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THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



neighbours in terms so harsh, when a very high form of 

 friendship ought to reign between us. But there is no help 

 for it; and I feel that I should be doing the profession in 

 France an injustice, did T not protest with all my heart, 

 with all my mind, and with all my might against acts which 

 are destructive of the best interests and tendencies of 

 science as well as shameful in civilization, and utterly hos- 

 tile to every pretence of any maxim of Christianity. 



Vivisection for physiological exploration may or may not 

 be justifiable, in rare instances ; but, if practised, it always 

 ought to be done under some ansesthetic influence ; and the 

 doing of it should be avoided by every conscientious physio- 

 logist, whenever possible. I may add that physiological 

 schools of vivisection, in which all sorts of animals are cut 

 and slashed and sawn open, for mere repetition to the eyes 

 of students, are as infamous in cruelty as Alfort or Lyons. 

 The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals must 

 keep its eyes open to check the tendencies to these horrid 



practices, which, it is to be feared, are budding forth in 

 this country, and bring the public opinion and tlie law of 

 England to bear, if necessary, to root them out (loud ap- 

 plause). 



And now, gentlemen, adieu ! Our profession, in which 

 great diversities of opinion, and even, occasionally, some 

 wars, have existed, reposes now, like a peaceful land, 

 under the sceptre of the Royal College of Veterinary Sur- 

 geons ; and this College, like a commonwealth federated to 

 the whole body, pursues its avocations without fear and 

 without favour. Unanimity may be said to reign. Ee- 

 forms, as their necessity becomes apparent, are adopted ; 

 merit is, I verily believe, the chief step to success and pro- 

 motion ; there is great singleness of aim on the part of the 

 members generally ; and I thinK I may calculate upon the 

 accordance of all here when I say, in conclusion, May the 

 veterinary profession prosper, and increase in appreciation 

 and usefulness, to the end of time ! 



THE STEAM PLOUGH AND THE PRESENT SEASON. 



" It is an ill wind that bloweth nobody good luck," says 

 the old proverb (" eliam aconito inest-remedium") ; and if we 

 are to have a wet as well as a late season, how will this affect 

 the progress of the steam-plough ? That it will be against 

 the old system requires very little proof, for nothing does 

 more harm to the land than the poaching of the horses' feet 

 in a wet autumn. And besides this, when the harvest is 

 several weeks later than usual, and the land as wet at Candle- 

 mas as it used to be at Christmas, both ends require con- 

 sideration as well as the middle. 



A late season of itself is obviously in favour of the steam- 

 plough. The land must be cultivated, and time is neces- 

 Bary to perform the work, so that if Summer consumes the 

 first of Autumn in the performance of what is due to her 

 period of time — and this is just what the present summer 

 has already done — and if Winter cuts off a slice fi'om the 

 other end of Autumn, as he is now threatening to do, 

 the practical question. How is the work to be done when 

 the natural period for its performance is thus curtailed at 

 both ends? calls for a practical solution. 



In the recent progress of agricultural science, autumn cul- 

 tivation has received a very prominent place in the calendar 

 of farm practice. This is no more than what it justly 

 merits, for the more successfully the work is performed, the 

 farther it extends its beneficial influences, so to speak, to the 

 general improvement of the land, and the quantity and qua- 

 lity of the crops grown. 



Looking, then, at the importance and magnitude of the 

 work under the circumstances in question, viz., a late sum- 

 mer and early winter, the conclusion is manifest that it 

 cannot be properly done by horses in the short space of time 

 thus allotted for its execution. The land may be turned 

 over, but in a manner unworthy the designation of autumn 

 cultivation. We are not here alluding to the removal of 

 weeds, or even their destruction ; for under good farming, 

 with successful cultivation at this and other seasons of the 

 year, weeds are not gi-own. Before Mr, Smith of Wool- 

 Eton commenced steam-culture, his land was, we under- 

 stand, full of weeds, simply because at that time it was ex* 

 pressly cultivated, so to speak, for their growth! 



On the other hand, since he commenced the successful cul- 

 tivation of his land by means of steam, weeds have, compara- 

 tively speaking, disappeared; while the weight of corn, and 



other cultivated crops, have greatly increased. Bat because 

 he has given up growing weeds, he has not ceased to smash, 

 up his lands in autumn, loosening and aerating his soil to 

 a proper depth ; all injury from the trampling of horses' feet 

 being avoided. In other words, he has not ceased following 

 that practice which scientifically merits the designation of 

 autumn-cultivation ; for were he to return to his old practiea 

 again, the upshot would unquestionably be the growth of 

 weeds. 



It may appear rather a strange doctrine to talk of cultiva- 

 ting land expressly for the growth of weeds. It certainly re- 

 flects somewhat discreditably towards the old system, and- 

 those who pursue its unprofitable practice. But the culti- 

 vation of land isplainmatter of fact which permits of no mys- 

 tification ; so is the growth of weeds, and the growth of corn : 

 and it is sometimes profitable to examine facts of this kind 

 from a different point of view than the ordinary one. Now 

 if one system of culture produces weeds, and another system 

 corn and other cultivated crops only — and both these have 

 been exemplified at Woolston — what is that characteristic 

 of horse-culture that favours the growth of weeds ? and 

 that characteristic of steam-culture that favours the 

 growth of corn? For we have here two practices, the 

 one distinct from the other ; and he who follows the former 

 expressly cultivates his land for the growth of weeds, and 

 he who pursues the latter expressly cultivates his land for 

 the growth of corn. Both farmers may very possibly intend 

 to grow corn. But good or had intentions are not those 

 matters of fact that distinguish one farm practice from ano- 

 ther, much less weeds from coin. 



Although science has not yet made sufficient progress in 

 the chemistry, mechanics, and physiology of the subject to 

 be able to tell us every one of those peculiar characteristics 

 alluded to above, that favour the growth of weeds and corn, 

 the inquiry for further information is nevertheless interest- 

 ing. With many of those characteristics farmers are 

 familiar, but they do not know the whole ; and, therefore, it 

 would be interesting to know the remainder. Mr. Smith, for 

 example, can distinguish, to a certain extent, the artistic dif- 

 ferences between the two systems of culture he has followed, 

 i, e., between ploughing and smashing-up ; and he can also see 

 the difference between the two results or crops. But when, 

 this la done, half the differences that exist still remain to be 



