6.—1846.] THE 
AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 
93 
attendance of Mr. Davis induced many members, who 
had not visited his farms, to wish for some further parti- 
culars from him on his system, and particularly on that 
time, from which several advantages arise ;* 7th, 
Clover and Italian Rye-Grass for green-feeding and 
hay ; 8th, Oats ; 9th, Flax ; 10th, Rape, Vetches, and 
portion of it which refers to sowing a d hed quan- 
tity of seed. Mr. Davis, consequently, entered into a 
elaborate exposition on his system and its advantages, 
which led to many inquiries and to some animated dis- 
cussion. At the conclusion, the following resolution 
was unanimously adopted :— Resolved, * That every 
friend of agrieultural improvement and national pros- 
perity ought to try the system recommended by Mr. 
ewitt Davis, if only on a small scale; and that the 
thanks of the club be presented to that gentleman for 
the urbanity with which he has received its deputations,. 
and the pains he has taken this evening to explain every 
part of his system." ^ September.— Resolved, * That 
having re-diseussed Mr. Davis's system, after hearing 
that gentleman's explanation, it is still deemed highly 
desirable for every farmer, who can drill early and culti- 
vate in any way approaching Mr. Davis's system, to 
try at least a portion of his land, with a diminished 
quantity of seed, and to report the result to the club. 
The elub do not recommend, however, farmers on un- 
drained land, to try it to any very great extent." At 
the December meeting, the secretary read several ex- 
tracts from the minutes of evidence of the “select com- 
mittee of the House of Lords appointed to inquire into 
the expedieney of a legislati ti being intro- 
duced to enable the possessors of entailed estates to 
charge such estates with a sum, to be limited, for the 
purpose of draining and otherwise permanently im- 
proving the same." A large majority of the witnesses 
preferred draining at least 4 feet deep ; and concurred 
in the opinion that the superfluous water first fills tho 
large cracks of the earth from the surface, and then 
rises from below, thus chilling the plant, and generally 
redueing the temperature of the soil. An interesting 
discussion ensued, in which some members, who had 
been accustomed to very tenacious clays, gave their 
Opinion, as the result of their experience, that the 
Water very seldom got so deep as four feet ; and that 
on some very tenacious clays it was preferable to drain 
about 30 inches deep, leaving the drains only half the 
distance apart of deep drains. 
Farm Memoranda. 
Coxnzn, County Down.—We last week described the 
operations of draining, &e., which have resulted in the 
permanent improvement of this estate, and we will now 
transcribe for the benefit of our readers the very inte- 
resting report lately given in the Dublin Farmers’ 
Gazette, by Mr. Andrews, of the mode of cultivation 
which he adopts. He says:—* The rotation we have 
hitherto pursued on our large farm, isthe five course. 
First, green crop, half Potatoes and half Turnips, the 
former in the succeeding rotation taking the place occu- 
pied by the latter in the previous. Second, Wheat on 
all land eleared by March, being nearly the entire, as 
we then store the remaining Turnips, the whole sown 
down with Clover and Grass. Third, Clover and Grass 
for green feeding and hay. Fourth, pasture. Fifth, 
Oats. We are much dissatisfied with this rotation, as 
the year of pasture makes no adequate return, ‘and 
greatly diminishes the average annual produce ; but we 
have been unable to change it till our draining and 
other improvements shall be completed, the soil under 
pasture being in the best state for draining. I know 
many good practical agriculturists entertain the opinion 
that a year under pasture is necessary ; but I have 
never been satisfied with the reasons assigned, and I 
know the best scientific professors are of opinion, that 
a well arranged rotation, with frequent and adequate 
dressings of manure, will render unnecessary the great 
loss of produce and the great waste of manure insepa- 
Yable from a year of pasturage, in a five course rotation, 
Nor are we without experience to support that opinion. 
My brothers and I have three distinct farms, one of 
9 Cunningham acres, one of 21 Cunningham acres, and 
our large farm of nearly 400 statute acres. That of 
21 acres has been cultivated for above 20 years under 
the four course shift, the same as the five described, 
With the exception of the year of pasturage, and its 
producti has not diminished one whit from the 
Maximum to which it was brought in the first few years, 
except in Clover, which occurring every fourth year has 
Certainly become so precarious, that Italian Rye Grass 
is now mainly relied upon. The Potatoes and Turnips 
3 
p urnips, two entire crops in the year. 
Under this rotation, five black cattle are kept in sum- 
mer, and six in winter—one being an ox, which per- 
forms all the drawing, aided in the ploughing by 
another ox or horse, as on the plan of neighbouring, so 
common and proper with small farmers. Two pigs are also 
kept, and a large number of fowl for supply of my own 
family. The course of feeding is as follows :—About 
the third week of April the Rape sown in August after 
Flax on one-half of the division, is ready. It is sown 
broadcast, at three times, from the earliest day possible 
after the Flax is pulled, to the last day of the month, and it 
supplies the cattle till nearly the 1st of June. Inthe latter 
part of May the Rape is mixed with Rye, sown in Sept. 
on one-fourth of the ground intended for Turnips—the 
Aberdeen and Globe being sown on that portion, and 
Swedes on the other three-fourths. After the Rape and 
Rye, Clover and Italian Rye-grass form the supply till 
about the third week of June, when the portion unused, 
generally three-fourths of the entire, is cut for hay. B 
the third week of June, winter Vetches sown in October 
upon part of the remaining half of the Flax ground, is in 
full flower, and beginning to pod ; and followed by spring 
Vetches, sown in February or March on the other part 
of that portion, supplies foed till nearly the first of 
August. The second cutting of Clover then comes into 
use, and almost the entire of this cutting is consumed 
green, mixed with a portion of dry Wheat-straw. When 
it is finished earlier or later in September, according to 
the season, Vetches sown upon the Rape ground at dif- 
ferent times from the middle of May till nearly the 
middle of June succeed, and are aided by early imperial 
Cabbages, which are planted alternately with flat Dutch, 
the removal of which permits the flat Dutch to increase 
till they are wanted in October and November. 
A partial third cutting of Clover (liquid manure 
being applied after each), and in some seasons a cutting 
of the young Clover sown with the Wheat (which is cut 
off high above the Clover), with Cabbages, have never 
failed to carry on the cattle to the middle of November, 
when Turnips and other winter feeding, consisting of 
Bean haulm and Rye-grass hay, with some straw cut 
into Chaff and boiled with an addition of bruised Flax 
seed and bolls (all such being saved), and a portion.of 
Bean meal, form the dependence of the stock till the 
return of Rape in April. One entire tenth of the farm 
is thus in Turnips, and also the half of a tenth under 
winter and early spring Vetches, on which Globes are 
sown till the middle of July, and Swedes transplanted 
from that time till the lst August with plants taken 
from a portion of the field sown with Swedes, and left 
with a double supply of plants at the time of singling. 
lthe Beans are used for the cattle, being given in 
meal with their drink during summer, and boiled with 
the food in winter. The manuring of this land is by 
light dressings of solid and liquid manure each alternate 
year—20 barrels of lime the Cunningham aere bein 
given with Potatoes:and Turnips, strewed in flour-upon 
the drills after the crops are planted and sown. 
The success of this course is so far all I could wish. 
The number of cattle kept is equal to almost any well- 
proved attempt I have met with. Every crop is abun- 
ant. Ihave this year threshed only my Potato-land 
Wheat. It yielded 32} ewt.—from a Scotch boll 240 
Ibs. of Hopetoun, in the proportion of 28} cwt, per 
Cunningham acre. Many think the attempt to raise 
Wheat thrice in ten years will fail. Considering that 
analysis has proved that Wheat extracts even less than 
Oats from the soil, I am resolved to work out the expe- 
riment. I only now regret, that in the arrangement of 
this small farm I did not lay out a small paddock of 
half an acre in permanent Grass for “ playground ” for 
the cattle, and I mean to remedy that defect. 
By the result of our experience on those small farms, 
we are emboldened to determine on giving up pasturage 
on our large farm, at the commencement of the rotation 
following the pletion of our thorough-draining and 
subsoil ploughing, and we have designed the following : 
—Ist, Potatoes ; 2nd,Wheat ; 3rd, Beans; 4th,Wheat; 
5th, Turnips; 6th, Wheat; 7th, Clover ; 8th, Oats. One 
field of about 20 acres, now in permanent pasture, 
will so remain for young cattle, and an occasional “play- 
ground” for others. Vetches and Rape will be raised 
in the proportion that may be found useful, on the divi- 
sion allotted to Beans. Time will show whether the 
Occurring but once in eight years are p to the 
highest degree, and Wheat and Oats, on the average of 
years, produce the enormous return of very nearly 30 cwt. 
to the Cunningham aere. In one year, 40 ewt. of Oats 
were derived, and in an extreme year 35 ewt. of Wheat 
to the Cunningham aere, On this farm the produce of 
manure from exclusive house feeding is very great, and 
the manure is aided by a mixture of peat earth, lime 
eing given every fourth year with the green crop, in 
the proportion of 20 barrels or 60 bushels of unslaked 
lime to the Cunningham acre. The soil is on the clay 
Slate of the grau-wacké formation. The small farm of 9 
Acres is placed under a rotation designed to exhibit the 
Maintenance of the largest possible stock of black cattle, 
fed entirely in the house, and also to test the effects of 
a very lengthened rotation, including every crop for 
which the soil is adapted which can be made useful and 
Profitable. It is in 10 divisions. The rotation is the 
following :—Ist year, Potatoes ; 2d, Wheat ; 3d, Beans 
9n two-thirds, Cabbages on one-third ; 4th, Wheat; 
5th, Turnips ; 6th, Wheat, sown in February or March, 
With Red Clover and Italian Rye-Grass at the same 
of pasturage will realise theoretic expecta- 
tions. I can see no necessity for the waste and loss 
incurred by pasturage. Land requires rest from pro- 
ducing the same crop too frequently. Obviate that evil 
by a lengthened and varied rotation, and supply the food 
of the crops in frequent and suitable dressings, and I 
have no fear of the result. You have dragged me into 
this subject, and you must bear the infliction of my 
prolix communieation. 
Thad almost forgotten to state, that on our large farm 
we have ascertained, upon the weigh-bridge, the pro- 
duce of an entire field of Cup Potatoes, as taken from 
the ground in one year, at nearly 14, and in another at 
153 tons per Cunningham acre. Our Swedish Turnips 
would, I am persuaded, reach 40 tons this year. Wheat 
and Oats have produced, on the large scale, from 25 to 
30 ewt. per Cunningham acre. This produce is fully 
25 per cent. increased from the best of the “good old 
times.”—John Andrews. 
Mediewos. 
The Muck Manual. By Frederick 
J. Murray, Albemarle-street, 
A new edition of a well known and highly esteemed 
little book. Its present form and contents are the 
result of a careful revision of the former work, and a 
glossary explanatory of the names and hard words which 
have been used in the volume is appended to it. It is 
written in a very simple and pleasing style, and con- 
tains, we believe, all on the subject of manures that a 
farmer really needs to know. We extract from the 
preface the following passage in which the author after 
apologising for the humble title he has adopted for his 
book thus recommends its perusal. 
*'To descend, however, from this lofty strain into 
which our apology has betrayed us, let us seriously 
recommend you if you belong to the honourable frater- 
nity of the most ancient of all professions, as we have 
been all along presuming, to make a few scratches on 
this lowly and too much neglected heap of all sorts of 
despised things, and we have no doubt but you will soon 
rake up, like the cock in the fable, jewels of great value, 
which you, more happy than he, will know how to 
estimate and apply to most excellent and profitable uses» 
Falkner. 
The Horse's Foot, and how to keep it sound. With 
Illustrations. By William Mills, Esq. Longman, 
Brown, Green, and Longman. 
A BEAUTIFULLY got up work, excellently and fully illus- 
trated by capital lithographic drawings. It treats of the 
anatomy of the foot—the practice of shoeing, and the 
proper stable management of the horse, with especial 
reference to the treatment of the foot. Mr. Mills has 
written a very useful essay, and one which should be 
read by every gentleman owning a horse. 
~A 
‘Miscellaneous. 
Analysis of Experiments with Super-phosphate of 
Lime and other Manures.—The Right Hon. T. Pem- 
berton Leigh, having instructed one of his tenants, Mr. 
Strouts, of Kingsdown, Kent, to try some experiments 
with different manures,—on the 22d November, 1843, 
Mr.-Strouts set out six aeres' and sowed them with 
Wheat, having dressed one of them (No. 1) with 30 
loads of farmyard dung, costing 4/. 108. On the 19th 
March, 1844, he used the following top-dressings on 
four of the unmanured acres (still leaving one un- 
manured) ; No. 2 with 3 cwt. 2 qrs.18 lbs. of Peruvian 
guano, costing 27. 4s. ; No. 3 with 5 cwt. of rape-dust, 
costing 17. 12s. 6d. ; No. 4 with 6 cwt. 2 qrs. of urate, 
costing 1/. 12s. 6d. ; No. 5 with 6 cwt. 1 qr. 4 Ibs. of 
super-phosphate of lime, costing 2/. 4s. 9d. | Last year 
these plots were again sown with Oats. The following 
Table will show the comparative results, which were 
mentioned by Mr. Leigh at the dinner of the Lenham 
ssoeiation. We have calculated the increase of crop 
from the lowest manured acre, and the saving in cost 
by deducting the cost of each manure from that of the 
highest, namely farmyard dung. 
Produce, | Straw. | Increase. | Saving. 
o 
z 
g 
g 
LELLIIMCID T 
[3 
Ra 
= 
$ 
m 
rote 
O D 
Se 
© 
It must be observed that the saving estimated here 
must be spread over the whole course. The above isa 
very important experiment, and entitles, not only Mr. 
Leigh for incurring the expense, but also Mr. Strouts 
for carrying it out, to the gratitude of agriculturists. 
Mr. Strouts has also tried other experiments with the 
* The advantages of sowing Clover and Grass-seeds in the 
early spring, at the same time as Wheat-seed, are the follow- 
ing :—Turnip land then sown is well consolidated, and will be 
rendered more so by succeeding spring rains, and that solidity 
may be increased by rolling. If sown ai ter season with 
Barley, such consolidation, so useful to Clover, cannot be: s 
well secure: he Clover plant, when sown with Wheat thus 
early, has time to attain size and strength before the Wheat 
can shade it, and the shading by spring-sown Wheat is less 
$ 
than by any other crop, for the seed stem, when it begins to 
run, proceeds rapidly, with less flag than any other cereal, and 
is, throughout, comparatively open in the bottom. It is owing 
on Turnips and Swedes. The result 
DO DOSE 
wa: 
Manure per acre, Turnips. Swedes. "Cost; " 
Tns, cwt. Ibs.|Tns. cwt, Ibs.| £ s. d. 
55 bshls. Sprats and 4 - 
cwt. super-phos.;Lime| 16 7 96|21 7 16/3 3 9 
55 bshls. Sprats ......| 13 0 80|14 19 32|2 18 
5 ewt. sup hos. Lime| 18 2 96 wa 116 8 
—Maidstone Gazette. 
Indian,Corn.—l have grown Indian"corn for five 
to these advantages, as I conceive, that I have succeeded much 
better with Olover under this system than formerly. 
{ By taking the year after Flax for Rape, Vetches, &c., two 
entire crops of green-feeding are secured in full perfection 
within the year; thus, half the field in Rape, in three sowings, 
say 10th, 20th, and 30th August, succeeded by late spring 
Vetches, sown from about the middle of May till nearly the 
middle of June; the other half in winter and early sown spring 
Vetches, succeeded by Globe and transplanted Swedish Turnips. 
successive years, raised it inthe end of February in a 
hothouse. ferred it to a greenh to harden it in 
April, and planted strong young plants in a sheltered 
spot (south aspect) in the open air at the beginning of 
May, but have not succeeded in perfecting the seed ; 
the ears full sized, but as you say, it wants a greater 
degree of heat, say from 80 and upwards by day, and 
| 
