284 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April 8, 1886. 
strong reason for doing so. Good clean seed sown in April 
seldom fails to afford an abundant plant, and in the following 
year the crop is turned to account in several ways. It may 
be used entirely for grazing; the first growth may be cut 
green for forage or mown for hay just as the plants come 
into flower, and the second growth may be fed off by sheep 
in folds, or be kept for seed. In a favourable season the 
saving of the second crop for seed answers very well, a high 
price often being realised for the seed: but in such a cold 
wet autumn as we had last year much of the seed was spoilt, 
and sheep-folding answered best. Regarded from the safe 
aspect of general utility solely as a forage crop, Red Clover 
alone is not a desirable crop, and it is fast being replaced by 
a mixture of Clover and Grasses, as affording more certain 
results and a heavier bulk per acre. In such mixtures 
Cocksfoot, the best of all our perennial Grasses, now takes a 
leading place with the best of the Rye Grasses, and we cer¬ 
tainly have reason to prefer it to the ordinary mixture of 
Clover and Rye Grass. Mr. Ashton, the winner of the first 
prize in the farm competition of the Royal Agricultural 
Society last year, goes a step farther than this, and has two- 
year layers, for which he uses twelve kinds of seed at the 
following rate per acre :—Half bushel each of Pacey’s Peren¬ 
nial Rye Grass and Italian Rye Grass ; 3 lbs. each of Red 
Clover, Cow Grass, and Alsike Clover; 2 lbs. each of Timothy, 
Cocksfoot, Crested Dogstail, and Rib Grass; 1| lb. each of 
Trefoil and Giant White Clover, and 1 lb. of Sweet Vernal. 
The Judges mention in their report that: “ In this Mr. 
Ashton’s practice differs widely from that of many of his 
neighbours, who sow a mixture of Red Clover and Italian 
Rye Grass only. Nothing, however, could be better than 
the well-mixed hay produced on this farm in almost every 
case.’’ The bulk obtained per acre must be remarkable, for 
they say farther : “In April the first cutting to sell green 
was just commenced, and in July it was ready to cut again, 
and will be cut a third time this summer, so we were informed. 
Following his usual practice, Mr. Ashton top-dressed this 
piece, after the removal of the first cutting, with sawdust- 
manure soaked with liquid manure, which was pumped on to 
it in the midden from tiie tank into which the buildings are 
drained.” 
We mention this part of Mr. Ashton's practice because it 
is in keeping with the sort of high farming we advocate and 
practise, and we may usefully follow the report of his prac¬ 
tice and its results a little farther. We are told of a piece 
of first year’s seeds being cut for grass, which was a heavy 
crop of the best quality. The earliest cut from the first year’s 
seeds is secured by sowing a few acres each year early in the 
autumn, after Tares or early Potatoes. In the first year 
three green cuttings are usually taken off, and in the second 
year the seeds are twice cut for hay. “ The first cut of grass 
should yield about 12, the second 7 or 8, and the third 9 or 
10 tons per acre ; and the second year the first hay crop will 
probably not be less in a favourable season than 2 to 2£ 
tons, and the second crop from 1£ to 2 tons.” We here 
quote the exact words of the report in order to authenticate 
this extraordinary statement, which we do not in any way 
venture to question, for we know in ordinary practice it is 
quite customary to sell the first cut of green forage at Is. a 
perch or £8 an acre, and under a spirited system of high 
farming we may fairly expect a first crop of mixed Grasses 
and Clover of 12 tons an acre, worth £1 per ton. 
Eastern county farmers have recently been invited to 
consider the advantages of permanent pastures, but a tenant 
farmer might turn his attention more advantageously to 
alternate husbandry, and while avoiding the annual sowing 
of Red Clover follow the happy mean of two or three-year 
layers of mixed Grasses and Clovers. He would thus avoid 
the double expense involved in laying down land to per¬ 
manent pasture, as well as that which one-year layers involve, 
and he would enjoy a quick and profitable return upon his 
outlay. No doubt farmers near large towns have exceptional 
advantages in the sale of such crops, but no really clever 
farmer could be at a loss what to do with them wherever his 
farm might be. 
The existing prejudice against hay made from strong¬ 
growing Grasses on the score of coarseness is taken advantage 
of by dealers in hay. It ought now to be known generally 
that chemical examination and careful observation of their 
effect on stock show that the Grasses which are most produc¬ 
tive are also the most nutritious. Cocksfoot, which is the 
most robust of all the permanent Grasses, is pronounced by 
our highest authority, Mr. Faunce de Laune, by far the most 
valuable of all Grasses, because it grows in all soils; it pro¬ 
duces the greatest amount of keep; it is the most nutritious 
Grass, and seems to grow faster and stronger in extremes of 
weather, either wet or dry, than any other Grass. There is, 
moreover, hardly any stage of its growth in which stock do 
not eat it greedily. We have at the present time a rick of 
hay in use consisting entirely of Cocksfoot and other coarse 
Grasses, and we have every reason to be satisfied with its 
quality and its effect upon the stock. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
On every hand may be seen the almost magical effects of genial 
spring weather upon vegetation, Winter corn has lost its russet hue. 
Grass, too, grows apace, and we have been able to take ewes and lambs 
out of the Turnip folds on to the pastures for a few hours daily. Eagerly 
do they eat the young grass, and we are glad to say it has failed to pro¬ 
duce any signs of scouring ; but then the ewes have plenty of chaff, cake, 
Oats, and bran in the troughs, and the lambs have as much mixed lamb 
food as they can eat. Printed instructions were sent us with the first 
consignment of this food, as to how much weight of it we were to allow 
each lamb daily. While ignoring this well-meant advice, we told the 
shepherd only to use a small quantity at first, and to give more as the 
lambs appeared to require it. The condition of the lambs is highly satis¬ 
factory, and we now think we shall be able to send some early draughts of 
fat lambs to market. Our bacon pigs sold well, exceeding our average 
of £4 apiece ; some of them ranging as high as £5 5s. On the whole our 
venture in winter pigs has answered, and our inferior corn has been 
profitably turned into pork. Early litters of spring porkers suffered from 
the effects of cold weather so much that many were lost. We shall, 
however, muster enough for our purpose, and we always find six or eight 
pigs to a sow more profitable than double the number. Winter Tares 
sown late in November could hardly be expected to answer, and our 
advice to an amateur farmer who complained of the failure of his efforts to 
obtain a crop in that manner was to sow spring Tares at once. We never 
had but one failure of winter Tares, and that was owing to having sown 
them in September : they were too forward and perished. The nitrate of 
soda sown upon the Rye was quickly dissolved by rain, and its beneficial 
effects are already visible, the growth being quick and strong. It is 
nevertheless backward, and glad shall we be when we are able to begin 
folding the ewes and lambs upon it. A moderate supply of roots and 
backward spring puts a strain upon farmers’ resources, evidence of which 
may be seen in the guise of the large numbers of hoggets in poor con¬ 
dition now forced upon the market. Our preparations for root crops are in 
a forward condition, and the Mangold crop will this spring be sown 
soon after the spring corn. On heavy land the work of sowing has been 
much hindered by rain, and while one of our bailiffs has been able to 
point to corn-sowing finished, another had not got through more than half 
of it at the same time. By the exercise of a little patience and perse¬ 
verance difficulties of this kind will soon be overcome, and we may 
reasonably hope for early seed-germination and quick growth now. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
Camden Square, London. 
Lat. 51° 32-40" N.; Long. 0° 8- 0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
DATE. 
a a.m. 
IN THE DAY. 
a 
« 
1886. 
March & April. 
Barome¬ 
ter at 32« 
and Bea 
Level 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
Direction 
of Wind. 
| Temp, of 
Soil at 
1 I foot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
sun. 
On 
grass 
Inches. 
deg 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg 
deg. 
deR 
In. 
Snnday .... 
29.908 
50.3 
49.0 
E. 
45.1 
58 3 
48.9 
76.4 
46.8 
0.072 
Monday . 
29.6 o 6 
47.8 
45.6 
S. 
46.2 
54.4 
41.3 
83.4 
35.7 
0.038 
Tuesday. 
30.088 
45.8 
41.2 
s.w. 
44 0 
49 7 
36.6 
76.1 
31.8 
0.135 
Wednesday 
. 31 
29.663 
493 
45.2 
8.W. 
43.7 
55 6 
45.4 
103.3 
44.2 
0.011 
Thursday ... 
. 1 
30.143 
47.0 
427 
S.W. 
43.4 
55.6 
38.2 
99.8 
32.7 
— 
Friday. 
29.819 
55.0 
50.2 
S.E. 
43.4 
59.3 
45.2 
84.2 
37.8 
0.202 
Saturday ... 
. 3 
29.881 
48.2 
44.8 
w. 
44 8 
57.5 
45.4 
92.6 
44.6 
— 
29.881 
19.1 
45.5 
44.4 
55.8 
43.0 
88.0 
39.1 
0.458 
REMARKS. 
28th.—Dull and showery. 
29tli.—Wet early, dull till 10.30 A.M., afterwards sunshine and shower?, with high wind ; 
dear at night. 
30th.—Fine and bright till 11 A.M., heavy S.W. gale with showers all day and night. 
3ist — Generally bright, with showers; gale unabated. 
1 st.—Fine and bright. 
2 nd.—Bright early, afterwards dull and showery. 
3rd.—Rain early, but generally fine and bright. 
A mild week, with only one trace of frost; hot sun on sever days.—G. J. SYMONS. 
