82 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
January 25, 1894. 
view of siiccessfnl competition in our own markets with the 
foreign producer. 
Are we taking full advantage of cheap foreign corn ? It 
would certainly appear that we are trying to do so. The foreign 
pig trade is practically dead, grinding Barley came to us in 
larger quantities than ever, yet with plenty of cheap food the 
high price of home-bred pigs was well sustained. In our article 
last week on fattening poultry we clearly indicated the possibility 
of an enormous extension of that trade, and cheap foreign 
Barley might well come into it with advantage. Why not, 
indeed P The use of ground Oats for fattening poultry and 
pigs in Sussex is a mere outcome of local custom and nothing 
else. Bring the two meals to the test of analysis, and there is 
practically no difference. In barleymeal we have of albumi¬ 
noids 14 0, of carbo-hydrates 63’0; in oatmeal, albuminoids 
12 7, and carbo-hydrates 62 0. In Kent and East Anglia there 
are plenty of farmers who have never heard of using ground 
Oats for fattening pigs or poultry. Sharps—a kind of coarse 
meal, or rather fine bran—is used for store pigs ; for fattening 
barleymeal is always used. Oats or Barley then, it matters 
not which, either or both in mixture; the point is cheap corn, 
and if foreign farmers can supply us with it at cheaper rates 
than we can produce it, let us use it by all means to our 
advantage. 
There can be no doubt about a general preference for home 
produce when it can be had. The best Wiltshire and Waterford 
bacon commands the highest price in the London market, and is 
sold exclusively by the leading metropolitan provision merchants. 
Surrey and Sussex chickens have special market quotations and 
special prices. Dorset butter is held in high repute. The 
gradation in the price of eggs is equally remarkable, the best 
foreign eggs being now sold at Is. 6d. per dozen, Irish eggs at 
Is. 9d., and English eggs at 2s. per dozen. At Christmas we 
saw new-laid eggs priced at 3s. a dozen. Last year there was 
a falling off of one and a half million cwts. of bacon and hams 
from the highest consignments imported in former years. This 
may be only momentary, the special method of curing Wilt¬ 
shire bacon being as well understood in the colonies as it is in 
Wiltshire itself; but it is certainly an incentive to try hard 
for a large increase in the amount of the best home-cured 
bacon this year. Another and more general incentive to action 
is the fact that for imports of farm produce last year we paid 
£7,371,861 less than in 1892, and £10,109,567 less than in 
1891. Generally this saving was due to a x’eduction in bulk, 
yet it must not be forgotten that last year importations of 
frozen mutton, butter, condensed milk. Barley, and vegetables 
were higher than they have ever been, and though we had less 
foreign eggs than in 1892, the number was greatly in excess of 
that of 1891. The cost to the country for foreign eggs last 
year was £3,875,639. 
Surely with corn so cheap we ought to produce more eggs, 
more poultry, bacon, hams, and lard. When corn was high in 
price most of the land was devoted to its cultivation, now that 
Wheat has fallen never to rise again, except in case of war, 
farming of a more mixed character has become possible and 
desirable. Let us produce more and more of all the produce 
which comes under the comprehensive scope of dairy farming, 
more fruit and vegetables, paying less heed to instances of 
failure, through some farmers having a glut of Potatoes, or 
others not being able to sell their inferior Apples at a profit. 
For produce of the best, and only of the best, there is always 
a fair market. To obtain such produce there must be close 
attention to detail, a thorough comprehension of every point 
of practice, an awakening from mere sluggish habit and custom 
to intelligent observance of that which is essential in breeding 
and rearing, in soil tillage, planting, and sowing. A noble 
band of pioneers is doing this already, to the profit of every 
member of it, and for the benefit of the entire community. 
To it is the turning of the tide due. Its members are 
not in any particular district, but are scattered about 
throughout the length and breadth of the land. They spend 
largely on manure and labour ; they gather abundantly too, 
and we intend in other articles to tell something of their 
practice and its results. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
In “ Poultry ” of January 12fch a correspondent says, " At the 
present time from twenty pullets, April hatched, 1 am getting from forty- 
five to fifty eggs per week ; and why 1 because I give them soft hot food 
— i.e., hot with fire, and also with cayenne—on tfi^e cold frosty morn¬ 
ings.” We hope this quotation in support of our advice will induce 
particular attention to the selection of plenty of spring birds for winter 
eggs this season. The best plan is to have them in two batches—the 
first from March hatchings, to come into laying in September or early 
in October, when the old hens are moulting. Many of the March 
pullets only continue laying for a short time, and then moult ; the 
April birds follow, and keep up the supply. This is a seasonable hint, 
as February will soon be here, and bearing in mind that the eggs are 
three weeks in incubation arrangements must be made forthwith if 
you would have plenty of new-laid eggs next winter. We cordially 
recommend all our readers who are able to try it to do so, and can 
assure them there is really nothing speculative about it. It is just a 
question of painstaking effort, Pray do not forget to allow a wide 
margin for failure of eggs, losses among the chickens, weak birds, and 
cockerels. Better have some to eat or sell than not enough to select 
from. 
Make every effort to keep up condition among store cattle. In a 
winter of such general scarcity of food high prices are a temptation to 
sell hay, straw, and roots. Happy is the man who has a stack or two of 
prime hay to spare. We recently made an inspection of a home farm 
where there were six hayricks—one in cut, and the other five, at a 
moderate computation, were worth £1000, probably £300 or £400 
more. There were ample stores also of home-grown corn and roots for 
200 head of cows, and store cattle in the enjoyment of such perfect 
shelter and judicious management as we seldom meet with. Mixed food 
consisting of chaffed hay, sliced roots, and crushed corn was in use. 
In a case of such exceptional abundance the use of hay was justifiable. 
Most farmers think themselves fortunate if they have plenty of straw 
this winter. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Pickle for Hams (^Novice'). —Yes, bruise the shallots and chop 
fine the suet. Cold water answers perfectly. Turn the hams frequently 
in the pickle. When taken out of the pickle at the end of the month 
put each ham in a stout paper bag before sending it to be smoked. Saw¬ 
dust or wood used for the chimney or smoking room should be of oak, 
beech, or similar wood, avoiding pine or fir wood and such sawdust. 
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. 
1894. 
January. 
1 Barometer 
at 32°, and 
1 Sea Level. 
Hygrometer. 
Direc¬ 
tion of 
Temp, 
of soil 
at 
1 foot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature 
d 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Wind. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
Sun. 
On 
G-rass. 
Sunday .. 14 
Inchs. 
29-all 
deg. 
41-8 
deg. 
41-8 
N.B. 
deg. 
39'3 
deg. 
44-9 
deg. 
41-4 
deg. 
44-9 
deg. 
37-0 
Inchs. 
0-296 
Monday .. 15 
30-076 
38-4 
38-1 
W. 
39-9 
47-0 
37*8 
62-1 
33-9 
0-135 
Tuesday .. 16 
29-904 
44-8 
44-2 
W. 
40-2 
50-7 
38-1 
66-9 
34-7 
0-010 
Wednesday 17 
29-660 
49-9 
48-9 
S. 
41-9 
51-8 
44-4 
66-6 
41-9 
0-118 
Thursday.. 18 
29-498 
44-9 
43-9 
w. 
42-2 
49-1 
43-4 
73-9 
38-0 
Friday .. 19 
29-963 
40-2 
39-5 
w. 
41-7 
49-7 
36-1 
67-6 
33 0 
0-110 
Saturday .. 20 
29-591 
47-8 
44-9 
s.w. 
42-1 
49*6 
4 -1 
73-0 
36-6 
0’046 
29-786 
44-0 
43-0 
41-0 
49-0 
40-2 
63-6 
36-4 
0-715 
REMARKS. 
14th.—Gloomy all day; heavy rain from 8 a.M. to 11 A.M., and drizzle all morning; 
rain again at night. 
15th.—Rain tili 3 A.M. ; bright sun from 8.30 till 10 A.M., then cloudy to 1 P.M., but 
generally sunny in afternoon; clouded over at 6 P.M. followed by showers, and 
heavy rain from 8.15 p.m. to 10 p.M. 
IGch.—Fine and generally sunny in morning; overcast and damp in afternoon and 
evening. 
17th.—Dull and damp early; showers about 9.45 A.M., overcast morning; bright sun at 
1.30 p.m.; steady rain from 2.30 P.M. to 5.30 P.M.; fine evening. Lunar halo 
from 6 P M. to midnight. 
18th.—Fine and generally sunny till 2.30 P.M., slight showers from 3 P.M. to 3.30 p.m., 
almost cloudless again by 4.30 P.M.; fine evening. 
19th.—Fine and generally sunny in morning; overcast afternoon and evening, with 
occasional drizzle. 
20th.—Raining in small hours; fair after 7 A.M., bright sun from 10 A.M. to nearly noon, 
heavy shower at 0.20 P.M., then generally overcast. 
A warm, dull, damp week —G. J. SYMONS. 
