454 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE.  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
May  26,  1898. 
that  is  the  reason  why  farmers  are  often  referred  to  as  real  old 
“  stick  i’the  muds  ;  ”  although  privately  our  opinion  is  that  we  move 
with  the  times,  or  perhaps  it  is  that  we  are  involuntarily  carried  along 
by  the  spirit  of  the  age. 
Who  among  Londoners  is  not  familiar  with  the  street  cry  of 
“Creeses,  fresh  Watercreeses?”  The  “creeses”  sounded  uncommonly 
long.  That  there  is  a  great  demand  for  this  tea  relish  is  proved  by 
the  ready  sale  of  the  quantities  that  find  their  way  into  not  only  the 
London  markets,  but  into  the  markets  of  the  other  great  cities,  the 
centres  of  our  thriving  industries.  We  all  require  diversities  of  food, 
and  he  is  a  wise  man  who  partakes  largely  of  fruit  and  vegetable 
fare.  That  it  is  a  natural  taste  is  amply  proved  by  the  avidity  with 
which  children  turn  to  anything  in  the  fruit  or  vegetable  line.  They 
do  not  stop  to  discriminate  between  what  is  wholesome  and  what  is 
not,  and  sour  and  unripe  fruits  are  consumed  whenever  the  opportunity 
offers.  No  thought  of  after  unpleasant  consequences  ever  act  as 
deterrents. 
We  suppose  that  we  who  live  among  abundant  garden  produce  are 
satisfied  with  it,  and  do  not  go  far  afield  to  find  refreshing  green  food. 
For  the  town  dwellers  things  are  on  a  totally  different  footing.  All 
food  has  to  be  bought  and  paid  for  in  hard  cash,  and  often  at  dear 
rates.  So  that  when  bread,  meat.  Potatoes,  eggs,  and  milk  are  bought 
there  is  not  much  surplus  left  for  other  little  delicacies. 
The  teeming  population,  the  mass  of  the  working  classes,  must 
have  something  cheap,  something  good  of  its  kind,  and  something 
easily  prepared.  Plence  the  demand  for  the  cheap  salad,  the  Cucumber, 
the  bunch  of  spring  Onions,  the  cluster  of  rosy  Eadishes.  These  are 
only  to  a  great  extent  summer  delicacies,  and  the  bunches  of  Water¬ 
cress  have  to  fill  a  large  vacuum.  We  had  till  lately  no  idea  of  the 
extent  of  this  kind  of  farming,  for  farming  it  must  be  called  ■ —  it 
reaches  beyond  market  gardening  proper. 
It  is  not  often  (according  to  our  critics)  that  we  English  farmers 
are  first  in  the  field  in  any  new  enterprise,  but  this  time  it  must  be 
accorded  to  the  credit  of  an  Englishman  that  he  was  the  first  to  make 
Watercress  cultnre  a  study.  As  early  as  1808  Mr.  William  Bradbery 
began  to  grow  this  forrq  of  salad  as  a  crop  at  Springhead,  in  Kent. 
The  name  suggests  the  first,  we  might  say  the  greatest,  requisite  for 
a  successful  business — “Springhead.”  “An  abundant  and  perpetual 
stream  is  an  absolute  necessity.”  A  stream  that  is  not  affected  by 
summer  drought,  and  whose  flow  is  too  strong  to  be  frozen  in  winter. 
Certain  land,  too,  is  more  or  less  suited  to  the  purpose.  Sandy  sub¬ 
soil  entails  a  great  outlay  of  capital,  as  the  water  is  liable  to  filter 
away  and  the  sides  of  the  beds  want  much  wharfing  to  make  them 
secure.  Then,  again,  strong  clay  speaks  for  itself — difficult  of  manipu¬ 
lation.  Chalk  and  gravelly  loam  best  meet  the  requirements  of  the 
case.  But  supposing  the  Cress  grown,  it  does  not  do  to  be  too  far  from 
a  market ;  to  be  in  perfection  it  must  be  eaten  fresh.  AVhen  wo  say  far 
from  a  market,  we  mean  rather  within  easy  distance  of  a  good  train 
service,  for  from  Hampshire  to  Liverpool  is  a  fairly  long  journey. 
Cress  growers  have  several  difficulties  to  contend  with.  AVater  ratsi 
freshwater  shrimps,  water  beetle,  and  the  caddis  worm,  with  small 
snails,  are  all  enemies  to  the  growing  plant,  and  the  water,  too, 
produces,  like  the  land,  obnoxious  weeds.  Then,  again,  whole  beds 
may  be  swept  away  by  flood  water,  a  catastrophe  verv  difficult  to 
prevent.  Of  course,  it  goes  without  saying  that  the  water  in  which 
the  Cress  is  grown  must  be  absolutely  pure  ;  no  sewage,  no  nastiness 
of  any  sort  must  approach  the  beds.  The  plant  is  used  in  an  un¬ 
cooked  state,  and  therefore  inust  be  above  susjacion. 
The  cost  of  making  Cress  beds  is  somewhat  heavy.  To  prepare  a 
bed  of  an  acre’s  extent  the  outlay  would  be  from  £90  to  £100.  Then 
ihe  plants  would  cost  another  £40 — that  is,  2  tons  of  plants  at  £20 
per  ton.  The  wages  of  the  workmen  on  the  Cress  beds  are  above 
the  average  of  the  ordinary  agricultural  labourer.  Cress  is  grown  in 
considerable  quantities  still  at  Springhead  in  Kent. 
Then  again  the  waters,  or  rather  springs,  in  and  about  Maple- 
durwell  and  Basing  in  Hampshire  are  celebrated  for  their  growths 
of  Cress,  much  of  which  finds  its  way  to  Liverpool — cooled  in  summer 
by  being  packed  with  ice,  protected  from  frost  in  winter  by  coverings 
of  brown  paper.  One  salesman  in  Covent  Garden  sells  no  Cress  except 
that  from  this  district.  In  Berkshire  we  find  large  beds  near  the 
Kennet  and  Avon  Canal.  Then,  again,  30  acres  of  Cress  are  cultivated 
near  Dorking  and  in  Sussex.  Mr.  Bradbery,  the  grandson  of  the 
original  “  Springhead”  pioneer,  is  to  be  found  at  Rickmansworth.  In 
the  basin  of  the  Thames  near  Staines  will  be  found  22  acres  ;  on  the 
river  Gade  42  ;  on  the  river  Bulbarne  41 ;  and  so  on  in  the  adjacent 
counties  of  Bucks,  Berks,  Hampshire,  and  Gloucestershire. 
The  mode  of  cultivation  would  take  too  long  to  describe  in  a  paper 
like  the  present,  but  where  any  person  is  thoroughly  interested  in  the 
subject,  and  desirous  of  utilising  any  good  springs  that  may  exist  on 
land  in  his  possession,  we  should  strongly  recommend  the  purchase 
and  perusal  of  No.  32,  third  series,  of  the  “Journal  of  Royal  Agricul¬ 
tural  Society  of  England,”  where  he  will  find  an  exhaustive  paper  on 
the  subject  by  Mr.  AV.  AV.  Glenny. 
AA^e  know  a  rental  of  £50  an  acre  paid  by  a  grower  of  AA'’atercress 
and  the  farmer  prosperous  ! 
WORK  ON  THE  HOME  FARM. 
So  far  May  has  been  very  deficient  in  sunshine,  and  though  the 
rainfall  has  not  been  heavy  there  have  been  several  cold  drizzly  days. 
Having  had  a  sufficiency  of  rain  in  April,  we  had  hoped  for  a  dry  warm 
May  ;  but  we  have  been  disappointed. 
Pastures  grow  well,  and  keeping  at  present  is  fairly  abundant.  Wheats 
vary  much,  and  look  on  the  whole  fairly  well,  but  the  forward  pieces  are 
not  now  the  best.  Hoeing  and  weeding  proceed,  and  as  regards  Wheat 
are  nearly  concluded,  but  much  remains  to  be  done  amongst  the  Barley. 
The  cold  and  wet  have  had  a  serious  effect  on  the  Barley  and  Oats  of  the 
heavier  classes  ot  land.  Warmer  soils  have  not  suffered  so  much,  but  on 
strong  or  badly  drained  lands  we  have  not  seen  Barley  show  a  worse 
prospect  for  several  years. 
Second  early  Potatoes  are  coming  well  through.  We  have  been 
covering  them  again  for  fear  of  frost,  but  shall  let  them  come  now.  The 
haulm  is  coming  up  strong,  though  the  seed  was  rather  small,  but  it  is  the 
condition  of  the  set  rather  than  the  size  that  has  most  effect  on  the 
growth.  The  soil  of  the  Potato  field  must  never  be  allowed  to  rest  now 
until  the  plants  are  earthed  up.  Potatoes  revel  in  freshly  moved  soil, 
besides  which  the  constant  cultivation  kills  every  weed  which  might 
otherwise  seriously  compete  with  the  intended  crop. 
Mangold,  thanks  to  the  moist  season,  have  come  well  so  far,  and  only 
want  sunshine  to  make  a  most  favourable  start.  They  must  be  side-hoed 
as  soon  as  they  can  be  seen  well.  This  is  most  important  in  a  cold 
season,  which  checks  the  Mangold  plants,  but  does  not  affect  the  hardy 
weeds  ;  the  latter,  therefore,  must  be  eradicated  whilst  they  are  small. 
Ploughing  has  been  the  chief  occupation  of  the  horses  lately.  Pallows 
have  turned  up  a  little  wet  and  heavy.  Harrows  and  roller  have  been 
soon  brought  into  requisition,  or  a  single  hot  day  might  have  baked  us 
many  a  large  brick. 
The  thrashing  machine  has  been  busy  of  late,  for  prices  have  been 
tempting,  and  old  stacks  are  hardly  to  be  found.  The  wind-up  has  been 
good  ;  will  the  commencement  after  harvest  be  as  favourable  ? 
Butter  is  now  very  cheap,  and  milk  being  plentiful  we  are  buying 
calves,  as  being  more  profitable  than  the  churn.  The  vicissitudes  of  the 
farmer’s  life  have  been  exemplified  to  us  by  the  loss  of  a  cow  from  milk 
fever,  the  first  case  in  twenty-one  years. 
METEOROLOaiCAL  OBSERVATIONS. 
Camden  Square,  London. 
Lat.  -51°  32'  40"  N. ;  Long.  0°  8'  O"  AV.;  Altitude  111  feet. 
Date. 
9  A.M. 
In  the  Day. 
Rain. 
1898. 
May. 
.2  c® 
S'*® 
s”  i 
Hygrometer 
Direc¬ 
tion  of 
Wind. 
Temp 
of  soil 
at 
1  foot 
deg. 
51-1 
50-1 
50-7 
50-0 
50-3 
49-9 
50 ’1 
Shade  Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Tempera¬ 
ture 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
Sun 
deg. 
90- 9 
108-1 
101-7 
109-2 
57-8 
61-2 
91- 3 
On 
Grass 
Sunday  ....  15 
Monday  ....  16 
Tuesday  ....  17 
Wednesday  IS 
Thursday  . .  19 
Friday .  20 
Saturday....  21 
inclis. 
29- 849 
30- 132 
30  “216 
30  -230 
29-918 
,29  728 
'-29-747 
deg. 
51-0 
50-1 
49- 0 
55-1 
46-3 
50- 1 
53-3 
deg. 
49-7 
43-7 
41-7 
48- 1 
45-6 
49- 2 
51-9 
Calm. 
N. 
N.W. 
N.K. 
N. 
deg. 
56- 9 
57- 9 
59- 1 
60- 1 
51-2 
.53-7 
60-0 
deg. 
41- 8 
42- 9 
38- 1 
39- 8 
39-1 
46-1 
49-6 
deg. 
37-6 
39-9 
84-3 
34-9 
34-4 
45-9 
49-9 
inchs 
0-024 
0-460 
0-235 
29-974 
50-7 
47-1 
50-3 
57  -0 
42*5 
88-6 
39-6 
0-719 
15th. — Rain  fnnn  4.30  to  O  A.M.,  and  dull  and  ilrizzly  after  ;  sunny  afternoon, 
cloudy  evening  ;  rain  at  midnight. 
16th.— Brilliant  early,  and  generally  sunny,  hut  cloudy  at  times  at  midday. 
17ch.— Sunny  early,  hazy  morning,  with  cloud  at  times,  and  dull  afternoon. 
18ch. — Cloudless  early  ;  pleasant  sunny  day,  though  cloudy  at  times. 
19th.— Dull,  damp  morning  ;  steady  heavy  rain  from  1.30  to  7  p.m. ,  and  showers 
af  uer. 
20th.— Overcast  and  gloomy  throughout,  with  almost  incessant  rain  or  drizzle. 
21st. — Dull  and  showery  early  ;  occasional  gleams  of  sun  after  10  A.M. 
Rather  cooler,  with  steady  rain  on  19th  and  20th,  but  not  enough  to  bring  the 
total  for  the  week  up  to  an  inch. — O.  .T.  S'’aion«. 
