50i 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
November  26,  19(3. 
Average  Wholesale  Prices.— Plants  in  Pots 
Most  of  the  undermentioned  plants  are  sold  in  48  and  32-sized  pots 
s.  d. 
s.  d 
Adianturns,  per  doz.  ... 
4  0  to  8  0 
Aralias,  per  doz . 
4  0 
8  0 
Arbor  Vita3,  per  doz.  ... 
,  9  0 
18  0 
Aspidistras,  per  doz.  ... 
18  0 
36  0 
Aucubas,  per  doz.  ... 
4  0 
8  0 
Begonia,  per  doz . 
8  0 
18  0 
,,  Gloire  de  Lor¬ 
raine,  per  doz. 
Chrysanthemum,  doz. 
8  0 
24  0 
3  0 
30  0 
Coleuses,  per  doz. 
4  0 
5  0 
Crotons,  per.  doz. 
12  0 
24  0 
Cyclamens,  per  doz.  ... 
10  0 
12  0 
Cyperus,  per  doz . 
Dracaenas,  var.,  doz.  ... 
3  0 
4  0 
12  0 
48  0 
Ericas,  per  doz.  . . 
8  0 
12  0 
s.  d.  s.  d 
Euonymus,  vars.,  doz.  4  0  to  6  0 
Ferns  in  var.,  per.  doz.  4  0  30  0 
Ficus  elastica,  doz.  ...  9  0  24  0 
Liliumlongifiorum,  doz.  6  0  12  0 
,,  lancifolium  6  0  12  0 
Lycopodiums,  per  doz.  3  0  4  0 
Marguerites  .,  6  0  12  0 
Orange  Trees,  each  ...  3  6  10  6 
Palms,  var.,  each  ...  3  0  20  0 
Poinsettias,  per  doz....  10  0  12  0 
Primulas,  per  doz.  ...  4  0  0  0 
Pteris  tremula.  per  doz.  4  0  8  0 
,,  Wimsetti  ,,  4  0  8  0 
,,  major  ,,  4  0  6  0 
Solanums  ,,  4  0  6  0 
Motor  versus  Horse. 
It  lias  been  abundantly  apparent  for  some  time  tliat  the 
usefulness  of  the  motor  could  not  be  limited  to  road  traction,  and 
the  chief  objections  to  the  swift  motor  on  tlie  public  highways 
are  of  no  account  as  regards  work  in  the  fields.  Highways  are 
public  property,  the  fields  are  private,  and  the  farmer  is  at 
liberty  to  use  any  form  of  power  he  thinks  the  cheapest  and 
most  applicable  to  his  business. 
Well,  the  agricultural  difficulty  has  for  the  last  twenty  years 
lain  in  the  well  nigh  impossibility  of  applying  steam  power  to 
farm  work.  The  steam  engine  has  been  too  bulky  for  active 
work  on  the  land — i.e.,  for  any  work  such  as  is  done  by  horse 
power ;  but  the  advent  of  the  petrol  motor  has  altered  all  that, 
and  it  would  certainly  appear  possible  for  all  the  work  of  a  large 
farm  to  be  performed  by  the  aid  of  petrol.  This  certainly  seems 
to  be  a  big  order,  but  no  one  who  lives  near  a  great  trunk  road 
would  doubt  that  the  farmer  could  go  round  his  farm  on  a  petrol- 
driven  motor  cycle  or  tricycle,  and,  as  a  fact,  ordinary  cycles  are 
now  largely  used  by  farmers.  The  advance  in  petrol  motorage 
has  been  so  great,  that  the  power  which  was  quite  lately  only 
applicable  to  personal  conveyance  is  now  usefully  emjiloyed  for 
field  work. 
In  our  opinion,  the  only  question  has  been  that  of  cheap 
traction,  and  if  that  has  been  solved  the  day  of  the  farm  horse 
is  gone.  That  the  motor  on  wheels  can  compete  with  the  horse 
on  metalled  roads  cannot  be  denied,  but  so  far  few  farmers 
would  acknowledge  that  it  is  possible  to  produce  an  engine 
which  can  proceed  up  and  down  a  field  in  the  same  manner  as  a 
team  of  horses,  and  at  the  same  time  draw  a  plough,  drag  a  set 
of  harrows,  doing  good  wmrk  at  a  low  price. 
Yet  such  is  the  fact.  Recent  trials  in  Bedfordshire  have 
most  conclusively  proved  that  the  motor  can  do  any  work  as 
well  as  and  more  cheaply  than  the  horse. 
The  trials  proved  that  land  could  be  ploughed  Tin  deep  for 
7s.  8d,  per  acre,  a  crop  of  Wheat  could  be  cut  for  Is.  7d.,  and  a 
crop  of  grass  for  Is.  9d.  per  acre,  wdiiist  straw’  could  be  chaffed 
at  about  2s.  6d.  per  ton.  Now,  we  know  very  well  that  laud 
can  be  ploughed  by  steam  at  Ss.  per  acre,  and  to  a  good  depth, 
but  when  the  cost  of  coals  and  the  leading  of  water  are 
considered  the  work  of  the  motor  must  be  far  the  cheapest. 
We  have  discussed  the  question  of  motor  traction  with 
many  practical  farmers,  and  it  is  natural  that  every  man  who  is 
fond  of  a  horse  should  be  averse  to  dispensing  with  its  services 
and  adopting  an  alternative  without  good  reason.  Therefore  we 
meet  with  most  abundant  criticism,  but  the  objections  may  be 
roughly  summarised  under  tw’o  heads— viz.,  “expensive  outlay 
on  plant ’’ and  “the  doubt  whether  motors  will  work  on  very 
soft  or  sticky  soil.’’  For  instance,  many  farmers  who  would 
believe  in  a  motor  dragging  a  plough  on  a  x>iece  of  seeds  or 
stubble,  have  no  faith  in  its  practicable  w'orking  on  recently 
mowed  soil.  There  is  also  a  strong  belief  that  the  wheels  of  a 
heavy  motor  will  have  a  serious  effect  in  “  saddening  ’’  the  soil. 
As  the  Ivel  motor,  which  we  have  in  mind,  only  weighs  28cwt, 
each  of  its  three  broad  wheels  carries  less  than  half  a  ton,  and 
we  should  very  much  doubt  that  the  passage  of  these  three 
wheels,  over  even  very  soft  land,  would  do  as  much  damage  as 
an  average  x:)air  of  draught  horses,  while  they  wmuld  in  all 
X^robability  do  at  least  twice,  or  even  three  and  four  times  the 
w'ork.  We  notice  that  the  makers  of  these  engines  conducted 
their  ploughing  experiments  on  what  they  describe  as  “very 
hard  ground.’’  The  wheels  of  the  motor  would  therefore  get 
ample  jiurchase,  but  we  think  that  some  good  proof  is  required 
that  they  will  travel  as  w'ell  on  a  soft  surface.  We  have  had 
much  practical  experience  of  the  working  of  rotary  Potato- 
diggers,  and  know  well  how  their  driving-wheels  skid  in  very 
loose  mould,  and  we  fear  that  under  some  conditions  these  motors 
will  make  but  very  slow  progress  at  their  work. 
As  regards  the  outlay,  no  doubt  there  are  many  farmers  who 
could  not  afford  to  lay  dowm  T300  on  what  is  as  yet  only  in  the 
experimental  stage.  If  a  farmer  were  to  sell  his  horses  and 
buy  a  motor  with  the  money,  he  would  require  at  least  ten 
average  farm  horses  to  realise  the  necessary  amount,  and  the 
X:)rime  cost  will  be  a  great  bsu’  to  their  soon  coming  into  general 
use.  They  will  be  introduced  first  on  large  farms,  and  by  land- 
owners  on  farms  in  hand,  in  fact,  several  noblemen  have  already 
tested  and  speak  highly  of  them.  They  will  at  first  be  used 
only  partially  to  supplant  the  horse,  but  the  work  they  will  do 
now  gives  such  great  j^romise  of  w’hat  they  can  by  improvement 
be  made  to  do  that,  although  they  may  not  entirely  take  the 
place  of  horses,  we  are  confident  that  they  will  do  so  to  a  very 
considerable  extent. 
In  one  experiment  with  a  3-furrow  plough,  llj  acres  were 
ploughed  in  17^  hours  by  the  use  of  25g  gallons  of  petrol,  each 
acre  being  completed  in  14  hours,  with  very  little  more  than 
2  gallons  of  x^etrol.  Then  the  motor  only  eats  when  it  is  at 
work,  while  the  horse  requires  feeding  whether  there  is  work 
to  do  or  not.  Horses  cannot  be  kept  without  incurring  loss 
from  disease  and  accident,  as  well  as  veterinary  bills.  Motors 
require  repairs  and  renewals,  and  are  also  liable  to  accident ; 
but  the  cost  of  these  items  may  be  calculated  with  certainty, 
which  cannot  be  done  in  the  keeping  of  horses. 
Every  year  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  horsemen  is  an 
increasing  one  ;  waggoners  keep  asking  higher  wages,  and  are 
less  inclined  to  work.  This  independent  spirit  on  their  part 
must  have  considerable  effect  on  farmers  who  may  think  of 
trying  motor  power.  Labourers  will  be  needed  as  much  as  ever 
to  do  hand  work,  but  lads  of  fifteen  years  to  twenty  years  will 
largely  be  dispensed  with. 
fork  on  the  Home  Farm. 
After  a  promise  of  better  tilings  the  weather  has  reverted 
to  its  old  waj’s,  but  adding  thereto^  a  touch  of  snow.  Perliaps 
there  is  yet  worse  to  come,  for  we  have  to-day  seen  what  is  to 
us  a  record  flock  of  golden  plover — about  300  or  so.  Does  such 
a  congregation  denote  the  approach  of  severe  weather?  Only 
cn  the  lightest  land  is  horse  work  possible,  and  autumn  Wheat 
sowing  is  being  given  up  in  despair  in  many  quarters. 
Martinmas  week  is  to  many  farmers  a  period  of  enforced 
inactivity,  the  farm  servants  having  left  and  new  ones  not 
arrived,  the  farms  are  very  short-handed.  Mangolds  are  being 
pulled  and  stored,  but  the  carting  is  very  heavy  work,  and  the 
carts  are  but  partially  filled.  As  we  have  observed  before,  the 
roots  are  undersized  and  the  crop  below  the  average  in  weight. 
Fortunately  the  weather,  which  has  been  too  cold  and  wet  for 
Mangolds,  has  .suited  Swedes,  and  they  are  now  very  good.  We 
never  saw  them  of  such  soundness  and  quality.  When  they  are 
a  little  riper  a  good  lot  must  be  pied  to  help  out  the  Mangolds 
in  the  spring. 
We  got  some  manure  carted  out  to  the  seeds,  but  it  was  very 
laborious  work.  The  manure  is  wet  and  heavy,  and  even  the 
seed  land  is  too  soft  to-  take  heavy  loads  on.  We  should  like  to 
get  the  remainder  on  at  once,  as  there  is  hope  that  we  shall 
soon  see  the  steam  ploughs  here  to  break  up  the  swarth,  in 
readiness  for  next  year’s  Potatoes.  These  ploughs  are  now 
making  very  long  days  and  doing  most  valuable  work.  They 
can  go  where  horses  would  stick  fast  or  do  inore  harm  than 
good.  Rams  and  ewes  must  be  parted  now  if  they  are  still 
together.  The  rams  are  best  put  with  the  feeding  sheep,  i.e., 
the  wether  sheep,  as  it  does  not  pay  to  keep  them  badly  and  let 
them  get  into  poor  condition. 
The  November  slump  in  the  beef  trade  is  over  and  prices  are 
firmer  again,  the  top  quotation  being  7ld.  per  lb._  This  is 
promising  for  the  Christmas  beef  feeders.  On  enquiry  we  find 
that  not  so  many  cattle  as  usual  are  being  prepared  for  Christ¬ 
mas.  Store  cattle  are  rather  depressed.  Threshing  has  not 
provided  much  spare  money  to  buy  stores  with,  and  bank 
balances  are  low.  Small  and  lean  sheep  are  in  the  same  fix, 
there  being  few  buyers  just  now,  notwithstanding  the  abundance 
of  food.  Milk  cows  are  as  dear  as  ever,  which  should  remind  us 
that  no  opportunity  should  be  lost  of  starting  heifers  breeding. 
Now  is  the  time. 
