The Winter of 1885-86. 
385 
" 10. By growing a large acreage of oats. If they are cut before they are 
ripe, the straw retains a high value as fodder ; and if this is cut into chaft', 
and mixed with ground maize or other cheap corn, a comparatively small 
weight of turnips will be required per diem." 
Mr. Robert Loder, Whittlebury, Towcester, Northampton- 
shire : 
" 1. Soil, a medium clay ; subsoil, clay and some gravel. Climate cold, 
but not unlavourable to agricultural operations on the whole. 
" 2. The summer of 1885 was very favourable for making good hay, but 
the quantity was not great. Swedes were a failure everywhere, and mangolds 
nearly so. Swedes and beans were a total failure. Other crops generally 
were an average. The winter of 1885-86 retarded farming operations very 
much, jjarticularly as it was succeeded by a wet spring. Autumn crops 
were sown to a great extent on foul ground. Q'he spring of 1886 was very 
backward. 
" 3. Bad, could hardly have been worse. 
" 4. A good silo of trifolium or clover was of great assistance. The sheep 
were on swedes (such as they were), assisted by a little cake, and I had a 
large and good held of rye, and afterwiirds some late-sown turnips. After 
that they were folded on clover. I had an exceptionally good crop of mangolds. 
In the spaces of failure I planted cabbage. Some of my neighbours failed in 
their mangold plant. 
" 5. No. (See above.) 
" 6. My experience of silos is, of course, limited ; but I consider no farmer 
is safe, or no farm complete, without one or more. I chaff my green crops 
before I store them, as 1 consider they store better, and it is easier to mix them 
with chaff in the winter, and therefore more economical. 
" 7. Nothing besides the usual shelter during the lambing season, nor do I 
consider that any was required. As for the crop of lambs, I had (as usual) 
one and a half lambs to a ewe, on an average. 
" 9. Low prices had not much to do with the weather. 
" 10. No lesson that we ought not to have acquired before, namely, to keep 
our young stock warm, and fed as well as possible. Never let them ' go 
down.' When they are older they will have strength to take care of 
themselves." 
Mr. William Smith, Woolston, Bletchley, Buckinghamshire : 
" 1. The soil is clay on mixed gravel and clay. It is all grass land, 
183 acres having gone down since 1878. The climate is that of the centre 
of England. 
" 2. We had a good hay time, collecting a lot of good hay at a moderate 
cost in 1885. « 
" 4. I buy a lot of foreign corn, grind a lot of it for cattle. The sheep have 
it whole. 
" 6. Ensilage experience I have had none, for I do not believe in the economy 
or usefulness of it. 
" 7. I have two good yards for my ewes to run in at night. 
" 9. Mainly due to a slack trade in our manufacturing and trading districts. 
We have not an overstock in the countrj\ Farmers glutted the markets 
for the want of money to pay labour, &c., therefore the half-fattened things 
were obliged to go. 
" 10. As a grass-land farmer I am careful to have some old hay on hand. 
The foreigner supplies the corn. Therefore I can hold on to do the best 
according to the general trade." 
