A. igust 17, 1893. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
161 
AUTUMN TILLAGE. 
Of the many lessons of the great drought, most important 
of all was that of the primary value of deep and thorough 
autumn tillage. Without it many a farmer’s hands have been 
tied, a seed bed was an impossibility. Why ? Because his 
heavy land was not ploughed till after it became saturated by 
the heavy rainfall of an exceptionally wet February. The wet 
furrows were then exposed to the drought which set in early in 
March, sun and wind then drying them so quickly that the clods 
were impervious to any implement — roller, cultivator, or 
harrow made no impression upon them, and Lent went by with 
out a field being sown with corn. Even where matters were 
not quite so bad. the soil being crushed sufficiently to admit of 
the sowing of both corn and root crops, much of the seed lay 
dormant week after week, the plants coming in patches. When 
rain at length fell, growth sprung up from the dormant seed, 
wi'h the result of many a coimfield in July having patches and 
strips of ripening corn alternating with others quite gi'een and 
in full growth. 
Where the land had thorough tillage last autumn, and was 
left for winter well drained, clean, thrown up into ridges, and with 
perfect mechanical divisions, it broke down under the harrows 
into an excellent seed bed—sweet, mellow, moist, and light as 
ashes. In the second, or early in the third, month of the year 
sowing went on with a rapidity and finish impossible under a 
less perfect system of cultivation. Seed germination followed 
quickly and evenly, up came a full strong plant, growth went on 
without serious check or hindrance from drought, on to such 
early maturity of the corn, that very much of it was in shock 
or stook a month before the usual time of harvest. Roots, too, 
have thriven equally well, and timely intelligent farming stands 
triumphant. The year for it is crowned with plenty, for be very 
sure that hand-in-hand with such energe'ic tillage goes an 
equally sensible systematic storage of the soil with plant 
food. 
Drainage, mechanical division, cleanliness, autumn tillage, 
sustained fertility, carefully selected seed, timely sowing, these 
are the watchwords of the successful farmer. The guiding 
principles of his practice, they affect all he does. He is success¬ 
ful not only because of them, but also, and very much also, 
because they are combined with sound judgment, and powers 
of discrimination, which enable him to apportion his cropping 
and modify his practice whenever it becomes necessary or 
advantageous to do so. 
This autumn a golden opportunity has come to him in the 
early harvest. The clearance of the corn from the land so early 
in August will enable him to have the stubbles quite clean 
before plough and subsoiler are at woi-k. His land is so free 
and open that the broadshare can be used at once to slightly pare 
the surface, so that perennial weeds may be got together by the 
harrows which follow and be burnt. Soil that is crude, hard, and 
heavy cannot be pared so easily; it is usually so hard after 
harvest that neither plough nor broadshare will enter it till it 
is softened by heavy autumnal showers, and so precious time 
is wasted and the opportunity for thorough tillage lost. There 
should be time this autumn for doing something to correct the 
crudeness of heavy land. Gas lime has been used with excel¬ 
lent effect upon the Essex clays. When applied in autumn it 
acts mechanically upon the soil, stimulates latent fertility ; but 
it ought never to be used instead of manure. Rather apply it, 
or lime fresh from the kiln, early in autumn, and sow chemical 
manure with the corn, roots, or other crops in spring. As a 
rule, lime may be used advantageously once in six years at the 
rate of GO to 100 bushels per acre. One of our finest crops of 
Wheat was on land which, when it came into our hands, was in 
a very foul, inert condi ion. It had a summer fallow, was 
cross-ploughed deeply several times, was dressed with fresh 
kiln lime during these ploughings, then well manured just 
before the Wheat sowings. This was a case of necessity as 
regards the fallow, because the land was so very foul. Coal 
ashes, slag from smelting furnaces, and burnt clay are also 
excellent for opening up the land. In mining districts there 
are immense heaps of slag—enough for the land of a wide 
district, but which is seldom if ever turned to account for such 
a purpose. 
WOEK ON THE HOME FAEM. 
Since writing our last note thunder storms, with a heavy downpour 
of rain, have been frequent, but there has been nothing worthy of the 
name of wet weather, and harvest work has gone on with despatch. On 
some farms the whole of the corn is in stack, and the ploughs are at 
work upon the stubbles. First of all such weeds as Couch Grass, Colts¬ 
foot, Thistles, Docks, and Ononis or Eest Harrow must be destroyed, 
then ploughing follows at once, cultivators, horse hoes, harrows, and 
ploughs all being in full swing, so as to have the soil cleaned, broken up 
deeply, turned over by cross-ploughing two or three times according to 
the weather, and at the last turn all that is left for the spring sowing is 
thrown into high ridges by the double-breasted plough. 
Have all land intended for autumn sowing with Wheat, Eye, and 
Winter Oats ready for the corn drill by the end of the month in order 
that the sowing may be done early in September. The seed will go in 
quickly and well then, but if the sowing is put off till October it may 
have to wait for fine weather till spring. Get in the corn then in 
September,, so as to do the work in the best way, and have a full strong 
plant. Sow no Wheat on inferior land, only on the best mixed soil ; 
select good seed, and apply manure through the drill with the seed— 
half hundredweight sulphate of ammonia, quarter hundredweight 
steamed bone flour, and quarter hundredweight superphosphate per acre. 
This very moderate dressing is to get a sturdy plant before winter, and 
is followed early in spring withl^ cwt. nitrate of soda, quarter hundred¬ 
weight steamed bone flour, half hundredweight superphosphate, and 
half hundredweight muriate of potash where necessary. 
It may appear somewhat premature to mention this matter while 
harvest is still in full swing, but it is not. The common fault is to relax 
efforts after harvest, just when all in our power should be done to push 
on autumn work, and get as forward as possible before wet October 
comes. Now is the time for strenuous effort. Strive to be well beforehand 
with all farm work, but especially with field work, which is so dependant 
upon the weather. Very pleasant is the feeling when the land is 
locked up by frost and snow that it was so tilled in the autumn. 
BOARD OF AGRICULTURE AND ENSILAGE. 
In view of the exceptional circumstances resulting from the drought 
of the spring and summer of this year, the Board of Agriculture 
consider it desirable to circulate information concerning the use of 
ensilage processes, and their value in providing winter and spring keep 
for stock. 
The general impression prevailing upon the subject of ensilage is 
that it is only serviceable in wet seasons when they cannot be properly 
made. But there are not a few agriculturists who make silage regularly 
either in silos, or in stacks, or in clamps every year, and speak highly of 
its value for feeding purposes. 
The wet summer of 1888 gave a great temporary stimulus to ensilage, 
which was encouraged by the discovery that good silage could be made 
in stacks and clamps by a comparatively cheap and simple process. 
This year attention will be again very generally directed to ensilage in 
consequence of the unprecedented scarcity of grass and Clovers for hay, 
and the failure of the ordinary crops for winter food caused by drought. 
Materials suitable for Silage. 
It may in some cases, it is believed, be too late to make hay of 
Lucerne, second cuts of Clover, Sainfoin, and grass, as well as of Italian 
Eye Grass, grass and Clover mixtures, and other crops sown when the 
drought ceased. All of these crops that can be spared from the 
immediate requirements of the farm stock may be advantageously made 
into silage. They should be allowed to stand as late as the weather will 
permit, for although it is acknowledged to be best to cut such crops as 
grass and Clover for silage when in flower, the object must be to get the 
greatest possible bulk of material at this crisis. 
Every particle of herbage upon farms should be cut for silage. 
Even weeds, sedge, and rushes should be utilized. Nettles have been 
successfully employed. The outsides of fields and the sides of hedges 
and other waste places should be brushed and the brushings ensiled. 
The leaves of some kinds of trees may also be ensiled. If the material 
is too coarse for actual silage it will be useful for topping up the silos, 
stacks, or clamps. Coarse grass in meadows, pastures, and under trees 
in orchards and elsewhere, which stock frequently reject, may be made 
