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THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE, 



the second lot, weighing 53|lbs,, having been grown by 

 Mr. Bunbury, in Galway. In Irish-grown mangel- 

 seed, the prize was gained by a very fair sample grown 

 by Dr. Radcliff ; a very excellent one, grown by Messrs. 

 Dickson, Farrell, and Co., Belfast, not having arrived 

 in time to be submitted to the judges. In Irish-grown 

 turnip-seed, Mr. Allan Pollok got both prizes with two 

 very good specimens of Skirving's swede and the 

 purple-top yellow Aberdeens. 



The next division — " Plants cultivated for their 

 Stems, Bulbs, Tubers, or Roots" — included the prin- 

 cipal and most generally-attractive features of this de- 

 partment of the show. 



The first class on the list was kohl-rabi — a variety of 

 plant which is by no means as extensively cultivated as 

 it ought to be. The first prize lot, grown by Mr. 

 Alexander, farm-bailiff to the Marquis of Kildare, was 

 one of the best samples we ever recollect to have seen. 

 The seed was sown in the beginning of March, in drills 

 (ridges) 30 inches wide, the preceding crop having 

 been oats ; and the manure applied consisted of 25 tons 

 of farmyard dung and 3 cwt. of Peruvian guano ; the 

 produce being 40 tons per Irish acre. The second lot, 

 grown by Dr. Radcliff, was also a good lot, and would 

 have been considered very fine, if the first lot had not 

 been in every way so much superior. 



Passing over the onions and potatoes — the latter in- 

 cluding matured potatoes as well as seedlings of 1858 

 and 1859 — in which classes several very beautiful speci- 

 mens were shown, we come to the long red mangel. 

 This class was well filled ; and the lots were exceedingly 

 equal. The first lot of six roots was grown by Dr. 

 Radcliff, in drills 32 inches wide ; manure, 40 tons of 

 compost and half-a-ton of salt per Irish acre. The lot 

 weighed 1291bs. ; and the produce was stated to be 75 

 tons per Irish acre. The second prize lot was grown 

 by the Duke of Leinster's bailiff, the preceding crop 

 having also been mangel, and the manure applied 3 cwt. 

 each of soot, salt, and guano per Irish acre. The lot 

 of six roots weighed llSlbs. ; and the weighed produce 

 of If acres was 126 tons. The third prize lot was 

 grown by Mr. Allan Pollok, Lismanny, Ballinasloe; the 

 well-known Scotch settler in Connaught. This was a 

 lot of nice equal roots, grown after a crop of oats ; ma- 

 nure, 20 "carts" of farmyard manure, 4 cwt. of guano, 

 and 15 bushels of bones, with some salt, per IrisLacre. 

 The drills were 28 inches wide. 



Of long yellow mangel, the heaviest lot of six roots 

 weighed I481bs., grown by Mr. Bolton, Leabeg, county 

 Wicklow, on a peat soil, drills 30 inches wide ; manure 

 —40 tons of farmyard dung, 2 cwt. of superphosphate, 

 and 5 cwt. of salt per Irish acre. There were one or 

 two coarse roots in this lot. The second sample was 

 grown by Dr. Radcliff, with ^0 tons of compost per 

 Irish acre, salt being applied in the after-culture. The 

 weight of the six roots was 1141bs. Mr. Barlow's 

 third prize lot was grown on farmyard manure 

 intermixed with seaweed. In red globe mangel. 

 Dr. Radcliff was the winner of the first prize with a lot 

 which weighed 1181bs. ; Mr. Waldron, Finglass, being 

 second. The best sample of yellow globe mangel, grown 

 by Dr. Radcliff, weighed 1321bs., and was altogether a 

 fine lot, whether weight or shape of roots was considered. 

 The second lot was grown by the Duke of Leinster's 

 bailiff, Mr. Chapman, on boggy mould, after a crop of 

 mangel, no dung having been applied since the previous 

 crop. Mr. Chapman's system is to dibble-in the seed 

 in the drill (ridge) ; and the quantity of seed used by him 

 was only 21bs. per acre, but we suppose it must have 

 been the statute acre. Another excellent lot, which was 

 highly commended, was exhibited by Mr. E. P. Westby, 

 Dundrum, Co. Dublin. Of sugar-beet, there were 

 several very fine lots on the table, the best of which, 



(large, well-formed roots) were grown by Dr. Radcliff. 

 Before leaving the mangel class, there are two points to 

 which we would wish to direct the attention of our read- 

 ers, particularly as the cultivation of mangel is now a 

 subject of great interest, owing to its comparative free- 

 dom from disease. The first of these points is the pro- 

 priety of forming wide drills or ridges — the wider the 

 drills the heavier the crop j and next, the importance, 

 nay, the absolute necessity, for using salt as a manurial 

 application in the cultivation of this plant. 



Some time ago, a communication appeared in the 

 " Journal" of the Royal Agricultural Society, from Mr. 

 Caird, detailing the results of some experiments which 

 he had made with salt in mangel cultivation ; and the 

 report of which was couched in such terms as to lead 

 people to suppose that the beneficial action of salt in 

 this case was in a great measure a new discovery; whereas 

 it had been used for many years before that time, and 

 in Ireland especially, the waste salt of the bacon stores 

 in Belfast, &c., was eagerly bought up by farmers at 

 nearly as high a price as clean salt, solely for the pur- 

 pose of applying to the land previous to sowing their 

 mangel seed. 



The show of carrots was particularly good, the best 

 indeed which we have seen in Kildare-street for many 

 years. The best sample of the red variety was grown by 

 Mr. Arthur D'Chaigneau, Westmeath, in drills 26 

 inches wide ; produce 37 tons per Irish acre. The sec- 

 ond lot was grown by the Marquis of Kildare, also in 

 drills 26 inches wide : soil, a black, friable, sandy 

 loam ; manure, 25 tons farm-dung and 3 cwts. Peruvian 

 guano per Irish acre : produce 20 tons per acre. The 

 Marquis of Drogheda came in third with a lot grown on 

 reclaimed bog, seed drilled on the flat, with 2 cwts. 

 guano, 10 bushels ashes, and 4 cwt. superphosphate per 

 acre : produce 20 tons per acre, grown after a crop of 

 mangel-wurzel. A new variety of carrot, short but 

 thick, and somewhat resembling the horn, but much 

 heavier, grown by Mrs. Cosby, of Stradbally Hall, was 

 highly commended. In white carrots, Mr. D'Chaigneau 

 was again the winner of the first prize, with an excellent 

 sample of a crop which produced 48 tons per acre. The 

 weight of the twelve carrots which composed this lot 

 was 531bs. The lot shown by the Marquis of Kildare, 

 which gained the second prize, weighed 561b., the first 

 lot being the best grown roots, although rather the 

 lightest ; and another good sample grown by Mr. Smith, 

 Leamore Park, took its place as third in the class. 



Of parsnips there was also a good show as to quality? 

 but the lots were not so numerous as those in the carrot 

 sections. Dr. Radcliff was first ; and a very handsome 

 lot grown by Mr. Barlow, Raheny, was second. A 

 splendid sample grown by Mr. Putland, Bray, was un- 

 fortunately placed too late to be inspected by the judges, 

 otherwise it must have come in first, both from the 

 weight and shape of the roots. 



There was a large and generally good show of swedes, 

 notwithstanding the difficulty which has been univer- 

 sally experienced in raising a crop of this kind during 

 the past year. Mr. Allan Pollok exhibited several lots, 

 all of good quality, his first prize lot of six turnips 

 weighing 1281bs. There is a rule of the society which 

 states that at the winter show of farm produce " No 

 exhibitor shall be entitled to obtain both the first and 

 second prize in the same class of any of the articles ex- 

 hibited." Consequently Mr. Pollok could not come in 

 with any of his other lots, notwithstanding their weight, 

 and the second prize in this section was given to Dr. 

 Radcliff for a sample of " Shannon's Leinster 

 swede," an exceedingly handsome turnip, of I'ecent in- 

 troduction. 



In the next section, which included "Aberdeens, or 

 other kinds," Mr, Pollok was again first^ with a large 



