390 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ October 31, 1889. 
«are, and are at all low in condition, the average falls by about a 
third. Results show that this breeding from such young animals is 
in every way desirable. We have heard fears expressed that it 
would stunt the growth and prevent the full development of the 
-ewes, but we can confidently say it does not do so. We have now 
a half-bred flock of full-mouthed ewes, which we bred and took a 
lamb from the first year, and they are certainly all fine sound 
animals. Half-breds and Black-faced Suffolks crossed with Hamp¬ 
shire Down tups answer well for this purpose, but we have also 
been fairly successful with pure-bred Southdowns. 
It is not too late now for a trial of a certain number of ewe 
lambs should any of our readers feel disposed to test what to them 
may be a novelty ; but without early selection and the special care 
we have indicated a full measure of success must not be expected. 
We have known more than one attempt at breeding from ewe 
lambs fail for want of a little care, and those who thus fail gene¬ 
rally condemn the plan outright, upon the assumption that where 
they have failed success is an impossibility. Now a four-shear or 
full-mouthed ewe is considered old, and many breeders discard 
them at once from the breeding flock. If they are home bred, 
are sound and healthy, and have a good record in the lambing fold 
we usually take another lamb from them. At best, however, the 
life of a ewe is a short one, and it is most desirable to render it 
more profitable by breeding as early as possible. At the outset a 
flock has to be got together by purchase ; afterwards all ewes 
should certainly be home-bred, and the tups procured from another 
flock, a little extra outlay upon tups always being a sound 
investment. 
Whether breeding ewes are hoggets or older sheep, all must be 
kept from root 5 before lambing, as we explained last week 
Thousand-headed Kale is plentiful enough this year, and with a 
change to grass it may form the chief food of the ewes till 
lambing. It is well to have plenty of dry food close at hand in 
December and January in readiness for snow. So many estates 
now have other farms in hand beside the home farm, that reliance 
is often placed upon off-hand farms for a supply of fodder, and 
the means for obtaining a speedy and prompt supply should always 
be forthcoming. There must be no falling off in the condition 
of a pregnant ewe ; it has the foetus to nourish, and .when the lamb 
Tails if we would have a full supply of milk the ewe must have 
plenty of sustenance. We recommend a few Mangolds on the 
near approach of lambing as a wholesome addition to the 
dietary, and some crushed Oats mixed with bran and chaff should 
be given regularly in the troughs. The plentiful secretion of milk 
is natural to a healthy well nourished ewe, but the ewe should be 
kept in fair condition all the year round. This is a point of much 
importance, and there can be no greater mistake than to keep 
lambs with ewes late into July. We have seen ewes taken from 
the lambs in wretched plight, just so many “ bags of bones,” and 
we fail to see how they are to be brought into condition and breed 
fine lambs in the following season. No doubt it is owing to such 
mismanagement, such a system of extremes, that there are so many 
ewes with little or no milk for the lambs ; that they also often 
have not strength to bring forth the lambs ; that they die in labour 
or suffer from one or other of the ailments peculiar to the lambing 
season. There is no such thing as luck in connection with the 
management of a ewe flock ; cause and effect tell in this as in all 
other things, and it is our aim to explain the cause of success or 
failure, upon the principle that prevention is better than cure. In 
point of fact cure is not always a possibility, and the cause of 
debility, or worse, is but too often so remote that it is impossible 
to trace it. To do so is nevertheless always desirable in view of 
avoiding such mismanagement in the future. 
(To be continued.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
The very heavy rainfall has saturated the land, and Wheat sowing 
is out of the question for the present. While the weather continued 
fine, and the land was dry and firm, the temptation to get the roots off 
the land was so great that many farmers allowed the Wheat sowing to 
be held in abeyance for a while, and now they will have to wait a bit 
before the soil will be dry enough to be worked. Under such weather 
conditions the advantage of drainage and mechanical division is seen in 
the short time required before drills and harrows can be at work again. 
We know some farmers who have finished sowing winter corn. There 
are others who have only just begun ploughing for it, and it will always 
be so. The prudent man will lose an hour after harvest, but will turn 
the brief spell of fine weather remaining to account for the most pressing 
autumn work. When once the weather becomes broken now it may 
continue so for an indefinite period of time, and late sown Wheat points 
to a backward harvest. Very much Wheat is sown after Clover, and 
where the second growth of Clover has been folded with sheep the plan 
is a good one. Care must be taken not to plough too deeply, and upon 
the principle that for Wheat a firm seed bed is indispensable it is good 
practice to use a Cambridge roll once or twice after the drill. Wheat 
so often loses plant in spring from looseness of soil that all that is 
possible should be done now to prevent it. After all there is nothing 
in Wheat culture that commends itself more strongly to our notice and 
approval at this season of the year than a field sown in September, 
that is now a full strong plant thoroughly established in the soil. We 
have no fear of injury from its becoming winter proud—that can always 
be corrected, and it is far better to have the plant well established now 
than for it to be hardly visible till the end of the year. As to the sorts 
of Wheat, we do not hesitate to sow White and Red in autumn, provided 
the land is sound. Certainly we have not found Champion White Wheat 
at all delicate, and it always commands a brisk sale at the highest 
market price if its condition is faultless. Perhaps this Wheat and a 
good selection of Square Head are about the best for general use. 
BUTTER AND GHEE. 
In your article “Midsummer Butter,” in the Journal of Horti¬ 
culture for the 4th July last, you say that the best butter is made 
after “ haysel,” but which, owing to glut, only fetches half price. 
Then, again, “if such would-be leaders of the farmer would show 
him how to preserve his butter so as to hold it in reserve till winter 
that would indeed be helping him.” Why don’t you do with your 
butter as we do out here, make “ ghee ” of it—that is, clarified or 
“gan ” butter ? In this country we never use dripping or lard for 
cooking, only ghee. Cannot you introduce ghee for cooking 
purposes into England ? Really good and well-made ghee is 
delicious both in taste and fragrance—as nice as Everton toffee. 
Why not make midsummer butter into ghee, and send it to such 
large seaport towns as Calcutta, Bombay, Madras, and Kurrachee 
or Colombo, where it will always fetch good prices ? Properly well- 
made ghee will keep for years. It is very difficult to get good ghee 
in large towns in India, owing to extensive adulteration. Ghee 
making was tried in Australia, but I do not know with what result. 
—A. Banon, Kooloo-Kangra-Punjaub . 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Bromus glganteus (P. W. P.).—This forage plant will not usually 
produce like Italian Rye Grass when the imported seed is sown in the 
autumn and early spring months ; and as summer forage we prefer 
Giant Sainfoin or Lucerne, both for quantity and feeding value, the 
latter especially when a quick succession is required as green fodder for 
dairy cows. There is, however, always the question of soil to be con¬ 
sidered, and we therefore recommend a trial of these four sorts to ascer¬ 
tain which is the best. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
CAMDEN SQUARE, LONDON. 
Lat. 51° S3'40" N.; Long. 0° 8- 0” W.; Altitude, 111 feat. 
date. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAY. 
AO . 
£ ©» o>~: 
Hygrome- 
a . 
Shade Tem- 
Radiation 
a 
1689. 
ter. 
V a 
§■=§ 
perature. 
Temperature 
oS 
P4 
October. 
In 
On 
S2a 
Dry. 
Wet. 
So 
H 
Max. 
Min. 
sun. 
grass 
Inches. 
deg 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
In. 
S inday.20 
£9.214 
48.7 
48.0 
s. 
49.4 
55.3 
47 2 
81.9 
41.8 
0.134 
Monday. 21 
29.357 
45.2 
47 4 
N. 
489 
55.0 
42.8 
75.3 
36 2 
0.184 
Tuesday .... 22 
29.405 
48.4 
48 0 
JS.E. 
48.2 
54.2 
43.3 
64.8 
36.3 
0.051 
Wednesday.. 23 
29.626 
47.1 
46.3 
N 
45.2 
52 4 
44.5 
62 9 
38.7 
0.( 79 
Thursday.... 24 
29 0 2 
47.2 
46.2 
>*. 
48.7 
51.1 
45.9 
62 4 
4 42 
— 
Friday .25 
29 212 
42 l 
41.9 
N. 
47.9 
53 3 
39 9 
88.9 
32 8 
— 
Sitnrday .... 2d 
29.172 
47.0 
44.1 
N.E. 
47.3 
52.2 
42.4 
743 
37 9 
0.422 
29 714 
47.0 
46.0 
48.4 
53.1 
43.7 
72.9 
38.3 
0.920 
REMARKS. 
20th —Heavy rain til' 9 A.M ; wet morning, and showery afternoon and evening. 
21-t.—Lull early, wet morning, a little sun at m delay, then damp a ad showery again. 
22nd.—Dull and drizzly till 10 A.M , and overcast all day. 
25rd.—Oveicast all day, with occasional spota of rain in ihe afternoon. 
24th.—Rain in small hours; cloudy morning; fine afternoon and evening. 
2.5th.—bright all day, spots of rain in the evening. 
28th.-Fine, and frequently bright. 
A damp and rainy week; temperature abont the average, with little range.— 
G J. SYMONS 
