522 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ Df comber 12, 1889. 
yielding milk of inferior quality, are coming over every week in response 
to a brisk sale, caused by the fact of the cows having just calved, or 
being due to calve shortly. Prices in the sale yards near the landing 
stage range from £18 to £23, and the same cows are resold near the 
metropolis at an advance of from £5 to £10 per head. It is in this 
instance, as in so many others, that Mr. Middleman steps in and “ bleeds 
the farmer.” Alert, keen, and prompt, the middleman makes it his 
business to watch every market, to seize every chance. When will 
Mr. Farmer apply the lesson, and learn to help himself ? 
THE SMITHFIELD CLUB SHOW. 
The annual gathering in the Agricultural Hall, Islington, was 
opened on Monday last (December 9th), when the Prince of Wales and 
■other notabilities attended to inspect the display. Cattle and sheep are 
well represented, but not quite so numerously as in some previous years. 
Pigs are about an average, and there is a remarkably fine show of 
implements, the galleries being filled, besides a considerable space on 
the ground floors. Upon the judging day considerable discussion was 
caused and much dissatisfaction expressed by several cattle entries 
being disqualified for non-compliance with age conditions. Some thus 
excluded had been prizewinners elsewhere, and it is said their registered 
ages can be readily substantiated. 
Our readers are probably most concerned with the seedsmen's ex¬ 
hibits, of which there is the usual liberal display in the galleries. 
Messrs. J. Carter & Co., High Holborn, have an admirable stand well 
representing all their chief specialties arranged in a tasteful manner. A 
large portion of their stand is devoted to the exhibition of the Elephant 
Swede, all of which have been produced by customers in various dis¬ 
tricts of the country, including H.M. the Queen and H.R.H. the Prince 
of Wales. This Swede is of fine texture, rapid maturity, and hardy. 
A large practical farmer in Bedfordshire tested the hardiness of the 
Elephant Swede by leaving it upon the land during the prevalence of 
some very severe frosts in the winter of 1887, and he reported 
that “ it is as hard as iron.” Some of the largest shown weigh 
30 lbs. Examples of Warden Prize Yellow Globe, Mammoth Prize 
Long Bed, Improved Golden Tankard, and Golden Intermediate Mangold, 
Prizewinner Swede, Champion Green-top and Purple-top Hybrid 
Turnip, Imperial Kohl Rabi, Thousand-headed Kale, and numerous 
other types of agricultural produce are also shown. 
Messrs. E. Webb & Sons, Wordsley, Stourbridge, well maintain their 
reputation by an extensive and ban Isome stand of farm roots in all 
their selected and well-proved varieties. Fine clean well-developed 
samples are arranged in great mounds that have a. most imposing 
appearance. Potatoes, Cabbages, Grass seeds, cereals, and numerous 
other specialties are well shown. 
Messrs. Sutton & Sons, Reading, have a magnificent exhibition in 
the_ north gallery, comprising great piles of handsome roots. Very 
noticeable is a new Mangold under the name of Crimson Tankard. It 
appears likely to commend itself to growers who prefer a red Mangold. 
The roots are handsome and free from coarseness. Berks Prize Yellow 
Globe Mangold, of which some wonderfully fine roots are shown, has 
been awarded the valuable prize open to all England and Wales (given 
by Messrs. Proctor & Ryland) for the best two acres of Mangold. The 
Judges reported the weight of the crop to be 53J tons per acre. Speci¬ 
mens of Golden Tankard \ ellow Flesh occupy a prominent place ; the 
roots are handsome. Mammoth Long Red Mangold is shown to great 
advantage, broad shouldered roots very free from fang=, and of great 
weight. The old Sutton’s Champion Swede is given a leading place, 
but one of the finest groups on the stand is formed with Crimson King 
Swede, a large tankard-shaped sort, selected several years ago. It is 
•specially valuable for early feeding, as it matures quickly. The upper 
part of the root is dark purplish crimson, the flesh deep yellow. 
Messrs. Oakshott & Millard, Reading, and Messrs. Harrison & Son, 
Leicester, also have most creditable exhibits of their leading varieties 
of roots and farm crops. Mr. W. Kerr of Dargavel has a large exhibit 
of Potatoes, and several other firms also contribute to the general 
display. 
REPORT OF THE SEED HARVEST OF 1889, 
There is an unprecedently large crop of Red Clover seed grown in 
England, which promises to be of excellent quality. The Continental 
crops are also reported to be very good, and we have seen many examples 
of fine purple seed offering at favourable prices. American reports are 
not so satisfactory, in many districts the grain is exceedingly small and 
wanting in colour. A report says :—“ Crop presented a very promising 
appearance, and outlook favoured a good yield, but through continuous 
wet weather, with cold nights, the growth and development is retarded 
and unless we have hot dry weather the late seed will prove a failure ” 
The Canadian reports say Crop is very short, the midge ha vino- 
taken it off again.” b 
The crop of White Clover in all producing districts is a very fine one • 
samples are bright in colour and of high germination, and moderate 
prices are expected to rule. 
The output of Alsike both in Canada and Europe appears unsatis¬ 
factory. Canadian reports say “ The seed is smaller and inferior 
to last season.” It is therefore to be expected that the best values and 
best quantities of this article will be obtainable in Europe. 
There is a good crop of Trefoil, both in quality and quantity. 
Present prices are ranging very low, as compared with the value of this 
article at the end of the sowing season last'spring. Lucerne is a good 
crop, and values are expected to range somewhat in accordance with 
last year’s quotations. Reports of the Timothy crops are favourable, the 
area under cultivation has been very considerable, and the seed harvested 
in excellent condition. The crops of Rye Grasses have been harvested 
in magnificent quality ; samples are particularly heavy, bright, and free 
from impurities, of high germination, and are offered at remarkably low 
prices at the present time. 
Anthoxanthum odoratum. — Average crop, with good standard 
of germination. Agrostis stolonifera is scarcer than last year, 
and as so many samples are infected with ergot, pure parcels 
realise good values. Alopecurus pratensis is a good crop, seed 
bright and heavy, and of high germination, values expected to 
range moderate. Cynosurus cristatus is an average crop, both in Great 
Britain and the Continent; values may be expected to range rather 
lower than last yea r . Dactylis glomerata.—For this article the Euro¬ 
pean market depends almost entirely on that of New Zealand. At the 
present time large quantities of seed are carried over from last year, 
hence low values are expected to rule. Festuca duriuscula is again a 
good crop of heavy seed and high germination. Festuca pratensis is 
reported much shorter than last year, and higher prices are being asked. 
Festuca elatior is a good average crop in Europe, and is quoted at a 
lower price than previous years. Poas trivialis and nemoralis are good 
average crops, bright heavy seed of high germination. Poa pratensis is 
shorter than usual, although samples are of fine colour and excellent 
germination. This seed may be expected to be somewhat higher in value 
than last year. Uncertain weather during harvest has materially 
damaged the prospects of many crops that promised very favourably at 
an early period. 
Peas generally are scarcer this year than last. The English crop is 
extremely short, and American and New Zealand advices are of a similar 
character. Broad Beans are a full crop, but good bright level samples 
are not plentiful; Runner Beans, notwithstanding the mild autumn, do 
not promise to be above the average. The Onion crop is practically a 
failure both in England and on the Continent. 
The Mangold Wurtzel crop promises to be more satisfactory ; the 
seed has matured earl'er than last year, but there is still a quantity in 
the fields, considerably damaged by late heavy rains. The production of 
Rape has been smaller than usual, and stocks are very low, whilst prices 
above the average continue to rule. White Mustard is a fair average 
crop, but there is little new seed offering, and the prospects of the English 
crop are not good ; values are expected to be firm. Swede and Turnip 
crops were again harvested in excellent condition, and present values are 
lower than they have been for many years. 
Cabbage seed will prove a short crop, and the Carrot seed crop will 
come out short, the wet weather that has attended the ripening of the 
seed being very destructive. 
Potato crops, notwithstanding the ravages of disease amongst certain 
sorts in some districts, promises to be a very good one generally, and 
moderate prices may be expected to rule for a considerable time.— 
James Carter & Co. 
Australasian Agriculture. —In the introductory lecture to the 
agricultural class at the University of Edinburgh, delivered at the 
opening of the present session, Prof. Wallace chose as his subject some 
aspects of Australasian agriculture. In this lecture, which has now 
been printed, Prof. Wallace urges that sheep farmers in this country 
will shortly feel the effects of rivalry with the flockmasters of Australia. 
There are 100.000,000 sheep in Australia, mostly merinoes, which are 
not, by the way, a flesh-yielding but a wool-giving race. Prof. Wallace 
hazards the opinion, by a very easy process of arithmetic, that, before 
many years have passed, Australia will be possessed of over 200,000,000. 
He makes, also, the astonishing statement that merino mutton is equal 
in flavour and texture to our best Highland, Welsh, or South Down 
mutton. Upon these two assumptions, for they are nothing more, he 
foretells calamities to meat producers of this country, which he, it is 
to be hoped, will not live to see.— {Nature.') 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS, 
CAMDEN SQUARE, LONDON. 
Lat. 51° 32' 40" N. ; Long. 0° 8'0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
DATE. 
9 A.M, 
IN THE DAY. 
.2 
'3 
1889. 
December. 
Barome¬ 
ter at 32° 
and Sea 
Level. 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
Direction 
of Wind. 
Temp, of 
soil at 
1 foot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
sun. 
On 
grass 
Inches. 
deg. 
deg. 
dez. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
In. 
Sunday . 
1 
30.395 
28 2 
26.4 
N. 
38.8 
36.0 
26 1 
46.4 
204 
Monda’y. 
2 
30.522 
27.4 
27.4 
N.E. 
37 9 
34.6 
24.8 
36.4 
38.9 
_ 
Tuesday .... 
3 
30.488 
2 .7 
28.7 
E. 
37.0 
33.0 
27 4 
45 9 
20 9 
_ 
Wednesday.. 
4 
30.‘>01 
31.5 
30.4 
E. 
36.4 
35 9 
24.4 
413 
17.8 
_ 
Thursday.... 
5 
30.587 
35.3 
33 8 
N.rc. 
36 0 
37.4 
31.8 
38 6 
25.1 
0.039 
Friday . 
6 
30.608 
36 0 
35.4 
.N.E, 
36.0 
38 1 
35.1 
41.9 
32.1 
0.108 
Saturday .... 
7 
30.122 
32.9 
32 3 
S. 
35.9 
35 2 
31.8 
36.5 
31.7 
0.111 
30.460 
31.4 
30.6 
36 9 
35.7 
28 8 
41.0 
23.8 
0.258 
REMARKS. 
1st.—Cloudy and cold. 
2nd—Cloudy and cold, and slightly foggy in the morning. 
3rd.—Fine and bright throughout. 
4th.—Fine with the sun tliining through clouds in the morning; cloudy afternoon. 
5th—Cloudy, with showers turning to rain, and dull and drizzly all day. 
6th.—Cloudy throughout. 
7th.—Snow on ground in early morning, and it continued to fall slightly until noon. 
A cold week, the mean temperatnre being 32° ; no intense frost, but ve*y low maxima, 
the highest being only 381 Q .—G. J. SYMONS, 
