40 
JOUEXAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
January  12,  1899. 
To  judge  of  this  last  year  properly,  we  ought  to  go  hack  to  the 
autunin  of  1897.  A  wonderfully  fine  growing  season  it  was,  and  con¬ 
sequently  we  began  1898  with  plenty  of  herbage  in  the  fields,  and  a 
grand  root  crop.  An  abundant  winter  supply  means  great  ease  of  mind 
to  the  farmer.  The  difficulty  in  spring  was  to  get  rid  of  the  roots  in 
time  to  sow  Barley,  and  good  sound  Swedes  were  to  be  begged  on  every 
side.  IVe  do  not  say  we  had  too  many  IMangolds  over,  that  we  cannot 
have  as  long  as  there  are  yards  full  of  p’gs,  but  we  almost  fancy 
this  time  a  few  got  wasted.  Potatoes,  too,  of  good  varieties,  made  a 
wjnderful  finish,  and  put  some  good  money  into  de.serving  pockets. 
There  was  also  a  short  “boom”  in  Wheat,  but  alas!  few  of  us  had 
any  left  in  store,  and  the  prices  fell  and  fell. 
Such  a  haytimn  as  we  have  to  record  !  Plentiful  rains  gave  grass 
a  good  push  in  the  spring,  and  the  crojis  were  magnificent,  and  got 
in  such  excellent  order.  Hardly  a  bit  of  “  old  cow”  hay  anywhere  ; 
all  fit  for  fast  galloping  horses  of  the  Shires.  There  has  been  a  general 
complaint  respecting  the  scarcity  of  labour,  and  many  farmers  have 
had  a  real  difficulty  to  face.  During  hay  lime,  in  one  village  ve 
wot  of,  the  mother  of  a  duchess  was  undertaking  the  horse  raking, 
and  every  servant  and  membtr  of  the  household  were  pressed  into 
the  service  of  securing  the  dried  grass. 
A  dry  season  suits  the  Wheat  crop,  avhich  had  an  excellent  start 
the  previous  autumn,  and  got  away  finely.  In  some  low-lying 
districts  we  heard  much  complaint  of  laid  crops,  but  taking  the 
country  as  a  whole  we  must  write  the  Wheat  crop  as  a  success.  The 
weather  was  too  dry  for  the  best  Barleys,  many  of  which  were 
thin  and  rather  flinty  ;  but  the  Oat  crop  did  well.  We  have  heard 
of  record  yields  ;  and  not  only  is  the  corn  so  abundant,  but  the 
straw,  being  well  ripened  and  healthy,  makes  the  most  excellent  of 
fodder. 
In  the  southern  and  eastern  counties  the  long  drought  had  a  most 
disastrous  effect  on  the  Turnip  crops,  but  further  north  the  farmer  has 
nothing  of  which  to  complain.  ‘  Smothered  with  fly,”  was  the 
cry,  and  a  very  serious  business  it  was.  We  heard  of  avhole — and 
many  of  them — fields  from  which  the  sheep  turned  away  loathing. 
Where  this  was  the  case  it  was  also  found  that  the  pastures  w'ere 
perfectly  bare,  and  the  poor  farmer  Avas  fairly  at  his  wits’  end  to  find 
suitable,  or  indeed  any,  keep  for  his  flocks ;  and  this  just  at  a  mo  t 
critical  period,  when  lambs  are  too  apt  to  go  altogether  wrong,  and  when 
the  ewe  flock  needs  a  stimulating  diet.  Happy  were  those  men  who 
had  some  low-lying  land  with  a  good  Rape  crop,  or  those  w’hose 
Cabbage  patch  was  w  hat  it  should  be. 
The  drought  also  proved  a  serious  imnediment  to  autumn  ploughing. 
The  ground  was  bkc  iron,  and  resisted  the  iron  of  the  ploughshare, 
and  it  required  a  good  deal  of  rain  to  make  the  laud  at  all  workable. 
This  was  in  startling  contrast  to  many  autumns  we  have  known, 
when  all  work  was  delayed  by  unwearying  rain.  The  question  is. 
Which  kind  of  season  is  most  injurious  ?  and  it  is  a  question  which  is 
not  easy  to  answer.  Many  of  ais  avcrc  in  serious  difficulties  re  our 
water  supply  ;  but  at  the  same  time  wo  were  avith  thankfulness 
reviewing  the  excellent  sca;cn  we  had  for  storing  roots  and  pieing 
Potatoes. 
Ah  !  well,  there  always  will  bo  two  sides  to  every  question,  and 
Ave  should  not  he  Brit'sh  agriculturists  if  Ave  could  not  get  in  a  small 
grumble  somewhere.  Taking  the  year  as  a  whole,  our  crops  of  corn, 
roots,  hay,  and  Clover  1  ave  keen  good,  and  were  prices  a  little  better 
we  should  think  there  was  a  return  of  the  prosperity  of  thirty 
years  ago. 
This  has  been  a  disappointing  year  to  the  large  Midland  grazier, 
and  indeed  to  all  those  Avhose  occupation  is  to  provide  the  butcher  with 
matured  meat — foreign  competition  1  Store  stock  has  been  much 
dearer  in  proportion  than  fat.  This  is  quite  the  wrong  Avay  about, 
and  what  profit  can  there  be  for  the  groAver  of  prime  Christmas  beef 
when  he  only  realises  7s.  p^r  stone.  Thin’i  of  all  the  cake,  the  dried 
foods,  the  hay  and  Clover  that  have  to  be  consumed  to  make  even  one 
stone  of  good  beef.  We  have  long  failed  to  see  how  the  thing  was 
done.  It  is  like  conjuring,  and  the  secret  is  hidden  in  the  breast  of 
the  owner.  Best  mutton,  too,  at  81.  per  lb.  docs  not  mean  anything 
very  grand,  though  AA^e  think  pork  at  6s.  per  stone  would  be  cheaper 
“  feed  ”  for  a  family. 
The  dearest  class  of  stock  just  noAv  is  a  good  cow  in  full  milk,  and 
a  really  (jood  coav  commands  an  excellent  price.  For  the  winter 
season  calves  are  dear,  quite  making  £2  at  a  AA^eek  old.  Wedono^ 
mean  a  wretched  little  Jersey  or  any  fancy  breed,  lut  a  goed  large 
variety,  such  as  a  Shorthorn  Hertford,  or  the  like.  We  have  always 
advocated  rearing  calves  instead  of  buying  in  casuals  from  any  market 
or  fair.  There  is  less  liability  of  imported  disease,  and  a  Avell  fed 
calf  never  gets  stunted  or  throAvn  back  in  its  growth,  and  in  early 
maturity  is  the  only  chance  of  making.any  profit  at  all. 
WORK  ON  THE  HOME  FARM. 
Frost,  snow,  sunshine  and  rain  on  one  and  the  same  day,  gne  us 
variety  and  change  enough  in  all  conscience  ;  but  a  good  deal  of  moisture 
has  fallen,  and  notAvithstanding  the  fact  that  some  loAV-]ying  lands  have 
fioodAvatcr  on  them,  the  water  is  very  Avclcome  AA-ith  a  view  to  next 
suiiimer’s  supply. 
A  really  thorough  frost  we  are  apparently  not  to  have,  and  Ave  want 
one  badly  ;  much  muck  is  ready  for  removal,  but  the  surface  of  the  land 
is  too  soft  to  cart  on,  and  though  the  roads  are  much  improved  on  what 
they  AA  ere  a  few  years  ago,  manure-leading  Avould  soon  make  bad  AA  ork  with 
them  in  their  present  soft  condition.  Meanwhile  we  keep  the  ploughs  at 
AA  ork,  otherAvise  the  horses  Avould  have  to  stand  in  the  stable. 
The  Potato  trade  lately  has  been  very  stagnant,  and  few  are  being 
remoA’ed  from  our  district ;  but  we  hear  of  others  being  almost  denuded 
of  them,  so  perhaps  the  consumption  may  have  been  heavy  ;  a  sharp  frost 
would  help  to  clear  the  markets  and  brighten  up  the  trade. 
Farmers  complain  much  of  the  poor  prices  made  of  Christmas  beef, 
and  no  wonder,  when  we  hear  a  large  butcher  OAvning  up  that  his  beasts- 
bought  at  the  Christmas  markets,  forty  in  number,  only  cost  him  5|d. 
per  pound.  There  must  have  been  a  great  profit  for  somebody,  for  little 
beef  is  sold  under  6d.,  all  the  best  cuts  for  9d.,  and  there  is  all  the  offal 
besides,  which  at  one  time  Avould  have  easily  realised  £5  p  r  head-. 
Wheats  are  growing  fast,  but  the  larks  are  still  paying  attention  to 
the  later  sown  plots.  We  have  seen  some  green  shoots  3  inches  long 
lying  on  the  surface,  having  been  uprooted  quite  lately'.  We  see  a 
neighbour  carting  salt  from  the  station,  which  reminds  us  that  soon  will 
come  the  time  for  sowing  it  on  the  young  Wheat.  Farmers  do  not  use 
salt  so  much  as  they  once  did  ;  the  price  of  Wheat  no  doubt  has  some¬ 
thing  to  do  with  it.  But  the  raising  of  prices  by  the  Salt  Syndicate 
caused  many  farmers  to  give  up  using  salt,  and  few  of  them  have 
recommenced. 
The  voice  of  the  chicken  is  heard  in  the  incubator  the  nineteenth  day.. 
This  evidently  intenJs  to  bo  an  early  bird. 
METEOROLOGICAL  OBSERVATIONS. 
Camden  Square,  London. 
Lat.  51°  32’  40"  N.;  Long.  0°  8'  0"  W.;  Altitude  111  feet. 
Date. 
9  A.M. 
In  the  Day. 
1899. 
• 
Barometer 
at  32°,  and 
Sea  Level 
Hygrometer 
Direc¬ 
tion  of 
Wind. 
Temp, 
of  soil 
at 
Shade  Tern, 
perature. 
Radiation 
Tempera¬ 
ture. 
‘eS 
January. 
Dry. 
Wet. 
1  foot 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
Sun 
On 
Grass 
Sunday  .... 
Monday  .... 
1 
inchs 
29-298 
deg. 
34-3 
deg. 
34-2 
S.AA'. 
deg. 
41-0 
deg. 
41-9 
deg. 
32-8 
deg. 
43-7 
deg. 
28-7 
inchs. 
0-086 
•28-901 
37-0 
36-3 
AV. 
40-1 
41-9 
33-8 
53-6 
28-9 
0-089 
3 
-29-738 
39-2 
37-7 
N.AV. 
40-1 
47-9 
35-9 
58-8 
32-9 
0-024 
AVednesday 
4 
30-013 
47-2 
47  -1 
AV. 
40-9 
52-9 
39-7 
62-6 
35-6 
— 
Thursday  . . 
5 
30-3-24 
37-2 
37-2 
N.AV. 
42-3 
44-2 
35-1 
51-9 
28-2 
— 
Friday . 
6 
30-308 
39-1 
38-4 
E. 
40-3 
45-9 
30-4 
47  -6 
25-6 
0-010 
Saturday. . . . 
7 
29-891 
45-2 
44-1 
S.AA'. 
41-3 
50-3 
40-2 
53-8 
37-9 
0-012' 
-29-782 
39-9 
39-3 
40-9 
46-4 
35-4 
53-1 
31-1 
0-221 
REMARKS. 
1st. — Foggy  morning  ;  rain  from  4  to  6  p.m.  ;  clear  night. 
end. — Overcast  early  ;  rainy  from  8.S0  to  11  a.m.  ;  bright  sun  from  11.30  to  sunset  r 
showers  from  5  P.M.,  and  gale  at  nighe. 
3rd.— Gale  in  small  hours;  fine  day,  frequently  sunny,  and  bright  sun  from  11 
to  noon. 
4th.— Rain  till  1  A. At.,  then  dull  and  humid  ;  sunny  from  10  till  nocn,  and 
occasionally  after  ;  spots  of  rain  in  evening. 
5th.— Slight  fog  early  ;  sunny  almost  throughout  the  day. 
6th.— Overcast,  with  occasional  slight  drizzle. 
7th.— Overcast,  with  spots  of  rain  early  ;  sunny  from  10  to  neon ;  overcast- 
again  after. 
A  damp  week,  temperature  high,  but  not  remarkably  sc.— G.  J.  Syjions. 
