218 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ March 12, 1801. 
GREEN CROPS. 
PLOUGiiiNCr in green crops has often been recommended as an 
excellent M'ay of imparting fertility to land, but more complete 
knowledge of many points affecting this matter was necessary to 
give certainty to it, and particular attention is now invited to the 
necessity for some further addition to the soil at the time of seed 
sowing to ensure perfect fertility. 
It is obvious that a green crop used for manure must impart to 
"the soil in w’hich it is grown for that purpose much more fertility 
than it has taken from it. How is this additional fertility or 
plant food obtained ? Ville, the French chemist, told us long ago 
that certain plants take their supply of nitrogen from the air 
-and he gave as an example Lucerne, of which an acre takes 
from 2G4 to 352 lbs. of nitrogen from the air, so that if 
the Lucerne were ploughed in there would be a super¬ 
abundance of nitrogen in the soil for a corn crop. Professor 
Wagner, Director of the Agricultural Research Station at 
Darmstadt, shows us that not only Lucerne, but all other legu¬ 
minous plants, such as Peas, Beans, Tares, Lupins, Clovers and 
Serradella, obtain their nitrogen from the air and not from the 
■soil. These, therefore, are the plants which may be ploughed in 
with advantage. On the other hand he proves that all the Cabbage 
tribe. Turnips, corn of all kinds. Potatoes, Mustard, Buckwheat, 
and Chicory obtain their nitrogen from the soil, and are incapable 
of taking it from the air. 
One lesson of the highest importance, taught by him, to which 
■we particularly invite our readers’ attention, is the superiority of 
‘Tares to White Mustard as a manurial green crop. That White 
Mustard does some good we have proved repeatedly in our own 
practice, but Professor Wagner places the superiority of Tares 
to it beyond question. He goes further, and shows the 
importance of the addition of potash and phosphoric acid to the 
■nitrogen contained in the green crop. 
The difficulty in the way of direct action from his teaching lies 
in the presence or not of potash in the soil. That is a matter for 
each farmer to ascertain for himself by careful tests. Professor 
Jamieson at the very outset of the Sussex experiments showed 
how every farmer had it in his power to analyse the soils of his 
farm by the manure test. Without such personal attention the 
wasteful use of manure must continue. With it there may be both 
economy and certainty. The mention of Professor Jamieson is a 
reminder that probably the best substitute for the White Mustard 
is Serradella, the cost of seed per acre being the same, for though 
Serradella seed is double the price of Mustard, only half the 
•quantity per acre is required. In an annual report of the pro¬ 
ceedings of the Sussex Agricultural Improvement Association 
Professor Jamieson says:—“This plant, which is a luguminous 
one—like Clover—was suggested for trial by one of our members. 
Care must be taken to sow it very thinly. In the first year we 
sowed it too thickly, not knowing its character. It yielded about 
.24 tons fresh fodder. In 1888 it was sown much thinner. The 
plants may be in lines about 8 inches apart, and 4, 6, or even 
:8 inches may be left between the plants. It does not appear very 
Siopeful at first, and during a great part of the season one may 
■conclude that it cannot come to much, but later on it branches out, 
presenting a great mass of fine soft edible matter. It yielded 
224 tons fresh fodder, which when air-dry gave fully 5 tons. The 
same success has been experienced in the colder climate of Scot¬ 
land, where in 1887 the yield of fresh fodder was 8 tons ; and in 
1888, although up to the end of August they were only about 
G inches high, yet in the end of September the plot presented the 
same 2 to 3 feet high plants, and the same dense mass of fine 
foliage. The yield was 18.^ tons.” Such a crop of a plant 
obtaining its nitrogen from the air, ploughed in for Wheat, would 
answer quite as well as Tares. 
In Professor Wagner’s experiments White Mustard and Tares 
were grown in his special trial pots in the previous autumn, both 
being buried in the soil while green as mannre. Next spring 
potash and phosphoric acid were given in addition to both Mnstard 
and Tare pots. Oats were then sown, the result being less than 
half a crop of Oats from the Mustard, a full crop of Oats from 
the Tares, quite equal to the crop obtained in other pots from a full 
dressing of potash, phosphoric acid, and nitrate of soda. 
The practical outcome of these trials, therefore, is that White 
[Mustard must now be replaced as a green crop for ploughing in as 
manure by some such leguminous plant as Tares, Clover, Trefoil, 
Lucerne, Lupins, or Serradella. They prove also that nitrogen, 
whether derived from such green manure or by the use of nitrate 
of soda, is a veritable monarch among fertilisers. Without it 
potash and phosphoric acid were practically worthless ; with it 
they form a perfect manure, causing vigorous growth and a full 
crop entirely satisfactory in every respect. 
‘VP’ORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
We have heard with surprise of heavy arrears of ploughing, and of 
the backward state of work on many farms. It is true enough that 
there was a cessation of land work for some two months at midwinter, 
but September, October, and November were all fine open months, and 
since the frost wa have been favoured by exceptionally fine weather. 
March opens with plenty of dust upon the roads, and with soil in the 
best possible condition for the seed drills ; yet with all this it is pos¬ 
sible arrears of sowing may be heard of at the end of April. Push on, 
say we, and strive always to be beforehand with all seasonable work. 
It is the laggards who complain most, who clog the wheels of progress, 
who were caught by the frost while clamping the root crop last autumn, 
who failed to turn a fine autumn to full advantage for clearing the 
land, and who put off the sowing of winter corn till the frost prevented 
them from sowing it at all. We might go on with a long list of faults 
and failings, with which we have no sympathy, but to no good purpose we 
fear. Rather will we advise strenuous efforts at improvement in every 
detail of farm practice in a season which has opened so auspiciously. 
See that lamb castration and docking has prompt attention ; keep 
down foot-rot by weekly examinations of all sheep having the taint of 
it. Pare off every loose part of the hoofs, wash the feet thoroughly, 
apply Hell’s ointment, and keep the sheep on a dry floor for a few hours 
subsequently to allow the dressing to be absorbed into the feet. By 
close and regular attention to the flock in this way the disease may be 
prevented from anything like serious development. To drive the sheep 
into a corner of a muddy fold, trim the feet, and turn them loose again, 
does very little good. 
Let down-calving cows have quiet, clean, dry quarters, wholesome 
food, and clean pure water. Never suffer them to stand about on litter 
much saturated with water, or out on a wet pasture. Provide a com¬ 
modious loose box or shed for calving, and should a case of abortion 
occur keep the cow quite apart from the others, thoroughly disinfect the 
walls and floor of the shed or cowhouse, and keep the litter used in it 
out of reach of the other cows. Whether or not abortion is infectious, 
it is certain that it frequently runs through an entire herd. It may be 
owing to all the cows having been subjected to similarly adverse in¬ 
fluences, but the wise course is to act precisely as though it were 
infectious. Do not let out the cows on pasture till there is a full bite 
of grass, which there will not be for some time yet. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
CAMDEN SQUARE, LONDON. 
Lat. 51° 32' 40" N.; Long. 0° 8' 0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
DATE. 
9 AM. 
IN THE DAT, 
Bain 
1 
1891. 
March. 
Barome¬ 
ter at 828 
and Sea 
Leyel, 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
Direction 
of Wind. 
Temp, of 
soil at 
1 foot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
snu. 
On 
^ass 
Inches. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
In. 
Sunday. 
1 
30.25-2 
45.9 
44.2 
S.W. 
35.9 
51.7 
32.4 
76.8 
27.8 
— 
Monday. 
O 
30.112 
50.0 
49.0 
N.W. 
J8.4 
57.7 
45.9 
85.« 
44.6 
Tuesday .... 
3 
30.267 
40.6 
36.4 
H.W. 
40.0 
49.2 
34.6 
85.1 
28.0 
— 
Wedne.sday.. 
4 
fO.SSO 
44.6 
41.7 
w. 
89.0 
50.9 
36.8 
65.9 
30.2 
Thursday.... 
5 
30.302 
49.2 
41.3 
S.W. 
39.9 
.57,1 
44.5 
9t.4 
38.3 
— 
Friday . 
G 
80.0 9 
41.9 
3*.7 
w. 
40.8 
64.4 
88.1 
91.3 
.33.3 
— 
Saturday .... 
7 
29.737 
46.2 
43.4 
S.W. 
41.0 
60.8 
41.8 
6;.8 
31.9 
0.4.51 
30.161 
45.5 
43.0 
39.3 
53.5 
89.2 
80.2 
34.2 
0.451 
REMARKS. 
Ist —Brilliant early, but frequently cloudy during tbe day. 
2nd.—Fine, with frequent 8un.shine, but spoti of rai u about 5 r.M. 
3rd.—Brilliant morning, with high wind ; cloudy at times in afternoon ; spots of rain in 
evening. 
4th.—Cloudy, with spots of rain in morning and evening; an occasional gleam of snn in 
afternoon. 
5th.—Fine and bright thronghout. 
6rh.—Bright morning, general'y cloudy in the afternoon. 
7th.—Clondy, with spots of rain in morning ; heavy rain from 2 P M. 
Fine bright week, and conside'ably warmer; the remarkably long drought broke 
up with a rain of nearly half an inch from 2 p.M. on March 7lh. -(i. J. STMONS. 
