THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



107 



Mr. Steimiknson proposed "The healths of the Unsuc- 

 cessful Candidates." While he admired the fair and honest 

 manner in which the e.vperimeuta had been carried out, and 

 was glad that the best man had won it, it must not be for- 

 gotten that it had only been just won. 



Mr. Packer, representing Mr. Smalley, of Stockwith, re- 

 sponded. Although the firm which he had the honour to 

 represent was not succesaful in obtaining a prize iu this com. 

 petition, still he was not aahamed of the position they occupied 

 iu it. They had produced, with the manure for wliich he was 

 the agent, a very good crop of turnips, and he would say this 

 in justice to all the competitors, that two better fields of 

 turnips could not be found in the county than those upon 

 which the experiment had been tried. This had not been a 

 good season for the turnip crop ; but the produce in those two 

 fields — the soil be it remembered having been exhausted of all 

 but its natural producing qualities — was more than an average. 

 (Hear, hear). The experiment had undoubtedly been a triumph 

 for Mr. Horner, and the experiment would,in his (Mr. Packer's) 

 opinion, be attended with permanent benefit to the agricultural 

 community. The test, he firmly believed, had been moat im- 

 partially carried out. The prizes just presented had been most 

 fairly won. As an unsuccessful competitor, he should very 

 much like all the manures of the unsuccessful competitors 

 should be analyzed, and he for oue was quite ready to stand 

 the test, and should be glad indeed to bear the expense of the 

 analysis. He thought if Mr. Richardson would be good enough 

 to send samples of all the manures entered in competition to 

 Professor Viielcker for analysis — the expense being borne by 

 the unsuccessful cotnpetiiors — they should all derive consi- 

 derable benefit. All, he thought, would agree to this propo- 

 sition for their own sakes and for the credit of the firms which 

 they represented. Mr. Packer then dwelt at some length on 

 what were the valuable constituents iu manure — i. e., phosphate 

 for turnips, and ammonia for wheat — and said the only way 

 to ascertain what were good and what were bad was by analy- 

 sis. He then gave the health of Mr. Richardson, to whom he 

 considered they were all, both farmers and vendors of manures, 

 greatly indebted for the way iu which he had originated and 

 conducted to a termination the Hibaldstowe turnip experiment. 



Mr. Francis Pags rose to order. He was known to 

 many gentlemen there as the representative of Messrs. Morris, 

 brothers, and Geves, and he had, he thought, some cause to 

 complaia : though all the speakers concurred in eulogising the 

 manner in which the experiments had been carried on through- 

 out, the house of which he was the agent ran second iu the 

 race — a fact which would have remained unnoticed but for a 

 passing observation from Mr. Stephenson. Had not they who 

 came forward voluntarily reason to expect a just amount of 

 considtration at the hands of gentlemen present ? The fact had 

 not been alluded to, and it surely deserved notice. He felt it 

 a duty on himself, and justice to his principals, to put them in 

 their right position before that company. He wished that 

 one member of the firm had been present to take up the toast 

 and do justice to its merits. The low price of agricultural 

 produce, as the chairman had stated, called for as low a price 

 as possible on the part of the manure manufacturers. That 

 suggestion had been anticipated by the firm he represented, 

 the price of manure having been reduced lOs. per ton. 



Mr. Walesby (agent for Batchelor's manures) declared, 

 in the midst of much laughter, that the manures which he re- 

 presented would always beat the Phospho-Peruvian guano. 



Mr. T. M. Richardson, on rising to respond to the toast 

 of his health, was loudly cheered. He said, alluding to Mr, 

 Packer's suggestion that the manures of the unsuccessful com- 



petitors in the experiment should be analyzed, he would wil. 

 liugly give up the portions in his possesion for that purpose. 

 The subject of the adulteration of manures was a subject of 

 very great importance indeed to the farming public, and 

 thought it could hardly be over-estimated. He could give an 

 instance of this from his own experience : he was in the habit 

 of using a manure at £12 per ton ; but he got it analyzed, and 

 found that he was paying £12 for what in reality was not 

 worth more than £3 (Hear, hear.) This had made him wary. 

 He would not purchase a manure now unless he received a 

 guarantee, and even then he should consider it to be his duty 

 to consult the chemist as to the truth of that guarantee. 

 They had just been told that fraud was abroad seeking for 

 prey, and ready to victimise the unwary. Then (said Mr. 

 Richardson) I must appeal to you, my young brotlier sports- 

 men, and more particularly to our gallant Captain Rattler, to 

 prepare for the bunt. Meet at the cross-roads of Imposition- 

 let slip the dogs of Chemistry— put Science on the track of 

 fraud, and hunt it out, not only from the coverts in which it 

 now lurks aud lies concealed, but also from every covert 

 throughout the agricultural districts ; and in the open field of 

 honest tradiijg, run into this sly and fleeing enemy, and nnil 

 his brush to the farmyard door of every cultivator of the soil. 



Mr. RiCHAD Richardson, of West Firsby, proposed the 

 health of Mr. Odams, the manager to the Nitro and Super, 

 phosphate Manure Company. He (Mr. Richardson) was very 

 glad indeed to be enabled to bear personal testimony to the 

 worth of those manures, and the skill and scientific knowledge 

 displayed by Mr. Odams in their preparation, for on a very 

 recent occasion he (Mr. Richardson) had the privilege of going 

 over the manufactory of the company, iu Plaistow Marshes, 

 and he was then enabled to judge for himself. From what he 

 then saw, he was enabled most truly to declare that mere 

 genuine and valuable fertilizers could not be than those pre. 

 pared under the superintendence of Mr. Odams. Aud they 

 had a sufficient guarantee of the respectability and bona fidg 

 character of the Superphosphate and Blood Manure Company 

 in the fact of the board of directors being composed of such 

 men as Mr. Jonas Webb; and in the additional fact that the 

 shareholders and directors themselves represented no less than 

 300,000 acres of land. 



Mr. Odams acknowledged the compliment, and said it had 

 always been his aim and study to produce for the company 

 manures of real value to the agriculturist, aud it would always 

 be his endeavour to make one of the beat manures out. 



Mr. Pratt said it would be in the recollection of the chair- 

 man that upon Mr. Richardson's advertisement appearing in 

 the papers, which brought about this trial, he (Mr. Pratt) with 

 others attended this ordinary ; but the anxiety of competitors 

 was so great that no place was left for him ; consequently those 

 who could not get in this public trial resolved to send half a 

 ton each to Mr Geo. Skelton, of Hibaldstowe, and^upon inquiry 

 of Mr. Skelton this day, he (Mr. Pratt) had been informed by 

 him that from his (Mr. Pratt's) manure he had the best crop, 

 — (Abridged from The Lincoln Times.) 



The Average Price op Corn, per Quarter (imperial 

 measure), iu England and Wales, for the Quarter ending 

 Christmas, 1858 :— 



Wheat 41s. 9d. I Rye 31s. lOd. 



Barley SSs. 2d. Beans..... 42s, Ud. 



Oats 23s. 3d. Peas 443. 8d. 



