108 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ August 2, 1883. 
-whether in stable or in the open air; for during eight months 
in the year—viz., from October to June, there can scarcely be 
a doubt* that it is far more desirable in every respect to keep 
working horses in the stable. The effect of exposure to cold 
and wet throughout this period of the year is, in fact, tanta¬ 
mount to the waste of so many quarters of oats. To have full 
regard to the health of the animal is a matter of necessity as 
well as economy; we therefore contend for the keeping of hoi-ses, 
when in full work, in the stable for rest, shelter, and feeding, as 
of actual necessity if the stable accommodation is sufficient and 
properly arranged for the health of the animals, requirements 
for which are set forth in detail in our article in this Journal, 
dated November 10th, 1881. We must also refer the reader to 
an article in this Journal dated May 29th, 1879, upon the subject 
of “ shoeing,” for this is really the foundation and basis of the 
ability of the horse to perform its work either in tillage or road 
work; besides which, in many .country districts the shoeing of 
horses is left entirely in the hands of the local smith, and 
thousands of horses are annually ruined and useless for labour 
in consequence of bad shoeing. 
Nearly all the points have now been enumerated which enable 
the farm horse to perform the work of tillage with effect and 
with economy to the farmer, except that of feeding, which 
certainly demands attention. That the subject has not yet 
been exhausted is clear from the frequent and continued dis¬ 
cussions of it at the meetings of local farmei-s’ clubs, and from 
the attempts of writers in every new work on agriculture to 
throw some additional, if not new, light upon it. Tlie cost of 
horse power is, moreover, a subject of particular moment at 
present when steam power in its various agricultural purposes 
and uses is being declared cheaper than horse power. This 
declaration and contention alone ought to furnish the grounds 
for a detailed inquiry by the farmer; but is it worth while in 
the first place to consider their relative positions as between 
animal and mechanical power? Prizes have been awarded at 
the various annual meetings of the Royal as well as local Socie¬ 
ties for using steam power in the field for tillage and cultivation, 
which is said to be an economical substitute for the horse-drawn 
plough. We use the word “alleged” instead of “proved” in 
order to suggest the need of some further explanation of it; and 
as the essay in the Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society of 
England, contributed by Mr. J. 0. Morton, contains the best 
and fullest information upon this part of our subject we quote 
from it. He says, “ The cost of the competing steam power on 
the occasion of the trial was fully analysed and specified. It 
was stated in the official report under the heads • Engineer,’ 
‘Plough and Anchor,’ ‘Men,’ ‘Boys,’ ‘Water-cart,’ ‘Coals,’ 
‘Oil,’ and ‘Interest on Capital;’ while that of the competing 
horse power was merely estimated. It was * estimated’ that the 
light land could not have been so well ploughed by horses under 
8s. an acre, nor the heavy land under 12s. 6 d. It would have been 
more satisfactory had this estimate been justified by a detailed 
analysis instead of being merely declared, for it is not too much 
to say that while under one man’s management the cost of horse 
culture might have been as much as 10s. an acre, under another 
it would not have been 7s. 6<r/. But it is plain that a decision of 
the narrow question of immediate cheapness cannot be made by 
comparison of actual cost on the one side with mere ‘estimate ’ 
upon the other.” 
(To be continued.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour .—Horses will still be employed in preparing the land 
for late Turnips and occasional ploughing and other tillage, such as 
scarifying, harrowing, and rolling on the Wheat fallows. Should the 
land, however, work rough and coarse, and the couch and weeds be 
destroyed without rolling, so much the better, for the rougher and more 
cloddy the land remains for another month or six weeks the better, or 
until it is requisite to lay out the yard or town manure, in which case 
the land may be rolled to facilitate laying on the dung. In the southern, 
eastern, and some of the home counties the harvest has commenced on 
the early crops like Rye, winter Oats, wdnter Barley, Early Victoria 
White, and Canadian Oats, early Peas, &c., and as these crops will 
be the first to harvest, carting and stacking will now be going on. It 
will also be necessary, or at least it will be advantageous, to cultivate 
and sow such land, if clean, with Turnip seed, Trifolium, Mustard, and 
Rape. If the land should be foul with couch it may with benefit be 
immediately rafter-ploughed and scarified as the first attempt at clean¬ 
ing the land. As the general harvest will be upon us very quickly, let 
every possible preparation required for furthering the work during the 
harvest period be made immediately. Obtain the manure for stubble 
seeding for Turnips, and as fast as the corn is cut and stooked let the 
horses proceed to plough between the stooks, sowing or drilling both 
manure and Turnip seed every evening as fast as the ploughing is done. 
Let all the tackle and implements required for use during the harvest be 
overhauled and put into repair in orler that no time may be lost during 
the busiest period in connection with the farming business. Above all 
things take care to provide sufficient manual labour in advance, because 
men engaged for harvest work may be set to hoe Turnips and various 
other kinds of work in order to retain a sufficient staff of men for the 
harvest work. Again, it frequently occurs in some districts on small 
farms that the teamsmen are set to work in the harvest field while the 
horses are turned or are idle in the stables. It is, however, bad policy 
to allow the horses to remain idle during the early part of the harvest 
before the carting and stacking of corn commences. In fact, speaking 
commercially or economically, nothing can justify such a proceeding, 
for we hold that any horse labour which can be done during the harvest 
period besides actual harvest work must be of great importance if 
judiciously set out, and will be found of more value than at many other 
periods of the year, especially if steam power or extra animal power 
can be made available for the harvest month independent of the 
ordinary horse power of the farming establishment. 
After a succession of bad seasons there is now more couchy land in 
the country than we have seen before. It is, therefore, desirable that, as 
early as possible after crops are removed either an autumn fallow should 
be made, or otherwise fallow crops, catch crops, green crops for plough- 
ing-in, &c, should be sown and tilled for without a day’s loss. When 
the season is favourable, the land not being too hard, the land may 
be scarified and freed from the couch, without the cost and time 
employed in ploughing, and without any delay in the seeding also of 
various seeds, such as Trifolium. When the autumn seedings are 
completed the autumn fallows, and also lea ground, can be taken in 
hand, leaving the autumn tillage until after the Wheat is sown. Now, 
to obtain these desirable objects we maintain that they are of so much 
importance that an extra outlay upon steam power may be incurred with 
benefit. We must now consider the policy of stacking Wheat, Oats, and 
Barley. We, for many years, have preferred to fill our barns with fatting 
cattle rather than with corn, excepting a small portion required for 
threshing early for seed. Ricks made in the field where the corn is 
grown are a great saving of labour. We make all our corn ricks round 
as a saving in many respects, and we prefer to put two ricks near each 
other, so that the building of each rick shall be made in half a day, and 
threshed the same, which will be an advantage in the short days of winter, 
or in anticipation of changeable weather. The cutting and binding reaper 
is now so perfect that in all but the smallest farms it is available for work 
by possession or on hire. 
Live Stock .—In purchasing the Irish Shorthorns which are now im¬ 
ported we notice them as generally being in good fleshy condition, and 
when they arrive at the home farm, if the animals are only two years 
old or under, they should not during the first few days be put on the 
low-lying meadows or irrigated meadows ; but when they do feed on 
such pasturage they should be removed at night to high and dry pasture 
land, and there receive their allowance of cake, which at first may 
be 2 Rh. of cake and 1 11). of Beans, both in meal, per day each, and to 
prevent waste we like to mix the meal with cut Mangolds or Cabbage in 
the troughs. In case of purchasing sheep stock, as they are at present 
so high in price for grazing or fattening on the root crops during the 
winter months, it requires very serious consideration before deciding 
upon the outlay of so much capital at a venture so uncertain merely 
because we have made it part of the system of farming or rotation of 
cropping. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Cow Unhealthy (7?. C .).—Your cow is suffering from some internal 
inflammation and should have a purging drink at once. Recipe. —Take 
Glauber salts, one pound; ginger in powder, two ounces ; treacle, four 
ounces. Put all the ingredients into a pitcher, and pour three pints of 
boiling water upon them. When new-milk warm give the whole for one 
dose. If the symptoms return repeat the dose at the end of two days. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
Camden Square, London. 
Lat. 51° 32' 40" N.; Long. 0° 8' 0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
DATE. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAY. 
£ 
*3 
1883. 
July. 
Barome¬ 
ter at S2« 
and Sea 
Level 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
Direction 
of Wind. 
| Temp, of 
Soil at 
1 foot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
sun. 
On 
grass. 
Inches. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
In. 
Sunday . 
29.7ii7 
55.5 
52.0 
N.W. 
57.9 
65.6 
48 8 
99.8 
47.8 
_ 
Monday. 
. 23 
29.838 
58.1 
53.7 
s. 
57.3 
65.7 
46 8 
100.3 
42.0 
0.143- 
Tuesday. 
29.761 
58.7 
52.3 
N. 
57.6 
6 i.7 
51.3 
116.5 
46.8 
Wednesday 
. 25 
29.981 
58.7 
52.7 
N.W. 
58.2 
66.7 
49.7 
118.2 
45.3 
Thursday ... 
. 26 
30.104 
60.3 
55.7 
N. 
58.3 
68.7 
50.4 
116.7 
4&5 
_ 
Friday. 
30.156 
57.0 
54.3 
N.W. 
59.2 
65.9 
50.9 
113.5 
45.8 
_ 
Saturday ... 
. 28 
30.137 
55.0 
50.7 
N.W. 
59.1 
73.3 
52.1 
116.8 
51.4 
— 
29.963 
57.8 
53.1 
58.2 
67.5 
50.0 
111.7 
46.5 
0.143 
REMARKS. 
22nd.—Cool and overcast; much wind in morning ; calm evening. 
23rd.—Dull and cool all day ; rain in evening. 
24th.—Pine and much brighter, but still cool. 
25th.—Pine throughout but cool. 
26th.—Fine and pleasant, a little cloudy in morning. 
27 th.—An unsettled day; some bright sunshine aid a couple of very slight showers, 
not enough to measure. 
28tli.—Fine, bright, and warm. 
A cool and rather dull week, with a generally small range of temperature. Decidedly 
warmer than tire preceding week, but the mean temperature about 3° below the average. 
—G. J. Symons. 
