436 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COT I AGE GARDENER 
[ May 29, 1884. 
been laid into permanent pasture, as shown by the statistical returns, 
often from inability to stock them with sheep to be kept and reared 
except at a loss. Without reference to the price of corn, which it 
is now a fashionable and popular prejudice to assert doe3 not pay for 
growing, and which may be true under the rotations and system of 
stocking with sheep which has so long been customary, and which 
has now, through the ruin of farmers, who, although they were good 
stock managers, yet being men of only moderate means had not 
money to lose, have been unable to meet the times. The sheep stock 
system, although it is said to pay the rent, and at the same time 
manure the land for corn, yet owing to the large capital for invest¬ 
ment and extra labour required it has been fatal to the men of 
moderate means, who have in vain attempted to follow a system 
which men who possessed capital sufficient to meet losses could 
continue to meet difficult times and bad seasons. 
(To be continued.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
j Worse Labour .—The weather in most districts of the kingdom has 
been lately rather too dry for the Mangold seed to germinate, except that 
which was sown in April, for the raius which followed the frosts of April 
vegetated small seeds like Mangolds, Cabbage, Carrots, &e., but the seeds 
put in later do not appear, and if the season continues a dry one the 
plant of late-sown Mangolds, Carrots, early Swedes, &c., will not prove 
a regular one, for it often happens that in hot dry weather the Turnip 
flea is very destructive, and as far as my experience goes we have no 
remedy against this mischief, except that of later sowing and waiting for 
rain. On the other hand it is quite impossible to calculate upon our 
climate, for we remember various seasons, one of which was 1864, when 
the Turnip seeds, either of Swedes or common Turnips, did not vegetate 
in all the early seedings, in consequence of which the Turnip crop was 
in most districts a failure, and very seriously affected the value of sheep 
stock as store animals or as ewes for the production of early lambs. The 
land is now so dry that the seeds sown will not vegetate without rain, 
but the only thing which can be done is to seed and manure the land as 
usual and wait for a timely rain. It will be desirable, probably, to wait 
until the second week of June before seeding ; for Swedish Turnips 
drilled during the first half of the month of June in the southern and 
south-eastern districts, as well as the home districts, are generally con¬ 
sidered the best, as the roots produced in ordinary seasons will maintain 
their feeding value better when sown at that time. In the northern or 
north-midland districts, as well as Scotland, the seeds of Swedish Turnips 
are usually put in about the 20th of May. 
Hand Labour .—The men are now busy hoeing of Peas, Beans, &c., 
for which the weather is very favourable in nearly all parts of the king¬ 
dom, for, although some thunderstorms have occurred, there has been no 
general rain up to the time we are writing (May 20th) since the last 
week in April. If the weather continues dry the sooner the Broad 
Clovers and Rye Grasses are cut the better, for then it will not only be 
likely to make well into good hay, but it will favour the chance of ob¬ 
taining a good second cutting for hay, and also an opportunity for forcing 
on a third growth well adapted for ploughing under as manure for the 
succeeding Wheat crop. Men at intervals may now be employed in 
turning earth heaps and mixing compost of earth and dung in readiness 
to be laid out on pasture land as soon as the land is cleared of the hay 
crop. Horse-hoeing and hand-hoeing of Potatoes, too, should be now 
going od, for the earliest hoeings are always the most effective, for the 
weeds in infancy are easily destroyed by hoeing, but not so with those 
which have obtained a firm root-holding, for in the event of rain succeed¬ 
ing the strong weeds many of them will grow again. The hand-weeding 
of Wheat, if not yet done, should be continued, and it should be done by 
women if these can be obtained in farm work ; but in various districts 
they refuse to work, except in haying and harvest, in which case the 
weeding of Charlock and Poppies, &c., out of the Lent corn should be 
done by Koldmoo’s weed-eradicator, an excellent implement, and offers 
the only chance in various districts of having the weeding done at all. 
For where the women refuse to work in the fields there is only the infirm 
men and lads which are available, and frequently not even these are to 
be had. If the dry weather prevails it is important that the Clovers 
should be cut early, for we recollect in 1870 in those cases where the 
grass was not cut early it was so much diminished by dry weather that 
it never scarcely paid for cutting on the dry soils and upland pasture 
districts. The home farmer should now look over his latter sowings of 
Lent corn, or where the wireworm has thinned the plants, in order that 
it may be arranged in good time to sow broadcast 1^ cwt. per acre of 
nitrate of soda. This will produce instantaneous effect if the weather 
proves ever so dry, and will be sure to prove an economical dressing. 
Live Stock .—The cattle and sheep of this country is, according to the 
statistical returns, greatly reduced in number, but it is especially the 
case with sheep, so that many farmers may with advantage save their 
lambs for stock, and save the cost of cake and expensive feeding stuffs 
generally, and at the autumn find they have suffi dent sheep to feed the 
root crops, &c., of next winter without buying. The rearing of calves, 
too, is important, for good dairy cows of a good milking kind are, and 
are likely to continue, scarce if not very dear. The home farmer, too, 
may rely upon animals of his own breeding and selection if he has used 
ordinary care, and will be sure to possess better stock of his own rearing 
than that generally offered in the cattle markets. Mares and foals will 
new require careful attention, for we do not like the foal to follow the 
mare in her work in the field, which she may be expected to take part 
in when the foal is about a fortnight old. for, irrespective of accidents of 
various kinds arising, it is important both for the mare and foal that they 
should not be separated from each other for more than five hours at one 
time, and if there is more than one foal they do best in company in the 
boxes while the mare is away at work in the field. We fear that horse- 
breeding for some years past has not benefited the farmer as it might 
have been expected to do under more favourable circumstances ; yet as a 
good style of colt well descended of any breed, either for farm work, 
hunting, or harness work, will fetch double the price of animals bred 
anyhow ; but the latter is too much the fashion, owing to the difficulty 
of obtaining in various districts entire horses of a good style and character 
and bred from sound parents. This, together with the careless way the 
mares for breeding purposes are selected, has brought the business of 
horse-breeding and rearing into disrepute in various districts. Dairy 
cows will now be lying out at night on good pastures, yet in hot sunny 
weather they may be brought into the stalls at about eleven o’clock in 
the morning, instead of being teased with fires under the trees in the 
pastures, and remain there until four o’clock in the afternoon, and receive 
a bait of green fodder, such as Trifolium, Clover, or Vetches, &c., both 
on coming into the stalls and again before quitting in the evening ; and 
on the generality of pastures, even if plenty of grass is found there, the 
cows will maintain a better supply of milk and with more cream than 
when allowed pasture only. 
Bath and West of England Society and Southern Counties 
Association’s Show. —This opens at Maidstone on June 2nd, and is 
expected to be of great magnitude and excellence. The exhibition of 
implements, machinery, seeds, &c., will be one of the grandest displays 
ever held in connection with the Society, and very much more extensive 
than last year’s. There are 71 compartments for machinery in motion, 
against 55 last year; 384 lineal feet of seed shedding, against 279 last 
year ; 4347 lineal feet of ordinary shedding, for agricultural implements 
only, against 3514 feet last year; 549 lineal feet of hoarding shedding, 
for cattle foods, artificial manures, &c., against 411 last year ; and 850 
lineal feet of miscellaneous sir dding for carriages and articles of general 
utility, against 735 last year ; whilst 1364 yards of open space have been 
taken for greenhouses, hay-dryiner, and other erections, against 892 last 
year. All the leading agricultural firms are represented in the yard, and 
many of them have also made entries for the exhibition of field imple¬ 
ments in the trial fields. The latter exhibition will possess unusual 
interest, as it will comprise an exhibition of sil is, several having been 
specially erected, and of the processes of storing and compressing ensilage. 
The Hop entries number no less than 66, which is 50 more than on the 
last occasion—viz., at the Tunbridge Wells Show—on which prizes were 
given in this department. Prizes are given for East Kent, Mid Kent, and 
Weald of Kent Hops. The bee deparment will possess special interest, 
as there are as many as 75 entries of bees, honey, hives, and bee 
appliances. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Channel Island Cattle (X. W .).—The Channel Island cattle consists of 
Jerseys, Alderneys, and Guernseys ; the former and the latter are the breeds 
chiffly imported. The number of Alderneys bred on the island is very small, 
and scarcely over one hundred are imported annually into this country. 
They may be said to be in most respects a modified form of the Guernsey, 
having been so much lately influenced by the use of Guernsey bulls, which 
they very much resemble both in form, colour, and richness of milk. The 
Jersey is by far the smaller animal, finer in the bone, and neat in its general 
appearance. The horns are short and thin, being also more curled or 
crumpled; the face is finer, with a more docile countenance. 
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. 
* Of 
C5 _ 
Hygrome- 
P . 
«*-4 
o . 
Shade Tern- 
Radiation 
Cl 
1884. 
ter. 
11 
d* o 
perature. 
Temperature. 
cS 
£3 
May. 
o ■»-« 
0>GQ ^ 
in 
On 
W A-> S3 
Dry. 
Wet. 
5o 
Max. 
Min. 
sun. 
grass. 
Inches. 
dee. 
dee. 
dee. 
dee. 
dee 
deg. 
dee- 
In. 
Sunday . 
29 855 
65.2 
49.8 
N.E. 
56.5 
65.8 
49 5 
106.7 
48.0 
— 
Monday . 
. 19 
29901 
54.4 
49.4 
N.E. 
56.2 
63.8 
47.3 
100.6 
43.0 
—. 
Tuesday . 
30.07(5 
55.4 
49.4 
N. 
55.3 
65.4 
44 3 
lo7.6 
4M.4 
— 
Wednesday . 
. 21 
30.447 
56.4 
48.7; 
E. 
55.3 
69 6 
39.7 
104.3 
83.7 
— 
Thursday ... 
. 22 
30.460 
02.6 
51.4 
E. 
55 5 
71.6 
42.2 
110.7 
85.6 
— 
Friday . 
. 23 
30.255 
65.7 
58.3 
N.E. 
56 3 
79.0 
45.6 
1174 
39.2 
— 
Saturday ... 
. 24 
30.057 
68.6 
60.5 
E. 
58.0 
81.3 
50.1 
118.9 
44.6 
— 
30.150 
59.8 
52.9 
56.2 
709 
45.5 
U 9.5 
40.6 
— 
REMARKS. 
18th.—A very slight shower between 5.30 and 6 30 A.M. This yielded only 0.042 ., and 
was, according to rule, entered to the 17th. The rest of the day fine and pleasant. 
19th.—Cloudy morning, haz.v in afternoon,'then clear. 
20th.—Brighter, but still somewhat hazy. 
21st.—Hazy and warmer; fine throughout. 
22nd.—Very fine. 
2Sid.—Fine summer day, nearly cloudless throughout. 
24th.—Very fine and hot, the shade temperature reaching 81.8°; lightning 9 to 11 p.m. 
in 8 W. 
A very fine week, temperature and pressure rather above the average; very little 
c loud (and therefore great range of temperature), and no rain.—G. J. Symons, . 
