1844.] 



THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE 



173 



,-,. nart of lUe author of the habits of the 

 ,Ui * ! ™U fartne s in the North of Ireland. 



K„ DtrT .nd £ l ; e a r r e me ^ owever , reluctantly obliged 

 I » b c0 , ro ! Z\ did not think that the essay P os- 

 » "CiDciVnt merit to entitle it to the Society's medal 



* ViWnrc for tne society s guiu wcuai, «^ 

 ST." «he 1st meeting ofWco.ncil for the 

 "' on the principle of being the four who had exe- 



Brtmtfore 



—_ „„,.rr was directed to communicate again with 

 ^.ToTDel. ton. who, it was understood, was at 

 Mr. Smith, oi ire d t0 ascert ain from him whe- 



^ t m th'» conn'ry^ undertake the task of 



*"" T l„e "°S tUe thorough-draining, executed by 



were 



^fh'^^quanUty'of thorough- draining amongst 



the di(f«nt competitors. 



• FARMERS' CLUBS. 



District.— A. meeting of this club was held 

 t IkTttMrn Hall, Bromsgrove, on the 27th ultimo, 

 r i Id^ Esq., in the chair.-Mr. 11. F. Fardon read 

 ? j^ Manures. He considered it impossible to 

 hSina clear and complete view of this subject without 

 reference "> principles. He adverted to the germination 

 of a teed and the formation of a root and leaf,— the former 

 intended to derive nutriment from the soil, the latter from 

 Ike air It is through the root that manures act on plants. 

 This root consists of a fibre or fibres with a small spongiole 

 •t the extremity, which absorbs water containing the food 

 of the plant in solution. All plants do not take the same 

 farredients from the soil, or the same quantities of dif- 

 ferent ingredients ; but they generally absorb more or less 

 Of ammonia to supply nitrogen ; carbonic acid to supply 

 carbon; potash, soda, lime, magnesia, alumina, iron, 

 manganese, silica, sulphuric acid, phosphoric acid, and 

 chlorine. As the farmer takes his crop off the ground the 

 toil becomes exhausted of particular ingredients, which 

 must be restored by means of manure. It is of importance 

 to the farmer to know what each crop abstracts from the 

 toil, and by what kind and quantity of manure it may be 

 best restored. For instance, Swede Turnips take 2651 

 parts of po'. ash from the soil, while only 390 are absorbed 

 by the same weight of Potatoes, and an acre of land will 



Jield double the weight of Swede Turnips that it will of 

 otstoes. Turnips, therefore, exhaust the soil of potash 

 Bore than Potatoes. Besides those manures which supply 

 plants with food, there are others which improve the 

 mechanical texture of the soil, and some act in both ways. 

 J'arm-yard Manure. — A considerable portion of this con- 

 sist! of straw, which thus restores to the soil the ingredients 

 it has taktn from it. The dung varies in composition 

 according to the animal which afforded it, and to the food 

 that animal received. The better the food the richer the 

 manure afforded. The dung-heap should be formed under 

 cover, that it may not be washed by the rain ; but in that case 

 it must be kept moist, and no liquid should be allowed to 

 escape from it. To preserve this it might be well to form 

 it on a stratum of soil. The gases given off during 

 fermentation should also be preserrPrl. The most im- 

 portant of these is ammonia, which* it is believed, may 

 be retained by covering the surface of the heap either 

 with gypsum or common salt, the heap being kept moist. 

 Before we can decide how long the fermentation of the 

 heap should be allowed to proceed, we must decide 

 whether it is desirable to apply manure in a form to come 

 into immediate action on the growing crop, or to give out 

 its valuable qualities gradually to two or three successive 

 crop*. The former would appear to be the most eco- 

 nomical plan, as in the latter case some of the valuable 

 quaut.es of the manure might be wasted during the 

 intervals between the crops. In the process of decay in 

 I«f« l* n,tro S en ls converted into ammonia, and carbon 



«rnL I . 0D,C 8Cid 5 atld tUiS P r ° CeSS Sh0uld be ftll0Wed t0 



llr^tr tosome extent, provided nothing is allowed to 



S/T ^ hea P' Potash ' soda > *W remain in the 

 manure after fermentation ; but these and ammonia too 



rithVh Wi i? { a ,* ay b 7 water - Lic l uid manure may 

 \\hLl S °. rbe 1 by the litter o r collected in tanks, 

 nlan tc n' 6 1S ! ,Ient y of litter > the former is the best 

 onariffnn u^ PP lCation of the lk i M is a troublesome 

 to form. V v e ? collected in a tank, it should be allowed 

 *i*ht £ * £ w be I° re a rP u °ation f and gypsum or salt 

 veTtaht Ul t0 fix the am monia. The animal and 

 essentia i ; mm * res produced on a farm contain all the 

 toanniv ■! 6 ? f " U ; but * may sometimes be desirable 

 or to aoX u- nourishm ent in a concentrated form, 



a greater 

 manures 

 or in- 



Cee P th/f 0D ; eth,ngWnich anould ameliorate in 

 >ct e t h l e 7, ext « re of the soil. These artificial mi 



direct L e !. tly ' ^ famishing food to the plant, or ,«i- 

 produ^' £L a r? Upon 0ther in gredients in the soil to 

 tte Phospbv' ev n ° 1S chiefl * valll able on account of 

 »nd sulphate nf° and ammonia which it contains, 



iD gredient ?i 1 ,IBMnon »a »s also valuable from the latter 

 *•*>*, at the rateVf*^ to Gra ss-land early in the 



^k and powerful r" f "T ° «5 per acre > its effect is 

 «;«l ., . powerrui. Lime shoulct^n^ u„ ~:„,.j „wi,„_ 



*ith tK;« *-—**— xjime should^: 



of Jf 8 „* a r re T 8« a °»- Soot, night-iottr*-*. nitrate 



mixed either 



•°? a ' ar e also valuable 



Rented m a / etl0ns were P asseJ > u That well-fer- 

 Cr °P, but ln» Ure produces a 8 Peedy effect on the first 

 ln * " That g u* nUI ? 1S m ° St P erma nent in its action ; " 

 fixing IIB 1!. . ls the most economical application for 

 ne ^bo u E a ln manure, which can be used in this 

 ^^ oourhood : a„ d that the Club 

 -Mr. H.F. Fardon 



recommends it for 



Ration of'ihV. I a T wiU read another paper, in con- 

 * *■ Fardon, SeT ^ ** ^ mcetin « in March.- 



^ *j2' duli a t l d n ^! cnh ^—The first monthly meeting 



Ub t00k -Place on the 27th Feb. last, Thl 



subject of Mineral Manures, and the Inorganic Prin- 

 ciples of Plants, was ably introduced by Mr. Henry Bird. 

 Previous to entering upon the subject he stated that it 

 was necessary to make some observations upon the soils 

 of the neighbourhood. He stated the soils of that district 

 to consist of several varieties, but all of them very pro- 

 ductive if properly cultivated ; and divided them into the 

 stiff dark- coloured tenacious clay resting upon the lias 

 limestone ; the stiff red clay upon the soft red marl, ex- 

 tending to the red sand-stone, where the soil became 

 lighter and more stony and dry ; the rich alluvial soils 

 found in the valleys and flat portions of that district, con- 

 sisting of the detritus of a variety of rocks and decaying 

 vegetable and animal substances, conveyed there through 

 the agency of water ; and lastly, the reddish-yellow soil 

 resting on the magnesian limestone near the Forest of Dean, 

 lie next directed their attention to the nature and varieties 

 of the neighbouring limestones used for building and 

 agricultural purposes, pointing out the limes that contained 

 iron and magnesia in large quantities, and those nearly 

 free from the above substances. The Forest limestone, of 

 a dirty reddish colour, contained a considerable quantity 

 of iron and magnesia, as proved by the tests of those 

 bodies; and he stated that it was unfit for agricultural pur- 

 poses, except in small quantities, for Potatoes, and such 

 crops. The Longhope limestone, of a bluish colour, and 

 hard enough to scratch glass, contained iron, but no mag- 

 nesia, and was composed chiefly of lime and flint, and was 

 well suited for the stiff and red soils, which coincided with 

 the farmers' experience who had used it. The Plumphill 

 limestone, from the Forest, of a light drab colour, and 

 smooth upon its surface, but very hard, contained a 

 trace of iron, and no magnesia : it was extensively 

 usedTor agricultural purposes. The lias limestone, at Awre, 

 of a dark-blue colour, contained a little iron and no mag- 

 nesia. He recommended this lime for dressing land, and 

 a farmer present stated he had used it, and found it 

 much superior to the Forest limestone. He then ex- 

 amined the red clays, pointed out their composition 

 as being very productive ; but from being wet and 

 requiring draining, there were large tracts of that land 

 in the district nearly unproductive from the neglect of it. 

 The first principle upon stiff and wet lands was drain- 

 ing, for by that means the soil would be rendered more 

 porous, and would admit the air freely after rain, as 

 rain-water contained ammonia which, in passing through 

 the soil, combined with it ; and that was the chief cause 

 why well-drained land so soon became productive. He 

 then appealed to their expeiience, if cultivating 

 land so wet as not to bear good pasture ever remu- 

 nerated them for their trouble and expense. Next 

 to draining, he stated the red soils required lime 

 to render their iron inert and their consistency more 

 porous, by disturbing the equilibrium of the soil, and 

 to set the potash, which they contained, free ; not 

 for the purpose of bringing humus and vegetable fibre 

 into a soluble state, for most of the red soils were deficient 

 i'» that reopect, so that after liming, farm manure was 

 necessary to make up timi deficiency. He concluded by 

 stating that many of the farmers used green manure upon 

 their stiff lands, which he considered a good practice, as 

 the ammonia of the dung combined with the soil, and its 

 straw contributed to make it lighter. — Charles Rosser, 

 Esq., inquired the best means of restoring land that had 

 been injured by magnesian limestone ; to which Mr. B. 

 suggested the manuring of it with diluted oil of vitriol (?) 

 as gypsum would be formed, and the fixed air of the 

 lime would unite with the magnesia and render it soluble 

 and useful in the soil. — Another member inquired 

 the best means of managing manure. — Mr. B. recom- 

 mended it to be turned over with mould, common 

 salt, and diluted oil of vitriol, and to be well covered with 

 earth, as the nitrates of potash, soda, and lime, would 

 form rapidly in it through the agency of the air ; all of 

 which substances were useful for the different crops. 



On Tuesday, the 2d of April next, Mr. J. P. Smith will 

 give a lecture at Newnham, on Artificial and other Ma- 

 nures, and their application to plants. — S. R. S, 



buting it all to electric influence ; in studying which, 



the disciple of Sir H. Davy, he states, that he has u been 



so happy as to discover the governing principles of vege- 

 table nutrition !" 



This tract is apparently published as an advertisement 

 of the " New Farmer's Compound," invented by the 

 author. We advise its readers to pay especial attention 

 to Mr. Humphreys's remarks oo Farmyard Manure. il It 

 is fit for all and everything ;" and to depend more upon 

 making and using a large quantity of this tban on the 

 purchase of the large quantities of artificial Manures — 

 many of them no better than quack medicines — which now 

 inundate the market. 





HUbiefos. 



Practical Hints to Practical Men, on New and Old 

 Manures, §c. By J. D. Humphreys, Esq. Longman, 



The first half of this tract is in keeping with its title. 

 We extract the following passage, which is usefully true : — 



M How can the Farmer understand Manures unless he 

 is a chemist ? I answer — perfectly well, in the main, for 

 the point with him is not what they are, but what they 

 will do : it might as well be said, that he could not un- 

 derstand the benefit of a mutton chop, because he knows 

 not the physiology of digestion. 



"But again, it may be asserted, that the Farmer 

 only understands the old forms of Manure, and that he 

 has no more judgment of the new, than a sailor, landing 

 on a foreign shore, has of its fruits, — to eat, may be to 

 swallow poison ! Very well, — but it is only so to a limited 

 extent j for if the sailor has his wits on board, he will not 

 eat, unless the fruit has some of the qualities of others 

 which he has known, and which show it to be wholesome ; 

 and so the judicious Farmer will not use a new form of 

 Manure, unless it contains the substantial qualities of the 

 old, with new and peculiar advantages. 



44 It seems to have been expected, that the Farmer 

 should become a practical student of organic and inor- 

 ganic chemistry — an absurdity as gross, as to suppose, 

 that every man should learn anatomy, because he may 

 happen to break a limb, and need a surgeon." 



But in the latter half the author forgets all this, and 

 strings together a series of paragraphs in which he deve- 

 lopes his peculiar views of the action of Manures, attri- 



Report of the Judges appointed to inspect the Farms 

 enttredfor the Prize and Sweepstakes proposed by the 

 Yorkshire Agricultural Society. 1843. J. Coultas. 

 York. 

 We notice this pamphlet for the sole purpose of extracting 

 largely from it. It is republished from the Transactions 

 of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, and, containing con- 

 densed reports of good farming, it includes within its 16 

 pages more really useful matter than is often found in 

 Agricultural works of many times its size. There were 

 seven competitors for the Society's premiums within the 

 prescribed district. The judges appointed to report upon 

 the farms were Messrs. C. Howard, W. Pick, and R. 

 Brough ; and the following are some of the remarks they 

 make before entering upon the work of description : — 



11 It maybe proper to state, that after an extremely wet 

 season, from the 4th May to lllh June, — during which 

 important period for preparing the land for the reception 

 of green crops, little or nothing could be done, — the wea- 

 ther changed to an almost equally remarkable drought. 

 The cultivation of Turnips (and especially the Swedes) was 

 in consequence extremely difficult, and the period of sow- 

 ing was necessarily much delayed. This circumstance 

 exemplified in a striking manner the advantage of alwaya 

 cleaning the land to the greatest extent the season will 

 allow immediately after the harvest. 



" Left to our own judgment as to the interpretation of 

 *the best cultivated farm,' we could only decide upon 

 awarding the prize to the person who, in our opinion, 

 adopted such a system, and carried out its practice in such 

 a manner as, in the course of years, would tend to produce 

 the largest amount of grain and animal food at the smallest 

 expense per bushel and per pound. We think that good 

 cultivation and profitable cultivation are synonymous 

 terms, and that this applies alike to the Grass and to the 



arable lands." 



They then proceed to describe the farms they visited— 

 44 Mr. T. C. Johnson [to whom the first prize was award- 

 ed], has occupied the Chivet Grange farm [of 283 acres], 

 8 years. It is land of excellent quality, situate near Wake- 

 field, and well adapted for the four-course aystem of 

 cropping, which is pursued upon it. 



" Turnip Fallow.— -The cleaning of this commences as it 

 ought to do, immediately after the harvest. In January 

 or February it is covered, broadcast, with manure that has 

 been previously led from the farm-yard (and to a consider- 

 able extent decomposed), at the rate of six tons to the acre- 

 This is immediately ploughed in, and afterwards intimately 

 mixed with the soil. The Turnip-seed is drilled in rows 

 18 inches apart, with 12 bushels of bones mixed with two 

 quarters of ashes, or pulverised earth enriched with liquid 

 manure. Sowing upon the level was evidently advan- 

 tageous in the present dry season, and the advantage of 

 early working, after the last harvest, was strongly exempli- 

 fied by the clean and forward state of the land, notwithstand- 

 ing the wet weather of May and June. Some of the Swedes 

 are drawn, for the sheep to eat upon the Grass-pastures, 

 but the greater part of the Turnips are consumed upon 

 the land where they have been grown, more especially 



upon the lighter soil. 



" Barley is drilled after the Turnips at the rate of 1^ 

 pecks to the acre ; about two-thirds of the breadth are 

 sown with 18 lbs. of White Clover, 3 lbs. of Rib-grass,, 

 and half a peck of Italian Rye-grass per acre, for sheep 

 pasture. The remaining third is sown with 14 lbs. of 

 Red Clover, and half a peck of annual Rye-grass per acre 

 for mowing. This course prevents the too frequent repe- 

 tition of Red Clover, as it thus comes into use only once 



in 12 years. 



44 Wheat is the principal crop after the Clover or pas- 

 tured Grass, though parts of the latter are occasionally 

 sown with Oats or Beans to vary the grain. Be the Corn- 

 crop what it may, it is sown with the drill, and hoed both 

 for the immediate purpose of encouraging the growth of 

 the plant, and as a preparation for the succeeding Turnip- 

 fallow. 



" Grass Land.— In addition to the average annual pas- 

 ture of about 40 acres of White Clover and Grass-seeds, 

 this farm possesses about 100 acres of permanent Grass- 

 land, of very good, though not prime quality. A portion 

 of this is dressed every year with manure, sometimes sup- 

 plied from the farmyard alone, but more generally 

 enriched with a mixture of bones. Bones are used exten- 

 sively on the Grass-land. They are purchased from the 

 manufacturers of size, after having been boiled to extract 

 the gelatine, and are obtained at one-third le=s price than 

 those which have not undergone that process. Mr. John- 

 son is of opinion that their fertilising qualities are unin- 

 jured by the extraction of the gelatine, but in this opinion 

 we cannot concur. Three quarters of these bones, mixed 

 with three cart-loads of earth, are considered the proper 

 dressing for one acre, and the period of application not 

 material. ... 



44 Sixty or seventy acres have been underdrajned witu 

 tiles, at an average expense of 41. per acre, i ne worK 



has been done by Sir W. Pilkington, forwhich, by agree- 



