404 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAOE  GARDENER. 
October  24,  \895. 
PLANTS  IN  POTS. 
6. 
d. 
8. 
d. 
8. 
d. 
8. 
d. 
Arbor  Vital  (golden)  dozen 
6 
0  to  12 
0 
Perns  'siraU'/  per  hundred 
4 
0 
to  6 
0 
Aspidistra,  dozen  . .  . . 
18 
0 
36 
0 
Ficus  elastica,  each  ..  .. 
1 
0 
7 
0 
Aspidistra,  specimen  plant 
5 
0 
10 
6 
Foliage  plants,  var.  each 
Heliotrope,  per  dozen 
2 
0 
10 
0 
Chrysanthemums,  per  doz 
6 
0 
18 
0 
4 
0 
6 
0 
Coleus,  per  doz . 
2 
6 
4 
0 
Lycopodiums,  dozen  ..  .. 
3 
0 
4 
0 
Dracaena,  various,  dozen  . . 
12 
0 
30 
0 
Marguerite  Daisy,  dozen  .. 
6 
0 
9 
0 
Dracffina  viridis,  dozen  . . 
9 
0 
18 
0 
Yellow  „ 
Myrtles,  dozen  . 
9 
0 
18 
0 
Ericas,  various,  per  dozen  . 
9 
0 
24 
0 
6 
0 
9 
0 
Euonymus.  var.,  dozen  .. 
6 
0 
18 
0 
Palms,  in  var..  each  .. 
1 
0 
15 
0 
Evergreens,  in  var.,  dozen 
6 
0 
24 
0 
„  (specimens)  ..  .. 
21 
0 
S3 
0 
Ferns  in  variety,  dozen  .. 
4 
0 
18 
0 
ASPECTS  OF  HOME  FARMING. 
If  you  would  have  good  butter  in  the  winter  use  no  milk  from 
a  stale  cow,  avoid  Swedes,  white  Turnips,  much  Cabbage,  Kale, 
silage,  linseed  cake,  or  any  food  at  all  likely  to  impart 
unpleasant  flavour  to  the  milk.  See  also  that  the  wa‘er  is  pure 
and  fresh.  Arrange  to  have  a  cow  or  two  to  calve  at  short 
intervals  during  the  winter;  let  the  food  consist  of  the  best 
meadow  hay,  crushed  Oats,  bran,  and  a  moderate  quantity  of 
either  Carrots,  Mangold,  Cabbage,  or  Kale  Withdraw  the 
cows  altogether  from  the  pasture  by  about  the  end  of  October, 
and  get  them  settled  comfortably  in  the  yards  for  the  winter. 
It  is  certain  that  cows  turned  out  on  pasture  by  day  in 
winter  sustain  more  or  less  harm.  It  may  proceed  no  farther 
than  a  certain  loss  of  condition,  but  cases  of  abortion,  severe 
colds  and  coughs,  and  also  the  actual  loss  of  valuable  animals 
have  followed  such  exposure.  Yery  little  nutrition  is  there  in 
pasture  herbage  then,  and  if  cows  are  as  well  fed  in  the  yard 
and  cow  hovel  as  they  ought  to  be  they  will  not  seek  for  food  on 
a  bare  pasture,  but  will  stand  about  listlessly  by  a  hedge,  wall, 
or  building,  often  in  mud  puddles  or  pools  of  water,  waiting  to 
be  let  into  the  yard  again.  Worse,  much  worse  than  this,  is  the 
barbarous  practice  of  keeping  cows  out  on  pasture  in  the  winter 
to  “  clear  up  the  fog,”  giving  them  only  a  scanty  bite  of  hay 
once  during  the  day. 
Exposure  to  cold  and  wet,  insufficient  or  improper  food,  the 
worrying  and  injury  inflicted  by  the  big  strong  cows  on  smaller, 
weaker  animals,  an  unsettled  condition  by  foolish  turning  out 
from  snug  yards  into  bleak  pa  ture  under  the  erroneous  idea 
that  the  cows  require  exercise,  all  tend  to  hurtfully  affect  both 
the  quantity  and  quality  of  milk.  Depend  on  it  close  attention 
to  every  detail  affecting  the  comfort  and  condition  of  the  cows 
is  the  basis  of  successful  butter  making  in  the  winter.  It  is 
admitted  that  the  flavour  and  colour  of  midsummer  butter  are 
not  to  be  had  at  midwinter  ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  butter  that 
is  sweet,  palatable,  and  wholesome  may  be  always  forthcoming. 
The  cause  of  failure,  of  butter  having  an  offensive  odour 
and  flavour,  alike  unpleasant  to  smell  and  taste,  may  often  be 
traced  to  the  use  of  milk  from  stale  cows.  Strict  orders  have 
been  given  that  the  milk  of  one  or  more  fresh  cows  should  be 
reserved  for  the  daily  churning.  As  a  rule,  such  orders  have 
attention,  but  there  are  moments  of  carelessness  when  they  are 
forgotten,  milk  or  milk  pails  get  mixed,  and  then  the  dairy- 
woman’s  efforts  to  make  good  butter  are  certain  to  fail.  Many 
a  time  have  we  inquired  why  the  butter  of  the  day  was  bad. 
We  have  examined  all  the  dairy  implements,  bear’d  declarations 
of  having  done  all  that  could  be  done,  and  have  then  turned  to 
the  cowyard  for  a  complete  overhauling  of  affairs  there,  winding 
up  by  seeing  the  cows  milked,  and  the  night  milk  taken  to  the 
separator.  If  the  latter  is  always  done  the  next  butter  will  be 
sweet  enough,  and  it  is  worth  while  making  the  milkmen  under¬ 
stand  that  it  is  so. 
The  dairy  herd  of  cows  was  a  carefully  selected  strain  of 
pure  Guernseys,  giving  milk  quite  equal  in  richness  to  that  of 
the  best  Jerseys,  while  the  cows  were  decidedly  more  robust, 
of  larger  frames,  and  more  vigorous  constitution.  By  way  of 
experiment  some  of  the  cows  were  crossed  with  a  Shorthorn 
bull,  and  we  were  convinced  that  by  such  cross-breeding  cows 
could  be  had  with  the  best  possible  combination  of  beef  and 
rich  milk.  But,  on  the  whole,  it  is  best  to  have  two  distinct 
herds — the  one  of  pure  Guernseys  or  Jerseys  for  the  dairy,  the 
other  of  any  good  breed  for  beef — in  the  south  it  may  be 
Sussex  or  Devons,  in  the  Midlands  Herefords  or  Shorthorns,. 
In  the  north  Aberdeen  Angus,  Galloways,  or  the  popular  Blue 
Greys  so  dear  to  every  Border  grazier,  just  because  he  knows 
there’s  money  in  them. 
In  a  letter  received  recently  from  a  Cumberland  estate  agent 
we  were  told  of  a  pair  of  Blue  Greys,  three  years  old,  for  which 
an  offer  of  £40  apiece  had  just  been  refused,  the  owner  saying 
he  would  not  take  less  than  £50  apiece  for  them.  Of  course- 
they  must  have  been  well  managed  from  the  birth,  but  un¬ 
questionably  breeding  tells  both  for  dairy  and  grazing  stock. 
(To  be  continued.) 
WORK  ON  THR  HOME  FARM. 
An  abundant  crop  <3f  acorns  has  been  turned  to  account  by  collecting 
for  winter  use,  taking  care  to  have  them  picked  up  under  the  Oak  trees, 
on  pasture  first,  as  sheep  and  cattle  are  so  fond  of  them  that  they  pack 
themselves  with  them,  and  then  we  hear  of  cases  of  what  is  termed 
acorn  poisoning.  Yet  acorns  are  both  wholesome  and  nutritious,  so 
much  so  that  when  they  begin  to  fall  we  always  withhold  the  crushed 
Oats  from  the  “  mutton  sheep,”  as  the  flock  is  termed  whence  mutton  is 
obtained  for  the  household  supply.  They  are  certain  to  find  enough 
acorns  while  they  are  falling,  and  afterwards  they  have  them  in  the 
feeding  troughs.  The  improvement  in  condition  of  the  sheep  having 
acorns  is  so  remarkable  that  we  always  like  to  hold  over  some  for  them 
as  long  as  possible. 
Our  addition  to  the  “  mutton  ”  flock  this  autumn  has  been  a  few  well- 
bred  old  ewes  drafted  from  the  breeding  flock.  They  are  quite  healthy 
and  in  fair  condition,  but  are  losing  teeth.  Our  object  in  reserving 
such  sheep  is  to  meet  a  special  call  from  the  household  for  fine  flavoured 
mutton,  which  in  these  days  of  early  maturity  has  come  to  be  a  rarity. 
The  high  colour  and  rich  flavour  so  dear  to  the  eye  and  palate  of 
connoisseur  can  only  be  had  from  old  sheep,  and  for  such  sheep  to  be 
available  they  must  be  selected  with  care,  well  fed,  and  the  mutton  must 
be  hung  sufficiently  long  to  insure  perfect  tenderness.  In  order  that 
there  is  no  mistake  about  this  the  carcases  should  be  cut  up  at  the 
farm,  the  special  joints  labelled  with  the  date  of  killing,  and  sent  to  the 
kitchen  when  ready  with  the  date  attached  to  them. 
A  selection  of  bacon  hogs  has  been  made,  and  they  are  now  being  fed 
specially  for  this  purpose.  We  select  them  of  different  ages  so  as  to 
avoid  any  crowding  in  the  pickling  room,  and  in  the  drying,  for  each  of 
which  processes  a  month  is  required  by  us,  as  we  keep  to  the  old,  if  slow, 
processes  which  have  answered  our  purpose  so  long.  We  have  to  fill  the 
bacon-room  in  the  winter  for  the  whole  year’s  supply,  and  must  have 
thorough  pickling  and  drying  to  do  this  well.  Oatmeal  from  Oats  grown 
on  the  farm  and  separated  milk  is  our  dietary,  both  for  porkers  and 
bacon  hogs. 
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. 
Bain, 
1895. 
October. 
Barometer 
at  32°,  and 
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. 
Simday  ..  13 
33-220 
53-0 
49-9 
N.W. 
52-0 
56-4 
47-1 
63-1 
38-4 
Monday  ..  14 
30-069 
51-3 
48-2 
S.W. 
52-1 
60-2 
48-0 
83-4 
41-0 
— 
Tuesday  . .  15 
30-003 
49-4 
49-4 
N.E. 
5-2-1 
62-J 
43-6 
77-2 
34-1 
0-193 
Wednesday  16 
30-147 
48-9 
47-2 
N. 
5-2-9 
55-2 
48-5 
94-9 
47-9 
— 
Thursday . .  17 
30-504 
43-7 
40-9 
N. 
51-0 
55-9 
37-0 
89-2 
34-3 
— 
Friday  . .  18 
30-554 
44-7 
42-2 
N. 
49  4 
55-8 
36-2 
74-4 
31-3 
Saturday,.  19 
30-428 
49-7 
47-9 
N. 
49-7 
52-8 
41-9 
56-2 
36-7 
— 
30-275 
48-7 
46-5 
51-3 
56-9 
43-2 
77-3 
38-2 
0-193 
REMARKS. 
13tli. — Fine,  but  no  bright  sunshine 
14th. — Pine,  generally  sunny  ;  solar  halo  in  morning. 
15th. — Foggy  early,  the  sun  shining  through  it  from  ten  to  noon,  overcast  after  t  spots- 
of  rain  at  4  P.M.,  and  heavy  rain  in  evening. 
16th. — Showers  early  and  overcast  till  9  A.M.,  generally  sunny  after. 
17th. — Almost  unbroken  sunshine. 
18th. — Fine  and  frequently  sunny. 
19th.— Overcast  all  day. 
An  average  week,  but  atmospheric  pressure  rather  high.— G.  J.  Symons. 
