302 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ October 17, 1878. 
this season. Your plant will probably be all right in the spring if you keep 
it in a healthy state. 
WATER CRESS CULTURE (dn Old Subscriber).—The trenches in which 
they are grown are so prepared, that, as nearly as possible, a regular depth of 
3 or 4 inches of water can be kept up. These trenches are 3 yards broad, 
and whenever one is to be planted the bottom is made quite firm and 
slightly sloping, so that the water which flows in at one end may run ont at 
the other. If the bottom of the trench is not sufficiently moist a small 
body of water is allowed to enter to soften it. The Cresses are then divided 
into small-sets or cuttings, with roots attached to them ; and these are 
placed at the distance of 3 or 4 inches from each other. At the end of five 
or six days a slight dressing of well-decomposed cow dung is spread over all 
the plants, and this is pressed down by means of a heavy board, to which a 
long handle is obliquely fixed. The water is then raised to the depth of 2 or 
3 inches, and never higher. Each trench is thus replanted annually, and 
furnishes twelve crops during the season. In the summer the Cresses are 
gathered every fifteen or twenty days, but less frequently during winter; 
care is taken that at each gathering at least a third part of the bed is left 
untouched, so that neither the roots may be exhausted nor the succeeding 
gathering delayed. After every cutting a little decayed cow dung, in 
the proportion of two large barrowfuls to each trench, is spread over 
the naked plants, and this is beaten down by means of the rammer aboye 
mentioned. 
ADDRESS.—We have received a very fine Cauliflower and some fruit to 
name, but have no letter in reference thereto. The address of the sender is 
necessary for the purpose of our reply. 
PEARS DISEASED (2. F.).—The tree is evidently suffering from deficient 
root-action. Dig round the roots, throw-out the old soil, and replace it with 
arich compost. See if some of the roots have descended into the subsoil 
and have them cut off, raising the others near the surface. 
VERBENAS (7. G.).—You should send the flowers to the Secretary, Royal 
Horticultural Society, South Kensington. They were not ina state to be 
exhibited when they arrived. 
THISTLES (Very Old Subscriber).—The Thistle is Carduns arvensis, a 
dreadful pest. The only way to be rid of them is to keep cntting them; and 
when they are too short to be mown over, to cut them off close to or 
under the-ground with aspud. You will never thoroughly eradicate them. 
All you can do is to prevent them gaining the mastery. Do not disturb the 
pasture ; merely use the spud. 
NAMES OF FRUITS (Alexander Boyle). —Grayenstein. (J. Wilson) —Ven 
Mons Leon Leclerc. (F. 0. 4Jf.).—1, Golden Noble ; 2, Not know: Ls 
Cheshire).—1, Reinette de Canada; 2, Emperor Alexander;. 3, Ross Non- 
pareil ; 4, Sykehouse Russet; 5, Summer Golden Pippin; 6, Trumpington. 
CW. Fisher).—Cowarne Red. (J. P.).—1, Louise Bonne of Ji ersey ; 2, Reinette 
de Canada; 3, Not known; 4, Bedfordshire Foundling; 5, Not known; 
6, Flanders Pippin. (A. W., Ayrshire)—1, Golden Winter Pearmain ; 2, 
Golden Noble; 3, Calville Malingre; 4, Not known ;_ 5, Flower of Kent; 
6, Fearn’s Pippin. (A Knutsford Subscriber).—We believe the large one to 
be Cellini. The small one is Court of Wick. The Pear we do not know. 
(S.).—Triomphe de Jodoigne. (Connaught Subscriber).—We do not know 
the name of the Grape, never having seen it before. The spotting is singular. 
(S. G.).—1, Fearn’s Pippin ; 2, Lewis’ Incomparable ; 3, Joséphine de Malines. 
(Dr. Bruce)—Eyewood. (Hampden) —Apples: 1 and 2, Golden Noble; 
3, Not known. Pears: 1, Beurré Langelier ; /2, Beurré Diel; 3, Suzette de 
Bavay. (Lancaster).—Gloria Mundi. (J. Woodlitje)— Apples: 1 and 2, 
Alfriston. Pears: 1, Triomphe de Jodoigne ; 2, Van Mons Léon Leclerc. 
_ NAMES OF PLANTS (Juvenile)—Hedychium Gardnerianum. The other 
1S some variety ‘of Box. (/. Af.).—We do not name fiorist’s flowers, and the 
Fern is immature. 2, Is Nertera Gepressa. (Jean).—1, Aster capensis (Aga- 
thea amelloides) ; 2, Phytolacca decandra. (W., Minshull).—Crinum. asia- 
ticum or an allied species, but the flower was too withered to determine cer- 
tainly. (Cranfordian).—Lavandula Stzchas. Ferns immature. (MW. H. AL). 
Apparently Carthamus tinctorius, but the specimen was insuflicient. 
CW. P.).—Chrysanthemum segetum. 
ee 
THE HOME FARM: 
POULTRY, PIGEON, AND BEE CHRONICLE. 
THE MANAGEMENT OF HORNED EWES AND 
LAMBS, 
THERE are various breeds of horned sheep in the kingdom, but 
our purpose at present is to treat of the horned ewes, natives of 
the counties of Dorset and Somerset, where they are kept in large 
numbers, and are the chief breeding flocks reared in some of the 
best and most extensive districts, particularly in the vales of fine 
grazing and arable farms to be found in both counties. We pro- 
pose to confine our remarks upon this subject entirely to the 
management of this stock used for the purpose of producing early 
lambs for the metropolitan and other markets, for which purpose 
they are better adapted than any known breed of sheep. We 
select the present time for our paper upon this subject because 
this is the period when they are purchased to go into the home 
Counties for the feeding off early root crops ; especially are 
these sheep kept upon the sandy, gravelly, and dry loams in the 
counties of Hants, Sussex, Surrey, Hertfordshire, and Kent, and 
they are admitted by all the most experienced and practical] 
graziers in these districts to pay more money with less risk and 
loss for the feeding of forward turnips, Swedes, &c., than any 
other kind of sheep. We would, however, wish it to be particu- 
larly noted that we consider the management of this stock and 
their early lambs as the most difficult of any, and certainly requir- 
ing great judgment, experience, and foresight, together with the 
most careful and diligent superintendence. This breed of sheep 
are wonderfully improved within the past forty years ; for although 
we haye kept them eyer since the year 1826 for the especial pur- 
pose of producing the earliest and fattest lambs, yet at that time 
they were an inferior race compared with what they have been 
since. When first we kept the Dorset ewes, although they would 
bring a large number of lambs and give an abundance of rick 
milk, yet they would after fattening their lambs be themselves 
comparatively poor and lean. Such, however, has been the im- 
provement made in the Dorsets by crossing with the horned stock 
raised in the best grass districts of Somersetshire, that instead of 
being reared as formerly almost entirely with regard to milking 
qualities and their propensity to produce twin lambs, in doing 
which the shape and fattening quality of the ewes had been very 
much lost sight of, now we never meet with any of the old 
speckle-nosed Dorsets, the improved breed prevailing throughout 
both counties. The flocks differ according to the nature*of the 
soil upon which they are bred and the pains and practical ex- 
perience bestowed upon them by the breeders, and so particular 
are some of the best flock masters that they will not breed from a 
ewe haying a black spot upon the nose or eyelid. We have in 
consequence a breed of splendid animals of beautiful symmetry, 
and this has been achieved without reducing the milking quality 
of the ewes, but by adding the valuable capability of fattening 
during the milking period, so that now when properly cared for 
both ewes and lambs go to the butcher simultaneously. There have 
however, been some mistakes made by the improyers of the horned 
ewes, and particularly in those instances where a single cross with 
the Leicester ram was used many years ago. This has improved 
the carcase and outline of the ewes, and given them a quicker 
aptitude to fatten, but it has ruined the tendency to produce the 
early lamb, and we have found it very difficult after this cross to 
induce the ewes to offer to the ram early and well together. It is 
a great drawback in the case of animals purchased at a high 
figure to find that they bring their lambs very irregularly—some 
in October, some in November, and the remainder in December, 
because we have found that the ewes which drop their lambs in 
the month of October will be fat when their lambs are sold, but 
this is not the case with ewes which lamb in December, although 
they may have all been kept alike and as well as it is possible 
to feed them. In making purchases of this kind of ewes it is 
necessary to either attend the fairs where they are sold in Dorset, 
Somerset, or Weyhill in Hants, or, what is better, to give a com- 
mission to a dealer who has been in the habit of attending these 
fairs, for these early lambing horned ewes are much sought for, 
and often under offer to former buyers from year to year ; there- 
fore a stranger often stands a poor chance of obtaining the best 
stocks of ewes, unless he takes them from a dealing man who 
buys on commission and has a connection formed by previous 
transactions. 
We must now refer to the provision and manner of keeping the 
ewes on their arrival at the home farm, for they will commence 
dropping their lambs soon after they arrive, it being the practice 
only to put the rams with the ewes so that no lambs shall fall 
until a few days after the usual time of selling them. When 
making provision for the keeping of the pregnant ewes we gene- 
rally sow Italian rye grass in the wheat in the month of March, 
which will show itself after harvest and give a quick succession 
of food for the ewes,and when folded off it will afterwards afford 
good pasture until Christmas. This is not only the healthiest for 
jn-lamb eyes, but it enables them to give the largest quantity of 
the richest milk, so much so that we have known instances of 
ewes -whilst suckling two lambs give half a pint of milk daily 
more than the lambs could take, for we always relieve the ewe’s 
udders every day if distended, in order to prevent any inflammation 
in the udder, which often endangers the life of the ewe; besides 
Phigesi 
