280 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
September  19,  1901. 
Backward  and  Forward. 
With  the  harvest  of  graiD  gathered  in,  and  preparations  for 
another  seed  time  on  the  way,  it  would  seem  fitting  to  take  a  survey 
of  the  farming  year  so  far  as  it  has  gone.  We  have  sown  and  reaped. 
The  fruits  of  the  earth,  such  as  they  are,  may  be  realised  well  or 
badly,  and  the  result  may  largely  depend  on  the  financial  position  of 
the  individual  farmer. 
We  have  noticed  only  too  often  the  disadvantages  under  which 
the  impecunious  farmer  lies  from  being  so  constantly  forced  into 
premature  sales  against  his  own  better  judgment.  This  applies  very 
strongly  to  the  small  farmer  class,  and  it  is  to  minimise  the  difficulties 
of  these  small  farmers  that  the  system  of  agricultural  credit  banks  has 
been  started.  Mr.  Rider  Haggard,  in  one  of  his  recent  articles,  speaks 
in  high  praise  of  the  benefits  conferred  by  one  such  organisation 
which  he  came  across  in  Lincolnshire,  and  we  trust  that  ere  long  a 
very  large  increase  in  the  number  of  village  credit  banks  will  have 
been  brought  about.  We  agree  with  Mr.  Haggard  in  thinking  that 
the  establishment  of  such  banks  would  do  much  to  reproduce  the  now 
almost  extinct  class  of  yeomen,  and  at  the  same  time  solve  the 
agricultural  problem.  We  believe  that  Mr.  Yerburgh,  M.P.  for 
Chester,  is  always  ready  to  supply  information  and  advice  to  those  who 
require  them  in  connection  with  the  inauguration  of  a  village  bank. 
Looking  back  on  the  past  six  months  we  can  see  much  to  be 
thankful  for,  and  we  think  that  as  regards  this  part  of  the  country 
things  have  not  gone  so  badly  with  the  average  farmer.  The  winter 
was  mild,  and  there  was  an  absence  of  good  frost  mould,  which 
provides  such  an  ideal  seedbed  for  Barley  and  Oats.  A  plethora  of 
Turnips  kept  sheep  on  the  land  until  very  late,  which  put  off  Barley 
sowing.  Thus  owing  to  one  cause  or  other  spring  sowing  was  delayed 
and  a  late  start  made.  April,  however,  as  it  should  be,  was  showery, 
and  May  dry,  so  a  well-rooted  healthy  plant  was  obtained.  We  had 
sufficient  rain  in  June  to  grow  the  crops  on  into  fair  average  ones, 
though  we  fear  in  some  parts  farmers  were  not  so  fortunate.  Wheat 
would  have  been  better  for  a  little  more  winter  frost  and  loss  of  root, 
being  very  thick  of  plant  in  the  spring.  Where  top-dressings  were 
applied  in  time  it  was  kept  growing,  and  attained  a  fair  length,  an 
average  bulk  of  straw,  and  probably  more  than  an  average  yield,  but 
many  fields  which  were  unassisted  turned  yellow  in  May,  and,  never 
recovering  their  natural  vigour,  ripened  off  too  short  of  straw  and 
small  of  ear  to  be  financially  satisfactory. 
We  do  not  know  whether  it  is  owing  to  a  restriction  of  the  supplies 
by  a  syndicate,  but  it  is  a  fact  that  during  April  and  May  nitrate  of 
soda  is  often  difficult  to  procure  at  short  notice,  and  that  at  the  time 
when  urgent  demands  for  it  are  most  frequently  made.  It  is  wise  for 
farmers  to  keep  a  stock  by  them  from  the  end  of  February  for  use 
when  necessity  requires.  If  not  wanted  for  top-dressing  Corn  it  can 
be  used  for  Potatoes  or  Mangold  later  on.  July  was  a  little  loo  dry 
for  Corn,  but  splendid  for  making  hay,  which  was  all  got  in  fine 
condition.  Unfortunately  there  was  too  little  of  it.  Clover  was  good, 
but  would  have  been  better  for  a  little  more  rain  in  May.  * 
Of  the  Turnip  crop  it  is  difficult  to  speak  with  certainty,  as  it 
varies  so  much  in  different  localities;  still,  we  have  reason  to  believe 
that  in  the  chief  Turnip  growing  counties,  notwithstanding  partial 
failures,  the  prospect  is  a  good  one,  and  though  we  may  not  have  the 
abundance  ot  last  season,  our  live  stock  will  have  enough  and  to  spare. 
Potatoes  we  believe  to  be  much  better  than  last  year,  both  as 
regards  quantity  and  quality,  and  we  shall  be  surprised  if  prices  are 
not  below  the  average.  July  rain,  which  is  so  necessary  for  Potatoes 
on  light  soils,  did  not  fall  in  sufficient  volume,  and  the  ridges  did  not 
receive  a  thorough  soaking  until  early  in  August.  Therefore  there  is 
a  good  deal  of  second  growth  on  such  soils,  and  consequently  much 
supertuberation.  Thus  the  quality  from  light  land  will  not  be  good, 
though  the  crop  will  be  heavy  ;  on  good  soils  the  crops  are  magnificent, 
size  is  large  and  shape  excellent.  'Ihe  Up-to-Date  has  fully  held  its 
place  as  the  best  Potato  in  cultivation.  The  other  kinds  which  were 
to  supersede  it  are  occupying  very  secondary  positions. 
Pastures  (i.e.,  grass)  were  poor  and  bare  through  May  ;  they  improved 
a  little  in  June,  but  became  very  brown  in  July,  and  there  is  still  but 
a  short  bite.  Cows  lost  much  of  their  milk  supply  at  the  end  of  June, 
and  they  are  still  giving  a  very  poor  return.  Butter  has  been  rear  for 
the  time  of  the  year,  but  the  rise  should  have  been  double  to  make  up 
fully  for  the  loss  in  quantity.  We  fear  the  farmer’s  wife  is  not  having 
a  good  year,  though  hens  have  laid  well  and  eggs  have  met  a  fair 
sale.  It  has  been  also  a  good  year  for  poultry  rearing ;  chickens  have 
been  healthy,  and  there  have  been  but  lew  deaths,  but  we  never  could 
see  any  profit  in  rearing  fowls  to  sell  at  ordinary  hucksters’  prices,  so 
the  Missis  would  hardly  make  good  her  deficiency  there. 
Seed  pastures,  in  contrast  to  grass,  were  very  good  in  the  spring, 
and  kept  their  freshness  for  a  long  time.  July,  however,  saw  them 
becoming  bare,  which  they  still  are,  and  there  will  be  little  herbage  to 
plough  in  when  ploughing  is  possible.  We  wish  the  prospect  for  the 
new  Clovers  was  as  good  as  last.  Hundreds  and  thousands  of  acres  of 
new  seeds  are  hardly  worth  keeping  for  any  purpose,  and  many  fields 
of  yerr-old  Clover  will  be  spired  for  another  season,  the  fields  which 
should  have  been  under  this  crop  being  dragged  and  prepared  for 
sowing  with  another  crop  of  Barley  or  Oats.  This  procedure,  if  carried 
out  on  an  extensive  scale,  may  mean  a  considerable  shrinkage  in  the 
area  under  Wheat.  Hay  and  straw  will  not  be  plentiful,  though  roots 
may  prove  to  be  so.  Cakes  are  still  too  high  in  price  to  make 
feeding  very  remunerative,  so  the  prospects  for  the  stock  owner  are 
only  of  a  moderate  nature.  What  about  the  corn  markets  ?  Oats 
will  make  a  fair  price,  and  may  get  to  be  dear  if  the  foreigner  only 
stays  away. 
The  high  price  of  Maize  must  have  an  effect  on  the  Oat  trade. 
Wheat  has  not  varied  much  for  some  time,  and  we  hardly  think  there 
will  be  any  great  alteration  of  price  at  present.  The  price  is  too 
low,  but  it  has  been  much  worse,  and  might  be  again.  Our  hop  s  are 
set  on  Barley;  there  is  a  great  deal  of  fine  colour  amongst  this  year’s 
Barley,  and  if  farmers  will  but  see  that  it  is  carefully  threshed  and 
dressed  we  are  confident  that  there  will  be  a  run  on  Eoglish  malt. 
There  does  not  appear  to  be  any  reason  for  early  marketing,  except 
monetary  ones,  and  the  evil  of  having  too  many  eggs  in  one  basket. 
Altogether  the  year  seems  to  be  one  over  which  we  can  neither  exult 
nor  lament,  but  be  quietly  satisfied. 
Work  on  the  Home  Farm. 
Another  fine  week  has  enabled  us  to  make  capital  headway  with 
working  the  stubbles,  and  they  are  now  rolled  and  harrowed  for  the 
last  time,  and  will  remain  in  their  present  condition  until  ploughs  oaa  be 
provided  to  turn  the  land  over  for  the  winter.  Lea  is  still  too  hard, 
and  the  recent  0'25  of  rain  will  not  have  much  effect,  though  it  has 
freshened  Turnips  wonderfully.  Swedes  would  do  with  much  more,  in 
fact  a  really  good  soaking.  Patches  of  the  bluish  aphis  which  we 
generally  call  Smother-fly,  have  made  their  appearance,  and  if  we  have 
much  hot  weather  this  month  they  will  spread  and  do  much  damage. 
The  lambs,  having  had  the  bulk  of  the  Cabbage  fed  to  them  on  seeds 
or  stubbles,  are  now  being  folded  on  the  Cabbage  break  to  pick  up  the 
crumbs  that  are  left.  The  crop  has  not  been  a  very  satisfactory  one, 
the  plants  having  hearted  somewhat  prematurely  and  attained  but  a 
moderate  size.  We  are  inclined  to  blame  the  dry  season  for  this,  but 
have  a  suspicion  that  there  is  another  contributory  cause — viz.,  a 
scarcity  of  good  suitable  muck  twelve  months  ago.  Cabbage  must 
have  high  feeding,  and  no  food  except  muck  is  of  much  use  during 
very  dry  weather.  It  is  necessary,  therefore,  that  we  should  endeavour 
to  give  next  year’s  crop  a  better  supply  unless  we  wish  to  risk  a 
repetition  of  this  year’s  experience.  Twenty  loads  per  acre  is  not  too 
much,  and  the  land  having  been  well  cleared,  there  is  no  reason  why 
it  should  not  be  spread  now  and  ploughed  in  immediately.  Three 
horses  and  a  chilled  plough  will  turn  it  in  9  inches  deep  and  do  the 
work  well.  The  plants  will  not  be  put  in  until  late  October,  but  if  the 
land  becomes  solid  again  before  then  it  will  be  all  the  better  for  them. 
A  good  deal  of  threshing  is  being  done.  Perhaps  the  country  banks 
could  tell  the  reason  why.  No  doubt  money  is  scarce  amoDgst  farmers, 
but  straw  is  equally  so,  therefore  the  demand  for  steam  threshers  is 
very  active.  Reports  speak  well  as  to  the  yield  cf  Wheat;  very  well 
when  the  felortness  of  the  straw  is  considered.  The  few  results  of 
Barley  threshing  are  not  so  good.  The  samples  are  of  good  colour,  but 
small  and  very  flinty.  With  more  straw  to  thresh  there  is  a  better 
yield  than  that  of  last  year,  but  quality  and  weight  are  much  the  same, 
too  much  the  same. 
Beef  markets  do  not  encourage  immediate  selling  of  fat  or  very  fresh 
cattle,  but  pastures  are  going  off,  and  to  keep  the  animals  thriving  cake 
must  be  given  if  they  are  not  already  having  it.  Cattle  never  give  a 
better  return  for  the  cake  they  consume  than  they  do  during  the  next 
six  weeks. 
Another  Tuberculosis  Commission.  —  The  London  Gazette 
recently  announced  that  the  King  has  appointed  a  Royal  Commission 
to  inquire  (1)  whether  the  disease  (tuberculosis)  in  animals  and  man  is 
one  and  the  same  ;  (2)  whether  animals  and  man  can  be  reciprocally 
infected  with  it;  and  (3)- under  what  conditions,  if  at  all,  the  transmission 
of  the  disease  from  animals  to  man  takes  place,  and  what  are  the  circum¬ 
stances  favourable  or  unfavourable  to  such  trar  emission.  The  members 
of  the  Commission  will  be  Sir  Michael  Foster,  Professor  of  Physiology 
in  Cambridge  University ;  Dr.  G.  Sims  Woodhead,  Professor  of 
Pathology  in  Cambridge  University;  Dr.  Sydney  Harris  Cox  Martin, 
Professor  of  Pathology,  University  College,  London  ;  Mr.  John 
M‘Fadyear,  Principal  of  the  Royal  Veterinary  College,  London  ;  and 
Mr.  R.  W.  B  j  ce,  Professor  of  Pathology  at  University  College,  Liverpool. 
