72 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
July  18,  1895. 
PLANTS 
B.  d. 
Arbor  Vitce  (golden)  dozen  6  0  I 
Aspidistra,  dozen  ..  ..18  0 
Aspidistra,  specimen  plant  5  0 
Calceolaria,  per  doz .  4  0 
Coleus,  per  doz .  3  0 
Dracaena,  various,  dozen  ..  12  0 
Dracaena  viridis,  dozen  . .  9  0 
Euonymus,var.,  dozen  ..  6  0 
Evergreens,  in  var.,  dozen  6  0 
Ferns,  in  variety,  dozen  ..  4  0 
Perns  (small'i  per  hundred  4  0 
Ficus  elastica,  each  . ,  . .  1  0 
Foliage  plants,  var.  each  2  0 
Fuchsias,  per  dozen  . .  . .  4  0 
Qerauiums,  Ivy,  per  dozen  4  0 
IN  POTS. 
8. 
d. 
8. 
d. 
B. 
d. 
12 
0 
Heliotrope,  per  dozen  . .  4 
0 
to  6 
0 
36 
0 
Hydrangeas,  per  dozen  ..  12 
0 
42 
0 
10 
6 
Lobelia,  per  dozen  ..  ..  3 
0 
4 
0 
6 
0 
Lycopodiums,  dozen  . .  . .  3 
0 
4 
0 
6 
0 
Marguerite  Daisy,  dozen  . .  6 
0 
9 
0 
30 
0 
„  Yellow  „  ..9 
0 
18 
0 
18 
0 
Myrtles,  dozen  . .  . .  . .  6 
0 
J 
0 
18 
0 
Palms,  in  var.,  each  . .  . .  1 
0 
15 
0 
24 
0 
„  (specimens'  ..  ..21 
0 
0 
18 
0 
Pelargoniums,  per  dozen  . .  8 
0 
12 
0 
6 
0 
„  scarlets,  per 
7 
0 
dozen  . .  3 
0 
6 
0 
10 
0 
Rhodanthe.  per  dozen  . .  4 
0 
6 
0 
9 
0 
Roses,  per  dozen . 8 
0 
24 
0 
6 
U 
SOIL  FERTILITY. 
To  engender  and  foster  a  spirit  of  inquiry  is  perhaps  the 
best  way  of  all  to  impart  that  knowledge  of  the  first  principles 
of  agriculture  which  is  so  essential  to  every  farmer.  A  stumbling 
block  in  the  way  is  the  popular  but  erroneous  idea  that  when 
a  man  is  born  and  bred  a  farmer  he  must  know  all  about  his 
calling— its  guiding  principles,  fundamental  rules,  the  reason 
why  of  things  and  all  that  goes  to  thoroughly  sound  farm 
management.  That  it  is  so  would  appear  to  be  a  foregone  con¬ 
clusion,  but  in  reality  it  is  quite  exceptional  to  meet  with  a 
farmer  whose  practice  is  the  judicious  blending  of  practice  with 
science  that  it  ought  to  be. 
We  were  led  into  this  train  of  thought  by  the  question  of  a 
young  yeoman  farmer,  » What  is  the  best  manure  for  cow 
pasture  ?  ”  Gladly  did  we  respond  to  his  appeal,  and  our 
subsequent  conversation  brought  out  the  extraordinary  fact 
that  he  was  asking  for  a  manure  which  would  effect  a  per¬ 
manent  improvement,  or  at  any  rate  place  the  land  in  good 
heart  for  some  time  longer  than  a  single  season.  His  views 
about  the  possibility  of  this  were,  to  say  the  least,  exceedingly 
vague  and  undefined.  He  evidently  required  a  lesson,  and  he 
got  one.  Very  kindly,  yet  forcibly,  did  we  explain  to  him 
enough  of  the  difference  between  pristine  fertility  and  sustained 
fertility  to  make  our  meaning  clear.  We  then  went  on  to  give 
him  examples  from  our  own  practice  of  how  pasture  had  been 
brought  up  to  a  fair  ordinary  standard  of  fertility  and  then  kept 
so  by  annual  dressings  of  manure.  It  was  positively  ludicrous, 
though^  sad  enough,  to  hear  his  exclamation  of  surprise  at 
our  insistance  upon  the  necessity  of  an  annual  expenditure  on 
manure,  in  one  way  or  another.  But  v.hen  he  was  asked  to 
remember  the  poor  condition  of  the  pasture  in  his  own  parish, 
or  rather  the  district  in  and  around  it,  he  at  once  said  it  was 
the  pneral  poverty  of  such  pasture  that  had  induced  him  to 
inquire  if  something  could  not  be  done  to  correct  it. 
To  take  an  example,  or  rather  two,  in  that  locality  to  point 
our  moral.  One  of  them,  over  which  we  went  on  the  12th  of 
July,  was  being  mown  for  hay.  We  are  well  within  bounds  to 
say  that  there  would  not  be  half  a  ton  of  hay  per  acre,  yet  there 
had  not  been  any  stock  in  that  meadow  this  year,  say  six  and  a 
half  months,  and  the  tenant  claims  that  he  had  done  his  utmost 
to  obtain  a  crop  of  hay.  He  had  kept  off  the  stock,  had 
knocked  the  droppings  left  by  the  cows,  had  even  carted  on 
some  old  cow  manure  and  road-sidings  to  the  worst  part,  yet  had 
failed.^  Near  it  are  some  eight  or  nine  meadows  which  we 
have  in  hand,^  and  which  were  dressed  with  proper  chemical 
manure  early  in  the  year.  Some  were  laid  in  for  hay,  some 
reserved  for  grazing.  The  hay,  a  fair  crop,  is  saved,  the  after- 
math  18  growing,  and  the  rather  heavily  stocked  meadows  have 
still  a  fair  bite.  There  is  the  lesson,  as  easy  to  read  as  the  page 
of  an  open  book.  We  hope  it  was  the  sight  of  this,  imperfect 
as  it  is,  which  brought  our  young  friend  to  us,  and  set  him 
thinking. 
What,  then,  is  this  lesson  ?  It  is  this.  That  permanent 
pasture,  like  every  other  farm  crop,  must  have  in  its  soil  enough 
of  nitrogen,  potash,  phosphoric  acid,  and  lime  to  sustain  it. 
That  the  growth  of  each  season,  however  it  goes  off  the  land, 
whether  eaten  by  stock  or  as  hay,  takes  out  of  the  soil  some  of 
each  of  these  vital  constituents  of  its  fertility.  If  we  do  not 
replenish  the  soil  as  an  equivalent  with  more  plant  food,  how 
can  free  growth  continue,  how  can  we  expect  a  full  crop  ?  Is 
not  this  a  clear  statement?  Does  it  not  appeal  to  the  powers 
of  reason  of  every  sensible  man  ?  if  this  be  so,  what  are  we  to 
think  of  the  farmer  who  fails  to  keep  up  the  fertility  of  the 
soil  of  his  farm,  takes  crop  after  crop,  such  as  it  is,  without 
any  systematic  use  of  manure  that  is  worthy  of  the  term  of  a 
system,  and  then  when  bis  pasture?  are  impoverished,  and  his 
crops  practically  a  failure,  coolly  comes  to  his  landlord  for  a 
reduction  of  rent  because  his  land  d  es  not  “  pay  ?”  The 
absurdity  of  the  whole  thing  is  so  apparent  as  not  to  require  a 
second  thought.  Yet  he  would  indeed  be  a  bold  man  who 
ventured  to  answer  such  an  appeal  by  telling  the  farmer  that  he 
was  an  ignorant  man,  and  that  it  was  unfair  to  ask  his  landlord 
to  suffer  from  his  ignorance. 
WORK  ON  THE  HOME  FARM. 
Delicious  is  the  aroma  which  comes  from  the  hayricks  made  from 
grass  mown  just  as  it  came  into  fiower.  This  hay  was  saved  without  a 
drop  of  rain  touching  it,  and  it  is  becoming  very  compact  in  the  rick. 
We  began  mowing  rather  earlier  than  usual  this  season,  because  the  dry 
weather  seemed  likely  to  continue,  and  we  had  before  us  the  possibility 
of  a  rather  big  head  of  stock  going  on  short  commons  if  we  had  not 
some  early  aftermath  to  turn  to.  Results  prove  the  wisdom  of  this,  for 
though  we  got  less  hay,  what  we  have  got  so  far  is  of  the  best,  and  the 
aftermath  is  growing  briskly  under  the  beneficial  influence  of  quick¬ 
acting  manure  and  timely  showers  of  rain.  As  we  write,  in  the  middle 
of  July,  haymaking  is  the  main  business  everywhere,  except  perhaps 
in  the  extreme  south,  where  it  always  is  early. 
Among  root  crops  Mangold  is  now  out  of  hand,  the  plant  being  so 
advanced  that  the  leaves  are  meeting  across  the  rows.  Some  few  early 
sown  fields  of  Swede  Turnips  are  also  finished  as  regards  hoeing,  and  are 
close  after  the  Mangolds  in  size  of  plant  and  freedom  of  growth.  But 
there  has  been  trouble  where  early  sowing  was  not  done.  Three  and 
four  times  over  has  the  same  field  been  sown  on  many  a  farm.  If  the 
present  showery  weather  continues  some  useful  roots  may  be  had  from 
the  last  sowings,  but  northern  farmers,  who  pin  their  faith  on  early 
sowings,  have  been  sorely  tried.  Taking  an  average  of  seasons  as 
regards  weather,  we  are  bound  to  say  that  the  Norfolk  plan  of  sowing 
Mangolds  rather  early  in  April,  and  following  at  once  with  the  Swedes, 
is  the  more  certain  one.  We  admit  that  this  early  sowing  involves  some 
trouble  from  mildew  with  Swedes,  and  of  some  Mangold  bolting  to 
seed ;  but  that  is  well  counterbalanced  by  a  fair  proportion  of  big 
sound  roots,  or  perhaps  we  ought  to  say  of  a  plant,  so  large  and  well 
established  as  to  be  out  of  harm’s  way  before  there  is  much  risk  of 
harm  from  drought. 
METEOROLOGICAL  OBSERVATIONS. 
Camden  Square,  London. 
Lat.510  32' 40"  N. ;  Long.  0°  8/  0"  W.;  Altitude  111  leet. 
Date. 
9  A.M. 
In  the  Day. 
Bain. 
1895. 
July. 
1  Barometer 
1  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. 
Inoha. 
Sunday  . . 
7 
30-246 
66-8 
58-6 
N. 
61-4 
79-9 
47-7 
114-2 
43-7 
Monday  . , 
8 
30-161 
69-2 
56-1 
S.W. 
62  4 
82-0 
52-0 
123-4 
47-0 
Tuesday  . . 
9 
30-066 
68-9 
59-8 
N.W. 
63-9 
78-2 
55-2 
120-2 
60-0 
_ 
Wednesday 
10 
29-955 
66-9 
55’9 
N.W. 
64-2 
77-6 
67-3 
123-9 
61-6 
_ 
Thursday . . 
11 
29-910 
61-9 
54-2 
N. 
65  4 
77-0 
57-2 
119-8 
51-8 
0-15S 
Friday 
12 
29-652 
59-8 
61-9 
N.W. 
65-1 
68-0 
56-5 
113-9 
62-1 
_ 
Saturday  . . 
13 
29-885 
62-2 
53-1 
N. 
63-2 
78-1 
49-0 
123-8 
44-1 
— 
29-982 
65-1 
55-5 
63-7 
77-3 
53-6 
119-9 
48  6 
0-153. 
— Sunny,  calm,  warm,  and  rather  oppressive. 
8th. — Calm,  Bunny,  and  warm. 
9th. — Generally  bright  and  sunny,  with  pleasant  breeze. 
10th. — Bright  sunshine  almost  throughout. 
11th.— Overcast  morning  ;  bright  sunshine  in  afternoon. 
12th. — Eain  till  3.30  A.M. ;  alternate  cloud  and  sunshine  with  high  wind  early ;  bright 
sunny  day. 
13th. — Almost  cloudless  morning  ;  frequent  cloud  in  afternoon. 
Another  fine  week,  rain  on  only  one  day. — G.  J.  SYMONS. 
