78 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ Jannary 22 , 1891. 
impress upon them the fact that a settler’s life in any new country 
is beset with hardships, that they must go out prepared to work 
harder than they had ever done here, and to rough it all round* 
If they were prepared to do this, and were young, vigorous, and 
healthy, with plenty of energy and “ go ” about them, they might 
earn a decent wage part of the year upon the land, but beyond 
that their future must necessarily be beset with much grave 
uncertainty. 
It was not without a feeling akin to pity that we discussed the 
matter with our last applicant—a well educated gentlemanly young 
fellow, who, with his young wife, thought of going out to Canada 
next spring. He had some means, thought of acquiring a farm 
out there, and in view of this he came to us last autumn to “ pick 
up some knowledge of farming ! ” In answer to our remonstrance 
at the too evident folly of such a proceeding he replied that he 
had well considered the matter, and his inquiries had shown him 
that farming out west was a much more simple matter than it was 
in this country. Like so many others he evidently thought the 
colonies a sort of Eldorado, where prosperity was assured and 
success a certainty, where the virgin soil was so rich in pristine 
fertility that little if any of the care and pains of soil tillage in 
this country were called for there. Well, his was a case apart 
from that of an ordinary emigrant, and we must not forget that it 
is for the benefit of such we are writing. 
To all such we say. Be careful in the selection of a new country^ 
and first send for handbooks to the Emigrants’ Information 
Office, 31, Broadway, Westminster, London, S.W. You will then 
learn that there is no demand for men in Canada in winter. By 
the end of March or early in April there may be work for farm 
hands, carpenters, bricklayers, and masons ; and female servants 
are always in demand. In Australasia men well trained in 
husbandry, especially in sheep shearing, but also all kinds of farm 
work, the cultivation of fruit trees, nursery work, gardeners, dairy¬ 
men, handy men, female servants, miners, navvies are in request, 
und there is a demand for farmers there. Under certain conditions 
such persons get free or reduced passages to Queensland and 
Western Australia. In South Africa farmers, farm labourers, and 
female servants are in demand in Cape Colony and Natal, to which 
places free or reduced passages may also be had under certain 
conditions. 
It appears, therefore, advisable to give preference to either one 
or other of the colonies named, and to avoid doubtful countries, 
especially some of the States of America, where it has for some 
time been notorious that farmers were suffering from the agricul¬ 
tural depression, and the report is true enough. How true we 
were not aware till we received direct information from an old 
settler in one of the States. He was brought up on the land as 
the working son of a working farmer. He emigrated soon after 
he was twenty-one years of age, and is now getting on to sixty, and 
has been struggling for bare subsistence all the time. He has now 
a farm of 230 acres in Wisconsin at a rent of 12s. to 16s. an acre, 
with (when he wrote several months ago) Oats at 8|^d. per bushel 
((now higher), pork at 14s. per 100 lbs. (now lower), and all other 
farm produce so cheap that as he says, “ It is all we can do to 
make our rent, and nothing for ourselves.” What say you to 
this, Mr. British Farmer, with your rent down to 15s. an acre, 
and your Oats, if a good sample, worth 3s. a bushel ? Well might 
our informant say that England is a Land of Groshen in com¬ 
parison. 
A brother of this struggling settler has just come home with 
an independency, acquired in a manner which shows how great 
the necessity of the States farmers really is. He went out 
twenty-one years ago as a hard-working blacksmith, saved a little 
money which he commenced lending to the needy farmers at 
an average interest of 8 per cent., and so gradually “ made his 
pile.” He says that nine out of ten farmers mortgage their 
crops and live stock (which is called chattel mortgage), settle 
up when they sell, and then borrow again, thus being virtually 
always on the brink of bankruptcy, for a bad season would 
probably ruin many of them. The method of borrowing is in 
this wise : —No debt is legal unless entered in the books of a 
public notary, which are open to the inspection of lenders, so that 
it is easy to see how borrowers “ stand.” The farmer makes 
known the sum he wants, the lender sees his crop and stock, then 
both go to a notary ; the transaction is officially entered, the 
borrower paying half a dollar or a doUar, and the thing is done. 
No attempt is made to keep the matter secret. So long as a 
borrower has a reputation for “ paying up ” he stands just as well 
in public estimation as the lender. 
In favourable districts in California enterprising, industrious, 
competent men, not without money, have found fruit culture 
profitable. Mr. Leonard Coates for instance, and Mr. Burnett, we 
are glad to observe, appears to see a promising future before him. 
But such men are far above the average in ability and resources 
to the general class of emigrants, who appear to think fortunes are 
to be made on farms in the land of the west. 
WOEK ON THE HOME FARM. 
In addition to work mentioned in our last note some extra care has 
been required with crop and stock. With so litt’e snow and such sharp 
frost it became absolutely necessary to use extra protection for roots in 
heaps, and a thick covering of rough litter was placed over every heap. 
Some heaps in outlying fields were covered with gorse, of which plenty 
was to be had close at hand, and in another instance a quantity of fine 
brushwood faggots made for the lime kilns were used for the same 
purpose. We always like to turn all such rough and ready means to ac¬ 
count—anything to avoid using good straw. We have had to use some 
of that, though, for the roots had to be saved from frost at any cost, 
and those farmers who are crying out about damaged roots simply pro¬ 
claim their incompetence or poverty of means. 
As hedging and ditching is done field gates are all carefully examined 
and any necessary repairs done, spurs being put to decaying gate posts, 
rough timber sills placed just under the surface where necessary to give 
stability to the posts, and prevent the gate dropping and dragging. 
Any faulty fastenings are repaired, and, if necessary, a coat or two of 
tar or paint given to gate and posts. Attention to this at this season of 
the year tends to keep the gates in sound working order. We never 
permit any gate near a public footpath to remain unlocked, but have 
an easy stile or wicket through which stock cannot pass close by 
for public convenience, all risk of gates being left open being thus 
avoided. 
In order to retain good men upon the farm it is a good plan to allow 
them to thrash corn on the barn floors by hand in such weather, when 
they are not wanted upon the land. They are made clearly to under¬ 
stand that the corn must be threshed, screened, and measured into 
sacks at the same rate of cost as we can get it done by the steam 
thresher. They can then earn a very fair wage by working hard, to the 
mutual advantage of master and man. When a farmer is so considerate 
he is easily able to secure the services of steady able men, and it is 
much better so than to have to take on inferior men at the busy season 
of the year. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
CAMDEN SQUARE, LONDON. 
Lat. 51° 32' 40" N.; Long. 0° 8' 0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
DATE. 
SAM. 
IN THE DAT. 
Bain 
1891. 
January. 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
d . 
O'd 
d 
ft's 
63-2 
H 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
sim. 
On 
grass 
Sunday...... 11 
Monday. 12 
Tuesday .... 13 
Wednesday.. 14 
Thursday.... 15 
Friday .16 
Saturday .... 17 
Inches. 
30.719 
30.674 
30.*48 
31.586 
30.503 
30.102 
30.318 
deg. 
21.0 
25.2 
89.4 
36.9 
80.9 
31.3 
28.1 
deg. 
20.8 
24.,8 
39.4 
34.0 
20.8 
30.4 
25.5 
N. 
N.W. 
N E. 
H.W. 
N. 
N. 
K. 
deg. 
32.9 
32.9 
32.9 
32.9 
32.9 
32.9 
32.9 
deg. 
25.4 
41.9 
41.2 
40.1 
87.9 
34.1 
29.7 
deg. 
16.9 
19.7 
25.1 
34.7 
29.3 
30.4 
23.2 
deg. 
28.9 
48.2 
43.2 
6.5.1 
55.3 
68.3 
47.8 
deg. 
12.5 
14.2 
24.3 
29.4 
26.2 
28.6 
19.4 
In. 
0.082 
O.OlO 
0.010 
30.507 
30.1 29.2 1 32.9 
35.8 25.6 
49.5 
22.1 
0.102 
REMARKS. 
nth.— Low temperature and smoke fog all day. 
12th.—Fine, with occasional sunshine. Thawing. 
13th.—Overcast and mild day; foggy early. 
14th.—Fine and bright throughour. 
loth.—Clear, with freti'ient sprinkles of snow or sleet In morning; sunshine at midday; 
cloudy alternoon. About an inch of snow in evening, and thawing from mid¬ 
night to 6 A.M. on 16ch. 
IGth.—Frequently bright, but occasional flakes of snow and a sharp sleet shower 
at 10.30 A.M. 
17th.—Fine and bright till 10 A.M., then overcast With snow showers; fine afternoon 
with some sunshine. 
In spite of the relative warmth of the 12th to the 14th we have another (the 
sixth consecutive) week with a mean temperature below that of freezing point.— 
G. J. STMONS. 
