THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 



29 



7 . u a 7 ac h • from 2000 to 3000 



-« **» 5 ,0 , I H r • rem 2000 to 3000 stones 

 ifS**" 1 "'IS from 500 to 600 bolls of Potatoes 

 JO** H, ? ! A n flplO horses, oW and young, and 

 •J2* » •' 10 C * ' nn the land, besides employ- 



2^?. » P"* 00 ' 1 ;; 1 ve ?a aboure'rs. All this has 

 ^^ p„o on it to s ver ^ drams gt 



»*"\*U,W bj "ta ming U.e m ^ 9 fect 



- V« 2 1 Mo e car/«h f son of experiment sti. 

 ! «* » °' itr i°J"i Vith drains placed only 4 J feet 

 't l '"' ~t P o atoes, on which this season Mr. 



I 





<**■"* ^KSl. the value of «hich is six times that 

 *• JW" . W , Sole of the ground. His experiments 

 rf A. orifWl .«**■' *" s ,f tl,e drained moss with 



aWWg .nrhu saud, bone-dust, ammon.acal 

 Hk-iooN. «»ch as »o iacal salts> and 



' * ""ITno an fTrm yard dung ; the artificial 

 *«•"?•<? ,°d he farmyard dung 10/.. per acre. 

 ltrB eott 5/.. and 1th tar > - ieIde d tlie lo«- 



Of A, «.r.«ous substance . he sa ^ ^ fc 



"Tlf&«i t»nS«t. ; while the farm-yard 

 Jt JwW 41 bolls, or 8 tons 8 owt per acre 

 ■ XL experiments with Potatoes the manures of 

 iS^Tj/ .od the farm-yard dung W. per acre, gave 

 StaSVeUlt on furrow-drained land, inclnnng to 

 SLTIuk bLe-J«t, at 1 1 h iU, or 2 tons 6 cat. per 

 S? .35. highest, With farm-dung, 21 bolls, or 4 

 S t.1. 1'" am ; but Potatoes planted '"the same 

 2 mo d«, earlier yielded with farm-dung 37 bolls, or 

 7%L n c.t. per acre. The results of experiments in 

 Torein «hh the same class of manures gave the lowest 

 rttan from gypsum, which was 7 tons ; and the greatest 

 from farm-yard dung, or 27 tons per acre. The experi- 

 ment! of Mr Matins were made on Turnips IB 1843, 

 oi «n% light, hazel-coloured soil, resting on a sandy sub- 

 Mil, a»e succeeding a crop of Oats after two years' old 

 lea. The m«nores employed were guano and farm-yard 

 gaano and bones, guano, oil-cake refuse, bones, 

 aad farm-yard dung, and farm-yard dung. The 

 (reateit result, viz., 23 tons 1-1 cwt., was obtained from 

 piao, »t a cost of 3/. 18s. Ijd., yielding a profit of 

 U 4i. Id. per acre, at 6s. per ton. The lowest result 

 ra gieen by the farm-yard dung, which, at a cost of 

 W. lis elded 20 tons, and left a profit of only Vs. per 

 acre. The announcement of books and other donations 

 •reseated to the Society was postponed till next meeting. 



I 









JUbttfos. 



Remarks on Lancashire Farming. 

 By Li*. Rawstone, Esq. Longman & Co. 

 Mr. Rawstone gives a gloomy account of the state 

 of Agnculture in Lancashire. 

 "The Corn crops look scanty, backward, and half- 



'SlfJ* 1 * |rass " land > much of it: » a s it were, totally 

 ™*!"* d - The whole country seems as if it was running 

 •w with neglect and impoverishment; all attempts at 

 ■^disregarded ; no sign of the higher order of cul- 

 "»• beliig anywhere visible." 



of dEk^v 0t haVC been much im P™ v ement in a district 



Dickl* J * 1 ' ac 4 C0Unt is true ' since the d ^v when Mr. 

 ^^reported its condition to the Board 'of Agricul- 



•^ W. b i.^ th K ° 1 ugh / L ddressed e8 P eciall y t0 Lanca- 



^SmX: 01 being made usefu ' b * ^ ° f 



^^K^ nc r Wre farmins to that of most 



* ^rle o f k n J d0m has not been here dwelt upon 

 ***iffi?efor , nga , n m ' idi0us comparison, nor 



nf«p/. C0Untf y °» to a higher range of generous 



!? % with other dW' I C0atrastin g ^, perhaps 



£** the inferior VTtol ^ ^ StatCS th « cw »" 

 *«*fcods by which thl A S"culture is owing, and 



5J «• ^lo.ivel T or li ^Tu ma * be amoved* All 

 352 r th ^ &2SKF* but - the - 6-eral 



■iik T W " ltes good farming "''wora, ot what it IS 

 "**** of d g ra na « a n f' *"? ** detai ' S c °"™cted 



^ •»■, »»ich he gtfei ust iT° US ° ther branches » f 

 ■* •*! by ,l|. 51,re8 us In the course of it, may be 



*>«*» 



^'^ * h 'ch seeds should be ..''T'" 6 tUe P ro P" 

 W" B , >V Burge r vo , 6 : 1 ' lan '? • The following 



<5tf ^'W Corn r-Y ha t ilft. 296 ' with res l' ei =t to 

 " laat whl ch was nlant e ,l »f n.„ 



0< 2: ,V nch ' came up i n 



2 



6. 3 J 



4 





l> 



H 

 II 



II 

 H 



>i 

 ii 

 II 



8 * clays. 



10 



12 

 13 



13$ 



!?^^ aJ 615 eart h. Jfn. n h more to v erow to rPfl ,K 





earth, the more rapidly the sprout made its appearance, 

 and the stronger afterwards was the stalk. The deeper 

 the seed lay, the longer it remained before it came to the 

 surface. Four inches was too deep for the Maize, and 

 must also be so for yet smaller grain kernels. It, indeed, 

 came up at that depth, but on the 15th day after it was 

 planted, the experiment being made in the hot time of the 

 year, in June ; in the colder season of spring it would have 

 been 18 or "20 days. If the germ-leaves of the seed lie 

 too long under ground they begin to get twisted, and 

 will be bleached and die, as in No. 10, or form weak 

 plants, as in Nos. 7 and 11. Petri cites an experiment 

 made with respect to Rye, in Oct. 1817, with the follow- 



ing results : — 



Depth of Seed. 



4 inch, 



1 



2 inches, 



3 



4 

 5 

 6 



Appeared above 

 ground in 

 11 days, 

 12 



!» 



t » 



»» 



18 



20 



21 



22 



23 



»r 

 >» 

 >l 



»> 

 »> 



Number of Plants 

 that came up. 

 7-6rh 

 all 

 7- 8th 

 6-8th 

 4 8th 

 8 8th 

 I- 8th 



The root stalk always forms itself next below the sur- 

 face of the ground, and if we place the grain deep it must 

 first put out its sprouts to the surface, and form its side- 

 branches in a nearer connexion with the air. We never 

 find that the sucker-roots are ranged from below to above, 

 but the contrary. As a proof of the correctness of this 

 opinion, I will here give the interesting experiment of 

 Ugazy in Andre, Okon, Neuigkeiten (Economical Novel- 

 ties), July, 1817. He tried 76, between the 5th and loth 

 of June, 1817, on good soil, where the seed was well 

 ploughed in, with different grains, to ascertain how deep 

 the root-stalk stood in the earth, and what influence the 

 different depths would have on the formation of the stalk. 

 The results are exhibited in the followine Table : — 





Number of root-stalks which remained in the 



earth. 



Name of the kinds 

 of Grain. 



At 1 



inch. 



At 1 to 1 

 12 inches. 



At 2 



inches. 



32 



17 



42 



41 1 

 64 



At 2 to 2 

 1-2 inch. 



Total. 



Winter Rye 

 „ Wheat 



Summer „ 

 „ Barley 

 „ Oats 



742 



760 

 645 

 631 

 672 



221 

 215 



304 



317 

 241 



5 



9 

 11 



23 



1000 



Name of the kinds 



Average No. of stalks to a plant. 



of Grain. 



Winter Rye 

 M Wheat 



Summer ff 

 „ Barley 

 Oats 



i» 



Of the 1st 



Of the 2d 



depth. 



depth. 



2 3-5th 



2 l-7th 



3 4-7th 



2 l-8th 



4 l-6th 



2 3-5th 



3 2-5th 



1 3-4th 



1 l-half 



1 



Of the 3d 

 depth. 



Of the 4th 

 depth. 



1 

 1 

 1 1- twelfth 



1 

 1 



1 

 J 

 1 



We see here 

 root-stalk only 



~<>y 



the 



that § to ~ of all the plants had then- 

 one inch under ground, and that it was 

 just these which produced the most stalks ; £ of them had 

 their roots only 1£ inches deep, and only half as many 

 stalks as the first ; at two inches deep there were only 

 four in 100, and at 2 J inches deep only nine of 1000, 

 producing only one stalk a-piece, while the first, in Rye 

 and Wheat, produced 2-J to 4j stalks. From this it is 

 clear that shallow sowing, if the seed is only so far covered 

 as to sprout, and the germ is protected from immediate 

 contact with the air, is preferable to laying the seed deep, 

 because it springs up quicker, and acquires a stronger 

 growth, and has hardier plants. — Note to Burger's Eco- 

 nomy of Farming. 



Rearing Cattle, with a view to Early Maturity. — The 

 production of beef at the quickest and cheapest rate 

 being the object in view, the first requisite is a stock of 

 cows possessing qualities suitable for this purpose. Ac- 

 cordingly, they should be good milkers — able to keep at 

 the rate of two and a half to three calves each — of a kind 

 known to have a tendency to fatten readily, and to come 

 early to maturity, and of a structure likely to produce a 

 vigorous well-grown steer. In other words, they must be 

 good short-horns ; only having more regard to their milk- 

 ing properties than is usually done by breeders of bulls. 

 And here it may be well to notice, that it is in general 

 highly inexpedient for the beef grower — the farmer who 

 depends largely on his regular cast of fat cattle — to at- 

 tempt breeding his own bull. It is only a few individuals 

 in any district who have the taste and skill requisite for 

 this difficult department of the business, not to mention 

 the large capital which must necessarily be invested in it, 

 the precariousness of the return, the greater liability to 

 casualties of such high-bred animals, and the additional 

 expense of their housing and maintenance. On Tweed 

 side, the breeding of bulls is confined to a very limited 

 number of persons, chiefly Northumbrians, who, by de- 

 voting their whole attention to this department, are able, 

 from year to year, to furnish a class of bulls which are 

 steadily improving the general breed of the district. The 

 contrary practice is at this moment compromising the 

 character of this valuable breed of cattle in several districts 

 of Scotland into which they have been more recently in- 

 troduced. Made wiser on this point by experience, the 

 farmer of the Border purchases from some breeder of 

 established reputation a good yearling bull, which he uses 

 for two or three seasons, and then replaces by another in 

 like manner. This bull serves his own cows and those of 

 his hinds, and some of the neighbouring villagers ; and 

 thus, though his own stud be limited to six or eight cows, 

 he can select from the progeny of his own bull as many 

 calves as he rehires to make up his lot, and has them 

 more uniform in colour and quality than could otherwise 



case. As the male parent, among sneep and 

 C '.V, is known to exert by far th* greatest influence in 



ving character to the progeny, and increasingly so in 

 1 proportion to the verity of his breeding, it is evidently 



I mCch for the advantage of the beef grower to spare no 



be the 

 cattK 



reasonable trouble and expense in obtaining a bull of 

 thorough purity, and then to select his calves with the 

 most scrupulous attention. From overlooking all this, 

 how often may lots of cattle be seen, on the best of land, 

 too, which can only be fattened at an enormous expense 

 of food and time, and, after all, are so coarse in quality 

 as to realize an inferior price per stone. Occasionally a 

 few beasts of the right sort will be seen in such lots, 

 which, by going ahead of their fellows, to the extent of 

 4/. or 5/. a-piece of actual market value, show what might 

 have been done b*y greater skill or attention on the part 

 of the owner. It is very desirable to have all the cows 

 to calve betwixt 1st February and 1st April. If earlier, 

 they will get almost dry ere the grass comes, and calves 

 later than this will scarcely be fit fjr sale with the rest of 

 the lot. When a calf* is dropt, it is immediately removed 

 from its dam, rubbed dry, with a coarse cloth or wisp of 

 straw, (this being what the cow would do for it with her 

 tongue, if allowed,) and then placed in a crib in the calf- 

 house among dry straw, when it receives a portion of its 

 own mother's first milk, which, being of a purgative qua- 

 lity, is just what is needed by the young animal. For a 

 fortnight, new milk is the only food suitable for it, and of 

 this it should receive a liberal allowance thrice a day ; but 

 means should now be used to train it to eat linseed cake 

 and sliced Swedish Turnip ; and the readiest way of doing 

 so is to put a bit of cake into its mouth immediately after 

 getting its milk, as it will then suck greedily at anything 

 it can get hold of. By repeating this a few times, and 

 placing a few pieces in its trough, it will usually take to 

 this food freely, and, whenever this is the case, it should 

 have as much as it can eat, that its allowance of milk may- 

 be diminished, to meet the necessities of the younger 

 calves which are coming in succession. This is of the 

 greater importance that it is always most desirable to 

 avoid mixing anything with their milk by way of helping 

 the quantity. When a substitute must be resorted to, 

 oatmeal porridge mixed with the new milk is perhaps the 

 best. Sago has of late years been much used for this 

 purpose ; but an eminent English veterinary surgeon has 

 recently expressed a very decided opinion that its use im- 

 pairs the digestive powers of the animal, and predisposes 

 to disease. The sour smell invariably found in a calf- 

 house, where porridge or jelly of any kind is mixed with 

 the milk, is proof sufficient that indigestion is the conse- 

 quence. An egg put into each calf's allowance, and 

 mixed with the milk by stirring with the hand, is a good 

 help, and never does harm ; but, with this exception, it is 

 best to give the milk warm and unadulterated, however 

 small the quantity, and along with this, dry farinaceous 

 food, turnips and hay, ad libitum. If more liquid is 

 needed, a pail with water may be put within their reach, 

 as this does not produce the bad effects of mixed milk. 

 Indeed, in this, it is best to keep as closely as possible to 

 the natural arrangement according to which the calf takes 

 its suck— at first frequently, and then at longer intervals, 

 as it becomes able to eat of the same food as its dam. 

 The diet of the cows at this season is a matter of some 

 consequence. Swedish Turnips yield the richest milk, 

 but it is too scanty, and calves fed on it are liable to in- 

 flammatory attacks. Globe Turnips should, therefore, 

 form their principal food during the spring months. 

 Care must also be taken that they do not get too low in 

 condition in the autumn and winter, and for this end it is 

 well to put them dry at least three months before calving. 

 Some may think this long ; but, on a breeding farm, milk 

 is of little value at this season. The cows, when dry, are 

 kept at less expense, and, by this period of rest, their con- 

 stitution is invigorated, greater justice done to the foetus, 

 now rapidly advancing to maturity, and so much more 

 milk obtained after calving, when it is really valuable. 

 When the calves are from four to six weeks old, they are 

 removed from their separate cribs to a house where several 

 can be accommodated together, and have room to frisk 

 about. So scon as the feeding-yards are cleared of the 

 fat cattle, the calves are put into the most sheltered one, 

 where they have still more room, and are gradually pre- 

 pared for being turned to grass ; and, when this is done, 

 they are still brought in at night for some time. At six 

 weeks old, the mid-day allowance of milk is discontinued, 

 and at about 14 weeks they are weaned altogether. When 

 this is done, their allowance of linseed cake is increased ; 

 and, as they have been trained to its use, they readily eat 

 enough to improve in condition at this crisis, instead of 

 having their growth checked, and acquiring the large 

 belly and unthrifty appearance which used to be considered 

 an unavoidable consequence of weaning. The cake is 

 continued until they have so evidently taken with the 

 grass as to be able to dispense with it. They are not 

 allowed to lie out very late in autumn, but, as the nights 

 begin to lengthen and get chilly, are brought in during the 

 night, and receive a foddering of tares or clover foggage. 

 When put on Turnips, the daily allowance of cake (say 

 1 lb. each) is resumed, and continued steadily through the 

 winter and spring, until they are again turned to grass. 

 This not merely promotes their growth and feeding, but 

 (so far as the experience of five or six years can determine 

 the point) seems a specific against black-leg, which was 

 often so fatal as altogether to deter many farmers from 

 breeding. It may be well to state here distinctly the 

 particular purpose for which cake is given at the # dif- 

 ferent stages of their growth. At first, the object is to 

 accustom them to a wholesome and nutritious diet, 

 which will supplement the milk obtained from any given 

 xmnoWtf C0WS) go as to admit of a greater number of 

 calves being reared, aud, at the same time, have greater 

 justice done them than could otherwise be practicable. 

 At weaning-time, again, it is given to help the young ani- 

 mal over the transition from milk to Grass alone, without 



check to growth or lorn of condition, During the follow 



