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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
September  24,  1903. 
landlord,  and  the  farm  was  cut  up  and  let  at  a  very  low 
rent  to  a  class  of  men  whose  sole  object  is  to  get  what 
they  can  out  of  the  land,  putting  nothing  into  it.  We 
could  quote  many  other  cases  where  tenants  not  only 
have  received  no  help  towards  necessary  repairs,  but  have 
been  given  to  understand  that  they  should  feel  much 
obliged  to  think  they  had  been  allowed  the  priyilege  of 
setting  matters  straight.  We  have  in  our  mind  just  now 
some  farm  buildings,  or,  rather,  ruins  we  might  almost  say, 
that  loudly  call  for  repair  before  the  storms  of  winter — 
cow  houses,  or,  rather,  hovels,  wherein  no  cow  can  expect 
to  be  even  moderately  comfortable,  where  last  winter- 
several  were  seriously  ill  fronr  prolonged  colds,  and  where 
none  could  really  be  expected  to  yield  their  proper  quantity 
of  nrilk.  The  agent  has  been  interviewed,  has  'been 
written  to,  has  been  reminded  of  his  promise,  and  yet  the 
tenant  still  waits.  The  stable-s  are  equally  bad,  and  the 
barn  not  weatherproof.  Of  course,  it  will  be  said.  Why 
not  leave'?  Notice  was  given  last  year,  but  withdrawn  on 
the  distinct  understanding  that  needful  repairs  should  be 
executed  at  once.  The  tenant  is  elderly  and  in  bad  health, 
and  would  rather  not  move  if  it  were  possible. 
Now  as  to  general  repairs  on  farms.  What  is  the  first 
point  to  be  looked  to  1  Rainproof  stables  and  b3'i-es.  A 
very  small  leak  in  a  roof  can  soon  make  things  most  un¬ 
comfortable,  and  one  tile  gone,  the  next  is  soon  loosened. 
The  same  will  apply  to  slates.  Thatch  is  not  much  used 
now,  and  where  it  is  there  is  not  the  least  excuse  for  a 
dripping  roof  ;  there  is  alwaj-s  at  least  one  man  on  every 
farm  who  knows  how  to  make  a  stack  rainproof,  and  the 
materials  are  not  costly.  Next  to  the  roof,  as  we  are  on 
the  question  of  water,  is  the  spouting.  Broken,  bad  spouts 
will  disgrace  any  building,  and  not  alone  disgrace,  but 
absolutely  do  great  damge  to  the  foundations,  let  alone 
the  misery  of  the  more  than  continual  sloppiness  on  a  wet 
day,  causeway,  yard,  all  of  a  flood  ;  a  waste  of  that  very 
water  which  may  be  so  urgently  needed  next  summer.  And 
in  the  case  of  buildings  which  “  give  ”  on  the  new  yard 
this  extra  and  unnecessary  water  is  distinctly  baneful  to  the 
manure,  washing  out  valuable  and  costly  constituents. 
Now  we  will  just  look  inside  again.  Are  the  floors  of 
stable  and  cow  house  firm  and  unbroken,  or  are  there 
dislodged  stones,  blocked  up  channels,  broken  grates  ?  A 
oroperly  laid  level  floor  is  so  much  easier  to  make  and 
keep  clean,  and  will  not  harbour  any  tilth.  We  said  level  floor, 
but  ther-e  must  be  sufficient  slope  to  permit  of  the  falling 
into  the  gutter  of  liquid  portions  of  the  manure.  Door¬ 
ways  are  apt  to  get  much  trodden  down,  and  woodwork, 
windows  and  doors,  too,  may  need  some  trifling  repair. 
As  for  inside  cleanliness,  we  ought  not  to  have  to  mention 
it ;  but  cobwebs  and  dust  lurk  in  unsuspected  corners,  and 
ere  spring  comes  again  will  accumulate  to  an  alarming 
extent.  Remember,  the  milk  cows  practically  pass  the 
whole  of  the  winter  under  cover,  and  at  least  let  their 
quarters  be  clean  to  begin  wdth.  There  is  nothing  like  lime- 
wash  and  sunshine.  Limewash  is  within  the  reach  of  all ; 
and  give  a  chance  to  the  sun  to  show  his  face  by  keeping 
windows  clean.  Also  remember  that  hot  air  is  not  all  that 
is  needed  ;  it  must  be  pure  as  well  as  warm,  and  to  this  end 
just  give  more  than  a  passing  glance  at  the  ventilators. 
There  is  just  another  point.  On  most  farms  of  any 
size  during  the  winter  months  there  is  great  steaming  of 
food.  In  what  condition  is  the  boiler?  Is  all  the  apparatus 
in  order  ?  A  breakdown  in  the  cold  weather,  and  when 
fattening  pigs  are  up,  is  no  little  matter.  At  any  rate,  the 
steam  house  will  be  none  the  worse  for  a  bit  of  cleaning, 
and  surely  during  these  broken  days,  when  outdoor  w'ork  is 
at  a  standstill,  the  ordinary  farm  hands  might  get  all  the 
premises  into  fine  order.  There  generally  is  one  man  a 
bit  of  a  carpenter,  a  handy  man,  and  if  he  has  a  few 
tools  he  will  soon  earn  in  unconsidered  jobs  a  good  day’s 
w'age.  Fasteners  on  doors  and  w-indows  claim  attention. 
A  door  or  wdndow  for  ever  banging  destroj's  itself  more 
quickly  than  by  years  of  actual  service.  Pulpers  and  cutters 
should  be  looked  over,  and  worn  parts  renewed.  The 
careful  eye  of  a  master  w'ill  note  many  things  that  would 
be  the  better  for  a  little  attention  at  once  ;  repairs  have 
to  be  made  sooner  or  later,  and  sometimes  the  break¬ 
down  comes  at  a  most  inconvenient  moment. 
Healthy  Sheep. 
Enough  of  this  subject.  .  A  week  or  so  back  we  referred 
to  the  great  losses  among  sheep  in  the  year  1880,  from  liver 
fluke  or  rot,  the  result  of  the  wet  seasons  of  1878-79.  Flocks 
that  had  never  suffered  before  were  decimated  then,  and 
we  much  fear  that  1904  will  see  similar  disaster.  We 
would  urge  all  flock  owners  to  keep  off  low-lying,  un¬ 
sound  land,  which  most  surely  breeds  the  pest.  Sheep  are 
not  by  nature  fitted  for  wet  meadows  ;  high  and  dry  they 
should  lie,  if  possible.  The  danger  of  liver  rot  is  just  now. 
Now  is  the  time  that  ewes  may  contract  the  complaint 
that  only  ceases  with  their  death.  They  will  not  die 
during  the  winter  or  early  spring,  but  as  soon  as  ever  thej' 
have  lambed  thej-  begin  to  waste  awajq  and  no  power  can 
stop  them.  We  liave  seen  it  over  and  over  again,  and  an.v 
old  shepherd  will  corroborate  all  we  say,  and  probably  will 
US8  far  more  forcible  language.  Some  readers  will  aver 
that  they  have  difficulty  in  finding  high,  dry  feeding  grounds 
just  at  this  season.  The  effort  will  have  to  be  made  if  the 
bi-eeding  flock  is  to  be  kept  healthy.  The  time  of  incon¬ 
venience  may  be  shorter  or  longer;  it  just  depends  upon 
frost.  Given  a  shariD,  sevei-e  frost,  all  danger  even  of  wet 
pastures  is  at  an  end.  But  it  is  well  to  bear  in  mind 
if  the  frost  destroys  chances  of  liver  fluke,  it  does  not 
permanently  improve  low-lying  ground,  which  can  never 
under  any  circumstances  be  good  sheep  lair. 
We  have  spoken  about  the  ewes  and  their  preservation, 
for  two  lives  depend  on  their  welfare  ;  but  the  lambs,  too, 
need  safeguarding.  Get  all  lambs  on  to  arable  ground. 
Cabbage,  Kale,  Rape  seeds,  and  Turnips — any  or  all  of 
these  will  prove  most  safe  and  valuable  lamb  feed.  The 
lambs  will  be  preserved  in  health,  and  the  land  will  be 
benefited  bj-  their  presence. 
Those  of  us  who  are  interested  in  the  autumn  .lamb 
sales  will  note  with  satisfaction  that  at  last  the  railway 
managers  see  their  waj^  clear  to  lowering  the  rate  of  i-am 
carriage.  The  new  rates  came  into  operation  on  Sep¬ 
tember  1,  and  will  prove  a  great  boon  to  manj-  a  purchaser. 
It  is  not  often  that  the  British  farmer  gets  any  favour 
from  the  railway  companies  ;  their  favours  are  reserved  for 
the  foreigner. 
Old  Rates.  New  Rates. 
s.  d.  s.  d. 
50  miles  8  4  .  1  ram  .  6  3 
100  ,,  16  8  ,,  10  5 
150  „  25  0  ,,  12  6 
200  „  33  4  ,,  14  7 
This  should  do  something  to  help  up  the  price  of  sheep 
and  to  distribute  good  sires. 
Work  on  the  Home  Farm. 
The  harvest  is  still  the  engrossing  task,  but  we  are  glad  to  say 
it  is  nearing  a  conclusion.  Although  we  have  not  been  without 
showers  they  have  not  been  heavy  enough  to  stop  leading  of 
Wheat  or  Barley,  and  even  of  Oats  in  one  case.  There  is  no 
Barley  about  here  stacked  in  condition  for  threshing  at  once ;  in 
fact,  it  should  all  stand  for  quite  two  months.  But  the  maltsters 
will  want  it  before  then,  and  they  will  probably  grumble  a  good 
deal  when  they  get  it.  It  has  lost  colour  sadly,  but  is  of  nice 
body  and  curl,  so  it  should  make  good  brewers’  malt. 
The  last  night  or  two  have  been  distinctly  frostj-,  and  we  hope 
will  have  checked  the  progress  of  Potato  disease,  which  is  very 
prevalent  amongst  earlies  and  second  earlies,  such  as  Mona’s 
Pride  and  British  Queen.  No  disease  can  be  found  yet  amongst 
the  late  sorts,  but  the  haulm  is  dying  rapidly.  Some  stacks  were 
thatched  when  rain  prevented  leading,  and  the  remainder  will 
have  to  be  done  before  the  men  can  go  to  other  work. 
The  seed  land  will  want  ploughing  ready  for  Wheat  drilling, 
and  it  must  be  i)loughed  at  once.  That  will  occupy  the  horses 
until  the  Potatoes  want  lifting,  so  there  will  be  no  time  for 
autumn  fallow.  The  only  alternative  is  to  employ  steam  power, 
but  the  nearest  steam  tackle  is  full  of  order.s  for  weeks,  and  other 
sets  are  too  far  away.  Fanners  were  growling  both  last  autumn 
and  in  the  spring  about  the  difficulty  of  getting  steam  diggers. 
The  way  out  of  the  difficulty  is  to  co-operate  and  buy  one  for  the 
sole  use  of  the  combination.  They  are  most  valuable  articles, 
especially  after  a  late  harvest,  which  shortens  the  available 
autumn  time,  as  by  their  use  we  can  complete  necessary  work 
which  otherwise  would  have  to  remain  undone. 
Ewes  which  will  be  mated  with  the  ram  at  the  end  cf  the 
month  should  be  dipped  at  once.  We  notice  that  county  autho¬ 
rities  make  orders  for  compulsory  dipping,  and  then  rescind  them. 
Sheep  dipping  is  evidently  a  question  which  cannot  be  left  to  local 
option,  but  must  be  made  entirely  comprehensive. 
Feeding  pigs  need  full  rations  now.  As  soon  as  a  sufficient 
supply  of  Potatoes  is  available  the  steamer  must  be  brought  into 
use.  Although  many  pigs  will  thrive  on  raw  Potatoes  and  meal, 
there  are  few  which' will  not  pay  for  the  expense  and  trouble  of 
the  cooking  process. 
