526 
JOURNAL  OR  HORTICULTURE  AXD  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
December  3,  1903. 
We  bear  about  farms  in  a  riu"  “  fence.”  Before  beginning 
to  build,  the  site  should  be  carefully  considered.  A  good  water 
supply  is  the  first  desideratum,  not  only  for  the  bouse,  but  also 
for  the  yards  ;  for  much  expense  may  be  quickly  entailed  if  a 
special  water  supply  has  to  be  arranged  lor.  The  buildings 
should  be  easy  of  access,  near  or  upon  a  good,  well-metalled 
public  road.  (We  have  not  much  faith  in  the  farmer  as  a  road- 
maker  ;  it  is  one  of  the  things  that  is  always  put  off  till  a  more 
convenient  season— which  never  comes).  There  is  enough 
labour  on  a  farm  without  increasing  it  by  road-making,  which 
requires  heavy  draught;  and  here,  in  passing,  we  would  just 
say  how  well  these  motor  cultivators  get  over  some,  or  many, 
of  the  occupation  roads,  especially  on  strong,  land  farms.  They 
will  liave  to  be  specially  constructed  :  big,  heavy,  very  strong, 
and  thus  in  a  measure  tiiey  will  defeat  their  own  ends. 
The  soil  for  the  site  should  be  dry,  easy  of  drainage,  with  a 
slope  to  the  south.  Warmth  is  one  of  the  first  desiderata,  and 
hence  all  yards  where  cattle  are  kept  should  get  as  much  sun  as 
possible.  If  the  yards  are  covered  (which  we  hope  is  the  case 
on  most  farms  now)  the  southern  side  may  well  be  left  open. 
Yards  covered  with  wooden  roofs  are  by  no  means  expensive, 
w’hile  as  to  their  value — well,  nobody  but  a  poor  farmer  who  has 
struggled  on  for  years  before  getting  one,  can  tell. 
We  sometimes  wish  the  cattle  could  give  us  their  ex¬ 
perience.  To  lie  warm  and  dry  is  half  the  battle  ;  nothing  does 
well  in  cold,  sodden  yards,  for  so  much  food,  is  used  up  in  sup¬ 
plying  bodily  heat  before  any  can  be  apportioned  for  feeding 
purposes.  On  every  farm  there  should  be  a- goodly -supply  of 
loose  boxes.  This,  especially,  should  there  be  no  covered  yard. 
Any  animal  requiring  extra  care  or  extra  food  will  be  enabled  to 
have  this  if  put  up  into  a  loose  box.  Indeed,  it  is  ditiicult  to 
know  how  they  can  well  be  dispensed  with.  Cows  at  calving 
time,  mares  and  foals,  young  stock,  ailing  stock— for  these, 
nothing  beats  a  loose  box.  A  loose  box  affords  a  certain 
amount  of  exercise,  and  we  ourselves  know  the  comfort  of  being 
able  to  lie,  stand,  or  sit  as  we  list. 
We  have  often  referred  to  the  value  of  straw  ;  and  for 
storing  straw,  either  fresh  from  the  machine  or  chaffed,  there 
is  no  place  like  the  big,  wide  old  barns  that  our  forefathers 
affected.  We  don’t  need  them  now  for  threshing  purposes  ; 
the  days  of  the  flail  are  over ;  but  they  do  conduce  to  the  careful 
saving  of  fodder.  At  obe  end  of  the  barn  will  most  probably 
be  found  the  pulper,  so  that  rations  of  chaffed  straw  and  reduced 
roots  can  be  easily  mixed.  In  all  cases  it  is  well  to  consider  the 
convenience  of  the  yard  raau.  He  should  have  his  stores  of 
food  and  bedding  handy.  Winter  days  are  short,  and  he  has  a 
good  bit  of  work  to  put  in  between  sun  and  sun.  No,  that  will 
liardly  do,  for  much  of  his  work  is  done  by  lantern  light.  Where 
a  large  dairy  herd  is  kept,  any  system  that  facilitates  a  regular 
and  good  water  supply  is  most  essential. 
As  cows  yield  so  much  better  when  warmly  boused,  it  is  not 
a  bad  plan  to  have  the  granary  over  the  cow-house;  thus  a 
double  purpose  is  effected.  The  warmth  from  the  cows  will 
assist  materially  in  getting  and  keeping  grain  in  good  condition. 
Heat  rises,  and  it  is  wonderful  how  much  heat  cows  will 
generate.  Warmth  is  necessary  for  stock,  but  ventilation  is 
even  more  so.  It  is  so  difficult  to  steer  clear  of  the  two  ex¬ 
tremes,  but  it  has  to  be  done,  if  buildings  are  to  be  sanitary  and 
wholesome. 
Anyone  who  has  had  to  do  with  pigs  will  know  what  restless, 
tiresome  animals  they  are.  They  are  never  contented  unless 
they  can  root  up  the  floor  of  their  abode,  and  being  strong  they 
are  usually  most  successful  in  their  efforts.  One  part  of  the 
sty  should  present,  if  jiossible,  an  even  surface,  and  nothing 
makes  better  flooring  thau  old  railway  sleepers  set  on  edge. 
These  are  strong  and  long  :  they  are  heavy  ;  and  well  packed 
in  it  will  require  a  particularly  clever  and  energetic  pig  .to 
up-root  them.  Concrete  floors  for  pig-sties  are  of  little  use. 
They  soon  become  broken  somewhere.  A  weak  place  shows, 
and  then  it  is  merely  a  question  of  time.  There  is  nothing 
more  difficult  to  keep  in  order  thau  the  causeway  running 
along  boxes  or  sheds  opening  into  a  yard  where  pigs  lie;  and 
have  it  up,  scoaer  or  later,  they  will.  The  cost  of  sleepers  is 
about  two  shillings  each. 
Never  forget  the  value  of  light.  So  often  we  find  it  blocked 
out,  as  though  it  were  a  deadly  ill  instead  of  being  the  greatest 
gift  of  God.  A  well-lighted  building  shows  up  dirt,  and  awakens 
a  feeling  of  shame,  or  should  do  so.  in  the  attendant.  At  any 
rate,  it  is  more  eafy  to  remove  dirt  seen  thau  unseen.  It  is 
quite  possible  to  be  over-burdened  with  buildings,  but  this  is  not 
often  the  complaint. 
A  few  farms  have  Dutch  barns  attached.  What  a  saving  of 
labour  and  expense  it  would  be  if  they  were  general!  Covered 
yards  and  Dutch  barns  would  do  more  to  help  farmers  in  their 
difficulties  than  motor  power,  wonderful  and  useful  as  that 
promises  to  be. 
On  farms  that  lie  wide,  it  is  imperative  to  have  sheds  and 
yards  out  in  some  of  the  far  distant  fields,  and  here  again  rail¬ 
way  sleepers  come  in  very  useful,  and  at  the  same  time 
they  are  inexpensive.  There  is  no  need  for  anything  very 
elaborate  :  shelter  and  a  place  where  some  straw  can  be  turned 
into  manure,  and  this  in  proximity  to  arable  fields  that  need 
it — that  is  all. 
We  should  like  to  add  a  few  words  as  to  the  construction  of 
the  foreman’s  house,  especially  that,  where  farm  servants  are 
boarded.  Whatever  else  is  done  or  undone,  there  should  be  a 
great,  good,  and  well- warmed  kitchen  to  serve  for  meals  and 
also  as  a  cheerful  sitting-room  in  the  evenings.  Scores  of  lads 
turn  ont  into  the  streets  because  there  is  not  adequate  room  for 
them  and  the  foreman’s  family  in  the  small  apartment  designed 
by  the  architect,  who  is  hardly  up  to  the  requirements  of  the 
case.  The  men’s  bedchamber  should  be  equally  large  and  airy, 
with  a  separate  staircase,  and  there  should  be  at  least  one 
small  room  that  might  serve  in  cases  of  sickness. 
Work  on  the  Home  Farm. 
After  writing  in  a  doleful  strain  for  weeks,  it  is  pleasant  to 
chronicle  something  satisfactory.  Up  to  the  time  of  writing 
there  has  been  no  rain  for  more  than  a  week,  but  drying  winds 
instead,  and  we,  as  well  as  our  neighbours,  were  able  to  plough 
again,  and  what  is  more,  make  really  good  w’ork.  It  is  a  curious 
fact  that  the  most  satisfactory  work  is  performed  by  ploughing 
a  fair  depth.  The  top  Sin  or  4in  only  represent  the  mud ;  the 
lower  strata  are  comparatively  dry.  After  being  ploughed  and 
allowed  a  day  or  two  to  dry,  an  excellent  seed-bed  is  obtained. 
Some  Wheat  is  being  ploughed  in,  but  a  good  portion  is  drilled, 
and  the  shortage  in  the  1904  Wheat  acreage  will  not  be  so  very 
serious  after  all. 
We  are  sorry  to  say  that  the  persistent  way  in  which  the 
farmers  of  this  part  (Hull)  have  threshed  Barley,  combined  with 
the  very  excellent  yield,  have  quite  overdone  our  markets.  The 
trade  has  had  more  Barley  than  it  could  digest,  and  forced  sales 
are  now  made  at  considerable  sacrifice.  We  must  give  our 
customers  a  rest.  We  hear  a  good  deal  now  about  heated  lots, 
and  fear  we  may  hear  more  before  spring.  We  shall  have  to  be 
very  careful  in  purchasing  seed  parcels. 
Until  now  there  has  been  no  time  to  think  of  planting  out 
August-sown  Cabbages.  The  time  is  very  late,  but  if  the  weather 
should  keep  mild  and  dry  a  little  longer,  the  planting  might  yet 
be  done.  Finer  crops  may  certainly  be  grown  by  autumn  than 
by  spring  planting,  though  where  rabbits  and  hares  are  numerous 
the  plants  are  more  easily  protected  from  them  in  the  restricted 
space  of  a  seed-bed  during  the  winter.  The  finer  weather  has 
postponed  the  manuring  of  seeds,  but  it  is  work  that  can  wait. 
Good  beef  is  decidedly  dearer,  and  store  cattle  firmer  in  price. 
Sheep  also  kre  very  firm.  What  a  demand  for  both  there  would 
have  been  if  farmers  had  been  flush  of  money!  We  are  glad  to 
see  that  the  scarcity  of  that  article  is  being  recognised  by  whole¬ 
sale  remissions  or  postponements  of  rent  in  many  quarters.  Both 
cattle  and  sheep  are  doing  well.  A  serious  question  to  many 
sufferers  by  bad  harvest  weather  is  that  of  buying  cakes  or  similar 
foods  when  they  have  so  much  unsaleable  grain  on  hand.  The 
situation  has  already  had  a  depressing  effect  on  the  cake  market, 
and  it  will  be  worse  if  farmers  choose  to  use  barleymeal  as  a 
cheap  substitute.  We  question  the  wisdom  of  using  Barley  for 
sheep  unless  it  is  cheaper  than  cake.  Barleymeal  for  cattle  is 
a  different  matter,  and  in  case  of  a  permanent  or  secure  tenancy 
we  would  certainly  make  free  use  of  it. 
Webb  and  Sons’  Stand  at  the  Birmingham  Cattle  Show. — 
Messrs.  Webb  and  Sons,  the  King’s  seedsmen,  Wordsley,  Stour¬ 
bridge,  occupied  a  position  in  the  show,  and  made  a  most  imposing 
display  of  Swedes,  Mangolds,  Turnips,  &c.,  worthy  of  their  repu¬ 
tation.  The  specimens  shown  are  selected  mostly  from  the  crops 
which  have  secured  champion  honours  in  the  principal  open  com¬ 
petitions  of  the  kingdom,  including  the  recent  great  London 
Dairy  Show,  where  most  important  prizes  for  roots  were  awarded 
to  the  produce  of  Webbs^  seeds,  viz.  :  1st  prize,  Webbs’  Imperial 
Swede,  61  entries ;  1st,  2nd,  and  3rd  prizes,  Webbs’  Mammoth 
Long  Red  Mangold,  12  entries;  1st  prize,  Webbs’  Smithfield 
Yellow  Globe  Mangold,  37  entries.  Webbs’  seeds  invariably 
prove  succe.ssful  in  the  principal  open  competitions,  amongst  a 
few  of  their  latest  successes  being  six  1st  and  other  prizes  at 
London,  31  1st  and  other  prizes  at  Cardiff  (including  the  special 
champion  prize),  10  1st  and  other  prizes  at  Norwich,  33  1st  and 
other  prizes  at  Liverpool,  27  1st  and  other  prizes  at  Chelten¬ 
ham,  11  1st  and  other  prizes  at  Gloucester,  and  many  valuable 
1st  and  other  prizes,  medals,  Ac.,  at  the  Brewers’  Exhibition. 
London,  held  last  October.  At  Birmingham  the  produce  of 
W’ebbs’  seeds  secured  the  majority  of  the  honours,  viz.,  22  1st  and 
other  prizes.  « 
