Tllii FARMER'S MAGAZINE, 



495 



nately you generally find them located on the poorest 

 soils. 



In Flanders, on the contrary, it is the best of land 

 thus let in small holdings, and their system is especially 

 adapted to seeds. How I should like to see ono of these 

 men plact d on a hundred acres of Sussex clay ! Though 

 he comes off such first-rate soil, he would soon show 

 you he knew his trade. Of course he would begin by 

 draining and stocking up all trees and hedges ; next, 

 deep ploughing, continual hoeing, light dressing on his 

 root and grain crops, till he had cows enough tied up 

 winter and summer, to manure his whole farm well, in 

 three years at least ; not a pint of liquid manure would 

 he lose. The simple manner in which they carry and 

 distribute it on the land, places it in the power of every 

 little farmer. 



In my pamphlet on Sorgho is a sketch of how it is 

 done. I cannot think any machine can be invented that 

 will not clog, or cost much more than their primitive 

 mode. What an enormous sum in value is the annual 

 loss in England of the liquid manure which runs to 

 waste ! 



Some landlords may say, " If I destroy all my trees, 

 what am I to do for timber for repairs ?" They do not 

 need any. Build and repair with bricks, as they do 

 here ; or rather, build only, for so substantially is that 

 done that repairs must be very trifling indeed. They 

 have a very useful, but very ugly sort of elm here, 

 growing a great height before it throws out branches, 

 and having a very small head. I cannot imagine a tree 

 less injurious to the soil ; but little ot it is used on the 

 farms. The barns have buttresses like churches, the 

 doors are all arched, the coigns are all of stone, and the 

 base floors of clay, made most excellently. One day I 

 was at a farmer's, of 100 acres, his own property, and I 

 observed it was a pity he allowed the horses in harvest 

 to go upon the floor. He said they never' did ; but on 

 this occasion they had cut up the floor a little, having 

 gone too far m pushing the waggonin. They literally 

 put the " cart before the horse." A long pole is fixed 

 in a socket at the hinder part, and the two horses have 

 their " weightree" hung on a hook whicli is on it, and 

 so with their noses close to the tail-board, and one horse 

 at each side the pole, they draw, and so push before 

 them the waggon of sheaves on to the floor. By their 

 mode of harnessing, this did not take two minutes. 



The eaves of all the buildings project so far as quite 

 to clear the wall from all rain or droppings. This is 

 good in every point of view : protection to the walls, 

 and convenient to the farmer for ladders, harrows, and 

 all his light implements, and, lastly, more picturesque. 

 The latter, where it can be combined with usefulness 

 without extra expense, I hope will never be lost sight of. 



The roads about a farm, or lanes in a country parish, 

 are very frequently paved wide enough for one waggon 

 in the middle. Now, in many parts of England stone 

 is cheap, but our mode of laying them is expensive, and 

 I do not know if it is superior to theirs. They are all 

 laid in sand, in the most crowded towns as well ; and 

 where any drop a little, a man and boy come round with 

 sand and a crowbar, with which be lifts the stone and 



rams in as solidly as he can more sand. They certainly 

 are excellent pavements for heavy loads. 



Near all towns, and in many parts of the country 

 also, there are two stone posts erected, about a yard 

 hi^h, one on each side the road, to which are fastened a 

 chain, to prevent any heavy traffic for a day or more 

 after the breaking-up of a frost. It would seem to us a 

 wondrous interference with our liberties and our busi- 

 ness ; but here it is thought the lesser evil, and I think 

 so too. 



Now, it strikes me this chsap mode of laying paving 

 stones for roads might often be very efl'ectively adopted 

 in and about our farm-yards. 



The raised paths all round the yard, and the manure 

 tank in the centre, is found as regularly in the small as 

 the large farmery, and take them altogether (though not 

 so attractive to the artist as the straggling yards and 

 sheds too often seen in England), their farm-yards and 

 buildings, and small houses furming a square, and all 

 closed in with high gates, under an arch, are certainly 

 the sort of warm and comfortable erections exactly 

 adapted to the 50 or 60-acre farm. 



On a small hiring, in good condition, 'tis a great loss 

 to lose a plant of anything in England. 'Tis not so much 

 so here ; they have such a variety of crops, that we have 

 not, that the moment one has failed, the ground is 

 ploughed, and another sown. This year has been so dry, 

 the " lind " is lost, and last week most was pulled up, 

 and is in " long shocks," about two feet high. Their 

 coleseed, to balance this, is excellent, and is being cut; 

 on this they will sow turnips for their cows, and many 

 will try sorgho. Here, the tenderness of the soil is a 

 great assistance to them ; the majority of our lands are 

 too stubborn to be pulverized as fine as sand at one 

 ploughing; but this must not make you condemn all 

 their practices as inapplicable to us. No ; come and 

 see. A.N English Farmer, in France. 



Lille, 



THE CULTIVATION OF MANGEL WURZEL.— A 

 Ruddingtoii correspondent furnishes some interesting parti- 

 culars relative to the cultivation of this useful root, which may 

 not prove uniutereatiug to our readers. He states that iu 

 1857 he had a crop of mangel, which, when weighed in three 

 different parts of the field, gave in weight the /oilowiug, viz. ; 

 — First lot, one row 20 yds. long by 2ft. wide, 40 bulb?, 

 weight 2601b?. — equal to 42 toua 2 cwt. 2 qrs. 241bs. per acre ; 

 second lot, one row 20yds.lo:ig by 2 ft. wide, 40 bulbs, weight 

 2751bs. — equal to 44 tons 11 cwt. 1 qr. Slbs. per acre; third 

 lot, one row 20 yds. long by 2 ft. wide, 40 bulbs, weight 

 2231bs. — equal to 36 tons 1 cwt. qr. 151bs. per acre; ave- 

 rage weight per acre, 40 tons 18 cwt. 1 qr. lolbs. In this 

 year, 1858 :— First lot, one row 20 yds. long by 2 ft. wide, 42 

 bulbs, weight 3281b3. — equal to 53 tons 3 cwt. qr. Slbs. per 

 acre ; second lot, one row 20 yds. long by 2 ft. wide, 50 bulbs, 

 weight 3071bs.— equal to 49 tons 15 cwt. qr. lib. per acre ; 

 third lot, one row 20 yds. long by 2ft. wide, 48 bulbs, weight 

 2401b3. — equal to 33 tons 17 cwts. 3 qrs. 121bs. per acre; ave- 

 rage weight per acre, 47 tons 5 cwt. 1 qr, 71bs., being an in, 

 crease in weight in 1858 over 1857 of 6 tons 6 cwts. 3 qrs- 

 221bs, per acre. The above_ crops could ^be shown perfectly 



