The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1880-06-15 00:00:00

WORK ON THE HOME FARM.

lions Lino(At.—This has been chiefly employed in
forwarding the fellows in readiness for drilling the seed of
swedes, turnips, rape, and thousand-headed kale. Within
• few days, however, from this time the seed for • swede
crop should be drilled. For • late crop to hold over for
sp,ing feeding on the land with sheep it may be drilled up
to the 20th inst. ; but for the maimcrop there is no better
time than from the 7th to the 12th of June. Immediately
following turnip seed may be drilled for early feeding,
both for sheep and cattle, with advantage. The varieties
we recommend are the purple-top mammoth and the grey
stone. Both these grow very quickly, and at the mine
time ciii maintain their feeding value for many months
without decay. Nearly all the globe varieties, however,
now offered are more or less delicate in their growth :and,
although they grow quickly, they soon lose their quality
unless fed off or used as soon as ripe. We allude more
particularly to the Pomeranian globe and the green globe,
and we prefer to use Suttons' or Carter's green-top
champion hybrid. These may be drilled as late as the
first week in July, and maintain their quality through the
month of January following, although they will be a full
crop in November, and will stand the frost better than an
early-sown swede, as they do not suffer so much from
mildew in the autumn months when the season is dry.
The home farmer must remember that the times stated
for drilling swedes and turnips apply to the midland,
eastern, and southern counties; but for the northern
counties and Scotland the seeds should be drilled from
three weeks to one month earlier.

Economy in the horse labour of the farm, especially
where steam power is not used, is • matter of more
Importance than ever, particularly in reference to one-
horse labour. On our land, as well as in our agencies, we
have adopted this mode for upwards of 30 years, especially
In all the light work and second ploughing in the spring
and summer, ploughing the land for potatoes at the time
of planting, and prepa6ng the land for root crops upon any
land except the heavy clays. Upon gravelly loam, sandy
loam, chalk loam, and light gravelly land we for many
years have given up two-horse ploughing, except for the
double-furrow ploughing. and where the fellows require
cultivation. We formerly used Coleman's scarifier with
three or four horses attached, but we have long since
employed instead • strong horse hoe with plain tines for
combing out the grass and weeds. We find that one hone
will do two acres • day and sometimes more, whereas
Coleman's implement will do about 3/ or 4 acres at the
most drawn by three or four horses. In all cases as a
matter of economy we use the strong horse hoe drawn by
one horse only, except in hard, dry, and unbroken land,
when we employ Coleman's scarifier. The home farmer
must, however, remember that in speaking of one horse
we refer to an animal of 161 hands high and stout in pro-
portion, with good action, and in high condition ; in
which case very few are aware of the economy which can
be effected in the horse labour of the farm. Again, in
carting work, whether it is at hay time or harvest, we
ought to employ home capable of drawing a ton each and
more if required. This idea leads to the vexed question in
some districts as to the advantages of the one-horse carts
fermi waggons.— grividturs4 Gent:4.

HAND Lanousi.—This will now be connected with hoeing
potatoes, mangolds. carrots, early turnips, ihc., also in
making and attending the earliest cuttings of grass for
hay. The timber which may have been cut upon the
home farm for repairs will have by this time been barked.
and the bar), cert.,' away; but the lop, top, and laving
should now be made up ready for removal, and where the
trees are lying in the fields these should also be removed,
the sooner the better. The dairy cows and also young
cattle, as well as fatting bullocks in the pastures, owing
to the drought prevailing, have been in many instances
short of grass. There is, however, the saying that "road
meat is better than boiled ;" thus we oft n find the cattle
do better on a shert allowance of healthy grass in a dry
time than when there is abundance in a rainy season. Our
object in referring to this is to call the attention of the
I home fanner to the advantage of supplying the additional
wants of the cattle with an allowance of oilcake when the
grass is short. It is also important that they should have
access to water and rock salt at all times, and this refers to
horned stock of all ages. The failure of fodder crops, such
as trifolium, vetches, ic. has been so great upon most
farms that the sheep, whether for stock or fatting, have
been obliged to be folded upon the field grasses laalY
held on for hay. This also should be supplemented by
giving the sheep and lambs, liberal allowance of cake, for
they will pay for it at the present value of mutton,
Journel

CONSERVATIVE PETITION WITHDRAWN.
In the Common Pleaa, Westminster, on Wednesday,
Mr. Haddam moved for leave to withdraw the
petition against the election of Messrs. Pulley and
Reid (Liberals) for Herefoni City. The application
was suPpotted by affidavits stating the petitioners had
been advised there wee not sufficient evidence to
substantiate the allegations. Their lordships granted
the sp cation, directing the petitioners to PeY the
costa.