332 
JOURXAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April 19, 1888. 
FAULTS IN FARM MANAGEMENT. 
“ WiiAT we want is higher prices for our farm produce,” said a 
worthy old farmer at a meeting which was held to discuss the cau?e 
and possible remedy of the agricultural depression. Of course we 
do want higher prices, hut how any sensible person can hope to get 
them passes our comprehension. To begin with, we may take it for 
granted that every sensible farmer knows the reason of the steady 
reduction in value of the produce of his land, and anyone to go on 
hoping and waiting for better prices is tantamount to owning 
himself a simpleton. Very wisely do Messrs. Sutton say in their 
recent Farm Seed Catalogue that “Agricultural prosperity or 
depression are not consequent upon good or bad seasons only, 
but that Indian and American railways, improved steamboats, and 
cheapened cablegrams have revolutionised the agricultural position. 
Farmers are settling down to the altered state of affairs, having 
become convinced that in the reduction of expenses is to be found 
the salvation of agriculture.” Sound and wholesome advice is this, 
Messrs. Sutton, we grant, if taken with a grain or two of common 
sense, for we hold that even under the depression economy is only 
justifiable as applied to keeping under wasteful expenditure. We 
hardly need remind our readers how persistently we have striven to 
show that the best way to overcome difficulties arising from the 
agricultural depression was to get more out of the land, and in 
order to do this we were bound to see if the general practice of 
imparting the necessary elements of fertility to the soil to promote 
the fullest possible development of our crops was correct or other¬ 
wise. Well, we are free to own we found it very much “other¬ 
wise,” and as we were able, step by step, to discover and set right 
faults in our own practice, so have we striven to assist our readers 
in doing so too. 
Of faults arising from ignorance we may very safely cherish 
hopes of improvement, but what can we venture to say about those 
which are owing solely to carelessness ? Take, for example, that 
important branch of agriculture included under the comprehensive 
term Dairy Farming. Surely we must term it carelessness upon 
the part of those having the management of the cows, or the dairy, 
if the milk, cream, butter, or cheese are not of the best ? Why is 
it that the butter from a certain farm commands a higher price 
than any other butter in that particular district ? Simply because 
it is the best. We know a certain farmer at the present time who 
is a shrewd man of business, and who is blessed with that “ pearl 
above price,” a good wife and clever manager, who is gradually 
taking the lead in supplying dairy produce to the inhabitants of a 
town where it is notorious that what is termed the milk business is 
overdone. But then no “ sky blue ” milk ever comes from his 
dairy ; his milk is delivered to his customers in sealed bottles at 
the same price as other dealers sell it without such security, and the 
butter and cream are alike excellent. But success does not rest 
solely upon dairy management, for if the cows are not well bred, 
well fed, and well cared for in every way, the efforts of the best 
dairy woman in the world may be exerted in vain. We cannot, of 
course, go into details of management here, but we may insist upon 
the high importance of close attention to every detail as exercising 
an influence upon final results. 
Turn now to corn-growing. How frequently are we told that 
Wheat-growing has ceased to be profitable in this country. May 
we not qualify this assertion, and say rather that careless practice 
in Wheat-growing is no longer possible, and that in order for it now 
to afford a margin of profit not one link in the chain of sound 
practice must be wanting ? We have only to turn to the results of 
sound practice last year for proof of this. Upon a mixed soil farm 
in our own hands we had a field of white chaff red Wheat, where 
the yield per acre was 7 quarters of marketable grain and 2 tons of 
straw. Now the best price obtained by us in open market before 
the end of last year for Wheat w'as 32s. per quarter, and for straw 
50s. per ton, and it is therefore reasonable to take such prices as a 
basis in the calculation of possible results which we now make. 
Of grain we have 7 quarters at 323., equal to £11 4s., and 2 tons of 
straw at SOs. equals to £5, or a total per acre of £16 4s. We are 
fully aware that this result is altogether above the average, but we 
are bound to insist that it is possible upon all really good Wheat 
land. Was there any reason to induce one to hold over much 
Wheat into the new year ? Certainly we did not think so, for we 
had disposed of almost all our Wheat before last Christmas, and we 
know that 303. or less per quarter has been the highest price since 
then. To retain Wheat in stack without an object is certainly 
wrong. Mice, rats, and rooks are after it all winter. It is true 
enough vermin may be held in check, but this is not always done, 
and we know at the present time three large Wheat stacks so badly 
infested by rats that there is a perceptible depression in the roof 
of one of them from the ravages of rats beneath it. 
WORK OK THE HOWE FARM. 
So favourable has the weather been for work on the land that there 
has been practically no hindrance to the use of the corn drills from morn 
till dewy eve daily, and we were delighted to hear a light-land farmer 
whose occupation covers an area of nearly a thousand acres, say on the 
11th instant that he had sown all the Barley and the greater part of 
the Mangold seed. Now this is quite as it should be, for we were all 
kept waiting week after week by winter in spring, and no time should 
be lost in sowing spring corn, Clover, Sainfoin, mixed seeds for alternate 
layers. Lucerne, seeds for permanent pasture. Mangolds, and Swedes. 
One word about Lucerne. We may usefully remind our readers that it 
is quite one of our best forage crops. We have now experienced three 
years of drought, of which trying period we hope last year was the 
climax, and throughout that time the best forage crop of all was clearly 
Lucerne. Nor is it difficult to see why it was the best, for it sends its 
roots down so deep into the soil as to be practically unaffected by 
drought. Under generous treatment it gives an eai'ly spring growth, 
and it gives successional growths continuously throughout tjie summer. 
It is eaten freely by horses, cows, and sheep, and may be made into 
excellent hay or silage, and it ought certainly to be grown much more 
extensively than it is. In a hot, dry summer the sight of pasture 
parched and browned by drought is a sad one, but Lucerne is never so 
affected, and the crop of succulent green food which it affords under 
such adverse conditions is invaluable. If a sowing of spring Tares has 
not been made no time should be lost in sowing sufficient for the require¬ 
ments of sheep, horses, cows, and pigs, for they are all fond of it. We 
have frequently finished our lambs for market in folds upon Tares, and 
we hardly know whether to give preference to Tares or Sainfoin for 
such a purpose. Perhaps Tares should have the preference, because 
they may be grown upon all kinds of soil, but Sainfoin is not so 
amenable to general culture, yet where it can be had it is to be highly 
valued as affording two crops of great abundance every summer. The 
first may be eaten off or made into hay, and the second is always 
available for a supply of seed if it is required, and the plant may 
remain upon the land for three or four years. 
METEOROLOaiCAL OBSERVATIONS, 
CAMDEN SQUARE, LONDON. 
Lit. 51° 32'40"N.; Lon.^. 0° 8'0 'W.; Altitnae.lli Let. 
DATE. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAY. 
A ® al - 
Hygrome- 
a . 
Shade Tern- 
Radiation 
£3 
1888. 
P 
ter. 
t: a 
vr* 
perature. 
Temperature 
33 
» 
April. 
a c— 
In 
On 
Dry. 
Wet. 
5o 
H 
Max. 
Min. 
sun. 
grass 
Inches, 
dej?. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
Sunday..... 
5 9.9m 
86.9 
33.3 
N.E. 
38 8 
42.3 
81.5 
89.7 
25.7 
Monday. 
30.017 
88 9 
35.2 
N.W. 
88 3 
441 
31.0 
83.6 
23.1 
0.049 
Tuesday ... 
. 10 
30.i'65 
38.7 
35.0 
IS, 
383 
46.1 
30.5 
83,2 
25.4 
Wednesday. 
. 11 
29.890 
42 6 
42.0 
^ . 
38.2 
53.7 
38.2 
85.7 
32.2 
Thursday... 
. 12 
29.834 
42 9 
89 4 
w. 
392 
54 
37.6 
81.2 
3'’.6 
0.027 
Friday . 
. 13 
29 766 
5:i.S 
60.2 
w. 
40 2 
614) 
418 
111.1 
4".3 
Saturday ... 
. 14 
2941t>4 
608 
47.6 
x.w. 
42.7 
61.0 
43.4 
lOO.l 
37.3 
- 
29.932 
43 4 
40.4 
39.4 
■ 
51.5 
363 
90.7 
30.7 
0.114 
EEMABKS. 
8tb.—Frequent slight showers of soft hall in morning; fine afternoon and evening. 
9th.—Fine, and frequently bright day; showery in evening. 
li.*th.—Fine and bright early; shower of soft hHil about 10 3 ua.Mh then generally dull, 
lltb.—Dull and drizzly till 11A M., and cloudy till 2 P.M., then brighc and flne. 
12tb.—l>ull and damp early; cloudy day. 
I3ih.—Bright and warm. 
14th —Cloudy till noon, then bright. 
The two Knives of the week have been ma' kedly different. The first three days were 
colder than is usual in January, while the last tAO were such as are usual at the 
beginning of May. Sharp frosts ou grass ou 8th, 9th, and luth.—G. J, 8TMONS, 
