126 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ August 6, 1885 
means. Undoubtedly if a farm could be taken in band 
immediately after harvest, foul land pared, and burned if 
necessary, or ploughed, hoed, harrowed thoroughly, cleansed 
from noxious weeds, and all necessary drainage done, it 
would sooner be brought into a high state of cultivation; 
which in other words may be explained as efficient drainage, 
mechanical division, abundant fertility, and freedom from 
couch grass, thistles, docks, nettles, and other perennial 
weeds. 
To realise fully what is the actual difference in results 
from good and bad culture we should look closely into the 
ripening crops of grain now to be found upon different farms, 
see the root crops, the green crops upon arable land; ex¬ 
amine hayricks, drawing careful comparisons, and striving 
to see for ourselves the causes of failure and success. That 
the best soil for Barley is a tolerably light, rich, and well- 
pulverised one is undoubtedly true, and when we attempt its 
cultivation we should to render the soil as near to this con¬ 
dition as may be. An average crop of Barley is estimated 
at 48 bushels per acre, which at 55 lbs. per bushel amounts 
in the aggregate to 2640 lbs., and the straw and chaff have 
been estimated at 8300 lbs., or 1^ times heavier than the 
grain. Both as whole and ground corn Barley should be 
used much more extensively than it is generally, and it 
should be made to help us avoid the heavy outlay for Maize 
so common to many farms. The Chevalier Barley is gene¬ 
rally considered the best because of its superiority for malting 
purposes, and about 3 bushels of seed is usually sown to the 
acre. Thin seeding is infinitely preferable to thick seeding, 
the straw then coming sturdy and so robust that there is 
little risk of the crop being beaten down by heavy rain, yet 
it is notorious that Barley generally is very much lodged 
this season. This will render much of the grain unfit for 
malting purposes, and more of it than usual will probably 
be used for cattle food. 
For Beans preference is wisely given to deep rich soil, for 
it is an exhausting crop, and the land is highly manured 
for it. Winter Beans are generally considered preferable to 
spring Beans ; but late spring frost is often fatal to the 
blossom of winter Beans, as was the case this year, many a 
field of Beans having suffered so much that the crop is 
worthless. To apply the teaching of this severe lesson to 
practice we must let the situation of each farm and its degree 
of exposure or otherwise guide us in our decision as to whether 
we shall sow winter or spring Beans, a moderate quantity 
only being grown in proportion to other crops. Bean meal 
mixed with the best linseed cake is used by many farmers 
for old sheep now being folded upon the second growth of 
Clover and mixed seeds, and it is found highly valuable 
in promoting a plump lusty condition and early ripening 
for market. It contains 25 per cent, of albuminoids and 
44 per cent, of carbohydrates. Crushed Beans are also both 
nourishing and strengthening food for cattle and horses. 
Peas may be regarded as more generally useful, and more 
land is devoted to this crop. We like to have a stack of 
unthreshed Peas in cut for pigs during winter, both Peas and 
straw being nourishing food, and the meal may be mixed 
advantageously with other corn for all animals. This mixing 
of home-grown corn for home consumption is most desirable, 
not only from the real benefit derived from it by the animals, 
but also as a means of keeping down bills for oilcake and 
corn. Before all things let us strive to render the farm self- 
supporting, avoiding expenditure of capital altogether if we 
can after the farm is cropped and stocked, using only the 
profits arising from the money invested in the land. 
How to crop and how to stock is daily becoming a more 
serious consideration; but the clergyman using his land for 
the production of farm produce chiefly for home consumption 
is not so much affected by it as a tenant farmer, yet when 
the surplus farm produce has to be disposed of it is important 
that that surplus should be a marketable commodity com¬ 
manding a prompt sale. Perhaps the best course is always 
to aim at the production of first-class crops, to keep well-bred 
animals—not necessarily of pedigree strains, but rather com¬ 
pact sturdy animals calculated to fatten quickly, and not 
big coarse animals, loose-limbed and of slow growth. For 
example, there is much difference even among pigs in this 
respect, and we have always found thick chubby pigs of close 
compact growth answer best for home use, as well as for 
bringing to early maturity as porkers for the London market, 
when they command a special price, always higher than that 
given for larger pigs. 
(To be continued.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Between the hay and corn harvest the men have been set to hedge- 
clipping, trimming the sides of ditches, mowing the litter upon headlands, 
and clearing out stock yards. Several hundred cartloads of ditch 
scourings, the accumulation of several years’ scourings, upon a neglected 
farm had become overrun with couch grass, and lay in the form of a wide 
ridge alongside several fields. It has now been carted into large heaps 
and burnt to destroy the foul grass and to afford a valuable supply of 
burnt earth and ashes for some land to be sown with Oats next season. 
A foul layer in process of being broken up and rendered clean for Wheat 
has been drained. This land is heavy, and much wanted draining ; we 
had men to spare for the work, an old Whitethorn hedge left untrimmed 
for years afforded an ample supply of stout bushes close at hand, and so 
we have made bush drains 2 feet deep and 20 feet apart. Pea harvest 
and the mowing of Winter Oats and Barley is upon us. Peas have to be 
watched closely as growth ceases, and cutting is begun soon after the 
pods and haulm begin changing colour, for if this is not done till the seed 
is fully ripe much of it will be shaken out of the pods in the loading and 
carting to the ricks. Corn in the southern counties is fast ripening, and 
the harvest will soon become general. Would it not be well beforehand 
to consider if some of the ricks might not be made alongside the fields if 
there is a sound road close by ? This would save much carting at this 
busy season of the year, and the threshing of the corn could be done in 
due course upon a fine day. 
Avoid the expenditure of money upon young cattle unless they are 
exceptionally well bred, and can be had at reasonable rates; for it is 
probable that the importation of beef will increase rather than diminish. 
It is reported that the Marquis de Mores, who is slaughtering and forward¬ 
ing dressed beef from various points on the Northern Pacific Railroad, 
offers to supply by way of the Lakes and the Grand Trunk of Canada 
1000 carcases weekly, to be delivered in Montreal at 3)d. per lb. A 
halfpenny per lb. more will pay steamer and refrigerator charges to 
Liverpool or the Thames, so that this practically amounts to an offer of beef 
wholesale in England at 4d. per lb. on board ship. It must not, however, 
be thought that the actual consumer will obtain this beef at much below 
8d. per lb., for the middleman will inevitably step in between him and the 
ship’s side, and the matter is only mentioned as one of many that are 
likely to tell against the farmer’s interests. For our own part we 
regard 6heep as a much safer investment, and we have recently purchased 
some full-mouthed ewes for folding upon the second growth of Clover. 
These sheep cost 25s. apiece ; they are large animals, somewhat reduced 
by having been kept late with the lambs ; but with a plentiful diet of 
Clover and mixed corn we may reasonably hope both to improve the land, 
and to sell the sheep fat to the butcher at a profit. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
Camden Square, London. 
Lat. 51° 32'40" N.; Long. 0° 8' 0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet 
DATE. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAY. 
1885. 
sS_ 
d co a» a> 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
a . 
O 
£ a 
Temp, of 
Soil at 
1 foot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
a 
"5 
K5 
July-August. 
* S S-4 
SQ 2 a 
Dry. 
Wet. 
5o 
Max. 
Min 
In 
sun. 
On 
grass. 
Sunday . 
26 
Inches. 
30.3*9 
deg. 
77.4 
deg. 
67.8 
x.w. 
deg. 
65.7 
deg. 
90.4 
d*g. 
57.2 
4eg. 
126.5 
deg. 
51.2 
In. 
Monday . 
27 
30.303 
74.5 
67.0 
N. 
67.2 
86.0 
60.1 
129.3 
54.3 
Tuesday . 
28 
30.364 
61.3 
54.5 
E. 
67 2 
76.2 
58.7 
122.7 
57.9 
_ 
Wednesday .. 
29 
30.329 
G1.6 
54.0 
X. 
66 8 
71.6 
57.7 
117.7 
55.6 
— 
Thursday .... 
30 
30.294 
58.7 
51.6 
E. 
05.7 
75.8 
56.6 
119.2 
54.1 
— 
Friday. 
31 
30.248 
58.0 
53.4 
N.E. 
65.7 
75.2 
54 2 
116 8 
54.2 
— 
Saturday .... 
1 
30.145 
61.6 
55.6 
N. 
65.8 
69.4 
54.3 
105.2 
54.5 
— 
30.287 
64.7 
58.1 
66.3 
77.9 
57.0 
119.6 
54.5 
— 
REMARKS. 
26t,h.—A very hot cloudless summer day. 
27th.—Hot., bright morning, some cloud in afrernoon ; cool evening. 
28th.—Cool and cloudy, but beautifully bright afternoon. 
29th.—Clou y and cool, but some sun. 
30th.—Dull till 11 A M.; fine afternoon ; cloudy evening. 
31st.—Dull early ; fine midday; cloudy evening. 
1st.—Generally dull and cooler. 
The temperature on Sunday was unusually high. During recent years temperatures 
of 90° have oc urred only as follows 
1884, August 11th 
1881, July 15th 
„ 5th 
1876, August 14th 
„ „ 13th 
„ July 15th 
1874, „ 20th 
» m 9th 
92.0 degrees. 
94.6 „ 
92.7 „ 
92.1 
92.3 „ 
92.6 „ 
90.8 
As the latter part of the week was cool the mean for the week not remarkably 
The continued entire absence of rain is becoming serious.—G. . SYMOJSI?. 
