214 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 4 



Accordinf;; to Ji clieiiiica! analy?!.--, 100 parts 

 of (he Madia oil loiisisl ol -15 parts ol' oicine (or 

 fluid part ol' the oil), ^Ool strariiic (the mucihige, 

 or laity part), and 15 ol' gl}rerine (or sweet soHd 

 part, a houey-hke and gluiiiioussubsiaiice). This 

 oil does Motcongeal at below 10° Reaumur, but 

 only becomes a little less fluid, which makes it an 

 incomparable substance Tor kee|)ing all sorts of 

 machines in order; and there can likewise be a 

 solid and well lathering soap made of it. That 

 it may be advantageously used in cloth manufac- 

 tories has been proved by experiments already 

 made, by which it was lound prelerable to the 

 olive oil, which had been previously used. The 

 produce of this annual oil-plant, if compared with 

 that of the rape and the pojipy, leads to the fol- 

 lowing conclusions: 



The rape, which attains its perfection only in 

 the second year, produces from 4 to 5 schefliil ol 

 seed per acre, and but seldom succeeds well. One 

 scheli'el of rape-seed gives 96 lb. of oil j therefore, 

 one acre, in the space ol two years, produces 480 

 lb. of oil, which makes for one year 240 lb. 



One acre sown wiih poppies gives from 2^ to 3 

 scheft'el of seed ; from one of which are obtain- 

 ed 88 lb. of oil, which gives a produce of 264 lb. 

 per acre yearly. 



One acre cullivated with Madia sat'iva, which 

 ripens generally towards the end of Jt>Iy, pro- 

 jduces from 4 to 6| w.heffol of seed. One scheflel 

 gives 68 lb. of oil, therefore 6^ scheflel make a 

 broduce of 442 lb. of oil. 



For all these reasons, it is to be hoped that 

 •the Madia sativa will soon take that place in our 

 agriculture, to which, by its usefulness, it is justly 

 .entitled ; and which, also, our sovereign (the king 

 of VVitemburg) has already acknowledged, by 

 rewarding with a gold medal the merit ol' M. 

 Bosch, in introducing a plant into field-culture 

 which promises to become uncommonly useful, 

 not only to our agriculture, but to our manufac- 

 tures and trades. To make this important article 

 as general as p-asible, I have a quantity of its 

 peed lor sale ; and, for the convenience of llie En- 

 glish agriculturist, I have made an ofler to Mr. 

 Charlwood to undertake the sale of it in England. 



Stattgard, Dec. 30, 1838. 



From Young's Agricultural Travels in rraiice. 

 FISII-l'OXDS I.\ FUANCE. 



Sologne. — This province abounds very much 

 with ponds of all sizes, which let at Horn 5 liv. to 

 12 liv. the arpent. 



Bourbonnois. — Moulins. — 'I'hrough every part 

 of this province, which 1 saw in crossing' it in 

 two directions, the number of fish-ponds 1s very 

 considerable, 'j'he country, though in exieusive 

 views flat to the eye, is, on a nearer examination, 

 found to swell into a variety ofgentle inequaliiies, 

 which form valleys, with small brooks, springs, or 

 streams, in them, as eligible for a residenctT, and 

 agreeable to the eye. as it would be beneficial 

 .to cultivation, if they knew how lo apply I hem. 

 Mounds are made across ihcse little vales, to f()rm 

 ponds ; and there are mills at their heads, when 

 the streams are considerable enough. I'hese 

 ponds are from two or three to ten, twenty, and 

 thirty acres, and some a great deal more. They 

 are ail fished regularly every second or third year, 



and ihe fish sold, at so much a thousand, lo the 

 merchants, who send them, by the Allier, Loire, 

 canal of llriare, and Seine, to Paris. On one es- 

 tate, 1 saw eight ponds, that paid 800 liv. ; on an- 

 other, fijur paid 800 liv. ; and, on a farm of about 

 400 acres, four ponds paid 1000 liv. Water de- 

 ceives one so much in guessing the superficies, 

 that I may be erroneous (for notliing is neasured 

 in this province) ; but 1 should guess, that land 

 under water paid 20 liv. an acre at least, instead 

 of 3 liv, which is the more common net produce 

 of the country; and, at the same time tliat ihe 

 proprietor receives ihis superior benefit, his table 

 is, by the terms of the contract with the merchant, 

 who stocks the ponds himsellj allowed to be am- 

 ply supplied. 



Bresse. — The ponds of this little province and 

 Dombes, cover 66 leagues square of country, and 

 are found terrible to population, from the efl'ect 

 they have on the climate.* In 1764, ponds in 

 France generally let at 5 liv. to 7 Ziu. per arpent.f 



The management of ponds is vastly belter un- 

 derstood in France than it is in England, both as 

 to stocking, adapting the sort of fish to ihe soil, 

 clearing the ponds, emptying, fishing, &c. &i-. 

 In all catholic countries, fish is of more impor- 

 tance than in protestant ones, and this occasions 

 more attention being paid to them. 



From Notes ou tlie Agriculture of Lombardy. 

 EXAMPLE OF TUB IIGARDING SYSTEM, SUB- 

 STITUTED FOR THE BORROWIKG SYSTEM 

 OF GOVERNMENTS. 



In an age in which the sovereigns of Europe 

 are incumbered, and some of them ruined, by 

 debts, a contrary conduct deserves considerable 

 attention. The Duke of Modena, for ten years 

 past, has practised a very wise economy : he is 

 supposed, on good authoriiy, lo have saved about 

 a million oi' zecchins, (475,0001.) and he continues 

 to save in the same proportion. I'his is a very 

 singular circumstance, and the eflect of it is ob- 

 servable ; lor 1 was assured at Modena, that this 

 treasure was much greater than the whcle circu- 

 laiing currency of ihe duchy; and they spoke of 

 it as a very mischievous thing, to withdraw from 

 circulation and use, so considerable a suni, occa- 

 sioning jirices generally to rise, and every thing to 

 be dear. By repeated inquiries, 1 found this dear- 

 ness was nothing more than what is found in the 

 states around, which have all experienced, more 

 or less, a considerable rise ol prices in ten years, 

 iiut how could withdrawing m one}' from circula- 

 tion raise prices] It ought, on the contrary, in a 

 country that has no paper-money, to lower them. 

 That this efl'ect did not follow, we may easily con- 

 clude, from these complaints. Biit the very per- 

 sons who complained of this treasure could not as- 

 sert that money was more wanted in the ducliy 

 than before it was begun to be saved. They 

 even gave a proof to the contrary, by affirming 

 the rate of interest to be ai present 4| per cent, 

 only. Upon the whole, the eflfect is evidently 

 harmless; and it is a most curious /iict in politics, 



* Observ. siir L'Jgricult. par Mons. Varenne de Fe- 

 nille, p. 270. 



t Chanvalon Manuel des Champs. 12ino. P. 363. 



