322 



JN E W i: N G L A IN D J^ A K M Jl. K 



APRIL. 14. 1S4I. 



Messrs Drewitt & Son say : 



"We are in doubt whether you did not misun- 

 derstand what we said as to its eifer.t, or rather its 

 non-effect, on our chalk soils for the turnip crop. 

 The chalk we cultivate is a very dry rubbly chalk, 

 without any admi.xturo of loam, and but little other 

 mould; and on tlii.s soil it had no effect on turnips, 

 though for every other crop it was admirable. And 

 what is a curious circumstance, and ratiier gratify- 

 ing, where it had no effect on the turnips last sea- 

 son, and where of course ihey were inferior, its ef- 

 fect en the succeeding crop of barley was very 

 great : it was superior to any other part of the 

 field. 



Its effect on the growth of corn, on land of every 

 description we cultivate, chalk as well as other 

 soils, is quite sufficient to induce iis to continue 

 the use of it. When we sowed it over our crops 

 last spring, the land and the weather were very dry, 

 and until rain fell, it had no effect ; but afterwards 

 it showed as usual, and produced an increase in 

 the wheat crop of nearly one third." 



Mr George Dewdney says : 



"Nitrate of soda has been used with various 

 success; in most instances amply repaying 'the 

 farmer, by yielding a much larger proportion of 

 grain and straw; in others, barely paying the cost 

 and expenses attending the use ; and in some a 

 complete failure, I may say positive loss, though I 

 am glad to add the latter instances are rare. 



" 'J'he benefit of nitrate on green crops I still 

 find to be great ; for where sown this last spring 

 on clover, pasture, and meadow ground, the crop 

 has been very superior, far surpassing the adjacent 

 lands. 1 have also a very high opinion of this kind 

 of manure, as a top-dressing on the Swede and tur- 

 nip crop, particularly on light land ; but recommend 

 it to be sown broadcast, at the usual rate of 1 1-4 

 cwt. pt;r acre, a few days after the seed is deposi- 

 ted. Where it has been drilled with the seed 

 mixed with ashes, I find the crop not so good as 

 where sown by hand. In two instances which have 

 come immediately under my notice, where a strip 

 of ground had been dressed with nitrate only, I ob- 

 served the plants throughout to be free from mil- 

 dew, whilst the adjoining pieces suffered much, 

 during the late dry weather. I am not at present 

 prepared to give an opinion as to its after effects, 

 except on grass ; that there is a better after-math 

 where nitrate has been used, is beyond doubt." 



David Barclay, Esq. says : 



" The experiments with nitVate of soda on my 

 own farm, during the present year, were made with 

 varying results, upon clover seeds, tares, sainfoin, 

 peas, beans, grass, Swedes, turnips, oats, barley, 

 and wheat. 



"On the clover tlie effect was equal to the rest 

 of the field dressed with farm-yard dung, at the 

 rate of 9 cartloads to the acre. 



"On tbe tares the effect was visible, but not suf- 

 ficient to pay for the cost of the nitrate. 



" On the sainfoin, the effect was perceptible, but 

 the improvement would not more than repay half 

 the cost of the nitrate. The same may be said of 

 the results of the experiments as applied to beans 

 and ))eas. 



" My farm is situated on the confines of the clay 

 and chalk formatiiins ; the soil of the western part 

 is mostly of a heavy description, with a subsoil of 

 stiff clay; the experiments made on this portion, 

 whether upon corner grasses, have been unsuc- 

 cessful, while those which have been made on the 



light land with the chalk subsoil have, with few 

 exceptions, been attended with beneficial results — 

 thus tending to confirm the opinion of the Harle- 

 ston Club : but, on the other hand, Mr Pusey's ex- 

 periments in Berkshire, and Mr Calvert's on the 

 stiff clay of the Weald of Surrey, furnish evidence 

 of a directly contrary tendency. Similar contra- 

 dictions are worthy of remark in the letters and 

 experiments which I have transcribed. Lord Zet- 

 land, in Yorkshire, and Mr Dewdney, in Surrey, 

 have experienced great benefit from the application 

 of nitrate of soda to meadow and pasture land: 

 whereas on my grass land it has been almost a 

 failure ; and Messrs Drewitt, it will be observed, 

 doubt if either upland or meadow grass will repay 

 the cost of this dressing. My experiments on 

 Swedes in 1839, and this year on turnips, have 

 been strikingly successful ; while those made in 

 Yorkshire by Lord Zetland and Mr Vansittiirt, have 

 altogether failed : how are we to account for such 

 remarkable discrepancies? — are they to be attribu- 

 ted to some peculiar properties in the different 

 soils ? — has climate any influence in these cases.' 

 or are these discrepancies to be attributed to varia- 

 tions in the mode of applying this manure, or to 

 accidental circumstances, such as the state of the 

 weather at the time of its application? Science 

 may throw much light on this inquiry ; and all 

 must unite in the hope expressed by our President, 

 "that men of science nho are competent to do it 

 justice, may be disposed to assist us by investiga- 

 ting the operation of manures and the food of plants." 

 " The singular variations in the results of many 

 actual experiments with nitrate of soda, by parties 

 seeking to advance the cause of agricultural im- 

 provement, are calculated to discourage the use of 

 it as a manure. It cannot, however, be doubted 

 that it has a very powerful action on vegetable 

 life; and by persevering in our experiments we 

 may hope, with the aid of science, to understand 

 the laws which govern it, and eventually arrive at 

 practical conclusions of great national importance." 



John Burgess, Esq. says : 



" I beg to communicate to you a few experi- 

 ments I have made upon my farm, which is stony 

 thin land with a substratum of chalk. I found the 

 saltpetre, which J only used on my wheat, gave an 

 increase of about five bushels to the acre, with a 

 considerable increase of straw. But 1 gave up the 

 saltiietre for the nitrate of soda ; and I believe I 

 am the first individual who lias tried it as a manure, 

 and have found it answer beyond my most san- 

 guine expectations. The quantity I have used has 

 been an hundred weight to the acre, both of the 

 saltpetre and the nitrate, as a top-dressing. The 

 first trial was in a field of eight acres of oats, using 

 the nitrate upon alternate lands, and where the 

 corn was thinnest, the increase was rather more 

 than two quarters to the acre, with abundance of 

 straw, and the sample the best, according to the 

 opinion of several farmers who came to. see the 

 field. I tried it upon my barleys, and I think I 

 had better success with them than with the oats, 

 and also upon a meadow. The mowers, with oth- 

 ers who came to see the effect of the application, 

 gave it as their opinion, that the increase was about 

 three quarters of a load to the acre. I used it last 

 year upon a field of six acres, four acres of which 

 had been dunged with the yard dung, (about eight 

 or ten loads to the acre, worth five shillings a load,) 

 for turnips, but to the other two acres I applied the 

 nitrate without any dung. To my great satisfac- 



tion I found that the turnips grew so fast that they 

 soon got out of the way of the fly, which had been 

 very destructive to the other parts of the field, and 

 indeed this was the only good piece in the field : 

 in this case the nitre was used soon after the tur- 

 nips were up. 



'i'his year I applied the nitre to my wheat, when 

 from the wet season and the wire-worm, the plant 

 was nearly destroyed, and I found it jiarticularly 

 beneficial, the wire-worm either being killed by 

 the application or forsaking the roots ; and, conse- 

 quently, I think I have above an average crop of 

 wheat. I have now growing a field of six acres 

 of turnips, remarkably fine, and without any other 

 manure than that of the nitre, and very superior to 

 my other turnip.s where I have used the yard-dung 

 in the (|uantity before stated ; in this case the nitre 

 was sowed a few days after the turnips, and before 

 they were up. 



'' I think from the numerous correspondents I 

 have had, in consequence of my recommendation, 

 that the application of the nitre as a manure is giv- 

 ing general satisfaction, and coming very much 

 into use. The best season for the application is as 

 soon as vegetation begins to feel the influence of 

 the spring, taking care to avoid frosty nights as 

 much as possible. Several farmers have informed 

 me they have found it better to apply the quantity 

 at two different times, one half when the corn first 

 begins to feel the influence of the spring, and the 

 other half about six weeks afterwards. 1 shall offer 

 no apology for my long detail, knowing your object 

 and that of your council is to obtain information." 



John Grey, Esq. says : 



"I applied nitrate of soda to a row of potatoes, 

 at an early period of their growth, 'i'he tops soon 

 showed the efl'ect, and far outstripped the adjoining 

 rows in growth ; but when the potatoes were taken 

 lip, the produce of that row was found to be less 

 than that of the others, both in weight and measure. 



" Tlie first action of the potato plant is to throw 

 out its top. The roots make their growth at a la- 

 ter period. It seems, in this instance, that the 

 stimulus of the nitrate had expended itself in the 

 earlier process ; and that, instead of being bene- 

 fited, the roots had suffered by the application — 

 probably from the greater shades and weight of 

 top." 



Inirodnction of Gardening. — A knowledge of 

 gardening was first introduced into England from 

 the Netherlands, and, until 1509, our vegetables 

 were imported from thence. Currants (or Corin- 

 thian grapes) were brought from the Isle of Zante, 

 then belonging to Venice, and planted in England 

 in 1535 ; about thirty years afterwards the Flem- 

 ings planted a number of flowers, unknown in Eng- 

 land, at Norwich and its vicinity, including gilly- 

 flowers, carnations, the Provence rose, &c. In 

 1552, grapes were brought into England, and plant- 

 ed in Bloxhall, in Suffolk; and in 1587, tulip roots 

 were brought from Vienna. Hops were sent over 

 from Artois in 1790, but five years elapsed before 

 they were in general use for malt liquors. — Eng- '^ 

 lish paper. 



Hurry and Cunning are the two apprentices of 

 Despatch and Skill ; but neither of them ever learn 

 their master's trade. — Lacon. 



Men will wrangle for religion, write for it, figiit 

 for it, die for it, any thing but — live fur it. — 76. 



