September 28, 1882.] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER 
309 
as other breeds of sheep, are very high in price, and are likely to con¬ 
tinue so unless we should be surprised by an early winter. The 
homed ewes are now especially dear to purchase in lamb, showing 
how favourable the season has been and how beneficial it will prove 
to those farmers who have held over a portion of the ewes by taking 
a second crop of lambs from them. We must here notice the practice 
in this respect. The plan of doing this in the south, south-eastern, and 
home counties is by some of the most experienced farmers who 
usually supply early lambs to the metropolitan market in the winter 
and early spring. It has now for many years, since the forward ewes 
have been so much in request, been the practice to hold over one-half 
or a third portion of the ewes bought in, and which will now begin 
lambing in the course of a week or ten days, and breed from them 
again, and they are selected in the following manner All the 
earliest lambing ewes being put to high feeding and sold with their 
lambs fat in the winter and spring. Those ewes which lamb late, 
say after the 20th of November, are kept in good stock condition, 
and mated with the ram the following month of May. There are 
several advantages in this system. The ewes—speaking of Dorset and 
Somerset stock—that do not lamb early, and not until after the 
period named in November, do not pay for high feeding, but it is 
found by experience that the ewes which lamb early will always get 
fat, if well fed, whilst suckling their lambs, but those which lamb 
late will not, as a rule, prove fat and fit for sale when their lambs are 
sold, although the food they may have consumed may have been of 
the same kind, quantity, and quality, and during the same number of 
weeks as the early lambing ewes. It is, therefore, not deemed pro¬ 
fitable or desirable to feed the late ewes with cake or corn or any 
other costly food, but to keep them only in such a state as will enable 
them to furnish a good supply of milk for their lambs, which is done 
by feeding with first-rate hay and roots only. In the spring, after¬ 
wards and during the summer, the ewes are kept in fair stock con¬ 
dition, turning the ram with them first week in May, and removing 
it away from the ewes the end of June. This will give all the lambs 
for the season by the 20 th of November; any ewes not proving in 
lamb to be sold fat as soon after as possible. The new ewes pur¬ 
chased, which lamb at the same time, are fed and kept with the old 
stock which lamb early, but it will be found that the latter will 
generally make lambs of the choicest quality, and better than those 
derived from the new stock, although they may fall at the same date. 
The Hampshire and cross-bred lambs intended for early slaughter 
should now be well fed on cut roots, cake, and bean or barley meal. 
The young cattle intended to be killed as baby beef should now be 
forced on by liberal feeding in the boxes, both by roots such as 
Cabbage or Carrots and early Turnips, with 4 lbs. of cake and 2 tbs. 
of bean meal per day, but without hay, for if plenty of sweet straw is 
available they will thrive well. It is not much even of the best 
grazing districts which will maintain the fatting bullocks in full 
condition unless cake is given freely, but if fat the sooner they are 
sold the better, as good beef has lately been selling at a high figure. 
If intended for Christmas beef they should be put into the boxes 
immediately. 
Thb Hop Crop. —Messrs. W. H. & H. Le May’s annual report on 
the state of the Hop crops of the world states that after a careful and 
thorough examination of the Hop gardens of England they are of an 
opinion that this will be the shortest crop per acre ever known, and 
will not produce more than £32,000 old duty, or an average of 1 cwt. 
per acre. They have calculated that there are at least 80,000 acres 
that will not produce any Hops ; 20,000 that will not exceed 1 cwt. to 
the acre ; 10,000 that will not exceed 2 cwt. to the acre ; and 5500 that 
will not exceed 5 cwt. to the acre ; or a total of say 65,000 cwt. The 
best district is East Kent, where the vermin did not attack so early 
or so severely, but mould is now ravaging the more promising 
grounds. 
AN AGRICULTURAL NOTE FROM NORTH DURHAM. 
Harvesting operations are now in active progress in this 
neighbourhood ; another week of fine weather will see most of 
the corn in the stackyards. Quality is fairly good, but the yield 
is not above the average, although much better than the last four 
or five years. Some samples of new Wheat have been shown in 
Sunderland market in good order. 
Potatoes are being lifted as rapidly as harvesting will allow ; 
quality is very good, but the crop is as a rule light. Disease has 
not yet done much damage, indeed little of it is seen as yet. 
Turnips are improving, and bid fair to be the success of the 
season. Second crops of Clover, which are very heavy, are being 
cut both for making into hay and for green food, an article in 
much request among the dairy farmers in this populous district. 
A great number of farmers in this neighbourhood are turning 
their attention to dairy farming, the large manufacturing centres 
ensuring a ready sale for any quantity of milk ; in fact the supply 
never seems to equal the demand. 
Pleuro-pneumonia has broken out at several places ; one dairy¬ 
man has lately lost some twenty cows through getting an affected 
animal into his byre. Many districts are completely closed 
against the moving of cattle either to or from. 
It is disappointing to learn that the Show of the Durham 
County Agricultural Society, although held at Leechmore, in the 
midst of this rich mining, manufacturing, engineering, and ship¬ 
building neighbourhood, was a financial failure. Almost ruined 
as it was by the failure of the Show, owing to two extraordinary 
rainy days last year at Jarrow, the Society could ill afford 
another loss. 
Farmers in this neighbourhood complain greatly about the 
loss of the old-fashioned ashpit manure from the large towns, 
all the fertilising agents being now sent down the sewers to the 
rivers or the sea, nothing but ashes and debris being left.— Peter 
Ferguson. 
The Seed Harvest op 1882.—Messrs. James Carter & Co., High 
Holbom, London (and Mark Lane), write as follows :—“ We are now 
in a position to give some reliable information as to the probable seed 
crop of the present season, the results in many cases of personal 
observation. The English crop of Red Clover will be better than 
last year, both in quantity and quality. Of German and French Reds 
the crop is also expected to be fairly good. Our reports from America, 
on the other hand, are very unsatisfactory, the prospects being very 
poor. Ic must be remembered, however, that the stocks generally of 
Red Clover held over are unimportant, so that values will be firm on 
that account. Of Alsike and White Clovers some very good samples 
of English seed have reached us. We have also handled a few 
samples of English White of fine quality ; the quantity of the latter 
will be limited. Of Swedish and German Alsikes the crop is reported 
to be very moderate, and the quality below the average. Of German 
White Clover we have received a few samples, for which last season’s 
full values were demanded. We are of opinion, however, that this 
seed will be better both in quantity and quality than last year, and 
we expect easier prices in consequence. The English Cow Grass 
crop is very limited in quantity, and we anticipate that last year’s 
prices will be fully maintained. Of German and American Cow 
Grass there is promised to be a fairly plentiful crop, but the quality 
of this will not bear comparison with the English seed. Respecting 
Italian Rye Grass very favourable reports reach us from the home 
districts, and the French crop is reported to be also an abundant one. 
There was no seed, however, carried over, so that prices will be firm, 
at any rate for some time to come. Crested Dogtail is a much better 
crop thaD last year, and we have already secured some very fine 
samples. Lucerne is expected to be a fair average crop. Trefoil is a 
light crop ; quality variable. Broad-leaved English Rape is a good 
average; quality very good. The crop of Perennial Rye Grass is a 
good average one, but as there was no 1881 seed carried over, prices 
at present are very firm. Sweet Vernal, Foxtail, Fescues, Poas, and 
other natural Grasses are short in fine qualities ; considerably higher 
prices than last year’s values are readily obtained. Swedes and 
Turnips have come in very satisfactorily, notwithstanding the incle¬ 
ment season that we thought at one time would prejudice the crop. 
It will be seen from the above report that the seed harvest of 1882 is 
generally satisfactory, and in almost every respect superior to that of 
its predecessor.” 
JUDGING AT POULTRY AND PIGEON SHOWS. 
We have at times found it our duty, by no means a pleasant one, 
to take exception to the way in which poultry and Pigeons were 
often iudged at shows. The fault we had to find was fortunately 
almost always not with the integrity of judges or with the manner 
in which they, under the circumstances, performed their duties; 
but with the circumstances under which they were called upon to 
perform them. Far too frequently a number of pens was allotted 
to a judge which it was perfectly impossible for one man to go 
through carefully and critically in a single day ; but more than 
this, a judge was often sent into a show tent full of some four or 
five hundred pens at 10 o’clock A.M., with the request that he 
would finish making his awards by noon or one o’clock, so that on 
the admission of the public the pens might at once present a proper 
appearance, gay with their many-coloured prize cards, and exhi¬ 
bitors could not complain of any delay ! _ 
As we have in the past commented severely on this state of things 
we are particularly anxious now to acknowledge that a great change 
for the better has taken place. In the schedule of almost every 
large show is published an imposing array of judges’ names, not 
two or three as formerly, and generally particulars as to the classes 
upon which each adjudicates. Some of them, too, only take one or 
two breeds, their own special fancy. This is an excellent arrange¬ 
ment, and one which we should be glad to see, as iar as possible, 
further extended. As a rule, no man is a really good judge of a 
variety which he has not himself bred. It is easy enough to learn 
