100 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
February 1, 1894. 
has brought conviction oE the urgent need for immediate 
reform both in the crop and stock of such holdings. For all 
graziers having nothing but poor pasture and poor stock the 
situation is indeed critical. No roots, straw, Cabbage, Kale, or 
silage, and very little hay ; straw up to £4 15s. and £5 per 
ton; Canadian bay, £6 lOs.; stover, £8; and meadow hay, £8 10s. 
per ton. 
Stock-feeding under such conditions h'ss on hundreds of 
holdings fallen to the scattering on pasture of a few handfu’s of 
oat straw daily, and the condition of both cows and store cattle 
is so low that losses from exhaustion mount up daily. The mild 
weather has been greatly in favour of the stock, but if we have 
a cold wet February there will be a fearful bill of mortality 
Bare drought-stricken pisture afforded so little food to the poor 
beasts last summer and autumn that they were in wretched 
plight at the beginning of winter; so many died outright during 
the brief spell of cold weather in the first week of January that 
it is certain a recurrence of it during the next few weeks would 
cause even more serious losses. The condition of yearlings is 
especially deplorable. We saw many of them so weak as to be 
hardly able to walk ; they were cowering under any available 
sbelter, such as a hedge or the side of a building, but always 
out in the open. There was really very little to choose between 
them and the cows, and we were not at all surprised to hear of 
the sale of a cow for 35s., and of three others at £2 apiece. To 
purchase such animals at all was upon the face of it a rash pro¬ 
ceeding, but horns, hide, tal'ow, and bones possess a certain 
value. There is always a market for them, and that no doubt 
was their destination. 
To the long drought of last year is this lamentable crisis in 
dairy farming attributable, say the farmers. It is true that the 
drought brought the crisis, but it neither made the pastures 
poor nor the stock inferior. Both faults had been in existence 
ever since the land was laid down to grass, as had also that 
other mistake of laying every aci’e down to permanent pasture. 
Therein lay the risk ; it has always been in evidence, and 
though the dairy farmer’s position is more serious than 
heretofore it is by no means the first time he has been in 
difficulties from drought; it has been just a matter of degrees 
recording to its season and duration. He has been practically 
for many years on the verge of tuch difficulties, if not of 
ruin, making no effort so to improve his pasture, to mod fy 
his practice in the management of land and live stock, as to 
add to his prosperity and to combat adverse seasons 
successfully. 
If he would do better in future with the land now is the 
time to begin, and we advise him not to attempt too much 
at once. First of all consider carefully what amount o: 
corn, straw, roots, and green crops other than permanent 
pasture is required, and for this rest content with ploughing 
a suitable portion of the pasture with a deep furrow well 
turned. Sow this entirely with Black Tartarian Oats, not 
drilled, but bioadcast. Sow with the Oats cwt. nitrat 
of soda, 2 cwt. superphosphate, and 3 cwt. of salt ; harrow 
seed and manure well in with light harrows, taking especial 
care not to pull over the sods. This will afford an ample store 
of corn and straw for another winter, and the following season 
the land could be apportioned for other crops as well as corn. 
Just think of it! Never was green Maize more useful; in 
deep rich soil it made growth of marvellous vigour ; sown 
early in June, germination and the upspringing of the plants 
followed quickly, and the crop was ready to begin upon much 
sooner than usual. Would not grass farmers liked to have 
carted some of it out upon their bare pastures ? Let them 
resolve to do so, also to follow the Maize with Cabbage and 
Thousand-headed Kale, to have a moderate number of roots, 
to have a few acres of mixed seeds or Italian Rye Grass, 
Lucerne, Tares, Sainfoin, any or all of them either to use 
green or for ensilage. Then for early use in the spring there 
should always be an ample supply of Rye, nor should the 
special value of Winter Oats be forgotten. These are the 
crops that enter into a scheme of mixed dairy farming. In 
conjunction with them we must have permanent pasture 
under thorough cultivation, to which our next article will be 
devoted. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
During frosty weather do not allow pregnant ewes or those with 
lambs to have either roots or Cabbages. Many a valuable ewe has been 
lost through eating frozen roots and green food. Shepherds often have 
an erroneous idea that such fare is necessary for the promotion of a free 
flow of milk. It is really a wholesome change of diet which may be 
dispensed with at any time if only plenty of nutritious dry food is used, 
such as crushed oats, bran, and chaff, with Pea straw uncut in the 
racks. As the lambs begin eating, let them have some Makinder’s lamb 
food in troughs which the ewes cannot get at if you would have them 
strong or fat early. This attention to food is of the utmost importance, 
and remember that frozen food is not only hurtful to the ewes, but it 
affects their milk so much as frequently to cause diarrhoea in the lambs, 
which carries them off quickly. 
The mild weather has caused the Rye to grow so fast that, at a 
pinch, we might have folds upon it for ewes and lambs at once. This is 
unnecessary, and it will be much more useful for the flock later on. It 
is, nevertheless, quite worth while having such a useful auxiliary green 
crop to turn to at will. The weather has also been favourable for cows 
and store cattle. We always feed well, as being true economy in stock 
management. But during severe weather extra care is required for 
beasts in open yards; in covered yards the influence of changes of 
weather are felt much less. Calves and yearlings are kept in warm snug 
quarters, never going out at all during the winter. With due care in 
feeding they thrive apace, have no tendency to husk, and always in 
sleek condition. We insi t upon clean ccats, which is easily managed by 
daily attention. Dry filth on the coats of cattle, young or old, is an 
outcome of carelessness which must not be let pass unnoticed. A good 
cowman or stockman is as careful of the appearance of the animals 
under his charge as he is of his own dress, and cleanliness always tends 
to promote health. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Feeding- Poultry (^E. II .').—Variety in the bill of fare is the secret 
of successful poultry keeping. For breakfast ring the changes on the 
following soft foods which are all good : Spratts, oatmeal, barleymeal, 
Liverine and pollards; scald these with boiling water into a stiff 
crumbly mass and give hot. Instead of cayenne a pinch of ordinary 
black pepper will do the fowls good in very cold W'eather, say twice 
or thrice a week. Before they go to roost give a feed of hard grain, 
such as wheat, oats and barley alternately, with now and then a feed 
of sound French buckwheat. If the birds are in confined runs they 
should have at mid-day a supply of fresh sweet green food. Any scraps 
left from the table should be chopped up finely and mixed with soft food 
for breakfast. Give only at each meal as much as the birds eat up 
greedily. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
Oamdex Square, London. 
Lat.Sl® 32'40" N.; Long. 0° 8/ 0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
Date. 
9 A.M, 
In the Day. 
d 
'3 
A 
1894. 
January. 
1 Barometer 
1 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 
Grass. 
Inchs. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
Inchs. 
Sunday .. 
21 
29-968 
42-4 
40-9 
S.W. 
42-0 
48-7 
39-0 
53-8 
34-0 
0-012 
Monday ., 
22 
29-612 
46-7 
45-2 
S. 
42-1 
47-7 
42-4 
52-8 
38-9 
0-341 
Tuesday .. 
23 
29-798 
33-9 
32-0 
N. 
41-4 
39-9 
31-9 
69-9 
27-2 
_ 
Wednesday 
24 
30-224 
28-2 
27-3 
S.B. 
39-1 
47-0 
24-1 
58-9 
18-8 
0-053 
Thursday.. 
25 
29-904 
46-7 
46-1 
S.W. 
39-1 
48-2 
28-1 
5 -4 
24-0 
0-281 
Friday 
26 
29-670 
37-9 
35-9 
N.W. 
40-9 
49-2 
37-1 
72-9 
33 2 
0-010 
Saturday .. 
27 
29-789 
48-9 
45-9 
S.W. 
40-1 
52-0 
37-2 
76-8 
31-1 
C-1L2 
2S-852 
40-7 
39-0 
40-7 
47-5 
34-3 
62-2 
29-6 
0-799 
REMARKS. 
21st.—Fine morning -with some sunshine ; generally overcast after. 
22nd.—Dull early; continuous rain from 10.30 A.M. to 6 p.lt.; overcast evening. 
23rd.—Almost cloudless throughout, except for about half an hour at 3 P.M. 
24th.—Bright 8un^hine till noon; fair afternoon and evening. 
25th.—Rain between 4 and 6 A.M ; overcast and drizzly aU morning ; rain from 2 P.M. 
to 4 P.M., and damp and showery till midnight. 
2Cth.—Showers early; unbroken sunshine throughout the day; a little cloud in 
evening, and showers at 11 P M. 
27th.—Sunshine alternating with sprinkles of rain throughout the day ; heavy shower 
at 10 P.M. 
Although rain fell on six days out of the seven, there was much bright sunshine 
and pleasant weather. Temper.ature above the average.—G. J. S-PMONS. 
