THE 
pee UE ee AME 
[Szpr. 19, 
second | rowth and formed shoots from 12 to 18 inches 
in length, which were topped off. On the contrary the 
stems of the Winter Beans withered and lost their 
leaves, but the pods remained green, while a second 
growth of stems came up from the roots, and some of 
them formed blossoms. This habit of the Winter Bean 
of forming new shoots from the roots is that which pro- 
bably renders it valuable and capable of recovery after 
injury from frost, &c., in winter; and since, in the pre- 
sent case, it has been exhibited under unusual conditions, 
perhaps an account of it may be deemed worthy of in- 
sertion in the Agricultural Gazette.—John S. Enys. 
EEA 
Docietics. 
HIGHLAND AND AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY’S 
GRAND SHOW AT INVERNESS. 
{We resume the report of this meeting, left off at 
page 621.] 
On the Wednesday evening, Mr. Smrrn, of perraro ches 
vered a lecture on “ THOROUGH DRAINING,” — Mr. 
commenced by saying, that the paella of lecture to- poc 
was the important one of thorough draining, and other 
matters connected with it, and lo would endeavour to give a 
practical explanation of his views in as few words as possible. 
well drained land there were many more days in the year on 
which the farmer can plough and harrow than on other land. 
‘hen he did plough and harrow the operations were much 
more easy and efficacious, and thorough harrowing and plough- 
ing of good land was of more advantage than an equal amount 
of labour expended der less favourable TU cen SN 
Manure likewise had much more effect when the land was well 
drained than if it were put into a wet soil. With a dry soil 
they had more warmth, and when the sun shone it encouraged 
the plants to grow, whereas sunshine was rather hurtful for a 
time to wet land. They knew well it was the practice in hot 
countries to put a wet cloth round a bottle of wine for the pur- 
pose of cooling it by the evaporation of the moisture, and the 
same effect took place on land, although not so perceptible. 
It was a very strange thing that agriculturists had so long 
known the advantages of thorough draining, and that it was not 
more precio ed. A great deal had been done in this country 
for 60 years, in attempts to dry the soil, but these attempts had 
been chiefly confined to 8e removal i of water which arises in 
springs below the soil. 
e fie! Ids, which 
of. the Mee from PEE 
t had very little effect in rendering 
the surface eabictently: dry. c the purposes x Popes eulti- 
vation. It was not until a later period ti ention was 
given to the water which fell on de. RP “Whom rain fell 
upon land composed of stiff clay, it must either run off or be 
evaporated. Mr. Smith then, by the use of diagrams, ex- 
plained the mode in which the rain fell upon the ground, and 
exeolated through the soil. He alluded to the practice, which 
ad existed from time immemorial, of throwing the 
Lind n ridges an: irm nu showed that, by the soil 
being washed "from the tops of ridges into the furrows, the 
higher parts of the field En comparatively little crop— 
the best par dux of which the land? was composed bein, 
carried off into the furrows, and then into some adjoining 
stream. Whenever they sa jaw à large river running brown after 
a fall of rain, they might be: sure that the best part of the soil 
was being carried a away, ni be recovered, until, in the 
course of time, it might Eb ond up from the bottom of the 
sea and form land such as their carses ; 
coverably to the present generation. f great DE 
ance, T to lay hold of that part of the soil, and not to 
allow it to be washed away. In thorough drained land, no 
drop of S eter should run on the surface in any direction, but 
should penetrate into the ground whereitfell. By the aid of 
diagrams, representing a section of the ground, with stone and 
tile drains in it, the lecturer then explained the manner in 
which the rain percolated through the active soil, then into the 
parts of the soil not in use, but “which had been ‘stir red by the 
subsoil plough, and then along the surface of the subsoil, which 
had never been mechanically moved, into de drains, He next 
explained, by the same means, the action of the atmosphere 
upon the soil in thorough drained lid in TE cracks 
or SS so that water easily found its way into the channels 
the ground. Wherever the land 
noi hing whic m t in an 
Em ae ca its natural. action, SS was to de- 
scend as straight as it could go. When rain fell with great force, 
ifit were allowed to run along the surface, as it did on un- 
drained land, it carried away the whole of the fine soil; but, 
in consequence of this system of draining the whole of that 
valuable matter w: the water in ‘the soilitself. The 
eater began to ana near the surfaee, and before it reached 
the point where it found E way into the drain, it was perfectly 
pure. No better proof could be given of the effectiveness of 
draining than to see the 3 E coming from the drains perfectly 
clear, which was generally the case, As regards the depth of 
ds Time was a just medium, in order to give eni iost 
effectually the power of drawing the moisture from the superin- 
cumbent soil and rendering it completely dry, and of allowing 
the atmosphere to operate freely in producing that effect. 
Were this not attended to, and the drains made too deep, the 
water would remain longer i in the soil than would be eee d 
cessary or useful. 
E] 
4 
e to Sind i its EI to the drains 
it neh were placed at double ‘the distance from each other. 
He t| ought, from all the 
8e, the event ve his drains being 
choked up, he ea e once see UR Te drains had been 
put. He did not approve, where ridges were retained, of drains 
being formed in the cabe and was of QE n that the tops 
of the ridges wa 
as possi- 
ore odes were necessary to fill 
hey were made wider, and were more apt to 
e Itwas found that from 12 to 13 Men at the top, in 
which à man would ea E work, was the most garenoi 
width ; and from 3 to 4 inches at the bottom, would do for a 
stone drain, and equally well for tile. was of E conse- 
quence to have them so cut, when tile was to be used, that it 
would be easily put in, for nan there was any difficulty in that 
respect the individual Placing it put his foot upon it and pro- 
bably broke the tile. s of importance to have them easy, 
therefore ; but, at the same time, not to cut more than was 
absolutely necessa ith regard to the use of tiles 
stones in the forn ra he had no doubt but 
ble to receive the wate, as m 
drain. 
invite burned, and the; 
tinguish by the eye when this was Wes case, and a bad tile p 
stroyed the whole drain, But there were situations in which 
stones were not to be had, and it then Polarin a matter of 
necessity to use the tile. He then discussed the au of 
the size of the tube of the tile to be use ed, and gave it as his 
opinion that the bore should never be less than 13 to 2 inches, 
The tile and sole were very good, but it was more expensive 
than the single tube. With regard to the stones, they should 
be broken to about the size of an egg ; and upon many lands 
they would get a sufficient quantity of stones to do the whole 
of their drainage. They would be required, however, to be 
freed of earth. When he first E ONDE d broken stones for 
the bottoms of drains, he considered that 12 inches of them 
would be ESAE ; but on farther consideration of the sub- 
ject, and fr. e experience whic) pan he was quite 
satisfied that a great deal fewer stones would serve the pur- 
pose, if properly executed. He found that from 6 to. 8 inches of 
Stones, well Aad ft were quite sufficient to maintain the drain 
open. But of the most important points in regard to the 
formation of eu was to secure them well above, so that the 
water might get into them free of sludge. Many people com- 
plained of (ines and straw and other similar substances were 
put in, whi eing bala fine quickly decayed, 
and sted to destroy the drai Turf, in his opinion, was 
infinitely preferable, Eh MS be covered with 4 or 5 inches 
of the stiffest clay they could get. He wanted no water to get 
directly into the drain. He next referred to the propriety of 
ploughing down the ridges, after the soil was properly drained, 
ut recommended that this should not be done too rapidly, by 
which the higher parts would be rendered sterile, He next 
referred to the construction of main drains, eu illustrated his 
observations by reference to a Rd He then entered u| upon 
the subject of turf draining in peat land, of eu he had had 
some m Med and exhibited the various implements 
used for that purpose. The operation consisted of cutting out 
at once, by a particular process, from 25 to 30 inches of the 
turf, and laying it to one side of the drain, A portion of the 
peat was then cut by anarrower spade, and laid upon the 
opposite side of the drain, After this another cutting, still 
‘rower, was thrown out, and then the peat and the turf— 
with the exception of the last ieee A put back precisely 
where they were taken out. Some people thought the surface 
turf the best to be put in first; but the peat being indestruct- 
ible, and not liable to be acted. upon by the atmosphere or the 
much superior for that PUDE: Another great 
advantage of this mode of improving the land was, that peat 
land could be completely drained for 11. de acre, which was 
cheaper than he had ever known land drained before, A vote 
of thanks was proposed to Mr. ER which was carried by 
acclamation, and the meeting separa: 
EMI LIC BREAKFAST. 
Thursday, Sepi —A public breakfast took place in the 
Northern En ime for resuming the discussion on the 
practical topics referred to at the previous meeting on mena 
morning. e Chairman, HENRY BAILLIE, Esq., M.P., said 
they were assembled for the purpose of hearing Professor "John- 
ston on the ‘f COMPOSITION AND USE OF ARTIFICIAL MANURE: 
Professor Jounsron said that what he had to dé was to ex- 
plain the nature a Ai were called artificial manures, and to 
In regard to the nature of these manures 
he might state to then that they might be arranged into two 
ifferent classes—such as consisted of mineral matter only, and 
those which were composed of organic matter. He believed 
most of them were aware, that the mineral matter contained in 
the soil and the mineral matter contained in plants was com- 
osed of the same substances. There were a considerable num- 
ber of different. hinge of a mineral nature which went to the 
composition of plant: These were the mineral substances 
contained in the mineral manures. if ra of the manures ap: 
plied to the land consisted wholly of this mineral matter. 
Amongst these, sum was much rani which 
mineral manure, sulphuric acid and lime, common. sulp! 
soda, and other substances. But there were mixtures of those 
substances, and those mixtures were now used very extensively. 
There was also a class of artificial manu res, which contained 
SUI he might call combustible or organic RE which could 
be consumed or burned. The manure used in fertilising ground 
very frequently contained a portion of this organic matter, 
which was of great value in the growth of plants, “and which he 
would by and by explain. Amongst those manures, so exten- 
sively used of late, was ox bones, which were composed of the 
TOUS E exp age 
Eie of Ti jme. E 
Phosphate of een 
Carbonate of Lime . 
Soda, with a little common Salt” m 
Now, 30 per cent. of this matter burned, while the rest was not 
consumable. Rape-dust was extensively used as manure, and 
contained a large proportion of organic matter, for when it was 
burned it left a residuum oi r 10 per cent. of mineral matter. 
nother substance—guano—which was the droppings of birds, 
we burned left a large proportion of mineral matter, and 
s a very useful manure, if applied in proper time, in proper 
quantities, An under right Md These substances were 
more or less na DIR manures; but now they had received, in 
consequence of t x hes mac i. ib ng and laboriously 
made—into the Don eu of plants, and soils, and minerals, 
o make artificial mix- 
tures of what the soil required to grow a given crop, and he 
considered this most ipa in the present transition state 
of their agriculture. armer being, is means, to a 
certain extent, enabled ios turn the old elements which were 
formerly the opponents of his prosperity, into the most benefi- 
cial instruments for his service. The principle was this :—If 
they took a given plant of any sort and burned it, there re- 
mained behind a certain quantity of mineral matter—: sometimes 
more and sometimes less, according to the mete ioe the plant. 
The principle upon which the manufactur substance 
to be added to the soil for the purpose of SUE ie ertt pro- 
ceeded, was to compose such a mixture as wí e back or 
add to the soil in sufficient quantity the Ganetacaentasce E 
crop which it was intended to raise, and it depended oi 
eit e the number of those substances, and the Sono 
tion in which they existed in different plants, that this could 
be muscle These returns to the soil of mixed manure, BAS 
contain the several substances carried off b; 
straw carried off a great seat uere of the mineral matter E 
the soil than the grain ; t the same time, the Waele ico 
that grain carried off were vite same as were carrie 
straw. So much in regard to the nature of artificial Ee 
and the principle upon which they were manufactured, and 
upon which their virtue depended. Now, the next point was 
the recommendation to use them. Many ercana old farmers 
told them there was nothing like farm-yard aang and mi any 
young farmeri Seay those who had learned most, say the 
Same thing. w, all present knew that if they By SIS of 
well- prepared PTUS yard dung, not exhausted of the liquid, 
which, in too many càses was slowed to vun to waste, and'as he 
had seen yesterday on a large farm in the neighbourhood, they 
need not be afraid of growing excellent crops from that alone. 
Butif they were to look to dn best husbandry in the island, 
and to ask how it was that th men were most prosperous, 
every one acquainted with the matter would give them the same 
ES as he would give. en arhed pun highest and 
added the most manure to Mod land. had not been 
of draips, 
a stone drain, if Done stia was an Budensis | aet with returning to their land what vel RO out of it, 
| but they bad uniformly . gotm manures from a distance for the 
purpose of supplying that additional quantity above what they 
could produce themselves, for bringing their land into its 
highest m of activity. pe laid it down as a general rule, 
an they could make upon 
their farms. The dM of Gr eat Britain, although most 
advanced in the world, was nevertheless capable of being pro- 
moted to a degree which it was very difficult to form any con» 
ception of. 
Pure) this. an mode of fang. not only because it 
would be beneficial to the country, but because it would also 
be productive of greater Pn to themselves n wished to 
impress upon them thait 
rested, 
mately it would be more Duontdhlo to thenieelved: t though 
he had explained the principles upon which the use of these 
substances were recommended generally, there were certain 
Bartieulax a cases where the use of t| all would not be neces- 
r referring to the i i 
instance, at an expense of 10/. an acr. "s and on lands which had. 
never before been cultivated, he said, altho a h they were ex- 
at the least possible expenses: After s 
the capability of eem kind of land to produce, with proper 
management, a profitable crop, and to the propriety of manure 
being applied only where z was wanted, he referred to an ex- 
v. Mr. Huxtable, of Dorsetshire, in 
raising a crop of Amet on a soil composed almost entirely 
of chalk. He made a mixture of the substances which went to 
the composition of Turnips, but instead of sowing it broad- 
cast, or placing it along the top of the whole drill, he got chil- 
dren to go along with bags of this substance, and to place 3 little 
of it at the distance of every 12 inches, on which three or four 
seeds were placed, and the result was, got a p of 
20 tons an acre of most magnificent "Turnips. In this experi- 
a curious circumstance was to be observed, namely, that 
wherever the seeds were put in ee there was no manure put, 
the Turnips got to the size of an egg, but no more. With such 
skilful treatment as this he believed their most barren soils 
might be made to pay all the expense of cultivation, and leave 
a profit bes He then concluded by inviting those present 
to state RN of their experience for the purpose of enabling 
others to follow their example. 
elig, with refer ence Ha Professor Johnston's 
exam os 
Ee Len tati peru arou 
get that which is necessary still to ETAN and to enn 
their Ie. 
Professor Jounston—Children must be nourished and at- 
tended to as SHY res first they must be helped to their 
food, but in course o: if properly cared for, hey will help 
themselves, gather flesh, bone and muscle, and "become strong 
en. Just so with plant 8. rst they must be helped to 
ood by placing it near them ; as they get strong they will put 
forth their feelers and take food from a greater distance, and 
thus nourish and sustain themselves, growing to matu rity. My 
theory implies, that while food is to be placed immediately 
within the Teach of the suckling, there must also be sufficient 
in its JAN generi ally to supply it with increased nourishment 
this theory practical men have abun- 
ote of thanks was then 
Ss 
tried this day. 
from the cow, i a small Hon of one gh ts cream ; and 
butter was formed in 12 minute 
aaner, of Stock Exhibited.— 
ort-horn, 38; S dde 
polled breeds, 61; Abi 
t Highland breed of cattle, 
Angus, and Galloway 
erdeenshire horned, 4; Ayrshire, 34; 
Horses, 107." 
: ic 
; Shetland, 4; old Seoteh di Goats 5, Total oreh 
jme, 12. Turkeys, 10; F Ducks, 28; 
"owls, & 
Total of poultr; Total A 9o. 
6; Guinea fowls, 2. 
Farmers’ Club 
GUILDFORD: Thick and Thin S001) Ta follow- 
ing remarks yeso made by Mr. Evershed at the last 
* Each of the several modes of planting 
merits and demerits, Broadeast, though 
not exploded, is very much curtailed within ‘the last 
few years, and is, I think, going more and more into 
disrepute. It is resorted to by the advocates of the 
drill, at certain times, either for expedition, or to avoid 
disturbing the solid furrows in a Wheat preparation, 
or to prevent undue treading for Barley in adverse 
seasons. Many heavy, cold, tenacious soils are consi- 
dered to be better managed by these means than by 
any other. Some recent experiments made, give a pre- 
ference to broadeast over the drill. It appears to me 
that the drill has justly obtained the pre-eminence in 
publie estimation, [t may be used upon almost all soils, 
perhaps upon all, a merit that cannot be claimed for 
the dibbler. It deposits its seed at an equal depth and 
ateven distances. Equality of depth ensures the same 
period of germination, produces the young shoots of the 
same age—which is a certain advantage—and the clear 
intervals between the rows give free scope for the hoe. 
It is believed that the influence of the atmosphere act- 
ing uninterruptedly between the rows of corn, produces 
corresponding benefits. Dibbling Wheat under certain 
circumstances is a very useful process, The lightest 
sands appropriated to the growth or Wheat, are fre- 
quently iufested with weeds, particularly the Poppy: It 
is very difficult to eradicate that noxious and trou le- 
some weed. Hand weeding in the rows of drilled Wheat 
is iit and Saeusi In dewia Wheat a much ater 
intel and more rie Piin y 
vantageously used on porous soils—or soils eid 
loose by the late withdrawal of root crops, | ea 
Wurzel, for instance. It often occurs, that late in rad 
year, it is impossible to approach ihe land from co 
