288 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April 14, 1892. 
grass is at its best in the earlier stages of growth, well inside the 
development of flowers ; also that it is lowest in quality in 
autumn, and though a moist warm autumn will induce a free 
late growth of herbage its nutritive value is low, and it does not 
nourish cattle, or enable cows to yield such rich milk as does the 
spring grass, or summer aftermath. Very important is this lesson 
to every grazier; its teaching is clear and significant to all, 
especially to those who imagine that something is gained by 
leaving grass mowing for hay so long as they do after the 
flowering, and frequently after the seed is ripened. No practice 
can possibly be worse than this, but it is part and parcel of the 
general mismanagement of permanent pasture. 
On the principle that example is better than precept, we again 
urge upon landlords the importance of affording their tenants an 
opportunity of seeing how possible it is to improve grass land 
by judicious treatment at a moderate outlay. The best way of 
doing this is to drain and manure part of a piece of poor pasture, 
leaving the remainder untouched, to bring home the lesson by force 
of contrast. It is easy to convert poor pasture into rich pasture, 
but difficult to induce farmers to see their interest in doing it. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
An old pupil of ours now managing a large estate with an excellent 
home farm writes, “ The Shropshire flock has finished lambing, results 
excellent, lambs being as strong in vigour as in numbers, there being an 
average of two lambs per ewe ; Cheviots just beginning to lamb.” All 
the more glad are we to know this, because the writer of such excellent 
news had his battle to fight about shelter and a due provision of lambing 
folds, where it was not customary to make any provision of the sort. 
The results are superior to our own, which do not exceed three lambs to 
each pair of ewes. Swedes hold out well, but there has been a scarcity 
of the green tops which we like the lambs to run forward and eat. All 
pasture rich in fertility is now affording plenty of herbage, and with 
the extraordinary change to warm weather the cows have been out 
revelling in an abundance of green food. 
The docking of lambs has bad due attention. Forward lambs are now 
making rapid progress, and will be in splendid sale condition early in 
June. It is well to decide now whether to so prepare them or to keep them 
on as hoggets for winter folding. We hold that this is a matter worthy 
of careful thought. Sheep should not be kept on the farm merely for 
the manufacture of mutton, but for the enrichment of the soil. Under 
good management sheep folds play an important part in the economy of 
farm management, and while thus turning sheep to account we can look 
on at market fluctuations philosophically and bide our time for a profit¬ 
able sale. The chief point is to keep well within one’s means, so as not 
to be obliged to sell. Reserve force tells here as in most things, and 
the best form of practical agriculture is common-sense treatment of 
crop and stock. 
Set horse and hand hoes going on foul land as soon as weeds are 
visible ; such work goes on briskly while the surface of the land is loose, 
and weeds are easily destroyed when quite young. We strongly object 
to harrowing Barley to destroy Charlock unless the harrows can be 
followed by a light roller. It is well known that pressed Barley land 
generally affords a heavy yield ; certainly it cannot be right to loosen the 
spring corn plant in the soil and so leave it to become yellow and sickly. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Cow House (^Toung Hand ').—A liberal amount of space is always 
desirable for cows ; it was the loss of a valuable cow which laid down 
in the night in a narrow stall and could not get up again that first 
impressed the value of space upon us. This occurred many years ago, 
but the lesson has not been forgotten, and we never lost another cow 
from such a cause. For a really useful, commodious, and healthy cow 
house it should be 50 feet long by 18 feet wide. Divide this into eight 
stalls, and you will find them so commodious that at a pinch one or two 
may be shut off for calving. But calving in a cow house is so objection¬ 
able that at one end there should be a door opening into a loose box for 
the purpose, of the same width by about 10 feet. Beyond this extend 
the building another 10 or 12 feet for a calf house, making the entire 
building of a uniform size. You will find this much the cheapest and 
best way of building. At the other end of the cow house have an 
entrance into the hay, root, and chaff store of about the same size as the 
loose box. This range of buildings should face due south. For shelter 
in the cow yard have an open shed or lodge, with the open side facing 
west in the yard. Make this about 30 feet long by 18 feet wide, with a 
rack for hay along the inner side. The yard should be about 50 feet 
square, so as to afford ample space for a stack of litter, whic’n keeps 
perfectly dry when well built, and can be cut off in sections as required. 
There should be a low wide manger in the cow house stalls, with a chain 
and broad strap for fastening each cow during the milking. Let the 
floor be of concrete, faced with Portland cement, and for ventilation 
have four roof shafts, 10 feet apart and 6 feet from the ends, with 
openings in the sides above the roof, and sloping boards at intervals to 
keep out rain. Have a broad gutter along the bottom of the stalls 
connected with an outside drain, and if liked there will be ample space 
for a passage along the top of the stalls from the storehouse for feeding. 
If possible have water laid onto the yard to an open cistern for the cows 
to drink, and to a cock inside the cow house over a washing basin with 
bottom plug and waste pipe fixed to the wall for milkers to wash their 
hands before milking. There should also be a roller close by for a coarse 
round towel. Have plenty of light from windows placed rather high up 
in the front wall. These general hints should suffice to guide you 
in the construction of a useful set of buildings. The calf house 
should be as we have so often described—a snug building—opening into 
a warm yard, with a grass enclosure beyond. Be sure and have wide 
doorways to both cow and calf house, the doors to run along the wall 
side on wheels, not to open on hinges. Haymaking is out of the 
question with so little pasture as you have. 
Plgg’ery (^Young Hand ).—In this matter you have the alternative 
of simply making low commodious lodges, open on the south side, with 
yards in front, one for the bacon pigs, another for porkers, and a third 
for sows, with a breeding pen at one end, having a door opening into a 
court, but which may be shut in very cold weather. The boiler and 
meal house is a square room sufficiently large to hold a supply of meal, 
with a copper, furnace, and shaft in one corner; this is a thing any 
bricklayer can contrive for you. We have had hundreds of pigs reared 
and fattened in similar places perfectly well, and they answer all 
practical purposes. On the other hand you may have snug sties, with a 
passage at the back from the meal house, and feeding troughs into which 
food is emptied from the passage, with an open court in front. About 
8 feet square is a useful size for such sties, but they may be of greater 
length according to your requirements. We have concrete floors, faced 
with cement, in both sties and courts, and the enclosures may be of 
masonary or timber at will. Whatever is used it should be substantial, 
as pigs, especially sows, soon destroy a weak building. 
Manure for Grass Iiand (A. 31. Jlenley ).—We presume you 
are a new reader, as mixtures of chemical manures for pasture have 
often been specified in our columns at the best time for applying the 
dressings. This we have found is in February, as the mineral ingre¬ 
dients require time to dissolve for appropriation by the roots of 
grasses and other plants. We have found the following mixture excel¬ 
lent, and we repeat what was said in a previous issue. We require a 
well-balanced mixture of mineral and nitrogenous manure, in which 
nitrogen, potash, and phosphoric acid (the essential elements of plant 
food), are all present in sufficient quantities to ensure a full crop in any 
soil. We take, therefore, as our chief ingredients 1 cwt. nitrate of soda 
and IJ cwt. mineral superphosphate, and add as auxiliaries to render it 
a complete manure, J cwt. muriate of potash, and J cwt. steamed bone 
flour. Taken at ton rates this manure can be had put on the rail at 
about 20s. per acre, to which there would be some additional outlay for 
carriage, mixing, and using, for the manures should always be had 
separately and mixed at the farm under careful supervision. Nitrate of 
soda always contains many large portions which must be pulverised by 
a sharp stroke or two with the back of a shovel. We have found this 
sufficient without sifting when the manure is sown broadcast. 
Manure for Root Crops (/. L .).—For Mangolds and Swedes first 
place the farmyard manure in the furrows, then scatter the chemical 
manure mixture in the furrows by hand. Split the ridges to close the 
furrows, and drill the seed along the tops of the ridges so formed over 
the manure. For white Turnips use 4 cwt. of mineral superphosphate 
and 3 cwt. of nitrate of soda per acre. Sow this broadcast and harrow 
it in just before drilling the seed. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
Camden Square, London. 
Lat. 51° 32' 40" N.; Long. 0° 8' 0" W.; Altitude. Ill feet. 
Date. 
9- A.M. 
In THE Day. 
Rain. 
1892. 
April. 
Barometer 
at 32°, and 
Sea Level. 
Hygrometer. 
Direc¬ 
tion of 
Wind. 
Temp, 
of soil 
at 
1 foot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
Sun. 
On 
G-rass. 
Inchs. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
Inchs. 
Sunday .. 
3 
30-286 
53-0 
45-2 
N.E. 
41-6 
67-2 
35-2 
106-7 
25-2 
— 
Monday .. 
4 
30-023 
53-8 
46-4 
N.E. 
42-3 
73-0 
37-7 
108-1 
28-6 
— 
Tuesday .. 
5 
30-009 
56-9 
54-6 
S.E. 
44-1 
71-3 
40-3 
106-0 
31-5 
— 
Wedne^ay 
6 
29-973 
55-6 
49-4 
N.E. 
45-4 
69-1 
44-0 
106-8 
34 4 
— 
Thursday.. 
7 
29-951 
65-1 
47-1 
E. 
46-4 
69-2 
41-1 
108-3 
3 0*6 
— 
Friday 
8 
29-980 
45-9 
44-1 
N.E. 
47-2 
68-7 
39-3 
107-1 
35-4 
— 
Saturday .. 
9 
29-982 
50-9 
46-2 
N.E. 
47-8 
64-2 
39-7 
105-2 
34-8 
— 
30-029 
53-0 
47-6 
45-0 
69-0 
39-6 
106-9 
31-9 
REMARKS. 
3rd.—Brilliant and warm throughout. 
4th.—Hazy till 10 A.M., then bright and warm ; limar halo in evening. 
6th.—Sunny and warm, but generaliy a little hazy. 
6th.—Brilliant throughout. 
7th.—Sunny and clear throughout. 
8th.—Overcast till.9.30 A.M., then almost unbroken sunshine. 
9th.—Bright sunshine throughout. 
A very fine rainless week with high daily maximum temperatures. N.E. wind and 
scarcely any cloud.—G. J. Symons. 
