508 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ December i, issi, 
by practical experience. Especially it is of importance to con¬ 
sider that during the absence of the grooms by day or night there 
is no necessity for immediate cleansing the earth floor, because 
the urine is instantaneously absorbed, fixed, and deodorised, 
whereas that on an impervious floor, when it comes in contact 
with broken straw or dirt of any kind, which if not immediately 
removed the evaporation of ammoniacal gases instantly com¬ 
mences, and increases until the drain, gutter, and floor are flushed 
and swept, and which cannot be, or is not usually, done during 
night. 
We have now to refer to our third system alluded to—namely, 
that of accommodation by boxes with earth at the bottom and 
accumulation of litter thereon. Perhaps we cannot do better 
than describe where this plan was thoroughly carried out with 
great and careful detail. The stables were designed for the 
accommodation of some valuable race horses about twenty-three 
years ago. It consisted of twelve boxes 13 feet square, divided 
by stout boarding and open iron railwork above. The boxes 
w T ere excavated 2 feet below the pathway and concreted at the 
bottom and sides, and the door for entrance was a sliding one, 
which is much to be preferred to a door on hinges, for the latter 
when opening into the pathway is sometimes the cause of acci¬ 
dents. The centre pathway was 9 feet wide, with a tramway 
along the centre, upon which was worked two trucks, one for 
conveying food, and the other for removal of dung and supplying 
straw and earth to the boxes. This tramway was conveniently 
laid in communication at one end of the building and passing 
between the stores for corn, hay, and straw, the saddle and 
harness rooms, and leading through the centre of the coach¬ 
houses at the other end, through which any refuse may be 
conveyed by truck. The door of the boxes was placed on 
one side of the front of the box; on the other half of the 
front the manger was placed inside of sufficient capacity to 
hold both corn, hay, chaff, and one division for water, in order 
that the horses may be fed and watered without the groom 
entering the box, for a shutter was made to let down and the 
food supplied out of the truck on the tramway. The roof of 
the stable was an open-ceiled one inside, with a false roof 
about 18 inches below the ridge, with an opening of 9 inches 
and louvre board, but this space was secured by perforated 
zinc plating. In this way good ventilation was obtained, for 
also over each alternate box a swing window was placed on 
either side of the building, not only giving ample light, but 
assisting in ventilation if required. Also at each end of the 
centre pathway, as between the corn stores at one end and 
the carriage offices at the other, sliding doors were placed, which 
may be opened for ventilation or closed to prevent draught. 
The entrance for the horses was in the centre of the eastern 
side of the building, the site of which was north and south 
from end to end and well sheltered by trees and shrubs. The 
boxes were filled at the bottom with dry prepared loamy soil, 
and rammed down to the depth of about 8 inches, except at the 
entrance for the convenience of the horse passing in and out, 
where it was raised nearly to the threshold. Straw bedding 
was used as cleanliness required, but always sparingly. No ex¬ 
crement was removed but spread and covered with litter-straw, 
which was supplied to the stores in single bond trusses, which 
were cut with a thatcher’s knife at the bond, which rendered the 
straw short enough to prevent its becoming disturbed on the 
surface by the horses’ feet. The straw may now, however, be 
supplied in lengths of about 15 inches as cut by the chaff¬ 
cutting machine. 
(To be continued.) 
WORK ON THE HOME EARM. 
Horse Labour .—This work now consists of fallow-ploughing land 
which has been autumn-cultivated, and if any case of hindrance has 
occurred by weather preventing the couch being cleared off it may 
now be carted away to heap after being collected in rows by the 
forks. Sometimes we have known farmers plough it under: but it 
does not answer, because, instead of dying during the winter, it is 
found ready to start into growth in the spring. We, however, now 
are alluding to that portion of couch which may have been brought 
to the surface only, without sufficient time and labour having been 
bestowed upon it to free it from the soil. In this case, when not 
freed from the earth, it is admirably adapted for laying out as manure 
on any dry turf land where it can be carted on to without injuring the 
pasture by treading and cart tracks. We have frequently found that 
it improves pastures. Some persons fear that the couch may take 
root and render the grass land foul, but it is not so, for the worms 
pull it into their holes ; it then acts as manure in decaying. In fact, 
nothing ever can grow so as to compete with old turf, for it has 
possession of the surface ; and even when all the rubbish, including 
seeds of weeds obtained when winnowing corn, is laid upon old pas¬ 
ture land, it will not grow, but decays and acts as manure only. 
Hand Labour. —Hedging, ditching, banking, draining, and such 
work now prevail. There is, however, the pitting of roots in the 
field to be done, which answers a good purpose, as it protects the 
roots against depredation by game and rabbits in a severe winter. 
In a mild one it prevents the sprouting and spring growth or delays 
it, and therefore maintains the full feeding value of the roots. When 
in pits the roots can be carted away to the homestead for feeding 
young stock in the yards and store pigs ; at the same time the 
Swedes are useful upon many farms where Mangold is not grown 
much, or has failed, for the feeding of fatting bullocks in the boxes, 
and also for dairy cows in the strawyards, as it maintains them in 
useful condition until calving time arrives. 
Live Stock .—The wether sheep or fatting ewes should now receive 
a full allowance of cake and meal of beans, peas, or maize, mixed 
with their cut roots in the troughs. Cotton cake made from decorti¬ 
cated seed is better for store or milking stock than fattening animals, 
and answers a good purpose when given to the early-lambing horned 
ewes, which have lately, together with their lambs, been put upon 
root-feeding. By all means we advise the home farmer to have the 
roots prepared clean and passed through Gardner’s cutter, even for 
the common Turnips, which some farmers will not cut, as they are 
said to be soft enough to be eaten ■without cutting, and so they are 
for stock sheep ; but for fatting animals they ought to have eaten 
their allowance of roots and the meal mixed from the troughs and lie 
down, instead of being engaged so long cutting their own food, which 
will not allow them much time for rest. The lambs, too, are not old 
enough to eat much, but they may run forward and eat the grains of 
roots with some hay and cake in their troughs. To make first-quality 
lambs they should only go forward through the lamb-gate into a fold 
which has been cleared of the growing roots, so that they may get 
only such food as may be considered not only the most fattening, but 
also the best to keep them in health. We do not like to see the lambs 
running forward eating the tops of Swedes or Turnips in a frosty 
morning : large numbers are annually lost by diarrhoea from this 
system of feeding. We, therefore, always feed our lambs entirely on 
prepared food in troughs, of the finest Dutch or hop-clover hay cut 
into chaff, of either White Carrots or Drumhead Savcy Cabbage 
passed twice through the cutter and mixed with cake meal, bean, or 
barleymeal, and with this food they will eat a good portion at the 
earliest period. At the same time in covered troughs with back to 
the wind we place split beans or grey peas mixed with broken cake ; 
and as young lambs will go to the troughs for shelter they are then 
often induced to eat cake and pulse at the earliest period. This is a 
matter of great importance, not only for them, but also for the ewes, 
because a well-fed lamb will not depend so much upon the mother’s 
milk, the ewe gaining flesh whilst it gives milk, and in consequence 
we generally sell our ewes and lambs aboirt the same time to the 
butcher, as they will both be in prime condition if fed as above 
directed. 
Lord Tredegar’s Cattle Show. —At this Show, which was held 
on the 22nd ult., the piece of plate, value twenty guineas, offered for 
the best male horned breeding animal selected from any class in the 
yard, the gift of the Corporation of Newport, was won by Mr. T. J. 
Carwardine, Stockton Bury, Leominster, with “ Lady Carew 4th ; ” 
and the corresponding prize for the best female animal, the gift of 
Samuel Homfray, Esq., Glen Usk, Newport, was won by Mr. B. St. 
John Ackers, Prinknash Park, Pains wick, Gloucestershire, with 
“ Lord Wilton.” 
We understand that “ Spratt’s Patent Food,” which was given 
successfully to the dogs at the Birmingham National Dog Show 
this week, will also be used for feeding the dogs at the Kennel 
Club Show, which commences at the Alexandra Palace on the 9th 
December. 
FAMOUS POULTRY YARDS. 
KNIGHTON VICARAGE- The Rev. H. M. and Mrs. RICKETTS. 
(Continued from page 440.) 
We must proceed from the chicken lawn where we paused. 
We did not, however, walk once straight through this range of 
yards in order as we have described them, but returned again and 
again during a pleasant two-days visit to admire their admirable 
contrivance and pretty inmates. Hence we passed through a 
door in the stone wall which backs the yards to other runs, 
of a kind which all fanciers find useful, but which do not pretend 
to be ornamental. Here in a back yard were many hens of many 
varieties, good layers of eggs, and foster-mothers of more treasured 
chickens. Close by, in a wired enclosure, were a party of cocks, 
about twenty in number, all running together. The moult always 
has a somewhat subduing effect on the spirits, but still they struck 
us as being the most extraordinarily happy family we ever saw. 
Among them we specially admired a White Minorca, nearly 
