1 844. J___ 



-rrr^ toA GRlCULTURISTS.-.ANALYSEs 



I MPORTAN l tO * iUaiCOLTURAL I*"™** 



A of *>*»• f/ M mtchbh, Analytical Chemist (late of 

 ^ conducts by Mr. MWC *. the view of a8CertaiD ,ng: 



SeRoyal P° >\^ n D ^ h ic h "t ig proposed to prow any particular 

 whether the soi I on w *^M *> £ ce a IuM na„t vege- 



Utk*; aIl ° "' tt t ve worth of Farm Produce in general. 



•* ^e^ToSroc^taAKricultar.1 Chemistry , the Course 



**" m rehend the Elements of Analysis. 

 ^"5;; Hawley-road, Kentish Town. 



THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 



435 



by Mr. B. Almack on this subject, in the fourth. ., r 



rolume of the "English Agricultural Society's ciently when animal, are confined to their stalls than 

 i >t i * ii . rr> . * . • -ii ._'./» »>i*»n tvUr^.l in nnpn viirHn where, to a certain extent. 



citt'aBctniitttCAi « ay tte» 



SATURDAY, JUNE 29. 1844 



WRBTIV.JS FOR THE TWO FOLLOWING WEEKS. 



Z -m* Julr 3 Agricultural Society of EnRland. 



£ST J^ « Agricultural Imp. fa* of Ir.land. 



«• —hat July 10 Agricultural Society of England- 



T^Sa? July 11 Agricultural Imp. *» of Ireland. 



'* FARMERS' CLUBS -July 1, W. Market. 



It is obvious that, were there no other consideration 



than that Of the GROWTH OF THE TURNIP-CROP, to 



Effect the determination of the farmer as to the mode 

 of! cultivation, the best arrangement ot the plants 

 on She ground would be one of equidistance between 

 Zn ? w that whatever distance might be fixed upon, 

 whether 10, 12, or 14 inches, the ground being sup- 

 IoL divided into squares of that dimension, the 

 Ks should be placed one in the centre of each, 

 frhev would thus all be situated on equal terms, in 

 relat'ion to the sources of their nourishment, and 

 there would in all probability be a uniformly produc- 

 tive vield. , . 

 The object of a root-crop, however as may be 



gathered from the name of the class under which it 

 comes-the object of a fallow crop-is not merely 

 the growth of a great quantity of food of good quality 

 for stock ; the cleansing of the land, and its prepara- 

 tion for the succeeding grain crop, are to be effected 

 during its growth; and it is therefore necessary to 

 modify the otherwise advisable equi-distant arrange- 

 ment of the plants, so as to enable the farmer the 

 better to cultivate the land during their growth. 

 Instead of scattering the seed at equal intervals all 

 over the field, as a good broad-cast sower, he is thus 

 required to sow it in rows, at such intervals as may 

 enable him to use the horse-hoe or plough. This 

 width varies from 20 to 30 inches. The best dis- 

 tance, it is evident, must be the least at which the 

 land can be properly cultivated — the least, compatible 

 with the efficient use of the implements we have 

 named. 



The same reason which renders the drill husbandry 

 of Turnips superior to the broadcast system, renders 

 the ridge-drill mode of cultivation superior to that 

 on the flat surface. The first act of cultivation which 

 the land receives after the Turnip-seed is sown 

 should be a horse-hoeing between the rows while the 

 young plants are assuming their rough leaves. The 

 rows are after that more easily broken by the hoe 

 when the plants are being singled out, and thus that 

 operation is cheapened. But it is evident that this 

 could not be done without great danger of buryin 

 the young plants when the flat-drill system is 

 adopted ; whereas, when the seed is sown on ^ the 

 tops of the ridges, the stirring of the soil causes it to 

 roll away from the plants, so that ultimately the land 

 loses its ridged appearance, and the plants are in no 

 danger of being buried. 



As soon as the young Turnip-plants have assumed 

 their rough leaves, they should be singled out to a 

 distance of 12 or 14 inches ; it is manifestly of 

 greater importance to increase the size than to in- 

 crease the number of the roots. The crop per acre 

 will be increased in weight four times as much by 

 doubling the diameter of the roots as it would by 

 doubling their number ; and it is therefore of import- 

 ance to allow as much room for each plant to grow 

 in as its full size requires. The operation of hand- 

 *v2 S ' When sin g lin g the plants out, does not require 

 to be performed gently ; indeed, a little roughness in 



Till .1 th ? yo . u . n ? P Iant is found t0 be beneficial. 



r rom it ; and 



- . - ».. ,..„.« » e -i of its root 



exposed, it will not be injured thereby. 



It is impossible to overrate the importance of the 



Journal," the following effects of the drill system of 

 husbandry in the East Riding of Yorkshire, "as 

 increasing the produce of the land in that district, 

 and employing its industrious population. Within 

 the last forty years the wolds of Y orkshire were con- 

 sidered quite unfit for the growth of Wheat, but now 

 they grow fully as good crops of Wheat per acre as 

 the average of the kingdom. As a sample of the 

 change in this respect, a friend of mine sold the late 

 occupier of a farm Wheat for the use of his family, 

 because the farm did not then grow sufficient for the 

 use of his family.- Both the parties I allude to lived 

 to see that farm grow Wheat, 100 acres together, 

 which was supposed by the best judge to have 

 5 quarters per acre. I do not say the farm grows, on 

 an average, 5 quarters of Wheat per acre, but the 

 crops of Wheat on it will generally be found 

 decidedly above the average of England; and all 

 this resulted from high cultivation long continued." 



CY 



handling the young plant is found to be 

 1 he earth should be pushed and pulled ft 

 though it be left with an inch in length 



OVl\M AA ,l '. -11 . ° 



r — ~^p. wv tv/ uvcuaic cue iiii|'uii.oiiv.^ v* *•**• 



operation of horse-hoeing the land during the growth 

 oi the Turnip-crop. Not only is the vigorous 

 growth of the roots thereby insured, but the land is 

 W and enric hed for the grain crop of the fol- 

 ™ l 3 y T We say enriched, because by this 

 operation the fibrous roots of the plants are enabled 

 leavpT ^* 8 ** 1 to permeate the whole soil, so as to 

 i* JL fuU of vegetable matter when the crop 



« removed. We have seen fields so well cultivated 

 talrln W ? y ' that a handful of earth could not be 



fookm^fik" U Which was not ful1 of these silken " 

 thecr g • ' and so vi gorous was the growth of 



these : Ah 1 " that field ' that on di gg in g a P ic in one ' 

 tasted (recognised by their appearance and 



fi ?e feeU rC f ° Untl t0 have P enetr ated to a depth of 



XMr 



e concl ude by quoting from an excellent paper 



ON FEEDING CATTLE IN HOUSES OR IN 



OPEN SHEDS. 

 Notwithstanding the rapid advances towards per- 

 fection which have been made in the practice of Agri- 

 culture within the present century, the continued 

 application of scientific research, and of minute obser- 

 vation to the routine of practice, frequently shows that 

 even in departments in which the propriety of esta- 

 blished usage was considered to be beyond question, 

 much still remains to be learned. Experiments, when 

 properly conducted, are the life and soul of husbandry, 

 as enabling the practical farmer to test the comparative 

 merits of different systems of management, and also to 

 ascertain the value of the suggestions of men of science. 

 But in order to be of any use, it is obvious that all the 

 circumstances attending their execution should be accu- 

 rately taken into consideration, in drawing from them 

 any practical conclusions: without this they are not 

 merely valueless but mischievous in their tendency, and 

 calculated to mislead, by the establishment of practice 

 founded on incorrect data. Any accurate observer can- 

 not fail to perceive that more than one half of the 

 experiments in practical Agriculture, from time to time 



recorded, are greatly deficient in the detail of the various 

 circumstances by which the results of all such trials are 



effected ; and that, strictly speaking, they should go for 



nothing as regards the purpose for which they were 



instituted. Until, therefore, a greater degree of atten- 

 tion is paid to this subject, that value cannot be attached 



to this department of agricultural improvement to which 



it would otherwise be entitled. 



These considerations have presented themselves on 



contrasting the almost universal practice at the present 



day among the farmers of the northern part of the island, 



as regards the management of their cattle, with the 



researches and deductions of the celebrated German 



philosopher, Liebig, in the rich and important field of 



Organic Chemistry. The practice of feeding cattle in 



open sheds, in preference to close houses, is now almost 



universal in certain districts of Scotland, and is daily 



gaining ground, although reasonable and well-founded 



doubts may be entertained of its propriety. It was not, 



however, hastily adopted by the Scotch farmers, without 



consideration; this would, indeed, be inconsistent with 



their character and habits. Numerous experiments were 



performed with the view of correctly ascertaining the 



relative merits of the two plans, the greater part, if not 



the whole, of which were favourable to the open sheds ; 



and this satisfactorily account* for the increasing favour 



with which that system of management is received. 

 Should it appear, however, that the results which have 



led to the general adoption of this practice have been 



founded on incorrect conclusions, and that the contrary 



practice is, in reality, that which accurate observation 



would tend to establish, it is evidently of much import- 

 ance that all doubts on such a momentous subject should 



be removed. The practice of the Scottish farmers is 



usually considered as the most perfect in the world, and 



apian of management regarding the propriety of which so 



little, if any, difference of opinion exists among them, it 



may be believed will be rapidly introduced into other 



less favoured districts ; but it would appear that further 



and more accurate trials are wanting before any course 



of management so directly at variance with what may be 



regarded as the established phenomena of the animal 



economy can be recommended for universal adoption. 

 However erroneous many of the conclusions may have 



been at which the physiologists of other days arrived in 



their investigations of the phenomena of animal life, their 



successful elucidation does not now seem matter of doubt. 



Regarding the sources of animal heat and nutrition no 



question can be entertained, and the various circumstances 



by which they are affected seem also to be perfectly ascer- 

 tained. The production of fat can only take place when 



the various matters which enter the system are not ex- 

 pended in its maintenance. Whether in the evolution of 



heat, or of the usual animal secretions, exercise is well 

 known to be conducive to an increased consumption of 

 food ; so that it is obviously unfavourable to the accumu- 

 lation of fat, however necessary it may be in the case of 

 growing animals, in which the proper and rapid develop- 

 ment of the system is the primary consideration. Heat 

 also is only maintained bv the expenditure of some of the 

 most important ot the animal solids \ so that any circum- 

 stances in which this is rapidly abstracted must further, 



be regarded as inimical to the objects of the feeder. Jiut j „, 6 .«.u «.m F «j~ w-v . 

 both these conditions-rest, and an equable, or rather they are so highly valued 



when placed in open yards, where, to a certain extent, 

 very considerable exercise may be taken, and where the 

 necessary exposure to the piercing winds and cool atmo- 

 sphere of the winter season cause a considerable abstrac- 

 tion of heat from the animal body, the reproduction of 

 which is unfavourable to the accumulation of flesh and fat. 

 This will, perhaps, be more apparent from a considera- 

 tion of the constituents of the food of graminivorous 

 animals, and the part fulfilled by each in the animal 

 economy. It is well known that all parts of the body 

 have been originally produced, and are constantly main- 

 tained in healthy action, by the blood, which, by a won- 

 derful arrangement, permeates every part of the system, 

 and from which various secretions are constantly taking 

 place through the instrumentality of the skin, kidneys, 

 and other agents. Every one is also familiar with (ha 

 necessity of the presence of the atmospheric air for the 

 support of animal life, the oxygen of which enters into 

 combination with the carbon of the blood, and is given 

 off in the form of carbonic acid gas, the remaining con- 

 stituent of the atmosphere, nitrogen, being agsin exhaled 

 without change. The constant and copious inhalation 

 of oxygen, which is constantly going on during every 

 period of existence, must therefore be attended by an 

 equivalent waste of carbon in the proportion in which 

 these two elementary substances combine to form car- 

 bonic acid gas. A portion of the oxygen thus inhaled 

 also combines with hydrogen in the system, and if 

 given out in the vapour of water. The oxygen taken in 

 being, therefore, given off in combination with carbon and 

 hydrogen, and these being supplied by the food, it it 

 obvious that the quantity of food required will in a great 

 degree depend on the extent to which the former ia 

 inhaled. Exertion produces increased respiration, or 

 causes an additional quantity of oxygen to be inhaled, 

 which must be followed by an increased abstraction of 

 carbon and hydrogen. Though necessary for the support 

 of animal life, it is thus seen that the inhalation of 

 oxygen is attended by very considerable waste of other 

 ingredients, and the circumstances in which the minimum 

 quantity of this substance is taken into the system are 

 those most favourable to the accumulation of fat. But 

 the extent or volume taken in at each inspiration being 

 constant, depending on the capacity of the chest, it is 

 evident that a greater quantity will be inhaled in cold 

 weather than in warm, in winter than in summer ; and 

 hence, in the former cases, an increased quantity of food 

 will be consumed to make up for the waste thus occa- 

 sioned. This circumstance readily accounts for the 

 human race, in polar regions, using the strongest ani- 

 mal food, revolting even to the inhabitants of temperate 

 climates ; and why, in the latter case, vegetables and 

 fruits form the chief food of mankind. 



The combination of oxygen and carbon is further 

 attended by the evolution of heat This is familiar to 

 every one in the process of combustion ; and although 

 not so readily apparent in the case of their combination in 

 the animal system, yet Professor Liebig has shown that 

 precisely the same amount of heat is disengaged in the 

 latter case as in the former ; and this is the true source of 

 animal heat. The temperature of the body, therefore, 

 it appears, depends on the quantity of oxygen taken into 

 the system. But the need of food has also been seen to 

 be regulated by the same cause ; and hence the deduction, 

 that keeping up a high temperature, eithrr by clothing or 

 a warm atmosphere, is to a certain extent an equivalent 

 for food. The heat of animals respiring rapidly will be 

 found to be greater than of those respiring more slowly-— 

 that of an infant being greater than of an adult— of birds 

 being greater than of quadrupeds, — while that of 

 fishes, whose respiration is so inconsiderable, is little 

 greater than that of the surrounding waters. 



The blood of animals, through the instrumentality of 

 which the various processes of nutrition are effected, is 

 known to be composed of fibrine and albumen; the former 

 being identical in its composition with muscular fibre, and 

 constituting the solid portion of the blood, and the latter 

 being similar to the white of eggs in its properties. These 

 two substances comprehend in their composition the 

 various elementary matters constituting the different 

 organs of the animal body. Fibrine and albumen are 

 obtained by the coagulation of the blood, when they 

 separate from each other-phenomena with which every 

 one is familiar. But what is still more remarkable, these 

 substances, though so apparently dissimilar, are identical 

 in composition, containing the same elementary matters 

 in precisely equal proportions-their particles being 

 merely arranged in a different order. The former is even 

 capable of being resolved into the latter; and both, in 

 the process of nutrition,are converted into muscular fibre. 

 The elementary matters of which blood is composed 

 are, further, precisely the same as those constituting the 

 organisation of vegetables— namely, oxygen, hydrogen, 

 carbon, and nitrogen, with sulphur, phosphorus, and 

 metallic and earthy salts. Were this not the case, 

 animals could not be supported on vegetable food, it 

 being clearly ascertained that the animal economy is 

 totally incapable of producing an elementary substance 

 from matters which do not contain it. The fat of animals 

 is widely different from the other parts of the body, not 

 only in external appearance, but also in composition ; i 

 can hardly, indeed, be said to be organised, being an amor- 

 phous mass, and, further, being the only part or in^ 



system destitute of nitrogen. Nitrogen is, f^^les 

 essential constituentof all thenutritious parts of vege^^ t > 



or those capable of supporting animal Ii: fe; i i ^ kind§ 

 to the presence of this substance that "^ f or which 

 of mi » and D uUe o-e the %^£Z'Zo«U 





