58 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ July 16, 1891. 
TEMPORARY PASTURE. 
From a really good field of “ seeds ” the crop of wholesome 
nutritious forage is often twice or three times more than that of 
permanent pasture, and the reason of this greater abundance of 
yield is obv.ous enough, for with land in good heart, and pasture 
■consisting of the best strong growing Grasses, with a fair admixture 
of Clovers, heavy crops are practically a certainty. Perennial Rye 
Grass, Cocksfoot, Meadow Fescue, and Timothy are all remarkable 
for robust growth, and with them we should have White Clover 
and Alsike, with Perennial Red Clover ; or on good mixed free or 
chalky soil, Sainfoin, Lucerne, and Tall Fescue. 
The clearance of a heavy first crop is often immediately 
followed by a top-dressing of manure, which July rains wash down 
into the soil and ensure an almost equally heavy second crop. If 
the weather is showery as the first crop is cleared about 2 cwt. per 
acre of the mixed nitrogenous and mineral chemical manures 
answers admirably ; so, too, does a dressing of sawdust or peat 
moss litter well saturated with urine. But the dressing must be a 
moderate one, and be used promptly, for some of the Grasses, 
notably Cocksfoot, send up a strong second growth at once. It 
should be understood clearly that such an application of manure is 
a bit of sharp practice upon which a beginner could hardly venture 
in safety. To do it really well and effectually experience and 
sound judgment are requisite, without which it may do harm ; 
with it excellent results are possible. For example, chemical 
manure would not tell in hot dry weather, but in showery weather 
with the temperature of midsummer it would not only then induce 
growth of remarkable vigour, but the soil would be so rich in 
fertility that there would be no appreciable exhaustion by the 
vigorous second growth. 
Very seldom indeed do we see crops of such vigour as we know 
to be possible, simply because the soil is so often in a state of 
incipient exhaustion. We must have sustained fertility of soil if 
we would have sustained vigour of growth. In saying this we do 
but repeat an oft-told tale, yet we would give greater emphasis to 
it if possible, because we know that the soil generally is not half 
so productive as it ought to be. 
It is certain that the best plants of our temporary pastures 
repay us well for high culture. What is possible under such 
culture has been shown with Rye Grass and Maize, especially 
on sewage farms ; and it is well known what magnificent crops 
of Sainfoin, Lucerne, Timothy, Cocksfoot, and Clover can be had 
without extraordinary pains. In the United States of America 
Timothy yields crops of marvellous abundance. So, too, does 
Cocksfoot in New Zealand ; but then it has special culture, with 
the plants set far enough apart to admit of full development, and 
no one can form an idea of what that is who has only seen this 
Grass in an ordinary pasture. Take a young plant of Cocksfoot 
and plant it in your garden in really rich soil ; suffer no other 
plants to crowd it or to rob the surrounding soil of fertility, and 
you will have so remarkable an object lesson as to set you longing 
for an acre of such growth. No objection can be justly taken to 
the coarse herbage of this Grass, as analysis has proved it to be 
as nutritious as any of the finer-growing Grasses. 
We regret that farmers are not wont to test such things for 
themselves more than they do. What can possibly be more useful 
or interesting on a farm than a trial plot where manures, corn, 
forage, an I roots can all be tried ? The comparative value of all 
crops would the a be known, and the practice would be better, the 
results better, and far more certain and profitable than is possible 
without such tests. 
Now is the time to look carefully over the farm, and to consider 
well if the crops are really gooL If not the cau^e should be 
ascertained, and the remedy applied in due course. The drought 
of last autumn told severely upon those dairy farmers having 
nothing but poor permanent pasture for their stock. What a boon 
would a few acres of rich temporary pasture have proved to them 
then! But where the whole of the farm is in permanent pasture 
the farmer is very much the sport of seasons, for he has nothing 
else to turn to. Well would it be for him if even a few acres only 
of his farm were available for special treatment, and some of those 
special crops which we have indicated in this article. 
WORK ON THE EOME FARM. 
A case of stupid blundering which caused the loss of four fine lambs 
must be noticed this week. A flock of ewes and lambs much infested 
with ticks were dipped in Cooper’s mixture on July 3rd, and on the 
morning of the 5th the four lambs were found dead, and others were 
evidently suffering from poisoning, but they did not die. Our advice 
was asked, and we found that the lambs had actually been allowed to 
run with and be suckled by the ewes immediately after the dipping. It 
was obvious that they imbibed enough of the dip poison from the ewe’s 
udders to kill four of them, and to seriously affect several more. In 
future this bit of dear-bought experience will cause the owner of that 
flock either to wean the lambs before dipping—as should always be 
done—or to keep them apart from the ewes after dipping till there is no 
risk of poisoning. By all means dip all sheep and lambs for summer, 
but do take ordinary precaution against the poison. Our plan is to dip 
off the pasture, and to keep the sheep off it till they are fairly dry. As 
the dipping is done two or three weeks after the shearing, the short wool 
becomes dry enough in a few hours to make all safe; but to dip the 
sheep and turn them out at once upon the pasture they feed upon is to 
incur serious risk of poisoning. 
The unsettled state of the weather has interfered seriously with the 
haymaking. All that grass mown for hay, whether in cocks or swathes, 
has been made into hay as fast as was possible, but more of the unmown 
grass will be used for ensilage than would have been the case had we 
had settled weather. Where hay must be had it must be got into cocks 
a few hours after the mowing, and only shaken out when there is fair 
promise of a few hours of fine weather. Of course the haymaking is 
more expensive in this way, but there is no other way in showery 
weather, for hay that is turned a few times and then exposed to rain 
loses quality very fast, and is never so nutritious as well-made hay. 
Great care must also be taken that hay which has been in cocks is 
shaken out and thoroughly dried before the carting, or it will become 
musty in the rick. 
Spratt’s Patent. —We are requested to say that our readers, 
before leaving for their holidays, should entrust their canine pets as 
boarders to Spratt’s Patent Dog Sanatorium. The Sanatorium is on a 
healthy site near Mitcham. The kennels are large and spacious. The 
dogs are well groomed and exercised for several hours daily, and, above 
all, are not caged or chained. Mr. Sewell, the canine specialist and vet., 
supervises all. Write, Spratt’s Patent, Limited, Bermondsey, London, 
for particulars. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
CAMDEN SQUARE, LONDON. 
Lat. 51° 32' 40" N.; Long. 0° 8' 0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
DATE. 
9 AM. 
IN THE DAT. 
1891. 
9 2^ S? 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
3 • 
O x3 
la 
Temp, of 
sou at 
| 1 foot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
Bain 
July. 
Dry. 
Wet. 
So 
Max. 
Min. 
Ia 
sun. 
On 
ffrass 
Sunday. 
6 
Inches. 
30.035 
deg. 
59.5 
deg. 
54.4 
S.E. 
deg. 
61.0 
deg. 
65.1 
deg. 
50.2 
deg. 
94.5 
deg. 
45.8 
In. 
0.010 
Monday. 
6 
29.799 
61.2 
58.8 
S. 
6).3 
69.9 
53.9 
1U.0 
56.3 
0.193 
Tuesday .... 
7 
29.697 
59.4 
62.9 
s.w. 
59.9 
65.3 
52.1 
114.9 
48.0 
0.334 
Wednesday.. 
8 
29.711 
59.7 
55.1 
N.W. 
59.0 
70.6 
51.9 
118.7 
51.8 
0.759 
Thursday.... 
9 
80.005 
62.1 
56.1 
N. 
59.0 
69.1 
52.0 
122.9 
47.8 
— 
Friday . 
10 
30.156 
56.9 
53.0 
W. 
59.6 
71.6 
50.2 
116.6 
45.4 
— 
Saturday .... 
11 
30.052 
63.1 
53.9 
w. 
60.1 
72.8 
52.6 
122.3 
48.2 
— 
29.922 
60.3 
55.3 
59.8 
69.2 
52. G 
114.4 
49.0 
1.301 
REMARKS. 
5th.—Generally overcast, with frequent spots of rain in afternoon. 
6th.—Dull and drizzly early; breezy day, with occasional sunshine; thunderstorm at 
4 P.M., and bright evening. 
7th.—Generally overcast, with frequent heavy showers, but occasional bright 
sunshine. 
8th.— Generally overcast morning, with thunder and spots of rain at 11; thunderstorm 
with heavy rain from 3 t» 5 P M.; fair evening. 
9th.—Fine, and generally bright. 
10th.—Fine, but frequently cloudy. 
11th.—Bright and warm. 
A generally dull week, and on the 8th the only heavy thunderstorm which has 
sccurred this year.—G. J. symons. 
