344 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND C0T1AGE GARDE HER. 
t April 23, 1885. 
long before Lady day. Fortunately bay has been cheap, 
but those farmers who have been driven to purchase hay even 
at the low rate of £3 to £4 per ton would surely do well to 
consider if they could not have done better—much better, 
had the cows been kept off the pastures later last spring, and 
part or all of this forced expenditure been avoided by having 
given the grass a dressing of the mixture of artificial manures 
so often recommended in the Journal. Good reason have 
we for this query, for we used the manures last year in time 
to get them dissolved or washed into the soil before the 
drought set in, with the satisfactory result of a full hay crop, 
so that now we can wait till the grass is abundant before 
turning out cows or cattle of any kind. Our forward crop of 
Eye also helps us to be somewhat independent of the weather, 
for the cows have now a full supply of it, and they do not 
care for the hay. The meadows, too, have a strong growth 
despite the cold, and already give evidence of the beneficial 
effect of the manures sown again this year in February. 
Upon so many farms did we see the cows turned out 
upon comparatively bare pastures in March that we were led 
to ask if it is possible to help those who so evidently do not 
care to help themselves. What chance has the grass of 
growing ? or how is it possible for cows to yield a full flow 
of rich milk under such faulty management ? Now the 
growth of poor pasture is invariably late, whether the spring 
be early or not, and it is quite in vain to expect a fair crop 
from it without striving to enrich it systematically. It is 
too late to apply artificial manure this season unless a spell 
of wet weather should set in ; but we cannot recommend that 
manure should be procured for such a chance. Folding with 
sheep is far more advisable, good results being quite certain 
to follow quickly. But where the grass is required for cows 
folding at the present time is impracticable, and it must re¬ 
main in abeyance till autumn, when it may be done with the 
assurance that a strong early growth will follow next spring. 
This would be a step in the right direction, and now Tares, 
Lucerne, Thousand-headed Cabbage, and Kohl Eabi should 
be sown. Even more important are seeds for alternate hus¬ 
bandry, which may still be sown. See that they consist of 
the mixture of Grasses and Clovers already recommended, 
and remember that if there is to be any real improvement 
effected upon the permanent pasture, nothing helps to relieve 
it so much as a field of Italian Eye Grass, Cocksfoot, and 
Clover, which, when well manured, afford an early strong 
growth that is very valuable. 
To the home farmer whose efforts are crippled just now 
by a w&nt of food to keep his cattle in good condition and his 
cows in full milk, we would earnestly submit the great im¬ 
portance of a thorough systematic arrangement of the farm 
crops, and the careful elaboration of a well-considered plan 
for the entire year. Far too many farms are overstocked, 
and the bills for extra food are extravagantly high or the 
cattle are so low in condition that they will require the greater 
part of the summer to become healthy and sleek. This is 
no fanciful conception ; we have met with both extremes, and 
can regard neither as right. Only a week or two ago we 
were at an auction sale of a herd of cows and young stock, 
all of them in such wretched plight that the very sight of 
them, gave rise to feelings of indignation and disgust. 
Nothing could be practically more unwise and ill-considered 
than to have attempted wintering so many animals upon 
insufficient means. If only half or even a third of the 
number had been given the food which had barely sufficed to 
keep life in the whole of them more and better manure would 
have been made, and the few well-fed beasts would have 
proved infinitely more profitable than the whole of the 
wretched starvelings. Let our aims and ends, then, be more 
in proportion to ways and means. Small profits answer well 
enough with quick returns. The surplus stock of butter, 
e gg a > ail <l poultry upon the home farm mounts up quickly at 
this season of the year, bringing altogether a considerable 
sum of money, for all these things are in constant demand; 
poultry especially being worthy of our best care, the dealers 
now making frequent calls, medium-sized chicks being 
eagerly bought to fatten at about £20 per 100, so that the 
production of a few hundred spring chickens is certainly a 
matter not unworthy the attention of every farmer. The 
broods must be reared upon fresh ground untainted by other 
broods, for that is the only way to avoid the losses by 
gapes, which commonly proves fatal to so many of the early 
broods. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Most of the spring seeding has been well done ; Mangolds, Parsnips,, 
and Carrots are sown, and we have now to prepare for such later crops 
as Barley after Turnips, Swedes, and still later for white Turnips. Land 
reserved for this purpose may have still to be broken up and cleaned of 
foul weed roots. How this can best be done is worthy of our careful 
consideration. Large fields of from twelve to twenty or thirty acres with 
a tolerably level surface should be broken up by a steam cultivator, both 
for the sake of economy and for efficiency. No horsework can approach 
that of steam tackle in either respect. The best soil, too, is kept upon the 
surface. The air enters freely among the clods, which dry quickly, and 
require some watching, for in dry weather heavy clay soils require the 
harrows and roller at work very soon after the cultivator has done, in order 
that the rubbish may be cleared off and a fine deep tilth ensured. Deep 
rich soil well broken up, finely divided, and left not loose and open, but 
pressed tolerably firm for the growth of roots, answers best, and there can 
be no reason why it should not be prepared in the best way this season. 
In making mention of the use of steam tackle we wish to call attention to 
the heavy expenditure incurred upon so many farms for horses, and to 
inquire if some reduction is possible in the number. 
Hay and corn harvest is the time when horses are most in request 
upon the farm, but even then we may effect a considerable saving of labour 
by making corn and hayricks upon any convenient place that is accessible 
during winter for the threshing machine and waggons, then by choosing 
fine weather for the threshing and carting of the straw the plan could 
present no insurmountable difficulty. By careful management in such 
matters the ordinary requirements for horse power will be somewhat re¬ 
lieved ; if to the satisfactory degree of enabling us to do with one or two 
horses less than heretofore it will certainly be well. We would beg care¬ 
ful consideration of this important matter in time for an arrangement of 
plans beforehand. Ascertain closely the average cost of each horse for a 
year ; also see what is the comparative cost of steam tackle, and then you 
will have a safe basis whereon to found your calculations. The use of 
steam tackle is still regarded as so great an innovation upon many farms 
that we can hardly hope to see it in general use yet, but we can point to 
many instances where it has first of all been introduced into a neigh¬ 
bourhood by spirited owners of land, whose work has been done so well 
and has been followed by such satisfactory results that conviction of its 
real value involuntarily steals upon the minds of the slow but by no 
means sure farmer. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Store Sheep (Inquirer ).—Wether tegs or hoggets are what you require 
for grazing on your grass land from the present time till autumn, the prices 
ranging now from 30s. to 50s. each; and if you buy quickly before food 
becomes abundant upon the pastures, you may procure sound growing sheep 
for about 35s. Remember that you do not want the higher-priced fat sheep, 
but healthy lean animals to “ grow into money.” Good land will feed six 
sheep per acre, rich land two or three more. The condition of the land must, 
therefore, be your guide as to number, only take especial care to under 
rather than overstock the land. Sheep bred in your own locality will best 
answer your purpose, and they can be had from a farmer or at a convenient- 
market or fair. If you were to purchase Shropshires or other specially 
famous breeds you would have to pay so high a price that a certain loss 
would be inevitable. 
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. 
3 
C4 
1885. 
April. 
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. 
In 
sun. 
On 
grass. 
Inches. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
In. 
Sunday ... 
29.805 
43.0 
41.1 
N.E. 
43.0 
55.4 
38.9 
81.8 
31.8 
— 
Monday .... 
29.942 
39.9 
38.5 
N.E. 
43.2 
52.4 
38.2 
83.8 
27.2 
— 
Tuesday.... 
29.919 
44.2 
39.7 
N. 
42.8 
50 4 
35.2 
77.6 
28.2 
— 
Wednesday 
.. 15 
29.889 
42.6 
39.3 
N.E. 
43.0 
54.9 
37.7 
87.4 
31.3 
0.794 
Thursday .. 
.. 16 
29.739 
43.0 
42.7 
N.E. 
43.8 
53.2 
40.2 
78.2 
38.8 
0.31T 
Friday. 
30.028 
46.3 
44.7 
N.E. 
44.2 
64.2 
39.7 
102.7 
34.8 
— 
Saturday .. 
.. 18 
30.151 
49.8 
46.5 
N.E. 
45.2 
68.3 
38.4 
107.9 
30.6 
— 
29.925 
44.1 
41.8 
43.6 
57.0 
38 3 
88.5 
31.8 
1.111 
REMARKS. 
12th.—Overcast early, then fine, with some sun. 
13th.—Generally cloudy, hut some sun in the afternoon. 
14th.—Fair, but little sun. 
15th.—Dull early, fine day; rain in late evening and at night. 
16th.—Continuous heavy rain from early morning till ilA.M.,fair afternoon, rain from 
5 to 8 P.M. 
17th.—Fine morning, but not sunny until the afternoon. 
18th.—Fine, bright, and warm. 
Heavy rain n the middle of the week, and rather damp throughout, although the 
wind was N.E an the range of temperature large.—G. J. SYMONS. 
