540 



FARMERS' REGISTER, 



[No. 9 



wrought generally by water, but has a six-horse I for rula ban-a than lighier soils. The ground, had 

 impelTingpower also aiideJ, which prevents incon- [got three ploughings, was harrowed, rolled and 

 venienee in the driest season; though, except in | hand picl<e<i, bll it was perliictly reduced, asid Iree 

 the summer months, andsomeiimes in autumn, a j olroot weeds, when it was lormed mio drills with 

 lull supply of water is rarely wantmg. The outer \ 27-inch intervals by a bout of the plouizh. into 



wheel is large, and placed on it gentle declivity, 

 affording the impelling power its liill weiirht, and 

 throwing ofl the water cleverly, without hanging 

 on or obstructing the velocity of the wheel by re- 

 maining in the 'ail dam. The barn or house in 

 which the corn is thrashed is of great dimensions, 

 being fifty feet in length, twenty-four in breadth, 

 and twenty feet in height of side-walls above the 

 lower floor, which gives a large stowage for 

 thrashing corn and offal, till time is allowed for 

 cleaning the whole by hand- fanners lor the market. 

 This is a convenience, I am told, too much neg- 

 lected in all the original houses ; and owing to the 

 want of It, thrashing must often be given up, till 

 the ottal or broke is arranged and put in less bulk. 

 I am informed that with wind machines, the want 

 of barn room has been Ibund a serious disadvan- 

 tage, as often the impelling power is lost before 

 matters can be put in order lor using it. But to 

 return Irom this digression. The drum of Mr. 

 Jamieson's machine is three feet in diameter, five 

 feet in length, armed with four scutchers or bea- 

 ters, and moves with the velocity of 2400 feet per 

 minute. To work this machine in a compleie 

 style, two men are required to feed the rollers ; 

 three girls or boys to open the sheaves, and hand 

 them to the thrashing board ; the same number 

 of women to riddle the grain in the under apart- 

 ment, and four men to remove and stack the straw. 

 Generally a woman also is employed to clean the 

 chaff-house and keep the offal in order. The corn 



the interval of these drills plenty of dung was de- 

 posUed, (Mr. JamicHon says thai ruta baga re- 

 quires almost doubU- the quantity of dung that is 

 sufficient for common turuijis) ; after which the 

 drills were split, and the dung completely covered, 

 when the seed- barrow was run upon the lo[), 

 which finished the operation. 



Mr. Jamieson mentioned two particulars which 

 deserve attention when ruta baga is sown. 1st, 

 That^j in Ibrming drills, the plough ought to go 

 deeper than when common turnips are intended, 

 so as a proper bed may be made for the extra 

 quantity of dung given, otherwise it will not be 

 sufficiently covered. 2dlij, That early sowing is 

 advantageous, so as the root may have time to 

 arrive at maturity. He added, that ruta baga is 

 a dull grovving plant, making slow progress in its 

 passage ; and that, if the field yellow turnip 

 maintain its character, he is not sure but he will 

 abandon the culture of rula baga altogether. 



The remainder of the break intended Ibrlurnipa 

 (90 acres) is in a forward state of preparation, 

 and is now harrowed down so procure the vege- 

 tation of annual weeds. The plain summer-fallow 

 break is cross-ploughed, and receiving the full 

 advantage o( the present dry weather. I presume 

 il vviil lie in this state till the seed is over; 

 through Elliot says, if a shower comes soon, he 

 will give it a trimming with his harrows, so as the 

 root weeds may tie loosened, and the growth of 

 mnuals forwarded. My squad, now reduced to six 



is broun-ht to the barn as wanted, by two one-horse men, are turning dunghills Irom morning to nighr, 



carts closely boarded. These usually have ful 

 employment ; and as a man is required lo cast or 

 take down the slack, altogether sixteen hands 

 and two horses are employed ; though, in point of 

 fact, the wages of two men and three irirls can 

 only be charged against the machine, becansethe 

 work of the others would have been equally called 

 for, had the grain been thrashed in the old way 

 by flails. 



The saving to the owner, when such machinps 

 arc employed, must, even in the first instance, be 

 considerable; and, when the perfect way in which 

 the grain is separated from the straw is taken into 

 account, perhaps it may be equal to one-fifth or one- 

 sixth of the gross produce. Fairbairn maintains 

 that the saving is greatest upon wheat, whirh Ibr- 

 merly, when hand flails were used, was with every 

 attention seldom thrashed clean, especially in cold 

 raw seasons. He adds, thai one humh-ed bolls, or fif- 

 ty quarters of wheat maybe thrashed in a day of 

 eisht hours, unless the grain has been sloomed or 

 mildewed ; and that with oats a still greater quan- 

 tity may be turned out. As the machine is provi- 

 ded with two pair of fanners, the grain is, in many 

 cases, fit for market after being once riddled ; but 

 the usual custom is to run it again through hand 

 fanners, Mr. Jamieson being very nice in the 

 dressing of his grain that is to be marketed. 



3fay 20. Yesterday and to day ten acres of the 

 turnip break were sown with ruta baga or Swedish 

 turnip for late spring food. The heaviest part of 

 the break was selected for this purpose, Mr. Ja- 

 mieson being of opinion, that a strong loam, if 

 incumbent on a dry bottom, is better calculated 



except when detached for incidental purposes, 

 iMaij 27. Mr. Jamieson has just furnished me 

 with a circumstantial detail of his bean liusbandry ; 

 some particulars of which must be interesting to 

 you. According to his mode of cropping, this 

 plant generally lollows oats after grass, when the 

 land may be supposed to be in good condition. He 

 first begins liy giving it a cross furrow, which is 

 taken as dcej) as the soil will allow. The field 

 is then completely water-furrowed; the end-furrows 

 and gaio-furrows being digged with the spade, in 

 which situation it is lel't for the winter. The mo- 

 m.eni that the ground can be worked in the spring 

 he harrows il according to circumstances, but 

 never breaks down too much at once, in case a 

 change of weatf.er should ensue. The ploughs 

 are then entered, and one drill-barrow allotted to 

 every three ploughs. By taking a nine-inch fur- 

 row, and running ihe barrow after the third plough, 

 an interval betwixt the rows of 27 inches is left; 

 and such an interval he thinks fully adequate for 

 admitting horse-hoes of every description. About 

 fourteen days after sowing, the ground is harrow- 

 ed and water-furrowed ; and in this slate it re- 

 mains till the yountr plants are fairly above the 

 surface, when the Dutch hoe or scraper is employ- 

 ed, as formerly mentioned. 



This is the mode of planting beans hitherto 

 exercised by Mr. Jamieson, but he has il in con- 

 templation to change it in an essential branch, 

 which, in favorable seasons, must undoubtedly be 

 beneficial. Instead of sowing with the first 

 spring-furrow, which, being taken ebb, does little 

 more than cover the seed, he means to give the 



