76 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ January 24, 1884. 
white line along tlie back, and with white along the belly as well; 
blit he prefers a rich brown-black, which is a favourite colour 
with some breeders, and he has great partiality for cattle of this 
hue. They are generally more kindly feeders than those which 
have coal-black coats. The brown-black, however, should not be 
approaching chocolate, for there should be no reddish tinge—■ 
a sure sign of cross-breeding—and such animals usually lack 
quality. The coat should be long and wavy, neither short and 
crisp nor very curly. A brown-black wavy coat is to be preferred 
to any other. A white udder and a grey or white tuft of hair at 
the end of the tail is the only deviation from the self-colour, 
black, or brown-black, admissible. The natural characteristics 
of the breed may be described as narrow on the shoulder and 
chine, slack on the loins, an inclination to be high on the rump, 
and Hat-sided. The special characteristics of the blacks which 
make them so valuable, are hardiness of constitution, aptitude 
for dairy purposes, and docility. 
The shape of these animals over the shoulder top and chine 
is, we have always considered in our experience, the true 
characteristic of a good milking capacity, no matter in what 
breed of cattle, for as a rule where cows are heavy in the fore¬ 
quarters, with heavy pads of flesh on the shoulder top, they 
cannot be made good milkers by any known system of feeding 
or management. We must therefore conclude that as these 
Welsh Blacks are described they may by special care in selection 
and management be made to produce cattle in one case excellent 
milkers, and in the other where perfect shape and tendency to 
fatten is required, good graziers and of early maturity. Further 
on we shall produce evidence to justify these conclusions by 
some of the best judges of the breed and the most intelligent 
managers not only for home use but also for the production of 
prize-winning animals. 
Let us now refer to them as dairy stock ever under the most 
advei’se surroundings, such as the food afforded by the moun¬ 
tainous districts of Wales. In the first place they must be 
extremely hardy and possessing the strongest constitutions such 
as we find in no other race of cattle kept, and enduring hardships 
in the same way. There can be no doubt on the point if we 
consider the practical treatment of rearing calves, and the hard¬ 
ships they endure before they are old enough to breed and 
contribute to the milk pail; the greatest astonishment is con¬ 
nected with the fact that they are ever capable of becoming 
useful dairy stock at all, after having been reared under such 
hardships as they have to contend with. No cattle can withstand 
cold and wet so succes fully as the Welsh Blacks. Their native 
home is in a stormy clime, and they roam in the fields, their 
only shelter being the earth banks of the enclosures and the 
mountain sides. Cows and heifers are frequently allowed to 
calve in the tempestuous atmosphere of the western districts 
knee deep in snow, with apparent comfort and without injury to 
their offspring. But to ascertain the value of animals with such 
constitutions and capabilities, let us compare them with those 
animals which are said to rough it in the New Forest and other 
commons or districts such as the commons of Surrey, Hants, 
and other Heather districts, for these districts can claim only a 
nondescript kind of cattle, although the feed on such lands are 
of the poorest. Yet the climate of the home and southern 
counties is greatly superior to the coast districts of Wales, and 
it seems most extraordinary that owners of such cattle should 
continue to rear and use them for dairy purposes. For although 
fairly ) roductive of milk, yet when barren from accident or 
otherwise they are completely worthless; while in Wales the 
black cattle after undergoing such hardships as we have 
described both in food and climate, any barren animals after 
leading a beneficial life for the owner as dairy stock ai’e actually 
capable and frequently are fed and converted into excellent 
carcases of beef, and sometimes they are exhibited in the district 
cattle shows with success after a judicious course of feeding and 
management. 
(To be continued.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour. —Should the late mild and comparatively favourable 
weather last the seed time for spring Wheat may he continued with a 
fair prospect of success, for the land in most cases, although rather 
heavy on strong clay soils, is yet workable and suitable for Wheat¬ 
sowing. Upon the other hand, Beans and Peas may now be sown with 
a fair prospect, especially where the nature of the soil is undulating on 
the surface and friable in working. At the same time we should take 
or select the driest soils for Peas and the heaviest land for Beans. The 
latter, however, are uncertain croppers, and we prefer to drill with 
the Beans either small Maple Peas or winter Vetches, in which case if 
the black aphides should attack the Beans there is a probability of the 
Peas or Vetches succeeding and insuring a crop. In the event of the 
mixed corn being drilled at 20 inches or 2 feet distance between the 
rows the land can be kept clean by horse-hoeing between the line3, and 
liand-lioeing and weeding in the lines until the Peas or Vetches begin to 
spread, after which they will meet each other across the drills and 
effectually overwhelm the weeds, but especially the annuals. Barley 
and Oats may now be sown with a fair prospect of a good crop if the 
land is in good heart and condition ; if not, artificial manures should be 
drilled with the seed. Most manure merchants keep for sale mixtures 
adapted for the purpose, but we prefer to mix for ourselves such manures 
as we have found the best for this purpose, for Barley using 2 cwt. of 
bone superphosphate and 1 cwt. of Peruvian guano per acre. For Oats 
or drege, however, there is nothing equal in our opinion to sowing broad¬ 
cast from 1^ cwt. to 2 cwt. of nitrate of soda per acre, according to the 
previous condition of the land, especially as it is now so much cheaper 
than previou-ly. The pastures may some of them soon be dry enough 
to bear the horses and carts without tracking injuriously, in which case 
the sooner the dung or composts are laid out the better; if not, artificial 
manures may be applied with great advantage, especially in February, 
when we generally obtain a sufficient rainfall to increase the benefit to- 
be derived from artificial manure dressings. It has been stated by some 
agricultural chemists that dressings of artificial manures cannot be- 
depended upon to fully operate upon pasture land; but our experience 
is quite the reverse, for we find that 3 or 4 cwt. of bone superphosphates 
and 1 or 2 cwt. of Peruvian guano in admixture is excellent, yet on some- 
dry soils 1 or 2 cwt. of nitrate of soda instead of guano has been found 
to answer better. 
Hand Labour. —We have men now engaged in planting an orchard— 
namely, Filberts and the two best varieties of Cobnuts, also fruit trees, 
of which we are planting nine sorts of kitchen and table Apple trees— 
viz., Lord Suffield, Blenheim Orange, Wellington or Dumelow’s Seedling, 
Worcester Pearmain, Keswick Codlin, Orange Pippin, Hawthornden, 
King of the Pippins, and Cellini Pippin. These are being planted on 
some fine hazle loam, with mild brick-earth subsoil, on south-west aspect, 
well sheltered from north and east. Some men are employed in the- 
spreading of chalk, grubbing hedges, &c., ditches to be drained. Thresh¬ 
ing of corn before the busiest period for labour commences will employ 
some men, especially in winnowing after the threshing machine. Some 
machines will winnow corn, &c., simultaneously, but it is rarely the case 
that the winnowing is so perfect as for every sackful to be alike ia 
sample, at least we have found it to be the case frequently; and this- 
oftentimes induces the miller to grumble, and some will take advantage 
and refuse to accept it as representing the sample, especially on a falling 
in the market. Tnis is a very troublesome matter to contend with, and 
therefore we prefer to thoroughly mix the grain and minnow it carefully 
to insure a uniform and saleable sample. Although it is extra labour, 
yet it prevents furthur trouble in marketing. 
Live Stock. —The Down flocks of every variety, either South Downs, 
Shropshire Downs, Oxford Downs, Hampshire Downs, and their crosses, 
all are now near to or are in the act of lambing, but more especially the 
Hampshire and west country Downs, including those bred in Wilts- 
and Dorset. Nothing could be more favourable than the weather has 
been for all of these during gestation and those which have now brought- 
their lambs, for the whole autumn has been more mild, moist, and 
forcing for grass than is frequently found to occur in the spring months. 
This has therefore tended greatly to favour good health and condition 
amongst not only breeding ewes but all breeds of fatting sheep feeding 
upon roots on anything like dry friable land, for these have done re¬ 
markably well, and it is probable that more mutton was never made upon 
a given number of sheep fed in the open field upon roots and the accom¬ 
paniments of good hay, corn, or cake than during the past autumn and 
up to the present time. This is well for the consumer, as mutton must 
be more moderate in price in consequence ; but it has been and will b& 
much against the grazing farmer who paid high rates for his sheep on. 
the first purchase, and we fear that notwithstanding the short number 
of sheep stock in the kingdom the farmer will gain but little this winter- 
by fattening his sheep. 
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. 
--- , 
Bain 
1884. 
January. 
Barome¬ 
ter at 32s 
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 . 
13 
30.501 
41.3 
89.4 
4V. 
400 
4-5.5 
344 
50.8 
28.6 
— 
Monday. 
14 
30.463 
42.2 
40.6 
N.W. 
42.8 
50.1 
39.4 
65.2 
34 2 
— 
Tuesday. 
15 
30.582 
46.8 
45.9 
N. 
41.9 
51.3 
41.2 
61 8 
37.3 
— 
-Wednesday .. 
16 
80.656 
38.0 
38.0 
W.N.4V 
42.1 
48.7 
36.1 
49 6 
311 
— 
Thursday .... 
17 
30.621 
40.3 
39.5 
w. 
42.0 
43.0 
37.3 
42.7 
37.3 
— 
Friday. 
18 
30.604 
41.4 
40.2 
N. 
419 
45.7 
39.5 
46 8 
38 0 
— 
Saturday .... 
19 
30.635 
44.2 
4L.6 
4V. 
41.8 
46.9 
40.3 
481 
88.9 
— 
30.580 
42.0 
40.7 
41.8 
47.3 
38.3 
52.1 
35.1 
REMARKS. 
13th.—Sharp frost on grass early ; fair throughout, but not bright. 
14th.—Fair and dry. 
15 th.—Fine throughout. 
16th.—Dull and misty, with fog at times. 
17th.—Overcast, with slight fog. 
18th.—Dull and gloomy. 
19th.—Dull, calm and cloudy, clearer in evening. 
Another warm week, with extremely high barometer, no rain, dull fquable weatbe", 
• scarcely any wind, and slight fog.—G. J, SYMONS. 
