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THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



tious, from the quantity of caseia they contain — about 

 one-fourth their weight — and when mixed with fat 

 substances they make a most wholesome diet. The 

 ancient Italians used bread made of bean-flour or meal ; 

 but it was heavy and indigestible, like the peas-bread 

 of Scotland and the North of England. Rye or wheat 

 flour is often mixed with boan-meal, which makes the 

 bread a degree better. 



The Chinese make cheese from the casein of peas. 

 The peas are boiled, and coagulated by a solution of 

 gj'psum. The cheese gradually acquires the taste and 

 smell of milk-cheese. It is sold in the streets of the 

 large cities, and forms a considerable article of the food 

 of the people. 



There is a large white pea used in China for pressing 

 oil from, and in which an enormous trade is carried 

 on at Shanghae and the Northern Chinese ports, the 

 cake being afterwards largely used for manure. We 

 alluded to this pulse a year or two ago, when treating 

 of oilcake ; but it is worth recurring to again, now that 

 numerous new ports are opened to foreign trade in 

 China. Either for its oil or the cake, it may be of 

 use to ourselves or our colonies, and the identifi- 

 cation of the species producing it is worth attention. 

 Peas usually contain only from 2 to 3 per cent, of 

 their weight of oil ; but this large white pea, of which 

 we have samples, seems to be more prolific. It is thus 

 alluded to in Simmonds's " Commercial Products of 

 the Vegetable Kingdom:" — 



"Captain H. Biggs, in a communication to the 

 Agri-Horticultural Society of India in 1845, states that 

 of the esculents a large white pea forms the staple of the 

 trade of Shanghae, or nearly so, to the astonishing 

 amount of £'2,500,000. This he gives on the authority 

 of the Rev. Mr. Medhurst, of Shanghae, and Mr. 

 Thorn, British Consul at Ningpo. These peas are 

 ground in a mill, and then pressed in a somewhat 

 complicated, though (as usual in China) a most efficient 

 press, by means of wedges driven under the outer parts 

 of the framework with mallets. Tlie oil is used both 

 for eating and burning (more for the latter purpose, 

 however) ; and the cake, like large Gloucester cheeses, 

 or small grindstones, in circular shape, is distributed 



about China in every direction, both as food for pigs 

 and butl'iiloes, and also for manure." 



The lentil, chick pea, lupine, and other edible pulse, 

 arc not much grown with us, although small quantities 

 are imported. On the Continent the lentil is much used 

 for food, especially the large French lentil ; while the 

 small red lentil is esteemed the best of the three kinds 

 gi'own in the South of Europe, Barbary, Egypt, and the 

 Levant, and contains fully 30 per cent, of casein. 



As there is an upward tendency in price, increased 

 foreign imports of beans are likely to come forward, 

 since for horse provender they are always largely in 

 demand. 



If the anticipations of a correspondent who a year or 

 two ago recommended the culture of the dwarf Russian 

 beau could be realized, we might largely increase our 

 production of pulse. He considered, from his own ex- 

 perience, that G qrs. per aci-e could be obtained — a 

 very large increase upon the present average yield. 

 This large acreage produce is obtained in many parts 

 of England and Scotland ; but these are exceptional 

 instances. 



Our foreign supplies of pulse have been pretty sta- 

 tionary in the last eight years: 1849 and 1860 were * 

 periods influenced by the famine. 



BEANS AND PEAS IMPORTED. 



Years. Qrs. 



1849 692,299 



1850 624,725 



1851 417,901 



1852 478,267 



1853 450,655 



1854 499,165 



1855 458,427 



1856 439,290 



1857 465,674 



1858 (six mouths) 260,882 



The following shows the imports of foreign-grown 

 pulse in the past three years, in quarters : — 



Beans. Peas. 



1855 344,948 113,479 



1856 353,218 86,082 



1857 305,775 159,899 



In the first six mouths of the present year the imports 

 have been 206,350 qrs. of beans, and 54,532 of peas. 



THE CULTIVATION OF THE TURNIP CROP. 



When a judicious selection of manure has been made for 

 the turnip crop, tiie next step is to employ it in tlie most 

 effectual manner. In former papers we have referred to the 

 use of farm-yard manure and two classes of artificial 

 manures, viz., those having bone or ammonia respectively 

 for their distinguishing character. We now propose 

 noticing the various modes in which these fertilizers are 

 employed, together with the relative merits of each plan ; 

 and, in doing so, we will first notice farm-yard manure. 

 The condition in which this should be appHed to the land 

 depends upon the character of the soil ; for example— if the 

 field is close and heavy.it is evident that dung applied ia a 

 slightly-fermented state must have a tendency to render it 



more open than if the same manure were added to it in a 

 thoroughly rotten state. The rigidly of the manure is de- 

 stroyed by the decay, and its ability to open the soil is 

 thereby reduced; on the other hand, if the soil is already 

 sufficiently light in its nature, it is clearly a disadvantage 

 to render it more so by the use of dung in a slightly fer. 

 mented state ; but wc should apply the manure thoroughly 

 rotten, so as to overcome this condition. We may therefore 

 readily accept the evidence of long-established practice, 

 that as land becomes more clayey and stiff in its nature, so 

 the dung should be used upon it in a le.ss rotten condition; 

 whilst as the soil approaches the character of a sand, so it 

 should be used in a more decayed state. All the inter- 



