158 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ February 19, 1891. 
AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION. 
Hardly ever do we take up an agricultural paper now but it 
contains some mention of theoretical methods for the improved 
education of the rising generation of farmers, methods which 
appear to aim with singular unanimity at imparting a thorough 
groundwork of scientific knowledge as a safe and necessary basis 
for the practice which must follow in due course. That this is all 
very right and praiseworthy we have no doubt, but it will be as 
well to see that it is not done at the expense of practice, so far at 
•any rate as refers to the formation of habits of industry, of close 
observation, strict attention to detail, and a thorough mastery of 
the routine of what may not inaptly be termed applied farming. 
Even more important than all this is the formation of character 
in its literal sense of decided qualities. Force of character 
invariably tells, and though a man may be born a genius, a noble 
character is built up and formed both by careful training and by 
the thousand and one incidents of daily life, the knowledge spring¬ 
ing from which we include under the comprehensive term of ex¬ 
perience. J ust so is it with an able and successful farmer, for he 
has applied the lessons of youth to good purpose, has built upon 
them a superstructure of sound practical experience, which enables 
him to be ever upon his guard against possible evils of all kinds, 
and so to prevent very many of them from causing that damage 
and loss which so frequently cripples or defeats the efforts of many 
a worthy man whose industry is not tempered and guarded by 
such prudence and foresight. 
By way of illustration we may take outbreaks of pleuro¬ 
pneumonia. Can anything be more lamentable than the manner 
in which this fell disease is brought into a neighbourhood V But 
too often infected cattle have been purchased and taken to a farm 
previously uncontaminated. An outbreak follows sooner or later, 
leading to the slaughter of many valuable animals. On Friday, 
■January 30 th, sixteen head of cattle were slaughtered at a farm 
two miles west of Stockton, where an outbreak of pleuro was 
discovered some days previously, and as the stamping out process 
is now rigorously enforced by the Privy Council, the whole of the 
cattle on five adjoining farms were slaughtered too, because the 
evidence and supposition were that there had bean contact between 
the animals on those farms. In the report of this outbreak which 
appeared in Bell's Weehly Messenger it was said that “ the disease 
is a very subtle one, and may be latent for some time ; and as Lord 
Londonderry’s Red Marshall herd had been grazing in a field 
contiguous to the infected farm, the stamping out process was, by 
order of the central authorities in London, extended to his lord¬ 
ship’s herd. It is, however, some months since the animals grazed 
there, and they had not betrayed any symptoms of disease ; and 
on Friday when they were brought in from a field near the farm¬ 
house to the foldyard for slaughter, they appeared to be perfectly 
ihealthy. The herd consisted of eighteen very fine black polled 
pedigree Scots, sixteen of which were in calf.” Now, we do not 
know the history of the animals in which the disease appeared, 
and simply quote this particular case as an instance of loss, arising 
from possible infection which might have been prevented by the 
exercise of due precaution. 
The same journal tells of a serious outbreak of swine fever at 
a farm where there were eighty-five pigs, of which twenty had 
already died, eleven more were suffering from the disease, and 
there was, of course, a probability of the remainder having to be 
slaughtered. If in either case the disease was taken to the farm by 
purchased animals it is obvious that somebody was to blame, for 
newly purchased animals should always be kept separate from all 
home stock till it is certain they are quite healthy. The intelli¬ 
gent experienced farmer, however deficient in scientific knowledge, 
is ever on the alert to safeguard himself from such loss and annoy¬ 
ance. Not only does he see that due precaution is taken as we 
have indicated, but also that disease does not arise from any pre- 
ventible cause at the farm. 
It is notorious how prone farmers are to fall into a groove, to 
follow a beaten track, to give rigid adherence to routine from mere 
habit. Essex farmers did this to their cost in the last decade, 
for when the price of corn fell, and continued falling, they con¬ 
tinued growing it with stolid persistence till many of them were 
ruined. Essex farms became vacant by the dozen, so much land 
came upon the landlords’ hands that plenty of it was offered for 
sale at £10 and £12 an acre. Yet those farms were most favour¬ 
ably situated near London, with its ever increasing demands for 
dairy produce. Scotch farmers, who evidently had the right kind 
of agricultural education, saw their opportunity, hired the farms, 
got most of the land speedily under forage crops, stocked them 
with cows, took up milk contracts, and went straight to the success 
which has, and still is, crowning their enterprise and shrewdness. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Last week we drew attention to the opportunity which the excep¬ 
tionally clean condition of the land now offers to sow extensive leys of 
mixed seeds. Bear also in mind the high value of Tares, Eye, Beans, 
and Oats as forage crops. More and more of them, as well as Rye Grass, 
Cocksfoot, and Sainfoin will he grown as the prejudice against silage 
dies out, and ensilage takes its legitimate place in farm economy. 
Despite the objections raised, silage is slowly yet surely making its 
way, and, what is still more important, the process of ensilage is becoming 
more certain and more simple every year. Pressure, steadily applied to 
the stacks from the first day of building, is the key to success. Only 
give strict attention to it, and sweet, wholesome, nourishing silage is a 
certainty. Let not the severe lesson of a wet haymaking be forgotten. 
Not only was much bad hay made last summer, but much good money 
wasted in doing it. To waste time and money in making bad hay is 
about as sensible as the purchase of store cattle at prices which preclude 
the possibility of profit. Breed your own cattle, and breed it well; let 
ensilage take the place of haymaking. End two frequent sources of loss 
to the farmer will be avoided. 
With such dry open weather the sowing of spring corn should be 
pushed briskly on. Barley especially is always better for early sowing, 
and Oats cannot well be got in too soon, provided the work is well done. 
With land wintered so thoroughly and the surface drying so fast there 
should be very little need for broadcast sowing. We prefer to drill 
thickly with sound heavy seed, and to drill-in chemical manure with it. 
We recently had our attention called to an enthusiastic statement in 
a Leicestershire newspaper of the saving effected by farmers who were 
so sensible as to procure each kind of manure separately, and to mix 
them at the farm. Well, we have pointed this out to our readers 
often enough, and also the still more important fact,of the avoidance 
of adulteration in home-mixed manures. We have also repeatedly in¬ 
sisted upon the possibility of an average yield of Oats of 80 bushels per 
acre. But in a catalogue of farm seeds just received we find mention of 
crops of Black Tartarian of 104 bushels per acre on one farm, and 108, 
90, IIG, and 121 bushels per acre respectively on other farms. Merit is 
of course claimed for the pure carefully selected seed used, but it is 
certain that high cultivation also played an important part in the 
development of crops of such remarkable abundance. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
CAMDEN SQUARE, LONDON. 
Lat. 51° S2' 40" N.; Long. 0° 8' 0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
DATE. 
9 A M. 
IN THE DAY. 
1891. 
February. 
11'S- 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
O'O 
d 
Q'S 
<y GQrH 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max.! Min. 
In 
suu. 
On 
grass 
Sunday...... 8 
Monday. 9 
Tuesday .... 10 
Wednesday.. 11 
Thursday.... 12 
Friday .13 
Saturday .... 14 
Inches. 
30.447 
SO.416 
30.403 
30.341 
30.314 
30.499 
30.703 
deg. 
39.7 
36.2 
34.2 
34.0 
42.1 
33.7 
37.7 
deg. 
39.1 
8 .1.1 
33.4 
32.9 
39.3 
3.1.3 
34.7 
N.E. 
N.E. 
S.W. 
S.W. 
N. 
K. 
S.W. 
deg. 
40.6 
39.7 
38.9 
38.0 
38.1 
38.2 
37.8 
deg. 
43.7 
39.0 
42.6 
48.2 
47.3 
41.0 
44.6 
deg. 
38.8 
35.2 
80.2 
31.1 
33.9 
32.8 
33.9 
deg. 
48.8 
44.9 
55.4 
81.9 
75.9 
79.4 
66.0 
deg. 
38.3 
29.9 
24.1 
25.6 
30.3 
26.1 
27.2 
30.443 
37.2 
35.7 
38.7 
44.5 
33.7 
63.2 
28.8 
REMARKS. 
8 th.—Slight fog in morning; overcast all day. 
Dth.—Overcast throughout. 
loth —Overcast early. Fine bright day, but no strong sunshine. 
11 th.—Bright and cold. 
121 h.—Fine and bright. 
13th.—Cloudless morning, and bright throughout. 
14th.—Generally overcast, but a little faint sunshine in morning. Spots of rain about 
2 P.M. 
Verv flue weeV, barometer very high, temperature just the average, and no rain.— 
G. J. SYMONS. 
