August 3, 1882. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
117 
per acre after each cutting, washed in by 100 tons of water mixed 
with liquid manure from the cow stalls, three or four cuttings 
were obtained by the end of the month of October, weighing 
from 40 to 50 tons of green fodder per acre. 
The late Mr. Dickenson of New Park, in the New Forest, gave 
his statement of the growth, cultivation, and produce of Italian 
Rye Grass, in a paper read before the Botley and South Hants 
Farmers’ Club in 185G, whereby upon his system of irrigation 
with liquid manure he obtained in 1848 seven cuttings in the 
year, commencing with the month of March and finishing in 
October, the average weight of grass being 10 tons each time, or 
70 tons per acre in the year. He said any retentive soil suited 
for Beans, Wheat, or Oats if in high condition is suitable for this 
crop. Ammonia being the food for this grass, urine and water 
stand first, guano in wet seasons, nitrate of soda in hot dry 
seasons. He further stated that by artificial drying the grass in 
lofts 19 cwts. of grass yielded 6 cwts. of hay. 
Mr. Simpson of Teawig near Beauly, Inverness-shire, gives the 
following particulars of an extraordinary crop of Potatoes, as 
published in Mr. J. C. Morton’s essay in the Royal Agricultural 
Society’s Journal in 1859. The crop grown was of the variety 
called Flukes, which produced 9j tons per acre, the manure used 
being Peruvian guano. This sort of Potatoes are considered of 
the finest quality. We have to record another instance of the 
value of a Potato crop grown in Scotland, although we cannot 
record the quantity grown per acre. Mr. Buttar, who farms six 
hundred acres of land, grew in 1879, 58 acres of the Champion 
Potato chiefly, and sold them for £35 per acre. We have also to 
record, as reported in Mr. J. C. Morton’s essay as above named, 
“ a crop of Carrots grown by Mr. Blundell of Bursledon, South¬ 
ampton, an active member of the Botley Farmers’ Club, and 
frequently a Judge at the meetings of the Royal Agricultural 
Society, who informs me that in 1857, on a field of light loamy 
soil in his occupation, he grew an extraordinary crop of the 
White Belgian Carrot, of which the following particulars give the 
history. Fallow preparation : soil, sandy loam ; seed, White Bel¬ 
gian Carrot, 6 ft>3. per acre, drilled May 14th, 1G inches apart 
between the rows ; manure, 2 cwts. superphosphate of lime and 
25 bushels of ashes per acre ; the crop flat-hoed between the 
rows ; the rows thinned by hand-pulling, which afforded 14 tons 
per acre of excellent food for cattle from 1st of August to 14th 
September. The roots we raised in the second week of November 
weighed 24 tons, 18 cwts., 2 qrs. per acre, there being 348 roots 
per pole ; the tops weighed by estimate 7 tons 5 cwts. per acre. 
The total weight of crop per acre 46 tons, 3 cwts., 2 qrs. On a 
part of the same field ihe crop not thinned in Ibe rows raised 
at the same time weighed 31 tons, 2 cwts., 3 qrs. per acre, there 
being 980 plants per pole, the tops weighing by estimate 6 tons 
10 cwts. per acre ; total weight of crop per acre 37 tons, 12 cwts., 
3 qrs. With reference to these figures Mr. Blundell says that 
neither the thinnings of the crop nor the greens were weighed, but 
that having often weighed the greens from his Carrot crop up to 
9 tons per acre, he is confident in the accuracy of his estimate. 
The main crop of roots was actually weighed.” 
We have next to record a crop of Yellow Globe Mangolds 
grown upon land in the occupation of Stewart Macnaghten. E«q. 
of Bitterne Manor House, near Southampton, in the year 1859. 
The crop being carefully weighed proved to be 55 tons per acre, 
and grown upon land adjoining the seashore, but to which artificial 
manures only were applied. Again, we quote from Mr. Morton’s 
essay the evidence of Mr. J. Innes, Colonel North’s agent, “That 
in 1858 they grew a crop of Long Mangolds on the ridge, farm¬ 
yard dung being applied, and also 2 cwts. guano, 2 cwts. Proctor 
and Ryland’s Mangold manure, and 2 cwts. of salt per acre. This 
was upon the Wroxton Abbey Farm near Banbury. On the 25th 
of October the Judges of the Banbury Agricultural Association 
weighed a square rod, and found the average weight of the field 
to be 63£ tons per acre.” We must now conclude with the record 
of a crop of Yellow Mangolds grown by Mr. Burnett of Ashley, 
Hants, when he farmed in Ireland in 1851, and which he states 
as fairly weighed, and proved the produce to be G5 tons per acre. 
In quitting our subject for the present, we say in conclusion that 
we propose to return to it on some future occasion. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour .—This has been much delayed lately, not only in 
consequence of the horses being required in carting the hay to the 
stack from the water meadows in the early districts, and the general 
crop from the pastures of the midland and northern districts, but 
horse labour on the fallows has been seriously interfered with lately. 
Every opportunity should now, however, be taken to cross-plough 
the fallows intended for next year’s Wheat land. Horse-hoeing the 
root crops has unfortunately been very ineffective, owing to the con¬ 
tinued stormy weather which has prevailed. The weather has been 
adapted for the planting of Cabbage, Thousand-headed Kale, and 
Kohl Rabi, and in those cases where the Mangold plants are deficient 
it is well to plant some Oxheart sort of Cabbage, which variety forms 
heads very quickly. They will furnish useful sound heads at the 
time the Mangolds are raised for storing, and especially if the plants 
have been set with the spade, as this opens the land and leaves it 
loose and favourable for the young plants to root in. When the 
horses cannot be worked on the land, earth-carting to heap ready for 
use in the cattle boxes, pig pens, &c., may be done. The odd horse or 
mule for carting Clover and other green fodder for cattle and horses 
will now have full employment, and it has always been our custom 
for the odd horse or horses to cart the green food for the farm 
horses. We do not like the plan which is too often adopted for the 
carters or teamsmen to cut and cart the grass required for their 
horses. This work prevents them being able to carry out a longer 
day’s work than usual in a busy time, especially in the hay and corn 
harvest. It is yet too early for the returns as to the quality of hay 
stacked under the new system of exhausting the heat by the fan, 
although various farmers we know have tried the plan ; but we 
must not expect to hear of the success of their endeavours or other¬ 
wise until the ricks are cut, and the quality and condition of the hay 
proved by appearance. We think that the new system is quite as 
well adapted for corn as for hay, especially in those cases where the 
Clover has become rank and strong in the Barley crops, and also for 
the crops of Oats in the lake and mountainous districts of the 
north of England, and particularly in the elevated highlands of 
Scotland. 
Hand Labour .—We have recently mown over the pasture lands 
which have been fed by the cattle, and the coarsest grasses refused 
by the cattle have been made into rough cow hay suitable for young 
dairy cattle to eat with roots in the winter ; for we find that it is 
desirable to get rid of the grass refused, as it improves the after 
growth, and at the same time lessens the probability of the formation 
of ergot on the grass seed heads. It has been quite impossible in 
those districts where the rains have been the heaviest and most con¬ 
tinued to destroy weeds in the root crops by either horse or hand- 
hoeing ; it remains therefore to be considered as to the propriety of 
hand-picking the weeds after hand-hoeing or of sacrificing the pro¬ 
spects of a crop. Our early white Oats have been ripe for some few 
days on gravelly soil, and we began cutting and tying them on 
Friday the 21st ult. This kind of Oat is of very delicate nature, and 
when ripe will fall out with the slightest wind ; we find therefore the 
only chance to save the grain and the straw in the best condition as 
fodder is to cut the crop before it is quite ripe, and our Victoria White 
Oats are so stout and long, and much laid also, that the mowing and 
reaping machine could not cut, or cut and bind the crop, without serious 
waste and loss in the process ; we have theiefore resorted to the 
old practice, fagging and tying, as the best means of securing the 
crop without waste. 
Thus far the root crops where hoed in time have not suffered 
much from the continued rains, and the price of both sheep and 
cattle is very high indeed. The home farmer may feel assured that if 
this continues he has no right to expect large profits from stock-feed¬ 
ing this year, and should therefore wait before buying, and even then 
buy sparingly, and only to supply actual necessities. Should the roots 
and grass continue their prosperous growth stock can be no dearer ; 
on the other hand, should the season continue to be a wet one the 
price of sheep will be lower, as it will injure the healthy growth 
of root crops ; and we have noticed in former seasons like 1853, 
I860, and 1879 that the sheep became much lower as the rainy season 
advanced. There is another very important matter to be considered 
in the case of continuance of wet weather, that the sheep will be sure 
to suffer from the fluke rot, coathe, or bane as it is called ; in fact, 
the serious losses of sheep in the several years of 1878, 1879, and 1880 
is one of the causes of the scarcity of the sheep stock throughout 
England at the present time, but more particularly in certain grazing 
districts of the kingdom. 
Live Stock .—The management of both sheep and cattle especially 
on low-lying meadows is most important at this time, for if sheep are 
trusted in meadows, or even upland parks, they would be much better 
and safer to have night quarters provided for them upon the arable 
land, and receive the produce of it either as aftermath. Clover, 
Sainfoin, Italian Rye Grass, or Summer Yetches, Rape, and Mustard, 
however, will be very suitable, and this mode of management will go 
far to keep them sound and healthy, particularly if they receive half 
a pound of linseed or cotton cake per day. We have never known 
sheep rot where they have been treated thus, although it is well 
understood that in case they had remained night and day on the 
pastures in a wet season they would have taken the fluke. Some of 
these observations apply to cattle as well as sheep ; for although they 
would not suffer from the fluke so surely as the sheep because they 
do not bite the grass so close to the ground, yet they are very liable, 
especially if heifers or heifer calves, to suffer from the quarter-ill if 
they are allowed to remain entirely on pasture land at night as well 
as by day, but especially in low-lying grass land subject to night 
fogs, and particularlv as the season advances from this time until 
when the nights get longer. Even fatting bullocks where they are 
fast proceeding towards good beef, if the wet weather continues, they 
will pay well for receiving about 3 lbs. of linseed cake and 2 lbs. of 
cracked beans per day ; and if placed upon drier soils at night time 
they would still receive further benefit, for some of the best grazing 
