138 



THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 



[Mar. • 



• • 



returned to him on the consumption of the root and the 

 Corn crop at harvest. And assuming that such culti- 

 vation-clauses as were in the last lease are continued in the 

 new one, we proceed with our estimate of the capital 

 required for such a farm ; an estimate, viz., of the capital 

 required to cultivate a farm of 300 acres, of which 240 is 

 in arable culture, and 60 in permanent pasture : the arable 

 land to be cultivated so as to have one half of it (viz., 120 

 acres) in Corn every year, and the other half of it in roots 

 and Clover ; 40 acres in Clover, and 80 acres in roots. 



Working Cattle. 

 To 8 working- horses and a saddle-horse 



Implement** 

 Plough and cart- harness, 1 saddle, &c. . 

 8 one-horse carts, at 12/. 



4 ploughs, at 4/. 



4 sets of draft bars . • . . . 



A subsoil plough .... 



Chain and draft trees for four horses 



4 two-horse grubbers or scarifiers 



4 one horse hoes and drill harrows 



Hornsby's drop drill for Corn and Turnips, say 50 



4 pair rhotnboidal harrows, 50*. • 



1 pair of do. seed-harrows 

 Hand seed-sowing machine . 



2 rollers 15 



6 dung-forks, at 4s. . • 



2 scythes and 2 rakes 



4 water- pails, at 2s. 



3 wheel-barrows and a hand-barrow 



Barn Implements. 

 Threshing-machine arid steam-engine being 

 the landlord's, there is only a winnowing- 



roachine 



Bushels, sieves, shovels, Sec. &c. • . • 



100 sacks, 4 bushels, at 2s. fld. • . • 



Implements for Sheep aiid Pigs. 



70 dozen hurdles, at 15s. • . • 



70 troughs, at 4s 



3 Gardener's Turnip-cutters, at 5/. 



2 wheelbarrows and baskets • « * < 

 Troughs for pigs • ••••< 

 Steaming apparatus • • 



• • 



£2:0 o o 



£66 14 









96 









16 









2 2 









8 









2 10 









34 









10 









y 50 









10 









S 









4 









15 









1 4 









15 









8 









S 









10 









5 









12 10 









52 10 









14 









, 15 









, 2 10 









, 5 









. 20 









Food for working Cattle. 

 Oats for the 9 horses for 12 months at 15 lbs. 

 or li peck per ciay each, loo quarters, at 



20«. per qr 156 



14 lbs. of Hay each per diem, 22 tons, at 3/. 65 

 14 lbs. of Straw each per diem, 22 tons, at it. 44 



459 3 





 

 



'266 



Seed. 

 40 acres of Wheat, 10 quarters, at 50*. , 

 40 acres of Barley, 1 5 quarters, at 30*. . 

 40 acres of Oats, 20 quarters, at 20*. 

 Seed fur 40 acres of Clover, at 20 lbs. per acre, 



800 lbs., at 6d. ...... 



20 acres of Mangold-wurtzel, 100 lbs., at 1*. . 

 20 acres of Swedes and Turnips, 10U, at is. . 

 20 acres of Carrots, 100, at is. 

 20 acres of Potatoes, 160 sacks of 2,£ cwt. 



each, at 6s 



25 



22 

 20 



20 

 5 

 5 

 5 







10 









 

 

 





 

 





 

 

 



48 



150 10 





 

 

 

 

 



Servants' Wages for one Year. 



4 ploughmen at, say, 12«. per week . . 124 16 



2 other men, at 12* 62 8 



2 boys at 5s. . . • » . . . 26 



A shepherd, at 15s 39 



Hoeing 120 acres of Corn, at 2s. 6d. . .15 



Hoeing 80 acres of roots three time?, ^ay 10s. 40 



Harvesting 120 acres of Corn— carting and 



stacking Corn and stubble, say 12*. per acre 72 



Harvesting 80 acres of roots— carting and 



storing thern at, say, 15s. per acre . . 6o 



Sheep. Stock, $c. $c. 



The 100 acres of Grass will keep 400 ewrs, 30s. 600 

 The 60 acres of roots will require 400 lambs 



20*., bought in September . . . 400 



Say 5 breeding sows, at 3/ 15 



Say 20 store pigs, at 23s 25 



6 rams 45 



439 4 



10S5 



Tillage and value of the out-going tenant's 

 crop to be taken to by the in-coming 

 tenant :— Straw of 80 acres of Wheat and 

 40 acres of Barley, say 240 tons, at 2/. p. ton 480 



Hay off one-third of the permanent pasture- 

 land, 20 acres, ut 525 cwt.; 25 tons, at 3/. per 



ton . 75 



The in-coming tenant will not require ad- 

 ditional capital to purchase the crops of 

 Swedes, Wurtzel, Carrots, and Potatoes, 

 because these will be converted by stock, 

 and sold before Lady- day, and capital to 

 more than an equal amount for many of 

 the items mentioned above will not be 

 required till then. These, therefore, are 

 not mentioned.] 



One-half of the dung and tillage on the 80 

 acres of roots, at '31. per acre . . . 240 



Manure dropped on 4u acres of Clover, pas- 

 tured, at 30s 60 



j£855 

 Subtract value of Hay and Straw for horses, 

 estimated above at 110 



745 

 Bent and Truces. 



Rent to landlord, say 30s 450 



Tithe 90 



Poor-rates . # . . . . . 75 



Road rates . ♦ 15 



Church-rates 7 10 



Gross rent • •••♦.... 637 10 



Recapitulation. 



1 # Working: Cattle . . 270 



•J. Implements. ........ 459 3 



3. Food for working ca f tie 266 



4. Seed-corn, ike. tvr first crop 150 10 



5- Servants' wages 439 4 



6. Sheep and Pitr-stock 10B5 



7. Tillage and stock 745 



8. Gross-rent for one year 637 10 



j£4052 7 



According to the above estimate, the farmer requires a 

 capital of about 13/. per acre to cultivate arable laud, 



under such conditions of entry as we have before named. 

 Under these conditions the out-going tenant has no 

 interest in running out the land during the last four years 

 of his term ; because he gets full payment for all the cul- 

 tivation he has left in it, and also because he gets the full 

 value of his last year's crop of straw and roots, either 

 from the in-coming tenant or from public sale. The sixth 

 item in the estimate seems large, but we have seen as 

 great a stock of sheep, and of as much value, on many of 

 the best-cultivated farms in Lincolnshire and Norfolk ; 

 and we suppose the root crop, as in these districts, to be 

 consumed by the farmer's own stock. The 7th item is a 

 payment to the out-going tenant, for the good state of 

 cultivation in which he has left the farm, and it is much 

 less than the new tenant would have to sink in order to 

 recover it into that state had he entered upon a farm 

 which had been run out by his predecessor. I have sunk 

 upwards of 800/. during the first two years of my ten- 

 ancy, and got a farm not so large into a tolerable state of 

 cultivation, without getting a single sixpence of return 

 from it till towards the end of my term, during the last 

 four years of which of course I endeavoured to take it all 

 out again, knowing, from the nature of my term, that this 

 was the only way I could ensure myself against loss. Tha 

 8th item contains the rent and parochial taxes, all these 

 becoming due and requiring to be paid out of the capital 

 before any of the crop can be brought to market. 



According to Professor Low, a farmer's capital is not 

 quite one-half the sum I have estimated it to be in the 

 best-cultivated districts of Lincolnshire. This, however, 

 may, I think, be explained by the mode which the Lothian 

 farmers adopt of consuming their produce, and by their 

 mode of entry and of paying rent. Thus, the 1st, 2d, 3d, 

 4th, and 5th items of the above estimate I believe give 

 pretty nearly the amount required by the East Lothian 

 farmer; but in the 6th item I think we shall find a very 

 great difference. If it be true that the arable farmers in 

 the Lothinns and Roxburghshire sell all their roots, &c, 

 to the hill or stock farmers to be consumed on their 

 own farms by the other's sheep, then nearly the whole 

 of this item of 1,085/. will not be required by them as 

 capital ; again, the 7th item will also have to be altered, 

 for the term of the out-going tenant is, there, always May- 

 ■ day (although he gives up to the in-coming tenant all the 

 land in course for Wheat at Midsummer, and all the 

 stubble at Michaelmas) ; and, of course, he consumes all 

 his roots and straw by stock in the coverts, converting it 

 into manure, as this is the only article he is paid for by 

 the in-coming tenant. This item may, therefore, be 

 reduced to the value of 1,500 cubic yards of well-rotted 

 dung, at is. per cubic yard ; so that it will no-v stand at 

 300/. instead of 745/. Again, the 8th item must be struck 

 off altogether, because the rent in the Lothians, as well as 

 over Scotland generally, is made to become due 18 months 

 after the term of entry ; so that this 637/. 10s. is not 

 regarded as any part of the farmer's capital. The gross 

 rent in Scotland is generally paid to the landlord ; there 

 are no tithes, nor poor-rates, nor church-rates, and the 

 only parochial rate is the statute-labour (the road-rate in 

 England), which on a farm of this size may amount to 

 about 41. per annum. Thus, then, we have reduced our 

 estimate, under the Lothian system, as follows : — 



j. For working cattle .... 



2. Implements ..... 



3. Food for working cattle 



4. Seed-Corn, &c. &c. . . . 



5. Servants* wages, Harvest work, &c. 



6. Cows, pigs, say .... 



7. 1,500 cubic yards of dung, at 45. 



8. Rent (statute labour) .... 



j6"1Q38 17 



Or about 61. los. per acre— nearly Prof. Low's estimate. 



It only remains to add to these observations a few 

 remarks on items 1, 2, and 5. The capital estimated as 

 necessary under these heads is supposed to be spent in the 

 purchase of everything that is best of its kind, whether it 

 be strong and active horses, efficient and newly-made im- 

 plements, or intelligent lalK>ur ; for it is believed that 

 capital so spent will yield a larger annual interest than a 

 less amount spent in the purchase of third-rate horses, 

 second-hand implements, or spiritless labour. Possibly 

 the first two of these items might be reduced one-halt by 

 the purchase of horses and tools M good enough for a 

 tenant-farmer," as the common but moit erroneous saying 

 has it, and I doubt not but that labour may be had in 

 certain districts one-third cheaper than what I have 

 estimated it at ; and looking at this, many will say that 

 the annual return from the employment of such, being 

 nearly equal to that from the 1st class description of stock, 

 which I suppose the farmer to purchase, and the expense 

 of obtaining such being barely more than one-half of that 

 which I suppose the farmer to incur ; the interest yielded 

 by the former must be nearly double that yielded by the 

 latter ; but it must be remembered that in both cases, in 

 order to calculate the interest yielded by capital thus em- 

 ployed, we must subtract from its gross annual amount, 

 so much as is necessary to keep the stock good ; so much 

 in fact, as, added to its value at any time, will enable the 

 purchase of other stock of equal value with that which 

 was purchased to begin with. It is the net annual return 

 thus obtained which is the true interest of our capital. 

 Now the rapidity with which second-hand articles wear 

 out, the amount of disease and death amongst third-rate, 

 t. e., half worn-out horses, and the loss from idleness bv 

 the use of half-paid labour, are all so much greater, and 

 in fact the money value of these losses is so much more than 

 double that of the losses under these several heads, under the 

 system I have recommended, and on which I have calcu- 

 lated, that when their respective amounts come to be sub- 

 tracted from the gross annual returns of capital employed, 

 with which they are respectively connected, even though 



*C270 







450 3 







265 







150 10 







439 4 







100 







300 







4 









these returns should be of equal value, which is not rea [ 

 ably to be expected, I venture to say that the onp »!!i 



thus be so much more reduced than the other, that th 

 annual interest or per-centage, derived from the le'ss amount 

 of capital invested in inferior stock, will be much less th 

 that from the greater amount invested, as I have supposed 

 it to be, in first-rate stock. 



The subject of the M capital required by the farmer" i 

 one necessarily of first importance to Agriculturists and 

 none could better occupy the thoughts or employ the pen 

 of the readers of the Agricultural Gazette. I hope that 

 a discussion on this subject conducted here may be useful 

 in bringing out the truth of the matter. — John Morton 

 Chesterhill, Stroud. * 



EXPERIMENTS WITH POTATOES-] 843, 



Planted in rows, 27 inches apart ; the sets being 7 inches 



apart in the rows, and 6 inches deep. 



is 



K 



5" 



Q 



Q G Q 



** ** rr. ** M 



> 

 < 



s.=r- err- o.:r- a D"* 



era 



53 



3 



^ 



O 



PT 3 



P 



. 3 



P. 



p -- 

 o 09 



3 

 P. 



3 





> 



CO 



w 



79 



Q 



Q 



a 



- = = § 



9 



2 



3 



v 



*. »- 



*- ►- 



*- — 



*. iU ~ *. 



^ 1 to 



CO 



I 



CL 

 10 



^ m - I 



CjO 00 re 



m o o> 



CO to ^ 



to 





1 iB ■ 







<o 



1 



\o 



fc 



o 



1 



<o 



Ci 







** 



to 





Mm* 





o 



1 



o 



3 



hS 

 vi v."j v."| o !£ 



to to c- o; o 



to CC CO CO • 



o 



— ••• 





W 

 2 



■ft. w w w , 



— <0-« U O 'j! 

 O Cl'O CO . 



n 



2? 



to 



CiCO rfw W — 



X 'O u o J 



J. 

 2 



c 

 o 



00 



V 



*+ to i+ 



- I 



to 



c 



t* 



C7I 



CO 



\ 



o * £ 



_ •- *- o 



O *vj ^» o -* 

 — to Ol^J » 





10 



to 



to 



w 



to 



o 



\o 



^-1 



YO 



_ w* ~ "5 



m to c* o» ^ 



N " W O « 



1 







a 



* 



3 > 



3 o 



P SB 



5 a 



t^ 



to 



to 



to 



c* 



tn 



t-i 

 ^1 



kO 



«o 



00 



to 



CI 



to 



CO 



to 



CO 



V 



— — •-.— " 

 t-T bO »— ^ 2 



" 1 



— p- « 



cji co to cr 





The guano consisted of four different samples, distin- 

 guished by the marks above given. When applied it was 

 mixed with sifted earth, and then sown in the bottom of 

 the trenches, and well watered. The salts were applied 

 after the plants appeared above-ground* 



This result was obtained from the Bread-fruit Potato* 

 planted in the London clay, well drained, and largely 

 mixed with old plaster. The piece of ground was here 

 and there shadowed by trees, so that the total produce 

 was thereby diminished. It had borne a much heavier 

 Potato crop the previous year, as is reported at p. 651 of 

 the Chronicle for 1842. 



It is sufficiently clear that there is much difference in 

 the quality of guano, all these samples having been fur- 

 nished by one of the most extensive importers, for the 

 purpose of experiment. — John Lindley. 



REPORT OF DR. VON MARTIUS ON GUANO. 



{Continued from page 122.) 



The proportion of soluble salts in the guano appears, 

 from the two most recent" analyses, to be much greater 

 than in dove-cute manure. According to Klipi'oth they 

 are only 1G.5 per cent. ; but according to Vbikel they are 

 39.22 per cent. ; and according to Vertels, 44.538. So 

 that if the manuring power of guano be allowed to be in 

 proportion to its soluble ingredients, it will be, in com- 

 parison to dove-cote manure, as 3'J to 1G according to 

 Volkel, and 44 to 16 according to Vertels. But we may 

 very correctly estimate the manuring power of guano a 

 a higher rate than its solubility, as the nature and com- 

 bination of its salts arc of importance. So that it would 

 not be an over estimate to say, that the manuring power 

 of guano is four times stronger than that of dove-co 

 manure. % . 



These speculations are confirmed by practice. In * n ' 

 quiqua, on the coast of Peru, if a field of Potatoes or 

 Maize yielded an eighteen-fold produce with o rdm *^ 

 manure, it yielded, when guano was used, forty-nve-o 

 of Potatoes, and thirty- five-fold of Maize. On thegroff"» 

 of Grass, according to experiments made at Hamburg^, 

 it has an extraordinarily favourable influence. An exp 

 riment was made at Flotbeck, near Hamburgh, on a pi^ 

 of grass, which bore a second cutting five days at er 

 first, whilst double the length of time was required on 

 ordinary method. For Ihe speedy growth of grass o J 

 soils, and for the improvement of poor meadows, w^ 

 are common near Hamburgh, it has been strongly ^^ 

 mended in the Transactions of the Prussian Horticuii 



Society. f r ench 



In Peru, three fanegas of guano, or about* i* 

 pounds, are laid upon a topo of land, which is about a d 



