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4 





I 





THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 



4.53 



JJ 



tur ai -"V_2j f you g0 into the society of intellectual 



T t exs vou will hear them talk of their business, of how 



k can produce the best crops by the most economical 



ns- how one crop answers, how another answers, 



*ht are the best kinds of manure, and how to apply 



V^rni^ry to farming. All these things tend to open 



's minds, and to make them better farmers and better 



Xne n And if any of us knows a little bit of chemistry, 



ft us not bottle it up nor take out a patent for it. There 

 v Wn a creat deal written by Professor Hens'low on 

 ♦l subject °f gypsum. I tried a little, but did not 

 t on at all with it. Instead of using the sulphate 

 *f lime I mixed sulphuric acid with water, and 

 watered the manure-heaps with it. I do not profess to 

 have made an accurate experiment; but after using 

 twenty loads of this manure, I can say there was a great 

 improvement in the tops and bottoms of Mangold 

 W urzel. 1 have turned over every load of manure with 

 diluted sulphuric acid. If you like to try it, one gallon 

 of sulphuric acid, which costs Is. 9rf., to 36 gallons of 

 water will be the quantity for 20 loads of manure. The 

 experiment is not very expensive, and I really would 

 strongly recomm end you to try it. 



Hebtetos. 



Supplement to Loudon's Encyclopedia of Agriculture. 

 By J. C. Loudon, F.L.G.Z., and H.S., &c. Long- 

 man, Brown, Green, and Longmans. 1844. 

 Those who possess the " Encyclopedia of Agriculture, 

 published by the late Mr. Loudon in 1825, will need 

 this volume to complete that work. It brings down im- 

 provements in the art of field culture from 1831 to 1843 



inclusive. 



These improvements are enumerated in an instructive 



Preface, from which we extract the following paragraphs : 



44 The function* of the leaves of plants are begin- 

 ning to be more generally understood ; and hence, afso, 

 the importance of allowing sufficient space for their ex- 

 posure to the sun and air, by wider sowing or planting, 

 by judicious thinning, and by pruning. 



" Hence, ;ilso, when plants are to be destroyed, this 

 may be effectually done by cutting off their incipient 

 leaves as fast as they appear. In this way Ferns and 

 other perennial weeds in pastures may be more easily 

 destroyed than by any other mode ; and the same may 

 be said of weeds growing up from the bottoms of ponds. 

 " As a proof that the use of leaves was not under- 

 stood by practical men, and even by the officers of the 

 Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, so lately 

 as 1836, we may refer to the Transactions of that body ; 

 in which we find the Society giving a premium for an 

 essay on the destruction of Ferns in pastures, to a can- 

 didate who recommends as the best mode the irrigation 

 of these pastures. The irrigation of pastures on which 

 Ferns abound may be considered impracticable in ninety- 

 nine cases out of a hundred. 



" Growth and maturation in plants are two separate 

 processes, and when either is the main object of culture, 

 the other should be prevented or checked ; thus when 

 seeds or fruits are maturing, the elongation of shoots 

 and the production of leaves should be checked, by 

 pinching them off as fast as they appear. Hence the 

 use of topping Beans, Tobacco, Woad* and even Pota- 

 toes ; not to mention Vines, Gooseberries, Raspberries, 

 Peaches, and other garden fruit shrubs and trees. 



By preventing the formation of seeds or fruits, 

 more strength is thrown into the plant generally ; and if 

 it is a plant which produces bulbs, tubers, or under- 

 ground stems, as substitutes for seeds, these will be in- 

 creased in size. Hence the use of picking off the 

 blossoms of Potatoes, 



44 Plants imbibe nourishment from the soil, chiefly 

 from the points of the fibres at the extremities of their 

 roots. Hence, the practice of banking up hedges, Beans, 

 potatoes, and other plants in drills, and of watering, 

 stirring the soil, and laying manure close to the stems 

 or trees and plants, is erroneous in principle and often 

 injurious in effect, by cutting off the fibrils, or, in the 

 case of Potatoes, the underground shoots on which the 



ff K° eS 8re formed - ^ some cases, however, cutting 

 on the extremities of the roots is useful by increasing 

 the number of fibrils, and consequently of the spongioles 

 or mouths by which nourishment is imbibed. 



Hence the Berwickshire practice of tabling hedges, 



^omuchrecommended and so generally followedby Scotch 



bailiffs, foresters, and hedgers, is for the most part a 



*aste of labour ; unless, indeed, the object be to stunt 



? Srowth of the hedge, and prevent its roots from 



earth"* ^ 8 ° U ° f the ad J oinin S nelds * The P ractice of 

 a n S U P Turnips was once in vogue, but it is now 



the T ai M ed ^ be a certain mode of instantly checking 

 whi l • gof the Turni P» by the pressure of the soil 



j en is thrown up to it by the plough. 

 In een , pro S ,ess of the ripening of seeds and fruits 

 great ? 8 ° eS on in a geometrical ratio, and hence the 

 seeds f ery rea x uired to determine the moment when 

 accord° r Sh0uld be e^bered, which period varies 



to b*. lng r ° tlxe l )Ur P° se to which trtie seeds or fruits are 



ripenin PP f - The last chan S e which takes place in the 

 r e l at - g ?* ^heat is an increase of bran or husk, and a 



tonce^li • lllUtionof farmace ous matter or flour ; and 

 ketweeni lmmen8e difference in the produce in flour, 

 ■t then l ° f the grain of a field of Wheat cut down 

 0T er rinl° P T tlme ' and a field of w heat allowed to be 

 10 this s k ° mUCh im P ortance caQ hardly be attached 



" Running water is found to contain oxygen, 

 potash, carbonic acid gas, and ammonia, all which serv- 

 ing as manures for plants, it follows that irrigation, even 

 in cold climates, is beneficial to Grass lands, altogether 

 independently of supplying water as an element of 

 growth, which in cold climates is seldom wanted in that 

 capacity. 



" More importance is now being attached to the 

 ascertaining of the mineral constituents of plants, such 

 as alkalies and alkaline earths, phosphorus, sulphuric 

 acid, silica, &c, than was the case before the appearance 

 of ■ Liebig's Organic Chemistry.' 



11 The permanent fertility of a soil is found to depend 

 more on the inorganic substances which it contains, (for 

 example, on the proportion of alkalies and alkaline earths 

 which it holds in combination with the silicic, phos- 

 phoric, sulphuric, and other acids,) than on its 

 organic constituents, such as humus or decaying veget- 

 able matter; for all organic matter in soil, whether that 

 soil be naturally good or bad, is sooner or later exhausted 

 by the growth of plants ; and if the supply is not kept 



Poultry, with chapters on the Pigeon, the Rabbit, the 

 Goat— on the Dairy and the Piggery. It is illustrated by 

 woodcuts whenever these are required ; and it is orna- 

 mented by a drawing of the Queen's poultry-yard at 

 Windsor. The Preface says that it is not intended for 

 the mere cottager, nor for persons of large fortunes, but 

 for those ladies in the middle ranks of life who study 

 healthful domestic economy, either for the pleasure or 

 the profit which it affords; and it certainly is just the 

 kind of book which any one not possessed of practical 

 experience on the subject would wish for, to receive in- 

 struction from. The chapters on the Dairy contain a 

 variety of information, by attention to which, profes- 

 sional as well as amateur farmers might benefit. 



Miscellaneous. 



Adulteration of Manures. — A paragraph somewhat as 

 follows would seasonably issue from your Journal :— 

 44 It is projected by several leading agriculturists to esta- 

 blish, during the Southampton Meeting, a Protection 



Society against the frauds practised upon the farmer by 

 up, the soil reverts to its original state, except in so far I the importers and manufacturers of manures, Linseed- 



it 



as it may have been improved mechanically by draining, 

 levelling, shelter, &c. 



44 Alkalies are the most important inorganic con- 

 stituents of soils, and when a soil has been exhausted of 

 them by cropping, no manure that does not contain 

 alkalies will restore their fertility for agricultural plants. 



■* The poorest soils are almost invariably those 

 which contain least alkalies and alkaline earths. 



44 Animal manures contain a much greater pro- 

 portion of the inorganic constituents of plants, than 

 vegetable manures ; and the most powerful of animal 

 manures are those of carnivorous or omnivorous animals ; 

 for example, of the human species. 



11 Saline manures not only supply food, but, acting 

 as stimulants, enable plants to derive more food from the 

 soil and the atmosphere than they otherwise would do. 



"The ammonia of liquid or other manures may be 

 fixed by gypsum or sulphuric acid; or, in default of these, 

 it may be prevented from evaporating by mixing with 

 soil or diluting with water. In general the most conve- 

 nient and ecouomic mode for the British agriculturist is 

 to mix it with farm-yard manure, or, what is better in 

 our opinion, plenty of surface soil. 



"The chief practical advantages which have as yet 

 resulted from the recent discoveries in chemistry, as ap- 

 plied to agriculture, are the employment of saline ma- 

 nures, and the recognition of their importance, the mix- 

 ing of azolised (nitrogenised) with unazotised (unnitro- 

 genised) food in feeding and fattening cattle, and the 

 procuring greater warmth for the domestic animals of 



the farm. ' 



14 The most useful practices which have obtained 

 extended diffusion within the last ten years are, the fre- 

 quent drain system, long practised in Essex and Suffolk, 

 but recently brought conspicuously into notice by Mr. 

 Smith of Deanston ; the use of draining-tiles instead of 

 stones; the use of the subsoil plough, and of the cultivator 

 as a substitute for the plough in various cases; the greater 

 eagerness to procure improved implements, machines, 

 and buildings generally; the mixture of soils; the greater 

 value set on urine and liquid manure generally; the use 

 of single-horse carts ; the selection of improved varieties 

 both of animals and plants, and the employment of land 

 agents, conversant with agriculture, instead of lawyers 

 or others who have little or no agricultural knowledge. 



" The details which have led to the above summary will 

 be found in Liebig's ' Organic Chemistry,' and « Animal 

 Chemistry ;' Johnston's 'Agricultural Chemistry;' Trim- 

 mer's ' Practical Chemistry for Farmers and Landowners;' 

 Solly's ' Rural Chemistry ;' Dr. Playfair's Lectures on 

 Rearing and Feeding Cattle, published in the 'Journal of 

 the Royal Agricultural Society/ vol. iv. ; Donaldson's 



* Manures, Agricultural Grasses, and General Manage- 

 ment of Landed Property, &c.' The greater part of this 

 Supplement consists of extracts from these works ; and 

 from the • Quarterly Journal of Agriculture,' the 'British 

 Farmer's Magazine,' the Gardeners' Chronicle, and the 



* Gardeners' Magazine.' " 



The information given in this volume is arranged and 

 classified with all that skill and order for which its 

 author was distinguished. In Part 1st Agriculture is 

 considered as to its origin, progress, and present state. 

 In Part 2d it is considered, subjectively, as a science and 

 an art ; thus we have, under successive heads, an immense 

 mass of matter on the animal kingdom, the mineral 

 kingdom, and the atmosphere, with reference to Agri- 

 culture ; on the mechanical agents employed in Agricul- 

 ture ; and on the operations of Agriculture. In Part 3d 

 Agriculture as practised in Britain is described, more 

 especially with reference to the arrangement and im- 

 provement of estates. And Part 4th gives information 

 on the statistics of British Agriculture. Though cer- 

 tainly a supplementary work, it is nevertheless to a great 

 extent complete, inasmuch as the practice, and our 

 knowledge of the science of Agriculture have improved 

 to an unprecedented extent within the period the im- 

 provements of which it professes to detail. We there- 

 fore recommend this work even to those who may not 

 be in possession of the original edition. It contains a 

 great mass of useful information on agricultural subjects, 

 admirably arranged, and fully illustrated by wood-cuts, 

 where these are necessary. 



Farming for Ladies ; or, a Guide to the Poultry-yard 

 the Dairy, and the Piggery. By the Author of u British 

 Husbandry." London : John Murray, Albe«arle-st 

 This is an elegant octavo volume, containing m full 

 detaU information on the management of all kinds of 



cake, &c. kc. It is well known that the whole of the 

 4 scutch' (the refuse from the curriers' yards) from Scot- 

 land, is imported into Hull to be mixed with the crushed 

 bones, and sold to the simple farmers as genuine bone- 

 dust. Also that foreign Linseed-cake of very inferior 

 value is re-crushed with the dregs of the Linseed-oil, 

 and sold by the Hull manufacturers as English cake. It 

 is lamentable to observe merchants moving in a respect- 

 able station of society demean themselves by such gross 

 swindling. It is intended by the Society to employ 

 chemists to analyse samples of manure and cake, and to 

 make examples of dishonest traders, by instituting 

 actions-at-law at the cost of the Society. It is earnestly 

 hoped the farmers generally will associate themselves 

 with the Society, that an immediate stop may be made 

 to the robbery imposed upon them."— Agricola, in the 

 Farmers' Journal. 



Scientific Lecturers. — To the Council of the Royal 

 Agricultural Society of England : The Memorial of the 

 Cardiff Farmers' Club, respectfully sheweth, — That your 

 Memorialists feel deeply impressed with the great advan- 

 tages which must result to the Agriculture of this king- 

 dom from the extended operations of the Royal Agricul- 

 tural Society. That they further believe that in the 

 formation of farmers' clubs your Council will possess an 

 additional and most important means of diffusing prac- 

 tical and useful knowledge amongst the cultivators of the 

 soil. That your memorialists beg leave mo6t respect- 

 fully to state that they are fully of opinion that the great 

 objects contemplated by the Royal Agricultural Society 

 would be greatly and most beneficially promoted by the 

 employment of real practical and scientific lecturers, who- 

 would from time to time visit the various farmers' clubs 

 now formed, as well as to assist in the formation of others, 

 and to convey through the means of lectures or otherwise 

 to these clubs the various improvements in the cultiva- 

 tion of the land ; in the breeding and feeding of stock, 

 and in the most approved varieties of grain, roots, &c. r 

 which have been successfully adopted in other parts of 

 the kingdom. That the recent establishment of so many 

 farmers' clubs in different parts of England and Wales 

 offer facilities for diffusing such information throughout 

 the rural districts which have never before occurred ; 

 your memorialists therefore earnestly hope that the 

 Royal Agricultural Society of England will adopt such 

 measures as may seem to them best adapted to the attain- 

 ment of so desirable an object. Signed on behalf of the 

 club, E. David, Chairman. — Report of the Cardiff 

 Farmers' Club. 



The Tick, Fly, §c. — Sheep are much exposed to the 

 attack, and suffer much from the effects, of various in- 

 sects and vermin. One of the most common and well- 

 known is the tick, which though commonly about the 

 size of a pea, is sometimes much larger. It attaches 

 itself to the skin by means of sharp claws at the extre- 

 mity of the legs, and pierces the skin with sharp instru- 

 ments attached to the head. The tick propagates 

 rapidly, and is often found in great numbers on a single 

 sheep, selecting the neck and shoulders in preference to 

 other parts. It may be destroyed by the application of 

 turpentine, linseed oil, or mercurial ointment, or dipping 

 in a solution of arsenic. Lice are sometimes a source of 

 much annoyance, but may be destroyed by mercurial 

 ointment, solution of arsenic, or tobacco-water. The fly 

 is a still more formidable enemy, causing more irritation,, 

 and leaving behind more severe effects. It abounds 

 mostly in woody localities, and in the month of May 

 deposits its eggs on the sheep, selecting a sore, if there 

 is any to be found, which is often the case, particularly 

 about the head. The maggots being hatched burrow- 

 under the skin, causing severe irritation, and producing 

 frequently extensive and troublesome wounds. The 

 sheep exhibit much uneasiness soon after being struck^ 

 often stamping, biting themselves, and running about the 

 field with much violence. The wounds, if neglected,, 

 soon spread, and I have known the most severe and com- 

 plicated fistulous wounds produced thereby, — extending 

 between the shoulders and becoming incurable.^ The 

 most simple preventive to the attack of the fly is the 

 application of coarse whale oil to the parts most " kc *J 

 to be attacked. The fly has such dislike to even the 

 strong smell of the oil, that it acts as a safe protection, 

 and is much more simple than the application or a 

 plaster, as sometimes practised. A atrijdng msl tance oi 

 the effect of the oil is mentioned by Mr. Hogg m his 

 « Shepherd's Guide." As a local W. hc ^ ™?£ 

 diately after the sheep have been .truck by the Ay, white 

 iead is one of the best" and it will also act as a prcreiiUTt. 



