February 15, 1883. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 147 
experience of practical men cleverly laid before them, young 
men of perseverance and industry can now obtain in a few years 
that which formerly occupied the attention of a long life in its 
acquirement. As, however, we have stated facts which are not 
disputed, we shall turn our attention to those illustrations which 
are available at present, through the writings of those best 
informed upon the subject, and in doing so we shall endeavour 
to give some observations of our own which may clear up some 
doubtful points. 
In speaking of indications of barrenness we will take first the 
colour of the herbage of pasture land, for this upon infertile land 
nearly always exhibits a brown or reddish brown colour, as it 
seldom appears green either in the spring, summer, or winter. 
Nearly all grass land that produces rough, coarse, and unpalatable 
grass which the stock refuse, and, unless compelled by actual 
hunger, will not eat, and has the appearance of half-made hay, 
may usually be said to be barren. Still we have some exceptions, 
which we will name in order that persons lacking experience may 
not be deceived. We refer particularly to some fine pastures in 
the vale of Aylesbury and certain parts of Leicestershire and 
Somersetshire, where good grazing pastures have been quite neg¬ 
lected ; the bunches or tufts of grass of a coarser sort have been 
allowed to prevail, and are called tussocks. Now, these at all 
times give a rough and brown appearance to soils, which may 
easily be mistaken for indications of barrenness, whereas it chiefly 
represents bad management and neglect. This can be easily 
altered by careful arrangements—cutting up root and branch with 
turf-cutters all objectionable tufts, and burning them for the benefit 
of the land whereon they grew. Again, in the case of pastures 
which grow rushes and sedge grass, these undoubtedly in their 
origin represent a wet soil if not always barren, yet after drain¬ 
ing we have found that rushes with running roots just under the 
surface will remain for many years after the land has been pro¬ 
perly drained upon strong clay soils ; but those which are termed 
hunch rushes and grow in tussocks will also exist after draining 
the land, but may easily be eradicated by the same means as the 
tussock grasses. 
(To be continued.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour .—The time for sowing winter varieties of Wheat i3 
now past; we must therefore consider the comparative advantages of 
growing spring varieties, or what is called by this name, such as 
Talavera, and upon those farms on which it has been found to answer 
it may be tried again. We, however, ignore it entirely, except in 
some of the western counties where the rainfall is continued longer 
into the spring, for as a rule in the eastern and south-eastern districts 
it is much inclined to blight, in which case its fine quality as a mill¬ 
ing sample is lost, and the straw likewise has often proved very 
inferior, in any sort of Wheat which has been injured by blight. 
There is a variety called April Wheat, which if sown in March, and 
the land moist enough to vegetate the corn at once, it will be for¬ 
ward enough to give a good yield in any average season, although it 
is a strong grain and yielding but little flour, usually if sold to 
the miller making about 6s. per quarter less than the best brown 
Wheats. It is a bearded sort growing very great crops of straw of a 
strong wiry nature, and is in consequence more valuable than ordi¬ 
nary growths for various purposes, such as thatching ricks, barns, 
and other buildings. It is much in favour with stable keepers in 
towns, and at the prices which straw has been selling at makes it 
worth more for growing than ordinary Oats. It is, however, the 
least valuable as a feeding straw. In its growth it is by no means 
subject to blight, and with a full crop of straw yields a large quantity 
of grain in favourable seasons. We have been particular in making 
these statements in order to give the home farmer the opportunity of 
considering under various conditions which pay best, late Wheat or 
early-sown good varieties of Oats or Barley. 
In deciding upon which is best as a profitable crop, Oats, or Barley, 
or drege, the soil, climate, and condition of the land must be con¬ 
sidered ; as a rule, however, on strong cold soils quarters of Oats may 
be grown instead of sacks of Wheat. On light lands, after roots fed 
off, we do not approve of Barley, but like the white Victoria Oat, as 
they yield enormous crops of straw of high feeding value, and they 
come to harvest ten or twelve days before winter-sown Wheat, which 
has been a matter of no little consequence in the English and Scotch 
climate in years gone by, especially as the quality and weight of the 
grain is usually first-rate. On some cold late soils the new variety 
of White Tartarian Oat is much approved for admixture with Barley, 
the straw, too, being very valuable, and is seldom attended with loss 
by shedding in the field, and is in consequence very valuable for 
growth on the seacoast and districts where heavy autumn gales pre¬ 
vail. As they ripen late it is preferred to Barley, and can be harvested 
with little or no damage in almost any season. 
Hand Labour .—As the season proceeds this will be more in request. 
Forking out couch, docks, &c., may still be done before the sheep feed 
the root crops, and also upon the land which was autumn-ploughed 
before planting Potatoes, Mangolds, Carrots, &c., as we cannot afford 
the delay consequent upon horse labour to clean land before the early 
vegetable and root crops are seeded for. 
BACON AND HAMS. 
Home-cured bacon and ham are justly held in high repute. 
The former is relished as a breakfast rasher, while the slice of cold 
ham is a cheap and wholesome article of diet, of which every home 
farm should afford an abundant and continuous supply. How to 
obtain it is a matter of such importance, often but little understood, 
that a few of the chief details of the process may prove useful to 
many of your readers. 
Famous as York hams undoubtedly are, yet I do not consider it 
at all an indispensable necessity to have either the large or small 
Yorkshire pigs to obtain good hams, or the Berkshire or Essex pigs 
for bacon. If a Berkshire sow can be had easily, by all means 
have one, cross it with the best breed of the locality, and pigs of a 
compact chubby frame will be the result. But excellent sows of 
local breeds, of medium length, level-backed, and with full rounded 
quarters, may be met with everywhere by the exercise of a little 
care in selection, and the pigs from such sows always fatten quickly, 
and are ripe for the butcher in from thirty to thirty-five weeks 
from the farrowing, when they should weigh that number of stones 
of 8 lbs., a stone a week, or rather more than 1 lb. a day, being the 
weight of a well-bred hog of that age if it has been fed judiciously— 
that is to say, with ordinary food sufficient to maintain a kindly 
healthy-growing condition for about twenty-two or twenty-four 
weeks, and with barley, pea, or oatmeal and milk during the 
remaining six or eight weeks. 
Feeding is altogether a relative matter—a question of ways and 
means rather than a process of weight and measure. “ Milk-fed hogs 
are not to be excelled ” is a popular creed in which many good 
people have unshaken faith, yet last year three porkers fed entirely 
with boiled potatoes and wash beat three others of the same age fed 
with milk and pollard. Care, watchfulness, and painstaking are 
the principal things; a well-fed hog kept in a very cold and dirty 
stye will not thrive so well as if in a clean warm cosy one. If 
possible avoid buying any of the food; a well-managed home farm 
should always have enough arable land to afford an ample supply 
of corn for all feeding requirements, with the exception of maize 
—quite an indispensable article of diet for poultry, and good for pigs 
occasionally. 
If very large hams are required the pigs must be kept propor¬ 
tionately longer, but for all ordinary purposes pigs of the age 
mentioned afford hams of full 20 lbs. weight when cured, and I 
find hams of this weight preferable to any other. 
Two pigs are killed at the same time at intervals of a month, that 
being the most convenient arrangement for the means of curing the 
pork here. They are left hanging in the slaughter-house twenty- 
four hours to cool thoroughly, then they are cut in halves, the 
heads and hams cut off, and the sides and chaps taken to the 
pickling tray for salting, 1£ oz. of saltpetre and the same quantity 
of common soda being mixed with the salt for every 14 lbs. of bacon. 
Sides of moderate substance are well rubbed and turned in the tray 
daily for three weeks, or a week longer if very thick, and are then 
put in separate bags of cotton or thin sacking material for smoking. 
For the hams we have a special formula, which is so excellent that 
I give it in full. For uncured hams of 30 lbs. weight 1 lb. common 
salt, 1J oz. saltpetre, lj oz. bay salt, 14 oz. shallots pounded, A oz. 
coriander seed, \ oz. juniper berries bruised, \ lb. beef suet, 2 lbs. 
treacle. A pickle is made of this, and the hams put in it in deep 
earthen pans, and turned daily for a month, especial care being 
taken to keep them quite covered with the pickle the whole of the 
time. They are then put in bags and suspended in the wide farm¬ 
house chimneys, where they remain for three months, and are then 
ready for use. No coal is allowed to be used, oak logs being the 
staple article of fuel, and oak sawdust being put upon the fires at 
night. No fir tree sawdust is ever used, as it imparts an unpleasant 
flavour to the bacon. Modern farm-houses have no chimneys 
suitable for this purpose, but a separate drying or rather smoking- 
house need not be expensive, four walls with a chimney wide and 
high enough for the requisite quantity of bacon being all that is 
required, a fire of oak sawdust being kept up upon the floor in the 
centre of the apartment. 
More hams than sides of bacon are always wanted. Advantage 
is taken of this to obtain a supply of lard, all the fat pork being 
cut into small pieces, boiled and pressed, the liquid fat running off 
into earthen crocks, and when it is cool the lids are put on, and it 
is used as required, keeping perfectly sweet and wholesome for a 
year. This is really the most profitable way of turning the surplus 
fat to account, for the dealers will not give more than 4s. a stone of 
8 lbs. for it offered to them as pork, and there is always a large 
consumption of lard in such households as the home farm has to 
supply.— Edward Luckhurst. 
