1G0 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ February 21, 1884. 
of nutritive herbage, and in consequence of its deeply rooting is 
little affected by extremes of weather. 
Tall Fescue is amongst the most valuable of pasture Grasses, 
and is also one of the most productive and nutritious of British 
Grasses. It is greedily eaten by cattle and sheep, and all stock 
thrive well upon it. It is, however, a somewhat later Grass, and of 
a more robust habit, but is nevertheless very valuable for its after- 
math. Meadow Fescue is another valuable Grass that in all its 
stages of growth is liked by stock. It is much the same in its 
growth as Tall Fescue, but not quite so strong in the blade, and it 
has, since its more general growth by practical men, increased in 
their estimation as being well suited for strong soils, for it is both 
hardy and deep-rooting. 
Meadow Foxtail is one of the most valuable Grasses of the farm. 
It is about one of the first to flower, gives a good bulk of produce, 
and grows well in any soil where its roots can freely penetrate, and 
is strictly permanent in its habit of growth, and possessing, as 
described by a celebrated writer, “ the three great requisites of 
quantity, quality, and earliness in a superior degree to any other.” 
At any rate we may be sure it is particularly adapted for moderately 
stiff clay and heavy loamy soils, and under favourable conditions 
will produce a greater weight per acre than most other varieties of 
natural Grass. 
Cow Grass or Perennial Red Clover is well suited to clay soils, 
for it is very hardy and very productive, and should be used in all 
seed mixtures for such soils as we are now referring to. It is of a 
distinct kind from the Bed or Broad Clover used in alternate 
husbandry, for the former has a solid stem or stalk, whereas the 
latter has a hollow stalk. Cow Grass blooms rather later than Red 
Clover, and does not yield a second cutting so fully or quickly, but 
is immensely productive upon heavy soils overlying the chalk. 
The last seed on our list is Perennial or White Dutch Clover. 
This is of much importance in all permanent pastures, especially 
those used for bullock grazing on strong soils, such as we find in 
the midland counties, and in fact in parts of various districts in the 
kingdom. The distinctive character of this is the smaller leaf and 
close creeping habit of the permanent plant, which is very tenacious 
of the soils of which we are writing, and is quite different from the 
strong luxuriant growth of the Giant White Dutch used for alternate 
husbandry. 
All the sorts of Grasses which we recommend for use upon the 
new and improved style of laying down strong and tenacious clays 
to permanent grass have been described ; still there is and must 
necessarily be something rather vague in the words “ strong and 
tenacious clays,” because it depends very much upon the underlying 
soils, for if it be chalk, limestone, gravel, or sand a certain amount 
of porosity will exist in the surface soil, and in the case of chalk 
and limestone subsoils there will frequently be found nodules of 
carbonate of lime and marl, which are highly favourable in conjunc¬ 
tion with any strong soils, and greatly ameliorate the nature of the 
clay, be it ever so strong ; but when the land is composed of strong 
clay, only both on the surface as well as subsoil, it will require 
special cultivation, and on this point we will quote from an article 
by the late Mr. T. Carrington (Journ. Roy. Agric. Soc., vol. xv., 
p. 490), than whose opinion there are few more valuable. He says : 
“ No person who has not had experience will appreciate fully the 
difficulty and tediousness of the operation of converting into really 
good turf poor strong land which has been constantly under the 
plough for generations, and in which every bit of vegetable matter 
has been used up by the practice of having periodical dead fallows 
dressed with lime.” Three points in this quotation are prominent, 
which refers to tediousness of the operation, the loss of all vegetable 
matter, and the consequent unworkable state and tenacity of the soil. 
Taking these points fully into our consideration we have discarded all 
idea of attempting to grow any variety of Rye Grass, but have 
introduced those Grasses which are not only permanent but adapted 
to the soil; and we may safely say where the soil is made rich enough 
and well tilled before sowing, that a quick and lasting turf will be 
acquired without the interval so commonly complained of and called 
tedious by Mr. Carrington. To effect and obtain the other two 
requisites we recommend that a fallow made by the growth of green 
crops, and ploughed in as described by the essay on Mr. Peter Love’s 
system of growing successional crops of Mustard and other suitable 
green produce will be not onty made clean, but will be manured 
simultaneously in the best possible manner; for these and vegetable 
products in their death and decay will enrich the land and open it, 
making it porous enough to admit of free rooting for the Grasses, 
and at the same time furnish humus and vegetable matters with a 
certain amount of nitrogen, potash, and phosphoric acid for the 
sustenance of all the Grasses in their infancy, and hold them on with 
future good management so as to furnish a good turf, by retaining 
those Grasses which we have recommended in permanency. 
(To be continued.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour .—In the pasture districts, especially in those cases where 
the produce has been removed for hay or ensilage, and also where dairy 
produce has been sold away either in milk, butter, or cheese, the horses 
should now be employed in drawing out any compost manure which may 
have been provided for the purpose, and which should be spread imme¬ 
diately after being laid on. Where no provision has been made of dung 
or compost, which is too often the case, as farmers are very apt to neglect 
the pastures and apply all the manures arising on the farm to the arable 
land, where the extent of arable is considerable. This, however, is not 
economy, because the artificial manures—such as bone superphosphate, 
nitrate of soda, and guano — may be applied with most advantage to 
arable rather than pasture land, simply because almost any addition to the- 
grassland, like composts, yard, or town dung, which have bulk, are sure to 
answer best, for on the arable, where an increase of soil is to be obtained 
by deeper cultivation, renders bulky manures unnecessary compared with 
pasture. In the hand manures we obtain the elements of manure without 
much substance, the only requisite being dry ashes to assist in the equality 
of distribution, or when sown by hand damp ashes to prevent the light 
manures from flying before the wind, more especially when applied for 
Potatoes in the furrow with the sets. In various pasture districts where 
cattle are grazed and fattened for the butcher, and especially where they 
receive cake while grazing, manure will not he required to maintain them 
in good heart and condition; but where the pastures get no bulky manure- 
the hand tillages should be applied as follows :—3 to 4 cwt. of bone super¬ 
phosphate per acre applied in'February, and 1£ to 2 cwt. of nitrate of soda 
per acre applied in March, both to he sown broadcast. 
Barley-sowing may now be done the first chance when the land is dry 
enough to work freely, for we hold that it is better to sow Barley early 
than Oats, because the earlv-sown Barley will usually produce the best 
malting samples, whereas Oats, if sown in the middle of March, will 
generally go on without much check ; nor can we very easily produce an 
overcrop of straw to injure the yield. An experiment of ours some years 
ago is quite in point, for we once tried one half of a field sown with Barley 
and the other half with White Canadian Oats. The Barley gave nine 
sacks per acre of inferior grain, and the Oats yielded nine quarters, weighing 
45 lbs. per bushel. Both samples were sold in the same market, on the 
same day, to the same dealer, at the same price per quarter—viz., 28«. 6 d. 
per quarter. We have not since committed such a mistake as to sow 
Barley upon loamy or mixed soil in good condition, but we prefer following 
out the lesson taught by the comparative experiment. 
Live Stock .—In early lambiDg districts of the southern and home 
counties, where the horned Dorset ewes are some of the forwardest, lambs 
will have been sold, others must be nearing maturity, and the ewes also 
should be advanced in condition as much as possible in order that they 
may be sold at the same time as the lambs, or as soon after as possible ; 
and in all those cases where both ewes and lambs may have been fed with 
the best food, still the finishing process of fattening will be best com¬ 
pleted by giving bean meal in admixture with the cut roots, both for ewes 
and lambs, the quantity to be arranged according to the cake, which 
they may have previously received as their daily allowance. The young 
cattle, both steers and heifers, should be kept in well-littered and well- 
sheltered yards; and although they may in various instances go out at day 
time and obtain a little grass, yet a few cut roots, with 2 lbs. per day of 
cotton cake in admixture with middling hay, will keep them in good 
growing condition, and forward them for entry upon the summer grazing 
on the pastures ; and in the case of heifers this management will prevent 
them from suffering from quarter-ill or evil, to which they are subject 
more than steers, if they lie out at night time on the pastures. Dairy cows* 
too, will soon be ready for calving, and should be fed accordingly, but not 
if possible so as to accumulate internal fat, which endangers their lives by 
puerperal fever or the drop at calving time. Working horses should con¬ 
tinue to receive about 12 lbs. per day of roots, either of Carrots or Swedes* 
later on of Mangolds. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
Camden Square, London. 
Lat. 51° 32 40' N.; Long. 0° 8 0' W. ; Altitude, 111 feet. 
DATE. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAT. 
1884. 
AM Q1 d 
> 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
Direction 
of Wind. 
| Temp, of 
Soil at 
1 foot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
Rain 
February. 
5 a O l ~ l 
P3S c3 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
sun. 
On 
grass. 
Sunday . 
10 
Inches. 
29.537 
deg. 
45.0 
deg. 
41.8 
S. 
deg. 
43.1 
deg. 
51.8 
deg. 
40.1 
deg. 
69.1 
deg. 
35. 
In. 
0.072 1 
Monday. 
11 
29.745 
39.4 
37.6 
S. 
41.8 
46.3 
36.0 
68.6 
31.3 
0.250 
Tuesday. 
12 
29.978 
45.8 
43.3 
S. 
40.8 
50.2 
36.9 
68.2 
31.8 
Wednesday .. 
13 
29.966 
40.9 
45.4 
S. 
41 4 
56.3 
43.0 
80.4 
38-3 
0.043 
Thursday .... 
14 
30.175 
48.5 
46.4 
s. 
43.0 
54.4 
45.8 
79.0 
41.8 
0.020 
Friday. 
15 
30.213 
40.3 
38.7 
E. 
43.8 
50.4 
89.1 
53.7 
85.8 
Saturday .... 
16 
30.120 
37.8 
35.2 
E. 
41.1) 
41.3 
83.4 
58.8 
27.8 
— 
29.962 
43.4 
41.2 
42.2 
50.1 
39.2 
68.3 
o4.6 
0.394 
REMARKS. 
10th.—Squall at 4.10 a.m. ; showers, with hail, at intervals all day ; thunder and lightning 
at 11.50 a.m. ; fine evening. 
11th.—Fine early; thunderstorm 0.7 to 0.15 r.M., with much soft hail, rather more than 
half an inch in breadth and length; occasional showers afterwards. 
12th.—Fine throughout. 
ISth.—Very fine day, with warm sun ; shower after 9 p.M. 
14th.—Fine and warm, but a little rain at night. 
15th.—Much colder, with piercing wind in evening. 
16th.—Cold but fine throughout. 
A rather variable week, including some very mild and some oold days. The tempera¬ 
ture of the week as a whole considerably above the average.—G. J. Sxmons. 
