478 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ November 29, 1885. 
the successful growth of such crops as Potatoes, Mangolds, 
Carrots, Cabbage, and Turnips of sorts. It seems that even 
now, after so much has been said and written upon the subject 
of fallowing, that many parties do not discriminate between 
the hand labour compared with horse labour when a long fallow 
is required, and the forking-out of couch at all times and 
opportunities, and thus prevent the necessity and expenses of 
fallowing. Various farmers up to the present time are as great 
advocates as ever for a system of autumn tillage for the purpose 
of cleaning the land; now this work takes place at a time of 
year when all the great and important seedings for crops should 
be going on, such as Eye, Trifolium, Tares, Winter Beans, 
Winter Oats, and especially of Wheat. To show how this 
serious displacement of the essential seeding of these crops, we 
can only say never delayed our tillage operations, and that 
as we always forked out couch or twitch at every opportunity, 
we never lost a seed time of any of the many crops for sale 
which we grew for a very long period. 
In an article by a correspondent in the “Agricultural Gazette ” 
on the 10th of May, 1880, it is stated in speaking of “eradicating 
couch grass,” that “ Twenty years ago we used to hand-pick 
couch; but since then labour has bee ime dear, scarce, and less 
laborious. To hand-pick couch means a terrible expense per 
acre. Is it, then, advisable to undertake the work ? Such is a 
question which we have been revolving for some days or weeks 
past. Here is the couch lying in tiny bits over the surface. To 
hand-pick it is a slow and expensive job which would require 
more hands than we can spare- Women labour cannot be 
procured, childrens’ labour is forbidden by the Education Act, 
and man’s labour is not suitable. On the other hand ploughing- 
in such small pieces of couch means fresh seeding of the ground 
and new troubles wfith the enemy in future. What, then, is to be 
done ? We confess ourselves to be fairly on the horns of a 
dilemma between cleanliness and cost.” 
The whole of our life endeavours have been expended in 
solving the problems which appear so difficult, and we have 
escaped the difficulties dependent on foul land requiring to be 
cleaned by an ordinary fallow. During that time, especially in 
the winter months, we quite agree with Sir J. B. Lawes when he 
says an uncropped surface under tillage loses a large amount of 
fertility, and probably of a sufficient amount to pay the expenses 
of a well-devised system of forking out. At any rate if we get 
rid of the lumps of couch in each field as the opportunity serves 
by forking we have neither loss of fertility nor expensive fallows 
to make, for let it be understood that the whole and sole reason 
of a long fallow being required illustrates two things most 
prominently—namely, that the rotation of cropping is wrong, or 
that the expense of forking out lias been repudiated or neglected. 
We see the first question asked by tbe author of our quotation 
is—“ Is it, then, advisable to undertake the work ? ” We say, Mo, 
3 r ou are on the wrong tack, you have entered upon the making 
of a long fallow. Nor can a short one be made of it by picking 
up tiny bits of grass, for either you must make a long fallow, or 
possibly, if unfavourable weather prevails, it cannot be made at 
all during that season, entirely because the hand labour of forking 
has been neglected. 
The next question asked by our correspondent from whom we 
have quoted is—“ What, then, is to be done? We confess to 
being on the horns of a dilemma between cleanliness and cost.” 
You have no alternative but incurring the expense of cleaning 
the land or let it lie almost in a state of waste for the feeding of 
dairy cows. This involves the consideration of how best the 
land can be kept clean; and all the experience we have to fall 
back upon, and all the evidence which can be obtained from the 
best farmers of those soils most subject to couch, refers to the 
making of long fallows as being not only the most expensive but 
also the most uncertain of accomplishment, in consequence of 
the horse labour being so costly. On the other hand, if the 
season is unfavourable it is a failure, and the land not cleaned 
whatever might have been the cost. On referring to the use of 
the fork in eradicating couch, the cost when done with judg¬ 
ment and continued through the year must be successful, as we 
can prove on our farm, which was not fallowed for a long series 
of years, and was never foul during the whole period. As regards 
the certainty of its operation, the work being spread over the 
whole year makes it certain of accomplishing its object, that of 
clean farming. With regard to the actual cost, this will be 
moderate done under the proper supervision of the farmer, and 
when compared with the attempt to clean land by horse labour, 
couching, or tillage, we must remember th s cannot always be 
done, while the forking is, or should be, continuous; and then it 
will be successful. Let us consider for a moment the compara¬ 
tive cost as between horse labour and forking by hand, and it 
will be found that one good man for ten months in the year in 
forking will displace one horse on each hundred acres, and with 
greater success in various ways. 
(To be continued.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour .—Horses are still employed ateveryfine interval in plough¬ 
ing, the land being seeded with Wheat as fast as the ridges are ploughed, and 
upon dry soils, such as limestone, gravel, sand, and thin chalk, the Wheat 
seed has gone in well. Upon some strong or mixed soils a considerable 
breadth has not yet been seeded, and will probably be held over for Lent 
corn, either Barley or Oats, by sowing the former on the driest and 
kindest land, and the latter on the coldest and strongest land. Fallow- 
ploughing upon those farms where all the Wheat has been sown will be 
going on, and various modes ought to be adopted in accordance with the 
nature of the soil and its condition. We may here note that any soil in 
good condition and clean should have been seeded with catch crops soon 
after harvest, especially where a flock of sheep are kept. Upon those 
farms where green manuring finds favour such crops as stubble Turnips 
and Rye will be ploughed-in in the spring instead of feeding with sheep, 
in order that a cereal crop for sale may be taken with great advantage. 
We passed over land to-day (November 22nd) which had grown a full 
crop of Trifolium cut up for soiling horses, and afterwards tilled and 
drilled with red round Turnips at 14 inches apart; there was a full 
plant with very gross leaves, the land having been manured with 3 cwt. 
per acre of bone superphosphate; but the roots were never hoed, and 
therefore no expenses incurred as when intended for sheep-feeding. The 
crop, however, was being ploughed under after the greens were mown 
off, and any bulbs requiring it were chopped, and a very full dressing it 
must be according to our experience for the Wheat which was being 
sown as fast as the land was ploughed. In many districts roots are sev 
plentiful, and sheep so scarce and dear, that when offered for sale the roots 
cannot find a purchaser, and in consequence a large acreage will be, or 
ought to be, ploughed in for Wheat, and again in the spring any super 
abundance may or will be also ploughed under for Lent corn. 
Lire Stock .—Sheep are generally very healthy and in good condition, 
tie growth of grass having been continuous upon all good grazing pas¬ 
tures. The ewes, either of Shropshire Downs or long-woolled breeds, 
are very promising, for they have for the most part taken the ram. If a 
moderate supply of grass can be eked out during the winter, with only 
hay in addition, leaving out roots altogether, so much the better, fi r 
we well recollect a friend, instead of feeding the chalk hill pasture 
close with sheep during the summer, made a practice of reserving the 
grass until the winter months for the feeding of his fine flock of Hamp¬ 
shire Down sheep, and never would give his in-lamb ewes any hay or 
roots unless frost or snow made it a necessity, and with uniform advan¬ 
tage at lambing time. This farmer occupied land on the chalk hills on 
one estate for fifty years with great success. The Dorset and Somerset 
horned ewes have well-nigh finished lambing, and in numerous instances 
half of the flocks have yeaned twins. Some of the earliest of these 
are now feeding with full allowances of cake and beanmeal mixed, 
with white Carrots cut fine with Gardner’s cutter, and they run before 
the ewes, they get a full picking of Turnip-greens. In various instances 
about every tenth drill is seeded with Rape, thus affording the most 
valuable green food which can be obtained. The choicest lambs, how¬ 
ever, we have ever seen or made were fed in advance of the ewes with¬ 
out any green food at all, the roots being stacked or heaped for cutting 
and feeding of the ewes, with hay and cake in addition, the latter being 
mixed as meal with cut roots ; but the lambs received all their food in 
troughs, such as the best Dutch Clover hay in chaff, and cut Carrots or 
Cabbage, at first with cake and beanmeal mixed with the roots, cut as- 
fine as dice. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
Camden Square, London. 
Lat. 61° 32 40 ’ N.; Long. 0° 8 0 ’ W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
DATE. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAT. 
a 
“3 
04 
1883. 
November. 
Barome¬ 
ter at 328 
and Sea 
Level 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
Direction 
of Wind. 
| Temp, of 
Soil at 
1 1 foot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
sun. 
On 
grass. 
Inches. 
deg. 
deg. 
dear. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
In. 
Sunday . 
. 18 
30.009 
34.8 
83.4 
W. 
40.6 
49.0 
31.8 
55.2 
27.5 
0.045- 
Monday. 
. 19 
29.936 
44.9 
43.9 
w. 
41.0 
50.3 
3.5.7 
78.3 
31.8 
0.021 
Tuesday. 
29.913 
43.5 
4L.fi 
w. 
41.2 
48.8 
38.3 
69 8 
33.3 
0.015 
■Wednesday . 
. 21 
29.937 
47.7 
45.7 
s.w. 
41.0 
53.5 
87.4 
78.4 
30.3 
— 
Thursday ... 
. 22 
29 800 
46.5 
4*1.6 
s.w. 
41.6 
50.8 
40.5 
67.5 
34.4 
8.864 
Fridav. 
. 23 
29.756 
35.8 
3.5.3 
N.W. 
41.7 
45.7 
84.5 
69.3 
31.2 
0.267 
Saturday ... 
. 24 
29.327 
47.9 
46.3 
w. 
41.1 
51.2 
34.8 
69.8 
33.8 
0.187 
29.851 
43.0 
41.4 
41.2 
49 9 
36.1 
69.7 
31.8 
0.897 
REMARKS. 
18th.—Very misty, but fair till evening ; then rain. 
19th.—Wet early ; fine day ; bright moonlight night. 
20th.—Rain in early morning ; bright breezy day ; sharp shower at 3 P.M. 
21st.—Showery and windy ; bright sunshine at intervals ; calm fine evening. 
22nd. —Squally, with showers ; hail at 11 A.m. and 3 p.m. 
23rd.—Morning bright and flue ; overcast afternoon. 
24th. —Wind and raiu in early morning ; fine day; rain again after 8 p.m. 
A wee’; of average November weather, except that there was no fog.—G. J. Symons. 
