JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April 26, 1883. 
meat or milk, except in quantities insufficient to pay the rent. This 
system must he altered if agriculture is to pay. 
The past tense has been used, but it is to be feared that the vast 
majority still hold by the old ways in spite of efforts that have been 
made to uproot practices proved to be erroneous. Instead of giving 
all the manure to the Potatoes and Turnips, it will be found that it 
is far better to give only part, as shown when the special wants of 
special Potatoes, such as Champion, were spoken of. The other 
part can be profitably applied as we shall hereafter show. 
Corn of some sort follows Potatoes or other green crop. In favour¬ 
able districts Wheat is sown, in others Barley; in unfavourable 
localities, as in the wet west or cold north, Oats are sown. On very 
poor sandy soils sometimes Rye is grown. But no matter which of 
these followed; all belong to the natural order Graminere, and in 
practice it is found that the wants of these are similar. Among 
applied manures there must be nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash. 
“ Inquirer,” if happily he were living, would add “ and magnesia,” 
and probably he would be right. Corn crops need more substances 
than these, but only on really very poor soil is it necessary to apply 
any other. Indeed, on land of average quality, manured even in 
the ordinary way, at least when a rotation is followed, more espe¬ 
cially when the peculiar wants of each crop are supplied, not more 
than one or two of these need be applied to the corn crop. 
The first want of corn is nitrogen. Except when Potatoes or 
Turnips have been very heavily manured with farmyard manure 
and a poor crop followed, or a big crop and the tops returned as green 
manure, nitrogen is almost certain to be present in insufficient 
quantity ; hence it is always a paying practice to dress corn land in 
spring with from 300 to 450 lbs. of sulphate of ammonia per acre, 
according as the land is rich or poor. If nitrate of soda be used from 
400 to 600 lbs. will supply nitrogen equivalent, or nearly so, to the 
above quantities of ammonia. On light soils, in wet districts, the 
ammonia should be preferred, fur under such conditions the nitrates 
are more liable to loss. The best way to apply these is to sow them 
broadcast, one-half when the seed is sown and one-half after it has 
grown an inch or two—say in May, early or late according to locality'. 
The quantities given should not be much exceeded even on very 
poor land, otherwise too great a growth might follow only to be 
laid. So when the land is in good condition, even though a slight 
dressing may be of great advantage, the minimum amount recom¬ 
mended may be too much. Circumstances must decide how much 
less is the proper amount. 
By such applications as above the yield of Wheat has been raised 
from 14 or 16 bushels an acre up to 33, 36, and in one instance that 
came under our notice 43 bushels. This was in Fifeshire in the 
year 1868. On an undressed portion of the same field it was 
barely 20. But such results need not be looked for in every instance, 
or even in any considerable number. Still the fact remains that 
the judicious use of nitrogen increases grain crops greatly, and con¬ 
stitutes the special wants of Wheat, Barley, or Oats. Yet we have 
known heavy applications raise the yield of grain very little, even 
though producing a double crop of straw. Experiments lead us to 
conclude that when this happens phosphoric acid is short, as it 
almost always is, except when liberally applied as bone dust, super¬ 
phosphate, or ground phosphates to the previous crop. As such 
applications prove almost specifics for Turnips and largely increase 
the yield of Potatoes, it is, perhaps, best to apply phosphates to 
these crops liberally, for they are not at all subject to loss as is 
nitrogen, and what the green crop leaves the grain crop will get. 
But when this has not been done on land when ears grow small 
and fill badly in spite of applications of nitrogenous manure, then 
be sure that the soil is poor in phosphoric acid—and it almost always 
is—and that dressings of superphosphate at the rate of from 3 to 
4 cwt. per acre will be repaid with usury that no one ever dreamt of 
charging. Applied by itself—that is, without nitrogen, it increases 
the crop by a bushel or two, but when the two are combined the 
crop of corn as well as straw is frequently doubled and, on very 
poor soil, often trebled. Depend upon it, neither protection, lower¬ 
ing or abolishing of local rates or new land laws, will help the 
farmer half so much as will the judicious use of artificial manures as 
supplementing those produced at home. Similar applications benefit 
Oats and Barley quite as much as Wheat, and even more so. 
Potash salts (in the form of kainit, or sulphate or chloride of 
potash) frequently benefit corn crops, but this chiefly on sandy poor 
soil deficient in everything. On really good land these do not seem 
to require to be added to grain crops, and when applied to Potatoes 
or Clover, or when the urine produced at home is saved, it is only 
occasionally that potash salts need be specially bought for applica¬ 
tion to corn crops. Good loamy or clay land, though almost always 
deficient in nitrogen, very often deficient even in phosphoric acid, 
is seldom without potash enough for full corn crops, and in instances 
not a few for all crops whatever. Nay, some soils that rank as poor—- 
such as those on many traps, or when trap is largely mixed with the 
soil as on the boulder clay in some instances, or when in the days of 
British glaciers these have thawed under summer suns—soils poor 
in everything else are not unfrequently rich enough in potash even 
for Peas, Clover, Beans, or Potatoes; but it is very easy finding 
out. Not by sending samples to a chemist, but by analysing it 
yourself. Do not be alarmed, nothing is easier. Try a portion of a 
field with each of the substances named, and all mixed, and should 
either produce no good effect it may be concluded that the soil 
contains enough of that, at least at present.— A. H. 
(To be continued.) 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Java Sparrows (Ella ).—As a rule Java sparrows will eat nothing but 
canary seed, on which they thrive. They can with safety be put out of doors. 
It is very difficult to breed them in this country. The white variety is, however, 
more easy to breed. 
Cabbage for Winter-feeding Dairy Cows (Subscriber, Co. Meath ) 
—The best variety for this purpose, especially for butter-making, is the large 
Drumhead Savoy. The sooner the seed is sown the better. This sort, however, 
would not be suitable for planting so late as the month of July, for they grow 
more slowly than most other sorts, even when planted in good land, well 
cultivated, and highly manured. In ploughing up grass land in the month of 
July Cabbages of quick growth may be planted immediately the land is 
ploughed. Of the quick-growing yet productive sorts the two sorts we like 
best are Daniel’s Defiance and the Oxheart. In ploughing grass land to be set 
with Cabbage plants a good dressing of dung should be laid out and spread, and 
then raked into every second or third furrow, and the plants set on the furrow 
immediately over the dung. It should he ploughed with the skim coulter, 
and deep enough to bury the turf or grass layer, and the presser to follow, and 
if the weather is dry the plants should be set as fast as the furrow is turned, 
the planters putting their foot down near the stem of the plant to keep the 
land firm and moist. 
Alderney Cow (R. C .).—As soon as your cow has calved milk away all 
that you can after the calf has sucked, and give it to the cow to drink. Let 
her for the week after calving drink the water not hot but only a little warm. 
Give bran mashes and nice sweet meadow hay, but no root food for the first 
week, and afterwards for a while only sparingly. We have heard of and know 
persons who give cold water, and have not lost any cows, but not having tried 
that plan we cannot recommend it safely. The cow should be kept to the shed 
until the second week in May before lying out at night, but in case of fine 
weather may go out a few hours during the daytime about a week after calving. 
When weaning the calf at a few days old give it new milk sparingly for a 
week, then skim milk mixed with hay-tea and a little barleymeal mixed, and 
further have a bundle of hay hung up in its pen to learn it to eat. The 
management of Channel Island cattle you can obtain at this office, by applying 
for n back number of this Journal, dated May 19th, 1881. 
Kolil-Rabi (J. W. R ).—The experience of Mr. W. Bennett of Cambridge, 
recorded in our columns three years ago, will answer your inquiry—namely, “Our 
practice is not to drill the seed before the 1st of May. We seldom use more 
than 2 lbs. of seed per acre drilled on ridges 27 inches apart, thinning the plants 
in the rows to about 16 inches apart. After ridging the land as if for Swedish 
Turnips we lay out in the furrows 10 tons of farmyard dung, and spread about 
5 cwt. per acre of superphosphate, rapecake, &c. The ridges are then reversed, 
which buries the manure in the centre of the ridges. By this method of culti¬ 
vation on land worth 30i. per acre to rent, we usually grow from 25 to 30 tons 
per acre of excellent bulbs, besides the greens, which are first-rate food; and 
where a dairy is kept they are of no small value to the milking cows, as they 
give no unpleasant flavour to the butter.” 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
Camden Square, London. 
Lat. 51° 32' 40" N.; Long. 0° 8' 0“ W.; Altitude, HI feet. 
DATE. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAY. 
a 
a 
« 
1883. 
April. 
Barome¬ 
ter at 32 a 
and Sea 
Level 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
Direction 
of Wind. 
Temp, of 
Soil at 
1 foot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
sun. 
On 
grass. 
Inches. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg 
deg. 
deg 
deg. 
In. 
Sun. 15 
29.913 
40.8 
44.4 
N.W. 
45.0 
60.5 
38.6 
103.7 
85.7 
— 
Mon. 16 
30.054 
49.2 
42.0 
W. 
46.0 
58.5 
29.8 
105.3 
34.8 
— 
Tnes. 17 
30.0.52 
48.7 
42.9 
s. 
4.7 
57.0 
36.5 
102.3 
34.8 
— 
Wed. 18 
29.581 
55.9 
49.8 
8 . 
46.8 
67.2 
42 8 
101 3 
35.9 
0.596 
Thurs. 19 
29.591 
4(5.4 
45.6 
N. 
48.0 
61.3 
45.0 
12.5 
46.3 
0.064 
Friday 20 
30.<i6(» 
50.0 
46.3 
N. 
46.8 
58.9 
43.1 
99.5 
41.7 
0.023 
Satur. 21 
30.248 
47.7 
44.5 
N.E. 
47.2 
52.4 
42.3 
100.1 
40.3 
— 
29.929 
49.7 
45.1 
46.6 
59.4 
41.2 
96.4 
38.5 
0.683 
REMARKS. 
15th.—Dull at first, fine afternoon and evening. 
16th.—Fine and bright; lunar halo 9 r.M. 
17tli.—Dull morning, fine afterwards ; moonlight night. 
13th.—Overcast and windy, slight showers. 
19th.—Heavy rain from 3 A.M.; dull and showery in forenoon, fair afterwards. 
20th.—Fair, but dull. 
21st.—Very bright in forenoon, overcast in afternoon. 
Temperature above that of the previous week, and rather above the average.— 
G. J. SYMONS. 
