486 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
November 22, 189i. 
wintei’. All cows should do this, for the simple but cogent 
reason that it is for the owner’s interest to afford them all such 
advantages of shelter, food, and general care. The home 
farmer may be able to do this with his superior advantages — 
often in the guise of a model homestead, replete with con¬ 
veniences which range far beyond what is absolutely necessary 
For general utility we want nothing fanciful, but simplicity in 
its best combination with utility. Shelter, wholesome food, and 
cleanliness are the essential fundamentals, and they certainly 
should come within the scope of every farmer’s means. Shelter 
may be termed the landlord's affair; it is so as regards a due 
provision of yards and buildings. It is the tenant’s business, 
as assuredly it is his interest, to see that the farm he hires has 
ample means of shelter for his cows, and to turn it to full 
account. 
Shelter for this important purpose in the winter, when confined 
to its most simple form, consists of snug yet commodious cow¬ 
house, with good roof ventilation by fixed louvres, walls kept 
well limewashed, stall floors having an even gentle slope to a 
wide slightly sunken gutter, with a large outlet or drain. The 
doorways should be of ample width—never less than 6 feet, with 
sliding doors, easily moving on runners along the wall. This 
is a great improvement upon the hinged swinging door, so often 
left unfastened, to be blown about by high wind or to the injury 
of cows. With the cowhouse on one side of the yard, there 
should be two deep open hovels on two other sides ; preferably 
we would have the cowhouse on the west side, with the open 
sides of the hovels facing south and west. Suob hovels should 
never be less than 18 feet in width, with ample length, divided 
if necessary with one or more divisions in the yard to afford 
prompt means of separating the cows—a very necessary thing 
in a large herd, where a process of grading into two or three 
sizes is conducive to the peace and comfort of the entire herd. 
With such hovel accommodation it would only be necessary to 
use the cowhouse at night for weakly animals or for the whole of 
the cows in stormy weather. For sick, weakly or calving cows we 
have found two or three large loose boxes a great convenience; 
so, too, are calf pens, all under the same roof and all being 
accessible from the cowhouse. For cases of abortion we prefer 
having a separate hovel and yard in a paddock at some distance 
from the cowyard, mention only being made of it here as 
coming under the category of necessary shelter. Number of 
calf pens, loose boxes, and size of cowhouse and hovels is a mere 
matter of detail ruled entirely by size of herd. In connection 
with it we may mention that experience taught us long ago not 
to attempt rigid precision as to numbers in the dairy herd, but 
rather to provide sufficient accommodation for a few extra 
animals so as to allow a fair margin for casualties 
Happy ij the man having the advantage of covered yards. 
No need has he to worry about the weather or negligent 
stockmen, for with such an efficient means of shelter there can 
be no undue exposure of cows on stormy nights ; the ventilation 
is so perfect that pure air is a certainty, and, what is more, it is 
so easy to keep up condition in the cows. This is a point in 
connection with shelter upon which it is impossible to place too 
much stress. In some herds the whole of the cows are in calf 
during winter ; in others calving goes on at intervals throughout 
winter, and if, as is so frequently the case, the cows are exposed to 
cold and wet very much of their food goes to sustain vital heat; 
there is then a serious falling off in condition, both the cows and 
their progeny suffer, and the owner of the herd suffers too 
financially. We wish to make it quite clear that shelter is a 
fundamental in dairy farming of the first importance, which 
should always be regarded as a primary matter requiring atten¬ 
tion before a single cow is placed on a farm So regarded it 
would have the attention its importance merits, and each home¬ 
stead would then have that ample provision of shelter which we 
hold to be altogether indispensable. 
WOEK ON THE HOME FARM. 
A last sowing of winter Tares in October finished such autumn work.. 
Since then root-carting has gone on so briskly that not only were the 
roots off the land before the heavy rain set in, but the land itself was 
ploughed. With such an abundance of “keeping” as we have this 
autumn, there was no necessity for turning in the flock to clear up the 
leaves of Mangolds and early Swedes ; they were ploughed in to contri¬ 
bute a useful modicum of fertility to the soil. 
Autumn tillage was managed fairly well, but the pressure was greater 
than usual owing to the late harvest. All clean stubbles not required 
for winter corn were ploughed and left long enough to destroy what 
weed growth there was upon them, then by using the double-breasted 
plough across the furrows, the land was left well ridged for winter. 
The tillage of foul land (i.e., land infested with perennial weeds) has 
been a heavy matter this autumn, owing to the exceptionally strong 
growth induced by showery weather, and we much fear there is enough 
couch grass left behind to give trouble next season. Clover layers on 
which sheep were kept late, or where the second growth was saved for 
seed, white Turnips, Cabbages, and similar crops now being folded, are 
the only cases of necessity for late or winter ploughing. All other work 
of this kind should be flnished, and the horses kept off the land while it 
is tender from heavy rainfall. 
We have seen some seed Clover which had evidently been mown for 
some time, looking so black and sodden that a good sample of seed, or 
any seed, seemed impossible. Such failures are frequently owing to 
mowing the first crop for stover (the East Anglian term for 
Clover-hay), and then leaving the second crop for seed. This causes the 
seed to be so late in coming to maturity that the mowing cannot be 
done till October, and then if rain sets in away goes any chance of seed 
sowing, and the spoilt Clover is carted to the yards for the cattle to 
trample down into muck. The only safe plan even in the dry climate 
of the Eastern counties is to fold off the first growth with sheep, 
then the second growth is so robust and forward that a fine, bright, 
heavy sample of seed is obtained. 
Messes. Webb & Sons’ Root Competition. —A list of the 
winners of prizes for root crops in several counties, offered by the above 
named firm, have been sent to us. We can only say that there are four 
15-guinea prizes, with many of smaller yet substantial amounts, and 
that the greatest weight of Swedes appears to be 45 tons per acre, 
and the heaviest crop of Mangolds upwards of 53 tons. Evidently the 
land is not played out all over the country. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Dietary for Stall Beasts A .").—Let them have as much water 
as they like, and pay no heed to fanciful objections. Your mixture of 
cake and corn is good—we might say very good were we certain of the 
quality of the cake. For corn, we prefer two parts of crushed Oats to 
one part each of Wheat and Barley. The points of vital importance in 
such a dietary are digestibility and the albuminoid ratio. We hope to 
go into this shortly, but meanwhile may assure you of our high opinion 
of such a mixed dietary. As you do not mention the amount of lay 
used, we hope the steers have as much as they can clear up. We are 
glad you find our advice reliable. Come to us in any difficulty. la 
“ Work on the Home Farm ” last week the accidental omission of a word 
distorted the meaning. “ The best meadow forming the bulk of food 
now;” it should have been the beat meadow hay. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
Oamden Square, London. 
Lat.51o 32'40" N.; Long. 0° 8' 0" W.; Altitude, 111 teet 
Date. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE Day. 
.a 
A 
C4 
1894. 
November. 
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. 
deg. 
deg. 
Inchs. 
Sunday .. 
11 
29-439 
42-8 
41 2 
N.W. 
48 0 
51-1 
40-0 
7o-l 
35-8 
0-430 
Monday .. 
12 
29 177 
47-3 
46-8 
s w. 
47 4 
54 8 
422 
60 3 
39 6 
0-618 
Tuesday .. 
13 
29-690 
43'2 
41 2 
w. 
47-6 
51-9 
41 0 
80 0 
37-9 
0-114 
Wednesday 
14 
29-196 
51-3 
49-4 
s.w. 
46 9 
52-9 
42-6 
53‘0 
38-3 
0-656 
Thursday .. 
15 
2 .-2H3 
43-1 
42-1 
N.W. 
47-1 
48-7 
42 2 
66-1 
39-0 
0-144, 
Friday 
18 
29-888 
44 8 
43 8 
s. 
46 0 
51-9 
41-9 
73-0 
37-2 
Saturday .. 
17 
30-164 
48-1 
46-9 
S.E. 
45-6 
53-4 
43-1 
74 8 
36-4 
— 
29 545 
45-8 
44 5 
46-9 
52 1 
41-9 
68-9 
37 7 
1-962 
REMARKS. 
llth.—Bright suushine all day ; heavy rain Irom 8 r.ll. to midnight. 
12th.—Almost incessant rain till 2 P.ir. ; gleams of sun at 3 P.M., showery again from 
4 P.M., and heavy rain and hail at 5.15 P.M., lightning and thunder 5.25 to 
5.45 P.M., and dull, rainy evening. 
13th.—Bright sunshine almost all day ; gale and slight showers at night. 
14th.—Gale all morning, and almost continuous rain from 0 a.m. to 5 P.il.; dull 
evening, moonlight night. 
15th.—Continuous rain from 5.45 A.M. to about 11.30 A.M. ; faint sunshine from 
0.30 P.M. and bright afternoon and night. 
IGth.—Rain from 7.30 to 8.30 A.M , then misty with occasional sun, and bright sun 
from 10 30 a.M. 
17th.—Fair morning; bright sunshine from 11.45 A.M., and fine night. 
Colder and very damp, with excessive but by no means unprecedented rainfall— 
G. J. Symons. 
