March 1, 1883. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 187 
of plants, herbs, wild flowers, &c., and natural grasses, which are 
indications of barrenness where they have grown spontaneously, 
and where the grasses have usurped the greater portion of the 
surface of pasture lands. The list of these contains over seventy, 
and they cannot be given in these columns ; we must, therefore, 
refer our readers to the essay. There is still another list of some 
of the weeds on arable land which are troublesome to the culti¬ 
vator, and frequently occupy so much of the surface as to render 
the produce of the farmers’ crops of but little value. The list of 
these contains forty-four varieties, amongst which we find the 
following names as some of the most damaging and mischievous 
on our cultivated land:—The Cockle, Corn Bindweed, Corn 
Poppy or Redweed, Coltsfoot, Corn Marigold, Corn Mint, Char¬ 
lock or Wild Mustard, Broad and Narrow-leaved Docks, Surface 
Twitch, and Common Ragwort, with many others. These are, 
with few exceptions, found on all kinds of soils, and the only 
indication worthy of notice being the difference in the habit of 
growth, for they will appear more luxuriantly on fertile than on 
barren soils. They are introduced here as temporary indications 
of not only barrenness, but of neglect in cultivation, with the 
view of encouraging the home farmer in a continual warfare with 
them, until he finally extirpates them from his soil altogether. 
The next quotation we have to make is the names of plants, 
herbs, flowers, &c., and of natural grasses, which are indications 
of fertility where they are indigenous to the soil. These are but 
few, not more than twenty in number, but consisting of such 
as Milky Thistle and Cow Parsley. But again we have a long 
list of natural grasses as indications of fertility by reason of their 
electing to grow on all the richest, best, and most fertile pastures 
in England, and by their dominating all others on the surface. 
These are about twenty in number, some of which may be 
enumerated, such as the Sweet-scented Vernal Grass, Meadow 
Foxtail, Cocks-foot Grass, Perennial Red Clover, Creeping Vetch, 
and White or Dutch Clover, these latter being found in the best 
of all the grazing lands in the various counties, the last-named 
in particular being quite indispensable as a component of every 
valuable pasture, but is frequently lost or destroyed through the 
close grazing of sheep instead of cattle. 
Space forbids our making more lengthened quotations under 
these headings. We cannot, however, refuse to refer to the most 
important, as well as the most easily recognised indications of 
soil, and give a list of a few of our timber trees, with the kinds 
of soils whereon they flourish most, and in consequence their 
appearance, presence, and condition may readily be accepted as 
decided indications of fertility or barrenness. The Oak we find 
chiefly on deep, strong, fertile land, with clay subsoil. The Elm 
likes deep, rich, dry loam, and grows with special luxuriance near 
to farmyards, where liquid manure reaches their roots, and the 
trees are valued for the shelter they furnish. The Beech grows 
best on the elevated calcareous soils in woods and hedgerows. The 
Ash is found on the light soils inclined to be sandy, but flourishes 
most on a fertile soil. The following indicate boggy or inferior 
soils : the Alder, the Willow, and the Birch, the last-named is 
found to flourish as well as the Larch and Pines on the light 
sandy and rocky soils. Those who enter or travel through dis¬ 
tricts previously unknown to them will find in recognising the 
trees enumerated an unerring guide as to the value of land 
agriculturally in an off-hand way, although they may be travelling 
by the fastest railway train. If, therefore, we only get a bird’s-eye 
view of a district, it serves to give us a good general idea of the 
character of the soils. Again, even in looking over property as a 
matter of valuation or for business purposes generally, the first 
objects should be the trees, as a short and ready way of estimating 
the general character of soils. In conclusion, we wish to observe 
that our subject is almost without limit if we sought to follow 
out and give in detail explanations of the various points raised 
in our review of the subject, but lengthy details are not and 
cannot be adapted to the limited space at command in these 
columns, besides which other subjects of vast importance in 
practical agriculture demand our attention. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour .—We cannot recollect a season in which so much time 
has been lost up to the present time in respect of horse labour on the 
farm, including the early seeding period. If the weather proves 
favourable Oats may now be sown, especially of the Black Tartarian 
variety, for they are much more hardy than the White varieties. 
The seeding of Beans on the strong lands as well as Peas should 
now be done, the sooner the better, if the land can be made to work 
freely ; to our mind there is no better way than to plough, press and 
drill under one operation, for not only is the seed sure to be buried 
with little horse labour, but when the weather proves changeable 
there need be no delay in finishing off the land. We do not like the 
ordinary drill nearly so well for pulse seeding, as the seed is not 
always buried sufficiently deep. White Oats such as the Victoria, 
Poland, or Canadian, in fact all the early sorts, may be sown about 
the middle of the month, for they require the land to be kinder and 
lighter than the other sorts. The White Waterloo sort are a first- 
rate sort to sow as drege, for when mixed with about one-fourth of 
Barley, the Barley is sure to be a good malting sample, whereas if the 
land is sown with Barley alone, and especially after roots fed off, it is 
nearly impossible to obtain an evenly gown sample of best quality. 
We prefer the Waterloos for the mixture with Barley, because they 
are thin in the sample and will more easily pass through the screen, 
especially if properly hummelled, than any other sort, leaving the 
Barley for sale to the malster. Boby’s screen does the work of 
separation very well, but there are screens by several parties—Barford, 
Perkins, and others, which will do the separating very expedi¬ 
tiously, but it requires care and should only be entrusted to work¬ 
men who have been used to the work. It has frequently been asked 
why the Barley should yield a plumper and fuller grain when grown 
with Oats than when grown alone. We think it is in consequence of 
there being two sorts of grain, each rooting in the land in a different 
way, and not interfering with each other during growth, more 
especially as the Barley comes into ear before the Oats ; but no 
doubt the Barley having more room than when it is sown alone 
makes some difference, for it is found, if drilled at 12 inches apart 
with only two and a half bushels of seed per acre, that the sample will 
prove stouter and more regular in berry than when drilled close with 
the usual quantity of seed. When Barley is grown after Wheat of 
the previous year, it will often require a little manure which should 
be applied by the drill or otherwise sown just behind it, so that the 
manure should fall into the coulter grooves with the Barley ; about 
1 cwt. of nitrate of soda mixed with 2 cwt. of mineral super¬ 
phosphate will be the best quantity of manure either for Oats, 
Barley, or drege. 
Hand Labour .—This has also been much delayed, still we have been 
able to fork out lumps of couch from the land intended for Lent corn 
where there was but little. Anything requiring horse labour must 
wait until the weather is dry enough to use the Howard’s self-lifting 
drag and comb out the couch before the ploughing, seeding, and 
drilling takes place ; in fact, if a little couch should show up where 
the Oats are up, this may be forked out without injury to the corn, 
and where there is but little hand labour is more effectual, and is 
done at the least cost compared with horse or steam power. Hedge¬ 
trimming has been completed lately during wet weather. 
Live Stock .—We find many farmers on the vale farms who buy all 
their sheep in the autumn agree with us, that instead of selling their 
lambs at light weights it will be better to hold them on and sell them 
as tegs after being shorn at such weights as are required most by the 
butchers. Again, why should the ewes be sold fat and fed at an 
enormous cost for food and expenditure in other ways, when if held 
over they will prove more valuable at Michaelmas next than any¬ 
thing which can be purchased ? There can be but little doubt of the 
breeders of sheep on the hill districts of the various counties obtain¬ 
ing the most advantage at present prices. The foot-and-mouth disease 
is unfortunately spreading fast in many counties, and the farmers 
must continue to suffer serious losses until the importation of live 
animals for the butcher are entirely prohibited. The consumers 
would then derive their supply of meat entirely in the same way, as 
much is now imported from America as quarters of beef and carcasses 
of mutton ; in this way only can this and other diseases be kept out 
of the country. 
FORMATION 01* PERMANENT PASTURES. 
In the form of a supplement to their “ Farmer’s Year-Book 
and Grazier’s Manual,” Messrs. Sutton & Sons of Reading have 
published what they term “ A few Practical Remarks on the 
Formation of Permanent Pastures,” which are worthy of the 
attention of those who are interested in the subject. In addition 
to much interesting matter, especially on Rye Grass, those who 
contemplate laying down land to permanent pasture are re¬ 
minded of some of the more important considerations which need 
to be observed, namely, “ What are the characteristics of the soil, 
physically, chemically, and with regard to situation 1 Is the 
surface soil stony, brashy, clayey, marly, loamy, sandy, moist or 
dry, drained or undrained ? Is the subsoil porous or a retentive 
clay, sand, chalk, or gravel ? What does an analysis show the 
soil to be deficient in, or to have an excess of, as regards its 
chemical constituents 1 Is it near the sea or far inland ? at the 
top of a hill or down in a valley ? in the dry eastern counties or 
in the west of England, Ireland, or Scotland ? The proper choice 
of seed depends upon all these considerations. 
“ Again, what is the object in view ? Is it wished to have a fine 
close turf like that which brings to perfection the Southdown 
sheep 1 Or is a firm turf no requirement, and the desideratum a 
coarse rank herbage, such as that in the Fens, which will keep 
the greatest head of stock ? Is it desired to lay away to grass 
land which is foul with couch, thoroughly out of heart and con¬ 
dition, and which will no longer grow corn profitably ? Or is the 
field in first-rate order, full of heart, and fit to grow anything ? 
Is it intended generally to mow, or generally to graze ? Is the 
