31G 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April 17, 1884, 
of Potatoes, Mangolds, Carrots, Cabbages of the large Drumhead 
Savoy sorts may be given ; but whenever roots are given 
when feeding a butter-making cow it will be necessary to avoid 
or diminish any unpleasant taste arising from root-feeding 
(except Potatoes) to give them immediately after the cow is 
milked instead of at milking time. These observations, of 
course, apply especially to the quantity of milk, because if we 
have made a selection of the right cows as to breed, we shall 
find that the more milk obtained the more butter will be pro¬ 
duced after feeding as above recommended. 
Referring to the breed of cows for the purpose of furnishing 
butter of the bast quality, we cannot recommend any which has 
furnished so large a record of choice butter as the Guernseys, 
both in this country and in America. We once had a Guernsey 
cow, and whilst getting only good pasture grass, she made for 
several weeks in the month of June 18 lbs. per week of butter 
of the best quality and deep yellow colour. It is also recorded 
that a celebrated cow named “Elegante,” of the pure Guernsey 
blood, and owned by Mr. L. W. Ledyard of Fernwood Farm, 
Cazeuovia, New York, and which was capitally pourtrayed in the 
Agricultural Gazette, and also in this Journal on Nov. 8th, 1883, 
produced 19 j lbs. of butter per week; but it must be remembered 
as a fact of the highest importance in relation to the butter 
record, that in both these instances there is no doubt but that 
thrice milking daily instead of twice only would have produced a 
higher record than as above stated. Another point is, that where 
the highest record is to be attempted, the feeding generally 
should consist of a full quantity of the best known materials; 
yet, although we may have obtained butter of the best colour, 
aroma, and taste, firmness is also a consideration. Our chief 
reason for recommending the feeding with crushed Oats, Wheat, 
and malt dust, is to secure that firmness and quality in butter 
which is only or seldom attained by a system of feeding when 
these materials are absent. 
In maintaining high records of the best butter for the longest 
possible period, the ordinary rules of management, if carried out 
with care will, with good feeding, prove sufficient; but notice 
should always be taken whether the cow drops her milk from 
the udder between the usual hours of milking, for if that occurs 
it will not only seriously injure the cow in the future, but also 
render it impossible to obtain the highest record of butter, 
unless milking thrice instead of twice daily is resorted to. 
When milked thrice daily the udder must be quite emptied at 
each milking, for it must be remembered that the last portion, 
as taken from the udder, contains the most cream, whether 
milking is adopted twice or thrice in the twenty-four hours. 
Although we have recommended the pure Guernsey cow for 
butter-making, it applies chiefly to the small dairies where 
twelve or fifteen cows are kept, as in some suburban districts; 
for we still think that a first-cross animal, the produce of a 
good Shorthorn cow by a Guernsey bull, would prove the best 
in forming a herd of forty or fifty cows or more. Even in 
that case the cows may be of Guernseys only if required, but 
the herds should be formed into divisions of twenty each or 
thereabout, for lialf-breds will generally bear herding in numbers 
much better than animals of the pure Channel Island breeds, 
whether of Guernseys or Jerseys, although the former are the 
stronger and hardier stock of the two, yet if abortion or any 
other accidental disease or difficulty occurs the disaster will be 
more easily dealt with. 
(To be continued.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour .—This is more required at this time of year than at 
some other periods, for there is not only the work to be done for the late 
seedings of Lent corn, but also at all available intervals after rain occurs, 
by working down any land which may have previously been too rough. 
The rains have, however, arrived just in time to save a large amount of 
horse labour both in harrowing and rolling on any fallow surfaces intended 
either for sowing with drege or Barley; but the importance of reducing 
the surface is the necessity of a fine seed bed to receive the Clovers and 
grass seeds of any variety. They are all small except Sainfoin seeds, 
and require to be covered shallow with fine loose soil, otherwise they may 
be buried too deeply or not at all. The horse labour, too, when it is 
driven away from the seedings as just named may be well employed on 
the fallows intended for root crops, some of which are usually at this 
time of year rough and ready for being broken down. Now is the time to 
prepare for Mangold seeding, the dung being first laid out and spread. 
Some farmers used to lay out manure on the fallow and plough it under 
in the early part of the winter. We have, however, to thank Sir J. B. 
Lawes for many savings in our farming business, and he has told us that 
fallowing in dung in the early part of the winter is liable to be diminished 
in value by some portion being washed out during the heavy rains of the 
winter and early months, and there is no doubt but much of the soluble 
and ammoniacal portions of the manure are lost, especially upon cold wet 
soils. It is even a question whether yard dung, box, or stable manure 
should be applied at all to the early seedings for the Mangolds or early 
root crops. It frequently happens with this crop as with early Potatoes, 
whilst laying out dung the land may have been drilled and seeded in com¬ 
bination with artificial manures, and gain thereby in adverse seasons a 
good early seeding, when by laying out manure from the homestead the 
weather may change and the best seed time be lost. If full crops of ripe 
Mangolds are required the seed should be deposited in the month of April 
if possible. Some farmers, however, are afraid of the young plants being 
injured by frost; but in our experience, even from the first introduction 
of Mangolds as food for cattle, we have never seen any young plants 
injured by night frosts. There is a very general opinion prevailing that 
in the field cultivation for Carrots the seed should be sown in March at 
the latest; but that is not our experience, for the best Carrots and the 
greatest weight per acre we have ever grown were sown in the month 
of May, and frequently as late as the 20th day of that month for the best 
of all reasons, because it saves one hand-hoeing at the least; for if the 
seeds are deposited before the soil is warm enough for them to vegetate im¬ 
mediately, they do not come up until the weather and temperature become 
favourable. That is not the case with the weeds, for their seeds vegetate 
immediately, and before any hoeing can be done the young Carrrot plants 
are completely hidden. We have seen this the case in some seasons 
when the weather has been rainy, so that the Carrots never could be hoed 
at all, the only exception being when the seed is drilled or dibbled on the 
stetch at 18 inches apart; the land can then be horse-hoed between the 
lines, and giving also an opportunity for effective hand-hoeing. 
Hand Labour .—In numerous instances at the present time the sheep 
especially flocks of ewes and their lambs, are very lame in various dis¬ 
tricts with the foot-root, as some farmers call it; but we call it the 
epidemic lameness, which frequently breaks out in consequence of its 
having prevailed ever since the year 1839, when it first broke out. It has 
since appeared whenever the season favoured it, because those animals 
which at breeding time have been mated were lame ; it has therefore now 
and for many years become an hereditary disease, especially amongst the 
Hants and west country Down breeds, whereas long since we have been 
connected with sheep-breeding it was only the horned ewes and a few 
Downs kept on the same farms which ever had the foot-rot at all; but 
since 1839 all sorts and breeds have been subject to the lameness of an 
epidemic character more or les3, and we see not the slightest probability 
of being entirely free of it again. 
Live Stock .—Cattle are generally in good condition where free of foot, 
and-mouth disease, for the winter has proved one of the most favourable 
we can ever recollect, especially for dairy cows and young cattle. The 
bul'ocks in the boxes, too, where well fed, have done extremely well, as 
it is generally known and admitted that a mild winter with equable tem¬ 
perature is always favourable, inasmuch that warmth is considered 
equivalent to so much food. The early lambs bred from the best horned 
Somerset and Dorset ewes have sold well in consequence of the vegetable 
markets being well supplied with all accompaniments reqirred where 
lamb is in season and forms a portion in the banquets of the wealthy 
classes. There is one thing which every praclical farmer should take 
note of this season, that those who annually buy sheep for fattening in 
the winter months as a rule have made but little or no profit, whereas 
those who have kept a breeding flock will reap a considerable benefit. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Renovating Pasture (S. P .).—The present is a very good time for sowing 
grass seeds in your field, and the most practical advice we can give you is to 
state the present condition of the pasture, the nature of the soil, and the 
acreage to be renovated, to a seedsman or firm who pays special attention to 
this subject, and you may rely on receiving the right quantity of a suitable 
mixture for effecting your purpose. 
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 
1884. 
April. 
Barome¬ 
ter at 32« 
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 . 
6 
29.627 
52.6 
49.3 
S. 
48.0 
58.5 
45.2 
81.4 
40.2 
0.355 
Monday. 
29.498 
47.0 
46.8 
N.W. 
48.0 
54.6 
46.0 
69.6 
45.6 
0.068 
Tuesday. 
8 
29.914 
50.0 
47.6 
E. 
47.7 
62.2 
42.3 
106.0 
39.8 
— 
Wednesday . 
9 
29.977) 
51.2 
46.4 
S.E. 
48.8 
60.8 
48.8 
105.5 
42.3 
— 
Thursday ... 
. 10 
29.9.18 
47.8 
42.4 
N. 
48.7 
54.4 
36.8 
9.5.7 
34.6 
— 
Friday. 
30.077 
44.8 
40.3 
N. 
47.8 
51.7 
37.2 
84.3 
31.3 
— 
Saturday ... 
12 
30.071 
44.5 
42.0 
N.E. 
47.6 
53.1 
38 3 
75.8 
33.2 
0.010 
29.875 
48.3 
45.0 
48.1 
56.5 
41.8 
88.8 
38.1 
0.433 
REMARKS 
Gth.—Pair day, with some sunshine ; wet evening. 
7 th.—Heavy rain till about 10 A.M.; dull morning ; fine afternoon. 
8th.—Fine all day, but rather dull afternoon. 
9ih.—Very fine all day; extremely bright moonlight night. 
10th.—Bright pleasant day ; very bright moonlight night. 
11th.—Cloudy day ; a little sunshine in afternoon. 
12th.—Dull and hazy morning; drizzling rain in afternoon ; clear cold night. 
The middle of the week was very fine, warm, and bright, but the beginning and the 
end were unsettled. Temperature about three degrees below that of the preeeding week, 
but still about four degrees above the average.—G. J..SYMONS. 
