JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
March 29,1894. 
o.?;o 
LESSONS OF THE DROUGHT. 
To many a farmer already struggling with difficulties did 
the great drought of 1893 bring absolute ruin; to very many 
more who are still struggling on it taught lessoni plain, 
incisive, costly—undoubtedly costly, for never did they pay 
more dearly for the stern teaching of ads^ersity than in this 
particular crisis. All whose land came under the fell influence 
of the drought suffered, but some did so much more than others, 
because of poverty of condition both in the soil of their holdings 
and in the whole of their live stock. More than this, there was 
the fact of so many dairy farmers having the whole of their 
land in permanent pasture, whereon the herbage was scanty 
throughout the year, and the hay crop practically a failure Too 
late was the folly of having nothing but poor pasture realised; 
eows and store beasts were so poor last autumn that it was only 
by a considerable outlay upon fodder and roots that they were 
kept alive during the winter. Where this could not be done 
tolerably well losses among cattle have been heavy. Only last 
week were we told of twelve beasts dying in one parish within 
the week, and we have no doubt the roll of such losses would 
mount up to hundreds if anything like a check upon them were 
possible. 
The lessons of the drought are not new ones, rather should 
we regard them as giving point and force to matters patent to 
every thoughtful person. They showed the true importance of 
pasture cultivation, of live stock selection, of mixed farming ; 
also the folly of extremes, such as having all the land down to 
permanent pasture, or all of it arable. They showed, too, that 
for farming to pay now, not only must cultivation be thorough, 
bnt it must be so applied that farm produce may be of the best, 
and consist of things upon which a profit is still possible. 
Of the land laid down to permanent pasture some twelve or 
fourteen years ago, the cultivation of much of it has been faulty 
from the beginning. Corn growing had ceased to be profitable, 
therefore the land “ went out of cultivation,” for that was the 
term applied to land laid down to pasture. The term was as 
misleading as it was deplorable. It might have applied had the 
land gone out of occupation, but though rents came down 
tenants were still found for the farms, and we have always held 
that if it was worth while hiring land at all it was surely 
desirable to do one’s best with it. 
To pay rent for land, and then to leave it so uncared for as 
to become the sport of seasons good, bad, or indifferent, is 
surely to court failure. It was land so neglected that the 
drought told upon with such severity that there never was a 
full bite of herbage, and the hay crop failed so much that one 
of the midland tenants, holding a farm of about 200 acres, has 
spent some hundreds of pounds this winter in the purchase of 
sufficient food to keep his stock alive. Imported hay, oat 
straw, and roots have been purchased to make good the 
deficiency in home-made hay. At that farm there has been no 
systematic pasture cultivation ; much of the land was sown 
without a thought of drainage or preparation of any sort beyond 
ploughing and sowing. Subsequently there was no sheep fold¬ 
ing, no use of chemical manures. The soil was obviously low 
in fertility, growth in the spring was always late, and last spr ng 
and summer there never was anything like free growth. of 
herbage at all. Had the soil been well drained, and so well fed 
that fertility was fully sustained, growth of herbage would 
have been so forward when the drought came, that though the 
hay crop might have been a bit short, it would have been there 
as it was elsewhere—a fair crop of sufficient abundance for 
home requirements. 
Often have we said that a farm must be self-supporting, 
must produce its own hay and all other fool required by the 
live stock. Better convert corn and fodder into milk, butter, 
cheese, pork, poultry to be sold at a profit, than produce such 
food and sell it at a loss. It may be thought that this sort of 
teaching is returning to first principles with a vengeance, but 
it is necessary. Long have we striven to induce dairy farmers 
to see how much to their interest mixed farming iS; how they 
should have enough land under the plough to afford a full 
supply of corn, roots, and fodder for home requirements. 
Many of those we have tried to help told us last autumn how 
the drought had brought conviction to them that we were 
right. Can it be said, under the circumstances, that the British 
farmer is the practical man he claims to be ? Will he apply 
the lessons of the drought ? It will in many an instance not 
be an easy matter to do so, especially where occupiers are opposed 
by restricted covenants, and means are strained by poverty of 
live stock and heavy purchases of food. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM, 
Though we have not seen much of the proverbial bushel of dust 
this March the weather on the whole has been favourable for work on 
the land, and preparations for Mangold and Carrot sowing are well 
advanced. See that for Mangolds and early Swedes the farmyard 
manure is no mere scattering along the furrows, but is thick enough to 
ensure ample moisture for the roots of the joung plants. Better is it 
to do this well for a moderate area than for one beyond our means. 
Abundance of nitrogenous manure is what the Mangold revels in ; it may 
be applied in two dressings, part in the furrows before sowing and part 
upon the surface during the early stages of growth. Rather light land 
is generally preferred for Carrots, but by sowing somewhat late in April 
we have had excellent crops on a deep and rather heavy loam. It is 
certainly an advantage to have sufficient Carrots for use the last three 
months of the year before turning to the Mangolds; an acre or two 
usually suffices for farm requirements, but where hunters and carriage 
horses have to be taken into account due provision must be made 
for them. 
Wherever Lucerne will answer, say in all porous, deep, well-drained 
soil, there should be enough of it near the homestead for supplying 
horses and cattle. Never was it more useful than during the drought 
of last year, its deep-rooting habit enabling it to yield crop after crop 
of nutritious green fodder, while the herbage of pasture was so scanty. 
It yields four heavy crops each year, and if drilled wide enough to 
allow of the free use of a horse hoe it continues useful for many 
years. The quantity of seed required for drilling an acre is 16 lbs. 
Do not forget how valuable a sowing or two of spring Tares is, 
either for sheep in folds, or for use out on pasture or in yard racks. 
Giant Sainfoin gives two big crops a year on good land and is one of 
the most valuable fodder crops for grazing or for hay. It should be 
sown now on clean land in drills, and is worthy of the best land we can 
spare for it. We have often sown it in the husk, but prefer milled 
seed, .66 lbs. to an acre, because of its freedom from burnet. Do not 
overlook the value of many other green crops, and take care to have 
enough of them to well cover all possible requirements. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
Camden Square. London. 
Lat.Sl® 32'40’' N.: Long. 0“^ 8'0" W.; Altitude. Ill feet 
Date. 
9 A.M. 
In the Day. 
Rain. 
1894. 
M-irch. 
1 Barometer 
1 at32‘',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 
30-334 
38-2 
36-2 
S.W. 
40-7 
50-2 
30-6 
76-9 
23-2 
— 
Monday .. 
19 
30-336 
35-2 
35-1 
N. 
39-7 
55-1 
29-3 
91-6 
2-2-6 
— 
Tuesday ., 
20 
30-303 
48-4 
46-.4 
N. 
40-9 
54-2 
36-1 
76 1 
31-9 
— 
Wednesday 
21 
30-272 
45-8 
42-9 
B. 
4T9 
57-1 
39-7 
97-6 
28-8 
— 
Thursday.. 
22 
30-389 
43-1 
41-9 
N.E. 
42-5 
48-8 
3S-9 
64-1 
31-7 
— 
Friday 
23 
0-500 
40-8 
40-6 
N.E. 
42-4 
56-4 
37-2 
93-0 
29-6 
— 
Saturday .. 
24 
30-399 
40-6 
40-4 
Calm 
42-8 
58-6 
35-5 
97-1 
28-4 
— 
30-362 
41-7 
40-6 
41-6 
64-3 
35-3 
85-2 
28-0 
— 
REMAEKS. 
18th —Sun shining through slight fog till 11.30 A.M., and bright after ; slight fog again 
in evening. 
19th.—Slight fog or mist early ; sunny morning; cloudy afternoon and evening. 
20th.—Fair with occasional gleams of sunshine early, and after 3 P.M.; very gloomy 
at noon 
21st —Brieht mild day ; clear night. 
22ad.—Overcast day. with occasional gleams of sunshine in afternoon ; fine evening. 
23rd —Overcast morning: bright afternoon and night. 
24th.— Overcast and dull morning; bright sunshine in afternoon ; clear evening. 
A fine vveeh, the early part cool, afterwards temperature above the average. No 
rain.—G. J. SVMOKS, 
