594 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ December 29, 1881. 
regi Intel quantity shall be discharged from each cup; and this 
mutt take place in whatever direction or pace the drill travels. 
Thus there is little or no difference in the delivery, whether the 
drill is travelling on the level or on a hill side. Through a simple 
ariangement of geared wheels working an index on a disc, the 
land is actually measured in the act of drilling. In front of the 
seed box is a small drill for sowing Clover and grass seeds. The 
whole apparatus is strong and simple, and the delivery will be 
formed more accurate than with the old disc and seedcup arrange¬ 
ment. The implements we have alluded to are all illustrated in 
the last issued Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society of 
England, and we advise gentlemen to furnish their home farm 
managers with a copy. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour .—All the land to be fallow-ploughed should now be 
finished, and in case of strong wet soils it should be carefully water- 
furrowed, aud made with a sufficient fall to carry off the surface 
water quickly. On the driest soils where clean we note that 'some 
farmers are laying out the manure direct from the farmyard, to be 
ploughed in as fast as it is spread. This is a good plan, for on dry 
land it is ready eailv in the spring to be worked down fine, and 
drilled with whatever crop we may require. In the case of planting 
with Potatoes, it may be ploughed shallow with light one-horse 
ploughs, and planted as fast as ploughed; and any additional 
manure required should be Peruvian guano, strewed in the furrow 
with the sets. Wheat-drilling will in some cases be continued, but must 
be done as fast as the land is ploughed, otherwise the work is sure to 
be interrupted by rain or frost. Solving by hand is, however, rather 
better at this period, for the land can be seeded close up to the 
ploughs, thus securing the seed being covered in should rain occur at 
any time of the day. Carting chalk will be going on, and laid into 
heap to be drawn out and spread in the first favourable weather 
which may occur, so that the night frosts may break down and 
reduce the coarse portions into a state fit to plough in without 
the expense of breaking by hand. This is a very important operation, 
for unless the chalk is buried in the soil it is exposed to the 
drying winds of spring and summer, and becomes very hard and loses 
its value to some extent. We use chalk also for drilling with root 
crops instead of ashes, and have this week directed the carting of 
chalk to a large barn mow, and desired the teamsmen to bring the 
finest chalk they can obtain. If, however, the weather becomes dry 
enough we shall send men to the pit where the chalk is within a few 
miles or a day’s carriage, and screen it with an ash screen, then fetch 
it away and keep it dry in a shed or barn ready for use in spring and 
summer. This plan is the best surety against clubbed roots in the 
bulbs of Swedes, Turnips, Cabbage, Ivohl Rabi, Thousand-headed 
Kale, and Rape. Mangolds and Carrots, however, seldom suffer from 
clubbed roots. 
Live Stock .—The weather has been too wet for the sheep which 
are fatting in the field upon root and cake-feeding. They not only 
do but little for themselves, but tread the land to its injury for the 
next crop. They are in many cases, too, breaking out with the 
epidemic lameness and footrot; but our remedy is so perfect that in 
case each animal is treated the second day after breaking down, it 
does not suffer in the same foot again during the season. We were 
lately present when the feeding of dairy cows was the subject dis¬ 
cussed, the points being the best and most economical food at this 
period for the production of butter, and also for the increase of milk 
intended for sale, or for suckling calves for veal. We have on certain 
occasions recommended the home farmer as to the feeding of his 
cows under both these circumstances. We consider nothing better 
for the production of butter of good quality when the cows are not 
fed upon grass, than bran and Potatoes, with a little sweet park hay, 
especially that which contains the Sweet Vernal kind of grass which 
gives the hay such an agreeable aroma, for this is sure to contribute 
a better flavour to the butter. As regards the economy of feeding 
with Potatoes, it will depend upon their quality, soundness, and cost. 
The large field Potatoes of the Red Giant growth will give a heavy 
acreable weight in the crop, and answer well, not being generally so 
much damaged by disease as many other varieties, and should be 
grown if it is intended to feed for butter-making. We know farmers 
who are now feeding cows with wheat meal ; this is of course better 
than bran only, as the meal maintains the animals in better condi¬ 
tion during the milking period. Where Potatoes cannot be had cheap 
enough we use Mangold or white Belgian Carrots, but it does not 
make butter of the like quality as Potatoes. In feeding dairy cows 
for the purpose of yielding quantities of milk only for sale, &c., we 
know of nothing better than distillers’ grains, and the large Drum¬ 
head Savoy Cabbages. The Robinson’s Champion Cabbage are very 
good, but they often decay partially at this period, whereas the 
Savoys are not affected by frost, and therefore maintain not only 
their feeding value, but will remain sounder for a longer time, and 
will not injuriously affect the milk. The Champion Cabbages 
will now be invaluable for ewes previous to and during the lambing 
season. 
Doncaster Agricultural, Society.— I beg to inform you that 
the date of our next Exhibition is fixed for Wednesday and Thursday, 
June 28th and 29th, 1882. The entries will close Saturday, June 
3rd.— George Chafer, Secretary. 
CELEBRATED POULTRY YARDS. 
WOOD END HOUSE, GRAVELLY HILL, BIRMINGHAM. 
(H. Tomlinson, Esq.) 
During our stay at Birmingham in the Show week we had 
an opportunity of making a long-intended visit to the yards of Mr. 
Tomlinson, who has been for so many years known as one of the 
leading exhibitors of Cochins. Twenty minutes’ run in the train 
from Birmingham brought us to Gravelly Ilill station, and a plea¬ 
sant walk through the country for another quarter of an hour found 
us at Wood End House. 
This is one of those charming old-fashioned residences which are 
unfortunately becoming somewhat rare in the neighbourhood of our 
large cities. It is situated in sloping grounds, attractively wooded, 
and having a piece of ornamental water at the foot of the slope. 
The appearance of the premises from the outside hardly suggests 
the presence of the vast number of birds which one would expect 
to find in the yards of so noted a breeder, and we wondered some¬ 
what as we walked up to the hall door where such a number of birds 
were hidden away. Our subsequent chat with Mr. Tomlinson in 
the library explained this mystery. As a matter of fact, Mr. Tom¬ 
linson only keeps such of his birds as are immediately wanted for 
exhibition, and those which are for sale, at Gravelly Hill, the 
breeding stock being distributed amongst various cottagers, who 
each take charge of a yard of birds, and hatch the eggs and rear 
the chickens until they approach maturity. 
The system which Mr. Tomlinson adopts is an extremely fair 
one, and must tend to foster amongst the cottagers who have charge 
of his birds a rivalry which is not without its advantages to the 
owner of the stock. 
At the commencement of the season Mr. Tomlinson distributes 
his breeding stock without partiality amongst the cottagers already 
referred to. lie exacts a rigid account of the number of eggs laid 
and set, and a weekly visit enables him to see how matters are pro¬ 
gressing. When the chickens approach maturity he buys them 
from the rearers at a fair price ; and as an example of what may be 
made by those who have charge of the breeding stock, we may say 
that Mr. Tomlinson during the past season paid to one rearer an 
average of £1 each for all the chickens reared. Mr. Tomlinson, also 
offers for competition a cup of some value, which is given to the 
cottager who rears the bird which is most successful at the Bir¬ 
mingham Show. That this plan as carried out here is capable of 
being successfully adopted the splendid chickens shown by Mr. 
Tomlinson abundantly testify. 
Notwithstanding the narrowing of dimensions established by the 
means already indicated, Gravelly Hill is not without a considerable 
poultry establishment of its own. Almost facing the visitor as he 
turns to the right fi om the hall door are an old stable and coach¬ 
house. In a large room on the ground floor of the stable we found 
a numerous and goodly assortment of pullets of several varieties. 
Buff and White Cochins were most numerous, but Dark and Light 
Brahmas were not without their representatives. Mr. Tomlinson 
limits himself to the Asiatics, and is chiefly known as a breeder of 
Cochins, but many Brahmas in this yard were of considerable merit. 
The Cochin pullets were an even lot, iound, fluffy, and amply 
feathered. In another part of the same building we found a range 
of pens, in which were confined a number of cocks and cockerels of 
the various breeds indicated, intended we believe for the auction 
which was to take place in Birmingham tlie following day to that of 
our visit. In the same building were also to be found the work¬ 
shops where Mr. Tomlinson’s well-known incubators are made, and 
the business offices connected with this branch of the establishment. 
We cannot al tempt now to enter upon any discussion of the 
appliances which were to be seen here, but must reserve them for a 
future article. 
Emerging from the back of the incubator factory and turning to the 
left, we found ourselves opposite a range of some dozen houses con¬ 
structed upon a plan which seemed to us worthy of imitation. We 
are enabled by Mr. Tomlinson’s kindness to put before our readers 
illustrations of these houses (p. 395), showing the plan (fig. 98), sec¬ 
tion (fig. 99), and elevation (fig. 100), which will give them a better 
idea of their construction than any words of ours could. In front of 
each house is a yard neatly gravelled of the same width as the 
house and about 12 feet in length. These houses and runs are here 
simply used for housing show birds, but they would be capable, 
