544 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ December 19, 1889. 
quickly ready for market without the development of an undue 
proportion of fat, then we hold that in the Agricultural Hall, 
Islington, of all places, this useful trait should be brought clearly 
before the public. We saw Tamworths in large numbers with 
other breeds at several farms in the midlands a short time ago, 
and had reason to like their appearance. They appear to form a 
useful mean between the chubby small white and the huge large 
framed nondescripts to be met with everywhere. We are just now 
about to stock a small home farm with pigs, and are trying to 
obtain sows from a friend who has an excellent cross breed between 
the Suffolk and Berkshire, and a young boar of a good middle white 
breed. We have had some of these sows at two off-hand farms 
specially for breeding Londoners, and they have answered ad¬ 
mirably, but we approve of an occasional change as tending to 
promote health and vigour. 
Sows certainly repay well for careful selection and sensible 
treatment. The state of semi-starvation which they are frequently 
kept after the pigs are weaned is clearly a mistake ; a fair healthy 
condition is always best if we would have good litters of pigs. A 
breeding sow should always be young and active, and never of very 
large size. When they become at all heavy and unwieldly they are 
at once fattened and sold. Large-framed old sows may be made 
worth £10 or £12, but the meat is coarse grained, and though the 
huge hams have a noble appearance they are to be avoided. Ex¬ 
perience has shown that in profitable pig keeping sows past being 
useful for breeding are, when fattened, not worth more than about 
£5 at market. The dealer makes a profit on that price, which it 
would hardly answer the home farmer’s purpose to strive for. The 
animals have served their turn, and the sooner they can be disposed 
of at a profit upon the fattening the better for him. 
Mention was made last week of the passage inside of and at 
the back of the breeding sties. We regard this as an important 
adjunct to the buildings, as we altogether disapprove of any 
disturbance of the sow in farrowing. It may be necessary to 
remove teeth from the mouths of the pigs if they lacerate the 
teats and render the sow savage. Apart from this, there can be no 
real occasion to touch the pigs for the first month. As soon as 
the pigs are able to feed they have pollard mixed with milk in a 
long low trough placed outside the pound, to which they have 
access through holes closed with slip boards. This is done upon 
the principle of the speedy development and prompt use or sale, 
which applies to all animals of the farm. Milk is mentioned for 
porkers’ food, as it is taken for granted that dairy and pig farming 
are carried on conjointly at every home farm. Meal or pollard mixed 
with water is nutritious food, but milk and meal is very much 
more so. The sort of meal used is not so important as that it is 
pure and wholesome, a mixture being preferable, all inferior grain 
being so turned to account. It is worthy the attention of home 
farmers if it is not altogether best to have power and grinding 
apparatus at the farm rather than have to pay a miller Is. a sack 
for the grinding. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Ploughing arrears on heavy land should now be left till spring on 
every farm where it has been found that the soil suffers from being 
turned over when wet. This should act as an incentive to early 
autumn culture before all things, and it was this which caused us to get 
so forward with our heavy land ploughing as to be able to begin Wheat 
sowing early in September. The bailiff of that farm had reason to feel 
proud of his Wheat plant after the wet October when hardly any of the 
neighbouring farmers had sown any of their winter corn. Not always 
have we been so successful at seed time, for our Winter Beans were a 
failure there last autumn. This year they were sown early and sown 
well, and there is a full plant. 
Plenty of Wheat has now been threshed to afford ample supplies of 
straw for thatching. With several hundreds of old thatched buildings, we 
have avoided using thatch for any new ones. The general rule that the 
tenant supplies straw and the landlord labour for repairing old thatch 
on farm buildings seems fair enough ; but it often proves a heavy tax 
upon tenants of small farms, and we prefer to use s me more durable 
material for new buildings, preferably corrugated tiles as being 
substantial, cheap, and neat in appearance. Not unfrequently when 
farms change hands, the entire cost of thatching falls upon the 
landlord, and it should he the agent’s particular care to see that the 
work done is thorough and not mere patchwork. When the thatch of a 
barn has become thin, the only safe course is to cover the whole of it in 
a substantial manner, and to have an extra thickness upon the ridge. 
The matter is then out of hand, and the cost is not at all doubtful, as 
the work is done by the square of 100 feet at a fixed price. 
Of almost equal importance to yard drains are troughs for the eaves 
of the buildings to carry the water to large down pipes into drains 
away from the yard. Where this is neglected the litter becomes 
saturated, and frequently enough water falls to wash all manurial 
constituents out of it. The best remedy for this is covered yards, but 
needy landlords can hardly afford such luxuries for tenants’ cattle now, 
and it is better to ask for what is possible. For thatch, a cheap and 
useful gutter is easily contrived with a couple of boards nailed together 
at right angles, with a cross brace or two and some angle irons, with a 
little pitch run along the bottom to prevent drip. 
MILK FEVER IN COWS. 
Believing as I do that any information would be acceptable which 
will enable cowkeepers to cope more successfully with that dreaded 
disease in cattle, milk fever, I desire, with your permission, to place 
before the readers of this Journal a most excellent remedy, discovered 
by Professor D. McIntosh, who has given much attention to the sub¬ 
ject, and used very successfully by Mr. F. A. Cooper of Westbury Court 
Farm, Bristol. 
Prescription .—As soon as possible after it is known that the animal 
is attacked give (for a large cow) 1^ lb. of Epsom salts, with 1 oz. of 
powdered ginger in half a gallon of cold water. Mix 1J lb. of Mus¬ 
tard in warm water, and rub over loins and along the spine, also a little 
behind the poll. Cover up with sacks and keep warm. Aromatic 
ammonia, 10 oz3.; spirits of nitrous ether, 20 ozs., mixed. Dose.—3 ozs. 
in half a pint of cold water every half hour for five doses, then once 
every hour till the rest is administered. Keep the cow’s head up with 
bundles of straw. No gruel, &c., to be given till she gets up. The 
quantity of ammonia and ether stated above was, I suppose, considered 
by the Professor to be sufficient, and probably is so in some cases. The 
following instance, related to me by Mr. Cooper, will, I think, show that 
it is not in all. The last dose was given about midnight. Before the 
morning a relapse had taken place, and by six o’clock the cow was 
insensible, and of course unable to swallow. He obtained a fresh supply 
as soon as possible, and frequently moistened her mouth with a little, 
and also caused her to inhale the fumes. She soon revived, after which 
the usual doses were administered, amounting to about half the pre¬ 
scribed quantity. About 10 A.M. he had the satisfaction of seeing her 
rise, and eventually recover. 
Another case which goes to prove the same thing was that of a short¬ 
horn under my charge. About two hours after the last of the medicine 
had been given her she evidently showed indication of a relapse. Acting 
on the experience gained in the last case, Mr. Cooper advised the 
medicine to be continued in full or half doses according to the state of 
the patient. The ad\ice proved to be sound, for in a few hours she 
was standing up, and the next day appeared but little the worse. The 
milk should not be allowed to accumulate in the udder.— Thomas 
Smith, Iletibury Hill. 
Agriculturists’ Pocket Book.— Messrs. Balliere, Tindall & Co. 
send us a specimen of their Agriculturists’ Pocket Book and Diary, 
which has been compiled for the use of farmers, land agents, and agri¬ 
cultural students. It is a handy and useful companion for all who are 
connected with the management of land and stock. It has been pre¬ 
pared by Mr. G. E. Bennett, F.R.C.V.S., and is said to be the first work 
of the kind published in this country, and is based on the German 
model. It contains valuable tables on the cost of different kinds of 
work, information on chemical manures, seeds, stock, insects, fungi, and 
various other matters, with an almanac and diary. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
CAMDEN SQUARE, LONDON. 
Lat. 51° 8!' 40" N.; Long. 0° 8'0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
DATE. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAT. 
1 ;™» 
Rain. 
1889. 
December. 
Barome¬ 
ter at 328 
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. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
In. 
Sunday . 
8 
30.314 
32.3 
32 2 
w. 
S6 0 
46.2 
31.1 
47.9 
29.2 
0.158 
Monday. 
9 
20.905 
45.9 
45.9 
w. 
36.3 
49.8 
32.3 
54 6 
30.1 
—- 
Tuesday .... 
10 
29.439 
45.9 
44.1 
w. 
39.1 
48.2 
45.2 
52.3 
40.4 
— 
Wednesday.. 
11 
29.43tf 
32.6 
32.4 
w. 
39.0 
39 4 
29.4 
54 3 
25 8 
— 
Thursday.... 
12 
39.069 
27.6 
27 6 
w. 
37.8 
41.8 
26 2 
49 8 
20.6 
0.019 
Friday . 
13 
29.827 
44 2 
43.6 
s. 
36 9 
47 0 
36 5 
49 9 
22.8 
0.058 
Saturday .... 
14 
30.192 
34.2 
34.2 
N. 
37.2 
39 5 
33.0 
43.1 
27.6 
— 
29.883 
37.5 
371 
| 37.5 
45.0 
83.4 
50.3 
28.1 
0.235 
REMARKS. 
8th.—Fine and clear, with sunshine during the morning. 
9th.-R'in from l A.M. to 8.30 A M., line day, slight drizzle about 5 30 P.M.; much warmer. 
lOlh.—Mild lair morning, line afternoon, bright night. 
IllH.— Fine and bright. 
12th.—Fine and sunshiny. , . 
13th -Dull and drizzly morning, sunshine in afternoon, slight fog in evening. 
14th.—Dull and raw. , .. 
A damp dull week on the whole, and considerably warmer than the previous one.— 
G. J. SYMONS. 
