136 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ August 9, 1888, 
HARD TIMES. 
Sweet are the lessons of adversity when turned to good 
account, and many a farmer will have reason to bless rather than 
curse the hard times through which we are passing, when the 
struggle is ended, and he is once more launched upon the smooth 
waters of prosperity a wiser and better man. For we hold that it 
as not a mere question of capital as to whether a man is passing 
successfully or not through this great crisis in agriculture, but 
rather the possession of ability in farm management, the gift of 
adaptation in his practice so as to “ meet the times,” holding his hand 
in that which he proves be unprofitable, and striving where there 
is a margin of profit to add to it by every possible improvement in 
culture and general practice. 
More than once at public meetings for discussion of the agri¬ 
cultural depression have we pointed out as a healthy and inevitable 
outcome of it, that superior farmers were not only holding their 
own but were gradually rising to higher things, not altogether as the 
poet sings, “ On stepping stones of their dead selves,” but rather by 
an intelligent grasp of the situation and its remedy. This is the 
better class of men into whose able hands the land must eventually 
fall, and however worthy others of the old easy-going school may 
be, it is inevitable that they must fail. It is not to the legislature 
or anything outside that we look for relief, but rather ta downright 
earnest effort on our own part to obtain more and better produce 
out of the land, and more of the middleman’s profits in the 
disposal of it. So far as is possible producer and consumer must 
be brought together and the middlemen avoided, but this cannot be 
done without intelligent co-operation among farmers. Is it not a 
disgrace and shame that so many middlemen find it worth while to 
attend every market of importance to come between producer and 
consumer ? Very few farmers have to avail themselves of special 
market trains in comparison with middlemen, and yet we not only 
see crowded carriages on such trains, but prosperous wealthy 
middlemen travelling in first-class carriages upon the profits which 
fall so readily into their hands. We make no unjust reflection 
upon them, for they are perfectly justified in doing all the business 
they can, but we do wonder that an effort is not made to prevent 
hard won money from falling so easily into their possession. We 
may surely take a lesson from them in perseverance, tact, energy, 
and all that goes to build up the character of a keen man of 
business. 
To come to particulars of improvements in farming we may 
turn first of all to Wheat. “ Surely the depreciation in value of 
one commodity only—namely, Wheat—should not be sufficient to 
ruin British agriculture 1” said an able writer in the pages of a con¬ 
temporary recently. Nor has it, we reply, for not only has agricul¬ 
ture taken a turn for the better, but in Wheat growing generally 
there is a marked improvement. Writing from the very centre of 
the great corn growing district of East Anglia, we are able to say 
that throughout Suffolk the Wheat crop is excellent, not only in its 
promise of a yield of remarkable abundance, but in the evidence of 
the exercise of care in the selection of pure seed. Some of the 
very best crops of Wheat we know of are on farms where sheep 
folding is largely practised. Sheep and corn farming have long 
been united, and the union will become even stronger in the 
immediate future, for under skilful management it has proved 
more profitable than corn growing by the aid of any other manure 
ever can do ; while the sheep are “growing into money” the land 
is being stored with fertility. Very different is this practice to 
that of a long fallow with frequent ploughings and a heavy dress¬ 
ing of farmyard manure. A long fallow should really be regarded 
as a necessary evil when, and only when, land is foul with weeds, 
and not as an indispensable necessity to rest land. Of many a 
field of Wheat, if the corn is well harvested, we may venture to 
say the yield svill be five quarters and upwards ; and we know 
that under good management such results are fairly profitable. We 
pay very little heed to published returns of corn averages, for we 
know they are false and misleading. There are really no means in 
existence of obtaining a reliable return of the quantity of corn 
grown per acre. The Board of Trade returns may give the number 
of acres under Wheat, but unless each farmer were to give the 
exact quantity of Wheat threshed by him, how can it be known 
what quantity is grown ? So-called market returns are published, 
but they are altogether unreliable. We may mention one market 
in particular of which a report is published of the total quantity of 
corn bought and sold, where certain merchants assert they have 
made no return for years, and we are strongly of opinion that with¬ 
out an Act of Parliament we shall never have precise information 
about this matter. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Of the progress oE work there is really very little to say, for farm 
work of all kinds has been hindered so seriously by wet weather that it 
has been practically in a state of stagnation. Haymaking has been 
prolonged beyond all precedent, and much hay has been spoilt, especially 
upon marsh lands, which have been flooded, and in several instances the 
hay carried away by the water. Early winter Peas kept for seed have 
sustained much harm too, and much Trifolium and Clover saved for seed 
has been spoilt. The seed became full grown and almost ripe, the 
mowing had to be done, rain followed persistently day after day, and 
much of the seed started into growth. 
Corn generally has suffered, much of it having been beaten down by 
heavy rain. We have seen winter Oats down as level as though a roller 
had passed over them ; much Barley is also lodge 1, but Wheat so far 
has not suffered in this way. We have in drives seen several fields of 
Wheat with the ears of a very dark hue. Mildew is spoken of hy 
farmers as inevitable if the weather continues so cold and wet. Well, 
we are not wont to play the part of an alarmist, and if only bright hot 
weather sets in now we may hope for an abundant yield of excellent 
corn. But if we do not have the much-desired change from abnormal 
cold and wet to bright skies and real summer weather, the summer is 
likely to prove most disastrous. Wheat has already risen to the profitable 
rate of 40s. a quarter, and sheep have gone up in price at a rate which 
has induced much rash speculation. If only Wheat could be kept at 
such a price with a good harvest before us there would be an end to 
hard times for farmers. An advance in price, however, generally leads 
to an increase in corn importation, and we may expect a glut of foreign- 
grown Wheat in our ports very soon. 
Dairy farmers may be congratulated upon an abundance of food 
upon pastures such as they have not had for many years. They ought 
to have a well sustained yield of milk, and there can be no excuse for 
them if they fail to produce first-class butter and cheese this summer. 
Late broods of turkeys have suffered where the young birds have been 
allowed to run much into the long wet grass. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
CAMDEN SQUARE, LONDON. 
Lat. 51° 82' 40" N.; Long. 0° 8' 0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
DATE. 
9 A.M. | IN THE DAY. 
B 
1888. 
July and August. 
&?» 3_s 
2 & -a « 
<y 
55 " OS 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
a • 
O T3 
r a 
53 
2-=o 
B 
H 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. Min. 
In | On 
sun. 1 grass 
Sunday.29 
Monday.30 
Tuesday .... 31 
Wednesday.. 1 
Thursday.... 2 
Friday . 3 
Saturday .... 4 
Inches. 
29.815 
29 500 
*9.-2 > 
29.909 
30.110 
3' '.266 
30.147 
deg 
57.1 
59 1 
54 8 
52.1 
55 0 
67.7 
59.5 
deg. 
552 
67.2 
52-3 
51.2 
54.4 
55.3 
56.9 
s.w. 
s. 
N.E. 
N. 
N.E. 
S. 
N.E. 
deg. 
58.4 
58 5 
58 1 
57 3 
56.4 
56 8 
57 1 
deg. 
68.8 
72.4 
01.5 
59.2 
68 7 
70.8 
69.4 
deg. 
fS2 
54 7 
50 5 
50 5 
51.2 
46 0 
52 5 
deg. 
115 4 
120. i 
93.0 
75.0 
120.5 
112.4 
107.8 
deg. 
52 4 
53.9 
51.2 
50 8 
61.2 
41.8 
48.3 
In. 
0.160 
0.210 
0.252 
1.892 
0.140 
30.090 
56.5 
54 6 
57.5 
67.3 | 61.9 106.3 
49.9 
2.174 
REMARKS. 
29th.—Moraing tair and cool,fair afternoon, rain from 6.30 to 9 P M. 
30th.-Foggy early, then fair. Thunderstorm with rain at 3.35 P.M., and rain at intervals 
till nearly midnight. 
3lst.—Fair throughout, but only faint geams of sun. 
1st.—Rtin began at midnight and was heavy from 7 to 9 A.M. again abont noon, and 
4 and 8 P M., with thunderstorm aud u.9o inch.of rain between 10 p M. and 1 A.M. 
on 2 nd. 
2nd.—Slight rain very early, fine after 6 A M., anil throughput the day. 
3rd.—Very misty morning, then fine throughout, with a well marked solar halo in aft 
noon. 
4th.—Dull morning, fa : r day but not bright. 
Another wet week, with temperature belo.v the average.—''. \ SVMON8. 
