164 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ February 19, 1885. 
Upon farms within a short distance of a good market large 
breadths of Potatoes of early or second early sorts maybe grown 
and sold at a considerable profit, ai d with a degree of certainty 
that is in pleasing contrast to the risk of loss from disease 
attending the culture of late Potatoes. Early Potatoes are also 
soon oft’ the land, in time for another crop, which is generally 
white Turnips, of which a full and heavy crop may be had, for 
second early Potatoes are usually ready for market by the 
middle of July. We have seen a crop of medium-sized Turnips 
obtained by clearing oft; the Pot’ to haulm, then sowing the 
Turnip seed broadcast and passing harrows over it; but to 
obtain a full crop the land must be ploughed and thoroughly 
broken up before the seed is sown. 
(To be continued.) 
quantity. The pamphlet abounds with good sense and sound practical 
hints from beginning to end, and we cordially commend it to the notice of 
every farmer. 
THE PRICE OF ARTIFICIAL MANURES. 
A quotation of prices for artificial manures received from our 
manure merchants since the publication of the article (page 142) upon 
this important subject, shows a reduction upon last year’s prices of £1 
per ton for nitrate of soda and £4 10s. per ton for nitrate of potash. 
The entire quotation is as follows :— 
£ s. d. 
Steamed bone flour . 9 0 0 per ton. 
Mineral superphosphate 25 per cent. .. 5 0 0 „ 
Nitrate of soda. 1060 „ 
Nitrate of potash. 17 0 0 „ 
Ground eoprolite . 4 0 0 „ 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse and Hand Labour. —The frequent recurrence of wet days has 
induced us to revert to an old but good plan in Pea sowing, which is to 
push on the ploughing on every favourable occasion and to sow at once, 
so that a certain breadth of land is ploughed and sown before we leave 
the field. We thus avoid all trampling upon the soil again till the surface 
is rendered firm and dry by March winds and bright sunshine. Not only 
for Peas, but for all spring corn is the plan advisable in a wet spring, 
when to wait for fine settled weather involves the risk of being too late 
with the sowing to insure a full crop. The sowing of artificial manure 
upon grass land for hay now follows promptly after the withdrawal of the 
sheep from each meadow. It is our practice to give the teg sheep a last 
run through the hay meadows this month, and then to have no more 
grazing upon them till after the haying. This plan insures an early 
strong growth and full crop of grass, to which the early application of the 
manure contributes. To keep the sheep upon the grass till the end of 
March makes a late, often a light, hay crop, and to defer sowing the 
manure till the end of March or beginning of April involves a risk of the 
manure remaining upon the surface undissolved till it is too late for the hay 
crop to derive any benefit from it. In pastures where Clovers are 
apparently failing a dressing of wood ashes should he given. The effect 
is generally almost magical, for pasture where hardly a plant of Clover 
was previouly visible to the casual observer will present a strong free 
growth of Clover standing up conspicuously among the grass, and con¬ 
tributing greatly to improve the quality of the hay. Chemists tell us 
that wood ashes contain in some degree all the most essential elements of 
plant food except ammonia, potash being the most abundant. 
Poultry, the early broods of ch'ckens have come strong in numbers 
and most of the birds are thriving. This is important, for in households 
requiring a steady supply of from one to two dozen chickens weekly the 
supply is liable to fail at that critical time between the late autumn and 
early spring broods, and it is then precisely that the demand for them 
increases. Game, turkeys, and geese are at an end for the season, there¬ 
fore more chickens are called for and must be had. Everything must be 
done that is possible for the early broods. Feeding must be done early in 
the morniDg, frequently during the day, and as late as possible in the 
evening. Our most successful poultryman is an enthusiast, and he goes 
the round of his broods at 8 p.m., placing his lamp upon the feeding 
board m front of each coop as he comes to it. This attracts the chickens, 
and they at once run out and feed eagerly. We may be told that such 
late feeding is unnecessary. Our man thinks not, for he says the nights 
are long and the chicks become weak from fasting so many hours, and are 
then liable to suffer from cold and damp, which prove fatal to so many 
early broods. _ But his best answer is the fact of his success in rearing 
large broods w ith hardly a loss. 
NOTICES OF BOOKS. T 
A Revolution in Farming , Ensilage, and Cultivation of Maize in Enqland 
Jarrold & Sons, Norwich; and 3, Paternoster Buildings, London. 
Price 61. b ’ 
We have here, in a pamphlet of forty-two pages, a clear and simple 
explanation in a popular form of the making of silos, the process of ensi¬ 
lage, and also the cultivation of Maize in this country as a result of mu^h 
importance rendered possible by the introduction of silos ; most of which 
lvr a < re P r .' nt tbe P a } 1 Nall Gazette. It gives a description of the 
Merton silos, with particulars of the cost of building them, the manner and 
cost of storing the silage or pit fodder, the importance of the exclusion ol 
air, and a simple and economical way of doing so ; and it tells how the silo 
renders us independent of the weather. Some valuable facts are given in 
Va l Ue 0f for . sl,a ge, and only for silage. “ To feed 
the stock with the chopped Maize in its raw state would either kill or 
e T er *v b u aSt f that trle: ! dlgest the wood y stalk of the Maize ; but 
a process digestion is gone through. The woody fibre 
softens, but the leaves and stalks retain much of their natural appear¬ 
ance In the wet cold summer of 1883 Mr. Woods of Merton grew 
t W wi y ', eig f S V nS i° f green , Ma I? e per acre ’ and last T ear > aft er a drought 
l 0 ^ 1teen .™ sks > the same field yielded more than thirty 
tons.^ The first thought one has after reading of such extraordinary re¬ 
sults is how terribly exhaustive to the soil such crops must be • vet it is 
apparently not so for Mr. Woods explains that “ The land was manured 
for Maize with fifteen loads of farmyard manure, and three hundredweight 
ot superphosphate per acre,” which is anything but an extraordinary 
Delivered alongside rail or wharf in London for nett cash, which show9 
that the quantity of manure given last week can be had on rail in London 
at the very low rate of 23s. 2|d. per acre for grass land, 30s. 44d. per acre 
for grain crops, and 50s. 44d. per acre for roots. It must not be forgotten 
that these are ton rates ; if only a few hundredweights were required the 
rates would be somewhat higher. Again we say to tenant farmers, 
Combine and make up one large order, and so avoid the rapacious middle¬ 
man, and, what is even more important, obtain pure manures. 
Farmers’ Year Books. —Two of these are before us, and both of them’ 
as may be expected, are excellent productions, and of interest to agriculturists. 
The first to hand was Messrs. Suttons’ of Reading, which is copiously 
illustrated, and contains an excellent portrait of Mr. M. H. Sutton, who is 
just entering on his seventieth year. Amongst other things the interesting 
fact is recorded that Mr. Sutton was requested by the late Prince Consort 
thirty years ago to send a complete collection of Grasses to Osborne for the 
gardens of the Royal children. Mr. Sutton’s excellent article, “ How I Judge 
Seeds,” is included in the work. Rather smaller, but very neat and sub¬ 
stantial, is the “ book ” of Messrs. F. & A. Dicksons of Chester, also freely 
illustrated and containing tabulated selections of seeds and other hints of 
service to cultivators. The table showing the quantity of seeds to be sown 
per acre will be useful to inexperienced cultivators for reference. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Fowls Ailing (West Herts ).—We fear there is something very wrong in 
your system of feeding and management. Let us know—1, How you house 
and feed your birds ? 2, Do you supply grit for digestion and lime rubbish 
or oyster shells for shell-forming ? 3, Is there any running from the nostrils, 
or cankerous formation in the throat of the bird you first refer to as 
“having a rattling in his throat?” We can then advise you with some 
precision. 
Silos and Ensilage (J. E .).—Silos are simply receptacles for storing 
herbage in a green state, which is termed ensilage. On page 102, 
our issue of January 29th this year, you will find an article on 
the subject; another on page 158, August 14th, 1884, and three others, 
forming a series, on pages 268, 289, 309, March and April 1883. A manual 
by Mr. James Tliorold Rogers, M.P. (Swan, Sonnenshein & Co., Paternoster 
Row); and another just issued by Messrs. Jarrold & Sons, London and 
Norwich, also afforl much information on this subject. 
Abortion in Sheep ( S. P .).—If the animals have not been frightened or 
over-driven at some time, we can only attribute their condition to excessive 
feeding on Turnips, which has been known to produce inflammation and 
abortion. You cannot do better than ask a practical farmer or competent 
shepherd to examine them and determine the treatment that the condition 
of the animals suggests. That is undoubtedly the safest course to pursue 
n this peculiar and apparently very serious case. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
Camden Square, London. 
Lat. 51° 32'40" N.; Long. 0° 8' 0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
DATE. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAY. 
1885. 
Barome¬ 
ter at 32« 
and Sea 
Level 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
Direction 
of Wind. 
Temp, of 
Soil at 
1 foot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
B 
“5 
February. 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
sun. 
On 
grass. 
Sunday . 8 
Inches. 
29.803 
deg. 
46.4 
deg. 
45.9 
S. 
deg. 
40.6 
deg. 
51.5 
deg. 
40.2 
deg. 
57.2 
deg. 
32.9 
In. 
O.lfift 
Monday. 9 
29.651 
38.1 
35.0 
S.W. 
41.8 
46.8 
36.8 
70.4 
31.8 
Tuesday. 10 
30.013 
37.8 
37.0 
S.W. 
40.4 
48.1 
33.4 
60.2 
26.2 
o.niA 
Wednesday .. ll 
29 995 
50.4 
48.7 
S.W. 
40.8 
55.7 
37.1 
68.4 
37.1 
Thursday .... 12 
30.154 
48.4 
47.8 
S.W. 
42.2 
57.8 
41.3 
75.3 
32.6 
0.010 
Friday. 13 
30.062 
47.3 
46.3 
S.W. 
43.4 
53.3 
45.2 
52.8 
45.0 
Saturday .... It 
29.784 
48.0 
46.0 
S.W. 
43.8 
50 7 
46.6 
53.2 
40.9 
0.118. 
29.923 
45.2 
43.9 
41.9 
52 0 
40.1 
62.5 
35.2 
0.301 
REMARKS. 
9th.—Lovely spring day. 
10th. Foggy morning and colder, fair day, damp evening. 
Utli.—Damp early, fine bright day, 
12th.—Dull and rather damp. 
13th.—Dull. 
Hth.-Overcast, with sprinkles of rain during day, and steady rain at night. 
Dull, (lamp and warmer even than the previous weeks. The mean temnerature is 
about that usual in the middle of April.-G. J. Symons. temperature is 
