166 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
February  21,  1901. 
there  need  be  no  unnecessary  delay  in  the  various  operations,  and  it 
is  well  to  hold  back  a  bit  in  case  of  a  week  or  ten  days  of  absolutely 
unsettled  weather. 
Now  for  the  land.  There  is  some  that  is  essentially  fitted  for 
the  production  of  good  grass  that  needs  little  attention ;  there 
is  another  class  that  needs  a  stimulant ;  and  there  is  yet  another 
class  where  no  one  but  a  fool  would  ever  expect  to  see  good  pasture. 
There  is  pleuty  of  land  in  England  that  will  not  pay  for  the  labour 
and  pains  expended  on  it,  an  i  it  is  these  absolutely  barren  acres  that 
are  taken  into  account  by  some  of  our  would-be  advisers  who  are 
for  ever  preaching  of  our  supinenes-  tud  stupidity  in  not  utilising  all 
the  acreage  at  our  command. 
We  are  writing  in  February,  and  it  is  high  time  to  be  thinking 
of  preparation,  to  insure,  as  far  as  in  our  power  lies,  a  good  hay  time. 
Many  larmers  appear  to  think  thar  it  is  only  arable  land  that  needs 
special  food.  No  greater  mistake  was  ever  made.  It  perhaps  does  not 
occur  to  all  our  readers  that  weeds  nny  exist  to  an  appreciable  extent 
amoDg  grass.  What  is  wanted  in  grass  is  a  good  fodder  plant,  not  a 
weed,  and  manures  have  this  propeity,  that  they  promote  the  growth 
of  the  fodder  plant,  and  tuns  smother  the  weed,  'lhen,  again,  the 
different  manurial  dressings  are  conducive  to  the  growth  of  difftrent 
useful  plan  s.  'I  bis  was  most  conclusively  proved  by  the  experiments 
on  the  park  at  Rotham-tead  by  the  late  Sir  J.  B.  Lawes.  This 
question  of  a  manuring  is  a  wide  one,  and,  we  may  add,  an  expensive 
one,  but  as  there  is  no  food  which  can,  or  will,  take  the  place  of 
hay,  the  money  (though  possibly  grudged  at  the  time)  will  be  well 
spent. 
There  is  one  dressing  which  is  most  effectual.  Though  not  an 
actual  manure  its  virtues  are  great;  we  refer  to  compost.  On  most 
holdings  there  is  material  enough  and  to  spare  to  make  such  a 
valuable  heap;  it  is  onlv  a  question  of  carts  and  horses  and  men. 
We  know  of  a  wonderful  heap  composed  of  lime,  the  deca\ed  turf 
from  the  parish  roads,  the  levelled  hank,  the  accumulated  dyke  and 
pond  cleanings,  and  various  forms  of  vegetable  refuse.  Such  a  heap 
is  a  veritable  gold  mine,  e>pecially  where  herbage  is  coarse.  This 
must  be  apt  lied  during  the  winter,  and  should  Clovers  be  scarce  a 
dressing  of  lime  will  be  of  the  greatest  benefit  (provided  there  is  none 
or  little  in  the  compost). 
It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  light  land  requires  more  encourage¬ 
ment  than  the  hnavier  sobs,  which  are  naturally  predisposed  to  the 
growth  of  good  h<  rbage.  A  well  manured  light  or  m  dium  land  crop 
will  be  less  bulky,  but  ot  fi  er  quality  and  proportionately  of  more 
value  than  the  heavy  coarse  produce  of  a  lush  water  meadow. 
There  is  a  good  deal  of  grass  land  that  suffers  from  being  water¬ 
logged.  There  is  no  hope  of  having  a  really  fine  crop  till  draining  has 
been  done.  This,  too,  is  an  expensive  business,  and  can  never,  from 
the  nature  of  things  become  much  cheaper.  Grass  does  not  need  its 
feet  in  water  ;  it  is  not  an  aquatid  plant.  Are  we  clear  here  ?  All 
plant  life  must  have  moisture,  but  not  stagnant  moisture — that’s  the 
difference.  An  unpractised  eye  will  easily  discern  the  need  for 
drainage — tults  of  rushes  and  other  water-loviDg  plants  all  tell  the  tale 
of  perpetual  dampness. 
In  process  of  time  land  left  to  itself  will  lose  certain  of  the  more 
delicate  grasses.  It  is  the  case  of  the  weakest  to  the  wall — the  choice 
bits  are  closely  eaten,  and  therefore  never  reproduce  them-elves  in 
seed.  Here  art  must  step  in,  and  if  on  careful  analysis  there  appears 
to  be  a  lack  of  variety  of  grasses  on  a  given  area  it  is  well  to  try  what 
a  little  renovation  will  do  by  means  of  re-seeding.  The  nearest  seeds¬ 
man  will  probably  be  able  at  once  to  suggest  a  mixture  suitable  to  the 
soil,  and  the  money  spent  in  thus  re-seeding  will  bring  a  good  return. 
This  is  woik  that  should  be  done  very  soon.  The  land  must  be 
well  harrowed,  and  the  seeds  sown  with  a  dressing  of  compost. 
Grazing  stock  do  not  distribute  the  manure  evenly — this  is 
evident  to  all — therefore  advantage  should  be  taken  of  a  fine  spring 
day  when  the  turf  is  laiily  dry  to  roll  ana  harrow  all  grass  land.  The 
benefit  is  obvious,  and  also  twofold.  A  grasscutter  has  to  be  set  low, 
and  any  inequalities  play  havoc  with  the  fingers.  July  is  often  a  busy 
month  with  hay-getting  and  the  Turuip  crop,  but  time  should  be 
found  to  chain-harrow  all  grass  land. 
In  treating  poor  thin  mosay  land  we  shall  need  a  liberal  allowance 
of  artificials,  and  on  every  acre  we  should  a^ply  1  cwt.  nitrate  of  soda 
with  2  cwt.  superphosphate.  It  is  not  wisdom  to  use  nitrate  where 
the  herbage  is  coarse,  for  it  encourages  rankness,  but  manures  containing 
phosphate  ot  lime  do  good  anywhere.  A  well-manured  piece  of  grass 
in  good  heart  does  not  suffer  so  seriously  if  we  have  a  dry  spring,  is 
not  so  liable  to  be  burnt  up.  We  often  wish  we  could  reverse  the 
seasons  ;  the  showers  that  tall  on  what  ought  to  be  the  new-made  hay 
would  be  most  welcome  earlier,  and  the  unnatural  heat  and  drought 
of  the  spring  could  be  better  borne  later.  These  things  we  cannot 
control,  but  by  liberal  trea’ment  and  generous  diet  we  enable  the 
patient  to  pull  through  the  trying  season  with  less  actual  loss. 
There  is  another  question  that  may  occur  to  the  mind  of  the 
inquirer,  and  it  is  this.  At  what  time  must  the  grass  cease  to  be 
gr  zed  ?  Well,  the  time  varies  according  to  the  nature  of  the  land. 
Where  the  land  is  light  the  field  should  be  cleared  and  the  gate  shut 
as  soon  as  March  is  out.  Where  the  land  is  heavy  stock  will  do  no 
harm  if  left  till  middle  of  May.  Where  the  herbage  is  coarse  or 
uneven,  the  longer  the  stock  is  there  the  better,  as  then  the  hay  crop 
will  be  of  more  regular  growth. 
The  hay  being  grown,  and  we  hope  well  grown,  then  comes  the 
anxious  time.  “To  cut  or  not  to  cut.”  It  is  all  very  well  to  talk  of 
hay-n  aking,  and  som  times  sunshine  is  not  half  so  necessary  or 
desirable  as  wind.  A  brilliant  sunny  day  takes  the  nature  out  of  the 
grass,  bun  s  it  ua  in  fact,  whereas  a  wind  makes  hay,  aud  at  ihe  same 
time  allows  it  to  retain  its  most  valmble  properties.  Windy  dull 
weather  is  ihe  best  for  hay-making.  When  is  the  gra^s  quite  ready 
for  the  reaper?  That  depends  entirely  on  the  state  of  the  seed. 
Grass  may  be  over-ripe  as  well  as  under-ripe.  Over-ripeness  is  when 
the  seed  is  shaking.  Cut,  if  possible,  just  before  the  seed  is  ready  to 
shake. 
We  hear  of  more  heated  haystacks  in  a  fine  season  than  in  a  wet 
one.  The  cause  is  obvious.  We  can  all  see  the  rain  pouring  down, 
and  we  know  for  a  fact  that  the  grass  is  soakimr,  but  we  do  not  all 
appreciate  the  fact  that  even  in  a  dry  time  there  is  much  natural 
moisture  in  the  stalks,  and  that  must  have  time  to  evaporate.  Even 
when  apparently  dry  it  will  be  found  the  hay  will  give  again  like  a 
woollen  garment  placed  before  the  fire.  There  is  a  happy  mean,  and 
th"  knowledge  when  that  happy  mean  is  reached  cannot  be  taught  by 
a  book,  it  comes  of  much  practice  and  observation. 
We  are  great  advocates  for  the  turn-over  haymaker,  and  we  are 
always  glad  when  the  stuff  gets  into  cock,  especially  if  there  is  a 
doubtful  look  about  the  sky.  A  good  farmer  will  tell  in  a  m  meat 
whether  hay  is  fit  to  lead  or  not  by  the  smell  and  the  han  ling  ;  this 
also  comes  of  close  observation.  If  there  be  much  Clover  in  the  hay, 
and  that  Clover  is  breakable,  it  is  a  sure  sign  th  t  all  is  right.  If,  on 
the  other  hand,  the  Clover  stems  feel  damp  and  juicy,  a  little  more 
time  should  be  allowed.  It  is  well,  if  it  can  be  done,  to  make  a  good 
stack  bottom,  say  of  Wheat  straw,  before  beginning  to  build  the 
stack,  it  will  save  from  spoiling  by  damp  of  a  very  considerable 
portion  at  the  bottom. 
We  need  not  add  that  the  thatching  of  the  stack  when  built  must 
be  well  and  thoroughly  done  so  as  to  avoid  damage  by  rain  and  wind. 
Remember  grass  suffers  less  from  drenching  rain  while  stiil  uncut 
than  win  n  laid  in  swathe,  and  a  warm  rain  is  more  destructive  of 
quality  than  a  cold  odo.  The  great  reason  for  cutting  grass  before 
the  seed  is  quite  ripe  is  that  when  the  seed  is  fairly  ripened,  the  plant 
having  lulfiiled  its  mission,  begins  at  once  to  deteriorate. 
Work  on  tlie  Home  Farm. 
Passing  through  a  neighbouring  parish  a  day  or  two  ago  we  observed 
a  number  of  lambs  apparently  two  or  three  weeks  old  ;  they  looked  very 
well  and  strong,  and  quite  unaffected  by  a  fairly  strong  blizzard  which 
was  raging  at  the  time.  We  had  12°  of  frost  the  last  two  nights,  and 
the  land  is  harder  than  it  has  been  this  winter,  though  ploughing  is  still 
possible.  The  previous  snow  had  all  melted  before  this  frost  came,  and 
there  is  now  barely  enough  to  whiten  the  fields.  If,  as  seems  likely,  we 
are  yet  to  have  some  winter,  a  further  covering  of  snow  would  be 
desirable.  A  large  flock  of  redwings  was  noticed  to-day,  the  first  this 
winter,  and  as  these  birds  are  invariably  the  harbingers  of  wintry 
weather,  we  fear  that  the  growing  springtime  we  loDg  for  is  not  yet 
very  near. 
Industrial  depression  is  quickly  making  itself  felt  in  the  country. 
The  stoppage  of  a  few  blast  furnaces,  and  of  work  in  the  ironstone 
mines,  is  letting  loose  a  number  of  men  who  seek  employment  on  the 
land.  They  will  be  very  welcome  if  they  will  be  satisfied  with  the 
wages  which  farmers  can  afford  to  pay. 
Where  there  is  manure  still  to  get  out  there  is  plenty  of  employment 
for  horses,  and  spare  men  are  still  busy  amongst  the  fences,  where 
more  is  being  done  this  year  than  usual,  not  because  it  is  convenient 
to  do  it,  but  because  the  work  must  be  done.  Roadside  hedges  which 
are  kept  closely  and  ornamentally  trimmed  year  by  year,  will  die  away 
in  course  of  time,  unless  they  are  occasionally  out  right  down  and 
allowed  to  grow  for  three  or  four  years  with  nothing  but  a  siding  up. 
We  constantly  see  low  hedges  that  look  very  neat  and  tidy,  but  which 
are  in  a  state  of  decay,  and  would  not  make  adequate  sheep  fences  were 
it  not  for  the  hundreds  of  stakes  which  are  annually  put  into  them. 
We  have  not  seen  a  drill  at  work  yet,  though  we  heard  of  one 
during  the  last  thaw  drilling  Oats ;  the  owners  thereof  must  have 
shown  more  haste  than  discretion,  but  some  farmers  like  to  be  abl9  to 
say  that  they  are  before  their  neighbours  in  the  same  spirit  as  Members 
of  Parliament  at  the  opening  of  a  session. 
When  screw  cattle  are  seen  entering  a  dealer’s  yard  in  the  evening, 
and  slaughtering  takes  place  after  midnight,  we  wonder  where  the  meat 
goes  to.  To  make  sausages,  we  are  told,  but  bow  about  the  meat 
inspector  ?  Perhaps  this  stuff  is  put  on  the  market  as  foreign,  and 
people  will  eat  anything  if  it  comes  from  abroad. 
