1844,] 



me no room to doubt of the nature of their cargo. I do 

 not, however, pretend to deny but that it may be mixed 

 with earth, or that the most superficial part of the earth 

 does not contract the like virtue, so as to produce the 

 same effect ; but however it may be, this is the manure 



THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 



493 





can possibly think of — light, cleanly, and portable, 

 and possessed of the peculiar property of holding 

 together the most volatile subtances, till gradually 

 called forth by the exigencies of the growing plants. 

 Lastly, you get free of the nasty and noisome tank, 



atered. 



It is also in use for fields of other grain, ex- 



cept Wheat and Barley, and consequently prodigious 

 quantities of it are yearly used in Agriculture."— From 

 an Everton Correspondent. 



Liquid Manures.— It is now a pretty general belief 

 among farmers that there is k « some good" in liquid 

 manures; but somehow or other we ne»er see much pre- 

 paration either for the collection or application of this, 

 the cheapest and most valuable of all manures, and we 

 verily believe that the subject is as yet scarcely thought 

 of in a way to lead to any practical result by one bona 

 fide rent-paying farmer out of the thousand. Now, having 

 for several years been an experimenter in this way, and 

 sensible of the very great importance and value of liquid 

 manures, I shall here take the liberty of throwing in my 

 mite to the general fund, by communicating the little I 

 have gained by experience to my fellow-farmers — free of 

 the quickset hedge which chemists generally inclose 

 themselves in, when telling a plain tale to plain people. 

 As I discard all chemical formula? — the tank, watering- 

 cart, and other et ceteras — from my system, and attach 

 the fertilising ingredients to a substance they can actually 

 •work in with spades and shovels, I have the more hope 

 that my plan will be followed. Chemists generally do not 

 tell us the reason why liquid manures will not do when 

 applied in a fresh state, though this is perfectly plain to 

 all plain men. Liquid manure, if spread upon an imper- 

 vious, poor, or gravelly soil, in a fresh state, is not re- 

 tained long enough for its decomposition taking place, or 

 for the roots of the scanty herbage drinking it up in its 

 fresh state. It is put on liquid manure, and runs off 

 nearly in the same state ; but apply it to a soil rich 



sons, and all 



the cow is estimated, by very high authority, to be equal in 

 value to its weight of South American guano. This makes 

 one's mouth water. In making these statements, I do not 

 by any means wish to disturb the dreams of the che- 

 mists ; on the contrary, I set a great value on dreams, 

 when they happen to be on the right track, and have 

 little doubt but a powdering of gypsum, mixed with the 

 carbon, on our fermenting floor, would be very valuable ; 

 neither would I object to sulphuric acid, provided the 

 chemists would furnish it gratis. 1 also beg my fellow- 

 farmers clearly to understand, that I make no preten- 

 sions to this plan of applying liquid manure being a new 

 discovery. I know you too well to propose such an ab- 

 surdity. This is merely a modification of your old and 

 tried plan of bottoming your dunghills with peat ; but 

 by charring, the peat is freed of its antiseptic qualities, 

 and thus becomes of itself a much better and speedier 

 manure and an admirable filter. But even peat, tho- 

 roughly dried and perfectly pulverised, I have no doubt 

 might answer the end indifferently well Inverness 



Courier. 



Artificial Manures Some farms, or portioss of 



farms, are situated on the top or sides of hills, others at 

 a distance from the fold-yards, to which the heavy car- 

 riage of fold-yard manure would be too expensive to 

 afford an adequate return to the farmer, or perhaps alto- 

 gether impossible; artificial manures, therefore, in these 

 in decayed and decaying vegetable'matter, and on which i cases, by reason of their smaller bulk and less weight, 



its application. You have merely to shovel past the 



saturated charcoal, and shovel in a little fresh stuff, and 

 the whole process goes on again of its own " sweet will ;" 



while the prepared stuffs lie ready for all crops, all sea- of the remainder, and about the same quantity of nitric 



times. The solid matter in the urine of acid ; add the nitric acid to the bones, and when the 



many other manures depend for their fertilising qualities 

 is easily ascertained by rubbing a small portion of it in 

 the hand, with an equal quantity of quick lime; the 

 scent then given ought to resemble smelling-salts. Sand 

 may be detected in guano by stirring a small quantity of 

 it in a tumbler of water ; the lighter and useful portions 

 will either float or remain in solution, and the sand will 

 go to the bottom. Bone-dust is generally adulterated with 

 powdered chalk, which may be detected in the following 

 manner : — First pick out from a small quantity all the 

 perceptible pieces of bones ; weigh out half an ounce 



a vigorous vegetation is going on, and it never fails of its 

 extraordinary effects. The fertilising principle of the 

 manure is separated from the water by the decomposi- 

 tion and filtrative powers of the carbon or humus — or 

 call it what you will — in the soil, and retained there till 

 absorbed by the rain, which is, in turn, drunk up by the 

 plants, and is again separated and built up, or embodied 

 in the growing plants ; or the liquid manure is at once 

 drunk up and decomposed in the structure of the plant, 

 the water being evaporated by the leaves, and the organic 

 matter built up atom by atom. The plan of administer- 

 ing liquid manures in a perfectly fresh state is probably 

 the best of any, were it not for the continued care and 

 attention, and consequent expense necessary in supply- 

 ing our crops with saturated water in all their stages 



throughout the year, and were we certain of the exact the following table, taking them at the present prices, 



are exceedingly useful. Artificial manures can be more 

 readily employed as top-dressings than the farm-yard 

 manure, and, on account of their being either in a state 

 of powder or liquid, are more quickly carried into the 

 soil by the rain, for the nourishment of the plants. The 

 principal points to be looked to in the selection of arti- 

 ficia 1 manures, are the comparative cost of the quantity re- 

 quired to manure an acre ; the cost of application to the 

 soil ; the fitness of the manure to the nature of the soil ; 

 and the quantity of foreign matter, not possessing any 

 manuring power, which they contain, whether introduced 

 for the purpose of adulterating them or not. With 

 regard to the first, namely, the comparative cost of the 

 quantity of manure required for &n acre for Turnips, 

 and the cost of application to the toil, I have drawn out 



3 



»t 



2 



M 



3 



if 



4 



ft 



4 



>» 



7 



tt 



15 



f» 



strength of the solutions suited to their wants, but which, 

 probably, is what the water will naturally take up and 

 carry in solution. As we, therefore, cannot apply our 

 liquid manures on the best principle, on account of the ex- 

 pense, we must try the next best plan, that of decomposing 

 them by the aid of decomposed vegetable matter; and 

 this can happily be done to great perfection by reduc- 

 ing the vegetable matter to the state of carbon or char- 

 coal. The way we do is this : — After having laid in a 

 good stock of charcoal — which we make from Peat, as 

 being trifling in expense, easily pulverised, and withal 

 an excaWent manure of itself — we divide a shed, or any 

 other building, into two compartments, one of which 

 we make water-tight, by puddling the side walls with 

 clay, to the height, perhaps, of two feet, and separated 

 from the other compartment by a low water-tight wall 

 or boarding. This is the fermenting tank, which is filled 

 half or three parts full of pulverised carbonised Peat, 

 and the liquid manure from the byre, stable, pig-styes, 

 &c, &c, directed into it. This is allowed to remain 

 mixed up with the carbonised Peat for three or four 

 weeks, till the decomposition seems about completed, be- 

 ing occasionally stirred about after the composition has 

 become about the consistency of gruel. The whole is 

 then laded over the low partition into the second floor, 

 which is also three parts filled with carbonised peat ; 

 and as this second floor is meant merely as a filter, we 

 have it lower on one side than the other, by which means, 

 in the course of a day or two, the carbonised peat is left 

 comparatively dry. The water having passed off at the 

 lower side in a crystal stream — fit for tea or toddy to the 

 most fastidious — the first or fermenting floor is again 

 filled as before, and the contents of the second floor, if 

 considered saturated enough, is then shovelled up into a 

 corner, and allowed to drip, and further dry, till used, 

 which may be either immediately, or at the end of twenty 

 years, as scarcely anything will affect it, if not exposed to 

 the continued washing of pure water, or exposed to the 

 influence of the roots of growing plants. By being 

 thinly spread on a granary floor it soon becomes per- 

 fectly dry, and suited to pass through drill machines of 

 all descriptions. The mixing of the carbonised Peat 

 with the liquid manure on the first or fermenting floor, 

 it will be observed, is for laying hold of the gaseous 

 matters as they escape during the fermentation ; perhaps 

 other substances may effect this more effectually, but 

 none so cheaply. I think by this plan it will be obvious 

 to every one that a great many desiderata are at once 

 obtained. In the first place, you get free of about 950 

 parts out of every 1000 of the weight and bulk of 

 manure by the expulsion of the water; while at 



and the quantities at such as have been tried with success. 



Quantities and Cost of Manures for Turnips. 



Name of Manure. 



Guano . . 

 Rape Dust 

 Woollen . . 

 Nitrate 



Guano and Wood) 

 Ashes . . f 

 Bone Dust . 

 Sulphuric Acid 



Bone Dust 

 Pottevin's Manure 



Quantity 

 per Acre. 



W W 



:} 



400lbs. 

 1 ton 

 l ton 

 600lbs. 

 350lbs. 



15 bus. 



40lbs. 

 20lbs. 



16 bus. 

 24 bus. 



Cost 

 per Acre. 



£ s. d. 

 2 







1 10 

 1 10 

 ! 15 

 15 

 1 



3 



1 2 9 



2 6 



U'>st or 



Appli- 

 cation. 



riageto 

 Farm. 





JS §. d. & a. 

 4 DO 4 

 10 10 

 10 



oo 6 



p 











10 

 4 



5 003 



d. 

 















6 



Cost 

 p. Acre. 



£ 

 2 



7 



5 

 2 



8. 



8 

 

 

 



d. 

 

 

 

 



4 6026 





 



4 

 4 





 00 



4 

 6 





 



2 19 6 



070 



I 



2 



10 

 10 



8 

 6 



By the foregoing table you will perceive that bone-dust 

 and sulphuric acid is by far the cheapest manure for 

 Turnips, even if five times the quantity recommended by 

 Liebig be applied, and that I have only included in the 

 calculations those manures with which I have found that 

 authentic experiments have been tried with Turnips. I 

 therefore now add a table showing the quantities of the 

 different manures and their prices, which have been 

 applied to Wheat with success. 



Quantities and Cost of Manures for Wheat as Top-dressinps. 



Name of Manure. 



*;*;„ Cost per 

 Acre- Acre. 



Nitrate of Soda. 

 Nitrate of Potassa. 



Cost ot 



Applica- 

 tion. 



i Total 

 Carriage Cost per 

 to Farm, Acre. 



£. s. 



rf. 



£. 



s. d 



18 



6 







1 



l 6 







■ 



n 



1 



£. s. d 



£. 8. rf. 



2 



1 1 6 



2 



1 9 



With regard to the fitness of the different kinds of 

 manures for different soils, those which are composed of 

 various substances, as guano, may be considered useful 

 on all soils ; but those, such as gypsum, lime, and com- 

 mon salt, which consist of one substance, or salt alone, 

 can only be expected to answer on land where that sub- 

 stance is nearly or entirely wanting, provided that salt is 

 not one of ammonia. Farmers ought, therefore, to call 

 in the assistance of the chemist to analyse the soil before 

 they make use of them, or they will probably find, should 

 they ultimately do so, that they have been applying to 

 the soil a substance which it before contained in abun- 

 dance ; and to the want of this precaution may be attri- 

 buted many of the failures with artificial manures which 

 have taken place. The quantity of foreign matter or 

 substances mixed with them, which are not of use as 

 manure, depends upon two causes : if that manure is 

 guano, either upon the carelessness and ignorance of the 

 persons employed to collect it, in scraping up with it 

 from the shores where it is found a quantity of sand and 



effervescence has ceased, weigh the whole again,— for 

 every grain which it falls short of the original weight, it 

 contained twice that quantity of chalk. — From a Lecture 

 by T. C. Eyton, Esq. to the Wellington Farmers" Club. 

 Thick Sowing. — Many farmers, I know, give a prefer- 

 ence to the broadcast system, under the impression that 

 a larger increase is produced, by a more distinct and 

 regular distribution of the seed-corn. On that point 

 their argument may be somewhat correct ; for it is an 

 axiom which I believe cannot be controverted, that where 

 many seed-corns are deposited together, and that when 

 their fibrous roots come into contact, many of them 

 degenerate or wholly cease to obtain perfection. That 

 may, however, be obviated by a drill-machine so con- 

 structed as to deposit with greater precision a fewer 

 number of corns in the seed-cup. I have somewhere 

 read of an experiment made in dibbling Wheat, where 

 an inverse ratio to the number of grains placed in the 



dibbled holes was produced, viz. : — 

 8 seeds deposited in the same hole produced 3 ears of Wheat* 

 7 ditto ditto 



6 ditto ditto 



5 ditto ditto 



4 ditto ditto 



3 ditto ditto 



2 ditto ditto 



I ditto ditto 



This statement may be correct, and if the agriculturist 

 could depend on the attention required from their labour 

 to deposit a single seed in each hole, great benefit might 

 be the result ; but where the process, I believe, is usually 

 practised, payment at certain prices per bushel is made, 

 and to dispose of the quantity holds out too many tempta- 

 tions to the seedsman. All this maybe provided against 

 by proper attention to the working of a well-constructed 

 drill, when the advantages to be obtained are indisput- 

 able, by the facility, which should never be forgotten,, 

 is the ready employment offered to children, who may 

 soon and easily accomplish the work well ; and, by their 

 time being employed, providing for their own main- 

 tenance, making them more useful and estimable mem- 

 bers of society, as well as contributing to the establish- 

 ment of their health and future well-doing.— Report of 

 the Cardiff Farmers' Club. 



Turnip Culture, deep Sowing. — As to variation of 

 soil being an objection, I think an easy matter to dis- 

 prove. On Rozelle Home farm, as is well known, there 

 is every variety of soil, from the stiffest clay to the finest 

 deep sandy loam. The culture of Turnip on these 

 varied soils in so far as depth of sowing is concerned, 

 has been invariably the same with me. In no single 

 instance, during 12 years past, can I recollect of any 

 disadvantage to the Turnip crop, on any of the descrip- 

 tions of soils on the farm, being apparent, that could be 

 considered as arising exclusively from the practice of 

 sowing deep. External influences of weather or climate 

 may have pressed more severely on some soils than on 

 others, but the early process of vegetation has always 

 been sure ; I have never had, during the above period, a 

 failure in the braird — any damage to the crop hav- 

 ing occurred when it was in a more mature stage. 

 It would have been unreasonable in me to have said, that 

 deep sowing would always insure a good crop ; what I 

 did say, and can prove is, that deep sowing will favour its 

 development, and secure it against evil in the most pre- 

 carious stage of its growth. This truth many farmers 

 will readily coincide with me in asserting— and they have 

 arrived at conviction through its most legitimate channel 

 —experience of the benefits of the system. I haver 

 positive evidence to prove that, on whatever description 

 of soil the plan recommended by me has been followed — 

 although the fly has been there, its ravages have been 

 repelled, while it has dealt destruction on the crops 

 around that were differently treated. As evidence that 

 there is something rational in the system of deep sowing, 

 many intelligent farmers in this neighbourhood have put 

 it profitably into practice ; while in many places over 

 the country, in Renfrewshire and Lanarkshire, it has 

 been tried this season on every variety of soil, and from 

 what I can learn, with success, in so far as it has 

 favoured rather than retarded a healthy braird. Let 

 those who doubt only try for themselves, and I will have 

 no fear of their future opposition. That the leaves of 

 the plants are more strong when they emerge from the 

 soil is also undeniable. They appear nearly in the 

 M rough leaf" — a stage in their growth, which when they 

 once attain, is well known to operate as a protection 

 against the fly. As mentioned in my previous commu " 

 nication, the presence of the fly cannot be prevented, but 

 they feast but sparinglv on rough food, a regimen tney 

 do not seem to relish ; hence the very trifling injury in ey 

 do the crop. As Turnip is generally sown wito l us 

 slightly raised ridges or drills, the comm^Fra^ 

 of thinning allows the root sufficient «P°£ ' beea 

 Walls, in the Ayrshire Agriculturist. ^ ^^ 

 at some pains in making inquiry" 



-_ , __ stones ; or else it is caused by the dishonest mixture of 



the same time you link all the fertilising properties sand with it after its arrival in this country. Thequan- 



contamed in it to one of the most handv vehicles onejtity of ammonia in guano, on which principally this and, riority has been 



and find that 



of Mr. W..U' . y .,e» of »™*XTuZ SV^ 

 in e,er 7 instance » "b.ch « b" ^ ad tion £•« 

 rinritv hu beea manifest : "« veI 7 5 CUC ' r 



