JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
June 9,1881. ] 
477 
know that artificial manure of various kinds, particularly when 
containing nitrate of soda in combination is used, as it frequently 
must be to keep pace with adverse seasons, for when either Wheat 
or spring corn look badly the broadcast application of manure is 
an actual necessity. When the Clovers and other Grasses require 
manure as well as the park or pasture land we cannot now find 
labourers, as we did formerly, who can distribute equally over the 
land light manures by hand. 
A one-horse Turnip and manure drill improved next attracts 
our notice, because such a machine properly constructed is a very 
valuable one for various purposes—not only for working on the 
home farm where but few horses are kept, but also to enable the 
drilling to be accomplished as fast as the land is ready during the 
day. At the same time we have found when occupying hilly land 
that the light one-horse machinery of this kind has lightened and 
facilitated the work of drilling considerably, either with or without 
manure. This machine, as described by the firm, is capable of 
being used for drilling in rows either on the flat or ridge-ploughed 
lands, Turnip and Mangold Wurtzel seeds, with any kind of light 
pulverised manures. The drill being very light is the draught of 
one horse or pony only, and also very convenient and easy of man¬ 
agement, being 3 feet 8 inches high, and 4| feet wide. 
We have now to turn our attention to the lever horse hoes and 
their improvements. Those made to cover a space equal to the 
width of a full-sized drill are said to be economical, because they 
accomplish so much work ; but we view those which are made to 
cover so much ground as only suited to light soils, or those in a 
light and loose condition, or with a crop of Lent corn, Peas, 
Beans, &c., growing thereon, because we contend that they will 
not do the work required upon winter-sown Wheat, &c., after the 
soil is settled down hard except in very light sandy soils. These 
wide hceing machines are made lighter than ever to reduce the 
draught, and they have in consequence less hold upon firm settled 
land"; therefore we do not recommend their use upon winter-sown 
Wheat, or on any crop where the soil is hard, or hard in patches 
like much of our mixed soils. In such cases we prefer the ordi¬ 
nary one-horse hoe, of which there are various patterns, but they 
are generally adapted for hoeing between root crops at varying 
widths. They should have sufficient strength and substance to 
be converted either into a light scarifier as well as a horse hoe for 
every purpose of hoeing all crops drilled at widths varying from 
2 feet to 9 inches, and with hoes of a suitable form and strength to 
enable them to move the soil effectually as well as cutting up the 
weeds. In various crops—when we find the season adverse and 
the land hard, with the plants looking yellow and sickly, especi¬ 
ally as refers to the Wheat crop—the breaking of the surface is so 
important that it is upon well-tilled land a matter of more conse¬ 
quence in the aftergrowth of the crop than an extra application of 
artificial manure. In order to carry out these different operations 
the new expanding five-tine horse hoe made by Messrs. Wool- 
nough & Co. is well adapted, being exceedingly powerful for all 
purposes, and is supplied with patent blades, shares, knives, and 
tines, which can be worked effectually without injury to any 
growing crops. 
(To be continued.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour .—This is still of the utmost importance when the 
work on the land is tillage for roots, or occasionally alternating with 
labour on the fallows for Wheat. We consider the best time for 
drilling Swedes for the general purpose of feeding sheep on the land 
to be from the 8th to the 12th of this month. In the event, however, 
of early and ripe Swedes being required for cattle a3 early as possible 
we have often sown the seed by the 12th of May. For several years 
in succession when keeping a large summer flock of breeding ewes, as 
well as feeding a flock in winter, we had a portion of growing Swedes 
hoed out and singled before the previous year’s growth had been all 
consumed. We have had Swedes in good condition in the land as 
late as the 18th and 2Gth of June and the 4th of July. This was, 
however, during a period when the great value of Mangolds was but 
little understood. In various seasons we had stacked and thatched 
all our field hayricks of the same year’s growth before we bad finished 
feeding our Swedes, thus showing that we were fully prepared to 
meet and contend with late springs and periods of vegetable scarcity; 
which, however, may now be done better with Mangold, without 
delaying any corn crops. The fallows for Wheat on the heavy land 
should not be worked fine, because if occasionally cross-ploughed as 
the weeds appear in such a season as we have now everything must 
die, and the land be thoroughly aerated and improved for the produc¬ 
tion of future cereal crops. In some cases the land intended for 
Wheat is now covered with luxuriant crops of Tares to be fed off 
by sheep, and this for outlying land not convenient for dung cart¬ 
ing is an excellent preparation for Wheat, especially when the sheep 
eat a fair proportion of decorticated cotton cake and followed by 
a backward fallow as fast as the land is cleared of the green crop. 
This system of folding sheep is an excellent plan in hot weather, for 
when field-feeding on grass at daytime they are apt to resort to hedges, 
ditches, and banks, &c., for sunshade, and thus leave their manure 
where it does no good. For that reason we prefer folding in the day 
instead of at night in the hottest seasons. The work for odd horses 
or single horse work will now prevail, although we approve of a mule 
or ox for actual hoeing between root crops ; yet there is always a 
large amount of work for stout single horses in the summer time, 
such as ploughing between the Potato crops where they are planted 
at a yard apart between the rows, also hilling and second hilling in 
the lines, as well as single-horse scarifying on the fallows. All this 
is economically done if the animals are of sufficient weight and power. 
All the light work, such as horse-hoeing either on the flat or stetch 
for the Mangolds, early Swedes, Cabbages, Kale, &c., can easily be 
done by the odd horse, mule, or ox. Paring and burning may now 
be commenced as fast as the Saintfoin hay is cleared away and the 
land after burning got ready for Turnips, to be followed by a crop of 
Turnips fed off by sheep, and afterwards sown with Wheat in Novem¬ 
ber or Barley in March the following year. Horses, too, will in a 
few days be required for carting the field hay to the stack. 
Hand Labour .—Men will be required in stacking the hay ; but all 
the heavy manual labour of unloading, &c., whilst stacking hay will 
now be done by the elevator, so that the dearer hand labour becomes 
the more we shall see our way to dispense with it upon well-managed 
farms by the aid of machinery. In stacking hay much judicious care 
is required to decide when it is really fit to be put into rick to be safe 
against overheating. When, however, there may be some doubt 
about this matter, or when rain is pending and the grass nearly dried 
enough, we recommend layers of good sweet straw between every three 
waggonloads. If the hay should be required for chaff for horses or 
fatting cattle the straw, after having performed the office of saving 
the hay, will also be converted into a valuable feeding material. 
This is one of the best ways of saving hay ; but when it is of fine 
quality and required for feeding sheep, but lambs especially, it 
should if possible be put together by itself, and if overheating is 
anticipated a sack stuffed with straw may be drawn up the rick a 
little at a time after a load or two is added. In this way a sort of 
chimney is formed in the centre of the stack, and when finished a 
hurdle placed over the opening covered with straw for a short time 
before being thatched will allow the heat to escape, and save the 
hay. We have, however, saved capital fine herbage of Dutch Clover 
for lamb hay by turning the rick over, making it up afresh upon a 
stand adjoining—only involving hand labour; but it must be done at 
the end of about five or six days, or the second-made rick will not 
heat sufficiently to be saved from turning mouldy. In order to ascer¬ 
tain whether the rick requires to be turned or cut we use an iron rod 
with a gag at the end, which, after being introduced and left in the 
rick for an hour or two, a portion of the hay may be pulled out of 
the rick from any part, showing exactly its condition, and when any 
danger is anticipated. This is the best plan to enable the home 
farmer to decide what course shall be taken to prevent damage to 
the hay. 
Live StocJc .—The fattening bullocks on pastures will now be gaining 
beef fast, as the grass is healthy and forcing, although not so strong 
and plentiful as it is in some seasons. Dairy cows, also, are now 
doing well, for if the grass is rather short it is good in quality. 
Suckling calves have been offered in large numbers during the past 
six weeks, and they are likely to pay well as veal this year, for meat 
importations do not affect the value of veal and lamb as it does beef 
and mutton, pork, &c. We find fatting calves pay as well or better 
than milk selling when the farm is inland or away from towns or 
stations. Ewes and lambs, both in the breeding and fatting, have 
done well lately, although in various instances food has been scarce ; 
but dry weather is always suitable for the health and fatting of 
sheep. 
THE HATCHING SEASON. 
Mr. Muir, I see, states on page 432 that he finds March eggs 
hatch better than those laid later on ; but as he wishes to know 
the opinions of others on this subject, I write to say that my ex¬ 
perience for several years is the very reverse. I always find as 
spring advances and the weather becomes milder eggs hatch 
much better, and I have fully one-third more chickens from eggs 
hatching in April than in March. Most poultry-keepers have, I 
believe, found this a very bad backward hatching season, and at 
first we were unfortunate ourselves, but since March we have had 
no reason to complain, and have now a fine healthy lot of Dark 
Dorking chickens.—M. F. Smyth, Londonderry. 
THE COUCOH DE MALINES. 
I HAVE just received from a friend in Belgium the following 
notes on the “Povlets de Bruxelles, ” known as the Coucou de 
Malines. He says—“ The origin of these birds, according to my 
