G4 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ July 19, 1883. 
Empress, short of four years old, have noticeably soft moss¬ 
like and thickset hair, on which the light mist drops of a 
drizzling autumn morning hang like dew on the blades of grass. 
The majority of the Sussex cattle seen hitherto had not yet put 
their rough coats on. These a little in advance of their com¬ 
panions show the sort of winter hair they can grow. Turning 
at length from the Rudgwick purchases to the eight other 
cows and heifers in the yard, we have Fanny Fern 2nd, Cherry, 
Dahlia 2nd, and Young Strawberry, all from the herd of Mr. 
Alfred Agate—Young Strawberry, one of the grandest lot of 
cows that tilled the ring at the Bath and West of England Show 
in June last, a fine large cow, in character and size a suitable 
companion for Princess to make a pair. 
At Dedswell Farm, about two miles from Temple Court, 
are the cows in milk, the stock bull, and the “young things.” 
Here, too, is the dairy. But what has the dairy to do with a 
herd of Sussex cattle? Why, here a good deal. The system 
of management differs from that of Sussex herds in general. 
The calves are suckled for a fortnight only, then weaned and 
brought up on skim milk, linseed, and Mr. Bowick’s lactina— 
the latter found to answer welb The cows when parted from 
their calves are treated as dairy stock. Some are fairly good 
milkers, others not very good. Whether Sussex cows are the 
best for this purpose, and whether this is the best way of 
treating Sussex cattle, may be questionable; but it is the system 
which has been carried on here for some years, and the present 
bailiff, Mr. M’Farlane, is mostly continuing the practice estab¬ 
lished before the herd was committed to his charge. His expe¬ 
rience, so far, has favoured the belief that the Sussex, trained 
for milk, may be made a good dairy cow; and although sub¬ 
ject d to such a drain, the cow herself must look light and poor 
beside the cow whose only duty beyond bearing a calf is to 
moderately keep it for four or five months, yet Mr. M’Farlane 
holds that deterioration of the breed for beef-making would be 
no necessary consequence of its great improvement for the 
dairy. He points to the Shorthorn. No doubt prime steers 
are often bred from first-rate dairy cows; but it is questionable 
whether extraordinary dairy properties can be perpetuated in a 
family without some sacrifice of flesh and of the.flesh-carrying 
form, or extraordinary flesh growth become hereditary without 
loss in milk and butter.” We do not think it can be clone as a 
rule. There will, of course, be exceptions. 
(To be continue:!.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour is still employed in tillage for root crops, such as late 
Turnips, Thousand-headed Kale, and Rape. Intervals, however, will 
be claimed and used for the carting of hay in the irrigated meadows 
and in the late cold meadows near to brooks, and especially where 
the pastures lie beneath the level of night fogs, and also in various 
counties in the north midland and north-western districts where 
pastures prevail in extent beyond the arable and cultivated districts. 
In these it is very seldom that the hay harvest can be completed before 
the commencement of the corn harvest, particularly where winter Oats, 
winter Beans, and early sorts of Peas are cultivated, and in some 
districts a sufficiency of agricultural labour is not located, and much 
work is to be done by casual and travelling labourers. This should 
really be made a matter to be provided for by the tenantry or the 
home farmers of the district, or the commercial advantages which 
should be attached to agriculture must suffer, and the oftener the land 
changes hands by the introduction of new tenants, any measures likely 
to meet the pressing requirements of harvest, the more the subject 
will be neglected, and farming carried on to a disadvantage. Horse' 
labour will for some time be required on the fallows in preparation for 
the next year’s Wheat crop ; but we wish to again remind the home 
farmer that as soon as the fallows can be more than half made it 
is well to consider the advantage of seeding the land with Mustard 
at the rate of a bushel for three acres, but it should be done upon any 
really heavy, cold, clay soil before the 20th of July, otherwise the 
bulk to be ploughed-in will be too light, or the ploughing-in be too 
long delayed. In either case it will prejudice the preparation for seeding 
with Wheat. It is, however, a capital plan upon soils in general 
where the Mustard seed can be sown in reasonable time, for during the 
growth of Mustard until it comes into bloom it is increasing the supply 
of manure for the next Wheat crop, and in various instances when 
the work is properly carried out in due season the value of the manure 
contributed by the death and decay of the Mustard ploughed in may 
be estimated at from £3 to £5 per acre for the Wheat crop. At the 
same time the indirect advantages are many and great. For instance, 
after the Mustard is sown no more labour is required upon that land 
until ploughed-in, whereas if it had remained a naked fallow it would 
have required tillage during the harvest period, or the twitch would 
have increased at a time of year when adverse weather would probably 
prevent the completion of the fallow, and the application of either 
yard or box manure at seed time. We are of opinion that the Mustard, 
especially where it grows strong, that quite irrespective of the 
smothering influence of the Mustard it has a deleterious effect upon 
the remaining couch. In addition, at any rate the horse labour is 
free for other work for a considerable period, say five or six weeks, 
during which time a lot of important horse labour may be completed, 
such as scarifying or ploughing and cleaning the Wheat stubbles, ov 
sowing the same with stubble Turnips, Rye,. Trifolium, and winter 
Vetches, each being of great consequence whether these crops are used 
by ploughiDg-in or feeding with sheep. The odd horse or horses 
whose work it is to horse-hoe the root crops may now continue to- 
prepare them for singling and hand-hoeing. It is, however, frequently 
the case in a growing root season like the present hand-hoers are not to 
be obtained in numbers sufficient to do the hoeing and singling in time, 
but especially in harvest, when the greatest difficulty often occurs ; but 
when there is a full and regular plant of Turnips in the rows we have- 
frequently used the horse-hoes across the rows. This will save the roots 
against injury from being too thick, and women or lads may then single 
them without difficulty. We have often saved very fine crops of Turnips 
in this way when it has been quite impossible to save them in the 
ordinary manner for want of hoers. 
Hand Labour .—Thatching the hayricks must be attended to, and it 
is difficult to get this work done in proper time if we trust to professional 
or journeymen thatchers, who often suit their own engagements before 
our interest, instead of which we prefer to learn one of our staff of men 
on the farm to do the work, and then it may be done immediately the 
stacks are ready, whether of hay or corn. Now this is a matter of great 
consequence in the management of labour, for workers on the farm can 
always in showery weather find time for drawing and piling the straw 
ready for use" at short notice or for immediate requirements. The hand- 
hoeing of the Mangolds, Carrots, and all root crops should be done in 
due season, and the number of workmen and women required provided 
accordingly ; but the live fences must all be clipped or trimmed, together 
with the banks and borders, before harvest if neat and effectual fences 
against stock are required. 
Live Stock .—Upon the best grazing farms where fatting bullocks are- 
kept instead of dairy cattle, they should be so managed as to have a 
frequent change of pasture. We also object to large numbers being fed 
together on the same pasture. It should, however, be made a matter of 
calculation as to the numbers required to consume the grass in due 
season, and the change of pasturage should be carried out even if the 
stock of each field be made to succeed each other in turn occasionally, 
in preference to grazing large numbers in one herd. In some pastures it 
is necessary to supplement the grazing by allowing the animals some 
cake and bean meal mixed, but to prevent waste the cake and bean 
meal should be mixed with a little cut Mangolds and placed in 6keps, 
one for each animal, got ready previously for the animals to partake 
upon their change and entry from one pasture to the other. Where 
sheep are kept as an established custom on a breeding farm this is 
the time for the sale of the offgoing ewes and lambs, but a provision 
should be made for wintering the usual quantity of stock, for while 
sheep are selling at such prices the advantages of selling as many as 
can be spared, having regard to the usual stock of the farm, are obvious. 
The Agricultueal Show at York. —At the extensive Show opened 
this week we are desired to state that Messrs. Sutton & Sons, Reading ; 
Messrs. James Carter & Co., High Holborn ; and Messrs. Webb & Son, 
Stourbridge, and others have large stands of roots and seeds very taste¬ 
fully arranged. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
Camden Square, London. 
Lat. 51° 32' 40" N.; Long. 0° 8' 0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
DATE. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAT. 
£ 
a 
« 
1883. 
July. 
Barome¬ 
ter at 32« 
and Sea 
Level 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
Direction 
of Wind. 
| Temp, of 
Soil at 
1 foot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
snn. 
On 
grass. 
Inches. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
In. 
Sunday . 
29.917 
668 
58.7 
W. 
63.1 
76.2 
57.5 
118.0 
54.8 
0.103: 
Monday. 
29.818 
65.3 
6\4 
s.w. 
64.2 
72.8 
58-8 
111.0 
54.8 
— 
Tuesday. 
. 10 
29.916 
65.5 
57.4 
w. 
63.3 
73.4 
53.3 
127.3 
46.9 
— 
Wednesday . 
. 11 
29.699 
62.0 
.57.3 
E. 
63.7 
72.5 
53.0 
119.0 
51.7 
— 
Thursday ... 
. 12 
29.603 
61.7 
57.6 
E. 
63.7 
68 3 
56.8 
100.2 
52.3 
0.170 
Friday. 
29.075 
62.3 
56.5 
S.W. 
62.2 
72.6 
53.4 
125.7 
49.7 
0.019 
Saturday ... 
. 14 
29.758 
62.1 
57.6 
N.W. 
62.2 
6 j.l 
53.2 
111.8 
47.7 
1.431 
29.769 
63.7 
57.9 
63.2 
71.7 
55.1 
116.1 
51.1 
1.723 
REMARKS. 
8th.—Fine and -warm, overcast at times; heavy rain with lightning and thunder 
10.15 p.M. 
9th.—Dull and rainy in early morning ; fine day. 
10th.—Very bright early ; changeable during day and gusty -winds ; fine calm evening. 
11th.—Cloudy at first; bright afternoon ; high gusty wind all day. 
12th.—Dull and squally ; rain in afternoon ; fine cool evening. 
13th.—Squally and showery ; bright morning and fine evening. 
14th.—Fine morning; thunder storm began 11.45 A.M., lasting till 0 15 P.M., with very 
heavy rain between noon and 0.5 p.M. ; another storm between 3.45 and 4.5 p.M. 
Cooler than the previous week, but temperature still above the average. Noteworthy 
chiefly for the very heavy rains of 14th, nearly an inch falling in half an ho r in the 
first storm and 0.40 inch in twenty minutes in the second.—G. J. Sxiuons 
