488 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ No ember 25, 1886. 
THE STOCK HERD. 
At many home farms the difference between the dairy 
herd and stock herd is clearly defined by distinct breeds of 
cows being kept for each herd, the first being solely for dairy 
produce, the other for rearing beasts for the butcher. If 
home farmers in the enjoyment of such advantages only 
turn them to full account, the stock herd can be made 
to answer, or, in other words, pay its way, and afford some¬ 
thing more than the stock yard manure for profit. If, how¬ 
ever, the margin of profit is wide enough to cover the entire 
expense of making and applying the manure to the land, the 
process may be regarded as entirely satisfactory, and farm¬ 
yard manure may certainly be used under such conditions 
advantageously. Ia order to bring about so desirable a 
result we must have a herd specially selected for the purpose. 
Early maturity before all things is required in such cattle ; to 
ensure this they must not only be well bred, but well fed and 
cared for from the birth till sale. Each calf should run with 
its mother and have the whole of the milk. Shelter and clean¬ 
liness are also indispensable. Dry, comfortable sheds, with 
sound roofs, well enclosed, with small open yards on the 
south side, afford excellent shelter for cows and calves, and 
when the cows are withdrawn no better place can be found 
for the young stock, which are not turned oat upon pasture 
at all during the first year, but are kept in altogether, and so 
saved from the annoyance of flies. For a beast to realise 
such a handsome sum as £28 in twenty months from the 
birth, it cannot have been let out to “ cut its own green 
meat,” but must have been kept warm, clean, quiet, and 
upon a fall dietary of wholesome nourishing food throughout 
the short period of its existence. No interregnum of semi¬ 
starvation has been suffered to mar the progress of such an 
animal, its “calf-lyre” is never lost, but its lusty full- 
fleshed condition keeps pace with growth always. 
No special method of treatment can be laid down for every 
farm, for on many, or rather on most farms, grazing is found 
to answer well, especially in the second year, the average 
animal being finished for the butcher at from twenty-two to 
twenty-four months. Grazing upon rich pasture with a 
moderate allowance of cake and crashed corn in the second 
summer generally answers, if the beasts are withdrawn to 
the yards early in autumn. The quantity of cake is then 
increased; untrimmed Turnips in moderate quantity at first, 
with a plentiful supply of Oat or Barley straw answers best, 
and as they get settled in yard or stall they have more roots 
with a mixture of crushed cake, Beans, with Oats or Barley, 
and as much straw as they can consume. 
There is a feeling of certainty as to results in the treat¬ 
ment of home-bred beasts, which is altogether wanting with 
the rough Irish cattle which continue to pour into our 
markets and fairs in such large numbers. Occasionally a 
few animals of promise may be met with among them, but 
most of them are of the ordinary type, in poor condition, 
stunted in growth, and the reverse of profitable to purchase, 
even at the low price at which they may now be had. That 
such cattle should continue to fill the greater portion of our 
stock markets is a standing reproach to the British farmer. 
These are the animals that cost so much to fatten, that one 
of our tenants declared his beasts cost him from Is. 6d. to 
2s. per lb. to fatten last winter, and another tenant assures 
us that he lost full £200 upon his beasts last year. We can 
accord them no sympathy, for we have repeatedly shown how 
under such conditions the manufacture of farmyard manure 
is a most costly and extravagant process. We cannot but 
wonder at the reckless infatuation with which farmers con¬ 
tinue wasting their means upon that which involves so. 
certain a loss. Precious are the lessons of adversity, if only 
we receive them aright. To the teachable intelligent mind the 
lesson here is not hard to learn, and we doubt not that 
eventually it will be grasped by farmers generally. 
Again, we may usefully explain that a ton of farmyard 
manure contains 9 to 15 lbs. of nitrogen, the same quantity 
of potash, and 4 to 9 lbs. of phosphoric acid. The difference 
in quantity arises from the difference in the age of the 
animals and of the quality of the food given them. We 
know, therefore, with sufficient certainty the actual quantify 
of each manurial constituent so applied to the soil. We 
know also the important fact that we can obtain the whole 
of such fertilisers separately in a portable form, easy to mix, 
easy of application, certain in effect, at a cost infinitely less 
than that of farmyard manure. Knowing all this, and yet 
not turning such knowledge to account, how can we reason¬ 
ably expect help in our need when we do not help ourselves ? 
Frequently do we hear of meetings to pass resolutions for 
protection, free trade in money, and other forms of State 
aid, but how seldom do we hear anything about the possi¬ 
bility of relief from within by means of improved practice in 
farming. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Much good work is now being done in draining land upon several 
farms. Without close supervision we can hardly hope to have such work 
really well done, and to avoid risk of faulty work the trenches are opened 
and the whole of the pipes laid before any of them are covered. If, up 01 * 
careful inspection, the work proves faultless, then, and not till then, 
should the trenches be filled. To allow men who are draining land by 
the rod to cover pipes without inspection, involves much risk of faulty 
work—so laulty that the drains may prove useless. We came recently 
upon a glaring example of downright dishonesty which strongly confirmed; 
our views of this matter. Upon a farm which came recently upon our 
hands, two small fields had been thrown into one by the common process- 
of grubbing and filling an intersecting hedge and ditch. Pipes had been 
supplied by the landlord to make a drain along the bottom of the ditcb, 
but the drain seemed to have a stoppage, as very little water ran from it. 
Upon opening a trench about midway in the drain the pipes were found 
to have been thrown into the trench and covered without any attemptat 
connection, some lying across the trench and some standing on end. We 
had previously met with instances of pipes having been badly laid, but 
nothing like this piece of rascality in drain work had we ever seen before. 
We are having special pains taken with some heavy land which we intend 
laying down in permanent pasture next spiing, the drains in some parts 
beiDg only 15 feet apart. Such close drainage is only applied where the 
soil is very adhesive in texture, other drains being from 20 to 30 feet 
apart, according to the condition of the soil. If possible before laying 
clay land down we like to turn enough of it to afford a sufficient dressing 
to plough in and insure porosity, and thus render the pasture sound and 
dry. While cutting down expenses as much as we can, we are still 
liberal in our expenditure upon drains, for we are quite sure the invest¬ 
ment will afford a handsome per-centage of interest next year. Once get 
the land well drained, and then apply manure freely at the proper season. 
Such practice is sound and is to be regarded as the basis of all good 
farming. Without drainage, either natural or artificial, manure cannot 
have its due effect upon the soil, the crops will languish, growth will be 
stunted, the final results will be unsatisfactory, no matter how genial the 
weather may prove. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
Camden Square, London. 
Lat. 51° 32' 40" N.; Long. 0° 8' 0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
DATE. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAY. 
a 
fid 
1886. 
November. 
Barome¬ 
ter at 828 
and Sea 
Level 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
Direction 
of Wind. 
| Temp, of 
| Soil at 
1 1 foot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max 
Min. 
In 
son. 
On 
gras> 
Inches. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg 
deg. 
deg 
In. 
Sunday . 
14 
29.547 
45.5 
44.0 
W. 
45.6 
53.0 
42 7 
82.1 
36 8 
— 
Monday. 
15 
29.582 
48.7 
47.6 
8. 
4 1.0 
54.8 
4.5.2 
61.4 
36.1 
0.130 
Tuesday. 
16 
29. >75 
46.4 
44.2 
N.W. 
47.2 
50.7 
46.3 
8L.6 
43.9 
0.310 
Wednesday .. 
17 
29.390 
47.0 
46.7 
s. 
41.8 
54 7 
38 4 
76.4 
28.7 
0.042 
Thursday .... 
18 
29.942 
41,4 
39.5 
W. 
4 U3 
489 
37.5 
77.8 
29.4 
— 
Friday. 
19 
30.245 
35.6 
35.6 
N. 
43.8 
52 7 
3L.3 
61.6 
24-8 
— 
Saturday .... 
20 
30.356 
50.1 
49.0 
S.E. 
416 
532 
35.1 
58.4 
31.2 
29.805 
45.0 
43.9 
45.5 
52.6 
39.4 
71.8 
33.0 
0.482: 
REMARKS. 
14th.—Fair throughout, but not bright. 
lGt.h.—Generally cloudv, but witli glimpses of sun, shower at 6 P.M. 
16th.—Rain early, fine bright clay, clear cold night. 
17th.—Wet and foggy from 6 to 10 a.M., then, fine and generally bright, showers in after¬ 
noon, night fine. 
18th.—Bright fine day. clear cold night. 
19th—Foggy till il AM.,otherwise fine bright morning,fair afternoon. 
20 th—Cloudy with slight fog early, clear at night. 
Rather warmer and finer than the previous week—on the wrune, fair average weather 
or the season.—G. J. Symons. 
