53 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ July 16, 
their hands just now that they are bound to give due heed to 
every hint about profitable crops, but they would do well to 
be cautious about taking up or applying novel ideas to prac¬ 
tice. Upon farms near large centres of population the wish 
to devote the land to some more profitable purpose than the 
cultivation of ordinary farm crops is very natural; but even 
in such an apparently favourable situation no step should be 
taken till it has been submitted to the common but safe test 
of supply and demand. A little inquiry will show if farm 
produce is obtained from a distance from the town: if so, 
there is a chance for profitable competition by farmers close 
at hand, and it is by no means uncommon for town supplies 
to be drawn from a considerable distance. For example, we 
know a contractor for the supply of fodder for a cavalry bar¬ 
racks who has at the present time to procure hay from a dis- 
ance of thirty miles. Does not this fact show that farmers near 
that town cannot be upon the alert to supply a demand which 
must always exist there ? Or it may be that the farm 
produce which they have to offer is so inferior in quality as 
to be rejected. This is a point of vital importance. If you 
would be sought out by large buyers, build up by energy and 
painstaking a reputation for the produce of your farm. A 
really first-class article is seldom difficult to sell at a price 
that is really profitable. As a case in point, take bad and 
good hay. Haymaking is generally considered to be an un¬ 
certain and, in unsettled weather, a difficult operation, yet 
we never saw a summer in which hay that was wholesome 
food for cattle could not be made by the exercise of due care. 
Upon a farm recently taken in hand we found several small 
ricks of inferior hay, most of it mouldy and devoid of the 
fragrant aroma which is always present in good hay. The 
bailiff’s excuse was the want of a rick-cloth, ropes, pulleys, 
and poles. This want was supplied ; but we had also to 
correct much slovenly practice in the haymaking of the 
present season. Machinery would doubtless answer per¬ 
fectly well alone for making good hay could we find meadows 
with a full even surface devoid of hollows. But practically 
this is never the case, and small hand rakes must be passed 
over the hay ; draw it into wind-rows and hand-forks be used 
to shake out thick locks, or to bring grass from under trees 
out into the open. As we write this we have in a thirty-acre 
meadow a mowing machine, tedder, horse rakes, and men 
with scythes, forks, large drag rakes, and small hand rakes 
all in full swing, and all doing an important part in ths 
making of first-class hay, for the crop of grass is a heavy 
one requiring special care, for the exercise of which it cer¬ 
tainly bids fair to repay us. 
Turning to other crops, it is probable that a certain pro¬ 
portion of the land devoted to the production of ordinary 
crops would be a safeguard in most years ; nor must it be 
forgotten that such crops must always have due atten¬ 
tion upon home farms. Dairy farming might be enlarged 
gradually, not only for the sale of milk, but of cream, butter, 
and cheese, according to the demand, and there need be no 
fear of overstocking the market with first-class butter and 
cheese; it is the second and third-rate articles which hang 
on hand. If cows are kept solely for the production of milk 
for sale deep milkers must be had, quantity being our primary 
object; if for cream, butter, or cheese, then we must look to 
the quality of the milk, and, above all things, have an effi¬ 
cient dairy manager. In turning attention to fruit farming, 
we are bound to strive for quick returns upon our expenditure. 
Full crops of fruit are had from Strawberries and Baspberries 
in the second year under skilful culture. An acre or two of 
Bed Warrington Gooseberry is always a safe investment. 
For a deep rich soil Black Currants are a profitable crop— 
perhaps the most profitable of all—and for a poor thin soil 
Pearson’s Prolific Nut is equally commendable. Of fruit 
frees plant only those of proved excellence, such as Fivers’ 
Early Prolific Plum, Margil Apple, or Williams’ Bon Chretien 
Pear—sorts to plant by the acre with Strawberries or Goose¬ 
berries between them. 
A few acres of early or second early Potatoes answer well, 
being off the land before there is much risk of loss from 
disease. Seakale and Asparagus are worthy of a moderate 
trial, but the general culture of vegetables ought only to be 
taken up under exceptionally favourable circumstances. 
Green fodder crops are very desirable here both for home 
use and for the prompt sale usually to be had for all of them. 
Bye, Perennial Bye Grass, Trifolium incarnatum, mixed 
Grasses and Clovers, such as Cocksfoot, Meadow Foxtail, 
Timothy, the tall Fescues, with Bed and White Clover, Tares, 
Saintfoin, Trefoil, and Lucern, all afford wholesome nourish¬ 
ing food, of which the surplus quantity ought easily to be 
sold at about Is. per square perch. The culture of most of 
these crops has been explained in detail, and it will again be 
noticed at the right season. It will suffice now to say gene¬ 
rally that for all of them the thorough systematic culture of 
the soil not only answers best, but is to be regarded as indis¬ 
pensable ; and do not forget that a superfluous green crop 
ploughed into the soil proves an excellent fertiliser. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
“ Barometer 30 23, rising. Thermometer, 65°. Wind, north. Light" 
Weather clear. High barometric readings prevail over the whole of Great 
Britain. The weather will most probably continue fine.” Such was the 
remarkable statement published in a daily paper on July Gth in the midst 
of the haymaking, and we record it here as a bright and cheering fact, for 
it is our habit to look at the bright side of things, and although our silo 
will probably remain empty we shall not grumble at its cost, for it did 
good service last year, and may do so again. Be it rather our aim to 
make hay while the sun shines, and we have built several noble ricks, for 
we altogether object to a lot of small undersized ricks, poor in flavour, and 
with so much outside. But while the haymaking has been going briskly 
on some root crops have suffered, especially late-sown Swedes. Mangolds, 
on the contrary, are flourishing, especially where sown upt n ridges with 
farmyard manure below. No blight or insect will hurt this valuable crop 
now, nor will it suffer from drought for some time to come, and we may 
reasonably expect rain in due course to help it <n. For Wheat and 
Barley in bloom in the south the weather is most favourable generally, yet 
it is to be feared that upon heavy land Barley has suffered. Hop insects 
are prevalent, and washing of the foliage has to be closely attended to. 
High culture tells, as usual, in the Hop garden, the growth being espe¬ 
cially vigorous and healthy. A large field of Carrots is looking 
very well just now, and we believe the culture of this useful root to be 
worthy of extension as a safe source for a supply of winter food for horses 
and cattle, and especially for dairy cows. Some trial crops of Wheat 
afford a useful lesson. Champion White has the longest straw and 
finest ears, Velvet Chaff is next; then come Square Head Red, with fine 
sturdy straw and the promise of large heavy grain, and last comes Golden 
Drop, so decidedly inferior in every respect to the others that one wonders 
what special merit it has to induce ihe extensive culture of it. For 
general culture Square Head is probably best, its stout straw enabling it 
to withstand storms well, the grain being heavy and the yield good. Do 
farmers who complain that their land produces straw at the expense of grain 
ever take the trouble to test a few sorts of Wheat to see which answeis 
best ? Depend upon it, it is a mistake to take things for granted without 
a fair trial, and in Wheat-growing now it must be owned that we ought 
to grow nothing but the best sort for our particular soil. We are free to 
own that we have been selling straw, for we cannot afford to waste money 
upon poor Irish cattle, and we cannot procure enough of any other good 
breed for our purpose. Artificial manure will therefore be used instead 
for all purposes next season, and we hope to economise both in manual 
and horse labour. _ 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
Camden Square, London. 
Lat. 51° 32'40" N.; Long. 0° 8- 0" IV.; Altitude. Ill feet 
DATE. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAY. 
a 
*3 
1885. 
July. 
Barome¬ 
ter at 328 
and Sea 
Level 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
Direction 
of Wind. 
Temp, of 
Soil at 
l foot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min 
In 
snn. 
On 
grass. 
Inches. 
dee. 
dee. 
dee. 
dee. 
d»‘g. 
dee- 
dee. 
In. 
Sunday . 
30.255 
08.9 
60.4 
N.W. 
62.4 
81.2 
59.3 
127.4 
52.5 
— 
Monday. 
30.267 
68.4 
59.8 
w. 
63 8 
81.8 
66.0 
122.7 
49.2 
— 
Tuesday. 
30.196 
65.9 
58.4 
w. 
64.7 
77.6 
54.2 
122.1 
49.7 
0.03 L 
Wednesday . 
. 8 
30.096 
Gl.7 
57.6 
s.w. 
64 4 
72.7 
57.2 
104 4 
53.5 
0.016 
Thursday ... 
. 9 
30.215 
63.1 
55.8 
N.E. 
62.5 
75.9 
47.6 
115.4 
40.7 
— 
Friday. 
30.190 
65.7 
58.5 
S.E. 
63.3 
82.5 
52.6 
119.3 
45.3 
— 
Saturday ... 
. 11 
30.096 
70.2 
61.4 
S.E. 
63.8 
82.0 
57.9 
127.8 
45.1 
0.250 
30.188 
66.3 
58.8 
G3.6 
79.1 
54.9 
119.9 
48.0 
0.297 
REMARKS. 
5th.—Very fine summer day. 
6th.—Fine and hot. 
7th.—Fine and bright, but cloudy in late afternoon. 
8th.—Showers early, cloudy morning, fair afternoon. 
9th.—Fine and bright. 
loth.—Hazy and oppressive morning; fine afternoon. 
Hth.—Bright and hot, with pleasant air. Lightning at midnight, and sharp rain early 
on Sunday morning. 
A thoroughly fine week of warm summer weather.—G. J. SYMONS. 
