THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 



155 



It was obtained by Sir 



Charles 

 hill, net 



u\ a in sav t was oota" JCU «j — « 



4 ' •" "nar from G L Stott, Esq., of Ashley- 

 M^i^.^neered to me, from its smell, to 



princir; 



12 IBs* w ■•" » 



distributed ot« n "» y^-i™ effect ; "on the contrary, 

 without P^"-^^ J f Corn and Straw proves it to 



*' "•I""',! of 'he best manures in the series, although 

 hate been one ot •< remarka ble in the growth and 



.here w« certam y nom R^ ^.^ ^ .^.^ ^ 



appearance 01 ^^ ^ was of an average height; 



"S'd. k hel thy colour, but all the plots were more or 

 ,nd dark nea i j another formed a deep 



'"* ^ fie do vn he /eld, which could readily be 

 fr eea rtripj «°™ elevated polllion where the 



^K d beTverTo^ed. The 'only difference in 

 7v 1, where the return exceeded the average crop 

 tl'LZ r* "e in the plants having tillered better, and 







b trl^r; e om the Farrn-yard.-The value of liquid 

 manure is well known to gardeners and there is no reason 

 whv it should not become of equal importance to farmers 

 for wing on a large scale. The trial which was made of 

 t in this instance was highly satisfactory, and confirms 

 the opinion T have long entertained, that more attention 

 oueht to be paid to the proper formation of dung-heaps, 

 as well as to the making and preserving of liquid manure 

 in tanks, &c, than is the general practice. A\ ere this 

 the case, I am persuaded it would be far more advan- 

 tageous to the farmer, than wasting his money on foreign 

 substances whose virtues, if any, are of a questionable 

 character ; or, at all events, not more powerful than those 

 which may be obtained, at much less cost, from other 

 agents within reach, if the means are only adopted to 

 secure them. Here we have the fact of the common 

 drainings of the farm-yard giving a return equal to that 

 obtained from the finest manure of which we have any 

 knowledge. The quantity used was 100 gallons, or 1000 

 gallons per acre, not in the strong brown coloured state 

 it appears when running from the stables, or cattle- 

 houses, but diluted with water until it resembled what is 

 commonly used for gardening purposes. It is difficult to 

 make the general reader understand this, but I should 

 think one gallon of the dark-coloured liquid, to two gal- 

 lons of water, would be near about the right proportion. 

 The appearance of the Corn was remarkably strong and 

 healthy. The weight of Straw was 3001bs., of Corn 256lbs., 

 which measured 5^ bushels, or 52£ bushels per acre. If 

 the effects of guano and some of the other manures were 

 such as to excite surprise, I think the result of this expe- 

 riment will appear no less remarkable, as it supplies us 

 with evidence in proof of the great value of liquid manure, 

 which in too many instances, I regret to say, is either 

 little attended to, or wholly permitted to run to waste. 

 In this particular, I believe it will be generally admitted, 

 there is great room for improvement ; and it is to be 

 hoped the time is not far distant when the facts derived 

 from these and similar experiments will be the means of 

 causing a better system of management to be introduced. 

 A portion of equal extent to those allotted for each expe- 

 riment was set apart for comparison, and found to pro- 

 duce in Straw 2331bs., in Corn 2001bs., which measured 4 

 bushels, or at the rate of 40 bushels per acre. 



The subjoined Table will more readily show the results 

 of the several experiments : — 



Table showing the result of Experiments with different Manures 



applied as a top-dressing to Barley, 1843. 



equally certain that the grain, leaves, straw, and roots of 

 a stalk of Wheat, must have derived the material of which 

 their fabric is composed either from the earth in which 

 the roots are planted, or from the atmosphere in which 

 the straw, leaves, and grain grow. Now, we have only to 

 apply the same truth to different parts of which a plant is 

 composed, and instead of saying that as a whole it derives 

 its material from the earth or air, we prove that it must 

 have carbon and the elements of water for its starch and 

 sugar, an addition of nitrogen for its gluten or albumen, 

 phosphate of lime and magnesia for the husk of its seed, 

 and silicate of potash for its straw ; and we have only 

 further to prove that these elements must be present for 

 one crop, and with variations or omissions are essential 

 for another, and also that by the addition of individual 

 elements, we can increase the quantity of individual pro- 

 duce as azote for gluten, carbonaceous matter for starch, 

 and we arrive at once at the foundation of Agricultural 

 Chemistry, at the basis of those great principles which 

 must ever guide the scientific farmer, in a judicious ap- 

 plication of the food of plants. A moment's reflection 

 too will convince any one who thinks it worth while to 

 consider the subject at all, that the cause of failure, Which 

 we so constantly hear of in the application of manures, 

 arises from the want of attention to these principles. 



Let us take an example ; — A farmer is anxious to try a 

 certain manure — we will say nilrate of soda or potash ; 

 he applies it to his land according to the prescribed rules 



of so much per acre. 



Now the nitrate acts as a manure principally, if not 

 entirely, by supplying the alkali, soda, or potash to the 

 soil. The Cerealia, Wheat, Barley, &c, exhaust the soil 

 of alkali, because a union of it with silicic acid (which is 

 formed of silicon and oxygen) is necessary for the stiffness 

 of the stalk ; and this I may observe, en passant, is the 

 cause of the green, rank appearance of the corn crops to 

 which the nitrates are applied. 



But it may happen, and does frequently happen, that 

 there is no deficiency of alkali in the soil, or that if it did 

 exi«t, it has been supplied by the usual rotation of crops. 

 Now in such a case it is obvious that the experiment 

 must fail. Another farmer applies it where the alkali is 

 deficient, and it succeeds; hence the discordance in experi- 

 ments, of which we hear so much. 



I will take a second example :— A crop of Turnips or 

 Mangold Wurtzel, or Potatoes, is manured in part with 

 guano and azotised manure, and with good rotten stable 

 manure in part, and the crop from the last-named is the 

 best. Another crop of Wheat, Barley, or Beans, shall be 

 manured in a similar way, and that from the guano sue- 

 ceeds best. Now in these cases the results are strictly in 

 accordance with chemical fact ; and yet the experimenter 

 who fails on the Turnip crop, rejects the guano as a 

 useless increase of expenditure in his future operations 

 There is another source of apparent failure and consequent 

 disappointment in the use of artificial manures, which 

 cannot be too strongly dwelt upon : I mean the fallacy of 

 trusting to appearances in judging of the effect of manures. 

 If Wheat is manured with rotten stable manure and guano, 

 or urine, the plant from the stable manure will have the 

 freshest, greenest, and strongest appearance ; but notwith- 

 standing this, the grain from the guano or urine will be 

 the best sample-its quality and quantity will both be 

 superior to that in the other experiment. 



Experiment-sound co-operative experiment— as Pro- 

 fessor Henslow has so frequently urged, is the means by 

 which these principles can be proved true or false ; but 

 no good results will ever be obtained by putting a bushel 

 of this or that manure at random upon the first crop that 

 comes to hand, and judging of the result from mere ap- 

 pearances ; on the contrary, much mischief may arise 

 and a certain retardation of the application of one of the 



mm m ± ^ il ^ ^AiMi^na^ ta j nr Y~ 1 Oil I *sp 



visited the Whitfield 

 orton's crops, 

 ps have, I dare 

 say far exceeded W- estimate of their amount. 1 nave 

 the' greatest reepect for Mr. Morton as a scientific man, 

 and I feel the greatest respect for Mr. Smith, from his 

 having introduced a system of deep draining and deep 

 ploughing, of the advantages of which I have had practical 

 experience ; but I think they are both misleading people 

 in putting forth the statements they have done as to the 

 profit to be derived from stock, and I call upon them 

 publicly to rectify their errors, or to give proof that they 

 themselves have made their estimated profit. I farm on 

 the alternate system of green crop and white straw crop - r 

 but with a flock of sheep, and with cattle fed in the yards 

 on Straw and Turnips, I cannot make one-half the 

 amount put forth by these gentlemen as the value of green 

 crops J and I believe that for some years past, the Nor- 

 folk farmers have barely got paid for the Corn Hay, and 

 Oil-cake their oxen and sheep have eaten. W ith beef and 

 mutton at their present prices they do not get one-half the 

 amount put forth by Mr. Smith as the value of a Turnip- 

 crop — A Subscriber. [Did a Subscriber notice that 

 among the expenses was that of dung for green crops 

 -bouaht-imt at 10/. per acre. The 12/., the va ue of 

 green crop per acre, is obtained by selling not only the 

 beef or mutton made, but the dung produced also. Of 

 course Mr. Smith did not mean that the dung should be 

 sold or bought, either ; but he estimates the total value 

 of all sorts of produce on the one side, as well as the total 

 amount of all expenses on the other.] 



Agricultural Improvements.— As agricultural improve- 

 ment is the order of the day, allow mc to mention aa 

 extreme case— the expenditure of 5200/. on a farm of mine 

 (Tipton Hall, near Kelvedon, Essex), that only cost 325W, 

 In due course, when the results are accurately ascertained, 

 I shall deem it my duty to submit statistical details and 

 drawings of the buildings to every Agricultural Society in 

 the kingdom, in the hope it may give confidence to those 

 who, having the means to improve their property, are 

 doubtful as to such improvements paying a remunerating 

 profit to both landlord and tenant. The expenditure above 

 mentioned has been appropriated to-lst. The perfect and 

 permanent drainage of the land with stones and pipes, 4 

 yards apart, and 32 inches deep-between 80 and 90 miles 

 of drains. 2d. To the entire removal of all timber trees, 

 which cannot be profitably grown in Corn fields, dd. lo 

 the removing all old, crooked, and unnecessary banks, 

 fences, and ditches. 4th. The cutting new parallel ditches 

 and fences, so as to avoid short lands. 5th. The inclosure 

 of waste, and conversion of useless bog into good soil. 

 6th.Theeconomisingtimeanddistancebynewroads,archef, 



and more direct communications with the extremities of 

 the farm. 7th. The erection of well-arranged farm-build.ngs 

 built of brick, iron, and slate in a continuous range, ex- 

 cluding all cold winds and currents of air, but open to 

 sunny warmth. 8th. The building a substantial and gen- 

 teel residence, with all due requisites for domestic comfort 

 and economy. 9th. The erection of an efficient threshing 

 machine, and needful apparatus for shaking the straw, 

 dressing the Corn, cutting chaff, bruising Oats, fc., 

 so constructed as not to injure the straw ; avoiding, 

 by its perfect action, that immense waste of grain 

 visible in almost every truss of straw we examine. 

 10th. The avoidance of thatching and risk of weather by 

 ample barn room, with convenience for in-door horse lab( ur 

 at thrashing, &c, when not employable without, so as to 

 have no idle days for man or beast. U^«jjwta| of 



ana witn wen a«u put"!',; »«-" ---- - 



drainage from the farm yard and stables. 



veyance by iron gutters and pipes of every drop of water 



from the roofs of each building, so as in no manner to 



Irom r ds. 13th. The perfect drainage 



Kind of Manure. 



5< 



** CO 



a" 



3 



3f 





Produce of 

 one tenth of 

 an Acre, 



lbs. U. d. 



'} 



33 J 6 



S3£3 

 16412 

 224 3 11 



12 

 SllB. 

 100 



lbs. lbs. 

 233 200 



199 

 264 



2S0 



269 



288 



<u 



>-• 

 y 



<: 



hi 



OI 





4s.d. 



Rate of 



Produce per 



Acre. 



— 



ta 



s 



o 

 O 



cwtqr 

 20 3 

 3 

 2 

 

 



lbs bsh. 

 6 40 



2 374 

 8 43| 



SO 



2j 47$ 



24 1 533 



3 I 



524 



Nothing 

 I *"»* of Soda . 

 *• Sulphate of Soda 



*» buano . 



t "Si*, of Amm! 



* S S tt > Soluble 1 

 Manure . . / 



6 ' Draining of 



I^J^yards 



— W 7 . B. Booth, Carclew, 2bth Nov. 1843. 



OIJ THE APPLICATION^ CHEMISTRY TO 

 AGRICULTURE UPON RATIONAL 

 PRINCIPLES.— No. IX. 



PART III. 



q (Continued from p. 139.) 



^n the Chemical Composition of the Food or 

 Plants, and the relation it bears to that of 

 the Plant itself ; forming the Basis of the 



IHEORY AND PRACTICE OP MANURING LAND. 



'-noer this head I also propose to discuss the best 

 raeans of retaining or increasing the fertilising properties 

 of manures. 



Plants 1 



whether tins tnougni ia iu*w ^ v.. - 



it is quite impossible to prove its soundness, unless the 

 minutest details are attended to. Prcfessor Henslow s 

 schedule is an example of what ought to be done m Agn- 

 cultural experiments ; and even this w, be improved 

 when farmers get into the habit of making themselves 

 acquainted with the true nature of their soils— C. K. 

 Bree, Sloicmarket. 



(To be continued.) 



Home Correspondence. 



Value of Green Cro P s.-U your last Paper it appears 

 that Mr. Smith, of Deanstone, estimated at Bristol toe 

 value of 200 acres of Oat-straw at from 300/. to .400/ I 

 cannot make out which sum, as the price per qu.rte ^ of 

 I the Oats is not given. He estimated 100 acres of Green 

 Crop, one-third Potatoes and two-thirds Ta^p.^ 

 100 acres of Hay at 625/., and 100 acres o( R 01d Held a 

 nasture at 200/. Mr. Morton, too, in his Book on boil* 

 ft r 8 estimated that on the Whitfield ^-m consisting , of 

 240 acres, farmed on the alternate system of green crop 

 and white crop, he may fairly expect to "***' 2 \* 8 i™ 

 of corn crops, and 990/. a-year <™%*;J g 

 altogether that any such returns can be made from scock, 

 and I cal upon Mr. Smith to say whether he, from a farm 

 of 600 acres has ever realised from cattle^ sheep and ^s 

 any sum approaching^, and I ^ 



f«„j 1. ,avin 6 no power of locomotion mast have the any sum approacnii.g _^-— , -■•- - - - , Pa ii se d from 



food by which their growth is supported and their matu- say what actual yearly amount he has eter real.sed trom 



without facts and figures wc: S uc«» — a j :.,,„ :„ 



IlthouHi the operations were only commenced early m 

 1 843 the results, so far as they go, are gratifying and con- 

 incing , A?o-e instance of success, .field of pet. sown .a 

 he 16th of May, after drainage, was harves.ed and stacked 

 oefore anothe/ sown two months earlier on better but 

 undrained land was ready to cut Hereafter you shaU 

 have detailed statistics of every department » i which 

 saving is effected and increase produced. In a moral and 

 .ocial point of view, these improvements have acted bene- 

 ficially. They have excited the energies of the tenant ana 

 his labourers, stimulating them to think, compare, and 

 improve. They have awakened the attenuon and curiosity 

 of the neighbouring farmers, who are watching the resuir, 

 and already have they caused many undertakings m drain- 

 age, which otherwise would not have been thought of. 

 Had I invested my money in the funds, there would have 

 been an end of the' matter ; but now I have the Mt.rf.cho» 

 of having fulfilled a public duty (without injury lo«.J«» 

 by calling into action, temporarily and V°™™p£J£ t 

 siderable amount of labour. I conceive tM the »£«» 

 order of charity which, by providing •-^"^ u „! 

 willing labourer, confers a favour unse en en ' £ ve * " nd . 

 compromised (his most valuable P"">K)^*„K, 

 ence' If every one who ha, the •"-^■^ 

 where requisite, there will he little neea 10 i. i 



