December  SI,  li59C, 
6:58 
JOUai.AL  OF  HORTICVLTURF  AND  OpTTAOB  OARMNEn. 
ram  made  £210  this  autamn.  In  turning  to  Shorthorns,  during 
the  year  of  1890  the  lee  Hng  feature  seems  to  have  been  tae 
Piince’s  sale  at  '•'andringham,  the  number  of  animals  on  offer 
being  forty-nine,  and  the  average  price  £70,  being  the  highest  of 
the  year-  A  red  heifer  made  200  guineas,  only  to  be  exceeded  in 
nrice  once  during  the  year— ,  by  “  Crested  Knight,”  who  made 
-800  guineas,  owned  by  Mr.  Duthie,  and  bought  by  Mr.  Mills, 
There  has  been  a  wonderful  run  on  young  bulh  for  S.  America, 
gone  to  keep  company  with  some  of  our  best  Lincoln  rams. 
Taking  the  sales  as  a  whole  Mr.  Thornton  considers  the  prices  to 
have  been  satisfactory. 
The  Shire  horsemen  have  had  a  good  innings  this  year,  the 
average  per  head  being  £11  higher  than  last  year.  “Hitchin 
Conqueror  ”  has  changed  homes,  going  from  Batsford  to  Leicester 
for  the  consideration  of  725  guineas.  At  Mr.  Wainwright’s  sale 
(near  Buxton)  two  fillies  by  “Bury  Yictor  Chief”  made 
respectively  400  and  510  guineas.  At  Messrs.  Locke-King’s  sale, 
Surrey,  two  brood  mares  by  “  Albert  Edward  ”  made  the  top  prices, 
300,  230  guiaeas  respectively.  The  big  sale  at  Tattoo  Park,  where 
the  highest  average  of  recent  years  has  been  reached  (£152)j  must 
have  been  very  gratifying  to  Lord  Egerton.  No  wonder  the 
average  was  high  when  “  Nyn  Starlight”  made  850  guineas  and 
“Jenny”  500.  “Scarcliffe  G-em  ”  and  “  Tatton  Regina”  went  to 
Holker  for  500  guineas  each.  At  the  foal  shows  there  is  a  steady 
improvement  in  quality  owing  to  the  public  spirit  that  is  abroad, 
and  that  encourages  the  use  of  really  first-rate  sires. 
We  cannot  in  a  short  paper  touch  on  all  the  classe*  of  stock. 
Those  omitted  are  not  overlooked,  nor  should  the  patient 
endeavouri  of  their  breeders  go  without  a  word  of  praise. 
Landlord  and  tenant  farmers  are  equally  alive  to  the  difficulties 
of  their  position,  and  are  equally  ready  to  do  their  utmost  for 
English  agriculture.  What  1897  has  in  store  we  cannot  say. 
Honest  effort  does  not  go  unrewarded.  Happy  New  Years  are  the 
portion  of  workers  ;  to  that  class  we,  the  readers  of  this  Journal, 
belong.  Let  us  hope  that  1897  will  be  the  brightest  and  happiest 
we  have  ever  yet  seen  ! 
WORK  ON  TKE  HOME  FARM. 
Another  year  is  at  its  close — a  year  of  mixed  trials,  promises,  disap¬ 
pointments  and  satisfactions,  improved  prospects  for  some  and  disaster 
for  others. 
As  regards  farm  work  generally  it  may  be  called  an  average  year. 
The  dry  spring  and  summer  were  very  favourable  to  fhe  cleaning 
operations  necessary  at  those  particular  periods,  the  only  drawbacks 
being  the  repeated  re-sowings  of  the  root  crops  rendered  necessary  by  the 
drought. 
There  was  a  great  saving  of  labour  during  the  first  half  of  the  year, 
and  probably  agricultural  labour  was  never  more  plentiful  than  at  the 
commencement  of  the  last  harvest.  In  the  South  of  England  the  cereal 
crops  were  well  secured  and  no  after  difficulties  experienced,  but  farther 
north,  where  the  break  in  the  weather  late  in  August  found  much  spring 
corn  still  in  the  fields,  a  different  story  had  to  be  told.  So  much 
va’aable  time  was  wasted  in  vainly — and  vainly  is  not  too  strong  a 
word — endeavouring  to  save  the  harvest  left  out  at  this  period,  that 
from  extreme  plenty  the  labour  market  drifted  to  extreme  scarcity,  and 
we  can  voach  for  women  having  received  2«.  61.  and  young  children 
Is,  61.  per  day  for  gathering  up  Potatoes.  The  corn  harvest  in  many 
instances  extended  over  a  period  of  two  months.  The  increase  in  wages 
mentioned  above  Las  also  applied  to  a  smaller  extent  to  the  men— that 
is  to  say,  to  the  untied  hands.  Let  ns  hope  that  we  may  have  such 
improvement  in  agricultural  values  as  will  enable  us  to  pay  these 
increases  with  a  cheerful  countenance. 
The  work  of  the  year  has  left  Turnip  land  cleaner  than  for  many 
years,  but  little  has  beea  done  towards  next  year’s  cleaning.  Never  was 
there  more  autsmn  fallowing  done  than  in  1895,  and  never  less  than  in 
189G.  We  have  had  abundance  of  moisture.  What  we  want  now  is  a 
thorough  frost,  followed  by  a  fine  spring. 
Christmas  week  is  always  a  slack  time  for  work,  and  we  cannot 
complain  that  it  is  so  ;  we  can  only  trust  that  the  rest  and  relaxations 
of  :hi8  holiday  time  may  have  given  us  all  a  greater  zest  for  the  labours 
of  what  we  heartily  wish  may  be  to  all  our  readers  a  very  happy  New 
Year. 
POOR  SOIL  AND  BEST  MEANS  OF  CROPPING. 
Wild  you  kindly  advise  me,  an  old  reader  of  the  Journal,  with 
information  upon  the  following  subjects?  I  have  jasfc  taken  to  a  piece 
land,  11  acres,  which  has  been  drawn,  so  to  speak,  by  a  former  tenant, 
that  is  to  say  cropped  and  never  manured,  and  has  therefore  become 
very  poor.  1  wish  to  use  it  to  the  best  advantage.  It  is  a  light  soil, 
subsoil  chalk,  has  a  slight  slope  to  the  south-west.  About  3  acres  are 
under  temporary  pasture,  and  has  carried  one  crop  only  ;  the  remaining- 
8  acres  arcible. 
I.  I  wish  to  take  a  crop  of  grass  from  the  3  acres,  and  then  plough 
it  up  and  plant  Brussels  Sprouts  and  winter  vegetables  thereon ;  but  I 
think  it  would  be  best  to  sow  more  grass  seed  to  renovate  it,  and  some 
manure  (artificial)  to  invigorate  it.  Will  you  please  kindly  tell  me  what 
mixture  of  both  would  be  best,  and  when  to  apply  it,  and  quantity 
per  acre  1 
II.  Of  the  8  acres  I  wish  to  plant  3  with  Potatoes,  that  is  1  of  early 
and  2  of  late.  What  varieties  would  you  advise  for  such  a  soil  ?  I  want 
to  have  some  that  will  produce  a  good  sized  tuber.  Would  you  please 
kindly  state  the  proportions  of  a  good  artificial  manure  for  the  same,  and 
amount  per  acre  ? 
III.  The  remaining  5  acres  I  propose  to  devote  to  crops  as  follows 
acre  Barley  for  meal  for  pigs,  acre  for  Oats  for  horse,  and  the 
remaining  2  acres  for  such  roots  as  Turnips,  Swedes,  and  Mangolds. 
Could  you  suggest  any  better  way  of  apportioning  the  crops  ?  as  I  want 
to  make  the  land  pay,  and  I  have  to  provide  for  a  horse  and  pigs  to  make 
manure. 
IV.  Could  I  sow  a  mixture  of  anything  for  a  gras*  crop  on  the 
3  acres  of  corn  just  as  the  latter  comes  up,  to  provide  temporary  pasture 
in  the  place  of  that  which  I  propose  to  plough  up  ?  Any  a«Kistanc.e  yon 
can  render  me  will  be  very  gratefully  received.  I  hope  I  am  not 
troubling  you  too  much,  but  having  received  so  much  help  from  the 
Journal  in  the  past  on  matters  purely  horticultural  I  am  thereby 
encouraged  to  seek  your  aid  in  matters  of  agriculture,  the  more  so  as  my 
living  largely  depends  upon  its  success  or  otherwise. — Faithpitl, 
[For  the  purpose  of  practical  replies  the  questions  are  divided  into 
three  parts. 
Question  I. — (Reply).  If  you  intend  to  plough  up  the  3  acres  about 
midsummer,  which  you  would  have  to  do  to  have  any  chance  of  succeed¬ 
ing  with  your  crop  of  Brussels  Sprouts,  you  would  only  waste  grass  seeds 
by  sowing  them  for  the  purpose  of  renovation,  as  they  would  not  have 
time  to  become  established  and  produce  anything  material  by  that  time. 
Cue  cwt.  nitrate  of  soda  and  3  cwt.  superphosphate  per  acre  would 
improve  the  hay  crop,  and  probably  leave  a  residue  for  he  Sprouts. 
Apply  it  the  latter  end  of  March. 
II. — (Reply).  Potatoes  —Snowdrop  for  early  purposes,  Reading 
Giant  for  second  early,  Dp  to  Date  or  Saxon  for  lata  Manure, — Two 
cwt.  nitrate  of  soda,  3  cwt.  superphosphate,  and  3  cwt.  kainit  per  acre. 
The  kainit  would  be  better  applied  at  once  if  possible  ;  the  super  and 
nitrate  at  planting  time.  The  land  being  poor  another  cwt.  of  nitrate 
would  do  good  just  before  earthing. 
HI. — (Reply).  The  apportionment  of  crops  seems  about  right,  but 
do  not  sow  many  Mangolds  unless  you  find  that  neighbouring  land  will 
grow  them  well.  We  would  suggest  that  you  should  try  to  get  your 
land  by  degrees  worked  into  four  equal  plots  of  2|  acres  each,  to  be 
cropped  as  follows  ;  1,  Potatoes  ;  2,  corn  ;  3,  one  year’s  seeds  ;  4,  roots 
(Mangolds  and  others,  also  Sprouts).  Toe  small  seeds  for  pasture  may 
be  sown  with  the  corn.  The  leading  seedsmen  make  a  special  study  of 
suitable  mixtures  for  local  needs,  and  you  would  not  regret  a  few 
shillings  extra  cost  entailed  by  going  to  them,  for  you  would  be  sure  to 
get  the  right  mixt^ije  for  your  soil.] 
MBTEOROLOGIOAL  OBSERVATIONS. 
OAMDEN  SQUARB,  LOSDON. 
IiBt.61o3a'40"N.:  Long.  0°8'0"  w.:  Altitude  111  feet. 
Date. 
9  A.M. 
In  thk  Day. 
1896 
December. 
1  Barometer  i 
1  at  32°,  and  I 
1  Sea  Level,  i 
Hygrometer. 
Direc¬ 
tion  of 
Wind. 
Temp, 
of  soil 
at 
1  foot. 
Shade  Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
Sun. 
On 
Grass. 
inebs. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg- 
deg. 
deg. 
deg 
Inoha. 
Sunday  ..  20 
30-186 
32-8 
32-2 
N.W. 
3C-S 
37-6 
26-8 
48-!* 
21-2 
0’038 
Monday  ..  21 
30-121 
34-2 
33-9 
N. 
36-1 
30 -4 
32-6 
89-3 
29-2 
OMIO 
Tuesday  . .  22 
30-092 
33-9 
33  7 
N.B. 
36-0 
40-7 
29-6 
41-9 
24  0 
Wednesday  23 
30-217 
34-9 
33-2 
h'.E. 
359 
381 
30-8 
397 
25-8 
Thursday . .  24 
3  .-235 
31-2 
31-2 
W. 
S5-8 
43-2 
26-9 
47-1 
22-1 
0  384 
Friday  . .  2.'i 
30-184 
38-6 
37-1 
N.W. 
37-0 
47-4 
29-8 
87-4 
24  2 
— 
Saturday  . .  26 
30-280 
471 
4C-0 
S. 
37-8 
51-8 
87-8 
51-8 
30-6 
0-140 
30-189 
36-1 
35-3 
08-4 
42-2 
30  6 
47*0 
2&-4 
0-672 
KEMABK3. 
20  th.— Overcast  early,  clearing  gradually,  and  sunny  from  11  am.;  a  little  sleet  or  wet 
snow  in  evening. 
21st— Overcast,  with  frequent  slight  snow  in  morning  :  overcast  afternoon  and 
evening. 
22H'i. — Fog?}' early,  clearing  about  10.30  A  H.,  and  sun'visi'Dle;  bright  sunshine  f.  om 
1.30  to  3  P.it. ;  fog  again  in  evening. 
23rd.— Fair,  but  sunless. 
24th.— Fog  early,  bright  sun  from  10.30  A.M.  to  1  P.M. ;  overcast  after,  and  rain  from 
6  P.M. 
iBth. — Bright  and  sunny  all  day. 
26th.— Dull  and  damii  day,  with  heavy  rain  from  10  A.A(.  till  noon. 
Temperature  rather  below  the  average,  but  no  severe  frost.— d.  J.  SYMOXS. 
