Indholdsfortegnelse for July 2016 i The Field

“The decision about what next for Langholm is no longer confused by conflicting science” THE received wisdom is that the Langholm Moor Demonstration Project (www.langholmproject.com) has been a failure because the keepering has finished short of its 10-year lifespan, but that is to underestimate seriously the wider value of the project. The project was set up in 2008 to resolve unanswered questions from the Joint Raptor Study between 1992 and 1997. During that study, grouse-shooting was rendered unviable by a tenfold increase in hen harriers and the subsequent withdrawal of fox and crow control led to a crash in the number of harriers and waders. However, diversionary feeding of harriers had been trialled and it seemed to be a way to limit harrier predation on grouse in the breeding season.…

hits DARTMOOR CHALLENGE A training project organised by the Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust enabled 16 teenagers with challenging life issues to take part in the Ten Tors Challenge. SUFFOLK BARN OWLS Numbers have risen from 68 in 2009 to more than 500 today thanks to a community project – 1,800 boxes made by a disabled group in Lowestoft were put up. RURAL OSCAR The CA presented Heather Cooper with a rural hero award at its annual “rural oscars” for her indefatigable hard work at Haughley Post Office in Suffolk. WILDLIFE GARDENS More than a third of the 2,000 people who took part in a survey run by Squire’s Garden Centres said they chose plants for their garden that were wildlife friendly, with bees of greatest concern. misses BRITISH BEACHES Beaches…

ANOTHER COUNTRY “NEW balls, please” FRENCHIE IN THE FIELD I have grown up with working labradors but now find myself the proud owner, via my wife, of a French bulldog (Sporting dog, May issue). She is happy living between London and the country as long as she is exercised. Her favourite pastime is shooting and much to the surprise and merriment of those present, she has often run down one of my poorly shot birds – though plucking rather than retrieving is her chosen activity. On the more serious note of brachycephalic syndrome, I agree with David Tomlinson that it is not fair that the breed should suffer. However, many breeders, including the one who bred our Frenchie, are trying to breed out these flaws. Ours has no breathing problems,…

“Discussing qualities of a decent pub crawl, the importance of scotch eggs came to light” THERE are times when I get fully chuffed-off with being a town mouse. During the summer especially, sitting in my central London office bashing away at the keyboard furiously, I stew about all you full-time country mice lolling about in your sunny rural idylls. But then, when those rare, sunny London weekends come around, living in a city blessed with more than 7,000 pubs comes into its own because it’s basically urban law that you spend your afternoon in a beer garden. Better yet, on a pub crawl, chasing the sunniest, bustling spots, drinking rosé mopped up with an dusty bowl of wasabi peas and a warm scotch egg. The village I grew up in…

THIS July marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of that remarkable woman Beatrix Potter. Artist, illustrator, botanist, conservationist, astute businesswoman, farmer and breeder of prize-winning pedigree Herdwick sheep, she was, above all, the best-loved and most-successful author of children’s books. She wrote and illustrated 23 “little books”, published by Frederick Warne & Co, that have been translated into more than 35 languages, remain in print around the globe and have sold in excess of 100 million copies. Since 1949, when they were first produced, countless children have been given Wedgwood Peter Rabbit nursery-ware sets as christening presents and the now discontinued Beswick Beatrix Potter china figurines are highly collectible. More than three million people have visited her farm, Hill Top, in the Lake District, and to commemorate the anniversary…

The Field cannot accept legal responsibility for answers given in these columns. TREE APPEAL QA plea for help. Some time ago I saw an article in the press about uncommon trees, which included the monkey puzzle and a pagoda tree. I have written to a nursery concerning seeds and plants but, so far, no joy. Any help would be much appreciated. GC, Aberdeenshire ABurncoose Nursery at Redruth in Cornwall sell Araucaria araucana (monkey puzzle, pictured) plants in two sizes: small (2-3 litres) for £16.50; medium (5 litres) for £55. Burncoose says that as this tree is very slow growing it is sold only as a plant rather than as a seedling, to ensure it is a good, strong specimen. Sophora microphylla ‘Sun King’, a hardy plant with bright yellow flowers…

FOR many people, Queen Victoria and the forthright Highlander John Brown are as closely paired as Victoria and Albert. A native of Crathie, near Balmoral, Brown had been favoured by the Prince as early as 1851 but after Albert’s death in 1860 he became, in the widowed Queen’s words, “Friend more than Servant” – a relationship that puzzled people then and puzzles people now. The gun shown here, which she gave him in 1868, was originally a plain side-by-side, 14-bore percussion shotgun, no. 2 (as engraved in silver behind the trigger guard) of a pair. Inscribed John Manton and Son Dover Street on the rib and both lockplates, the gun is of a type he had been making since the late 1820s, in this case dated to 1847 by the…

MOST VIEWED Over-and-under or side-by-side? Field Editor Jonathan Young debated the eternal over-and-under or side-by-side question. One Field reader declared that shooting with an over-and-under makes you a “cad” while others have jumped to its defence. The debate continues… #THEFIELD Perfect companion We love this picture from @lucygold. “Jake lost one of his eyes when he was a puppy but is an amazing sheepdog with a natural urge to guide the sheep. Here he is watching Simon nurse a lamb with hypothermia.” TALKING POINT Tackling the trolls Never ones to hold their views quietly, the antis’ have again used social media to raise their vitriol to unpleasant new heights. Alexandra Henton’s examination of how fieldsports should tackle the trolls came to the fore again following comments posted after the tragic…

LADIES KNEE LENGTH PURDEY Elegant to wear. Ideal for summer shooting. Price £150 Tel 020 7499 1801 www .purdey.com NAVY CHINO SUNSPEL Flatfronted with five pockets. Price £95 Tel 0115 973 7860 www .sunspel.com FLORAL BERMUDA TURNBULL & ASSER Statement shorts. Price £135 Tel 020 7808 3000 www .turnbullandasser.co.uk GHURKA SHORTS ENGINEERD GARMENTS Lightweight cotton drill. Perfect on exercise. Price £185 Tel 0121 333 1900 www .westleyrichards.com LADIES INFORMAL MUSTO Washed twill with roll up hem. Summer casual. Price £70 Tel 020 7493 0415 www .williamevans.com COTTON SAFARI HICKMAN & BOUSFIELD Durable and light in tailored tan or dark brown. Price £75 Tel 020 3862 9559 www .geraldwebster.com…

A GOOD friend once told to me that anyone who hunts should be an MFH at least once in their life to experience the challenges of the role. As my last day as Joint Master of the Middleton Hunt approached, I agreed with the wisdom of his words. Being Master is a difficult role. Day-to-day matters to address include hunting within the law; being diplomatic and apologising when things go wrong; and balancing the interests of landowners with the enthusiasm of a thrusting field. Add to this a bad back (an injury sustained in the fathers’ “handbag and hat” race on school sports day) and the problems caused by this season’s wet weather and I was contemplating hanging up my boots. However, fellow Joint Master and amateur huntsman Tom Holt…

JUTLAND MEMORIAL The Woodland Trust, with the Royal Naval Association, is planting 6,097 trees in Surrey as a living memorial to the British sailors who died in the Battle of Jutland. The wood, planted over eight acres of Langley Vale, will open officially on 31 May 2018. YACHT CLUB HITS 150 To celebrate 150 years the Royal Dart Yacht Club is holding the Savills Commodore’s Challenge Cup on 23 July and sponsoring 10 youngsters in the Association of Sail Training Organisations Race in August. OUTDOOR FILMS The The Lady in the Van is being shown at Baddlesley Clinton in Warwickshire on 29 July as part of the National Trust’s outdoor cinema programme. Search the Trust’s website (www.nationaltrust.org.uk) for screenings near you. To contact the Opening Shots News Desk send an…

A new £2.4m vet hospital opening at Battersea this month “will make a huge difference to the level of care our clinic team are able to give”, said head vet Shaun Opperman. The current clinic, which is 18 years old, is struggling to cope as more animals are abandoned because owners can’t afford vet bills. A five-year-old miniature schnauzer called Magic was urinating in her bedding when she arrived at Battersea earlier this year. Vets removed two of the largest stones they had seen from her abdomen, which had been causing the pain. “At the moment, we have a team of 35 vets and vet nurses working in a confined space. The new facilities will allow us to increase the procedures we perform and provide more care,” said Opperman. The…

1-3 GWCT SCOTTISH GAME FAIR Scone Palace, Perthshire PH2 6BD, Scotland. Visit www.scottishfair.com 1-31 HAMPSHIRE FOOD FESTIVAL Vineyard and farm tours, classes, demos and pop-ups around the county. More details at: www.hampshirefare.co.uk/food-festival/hampshire-food-festival-programme 2 BEST OF BRITISH SUMMER PICNIC CONCERT North Lodge Farm, Widmerpool, Notts NG12 5QE (in aid of GWCT, NSPCC and Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance). Tel 0115 937 6525; www.bestofbritish.online 5-10 RHS HAMPTON COURT PALACE FLOWER SHOW Hampton Court, East Molesey, Surrey. Call 020 3176 5850 or go to www.rhs.org.uk 6-10 HENLEY FESTIVAL Elton John, Shirley Bassey and more. Call 01491 843404; www.henley-festival.co.uk 8-10 KENT COUNTY SHOW Detling, Maidstone ME14 3JF, tel 01622 630975 or visit www.kentshowground.co.uk 12-14 GREAT YORKSHIRE SHOW Harrogate, North Yorks, tel 01423 541000; greatyorkshireshow.co.uk 17 LADIES SHOOTING EVENT Firle Place, nr Lewes, East Sussex…

AN idyllic enclave of country was the backdrop for the inaugural Silver Spur race in April. The 10 square miles of Warwickshire that could be seen from the course make an impressive claim: no main roads, no rail lines, just the Oxford canal cuts through this pocket of prime hunting country. It is Bicester Tuesday country and an extraordinary bowl of hedge-studded perfection. A hunt race was first run in Bicester country in the 1940s and its revival as the Silver Spur was the inspiration of Lucy Holland. The two-and-a-half mile course over Ben Nichols’ farm boasted 20 fences: well-filled hedges and spruce-topped hunt jumps. Thirty-two runners went to post at midday, including: the Countess of Denbigh, who had been talked into competing by Lucy and Simon Holland, on Nadover;…

“ Brown Dog normally trots back with a ear protruding from her mouth like a cigarillo” HOUSEHOLD bills fell this month thanks to Brown Dog, our Lakeland/ Jack Russell terrier (right). It’s a fluffy little cutesy that ought to be eating the dinky gourmet scoff served in TV ads by over-doting girls. Her tastes, however, are more lupine. “Er, did you know your dog’s eating something horrid?” said a rambler, pausing from pounding the footpath, Nordic walking poles a-go-go. “Ah, yes, she does that,” I replied. “Usually twice a day in summer.” Two-hundred yards back up the hedge, I found the poppet chomping away at yet another baby bunny. The head, forelegs and guts had been swallowed and she was busy with the hindquarters. This was unusual; Brown Dog normally…

IF you’ve ever stood in rough grazings looking up expectantly at a cover crop for that first pheasant to fly over; if some of your fondest memories are of rain-sodden triumphs with your dog in barley stubble, bog and bracken; if you and your children want to enjoy the wheeling dance of lapwing in winter, the evocative call of curlew in springtime and the vibrant hum of a living farm in summer, then read on – I’ve got just the story for you. You don’t read many positive stories about wildlife currently. The past 100 years of farming have brought unprecedented change to our countryside and while this has brought undoubted benefits, it has also led to drastic declines in the birds, mammals, amphibians, fish and insects – and fed…

IN the summers of my childhood, the bridge above the river was my favourite place to while away a day. Sat with my feet dangling over the edge and my torso draped over the white railing, I’d spend hours staring into the clear waters of the River Meon. This metre-deep Hampshire chalkstream was like a natural aquarium, with brown trout, stickleback, bullheads, the occasional crayfish, tiny nymphs and insects all framed against the bright gravel that was counterpointed by the dark ranunculus weed that gently pulsed with the current. I am not sure, at that young age, that I understood immediately everything I saw. I do know that the river keepers, with their thick arms, whiskery sideburns and sweaty torsos, scared me. Some days I’d arrive at the river to…

LES ROSES by Pierre-Joseph Redouté Published 1817-1824 PIERRE-Joseph Redouté’s Les Roses is one of the most famous flower books ever published and its images still appear on many household objects. The illustrations were based on original watercolours but they were probably destroyed in the fire that consumed the Palace of the Tuileries in the late 19th century. Today, the books are all we have. Damask roses (shown here) are the source of rose oil. This variety has petals that change colour from dark to pale through flowering, so it appears the plant has two types of flowers . (For more on roses, turn to page 96.)…

IT is high summer, the sun should be shining and we ought to be thinking of water and boats and rivers and fishing. The sun came out before I started writing this but, as ever in merry England, it is once again hissing with rain. However, that did not stop prices at Charles Miller’s 10 May Maritime sale soaring. In fact, a dismal day might be just what an auctioneer needs to corral buyers into the saleroom or onto their computers. A glorious, vibrant oil on canvas of racing yachts set the early going by selling for £1,400, just under its £1,500 top estimate. The artist, Michael Vaughan, died in 2002 and is clearly not yet considered a “great” but for a sense of the sheer joy of sailing, the…

IF you want to become a better shot you head to the West London Shooting School, say, or Holland & Holland. If you want to improve your fly-fishing skills you contact Orvis. And if you want to get ready for the hunting season you sign up for a refresher course at the Summerhouse Equestrian Centre, maybe, or Talland School of Equitation. If you want to learn more about wine, well, the first thing to do is simply uncork or unscrew a bottle and get stuck in. There aren’t many subjects where pouring yourself a large glass of vino is an essential requirement. Actually, I don’t mean to sound flippant, for there are plenty of really good wine courses and wine schools about (of which more below), but if you want…

FROM FIELD AND MOOR: A COUNTRY COOK’S SPORT by Esther E Veerman Broads House Publishing eeveerman@hotmail.co.uk, £20 WHEN Esther Veerman cooked in the finals of The Field’s Game Chef of the Year competition last year, we knew she had talent. Now she has written a delightful book, straight from the kitchen of someone who hunts, shoots and works a small team of gundogs. Veerman learned at the elbow of her grandmother, the cook on a large shooting estate, and makes full use of these traditional skills, along with a few modern updates, making this is one of the most useable game cookbooks I have read for some time. From starters such as grouse pâté and pheasant goujons, venison spring rolls and teal on toast to an array of main courses,…