286 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ September 27, 1883. 
■vigorous-growing plant, yielding a heavy weight per acre, but 
of a coarser description, especially when made into hay, but as 
it yields a second crop for cutting it is important. It is also 
found to thrive upon a variety of soils other than chalk or lime¬ 
stone, and it is also frequently used in admixture with Red Clover 
instead of Rye Grass, but more especially where any probability 
exists as to the failure of the Clover plant; but in any case it 
keeps pace in growth with Red Clover both in the first and 
second crop. It also acts like Rye Grass in opening the Clover 
m the swathe whilst the hay is in process of making, enabling 
the hay to be carried to the stack at least two days earlier than 
when Clover is grown alone ; a very important object is, there¬ 
fore, obtained without depreciating the value of the hay either 
for sale or for consumption. 
The common or old variety of Sainfo’n is usually grown upon 
the hill farms where the chief object is that of farming upon 
the poorest and coldest hill, whether of chalk or iimestene, 
as this plant is much more hardy than the Giant variety, but 
the old variety only yields one good cutting of excellent quality; 
whilst the after growth is much valued for grazing with the 
in-lamb ewes, it being generally esteemed as the best green food 
they can receive, for it has never been known to produce abortion 
when fed off by pregnant stock. There is, however, a drawback 
even in this system of feeding, for the stock when feeding are 
apt to eat out the crowns and crown buds of the plant, and thus 
injuring the succession for another year ; in fact, when thus fed 
the plants are usually ploughed up at the end of four years or 
so, many of them having died off and decayed in the soil. It is, 
however, a plan adopted by some of the most careful farmei’s 
when grazing the after-growth to feed it only by a shifting fold 
and not allowing the animals to gnaw it down too close, which 
they are sure to do if not folded but allowed the range of the 
whole field in the early winter months. We notice that some 
seedsmen make no allusion to the Giant sort in their catalogues. 
Now this is an omission calculated to induce the belief in young 
men and beginners that there is but one sort. But to show the 
distinction and use of the variety, we a few days ago in the railway 
carriage met with a farmer from a southern county, who said he 
had just put together the second growth of 34 acres of Giant 
Sainfoin for hay, but he had 20 acres of after-growth of the 
common sort, which he said he did not like to feed with sheep 
in the autumn as it frequently destroyed the plants, and asked 
what he could best do with it. Our reply was, that although he 
could not safely feed it off with sheep or horses, he may, how¬ 
ever, if the land was well fenced, feed off the grass by young 
cow snock, or otherwise leave it without feeding at all. Of this 
latter idea he said he knew nothing, and feared it would injure 
the successional growth of next year. We explained that it 
■would be just the reverse, for the early frosts would cast the 
leaves, some falling on the crowns of the plants and others falling 
on the soil. The former would, however, protect the plants 
during winter and cause an earlier growth in spring, while the 
latter, as dead and decaying vegetable matter, would be drawn 
into the soil by worms, and thus manure the land for another 
crop. There is no doubt a misconception held by many as to 
how long this plant can be retained in growing and profitable 
condition, for if required, and the plants are treated like Lucerne 
by wider drilling, horse or hand-hoeing, and liberal manuring, in 
that case it would last for an undefined number of years, as the 
cause of its not being generally a profitable crop, if retained 
more than four or five years, was on account of its not being 
fairly fed by sheep without the land being kept clean and the 
crop properly manured. 
Tares or Yetches demand notice next, as affording one of the 
oldest and most useful green forage crops, and much valued by 
farmers for growth on nearly every variety of soil as adapted 
for feeding cattle, sheep, and horses during the summer months. 
The varieties in general use are called Winter and Summer 
Tares. This, however, refers more particularly to the seed time, 
the winter sort being sown in the autumn and the summer variety 
in the spring. There is also a variety named the Scotch Goa, 
which is a stronger growing sort than either the ordinary winter 
or spring Yetches, and where the seed can be obtained easily and 
not too high in price they are much esteemed on account of their 
luxuriant growth, which almost resembles that of the late field 
Peas of the Maple variety, the bulk of food being very great 
and succulent, and therefore well adapted for cattle and sheep; 
but for the latter stock they should be in admixture with Oats, 
a half bushel of which sown with the Yetches per acre serve to 
hold the haulm up off the ground, and often rendei’s the entire 
crop available for food without waste. The same mixture of 
Oats or Rye is advisable for all species of Yetches, but espe¬ 
cially for Winter Yetches. It not only answers the purpose we 
have just described, but the leaves of any cereal crop will protect 
the Yetches against injury by frost in the winter months—a 
matter of considerable importance in the chalk hill districts, 
especially on the north and north-eastern sides of the hills. 
The seed, however, on such situations should be sown not later 
than the second week in September. 
(To be continue!.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour .—Horses are now assisted most advantageously upon 
the best managed farms by steam power. We have during the middle of 
the present month double-cultivated some of the Wheat stubbles which 
had been left in a foul state by the late tenant, and have also cultivated 
a long summer fallow after last cross-ploughing, which will complete the 
work together with rolling and harrowing in very satisfactory condition. 
As the work was done by steam power during fine weather, and the land 
in a dry state, the effect will be greater and more beneficial than ordinary 
horse labour, for the work is not only done without treading by the 
horses, but so much work is executed in so short a time that it becomes 
invaluable as an agricultural operation. In the Wheat stubbles which 
were foul with couch and weeds, a large quantity will be on the surface 
connected to some extent with the mould, it then becomes a question as 
to the most beneficial mode of reducing the clods and lumps of grass, 
and the disposal of them. The ordinary way of proceeding is to con¬ 
tinue harrowing and rolling until the couch is freed entirely, or 
almost so, from the earth, and burn it as fast as it accumulates in small 
heaps about the field. We have a strong objection, based upon a long 
experience, to this mode of dealing with couch, but much prefer to do 
about half the usual labour in rolling and harrowing, and as fast as the 
accumulations or heaps are got together by the chain harrow, to cart 
them away to a large heap, and after being turned over once we have a 
quantity of valuable material for dressing pastures or parkland. We 
still hold to the idea that we never should burn any materials which can 
be converted into manure. It is often objected that the seeds of couch 
and weeds are still alive in the earthy materials, but we care not whether 
they are or not, for being always applied to grass land they cannot 
produce weeds, for on pasture land they could not compete with the living 
grass. We have never found even live couch grass when laid on pasture 
land would or could grow thereon, for the worms immediately set to- 
work and draw everything applied into the soil, and turn it to good 
account as manure for the pasture. These are very favourable results 
compared with the attempt to burn the couch on the land, for even after 
very much labour in our fickle climate rains frequently occur and 
prevent the burning, and the couch has still to be dealt with and dis¬ 
posed of in the same or some other way, and in doing this more labour 
is often expended than when disposed of by heaping for manuring pur¬ 
poses a3 in the first instance. 
Hand Labour .—Both women and men can now be fully employed in 
various ways. Hedge-trimming must be completed, and common decency 
requires the women to rake up the proceeds of the trimmings as well as 
border-cuttings, and for which there is always a use on the farm. Some 
threshing of Wheat and Oats must now be done for sale and for use ; the 
former will be required for sale and for seeding, and the latter for feeding 
horses. This will employ men and women too, not only for winnowing 
the corn, but also in carefully stacking the straw, which is this year 
valuable for sale, fodder, and litter, and as soon as a stack is made 
thatching should be done immediately without a day’s delay. Men and 
women will be employed also in connection with cutting and making 
into hay the after-growth of grass in the meadows, and if it cannot be. 
made into hay through adverse weather, still the grass is valuable if laid 
and spread on the poorest pasture for manure to be pulled in by the 
worms, which are our friends frequently when some farmers only give 
them credit for doing mischief. 
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. 
S 
*5 
« 
1883. 
September. 
Barome¬ 
ter at 32« 
and Sea 
Level 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
0 . 
0x3 
+-> 0 
5o 
■g- . 
. c! 
a?£ 
dee. 
58.3 
581 
57.9 
58.3 
58.2 
57.7 
57.0 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
sun. 
On 
grass. 
Sunday .16 
Monday.17 
Tuesday. 18 
Wednesday .. 19 
Thursday .... 20 
Friday.21 
Saturday .... 22 
Inches. 
30.166 
30.229 
30.221 
30.144 
29.788 
29.728 
29.681 
deg. 
54.0 
59.3 
55.7 
61.5 
58.2 
54.6 
56.0 
deg. 
53.2 
58.2 
55.7 
58.8 
56.6 
54.4 
55.6 
calm. 
calm. 
N.E. 
N.E. 
N.E. 
N. 
N. 
deg. 
72.0 
74.8 
75.3 
74.7 
67.0 
63.3 
61.5 
69 8 
deg. 
50.2 
480 
49.2 
52.6 
52.7 
51.8 
49.0 
deg. 
103 6 
104.0 
101.8 
108.6 
69.2 
87.9 
88.4 
deg. 
45.4 
41.7 
44.9 
47.8 
47.3 
45.8 
44.3 
In, 
0-588^ 
0.010 
0.052 
0.112- 
29.994 
57.0 
56.1 
57.9 
50.5 
94.8 
45.3 
0.762 
REMARKS. 
16th.—Thick fog at first; bright warm day; clear moonlight night. 
17th.—Fog early, morning fine ; very heavy rain with lightning and thunder 8.30 P.M_ 
to 4.15 p.M. ; misty evening. 
18th.—Fine, but rather close and warm. 
19th.—Hazy at first, fine warm day ; lunar halo 9.30 P.M. 
20th.—Very dull and damp ; rain during morning, finer after 4 P.M. 
21st.—Hazy and dull at first, rain after 10 A.M. ; fine latter part of day. 
22nd.—Fine, but not very bright. 
A rather unsettled week, generally foggy or misty in the mornings and evenings, but 
frequently bright and pleasant during part of the day. Temperature remarkably similar 
to that of the preceding week and about 5° above the average.—G. J. STMONS. 
