I 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 481 
period the price oscillated between 21s. as the lowest, which 
occurred in 1849, and 60s. 6d. as the highest in 1865. 
The effect of soil and climate, as well as the materials for 
feeding and the accommodation for the animals, is somewhat 
important to the home farmer in deciding on the breed of sheep 
he would keep under the varying circumstances of his position as 
a fiockmaster. In quoting the opinions of practical men who 
attempt to account for the subtle causes of the difference in wools, 
we must name first Mr. Frank Barnby of Dishworth, near Thirsk, 
who writes :—“ I may mention that I showed my wool in a class 
of nearly twenty exhibitors at the Royal Agricultural Show at 
Leicester, the headquarters of the pure-bred Leicester, and had 
the first prize awarded to my wool. As to the superior quality of 
the Ripon district wool, I have heard the wool-dealers assign two 
reasons, each of which is very probable ; one is that the sub¬ 
strata of red sandstone and freestone, which underlie the greater 
part of this district, act as a natural drainage, and the soil on 
these formations is invariably of a sound and, in most cases, a 
good-bodied kind. The other reason assigned is, that the climate 
is specially adapted for the growth of wool. I know that lambs 
bought in the north, and brought into the Ripon district, always 
produce wool much superior to that produced in their native 
climate.” 
The late Mr. Torr, whose opinion was much valued, said :— 
“ On my own farm I can grow better wool on some portions than 
on others. In South Lincolnshire, about Spilsby, wool grows in 
an extraordinary manner ; north of Fife, and south of the English 
Channel, the quality of the wool falls off, it then becomes hair or 
moss. The valuable fine lustre wool is pretty nearly confined to 
a few degrees of latitude.” Valuable discoveries are made by 
attention to simple facts. The geological formation has a close 
relation to the nature of the soil, and materially affects the qua¬ 
lity of the wool grown upon it. The celebrated Leicester sheep 
breeder, Robert Bakewell, who wrote upon the influence of soil 
and climate upon wool in 180S, “ Classes wool; soils thus Clay 
the best, next sand, and then limestone, or of that nature. The 
fellmonger knows well the effect of lime water on skin wool, it 
acts unfavourably on the fibre and gives it hardness ; chalky soils 
make wool rough. The particles of the soil, besides having a 
chemical and mechanical action on the fleece, colour the wool, 
which is often indelibly fixed upon it.” Shelter and house-feed¬ 
ing is said to improve the wool ; unsheltered fleeces are not so 
valuable as those better cared for. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour. —This will now be divided chiefly between using the 
mowing machine, hay and tedding machine, with carting and the 
preparation for and drilling of Swede and early Turnip seed; for 
the fine rains during the last week in May must or should make 
the home farmer in the southern and eastern, together with the home 
counties, anxious to get the root seeds into the land as soon as 
possible whilst the land is still moist, and from the 7th to the 14th 
of this month may be considered the best time for both Swedes and 
early Turnips. In the northern and north-midland districts, how- 
ever the best season is past, and in these districts those farmers who 
had deposited the seeds for their root crops at the usual season have 
doubtless received the full benefit of the rains in the last week of 
May. To our mind, notwithstanding objections lately raised by 
some theorists to the application only of the bone superphosphate 
with the seed for root crops, the practical men agree with us that a 
full dressing at seed time of from 4 to 5 cwt. of bone superphosphate 
is sufficient upon the generality of soils in good cultivation, and 
otherwise in good cultivation from previous dressings for former 
crops ; still, upon some sharp or poor land it will be best for the 
home farmer to apply some ammoniacal manures, such as guano and 
nitrate of soda, by hand, with some fishery or common salt in addi¬ 
tion, to the crop just previous to the horse-hoeing, after the first 
setting-out or hand-hoeing. This will stimulate the growth of more 
foliage, and the bone manure will complete the process or growth of 
bulbing. The weather has lately been very favourable, not only for 
the growing crops but also for the horse labour and steam culture in 
the various operations included in the preparation of arable land 
for root-seeding. The home farmer must take every opportunity of 
examining the experiments relating to self-made hay by the use of 
the exhausting-of-heat process now being seen at all the chief agri¬ 
cultural show's ; for he may rely upon it that this is one of the great 
and valuable inventions of our time, for when we contemplate the 
uncertainty of the climate of the British Isles it is evident that any 
new system which will enable us to successfully meet the various 
change of weather both in the saving of hay and corn, it becomes 
almost equal to a change of climate. At the meeting of the Royal 
Agricultural Society at Reading, Berks, in July next, prizes will be 
given for the best system and set of apparatus for the saving of hay 
and corn by the above-named process, and the work in connection 
will be exhibited in full operation on the show ground or near it. 
Messrs. Sutton, seedsmen of Reading, we understand, offer one hun¬ 
dred guineas for the best set of tackle. This prize will, no doubt, 
stimulate inventors to further improvement, if possible, in the direc¬ 
tion of more easily and effectually avoiding damage of both hay and 
corn at the time of stacking and securing consequent upon adverse 
weather, v'hich is so peculiar to our climate, and from which the 
farmers have so severely suffered during the past five or six years. 
Hilling the Potatoes after being horse-hoed and hand-hoed should 
now proceed ; and in case the Potatoes have been set out 3 feet apart 
between the lines, which we have previously advised should be the 
plan adopted with all the late sorts which produce abundant foliage, 
it will probably be better to give two turns w’ith the plough instead 
of one, in order that the plants may be properly hilled and greeted. 
Horse-hoeing the Mangolds should be promptly carried out, and 
continued as often as required by the appearance of the weeds or 
condition of the land. The hand-hoeing, we think, should not be 
done whilst the plants are very small or weak, for up to a certain size 
they always grow faster by standing thick in the lines. Besides, the 
enemies, such as wireworm and grub, if they attack the plants 
whilst they are young and weak immediately after being hoed, there 
is sure to be a very serious deficiency in the plants. When they are 
strong before being hoed the enemy cannot injure them much, be¬ 
cause they quickly grow out of the way. 
Hand Labour. —Hedge-trimming, especially the quicksets, should 
now- be done, and then the second trimming may take place just 
after harvest. Haymaking and preparing ashes and manures for 
drilling with the root seeds will now be going on, and employ both 
men and women in all the early districts. The weeding in late-sown 
Barley should now be completed both by hand-hoeing and horse- 
hoeing if the drilling has been done at the distance of 10 or 12 inches 
between the lines. Again, there is no doubt in our mind from our 
experience, that the best way to secure a malting sample of Barley is 
to drill less seed than usual at the widest distance. 
Live Stock of all kinds are doing well w'here careful and good 
management prevails. The quantity of green fodder, like Trifolium 
and Vetches, is most abundant, and the meadows and parklands are 
everywhere full of grass where carefully managed. The dairies are 
now in full work both in cheese and butter-making, and the late 
rains have been very favourable for the milk-selling dairies ; in fact, 
milk in various districts is cheaper in consequence, and some parties 
are resorting to the suckling of calves for veal, in the advantage of 
which we entirely concur on any farms distant from towns or railway 
stations. The horned ewes which have been mated with down rams 
it is now known that large numbers of them will come to lamb early. 
It is also now a good time to obtain some of the best and early- 
lambing Dorset downs, especially the off-going ewes, from those 
farms where the flocks usually lamb early, in their native districts. 
Our plan is to take the ewes from such farms at a fair price in their 
wool immediately their lambs are weaned, about this time, and have 
the ewes driven to their new home as soon as possible ; and by 
putting them into good keeping, with pasture grass and green crops 
and half a pound of cotton cake each per day, and a well-bred down 
ram mated with them, we have always found this the best way to 
obtain early-lambing down stock to produce lambs early enough for 
the Easter markets. 
CLASSIFICATION AT POULTRY AND PFiEON 
SHOWS. 
The classification of both poultry and Pigeons at exhibitions 
has changed very much, even within the recollection of younger 
fanciers. " Classes have of late been much divided, and many sub- 
varieties are recognised which before were ignored. We are not, 
however, at present concerned with this part of the subject, but 
with the number of birds shown together in a pen. The reasons for 
the change which has taken place in this respect ai-e not far to seek. 
When poultry and Pigeon shows were originally started there was 
much public call for them. People wished to see pure-bred birds 
and to know something about them. Crowds came to shows, and 
the sums taken at the doors were large and remunerative. Pro¬ 
moters of shows then only had to look to making them generally 
attractive, and the expense of their management was almost always 
covered by the gate money. We will speak of poultry first. Three, 
four, or even five birds were often shown in a pen—a cock sur¬ 
rounded by ki3 harem. It is a very pretty sight to see such a 
family well matched; the cock of proper proportion to his wives, 
and all of them so much alike that one can scarcely be distinguished 
from another. There were found, however, to be some practical 
objections to these full pens. The birds often had their plumage 
damaged, and the hens, if not well accustomed to the society of each 
other, not unfrequently fought. By degrees the number exhibited 
together w'as generally reduced to either three in a pen (a cock and 
two hens) or to pairs of hens and single cocks. This system long 
continued. Indeed, it is not more than two or three years since 
