36 
JOURXAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ January 12. 1888. 
FRDIT. 
8. d. s. d. 
Apple?, i aieve.1 6 to 3 6 
Nova Scotia and 
Canada barrel 10 0 18 0 
Oobs.lOOlbs. 55 0 0 0 
G rapes, per lb. 10 3 0 
Lemons, case.10 0 15 0 
8. d. 8. d. 
Oranges, per 100 .. .. 2 0 to 5 0 
Fears, dozen.10 16 
Fine Apples, English, 
per lb . 00 00 
St. Michael Fines, each SO 5 0 
LAMBING TIME. 
The near approach of the lambing season once more leads us to 
call special attention to certain matters in connection with it to 
which it is desirable all due care should be given, in order that there 
may be as little loss as possible either of ewes or lambs. It is our 
ow.i practice to turn in the tups to the flock about the end of 
August, so that the lambing season shall begin by the third week in 
January. We thus secure a fall of early lambs to be sold as lambs 
early in June, or as hoggets by the end of July. In order to ensure 
this much care is given to the selection of both ewes and tups, and 
we have reason for satisfaction with our selection of half-bred 
Suffolk ewes and pure Hampshire town tups. The result of this 
cross is a hardy sturdy progeny of quick growth and early develop¬ 
ment ; but everything possible is done to promote healthy growth, 
and we begin giving lamb food as soon as the lambs can eat it. 
Before entering farther upon the treatment of lambs, let us 
turn our attention to that of the ewes now. Since Christmas the 
ewes have been in rather large folds upon a 30-acre pasture held 
specially in reserve for this season of the year. After the hay¬ 
making last July growth was so much retarded by drought that 
when rain fell autumn was already upon us, and though the grass 
then grew freely enough it was left untouched for the ewes to have 
the benefit of for a month previous to and during the lambing. A 
belt of trees around the pasture affords sufficient shelter ; the 
pasture is well drained and firm, and the herbage abundant. Let it 
not be thought that because sheep are hardy and bear much expo¬ 
sure with impunity that they are not much benefited by shelter. 
Pregnant ewes especially should have shelter, be kept quiet, and be 
carefully fed. We shall give no roots of any kind this season till 
the lambing actually begins, and then the ewes will have a certain 
quantity of Mangolds daily. Our dietary since Christmas has been 
as simple as sound—chopped Barley straw with a few Oats in the 
troughs. Pea straw in cribs and racks, and the grass. The shepherd 
has had many a hint from the horsemen that he ought to be having 
some hay for the ewes, but we answered his request for some that 
we should probably use no hay for the flock this winter, as we 
have plenty of Pea and Oat straw, and it is our intention to sell the 
whole of the hay. We may explain that the horsemen’s advice 
about the use of hay was not altogether disinterested, for they like 
to be able to get some for the horses to rack up with at night. 
We, however, insist upon the use of straw chaff, and we know full 
well how wholesome and nutritious really good straw is. With our 
large stacks of Barley straw we have no occasion to touch any of 
the hay, of which we have an ample store of some 250 tons, which 
a little later on should realise some £900 or £1000, and prove a real 
nelp to us in our struggle with difficulties arising from the poverty 
of the farms which fall upon our hands one after another. 
On the day of writing this article we saw two ewe Jlocks on 
different farms both folded upon white Turnips. There had 
previously been a frost of several days’ duration, a thaw had set 
in, and the poor sheep evidently had some difficulty to wade 
through the sea of mud in which they were apparently kept 
continuously. We saw this with regret, knowing as we do from 
dearly-bought experience how severe is the strain upon the ewe’s 
frame as it struggles to withdraw its feet from the sodden soil. A 
ewe requires from 29 lbs. to 24 lbs. of food daily, and if the bulk 
of it consists of a mass of half-frozen Turnips day after day, the 
loss of heat caused by the consumption of such cold watery food 
proves so injurious, that abortion and the death of the ewes not 
unfrequently spre.ads like an epidemic through the flock. No 
doubt dry food in troughi tends in some measure to counteract 
the baneful effects of the Turnips, but it cannot prevent mischief. 
We have both white Turnips and Swedes, but neither will be 
touched till the lambs are taken upon them with the sheep. If 
we were short of grass now we should certainly turn to the Rye, 
which is such a full and forward plant that it would afford ex¬ 
cellent grazing for the sheep. We know that many farmers are 
at their wit's end to find food for the stock this winter, yet there 
were ample opportunities last autumn for the sowing of green 
crops, and it certainly shows great want of forethought and care 
w'here this was not done. The short crop of hay and roots upon 
so many farms was like a danger signal for the coming winter, and 
we took care to keep the number of our sheep well within due 
bounds, and at the same time did all we could to secure plenty of 
green crops for spring use. If we should have a la te spring the 
struggle will be a severe one, and it will probably lead to the 
premature disposal of many a flock. 
(To be continued.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
More than ordinary attention has been giving to the rearing and dis¬ 
posal of pigs by us since we ceased keeping bullocks in quantity, and it is 
one of the matters in which a remarkable improvement has been effected 
upon all our farms. We have just now a grand lot of what are techni¬ 
cally known as “jointers”—f.e.,fat hogs about half grown, which 
realise about £3 a piece at market. A batch of some twenty-eight have 
been lately consuming three sacks of ground Oats daily, and remarkably 
well have they thriven upon this food too. Oats are so cheap that we 
find it answer well to purchase imported Oats to grind into meal for 
pigs, for, as we have previously explained, a sack of Barley is worth two 
of Oats and something more, and therefore we certainly cannot afford to 
grind Barley for pigs. But we were seriously informed that nobody in 
East Anglia ever heard of fattening pigs upon oatmeal, and we had to 
insist upon attention being given to our instructions for doing so. Pigs 
are prolific animals, and every sow should yield at least twenty pigs 
yearly, so that the two farrows of a sow may always be considered as 
being worth from £20 to £60. Need we wonder that one of our tenants 
who keeps thirty or forty sows is now able to pay labourers with “ pig 
money?” Just look at the figures, for they are sufficiently important 
to be worthy of it. Forty sows should bring 800 pigs yearly, which as 
jointers at £3 a piece are worth £2400. Surely it will be conceded 
that there is some profit in this transaction ? Yes, we may be told, and 
some risk too. We grant it, but hold that the risk sinks to a minimum 
under the exercise of careful management. It by no means answers to 
breed jointers only ; a brisk trade in porkers of 50 lbs. weight is far mo^e 
profitable if a farm is within fifty or sixty miles of London, but the 
larger pigs make the best manure, and are often kept on for that pur¬ 
pose. In making calculations of profit and loss a reasonable margin 
must always be allowed for some failures, but careful selection and 
management go far to ensure success. It never answers to keep an 
inferior breed of pigs, nor is it necessary to give fancy prices in order to 
procure a really useful class of them. Every locality has good pigs if 
they are only sought for, and with a little care really good animals may 
be had. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
Camden Squaub, London. 
Lat. 51° 32'4i)''N.; Long. 0° 8'0" W.; Altitude. Ill feet. 
date. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAY. 
Hygrome- 
d . 
Shade Tern- 
Radiation 
a 
gwcfj« 
ter. 
tS a 
perature. 
Temperature 
03 
January. 
V <»rH 
In 
On 
S3 
Dry. 
Wet. 
5o 
JIax. 
Min. 
sun. 
grass 
Inches. 
deg 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
In. 
8unday.* 
1 
i9.714 
24 8 
2(8 
E, 
85.2 
42.7 
23 L 
45.0 
19.0 
0.018 
Monday...... 
2 
29.^168 
41.8 
40.3 
S. 
35 2 
45.4 
24.8 
51.9 
21.7 
0.241 
Tuesday .... 
3 
29 913 
33.8 
,S3.4 
s.w. 
35,1 
43A 
31.4 
50.3 
2.5.6 
Wednesday.. 
4 
29 983 
41-7 
393 
8. 
352 
4.5 3 
3i.l 
50.4 
29.2 
Thursday.... 
5 
29.: ns 
4S.I 
441 
SE. 
35 8 
49.3 
38.6 
57..8 
332 
.. 
Friday . 
6 
30.182 
37.4 
37.4 
8. 
36 7 
46.8 
3.3 8 
.50.2 
28.4 
0 097 
Saturday .... 
7 
30.290 
44 7 
44.4 
W. 
37.8 
48.7 
87.0 
65.4 
81.7 
29.884 
38.5 
37.5 
I 35.9 
46.0 
31.7 
52 9 
27.0 
0A5;< 
REMARKS. 
Ist.—Fine and bright and very cold, especially in the morning. 
2 nd.—Dull early ; line bright morning; damn afternoon ; rain In the evening and night* 
3rd.—Fair inorning. except for alight fog, with a little sunshine; dull afterDCK)n. 
4th.—Overcast all day. 
5ih.—Overcast early ; fair day with glimpses of sun. 
6th.—Cloudy and rather dull, with rain in the evening* 
7th.—Fine and pleasant, wl'h occasional sunshine. 
Rather sharp frost on the flr-t two days, nut on the whole a very average week 
alike as to pressure, temperature, and ratu.-Q. J. SVMON.s. 
