I 



I 



J* 



: 



* 



. 







2844J 



siiehtlY~raoiBtened and left in great masses long together, 

 act in any degree on each other ? It is, I believe, known 

 that masses of the same substances will act on each 



ther of which smaller quantities will not. I do not 

 ask this question for agricultural purposes (though pos- 



•li_ t h e answer might be of some interest in that point 

 of view), but from having found in Peru a great bed of 

 upraised recent shells, mixed with salt, which are de- 

 caved and corroded in a singular manner, so that the 

 surfaces of the shells are scaling off and falling into pow- 

 der. I ma y mention, as explaining one element in the 

 ▼aluc of sea-shells as manure, that they are dissolved by- 

 water with greater facility than apparently any other 

 form of carbonate of lime : one proof of this I observed 

 in a curious rock, from Chili, chiefly composed of small 

 fragments of recent shells, which are all enveloped and 

 cemented together by a pellucid calcareous deposit ; but 

 in some parts of this rock the little included fragments 

 are ia every stage of decay and disappearance ; in other 

 parts they are entirely dissolved, the little calcareous 

 envelopes being left quite empty. Here we see that 

 water, capable of dissolving shelly matter, has penetrated 

 through their thin films or envelopes of carbonate of 

 lime, without having acted on them ; these films, more- 

 over, being a deposition from water within quite recent 

 times.— C. Darwin. 



Poller's Guano. — I received this analysis from Mr. 

 Mason. The sulphate of soda cost me 3/. 10s. a ton, 

 and was very good, with a slight excess of sulphuric acid, 

 not injurious, I think, to vegetation. I obtained the 

 sulphate of ammonia at 17/. a ton, but I diminished the 

 proportion of gypsum and salt, in order to employ a 

 larger quantity of sulphate of ammonia. A compound 

 resembling the manure which you have sent me for ana- 

 lysis, may be made as follows : — 



Bones ground fine 



Sulphate of lime • • . . 

 Common salt ...... 



THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 



639 



Sulphate of soda 



Sulphate of ammonia, mixed with urine. 



200 parts 

 100 

 100 

 75 



25 





it 



-X. 



500 parts. 



Guano ; Superphosphate of Lime. — Last year I had 

 some Guano sown over part of a field of Wheat, which 

 had been manured with between thirty and forty bushels 

 of lime per acre, in the autumn, at the time of sowing 

 the seed. There was not more grain at the time of har- 

 vest, where the guano was sown, than where there was 

 none, but much more straw. The expense of the guano 

 appears to be almost thrown away. With regard to su- 

 perphosphate of lime, I used about four bushels an acre, 

 drilled with the seed ; but from the strong and rank 



appearance of the leaves, I should think a less quantity 

 sufficient.— J. W. 



Transmutation of Species.— la Dodsley's "Annual 

 Register" for 1/59 (p. 381), is an account'of some Oats 

 which the second year produced in Sweden Rye, having 

 been cut off two and three times. I sowed some in 

 March, 18o2, and cut them several times, but the roots 

 died in the winter. The experiment was a source of 

 great ndic-ile and amusement to my neighbours. Did 

 not Bruce find Wheat apparently growing wild about 

 the source of the Nile ?— C. M. 



f Ton\^ t7 -r- Surel y vour correspondent, "Rambler," 

 IP- oM), is incorrect in stating that Potatoes are gene 

 rally better in a new than old soil. Every person I have 

 conversed with on the subject, allows that the produce 



«ni«P r . [ V s P roba *>ly what he meant,] but that the 

 qiahty is much inferior, being waxy. This year I had a 



mlvt n ,)a ? Ure doubIe du S ( the Grass so <*s being re- 

 Sp ! . -I" 1 / S6t * ith Pot atoes and various manures ; 

 the quality from all the manures is bad.-i?. J. 



bellrJT ?> Cdc !t r '~- 1 Ilave in dosed a piece of what I 

 be'r-Jrti ,,.P° dder P laQ t, Cuscuta europ^a, the stem 

 see llf T : l!ke ' y eU °*»h f branched, and twining. The 

 been [„,!, ° rr ! d r ara *"ic plant I have no doubt has 



which £ 6 « int ° 0Ur Cl0Ter in the forei S Q 8eed 



Dodder f ^ 7 S ° ld t0 the farmer8 « The havoc the 

 ^oaoer has made amnn^f ffc« ni™. ;„ «.:*. -*-~t.u 



FARMERS' CLUBS. 



Darlington Farmers 1 Club.— This Club held their 

 monthly meeting on Monday last, at the offices of Mr. 

 Thos. Dixon, Land Agent, their Honorary Secretary, 

 when there was a pretty good attendance of members 

 present. The subject under discussion was The most 

 beneficial Time for Reaping Wheat and other Corn, and 

 the profitable Mode of Cutting and Securing it. 

 Henry Chapman, Esq., the Chairman, introduced the 

 subject, and said, that having formerly himself been a 

 pretty extensive farmer, for a good many years, more 

 particularly in Derbyshire, he had had opportunities of 

 observing the cutting and harvesting of Wheat under 

 different circumstances, and he was decidedly in favour 

 of cutting Wheat before being fully ripe, as by that means 

 a finer sample is obtained, as well as having the crop cut 

 with less waste ; but although he was an advocate for 

 reaping Wheat before being fully ripe, yet he did not 

 recommend cutting it very raw ; for although a brighter | 

 sample was by that means obtained, yet he was strongly j 

 of opinion that it yielded a less quantity of flour ; not, ' 

 however, having himself made any experiments in proof 

 of this position, he merely gave it as his opinion.— The 

 Secretary then said, that from the experience he had 

 had, he considered it judicious to cut Wheat a little 

 earlier than what has been generally practised, as by that 

 means not only is a brighter and better sample obtained, 

 but if the crop is broken down, as is sometimes the case, 

 it could be cut up much cleaner in a raw state than if 

 fully ripe ; the straw is also of a better quality, and in a 

 wet harvest both the corn and straw stand the weather 

 much better than when cut ripe. An! in support of this 

 position he mentioned the circumstance of the Wheat on 

 the farm on which he was resident in the wet and 

 unsound harvest of 1816 being cut in a very raw state, 

 and the consequence was, that when all the neighbouring 

 farmers' Wheat was completely sprouted in the stook,by ' 

 the long-continued wet weather, the Wheat on this farm 

 was comparatively sound ; and in the succeeding winter 

 and spring, when other farmers of the neighbourhood 

 sold their Wheat in Darlington Market at 22s. per sack, 

 the Wheat from this farm sold for 28$. ; and he believed 

 that the principal, if not the only reason, was that the 



. Wheat on this farm having been cut in a much earlier 

 stage of ripeness than the rest of the neighbourhood, it 

 was not so easily affected by the weather. He then read 

 some ^ extracts from the " Quarterly Journal of Agricul- 

 ture," detailing some experiments made by Mr. J. Han- 

 nam, of North Deighton, near Wetherby, by which it 

 was clearly shown that it was injurious to allow Wheat to 

 stand until fully ripe before cutting, and that the best 

 period for cutting Wheat was from 10 to 14 days before 

 fully ripe. — An animated discussion now ensued both as 

 to the proper period for reaping and the best mode of 

 cutting and securing the crop, and several members con- 

 sidered hooding the stooks of great service in securing 

 the Grain from the ill effects of the weather ; whilst, on 

 the other hand, several others were of opinion that, if 

 properly stooked, it was as well without hooding. As to 

 the best mode of reaping, it having been up to this time 

 almost the universal pra^ice in this neighbourhood to 

 cut Wheat with the sickle, there was no advocate for 

 deviating from the old practice; but as regarded the 

 proper period for reaping, the members present were 

 unanimous in opinion that it is best to cut Wheat in a 

 rather raw state— perhaps a week, at least, before being 

 fully ripe. 



in- • i mm made am °ng8t the Clover is quite astonish- 

 be «Wn »T 8e PatCheS 0f y ellow rii*-Hke net-work may 



fit Id of mvo^ ° n i e ° f Ule fields near this P Iace ^ and in a 

 W a sn jr U ' althou gb I had taken the precaution to 



itself cut and th Ut ^ r ° Und the Dodder » and the P Iant 

 seem of vitaiitv f ? Wn . to § etber > Y et so tenacious does it 

 bloomine- T h Jt ^ as s P reaa * afresh and commenced 



fe ared' murh «T e this time had lt cut and burnt » as I 

 should haVe h H 8h ° U,d U be allowed to seed, I 

 awaitine to i\ f a troublesome enemy in the land, 



rown in its n!! ill any pIant that mi 8 ht be brought or 



tio n has been \\ * °P'~~ l do not see that your atten- 

 almost total I C ? t0 tne se "ous consequences of the 



W <*», there f Irl? ° f Hay in the & razin S and daif y dis " 



acr es out of 1 Oft m0St P^t not more than 20 or 30 



b °urhood of A i 3 k 6 Under the P Iou S°- In the neigh- 



fl °t exceeded 5 bur y» the average crops of Hay have 



two tons • and CWt " P ° r acre, instead of from one to 



fr °m the shn T any meadows have not been cut at all, 



,liv e been » l»i * ° f keep in the pastures. Many 



Se Ptember anH X a r ? m in Jul 7 and August, to mow in 



question Th7 w eT ' but this is now out of the 



disc U6sion and i°f JCCt ° f this communication is to invite 



^S da-rv «J i • ? tl0n a8t <> the best mode of sup- 



; int ' r . m a t^MctV 006 ' iU HeU ° f Ha * du " ng the 

 Turnipg are , cr,ct whe re green crops, and especially 



ub °ut seven .*.«. 7 known - On my farm of 360 acres, 

 Sold Wurzel . S0Wn , with White Carrots and Man- 

 I ,thn «gh thev c» Wh ° ,ly faiied '> and my Turnips, 

 XJ the »y, are n ame Up Rb nndan*fc and are untouched 

 **rmer. ***-V l »S »?ay i Q the pr«cut drought.-^ 



Miscellaneous. 



Cultivation of the Turnip. — The land is ploughed up 

 as early as possible in the autumn, and receives one, 

 two, or more ploughings, as opportunity offers. In the 

 early part of the winter such portions as require draining 

 are thoroughly drained with pipes of two inches' bore, 

 having the opening heart-shaped — the widest part of 

 which is placed downwards — upon the top of which stone 

 is placed to about three inches in depth, consisting prin- 

 cipally of small flints and pebbles, picked from the sur- 

 face of the land ; as soon as the land is sufficiently dry 

 it receives two deep cross-ploughings early in the spring, 

 is rolled and harrowed until a tine tilth is produced, and 

 is then formed into ridges, or small stetches, 37 inches 

 each in width, which is thus effected :-— A straight furrow 

 is first ploughed, and a double-breasted plough is then 

 used, having a marking instrument attached, which con- 

 sists of a small straight tough pole fixed at right angles 

 from the beam of the plough by means of a hook, and 

 placed as far back as possible, so that it does not derange 

 the operation of the plough whilst working ; at the end 

 of this stick an iron is fixed exactly the width of two of 

 the intended ridges, which is connected diagonally by a 

 chain with the whipple-tree of the horse ; this, as the 

 plough proceeds, marks out the next furrow, occupying 

 the space of two ridges. The work thus proceeds fol- 

 lowed by a similar plough, or by the ploughman returning, 

 who, by passing his plough down the middle of this space, 

 divides the stetch of 6 feet 2 inches into two smaller ones 

 of 37 inches each, the marker still defining the distance at 

 which the plough should be held; the ridges being formed, 

 are ploughed off with four furrows to each, and then everj 

 fifth ridge is drawn out to enable the manure to be carted on 

 without injuring the form of the ridge. After the manure 

 is carted on, at the rate of 16 loads of 40 bushels each, the 

 ridges are then ploughed by four furrows, leaving a small 

 baulk in the centre so as to divide the ridge into two 

 spaces for the manure, wnich, from being partially decom- 

 posed, is easily spread in this double furrow ; the land is 

 then ploughed at four furrows to each ridge, and the 

 manure being covered in, is rolled and harrowed, and is 



again rolled with a light roller. The Turnips are th;n 



drilled— two rows upon each ridge 1 1 inches apart, at the 

 rate of 4 pints to the acre, thus standing at alternate 

 spaces of 1 1 inches and 26 inches between the rows. As 

 soon as the Turnips appear, they are singled out by boys 

 and women at 15 inches apart, and are left standing 

 diagonally with e^ch other; they are then carefully and 

 deeply hoed with a heavy hoe, and the furrows are kept 

 clean with the horse-hoe, but the Turnips are invariably set 

 out by hand and never by the hoe, the deep hoeing that is 

 given being considered a main point in the system over and 

 above that pursued with the common light Turnip-hoe ; 

 and the singling by hand is assisted by a small raeasured , 

 stick 15 inches in length, enabling the children employed 

 to set the Turnips out regularly and diagonally, so that 

 when finished they stand thus •.'.•. In the months of 

 November and December the Turnips are all pulled, 

 avoiding the use of hooks or cutting instruments for 

 trimming them, merely wringing off th« tops and dislodg- 

 ing the greater portion of the earth attached to the fibres 

 without cutting them. The Turnips are then carted to 

 the respective fields where they will be required for winter 

 use, and one moiety of them is left in the field for using 

 there ; those left are put into heaps of about 40 bushels 

 each, are thatched over with straw, and the earth, 

 shovelled up and placed round the heaps to the top, 

 which ends in a point. Those taken from the field are 

 carted to the headlands of other fields where they will bo 

 required, which are principally those upon which Wheat 

 was grown in the preceding year after Clover. The old 

 hurdles used for folding are then selected for this pur- 

 pose ; one is placed first at the end across the space to 

 be occupied by the Turnips, and two more are put at 

 right angles, forming a space made by the double row of 

 hurdles, in which the Turnips are placed, taking care to 

 cart them when dry, and adding more hurdles lengthwise 

 until sufficient space is obtained, and the Turnips are dis- 

 posed of in rows about 7 ft. wide and 4 ft. in height. The 

 Turnips are then protected by the earth being dug up 

 and placed on both sides, leaving air-holes at about 

 4 or 5 feet distance, level with the surface of the land, 

 which may be formed as the work proceeds by introduc- 

 ing small faggots tied loosely, or by any other mode, 

 leaving the sides of the whole open so as freely to admit 

 air, and extending across from side to side, which is of 

 especial importance towards the preservation of the 

 Turnips, as they might otherwise get into active fermenta- 

 tion, which when it takes place frequently destroys tha 

 greater part of them. The top of the heap is then 

 covered with Barley-straw and thatched, and thus the 

 Turnips are preserved from injury by frost and game 

 during the most severe weather, and will remain in excel- 

 lent condition until May following, very little impaired 

 by keeping. The application of them is by feeding them 

 upon the eddishes, and upon the land upon which they 

 are grown by sheep in fold. The Turnips are all sliced, 

 and the sheep are regularly fed in troughs, having a new 

 fold every day, and with from £ lb. to 1 lb. each of oil- 

 cake per day. The sheep, for the most part, consist of 

 Iambs of the last year, and cost from 16s. to 20*. each— 

 these in the following spring are shorn and sent to mar- 

 ket, and produce from 30s. to 32*. each; the fleeces 

 from the half-bred Leicesters weighing each about 6^ lbs., 

 and selling from \2d. to 16rf. per lb. — Mr. Baker, on 

 Esse* Farming, in the English Agricultural Society's 

 Journal. 



African Guano. — The guano, in the state in which it 

 was received, formed a moist chocolate-brown powder, 

 intermiied with numerous particles of a whitish sub- 

 stance. It possessed no urinous odour, but smelt strongly 

 of ammonia. On examination under the microscope, no 

 crystals of any kind could be detected in it ; but it con- 

 tained numerous remains of plants, partly in a state of 

 decomposition, but still exhibiting a green colour, and 

 globules of starch in the cells, likewise brown and white 

 feathers, fragments of egg-shells and fish-bones. The 

 aqueous solution was of a light reddish-brown colour, 

 was strongly ammonical, and deposited on slow evapora- 

 tion an abundant crop of crystals of the triple phosphate 

 of ammonia magnesia. On adding nitric acid to the 

 filtered liquid, an abundant flocculent brown precipitate 

 subsided, which consisted of humic acid and extractive. 

 The insoluble portion was of a light sandy-yellow colour. 

 On boiling with solution of potash and precipitation of- 

 the filtered solution with hydrochloric acid, alight-brown 

 flocculent substance subsided, which amounted to 5 # oO 

 per cent. This was first regarded as uric acid, but on 

 further examination it proved to contain but slight traces 

 of that ingredient, and to consist of a substance allied to 

 humic acid. To determine the absolute amount of 

 ammonia, one of the ingredients on which the value oE 

 guano chiefly depends, a weighed portion of the guano in, 

 its normal state was analysed according to the method, 

 described by Varrentrap and Will, and afforded 9 70 per 

 cent. The other ingredients were determined in tho 

 usual way, and according to the results of analysis, 100. 

 parts of the guano in question consist of — 



Volatile salts, as oxalate of ammonia, chloride of 

 ammonium, carbonate of ammonia, and combus- 

 tible organic matter, containing 5-50 per cent, 

 humic acid, uric acid and extractive . . . 3289' 



"Water 2 7\3 



Ammonia .... * g--Q 



Phosphates of lime and magnesia . . . '. 22ST 

 Insoluble resi.Ule in nitric acid, consisting of sand . 081 

 Alkaline salts, chiefly phosphates, muriates, and 

 small quantity of small sulphates ■chiefly potash;. 



709 



000 



From the above examination, it is evident that the 

 African guano differs considerably from the Peruvian and 

 Chilian, »*. e. that it has been more exposed to the de- 

 composing influences of atmosphere and water than 



either of those kinds, and tends rather to confirm the 



