200 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
March 6, 1884 
mudlancls from the seashore, and converting them into per. 
manent pasture, are as follows :— 
tbs. 
Dactyli3 glomerata (Rough Cock’s-foot) .. 8 
Poa nemoralis (Wood Meadow Grass) . 5 
Poa trivialis (Rough-stalked Meadow Grass) . 4 
Pestuca pratensis (Meadow Fescue). 5 
Phleum pratense (Meadow Cat’s-tail or Timothy Grass) 3 
Poa aquatica (Water Meadow Grass). 3 
Alopecurus pratensis (Meadow Foxtail) . 4 
Avena flavescens (Yellow Oat Grass). 4 
Trifolium pratense perenne (Cow Grcss or Perennial 
Clover) . 4 
Quantity per acre. 40 tbs. 
In each kind of Grass here named, although some have not 
been included in any former list under other circumstances, yet 
they will be found exceedingly productive when grown upon the 
above-named soils and under the special circumstances as pre¬ 
viously related. We must also give our reason for omitting 
some of the Clovers except Cow Grass in the above list. It is, 
however, well known that for the irrigated meadows they are 
of little use generally, for the strong and excessive produce of 
the other Grasses named frequently overwhelms them, and they 
die out in consequence. This, however, although it may be 
much the same in low-lying and wet peaty meadows, yet on the 
higher portions of such meadows, the subsoil being sound and 
than, the Water Meadow Grass (Poa aquatica) may be omitted, 
and the same quantity of white Dutch Clover may be inti-oduced 
instead; otherwise we consider generally the list recommended 
contains every suitable Grass for the purpose. 
As we have in our prefatory remarks mentioned ensilage, 
we may here state the Grass produced upon any soil and under 
any of the attendant circumstances above alluded to will be 
exceedingly well adapted for being preserved in a properly con¬ 
structed silo. We must, however, defer any further observations 
relating to ensilage, as we shall have to make special reference 
to it in this Journal. Under the projects for irrigation we must 
also refer to land which is often found oa either side of vale 
meadows, and frequently laid out as what we call catch meadows, 
the water being led on to the higher portion of the field; and 
then in the act of irrigation the water, in the endeavour to find 
its level in the lower portions of the meadow, is cut off by the 
cross trenches cut for catching the water by channels laid out 
for the purpose of respreading it, to be caught again in the same 
way and redistributed throughout the whole field. We have seen 
this done in numerous instances on the lower valleys near to 
brooks or rivulets, and at the same time have noticed much land, 
although under cultivation, similarly situated and well adapted 
for catch meadows. In such cases we wish to say that the alter¬ 
ation and the admixture of Clover seed instead of one or two of 
the Grasses which we named above, will apply with full force in 
seeding for catch meadows. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Llorsc Labour .—This has been various, for although there has been 
a few fine drying days, yet it has not continued long enough to allow 
the work to be done in connection with preparing the land for Peas, 
Beans, summer Vetches, and early Potatoes, except upon some of the 
sharp sandy or gravelly soils. When the first settled dry weather occurs 
the Barley should be drilled, and next the Oats or drege, the latter 
being required chiefly for consumption of horses and cattle on the farm. 
The white Oats for sale of the early varieties, such as Canadian and 
Victoria White, need not be sown before the 14th of March until the 
20th, and will then come to the harvest ten days before the Wheat. 
With reference to the Barley-seeding and drilling we advise that the 
Barley be drilled at 12 inches apart between the rows, for in our 
experience we have known the Barley when drilled at that distance has 
proved a good malting sample, while that put in at the usual distance 
of 7 inches between the rows has only yielded thin grinding Barley. 
This circumstance goes far to explain the fact that in samples of drege, 
in which case three bushels of Oats and one bushel of Barley per acre is 
usually sown, it is because the Barley has more room to mature when 
in admixture with Oats. We have not seen an instance of a thin sample 
of Barley when separated from the Oats ; but we know farmers who 
make a rule, and corn-dealers also, to separate the samples of drege 
and sell the Barley for malting purposes, and it invariably pays them 
well for doing. In drilling early Peas for a double purpo e—that is, 
picking in a green state or seeding, for this is done often when con¬ 
venient to purchasers to buy and pick them in the green state, they 
should then be drilled at 20 inches at least between the lines. This 
gives not only room for cultivating with the horse and hand hoes, but 
affords room for picking green for market. If the land after the main 
rtion is picked should be clean, the land may then be ploughed a 
good depth, burying not only the haulm of the Peas, but the weeds also 
before they can ripen their seed. In this way the land is well manured 
by the haulm and weeds and rendered capable of producing a full crop 
of Turnips sown. Rape early enough to be fed-ofE by sheep before the 
seeding for Wheat, or otherwise the Turnips may be ploughed-in, 
which will insure a full crop and prospect for Wheat. As soon as the 
spring ssedings are done, or simultaneously with them, the land should 
be preparing for Mangold, Carrot, and Swede seeding. 
The land for Potatoes should be planted the first dry weather, and 
if it was clean or cleaned in the autumn it will now require to be 
worked down with about two tines with the heavy iron drags, and then 
proceed to plough and plant as fast as, or, in fact, during the ploughing 
to plant the sets in every third furrow by women by hand labour. 
We never advise dressing the land for Potatoes with yard or town dung, 
because whilst the work of carting out and spreading dung is going 
forward the season is often lost if wet weather occurs, whereas by manur¬ 
ing with guano and bone superphosphate mixed and cast into the furrow 
with the sets the work is completed and the seed time saved. We advise 
for use 4 cwt. of the best guano with 3 cwt. of bone superphosphate, 
mixed with about 10 bushels of damp ashes per acre, which, when strewed 
in the furrow with the sets, is equal to any amount of the best box dung 
that can be male, in the result of a Potato crop, and the seed time assured 
as much as can be done in our fickle climate. As a farm produce we 
prefer the Magnum Bonum Potatoes, and in friable loamy soil the 
Wheat is sure to produce well when sown after the Potatoes. We have 
known this succeed alternately on one field for a period of thirteen years, 
except that a crop of stubble Turnips in favourable seasons has been taken 
and fed off by sheep between the Wheat and Potatoes ; but when the 
Turnips are ploughed in it goes a long way to manure for and insure a 
full growth of Potatoes. 
Live Stock .—The Down ewes and their lambs, as well as some of the 
long-wooled kinds, are now arrived at an interesting period of their lives. 
The lambs, especially where they are healthy, and when they are in¬ 
tended to be fattened for the butcher as sucking lambs, will now require 
good shepherding and constant attention ; and on some of the grass dis¬ 
tricts the stock will require—that is, the ewes—but little besides the grass 
if the season continues as mild as at present while we write, Feb. 25th, 
except the ewes are intended to be sold fat with the lambs side by side. 
In this case the ewes may have beanmeal mixed with damp chaff to pre¬ 
vent waste ; the lambs, too, may be allowed with benefit a little of the 
best chaff of Clover or Sainfoin hay, together with cake and cracked peas, 
in troughs in a fold somewhere in the pasture of a few hurdles square, 
with lamb gates for them to feed separately from the ewes. In this case, 
if a few Carrots or Mangold can be cut and the cake and peas both in 
meal mixed with them, so much the better. The Down flocks on the 
hill farms as breeding-stock flocks will now be on the Swedish Turnips, 
in which case the lambs will be fed in advance of the ewes with cut 
roots mixed with cake and beanmeal, with good Sainfoin hay in the cages 
or racks, the ewes cutting their own food on the land, and getting a 
liberal allowance of good Clover or Sainfoin hay in the cages twice 
a day. The lambs, however, running in advance of the ewes eating 
Swede greens and Rape where every tenth drill has been grown pur¬ 
posely for them, with the best and choicest hay on the firm in the cages ; 
farther on in the season they may get cut roots with advantage with cake 
and meal extra. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Rye Grass (IF. L .).—There are several kinds of this much used on hill 
farms in admixture with white or yellow Clover, especially where intended 
for sheep-feeding only, and when required to hold over the seeds for feeding 
the second year the perennial Rye Grass is generally selected for the 
purpose, and affords abundance of pasturage. The ordinary sorts of Rye 
Grass, however, attract but little attention now, and not as they did formerly 
before the Italian Rye Grass came into use. 
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. 
1884. 
February 
and 
March. 
* a 
0 ) cq c3 _ 
flcooo 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
Direction 
of Wind. 
I 
| Temp, of 
Soil at 
1 foot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
3 
cS 
« 
MS a 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
sun. 
On 
grass. 
Sunday . 
24 
Inches. 
29.556 
deg. 
45.0 
deg. 
42.5 
N.W. 
deg. 
43.0 
deg. 
48.9 
deg. 
42.4 
deg. 
74.8 
deg. 
38.5 
In. 
Monday. 
23 
29.893 
41.1 
39.3 
W. 
42.0 
431 
33.5 
77.8 
29.3 
0.042 
Tuesday. 
20 
29.948 
40.0 
38.9 
S.W. 
41.2 
49.2 
83.4 
77.4 
28.3 
Wednesday .. 
27 
80.040 
34.3 
34.3 
E. 
40.4 
44.9 
29.9 
53.7 
26.2 
_ 
Thursday .... 
28 
29.933 
37.0 
35.4 
S.E. 
39.7 
41.2 
30.6 
47.3 
26.4 
_ 
Friday. 
29 
29.955 
35.7 
33.7 
E. 
39.0 
41.8 
29.8 
57.4 
26.2 
_ 
Saturday .... 
1 
30.05J 
33.3 
31.7 
N.E. 
38.4 
42.0 
27.5 
733 
24.2 
— 
29.918 
38.1 
36.5 
40.5 
45.2 
32.4 
66.0 
28.4 
0.042 
REMARKS. 
2itli.—Fair, but only bright occasionally. 
25th.—Cooler, and very changeable, bright sun and short sharp showers. 
26th.—White frost early; fine day. 
27th.—Foggy early, then fair, but cold. 
28th.—Dull and cold, a few flakes of snow. 
29th.—Generally fine. 
1st.—The coldest day this winter, but bright and sunny. 
A considerable fall of temperature has occurred, but not nearly SO marked a one 83 
that at the beginning of March, 1883.— G. J. Stmons. 
