178 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ February ic,, 1831. 
mortality -would be forthcoming if it were possible to ascertain the 
number of cattle lost at midland dairy farms during the last two 
months. It is hardly possible to visit any of those farms without 
hearing of occasional losses taken quite as a matter of course. At 
a farm near Melton Mowbray two stirks were lost before the cold 
weather set in from exposure to the chill blasts and colder rain of 
November, and there have been three cases of abortion since the 
long spell of frost and snow to which the cows w'ere fully exposed. 
From thirty to forty cows are kept at the farm, and the farmer is 
naturally anxious about the remainder of them ; but he does not 
appear to regard exposure as the cause of the abortion, although he 
is unable to give any other reason for it. 
To those having adequate means of shelter it is worth while 
saying now. Have 'you found your buildings really efficient in the 
long hard winter ? Are they free from draughts, yet well venti¬ 
lated ? Remember that the heat from the bodies of cows or 
horses causes circulation of air in the building, the warm air 
ascending and displacing cold air, which descends among the cattle. 
If there is roof ventilation no harm is done ; if not, the air becomes 
foul, and if this goes on steadily throughout the winter, can w-e 
wonder that it at length brings disease in its train ? For such 
shelter to be really wholesome and efficient there must be louvres 
in the roof ridge, and also eave openings, but no draughts below 
the eaves. The animals will then be quite as warm as is good for 
them, and they will always breathe pure air, which is fully as 
important to them as pure water and wholesome food. Never 
shall we forget entering a stable one winter’s night at ten o’clock, 
in which about a dozen horses after being driven fast from a dis¬ 
tance, had been shut in closely for some three hours. There were 
ridge louvres, but with shutters at the bottom, which had been 
closed, as we were told, because it was a cold night, and the air 
had consequently become so foul that we were glad to beat a 
hasty retreat. The lesson was useful, for in the numerous stables 
we have built since then the openings of roof ventilators have 
been made so that no rain or snow could enter, and no shutter or 
means of closing them has been fixed to any of them. 
With an open roof light in abundance may be had in the 
cheapest way by means of a few rows of Hartley’s rough plate 
§lass, cut to the size of roofing slates, and fixed upon the roof in 
“the same manner as the slates are, thus avoiding all outlay for 
windows and frames, which must be had when there is a loft over¬ 
head, in which case there are two points worthy of attention—to 
have no windows to open and no ceiling or anything but a sub¬ 
stantial tongued floor between the cowhouse and loft. A double 
floor or ceiling means a harbour of refu'ge for rats and mice. 
We have had so much disease among pigs from foul litter that 
we have decided to use no more litter for bedding. A clean hard 
floor in a snug well ventilated and commodious building is all they 
require. Thorough cleanliness and a wholesome mixed dietary— 
dairy feeding, if the term is liked, and no litter, appears to answer 
best for pigs large and small. Certainly there is no risk of fever 
among pigs so treated, provided they are kept from contact with 
any other pigs which are brought to the farm. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Never have spring Beans been sown better than in this remarkable 
■month of February ; seldom so well, and Pea-sowing for “ podders” on 
the heavy Essex clays has been done with such ease and expedition as 
is known usually only to light-land farmers. Wind and sun have cer¬ 
tainly favoured us for all such work, and also for the lambing. The 
•soil crumbles under the harrows to a pleasant degree of fineness. 
Everything has favoured such a condition of soil—six weeks of perfect 
autumn weather, a long hard frost at the right time, and now fine dry 
open weat’ner. The only drawback is the rotting of Turnips left out 
in the open for folding. Luckily, we have an excellent store of roots 
in clamp, and a fair proportion placed together thickly in rows with 
soil ploughed over ; but even the late Swedes left out for the ewes and 
lambs have been so frostbitten that tops and bottoms are dead, and the 
Toots have lost much in quantity. Should rottenness set in now it will 
be quite unsafe to fold upon them, as it would be certain to cause 
scouring and loss among the lambs. 
Having the possibility of this in view, it will be advisable to with¬ 
hold roots from horses and cattle as much as possible, and to use 
silage as a substitute. Complaints are rife of fast-diminishing hay¬ 
ricks, and of having to purchase hay on dairy farms, and the emergency 
may help to enforce the value of silage better than anything else can 
do. Certainly the man who has a plentiful supply of it is practically 
independent of roots, and is not anxious about the price of hay, which, 
by the way, keeps low. This is, doubtless, owing to the large quantity 
of excellent 1889 hay still unused, and which was advisedly held over 
for a market. 
Let not the lessons of the late summer drought of last year be for¬ 
gotten, and let successional crops of spring Tares be sown in rich soil, 
so as to ensure vigorous growth and comparative immunity from 
drought ; also, wherever it is possible, increase the area of land under 
Lucerne, If sown early it will come into use this year at the critical 
time when green crops are often scarce. Let, also, a field of green 
Maize enter into every farming scheme south of the Trent. The sowing 
need not be done till the end of May ; but it is well to see one’s way 
for the ensuing season now, and to make due provision for a crop that 
gives more weight of wholesome green food per acre than any other. 
We are not even forgetful of the weight of Rye Grass obtained on 
sewage farms, for Maize 10 and 12 feet high is no uncommon thing 
when sewage is used for it. 
HOaG AND WOOD'S SEED REPORT FOR 18D1. 
As usual with us at this period of the year we have pleasure in 
submitting our annual seed report on the probable supplies of farm 
seeds for the coming season, and are sorry that the prospect of an 
abundant yield has not been realised to the same extent as in some 
recent years. 
Eiiglisli and Welsh Red Clover and Cow Grass or Perennial Red 
Clover, —The crop of these is reported as under an average, and bold, 
large grained seeds of good colour are scarce, and correspondingly higher 
in price than last year. 
Foreign Red Clover. —On the continent of Europe and America the 
reports state the yield to be very small, and instead of exporting some 
of the districts are buying to supply their own requirements. Rates 
will be somewhat higher than those current in 1890. 
White Clover. —This is reported to be a poor crop in all the pro¬ 
ducing countries, and prices will be somewhat higher than those of last 
year. 
Alsihe Clover. —The smallest crop for many years is reported, and 
high prices are likely to rule. Inferior samples are very full of weed 
seeds, and we would advise the use of the higher class qualities. 
Trefoil or Yellow Clover. —Crop much below an average both at 
home and abroad, and rates considerably in advance of those of last 
year, which will doubtless lead farmers to use less of this variety and 
increase their quantities of Red Clover. 
Perennial and Italian Rge Grass. —The yield of Italian is fair, but 
of Perennial very short; and prices of the latter, although still mode¬ 
rate, are much above those of the past season, which were exceptionally 
low. In both cases the quality is good. 
Timothy, Cocksfoot, and other natural Grasses are reported to 
have yielded a small crop, and prices will exceed those current last 
year, but they are still very reasonable. Timothy, Cocksfoot, and 
Meadow Fescue continue in favour, and are extensively used by farmers 
for two and three years’ pasture along with the usual mixture. 
Tares. —Large Scotch and foreign are expected to be abundant, and 
prices moderate. 
Turnips and Mangolds. —The yield of these varied very greatly in 
the different gro-wing districts, and some sorts are in short supply, mean¬ 
time prices remain similar to those of recent years.— Hogg & Wood, 
Coldstream. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
CAMDEN SQUARE, LONDON. 
Lat. 51° 32' 40" N.; Long. 0° 8' 0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
DATE. 
9 AM. 
IN THE DAY. 
Bain 
1891. 
February, 
Barome¬ 
ter at 328 
and Sea 
Level. 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
1 Direction 
of Wind. 
Temp, of 
sou at 
1 foot. 1 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min, 
In 
sun. 
On 
ffrass 
Sunday ...... 15 
Monday...... 16 
Tuesday .... 17 
■Wednesday.. 18 
Thursday..., 19 
Friday .20 
Saturday .... 21 
Inches. 
30.615 
30.665 
30.(97 
£0.703 
30.501 
SO.411 
30.383 
deg. 
41.5 
34.7 
34.1 
31.2 
32.6 
33.3 
30.3 
deg. 
40.4 
84.7 
34.1 
31.2 
32.4 
33.2 
30.3 
K.M'. 
w. 
N.E. 
N.E. 
N.E. 
E. 
E. 
deg. 
33.4 
38.4 
37.9 
36.9 
34.3 
£6.4 
36.6 
deg. 
.51.'8 
51.5 
39,9 
45.1 
36.2 
38.4 
86.7 
deg. 
38.2 
32.2 
32.1 
29.4 
23.2 
31.9 
29.0 
deg. 
74.9 
78.9 
42.6 
61.4 
41.4 
48.9 
38.8 
deg. 
37.5 
26.4 
26.2 
22.9 
26.9 
31.8 
30.8 
In. 
30.533 
34.0 33.8 
j 37.3 
42.8 
31.6 55.3 29.1 — 
REMARKS. 
A borut'fal spring day, mild and bright throughout; clear night. 
16th.—G ear and cold early, slight fog betsveen 8 and 10 A.M., followed by an almo t 
c'oudless day, 
17th.—Fog all day, generally dense. 
18th.—Fog all the morniug, then sun for two or three hour?, and fog again in evening. 
19th.—Overcast all day; wet mist till 11 A.M. 
20th.—Generally overcast, with wet mist morning and evening, but a little sun in after- 
noon. 
21st.—IVet mi.st all Ihe morning, dagain in evening; overcast afternoon. 
A cold and foggy week, wi an exceptionally high barometer, and no r.iln.— 
G. J, Symons. 
