354 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
r April 2i, 1888. 
Much has been said for, and much more against, fruit culture 
as an aid to success in farming, yet we have no doubt that under 
favourable conditions it is found to answer. But then common 
■sense must be brought to bear upon the matter, for a man who 
rushes into fruit culture without practical knowledge of it, simply 
courts failure. Only under very exceptional circumstances should 
we ever advise a tenant farmer to plant fruit trees, but he might 
certainly venture upon the culture of bush fruit and Strawberries 
with much less risk of failure. But even in this he should feel his 
way, and only devote a moderate proportion of his holding to it at 
the outset. If he is to succeed he must grow only the best sorts in 
the best way, keeping to such standard sorts as Sir Joseph Paxton 
Strawberry, Prince of Wales Raspberry, Red Warrington Goose¬ 
berry, Black Naples and Raby Castle Currants. Then as to culture- 
Take, for example, the Strawberry. He ought to procure strong 
runners, and from nursery beds, of them in the autumn preceding 
the legitimate planting, at the rate of about 17,000 plants per acre- 
He cannot afford to waste a season, and if from such nursery beds 
he can procure strong plants for making his beds in rich soil early 
in the following July, he may feel sure of a fair crop of fine fruit 
next season. 
In the recent issue of the Journal of the Bath and West of 
England Agricultural Society Mr. W. Weldon Symington, of 
Rockside, Okehampton, has an interesting paper on Fruit Farming. 
He says that in 1887 Strawberries when picked into punnets 
realised from £40 to £50 per ton, the average yield being 1^ ton 
per acre. Raspberries made 5d. per pound in punnets, and Black 
Currants 2d. per pound in hampers. Of Black Currants he says 
the fruit finds a ready sale in all our market towns, or can be sent 
to the jam manufacturers, who are always ready to take it. Of 
Raspberries he also says if the season is dry the crop should be 
picked into punnets, and these punnets packed into boxes for the 
nearest markets ; but if the season is unsettled the jam makers will 
only too willingly take all the English-grown fruit at fair market 
prices, and send tubs with skin covers to hold the Raspberries when 
picked ; and if harvested in this way they fetch about 3Jd. per 
pound. There is, however, no waste, and at these prices the crop 
will be very remunerative. “ If,” he adds, “ the market gardeners, 
who have to pay £10 to £14 per acre near towns, and propor¬ 
tionately high rates and wages, can make it pay, it is clear that an 
industrious thrifty working man, with ordinary intelligence and 
•small capital, utilising the labour of his own children, and getting 
his holding at agricultural prices, cannot fail to make it pay. All 
my own experiments, even during the recent dry summer, have 
quite come up to my expectations.” This advice we may explain is 
tendered for the special advantage of tenants of small holdings, but 
it may nevertheless be turned to account by others who are dis 
posed to adopt such helps to success. Now, we have heard farmers 
declare they have tried everything that appeared likely to help 
them in their difficulties, and when fruit culture has had special 
mention we always feel tempted to inquire how they set about it, 
and whether the trial was a thorough one. It is all very well to 
indulge in a sneer at “ jam,” but to the farmer having a small 
holding especially we say. If the locality and soil are favourable you 
may do much worse than to turn some part of your holding to 
account for the culture of soft fruits, for which there is always a 
ready sale in one way or another. 
(To be continued.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
The sowing of spring corn is finished, and we shall watch the result 
with more than usual interest, for not only are we trying experiments 
with different kinds of manure, but wc applied it in different ways. 
Some has been sown broadcast before the corn-sowing, some afterwards, 
and much has been drilled with the seed. We are inclined to give pre¬ 
ference to the latter method ; certainly it has the merit of expediency, 
and we believe it will prove best in other respects. Germination is so 
<iuick in the moist warm soil that the earliest sown Barley plant was 
ijuickly through the soil, and the rook boys have had to be on the alert 
early and late to protect the corn from their ravages. Five a.m. is none 
too early for the boys to be on duty, and they remain till sunset, for we 
will not allow the corn to suffer for lack of enough boys to scare the 
birds. In some instances we have to employ lads big enough for hand 
work, but under the modern views of education we cannot get boys as 
we used to do ; yet we fail to see if a labourer’s boy is well grounded in 
the three R's, why he should not then be let turn to the education which 
it is so important he should have in his life's calling. Depend upon it 
if the boy has more than ordinary intelligence he will make his way and 
find means to improve his education. 
Wheat, to which a top-dressing of chemical manures was given a few 
weeks ago, already shows the beneficial effects of the fertilisers in its 
deep green hue and free strong growth, and the rolling of this and other 
winter corn has had to be done. Harrows have been used where winter 
weeds were numerous, and hand hoes are now in full swing among 
winter Beans and Peas. The preparation of the land for and the sow¬ 
ing of Mangolds is being pushed on as fast as possible. In connection 
with this work we have again had reason to deplore the gross careless¬ 
ness of some farmers in the application of farmyard manure to the land 
for this purpose. It was carted and spread in the drills during the hard 
weather in February and'eft fully exposed to the air for five or six 
weeks. With such faulty practice before our eyes, can we refrain from 
comment upon the ignorance and carelessness of which it is an unmis- 
takeable sign ? By the time such “ manure ” was buried in the soil 
almost all the elements of fertility which it once contained had vanished 
in the air, and the residue would contribute very little to the develop¬ 
ment of a fine crop of roots. The lesson is a simple one not hard to 
learn, yet, if as appears, it is beyond the comprehension of the ordinary 
farmer, how can we hope that he will ever grapple with the science of 
manure application to his crops ? 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Xiearning- Farming- (^Inquirer ').—Your desire to acquire a know¬ 
ledge of farming before you go out to Canada is certainly commendable, 
but we are unable to assist you in the way you ■ suggest. It is possible 
you might obtain such a post as you require by means of advertisements. 
Are you aware of what sort of career is open to a young man of very 
limited means in the colonies t At the outset your work would be 
entirely that of an ordinary labourer ; in due course you may save some 
money and acquire enough land for a farm, and be able to settle down 
upon it, feeling certain of a home, with sufficient means for all ordinary 
wants. Even this, however, is only to be achieved by dint of down¬ 
right hard labour, combined with economy, perseverance, and sobriety. 
If you think you will eventually be content with such a career, ■well and 
good, but do not entertain any chimerical hopes of finding an Eldorado 
where you 'will “ make your fortune.” You are undoubtedly right about 
the difficulty which a clerk has in making his way in this country, but 
then much depends upon himself and the particular line he adopts. 
For a mere copying clerk there is little, if any, hope of advancement, but 
an intelligent clever young man, who begins in an oflSce with possibili¬ 
ties of rising to a good post, we should certainly advise to persevere. 
The chief fault of young men at the bottom of the ladder is a lack of 
perseverance and staying power ; they become impatient, and frequently 
throw up in disgust a post which might eventually lead to better things. 
How little perfection do we meet ■noth, and yet we are certain that 
perfection in simple duties commands respect and confidence, and even¬ 
tually leads to promotion. You will, we hope, understand that these 
remarks are to be taken in a general sense, and not as casting any 
reflection upon you. If you really dislike office duties and desire an 
active life in the open air, you will probably do well to follow the bent 
of your inclination if your expectations as an emigrant are reasonable 
and you are healthy and strong, for remember that in our colonies it is 
literally the strong right arm, combined with energy and intelligence, 
that enables a man to make his way to independence. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSE R YATIONS, 
CAMDEN SQUARE, LONDON. 
Lat. 51° 38'40’'N.; Long. 0° 8'0" W.; Altitude, HI feet. 
Date. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAT. 
is 2-! 
Hygrome- 
a . 
Shade Tem- 
Badiation 
a 
1888. 
ter. 
73 a 
u.-' 
^ o 
o 
perature. 
Temperature 
s 
April. 
In 
On 
CQi: s) 
Dry. 
Wet. 
fi O 
Max. 
Min. 
sun. 
grass 
Inches. 
deR. 
detf. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
8nndav . 
5i.4 
48.5 
N.E. 
44.0 
62a) 
41.2 
96,9 
3.3.9 
0.118 
Monday. 
. 16 
29.946 
49.6 
455 
W. 
45.0 
60-4 
42.2 
104.5 
35.2 
0.09 > 
Tuesday ... 
. 17 
29.750 
48.3 
47.1 
s. 
45 4 
57.6 
45.2 
101.7 
41.0 
0.107 
Wednesday. 
. 18 
29.662 
48.6 
46.2 
S.E. 
45 8 
58.1 
45.3 
102.8 
40.9 
0.656 
Thursday... 
19 
29.»:0l 
50.2 
46 8 
s. 
45.3 
53.7 
41.1 
92.1 
34.1 
0.602 
Friday . 
?0 
29578 
45.2 
43.9 
w. 
45.2 
53.4 
42.7 
97.9 
39.7 
0.031 
Saturday ... 
21 
29.722 
46 3 
43.6 
s.w. 
45.6 
55.0 
413 
82.3 
89.8 
29.723 
48 7 
45.9 
1 45.2 
67 2 
41.7 
96 8 
37.8 
1.604 
EEMABKS. 
15th.—Lovely morning, cloudy afternoon, wet evening. 
16th.—Bright and fine, but cloudy at times in the aiternoon. 
17th.—Morning geni-rally dull and damp; afternoon frequently bright, but with one or 
two heavy showers. 
18th.—Generally bright morning ; heavy rain and hail storm at 0.30 P.M., and very wet 
till 5 r.M ; thunder and lightning at 2.30 p.M.; fair evening. 
19 h,—Very wet, with thunder at intervals, from 10 30 A.M to 2 P.M.; otherwise showery. 
2Hh.—Dull and showsry till 11 AM., then fair, with a good deal of sunshine in the after¬ 
noon; rain ainight. 
2lst.—Fine, but without bright sunshine. 
A wet week. Temperature 6® above that of the preceding week, and nearly 5® above 
the average.—G. J. Stmons, 
