The Past Agricultural Year. 
23» 
outlay for feciliiig-stuffs, both com and oil-cake. Where a liberal supply 
of dry food lias been given, the ewes did fairly well, and produced a good lot of 
healthy lambs. The prevalence of foot-rot, or rather lameness from the blood- 
poisoning of foot-and-mouth disease, which prevailed so generally througliout 
the county in 1S72 and 1874, has been most perplexing to both shepherd 
and master. Although the herds have been generally healthy, yet from the 
nature of the grass, and the continued rain upon the animals, it has been 
requisite to resort to artificial feeding to make beef with advantage. 
2. As to the crops of the farm. The beneficial efl'ect of thorough draining, 
or of naturally dry soils, is as apparent here as in the flocks. The wheat 
stood the severity of the winter, the subsequent wet spring, and the cold wet 
summer, better than any other cereal. But u]ion a very extensive portion of 
the poor, cold, wet soils of the county the wheat hay scarcely paid for seed 
and labour. Particularly is this the case after clover, peas, beans, and vetches^ 
as, from the continued wet seasons of the past two years, the slug, in addition 
to the perishing influence of the cold wet, has been most destructive; and 
the thin weak plant remaining was sadly choked with weeds wliich it was 
impossible to eradicate. It was quite the exception to see a field of winter 
beans, so completelj' were they destroyed. The effects of the late spring were 
but too apparent on the barley and oat-croi)s, with the exception of some 
early-planted barley upon the dry and highly-cultivated laud. Severe losses 
were sustained from the action of the frost upon the uncovered swedes and 
turnips ; and as the frost of 1879 commenced unusually early, it was the ex- 
cejition to see many covered, consequently the feeding-sheep and cattle were 
early forced into the market, and for a few weeks caused depression in price. 
Fortunately the abundant hay and fodder crops of 1878 enabled farmers 
generally to keep their store stock through the very protracted winter, but in 
very many cases the whole was consumed. The fruit, too, was very deficient, 
although one of the healthiest and most abundant blossoms ever seen. In fact 
the general prospect in this county is one of the worst I have ever known. 
The continuance of drenching rain upon the manure in uncovered fold-yards 
renders the purchasing of artificial feeding-stuffs disheartening, as also the 
attempts to cultivate undrained land. Covered fold-yards and drained lands 
are, I think, two of the most important requirements of the day. 
T. DUOKHAM. 
'Worcestershire. — Lower Clopfon, Straff ord-on- Avon. 
1. The Live-stoch. — The drop of lambs was an average one. They remained! 
in a healthy state, owing to some vetches and rape (mixed) having been 
planted on the 3rd of March to feed them upon, which has produced an abun- 
dance of keep. Six pecks of vetches (winter), and 8 lbs. of rape was sown to 
the acre. I think this is the most useful food for lambs, and it should be- 
planted in succession, to feed them at night, turning them on the clovers in 
the day. The cattle have not done so well, on account of the excessive 
quantity of rain. 
2. The Crops. — The wheat remained in the ground without showing green- 
from the first week in November until the latter end of February. The winter 
destroyed a portion of the grains, but still it wonderfully thickened, and on 
I my farm looked very even. I only plant two kinds of wheat here, viz. Eeedy 
I Red and the Square Head — none after naked fallows. Barley comes after 
i fallows, and has suffered more than anything else on my farm. It will not be 
anytliing like what it should be, for the land is highly farmed and all drained, 
and the seed was well put in. I had a good plant of clover, but the weather 
has been unfavourable for harvest-work. Winter beans were almost a failure 
