THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 



73 



II 



^ "t ?fcV F.vereham, Kent, 

 nf r« SMITHS °' ■""£ b„s*.el, ttre. bushels 



|W*» Tf r lt! tb« so'! as the mixture 

 •« «T XX^d. proportionate 

 J*?* »r -* «™e King*™. ■ 





1844. 





WEEKS, 

 ad. 



' ' Ur icultur.l Society of England. 

 __ J* M • -^ r v . ]:np . society C Ireland. 



■****' ^-.Ti^MiNG^vh ether the land be 



2LSSSS- to a feeder of stock 



•!3T«TSe ground, may be increased in two ways. 

 -TWrtock-firmer knows very well that the return 

 l. ISTfrom his cattle depends not only on the 

 ILULi «tcn to them and the manner in which 

 lik gnpiitd but also on the feeding properties of the 

 {Twhich thev belong ; and he increases his 

 of profit as much when, on purchasing from 

 the teak, I* tfkets with judgment, as when he 

 afaatt aa improved mode of feeding. 

 •Ybe intelligent farmer of arable land,again,expects 

 crop the more he has been able to improve 



■■■raupuic uiuic in. »«•> "*-*■» — - -~ -•■•! 



^ tarare of the soil, and the better the nature and 



rftbe manure which it contains. He expects it, 

 he knows that it depends on the nature of the 

 M era to the plants, and the manner in which 

 tar »e provided with a constant supply of it. The 

 crop doe not, however, depend wholly on this ; 

 far ai two bents fed in exactly the same manner may 

 ■Hlnifmiy profitable, owing to a difference between 

 ■ : the quantity and the quality of the 

 An tftrd, so two different kinds of Wheat, 

 •wo on land precisely similar, may give 

 retains, owing to a difference between them 

 "Pri*t the quantity and quality of the flour they 

 Ai act the importance, too often overlooked by 

 *~ Dot mly of preparing the land for the crop in 

 rfmlcient manner, but also of selecting that 

 ™tf«d which experience has pointed out as being 

 ■at vatabie and productive." 



k duC lhe ab ° Ve from an article bv Mr - Mo^on 

 ■ •elm part of the first volume of the English 



Society's Journal. The parallel between 



""» affecting the stock farmer and 



the corn farmer is true, even when 



w-ri Wl K. "^ The <i ualit y of that which is 



TTJ meow, upon which (if we put out of sight 



« \m qaanuty of food supplied by him) his 



SirfZTj made U P of the same elements as 

 • fcam^ri T^ by the olher - An aptitude 

 *MfEw J ? P , lhty of P roduci »g a large quan- 

 385 Ed ?? f T lh ! ~«umption of agtven 

 •WJil^r^the quality of the beef 



"^2 " the market, are the two circum- 



— Si£r^ h the eye ° f the ««* 



H ^ uldn t eed ' ° f any breed of <* ttle or 

 ^^W on g t u TT of tbe Wheat-crop, 



tee 

 csrici 



-—i must not only take into 



•ni^C ess - but also its At, iu the 



■•fc attention h 



>^h«ft St °. the Selmion of 

 ^>^n,ott mer haS recdvcd m »oh 



J? N»ma?rf , P hf ° nage from the "°ble- 

 i«S*n 1. h .? countr y ^an the 



*■. 



mere 



to* 



* , ^*i^3 , irtS S e „ c T* luence is > that 



10,1 ilcUfiiii. ock ls generally well 



«**• "* «•, on tbb L ' - by one of th « 

 ~Jg Uui comparauvely neglected 



•* *^J??S h tT" am ' bakers - ^r 



?**>*£ 2^ diCl ces . sary t0 ascer " 



lyCSlN an? K 6 f Stin S betw <*n 

 ^TTor ^ % the It * e de 8 ree in wl >ich 



- -» *i a, * U: ^itt=, mstances of cuitiv- 

 **.n£^«.by^.7 '"iportant to know 



!*°sub 



to them, are trust- 



N?^'?? ourof ar !A° th c onsidered, and 



° l08e «f " th« are an swered in 



^*^ u *e rptnu».u»» 4 i 





a»d E., &c. 



ance is insisted on of our great Agricultural Societies 

 taking up this and other questions in a manner which 

 alone can ensure their perfect solution, by establishing 

 experimental farms. 



The general character of this work is well indicated 

 by the following extracts : — 



u The first object I had in view on entering into 

 the present inquiry, was to ascertain whether, under 

 the same circumstances, in reference to soil and 

 climate, different varieties of Wheat were, chemically, 

 differently constituted. This I have ascertained to 

 be the fact, by having had nine varieties which grew 

 together on the same spot chemically examined, viz., 

 the first five in the tables, and the four mentioned in 

 pa<*e 9. With respect to Nob. 7 and 8, they are the 

 same variety, the one sown after Potatoes being the 

 richest in gluten and sugar, that sown after pasture- 

 grass the poorest. This result proves what might 

 have been expected from the statement of Liebig, 

 respecting the advantage of stirring and exposing the 

 soil. Long before Liebig had published his works, 

 I had observed the advantages of the stirring which 

 the land receives for the Potato and Turnip crops ; 

 and such of my tenants as have followed my advice 

 to make either of these the first crop taken from new 

 land, have found it better than taking Oats, according 

 to the old custom. Liebig has informed us how 

 stirring the earth renders it more productive. 



« The next object I had in view was to ascertain 

 whether external appearance and the weight of a 

 given bulk were sufficient to indicate the actual value 

 of Wheat to the baker and starchmaker." 



These objects were attained, the first, as stated in 

 the extract, by a chemical examination of certain 

 varieties which had been grown under similar circum- 

 stances, and the second by submitting these very 

 samples to the inspection of Corn-factors and obtain- 

 ing from them opinions of their value. The results 

 of this inquiry are given in the following Table :— 



CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF EIGHT VARIETIES OF WHEAT. 



I 



• 



*. 



| ' ' 1 



• 



*• 



• 





C3 



** 



QJ 



o-ts e 



rt 



c 



III 







3 



3 



5 £ a 



0B 



1-, 



rf 



£ 





^^"^^^ 









t PaU Red Cape Wheat, 

 1 63 lbs. 



l. 



1770 66-50 



3-50 



23 



io-oo 



2. 



10*19 



69-94 



27/ 



2-57 



14*6 



Duck's Bill Wheat, 63 lbs. 

 r Black - jointed Tremaine 



3. 



20"8 



56*8 



5-0 



2-8 



14 ' 6 1 Wheat, 62 lbs. 



r Grano Duro. of which Ma- 



4. 



16-90 



66.20 



4-50 



19 



1050 



\ curoni is made, 63$ lbs. 

 , Grano Tenero St. Brigida, 



5. 



20-60 



5304 



370 2-0 



10-60 



< 63 lbs. 



r From Port Adelaide, South 



\ Australia. 65 lbs. 



6. 



15*60 



70-25 



3 , 25 | 1-6 



10-30 













* 



c Red Wheat, sown after 

 j Potatoes, 65 lbs. 



7. 



17-8 



60-0 



4-6 



3"9 



13-6 



8. 



16-2 



609 



42 



4-0 



14.7 



The same after Lea, 65 lbs. 



" Had the Wheats been mixed samples, a variation 

 in the values might not have excited much surprise ; 

 but in the present case the samples were each of one 

 sort, and unmixed ; so that there could be no dis- 

 traction to the eye, every one of the grains in each 

 sample being exactly alike." 



Here we see samples 3 and o, of the same weight 

 per bushel as No. 2, and containing more than double 

 its quantity of gluten, yet valued at 65. and 9s. less 

 per quarter. If the quantity of gluten contained in 

 Wheat be the true criterion of its value as food, then 

 the above tables clearly show that the guides, now 

 made use of by millers and bakers in valuing Wheat 

 are not trustworthy. 



Most of the Wheats mentioned by Sir G. Mackenzie 

 appear from their names to be foreign, but the great 

 differences which he shows to exist among them seem, 

 from Colonel le Couteur's Paper on this subject in 

 vol. i. of the English Agricultural Society's Journal, 

 to be equally apparent in varieties now commonly 

 cultivated. This is seen in the account given of the 

 quantity of bread made from equal weights of the 

 flour of several kinds of Wheat. To whichever compo- 

 nent part of the flour the absorption of water in the 

 preliminary processes of baking is owing, the fact 

 ■that different quantities are absorbed by different 

 varieties shows that the proportion these component 

 parts bear to one another in those varieties is variable ; 

 thus :— 



9 lbs. of flour of Bellevue Talavera Wheat made 1 1 lbs. of bread . 

 9 lbs. of flourof VVhitington White Wheat made llj lbs. of bread. 

 9 lbs. of flour of Jersey Damzic Wheat made 12* lbs. of bread. 

 9 lbs. of flour of White Downy Wheat made 12$ lbs. of bread. 



It appears, then, from the extracts we have made 

 from Sir G. Mackenzie's valuable Pamphlet, that 

 great differences do exist amongst varieties of Wheat, 

 as regards the quality of their flour, and that no 

 external indication is known by which these differ- 

 ences may be estimated. 



* This Gluten includes all the nitrogenous products of the Wheat. 



"The first five were grown on the same spot, all 

 circumstances of soil and climate being the same. 

 Also other four sorts which were examined solely 

 with the view to compare the weight per bushel with 

 the quantity of gluten. The first weighed 04 lbs., 

 and contained, 1586 ; the second 61 lbs., and con- 

 tained K-6*, showing a difference in 3 lbs. per bushel 

 of 1-22 per cent. The third weighed 61 lbs., and 

 contained 9'8 ; and the fourth, 65 lbs., and contained 

 10'3 ; showing a difference in 4 lbs. per bushel of 0'5. 

 It is seen by the tables, that, in equal weight, there 

 is difference of proportion among all the ingredients, 

 so that weight indicates nothing in reference to 



proportions." 



The Wheats referred to in the following Table are 

 the same as those mentioned in the one above, and 

 while the extraordinary difference between the figures 

 affixed to some of these varieties shows how little 

 "judgment from external characters may be relied on. 

 in reference to the opinions of different individuals," 

 a consideration of these figures with reference to the 

 composition (see 1st Table) of the Wheats, of which 

 they are the prices, demonstrates still more clearly, of 

 how little value the various appearances are, by which 

 Wheat has hitherto been judged of. It must be 

 recollected that the proportion of gluten in Wheat is 

 a main element in its value ; the more of this sub- 

 stance rlour contains, the more nutritious is the bread, 

 and the more perfect is the operation of baking. 



1. 



a. 



1. 

 2. 

 3. 

 4. 

 5. 



6. 



7. 



8. 



Prices by 



three 



Corn Factors. 



Prices by 



three 



Bakers. 



s. 



50 

 53 

 46 

 42 

 40 

 55 

 51 



50 



50 



J\ M*aK;*a m^I / w* Red Ca P e wheat * 



53 52 6 4* 052 ( 63lbg> 



52 53 6 53 6 52 6 53 Duck's Bill Wheat, 63 lbs. 



.a .<. J*! Jkk Jwt J f Btack-kifttfctf Tremaine 

 46 43 51 50 46 { yvheat, 62lb8. 



I J 



45 



Bfl 



50 



50 



40 0'50 * 



42 48 



57 55 



56 



52 



50 



49 6 ")2 



45 

 51 6 



50 



49 6, 48 50 



{Grann Duro, of which Ma- 

 caroni is made, 63$ lbs. 

 I Grano Tenero St. Brigida, 



I 63 lbs. 



r From Port Adelaide, South 



1 Australia, 65 lbs. 



f Red Wheat, sown after 



I Potatoes, 65 lbs. 



The same after Lea, 65 lbs. 



* These Wheats being new to them they could not fix a value. 



ON THE AGRICULTURAL VALUE OF LAND. 



(Continued from page 58.) 



II. The value of land depends in great measure on the 

 cultivation it has received. 



The cultivation of land may be divided into three dis- 

 tinct branches, in each of which it influences the fertility 



of the soil. 



1st — In the application of manures. 



2d— In the pulverisation given to the soil by Agricul- 

 tural implements. 



3d — In the nature of the crops cultivated, and the 

 manner in which these are made to succeed one another. 



1st— The texture of a soil, though mainly dependent on 

 its mineral composition, and therefore to be permanently 

 improved only by an alteration in its mineral composition, 

 depends, partially, and may, iu some degree, be altered 

 and improved by the cultivation it receives. The 

 addition of some kinds of manure to a tenacious soil tends 

 to make it looser, and will improve its texture, but the 

 effect is not permanent, for the manure added becomes 

 decomposed and its effects disappear if a fresh quantity 

 be not applied. Manure, however, does not in general 

 act as a means of improving the texture of the soil, but 

 as a source whence the plants growing on it derive their 



nourishment. * '/. 



From the researches of physiologists it appears that plants 



are incapable of making use of anything insoluble. The 

 roots, through which all nourishment derived from the 

 soil must pass, are terminated by a membranous substance 

 termed a spongiole, which is so fine that nothing in mere 

 mechanical suspension in water, can pass through it. 

 Only those substances, therefore, which are at present 

 soluble, or become so by exposure to the weather, are 

 useful as manures ; substances incapable of solution by 

 ordinary natural agents may frequently, indeed, be made 

 use of with advantage to alter and improve the texture of 

 the soil, but they are useless as sources of nourishment 

 to vegetation. The fact that the value of manure depends 

 so much on its solubility seems to be generally neglected 

 amongst farmers. Dung-heaps are cfcen seen placed on 

 some piece of waste land near the farm buildings, and 

 are there suffered to dwindle away during a cours* ot years, 

 that thev may be the more thoroughly rotted. One half, 

 at least, "of the weight of the manure is thus lost, and this 

 is bv far the most valuable half. The rain has carried away 

 to some neighbouring brook all that was soluble in it, and 

 the gases evolved during its decomposition have been 

 given off to the air. The remainder is carried to the 

 pasture lands, but in its then condition it can do them 

 but little good. In some cases, however, the dung-heaps 

 are managed a little better; cla^ or mould, or the scrap- 

 ings off the roads being mingled with the manure, tend to 

 refain the liquid and gaseous portions which would other- 

 wise be lost. It is made in yards, where it lies during the 

 summer and autumn, and after being cast up into heaps 

 during winter is carried out to the Turnip-land, where it 

 receives one or more turnings before being spread over 

 the land. Here also, however, the rain is suffered to 

 wash away to the horse-pool or elsewhere the soluble, 

 and therefore the most valuable, part of the dung. Of 

 farm-vard manure generally the two most valuable parts, 

 the washings of the manure, and the urine of the cattle and 

 horses, are lost : these might be collected in tanks in the 

 yards, and being carted out over the arable or pasture 

 land, or being spread over the dung when it was dry, 

 would be found of the greatest value to the farmer. 



The following Table gives the result of an experiment re- 



