294 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. L September 23 , isso. 
of their manure valuable for improving the parkland and pastures. 
It is not often that new erections are required for stalling either 
fatting bullocks or dairy cows, for almost any range of shedding 
may be made available at but little cost. If, however, it is re¬ 
quired, a lean-to shed of about 16 feet in width may be made to 
answer a good purpose, being merely attached to some building 
of sufficient stability. In the apportionment of the 16 feet space 
inside we shall require a feeding path 3 feet wide ; this will leave 
room for 10 feet of standing room for the cattle and the mangers, 
and 3 feet for the passage of the animals and the removal of 
dung. The question of stalling is worth consideration—whether 
the animals should stand in pairs, with a stall division between 
each pair, which for large cows or fatting oxen should be not less 
than 7h feet apart, but for smaller animals 6i or 7 feet will be 
sufficient; the other alternatives are divisions for single animals 
at about 6 feet apart, or merely a tether without any division at 
all. We recommend the stalling in pairs, because the animals 
being tethered on each side can feed separately without interfer¬ 
ing with each other, nor can they turn round and drop dung on 
the part assigned for their bed. Now, the saving of the manure 
in a useful state must next be considered ; and on being asked, 
Will it pay the expenses of collecting, preparing, &c. ? we say 
Yes, if we calculate both the direct and indirect advantages of 
the system, taking as direct the value and quantity of dung as 
above stated, and the saving also of straw as litter ; then indi¬ 
rectly the advantages of the animals living in a pure atmosphere 
are of the highest importance. The mode of saving the excre¬ 
ment, both liquid and solid, which arises at the stalls may be 
done in different ways. First the floor of the stalls should not be 
composed of brick, stone, or any materials which will absorb 
and retain the urine in or between them, because they will be 
continually giving off ammonia and tainting the air more or 
less, except in the case of an earth floor, which will absorb the 
urine and fix and deodorise the ammonia and other volatile por¬ 
tions of the manure. There are only a few cases, however, in 
which we advocate the use of an earth floor to the stalls, one of 
which is for dairy cows that are only in them at milking time or 
in bad weather, and this exception is justifiable only in conse¬ 
quence of the earth floor, which when used constantly without 
litter would require removal too often for economy, the solid ex¬ 
crement only being removed in the same way as required from 
stalls with an impervious floor. A floor, however, made of concrete 
should have a fall to the gutter behind the animals for the urine 
to drain away to a tank, giving proper attention to cleanliness in 
the stalls. The urine or liquid manure should be treated in the tank 
with some absorbent materials, such as dried and screened earth, 
strong loam being the best, or otherwise dried peat soil, or dry 
and charred ashes, all of which will answer the purpose of secur¬ 
ing the value of the manure as a good dressing for pastures, &c. 
On no account must the liquid remain on the surface of the 
accumulations in the tank, because fermentation and decompo¬ 
sition will immediately take place, not only reducing the value of 
the compost, but tainting the atmosphere of the contiguous sheds 
and stalls. In removing the solid excrement it may be cast into 
the tank if sufficiently capacious, otherwise it should be placed 
on a heap of dry mould under cover, in which case, after being 
turned over and mixed, it will form a manure superior to that 
when mixed with straw litter. Another way of disposing of the 
liquid and solid manure is to flush it away together with water 
into a tank, to be used on Mr. Meehi and Mr. Hustable’s plan for 
being distributed by pump and hose over the land ; but we do not 
advocate this. Another plan is to have a trench or pit about 
3 feet wide and 2 feet deep covered with a sparred floor or grating 
behind the animals ; the manure then drops directly upon the 
grating, and passes into the pit, which should be partially filled 
with absorbent materials at intervals as above stated, and the 
sparred floor kept clean by sweeping and using gypsum strewed 
over. Now, any of these plans will accommodate either dairy 
cattle or fatting bullocks without being likely to endanger their 
health or injure the milk for dairy purposes, yet it must be 
remembered that the manure arising from fattening bullocks will 
pay better for careful attention in its preservation than that 
derived from the dairy cattle. 
Having referred to the housing of cattle on pasture farms we 
will notice the system adopted by arable land farmers, which is 
practised in various counties, but especially in Norfolk. It is, 
however, upon occupations generally where the farmer is de¬ 
barred from selling any of his straw ; he in consequence follows 
a plan which will readily and at little expense convert the extra 
straw into useful manure. Now, although the home farmer may 
have a considerable portion of arable land produce in straw to 
convert into manure, yet he is not bound to do so, but may sell it. 
We shall, however, remark on “ Hammell” or court accommoda¬ 
tion as used in Norfolk and other districts, for although it does 
not meet our approval entirely for fatting bullocks, yet it may be 
used with some advantage for young stock in the winter months, 
and more especially those which are kept in what may be termed 
a probationary state, in readiness for entering upon pasture feed¬ 
ing, and to be fattened thereon in the summer months. These 
courts consist of a lengthened shed divided into compartments, to 
contain easily from three to four beasts, with a doorway to each 
which opens into small uncovered yards. Some farmers feed the 
animals in the shed, others feed them with moveable racks and 
troughs outside, and it is contended that as the fatting animals 
get moderate exercise it keeps them healthy without hindering 
their fattening, and also that the cost of attendance is less than 
on the stall system, and the dung being constantly covered over 
with fresh litter instead of being removed. It is not, however, 
customary with them to place earth on the floor of the sheds and 
open courts ; but the home farmer will readily see the advantage 
of doing so if he should be induced to adopt this system with his 
young cattle, but for fattening bullocks all the arguments referring 
to it are dead against the “Hammell” system. As this is a ques¬ 
tion of vital importance upon any home farm we recommend that 
where there is nearly all parkland or pasture that a fair portion 
of arable should be held with it, in order that a fair amount of 
straw produce may be grown for the purpose of littering stock 
of various ages, or for various objects. In most cases—whether 
of dairy cows, fatting oxen, or the calves and young stock reared 
—some litter will be required, especially in the case of calves and 
yearlings, for although these can be managed on the grass pad- 
dock, with sheds for refuge in the summer months, yet in winter, 
for something like seven months out of the twelve, they will 
require to be housed or partially sheltered in yards in the night or 
day according to circumstances. The “ Hammell ” system will be 
sufficient for the yearlings, but for calves of any age up to mine or 
ten months they should be under cover when not grazing on the 
pastures. Now, for these the boxes or divisions under cover will 
accommodate them ; but it requires the careful management of 
earth floors, with constant littering with short straw, and fine 
earth added occasionally, in order to prevent foul air in the pens, 
for we hold that no calf pens are healthy, or so healthy as when 
the manure accumulates under them upon the box system, as we 
have before described. But especially will this be the case with 
fancy stock, or animals held on for exhibition purposes, upon the 
principle of early maturity. In fact, for such animals they should 
never be off the straw, for when kept in boxes three or four 
together, according to age, there is no accommodation which will 
bring them forward in better health and more promising con¬ 
dition for exhibition, as we have proved in our practice for many 
years, whether the animals were shown for prizes or went straight 
to the butcher for slaughter. Before concluding the subject we 
shall refer to covered farmsteads, &c. 
(To be continued.) 
WOEK ON THE HOME FAEM. 
Horse Labour .—The importance of this in various ways after the 
completion of harvest imposes upon the animals severe work, so 
many and such beneficial tillages being required, and all crowded 
into the space between harvest and the middle of October, this being 
the period at which the preparation of the land by ploughing, press¬ 
ing, <fcc., for the Wheat seed time can no longer be delayed without 
serious risk. There is no way so advantageous as to employ steam 
power, for it not only does a lot of the heaviest work, but it does it 
within a given time. This the ordinary horse labour of the farm can¬ 
not often accomplish in reasonable time in any season upon heavy 
soils, much less in an autumn like the present, when there is a heavy 
amount of horse labour in arrear. We cannot now be too early in 
ploughing the last time for Wheat, because a stale and mellow 
furrow is really requisite to insure a good seed bed ; but although 
we recommend an early preparation of the land we do not as a rule 
recommend sowing Wheat before the middle of October, except 
under peculiar circumstances of soil, situation, and aspect, when it 
can only be decided in a general way by those who are experienced 
in the farming of a particular district. Eye, Trifolium, winter 
Vetches, winter Beans, winter Barley, <fec., should all be sown now, the 
sooner the better. Wehave a variety of winter Barley now being offered 
in the markets which we have not noticed for some time until last 
year. Nearly or quite fifty years ago we used to sow it as spring 
food for sheep and cattle. It is even more forward than Eye, and 
stands the frost well. It does not grow quite so thick as Eye, but is 
stouter in stalk and more succulent. Cahbage plants of the varieties 
required for the feeding of stock in the spring can now be planted, 
for it may so happen that they may be very valuable in a cold dry 
season, and if not required upon the home farm they are sure to 
be required by people in towns : in fact, wherever the farms are 
situated near to populous towns the vegetables produced ought to 
be of such kinds as are likely to furnish food for the people when 
the stock of the home farm cannot consume it all in good season. 
