554 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ December 16, 1886. 
good farmer is not a man of specialities ; he tries hard to do 
the whole of his work as well as he can rather than to spend 
his strength upon one or two things in particular, and he 
takes care that each department of his farm shall be fully 
turned to account for its legitimate purpose of the growth or 
manufacture of farm produce. To this end not only is the 
land cropped in the best way, but the homestead, too, is 
made to contribute no mean share of marketable commo¬ 
dities. The dairy, poultry, and stock yards are all turned 
to full account, and it is only the skilled practitioner who 
knows really what this means. 
Take, for example, the live stock at this season of the 
year, and take first the pigs, which are usually regarded as 
the least important section of it. Under good management 
there are weekly or fortnightly consignments to market 
either of porkers worth 40s. to 50s. apiece, or of fat pigs for 
which two or three times that amount is realised. It is 
quite possible on a farm of 400 or 500 acres to show a turn 
over of £1 an acre for pigs alone, especially after such an 
unfavourable Barley harvest. Better, far better, is it to 
turn discoloured Barley into pork, and so turn it to profitable 
account, than to sell the grain to the middleman at a posi¬ 
tive loss. Barley, Oats, and Peas afford food in the highest 
degree nutritious for pigs as well as for other animals, but 
with pigs we can hardly use any of such food wastefully. 
Chubby compact little animals are soon ready for market as 
porkers ; others with longer bodies and larger frames are 
equally profitable to keep till they are large fat hogs. Both 
class of pigs answer best under high feeding, and it is really 
a matter of surprise how quickly they fatten under careful 
management. Many years ago we realised this in a some¬ 
what singular manner. Upon going one morning into the 
farmyard we saw a fine plump porker trying to get through 
a hole in a fence near a barn where two men were thrashing 
corn with flails. The squealling of piggy, and its vain but 
persistent efforts to force a way through the fence, attracted 
our attention. Upon driving it away to the other pigs of 
the same litter we noticed that it was so superior to the 
whole of them in size and condition that our curiosity was 
aroused, and upon inquiry the men owned with a grin that 
they had for some little time been feeding it surreptitiously 
with corn in order to see how soon it would become too big 
to get through the hole. 
If possible the whole of the pigs should be home-bred, 
for since swine fever has become so rampant and widespread 
the risk of losses from pigs bought from dealers is so serious 
that it ought to be avoided. Apart from this there can be 
no doubt that the germs of such an infectious disease are 
frequently conveyed from one farm to another upon the 
clothes of careless persons. We repeat that cleanliness 
among pigs is as important as among other animals. 
Poultry rearing and fattening require much more than 
ordinary care to render it really successful. When well done 
it is very profitable, especially in spring and early summer. 
Not an egg is to be had from a Sussex henwife in the first 
four months of the year ; all are required for hatching, and 
for this process artificial incubators now play an important 
part. The management of an incubator and foster-mother 
is not at all difficult. The process is simple, and success 
depends more upon close attention to details than anything 
else. It was in the hands of a lady that we first saw an 
incubator at work, and she had been so successful that she 
was able to show us chickens in large numbers all hatched by 
it and in all stages of growth, from fine birds ready for table 
down to others just hatched. True economy is embodied in 
the process; the hens not required for hatching eggs soon 
pass through the “ broody ” stage, and begin laying eggs 
again quickly. After being in the incubator a certain time 
each egg is examined by the aid of a lamp, and those which 
contain no embryo are still perfectly wholesome for culinary 
purposes and are at once sent to the kitchen. The import¬ 
ance of obtaining a full stock of early turkey poults also 
adds to the value of the incubator. Turkey hens when not 
allowed to sit upon eggs soon begin laying again, and we 
have only to take care that they are kept within due bounds 
then in order to obtain enough eggs for our purpose. The 
well-known propensity of Turkeys to conceal the nest renders 
confinement during the laying time almost a necessity. 
Many a valuable hen has become the prey of foxes while 
sitting in its solitary nest away in some almost inaccessible 
thicket. We may add that we have always found it advisable 
to make allowance for a certain margin of loss in turkey 
rearing, and it answers best to have too many early birds 
rather than have to try and make up the number required 
with lace ones, which so often prove sickly and weak. 
(To be continued.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
The ewe flock is now withdrawn from the folds upon arable land, and 
will be kept upon sound, well-drained pasture till after the lambing' 
Especial care is taken with any cases of foot-root before the ewes become 
heavy with lamb, in order to avoid having to dress the feet then, when 
there is so much risk of harm arising from fright and from throwing the 
pregnant animal upon its back as is frequently done when the feet are 
examined. Let it never be forgotten, too, how seriously foot-rot is liable 
to affect the condition of the sheep at a time when it requires an extra 
amount of sustenance. With few excep'ions, all cases of foot-rot can be 
speedily cured if only due pains are taken : yet how difficult is it to 
overcome or enlighten crass ignorance in this simple matter ! We have 
found it necessary, not only to show how affected animals are to be 
treated, but to insist upon a thorough examination and dressing of 
diseased feet at least twice weekly. If the slightest inattention or negli¬ 
gence is discovered, it only remains to give personal attention to the 
work till a cure is effected. Exceptional cases of foot-rot are those where 
the symptoms are lameness that is evidently painful, swelling of the 
foot, much abnormal heat showing unmistakeably internal inflammation 
without any external wound. Daily fomentations with warm water, and 
poultices of linseed meal, soon give relief, even in such exceptional 
phases of the disease. We have had our most difficult cases amongst old 
sheep bought at market, where it is often practically impossible to 
examine the sheep, yet we never knew a diseased foot that proved 
incurable. Gentle treatment, washing with warm water, cutting away 
all loose parts of hoof, dressing with Gell’s foot-rot ointment, and for 
very bad cases daily poultices of linseed meal will generally effect a cure 
in a short time. The ewes are now having a moderate quantity of 
Mangolds carted daily to the pasture, Oats and chaff are also given now 
daily, and the cribs are either filled with Pea straw or unthreshed Oats. 
Hoggets and crones are in folds upon Turnips, a mixture of crushed Oats, 
Beans, and chaff being also given them. Notwithstanding heavy rain, 
the folding may go on where the land is sound without harm to the sheep 
and with much benefit to the land. But heavy land, retentive of excessive 
moisture, is unsuitable for folding in cold wet weather, and it is far better 
to withdraw the sheep for a time to a comfortable yard. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Cow with a Cold {JR. C .).—We cannot satisfactorily prescribe for such 
a case from such a meagre description of the case ; indeed, it is necessary 
that the cow be seen before medicine is prescribed. If it is suffering from 
an acute attack of pleurisy it will probably die—in any case the advice of 
a veterinary surgeon should at once be had. See that the cow is kept in a 
warm shed, that the litter is dry and replaced daily with a fresh supply, 
and let the food consist of bran mashes, hay and carrots. 
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. 
■ or 
43 ©* oS _■ 
Hygrome- 
a . 
** • 
Shade Tem- 
Radiation 
fl 
1886. 
ter. 
2 a 
cx-° 
perature. 
Temperature 
d 
December. 
5 flJ S' -3 
p o >*-< 
In 
Ou 
CQ Z o3 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Qo 
tH 
Max. 
Min. 
sun. 
gras- 
Inches. 
deg. 
deg. 
det?. 
deg. 
deg 
deg. 
des 
In. 
Sunday . 
5 
30.091 
31.6 
30.5 
W. 
37.8 
46 4 
28 8 
47.2 
21.2 
— 
Monday . 
6 
29.800 
50.6 
49.2 
s.w. 
38 6 
53.9 
31.6 
CL.9 
28.3 
0.059 
Tuesday. 
7 
29.371 
42.6 
38.7 
w, 
41.4 
44 8 
42.2 
53.2 
35.2 
0 346 
Wednesday .. 
8 
28.628 
40.7 
40.7 
s.w. 
42.6 
48 2 
37.2 
64.4 
29.9 
0.146 
Thursday .... 
9 
28.416 
40.6 
40.0 
N.W. 
40.6 
44 9 
85.9 
51.6 
32.4 
0.041* 
Friday. 
10 
29.237 
34 6 
34 3 
W. 
40.2 
43.7 
32.7 
66.4 
26.6 
0.013 
Saturday .... 
11 
29.439 
41.4 
43.9 
S.E. 
39.0 
51.2 
337 
52.8 
27.1 
0.147 
29.283 
40.7 
39.6 
40.2 
47.6 
34.6 
56 8 
28 7 
0.760 
REMARKS. 
5th.—Fine bright morning, cloudy afternoon and evening 
Gth.—Overcast morning, balmy sunshine at midday, shower in evening, rain in night. 
7th.—Fine and bright early, shower at 11.15 am, sunshine in afternoon, fine bright 
evening, gale at night. 
8th.—W.S. gale, heavy rain till 10 A M., with large hail, lightning and thunder at 9 and 
9.4 A.M.; day generally fine, much sun, barometer very low. 
9th.-Extremely low barometer, fine and generally bright; gale all day. 
loth.—Snow early, fine morning, sunshiny afternoon, fine clear night. 
11th.—Overcast, warmer, rain in evening. 
A week of average temperature, but noteworthy for having on December 9th at 
4.45 AM. a less barometric pressure (28 - 295 inches) than has occurred in Loudon since 
1848.—G. J. SYMONS. 
