THE FARMER'S MAGAZIiNE. 



87 



been discharging its duties for a certain period of 

 time. It was once very generally believed that plants 

 threw off certain excrementitious matters, in the same 

 manner as animals do ; and that such matter was very 

 prejudicial to the luxuriant growth of the plant pro- 

 ducing it, as being not simply useless for the nourish- 

 ment of the plant, but positively injurious. With such 

 an opinion, it became very easy to see the advantages 

 derived from exjiosing tlie soil to the atmosphere ; and 

 it was consequently assumed that the air, by promot- 

 ing the decay of such excrement, purified the soil, or, 

 as it was usually termed, " sweetened it," and thus it 

 again became fitted for producing the same crop. The 

 advances which have been made in our knowledge of 

 the growth of plants, whilst they make us cautious in 

 rejecting such an oi>inion entirely, certainly lead us 

 to modify the views originally entertained. Conse- 

 quently, our ideas respecting this purification of the 

 soil from excrement have undergone considerable 

 change. Instead, therefore, of tracing to the plant the 

 power of thi'owing off this excrementitious matter, it 

 is now believed that the decay proceeding in the soil 

 produces matter which, in some of its stages, is un- 

 congenial to the plant ; and, when such is the case, the 

 admission of air into the soil becomes desirable for 

 sweetening the land, not from any excrement which 

 the previous crop may have thrown off, but Irom the 

 vegetable acids which are formed in the soil from the 

 decay of vegetable matter. If this organic matter 

 should be abundant, there is the greater opportunity 

 for the production of these vegetable acids in the soil ; 

 if it be deficient, then there is less opportunity for their 

 formation. The natural inference is that, if we are 

 dealing with a soil rich in organic matter, either 

 naturally or from the use of manure, it becomes the 

 more desirable that it should be freely exposed to the 

 air, so as to keep it in a healthy condition. The atmo- 

 sphere of the soil is almost as influential upon the 

 plant as the atmosphere above the soil. If it becomes 

 foul and unhealthy, the plant cannot luxuriate as under 

 more congenial conditions. 



The organic matter of the soil, which demands these 

 supplies of fresh air, needs it to perform those alter- 

 ations in its character and condition that will fit 

 the decaying ingredients to change from the organic 

 matter of the soil into such a state that it may be 

 readily transformed— under vital energy— into the or- 

 ganic matter of the crop. This is a transformation 

 which it is necessarj for it to undergo, in order that it 

 may be serviceable in promoting vegetable growth. It 

 is of little avail having a soil richly stored with organic 

 matter, unless we allow this matter to become so acted on 

 that it shall be rendered serviceable for the next crop. 

 The free exposure of the soil to the air is therefore 

 very important and essential for the healthy condition 

 of our lands, because it promotes the decay of the or- 

 ganic matter they contain, renders any dung re- 

 maining in theni ready for the succeeding crop, and 

 devu'lopes matter hidden in the land. In fact, whilst it 

 purifies the soil it also enriches it. 



But why should this be done during the winter 



months ? There are many reasons, but the two follow- 

 ing will probably be sufficient : The winter is the 

 period of rest — a time when the soil is not employed in 

 the production of vegetable growth, and therefore wo 

 may employ it advantageously without intcirupting 

 the production of any crop. Another reason is, because 

 the soil becomes more completely acted upon at this 

 time of the year than any other; and hence the action 

 is rendered more perfect. This arises from various 

 carises; but of these the influence of temperature is the 

 most important. The exposure of the soil to the rain 

 causes it to become thoroughly permeated by the 

 water ; when the frost sets in, this water becomesfrozen, 

 and tire frost, as it were, creeps into the soil, binding its 

 particles together like portions of rock rather than 

 soil. But when a change of temperature follows, the 

 hard and rock-like clods crumble beneath its influence. 

 In this manner we get the soil very freely exposed, 

 and this breaking- down gradually lays its hidden 

 stores open to the action of the air, and thus the de- 

 caying matter of our soils is changed from its sour and 

 acrid condition into a form ready to enter into the suc- 

 ceeding crop, and minister to its development. It is so 

 we see that the ploughing of the land in order to ex- 

 pose it as much as possible to the influence of the 

 winter air is a practice wliich advantageously accam- 

 panies the liberal use of farm-yard manure. Upon 

 good land it is desirable as far as it can be done, be- 

 cause it develops the fertility which lies hidden within. 

 It also favours the decay of the manure it contains, 

 thereby bringing it within reach of the subsequent 

 crop, and rendering it available for promoting its luxu- 

 riant growth. 



HOW TO MAKE TWO POUNDS OF MEAT 

 UPON POOR GRASS LAND WHERE ONLY 

 ONE POUND WAS MADE BEFORE. 



Sir,— The famed county of Leicester coniaina some of the 

 finest grazing laud upou the face of the earth ; and the said 

 fine county contaius some very weak poor grass land, which 

 ought to be first uuderdraiued, and then ploughed, and sown 

 with a fair proportion of root and green crops. If not 

 ploughed up, I propose upon this poor grass land to give the 

 cattle and sheep eating the grass upon it a fair quantity of 

 cake per head per day upon it, which would make the said land 

 in a short time produce double the weifi;ht of grass, which 

 would keep double the quantity of stock, and at the same time 

 produce double the quantity of strong manure yearly, and 

 double the quantity of meat per acre -nay, and keep fat stock 

 where lean ones were kept before. I have known the above 

 practised 50 years back near Rockingham Forest, where some 

 short-horned oxen ate lOlbs. of oil-cake per head per day, and six 

 Leicester sheep l^lbs. each of cake per head per day; the oxen 

 gained alive per head per week a stone of HIbs., or 2801ba. in 

 twenty weeks ; the sheep gained alive 21bs. each sheep 

 per week, or 401b3. each, or lOlbs. per quarter in twenty weeks. 

 The more cake you give the cattle and sheep the so luer your 

 land would keep double the stock, as the strength of the ma- 

 nure depends upon what it is made of. And the cheapest 

 manure is by converting cake or corn into meat, because when 

 meat is at a high price the manure lays to but little money. 

 As the Lincolnshire Wolds and Lincoln Heath has been by ju- 

 difiious manuring made to produce double the quantity of corn 

 per acre, common sense says that thu poor grass land might 

 easily be made to produce double the weight of i^rass per acre; 

 but the great obstacle in the way is the want of a North 

 Lincolnshire tenant-right alias justice between landlord and 

 tenant. Samuel Aunsby. 



MiUfield, FeterhoYOugli, Bee. 2nd. 



