226 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



JAjr ;'4, Tsrg'' 



be removed from one place to nnollier. I have 

 iTKifle another house, quite close at the hotlom, so 

 us to fall six inches at the hiiKl part, with a trough 

 behind to catrh all the dung and urine, which are 

 to be mixed and put upon the land in a liquid 

 state : this is best calculated for ewe sheep. Ev- 

 ery person upon trial will soon find the good ef- 

 fects of tnaiHire thus properly applied. I aui con- 

 vinced, that ill many instances land is improved 

 by hearing crops, and will be enriched by this 

 method, always producing fresli and regular keep 

 for the slocU. 



As ten small sheep will eat as much meat as 

 one beast of a siiinll size, so ten large sheep will 

 consume as much as one larie lieast, and will 

 gain proportionahly nearly the same in weight, 

 witli equal quantities of foorl. 



There is a regular pio;ortion between a given 

 number of beasts and sheep, li^t the pri<-e of the 

 markets be as it may, as will be seen by the fol- 

 lowing statement : 



£. s. 

 Interest for use of huildlngs, 10 



For hay, in case of bad weather in the 

 winter to jirevent getting in the 



usual feed. 



From the profits of one acre of land, 

 Deduct total expenses as above, 



6 



1 cow, at 5 score per ') 2 

 :)ole I "a 



quarter, the wh 

 weighing 20 score, 

 or 4001b. 



cow, 7 score 10 lb. 

 per qur.rter will be 



10 elieep, which at 

 10 lb. [ler quar- 

 ter, will weigh 20 

 m / score, or 400 lb. 



lOslieqi, at 151b. per 

 quarter, weighing 

 in thewboleeOOlb. 



I* 



It 



Any persffli who shall attempt to feed stocW 

 portable bouses, without my plate affixed 

 wit4iout first taking out my certificate, will hf 

 an action commenced against him ; as 1 am 

 thorized, by His Majesty's warrant, to. have 

 exclusive right of this improved method of f« 

 ing stock, which is my own invention. 



10 sheep, at 20 lb. 

 [ver quarter, or 800 

 II). 



10 shee|i, at 10 lb. 

 per quarter, will 

 cost £10. 



[ 10 sheep, at 15 lb. per 

 I quarter, will cost 

 <{ £15. and l(i sheep, 

 I at 20 lb. [ler qiiar- 

 [ ter, will cost £20. 



6L0 11). 



I beast, 10 score per 

 quarter, will be 800 

 lb. 



So if 1 fresh cow, 5 

 score per quarter, 

 cost £10. 



Or if 1 cow, 7 score "^ 

 10 lb. per quarter [ 

 cost £15; or 1 beast \ 

 10 score per qiiar- | 

 ler, cost £20. J 



The proportion of sheep to the number of beasts 

 which any land properly managed vvill fatten is as 

 ten to one ; that is, for every single beast, ten 

 slieef) ; or for ten beasts, one hundred sheep, and 

 so on. 



According to my calculations, one acre of land 

 properly managed, will feed 24 beasts or 240 

 sheep, in one year. Now supposing we allow for 

 each beast or ten sheep 200 lb. of gt-iod whole- 

 some nutritious food in a day and night; and that 

 each beast or ten sheep get only four pounds in 

 weight in that time ; this will be an increase of 

 28 lb. a week, er 16 score 16 lb. in 84 days or 12 

 weeks, the time I allow for feeding. Allowing, 

 then, an average profit of sixpence per lb. each 

 beast or ten sheep will produce a clear profit of 

 £8. 8s. Total profit of 24 beasts or 240 sheep 

 will be £201 123. 



The expense of cultivating an acre of land will 

 be as follows : 



Rent of one acre of land. 



Tithe of ditto. 



Ploughing and kibbling, 



Taxe§, 



Plants, turnip seed, and planting. 



Labour and looking after the stock, 



Allowance for lime, 



Allowance for the houses, which may 

 cost £10, but which will last five 

 years; yearly average, therefoie, 



2 



Leaves a possible gain of 



As I have made a moderate calculation of profit, 

 and a very handsome allowance fiir rent and other 

 expenses, every unprejudiced reader must be con- 

 vinced of the advantages of this New System of 

 Agriculture. Not that I mean to say that every 

 acre of land will produce the same weight of A:cf;); 

 for it is readily admitted that there is a very great 

 difference in the fertility of soils ; but I will afiirm 

 that much depends upon managefnent, and that 

 the System now proposed will be found upon trial 

 vastly superior to any other ever yet acted upon. 

 Even this plan is, doubtless, capable of improve- 

 ment, and it will give me great satisfaction here- 

 after to see it improved by any gentleman who 

 may pay due attention to it. 



it will be a great consolation to me, if by this 

 informaticn I have been in any measure able to 

 serve my country ; but I naturally hojic, never- 

 theless, to receive some remuneration for the great 

 anxiety, trouble, and expense to which I have 

 beeis subjected by actual experiments to reduce my 

 theory to practice. I am persuaded that my plan 

 will not only produce greater crops than any oth- 

 er System, but also with greater certainty render 

 different kinds of lands more fertile than any other 

 method of cultivation. 



For this discovery. His Majesty has been gra- 

 ciously pleased to grant me his letters patent ; 

 which patent was attended with very considerable 

 expense, I will give every encouragement to all 

 well-disposed persons who wish to raise plenty to 

 supply the wants of their fellow creatures, by 

 means of the |iortahle houses, for which I have 

 obtained the patent. 



If stalls lie fixed at any part of an acre of land, 

 the expense of carrying \\ic keep and properly dis- 

 posing of the manure made by the stock, will at a 

 moderate calculation amount to £15 per acre [ier 

 annum, besides the injury done to the land theie- 

 by in a wet season. I will therefore permit any 

 person to work any number of portable beast 

 houses, upon the following terms, viz : for every 

 such house not holding more than one beast at a 

 time, 10s. per annum; and for every portable 

 sheep cot not holding moie than five sheep at a 

 time, 5s. per annum ; and forevery such cot hold- 

 ing not more than ten sheep at a time, 10s. per 

 annum, and so in proportion for any greater num- 

 ber of sheep each cot may contain. And I hereby 

 give notice that all such portable houses shall have 

 fixed upon Ihem, a plate with the fiillowing in- 

 scription, "^'7(/flt»i's patent jiorlahle beast houses and 

 sheep cols" which shall be signed only by the pa- 

 tentee. An agent will immediately be appointed 

 in every county town, to grant the proper certifi- 

 cates (signed only by the patentee) to any person 

 requiring and paying for the same ; and likewise 

 to sell the proper plates lo be affixed to each 

 house or cot, specifying the number of beasts or 

 sheep allowed by the patentee's certificate. 



PEAT EARTH AND PEAT ASHES, 



Important sources of fertility lo the Farmer. 

 Peat earth and swamp muck from our mars 

 and swamps, are composed principally of deca, 

 vegetable matters, washed in from higher grout 

 or the remains of aquatic plants, which h 

 grown and decomposed on the spot. Theyaln 

 invariably constitute a valuable manure tor 

 lands, and may be rendered fertile in their pi 

 of deposite — wlien brought into a soluble slate 

 fermentation, or reduced to ashes by fire. Tl; 

 deposites of vegetable matter are often the ac 

 mulation of centuries, and have been preser 

 from ordinary decay, by the presence of too m 

 water, and too little heat and air, until they h 

 become so antiseptic in their quality, as to n 

 putrefaction in many cases, even when laid ( 

 until they are brought in C(jntact with fermen 

 substances, or chani:ed in their nature by the 

 tion of fire. These agents it is the province 

 interest of the farmer to ajiply. And to insti 

 him in the mode of emplcjing these great au 

 iaries of fertility, is the object of this article, 

 of other articles which we design to give in 

 future numbers. 



The first step in this process, is to drain ' 

 the ground where this earth is deposited, or 

 accumulated ; or, if this is impracticable, to 

 move the earth to dry ground. 



The second step is, if the change is to be el 

 ted by fermentation, to mix with other suhstai 

 which will readily ferment, or induce fermei 

 lion remotely. 'Ibis may he done by toji-d 

 sing, or by composts. The latter is enqilo 

 when the object is to enrich np-land, and the 

 mei when the intention is to render the chai 

 marsh or swamp fertile. The best compo^ 

 made of one part unfermenled manure, tmii tl 

 parts of swamp earth, plaeeil in alternate strati 

 the height of four to six feet. When the teni] 

 ature of the centre of the mass has reached 81 

 90 degrees, which may be ascertained by a 81 

 shoved in, and left to acquire the teiiipeiiituri 

 the pile, fenuentalion has sufKciunlly |]rogres( 

 and the whole may be mixe<l and applied to, 

 soil with certain advantage. J 



(iJouiposts may in like manner, by niade I 

 lime, greei) vegetable matter and . ashes, aiidj 

 fermentation accelerated by urine, soap-smis, i 

 water, kitehen-vvasb, &c. J 



Fermentation may be induced by carting^ 

 earth to the cattle yards, and spreading it tO( 

 depth of eight inches or less, to become incdj 

 rated, by the tread of cattle, with their dung 

 and the liquids of the yard. And it may Itj 

 duced remotely, by s|)reading the swamp 

 immediately upon the iipknd, especially if t 

 and dry, where it becomes mixed with the v^ 

 table matters of the soil, and with them undel'g 

 the desired change. 



'Jo induce fertility in a peaty soil, aficr it 

 been laid dry, a good dressing of long manure, 

 of lime, are eflectual ; and often a mixture 

 three or four inches of sand with the upper e 

 turn, has proved highly efiicacious. Paring i 



