132 
JOURNAL  OR  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
February  6,  1896. 
Where  Turnips  are  easily  grown  it  is  a  great  temptation  to  let 
the  ewes  have  them  and  little  or  nothing  else  beside ;  in  mode¬ 
ration  they  are  good,  but  it  must  be  remembered  that  at  best  they 
are  very  watery  food  and  they  should  be  supplemented  liberally 
with  a  more  generous  diet.  There  are  so  many  alternat  ves  that 
a  farmer  must  be  either  niggardly  or  a  bad  manager  who  does 
not  see  that  his  flock  have  their  share  of  hay  or  Clover,  cut 
meat,  some  dried  grains  or  malt  culms ;  in  fact,  no  wholesome 
dry  food  comes  amiss,  and  good  dry  food  is  an  absolute  neces¬ 
sity.  Clover  and  hay  are  too  valuable  to  be  thrown  recklessly 
about  a  Turnip  fold,  and  a  covered  hay  rack  is  a  good  invest¬ 
ment.  Failing  that,  a  piece  of  netting  filled  and  hung  on  the 
net  stakes,  having  the  appearance  of  a  long  bag,  is  a  good 
substitute.  During  a  hard  frost  extra  rations  must  be  served 
out ;  bear  in  mind  that,  bad  as  frozen  Turnips  are,  they  cannot 
be  compared  with  those  Turnips  when  a  thaw  sets  in.  Ewes 
fed  on  White  Turnips  are  less  liable  to  difficult  lambing  than 
those  fed  on  Swedes.  It  must  be  remembered,  too,  that  a  sheep 
needs  a  certain  amount  of  exercise — in  a  natural  state  their 
range  is  wide — in  a  penned-up  fold  the  area  is  very  circum¬ 
scribed;  and  if,  in  addition,  the  layer  is  damp  and  cold,  the 
animal  gets  so  clogged  that  movement  is  almost  an  impossi¬ 
bility.  At  all  costs  sheep  under  such  circumstances  must  be 
removed  to  grass  or  old  seeds.  Indeed,  be  the  layer  ever  so  dry, 
and  the  farmer  ever  so  liberal,  a  day  off  once  a  week  is  of 
inestimable  benefit. 
One  clever  sheep  farmer  of  our  acquaintance  always  gives 
his  ewes  a  “  Sunday  at  home  ”  on  grass  They  benefit  by  the 
change  of  food,  and  perhaps  more  even  than  that  by  the  gentle 
exercise  The  food  is  not  concentrated  in  a  few  square  yards, 
and  they  must  be  ever  on  the  move  to  find  it.  A  pasture  where 
there  is  ergot-bearing  Rye  will  be  a  fruitful  cause  of  abortion. 
This,  of  course,  would  not  occur  twice.  A  flock  wintered  on 
grass  will  usually  prove  the  healthiest,  requiring  but  little  hand 
meat  if  the  weather  be  open.  If  a  few  Mangolds  can  be  spared 
they  are  very  desirable  food,  as  they  aid  much  in  the  production 
of  milk  We  have  known  a  farmer  with  a  plethora  of  grass 
take  in  his  neighbour’s  ewes,  and  in  exchange  fold  liD  hogs  on 
his  friend's  abundant  Swedes.  This  was  an  excellent  arrange 
ment  for  both  parties.  A  week  before  lambing  commences  it 
is  advisable  to  remove  the  sheep  altogether  from  Turnips.  Of 
course,  ewes  are  every  year  lambed  on  Turnips,  walking  night 
and  moi*ning  some  little  distance  from  the  lambing  fold  to  the 
field  and  vice  versa.  Some  few  oldish  ewes,  or  those  very  heavy, 
could  not  bear  even  this  gentle  exercise  ;  but  to  the  majority  it 
is  most  beneficial  A  ewe  is  better  not  too  fat,  but  she  must  be 
fresh,  as  no  poor  ewe  can  properly  suckle  her  lambs,  and  is 
more  likely  herself  to  succumb  to  the  trials  of  maternity. 
Damage  is  done  to  the  ewes,  and  more  than  people  imagine,  by 
senseless  dogging.  An  idle  shepherd  and  a  barning  dog  bo  h 
want  hanging.  Forbid  the  use  of  a  dog  at  all ;  exercise  will  do 
your  shepherd  as  much  good  as  the  ewes.  Where  there  is 
abundance  of  game,  poachers’  dogs  may  do  irreparable  mischief 
and  get  off  scot  free.  The  national  sport  of  hunting,  too,  will 
often  be  the  cause  of  great  loss  A  wise  master  will,  however, 
do  all  in  his  power  to  prevent  unnecessary  excitement ;  but  his 
“  field  ”  is  sometimes  beyond  his  control.  One  never  hears  of 
lambing  losses  being  made  good  by  M.F.H.  A  few  old  hens 
whose  bodies  are  left  en  evidence,  giving  sure  signs  of  Reynard’s 
work,  may  be,  and  are  made  good,  but  the  sheepowner’s  losses 
never. 
Lambing  pens  are  in  themselves  a  fruitful  cause  of  ill.  It 
is  most  difficult  to  keep  them  absolutely  clean,  and  germs  of 
disease  lurk  unsuspected,  and  year  after  year  grow  and  thrive 
on  the  weaklings  The  ground  gets  so  saturated  with  excreta 
that  nothing  short  of  ploughing  will  suffice  to  sweeten  it  and 
make  it  wholesome.  Temporary  pens  erected  in  different  spots 
every  year  would  be  ideal  lambing  places,  and  very  much  lessen 
the  risk  of  disease.  Indeed,  if  the  flock  be  a  large  one,  and 
lambing  time  much  prolonged,  it  is  advisable  to  shift  to  fresh 
quarters  when  about  half  way  through  theep  are  hardy  animals, 
and  do  not  need  pampering ;  indeed,  more  ill  is  wrought  from 
too  much  care  than  too  little.  Plenty  of  air,  plenty  of  exercise, 
plenty  of  good  food,  and  no  overcrowding. 
If  the  weather  be  fine  on  no  account  bring  up  into  pens  those 
lambs  dropped  in  the  daytime  till  night,  unless  the  mother 
refuse  to  take  to  them,  and  do  not  keep  them  up  in  pens  an  hour 
longer  than  absolutely  necessary.  See  that  the  ewe  has  a  good 
supply  of  milk,  and  if  she  has  not  give  stimulating  food — a 
handful  of  Oats  with  a  few  Mangolds— and  if  after  generous 
treatment  she  still  refuses  to  yield  milk,  mark  her  and  draught 
her  off  for  feeding  purposes.  Some  ewes  have  such  a  supply  of 
rich  milk  for  their  single  lamb  that  it  gets  too  much  and  dies 
of  surfeit.  The  remedy  in  this  case  is  to  give  the  ewe  a  dose 
of  salts,  lessen  her  food  supply,  milk  her  for  a  day  or  two, 
and  then  try  her  with  two  Iambi  about  the  age  of  the  one  she 
has  lost,  and  in  all  probability  she  will  prove  an  excellent  foster- 
mother.  Never  use  cow’s  milk  unless  absolutely  obliged. 
Impress  upon  the  shepherd  the  necessity  of  cleanliness,  and 
insist  on  the  immediate  removal  and  burial  of  all  disagreeable 
matter  and  stillborn  lambs. 
WORK  ON  THE  HOME  FARM. 
Field  Cabbage  may  be  planted  now  where  they  have  not  been  got  in 
in  autumn.  A  heavy  manuring  (not  less  than  fifteen  loads  to  the  acre) 
is  necessary,  and  this  should  be  supplemented  in  April  with  4  cwt. 
superphosphate,  and  1  or  1^  cwt.  nitrate  of  soda.  These  CabbageB 
would  be  ready  for  use  in  July  or  August,  and  are  a  most  valuable  food 
for  lambs  at  a  critical  time,  when  spring-sown  Cabbage  is  not  ready. 
There  is  no  better  variety  than  Enfield  Market  for  our  present  purpose. 
With  a  fine,  open  winter  and  small  rainfall,  the  land  in  many 
districts  is  beginning  to  work  well ;  where  it  is  dry  enough  the  autumn 
ploughing  should  be  cross  cut,  then  dragged  over  and  harrowed ;  even 
if  nothing  is  now  got  off  there  will  be  a  great  saving  in  after  work. 
Where  the  land  was  ploughed  dry  the  advantage  is  very  visible  now. 
In  wet  seasons  it  is  too  conpnon  a  practice  to  plough  when  no  other 
work  can  be  done  ;  but  this  is  “  penny  wise,  pound  foolish,”  the  result 
almost  always  bsiDg  more  expensive  than  economical. 
As  there  is  little  prospect  now  of  severe  frost,  level  with  the  harrow 
the  land  that  has  been  cultivated  for  Potatoes ;  then  if  the  weather 
keeps  open  it  may  be  soon  ridged  out  for  planting.  The  exposure  of 
the  ridges  to  the  atmosphere  has  a  good  effect,  and  the  work  will  not 
want  doing  when  the  spring  work  is  pressing  on.  When  manure  has  to 
be  carted  some  distance  (there  is  no  advantage  in  keeping  it  in  the 
yards)  it  may  be  spread  on  the  land  and  ploughed  in;  or  where  this  is 
not  found  practicable  it  may  be  led  into  hill,  and  if  well  turned  over  at 
the  end  of  three  weeks  there  would  not  be  much  loss  of  ammonia, 
whilst  the  cost  of  turning  would  be  nearly  balanced  by  the  saving  in 
the  cost  of  spreading  and  shaking  out.  This  turning  of  manure  is  an 
old  practice  that  has  fallen  into  disuse,  but  which  might  be  revived 
with  advantage.  The  ordinary  kinds  of  Wheat,  apart  from  April  Wheat, 
should  be  sown  at  once  if  at  all,  but  we  should  not  recommend  Red 
Wheat  for  February  sowing,  varieties  such  as  Hunter’s  White  or  Royal 
Stanhope  being  the  best  for  the  purpose. 
MASTERS  AND  MEN. 
That  was  a  very  good  letter  from  “  A  Farmer,”  If  labourers 
had  small  holdings  cropped  with  Wheat  they  would  naturally  prefer  to 
see  their  corn  safely  gathered  in  before  that  of  their  employers. 
“Charity  begins  at  home.”  I  do  not  know  many  employers  who  can 
afford,  in  the  present  bad  times,  to  postpone  harvest  operations  for  the 
good  of  their  labourers.  We  are  not  blessed  with  so  much  Runshine  as 
to  be  able  to  delay  making  use  of  every  opportunity  that  Providence 
offers.  Masters  and  men  must  all  “  make  hay  whilst  the  sun  shines,” 
and,  if  they  grow  it,  must  not  delay  the  making  for  anyone.  Bread  is 
cheap,  and  our  men  here  are  content  to  do  a  lair  day’s  work  for  a  fair 
day’s  wage,  and  buy  or  make  their  bread.  A  good  garden  is  all  my  men 
want,  and  all  they  have  time  to  cultivate. — Hy.  Y.  Machin. 
[Good  masters  generally  make  good  men,  and  good  men  make  good 
masters.  Here  we  have  the  happy  combination.] 
METEOROLOGICAL  OBSERVATIONS. 
Oamden  Square,  London. 
Lat.51°  32' 40"  N. ;  Loug.  0°  8/  0"  W.:  Altitude  111  feet. 
Date. 
9  A.M. 
In  the  Day. 
d 
*3 
05 
1896. 
January 
and 
February. 
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. 
dee. 
deg 
Inchs. 
Sunday  .. 
26 
30-188 
46-8 
46-4 
N. 
42-0 
49-0 
46-6 
53-7 
44-7 
— 
Monday  . . 
27 
30-361 
44-3 
43-8 
S. 
42-2 
48-9 
42-1 
50-9 
41-0 
0-107 
Tuesday  . . 
28 
30*403 
44-4 
43-0 
N. 
42-9 
47-0 
43-7 
72-2 
421 
— 
Wednesday 
29 
30-821 
35-9 
350 
N.W. 
4rl 
46-0 
31-0 
63-0 
260 
— 
Thursday  . , 
30 
30-915 
32  4 
32-4 
•N.W. 
39-9 
41-1 
31-6 
53-6 
27-3 
— 
Friday 
31 
30-837 
39-2 
37-8 
N. 
38-9 
43-8 
32-7 
49-2 
27-9 
— 
Saturday  . . 
1 
30-644 
38-2 
35-7 
N. 
39-2 
39-4 
37-7 
41-9 
360 
— 
30-596 
40-2 
39  2 
40  9 
45-0 
37-9 
54-9 
35-0 
0-107 
REMARKS. 
26th. — Generally  overcast,  but  some  sunshine  in  afternoon. 
27th. — Overcast  all  day. 
28th. — Bright  sunshine  all  day  ;  clear  night. 
29th.— Fine  and  sunny  throughout,  and  bright  night. 
30th.— Damp  fog  early,  clearing  towards  noon  ;  sunny  afternoon. 
31st.— Overcast  all  day. 
1st. — Fair,  but  sunless. 
A  fine  week,  with  exceptionally  high  barometer.— G.  J.  Symons. 
