220 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ March 13, 1834. 
the condition of the land, from 3 to 4 cwt. of bone superphosphate, 
and 2 to cwt. of nitrate of soda or Peruvian guano per acre. 
Nitrate if it is on light soil, guano if on heavy or loamy soil. After being 
worked-in by two tines of the harrows the land may then be rolled 
with the Cambridge ring roller. In that condition it may be seeded, 
as the grooves formed by the rings of the roller will be the means 
by which the seed may be buried, especially if the land is free- 
working and only a single tine of the chain harrow is given, for if 
several tines are given many seeds will appear on the surface. This 
work will not have destroyed any old plants which it may be desirable 
to save, except in case of the scarifier having been used. 
The after management during the summer is a matter of extreme 
importance, and to justify our proposal of the management it must 
be remembered that on the surface the land not having been disturbed 
much we do not expect many weeds to appear, as they would on a 
regular fallow surface, therefore we advise that the young plants, 
together with any old ones which may have escaped during the 
working and seeding, should be allowed to grow up together until 
there is food enough to turn in some young store cattle. Care 
should be taken not to allow any sheep to feed on the land until the 
second year after seeding, nor should the young cattle be allowed to 
feed until the Grasses are strong, and the longer it is deferred the 
better until the Grasses will be rooted firmly enough to prevent their 
being pulled up. The feeding should not be long continued, only 
sufficient to pull off the tallest blades of Grasses. In some cases it 
may even be advisable to run the mowing machine over and take off 
any weeds and all Grasses which may have run up, and then leave 
the young Grass until necessity compels the feeding by'young cattle, 
but dairy cows will sometimes be too strong and heavy treading for 
young seeds. If the land is very poor when the manure which is to 
be applied, 15 or 20 bushels of damp ashes should be mixed with the 
manures, which will prevent their flying before the wind at sowing 
time, and also tend to the more regular distribution of the manure. 
Still, in the next year, if the seeds do not appear strong, they should 
again be manured with a similar mixture of manures, or a mixture 
of earthy composts and dung, but more especially maj r this ,be 
necessary in the case of pastures having been overrun with moss, 
for except in those cases where the pasture has been recently made 
and the deficiencies have occurred through some of the plants having 
died out, we may be quite sure that the necessity for renovating has 
been caused by the land being too poor for producing the Grasses 
indigenous to the soil. 
With regard to the seeds to be sown to renovate pastures which 
have failed to maintain a plant of Grass sufficient to make a turf, 
we must of course take notice of the soil to be seeded, as we have 
done in the seeding for certain soils, which have been fully described 
in the back numbers of this Journal dated February 21st, 28th, and 
March 6th of this year under the heading of “ Seeds for Laying 
Down Land to Permanent Pasture ; ” and in order to simplify this 
matter, let the seeds as there named, both in sorts and quantities per 
acre, be sown in half quantities of those stated where there may be 
formed a partial or half a plant of the old or formerly seeded and 
survived plants. In case of those pastures which have been entirely 
cultivated on the surface to destroy moss or Couch, then we of 
course recommend for renovating the pasture so far as it is required 
by the entire loss and vacancy of the original turf, that the whole 
of the mixtures and quantities of each Grass seeds should be used, 
just as if we were laying down for a permanent pasture on a fallow 
in the first instance. On reference to the Journals of the dates above 
mentioned, the home farmer will find that we have with great care 
and caution endeavoured to adapt the seeds to the soils and purposes 
for which the pasture may be required, for where ornamental turf is 
partially required, as in parklands, the coarsest and most objection¬ 
able varieties for this purpose are omitted. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour .—This work is now very forward upon farms in 
general ; for although the winter has been mild and stormy, yet generally 
speaking the rains have not been so continuous as in some former mild 
winters, and the drying intervals have proved the farmer’s opportunity 
for forwarding the general work ; although it must be admitted that 
intervals have not been obtained suitable for the drawing out heavy 
compost manures on the pastures. Whenever the manuring of Clovers 
or pastures could not be effected by carting on them and spreading earthy 
compost or well-decayed farmyard dung, now is the time for the appli¬ 
cation of artificial or hand-applied manures, and the best manures in 
mixture for either purpose will be found, if genuine, to be 2 cwt. of bone 
superphosphate and 14 cwt. of nitrate of soda per acre. The late fine 
weather has induced us to thresh one rick of Wheat and one rick of 
white Victoria Oats, the yield not being so great as in the previous year. 
We take great care in ricking and thatching the straw, especially of these 
white Oats, for this is in great request for cutting into chaff, mixed with 
hay, by cab owners and omnibus proprietors in towns ; and there is no 
doubt that it is of more value as fodder than either Barley or Wheat 
straw. The drilling of Oats, Peas and Beans has been in progress at 
every fine interval, and should be continued until finished ; because if 
delayed it may put off and delay the necessary tillage for Mangolds and 
other roots. Now is the time to prepare a border or headland for the 
seeding with Cabbage or Broccoli in districts where there is a sale for 
them, for we allude not to Broccoli to stand the winter and be sold in the 
spring months, for this delays the season for other crops which may 
succeed, but we mean autumn Giant Cauliflower, which will come off the 
land early enough to be sown with Wheat when the land is in high 
condition through liberal manuring. Bone superphosphate 4 cwt. per 
acre, and guano 4 cwt. on loamy land, but 2£ cwt. of nitrate of soda 
upon light soils per acre, we find are mixtures when used for either 
Potato, Cabbage, or Broccoli growing will prove better than any other 
kind of yard dung, town dung, or night soil. The last-named is, however, 
specially objectionable for Broccoli, for it is greatly complained of, 
proving very offensive after cooking when the roots are grown from night 
soil; it is, however, no matter for cattle, Cabbages, and Mangolds, and is 
no doubt the mo 3 t powerful agent in producing luxuriant growth, which 
we have, except well apportioned mixtures of bone phosphates, guano, 
or nitrate of soda. 
Hand Labour .—Trenching in the meadows should now be completed, 
and the regulation of the flood waters in irrigated meadows must be 
properly regulated, for in four weeks time the sheep on the hill farms 
will require the early food which they produce. Elm and Ash timber 
has been cut lately to a considerable extent, but it is now too late to 
continue this work. The cutting of underwood in the coppices should 
also be finished about this time, and also in the hedgerows where the 
materials are grown for making into hurdles and spar-wood. The men 
will now be required to finish the hedge-trimming, as some farmers 
reserve this work until the sap rises in the wood, as it cuts so much 
easier, and the hedges may be made more shapeable objects in con¬ 
sequence. At all fine intervals both men and women will be required 
in the fields planting Potatoes, and also forking out Couch before the 
sheep on the late Swede crops, so that when the land has been seeded 
in the Lent corn the Clovers may be found clean, and therefore pre¬ 
venting the farmers’ pest from increasing, as every practical farmer is 
obliged to admit that forking-out Couch is not only the surest way of 
getting rid of it, but also the cheapest, just as hand labour in this matter 
is everywhere, when well directed, cheaper than horse labour. 
Live Stock .—On account of the mildness of the winter both cattle 
and sheep have fared well in many pasture districts. The ewes of late 
lambing breeds, like the Downs and long-wools, have yeaned a healthy 
lot of lamb 3 with more than an average number of twins. Now, to 
our mind, the fatting of young sucking lambs is more important at 
present than any other method of sheep feeding, for the simple reason 
that not only are they yielding the quickest return for both food and 
labour, but they go to market and are sold without meeting with any 
foreign competition. This cannot be said of scarcely any other kind 
of stock fed by the farmer, and we think this point is frequently not 
only lost sight of, but in consequence not turned to the good account 
which it may be. Dairy cows are now calving fast in the dairy districts 
where cheese-making is practised, and also in the butter-making dairies 
it is the popular period, if we may so term it, for the cows to calve ; in 
fact, we may go farther and say that it is a prejudice in the minds of 
farmers that the cows should calve in the spring, which goes far to 
account for the circumstance that fresh butter is cheaper in the summer, 
and scarcely to be obtained at all in the winter months. This is a 
matter serious enough in the farmers’ interest, and ought to make him 
think upon this matter, in order to turn his milk and cream production 
into a more profitable and better regulated supply, with benefit to 
himself and the consumer also, especially as in the future there is every 
prospect of ensilage being one of the great factors in butter-making 
during the winter months for all cows which may calve in October or 
November. The root crops are holding out well for the sheep, and it is 
a question to be considered whether a portion of them should not be 
removed and stored for use, or used immediately for the fatting bullocks, 
so that the Lent corn crops to follow may be sown at an earlier date. 
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. 
j Rain 
1884. 
March. 
Barome¬ 
ter at 323 
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 . 
2 
30.084 
37.8 
35.7 
N. 
38.0 
44.7 
31.9 
74.4 
27.6 
— 
Monday. 
3 
29.048 
37.8 
35.5 
S. 
88.0 
42.8 
28.8 
42.7 
23.2 
0.385 
Tuesday. 
4 
29.672 
45.5 
44.8 
S.E. 
39.2 
52.3 
86.3 
55.4 
85.7 
0.056 
Wednesday .. 
5 
30.097 
41.4 
39.3 
S.W. 
40.4 
62.4 
36.5 
87.0 
33.2 
— 
Thursday ... 
6 
30.24(3 
38.1 
37.5 
Calm. 
40.0 
52.5 
32.3 
81.4 
30.3 
— 
Friday. 
7 
29.987 
37.1 
37.1 
Calm. 
40.3 
49.7 
33.3 
67.5 
29.3 
— 
Saturday .... 
8 
29.831 
39.4 
38.8 
N. 
49.1 
49.2 
34.3 
61.1 
31.0 
0.209 
29.981 
39.6 
88.4 
39.4 
49J. 
33.3 
7.1 
30.0 
0.594 
REMARKS. 
2nd.—Pine and bright throughout. 
3rd.—Cold small rain began at 10 A.M. ; it continued nearly all day, but became wanner 
in evening. 
4th.—Wet morning, fine after, and windy in evening. 
5th.—Very bright all day, with hot sun. 
6th.—Fair early, and fine after 11 A.M. 
7th.—Fog early, then fine all day. . 
8th.—Fine in morning (with some fog) ; slight rain after 3 P.M. ; fine evening. (Heavy 
rain in early morning of 9th.) _ ' 4 'OJ 
Temperature near the average, and slight frosts on several nights.— G. J. ymons. j 
