THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



551 



Five clear days of ploughing per week, at nine acres and a 

 fifth per day, gives a quantity of forty-six acres, at a cost of 

 £14 lOs., or 6.=. 4d. per acre. 



The ploughing would have been well done if the wheel in 

 the furrow had been broader. The land being a moor soil, 

 was very light, and in parts the furrow wheels sank three or 

 four iuches, thus faking the ploughs off the land. This diffi- 

 culty had not been encountered before, and therefore no pro- 

 vision was made for it. 



In "trenching" the work was well done; the depth was 

 eighteen to nineteen inches; and where clay was met with, it 

 was turned up to the top. 



V/hen the ploughing was finished, the engine windlass drew 

 the engine across the ploughed field and up to the anchor, a 

 distance of tweuty chains, the wheels being rim-deep in 

 the soil, and the movement of the engine as quick as eight 

 horses would have drawn it. 



The expressed opinion of Mr. Swain was, " that although 

 the operations were not to be set down as perfect, the results 

 were very successful." 



BATH AND WEST OF ENGLAND AGRI- 



CULTURAL SOCIETY. 



PUBLIC MEETING IN BARNSTAPLE. 



On Friday last a public meeting was held in the Guildhall 

 (convened by the Mayor, Frederick Maunder, Esq.), to 

 take into consideration a proposal of the Council of the Bath 

 and West of England Society, to hold their Annual Meeting 

 in 1859 in Barnstaple, and to adopt measures to facilitate that 

 object. The meeting was attended by many of the principal 

 landed proprietors of the district, and a large number of the 

 intelligent and influential farmers of North Devon ; among 

 whom may be noticed Sir Bourchier Palk Wrey, Bart., of Taw- 

 stock Court; Colonel Buck, of Hartland Abbey ; Rev. Henry 

 Wrey, of Corfle ; William HoUe, Esq., of Hannaford, member 

 of the Royal Agricultural Society ; Rev. John Harding, of 

 Goodleigh ; E. U. Vidal, Esq., of Cornborough, member of 

 the council of the West of England Society ; Robert Smith, 

 Esq., of Emmett's Grange, Exmoor, member of the council of 

 the Royal Society; William Vcllacott Richards, Esq., of 

 Georgeham ; Capt. Bury Russell ; John Kuill Cotton, Esq., 

 J.P. ; Wdliam Avery, Esq., J.P, ; Edward Mock, Esq., of 

 Brauuton ; James Harris, Esq., of Bittadon; Richard Brem- 

 ridge, Esq., of Cott ; H. I. Gribble, Esq., J.P. ; William 

 Gribble, Esq., clerk of the peace ; Lionel Bencra't, Esq., town 

 clerk; C. E. Palmer, Esq.; Dr, Bignel!, J.P. ; George Peard, 

 Esq. ; Messrs. G. K. Cotton, George Burden, William Alford, 

 John Dennis, John Snow, Charles Smith, W.Balsdon, George 

 Lock, H. Trounce, John Ching, Richard Pethebridge, P. 

 Andrew, and other noted agriculturists. 



The Ma"yor briefly explained the objects of the meeting, 

 and detailed the particulars as to the several communications 

 that had taken place between the Town Council of Barnstaple 

 and the Council of the West of England Society. 



Sir Bourchier Wrey moved a resolution, "That it is 

 desirable, for the interests of agriculture in this neighbourhood, 

 that the meeting of the Bath and West of Euglaud Society 

 should be held in Barnstaple in 1859." The hon. baronet, in 

 eloqueut terras, supported the jeaolution, and expressed his 

 confidence that the Lord Lieutenant of the county (Earl For- 

 tescue), who was a staunch friend to agriculture, and the large 

 landowners of the division, would aid the object in every pos- 

 sible way. 



Colonel Buck seconded the motion in an energetic speech ; 

 and it was carried mem. con. 



E U. Vidal, Esq., moved the appointment of a committee 

 to co-operate with the Town Council of Barnstaple in collect- 

 ing subscriptions and promoting the object. The Committee, 

 including Lord Fortescue, Lord Portsmouth, Lord Clintoa- 

 Lord Poltimore, Viscount Ebriugton, M. P., Sir James Ham, 

 lyn Williams, Sir B. P. Wrey, Sir Aithur Chichester; J. W. 

 BuUer, Esq., M.P. ; William Williams, Esq.; Dr. Yeo; and 



nearly all the gentry, yeomanry, and merchants of the district, 

 was formed, with power to add to their number. 



Mr. Robert Smith, who is one of the most intelligent 

 and energetic members of the Council of the Bath and West 

 of England Society, supported the resolution in an eloquent 

 speech, which met with a hearty response from his brcther- 

 Egriculturists. Carried nem, con. 



Mr. Trounce, steward to W. Williams, Esq., announced 

 that that gentleman, who is the owner of extensive manors in 

 the neighbourhood, would support the project in every way. 



The Mayor engaged to act as secretary till the Committee 

 should meet and appoint their own. 



Sir B. Wrey moved thanks to the Mayor, and the meeting 

 dispersed. 



TWO CHANCES MORE 

 POTATOES. 



FOR THE 



to THE EDITOR OP THE PLYMOUTH HERALD. 



The following experiment, quoted from the Agricultural 

 Gazette, and having been reported successful once or twice 

 before, is worth the farmer's trying on the small scale. It 

 is not much trouble, nor so unlikely as it may at first 

 appear : peas being great absorbers of nitrogen, which they 

 may extract from the potato juice, and thus check the 

 putrefaction. Gypsum, 2 or 3 cwt. an acre, would probably 

 help this action of the peas, and contribute, of itself, to 

 preserve the potato : — 



" I tried rather a curious experiment with a few potatoes 

 this season. Some twelve months since I saw a letter from 

 a farmer, stating the great success that had attended an 

 experiment the writer had made in the previous season. 

 It consisted in inserting a pea in each potato set, and plant- 

 ing the potato in the usual way. The result, he stated, 

 was a large yield of peas, and a splendid crop of potatoes ; 

 but the most important result was the entire freedom of the 

 potatoes so treated from any disease, while all those planted 

 in the usual way, in the same field, were extensively de- 

 teriorated. I was led by this statement to try the experi- 

 ment on a small scale, in my own garden, this season. I 

 planted not quite half a peck, only fifty sets, in six ranks ; 

 cutting a piece out of each, and putting a pea firmly in. 



" The peas grew up and flourished well ; and last week 

 I dug the potatoes. They were perfectly free from the 

 slightest taint or speck of disease, and very fine and large; 

 while in the same bed, close to them, was another lot, 

 planted in the old style, nearly half of which were rotten. 

 I leave j'our readers to draw their own conclusions." 



The peas thus grown .should probably be consumed the 

 same year, not sown again ; for although sound and whole- 

 some for once, the infection might perhaps appear after two 

 or three settings. 



The following appears in the Agricultural Gazette, Oct 

 17, p. 717 :— " I have this year potatoes grown alternately 

 with turnips; namely, two rows of turnips and one of 

 potatoes, over a part of the field ; the two rows of turnips 

 sown by drill, the intervening rows of potatoes put in by a 

 man making a hole with a spade point, and a boy to drop 

 the set into it, which is quickly done. 



" This I did with a view of trying how far a mixture of 

 vegetables might counteract the disease of the potato. Both 

 turnips and potatoes are an excellent crop. One row of 

 potatoes has been used at table, without finding anything 

 of the disease which prevails to a considerable extent all 

 over the neighbourhood ; whether they may yet be affected 

 by it remains to be seen." 



In this experiment the dung seems to have been ploughed 

 down fresh, just after harvest, so as to have been 

 thoroughly rotted in the ground, before the potatoes and 

 turnips were put in. I. Prideaux, - 



p p 2 



