180 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ February 28,1884. 
is especially liked by sbeep as well as by cattle. On dry soils, 
such as those we are speaking of, it frequently forms one of the 
principal products for grazing, but it is rare to see it in blossom 
where sheep are constantly feeding. Although cattle are not so 
fond of it as sheep, yet before the autumn begins it will be 
found to be closely eaten and no seed heads remaining. There 
is another point in favour of this herb in pastures—it roots so 
deeply into the subsoil, even on the driest land, that it never 
flinches or seriously diminishes in production in the hottest 
summers ; and from this cause it is found, however close it may 
be eaten by the sheep, to be constantly sprouting and maintaining 
a succession of food scarcely realised by any Grass production 
except Sainfoin or Lucerne. It is even better than these, 
because the sheep cannot eat the crowns or budding stems to 
their destruction like Sainfoin, for the Yarrow forms a mass of 
roots spreading under the surface soil, and is quite independent 
of any surface injury from which the Clovers, &c., suffer. 
Another Grass which is named in this list is the creeping- 
rooted or smooth-stalked Meadow Grass (Poa pratensis). It 
is a valuable permanent Grass, for its general habit of growth, 
and by its standing drought well, is specially adapted for the 
lightest soils. Suckling Clover (Trifolium minus) is introduced 
because we have noticed how well it produces, and how per¬ 
manent it is on dry chalk, gravel, and all light soils, and we 
think it a very desirable mixture with white Dutch Clover 
(Trifolium repens) on account of their close-growing habits 
affording in summer time quite a continual mass of bloom of 
yellow and white flowers so much relished by sheep. 
(To be continued.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour .—It has been a good time for rolling the young 
Clovers, and now the Wheat should be rolled with a heavy ring roller, 
both lengthways and crossways, especially upon land where the Wheat 
was sown after green crops ploughed in; for it will sometimes become 
root-fallen, as it is called, if the land is not pressed firmly. Some 
farmers use the Crosskill roller, but this is not so well, because it leaves 
the land on the surface open instead of pressing it down firm. We very 
seldom find lea ground Wheat—that is, when sown after Clover, requires 
rolling if ploughed deep enough, unless the second growth of Clover was 
ploughed in. We have various experiments in ploughing-in green crops 
this year which may interest young beginners, because it is a practice 
not yet so well known as it probably will be. For instance, one-half of 
a field was Clover lea-dunged, and Wheat sown after one ploughing, the 
other half of the field was a fallow for common Turnips, grown by an 
application of cwt. of bone superphosphate. The Turnips proved large 
and well grown, and were in consequence a full crop of about 16 tons 
per acre when ploughed under, but would have reached 20 tons or more 
probably if left longer. They were, however, intended to be followed by 
rough chaff Essex dwarf Wheat; 12 tons or less would have been enough 
if they were followed by Lent corn ; in fact, 8 or 9 tons when they have 
abundant foliage would have been enough for a crop of Oats, and 5 or 
6 tons sufficient for Barley if the foliage had been gross. This land is just 
about being rolled with the ring roller, and will be seeded to Clover and 
Cock’s-foot, and Timothy Grass seeds at the end of March. The next 
experiment is a piece of land after a crop of Trifolium cut for soiling 
cattle, and then twice ploughed, made clean, then sown with Turnips, 
with the same amount of manure as for the other field ; but being later 
sown there was an abundance of foliage, but the Turnips never having 
been hoed were not large, but we consider them quite large enough, and 
they were as usual chopped with the cross-barred chopper and ploughed 
in, and the Wheat sown late, it being a dry, friable, and kind piece of 
gravelly land, but no doubt will produce a full crop of Wheat. Several 
other pieces or parts of fields have been done in different ways, which we 
intend to explain at another time. 
Threshing corn ricks, both of Wheat and White Oats, has engaged the 
attention of men and some horses lately. The advantage of doing this 
work before a busier time arrives is great, for the delivery of the grain to 
the station or the town will engage some horses, which can be ill spared 
at the seed time for Lent corn, Potatoes, Mangolds, and also the preparing 
land for other root crops. The drilling of early Peas and Beans will 
now be going on. In a few days early Peas will be sown of a sort fit for 
market if picked and sold green ; if not, they will be early to seed and 
harvest, in which case the land will be scarified and cleaned, and sown 
with Turnips or Mustard according to the day of the month, the crop in 
either case to be ploughed in for Wheat. Beans will be put in almost 
simultaneously, being drilled at about 22 inches will be easily horse- 
hoed and hand-hoed ; and Turnips sown at the last hoeing to be ploughed 
in also after the Beans are harvested, which will be early, because we 
drill the early Mazagan variety. Sometimes we drill a portion of late 
Partridge Peas or Winter Vetches with the Beans. These serve to keep 
down the weeds and cover all the space between the rows. The chief 
advantage is, however, to avoid the risk of blight in the Peas by early 
sowing, and in the Beans when mixed with Peas or Vetches, for both 
never suffer from blight the same season, the Beans suffering from the 
black aphides and the Peas from the green aphides. The Vetches when 
they have blight suffer from the red rust, as it is called, but that is more 
seldom than other kinds of blight, and only occurs in dry hot summers. 
Hand Labour .—Some men will be employed in planting Larch Firs, 
for on many estates the timber has been cut, especially since the depres¬ 
sion among the tenants upon the estates has prevailed. It will, however, 
answer a good purpose on various poor soils, not available either as arable 
or pasture, to plant this land, more particularly upon hillsides unsuited for 
cultivation. Other men will still be employed in cutting and converting 
underwood in the coppices. Others may be employed in taking off and 
shaping the sides of farm roads, and this labour is well spent for two 
reasons : because the roads will require less horse labour in carting gravel 
for repairs, and also because the turves of earth removed to complete the 
water tables or sides of the roads will be useful further on for making 
compost added to any spare manure for the dressing of pasture lands, and 
at the same time much earth may be utilised, after being mellowed in heap, 
for bottoming the boxes and cattle pens for the absorption of the urine, and 
addin? greatly to the manurial resources of the farm. 
Live Stock .—The lambing of the long-woolled flocks is now pro¬ 
ceeding, and requires constant attention, especially as these ewes 
generally bring a large proportion of twins compared with the South- 
downs or Wilts and Hants downs. The weather has been, and still 
continues, very favourable both for the health of the ewes and the 
strength of the young lambs as they fall. The peculiar growth oE the grass 
in pasture districts is an unusual feature in the present season, and has 
been highly favourable for all animals which exist in the open fields. 
The young lambs should, as soon as they will eat, have Carrots cut small, 
mixed with crushed Wheat or meal of Wheat ; for why should the 
farmers after making use of their own growth of hay go to the expense 
of purchasing either kind of cake for lamb food or sheep either, whilst 
Wheat, in connection with hay chaff and cut roots, mixed with Wheat 
meal, is a cheap and useful substitute. We see a great and double benefit 
in feeding with cheap Wheat, as it tends to cheapen the selling price of 
cake, which the farmers do not produce, and tends to reduce the supplies 
and enhance the price of Wheat, which is the chief of their grain products. 
Cattle, especially store animals, have plenty of grass where provision of 
that kind is valued and reserved for them, but should retire to their yards 
and shelter sheds at night time, where they may receive any food calcu¬ 
lated to maintain their health and condition, for crushed Wheat mixed 
with chaff would make good trough food for them, especially if some 
Swedish Turnips or Mangold be mixed with it. 
“ The Equipment of the Farm.” —A volume of the Farm Handbook 
series, bearing the above title, by William Burness, J. C. Morton, and 
Gilbert Murray (Bradbury, Agnew & Co., Bouverie Street), has just been 
issued and will form a useful addition to agricultural literature. The 
subject is discussed in eight chapters devoted to implements of the farm, 
farm equipment, farm capital, farm roads, field fences, the water supply, 
the farm homestead, and landlords’ capital, each of which is succinctly 
and practically considered. In the appendix a number of useful 
memoranda are given, including specifications of farm buildings and a 
list of Land Improvement Acts. 
Trade Literature. —“ Farmers do not read ” is an expression not 
by any means uncommon. But is it true ? We suspect they do read, 
and they are abundantly supplied by the enterprise of seedsmen, who 
provide them with congenial literary fare. Before us are three works of 
interest to agriculturists. Mentioning them in the order of arrival— 
namely, Sutton’s “ Farmers’Year Book,” Carter’s “Farm Seeds,” and 
Webb’s catalogue of farm seeds. These are catalogues and much more. 
The first-named contains an elaborate illustrated article on “ Some Pests 
of Farm Plants,” with practical notes on “ Cabbage as a Field Crop.” 
The second, a concise and practical paper on “ Ensilage,” with “ Notes 
on Permanent Pastures,” the last-named giving prominence to the 
“ Clover Dodder,” illustrated, and the “ABC of Ensilage.” All the 
works are profusely illustrated with the specialities of the several firms 
producing them. 
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. 
a 
‘3 
M 
1884. 
February. 
Barome¬ 
ter at 329 
and Sea 
Level 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
Direction 
of Wind. 
| Temp, of 
Soil at 
1 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 . 
. 17 
20.971 
37.8 
34.9 
S.E. 
40.3 
43.2 
35.8 
62.5 
32.5 
— 
Monday. 
. 18 
29.892 
34.9 
32.7 
S.E. 
39.7 
42.6 
32 8 
71.3 
28.7 
0.132 
Tuesday. 
. 19 
20.767 
40.8 
40.7 
S.E. 
39.2 
49.0 
33 3 
52.9 
27.7 
0.018 
Wednesday . 
. 20 
29.882 
47.8 
4.5.7 
S. 
41.0 
52.4 
40.0 
81.7 
40.0 
0.120 
Thursday .. 
. 21 
29.751 
4.5.4 
43.4 
S.W. 
42.2 
51.9 
43.7 
78.4 
41.8 
0.097 
Friday. 
. 22 
29.67.5 
47.8 
45.5 
s. 
42.7 
52.3 
42.6 
69.4 
38.4 
0.124 
Saturday ... 
. 23 
29.573 
43.4 
41.8 
S.W. 
43.0 
52.8 
39.7 
75.8 
35.4 
0.030 
29.787 
42.6 
40.7 
41.2 
49.2 
38.3 
70.3 
84.9 
0.521 
REMARKS. 
17th.—Cool, fair, with occasional sun. 
18th.—Fine and bright, but cold. 
19th.—Vet early, and foggy nearly all day, but no heavy rain after 9 A.M. 
20th.—Milder, and sunny in morning ; showers in afternoon. 
21st.—Windy in early morning, with rain ; fine afternoon ; overcast in evening. 
22nd.—Hail and rain at 2.50 A.M.; fine morning, with solar halo ; dull afternoon. 
23rd.—Showery at intervals. 
Temperature slightly lower than iu the previous week, but still considerably above 
the average.—G. J. Symons. 
