158 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



wedded to iheir own favorite opinions. But leaf- 

 less ol' this Ibrmidable consequence, I hereby in- 

 form the reader, that I shall still proceed in my 

 own candid way, assuring him, that all I aim at 

 is the truth. But as my paper is already a long 

 one, and 1 have an increasingly strong objection 

 to long communications as well as long speeches, 

 I will deler till my next what i have luriher to 

 say on Ihissubjeci. J. 11- Turner. 



ON GAYTING CLOVER. 



From the London Farmers' Magazine. 



Sir, — Properly securing the clover crop and 

 other artificial grasses is a very important agri- 

 cultural operation, particularly to those larmers 

 who may reside iti a humid climate. Ol)oerving 

 what I consider very erroneous opinions abroad 

 respecting the best method to be employed lor iie 

 proper security, 1 would respect;ully ofl'er a (ew 

 brief remarks on a short practice in this operation. 



On leaving a clay land larm a lew years ago, in 

 an exposed and arid situation, where there was 

 no difficulty in ordinarily lavorable seasons in 

 securing these crops in liiir condition, and remov- 

 ing to a turnip soil, producing hnavy crops of 

 seeds, in a close siiuation and moist atmosphere, 

 the seasons also being very wet and unfavorable, 

 1 had for the first three years a very great waste 

 in this description of hay. The fourth year (1839) 

 I had a beautiful crop of red clover, with a liitle 

 rye-grass ; and being again a very unfavorable 

 season, I was determined lotaUc every precaution 

 to secure it without injury. I was advised to 

 gayte or ruckle it (an operation which I will pre- 

 sently describe), as is sometimes practised by the 

 best farmers in this neighborhood, and I believe 

 in some parts of this riding of Yorkshire very ge- 

 nerally. The work is performed chiefly by 

 women, after the crop has been severed and laid 

 a day or two to dry on the top : the operator be- 

 ginning at that end ol the swathe which was firs' 

 cut, proceeds to roll ii up by the hands till a suffi- 

 cient sized sheaf is formed ; then pulling from the 

 top end a small band, which is tied round the top 

 partof the sheafso high as to admit the bottom 

 part being spread out and firmly placed on the 

 ground, in which direction it is left as perpendi- 

 cular as may be, which concludes the operation. 

 The gaytes should be placed in a straight line be- 

 tween the swathes, which gives it a neat appear- 

 ance, a well as being placed on ihi driest ground. 

 If possible, it is belter done when the grass is 

 dry on the top, but in precarious seasons I would 

 not hesitate to put it togeiher wet, as it will take 

 flir less harm in this way than being left on the 

 ground. The mowers should lay the swathes as 

 straight as possible, which greatly facilitates the 

 operation. 



The advantages attending this method are, first, 

 it requires no more labor till it is fit to carry, ex- 

 cept, perhaps, an occasional righting up, and at 

 the time of carting a woman or boy to pitch it 

 into heaps for loading, the rakers following ; 

 secondly, it effectually secures all the leaves and 

 seeds, scarcely a particle being lost, as happens in 

 wet seasons by repeatedly turning it ; and 

 thirdly, there is no season, however wet, in which 

 it will not retain its quality ; so much so, indeed, 



that in 1839 my seeds stood in gaytes for three 

 weeks of almost incessant rain, yet they were at 

 last secured so green and fine, it would have been 

 difficult to say, when using them, they had been 

 at all exposed. It is also the cheapest method, aa 

 a woman or strong lad will do an acre a day com- 

 pletely, even if the crop be large. 



From theiepori of the Farmers' Magazine, the 

 members ol the Framlingham Farmers' Club will 

 discuss this question again on the 24ih May, and 

 if any one of them will give this method only a 

 partial trial, I ;hink he will recommend it to his 

 neighbors as worthy an extended practice, being 

 the most economical, and securing both quality 

 and quantity. 



Should you deem these remarks worthy a place 

 in the Farmers' Magazine, I should be obliged by 

 their insertion. I am. Sir, your most obedient 

 servant, Anti-Haycock. 



Hall Garth Farm, ICildah, Jan. 26, 1842. 



FURTHER CONTRIBUTIONS TO OX^R RESOURCES 

 IN MANURE. STERCORIZED BARK FOR NI- 

 TROGEN AND PHOSPHATES. 



From the Cornwall Royal Gazette. 

 Sir, — Independent of theoretical or chemical 

 considerations, plain reasoning will indicate that 

 the excrements of animals should return to the 

 soil the refuse of their Ibod ; and consequently that 

 as cattle dung is an excellent manure for grass, so 

 night soil should be the most appropriate for corn. 

 And [he fad long known and acted upon by the 

 Chinese and Belgians, is becoming more and more 

 appreciated and employed in this country, though 

 its value is yet imperfectly understood. It appears 

 from Liebig, that the annual evacuations of' one 

 man (l|lb, per day liquid and solid— 5471bs.) are 

 sufficient manure lor an acre of wheat, and that 

 every pound ol' mine is equivalent to a pound of 

 wheat, estimating the produce per acre at four 

 quarters, (not too high for fair situations thus 

 manured,) and the annual consumptions at one 

 quarter per man (an over estimate) : it results, 

 that the excretions of one individual will supply 

 manure lor the consumption of four ; so much o.^ 

 the nourishment of the corn is derived from the 

 air. And hence some estimate may be formed of 

 the great increase of produce to be obtained by 

 due attention to the preservation of this article, 

 now drained to waste in such profusion into rivers 

 and the sea. And even in the modes of preserving 

 and using it, by the aid of lime, much of its am- 

 monia is wasted ; and it has before been shown, 

 that to the ammonia the corn owes its nitrogen, 

 the element on which we have most to depend for 

 improvement, both in quality and quantity. Lime 

 should no more be mixed with night soil, than with 

 gas liquor ; on the contrary, the matters added to 

 absorb the liquid, should have an acid tendency. 

 Gypsum does very well by double decomposition. 

 Peat earth is acidulous enough to fix the ammo- 

 nia, where at hand ; but in large towns, this earth 

 often requires pretty distant carriage. Refuse 

 bark is, however, generally produced in populous 

 place?, and is an incumbrance to the tanner, from 

 which he is obliged to contrive various methods for 

 relieving himself; amongst the rest burning, to the 

 great annoyance and suffering of the neighbor- 

 hood. 



