44 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ January 8, 1865. 
HIGH FARMING. 
That high farming and extravagance are synonymous is 60 
strongly the opinion of many persons, that the very mention of it is 
to them like an alarm signal, and an inducement to regard one as an 
enthusiast or an ignoramus—probably both ; and they may un¬ 
doubtedly point to many an instance of wasteful lavish outlay by 
some of the amateurs who rush into farming with a long purse, and 
the openly expressed intention “to show us how to do it,” and who 
sooner or later pay dearly for their rashness. Granting fully the folly 
of all this, it by no means follows that high farming need lead to 
failure in the hands of a really practical man with a fair share of 
intelligence and common sense. Regarded dispassionately the term 
is sound and sensible enough, for then it means that the farm shall he 
60 managed as to afford the highest possible results consistent with 
true economy of time and labour. Be it understood clearly that by 
economy we point to the happy mean between wasteful extravagance 
and foolish parsimony, a liberal expenditure of capital upon animals 
of the best breeds, upon implements and motive power that are really 
labour-saving appliances, upon seed of the highest quality, and upon 
all necessary labour power is the truest, best exemplification of 
economy. But given all these in fullest measure, we must have a clear 
head to guide the work and enegertic supervision over every part of it. 
Now we are fully aware that many a home farmer of undoubted 
capacity and ripe experience finds his hands tied by insufficient means, 
which is all the more vexatious from the fact of his knowing that 
his employer could afford him ample means were he so disposed. 
Well, we are undoubtedly all more or less the sport of circumstances, 
and the best thing to do is so to adapt ourselves to circumstances as 
to make the best of them. We have no faith in forcing a master’s 
hand ; far better is it to lead him on to better things % affording 
him proof that it is worth while and to his interest. This may be 
done quietly and forcibly, for there is no gainsaying results, and the 
man who can show a clean bill of health at the end of the year among 
animals of an ordinary kind shows in the best way that he is worthy 
of being entrusted with the care of any animals. Perhaps the crucial 
test just now of one’s capacity for management is the production of 
crops which really pay, and the agricultural outlook would indeed be 
bad were we obliged to admit that this is impossible. 
The farm prize competition held last year under the auspices of 
the Royal Agricultural Society affords remarkable and valuable 
evidence of how profitable high farming is in the hands of a clever 
intelligent man. The first pr'ze in Class 1 was awarded to a farm of 
178 acres of sandstone drift, light and in some parts thin and poor in 
character, 60 acres being arable and 127 under grass. A working 
capital of £13 an acre is employed, and the published tables show an 
extraordinary expenditure :—Wages of labourers £153 6s. 2<7., 
servants’ wages £67 19s., food for three men and two women £100; 
total £321 5s. 2 d., or 35s. an acre. r l he outlay for purchased foods 
and manures in 1883 reached over £650 :—Corn and meal £317 
2s. 9 d., cake £227 5s. Id., manures £106 3s. 4 d., or £3 9s. an acre. 
To 6howhow justifiable is this outlay the Judges’ report states that 
the gross receipts from the farm come to between £12 and £13 an 
acre. An extraordinary outlay in labour, food, and manure is in¬ 
curred and in rent and rates. Every portion of the work is well 
done ; the land is clean, the stock all good of their kind, and the 
profits large, and they add the important fact that the great secret 
of success is judicious high feeding. Full details of the crops, the 
culture, and the application of manures, as well as of the cattle, 
sheep, and pigs kept upon the farm are given in the elaborate reports 
published in the last number of the Journal of the Royal Agricultural 
Society, and we shall doubtless advert to them again. 
The lessons taught by the results of this contest are invaluable. 
Perhaps the most important one is to do little and do it well, or, in 
other words, to concentrate our efforts and capital within due bounds. 
This is strongly enforced by the significant fact that the first prize went 
to a farm of 187 acres, the second prize to one of 290 acres, and the 
third or highly commended award to another of 414 acres. Another 
important fact is that this was a contest of dairy farms, all in a 
flourishing condition, paying a perfectly satisfactory interest upon 
capital invested in farming at a time when the cry is so general that 
farming and bankruptcy are almost inseparable. The proof which 
the contest affords so clearly that high farming does pay even at a 
time of great agricultural depression, and therefore always, deserves 
ur best attention, and we may usefully conclude this paper with the 
Judges’observation that “ Such practice may well be carefully, con¬ 
sidered by dairy farmers in detail, and by the farming commumt)' in 
general, as indicating lines in which British agriculture maj' hope to 
face the future—viz., by increasing the quantity of grass land and 
keeping more breeding and rearing stock.” 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse and Hand Labour. —Advantage is being taken of a quiet time 
upon the land to bring up arrears of carting. We bad many ia.u y 
places upon the roads which have be c n made sound. ^ Biswas ' don ® 
bo carefully as it ought to have been last winter, and it was difficult to get 
our heavily laden harvest waggons safely to the rickyard. Proceed with, 
carting gravel and soil to mix with lime, which may also be got now from 
the kiln, and mixed at once ; also road sidings, ditch scourings, pond mud, 
and manure to heaps upon the headlands of land reserved for. root culture. 
In well-stocked yards there should be plenty of manure requiring removal 
now. This not only lessens the carting in spring when we are so busy upon 
the land, but it keeps down an undue accumulation of manure in the yards, 
where plenty of fresh litter should always be spread both for comfoit o 
the cattle and the production of as much manure as possible, home out¬ 
lying meadows which we wish to improve for haymaking purposes are stU 
so dry or rather firm upon the surface that we are able to go on with e 
clearance of a lot of ant-hills, which did no harm while the land was 
devoted to grazing; hut the mowing machine requires an even surface, 
and the ant-hills will be useful both for mixing with dung and lime. I e 
carting of timber, faggots, poles, and other wood will also be done as soon 
as the horses can be spared for it. Do anything rather than put horses 
upon the land while it is wet and sodden, for the trampling now of heavy 
horses will do much harm upon soil that is not exceptionally sandy oi 
gravelly. Much good work is being done in replacing old gates ana pos s 
with new ones, and in mending gaps m hedges. . It is far better, to gru > 
an old worn-out hedgerow, and to replant with vigorous young Quick, than 
to go on with the too frequent repairs, which after all never look 
well. The cutting of underwood now affords employment to several men. 
This work is all done by the piece, and the men can earn £1 per week a , 
the following rate of pay :—Hop poles, 14 feet in length, l.v. 10a. per 1 , 
12 feet 1.?. 10d., 10 feet Is. 2d. per 100 ; best faggots 5s., and seconds 
3 ,?. 3d. per 100; hop poles 3d. per bundle, dogwood for gunpowder bd. 
per bundle, Pea boughs Id. per bundle, withers and stakes 14®. per bundle, 
broom handles 2\d. per bundle, thatching rods 2d. per bundle. 
Poultry. —With our abundant supply of eggs we were able to spare 
three sittings for as many broody hens three weeks ago. This may e 
said to be the first step for our supply of spring chickens, which will pro¬ 
duce the highest prices of the year. The cottagers and farmers are so 
fully alive to this that not an egg is to be had from them at this season 
of the year. We should like to u?e an incubator instead of hens for this 
perpose now, and we should do so with confidence, for we saw sue 
splendid results from an intelligent use of an incubator and foster-mother 
last autumn that we were convinced of its great practical value. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
The Value of Land (W. M .).—The value of land for agricultural 
purposes is determined by the demand that exists for farms. If, as was the 
case a few years ago, there are a dozen or more applicants for every farm as 
it becomes vacant, the rent must inevitably rise ; but if, as is the case now, 
there are no applicants for many vacant farms, the rents must decrease, 
and much land has recently been let at decidedly lower rentals than 
were obtained before the farms were vacant. Like everything else th« 
question is simply one of supply and demand. The higher rents to which 
you allude were the natural result of applicants overbidding each other for 
the possession of land. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
Camden Square, London. 
Lat.51° 32'40” N.; Long. 0° 8' 0" \V.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
DATE. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAY. 
0 
*s 
« 
1884-5. 
Dec.-Jan. 
Barome¬ 
ter at 32« 
and Sea 
Level 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
Direction 
of Wind. 
Temp, of 
Soil at 
1 foot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
►—< P 
CD 
On 
grass. 
Inches. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
In* 
Sunday . 
28 
30.069 
35.7 
34.5 
E. 
38-2 
38.0 
35.5 
38.8 
34.4 
— 
Monday. 
29 
29.817 
36.0 
34.5 
E. 
38.4 
38 2 
35.2 
43.8 
34.4 
— 
Tuesday. 
30 
29.933 
33.9 
33.2 
N. 
38.2 
36.4 
32 8 
41.6 
32.2 
— 
Wednesday .. 
31 
30.208 
83.0 
32.6 
N.E. 
87-8 
41.4 
28.5 
43.8 
22.2 
— 
Thursday .... 
1 
30.416 
32.4 
31.0 
E. 
37.2 
38.9 
27.6 
37.2 
2L.2 
— 
Friday. 
2 
30.234 
31.8 
30.4 
S.E. 
36.8 
34.4 
309 
33 8 
30.1 
— 
Saturday .... 
8 
30.023 
33.8 
32.2 
S.E. 
36.6 
34.9 
30.8 
35.5 
30.6 
30.099 
33.8 
32.6 
87.6 
87.5 
31.6 
39.2 
29.3 
— 
REMARKS. 
28th.—Dull throughout. 
29 th.—Dull. 
30th.—Dull and overcast. 
81st.—Foggy morning: fine pl( asant afternoon. 
1st.—Thick and snowlike all day. 
2nd.—Dull and overcast. 
3rd.—Dull and overcast, cold wind, slight sleet at night. 
Ac fit gloomy week, dry easterly wind, very little sunshine, and small range 
temprra —G. J. SYMONS. 
