Management of a Suburban Farm. 
keepers, receiving dung in return ; but I soon discovered, what 1 
now find to be a general rule in all trades, that the retail dealer 
— i. e. the middle-man between the producer and the consumer — 
reaps all the profit. I grew some excellent crops of vegetables, 
but could not sell them unless I went about myself with a hand- 
barrow. For cabbages — sold in the shops at 2d. a head, or turnips 
realising 2d. a bunch, which at this rate would have realised 
20/. per acre — I was offered 3d. or Ad. per dozen by the 
greengrocer. This, with the trouble of weeding out all the 
inferior ones, and the drawback of cleaning and delivering in 
small lots, and waiting for the money, at last produced a worse 
return than I could obtain by feeding cows. Early peas gave 
the same result. A fine crop, which at the greengrocer's price of 
Is. per dish would have made 40/. to 50/. per acre, only brought 
me many shillings less than I made eventually by selling the 
produce as seed.* This was my first disappointment. 1 now 
find that I can sell a fair quantity of potatoes during the winter, 
and now and then a few tons of mangold-wurzel or carrots in the 
spring, at very remunerating prices ; but as soon as there is any 
general demand for these, the farmers at a distance glut the 
market, and reduce the price to little over the feeding value. 
My next disappointment was my dung-heap. Though I got 
for the straw some hard cash besides the manure, this barely 
covered the expense of getting it out of the pit (always up a 
narrow courtyard) and loading. And after all it was not spit- 
dung ; some was only dirty straw, and had to be used again 
under my own cattle; some was so heated and fire-fanged that 
it was not fit for the heap — all had to be turned over once or 
twice before it was fit to plough in ; so that it cost me full 5s. a 
cart-load by the time I had spread it ; and I found I could make 
my own straw into dung at that price. I now sell all the straw 
I can spare at from 50s. to 60s. the ton, and buy good spit-dung, 
lit lor use, as I want it — that is to say, when I have leisure to 
fetch it, and land ready to receive it. Having bought thus much 
of experience, I took in hand the rest of the farm, consisting of 
100 acres of arable, and rather more of meadow-land, from which 
I have succeeded in reaping a considerable increase, if not the 
full amount of my hopes, in rent and profit. Two objects have 
* I am informed on good authority that near Tarnworth the farmer makes about 
12Z. 10s. for a good crop of green peas, sold standing in his field. They are grown 
to supply Birmingham. Sangster's No. 1 is a favourite variety. The proximity 
both of canal and railroad is favourable. Several gardeners in this neighbourhood, 
hire 40 or 50 acres, at rents varying from 87. to ]0Z. per acre, and employ from 20 
to 30 men. The dry sewage refuse and sweepings of Birmingham are here rising 
in repute both for garden crops and for pasture : at Tarn worth such manure often 
sells for 4s. per ton, little more than cost of carriage by barge — the supply exceeds 
the demand.— P. H. F. 
