492 



THE AGRICU LTURAL GAZETTE, 



[July 20, 



mm* tor the production of the milk which u to feed 

 her young. The reverse takes place with the fattening 

 ox. He takes little else from the rich additional food he 

 eats but the oil with which it is intended that he should 

 invest his own body. Its other constituents are for the 

 most part rejected in his excretions, and hence the ncn- 

 ness and high price of his dung." 



year, 

 land 



Miscellaneous. 



Potato Blossoms.— My Potato garden of last season 

 was divided bv the avenue, two- thirds on one side and 

 one-third on the other. I commenced pulling off the 

 blossoms from this one-third, intending to do so to he 

 whole field, it being % favourite theory with me that the 

 blossom weakens the tuber ; but I did not do more than 

 this third, because people said it was »"k»\* n * ^ 

 indeed because it spoiled the blooming beauty of the 

 field. This third was planted in the middle of April 

 the remainder towards the end of that month. Those 

 from which the blossoms were pulled were much more 

 productive, and that produce very superior in quality 

 and appearance to the other portion of the field. Being 

 very particular in the selection cf my seed, I had them 

 sorted as usual, when drawing home in winter, into se- 

 parate pits; those for seed being put in small pits, two 

 feet wide, and those for sale or consumption in pits five 

 or six feet wide. The seed put in the small pits for seed 

 was selected from the two-thirds sown in the end of 

 April, as I always heard it recommended to use the late 

 rather than the early seed ; this sorting, remember then, 

 were from the Potatoes from which no blossoms were 

 pulled last season. This season we commenced planting 

 on the 20th of April, from the seed so selected and pitted 

 in the small pits ; but as the seed ran short, we opened 

 the large six-feet-wide pit, and sowed nearly as much 

 more ; the only difference beside the seed was, that what 

 was allowed to blossom last season had fine, well-rotted, 

 well-prepared dung, while the latter got manure recently 

 gathered from the yard, fresh and strawy ; the difference 

 now, however, is very great— those from which the blos- 

 soms were taken, having come up stronger, and far out- 

 stripped the others, although from the manure and care 

 taken, the others are amongst the very best in the neigh- 

 bourhood : there are some failures, but not one from the 

 unblossomed seed, which even when accidentally cut with 

 the spade and bruised with the wheel, yet remained per- 

 fectly sound ; but this cannot be said of the others. In 

 a few places where the seed of the unblossomed ones hap- 

 pened to be displaced, and left on the surface of the drill, 

 exposed to the great drought of this season, it grew and 

 took root, sending down fibres round the set into the 

 ground, but the others, wherever displaced, shrivelled up 

 and decayed. Thus I am convinced that good sound 

 seed will not be injured or prevented from growing by 

 almost any neglect ; while tainted seed, be it ever so 

 sound in appearance, can scarcely be kept alive even with 

 the greatest care. Where great care in planting and 

 manuring has been taken, and yet the crop grows slowly, 

 it is an evidence that the seed was not the soundest, and 

 that but for the care taken they would not have grown 

 at all. To the weakness of the seed all failures may be 

 traced ; and therefore, to grow and preserve the seed 

 should be the chief concern in Potato culture. So far 

 for the practical result ; and in theory I believe botanists 

 would advise that to pull off the bloom will add to the 

 tubers below : that it adds to the quality and soundness, 

 the above result fully satisfies me. You are aware 01 

 annuals being kept alive for two, three, or more years, 

 by depriving them of the bloom as it appears : the above 

 sort of Potato does not generally bear berries ; still if 

 keeping the blossoms off prolongs the existence of the 

 plants, as it did with me last season, they will, of course, 

 during the growing season, be adding to the quantity and 

 quality of the tubers below ; for of two objects to be 

 attained by a plant — that of bearing seed above, and ripen- 

 ing tubers below — it will surely do one much more per- 

 fectly if its energy be confined to it. Some writers 

 affirm that excessive seed-bearing produces the curl in 

 Potatoes, and instances like effects in the animal king- 

 dom. It is remarked, also, that in dry seasons bulbous 

 and tuberous roots are more apt to bear seed ; and per- 

 haps it were well if some persons would take the trouble 

 to look back and see if the failure in Potatoes did not 

 generally follow previous dry summers. This being a 

 dry summer, if the above remarks contain any truth, it 

 were well if people would devote some attention this 

 way, and give employment to many poor children ; and 

 indeed if the matter be of the importance that I think it 

 is to the country at large, the committee of the Irish 

 Agricultural Improvement Society ought to be directed 

 this year to try the experiment on a large scale. I am 

 so entirely in favour of it that I shall not try any compara- 

 tive experiment myself, but will destroy all the blossoms 

 with as much care as I would the weeds. I pick the 

 blossoms off before they expand ; the flower-stalk being 

 then brittle it is much more easily performed.— F, T., 

 in the Dublin Farmers' Gazette. 



Utility of Experimenting. — Shellfish, a valuable 

 Manure. — Last year we stated the case of an intelligent 

 gentleman, who had planted Beans in the same rows with 

 Potatoes, and the experiment, we are happy to say, suc- 

 ceeded so well that the produce, when reaped, exceeded 

 expectation— 36 Winchester bushels of Beans, in addi- 

 tion to 12j tons of Potatoes per acre, and both articles 

 of superior quality. In agriculture, fortunately, nothing 

 whatever can be done in a corner, to the disadvantage, 

 were it desired, of the surrounding community ; and 

 Accordingly, so many persons, including gainsayers, 

 watched the minister's new-fangled husbandry, that this 



mTlweoFSn^ttert ™ at Ieast f hundred * cre ° ° f 

 under the same species of culture m a district 

 doTely abntt-lg on the snores of the Solway Although 

 some may allege the exhausting danger of forcing the 

 soil to work double tides, the remark we understand, is 

 utterly inapplicable in the case before us. The land, 

 w en re-ploughed, appeared to be in its usual heart ; 

 Z [even had results ruled differently, how easy to 

 restore equilibrium by additional dressing, at trifling ex- 

 Dense. Had there been nothing in the shape of parasitic 

 cropping, the tubers, in bulk and weight, could not well 

 have exceeded the return given , so that the minister had 

 his thirty-six bushels of pulse into the bargain Our 

 correspondent has made another experiment, which is, 

 perhaps, of still greater importance to those who live 

 within the sough of the far-sounding mam. Having 

 not>bed the? good effects of shell-fish in gardens applied 

 to Carrot and Onion beds, it occurred to him that the 

 same species of manure would be found equally useful, 

 on a still larger scale, in the case of green crop cultivated 

 in the open fields. Accordingly, he instructed his ser- 

 vant to repair to the shore, and excavate four cart-loads 

 of live shell-fish, composed chiefly of wilks, cockles, and 

 muscles. When carried home the deposit was thrown 

 into a heap/ and allowed to remain until it began to emit 

 an unpleasant odour. Warning thus given, the shells 

 were smashed and mixed with peat earth, to absorb the 

 moisture, and facilitate the sowing process. They 

 were then laid in the drills, after the manner of 



bones, at the rate of 16 bushels per acre; and, the 

 better to test the utility of the experiment, lurnips 

 were planted the same day over thick layers of ordi- 

 nary manure. But the shells took a wonderful start, 

 by showing incipient braird at the end of three days, 

 notwithstanding the intense drought ; while the dung 

 operated so slowly, that eight days elapsed before the 

 slightest tendency to greening appeared. Thus ar, 

 therefore, the shells and substances inclosed have worked 

 perfect wonders ; and should brairding progress as it is 

 doing at present, results ultimately will outvie crushed 

 bones, or even guano, alike new and dear. As the trial 

 thus made, so far from being concealed, was openly com- 

 municated to all and sundry, so many farmers have fol- 

 lowed the minister's example, that above a hundred acres 

 of Turnips, now that moisture has given encouragement 

 to drilling, will be manured with shell-fish in the parish 

 of Cummertrees. Of the most triumphant success 

 scarcely a doubt can or does exist— the carbonate of 

 lime and animal matter being each excellent nourishes 

 of vegetable life. In fact, a shipper thinks so favourably 

 of the sea-shore and its resources, that he intends to send 

 vessels to the Highlands next spring to collect as many 

 tons as the craft will carry, of an article to which kelp is 

 poor in comparison. One heaped bushel of shell-fish 

 weighs as near as may be aewt.; and, on the banks 

 where they grow, one man, with a clat and spade, may 

 collect eight bushels during the recession of the tide. 

 The layers are generally from 3 to 4 feet deep, intermixed 

 with sand, and when the top is removed the next sea- 

 rlood washes the debris so completely away, that the 

 same ground may be gathered over again. By following 

 this practice, two hundred tons have been collected 

 within the last fortnight on the coast of Priestside. The 

 prospect thus opened up is so full of promise, that it is 

 strange it was not thought of sooner on something like an 

 extensive scale. Along the coast of Britain and Ireland, 

 immense quantities of shell-fish might be gathered an- 

 nually at the expense of 10s. per ton, thus opening new 

 avenues of employment to the poor, cheap manure to 

 the farmer, and wealth hitherto neglected to the whole 

 country, in place of making long voyages to Peru or 

 Africa, in quest of an article which has risen to all but a 

 prohibitory price. Some, peradventure, may fancy, that 

 the beds of shell-fish thus industriously invaded, would in 

 time disappear ; such, however, is not our opinion. 

 Renovation is inherent in everything mundane — witness 

 the oysters devoured in such legions, east, west, south, 

 and north, but which still continue to exist and multiply 

 on the strength of the great principle hinted at, and bid 

 fair to furnish, despite dilapidation, crops successive, till 

 the crack of doom. Our informant as to the above im- 

 portant facts is the Rev. Mr. Gillespie of Cummertrees ; 

 and it is at his request we employ our own language in 

 making the present communication. — Dumfries Courier. 



Poison The Murrain. — Horsham, June 26. — 



Considerable excitement has been occasioned by a report 

 that a whole family had been poisoned by partaking of 

 meat in a putrescent state. The facts are these : — A 

 Mr. Porteous, amongst whose stock a disease called the 

 murrain had prevailed to a considerable extent, lost a 

 cow, which had recently calved, with the disease, and his 

 bailiff disposed of the carcass for 10s. to a poor man 

 named Chapman. Chapman's object in purchasing the 

 cow was to feed his chickens and pigs on it ; but it seems 

 they ate a portion of it themselves, and no inconvenience 

 was felt. The chickens died, and the pig was either 

 killed or died, and the family partook of it. In a very 

 short time symptoms of an alarming nature exhibited 

 themselves. At this crisis a medical man was called in, and 

 upon his arrival at their dwelling, the effi uviae arising from 

 the contents of it were almost overwhelming — the family, 

 pigs, and poultry, it appears, all occupying the same 

 apartment. He found Chapman and two of his children 

 in a rapidly sinking state. Upon questioning them as to 

 their diet, he discovered (from their neighbours) that 

 they had been liviug upon putrid meat for some time. 

 He then commenced a search throughout the premises, 

 and removed the family to a tent erected adjacent, and 

 had the residue of the meat, which was in a state of par- 

 tial decomposition, buried. The remedies which he 



applied were, however, too late to save the lives of Chap- 

 man and his two children, who sank under the effect of 

 poison, which had, no doubt, been taken up by the 

 absorbents, and the blood impregnated with the viru*. 

 One other child, aged about 7 years, is scarcely expected 

 to survive. — Times. 



Smut. — With regard to smut, I am fully of opinion 

 that with proper precaution the disease may be got rid of 

 altogether ; but with respect to peppercorns I am not so 

 sanguine. Indeed, I know of no cure at present for this 

 disease, except that of changing the seed. Several years 

 ago I tried some experiments to prevent smut, which 

 proved completely successful, and if I shall not detain 

 the meeting too long I shall be happy to state them. In 

 November, 1822, 1 selected three bushels of Wheat, 

 which I had grown that summer, and which was exceed- 

 ingly smutty ; but to render it still more so, I had a 

 quantity of smut-ball rubbed into it, until the whole was 

 much blackened. The lot was then divided into six half 

 bushels, and having dissolved half a pound of blue vitriol 

 in boiling water, the Wheat was pickled as follows :— 

 No. 1.— Immersed in the vitriol-water for three hours. 



No. 9. Washed and skimmed until it was clean, then 



immersed in the vitriol-water as above. No. 3.— No 

 preparation. No. 4. — Washed and skimmed well until 

 clean. No. 5.— Washed and skimmed as above, then 

 sifted quicklime over it, and mixed a quarter of a pound 

 of salt with it. No. 6.— Pickled in the mode usually 

 adopted, with a mixture of lime, salt, and water. The 

 seed was sown the following day on a Clover lea, in six 

 separate ridges, each 112 yards long, by four yards wide, 

 half a bushel to each ridge, being at the rate of near five 

 bushels per acre. Appearance of the braird :— Nos. 1, 2, 

 and 5 came up thin, seeming to be at the rate of only two 

 bushels per acre. No. 6 appeared to be at the rate of 

 about 2i bushels per acre. No. 4 appeared to be at the 

 rate of about three bushels per acre. No. 3 appeared at 

 the rate of about 4 bushels per acre. Sept. 5th, 1»^.— 

 The whole was reaped, each lot being carefully kept 

 separate, and the result proved as follows :—N 0.2.-- 

 Found only two smutty ears in the whole ridge, which, 

 notwithstanding the care taken, might have come from 

 an adjoining ridge. No. 1.— Had several smutty ears in 

 it. No. 5.-From 30 to 40 black ears in the ridge. 

 No. 6.— About a 20th part smutty ears. No. *•— About 

 a 5th part smutty ears. No. 3.— About one-half smutty 

 ears. From which it appeared that vitriol, coupled with 

 washing and skimming, proved to be an effectual cure, 

 even to a sample of the description sown. Ever since, 

 I have invariably used vitriol, and have found from 20 

 years' experience on upwards of 100 acres of W heat 



annually that one pound to a sack of Wheat will prevent 

 the disease, as I have never had smutty Wheat since. 1 

 believe the cure was effected in the above by destroying 

 the vegetative powers of the damaged seed ; for it will 

 be observed that the produce was clean in proportion to 

 the thickness of the plant. Half the produce was black 

 in No. 3, which had no pickling, and half the seed 

 appeared to have been destroyed in No. 2, to pro- 

 duce a perfect sample. The grain must be serious y 

 affected by the disease before such beneficial effects 

 would ensue from washing and skimming ; but 1 am 

 inclined to think that soil and season have considerable 

 influence upon it. Some years ago J;»s jested 

 value 40 acres of Wheat in this neighbourhood, growing 

 upon wet, poor land, and upon a very careful examination 

 of it I found one-third consisted of smutty ears, and my 

 calculation of the value was made accordingly. AM 

 owner informed me that the same seed had that summer 

 produced on healthy land in the western end of tins 

 county a good sample. We do not now wash and slam, 

 but simply use vitriol mixed with water and a smaU 

 quantity of quicklime to dry it.-Report of the Cardiff 



^SSiSL ^no as a manure has for some time 

 excited great attention among agnculturists it ma^not 

 be uninteresting to some readers to learn in p ^^ 

 a foreigner given a hundred years ago. i ^^ 



which I extract it is entitled A ™'* f s ain , 

 America, undertaken by command of he K ing F 

 by Don George Juan, and Don A**"^ 

 journal bears date 1741. They say nothing ^abou g 



exhausting the land ; but their '**™*™ . The 

 used for Wheat and Barley is worth rttenmno 

 translation from which the passage ioUowmg is^ £ ^ 

 was published at London in UW. tg 



jurisdiction of Chancay, «ke the other parte ojj 

 of Peru, are manured with the dung of c r.ain 

 which abound here in a very e/ ttwr ™' ry tbe Indian 

 These they call guanoes, and the dung ; guano, ^ ^ 

 name for excrement in general. * fae gea> 



spending the whole day in ^"^arTe coast, and 

 repair at night to rest on the islands near the ^ 



their number being so great as eotiW eJcre . 



ground, they leave a proportionable quanti j t , 

 Lnt. This is dried by the hea ^ ^ ^ ndi ng great 

 and is daily ^creasing, so that no^ justed. Some 

 quantities are taken away, it is never ex ^ tbe 



will have this guano to be only c«» ^ wb ich it is 

 quality of raising a ferment in the soil w digious 



mixed. This opinion is founded on the ^ ^ ^ 

 quantities carried off from those islands, ^.^ thc 



periment made by digging or boring, j^ ^ ^ tbe 

 appearance at a certain depth was the earta ,g 



superficies ; whence it is conclude" q{ dung r 



naturally endowed with the heating : °*** y did not both 

 guano. This would seem less ""P™^ exC rement in 

 its appearance and smell proie it to oe bflrque g 



question. I was in these ^"^£k smeU 1* 

 1 2ame to load with it j when the uuuppori 









