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THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



ino; the grass seeds, will mix the fine upper soil 

 with the wasted farces — effect a fine mixture of pul- 

 verization, very agreeable to the seeds of grasses; 

 and, being pressed together by a heavy roll, a ma- 

 trix of blended materials will be formed, that is 

 most congenial to any vegetation. In benign cli- 

 mates, the dung may be laid on the ground imme- 

 diately after the wheat is sown ; when it will protect 

 the plants during winter, and confer the benefit of 

 a top dressing, by preserving a warm temperature. 

 No doubt can exist of the superiority of applying 

 farmyard dung in these ways, beyond the common 

 mode of burying it in the furrow, by ploughing in 

 the late summer or during autumn. 



In the county of East Lothian, in the South of 

 Scotland, beans are a favourite crop, and are 

 grown in rather high elevations of latitude. The 

 sowing is done in February and March, on lands 

 drilled at twenty-seven inches distant, with fresh 

 farmyard dung spread along the intervals. Changes 

 of weather will occur in these localities, and at that 

 season of the year ; and in such cases, farmyard 

 dung has been exposed in heaps in the drills, and 

 even spread thinly along the intervals, bleached 

 by the rain, scorched by the sun, dried by the 

 winds, wetted by the snow, and cramped by the 

 frost, when the crop of beans was superior, or, at 

 least, very fully equal to the' usual mode of quick 

 application and covering in the ground. This re- 

 sult has occurred sufficiently often to establish a 

 general fact, in difierent circumstances of soil and 

 climate. However much these relations may clash 

 with chemical doctrines, such facts are stubborn 

 things. 



In turnip farming, accidents occurred to show 

 the same fallacies in the practice that is established 

 in these crack counties of Border farming. In or- 

 der to finish a field of turnips when the fermented 

 heaj) failed in the necessary quantity, fresh dung 

 was carried from the door of the cow-shed, and 

 used in the same mode and quantity in the drills 

 of land, when the crop was evidently superior to 

 the fermented matters. Three cases are sufficient 

 to establish the fact, from similar results being 

 done in South Northumberland, Leicestershire, 

 and in South Wales, in which the soil and climate 

 are sufficiently varied to remove any objection. In 

 order to cover fresh dung in the drills, the straws 

 for litter must be cut into short lengths by the 

 power of steam machinery for thrashing grain, 

 which removes any objection on that point. 



The loss by evaporation of moisture, by exposing 

 land and dung during the operations of driUing the 

 land and reversing the ridglets over the dung, falls 

 under the same ground of disproval. A varied prac- 

 tice has shown dung and land exposed in open 



drills for several days of drought, sun, rain, and 

 winds, from the intervention of circumstances to 

 delay proceedings. The turnips grown in these 

 drills showed no inferiority in the braird or crop, 

 and even when no rain fell, and the land and dung 

 were exposed to the hottest sun, not any loss ap- 

 peared from evaporation of moisture by exposure. 

 On a Saturday afternoon of a very hot season in 

 June, a ploughman was sent to open some turnip 

 drills, in order to have a readiness of work on the 

 Monday morning. The superior in office, then resid- 

 ing in a sea-bathing vicinity, happened to pass the 

 field, and expressed not a httle wonder that a Tweed- 

 side education exposed turnip drills to drought for 

 forty-eight hours. A severe reprimand was ad- 

 ministered in a tone of authority from a higher 

 official grade. The ploughman smiled, and as- 

 sured me he had seen many instances of exposing 

 land and dung, without any difference in the crop. 

 And in this case, not the slightest difference ap- 

 peared. Farmyard dung is not in any way damaged 

 by exposure ; nor is turnip land subjected to any 

 loss by evaporation. Mr. Mechi has most truly 

 observed, that the days of dung heaps are num- 

 bered. 



It was shown that bones, fresh from grinding on 

 the day of being sown in the land, were equal to 

 any preparation, by being fermented with urine, or 

 any liquids with hot lime, or any other matters, or 

 with any reduction by acids to make a super- 

 phosphate. This fact was proved in several years 

 of practice. The fresh condition of fertilizing sub- 

 stances exceeds any preparation. 



The dogmas of agi'iculture are closely allied with 

 the scientific reasonings on the subject which dic- 

 tate and proi)hesy, from the laboratory and the fire- 

 side, the results that will most certainly happen in 

 the field of nature. Nothing can be more falla- 

 cious. The same has happened with political 

 theories and commercial regulations, the framing 

 of which merely shows the sandiness of the foun- 

 dation, and the unskilfulness of the architect : time 

 and circumstances overturn all such baseless fa- 

 brics. Railways have not diminished the breeding 

 of horses, nor lowered the prices ; the introduction 

 of foreign wool has not extinguished the home 

 production ; free trade in corn has not lessened the 

 quantity of arable lands ; nor has the abolition of 

 the navigation laws hindered the building of ships 

 or the employment of British seamen. On the con- 

 trary, an increase progresses in every point. Vain 

 pro])hets and false philosophers would do well to 

 shut their open mouths and tie their babbling 

 tongues ; to cease talking, and think of acting a 

 rational sobriety and some practical good. 



J. D. 



