80 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ January 27, If 87. 
sive business, for there are between BOO and 400 acres of it. 
Last summer the difference in ths crops upon drained and 
undrained land was so great as to afford ample encourage¬ 
ment for us to persevere in what is really an arduous under¬ 
taking. Every year of progress will lighten our labour, not 
simply because there will be less to be done, but rather that 
the increasing area of improved soil will afford better crops 
and a higher return upon our outlay. 
This example of our own practice is given to show how 
impossible it is to lay down rules for general guidance in such 
work. We must treat every case upon its merits, and take 
especial care to avoid line-and rule practice. One general 
rule we may certainly insist upon, and that is that every kind 
of soil must be relieved of superfluous water by such means 
as appears most suitable for each case after close examina¬ 
tion and careful thought. It matters not what crop may be 
upon the land, it cannot thrive without the soil is sound and 
fertile. 
We have said that drainage tends in a very considerable 
degree to counteract the baneful influence of drought. This 
fact often proves a stumblingblock to beginners, yet it is not 
difficult to understand. Soil that is saturated with water is 
crude and sour, and when acted upon by drought, excessive 
evaporation takes place, the soil shrinks, cracks, and the 
drought occurs in a way which it never can do in soft, 
mellow, well-drained soil. The undrained soil soon settles 
down into a compact mass, for besides being wet it is generally 
deficient in mechanical division ; the drained soil that is 
porous and open cannot do this, and under thorough cultiva¬ 
tion it continues moist near the surface even in the driest 
seasons. 
Let it be clearly understood that drains at 15 feet apart 
are only required for heavy land that is ver) retentive of 
moisture. It is even necessary to avoid any misunderstanding 
about the term heavy land, which is applied indiscriminately 
by farmers to all soil containing much clay. To be quite 
safe we should say that such close drainage is for very heavy 
land containing a large proportion of clay—so much, in point 
of fact, as to be almost suitable for brick-making. For all 
other land the drains may be farther apart up to a distance 
of 30 feet. Upon another farm of mixed soil we are now 
makmg drains 27 feet apart, and the expense is propor¬ 
tionately lighter. It will thus be seen that each farm has 
special treatment, according to its peculiar requirements, 
“ wet ” fields being taken one by one till the entire under 
drainage is in sound order. 
This all-important matter once set right, we are then able 
to proceed with our work of cleaning and enriching the soil 
with fertilisers with confidence, and a feeling of certainty 
that good results will follow such as it would be impossible 
to achieve without such preliminary care. 
We have heard doubts expressed with that confident tone 
which is so commonly the accompaniment of ignorance, that 
it is impossible to raise the temperature of the soil by drain¬ 
age. If our readers have followed us with ordinary intelli¬ 
gence they, at any rate, will be able to explain why undrained 
soil must be cold, why drained soil must be warm, and why, 
too, the atmosphere near the soil must be affected by its con¬ 
dition. For some fifteen years we lived close by a wild 
uncultivated waste many square miles in extent, and we 
always found a considerable difference in temperature of the 
atmosphere when we went from farm land out upon that 
which lay waste. Much of it was clothed with herbage, upon 
which cattle and sheep grazed in summer, but it was always 
late in spring before new growth began, and then the growth 
was very slow. It fell to our lot to reclaim some of this 
virgin soil, and it was an interesting and instructive sight to 
see the marvellous change which drainage and ordinary care 
wrought in the course of a season or two. Many a useful 
soil lesson did we learn while engaged in this work, and we 
were certainly able to make two blades of grass and a few 
more grow where only one blade had grown before. 
(To be continued.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Mach of the threshing of corn and s’eds has been done while snow 
lay thick upon the land. Barley, Oats, and Clover seed were all threshed 
in readiness for the spring a iwings as well as for sale. Our Red Clover 
seed is a fine clean sample that will command the highest market price, 
but the White Clovers are not so good, the seed being deficient both in 
size and colour. We were only able to save good seed at two of our 
farms, but even that is worth about £200, and such a sum is not to be 
despised in these hard times, when we have so severe a struggle to pay 
our way. The price of Wheat was so much afEected by the changes of 
weather that we refrained from threshing our last stacks till t v e weather 
cleared. We do not object to threshing Wheat in frosty weather if it can 
be disposed of at once; but after such a long spell of frost and snow as 
we have had recently, Wheat is go much affected by the humid atmosphere 
which accompanies a thaw that the grain becomes softened and swollen, 
and then down goes the price. We have begun selling Wheat straw from 
the last harvest, our highest price being 45s. a ton. The price of straw 
is much affected by locality, simply because it is such a bulky article that 
the cist of carriage must always prove an insurmountable obstacle to 
selling advantageously at a long distance from a farm. This fact accounts 
for the boast of some dealers that they have been able to purchase good 
straw at 30s. a ton. There are, however, many things to lemember in 
such transactions ; some will purchase s'raw loose from the stack, others 
require it made into trusses of a special size and weight; some dealers 
insist upon sending their own men to truss the straw ; then, too, there is 
the question of carting, all which things affect pi ices. Dealers are 
especially fond of buying straw and hay by the stack and not by weight, 
but we prefer to send each waggonl ad upon a weighbridge, for no 
matter how carefully the measurement and computation of the weight of 
a stack is done, there is usually a dispu'e about figures. Glad are we to 
have the ploughs going again, for there are heavy arrears of work upon 
hand owing to the long frost, and we shall have to push on the work 
briskly to be ready for the spring sowings The advantage of having land 
sound and well drained is now apparent, for such land bears the horses 
upon it as soon as frost and snow are gone ; but wet land remains tender 
and sodden so long afterwards that the work of cultivation is much 
retarded. Satisfactory progress is being made with the drainage now in 
hand, owing to the snow having kept the soil soft enough to enable the 
men to go on with the work all through the hard weather. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Rent of Farm ( W. M ).—If the land is as good in staple as we apprehend 
it to be, we think the present rent fair and reasonable, and fail to perceive 
adequate grounds for a further redrrction. 
Tenants’ Valuation (P. S .).—In the absence of information as to the 
conditions of tenancy it is quits impossible for us to advise you even in 
general terms, and under no circumstances can we act as valuers in such 
cases as yours. It is a business matter to be settled by competent men 
acting for both sides, with, if necessary, a reference to settle any differences 
between them. 
Laying Down Land to Permanent Pasture ( H . E .). —As your land is 
clean plough it at once, and let it remain till Ma r ch. Then when it is dry 
enough let it be well broken up and separated by means of a cultivator, 
borse hoe, or duck’s foot harrow, and rolled and harrowed with ordinary 
harrows till you get a fine seed bed. Then sow the O its, follow with the 
grass seed, and harrow the whole of the seed well in eo that it is well 
covered with fine soil. Before the last turn or two of the harrows sow 
broadcast upon the soil 4 cwt. of fish guano, which quantity is sufficient for 
your three-quarters of an acre of land. You will require 4J bushels of Oats, 
and for the permanent pasture the following mixture Foxtail, 7J lbs.; 
Cocksfoot, 3| lbs. ; Catstail, 24 lbs.; Meadow Fescue, 3g lbs.; Tall Fescue, 
24 lbs.; Crested Dogstail, 14 lb.; Rough Meadow Crass, 1 lb.; Hard 
Fescue, 1 lb.; Sheep’s Fescue, 1 lb. ; Yarrow, three-quarters of a lb.; Peren¬ 
nial Red Clover, three-quarters of a lb.; Cow Grass, three-quarters of a lb.; 
Alsike Clover, three-quarters of a lb. : Dutch Clover, three-quarters of a lb. 
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. 
• or 
©N c3_ 
Hygrome- 
p . 
0*2 ; 
Shade Tem- 
Radiation 
a 
1887. 
is® 5 
ter. 
is 
perature. 
Temperature 
a; 
January. 
& £ d” 3 
££ 
©CO — . 
In 
On 
03 S c3 
Dry. 
Wet. 
-3 0 
Max 
Min. 
snn. 
grass 
Inches. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
di*.ur 
deg. 
deg 
In. 
Sunday . 
29 996 
30.0 
29.3 
N.E. 
348 
33 2 
29 7 
33.5 
28.6 
O .010 
Monday . 
30.070 
22.1 
21.7 
Calm 
34.6 
36.6 
ls.9 
41.8 
14.8 
0.158 
Tuesday . 
29 9(54 
38.3 
37.9 
E. 
34.4 
40.9 
20.4 
46.3 
18.3 
0.02 1 
Wednesday 
.19 
30.097 
47.2 
46.4 
Var’ble 
34 3 
52.2 
87.8 
61.3 
34.7 
0.152 
Thursday .. 
20 
30.403 
37.6 
35.3 
N. 
36.8 
43 9 
36.6 
67.6 
31.1 
— 
Friday. 
.21 
30.661 
84.9 
34.2 
S W. 
36.2 
41 8 
318 
51.2 
25.2 
— 
Saturday .. 
.22 
30.540 
41.1 
39.1 
N. 
36.2 
42.8 
34.6 
47.5 
31.7 
— 
30.247 
35.9 
3 4.8 
35.3 
41.6 
30.0 
49 9 
26.3 
0.342 
REMARKS. 
16th.—Slight snow in early morning, and again in the afternoon; gloomy early, clear at 
night. 
17th.—Dull and foggy early, sunshine at midday, then dull and foggy again. 
18th.—Very foggy all day, so dense iu afternoon as to necessitate gas by 3 P.M. 
19th —Fine, with a fair amount of sunshine, and very warm ; heavy rain at night. 
20 th.—Bright, floe, and cool. 
21st.—Bright and pleasant. 
22nd.—Cloudy, hut dry and pleasant. 
A variable week, with considerable range of temperature, but the mean only about 2° 
above that of the preceding week, and still below the average. -G. J. SYMONS. 
