414 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ May 13, 1 S!W. 
■attention to the fe'w and simple cultural conditions necessary to 
success. No'w as to soil. It has been laid down positively that 
Maize reqnires light land, yet it answers perfectly well in any soil 
nnder thorough cultivation. The term is comprehensive, and 
includes drainage, mechanical division, cleanliness, and fertility— 
just that rich, clean, dry, porous soil that is part and parcel of all 
good husbandry. No doubt Maize answers best of all on sewage 
farms, where the hulk of crop far exceeds onr average, and probably 
approaches more nearly to 62 tons per acre, which Mr. G-enay 
•claims to have grown in France. But -w'e have to deal with its 
■culture under the ordinary conditions of farming, and can only 
■deplore the suicidal policy which causes or suffers the waste of so 
much town sewage, which if used in its crude state upon the land 
would give us thousands—aye, millions of tons, not only of Maize, 
but Rye Grass and other quick-growing fodder crops, so that we 
might raise and fatten three or four times our present head of 
live stock at so low a cost as would practically drive foreign cattle 
■out of the market, and tend more than anything else to bring back 
prosperity to the British farmer. There is an important fact 
taught by science in relation to the use of green fodder for stock 
which may be mentioned here with advantage. It is this : In 
point of actual nourishment such crops are at their best when in 
■full flower, just before seed development begins ; we may go 
further, and include all kinds of pulse and corn in this category. 
'The matter is one of fact which has long been proved to demonstra¬ 
tion, and it is absolutely certain that under present prices and 
■conditions it is entirely to the farmer’s advantage to suffer very 
little corn to remain upon the land after it has passed the flowering 
stage, and to convert all that he cannot use then into silage. All 
the risk and expense of harvest is thus avoided ; such a degree of 
•certainty is imparted to our work as it never had before, and we 
:are rendered practically independent of adverse harvest weather, 
and are able to hail with gladness dripping weather in summer and 
autumn, which once we regarded with gloom and a feelinglakin to 
•despair. 
It is self-evident that under the light of ^science the use of green 
fodder is capable of very great extension, and we have only to rear 
plenty of the very best home-bred stock to consume it, in order to 
take full advantage of this teaching. Practicej[combines with 
science in this, as in so many other things, to teach us if only we 
•can grasp and apply its lessons. Take, for example, the farm 
horses, with their allowance in winter per week of two bushels of 
corn and hay, and roots ad libitum. How soon they improve in 
condition when turned out to grass again, and their dietary is 
entirely one of green food. Cattle, too, ripen for the butcher in 
a summer’s sun upon marsh or other rich pasture at the rate of a 
bullock and a half per acre. 
’VVe have been led into a digression for which we may’fairly 
claim full justification, and must now add briefly that the chief 
cultural points with Maize are good soil, to sow the seed the first 
week in June, and to allow for fully 25 per cent, of bad seed, the 
quantity of seed to be determined by the distance apart of the 
rows, which preferably should be 2 feet apart to admit of horse 
hoeing. Thick sowing has its advocates, as the large foliage of the 
Maize excludes light sufficiently from the soil to keep down weeds. 
The plan is, we thir.k, only advisable when sheep folding is in¬ 
tended, and then drills 9 inches apart are advisable, for which some 
3 bushels of seed per acre is required. The plant is slow to appear, 
but once up it grows quickly, only beware of the rooks. By some 
occult means every rook of the district is aware of the Maize 
sowing, and is speedily at hand to pick up every grain of it 
TOW by row, and they will do it too, unless the field is watched 
from dawn till twilight. There are no laggards among them at 
this work, and many a crop has been spoilt by them at odd times 
just after daybreak, or very soon after 3 a.m. The crop is ready 
for use by the middle of August, so that it may be used regularly 
for a month or two. The first sharp frost turns the outer leaves 
brown, and though stock will continue eating it, it is obvious a 
clearance should be made of the entire crop before risk of such 
damage arises. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
With the increase of our head of stock more and more attention is 
given to the provision of shelter for them. To ask the landlord for 
building extensions under the present low rental is in vain, and the 
tenant or home farmer who has all old buildings in repair may be 
congratulated. Much may be done by a little contrivance with old 
buildings, and very little space is required for a dozen or two of young 
calves. The chief things are warmth, shelter, good wholesome food, and 
thorough cleanliness. Much time is consumed just now in this care for 
stock, but it is care well bestowed, for they are bound to prove profitable, 
and to purchase store cattle now is simply ruinous, for it is impossible 
to see how anything like a profit can be realised upon present prices. 
Extra caution has been required in lamb feeding with such an 
abundance of green food, and the allowance of lamb food has been 
much curtailed. There is no doubt that considerable numbers of lambs 
are lost from a plethoric habit induced by wastefully high feeding, 
resulting in apoplexy, and there especially lies the risk this season. 
They die, fine strong lambs—often the best—and “scour” is said to be 
the cause, when the plain truth is they are killed with kindness. A 
zealous shepherd very naturally likes to have the best lot of lambs in 
his district, but his zeal must be tempered with judgment by the master, 
who must see thoroughly how matters are going before harm is done. 
It is the master really who should control the dietary both by direct 
orders and by lock and key. 
Castration of colts should have been done ere now. We always like 
to get this over as soon as mild weather sets in, though we know there 
is a prejudice for waiting till the end of the month. A healthy yearling 
is best treated at once, and to put off this necessary operation till the 
second year involves much unnecessary risk and trouble. Newly 
broken colts are kept steadily at work every day, due care being taken 
not to overtax their strength, then with careful feeding and good 
general management they are “ growing into money ” daily for the next 
year or two. Really well bred well managed colts are an invaluable 
resource to a farmer who can afford to wait for a good chance to sell, 
and in horses, like all other live stock, breeding tells, and advancing 
prices afford full encouragement to turn all good mares upon a farm to 
full account. Only every valuable animal should be insured, and we 
can then breed with confience and without the attendant anxiety of 
risk from loss. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Butter not Xeeping (A J. S.'). —You may prevent your butter 
from becoming rancid by using a slight admixture of the new anti¬ 
septic “ Glacialine,” which you ought to be able to procure from a local 
chemist. The manufacturers are the Antitropic Company, Renfield 
Street, Glasgow. This chemical salt is quite tasteless, odourless, and 
harmless, and it preserves butter quite sweet much longer than does 
common salt. It removes the bitter taste so common in winter butter ; 
it prevents milk from becoming sour for several days, even in very hot 
weather, and is altogether an excellent preservative as well as a 
neutraliser of taints and odours. 
Carter’s Elephant Swede. —Messrs. James Carter & Co. have 
received the annual report of the Minister of Agriculture from the 
Government Experimental Farm in connection with the Canadian 
Department of Agrieulture, and request the publication of the follow¬ 
ing official statement :—“ This fine Swede offered by James Carter 
and Co. of London, England, in the spring of 1888, has yielded a 
heavier crop than any other variety tested, exceeding the best of the 
other Swedes by nearly 3 tons per acre.” 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
,jCA.MDBN SQUARE, LONDON. 
Lat. 51° 32' " N.; Long. 0° 8' 0" W.; Altituae, 111 feet. 
DATE. 
9 AM. 1 IN TUB DAY. 
H 
*s 
1890. 
April an^ May. 
W2§ 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
fl . 
o-d 
So 
is;:: 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max.! Min. 
In 1 On 
suii. ! grass 
Sunday. 4 
Monday. 6 
Tuesday .... 6 
Wednesday., 7 
Thursday,... 8 
Friday . 9 
Saturday .... 10 
Inches. 
29.705 
29.552 
29.695 
29.633 
29.634 
29.576 
29.478 
deR. 
53.0 
48.8 
54.6 
66.6 
49.8 
49.1 
52.6 
de>?. 
49.2 
47.6 
50.7 
51.3 
49.3 
47.1 
48.9 
N.E. 
E. 
E. 
’ E. 
N. 
N.B. 
S.E. 
deR. 
50.5 
50.2 
50.0 
49.9 
50.0 
50.0 
49.4 
depr. 
65.7 
61.3 
63.9 
60.7 
61.6 
53.6 
62.2 
deg. 
41.5 
48.2 
42.3 
44.3 
44.9 
46.6 
48.0 
deg. 
93.4 
102.9 
102.7 
80.2 
74.4 
70.6 
114.(5 
deg, 
35.5 
46.0 
36.2 
37.0 
86.5 
46.8 
46.0 
In. 
0.(80 
0.043 
0.010 
0.034 
0.020 
0.4U8 
0.213 
29.610 1 52.1 j 49.2 
50.0 
61.3 
45.1 
91.3 
40.4 
0.808 
REMARKS. 
4th.—Thick and hazy all day, with frequent spots of rain; very close and oppressive 
at midday. 
Sth.—Overca.st morning, with frequent showers; fine and geueraliy bright in afternoon. 
6th.—Qeneraily ciondy in morning, and shower at H A.M.; fine afternoon, with a good 
deai of sun. 
7th.—Cloudy morning; gloomy, with spots of rain at midday and at 4.30 r.M.; fair 
evening. 
8th.—Cloudy, with two or three showers. 
9th.—Overcast, with occasional drizzle in morning; heavy rain from 1 to 6P.M, and 
showery later. 
10th.—Cloudy early; fair day, with some sunshine. 
Showery, with temperature slightly above the average.—3. J. SVMONS. 
