Jgricidlure. 459 



AGRICULTUKE. 



Major-General Beatsoii, a practical and experimental agricul- 

 turist, has addressed his plan of culture to the farmers of t!ie 

 three kingdoms, and has made an estimate of his expenses in 

 cropping 29 acres of wheat at Knoule Farm, near Tnnbridge 

 Wells. He states that his practice has proved, that the cheap 

 and universal manure of clay-ashes on calcined or roasted soil, 

 with the stubbles, &c. on the land, is sufficient and preferable for 

 corn crops on stilF soils, and much, other land, to lime or dung, 

 and may be applied at the expense of 20j. an acre, instead of 

 the Sus«ex and Hampshire practice of lime and marl at TI,, and 

 of dung or other manures of an etjual or greater cost. He has 

 also invented a new implement of much power, and various aj;- 

 plication to the soil, as a general sul)Stitute for the ploughs and 

 harrows in common use. This ii'.strument pulverises tiie soil, 

 and prepares it for corn crops, with one horse instead of four, 

 and will go over three acres a day at an expense of IO5. \d. to 

 lis. 4d. per acre only. He recommends the disuse of naked 

 summer fallows in almost all cases. The whole expense of his 

 cultivation for wheat, in rent, taxes, seed, cattle, labour, and 

 manure, for the present vear, is onlv hi, an acre; and his crop 

 of wheat, allowing only 20 bushels an acre, instead of 30 to 40, 

 as last harvest, will cost no more than 40j>. a quarter. The cost 

 of growing an acre of wheat in Sussex has been stated to i>e 

 16/. In Yorkshire 120 bushels of bones, at 2s. tit/, a bushel, 

 have been applied to one acre of land, to force crops of 32 to 

 3.T bushels. In ISlo, Mr. James Buxton, in evidence before the 

 House of Commons, showed, in three statements, tlKit the tire?'- 

 fl^^e expense fur an acre of wheat in Essex was 14/. 15^. \\d. 

 Lord Nugent, in his letter to Mr. Baker, in December last, writes, 

 " Farmers are sufferiiig, not because the produce is too chci-ip, 

 but because the means of raising it are too dear;" and adds — 

 " the more cheiiply the food of man can be supplied, surtly the 

 belter, if it be sold at a rate which will afford a fair return to him 

 who grows it/' General Bcatson, from all liis ex|)eriencc of 

 practice, is thoroughly convinced of the advantages of his method 

 over the old Sussex plan, with which he particulaily contrasts 

 it; and be a|)peals to the facts and result of the expense of his 

 cultivation, and llie produce of bis land, and its condition, at the 

 next harvest, of which the observation aiul the proofs will 1 e pal- 

 pable. A crop of wheat of averai^e produce, com|)ared w th si- 

 milar soils, and f;rown at a cost of 40v. a tjuarter, differs widely 

 from the common claim of 80». for a n niunerating price, and 

 the limit of protection from foreiun iirjoit; particidarly when 

 the very inodcrale))rodu('e of onlv 20 bus!. els an acre is calculated. 

 3 M'2 The 



