JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
April 7, 1881. ] 
attributed to the fact of a full crop of broad Clover having previously- 
absorbed a large portion of the manurial elements in the soil neces¬ 
sary for the production of the crop, and this accounts for the failures 
in succession that are often seen. Upon the hill farms, and those 
without any pastures or water meadows, where a stock of breeding 
sheep is kept, some land may have Italian Rye Grass sown in the 
Wheat, for although Mangolds may be considered specially adapted to 
prevent scarcity, yet Italian Rye Grass and Rye itself sown in the 
autumn are first-rate provision when the spring food for sheep and 
cattle is short. The land where Rye Grass has been fed off may be 
ploughed, pressed, and sown with Rape or Thousand-headed Kale ; 
that which has been occupied with Rye fed off in conjunction with 
Italian Grass will be suitable for Mangolds or Swedes after once 
ploughing. If, however, it is foul with couch the green crops must 
be superseded by a naked fallow before sowing the seeds for root 
crops. 
Hand Labour .—Men and women are now employed in timber 
cutting and stripping off bark from the Oaks, the women setting up 
the bark. All other timber, such as Elm and Ash, have been cut 
during the winter, especially for the purposes of repairs ; it is also 
advised by many, and we approve it, that the Oaks when required as 
timber for the home farm should be cut in the winter months before 
the sap has risen, and consequently without taking off the bark. 
Men are now much required in connection with the various kinds of 
farm work going on, such as preparing manure for Mangolds and the 
late kinds of Potatoes. The women may be employed in cutting the 
Potato sets, for we agree that they should be cut before setting, so 
that not more than two eyes are left on each set, unless in the case 
of some sorts, especially the early ones, which have but few eyes. 
In those sorts, however, which show a large number of eyes the 
planting of small Potatoes are objectionable, because they produce 
numerous stems forming quite a bunch of leaves. We prefer to have 
one or two strong stems only. 
Live. Stock .—The dairy cows should now go out on the pastures at 
daytime chiefly for airing, for as yet there is but little grass on the 
best pastures, but returning to the stalls or courts at night, and there 
receiving their allowance of artificial foods, chaff, and roots mixed, 
and if with malt to make it attractive as well as forcing the milk so 
much the better. The home farmer may now with advantage have 
his middling or inferior Barley malted at a cost of about 4s. 6d. or 5s. 
per quarter, and by the increase in bulk as well as quality secure an 
article for various purposes of increased value as compared with 
barleymeal. We must caution the farmer against allowing dairy 
cows or store cattle to feed on any pastures which are intended to be 
laid up and cut for hay, as all such should be laid up and rolled not 
later than the first week in April. Swine require particular atten¬ 
tion, for it is not customary to arrange for the sows to farrow about 
March or April. The young pigs will then have the advantage of 
favourable weather, but it is dangerous to allow pigs under twelve 
weeks old to eat Mangolds promiscuously in the yards whilst being 
kept only in store condition, as they often die unexpectedly, and are 
found to have the lungs decayed. Of course if a fair allowance of 
meal is given and mixed with pulped Mangolds they will do very 
well. The closing of markets in various districts has been a great 
source of inconvenience to the home farmer in the sale of his stock, 
whether in a fat state or merely in store condition. In most districts, 
however, the foot-and-mouth disease has nearly disappeared, although 
this disorder seldom occasions death, and rarely lasts beyond a few 
weeks in the herd, yet the future loss and disturbance of health of 
the animals in consequence never can be calculated, and is often very 
serious ; it is therefore necessary that it should be stamped out by 
isolation as quickly as possible. The manner in which the sheep are 
attacked and the estimated condition of the animals is often very 
unsatisfactory, because the symptoms of foot-rot attended with in¬ 
ternal fever is often mistaken for the foot-and-mouth disease. 
VARIETIES. 
Agricultural Prospects. — The cold days and frosty nights 
of the past week have not improved the appearance of growing crops 
of any kind, and all vegetation remains very backward. The open 
weather, however, has enabled a great deal of work to be done on 
the land, and Barley sowing has been pushed forward very rapidly 
on light soils and loams. On the heavy lands the surface has been 
getting very hard during the last few days, and, with the exception 
of fallows made before Christmas, the clays are very troublesome to 
work, the cold wet clay turning to brick under the drying winds. 
A warm shower or two would now do great good to the land and all 
the crops upon it, for nothing seems to grow ; in fact everything 
seems to be getting smaller day by day. Winter Beans make but a 
poor showing, and the average of spring Beans planted must be a very 
small one. Peas, too, have gone in on a small acreage, because the 
season was late and other work was pressing. Keep of all kinds is 
now very scarce, and stock are being turned out prematurely in 
many districts : this is bad policy in every way. Store cattle are 
generally in rather low condition in England and Scotland, but in 
283 
Ireland they have wintered well and come very fresh to the spring 
fairs. Sheep are not doing very well, as they are mostly on short 
keep, and the lambs do not get as much from the ewes as they 
require. In fact, the liberal use of feeding-stuffs has again become 
a necessity which may not be neglected with impunity.—( Marie Lane 
Express.) 
- The Adulteration of Dairy Produce.—W e are glad to 
observe that attention is being directed to the alarming extent to 
which the adulteration of Irish butter is being practised. Adultera¬ 
tion of all substances is not only a dishonest, but it may also be 
a dangerous practice, and those who carry it on should be subjected 
to severe punishment. We regret that latterly there has been only 
too good reason to believe that the adulteration of butter by oleo¬ 
margarine or butterine is being perpetrated extensively in different 
parts of Ireland, more especially in the larger towns. More than one 
public body throughout the country have petitioned Parliament on 
the subject; while at a meeting of the Council of the Royal Agricul¬ 
tural Society of Ireland last week, the Rev. Canon Bagot referred to 
the matter with the view of pressing it upon the attention of the 
authorities in Dublin.—( Irish Farmer's Gaxette.) 
- Oleomargarine.—M uch is heard of this substance, and the 
following, which has been published relative to it, may not be devoid 
of interest :—“ Oleomargarine, which is derived from beef caul fat, 
the average yield being 35 per cent, of the fat used. This product is 
used in America both for the adulteration of butter and foi the manu¬ 
facture of butterine or counterfeit butter. It is also largely ex¬ 
ported to the United Kingdom and to Holland for the purpose of 
adulterating butter in those countries. 2, Suene, made at Chicago, 
and consisting of 50 per cent, of hog’s lard, and 50 per cent, of 
western dairy butter. 3, Butter on a soapstone basis, which consists 
of a large admixture of the mineral known as ‘ soapstone,’ which is 
ground to an impalpable powder, and is used as filling to make 
weight in flour, sugar, soap, paper, and many other articles, as well 
as in butter and cheese. The Pood Adulteration Act is not sufficient 
to meet the requirements of this new traffic, or, at all events, its 
provisions are habitually evaded.” 
•- The Uses of Maize. —During his Budget speech last Monday 
night Mr. Gladstone spoke as follows on this subject:—“ I wish to 
give a little detail about the case of Maize, because it is an interest¬ 
ing illustration of the mode in which, where freedom is given to 
industry, private enterprise discovers methods of making that free¬ 
dom gainful. Maize was considered somewhat hard for brewing, and 
it was also found, when the experiment was seriously made, that it 
contained too much oil, which was a very grave objection. But this 
further discovery was made, that this excess of oil was not diffused 
through the general body of the grain, but lay entirely in that which 
is called the germ ; consequently the wit of man thus provoked and 
stimulated extracted the germ from the grain and turned it to its 
proper account—viz., that of making oil, which we can burn in our 
lamps. The Maize, relieved of the excess of oil and now made suit¬ 
able for brewing, wa3 applied for that purpose ; and I understand 
that the result is not only satisfactory as regards the beer which pro¬ 
ceeds from it, but likewise it is satisfactory in this point, that the 
residue is found to be even more available and decidedly more profit¬ 
able for feeding cattle than the residue formerly obtained from 
Barley.” 
PRACTICAL SCIENTIFIC BREEDING. 
( Continued from page 203.) 
GENERAL PRINCIPLES. 
There are certain general rules or principles of breeding which 
have been ascertained to be correct by the experience of fanciers. 
A knowledge of these is indispensable to the beginner. During 
the formation of the strain these rules have to give way in some 
degree to the paramount object in view—namely, the establishing 
of a family, all the individuals of which bear a strong resemblance 
to a common ancestor, and are prepotent as to the points of that 
