42—1846.] 
THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 
Prof. Johnston next proceeded to state the means taken 
by the Society of Scotland for the development of its 
objects. "That Society consisted of 750 members, all of 
whom were most anxious for its success. Theirincome 
was 11001, and it was increasing. It had been said, 
that the people of Ulster and the people of Seotland 
were of the same blood, The population of Ulster was 
as large as that of Scotland ; he saw before him as good 
farmers as any in Scotland—and he trusted this Sez} 
would be as prosper i D RC 
Te jae Prosperous as theirs— Much abridged from 
TNE iv OTUOT I re ee 
EXPERIMENT on tHe PREPARATION or LAND 
FOR THE TURNIP CROP. 
I nave procured for the Gazette a copy of an account 
n experi t ted with agricul for which 
a prize was awarded by the Fareham Agricultural So- 
ciety. I was an eye-witness of the result.of the experi- 
ment; the crop was certainly very splendid.— JV. C. 
Spooner, Southampton. : 
** To the Secretary of the South-East Hants’ Cattle Show Club. 
*CSrm,—I beg to offer the following written account 
of an experiment made by myself, in the year 1845, on 
my farm at Maidenstone Heath, in petition for the 
premium offered by the South-East Hants’ Cattle Show 
Club for the best written account of the result of any 
experiment connected with agriculture. 
* In treating of the best and cheapest method of pre- 
paring the land for the Turnip crop, it would perhaps 
be difficult to lay down any one practical system which 
would be found applicable to every descripti oil ; 
because it is well known to every practical farmer that 
the difference in the texture of soils, and various cir- 
eumstances conneeted with the cultivation of the Turnip, 
(to say nothing of the ever-varying character of the 
Seasons,) must of necessity induce a departure from any 
general rule. Yet, having been for many years an 
advocate for less ploughing than is usually done in pre- 
paring land for Turnips in this part of the county, I was 
induced to undertake an experiment for the purpose of 
proving to what extent a reduction of expenses might 
be made in the preparation of land for the Turnip crop. 
For this purpose I selected a field of 10 acres, the soil 
a deep loam upon brick-earth ; previous crop, Wheat 
manured ; ploughed once out of ley; seeded in the 
month of March with Italian Rye-grass, which afforded 
excellent food for sheep from August to December. 
After being divided into equal parts of 5 acres each, 
the following course of tillage was pursued :— 
No. 2.—5 acres under the ima 
proved system. 
No 1.—5 acres under the usual 
£ s. d. . d. 
In December one deep In December, one 
ploughiug, at per deep ploughing, at 
acre .. rt STU LO per acre .. ANR 0 
In Feb. two draggings 0 1 6 | In April two drag- 
» twoharrowings 0 1 0 gings m oO 1 6 
neroling ..0 0 9 ; twoharrowings0 1 0 
In March, one plough- , one rolling .. 09 
eta a 1.010 0 | InMay, onescarifyingd 5 0 
03 0 » twoharrowings 0 1 0 
2 0 one rolling 0-0 9 
1 6 
8 0 £1 2 0 
ENO 
fourharrowings0 2 0 
» tworollings ..0 1 6 
£2 4 9 
*t The following statement will show the crop of Swede 
Turnips, for which the preparation was in every 
respect similar, except as regards tillage :— 
«| ost of | Gost of | 
| Tillage |Manure | 
p. acre. 'e.| 
Sort of |Kind of 
Swede, | Manure 
Weight of 
Produce 
per acre. 
Time of 
Drilling 
T UTns.ewt.Ibs. 
Ee d| E£ s.d. 
12 4 9|2 2 0|May 20. Skirving's| CS 97°12 O0 
801 
Bones, 
ani 
Ashes: 
Same. | Same. | 28 7 0 
2 0 2 2 0) Same. 
* Although I am by no means prepared to advoeate 
what I here term the improved system, under all cir- 
cumstances, still I am of opinion that on all soils free 
from Twitch or Couch Grass, it may be carried out 
t it 
return of dry weather, when it is often found so much + 
time has been lost that the land cannot receive the | 
usual number of ploughings before the time for sowing 
has arrived ; in such case the searific;. Euge found Ti 
aec substitute for the plough, as it is equally 
lestructive of summ^» weeds. 
"er weeds. 
V. In con^ ision, with all due deference to the opinions 
zen practice of man who are more experienced than 
myself, I beg to observe that if I have written sufficient 
to call the attention of my brother farmers ‘to this im- 
portant subject, my object will be , accomplished, and I 
trust that they will see my desire has been to be 
usefuk" — Joseph |Blundell, Maidenstone Heath, 
Sept. 18. 
ON THE DRILL HUSBANDRY OF TURNIPS. 
Experiments for 1840, 
A field of Purple-topped Swedes, 17} acres, ridged up 27 inches 
ar y lung at the rate of 
26 loads per acre, a few ridges only about the middle of the 
No, 1, with seed purchased from Messrs. Dods, 
of Haddington, from which three- s 
st ve wo we 16 0 0 
2, with same seed at another part of the 
fiel Aa EAR e Deep i. Ja a ioa) 
3, with same seed, and on ridges adjoining 
the last three experiments with the pul- 
verised manures ee ve sp ee oe 16 19 0 
4, with Mr, Skirving’s seed from Liverpool. 15 10 0 
5, with seed from Mr, Purchase, near Syd- 
Š ney, Gloucestershire, a Tankard Purple- 
copped Swede ++ e+ ee se s se 16 14 0 
6, vex manure of any kind, Mr, Dod's 
Nr Ru p RT HELM) 
7, with 24 bushels per acre ground Rape 
and Linseed cake, called mill sweepings, 
with Mr. Dod's seed s.e ++ os 9 0 
8, with a mixture of pulverised manures as 
follows—15 bushels bones, 7 malt and 
kiln dust, and-30 bushels turf ashes per 
acre, Mr. Dod's seed e se or 12 14 0 
Unluekily for trying bone manure only in this field 
cake, for which I cannot account; of this Lam certain, 
the manure was regularly and correctly put in, for I 
regulated the working of the drill myself, while the 
successfully, as from the result of this experiment 
will be seen that the improved system of cultivation 
costs less than the usual method by 24s. 9d. per acre, 
and that the acreable produce was greater by 15 ewt. 
I will now proceed to state some other of the advan- 
tages of the improved system, as compared with the 
usual one. I have invariably found, in dry seasons, m 
the cultivation of strong or mixed soils, the weather- 
beaten surface alone will insure a fine tilth, so essential 
to the growth of Turnips, it being always doubtful after 
spring-ploughing whether a fine surface can be again 
obtained in time for sowing, and if obtained, it will be 
by the application of costly labour. Whereas by 
searifying the land, the tillage can be deepened without 
turning the soil, and still retain the stale and pulverised 
surface. Again, with regard to gravel or light chalk 
soils, by ploughing we lose the moisture of the land, 
which is required for the vegetation of the seed, the 
time of sowing being often delayed thereby beyond the 
proper period, and consequently the crop proving de- 
ficient, There is also another great objection to 
ghing land in the spring, for being made very dry 
ighly productive of the wireworm and grub, the 
two most destructive insects by which the Turnip is 
attacked, It may perhaps be scarcely necessary here 
to observe that the advocates for much ploughing are 
compelled in wet seasons to lay the plough by, until the 
exp lrows were sowing ; the whole field brairded 
regularly, received no check worth noticing, the rows 
with pulverized manures, and those without, as usual, 
being last ready for each hoeing process, and there was 
no mildew to do much harm. Another 16 acre field of 
purple-topped Swedes produced 13 tons per acre ; this 
was also ridged up 27 inches apart, and received 26 loads 
of manure per acre. The only experiment made here 
was the sowing of 2 or 3 acres on the 5th May, and the 
remainder between 24th and 28th. The plants on the 
early sown part kept the lead, and looked very superior 
until the Ist of August, and every one thought they 
would prove decidedly the best crop ; however, mildew 
attacked the field to a considerable extent, and most 
severely on the early sown part, which by the middle of 
December turned out the lightest part of the field by 
about 1 ton per acre, A few plants run to seed, but 
not in any number to find fault with. 
Experiments with pulverised manure oi a 12-a0re field. Common 
Turnips, sown on the flat 174 inches apart, on the 14th, 15th, and 
16th days of June, 
Bulbs produced per acre.—Tons ewts.qrs. | 
No, 1, with White Globe Turnips, treated with | 
mi o. 10, described under the 
head “ Pulverised Manures,” section, 
4th, and applied at the rate of 52 bush. 
GH gue Vest caste di L000 
2, with round Green-tops, same mixture, 
and in the same quantity per acre 18 10 0 
3, with 36 bush. kiln-dust (round. Secus tern ipie 
4, with 36 bush. malt-dust do. se 6 10 
5, with cake-dust, called mill-sweepings, 
24 bush. per acre (round Green-tops).. 5 0 © 
6, without manure of any kind, do. ei Bol 9 
This field brairded quickly, and went‘on without ® 
cheek, and, with the exception of 1 acre, which was oe- 
eupied with experiments Nos. 3, 4, 5, and 6, proved a 
remarkably even and full average crop for the land. 
About the Ist of September I took an eminent agrieul-- 
turist, and determined advocate for the universal 
ridge system, over the field, and heagreed with me that 
the leaves were then on the decline; that the plants 
were not too close ; and also that the bulbs had evi- 
dently arrived at nearly their maximum growth. In 
this case I felt somewhat gratified in having convinced 
such a powerful opponent of the correctness of 
views, and I trust.my excellent and esteemed friend has 
seen nothing since to cause him to withhold his assent 
from the views I have given in section 5th, in respect 
to the width at which Turnips should be sown with pul- 
verised manures on the light lands which we have to 
deal with in such large breadths in the south of England. 
From these results, for the last four years, I cannot 
come to any other lusi han t pulverised 
manures in ordinary quantities will not produce Swedes 
on the stubble or regularly cropped lands on this farm 
worth cultivating. Indeed, it is evidently wrong to at- 
tempt it, because the same quantities of bones alone, or 
combined with ashes, &c., are proved to be very effica- 
clous iz the same sort of land in producing full erops of 
inne sal 
common Turnips. Rapé-cake seems io be very inferior 
in its effects, in all trials except on burnt land with 
Swedes in 1838, where its effects seem to have been. 
considerable, but still inferior to the bones. 
Expenses of Cultivating Swedes with Farm-yard pat 
One year's rent of land (average) [n 
"m tithes and taxes 0 
Three ploughings, at 10s, each. v. m 0 
Harrowing, rolling, &c., and picking up weeds 0 
Ridging and splitting sacr lues quens ce cen Dos TON 
Loading in the field, carting to ridges, and spreading 
e manure—25 loads, at 6d. per load ee xe ee 
Seed (about 231bs.), and sowing b due 1r) d.e 
Horse and hand-hoeing, with perfect weeding «6 SE 
ideri all farı ought only to be 
amountto 3s.perload. After itisi 
decomposition to go on theland, take 22 loads at 
this price, and charge the Swedes with one-half of 
the amount, as I am of opinion that the other half 
should be apportioned among the corn and seed 
crops which follow; therefore 22 loads, at 1s. 6d. 
i . . vs m I m e 118 0 
Also 3 loads more per acre of bought manure, at Gs, 
each ; one-half of which is e . m 4.09 0 
£719 0 
From the results given for the four last years, I may 
fairly.assume that 12} tons per acre, for an average 
of seasons, may be grown here under the same sys. 
tem; and if these bulbs are taken at 15s. per ton, 
it will give .. . m E I E E 
97 & 
£18 6 
Leaving 28s..6d. per acre for expenses of taking up, 
storing, or preparing for sheep and for profit. 
The expenses incurred by me may seem heavy and 
many culti who farm similar lands; 
however, let those bear in mind the crop of Swedes pro- 
duced, and, next, reflect on the clean state of the land, 
and high condition it has now got to, which willin a very 
considerable degree increase every subsequent crop, 
until the land comes round again for Swedes. Others, 
who do not know the nature of the land, wil feel sur- 
prised at these poor returns from the application of so 
much manure, there being many soils on which 24 tons 
per acre might commonly be raised with such a dose. 
Such small returns, from what may be termed great 
efforts, only go to prove the very indifferent quality of 
the soil experi d on, and its ungeniality to the pro- 
duction ef Swedes. 
Some individuals may be disposed to say the Swedes 
are putat too much money in the foregoing calculation; 
to those I would remark, that there are plenty of cus- 
tomers to be found throughout the country for those 
bulbs at 20s. per ton, and glad to haul them four or five 
miles besides. 
Expenses of Cultivating c: 
Manures, as used in the 
made in 
amon Turnips with mixed pulverised 
-acre Field, being the last experiments 
One year’s rent (average) "T; we 3i zu 
p»... fiihésandifaxes. s. . ee. e 010 0 
Three ploughings t Ru EO Amen 110 0 
Harrowing, rolling, &c. and picking off weeds 012 0 
Seed and sowing ve 45 us hend o 05 0 
Hand-hoeingand weeding — . —Ó 018 0 
13 bushels bones, at 35. 1 his includes 
carting expenses Pose E ivqui 
30 ,, ashes, at 3d.—including cartage .. 0 8 4 
9 jy maltand kiln-dust,at$d. .. ++ 0 6 9 
52 bushels. s 
Expenses of mixing this, turning, loading 
into carts, hauling to field, and throwing 
it into the drill, at 1d. per bushel er ee | 
Value or cost of manure per acre `.. £3 0 0 
Let one-half of this be charged tothe Turnips, 
and the other half apportioned among the 
subsequent crops "m on "m gs 110 0 
£6 4 0 
Supposing 16 tone of Turnips can be grown 
for an average of years, at 9s, per ton «+ TOME. e 
£1 0 0 
Leaving 1. per aere for pulling, storing, and profit. 
This year we had a very beautiful piece of Turnips, 
