;iO 



THE FARxVlER'S MAGAZINE. 



manuring of land ; consfifiuently, falling into all sorts 

 of erroneous conclusions in the chemical investigation 

 of the matter. 



There are here, in the first-class, two extremes and a 

 mean hygrometrieal state of the soil that demand special 

 consideration — the wet period, when sourness is effected ; 

 the opposite extreme, or dry period, when vegetable 

 matter undergoes a sort of dry combustion, eremacauses 

 in the soil ; and the intervening period, when the soil is 

 . " between the wet and the dry," and when a healthy de- 

 composition of vegetable matter takes place, increasing 

 the fertility of the growth of cultivated plants. In the two 

 extremes, the soil is enriched for the growth of weeds; 

 in the mean, it is enriched for the growth of corn, root 

 crops, &c. 



In the second class, the hygrometrieal state of the 

 soil is more uniform, the roots of plants and vegetable 

 matter in the subsoil being always in water. In this 

 case the process of souring is continually going on 

 unless when arrested by the severe frost of winter, while 

 at the same time marsh malaria or noxious gases 

 are given off from the surface, highly injurious both to 

 the health of cattle grazing, and to plants growing on 

 such soils. The characteristic of such soil is that 

 the sourness is brought from the bottom to the surface, 

 or from the subsoil to the staple, by the continued capil- 

 lary action and evaporation that is going on, thus re- 

 ducing the temperature both of the soil and the atmos- 

 phere, and encouraging, of things the reverse of a state 

 favourable either to corn or cattle husbandry. In some 

 cases the stagnant bottom water falls to a level suffi- 

 ciently low to allow the surface to be rent into fissures 

 by extreme drought in summer, when a much greater 

 diversity of circumstances present themselves to notice; 

 for the fissures will be found spewing up noxious malarig 

 sufficiently strong to impress the olfactory organs with 

 a sense of their presence ; a stronger solution of sour 

 water arises by capillary action, more injurious than evei 

 to the health of cultivated plants ; while the surface of 

 the soil,and the plants above ground, suffer from mouldi- 

 ness, or the endless variety of fungi to which unhealthy 

 vegetation and land are subject. 



Now, to obviate this unprofitable state of things in 

 both these classes of soils, it will only be necessary to 

 glance at the manner sourness in each case is effected, 

 when the former will appear manifest. 



In- the first class sourness is effected in the same man- 

 ner as is exemplified in the manufacture of "sour 

 crout." We consolidate our minced cabbages with 

 a rammer to keep in the moisture, but out the air of 

 the atmosphere, and lactic acid is formed at not a very 

 high temperature. We trample and consolidate our 

 clay soils with our horses'-feet, the feet acting like so 

 many rammers to keep in the moisture and out the air 

 of the atmosphere, and sourness is effected at not a very 

 high temperature. If we do not ram our cabbage, but, 

 on the contrary, leave the minced pieces open and free 

 to the access of air, decomposition will take place, but 

 the result now will not be lactic acid. In a similar 

 manner, if we drain our clay soils properly, and turn 

 them up to the action of the atmosphere, as in the fifth 

 example, sourness will disappear, while healthy fertilizing 

 decomposition will take its place. If we prevent the 

 stagnation of water in the subsoil by proper drainage, 

 and then " smash up" the staple to a proper depth by 

 steam in autumn and spring, those two periods when 

 sourness is the most liable to be effected owing to the 

 temperature of the soil, then we not only obviate acidity, 

 but the opposite extreme eremacauses, thus securing a 

 continuous fertilizing influence throughout the greater 

 portion of the year. 



In the second class of examples the souring process 

 is similar to that exemplified in the making of " sowens," 

 or in the souring of beans, &c., for stock. Drain off 

 the sour water effectually at the bottom of the vat, stir 

 up the mess, and let in a free ventilation of air, and the 

 process of souring ceases. In a similar manner drain 

 off effectually the stagnant water from the subsoil, and 

 smash up the staple by steam, and a profitable result 

 will be experienced. 



It will thus be seen that in both classes of examples 

 the rationale of making sour crout and sowens is not 

 more manifest than its counterpart, the sweetening and 

 fertilization of land. X. Y, Z. 



THE INTEREST OF THE FARMER WILL BE FOUND IN THE 

 EDUCATION OF THE LABOURERS. 



At the Winfrith Farmers' Club, Mr. Dauby ad- 

 dressed those assembled on this important subject. 



He said about a week ago he received a com- 

 munication from Mr. Scott Burn, a practical 

 farmer of Cheshire, and the editor of " The Year 

 Book of Agricultural Facts." That gentleman was 

 about to mtroduce a subject to the attention of the 

 London Central Farmers' Club, on the general 

 condition of the labouring classes throughout the 

 ^'"g^om and he requested information of him 

 (Mr. Darby) on the amount of wages, the state of 

 the cottages, and, together with other questions, 

 state of education in their part of the county of 

 Dorset. Since he had received this letter it had 



struck him very forcibly that in respect to the 

 amount and quality of the education accorded to 

 thelabourers, their county was lamentably defective; 

 and it was wholly owing to that opinion that when 

 casting about in his mind that evening on what 

 subject to address them he had hit on the present 

 one. He was perfectly aware that some gentlemen 

 of the old school professed to see a great evil in a 

 superior education being given to the labouring 

 classes. They stated that generally speaking the 

 farm-labourers exemplified very undesirable charac- 

 teristics at the present day, of disaffection to their 

 employers, inattention to duties, and general laxity 

 of behaviour, and this they attributed in toto to the 



