412 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ November 8, 1885. 
Guernsey bull. Again, whenever we have known the cross 
reversed we have never seen it result in anything approaching a 
good dairy cow, and yet we have known it tried in numerous 
instances between really highly bred stock. 
Although we have taken Mr. Ledyard’s Guernsey cow 
Elegante a, illustrated for our model of what a dairy cow 
ought to be for producing milk and butter, and at the same time 
showing a first-rate type and outline, yet we have no informa¬ 
tion given us as to the ilesh-making capacity of the animal. It 
is therefore the only quality or capacity to which we wish to 
call the attention of breeders beyond that exhibited in our chosen 
model. This is, however, of great importance to seiure in our 
attempt to improve the present race of Guernsey cows, for many 
of them will fatten fairly well when gone dry, but others are 
more of the style of Jerseys, having neither si e or aptitude to 
fatten to recommend them to the dairy farmer, In order to 
show the value we ought to place upon the Guernsey cattle we 
must give the facts relating to their origin and the care which has 
been taken to preserve and maintain their purity of blood and 
other valuable characteristics of the breed. Tradition relates 
that even a century ago their merits were so fully appreciated 
that it was determined the introduction of any foreign blood 
must be objectionable. In 1798 we are informed that a law was 
passed by the Legislature of the island of Guernsey forbidding 
the importation of any cow, heifer, bull, and calf under a penalty 
of 200 livres and the forfeiture of the boat and tackle which 
should bring them, and a further penalty of 50 livres on any 
sailor on board who should fail to inform of the importation. 
Since that date we may assume that the cattle of the island of 
Guernsey have remained as absolutely pure as any breed that is 
known. The object that has animated the breeders of Guernsey 
daring this long period has been to produce milk in the greatest 
abundance and cream of marvellous richness, and butter which 
in grain, flavour, and golden colour which should excel that 
produced from any other race of cattle. 
Mr. W. Ledyard. in a lecture taken from the Guernsey 
Star and quo'ed in the Chicago Times of January 18th, 1882, 
observes — “ The most remarkable characteristics of the 
Guernsey is the richness of the animal. Jt is seen in every 
point; the horn is soft and full of colour, the hoofs are usually 
like tortoiseshell, the skin is soft and of a golden-yellow tint, and 
the inside of the ears is still more highly coloured, while the 
same orange hue seems to glow from the bag, as if there was 
light under the soft skin. Jn the mature well-bred animal both 
eye and hand find evidence that all the secretions are rich and of 
high quality, and a careful examination prepares the mind for 
understanding why the butter made from Guernsey cream pos¬ 
sesses qualities that are not obtainable from the milk of any 
other animal.” The temper of these cattle we have always found 
to be affectionate and docile in the extreme, and we know that 
on the island their care is usually confided to women and ch ldren, 
whose gentle ways are re Acted in the docile character of their 
family favourites. As specimens of the latest illustrations of 
some of the most valuable Guernsey cattle we refer our readers 
to Mr. James’ Guernsey cow, “ Lady Emily Foley,” first in her 
class at Reading; also to a Guernsey bull shown at the Tun¬ 
bridge Wells meeting, both of which will be found well pourtrayed 
in the Agricultural Gazette of August 8th, 1881. A Guernsey 
Herd Book was published under the auspices of the Royal 
Guernsey Agricultural Society, vol. i. compiled by M. Theophile 
de Mouilpied in 1882—the second volume is now published. 
This well-intentioned publication meets a real want, aud sug¬ 
gests questions which the owners of other herds would do wisely 
in considering. It is stated that some difficulties have occurred, 
as it has not been the habit to give names to all their stock, but 
often only to designate them as “ the red cow,” “ the brindled 
cow,” and so on. Even the Agricultural Society began to give 
prizes by name only in 1879, Prior to that date they were given 
to the owners’ names. 
(To be continued.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour .—Horse labour will soon be completed on many farms 
with the exception of land where Turnips and Rape are being fed off 
by the sheep. It is, however, best to keep the land ploughed and sown 
simultaneously, for with a freshly ploughed furrow it will be sure to 
take the seed well when the weather is dry, although slight frosts may 
occur at night. Still, the usual weather of the month of November is 
frost or rain, therefore the land to be ploughed from this time should 
be sown as fast as ploughed, and this is the only way to be safe in our 
seed time after we have entered on the November month. On all strong 
flat lands the last few days of October were very favourable for seeding 
with Wheat, quite in contrast with the same period of last year. Where 
these strong soils are given to, as they often are, the growth of weeds 
injurious, such as black bents and yellow cress, the land should be 
drilled with Wheat at 10 or 12 inches apart between the rows of plants 
for when this is done not only can the horse hoes be used freely in 
March to destroy the weeds, but also to break the surface where the 
Wheat may be looking yellow and sickly from the effects of adverse 
weather during the winter months. Without this wide drilling no farmer 
can be master of his position, and secure the beneficial results of former 
good tillage or liberal manuring, as the weeds if not destroyed will 
grow and overwhelm the corn, in the same proportion as it has been 
cultivated and manured unless the corn is drilled wide apart. Hundreds 
of acres every year are entirely ruined, because when sown broadcast 
these weeds before spoken of cannot be destroyed either by hand 
labour or the machine used for destroying the early weeds like charlock 
and redweed, because those before named do not appear soon enough to 
be destroyed by machine, and which can only be done in their infancy 
by the horse and hand hoes. The odd horse will be daily at work upon 
the steam-cultivated fallows carting away the couch, in readiness 
for rafter-ploughing for the winter. Potato-lifting is now going 
on, the sooner it is done the better, and we must here call the 
attention of the home farmer to the excellent machine for lifting 
Potatoes of which a plate was given last week. There is no doubt but 
that it is quite superior in operation to any other machine previously used 
for the purpose in every respect. In noticing the working principles of 
the machine, it not only lifts the Potatoes, but has a peculiar action 
useful for lifting the couch and weeds out of the land, and leaving them 
on the surface ; aud we think that in the spring of the year this machine 
may be made good use of on the foul fallows, for where the land has 
laid during winter on the stetch it may be used with benefit in passing 
along the stetches, by opening the land and casting the couch and weeds 
on the surface, to be afterwards dealt with by the harrow designed by 
Messrs. Howard, called the self-lifting drag harrow. 
Hand Labour .—As fast as the leaves of Swedish and other Turnips 
give way, men and women too may be employed in forking out any 
bunches of couch ; and in the same way, as fast as the Mangolds are 
removed, especially if the land is intended for seeding with Wheat, the 
lumps of couch may be removed in advance of the ploughs. Unfor¬ 
tunately these matters are often neglected, the farmer feeling satisfied 
that there is not couch or weeds enough to injure the next crop ; but 
such management may be termed “penny wise and pound foolish.” 
Lice Stock .—The weather in the latter part of October has been very 
favourable for all animals living now feeding in the open fields upon 
roots, or on the pastures while feeding on grass, and we notice that a 
healthy fall of lambs are now being yeaned by the horned Dorset and 
S jmerset ewes. This stock above all others are the most prolific, for 
it is not uncommon to obtain 150 per cent, of lambs from them, while 
their general average fall may be called 125 to 130 per cent. It must 
also be borne in mind that these ewes above all other sorts give the 
most milk, and are better able to rear a large number of twin lambs- 
than any other breed, especially when they lamb early in October and 
the first half of November, the ewes having lived upon the best autumn 
grass up to the time of lambing, and it is also notorious that these ewes- 
will bear higher feeding on luxuriant grass during pregnancy than any 
other breed of sheep without injury to themselves or the health of the 
young lambs. Some farmers have fed them with cake before they 
lambed, but we do not approve of this, for we never begin cake-feeding 
until the lambs are a fortnight old, unless it is ewes having twins, for 
these may get the best of food a few days after having yeaned their 
lambs. The present is the time for the farmer who does not breed all 
the cattle he requires for winter feeding in the boxes to purchase what 
he requires, not of poor cattle, but those just beneath the butcher’s- 
requirements, and as these will now be clearing out in the grazing, 
districts, they may be bought to pay a full profit. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
Camden square, London. 
Lat. 51° 32' 40" N. ; Long. 0° 8' 0" AY.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
DATE. 
y a.m. 
IN THE DAT. 
s 
« 
1883. 
Oct. & Nov. 
Barome¬ 
ter at S2 a 
and Sea 
Level 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
Direction 
of Wind. 
| Temp, of 
I Soil at 
I 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 . 
28 
30.252 
50.7 
50.7 
Calm 
51.4 
58.8 
46.3 
75.5 
38.0 
— 
Monday. 
29 
30.231 
52.0 
52.0 
E. 
51.2 
59.2 
47.4 
74.0 
37.1 
— 
Tuesday. 
30 
30.445 
49.8 
49.3 
N. 
50.9 
54.7 
44.4 
59.7 
34.2 
— * 
Wednesday .. 
31 
30.346 
50 5 
4S.3 
Calm 
50.8 
52 6 
483 
55.5 
36.4 
— 
Thursday .... 
1 
30.276 
48.0 
46.0 
N.E. 
50.3 
52.2 
46.5 
52.4 
44.7 
— 
Friday. 
2 
30.192 
44.8 
44.5 
Calm 
49.9 
47.4 
44.2 
54.3 
44.8 
— 
Saturday .... 
3 
39.042 
45.6 
44.8 
N. 
49.1 
48.9 
44 3 
53.9 
44.4 
0.018 
30.255 
48.8 
47.9 
50.5 
53 4 
45.9 
60.8 
41.4 
0.018 
REMARKS. 
28tli.—Dense fog until 11 A.M., afterwards fine, bright, and pleasant. 
29th.—Foggy morning, afterwards fine, bright, and pleasant. 
30th.—Fair day and colder. 
31st.—Dull and calm. 
1st.—Dark misty morning, dull calm day. 
2nd.—Foggy dark morning, slight fog all day. 
3rd.—Dull generally, slight rain in evening, 
Very little sunshine except on the first two days, and owing to overcast ski s very 
uniform temperature. High barometer, and scarcely any rain.—G. . Sykoxi. 
