524 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ June 25, 1891. 
be SO possible, and yet the reality is very different. Sure enough 
the farm does afford all the good things mentioned, but the tenant 
knows full well that in order to pay his way he must convert 
everything he can into hard cash, must live hard himself, and work 
hard too—aye, much harder than an ordinary labourer. Well has 
it been said that, “ When the agricultural labourer becomes a 
small farmer, he exchanges moderate hours and regular wages for 
incessant toil and a meagre competency.” 
There can be no doubt that it is the incessant labour of him¬ 
self and his family which has enabled the small farmer to hold 
fais own, while many a large farmer has gone under. But the 
small farmers have suffered too, and it is notorious how low the 
live stock both of sheep and cattle of small farmers has fallen 
under the agricultural depression since 1875. He has held on, but 
bis clothes have become ragged, his food as coarse as that of the 
labourer, his yard as bare of stock, for a cow or horse has often 
had to be sold to enable him “ to meet the rent day.” His wife 
has done what she could to help in this serious emergency by her 
dairy, if she is still so fortunate as to have one, and by taking in 
loggers. This maybe regarded as an extreme case, but it is cjmmon 
enough in the great corn-growing districts. 
Some of the best evidence of the condition and prospects of 
■small farmers was given a few years ago by a well-known Devon¬ 
shire land agent, who said of them—“ The advantages which the 
small farmers in this locality possess over the large ones are, that 
their simple mode of living and their industrious habits enable 
them to do better than the large farmers, who, having to pay for 
everything which they have done, are being ruined by the very low 
prices of all kinds of stock and produce, and the low price for labour.” 
The small farmer, with his wife and children in most instances, 
not only milks and feeds the cows, rears the calves, looks after the 
poultry and the pigs, but the wife, after also attending to her dairy 
and butter making, takes all the produce she can spare from the 
dairy, poultry, all kinds of vegetables, fruit, and even flowers to 
market herself ; and by these means generally provides the rent 
by the time it is due, besides occasionally selling the primest 
joints of pork and black and white puddings, being content to 
live themselves on that which is not so easily converted into money. 
The farmer himself, with his eldest boys, works harder and 
many more hours than a paid labourer does now-a-days, and 
always has a watchful eye on all the live stock ; he employs as 
little outside labour as possible, he frequently hires his machines 
and other implements from his neighbours on the larger farms. 
We will give one instance which we think fairly represents their 
system and management of live stock. We recently went over a 
farm, not exceeding 100 acres, on which we found about 60 head 
of cattle of different ages, besides 6 dairy cows and about 150 
sheep. The cattle comprised about 15 beasts over three years old, 
15 over two years, 14 yearlings, and 16 or 17 rearing calves. On 
asking the farmer why he was keeping the old cattle he replied 
that the price he had been offered for them was so miserably low 
that he could not make up his mind to sell them. We then inquired 
if they were not worth the same or more money twelve months 
ago, and he admitted that they were. We said, “ By keeping them 
and giving them all the best roots and grass on the farm you have 
been starving all your younger cattle.” If he had sold them the 
previous autumn at whatever price he could have made of them, 
and given the food which they had since consumed to the young 
stock the 30 yearlings and two-year-olds would have been worth 
more money than the whole 45 feeding cattle, and by giving them 
a little cotton-cake with the grass (which in Devonshire is generally 
in too succulent a state to make cattle thrive well upon it), he 
would not only have improved the condition of the pasture to 
nearly or quite the extent of his outlay on cake, but he would have 
found in the autumn a ready sale for his two-year-old cattle, if not 
with the butcher, at least with those who would have made them 
fit for the slaughter house. 
The farmer could not deny these facts, but he shrugged his 
shoulders at the idea of putting his hand into his pocket to purchase 
cake. The quotation is valuable as showing the plodding energy of 
farmers of this class as well as the common want of capacity to 
deal with an emergency or anything taking them out of the 
ordinary groove. 
WORK ON THE HOME EARM. 
This is the farmer’s time for taking a few days off before hay time, 
and the numerous agricultural shows afford him ample opportunities of 
seeing live stock and implements in the very pink of condition. Some 
useful lessons are to be had at such meetings by all intelligent men, 
and not the least important part of them is the discussion of points of 
improvement or otherwise. Our advice is occasionally sought at the big 
shows about the purchase of implements, and a few clear hints generally 
serve to show the purchaser how to obtain a really efScient implement. 
In doing this one has to look behind the gloss and glitter of show 
implements, and to see carefully if practical utility has had due attention. 
The steam digger on view this week at the Doncaster meeting of the 
Royal Agricultural Society should be worthy of special attention. It is 
claimed for it that a 10-horse power implement worked by one man will 
cultivate ten acres a day at a total cost of 60s., or 5s. an acre. If it will 
do this in the thorough manner specified, why then the Company holding 
the patents have only to make plenty of the diggers to let on hire to 
iosure a splendid business at once. But will they? To promise to 
cultivate land at such a price, and to do it, are two things. Few, if any, 
farmers will be found under the present unsatisfactory condition of 
agriculture willing to invest £500 even in such a labour-saving imp’e- 
ment. But only give farmers a chance to hire them, and see that the 
work is well done, and there would be no lack of applicants for the hire 
of the digger. 
Such an implement is precisely what we want to enable us to meet 
the stress of hard times. It is the cost of labour and horses that 
cripples so many men. If only a saving of half of the present outlay 
involved in land tillage were possible, as the Steam Digging Company 
says it is, it would indeed mark a new era in farming. The implement 
may be all that is said of it ; the question is, How are farmers to obtain 
the use of it, and get their land tilled by it, at the price they are told it 
can be done for ? 
Seed Stands and Garden Appliances at the Doncaster 
Show. —We are informed there is an extensive display of the above by 
leading merchants and manufacturers, but as a reporter’s ticket has not 
been received we do not send a representative to the Show. This 
announcement will, however, remind those of our readers who may visit 
the Show that the exhibits in question are worthy of inspection. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Farm Student (IF. H. IF.).—The best and cheapest set of books for 
your purpose are Morton’s “ Handbooks of the Farm,” published in nine 
volumes at 2s. fid. each, by Vinton & Co., 9, New Bridge Street, London, 
E.C. If ordered as a complete set they can be had carriage free for £1. 
The su 'jects comprise Chemistry, Live Stock, Crops, Soil, Plant Life, 
Equipment, Dairy, Animal Life, and Labour. You may by study obtain 
some knowledge of farming, but practical experience is quite indis¬ 
pensable to enable you to understand the management of a home farm 
successfully. Get thoroughly grounded in the theory, and opportunities 
for practice may arise, or you may in due course be able to make them. 
If you have the prospects of the charge of a home farm your best 
course, in addition to theoretical study, would be to quietly obtain 
competent advice, and thoroughly discuss the matter either beforehand 
or at the outset. If you require such aid write to us, and we will gladly 
put you in the way to obtain it. 
Weed In Pasture {F. G. IF.).—The weed you send is Centaurea 
nigra or Black Knapweed. It will be quite likely to impair the 
quality of milk and butter and should be grubbed out. Is not your 
pasture poor ? 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
CAMDEN SQUARE, LONDON. 
Lat. 51° 32' 40" N.; Long. 0° 8' 0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
DATE. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAY. 
1 Rain 
1 
1891. 
June. 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
Direction 
of Wind. 
i 
Temp, of 
soli at 
1 foot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
snn. 
On 
grass 
Inches. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
In. 
Sunday. 
14 
30.207 
60.0 
53.2 
W. 
53.0 
71.7 
52.8 
110.9 
47.8 
— 
Monday. 
15 
30.032 
60.1 
53.9 
s.w. 
58.2 
69.9 
49.4 
111.0 
43.0 
0.053 
Tuesday .... 
16 
30.096 
60.6 
51.0 
N.W. 
58.0 
69.6 
47.8 
119.3 
43.9 
— 
Wednesday.. 
17 
,30.307 
63.8 
57.0 
8 . 
58.7 
76.9 
49.7 
115.3 
45.6 
— 
Thursday.... 
18 
30.341 
68.7 
62.6 
S. 
59.9 
78.7 
55.8 
120.1 
49.1 
— 
Friday . 
19 
30.320 
70.2 
62.2 
N.W. 
61,3 
77.9 
5.4.4 
lt8.3 
47.2 
— 
Saturday .... 
20 
30.334 
63.7 
58.1 
N.E. 
62.1 
73.9 
55.4 
123.3 
50.1 
— 
30.234 
63.9 
57.3 
59.5 
74.1 
52.0 
116.9 
48.7 
0.953 
REMARKS. 
1411.—Fine and warm, but generally a little hazy. 
loth.—Overcast morning, bright afternoon, wet from 6.30 to 8 P.M. 
16th.—Overcast early, generally bright after 10 A.M. 
17th.—Warm and fine, but hazy at times. 
18th.—Fine and warm but hazy and oppressive. 
ISti.—Fine and warm, but at times hazy and oppressive. 
20th.—Fine, brigh', and pleasant. 
Another fine and dry week,but no te-nperature of 80° la the shade,—G. J. SYMONS. 
