130 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ Angust 11, 1887. 
men. It is, of course, understood that to a tenant farmer 
an immediate annual return upon all farm expenditure is 
a matter of vital importance. Keeping this point fully 
in view, we would earnestly recommend him to try a few 
acres of his best land in pasture. What! Put down the 
best corn land to grass? Yes, certainly, for we never 
would lay down poor land out of condition, knowing as 
we do that it answers just as well to cultivate it as highly 
for forage as for corn. It is simply owing to inferior 
cultivation—often to the entire absence of anything like 
systematic cultivation—that we see so much poor pasture, 
foul with water grass, and rushes, and often so wet that 
it will not carry sheep in winter. Never was the import¬ 
ance of high farming more apparent than in the present 
hot dry summer. Where the land is well drained either 
naturally or artificially, and is clean and fertile, there are 
abundant crops of hay, stover, roots, and corn ; the 
reverse is the case very much according to the poverty or 
otherwise faulty condition of the land. 
Take, for example, the hay crop. Under really good 
culture it was abundant enough, because the soil is kept 
so well stored with fertility that every plant in the pasture 
is in a state of robust health throughout the year. 8uch 
pasture is never really bare and brown in winter; rather 
lias it a fresh, green, vigorous appearance, so that when 
the annual dressing of chemical manure is applied to it 
in February a full strong growth and an abundant crop 
of hay can be reckoned upon with certainty. There must, 
however, be no irregular fitful use of manure, but it must 
be applied annually, and our readers may rely upon our 
assurance that the outlay upon such manures, provided 
they are obtained in a pure state separately and mixed 
at the farm, is as sound an investment as a farmer can 
make. By an annual outlay for a given quantity of nitro¬ 
gen, phosphorus, and potash of from 20s. to 30s. per acre 
he may obtain from two to ten tons of sweet wholesome 
forage per acre. Compare this with corn crops; com¬ 
pare, too, the labour required for the cultivation and 
harvesting of an acre of the heaviest hay crop with that 
involved in the culture of corn, and surely it must be 
acknowledged that a larger proportion of pasture is desir¬ 
able upon all farms. 
Heavy-land farmers whose crops are suffering from 
the effects of the drought may, we hope, be induced to 
follow our example, or ratber join us in laying down from 
a third to one-half of such land in pasture. We have 
repeatedly given our own method of doing this work, and 
wa may now usefully give that of Mr. C. Ranclell of Chad- 
bnry, which is undoubtedly characterised by simplicity 
and utility in a remarkable degree. Mr. Randell lays it 
down as a primary condition that the land be drained, 
which he wisely regards as an absolute necessity. Next 
it must be clean, especially from couch grass. Due 
attention is also given to the importance of a fine tilth 
for the seed bed; and he shows that if under such con¬ 
ditions and with favourable weather the seeds be sown 
in July, if aided by 5 cwt. of fish guano per acre, contain¬ 
ing 8 to 10 per cent, of ammonia and 35 per cent, of 
phosphates, they will be established before winter, and 
if the season prove exceptionally favourable the growth 
may require to be eaten off in September. The mixture 
used by him was 1 bushel of Cocksfoot, half bushel 
Perennial Rye Grass, 6 lbs. Cow Grass, 2 lbs. of Dutch 
Clover; the per-centage of growth guaranteed being 
Cocksfoot 40, Rye Grass 70, Cow Grass 80, and Dutch 
Clover 80. He was able to procure this mixture of seeds 
for about 15s. per acre. The reason given for feeding off 
the growth in September is the very sound one that other¬ 
wise it would be liable to injury from frost during winter. 
Folding of lambs is recommended then, but it must not 
be forgotten that many lambs in September are almost 
as big as the ewes, and we think either or both class of 
animals might be used provided they were passed over 
the new pasture so quickly that it is not eaten off too 
closely, or in other words not left absolutely bare. 
Whether the seeds are sown in July or in spring with 
a corn crop, it is certain that under good management 
an abundant crop of forage can be had in the following 
year. If this is done especial care must be taken to mow 
just as the grass comes into bloom, or to feel off by 
folding two or three times in succession, never leaving 
the sheep to wander at will upon it, and taking them off 
altogether by the end of September. 
WORK OK THE HOME FARM. 
The ewes may now be said to be really dry, though one or two have 
slightly swollen udders. This is very much prevented by making the 
process of weaning a gradual one ; first of all keeping the lamb3 away 
only in the day and letting them go back to the ewes at night, and so 
gradually withdrawing them altogether. All this involves some extra 
trouble, and some shepherds comply with orders to do it very unwill¬ 
ingly. A master must, however, before all things insist upon implicit 
obedience to a thing which he knows to be right. We always listen to 
the remonstrance of a good servant, and if he is right we tell him so, 
and commend him for speaking out. But that is a very different matter 
to the obstinate stupidity of crass ignorance. 
Foot rot in a flock is by far too common, for we know that it might 
be confined to narrow limits, if not entirely eradicated ; but to do this 
demands much perseverance on the part of the shepherd. It is the 
proud boast of one of our shepherds that he has cured his sheep of foot 
rot, and that he intends to keep them free of it in future. We have 
three other flocks all with some cases of foot rot, and we do what we 
can to induce bailiffs and shepherds to give the necessary pains and time 
to cure it. Our farms in hand are unfortunately so far apart that daily 
supervision on our part is impossible. Yet we know full well that there 
never was a case of foot rot yet that could not be cured by downright 
perseverance. There is occasionally a case that is most difficult because 
the foot is hot and swollen without any exterior wound ; frequent 
bathing and poulticing is the only remedy, and in due course a cure is 
effected; very bad cases should be isolated and have daily attention. 
First of all let any loose portion of the hoof be cut off carefully with a 
sharp knife and sure hand, then let the foot be bathed gently with warm 
water and apply G-ell’s ointment upon the affected parts, taking especial 
care to work it well up between the hoofs if any soreness is perceptible, 
Poultices should be applied daily to very sore feet, the best thing for the 
purpose being linseed meal. When changing the poultice always foment 
the foot with warm water. 
LETTER BOX. 
Poor Pasture ij. T. K .).— 1J to 2 cwt. of nitrate of Sofia per acre imme- 
di'.tely rain falls, if it falls soon, would increase the “ bite ” of grass in the 
autumn. It i3 of little use applying it in hot scorching weather. Your 
lcter will be more fully aiswered in a future issue, which will be soon 
enough for your purpose. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
CAMDEN SQUARE, LOXDO". 
Lat. 51° 32' 40" N.; L ong, 0° 8' 0" W.; Altitule, 111 feet. 
Date. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAY. 
vh 5-: 
Hygrome- 
d . 
'o 
Shade Tem- 
Radiation 
d 
1887. 
- ^ /. 
ter. 
2-- 8 
perature. 
Temperature 
d 
« 
July and August. 
d V e-J 
£ x ~ 
In 
On 
— ~ d 
Dry. Wet. 
P< *3 
C-t 
Max. 
Min. 
sun. 
grass 
Inches. 
deg deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
la. 
Sunday. 
31 
30.024 
60 4 61 *» 
N.E. 
614 
76.5 
56 9 
121.0 
51 8 
_ 
M. >nd.iy. 
1 
30.270 
65.') 57.2 
W. 
65 0 
78 5 
49 7 
128 7 
40 2 
_ 
Tuesday .. 
2 
30.270 
65.6 5...7 
Is'. 
64.7 
76.3 
51.6 
129.2 
45.2 
_ 
Vi ednesday. 
3 
3*1.392 
62.4 54.6 
E. 
64 4 
74 2 
49 8 
102 8 
45 7 
_ 
Thursday ... 
4 
30.36 i 
63.8 55.9 
E. 
63 7 
74 7 
48 6 
J09.8 
41.6 
_ 
Frid.iy . 
5 
30.246 
64 8 67.6 
K. 
63 5 
77.8 
5*1.2 
117.9 
46 6 
_ 
Satarday ... 
G 
30.124 
"US | 64.8 
E. 
64 2 
88.5 
53 8 
1263 
49 3 
— 
j 30.212 
65.6 1 58.4 
, 643 
78.1 
61.5 
1X9 4 
47 1 
— 
REMARKS. 
31st.—Fine and hot, with frequent lightning in late evening. 
1st.—Fine and pleasant throughout. 
2nd. —Fine and bright, clouding over occasionally. 
3rd.—Fine, and mostly bright though hazy. 
4th.—Fine, bright, and pleasant throughout. 
5th.—An almost cloudless summer day with pleasant breeze. 
6th.— Exceptionally bright and hot. 
The drought ctntinnes. The total fall of rain in July wa3 only 1'07 inch, and 
noue has fallen in the past week. Temperature still considerably above the av^r.ge, 
bnt nights rather cooler— Q. J. Symons. 
