288 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April 6, 1893. 
practical agriculturists in support of advice given entirely in 
the interests of farmers engaged in struggling with difficulties 
which may prove insuperable where cost exceeds receipts. 
Taking silage first of all, many examples could be adduced 
of the exceedingly strong prejudice of farmers, shepherds, and 
stockmen against it. The late Mr. Henry Woods, Lord Wal- 
singham’s agent, who did so much to prove the value of silage, 
tells in one of his reports how a shepherd on one of the farms in 
hand, strongly objecting to using silage, insisted, after a few 
days’ use, that it was “ regular upsetting the lambs, as he 
expected,” and that “ it would kill a lot on ’em.” Persistence in 
its use under the close supervision of a trusty bailiff answered 
BO well that the lambs were said to be superior to any on the 
neighbouring farms. Mr. W. A. Darbishire, of Nantle, Carnar¬ 
vonshire, said in the long hard winter of 1885-6 “ Silage was 
most valuable. I used it for milking cows as a change of diet) 
for yearling and two-year-old buUocks housed in a covered yard 
as their main supply of food. I got the sheep to eat it, and in 
this respect it was moat useful and handy. I have not any good 
statistics as to weight, &c, but some of its advantages are the 
quickness and handiness with which a large number of beasts 
can be foddered; no chaffing, slicing, or cooking is required, the 
food is ready and succulent whenever it is taken out, it is very 
who’esome food. Beef fed on it is like grass-fed beef as distin¬ 
guished from stall-fed.” This is the evidence of a tenant- 
farmer. 
Earl Powis said that at Puwis Castle Farm “ we preserved in 
a silo about ninety tons of green Clover and Rye Grass, put in 
uncut and weighted with stones. The contents we gave to 
dairy cows during winter, two feeds per day of silage and three 
feeds of hay. The quantity of milk was increased, the quality 
improved, and the cows kept well up in their condition.” 
From Devon Mr. Alfred Mellor of Otterhead, Honiton, 
reported the use of 120 tons of silage, of which he said, “My 
silage turned out good. I fed dairy cows on it, and increased 
my supply of milk thereby, I should say about 1 lb. more butter 
per cow per week than I should otherwise have done. Ewes and 
lambs did well on it with other food.” In Warwickshire, 
Mr. H. J. Sheldon of Brailes House, Shipston on-Stour, said, 
“At the end of last June I made a silage stack of about 16 acres 
Trifolium, with a great deal of shed Oa's in it. After Christmas 
it came out some first-class sweet ensilage. No waste, except 
about 7 or 8 inches at the outside, where it was dressed with 
salt. No mould, or any influence from the outside air, reached 
beyond that distance. I have given it, in conjunction with other 
food, to a large number of cow stock, which eat it well, and it 
does them good.” 
To these reports we may u'^efully add an extract from Dr. 
Voelcker’s report of the experiments on ensilage c'nducted by 
him at Woburn. Of Grass silage he says, “By these results it 
is shown that bullocks fed on sour Grass silage of good quality 
will fatten well, though not quite so well as when fed on a 
mixture of roots and hay chaff” And of Oat silage, “Taking 
together the results of the third and fourth experiments, it is 
clear that Oats cut green and made into silage will produce a 
very valuable feeding material, and one which in the present 
instance has proved superior to either roots and straw, chaff 
mixed, or to hay. Further, the interesting fact has been 
brought forward that such silage will, if well made, keep per¬ 
fectly good for at least two years, so that its immediate consump¬ 
tion is not imperative.” 
There is the evidence of a scientific professor, a landlord, a 
land agent, and tenant farmers in different counties. To this 
we add the testimony of Mr. John Walker, author of several 
works on agriculture. In an article rn Ensilage in “ Land” he 
says, “A great advantage in making silage is that one is quite 
independtnt of the weather. The wetter the material is when 
stacked the better, as it presses more easily wet than dry, and 
in pressure lies the chief art of making. There are many seasons 
when half the hay in the country is more or less damaged by 
rain—at least, it is so far damaged as not to make wholesome 
diet. This loss might be saved if crops were converted into 
silage instead of hay. A second advantage is that it leads to 
the practicability of again bringing stiff clay land into cultivation, 
and that to a profit. Roots cannot be grown on this kind of 
land, hence sheep and cattle run short in winter of vegetable 
diet, which they greatly need Silage proves an excellent sub- 
stitu'e for roots, and is as nutritious, weight for weight, as a 
Swedish Turnip. Therefore whole breadths of clayey arable 
land, which is unprofitable to crop in the old-fashioned way, can 
now be seeded down for one or more years, and the crops be 
mown and made into silage. Thus farmers are enabled to run 
a large flock of breeding ewes, the very best paying animals on 
the farm A third advantage is that there is not nearly the 
expense in making silage as in making hay, and this is worthy 
of especial attention now that labourers are few. The cost of 
cutting, carting, and stacking only comes to about Is. per ton, 
and from 12 to 15 tons of green material are got to the acre.” 
WOEK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Though the nights have been cold and frosty, yet bright and posi¬ 
tively hot days have brought on growth with such rapidity that Wheat 
rolling has had to be pushed on briskly. Early sown spring corn is 
now well above ground, and the sowing of mixed seed. Rye Grass, 
Clover, Sainfoin, and similar green crops is being done expeditiously in 
all free working soil. Those farmers who pay heed to the mechanical 
division of soil, as well as to autumn tillage, have now indeed the 
advantage of those who plough late, and do little or nothing towards 
soil improvement. Never was the carting of manure for Mangolds done 
more expeditiously. As fast as it is carted and spread along the 
furrows, the ridges are split, and the whole field will be quite ready for 
sowing by the middle of April. Surely no man who has once experienced 
the keen pleasure of being well forward with all seasonable work can 
ever afterwards lag behind. Depend upon it, in this, as in other things, 
it becomes very much a matter of habit. We need not dwell upon the 
attendant advantages, they are so obviously apparent. 
Pasture rich in fertility, from which live stock have been withdrawn 
all winter, is now so forward in growth that the cows go out four or 
five weeks sooner than was possible last year. The relief of this is 
great both to labour and to hayricks, and the improvement in quantity 
and quality of the milk is alike notable. Very different is the appear¬ 
ance of such well managed pasture to that which is left to chance and 
seasons. No doubt all growth of herbage is affected by seasons, but 
starved exhausted pasture is always backward in comparison with that 
which is in a high state of fertility. Mark such lessons of the seasons, 
apply their teaching to practice, and reap the reward which attends 
intelligent earnest work. 
Glad were we recently to see the west wall lof a farmhouse clothed 
with the well trained, well pruned branches of some Plum trees. They 
were in full bloom, which was well protected by sheeting rolled up by 
day and let down over a stout framework of deal scantling by night. 
All such space should be turned to account for fruit, either Plums, Pears, 
Apples, or Cherries ; preferably for Pears, which under good manage¬ 
ment are most profitable. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
Camden Square, London. 
Lat. 51° 32' 40" N.; Long. 0'^ 8' 0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet 
Date. 
9 A.M. 
In THE DAT. 
§ 
1893. 
March 
and 
April. 
Barometer 
at 32°, and 
Sea Level. 
Hygrometer. 
Direc¬ 
tion of 
Wind. 
Temp, 
of soil 
at 
1 foot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
Sun. 
On 
Grass. 
Inchs. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
lucha 
Sunday .. 26 
30-308 
44-3 
41-1 
NE. 
41-3 
59-7 
33-4 
95-0 
28-2 
— 
Monday .. 27 
31-120 
41-1 
38-9 
N.E. 
41-4 
58-2 
33-0 
90-0 
28-1 
— 
Tuesday .. 28 
30-180 
46-6 
41.4 
B. 
41-9 
59-9 
34-6 
98-0 
28-2 
— 
Wednesday 29 
30-119 
46-7 
43-4 
N. 
42-0 
64-7 
33-1 
96-7 
27-2 
— 
Thursday., 30 
30-013 
48-7 
43-4 
S.W. 
42-6 
65-4 
32-7 
101-7 
28-6 
— 
Friday .. 31 
29-892 
52-9 
45-6 
w. 
43-2 
67-6 
37-2 
103-4 
30-3 
— 
Saturday .. 1 
29-960 
48-9 
43-9 
N.E. 
43-9 
69-3 
34-8 
104 3 
30-4 
30-085 
47-0 
42 5 
42-3 
63-5 
341 
98-4 
28-7 
— 
REMARKS. 
26th.—Sun shining through thin cloud all day; lunar halo in the evening. 
27th.—Occasional cloud in the morning; almost cloudless afternoon and evening, 
28th.—Almost cloudless throughout. 
29th.—Almost cloudless throughout; lunar halo in the evening. 
30th.—Slightly foggy till 10 A.M.; sun shining through thin cloud or haze in morning 
clear afternoon and evening. 
31st.—Warm, and almost cloudless. 
1st.—Foggy till 10 i.M., then bright and hot. 
A rainless week of bright sunshine; warm days and clear cold nights. The ninth 
consecutive week with temperature above the average.—G. J. Symons. 
