228 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ March 14,18S!>. 
all soils, the vigour being very much in proportion to the fertility 
of the soil ; a self-evident fact that is often forgotten or ignored. 
Even for such a crop it answers to cultivate the land well, but there 
is no real necessity for an elaborate preparation of the seed bed. All 
that is necessary is to have enough fine soil to cover the seed well, 
and this was not an easy matter last autumn, for winter Tare3 
sown at the usual rate of 3 bushels an acre are now a full strong 
plant. Two sowings of winter Tares are often made, one in 
September, the other iu October, in view of having a successful 
supply in spring. Other crops of spring Tares sown early in 
the present month and onwards through April and May, are of 
especial value in a hot dry summer, not only for sheep in folds, 
but also for cattle and horses. Upon some dairy farms'it is cus¬ 
tomary when pasture is parched and bare in summer to cast Tares 
upon it for the cows ; but then it answers much best if the cows 
can be kept in covered yards, in quiet enjoyment of the succulent 
green food, the shade, and comparative immunity from the attacks 
of flies. 
Under high farming Tares grow to such a height that Professor 
Rogers tells of a certain crop G feet high, and it is no uncommon 
thing to see crops in Cheshire of 4 feet that would be termed 
ordinary crops. No doubt the humid climate of the west has some 
influence upon growth, but condition of land tells everywhere, and 
if it is worth while having Tares at all, - it certainly answers to 
have plenty of them. It is by no means intended to infer that a 
easeful crop of Tares cannot be had unless the land be very rich, 
but it is quite certain that rich land produces much the most 
profitable crop. If required for folding ewes and lambs, the 
folding should begin before the crop is fully grown, as if left till 
it is in full bloom the lower part is apt to become yellow and 
unpalatable. Lambs thrive well upon this food, and we have often 
finished them for market upon it, though we must own to a slight 
prejudice in favour of Sainfoin for bringing lambs into fine 
condition for market. For general utility the advantage is in 
favour of Tares, simply because they answer where Sainfoin would 
fail. 
Seed Tares harvested precisely in the same way as Peas are not 
unprofitable. We occasionally devote some land to this purpose, 
and whenever a forward season brings on the successional crops too 
fast, some are reserved for seed. There is a popular opinion that 
«eed Tares is a very exhaustive crop, and there can be no doubt 
that it does “ take it out ” of the soil, but that is a matter easily 
:set right, and whenever a field of seed Tares can be had there is 
no good reason against it. 
Lucerne, wherever it will answer, is worthy of a leading place 
among fodder crops, both for gracing and stall feeding. It would 
probably prove wrong to attempt its culture to the exclusion of 
■other green crops, but a fair proportion of it is always desirable. 
In a season of drought there is nothing like it for freedom and 
continuity of growth, the roots going down so deep that drought 
does it no harm. A calcareous soil and dry climate are best for it, 
and for this reason it is admirably adapted for cultivation on the 
great corn farms of East Anglia. It should always be sown in 
drills 9 to 12 inches apart at the rate of about 20 lbs. of seed per 
acre, especial care being taken to well stir and clean the soil before¬ 
hand. There is no doubt that much Lucerne is spoilt by being 
sown too closely and becoming foul with weeds at the outset. By 
Iiaving the rows far enough apart to admit of the free use of hoes, 
and by careful hoeing in the spring of the first year after sowdng, 
•weeds may be kept down sufficiently till the Lucerne becomes 
established. One of the most productive fields of Lucerne we ever 
knew had the soil well broken up with digging forks between the 
rows every winter. This rather expensive process ensured immunity 
from perennial weeds, but in these hard times we can hardly re¬ 
commend it on a large' scale. For the home farmer a small field 
of Lucerne near the homestead is invaluable for a supply of green 
fodder for horses in summer for rack or stall feeding, as when it is 
once established it affords several growths in brisk succession from 
spring till autumn. The herbage is succulent, nourishing, and 
wholesome, and is certainly as good as any of the more common 
green crops in general cultivation. 
(To be continued.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
A snowy morning followed by Ligli wind and rain is not favourable 
weather for beginning folding ewes and lambs on Swedes. We have 
just done so, and when we went to the fold the ewes were eating the 
roots eagerly, but the lambs were cowering against the thatched hurdles. 
We at once ordered a roof of other thatched hurdles to bo constructed 
in order to render the shelter perfect and the lambs as safe from harm 
as we could. This may appear only a trifle, but it is from want of such 
care that so many young lambs are lost every year. Wet and cold are 
the worst things to which they can well be exposed ; and when it is so 
easy to protect them it ought to be done as a matter of course upon the 
principle that precaution is better than remedy. Due care should be 
taken to have docking and castration done early. All healthy laml>3 
should be done at the age of from three to four weeks. Any lambs 
intended for sale at Easter need not be done, both to avoid causing 
needless pain and any check to growth and condition arising from it. 
Young horses required for home work should be broken to it quietly 
and gradually, not by any means overworking them at first, or growth 
will be stunted, and full development prevented. They should be 
handled, harnessed, and be put with old horses at the outset, for only a 
few hours at first, the time be gradually extended till they can bear a 
full day’s work. We generally do this when they are two years old, but 
some prefer keeping them idle for another year. So far as our experience 
goes we have reason to prefer a two-years colt for breaking. With some 
fifty working horses we often require an addition to one team or another, 
and altogether prefer breeding to buying for that purpose. It is the 
proud boast of one of our bailiffs that he has bred and broken every 
horse upon the farm under his care. The whole c.f them were broken 
to work at two years, and we have no better horses on any of the farms. 
With such teams of young horses extra care is required on the part of 
the horsemen, and we much deplore the general inclination of such men 
to get drinking at roadside inns when sent out with corn. In our 
frequent drives we often come upon teams of valuable horses standing 
in front of inns while the men are drinking inside. Apart from the risk 
of being left alone, there is even greater risk of harm from exposure 
after becoming heated by drawing a heavy load. No doubt this is the 
reason why such horses so frequently suffer from severe colds. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
manure for a Park (//. 11. IF).—Your rich old park land dressed 
with chemical manure last year, and grazed in the autumn with enough 
cake-fed beasts to leave it “ well dunged all over,” cannot require more 
chemical manure now. We commend your practice of harrowing and 
rolling the pasture after the bullocks are withdrawn from it, because 
it ensures an equal distribution of the manure. It is owing to the 
lack of such care that we so often see patches of rank growth alternating 
with others which are comparatively bare. Sustained fertility is as 
important in pasture as in arable land. This can only be managed by 
at least an annual dressing of manure. As we have recently explained, 
two or three dressings may be applied with advantage to temporary 
pastures after each cutting during the season of growth. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
CAMDEN SQUARE, LONDON. 
Lit. 51° S3'40"N.; Long. 0° 8'0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
DATE. I 9 A.M. | IN THE DAT. 
1889. 
41. 3 j 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
d . 
o-d 
v- a 
yr 
Temp, of 
soil at 
1 foot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature 
Bair. 
Match. 
Bai 
ter 
and 
L* 
Dry. 
Wet. 
P 
Q o 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
sun. 
On 
grass 
Sunday . 
3 
Inches. 
30.019 
deg. 
28.7 
deg. 
2Z.9 
E. 
deg. 
35.6 
deg. 
35 3 
deg. 
23 2 
deg. 
55.8 
deg. 
20.0 
In. 
Monday. 
4 
30.072 
280 
25.9 
F. 
S5 0 
3 >.7 
19 2 
o.»;5 
16.4 
_ 
Tuesday .... 
3».lti8 
29 8 
27 4 
S.E. 
34 8 
36.7 
26.8 
58 9 
21.3 
_ 
Wednesday.. 
6 
3D 148 
35.8 
32.3 
s. 
84 3 
4 VI 
25 9 
66.5 
19.9 
0.135 
Thursday.... 
7 
29.475 
39.0 
38 3 
S.E. 
34 l 
49.9 
35.2 
51 9 
29.3 
0.368. 
Friday . 
8 
29.303 
49 2 
482 
s.w. 
36.1 
53.4 
89 2 
65.3 
37.2 
0.188 
Saturday .... 
y 
29.550 
40.6 
38.5 
w. 
38.2 
51.9 
33.4 
9J.4 
30.3 
29.819 
35.3 
34.1 
35.4 
43 9 
23 9 
64.9 
21.9 
0.691 
REMAKES. 
3rd.—Fine and generally bright, but eeld. 
4th.—Fine and cold, with bright sun early. 
5th.—Fine, but haz/, especially in afternoon. 
Gth.-HazT early, fine bright day; warmer. 
"th.—Wet ail day. 
8th.—Damp and showery morning, fine for an hour or two at midday, then showery 
again. 
9th,—Brilliant all day. 
Generally line, with cold easterly winds; temperature I6w for the season.—G. J. 
SYMONS. 
