October 18, 1883. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
347 
Various opinions exist as to the advantages to be derived 
from the growth of Maize and also its use as a fodder. These 
are found in the reports which may be read in the Journal of 
the Royal Agricultural Society in 1882, from one of which we 
have quoted. Another statement by a Mr. Sturdy is given from 
Wareham, Dorset. He says —“ For nearly twenty years I have 
•grown Maize here, first in the garden as a vegetable, where it 
ripens perfectly, and also as a green crop for sheep and to cut 
for cows. It is only suitable for light sandy soils. I have sown 
it in the middle of July, but it is rather late, and it is fit to fold 
sheep on about the middle of September. It seems to exhaust 
the ground even where it is all fed off by sheep. Green Maize 
is exceedingly healthy food for lambs. I have grown both 
round and fiat sorts, but prefer the European round. It ought 
to be tested before sowing, as much of the Maize sold is either 
■so old or has been heated that it will not grow.” It is very clear 
from this statement, as well as our experience, that a crop for 
feeding on the land or for soiling cattle may be grown by late 
©owing after such green crops as Trifolium, but still the bulk 
would not be so great, because it is the early-ripening sorts 
which come best in late seeding. We have always found the 
late varieties yield an enormous bulk of green fodder when sown 
as soon as the young plants may be considered safe from frosts. 
Mr. C. S. Read tells us that in favourable seasons his crop 
weighed upon an average 21£ tons per acre, and that he found 
cows, horses, and pigs all seemed very fond of it, and that he 
could not see any difference in the growth or quantity of the 
fodder produced from the seed of round or flat Maize. 
Mr. Sturdy has laid great stress upon the growth of Maize 
on light sands, but we entertain no doubt that the bulk grown 
would be much in accordance with the fertility of the laud, both 
by its nature and the system of manuring. For the deep soils 
in the United States, as well as Italy and elsewhere on the 
Continent, the heavy loams, if dry, give the most abundant 
crops, and sown as a second green crop at so late a period as 
midsummer, we have no crop to compare with it in bulk and 
nutrition as green fodder per acre. There is no question 
that green Maize may be converted into hay as well as ensilage, 
but not with the same facility in our fickle climate as in some 
foreign parts. Green Maize has also been recommended to supply 
f ;reen fodder to the dairy herds with a succession of succulent 
orage at a period when the pastures in the autumn generally 
fail or get stale. 
In remarking upon Prickly Comfrey as a crop for yielding a 
succession of green fodder, there are many conflicting opinions 
as to its profitable growth, and this may be expected while we 
have so many other varieties of forage crops from which to 
choose. Upon arable farms one great drawback is that the land 
becomes foul and filled with small roots of the plant, any of 
which propagate and gi*ow like the roots of the Artichoke 
amongst the successional cereal crops, and often prove as bad 
as weeds. We have various writers upon the subject, both as to 
its value and abundant produce, but we must in practice look to 
.a comparison of its advantages against other crops ; most people, 
for instance, prefer Lucerne, and we are of the same opinion. 
Much is put forward by some persons as to the cattle disliking 
■Oomfrey. This certainly often occurs at first, but the aversion 
of the stock to the leaves of this plant may, it seems, be easily 
overcome by passing them through the chaff-cutter with some 
dry fodder in admixture like sweet straw, and in this way for 
feeding cows, especially in a milking dairy where milk is sold, it 
may be found of some importance. We shall not, however, 
enlarge our observations, but the reader may obtain full infor¬ 
mation as to its cultivation in this Journal, dated June 10th, 
1880. 
Although we have written on the value of Gorse, Furze, or 
Whin in this Journal on the 18th of September, 1879, yet we 
•consider in these times of agricultural depression it becomes a 
matter of great importance to the home farmer and land agents 
as to the growth and use of forage crops, but more especially so 
upon the hill tops or poorest of soils however situated. We 
have the idea that more may be done with Gorse for feeding 
stock than has often been attempted. For instance, we will take 
* the down lands and heath lands of various districts in the 
kingdom. Now the pasture is very poor upon the former lands, 
and yet it is used for a sheep walk almost entirely, and, except 
in a few cases where the pi’oprietor has thought it worth while 
to plant Larch Firs, it yields next to nothing either to the value 
of the estate or its capabilities for the feeding of stock. Still we 
find important instances, one of which we select from the pen of 
Mr. Joseph Darby as described in the Royal Agricultural 
Journal of 1882. He says—“Mr. J. Forrester (Lord Portman’s 
manager at Bryanston, Dorset) is accustomed, when the spring 
is backward and other green food not plentiful, to have the 
young shoots of wild Furze bushes gathered by the cartload from 
the extensive sheep downs belonging to the home farm, and 
brought to the homestead to be crushed, cut, and mixed up with 
straw chaff and other food.” But we find this hardy wild plant 
when transferred to field or hill culture frequently becomes quite 
a treasure to the stock-feeder on poor soils usually destitute of 
roots or green fodder of any other kinds in the winter months 
as well as March, April, and May. 
We note what Mr. Martin H. Sutton of Reading says of 
Gorse—“It produces such a large supply of food for such a small 
expenditure that it deserves the notice of every stockmaster.” 
It is an important point in its value that Gorse when once a 
plant has been obtained it is like Lucerne and Sainfoin, as it 
retains possession of the soil and continues to yield valuable 
produce for a number of years when properly managed. One 
more point on a sporting estate remains to be noted—that it 
furnishes excellent cover for game without injuring the produce 
of folder or spoiling sport, because it comes into use after the 
conclusion of the shooting season. Horses are particularly fond 
of crushed furze, and as it comes into use before other fodder 
crcq s are ready in the spring it is invaluable for furnishing a 
glossy coat to the animals in the winter months, not to be 
obtained when they are fed upon all dry fodder alone, for it is 
known to contain more nutritive matter than the ordinary roots 
cultivated on the home farm. 
Rape or Cole seed comprises two varieties. The common or 
dwarf Rape furnishes the most nutritive green food for stock 
of any plant to be found in our list of fodder plants. It requires 
great care when folding sheep upon it, for it is so rich and 
succulent that the animals are often induced to eat it so hastily 
that they become hoven or blown. Continuous sowing is necessary, 
for it keeps for use but a very short time when s own thick as 
usual, for the leaves turn purple, then yellow, and fall, leaving but 
little food. This, however, may be obviated by hoeing and 
leaving the plants a good distance apart, or by planting as for 
Cabbages, when they will throw out a large amount of foliage. 
The Cole seed is also called the Giant or Tall Rape. We have 
seen it grow higher than the folding hurdles, and in some 
districts of the north and north-midland it is found to grow so 
strong that sheep are left to feed their way into the crop without 
folding. We have no notes of the weight per acre of this food, but 
it must be very great in the case of a crop of full bulk. The com¬ 
mon Rape or dwarf sort is said to be the most forcing and nutri¬ 
tive fodder. We were asked the question a few days ago if Rape 
was well adapted for ploughing in as manure. Our reply was, 
Certainly, for we have no other green crop of the same bulk 
which yields so much value as manure if ploughed in before 
the leaves begin to fall. The plan is to cut the crop with the 
scythe as close to the ground as possible, and below any buds 
upon the stem of the plants, otherwise, even when buried, they 
are apt to sprout and require weeding out of the succeeding 
cereal crops. 
[ On page 327 last week it was stated that it answers well to 
mix White Dutch Clover with Italian Rye Grass; it should have 
been stated, the mixture does not answer well; and on page 328 
Dr. Yoelckiron was inadvertently written for Dr. Yoelcker.] 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour .—In all districts where Wheat crops will ripen and 
the climate is otherwise favourable, Wheat-sowing will still be proceeding. 
Much has been already sown on the cold hill farmland should soon be 
concluded, the sooner the better. Farmers who o?Rlpy strong flat clay 
lands have met with some delay, but the weather since the second week 
commenced has been more favourable, and on such soils it is now a good 
seed time if the weather continues favourable. A punt of great conse¬ 
quence is the laying and size of the ridges for Wheat, for in various 
counties in the midland districts the large high-backed ridges are ap¬ 
proved ; but in some of the home and southern counties the five-turn or 
8-feet-wide ridges are fashionable; but in some of these districts the 
very small ridges, which Mr. Mechi use 1 to call dressing the land in 
corduroy, prevails. However all or any of these may be objected to, 
still our own experience and observation dispose us to tolerate what¬ 
ever is customary in ploughing the strong lands for Wheat, because the 
tenants frequently remove from one district to another, and of courfe 
carry with them their experiences as well as prejudices ; but it is only 
fair to say those methods of laying the land for the winter seeding of 
Wheat which prevail are generally right, with this exception, that 
strong land when too wet to produce full crops requires more 
consideration as to the last ploughing than land which has been 
effectually drained. 
We made a full statement last week as to the sorts of Wheat to be 
sown, and therefore we now only say that Red Wheats will do best upon 
inferior soils and cold climates, whereas the best varieties of White Wheat 
require not only warm and dry fertile soils, but also liberal cultivation. 
