The Harvest of 1839 at Home and Abroad. 
223 
and blanched in the same way as celery, with the exception that it 
is planted on the surface instead of in the trenches. Seakale would 
be by far the most remunerative crop, and if only they could ensure 
2>d. or id. a pound for it, the Scillonians would go into its cultivation 
very largely. It requires no manure, but wants a light soil. At 
Tresco a great quantity is grown : the cost per acre is SOL or iOL, 
the return, 701. or 80/. 
The island of Tresco, though only twenty minutes' distance by 
boat (in fine weather), is much warmer than St. Mary's, because of 
the sand all round it. Mr. Dorrien Smith's farm at Tresco is essen- 
tially a model farm. He spares neither expense nor trouble, and 
when a successful result is attained, he shares it with his tenants. 
He uses about 30 tons of seed-potatoes for planting. Twenty-five 
to thirty acres are planted with potatoes ; where possible, they are 
planted on slopes, so as to escape the wind, and the order of planting 
is " six rows, one miss." The " miss " is well manured, and later on 
is turned up and spread over the six rows. Three tons of seakale 
and 5 tons of tomatoes were sent from here last year. From 17 
to 20 acres are devoted to flowers. Mr. Smith is experimenting 
upon a parcel of land, dividing it into four — dressing one part with 
fish-manure, one with farmyard manure, the third with seaweed, 
and leaving the fourth unmanured. He has 20 Channel Islands 
cattle, and about 100 pigs. The food for the last is cut up, and 
cooked in a large boilex*. The dried fern makes good litter for 
pigs and cattle. 
All sorts of fences are tried on this farm, for the protection of 
flowers and vegetables. The rush fences are too opaque ; the shrubs 
require great attention, and occupy valuable space ; but the open 
palings of wood protect, while they permit the sun to play through. 
Of all the Islands, St. Martin's produces the most potatoes, 
while some of the earliest come from Bryher. 
On the whole Islands there are between 400 and 500 bullocks, 
250 sheep, 100 milch cows, and 70 asses. There is no veterinary 
surgeon on the Islands, but one of the farmers is exceedingly clever 
in the treatment of animals, and all the farmers are more or less 
expert in this respect. E. Brewer. 
THE HARVEST OF 1889 AT HOME AND ABROAD. 
Speaking generally, it may be said that the harvest of 1889 was a 
good one in the West of Europe, and a poor one in the Centre and 
East ; that it was productive in the United States and deficient in 
Canada and India, at least, for wheat and one or two other cro{ s ; 
and that for the world, as a whole, it was distinctly below the 
normal standard of productiveness. In some countries, such as 
Australia and the Argentine Republic, where the harvest is be<;un 
in December and finished in January, the crops of 1889-90 must be 
