44 



THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 



effort as some others upon which their funds are expended. 

 — J. S. Urnilow. 



' 



Home Correspondence. 



Slugs on Wheat. — The method recommended by 

 u S. N. \ '." in the Number of this Gazette for January 

 6, for preventing the ravages of these molluscs, I found in 

 practice in 1814, among the farmers of West Middlesex, 

 ho had adopted it from the market gardens nearer the 

 letropolii ; but about that time a modification of the 

 process, at once cheaper and more effectual, was discovered, 

 which superseded the old method. The improvement con- 

 sisted in giving these gentry a belly-full of food, relished 

 by them more than the Wheat. This was no other than 

 the Turnip-tops, to which, when first used, our slimy 

 friends were supposed to be attracted by the shelter which 

 they afforded In the night, whereas, in reality, they repaired 

 to them for the gratification of their palates. The dis- 

 covery was made by accident — I think upon the t inn of 

 Mr. Newman, of C ran ford — during a long course of wet 

 weather, which prevented the gathering of the slugs for 

 ■ome days, at the end of which time it was found that 

 they bad devoured the traps set for them, and bad spared 

 the Wheat Not liking the expense of collecting the slugs 

 by women and boyi, I had tried sprinkling the field with 

 lime or salt, in the night, while the slugs were feeding, 

 but, though thousands were killed, it seemed as if tens of 

 thousands came to the funer>I. From the time, however, 

 that I commenced the feeding system I never lost nn acre 

 of Wheat from the slug, though the district, In a mild 

 wet autumn, was veryliibleto their ravages, on Wheat 

 after Clover. In a very bad slug season, I once covered 

 a 15 acre-field so thickly with Turnip lea\ that the sur- 

 face was scarcely visible, and in less than a fortnight all 

 the leaves had disappeared except the stalks, which re- 

 mained like the tails of the Kilkenn) . tod on which 

 the slogs were hard at work, without having touched the 

 "Wheat, when I served them up a second curse. This, 

 however, will seldom be necessary, if the leares are applied 

 liberally and early after sowing, for in a fortnight or three 

 weeks the plant will in general be too strong to suffer by 

 the bite of the slugs. The feast must, however, be given 

 early, for they commence the attack on the Wheat almost 

 before the plant has shown itself above the surface. The 

 process was discovered, as I have said, by accident, 

 but it shows strongly the advantage to the farmer or gar- 

 dener of studying the habits of all animals that are noxious 

 to him, and of supplying them with food more congenial 

 to their tastes than that which he wishes to preserve from 

 them. This method, or that of setting a thief to 

 catch a thief, by concluding an alliance offensive and 

 defensive with some other tribe of animals, who wage war 

 with our enemies, will often be found cheaper and more 

 efficacious than taking the work of destruction into our 

 own hands. I think it is Kirby and Spencc who have 

 said that the more wasps we have in our gardens the 

 fewer flies shall we have in our parlours — the more lady- 

 birds in our greenhouses the fewer aphides on our Rose- 

 trees; and the Hop.growe.rs in Kent well know the 

 money-value of a swarm of lady-birds. Though not pre- 

 pared to point out the office performed by slugs in the 

 economy of nature, I have no doubt that an office is 

 assigned to them ; for each creature constitutes a link in 

 the great chain of being, dependent upon others which 

 suffer by the diminished numbers of those creatures on 

 which they prey, and which, in their turn, have enemies 

 appointed to keep them within due bounds. The pro- 

 scription of rooks and sparrows by the collective wisdom 

 of some parishes, in vestry assembled, has been known to 

 have occasioned more loss to the farmer by the ravages of 

 insects than would have paid many times over for the 

 cost of watching his crops against those birds in seedtime 

 and harvest. Of rooks I must observe, by-the-way, that 

 a solution of corrosive sublimate — used as a steep for 

 seed- Wheat, under proper precautions, and in proper 

 proportions — - is not only the best preventive against 

 amut I ever met with (and I have tried several), but will 

 also preserve the Wheat from rooks, who just taste it, 

 shake their heads at it, and go off to some other field till 

 the grain has sprouted, when the services of the bird-boy 

 must be put in requisition. Unless, however, care be 

 used, there is danger not only of killing the Wheat, but 

 of poisoning all the pigs and poultry in the farm-yard,— 

 their pampered habits having rendered their wits more 

 obtuse than those of the rooks, whose intellects, naturally 

 acute, appear to hive been sharpened by poverty and 

 persecution. With care, however, no danger is to be 

 apprehended. I have used the steep for nearly 10 years 

 with complete success; the only loss occasioned by it 

 being about a dozen turkies and two quarters of seed- 

 Wheat, which occurred in the first year. The necessary 

 precautions, and the details of the process, I shall describe 

 on a future occasion.—,/. Trimmer. 



Urate.— In 1st Number of your Gazette an experiment 

 with manures is detailed in which the one I am chiefly 

 interested in does not appear to have answered so well as 

 others, publication of which is calculated to injure me. 

 I inclose you a letter I received from Mr. Reeves, Lord 

 Ashburton's agent, in which he has found quite the con- 

 trary effect.— £</. Purser, London Manure Co.— " Taun- 

 ton, December 2, 18 43.— A farm of Lord Ashburton's 

 having fallen into hand, in the parish of Cotleigh, near 

 Honiton, in Devonshire, in very bad condition, I took 

 possession of it in the month of October, 1812, and, with 

 permission of his Lordship, began to farm it. I 'com- 

 menced with an arable field of six acres, which was very 

 wet, and intended to have been sown with Wheat. I 

 thoroughly drained it with stone, at the depth of three 

 feet, but it was too wet to subsoil. I then divided it into 

 separate portions, and amongst many other artificial 



sure in laying a translation of them before your readers 

 1 do not offer any opinion on the matter myself, but shali 

 content myself with remarking that, though there is not 

 the slightest reason for supposing that the parasite on 

 corn is an altered form of that on Berberry, however ex- 

 traordinary are the changes which take place amongst 

 these minute plants, as, for instance, that of the Uredo- 

 hke spots on the leaves of Roses, and Burnet to Areema 

 and Xenodochus, there may be some influence exercised 

 either by the exhalations from the leaves and flowers or 



manures, I applied the London Manure Company's urate 

 as a top dressing immediately after the Wheat (the Taun- 

 ton White Wheat) was sown, and harrowed the land 

 twice. Besides the artificial manures, I applied lime and 

 farm-yard dung to separate portions of the field. The 

 Wheat on the portion of the land on which the ura'e was 

 spread, came up with great vigour, and maintained a de- 

 cided superiority to the whole field during the period of 

 its growth, and yielded ten bushels an acre more than the 

 other parts of the field ; and what is very remarkable, 

 there was neither smut nor rust in any part of the Wheat 

 grown on this portion of land, although, on the other 

 parts of the field, both smut and rust were seen. The 

 superiority of the Wheat on the portion of the field before 

 mentioned is so notorious, that all the farmers at Cotleigh 

 can testify to it, and marked its progress during its 

 growth|; and I shall feel great pleasure in giving further 

 information to any person wishing more particulars on 

 this subject. Yours, very faithfully, «/. /•'. Reeves: 1 [We 

 are happy to receive authenticated reports of the action 

 of the various manures from any person, and if of suffi- 

 cient importance shall publish them, whatever their ten- 

 dency may be, our object being to disseminate truth for 

 the benefit of the farmer.] 



Malting. — Being desirous of ascertaining the quickest 

 mode of causing Hurley to sprout sufficiently for the pur- 

 poses of malting, in order, if possible, to lessen the time 

 usually occupied in that process, I conducted a series of 

 experiments with that view. You will be aware that if 

 any material be available for that purpose it must be 

 something soluble in water, and which can thus be ap- 

 I'lird in the water in which the Barley is steeped in the 

 cistern. The different materials I tried, as compared 

 with common clean water, were, salt and water, lime 

 water, ley from wood-ashes, and one or two more, which, 

 though 1 registered the experiments very minutely at the 

 time, I do not now remember, for seeing no decided re- 

 sult, 1 did not retan the papers. The objects sought to 

 be achieved, are rapidity of germination, In its first pro- 

 cess only, and as large a bulk of material as can be had 

 besides ; for if there was a diminution of the article it 

 would cause a loss. These two main points must, if ac- 

 complished, be done by something which will be whole- 

 some in itself, and which will impart no disagreeable 

 flavour to the Barley.— Cardinal Wolsey. [We should 

 try the effect of moistening Barley with warm water, and 

 then dusting it with newly -slacked lime. It might be 

 tried on a small scale, and the result of experiments on 

 the subject would be useful.] 



Leases. — Much has been said and written by 

 practical as well as theoretical Agriculturists upon the 

 momentous subject of leases and draining, but, up to the 

 present moment, there does not appear to have been one 

 decisive measure proposed to enable these important 

 objects to be practically applied; and, perhaps, while 

 attempting to recommend, I, as others have done, may 

 fail to succeed : however, by the joint efforts of many, 

 difficult objects may be surmounted, and in that hope I 

 will proceed. First, — I would recommend leases to be 

 granted for 21 years, under conditions suited to the nature 

 and situation of the farm, terminable, if required by the 

 occupier, at the expiration of 6 or 12 years : the rent being 

 regulated triennially, or otherwise, as may be judged expe- 

 dient, according to the average price of Corn during the 

 G preceding years in the district wherein the parliamentary 

 return is made— observing, that the basis of rent at the 

 commencement of each lease should also be fixed upon the 

 same principle of Corn averages. It would be well if 

 farmers in general could be brought to the same arrange- 

 ment, notwithstanding existing leases. Secondly,— With 

 respect to draining, I would recommend that 10 per cent, 

 of the rent should be laid out annually in draining (if the 

 land requires it, and there are few instances where it 

 does not) during the first C years ; and that at the end of 

 that term the tenant should pay 4 per cent, for the outlay 

 as additional rent, by which time the land would in a great 

 measure be made dry, and the occupier, durin«° the 

 remaining period of his lease, would be enabled to realise 

 an increased produce, owing to the transformation of his 

 land from wet to dry, and thus have a more genial atmo- 

 sphere and earlier harvest insured to him.— An Agri- 

 culturist. 



The Berberry Blight — It may not be uninteresting to 

 such of your readers as have paid any attention to the 

 subject of the supposed influence of the Berberry on the 

 production of mildew in Wheat, to learn that some observ- 

 ations on this matter, by very competent persons, are 

 likely to be published by the Royal Society of Lille of 

 which I have the honour of being a member. A commis- 

 sion was appointed by the Society last summer, consisting 

 of practical men, in conjunction with that excellent 

 cryptogamist, M. Desmazieres, a gentleman who has paid 

 peculiar attention to the parasitic fungi, for the purpose 

 of thoroughly investigating the point ; and I understand 

 from M. Desmazieres, who joined the commission with 

 an impression that the supposed influence was altogether 

 fabulous, that the result of their inquiries was a complete 

 conviction that a very marked connection did exist be- 

 tween the presence of the Berberry and mildew. When 

 the observations are published, I shall have great plea- 



[Ja m 



vl 



by the substance given out by the ro. 

 dispose the Wheat plants in their neighbourhoJ 7 '! 



At any rate, in thi« «- :- 1? •■ 



attacks of mildew. 



«W 



ters, the way to arrive at truth is to keep th* 

 possible, quite free from prejudice, and reX T* 

 impartially whatever trustworthy observations °*U 

 brought forward — M. J. Berkeley, King's Cliff-**' 

 The Loss of Manure in Towns.— Every show* «# 

 washes much valuable manure down our publ" ^ 

 and drains, and thence into the rivers and the* *^ 

 thus while we employ ships in fetching Kuan?'* 

 thousands of miles to enrich this country *# -i 



pick " n •!»«»* _.i.:~i. i: — i~_ _ «• ll " ■■ 



* , ~' --•«.. M*«giavci, sand atJw 



ter is saved ; the finest and the richest parts are takeaT 

 by the rain. There would be no difficulty i n fo«3 

 reservoirs into which all this might flow, and fromVlJ 

 it might be transferred to enrich the ground. Bat? 

 of the greatest importance in another point of view £■ 

 towns should be well drained and cleansed, and ».._!* 

 of this I make the following extract from a lectureTl 

 vered a few days ago on the sanitory condition of jk 

 town, by the Rev. J. Clay, b.d. He stated the nmZ 

 of deaths in the streets of the town, arranged accorZ 



—- ••» V.VUUUJ, we n 



c up that which lies under our feet. The stm* 

 :pt indeed, but little more than the gravel **nA ^2? 



Apes. 



Tnder i year 

 Between l & 5 

 Above 5 . . 



Good. 



Moderate. 



Bad. 



p. ct., Death*. 



20. .0 . 



31 



47!' 



210 



192 



652 



Ml 



*J 



In the best streets the deaths above five were about dovkfc 

 those under five ; in the moderately-drained streets ibsl 

 equal ; but in the ill-conditioned parts of the ton 

 the deaths under five were two-and-a-half tima 



: 



numerous as those above. These facts were striking 

 appalling. — Facile, Preston. 



Plan of Pigsty. — This piggery is constructed for th 

 purpose of breeding and feeding on a scale to suit .fan 

 of 600 acres of Turnip soil in an inland situation, vbei 

 convenient markets render the disposal easy both of ftf 

 and lean stock. The seven sties on the end of the stew- 

 ing house accommodate a boar and six brood sows, whid 



F 



F 



It 



r\ . 1 



10 



-OFt. 



are calculated to produce yearly 100 pigs, GO of whicfc t 

 will be fattened from September till April in the J^'tJj « 

 placed in two rows, which will contain two hogs ia w* 

 apartment. The remainder will be sold as stores. 1* 

 yearly return will be from 200/. to 250/., according to the 

 price of the produce. The steamed food will consist « 

 Potatoes, meal, and grain to finish; and it will be cot 

 veyed to the sties along the paved road in a small fort" 

 wheeled waggon. The steamer also cooks Potatoes [* 

 work horses, and chaff for milch cows ; and thus appl» 

 the cost to several purposes, and fully employs a ratf- 

 The store-pigs are fed in summer with Clovers and A etcbA 

 and in winter with steamed and raw roots. Water*- 

 brought to the steaming-house in a pipe from the ftfj 

 yards, which are all supplied by ball cocks from eleTa *J* 

 casks, fed by a forcing pump ; a pipe underneath con 'JjJ) 

 the water from the Potato-masher to the pond in the |W£ 

 yard, whence it passes to the lower corner of the ysf"» 

 where it meets with the collected water of the whole art* 

 of the piggery, falls through an iron grate into a pa 

 culvert, and is conveyed to the manure pit, to which t* 

 liquid of the farmery is collected by a drain along the «■ 

 of the road. The expense of this piggery will vary »f°T 



of the road. The expense of this piggery will vary 

 80/. to 100/., according as the roof be slate or tiles, »J 

 according to the local prices of labour and materials. A 

 steaming-house is floored above for holding meal 

 grain for steaming, and the roots are laid on the g[ oU ^ 

 floor, and let in from the carts by a spout-hole 10 w 

 wall. — /. 7). 



Cultivation of Flax.— Ky their neglect of the cum" 

 tion of Flax the farmers and landowners of this counaj 

 have sadly overlooked their own interests. Flax w ^ 

 sumed in this country to the amount of 67,000 tons ann 

 ailv, the value of which at a low average amounts to 

 tween 4,000,000/. and 5,000,000/. sterling. Every V°r^ 

 of this raw material is imported from our in(lust ['?- 

 Continental neighbours— the French, Dutch, and Bel** 



