304 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ October 2, 1890. 
Well, the loss of income is serious both east and west ; but the 
western landlords have still the best of it. 
A radical change, which must do good, is the rearing of home 
bred cattle by farmers generally. Cattle dealers have shot their 
rubbish into British markets quite long enough to open the eyes of 
the most easy-going farmer. The Board of Agriculture is doing 
its utmost to stamp out infectious disease among cattle, and to 
prevent its re-introduction by foreign cattle. Let us do our part 
by the avoidance of imported cattle, and the rearing more and more 
really well-bred stock. Is it not the action of a fool to go and 
purchase store beasts upon which one is morally certain no profit is 
possible ? Yet this has been done again and again, and what is 
even still more strange, the simpletons discuss results as though 
they deserved the sympathy of their friends. 
There are farms to be let this Michaelmas, as there always will 
be, but there is nothing like a glut of farms in the market or on 
offer in any market. Wide circulation has been given to a report 
of the increasing number of vacant farms in Sussex and Kent, but 
the statement was erroneous and misleading. Hop farms are on 
offer, and with Hops at from £15 to £20 per cwt. they ought not to 
go begging. The statement that two East Kent growers in 
partnership expect to realise between £60,000 and £70,000 for 
their Hops of this season, and another puts his profits at £12,000, 
is certainly tempting, but pray do not forget the lessons of the past 
few years, and avoid putting all your eggs into one basket. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Most favourable has the weather been for autumn cultivation, and 
we never had the land in better order by the end of September. There 
has been some rain, but not enough to hinder work at all, and the clear¬ 
ing and sowing has gone on without a hitch. The last field we put a 
plough into had a lot of Charlock in bloom, but there were no other 
weeds, and this last turn of the ploughs has left it quite ready for 
sowing. The new layers are all remarkably full of growth, the Clovers 
being nearly a foot in height, so freely have they grown since the corn 
was carted. This abundance of food has induced us to break up a field 
■of Sainfoin which was becoming very foul, but which had we wanted it 
would have given us some useful fodder next year. There was a lot of 
Dock plants in it which were got up by hand before the ploughing was 
done, and we shall have very little trouble with the other weeds. We 
must have clean land at any price, and prefer a little extra outlay for 
labour than the serious exhaustion of the soil by weeds. This Sainfoin 
had been eaten off by sheep in folds, so the land is in good heart, and 
will come to hand quickly for other crops. 
Root crops have improved wonderfully all through September, and 
we shall soon have the Mangolds in clamp now, each clamp being close 
by a hard road to facilitate carting when the roots are required for use. 
As we are so forward with our work generally, and carting is so light 
now, enough Mangold will be carted and clamped near the yards in 
readiness for use early in the new year. Carrots are taken at once to 
the root house, as we shall begin using them for dairy cows as soon as 
they come off the grass into the yards. We have also an ample supply 
of fine Cabbages quite ready for use, and they are an excellent addition 
to our cow dietary in moderation a little later on. Green Maize is now 
being used freely for all yard stock, but there has been no carting of it 
■upon pasture for store cattle this autumn, so abundant has been the 
feed. We do not like to venture far into October before using up this 
•most useful auxiliary green crop, as we have so often had it browned by 
early frosts. Cattle will go on eating it even then, but it cannot be so 
good for them. Anyone having an empty silo may turn any large 
surplus of green Maize to account by passing it through the chaff cutter 
and storing it in the silo for winter or spring use. 
FISH-KEEPING. 
A pond without fish is like a garden without flowers. Any 
piece of water, no matter how it is situated, is rendered desolate in 
aspect when it is barren of finny forms. It is choked with vege¬ 
table and minute animal life, but offers a rich feeding ground for 
the fish it lacks. But this state of things may be easily remedied 
by the exercise of a little trouble and the expenditure of a com¬ 
paratively small sum, for at short notice fish can be imported and 
deposited in the pond. Its size and physical conditions must decide 
the question as to the number and species of fish desirable for 
introduction, and having satisfied oneself on the subject the fish 
•chosen can be obtained of a pisciculturist and planted at any time 
■without difficulty. Sometimes the conditions of the pond are so 
far satisfactory that trout can be introduced, and provided sporting 
strains are selected, the owner may depend upon obtaining a certain 
amount of fishing, sufficient, perhaps, to enable him to practise in 
his spare moments. Thus, from the insignificant position which 
the pond previously occupied it rises to a high degree of importance 
and value, while it becomes an ornamental adjunct to the garden 
or grounds in which it is situated. It would be thought that all 
owners of ponds or waters were desirous of stocking them with 
fish, and yet I know many to whom the idea has never occurred, 
or if so, it has not been entertained because of doubts as to carry¬ 
ing it out successfully. No such doubts need exist in the face of 
the fact that any waters, no matter what may be their physical 
characteristics, provided they are not polluted, can be stocked 
through the art of fish culture with one species of fish or another. 
It is needful, however, that advice be gained previous to planting 
the fish in order to ascertain the species best suited to the water, 
and the nature of the food contained in it. 
Being desirous of gaining some practical information on the 
subject of stocking ponds, I journeyed to Malvern Wells to seek an 
interview with Mr. Burgess at the Midland Counties Fish Culture 
Establishment, the well known fish breeding station. Here I saw 
the fish at home in their various habitats, and noted the wonderful 
rate of growth which they achieved therein through an excellent 
and perfect system of propagation. On one hand were the buildings 
wherein the eggs of, the fishes were hatched, and on the other the 
nurseries where they were reared. But I came not with the inten¬ 
tion of diving deeply into the process of hatching and nursing the 
fish, as that would have taken too long, while after all I should not, 
probably, have comprehended all the phases of the art so ably 
carried out and explained by Mr. Burgess, but I desired more 
particularly to ascertain the method by which ponds were stocked 
and planted. It so happened that whilst I was there a consignment 
of live trout was being got ready for despatch to Cornwall, and I 
therefore had an opportunity of witnessing the operations con¬ 
nected with it. In the first place the fish were taken from a pond 
and carefully sorted and counted, each fish being examined previous 
to selection. They were then deposited in carriers made by Mr. 
Burgess, and having been placed on carts were driven rapidly away 
to the railway station and placed in the train. 
The time and trouble expended in the operation are considerable, 
and, as great care has to be exercised throughout, it becomes a 
laborious process. But when that is over and the fish entrained no 
further trouble is experienced, and on arrival at their destination 
the carriers have only to be taken to their destination and emptied. 
I had an opportunity of inspecting a large number of ponds, and 
noting how the fish lived therein, thus enabling me to see for 
myself how readily Salmonidse become naturalised to enclosed 
waters or ponds, and how great is their capacity for thriving 
therein. Of course the needful conditions under which that 
desideratum can alone be acquired must be present, the two most 
important being ample food and running water. Both these con¬ 
ditions can often be acquired if non-existent by artificial means, 
and if not there is the alternative of planting some of the coarser 
fishes which are adapted to still waters. I obtained some valuable 
hints coupled with practical demonstrations which gave me a deep 
insight into the whole process of fish-keeping. The establishment 
is the largest in England, and by reason of the natural adaptability 
of the site the fish are supplied with an abundance of pure water 
thickly charged with all kinds of food of such a character as is 
most conducive to physical development.—W. A. C. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
CAMDEN SQUARE, LONDON. 
Lat. 51° 32' 40" N.; Long. 0° 8' 0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
DATE. 
9 AM. 
IN THE DAT. 
1890. 
| Barome¬ 
ter at 32“ 
| and Sea 
Level. 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
Direction 
of Wind. 
Temp, of 
soil at 
1 foot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
fl 
*3 
September. 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
sun. 
On 
grass 
Sunday. 21 
Inches. 
29.747 
deg. 
61.0 
deg. 
55 .2 
S. 
deg. 
58.0 
deg. 
66.6 
deg. 
52.2 
deg. 
102.3 
deg. 
47.7 
In. 
0.035 
Monday .... 22 
29.733 
59.6 
55.1 
S W. 
67.9 
67.4 
53.5 
107.0 
50.9 
— 
Tuesday .... 23 
29.929 
63.6 
55.9 
S.W. 
57.8 
66.1 
51.4 
100.2 
47.2 
0.206 
Wednesday.. 24 
30.216 
57.2 
54.1 
S.W. 
57.0 
68.2 
49.2 
109.5 
46.5 
_ 
Thursday.... 25 
30.375 
61.1 
57.8 
W. 
56.9 
67.4 
54.2 
108.7 
50.9 
_ 
Friday . 26 
30.430 
60.0 
56.9 
s.w. 
56.9 
67.7 
49.8 
79.8 
46.6 
_ 
Saturday .... 27 
30.446 
62.4 
60.8 
S.W. 
57.3 
74.4 
56.0 
106.4 
52.4 
— 
30.125 
60.0 
56.5 
57.4 
68.0 
52.3 
102.0 
48.9 
0.241 
REMARKS. 
2lst.—Bright morning; generally cloudy in afternoon ; showers in evening. 
22nd.—Bright aud fresh till 10 AM., then frequently cloudy, and slight shower at 11 150 A M. 
23rd.—Cloudy, with occasional sun in morning, slight shower at midday, then fine; some 
sunshine and thunderstorm from 4.30 to 6 P.M 
24tb.—Brilliant till 11 A.M., then overcast; distant thunder in afternoon. 
‘25th.—Fine, with much bright sunshine. 
20th. Overcast all day ; bright night, with lunar halo. 
27th.—Overcast till 11, then fine and bright. 
Another fine and warm week. The thunderstorm on the 23rd was not severe here 
though it is reported to have b:en so in the west of London.—G. j. Simons, 
