October 17, 1878. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
303 
which, when milk accumulates in the udder it becomes not only 
distasteful to the lambs, but produces disease in them and cripples 
them in their joints like rheumatism, from which they never 
entirely recover. In order that the shepherd may properly attend 
to these matters we always have a catch coop in the field, so that 
the ewes and lambs may be examined once a day, and after they 
are accustomed to it they will walk into the coop at the call of 
the shepherd without being driven by a dog; indeed, for a long 
series of years we never would allowa dog in attendance upon 
the shepherd, as we know they are a fruitful source of disaster 
amongst ewes and lambs in various ways, and particularly whilst 
the ewes are heayy with lamb. A constant change of food is 
requisite for the ewes, for we find that the exercise consequent 
upon change of food and moying from field to field advantageous, 
gentle and regular exercise being essential to healthy pregnancy. 
We do not like to turn in-lamb ewes into luxuriant clover fields, 
and there to remain without change until they drop their lambs. 
This is too lazy a life for them, and is often the cause of their 
yeaning dead lambs. Nor do we approve, when grass is abundant, 
of giving this sort of ewes before lambing any oilcake, as it only 
flushes the milk injuriously and inconveniently at lambing time. 
We prefer to keep the ewes rather short of grass until the lambs 
ean take all the milk, which they can do generally at about a 
fortnight old, except in the case of twin lambs, in which case, 
after the lambs are a few days old, the ewes cannot be too liber- 
ally fed. Whilst the lambs are young and before they begin to 
eat, the ewes may be put into the best young clover during the 
day ; but this is cold bad lying for the lambs at night time, for 
we often get night frosts. We therefore always remove them into 
the wheat stubbles at night, which is much warmer lying for them, 
and prevents the lambs being chilled and often crippled with 
rheumatism. As soon as the lambs begin to eat, which they 
will generally do at about three weeks old, although they may not 
be required to enter upon root-feeding on account of the abund- 
ance of grass, yet they should have a fold in the grass field, with 
a lamb gate so that they may go into it apart from the ewes. 
This will learn them to feed in advance of the ewes when they 
enter upon root-feeding, and a trough of food suchas it is intended 
to give them when upon root-feeding should be placed in the fold 
in order that they may be taught and induced to eat artificial food 
at the earliest period. 
(To be continued.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour is now applied chiefly to the preparation of the 
Jand for wheat. The late heavy rains have stopped the autumn 
tillage in forwarding the land for next year’s root crops ; therefore 
if the vetches, rye, trifolium, &c., are all sown, the laying-out of 
‘dung upon the clover lea will be proceeding, and as fast as it is 
spread the ploughing and pressing will be done. Upon some 
difficult heavy land, where it has been properly tilled and pre- 
pared, the drilling of wheat should be done, the sooner the 
better, as it is none too soon for strong cold land; but the season 
being still early two bushels of seed per acre will be a sufficient 
quantity. Ifthe land lies in small ridges the drilling should be 
done so as to have no seed in the furrows, and these should be 
struck out with the double mould board plough. Upon all land 
subject to injurious weeds the wheat should be drilled at 12 inches 
apart if the land is well manured. If, however, the land is not in 
~ good condition the distance between the rows of wheat may be 
‘9 inches, so that in either case the land may be horse-hoed im the 
spring between the rows. Lifting potatoes must now be continued, 
and generally speaking one strong horse will be sufficient attached 
to a potato-lifting plough, and on any light and dry soil this is 
the most economical plan of taking up the crop; upon heavy 
Jand, however, after the autumn rains commence it will be neces- 
sary to use more power, and often compulsory to dig them with 
the prong. Still, in dry land the potato plough makes good work, 
and throws out the most of the tubers ready to be collected by 
women or boys, after which the lifting drag made by Howard 
does capital work, and will leave scarcely any tubers in the 
ground. The grazing farms are now stocked with sheep or are 
fast being so; and it is important, as the lameness arising from 
foot rot and the epidemic foot complaint prevails so much, or at 
least has done so for many years, the shepherds must pay parti- 
cular attention, so that at the first outbreak, which usually occurs 
after heavy rains, they may be prepared with remedies, for it is 
said a stitch in time saves nine. So it is with the lameness in 
sheep, for when attended to at the first outbreak it is more easily 
kept under control. The animals only require to be looked over 
daily, and when they show lameness they are dressed the second 
day. Our remedy being complete, and one which we have used 
with uniform success for upwards of forty years, only reduces 
it to a matter of daily attention. We give our recipe for the 
foot rot or epidemic lameness, also the Iuer which occurs above 
the hoof. Take 3 ozs. of nitre, 3 ozs. blue vitriol, and 3 ozs. 
of gunpowder reduced to a very fine powder, to be well mixed 
with 8 ozs. of hog lard, it will then keep for use. It must, 
however, be borne in mind that no remedy can be effectual 
unless applied at the proper time and manner. On the second 
day aiter the attack the foot between the hoofs will show an 
irritable reddened surface, and often with inflammatory bladders. 
These must be broken and the remedy rubbed in by the finger, 
and the animal allowed to stand upon @ry straw for two hours 
after the application. By this plan the lameness has not injured 
our stock either of ewes and lambs or wether sheep; but in case 
the disease is allowed to go on without attention is a ruinous 
matter, and often produces greater losses than all the cost of 
cake-feeding. Many farmers object to the expense of constant 
attention ; but let us suppose an extreme, and that by regular 
attention it employed one man his whole time; the week’s wages 
are nothing as compared with the loss sustained by even a small 
flock of sheep, much less a large one. The men and women, too, 
will now be employed in taking up and storing the mangold and 
early-sown Swedes ; and in case it is not convenient to take the 
mangold to a large heap they may be advantageously put into 
heaps, clearing the land about ten yards each way from the 
centre, and then cover with straw and earth, there to remain 
until a convenient season; but this is only recommended when 
the ground is too wet for carting away the roots, or when the 
horses are busy in wheat-sowing or otherwise. We sometimes 
get this work done by the acre when labourers are scarce, because 
Women and boys are able to assist in such cases. The dairy cows 
may now receive cabbages upon the pasture, which is a clean way 
of feeding ; but as soon as they lie in at night they should have 
them in their mangers. It is at this time of year especially 
requisite that all the animals on the home farm should have 
access to rock salt, where they can lick it when inclined. 
AGRICULTURAL HALL POULTRY SHOW. 
THE galleries of the Agricultural Hall are admirable for a 
poultry show—at least for the spectators of one. We suspect, 
and indeed heard, that the atmosphere at night was both disagree- 
able and prejudicial to the birds from the fumes of the gas below, 
which naturally rise. Poultry and Pigeon fanciers are certainly 
among the number of those who must long for the perfection of 
the new invention by which buildings are more easily to be lighted 
by the electric light. The poultry entries numbered nearly a 
thousand, and as in the majority of classes the birds were shown 
in pairs, the Exhibition was by far the largest one of chickens 
that has been seen this year. Considering that little over three- 
quarters of the year has run we thought it a wonderful Show, 
having regard to the strength and maturity of the exhibits. The 
art of producing size and mature development in birds of the year 
has certainly been mastered by many through the attention be- 
stowed these late years upon poultry. We were pleased, too, to 
see hardly any such specimens as those which in other years have 
looked as if they had seen a New Year’s day. The birds seemed 
well fed and attended to, and were supplied with green food. 
Dorkings.—The Darks were both better of their kind and for- 
warder than either of the other kinds. The cup cockerel is a 
monster with fine frame and good comb. Heseemed on the second 
day of the Show to haye been fighting and had lost most of his 
tail; his feet are not good. Second capital in colour and form, 
the Hemel Hempstead winner; his comb had, however, lately 
gone over. Third a good and large cockerel, but with a badly 
twisted comb. Fourth a yery leggy bird, quite like a Malay. 
Mr. Lingwood showed as massive and well-shaped a cockerel as 
_is often seen, but with toes already much swollen. Two younger 
cockerels struck us as being good and promising and worthy of 
notice—viz., Nos. 8 (Darby) and 19 (Crewe). The pullets were a 
capital class of twenty-three. We have never seen so fine and 
forward a lot in October, though we were sorry to observe that 
many had a fatted-up look. First not so large as some others, 
but a beautiful pullet all round ; we think she held the same posi- 
tion at Hemel Hempstead. Second a fine pullet much to our 
fancy. She has some silver in neck hackle and a lighter breast 
than some judges would like, but we always think it wrong 
to balance these small points of feather against real Dorking 
form. Third capital in shape and colour; we liked her as much 
as any in the class ; she certainly has a sixth toe nail on one foot, 
but this is a small defect. The fourth had the best white feet in 
the class. Many others would win in an ordinary class. The 
cup Silver-Grey cockerel and pullet are very fine, especially the 
latter. There was no other really good pen in the class; wry 
tails seemed quite the rule and not the exception in the cockerels. 
In the second pen was a horribly wry-tailed cockerel with yellow 
hackles; we much preferred the third pen. Whites were very 
fair. We quite failed to see the rationale of the awards. In the 
first pen the cockerel was weedy and backward. The second 
cockerel was better, but squirrel-tailed. The third very yellow. 
In the five-guinea Selling class a good pair of Darks were first 
and fair Whites third. : 
Cochins.—We do not think Buff Cochins are this year up to the 
average of some years; at least, though we see individually fine 
specimens we do not see well matched pairs. The cup went toa 
remarkable pair of Lady Gwydyr’s. The cockerel is a grand 
Cinnamon, and we are always glad to see birds of this hue winning 
when good in form; the colour of his hackles is quite lovely, 
