176 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
March 1,1894. 
and thorough tillage. Knowing that what may be termed the 
natural potash of such soils is there in the form of an insoluble 
silicate of potash combined with other silicates, and that it is only 
by the action of atmospheric agencies that it is very slowly 
rendei’ed soluble and available for plant food, we take care to 
give them thorough autumn tillage, to see that nothing is 
wanting in drainage, mechanical division, deep tillage, ridging, 
and thorough exposure in the winter, so that there is an ample 
store of free potash pi’epared for the spring sown crop by 
natural agencies. Here is one more potent reason for autumn 
tillage: break up the soil quickly after harvest, clean it, leave it 
with a rough open surface, so that frost, snow, wind, rain, air, 
and sunshine may all exercise a beneficent influence upon it. 
See what is lost by the sluggish farmer who, always behindhand 
with his work, leaves his heavy land unploughed all the winter! 
The sodden inert soil is only ploughed to sow, without a thought* 
or rather in entire ignorance of what has been lost for want of 
autumn tillage. It is not for such men that we write, but for 
the earnest, intelligent workers, ever striving for improvement, 
and who realise the profit to themselves of combining practice 
with science. 
Even under the best system of tillage it is quite possible to 
have a deficiency of potash, because of the considerable quantity 
of it that is absorbed by crops generally, and the extraordinary 
amount required by others. It is so important that this should 
be clearly understood that we quote the following table from 
Warrington’s “ Chemistry of the Farm — 
17 tons of Turnips with their tops 
14 
n 
Swedes 
22 
Mangolds 
» 
6 
Potatoes 
t) 
H 
>> 
Meadow hay 
2 
Red Clover hay 
30 bushels 
Beans with straw 
30 
Wheat 
)) 
40 
Barley 
45 
Oats 
J) 
abstract 149 lbs. of potash per acre. 
)> 
80 
J) 
301 
M 
80 
51 
>> 
83 
5 ) 
67 
•> 
n 
)) 
29 
J) 
36 
)) 
n 
46 
>> 
These figures may be taken to represent the ordinary yield per 
acre of each crop; when extraordinary crops are taken it is 
obvious that there is a proportionate absorption of potash. In 
either case it appears advisable to include a moderate quantity 
of potash in our manure mixtures to make due provision for the 
next crop of a mineral that forms quite one-third of plant ash. 
Of this manure, as well as the other essentials, we would there¬ 
fore strongly urge the importance of a sufficient annual dressing, 
so that nothing may be wanting in Nature’s storehouse—the 
Boil—for the sustenance of the crops growing in it. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Taking the end of February as the best time for applying the annual 
dressing of chemical manure to permanent pasture generally, due care 
must be taken not to use it where there is any risk of floods on low lying 
meadows from the overflow of rivers or brooks running through them. 
There is much flood water out in the Midlands just now, and it would 
be obviously unwise to venture upon the use of manorial salts on such 
land without due precaution. Fortunately it is so naturally fertile that 
little, if any, manure is required. No time must be lost in using the 
manure on hill farms, and on all sound pasture safe from flood. Let it 
be clearly understood that some manure must be used annually at this 
season of the year if we would have an early and free growth of herbage. 
The necessary outlay of £1 or so per acre every year may strike the 
beginner as a serious addition to the rent, but let him not hesitate to 
do it, and if only he obtains genuine manures, and uses them early, 
in good time for them to be dissolved and washed into the soil wherein 
are the roots, he will find it one of the best investments he ever 
mad e. 
The one difficulty is to obtain pure manures at reasonable rates. 
Frequently are we asked about the prices charged for them in different 
localities. We may say here that not only ought prices not to have an 
upward tendency, or really to fluctuate much, but nitrogen ought to 
become cheaper. It is matter for congratulation that our home supply 
of it as sulphate of ammonia is increasing annually with great rapidity. 
From 40 000 tons in 1870 it has now grown to an annual output of 
nearly 200,000 tons, the sources being gas works, shale oil works, iron 
works, coke ovens, and carbonising works. This is considerably in 
excess of the quantity of nitrate of soda imported, and its tendency 
ought to be to cheapen both forms of nitrogen for the soil, and when 
ordering chemical manures obtain enough nitrate of soda or sulphate 
of ammonia to have some at hand for a top-dressing to any growing 
crop which it may be desirable to help during the spring or summer. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Manure for Pasture (T. C. C .').—A dressing of manure must be 
applied every year to have sustained fertility of soil, free growth of 
herbage the year round (according to season), and a crop of increas¬ 
ing bulk. There is undoubtedly in the autumn a residue of fertility in 
the soil from this source, but it is insufficient to ensure either a full hay 
crop or an abundant aftermath. Give a full dressing now, and if next 
February the fresh green appearance of the pasture tells you plainly, 
as it will do, of some plant food remaining in the soil, then reduce the 
quantity of manure by one-fourth or one-third, as may seem safe. We 
have invariably found liberality about pasture manure remunerative, if 
only it is applied sufficiently early in the season for the salts to be 
dissolved and washed into the soil about the roots. We give the end of 
February as the best general time, but we should always be guided by 
local rainfall. Now as te your prices. The quotations for nitrate of 
soda and bonemeal are fair, for mineral superphosphate high, and for 
muriate of potash exorbitant. There is no fluctuation in the supply 
of this salt; a fair cash price for it on 80 per cent, purity is from £8 
to £9 per ton—say £9 as a little beyond the mark, add something for 
sale by hundredweight, and you will then see that 15s. 6d. is 
preposterous. 
Keeping Hams and Bacon. —If your correspondent (“ W. H. B.,” 
page 158) cannot get his hams and bacon smoked, even at some distance 
from his home (which I should recommend), then let him, having 
thoroughly dried his hams and bacon, sew them up in coarse linen 
bags and then give the bags a coat of whitewash, and I do not think he 
will find either weevils or flies troubling them ; if smoked the same plan 
should be adopted.—C. D. 
Low Price op Corn. —Last week the average price of English 
Wheat broke the record, for it fell to 243. 5d. per quarter. No average 
BO low as this has been registered since the passing of Sir Robert Peel’s 
Corn Bill in 1846, nor if we trace prices back for a century can we find 
a parallel to it. The quantity of Wheat returned as sold at the statutory 
markets last week was only 44,769 qrs, as compared with an average of 
67,500 qrs. in the corresponding week of the four preceding years, so 
that a falling price has coincided with a diminishing supply. Moreover, 
as the figure of 243. 5d. is an average, it follows that last week some 
quantity of English Wheat must have changed hands at less than this 
price. In the previous week at Ely, Cambridgeshire, the average was 
only 22s. lid., and it cannot be doubted that at several provincial 
markets last week the price of native Wheat was less than 3s. a bushel. 
Though some of last season’s crop was of superb quality, as denoted by 
high weight per bushel, there was also harvested a considerable quantity 
of inferior corn, the marketing of which has probably had some effect in 
bringing about the depreciation in average prices which has been 
continually in progress since last year’s closing average of 26s. 6d. The 
lowest weekly average price which had been recorded previous to that 
now under notice was 243. 8d. for the week ended March 25th, 1893 ; 
the current average is 3d. per quarter below this. It is difficult to find 
any substantial argument against the likelihood of a further decline in 
the value of our bread cereal, but the return from the United States 
Department of Agriculture, due to be issued at Washington on the 
10th prox, is awaited with much interest, as there are grounds for 
supposing that the reserves of American Wheat which will then be 
announced will prove to be unusually low, and perhaps unpre¬ 
cedentedly so. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
Oamden Square, London. 
Lat.51° 32'40" N.; Long. 0° 8' 0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
Date. 
9 A.M. 
In the Day. 
Bain. 
1 
1894. 
February. 
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 
Grass. 
Inchs. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
Inchs. 
Sunday .. 
18 
30-35 ^ 
3fa-l 
31-8 
N.E. 
40-7 
37-9 
3.^‘4 
69-8 
30-0 
— 
Monday .. 
19 
30-562 
30-2 
30-0 
E. 
39 2 
37-8 
23 3 
68-1 
18-0 
— 
Tuesday .. 
20 
30-491 
28-7 
28-2 
N.B. 
38-1 
39'o 
24-1 
69 9 
19-4 
— 
Wednesday 
21 
30-349 
29-6 
28-3 
N.K. 
37-2 
39-1 
24-8 
66-8 
19-0 
— 
Thursday .. 
22 
30-361 
30-3 
29-7 
N.B. 
36-9 
39-8 
23-9 
62-7 
18-2 
— 
Friday 
23 
30-049 
31-4 
30-2 
S.W. 
36-2 
44-7 
26-9 
55 9 
23-4 
0-253 
Saturday .. 
24 
29-679 
38 9 
38-4 
W. 
36-0 
49-1 
31-2 
86-0 
291 
— 
30-264 
32-0 
3:-9 
37-8 
41-1 
26-8 
63-5 
22-4 
0-253 
REMARKS. 
18th.—Unbroken sunshine throughout. 
19th.—Sharp frost early ; bright sunshine from sunrise to sunset, and brilliant night. 
20th.—Unbroken sunshine throughout the day ; bright night. 
21st.—Bright sun all day, and cloudless night. 
22nd.—Overcast early ; bright sun from 9 a.M. to 1 P.M., cloudy at times after. 
23rd.—Sun shining through ha.TC, and thin cloud all morning and occasionally In 
afternoon. 
24th.—Overcast early, bright sun from 10 A.M.; bright night. 
A cold week, but not nearly so severe as the first week in January.—G, J. SYMONS. 
