1844.] 



THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 



discussion ensued, during which the whole subject was 

 brought under review, when the members were unani- 

 mous in opinion that it was in most respects decidedly 

 preferable to soil draught horses with green food during 

 summer, but more particularly in consequence of their 

 being able to feed in a much shorter space of time on 

 green Tares or Clover laid before them, than what they 

 could do if turned out to pasture. They would obtain 

 more rest, would not be teased by flies and other insects, 

 and by those means would keep in better condition ; be- 

 sides, a much less quantity of land would keep either 

 draught horses or any other heavy cattle when soiled in 

 the stall or yard, than would be required if they were 

 pastured upon the land. A greater quantity as well as a 

 better quality of manure would also be produced by soil- 

 ing, for in dry weather during summer the cattle drop- 

 pings in the pastures are dried by the sun and wind, so 

 that a considerable portion of the soluble matter evapo- 

 rates and is lost, whereas the manure produced by soil- 

 ing m-doors can be preserved of good quality in much 

 greater quantity, and can be applied to the land with 

 greater advantage at suitable seasons. As to milk cows 

 and feeding beasts the Club were not so unanimous with 

 regard to soiling them during summer, and further ex- 

 perience seemed to be wanting in soiling heavy-horned 

 cattle, borne doubts were also expressed by one or two 

 members as to the suitableness of green Tares or Clover 

 for milch cows, they believing that this kind of food had 

 the ! effect of causing the butter produced therefrom to be 

 light and oily, and also that green Tares produced thin 

 and poor milk ; however, the majority were in favour of 

 soiling all heavy cattle during summer, believing by that 

 means that a much greater number of cattle might be 

 kept on a farm than what could be done by turning them 

 upon the land to depasture. With regard to the best 



491 



of earth, and tiled in the following October. In March, 

 1844, he folded Southdown sheep and lambs on it by 

 night, m the proportion of from 800 to 1000 sheep to 

 he acre, changing their ground every night, and turning 

 hem into Grass pasture by day. The difference between 

 he Wheat grown on the folded ground, and on the por- 

 tion not folded was very manifest. Specimens of Wheat 

 affected by the foregoing modes of management were pro- 

 duced, fully confirming the statements made. 



2tokere*e.-4n May 184.? it was resolved by this 

 ( lub that the best method of keeping Clover-seed 

 for a longer period than a year was as follows : 

 — 1 he seed should be made thoroughly dry, placed 

 in casks about three.fourths full, tightlv stopped, 

 and frequently rolled during the time it is kept. In 

 June it was considered that drills from 13 inches to ?0 

 inches apart on a flat surface, and 27 inches on ridges, 

 would be best for drilling Swede Turnips, and that a 

 pint and a half of good seed would be enough per acre. 

 In December, the best sorts of Wheat for early and 

 late sowing was the topic introduced, when it was con- 

 sidered that the best sortsfor early sowing in this neigh- 

 bourhood are Honeyball and Brown's Prolific ; and for 

 late, Redstraw or old Lammas. 



and most profitable kind of green food for soiling, the 

 unanimous opinion was that winter and spring Tares in 

 conjunction with Clover, with a little Italian Ryegrass 

 sown amongst it, were the best and most profitable for 

 soiling in this part of the kingdom, but that Clover, so 

 far as it could be made available, was preferable to Tares, 

 it being generally believed that draught horses fed upon 

 green Clover, stood their work, and kept their condition 

 better than when fed upon green Tares; whilst, at the 

 same time, Tares are believed to exhaust the land more 

 than Clover. At the conclusion of the discussion, the 

 secretary laid before the meeting 21 handsomely bound 

 volumes of « The Journal of Agriculture," and Prize 

 Assays and Transactions of the Highland Agricultural 

 society of Scotland, which were presented to the Club l>v 

 Lord H. Vane, M.P., and John Bowes, Esq., MP. re- 

 presentatives of South Durham. A unanimous vote of 

 thanks was awarded to them for this very valuable dona- 

 tion of books, and for their kindness in encouraging and 

 supporting the interests of the Darlington Farmers' 

 • i ? nd 1 t ? e 8c,ence of agriculture generally. The sub- 

 jects hxed for discussion at the next monthly meeting of 

 the Club are-The best Method of making and securing 

 Hay ; and the best Season of the Year for applying Ma- 

 nure to Grass lands.— Yorkshire Gazette. 



V E * S L C0 Z nWail ' c ~^ At the Iate meetm ? of frk Society 

 t. Rodd, Esq., of Trebartha, detailed some experiments 



he had made on manures of different kinds. North-hill 

 Lower-park, the subsoil of which is slate and spar, value 

 *oout 18*. per acre, he had manured with Turnip-tops 

 and roots as a manure for Wheat. It was ploughed at 

 Christmas, 1841. One portion was tilled with Turnips, 

 and another with Potatoes, the whole being equally 

 manured with a compost of lime and earth, with the 

 addition of some farm-yard dung. The produce was 

 about 240 bushels of Potatoes and about 30 tons of Tur- 

 nips per customary acre. In November, 1842, the Pota- 

 toes and Turnips were carted away, first cutting off the 

 tops and roots of the latter, and laying them in the fur- 

 rows after the plough, during the process of preparing 

 that portion of the field on which the Turnips had 

 grown. The produce of Wheat the followine year was, 

 on the Turnip ground, 36 Winchester bushels of grain 

 and on the Potato, 28 bushels per customary acre. On 

 a small portion of the Turnip ground, no Turnip leaves 

 were laid and on this part the crop of Wheat was de- 

 cidedly inferior to the part so manured ; while that in 

 the Potato ground was inferior to both. The whole of 

 this field was now in Barley, and there was a fine and 

 promising crop throughout, but presenting no visible 

 difference m favour of the Turnip ground. Outer North- 

 nill-park, adjoining the last field, and similar to it in all 

 respects, was in 1842 in Grass, and treated precisely the 

 same as the former—one part of it being filled with Tur- 

 nips and the other with Potatoes. In 1843 the leaves of 

 the l umips were laid as before in the furrows of the 

 /urnip ground preparatory to the Wheat tillage. The 

 vvneat now growing on the Turnip ground maintains the 

 same apparent superiority over that on the Potato'ground, 

 of thT\VK C ?revi0US iosta ™e. A portion, however, 



SDriwofth!* 1 ° n thC P ° tat0 gr ° Und reCetVed > in the 



m^nut in thr CSent '***' a * uantit J of undiluted liquid 



Th Wheat thn, P t 0p rj 0n ° f 46 hogshead, to the acre. 

 «nnp.™„ . C l ted ,8 far 8u P erior in ^ growth and 



^aooage, which m some instance Ko^ k» Q en Z 

 to dnuhi* an A «„„ ». ui • ances oad been forced by it 



^$£T£££ Tr™ not 1 me r; 



stumn An»m„ ; * I, 8 P r outs from the old 



which was spar .nd^Cwo^U^^ "f 

 it was ploughed down and prepared for UW a 



with 20 loads of A nnir _- *\ CI, f or . Wheat, manured 



Shwp<wry.-Kt the late meeting of this Club, 

 rpi * Griffithes, bein S called upon, read a paper 

 on The best Method of Harvesting Corn, from 

 which the following are extracts :— " I think the kind of 

 Wheat, whether red or white, and the difference of soil 

 upon which it is grown, has something to do with the 

 state of ripeness in whici it should be cut, believing, 

 from the little experience I have had, that Wheat grown 

 upon strong soil— Wheat and Bean-land-is more in- 

 jured in appearance of sample by being allowed to get 

 ripe, than Wheat grown upon light soil, or what is 

 termed Turnip and Barley-land. I find my Wheat, which 

 is cut first, and consequently generally greener than that 

 succeeding .t, the best sample, and most pleasing to the 

 millers, whose taste in this particular 1 endeavour most 

 especially to gratify. I should say the best time to cut 

 Wheat is when it is arrived at that state of ripeness 

 sufficient to admit of its being cut without causing the 

 born to shrivel or contract into wrinkles, by which we 

 may secure plump, well-filled culms, with a bright thin 

 skin upon them. I have not observed that white Wheat 

 in the sale of it, is so much affected by being suffered to 

 get quite ripe, as red Wheat is ; but as the sorts are fre- 

 quently grown upon different soil, the advantaee, if any, 

 may arise from that cause. As to the manner~of cutting 

 W heat, whether with scythe, or broad hook, or sickle, I 

 consider the scjthe and broad hook equal in many 

 respects (except in tjing up of the sheaf, which is not 

 always done 1 had nearly said, could not be done in so 

 workman-like a manner after the former as the latter). 

 Ine land from which the Wheat has been cut with either 

 broad hook or scythe, certainly gains many advantages 

 ever that from which the Wheat has been cut with The 

 sickle, the chief benefits of which svstem seem to con- 

 sist m the appearance and handiness of the Corn 

 after it is cut, which is certainly better in many re- 

 spects. With regard to Barley, to the production of 

 which a large portion of the land in this neighbourhood 

 is appropriated, and the quality of which may be 

 affected by its state of ripenness when cut, I am of 

 opinion that it should be allowed to get nearly ripe ; it 

 is injured by being cut before being ripe enough. Earlev 

 is also much affected by the after management in the 

 held in wet weather; and as situation has much influ- 

 ence over that, I would rather leave to every person's 

 judgment the selection from the different plans adopted 

 of what suited his circumstances. The waggons used for 



T^W 1 ?! ^ h ? rVest time have been ( the generalitv 

 of hem) built with the view of carrying much heavier 



oads, and consequently are much heavier and stronger 



than would be required for the purpose of carrying grain 



m the straw j but if waggons were built for the purpose 



and so constructed that the fore-wheels would turn under 



the chest as some at present do, which enables them to 



rhL T e l T Tly ? 8h ? rt as a cart ' l think *ey would 

 hen be the best adapted for that purpose in this country 



In some parts of England, and the whole of Scotland 



(whence so many agricultural wonders come), carts are 



used solely for that purpose, 1 believe ; but from what I 



have seen done with carts, and when used by their advo 



cates too in this neighbourhood, at harvest work, I make 



no wonder that more converts to the system are no! 



made As regards the best place for making rick" 



whether in the field or rickyard, I cannot concefve it to 



be good policy to draw grain a long distance home in a 



very busy time, however pleasurable the sight of Twdl- 



filkd rickyard may be, as there is generally 8 more \ol of 



«ne when waggons have a long distance to go and come 



than when ricks are made in the field, from which Xy 



can be removed in winter at much less expense than in 



harvest 1 hus have I gone over the different subjects 



l T£n£Si and f though in a ver * ine " »» ! 



ner, •till let me beg of you to make up the deficiency by 

 your d.scussion and elucidation of them, so that the sub- 

 ject may not suffer on my account. 



• If a better system's thine, 

 Impart it frankly, or make use of mine.' » 



with 20 loads of dung, mixed ' wi h donhi 1 ' manUr6d J 1 ™ 811 ?? are Preferable to carts, and that the best ] 



S, with double that quantity /or making ricks when at a distance is in the fields." 



The paper was received with much satisfaction by the 

 meeting, when an animated discussion arose amongst the 

 members present, and it was finally resolved " That it is 

 advisable to cut Wheat generally a little before it is ripe, 

 and that the best manner for cutting on an average of 

 years, is with the sickle ; that waggons of a light con- 

 strustion are preferable to carts, and that the best place 



KcWcfas. 



Lectures on Agricultural Chemistry and Geoloov.—Bv 

 James F. W. Johnston, M.A.. F.R.SS., L. and E. 

 Reader in Chemistry and Mineralogy in the University 



°J J D u Urha L m ' &C * William B^ckwood and Son, 

 Edinburgh. 



It is not one of the slightest merits of this work, that 

 many of the early Lectures published in it, were actually 

 delivered to an Agricultural Society— to farmers, in fact, 

 M most of whom possessed no knowledge whatever of 

 scientific Chemistry or Geology. They commence, there- 

 fore, with the discussion of those elementary principles, 

 which are necessary to a proper understanding of each 

 branch of the subject. Everything in such Lectures 

 which is not— or may not be— easily understood by those 

 to whom they are addressed, is worse than useless."* 



And thus, while it is a complete work on Agricultural 

 Chemistry, giving all the explanations and suggestions 

 which can be founded on the science in its present state, 

 it may at the tame time be understood by any one 

 altogether ignorant of the science, who will take the 

 trouble to read it through from the beginning. 



The first Lectures contain the materials by which, in 

 those which lollow, the details of agricultural manage- 

 ment are explained, and improvements in it are sug- 

 gested. Thus, one of the last subjects treated of is the 

 very important one— the conversion of vegetable matter 

 into the substance of animals. This properly occupies 

 the latest attention of a lecturer on Agricultural Chemis- 

 try, as it is itself one of the ultimate objects to which the 

 whole practice of farming tends. The following summary 

 of the views of Chemists on this subject, is extracted 

 from the last Lecture of the series : — 



" I. It appears that all vegetables contain ready formed 

 —that is, form during their growth from the food on 

 which they live— those substances of which the parts of 

 animals are composed. 



■ 2. That from the vegetable food it eats, the animal 

 draws directly and ready-formed the materials of its own 

 body— phosphates to form the bones, gluten, &c, to 

 build up its muscles, and oil to lay on in the form of fat. 

 " 3. That during the process of respiration a full- 

 grown man throws off from his lungs about 8 oz., a cow 

 or horse five times as much, of carbon every 24 hours; 

 and that the main office of the starch, gum, and sugar 

 of vegetable food is to supply this carbon. In car- 

 nivorous animals it is supplied'by the fat of their food, 

 in starving animals by the fat of their own bodies, and* 

 in young animals, which live upon milk, by the milk 

 sugar it contains. 



"4. That muscles, bones, skin, and hair undergo a 

 certnin necessary daily waste of substance, a portion of 

 each being removed every day and carried out of the 

 body m the excretions. The main function of the 

 gluten, the phosphates, and the saline substances in the 

 food of the full-grown animal is to replace the portions 

 of the body which are thus removed, and to sustain its 

 original condition. Exercise increases this natural 

 waste and accelerates the breathing also, so as to render 

 necessary a larger sustainijiq supply of food, a larger 

 daily quantity to keep the animal iu condition. 



" 5. That the fat of the body is generally derived 

 from the fat of the vegetable food— which fat undergoes 

 during digestion a change or transformation by which it 

 is converted into the peculiar kinds of fat which are spe- 

 cially fitted to the body of the animal that eats it In 

 carnivorous animals the fat is derived directly from the 

 fat of their food, which is, in like manner, changed in 

 order to adapt it to the constitution of their own bodies 

 In cases of emergency it is probable that fat may be 

 formed in the animal from the starch or sugar of the food. 

 " 6. In the growing animal, the food has a double 

 function to perform : it must sustain and it must increase 

 the body. Hence, if the animal be merely increasing in 

 fat, the food, besides what is necessary to make up for 

 the daily waste of various kinds, must also supply an 

 additional proportion of oil or fat. To the growing ani- 

 mal, on the other hand, it must supply also an additional 

 quantity of gluten for the muscles, and of phosphates for 

 the bones. If to each of a number of animals equal 

 quantities of the same kind of food be given, then those 

 which require the smallest quantity of food to sustain 

 them will have the largest proportion to convert into 

 parts of their own substance. Hence, whatever tends to 

 increase the sustaining quantity— and cold, exercise and 

 uneasiness do so — will tend, in an equal degree, to lessen 

 the value of a given weight of food, in adding to the 

 weight of the animal's body. To the pregnant and to 

 the milk cow the same remarks apply. The food is 

 partly expended in the production of milk, and the 

 smaller and leaner the cow is, less food being required 

 to sustain the body, the more will remain for the pro- 

 duction of milk. * 



" 7. Lastly, that the quantity and quality of the dung, 

 while they depend in part upon the kind of food with 

 which the animal is fed, yet even when the same kind of 

 food is given, are materially affected by the purpose for 

 which the animal is fed. If it be full-grown and merely 

 kept in condition, the dung contains all that was present 

 in the food, except the carbon that has escaped from the 

 lungs. It it be a growing animal, then a portion of the 

 phosphates and gluten of the food are retained to add to 

 its bones and muscles, and hence the duDg is something 

 less in quantity, and considerably inferior in quality to 

 that of the full-grown animal. 



" So it is in the case of the milk cow, which consumes 

 comparatively little in sustaining her own body, but ex- 

 hausts all the food that pastes through her digestive 



* Preface to Professor Johnston's Lectures 



