39 G 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ November 3, 1887. 
It is just so in agricultural education; for however well 
grounded a young man may be in theory, practical expe¬ 
rience must be bad to enable him to elfect any real im¬ 
provement, and to obtain results at all superior to those 
obtained by the ordinary practitioner. That improvement 
is possible we know full well, and we may go farther and 
insist upon it that farm crops may be so improved as to 
render them really profitable. 
Take for example Wheat, of which we are told by a 
very high authority that the average yield throughout the 
country is under 30 bushels an acre; yet we have both 
White and Red Wheat yielding fully 40 bushels an acre, 
and we know a farm where the yield ranged as high as 
5-6 bushels an acre. Why is there so much difference ? 
it may be asked. A sound practical answer is given by 
two Wheat ears lying beside us as we write. One is 
2t inches long, the other fully 6 inches in length, with 
straw almost as large as our penholder. Careful selection 
of a pure sample of seed goes very far to insure a paying 
crop; without such care it were far better to give up 
growing Wheat at all. 
We certainly do not agree with the sweeping assertion 
that Wheat-growing does not answer and must be dis¬ 
continued in this country. Rather would we continue 
to devote a fair proportion of all suitable land to it, and 
at the same time take good care to do all that is possible 
to rear animals for market. There can be no doubt that 
is a sad want of energy in this matter. We are told that 
tiie number of home-fed cattle sold in the London cattle 
markets has decreased from 55 to 49 out of each 100 
animals submitted to the salesman. The proportion of 
sheep has declined from 71 to 45 in each 100 sold, and 
pigs have gone down from 76 to the miserably small 
number of three out of each 100 swine sold. In striking 
contrast to this falling off in the numbers of home-reared 
animals is an account of the beef and pork trades of 
Chicago in the Times of October 21st. We are there told 
that “ The hog is regarded as the most compact form in 
which the Indian Corn crop of the States can be trans¬ 
ported to market. Hence the corn is fed to the hog on 
the farm, and he is sent to Chicago as a package provided 
by Nature for its utilisation. A ride out among the rows 
of wooden buildings still existing by the square mile in 
the southern suburbs, as if to tempt another great fire, 
leads to the Union Stock Yard. The extensive enclosure 
is a town of itself, with its own banks and hotel, ‘ Board 
of Trade,’ post office, town hall, and special fire depart¬ 
ment, the latter being a necessity, as it occasionally has 
very destructive fires. About £400,000 has been invested 
in this undertaking, which covers nearly a square mile, 
a large part of it being cattle pens, through which lead 
eight miles of streets, and having sufficient capacity to 
accommodate 200,000 animals at one time. A scene in 
this place is most animated, the cattle men riding about 
on horseback driving their herds, while adjacent are the 
immense ‘ packing houses ’ that prepare the pork and 
beef for market. During the past twelve months these 
establishments have killed and packed 4,426,000 hogs, 
and 1,608,000 beeves, their product going to all parts of 
the world. This represents a very large proportion of 
the whole number of these animals in the States which 
are fatted to kill, for at the opening of this year it was 
estimated that there were in the country, of hogs of all 
ages, 44 millions, and of cattle, exclusive of milch cows, 
33 millions. The products of the packing reach enor¬ 
mous figures, being no less than 1,055 millions of pounds 
of pork and lard for the yeai’, and 573 millions of pounds 
of dressed beef. A very large proportion of the pork 
and lard, 810 millions of pounds, were exported beyond 
the States, and of this 90 per cent, went to the United 
Kingdom. The packers say their hog trade does not 
increase, but their beef trade grows at an extraordinary 
rate.” 
When are we to hear it said in this country that the 
hog is a package provided by Nature for the utilisation of 
cheap corn ? Nothing can be more deplorable than the 
mismanagement of pigs in this country. Filth and im¬ 
proper food bring swine fever, which spreads over the 
farms near, quickly leading to serious losses. It will be a 
true sign of progress when the management of pigs has 
the care and attention its importance merits. In any 
attempt at reform in this matter the value of oatmeal for 
fattening pigs must not be overlooked. Oats are not 
worth more than half the value of grinding Barley to sell 
or buy, yet the intrinsic value of the two sorts of corn as 
fat and flesh formers is almost equal. 
(To be contimed). 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
The collection and storage of Mangolds is now in hand. Most 
farmers have put off doing this as late as possible, owing to the vigorous 
growth of the crop throughout October, and such growth was much 
wanted where the roots were backward and small. Where silage has 
taken the place of roots there must be a considerable saving effected, 
but the makers of Maize silage have had that useful crop much cut up 
by early frost. We have seen several fields of Maize with all the upper 
portion of the plants browned by frost. We shall put no Swedes in 
clamps this autumn, for the roots are so small and compact that they 
will be better left on the land, unless there are special reasons for a 
clearance before spring. We have had to take large quantities of farm¬ 
yard manure in valuation, and Wheat sowing was at once followed by 
carting all such manure upon the land for Barley and Peas. It will at 
once be spread and ploughed in, and the land so left in readiness for the 
spring corn. This is not strictly according to routine practice, but expe¬ 
diency has much more weight with us than routine. We wish to get as 
forward as we can with all the land to be cropped next spring, because 
we have much foul land to grapple with next season. Where there is no 
ploughing in of manure ridging will be done, as it tends to expose the 
soil well to the action of the weather, and it is harrowed down for spring 
sowing fine as ashes, and the sowing may usually be done much earlier 
than if the land were not ridged. Of the foul land, that which is heavy 
may have to be kept for a long summer follow ; that which is light or 
good mixed soil may be cleaned soon enough for a root or green crop. If 
it can b s had for green crops it may be enriched by ploughing in of a 
crop or two, and so be brought into a condition of fertility for the fol¬ 
lowing season. We might say that foul land and failure go hand in 
hand, for whenever a farm is thrown upon our hands by the failure of a 
tenant, we have always to contend with its foulness and poverty. We 
hold that it answers best to devote the first year to getting such land 
thoroughly clean, dry, and fertile. To do all this in a single season, 
however, demands a special effort ; certainly any attempt at cropping 
would not answer. 
Malting Barley Competition. —Messrs. E. Webb & Sons inform tis 
that the sample which secured the champion prize medal for English-grown 
Barley at the Brewers’ Exhibition was Webb's Kinver Chevalier, originally 
grown from their seed. There were forty-eight competitors. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
CAMDEN SQUARE, LONDON. 
Lat. 51° 32-10" N.; Long, 0° 8- 0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
Date. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAY. 
Hygrome- 
a . 
*o«-» . 
Shade Tem- 
Radiation 
d 
1887. 
ter. 
72 a 
• os 
§■=8 
perature. 
Temperature 
« 
October. 
= ZS j 
, 
In 
On 
332 a 
Dry. Wet. 
5 = 
S-i 
Max. 
Min. 
sun. 
grass 
Inches. 
deg. deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
In. 
Sunday . 
30.310 
41 2 40.8 
E. 
43.5 
52.3 
30.2 
72.4 
26.o 
0.06: 
Monday. 
24 
30.020 
40 9 37.2 
N.W. 
43 7 
45 l 
89 7 
79.4 
36 2 
— 
Tuesday .... 
25 
30.510 
354) 33 0 
N.W. 
43 2 
45.9 
30.4 
81.0 
26 6 
— 
Wednesday.. 
2 6 
30.540 
30.7 | 30.0 
s.w. 
42 2 
48.3 
25 4 
77.4 
23 2 
— 
Thursday .... 
27 
30.153 
40.5 43.3 
S.E. 
419 
52.5 
30.2 
64.4 
26.3 
0.112 
Friday . 
28 
29.747 
52 4 52.1 
N. 
43.1 
59 6 
44.2 
98 4 
42.3 
— 
Saturday .... 
29 
29.711 
50.3 47.9 
S. 
44.3 
578 
42.4 
91.8 
35 4 
0.612 
30.144 
42.5 j 40.6 1 
43.1 
51.6 
34.6 
807 
30.9 
0.786 
REMARKS. 
3rO.—Du',1 early; bright, pleasant ay. 
24th.—Ram in small hours ; flue told nay. 
25th.—Slightly foggy at time-, otherwise bright and cold. 
24th.—Cold, with slight fog till If a M .then bright. 
2"th.—Dull, with ooc.sional showers. 
2sth.—Rain in small hours, dull and damp till about 10 A M., then fine, warm, and bright. 
23th.—A lovely day, bright and warm; solar halo from 2 P M. to 2.30 P.M. Rain in the 
evening. Gale at night. 
A flue bright week, nearly all the rain recorded having fallen at night. Temperature 
about 5° below the average.—G. J. SYMONS. 
