510 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
June 6, 1896. 
GRAZING. 
June, the luontli of rapid growtbj ■wlioii tlie herbage of our 
pastures is most abundant, succulent, and nutritious ; the month 
when store cattle especially are “ fed to profit,” and grazing 
land—literally pasture—is turned to full account. This surely 
is the best time—the best month of the whole twelve which fill 
the eye e of each year—for a lesson in pasture management. 
Results of timely and thorough cultivation are before us—the 
benefit of an annual spring dressing of manure, of winter sheep 
folding, of all that goes to sustain fertility of soil, to promote a 
full and early growth of pasture herbage is now apparent, and 
we do well to endeavour to grasp its full significance. 
What head of stock will it carry ? is very naturally the test 
of practical men. Shall we ever be able to answer “ a bullock 
to the acre ” of pasture generally ? Certainly we ought to do 
so of all pasture under correct systematic cultivation, because 
experience wide and long has shown how entirely possible it is 
to bring pasture up to such a standard of excellence- It may 
be thought that anything like precision in this matter is 
impossible; but we are bound to say that with the exception 
of severe drought, there is nothing in our climate to prevent 
the free growth of herbage in all good pasture. 
Under the present conditions of pasture mismanagement 
and negligence the growth is very much the sport of weather, 
growth generally being so much dependent upon rainfa’l that 
stock-placing with precision is impossible. This fact had much 
weight with us in buying cattle recently for some pasture in 
hand, which we well knew has not had a full dressing of 
manure for many years—perhaps never since it was laid down 
to pasture. Looking squarely at the situation, we decided to 
buy only a limited number of such store cattle as in size, age, 
and condition might tairly be expected to go off the pasture in 
autumn—some sooner, some later, ripe for the butcher. 
We also resolved that the area reserved for haymaking 
should be indefinite, depending entirely on the weather during 
May and the first fortnight in June, our aim being to finish 
the bullocks well, and to turn what grass could be spared 
into hay. A dressing of chemical manure, given as soon as 
possible after the pasture came in hand, should help the grazing, 
the hay crop, and also the aftermath. 
Anything but an easy matter has it been to obtain the class 
of animal we required at a price on which some profit seemed 
possible in the end. The first herd we regarded as being rather 
a bargain, as we got them for £14 10s. ap’ece. For the second 
and larger number we gave £17 15s. apiece, the price asked 
being £18 10s. These were large framed beasts in their third 
year in fairly fleshy condition, quite calculated to be off our 
hands early next autumn, especially as we intend giving them a 
moderate quantity of Waterloo round feeding cake at once. 
This is a compound cake to which we give preference for two 
reasons, the first being its rapid fattening quality, and the- 
second that it cannot well be used wastefully owing to its being 
so easily digested. In contrast to this, it is well known that 
cattle can only assimilate a very moderate quantity of pure 
linseed cake. 
It will be understood that the whole thing is to be regarded 
in the light of an emergency, apart from ordinary practice, just 
a farm in hand to be made the best of for awhile, and then 
handed over in good C3nditionto as able a tenant as can be had 
for it. Should a similar thing happen next year we shall be 
prepared with a good store of Oats to be crushed and used for 
the beasts instead of the cake. This is not a small matter, as 
now, at the best, our cake bill must prove a heavy item for the 
thirty-tw’o large steers we have. It is true enough there were 
plenty of younger ones to be had, but they, too, were high in 
price, proportionately much higher than older ones, and then the 
condition of most of them was so deplorable. 
It is undoubtedly the purchase of such starveling store 
cattle that does so much harm to already impoverished farmers. 
How frequently do we hear of purchased cattle being kept for a 
year and then sold at a positive loss. Buy cattle on which 
a profit is possible, or do not have any at all. It is not 
enough to say there is so much grass that we must have stock; 
not a single head of stock should be taken to a farm for a 
result so speculative that a loss on the transaction is practi¬ 
cally a certainty. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Rye Grass and mixed seeds are being mown for hay. Both are a heavy 
crop, and if the hay is well saved, as there is reason to expect it will be, 
it will afford some excellent horse fodder. There is plenty of green 
food now, such as Lucerne, Sainfoin, and Trifolium incarnatum, for all 
kinds of stock. Lambs are now folded on Sainfoin, as we regret to say 
winter Tares are rather scarce, but fond as we are of Tares, we desire no 
sounder or more nourishing green food for the lambs than Sainfoin. 
The advantage of most of these crops, both for green food and fodder, is 
BO great that we regard most of them as indispensable even on a dairy 
farm. In bulk o'' crop, in high nutrition, and in general utility, they 
are alike excelle '. 
Green Maize b another fodder crop that is now being sown, either on 
very rich land or with a liberal dressing of chemical manure. Do not 
forget the absolute necessity for watching the Maize field during every 
hour of daylight till the plant is up and growing freely. When ready 
for use it is so really invaluable, coming in as it does in August, when 
pastures are bare and brown, and continuing useful till the first sharp 
frost. The fact that a crop of 30 tons an acre of it is quite possible 
shows that we should not mind a little extra expense in watching and 
cultivating it at the outset. 
It is quite probable that the scarcity of chickens and ducklings now 
will lead to a much more general use of incubators and foster mothers 
next season. With this we advise greater attention to an adequate 
provision of snug winter quarters for the whole of the fowls to insure 
plenty of eggs both in winter and early spring. As old hens cease laying 
a bit later on destroy all at all unhealthy, and either send to the stock 
pot or sell all others. See that ducklings have a dry floor, with clean 
dry straw at night, or there may be serious losses from cramp. 
Look over the pigeon stock, and make any changes or additions now 
in view of a plentiful supply for household requirements ; also have two 
or three broods of guinea fowls, as they come in for the table at a time 
when little game can be had ; they are then much in request. 
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. 
& 
1895. 
May and June. 
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. 
In 
Sun. 
On 
Q-ras8. 
Inohs. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
Inchs. 
Sunday .. 
26 
30-212 
59-4 
55-0 
N.W. 
56-4 
75-1 
48-1 
117-0 
46-2 
— 
Monday .. 
27 
30 397 
57-8 
54-3 
N. 
67-1 
73-0 
50-0 
107-1 
44-9 
— 
Tuesday .. 
28 
30-336 
54-1 
49-4 
N. 
57-6 
68-7 
45 1 
109-7 
41-0 
— 
Wednesday 
29 
30-163 
55-2 
51-9 
N. 
57 7 
77-9 
46-1 
112-2 
43-0 
— 
Thursday., 
30 
29-910 
71 9 
62-3 
N. 
58-6 
B6-2 
49-3 
12-i-9 
42-2 
0-108 
Friday 
31 
29-841 
61-3 
59 1 
S.W. 
60-9 
73-4 
60-3 
120-0 
66-0 
— 
Saturday .. 
1 
29-821 
bfl 
58 0 
N. 
60-9 
68-4 
55-1 
98-0 
47-7 
0-031 
30097 
60-5 
65-7 
68-5 
74-7 
60-6 
113-3 
45-9 
0-139 
REMARKS. 
26tli.—Sunny throughout, but a little hazy at times. 
27th.—White mist early, sunny from 9 a.M. 
28th.—Bright sunshine throughout. 
29th.—Misty early; bright sunny day. 
30th.—Hot, rather close, and generally sunny, but cloudy about noon; distant lightning 
from 9 p.M, to 11 P.M. 
31st.—Rain between 2 A.M. and 4 A.M., overcast early ; frequent sunshine after 9.30 A.M., 
and brilliant afternoon; lunar halo in evening. 
1st.—Overcast, gloomy, and showery till 10 A.M., occasional sunshine later; slight 
shower between 4 and 6 P.M. 
The heat of Thursday the 30th was quite exceptional, and has only once been 
exceeded in May for half a century—viz, on May 19th, 1868, when the maximum was 
87'6°, or 1'4° higher.—6. J. Symons 
