JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
36 
[ January 13, 1881. 
nearly all local agents in the kingdom. This implement is ex¬ 
tremely useful in the removal of weeds which may be growing 
amongst corn when it is in the last stage of blade just previous 
to the ear shooting-up in the stalk, and upon many farms where 
Charlock and wild Mustard abound the corn may have been 
drilled wide enough to horse and hand-hoe, yet such weeds as 
named will be found to a more or less extent to be left growing in 
the rows of corn, whether of Wheat, Barley, or Oats. In such cases 
and when the ground is soft the weeds are drawn up by the root, 
in other cases their heads are pulled off, in either way destroying 
the weeds or preventing their reproduction. It must be used at 
the time when the weeds have made considerable progress and 
the corn is yet in the blade, so as to freely admit the passage 
of the revolving combs either over or through it. The combs are 
lines of iron claws fitted along the drum of the machine, and re¬ 
volving with it by a process of mechanism, and so adjustable 
that they can be lowered or elevated to suit the condition of the 
crops upon which they are required to operate. When so disposed 
or regulated they pass harmlessly through or over the young corn, 
and at the same time pull up the weeds, leaving them behind to 
die. We quote the result of a trial of the machine by a Mr. T. 
Casey, agent to Messrs. Ord & Maddison, who says, “We started 
the weeder about two o’clock. The day being wet was unfavour¬ 
able. The field was covered with Charlock, no blade of corn 
could be seen. There were about eighty farmers present, and I 
believe there would have been as many more if the weather had 
been fine. Never did I see people more astonished, as the weeder 
made beautiful green lanes as it went up and down the field. 
Loud were the praises of the bystanders. A more successful 
trial could not have taken place.” Since this trial large numbers 
of this implement have been sold, and the testimony of practical 
farmers who use it is favourable. These machines are drawn by 
one horse and are light of draught, as they only cover a space about 
6 feet 3 inches in width. This weeding machine is at the same 
time the most useful and the best known implement for gathering 
White Clover and other seed-heads, and consists of a hollow 
drum resting upon two ordinary wheels, and so adapted as to be 
raised or lowered as required. In and out of the drum work 
several rows of combs, which catch the Clover heads, strip them 
off the plant, and let them fall into a bag attached to the drum. 
It is necessary to keep the parts of the machine well oiled ; in 
particular the combs have to be kept clean and bright if expected 
to do their work well. A machine of the usual width strips 
during twelve hours’ work the heads of the Clover growing upon 
11|- acres of land. In conclusion, we recommend it to the home 
farmer as not only the best but the only way open to him to 
destroy the weeds in his corn crops in the absence of the hand 
labour which was once so usefully and generally employed in 
destroying the weeds of the farm. How far the implement can 
be used for the same purpose in other crops further experiments 
may in the future inform us. 
We will next refer to Gibbs’ drying machines, which are now of 
varying capacity, and which the succession of wet seasons has 
tended to bring into more prominent notice. Farmers may grow 
abundant crops of corn and hay, but if these are to be spoilt or 
seriously injured by wet weather how is it possible they can 
contend against, or compete with, the products of superior climates, 
where the weather can generally be depended upon at given 
times of the year as favourable for the harvesting of their growth 
of corn and hay ? We have no notes by us or any calculation as 
to the proportion of seasons in which the agricultural products of 
the kingdom can be safely harvested in the open fields. In the 
absence of any such calculation, however, we know that in nearly 
every season either the early or late harvest periods are unfavour¬ 
able, but this is especially the case in certain north-western dis¬ 
tricts and Scotland. Take, for instance the hay and Oat crop in 
these districts. How seldom can the crops be secured without 
damage more or less ! hence the necessity of the adoption of the 
plan of putting hay into large cocks whilst green, and the making 
of numerous small ricks of Oats as practised in Scotland and other 
late districts. Now it appears to us that there are many points 
to be considered when we find that Gibbs’ drying machines are 
offered to us, because when the weather is unfavourable and we 
attempt to preserve our crops from injury in the open field, we 
are subject not only to damage of the produce but also the waste 
of it. Take either hay or corn for instance. We wait for fine 
weather, and our corn or grasses for hay become over-ripe. We 
also incur expenses in continual operations, such as turning our 
hay, although we use the best machinery for tedding as well as 
raking, but when we have done all we can the slightest change of 
the weather causes waste. The leaf of the Clover is lost, the 
falling out of the corn or its sprouting, also the labour of setting¬ 
up stooks in stormy weather, adds the cost of extra labour to the 
losses under the head of waste. Again, in our Clovers, during 
rain the extra time of laying on the ground damages the next 
crop, sometimes seriously. If machine-dried the green grass 
may be taken as fast as cut to the drier without any loss either 
of the leaf of the grasses or its aroma, or the ultimate feeding 
value of the hay. Just in the same way with regard to corn, for 
not only is the grain preserved of the best quality, but the straw 
—which is now of more consequence than at any former period, is 
secured both bright and sweet. 
(To be continued.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour .—This will now depend very much upon the weather. 
If it is open and mild plough after roots for Wheat; the sow’ing 
may be done simultaneously with the ploughing. There is a 
prospect of a good plant of Wheat sown now if the land is rich 
enough to bear it, and especially if the land should plough up 
heavily and be succeeded by some copious rains to settle it down 
firmly. In case, however, the land should plough up light and 
loose it should be then pressed at the time of ploughing and sown 
after the presser instead of drilling, for the grain then falls into the 
presser grooves and finds a firm bottom to root in. Again, if the 
land is light and dries off quickly after harrowing, it may be rolled 
with the ring roller with advantage and so left. If the weather 
should prove unfit for tillage -work it will be necessary to employ the 
horses in carting manure on to Clovers and grass land if the land 
should be frozen and capable of bearing the carts without leaving 
-wheel tracks ; otherwise earth may be carted to heaps, gravel may 
be carted on to the farm roads or near and around the farm home¬ 
stead, in order to maintain not only a decent appearance of the 
premises but to enable all the carting work on the farm to be done 
by light horse labour. 
Hand Labour .—This will vary in different districts. Spreading 
manure after being laid out on the Clovers will be required ; also, in 
the enclosed farms, hedging, ditching, banking, &c., will be going on. 
In the chalk-hill and stonebrash farms the hedgerows will, some 
of them, come fit tor cutting, so that the hazel may be made into 
hurdles and made up for other useful or saleable purposes. Trench¬ 
ing in the meadows previous to being laid up for cutting of the grass 
intended for hay should now be done. The irrigated meadow's will 
also require the constant attention of the drowner by changing 
the flood w'aters, so that all parts of the crop may be made ready for 
early feeding at the earliest period, and simultaneously one part with 
another. The threshing and marketing of grain for sale, also Clover 
and other seeds, should now be done when the weather is favourable, 
for we consider that these ought to be considered as applicable 
chiefly to the winter months, in order that the labour of the farm 
both in men and horses may not be required for such purposes during 
the busy times of spring and summer; indeed, we consider that if 
com is kept for future instead of present sale the labour is the 
principal point to be considered, and that, if threshing of corn takes 
place in the leisure time of winter and the sale deferred, the corn 
should be in granary ready for delivery at any advantageous period 
of the markets in reference to value. 
The shepherds on various farms will now be engaged in the 
lambing season, for the Dorset down ewes will now be in the middle 
of their lambing time. The Hants and Wilts Downs will be just 
commencing their lambing season. We have previously called atten¬ 
tion to the preparations and formation of the requisite lambing 
yards ; therefore, at present the'duties of the shepherd and his assist¬ 
ants will be fully required in the lambing fold both by night and 
by day, and in the height of the season the men may take turns in 
the night work, so essential to the saving of lambs which may be 
weakly or otherwise requiring attention. The ewes, both before and 
just after lambing, should receive Cabbages and sweet hay, and the 
shepherd must look well to the ewes after lambing, so that when the 
lamb cannot take all the milk the udder should be drawn, for there 
is nothing more injurious to young lambs than an accumulation of 
milk in the ewe’s udders, causing them often to reject it or to suffer 
from diarrhoea from taking it; in fact, there are so many matters 
requiring attention by the shepherd, both to the ewes and lambs, 
that we cannot now enumerate only a few. If the ewes suffer from 
inflammation of the udder it is a very dangerous disorder. In such a 
case we always bleed the ewe from the neck vein and until the ewe 
falls from loss of blood. This will generally allay the inflammation, 
whilst the common practice of bleeding from the udder vein is abso¬ 
lutely injurious, because there is an increased flow of blood after¬ 
wards to the affected part. We have often found that with copious 
bleeding from the neck and the application of the sugar of lead 
ointment to the udder will effect a cure ; if not, a second bleeding 
and an application of verdigris ointment will prevent mortification. 
VARIETIES. 
British Bee-Keepers’ Association. —The next quarterly con¬ 
versazione will be held on Wednesday, January 19th, at 6 P.M., at 
the Board Room of the National Chamber of Trade, 446, Strand 
(opposite Charing Cross station). Subject for discussion—“ Cheap 
