526 
THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 
[Ava. 1, 
the fact is, that many, as a general rule, prefer old 
shops even if, in truth, they have no other peculiar re- 
dation than an lation of dust, their pre- 
sent possessors having obtained them through the legi- 
timate channel of the Times newspaper. 
* He who WRITES A BOOK, whether for his own amuse- 
ment or the good of others, and dies without having pro- 
perly expressed his wish that it should be free for pub- 
lieation by others, may have his intentions frustrated by 
some selfish stranger intitled to the residue : so anxious 
are the enlightened public to protect the labour and pro- 
perty of authors. The romantic enthusiasm of some 
gentiemen on this point led them but recently to debate 
night after night, for extended copyright; yet these 
persons are, many of them, the first to tell the farmers 
to ‘do as others do ;’ while those consistent advocates 
of copyright assist to deprive them of every vestige of 
protection, either from foreign competition or from the 
power of their landlords. They talk of copyright as a 
means of drawing out the exertion of first-rate talent, 
and thus far they, no doubt, have reason on their side ; 
but when they speak of the want of energy and exer- 
tion in farmers, they apparently forget what, according 
to their own arguments on copyright, is the source from 
whence they spring, viz., a feeling of certainty that any 
extraordinary labour will be rewarded in proportion to 
its value.” 
Farm Memoranda. 
W —Mr. Gyde, of Pains- 
wick, has told me you wish for some information re- 
specting the work I am carrying on for the improve- 
ment of sandy soil. I wish to make my experiments 
useful to others as well as myself, and therefore willingly 
comply with your request. But I have not yet pro- 
ceeded far; my steam-engine and machinery are un- 
finished. I can, therefore, give you no result. The 
matter at present stands thus :—Having a large quan- 
tity of sandy land of a sterile character, I have been 
anxious to devise a mode of permanently improving it. 
My first step was analysis. I sent Mr. Gyde specimens 
of different soils for that purpose. The defect of the 
sand was that it was nearly without alumina, and that 
its component parts were coarse and fine sand to the 
extent of 95 parts out of 100, there being only 5 parts 
of impalpable matter. The result was that scarcely any 
crop came to perfection, both manure and moisture 
passing quiekly through it and disappearing. It was 
Obvious that unless some retentive soil were added 
sterility must continue. Whence could this soil be got? 
t some distance there was abundance of strong land, 
but it was too far off to be brought without loss. Mr. 
‘Gyde, however, discovered amongst the soils sent to 
him one of a singular character, containing, as far as 
we could judge, the properties required. It fortunately 
‘was contiguous to the sandy district, but there were dif- 
fieulties in working it to which I will shortly advert; 
but first it will be well to give you Mr. Gyde's analysis 
of the two sorts of soil. 
SAND, 
7 . Mechanical. 
Silex and siliceous sand 94.4 | Coarsesand — .. .. .. 36 
Carb. lime and magnesia 0.4 |Fine do. oe o 
Oxideofiron .. .. .. 2.0} Impalpable matter .. .. 
Organic matter .. .. 38.0| 
100.0 100 
CLAY, 8 to 10 feet deep. 
Chemical. Mechanical. 
Silex .. . on 5 Coarse sand. ee 10 
Carb. lime, &c. .. Fine do. SNC dedi were ws 
Oxide of iron s. Impalpable matter .. .. 6 
Alumina .. .. 
Organic matter* 
Water .. 
Waterandloss .. .. .. 8 
100 
. * In the surface soil.—A, YDE. 
The clay was found in a meadow by the Severn 3 it 
lies, however, very low, not much above the level of the 
river when moderately full; it cannot be effectually 
drained by the usual mode ; it is full of springs, the 
water generally standing 2 or 3 feet from the surface. 
It is at the bottom of steep hills, constituting the sand 
and gravel on which it is to be used. It must be 
obvious from this description that it would be impossible 
to use more than the surface of this meadow for the 
purpose of claying other land, without some means of 
raising the water out of it; and the steepness of the 
ascent would have rendered the carting the soil up 
hill a laborious and costly operation. I therefore deter- 
mined on putting up a steam-mill to perform both works; 
that is, to pump up the water, and raise the soil by a 
tram-road and a rope to the top of the bank. This 
work is now nearly completed. What the result will 
be remains to be seen. That the sandy and gravelly 
soils will be improved, I think, admit of no doubt ; 
whether the improvement will be such as to justify the 
large expenditure is yet to be proved. I am sanguine 
as to the result. The steam-engine is to perform a variety 
of other operations useful to the farm, and will, I think, 
Yield a fair return, independent of the soil itis to re. 
move. I can only give you as yet one proof of the 
virtue of this soil My gardener tried it, without 
manure or other mixture, for Melons; they are now in 
avery promising state, having stood the scorching sun of 
the last month without being watered.—7V. W. Whit- 
more, Dudmaston. [We have also received the following 
statement from Mr.Gyde in connection with this subject. ] 
The following are the particulars of. Mr. Whitmore's 
proceedings, as near as I ean recollect :—In the autumn 
of 1844 I was on a visit to Mr. Foley, of Prestwood- 
park, the great promoter of the Stewponey Agricultural 
Society, where I met Mr. Whitmore, who consulted me 
peeting the imp tof his estates. On ridin, 
over the land I found it to consist partly of the stiff 
marls, and partly of the lightest sands of the new red 
Sandstone; much of the heavy land being very wet, 
while, on the light sands, the horse sunk to his fetlocks ; 
the subsoil of the sands resting on a porous sandstone- 
rock, from the disintegration of which the soils had been 
formed. These sandy soils had always been a source o 
complaint from the tenants, and he had several times 
reduced the rent, until on an application for a still fur- 
ther reduction of rent, he determined on taking them 
into his own hands, and, if possible, improving them. 
To this end I examined many samples taken#from the 
sandy lands, which seldom contained more than +,3,, of 
alumina, and in some instances not more than 5 per 
cent. of fine matter, the remainder consisting of grains 
of silex, which had been much water-worn ; one soil, 
however, was of an entirely different character, and 
contained 16 per cent. of alumina, 105 of organic 
matter, and no less than 64 per cent. of impalpable 
matter when mechanically examined. This soil was taken 
from a large meadow through which the river Severn 
runs, and was of but little value as pasture, being fre- 
quently flooded by the Severn, and the herbage, as 
might be expected, exceedingly coarse. From the 
composition of the sandy soils, the first step to improve- 
ment was obviously consolidation ; and the soil of this 
meadow, which was close to the light sands, was evi- 
dently the most valuable for the purpose. Mr, Whit- 
more at once determined on adopting this mode of im- 
provement on a large scale, and while I was at Dud- 
maston he had the soil of the meadow examined to the 
depth of, I believe, 10 feet, the lower portions being a 
little more sandy than the upper. In digging it out, 
no sooner had the first foot of soil been removed 
than water followed the spade. Hence it immediate] 
became evident that to work out the soil an exit 
for the water must be found; this could readil 
be found into the Severn; but Mr. Whitmore has 
determined on using it to irrigate, by catch-work, 
the sides of the land, on the top of which the principal 
tract of sand rests. At the present time the works 
stand thus :—1. A mill is erected on the edge of the 
meadow, with a high-pressure engine for the purpose 
of driving chaff and other machines; 2. A bone-mill is 
also in work, attached to the engine. Works in pro- 
gress :—1. Two pumps, 14-inch bore, 34 feet stroke, to 
be worked by the engine for irrigation ; 2. Tram-road, 
up an inelined plane, for the purpose of conveying the 
soil from the meadow to the highest point of the sandy 
tract, from which it will be removed in light Scotch 
carts to be spread—the soil to be drawn up by the en- 
gine when not pumping ; 3. A large meadow bein 
converted into an irrigated meadow, which will be sup- 
plied by a fine stream from a lake in front of the 
mansion ;. 4, The first spit of the meadow to form 
compost with bones, and the liquor from the boiling of 
the bones (to extract the fat), which contains a por- 
tion of nitrogen ; this with the manure from stall-fed 
attle (on Mr. Warnes’s system), together with the con- 
sumption of the produce of the farm by cattle kept in 
stalls, is expected to produce a liberal supply of manure 
to dress the land with after the admixture with the clay 
from the meadow. With this asa starting point, and by 
adopting the best modes of culture, with high farming, 
there can be but little doubt as to the result; and Mr. 
Whitmore will bein a position practically to demonstrate 
to the proprietors of the light sands of this kingdom that 
it only requires capital and intelligence to convert their 
sterile sands into fertile fields. The stiff soils on the 
estate are being drained under Mr. Parkes’s direc- 
tions. The following rough sketch will give an idea of 
the geology of the district, and of the situation of the 
deposit. 
» 
ANE 
@ a, aluminous deposit; b b b b, sandstone-rock ; c c, clay. 
— A. Gyde. 
Miscellaneous. 
To Pull Flaz.—The time when Flax should be pulled 
isa point of much nicety to determine. The fibre is 
in the best state, before the seed is quite ripe, If pulled 
too soon, although the fibre is fine, the great waste in 
scutching and hackling renders it unprofitable; and, if 
pulled too late, the additional yield does not compensate 
for the coarseness of the fibre. It may be stated that 
the best time for pulling is, when the seeds are begin- 
ning to change from a green to a pale brown colour, 
and the stock to become yellow, for about two-thirds o 
its height from the ground. When any of the crop is 
lying, and suffering from wet, it should be pulled as 
soon as possible, and kept by itself. So long as the 
ground is undrained, and imperfectly levelled before 
sowing, the Flax will be found of different lengths, In 
such case, pull each length separately, and steep in se- 
parate pools, or keep it separate in the same pool. If 
the ground has been thorough-drained, and laid out 
evenly, the Flax will be all of the same length. It is 
most essential to take time and care to keep the Flax 
even, like a brush, at the root ends. This increases 
the value to the spinner, and, of course to the grower, 
who will be amply repaid, by an additional price for his 
extra trouble. Let the handfuls of pulled Flax be laid 
across each other diagonally, to be ready for the rippling. 
—5th Report, Flax Society. 
Calendar of Operations. 
AUGUST, 
ject presented to the Highland Society :— 
At one of the monthly meetings of the Society Mr, Dewat 
read an Essay by Mr. John Taylor, farm overseer at Corsie- 
town, near Huntly, on the comparative merits of reaping corn 
with the scythe and sickle, Mr. Taylor first considers the 
comparative merits of the implements in reference to the pro- 
cesses of binding, winning, carrying, stacking, and thrashing 
the ero; In regard to binding, a man can bind and stook 
500 sheaves, cut by the scythe, in 10 hours, as e 
bind 1200 sheaves cut with the smooth or 
chief reason for the difference being in the cireumstance of the 
o the mower having his work straight before him, 
without having to move from one ridge to another. It is al- 
lowed on all hands, as remarked by Mr. 
sheaves win in about one-fourth less time—that is, in 9 days 
instead of 12—than those eut with the sickle, though there is 
no perceptible difference in winning between grain eut with. 
the smooth and toothed sickles, As to leading and stacking, 
mown sheaves are closer in the head than shorn, and on this 
account less grain is lost by shedding while being carted ; and 
asa ilt of mown sheaves is more open than one of 
stack built o: 
sheaves shorn with sickles, the grain and straw in it not only 
win sooner, but on that account may be carried with safety 
from the field in an imperfectly dry state. Tt is allowed that à 
stack of mown sheaves has a rougher appearance than one of 
sheaves eut with the sickle, and that it exposes a greater 
number of heads of grain to the weather and the depredations 
of birds ; but this difficulty is easil me, as a man can 
dress a stack with a scythe-blade i Tt is admitted. 
that shorn sheaves are thrashed about 10 per cent. faster with 
yest labourers connected with the operation of each implement, 
By the Scythe .. .. 2 3 0 
» Smooth Sickle.. 
»  ToothedSickle.. 1 2 010 
From these results, the advantage from the use of the scythe 
is obvious. According to a statement given by Mr. Taylor, 
it appears that the cost of mowing is about 4s. per acre—a 
sum considerably less than the expense incurred by either kind 
of sickle, [We are paying from 8s. to 11s, per acre for mowing, 
tying, and stooking.] 
TTotices to Correspondents. 
BArLEY—Mr. Churchill, of Cheltenham, has sent us some very 
fine earsof a slate-coloured four-rowed Barley, grown from 
seed first obtained in 1843. He is to get some malted, and 
we are much obliged by his promise of a further report upon 
the subject. 
Booxs— Constant Sub—Hamilton’s system of book-keeping by 
ry. are not sure of the title, not 
aving a copy of the work by us. 
W—We do not know what itis. Ifit be 
that which is also magniloquently and absurdly termed 
‘Gold of Pleasure,” viz., the Camelina sativa—a plant grown. 
for its oil, on some parts of the Continent, and occurring 
here as a wee: our Flax-crops ; then, if your crop be 
ripe, mow it, thresh it, sell the seed at the oil-mill, and use 
the straw as litter. 
Grass-sreDs—J Richardson—We do not know Gibbs’ mixture ; 
but if it be prepared by Gibbs of Half-moon-street, Piccadilly, 
London, you may doubtless safely trust it. 
Gyrsum—Constant Sub—You had better sow about $ a ton per 
acre, broadeast, as soon as the Barley is off, to be ready for 
the first rains. lover will often disappear before winter, 
if not saved in time, 
nsrcts—H O W—Your Barley has suffered from the attacks 
of a little fly, called Chlorops, whose history you will see, 
with figures of its different states, in the 5th vol. of the 
“Royal Agricultural Society," p. 489. R.—— € N—The 
Barley sent by “ C. E." has suffered from the same insect as 
“H, 0, Ws.” R, ——C M—You.will find several answers of 
late, relative to the Chlorops, which has so greatly injured 
the Barley crops. Its history was given in the 5th vol. of the 
“ Royal Agri. Soc. Journal," p. 487, with figures of the fly, 
& 
c. R. 
Rick CLorns—Mr, Booth—You may with advantage occasion- 
ly dip it in a tan-pit, which will hinder mildew, but 
Gdgington's (2, Duke-street, Southwark) undressed cloths, if 
ficient fall be allowed when put up, will resist any wet; 
and as to its preservation, the only thing you have to observe 
is to take care that it is perfectly dry before folded up at the 
end of the season, and then it will last many years. 
Size or FrenDs—12 fields in 98 acres is not too few. Your 
object being profit, we do not see why, if tho property is 
otherwise sufficiently sheltered, you should have any fences 
at all; and then you may cultivate it in 4, 6, 8, or 12 pieces, 
as you please. 3 
Swxpzs—J Coates— We would apply 6bushels of bones dissolved 
in 1} ewts. of sulphuric acid, or 33 cwts. superphosphate 
of lime, now, by hand, between the rows, and horse-hoed in. 
TURNIP-SOWING MACHINE — The name of the maker whose 
machine we use, as alluded to in our report of the Newcastle 
meeting, is : Mr, Robert Moody, Denholm, Rox- 
Wetauine M. Constant Reader—James & Co., 44, Fish- 
street-hill, London, have hitherto carried off the Society's 
prize for these machines. 
SMarkets, 
SMITHFIELD, MONDAY, July 27.—Per Stone of 81bs, 
Best Scots, Hereforde, &0. 3s 10to 4s 0 | Best Long-wools = = 
Best Short Horns  - 3 6 2 10 tto (shorn) = 8 
Second quality Beasts - 210 8 4| Ewesand second quality 
Calves = + = o 46 Ditto (shorn) 
Best Downs & Half.breds — Zambes? <3 4 v. 
Di 
tto (shorn) — - 4 0 4 4 posi "Lug s 8 4 
and Lambs, 25,000; Calves, 191; Pigs 
t 
, 980. 
"We have to-day a very large supply of Beasts, and consequently, the "d 
81 
Beasts for the trade; the weather being 80 S 
We cannot make quite 4s of 
Short-horns.—The 
mbe is smaller, and trade rather revived, expecially for 
1 est 
We have again too man: 
sively hot the demand is exceedingly small. 
X 
g 
Si 
ng to t 
: 4 65. 
Beasts, 803; Sheep and Lambs, 8850; Calves, 7 DE AES raithfleld. 
tonsa, 
— 
