416 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ November o, 189® 
sented by seven figures, or in other words, fully £1,000,000 
yearly, is evidently based upon careful calculations, and he is quite 
right in thinking that a far larger sum is lost indirectly in the 
resulting deficient crops. Well says he that our legislature has 
interested itself with the general question of adulteration with the 
result that last year, out of 70,000 tests made of articles of food by 
the public analyst, 5000 cases of fraud were detected, and he 
suggests that agriculture should also be defended by similar 
machinery. He also points out that “ It is generally admitted that 
it is for the public good that the soil of England should produce a 
maximum of food. It is also admitted that this end cannot be 
attained without a large consumption of so-called artificial manures, 
imitations of which are more easily produced and less easily 
detected than are those of food. Therefore it must be a public 
necessity that a stop be put to the sale of useless imitations or 
fraudulent adulterations of those admittedly necessary substances.” 
This valuable paper absolutely bristles with facts and figures in 
support of his arguments, and the only possible conclusion is that 
he is right, and that we should no longer lag behind other 
countries, for in Germany, France, the United States of America, 
Canada, &c., the Governments have established public stations 
where farmers can have samples of manures tested free of cost, 
and adulteration, if present, detected and punished. 
The importance to the farmer of such protection is obvious, 
but it is emphasised by the statements that in our crops there is 
annually removed from aur soils 170,000 tons of lime phosphat', 
and 100,000 tons in animals, milk, cheese, &c., sold. The total is 
equal to the phosphate existing in about 1,000,000 tons of ordinary 
superphosphate of lime. The amount of nitrogen is still greater, 
that of potash more than half as much. This drain of fertilisers 
is met by us by using 1,000,000 tons annually of artificial manures, 
and by the use of 700,000 tons of food cakes and grain imported 
from foreign countries ; there is thus returned 25,000 tons of bone 
phosphate, 30,000 tons of nitrogen, and 10,000 tons of potash. 
Under the distinctive heading, “ What to Use, When to Use, How 
Much to Use,” much sound practical advice is given. In common 
with other practical chemists, Mr. Brown says that neither 
magnesia or iron salts are necessary, and that the only fertilisers the 
farmer requires are nitrogen and bone phosphate generally, and 
occasionally potash, lime, and soda. He answers the question, In 
what form shall these bodies be applied ? “ From the cheapest 
sources if in an available form,” and the articles yielding a more 
or less available supply are thus tabulated : — 
ONE TON OF 
CONTAINS POTASH 
COSTING 
Muriate potash ... 
• • t 
1128 lbs. 
... 2d. per lb. 
Sulphate potash... 
• • • 
1050 lbs. 
... 2^d. per lb. 
Hainit potash ... 
• • • 
300 lbs. 
... 2d. per lb. 
Nitrate potash ... 
1040 lbs. 
... £16 10s. per ton. 
ONE TON OF 
CONTAINS NITROGEN 
COSTING 
Nitrate soda 
350 lbs. 
... 5|d. per lb. 
Nitrate potash ... 
• •• 
300 lbs. 
... 13d. per lb. 
Sulphate ammonia 
470 lbs. 
... 5fd. per lb. 
Dried blood. 
• • • 
270 lbs. 
... 7d. per lb. 
Peruvian guano ... 
170 lbs. 
... lOd. per lb. 
Fish guano. 
180 lbs. 
... 6fd. per lb. 
Greaves . 
180 lbs. 
... 6|d. per lb. 
Rape cake . 
• • • 
100 lbs. 
... lOd. per lb. 
Dissolved bone ... 
65 lbs. 
... 6fd. per lb. 
AVool waste. 
• • • 
110 lbs. 
Contains 
... 5d. per lb. 
ONE TON OF 
AVAILABLE PHOSPHATE 
COST PER #00 LBS. 
Superphosphate ... 
• • • 
600 lbs. 
.11s. 
Dissolved bone ... 
800 lbs. 
.10s. 
Peruvian guano ... 
• • • 
675 lbs. 
.11s. 
Rape cake . 
80 lbs. 
Contains 
.11s. 
ONE TON OF INSOLUBLE PHOSPHATE 
COST PER 100 LBS. 
Pish guano. 
• » • 
450 lbs. 
. 7s. 
Thomas’s slag 
• • • 
800 lbs. 
. 6s. 
Bone flour. 
• • • 
1300 lbs. 
. 9s. 9d. 
We give tbis table in full as being most valuable for com¬ 
parison, and as a safe basis for the selection of chemical manures 
for home mixing. But we must caution our readers against the 
assumption that they can obtain small quantities of any of the 
manures at the prices quoted, as they are only given as showing 
the relative value of the different available fertilisers and the best 
form in which to obtain them. For example, in nitrate of potash 
we have a most powerful fertiliser, but its high price is practically 
prohibitive, and we naturally turn to muriate of potash as the 
cheapest and best source of potash for farmers. So also in nitrogen, 
we see at a glance that nitrate of soda and sulphate of ammonia 
are best, and we may add that for general use the nitrate is 
generally preferable. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Cleaning and stirring of arable land has gone on right through 
October, and we may well record the fact of having had nine conse¬ 
cutive weeks of fine weather for autumn cultivation this year. Plough, 
harrow, and cultivator have done the work to good purpose indeed, 
leaving the land cleaner than it has been for many years. Steam tackle 
has been in full work, most sets being engaged by eager farmers, in 
some instances for weeks before they could be had. All land not under 
a crop now has been thrown up into high ridges with the double plough, 
to be so left till spring, when it will harrow down as fine as a bed of 
ashes, and if well handled may be sown long before land left on the flat 
can be dry enough for working. 
Water furrows made by the plough have been finished with spades 
at the lower end, so as to ensure the free escape of surface water 
running down into the ditches. The “ eyes ” or outfalls of all land 
drains have been examined and all obstructions removed, and any 
necessary ditch scouring is now being done. These are small matters of 
detail worthy of careful attention, for the stoppage of a drain often 
spoils a large patch of corn. The draining of wet land is now being 
done, the landlord supplying the pipes, and the tenants doing the work. 
Depth of drains and distance apart must depend entirely upon the 
nature of the soil. We have drained at all depths from 2 to 4 feet, and 
can only give general advice in a matter, where actual inspection is so 
necessary before a safe decision can be arrived at. For bog land pipe 
drains are useless, the only safe plan being to make trenches wide 
enough to admit an ordinary fagot, and if possible to use fagots of alder 
wood. Our advice in this matter of bog draining was asked recently by 
a gentleman in Ireland, who had already made his arrangements for 
pipe draining a bog. Evidence of the presence of oxide of iron was 
afforded by a yellow ochreous deposit upon the margin of the stream 
running through the bog, and our assurance that a similar deposit would 
soon choke the pipes if they were used, induced him to abandon them 
for fagot drains, and so render success a certainty. Whatever may be 
the manner of making the drains, nothing short of good sound true 
work will answer, and very careful supervision is indispensable. 
Great Malting Barley Competition. — At the Brewers’ 
Exhibition, London, no less than fifty-six English and twenty-two 
foreign competitors exhibited samples of malting Barley. The first 
prize and champion cup open to the world were awarded to Webbs’ 
Ivinver Chevalier, shown by Mr. J. Akers of Goring, Berks. This is the 
fourth annual competition that has been held, and on each occasion 
Messrs. Webbs’ Barley has won similar honours. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
CAMDEN SQUARE, LONDON. 
Lat. 51° 32' 40" N.; Long. 0° 8' 0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
DATE. 
9 AM. 
IN THE DAY. 
1890. 
October 
&2> 8-5 
Hygrome- 
FJ . 
o-e.? 
Shade Tem- 
Radiation 
a 
0 *’go g> 
ter. 
+2 d 
Qo 
Temp, 
sou a 
1 foot 
perature. 
Temperature. 
cS 
« 
and 
November. 
Bar 
ter; 
and 
L( 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
Ia 
sun. 
Oa 
grass 
Sunday.23 
Inches. 
29.42L 
deg. 
41.6 
deg. 
39.0 
S.W. 
deg. 
49.0 
deg. 
43.4 
deg. 
37.6 
deg. 
80.9 
deg. 
33.0 
In. 
0.193 
Monday.27 
29.883 
36.6 
32.7 
N.W. 
48.2 
43.9 
32.8 
89.2 
28.0 
— 
Tuesday .... 28 
80.121 
29.6 
28.6 
S.W. 
44.0 
48.0 
23.8 
72.3 
16.8 
0 033 
Wednesday.. 29 
29.994 
47.« 
46.6 
S.W. 
42.7 
58.0 
29.4 
77.9 
24.0 
0.010 
Thursday..., 30 
29.959 
53.9 
52.9 
N.W. 
45.1 
58.9 
47.4 
75.9 
47.1 
— 
Friday .3t 
29.717 
53 2 
52.3 
S. 
43.6 
5G.9 
45.9 
64.6 
37.1 
0.049 
Saturday.... l 
29.728 
49.2 
45.3 
N. 
47.6 
E5.1 
46.9 
87.5 
49.7 
0.089 
29.832 
44.5 
42.5 
43.9 
52.0 
37.7 
77.0 
82.7 
0.277 
REMARKS. 
26ili.— A good deal of bright sunshine, with overcast intervals and showers of sleety 
rain at U A M , 2 30. P.M. and 5.30 P.M.; cold throughout. 
27th —Cloudless and co’d. 
2bth.—Sharp frost early ; slight fog till 10 A.M., hen bright sunshine, and slightly foggy 
again in the evening. 
20th.—Showers at 4 am.; mild and overcast till 10.30A.M.; then fine with occasional 
sun, and slight showers in evening. 
3'th.—Mild and dull in morniDg ; bright sunshine in afternoon: mistv evening. 
; 1 u. —Dull and rainy moining• overcast afternoon ; fine evening ; viry mild throughout. 
1st.—Cloudless early ; bright and fine throughout. 
A week of variable teniDerature, specially noticeable for the very sharp frost on the 
2 th of October.—G. J. SIMONS. 
