Febrnary 2, 18f8. ] 
JOUIIXAL OF HORTICULTURE AXD COTTAGE GARDEXER. 
97 
Oats when clialleil with the straw, ami wo again strongly recommend 
it as one of the very best articles of winter diet for cattle, horsest 
and sheep. There is, liowea'er, mucli difference in the nutritive 
properties of such straw, some having twice the feeding value of 
other straw. The least nourishing and most indigestible straw is 
tliat from poor laiid, and which has become dead ripe before 
harvest ; the best is from rich soil, and which v,uis mown immediately 
after the grain passed out of the milky stage. By the term of 
milky stage we moan when a white milk-like juice can be squeezed 
out of the grain ; when this is at an end the grain is sufficiently 
developed for harvesting. Very hard, dry, over-ripe straw contains 
so much woody fibre that it has a low feeding value, and makes a 
heavy tax upon an animal’s digestive organs. We altogether object 
to having food pass through its stomach undigested, as such straw 
often does, just as uncrushed Oats pass through the bowels of old 
sheep, horses, and cattle. As a case in point, we may mention that 
of an old horse sent from the home farm as a garden horse. Ouj. 
orders that it should have all its food chaffed or crushed were 
disobeyed, and Ave at length discovered that the poor animal, though 
consuming much food, was being sloAvly starved. It was at once 
replaced by a younger horse, and subsequently recovered health 
and vigour so as to be really useful upon the farm. 
Xext in general value to 0,at straw when chaffed we may place 
Bean straw, which is richer in digestible constituents, and is more 
nutritious than any other. Then comes Pea and Barley straw 
both which, Avhen chaffed, should have the pods and grain chaff 
mixed with it, as being much more nutritious than the straw itself. 
We have in recent articles explained how highly we value un¬ 
chaffed Pea straAv for the ewes. In either form it is most useful 
and we may mention that a flock of healthy young ewes have 
recently been having chaffed Pea straw Avith some Oats in folds 
upon a stout piece of Mustard, to be folloAved by a crop of Barley. 
Meadow hay is generally held in reserve for the dairy cows when 
there is such a herd, not simply for its nourishing properties, but 
rather because it is so sweet and wholesome that it imparts no 
unpleasant flavour to the butter at this season of the year. For 
other purposes as hay can be dispensed with, and it should at any 
rate be kept untouched as long as possible, either to be turned to 
under the difficulties of a late spring for a most welcome and 
valuable supply of nourishing wholesome food, or if not wanted 
to be sold, and so contribute something toAvards the Lady Day 
rent. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Gladly do we record the fact that the Avhole of our ploughing in arrears 
is finish^, ard that the sowing of Peas and Tares has already been 
done. Wheat is a strong full plant; so, too, are winter Oats and Beans. 
We feel hopeful now that there will be no serious loss among Beans 
such as happened last Avinter, and Avith a fair seed time for spring corn 
we hope to have a full plant upon all our farms this year. Given this 
it shall be our endeavour to render every crop as vitorous and pro¬ 
ductive as possible. Our arrangements for the application of chemical 
manures arc now under consideration, for we hold that in order to 
render farm crops profitable now the soil must contain an ample store 
of manurial constituents, and the plants of the farm, just like the 
animals, must be kept going in unchecked vigour from the first. We 
must have quantity in combination with quality if we would hold our 
own under foreign competition. The fertility of the soil must be 
fully sustained, and every perch of farm land rendered productive of a 
profitable crop. Such a standard is undoubtedly a high one, but we 
cannot rest content with anything short of it. VVdiy, indeed, should 
we I Dire necessity is teaching us most valu.able lessons of thrift, per¬ 
severance, and energetic action, and anything like easy-going action in 
farming practice is altogether a thing of the past. 
Glad are Ave to find more attention being given to dairy farming, 
for it is a standing reproach to the British farmer that importations of 
butter, condensed milk, and eggs have reached such huge proportions. 
Success with either dairy produce or poultry is simply a matter of 
detail. Eggs and chickens arc ahA'ays a saleable commodity, and first- 
class butter soon commands a first-class price. It t.akes some little 
time to establish a reputation for d.airy produce. Once gained it has 
only to be sustained in order to render it fully profitable. But a farmer 
must not leave this important matter to the sole management of his 
Avife or servants, he must see that the coaa-s are Avell^ bred, well tended, 
and that the land affords an ample store of the best food for them. 
We have now plenty of Rye for cows to graze, and the effect upon the 
butter is almost equal to that of grass in spring. 
BRITISH CULTIYATIOX OF TOBACCO. 
An adjourned conference, presided OA'cr bj'- Sir E. Birkbeck, AA-as held 
recently at the Salisbury Hotel, for the purpose of forming an Asso¬ 
ciation for rcsuscit.ating and encouraging Tobacco cultivation in Eng¬ 
land, Scotland, and Ireland under profitable conditions. The report of 
a Committee previously appointed, presented by Mr. Kains-.Jackson, 
stilted that the East ami West India Dock Company have offered free 
storage in London for the present year Avhere Tobacco can be prepared 
to compete for the £50 prize offered by the London Chamber of Com¬ 
merce. The samples groAvn in Great Britain hai-e been remarkably free 
from damage, the injury done by insects being insignificant; but out of 
sixty-four varieties tried opinion favoured only about six as being 
suited for home cultivation. The Committee were of opinion that, all 
things considered, the experiments Avere very satisfactory and encourag¬ 
ing, and that Tobacco cultivation in England, Ireland, and Scotland 
might bo easily carried out and become a profitable British industry 
which in the course of time would probably be taken up by temant 
farmers in suitable districts. The Chairman stated that letters on the 
subject had been received from Lord Walsingham. Lord Torrington, Mr. 
Mark StcAvart, M.B., Mr. Coiman, Mr. E. Beck (Prince of Wales’s- 
.agent), and others. One question, he said, Avould be Avhether the 
Treasury Avould alloAv the Association to issue licences for groAving 
Tobacco in the United Kingdom ; another AV'hether a deputation should 
ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer to allow a draAvback, or whether 
there should be a duty of so much per acre. ^Ir. Sharman. of Messrs. 
Carter & Co., stated that the firm had receiA-ed ne.arly 400 letters on 
the subject, .and that Tobacco h.ad been successfully grown in Wales and 
in Ireland. Mr. Mhight, of Sales, Pollard ck Co., said that English 
manufacturirs generally would be glad to take the matter up, and that 
his firm had purchased Lord Walsingham’s Tobacco. On the motion of 
Mr. Hastings of Devonshire, seconded by Jlr. .Sharman, an Association 
was formed, and it AA'as further resolved that Sir E. Birkbeck shall be 
Chairman, and the folloAving gentlemen members of the Council: Lonl 
Walsingham, Mr. W. L. Wigan, Mr. Kains-J<ackspn, Mr. E. J. Beale, 
Mr. Mitchell-Henry, Mr. J. Sutton, Mr. Veitch. Mr. Mark SteAA’.art, M.P., 
Mr. C. H. Sharman, and Mr. Faunce De Laune, Avith power to add to 
their number. It was also agreed to ask Lord Harris to become Presi¬ 
dent. In the course of conversation it Avas stated by ilr. Lewis Morris, 
of the London Chamber of Commerce, that Tobacco from the South of 
Europe can be delivered in England at 3d. per pound, and ivith this 
British Tobacco Avould have to compete. A specimen of the latter, 
groAvn unsheltered in a 30-acre field, was .shoAvn to him and declared to 
be serviceable Tobacco for pipes. Sir Spencer Wilson said he had some 
difficulty in getting rid of his stock, and that his farm was visited 
twenty-four times by the e.xciseman. ' vote of thanks to the Ch.air- 
man terminated the proceedings. 
Much attention has been dr,awn to Tobacco culture in this country 
lately, and an Association has been formed to promote the interests of 
those engaged in the work, but British farmers will be wise to pause 
before they engage in an undertaking of such very uncertain character. 
Apparently the most that the advocates of home culture can state in its 
favour is that a Avorking man’s Tobacco of medium quality can be pro¬ 
duced here, and this would have to compete Avith continental grown 
Tobacco of a generally superior character th.at can be purchased at 3d. 
per lb. Some home-grown I’obacco has been sold at as Ioav prices as 
Id. and id- per lb., and such imaginary prices as (id. to 8d. jier lb. can¬ 
not be realised. 
The methods of preparation .also are not Avell understood, and much 
of the quality of Tobacco is dependent upon its due ripening, drring, or 
fermentation in the leaf before it reaches the manufacturers’ hands. 1 
have lately had samples of Tobacco, cigars, and cigarettes from two 
sources given me for trial, and though they had been carefully manu¬ 
factured and Avere rather taking in appearance, they AA’cre distinguished 
by a flat herbv taste or an unpleasant scorching effect on the tongue 
and throat. During the past thirty j’-ears I have frequently groAvn 
Tobacco in gardens, but it AA'as alw.ays u.seless for all purposes except, 
ordinary fumig.atiug in plant houses.—.\N Old Groaver and Smoker.’ 
The above was croAvded out of our columns last Aveek, and in the 
meantime Ave have received the following report of an interview on 
the subject of Tobacco culture in this country AA'ith Mes.srs James Carter 
•and Co , by a representative of “ Barker’s Trade and Finance : ’’— 
TWO TEARS’ EXPERIMENTS. 
“ What judgment have you formed,’’ asked our .representative of 
Messrs. Carter & Co.’s manager, “• upon the c.xperiments of the last two- 
years ? ” 
“ We have established this, at ,all CA'ents, ’ AA'as the reply, ‘‘ that 
Tobacco can be grown in this country as a profitable farm crop. Our 
first experiments Avere made in the spring of IS.SiJ. at Holloway Farm, at 
the foot of Bromley Hill, in Kent. We got our first crop promptly into 
market, and it Avas purchased in the month of December of the same 
year by Messrs. Cope, of Liverpool, anrl Ave hope to be able to show the 
manufactured .article from Messrs. Cope at Wednesday’s meeting. 
January 18th. Last year we pl.anted an acre of Tobacco upon the same 
land, being determined to ascertain Avhethcr Tobacco can be groAvn for 
successive ye<ars upon the same ground. All th.at Avedid was to apply 
about ten cartloads of farmyard manure, some ashes, and ,5 or 6 cAvts.- 
of special artificial manure. The result Avas a success, notwithstanding 
that a portion of the land Avas more or less overshailowed by trees, anil 
