4i  •  JOUMAL  OJ^  frORTtCULTtfRii!  aM  ddTTAOE  ^ARDENEk  July  9, 1896. 
most  important  for  success  in  dairy  farming  are  good  pastures, 
temperate  climate,  and  moist  atmosphere.  Now,  as  these  are 
such  immense  factors  in  poultry  rearing,  the  question  raised  is 
this ;  “  Cannot  both  occupations  be  combined  on  the  same  class 
of  holding  ?  ’'  ■  The  first  thing  to  be  considered  is — which 
particular  branch  of  poultry  work  will  pay  the  beat  in  the 
locality.  It  is  not  possible  to  obtain  eggs  and  table  poultry 
from  the  same  stock,  any  more  than  it  is  possible  to  combine 
milk  and  beef  (anyone  who  has  dined  on  old  cow  beef  wil  say 
hear,  hear).  If  the  farmer  means  to  cultivate  both  branches 
he  must  have  double  stocks,  and  if  there  is  no  demand  for  table 
poultry  in  his  neighbourhood  (and  these  cases  are  not  isolated) 
he  would  not  find  table  poultry  very  profitable.  His  market 
facilities  must  be  considered.  If  he  sells  his  dairy  produce 
direct  to  the  consumer,  he  will  generally  find  that  consumer  an 
equally  good  customer  for  eggs  or  poultry.  Eggs  are  still  the 
main  thing,  taking  the  country  generally  (we  do  not  all  live  in 
the  home  counties)  ;  fowls  are  looked  upon  as  delicacies,  though 
why  they  are  not  more  used  in  middle-class  households  to  vary 
the  everlasting  menu  of  beef  and  mutton,  is  a  puzzle  to  many. 
Mr.  Brown  comments  on  the  difficulties  of  regular  supplies. 
In  summer  there  is  a  plethora  of  eggs ;  in  winter  we  depend  in 
a  great  measure  on  the  foreigner.  Mr.  Brown  says  our  climate 
is  blamed  for  this  shortcoming,  but  unjustly  so;  more  attention 
is  paid  to  small  details  abroad  than  at  home.  We  do  not  con¬ 
sider  sufficiently  the  necessity  of  having  breeds  of  winter  layers  ; 
and  if  we  get  these  breeds,  the  chickens  are  not  hatched  out 
early  enotigh.  In  February  and  March  there  should  be  early 
broods,  wi'h  others  coming  in  quick  succession.  The  earliest 
pullets,  if  properly  fed,  will  be  laying  in  August  and  September 
Great  care  is  necessary  all  the  winter — i.e.,  warmth  and  comfort, 
and  good  nourishing  food.  The  hen  is  only  a  machine  for 
turning  food  into  eggs  ;  but  she  must  have  good  material  to 
work  on,  and  necessary  app'iances. 
If  cows  do  better  well  cared  for,  why,  argues  Mr.  Brown, 
should  not  poultry  have  a  little  of  the  same  care  ?  lie  advocates, 
where  it  can  be;  managed,  portable  houses  in  the  pasture  land ; 
and  our  own  small  experience  goes  to  prove  that  no  fowls  are 
so  healthy  as  those  we  have  “  out  at  grass.”  The  houses  should 
be  well  constructed,  plenty  of  ventilation,  but  no  chilling  blasts. 
It  is  a  common  mistake  so  many  fall  into  in  giving  fowls 
unsuitable  poor  food.  We  do  not  want  to  be  misunderstood 
here.  Small  corn  alone  is  not  enough,  there  must  be  variety, 
and  that  variety  should  be  nourishing  and  wholesome.  No 
hens  over  twenty-seven  months  should  be  allowed  to  live  ;  their 
day  of  usefulness  is  over,  and  they  only  take  up  the  room  and 
eat  the  food  of  young  fertile  pullets. 
Then  as  to  hatching  by  artificial  means.  As  a  rule,  a  good 
laying  hen  evinces  little  or  no  desire  to  s  t  till  late  in  the  season, 
and  as  early  pullets  are  wanted  for  forward  eggs,  the  incubator 
and  brooder  are  invaluable. 
The  breeding  of  fowls  and  the  fattening  are  in  England 
separate  industries,  and  there  seems  to  be  no  reason  to  alter 
this  state  of  things  unless  the  premises  and  plant  are  unusually 
extensive.  The  waste,  or  rather  surplus  of  the  dairy,  is  a  most 
valuable  food  stuff  for  the  feeder.  In  some  parts  of  France 
the  whey  left  from  the  cheese- making  is  so  applied,  and  tends 
to  improve  the  flavour  of  the  flesh  ;  we  should  be  disposed 
to  think  it  helped  to  whiten  it  also. 
Mr.  Brown  considers  of  late  years  there  has  been  much 
improvement  in  the  method  of  di'essing  and  trussing  poultry. 
We  know  small  producers  have  not  hitherto  given  eufficent 
thought  and  attention  to  this  branch  of  the  work,  but  it  certainly 
is  a  branch  that  pays.  We  do  not  forgive  a  butcher  for  a  slovenly 
cut  joint,  neither  can  we  overlook  a  fowl’s  legs  if  they  point  to 
the  ceiling.  A  busy  housewife  will  readily  pay  a  small  sum,  and 
have  her  poultry  brought  in  fit  for  the  oven  or  the  steamer. 
With  regard  to  the  marketing  of  eggs,  we  country  folks 
plead  guilty  to  keeping  them  too  long  on  hand.  The  weekly 
market  is  quite  often  enough  we  think,  forgetting  that  a  week- 
old  egg  is  hardly  a  fresh  one.  Mr.  Brown  does  not  say  it,  but 
we  do.  The  appearance  of  the  eggs  may  be  much  improved  by 
washing  the  soiled  ones  and  carefully  grading  all.  Personally 
we  like  to  see  them  packed  alternate  brown  and  white.  There 
must  be  something  to  catch  the  eye. 
Poultry  is  often  eaten  too  fresh,  and  the  seller  is  blamed 
for  the  tough  stringy  meat  that  a  few  days’  keeping  would 
make  deliciously  tender.  All  very  fresh  meat  eats  “  stringy.” 
WORK  ON  THE  HOME  FARM. 
Owisg  to  heavy  rains  hay-making  daring  the  past  week  has  been 
decidedly  catchy,  and  as  the  land  has  been  too  wet  for  successful  hoeing, 
considerable  and,  in  view  of  an  early  harvest,  valuable  time  has  been 
lost.  However,  there  has  been  opportunity  for  a  mnch-needed  cleaning 
and  tidying  up  about  the  farm  premises. 
Boots  generally  are  not  doing  well.  Great  damage  had  been  done  to 
Swedes  by  the  fly,  and,  though  there  is  a  plant,  the  rain  has  fallen  in 
such  heavy  fashion  as  to  sodden  the  soil  too  much  to  salt  young  Swedes. 
Constant  horse-hoeing  as  soon  as  sufficiently  dry  is  the  only  remedy  under 
these  circamstances.  The  soil  mnst  be  kept  open  if  the  young  plants 
are  to  grow  well.  The  early  yellows  are  doing  anything  but  well,  hot 
those  sown  in  midseason  would  seem  to  have  fallen  on  better  times,  and 
are  making  rapid  progress.  Mangolds  are  doing  fairly,  bat  are  still  very 
backward. 
With  a  reasonable  al'owance  of  sanshine  harvest  must  now  commence 
in  most  districts  in  July,  and  much  will  be  done  in  the  South  no  doubt 
this  month.  How  is  the  work  to  be  done  ?  is  the  question.  Every  year 
seems  to  make  the  farmer  more  dependant  on  machinery  for  the  accom¬ 
plishment  of  harvest  work,  and  as  the  crops  promise  to  stand  well  and 
offer  an  easy  task  to  the  machine  binder,  no  doubt  these  helps  will  be 
more  made  ase  of  than  ever. 
There  is  one  very  undesirable  result  brought  about  by  the  extended 
use  of  harvesting  machinery  in  a  favourable  season  like  the  present. 
The  Irish  and  other  outside  labour  which  flocks  into  the  great  cereal 
counties  finds  but  a  poor  field  for  its  exertions,  and  the  men  return  home 
with  purses  only  partially  filled  and  disappointment  at  heart.  The 
natnral  result  is  to  discourage  ventures  in  the  future,  and  next  year 
perhaps  the  crops  may  be  too  heavy  and  laid  for  the  binder,  whilst  the 
man  with  the  scythe,  then  a  necessity,  may  be  only  conspicuous  by  his 
absence. 
Reaping  machines  should  be  looked  over,  cleaned,  and  well  oiled.  A 
practical  man  will  detect  weaknesses,  and  if  remedied  now  much  annoy¬ 
ance  and  waste  of  valuable  time  will  be  avoided. 
The  present  is  a  good  time  to  look  over  the  harness  and  gears,  and 
have  all  put  into  good  repair.  It  is  an  old  custom  and  a  good  one  to 
have  the  saddler’s  men  for  a  couple  of  days  to  look  everything  over  on 
the  spot ;  they  bring  all  their  materials  with  them  (which  are  charged 
for),  and  the  men  have  so  much  per  day  in  addition  to  their  food,  which 
the  farmer  provides.  Some  farmers  contract  with  the  saddler  to  provide 
all  harness  at  so  much  per  annum.  From  the  farmer’s  point  of  view  the 
arrangement  is  a  good  one  ;  he  knows  exactly  what  his  bill  will  be,  and 
it  will  always  be  to  the  saddler’s  advantage  to  supply  him  with  good,  if 
not  new,  stuff.  In  fact,  some  farmers  contract  for  a  new  set  each  year, 
at  BO  much  per  horse,  the  saddler  taking  away  the  slightly  worn,  for 
which  he  finds  a  ready  sale. 
MBTEOROLOGIOAL  OBSERVATIONS. 
Oamdbn  Squakh,  London. 
Lafc.Slo  32' 40"  N. ;  Long.  0“  8/  0"  W.;  Altitude  111  feet. 
Date. 
9  A.H 
• 
IN  THE  Day. 
1896. 
June 
and 
July. 
K  t 
.2  ® 
©  CS  g" 
9  O^lJ 
Hygrometer. 
Direc¬ 
tion  of 
Temp, 
of  soil 
at 
1  foot. 
Shade  Tem¬ 
perature. 
Badiation 
Temperature 
•i 
M 
as 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Wind. 
Max. 
Min. 
lu 
Bun. 
On 
Grass. 
, 
Sunday  .. 
28 
Inohs. 
30054 
leg. 
69-7 
deg. 
64-0 
N. 
deg. 
64-0 
deg. 
78-2 
deg. 
63-7 
deg. 
131-1 
deg. 
58-8 
Inchs. 
Monday  .. 
29 
30-249 
83-0 
531 
N.W. 
64-0 
68-0 
60-9 
114-1 
43-2 
Tuesday  . , 
80 
30-007 
63-2 
57-8 
W. 
63-2 
73-7 
68-9 
127-8 
47-0 
0069 
Wednesday 
1 
29-943 
59-9 
83-9 
N. 
62-9 
660 
53*5 
1127 
45-2 
0-021 
Thursday , , 
S 
29-994 
84-9 
51-8 
N.W. 
61-1 
68-1 
47-7 
107-9 
41*1 
Friday  . . 
8 
29-917 
63-9 
68-6 
S.W. 
61-1 
76-6 
55-7 
1200 
610 
0-099 
Saturday . . 
4 
30-028 
64  0 
56-1 
W. 
61-9 
76-0 
55-1 
117-4 
48  9 
— 
30-027 
62-7 
66-4 
62-6 
72-4 
64-4 
H87 
47-9 
0-179 
BBMAKKS. 
28th.— Dull  early  ;  slight  shower  at  10  A.M.,  clearing  gradually,  and  bright  sunshine 
all  afternoon. 
29th.— Sunny  early ;  generally  overcast  from  9.30  A.M. 
30th.— Overcast  and  showery  in  morning;  bright  sun  and  high  wind  all  afternoon ; 
showers  again  in  evening. 
1st.— Overcast,  with  occasional  slight  showers  till  3  P.u, ;  gleams  of  sun  about  4  f.m,, 
and  a  shower  at  8  p.M. 
3nd.— Spots  of  rain  early  and  overcast  till  noon ;  sunny  at  times  after. 
3rd.— Overcast  morning;  frequent  sunshine  in  afternoon ;  rain  from  7  r,M.  to  9.30  p.M, 
4th.— Bright  sun  and  high  wind,  with  occasional  cloud. 
A  fine  summer  week— Q.  J.  SXMONS. 
