236 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ September 1", 1889. 
LANDLORDS’ FARMING. 
Michaelmas will soon be here again, bringing in its train much 
•that will cause anxiety to landowners having more farms falling 
upon their hands, for the cultivation of which capital must be 
forthcoming out of means already much straitened by what is 
practically a compulsory reduction of rent ; for, whether such 
(reduction has been voluntary or in compliance with the tenants’ 
■demands, its cause was beyond the control of either landlord or 
tenant. To the landlord whose knowledge of farming is of a mere 
superficial nature the falling in hand of farms must appear a 
•serious disaster, and it is probably owing to some such feeling that 
"the rent upon some estates has been brought down so low as hardly 
to cover the landlord’s liabilities. Anything rather than farms 
in hand is the feeling to which such an absurd reduction gives 
expression, but it is undoubtedly as erroneous as it is to suffer 
land to go out of cultivation. No sympathy have we with any 
•such shirking of responsibility ; the situation must be faced boldly, 
;and its difficulties overcome. 
Given sufficient capital for the purpose, the chief difficulty 
•consists in reclaiming land out of condition. Well indeed would 
it be if the clause binding tenant to farm the land in a husband¬ 
like manner were more strictly enforced, and tenants made to 
•reform who are found to be “ taking it out of the land ” by 
•exhaustion of fertility and low cultivation generally. It is un¬ 
necessary to dwell upon the folly of a tenant acting in this way, 
•for it is obvious that his interests suffer equally with those 
of the landlord. If only the land is so porous as to admit of 
fthe passage of water through it, if the drainage is sound, the 
-aoil clean and tolerably fertile, then, indeed, profitable farming 
ds at once possible ; but if the soil is deficient in any of these 
indispensable conditions to successful cultivation it must be 
•set right at the outset. It is doing this that so frequently 
{renders landlords’ farming unprofitable for the first two or three 
■years. Very positive statements are often made that farmed-out 
•land requires at least five years’ careful treatment to restore it 
•fo a really sound condition. With this dictum we do not agree, 
for we have proved beyond a doubt that in pure home-mixed 
■chemical manures we have an infallible agent for the speedy 
restoration of fertility in an economical manner, and which fertility 
is subsequently sustained by the judicious use of such manures 
•by the ploughing in of green crops, and by sheep folding. 
The selection of the implements and live stock is a preliminary 
matter to which much thought must be given. To farm profitably 
Hinder ordinary conditions only from one-third to one-half of the 
land must be kept constantly under the plough, which means that 
we can manage perfectly well with half the usual number of horses, 
less implements, and less men. By a simple calculation we can 
easily ascertain the quantity of corn required for home consump¬ 
tion for the year by horses, cattle, sheep, and pigs. After the 
.allotment of sufficient land for that purpose we may consider if it 
ns worth while going into the cultivation of corn for sale at present 
prices. What quantity of corn will the land yield per acre ? What 
-will be the cost ? What the profit ? Compare this with the 
•cost and profit of sheep, pigs, cattle, and dairy farming, allow a 
•safe margin for losses, and there should then be a sound basis for 
action. What we deplore so much is the blind following of custom, 
the reckless heedless extravagance which has no guide to action, no 
plan or purpose, and thus absolutely courts failure. 
Be it understood that if less corn is grown, it by no means 
follows that most of the land is to be laid down to permanent 
pasture even by landlords. A fair proportion of such pasture there 
always must be, with enough long layers and other forage crops to 
supply home requirements, and for sale if there is a convenient 
market. Whatever system is followed there must be thorough 
cultivation of the pasture. It is usually considered that ordinary 
pasture will not carry more than two or three ewe3 per acre, but 
surely it will be granted that pasture may be so much improved, 
either by sheep folding or an annual dressing of chemical manure, 
as to carry twice or three times that number. We know that it 
may—aye, and at a proportionate increase of profit too ; but then 
we avoid the use of farmyard manure, and prefer less costly and 
more efficient fertilisers for surface dressings. This is a point of 
especial importance, always to be kept fully in view— i.e., not to 
enrich or improve the soil at such an extravagant outlay or process 
of cultivation as to render profit impossible. Judicious economy 
must be the guiding principle. We must know when and how to 
spend to advantage, and when and how to save. Where is the good 
of producing heavy crops if the cost of doing so is so high as to 
preclude all possibility of profit? It is precisely this blunder 
which has led to a feeling of prejudice against high farming, but 
the term is an elastic one, capable of several interpretations. 
(To be continued.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Harvest work is in an advanced state, a few more fine days only 
being required to enable us to finish the Barley. Spring Beans are the 
latest crop with us, and though the growth is not nearly so vigorous as 
that of last year the stalks are well set with full pods. Peas were ready 
for carting quite as early as winter Oats, and the crop is satisfactory. 
A stack of Peas near the pig yard is most useful if left unthrashed, and 
so used not a Pea will be wasted, and the pigs will consume much of 
the haulm as well. Store pigs are now out upon the stubbles daily, 
and are driven to water at midday. Plenty of thriving store pigs upon 
the stubbles is a sign of good management, and when they again come 
into the yards they may either be finished quickly for the London 
market, or all or part of them kept for bacon hogs. It is usually found 
to answer best to sell quickly, as there are other younger pigs to follow, 
and the sows will consume most of the tail corn later on. As we antici¬ 
pated, the new Wheat is of good weight, but so far the yield per acre is 
not satisfactory. We have, however, thrashed so little that a fair esti¬ 
mate can hardly be made. The condition is excellent, and the highest 
price for the last week in local markets was 31s. per quarter; some 
Barley realised 36s. 
The sowing of green crops for spring is being done as fast as the 
land can be got ready. Trifolium incarnatum sown last month is now 
up and growing so freely after the recent downpour that the plant will 
be well established before winter, and will afford some valuable fodder 
in spring. Rye sown now is of especial value for following the late 
sown Turnips, and it should not be forgotten that its earliness will 
depend very much upon the condition of the land, that in fertile soil 
always being ready for use two or three weeks before other Rye in poor 
soil. The fact should be clearly understood that early vigorous growth 
does not depend altogether upon the weather. Much may be done for 
this crop by a dressing of 1 cwt. per acre of nitrate of soda next 
February, so that if it is difficult to apply manure now under the 
pressure of autumn work the nitrate of soda may be depended upon to 
promote a brisk vigorous growth. Winter Tares and winter Oats will 
also be sown now before Wheat sowing begins, the Oats often being 
useful for sheep grazing when spring feed runs short, both the Rye and 
winter Oats affording a useful crop of grain after the grazing. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
CAMDEN SQUARE, LONDON. 
Lat. 51° 8?'40"N.; Long. U° 8- 0" W.; Altitude. Ill feet. 
DATE. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAT. 
Hygrome- 
a . 
O 
Shade Tem- 
Radiation 
a 
1889. 
S w cn v 
ter. 
V a 
or 
perature. 
Temperature. 
as 
M 
September. 
s 
i8~ 
In 
On 
m2 8 
Dry. 
Wet. 
5o 
H 
Max. 
Min. 
sun. 
grass 
Inches. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
lr. 
Sanday. 1 
30.224 
61.2 
58-2 
N.E. 
61.4 
73.4 
57 £ 
106.6 
54 2 
— 
Monday. 2 
30 081 
64.6 
60.5 
N. K. 
61 2 
719 
54.3 
108.2 
49.2 
0 361 
Tuesday .... 3 
80.004 
62.2 
61.2 
N.W. 
61-8 
71.6 
60.9 
106 8 
59. L 
0 . 0.0 
Wednesday.. 4 
30.138 
60.4 
57.4 
N.W. 
61.8 
69.9 
58 6 
110.2 
57.6 
— 
Thursday.... 5 
30.248 
59.9 
57.3 
N W. 
61.9 
64 3 
58.5 
72.6 
56.0 
— 
Friday . 6 
30.314 
612 
58 3 
N. 
60 9 
70 5 
53 5 
111 2 
484 
— 
Siturday .... 7 
30.212 
61.1 
58.2 
N.W. 
60.8 
63.1 
53.6 
102.2 
48.4 
0.030 
30174 
61.5 
53 7 
61.4 
70.0 
56.7 
102.5 
53.3 
0.451 
1st.—Fair, but almost .unless. REMARKS. 
2ud.—Fine, but frequently cloudy ; heavy shower,-', with frequent distant thunder and 
lightning f om 7 P.M. till tar into the night. 
3rd.—Dun and damp early; very gloomy and darlc from 9 A.it, till 11, and grad u illy 
clearing ; the aiternoon tine and generally bright. 5.h.—Overcast all day. 
4th.—Cloudy early ; tine bright day. 6th.— C ondy early ; bright day. 
7th.—Dull till 10A.M.. then bright till 1 P.M ; frequent showers in afternoon and tvening. 
Temperature about 3 " above the average, the minimum be ug 8 U higher than in the 
preceding week, while tire mean maximum is exactly the average. Ihe thunderstorm 
on the night of tlie 2nd, which was very slight In London, was exceptionally vi lent and 
destructive in " e-t Essex, and the ra r.f.ill at some stations eucrmou., at two it 
exceeded 4 m'.lie'.— J. J. rl'MONS. 
