284 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ September 7, 1893. 
of persistent cleaning. Cropping in anything like the regular 
fashion was out of the question. Ploughs, harrows, horse hoes, 
cultiva^^ors, hand forks, and hand-picking were all brought into 
action. Couch fires were set going whenever it was possible, 
much rubbish was carted to heaps and so burnt; by the autumn 
we had some fair crops of Mangolds and Swedes, and the whole 
of the land was cleaner and more thoroughly tilled than it had 
been for many a day. No very close computation of the actual 
cost was ever gone into. It had to be done, we had several 
other farms in hand, and were able to spare horses and 
implements from them occasionally to get through what was 
nothing else than estate improvement. 
It is by no means intended to infer that work thus done 
was at all thorough and complete. That was impossible. 
Thistles would be coming from seed for some time subsequently. 
Worse than Thistles was the Charlock, of which a fresh crop 
follows every ploughing for years after land is once infested 
with it. Its seed appears to retain vitality for an indefinite 
period, in all kinds of soil. A meadow which bad been laid down 
to grass for some ten or twelve years was drained last winter; 
this summer hundreds of plants of Charlock sprung up over the 
drains. In dealing with this pest the only safe plan is to destroy 
every young plant of it upon its first appearance on a farm; 
once suffer it to mature a crop of seed and its eradication is 
practically impossible. Much may be done to reduce it by 
stirring the land repeatedly in autumn after harvest, just 
waiting long enough each time for the plants to appear, and 
then shallow ploughing or even horse-hoeing at once. The 
present autumn is most favourable for this and every form of 
cleaning ; not a chance for autumn tillage should be lost, every¬ 
thing else that can be kept in abeyance for it should be. On 
light land much of the Charlock plant may be destroyed among 
spring corn by a light harrowing after the corn is well up. 
This is a critical operation, requiring care and judgment, or 
the corn suffers. Best of all, for a field foul with Charlock, is 
to bring it under a six-years course, so that five years out of 
the six it is in temporary pasture. By using Grasses of vigorous 
growth, with Clovers in well balanced proportion, and by 
keeping soil fertility fully sustained, the seeds are very produc¬ 
tive, and the disheartening and costly contest with the Charlock 
is avoided. Here is the mixture which has been found to 
answer so well in Essex for such pasture :— 
Ibp. 
Perennial Rye Grass. 13 
Italian Eye Grass . 5 
Cocksfoot . .5 
Timothy . 3 
Meadow Foxtail . 2 
Red Clover (broad). 3 
Perennial Clover (broad) . 3 
White Clover. 2 
Alsike Clover. 2 
Trefoil (or Lucerne). 2 
Total quantity per acre.40 
On the other hand, when pasture is very foul with Knap¬ 
weed, Ox-eye, Buttercup, and Yellow Rattle it may become 
necessary to pare and burn the sod to get rid of the pests. 
Under good management there is no reason why the land may 
not then be broken up and relaid down to pasture with a co'n 
crop. Cows will touch none of such weeds, but they may and 
do eat unwholesome plants which do harm to the milk. Pro¬ 
fessor McConnell has recently, in the “ Agricultural Gazette,” 
called attention to an instance of this at Ta*ny Hall, Epping, 
where, in skilful hands, great difficulty has been found all the 
summer in getting the butter to come. His explanation is so 
clear and withal so important that we quote it:—“ The excessive 
drought had rendered it necessary to give the cows access to 
land which had always hitherto been mowed for hay, and it 
was noticed that a plant similar to Parsley or Dwarf Hemlock 
was growing in a portion of this. The cowman recalled to 
mind that an old herbalist had told him that this plant would 
prevent the butter from coming, and it was resolved to try the 
effec's of shutting the animals out of the parts so affected. 
The effect was almost immediate, as in a week or so the cream 
had come back to its normal characteristics. The plant proved 
on examination to be the Pepper Saxifrage (Silaus pratensis), 
an umbellifer, and in some of the ‘ Floras ’ it is noted as 
stopping the milk if eaten in a large quantity, and of tainting 
it if a small quantity is consumed. But it is noticeable that 
it is not mentioned in any dairy work known ta me, while the 
harm that it d es may be enormous. In this case it affected 
the milk of some seventeen cows all summer in such a way that 
there was an immense loss of butter, which would not ‘come,’ 
and, therefore, was lost in the buttermilk. There was nothing 
of the nature of a smell or taint, for the butter was first-class- 
af er it was made; but the p’ant seemed to affect the cream 
globules in such a way as to prevent them from uniting.” 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Poultry require special attention just now in preparation for winter, 
and next spring also. As the egg supply falls off, and moulting is likely 
to commence, old hens must be got rid of. The term is appropriate, for 
if sold they bring about a shilling apiece ; exceptionally good hens may 
be worth twice or three times as much, but anything like a profit on 
them is out of the question. The best purpose the home farmer can 
turn them to is to send them to the stock-pot, beginning this as they 
cease laying. A word of caution is necessary in this matter to the 
person in charge of the poultry, that none but perfectly healthy hens 
are so used. Twice in our experience has soup been spoiled by a taint 
from unhealthy old hens, heedlessly sent to the kitchen with the foolish 
notion that anything does for the stockpot. A good home farmer makes 
a point of seeing that all farm produce sent to the kitchen is sound, 
sweet, and wholesome. But he cannot always be on the spot, and cooks 
will send at all hours for articles unordered at the proper time. So far 
as is possible let the bulk of the household supply be sent in early in 
the day, a second regular journey being made after the afternoon 
milking. Send up the order-book with the morning delivery, and while 
quietly striving to enforce systematic action, avoid friction. Remember 
before all things to keep the promotion of your employer’s comfort and 
convenience in view, and take especial care always to have a surplus 
supply of everything—no light matter this, but entirely possible. It 
implies no waste, because all surplus produce can be sold, dealers being 
only too eager to purchase the excellent produce of a well-managed 
home farm. 
Select pullets from March, April, and May broods for supplying 
winter eggs, as well as for eggs next spring and summer. Take care to 
have enough to insure a full supply ; keep them apart from the chickens 
kept for killing for table, so that no valuable birds are killed by mistake. 
If other breeds or more young birds of any sort are to be purchased now 
is an excellent time to procure them. There are always plenty offered 
for sale in the advertisements in “ Poultry,” and we have reason for 
entire satisfaction with chickens through that agency. Select also stock 
birds of other poultry, especially geese and turkeys. As turkey poults 
come in for table they are much in request, the best birds being killed 
first, hence the importance of timely selection. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
OXMDEN Square, London. 
Lat.51° 32'40" N.: Loa?.0“8'0" W.: Altitude. HI feet. 
Date. 
9 A.M. 
In the Day. 
Bain, 
1893. 
August and 
Septem ber. 
1 Barometer 
at 32'^, and 
1 Sea Level. 
Hygrometer. 
Direc¬ 
tion of 
Wind. 
Temp, 
of soil 
at 
1 foot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
I;In, 
Sun. 
Oa 
Grass. 
Inchs. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
Inchs. 
Sunday ,. 
27 
30-144 
60-4 
54-8 
W. 
61-7 
64 9 
47-7 
95-1 
43-2 
0-040 
Monday .. 
28 
30-279 
58-9 
54-4 
N.E. 
60-6 
71-0 
47-8 
115-9 
43-7 
_ 
Tuesday .. 
29 
30-386 
60’1 
53-2 
K.E. 
69-9 
72-0 
44-8 
115-0 
39-0 
_ 
Wednesday 
30 
30-177 
60-3 
56-4 
S.B. 
60-9 
76-6 
57-1 
119-8 
52-1 
Thursday.. 
31 
-.9-980 
61-1 
58-2 
S.W. 
61-7 
73-7 
55-0 
117-7 
51-2 
0-195 
Friday 
1 
30-044 
58-2 
57-1 
E. 
62-0 
67-2 
55-4 
83-6 
55-8 
_ 
Saturday .. 
2 
30-112 
63-3 
58-4 
W. 
61-4 
72-4 
58-1 
1.0-8 
54 6 
— 
30-153 
60-3 
56-1 
61-2 
71-1 
52-3 
109-7 
48*5 
0-235 
REMARKS. 
27th.—Fine and bright up to 4 P.M., then rain ; fine after. 
28th.—Dull early with gleams of sun during the morning; bright 1.30 to 3 P.M., then 
dull to 5 P.M. ; rest of the day fine. 
29th.—Bright and sunny throughout; fine night. 
30th.—Overcast in morning; sun at 10.30 to 2 ; then overcast, with some sun at times 
during afternoon ; fine night. 
31st.—Spots of rain and dark at 9 A.M. ; bright sun at 9.45 and till 5 P.M. ; then over¬ 
cast and spots of rain at 5.25 P.M. ; fine evening. 
1st.—Rain early (2.30 A.M.), dull at 9 A.M., and throughout until 5.15 ; then sunny ; 
fine night. 
2nd.—Dull early; bright sun at 9.45 ; fine and bright after; fine night. 
Another generally fine week ; temperature falling slightly, but still a trifle above the 
average.—G. J. Symons. 
