288 
JOUR^^AL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
April  6,  1899. 
The  unfortunate  Minister  who  has  the  Bill  in  hand  wishes  he  had  never 
seen  the  light,  and  is  ready  to  consign  his  numerous  advisers  body  and 
soul  to  oblivion.  AVe  can  sympathise  with  the  man  in  the  minister. 
It  is  so  hard  and  so  cruel  to  have  a  pet  scheme,  and  possibly  a  most 
excellent  one,  exposed  to  wise  and  unwise  criticism,  and  to  hear  and 
listen  to  eveiy  man,  or  body  of  men,  who  think  they  are  in  the 
“  know,”  and  that  their  advice  is  priceless. 
A^ery  few  Bills  meet  all  the  needs  of  the  case ;  at  least,  so  the  public 
seem  to  think.  Pleasures  are,  as  a  rule,  not  drastic  enough.  There 
is  a  sort  of  feeling  that  a  bill  should  go  to  the  root  of  the  matter. 
People  are  apt  to  forget  that  no  really  great  measure  was  hurriedly 
brought  about.  All  great  things  are  of  slow  growth,  and,  therefore, 
more  lasting  when  they  have  attained  that  growth.  There  are 
measures  of  a  preparatory  nature  as  well  as  of  a  final  nature. 
AA^e  prophesied  last  week  that  Air.  Long’s  position  at  present  could 
not  be  defined  as  a  very  comfortable  one.  He,  as  Alinister  of  Agri¬ 
culture,  has  brought  before  the  House  an  excellent  Bill  for  the 
prevention  of  food  adulteration.  Excellent  so  far  as  it  goes,  but  now 
the  dogs  of  war  are  let  loose,  and  he  will  be  enjoying  a  very  mauvaise 
quartc  d'hccur. 
The  first  subject  for  attack  is  Clause  XL,  which  reads  thus  : — 
“  Every  tin  or  other  receptacle  containing  condensed,  separated,  or 
skimmed  milk,  must  bear  a  label  on  which  the  words  separated  or 
skimmed  milk,  as  the  case  may  require,  are  printed  in  large  and  legible 
type,”  and  so  on,  re  penalties. 
blow  this  does  not  quite  meet  the  doctors’  view  of  the  urgency  of 
the  case.  They  think  the  regulations,  and  possibly  the  punishment 
awarded  to  breach  of  the  regulation,  not  stringent  enough.  And  their 
arguments  have  some  weight.  AA^e  look  upon  doctors  as  disease  curers. 
AA'e  ought  to  take  a  wider  view,  and  look  upon  them  as  disease  pre- 
ventors.  That  is  far  the  nobler  calling.  It  means  so  much  pain,  so 
much  death  averted,  so  much  more  ease  and  comfort  for  the  whole 
human  race. 
AVe  have  often  urged  the  necessity  for  a  milk  diet  for  the  young 
and  for  the  invalid  ;  but  when  we  said  milk  diet,  we  meant  the  pure 
unadulterated  fluid.  In  crowded  streets  and  alleys  the  milkcart  is 
not  so  frequent  a  visitor  as  it  should  be.  The  pennies  for  fresh  milk 
are  not  always  to  be  found  ;  and  if  found,  there  is  great  difficulty  in 
finding  a  suitable  place  where  the  precious  milk  may  be  kept  sweet 
and  wholesome.  This  difficulty  is  not  an  exaggerated  one.  Try 
yourself,  kind  reader,  to  keep  milk  sweet  in  one  room,  which  has  to 
serve  as  parlour,  dining  and  bedroom  for  a  family,  and  then  you  can 
enter  into  the  difficulties  of  an  East-end  mother.  There  are  babies 
everywhere,  and  alas  !  invalids  too ;  and  a  great  trade  is  done  in  tins 
of  condensed  milk — small  portions  easily  consumed,  and  fitted  for 
small  purses. 
Now,  condensed  milk  as  first  made  was  a  most  excellent  substitute 
for  the  genuine  article — easy  of  transport,  digestible,  and  wholesome. 
It  contained  all  the  valuable  properties,  with  the  addition  of  a  little 
sugar.  But  the  manufacturers  ate  of  the  tree  of  knowledge,  and  for 
fresh  milk  substituted  separated  or  skimmed  milk,  and  were  able  thus 
to  give  the  consumer  a  benefit  in  the  matter  of  price  at  the  expense 
of  quality.  The  ignorant  mother  or  nurse  delighted  in  the  cheaper 
article,  little  guessing  the  serious  harm  done  to  her  charges  by  feeding 
them  with  a  substance  from  which  the  most  valuable  part  was 
extracted. 
AVe  have  heard  it  argued  that  skim  milk  is  fine  food  for  the  baby, 
but  the  doctors  do  not  agree  to  that  axiom.  They  are  claiming  that 
the  ignorant  public  must  be  protected  from  itself;  they  urge  that 
all  this  weakened  milk  (we  use  that  word  for  want  of  a  better) 
should  be  classed  as  “  casine,”  and  for  distinction’s  sake  be  marked 
with  a  large  K,  and  that  on  the  label  should  be  clearly  printed, 
unsuitable  for  infants  and  invalids.”  We  are  every  now  and  again 
shocked  by  statistics  regarding  infant  mortality  in  great  towns,  and 
although  the  atmospheric  surroundings  leave  much  to  be  desired,  it  is 
really  the  inadequate  feeding  that  is  at  the  bottom  of  the  mischief. 
A  child  is  the  father  of  the  man,  and  it  behoves  those  in  charge  of  the 
child  to  see  that  it  has  a  fair  chance  to  become  a  healthy  member  of 
society. 
One  doctor  gives  in  his  evidence  a  rather  startling  fact  re  this 
cheap  condensed  milk.  “  Practically  40  per  cent,  of  the  children 
who  died  in  his  district  last  summer  died  from  the  efilect  of  taking 
condensed  milk.”  It  is  worse  than  useless,  as  it  blocks  the  way 
against  wholesome  nourishing  food.  If  children  are  thus  killed  off 
in  this  wholesale  manner,  what  of  those  who  do  not  actually  succumb  ? 
Another  doctor,  speaking  most  emphatically,  declares  this  food  (?)  te> 
be  most  productive  of  rickets  and  a  debilitated  constitution.  How  are 
people  to  be  taught  to  take  care  of  themselves  ?  It  is  only  by  con¬ 
stantly  hammering  away  at  the  same  old  subject.  Something  has  to- 
be  done,  something  made  or  invented  and  presented  to  the  public  in  an 
attractive  and  cheap  form. 
Alargarine  for  butter,  we  presume,  does  not  really  hurt  the 
consumer ;  he  hates  to  be  robbed  if  he  knows  it ;  but  here  the 
most  helpless  portion  of  the  population  is  daily  robbed,  not  of  a 
dainty  or  luxury,  but  of  that  very  part  of  their  food  which  is  calcu¬ 
lated  to  preserve  them  in  health  and  bring  them  to  maturity.  The 
chemist  and  the  farmer  must  combine  a  pure  food,  easily  kept  and 
easily  purchased. 
AVORK  ON  THE  HOME  EARM. 
Thousand- headed  Kale  may  be  sown  now  for  September  use  in  suc¬ 
cession  to  early  Cabbage.  The  treatment  is  very  similar  to  that  required 
for  Swedes,  except  that  the  date  of  sowing  is  so  mujh  earlier.  Sow 
3  lbs.  per  acre,  and  thin  them  with  a  narrow  hoe  when  large  enough. 
AVheats  have  suffered  from  the  cold  weather  and  show  further  signs 
of  weakness.  The  thin  crops  may  revive  without  assistance,  but  the  very 
full  over-thick  pieces  may  need  a  little  help  it  they  are  to  keep  up  the 
proper  rate  of  progress  and  produce  a  good  ear.  One  cwt.  of  nitrate  of 
soda  per  acre  may  mean  the  difference  between  a  full  crop  and  half  of 
one,  but  if  nitrate  is  to  be  applied  for  Wheat  it  must  be  put  on  in  April,  so 
that  the  nitrogen  may  be  utilised  by  the  plant  before  the  ears  make  their 
appearance. 
Potatoes  are  being  planted  very  favourably,  the  frost  has  pulverised 
the  ridges,  and  the  mould  is  splendid  ;  2  cwt.  of  sulphate  of  ammonia  and 
3  cwt.  superphosphate  should  be  a  good  dressing  for  1  acre,  and  help  the 
plants  to  make  a  good  start.  Up-to-Dates  are  all  the  rage  this  season,  as 
we  suppose  British  Queen  will  be  next  year,  and  something  else  in  1901. 
We  think  some  of  the  older  varieties  still  worth  growing.  Bruce  and 
Maincrop  are  good  average  croppers,  and  the  latter  still  unrivalled  for 
quality  and  price-fetching.  Lambs  are  doing  well,  but  have  to  do  with  a 
very  casual  look  at  the  new  pastures  for  fear  of  adding  to  the  frost 
damage. 
Cattle  should  be  out,  but  there  is  nothing  to  turn  them  out  to.  They 
will,  however,  be  better  out  if  only  for  a  few  hours  every  day  ;  they  will 
pick  a  little  grass  and  be  getting  hardened,  whilst  the  exercise  will 
give  zest  to  their  appetites  and  keep  them  healthy.  When  turned  out  for 
good,  cake  should  be  continued  for  a  short  time,  and  gradually  diminished 
as  pastures  improve. 
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. 
March 
and 
April. 
2  s'®! 
%  1  Hygrometer 
P  ^ 
Direc¬ 
tion  of 
Wind. 
Temp, 
of  soil 
at 
Shade  Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Tempera¬ 
ture. 
d 
Dry. 
Wet. 
1  foot 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
Sun 
On 
Grass 
Sunday  ....  26 
Monday  ....  27 
Tuesday  ....  28 
Wednesday  29 
Thursday  . .  30 
Friday .  31 
Saturday....  1 
inchs 
30-038 
deg. 
48-9 
deg. 
45-1 
W. 
deg. 
36-4 
deg. 
55-1 
deg. 
36-8 
deg. 
79-8 
deg. 
33-0 
ineba. 
29-993 
47-2 
42-6 
S.W. 
38-6 
57-1 
38-2 
79-7 
30-9 
o-oii 
30-043 
49-9 
47-3 
s.w. 
40-0 
56-6 
41-7 
85-4 
36-1 
0-031 
29-902 
54-6 
48-2 
w. 
42-1 
61  -1 
49-6 
104-9 
43-1 
— 
30-240 
49-7 
47-0 
s.w. 
43-2 
60-2 
45-1 
106-7 
39-9 
0-132 
30-189 
45-2 
45-0 
s. 
44-0 
60-6 
43-1 
84-0 
42-0 
o-oio- 
30-141 
52-2 
49-9 
w. 
45-2 
65-6 
45-2 
92-7 
44-9 
— 
30-078 
49-7 
46-4 
41-4 
59-5 
42-8 
90-5 
38-6 
0-184 
REMARKS. 
26th. — Rain  till  4  a.m.  ;  bright  sun  all  day,  halo  in  afternoon. 
27th. — Faint  sun  at  times  in  morning  ;  slight  showers  in  afternoon. 
2Sth.— Overcast  generally,  but  occasional  sun  in  morning  ;  rain  in  evening. 
29111.-8.14'.  gale  and  bright  sunshine  in  morning  ;  cloudy  at  times  afternoon. 
30th.  — Overcast  morning  ;  sunny  afternoon. 
31st.— Rain  from  4  A.M.  to9  A.M.,  then  generally  overcast,  but  gleams  of  sun  at 
midday. 
1st.— Fair,  but  almost  sunless  ;  spots  of  rain  at  noon  and  5  p.m. 
Temperature  nearly  20’  higher  than  in  the  previous  week  ;  a  very  remarkable 
rise,  sharper  than  has  occurred  for  at  least  fourteen  years.  Rain  still  deficient.— 
G.  J.  Symons. 
