October 7, 1880. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 339 
that it will be the means of forwarding in condition all the sheep 
stock as store animals, as well as those which are feeding for the 
butcher; but this plentiful supply of vegetable food should not 
induce the home farmer to give his ewes which are breeding any 
more than a very moderate allowance of Turnip, Cabbage, or other 
roots. Always when supplied the animals should run in the stubbles, 
Saintfoin, or old leas, as the change of diet is highly necessary ; at 
the same time it is very important that the ewes should not be 
allowed to lie about on the Turnip fields like fatting stock but be 
moved for exercise, which is necessary. 
ADVANTAGES OF A HOME FARM.—No. 3. 
Thb effect of the drainage of the whole of the grass land, a hun¬ 
dred acres in extent, has been an earlier stronger growth of grass 
in spring—a matter of the utmost importance for dairy cows as well 
as for the lean stock—a warmer drier surface, and herbage of a 
finer and more nutritious quality, which is of equal importance for 
the sheep, not only as affording them better food, but also as con¬ 
tributing in no slight degree to keeping them in a healthy condi¬ 
tion. This last assertion may now be made with confidence after 
the severe test of last year. 
MANURES FOR GRASS. 
Beneficial as drainage undoubtedly is, it was only regarded as a 
primary step in the improvement of poor neglected grass land. 
Dressings of manure followed the drainage, and have been renewed 
annually so far as was possible and in every available form. Nice¬ 
ties of distinction between different kinds of manure cannot often 
be indulged in to any great extent, and I have been glad to use 
farmyard manure, lime mixed with road scrapings, wood ashes, soot, 
crushed bones, specially prepared mixtures termed ‘‘ grass manure,” 
and in point of fact any artificial manure except nitrate of soda, 
which is too exhausting for our thin light soil. Nor is the lime 
and soil mixture applied twice to the same meadow without an 
interval of a few seasons’ dressings of farmyard manure and sheep 
folding, upon which lime so applied acts as a mild solvent, convert¬ 
ing the humus more quickly into that soluble condition which it 
must assume before the rootlets can absorb it. 
Bone dust, as it is offered in commerce, has not been used, but 
half-inch crushed bones containing a good deal of dust has been 
applied with excellent effect at the rate of 4 to 5 cwt. per acre. 
This dressing is regarded as a provision for the future rather than 
the present good of the grass. The dust is probably beneficial in 
the first season, but the decay of the bones is so slow that it is only 
after the lapse of two or three years that their beneficial effect 
becomes apparent, and continues so for a long time. It does not, 
therefore, prevent in any way the continuance of annual dressings 
of other manures. As much manure from the cattle yards as can 
be spared from the arable land is applied to the grass annually at 
the rate of forty cartloads to the acre. E-pedal care is taken to 
have this well decayed in heaps before it is used. A bed of roadside 
trimmings or any good soil is first spread upon the site of each heap ; 
the manure is then carted from the yards, thrown in a compact 
heap upon the soil bed, and at once covered with more soil. After 
laying for about a month it is turned over, the soil mixed with it, 
and a little more fresh soil again thrown over it as a “ fixer,” to 
prevent the escape of its fertilising properties into the air. The 
plan is an old and simple one, answering well if done carefully, but 
if due care be not taken in covering with soil or ashes much loss of 
its richest parts in the form of gas ensues. 
Sheep folding upon grass has also answered well. For this pur¬ 
pose I usually procure some full-mouthed ewes at the great Septem¬ 
ber sheep fair at Lewes, and the folding begins in the last week of 
September, The sheep are allowed to run free in the day, and are 
only confined to the fold at night; the space enclosed is therefore not 
large, small folds changed twice a week answering best. The best 
guide to the size of a fold is the eye, for if it is found that the surface 
of the enclosure is not tolerably well covered with manure in three 
nights it is too large. As a rough guide for beginners a space 4 feet 
square per sheep may be given as enough. The food used in the fold 
consists of linseed cake, oats, and hay. This is given chiefly at 
night when the sheep are shut in, but they are never let out in the 
morning till they have had some hay. I experienced some trouble 
in getting this attended to, and at first actually found the fold 
opened on snowy mornings without any thought of feeding the 
hungry sheep! Some rock salt is always thrown about for the 
sheep near the fold. In about ten weeks we begin drafting off the 
best sheep for the butcher, and by the middle of February the fold¬ 
ing is at an end. Full-mouthed South Down ewes so treated make 
excellent mutton, which is much liked by those who are fond of the 
high flavour that only comes with age. The beneficial effect of the 
folding is seen early in the following spring, the luxuriance of the 
dark green grass presenting a striking contrast to the surrounding 
growth, which presents a comparatively dwarf starved appearance. 
•—Edward Luckhurst. 
PAYMENT OF PRIZES AT POULTRY SHOWS. 
From time to time complimentary letters appear in our columns 
and in those of our contemporaries upon the prompt payment of 
the prizes by the managers of this or that poultry show. Prompt 
settlement of all such accounts is highly desirable, and deserves 
commendation. The exceptional eulogies, however, which such 
cases evoke in some degree call attention to the fact that such 
promptitude is by no means general—we might almost say that 
it is rare. The show season is coming on, and there has not, as 
far as we are aware, of late been any special case in which com¬ 
plaints of tardy payment have been heard ; this therefore seems 
a fitting opportunity to say something on the subject. Had there 
lately been any outcry of clamorous creditors against some par¬ 
ticular committee we should have hesitated to make what might 
have seemed personal observations. There may in particular 
cases be excuse or palliation for delay, and were such instances 
isolated we should not call attention to them. They are, how¬ 
ever, common, and taken generally are a legitimate subject for 
criticism. We are not concerned with cases of real default. Of 
such we have of late heard nothing, but of habitual procrastina¬ 
tion in sending out cheques and post-office orders for the prize 
money. 
In most schedules a rule is formed to the effect that payment of 
entry fees must accompany the entries. Such a rule seems abso¬ 
lutely necessary for any proper and orderly system of accounts. 
We had always imagined that it was universally and rigorously 
carried out; but it has lately come to our knowledge that this 
is by no means the case. Numbers of exhibitors send entries 
without any fees at all, trusting to luck to win their amount in 
prizes ; and, what is much more remarkable, such entries are 
commonly received. This is the result of an evil upon which we 
have frequently written—viz., the over-multiplication of shows, 
which makes it a hard matter now to make any show pay. Every 
entry is then of the greatest importance to the balance sheet, and 
secretaries do not refuse any. In one schedule lately sent to us 
the public are informed that this year entry fees must positively 
be paid beforehand, as last year a large number of them were 
never paid at all. This difficulty of prepayment surmounted, or 
rather we should say this folly of accepting entries without 
entrance money being discarded, there is hardly any undertaking 
of which all the receipts more certainly precede the disbursements 
than a poultry show ; surely, then, there is no reason why the 
latter should so frequently be delayed for weeks and months. 
These delays have, as far as our experience goes, much increased 
of late. We do not remember having in former years been obliged 
so constantly to remind secretaries of their official debts. In 
some cases, and that too of no obscure or local shows, it would 
seem as if time was always given to the winners to forget their 
prizes. If they did so, or went abroad, or changed their residence, 
there would be so much gain to the show, or for somebody. If 
they send a reminder there is always a specious excuse for the 
delay ready ; theirs is the only cheque delayed, or it has been lost 
in the post. 
We do not for a moment forget that there are many admirably 
managed shows in which the accounts are kept as well as possible 
and prizes are paid with wonderful promptitude. The committees 
of some of them now advertise beforehand that the prize money 
has already been lodged in such-and-such a bank. This is an ad¬ 
mirable plan by way of guarantee ; it always gives confidence to 
the public and so increases entries. If the prizes are to be paid—■ 
and of course the managers of every good show intend that they 
shall be paid even at personal loss to themselves—it surely cannot 
involve any risk to them to pay down a few pounds each by way 
of guarantee before the exhibition takes place. There may be, 
however, places where previous experience of success warrants 
something being trusted to the sum paid at the door by visitors to 
the show ; this, however, can be easily added up on the evening 
afterwards. All will then have been paid, and if its amount does 
not make both ends meet the promoters have to suffer. They will 
not suffer any the less by delaying a month or two about paying 
up ; in all probability any show they may in future undertake 
will suffer the more from confidence lost. 
We write chiefly in the interest of beginners, or at least of 
beginners in exhibiting. There are many ardent fanciers who 
love their birds, and breed good ones too, but who only exhibit 
now and then ; they might certainly be encouraged to exhibit 
more. Trouble and vexation about the slow payment of prize and 
sale money often discourage them till they cease to exhibit alto¬ 
gether. Several such have complained to us that even sale money 
