224 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ March 18, 1886. 
lands alone, but in other matters, there is perhaps a tendency to “ go into 
extremes.” As soon as any particular method of routine finds favour 
there is something like a rush towards its adoption, the result of which is 
markets become overstocked and “ depression of trade ” is the natural 
concomitant. So long as the production of grain was profitable so did 
the acreage increase, not in this country, which is a mere speck on the 
food-producing surface of the world, but in other lands where vast areas 
awaited cultivation ; hence the extraordinary supply of Wheat and the 
correspondingly low value of the produce. This low value, which in 
many cases was certainly not remunerative, suggested the advisability of 
laying down land to grass with the twofold object of saving labour and 
growing meat. In certain districts this change in the method of proce¬ 
dure was doubtlessly sound and, carried out with judgment, profitable. 
But prudence is not always the accompaniment of change. It is one 
thing to lay down land to pasture in a stock-rearing and dairy farming dis¬ 
trict ; another thing to relinquish the cultivation of grain and root crops 
all over the country. Is there not just a danger of the change suggested 
being carried out too far and too generally ? 
It does not follow that because Wheat-growing has not been profitable 
during the past two or three years that it will for ever remain unre- 
munerative ; neither does it follow that fortunes will be made by the rear¬ 
ing and fatting of stock in this country. It is perhaps questionable if all, 
or even half, of the farmers of Great Britain are aware that the acreage of 
Wheat in the United States of America has decreased in one year to the 
extent of 5,000,000 acres ; and they have possibly no adequate idea of the 
increasing magnitude in the importation of meat preserved by the agency 
of frost from the Antipodes. It is proved beyond all question that meat 
can be brought from New Zealand and other colonies on the other side of 
the globe and distributed to consumers in this country as fresh and as 
sweet as from our native pastures. This statement will not be accepted by 
the majority of people, and it is just because of this innate incredulity of 
the British race and the prejudice that exists in favour of home products 
that danger lurks of one being left behind in the competition of the 
world. 
Having recently inspected the refrigerating stores of Messrs. Nelson 
Brothers, shippers, a brief reference to their extent and the process of 
storing thousands of frozen sheep and huge piles of beef may not be 
devoid of interest to both producers and consumers of meat. The stores 
extend from the Thames, and are approached through a huge tunnel, like 
a railway tunnel, but more lofty, with a line of rails laid up the centre to 
a length of some 500 feet. On each side of this main thoroughfare the 
stores are arranged in the form of large and lofty cavern-like arched 
chambers, each with an embrasure, barred and shuttered. On removing 
the shutters and touching a button the interior is revealed, illumined by 
the electric light. It is a strange weird wintry scene. The thermometer 
registers 22°, or 10° of frost. Snow crystals hang from everything to 
which they can adhere, and the floor is white and glistening. From the 
base to the ceiling the sheep are packed like a wall, each sewed up in a 
white sheet, sides of beef and thousands of legs of mutton being disposed 
in a similar manner. There is a steady outflow of 2000 sheep weekly 
that were grazing three or four months previously on the pastures of 
New Zealand. Thirteen thousand sheep had just been landed by a large 
wharfinger, who has had barges specially fitted for transferring meat from 
the ships to the stores. The trade is great now, and far-sighted mercan¬ 
tile persons do not make provision of the nature indicated without having 
some good reason for its extension. It is, in fact, calculated that the 
cattle-rearing resources of New Zealand are equal to a supply of 100 tons 
a day for an indefinite period. Already the trade is having a marked 
influence in districts where markets are established in thickly populated 
districts for the sale of “ frozen meat,” in a general and not unappreciable 
fall in prices of home-raised meat. Taking one market, for instance, 
Croydon, thousands of breasts, necks, shoulders, and legs of mutton have 
been sold for weeks past, the first at 3d., the second at 4d., the third at 
5d., and the last at 6d. per lb.; and what is more, not a few—no one 
knows how many, but the fact is undoubted—legs of frozen mutton have 
been thawed and sold as English mutton at lOd. and lid. per lb. London 
butchers, of course, must “ live,” and it is very certain they will live 
well if they can find or make an opportunity of doing so ; bnt it is not 
suggested that they are all alike, numbers of them being far too high- 
minded to deceive the public with their wares. But the fact that “ frozen 
meat ” is sold as English is not bad testimony as to the quality. 
Nor are the operative classes the only purchasers of antipodean meat. 
Some of these are perhaps the most prejudiced against it, or have been. 
The well-to-do, not to say the wealthy, buy large quantities, and what 
may be termed educated palates are satisfied ; but servants did not “ take 
to it ” readily. The difficulty has been got over, however, in some cases 
by having the meat cut up English fashion and sent in thawed ; or, to put 
it from the servants’ point of view, “ the master has given up buying that 
nasty foreign stuff, and now we have beautiful English meat.” 
With some little hesitation I purchased a leg of mutton from the 
Cannon Street Stores, just as taken from the pile, for there is no picking 
and choosing, thawed it according to instructions, and cooked it a week 
after taking it home. The head of my domestic arrangements did not 
compliment me on my investment, and the coming dinner was not 
regarded as a treat in store, but rather the reverse. A disposition was 
manifest to find fault with the dinner, but it was of no avail ; prejudice 
vanished, and I am now strongly pressed to buy a frozen leg every week 
and to get some beef besides. No better mutton was served by the same 
cook. The weight was 10 lbs., the price 5s.; a week previous an English 
leg of exactly the same weight cost 9s. 2d., and this was certainly no 
better, if as good as the former—hence the request for more. 
But how is the temperature of the refrigerating stores kept down ? 
Frost is the preserver of the meat—Nature’s preserver—the frost being 
produced “ by steam.” The air is compressed into cylinders by powerful 
engines, the cylinders being surrounded by water. The heat generated 
by compression is extracted by the water, and the air then transferred in 
culverts and pipes cold and attenuated to where it is required, the atmo¬ 
sphere of the stores being precisely similar to that on the tops of moun¬ 
tains when the thermometer registers 22°, while the air is mild and muggy 
in the valley below. As a triumph of science and commercial enterprise 
the frozen meat industry is very remarkable, and home producers and 
consumers will be no worse for knowing a little about it. The branch 
of the business referred to is at 15, Dowgate Hill, Cannon Street, 
London.—J. W. 
FARMERS AND GARDENERS. 
I think it is my duty to explain myself with reference to 
“ Thinkers” remarks on my contribution on the above subject on page 
138. With reference to the English and American producer, I will 
admit that they are about equal as far as their total freightage charges to 
the London market are concerned, but I am sure the Americans have 
great advantages over us in many respects, for they have fewer rates, no ex¬ 
tortionate tithes to pay, unrestricted cropping, and they can often buy land 
as good for the amount of money that the farmer here has to pay as rent. 
I may state that cultivation in America is considerably cheaper, for they 
have a rich virgin soil, which for the present requires no manure, and also 
is free from weeds. They are not also subjected to climatic changes as we 
are in Britain, but, having settled periods of weather, they can cultivate 
their land uninterruptedly and harvest their crops without fear of their 
being spoiled by unfavourable weather. Another grievance of the British 
farmer is the deplorable condition of many of our rivers. In many of 
the river valleys the land is only just above the level of the water, thus 
not allowing the land to be drained properly, as there is not sufficient fall 
to the river. This is an evil which could be remedied, first by deepen¬ 
ing the rivers where required, and secondly by removing surplus weirs in 
the river which unduly keep the water back simply for the purpose of 
keeping sufficient water to work a few mills. I think inferior culture of 
the soil is due—(1) to the insecurity of capital in land; (2) the absence 
of sufficient capital for practical working purposes ; (3) land being un¬ 
favourably situated with reference to floods ; (4) the refusal of land¬ 
lords to keep farm buildings in repair ; (5) too much restricted cropping ; 
(6) the ignorance, laziness, and want of experience of certain farmers. 
The above I consider some of the principal causes of bad farming. 
I agree with “ Thinker ” that the importation of so much poultry and 
eggs is a puzzle. But could not someone enlighten the farmers why 
the foreigner can supply the British public with the enormous amount of 
poultry, and eggs ? Is it that they have a more genial climate ? Are 
taxes, rents, &c., less there than in this country ? Is poultry, reared 
on a small or large scale ? Aud also are there any great secrets in the 
rearing and management of their poultry ? I think that any information 
on the above subject would be most thankfully received by those interested 
in the question. As poultry rearing has been so often referred to as one 
of the things which will make farming pay, I think the farmer may claim 
some right to get practical information from those who are continually 
reminding him of poultry rearing.—A. E. H. 
Webb’s Sample Case of Pure Grass and Clover Seeds.— 
We have received a small case of these seeds from Messrs. Webb & Sons, 
Stourbridge, very neatly packed in stiff paper packets bearing the 
botanical and common names of the plants. In an accompanying list is 
given the respective number of seeds per cent, of each sort guaranteed 
to germinate, the best being from 90 to 95 per cent. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
Camden Square, London. 
Lat. 51° 32-40" N.; Long. 6° 8- 0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
DATE. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAY. 
1886. 
t or 
U c3_, 
aco <u a) 
n-S® > 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
a . 
3 a 
Temp, of 
Soil at 
lfoot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
a 
cS 
« 
March. 
$ S3 
OS cj 
Dry. 
Wet. 
££ 
5 o 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
sun. 
On 
grass. 
Sunday . 
7 
Inches. 
30.244 
deg. 
27.2 
deg. 
24.6 
N.E. 
deg. 
34.0 
deg. 
36.4 
deg. 
22.1 
deg. 
54.3 
deg. 
17.5 
In. 
Monday. 
8 
30.320 
32.5 
31.4 
E. 
33.8 
39.6 
23.7 
724 
18.8 
— 
Tuesday. 
9 
30.419 
31.6 
29.1 
S.E. 
33 7 
42.4 
25.4 
82.2 
19.3 
— 
Wednesday .. 
10 
30.409 
32.8 
30.7 
N.E. 
33.0 
38 8 
28.2 
79.7 
21.2 
— 
Thursday ... 
11 
30.415 
31.2 
28.1 
N.E. 
33.4 
40 8 
23.8 
82.4 
19.2 
— 
Friday. 
12 
80.340 
S0.3 
28.1 
N. 
33.3 
36.8 
26 8 
63.7 
22.2 
— 
Saturday .... 
13 
30.380 
82.1 
30.3 
N.E. 
33.4 
o6.1 
26.4 
54.9 
21.1 
— 
30.302 
31.1 
28.9 
33.6 
38.7 
25J2 
69.9 
19.9 
— 
REMARKS. 
7th.—Brilliant day, hut very cold; hazy in evening. 
8th.—Dull early, tine bright day. 
9th.—Brilliant all day. 
10 th.—Cloudy early, tine bright day, very cold. 
11 th.—Nearly cloudless throughout. 
12th.—Cloudy, but a little sun about 2 P.M. 
13th.—Dull and cold, with a little sleet, not measurable. 
Another intensely cold and remarkable week. We have now had a month without 
single day on which the temperature has reached 45", and we have had frost not merely 
on grass but in the air every day since February 18th. The earth temperature is be¬ 
coming remarkably low; at 1 foot it is only 1-4° above freezing, and the same low 
temperature reaches to 3 feet below the surface.—G. J. SYMONS. 
