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THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



REVIEW OF THE JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL AGRICULTURAL 



SOCIETY OF ENGLAND, 



A new number of the Society's Journal is always 

 opened with some interest. Who are the essayists? 

 What fresh blooil liave we introLluced? Or, of all the 

 novelties abroad, on which does the Royal Agricul- 

 tural Society of England confer the stamp of aj)proval ? 

 At a little after date we have now the first part for the 

 present year. This delay, however, has enabled the 

 Editors to include in the number the prize lists and 

 commendations complete of the recent Meeting at 

 Salisbury. But this official document is strictly con- 

 fined to the awards. It does not even embrace the re- 

 port of the judges on the trial of the reaping machines. 

 So that it is simply a matter of reference, coming for 

 the first time, we believe, in the right place, and 

 nothing more. Amongst the other fresh features in 

 the " July number," are some very useful statistics 

 and well-arranged tables on the weather, the public 

 health, price of provisions, and wheat averages. 



With these the volume opens. And then we come to 

 the customary country essay, which is hire devoted to 

 one of the most interesting districts in the kingdom. 

 The theme is Bedfordshire, and the author Mr. William 

 Bennett, a gentleman many of his friends and late 

 neighbours had at once concluded must write the prize 

 history of their county. He numbers amongst his quali- 

 fications for the duty " having resided in Bedfordshire 

 upwards of half a century, and having been engaged for 

 many years in the practical opex'ations of farming, even 

 to the handling of the plough and the sickle." These are 

 no mean recommendations, and they are evidently made 

 the most of. The essay is remarkable for the easy, 

 agreeable tone in which it is written, and the extent 

 of information it embraces. We ha.ve ourselves some 

 knowledge of Bedford's " pleasant places'," and we do 

 not remember anything that Mr. Bennett has omitted 

 to touch on. Of course he goes back to " Francis, 

 Duke of," and gradually comes down by a bridle- 

 way to the Pauletts, of Beestone; the Thomases, of 

 Bletsoe and Lidlington ; the Howards, of Bedford, and 

 others with a name not only in their own district, but 

 far beyond its confines. No man was perhaps ever 

 better prepared for writing the agriculture of a county 

 than Mr. Bennett; and his report is an equal credit 

 to himself and the work it appears in. 



In the second place, and as well introduced, we have 

 some furtiier controversy on the Lois Weedon system 

 of husbandry, in which Mr. Smith takes his own part 

 against Mr. Lawes. Such discussions cannot but tend, 

 as all such have of late, to a good result. We strike 

 the spark of truth out of them. Mr. Lawes failed as 

 signally as Mr. Smith succeeded. The answer of the 

 latter is thus summed up : — " It was certain to fail, on 

 a spit of what was little better than raw, unmitigated, 

 unpulverized clay. The trial piece at Rothampsted 



being in this condition, I will only add that I do not 

 believe there is a farmer in England, acquainted with 

 liis business, who will not share my surprise, net that 

 the crops were so bad, but that there were any crops 

 at all ! ' 



We have next Mr. Valentine's prize essay on the 

 Comparative Advantages of Sowing Beans in Spring or 

 Autumn. Then a very valuable paper by Mr. Curtis on 

 the Natural Hi>tory of Insects affecting Clovers and 

 Pastures. This is succeeded by another prize Es-ay on 

 Farm Roads on Strong Soils, by Mr, Bailey Denton— 

 a gentleman who long since has proved his ability fur 

 handling such a subject, while it is a weak point in the 

 economy of farming, too generally overlooked. The 

 value of this paper is. materially increased by a post- 

 script from the pen of Mr, H, S, Thompson, the Editor 

 of the Journal. The conclusion of either, however, is 

 the same : — for good roads good drainage is impera- 

 tive. So that Mr. Denton is hardly off his own line 

 even here. 



The Rev. Mr. Manby supplies a most acceptable 

 paper on the Cultivation of Early Potatoes ; and Dr. 

 Voelcker enters on the Composition of Farm-yard Ma- 

 nure, at a length and with a power that it would be 

 impossible to do justice to in this glance. It is the 

 article of the number; and although we may turn to it 

 again, we should advise every farmer to read it for 

 himself. We are already paying No. VIII., the 

 concluding contribution to the part, the compliment of 

 passing it through our columns. It is a continuation 

 of Mr. Horsfall's Dairy Management— a subject to 

 which none have fo far given so much attention, or 

 discoursed on with so much enthusiasm. 



Whatever may be the quality of this number, and wo 

 estimate it as quite up to the average, it unques- 

 tionably falls off in quantity. It is by no means the 

 handiul one often gets hold of in a half-yearly part. 

 Perhaps, after all, this is no such great mistake; pro- 

 vided of course nothing is omitted which might have 

 appeared. There is plenty of room for " any more 

 going on," and no excuse at all for leaving them be- 

 hind. Still we are afraid there are some shut out, too. 

 Where is our old fellow-traveller, Professor Way ? 

 Then there is an illustrious stranger, one Professor Hen- 

 frey ; surely he should be with us ! And Mr. Simonds ? 

 why does he stand aside, with his travelling-bag in his 

 hand, when he has so much to tell of what ho has 

 seen? Hie! stop the engine! But they are too late 

 again, and we are off without them. 



"The consulting chemist of the Society," says the 

 report published in this number, " has delivered a lec- 

 ture before the members on the general character and 

 geographical distribution of guano deposits, and hag 



