HUSBANDRY. 



HYACINTH. 



tattoo, and U considered by many w till well worth consulting. A 

 variety of authors on different put* of husbandry wrote about thin 

 time, in consequence of the frequent famine* which aroM in Italy 

 from a very imperfect state of huibandry. The Vinti Hiomate dell 1 

 AgricolturV Venetia, 1569, which had been ftnt publuhed in 1650, 

 under the title of ' Deci Qiornato,' went through more than twenty 

 editions in Italy, beaidei being often translated. The author ridiculed 

 the foolish astrological notions prevalent at the time, and his work is 

 full of good sense. But all these writers had little influence on the 

 improvement of the actual practice of husbandry in Italy. If a spirited 

 proprietor attempted to introduce improvements, the prejudices and 

 obstinacy of the country people soon disheartened him, and to this day 

 the system* adopted are extremely defective, if there be any system at 

 all. In many places the ploughman still stands on the heel of the 

 plough to keep it in the ground, and a straight furrow is not thought of. 

 The earth is scratched rather than tilled ; and if good crops arise from 

 the natural fertility of the soil, they are generally choked with weeds 

 before harvest. 



An attempt had been made by Leo X. to drain the Pontine marshes, 

 and it was renewed in 1586 by Sextus V. Pius VI. spent great Bums 

 on the same object; but to this day little has been effected; and 

 instmd of the fertile plain which once was covered with a golden 

 harvest, there is nothing but a dreary marsh producing pestilential 

 vapours pregnant with disease. Sicily and Sardinia, once the granaries 

 of Home, now produce only a very small quantity of corn. The best 

 cultivated district* in Italy are Piedmont, Lombardy, Tuscany, and 

 the country about Ferrara ; but, except in the two first, they are 

 behind the greater part of Europe in the management of a farm. 

 The proprietor of the land, if he does not cultivate it by his own 

 servant)!, is usually the proprietor of all the live stock and implements 

 of the farm. 



IlutbaHiiry of Spain. Spain possesses a considerable extent of 

 fruitful soil, and the husbandry of the Romans, which the irruption of 

 the barbarians had interrupted, was in some measure revived by the 

 Moors. When they were expelled, Spain lost many industrious 

 husbandmen and manufacturers. A work on husbandry by a Moor, 

 called Ebd-el-awam, who is supposed to have lived about the 13th 

 century, was published with a Spanish translation at Madrid in 

 1802, and does credit to the agricultural knowledge of the author. 

 The cultivation of the sugar-cane and of saffron are mentioned in 

 this work. 



Herrera, who wrote on husbandry at the desire of Cardinal Ximenes, 

 U one of the most esteemed authors of his time. His works have been 

 frequently rr published ; and are now in great reputation, and looked 

 upon as quite classical in agricultural literature. He lament* that 

 mules are generally used in Spain for the plough and other purposes 

 of husbandry, instead of the ox. But Herrera did not succeed in 

 changing the custom ; and mules are still in general use. The great 

 object of attention in Spain is the production of fine wool ; and the 

 privileges given to the Mesta, a kind of corporation of shepherds, tend 

 greatly to retard the introduction of a better cultivation. The Merino 

 breed of sheep is said to have been imported originally from Britain. 

 But it is evident that, if it is necessary to its perfection that the flocks 

 should run over half the kingdom every year, the profit made by the 

 exportation of fine wool is dearly purchased by the disadvantages of a 

 miserable state of agriculture. Instead of, as from the character ol 

 the country she ought, producing a superabundance of grain and sup- 

 plying other countries, Spain is obliged frequently to import corn in 

 order to prevent a scarcity. The state of Portugal is not better, and 

 the vine is the only plant of which the cultivation is moderately 

 well understood in the whole of the peninsula. 



Hmbandry of Germany. The husbandry of Germany varies greatly 

 in such an extent of country. In the time of Tacitus half the country 

 was covered with impenetrable woods. As population extended the 

 forest* were cut down, and the sickle succeeded to the axe. The 

 republic of the Swiss cantons and the Hanseatic towns gave the first 

 examples of encouragement to husbandry. In 1571 the work ol 

 Heresbach, entitled ' Kei Kusticsc,' libri iv., was reprinted at Cologne. 

 Heresbach was bom in the duchy of Cleves in 1509, and is considered 

 the father of husbandry in Germany. 



Augustus I., elector of Saxony, wrote a treatise on the cultivation ol 

 the vine, which was published in 1686, entitled ' Churfursten's Augusti 

 ru Sachsen Obstgartenbuchlein.' 



In Prussia, Mecklenburg, and Holstein, husbandry has mode the 

 greatest progress in modern times. The Prussian government, from 

 the time of Frederick the Great, has taken agriculture under its 

 special protection. In Prussia there are several schools of agriculture 

 where this art is taught on scientific principles, and where the practice 

 U shown on large farms. That of Mogelin, over which A. Thaer 

 presided, became conspicuous from the excellent work on rational 

 husbandry, ' Rationellen Landwirthschaft,' which he published. The 

 introduction of the Dutch system of dairying in Holstein, and the 

 breeding of fine horses there, has given a reputation to this part of the 

 Danish dominions. In Bavaria, Jong the bank* of the Rhine, from 

 Bawl to Darmstadt, there is a fine fertile plain which is cultivated with 

 some can; and although subjected generally to the triennial system 

 (which is called in England the threc-course shift), the husbandry of 

 that part of Germany is not to be despised. In Switzerland the 



management of grass-lands and water-meadows is carried to great per- 

 fection. The cultivation of lucern and sainfoin U very general; 

 potatoes are raised to a vary considerable amount ; and the soiling of 

 cattle in the stables is universal. The scientific writers of Geneva have 

 contributed greatly to throw light on the theory of vegetation ; and it 

 s scarcely necessary to mention Theodore de Saussure, Pictet, De Can- 

 dolle, and Macaire, as men who have contributed more than any others 

 to explain the functions of vegetable life. 



As a practical promoter of husbandry, we cannot pus over M. de 

 Fellenberg at Hofwyl, near Bern. On an estate of about 300 acre* he 

 put in practice nearly all that ha* been written by the most esteemed 

 writers, taking Thaer as his text-book, and making himself acquainted 

 with the best modern writers. He established an agricultural school 

 for poor children, as a part of his great plan for general education, 

 and his example has perhaps done more to promote good practical 

 husbandry in his native country than all the works of the most 

 eminent writers. 



Belgium has always been foremost among agricultural countries. In 

 1600 the Flemings were considered the best husbandmen in Europe. 

 There are no early writers on husbandry in this agricultural nation, 

 but all travellers bear witness to their industry and to the perfection of 

 their agriculture. They were probably the first in modern times who 

 cultivated turnips in the field to feed cattle in winter ; and wli. in tin- 

 north of Europe, kept their cattle in the stables all the year round and 

 cut green food for them, as had been done from time immemorial in 

 southern climates, on account of the excessive heat of the day and the 

 annoyance of flies. The Belgians are now far advanced beyond most 

 other nations of Europe in the application and economy of manure. 

 They fully make up by incessant attention and indefatigable industry 

 for the inferiority of their climate to that of Italy or Spain, and their 

 land produces abundantly every necessary of life. 



Huibandry of Pranct. France has always been looked upon as a 

 country peculiarly agricultural. The climate, partaking of that of the 

 north and the south, favours the cultivation of plants both of the 

 warmer and of the colder regions. Charles Estienne is the first 

 French writer on agricultural subjects whose works were published 

 Boon after the revival of letters'; but, together with many useful 

 maxims which he has copied from the ancient authors, he has 

 repeated the most absurd superstitions. His works were collected and 

 published in 1554, under the title of 'Pncdium Rusticiun;' and in 

 1565 he published his work called ' L' Agriculture ct la Maison Rus- 

 tique.' This work was reprinted, with additions, by his son-in-law, 

 Jean Libeaut, in 1570. But the author, who is still considered as the 

 father of French husbandry, is Olivier de Sen-en, a gentleman ( 

 fortune, proprietor of the seigneurie of Pradel, near Villeneuve de 

 Berg, in Languedoc. He was a friend of Sully, the faVourite minister 

 of Henry IV.; and, at his request, about the year 1600, he wrote a 

 work on husbandry, under the title of ' Theatre d' Agriculture et 

 Message des Champs,' a work in which he shows a thorough knowledge 

 of the great principles of husbandry. Subsequent writers on agriculture 

 have been far too numerous to specify. Until recently, however, their 

 influence was extremely small. But of late years a great ameli 

 has taken place, and the desire to promote practical improvements in 

 husbandry appears to be steadily gaining ground, though the culture 

 of a large part of the country is still in a very backward state. Agri- 

 cultural schools and veterinary colleges have been multiplied ; model 

 farms on a very extensive scale have been established in many places 

 by the Government, and by wealthy proprietors of land; extensive 

 reclamations have been made of waste lands; better modes of cultivn 

 tion are widely adopted, and the corn-produce has largely increased, 

 partly in consequence of the abolition of the corn-laws in En 

 which has led the French farmer to look to the advantages offer.. 1 1>y 

 new foreign markets, but partly altto as a result of the increased 

 facilities offered by the construction of railways for reaching distant 

 home markets. Much greater attention lias also been paid of late 

 years to improving the native breeds of stock ; and a better class of 

 agricultural implements is gradually coming into use. 



HYACINTH, a favourite flower in gardens, is the ffi/itcintkm orient- 

 alii of botanists, a bulbous plant, found wild on the mountains of 

 Persia, and remarkable both for ita fragrance and the facility with 

 which it varies in the colour, size, and construction of its flower* \\ ln-n 

 raised from seed. 



Few spring flowers ore more worthy of cultivation than the hyacinth, 

 whether we regard ita varied shades of rich colour or the sweetness of 

 its perfume. The Dutch gardeners have been celebrated for the hi^h 

 state of perfection to which they grow it, and for the monopoly tin -y 

 have secured in the sale of the bulbs, which have even acquired in tin- 

 shops the familiar name of Dutch roots. The soil and climate of 

 Holland seem to be peculiarly adapted to the plant, for however well 

 imported roots may flower in England for the first season, they soon 

 degenerate and become worthless. It is however probable tli.it this 

 arises from want of skill in our cultivation, rather than from anything 

 unfavourable in our climate : for some gardeners have been successful 

 in growing the same roots for several yean in succession. Mr. Herbert 

 says, " I produced for several years successively, at my villa in Surrey, 

 where I had the advantage of the vicinity of the fine sand of Shirl.-y 

 Common, hyacinth flowers fully equal, if not superior, to those obtained 

 from the best Dutch bulbs." As experience is in all respects the surest 



