548 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
December  10,  1903. 
desireci.  After  planting,  which  should  be  done  daring  open 
weather,  as  early  as  possible  after  October,  young  White  Thorn 
must  be  well  fenced  from  rabbits  and  sheep,  as  well  as  from 
cattle,  &c.  This  causes  the  planting  of  young  fences  to  be  an 
expensive  business,  for  posts  and  rails  are  not  picked  up  in  the 
street ;  hut  if  the  mouey  that  the  rails  would  cost  be  spent  in 
good  rabbit  wire,  3  feet  or  4  feet  wide,  it  may  be  used  as  a  pro¬ 
tection  against  all  comers,  and  last  for  many  years  and  for  a 
succession  of  new  hedges. 
It  is  not  sufficient  to  keep  live  stock  at  a  distance.  Couch- 
grass,  Thistles,  Nettles,  &c.,  are  equally  inimical  to  the  growth 
of  young  Thorns,  and  though  their  hardy  nature  may  enable 
them  to  successfully  contend  w’ith  all  such  enemies,  yet  the 
progress  made  cannot  compare  with  that  which  follows  proper 
attention  to  weeding  by  hand,  hoe  or  fork.  After  planting  no 
trimming  or  pruning  is  required,  the  only  and  important  atten¬ 
tion  being  that  of  weeding.  This  is  in  case  the  plants  have  been 
put  in  single  rows.  But  if  the  double  row  planting  has  been 
practised,  we  should  recommend  that  the  branches  on  the  inner 
side  of  each  row  should  be  trimmed  off  after  two  years’  growth. 
This  plan  will  prevent  crowding,  facilitate  weeding,  and  en¬ 
courage  outward  growth.  It  will  also  make  possible  a  mulching 
with  compost  between  the  rows.  If  this  be  done  every  autumn 
until  the  fence  gets  too  high,  much  will  be  done  to  lay  the 
foundation  for  a  vigorous  and  sturdy  hedge.  A  cartload  goes  a 
long  way,  and  even  such  a  small  protection  to  the  roots  is  most 
beneficial. 
Having  planted  a  young  fence  and  got  it  into  proper  shape 
and  of  good  height  and  width,  too  often  we  see  such  a  one 
trimmed  or  twugged  year  by  year  until  its  roots  have  lost  all 
their  vigour,  and  the  hedge  gradually  begins  to  die  away.  The 
soil  or  situation  is  usually  blamed,  but  the  real  cause  is  the 
continual  cutting  back  of  the  young  wood.  The  plants  being 
deprived  of  their  proper  lung  power  lose  their  vigour  and  die 
away.  No  matter  how  necessary  a  neat  appearance  may  be,  the 
hedge  must  occasionally  be  allowed  to  go  for  two  or  three  years. 
The  roots  will  be  immensely  benefited,  and  when  the  hedge  is 
cut  back  again  to  its  neat  shape,  in  due  course  it  will  grow 
better  than  before  with  its  lease  of  life  immeasurably  lengthened. 
There  are  two  ways  of  killing  hedges  as  well  as  the  use  of  the 
stub ;  one  is  continuous  trimming,  and  the  other  is  continuous 
neglect. 
Farmers  do  not  sufficiently  allow  for  the  great  expense  which 
bad  fences  entail.  To  keep  small,  closely-trimmed  hedges  in  a 
state  to  turn  sheep  often  costs  a  great  deal  in  pales  and  stakes. 
We  have  seen  such  hedges  presenting  a  very  neat  and  tidy 
appearance,  hut  on  examination  they  would  be  found  largely 
artificial.  As  we  said  before,  w'e  do  not  believe  in  very  high 
hedges  as  shelter,  but  sometimes  such  are  necessary  to  protect 
a  homestead  from  high  winds.  In  such  cases  a  certain  limit 
should  be  put  to  their  height,  and  they  should  be  kept  w'ell 
sided  up  every  other  year  :  topped  oue  year  and  sided  up  the 
next. 
We  have  often  written  against  the  unnecessary  plashing  or 
laying  of  hedges.  Farmers  are  in  such  a  hurry  to  have  a 
competent  looking  fence,  that  they  spoil  their  hedges  for  the 
sake  of  present  security.  Of  course,  if  a  hedge  is  cut  close 
down,  as  we  recommend,  there  is  the  labour  of  making  a  strong 
protective  beard  of  the  Thorns,  but  if  the  cost  of  stakes  be 
reckoned,  we  think  plashing  proves  the  more  expensive,  and  a 
beard  may  be  needed  in  any  case.  If  a  hedge  is  taken  off  at 
the  proper  time,  i.e.,  when  the  field  adjoining  is  coming  fallows, 
there  will  be  two  years  for  it  to  grow  on  that  side  before  sheep 
will  come  against  it ;  so  there  will  be  only  one  side  to  protect, 
and  if  there  be  a  ditch  on  that  side  the  task  is  made  still  easier. 
Farm  labourers  are  great  lovers  of  plashing,  and  we  do  not 
wonder  at  it,  for  it  provides  a  never  ending  supply  of  firewood 
and  kindling  for  them  to  secure  in  the  future  as  they  return 
from  work. 
Work  on  the  Home  Farm. 
Two  snowy  days,  followed  by  I4deg  of  frost,  have  sharply 
reminded  us  that  the  period  of  autumn  is  past  and  winter  has 
commenced.  Although  frost  will  be  most  beneficial  as  an  anti¬ 
dote  to  the  floods,  we  could  have  well  put  off  the  date  of  its 
appearance  until  Cliristmas.  We  had  planned  another  piece  of 
Wheat  drilling,  but  now  it  may  be  given  up  altogether.  We 
certainly  cannot  carry  it  out  unless  there  is  a  very  rapid  change. 
The  frost  has  been  sufficient  to  stop  ordinai’y  land  work,  but  w'e 
are  able  to  plough  the  lea,  which  has  been  lately  manured  for 
the  1904  Potatoes.  We  are  using  chilled  ploughs  wuth  three  horses 
in  each.  The  furrows  turned  are  twelve  inches  wide,  and  vary 
between  Sin  and  9in  in  depth.  This  is  none  too  deep,  but  we  are 
going  to  the  full  depth  of  the  good  soil,  there  being  a  bed  of  fine 
gravel  below.  The  ploughs  do  the  work  well,  all  being  finely 
covmred,  and  the  land  left  fairly  open,  although  not  so  rough  as 
it  would  be  after  the  steam-plough.  The  horses  are  by  no  means 
oveinvorked,  and  each  plough  is  doing  li  acres  per  day.  '  We 
are  saving  the  steam-ploughing  at  10s.  (which  would  not  be  over¬ 
much),  to  allow  for  a  man  and  three  horses,  but  we  also  save  the 
opals  and  the  carting  of  water  for  the  engine.  There  is,  there¬ 
fore,  a  balance  in  favour  of  the  horses.  Yet  we  should  prefer 
the  steam  tackle  if  we  could  always  get  it  when  required. 
Many  Potato  pics  are  being  turned  over,  but  few  are  being 
sent  to  market.  There  are  .so  many  foreign  Potatoes  in  our 
markets  that  English  do  not  appear  to  be  required  at  present. 
£4  per  ton,  and  in  some  cases  a  few  shillings  more,  is  the  price 
now  being  taken  for  well-dressed  samples.  How  many  Potatoes 
remain  in  the  land  was  shown  the  other  day  in  a  neighbour’s 
field,  when  a  surprising  quantity  was  laid  bare  by  the  Wheat 
drill,  and  harrows  which  followed  it. 
Now  is  the  time  to  look  well  to  the  young  horses.  They  must 
have  something  more  than  frozen  grass.  If  farm  work  is  not 
sufficient  to  keep  all  the  working  horses  employed,  and  they  per¬ 
force  have  a  rest,  a  portion  of  their  corn  may  with  benefit  be 
diverted  tO'  the  young  ones  out  at  grass. 
Young  sheep,  being  now  well  inured  to  a  Turnip  diet,  may 
have  their  cake  and  lamb  food  reduced,  but  if  the  weather  con¬ 
tinues  cold  they  must  have  some  dry  food.  Hay  and  clover  are 
cheap  and  plentiful,  but  we  should  prefer  cut  straw’  and  a  little 
barleymeal  mixed  with  it,  especially  if  we  possessed  some  Barley 
of  the  unsaleable  type. 
Prizes  for  Agricultural  Essays. — The  Chemical  Manure 
Manufacturers’  Association  is  offering  four  prizes  of  £10,  £5,  £3, 
and  £2  respectively  for  short  e.ssays  on  “  The  Utility  of  Super- 
(ihosphate,  used  either  alone  or  in  conjunction  with  other 
manures  as  a  top-dressing  for  pastures  and  grass  lands,  and  with 
special  reference  to.  its  influence  on  the  milk-producing  and  stock¬ 
carrying  capacity  of  the  land  to  which  it  is  applied.”  Further 
particular.s  w  ill  be  supplied  to  intending  competitons  on  applica¬ 
tion  to  the  Secretai-y,  the  Chemical  Manure  Manufacturers’ 
Association,  79,  Mark  Lane,  London,  E.C. 
Royal  Scottish  Agricultural  Benevolent  Institution. — 
This  Institution,  which  was  founded  in  1897  in  commemoration 
of  the  Diamond  Jubliee  of  the  late  Queen  Victoria,  and  of  which 
His  Majesty  the  King  is  patron,  and  the  Duke  of  Buccleuch 
honorary  president,  has  been  making  progress  and  doing  good 
work.  From  its  last  report  it  appears  that  the  funds,  although 
they  have  increased  year  by  year,  are  not  adequate  to  meet  the 
numerous  pressing  claims  upon  them,  .so  many  as  tw’enty  eligible 
applicants  having  to  be  refused  on  this  account.  The  main 
object  of  the  Institution  is  to  provide  pensions  of  £20  per  annum 
to  aged  or  infirm  and  necessitous  persons  (male  and  female)  con¬ 
nected  with  agriculture  in  Scotland,  who,  through  no  fault  of 
their  04vn,  have  been  reduced  to  a  condition  of  poverty.  The 
directors  appeal  to  all  interested  in  agriculture  and  others  for 
contributions  to  the  funds,  to  enable  them  to  deal  w’ith  these 
and  other  new’  cases  which  are  constantly  arising.  We  are 
informed  that  the  pensioners  hail  from  practically  every  county 
in  Scotland,  and  that  some  of  them  are  upwards  of  ninety  years 
of  age.  Full  particulars  regarding  the  Institution  and  its  pensions 
can  be  had  on  application  to  the  secretary,  Mr.  Isaac  Connell, 
S.S.C.,  10,  North  St.  David  Street,  Edinburgh. 
Webb  and  Sons’  Stand  at  the  London  Cattle  Show.— The 
exhibit  of  roots,  &c.,  made  by  Messrs.  Webb  and  Sons,  the  King’s 
Seedsmen,  Wordsley,  Stourbridge,  can  only  be  described  as  won¬ 
derful.  .It  comprises  specimens  drawm  from  the  successful  crops 
in  this  firm’s  Annual  Root  Crop  Competition,  which  showed 
returns  of  upwards  of  78  tons  of  Mangolds  per  acre,  and  61  tons 
of  Sw’edes  grown  by  the  application  of  Webbs’  Special  Fertilisers. 
The  produce  of  Webbs’  Pedigree  Seeds  has  also  been  eminently 
successful  at  all  the  important  shows.  Perhaps  the  most  remark¬ 
able  root.s  are  those  of  Webbs’  Imperial  Sw’ede,  w’hich  are 
massive  in  size  and  of  beautiful  shape  and  quality.  It  has  secured 
the  Champion  Prize  this  year  at  both  London  (61  entries)  and 
Birmingham  (30  entries),  besides  a  vast  number  of  other  important 
awards.  Webbs’  Invincible  Turnip  and  Webbs’ Selected  Green  Globe 
Turnips,  both  of  which  w’on  fii-st  prizes  in  their  class  at  Birming¬ 
ham  last  week,  combine  large  size,  with  perfect  shape,  a  remark 
which  equally  applies  to  Webbs’  New  Arctic  Sw’ede  and  Webbs’ 
New  Buffalo  Swede.  Messrs.  Webb  also  exhibit  the  new  and 
improved  cereals  which  they  have  raised  by  cross-fertilisation 
and  selection,  their  systematic  experiments  having  been  most 
successful.  The  Kinver  Chevalier  Barley,  for  instance,  is  re¬ 
cognised  as  one  of  the  best  varieties  in  cultivation,  and  in  addi¬ 
tion  to  its  success  at  the  Brewers’  Exhibition,  already  noticed,  it 
has  recently  won  the  Colchester  Gold  Cup,  first  prize,  Norwich; 
first  prize  Edinburgh,  &c.  Webbs’  Newmarket  Oat  also 
maintains  its  reputation  as  the  most  profitable  variety  to  grow. 
A  very  fine  collection  of  Potatoes  is  exhibited,  and  among  them 
we  were  particularly  struck  with  a  kidney-shaped  variety, 
recently  introduced  and  named  Webbs’  Guardian,  which  it  is 
confidently  predicted  has  a  great  future  before  it. 
