174 THE DAILY LIFE OF OUR FARM. 



to pluck off all the mangold-wurzel leaves that touch 

 the soil, for present use, I am acting vigorously upon. 

 They considerably supplement the contents of the 

 pig-wash tub, and are greedily devoured by the dairy 

 cows. 



The gorse sprouts upon the adjoining hill-side I 

 intend using so far as they \vill go. I shall crush them 

 between the stones of a cider-mill, and then chaff them 

 with a certain proportion of hay and straw, adding a 

 good pinch of salt, an ingredient essential to prevent the 

 hair falling off the fed animals, should they partake too 

 freely of this prickly salad. 



Old Melon has just summoned me to view the blos- 

 soms of two more of our hybrid pelargonium seedlings. 

 Astonishing is the variety produced from the same 

 ovary ; some of the produce throwing back in tint to 

 either parent ; some representing the two combined ; 

 some going far away to the commonest old-fashioned 

 strains. It is an occupation that I shall not pursue 

 any further. Far more satisfactory is it to go into the 

 professional florist's houses, and take your pick in an 

 assortment of plants upon the verge of flowering, at a 

 shilling a head. 



Another experiment has resulted capitally, and en- 

 courages me to repeat it, as well because it relieves 

 the hurry of spring-work, as that it enables one to turn 

 what were otherwise waste to account. During October 

 and November last year, following the directions of an 

 able essay in the Royal Agricultural Jouimal, I planted 

 at a depth of nine to ten inches a quantity of diseased 

 potatoes. It was scarcely a fair trial, because all the 

 larger ones had been used for the pigs, and what we 

 picked for seed were extremely small, and had lain in 



