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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
September  28,  189rh 
farmer  welcomes  the  day  when  the  pastures  are  well  enough 
grown  to  find  the  necessary  sustenance.  It  is  a  fortunate  thing 
when  there  is  plenty  of  grass  near  home,  labour  is  saved,  and 
time  gained  ;  but  a  horse  requires  more  than  an  ample  pasture. 
He  must  have  a  good  -water  supply,  and  he  must,  by  a  good 
fence,  be  kept  from  straying  into  his  master’s  cornfields,  or  those  of 
his  master’s  neighbours.  A  few  draught  horses  will  soon  make  as 
much  havoc  as  a  herd  of  elephants,  to  say  nothing  of  the  injury  to 
themselves  by  a  gorge  of  ripening  grain.  A  strand  of  barbed  wire  has 
a  miraculous  effect  in  keeping  horses  at  home,  but  against  the  hunting 
season  it  should  be  removed. 
The  pasture  should  not  be  grazed  too  early  in  the  season — i.e. ,  let 
the  grass  get  a  really  good  start  before  horses  are  turned  in,  otherwise, 
before  the  season  is  half  over,  there  will  be  little  or  no  food,  and  instead 
of  a  good  feed  and  then  a  rest,  the  horses  will,  in  their  search  for  food, 
spend  all  their  time  roaming  about.  A  poor  pasture  tends  to  broken 
fences.  It  is  not  in  the  nature  of  things  to  be  hungry  and  see  across 
the  way  ample  supplies,  the  only  barrier  being  a  fence  that  will  yield 
to  pressure. 
There  are  holdings  where  grass  land  about  the  homestead  are  scarce. 
What  little  there  is  must  be  reserved  for  the  cows,  and  therefore  if 
the  horses  are  to  have  green  food  of  any  sort,  it  must  be  specially 
grown  and  cut,  and  brought  to  them.  This,  of  course,  entails  more 
labour,  but  that  cannot  be  avoided.  There  are  many  crops  suitable 
for  this  purpose.  Eye  comes  in  early  (possibly  before  the  end  of  April). 
It  is  not  a  bad  plan  to  cut  up  the  Eye,  mixing  it  with  Wheat  chaff. 
Too  much  “  green  meat  ”  as  a  start  is  often  injurious.  Horses  don’t 
know  when  they  have  quite  had  enough,  so  the  rations  must  be  regu¬ 
lated  till  the  stomach  gets  accustomed  to  the  change  of  diet.  It  is 
well  to  cut  all  green  food  some  little  time  before  it  is  needed,  so  that 
the  excessive  moisture  may,  in  a  measure,  disappear.  After  Eye  will 
come  in  a  mixture  possibly  of  Eye  and  Tares,  or  Tares  and  winter 
Oats,  Eye  Grass,  Tares  grown  separately,  Lucerne,  Sainfoin,  and  second 
*  crop  Clover.  It  always  seems  a  pity  to  us  that  Lucerne  is  not  more 
grown ;  it  is  a  most  valuable  forage  crop,  and  if  we  are  to  have,  as 
at  present  seems  possible,  a  succession  of  dry  seasons,  it  should  never 
be  omitted  from  the  farm  bill  of  fare. 
There  will  sometimes  be  carr  grass  land  or  water  meadows  at  a 
distance  from  home,  and  it  is  not  a  bad  plan  to  take  the  cart  horses 
down  as  early  as  possible  on  Saturday  afternoon  and  let  them  have  a 
Sunday’s  liberty.  It  makes  a  pleasant  change  from  the  stable,  and 
also  lessens  the  horseman’s  Sunday  work.  The  cool  soft  grass  is  good 
for  the  feet,  indeed  we  would  remark  by  the  way  that  if  it  is  at  all 
feasible,  young  horses  should  be  brought  up  on  soft  meadow  land,  the 
hoof  has  a  chance  of  proper  growth,  and  is  less  liable  to  be  brittle  or 
deformed.  Of  course  a  generous  diet  acts  on  bones  and  muscles,  so 
that  the  benefit  is  doubled.  Without  good  feet  a  horse  is  nowhere. 
There  is  always  a  chance  of  more  or  less  colic  in  autumn.  There 
is  often  a  flush  of  green  food.  There  is  loose  grain  about,  and  a 
handful  of  fresh  ears  are  tempting.  The  weather  is  variable;  nights 
and  mornings  really  sharp  and  cold,  with  hot  midday  sun ;  and 
October  finds  horses  in  lowish  condition.  Their  coats  are  beginning 
to  change,  and  it  is  well  they  should  be  watched.  Some  horses  are 
particularly  liable  to  attacks  of  colic  spring  and  autumn,  and  colic 
drinks  should  always  be  handy.  It  is  poor  economy  keeping  horses 
out  at  grass  late  in  the  autumn;  it  is  bad  for  the  grass  and  bad  for 
the  animals.  There  is  not  much  nutrition  to  be  obtained,  and  less 
ood  in  a  comfortable  stable  will  keep  them  in  better  condition.  It  is 
easier  to  lose  condition  than  to  regain  it. 
WORK  ON  THE  HOME  FARM. 
The  weather  now  appears  to  be  thoroughly  broken,  and  we  are  having 
rain  every  day.  The  soil  is  thoroughly  moistened  through,  and  ploughs 
are  working  merrily  and  well.  There  will  be  no  trouble  about  getting 
the  Wheat  in,  but  the  season  will  be  late,  as  the  land  should  be  ploughed 
a  month  before  sowing.  Five  inches  is  quite  deep  enough  to  plough  for 
Wheat,  and  shallow  enough  too  ;  in  fact  it  is  just  the  right  depth  at 
which  the  herbage  may  be  well  buried  and  a  firm  seed  bed  secured. 
If  it  is  intended  to  use  the  drill  no  time  should  be  lost  in  using  the 
ro1!  after  the  plough.  The  roller  should  pass  over  the  ground  at  least 
twice,  and  no  opportunity  must  be  neglected  of  getting  this  operation 
completed.  Upon  the  solidity  of  the  seed  bed  often  depends  the  success  of 
the  crop. 
There  is  more  threshing  doing,  but  less  than  usual  for  September,  in 
fact  markets  still  look  comparatively  deserted.  Notwithstanding  the 
limited  home  supplies,  we  note  that  Wheat  is  lower  on  the  week.  Barley 
is  quoted  a  shilling  higher  in  the  averages,  but  this  is  misleading,  as  it  is 
only  caused  by  the  increasing  sales  of  malting  in  proportion  to  those  of 
grinding  qualities.  As  a  fact  the  price  of  malting  Barley  is  hardly  fixed 
yet,  the  largest  brewers  not  having  come  on  the  market,  and  purchases 
having  been  made  principally  by  merchants  speculating.  We  are  informed 
in  a  good  quarter  that  prices  will  hardly  reach  30  per  cent,  except  for 
the  choicest  lots. 
Pastures  have  improved  and  show  a  fair  bite  for  the  stock,  but  grass 
in  autumn  is  not  very  nutritious,  and  far-seeing  owners  will  not  be 
niggardly  in  the  use  of  cake.  They  will  also  take  measures  to  insure  a 
winter  supply  at  present  prices,  for  the  consumption  of  oil  cake  and  other 
artificial  toods  is  certain  to  be  large,  and  prices  must  rise. 
Surely  hay  must  be  worth  buying  at  present  price  in  view  of  a  certain 
dearth  of  roots.  There  is  also  plenty  of  room  for  a  substantial  rise  in 
the  value  of  straw. 
Potatoes  must  be  lifted  as  soon  as  ready,  for  we  continue  to  hear 
persistent  rumours  of  disease  on  the  deeper  soils.  This,  in  conjunction 
with  the  partial  failure  in  other  parts  owing  to  drought,  will  probably 
bring  about  a  rise  in  price  before  Christmas. 
Lambs  are  still  a  source  of  anxiety,  being  poor  in  condition,  and  losses 
occur  daily.  They  are  cheaper  than  ever.  Good  lamb  is  now  the  same 
price  as  mutton. 
Demand  foe  Small  Holdings.— The  demand  for  small  holdings 
in  the  southern  part  of  Lincolnshire  is  said  to  continue,  notwithstanding 
the  low  prices  which  obtain  for  agricultural  produce.  Those  having 
small  farms  to  let  experience  no  difficulty  whatever  in  securing  a  tenant  ; 
on  the  contrary,  they  are  frequently  inundated  with  applications.  As  an 
instance  of  this  it  may  be  stated  that  one  estate  agent,  who  advertised  a 
farm  of  20  acres,  has  this  week  received  no  less  than  sixty  applications 
for  the  place,  which  it  is  anticipated  will  let  readily  at  42s.  an  acre. 
Some  of  the  applicants  have  even  offered  to  pay  half  a  year’s  rent  in 
advance. 
Hop-picking  Over. — The  Hop  picking  in  the  Farnham  district  i» 
now  practically  over.  Poles  will  be  still  standing  in  some  p'antations, 
but  these  Hops  will  have  lost  much  of  their  virtue.  Speaking  generally, 
much  satisfaction  is  expressed  at  the  crop.  At  present  prices  aie  not 
high,  but  Farnham  growers  are  holding  on  for  a  rise.  This  year  there 
has  been  very  little  trouble,  comparatively  speaking,  with  the  pickers. 
In  most  cases  they  received  2d.  per  bushel,  and  with  one  exception  this 
price  has  given  satisfaction.  The  accommodation  provided  by  the  growers 
for  the  “  foreign  ”  pickers  has  been  somewhat  better.  By  the  end  of  tbe- 
week,  says  a  contemporary,  the  hoppers  in  Kent  will  have  finished  their 
work.  Many  of  the  pickers  have  already  returned  to  London. 
Goat-keeping. — Goat- keeping  to  profit  has  been  written  about  a 
good  deal,  but  few  people  have  taken  to  the  peculiar  animals.  It  is  quite 
true  there  is  plenty  of  waste  land  in  the  country  where  quantities  might 
be  kept.  The  she-goat  probably  gives  more  milk  and  richer  according 
to  its  size  than  aDy  other  animal.  There  are  no  doubt  (says  the  “  Rural 
World  ”)  numerous  householders  in  the  country  w  ho  buy  their  milk  now 
that  might  keep  goats  and  get  their  milk  all  the  purer  and  all  the  more 
nutritious  from  the  animals.  The  milking  certainly  might  prove  a  poser 
to  some,  but  surely  the  difficulty  might  be  got  over.  Maidservants  are 
the  best  milkers  in  the  counties  of  Cornwall,  Devon,  Somerset,  and 
Cheshire,  and  some  other  dairy  counties  in  England  and  Wales. 
Pigeons. — There  is  no  reason  why  pigeons  should  not  be  kept  more 
extensively  now  so  much  land  is  laid  down  to  turf  and  all  kinds  of  corn- 
are  so  cheap.  On  grass  fields  they  feed  a  good  deal,  and  that  without 
doing  an  atom  of  damage.  And  even  on  arable  land  they  are  far  from 
guilty  of  always  doing  harm.  They  devour  a  good  deal  of  that  very 
bad  weed  charlock,  both  in  flower  and  in  seed,  and  the  same  may  be  said 
about  one  or  two  other  troublesome  weeds.  The  young  birds  meet  with 
ready  sale  at  about  Is.  4d.  or  Is.  8d.  a  pair,  and  as  breeding  goes  on  nearly 
all  the  year  round,  a  good  sum  may  be  made  from  a  flock  in  the  course  of 
a  year.  A  good  deal  of  corn  that  the  old  birds  pick  up  would  be  wasted 
if  not  thus  devoured,  and  even  what  is  served  to  them,  as  before  said,  is  not 
worth  much  nowadays. 
Chickens. — Where  large  numbers  of  chickens  are  kept  in  one  run  (a. 
system  of  which  we  strongly  disapprove)  the  greatest  care  must  be  taken 
to  scatter  the  food  well  about,  or  preferably  to  feed  with  a  good  number 
of  troughs  placed  up  and  down  the  run.  If  only  one  or  even  two  troughs 
are  used,  the  big  ones  will  go  hungry  away,  We  would  urge  on  our 
readers  (says  a  contemporary)  the  necessity  of  picking  out  the  chickens 
this  week  and  giving  all  a  fair  chance.  Then  not  only  do  we  find  chickens 
of  different  sizes  placed  together,  but  we  actually  find  cockerels  and 
pullets  running  in  the  same  runs.  This  plan  is  heedlessly  adopted  by 
thousands  of  poultry  keepers.  Theoretically,  perhaps,  they  disapprove 
of  what  they  are  doing,  but  practically  they  cannot  be  bothered  to  have 
separate  runs  made  for  the  different  sexes.  Nothing  looks  so  bad  as  to 
see  these  mixed  lots.  A  pen  of  growing  cockerels  and  a  pen  of  growing 
pullets  are  equally  satisfactory  in  appearance,  but  when  they  are  all 
muddled  up  together,  it  is  most  difficult  to  decide  on  the  points.  This  ia 
not  often  considered,  but  for  mere  appearance  alone  the  birds  should  b& 
divided. 
