39—1846.] 
THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 
653 
but we must not forget the question of expense. Will 
you furnish us with a £s. d. estimate? Farm manure 
costs in small heaps, ready for spreading in the field, 
about 8d. per cubic yard, and it is then worth, compared 
with other fertilisers in the market, from 3s, to 5s. per 
cubic yard. There is thus not much room for expense.] 
The Potato Discase.—Allow me to lay before you a 
Statement respecting an experiment which I made last 
year, and am following up this summer, as a probable 
Means of renovating and improving the qualities of our 
Second necessary of life, Potatoes—which have been 
degenerating for several years back. Aware that many 
garden shrubs and herbaceous plants have their quali- 
weleome because pected, of the of the 
most ancient of all histories—in which we find it written 
* And Pharaoh slept and dreamed the second time, and 
behold seven ears of corn came wp UPON ONE STALK, 
rank and good."—(Genesis, xli, 5.)— The Chairman 
then rose to introduce the subjeet of which he had 
given notice, It divided itself, he said (after some in- 
troduetory remarks), into three heads, viz. :—1. The 
most approved methods of preparing land for Wheat. 
2. The varieties of Wheat most suitable to the northern 
counties, 3. The most desirable methods of preparing 
and sowing the seed. He would begin with the system 
of preparing land by summer fallowing, which was very 
ively’ practised in Northumberland and Durham, 
ties maintained and improved by propagating them by 
cuttings of the stems, rather than by dividing the roots 
or by seed, in the latter end of June, 1845, I planted, 
ina good light soil, without manure, cuttings of the 
een stalks of early Potatoes. I scarcely cherished a 
ope that they would produce tubers ; yet in autumn I 
‘ound a erop—some of.them the size of boys’ playing 
Marbles, and most of them from two to four times that 
Size, These were planted the 23d of last February ; 
and now, removing the soil from part of a root, the first 
and only one that I inspected is full larger, and of finer 
appearance, than those growing in the same ground and 
Planted with tubers of the same sort. The cuttings 
were the tops of the stalks, four or five joints from the 
top, and cut close under the joint with a very sharp pen- 
knife, and with a quick, clean, sloping cut. All the 
ong leaves were clipped off, and such of the buds of the 
Stalks as were growing into leaves, shortened a little, 
except the top buds—taking particular care not to do 
this so close as to pinch the bud off, or bruise the stalk 
—as it is out of these buds that the young tubers grow. 
They were planted in a sunny aspect, and shaded, and 
Watered every evening, in dry weather, for two or three 
weeks, until they began to grow. This summer I am 
Planting about half, or two-thirds, of the whole stalks ; 
laying them nearly horizontally, under two or three 
inches of soil, with the top buds only above ground, 
The seed will no doubt be more abundant in this length 
of stalk and horizontal position. I am planting them 
in portions of ground the size of Onion beds, laying a row 
of plants three inches asunder the whole breadth of the 
bed, and another row directly opposite, with the top buds 
of both rows meeting each other, In this way they 
will need little shade, and will be easily weeded and 
watered. As it is rather difficult to furnish shade, 
J plant some behind any large culinary herbs ; and even 
behind and between ridges of growing Potatoes. The 
broad leaves of the former, and the luxuriant stalks of 
the latter, are a sufficient shade. But these growing 
Potatoes, or herbs, are such as will be dug up in the 
course of three weeks, as this new crop must have sun 
to mature it. Latterly I find that by bringing the top 
buds very near together, they need no shade except a 
few stalks and leaves thrown over them, of those weeds, 
herbs, or cuttings of leafy shrubs, on which earwigs and 
Teptiles do not lodge, so that there is no expense, and 
little trouble attending this attempt to improve Potato 
Seed, The cuttings should be taken from healthy plants, 
and planted without manure in ground that has not 
een recently set with Potatoes. I now find young sets 
Browing upon stalks of early Potatoes which I planted 
Only three weeks ago. It is, therefore, not too late to 
Plant cuttings of second earlies and the later sorts. I 
also find that the small stalks produce as well as the 
thick stalks ; so that those who would hesitate to eut the 
Main stalks of their growing crops for this purpose 
Might succeed by using the small ones. It may be ad- 
visable to cover the crop with an addition of light soil, 
And leave it in the ground until setting time next spring. 
This Methed of endeavouring to improve the Potato 
Will be more expeditious than that of doing it by the 
Seed of the Potato-apple (although that should be per- 
Severed in, to obtain varieties), and the produce could 
fe always depended upon ito be the same sorts as those 
Tom which the cuttings were taken. If landed proprie- 
se and horticultural societies would encourage this 
ERA and if farmers, nurserymen, rket-gard 
ae every cottager who has a few yards of spare fresh 
geb would immediately practise it, I believe that in 
pu. Or three years (through the blessing of Heaven, 
peas ready to second man’s instrumentality), the whole 
cone United Kingdom would have more abundant 
ain this nutritious root, much improved in quality, 
high} he different sorts ‘distinctly classified. It is also 
tions p Probable that, if euttings of these new planta- 
VIS re from, year to year planted in fresh ground, 
Genter of the mysterious disease might be entirely 
those growi I am planting cuttings of the stalks of 
Stowing from the result of my last year’s experi- 
ect that the offspring will be PEN Dem 
j se, Spittal, Berwick-on- Tweed, in ** Ber- 
o ui. [The fault of this, as of all such 
, is, tha j riter : 
Wo want results, ells us only what the writer expects ; 
N Shoe m 
d EST Sept. 5.—Donations were received— 
C d d js. an ear of “Mummy Wheat,” from the 
Ss of Strathmore. The ear of Wheat grown from 
Seed found i È t 0 
terest, d inan Egyptian mummy ease, excited much in- 
= meee the lapse of two or three thousand years, 
s released from the darkness of an Egyptian 
English ground—and its vitality un- 
n due time not simply an ear of 
more), an evidence, not the less 
"d, produces 
heat, Shut (what is 
| 
| 
and also (though not so extensively), in Cumberland 
and Westmoreland. Indeed, on allstrong clay soils, as 
well as on wet, weak lands, it had come into general 
use. Since fur draining and subsoil-ploughing had 
been more adopted, there had been less bare fallow ; 
yet he was sorry to say the latter practices had as yet 
not been sufficiently extended to enable the farmer to 
cover all, or the greater part of his fallow land, with 
green crops. The land intended for summer fallow 
was ploughed with a deep furrow all through the winter 
and early spring months, and ought to be carefully 
water-furrowed by the plough and spade. Too much 
attention could not be given to laying the land as dry as 
possible, nothing being more prejudicial to the land, and 
to the following summer working, than allowing it to lie 
immersed in stagnant water all the winter through. The 
first operation in the spring was to plough the land 
again, either across the last furrow, or in the same 
direction according to circumstances. This ploughing 
ought to be given in May, at the latest; the rougher 
and more exposed to atmospheric influence the better. 
Repeated ploughings, harrowings, and rollings ought to 
be given in the course of the summer, and if any 
Couch-grass or other weeds were in the land, they 
should be picked up by women and burnt; and the 
land made perfectly clean. All wet ploughing should 
be avoided. Horses and men had better be idle than 
cutting every “quicken” into a dozen pieces, each 
ready to multiply and ereate work at some future day. 
He had found heavy grubhers much preferable to 
ploughing and harrowing. His experience had taught 
him thaé unless weeds were exposed to the sun and 
air, and thereby destroyed, fallows would never be made 
perfectly clean. He need not inform the club that the 
part of a farm set aside for summer-fallowing was 
generally that which was the dirtiest, and too often he 
was sorry to say, rendered as foul as possible by pre- 
vious bad management. The intentiou of perfectly 
cleansing the land, by the expensive mode of allowing a 
large part of the farin to be unproductive for the whole 
summer was totally defeated, if it were not well cleansed 
and worked. Too many fallows were allowed to be 
green with weeds when they ought to be clean and in 
preparation for that golden crop—Wheat. Indeed, 
they were as much exhausted by growing. weeds as by 
growing corn ; an some farmers talked of giving 
their land a clean fallow, and expected this slovenly 
system to answer the purpose of preparing the land for 
producing crops for the following four or five years. 
Having prepared the land properly, the next thing to 
be done was to add dung, lime, or other manure. If| grow a little, even under the snow. 
fold-yard manure, it ought to be well mixed with the 
soil, If lime, it should be kept as near the 
top as possible—it having a downward tendency, and 
old sorts were giving way to the new ones. The little 
white, the downy Essex, and the hedge Wheat, might 
be classed among the old sorts; and the white Britan- 
nia, the hedge-row, and the Chidholm (a very fine- 
grained Wheat), amongst the new. Thirdly, as to pre- 
paring the seed. Steeps of chamberley, preparations 
of arsenic, and some other mixtures, were used as pre- 
ventives against smut. The usual process was to steep 
for about 10 minutes in stale urine (which contained 
ammonia) and then dry the seed with quick-lime. If 
proper pains were taken to select clean seed, and pickle 
it with chamberley and lime, there was no doubt of its 
being kept pure, or nearly so. ‘There was now not so 
much smut as formerly. There were many chemical 
preparations for preparing seed. Not having had much 
experience of them, he must decline giving any opinion. 
The method of depositing the seed, as he had already 
stated, was mostly by sowing broadcast. Some was 
ribbed with a ribbing plough, and part drilled. It would 
be a great improvement if the Wheat were hoed in the 
spring previous to sowing Clover-seed. Less seed would 
do, and weeds would be kept down. He had little doubt, 
as improved culture advanced, that frequent hoeings of 
corn crops would become general.— Newcastle paper. 
Miscellaneous. 
Bunch-grasses.—It is erroneous to believe that these 
two species of Grasses grow naturally so in separate tufts 
or bunches, ‘I'he cause is a mechanical one, mainly 
owing to the annual fires, the great heat and drought 
during the latter part of summer, as well as to the deep 
snows, the wet in the month of March, accompanied 
by severe bare-frosts. But the same causes again may 
also occasion part of that excellence, which these 
Grasses possess in respect to feeding qualities, which 
surpass the best grain fodder. Yet, Iam sure that great 
part is likewise owing to the kinds ; for, in the lower 
regions, Sithe Upper Missouri River, where there is 
an elevation of only about 1000 feet, without these ex- 
tremes of heat, and the destruction by fire, the Triti- 
cum Missuricum enjoys the same reputation as excell 
fodder for horses and cattle. Two weeks are suficient 
to fatten a poor horse, when the first blades spring out 
in March. There it grows not in bunches, but in dense 
carpets, suffering scarcely any other plant amongst 
itself, save a few Opuntia groups. Yet the Festuea 
356, surpasses the Triticum by far, which Grass I never 
recognized east of the Rocky Mountains. Horses and 
cattle, therefore, in Upper Oregon feed on the former 
only in the absence of the latter, which occurs in such 
places where water remains long in the spring. The 
extreme heat in Oregon give to these Grasses another 
great value, on which the importance of Upper Oregon, 
as a grazing country, depends. The heat commences 
about the Ist of July, when the parching rays of the 
sun, suddenly dry up the blades of the Grass, and 
render it a wholesome hay. he centre of the tuf 
however, remain green, waiting only for a little mois- 
ture to renew the growth, which also takes place about 
the middle of September, during a series of wet, foggy, 
cloudy days. Soon afterwards, frosts arrest its growing 
a second time, and a deep (2—3 feet) snow covers it for 
five months. I have convineed myself that these 
Grasses, thus checked and excited, keep green and 
The frests and 
snow render the dry blades brittle, and the horses and 
cattle eat it with greediness, mixed with the young 
green parts which they find in the centre of the tufts ; 
could not be kept too near the root of the Wheat | digging for it with their feet day and night, remaining 
plant. The broadcast plan of sowing Wheat 
was most in use. He could not but think, how- 
ever, that the time was fast approaching when it would 
be drilled, and hoed in the spring, previous to sowing 
Clover-seed. A great saving of seed might be made 
if this plan were adopted. He had endeavoured to 
show that summer fallow land ought to be well worked, 
cleaned, and manured, or there was no certainty of ob- 
taining remunerative crops, The reverse was sure in 
the end to be ruinous. Let him, then, urge the neces- 
sity of strictly attending to the best practices known, 
and abandoning the slovenly one of neglect. Having 
stated as much as the limits of his paper and time 
would allow, respecting the preparation of the land for 
Wheat by summer fallowing, he would briefly mention 
that a crop of Potatoes prepared the land for generally 
a large crop of Wheat; yet the two crops were very 
impoverishing, and Clover often failed after them. This 
might, perhaps, be remedied by a top dressing of some 
kind of manure. Very little Wheat was grown after 
Clover. The system had often been tried, but made 
little progress. Wheat was often sown after Turnips, 
and succeeded very well, at times; but he was no adyo- 
cate for the spring-sowing of Wheat. Secondly, as to the 
most approved kinds of Wheat. He believed, as a 
general rule, the red Wheats were more suitable to this 
northern climate than the white, being hardier—yield- 
ing a larger quantity per acre—tillering better in the 
spring—and bearing bad weather better in the harvest. 
The kinds grown were so numerous, and had so many 
names (for often the same sort had different names), 
that it was almost impossible to enumerate them. He 
might, however, say that the Creeping Red had long 
stood high as a good miller’s wheat, and was very suit- 
able for weak land, but one of the worst for rieh laud. 
The Squareheaded Red, the Red Kent, and man 
others, were the soris most approved ; but now the new 
varieties we superseding the old ones, and the 
Spalding Prolific, the Britannia Red, the Chevalier, and 
others, were much sown, and, there was little doubt, | 
were more productive, As to white Wheats, also, the 
fat through the winter ; and poor ones will, if healthy, 
get fat notwithstanding that labour. This is the case 
in places where the fires do not reach; but when fires 
follow after the heat and drought, it will soon grow 
again and keep green under the deep snow. The soil 
is generally a heavy loam, mixed with fragments of 
granitic and basaltic rocks ; getting very hard about 
the time when the seeds are ripe ; hence they will burn 
up, as well as the borders of the tufts and their dry 
centres, separating one tuft into several. Seedlings 
which escape the fire, must either lodge in the tuft, or 
they will be destroyed by rot under the deep snow, or 
the wet and bare frosts in the beginning of spring. Sir 
Wm, Stuart, who, during his travels, became acquainted 
with these Grasses, has raised already & great many 
from seeds, which he gathered himself many years ago. 
Even there (Scotland) they preserve a great deal of 
their primitive character, and will, no doubt, surpass 
expectations. Here I must remark, that I somewhat 
doubt the identity of the Triticum on the Missouri and 
that of Oregon. ‘The former is the same Sir Wm. 
Stuart cultivates, the same which agrees perfectly with 
the description of Triticum Missuricum, Sprengel (see 
pr. Syst. Veget. Appx.). Drs. Torrey and Gray re- 
cognized it as T. caninum, and Prince Neuwied calls it 
a variety of Triticum repens. In my estimation it 
differs from the latter even in its creeping, but t 
thick, and ramose root.—Geyer in London Journal oj 
Botany. 
Drainage with Pipe-tiles (see page 510).—I see 
clearly that my friend Dixon and I shall never ee 
about agricultural matters, because he will not be- 
lieve a fact when he sees it, whilst I would not give 
one farthing for a thousand opinions, if those opinions 
were opposed by au observable experiment. I consider 
that Dr. Dixon is doing a very serious injury to 4 
culture by denying facts, and endeavouring to substitute 
in their place his mere opinions, not founded on fact. 
The * Royal Agricultural Society’s Journal” g j 
detail the names and addresses of numerous f 
| who have drained 4 feet deep with l-ineh pipes, at a 
n 
2 
f 
