404 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
May  9,  1901. 
Where  Corn  aud  stock  are  still  the  only  resources  of  the  farmer, 
and  the  former  is  being  grown  at  cost  price,  or  worse,  it  is  obvious 
that  the  profit,  if  any,  must  come  from  the  stock  ;  and  it  is  fairly 
certain  that  the  sheep  is  the  most  profitable  animal.  There  is  to  be 
found,  here  and  there,  a  man  who  is  a  naturally  good  judge  of  a  hors  ■, 
and  has  a  happy  knack  of  producing  the  best.  These  men  make  a 
good  thing  by  breeding  Shires  or  Hackneys  ;  but  it  is  hardly  farming, 
for  the  same  thing  may  be  done  by  a  man  who  occupies  a  few  acres 
only,  and  who  cannot,  with  truth,  be  classed  as  a  farmer. 
Sheep,  especially  the  breeding  of  sheep,  we  believe  lo  be  the  most 
sure  and  unfailing  source  of  income  to  the  occupier  of  a  mixed  farm. 
Next  to  this,  the  breeding  and  rearing  of  cattle,  for  sale  at  two  years  of 
age  to  the  grazier,  is  the  best  way  of  realising  the  by-products  of  the 
farm,  viz.,  straw  and  chaff,  and  bringing  a  certain  considerable 
addition  to  the  credit  side  of  the  balance-sheet.  Sheep  breed  more 
regularly  than  cattle,  and  come  to  the  butcher  in  half  the  time  ;  they 
consume  rather  less  fuod  in  proportion  to  their  value,  and  cost  much 
less  in  attendance  during  the  winter  season.  Though  the  flock  is  so 
mixed  up  with  the  general  work  of  the  farm  that  it  may  be  thought 
difficult  to  arrive  at  its  exact  cost  in  food  and  labour,  yet  an  estimate, 
sufficiently  near  for  practical  purposes,  may  be  formed.  For  instance, 
taking  a  farm  of  500  acres,  400  arable,  under  the  four-course  system, 
there  will  be  100  acres  of  seeds  for  pasture.  Of  course,  if  a  portion  be 
required  for  mowing  it  does  not  affect  the  calculation  we  are  about  to 
make.  With  rent  at  20s.  per  acre,  and  rates  2s.  6d.,  small  seeds, 
sowing,  harrowing,  and  rolling  15s.,  we  have  the  cost  of  an  acre  of  new 
aeeds  at  37s.  6d. 
To  stock  100  acres  of  average  seeds,  we  shall  require  250  ewes  and 
their  lambs.  To  have  250  ewes  running  with  lambs  at  Mayday  we  must 
put  280  to  the  ram.  Of  these  about  fifteen  will  be  barren,  lose  their 
lambs,  or  be  incapable  of  suckling  their  young,  so  will  be  ted  off,  and 
make  probably  their  prime  cost ;  fifleen  will  have  succumbed  to  the 
usual  fatalities  incidental  to  maternity  or  other  ailments  or  accidents ; 
the  offal  account  will  redeem  about  five,  leaving  say  ten  a  dead  1  ss. 
These  250  ewes  which  have  successfully  weathered  the  storm  will  have 
done  badly  if  they  have  not  300  lambs  at  foot,  and  with  proper 
management  280  at  least  should  be  ready  for  the  butcher  at  twelve 
months  old.  What  will  these  sheep  require  in  the  way  of  food  until 
they  are  ready  for  sale,  apart  from  the  100  acres  of  seeds  ?  The 
280  ewes,  from  going  to  the  ram  in  October  to  turning  out  on  new 
seeds,  will  consume  about  30  acres  of  Turnips,  or  their  equivalent  in 
Mangold.  The  hoggets  after  weaning,  besides  their  regular  pasture, 
will  want  about  5  acres  of  C  >bbage,  or  50  acres  of  aftermath  or  fog, 
and  about  45  acres  of  Turnips  and  Swedes  during  the  winter.  Cake 
and  Corn  will  average  about  one-third  pound  per  head  for  280  head  tLe 
year  round,  say  6  stone  per  day  at  9d.  per  stone,  about  £80  per  annum. 
During  the  summer  the  ewes  may  only  require  a  quarter  of  a  pound 
per  head  per  diem,  or  less,  and  the  lambs  a  similar  quantity  after 
weaning  until  Christmas,  but  1  lb.  per  head  for  the  latter  from 
Christmas  to  clip  day,  and  the  ewes  having  a  bit  as  well,  will  fully 
makeup  the  average.  Shepherd’s  wages,  £50;  help  in  the  Turnip 
fold,  £20;  fencing,  £10;  carting  and  sundries,  £10,  make  nearly 
another  £100  to  debit  the  account  with. 
100  acres  of  seeds  at  37s.  6d.  ... 
75  acres  of  Turnips  at  ,£3 
5  acres  Cabbages,  or  50  acres  Fog 
Cake  . 
Shepherd,  &c . 
,£187  10  0 
225  0  0 
30  0  0 
80  0  0 
90  0  0 
,£612  10  0 
We  have  reckoned  the  Turnips  at  £3,  as  that  is  the  average  price 
for  those  sold  by  auction  in  this  neighbourhood,  without  using  cake, 
the  roots  to  be  consumed  on  the  land,  so  we  must  deduct  one-third 
value  of  the  cake  as  being  the  manurial  value — viz.,  £26  13s.  41., 
leaving  £585  16s.  81.  as  being  the  cost  of  bringing  up  and  feeling 
250  shearling  sheep. 
These  sheep  having  been  run  thinly  and  well  done,  should  realise 
50s.  per  head  in  the  wool — £625,  to  which  must  be  aided  £80,  value 
of  the  wool  from  the  ewes,  making  a  total  of  £705,  and  showing  a 
profit  of  £120  16s.  81.  It  will  be  noticed  that  no  allowance  has  been 
made  for  the  ten  ewes  lost,  but  they  will  be  accounted  for  in  this  way. 
The  flock  would  be  selt-supporting  ;  seventy  gimmer  ho^gs  being 
added  to  stock  each  Lady  Day,  their  value,  minus  amount  realised 
by  their  wool,  should  be  well  recouped  by  the  sixty  cull  ewes  sold  off 
fat.  The  sevent\-five  acres  of  Turnips  would  easily  carry  the  latter, 
in  addition  to  the  younger  sheep,  and  we  included  them  in  our 
calculaiioDS,  as  also  we  did  the  summer  keep  of  the  gimmers  when 
reckoning  what  the  seeds  would  carry. 
The  example  we  have  put  before  our  readers  has  been  purposely 
made  of  rather  an  unfavourable  character  ;  in  fact  we  have  based  the 
figures  on  a  high  level  of  expenditure  and  a  very  moderate  estimate 
of  returns.  As  a  fact,  100  acres  of  tair  seeds  should  carry  thirty 
more  ewes  than  we  have  reckoned,  as  well  as  the  seventy  gimmers, 
and  few  sheep  farmers  would  be  satisfied  with  less  than  one  hogg 
per  ewe  put  to  the  ram.  We  frequently  hear  of  an  average  of  four 
lambs  to  three  ewes  running  on  seeds,  and  on  many  farms  such  an 
average  is  the  rule  rather  than  the  exception.  It  is  quite  possible 
then,  that  with  twenty  more  ewes,  or  270  instead  of  250,  and  a  good 
crop  of  lambs,  360  of  the  latter  may  be  weaned,  and,  with  good 
fortune  afterwards,  350  may  be  the  saleable  number  instead  of  250. 
With  such  a  number,  £60  more  would  be  required  to  pay  for  Turnips 
and  cake,  and  £10  for  labour.  If  the  extra  100  be  valued  as  culls 
at  40*.  each,  there  is  yet  an  increase  of  the  balance-sheet  to  the  extent 
of  £130,  and  an  annual  profit  of  £255  instead  of  £125.  These  are  all 
imaginary  figures,  but  they  are  based  on  actual  facts  and  practical 
experience.  £100  per  annum  for  labour  and  expenses  is  well  above 
the  mark,  for  the  shepherd  is  generally  able  to  help  a  little  during 
harvest.  No  account  is  taken  of  this.  Tnen,  again,  he  generally  has 
to  shepherd  the  cattle  at  grass  and  give  cake  to  those  which  are  being 
fed,  so  that  properly  a  portion  of  his  summer  wages,  say  6s.  per  week, 
should  be  charged  to  the  cattle. 
Work  on  He  Home  Farm. 
The  beautiful  weather  which  so  delighted  us  last  week  was  too  good 
to  last,  and  very  soon  changed  to  cold,  easterly  winds,  with  showers  of 
hail  and  sleet.  Fortunately  there  was  no  actual  frost,  though  on  one  or 
two  nights  the  thermometer  reading  must  have  been  well  below  40  , 
and,  although  the  oold  winds  began  to  affeot  the  colour  of  the  young 
Barley,  we  have  again  a  change  of  wind  to  the  west,  with  rain,  and  a 
rise  of  the  temperature  as  well  as  of  spirits. 
The  slight  check  has  been  even  useful  in  one  respect — i.e.,  in  calling 
attention  to  the  low  standard  of  fertility  of  certain  plots,  fields,  or 
parts  of  fields.  An  order  for  top-dressings  has  been  urgently 
despatched,  and  the  manure  should  be  on  the  land  in  a  few  days.  Had 
the  growing  weather  continued  the  necessity  for  this  help  might  not  have 
been  understood  until  it  was  too  late  in  the  season,  or  in  the  life  of  the 
crop,  for  the  full  benefit  to  be  obtained. 
It  will  soon  be  time  to  think  of  washing  and  dipping  the  ewes; 
they  are  in  good  condition,  much  better  than  usual  at  this  season,  and 
they  will  require  very  careful  shepherding  until  the  wool  is  off.  There 
will  also  be  keen  satisfaction  in  the  mind  of  the  shepherd  when  they 
and  the  lambs  have  all  been  well  branded  with  the  usual  letter,  for  a 
new  occupier  of  a  neighbouring  holding  has  brought  with  him  such  a 
heterogeneous  assortment  of  stock  that  it  is  more  highly  important  „ 
than  usual  that  we  should  know  our  own.  We  shall  probably  have 
some  visitors  in  our  fresh  pastures,  for  some  of  his  sheep  look  like 
following  a  hare  anywhere  when  the  wool  is  off.  As  long  as  he  does  not 
import  infeotious  disease  we  shall  deem  ourselves  fortunate.  But,  oh  ! 
why  is  not  dipping  made  compulsory  ? 
The  last  Barley  has  been  put  in,  but  not  in  a  very  satisfactory 
manner;  the  land  dried  so  rapidly  that  the  roll  did  not  act  as  effectively 
as  it  should  have  done,  and  the  land  is  still  very  knotty.  It  has  again 
to  be  rolled,  and  the  small  seeds  harrowed  in.  What  it  really  wants  is 
another  good  day’s  rain  immediately.  The  Mangold  seed  is  yet  in  the 
bags,  but  will,  we  hope,  be  germinating  in  the  ground  when  next  we 
write.  We  like  to  steep  the  seed  before  drilling  it,  but  care  must  be 
taken  that  it  does  not  get  really  dry  again,  or  the  husk  will  be  so  hard 
that  the  seed  cannot  penetrate  it. 
- - - 4  •€»♦► - - ' 
The  Cabbage  Crop. — Dr.  Gillespie,  the  well-known  and  popular 
clergyman  agriculturist,  recently  wrote  to  the  “  Dumfries  Courier”  on 
the  prospects  of  the  Cabbage  crop.  He  said  that  farmers  are  beginning 
to  prepare  for  the  Cabbage  crop,  which  has  been  gradually  growing  in 
favour,  not  only  for  dairy  cows,  but  for  other  kinds  of  cattle,  and  also 
for  sheep.  Fortunately  the  plantB  are  at  once  plentiful,  good,  and 
cheap  this  season.  They  are  being  offered  by  leading  growers  at 
Is.  9d.  per  1000,  or  12s.  6d.  per  10,000,  which  is  a  substantial  reduction 
on  what  has  been  paid  in  some  years.  It  is  a  wise  plan  to  plant  a 
proportion  of  Early  Yorks  or  other  early  sort.  These  are  ready  for 
consumption  much  earlier  than  the  Drumheads  or  other  late  varieties, 
and  come  in  very  opportunely  for  any  kind  of  stock  which  it  is 
desired  to  push  forward  in  condition  before  the  Turnip  crop  is 
sufficiently  grown  and  matured  to  be  ready  for  consumption.  People 
are  apt  to  refrain  from  planting  the  early  sorts,  on  the  ground  that 
the  yield  per  acre  from  them  is  less  than  from  the  Drumheads;  but 
if  the  early  kind  is  planted  correspondingly  close  in  the  drills  in 
proportion  to  their  size,  the  relative  deficiency  in  weight  is 
comparatively  small,  and  it  is  more  than  made  up  by  having  them 
available  for  consumption  when  the  grass  begins  to  fail,  aud  special 
kinds  of  live  stock  are  needing  a  little  supplemental  green  food.  The 
sooner  in  the  season  the  produce  of  the  green-crop  land  is  available 
for  cons  imption  the  better.  On  not  a  few  farms  there  are  more  Turnips 
this  spring  than  the  farmers  know  very  well  how  to  get  consumed. 
This  sometimes  happens  either  when  the  crop  is  a  bumper  one,  or  when, 
owing  to  the  high  price  of  stock  in  the  autumn,  the  number  of  animals 
brought  on  to  the  farm  for  winter  keep  is  fewer  than  is  usual.  By 
devoting  a  fair  area  of  green-cropping  land  to  Cabbages  and  p'anting 
a  proportion  of  these  of  the  early  sorts,  longer  ti.ne  is  available  for  the 
consumption  of  the  green  crop  than  is  the  oase  where  that  system  is 
not  followed. 
