TMK FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



339 



btetchcb Ijiiii'.; bcl ull', calculate your forces — so i 

 many carls for manure, so many women or lioys 

 for scaling, and so many i)lou}^h;s for stetchinfi; in 

 the manure, and a horse and a man for the seed 

 drill, if your force will allow of it. As soon as the 

 cart is tilled with manure, let it he dra^aed out 

 along the stetches, in quantity sufficient for three 

 stetches at a time, and an active man will do this 

 without ever stopping the horse. Then let the 

 spreaders proceed in sets of three, each spreading 

 their own stetch so many yards lengthwise ; then 

 another set, and so on, until all are at work, and al- 

 ways spreading backwards and forwards along ihcir 

 given quantity of yards, each set keeping by them- 

 selves. Then let the ploughs start — by the way, 

 thereis no necessity fordouble mould- board ploughs 

 if this plan is adopted ; the common one in daily use 

 does the work much better, with only the small .ad- 

 dition of an e\tra near-side plate attached to the 

 plough, with two screw bolts for bringing the stetch 

 to a narrow point at the top. I have said I prefer 

 the single to the double mould-board plough ; for 

 this reason — the double plough works in the soil 

 something like a wedge, and pushes all ths hard, 

 clotty, stubborn soil immediately underneath, where 

 the young seeds are to be deposited ; whereas the 

 single ])lough cuts through, and throws u}) from 

 the bottom of the farrow the moist and soft soil so 

 necessary for the growth of the plant in its earlier 

 stages. If the field lies upon a hanging bank, then 

 let all the ploughs, following one another, each 

 split a stetch over the hill, down bank. When at 

 the bottom or end of the stetches, let all make 

 another — a new stetch up the hill, or up-bank, as it 

 is called — which will always leave the number of 

 twelve stetches between, and ready for the cait and 

 spreaders, without any risk of collision or causing 

 them to interrupt each other. I have frequently 

 had six ploughs following each other in this man- 

 ner, always making six stetches the one way, and 

 covering-iu six the other, without any incommod- 

 ing. A field going forward in this way, v,-ith large 

 forces, has almost the resemblance of intricate 

 machinery; and yet the very intricacy, every wheel 

 performing its proper functions, keeps the whole 

 in perfect harmony and working order. Be it 

 observed, if this system is adopted, and properly 

 and energetically carried out — ribbing out and 

 in as it is termed in Scotland — a great advan- 

 tage is gained in dry and scorching weather. A 

 stetch is never lifted from the flat above half-an- 

 hour until it is dunged, spread, resplit, and the 

 seed deposited — in fact, all completed — which is a 

 great advantage in any weather, particularly in a 

 hot, dry, withering season. 



It was remarked by a friend, when I consented 

 to take up this subject, that I had made several ex- 

 periments with manures, last season. I did so, and 

 whilst I regret that the boisterons and ungenial 

 autumn of that year prevented me testing them 

 with the certainty of weight, yet the difference was 

 so manifest to the eye, in favour of blood and bone 

 manure, over ten oilier sorts, that I can have no 

 difficulty in awarding to it the palm of victory. 

 The kinds used were Peruvian guano, bone dust. 



bone meal, dissolved bones, concentrated manure, 

 blood and bones, and various mixtures or combi- 

 nations of the above. 



One remark, anrl I have done, fur I really con- 

 fess my paper has extended to a most undue length 

 — and that is, in reference to the manuring of 

 meadows. I have already defined the |)eriod on an 

 agiicultural farm for making dung iur meadow 

 land— that I have shown to fall upon the spring 

 months. Let the dung be exceedingly well pre- 

 pared by repeated and re-rejieated turnings and 

 waterings, and if practicable, from the byres and 

 stables, and also, if attainable, road scrapings, rich 

 soil from any land end, or anywhere else, let it be 

 mixed up with dung, as anything of that sort from 

 its weight and attraction to the roots of grass, 

 causes, in an almost incredibly short time, the 

 growing in of the entire mass, and which early 

 growing in is so essential for the succeeding crop. 



Of course, speaking on this ])oint. I do so with 

 very considerable diflfidence, for I honestly confess 

 when I entered the sister-county a few short years 

 ago, on this matter I had all my experience to collect 

 and learn, and the result of that experience and ob- 

 servation leads me to point to autumn as the pro- 

 per and beneficial season for application. Some 

 practise, and recommend strongly, the application 

 of dung immediately after cutting their hay crop; 

 and I believe, in late and high lying districts, the 

 arguments they adduce in support of what they 

 practise, are difficult to overcome ; still on the whole, 

 looking at this county and NYestmoreland gene- 

 rally, I am disposed to point to September or Oc- 

 tober, as the best season for applying manure to 

 meadows: then the sun is shorn considerably of 

 the force of his burning rays, the nights are getting 

 longer, and in the absence of rain, for which, at 

 this season, I believe few agriculturists pray, there 

 are generally very heavy dews, and of course very 

 considerable growth for speedy growing, in or over, 

 as it is called. And in addition, by deferring lay- 

 ing on the manure until this season, a rich and 

 valuable aftermath has been secured at a season of 

 very great scarcity. But wdiatever be the season 

 embraced for laying on the dung, never, if possible, 

 let the sun set on a slovenly or unspread hea)), 

 either on meadow or arable field. 



Thus, sir, have I brought at greater length than 

 I could have wished, my observations on manures, 

 and their application to the soil, to a close. In 

 doing so, I am aware, on several points, I have ven- 

 tured to find fault with and condemn the esta- 

 blished custom and present usage of the distiict; 

 this I admit should be at all times cautiously med- 

 dled with, by any one, more especially a comjjara- 

 tive stranger; for often do we find, on further, 

 deeper, and more searching investigation, the why 

 and the wherefore it is so. Still, whilst admitting 

 this, as little does it become those who have care- 

 fully collected experience and observation from the 

 best-cultivated counties in Great Britain to stereo- 

 type any system that has nothing but custom and 

 ancient usage to recommend it. At all events, I 

 take the liberty, Mr. Chairman, of saying, with your 

 permission, that I shall not be the man. 



