310 
April  3,  1902. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
week!  All  sea  borne.  We  had  fancied,  till  we  saw  the  re¬ 
port,  that  there  was  no  room  here  for  foreign  Potatoes 
They  are  so  cheap,  in  many  instances,  that  they  cannot 
leave  anything  but  loss  for  the  grower,  and  yet  we  find  our 
market  has  been  invaded.  How  does  the  foreigner  manage 
it,  and  how  does  he  pay  the  carriage,  too  ?  Certainly,  not 
many  have  come,  but  they  have  come.  .  ,  , 
Now  we  will  take  a  longer  space  of  time  than  a  week, 
and  see  what  is  the  money  value  of  some  of  our  food  im¬ 
ports  for  the  first  two  months  of  this  year : 
Cattle  (alive)  ... 
Beef  and  mutton 
Butter . 
Margarine 
Cheese . 
Condensed  milk  (unsweetened) 
Condensed  milk  (sweetened) 
Eggs  . 
£1,247,901 
£6,167,403 
£3,542,577 
£424,366 
£585,932 
£20,952 
£283,765 
£881.985 
Another  big  bill,  and  in  it  we  see  nothing  of  bacon,  lard, 
preserved  meats,  fish,  &c.,  all  things  that  we  do  get  in  great 
quantities,  and  all  things  that  can  hardly  be  classed  as 
luxuries,  but  necessities.  We  find  Oats  for  half  a 
come  to  3,439,662  quarters,  and  Peas  242,324  quarte^.  We 
cannot  put  our  hands  on  any  statistics  of  feeding  stuns,  i.e., 
cakes,  &:c.,  but  we  may  bear  in  mind  that  not  only  do  we  get 
cakes  in  abundance  (American,  Egyptian,  Russian),  but  we 
also  get  quantities  of  the  raw  material,  which  is  manufac¬ 
tured  into  cake  here.  The  cotton  seed  and  linseed  are  the 
principal  imports,  but  there  are  also  many  others,  what  we 
may  term  fancy  feeding  stuffs,  meals  of  various  sorts,  not 
forgetting  the  by  products  of  Wheat,  bran  and  sharps. 
Then  to  pass  on  to  fertilizers.  What  about  guano  1 
What  about  superphosphates  1  What  about  kainit  1  What 
about  bonemeal  ?  What  about  nitrate  of  soda,  sulphate  of 
ammonia  i  It  is  impossible  to  remember  every  item  ;  the 
list  is  a  long  one.  Canadian  hay,  w^e  see  too,  is  quoted,  but 
we  don’t  see  quotations  of  foreign  straw,  though  we  believe 
it  is  in  the  market. 
There  is  one  item  we  wish  far  away,  and  that  is.  the 
foreign  wool.  We  can,  and  do,  grow  wool,  and  practically 
we  can  supply  ourselves,  and  yet  our  clips  are  put  on  one 
side  to  make  room  for  Colonial  imports.  We  cannot  sow  our 
seeds  (i.e..  Clovers)  without  recourse  to  outside  help.  Of 
course,  there  is  a  reason.  Here  our  climate  is  variable  and 
is  not  so  well  fitted  for  the  ripening  and  maturing  of  Clover 
seeds.  We  may  have  a  fine,  drv  time,  or  we  may  not. 
We  hear  of  much  fresh  milk  being  imported,  and  the  worst 
part  of  it  is  that  whereas  our  dairies  are  subjected  to  the 
closest  inspection,  our  milk  tested  and  guaranteed,  this 
foreign  stuff  comes  in  free  and  under  no  restrictions  what¬ 
ever.  As  to  butter  and  eggs,  they  need  an  article  to  them¬ 
selves  ;  but  we  do  wonder  how  eggs  can  be  produced,  packed, 
shipped,  and  re-sold  here  in  mid-winter  at  a  halfpenny  each. 
We  cannot  afford  them  at  that  price  in  summer.  Where  do 
these  halfpenny  eggs  come  from,  and  what  is  the  profit  the 
original  owner  gets  1 
If  we  are  indebted  to  the  outsider  for  so  much  of  our  food, 
we  are  also  indebted  to  him  for  many  of  our  implements. 
Time  is  money  in  the  States,  and  the  Yankee  has  many  ’cute 
notions.  He  makes  his  implements  lighter  than  ours,  and, 
at  the  same  time,  stronger.  You  have  only  to  visit  an  agri¬ 
cultural  show  and  cast  a  glimpse  round  the  implements  to 
see  the  truth  of  our  assertion.  It  is  not  of  moment  to  put 
into  an  implement  the  greatest  possible  weight  of  metal, 
and  yet  we  think,  when  looking  at  some  of  our  old  "  stan¬ 
dards,”  that  the  artificer  must  have  had  this  in  view.  Iron 
is  good,  therefore  pile  on  the  agony  1  Steel  is  better,  lighter, 
and  stronger,  therefore,  says  the  Yankee,  substitute  steel. 
Alassey,  Harris,  and  Deering  binders  are  the  machines  in 
universal  use,  while  Walter  Woods,  Harrison,  Maegregor, 
and  Macormick  are  equally  well  known.  We  can  understand 
that  with  the  wide  acreage  of  the  States  and  Canada, 
reapers  of  light  draught  are  a  necessity.  Ploughs,  cultiva- 
■  tors  of  all  descriptions,  have  come  to  us  fi'om  America, 
from  whence  also  have  originated  the  chilled  digging  plough 
and  spring  tooth  cultivator,  the  chilled  digging  plough  asso¬ 
ciated  with  the  name  of  Oliver.  Some  of  the  best  types  of 
horse  hoes  are  also  American,  but  the  American  fork  is  not 
so  much  in  evidence  as  it  used  to  be. 
But  enough  of  this.  We  receive,  and  at  the  same  time  we 
also  give  (for  a  consideration).  It  has  been  rightly  stated 
that  Great  Britain  mav  be  looked  upon  as  the  great  stud 
-farm  of  the'world.  Whatever  else  w’e  do,  or  do  not  do,  we 
can  breed  some  of  the  best  animals  ever  seen.  This  is  partly 
the  result  of  climate,  but  more,  perhaps,  the  result  of  careful 
painstaking  selection.  There  are  many  types  we  have  made 
practically  evolved  out  of  our  (shall  we  say  it  1)  imagination. 
Where  are  the  racehorses  that  equal  ours  ?  The  courses 
at  Epsom,  and  Doncaster,  Goodwood,  and  Ascot  are  histo¬ 
rical.  Can  any  other  country  produce  a  hackney  equal  or 
approaching  to  Danegeltl  And  what  of  our  shires  and  other 
heavy  legged  types  I  English  blood  will  be  found  in  all  the 
four  quarters  of  the  globe.  What  would  Australian,  A.rgen- 
tine,  and  New  Zealand  wool  and  mutton  be  like  were  it  not 
for  our  pure  bred  sires  ?  They  cannot  do  without  us.  And 
we  find  wherever  agriculture  is  at  all  intelligently  pursued, 
English  blood  is  held  to  be  of  the  first  importance.  It 
would  be  difficult  now  to  find  a  land  where  the  Shorthorn 
Hereford,  Ayrshire,  or  other  distinctive  breed  of  cattle  is 
not  represented.  We  certainly  top  the  world’s  market  with 
our  pedigree  stock.  This  is  the  “  Old  Countrv,”  after  all, 
and  it  is  right  we  should  take  the  first  place  thus. 
Work  on  tlie  Home  Farm. 
We  have  to  chronicle  another  busy  week.  There  has  been 
more  wind  than  rain,  and  with  a  good  allowance  of  March  dust 
everything  has  been  favourable  for  farm  work.  Drilling  is 
finished  for  the  season,  and  seldom — nay,  we  might  almost  say 
never — has  the  seed-time  been  more  satisfactory.  If  a  good  start 
be  estimated  at  its  proper  value,  the  year’s  prospects  are  indeed 
good  as  regards  spring  corn.  The  period  immediately  before  and 
after  March  21  was  marked  by  mild  south-westerly  winds  and 
April-like  showers.  According  to  the  old  rule,  therefore,  we  have 
a  genial  growing  spring  in  store.  We  can  do  Avith  one  like  that  of 
1894,  Avhen  Ave  had  a  record  crop  of  Barley  both  straw  and  com. 
The  usual  supply  of  artificial  manure  has  been  laid  in.  There  was 
a  poor  return  for  it  last  season,  but  we  must  continue  to  use  it, 
or  there  will  soon  be  a  deficiency  in  the  crops.  Poor  as  last  year’s 
Avere,  excepting  Potatoes,  they  were  even  worse  on  badly  farmed 
land.  We  use  a  mixed  manure  for  Potatoes,  and  it  is  soAvn  broad¬ 
cast  and  split  in  with  the  seed.  We  like  this  system  best,  as  the 
manure  is  more  thoroughly  incorporated  with  the  soil.  Top- 
dressings  applied  in  June  have  done  A'ery  little  good  these  dry 
seasons. 
Clover  seeds  had  better  be  soavii  at  once  if  they  have  not 
been  soAAn  with  the  Barley  already.  Good  seed  soAvn  noAv  should 
make  a  good  plant  a  certainty.  What  a  loss  a  poor  seed  plant 
means  to  every  farmer  aa'o  are  uoaa-  experiencing  to  our  sorroAv. 
Now  that  the  seeds  are  stocked  with  ewes  and  lambs  we  realise 
the  nakedness  of  the  land.  If  the  fields  are  bare  Avith  one  CAve  per 
acre  upon  them,  hoAV  will  they  be  Avith  three,  AA’hich  is  the  number 
they  Avill  be  expected  to  cari’y  ?  It  is  a  poor  look-out.  To  make 
matters  worse,  the  early  finishing  of  the  SAA’edes  has  created  too 
many  demands  on  the  Mangold  heaps,  AA’hich  are  rapidly  dwindling. 
Stock  must  be  fed,  and  the  Mangolds  must  go,  but  Ave  Avish  we 
could  have  kept  some  back  for  summer  emergencies.  It  has  been 
grand  for  the  cattle  out  at  grass.  There  is  a  nice  bite  for  the 
time  of  year,  and  they  are  getting  hardened  off  capitally.  Indeed, 
the  cloud  has  its  silver  lining.  Pressure  of  other  Avork  has 
caused  a  considerable  lull  in  the  delivery  of  Potatoes,  but  it  has 
had  little  effect  on  the  trade.  Supplies,  if  not  quite  so  heavy, 
seem  quite  sufficient.  Spring  CanlifloAA’ers  about  here  haA'e  been 
very  severely  handled  by  the  frost,  and  few  have  survived.  A 
scarcity  amongst  green  vegetables  might  help  Potatoes  a  little, 
but  our  soui’ces  of  supply  are  so  numerous  and  Avidespread  that 
there  is  not  much  to  hope  for  in  that  direction. 
Men  are  much  more  plentiful  than  last  season.  Farmers  can 
get  men,  but  they  complain  of  the  difficulty  of  paying  them. 
Publications  Received. 
The  Society  of  St.  George.  Report  of  the  General  Committee, 
1901.  It  is  noAv  generally  conceded  that  sentiment  of  race,  as 
exemplified  during  the  present  A\'ar,  is,  and  must  ever  be,  a  great 
factor  in  any  scheme  for  uniting  and  perpetuating  our  Empire. 
Hoav  to  sustain  and  strengthen  the  Imperial  spirit  is  the  problem 
of  the  hour.  This  can  best  be  done  by  the  formation,  of  Societies 
of  St.  George,  Avorking  upon  the  lines  of  those  Avhich  have  for 
years  existed  in  Canada,  and  of  those  recently  founded  under  the 
constitution  of  this  society,  not  only  at  home,  but  in  Au.stralasia, 
South  Africa,  an  delseAvhere.  *  *  “The  Canadian  Horticul¬ 
turist.”  Special  Features:  The  Cranbeny  Pippin,  Spraying, 
Fertility  of  Orchards,  Gooseberry  Cultivation.  *  *  “Bulletin 
de  la  Societe  L’Avenir  Horticole.”  Annee,  1901.  *  *  “  Agri¬ 
cultural  Returns,  1901.”  Tables  shoAA’ing  the  estimated  total 
produce  and  average  yield  per  acre  of  the  principal  crops,  Avith  par¬ 
ticulars  for  each  county  of  Great  Britain,  and  a  .summai-y  for  the 
United  Kingdom.  *  »  “  qiip  Tropical  Agriculturist,”  for 
March,  1902.  *  *  “Cassell’s  Dictionary  of  Gardening,”  part 
xi.,  begins  at  LaAvn  MoAvers  and  ends  at  Mammillaria.  The 
number  contains  a  coloured  plate  of  Liliunis. 
