THE AGRICULTURAL GA 



435 



^—^== = — TT,.... viz. that of loosening the 



^^S"^ b, which they 

 tilic - tc» contained in ««• , u^i» nr humic acid, 



become 



° l ,.i«ed in the loam or clay, oy wu.cn 

 C ° re easily soluble in carbonic or humic 



"° !d in o vegetable nourishment. Ihe 

 .verted wio »^g , r.ontain 



acid, 

 more 



j inverted into vege a e contains, the 1 oy no means an uhuuuiujuu oiiu«am, t , <"•<• ""• "" — 



•S* £ therefore, the clay or ^^^/^^^^Uat' ha8 D f e substance is now much better economised. The 

 iibcatei, id . tility f roasting. *rom wudi ^ f ^ ^^ f _ maM s . hn „•„ „ lihpral hllt n m ited 



r^ ur T l lil be seen that a soil, to be belted by 

 Ian said it w,U n f r0 8 a e 8ted clay , mU st not be deficient in 

 *■ ^Thich has partl/to transfer the bases of the 



^ '"V tn P Unt r.nV;:ru7 to neutralise and 

 * UicaUS u l hind the am m onia which will be formed in 

 chemically b« d J manuring with roasted clay 



the cUy. 1 V out W ell in all places, it was caused either 

 nM not turned out wen r , ; _ __„ Q „ oco rtr 



The quantity of farmyard dung applied with the different 

 crops varies, of course, according to the quality of the 

 land, and the whole stock of manure at the farmer's 

 command. In former times 20 to 24 double loads were 

 by no means an uncommon allowance ; but this valua- 

 ble substance is now much better economised. The 

 r.r wit " c the ut,1Uy ?\ rott8 7* 6 * C' "benefited by practice of the best farmers is to give a liberal but limited 

 ^ : a ,f -ill be seen that a son, |oj ^ A *6A«nt in quantity frequently, not saturating the land at one time 



with manure, and neglecting it for many years afterwards, 

 but to maintain a uniform or increasing fertility in the 

 soil. For common Turnips, 12 to 14 loads, of about 18 

 cwt. each, is the quantity generally given per acre. Po- 

 tatoes and Swedish Turnips commonly receive a few 

 loads additional, say 15 to 17 cart-loads per acre. 



Lime.— An abundant supply of limestone is amongst 

 the natural advantages possessed by East Lothian for 

 successful agriculture. What is termed the mountain 

 limestone abounds in many parts of the county, particu- 

 larly in the parishes of Dunbar, Preston-Kirk, North 

 Berwick, and Salton, where kilns for burning it are kept 

 going during certain periods of the year. The quantity 

 of lime formerly used in this shire was very considerable, 

 it having been found of the greatest efficacy on the strong 

 clayey land ; it is employed now only to a very limited 

 extent compared with what was formerly used. More 

 than one-balf of the kilns are at present idle, very few ot 

 the farmers applying lime in any considerable quantities 

 to the land. This, doubtless, arises from the circum- 

 stance that land once thoroughly limed (as every farm 

 here has been) derives comparatively little advantage, 

 and may possibly be injured from further application of 

 this valuable substance, for a considerable period alter 



the first dose. fi . , 



Lime is usually conveyed from the kiln to the fields 

 during the months of July and August ; or between the 

 completion of Turnip sowing and the commencement 

 of the harvest operations. It is applied to land at 

 all stages of the rotation ; but it is during the season in 

 which it is in fallow that lime can be used with he 

 greatest advantage. Sometimes it is applied to the 

 Turnip-crop, in which case it is either spread upon the 

 land and harrowed in before forming the drills, or applied 



fcfc ' * ^,4-aA nlilV Will UC. U1U«W»vij *— w D 



the -ore MP ,U ^ subst ances (independently of its 

 othercoTp'onent part.) are most powerful nutriments 



Of plant.. t0 be expose d to the action of 



UAm , h afwl s of that compactness that the lumps 

 fire must be always ot n / barnin g, else fire could 



wUl not crau.be F« J ^ roiStingi8 either 



„ot properly act i throu g n a . 8| ed oveIlf buiU for the 

 performed ma sort of , ^ ^ md 



purpose on the grates o he 



nre made uDderneath, or U may p ^ ^ _ 



with wood, peat and web li , clay which 



lf ovens are osed ^ js *"* ^ first 



jreS and the -Uer ones on the top « the whole 

 the grate, ano >™ b built up Tery l oose l,, so that 



however, must always fue l, be this wood, thorns, 



K' ; "he uppermost layer. The different 

 peat, *C., can p K t0 be fo un d , n my 



e;KFTCHES Of"eaST = LOTHIaF HUSBANDRY. 



SKETCH M u Canlin ued from page 415.) 



Some of the most intell.genc farmers ,„ the county 

 dunHonsiderable portions of their fields . intended for 



Roans and Turnips, on the stubble, immediately belore la(m aml „„,„., _. 



tZl t the winter furrow ; and this practice appears to , t , 6ubsequent period, when the operwt.on.ot the 



be fast earning ground. The soiling of work.ne horses bor8e . boe and drill-grubber necessary for the crop sum 



. ., . iu.. „.. „,».,, Plnver and Rve-erass, during „:.„h« inrni-nnrntea it with the soil. 



in the stables, on green Clover and Rye-grass, dur ng 

 the summer months, is common m most parts of the 

 county, and a similar mode of fattening cattle for the 

 butcher is also becoming pretty general. The Grass for 

 the latter is cut and given to them in the foid-yards, with 

 a imxll allowance either of oil-cake or Bean-meal. Ihe 

 advantages of this method of summer feeding are nume- 

 rous and apparent ; but, perhaps, the chief benefit ot 

 ■oiling arises from the large quantity of excellent dung 

 thereby produced. All the dung thus made during the 

 summer months is, in most instances, applied either as a 

 top-dressing to Vetch-land designed for Wheat, or spread 

 upon the stubble and ploughed in with the winter furrow 

 in order to clear the yards for their winter occupants. 



The great advantages of winter dunging are, that it 

 economises time when the season of more active labour 

 comes on, and that the dung is thereby better incorpo- 

 rated with the land than it could be when applied 

 with drill crops. Steep hilly fields, intended for green 

 crops in the following year, are almost invariably dunged 

 on the stubble (whenever dung is given) ; the cartage 

 being then much more easily effected and with less in- 

 jury to the land than at any subsequent period. In the 

 case of Bean-land, the whole allowance of manure is com- 

 monly given before the first ploughing, but when the 

 field is designed for Turnips, only half the intended 

 quantity is at that time applied ; when the seeds are 

 being sown, the remainder ot the dung is given in the 

 ordinary way ; or, what is now very common, instead of 

 dung, a small quantity of bone-dust, rape-dust, or guano, 

 is added at seed-time. A fair average allowance, per 

 imperial acre, seems to be from 10 to 12 loads of dung 

 ploughed in with the stubble-furrow, and 3£ cwt. to 4 cwt. 

 of rape-dust, or about 6 bushels of bone-dust, given when 

 Rowing the Turnip-seeds. When the dung laid on the 

 stubble is not sufficiently fermented, a little boy attends 

 to each plough for the purpose of clearing the irons when 

 entangled with the rough dung, so as to get all of it 

 completely covered in. This is a point of much conse- 

 quence with most of the farmers here. 



T?..__- J 1 . .. - 1 1 M_ J — 





Fa 



going 



Bea 



used 



th 

 en 



1 



!"• " ,fcu u»ubLur me larmers nere. 

 rm-yard dung is applied to the land while under 

 »g the process of summer-fallow, or as a manure witl 

 ne, Potatoes, Turnips, or other green crops; wh 

 used with drilled crops, the carts are driven along the 

 intervals, and the dung pulled out into small heaps 6 or 7 

 yards asunder, by a man specially appointed for that pur- 

 pose, and provided with a dung-drag. In East Lothian, 

 ■where economy appears to be the perpetual watchword 

 of every farmer, it is customary to have a few boys for 

 leading the horses from the dung-heap to the drills ; a 

 man drags out the dung, according to the quantity to be 

 >PPiiea, and the boys return with the empty carts. Much 

 ueotion ig Uow e?erywhere bestowed upon the equal 

 WitriDution of the dung in the drills. The spreading is 

 always done by women ; three drills are taken together, 

 * 0man . t0 each, and the steward or some careful person 

 goes behind them in order to correct any defects in the 

 Pleading. When the drills are very long, and the work 



•Dr / CtlVCly forward > ^ is usual to have two parties of 

 p eaders, commencing at opposite ends of the drills, 

 ter me , etln S about midway. Most of the farmers are 

 •pre d° tous t0 hav e the dung covered in as soon after 

 ■nd * l " 8 a& P 0Ssi ble, in order to prevent its evaporation ; 

 fitho a Warm » sunny weather none is left uncovered, 



necessary 



ciently incorporates it with the soil. ( 



The usual mode of managing lime is as Allows 

 When conveyed from the kilns to the field to which it is 

 to be applied, it is laid down in small heaps at regular 

 intervals, and immediately covered with earth ; a gradual 

 slacking speedily commences, and the stones soon 

 crumblf down into fine powder; after which it is spread 

 upon the land and ploughed in with a shallow furrow 

 On heavy soils 90 to 100 bushels of newly-calcined 

 lime are reckoned a moderate dose per acre ; on l.gh er 

 soils a less ; and in very stiff clays a greater quantity 

 is generally applied. 



Compos-Lime is now principally^ ased in mixtures 

 with earthy or vegetable substances. The Qu > .cken^ , or 

 Couch-grass collected off the land while in fallow or pre- 

 paring for fallow crops, are in most ca ses heaped up in 

 Le convenient corner of the field, where they are 

 allowed to remain for a few years, until their strong 

 vegetative powers are nearly destroyed, and then com- 

 pounded with a good proportion of hot l.me. Composes 

 thus formed are found to be a valuable top-dressing 

 e ther for Grass or arable land. Lime is m.sed up with 

 waste, earth-scourings of ditches, shapings of road-s.des 

 &c In addition to the compost-heaps thus formed n 

 the fields, others are also formed in convenient spots near 

 be farmiteading, to which the cleanings o ^he poultry- 

 house, scrapings of roads, coal-ashes, and offal of every 

 description are regularly taken. 



Sea-.ceea.-The farmers along the coast from North- 

 Bewick eastward, avail themselves of the large quant,- 

 LTf seaweed' or sea-ware, .(•^-■""-J ^i 

 ashore during the winter and spring months. 1 1 1 , con 

 sidered a very useful species of manure for the light dry 

 soils adjacenfto the coast, but is not found a°vaotageou 

 on days. Sea-ware is immediate, but trans.ent m , s 

 effect seldom lasting for a longer per.od than a ..ogle 

 cron It is applied to the land as fresh as possible, 

 hX alwavs spread upon the field when brought trom 

 Joe oe. 7»d s used P at all times in which it can be 

 obtained. It has invariably been found highly efficacious 

 as a top-dressing to Grass lands, and also as a manure for 

 Po atoes. but the crop, though bulky, «J^«™MT»^ 

 in quality ; sea-ware is seldom mixed with other sub- 

 stances. 



Bone-tor-Large qnantities of tins «lueblo o»b- 



stance have long been employed with the best effect* in 



bts county, for' the manuring of Turnips on l.ght dry 



lUia ^v/« Ji «J.,«.«wl Tip nnantltV Of 



it the work carrying a small quantity in their caovaiB- 



aprons, and a boy attends to supply them with bone* 



when required. The drills are not formed as deep for 



bone-dust, as when farm-yard dung it applied. An 



apparatus attached to the Turnip-sowing machine is used 



in some places for depositing the bones while sowing the 



seed, but this double machine is not much employed. 



Some farmers are now beginning to sprinkle the bone-dust 



before using it, with dilute sulphuric acid ; and a few are 



this year trying the solution of bones in sulphuric acid, 



which has produced such astonishing results in other 



districts. The price of bone-dust is here, 2s. A<L to 



2s. 6d. per bushel of about 47lbs. 



Rape-dust.— This is another species of manure very 

 much used in this county. It is applied with advantage- 

 to almost every crop, but is cpnsidered to be best 

 adapted to Turnips. When used with this crop it is 

 commonly miied with bone-dust, as has been already 

 mentioned, or with farmyard dung, guano, gypsum, &c 

 When used alone, 8 to 10 cwt. is the quantity usually 

 applied to the acre. Rape-dust is frequently employed 

 as a top-dressing to Wheat lands, in which case it is 

 scattered upon the surface while sowing the seed, and 

 covered in by the harrows. It is considered to be better 

 suited to strong, stiff soils, than to those of a light, ary r 

 and friable quality. Its price is 5/. 10s. per ton: a 

 bushel weighs about 52 lbs. 



Guano, although but recently introduced intc- East 

 Lothian husbandry, is now very extensively used as a 

 manure for Turnips and Potatoes, and also, though to a 

 less extent, as a top-dressing to Grass lands and corn- 

 crops. It appears from the results of the various trials 

 which have been here made with it, that genuine guano is 

 a most powerful fertiliser. In applying guano to the 

 Turnip-crop, it is always strewed along the hollow of the 

 drills immediately before sowing the seed; the drills are 

 then reversed in the same manner as when dung is used, 

 and the seed sown by the Turnip-sowing machine. A 

 similar mode of application is generally pursued in the 

 case of Potatoes, and the sets planted in contact with the 

 guano. I am aware that many intelligent men recom- 

 mend the interposition of an inch or so of soil between 

 the guano and the sets, and that some writers on his 

 manure even maintain that it should never be applied m 

 immediate contact with any seeds. It may be useful, 

 however, to state, that so far as I am .ware no such 

 precaution is observed by the generality of East Loth mn 

 farmers. Indeed, I personally witnessed several acres of 

 Potatoes as well as Turnips manured by guano last year, 

 and the sets were planted on the manure P^ely as m 

 the case of dung. In one instance of a Pot ato-crop 

 manured in this way by guano, the quantity of Potatoes 

 obtained trom the lot to which guano was applied, ^waa 

 verv nearlv double the produce of a similarly-sued lot 



m7nu?ed oy the usual quantity *<™™™«?£& 

 yard dung. The quantity applied was 3* ^ cwt to the 

 acre, the soil a strong clay, thorough-drained Th« « 

 periment, to be afterwards not.ced, came unde • mj own 

 observation ; I can, therefore, vouch for its ^henuc'ty. 

 Guano is this year applied to a very considerable 

 extent in the manuring of Potatoes and Tarnipt, and w 

 far as can be yet judged from the former crop, with sue 

 cess. Before wing this manure it »*?**" ( ™'££ 

 all the lumps well broken and ^sifted ^ henuud 

 alone, the usual quantity applied ii ;2 cwt to dewt. 

 per acre for Turnips, and from 3 to 4 cwt. for Potatoes. 

 Price 11/. per ton. 



Gvvsum —This substance has been, but is not now,. 

 m&. a manure in this county. The & crop, to 

 which gypsum is applied are Turnips and Pot. toes It 

 is also used as a top-dressing to Clover «d Corn cwpj. 

 When used for Turnips or Potatoes it is gener.ll com 

 bined with other manures, such as g^~. "pe-dn. , &C. 

 and when applied to Corn-crops it is eithe J™™ 

 upon the surface and harrowed m with the s eed n the 

 same manner as rape-dust, or sown at a **™V™ 

 oeriod. Moist weather is, of course, preferred for apply 

 ^gypsum. The quantity usually given when used 

 alone^is 2i to 3 cwt. per acre. S™*'™^*^ 

 quarter are now beginning to t stre V J'^^ing, 



•>/ rwr tnn • ireieht per bushel, 94 lbs. 



ofperton we.g r introductio n of guano, 



■, N TJuoi^sZl Tmuch attention, and was supposed 

 n.trate of soda . engag properties. Although 



to . pM ^,rLotoj?d no» as formerly, it is still applied 

 r sir^ '; principally as a top-dressing to Corn 

 -P* P-uting « weaU^ stunted^pear^e. It 



ps on light dry | crop* l"""^" pplied to Grass lands. The quantity 

 rollsl t^ which it seems ^-.d^ed The quantity of aUo .«= £0^ P^ , , per , - • • ■ - 



- " tj—M. decreased with- c» ■ . an ohstac i e t0 its e it 



bone-dust annually used has considerably 

 in the last few years, in consequence of the mtroduct.on 

 of guano, and other fertilisers. The bones are allowed to 

 undergo, slightdegreeof fermentation before being applied- 

 For this purpose they are made up into a heap m some 

 convenient spot about the steading or the stack-yard and 

 covered with straw. The addition of a small q«»Wj£ 

 water during dry weather accelerates the r fermeow 

 don Tl e o°„ly crop to which bone-dust is here epplied, 

 °Turn!ps e ; wbe'n use'd unmixed with any other substance 

 the quantity usually given is two quarters per acre, bu 

 bonldust is now very frequently combined wnh .the 



acre. Its high price, 

 l7ZZ:j™ obstacle* its extended use Besides 

 the different species of manures now enumerated, there 

 are several others, such as soot, nitrate of potash, muriate 

 of soda, sulphate of soda, and sulphate of magnesia, ; occa- 

 sionally used. They are not however employed in an J 

 considerable quantities, and the results of the . appi c 

 Lions which have been hitherto made with them, ba«° 

 generally contradictory and indecisive.-- - T. a« 



POTATO "STARC H . fhat 



Of all the starch-bearing plants, the . PoW ^ a 

 which affords the greate st quanUtyjf P , Po- 



bone-dust is now »cr, ..<h"°"v r " -dust &c. ; mix- 1 which affords the greatest q—""'.' ;: ' riet ies of ro- 

 manures. such as far»-,ard ""-f'/^JXwing the given surface of land. The d.fferen^ J*™^ ub l. 



,',,- 8 •» Posa.ble, in order to prevent its evaporat.on ; ing it with finely-sifted =° al :" Ues ^ 0St jad icious and tato differ, however, very much ; and the most lt0 . 



X Warm ' eaan 1 we » ther DO »o " M* ""covered, mas. to ferment, appears tc , be a m j ^ ^ .^.^ ^ , th c.rcumst.nc ^ on ^ samft 



fe?;;rot° d r fo n r r h e r between ^ oki ^' or durinB ; z^&*^» £»£*• womeD empl0,ea » pottant kind8 - p 



