424 
JOURNAL  Of  horticulture  and  cottage  gardener . 
May  IS,  1897. 
KETLOCKS. 
Yes,  you  may  look  in  your  dictionaries  ;  it  may  be  in  some, 
but  certainly  is  not  in  all,  and  the  south  country  man  will  probably 
puzzle  himself  in  vain.  Well,  for  the  benefit  of  all  we  will  give 
other  and  possibly  more  familiar  names. 
Charlock  or  Cherlock,  and  Wild  Mustard.  It  is  a  weed  belonging 
to  the  cruciferous  tribe,  and  its  botanical  name  is  Sinapis  arvensis. 
It  is  an  annual,  with  leaves  toothed,  and  rough  pods  of  many 
angles— rugged,  longer  than  the  awl-shaped  beak  ;  the  seed  is 
round  and  black,  and  being  of  an  oily  nature  may  lie  for  years  in 
the  soil  unsuspected,  and  then,  under  favourable  conditions,  break 
forth  into  life. 
That  the  Charlock  is  a  true  pest  to  both  corn  grower  and  root 
cultivator  is  a  fact  that  admits  of  no  doubt.  The  burning  question 
is,  how  to  get  rid  of  it  permanently.  The  seed  being,  as  we  before 
said,  of  an  oily  nature,  it  can  remain  buried  in  the  ground  for  a 
great  length  of  time  without  taking  any  harm.  An  extra  deep 
ploughing  may  bring  up  to  the  surface  thousands  of  seeds,  which 
only  need  favourable  conditions  to  spring  into  growth.  Hardy  as 
Ketlock  is,  it  cannot  stand  frost,  so  that  we  seldom  see  it  .in  winter- 
sown  corn. 
When  Ketlock  appears  among  the  Turnip  and  Swede  rows  a 
timely  hoeing  prevents  further  mischief  ;  it  feeds  and  grows  on 
the  superphosphates,  and  in  a  dry  time  unless  carefully  watched 
will  overpower  the  weaker  growths  of  the  roots.  Like  many  other 
seeds  Ivetlock  germinates  most  freely  where  the  ground  is  well 
tilled,  hence  we  see  it  so  often  abundantly  in  the  beautifully  pre¬ 
pared  Barley  lands.  If  it  were  always  possible  to  get  the  Ketlock 
crop  off  first  before  sowing  Barley  all  might  be  well,  but  as  it  is  a 
matter  of  such  vast  importance  to  get  Barley  in  early  if  you  mean 
a  really  good  crop  precious  time  and  opportunity  cannot  be  wasted. 
Even  should  a  crop  of  Ketlock  be  taken  first  you  have  no  guarantee 
that  there  may  not  yet  be  more  seeds  that  will  still  germinate. 
In  a  dry  season,  too,  the  less  the  land  is  worked  after  being 
thoroughly  prepared  the  better.  Every  working  means  loss  of 
moisture,  and  loss  of  moisture  means  slow  growth,  or  perhaps  no 
growth  at  all. 
There  are  other  means  by  which  a  field  that  is  impregnated 
with  this  pest  may  be  got  clean.  If  the  plant  be  removed  before 
seeding  the  root  of  the  matter  is  reached  (we  do  not  intend  a  pun). 
A  fodder  crop  which  is  mown  or  eaten  early  will  give  the  Ketlock 
plant  no  chance  to  propagate  itself,  nor  will  it  have  much  chance 
among  Potato  tops  or  in  well-weeded  Swedes  or  Turnips.  Of 
course  it  throws  things  out  of  gear  on  the  farm  to  alter  the  rotation 
of  crops,  but  nowadays  we  are  more  ready  to  diverge  from  the 
beaten  paths  than  were  our  forefathers. 
What  is  to  be  done,  however,  when  these  wretched  weeds 
spring  up  in  battalions  among  new  sown  corn  ?  If  seeds  (Clover 
or  Sainfoin)  are  not  already  sown  the  harrow  is  the  only  course 
open.  Should  seeds  have  been  sown  the  harrow  is  out  of  the 
question.  A  suggestion  has  been  made  that  in  a  case  where  the 
corn  was  badly  infested  with  Ketlock  to  let  both  grow  together  till 
the  latter  was  in  flower,  then  mow  and  make  hay.  There  would 
be  a  good  mow,  at  any  rate,  and  sheep  relish  Ketlock.  The  weed 
would  be  put  beyond  any  chance  of  seeding. 
Sheep,  too,  might  be  paatured  on  the  weed-iafested  Barley,  and 
should  seeds  have  been  sown  in  all  probability  the  eating  of  the 
Barley  would  make  the  Clover  plant  come  stronger.  In  any  case 
folding  with  sheep  would  make  a  good  preparation  for  an  early 
sown  Wheat  plant  in  the  autumn. 
1.  he  old  fashioned  idea  of  boys  and  women  pulling  the  obnoxious 
Weed  seem*  quite  out  of  date.  This  possibly  for  several  reasons — 
firstly  the  expense,  secondly  the  difficulty  of  finding  the  women 
and  boys.  In  most  country  districts  it  is  very  rarely  that  you 
see  a  woman  engaged  in  agricultural  work.  In  Holderness  they 
used  to  do  most  of  the  Wheat  hoeing.  Now,  unless  it  is  among 
Potatoes,  they  are  conspicuous  by  their  absence.  As  for  the 
children,  well,  this  higher  education  is  at  the  root  of  their  absence. 
They  are  learning  something  useful  in  the  schools,  but  they  are 
missing  much  that  would  be  useful  to  them  in  after  life,  and  the 
farmer  in  vain  looks  for  some  implement  that  would  be  equally 
efficacious  as  the  little  lads  were  when  they  went  “  ketlocking.” 
WORK  ON  THE  HOME  FARM. 
There  is  little  to  chronicle  this  week  that  is  of  special  interest.  We 
have  had  a  cold  dry  week,  and  vegetation  has  made  small  progress. 
The  later  sown  Barley  has  come  up  quickly,  and  looks  very  well  indeed, 
much  better  than  that  put  in  very  early,  which  has  had  a  sharp  check. 
The  forward  Wheats,  too,  are  yellow,  and  being  overtaken  by  the  later 
sown  plots. 
Many  people  have  not  got  their  Mangold  in  yet,  and  this  crop  may 
be  reckoned  as  being  fully  a  fortnight  later  than  usual.  When  delay  in 
sowing  is  unavoidable,  it  is  better  to  have  the  seed  well  steeped  before 
drilling  ;  we  have  sown  Mangold  seed  with  very  visible  sprouts,  and 
never  bad  a  better  plant  than  on  that  occasion. 
Carrots  at  £4  per  ton  are  encouraging  to  the  grower,  and  in  Carrot 
districts  the  drill  is  hard  at  work.  Eight  lbs.  per  acre  are  drilled  about 
20  inches  wide.  Intermediate  and  Stump-rooted  are  the  varieties  most 
in  favour. 
Oar  first  foal  has  safely  arrived  after  a  few  nights  anxious  watching* 
An  unfoal  mare  should  be  seen  every  half-hour  as  foaling  draws  near, 
a  few  minutes  longer  may  easily  mean  the  loss  of  a  valuable  foal. 
The  cattle  are  all  out  and  looking  well,  but  there  is  little  grass 
visible  ;  unless  we  have  some  warm  weather  shortly  there  must  be  a 
scarcity  of  keep.  Seeds  are  very  bare ;  they  are  too  thinly  planted  to 
carry  much  stock. 
Fallows  are  ready  for  Turnips  as  regards  cleanliness,  but  not  as 
regards  tilth  ;  many  fields  are  decidedly  rough.  The  dry  weather  is 
drying  the  clods,  and  only  a  good  steeping  rain  is  required  to  produce 
a  good  seed  bed. 
Potatoes  which  have  not  been  ridge-harrowed  should  be  attended  to 
at  once,  as  the  young  sprouts  will  soon  appear  and  are  easily  broken  off. 
If  there  is  danger  of  this  the  middle  teeth  of  the  harrow  are  better 
removed  temporarily.  It  is  good  policy  to  get  the  Potatoes  cleaned  as 
early  as  possible.  Much  harm  may  be  done,  particularly  to  early  sorts, 
by  disturbing  the  young  roots  after  tubers  have  begun  to  form. 
This  promises  to  be  a  great  year  for  Thistles,  perhaps  the  result  of  a 
wet  autumn  and  consequent  absence  of  autumn  dressings  ;  but  this  does 
not  apply  to  the  Wheat  crop,  which  is  now  much  in  need  of  weeding. 
Hoeing  has  gone  out  of  fashion,  but  should  be  practised  this  year, 
Wheat  being  thin  on  the  ground  and  as  a  consequence  very  much 
threatened  with  weed  competition. 
GARDENERS’  CHARITABLE  AND  PROVIDENT 
INSTITUTIONS. 
The  Gardeners’  Royal  Benevolent  Institution. — Secretary , 
Mr.  G.  J.  Ingram,  50,  Parliament  Street,  London,  W.C. 
United  Horticultural  Benefit  and  Provident  Society. — 
Secretary ,  Mr.  W.  Collins,  9,  Martindale  Road,  Balham,  London,  S.W. 
Royal  Gardeners’  Orphan  Fund. — Secretary ,  Mr.  A.  F.  Barron, 
The  Royal  Gardeners’  Orphan  Fund,  Chiswick,  W. 
METEOROLOGICAL  OBSERVATIONS. 
Camden  Square.  London. 
Lat.  61°  J2'40"  N. ;  Long.  0°  8/  0"  W.;  Altitude  111  feet. 
Date. 
9  A.M. 
In  the  Day. 
1897. 
<X>  0&  > 
Hygrometer. 
Direc¬ 
tion  of 
Temp, 
of  soil 
at 
1  foot. 
Shade  Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature 
Rain. 
May. 
uco  ca 
c Q  os  cn 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Wind. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
Sun. 
On 
Grass. 
Sunday  . . 
2 
Inchs. 
29-896 
leg. 
51-4 
deg. 
45  3 
W. 
deg. 
43-9 
deg. 
62-0 
deg. 
39-3 
deg. 
103-6 
deg 
34-0 
Inchs. 
0-030 
Monday  .... 
3 
29-892 
55-1 
50-2 
N.W. 
50-3 
60-6 
4«-l 
108-7 
42-6 
— 
Tuesday  .... 
4 
30-206 
49-6 
42-7 
N.W. 
50-0 
60-6 
37-4 
105-4 
32-1 
0-124 
Wednesday 
6 
29-932 
50-9 
49-7 
w. 
51  0 
59-2 
45-7 
104-8 
41-2 
0  006 
Thursday  . . 
6 
30-07s 
47-8 
41-3 
N.W. 
49-2 
56-1 
35-9 
106-1 
31-2 
— 
Friday  . . .. 
7 
30-120 
52-8 
45-3 
N.W. 
48-8 
58-4 
38-7 
96-9 
321 
— 
Saturday  . . 
8 
30132 
539 
60  9 
S.W. 
49-9 
65-8 
47-1 
llft-7 
44-6 
— 
30-037 
51-6 
46-6 
49  7 
60  3 
41-7 
1046 
364 
0-160 
2nd.— Sunny  almost  throughout. 
8rd  Rain  between  5  and  6  A.M. :  alternate  cloud  and  suns-hine  during  day. 
4ih. — Bright  sunshine  almost  throughout 
5th.— Rain  from  i  a.m.  to  8  A  M.,  and  showery  morning  ;  some  sun  at  midday,  but  spots 
of  rain  later. 
«th. — Bright  early  ;  overcast  morning  ;  generally  sunny  in  afternoon. 
7th.— Bright  early,  and  occasional  sun  in  morning,  but  gene  ally  cloudy. 
8th. — Occasional  sunshine  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  but  generally  overcast. 
The  temperature  continues  remarkably  close  to  the  average,  but  the  air  has  been 
much  drier  than  in  the  previous  week.— G.  J.  SYMONS. 
