262 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ Mnn k 31, 1887. 
like our correspondent we intend doing so with a crop of 
Oats. 
We are asked to enumerate the names and quantity 
of seed of each kind of grass to be used, the quantity of 
Oats per acre, whether the grass seed and Oats should be 
sown at the same time, the best manure, and how and 
when to use it. Our answer shall be given at once. The 
mixture which we intend using and can recommend for 
such land consists of 4 lbs. of Foxtail, 8 lbs. Cocksfoot, 
4 lbs. Catstail, 4 lbs. Meadow Fescue, 8 lbs. Tall Fescue, 
3 lbs. Crested Dogstail, 2 lbs. Rough Meadow Grass, 
2 lbs. Hard Fescue, and 1 lb. each of Yarrow, Perennial 
Red Clover, Cow Grass, Alsike, and White Dutch 
Clover, or 40 lbs. an acre in all. Of Oats drill 4 bushels 
an acre, and as the season is so much advanced drill 
Oats and pasture seeds at the same time. The best and 
most expeditious way of doing this is to use one of the 
new American Excelsior drills, by means of which corn 
and grass seeds and chemical manures can all be sown at 
the same time and with a single turn of the drill. We do 
not, however, recommend the use of manure at the time 
of sowing in this case, but rather prefer waiting till the 
young plant is well above the surface, and then apply a 
simple dressing of 1 cwt. per acre of nitrate of soda. 
An extra amount of care must be taken in the pre¬ 
paration of the seed bed so as to avoid burying the grass 
and Clover seed too deep. We must first of all eradicate 
couch grass and all other perennial weeds, next stir the 
land deeply, and by means of the cultivator, harrow, and 
roller, render it so fine that the risk of burying the soil 
too deep is reduced to a minimum. So important do we 
know this to be, that rather would we forego having a 
corn crop at all and sow in May or June than sow in foul 
or rough land. So favourable, however, has the weather 
been for cleaning land, that the preparation of the seed 
bed should prove an easy matter now, and by taking a 
corn crop we shall have some return upon our outlay this 
year. Let it not be thought that once down in permanent 
pasture the land will need little, if any, exj^enditure of 
money or labour upon it. Pasture requires careful culti¬ 
vation quite as much as any other farm crop, and, what is 
even more important, it repays us for the care bestowed 
upon it even better than corn does. It is solely from 
negligence that so much old pasture has such a brown 
starved appearance at the present time. Drain it, enrich 
it thoroughly with manure, and the herbage will be fresh 
and green even at midwinter. The application of manure 
to it must be no fitful haphazard process, but must be 
done regularly every year, either by sheep-folding or with 
chemical manure used in February or March. Of such 
manure the mild dressing of a cwt. per acre of nitrate of 
soda is sufficient for the first season, but the following 
year we use a mixture of I cwt. nitrate of potash, 
f cwt. nitrate of soda, 4 cwt. mineral superphosphate, 
■g cwt. steamed bone flour, taking care to mix the manure 
three or four days before applying it to the grass in order 
that the sulphuric acid of the superphosphate may act 
sufficiently upon the bone Hour to render it soluble and 
quick in action. 
Geological formation has very little influence upon 
our selection of grasses and Clovers. The five principal 
varieties of grass suitable for general cultivation, and 
which should form the bulk of all mixtures, are Cocksfoot 
(Dactylis glomerata), Timothy (Phleum pratense), 
Meadow Foxtail (Alopecurus pratensis), Tall Fescue 
(Festuca elatior), and Meadow Fescue (Festuca pratenJs). 
Use plenty of these strong-growing grasses, with a fair 
proportion of Clovers, and with due attention to cultiva¬ 
tion you ought soon to have a flourishing pasture. If 
you have a seedsman’s mixture insist upon the exclusion 
of Rye grass and buy subject to analysis. Rye grass 
imparts the aspect of a green vigorous growth to young 
pasture that is as attractive as it is deceptive, for it fails 
after a year or two precisely when we ought to have a 
well-knit pasture. Sown alone or with Cocksfoot and 
Clover, Rye grass answers admirably in alternate hus¬ 
bandry, giving more bulk per acre of excellent forage 
than anything else, and we highly commend it for such a 
purpose. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Good reason have we for satisfaction with our scheme of cropping for 
the flock. While many farmers are at a loss for food, we have an ample 
provision to carry us on till midsummer quite independent of pasture. 
Our first field of Rye is quite ready for use now, but the folding on 
Swedes will last another fortnight, and then the Rye folding will follow. 
Ploughing for Barley has followed the Swede folding closely, as we are 
anxious to get the drilling done as soon as possible. So eager was a 
neighbour to finish drilling, that he carted the Swedes into heaps upon 
his Rye for the sheep to consume the roots there. We did not do so for 
two reasons—we wished to manure the whole of the Swede land by 
folding for Barley, and we have the clamps of Mangolds, which were 
made last autumn alongside both Rye and Winter Tares in readiness for 
the sheep. Our first field of Rye affords a striking illustration of the 
value of manure for the promotion of a robust and early growth, upon 
which severe cold had very little effect. Sheep had been folded upon 
Tares in this field before the Rye, which was sown in this and an ad¬ 
joining field on the same day. The second field was under Oats before 
the Rye, for which no manure was used, and it is both weak and slow in 
growth. A hundredweight per acre of nitrate of soda now would set 
matters right, but it will not be given, as we shall not want this Rye for 
several weeks, and it will answer tolerably well as a successional crop. 
The outlay incurred for chemical manures this spring has been so heavy 
that we are obliged to curtail expenditure wherever it is possible to do 
so. Since last harvest we have certainly made a strong effort for a 
successful season this year. We invested largely in sheep both for 
folding to fatten and to add to the ewe flocks. The fat sheep have done 
something more than pay expenses, and we have enriched a considerable 
area of land by folding. Bullocks are not fattened except for a special 
purpose. We have some at three farms to consume a certain quantity of 
roots and Barley straw. A mixture of crushed corn is also given them 
in order to finish them as soon as possible. Very narrow indeed is the 
margin of profit upon the fattening of bullocks now even under the 
most skilful management. Sheep and pigs are profitable, and we shall 
use more and more of them to the exclusion of bullocks. The ravages 
of swine fever have made us confine our store of pigs within somewhat 
narrow limits, but it is our intention to procure many more gradually, 
as we can do so with safety, by buying them from farms free from 
disease, and not from dealers. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Grasses for Permanent Pasture (A. W. E. V .).—You will find this sub¬ 
ject discussed at some length in our Home Farm article this week. If any 
further information is required we shall be pleased to afford it. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
Camdbn Square, London. 
Lat. 51° 32' 40" N.; Lang. 0° 8-0" W.; Altitu le. Ill feet. 
DATE. 
y A..M. 
IN THE DAY. 
* c t 
OJ C-4 cj 
Hygrome- 
a . 
3* ; 
Shade Tern- 
Radiation 
a 
1887. 
g-M® > 
ter. 
V a 
o —• 
r—.« O 
o 
peratnre. 
Temperature 
at 
March. 
03 Wl'g'-] 
In 
Oa 
W2 <B 
Dry. 
Wet. 
5 o 
Max 
Min. 
sun. 
gras- 
Inches. 
deg. 
deg. 
det?. 
deg. 
deg 
dei? 
de« 
In. 
S nnday .... 
30.128 
33.1 
32.2 
E. 
35.0 
38.6 
29 6 
62.1 
23.2 
—■ 
Monday .... 
29 852 
32.0 
31.6 
N- 
34 9 
40.0 
25.G 
73 8 
22.7 
0.082 
Tuesday .... 
29.419 
4G l 
43.2 
s.w. 
34.9 
53.6 
28.7 
98.3 
28 7 
0.275 
Wednesday 
. 23 
29.070 
46.5 
43.1 
w. 
37.2 
52.8 
42.2 
100.4 
37-7 
— 
Thursday .. 
. 24 
29.853 
44.0 
40.7 
s.w. 
38.0 
50.4 
36.3 
812 
28.9 
0129 
Friday . 
29.637 
46.2 
42.4 
w. 
38.3 
50.3 
36.0 
88.1 
80 2 
0.059 
Saturday . 
..2d 
30.092 
45.S 
41.9 
N.W. 
38.9 
53.3 
39.7 
95.3 
33 8 
0.120 
29.693 
42.0 
39 3 
36.7 
48.4 
3L0 
85.6 
29.3 
0.015 
REMARKS. 
20th.—Fine and bright. 
2lst.—Fine and generally sunshiny, but rather hazy. 
22 nd.—Dull early, fine day with a good deal of sun, much warmer, heavy rain 5.15 P•>!■ to 
6 P.M., gate at night. 
23rd—Heavy rain in small hours,and overcast with gale In morning; bright afternoon, 
bnt still stormy. 
21 th.—Fine, but cloudy at time* in morning ; wet afternoon and evening. 
25th.—Bright at times, but gusty and threatening; showery in afternoon. 
20 th.—Fine generally, with rain in evening. 
A pleasant spring week, much of the rain falling at night. Temperature about IF 
above that of the preceding week, but still below the average.—G. J. SIMONS. 
