614 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 10 



soil is supposed to be sufficiently ameliorated, the 

 young trees are grubbed up, the stems are made 

 into lao'gots and sold for firewood, and the leaves 

 and smail branches are burned on the spot and the 

 ashes carelully s|)read on the soil where they act 

 as a very stinfiulaliiu^ manure, The ground is 

 then ploughed and sown ^s'ith a corn crop — gene- 

 rally oats, a regular rotation of cropping ensues, 

 and (has the land is permanently reclaimed. 



Those moors which I saw, looked very poor and 

 imterlile. The heath was short and stunted, and 

 where the soil was recently turned up, it looked as 

 white as a newly limed field. In short, it seemed 

 little better than pure sand, which, however, had 

 the greasy leel peculiar to alluvial soils, and in 

 some places there was a ihin stratum of peat earth 

 above the sand. The lately planted oaks looked 

 exactly like nursery ground, and the older like 

 very thick coppice, so that this mode of improving 

 produces immediate beauty. A i'ew of the trees 

 of the outside rows are sometimes left to grow to 

 timber, hut too frequently the oaks are cut out to 

 make room- for willows and poplars, which afibrd a 

 larger quantity of firewood. I could not get any 

 distinct account of the expense of this mode of 

 improvement; but, as firewood is very dear in 

 Belgium, I should expect that the faggots sold 

 would amply repay the price of the seedlings, and I 

 the expense of planting and grubbing them up. I 

 There is no other expense in the process, until the } 

 ploughing and sowing, which, of course, ought to 

 be charged against the ensuing crop. I was in- 

 formed that a large portion of what is now arable 

 land in Brabant, was in the state of a barren 

 moor, even within the memory of persons yet 

 alive, and had been reclaimed in the manner now 

 described. 



There may be situations in Scotland far remov- 

 ed from supplies of manure where this process 

 would succeed and pay. We all know the effect 

 of larch plantations in extirpating heath, and pro- 

 ducing good pasture, where little or none existed 

 before. 



The Belgian farmers are not contented with one 

 good crop in the year ; they contrive to have two 

 from a considerable part of their land. Wheat 

 and rye are sown in autumn ; in February or 

 March, carrot seeds are sown among the braird, 

 and the best time for doing this is when the ground 

 is covered with snow; when the snow melts, the 

 seeds are carried down into the soil, and if there 

 be no snow, the best time is during a heavy fall of 

 rain. The carrots spring and grow under the 

 grain. A wide toothed wooden harrow is drawn 

 over the ground, which slightly stirs the soil and 

 loosens the stubble. The latter is carefully pulled 

 up with the hand and removed fi-om the ground, 

 and the carrots when necessary, are thinned. 

 They grow rapidly after getting the ground to 

 themselves, and produce a large supply of winter 

 food. The objection which naturally occurs to 

 this plan in any country, is, that it is too much for 

 the soil to carry two crops at one time ; but it must 

 be noticed, that the corn crop draws its nourish- 

 ment from the upper part of the soil, whilst the 

 carrot roots pentrate much deeper and feed upon a 

 lower stratum. 



Turnips are sown after the cutting down of the 

 grain crops, but the harvest is so early in Belgium 

 that tlie stubble is ploughed in, and the turnip 

 generally sown by the 15th or 20th July. All 



those I saw were broadcast. After corn, they also 

 frequently sow spurry ; a plant with us considered 

 utterl}' unworthy of cuhivation, but so much es- 

 teemed in Belgium that [ found there is a law 

 against exporting the seed. 



The collection and preservation of manure is 

 unquestionably the chief excellence of Belgian 

 farming, and the subject on which we may d^'rive 

 most instruction from attending to these practices. 

 When they have the means oi' procuring distillery 

 refuse or any other liquid manure, they ibrm small 

 tanks for receiving it. These are built of brick, 

 (bur or six together, about seven leet deep, and 

 each division fi-om six to ten feet long, and six or 

 seven feet wide; when empty ihey are neatly 

 whitewashed inside. I do not know why they 

 are not rectangular, but I saw none which were 

 so. .All sorts of liquid manures are conveyed 

 from the large towns by the rivers and canals to a 

 considerable distance, and bring a large price. 

 They are bestowed chiefly on the young brairds, 

 or, as it was expressed to me, "the whole spring 

 they are constantly watering their braird with 

 liquid manure, driving carts, with barrels, across 

 their fields in every direction, and showering it upon 

 their young crops," that is, if they have a sufficient 

 quantity of' it, they go over al! their corn crops re- 

 peatedly with it during spring. The effect of this 

 must be very beneficial — but the farmer must and 

 ought to depend principally on the produce of his 

 own farm-yard for his manure, and it is here that 

 the Belgian system is so admirable. The follow- 

 ing sketch oi' the ordinary mode of arranging a 

 house, will assist in understanding their mode of 

 proceding. 



a h 



a, Ho'.ise-door. b, Larsje fire place, c. Door to 

 Cow-hou^e. d. Part of Kitchen dt-voted to churning, 

 &c. e. Tank for distillery grains : this does not always 

 occur. /, Stalls tor cattle, very slightly divided, g, 

 Dungpit. h h. Doors of Dungpit, wide enongh to ad- 

 mit a cart, k. Dog- wheel for'churning. I, Cowhouse, 

 m. Large apartment for cooking, eating and working. 

 0, Sleeping apartments, x x x x, Outer walls of 

 house. The barns, stables, &c. are generally detached. 

 The iar^ie space over the rooms and under the roof is 

 used for keeping hemp, ilax, &c. until they are dress- 

 ed. The width of the whole may be from 40 to 50 

 feet. 



It will be seen that the dwelling-house and cow- 

 house are contiguous. The kitchen or Itimilj^room 

 is a very large apartment, one end ofit is appropri- 

 ated tochurning, &c., and on the side next the cow- 

 house is a very large fire-place, or hearth, in one 

 corner of which, will invariably be found a fire 



