356 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COT I AGE GARDENER. 
May ) 1884. 
In the yeai* 1841 a yield of butter on the average of 220 cows 
was 88| lbs. per cow. But let me tell you that last year the 
average quantity of milk per head was 041 gallons ; the yield of 
butter was 195 lbs. per cow against 88 lbs. forty years ago.” 
These quotations are taken from the Agricultural Gazette, March 
31st, 1884, and go far to show how great is the improvement to 
be made in a well-managed dairy, and at the same time shows 
that the custom of milking the cows for twelve months between 
the periods of calving is no new idea, but a well-recognised 
commercial method of management under the head of Dairy 
Farming. 
After careful consideration of the subject we think that it 
seems strange dairymen do not as a rule test their cows by 
weighing the milk and butter product occasionally from each 
cow, in order that not only justice maybe done in the feeding 
of valuable cows, but actually discarding as worthless those 
which show a low record of produce ; and really in the selection 
of animals, although it is a question of judgment, it is at the 
same time a question of outlay by the purchase of superior 
animals. Again another matter crops up : Why keep more 
animals than can show a profit in products ? for although 
superior animals may be costly, yet the lesser number eating 
the lesser quantity of food will yield a profit, when by retaining 
inferior animals in the herd it proves a loss all round. Great 
complaint comes to us from a statement at a meeting of the 
Blandford Farmers’ Club in Dorset held in the first week of 
April, which county has long been celebrated for the sale of 
superior butter, both of fresh in summer and of well-preserved 
in winter. “Mr. George Galpin, a Dorset farmer, said there 
was likely to be a great falling off in the demand for Dorset 
butter in its present form in the London market. For some 
time past he had sent nearly all his butter there ; but on 
inquiring the price in London last week a dealer told him that 
he did not want Dorset butter, as he could not sell it. The 
dealer in question showed him piles of boxes, each containing 
twelve 2-lb. lumps of foreign butter very nicely and carefully 
packed, which he was sure of selling, as it was all alike, whereas 
in the Dorset butter there was a great variation in colour and 
quality, the produce of no two dairies being alike.” This shows 
that the butter got up in the factories abroad is all alike in 
colour, and probably oleo-margarine plays its part in insuring 
regularity of colour and flavour; when in Dorset .butter any 
attempt to improve the quality by Channel Island cows intro¬ 
duced into the dairy and improved the quality by deepening the 
colour is rejected. This may prove a very serious and fatal 
blow to all pure butter manufactories in this county if the 
middlemen and butter salesmen are allowed to supply the 
market with foreign butter only. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour .—Horses are still employed in finishing off the land 
where the late sowing of drege has been concluded. It was, however, 
rather late for sowing, but the field is a cold strong piece of land, and the 
change from rain to the harsh east winds made it rather coarse and unkind 
for receiving the Clover and grass seeds for one year’s lea ; but after 
extra harrowing and rolling with the ring roller the seeding has been 
accomplished in fair condition by sowing after the ring roller, in which 
case these small Clover and grass fall into the grooves made by the rings 
of the roller, and then by the use of the chain harrows and a smooth 
roller to finish it off, both the drege and the grass seeds will be enabled 
to stand the effects of a dry summer, which in our changeable climate 
may or may not come. Still, some remarkable coincidences point in that 
direction, for we have not had a dry summer since 1874, years ago; and 
another remarkable coincidence we well remember, that every decade or 
tenth year since 1834 up to 1874 dry summers have prevailed, still we 
have had dry summers between these decades, but we find no similar 
succession of dry periods like those after searching the records. Whether 
the summer of 1884 will complete another decade time only will show, 
but one thing is certain, that we have no record of any cycle of nine 
years in succe-sion when the Wheat crops of this kingdom have not 
exceeded the average until our last harvest completed the nine years of 
average or under-average Wheat crops. The season so far has been 
remarkably favourable for working and cleaning the land, not only for 
sowing Lent corn and planting Potatoes, but also for making an early 
preparation for the reception of the seeds of root crops, such as Mangolds, 
Carrots, Swedes, and all other early seedings for root crops. Still there 
is one thing to be kept in mind, that all our preparations should be carried 
on so as to make land safe in case of a dry summer by leaving the sur¬ 
faces fine, which cannot be done with so little labour in any other way 
than by using power sufficient on the land to work it fine as fast as 
ploughing or scarifying is done. And the home farmer may feel assured 
that what is correct in the preparation of fallows for roots, &c., in a dry 
season is also the best practice in the event of a sudden change to a wet 
season. Where the land intended for Mangolds is fine on the surface the 
seed may be drilled on the flat with every prospect of the seed vegetating ; 
still we do not object to the soaking of seed in water for two days 
previous to drilling. When there is a prospect and promise of dry 
weather dunging with yard or box manure may be lost labour if we do 
not get a timely rain so far as the land is concerned, for the land not 
only becomes too dry whether the dung is laid under stetches or ploughed 
in on the level, but especially so on the stetch, because the throwing 
two furrows together to form the stetch and bury the dung brings all the 
driest and coarsest of the soil on the top of the stetch, which forms a bad 
seed bed. We therefore recommend drilling on the flat or level with 
artificial manures drilled with the seed, 3 cwt. of bone superphosphate, 
2 cwt. of Peruvian guano, mixed with 1 cwt. of nitrate of soda, will prove 
a good dressing. If anything in the way of manure should be required 
nitrate of soda dressings at the time of first and second horse-hoeings will 
be ample if 1^ cwt. each time is sown between the drills. One thing, 
however, may be borne in mind, that when the Mangold crop is intended 
to be removed from the land for cattle, we cannot very well have 
the land too highly manured, so that the Mangolds may not only yield 
the fullest crop, but the large amount of manure left in the land will 
come into operation for assisting the cereal crop to follow, whether of 
Wheat or other grain. Our first seeding for Mustard was done on the 
12th of April, and two more seedings are to be made, the crops beiDg 
each ploughed under with a deeper furrow every time, and the land 
ploughed and sown again the same day if possible on each occasion, so 
that the vegetating of the Mustard seed may be assured, which in the 
summer months is one of the principal points in cultivation for all root 
or green-manuring crops. 
Hand Labour .—The hand-hoeing of early Peas should now be done, 
for the great art of effective hand-hoeing consists in cutting up the 
weeds in their infancy ; for in case of showery weather if the weeds are 
strong they may soon become masters of the situation unless destroyed 
as soon as they show their second leaves. Our Peas are drilled at 
12 inches between the lines, which gives just room enough for the hand- 
hoeing, and at this distance the Peas will soon spread and reach each 
other enough to keep down many or most of the weeds. • Mixing the 
manures and placing them in bags ready for use often saves labour at 
important periods, such as haying ; but in the case of nitrate of soda 
being mixed with other artificials, it should only be mixed on the day 
of drilling as fast as required for use, otherwise it may cake. 
Live Stock .—The young cattle, both heifers and steers, may now be 
on the pastures grazing at daytime, and return to the yards and sheds 
at night time. The dairy cows, too, may graze on the pastures at daytime, 
but should not lie out until about the second week in the May month. 
In fact all stock which graze on the pastures should receive their oil cake 
or other allowance of feeding stuffs in the shed at morning and evening, 
or at the milking time for dairy cows. Tbe home farmer in selecting 
dairy cows of any breed, whether for a cheese or butter-making dairy, 
should purchase or breed none but animals showing capacious udders 
and full-sized carcases, shorthorns or Herefords for the former business, 
but Guernseys or Jerseys for the latter; but in some cases where the 
pasture is not very dry or first-rate half-breds, a cross from a shortborned 
cow by a Guernsey bull, will furnish strong hardy animals especially 
adapted for a herd of considerable numbers. We make these observations 
because it is really painful to notice in various districts of small dairies 
near to inland towns the wretched and miserable nondescript cows which 
are kept frequently for the town milk supply. The season is now favour¬ 
able for selling young sucking lambs, and if they reach 10 or 11 lbs. per 
quarter in weight they should be sold, for they will not be so much in 
demand further on in the season ; besides which, the ewes if it is intended 
to feed them for the butcher, will be ready for sale sooner. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Mangold Wurtzcls for Cow (Engineer ).—By all means grow some 
Mangolds for your cow. You will find them extremely useful in the winter 
and spring when other green food is often very scarce. See cultural notes 
above. 
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. 
B 
S 
1884. 
April. 
Barome¬ 
ter at 32« 
and Sea 
Level 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
a . 
© 
v a 
g? 
So 
o ■*- 3 . 
. aj -UJ 
Cl—* O 
ffo£ 
a>aQ -4 
CH 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
sun. 
On 
grass. 
Sunday.20 
Monday.21 
Tuesday.22 
Wednesday .. 23 
Thursday .... 24 
Friday.25 
Saturday .... 28 
Inches. 
29.955 
29.968 
30.028 
29.993 
29.857 
29.870 
29.848 
deg. 
43.7 
47.7 
45.2 
43.4 
43.0 
46.0 
44.5 
deg. 
38.0 
41.8 
40.1 
39.0 
38.2 
42.9 
41.0 
N.E. 
N. 
N.E. 
N.E. 
N.E. 
N.E. 
N.E. 
deg. 
44.4 
44.1 
44.0 
44.0 
44.2 
44.1 
44.2 
deg. 
47.4 
51.4 
52.6 
53.8 
51.7 
51.6 
56.5 
deg. 
33.3 
32.0 
31.3 
29.9 
29 9 
32.8 
38.8 
deg. 
84.5 
97.4 
94.8 
98.0 
95.9 
81.6 
91.0 
deg. 
29.5 
27.3 
27.6 
26.5 
27.4 
29.4 
38.3 
In. 
0.010 
0.029 
0.053 
29.932 
44.8 
40.1 
44.1 
52.1 
34.6 
91.9 
29.4 
0.092 
REMARKS 
20th.—Generally cloudy. 
21st.—Bright early ; two slight sprinkles of rain in morning, otherwise fine. 
22nd.—Earthquake at 9.18 A.M.; fine, but two slight hail showers in morning. 
23rd.—Pair, and some bright sunshine. 
24th.—Fine morning ; sprinkle of rain in afternoon, and shower at 5.30 P.M. 
25th.—Fair, but not very bright. 
26th.—Fine till about 5.30 P.M., rain afterwards. 
A dry week, with N.E. winds, a small amount of cloud, and therefore large range of 
temperature, there being frost on the grass on every night but one, and even in the air 
on four consecutive nights.—G. J. Symons. 
