35 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ July 9, 1885. 
separately and mixed at the farm in the proportions re¬ 
peatedly given, and which will again be set forth in full 
detail at the proper season. Three years ago this field was 
a mere waste of coarse herbage, rushes, and Heather; it now 
has its third crop of Oats, each crop showing clearly the 
steady progressive improvement of the land. The lessons 
evolved by practice here have been clear and unmistakeable. 
Taken in detail from the beginning they teach us—not to 
retain an old foul pasture ; not to plough in turf, but to pare 
and burn it, and plough in the ashes, and so destroy the 
laiva, of insects, the roots of perennial weeds as well as 
seeds ; to apply a moderate quantity of nitrates in autumn 
as well as in spring to land sown early with winter corn ; to 
sow corn for several consecutive years on the same land with 
the confident expectation of an abundant crop if we are 
careful also to use a sufficient dressing of genuine artificial 
manures with every crop, and always to sow Winter Oats in 
preference to Spring Oats upon land of a light or medium 
staple if it can be had in September or early in October. 
In the next field Winter Tares were a fall crop suffi¬ 
ciently forward to follow the Trifolium in good time from the 
October sowing. Square head Wheat alongside the Tares 
just bursting into ear gave ample promise of at least sus¬ 
taining our average yield of a little over 5 quarters an acre ; 
but then it must be stated that this Wheat had the autumn 
and spring dressings of pure artificial manures, and we could 
not help wishing that some of the opponents of Professor 
Jamieson’s teaching could see corn treated by his prescrip¬ 
tions. In contrast to such satisfactory results we may 
mention a large field of Barley upon one of our Suffolk 
farms, dressed with a dealer’s “ special ” manure before it 
came into our hands, which even now is one of the worst 
pieces of Barley upon any of our farms. Can vendors of 
specially adulterated—we beg pardon, “ mixed ”—artificial 
manures wonder if farmers turn away from them in disgust, 
and vow they will have no more of the vile trash ? Field 
Potatoes came next, and the “ earthing ” was then being 
done by a man and boy with a horse and double-breasted 
plough. . The growth of all the sorts was satisfactory, as, 
indeed, it ought to be, for the land was ploughed in the 
autumn, cross-harrowed in spring, thirty loads of farmyard 
manure per acre ploughed in, followed by harrows again. 
The drills were then made with a double-breasted plough, 
dressed with pure artificial manure, the Potatoes planted, 
and covered so that the artificial manure was well blended 
with the soil into which the roots must first spread, and thus 
a free strong growth was ensured from the first. A frequent 
use of the horse and hand hoes had kept weeds under, and 
with the final “ earthing ” the process of cultivation was 
complete. A piece of land next the Potatoes was dressed 
with artificial manure at the same time for Spring Oats, our 
intention being to try the effect of liberal treatment in this 
direction for the sake of comparison with the Winter Oats. 
Nothing, certainly, could be more satisfactory than the 
appearance of the Spring Oats, only they will be a month 
later in ripening for harvest, and the fickle weather in spring 
time that so often retards the sowing of this crop must not 
be forgotten 
Again did we see the advantage of sowing Mangold early 
in April; the seed-germination was quick, and the plant- 
growth, though somewhat checked by late frosts, has been so 
vigorous that thinning was done, and horse and hand hoeing 
had kept down weeds, so that this important work was well 
out of hand before the haymaking was begun. We are 
always anxious to get the thinning of all the root crops done 
that is possible before haymaking, for that is such a critical 
and important undertaking that it frequently absorbs all 
available labour on the farm. Carrots for cows and horses 
in winter, Trifolium, Spring Tares, and meadow Grass for 
hay were chief among the other crops through which we 
walked. The Spring Tares, if not wanted for folding, will 
be ploughed in as a valuable manure, and this will probably 
be done as grass is so abundant. Trifolium is good gene¬ 
rally this year, and we are glad to find its culture is so 
general; no crop is of more easy culture, and it is unques¬ 
tionably most profitable. We have made a considerable 
quantity of it into hay, which will eventually be chopped and. 
mixed with other food for the horses. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Haymaking continues to be the chief work just mw, and we must 
again call attention to the importance of wind rows, or narrow rows of 
hay made with small hand rakes, by means of which the hay is not only 
drawn into little ridges through which the air passes freely, but tho 
numerous locks of grass passed over by the tedding machine are moved 
and drawn up to the tops of the ridges, and much violent heating pre¬ 
vented in the rick subsequently. By all means use horse rakes and hand 
drag rakes, but also have plenty of small hand rakes at hand for this 
special purpose. We hear frequent complaints of blindness in Beans, in 
some instances so much of it that the plants have been chopped up for 
silage. Swedes already have a rough leaf or two, and will soon be safe 
from insects. Peas are podding well, and will be a good average crop. 
Charlock is so prevalent that pulling or hoeing it could not be done. 
Wherever it stands well above the corn the heads of bloom have been cut 
off so as to reduce the seeding as much as possible. If only the few 
plants of this pest which first appear in a field hitherto free from it were 
destroyed, it never could have spread through >ut the country as it has. 
Charlocks, Thistles, Docks, Nettles, Rushes, and Couch Grass must have 
no quarter, and it is only by incessant effort and perseverance that they 
are to be kept down. Hayricks will be thatched as soon as they have 
settled slightly. It is well to have this well done, and to have plenty of 
spars pinned securely near the edges of the thatch to prevent high storm® 
from blowing it off. Neatness is desirable in this work, a well-kept rick- 
yard being an attractive as it is an important feature on the farm. In 
these days of portable threshing machines it is desirable to build as many 
cornricks as possible in the fields as a saving of the labour of carting from 
a distance during the busy season of harvest, due care being taken to 
select accessible places near a gate and road. Anything tending to reduce 
both horse and manual labour is worthy of our best attention. As the 
cattle yards are cleared of manure let them be examined ; any faulty drains 
s;t right; gates, enclosures, lodges, and cribs put into thorough repair ; 
all new work tarred or painted. We prefer tar, and have used much of it 
lately whenever men could be spired to re-tar every fence, gate, or build¬ 
ing requiring it. We caa buy gas tar at 3d. per gallon, and know nothing 
so cheap or better suited to its purpose. The interior of lodges and cow 
houses should be washed with hot lime, and rendered thoroughly sweet 
and wholesome. Greater attention to this matter would tend materially 
to check the spread of any infectious diseases. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Scouring Calf (Steward and Gardener ).—A calf so much reduced by 
scouring as to be almost a skeleton and unable to rise should be destroyed 
and an end put to its misery and suffering, for such a case is hopeless. 
From the extraordinary remedy suggested by your cow leech, we should 
hardly consider him qualified to attend to the diseases of animals. Gene¬ 
rally speaking, scouring is caused by foul water; coarse, indigestible, un¬ 
wholesome food ; by long fasting and subsequent gorging, and by exposure 
to damp and cold. Our highest veterinary treatment consists in judicious 
feeding, nutritive food, restricted water supply, laudanum and ether or 
chlorodyne to abate spasm and pain; iron, acids, and bitters to promote the 
healthy tone of the weakened membrane, and comfortable protection from 
wind and weather. Such general advice falls clearly within our province. 
Specific remedies can hardly be stated without actual examination of an 
affected animal, and therefore we say, Do your best for other animals with 
food and shelter, and in every case of illness where simple remedies fail, at 
once call in a duly qualified veterinary surgeon. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
Camden Square, London. 
Lat. 51° 32'40" N.; Long. 0° 8' 0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet 
Date. 
y A.M. 
IN THB DAY. 
a 
« 
1885. 
June and July. 
Barome¬ 
ter at 32« 
and Sea 
Level 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
Direction 
of Wind. 
Temp, of 
Soil at 
1 foot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min 
In 
sun. 
On 
grass. 
Inches. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
dfg. 
deg. 
deg. 
In. 
Sunday .... 
30.148 
00.2 
52.6 
N.E. 
59 0 
75.3 
47.0 
1188 
44.8 
Monday. 
29.975 
5 5.3 
52.8 
N. 
60 8 
71.3 
52.0 
117.5 
53.9 
_ 
Tuesday. 
30.022 
58.4 
51.7 
N. 
00.8 
72 7 
52.3 
123.5 
48.9 
_ 
Wednesday . 
. 1 
30.170 
59.7 
52.2 
N.W. 
61.2 
71.7 
50.8 
118.C 
45.1 
_ 
Thursday ... 
. 2 
30.213 
58.8 
55.7 
K. 
01.5 
70.7 
49.7 
100.2 
43.6 
_ 
Friday. 
30.183 
04.5 
57.3 
S.E. 
60 8 
74 8 
55.9 
100.6 
58.1 
_ 
Saturday ... 
4 
3U.207 
07.2 
01.5 
K.E. 
60.8 
79.0 
51.0 
122.7 
45.4 
— 
30.131 
60.7 
54.8 
60.7 
73 6 
51.2 
109.0 
47.8 
- 
REMARKS. 
28f h.—Fine, bright, and warm, but clouded over in evening. 
29th,—Dull morning; line bright afternoon. 
3oth.—Fine and bright. 
1st.—Fine, but rather oppressive. 
;! n d—Haze or fog in morning; moderately bright at noon ; darker afterwards. 
3rd.—Fine and bright, but rather oppressive. 
4lh.—Fine and warm. 
A rainless week, but temperature rather below the average until the last two days. 
—U. J. UlMOfiS. 
