624 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ December 7, 1893. 
The Report of the Parliamentary Committee which sat 
last summer to inquire into the meat trade contains much 
interesting matter, and shows particularly how in some towns 
English meat is practically driven out of the market. The most 
remarkable case is that of Southport, with its population of 
41,500, for whom fifty-four butchers cater, yet not more than 
three English-bred animals were killed during each week among 
the whole of them. If Scotch beasts had preference in the 
north country towns no harm would be done, but there, as well 
as in the south, very much imported beef is palmed off as home¬ 
bred. In London, says the report, in a large west-end establish* 
ment, professing to sell nothing but English and Scotch meat, 
only six sides of Scotch were said to have been sold during a 
whole year, the rest being American. In other shops in the city 
and west-end three-fourths of the beef sold as English is said to 
be American. Of five pieces of meat purchased in Kensington, 
in the neighbourhood of Piccadilly and Sloane Street, two 
comiietent judges declared four to be American. In each 
instance the vendors declared that they kept nothing but the 
best Scotch. 
It is much to be desired that the report should lead to a 
measure for the protection of the interests of home-reared beasts. 
It is evident that there are plenty of people willing to pay well 
for really prime Scotch or English beef, and if only the trade 
could be placed upon a sound basis, it would be for the mutual 
benefit of producer and consumer. The gains of the middleman 
will be limited, and the British farmer would soon find home 
markets harden ; or, in other words, prime beasts would become 
much more valuable, and his interest in rearing compact beasts 
of moderate size would be so apparent, that breeding and 
selection assuredly must have more attention than has hitherto 
been accorded them. We have no desire to see our ports closed 
against foreign meat, but we do claim that in common honesty 
it should be sold as such, and not be foisted upon consumers for 
the superior home-bred article. Appeals for aid to the legis¬ 
lature on behalf of struggling farmers have been made often 
enough where aid was impossible. In this matter there should 
be no difficulty. When an inspector detects a farmer sending 
diseased meat to London the farmer is fined heavily. Let 
inspectors also be appointed to check the transactions of butchers, 
and let adequate fines be imposed with all possible publicity 
upon any of them who are detected in a system of fraud, which 
has evidently attained gigantic proportions in many a pretentious 
west-end “ establishment.” 
WOEK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Lambing time commences at many farms, at most where mixed 
farming prevails, towards the end of the year or early in January, and 
preparations must now be made to afford the flock all necessary shelter and 
food. Every home farm should have its lambing yard, with a commodious 
hovel on the north side, a wall or corrugated iron sheeting enclosure, 
having a projecting roof, beneath which cribs are made for each ewe and 
its lambs to be confined in so long as may be necessary immediately 
after the lambing. Failing this, a lambing fold is made with parallel 
rows of nurdles about a foot apart, the space between them being so 
closely packed with litter or straw that cold wind cannot penetrate it. 
Thatched hurdles will not answer for this enclosure, because the ewes 
may pull out and consume the straw, but they are used for cribs inside 
of and against the enclosure, and as a roof to the cribs. See that this 
fold is of ample size for the requirements of the flock, and that it has a 
wide^ opening on to pasture, and another opening into a smaller or 
hospital fold, where ewes requiring some extra care and supervision can 
be taken from the cribs. Make all openings through which the flock 
has to pass large enough to prevent crowding, or a struggle to get 
through. 
A small clamp of Mangold and another of Swedes is made near the 
fold, also a stack of Pea straw, and another of litter. If the fold is at 
a distance from the homestead, it is also a good plan to have a small 
store shed for crushed corn and chaff near the shepherd’s portable hut. 
In all this work let the most severe winter weather of the past be your 
guide, making the shelter so thorough, and the store of food on the spot 
so ample, that it must be the shepherd’s fault if the flock suffers. We 
have often found that it is unwise to depend upon the daily cartin<» of 
food supplies to the fold. This may very well be done generally, °but 
upon an emergency, such as roads being blocked with snow, it is well to 
have a few days provision at hand. 
See that ewes forward in lamb are kept perfectly quiet, allow no 
hurried driving by dogs, keep them on firm dry pasture, have a few 
racks for Pea straw placed near sheltered parts and troughs for chaff 
and corn. Let the condition of the pasture be your guide as to the 
use of these, but when once they are brought into use it is as well 
to go on using them, as sheep are often shy of trough food at first. 
Root akd Seed Stands at Islington. —T he ninety-sixth annual 
Show of the Smithfield Club opened at the Agricultural Hall, Islington, 
on Monday last, but not having received any reporters’ tickets we are 
unable to enter into details as regards the exhibits. We understand, 
however, that Messrs. Sutton & Sons of Reading had a fine display of 
roots and seeds. The main feature was a collection of agricultural 
roots. Mangels were to be seen in perfection, prominent being Yellow 
Globe, a variety that is generally cultivated in all parts of the kingdom 
year by year. This kind has again been awarded the first prize for the 
best crop of Mangel, open to all England and Wales, grown in 1893. 
Gold Tankard, which has the reputation of being the best Mangel for 
milch cows, and Crimson Tankard are prominently represented. Among 
the Swedes the most striking was Crimson King. Champion was good, 
and maintained its reputation as one of the hardiest and best Swedes for 
general cropping. Some exceedingly fine roots of Perfection Turnip, 
a new green-top hybrid, were shown. Disease-resisting Potatoes receive 
by Messrs. Sutton no less attention than roots, and on their stand there 
were twelve varieties of their own introduction, all of superb quality. 
Supreme, Windsor Castle, Triumph, Perfection, and Satisfaction being 
seen to great advantage. Educational cabinets of valuable and worth¬ 
less pasture Grasses, and agricultural seeds were on view. Messrs. 
Webb & Sons, Wordsley, also had a splendid stand of roots and cereals, 
including grand specimens of Imperial Swede, Mammoth Long Red, 
and Globe Mangel. A choice collection of Potatoes was exhibited, 
together with a fine display of Grasses and Grass seeds, many novelties, 
and other items too numerous to mention. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Wheat for Cows (A. B .').—Crushed Wheat mixed with pulped 
roots, or with roots and chaff, may be used for cows advantageously, or 
it may form part of any mixed dietary for them. Begin with half a 
gallon, mixed with other food at milking time, and let the condition and 
size of each cow be your guide as to increasing the quantity. Avoid 
using it alone, and if you have other corn such as Oats or Barley, a 
mixture is always preferable to either of them alone. Marketable value 
has come to have much influence upon this matter, and we agree with 
you that it is better to use corn for farm stock than to selL it at a 
ruinously low price. 
Thin Pasture Fresh stable manure is unsuitable for 
pasture, but if you have old manure apply at once at the rate of thirty 
cartloads to the acre. This will strengthen the growth somewhat next 
season, but it will not thicken the plant. The proper way to proceed with 
pasture thin in plant and weakly in growth, is to cart soil (road scrapings, 
old pond mud, or ditch scourings) upon it, any time during the winter, but 
preferably in February. Drop the soil in small heaps at the rate of full 
forty cartloads per acre. At the end of February sow broadcast as 
evenly as possible over the pasture 20 lbs. per acre of renovating grass 
mixture. Then spread the soil heaps, roll sufficiently to crush the soil, 
follow with a bush harrow to cover the seed and mix it with the soil. 
Then at once apply a top-dressing of 1 cwt. nitrate of soda, cwt. 
mineral superphosphate, J cwt. muriate of potash, and ^ cwt. steamed 
bone flour per acre. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
Oamdbn Square, London. 
Lat.Sl® 32' 40" N.: Loug. 0° 8' 0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
Date. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE Day. 
1893. 
November 
fTl _2 
-S g 
ao;,2 
Hygrometer. 
Direc¬ 
tion of 
Temp, 
of soil 
at 
1 foot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature 
& 
and December. 
S W c8 
w oa 03 
mam 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Wind. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
Sun. 
On 
Grass. 
Sunday .. 
26 
Inchs. 
29-605 
deg. 
46-3 
deg. 
44-8 
S.W. 
deg. 
42-2 
deg. 
47-0 
deg. 
43 2 
deg. 
51-9 
deg. 
39-2 
Inchs. 
0 091 
Monday .. 
27 
30-379 
30-3 
28-9 
W. 
41-1 
50-2 
28-1 
63-2 
26-2 
— 
Tuesday ., 
28 
30-3)7 
50-0 
48-3 
S.W. 
40-9 
53-2 
30-4 
[58-9 
28-0 
— 
Wednesday 
29 
30-319 
48-4 
45-9 
S.W. 
43-1 
50-0 
48-0 
53-1 
46-0 
— 
Thursday.. 
30 
29-941 
47-1 
45-8 
S.W. 
43-9 
50-9 
450 
58-9 
41-1 
0-230 
Friday 
1 
29-750 
35-9 
35-7 
N. 
44-2 
38-2 
35-1 
45-8 
35-8 
0-020 
Saturday .. 
2 
30-432 
26-2 
24-1 
N.E. 
41-9 
35-1 
23-2 
55-2 
23-0 
— 
30 090 
40-6 
391 
42-5 
46-4 
36-1 
53-9 
34-2 
0 341 
REMARKS. 
26th.—Oontinuous rain till 3 A.M., and from 10 a.m. to noon ; overcast and damp after¬ 
noon ; bright night. 
27th.—Fine, but slightly foggy early; generally cloudy in morning; bright sunshine irk 
afternoon, but slightly foggy after sunset. 
28th.—Pair and mild, but scarcely any sunshine. 
29th.—Overcast morning; fair afternoon but no sunshine. 
30th—Pair morning; sunshine for a couple of hours at midday, dull later. 
1st.—Almost continuous rain from 0 A.M. to 9 A.M., then drizzle and occasional flakes 
of snow till noon ; bright sun from 1 P.M. to sunset, and clear cold night. 
2nd —Almost cloudless morning; generally sunny in afternoon; clear cold night, 
A cool but variable week; sharp frost on the 2nd.—G. J. SYMONS. 
