24 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
July 6, 
of its second decade, a want of technical knowledge has told 
seriously against the British farmer. Recognition of this fact 
has induced action in a variety of ways, such as the formation 
of associations for the improvement of agriculture, of dairy 
schools, of experimental stations for soil tests, manurial trials, 
tillages, and cropping, of co-operative farms, fruit farms, and 
dairy factories ; the latest, and perhaps one of the most 
important, being the establishment of the South-Eastern 
College at Wye, in Kent, by the County Councils of Kent 
and Surrey. 
The special object of this institution is to educate the rising 
generation of farmers, and this will be done in the right way 
by a combination of theory with practice in school classes and 
at the farm, which, according to the prospectus, is in charge of 
a skilled bailiff, has an area of 240 acres, 70 acres of which is in 
permanent pasture, the rest being of varied character, well 
suited to the rearing of sheep, dairying, and the growth of 
fodder and other crops. A portion will be devoted to experi¬ 
ments in connection with the teaching of the College. It also 
sets forth that ‘ the object of the College is to provide that 
training which is an indispensable part of the education of all 
who will in the future be owning or occupying land. The 
course of instruction will therefore be chiehy occupied with the 
science and practice of agriculture, and will embrace chemistry, 
agricultural chemistry, geology, botany, animal physiology, and 
applied mathematics (book-keeping, mechanics, mensuration; 
and land surveying). To this will be added practical training 
in agriculture, dairying, veterinary medicine, and surgery; 
also in carpentry, smith’s work (including horse-shoeing), 
forestry, fruit culture, and bee-keeping.” 
The value of such general knowledge is obvious enough, 
but the most important paragraph in the prospectus is that 
which states that “ from the instruction which will be given in 
practical agriculture and in chemistry, botany, and such sciences 
as bear upon agriculture, the student will learn the reasons 
underlying farming practice, and will become so far acquainted 
with scientific methods and terms, and the results acquired 
research, that he will be able to read technical com¬ 
munications and judge for himself how far scientific advice 
is suitable to his own circumstances.” This is clearly 
advancing in the right direction, pointing as it does to 
thoroughness, to a knowledge of cause and effect, to a com¬ 
bination of science with practice, to judicious change to 
sound management. 
It is upon such a basis that we may reasonably hope to 
see agriculture again flourishing. It will render the blind 
following of custom impossible, and should lead to the culti¬ 
vation of farm produce upon which a profit is possible, to that 
energetic compet tion with foreign farmers which is so desirable, 
so necessary, and so possible. The course of instruction is 
for three years to students of at least sixteen years of age at 
the time of admission. In that time they will acquire a fund 
of knowledge that will prove of the highest value to them. 
They will enter upon the active duties of life with a deeper 
insight into first causes, wider views of home agriculture in its 
relation to that of other countries, the skill to cultivate aright, 
the sense to adapt such cultivation to farming, to profit, and 
not to fancy. 
With such general advantages as this College and others 
which are certain to follow in its wake, there ought to be, and 
doubtless will be, a certain general improvement. But after 
all, successful farming will then, as now, be a matter of degrees 
very much in proportion to the cultural skill, capacity, energy, 
ability, and good sense of individuals. Farming of the future 
must be elastic, tentative, changing with that progressive change 
which marks advancing civilisation throughout the world, 
aiming to supply the growing wants and more cultivated tastes 
of the masses. We hear much now of an overdone milk trade, 
of occasional gluts of fruit, yet we may certainly predict a 
growing demand for both these products of the soil to an extent 
hardly yet realised. Milk and fruit will enter much more 
largely into the dietary of the working man’s household aff 
their true value becomes realised. This and many another 
change in the people’s wants must lead to change in cropping. 
For such changes to be prompt and efficient, an altogether 
higher and more thorough general system of farm management 
is wanted. It is for such reasons that we welcome such a means 
of improved agricultural education as the Wye College will 
afford. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
In making a survey of an estate in the Weald of Kent last week we 
were agreeably impressed with the excellent practice in the Hop 
gardens—the precise arrangement of the poles and strings, the clean 
vigorous growth of the “ bine,” the top-dressing of manure about the 
stools, and the thorough cultivation of the soil, kept so well stirred by a 
heavy local horse hoe termed a skim, that not a weed was to be seen, was 
very satisfactory. It is obvious that Kentish farmers see their interest 
in the case of such a crop, from which a return of £60 or £70 an acre 
is possible. 
Haymaking has gone on with that rapidity and certainty which is 
only possible in such settled weather as we have had in the midland* 
and southern counties. Very heavy grass crops are general, and the hay 
has been stacked in excellent condition. So far, too, it has been made 
cheaply, as very much of it has been cut and carried without any rain 
falling upon it. All this is very satisfactory, but sorry are we to say 
there is quite another aspect of haymaking this season, and that is on 
poor, upland farms, stocked very late in spring, and then laid in for hay 
without any manure worthy of the name. The result is slow weak 
growth to which the hot dry weather has given a serious check, and 
there are brown patches of burnt herbage upon it, which show that the 
hay crop upon it must be a light one. We told in the winter of 1892-3- 
how we had taken in hand a piece of such poor upland pasture for 
drainage and a heavy dressing of basic slag. This season the tenant has 
laid in that meadow for hay, and he has a thick growth of greatly 
improved herbage, in which the increase of Clover is especially remark¬ 
able. We can say that so far the result is very satisfactory ; it would 
have been more so had the tenant had the wit to have applied a 
moderate dressing of our grass manure mixture, or even nitrate of soda 
alone in February. But he does not believe in “ artificials,” and has 
probably never spent a shilling upon them. Not very encouraging 
for the landlord to effect improvements for such men, is it ? 
Seed Stands at Cambridge. —We are informed that the great 
firms of seed merchants, who provide stands representing their produce 
at leading shows, made a great display at Cambridge. We cannot give 
anything approaching a detailed report, as no tickets were sent for that 
purpose. Messrs. Sutton & Sons, Webb & Sons, Dicksons (Lt.), Harri¬ 
sons, Carters, and others had fine displays ; while Messrs. Boulton and 
Paul, Foster & Pearson, and others exhibited the wares for which they 
are celebrated. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
OAMDEN Square, London. 
Lat.51° 32' 40" N.; Long. 0° 8' 0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
Date. 
9 A.M. 
In TUB Day. 
a 
'3 
Ph 
1894, 
June. 
1 Barometer 
at 32°, and 
1 Sea Level. 
Hygrometer. 
Direc¬ 
tion of 
Wind. 
Temp, 
of soil 
at 
1 foot. 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
Sun. 
On 
Grass. 
Inchs. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
dee. 
deg. 
Inchsv 
Sunday ,. 
24 
29-963 
62-7 
65-1 
W. 
60-0 
67-0 
53-1 
1C8-4 
66-7 
— 
Monday ., 
25 
30-210 
64-2 
55-6 
S.W. 
59-8 
77-0 
49-1 
122-0 
43-2 
Tuesday .. 
26 
30-288 
68-8 
61-6 
N.E. 
61-9 
74-4 
61-4 
109-9 
59-3 
— 
Wednesday 
27 
30-311 
60-9 
52-9 
N.E. 
61-3 
75-7 
51-0 
118-9 
46-1 
— 
Thursday .. 
28 
30-281 
68-2 
60-0 
E. 
(2 1 
82-4 
51-4 
125-9 
46-8 
— 
Friday 
29 
30-349 
64-9 
57-6 
N. 
63-2 
82-0 
51-8 
124-4 
45-9 
— 
Saturday .. 
30 
30'J91 
70-8 
62-1 
N. 
63 9 
83-8 
52 6 
125-4 
46-2 
— 
30-256 
65-8 
57-8 
61-7 
77-5 
53-6 
119-3 
49 2 
— 
REMARKS. 
24tli.—Fine and generally sunny morning; frequently cloudy in afternoon, 
S5tli.—Sunny and warm day; cloudy evening. 
26tb.—Sunny early, generally cloudy after 10 A.M., and overcast afternoon. 
27tli.—Almost cloudless throughout. 
28th.—Sunny and warm throughout. 
29th.—Almost cloudless, with pleasant breeze. 
301 h.—Almost cloudless. 
A fine rainless week, becoming extremely warm at its close. Remarkably little 
cloud.—G. J. Symons. 
