436 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
{ December 5, 1878. 
We have now arrived at that point when the second heading | meal in admixture with the cut roots is sufficient. Some persons 
of our subject must be considered—viz., the feeding of sheep 
for profit. As we have types and breeds of sheep adapted for 
all districts of the kingdom we must endeayour to keep only 
those sorts which have been tried and proved by the most expe- 
rienced farmers of the districts where the home farm may be 
situated. This is really one of the leading points to be con- 
sidered. 
The management of Southdowns haying been explained we 
will next take the Hampshire downs as obtained from the fairs 
in Hants and Wilts. Wether sheep may be bought in either 
large or small numbers at all the summer fairs in these counties ; 
but it is questionable whether wether lambs kept in the same way 
will not be more profitable feeding for the butchers than wether 
sheep, because we have not only the benefit of feeding them up 
to fatness but at the same time we get their increased growth 
with also the increase of wool, so that lambs purchased at about 
six or eight months old of this Hampshire stock and kept on have 
been known to make an increased value per head of from 20s. to 
30s. for four or five months’ feeding. These young sheep taken 
into any dry sandy or grayelly land or hazel loam soil will, under 
ordinary circumstances of good food and good shepherding, be 
sure to yield a good return. As soon as they arrive at the home 
farm they should be put upon the best grass upon the farm, and 
particularly the young clover seeds, if they are purchased before 
the early turnips are fit to feed ; and if early turnips are fit when 
they arrive it is a good plan for the sheep to run the clovers at 
daytime and then go into a folding of turnips in the evening for 
the night, and there to receive their artificial food in conjunction 
and in admixture with the cut turnips in troughs, all the artificial 
food being given in the meal state, whether it consists of decorti- 
cated cotton cake, bean, or barley meal, all three of these kinds 
of food being better than linseed cake for young growing sheep. 
They may at first receive about half a pound per day each, but 
afterwards, about six weeks before the appointed time for selling, 
they may receive with advantage 1 lb. per day each. They will 
not require hay until they have finished feeding on grass and are 
entirely confined to the close fold on turnips. Many farmers 
argue that common turnips are so soft and easily eaten by the 
sheep that they do not answer or pay for being cut and put in | 
troughs ; but we contend that young stock just before or about 
the time they are shelling their teeth will do much better with 
cut turnips in troughs, because they eat their food in little time, 
have more time to take rest, and they make more proof in conse- 
quence, and it is but little trouble to clean or cut common 
turnips. 
(To be continued.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour—Upon some farms there will still be wheat- | 
sowing going on, because where the practice is to sow wheat after 
turnips fed off, or mangold cleared away, there may still be land to 
be seeded. Now the season is so far advanced every opportunity 
must be taken and seed sown of a sort adapted for late sowing. 
We know nothing more hardy and more suitable for late sowing 
than the Red Nursery and Golden Drop, and it is no bad plan to 
mix them, both being good millers’ grain, and ripen about the 
same time. The Nursery is a white chaff, and Golden Drop red 
chaff. A bushel and a half of Golden Drop and one bushel of 
Nursery per acre is a suitable mixture, because the Nursery is 
rather a smaller grain, and the plant will tiller out more in the 
spring. At this time of year never plough without sowing the 
same day ; we are then sure of a seed time, let the weather be ever 
so changeable. Having had a good spell of dry weather lately, 
land which has been under culture in the autumn has still been 
tilled with advantage during the past fortnight, except in those 
counties where a fall of snow has impeded the work. In all cases 
where the couch and weeds have been cleared off the land may 
now be ploughed, whether it is intended for potatoes in the spring 
or for mangolds, and if the weather continues dry enough fresh 
horse dung may be laid out and ploughed-in for either crop. We 
do not advocate applying manure in the spring for either crop, 
and if there is no season in autumn for manuring we prefer arti- 
ficial fertilisers, particularly Peruvian guano, 4 cwt. of guano for 
potatoes and 3 cwt. for mangolds is sufficient to produce a full 
crop of either. Fallowing the land by deep ploughing may be 
continued for all root crops next season, but we should be careful 
to have the water furrows struck and made out upon all flat and 
retentive soil. The odd horse or horses will be engaged in carting 
away couch and weeds from the fallows before ploughing for the 
winter. The couch and weeds should be carried to a heap, there 
to decay, except there is any meadow land near; the rubbish may 
then be carted on to the grass land and spread, for we have often 
seen this improve pasture land as much as a dressing of farmyard 
dung. The odd horse will still be required in carting Swedes or 
turnips to the homestead for the cattle, also for horses and pigs. 
The feeding of the fatting oxen should now be carefully attended 
to, for where they have been recently put up to fatten they will 
now begin to make visible progress, but it must be borne in mind 
that feeding twice a day with 30 Ibs. of roots at each feeding with 
still persist in the old-fashioned plan of giving roots three or four 
times a day, but we find that twice feeding with roots and meal is 
best, because it gives time for the animals to lie down and rumi- 
nate, besides which they will eat between the intervals of root- 
feeding a good quantity of sweet straw of any sort, oat straw 
being the best ; pea haulm too is good for them, but they do not 
like the haulm of blue peas. By this system of feeding the bul- 
locks will be sure to digest their food and return to the manger 
with a good appetite, and it is in this way that they best assimi- 
late the food given, 4 lbs. of cake and 2 tbs. of meal per day being 
sufficient—that is to say, if more is given they do not profit by it 
to the same extent, and much of the extra quantity will only go 
to swell the dung heap. We must again mention that hay should 
never be given to a bullock when otherwise liberally fed, as it is 
sure to injure its health, particularly after it becomes about half 
fat. Let the fatting cattle be kept in boxes if possible about 
10 feet by 10 feet. We have never seen better boxes than those 
temporarily fitted up in a barn divided by three fir poles, and the 
manure accumulating under.the cattle with earth at the bottom 
of the boxes for absorbing the urine. Where this is not done and 
cattle are tethered at the stall, the manure being cast out daily 
into the yard, much waste occurs, unless it is arranged that the 
dung from the cart-horse stables should be mixed with it daily, in 
which case it is a good plan to feed the breeding sows in a hovel 
adjoining, and let them run out all day upon the dung and have a 
few Swedes or other roots cast to them, for when they are 
properly confined to the dung heap they tread it down and im- 
prove the mass, being kept within bounds by some strong iron 
hurdles. We have adopted this plan often with great advantage. 
BIRMINGHAM POULTRY SHOW. 
THE thirtieth Birmingham Show opened on Tuesday. To those 
of us who have been used to see it through the latter dozen years 
of its existence in its present highly organised state, it is difficult 
to realise out of what it has grown. Miss Watts in her poultry 
book graphically tells the tale of the first Birmingham Show, 
how exhibitors brought just what birds seemed good to them, 
and how they were judged and exhibited in the baskets in which 
they came, That took place not thirty years ago. Mr. Baily 
was the Judge, and Mr. Baily was busied on Saturday last still 
making the awards in many of the most important classes. On 
the whole the progress of poultry during the interval must have 
been vast, yet that of particular breeds fitful. Some of those 
which during the first _half of the Show’s existence made the 
greatest improvement have since become stationary or have gone 
back, while others which were almost or quite unknown fifteen 
years ago are now in the height of perfection and popularity. 
‘We should be well content to have a few Cochins or Dorkings 
from the first Birmingham Show we saw some twelve or thirteen: 
years ago, but the Brahmas and French fowls which won then 
would make but a sorry figure now. 
The feature for which this Birmingham Show is remarkable is 
the first appearance of the electric light in Bingley Hall and in 
the poultry annex. Year by year the dissatisfaction at the fetid 
atmosphere of the poultry department, and more so of the Pigeon 
gallery, increased, Exhibitors grumbled, and a few were suffi- 
ciently merciful to their Pigeons or sufficiently public spirited. 
not to enter, in the hopes of things being improved thereby. 
Certainly this year there must be many “ abstentions” when one 
finds such popular varieties of Pigeons as Turbits represented. 
altogether by twenty birds, and some of the Dragoon classes with 
two or three entries, in which we were wont to see scores. How- 
ever, many of the grumblers wait till next year and forget their 
grievances the day before the entries close. For the future we 
hope there will be no need for abstention or grumbling. While 
we write these lines we have not seen the full play of the magnetic. 
light, but there is every reason to hope that the gas may be dis- 
pensed with, and that the atmosphere will be no worse than that 
of any ordinary public building. The poultry and Pigeon arrange- 
ments are in the main the same as of late years. The Bantams 
and some other small breeds have been remoyed from the gallery 
to Bingley Hall, and look all the better there. The Turkeys and 
Waterfowl are also, as of late years, in the Hall. The old wooden 
pens do not improve; their front bars in many cases are most 
dilapidated, and it will be a wonder if no birds escape. Many of 
the drinking vessels too cannot be hung up, the miserable birds. 
upset them and hye in pools of filth. We were promised on 
Saturday that some chaff should be put on the bare boards of 
the pens when the judging was over. This will improve their 
appearance and make the birds more comfortable. 
Brahmas have for some years displaced the old English Dorking» 
and now head the list. Dark cocks were a good class, but we 
think the Judge was mistaken in one or two cases. Cup went to 
a large, well-made hocked bird, but we think the third-prize was 
better in most points ; he failed a little in marking on saddle, but. 
was otherwise very good. Second we did not like, and should 
haye put fourth in his place. Hither of the very highly com- 
mended pens might have been fourth. The hens must have beem 
