174 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ Angust 23, 1883. 
fertile vales, usually in grass, but frequently under cultivation, which 
circumstance has made them a valuable breed, as they fare better 
than other mountain sheep which may have to live as best they can 
on the heather-covered mountain sides and glens both in summer 
and winter, many being lost and buried in the snow during severe 
winters. There is a distinction of character in the Cheviot breed 
from most of the other mountain sheep, because even when pure 
bred they are of quiet habit and docile and easily managed, and 
thus they are more easy to keep within bounds, a matter of some 
importance when introduced for feeding upon farms partially run 
to waste. There are not, however, so many pure Cheviots to be 
obtained as formerly, for the flocks in various instances have been 
crossed with the Leicesters or other long-woolled sheep, after which 
they have been often purchased for fattening, not only in the best 
arable districts of the Lothians, but also in Northumberland, West¬ 
moreland, and other northern counties, where they as a cross-breed 
have been found to answer a good purpose for fattening on arable 
farms. In fact, those hill districts previously fed only by the black¬ 
faced heath breed are now frequently stocked either with pure 
Cheviots or cross-breds, but more care is required and taken in their 
management than formerly occurred when stocked with the black¬ 
faced heath sheep ; and are more sought for by the dealers to 
go south who attend the Falkirk trist and other Scottish sheep 
fairs. 
How long this state of things as regards stocking the hill districts 
may continue we cannot say, but there is a strong feeling and dis¬ 
position existing in the minds of the fanners to keep and rear 
animals of more weight and value than the pure mountain sheep 
both in Scotland, England, and Wales. By a judicious style of 
management of the cross-breds this may be done ; but provision must 
be made for them in the winter months, not only by shelter in the 
vales, but also a certain amount of good feeding on hay and roots, 
with the addition of artificial feeding stuffs and corn, such as bean 
and barley meal, which will enable the animals to withstand the 
northern climate, and attain heavy weights of mutton if fed with 
the judgment displayed by many of the long-woolled breeders and 
feeders in the north and north-midland counties of England. We 
must, however, suppose that many of the mountain districts of 
Scotland will still be stocked with the pure mountain breeds, unless 
these districts should be appropriated to a greater extent in the 
future only for shootings and deer pastures, which idea seems greatly 
on the increase at present ; and as far as rent is concerned, if it pays 
more than the tenant farmer can make of the land by sheep-breed¬ 
ing, it may eventually tend to alter the management of the hill 
districts of various counties in Scotland and other mountain 
ranges. 
(To be continued.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour .—Harvest is now in full progress in all the early districts 
of the kingdom. Preparations, too, should be made in cold and north¬ 
western counties in order that everything necessary to the progress of 
the work may be ready when the grain is ready for cutting. Horses now 
not required in actual harvest work should still be employed on some 
kind of tillage work, such as ploughing on the stubbles of the early 
grain crops which have now been cleared for some little time, such as 
early white Victoria Oats, Winter Oats, Rye, Winter Vetches, and early 
Peas. Stubble Turnips may now be sown or drilled with 3 cwt. of bone 
superphosphate per acre, and as they cannot be expected to yield large 
bulbs they may be drilled at 15 or 18 inches between the lines, and 
thereby obtain a fair weight of bulbs by leaving more plants in the lines ; 
or if required for ploughing-in as manure for the next crop of corn there 
need not be any expenditure either in hoeing or otherwise, as the best 
state for ploughing-in is when the plants are too thick for bulbing, and 
yet obtaiD a full and luxuriant foliage growth which is valuable for 
manuring purposes. 
Some work will still be going on in forwarding the Wheat fallows. 
We are also ploughing-in a fair crop of second growth of Clover and 
grass, which is buried under furrow in a satisfactory manner by the use 
of the drag chain, and although the ground works very hard and requires 
four horses to the plough, yet it is all the better for the future Wheat 
crop. We have known those who dislike ploughing-in a Clover crop 
preferring to take the crop for hay, and this may be the case if the land 
is in a high condition as regards manure, and we could be sure of a good 
quality of hay; but let this matter be compared with a crop of hay 
reckoning the cost of cutting, making, carting, stacking, and thatching, 
cutting out and selling with delivery, which makes a serious charge even 
when 1^ ton per acre has been obtained and well made, especially if 
we consider the risk of being injured by rain. Ploughing and pressing 
or rolling not only manures the land sufficiently for a full crop of Wheat 
at one operation, but gives the land time to become stale and mellow, so 
essential for the successful growth of Wheat. The value of the crop of 
Clover ploughed in will prove equal to the application of 14 tons of good 
yard dung, irrespective of which there is the carting and spreading of 
the dung to be considered, Those who have not tried the plan may 
take courage in so doing, and reap the advantage by the crop of Wheat 
succeeding next harvest. 
Some horses will now be used in working the reaping and binding 
machine. These should be worked in relays for not more than four or 
five hours in succession, and when the corn is dry at reaping time, a 
large staff of men will be required as soon as it is fit to stack. We 
approve of making round ricks, especially in out-lying fields, the ricks 
to be moderate-sized and built in pairs, so that the threshing machine 
may thresh the two without removal ; also, the ricks being made in about 
half a day may each be threshed in half a day in winter time. In this 
way we frequently avoid the difficulty and loss consequent upon a sudden 
change to rain when the rick only contains half a day’s work either in 
making or threshing. 
Hand Labour .—This must be so arranged that the root crops do not 
suffer from want of hoeing during the harvest time. By employing the 
reaper and self-binding implement fewer men will be required, and may 
be spared for work which is often neglected in the absence of machinery. 
Women, too, ought to be available in the harvest field, but they are not 
so generally obtained for harvest work as formerly, much to the disad¬ 
vantage of themselves and families, for we have known women in the 
harvest work earn as much in some cases as the men. It is, however, 
much to be observed that since the men under ordinary farm labour have 
received higher wages the women have struck work on the farm. The 
drawback to the farm in many districts is very serious, for such work as- 
weeding the corn is not done, and the corn fields are showing large 
growths of docks, thistles, and other weeds, committing great injury in 
many cases. 
Live Stoch .—This is now the season when the ewes of all the down 
and polled breeds of sheep are expected to have the rams running with 
them, and while that is the case a little extra change of food, such as 
rape and summer tares besides their Clover or pasture, is desirable, 
especially in those flocks where a large number of twin lambs are required 
or desired. This is especially the case in the best down and long-woolled 
flocks where flock-masters feed high, which enables the ewes to maintain 
their twin lambs. 
The best pastures in various districts of the kingdom will have made 
the bullocks now nearly fit for the butcher, and as the price is high they 
should be sold or retained to the Christmas period, because when we 
reach the month of October and early part of November the markets are 
generally crowded with oxen coming out of the pastures, and sometimes 
not in high condition, which in fact is the feeder’s time to buy and not 
to sell. We have frequently bought to great advantage bullocks just 
beneath the butcher’s quality in October, and done well by feeding them 
in the boxes for sale either at Christmas or later on, when they seem to 
be required. The early horned ewes of the Dorset and Somerset breeds 
are this year forward in lamb, and will no doubt be selling very high at 
the October fairs at Appleshaw and Weyhill in Hampshire, where they 
are bought by dealers in large flocks. Although they were very dear last 
year, we know they gave a better return for their food than any other 
sheep, and were soon off the land. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Egg-producing Fowls (M. C. B). — Minorcas or Plymouth Rocks, or a 
cross between the two, would probably suit you ; but laying is more a matter 
of strain or family than breed. The feeding is fairly right, but we should 
substitute oats, buckwheat, and dari fed separately for the mixture. The 
laying is decidedly bad. Do you supply crushed oyster shells, or other 
similar shell-making material ? 
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. 
a 
*3 
1883. 
August. 
Barome¬ 
ter at 32® 
and Sea 
Level 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
Direction 
of Wind. 
| Temn.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 . 
12 
30.189 
60.8 
54.1 
W. 
60.0 
72.6 
47.4 
111.3 
39.7 
— 
Monday. 
13 
29.986 
71.4 
G4.2 
s.w. 
60.9 
81.6 
54.1 
124.8 
55.8 
— 
Tuesday. 
14 
29.801 
69.6 
61.7 
s.w. 
63.4 
78.6 
62.4 
124.4 
55.3 
— 
Wednesday . 
15 
29.686 
63.2 
56.9 
w. 
63.7 
69.6 
569 
116.6 
53.6 
0.010 
Thursday ... 
lfi 
30.027 
59.1 
50.7 
N.W. 
62.6 
69.2 
52.4 
113.8 
48.3 
0.015 
Friday. 
17 
30.105 
59.1 
58.4 
S.E. 
61.8 
70.1 
48.0 
81.7 
43.3 
0.013 
Saturday ... 
18 
30.178 
66.1 
62.7 
N.W. 
61.7 
76.6 
58.6 
120.2 
57.9 
— 
29.996 
64.2 
58.4 
62.0 
74.0 
54.3 
113.8 
50.5 
0.C38 
REMARKS. 
12th.—Bright morning ; dull afternoon and evening. 
13t.h.—Very fine hot day. 
14th.—Fine and warm, but very rough. 
15th.—Gusty in morning; occasionally slight showers. 
16th.—Fine and calm. 
17th.—Close damp morning ; fine afternoon and evening. 
18th.—Rather dull at first; fine bright day. 
Although both Monday and Tuesday were hot days, the average for the whole week 
is by no means high. The most noticeable feature was the strength of the wind on the 
14th and 15th.—G. J. SYMONS. 
