JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
January 19, 1882. ] 
63 
butter that was highly appreciated and always made the highest 
price in the market. 
The next point of importance is, How are we to obtain the be-t 
butter in the winter and early spring months before we have 
grass feeding for the cows? We can, by using liquid manure on 
the Italian Rye grass, have it tit for feeding in some seasons 
by the first week in March ; still there will be in any season a 
certain period when grass cannot be obtained for the cows so as 
to influence the quality of the butter in the usual way. Perhaps 
in some cases we may have sufficient grass for grazing in some of 
the best water meadows by letting the water off about the middle 
of February in some seasons, but this is quite an exception, and 
if it could be done the home farmer would only be justified in 
adopting such management under orders to obtain first quality 
of butter at whatever cost and difficulty. He must in the absence 
of special requirements fall back upon the best food obtainable 
at the time of year. In such cases we should recommend the 
Alderney cows entirely, and those which have only lately calved, 
about a week or ten days previously ; we further consider that 
they should be fed upon hay and water only, but the hay should 
be the produce of the best grazing land, where the herbage is 
of sufficient quality and nature to give the hay the fine aroma 
which we often find when it is well made, and contains a large 
portion of the “ Sweet Vernal ” grass. This we believe will at 
the particular time of winter furnish the best butter that can be 
made, but in less quantity than by not feeding, and therefore not 
at the greatest profit to meet the trade, but only for the purpose 
of a supply to the establishment with which the home farmer 
may be connected. Still, as we have previously remarked, a very 
good article can be manufactured when the cows are fed upon 
hay, bran, or Wheat meal and Potatoes, especially from Jersey 
cows that have recently calved. 
(To be continued.) 
WORK OK THE HOME FARM. 
Horsa Labour .—The labour for horses must now be anticipatory, 
and the home farmer should now begin to arrange for the labour on 
the land requisite for seeding early pulse crops, such as Beans, Peas, 
and summer Vetches. As soon as the land is dry enough to plough 
and the presser to follow, these crops may be put in. We recommend 
two ways in which it may be done, so that the work of ploughing 
and seeding may be done simultaneously. First, the seeding drill 
attached to the heel of the plough is well adapted for Beans, as the 
grain may be deposited at the bottom of the furrow as the work 
proceeds, covering it in effectually, and the land require no harrow¬ 
ing, especially if the land should be cold and heavy. The other way 
is to plough, the presser following, and a seed drill may be attached 
to the presser so that the seed may be deposited with the drill in the 
grooves formed by the presser. We having mentioned the press drill 
to various implement makers, some of them are making drills for the 
purpose to be attached to the frame of the presser, and this plan is 
commanding increased attention from the farmers. The drill attached 
to the plough depositing the seed in the furrow is as well adapted for 
Peas as for Beans, but the land should be ploughed more shallow 
with a lighter furrow, as the seed can then germinate more quickly 
than when a heavy furrow is turned. If, however, the land is dry 
sandy loam or of a gravelly nature the seed lines would come through 
a deeper furrow. Upon the whole we recommend the seeding and 
pressing combined in one operation, feeling assured that this system 
will meet the approval of most practical farmers, because it is so im¬ 
portant in the early season like January or February when the 
weather is uncertain to have the work completed as the day’s work 
proceeds. The advantage of burying the seed of pulse crops under 
furrow is, that it prevents the birds from damaging the young plants, 
because birds will not take the trouble or labour of digging deeply 
to obtain the grain. 
Dung may still be drawn out on land intended for Mangolds, Beans, 
Peas, 4c., and if the weather is dry, when the land is near towns the 
manure may be laid out as it is brought home ; but we must again 
caution the home farmer as to buying town manure, for much of it is 
not worth the expense of delivery and laying out as compared with 
artificial manures. Dr. Voelcker analysed some for a farmer whom 
we recommended to have it done in December, 1877, and after giving 
the exact contents he slates “it contains a large proportion of coal 
ashes, and is scarcely worth as much as fresh farmyard manure, and 
os. per ton delivered is quite as much as I would recommend to be 
given for it. If, however, good stable dung can be bought at Gs. 6d. 
to 7s. Gd. per ton delivered on the farm I would prefer it to the other 
at 5s. 6 d.” This opinion is important, as it proves that it cannot in 
the majority of instances be obtained at that price with carriage of 
delivery added. 
Hand Labour .—In those districts where the fences consist of large 
and wide banks with ditches and borders they may be turned to account 
if the growth of wood thereon is of various kinds, but not being 
Whitethorns. If the wood is cut quite close to the bank so that the 
rough hedge grass and young shoots of underwood can be cut closely 
with the scythe or flagging hook, capital fodder for young cattle or 
dairy cows may be cut twice a year, in May and July. They will eat 
the greater portion including the young shoots of the wood, and 
thrive well. We are acquainted with one farmer who keeps a con¬ 
siderable number of cows upon this food, but giving them at the 
same time 4 tbs. of cake daily, or 5 tbs. of cotton cake, and they give 
large quantities of milk under this system of feeding, and at the 
same time it keeps the banks and border trim, preventing also the 
seeding of weeds. This food would not do for butter-making ; for the 
sale of milk, however, it answers a good purpose all things considered. 
We first introduced the plan many years ago, until we threw down 
the banks and drained the ditches, and squared the fields of arable 
land made it more important for cultivation. 
Live Stock .—The Dorset and Hampshire Down ewes are now lamb¬ 
ing fast, the ewes being generally in good condition, but we do not 
hear of much lameness amongst them. We have to report some 
rather serious losses by abortion. In one case we find the Hampshire 
ewes have aborted seriously ; but the Dorsets, although both breeds 
have been fed together for three or four months, are producing live 
lambs. Many farmers blame the Turnips for causing such losses ; 
but there is another view of the matter, for we many years ago found 
that ew T es which had not suffered from lameness would often abort, 
but those which had been lame, although they would lose condition, 
still they would bring live lambs. It should be considered that this 
epidemic lameness arises from blood poisoning, and has been handed 
down from generation to generation ever since 1840, and the blood of 
these sheep is still tainted with this fever, and if it does not find issue 
in the feet by lameness it is always likely to produce abortion through 
the internal action of fever connected with this complaint. At least 
this is our experience, and we advise the home farmer to do as we 
have done ever since 1830 when the epidemic lameness first affected 
our flocks, but more especially the Down sheep of the southern 
counties. Let it be borne in mind, in treating the sheep when lame, 
not to use severe caustic remedies, because that drives the fever back 
into the system and injures them internally. 
FOOD FOR DAIRY COWS. 
Rich old grass is the most natural and best of all cattle foods 
for producing milk of good quality. It is a grave mistake, 
practised by many intelligent farmers, to keep cows on poor bare 
pasture without any assistance in the way of house feeding. 
Many seem to imagine that land which has been tilled for many 
years without recuperation, until it has become useless for grain- 
growing, is quite good enough for pastoral purposes, and therefore 
stint their cows of a proper quantity of nourishment. Nothing 
could be more short-sighted and unprofitable. It requires, in the 
first place, a large proportion of food to keep the animal in a 
strong healthy condition, and it is the surplus assimilated after 
making good the natural wastes that goes to increase the animal, 
or for the production of milk. An animal of sound constitution, 
healthy digestion, and w r ell-developed lacteal organs will prove a 
good milker. 
Those who wish proper returns from these cows should there¬ 
fore see that they are properly supplied with healthy food and 
plenty of good pure water. The quality of the milk varies with 
the different breeds of cattle, their age, the food eaten, and at 
different periods of the year. The milk of old cows is much 
thinner than that of young ones of the same breed. It is astonish¬ 
ing the effect rich pasture or rich food has upon the quality as 
well as the quantity of the milk. Average milk contains, in 100 
parts—Water, 87-00; albuminoids, 4 30; fats, 3 80; sugar, 4-28; 
and ash, 0 62. Normal milk, then, contains about 13 per cent, of 
solid matter, and this solid matter is made up of nearly equal 
parts of albuminoids, fats, and sugar, with fully one-half per cent, 
of ash or mineral matter, consisting chiefly of phosphate of lime 
and common salt. 
Milk is, therefore, unusually rich in nitrogenous compounds and 
fat, and foods rich in these constituents are required for dairy 
cows. Animals grazed in poor, dry pastures, in which the albumi¬ 
noids are deficient and the woody fibre is in excess, will well 
repay an outlay for artificial food, such as bran mash, or nourish¬ 
ing meal of any kind. We have heretofore pointed out the 
detrimental effects of distillery slops on dairy cows, the germs of 
disease it contains, &c., and need only, in this connection, to warn 
dairymen against it. As abundance of good food increases the 
quantity and improves the quality of milk, and as the prices of 
dairy productions are sure to be high this season, it is to the 
advantage of every farmer to look carefully after the feeding and 
watering of his cows.—( Dairyman .) 
To Cure (Edema. —A subscriber of the Prairie Farmer writes— 
I have a horse that had the scratches and recovered, as I thought. 
Now his ankles are swelled up to his knees and hocks, and covered 
with dry specks, looking as if there had been a sore. When you 
rub them the hair pulls out. Please tell me what the disease is, 
and give a remedy. Reply—Bathe the swelled legs twice daily 
with a portion of a solution of an ounce of sulphate of zinc to 
