimiiig are wanted, this is a favourable 

 season. (3209.) 



, meadmvt, having been eaten down in April, are gene- 

 rallv watered for the first thr. e or four weeks of this month, to 

 bring forward the crop of hay. (1429.) 



6. Arable Lands. (4925.) 



Summer trhcal (5004.) and grass seats (5S73.) may still be 

 s..wn, but not profitably after the tirst week or ten days. 

 Swedish turnip (5409.1, 'marvgold, and yellow- turnip may he 

 profitably sown, and also early crop* of common while turnip 

 w hi re the soil is clean and duly prepared. (5394.) 



The preparation of tnmip fnllons is the great business of this 

 month, and next the stirring of naked fallows (4944.), and the 

 culture, by horse and hand hoes, of corns and pulse in drills. 

 In late situations potatoes mav lie planted during the whole 

 month (5316.) ; and hemp and flax sown during the first fort- 

 night. (5880. and 5922.) Tares for successional supply. ( J'iJt ■) 



7. Fences (29130.), Roads (3523.), and Drains. 

 (4213.) t , 



i lean voung tatee-rom*- (2982.) Drains may now be advan- 

 ta eousll designee!, as the springs show themselves more con. 

 spuriously during winter. The rest in this department is mer« 



