550 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
.Tune  18,  1903. 
The  Farmer's  Year. 
{Continued  from  par/e  £.04.) 
To  almost  every  farmer  the  month  of  J une  is  an  anxious 
one  ;  the  arable  farmer  is  concerned  as  to  the  success  or 
failure  of  his  root  crops,  and  the  occupier  of  a  grass  farm  is 
anxious  to  secure  his  hay  in  good  condition.  On  all  farms 
there  is  ample  employment  for  all  hands,  and  no  credence 
need  be  given  to  the  complaints  of  countrymen  that  they  are 
unable  to  obtain  work.  A  man  who  says  he  cannot  obtain 
work  in  a  country  village  in  June  certainly  does  not  want 
it,  and  has  probably  made  no  effort  to  get  it. 
The  principal  work  on  an  arable  farm  now  is  the  hoeing 
and  cleaning  of  the  earlier  sown  roots  and  the  drilling  of 
the  main  crop  of  common  Turnips.  The  horse  hoe  must  be 
fi’eely  used  amongst  Swedes  as  soon  as  the  rows  of  plants 
are  distinctly  visible,  and  whether  growth  be  quick  or  slow, 
this  horse-hoeing  must  be  followed  up.  If  the  weather  be 
hot  and  dry  and  the  land  inclined  to  crack,  there  is  all  the 
..greater  necessity  for  surface  stirring,  and  it  must  never  be 
forgotten  that  the  members  of  the  Turnip  tribe  benefit  by 
all  disturbance  short  of  absolute  uprooting. 
Opinions  differ  as  to  the  best  time  for  thinning  the  Swede 
crop.  Some  farmers  like  to  begin  early  and  whilst  the  plants 
are  yet  small  and  not  drawn  by  overcrowding.  During  very 
hot  weather  this  loractice  is  well  worth  following,  for 
moisture  being  at  a  premium  and  insufficient  to  supply 
numerous  roots,'  the  latter  must  be  reduced  in  number  at 
once,  so  that  those  retained  may  have  enough  and  to  spare. 
When  young  Swedes  are  puny  and  backward  owing  to  the 
prevalence  of  cold  and  wet  weather,  it  is  unwise  to  hurry 
the  singling,  for  they  protect  and  shelter  each  other  and 
grow  better  so,  although  they  may  be  drawing  heavily  on 
the  fertility  of  the  soil.  It  is  wonderful  how  Swedes  which 
have  been  overcrowded  can  quickly  become  sturdy  and  pro¬ 
mising  after  they  are  given  plenty  of  room  ;  but  the  over¬ 
crowding  should  have  resulted  from  vigorous  growth  rather 
than  from  the  number  of  plants. 
The  closing  chapter  on  Swede  and  Turnip  cultivation 
consists  chiefly  in  the  repetition  of  hoeing.  The  horse  hoe 
cannot  be  used  too  much,  and  weeds  must  be  eradicated 
from  the  immediate  neighbourhood  of  the  plants,  which  can 
only  be  done  by  hand  (either  hoes  or  fingers).  The  second 
and  final  thinning  of  the  plants  must  also  be  seen  to,  though 
ip  the  case  of  the  latest  crops  of  common  Turnips  very  close 
singling  is  not  only  unnecessary  but  often  undesirable,  for 
small  roots  withstand  frost  better  than  large  ones,  and  close 
singling  tends  to  produce  the  latter,  which  may  be  all  right 
until  February,  but  of  little  value  afterwards. 
But  there  is  about  midsummer  time  farm  work  which 
affects  every  sort  of  farmer,  and  that  is  the  haymaking. 
Almost  every  farmer  must  perforce  make  hay  if  it  is  only  for 
his  own  use.  and  the  success  or  failure  of  the  haymaking 
is  felt  on  every  farm  ;  on  some  by  the  effect  on  the  balance- 
sheet,  on  others  by  the  farm  animals,  Avhich  have  to  feed 
and  work  on  good  or  bad  food  accordingly.  First  in  point  of 
time  comes  the  Clover  hay,  which  is  grown  as  part  of  the 
arable  rotation.  There  is  quite  a  science  attached  to  the 
proper  making  of  Clover  hay.  It  is  most  valuable  food  for 
every  kind  of  stock  (except  hunters  during  the  season),  and 
it  always  fetches  a  good  price  even  when  meadow  hay  is 
unsaleable.  As  Clover  hay  never  consists  entirely  of  Clover 
but  generally  contains  a'  considerable  percentage  of  Rye 
grass,  and  the  Clover  itself  often  takes  the  form  of  Cow 
grass,  which  is  not  Clover  at  all,  great  latitude  must 
naturcdly  be  given  as  regards  the  best  time  to  cut;  but  the 
rule  we  should  suggest  would  read  ;  “  If  in  doubt,  cut  early.” 
Most  decidedly  Cow  grass  must  be  cut  before  the  stems 
become  too  ripe,  which  means  woodiness,  and  even  old  cows 
do  not  relish  dried  sticks  as  a  diet.  Rye  grass  also  becomes 
of  little  more  value  than  straw  if  the  seed  be  allowed  to 
shake  or  the  goodness  be  Avashed  out  of  the  stems. 
In  deciding  AA'hen  to  cut  Clover  the  value  and  purpose 
of  the  after-growth,  or  aftermath,  is  an  important  item., 
If  the  crop  of  Clover  hay  is  the  paramount  consideration, 
Avell,  then  the  Clover  must  be  alloAved  to  stand  groAving  untu 
if  possible  the  best  day  can  be  chosen  for  cutting  it  doAvn, 
but  if  aftermath  is  a  A'aluable  asset  of  the  farm,  then  by  no 
means  delay  cutting  too  long.  Farmers  often  delay  cutting 
their  Clover  becaus,e  the  AA'eather  is  shoAA'ery.  Well,  farmers 
cannot  control  the  Aveather,  but  they  need  not  be  put  off 
their  AA'ork  by  it,  and  the  farmer  aa'Iio  cuts  his  Clover  or  grass 
on  a  Avet  day  is  as  likely  to  have  fine  Aveather  to  make  it 
as  if  he  cut  it  under  a  blazing  sun.  At  least,  that  is  our 
experience.  “  Do  not  let  your  Clover  get  fully  into  floAver, 
and  do  not  let  your  Rye  grass  shake  its  seed  ”  is  a  rule  Avhich 
if  regularly  and  fully  folloAved  Avould  A’astly  improve  the 
quality  of  our  national  Clover  stacks. 
The  haymaking  proper  folloAvs  quickly  after  the  Clover 
making,  and  fills  up  all  the  time  AA'hich  can  be  spared  from 
hoeing  and  cleaning  roots  until  the  end  of  July  or  the  com- 
inencement  of  the  corn  harvest.  As  meadoAv  hay  consists 
chiefly  of  grasses  of  various  kinds,  it  is  often  difficult  to  fix 
the  date  for  cutting,  so  as  to  get  the  AA'hole  of  the  crop  at 
the  right  stage,  auz.,  Avell  developed,  yet  not  past  its  best. 
As  in  the  case  of  CloA'ers,  AAm  think  it  is  Avise  to  take  time  by 
the  forelock  and  err  on  the  side  of  an  early  start. 
There  are  many  other  small  items  to  occupy  the  farmer 
at  these  times.  The  selling  and  delivery  of  avooI,  the  annual 
general  repairing  of  harness  and  gearing,  ploughing  summer 
falloAA*,  if  the  Corn  haiwest  be  late,  perhaps  the  commence¬ 
ment  of  ploughing  ley,  and  not  by  any  means  the  least  in 
importance,  a  general  cleaning  up  and  tidying  of  the  farm 
premises.  Then  in  July  comes  the  AAmaning  of  the  lambs 
and  the  dipping  of  both  the  latter  and  their  dams.  The 
grazier  Avill  be  marketing  fat  cattle  and  sheep,  and  buying 
in  fresh  animals  to  take  the  places  of  Aose  sold.  If  his 
grass  be  of  rich  quality  he  may  get  off  a  '-econd  batch  with 
profit,  but  fresh  stores  are  ahvays  Amry  dear  in  J uly,  _  and 
often  the  attempt  to  feed  a  second  lot  results  in  failure 
rather  than  profit. 
Work  on  tlie  Home  Farm. 
Although  AAe  hear  of  rain  in  other  places,  we  are  as  yet  un¬ 
favoured  Avith  any,  and  the  hot  sun  and  diying  Avinds  have  baked 
the  soil  A’er^’^  hard.  It  is  useless  to  proceed  Avith  Turnip  .sowing, 
as  there  Avould  be  no  prospect  of  the  seed  germinating. 
We  are  sorry  to  have  to  discount  our  preAuous  favourable  re¬ 
ports  of  the  Corn.  Wheat  holds  its  oaaui  and  looks  well,  but 
there  is  a  great  change  for  the  Avorse  in  Barley  and  Oats.  Even 
the  early  soAvn  fields  Avhich  looked  Avell  have  gone  back  in  appear¬ 
ance,  whilst  the  later  sown  patches  look  Avretched. 
Potatoes  look  fairly  and  make  progress,  but  it  is  too  dry  for 
the  earthing-up,  and  they  are  receiAung  another  skerrying  and 
cleaning.  As  .soon  as  rain  ccmes  earthing  ploughs  will  be  in 
great  demand. 
SAvedes  are  up,  but  AA'ill  be  liable  to  fly  attack  unless  rain 
comes,  and  even  Mangolds  AA'ould  benefit  bj’  a  shoAver.  They  are 
not  so  forAA'ard  as  they  should  be. 
The  AA’ool  markets  hav'e  opened  dearer  than  last  year,  yet 
the  average  price,  GRl.  per  pound,  is  a  mi.serable  one,  and  clips 
Avill  not  produce  5s.  per  fleece.  No  Avonder  farmers  are  breeding 
their  sheep  for  mutton  purposes  only ;  but  there  is  an  opening 
yet  for  the  breeder  of  good  Lincoln  and  Leice.ster  gunnners  for 
use  as  producers  of  cross-bred  lambs.  There  i.s  little  doubt  that 
the  cros.s-bred  sheep  is  the  most  profitable  animal  on  the  farm, 
but  so  many  farmers  are  uoav  breeding  nothing  else  that  there 
is  a  danger  that  an  adequate  supply  of  pure  bred  eAA'es  for  the 
purpose  may  not  be  forthcoming  in  the  near  future.  Pastures 
haAm  gone  off  A'ery  inuch  in  appearance,  but  there  is  plenty  of 
green  food,  though  it  is  iioaa"  in  a  smaller  compass.  We  are 
quite  satisfied  AA'ith  jAastures,  but  not  AA'ith  meadpAA's.  CloA'er  is 
suffering  and  getting  less  in  bulk  rather  than  bigger,  and  the 
sooner  it  is  made  into  hay  the  better.  The  same  applies  to  inanA”^ 
grass  meadoAA's,  and  if  dry  Aveather  continues  grass  moAA'ers  AA'ill 
find  immediate  and  regular  employment. 
The  pigs  AA'hich  Avere  farroAved  in  April  are  noAv  ready  for 
Aveaning,  and  as  butter  is  cheap  and  milk  fairly  plentiful,  there 
is  no  reason  for  alloAving  them  to  make  further  calls  on  the 
strength  of  the  soaas,  avIucIi  are  iioaa'  in  poor  condition.  Those 
AA'hich  liaA'e  had  but  one  litter  Avill  be  alloAved  to  breed  again  in 
autumn  if  an  early  start  can  be  arranged.  The  young  pigs  will 
noAv  liaA’e  as  much  milk  as  can  be  spared,  AA'ith  Wheaten  .sharps 
and  a  small  quantity  of  bran. 
