346 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ October 17, 1389. 
■farmers are wont to discuss landlords’ farming in a half pitying, 
ihalf humorous manner. “ Let him try his hand and see if he can 
make a rent,” say they. Well, landlords have tried their hand per 
force of circumstances, and in many an instance the result has been 
a heavy loss, but in others there has been success, which is all the 
more important from the extraordinary difficulties which attend 
■the work of reclaiming most of the land falling upon the land¬ 
lords’ hands. Our readers know the process full well, and we need 
not repeat an oft-told tale of draining, tillage, and manuring. But 
we may remind them that when all this outlay has been incurred 
good seed must be had to render our work complete. 
Yery tempting are the samples of seed corn to be seen upon the 
stands of seed merchants at agricultural shows, but they cannot be 
taken alone as a guide to the purchaser, for they are often hand¬ 
picked grain by grain. If he is tempted to give an order he should 
Insist upon taking a sample away with him, and see subsequently 
that the bulk is equal to sample. Our own plan is to give a trial 
to all new introductions of fair promise, but to do it with 
moderation, and so prove in a small way if novelties are really 
worthy of extensive cultivation. For example we may take 
Wheat, and we shall find that it is not always the large showy ears 
that turn out most profitable. We have had better results from 
White Chaff, Red, and other select varieties of Square-headed 
Wheat than from Giant Whites and other long-eared sorts. There 
is, however, no fixed rule, and much must always depend upon 
individual observation and judgment. The latest introduction 
among Giant White Wheat is Salvator or Mountain Ash, which has 
now been on trial for two years, and has proved so satisfactory that 
it will be grown extensively in East Anglia next season. One 
■cautious farmer who watched the growth of a small field of it this 
year is so convinced of its excellence that he has ordered enough 
seed for fifty acres. It should not be forgotten that this new 
Wheat is really a white variety of Rivett Wheat, and that it will 
answer we'l on heavy land. For mixed soil the White Champion 
is the best white Wheat we have had, but it does not answer 
so well on heavy land, and will be replaced there by Salvator. 
Champion is, in our opinion, quite as hardy as Hunter’s ; it stands 
up well, and we had hardly any of it beaten down this year. We 
<do not recommend its culture to the exclusion of all other sorts, 
but with good soil anybody may venture upon sowing it exten¬ 
sively. 
The mention of seed selection is a reminder that every home 
farm should have its trial ground to test both seed and manure. 
We know nothing more interesting and instructive than this, 
and it need not be extensive to prove thoroughly useful. Plots 
only 3 or 4 yards square will suffice, and they should be divided by 
narrow paths, and be arranged on each side of a tolerably wide 
central path. The plots are then grouped so that the different 
sorts of Wheat, Barley, Oats, &c., are sufficiently near together for 
observation and comparison. Roots, forage (Grasses and Clovers 
included) should also have sections devoted to them. We have 
derived so much pleasure and instruction from our own trial 
ground, that we wonder at not meeting with others more fre¬ 
quently. Certainly a landlord would be doing good service both 
to himself and his tenants to establish a trial ground at the home 
farm. It would tend to resolve doubts upon many a question both 
of crops and cultivation, for depend upon it the results of such 
trials are of much practical importance, and are really applicable to 
general practice. This is the best time of year to begin a trial 
ground, Wheat, winter Beans, Peas, Oats, and Barley being sown 
at once. Manure trials might also begin at once upon the winter 
corn plots. 
Meanwhile we cannot go far wrong if we use pure seed of 
really well known sorts, till we obtain such particular knowledge 
from our own trials as will enable us to put a certain amount of 
individuality into our cropping. If purchased seed corn contains 
many small grains as it is so apt to do, it always answers to pass it 
through a good corn screen once or twice, so as to get rid of all 
inferior grain. This must be insisted upon, and we must not allow 
the plea that time is precious and the seed is good enough, for no 
inferior seed is worth sowing, and the time is certainly not lost in 
getting rid of it. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
The earliest crops of Mangold have been placed into heaps, and we'l 
covered with straw and soil for winter. The leaves will be ploughed in 
at once, as we consider much more good is thus done to the land than is 
possible by turning the sheep in to consume the leaves. Unless sheep 
are folded upon land they do only a little good, and we have such an 
abundance of grass that there is no need to feed the Mango’d tops. 
The heavy crop of acorns will do the sheep much good, as they are very 
fond of them, and always show improvement in condition when they 
have them, care being taken not to leave the sheep long enough under 
the trees to consume all they can at first. This precaution applies to 
every change of diet. Many a valuable sheep has been lost from eating 
greedily of Barley ears on the stubbles, of soft succulent Clover, and 
other green food. During the present autumn an experienced farmer 
lost half a dozen valuable ewes in one day from hoove or distension of 
the stomach with gas, generated by overfeeding with early Turnips 
having very long leaves. It should be clearly understood that hoove is 
not a disease, and is to be avoided by the exercise of ordinary precau¬ 
tion in giving sheep only a certain quantity of such food. 
A mistaken but very general impression leads to the supposition that 
foot rot is induced by keeping the flock upon pasture at this season of 
the year. If that were so what would the great flock masters of the 
south downs do ? Rely upon it much more harm is done to the sheep by 
persistent folding on arable land in wet weather. Give the flock a 
change as often as possible, even if it is only a gentle turn of two or 
three miles over a good hard road. Let there be a change of diet 
occasionally, and plenty of mixed food. Let the sheep always have 
access to rock salt. See that the shepherd has a sharp handy knife—not 
a huge weapon approaching the size of a dagger—and a supply of Gell’s 
ointment, then with care there need be no very bad cases of foot rot. 
The ewes must be kept in a thriving healthy condition throughout the 
period of pregnancy if we would have good lambs. Anything affecting 
the health or condition of the ewe naturally tells upon its progeny. 
In other words, avoid extremes, and do all that is possible to keep them 
healthy and in fair condition always. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Sheep Folding: on Grass (J. II .').—A hurdle to a sheep is the rule 
in folding, and your forty lambs or hoggets (as they should now be 
termed) will require about that number of hurdles. A new fold is 
usually made every day entirely upon fresh land. It is only during 
heavy snowstorms or exceptionally stormy weather that the sheep 
require shelter. As your sheep are young keep them in the same fold 
forty-eight hours, and then you may rest assured that the land is 
thoroughly manured, and nothing more will be required to insure full 
strong growth next year. 
Mountain White Wheat {Idem ).—This new Wheat ha? evi¬ 
dently a future on mixed soil and heavy land farms, and we certainly 
recommend you to give it a trial. It has several advantages over 
ordinary Wheat; such are its exceptionally stout straw, its large grain 
and ears, and its abundant yield of both grain and straw. If as a White 
Wheat it commands, say, 4s. per quarter more than ordinary Red Rivett, 
and yields a third more grain per acre, it is bound to come into general 
cultivation. We do not advise you to try more than a single field of 
it at the outset, you will then be able to see by comparison if it is 
really superior in every respect to your other Wheats. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
CAMDEN SQUARE, LONDON. 
Lat. 51° 3?' 40" N.; Long. 0° 8' 0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
DATE. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAY. 
IliS- 
Hygrome- 
Pt . 
Shade Tem- 
Radiation 
ci 
1889. 
ter. 
V e 1 
perature. 
Temperature 
« 
October. 
* Jr, 
1 s*- 
In 
On 
mss 
Dry. 
Wet. 
5o 
H 
Max. 
Min. 
sun. 
gras^ 
Inches. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
Id. 
S inday . 
6 
29.882 
50.5 
47.6 
P. 
50 3 
57.5 
44 0 
79.9 
38.9 
0.140 
Monday. 
7 
29.344 
56.1 
£0 8 
s.w. 
51 6 
58 8 
50.3 
81.3 
49.9 
— 
Tuesday ... 
8 
29.593 
49.4 
45.2 
s. 
5<‘.9 
69.4 
43.0 
93.6 
37.2 
0.135 
Wednesday. 
9 
29.258 
49 0 
45 3 
s.w. 
50.0 
56 7 
43.0 
92.9 
88.1 
— 
Thursday... 
10 
29 431 
464 
46.3 
S.E. 
49.1 
60.5 
36.9 
93.3 
32.4 
0.057 
Friday . 
11 
29 471 
4 > 8 
46.7 
N.K. 
48.9 
513 
41.4 
61.9 
37.3 
0 . 1 44 
Saturday ... 
12 
29.645 
461 
44 8 
s.w. 
48.7 
58 4 
40.4 
95.1 
35.2 
— 
29 503 
49.2 
4? 7 
49.9 
57.5 
43.0 
86.1 
38.4 
0.376 
REMARKS. 
6th.—Dull and damp early ; fair day ; damp and showery after 4 P.M. 
7th.—Wet early; sunshine about y A.M, then dull, with occasional spots of rain ; gale 
all day. 
8 h.—Bright morning; shower at 1 P.M.,then fine again,with a little sunshine; wet 
fiorn 4.30 to 7.30 and bright night. 
9th —Bright and fine throughout, excepting a few spots of rain about 1 P.M. 
loth.—Fine and generally bright. 
llth.—Wet morning, wi.h high fog; lights necessary at midday,cleared gradually, and 
fair evening. 
12 th.—Fine and generally bright. 
Temperature similar to tbe previous week, aud no: far from t’:e average; rainfall 
rather below it.—'J. J. STMOSfc'. 
