4.—1846.] THE 
AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. oe 
would do little harm. So there is the case, the dilemma 
—sow thick, you expend seed uselessly, and even hurt 
the produce by rearing more plants than can be well 
matured, and so damaging your sample—but you have 
acrop. Sow thin, dibble, and you risk total loss by 
worm, bird, or various contingencies, Ido believe that 
the best method of all would be found in transplanting 
early in September, from a patch thick sown early in 
July—as they do with Rice in the east ; but this implies 
great labour—garden tilth—and though it might bea 
boon where unemployed hands are plenty, I fear, under 
our present system of large farms, the thing is impos- 
sible ; but to try experiments can do no harm, and it 
were hard to predict what the result of experience in 
the small way may lead to on the large scale, in the way 
of pure self-interest—the only motive which’ will, and 
indeed ought, to sway a farmer in the management of 
his land—for certainly Professor Johnston is right when 
he tells his hearers that his object is not to make them 
spend money, but to make it; and that that system is 
the best which brings in the most profit without injury 
to the soil. 
Home Correspondence. 
Farm Buildings.—I have lately acquired by purchase 
a farm of 270 acres in a southern county, of which about 
40 are underwood, 70 meadow and pasture, 30 Hops, 
and the remainder arable. The buildings being in a 
very dilapidated condition, and inconveniently placed, I 
have been advised to remove them, and to erect new 
ones on a fitter site. At present there are two large 
decayed barns on the farm, and I am told by my tenant 
who succeeded to the occupation only last year, that two 
new barns will be indispensable for the proper enjoyment 
and management of the farm, viz. one for the Wheat, 
the other for spring corn. Conversing ashort time ago 
with an eminent builder and constructor of farm build- 
ings in the vicinity of Boston, I mentioned to him my 
tenant’s opinion, and his reply was, “ In my country the 
man would have been called a fool who asked for two 
barns for 130 acres of arable land, and if the landlord 
had offered them they would have been rejected by the 
tenant.” Iam anxious to be well advised on this point— 
will you assist me by drawing the attention of your 
readers to this communication, and by favouring me with 
your own opinion. I have also been desirous of 
thoroughly draining my land and constructing my new 
buildings of brick, and for this purpose I have, at con- 
siderable expense, established a manufacture of bricks 
and tiles on my farm. Iam told, however, by my tenant 
that brick barns will not answer, but that the super- 
Structure must be of wood. 
extent. l can, therefore, say with great confidence 
that if this system is well executed at proper seasons, 
it is both durable and economieal (on strong land), 
which is very desirable to both landlord and tenant ; as 
there is a much greater breadth of that description of 
land requiring draining, it may be judiciously applied 
at a less outlay. Mr. Hunt, in your second Number, has 
given an excellent proof of his experience as to its 
beneficial effects, but, with submission, I must beg to 
differ with him as tb his statement of the expense. 
do not consider that it is practicable to effect a thorough 
drainage on a stiff tenacious clay, 3 feet deep, at a cost 
of 27. per acre, which Mr. H. states. As it will be re- 
quisite on such land to drain nearer (say one pole 
apart), the cost will be about 3Z'per acre, under the 
usual charge for cutting out that depth. I find that 
on such drains the subsoil plough may be used with 
great security. In further confirmation of my views, 
there is a small pamphlet, by Newman, on drainage, 
published by Ridgway, which sets forth the system of 
clay draining, with its rise and progress, which I saw 
some time since advertised in your columns. I have 
been induced to take notice of the above subject in 
order to encourage those who may feel disposed to 
adopt an effective and economical mode of drainage, 
assuring them that they will be amply repaid for the 
outlay.—A Practical Farmer. 
Double Culture.—There is nothing new in growing 
two crops together and at the same time; we have in 
our island followed that system with success, ever since 
Lean remember, and that is upwards of 30 years. For 
instance, when we grow a Parsnip crop, which we find 
advantageous as food for our mileh cows, as it makes 
both milk and butter, sweet, rich, and good, we dibble 
Beans in double rows, the Beans 4 inches apart, with 
an interval of 6 or 8 feet to the next rows, after which 
we sow the Parsnip-seed, harrow it, &c., and we gene- 
rally reap a good crop of each. The crop of Beans 
does not seem to injure in the least the Parsnip crop. 
We generally grow Beans with our spring and late Cab- 
bage crops. In every third row of Cabbages we dibble 
Beans between each Cabbage. We often follow the 
same system with our crop of Potatoes—dibble Beans 
between the sets in every third row of Potatoes, leàv- 
ing a distance of about 2 yards between each Bean. 
The Beans seem to thrive amazingly by this manner of 
planting, and the main crops are not in the least in- 
jured by it. By this system the farmer is greatly bene- 
fited, having at the same time an underground and a 
top crop.—Richard Giffard, Bellevue Cottage, Beau- 
mont, St Peter's, Jersey. [We shall be exceedingly 
obliged by your suggested communication. ] 
Wayte's Renovator.—With reference to your answer 
to me under the signature of * W. P. L. and on the 
subject of “Sowing Grass and Clover Seeds with Mr. 
Wayte's Implement,” (in your Gazette of January 10) 
I must observe that it will not do to declare the entire 
Es 
of the machine for the purpose of sowing 
small seeds (though I am of opinion that the incision 
made in the ground for their reception is too deep), be- 
cause, in giving it a trial, as I did, last spring, over the 
surface of at least 30 acres of old pasture, the most 
complete success attended its use over about half that 
quantity of ground, its failure over the remainder being 
attributable to an error of my own, as will be evident 
enough, I believe, when I state the process of each ex- 
periment. In the case where it was successful (which 
was a very poor, Mossy field, with but little Grass in it, 
and less Clover) I first harrowed it five or six times 
over, to drag up the Moss, and loosen, as I may call it, 
the hidebound surface. The manure, well decomposed, 
and about five tons (not more) to the aere, was then 
spread, the implement used, and the brush harrow ap- 
plied very thoroughly, this partially and lightly filled in 
the seams with the mixture of earth (loosened by the 
harrow), Moss, and manure, forming a light compost 
very suitable for the vegetation of small seeds. [Yes ; 
this mode of using the implement will, doubtless, 
prepare the land very well for Grass seeds.] This 
operation was performed in the beginning of April, and 
the season afterwards becoming, and continuing, most 
favourable for the growth of Grasses, I had a most 
abundant crop of White Clover, following the lines made 
by the implement with the greatest regularity, distinct- 
ness, and profusion. The case of failure arose,as I 
have no doubt, thus :—In the first place, there was 
more turf on the ground to begin with, and less Moss, 
and although the harrows were used, it was not with 
the same effect. Next, also, instead! of a top-dressing 
of manure, a large quantity (from 2 of an inch to one 
inch thick) of fresh light earth (dug from a high ridge 
in an old pasture adjoining) was applied, and this, after 
the introduction of the implement, brushed in with the 
brush harrows in the same way as in the other experi- 
ment. The clefts or seams were, by this ‘means, as 
letel 
Prised jon seeing such an opinion: your failure, I 
ind, arises from the drains being imperfectly exe- 
cuted. Instead of the drains being only 2 feet deep, 
they should have been on the arable land 23 or 3 feet, 
and instead of the clay being trampled down, as stated, 
l should have been well rammed on the frame, forming 
` & sound top to the drain, which is a material point, as 
the whole must depend on that being firm. [The word 
trampling” was used inadvertently; the earth was 
Tammed down,] Iam not giving an opinion without 
Some experience, having effected the drainage on this 
System of upwards of 300 acres, and superintendeda great 
an ly filled up as if the ground had 
never been scored at all, and though, no doubt, the old 
turf, by striking its roots into this copious introduction 
of new soil, was much benefited, and will this year be 
more so, I could not discern that the fresh plant ever 
shewed itself. It will be very easy to avoid a similar 
mistake for the future, but the error evidently lay not 
in the machine. The detail of two or three other suc- 
cessful experiments with the same implement may, per- 
haps, not be unwelcome to you. The first was in a field 
of Red Clover, which was very imperfect, and in places 
had missed entirely : I here used the machine, sowing 
Vetches, and using afterwards a pair of light seed har- 
rows, twice or thrice óver. The second upon an acre 
of ground, on whieh had grown Potatoes several years, 
and was now being so r with turf taken from a 
field I was going to break up. The third on a recently 
formed stackyard, also laid down with turf from the 
same sources as the other plot of ground : in these two 
last instances, a light dressing of burnt earth was used, 
after the seed was sown, to cover it as well as we could, 
andit was brushed in with the brush harrow, the weather 
being dry. In all these cases the crop of Vetches was 
abundant, in the second instance immense, and with a 
large quantity of Grass besides. I canhave no hesitation 
in asserting the great utility of the machine in repairing, 
by means of Vetches, all cases of failure in the Red 
Clóver crop, though, in order for the Vetches to be in a 
sufficiently forward state to cut at the time when the 
Clover is ready for the scythe, the renovation (as Mr. 
Wayte calls it) should take place in the autunm (the 
usual time of sowing Winter Dills or Vetches). I think 
much use might probably be made of this machine in 
thus sowing bad old pasture land with Vetches in the 
autumn, in order to secure an early crop of succulent 
eating for sheep in the spring, rather before the first 
Graas, care being taken, of course, not to stock the said 
pastures during the winter months, soon after the seed: 
had vegetated. Should this communication lead any 
one to wish further particulars, I shall be happy to 
state all I know relative to the use of Mr. Wayte’s im- 
plement, and inclose you my address.— WW. P. L. 
Farmers’ Clubs in. Berkshire. —[We have received 
from our correspondent a list of many societies in Berk- 
shire, which are doubtless, strictly speaking, * Farmers? 
Clubs.” Nevertheless, they are not, we imagine, bona fide 
monthly discussional agrieultural societies to whieh we 
suppose “ H.” alluded. We insert the latter part of our 
correspondent's letter.]— I still am of opinion that 
* Knight’s Journey-book of Berks ” is antiquated as to 
agriculture, comprised from the gathering of others, as 
acknowledged in the preface; no doubt, however, it was a 
great labour to mould such a work, particularly as it 
combines such various inft i our pond: 
* H.," at p. 879, styles my whereabouts “the remotest 
partof Berkshire." Nevertheless, it is in the centre of 
the corn district, celebrated for the growth of a good 
sample of Barley, andis the locality of many well-known 
intellig farmers, p of all the approved me- 
thods of farming.—F., 7th January, 1846. 
Stall Feeding Two Cows.—The following is the his- 
tory of an experiment on this subject :— Supposed 
weight of one, when tied up, 10 score per qr., valued at 
21. ; the other 9 score 5 lbs. per qr. supposed to be 
worth 187. 10s. Both had been in water-meadows two 
months before being housed. Quantity of food given to 
each per diem : 
64 Ibs. of Swedes, at 17. per toi 
n. m w+ 0s. Tda 
11 Ibs, of Barley-meal, at 4s. 4d. per bushel .. 0 11 
10 lbs, of hay chaff, at 4l. per ton .. m xxt bi 
Each per diem Ie 
Including attendance, &c. this may be reckoned at 
2s. per day, or 14s. per week. The one was kept in the 
stall 11 weeks, the other 10. 
Value of first .. de. £21 0 0Y 4. 
Cost of feeding m oe qnd of £28.14 0 
Value of second erat, Sonn) 
25 
Cost of feeding 7 00f 22100 
54 40 
Sale price .. ue "m .. 56 00 
Profit .. m E m .£116 0 
—From a Correspondent. $ 
On Thick and Thin Sowing.— Many of the advocates 
ofthin sowing appear to forget several cireumstances 
which are not only unfavourable to that praetice, but in 
some cases render it entirely out of the question, Thin- 
sown Wheat may be very successful on those rich and 
highly-cultivated soils, so favourable to the development 
of the tillering or spreading property of Wheat—and it 
may be adopted where the farming approaches to a gart 
den-like state of husbandry.—In such cases as thes- 
there is very little doubt that thin sowing will be agrene 
saving to the farmer, though in many other cases I am 
afraid it will have quite a contrary effect upon the 
farmer’s pocket. One of the greatest objections to thin 
sowing in very many places, is the number of vermin 
which abound in this game-preserving country. 
first instance the farmer is obliged to use a greater 
quantity of seed, as a provision for the partridges and 
other destructive birds ; and when the corn has vege- 
tated it is frequently eaten off close to the ground by 
hares and rabbits, and thus any tillering that might take 
place is put a stop to; and should the farmer have thin- 
sown his Wheat, with the expectation of its spreading 
out toa good plant, he will be woefully mistaken. And 
again, when the Wheat advances in its growth the 
damage committed by game in a thin erop is much 
greater than in a thick one. Where annual and other 
weeds abound the thick plant will stand a good chance 
of choking them in their growth, and at {harvest time 
we shall find a clean stubble ; but on the other hand 
a thin plant of Wheat may be hoed many, times, and yet 
at harvest time plenty of weeds will be seen ; this will 
more especially be the case in a wet’ season, for then 
the weeds (on some land) will defy our utmost efforts to 
to put a stop to their growth. In a dry season, and on 
dry land, the advantage will be on the side of the thick 
plant, for by its shading the ground it will be kept moist 
enough for the perfect growth of the corn. It must be 
allowed that the ears produced by a thin plant are 
large, yet the quality of corn will be coarse and in no 
way equal in point of value to the thick planted ; and 
on land not particularly favourable to the abundant 
growth of Wheat, the quality and quantity will be de- 
eidedly inferior. A thin plant of Wheat is most liable 
Inthe. 
