530 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ December 10, 1885. 
it being certain that such crops receive fertility from the 
atmosphere and impart it to the soil as they decay. This is 
certainly a step onwards, the full importance and significance 
of which one cannot yet realise. Cordially do we invite 
especial attention to it now with a view to the inducement of 
thoughtful discussion before the time comes round again 
when it may be turned to account. Let us try and grasp 
the practical value of this sowing and ploughing-in of green 
crops to the farmer. Take a familiar example by way of 
illustration once more ; the lesson is an easy one, yet it must 
be thoroughly mastered if we are to derive full benefit from 
it. A Wheat stubble of some twenty acres is very foul with 
couch grass. Had the autumn been as fine as it was last 
year this foul grass would have been taken out of the soil 
and burnt. It was not fine, and we could only have the 
grass forked out where it was thickest. As early as possible 
next spring the soil will be cleaned by ploughing, stirring 
repeatedly by the cultivator and harrows, and if necessary 
the clods will be crushed with a Cambridge roller to loosen 
the grass for the harrows. Then, instead of leaving it for a 
Bummer fallow, White Mustard will be sown at the rate of 
20 lbs. of seed to an acre, and when this crop is fully grown 
it will be ploughed in. Hitherto we have recommended 
ploughing in the green crop when it is in full flower, but a 
little more attention to the composition of plants shows that 
the seed contains a much larger proportion of potash and 
phosphoric acid than any other part of a plant, and it is 
well, therefore, to wait till the seed is quite half ripe before 
ploughing in the crop. A trifle this ? Well, perhaps so in 
a plant or two, but trifles mount up in the aggregate, and 
in this instance they “ mean money ” just as they do in 
many another. So fully convinced are we of the high value 
of this process that we shall continue both to practise and 
preach it. 
Another branch of farming in which progress has been 
made is the laying down land to permanent pasture. We 
have ample proof before us now that nine-tenths of an old 
pasturage consists of inferior native Grasses, which certainly 
give a clothing of herbage, but which is altogether inferior to 
pasture of the best Grasses. If anybody doubts this the 
proof is easy, for we have only to render a piece of land clean, 
to see that it is well drained either naturally or artificially, 
to reduce the surface to a fine tilth, to impart enough fertility 
to it to insure a free strong growth, and to sow it with a 
mixture of such Grasses as have so often been enumerated 
in these pages—Cocksfoot, Timothy, the Fescues, Dogstail, 
Meadow Foxtail, with a due proportion of Yarrow, Red 
Clover, Cow Grass, Alsike, and Dutch Clover. No contrast 
can well be stronger than between the growth from such a 
mixture and that from old pastures of an ordinary type. 
By careful preparation of the land, by equal care in the 
treatment of the young pastures, particularly in the first two 
or three years after the sowing, we are able to keep, and keep 
well, from twice to three times as many sheep per acre as 
can usually be done upon old meadows. So clearly has this 
been proved to demonstration that there can no longer be 
any doubt it was from sheer ignorance that the outcry was 
raised against laying down land to permanent pasture. We 
know now that, done in the right way, the process is neither 
slow nor uncertain. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Ploughing is being done upon our large arable faims upon every 
favourable occasion, but there has been considerable hindrance to this 
work from wet weather. It is in such broken weather that we realise the 
value of what is often termed a mill house, which is a building covering 
horse gear for driving machinery. Chaffing, corn-crushing, pulping, and 
all the usual machine work of the farm may so be done, men and horses 
being kept ofi the land and under shelter without actual loss of time. A 
zealous bailiff will sometimes turn out the horses to work on wet days, hut 
while not minding work in the open during a few showers, we decidedly 
object to an amount of exposure of servants and horses to inclement 
weather, which may be considered inhuman. We much fear that illness, 
which is sometimes falal, arises from exposure for hours in the rain of 
men whose clothing is ill calculated to keep them either dry or warm. 
The ploughing done recently has been what may be termed ridge plough¬ 
ing, by which the land is thrown up into ridges and fully exposed to the 
action of the weather. We do this willingly at the risk of some slight 
loss of nitrogen, but then soil so exposed is acted upon so readily by wind 
and sun in spring that we can always have it ready for sowing, and in 
better tilth than land ploughed in the ordinary way. Foul land, too, will 
he ridge-ploughed to enable us to scarify and clean it early next year. 
The heavier the land the more important is it that it should be opened up 
to the action of the air, and it is obvious how mellow and open soil must 
become after two or three months of such exposure. 
It is a useful plan to watch the action of drains now, so as to ascertain 
if they are uninjured and bring off the water freely. Soil that is water¬ 
logged may now be discovered simply by walking over it a few hours after 
heavy rain. Drainage is one of the matters about which there must be no 
false economy. We must set the land free from accumulations of water, 
for wet land cannot be fertile ; the fertility is really locked up, and no 
matter how freely we try to impart more and more fertility to the soil, we 
never can get free growth or a full crop till the drainage is sound. No 
doubt this is a matter requiring sound judgment and some caution, yet 
with the exercise of due care it is not difficult to ascertain whether or not 
it is necessary to make drains. 
ROOTS AND SEEDS AT ISLINGTON. 
The stands of seeds and roots at the Islington Show contributed 
by the leading firms of seedsmen make an imposing display in the 
gallery, and are as usual very tastefully arranged. Messrs. Sutton and 
Sons, Reading, have an extensive collection of finely developed roots— 
Mangolds, Swedes, and Turnips of their own selected varieties figuring 
prominently at the upper part of the stand. Numerous clean and 
excellent samples of seeds are included, and with the specimens of the 
various mixtures of grass seeds for pastures and lawns occupy the lower 
and foremost portion of the stand. The principal varieties of roots repre¬ 
sented are Mangolds, Mammoth Long Red, Berks Prize Yellow Globe, 
Ox-heart Yellow Globe, Yellow Intermediate, and Golden Tankard. The 
Champion Swede and Purple Top Yellow Hybrid Turnip are the chief 
varieties of the other roots shown. 
Messrs. Webb & Son, Stourbridge, contribute a handsome stand of 
similar excellence to that which was so much admired at Birmingham 
recently, and to which we referred last week. Potatoes, Mangolds, Swedes, 
Turnips, Wheats, Barleys, and other grains, together with general samples 
of flower and vegetable seeds. Specimens of their special manures form 
the major portion of the exhibits, all being of admirable quality. 
Messis. J. Carter & Co., High Holborn, have an exceedingly attractive 
and interesting exhibit, which, like those already mentioned, comprises a 
great number of fine roots, mostly of the firm’s specially selected varieties, 
which have gained much favour with many agriculturists. The specimens 
of the Hybrid Wheat which we noticed some time since were also shown, 
and formed * feature of much interest to a number of visitors. 
Messrs. Harrison & Son, Leicester, had a smaller but choice exhibit 
of fine roots and clean good seeds. 
Chickweed. —A friend of mine, a large and excellent farmer in this 
neighbourhood, who keeps his land scrupulously clean, has this autumn 
been very much troubled with chickweed, which has been most prevalent 
in one or two of his most highly cultivated fields. He would be glad to 
know how it could have generated. Can you throw any light on it ? If so, 
the information will greatly oblige.— William W. Brown. 
[The chickweed has generated from seed, but whether this has been 
introduced with other seeds that have been sown, or whether it has lain 
dormant in the soil for some time, and brought near the surface by deeper 
ploughing than usual, we have no means of knowing. Charlock and other 
seeds buried beyond the influence of air retain thtir vitality for years, and 
germinate freely when turned up by working the land a few inches deeper 
than before.] ______ 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
Camden Square, London. 
Lat. 51° 32-40’' N.; Long. 0° 8' 0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
DATE. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAT. 
a 
as 
1885. 
Nov. and Dec. 
Barome¬ 
ter at 32R 
and Sea 
Level 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
Direction 
of Wind. 
I Temp, of 
Soil at 
1 foot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min 
In 
sun. 
On 
grass. 
Inches. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
In. 
Sunday . 
29 
29.672 
45.4 
45.3 
E. 
45.2 
58.0 
38.0 
58.3 
29.9 
0.169 
Monday . 
30 
29.729 
57.4 
55.3 
s.w. 
46.7 
58.7 
45.3 
61.3 
35.4 
0.182 
Tnesday. 
I 
30.173 
39.7 
39.1 
N.W. 
46.5 
49.8 
38.1 
72.2 
29.9 
— 
Wednesday .. 
2 
30.3C6 
34.7 
34.7 
W. 
43.8 
46.4 
31.8 
55.6 
24.3 
0.010 
Thursday ... 
3 
30.085 
47.4 
46.6 
S.W. 
43.2 
50.2 
34.3 
63.4 
30.8 
0.119 
Friday. 
4 
29.631 
49.4 
47.7 
s.w. 
44.2 
50.8 
46.7 
69.2 
43.8 
0.043 
Saturday .... 
5 
29.799 
37.9 
36.0 
w. 
43 2 
42.6 
34.7 
51.3 
18.2 
0.347 
29.914 
44.6 
43.5 
44.7 
50.9 
38.4 
C0.2 
i 31.8 
0.875 
REMARKS. 
20th.—Heavy rain till 10 A.M. ; warm, damp, and drizzly all day. 
SOth.—Warm and damp, with heavy rain all the afternoon. 
1st —Colder, fine and bright. 
2nd.—A little fog in morning, bnt generally fine. 
3rd.—Cloudy early; showery morning; wet afternoon and evening ; gale at night. 
4th.—Wet, with westerly gale ; fine after mid-day, with sunshine till sunset; rain soon 
after; evening fine. 
5th.— Generally fine till 6 P.M., steady rain afterwards. 
Another wet week ; the temperature nearly the same as in the previous week, and 
rather above the average.—G. J. SIMONS, 
