274 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ September 22, 1892. 
exclamation of a worthy old farmer last spring when the prices 
offered for his store cattle were less than he had given for them 
a year before. What to do, and how to do it, is the enigma in 
farming which many a man fails to solve at all, and yet the 
way to achieve successful reform seems plain enough. 
Landlords generally have reduced rents very much. Unfor¬ 
tunately this has not been a voluntary concession, but it has been 
done under a threat to leave, actual notice, or bankruptcy of 
tenants. There has been very little of graceful concession on 
the one hand, and grateful acceptance on the other. A lament¬ 
able feeling of antagonism has grown up, not altogether from 
hard times, but from bard measures and injudicious treatment, 
even in the good times. Then rents went up because tenants 
were so prosperous, and a host of applicants were after every 
vacant farm. They subsequently fell with the price of Wheat, 
till many a farm has been let for half, or even two-thirds, the 
rent that it made twelve or fourteen years ago. If with such 
reductions there had been an equally radical and sensible change 
in the farmer’s management of his affairs, farms everywhere 
ought still to answer. 
One of the pioneers in the immigration of northern farmers 
to Essex has said distinctly that there is great room for 
improvement with a large proportion of fa r mers. Thrift, com¬ 
bined with energetic action, the presence of the master’s hand 
and eye being felt everywhere and in everything on the farm, 
is necessary. He tells of a large farm in hand on wlrch two 
tenants had become bankrupt. A Scotchman hired it at a 
reduction of 25 per cent, on the former rent. His failure was con¬ 
fidently predicted by his new neighbours. On the contrary, he 
made 8 per cent, interest on his money the first year, and from 
12 to 15 per cent, per annum upwards ; but then he reduced the 
arable area from 350 acres to 90 by laying down the remainder 
to temporary pasture. Instead of the fourteen men formerly in 
constant employment upon the farm, six men, with two lads 
and two women, were sufficient except for the haymaking and 
harvest. The Wheat acreage wis reduced from 100 acres to 10 or 
15 acres, and the number of horses from twenty-one to six. A 
dairy of seventy cows was started, bare fallowing was done away 
with, the land wis kept clean by roots, or by growing heavy 
crops to smother the weeds. The reform proved entirely 
successful, owing, as the report sets forth, to “ a more energetic 
handling of workmen and better planning of work, while the 
judicious change in the style of farming rendered fewer men and 
horses necessary.” 
Said another able farmer “ I farm to live, and live I will. I 
get a profit, and intend doing so. What grieves me is that I can¬ 
not do it in the old style.” The books at this farm show an 
annual curtailment in expenditure upon rert, rates, labour, 
feeding stuffs, and manures of £1357 12s. 9d. as compared with 
what was spent—and spent profitably too—twenty years ago. 
This was a midland farmer who wisely resolved to face the 
situation and stick to his farm; he was able to do so bv a 
reduction of nearly £350 in rent and rates, and his own energetic 
action in changing his method of farming. 
When the depression had got agriculture thoroughly in its 
grip Essex was the county which suffered most. Hundreds of 
corn farms became vacant there, and land fell so much in value 
that it could be bought outright for £10 or £12 an acre. But 
now it is turned to by northern farmers as a veritable Land of 
Goshen, where profitable farming is yet possible. How this is 
so we have shown. Last year, we are told, nearly a hundred 
more Scotch farmers went with their Ayrshire milkers, and their 
great broad-chested, raw-boned laddies to seek their fortunes in 
Essex. Some East Lancashire farmers have been established 
there in farms for some time, and we now hear of others who 
contemplate leaving high rented farms in North and West 
Lancashire for Essex farms, which can be had at 14s. or 15s. 
per acre tithe free. Of the Lancashire farmers who settled in 
Essex three years ago it is said that though none of them have 
made their fortunes, they have proved migration to be an ex¬ 
periment worth trying. It may be so, but much depends upon the 
farmers as well as upon land and rents. In a “ manifesto ” just 
issued on behalf of the Lancashire Tenant Farmers’ Association 
from the central offices at Preston, they say “ We are, and have 
been for some time, suffering from difficulties which can be 
removed by reasonable concessions on the part of the landowners 
and their agents, and by ameliorative legislation.” Landlords 
and the legislature may very naturally in turn ask, And what 
have you done, what are you doing yourselves to meet the diffi¬ 
culty ? fs the dairy farming in Lancashire still managed in the 
old way? Is there any real improvement in the management of 
dairies, pasture, or cows? Is the average milk yield what it 
should be, or is there any real effort at improvement in the 
selection or breeding of cows ? 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
A recent journey northwards enabled us to see that most of the corn- 
was carted south of Northampton, and much of it is now in stack even 
in the north midlands. Many of the stubbles seemed exceptionally 
clean. Ploughs were at work on some, but nothing like brisk systematic 
autumn tillage was visible anywhere on the land. Yet the weather has 
been most favourable for such work, and we greatly regret that it is not 
more generally turned to account. Most of the Wheat has been carted 
in excellent condition. Some of the Barley has lost colour from heavy 
rain, but good samples are certain to be plentiful, with some decline in 
price when the season is in full swing once more. Bean stubbles have 
been very foul with weeds, the crop of Beans is inferior in yield, and 
the plant was so thin that it is practically a failure. Weeds became 
rampant after the growth of the Beans was so high that hoeing was out 
of the question. There is no doubt that thick seeding to smother weeds 
is sound practice. Thin seeding and repeated hoeings were all very well 
when Wheat sold at 50s. per quarter, but it will not answer now with 
Wheat at 80s. or considerably less. 
We have much land now in course of preparation for fruit farming, 
so as to be ready for the planting early in September. Some small plots 
are being drained and trenched ; others extending over several acres 
are being broken up by the steam cultivator, which does the work, 
thoroughly, and at a much cheaper rate than the trenching. No manure 
has been used, but before the planting a surface dressing of muriate of 
potash, bone flour, and superphosphate will be applied to the entire 
surface and be worked in with planting tools where plantations are 
being made; for orchard trees the manure will be worked into the 
stations. This is much cheaper, and far more efficient than farmyard or 
stable manure, which is so expensive to cart, and is often of doubtful 
benefit. The use of manure at all in planting depends altogether upon 
the condition of the land. Sound fertile soil needs no manure at the 
planting, an excess of stimulants inducing rampant growth, which ripens- 
badly, and is not satisfactory. 
It is obvious that judgment and caution are required in this work 
if the best results are to be had. Among these quick returns are 
certainly a prominent factor; they can only be had by careful 
preparation, timely and judicious planting, and subsequent skilful 
management. 
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. 
1892. 
September. 
o ^ 73 
d ci ^ 
do j 
Hygrometer. 
Direc¬ 
tion of 
Temp, 
of soil 
at 
1 foot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature 
a 
*c8 
p 00 ce 
33 cC C/J 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Wind. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
Sun. 
On 
Grass. 
Sunday .. 11 
Inchs. 
30T13 
deg. 
59-8 
deg. 
55-3 
S. 
deg. 
56-6 
deg. 
66-4 
deg. 
50-6 
deg. 
93-7 
deg. 
43-9 
Inchs.. 
Monday .. 12 
30-137 
63-2 
59-1 
W. 
57-0 
70-4 
56-9 
102-9 
50-4 
_ 
Tuesday .. 13 
29-799 
64-2 
58-8 
S.W. 
57-9 
71-4 
58-9 
115-6 
51-7 
_ 
Wednesday 14 
30-176 
55.1 
51-2 
s.w. 
57-9 
67-0 
44-3 
110-0 
36-3 
_ 
Thursday.. 15 
30-101 
58-7 
54-8 
S.W. 
57-2 
68-4 
47 2 
112-7 
37-4 
_ 
Friday .. 16 
29-771 
65-3 
60-2 
s.w. 
56-9 
71-3 
51-6 
113-6 
43-1 
0-024- 
Saturday .. 17 
30-205 
52-7 
466 
w. 
56-8 
62-2 
46-7 
104-6 
39-3 
30-043 
59-9 
55 1 
57-2 
68-2 
509 
107-6 
43-2 
0 024 
REMARKS. 
11th.—Generally overcast, but occasional gleams of sun. 
12th.—Overcast morning; sunny afternoon, with solar halo. 
13th. Generally overcast, with occasional gleams of sun in morning ; hot sun in- 
afternoon. 
t Slmn y morning ; occasional cloud in afternoon, bright night. 
15th. Overcast early; almost continuous bright sunshine after 9 a.m. 
16tli. Frequent ^sunshine in morning; rain about 1.30 P.M., bright sunshine after 
17th.—Cloudless almost throughout. 
An almost rainless week, with much bright sunsliine. Temperature above the. 
average.— G. J. Symons. 
