March 23, 1882. ] 
JOURNAL,OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
249 
In cross-breeding'we should take into account the delicacy of 
constitution oE the thoroughbred racer. The difference as respects 
hardiness is strikingly shown between the foal of the cart mare 
and the thoroughbred ; for whilst the former is strong, sturdy, 
and fleshy, the latter comparatively puny, thin, and susceptible of 
the least cold, the former, by means of the dam’s milk, can be kept 
in first-rate order, whilst the latter requires artificial assistance as 
sron as it can be rendered. These render it so expensive to rear 
the blood colt, and this distinction prevails throughout life, and ex¬ 
tends in a lesser degree to the half-bred as compared with the cart 
horse. The thoroughbred has certain other faults. As a rule he is 
slighter and weaker in the fore legs, he goes closer the ground, is 
often a bad walker and an indifferent trotter, and is more liable to 
stumble and fall than the coarse-bred horse. How can it be other¬ 
wise ? He is bred to win a race from parents which have been 
winners. The elevation and round action that makes a good hack 
or charger would shorten his stride and impair his chances; 
although, if he has good legs and sufficient size and substance, 
the very fact of his being too slow for racing ought to be rather a 
recommendation as a hunting stallion than otherwise. Yet, who 
would give him credit for endurance, or stoutness as it is called 
in racing phraseology, if he had never been fortunate enough to 
win a race ? or what chance would he have for a prize at our 
agricultural shows when judged by those who can recognise at a 
glance a Derby favourite or the winner of the St. Leger ? 
" The improvement effected in the size, and probably in the speed 
of the thoroughbred horse, is no doubt very great, and every year 
produces some wonderful examples of first-class winners. Yet 
we may venture to say, that nowhere else throughout nature, 
where the same care and vigilance is bestowed on the rearing of 
animals, are the blanks so many and the prizes so few. To justify 
this broad assertion let us endeavour to trace the career of the, 
say, fifteen hundred and upwards thoroughbred foals which are 
annually dropped. The majority are begotten by first-class horses, 
which have either been great winners before they have themselves 
broken down, or, better still, have proved themselves the sires of 
great winners as well as winners themselves. Both care and ex¬ 
pense are lavishly bestowed on the fifty or sixty sires, the two thou¬ 
sand brood mares, and also on the foals themselves. It is an 
error to suppose that either the mare or the foal is pampered and 
enervated by undue care. The well-kept paddock affords every 
facility for taking exercise, and those who have witnessed the 
incessant and sprightly gambols of the young animal will admit 
that the muscles and sinews of the thoroughbred foal are called 
into play much more than those of the cart horse. Yet with all 
this care what becomes of these costly toys ? The greater number 
go into training at two years old, no small per-centage having 
previously disappeared from disease or accident, and many suc¬ 
cumb to the numerous maladies and mishaps which occur in 
the training stable. After this ordeal the trial begins, and then 
some are condemned as too slow, and others as too small ; some 
are mercifully shot out of the way, others submitted to the auc¬ 
tioneer’s hammer, and many a colt which has cost £200 to rear 
is sold for less than £10. We have quoted to some extent from 
an essay in the Journal of the Koval Agricultural Society of 
England by Mr. W. C. Spooner, M.R.V.C. 
(To be continued.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour .—Up to this time the weather has been very favour¬ 
able for the work of the farm with but little or no impediment, for 
when we had a few showers it was suitable for rolling the pastures 
and parklands as well as Clover where intended to be cut for hay. 
Great breadths of Lent corn, both Barley and Oats, have been sown 
in capital season, and in many fields the corn is above ground and 
looks strong and healthy. Potatoes now should all be planted, the 
sooner the better, either of the early or late varieties. Some farmers 
are hesitating whether to plant many Potatoes owing to the price 
being so low ; still, if the crop is large it pays better than any other 
roots if sold, especially, too, as it is one of the best fallow crops, and 
prepares the land well for cereals such as Wheat and Barley. We 
must not forget, where the home farm is well situated for the sale of 
vegetables, such as Cabbages, Broccoli, Carrots, Cauliflowers, &c., 
that they pay well for cultivation when they can be delivered in 
towns by the grower, but not to consign them to salesmen in London. 
Mangolds in heap or in store should now be looked after, for in case 
they grow put they sometimes partially decay when the weather 
becomes warm. We therefore make it a rule to look over the heaps 
or bulk, and make them up again after removing any decayed or 
decaying roots and rethatch with fresh well-wetted straw. This will 
keep the roots cool and in good condition for the remainder of the 
season. The time of year is now suitable for setting out draining ; 
for when the fallows show white as we have seen them to-day, every 
damp spot is shown plainly, the dry land being white and the wet 
ground dark-coloured ; and if it is properly set cut and marked the 
drainage work may commence without further delay, for the land is 
generally in a workable state at present. 
Both steam power and horse power should now be made available 
for cleaning and preparing the land for root crops—Mangolds first, 
then Carrots, afterwards Swedish and hybrid Turnips. We like to 
apply artificial manures for all these unless the yard dung should 
have been laid on in the autumn or winter previously, because at this 
busy period no dung-carting ought to be done, the labour on the 
fallows being so valuable, for in case of change of weather it may 
become either too wet or too dry ; therefore the preparation ought 
never to be delayed when it is possible to effectually carry out the 
work. We hope to sow our Mangold seed about the first week in 
April, for in the two past seasons we were very fortunate, and ob¬ 
tained a full and regular plant; but in both cases if a delay of ten 
days had been permitted the land would have become too dry. 
Hand Labour .—This is employed in Potato preparing and planting 
both by men and women, and in case of a showery day work should 
always be ready for the men and women also under cover. The 
breaking, screening, and preparing of guano, ashes, &c., may be done 
in the manure house, for every farm ought to have a house for the 
storing of manures, with space sufficient for work under cover. The 
women, too, will now be employed when ploughing-in Cabbage and 
other plants is going on ; for if the plants are carefully laid by them 
along the side of the furrow, and only one horse is used in ploughing 
which shall walk out of the furrow so as not to disturb the plants, 
the ploughing-in may be completed in good form. A man, however, 
should follow with the hoe and release any plants which may have 
been buried too deeply, and draw over a little earth upon those roots 
which have not been sufficiently covered. The grass on the borders 
and banks of the fields is now, on the warm soils like sand, gravel, 
and limestone, very forward, and especially where the wild Cow 
Parsley pi-evails. The grass will when cut not only furnish a clean 
and neat border to the fences, but the crop, which may be cut twice 
a year, will furnish valuable feeding materials for dairy cows and 
breeding sows. The former are very fond of such food, and it encou¬ 
rages the milk greatly. We know a farmer who feeds twenty cows 
chiefly upon such food during the summer months, and giving there¬ 
with i lbs. of undecorticated cotton cake daily to each cow. This is 
preferred to the decorticated cotton cake, because it prevents any 
tendency to diarrhoea when the animals are eating rough grass, 
including various hedgeweeds. It is not suggested that this food of 
border grass is fit for cows in the butter-making dairy, but it answers 
admirably when the milk is sold, or calves suckled and fattened for 
veal. It'is found also that the various young shoots of hedgewood, 
except Whitethorns, &c., are eaten readily by both cows and pigs ; any 
portion remaining is also well adapted to be trodden down with the 
Btraw litter and adding to the dung heap. 
Live Stock .—Stock is doing well, almost beyond precedent, for food 
of every kind, including park and pasture grass, is most abundant 
considering the time of year. The Trifolium and other green fodder 
crops like Rye and Italian Rye Grass, will be ready for cutting and 
soiling cattle in a few days, and are at present in a gross and luxu¬ 
riant condition for folding off for sheep. Most districts are now free 
from the foot rot in sheep, which is a very important point, for in 
past seasons we know large flocks of sheep have lost to their owner, 
in consequence of lameness, an amount equal to the expenditure in 
cake feeding, but more especially in the case of large flocks, for when 
once the lameness is allowed to make progress, it is a work of great 
cost and difficulty to eradicate and keep it under even with the most 
vigilant attention. Dairy cows will now find plenty of grass, in the 
water meadows especially; but they should not be allowed to lie 
out at night until the first week in May, for we may yet get night 
frosts, which will frequently injure cow stock, especially heifers. 
POULTRY NOTES. 
The poultry cause celebre is decided, as our readers will have 
learnt from our report of the trial. We are glad to feel that we may 
burv the unhapp) r controversy for good and all, but we should have 
been still more glad if it had not been disinterred in the Court of 
Queen’s Bench. Why it lay in abeyance two years and was then 
brought to the light of Westminster Hall we know not, and it is 
idle now to speculate. We will not return to it, or again discuss 
the meri's of the case. There are, however, lessons to be learnt 
and warnings to be taken by simple laymen unlearned in the 
strange subtleties of the law from such a trial which we may with¬ 
out impropriety point out, lest unhappily some such dispute should 
again arise. 
1, As to the publication of a libel. We have generally, and not 
unnaturally, a vague idea that a statement to be considered tech¬ 
nically as published must have been published by, or at least with, 
the sanction of its wr.ter. In this case, however, nothing of the 
kind took place. The writer did not publish the libel or sanction its 
