THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 



77 



- .,Afi circular letter, 



_, fc, ,.,!. -nial* a ««#j£l local Farming 

 S^V re,a " eS ,°l t,e central one, and 

 ~ iD TaS n n mber, cal.fng on them to 

 I00ne b fth Members as were common to 

 *** "Tl fto inform the Council how they pro- 

 "^ "*a»«* is0 '° '1 eietv's premiums th.s current 

 -Jilj for "* 7f'r,: '.hat effect, which was 

 Siothe ^'"""fthSocieiv; namely, 



H 



r.< 



(^eaKK" 5 ":" , 1 h. ve five of ts Memoersai .<:<.».,, 

 ^!rjr 1 oi^ot i ,er.Soci,y,orthatasum 



Sa-aT-Sr 1 , J»""ST returns of 



g^k M Socety, w em ^ Qf . ts Members at |ea8t> 



* ^Central Society each year. The 

 S-fti "hat "h r e beneficial effects of that 

 •""•^ Z already most sen S ,b!j 



Uembtrs 

 to »« 



annual subscription of one pound 

 L..„.i h» the Members of the 



coatributed by the 



sr. 



n 



, .hat the beneficial e 



*le dy cost sensibly felt. Many of the 



L^the d Lent local societies, from winch, 



nne oound, and sometimes no subscription 



_f* T Th^e be^un to look up, in order to 



*±Z M -eS timt for receiving the premiums 



?2!i5wy th » s y ear ' Upon f he T, ru 



JSSTlhe Marquess of j*^*^*JK!£S 

 toco* J 



wIq.. the subject ot ertaoiisuiug » u....u.u. »>»— ' 

 ML and measures throughout he United King- 

 ta7fcrthc sale of all agricultural produce. The 

 ftKNtan bating brought forward the voluminous reports 

 STSorough-draining, from the different proprietors 

 ialrctend, who were competitors for the Societies' gold 

 »«diE. it was suggested by Mr. Blacker, and agreed to, 

 that tie Secretary be directed to write to the different 

 court ton to ascer rain from them the beneficial effects 

 tin hire hitherto arisen from any previous experiments 

 ■til bf them in thai department, or from any other ex- 

 ponents in draining, instituted by them previous to 

 ttat in question. These reports were prepared with the 

 greatest accuracy, and framed as they were from under- 

 commenced upon an extensive scale, in different 

 of the country, afforded some of the best and most 

 villain information, not only upon the subject of thorough- 

 fevaiag in general, but also upon the price of labour and 

 mar statistical information in various parts of the country. 

 Aktterwu also read from the Marquess of Downshire, 

 of the council, stating his regret that the city of 

 ly wis not fixed upon for holding the next great 

 ■ecting and cattle show of the Society, and ex- 

 a hope that it was not too late to reconsider the 

 Letters were also read from Professor Kane, 

 some copies of the paper on the growth and 

 f*»H»o of Flax, read at a late meeting of the Royal 

 urn 1 Academy. Letters and reports were also read from 

 « AflTcultural Society lately established in Jamaica, 



"JJf, the co-operation and correspondence of the 

 tonal Society. 



Miscellaneous. 



•*«• Agricultural Chemistry ,■ 



SStJu^ tssociation have now bee 

 ™?M**«m consequence of the sue 



2*»H ■Wjjjryfcr carrying their views into effect 



^ CH a - e on the very eve of ^^ co ^ : 



*5*w2^D 8lr r Umenta,it y 0f their *Me and 

 SSeto <2k1' Pr f 6SS0r Johns ton, we think it is 

 tk,E, ' ^e information of our readers 



^cE2r° f ; he Chi6f object, of the £ril 



^*S^ 10n 7 the duties of the che - 5st 



*-l K Subsc, £ lbers '-Objects of the As- 

 ^Udprac * ! !*T ° fe f ^"information, theo- 

 *^ «Cs'r DS ° f occasi onal verbal expo- 

 f^rfement of our rrl "''"P^nce ; and 2. The 

 ST*** o;S kn °f* by experimental 

 *£CW*btint e I A f 1Culturlsts « the field, and 

 ^ <*** w il b e b e ° x ra t0 7' "a"" of the Chemist. 

 ^^^exnl,!f Xpected t0 *«"*"> suggesting 



^***7 the J:^ ° D ^ t0 C ? sider ^d explain 



^tamed-and to point out how 



account by the practical farmer. 



IT? r.«U-4,-_ . 



The 

 osi- 

 ub- 





^ aen ^thean n 0Unt , y thG Poetical f 



t k ?' the demist " a yS1S ° f any 8ub «»nce submit 

 S^»Wcbbn^ ,re J quire a dement of the 



MIL '' 1rtl 



obji 



requi 



+ &£**>*. A hi'?' and , at '^es approved 

 *^ 0fh « proceed* i °T A mu8t be kept by 



^to* 8 h « »av d a I a " »« "alyses he makes 

 fl^A. 1 " *• commit neS . S " f the "^ociation, 

 ^*"S^°^4 ~ W be addressed to 



,c » 3i " l » "xc. ) f Ar jV * ouua ' guano 



[ ' £ tn ' ^^/lL ad , ulterati0M . ^ eacl 

 2^i 5 ^^ L n r e8t ° nes ' marls « ■heU 

 ^ ^ Drn^ n ^ and P » P ° rt,0n ° f !ime ' a ^ 



■^ !'/ 0r «ach inl h r latter ' or of any 



^^Cedl^edien^? tw nt ' t0 determine 

 W C Dt t0 ^eharged o ^ Portion of 

 ^^ n\*> wi * a T ie b w t ; 6rf * addi tional for 



C> a °y a «i 6c W m \?f commercial and 



mued ma nure (such as 



it 



manufactured Guano, humus, animalised carbon, patent 

 manures, &c), G.9. 6. Examining, the products of vege- 

 tation, to determine, for example, the quantity of water, 

 or of starch, or of sugar, in Potatoes or Turnips ; or of 

 oil or gluten in wheaten flour, from 2s. Gci. to 5s. 7. 

 Letters asking advice, unless accompanying, and in refer- 

 ence exclusively to substances transmitted for analysis, to 

 inclose 2s. Gd. 8. No sample to be sent for analysis 

 without the fee being inclosed with it. Privileges of 

 Subscribers. — 1. Every landed proprietor who pays 1/. 

 yearly, and every tenant farming other persons' land, who 

 pays 10s. yearly, shall, on subscribing their names, or 

 authorising their names to be inscribed in a book to be 

 kept for that purpose, be entitled to the services of the 

 Chemist on the terms before mentioned. 2. Every 10s. 

 subscribed by a tenant, or 20s. by a proprietor, will enti- 

 tle to two analyses yearly on the above terms, and all 

 beyond that number to be charged one-half more. To 

 the numbers of letters of advice, it appears unnecessary 

 at first to prescribe any limits or check beyond the small 

 charge above stated. 3. The Directors of the Highland 

 and Agricultural Society shall be entitled to publish ex- 

 clusively, in their Transactions, the reports made to the 

 general meetings of the subscribers, as well as such che- 

 mical analyses as in the opinion of the committee are 

 deserving of publication. 4. Every Agricultural Society, 

 by paying to the funds of the Association 5/. yearly, shall 

 be entitled to one lecture from the Chemist; by paying 

 10/., two lectures ; and by paying 15/. three lectures ; — 

 and such Society shall have the right to prescribe the parti- 

 cular subject of each lecture, as well as to have these lec- 

 tures delivered either separately or together. — The Fife 



Sentinel. 



The Nature of Soils. — "The study of the soils and of the 



rocks that lie beneath them has led geologists to con- 

 clude that the loose materials of which the soil is com- 

 posed are derived from the solid rocks that lie beneath 

 them — that there was a time when these rocks were every- 

 where on the surface; but that gradually, by the opera- 

 tion of the rains and other natural causes, these rocks 

 have been worn down and disintegrated, till what had 

 been solid rock became the loose materials which form 

 the soil. These rocks are essentially of three kinds — 

 limestone, sandstone, and clay or slate, the latter in 

 various degrees of hardness ; so that if you want to know 

 the kind of soil in any given district, you have only to 

 inquire into the nature of the rocks which form the sub- 

 stratum of that district. But, besides this, the physical 

 examination of the soil tells a good deal of its nature. 

 For instance, if you were to take a quautity of soil of a 

 given weight, and pour water over it in a vessel, then 

 allow a minute or two for the heavy particles to subside, 

 and pour off the water with the lighter particles floating in 

 it into another vessel, and repeat this till all the lighter 

 particles were carried away, then again dry the heavy ma- 

 terials and weigh them a second time — the difference 

 between the first and second weight of the soil would give 

 the amount of the fertilising matter contained in the soil ; 

 for all the vegetable or fertilising substances would be 

 carried off in the water, leaving the inorganic and unfer- 

 tilising substances behind. Exactly the same result would 

 be arrived at by heating a quantity of soil of given weight 

 in an oven or other place — the vegetable matter would be 

 burnt out, and the difference between the first weight and 

 that of the residuum would be the amount of fertilising 

 substances in the soil. These are rude chemical tests, but 

 when you examine the soil by more refined analysis, you 

 discover that there are eleven substances, every one of 

 which are necessary for the growth of vegetation." This 

 the Professor said he would dwell upon more particularly 

 in his next lecture. He then referred to the subsoil and 

 that part of the soil to which the vegetables did not 

 usually penetrate. *" Every farmer knows that a few years 

 after he has limed the surface of his fields, the presence 

 of the lime becomes gradually less and less, till it altoge- 

 ther disappears. Now, it happens that this lime is to be 

 found sunk into the subsoil. So it often happens that the 

 very substances of which the upper soil is most deficient 

 are to be found in the subsoil. The cause of this might 

 be easily explained, for when you consider the action of 

 the rains, &c, you see that their tendency is to carry fer- 

 tilising substances from the surface down to the subsoil. 

 It becomes, therefore, a matter of importance to know 

 whether it would be advisable to bring up the subsoil to 

 the surface and mix the two together. This is not in every 

 case advisable. For instance, here is a section of a soil 

 lo inches deep, which I have received from a place in 

 Renfrewshire, the surface of which contains a certain 

 quantity of fertilising substances, while the subsoil con- 

 tains only half the quantity. It is clearly unadvisable, 

 therefore, in this case, to do more than, by draining, to 

 open up the soil, and let the roots of the plant draw from 

 the subsoil that nourishment which it is capable of afford- 

 ing.'' — Lecture at Edinburgh on the 10/A January by 

 Professor Johnston. 



Wasteful Management of Manure. — Some idea of this 

 may be gained by analogy. Let us imagine that a farmer 

 keeps three teams of horses, who consume, say two quar- 

 ters of Oats per week. Let the farmer give one quarter 

 each week to the horses, and dispose of the other quarter 

 as follows : — There may possibly be some ruts in the road 

 loading to and from his farm-yard ; let him pour as many 

 as possible of the Oats into every one of the horse-holes 

 and ruts of this road, beginning at the gate of the yard, 

 and proceeding to the nearest turnpike-road. There may 

 seem much trouble in all this, but nothing valuable can 

 ever be gained or done without trouble, and this experi- 

 ment will probably always be conclusive. Some farm- 

 yards are nicely drained, and very frequently the drains 

 run into the horse-pond. Let the farmer insist on one of 



his labourers (who may possibly have some prejudice 

 against it) pouring a good drill of Oats into every drain 

 that leads out of the yard till it arrives at the pond, where 

 he may throw in a bushel or so, and if the drain termi- 

 nates, as drains sometimes do, on a hard road, let him 

 leave a small heap of Oats in every black puddle. When 

 he shall have done this, let him cause some of the Oats to 

 be scattered in every direction round his stable, and take 

 every possible precaution so that the birds of the air, the 

 mice and rats of the field, the fishes of the ponds, and Che 

 creeping things of the earth, may come in for a share of 

 the Oats. The farmer's neighbours may call him mad, but 

 let him not mind this. Ulysses was formerly called mad 

 for sowing salt, but now, many people sow salt who are 

 considered sensible, and even clever. Let the enterprising 

 improver keep perseveringly on with this practice for — say 

 three weeks. On or about this period, the ribs of each of 

 his three teams, when in single harness, will probably form 

 a very respectable representation of a park paling. At this 

 point it is time to pause, and seriously ask himself the 

 question, whether it is wise for a man actually to facilitate 

 the waste and destruction of produce which it has cost 

 him much money to gain, and the economical manage- 

 ment of which will produce mere money. That which we 

 have imagined it possible for a farmer to do with his horse- 

 food, is not a whit more unwise than the practice of some 

 slovenly farmers with respect to their Manures. What 

 Oats are to his horses, — Manure, and especially the liquid 

 and gaseous portions of Manure, are to his fields. Every 

 atom of earth which comes into contact with his dung, pre- 

 serves for it some of its fertilising virtues, yet he accumu- 

 lates it in unpaved yards. Every breath of air that passes 

 over it becomes the vehicle for carrying the volatile gases, 

 in which plants delight, from the farmer's dung-yard to- 

 everybody else's field ; yet he keeps it for a year uncovered 

 with mould. Every drop of rain which falls from the 

 heavens dissolves some of its most valuable portions, and 

 conveys it into the horse-pond, or some of the neighbour- 

 ing ditches ; yet the good man never dreams of sinking a 

 tank, in order to preserve a substance every ponnd of 

 which Liebig tells us will suffice to grow a pound of Wheat. 

 Nothing can show more clearly than this national waste, 

 the necessity of men being made acquainted with the laws 

 of Nature, which can never be transgressed with impunity, 

 which combine to ruin every man who regards them not ; 

 whilst there is not one law amongst them which, if under- 

 stood, may not be made the ready and willing instrument 

 of his will. — Maidstone Gazette. 



Importance of Co-operation between the Farmer and 

 Chemist.— We believe that by far the greatest obstacle 

 to the advancement of scientific Agriculture hitherto, has 

 been the want of co-operation between the farmer and the 

 chemist. Each has tried to move forward alone, and thus 

 each has been led astray. W T e may not inaptly apply to 

 them the well-known story of the lame and the blind, 

 neither of whom alone could proceed with safety, but 

 when united arm-in-arm, the defects of each were fully 

 compensated for by the superior advantages of the other^ 

 Thus the farmer, from his knowledge of practice, is 

 enabled to progress in any given direction, but, from his 

 want of acquaintance with the fundamental principles of 

 his art, may be justly considered blind ; whereas the 

 chemist, however clearly he may see the end to be 

 attained, makes but a very lame progression, owing to 

 his ignorance of practice. Let the two but consent to 

 become mutually dependent, and, proceeding arm-in-arm, 

 the assured step of the well-practised farmer will be 

 guided in the right way by the clear-sighted knowledge 

 of the enlightened chemist. — Dr. Madden, on the Ad- 

 vantages of Extended Chemical Analysis to Agriculture. 



Ewes and Lambs. — A difficulty is sometimes experi- 

 enced in making ewes own their lambs, and oftener, per- 

 haps, when cases of twin lambs occur than at other times. 

 Those who desire to rear all their lambs may find a bene- 

 fit in sprinkling a* little fine salt over the disowned ones. 

 This will usually attract the mother, and when once the 

 operation of licking has been performed, there is seldom 

 any danger of desertion. A friend assures us he has 

 practised this method with decided success, and no injury 

 to the lambs may be apprehended from the application. 

 Sheep, when about to lamb, should be moved and dis- 

 turbed as little as possible, as all such disturbances, es- 

 pecially with young or wild ewes, greatly increase the 

 probability of their forsaking their young.— Ayrshire 



Agriculturist. 



Preparation of Stiff-land for Turnips.— Every Agri- 

 culturist is aware of the difficulty, and, in some seasons, of 

 the almost utter impossibility, of reducing strong adhesive 

 clay soils to a state fit for sowing Turnips. A field on this 

 farm, allotted for Turnips for the present season, is exactly 

 of the description of the soil here referred to, and with 

 the view of surmounting the difficulty experienced in pre- 

 paring such a soil, Mr. Richardson directed that it should 

 undergo a thorough autur.n tillage. It was accordingly 

 ploughed from stubble betwixt the 3d and 7th of October. 

 Betwixt the 10th and 13th of the same month the dril.s 

 were opened, and farm-yard dung driven from the close, 

 applied to it, at the rate of about 18 tons per Scotch acre, 

 and the whole covered up. In this state it lay till the 

 usual period of sowing in May, when the whole was found 

 to be in a highly pulverised state, equal to the finest 

 garden mould — only covered with a large crop of surface 

 weeds, an article abundantly prolific on this farm. To 

 remove the surface-weeds the drills were lightly harrowed, 

 and a potato-grubber passed between them, and any soil 

 that had thus been brought down was laid up by a double- 

 moulded plough, and the seeds. Purple top Swedes, sown 

 on the 11th of May. The result of this experiment seems 

 clearly to indicate that in a similar way soils of even the 

 most stubborn nature may be prepared for Turnips, and 



