198 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND vOTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ September 1, 1887. 
often termed catch crops, as though they were the out - 
■come of chance, of a fitful opportunity—something stolen 
from the soil, and not a regular or legitimate crop; yet 
there never was a season when such crops were not wanted, 
and they are certainly worthy of a place in the regular 
routine of farm crops every year. To take them in the 
order of sowing, we should sow White Mustard and Rape 
at once for a supply of late autumn food, and the Cattle 
Cabbage sown in seed beds early in August should be 
transplanted as fast as the land can be got ready for 
them, for they will afford an invaluable supply of green 
food early next summer, which in its season is almost as 
useful as that sown early last spring and now in use. A 
few hours before sitting down to write this article we saw 
some excellent practice on the farm of a wealthy yeoman, 
and among other signs of sound practice were two covered 
cattle yards well stocked with a herd of polled SufFolks 
in the enjoyment of perfect shelter and care. They are 
never turned out to graze on pasture, but are fed in the 
yards on a mixed diet, which now consists principally of 
chaff and Cabbage. Other green food is used in season, 
so as to impart a wholesome change to the dietary, while 
the cattle ai’e never exposed to inclement weather and are 
not worried by flies. Cattle so cared for encounter none 
of the trying vicissitudes which the wretched animals 
purchased at fairs and markets have to undei’go. They 
never lose their calf byi’e, but are always in superlative 
condition during an existence that is a virtual embodi¬ 
ment of true economy in its avoidance of waste of tissue, 
and therefore of time and money. In twenty months, or 
at most in two years, they are ripe for the butcher; and 
although the early development may seem to partake 
somewhat of a high pressure system, it is in reality not so. 
We have seen young cattle forced into a gross plethoric 
condition by the injudicious use of corn, cake, and linseed, 
that heavy losses from quarter eviChave followed; but by 
a regular and judicious use of green food all risk of such 
loss is avoided. 
Winter Tares sown in September and October follow 
the Rye Grass in spring. We are not particular as what 
crop winter Tares are sown after, but we try to have them 
in a well drained or upland field in sound fertile soil. 
We like to continue folding the ewes and late lambs on 
Tares after they have taken late Turnips, Rye and Rye 
Grass, Lucerne or Sainfoin. There should also be an 
abundant supply of Tares for horses and cattle, not only 
from crops sown in autumn, but also from successional 
crops of spring Tares. This would appear so self-evident 
that mention of it is uncalled for; but we regret to say 
that by far too little attention is given to the due provision 
of such crops, and yet they may be had in the heat of 
summer when pastures are’burnt and parched, if only 
sowings are made frequently enough to maintain a full 
supply. In southern counties they should not be sown 
till the end of September or beginning of October, for if 
sown earlier growth is apt to become so forward as to 
suffer from cold and wet during winter. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Now is tlie time when more and better work can be done in cleaning 
tae land than at any other period of the year. Not a day should be lost 
when the stubbles are cleared, and the fallen corn has been gleaned, to 
break them up with whatever implement appears best adapted for the 
purpose. It is true that some soil is still so hard that extra strong 
tackle is required to enter it; it is in such cases that steam power proves 
invaluable.. But we hold that deep ploughing of foul stubble is alto¬ 
gether a mistake at this season of the year. For example, we have some 
fields badly infested with Charlock. To plough them deeply now would 
be to store the land with Charlock seed for years to come. We shall 
therefore at first only stir the surface to a depth of 2 or 3 inches, or just 
enough to induce the speedy germination of Charlock seed which 
autumnal showers are certain to induce. We shall thus get rid of most 
of it, and deep ploughing can follow at our leisure. Stubbles foul with 
couch grass will be pared with broad,share ploughs, and harrows will 
follow at once to clear off as much of the grass as possible. This work 
can only be done before much heavy rain falls, hence the importance of 
turning every hour of fine weather to account now. 
Deep ploughing of clean land for Wheat, winter Oats, Rye, and 
winter Tares should have attention as soon as possible, and due prepara¬ 
tion be made for sowing winter corn before the weather becomes so 
broken as to hinder or spoil the work. It never answers to sow Wheat 
when the surface is so wet that the seed cannot be covered by harrow¬ 
ing. Upon our heavy land farm we hope to be able to sow early, for 
owing to the failure of the Swede and white Turnip crop there we shall 
make our first Wheat sowings upon that part of the farm, and follow 
upon land where sheep are now folded upon Red Clover. Both the 
Turnip land and Clover layer will be well stored with manure, and by 
using carefully selected seeds we hope to insure a fine Wheat crop next 
season. White Wheat has answered so well with us this year that we 
shall sow a much larger area of it this autumn. It is equally hardy as 
any of the Red Wheats, yields quite as well, and certainly commands a 
higher price per quarter, which after all is the most important test. 
THE HESSIAN FLY AND ITS ENEMIES. 
It has been point d out earlier in the history of the present visitation of 
Hessian fly that this obnoxious insect has other than human enemies. 
Professor Fream has lately placed in glass bottles some sections of Wheat 
and Barley straw containing the “flax-seeds” or pupariaof the Hessian fly, 
in order to obtain in due time the perfect insect. In one case there emerged 
from the chrysalis, instead of the expected fly, a small four-winged insect, 
which was recognised as being of the same species (Semistellus Destructor) 
as that which the United States Entomological Commission of 1880-2 
reported on as the chief natural enemy of the Hessian fly, an enemy so 
powerful as in certain years to keep its ravages wholly within bounds. It 
appears that this insect pierces the sheath of the stalk, and deposits a 
minute egg in the pupa of the Hessian fly which is there concealed. The 
egg gives rise to a larva of its own, which devours the interior of the 
Hessian fly pupa, reducing it to a mere shell or casing, within which it 
matures itself, finally eating its way through case and leaf sheath, and 
emerging to carry on its work anew. Prof -ssor Fream questions, on the 
strength of the discovery that this formidable parasite has accompanied its 
host to these shores, whether it is after all good policy to burn the stubble 
and destroy the flax-seed, since in doing so we shall at the same time destroy 
our little allies who are temporarily ensconced in some of them. Our 
endeavour, he says, should be to encourage the natural foes of the fly to the 
very fullest extent. Since we cannot do this without abandoning our 
efforts to destroy the healthy “ flax-seed ” also, the advice comes very near 
to a recommendation to stay artificial attempts at repression, and leave the 
parasite to deal with the fly for us in the natural course of things. We last 
week observed that it was beginning to be suggested that perhaps the fly 
was, after all, not so new an importation as is generally imagined, and it 
may be that Professor Fream's little four-winged protege has been for years 
keeping the fly in check for us, doing good by stealth. Lord Walsingham, 
who is an accomplished entomologist, remarks that in the last thirty years 
G70 species of beetles, butterflies, and moths have been added to the list of 
British insects, and that in the year 1886 alone one observer added to the 
list of flies ordiptera no less thnn 100 distinct species not hitherto recorded 
as British. It is, as he says, impossible to believe that any large proportion 
of these are newly introduced or imported. The majority of them, no 
doubt, have merely escaped earlier observation, and nearly all of them must 
be more conspicuous than the Hessian fly. Miss Ormerod’s supposition, 
made known long ago, that the fly has been sent to us in straw litter from 
abroad has received recent confirmation by fresh discoveries of Hessian fly 
pupae amongst other miscellaneous vermin in foreign litter. Since this 
litter, from various sources, is converted into dung in the stables and cow¬ 
sheds of London, Liverpool, Hull, Bristol, Glasgow, and other seaports, 
which dung is distributed in thousands of tons throughout the country, it 
becomes, as Mr. Martin Sutton pointed out a few days ago, clear that if the 
Hessian fly could be stamped out to-day, the whole country might be infected 
again next year .—(Daily News). 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
CAMDEN SQUARE, LONDON. 
Lat. 51 ° 32 ' 40 ” N.; Long, 0 ° 8' 0 " W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
DATE. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAT. 
^ f> d 
3— 
Hygrome- 
d . 
Shade Tem- 
Radiation 
a 
ter. 
2 d 
Pi- . O 
a^s.O 
perature. 
Temperature 
3 
August. 
P u ''■* 
In 
On 
c3 
Dry. 
Wet. 
So 
H 
Max. 
Min. 
sun. 
grass 
Inches. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
In. 
Sunday . 
21 
30.111 
59.9 
54.3 
s. 
59.4 
70.2 
47.0 
1148 
45 7 
— 
Monday. 
22 
30.133 
<30.4 
54.6 
S.W. 
59.8 
75.2 
45.4 
119.5 
44.7 
— 
Tuesday .... 
23 
30.112 
63.9 
55.0 
S.W. 
60.2 
75.4 
46.6 
107.4 
43.8 
— 
Wednesday.. 
24 
30.014 
67.9 
59.8 
E. 
60.6 
76.9 
52.2 
110 6 
48.4 
— 
Thursday.... 
25 
23.937 
62.1 
59.8 
Calm. 
612 
82.0 
514 
117.0 
49.8 
— 
Friday . 
25 
29.793 
68.7 
62.0 
S.E. 
61.9 
77.2 
525 
110.9 
49.6 
00:34 
Saturday .... 
27 
29.813 
62.2 
59 8 
S. 
62.1 
747 
60.4 
113.9 
58.7 
0.010 
29.983 
63.6 
57.9 
60.7 
75.9 
50.8 
113 4 
48.7 
0.074 
REMARKS 
21 st—Fine and generally bright. 
22 nd.—Bright and fresh. 
23-d.—Clear and fine in morning: hazy in afternoon. 
21 th.—Close and rather hazy, otherwise flue. 
25th.—Foggy till about 11.30. then warm with a good deal of sunshine. 
2Sth.—Dull, with slight rain in afternoon. 
27th.—Dull morning, with spots of rain; fair afternoon. 
Fine generally, and again warm, being about S' 1 above the average.—Q: 1 . SIMONS. 
