FARMERS' REGISTER— MANGEL WURTZEL. 



20 



authority, I enclose, to be inserted in "The Far- 

 mers' Magazine." It is an article that has hither- 

 to been much neglected in Scotland; — though it 

 would seem well entitled to attention. The pro- 

 priety of applying this manure depends much upon 

 the dififerent effects of mild and of caustic lime. 

 It is well known that mild lime may be safely ap- 

 plied in cases Avhere the land has been exhausted 

 by the use of caustic lime; for instance, the scrap- 

 ings of roads, made of limestone, though the caus- 

 tic lime from that very stone would be injurious. 

 Mild lime has been advantageously used, mixed 

 with dung, for potatoes, and, instead of rendering 

 them scabby, improves the crop. INIild lime may 

 likewise be used in compost with dunghills; and 

 it does not, in that state, injure the dung, as caus- 

 tic lime would do. Pounded oyster shells, con- 

 sisting entirely of calcareous matter, would evi- 

 dently be more useful than 'Scrapings of roads or 

 pounded limestone ; more especially as, with the 

 shells, there may be a small mixture of saline par- 

 ticles, or of animal matter. 



I hope that some spirited agriculturists will be 

 induced, from these hints, to try some experiments 

 with powdered oyster or other shells; and to com- 

 municate the result to the public, in your valuable 

 repository. I am, &c. joiix sikclair. 



Ormly Lodge, Ham Common, Surry, ? 

 2-Lth September, IS 18. S 



Extract of a letter from Mi-. Blaikie, of Holkham, to 

 Sir John Sinclair, dated 18th September, IS 18. 



" Oyster shells povnided or bruised, (without 

 having been burned,) were first used upon Mr. 

 Coke's farm, as a manure, in the year 1816. In 

 the summer of that year, the experiment was tried 

 upon a hungry, light, sandy soil, which had been 

 cleaned for turnips. The oyster-shell dust, or pow- 

 der, was drilled in the usual way, upon twciity- 

 seven-inch ridges, at the rate of Ibrty bushels per 

 acre, (without any other manure) was slightly 

 covered with earth, and the turnip-seed sown upon 

 it. Another part of the same field, quality of land 

 equal, was manured with farm-yard dung at the 

 rate of eight tons per acre, put into the same sized 

 ridges, and sown with turnip-seed as before de- 

 scribed, (no other manure having been applied.) 

 The turnips proved a good crop on both pieces ; 

 nor were there any perceptible difference in the 

 bulk, (but the produce was not weighed.) The 

 turnips were all ate upon the ground by sheep ; 

 and the succeeding crop (barley) was good on both, 

 and apparently equal : but the produce was not 

 thraslied separate. The seeds, or layer, (crop of 

 clover,) in the present season (an. 1818) is a good 

 plant, and appears equally so. It is eaten by 

 sheep. 



In this experiment, so far as it goes, it appears 

 that forty bushels of oyster-shell powder is equal 

 in virtue as a manure, to eight tons of farm-yard 

 dung, at least for the purjwse to which it was ap- 

 plied. 



In the autumn of 1816, pounded oyster shells 

 were tried as a manure for -wheat, in competition 

 with rape-cake powdered. The experiment was 

 upon a one year's clover layer, the wheat sown 

 after one ploughing — the soil a kind, light, gravelly 

 loam. Oyster-shell powder, at the rate of 4 cwt. 

 per acre, Avas drilled with the wheat seed on one 

 part of the field, and, on another part, (of tlie same 

 quality) rape-cake dust was drilled with the whe<xt 



at the same rate per acre as the shell powder : no 

 other manure was applied to either part. The cro[) 

 of wheat was good, nor was there any perceptible 

 difference upon the ground ; but the produce was 

 not thrashed sejjarate. A similar experiment was 

 tried upon the same wheat field, the manure ap- 

 plied at spring. The operation as follows. The 

 wheat seed was sown, xcithout any manure, in the 

 autumn of 181G ; and in the spring of 1817, rape- 

 cake dust, at the late of 4 cwt. per acre, was 

 drilled between the rows of Avlieat; at same time, 

 an equal weiglit of shell-powder was applied in like 

 manner to another part of the field. The result of 

 this was similar to the autumn experiment, viz. 

 there did not appear to be any difference in the 

 crop produced upon the shell-manure from that 

 on tlie rape-cake. 



Tlie field on Avhich these experiments were 

 tried, is now in turnips ; a good crop, and exhibits 

 no difference where the manure, as before stated, 

 had Iseen applied for the wheat crop. 



These experiments are satisfactory, so far as 

 fAet/ g-o, but certainly not conclusive; because the 

 powder was, in noone instance, either weighed or 

 measured : this I very much regret. But it ap- 

 pears to be almost imposs'ble to conduct such ex- 

 periments with a requisite degree of accuracy, 

 upon a farm establishment of sucli magnitude as 

 that of Mr. Coke at this place. For, during the 

 hurry and bustle incident to coilecthig the liarvest, 

 the farm-manager has so many important concerns 

 to attend to, that he cannot devote any portion of 

 his time to superintending experimental objects'; 

 and, wei-e he to depute the management of such 

 concerns to the laborers, it is not to be expected 

 that they Avould pay tlie attention requisite. 



I believe Mr. Coke intends to continue the ex- 

 periments on oyster shell manure, and to extend it 

 to top-dressing for young clovers, permanent pas- 

 ture, &c. &c. 



The oj'ster shells are here broken to pieces by 

 passing them through the oil-cake crusJier ; or are 

 bruised by repeatedly drawing a heavy iron roller 

 over them, when spread upon a stone, or hard 

 burned brick-o?i-eJg-e floor. 



I give it as an opinion, that oyster-shell manure 

 is likely to answer for gardens, particularly to rake 

 in with onions, and other small seeds. I also think 

 it may prove beneficial as a top-dressing for grass 

 plants, to destroy moss, and prevent worms from 

 casting. If these ideas are well founded, there 

 will be no difficulty in disposing of any quantity of 

 this manure amongst the gardeners, and the citi- 

 zens for their grass-plats in the vicinity of London. 



On Masig-cl Wurtzel. 



To the Editor of the (London) Farmers' Journal. 

 Surry, June 2, 1823. 



Sir — Seeing two papers on Mangel Wurtzel, 

 which is an excellent thing in its proper purposes 

 (but totally incapable of fatting any animal) if you 

 want to fat any stock, you must cultivate the su- 

 gar beet, for that variety only will produce the de- 

 sired effect, I beg leave to mention a practice of 

 my own, which the severity of the last winter suf- 

 ficiently puts to the test. Your correspondent, 

 Mr. John Hall, says much in favor of housnig, 

 which is attended with an enormous expense, es- 

 pecially if the crop be at a distance from home. 



Having last year raised eight acres of drilled 



