304 
JOURN^AL  of  tJORRiGULTURF  AKD  COTTAGE  GARDENER.  September  1897. 
or  varieties  of  Clover.  They  forget  also  (and  this  is  a  sad  indiscretion 
on  their  part)  that  they  are  advising  men  who  are  in  many  cases  in 
money  difficulties,  or  who  find  the  money  market  decidedly  tight. 
Laying  down  land  to  grass  means  a  large  present  expenditure  in 
suitable  seeds  ;  it  also  means  a  long  waiting  time,  till  those  seeds  of 
grass  have  attained  a  proper  growth — i.e.,  a  growth  which  will  allow 
of  them  being  mown  or  grazed  without  permanent  injury.  Now, 
during  those  years  of  waiting  the  rent  still  goes  on,  and  that  rent  has 
to  be  supplied  from  some  other  source,  and  is  often  very  difficult  to 
find.  We  do  not  have  land  at  prairie  value  here,  or,  at  least,  we  have 
not  met  with  it  in  our  parts. 
There  is  not  a  shadow  of  doubt  but  that  our  good  sound  English- 
grown  Wheat  is  moj’e  nutritious'  as  an  article  of  diet  than  the  dry 
white  grain  we  import  from  foreign  parts,  and  when  English  Wheat 
and  English  flour  can  be  once  more  grown  at  a  profit  to  the  farmer  a 
good  supply  will  be  found  somewhere. 
Ol  course,  we  know  that  with  our  best  endeavours  we  cannot 
produce  enough  for  our  teeming  population,  yet  a  little  encouragement 
in  the  matter  of  price  has  a  wonderfully  stimulating  effect  on  the 
producer.  We  have  seen  the  introduction  of  many  tine  varieties  of 
seed  Wheat,  bold  in  berry,  upstanding,  and  of  very  great  fertility, 
and  we  have  little  doubt  that  our  great  raisers  are  yet  prepared  to  do 
more  for  us  in  this  line.  Beside,  too,  every  year  opens  up  new  vistas  of 
promise  in  the  way  of  tillage.  Science  comes  to  our  aid,  and  teaches 
us  how  to  grow  live  ears  of  corn  where  only  four  were  found  before. 
Now,  at  the  conclusion  of  this  harvest  of  1897,  we  view  the 
situation  with  much  satisfaction.  “  Punch  ”  was  the  first  in  the  field 
to  touch  on  passing  events,  actually  devotes  a  large  cartoon  to  agri¬ 
culture,  representing  Ceres  with  an  overflowing  basket  and  beaming  at 
the  prospect  of  better  prices.  INlay  the  p>rices  last !  Surely  the  towns¬ 
folk  who  have  had  cheap  bread  so  long  at  our  expense  will  not  grudge 
us  this  little  gleam  of  sunshine  in  our  cloudy  sky. 
This  year  we  find  from  statistics  just  published  that  the  area  under 
Wheat  for  the  United  Kingdom  has  increased  by  200,000  acres.  This 
is  something  substantial,  and  we  are  glad  to  record  that  the  yield  is  a 
very  fair  one.  Of  course,  as  there  are  spots  in  the  sun,  there  are 
places  where  from  some  cause  or  other  the  yield  is  disappointing,  but 
these  places  are  in  the  minority.  Then,  again,  too,  in  the  South  and 
East  the  crops  were  got  in  very  good  condition.  Wheat,  too,  in  the 
North  has  not  suffered  so  much  as  might  have  been  ex];ected  from  the 
broken  weather.  It  was  all  so  dry  to  begin  with  that  it  took  much 
rain  to  make  any  impression  whatever.  Barley  has  been  the  greatest 
sufferer ;  bad  weather  affects  the  colour,  and  makes  the  maltster  look 
shy.  Curiously  enough,  from  Wiltshire  come  accounts  of  badly 
damaged  Barley,  while  from  Scotland  we  hear  that  the  greater  part  of 
the  heat  was'  safely  housed  before  the  weather  broke.  This  fact 
rather  makes  us  wonder  when  the  Wiltshire  Barley  was  sown.  We 
have  urged  and  advocated  all  our  lives  the  necessity  of  early  sowing 
for  Barlej’,  and  as  the  years  roll  by  we  see  no  reason  to  alter  our 
opinion  ;  on  the  contrary,  as  long  as  we  have  a  breath  left  we  shall 
still  preach  the  old  doctrine. 
Last  year  (1896)  the  kingdom  grew  1,734,118  acres  of  Wheat; 
this  year  the  total  is  1,938,183  acres,  being  a  little  short  of  the 
acreage  of  1894,  but  484,168  acres  more  than  two  years  ago.  This 
year,  too,  we  stand  alone  as  a  nation  in  having  an  increased  area  and 
good  yields,  beating  especially  every  continental  nation. 
It  is  rattier  difficult  to  come  to  a  correct  conclusion  as  to  yield, 
but  M'e  think  we  shall  be  about  the  mark  when  we  give  29  bushels 
per  acre  as  tlie  average.’-'  We  think  we  are  not  too  sanguine,  but  of 
course  we  are  open  to  correction  on  this  point.  Last  year  the  estimate 
was  as  follows  :  — 
Acres,  1890,  Bushels  per  acre. 
1,7:’.), 976  . aS-G'i 
Acres,  1897.  Bushels  per  acre. 
_ 1.938,188  .  29 _ 
Since  writing  the  above  we  have  seen  several  well-known  agriculturists 
of  Nottinghamshire  and  Yoikshire,  and  they  are  most  emphatic  in  their 
assertion  that  the  Wheat  yield  will  be  found  not  to  exceed  24  bushels  per 
acre.  We  hope  they  may  be  -wrong,  but  they  are  men  on  whose  judgment 
we  can  rely. 
Now,  then,  for  the  prices  for  the  last  fetv  years. 
Per  quarter  480  lbs. 
September  1st  to  August  31st.  s.  d. 
1892- 3  26  10 
1893- 4  . '.  . 25  5 
1894- 5  21  3 
1895- 6  24  11 
1896- 7  28  5 
This  year,  since  June,  there  has  been  a  steady  rise  from  27s.  per 
quarter  to  33s.  7d. ;  indeed,  we  have  seen  new  White  at  38s.  6d,  and 
Bed  at  36s.  Some  old  White,  too,  met  a  market  at  41s.  Of  course, 
this  was  a  specially  good  sample.  There  generally  is  a  rise  of  price 
early  in  harvest  before  the  threshing  machine  has  got  fairly  to  work; 
but  now,  although  much  Wheat  has  been  put  on  the  market  there  is 
still  a  tendency  in  prices  to  harden.  ’ 
Oats,  too,  are  worth  more  money,  and  those  people  who  have 
good  samples  of  Barley  are  sure  to  meet  a  good  trade.  There  is  a 
feeling,  too,  abroad  that  the  Potato  crop  may  be  more  remunerative 
than  of  late.  That  the  crop  is  small  there  is  no  doubt,  and  small 
crops  mean  enhanced  prices.  So  far,  we  must  depend  upon  ourselves 
in  a  great  measure  for  the  production  of  this  tuber.  Germany  does 
send  us  some  occasionally.  Let  us  hope  that  this  year  they  need  all 
they  have  grown  for  home  consumption.  We  do  not  wish  to  deprive 
our  Teutonic  friends  of  a  single  ton. 
WORK  ON  THE  HOME  FARM. 
A  beautiful  week  has  rejoiced  the  hearts  of  belated  harvesters;  full 
advantage- has  been  taken  of  it,  and  in  most  districts  the  grain  is  safely 
under  cover.  There  has  been  little  absolute  waste,  but  much  damage  to 
Barley  samples,  which  will  be  reduced  in  value  if  not  in  bulk. 
Fallows  are  now  working  well,  and  we  have  seen  many  fields 
full  of  little  heaps  ready  for  firing.  Burning  twitch  and  stubble  is 
supposed  to  be  very  wasteful,  but  by  burning  we  do  not  lose  the  potash, 
and  with  nitrogen  at  the  present  price,  we  hardly  think  that  rotted  twitch 
is  worth  the  labour  of  twice  carting  ;  at  any  rate  burning  is  the  most 
expeditious  plan,  and  time  is  of  great  value  in  making  the  best  of  fine 
weather  at  this  season. 
Old  seeds  are  ploughing  well,  and  Wheat  must  go  into  a  capital  seed 
bed.  The  ploughing  must  be  done  at  once,  so  as  to  get  settled  and  firm 
before  the  corn  is  dr  died.  Winter  Tares  should  be  sown  as  soon  as 
possible.  The  land  ought  to  be  fairly  clean,  and  well  dressed  with  good 
decayed  manure.  This  should  be  well  buried  with  the  plough  and  the  seed 
drilled  at  once.  Thin  plants  of  Clover  may  be  renovated  with  suitable 
mixtures,  but  this  should  be  done  without  delay.  We  think  there  is 
nothing  better  than  Dwarf  Italian  Rye  Grass  for  this  purpose,  at  the  rate 
of  3  pecks  per  acre. 
Unless  It  be  for  semi-permanent  seeds,  it  is  hardly  worth  while  sowing 
Clovers  so  late  ;  the  risk  of  non-germination  or  destruction  by  severe 
frost  militating  much  against  a  profitable  result.  Second  early  Potatoes 
are  being  rapidly  cleared  off,  and  when  we  hear  of  3  acres  of  good  land 
producing  but  5  tons  for  market,  it  will  be  seen  that  they  do  not  take 
much  moving.  Everywhere  we  hear  of  crojis  being  but  half  of  what  they 
were  last  year,  5  tons  per  acre  being  quite  the  top  limit.  Late  kinds  are 
growing  again  luxuriantly,  and  will  not  be  ready  yet ;  we  hope  when 
they  are.  hands  will  be  more  plentiful  than  they  -were  last  year. 
The  Irishmen  who  are  not  now  needed  for  the  corn  harvest  are  sadly 
missed  in  the  Potato  field  later  on,  and  a  good  man  would  earn  quite  as 
much  picking  Potatoes  as  he  could  at  forking  grain  crops. 
METEOROLOGICAL  OBSERVATIONS. 
Camden  Square,  London. 
Lat.  51°  32'  40"  N. ;  Long.  0°  8'  0"  W. ;  Altitude  111  feet. 
Date. 
9  A.H. 
In  the  Day 
1897. 
Barometer 
at  32°, and 
Sea  Level. 
Hygrometer. 
Direc¬ 
tion  of 
Temp, 
of  soil 
at 
1  foot. 
Shade  Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
TemperatuK 
Bain. 
September. 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Wind. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
Sun. 
On 
Grass. 
Sunday  ..  12 
Inchs. 
80  472 
leg 
65-4 
deg. 
54-0 
N. 
deg. 
65-0 
deg 
65-7 
deg 
48-0 
deg. 
107-1 
deg. 
37-4 
Inohi'. 
Monday  ..  ..  13 
30-502 
53-3 
53  1 
N. 
64-8 
69-1 
42-8 
107-7 
38-2 
Tuesday  ....  14 
30-50  s 
57"2 
63-0 
N  B. 
66-3 
66-5 
54-2 
114  3 
53-2 
_ 
Wednesday  15 
30  850 
68-8 
6  (-2 
N. 
66-6 
67-0 
48  2 
109-8 
42-1 
_ 
Thursday  ..  16 
30-119 
60-1 
65-9 
N.W. 
57-0 
64-8 
53  3 
100-8 
49-1 
Friday  ....  17 
29-775 
65-9 
61-9 
W. 
66-3 
61-4 
46-2 
113-6 
40-7 
0-280 
Saturday  ..  18 
29-594 
49-0 
46-8 
N. 
66-0 
66-7 
46-8 
99-7 
47-1 
0-021 
30-189 
65-6 
62-7 
66-0 
64  9 
47  8 
107-6 
44-0 
0-301 
• 
iSth.— Bright  throughout. 
13th. -Mist  early,  bright  and  'sunny  morning,  fair  afternoon,  dull  and  over  oast 
evening. 
14th.  — Overcast  early,  sunny  from  10.45  A.M.  to  3  P.M.,  cloudy  after. 
lith. — Overoast  early,  son  at  10.25  AM.,  and  alternate  sun  and  cloud  all  morning, 
dull  and  darlc  O'6-O  P.M.  and  rest  of  day, 
16th.— Bright  and  sunny  early,  generally  dull  rest  of  day,  but  a  gleam  of  sun  at  2.45  P.M., 
dull  night 
17th. — Generally  dull  and  cloudy  with  some  sun,  spots  of  rain  in  afternoon,  and  heavy 
rain  at  night. 
18th.— Overcast  most  of  the  day,  dull  evening. 
A  finer  and  warmer  week,  temperature  near  the  average,  barometer  above  it.— 
Q.  J.  Symons. 
