304 
JO URN A L OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
Peptem'x r 27 1888. 
-also tried fruit farming, and failed to make it answer. When the 
worthy man went on to condemn fruit farming altogether with an 
air of conviction we felt a strong desire to test his knowledge of 
such work, as might easily have been done by a few leading 
questions. 
Of Tobacco, the difficulty appears to lie in the manufacture 
rather than in the cultivation, and those gentlemen who have 
made the attempt to introduce its culture as a new farming in¬ 
dustry into this country would have saved much time and money 
had they first of all become thoroughly acquainted with the 
process of its manufacture. Mr. H. T. Rathbone has recently 
written to the Times from Ireland to complain, that being an 
■owner and occupier of land, and seeing the impossibility of com¬ 
peting with the foreign producer of corn, he had taken to Tobacco 
■growing, but because he would not undertake to promise to pay a 
duty of 3s. 2d. per lb., the Excise had the plants destroyed. If 
fhe loss of his Tobacco only leads him to try and improve his corn 
growing, he will not have much reason for regret. In pleasing 
■contrast to this letter was another, telling of a carefully planned 
and successful attempt at the selection and improvement of Kerry 
•cattle ; of cows with an average of 504 gallons of milk yielding 
12 per cent, of cream. The plan adopted for this herd was to 
purchase a considerable number of young beasts, to select the 
most promising as they came into profit, to discard all inferior 
smimals, so as subsequently, by breeding and selection, to improve 
the breed up to a given standard. 
In the general cultivation of farm land it is now fully established 
that success depends upon high culture, for which there must be 
sufficient capital, and then the matter is a certainty. But too 
often tenant farmers’ capital falls far short of the proverbial £10 
per acre, yet wo know that even twice that amount may be invested 
to advantage upon corn farms. That very successful farmer, Mr- 
John Prout of Sawbridgeworth, has employed £20 per acre, and 
be has proved that yield and expenditure have more effect upon 
profit than the price of corn. Professor Elliot has recently, in the 
‘ Land Agent’s Record,” given proof that high farming, by pro¬ 
ducing increased quantities, is able to compete with lower prices- 
He says distinctly that, “ Since the repeal of the Corn Laws in 
1846, the English land occupier has been compelled to compete 
with a large and constantly increasing import of corn, the effect of 
which has been to lower very considerably the value of English 
produce. In order to meet this the English farmer must increase 
the produce of his land ; this can only be acquired through the 
expenditure of extra capital in keeping the land clean and in a high 
state of cultivation.” Fortunately for the farmer, increased quantity 
in produce has been proved to be equal, if not, in fact, to cover low 
prices. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
With fine settled weather the corn harvest is now going on with 
greatly improved prospects. Bright sunshine is eagerly welcomed and 
turned to account to render Peas especially ready for carting. Much 
Barley, too, among which there is a strong growth of Clover, has been 
turned as repeatedly as if it were being made into stover, which in 
point of fact the straw and Clover will be. If this weather continues 
after the corn is all mown second growths of Clover and Sainfoin 
will be mown also, the first for stover and the last either for stover 
or seed, according to its condition. Much corn has been threshed 
as it was carted from the fields during the last few days, and 
-samples for sale have been plentiful at market. New Wheat has 
fallen to about 30s. per quarter, and very little Barley has reached a 
higher price. The regular Barley trade has hardly begun as yet. We 
have threshed none, and cannot offer an opinion as to quality other 
than that malting Barley must be decidedly inferior to that of last 
year. 
We have had a little Wheat threshed of necessity, as we ran short of 
■straw for thatching the corn stacks. The yield was so far satisfactory, 
being fully up to 40 bushels per acre. Light land farmers complain of 
a falling-off in w eight in the • Wheat of this season, but it by no means 
follows that this will be the ease generally. We have seen it stated 
authoritatively that the Wheat grown this year is very inferior to that 
grown last year, and it will make at least 5 per cent, less flour and con¬ 
sequently 5 per cent, less bread. Present prices afford no real test of 
this, for it is the farmers’ necessity which caused them to thresh and 
flood the market with samples. Full advantage is taken of this by the 
middlemen. If there be any truth in the premise that there will be 
an actual deficiency of 16,000.000 quarters of Wheat in the world’s 
supply this year prices must rise eventually to a height unknown in 
recent years, and we shall certainly hold over the Wheat as long as 
possible. So we advise our readers to thresh only what is wanted for 
seed and wait. 
Important to Farmers and Others.— At the Spilsby petty 
sessions held recently, John Rovvland Payn of Sibsey, farmer, was 
charged with supplying beer to labourers in his employ as part pay¬ 
ment of wages. Mr. Gane appeared for the defendant. According 
to the evidence George Sands, John Bishop, and Edward Semper 
undertook to cut a piece of Oats for the defendant at 12s. per acre, after 
asking 14s. The point in dispute was, whether the beer supplied, half a 
gallon per man per day, was included in the bargain or whether it was 
the generosity of the defendant, who, it was stated, had said that if the 
work was done well he should not be particular to some beer. For the 
defence, the men affirmed that the beer was not mentioned until the 
bargain was concluded, and they were perfectly satisfied with the price 
agreed upon independently of it. The prosecution alleged that the beer 
was a consideration in the agreement, and with that view the Bench con¬ 
curred, and fined the defendant 6d. and £1 7s. 6d. costs, as this was the 
first case under the new Act (the Truck Amendment Act, 1887) before 
them. It may be added that these Acts apply to all working-men 
called artificers, but not to domestic servants. A farmer, as employer, 
may pay his men partly in money and partly in food, cottage, or any¬ 
thing else they may agree upon, except intoxicating drinks, because the 
Act says he shall not contract to supply them with intoxicating liquors 
in ad-iition to wages as a remuneration for services. 
Hay-Drying Machine. —Mr. W. Kruse writes : “ In reply to the 
request on page 256 I may say that I do not know Mr. Gibbs’ address, 
but it may help your correspondent if I mention that a notice of Mr. 
Gibbs’ drying machine appears on pages 36 and 57 of the Journal of 
Horticulture for January, 1881. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Ensilage (S. 0 .~).—The sample sent is an excellent one in all re¬ 
spects, and we shall be glad to learn your method of preparing it. The 
notes on Potatoes would be useful, and we are obliged to you for the 
offer. 
Manure for Wheat (A. ,7. C .~).—In autumn j cwt. nitrate of soda, 
I cwt. steamed bone flour, J cwt. superphosphate. In spring ^ cwt. 
muriate of potash, 1J cwt. nitrate of soda, 1J cwt. steamed bone flour, 
^ cwt. superphosphate. 
Land for Permanent Pasture (A. D.).—If you can get the 
land clean in time for Wheat sowing, give preference to that crop ; if 
not, sow the grass seed with Oats in spring. If when the Oats now 
being cut are carted the weather continues fine, plough at once, harrow 
next if the land is foul, and then cross plough. Or if you have a horse- 
hoe scarifier, ducks-foot harrow, or cultivator, the work may be best 
done with some such implement rather than by a second ploughing. 
If the land is hard and the clods contain the roots of perennial weeds, 
a heavy roller may be used with advantage. A spring surface dressing 
of artificial manure when the grass seed is sown will suffice. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
CAMDEN SQUARE, LONDON. 
Lat. 51° 32' 40" N.; Long. 0° 8-0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
DATE. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAY. 
1888. 
Uygrome- 
a . 
o - 
Shade Tem- 
Radiation 
0 
J> 
pts . £ 
ter. 
T 2 a 
perature. 
Temperature 
3 
September. 
is 'r, a-i 
Li 
5 Sh 
1 — 
In 
On 
Mud 
Dry. 
Wet. 
5s 
H 
Max. 
Min. 
8UQ. 
grass 
Inches. 
deg 
deg. 
deer. 
deg. 
deg. 
desr. 
desr. 
In. 
Sunday . 
1G 
30.194 
59.6 
54.5 
w. 
57.0 
63.7 
55 3 
1027 
51 9 
•. — 
Monday. 
17 
30.267 
57.0 
54.7 
x. 
57.1 
65 2 
53.4 
94.4 
51-6 
Tuesday .... 
18 
30 301 
58.0 
54 8 
N. 
57.2 
62.6 
52 0 
91.7 
45.0 
NX 
Wednesday.. 
19 
30.303 
59.8 
55 6 
N.E. 
57 0 
69.2 
53.9 
112.6 
491 
—. 
Thursday.... 
20 
30.256 
68 7 
56-2 
N.E. 
5b.9 
68.2 
49 4 
105 6 
41.8 
— 
Friduy . 
21 
30.237 
56.1 
55.3 
N.E. 
66 6 
69.7 
50 3 
108 5 
43.6 
— 
Satarday .... 
22 
30. >47 
56.7 
53.6 
N.E. 
56 6 
68 8 
48.3 
102.0 
38 4 
30.258 
58.0 
55.0 
56.9 
66.8 
51.8 
102.5 
45.9 
— 
REMARKS. 
10th.—Generally overcast, but a little sun early and at midday. 
17th.—Cloudy except for an hour at midday. 
18th.—Bright inearly morning,and cloudy during day. 
lmh.—Fine and bright all day, almost cloudless mooullght night. 
2<ith.—Fine and bright throughout. 
21st.—Overcast early, cloudy morning, bright afternoon and night. 
22 nd—Fair morning fine bright day, and brilliant night. 
Another fine week, less rain, and with temperature above the average.—G. J- 
SVMONS. 
* 
