244 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ March 25, 1886. 
Here, then, are one or two lessons which were again 
enforced by the disastrous drought which again prevailed so ; 
generally last summer. If you wish to do what is possible f 
to insure a useful crop of Mangold sow the seed early in 
April in carefully prepared soil. The land must have suffi¬ 
cient drainage either naturally or artificially; it should be 
ploughed early and be free from foul weeds. The first week 
in April sow broadcast upon each acre of it a carefully pre¬ 
pared mixture : f cwt. nitrate of potash, 1J cwt. nitrate of 
soda, 2 cwt. steamed bone flour, 1 cwt. ground coprolite, 
1 cwt. common salt. Stir this well into the surface with 
harrows or expanding horse hoes, and then make furrows 2 feet 
apart with double-breasted ploughs for farmyard manure, of 
which 14 tons per acre is the quantity given by a high 
authority. Farmyard manure is such a greedy absorbent of 
water that we consider the measurement of any quantity of 
it by weight a mistake, and in this instance it is better for 
practical purposes to say that the furrows should be about 
half filled with it. Following the manure carts come the 
double-breasted ploughs under the middle of each ridge, 
throwing the soil into the furrows over the manure on each 
side of it; the seed drill follows, inserting the seed along the 
top of each ridge, the soil on the tops of the ridges being 
immediately afterwards pressed by a light roller. The seed 
is thus left to germinate in deep soil well stored with fertility. 
A free strong growth follows germination, and it is well 
sustained as the plants gain size, for the roots soon go down¬ 
wards into the farmyard manure, finding there gaseous food 
to promote growth, and moisture to sustain it in unchecked 
vigour through all the vicissitudes of heat and drought. 
Compare this well-tried system of ridge culture with 
sowing on the flat, and surely the advantage must be seen 
at once to be so clearly in favour of the ridge that general 
preference must be given it. We have had objection taken 
to the cultivation of Long Red Mangolds on the score of 
shallowness of soil, and that the huge roots absorb so much 
nutriment from the soil. We have proved in our own prac¬ 
tice repeatedly that ridge culture meets the shallow soil 
difficulty, and it must be owned that the Long Red gives as 
well as takes, its great bulk affording us an ample return 
for what extra nutriment it may absorb from the soil, if 
indeed it does so. It is quite possible, or rather it is abso 
lutely certain, that the numerous large leaves of this parti¬ 
cular sort of Mangold derive much nutriment from the air; 
and we again remind our readers of the important fact that 
93 per cent, of plant food is derived from the air Let it also 
never be forgotten that the soil is a medium for conveying 
food to plants. It absorbs nutriment to be taken up by the 
roots, and we have only to replace that nutriment in it for 
the next crop very much in the manner already described in 
this paper. 
If, however, objection be taken to Long Red Mangolds 
on the score of size, what are we to say to that favourite sort 
of Eastern County farmers, Yellow Globe ? In Messrs. 
Webb’s new catalogue they figure huge globular roots labelled 
with weights ranging from 41 to 47 lbs. each ; they also tell 
us of roots of Long Red reaching the extraordinary weight 
of 62 lbs. Well done ! say we; and instead of shrinking 
from the cultivation of either sort, let us see in the coming 
season if by high-class ridge culture we cannot approach 
these sensational results. Depend upon it, the roots of every 
sort of Mangold will be of a size proportionate to the con¬ 
dition of the soil and the system of cultivation to which they 
are subjected. There are plenty of inferior crops of both 
Yellow Globe and Long Red to be met with every season, 
and in its way a crop of Mangolds affords as fair an indica¬ 
tion of a farmer’s ability as does a crop of Oats. Sow Oats 
in poverty-stricken soil, and you may have a crop in minia¬ 
ture 6 inches high at harvest time ; sow Oats in fertile soil, 
and you may have the straw full 6 feet high laden with huge 
panicles of graiu. This reasoning by the light of results 
holds equally true of Mangolds, and depend upon it good 
culture goes very far to insure a crop of good roots even in 
the most unfavourable seasons. Let us have large roots, say 
we, and plenty of them, and we care not for a little exhaus¬ 
tion of soil in the production of them ; nor do we care to be 
hypercritical about the exact per centage of water in such 
roots, for we only use them as a wholesome and fairly nutri¬ 
tious article of our mixed dietary for all the animals of the 
farm. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Since writing our last note corn-sowing and spring work generally 
has been kept in abeyance by the extraordinary duration of winter weather. 
No growth of meadow grass or Rye yet gives promise of food, even for 
the flock, and the strain upon our stored food continues heavy. We for¬ 
tunately have ample supplies—so ample, that we have some fine hayricks 
for sale, hut we have not been eager to sell, as notwithstanding the heavy 
hay crop of last year, prices must have an upward tendency now. We 
hear of such keen competition for any roots brought into the market that 
Mangolds have risen to 25s. per ton. Both ewes and lambs are looking 
remarkably well, notwithstanding the coldness of the weather. Careful 
tending and plenty of good nourishing food tells among them, and the 
forward lambs already give fair promise of early and profitable maturity. 
We expect no large profit, for assuredly we should not get it if we did, 
but we do strive to obtain quick returns upon capital expended, and are 
content if we can only secure a modest margin of profit. Our expenditure 
upon artificial manures mounts up in the aggregate to a considerable sum, 
but knowing as we do such an outlay to he both safe and necessary, we 
have no hesitation in making it. Only before doing so a careful in¬ 
spection of accounts, and a calculation of our prospective receipts and 
expenditure till next harvest was made. The last batches of winter pigs 
will be sold in the course of the next week or two. These pigs were not 
sold as porkers, owing to their large frames and tendency to grow fast 
rather than to fatten quickly into the nice compact chubby little pigs 
termed “ Londoners ” in the south-eastern counties, from the eagerness 
with which they are bought up for the great metropolitan meat markets. 
The larger pigs keep over, for bacon pigs sell for about £4 apiece, and are 
profitable, though slower in ripening for market. We desire to part with 
all of them now, as we have so many batches of spring pigs requiring the 
stys. As we have before said, it is a profitable and wise course to keep 
pigs to eat inferior corn, but the idea is no new one, for what says old 
Tusser ? 
“ If vent of the market place serve thee not well, 
Let hogs up a-fattening, to drover to sell.” 
Among farm buildings recently erected we have had a nice snug range 
of stys built for breeding purposes. Advantage was taken of an angle on 
the south and west side of two old buildings, and so the expense of a back 
wall was avoided. A roof of corrugated galvanised iron, boarded sides, 
fronts, doors, and partitions, floors of burnt clay rammed hard, and all the 
woodwork dressed with hot tar, comprise the chief details of a cheap 
and useful range of buildings. We have on one of our farms a large 
commodious lodge, divided into convenient pounds, with a passage 
between them and an open yard in front of it. No doubt it is all very 
nice, but we regard such a building for pigs as both wasteful and un¬ 
necessary, and we certainly cannot afford to indulge in any such waste of 
money upon mere appearance. 
Spkatts Patent. —We are desired to sta'e that this firm has 
opened a sale room at 4, Great Tower Street, City, E.C. The room is in 
direct telephonic communication with the works, and contains samples 
of the various foods, medicines, and appliances. 
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. 
a 
a 
£3 
1886. 
March. 
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. 
de«. 
deK. 
deg. 
deg. 
de«. 
desr. 
deg. 
In. 
Sunday . 
30.281 
32.4 
29.9 
N.E. 
33.4 
35.9 
29.2 
51.4 
25.8 
— 
Monday. 
15 
30.042 
33.4 
30.9 
E. 
33.4 
38 4 
28.9 
65.4 
23.8 
— 
Tuesday. 
16 
29.849 
32.4 
31.2 
N. 
33.4 
39.3 
2.3.1 
69.2 
20.0 
— 
Wednesday .. 
17 
29.910 
32.0 
30.8 
N.E. 
33.4 
40 b 
22.9 
65.8 
17.3 
— 
Thursday ... 
18 
80.020 
36.3 
34.8 
E. 
334 
47.2 
29.9 
62.6 
22.8 
0.030- 
Friday. 
19 
30.011 
43.3 
42.7 
Z. 
33.3 
60.8 
36.2 
87.7 
33.4 
0.102 
Saturday .... 
20 
30.016 
49.4 
47.9 
s.w. 
34.8 
57.4 
43.2 
73.4 
36.6 
0.231 
30.019 
37.0 
35.5 
33.6 
45.7 
30.8 
67.9 
25.7 
0.363 
REMARKS. 
14th.—Cloudy, with a little sleet about noon. 
15th.—Cloudy morning, bright afternoon, snow in evening. 
16:h.—Cloudy morning, with flakes of snow till about 11 A.m., then fine with some sun. 
17th.—Fine, with sunshine in morning. 
18th.—Overcast early, bright till noon, slight rain later. 
19th.—Fog till 11 a.m. ; fine, bright, and warm till 2 P.m., then cloudy with rain 
from 4 P.m. 
20th.—Overcast till about 10.80 a.m., fine after. 
On March 19th the minimum temperature was, for the first time for exactly a month,, 
above freezing point, and on the 20th the earth 1 foot below the surface began to warm. 
I up, having fallen almost uninterruptedly from January 5th, when it was 41*8°, to- 
^ March 12th-19th, when it was 33*8° or 33*4°. 
