234 



THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 



[Apr. 1 3, 



period being of course regulated by the weather and con- } must have recourse, not only to their external but their 

 sequent state of the land. Flax is repeatedly sown in ! chemical characters. The blow-pipe and the test-tube 



f 



Ireland in the month of May, and often at a late period 

 of the month, although experience has abundantly con- 

 firmed the propriety of an earlier seedtime. 



The quantity of seed will in some degree depend on the 

 chief object in view in the cultivation of the crop ; but in 

 these countries hitherto it has almost exclusively been 

 cultivated for its fibre, the seed being, in the majority of 

 cases, altogether disregarded, and allowed to go to waste ; 

 and there is little doubt that the prevailing practice has 

 been to use too small a quantity of seed. When the 

 saving of seed is a principal object, thin sowing will better 

 answer the purpose in view. The production of the largest 

 quantity of seed is indeed incompatible with the greatest 

 return from the fibre ; but the latter being the more 

 valuable, the production of seed is to be regarded as a 

 secondary consideration. Thin-sown Pits branches much 

 towards the top, which produces an increased quantity of 

 seed. It is, however, worthy of remark, that the plants 

 from which the finest fibre is produced have rarely more 

 than one seed-pod each, — in fact, not more than 

 one in twenty having more than a single capsule. 

 The cultivator, therefore, may be assured that when 

 his Flax appears in any degree branched, that too 

 small a quantity of seed has been used, and that an 

 inferior sample will be the certain result. No doubt 

 can be entertained that a sufficient quantity of seed has 

 not been generally used in the cultivation of this crop. 

 The stalks of Flax may, in fact, be aptly compared 

 to trees in a pl%ntat : on, — those standing closely together, 

 from which alone fine fibre can be produced, being tall 

 and slightly branched, while those standing at greater 

 distances will be short and branched from top to bottom. 

 About three bushels, or nine pecks, to the statute acre, 

 will be the proper quantity ; and if fibre of an extra- 

 ordinary degree of fineness be required, another gallon or 

 two should be added. This is a close approximation to 

 the quantity used in the most celebrated Flax-growing 

 districts on the Continent. 



It is, perhaps, almost unnecessary to mention that the 

 Flax-grower should ascertain that the seed he employs is 

 of good quality, and free from any admixture of the seeds 

 of weeds. Great circumspection is, however, required on 

 these points, as large quantities are annually imported for 

 sowing altogether unfit for that purpose, and the importa- 

 tion of which would not be attempted, were it not that 

 ■what remains on hand after the seed-time is over can be 

 advantageously disposed of to the oil-merchants. No crop 

 requires greater care and attention than Flax, as it will 

 either be a highly remunerating crop, or a ruinous one, 

 according to the course of proceeding adopted ; and it is 

 especially important that the farmer should secure genuine 

 seed, which will be smooth, bright, plump, and so heavy 

 that it will sink in water. — J. Sproule. 



will be his best guides ; and thus, before he can make 

 himself master of even the rudiments of Geology, he must 

 have acquired a considerable degree of expertness in, at 

 leaht, qualitative analysis. He will have learned how to 

 detect the presence of lime and magnesia, of potash and 

 soda, of tlite phosphoric, sulphuric, and hydrochloric acids, 

 and of the oxides of iron and manganese. When he finds 

 these substances present in a solution which he is 

 examining, the laws of chemical affinity will indicate which 



of them must have been combined, and those of definite 

 proportion will show the quantity of one substance which 

 must have been united with a given weight of another. 

 The Geologist has learned, moreover, to observe how the 

 varying proportions of the earths and alkalies, in the dif- 

 ferent varieties of granite, syenite, greenstone, and basalt, 

 affect the external characters ; he kit also learned the 

 effects of varying chemical composition and state of 

 crystallisation in promoting or retarding the disintegra- 

 tion of rocks ; thus influencing their capability of forming 

 soils or mineral manures, and of yielding their constituents 

 for the use of vegetation. It was not, however, till the 

 recent advances were made in organic chemistry, that 

 the knowledge possessed by the Geologist of the chemical 

 composition of soils acquired its full value. While 

 chemists were looking for the organic constituents of plants 

 in the soil, instead of in the atmosphere, and treating 

 their inorganic constituents as mere accidents, their 

 analyses of a soil in which they only estimated the pro- 

 portions of the silica, alumina, lime, and humus, did little 

 more than indicate its mechanical texture, which might be 

 ascertained by simpler means. But when the paramount 

 importance of the alkalies, alkaline earths, and acids, to 

 the wants of vegetation was established, — when it was 

 shown that within certain limits the proportions of these 

 were constant in the ashes of certain tribes of plants, and 

 that the most fertile soils were those which contained 

 these substances in the largest proportions, Geology and 

 Agriculture were furnished with a new sense. — J. 

 Trimmer. 



(To be continued.) 





GEOLOGY AND AGRICULTURE. 

 "We have been informed, upon authority on which we 

 can rely, that one of our most eminent living geologists 

 received, in the early part of his career, many a lecture 

 from an uncle engaged in commerce, for wasting time and 

 talents on so frivolous and unprofitable a study. When 

 Geology had raised the nephew to a professors chair — to 

 affluence and celebrity— his uncle used to exclaim— "Ah ! it 

 whs I who advised him to apply himself to that pursuit." 

 The fate of the science itself has been somewhat similar. 

 It had a long noviciate of obloquy to endure — it is now 

 beginning to reap its honours and emoluments. Long 

 after the mercantile uncle had given his sanction to the 

 studies of his nephew the Professor, a farmer, land-sur- 

 veyor, or land agent, would have run considerable risk of 

 having his reputation as a practical man damaged by pos- 

 sessing a geological hammer, or collecting organic remains. 

 Geologists were looked upon as a set of cracked-brained 

 enthusiasts, if not something worse, who went about 

 breaking stones "like road-makers run daft." They 

 themselves occasionally descanted on the advantages which 

 the Agriculturist, the miner, the engineer, the architect, 

 and even the surveyor of parish roads, might derive from 

 the study of the materials composing the crust of the 

 earth, the order in which they are arranged, the organic 

 remains by which the sedimentary rocks are characterised, 

 and the agencies at work in modifying the surface of the 

 earth. Such assertions, however, were received either 

 with peals of derision, or smiles of incredulity. Now the 

 tide has turned, and there is a disposition to give to 

 Geology the credit, not ouly of its own merits, but of 

 those which it derives mainly from its connexion with 

 other sciences. 



Having long been of the number of the knights 

 of the hammer, which we have wielded through evil 

 report and good report, with much pleasure, and, we 

 hope, some little advantage, we rejoice at the homage now 

 paid to the economic value of Geology, applied to the im- 

 provement of the soil ; but we cannot consent that che- 

 mistry should be robbed of its fair share of the honour. 

 In our view of the case, it is from the knowledge of che- 

 mistry, involved in a kuowledge of Geology, that its value 

 to those engaged in the cultivation of the soil depends. 

 Geology, it is true, teaches us to look below the surface 

 to the subsoil, and establishes the connexion of both with 

 the rocks from which they are derived; but it is the 

 knowledge of the chemical composition of those rocks 

 which gives value to that connexion. That amount of 

 chemical knowledge, of which none engaged in the im- 

 provement of the soil or the management of landed pro- 

 perty ought to be destitute, every geolo^t must possess. 

 One of the first lessons which he learns is a knowledge of 

 the simple minerals whose combinations constitute rocks ; 

 and, to discriminate one simple mineral from another, he 



ON THE ROT IN POTATOES. . 



No remedy has hitherto been found for preventing this 

 disease ; nor has, I believe, any of importance been sug- 

 gested ; meanwhile it is increasing in many places in a 

 fearful degree, and it is the duty of every one who takes 

 an interest in the welfare of his fellow men to contribute 

 his mite towards the effective staying of the evil. It is 

 with this view that I take the liberty of adding my little 

 experience to what is already known ; and, should my 

 opinion prove fallacious, it may, I trust, be the means of 

 leading others to devote their attention to this highly-im- 

 portant subject. 



I have thought for some time that the sprouting of 

 Potatoes in cellars must have some effect on the healthy 

 development of the future plant, and my la:e experience 

 has led me to believe that my opinion is not without foun- 

 dation. The cause of rot cannot lie in the soil, since we 

 find healthy and diseased Potatoes growing beside each 

 other ; that is to say, on soils of the same constitution we 

 sometimes find the rot in alternate plants, or in 

 whole rows. It cannot be attributed to the atmo- 

 sphere, as all plants and roots are equally surrounded 

 by it ; nor can the cause lie in the manure, as all 

 the tubers receive the same kind and nearly the same 

 quantity. It must, therefore, be attributed to the Potato 

 itself; and I will now state my reasons for this belief. By 

 careful inquiry among the farmers of Cheshire I found 

 that they preferred those tubers which have sprouted in 

 cellars, because they were sure that the plants would grow. 

 The farmers, also, in this part of the country are remark- 

 able for their tardiness in getting seeds aud tubers into the 

 soil, inasmuch as the tubers are frequently not planted 

 until the commencement of May ; they are likewise in the 

 habit of setting cuttings, which are piled up into a heap 

 and remain thus, perhaps, for a week or ten days before 

 they are all planted. It is obvious that the warmth of April 

 will cause these cuttings to sprout quickly, and the shoots 

 put forth are always of a white colour, distinctly showing 

 the absence of air and light, as is the case in cellars. On 

 two farms in Lincolnshire which I have visited for the 

 purpose of inquiring into the rot, I have found the same 

 system pursued. In the town of Ballina (Ireland) and its 

 neighbourhood, where the rot has never appeared, I have 

 been told that all farmers, from the richest to the poorest, 

 take especial care to select those Potatoes which have 

 never sprouted in cellars, and to plant them as quickly as 

 possible. Even there the Potatoes are beginning to dege- 

 nerate, owing to the practice of planting Potatoes year 

 after year in the same field. They do not rot but get 

 smaller in size. An alkali of a very deleterious nature, 

 solanin, is formed in the sprouts of Potatoes which 

 shoot in cellars, while not a trace of it is to be found in 

 the stalks of those grown in soil. How far this tends to 

 injure the tuber I have not hitherto been able to ascertain ; 

 but I think it highly probable that it may have such a 

 tendency. After Easter it is my intention to analyse the 

 tubers of such Potatoes as have sprouted in cellars, in 

 order to ascertain the change that has taken place. It is 

 not, I think, probable that the degeneration of the tuber 

 in one year should immediately induce rot ; but that by 

 neglect transformations have been going on for years which 

 have ultimately led to it. Experiments might easily be 

 instituted to show how far such shoots produced in cellars 

 affect the crops, and it is certainly worth ascertaining. I 

 hope to be able to make a series of experiments this year 

 on this interesting subject, the results of which I shall not 

 fail to communicate. 





As the time for setting is fast approaching \Z ^ 



haps be allowed to make the following surest;™ ** **!' 

 subject :-l. A species of Potato should** sZZ^ 

 which the rot has not yet appeared. 2 Whol k IQ 

 should be set instead of cuttings, and small butV l? 

 ones should be selected for the purpose. 3. Esnecial 

 should be taken to set onl? those with healthy P **** 

 with sprouts. 4. They should not be set so deeH ^ 

 exclude the influence of the air, nor so close toi t0 

 that tubers of one plant should be formed at the exoe ** 

 another. 5. For the sake of economy the Potato sT u 

 not be allowed to come into flower, but the buds «u T. 

 be carefully nipped off. 6. The best manure win ! 

 guano and carbonate of soda, or thoroughly decayed fa 

 yard manure. rm * 



Should all these precautions fail, no hope is left but t 

 grow seeds of Potatoes in which the rot has never appeared 

 and to rear fresh tubers from seeds. The tubers for set' 

 ting should be kept in a cool cellar, of as equal a temwv 

 rature as is possible, and should not be planted later tk. 

 the middle of April.— A. B. lQaa 



ON MINERAL AND INORGANIC M\NURF<5 



No. XIII. * ^ 



By Professor Charles Sprengel. 



(Continued from page 202.) 



After the application of marl, some weeds will disappear 

 entirely, whilst others, which have not existed previously 

 will appear; thus, for instance, the growth of the golden' 

 Daisy, which is known to be a most mischievous weed is 

 altogether prevented by marl. I have found by experiment 

 that marl which suppresses this weed is rich in oxide of 

 manganese, and the plants contain but a trace of that 

 mineral. Amongst the weeds suppressed by marl are 

 Quick-grass and Bank-cresses, whilst it advances very 

 much the blue Corn flower, the red Poppy, wild Oat 

 -the bitter Vetch, and the wild Vetch. In order to hinder 

 the increase of the weeds which are strengthened by marl 

 it is necessary to plant the crops in such a succession as 

 will assist in their destruction. It would therefore be 

 very erroneous, if on marled fields Rye should be often 

 followed by Rye, as in this case the Corn flower, &c. 

 would annually come to maturity, and the fields would be 

 finally quite overrun with such weeds. The fact that 

 rnarl advances the growth of some weeds, deters some 

 farmers who are in the habit of growing Corn after Corn 

 from its use. 



All crops grown after marl are not only more relished 

 by cattle, but also (as has been stated before) more 

 nutritious than others ; and this alone may induce farmers 

 to use marl wherever it is at hand. This phenomenon is 

 easily explained, by the fact that animal bodies require 

 for their chemical constitution the very same elementary 

 substances that plants do. By marl the soil is supplied with 

 phosphate of lime, soda, chlorine ; and, as the crops also 

 will contain more of these substances than those previously 

 grown, it is obvious that the animals will obtain thereby 

 more of those very mineral substances which are necessary 

 for their life. To this is to be added, that plants grown 

 after marl contain more starch and sugar, and less of 

 acid ; so that on that account also they are more nourish- 

 ing and palatable to the cattle. How much animals pre- 

 fer plants grown after marl to those grown after other 

 manures may best be observed on the limits of fields dif- 

 ferently treated in this respect; because, whilst they 

 always eat up the Grasses and weeds grown on the one to 

 the very roots, those of the other are left untouched to a 

 considerable height. 



Experience shows, that of all the Cerealia, Oats will grow 

 best after marl. The reason may be, that Oats are a very 

 scourging crop, and grow better where the marl offers to 

 it a great amount of available coal of humus. ^ hoeyer 

 therefore, may wish to exhaust a marled field re y u "£ 

 only to plant Oats several times after each other. It 

 been further often observed that marl does not mati- 

 crops as early as lime does. It may be suppo»f 

 that this is caused by the former being able to nouns nv 

 plants longer than the latter. Lime migbt also Drift 

 the earl 



as a 



state 



will destroy it, and elicit a quantity of Grasses, u 

 and Vetches, in which respect it acts similarly * ■ 

 but better, as it nourishes the plants to a greate' . 

 than lime, on account of its more numerous ron 

 gredients. Lime destroys the mosses, f nl hi J h 

 as it were, the carbonic humus of the soil, 

 equally accomplished by marl, though m ales 5 f 

 Tne u.ain rules which are to be observed llliae ,& 

 marl are the following :— It is of importaic e 

 be mixed with the furrow-slice as iatimately |S H g(n8 

 especially if large quantities of clay marl (o* t 



per acre) are brought on the field ; because « ^ he 

 only come into close contact with the humc p ^ 

 soil which it has to decompose, but it is alva [ b , ge - 

 to vegetation if the roots of plants do not *nu a . 

 neous soil to live in. The intimate mixing oi « 

 with the soil is best produced by its being spre ^ 

 heaps over the field, and left lying thus urn" fa 

 mences to fall to pieces ; then it is broken stm r ftef 

 some dung-forks, and strewed about witi a s'»° more 

 that, it is left quiet for some time, for tke sane the 

 perfect disintegration ; after which it i» harr " e field 

 field is gone over with an inverted harrow j ^ CO nti- 

 is rolled over, a^ain harrowed, which is alter . ^^ 

 nued in favourable weather until the marl f 1 he d 

 verted almost into a fine powder. Finally, l , &QmQ 

 under in dry weather; the field is then liarj ^^ 

 time afterwards ploughed somewhat dee P e an d the 

 harrowed. The long exposure of marl to 



