122 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ February 5. 1885. 
beincr as gradual as possible, sudden changes to rank luxuriant 
food frequently leading to losses from dysentery and inflammatory 
fever. The docking is done at from three to four months, accord¬ 
ing^ the strength of the lambs. We decidedly prefer the earlier 
period with early strong lambs. Castration is also done at the 
same time, and regarding which we may express a hope that all 
brutality has long become a thing of the past, for it certainly 
has no justification in necessity. Weaning is a matter concern¬ 
ing which there is still considerable difference of opinion. To 
wean lambs at four months is certainly in favour of the ewes. 
With high feeding it may be deferred for another month, and 
we have seen such lambs brought to the July fairs in wonderfully 
forward condition, ripe for the butcher, and for which, if not 
soon killed, the only profitable method of treatment is to con¬ 
tinue to feed as high as possible for another two or three 
months. 
Many shrewd men of business have long ago found that the 
cheapest way to produce mutton is by the high-feeding system, 
beginning as early as possible, and allowing no cessation till the 
sheep are killed. By so doing it is considered that we turn the 
green crops, roots, and dry food, consumed to best—that is to 
say, to most profitable account. That we can now ripen our 
wethers at from ten to fourteen months at a size and weight 
equal to that of a two or three-year-old sheep of bygone days. 
More than this, we have known prices asked and given for lambs 
only seven months old which at one time could hardly be ob¬ 
tained for two or three-year-old sheep. But with cargoes of 25,000 
carcases of New Zealand sheep coming upon the market he would 
be a bold man who could venture to assert that the lamb crop of 
this season will prove as profitable as those of the last few years. 
Crowd the great centres of population with steady supplies of 
foreign mutton, and you push back home supplies upon the 
country districts with the inevitable result of a general de¬ 
pression in prices. High-pressure treatment is, however, a matter 
somewhat apart from the legitimate business of the home farmer, 
who for home consumption, at any rate, has to maintain a steady 
supply of three-year-old mutton of a colour and flavour altogether 
superior to the forced mutton of the markets. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse and Hand Labour .—The advantage of an early application of 
manure to the pastures is now clearly apparent. Carting of the old 
mixens of farmyard manure upon the grass was finished some weeks ago. 
It was spread as quickly as possible, and now the difference between 
manured and unmanured grass is remarkable, the first being of a dark 
green hu a , with an appearance of growth about it that gives agreeable 
promise of an early strong growth ; the other has a brown impoverished 
wintry colour, which is as clear an indication of a want of fertility as 
the dullest intellect could require. Left untouched, we know full well 
that the growth would be late and feeble, and this knowledge is an 
incentive to the speedy application of our annual dressings of artificial 
manures. Frosty mornings have enabled us to cart a dressing of farm¬ 
yard manure upon some land in which we intend sowing Peas; spreading 
the manure, ploughing, and sowing, will follow at once. A heavy 
dressing of manure has also been given to the Hops. We were able to 
cart on this manure early by letting the wheels of the carts pass along 
the water farrows, which are made early in autumn by passing the double- 
breasted plough along the middle of each space between the Hop rows. 
The manure is being dug in; this done, nothing more will be required 
till the pruning of the Hop crowns is done about a month hence. 
The cutting of underwood is finished, and the planting of Ash, Spanish 
Chestnut, and Alder is now being pushed on as fast as possible. We find 
Spanish Chestnut answer so admirably for underwood in our poor thin 
soil that we have planted about a hundred thousand of it during the past 
ten years, our practice being to grub old poverty-stricken stools of Oak 
out of each portion of underwood as it is cut in turn, and to replant, 
generally with Spanish Chestnut, preference being given to Ash where 
the soil is heavy and moist, and to Alder for low-lying bogs or swamps. 
For the ornamental clumps, which we have had to introduce upon certain 
parts of the estate, we have invariably used Larch for nurses, planting 
them 3 feet apart, and the permanent trees 9 feet apart. 
MODERN FARMING. 
At the recent meeting to commemorate the anniversary of the open- 
ing of the Columbia Market, London, Mr. George Brown, of Gaysham 
Hall, remarked that he was sorry that he could not congratulate his 
brother farmers upon the prosperity of agriculture at the present time. 
Forty years had passed since he had commenced business as a farmer, 
and during that period he had never known such a continuous depression 
in that industry as had been experienced in the last six years. But, 
“ Hope springs eternal in the human breast,” and he was happy to think 
that he had a fair share of it. No doubt this was partly owing to the fact 
that through all the vicissitudes he had been able to keep his head above 
water, although his late experiences gave little ground for hope, he 
thought that in the last month of the old year one little ray of light had 
penetrated into the gloom. He meant the advance of 5s. per quarter on 
Wheat. He hoped this would continue, for it was evident that the 
foreigner no more than the English farmer could afford to produce Wheat 
at the ruinous prices which prevailed at the earlier part of the season, and 
he as one of the former was glad to see that the latter had thrown up the 
sponge. Farming is different from any other business, as it is not 
thought necessary to learn it. Lately, however, most of the amateur 
farmers had been got rid of, still the impression, seemed to remain that 
the practical farmer required a great deal of advice. Some tell him to 
keep bees and sell honey ; others to keep poultry and sell eggs ; and 
again to turn all his land into pasture, and produce fat bullocks. In fact, 
it seemed as if everyone, except the farmer, knew how to farm. One 
great panacea for the depression was to advocate a duty on corn, but be 
for one was not of that way of thinking. He did not believe in running 
after a shadow, and he felt certain that a duty of 5s. on Wheat would not 
of itself advance the price to the grower 2s. 61. What would do more good 
would be for our legislators to repeal those bad old laws which had almost 
become obsolete, but which now appear to be restored and to be more 
arbitrary than ever. In proof of this he pointed to the fact that all the 
vegetables required by a million of people had to be brought to one spot, 
and so have a toll put on them at the will of a private individual, an 
obligation under which East London can never be properly supplied with 
vegetable food. Whilst such a state of things existed it would be like 
putting a rent of 5s. per acre on all land that has any pretension to grow 
vegetables. Bad as that is, it is trifling in comparison to the injury it 
will do to the consumer, for it is quite impossible to feed such a great 
number of people properly from one spot by small carts from and to 
remote distances. The consequence is that the prices have to be put so 
high that the public does not get half enough. 
Only last year he had ploughed into the ground forty acres of vege¬ 
tables, which be should have brought to market if he could have realised 
nearly one farthing per pound, and at that very time the consumer was 
paying Id. per pound in London for precisely the same class of vegetables 
as he had to destroy. I have no doubt that much larger quantities of 
vegetables would be consumed if they could be properly conveyed to the 
consumer in sufficient quantities at resonable prices, and I think the best 
way to increase and distribute such food would be to introduce railway 
communication direct into a market. It is not generally known that if 
green vegetables do not reach the consumer on the same day that they are 
brought to market their value goes down from 50 to 100 per cent., so that 
in forty-eight hours they are worthless. It is monstrous that in this day 
our horses should be compelled to drag all vegetables six miles through 
London, and then other horses drag them back again, all in consequence 
of a foolish charter. 
Prickly Comfrey.— In turning over last year’s numbers of your 
Journal for the purpose of having them bound, I notice in that of 
13th November last an inquiry from a correspondent about Prickly 
Comfrey, and an answer appended to it to the effect that it did not 
answer the expectations of the writer, who says “ Horses, &c., refused to 
eat it, and that they must be brought to the verge of starvation to do so. 
I wish, therefore, to state that my horses eat it with avidity, though they 
have oats and hay in abundance. I obtained my plants some years back 
from Messrs. Sutton & Sons, Reading, and they flourish splendidly, 
yielding more than I require, as one part is ready to cut again before we 
have finished the other. My groom approves highly of it as fodder, and 
uses it constantly, considering it an excellent change.—C. H. P. 
OUR LETTER BOX, 
Farming (Q ).—We are obliged by your card; in the hurry of preparing 
for press the little mistake was not seen till too late for correction. How¬ 
ever, no one could misunderstand the writer’s meaning, and few will question 
the soundness of his teaching. 
Fowls Dying (E. A. S ).—The disease is hereditary and incurable, and 
your only safe plan will be to kill all your present stock and get a healthy 
breed of birds. Your other question will be answered next week. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
Camden Square, London. 
Lat. 1° 32'40" N.; Long. 0° 8' 0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
> A I Cj 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAY. 
Hygrome- 
0 . 
O ; 
Shade Tern- 
Radiation 
a 
188d. 
ter. 
Or- g 
perature. 
Temperature. 
January. 
.5 Vi 3 J 
So- 
In 
On 
35 2 * 
Dry. 
Wet. 
So 
tH 
Max. 
Min. 
sun. 
grass. 
Inches. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
In. 
Sunday .2.5 
30.171 
27.2 
26.6 
N.E. 
85.0 
40.7 
25.4 
44.8 
18.8 
— 
M inday.26 
30.053 
36.8 
36.8 
S.E. 
34.8 
42.2 
26.6 
48.8 
20.7 
0.041 
Tuesday.27 
29.870 
43.8 
42.9 
S. 
34.8 
50.2 
36.4 
59.2 
33.7 
0.010 
Wednesday .. 28 
29.878 
47.6 
45.6 
S. 
36 8 
49.5 
42.9 
52 9 
37.2 
0.032 
Thursday .... 29 
29.538 
52.1 
48.7 
S.W. 
39.4 
53.3 
458 
69.8 
43.3 
0.173 
Friday.30 
20 342 
47.2 
46.1 
S.E. 
41.2 
51.8 
46.3 
60.2 
40.3 
0.090 
Saturday .... 3i 
20.131 
4.5.2 
43.2 
S. 
42.2 
51.3 
413 
50.2 
34.9 
0.229 
29.712 
43.8 
41.4 
37.7 
48 4 
37.8 
53.7 
32.7 
0.575 
REMARKS. 
25th.—Very fine bright winter’s day. 
26th.—Foggy morniug ; fair midday; damp warm evening. 
27th.—Fine pleasant morning: showery afternoon. 
28th.—Cloudy morning; drizzly afternoon and evening. 
29th.—Dull morning ; wet afternoon; fine bright night. 
SOth.—Wet morning; fair afternoon ; drizzly evening ; wet night. 
31st.—Fine early, clouded over about 9.80 a.m. ; gusty southerly gale with rain; vivid 
lightning and loud thunder at 7.12 p.m. 
The first two days cold, afterwards damp and mild, the temperature of Thursday and 
Friday being'almost identical with that usual on the let of May.— G. J. Symons. 
