8 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ December 8, 1892. 
consumption now and onwards till spring. Large hogs are also 
coming in now for the annual supply of bacon, and where a 
large number of flitches are required it is well to begin the 
pickling in good time. We always prefer smoked bacon, and 
as a general rule keep the bacon a month in pickle and a month 
in the smoke, taking care to use non-resinous wood, such as 
oak or beech, in the smoking house. 
If mild-flavoured bacon is wanted it can be supplied during 
the winter by curtailing the time of salt'ng and smok'ng, but we 
strongly advise home farmers not to attempt supplying mild 
cured bacon for summer, because of the risk of loss from the 
half cured flitches becoming putrid. All bacon, therefore, for 
use in the summer must be well salted and dried ; it must also 
be protected from flies and be kept in a cool dry room. Hams 
should be placed in paper bags for the smoking, and be 
frequently examined for flies or maggot in the bacon room. 
Very seldom indeed do we meet with a fine-flavoured ham, which 
is a very different thing to the ordinary ham pickled in brine. 
Here is the recipe which we published some years ago in the 
Journal of Horticulture :—For a ham of 20 lbs. take 2 lbs. of 
common salt, 3 ozs. saltpetre, 3 ozs. bay salt, 3 ozs. shallots, 1 oz. 
coriander seed, 1 oz. juniper berries, 4 lbs. treacle, j lb. beef suet- 
With these ingredients make enough pickle to cover the ham’ 
turn it every day for a month, then smoke for another month, 
when it should be ready for use at once, or it may be kept for a 
year suspended from a hook in the bacon room. The delicious 
flavour of hams so cured is indeed a revelation to those who 
taste them for the first time, and we cordially commend the 
recipe to the notice of new readers of the Journal. 
Breeding should go steadily on the year round from the time 
young sows are six months old. Never keep large heavy sows; 
they consume enormous quantities of food, become unwieldy) 
crush many of their progeny to death, and are altogether 
undesirable. They fatten readily enough, command a good 
price, and should always be sold. The period of gestation is 
sixteen weeks, so that it is an easy and quick affair to raise a 
large stock of pigs, and under good management they contribute 
materially to the profits of dairy farming, perhaps more so now 
than they have done for a long time. Cheap corn mixed with 
milk is the food to promote a healthy quick growth. Pigs of all 
kinds are much in request, and a considerable surplus over home 
requirements is now most desirable, both of porkers for market 
and store pigs of six or eight weeks old. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Tenants of small dairy farms do not keep enough heavy horses for 
carting much beyond milk and fodder. It has therefore been a boon for 
them to have the yards and surroundings of their homesteads regravelled 
by the landlord. With this work the yard drains have a'so been 
examined and repaired, unsound roofs made waterproof, interiors of cow 
hovels, piggeries, and stables whitewashed, woodwork of rough buildings 
tarred, and of superior buildings painted. Fences and gates have also 
been repaired or renewed. New hovels for cattle are in course of 
erection out on pasture as well as near yards. For such buildings 
preference is given to corrugated iron sheeting for the roofs and side?, 
which rest on a few courses of brickwork, with iron piers and bracings. 
The feeding manger, or “ foost,’’ as it is called in the Midlands, is of 
brickwork ; the floor is also of brick paving, which is certainly not so 
slippery as cement concrete ; but the latter is the more cleanly. These 
corrugated iron buildings have curved roofs, aie low, compact, yet 
fairly commodious, and are well ventilated ; they are the speciality of a 
Liverpool firm, and we are much pleased with them. 
Each hovel opens into a yard enclosed by a fence of the corrugated 
sheeting securely fastened to a stout frame, which makes a thoroughly 
snug enclosure for cows or store cattle, which have thus shelter from 
both wind and rain. The promise of these hovels led to the building of 
hayricks close by in anticipation of winter requirements. With hay 
already up to £6 per ton, there are anxious forebodings of food diffi¬ 
culties if the winter proves long and severe. The new hovels and yards 
will certainly aid economy in feeding, as exhaustion and loss of tissue 
from exposure is at an end among the stock. Condition will be more 
easily sustained, and the food turned to better account than of yore. 
Such a short supply of hay is a reminder of the folly of not having 
a few acres of every dairy farm under the plough. Rye, Rye Grass, 
Clover, Lucerne, mixed seeds, Sainfoin, green Maize, Cattle Cabbige, 
Thousand-headed Kale, root crops, and, above all perhaps, some Oats, 
and Oat straw would all be available then. The farmer who has three 
or four large Oat stacks now need have little anxiety about small hay¬ 
ricks or a long hard winter, provided he has been so prudent as to keep 
the number of his live stock well within bounds. 
ROOT AND SEED STANDS AT THE SMITHFIELD 
SHOW. 
The stands of roots and seeds at the Smithfield Cattle Show, which 
opened on Monday, December 5tb, at the Agricultural Hall, Islington, were 
this year quite up to their usual standard. The Swedes and Mangel 
Wurtzel were especially fine, whilst in some cases Potatoes and garden 
root crops were well represented. Apples, too, in one or two instances 
were noticeable; though considering that fruit growing is now recognised 
as a panacea for agricultural depression, fruit was not so extensively 
exhibited as might have been the case. 
Amongst other stands, that of Messrs. Sutton & Sons, Reading, made 
a most imposing display. Here we found Mangels, Swedes, and other 
roots in splendid condition. The Swedes and Mangels were arranged in 
collections, the varieties being Crimson Tankard, Intermediate, Oxbearfc 
Yellow, of Mangel, and of Swedes Crimson King and Champion were 
staged. The roots of all were remarkably clean and well grown. 
Messrs. Sutton also had a dozen varieties of their disease-resisting 
Potatoes, conspicuous among them being Windsor Castle, Satisfaction, 
Abundance, and Triumph. Cabinets of grass and agricultural seeds 
were also well represented in this stand. It may be of interest to 
mention that two of Messrs. Sutton’s customers (Mr. R. H. Major, 
Langley, Slough, and Mr. E. Hobbs, Sonning) won two 20-guinea cups, 
which were exhibited on the stand. 
Near the stand of the last named firm that of Messrs. J. Carter 
and Co., High Holborn, was situated. This, also, made a grand display, 
a splendid exhibit of Elephant Swede being most noteworthy. This is a 
stupendous root of a clean appearance. The Mangels were likewise 
particularly fine, the best being Warden, Yellow Globe, Golden Inter¬ 
mediate, Mammoth Long Red, and Improved Golden Tankard. The 
disease-resisting Potatoes shown by Messrs. Carter & Co. also attracted 
more than a passing noUce, the tubers being clean, large, and of perfect 
symmetry. Growing examples of Carter’s grass seed for laying down land 
for permanent pasture were likewise exhibited. 
The stand of Messrs. E. Webb & Sons, Stourbridge, also deserves 
special mention. This was well arranged. Webbs’ new Swede, 
“ Giant King,” was exceedingly fine, the roots of this being of a large 
size and excellent shape. Potatoes were also well shown by this firm, Stour¬ 
bridge Glory, a new main-crop kidney variety, being exceptionally 
good. Wordsley Pride, a second early kidney variety, was likewise 
noticeable, and the same may be said of other varieties. Seeds of various 
kinds were well represented in this exhibit. 
Messrs. Dicksons (Limited), Chester, had a stand of natural Grasses 
and Apples, the latter being well grown and brightly coloured. Among 
other varieties Golden Noble, Mere de Manage, Blenheim Orange, 
Lord Derby, Cellini, and New Bess Pool were most noticeable. Messrs. 
Harrison and Sons, Leicester, had a stand of roots, comprising 
Swedes, &c., in grand condition. Vegetables were shown by this firm, 
including Potatoes, Beet, Onions, Early Milan Turnip, and Carrots. 
Seeds were also well represented. 
Messrs. J. Cheal & Sons, Crawley, were represented by a stand of 
roots, seeds, and a few dishes of Apples. The latter attracted consider¬ 
able attention, the samples shown being large and brightly coloured. 
Messrs. Jarman & Co , Chard, made a display of roots, vegetables, and 
seeds, the Onions and Carrots being excellent. 
There were, as usual, a large number of implements, and amongst 
others the stand of Messrs. Ransomes, Sims, & Jefferies, Ipswich, 
was noticeable. 
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. 
November and 
December. 
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 .. 
27 
30-395 
45-2 
43-2 
N.W. 
43-8 
49-3 
40-9 
67-2 
337 
— 
Monday .. 
28 
3 1-473 
47-1 
457 
W. 
43-5 
50-2 
41-0 
52-9 
33-0 
— 
Tuesday .. 
29 
30-124 
50-0 
475 
s.w. 
44-3 
53-0 
46-6 
55-1 
42-1 
C-047 
Wednesday 
30 
30-153 
37-6 
35-4 
w. 
43-9 
436 
35-6 
68-4 
30-9 
— 
Thursday.. 
1 
30-023 
40-3 
38-6 
w. 
41-8 
50-0 
333 
50-3 
28-9 
0-440 
Friday 
2 
30-167 
32'6 
32-2 
S.E. 
41-9 
42-2 
31-2 
491 
27-2 
0-088 
Saturday .. 
3 
29-6.6 
42-2 
42-2 
N.E. 
40-7 
50-6 
32-0 
533 
29-8 
0-123 
30-143 
42-1 
40'7 
42-8 
48-4 
372 
56-6 
32-2 
0-698 
REMARKS. 
27th.—Fine and sunny almost throughout. 
28th.—Overcast all day, fair evening. 
29th.—Overcast morning ; wet from 2 P.M. to 5 p.M.; bright night. 
30th.—Unbroken sunshine from sunrise to sunset; cloudless night. 
1st.—Overcast early ; incessant rain from 11 a.m. to 6.30 p.M., dull and drizzly after. 
2nd.—Unbroken sunshine throughout; lunar halo in evening ; rain at night. 
3rd.—Dull, foggy and drizzle early ; steady rain from 10.45 a.m. to noon ; some sun in 
afternoon and rain again at night. 
An average week as regards temperature, with bright sun on some days; rain above 
average.—G. J. SYMONS. 
