THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



333 



the soil was dry enough to allow of being worked. As 

 iu the first instance, the result perfectly justified the 

 means. Together with the frosts of winter, the salt had 

 performed wonders in breaking down the stubborn 

 clods and compressed, livery furrow- slices. The soil 

 was reduced to powder, and the weeds were generally 

 dead, so that the mangold, which was planted in a finely 

 pulverized seed-bed, bad nothing to do but to grow 

 without the rivalry of weeds — neither shaded by them 

 from the sun, nor robbed by them of the nourishment 

 purposely stored for their use. I said, however, that I 

 introduced some change into my practice this second 

 time. The change was as follows : Just after the last 

 furrow was turned, I sowed 4 cwt. more salt, which I 

 harrowed in before the seed was dibbled. The result 

 proved the wisdom of the addition, I have reason to 

 think^for the weeds were even fewer, the foliage of the 

 mangold was finer, and the bulbs were larger than in 

 the former case where the application of salt was merely 

 made in the autumn. 



it strikes me that our mangolds are freed also from 

 another enemy by the use of salt. I mean insects. 

 Slugs and wire- worm, both very destructive during cer- 

 tain seasons, are certainly banished by salt, if not killed. 



Salt appears to be oue of the cheapest and safest ma- 

 nures we can use. No soils naturally have too much of 

 it, excepting perhaps those directly influenced by brine 

 springs. One of its most valuable properties is its power 

 to attract moisture. For this reason it may be sowed 

 when the soil is perfectly dry, a condition fatal to so 

 many manures, and will absorb the moisture from the 

 atmosphere, and convey it to the root of the plant. Its 

 principal office is to keep everything in the soil in a 

 soluble state, and consequently in a state fit for the 

 nourishment of vegetable life. Its benefit is not alone 

 experienced by the root crop, but by the grain crop 

 which follows, for its presence checks a redundance of 

 straw, and enables that straw to strengthen itself by as- 

 similatiniif from the soil the silica, of which, in certain 

 combinations, it is a solvent. 



I have tried the virtue of salt also for grass land, for 

 wheat, and spring crops, and have arrived at curious 

 results it may be well to publish at some future time. 

 My object now, however, is to state the importance of 

 salt for the coming mangold crop ; and I shall be glad 

 to know that my advocacy for its use has led any 

 number of gentlemen to make a trial, which is sure to 

 end to their satisfaction. F. R- S. 



THE ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY OF ENGLAND. 



Monthly Council, Wednesday, April lOM. 

 Present^The Earl of Powis, President, in the Chair ; 

 Earl of Macclesfield, Lord Berners, Lord Leigh, Lord 

 Tredegir, Lord Walsingham, Hon. W. G. Cavendish, 

 M.P. ; lion. Colonel Hood, Hon. A. -Vernon, Sir 

 J. V. B, Johnstone, Bart., M.P. ; Sir E. C. Kerrison, 

 Bart, M.P. ; Sir J. V. Shelley, Bart., M.P. ; Mr. 

 Raymond Barker, Mr. Bramston, M.P. ; Mr. Caldwell, 

 Colonel Challoner, Mr. Druce, Mr. Exall, Mr. Brand- 

 reth Gibbs, Mr. Hamond, Mr. Fisher Hobbs, Mr. 

 Wren Hoskyns, Mr. Howard, Mr. Lawrence, Mr. 

 Milward, Mr. Paine, Mr. Pope, Mr, Sanday, Mr. 

 Slaney, M.P. ; Professor Simonds, Mr. Thompson, 

 M.P. ; Mr. Torr, Professor Voelcker, Mr. Jonas 

 Webb, and Professor Wilson. 



Six new Members were elected. 



Finances. — The Hon. Col. Hood presented the 

 report, from which it appeared that the Secretary's re- 

 ceipts during the past month had been examined by 

 Messrs. Quilter and Ball, and found correct. The 

 balance in the hands of the bankers on the 31st ult. 

 was jt'4,075 3s. Id., of which sum the committee re- 

 commended that ^'2,000 be invested in the New Three 

 per Cents. The Quarterly Balance-sheet and Quar- 

 terly statement of subscriptions and arrears and of pro- 

 perty were laid before the Council. 



On the motion of Lord Berners, seconded by Lord 

 Walsingham, the Right Hon. Lord Feversham was 

 unanimously elected a Trustee in the room of his Grace 

 the Duke of Sutherland, deceased. 



Ed. Holland, Esq., M.P., was unanimously elected a 



Member of Council, in the room of Lord Walsingham, 

 elected a Vice-President. 



The report of the Metropolitan Sites Committee was 

 presented by the President, and after considerable dis- 

 cussion it was decided that its final consideration should 

 be postponed to the Monthly Council in May. 



Veterinary. — Mr. T. Raymond Barker, Chairman, 

 presented the report, which recommended the purchase 

 of 12 sheep for the purpose of trying a medicine which 

 had been invented by a French Veterinary Surgeon at 

 Gavely, in France, for the cure of " cachexie" or rot, of 

 which medicine a supply had been sent for experiment. 

 This portion of the report was adopted ; the remainder 

 respecting the Velerinary Privileges of Members was 

 negatived. 



General Leeds.— Lord Walsingham, Chairman, 

 presented the report, which stated that land for the 

 trial of Steam Cultivators had been secured about half 

 a mile from the Garforth Station, on the Leeds and 

 Selby branch of the North Eastern Railway, about six 

 miles from Leeds, and the same distance from Milford 

 Junction. The trials will begin on Tuesday, July 2, 

 and the prizes will be adjudged at the Leeds Meeting. 

 Arrangements were being carried out for the exhibition 

 of the entire horses, for which purpose a curved form 

 would be given to one end of the Show-yard. 



The Bye-Laws and Resolutions of Council had been 

 printed and were taken into consideration, their final 

 adoption being deferred till May. 



On the motion of Lord Walsingham it was re- 

 solved that, in printing in the Journal, and in the 



