The Winter of 1885-86. 
389 
mostly of a poor character for growing corn and root-crops. It is, however, 
mostly in pasture, which repays good treatment. The rainfall is rather ahove 
the average (about 29 inches per annum), but the land soon dries, as breezes 
are generally prevalent. New drains, however, would improve the soil, the 
present ones being more than tweuty-three years old. 
" 2. There was considerable loss to the dairy owing to the dry summer. 
The loss of milk could not have been far short of 100 gallons per cow under 
the average. The want of water was severely felt, and the loss to cattle 
grazing and sheep was also considerable. The autumn of 1885 was one of the 
wettest on record, 12'89 inches of rain falling in three months. This brought 
a lot of grass in October, but it possessed little substance. The winter of 
1885-86 has been an extraordinary one, no less than ninety-eight frosts 
having occurred, and sixteen of these were in March. 
"3. The rains came too late in the autumn to be of much help to the 
growing root crops, and there was scarcely half an average, although cabbages 
did much better when sown in good time. May being a wet month. The 
transplanted ones suffered equally with swedes and mangolds. 
" 4. We had Drumhead cabbages up to Christmas for cows and bullocks. 
Hay was plentiful, and the stacks were severely drawn upon. After cabbages 
were consumed, malt culms were substituted for the cows (mashed) ; linseed- 
cake and Waterloo-cake were purchased, as well as jieas and beans, for the 
stall-fed beasts. Sheep did not require much extra food (a little hay only 
now and then); being a hardy breed, we kept them (100) seven' months in 
the pastures and had no losses. 
" 5. We had no green crops in spring except tares, and these often save 
the grass in a dry season, and are much relished both by horses and cows. 
AVe intend trying to get cabbages for spring feeding by sowing in August, as 
we find the frost has no bad effect on the close-leaved varieties. 
"6. No; a neighbouring farmer put up an expensive silo the winter 
before last ; but I hear it did not answer, and has since been abandoned. 
" 7. There are open sheds in some of the fields f.icing south, but the fields 
are mostly well sheltered in this county by woods and covers. No ; although 
the frost was severe at times, there was not much snow, and the hardy breeds 
did not seem to feel the effects of the weather much. 
" 9. Prices were certainly very low last winter for beef and mutton. The 
previous winter we sold our fat bullocks by weight, at 5s. %d. per stone 
(8 lbs.), but this year we only made 4s. 4(^. per stone. This was partly 
owing (no doubt) to forced sales; farmers not having sufficient food of their 
own, and being afraid of buying expensive feeding stuffs, sent a good many 
beasts to market in an unripe condition. Many cattle were sold to kill at 
less than half their live-weight. The importation of dead meat (beef and 
mutton, &c.) from America and New Zealand must also have had a lowering 
effect on our markets. Many beasts weighing from 90 to 100 stone made at 
least 5/. less than the year before. One farmer who sold from 40 to 50 well- 
fattened animals last winter, estimated his loss at 250?. below the previous 
year. 
" 10. The lessons taught are that if it pays to farm at all, it will 23ay best 
to farm well. The best policy seems to be to get the land to produce as much 
as possible of the kind of food most suitable for the consumption of stock 
kept. The old rotations of cropping system are no longer applicable to our 
times. As it will not pay now to buy a large quantity of feeding stuffs, as 
much hay, turnips, cabbages, &c., should be grown to maintain the winter 
stock in good condition, and at the same time provide sufficient manure for 
the next cropping. Much arable land is now considered unprofitable, and the 
tendency is rather to make one acre produce as much or more than two 
formerly did ; and the nearer a farm is brought to the condition of a market 
garden, the better it will be for the cultivator. Thus more liberal manuring 
