JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
94 
[ July 28, 1881. 
have the advantage that the fruit with which we supply the market 
is in better condition, and the further advantage of being able to 
grow the heaviest crops possible of the second early and late 
sorts. If the produce of these was doubled immediately it would 
scarcely affect the price, for we find that the slightest diminution 
in price is immediately followed by an extraordinary increase of 
consumption, and one of the most hopeful prospects for the grower 
(especially if the later varieties are grown) is the great and 
increasing demand by the wholesale jam-makers for fruit suitable 
for preserving purposes. Under these circumstances there is 
great encouragement for the home farmer to introduce into his 
business the growth of this fruit. 
Many of the strong soils prove suitable for Strawberries, and if 
to make a general observation we must say that a strong gravelly 
soil of a yellow or partially red colour of the subsoil intermixed 
with clay is about the best land for the production of the second 
early and late varieties. On the other hand, for early fruit-pro¬ 
duction the sands with a blue pebble in them are well suited, for 
such soils generally produce good elm timber, and these trees 
afford excellent shelter for early fruit growing. We may find 
some of these sandy soils too light, requiring (to give them a 
staple sufficient to produce the finest fruit) a moderate applica¬ 
tion of gravelly clay occasionally, or chalk marl, containing about 
20 or 30 per cent, of carbonate of lime. These sands, too, are very 
subject to weeds, and should have a moderate dressing of either 
chalk or lime. Various strong clays when properly drained we 
have noticed bear excellent samples of this fruit, especially those 
clays containing a large portion of potash ; but this cannot be 
ascertained except by analysis, for we have grown splendid 
fruit upon the rank and tenacious yellow clay. We have seen 
parts of three fields of strong yellow clay, upon which for a period 
of sixty years abundant crops of many kinds were grown without 
the application of any manure. Upon analysis this soil was 
found extremely rich in potash, whilst the adjoining land, bear¬ 
ing similar appearance, scarcely yielded a trace of potash. This 
fact ought to induce the home farmer to understand the nature of 
the land, but more particularly of the subsoil, before he begins to 
cultivate Strawberries. As a general rule any land may be made 
suitable for this fruit if the climate and situation of the land are 
favourable. We would not recommend its growth upon exposed 
and hilly land where the rainfall is excessive, nor upon any land 
(however suitable in other respects) if situated in valleys below 
the level of night fogs, for in our climate we often get night 
frosts destructive to fruit very late in the spring. Where the land 
is well situated we have by draining made excellent Strawberry 
gardens upon what consisted previously of peat bogs and quick¬ 
sands, thus proving if the situation is favourable almost any soil 
may answer for the production of this fruit. 
Turning to the mode of culture in the field we ask the home 
farmer to give up all idea of spade or fork culture, and rely 
chiefly upon the plough, the subsoil plough, the double-breasted 
plough, the horse hoe, and the hand hoe alone. To illustrate this 
we will take a piece of level land of any of the soils we have 
named in the fallow state, and as soon as it is clean and free 
from Couch and weeds let it be ploughed about 8 or 10 inches 
deep, the subsoil plough following breaking up the subsoil about 
the same depth, and repeat the work by carrying it out crossways. 
This will render the subsoil accessible to the roots of the plants, and 
is the most important point in the cultivation, for it often happens 
that the best soil for the purpose is that situated just below the 
depth of ordinary ploughing. As a rule the fallowing may be 
done best in the spring and summer, but the subsoiling in the 
months of September or October if done by horse labour. In 
preference to horse labour, either in making the fallow or subsoil¬ 
ing and deepening the tillage, there is nothing like steam power, 
more particularly upon hard conglomerate gravels, or soils con¬ 
taining boulder stones. Again, if time is an object, so that the 
field is required for planting at a given time, that object can 
always be best obtained by the use of steam power. 
(To be continued.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour .—Horses are engaged in the late districts in cutting 
the meadow grass and carting the hay to the stack. In the eastern, 
south-eastern, and home counties cutting Rye and winter Barley 
and carting to stack will be going on. At all possible inter¬ 
vals. the completion of Turnip-sowing should receive attention, it 
having been so far delayed by the dry and hot season that in various 
instances the young Swede plants as well as Turnips have been 
destroyed by the fly. Sowing a second time, and consequently extra 
tillage, will be required, employing the horses until the harvest is 
ready. After that so many fields of Turnips having failed, increased 
exertions will be made to obtain Turnips after Rye, winter Barley, 
Peas, Vetches for seed. We can only advise that this should be 
done, for there is more probability of obtaining a plant after a good 
rain than during the late hot and dry weather. Care should be taken 
to keep the land as fast as ploughed worked down and the seed 
drilled with manure every evening whilst the land is moist and fine. 
As we have often stated in these columns, this can easily be done by 
setting up the corn on one-third of the land as fast as it is cut, leaving 
the remaining third of the land to be seeded after the crop has been 
cleared off. The Wheat in the early districts is being cut and tied by 
the self-binding reaper. This is hard work for the horses, and in 
order to make long and effective day’s work the horses should be 
changed every four hours during the day’s work. Under any circum¬ 
stances, but more particularly where the crop is heavy, the horse 
labour is severe for them—much more so than their labour in tillage, 
to which work they are chiefly accustomed. We must again call 
attention to the early cutting of Wheat, for when the moisture can¬ 
not be pressed out of the grain it is then fit for reaping, and will 
certainly take more or less injury by standing in the field. There is 
no doubt that although the sun is necessary in the ripening of the 
corn it will greatly injure it if, after being ripe, it is too long exposed 
to its influence. Quite irrespective of receiving injury in that way, 
there can be no doubt that corn cut early will receive far less damage 
if wet and adverse weather succeeds ; in fact, there is practically 
every reason why corn should be cut at the earliest period, and 
nothing in favour of delay. In order, however, to avoid delay the 
harvest must be anticipated by hiring a sufficient staff of workmen 
to assist in securing the corn as fast as possible as it becomes fit for 
stacking. We have no doubt, in a season like what we have lately 
experienced, it will be advisable to some extent to thrash the corn in 
the field and stack the straw, instead of the usual mode of making 
the ricks of corn as fast as ready in the field. In this plan much 
labour is saved, as well as risk of damage, and in these days of low- 
priced corn and high-priced labour in the interest of the home farm 
this matter must be duly considered, and every possible saving made 
consistent with the condition of the grain ; but the extra labourers 
required must be engaged by anticipation, otherwise it will not 
answer to undertake any extra labour. 
Hand Labour .—Men are trimming and thatching the haystacks, 
hoeing the Mangold the last time, and Swedes and Turnips as the 
plants become large enough for hoeing, as so many have been seeded 
the second time. Much general work is now going on preparatory to 
the commencement of harvest. 
Live Stock .—The stock flocks on the hills are very short of food, 
and likely to be for some time to come. The crops of Rape are dry¬ 
ing up, instead of supplying us with luxuriant food as in ordinary 
seasons. In many instances there is but little grass or promise for it 
at present on meadows or park lands cut for hay ; and where the 
grass has been fed by stock there is little succession of grass, both 
sheep and cattle in some cases being very short of water, and where 
that is the case they suffer far more than from a short supply of 
food. Linseed cake is now the best supplement for short keep, as it 
never makes the animals thirsty like bean or barley meal. The fairs 
are now being held, and auctions also, for the sale of rams and breed¬ 
ing ewes both of the long-woolled and the short-woolled breeds. As 
we fear that the hardihood and constitution of the rams have suffered 
in no slight degree from the practice now so general of forcing them 
to an unnatural size at an early age, we must caution the home 
farmer against buying or rearing his rams in such a helpless con¬ 
dition. Under any circumstances we find it a good plan to shear 
the ram lambs now, the sooner the better. At the fairs now taking 
place a large proportion of the stock ewes are in low condition ; 
and as this is another extreme how can we expect but that disease 
will be engendered in the offspring where the blood of the parents is 
in an unhealthy state from what we may call under-feeding of the 
ewes and that of the rams from over-feeding. In all cases where 
rams are required to be mated with ewes for producing early fat 
lambs at Easter it is of great consequence to select rams with close 
short wool for service with the different tribes of down ewes, and 
also to select rams of the horned Somerset or Dorset breed for service 
with the Leicesters and other long-woolled ewes. This is espe¬ 
cially seen to be of great advantage in the case of twin lambs, 
because, these requiring a longer time in feeding, their coats are apt 
to become hollow and loose. These never attract the attention of the 
butchers, hence the care required in the mating of the stock for 
breeding lambs for the early London and provincial markets. We 
must again call attention to our plan of folding sheep in the day 
instead of at night, in order that the manure and droppings may fall 
where it is beneficial to the land, for we daily notice large flocks of 
sheep collected together under trees, where their manure is all wasted. 
VARIETIES. 
The British Bee-keepers’ Association.— The annual Exhi¬ 
bition of this Society was commenced on Tuesday last at South 
Kensington, and will continue until next Monday, August 1st. The 
exhibits are on this occasion staged in the arcade near the Council- 
room, and not in the corridors, as last year, as these are now occu¬ 
pied with the Medical and Sanitary Exhibition. The entries in the 
chief classes are numerous, and some honey of excellent quality is 
shown, hives and other apiarian requisites being well represented. 
