434 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 
[ November 15, 18SJ 
times-a-day milking would greatly tend to cause an increased 
flow of milk ; and a great deal, I believe, might be done by 
attention to the bag. In hand-milking a lazy milker goes to the 
hind quarters of the bag first because they are easiest to draw, 
and for the same reason he sticks to them longest, so that 
eventually they increase, while the fore quarters diminish, and a 
“ can-bag,” all down behind and shallow and shrunk in front, 
is the necessary consequence. Eventually the fore quarters 
become almost useless, not in the first cow that is so treated, 
but by gradual deterioration through successively mismanaged 
generations of cows, bred until in a great part of the stock, 
common as well as highly bred, which should be the dairy stock 
of the country, the capability of the udder is seriously impaired. 
More attention to this on the part of the owners of Shorthorn 
herds is urgently needed, not only on the part of herds kept 
for the dairy, but more especially of the owners of bull-breeding 
herds ; for it is the bulls bred from cows with no fore-bags that 
do the mischief all over the country.” 
Thus we must admit how desirable it is in selecting our 
young heifers to make a searching inquiry, and it should be 
minute examination, or by our knowledge of the parents of the 
animals we may choose for the purpose of breeding from. We 
have been particular in naming heifers of the class and character 
described, because most practical men know the result of breed¬ 
ing from cows which have been mated with bulls of various 
colours as well as points not desirable for the object we have in 
view. As ive have previously said and quoted from the opinions 
of various practical men, that with all our skill in cattle manage¬ 
ment and breeding we cannot combine in the same individual 
animal extraordinary fattening aud extraordinary milking quali¬ 
ties. This leads up to the point or question of feeding of our 
selected stock heifers ; and in older that no unforeseen obstacles 
may appear we advise that our heifei’s from infancy should been 
kept without artificial food, like cake, &c., but as soon as they 
would graze upon good pasturage in summer, and in bad weather 
in winter when the grass fails they should be fed upon cabbage 
or roots, with sweet pasture hay ad libitum , within littered yards 
and sheltered sheds. When being brought up in this way we 
may expect the animals will not only be healthy, but in that 
condition from which we may expect sound and well-conditioned 
calves, well calculated to answer every purpose we have sought 
on arriving at the breeding period. By this we mean that they 
should never be mated until they are fifteen or sixteen months 
old, so that no heifer drop her calf until she has reached two years 
of age; for heifers are not only surest to breed at that period, 
but usually prove the best milkers after calving at that age. 
We must now turn our attention to the selection of a bull to 
mate with these heifers; and in fact it may be well to have two 
of the best Guernsey bulls of about two and a half years old, 
which shall afford reasonable hope of furnishing us with calves 
such as we desire. All possible care must therefore be used, not 
only through the good character of the parents from whence the 
bulls were derived, but we must especially make a searching 
examination into the style, type, and character of them, not only 
by our own experience, but also to obtain assistance from some 
of the best judges of cattle to assist us in our selection of the 
Guernsey bulls we may require- Still, let us be first assured, 
and accept some of the facts well known to experienced breeders 
as to the potency of the male in securing the quality we require 
in the highest degree of a butter-yielding stock, for there are 
various instances to adduce, both from America and Guernsey 
Island also, which alleges that the quality of the milk is deter¬ 
mined by the sire, and the quantity by the dam. Let us see 
what Mr. Ledyard has said in his Lecture, and from which we 
have previously quoted, and in conclusion by the following 
observations—“ If the purpose of the farmer is to produce 
butter that will meet the demand of critical consumers, he will 
attain the best results by using Guernsey males, thus availing 
himself at once of the centuries of careful breeding that have 
been carried on in the Channel Islands. Accidental breeding 
often produces cattle of great individual excellence — animals 
that in beauty and usefulness will compare favourably with 
any; but a breeder who relies upon the power of such to 
transmit these traits will be very likely to learn to his cost 
that the tendency in stock animals is to impress upon their 
get some of the mongrel strains that they are descended from. 
In the Guernsey this prepotent power of transmitting the 
traits inherited through a long line of pure breeding is very 
remarkable. (To b e continued.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour. — As the harvest was late a heavy burden of horse 
labour has accumulated in consequence; in fact, the preparation and 
seeding of the land for Wheat has been in most cases on farms in various 
parts of the kingdom much delayed, especially as so much rain fell in 
the end of September and early ptrt of October. This matter has been 
more felt on those farms where steam power is not available, for it fa 
generally admitted that in consequence of adverse seasons for fallowing 
the land for five or six years past, that the land upon the mixed-soiled 
farms is more foul with the Couch or Twitch than formerly. The 
difficulty of cleaning the land during the late autumn months has been 
great, and has tended to delay the dung-carting on the Clover leas for 
Wheat, as well as preparations of any kind for Wheat on fallowed land, 
and also the storing of Mangolds, Carrots, and lifting Potatoes, has 
suffered delay, and has induced great pressure upon the horse labour as 
well as hand labour up to this date. If November weather occurs and 
prevails—viz., alternate rains and frosty mornings, it will make further 
delay inevitable in sowing Wheat after roots, whether they have been fed off 
by sheep or chopped and ploughed in for Wheat. The latter usage for 
Turnips and green crops is increasing in favour with the farmers because- 
the land does not suffer as by the treading of the sheep, and the Wheat 
may be sown anywhen on most soils, for requiring no other manure 
there is no hindrance to the seed in any respect if the land is ploughed 
and seeded simultaneously. When this is done every ridge is seeded 
immediately after ploughing, so that in case of a sudden change of 
weather, either from rain or snow, the seeding may be completed in a 
satisfactory manner. However advantageously this may be done upon 
good and friable loams, yet it should be remembered that upon flat soils 
of strong land the November seed-time should not be selected or waited 
for. It is therefore indispensable on strong land that the last week of 
September or first fortnight of October should be made the seed-time on 
such land, and should be arranged for by the manuring in anticipation 
of this period for sowing Wheat with more safety, and certainty in our 
fickle climate, especially in the finishing off the land in the best form. 
On those farms where Wheat has been sown and finished it becomes a 
question whether the land should be ploughed up deep to be benefited 
by frost during the winter, or whether it should be sown by Vetches, 
Trifolium, and Rye. Sir J. B. Lawes continues to write upon this sub¬ 
ject, stating that a bare fallow loses a certain amount of fertility during 
the rainy period ; in fact he goes so far as to state that totally opposite 
opinions may be held upon the same subject. It must be considered 
whether the green crops are intended for feeding by sheep or ploughing 
in as manure, and this in a great measure will depend upon whether 
there is couch or not on the land ; for although the land under green 
crop would lose less in fertility, yet the chances of cleaning the fallow 
are greatly improved as compared with the short summer tillage after 
disposing of the green crops. 
Hand Labour .—Men have been lately employed in filling and 
spreading dung on the Clover leas or Peas eddishes for Wheat. The 
preparing of the corn for sale after having being thrashed by the steam 
power has employed some men both for the Wheat and White Oats, 
which we have been threshing lately. Men and lads have also been 
employed in chopping and preparing the abundant root crops for 
ploughing under as manure for Wheat, and we have much to do in this 
way yet ; for where the Turnips have been sown late so much the better, 
when thick in plant, for no labour of breaking down is required, the 
crop being ploughed under without any labour of chopping or labour of 
hoeing while growing. 
Live Stock .—On various farms in the southern districts the horned 
Dorset and Somerset ewes are preferred, as they bring their lambs very 
early. Some parties have informed us that the early lambing season has 
so far been successful, the lambs and ewes both being healthy; and many 
twins, in some cases amounting to one-half of the ewes in the flock, has 
been obtained. These ewes are much preferred now the early lambing- 
Down ewes are extinct, they being originally a cross between the Horns 
and Downs ; for although the use of the Down ram only having been 
continued for many years, the horned blood still existed to some extent 
in certain flocks, which enabled the Down ewes to lamb early, with better 
milking capacity, and producing more twins. These breeds of ewes are- 
now gone, and their successors are settled down into stock of the 
ordinary down type and character. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
Camden Square, London. 
Lat. 51° 32' 40" N. : Lons;. 0° 8' 0" W.; Altitude. Ill feet. 
DATE. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAT. 
d 
« 
1883. 
November. 
Barome¬ 
ter at32s 
and Sea 
Level 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
Direction 
of Wind. 
1 
| 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 . 
4 
29.910 
45.2 
43.4 
S. 
48.7 
52.2 
39.2 
54.2 
34.8 
0.402 
Monday. 
5 
29.683 
42.5 
40.5 
w. 
47.7 
50.7 
38.2 
80.7 
31.2 
0 336 
Tuesday. 
6 
28970 
65.0 
53.3 
AV. 
47.2 
55.6 
41.3 
60 3 
39.3 
0.16ff 
Wednesday .. 
7 
29.586 
36.9 
36.9 
N.W. 
47.0 
46.8 
33.7 
59.6 
26.3 
0.06S 
Thursday .... 
8 
29.719 
40.4 
40.0 
N.W. 
45.6 
49.8 
35.1 
75.4 
30.7 
0.634 
Friday. 
9 
29.695 
49.6 
47.8 
AV. 
45.8 
54.4 
40.3 
82.0 
34.3 
— 
Saturday .... 
10 
29.644 
38.4 
37.3 
N. 
45.6 
49.1 
363 
78.7 
31.1 
— 
29.601 
44.0 
42.7 
46.8 
51.2 
37.7 
70.1 
32.5 
1.004 
REMARKS. 
4th.—Fine at first; rain from 11.15 A.M. till 5 p.M. 
5th.—Fine bright morning ; very wet evening. 
6th.—Wet morning; fine afternoon and evening. 
7th.—Thick fog at first; fair day ; fog again in evening with rain. 
8th.—Fine day, with some bright sunshine ; rain at 8.30 P.M. 
9th.—Fine pleasant day ; brilliant sunset. 
10th.—Slight rain in early morning ; bright cold day. 
Temperature still falling, and rather below the average. Squally, with sharp rain 
on Sunday. Several exceptionally fine sunsets.—G. J. Symons. 
