92 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



weeds, wliich are usually lost in burniug, is restored 

 to the soil. Even the ashes or iniueral substances 

 of these weeds eontaiu valuable fertilizing matters. 

 All tlic weeds from an inferior turnip soil, when 

 collected and burnt iu a heap, yielded a considerable 

 portion of ashes. These ashes, when analyzed, were 

 found to contain of 



Potash 8.6 per cent. 



Soda 4.2 



Lime 15.1 „ 



Phosphoric acid 10.9 „ 



Being aware of these things, it was with much 

 pleasure that, on a recent occasion, near Ipswich, I 

 noticed some noble teams of those Suffolk-puncli 

 horses drawing waggon-loads of salt out of the town. 

 U|)on my asking one of the waggoners what these 

 lots of salt were intended for, he informed me in the 

 interval between a " Gee whoi !" and a whistle, 

 " We puts it on to the spear-grass." 



Upon a subsequent occasion, I found one of these 

 huge gatherings of weeds carted and neatly dressed, 

 and shaped like an ordinary compost heap, pressed 

 pretty solid by the action of the cart and horses, and 

 copiously covered with salt. Here I felt was indeed 

 the making the most of uninvited, unwelcome visi- 

 tors — robbers of tlie food intended for better and 

 more honest plants. Of the compost thus prepared, 

 I find that it is deemed by these skilful Suffolk far- 

 mers to be useful for all root crops ; and although I 

 could not find that it had been used in any comparative 

 trials for mangolds, still I cannot but conclude that, 

 from the salt and other matters which it contains, it 

 must be a powerful manure for this valuable and 

 increasingly-cultivated root. 



Such are a few only of the practical movements in 

 the growth and use of the turnip crop, which have 

 occurred during the last few months. The retro- 

 spect adds fresh evidence not only of the many mys- 

 terious and injurious affections — not to say diseases — 

 of our cultivated crops, but is also suggestive of the 

 certain fact, that not only is something considerable 

 yet to be generally accomplished iu the collection and 

 preparation of home-made manures, but that when, 

 after escaping loss of plant, diseases, malformations, 

 and stunted growths, the bulbs are faii'ly stored — that, 

 after all, something profitable is yet to be ascertained 

 relating to the consumption of them by our stock. 



THE ROYAL AGRICULTURAL IMPROVEMENT 

 SOCIETY OF IRELAND.— The Waterford local committee 

 have placed at the disposal of the Society a Challenge Cup, 

 value one hundred guineas — to be competed for at every an- 

 nual meeting : " for the best lot of three short-horned animals 

 — bulls or heifers, but not in mixed lots— not exceeding 20 

 months old, having been bred by the exhibitor, and bona fide 

 his property. Animals specially entered for this prize not to 

 be disqualified from competing for the premiums offered for 

 their section in the short-horned bulls." 



WHAT SHALL WE DO WITH OUR 

 SPROUTED WHEAT? 



In the sales made in the Edinburgh Corn Market of Nov. 

 25, 1 observe that of the 667 quarters wheat sold, just one- 

 half — say 332 quarters — were sold at prices varying from 23s. 

 6d. to 363. per quarter, while other 108 quarters were sold at 

 from 36s. to 403. The first 332 quarters we may safely assume 

 to be grain which had been exposed to the September's 

 rain, and had become so sprouted as to be unfit for human 

 food. The 108 quarters we may consider as having been also 

 exposed to the same storm, but to have escaped with less 

 damage, and to be fit for mixing with fine wheats for the manu- 

 facture of second bread and biscuit. 



This proportion of 440 damaged out of a total sale of 667 

 quarters will, I believe, represent the average state of the 

 wheat crop through the eastern counties of Scotland, and the 

 northern ones of England. 



The sale by farmers of the qualities bringing 36a. to 403. is, 

 perhaps, the best way of turning them to account ; but it ia 

 matter of serious consideration whether the portion so deterio- 

 rated as to fetch but 23s. to .36s. could not be more advan- 

 tageously turned to account on the farm. 



There have been but few experiments made with wheat as a 

 feeding substance for animals ; indeed, I cau find no record of 

 any such experiment, the reason being that for several years 

 past, during which the attention of Ecientific and practical men 

 has been drawn to the comparative values of different articles 

 for stock feeding, the price of wheat has been so high, and, 

 until 1856, its quality so good, that it would have been thought 

 madness to apply this " nobler grain" to any other purpose 

 than the supply of the bakers and their millions of customers. 

 But two disastrous harvests have flooded Scotland and Northern 

 England with damaged wheat, of the type sold as above in 

 the Edinburgh market ; and we may take it for granted that, 

 behind even that poor display, there are many quarters still 

 more deteriorated. What shall we do with them? 



In comparing the composition of wheat with other grains, 

 on the data given in Johnston's Elements of Agricultural 

 C/ie)««<r(/ (sixth edition, pp. 340 and 341), I find the following 

 results — 



Sugar, Gluten, ^., 

 Starch, &c. &c. "^"• 



Wheat, in each 100 lbs. 55 12 3 



Barley „ 60 13 2.75 



Oats „ 50 14.5 4.8 



Beans „ 40 26 2.5 



Oilcake „ 39 22 12 



This places wheat in do disadvantageous light as compared 

 with the other grains for meat-producing qualities. The effect 

 of sprouting would be rather favourable than otherwise, as it 

 would change a portion of the starch int j sugar ; the latter 

 more easily assimilated by the animal ; while the diastase 

 formed during germination is believed, as in the case of malted 

 barley, also to add to the solubility and nutritiveness of the 

 food. 



These are theoretical recommendations of sprouted wheat as 

 a food for live stock. They place it at least on a par with 

 barley, which has been largely used for that purpose, when at 

 a price exceeding that at which the wheat described is at pre- 

 sent sold. There may, however, be pracfeaZ objections ; and 

 my design, in calling the attention of yourself and your 

 readers to the subject, is to elicit these objections, if there 

 be any. 



Would yoa, therefore, state your own opinions on the sub- 

 ject, and invite your correspondents to consider and discuss it 

 also ? S. 



