564 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
June  26,  1902. 
superable.  In  the  first  case  it  is  a  question  as  to  whether 
a  landlord  would  permit  certain  plots  or  fields  to  be  diverted 
from  their  original  course  of  husbandry,  and  he  certainly 
woidd  never  consent  to  the  purchase  of  a  suitable  portion. 
Our  expei'ience  of  landlords  is  this ;  They  take  a  map 
of  their  parish,  and  look  carefully  at  those  portions  marked 
as  theirs,  and  nothing  annoys  them  more  than  to  see  a  little 
farm,  or  even  field,  of  another’s  spoiling  the  symmetry  of 
the  estate.  Naboth’s  vineyards  indeed  they  are,  and  it  does 
not  matter  how  pinched  the  large  proprietor  may  be,  he 
never  rests  till  he  can  fairly  say  he  has  squared  his  property. 
Now,  how  on  earth  is  an  outsider  to  get  a  look  in  ?  Con¬ 
stantly  do  we  receive  pamphlets  setting  forth  in  glowing 
terms  the  charms  of  lands  that  can  be  bought  outright  for 
£15  per  acre.  It  may  be  that  we  are  stupia  and  old-fashioned, 
but,  if  the  land  be  so  good,  why  does  it  go  a-begging?  At 
the  present  time  farmers  pe  not  over-blessed  with  capital, 
and,  bringing  our  gardening  knowledge  to  bear,  we  fancy 
fruit  farming,  unless  in  quite  a  small  way,  will  devour  a  good 
bit  of  capital.  By  all  means  get  hold  of  the  rising  generation 
of  faraiers  and  instruct  them  ;  but  you  will  not  be  turning  out 
farmers,  but  market  gardeners. 
And  just  a  word  or  two  on  this  remount  business.  We  are 
all  wise  after  the  event,  and  there  has  been  a  good  deal  of 
light  let  on  to  the  system  that  at  present  obtains  respecting 
the  horses  for  our  soldiers.  More  money  has  been  wasted 
than  we  like  to  think  about,  and  it  is  so  galling  to  know  it 
has  gone  out  of  this  country  never  to  retuni.  “  Give  peace 
”  may  well  be  our  petition,  and  at  present  we  hope 
the  Spirit  of  Peace  has  taken  up  her  abode  with  us.  But 
there  is  no  telling  what  may  be  in  the  near  future.  We  may 
want  horses  as  badly  in  the  next  decade  as  we  have  done 
during  the  last.  £40  for  a  five-year-old  is  not  good  enough 
to  tempt  farmers  to  become  breeders.  If  anyone  doubts  the 
risks  of  horse-breeding,  just  let  him  watch  for  a  year  or  two 
some  man  who  owns  a  biggish  stud.  We  don’t  say  let  him 
try  for  himself ;  that  would  be  too  cruel,  for  where  the 
expert  fails  in  part  the  novice  would  make  total  shipwreck. 
Three  prize  mares  in  foal  in  this  parish  ;  three  fine  foals, 
apparently  all  well.  This  was  a  fortnight  ago.  Foals  all 
gone  from  various  quite  unforeseen  ills,  and  the  best  mare 
found  dead  in  the  pasture  to-day. 
This  is  no  isolated  instance.  Suppose  the  foals  get  over 
the  cntical  time,  will  £40  be  an  adequate  return  for  five 
years  keep  ?  For  the  benefit  of  those  w’ho  know  little  of 
horse  lore  we  would  observe  that  no  horse  is  fit  for  the 
hard  life  of  a  trooper  till  it  is  five  years  old.  A  man’s  horse 
IS  often  his  salvation  in  active  warfare,  therefore  it  must 
be  something  on  which  he  can  depend.  We  see  Sir  W. 
Gilbey  advocates  a  plan  by  which  the  Government  should 
^  ^  suitable  horses  at  three  years  old,  and  grow  them 
on  themselves.  This  would  give  an  impetus  to  horse- 
breeding.  It  would  be  required  to  establish  at  least  ten 
depots  tor  these  young  horses,  and  Sir  Walter  goes  into  the 
question  of  expense,  &c.,  very  minutely.  Of  course,  there 
IS  another  way.  The  hunter  and  hackney-breeding  farmer 
will  often  find  that  all  their  young  stock  will  not  come  up 
quite  to, the  intended  mark,  misfits  in  fact;  but  if  these 
misfits  sound  they  will  make  good  remounts  for  the 
trooper.  Still,  on  the  horse  question,  we  would  again  refer 
to  the  wisdom  of  insuring  in-foal  mares,  foals,  and  valuable 
animals.  A  cheque  is  a  wonderful  consoler  in  case  of  a 
funeral,  even  if  it  only  represents  part  of  the  value.  Our 
Amencan  friends  seem  anxious  to  “  squelsh  ”  up  the  makers 
There  is  a  heavy  annual  tax,  and  those  who 
adulterate  butter  without  having  paid  the  tax  can  be  fined 
not  ess  than  1,000  and  up  to  6,000  dollars.  Mr.  Hanbury 
will  have  to  turn  his  attention  to  this. 
The  show  fever  is  very  prevalent  again,  and  we  are  often 
puzzled  as  to  how  some  of  these  good  folks  we  know  afford 
tune  and  money  for  attending  so  many.  True,  we  should 
condemn  tne  stay-at-homes,”  but  this  love  of  shows  in  some 
breasts  is  decidedly  excessive.  If  you  have  got  good  stock 
show  by  all  means.  It  is  a  capital  advertisement,  but  don’t 
overdo  the  thing.  A  master  is  badly  spared  from  home 
during  the  summer  months. 
Me  saw  the  other  day  a  forcible  example  of  the  danger 
of  overstaying  the  market.  The  big  clips  of  several  years’ 
wool  had  been  stored  away  as  a  sort  of  speculation  in  hope  of 
a  rise  in  price.  Whatever  anyone  says  to  the  c^^ntrary,  wool 
^  keeping,  and  that  in  no  small  measure  ; 
and  this  time  the  deterioration  in  price  has  been  even  worse. 
We  hav’e  had  another  volume  treating  of  Victorian 
agriculture,  and  we  are  struck  with  the  exceedingly  practical 
nature  of  some  of  the  articles.  We  hear  a  good  deal  of 
“  spraying  ”  fruit  trees,  and  so  forth,  to  rid  the  trees  of 
injurious  parasites.  The  lecturer  first  auvises  the  study  of 
the  particular  parasite.  Some  varieties  must  be  poisoned 
through  the  stomach,  some  by  suffocation.  These  are  points 
well  worth  noting,  or  your  labour  may  be  in  vain.  Then 
there  is  the  senseless  raid  upon  birds.  It  is  well  to  distin¬ 
guish  between  friend  and  foe  here.  We  have  a  fancy  it  is 
the  so-called  “  sporting  ”  tastes  that  lead  to  so  great  an 
elimination  of  birds  both  here  and  in  the  Antipodes. 
We  have  often  thought  it  a  pity  that  gun  licences  were 
not  a  bit  dearer.  (The  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer  might 
make  a  note  of  this.)  Yes,  and  to  the  great  benefit  of  the 
country  the  tax  on  dogs  might  be  raised.  There  has  been 
a  good  deal  of  sheep  worrying  this  spring,  and  it  is  most 
difficult  to  get  at  the  offender. 
This  is  not  a  sporting  paper,  but  we  might  just  be  allowed 
a  word  on  the  nuisance  of  little  yapping  dogs  that  do  so 
much  to  disturb  Mrs.  Partridge,  who,  in  many  a  hedge 
bottom,  is  busily  engaged  with  family  cares.  There  will 
be  no  birds  for  September  if  there  are  forsaken  eggs  or 
tiny  chicks  mutilated  or  killed.  All  this  rain  will  do  some¬ 
thing  to  flush  pastures,  and  with  flushed  pastures  should 
come  an  ample  supply  of  butter.  Why  not  preserve  some 
against  the  days  of  famine— not  for  the  market,  but  for  home 
consumption  ?— although  if  the  butter  be  well  potted  we  have 
no  doubt  it  would  be  in  demand  for  the  production  of 
Christmas  dainties. 
Partridges  led  us  to  think  of  the  butter  question.  It 
is  extravagant,  but  it  is  good.  Try  a  butter-basted  bird,  if  the 
kitchen  powers  will  allow.  Some  of  us  are  beginning  to  worry 
about  our  hay  crop.  Ne  prophesy  there  is  warm  weather 
in  store  yet,  and,  with  all  this  rain,  we  stand  a  chance  of 
having  a  bit  more  to  mow  at  than  we  have  had  the  last  few 
years.  We  are  quite  aware  that  grass  may  easily  be  left 
too  long — i.e.,  to  become  tough  and  fibrous — but  as  the 
growing  start  was  made  late  this  year  the  ripening  won’t  bn 
quite  so  soon.  What  about  heavy  Corn  crops  and  the  self- 
binder?  Those  machines  work  well  where  the  crops  wei’e 
light  and  stand  upright.  We  fancy  may  be  a  question  of 
more  men  this  time  and  less  machinery.  By-the-by,  all 
careful  folk  will  have  their  machines  (grass-cutters  and 
reapers)  overhauled  in  good  time.  When  machinists  are 
pressed  for  time  work  may  be  slipped. 
Work  on  the  Home  Farm. 
We  have  had  a  great  deal  more  rain,  which  mo.st  farmers 
have  agreed  in  thinking  very  suiDerfluous.  It  has  certainly  put 
a  serious  stop  to  Turnip  drilling,  which  must  be  delayed  until 
very  late  in  this  month,  if  not  until  July.  Weeds  have  some¬ 
what  upset  our  equanimity  by  growing  so  fast,  but  it  is  cheering 
to  see  the  prosperous  state  of  all  crops.  The  outcry  about  laid 
Barley  is  gaining  in  volume,  but  we  have  never  to  wait  long  for 
a  farmer’s  growl.  Some  may  suffer,  but  when  their  crops  are  too 
heavy  it  denotes  that  the  general  average  will  be  a  good  one. 
Poor  and  thin  soils  have  suffered  terribly  through  the  dry 
season,  and  they  are  now  getting  a  much-needed  turn  of  luck. 
We  are  all  beginning  to  think  of  cutting  Clover,  which  is  not 
too  well  in  flower,  but  the  Rye  Grass,  which  is  an  important 
proportion  of  the  crop  this  year  is  setting  its  seed.  This  last 
is  valuable  if  retained,  but  it  shakes  out  very  much  in  making 
if  the  grass  is  allowed  to  get  too  ripe.  Then  the  Coronation  is 
before  us  with  practically  two  full  days’  holiday,  and  the  Aveather 
is  unsettled.  Here  is  a  pretty  puzzle !  Well,  Ave  Avill  wait  the 
Coronation  over  and  then  start  the  mower. 
Our  local  machini.st  shoAved  us  the  other  day  the  newest  type 
of  moAver — American,  of  course.  But,  oh,  how  simple  in  con¬ 
struction  !  Hoav  light  but  strong !  This  machinis  t  has  manu¬ 
factured  hundreds  of  mowers  in  his  time,  but  is  giving  it  up.  He 
can  get  more  profit  by  selling  these  foreigners  than  by  making 
his  oAvn.  No  Avonder  that  we  are  losing  our  iron  and  steel  trade. 
Earthing  up  Potatoes  Avas  progressing  well  before  the  heavy 
rain.  The  Avork  must  be  done  soon  or  it  Avill  be  A’ery  difficult. 
The  haulm  seems  to  groAv  inches  in  a  day.  We  do  not  like  to 
earth  Potatoes  Avith  saturated  soil,  but  needs  must  in  tiiis  case. 
There  is  one  comfort.  The  sun  Avill  not  bake  the  earthed  ridges ; 
there  is  too  much  top  for  that. 
Sheep  pastures  are  very  rank  in  growth.  All  food  is  A’eiy 
pcculent  and  young.  Lambs  may  be  in  danger  of  scour  if  it 
is  not  guarded  against.  A  little  linseed  cake  or  good  mixed  lamb 
food  Avill  Avell  repay  its  cost  in  keeping  the  animals  healthy.  A 
pen  may  be  made  with  hurdles  to  surround  the  troughs  and 
openings  left  Avhich  will  not  admit  the  ewes.  If  one  is  narrow 
enough  to  find  her  way  in,  the  food  will  not  be  Ava.sted  on  her. 
Ewes  haA'e  improved  maiwellously  since  they  AA'ere  clipped,  and 
noAv  look  A'ery  well. 
