160 
JOURNAL  OF  HORfIGULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDEITER. 
Augiisf  iS,  1897j 
afternoons  and  early  evenings,  and  at  the  close  of  the  evening  class 
a  lecture  is  delivered  to  the  general  public. 
In  the  district  with  which  we  are  acquainted  our  technical 
pundits  have  been  fortunate  in  securing  the  services  of  Mr.  J^d. 
Brown,  the  well-known  poultry  expert,  and  we  have  just  read  with 
greatest  interest  his  account  of  how  these  things  are  managed  in 
France.  France  produces  yearly  eggs  and  poultry  to  the  handsome 
amount  of  £14,000,000,  and  although  much  of  this  is  due  to 
individual  enterprise,  yet  the  government  is  wisely  alive  to  the 
necessity  of  fostering  and  helping  this  industry. 
In  the  Department  of  Seine  et  Oise  is  the  village  of  Gambais  ; 
four  miles  from  the  town  of  Houdan  (does  not  that  name  recall 
the  black  and  white  crested  fowl?)  is  the  poultry  school.  The 
objects  of  the  school  are — Ist,  to  give  young  people  coming  from 
the  State  practical  schools,  and  who  are  destined  to  conduct  a  farm 
or  any  agricultural  work,  a  complete  course  of  practical  studies 
dealing  with  the  poultry  yard  and  production  of  fowls  ;  2ad,  to 
render  students  capable  of  conducting  a  poultry  establishment, 
including  the  hatching,  breeding,  and  fattening  of  fowls  by 
practical  methods,  artificial  and  natural. 
The  usual  course  is  for  three  months,  and  the  terms  are  £14, 
inclusive  of  board  and  lodging.  There  are  scholarships  in  con¬ 
nection  with  this  school,  which  of  course  minimise  the  cost  of  the 
course. 
The  authorities  allow  other  than  French  pupils,  and  at  present 
Mr.  Brown  Bays  there  are  three  English  pupils  there.  The  time¬ 
table,  which  we  copy,  shows  not  much  idleness  is  allowed. 
C  A.M. — Opening  of  yards,  distribution  of  food  throughout  the  estab¬ 
lishment,  first  cramming  of  fatting  fowls. 
8  A.M. — Hatching  room,  followed  by  breakfast. 
9  A.M. — Care  of  chickens,  general  cleaning  of  breeding  houses,  fowl 
houses,  &c. 
11  A.M, — Dinner. 
1  P.M. — Second  cramming  of  fowls. 
'2  P.M. — Distribution  of  food,  refilling  water  troughs. 
3  to  6  P.M. — Theoretical  studies. 
6  P.M, — Supper. 
7  P.M. — Closing  of  poultry  and  breeding  houses. 
8  P.M. — Third  cramming  of  fatting  fowls. 
The  day  is  pretty  well  accounted  for,  and  at  this  rate  in  three 
months  the  pupil  must  be  good  for  nothing  if  he  has  not  grasped 
the  situation.  Fancy,  hatching  out  30,000  chickens  in  a  season. 
Nature  has  but  little  hand  in  this  process,  the  greater  number 
being  batched  in  incubators,  and  reared  in  brooders,  which  are 
artificially  warmed.  A  great  many  of  these  chickens  are  sold  at  a 
day  or  two  old,  and  reared  elsewhere. 
Now  this  seems  to  us  a  most  excellent  plan.  We  should  all 
hke  early  chickens,  but  hens  are  not  so  accommodating  in  the 
matter  of  sitting  as  we  could  wish.  Incubators  are  perhaps  not 
exactly  dear,  but  they  involve  certain  expenditure,  and  the  results 
for  amateurs  are  not  always  satisfactory. 
As  to  the  fatting  process,  three  methods  are  taught — the 
hand,  the  funnel,  and  the  machine.  The  food  used  seems  most 
nutritious,  consisting  as  it  does  of  finely  ground  and  sifted  barley- 
meal,  with  occasional  additions  of  maizemeal  and  skim  milk  ;  just 
at  the  last  1  oz.  of  diluted  fat  is  divided  between  three  birds,  or  an 
egg  beaten  up  to  every  pint  of  liquor. 
Together  with  the  runs,  which,  by  the  way,  are  planted  with 
fruit  trees,  is  a  certain  amount  of  woodland.  In  hot  weather  these 
trees  afford  grateful  shade,  and  also  provide  a  little  insect  food. 
We  cannot  but  agree  with  Mr.  Brown  that  a  school  of  this  descrip¬ 
tion  would  be  a  boon  to  many  English  folk,  and  Government 
might  easily  spend  money  far  less  wisely  than  in  founding  and 
supporting  such  an  institution. 
We  '^ant  something  both  cheap  and  good,  for  the  majority  of 
the  pupils  would  not  be  overflush  of  money,  and  we  think  a  few 
scholarships  connected  with  our  elementary  schools  would  be  of 
more  practical  use  than  those  existing— scholarships  that  provide 
what  is  called  “ higher  education'” 
WOEK  ON  THE  HOME  FARM. 
The  past  week  has  been  exceedingly  hot  and  dry,  and  we  have  now 
had  nothing  more  than  a  passing  shower  since  July  came  in.  We  hear 
of  heavy  rains  in  more  favoured  localities,  but  alas  1  they  do  not  come 
our  way.  ^  Roots  look  bluer  every  day,  and  it  is  wonderful  how  the 
Turnips  exist.  Mangolds  look  fairly  well,  but  want  rain  so  as  to  make 
the  best  use  of  the  last  dressing  of  nitrogen. 
The  harvest  that  was  inclined  to  tarry  has  come  with  a  rush,  and 
before  these  lines  are  in  print  we  shall  be  in  the  thick  of  it.  Oats 
have  finished  off  very  suddenly,  and  must  be  light  in  weight ;  and 
Barley,  except  on  the  deepest  soils,  will  be  thin  in  the  grain,  which 
must  seriously  affect  the  yield.  The  heat  has  been  too  great  even  for 
such  a  sun-loving  plant  as  Wheat,  and  many  samples  will  be  wanting 
in  plumpness. 
This  promises  to  be  a  great  season  for  the  string- binder.  Looking 
round  our  own  parish  there  does  not  appear  to  be  one  field  that  is  beyond 
the  binder’s  powers,  and  as  reports  from  all  parts  tell  a  similar  tale,  hand¬ 
binding  is  likely  to  be  the  exception  rather  than  the  rule.  Reapers 
should  work  excellently  this  season,  and  the  draught  will  be  light,  but 
the  hard  ground  will  shake  them  a  good  deal,  and  nuts  and  screws  must 
be  constantly  looked  over  and  tightened  up,  or  they  may  be  lost. 
Seeds  are  now  as  bare  as  a  turnpike  road,  and  might  have  been 
ploughed  for  Wheat  for  all  the  keeping  there  was  left  on  them,  but  the 
land  is  as  hard  as  the  aforesaid  turnpike,  and  would  be  about  as  easy  to 
plough.  An  immense  amount  of  rain  will  be  necessary  to  bring  it  into 
ploughing  condition. 
The  chief  anxiety  of  the  farmer  just  now  is  in  connection  with  his 
live  stock.  The  best  of  pastures  are  presenting  a  brown  appearance, 
and  growth  is  quite  at  a  standstill.  Already  we  see  cuttings  being 
made  in  the  recently  made  hay  and  clover  stacks.  Water  supply  is  in 
some  cases  a  serious  question ;  streams  and  ponds  are  drying  up,  and 
the  dryness  of  the  pasture  makes  doubly  necessary  a  good  supply 
of  water.  This  will  mean  carting,  may  be  long  distances ;  but  harvest 
time  or  not,  the  water  must  be  fetched.  What  a  pity  it  is  that  fine 
weather  can  do  so  much  harm ;  but  complaining  is  of  no  use,  we  must 
make  the  best  of  things  as  they  are. 
TO  HELP  FARMERS. 
Hek  Majesty’s  Commissioners  appointed  to  inquire  into  the  subject 
of  agricultural  depression  have  issaed  a  report,  in  which  they  recommend 
some  important  amendments  of  the  present  Agricultural  Holdings  Acts 
for  England  and  Scotland. 
Among  the  proposed  amendments  are  : — 
1,  Full  compensation  for  the  cumulative  fertility  resulting  from 
continuous  good  farming,  irrespective  of  any  arbitrary  time  limit. 
2,  Freedom  to  carry  out  and  compensation  for  all  improvements 
suitable  for  the  purposes  for  which  the  holding  is  let,  whether  the  land¬ 
lord  consent  or  not. 
3,  Compensation  should  be  given  retrospectively  for  suitable 
improvements  prior  to  the  passing  of  a  new  Act,  where  the  landlord  did 
not  dissent  from  such  improvements  at  the  time, 
4,  A  tenant  remaining  in  his  holding  at  the  determination  of  his 
tenancy  and  entering  on  a  new  contract  of  tenancy  should  be  enabled  to 
protect  himself  from  being  rented  on  his  improvements  by  the  right  to 
claim  compensation  for  their  unexhausted  value  without  quitting,  or  to 
obtain  a  proportionate  reduction  from  the  new  rent. 
5,  A  tenant  arbitrarily  compelled  to  quit  his  holding,  except  for  non¬ 
payment  of  rent  and  for  bad  farming,  should  be  entitled  to  such  com¬ 
pensation  as  will  cover  his  loss. 
It  is  also  suggested  that  the  Railway  and  Canal  Traffic  Acts  should 
be  amended,  so  as  to  test  the  reasonableness  of  every  rate  or  condition 
of  transit. 
The  First  Pocket  op  Hops, — The  first  pocket  of  Hops  of  this 
season’s  growth  arrived  on  Monday,  consigned  to  Messrs.  W.  H.  &  H. 
Le  May,  Hop  factors.  Borough  High  Street,  and  was  sold  by  them  at 
£15  per  cwt.  It  was  grown  by  Mr.  T.  Savage  of  Beech  Farm,  Marden, 
and  was  of  the  kind  known  as  Hobb’s  Early  Goldings,  the  quality  being 
exceptionally  fine.  It  is  thirteen  days  later  than  the  first  pocket  arrived 
last  year. 
METEOROLOGICAL  OBSERVATIONS. 
Oamdbn  SquAUB,  Loudon. 
Lat.81®ia'40"  N.;  Long.  0°  8/ 0"  W.:  Altitude  111  feet. 
Datb. 
9  A.M. 
In  tub  Day. 
d 
s 
« 
1897. 
August. 
1  Barometer 
at  32°,  and 
1  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. 
leg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
Inohs. 
Sunday  .....  1 
30  074 
68-9 
55-0 
N.B. 
66  9 
79-6 
51-2 
118-9 
48-3 
— 
Monday  ....  2 
30-108 
62-4 
580 
N.W. 
67-1 
86 -8 
54-4 
128-2 
63-0 
Tuesday  ....  3 
30-247 
63-1 
60-9 
N.E. 
68-0 
81-8 
53-2 
125-1 
46-4 
— 
Wednesday  ..  4 
3);124 
75  1 
66-1 
N.E. 
68-0 
87'1 
68-4 
124-0 
526 
— 
Thursday  . .  6 
29-837 
75-) 
67-0 
N.B. 
68-8 
88-4 
59-4 
130-1 
82-5 
0-010 
Friday  ....  6 
29-778 
69-1 
62  7 
S.W. 
69-0 
76-7 
61-1 
121-6 
55  8 
.... 
Saturday  . .  7 
29-910 
69-1 
61-4 
N.W. 
68-0 
77-9 
58-3 
129-2 
83-1 
— 
30011 
67-8 
61-8 
63-0 
82-5 
66-6 
125-3 
61-0 
0-010 
REMARKS. 
1st.— Overcast  morning  ;  bright  pleasant  afternoon. 
2nd. — Almost  cloudless  throughout ;  warm  sun  and  pleasant  breeze. 
3rd.— Slight  mist  or  drizzle  early  and  overcast  till  10.30  a.m.  ;  bright  warm  afternoon. 
4th.— Sunny  and  warm  throughout. 
5th. — Hot  and  rather  close  ;  cloudy  at  times  in  morning. 
6th. — Cooler,  with  alternate  cloud  and  sunshine  and  occasional  spots  of  rain. 
7th. — Alternate  sun  and  cloud. 
A  very  fine,  hot  week— four  consecutive  daily  m  uima  above  80°,  and  only  one  day 
with  maximum  in  son  below  120°.— Q.  J.  Syuons. 
