16 



THiE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



crashing peals, though unattended with much lightning, 

 whilst the raiu and hail fell sufficiently thick and fast to 

 create apprehension, with an occasional drift of hailstones of the 

 size of an ordinary ink-bottle. At Stratford-on-Avon a similar 

 storm was experienced on Friday last. The Boncaster Gazette, 

 in describing another of these fearful visitations, says : " The 

 town and neighbourhood of Crowle were visited on Thursday 

 last with a severe hailstorm, which did much damage to the 

 growing crops. The crop of flax was very much cut up ; and 

 the visitation has caused many parties to insure their produce 

 against the serious losses which generally follow such storms. 

 The Essex and West Suffolk Gazette reports that " a terrific 

 hailstorm and awful tempest visited the neighbourhood of 

 Saffron Walden for many miles round on Wednesday week. 

 In the pariah of Debden especially, considerable damage was 

 done to a large breadth of the growing crops. On some of 

 the farms the blades of acres of wheat and barley were literally 

 shreded, and the beans cut in two. Hailstones fell as large 

 as partridges' eggs. Such a storm has not been known in 

 this locality for many years." The Oxford Journal says that 

 " the town of Deddiugton and its vicinity was visited on Tues- 

 day last, about mid-day, with a violent storm, accompanied 

 with heavy thunder and lightning. Hailstones of considerable 

 size fell, and the rain came down in torrents. Fortunately, 

 its duration was short. We would recommend parties who 

 have not already insured their crops to do so at once." 

 We cannot too forcibly impress on our readers the absolute 

 necessity of following the advice thus given by the editor of the 

 Oxford Journal, by protecting their property against losses by 

 hailstorms. If a fire occurs, some part of the produce of a farm, 

 by the exertions of your neighbours and labourers, may be 

 rescued from destruction ; yet there are few, and they are the 

 improvident, who do not insure against fire. But against 

 hail there is no chance of salvage — no hope of escape when 

 the storm comes across the farm ; all the produce of the 

 labour, skill, and outlay of the husbandman is wholly destroyed. 

 The march of an army across a country would not create such 

 universal ruin. Yet how many, although seeing this cala- 

 mity brought on their neighbours by hailstorms, omit to 

 secure themselves, by the outlay of sixpence for an acre of 

 their produce, full protection for the value of their growing 

 crops ! We beg the attention of our readers to the advertise- 

 ment of the Royal Farmers' Insurance Office, which will be 

 found in our advertisement pages. 



THE ENTIRE CAUSE OF SO MUCH BAD 

 FARMING IN ENGLAND. 



Sir. — The I\fark Lane Express being the most scientific 

 agricultural journal under the sun, I beg to state that it is 

 as plain as the sun at clear broad noon-day that the owners 

 of the soil are the cause of all the negligent and bad farm, 

 jng in England. Would it not be bordering on insanity for 

 a tenant farmer to lay out hundreds of pounds in improv- 

 ing his landlord's estate, without a lease or tenant justice, 

 commonly called Tenant Right, for unexhausted improve- 

 ments ? Death sometimes quickly takes away a good land, 

 lord, and leaves in his place a bad and oppressive one. The 

 wheels of nature and of time were never made to roll back- 

 wards : the tide of reason, education, and science, long de- 

 layed, long checked and obstructed, has nevertheless set in, 

 and common sense says that the more you educate the 

 farmers, and the more scientific they farm, the plainer they 

 can see that they require leases or a tenant right — live and 

 ^et live, alias compensation. Equity calls out aloud far and 



wide, and boldly and truly says that the lords of the soil 

 are blind to their own interest in not granting leases and 

 tenant justice when a diligent tenant leaves his farm. It is 

 highly expedient that the land stewards of the lords of the 

 soil should be practical men, I mean men who know good 

 farming from bad, or how can they handsomely reward the 

 diligent tenant, and severely reprimand the slovenly and 

 slothful ; or are the tenants who farm without weeds, to be 

 treated the same as they who grow more weeds than corn? 



If good farming will not pay, bad cannot. Let the rising 

 generation of farmers read the Fariner''s Magazine, which 

 will teach them to farm without weeds, at the same time 

 show them the proper mould that cattle should be cast in ; 

 the far famed bull Master Butterfly and the Grand Turk 

 for instance. Samuel Arnsby, 



18, Norfolk Street, Hyde Park, London. May 27, 1857 



AUSTRALIAN WHEAT. 



Dear Sir, — I enclose the specimen of Western Aus- 

 tralian wheats grown in York district, on the property of 

 Charles Wittenoom, Esq., and will feel obliged by the 

 notice of it in your valuable paper. The wheat has been 

 injured in its journey home, as it came by a private hand, 

 which caused much delay in its arrival. 



Will you be good enough to return the wheat when done 

 with ? Faithfully yours, 



E. A. Bayly, 



55, Brunswick-square, Brighton, June 5. 



[We have received the specimen of wheat referred to in 

 the foregoing letter, and can, without hesitation, pronounce 

 it to be a remarkably handsome type of that grain. It is a 

 variety of the Triticum liyhernum kind, and was probablj' pro- 

 duced originally from seed of Kentish white wheat, which it 

 resembles iu the form of the berrj', but in other respects 

 exhibiting in a striking light the modifications producible 

 in the wheat plant under the influence of soil, climate, &c. 

 The ears — of which there were twenty on each stub— are 

 about four inches in length, well set, and containing from 

 seventy to eighty kernels each, of a bright semi-transparent 

 white. Without being steely, the grain, as well as the 

 chaff and straw, indicates the cloudless sky under which it 

 was harvested ; whilst the perfect freedom of the latter from 

 dark fungous spots, proves the absence of blight or mildew. 

 From the exceeding clearness of the grain, we should judge 

 that it contains a large proportion of gluten, and weighs 

 heavy in the bushel. We have been told of Australian 

 wheat weighing seventy pounds per bushel ; and judging 

 from appearances, the specimen we are describing cannot 

 be much below that weight. It certainly is calculated to 

 yield an abundance of first-rate flour, if properly manufactured. 

 We are happy to find that the cultivation of wheat is be- 

 ginning to attract the attention of the colonists of Australia ; 

 being persuaded that by agricultural pursuits the future 

 prosperity of that fine country will be better and more per- 

 manently promoted than by the search after gold, however 

 profitable the latter may prove in individual cases. We 

 therefore trust that the successful result of Mr, Witte- 

 noom 's experiment will lead others to follow his example ; 

 by which the productive powers of the country will be 

 brought out and tested, and the colonists will render them- 

 selves independent of otlier lands for a supply of the first 

 necessary of life. — En.] 



