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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
April  25,  1901. 
Tlie  Sundries. 
What  an  old  story  it  is,  the  importance  of  little  things !  School 
children  have  had  it  drummed  into  them  for  generations,  but  how  few 
put  into  practice  the  precepts  they  have  been  taught.  To  the  outsider, 
the  town  dweller  for  example,  who  pays  an  occasional  visit  to  rural 
friends,  or  takes  a  country  cottage  or  rooms  in  a  farmhouse  for  his 
annual  holiday,  the  expenditure  on  a  farm  appears  to  be  very  small 
apart  from  the  rent,  and  he  generally  has  a  sort  of  idea  that  the 
greater  part  of  the  gross  produce  is  nett  profit.  Even  when  the 
occupier  does  all  the  work,  or  nearly  all  the  work,  of  the  farm  himself, 
the  rent  and  rates  are  only  the  chief  items  in  a  multitude  of  outgoings, 
and  there  is  ample  reason  for  the  remark  so  often  heard,  “a  farmer’s 
hand  is  never  out  of  his  pocket.”  Fifty  years  ago  a  farmer  starting 
in  business  was  estimating  the  probable  balance-sheet  of  his  holding, 
and  on  a  friend  pointing  out  that  he  had  put  nothing  down  to  cover 
small  expenses,  added  £5  to  that  side  of  the  account.  The  farm  was 
one  of  300  acres,  nearly  all  arable.  The  friend  suggested  the  utter 
inadequacy  of  such  a  sum,  but  all  he  could  do  in  the  way  of  persuasion 
only  increased  the  £5  to  £20.  A  couple  of  years’  experience  were 
required  to  convince  that  new  beginner  that  his  friend  had  been 
right,  and  that  £150  per  annum  was  not  too  much  to  cover  small 
items  of  expenditure,  which  seemed  trivial  in  themselves,  but 
occurring  so  constantly  and  in  such  a  variety  of  ways,  were  of  real 
importance. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  the  neglect  of  attention  to  small  details  of 
expenditure  has  had  much  to  do  with  the  failure  of  the  last  generation 
of  tenant  farmers  to  meet  the  combination  of  bad  prices  and  bad  seasons 
which  overwhelmed  so  many  of  them.  When  the  farm  failed  to  pay 
expenses  they  did  not  look  into  the  items  of  the  latter  closely  enough, 
and  took  too  little  heed  of  the  outgoing  p*  nee,  which  so  soon  became 
pounds.  Under  the  old  regime  the  village  tradesmen,  blacksmith, 
joiner,  &c.,  found  farmers  easy  going  as  to  their  bills,  and  they  were 
educated  into  easy-going  ways  themselves.  S  ich  a  thing  as  the 
taxing  of  an  account  was  almost  unheard  of,  whilst  tradesmen  looked 
upon  the  business  which  they  did  with  certain  occupiers  as  an 
inalienable  prerogative.  We  have  even  heard  of  a  blacksmith 
appealing  to  a  landlord  because  a  tenant  of  the  latter  bad  ceased  to 
employ  him,  and  appealing  with  success.  There  is  a  story,  perhaps 
too  amusing  to  be  true,  of  a  larmer  changing  his  blacksmith,  but  to 
his  astonk-hmi  nt  receiving  at  midsummer  his  usual  blacksmith’s  bill 
from  the  old  quart*  r,  with  all  the  regular  details  of  repairs,  shoeing, 
&c.,  remonstrating  firmly,  but  emphatically,  whilst  pointing  out  that 
he  had  sent  the  man  no  work  lately.  “No,  mester  !  but  you  owt  to 
a’  done,”  was  Vulcan’s  reply.  We  have  heard  blacksmiths  and 
carpenters  make  bitter  complaint  ot  the  depressed  times  through 
which  they  are  passing;  they  regret  the  old  employers,  but  they 
do  not  blame  the  new,  for  they  know  the  reason  lor  the  stricter 
economy  and  closer  supei vision  which  they  exercise  in  matters  of 
expenditure. 
Looking  through  some  old  account  books  we  find  that  on  a 
holding  of  500  acres,  three-fourths  arable,  for  forty  years  the  average 
annual  payments  for  tiademen’s  bills  and  sundries,  apart  from  rent, 
rates,  manures,  seed,  labour,  and  horse  Corn,  amounted  to  £320,  and  it 
is  certain  that,  at  any  rate  for  a  greit  portion  of  that  time,  few  items 
of  extravagance  were  allowed  to  creep  in,  and  the  money  was  well 
laid  out.  The  carpenter  worked  on  the  larm  when  required  at  3s.  per 
day  and  his  meals,  his  money  wages  per  annum  being  about  £20. 
Timber  and  other  materials  came  to  auother  £20  or  more,  making 
£40  for  carpenter's  work  alone,  and  this  under  the  most  economic 
conditions.  The  blacksmith  cost  quite  as  much,  or  a  little  more. 
All  the  shoeing  was  contracted  for  at  so  much  per  horse ;  a  very  good 
plan,  as  the  blacksmith  had  a  direct  interest  in  seeing  that,  the  horses’ 
feet  were  kept  in  good  condition. 
Saddlers’  bills  have  always  provided  food  for  contention,  and  there  is 
often  soreness  between  farmer  and  saddler.  Talking  to  a  saddler  the 
other  day,  he  remarked  that  very  few  farmers  now  have  their  h  irnees 
looked  over  and  repaired  on  the  premises  as  u<ed  to  be  doue  just  before 
harvest.  The  raddler  chargid  so  much  per  day  and  for  material  used, 
and  our  friend  also  remarked  that  he  used  to  spend  a  day  of  his  own 
time  in  preparirg  his  materials,  time  which  he  did  not  charge  for. 
He  ha 8  given  up  doing  so,  which  perhaps  may  account  for  the  change 
in  the  faimers’  plans.  Saddlers  are  always  to  be  foupd  at  farm  sales 
bidding  well  up  for  good  harness  and  gearrng,  as  it  is  to  their  interest  to 
keep  up  the  value  of  sound  stuff.  Worn-out  rubbish  they  are  pleased 
to  see  farmers  buy,  and  the  man  before  mentioned  declared  that  it 
pai  l  him  much  better  to  repair  old  harness  for  a  client  than  to  make 
him  new  sets.  But  he  also  complains  that  the  present  day  buyers  of 
old  harness  come  very  seldom  to  his  shop.  He  thinks  that  their  wives 
must  do  their  repairs  at  home,  and  sarcastically  wonders  what  is  done 
with  all  the  old  binder  twine  which  comes  from  the  stacks  on 
threshing  days.  It  certainly  is  tough,  and  may  possibly  come  in 
handy  for  other  purposes  than  tying  up  Corn  and  Potato  sacks.  We 
know  a  man  who  has  always  been  noted  for  the  very  fragmentary 
way  with  which  his  horses  were  yoked.  He  has  (armed  a  place  which 
few  would  care  to  have,  and  has  to  all  appearances  done  well. 
Perhaps  his  small  saddler’s  bill  may  partly  account  for  it.  He  did 
most  of  his  repairs  at  home,  and  was  always  a  good  customer  at  the 
ironmongers  for  small  copper  rivets.  Mending  harness  was  nice 
evening  occupation  for  his  sons,  of  whom  there  were  several,  and  kept 
them  out  of  mischief. 
The  rope,  net,  and  sack  maker,  is  also  one  whose  account  has  to  be 
reckoned  with,  and  if  proper  care  is  not  taken  to  repair  breakages  in 
nets  whilst  they  are  small,  and  to  have  the  nets  retarred  sufficiently 
often,  and  the  sacks  and  ropes  properly  looked  after,  a  big  annual  bill 
may  easily  be  run  up.  We  sometimes  hear  it  said  that  it  is  a 
convenience  to  farm  near  a  town  so  as  to  have  the  shops  handy.  So 
it  is,  but  tradespeople  do  not  keep  shops  for  nothing,  and  it  is  those 
who  run  to  the  shops  for  every  little  thing,  who  compLin  most  of  their 
bills  when  Christmas  comes  round.  Taking  extracts  from  the  farm 
books  again,  wu  find  personal  expenses,  marketing,  and  on  other 
business,  averages  about  £20  per  annum.  Small  farm  sundries  which 
are  too  trivial  to  have  a  column  of  their  own  come  to  £7.  Waggoners’ 
expenses  average  35s.  per  annum.  Steam  coals  only  cost  £8,  but 
the  farm  was  in  a  colliery  district,  and  the  money  represents  20  tonB, 
and  much  Potato  steaming  as  well  as  threshing. 
Work  on  the  Rome  Farm. 
There  has  not  been  tnuoh  rain  during  the  past  week,  and  though, 
except  for  one  really  beautiful  summerlike  day,  the  atmosphere  has 
been  anything  but  genial,  much  better  progress  has  been  made  on  the 
farm.  The  tearing  winds  have  been  a  great  help,  and  drilling  has 
begun  to  go  really  well  now  that  spring  sowing  is  almost  over. 
Clover  and  grass  seeds  are  being  sown  at  the  same  time  as  the  corn. 
Waiting  until  the  grain  grows  would  delay  the  small  seed  sowing  until 
a  period  too  late  for  safety  ;  and  Barley  sown  as  late  as  this  does  not 
stand  harrowing  as  well  as  early  sown  does.  Most  farmers  are  agreed 
as  to  sowing  their  Clovers  now,  but  there  is  much  difference  of  opinion 
as  to  the  method,  some,  but  a  minority,  preferring  to  drill  them 
immediately  after  the  corn  drill,  and  harrow  all  in  together,  which 
certainly  is  a  good  plan  for  grass  seeds,  which  are  often  insufficiently 
covered  ;  whilst  many  others  harrow  their  corn  in,  then  run  the 
Cambridge  roll  over  it,  and  drill  the  Clover,  &o.,  on  the  rolling,  juso 
before  the  Barley  peeps  through.  Only  a  very  light  harrowing  is 
needed,  and  the  Clover  is  well  covered,  and  near  enough  to  the  surface 
for  successful  germination.  Small  seed  drills  are  now  indispensable. 
It  is  very  rarely  we  see  a  man  sowing  from  a  hopper,  which  once  was 
the  universal  method,  and  the  vocation  of  the  hand  sower  is  gone.  At 
several  spring  sales  which  we  have  been  able  to  closely  observe  we  have 
only  seen  one  lot  of  sowing  hoppers  offered.  Manures  are  almost 
invariably  drilled,  and  it  is  noticeable  that  there  is  very  little  competition 
for  combined  drills,  which  sow  both  seed  and  manure,  the  tendency 
being  all  in  the  direction  of  a  separate  implement  for  each  operation. 
Perhaps  the  work  is  better  performed  thus,  but  the  labour  must  be 
greater,  whilst  the  multiplication  of  machines  can  hardly  tend  towards 
economy. 
Sheep  pastures  have  improved  and  the  animals  are  thriving,  but 
there  are  cases  of  rather  serious  loss  of  lambs  amongst  our  neighbours. 
Sand  in  the  maw  is  blamed,  but  there  is  evidence  of  lickjaw  from 
castrating  and  docking.  It  is  the  older  and  fatter  lamb  which  dies, 
and  probably  the  operations  above  mentioned  would  have  been  more 
safely  performed  at  an  earlier  age.  Six  dead  lambs  per  day  is  serious, 
whatever  the  cause,  and  the  owner  has  our  sympathy. 
A  feature  of  this  season  is  the  almost  total  absence  of  second-year 
seeds  for  sheep  grazing.  As  a  fact,  last  year’s  seeds  were  always  a  poor 
plant,  and  we  suppose  not  worth  keeping  down  another  year,  otherwise 
surely  another  year’s  grazing  would  have  paid  better  than  a  crop  of 
Corn.  Rent,  rates,  and  shepherding  would  have  been  the  sole  expense, 
and  not  a'  heavy  one.  A  piece  of  two  years’  seeds  in  the  next  parish 
has  been  let  at  30s.  per  acre,  out  of  which  the  rates  have  to  be  paid, 
say  2s.  The  annual  value  is  about  20s.,  so  there  is  a  profit  of  ab'but  8s. 
Insect  Inflictions. — The  modern  tendency  to  a  concentration  of 
crops  is  distinctly  favourable  to  the  rapid  multiplication  and  spread  of 
the  insects  which  feed  upon  them,  while,  finally,  the  great  reduction  in 
numbers  of  our  insectivorous  birds  has  removed  one  of  the  most  efficient 
means  for  holding  destructive  insects  in  check. 
