524 
THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 
[ Ave. 1, 
by the hand, it is let to a party of men at 20s. to 24s. 
per aere, aecording to the nature of the soil and the 
erop. They employ children to pick them up into two 
baskets, one for the large and the other for smalland 
injured ones. The operation thus paid for extends 
only to the placing them in heaps in the field and cover- 
ing them over with the Potato haulm. They must be 
removed afterwards, and pitted at the farmer's expense. 
Home Correspondence. 
Overgrown Wheat and Tender Straw.—Some highly 
cultivated farms, where dung only is used as dressing, 
having attained an average of about 5 quarters Wheat 
per acre, and finding it subject to lay from overgrowth, 
it is proposed to check this overgrowth by burning or 
"other means of reducing the richaess of the soil, thus 
something like limiting the produce to about 5 quarters 
per acre, a limit within that of cottage gardens and 
allotments, and which has been doubted even under the 
plough. Surely, then, there is room for trying other 
means of stiffening the straw and promoting the forma- 
tion of grain, before taking measures to check the fer- 
tility of the soil. Salt is well known to produce both 
these effects ;. the Wheats on our sea-board being noted 
for heavy ears, and thin stiff straw ; and Wheat will 
bear much salt, Johnson (not Johnstone) says 10 to 20 
bushels per acre. » Mild lime produces a like effect, but 
not caustic lime, on rich soils, where it can liberate am- 
monia, To check the overgrowth, therefore, and in- 
-crease the'grain, 10 or 12 bushels (say 6 to 7 ewt.) of 
salt, with twice as much mild lime, where required, 
might be harrowed in upon the seed, or perhaps better 
top dressed on the young plant in spring, especially if 
winter proud ; superphosphate of lime should conduce 
to the same result, its acidity retarding the stimulative 
action of ammonia on vegetation, and its phosphorus 
determining to the formation of grain; 2 ewt. per acre 
might be mixed with the salt, vary 
experimentally, on the small scale, 
tually we may hope attaining a stiff straw under crops 
much heavier than 5 quarters per acre. Special ma- 
nuring is particularly applicable to cases of this kind ; 
but my impression is that almost every erop might be 
improved by special top.dressing in its early growth. 
Alkaline silicates have a direct tendency to harden the 
stalk, but silicate of potash appears, from the experi. 
ments'on record, to promote the growth of straw; of 
Silicate of soda, which costs less, I have seen no reports; 
it-might be tried at the rate of 1 cwt, per acre, mixed 
with the dressings above, but would be safest on quite 
a small s JEP. 
“Top D 1g-—The great care now taken to pre- 
serve liquid manure, which was formerly allowed to run 
to waste, and the accounts of its fertilising effects upon 
land, published almost weekly in the Agricultural 
Gazette, ave: proofs of the high value set on this form 
of manure ; almost indeed a higher value than on the 
solid manure of the farm-yard.  Agrieculturists see the 
rapid effects of liquid manure on growing crops, without 
reflecting that the advantages of manure applied in a 
fluid state result not from any peculiar richness which 
it possesses, but from its being presented to the plant in 
a state of solution or minute subdivision, and therefore 
ready prepared for the food of vegetation. All manure 
must undergo solution before a plant can absorb it; 
and fluid manure, applied in a proper state of dilution, 
is at once taken up by the spongioles ef plants, and 
astounds the observer by the rapid growth which 
plants so treated exhibit. The necessity or the eco- 
nomy, however, of applying manure in a fluid state may 
be questioned, when we consider that manure in a 
solid form undergoes solution by successive showers of 
rain, and is carried downwards to the roots of plants in 
the form of liquid manure. I have more than once 
called the attention of your readers to the value of top- 
ressing ; to its simplicity, and to its efficacy, as com- 
pared with the old plan of digging in the manure. The 
principle of top-dressing lies in the conversion of solid 
manure into a liquid before it reaches the spongioles of 
the plant which it is intended to nourish. The dung is 
Spread over the ground at a season of the year when 
rain abounds, and when heat does not dissipate the fer- 
tilizing compounds that are formed. Shower after 
le 
‘shower, as they descend, dissolves the fertilising salts 
of the manure, and carries it into the soil, in a form as 
palatable to plants, and as easily assimilated by their 
absorbents, as if poured in a liquid form on the soil. 
Top-dressing, therefore, is in reality feeding the crop 
with liquid manure, while it is less troublesome and less 
expensive in its mode of application.— Oxygen. 
"Salt. —Observing an appeal to myself in your Paper 
of the 18th inst., in reference to my communication to 
ou “on the effects of salt on Mangold Wurzel," in- 
serted in the Gazette of February, 1845, No. 8, I beg 
to inform your “Subseriber,” that the weeds were hoed 
up and wounded, and the salt strewed over. them, a 
man with a seedlip of salt over his shoulder following 
the hoes. "The weeds were completely subdued, and 
became a manure to the crop instead of an enemy. The 
size and weight of the bulbs being astonishingly in- | 
creased by it, when compared with the further part of 
the fields not being salted, no weeds being there. 20 
tons of excellent farm manure had been strewed over 
the field, harrowed and ploughed in, and then bouted up 
in. drills of 27 inches apart, in which the seeds were 
dibbled. .The quantity of salt requisite depends upon 
that of weeds to be destroyed. I have frequently used 
a ton per acre, which is 33 bushels and one-third, at 
66 lbs. per bushel. Mr. Geo. Sinclair used as much as 
45 bushels per acre without injury. Salt from a bacon 
factory must be used in lesser quantities, its power 
being increased by nitre in it. That which I used on 
these weeds was from that source, I find, upon looking 
back, it being the only salt then in store. I prefer it 
for manure-heaps, for which purpose I use it when I 
can get it, the nitre being a valuable aid to Wheat. 
But for weeds the common agricultural salt is suffi- 
ciently strong. Sea-salt is better than rock. Since then 
I have had another instance of the effects of salt upon 
angold Wurzel. The year before last, when this crop 
failed, from the extreme heat and dryness of the sum- 
mer, I had in one corner of the field as many fine bulbs 
asallthe other part of the field produced in weight. 
One aere and a half of excellent land the fieldis. This 
corner had been, two years before, a receptacle for 
various heaps of weeds, &e. They were reduced to 
manure by salt. .'The man sent with a cart-load of 
three quarters of a ton, made a mistake and discharged 
the whole of it over these weeds, instead of 6 bushels, as 
he was ordered. The weeds were afterwards mixed 
with other manure, and strewed over an adjoining field. 
Since then, this corner, about four. square perches, has 
produced the finest plants of any other part of the 
ld ishingl ked by all persons enter- 
ing it. Had the whole field been salted the crop of 
Mangold Wurzel would not have failed ; but I was from 
home, and my bailiff omitted to do it, faneying that the 
high state in which it was in did not require salt, I 
make this assertion, knowing that however dry the sur- 
face of the field may be during day, that, at night, it is 
humid by the effects of salt in it., The Guano your 
* Subscriber ” has in his land will not be affected by 
salt, I should fancy.— Waterhouse, near Bath. 
Management of Highways.—1n your Leading Article 
of the 11th inst., you state that “ the new Corn-law bill 
has become law. The tariff has been amended ; but 
where—in what stage of progression—are the compen- 
sating measures to which we have alluded?” “The 
promised provisions were four in number, Of these 
we have only heard of the introduction of the Ist 
and 3d;” the latter you consider of the most im- 
portance, viz.—* To authorise the advance of publie 
money to promote the drainage of land,” which you have 
commented on at some length, with the whole of which I 
perfectly agree, and it is my intention to take advantage 
of it when it becomes law, which I trust will be soon. 
I consider the first of some importance. It is to amend 
the laws relating to highways, as the greatest part of 
the present surveyors are incompetent to do a public 
duty ; acting selfishly, and repairing those parts of the 
road which is most advantageous to themselves. I have 
about 200 acres of land, in a township, which I occupy 
myself; the remainder belongs to a Mr. B., which is 
several hundred acres, and let out to different tenants. 
One of them left his farm Lady-day; 1845; he was sur- 
veyor at thetime ; hedidnot call arneeting till May to pass 
his accounts, and elect another. ere were present at 
this meeting three of the principal rate-payers, the 
gamekeeper (who occupies some land), and the late 
surveyor, It was the wish of the three greatest rate- 
payers that a Mr. M. should be the surveyor for the 
ensuing year. Gamekeeper (a man who wished to 
show his authority), said “it is my turn to be surveyor, 
and I willbe.” The three others protesting against him, 
gamekeeper gets p i f the surveyor's book, 
elects himself, gets a rate made out, and signed by the 
magistrates, and commences collecting it, which was 
objected to, then gets a summons for one of the rate- 
payers, who refused to pay, and wag taken before the 
magistrates, and the rate was considered illegal, He then 
gamekeeper presented the gun at him (both barrels 
capped, and I haye no doubt loaded), and held some 
seconds at his breast, and he declared to me that he 
thought the gamekeeper would have shot him. . He 
would have taken gamekeeper before the magistrates ; 
but was afraid of the agent. He is also a poacher, and 
has been seen shooting pheasants on my land on a 
moonlight night, I can vouch for the above statement 
being correct; you can judge for yourself as to the 
necessity of the law being amended and better admi- 
nistered.—7'rom a Correspondent. [Would a memorial 
to the landowner have no influence !] 
Thin Sowing.—Observing in your last week's Gazette 
a discussion on the relative merits of dibbling and thin 
and thick sowing, T am induced to send you an account 
of the following experiment, to insert or burn at your 
option :—In the autumn of 1844 I selected a field of 
4 acres Clover-ley, from which two heavy erops had 
been mown. The land a loose light soil upon chalk of 
even quality, was equally dressed over with stable-yard 
manure and ploughed once. On two acres in the 
centre of the field I dibbled rather more than half a 
bushel of Wheat per acre, about 6 ins. apart every 
way. On one of the dibbled acres a pinch of bone-dust 
was dropped with the seed in every dibble. Ona third 
acre I drilled rather more than 2 bushels; and on 
the fourth acre 13 bushel. I intended to have kept the 
produce separate, and to have accurately weighed and 
manured it, but there was no occasion for that. The 
thick drilled was by far the best (certainly a load to the 
acre); next the thin drilled, and both acres of the 
dibbled equally bad, blighted, and miserably light. I 
may mention that in a portion of the field I was green 
enough to put up an electric apparatus inclosing 20 roots 
of the thick-drilled, and a like quantity of the dibbled. 
All I can say on the matter is that I was the worse for 
the experiment just by the cost of the poles and wires, 
A neighbouring farmer remarked it was the rummest 
top-dressing he ever saw, and I quite agree with him, 
My Wheat, too, got trodden down by the wiseacres o 
the parish coming to sneer; so no more electric top- 
dressings for— Wm. W. Higgens, Hambledon. 
Seed Wheat.—Whatever difference of opinion may 
exist as regards the wisdom of the recent alterations 
in the laws respecting corn, there can be none as to the 
necessity of adapting ourselves to our present eircum- 
stances, and endeayouring to make the best of them. 
It is a known fact that in high latitudes the growth 
of plants is very rapid. The burst of spring, the splen- 
dour of summer, and the maturity and incipient decay 
of autumn follow each other with a swiftness. scarcely 
credible. The corn sown to-day, is, in a very few 
weeks, ready for the sickle ; and the higher the latitude 
where it can be made to grow the shorter is the period 
it requires for its growth and ripening. Corn which 
has been grown in the extreme north, when used as 
seed in a southern country, gives its first produce more 
speedily, ripening in a much shorter time, although at 
a second sowing it loses this quality. This fact has 
been recognised, and is acted upon pretty extensively 
in this country, it being commonly recommended to 
obtain seed from colder situations than those in which 
it is intended to be sown. In Sweden, corn is annually 
brought for seed from Torneo (in the north of the gulf 
of Bothnia, and almost within the arctic circle), and 
sown in lands so much exposed that the sowing time is 
thrown so late that corn, excepting from seed thus 
obtained, has no time to ripen. Districts formerly on 
this account utterly barren are thus rendered fruitful. 
Is it not then worthy of the consideration of some of 
Au i TELE 
in the following January, 1846, gets an app 
from the magistrates, and then makes out a fresh rate, 
and commences collecting again, which was objected to. 
Summonses were again procured and served on two rate. 
payers ; his appointment being from the magistrates 
was considered good, and the rate was then collected. 
In À of t ppearing against 
the ¢ keeper before the gist they have been 
told by the agent (who is an attorney), that they should 
leave their farms, which has prevented them appearing 
against the gamekeeper any more ; therefore I am left 
alone. While he has been in office he has misapplied the 
money, laid it out where least wanting, and injured the 
road by deepening the sides of it, and repaired the road 
to the land which he occupies, whichis of no use to the 
public, and taking a share in carrying material, which 
he had no right to do without a licence from the magis- 
trates (according to a late act passed 31st August, 
1845, c. 46), and he has not given some of the ratepayers 
a chance of carrying or carting stone on the road, which 
the Act requires. The gamekeeper served the office of 
surveyor some years ago, and then there was much 
dissatisfaction, as he was not honest enough to give up 
all the tools belonging to the township. I believe the 
agent supports the gamekeeper, in opposition to the 
township, and there is something mysterious’ about it 
m 
that he should do so. I think neither of them compe- 
tent to fill the situation they hold. The agent I acci- 
dentally met with one of the tenants ; he was making 
complaint to him that he had not limed a field according 
to agreement. The field in question is situated on the 
wenlock's edge, old tilled land, the soil a clay, from 4 to 
12 ins. deep, subsoil lime-rubble, and plenty of the best 
lime-stone is iurned up by the plough, and I should 
think must abound in lime. Attorneys may make good 
receivers of rent, but are not fit persons to instruct oc- 
cupiers of land in the application of manures. The 
gamekeeper in demanding the rate of one of the inha- 
bitants had his double-barrelled gun with him, and not 
being on the best terms angry words ensued, when the 
our enterprising agr especially of those who 
occupy high cold districts, whether they might not 
profitably import their seed corn from the northern 
European nations, and thus, perhaps, obtain a harvest 
in September, where now it is commonly thrown into 
October or November. With this resource it might be 
found that Wheat could be grown more extensively, and 
more profitably than it is to the west of Sir Robert 
Peel’s line drawn from Southampton to Inverness.— P.L. 
Facts Connected with the Potato Disease.—Havin 
been desirous to have some Potatoes examined ichemi- 
cally after having been dried, I selected some tubers in 
the autumn, which appeared perfectly free from disease, 
and having cut out the eyes set them to dry. Two of 
them, in about a month, rotted, and, I may say, melted 
away. Two others remained sound, as I thought, but 
they remained soft, making no progress towards the dry 
state. One of them has rotted, and the other has be- 
come mouldy and of a soft corky consistence, but is not 
yet rotten. One has remained sound, but is still soft. 
In ordinary cases the Potato, when its vitality is de- 
stroyed, dries up in three or four months, and becomes 
hard. I kept one Potato which had some appearance 
of disease beside the others, without taking out the eyes, 
that I might watch the progress of the shoots. wo 
eyes at one side pushed, but at this date, 28th July, 
the longest is only three-fourths of an inch. "The Potato 
is much shrivelled, but soft. The shoots are thickened 
at the middle part, and covered with hairs, and studde 
allj over with little protuberances like tubers ; and 
some of them have thrown out shoots. These, I doubt 
not, if in the earth, would prove to be roots. ‘The ends 
of the shoots show rudimentary leaves. I shall pum 
this and see what happens. In the spring I receive 
from Mr. M'Nab, the Superintendent of the Caledonian 
Society’s Garden, three tubers of Mitford’s F volifie 
Potato. He informed me that it had been more eun 
eased than any other sort he had. I kept them c 
March, and found two of them entirely gone ; but 
third still appeared quite sound. I cut it into three 
