December  5,  1901.  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
525 
Covent  Garden  Market.— December  4th. 
Average  Wholesale  Prices.— Plants  in  Pots. 
s.  d.  s.  d 
5  0tol2  0 
12  0  30  0 
0 
0 
Aralias,  doz.  ... 
Araucaria,  doz. 
Aspidistra,  doz .  18  0  36 
Chrysanthemums,  doz.  6  0  30 
Crotons,  doz .  18  0  30 
Cyclamen,  doz . 10  0  12 
Dracsona,  var.,  doz.  ...  12  0  30 
Dracaena,  viridis,  doz.  9  0  18 
Erica  gracilis,  doz.  ...  10  0  12 
,,  caffra,  doz . 15  0  18 
Ferns,  var,  doz.  ... 
Ferns,  small,  100... 
Ficus  elastica,  doz.  ...  9  0 
Foliage  plants,  var,  each  10 
Lycopodiums,  doz.  ... 
Marguerite  Daisy,  doz. 
Myrtles,  doz . 
Palms,  in  var.,  doz.  ... 
,,  specimens 
Primulas  . 
s.  d.  s.  d 
4  0tol8  0 
10  0  16  0 
12  0 
5  0 
0  0 
8  0 
9  0 
30  0 
63  0 
4  0 
3  0 
6  0 
6  0 
15  0 
21  0 
3  0 
,,  hyemalis  . 
9 
0 
15  0 
Shrubs,  in  pots  .  4  0 
6  0 
j  j  jj  Bilbfii.,,  •  •• 
12 
0 
18  0 
Solanums  .  8  0 
10  0 
Average  Wholesale  Prices.— Cut  Blowers 
s. 
d. 
s.  d 
s.  d. 
s.  d 
Arums,  doz . 
5 
0  to  6  0 
Lilium  1.  rubrum  ...  1  6  to  2  0 
Asparagus,  Fern,  bnch. 
1 
0 
2  0 
Lilium  longiflorum  ...  4  0 
5  0 
Bouvardia,  white, 
Lily  of  the  Valley,  12 
doz.  bunches . 
5 
0 
6  0 
bnchs  . 12  0 
18  0 
Bouvardia,  coloured, 
Maidenhair  Fern,  doz. 
doz.  bunches . 
5 
0 
6  0 
bnchs .  4  0 
6  0 
Camellias,  white . 
3 
0 
0  0 
Marguerites,  white, 
Carnations,  12  blooms 
1 
3 
1  9 
doz.  bnchs .  2  0 
4  0 
Cattleyas,  doz . 
8 
0 
12  0 
,,  yellow,  doz.  bnchs.  0  6 
1  0 
Chrysanthemums, 
Odontoglossums .  5  0 
6  0 
specimen  blooms, 
Primula,  double  white, 
doz . 
1 
0 
4  0 
doz.  bunches .  5  0 
6  0 
,,  white,  doz.  bnchs. 
4 
0 
8  0 
Roses,  Niphetos,  white, 
,,  coloured,  doz.  bnchs 
3 
0 
8  0 
doz .  1  0 
2  0 
Cypripediums,  doz.  ... 
3 
0 
4  0 
,,  pink,  doz .  2  0 
4  0 
Eucharis,  doz . 
4 
0 
5  0 
,,  yellow, doz.(Perles)  1  6 
2  0 
Gardenias,  doz . 
2 
6 
3  0 
,,  red,  doz .  0  0 
0  0 
Geranium,  scarlet,  doz. 
Smilax,  bnch  .  1  0 
2  0 
bnchs . 
4 
0 
5  0 
Stephanotis,  doz.  ...  0  0 
0  0 
Hyacinth,  Roman, 
Tuberoses,  gross .  3  0 
4  0 
doz.  bunches . 
8 
0 
9  0 
Violets,  single,  doz  ...  1  6 
2  6 
Lilium  lancifolium  alb. 
2 
0 
2  6 
,,  double,  doz .  3  0 
4  0 
Average  Wholesale  Prices.— Vegetables. 
s. 
d. 
s.  d 
s.  d. 
s.  d 
Artichokes,  green,  doz. 
2 
0  to  3  0 
Leeks,  bunch  .  0  LttoO  2 
,,  Jerusalem,  sieve 
1 
6 
0  0 
Lettuce,  Cabbage,  doz  1  0 
1  3 
Batavia,  doz . 
2 
0 
0  0 
Mushrooms,  forced,  lb.  10 
1  0 
Beans,  French,  per  lb. 
0 
8 
0  9 
Mustard  &  Cress,  pnnt.  0  2 
0  0 
Beet,  red,  doz . 
0 
6 
0  0 
Parsley,  doz.  bnchs  ...  2  0 
3  0 
Brussels  Sprouts, ^  sieve 
2 
0 
2  3 
Potatoes,  English,  cwt.  3  0 
4  0 
Cabbages,  tally  . 
1 
6 
3  0 
Radishes,  doz .  0  9 
1  6 
Carrots,  doz.  bnch. 
2 
0 
2  6 
Shallots,  lb .  0  2 
0  3 
Cauliflower,  tally 
4 
0 
6  0 
Spinach,  bush .  2  0 
3  0 
Corn  Salad,  strike 
1 
0 
1  3 
Tomatoes,  English,  lb.  0  4 
0  5 
Cucumbers,  doz . 
4 
0 
5  0 
,,  Canary  consignt.  4  0 
5  0 
Endive,  doz . 
1 
0 
1  3 
Turnips,  doz.  bnch.  ...  2  0 
3  0 
Herbs,  bunch  . 
0 
2 
0  0 
Watercress,  doz .  0  6 
0  8 
Horseradish,  bunch  ... 
1 
0 
0  0 
Average 
Wholesale  Prices.— Fruit. 
s. 
d. 
s.  d 
s.  d. 
s.  d 
Apples,  cooking,  bush.  2  0  to  6  0 
,,  dessert  .  3  0  6  0 
Bananas .  8  0  12  0 
Figs,  green,  doz .  0  0  0  0 
Grapes,  Alicante,  lb. ...  0  9  10 
lit*,,  Colman .  0  8  16 
,,  Hamburgh  ...  0  0  0  0 
'  ,,  Muscat  .  16  2  6 
Lemons,  Naples,  case  24  0to30  0 
Oranges,  per  c/s  .  4  0  16  0 
Pears,  English,  i  sieve  6  0  8  0 
Pears,  French,  crate...  4  0  9  0 
Pines,  St.  Michael’s, 
each .  2  6  4  6 
Plums,  £  sieve  .  0  0  0  0 
Walnuts,  £  sieve .  2  0  3  0 
The  Pasturage  of  Parks. 
Legally  speaking,  a  park  is  an  enclosure  stocked  with 
deer ;  but  hundreds  of  enclosures  around  mansions  are 
termed  parks,  although  there  are  no  deer  in  them.  It  is  the 
grazing  of  these  so-called  parks  which  we  propose  to  discuss. 
In  the  majority  of  cases  the  park  is  grazed,  or,  rather, 
farmed,  by  the  owner  in  connection  with  a  home  farm,  or, 
as  part  of  one  in  others,  it  is  let  as  part  of  a  farm  on  the 
estate,  and  in  a  few  used  as  common  grazing  ground  by  the 
tenants,  each  providing  a  certain  proportion  of  the  stock.. 
The  latter  arrangement  has  considerable  drawbacks,  as  it  is, 
often  a  cause  of  friction  and  unpleasantness  between  the 
tenants,  and  as  long  as  animals  are  liable  to  contract  diseases 
will  it  be  a  ready  means  of  spreading  infection  from  farm  to 
farm. 
Where  the  park  forms  part  of  the  Home  Farm,  welcome 
help  may  be  given  to  small  cowkeepers  on  the  estate  by 
allowing  them  for  a  reasonable  sum  per  head  to  run  their 
cows  in  the  park  during  the  summer  months.  As  such  people 
do  not  often  change  their  animals,  an  easy  check  may  be 
kept  by  the  steward  on  their  bill  of  health,  and  there  will  be 
very  slight  risk  to  the  owner’s  cattle.  In  stocking  parks  an 
eye  generally  has  to  be  kept  on  the  ornamental  side  of  the 
question,  and  animals  are  often  seen  in  such  enclosures 
which  are  very  picturesque,  but  very  unlikely  to  be  rent 
payers.  When  the  owner  makes  no  account  of  his  farm 
balance  sheet,  the  steward’s  work  is  easy  ;  but  when,  as 
generally  happens  nowadays,  he  is  expected  to  pay  interest 
on  capital  invested,  and  provide  from  the  farm  a  rent  similar 
to  that  paid  by  neighbouring  farmers,  the  dead  weight  of  a 
large  park  of  moderate  grass  is  often  enough  to  make  him 
despair.  We  have  been  well  acquainted  with  such  a  case, 
and  on  the  farm  being  let  no  tenant  could  be  found  to  take 
the  whole  park,  but  about  two-fifths  had  to  be  fenced  off  for 
meadow,  leaving  about  100  acres,  which  the  tenant  had  to 
graze.  This  was  fair  high  land  grass,  and  the  occupier  made 
it  pay  by  judiciously  mixing  young  cattle,  shearling  sheep, 
and  ewes  and  lambs.  The  latter  pay  well  if  the  land  is  not . 
sheeped  too  much,  but  if  it  were  heavily  and  continuously 
stocked  with  ewes,  the  lambs  will  soon  cease  to  thrive  and 
grow. 
One  of  the  best  uses  to  be  made  of  park  grass  is  the 
pasturing  of  ewes  during  the  period  of  gestation  from 
November  to  March.  If  large  quantities  of  Turnips  are 
grown  on  the  farm,  and  a  good  supply  is  available  for  the 
ewes,  the  latter  will  be  kept  in  the  healthiest  of  condition  by 
running  them  on  grass  for  two  or  three  days  in  every  week. 
There  is  a  little  difficulty  as  regards  shepherding  in  such 
large  enclosures,  for  it  is  very  undesirable  to  make  much 
use  of  dogs  at  this  period  amongst  ewes  ;  but  the  shepherd 
will  manage  if  he  takes  time.  \v  e  should  advise  that  ewes  be 
kept  out  of  the  park  during  summer  ;  they  and  their  offspring 
will  do  much  better  on  annual  pastures.  But  shearling 
gimmers  intended  for  breeding  will  do  well,  and  even  if  the 
grass  be  poor,  will  be  quite  fresh  enough  for  meeting  the 
rain  in  autumn.  If  the  soil  be  good,  wethers  might  be  fed 
for  the  butcher,  but  assistance  in  the  form  of  cake  would  be 
difficult  to  give  them  without  interference  from  other  stock 
grazing  alongside. 
On  a  west  country  estate  noted  for  a  fine  herd  of  Short¬ 
horns,  the  park,  though  consisting  of  grass  above  the  aver¬ 
age,  was,  through  its  large  size  and  bleakness,  difficult  to 
graze  by  the  usual  methods.  A  manner  of  partially  stocking 
it  was  tried  by  the  steward  and  found  very  successful. 
Highland  heifers  were  bought  during  the  summer,  and  run  in 
the  park  with  a  Shorthorn  bull;  they  calved  the  following 
spring  and  summer,  having  been  out  all  winter,  receiving  no 
extra  food  except  a  little  hay  in  severe  weather.  They  were 
allowed  to  rear  their  own  calves,  still  wintering  out,  and  con¬ 
tinuing  to  graze  the  following  summer,  the  calves  still  suck¬ 
ing,  and  were  eventually  sold  in  pairs  (cow  and  calf),  as  they 
became  marketable  some  of  them  requiring  a  little  finish  in 
the  boxes.  The  calves  at  sixteen  and  eighteen  months  old 
were  grand  young  cattle,  and  both  they  and  their  dams  were 
readily  bought  by  butchers  at  good  prices.  These  Scots, 
being  very  hardy,  did  quite  well  without  winter  shelter,  and 
thus  saved  all  the  heavy  expense  of  winter  keep,  bedding, 
and  attention.  An  Aberdeen  Angus  cross  with  Scotch  heifers- 
we  have  also  seen  recommended  as  being  even  hardier  than 
the  Shorthorn  cross,  but  we  cannot  vouch  for  it  personally. 
There  is  no  doubt,  however,  that  its  combination  of  black 
and  gold  would  be  a  charming  addition  to  the  landscape  of  an 
English  park.  Another  way  to  utilise  park  grass,  and  one 
that  would  pay  a  good  rent,  would  be  to  purchase  good 
drapes  early  in  autumn,  young  cows  of  excellent  milking  pro- 
i  perties,  but  which  are  not  in  calf.  If  these  were  mated  witb. 
a  good  bull,  they  might  be  kept  out  all  winter  except  in  the- 
severest  of  weather ;  a  little  hay  or  other  dry  food  would  be 
required,  and  also  a  wooden  shelter,  but  nothing  approach¬ 
ing  the  expense  of  yard  treatment.  As  the  grass  began  to 
grow  in  spring  they  would  improve  with  it,  and  be  in  excel¬ 
lent  saleable  condition  when  near  calving,  say  from  mid¬ 
summer  to  Michaelmas. 
