256 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE 
to  taste  really  ripe,  and  Apples,  though  large,  were  devoid 
of  flavour.  Nuts  were  most  abundant,  but  English  Walnuts 
never  got  beyond  the  stage  of  semi-ripe  ;  the  kernels  never 
filled  out  at  all.  The  mortality  in  lambs  was  great,  but  not 
so  great  as  in  the  preceding  year.  The  worst  sheep  trouble 
was  yet  to  come,  and  come  it  did  in  1880,  when  liver  fluke 
made  its  appearance,  and  sheep  in  the  low,  damp  districts 
succumbed  in  their  thousands.  On  the  higher  grounds  the 
mortality  was  not  so  severe. 
If  the  com  harvest  was  late  in  1879,  what  of  the  Potato 
harvest  1  It  was  prolonged  into  winter.  The  haulms 
refused  to  wither,  the  skins  refused  to  fasten,  but  the  tubers 
did  not  refuse  to  decay.  There  were  ,  absolutely  no  really 
fine,  dry  days  for  Potato  getting,  and  therefore  the  tubers 
were  stored  wet  and  with  a  superabundant  covering  of 
earth,  both  most  undesirable  concomitants.  It  was  im¬ 
possible  to  thresh  early,  no  corn  in  any  way  approaching 
condition,  and  all  gi’ain  of  every  sort  was  sadly  discoloured. 
We  believe  on  many  northern  farms  the  grain  crop  was  only 
fit  for  bedding.  To  set  against  all  this  disaster  and  loss, 
wool  was  a  much  better  price  than  it  has  been  for  many 
years  ;  but  wool  was  a  poor  peg  on  which  to  hang  all  the 
farmer’s  prospects.  The  effect  on  farmers  generally  was 
very  bad.  Many  received  then  what  was  practically  their 
death  blow,  and  laid  up  for  themselves  •  liabilities  that 
neither  they  nor  their  heirs  were  ever  able  to  discharge. 
Happy  those  men  who  got  out  of  the  business  at  some 
sacrifice  ;  the  first  loss  was  the  least.  -^Revenue  disap¬ 
peared  as  thoroughly  as  though  invested  in  foi  unlimited 
company.  " 
Since  the  bad  season  of  1879i  arid.also  on  account  of  the 
continued  fall  in  prices,  the  cultivation  of  the  com  crop  has 
seriously  diminished.  The  bad  prices  for  wool  resulted  in 
a  lessened  head  of  sheep,  which  is. in  reality  a  double  loss, 
for  the  sheep  not  only  gives  of  its  wool  and  mutton,  but 
most  materially  adds  to  the  fertilisation  of  the  land  that 
sustains  it.  The  diminution  of  the  Wheat  area  between 
1874  and  this  present  year-  of  grace  is  something  like 
2,000,000  acres,  and  the  Barley  area  has  diminished  in  like 
proportion.  Only  Oats  have  increased,  and  they  have  done 
so  by  about  1,000,000  acres,  roughly  speaking.  More  easily 
cultivated,  and  less  liable  to  damage,  and  more  available 
for  stock  foods.  Oats  have  carried  the  day.  Yet,  with  all 
this  lessened  work  on  the  farms,  with  increased  mechanical 
appliances,  labour  is  dearer,  more  scarce,  and  worse  than  ; 
it  has  ever  been  known. 
These  twenty-four  years  have  seen  much  real  steady 
progress  made  in  the  dairy  farm  industry.  Not  now  an 
adjunct  to  mixed  farming,  it  is  generally  conducted  as  a 
separate  business  ;  and  where  business  habits  have  been 
brought  to  bear,  where  intelligent  breeding  of  stock  for 
milking  purposes  is  thoroughly  understood,  the  dairy  farmer 
has  been  enabled  to  keep  his  head  above  water.  But  it  is 
not  every  man  who  is  qualified  to  take  up  dairy  farming  ; 
it  is  a  truly  complex  business,  and  one  demanding  the  very 
best  qualities  and  shrewdest  abilities. 
Many  of  us  are  still  in  the  throes  of  harvest,  and  how  it 
will  end  we  know  not.  All  we  can  say  with  any  certainty 
is  this:  That  harvest  expenses  are  mounting  up  day  by  day, 
and  we  have  no  power  to  lessen  them.  "The  weather  that 
adds  to  the  expense  also  takes  away  from  the  value  of  the 
crop,  and  this  is  a  problem  in  arithmetic  that  does  not  take 
much  woi'king  out ;  i.e.,  loss  of  a  serious  nature  to  the 
farmer.  So  far  our  root  crops  look  well,  with,  perhaps,  the 
exception  of  Mangolds,  which  thoroughly  appreciate  warm 
moisture.  We  fancy  our  brethren  with  many  acres  of  Potatoes 
will  be  trembling  in  their  shoes,  the  only  thing  in  their 
favour  being  the  drying  winds  which  alternately  come  and 
go,  lowering  the  temperature.  Mushroom  weather  favours 
the  growth  of  other  fungi .  beside  the  delightful  edible 
variety.  There  'is  another  bright  spot,  the  small  rise  in  the 
value  of  home-grown  wools,  and  those  men  who  have  by 
means  of  their  healthier  banking  accounts  been  holding 
on  for  the  last  few  seasons  will  now  be  able  to  have  a  nice 
sum  of  money  in  hand.  Mind,  we  are  still  of  opinion  that 
-storing  wool  is  not  desirable,  yet  in  the  face  of  such 
■shocking  bad  prices  there  is  much  inducement  to  do.  so, 
rightly  or  wrongly. 
There  is  a  certain  religious  service  in  which  the  par¬ 
ticipants  are  told  to  speak  at  once  or  for  ever  to  hold  their 
peace.  Are  we  not  now  on  the  verge  of  a  crisis?  Mr. 
Micawber  would  say  so,  and  we  think  it  is  now  time  we 
spoke,  and  that  with  no  uncertain  voice.  Since  1846  we 
have.been  Free  Traders,  with  the  rest  of  civilised  nations 
AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER.  September  10,  1903 
against  us.  Since  1846  we  have  passed  through  more  than 
half  a  century,  a  period  that  has  seen  more  change  and 
development  in  the  conditions  of  life  than  any  previous 
period  in  the  world’s  history.  All  other  methods  of  pro¬ 
cedure  existing  in  1846  are  now  practically  obsolete  and 
antique,  and  not  adapted  to  modern  day  requirements  ;  and 
yet  in  this  single  instance  we  stand  still,  and  what  ought  to 
be  and  what  used  to  be  our  chief  industry  is  crippled  and 
disabled.  It  is  all  very  well  to  talk  of  the  growth  of  manu¬ 
factures.  Manufactures  cannot  exist  without  the  artisan, 
and  the  artisan  cannot  exist  without  food  ;  and  we  as  a 
nation  are  year  by  year  steadily  declining  in  our  food  pro¬ 
ducing,  trusting  more  to  outside  help  than  we  have  any 
business  to  do.  No  other  nation  is  so  blindly  foolish  as 
we.  We  receive  far  more  than  we  send  out,  and  our  credit 
balance  does  not  exist.  We  do  not  deny  that  more  food 
might,  and  should,  be  produced  within  the  limits  of  our 
shores  ;  but  there  is  no  encouragement  to  do  so.  A  rise  of 
10s.  per  quarter  for  Wheat  would  do  more  to  bring  back 
into  cultivation  derelict  land  than  the  sound  of  war’s  alarm, 
come  it  ever  so  nigh,  and  would  also  be  a  stimulus  to  more 
intense  cultivation.  Ten,  or  even  fifteen  shillings  per 
quarter  would  not  make  a  dear  loaf,  and  a  cheap  loaf  is  a 
poor  thing  if  it  spells  ruin  to  produce  it.  i.. 
We  hear  ominous  rumours  ;  a  generdl  election  cannot 
be  far  off.  We  shall  have  _  pleasant  gentlemen  tearing 
through  country  lanes  in  their  motorsj  anxiously  soliciting 
our  vote  and  interest.  It  is  not  war  this  time  in  foreign 
lands  ;  it  is  a  question  of  our  Own  existence.  And  we 
think  we  shall  be  justified  in  accordinsr  to  no  candidate  our 
support  who  does  not  pledge  himself  to  consider  the  agri¬ 
cultural  situation  and  bring  our  commodities  under  the 
sheltering  wing  of  Protection.  One  single  protestor  can 
do  nothing  ;  we  must  be  prepared  at  this  juncture  to  sink 
all  party  feeling,  to  band  ourselves  together  as  one  man 
throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  country  to  go  for 
Protection,  and  not  be  led  off  the  scent  by  any  side  issue. 
Work  on  the  Home  Farm. 
We  have  had  a  very  trying  time  lately,  but  have  managed  to 
get  the  greater  part  of  our  corn  cut  and  stooked  up.  With  no 
more  reaping  requiring  immediate  attention  we  had  meant  to 
have  three  full  days  at  leading.  The  influence  of  a  fine  day  and 
brisk  wind  had  put  Wheat  into  good  condition,  but  everything  is 
I  drenched  this  morning,  and  the  men  are  in  the  granary  mending 
'  sacks,  except  the  horsemen,  who  are  leading  manure  on  to  seeds. 
Wheat  generally  is  good  where  there  is  no  bunt,  but  every  day 
we  hear  new  complaints  of  its  prevalence,  t-  Barleys  have  not 
stooked  up  as  heavy  as  we  had  expected,  hut  all  the  earlier  sown 
crops  are  of  good  colour,  and  if  soon  stacked  will  make  fine  malt. 
Those  not  yet  cut  are  losing  colour  with  every  show'er. 
We  hear  of  a  motor  binder  at  work  a  few  miles  away,  but  have 
liad  no  opportunity  to  go  and  see  it.  If  we  can  plough  and  reap 
without  horses  we  shall  soon  do  everything  by  motor.  It  will  be 
a  bad  day  for  the  Oat  trade.  The.  recent ,  imports  of  hay  and 
fodder  were  but  forty  per  cent,  of  those  for  the  corresponding 
period  of  1902.  Yet  the  trade  here  is  absolutely  stagnant,  even 
at  low  prices.  Surely  the  influence  of  the  motor  invasion  is 
already  felt.  There  is  a  poor  prospect  before  hay  growers. 
The  broken  harvest  weather  has  given  opportunities  for  send¬ 
ing  off  small  consignments  of  Potatoes,  chiefly  British  Queen. 
They,  are  good  crops  and  of  good  shape  and  quality,  but  decided 
signs  ,  of  disease  appear.  Several  fields  of  Dates  are  begimiing 
to  show  brown  patches,  and  there  is  a  good  deal  of  disease  in  the 
gardens. 
The  lambs  are  folded  on  Cabbage,  and  doing  very  well,  but 
some  of  our  neig'nbours  are  not  so  fortunate.  One  farmer  is  running 
his  lambs  on  uncleared  Barley  stubbles,  with  a  couple  of  boys  to 
keep  them  off  the  stooks  as  much  as  possible.  They  get  a  good 
deal  of  wholesome  picking,  especially  on  the  hedges  where  there 
are  Brambles.  There  is  nothing  better  for  them  than  Bramble 
leaves.  A  day’s  driving  along  the  lanes  will  often  do  wonders  to 
sickly  lambs.  Where  large  numbers  are  kept  an  excellent  course 
is  to  have  all  the  sickly  or  weak  ones  in  a  flock  by  themselves,’  and 
specially  nursed  like  human  beings  in  an  infirmary. 
Using  a  Gun  on  a  Motor  Car. 
One  of  the  leading  farmers  in  East  Lothian,  during  the  last 
few  weeks,  has  had  as  a  neighbour  a  Londoner,  who  drives  a 
motor  car.  They  repeatedly  met  on  the  road,  and  the  farmer 
to  protect  his  horses,  held  up  his  hand  as  a  signal  to  the  motorist, 
who,  however,  paid  no  attention,  and  drove  hLs  oar  at  full  .speed. 
His  signals  having  been  several  times  disregarded  in  this  way, 
the  fariiier  became  incensed,  and  on  the  next  (wcasion  of  their 
meeting  he  burst  the  tyres  of  the  motor  car  by  firing  the  contents 
of  a  rifle  into  them.  The  owner  of  the  car  is  endeavouring  to  get 
the  police  to  take  the  matter  up. 
