454 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ Jane 2, 1887. 
Compare then with this outlay the possible amount to be 
obtained for grain and straw per acre— 
£ s. d. 
40 bushels or 5 quarters at 30s.7 10 0 
Straw (a low average)... ... ... ... 3 0 0 
£10 10 0 
Now, we have known an acre of Wheat straw to realise 
as much as £5, and if we are to have Wheat back again 
to 40s. a quarter we may see it is possible to realise .£10 
an acre for grain: add to this £5 for straw, and we have 
a total of £15, or a margin of profit over expenses of 
£7 18s. Overstated? Judge for yourselves, readers, for 
we certainly have no wish or intention to overstate cr 
mislead you. What we are most anxious for is to induce 
you to strive for all possible improvement in your practice 
without any extravagant outlay in any way. Do pray 
give heed to the vital importance of dressing the land with 
such manures, and only such, as are really good or rather 
best for the Wheat. While striving to acquire such 
knowledge, pray stick to the sheep, pass them over all the 
land in folds, and only in folds. No better promise of a 
full crop have we among any of our Wheat fields than 
where we folded sheep last autumn. Keep the “ Golden 
Hoofs ” upon the land, plough in as many green crops as 
you can, store the land with fertility, turning to chemical 
manures as a safe and sound source of fertility, but only 
using what you are obliged to of it, yet in any case giving 
preference to it over farmyard manure. 
WOEK ON THE HOME FABM. 
Growth goes on somewhat slowly, but there is fair promise of a year 
of abundance, for the corn plant is a good one, layers are excellent, 
mixed Grasses and Clovers, Clover alone, Sainfoin, Lucerne, Rye Grass 
all are good, and most are already so forward in growth as to be 
useful for a variety of purposes. Cows, horses, sheep, and pigs all have 
plenty of green food now, and the horses will require no corn unless 
they have long journeys or exceptionally hard work. We like our farm 
horses to be kept in good condition, but not to be too fat for active 
work. We employ upwards of twenty horsemen, each having charge of 
a pair of horses, and while we like to encourage a healthy spirit of 
rivalry among them, due care has to be taken to prevent an extravagant 
use of corn and other food. Corn is of course given out by measure, 
the regular allowance being 2 bushels per horse weekly, with a liberal 
allowance of chaff and roots while they are in season. But when green 
food becomes plentiful horses employed for ordinary farm work require 
nothing else, and soon become sleek. We are cautious not to turn 
horses out upon pasture at night till summer weather sets in ; but then 
it is a good plan to have a lodge and yard in every pasture, so as to 
afford shelter for any animals that may be turned out to graze. Shelter 
and warmth are highly important factors in keeping animals healthy. 
Another matter to which we give particular attention is to see that 
every horse has a condition powder occasionally, and a lump of rock 
salt to lick. It is by attention to such trifles that we keep them healthy 
and stave ofE illness. Some of our young horses are being broken to 
harness and gradually brought into work, so as to render them useful 
by harvest. They are not kept steadily at work from the first, but are 
so used as not to check growth, for if a two-year-okl is overworked 
growth is stunted and the horse spoilt. The foals are doing well, the 
whole of them being strong and healthy, and they are now out on 
pasture with the mares every day. We breed chicly for home 
purposes, some young horses being broken to fill vacancies in the various 
teams every spring, and at three years any surplus stock can be disposed 
of to best advantage, and really good horses still command a fair price. 
POTASH ON LIGHT AND HEAVY SOILS. 
In your “Home Farm” article, 10th March, 1887, p. 204, attention 
is directed to the extraordinary results following the use of potash, &c., 
by Mr. Cooke at Flitcham Abbey on a crop of Barley. It would be in¬ 
teresting to know the character of the land experimented on. I have 
seen it stated elsewhere in the Journal that clay soils are supposed to 
be little benefited by the use of potash, of which they usually contain 
a good stock, while lighter soils need it. If the Flitcham Abbey soil is 
heavy the theories of some people are unsound, and the result of the 
experiments will be further emphasising.—H. W. G. 
[On this subject Mr. Cooke obligingly writes :—“ The character of 
the soil which produced such singular results from the absence of potash 
in the manure for Barley was a few inches only of lightish surface soil 
in a great depth of chalk. In considering the peculiarities of the results 
of the potash in this particular case, it must be remembered that white 
Ti/rnips were previously grown on the experimental area, and all drawn 
fro m the land ; of course, a very exhaustive treatment, as these roots 
extract more potash than Swedes, and they were grown with 3 cwt. of 
superphosphates onlv. The previous treatment of the land had been 
the Norfolk four-course system. There is no doubt, I should think, that 
many soils of this character must require much more potash than is 
ever given them, as there is little enough of it in an ordinary chalk 
subsoil. Nowhere, however, has attention been drawn to such deficiency, 
I believe, until the remarkable results of numerous experiments of my 
own induced me to call attention to the subject. These experimen's 
embrace several in Clover, Sainfoin, and Swedes, and at this moment 
the i lot which showed such pood results from the application of potash 
to the Barley last year is now covered with a fine healthy plant of 
Clover, whilst there is scarcely a leaf of Clover to be seen on plots 
which was almost a failure in Barley. I think it very important always 
to say, when questioned on this subject by practical farmers, that I 
believe insufficiency of potash in any soil to meet the requirements of 
the Barley crop is always shown in the yellow and sickly appearance of 
the first blades of the plant which show above ground. This appearance 
is seldom seen even in the Flitcham land after sheep folding, except in 
the furrows , which are ploughed deeper. Clay soils are seldom benefited 
by the use of potash in ordinary farming, as abundance of this parti¬ 
cular plant-food is usually provided in them. Nearly all light soils are 
more or less deficient in potash in proportion to clay soils, but the great 
majority even of light soils are not greatly benefited by the use of 
potash in ordinary cropping. Careful experiment in all cases is the 
only absolutely reliable test of the requirements of crops in any soil.”] 
COUNTRY EGGS. 
I AM sure the farmer who reads the articles on agriculture in your 
valuable Journal, and acts according to the practical instructions given 
weekly therein, will be pounds richer and much wiser at the end of the 
season than the one who does not. I observed some time since that 
your correspondent touched upon farmers and their poultry. Many 
farmers, I believe, keep poultry and dispose of them as well as their 
produce at an unremunerative price. A proper system of organisation 
amongst farmers would not only benefit themselves, but the public as 
well, both in the butter, egg, and poultry trade. During the whole of 
last summer fresh butter never sold for less here than Is. 4d. per lb., 
while in many districts between this and Carlisle butter sold retail at 
fid. and lOd. per lb. Eggs, too, were as variable in price. 
I was in conversation lately with a farmer who has a large farm in 
the Highlands. He told me that 4d. per dozen was all that they could 
realise for their eggs, although this farm is situated within eight hours' 
sail of Glasgow. The low price, he said, was simply because they were 
Highland eggs. Are Highland eggs of an inferior quality 1 I am sure 
not. Doubtless some are spoiled by the way and length of time they 
are packed in musty straw, which gives them a bad flavour ; but if they 
could be collected and sent to market within a few days of being laid 
I think they would then be regarded as first-class country eggs, and 
ought to realise a good price. The mode of packing, too, ought to be 
changed. For example, if crates of a handy size were made fitted with 
trays having the patent egg-holders there would be neither bad flavour 
communicated to the eggs nor risk in their transit, while the weight of 
the package would be reduced to the lowest. There is no place better 
adapted for poultry than the Highlands, and at no place can they be main¬ 
tained as cheaply. But, as I have said, there must be action taken by 
and among themselves if they have a desire to make the most of the^ 
many advantages they possess over many others who have to make a$, 
living under great restriction than the Highland farmers and crofter^ 
are subjected to. 
I hope these remarks will fall into the hands of someone willing andx 
able to set the ball rolling in the right direction, and perhaps some agri-1 
cultural correspondent with an abler pen than mine will throw some" 
light on the subject.—A Northern Correspondent. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
Camden square, London. 
Lat. 51 ° 32' 40 " N.; L 0 ° 8' 0 " W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
Date. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAY. 
Hygrome- 
A . 
i© 
Shade Tern- 
Radiation 
d 
1887. 
6»CC 0) 
© *_ & 
ter. 
73 a 
cL— o 
| g o 
perature. 
Temperature 
d 
« 
May. 
S A rl 
In 
On 
--a 
Dry. Wet. 
Go 
Max. 
Min. 
SUD. 
grass 
Inches. 
deg deg. 
1 deg. 
dee. 
dee. 
dee. 
deg. 
In. 
Sunday . 
22 
29 820 
43 8 42.5 
N.W. 
48.2 
54.9 
37.2 
103 2 
33 5 
Monday. 
23 
t*.04« 
50.5 45.4 
W. 
1 48.3 
32.1 
88 3 
109 4 
33.9 
Tuesday .. 
24 
3«).2 2 
57 3 53.1 
N.W. 
| 49.2 
61 7 
45 4 
84 7 
40.9 
0013 
Wednesday. 
25 
30.237 
49.9 4*1.9 
N. 
49.6 
59 2 
44 2 
98.6 
41.3 
0.0 lfr 
Thursday ... 
2fi 
30.150 
57.6 52.1 
N. 
| 50 2 
67 5 
44.6 
109.8 
409 
0.151 
Friday . 
17 
29 930 
48 1 47.3 
N.W. 
I 51.3 
53.7 
433 
65.6 
43 2 
0.097 
Saturday ... 
28 
299 a 3 
51.3 1 50.2 
N. 
5o.7 
57.5 
47.1 
87.1 
46.1 
0.082: 
30.048 
51.7 j 48.2 
49.6 
59.5 
42.9 
94.1 
40.0 
0.34ft 
REMARKS. 
22nd.—Clondy morning; showers later. 
23rd.—Generally bright, but cloudy at times. 
24th.—Bright morning; coudy afternoon ; showery evening. 
25th— Dull, with spots of rain. 
23th. - Bright and warm. 
27th.—Showery and dull. 
2*th — Overcast morning ; fine afternoon, hut not much sunshine; rain at night. 
A cold and generally dull and damp week. Mean temperature «luiost identical with 
that of the preceding week, and about 6° below the average.—G. J. SIMONS. 
