264 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
September  12,  1896. 
shelter  in  autumn  and  winter  is  of  the  first  importance.  But 
this  is  a  matter  to  which  such  general  attention  as  it  deserves 
has  by  no  means  been  given  in  the  southern  half  of  Great 
Britain.  Northern  farmers,  especially  over  the  Border,  have 
such  provision  for  shelter  at  their  homesteads  as  most  southern 
farmers  have  no  conception  of.  To  the  unaccustomed  eye 
the  numerous  costly  ranges  of  cow  and  cattle  byres,  all  of 
dressed  stone,  at  a  Scotch  homestead  seems  positively  ex¬ 
travagant.  It  may  be  so  in  fact,  in  some  degree,  but  stone 
is  plentiful,  and  substantial  buildings  once  done  are  certainly 
much  less  expensive  to  maintain  than  so-called  “cheap” 
structures. 
We  admit  that  the  important  points  in  such  buildings  are 
the  complete  exclusion  of  water — rain  or  surface — security  from 
draughts,  free  and  controllable  ventilation.  How  this  can  best 
be  obtained  is  altogether  a  matter  of  ways  and  means,  of  local 
materials,  of  ordinary  or  extraordinary  I'equirements.  There 
can  be  no  greater  contrast  than  the  Scotch  byre  of  stone  and 
slate,  and  the  Suffolk  hovel  with  walls  of  stud  and  nlaster  and 
the  roof  of  thatch;  old  Suffolk  leases  invariably  containing  a 
covenant  binding  the  tenant  to  supply  straw  for  thatching  all 
buildings  on  his  holding.  For  some  year.s  we  were  engaged  in 
the  restoration  to  sound  condition  of  a  considerable  number  of 
dilapidated  Suffolk  homesteads.  In  all  of  them  stud  and  plaster, , 
with  thatch,  were  the  dominant  features,  yet  bricks  and  tiles 
were  made  for  sale  on  the  estate,  and  glad  were  we  to  use 
them  instead  of  the  fragile  stud  and  plaster  and  the  perishable 
thatch. 
But  our  aim  now  is  not  so  much  a  comparison  of  the  relative 
value  of  building  materials,  as  to  show  the  necessity  for  such 
buildings  at  every  farm,  and  of  the  early  use  of  them  in  the 
autumn.  We  are  convinced  that  cattle  sustain  much  harm  at 
the  period  before  attention  is  given  to  the  evil  effects  of  exposure 
to  heavy  rain,  early  frost  and  cold  cutting  wind.  There  is  a  serious 
loss  of  condition  in  beasts  kept  out  in  the  open  on  cold,  wet, 
autumnal  nights,  and  we  have  known  fat  beasts  to  die  outright 
when  kept  late  into  October  out  on  marsh  land,  where  not  even 
the  shelter  of  a  hedge  is  to  be  bad  The  best  answer  to  the 
oft-repeated  asse’’tion  that  they  can  “  stand  ”  it  is  given  by  the 
beasts  themselves,  as  they  invariably  take  advantage  of  any 
shelter  afforded  by  tree  clumps  or  hedgerows,  going  to  it  at 
nightfall  even  if  the  weather  is  fine  and  tolerably  calm.  They 
avoid  the  cold  air  currents  sweeping  across  the  open  meadows, 
but  they  cannot  escape  from  rain  showers  in  the  night,  which 
are  often  followed  by  fro  t  towards  morning.  Open  hovels  out 
on  the  pasture  render  cattle  comparatively  safe  from  su6h 
exposure,  but  they  must  be  commodious  or  the  stronger  beasts 
will  drive  out  the  weaker  ones.  There  should  be  an  ample  pro¬ 
vision  of  such  hovels  on  all  outlying  pasture  ;  or,  better  still,  a 
snug  yard  with  hovels  along  at  least  two  sides,  and  with  a  wall 
or  high  boarded  fence  and  doors  on  the  other  sides.  Corrugated 
iron  sheets  answer  admirably  for  this  purpose,  being  cheap, 
durable,  and  efficient. 
We  strongly  object  to  setting  the  doors  of  the  yard  wide  open 
by  day — there  must  be  systematic  care.  When  the  herdsman 
goes  to  let  out  the  cattle  in  the  morning  he  should  then  make 
clean  the  hovel  floors,  strew  them  with  fresh  clean  litter,  attend 
to  the  water  trough,  fill  the  racks,  and  shut  the  doors.  The 
cattle  will  then  go  regularly  to  the  yard  towards  evening,  and 
are  generally  found  awaiting  the  arrival  of  the  herdsman  to 
open  the  yard  doors,  and  admit  them  to  the  snug  comfortable 
quarters  in  which  they  revel  and  thrive.  By  this  means  they 
are  brought  under  close  supervision  twice  daily,  all  risk  of 
undue  exposure  is  avoided,  and  instead  of  losing  condition  there 
is  the  steady  improvement  that  is  so  essential  if  they  are  to 
prove  profitable.  It  is  undoubtedly  such  care  that  has  tended  to 
the  superior. ty  of  Scotch  beasts.  Without  it  careful  breeding 
or  selection  cannot  tell  fairly  on  the  final  results,  so  that  the 
timely  attention  to  shelter  for  which  we  plead  may  be  said  to 
make  all  the  difference  between  success  and  failure  in  the 
management  of  cattle. 
WORK  ON  THE  HOME  FARM. 
The  scarcity  and  high  price  of  chickens  in  the  spring  and  early 
summer  of  this  year  will,  we  hope,  induce  more  general  attention  to  the 
necessity  for  improvement  in  the  winter  quarters  of  poultry,  and  to  the 
better  management  of  the  fowls  in  every  way.  Now  is  the  time  for 
attention  to  the  buildings,  so  as  to  have  them  in  perfect  order  before 
cold  weather  sets  in.  Sound  roofs  and  walls,  with  dry  floors,  there  must 
be,  without  any  openings  under  the  eaves  for  draughts.  We  have 
known  an  apparently  snug  poultry  house  to  have  the  perches  on  a  level 
with  the  eaves,  under  which  a  cold  draught  rushed  on  the  birds'  all 
night  long.  This  is  bad  enough,  but  when,  in  addition,  the  fowl 
house  is  so  filthy  as  to  be  literally  a  foul  house,  then,  indeed,  the 
poultry  have  a  bad  time  of  it.  They  often  become  so  infested  with 
lice,  that  some  may  be  found  on  the  perches  and  in  the  nests.  No¬ 
wonder  that  such  poultry  do  not  thrive. 
Let  us  now  see  to  this  at  once,  making  the  buildings  clean,  as  well 
as  sound  and  warm.  Let  all  foul  perches  and  floors  be  scraped,  the 
walls,  perches,  and  every  part  of  the  interior  limewashed,  and  the  floor 
covered  with  dry  earth  or  sand.  This  can  be  removed  when  necessary, 
care  being  taken  never  to  leave  it  there  so  long  as  to  become  offensive  ; 
to  scrape  the  perches  every  week,  and  to  limewash  again,  and  frequently 
enough  to  ensure  cleanliness.  Hens  are  moulting,  their  eggs  have  run 
short,  and  early  March  pullets  are  now  laying  well,  and  will  be 
followed  throughout  the  winter  by  pullets  from  successional  broods.  Our 
old  favourites  the  White  Dorkings  are  still  highly  valued  by  us.  both 
for  the  excellent  supply  of  winter  eggs  which  they  afford,  and  for  the 
plump  white-fleshed  table  birds,  of  which  we  always  have  a  supply,  as- 
well  as  those  from  the  cross  with  the  old  Game  breed. 
See  that  there  is  an  ample  store  provided  for  winter  use  of  dust  and 
grit,  as  well  as  a  warm  dry  place  for  the  fowls  to  scratch  and  dust  them¬ 
selves  in.  This  keeps  them  busy,  contented,  thriving,  and  useful  in  the 
dull,  cold,  wet  weather,  that  will  soon  come  again,  and  which  the 
fowls  dislike  so  much. 
The  preliminary  returns  of  the  Board  of  Agriculture  show  that  the 
area  of  Wheat  cultivation  for  Great  Britain  is  only  1,417,641  ;  Barley, 
2,166,279  ;  Oats,  3,295,905  ;  Potatoes,  541,217  ;  hay  (Clover  and  rotation 
grasses),  2,303,431  ;  hay  (permanent  pasture),  4,760,889 ;  and  Hops, 
58,940.  In  1894  the  quantities  were:  —  Wheat,  1,927,962;  Barley, 
2,095,771 ;  Oats,  3,253,401  ;  Potatoes,  504,464  ;  hay  (Clover  and  rotation 
grasses),  2,121,904  ;  hay  (permanent  pasture),  4,852,442  ;  and  Hops, 
59,535  acres.  It  will  be  seen  that  Wheat  is  more  than  half  a  million 
acres  less  than  that  of  last  year.  Barley  in  Great  Britain,  covering 
2,166  279  acres,  has  maintained  its  position  well,  and  now  stands  higher 
in  acreage  than  for  any  year  since  1886  ;  while  the  3,295  905  acres  of 
Oats  beat  the  record  of  all  past  years  since  the  official  returns  were  first 
collected.  The  partial  recovery  of  the  Potato  area,  after  a  considerable 
decline  since  1888,  is  notable  ;  but  the  crop  of  this  year,  with  541,217 
acres,  covered  nearly  50,000  acres  less  than  in  the  year  just  named. 
There  is  a  small  increase  in  cattle,  but  we  still  have  only  6  354,336  in 
Great  Britain,  against  6,700,676  for  1893.  The  figures  for  sheep,  after 
a  good  lambing  season,  are  disappointing,  the  25,792,195  being  less  by 
63,305  than  last  year’s  number,  and  by  1,488,139  than  that  of  1893. 
Pigs,  on  the  other  hand,  have  recovered  ground  rapidly,  having  increased 
from  2,113,530  in  1893  to  2,884,431. 
METEOROLOGICAL  OBSERVATIONS. 
Oamden  Square.  London. 
Lat.51°  32' 40"  N. ;  Long.  0°  8'  0"  W.;  Altitude  111  feet. 
Date. 
9  A.M. 
In  the  Day. 
Rain. 
1895. 
September. 
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. 
Inchs. 
Sunday  ..  1 
30-140 
59-8 
54-2 
W. 
61-9 
75-4 
46-0 
106-8 
41-8 
— 
Monday  . .  2 
29-908 
68-7 
61-2 
S.E. 
61-1 
78-2 
52-8 
121-3 
45-9 
_ 
Tuesday  . .  3 
30-052 
59-9 
58-4 
N.W. 
61-9 
78-1 
51-9 
111-3 
46-3 
— 
Wednesday  4 
30-117 
63-7 
59-3 
N. 
62-7 
74-3 
59-5 
113-9 
55-4 
Thursday . .  5 
30-103 
63-3 
57-4 
S. 
62-2 
74-0 
51-7 
116-9 
46-1 
_ 
Friday  . .  6 
30-104 
67-4 
63-2 
N. 
62-8 
74-2 
58-6 
102-7 
64-0 
1-239 
Saturday  . .  7 
29-964 
65  0 
65-0 
N. 
630 
79-0 
58-6 
118-2 
56*0 
— 
30-055 
640 
59-8 
62-2 
76-2 
54-2 
113-0 
49-4 
1-239 
REMARKS. 
1st. — Bright  throughout. 
2nd.— Misty  early  ;  almost  cloudless  day  and  night. 
3rd. — Misty  early,  and  hazy  all  morning  ;  bright  afternoon  ;  a  little  cloud  in  evening. 
4th.— Hazy  early ;  bright  sun  from  11  a.m.  ;  a  little  cloud  in  evening  and  lunar  halo. 
5th. — Sunny  throughout. 
6th.— Generally  cloudy,  hazy,  and  close,  but  sunshine  at  times. 
7th.— Four  thunderstorms  between  3  and  9  a.m.,  exceptionally  severe  between  4  and' 
5  A.M. ;  steamy  and  hazy  till  10.30  A.M. ;  bright  after. 
A  very  fine  warm  week,  with  severe  thunderstorm  in  the  early  hours  of  Saturday. 
— G.  J.  Symons. 
