m 
JonuN'AL  OP  uonTiotiLTVRp  Am  cottagp  oAummn. 
March  24,  1898. 
the  ribbons  and  medals  and  prize  money  have  been  distributed  ? 
Hardly.  We  show  the  best  sires  and  dams  we  can  produce  as  a 
stimulus  to  others  to  follow  our  line,  and  to  do  as  well,  if  not  better. 
But  this  is  all’of  little  use,  and  the  show  yard  an  empty  object  lesson, 
if  people  will  go  on  year  after  year  breeding  on  the  same  old  lines ; 
breeding  in-and-in,  and  knowing  little,  and  caring  less,  what  sort  of 
stock  they  have  as  long  as  it  is  stock. 
Nothing  will  get  over  the  fact  that  a  badly  bred  horse  or  beast 
will  consume  just  what  a  good  one  does,  and  in  the  long  run  hardly 
realises  what  will  pay  for  his  keep.  “  Penny  wise  and  pound  foolish.” 
We  see  it  again  and  again.  How  many  homesteads  may  we  visit  and 
find  all  the  draught  horses  old,  worn  out,  with  many,  many  screws 
loose;  and  on  a  winter’s  day  a  look  in  at  the  crew  yard  is  very 
instructive  as  to  the  “  how  not  to  do  it.”  It  is  just  the  same  all 
through  the  category,  even  down  to  the  mongrel  sheep  dog.  It  would 
be  a  queer  herd  if  there  were  not  some  cows  of  fairly  decent  type,  and 
if  their  weak  points  were  taken  into  consideration  when  the  choice 
of  a  mate  was  made  there  would  be  every  chance  of  improvement  in 
the  progeny. 
Surely  this  is  not  a  hard  matter — it  is  a  poor  neighbourhood  if 
it  cannot  produce  a  few  good  sires  whose  services  can  be  had  at  a 
reasonable  fee.  Nothing  pays  better  for  an  ordinary  farmer  who 
grazes  part  and  milks  part  than  the  purchase  of  a  really  good  Short¬ 
horn  bull.  Surely  there  are  sales  enough  over  the  country,  and  it 
does  not  take  the  wisdom  of  a  Solomon  to  pick  out  a  decent  beast. 
If  money  is  an  object  buy  a  six  or  nine  months  old  calf ;  his  keep 
will  not  amount  to  much,  and  he  will  grow  into  money.  If  you  have 
no  reliance  on  your  own  judgment  there  are  plenty  of  auctioneers 
who  will  get  you  the  right  article  on  commission,  and  probably  at 
a  less  figure  than  you  would  yourself. 
To  anyone  who  knows  much  of  agricultural  movement,  the  name 
of  Sir  Jacob  Wilson  is  familiar.  Of  a  good  old  Northumberland 
family,  years  ago  he  was  the  Northumberland  Agricultural  Society, 
its  life,  its  moving  spirit.  Nothing  makes  a  show  go  like  an  active 
secretary,  and  he  raised  the  Northumberland  Show  to  a  high  position. 
Public  duties  made  him  relinquish  his  post  some  years  ago,  but  the  spirit 
of  enterprise  is  still  alive,  and  it  has  fallen  to  the  lot  of  that  society  to 
mike  a  new  movement  which  must  prove  of  the  greatest  possible 
benefit  to  the  tenant  farmers  of  the  county.  It  is  only  right  that  the 
Northern  counties  should  take  the  initiative  in  this  matter,  for  to 
them  belongs  the  glory  of  all  the  traditions  of  the  first  Shorthorn 
breeders. 
The  Society  has  resolved  to  devote  the  sum  of  £300  to  the  purchase 
of  pedigree  bulls  for  the  use  of  the  farmers  of  the  county.  Members 
of  the  Society  are  expected  to  pay  a  fee  of  4s.,  and  non-members 
whose  rental  does  not  exceed  £50.  Now  this  last  we  think  is  a  grand 
idea.  The  richer  farmer  would  not  be  likely  to  grudge  a  fairly  large 
service  fee ;  but  to  the  poor  man,  whose  shillings  are  few,  the  fee  is 
of  great  moment,  and  it  is  so  necessary  that  he  with  his  one  or  two 
cows  should  be  able  to  make  the  most  of  their  produce,  and  get  his 
young  stock  early  into  the  market.  Badly  bred  beasts,  like  Pharaoh’s 
lean  kine,  are  never  fat.  One  bull  within  a  radius  of  five  miles.  He 
is  to  be  kept  by  a  farmer  who  will  receive  as  payment  for  his  keep 
the  service  fees.  Is  not  this  a  much  better  plan  than  the  one  that  has 
been  suggested — namely,  that  animals  should  be  provided  on  the  same 
lines  as  the  Queen’s  premium  horses  ?  We  think  so.  We  have  always 
advocated  that  self-help  is  b/  far  the  most  valuable.  We  do  not 
much  believe  in  the  bounty  system,  and  surely  other  agricultural 
societies  might  take  example,  and  go  and  do  likewise. 
If  we  mistake  not,  a  few  years  will  show  such  improvement  in  the 
stock  of  Northumberland  farmers  as  will  surprise  many  weak  minds. 
We  need  only  instance  what  has  been  done  in  our  own  neighbourhood 
in  the  matter  of  draught  horses  since  the  introduction  of  a  Shire 
horse  stud  by  a  landed  proprietor.  At  the  annual  local  show  can 
be  found  mares  and  foals  fit  for  any  company,  and  buyers  are 
attracted  from  all  parts.  Times  do  not  allow  of  any  second-class 
stock  ;  the  best,  or  none  at  all. 
We  have  just  been  reading  a  few  statistics  of  the  stock  revival  in 
the  States,  and  we  must  bear  in  mind  six  days  will  bring  a  cargo  from 
New  York  to  Liverpool.  If  we  fail  to  provide  meat,  America  is  ready* 
and  increasingly  ready.  January  1st,  1898,  shows  an  increase  in  the 
value  of  horses,  mules,  cattle,  sheep,  and  pigs  of  £30,000,000  over  th«^ 
January  of  1897.  All  their  stock  is  increasing  in  value  per  head* 
They  are  tired  of  breeding  inferior  cattle,  and  will  now  only  have  the 
purest  and  best.  Texas  can  show  a  million  more  cattle  than  are  found 
in  all  England,  and  the  State  of  Iowa,  which  is  by  no  means  a  large 
one,  can  produce  as  many  as  we  have.  The  States,  as  a  whole,  have 
32,000,000  cows  in  milk,  and  of  a  good  type.  The  Americans  have 
found  out  that  there  are  cows  and  cows,  and  they  intend  that  their 
dairy  cows  shall  be  real  “fill  pails.” 
No  wonder  we  see  plfinty  of  American  bacon  with  50,000,000  pigs* 
and  power  to  add  to  their  numbers ;  truly  these  figures  are  stupendous. 
They  always  do  things  on  a  big  scale  in  America.  We  cannot  hope  to 
beat  them  in  numbers,  but  we  still  think  we  might  do  a  good  deal  to 
beat  them  as  to  quality. 
WORK  ON  THE  HOME  FARM. 
Very  sharp  frosts  and  dry  warm  days  have  been  the  rule  the  last 
week.  We  have  stopped  the  drill,  as  the  frost  has  not  disappeared 
generally  until  ten  or  eleven  o’clock,  and  the  land  is  still  a  little  rough. 
The  fact  is,  we  want  rain  to  make  drilling  go  really  well,  and  a  nice 
soaking  would  do  good  everywhere.  We  can  hardly  expect  to  get  enough 
to  replenish  the  springs,  for  they  are  very  low,  some  being  already  dried 
up.  This  is  a  very  serious  state  of  affairs,  and  nothing  but  a  moist  summer 
can  save  us  from  very  great  inconvenience,  if  not  disastrous  loss  of  stock, 
(or  without  rain  a  water  famine  there  must  be. 
We  never  knew  such  a  favourable  time  for  cleaning  land,  and  little 
remains  to  be  done  in  that  direction.  The  dry  condition  of  the  soil  is  in 
favour  of  ploughing  down  land  meant  for  Turnips,  and  leaving  it  as 
close  and  firm  as  possible  until  almost  the  time  to  sow  ;  the  moisture 
will  thus  be  best  retained,  and  no  chance  of  a  Turnip  plant  will  be  thrown 
away. 
Potatoes  are  being  planted  very  favourably,  as  we  like  to  see  them  in 
a  dry  seed-bed  if  the  tilth  be  good.  We  are  giving  phosphate  and  kainit 
with  the  sets,  and  shall  give  nitrogen  as  a  top-dressing.  We  are  planting 
Up  to  Date  on  the  weakest  land  ;  it  is  inclined  to  get  too  large  on  good 
soils.  We  are  putting  Elephants  into  the  medium,  and  Her  Majesty  into 
the  best  soils,  whilst  we  are  not  entirely  forsaking  Bruce,  which  has 
proved  a  good  friend  under  very  varying  conditions. 
Lambing  progresses  slowly  but  satisfactorily  ;  the  crop  is  not  heavy 
but  fair,  and  losses  so  far  are  insignificant. 
A  cow  which  presented  us  with  twin  calves  last  year  has  done  the 
same  again  ;  the  juveniles  are  small  but  healthy,  and  we  should  like  the 
mother  to  continue  in  such  a  good  way. 
Roots  are  still  plentiful,  though  not  quite  so  abundant  as  a  month 
ago,  and  pastures  having  been  much  cut  by  frost  there  is  a  little  anxiety 
in  some  quarters  as  to  the  April  food  supply.  Feeding  sheep  have  never 
done  better  than  this  winter,  roots  have  been  sound  and  good,  and  layer 
has  been  so  dry  that  lameness  can  but  have  been  caused  by  culpable 
neglect. 
METEOROLOGICAL  OBSERVATIONS. 
Camden  Sqttaee  London. 
Lat.  51°  32'  40"  N.;  Long.  0°  8'  0"  W.;  Altitude  111  feet. 
Date. 
1898. 
March. 
Sunday  . . . 
Monday  . . . 
Tuesday  . . . 
Wednesday 
Thursday  . 
Friday . 
Saturday.. . 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
§2® 
MU'® 
inchs 
29-999 
9  A.M. 
In  the  Day. 
Rain. 
Hygrometer 
Direc¬ 
tion  of 
Wind. 
Temp 
of  sod 
at 
1  foot 
Shade  Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Tempera¬ 
ture. 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
Sun 
On 
Grass 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
inchs. 
35-4 
34-5 
N.W. 
37-8 
50-4 
25-1 
75-1 
22-8 
— 
43-9 
41-9 
W. 
37-9 
50-4 
34-9 
68-7 
28-6 
0-032 
39-2 
35-3 
W. 
38-2 
52-6 
27-3 
84-9 
23-4 
— 
48-6 
46-6 
W. 
39-4 
56-1 
39-8 
91-7 
31-6 
— 
49-1 
46-1 
AV. 
41-0 
56-2 
43-7 
83-6 
27-3 
— 
52-2 
49-9 
AV. 
42-7 
59-1 
48-7 
91-9 
43-7 
— 
52-8 
48-2 
AV. 
44-0 
56-5 
48-8 
76T 
44-1 
0-173 
45-9 
43-2 
40*1 
■ 
54-5 
38-3 
81-7 
31-6 
0-205 
REMARKS. 
13th.— Overcast  morning  ;  sunny  afternoon,  and  fair  evening. 
14th.— Overcast,  with  spots  of  rain  early  ;  showery  between  ten  and  noon  ;  generally 
sunny  from  1  P.M. 
15th. — A  little  fog  early,  but  sunshine  nearly  throughout ;  halo  in  afternoon. 
16th. — Alternate  cloud  and  sun,  and  threatening  about  1  P.M. ;  clear  night. 
17tli._Overcast  morning  ;  occasional  sunshine  in  afternoon. 
18th.— Fine,  and  frequently  sunny. 
19th.— Generally  overcast  morning  ;  drizzle  from  3  P.M.,  and  almost  continuous 
rain  from  4  P.M.  to  10  P.M. 
A  fine  week,  and  the  latter  part  warmer ;  rain  still  below  the  average.— 
G.  J.  Symons. 
