1844.] 



THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 



509 





s 



* 



l! l 



^EEB- WHEAT. — Any 6n« desirous of purchasing 

 Seed for next vear i* invited to inspect the two varieties 

 of Wheit, SHIRRKFF'S HOPETOUX and MORTON'S RKO 

 STRAW WHITK f 120 acres of which are now «rr»winic on 

 WHITFIELD FARM, THORNBURY, GLOUCKSTEKSHIRB. 

 The present is t^e only season of the year when the value 

 of any variety of Wheat as Seed can he ascertained hy inspec- 

 tion ; for, if the examination of h mere sample of the grata, 

 which can he seen at any time, be nearly iminstnictive as to 

 its quality in the eye of the baker (see 4g* Gazette 9 No. 5), it is 

 entirely so as to the productiveness or habit of growth of the 

 variety to which it belongs. These points which are of the 

 highest importance in the eye of the Farmer, can be ascertained 

 ouJy by an examination of the growing plant when in full ear. 



Jou.v Morton, Whitfield, Thombury. 



®i)t BQVicultm 



SATURDAY, JULY 27, 1844. 



MEETINGS FOR THE TWO FOLLOWING WEEKS. 



Wrdxksiiav, July 31 Ajcriculturitl Society of England. 

 Thursday, Aug 1 Agricultural Imp. Soc. ot Ireland. 



Wbdnksday, Aug. 7 Agricultural Society of England. 

 Thursday, Aug. 8 Agricultural Imp. »oc- oi Ireland. 



FARMEUS' CLUBS. 



July 



C Framlinyham. 

 30-J Isle vt Thanet. 

 (.llayleigh. 



Aug. 3 Collumpton. 



We have to direct the attention of our readers to 

 the Report, in other columns, of the Meeting of the 

 Agkicvi*tural Society op England at South- 

 ampton during the past week. 



The exhibition of implements, to which, in keep- 

 ing with our leading principles (see No. I), we have 

 devoted the greater part of our attention, has greatly 

 surpassed its predecessors, not only in the money, 

 but in the agricultural value of the machines shown. 

 This Exhibition possesses not only a positive interest, 

 depending on the usefulness of competition amongst 



machine-makers. butit possesses aUoarelative interest, 

 to be ascertained by a comparison of it with those of 

 previous years, inasmuch as it exhibits the progress 

 of improvement in that important subject— agricul- 

 tural mechanics. We have endeavoured to exhibit, 

 by a comparative statement, the relation in which 

 the show of implements at Southampton stands to 

 that of the previous year at Derby. This will be 

 seen, along with other remarks on the subject, in 

 another place. 



Though the subject of Machines of Carriage will 

 come to be considered more in detail in the course 

 of a series of articles on Agricultural Mechanics, 

 which we hope soon to lay before our readers, yet 

 the present being a seasonable time for a discussion 



Of THE MERITS OF THE CART OR WAGGON FOR 



harvest purposes, we shall just state the points on 

 which such a discussion must turn. Our own opi- 

 nion is, that for these, as for most if not all farm 

 purposes, the one horse cart is the most economical 

 machine in use ; but the result of a well-conducted 

 comparative trial might prove unfavourable to this 

 view, and yet arable farmers who hold it might still 

 be perfectly justified in refusing to use waggons in- 

 stead of carts— and this, on the only ground which 

 can commend itself to the practical man — on the 

 ground of true economy. For, to take a case, we 

 tiappen to know a farm on which, in winter and 

 spring, 2400 cubic yards of manure were last year 

 carted from the steading to the fields ; on which, in 

 autumn and winter, about 1400 tons of Swedes, 

 Mangold Wurzel, Carrots, Potatoes, and Turnips; 

 were carted from the fields to the steading; on which, 

 in summer and autumn, about 700 cart-loads of 

 Corn, Hay, and Stubbie were carted home. Now, 

 was it the interest of the farmer in this case to 

 change his carts for waggons, though it might be 

 proved that he would have saved by it in harvesting 

 his 700 loads of Corn, when he would so manifestly 

 have suffered by the change, with reference to five 

 times as many loads of the less bulky material — 

 manure and green crops ? We do not suppose the 

 experience of every or of many arable farmers is 

 similar to that of the one we allude to, but we just 

 mention the case, to convince those who hold the 

 superiority of the waggon over the cart in harvest- 

 time to be self-evident, that others may agree with 

 them in opinion on this point, and yet reasonably 

 differ from them in practice. * 



Thisfarmer needs all his present number of carts 

 when hauling manure in winter and spring. Is it 

 His interest to purchase, in addition to them, as many 

 waggons- as he will require during Corn-harvest, 



m \?J t0 ° btain the smaU differential advantage 

 wmen we will suppose him to receive from them at 

 tnat season ? This advantage would need to be a 

 great one to justify an affirmative answer. But we 

 oeueve, where well- constructed carts are in use, the 

 rap oymerit of waggons at harvest-time in their 

 «eau, in place of being advantageous, would entail a 

 toss upon the farmer. 



The implements and furniture of a farm form a 

 large item in the account of capital invested in it, 

 and the purchase of a greater variety than is neces- 

 sary is obviously most unwise: the aim should be, 

 Hot to have a machine for every separate purpose, 



but to get a machine to perform as many purposes 

 as possible. 



To no class of implements do remarks on variety 

 being inconsistent with economy apply more than 

 they do to machines of carriage'' There are waggons 

 for the carriage of heavy goods, and waggons for the 

 harvesting of Corn or Hay; and there are three- 

 horse, two-horse, and one-horse carts; while the 

 purposes for which all these are used may be 

 effected, we believe, as well by the use of one of 

 them. It is needless todescribe'all the various little 

 differences in the construction of these machines. 

 They vary in dimension ; some have attachments 

 in front and behind, by which the length, and on 

 either side by which the width, of the load may 

 be increased. Some have broad wheels, which are 

 necessary in harvesting Hay or Corn off the wet un- 

 drained districts in which they are used; others 

 have narrow wheels, more fitted for the carriage of 

 light loads on good roads. 



in the practice of many well-farmed districts, it is 

 shown that one form will answer certainly all the 

 farm purposes, and perhaps almost all other purposes 

 for which this variety is used. Economy requires a 

 form of carriage which, while it will just hold a 

 heaped load of dung, or a flat load of earth, or stones 

 sufficient for the draught of one horse, may, by a 

 simple means of increasing its size, be enabled to 

 hold an equal weight of Straw or Hay. 



On this subject we shall hereafter enter more into 

 detail ; at present it is sufficient to say, that if, as 

 we know to be the case, a framework supported by 

 only two wheels may be made to carry a full load for 

 one horse— say '24 cwt.— of Corn in sheaf, the only 

 result which could follow a union (in point of size) 

 of two such frameworks supported by four wheels 

 would be that injurious one of increased awkward- 

 ness andunmanageableness. 



-But let us for a short time consider the general 

 question of cart versus waggon. There are many 

 advantages possessed by one-horse carts over car- 

 riages requiring two or three horses to draw them. 

 The second and the third horses, in the latter case, 

 cannot exert themselves to such advantage when in 

 trace harness as if each were between shafts. The 

 strength of the foremost of a long row of horses, and 

 of each of the others, in proportion to their distance 

 from the weight, is expended on the useless labour 

 of keeping those behind him in a straight line. This 

 is panicuiarlv observable on going up a hill, when a 

 horse naturally pulls to a side to try to lessen the 

 draught. Unless they are under a skilful driver, 

 some of the horses will be seen pulling one way, and 

 some in another. On going down hill, again, the faults 

 of this plan are equaiiy evident, for the whole weight 

 of the machine comes on the shaft-horse; while, 

 were it divided amongst three or four in separate 

 carts, each would have his share. 



In an interesting Paper on this subject in the 

 second volume of the Agricultural Society's Journal, 

 the author states that he has, after trial, abandoned 

 the heavy waggons of the district, and substituted in 

 their place, for all farm purposes, the light one horse 

 cart ; he states that the only objection to the one- 

 horse cart system is, that the weight on the back of 

 the animal distresses it. Now, here we think he is 

 wrong; this weight, to which he objects, we believe 

 to be both directly and indirectly advantageous. 

 Directly— for if there be a portion of the load on the 

 back of the horse, there will, of course, be less on the 

 cart for him to draw. When an excavator loads his 

 barrow with earth or stones, he loads it near the 

 handles, that by having more to carry he may have 

 less to wheel. And it is, we believe, indirectly bene- 

 ficial ; for when there is a portion of the load on the 

 horses back, he is better able to draw that which 

 rests on the cart; his feet are firmer on the ground, 

 of which he has thus a better hold, and along which 

 he is of course better able to pull a heavy load ; this 

 may easily be seen when he is pulling up hill : the 

 carter then always loads his cart forwards. If a 

 pressure on the back of the horse enables him to draw 

 a heavy load up hill, it will, to a certain extent, also 

 enable him to support a heavy load without slipping 

 on going down hill. There is no doubt, however, 

 but that from a badly arranged load the animal will 

 suffer going down hill, as the pressure is of course 

 increased the more that the centre of gravity of the 

 load is thrown forwards. To remedy this, the author 

 ot the paper alluded to recommends three ways. 

 1 wo °f tnese certainly tend to diminish this weight, 

 though not to take it away. In one of them it is 

 proposed to lower the box of the cart and pass the 

 axle through it, so as to have some of the load below 

 as well as above it. In the other, the author simply 

 proposes to lengthen the cart and diminish the height 

 of the load ; and he gives a drawing of a very 

 neat Corn-cart on this principle, of his invention. 

 I he third method which he suggests is, however, 

 evidently founded on a mistaken idea,, (see page 79, 

 vol ii. Society's Journal). He proposes to load the 

 cart at either end " so as to leave the middle space 



empty, so that, at the greatest descent it has to meet 

 with, no portion of the bulk shall pass the plumb 

 line" from the axle. " consequently no overbalance 

 can take place, no weight can be thrown forwards." 

 But the author forgets that it does not matter whether 

 each of the two loads is on its own side of the 

 plumb line ; we must not only look at the fact, that 

 the two equal weights are on either side of the axle 

 or fulcrum, but we must look also to their distances 

 from that fulcrum, and we shall find that if the cart 

 be inclined, as when going down hill, both the front 

 and hind portions of the load will be thrown for- 

 wards, the one portion from, and the other nearer to 

 the plumb line from the axle, and thus the weight 

 on the horse's back will be increased as before. If 

 this weight be inconveniently great, the proper and 

 simple remedy is to raise the shafts by taking up the 

 back band of the shaft horse, and loosening the belly- 

 band; or the load may be raised in front, and so 

 thrown backwards, if it be a till cart, by means of the 

 rail in front, which most carts of this kind have for 

 that purpose. 



We have digressed somewhat from the question 

 which first engaged us, viz. the merits of carts or 

 waggons for harvest purpo es, and in returning to it 

 we would just say how only this point can be properly 

 determined. If ten or twelve practical men, tann- 

 ing similar extents of similar land, and following 

 the same method of harvesting their grain, except- 

 ing that so many used waggons ami so many carts, 

 were to keep a journal of their harvest operations, 

 specifying the number of men, women, children, and 

 horses, respectively employed strictly in harvest 

 work, so many hours in each field — if they were to 

 keep the Corn of each field separate and measure the 

 bulk of it a month after harvest when it might be 

 supposed fairly to have settled— and if they were to 

 measure the distance of each field from the stack in 

 which the crop off it was built, a comparison of those 

 journals by any one acquainted with the general 

 character of the crops on each farm, and with the 

 strength and activity of the men ami horses at work 

 on it, would determine the question of the relative 

 merits for harvest- work of the carts and waggons 

 employed. The question is a very interesting one, 

 and we should be glad to join with any, in an 

 attempt of this kind, to answer it. 



GEO-AGRICULTURAL NOTES ON SOUTH 



GLOUCESTERSHIRE. 



It is necessary to state ac the outset, that in drawing 

 up the following remarks, the various subsoils or geolo- 

 gical strata occurring in our district are described in the 

 reverse order of their deposition, commencing wsth the 



uppermost, i. e., the kerse or alluvial land along the sides 

 of the Severn. 



Alluvium. — Along the eastern side of the Severn there 

 is an extensive tract of alluvial deposit, its eastern, 

 boundary, which is everywhere its junction with the marl 

 of the new red sand-stone, lies, from Shirehampton on 

 the Avon along the edge of the hills by Over and 

 Almondsbury to Olveston, where it turns north-west, by 

 Ingst and Aust. This constitutes the chief portion of 

 the alluvial district. Another division of it, connected 

 with this by a narrow band of land between Aust and 

 Ingst, on the alluvial level, runs in a narrow tract along 

 the shore to Oldbury, being bounded thus far by the 

 rising ground between Littleton and that village ; from 

 Oldbury, the boundary of this tract runs south-east 

 towards Thornbury, up to llockhampton, Hill, and 

 Berkeley, where it is terminated abruptly by the Little- 

 Avon, up the banks of which a narrow band on the 

 alluvial level runs as far up as Stone. The shore of the 

 Severn from this to Oldmoor Cliff, north of Purron Pas- 

 sage, is abrupt. Near this, another tract of small 

 extent commences, the principal portion of which gets 

 the name of the New Grounds, having been taken from 

 the Severn by embankment mauy years sgo. This allu- 

 vial deposit is generally of a light blackish-brown colour, 

 but towards Berkeley tne colour is ruddier than anywhere 

 else. It is a calcaieous clay, produced by the degrada- 

 tion of the clays and limestones of the blue lias, and of 

 the marls of the new led sand-stone, through which the 

 river runs. Under the head Alluvium, also, must be 

 placed those fertile districts down the sidfcs of the many 

 streams which everywhere intersect the county. The 

 nature of the soil on these, of course, varies with that of 

 the district through which the streams flow ; thus, the 

 soil on the banks of the streams down the valleys in the 

 oolitic district is a rich calcareous loam, while that simi- 

 larly situated in the coal district is either a stiff clay or a 

 keen sand. The land on the alluvium is almost waollj- 

 pasture. Perhaps, out of a farm of 200 acres, a field of 

 6 or 7 acres may be arable. The fields are not small, 

 and they are seldom crowded with trees. The Em is the 

 hedge-row tree. Orchards flourish on this soil. The 

 small extent of arable land is generally cultivated wholly 

 for the farmer's own consumption, for which, indeed, on 

 many farms, it does not suffice. Wheat and Potatoes 

 are the chief crops. Beans are also occasionally grown. 

 The average of the Wheat-crop is from 28 to 30 bushels 

 per acre— higher than anywhere else in the district ; the 

 Potato- crop is also generally good. These crops are, 

 however, as in all c«ses on clayey soil, much dependent on 

 the weather: a wet autumn and mild winter, or a dry 



d summer, are equally injurious; and 



season in spring an 



