148 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ August 15, 1889. 
AUTUMN TILLAGE. 
Among the manifold advantages of clean land, the facility of 
prompt and timely tillage is by no means the least. Without foul 
perennial weeds to hinder, each process of husbandry becomes 
■comparatively light, easy, and inexpensive, and we are able to keep 
always well abreast of our work. Two or three weeks ago the 
Yellow Suckling (Trifolium minus) was harvested for seed ; as 
soon as it was carted the land had a heavy dressing of pig dung, 
which was at once ploughed-in, the carting direct from the yard, 
spreading and ploughing all going on together ; a Cambridge roller 
was then passed over the field, and it will be so left in readiness for 
Wheat sowing in September. This work was nicely out of hand 
before the general harvest begin, and the advantage of thus having 
land ready for the seed drill in autumn is very great. The Trefoil 
is given as a familiar example of everyday practice, hut there are 
ether crops, such as winter Tares and first-cut seeds, which are 
cleared sufficiently early for the land to be available for a similar 
purpose. It will be apparent that our aim here is to enforce a 
principle, and not simply a way to provide for the early sowing of 
Wheat. 
Autumn tillages point more to a steady and persistent effort to 
have the land clean, whether we require to turn it to account for 
winter corn or catch crops, or not. In a season so favourable to 
growth as this has been the majority of stubbles will be foul, and 
by bringing the broadshare or paring plough quickly into use the 
■seeding of Thistles, Hog-weed, Cotton-weed, &c., will be prevented, 
and much labour in hoeing next spring avoided. Seedling Couch 
Orass, too, will be destroyed, and the spreading of its roots deep 
■down in the soil prevented. Charlock seed of the current year’s 
•crop which has fallen upon the surface will also be started into 
growth. Sometimes the harrows may follow the broadshare at 
■once with advantage, but all such work is necessarily affected by 
’the condition of the soil. Once get rid of superficial growth, and 
then let the ploughs follow as quickly as possible. We often envy 
light laid farmers, who are able to turn over their land so easily 
with double or two-share ploughs drawn by two horses. The 
present season is a most favourable one for them—their crops are 
•excellent; they will all be off the land long before those of heavy 
land farms, and they certainly ought to derive full advantage from 
early autumn tillage. Three or four stout able lads well accus¬ 
tomed to horses get through much of such work while the men are 
^t harvest. They should be looked closely after, and encouraged 
by extra pay and example to do their utmost to push on the work. 
A healthy spirit if emulated should be fostered among them, and 
while urging them to activity due care must be taken that there is 
no ill-treatment of the horses. A lad who was seen flogging a 
horse badly, in reply to remonstrance said he had charge of the 
horse and should do as he pleased. He had to be temporarily 
.suspended from duty before Le could be brought to his senses. 
When the manager of a home farm is so fortunate to have his 
•own steam tackle it can be turned to full account at once to break 
•up the stubbles, but it must not be forgotten that the cultivator re- 
•quires to be followed by the harrows and heavy rollers to get 
■twitch out of the soil, and it is well to leave each field in as 
■suitable condition as we can for the next crop. To do this in the 
•best way horse and steam power are often used in the same field. 
The doubtful nature of spring weather has to be remembered, and 
the soil that is not to be sown till then is when cleaned either 
ploughed simply in the ordinary manner, or it is first ridged, and 
then the ridges are split into other ridges by the double-breasted 
plough and so left. Then when seed time comes round again in 
spring we have only to harrow down the ridges to have a fine seed 
bed quite ready for the drill, and the corn sowing is done both 
quickly and well. 
Yery much of autumn tillage is therefore prospective, as indeed 
so much of the farmer’s work must be if he would turn his 
opportunities to full account. But much good work may yet be 
done for the present season in view of sowing such catch crops 
as white Mustard, Cole, stubble Turnips, Kale, Cabbage, and 
Trifolium incarnatum. For the latter crop we have only to take 
the first clean stubble available and sow the Trifolium broadcast, 
following with the harrows once or twice as appears necessary. If 
sown at all it must be sown early in order to have a full plant well 
established before winter. Wherever it answers it is highly valued 
for the early supply of forage it affords in spring. Mustard sown 
now depends upon showers to induce germination and sufficiently 
strong growth to render it useful for folding in autumn, and the 
crop is decidedly a speculative one, but is nevertheless well worth 
trying for. 
WORK OX THE HOME FARM. 
Harvest is now in full swing, and all that is possible must be done 
to save the corn in sound condition. Much of it is sadly beaten down, 
and the work of reaping and binding is proportionately laborious. In 
many fields self-binding reapers are quite useless, and even the ordinary 
reaper cannot always be used. All this tells upon the cost, and also 
hinders the work. Very much of the Wheat comes down in excellent 
order, and the samples are likely to be good enough to compete fairly 
well with foreign corn. Oats are good generally, and care should be 
taken to cut them early. The corn is riper than the straw, and if tied 
into sheaves they must be left a long time in shock and turned at least 
once. We prefer not to tie Oats, but to mow in swathes and turn them, 
taking care to cart only when dry and well harvested, so as to avoid 
all risk of overheating in stacks. There is no doubt that many Oats are 
spoilt by mismanagement, and yet only ordinary care and judgment are 
required for them. 
To bind Barley or not is an open question. If left till quite ripe, as 
it always should be, it is best— i.e., more safe, if the weather is at all 
unsettled. So far Barley has not suffered, and with fine weather now 
we hope to have a fine bright sample such as maltsters love. Maltsters 
have had to use so much imported Barley of late that fears have 
been entertained of serious permanent harm to the market for home 
produce. But it is generally conceded that imported Barley is decidedly 
inferior to the best British grain, and we believe the climate of this 
country to be especially favourable to the production of a superior 
sample if only we can have fine weather for the ripening and harvest. 
Whenever corn is tied let there be no slovenly shocks, but have the 
sheaves well set up to throw off rain as it falls. We have already seen 
much slovenly work in shock building this season. Let the shocks be 
small, the sheaves leaning inwards slightly, and the rows run from north 
to south, so that they may dry quickly. Make good substantial stack 
bottoms, build carefully so that there is no risk of the stack leaning 
over in any direction, and take especial care always to leave the middle 
of the stack full, so that the rick cloth may throw off rain as it falls. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
CAMDEN SQUARE, LONDON. 
Lat. 51° 85' 40" N.; Long. 0° 8' 0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
DATE. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAY. 
Hygrome- 
P . 
O 2 A 
Shade Tem- 
Radiation 
* 
1189. 
ter. 
C a 
£=J 
peratnre. 
Temperature. 
aj 
« 
August. 
S r-i 
In 
On 
•“* +-> 33 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Co 
H 
Max. 
Min. 
sun. 
gTass 
Inches. 
deg 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
dee. 
deg. 
deg. 
II . 
S.tnday. 
4 
30.000 
64 8 
59 5 
N. 
62 L 
75.0 
54 8 
116.2 
513 
0 OH 
Monday. 
5 
29.733 
61 6 
59 2 
H.K. 
62.2 
71.4 
57.S 
115 0 
56.6 
0.169 
Tuesday .. . 
6 
29.74 \ 
6*4 
54.3 
S.W. 
6 .6 
7o0 
5: A 
118.4 
49.4 
0.02 ) 
Wednesday.. 
7 
29.909 
02.7 
56.3 
s.w. 
60.7 
7 i.o 
51.8 
1 9.4 
48.9 
Thursday.... 
X 
30.1 *.'4 
61.5 
56 2 
w. 
61 2 
72 0 
49 4 
118 9 
45 7 
Friday .. 
9 
29.9 V) 
6'.6 
56 7 
f*. 
61 7 
65 2 
53 6 
w.-i 
50 4 
0.128 
S itarday .... 
10 
2J 789 
59.6 
56.2 
s. 
60 4 
68 8 
51.4 
118.9 
48.6 
O.olJ 
29 901 
6 .7 
58 9 
61.4 
7>'J5 
53.0 
112.7 
50.1 
0.364 
BE MASKS. 
4th.—Fine morning; dull and clore; rain at night. 
5th.—Heavy showers at 10 25 A.M.,0 43 and 5.80 P.M., and generally bright between. 
8th.-Generally bright and fine, but two or three slight showers. 
7th.—Bright and fine. 
8th.—Fine and geneially bright. 
9th.-Cloady morning with showers; w t afternoon and evening. 
10th.—Fine, with some sunshine in the morning; bright afternoon. 
An un-ettled week. Temperature nearly 5“ below that of the preceding week, and 
very near the average.—G. J. STMOXg. 
