THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 



325 



u***i 



7-Jwb, ^n~Hall, Horncastle, Lincolnshiic. 

 f il«Srave. M.P., Coghurst Hall, Hastings. 



^rV^i^tparSolt, Winchester. 



it&LK - ". Mattinglr Farm, Easton, Hants. 

 Marfleet, jc« . . Tenbury, Worcester. 



^:^2moST;mSoJ House, South Warnborough, 



— . i^WhSbW, Fordingbridge, Hants. 

 ^££2ro«e. jZcorton. Heytesbury, Wilts. 

 5 dc r James, Bodiam, Staplehurst, Sussex. 

 H t ,h, shcrmanburv, Horsham, Sussex. 



5 OP ?^ Jan 'e« Woollaston Grange, Chepstow, Monmouth. 

 Powles, Jame., .„_ worthi Staffordshire. 



r.-, thill I.ivprnool. 



Eaton Square. 



The names of 22 candidates for election at the next 



mwtin" were then read. 



The proceedings of the Council at this meeting were 

 of a most interesting description, and in order to give 

 the report of them as fully as circumstances will permit, 

 we shall in our present Paper, confine ourselves to the 

 valuable' remarks on the subject of Ashes and Pipe 

 Drain-tiles, made to the Council by Josiah Parkes, Esq., 

 the consulting-engineer to the Society ; and in our next 

 week's Paper conclude the report. 



ano and Ashes.— Mr. Hillyard having called the 

 attention of the Council to the difference in the quality 

 of ashes proposed to be mixed with the guano in the 

 model experiment, Mr. Parkes apprehended that 

 the quality of the ashes used by the different experi- 

 menters when mixed with guano might occasion discrepant 

 result*, as ashes alone were a manure, but of various 

 efficacy, and the quantity of this substance proposed to 

 be employed in the compost was large as compared with 

 that of the guano. The ashes of different peats were 

 well known to possess extremely variable properties and 

 powers; some were comparatively rich, and others poor. 

 The opportunities he had had of noticing the very feeble 

 effects of peat-ashes derived from a particular bog in 

 Lancashire had induced him to carbonise that peat, 

 instead of burning it to ashes. He had found this char- 

 coal dust to be a powerful fertiliser of the bog in question, 

 although the application of ashes obtained from the same 

 peat produced little else than weeds. He was of opinion 

 that if all farm weeds, such as couch, and the cuttings of 

 hedges, trees, &c, vrere reduced by charring instead of 

 by incineration, that product might be more beneficial to 

 soils and plants in general than the ash. He had charred 

 the dried diggings of bog drains, &c, in clamps formed 

 of peat sods; the operation was as simple as that of 

 charring wood. Clay earth may be advantageously 

 washed in the same clamps with the peat, and he had 

 found the mixture produce excellent effects ; but his ex- 

 periments were principally confined to its use as a 

 fertilizer of bog soil. He had procured some very pure 

 peat-charcoal, and sent it to Mr. Graham for trial. There 

 could be no doubt as to the value of the presence of 

 carbon in soil, and charcoal is known to act both chemi- 

 cally and mechanically, with advantage to many soils. 

 Charcoal, too, was perhaps the very best of all substances 

 to absoib the urine of cattle, &c. 



Pipe Drain-tiles. — Mr. Parkes produced some spe- 

 cimens of small cylindric pipes for drains, and desired to 

 address a few remarks to the Council on the observances 

 necessary to ensure complete success in their use. In 

 all arts there were successful and unsuccessful operators, 

 and failure was usually traceable to some neglect of ne- 

 cessary conditions, or precautions, when the many suc- 



i^l and the few fai!ed * In the isolated accounts he 

 had heard or read of ill success with pipe tiles, he found 

 that sufficient regard had not been paid to the proper 

 lorm and dimensions of the excavation which was to re- 

 ceive them. It appeared, in these cases, that a perpen- 

 dicular ditch (or nearly so) had been generally dug, many 

 inches broad at bottom, to receive a pipe of small diame- 

 ter ; whereas, in Kent, and in the other counties which 

 »n , i t0 thls s y stem > and where it had hitherto been 

 shn u v CVery one knew that the bottom of the drain 



fill it Ti rmCd ° f SUch Size that the P'P e may fit and 

 be- ' , llie proper section of the trench was a wedge, 



diam t f inches Droad at to P» ta P erin S dovvn to the 

 depth TI the pipe at bottom > whatever might be the 

 toward \h k° ttona was cleared out by a scope drawn 

 nea , S e workman, having the same diameter, or 



Dartir i 30 ' 8S the external diameter of the pipe. The 

 been I -u° Is used for forming the trench had already 

 of inn n in the J o«mal (Vol. iv. p. 28). A series 

 nothin kid COuld not be disturbed, but there was 



*ere laid ' CnSUre * true unbrokeQ line of pipes, if they 

 and iw, ! ln . a , trencn of larger dimensions than themselves ; 

 ■n? hence failure hv «»«„««„• „™i.i ™»«;«i. „,-c a *J 



diligent- * Lure by stoppage would certainly arise. After 



sinele J j extensive inquiry he had not heard of a 



^ain " '"* 



er e this system of drainage has established 



trictn J l l ,pe " drain filing, in any respect, in the dis- 



. Lts where fU„ „.._ t - .. , J . * , ._. .,. i . i 



it. The° r ° 0Uld he see an y vaIid reason to object to 

 an <l he h l ) S6 ° i inca ' bore pipes was rapidly extending, 

 known h i! ? t0 be tbe best and cheapest practice 

 "aostsaf f been cabled to demonstrate, in the 



taan snffi , ° ry mann er, that an inch-bore pipe far 



accord'— - receive and carrv off the water of 

 'peri 



wSi* * ow ad vert"to an occasional "cauBelof failure 



more 

 rain 



«Perirnen> USUal s y stena of parallel drains ; these 



H * would W ° U d ap P ear in the forthcoming Journal. 

 Incidental ^T * ert to an occasional cause of failure 

 kattrih, \fl\ i ai . a . s m cla y 8oils > which he conceived to 

 a Wbitanr? u C *V efly t0 insufficiency of depth. Clay is 

 ehrin ks and * n maybe said never to be at rest; it 

 dr jne8s- a m SWC c accordi ng to its state of wetness or 



dement I aa-** 8oil is ' therefore > in continual 



0111 °nW be Hr- addl J lon » it was well known that clays 



3 ramed through the instrumentality of cracks 



produced by their drying. If a drain or conduit be placed 

 too near the surface, and the cracks descend below it, 

 suet a line of drain would be liable to derangement, par- 

 ticularly in parts of unequal tenacity, from the contrac- 

 tion and expansion of the bottom or floor, arising from 

 its varying «tate of wetness or dryness. It was well 

 known to builders that the foundations of a house in clay 

 should be laid at a depth greater than the reach of the 

 cracks, or at least as deep as their usual penetration. The 

 force of expansion in clay, and of subsidence from con- 

 traction, was well known to produce fissures and rents 

 in buildings. It was enjoined in old treatises on building, 

 and he found it to be the practice about London, to sink 

 foundations in clay four feet below the surface, and to 

 drain them below that level He considered that agri- 

 cultural drains two feet or even two feet six inches deep, 

 in clays, were subject to derangement, and even to stop- 

 page, from this cause alo»«>, **a that their depth should 

 not be less than three feet, or from that to four feet, where 

 an outfall could be obtained. Deep drainage in all soils 

 was also consistent with economy of outlay, as they may 

 be placed further asunder, of which he had given several 

 instances in Kentish practice, and now adduced others. 

 He earnestly entreated the Members of the Society, who 

 might be draining their farms, to reflect well on the ad- 

 vantages of deep over shallow drainage. Many persons 

 had beneficially drained lands over again to a greater 

 depth, which had been substantially drained 2 fc. and 

 even 2 ft. G ins. deep, 30 to 40 years since. As regards 

 continuous good action, he believed that deep drains 

 would be much more durable than shallow ones, as they 

 were removed below disturbance from the pressure of 

 horses, carts, or implements. Also that deep drains were 

 less liable to choke than shallow ones, as the water 

 reached them better filtrated. He was of opinion that 

 the sharp wedge-shaped form of the sides of the trench 

 in which pipe-drains were laid, was eminently conducive to 

 their durability, as the little pipe at the bottom was 

 thereby protected from undue superincumbent pressure. 

 The water entered such drains at the level of the floor in 

 a thoroughly-filtered state, and the velocity of the cur- 

 rent kept the line of pipes at all times clean ; nor could 

 any vermin enter them. He had heard of, or read, a 

 statement that the floors of drains In clay soil became so 

 soft, that tiles sunk in them, or that the bottom stuff was 

 protruded upwards and choked them. It was likely this 

 might occur when tiles were used without soles. It did 

 not happen with pipe-drains. The opinion, indeed, pre- 

 vails in Kent, that the floors of pipe-drains are drier and 

 firmer than other parts of the field at the same depth. 

 He had no doubt of the truth of this opinion, and it 

 was confirmed by experiment as well as observation. It 

 appeared that if a pipe of 1 inch bore, 12 ins. long, and 

 £ inch thick, were hermetically closed at each end, and 

 placed in water just covering it, it would become full 

 of water by absorption in about five hours ; and if 

 hung up horizontally, it would let all the water 

 pass out of it in about the same time. This ex- 

 periment was first communicated to Mr. Parkes 

 by Mr. Putland, of Saylhersf, Sussex ; and he had re- 

 peated it with nearly similar results. This fact, which 

 is in strict accordance with the known porosity of un- 

 glazed earthenware, showed, that after the free water of 

 rain had permeated a soil, and passed off through a 

 drain, the pipes would still continue to act as absorbers 

 of moisture, to some extent, from the earth in imme- 

 diate contact with them ; by which means, and in con- 

 sequence of the indraught of air through the drain, it 

 was reasonable to conclude that the earth adjacent to 

 the pipes would become somewhat drier and harder after 

 a cessation of rain than the more distant parts. This 

 was an additional reason with him for the preference he 

 had always given to tiles rather than to broken stones, 

 or any other materials which filled a drain, as a free cir- 

 culation of air was thereby better established ; and it 

 must be recollected that a drain served the double pur- 

 pose of a conduit of water out of the soil and of air into 

 it, the latter function being, perhaps, quite as important 



as the former. 



In answer to inquiries from several members respect- 

 ing the adaptation cf small pipes to the drainage of soft 

 soils and sands, Mr. Parkes showed, that by inserting a 

 small pipe into a larger one (nearly fitting) for about a 

 third of its length, or 4 inches, a perfect continuity, or 

 chain of pipe, would be formed, which couLd never sink. 

 It wa-s well known that some of the most plastic and 

 pure clays were troubled with what he might term 

 faults ; i. e., sand-beds occurred. He knew of such at 

 Mr. Handley's and other places, and in them the ordi- 

 nary tile-stones, wood, &c, would sink, and the drain 

 wars thus marred. He would apply this arrangement of 

 pipes as a perfect remedy in such spots, and even in 

 much more unsound and troublesome bottoms ; but it 

 was clearly impossible to prescribe the exact mode of 

 proceeding in every difficulty, as the particular case must 

 be inspected, in order to know how to deal with it in the 

 best manner. 



(To be continued.) 



FARMERS' CLUBS. 2 

 Mosspaul.— The Wisp Club.— The annual meeting 

 of the Wisp Club took place here on the 19th ult. 

 This club, which takes its name from a high range of 

 hills in the counties of Roxburgh and Dumfriesshire, was 

 established in the year 1826 ; its leading object is to 

 ascertain and record the average prices of the cattle, 

 sheep, and wool of the district during the past year— a 

 species of statistical information most useful to both 

 landlords and farmers, as will be readily perceived 

 when we state that the farms are let, not at so much per 



acre, but at so much per head for the number of sheep 

 grazed. The usual calculation is, that in the North 

 Highlands five acres of pasturage are required for two- 

 sheep, whilst south of the Frith of Forth three acres will 

 carry two sheep. Scarcely any hill pasture in Scotland*, 

 m its natural state, will carry one sheep to the acre* 

 The extent of land thus occupied by many farmers is 

 immense, — many of them counting " hirsels " to the 

 number of from 3000 to 5000, and even 10,000, whilst 

 some go much beyond this ; Cameron, of Corriehoyle, 

 for instance, whose holding lies in the Lochiel country 

 and away by Glencoe, counts his 40,000 bleaters en the 

 wild mountain sides and deep valleys of the far corth. 

 Mr. Cameron, who was ones a common drover, may 

 thus be reckoned as, next to Prince Esterhazy, the 

 greatest flock-master in the world. Farms of the kind 

 of which we are speaking, are nearly all let upon leases 

 of nine or thirteen years, whilst the leases of the arable 

 f — ,« i- Scotland run from 15 to 19 years. The 

 locality of Mosspaul is «„.,, w < _., J * JZ 



W isp itself rising immediately behind the inn, to a 

 height of 1950 feet above the level of the sea, whilst 

 11 Alps upon Alps arise," all around, closing in a narrow 

 valley, at the foot of which there runs a mountain stream 

 called the Ewes, and along which lies the road to Edin- 

 burgh, hemmed in on each side by immense hills which 

 rise almost perpendicularly, and strongly remind the 

 passenger of the accounts he has read of the far-famed 

 Khyber Pass. The inn of Mosspaul itself, a solitary 

 dwelling amidst the mountains, stands at an elevation of 

 G20 feet above the level of the sea, and is built on the 

 very confines of Roxburghshire— the >t tbles, barns, &c, 

 which adjoin being in the county of Dumfries. For 

 miles and miles around and along the road, the property 

 is owned by the Duke of Buccleuch, and is divided into 

 holdings, such as we have already indicated— many of 

 the farmers being owners of from 3000 to 5000 sheep. 

 The members of the Wisp Club are mostly pastoral 

 farmers, and may be reckoned amongst the most sub- 

 stantial men of their class in the several counties of 

 Dumfries, Roxburgh, Selkirk, Peebles, &c. Its meet- 

 ings are held at Mosspaul in the spring of the year, and 

 one of its rules directs that a record shall be made of 

 M the average prices obtained the preceding season for 

 one and two-year old shcrt-horned Galloway cattle, all 

 descriptions of Cheviot and black-f:ic*ed sheep, and their 

 relative wools, produced in Scotland south of the Frith of 

 Forth. " Each member is required to state what he com- 

 ceives to have been the average prices of the season, and 

 the prices named by the majority are recorded in the 

 secretary's book. The following is a copy of the prices 

 for 1842 and 1843:— 



t> 



f i 



t> 



1812 



£ s. d. 







10 



10 



10 



1 



15 

 1 



16 



11 



9 



5 

 3 



4 

 4 

 3 

 5 

 13 



17 

 



5 

 8 

 3 

 5 

 1 

 

 1 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



















1 









 





 





 

 

 

 

 

 3 



6 



9 

 6 



6 



6 



3 



6 

 6 

 



1843 

 £ s. d 

 5 5 



15 



17 











15 



2 



17 



7 



3 



6 

 l 

 

 1 

 



11 

 9 





 

 































5 



4 

 4 



5 



4 



5 



11 



16 



19 







o 

 a 

 6 

 o 



o 

 o 





 6 

 6 



9 



3 



9- 

 6 

 O 



O 





 6. 

 



9 



Far- 

 Best 



Short-horned stirks (each) 



„ two-year olds . . , 



Galloway stirks ..... 



„ two-year olds . . . ' 

 Cheviot rough wethers (each) 

 Dinmonts ,, .... 



Wether hogs . 



September wethers 



Cheviot draught ewes . 



Black-faced 



Cheviot top wether lambs 



lf niiQi ,, • . . . 



,, do ewes 



Black-faced top wether lambs . . . 



mid. „ 



do ewes 



Cheviot tarred wool per stone of 24lb 



buttered and boiled . . . 

 ,, pure white .... 



Black-faced washed tarred wool . . . 



— Carlisle Journal. 



WcstJirle.—kX, the last meeting of the Westhrle 

 mers' Club, 'the subject for discussion was, The 

 Method of Turnip Culture. The Chairman, Mr. G. 

 Eilman, said that having proposed the subject it was his 

 duty to open the evening's discussion. He considered 

 it by no means the least essential point that the ground 

 intended for Turnips should be well prepared ; he would 

 broad-shear the land as soon as harvest was over, in pre- 

 ference to ploughing it in the common way, as the far- 

 rows being laid up so high have a much greater chance 

 of drying in the spring than if ploughed plain, and come 

 to hand much more readily, affording more crumb, which 

 is so essential to Turnip culture, as keeping the ground 

 loose and at the same time moist, without being water- 

 bound under the furrow, which he thought should al- 

 ways, if possible, be avoided. As to the number of times 

 the ground should be ploughed, that must depend on the 

 soil, which should never be ploughed in wet weather. 

 The sort of manure best to be applied he should leave to 

 them to decide that evening. He had had good Turnips 

 by using bones, soot, and bran, where the expense of 

 carting heavy manures was too great ; but within a mo- 

 derate distance of the dung yard he very much preferred 

 using good rotten dung, as more beneficial to succeeding 

 crops than the best artificial manures. — The system of a 

 member, who said that he always had good Turnips, was 

 to plough frequently, and to furrow the land up to allow 

 the water to run off, and to carry out his manures duriDg 

 a frost ; if the land was clean he was then sure of Tur- 

 nips. He was of opinion no one would use bone dust if 

 he could get good yard manure. — A conversation here 

 ensued as to the value of bones applied in their raw state, 

 or after they were boiled ; and it appeared to be the'.opi- 

 nion of the meeting that in their natural state the oil 

 preserved them for a considerable time, so that they were 

 of no immediate value to the crop ; but in their manufac- 

 tured state they decayed more easily, and, of course, were 

 of more value to the land, especially if wet ensued, wfaictt 

 would hasten their decomposition.-The Chairman saitt 

 he had tried 20 bushels of Clark's black manare upon an 



