o7 2 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ October 18, 1888. 
LIVE STOCK. 
Michaelmas is the term in most districts when farms are taken 
in hand, and particular attention is given to the selection of animals 
suitable for the special purpose for which the farm is required. 
Under the comprehensive term of live stock, all animals kept 
thereon.are included, and as frequent inquiries reach us as to which 
are the most suitable for the home farmer, we purpose calling 
special attention to the matter this week. 
Before all things the home farm is intended to afford a full and 
constant supply of farm produce throughout the year for con¬ 
sumption at the hall, castle, or mansion, as the case may be. For 
such supply to be satisfactory, every article sent from the farm to 
the kitchen must be of the highest possible degree of excellence. 
To insure this, it is a matter of primary importance to make a 
careful selection of live stock. Jersey cows, Southdown sheep, 
Highland cattle, Berkshire or Tamworth pigs, black Norfolk 
Turkeys, pintail Ducks, Dorking chickens, geese, Guinea fowls and 
pigeons, are among the most desirable stock for the purpose, milk, 
cream, butter, beef, mutton, pork, hams, chaps, bacon, lard, eggs ; 
and poultry being always in demand; and we hope, as skill and 
knowledge in dairy management improves, that cheese will be added 
to the list, for there can be no good reason why really good cheese 
should not be forthcoming from home farms generally as well as 
good butter. 
In the selection of cows we should certainly advise beginners to 
confine themselves to pure bred animals, either Jerseys, Guernseys ) 
Ayrshires, or Kerries. All four breeds are excellent, and a novice 
can hardly go wrong among them, provided due care is taken in the 
selection of cows to form a herd. No doubt cross-bred cows, such 
as we have in Guernseys and Shorthorns, Jerseys and Ayrshires 
Dutch and Redpolls, afford more useful animals, but such cross.! 
Breeding is only advisable in the hands of farmers of much expe¬ 
rience. The reputation of Jerseys for richness of milk is so high 
that we cannot wonder at the general preference for cows of that 
breed, but it should never be forgotten that the Jersey is a delicate 
animal, requiring extra care in its food and shelter. The Guernsey 
is a more robust animal of larger frame, and its milk is very rich 
We have found it altogether more useful than the Jersey, the dairy- 
produce being equally valuable and generally more abundant, while 
the cows are invaluable for cross-breeding purposes. Both Ayr¬ 
shires and Kerries are hardy races, and by the exercise of care in 
selection and breeding many valuable herds of them have been 
formed. The hardy little Kerries are our especial favourites, but 
we question if they are yet sufficiently plentiful in this country for 
really good cows to be obtained easily. The best way of laying the 
foundation of a herd of them is to purchase two or three cows 
■and a bull of known excellence at one of the metropolitan dairy 
shows. The price for such choice animals is high, but it is much 
better and is really more economical to give it than to run the risk 
involved in the purchase of cheap imported animals of which not 
one in twenty may prove useful dairy cows. 
Of pigs, special breeds may be indulged in for a fancy, but for 
all practical purposes a little care in selection from local breeds 
will suffice. Porkers of from 50 to 60 lbs. weight afford the best 
pork for roasting, pickling slightly, and for all other purposes for 
which fresh pork is required in the kitchen. For bacon and hams 
fat pigs of from 200 to 300 lbs. weight are required, and there must 
be enough of them brought on for killing and curing during the 
winter months to afford a supply of bacon and lard for the year. 
To insure a full supply and to meet emergencies there must always 
be a moderate surplus over ordinary requirements, and tlie-e should 
be no difficulty in the disposal of such surplus if it is not required 
for home consumption. 
In the management of poultry some of the chief points are to 
select fowls which Lave a full plump breast and legs of moderate 
size to afford nice chickens for table ; to save plenty of poults 
from a few early successional broods to afford an autumn and 
winter supply of eggs ; to have as many early broods of 
Turkeys as possible, late birds being notoriously delicate and un¬ 
satisfactory. Turkey poults should always be sufficiently forward 
to be ready for table by the end of September. Where poultry is 
reared regularly in considerable numbers there are often serious 
losses among the early broods from gapes. This may be avoided 
by keeping them on fresh land or on turf where chickens have 
not been reared before. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
With the sowing of Rye and Tares ended we can now turn in real 
earnest to Wheat-sowing where it can be done. But much of the heavy 
land ploughed for Wheat cannot be sown till the soil is softened by rain. 
We can wait for rain with a feeling of certainty that it will not be long 
in coming at this season of the year, and meanwhile sowing will le 
pushed on briskly on light land and mixed soil farms. We are much 
pleased with the appearance of the seed Salvator Wheat, which we have 
purchased at the fancy price of guinea a bushel. The grain is very 
large, it is white, and if only the yield does credit to the vendor’s state¬ 
ment that it is 83 bushels an acre we shall have made a profitable 
investment. The weak point about this Wheat is the fact of the straw 
being very stout, and growing to a height of from 0 to 7 feet. In reality 
it is a kind of anomaly, for such stout straw is not likely to be laid by 
wind and rain; this is an advantage. On the other hand, very 
stout straw is frequently so coarse in texture that it is unfit for use 
for horses, at any rate for carriage horses, hunters, or race horses, and 
therefore it does not meet with the brisk sale of ordinary Wheat 
straw ; this is a disadvantage. We send large quantities of straw to 
the Newmarket training stables, and cannot dispose of Itivett Wheat 
straw there. 
So many Barley ears fell upon the stubbles in harvest that we have 
had to purchase fifty more store pigs for the home farm stubbles. We 
did not go to the open market ,for these pigs, but bought them of a 
tenant farmer, who had cleared his stubbles, and wanted to realise as 
much cash as he could for Michaelmas payments. We got fifty strong 
healthy animals at an average price of 15*. 6 d. That price will answer 
very well indeed, for the pigs will find an abundance of food upon the 
stubbles for the next three weeks, and then they will be confined to a 
yard, and be fed with barleymeal ground from the damp and tail corn. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Wheat Manure (J. L.~). — No farmyard manure is required with 
the artificial manure which is recommended on page 326. If you have 
farmyard manure it may be used for an autumn dressing now, and 
then a spring dressing of 1|- cwt. per acre of nitrate of soda will 
suffice without the addition of any of the other artificial manures 
enumerated. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS, 
CAMDEN SQUARE, LONDON. 
Lat. 51° 82' 40" N.; Long. 0° 8'0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
Date. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAT. 
s«3- 
Hygrome- 
0 . 
Shade Tem- 
Radiation 
a 
1888. 
S £ 
Pa- S'. 
ter. 
53 *§ 
. CS 
perature. 
Temperature. 
« 
October. 
In 
On 
a 
Dry. 
Wet. 
5 o 
H 
Max. 
Min. 
sun. 
grass 
Inches. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
In. 
Sunday . 
30.136 
38.7 
35 2 
U. 
45 8 
50.5 
33 4 
92.3 
282 
— 
Monday. 
30.2*22 
43 5 
38.7 
N. 
45 2 
58.3 
28.2 
92.8 
2LS 
— 
Tuesday ... 
9 
30.135 
45.3 
42.7 
N.E. 
45.0 
56 5 
38.0 
94 8 
27.2 
— 
Wednesday. 
10 
30 082 
46.9 
44.2 
N. 
45.0 
60.2 
40.8 
85.8 
308 
— 
Thursday... 
11 
30.130 
47 4 
46.3 
s.w. 
48.5 
56.4 
4t.8 
85.2 
39.4 
— 
Friday . 
12 
30.043 
46.8 
45 8 
s.w. 
46 9 
59.3 
4<.8 
93.3 
34.6 
0.015 
Saturday ... 
13 
29.883 
48.8 
43.6 
N.W. 
47.7 
65.2 
45.4 
95.8 
383 
— 
1 30.091 
I 
45.3 
42.4 
46.0 
65.9 
88.9 
91.6 
31.4 
0.015 
REMARKS. 
7th.—Flue autumn day. 
8th.—liright and pleasant throughout. 
9th.—Bright morning, flue warm day. 
10th.—Cloudy early; fine warm day. 
11th.— Cloudy morning; bright afternoon and even’ng. 
12th.- Fine and generally bright day; c oudy evening; shower j at night. 
18 th.—Cloudless early,fine throughout. 
An almost rainless week of ’orely autumn weitlier. Temperature 4“ abtve tint ol 
the preceding week, but still ab(jac3- below the average.—G. J. STMOXs. 
