46 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ July 14, 1892. 
and leading so outspoken in their opposition to efforts for the 
enlightenment of farmers ? It is simple nonsense to assert that 
farmers do not require such aid. If that were so, what need would 
there be for agiicultural colleges such as Cirencester, Aspatria and 
Downton ? It is certain that very few farmers of the present 
generation have had the benefit of such instruction as is given at 
these institutions, and that the knowledge they possess is precisely 
of the superficial character which follows mere routine, without 
inquiry into cause and effect. 
In one point only is there unity of opinion —i e., of the gravity 
of the situation — for no one at all reasonable can deny that 
farming is now a struggle for bare subsistence, or that very 
much of the land has fallen in value by considerably more than 
ons-half. The case is simply one of cause and effect. Rents for 
all corn farms have fallen so low that the purchase of land even at 
proportionately low prices is regarded as decidedly a speculative 
investment, so much so that not a week passes by without its 
record of abortive attempts to sell farms, or of sales effected at 
exceptionally low prices. Cheap corn, reduced rents, struggling 
tenants, landlords’ difficulties, mortgages, sales, residences of county 
families closed, or let, is the lamentable sequence of an agricultural 
depression that is now in its second decade. Surely, then, it is 
reasonable to inquire if any improvement from within is possible, 
to guage our practice, to seek for its weak points, and see if by 
improvement we cannot achieve better results rather than to cry 
for aid from without. It is alike vain to expect such assistance, or 
to ignore the fact of markets open to the world, of ever-growing 
facilities for ocean traffic, of imports of farm produce increasing 
in quantity and variety every year. Clearly, then, it should be 
our aim to strive for improvement both in the quality and 
quantity of home-grown produce, to accept the challenge of the 
foreign producer, and meet him at every possible point with 
samples so superior to his that a ready market and prompt sale 
at high rates become a certainty. 
This implies, in live stock breeding by selection, as is so well 
done already among horses in our Norfolk hackneys, Suffolk 
shires, and Clydesdales ; among cattle, in Red Polls, Galloways, 
Herefords, Shorthorns, Devons and other pure breeds ; in such 
sheep as Shropshires, Suffolks and Hampshire Downs ; in swine 
such as Large Whites and Middle Whites. But this is not the 
class of stock to be met with at the farm of an ordinary tenant 
farmer ; with him mongrels are the rule, anything like pedigree 
stock the exception. So, too, with his crops both on arable and 
pasture land ; they may be respectable, but seldom indeed is it that 
they approach a high standard of excellence. Much more stress is 
wont to be placed upon seasons and weather than upon high 
culture or possible improvement. There are striking exceptions in 
our best home-grown Barley and Oafs, in the fruit of Apples and 
Pears from young trees under skilful cultivation, in the factory 
butter of both English and Irish dairies, in our poultry where 
special attention is given to it as in Sussex, where there is now an 
annual turn over of some hundred thousand pounds in this business. 
Energy and intelligence tell us much in farming, perhaps more 
strikingly now than in most other things. Proud indeed were we of 
the fruit farmer whom we heard last autumn telling a Manchester 
audience how his West of England Apples had in the market of 
that enterprising city sold for much higher pi ices than the best 
imported fruits. 
We must foster a spirit of enterprise, must launch out and cater 
for the obvious growing requirements of our fast increasing popula¬ 
tion. What care consumers whether the article they require is 
foreign or English ? Only an hour or two before writing this 
article we were enjoying the hospitality of a lady, who told us she 
hid given preference to some excellent American cheese at a local 
grocer's simply because it was so superior in flavour to any home¬ 
made cheese she tasted. Is it not a disgrace that at the recent 
meeting of the “Royal” at Warwick there was no competition for 
the prizes offered for home evaporated fruits ? Much to its credit, 
the premier Society again offers similar prizes at its next meeting at 
Chester in 1893, together with prizes for whole-fruit jams, collec¬ 
tions of bottled fruits, collections of preserved fruits for dessert 
purposes, collections of preserved Peas, French Beans, Tomatoes, 
and Mushrooms for cooking purposes, cider and perry made from 
fruit grown in 1892. All these things should come now under the 
comprehensive term of farm produce, and we may well remind 
those who sneer at fruit farming that in the Enited States of 
America within the last decade a large and flourishing business has 
been built up in evaporated fruits mainly for exportation to this 
and other European countries. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Some heavy showers of rain have done much good to all growing 
crops, and no material harm to mature hay crops. There has been 
plenty of wind and sunshine to enable us to save much good hay, the 
prospect beiDg now much brighter than it was last year, so far as 
regards an abundant supply of good fodder for winter. Early root crops 
have come on so fast that the leaves are already meeting between the rows, 
and no farther hoeing will be required. Later crops flourish in the warm 
moist rich soil, growing quickly out of harm’s way, insect pes’.s never 
doing much damage in warm showery weather. 
Much of loss and disease among swine is caused by filthy stys and 
unwholesome food. Because pigs consume garbage so freely there is 
much reckless use of improper fool for them. At dairy farms a con¬ 
siderable number of pigs are reared to consume the whey and butter¬ 
milk which runs through a pipe from the dairy into a cistern where 
meal is mixed with it for the pigs. With a close fitting lid to the 
cistern, gases generated by the fermentation which often sets in after 
meal is stirred in, cannot escape freely ; the food becomes sour, unwhole¬ 
some, and dangerous, especially for young pigs. The risk of harm in 
this way is easily avoided by fixing an air pipe to the cistern, and 
mixing the meal with the whey as it is used. It is a good plan to with¬ 
draw swine from yards and stys, giving them a run in the rick yard and 
home close now, and after harvest upon stubbles. As winter Beans 
become full podded they are used for the pigs, making a wholesome and 
cheap addition to their dietary. All walls and woodwork of pig-stys 
and hovels should now have a thorough dressing with limewash, yards 
cleaned out, floors and yards repaired, drains scoured, and the whole 
place made sound and clean for autumn and winter use. 
Stubble pigs are likely to prove very profitable as prices are so high, 
and farmers who have kept up their stock of breeding sows will 
probably find a full herd of swine more profitable after harvest than an 
equal number of sheep. Prices fluctuate, low prices, especially for pigs, 
often leading to rash sales. It is better to keep a fair proportion of 
each sort of live stock, as something or other can then be had which 
goes w T ell at market, and extremes are avoided. Careful management 
and judicious feeding generally enable one to tide over market fluctua¬ 
tions ; tire chief point is to always have something good for sale, 
something to bring in the nimble ninepence rather than the slow 
shilling. 
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. 
Rain. 
1892. 
July 
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. 
Inchs, 
Sunday .. 
3 
29-761 
74-5 
63-9 
N.E. 
61-0 
31-7 
55-8 
124-2 
51-4 
— 
Monday .. 
4 
29-913 
72-3 
59-4 
S.W. 
62-1 
78-7 
59-4 
127-3 
55*9 
— 
Tuesday .. 
5 
3U-000 
623 
56-2 
S.W. 
62-9 
70-5 
52-9 
113-3 
48-4 
0-372 
W ednesday 
6 
29-958 
62-9 
54-9 
w. 
61-1 
69-0 
52-6 
125-9 
50-1 
— 
Thursday.. 
7 
29-657 
65-9 
59 2 
w. 
60-6 
71-7 
59-1 
123-3 
54 9 
— 
Friday .. 
8 
29-989 
62-9 
54-0 
S.W. 
60-4 
71-6 
50-7 
123-9 
45-6 
— 
Saturday .. 
9 
30-123 
65 4 
56-7 
S.W. 
60-5 
72-8 
50-9 
122-9 
45 6 
0-010 
29-915 
66-6 
57-8 
61-2 
73-7 
54 5 
123-0 
50-3 
0-382 
REMARKS. 
3rd.—Unbroken sunshine. 
4th.—Breezy, and cloudy at times. 
5th.—Windy and generally bright in morning; continuous rain from 3 p.m. to 
midnight. 
6th.—Brilliant early; alternate sunshine and cloud during the day ; spots of rain at 
night. 
7th.—Generally overcast in morning, with a slight shower about eleven ; sunny after¬ 
noon. S.W. gale all day. 
8th.—Fresh, breezy, and sunny. 
9th.—Sunny and warm in morning; cloudy, with one or two slight showers in 
afternoon. 
A windy and rather cloudy week. Temperature slightly above the average.—G. J. 
SYMONS. 
