JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
166 
land often inaccessible for cultivation. It is reasonable to suppose 
that landowners possessing estates of large or considerable extent 
will require to preserve game for their own amusement, in which 
case the land whereon it is reared should not be let, but held in 
hand to a sufficient extent both of woodland and pasture, and wire- 
fenced-in to prevent ground game from roaming. Certain soils 
under adequate management can be made by the rearing and sale 
of rabbits not only a source of amusement, but also of profit. 
A competent shepherd keeper will be enabled to rear game 
enough (rabbits especially) to realise a higher rental or value 
of sales than can be obtained from the best-managed farm upon 
an estate. Few farmers are aware of the extraordinary number 
of rabbits which may be reared and sold as an acreable pro¬ 
duce if they are encouraged keeping the right sort, casting up 
mounds, and planting Gorse in which they may breed and take 
shelter, and also by cultivating crops available for feeding them 
at all times. It is not necessary at present to enlarge further upon 
the subject of warrens for rabbits, or breeding and feeding them, 
as we purpose at a future time to fully consider this subject. 
How far it may be desirable to grow timber round the fields 
and retain wide hedgerows is also worth consideration, for it will 
often improve the value of land, whether in hand or let to a 
tenant, to remove both timber and fences, in order to facilitate the 
use of steam cultivation, and improve the chances of securing the 
crops both at hay time and harvest. Again, we must consider 
in the future the advantage of paying more attention to the plant¬ 
ing of orchards, and also how far the growth of Pear, Apple, and 
Plum trees can be made to take the place of the Oak, the Ash, and 
the Elm. We have no doubt this may be done with profit by 
planting fruit trees on the borders and banks after the removal 
of timber upon the farm road and pasture boundaries and such 
places, and at the same time improve the selling or letting value 
of the property without destroying its ornamentation ; in other 
words, to benefit cultivation, instead of its being depreciated by 
the growth of timber for the advantage of future generations, 
believing, as we do, that timber should be grown chiefly in the 
woodlands, or a few trees for ornament only on parklands or 
upon land suitable and likely to be required for building sites, 
&c., in the future. In the report of the Royal Commission evi¬ 
dence will be found of great consequence as to the amount of 
capital which should be employed upon the home farm or farms 
in hand, for when farms fall in on the estate the knowledge of 
the capital required for working them is essential in deciding the 
question or policy of letting or resuming the occupation. This 
point with others will engage our attention hereafter. 
(To be continued.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour .—Horses are chiefly employed in connection with 
harvest work, for either the reaping machine or the carting and stack¬ 
ing of corn affords them nearly constant employment. On one home 
farm in a southern district both Barley and Wheat had been carted 
and stacked on the 27th of July. We also noticed that all the land 
required had been seeded with Turnips, and the young plants were well 
up and growing on the 6th of August; and having received a liberal 
dressing of superphosphate, we expect on such light forward land 
that the crop of Turnips will be abundant. The land generally has 
been so dry that the seed on large tracts of land after fallow and 
green crops could not vegetate earlier than when sown out of corn 
stubble. Backward fallows after Peas, Winter Beans, and seed 
Yetches may now be cultivated with advantage, for in many districts 
the land is quite foul with couch and weeds. The weather has been 
and is still favourable, so that the labour of horses will have full 
effect towards preparing the land in time for Wheat. Much of the 
Clover land intended for Wheat is also foul with couch, but we hesi¬ 
tate before making what is called a bastard fallow after Clover, 
preferring to plough and press after the dung has been laid out in 
October, up to which time the lea should be fed close by the ewe 
flock or backward lambs, because they will eat close a great portion 
of the couch. If, however, there should be too much to be fed close 
and ploughed in, we prefer to use the scarifier or Howard’s self¬ 
lifting drag with the points on only, which will comb out the couch 
and leave the Clover roots nearly entire—an object of great import¬ 
ance, because they supply on their decay an abundance of food for 
the Wheat plant. If the number of horses kept on the home farm 
should be found insufficient for autumn fallowing—that is, cleaning 
the stubbles and land intended for roots nextjmar, we advocate hiring 
the steam tackle, and break up the land 8 or 9 inches in depth by 
working first lengthways and then crossways. This will lay the land 
up rough and give the horses the power of harrowing, rolling, <tc., 
and clearing off the couch ; the land may afterwards be ploughed a 
good depth to lie for the winter. If there should be a little couch 
left a small amount of labour in spring will suffice to clean the land 
entirely, and this is the best practice also with land to be sown with 
Barley in the spring, as it not only allows the Barley to be sown 
early, but the land is sure to be kind and mellow after the autumn 
fallowing. Upon those farms, however, where oxen had been bought 
[ August 18,1881. 
in for work in the months of June or July they would go far to 
supply the place of steam power, because they work constantly on 
the land previous to and during harvest or afterwards. This for¬ 
wards the tillage very much, and w r hen well fed at the same cost as 
a horse they will improve in condition during the working period, 
and make capital animals to go into the boxes for winter fattening 
after the Wheat sowing is done and other work, which they will assist 
in accomplishing, such as finishing the fallow or winter ploughing. 
In cutting the Lent corn we prefer to cut and tie the crop instead 
of harvesting it as loose corn, because after being tied the carting 
goes off very easy; besides which, especially as relates to Barley, it is 
advantageous, for as loose corn while lying in the field in the grain 
is sure to become discoloured more or less, whereas if tied only a por¬ 
tion can be discoloured, and the fodder also, for only a portion of 
the straw can be much injured. The same observations also apply 
to drege corn or white Oats. In making ricks in the field we prefer 
to make all our ricks round, whether of Wheat, Barley, or Oats. Even 
when the Lent corn is carted loose we prefer the round stack, as there 
is less outside to the rick, and it requires less thatch, which is also 
not so likely to be torn off by the wind. We, however, approve of 
ricks no bigger than can be thrashed by steam power in half a day, 
and when placed in pairs the two can be thrashed without removal 
of the tackle, and the straw from both ricks made into one as fodder 
or for sale. 
Hand Labour .—Men will still be required chiefly in assisting at 
harvest work and ricking. Every opportunity should, however, be 
taken by both men and women for hoeing and singling the late 
Turnips, which have latterly grown almost like magic. Whenever 
they are likely to be damaged for want of hoeing, we find it answer 
if the roots are thick enough to run the horse hoe through them 
crossways with the rows, cutting a space about a foot wide; this 
will save them from present injury if they are singled out in good 
time afterwards. 
Live Stock .—Previous to the late rains keeping for sheep had 
been very bare. Latterly, however, the grass in most instances has 
made great progress, and this together with the second growth of 
Saintfoin and Clover, and in some cases the early Turnips and Rape, 
are fit for folding off, in which case we may assume that the breeding 
flocks at least are well provided for during the autumn. The cattle 
in the pastures where they are very bare, and they are generally so, 
should be assisted with cake given mixed with early Turnips cut in 
troughs. The dairy cows in the same way may be fed at the stalls 
at milking time—morning and evening. The young cattle should 
also be assisted if intended for baby beef in the same way, but these 
the sooner they go into the boxes for their winter feeding the better, 
because well-kept young cattle, if allowed to lie out at night time, 
especially in low foggy meadows, are quite likely to be attacked with 
the fatal complaint of quarter evil, or ill, as it is variously called in 
certain districts. We know no cure, so the value of preventive 
management ought to be valued. With regard to horse keep or 
fodder for them in the stable, it is nearly exhausted except in the 
case of late-sown summer Yetches sown on purpose for their autumn 
feeding. When this is exhausted a little hay chaff with Oats and 
Maize, and early Turnips or Carrots pulped and mixed, is the best 
food ; but we object entirely to turn working horses out to graze at 
night time for various reasons which we have often alluded to in 
these columns, but more especially to avoid accidents and to save 
the manure. 
\ 7 ARIETIES. 
West of England Apiarian Society. — On the occasion of 
the Weston-super-Mare Horticultural Exhibition last week the 
above Society held a Bee and Honey Show. The entries were not 
very numerous, but the quality of the honey was generally good. 
Some of the chief exhibitors and prizetakers were Messrs. Abbott and 
Son of Southall, A. L. Perrett, J. Cox, G. Lovell, G. Dyer, F. Parks, 
and J. Shorney. 
- The Hop Crop. —Having thoroughly inspected the whole of 
the Hop-growing district in Kent and Sussex, we are now in a position 
to give an approximately correct idea of the prospects of the Hop 
crop of 1881. Our observations embrace nearly all the principal Hop¬ 
growing parishes. East Kent, and notably the Canterbury district, 
is good. In the best gardens the drought has interfered somewhat, 
causing blind bine, and there are still indications of mould in some 
gardens ; but it seems probable that Canterbury, Rainham, Selling, 
Faversham, Newington, Sittingbourne, and Rochester will produce 
an average of 12 cwts. of first-rate quality Hops per acre. At Rain- 
ham lice were very numerous in some gardens. The next favoured 
district is South Sussex, comprising Battle, Robertsbridge, Ticehurst, 
Wadhurst, Bodiam, and Etchingham, and here a yield equal in 
quantity to that of East Kent may be expected, but of course the 
quality will not be so good. The north part of Sussex, notably Tun¬ 
bridge Wells and Frant, are not so good, and here we should not 
