676 



THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 



Potash 

 Soda . . 

 Lime. 

 Magnesia . 

 Alumina . 

 Oxide of Iron 



Oxide cf Manganese 

 Silica . . . 27.7 

 Sulphuric acid . . 3.5 



. 0.3 

 Carbonic acid . .0.1 



The soil must contain all 

 cannot build up the plant 



ment from the mere appearance of the yellow pulpy 

 matter in question ; it is commonly believed to be inju- 

 rious, and so it is, as stopping the proper drainage of 

 land. Ferruginous soils, however, are often very fertile. 

 Arable 1 .nd containing too much oxide of iron in solu- 

 tion, is improved greatly and immediately by the addition 

 of calcareous substances. The benefit arising from 

 composts of peat and lime may be greater or less in pro- 

 portion as iron abounds or otherwise in the peat. — T. P. 

 Ononis arven.sis. — Your correspondent " H. C," 

 (p. 660), should ponder well the following trite anecdote : 

 — u An old farmer, on his death-bed, told his sons, who 

 were not very industrious lads, that he had deeply buried 

 his money in a particular field, which was the most 

 barren land on his farm. In consequence of this in- 

 formation, soon after the old man's death the sons 

 began to dig (and they dug deeply too) all over the field, 

 and this they did again and again, for it was long before 

 they quite despaired of finding the money. At length, 

 however, they gave over the search, and sowed the land Sulphuric acid . 

 with Corn ; when, from the thorough deep digging and - 

 clearing which it bad received, the crop which they 

 reaped was indeed a treasure/' Now, if " H. GV will 

 imagine that he has buried a bag of dollars just below 

 the roofs he complains of, and will take the pains to 

 look for them with the same assiduity which was exhi- 

 bited by the aforesaid youDgsters in their case, no doubt 

 he will be rewarded as they were. 1/ your corres- 

 pondent were to cut off the jUnt close to the ground, 

 just before it begins to blossom, scoop out a hole, and 

 fill it with salt or hot lime, it would probably kill the 

 root. — Agricola. 



Quack Manures. — Some years since, Dr. Paris ana- 

 lysed and published his analysis of a number of quack 

 medicines, then popular. Could not something of the 

 kind be done with regard to quack manures ? The most 

 ignorant of your readers must know by this time that a 

 variety of saline solutions exercise a powerful effect on 

 vegetation in different ways, and that various of them 

 will exist in solution together, without, at any rate, detri- 

 mental reaction. What a facility this affords to the 

 manure doctor ! Perhaps you will say that the increas- 

 ing knowledge of Agricultural; Chemistry will be the 

 silent and certain remedy ; but does not the enormous 

 sale of patent medicines in this enlightened age prove 

 that the mind of man is as fond of quackery as it is of 

 novelty ? Surely the old practical farmer's affection for 

 and firm confidence in his muck-midden is now his safe- 

 guard and not his prejudice. Would that some sure 

 analyst and uncompromising man would imitate Dr. Paris ! 

 — MicklexelL 



much larger amount of combustible aliment than hay. 



It was true that the whole of the combustible matter was 



not obtained directly from the soil, as a large portion of 



it was derived from the air ; but from five to ten per cent. 



of the straw of Wheat was obtained from the soil ; hence 



the provision made in some leases that no straw should 



be carried off the land. Different kinds of hay carry 



olf different quantities of inorganic matter from the soil, 



and consequently have different effects upon the land. 



The following table shows the quantity of 



matter in 100 lbs. of hay : — 



I 



inorganic 



In Rye 

 Grass Hay. 

 . 8.8 

 . 3.9 

 . 7-3 

 . 0.9 

 . 0.3 

 . 0.0 



Red 

 Clover. 



19.9 



5.3 

 27.8 

 3.3 

 0.2 

 0.0 

 0.0 

 3.6 

 4.5 



6.6 



3.6 



White 

 Clover. 

 31.0 

 5.8 



23.5 

 3.0 



1-9 

 0.6 

 0.0 



14.7 

 3.5 

 5.0 

 2.1 



Lucerne. 



13.4 

 6.2 



48.3 



3.5 



0.3 



0.3 



0.0 



3.3 



4.0 

 13.1 



3.2 



Societies. 



SOUTH DERBYSHIRE AGRICULTURAL 



SOCIETY. 



At the Annual Meeting of this Society, held at 

 Ashbourn on Saturday week, Mr. Colville, who occupied 

 the chair, said that many of his brother cheese-makers 

 were alarmed at the great importation of American 

 cheese, and on this subject complaints were loud and 

 frequent, many of the farmers anticipating ruin. It was 

 by way of reply to these communications, and with the 

 view also of relieving the minds of farmers in the cheese 

 districts, that he was desirous of communicating some 

 facts of which he had obtained possession. In order 

 to obtain correct information on the subject, he had 

 searched, with great care and labour, through the parlia- 

 mentary returns for the last 12 years. The returns 

 spread over many volumes, but he had reduced the main 

 facts upon a sheet of paper, so that they might see at 

 once how the case really stood. What he intended to 

 show was this, that although the importation of Ameri- 

 can cheese was greatly increased, it had driven the 

 Dutch cheese out of the market, and the a^^regate 

 importation is less now than it was several ye^rs ago 

 Though the American cheese had come in in shoals, the 

 Dutch cheese, instead of being brought here as formerly 

 was taken elsewhere (to France he was told). He would 

 now show them how the case stood : 



Vear. 



Imported I From Hol- 



from 



America. 



land or 

 Belgium. 



From 



other 



countries 



of Europe. 



Aggregate 



of Im- 

 portation. 



1831 



1832 



1833 



1834 



183.> 



1836 



1837 



1838 



1839 

 1840 



1841 

 1842 

 1843 



Cwt. 



9 



None 

 1 

 6 



1 

 1 



2 



None 



41 



15,154 

 14,008 

 42,312 



Cwt. 



133,397 



132,111 



131,355 

 145,004 

 139,694 

 210,024 

 235,973 

 225,695 

 209,547 



224,957 



Cwt. 



• * 



• ft 



Cwt. 



1049 

 1282 

 1712 

 ]5fc4 

 1152 

 1143 

 1726 



2J79 

 1389 

 1464 



254,995 

 165, 614 



136,998 



Cwt. 

 134,459 



133,446 

 134,073 

 146,594 

 140,852 

 211,169 

 237,732 



227,877 



210,436 

 226,462 



270,149 



179,748 

 179^3 S9_ 



By subtracting they would find that the importation of 

 cheese during the l a8t 10 year8 had actually decreased 

 by nearly 32,000 cwts., while the population of the 

 United Kingdom bad increased by 2,300,000 mouths. 



FARMERS' CLUBS. 



Castle Douglas.— The following is an abridged report 

 of Professor Johnston's second lecture here, taken from 

 the Dumfries Courier :— The different substances of 

 which plants are composed must exist in the soil on 

 which they grow ; according to the nature of the plant 

 to be reared, so ought the land to be manured. Thus 

 while Wheat grain contained only two per cent, of ashes, 

 hay contained 10 per cent. "" " 



of the above, otherwise it 

 which contains them ; and 

 just in proportion to the supply of the necessary ingre- 

 dients, in their proper proportions, will be the luxuriance 

 or stuntedness of the crop. Every plant that grows 

 requires, in accordance with the nature and composition 

 of soil, the proportion of the ingredients in its ashes. If no 

 alteration of crops is made, Nature will become exhausted 

 in some of her resources, and the plant, for want of 

 nourishment, must die. We have facts to prove that 

 Nature will not for ever grow the same plant on the 

 same soil. The Black Forest consisted first of Oak, 

 then of Pine, and now it is again covered with broad- 

 leaved trees ; and as with trees so with crops, and as on 

 a large so on a small scale. Different modes of hus- 

 bandry have been adopted. Instead of Oats being grown 

 15 or 20 years on the same soil, the rotation of three 

 white crops and six years' Grass was adopted ; this also 

 has become antiquated, and now the preferable alterna- 

 tion of white and green crop is adopted. Alternating 

 crops, and adding such manures as have been carried off 

 by preceding crops, is the only profitable mode of culti- 

 vation, while Nature will also assist by the going on of cer- 

 tain circumstances, such as the decomposition of minerals, 

 &c. &c. A soil containing just sufficient lime for a lux- 

 uriant crop of Rye-grass would be far deficient for either 

 Clover or Lucerne. The soil must contain in abundance 

 what your crop specially requires, and consequently the 

 necessity of selecting the manure to suit the crop wanted ; 

 and skilful farmers will put this principle into practice, 

 and also select crops suitable for the purposes to which 

 they are to be applied ; thus, if you wish to feed for milk 

 you must select a plant containing an abundant supply of 

 phosphoric acid ; and this plant will not grow on land 

 which has been exhausted of this acid, though it con- 

 tained all other necessary ingredients in abundance. The 

 ground becomes exhausted in many ways. By cropping 

 too long with eitherjone kind or different kinds of grain* 

 and carrying off both grain and straw, it becomes ex- 

 hausted very speedily. It becomes exhausted of some of 

 its soluble matter by the action of rains, just in proportion 

 to the wetness of the soil. By the application of proper 

 manures the waste may be replaced. Feeding will 

 replace a portion of the waste of solid matter ; but a 

 great portion of the soluble is lost, both by being, to a 

 small extent, irrecoverable, and because of the direct 

 waste by carelessness or ignorance. These soluble or 

 saline substances are principally contained in the urine 

 of cattle, and just in proportion as it is lost so is the 

 direct waste. The urine of one single cow is valued in 

 Flanders at 21. per annum. What, then, must be the 

 loss on the whole of the cows in Great Britain ? Guano 

 is not a more valuable manure than the urine of cattle 

 and yet farmers carry off this from their yards bv large 

 ditches, as if it were only, what it has too long been con- 

 sidered, a nuisance ; while they will give 10/. a ton for 

 an article of no greater value. By building suitable tanks 

 the whole of the farm-yard saline matter might be pre- 

 served, and 900 lbs. of good solid matter, equal to the 

 best Peruvian guano, would be the annual produce of 

 one cow. Tanks ought to be made capable of containing 

 all the urine voided in four months ; they should be 

 divided m the middle, and one end, when filled, should 

 be allowed to ferment. This fermentation would be 

 completed in about six weeks, when it should be carried 

 to the land and applied as we now apply guano and 

 water. In the process of fermentation, the ammonia is 



Z h.?,w Pe ! b 1 by mixins the urine with thr *e times 

 its bulk of water, this will be prevented to a very con- 

 siderable extent, as shown in the following table :- 

 Saline matter and ammonia in the urine voided by a cow in 



12 months. 

 Recent urine contains — solid lbs lbs 



Ke76 weeks-Mixed with wateV To Yields ° f a ™"™ 226 



Unmixed . . 550 \\ » 2 JJ 



We have frequently been astonished at the results of 

 certain saline substances when scattered over unhealthy 

 plants by the first shower washed into the soil, and 

 immediately consumed by the plant as its proper and 

 necessary food ; and just m proportion to the ease with 

 which it gets the substances upon which it is supported, 

 and of which it is composed, will it vegetate. Suppose 

 any of the substances of which a plant is composed to be 

 already m the ground in sufficient proportion, then any 

 addition cannot do good. Suppose soda to be in suf- 

 ficient quantity for hay, any addition would be unprofit- 

 able for a Rye-grass crop, while it would be of immense 



JOct. 5, 



every variety of crop, consequents anr -,,,,!;,; 

 be unprofitable. Hence therein of lo tln^T 1 * 

 ing opinions respecting the utility of manure Vb ht 

 a field deficient in the due proportion of gypsum a „d 

 by applying it to his crop he finds the most hZU ?1 

 effects. C. D. hears of these results and all es ft tl ^ 

 fields, which have already an abundant qu^ 

 require some thing else ; and the consequence is i cW 

 no good, and he pronounces it worthless as a manure 

 and ms next neighbour, E. F.,who would have been benV 

 fited by its application, has been dissuaded fro^pfe 

 it. Milk contains so much bony earth that in 75 Year? 

 a cow pastured on an acre of land will carry off a ton of 

 bones; hence some lands used for dairy purposes in 

 Cheshire had, in the course of years, deteriorated to such 

 a degree that they were not worth more than from bs to 

 lUs. per acre, just because the cows pastured on them 

 had carried away all the bone out of the soil. Bone-dust 

 was at length applied as a top-dressing, and the results 

 were so astonishing that the land increased 700 per cent 

 in value, and the rector's tithes were increased five-fold' 

 Any or all other manures, had they wanted bone, would 

 have- proved ineffectual. The bones added just what 

 had gradually been taken off in the lapse of years, in con 

 sequence of the peculiar husbandry of the district 



St. Quivox.— Having fixed the 14th ult. to commence 

 their annual inspection of the farms occupied by the 

 different members, the Club assembled at the residence 

 of their president, and proceeded to examine the home 

 farm of Craigie, where the different experiments with 

 various kinds of manures attracted attention, and 

 afforded information. The great interest taken in the 

 proceedings drew together an unusual number of enter- 

 prising farmers. The different farms visited in the 

 course of the day were— Mr. Young's, Dalmilling ; Mr. 

 Smith s, Braehead ; Mr. Reid's, East Sanquhar : Mr. 

 Hendrie s, Highfield ; Mr. Reid's, Clune ; Mr. Ten- 

 nant's, Shields; Mr. Bruce's, Shaw ; Mr. G. Hendrie's, 

 Orangefield ; Mr. Thomas Reid's, Fairfield Mains ; Mr. 

 Gardner's, Monkton Hill ; and Mr. Patersou's, Aiken- 

 brae. The very high state of excellence which these 

 farms displayed in every department, in the rearing and 

 management of stock, in the extent and cleanness of the 

 green crops, the luxuriance of thegrain crops, and the rich- 

 ness of the pastures, drew forth the admiration of every 

 one ; while the different modes of management and 

 manuring were keenly inquired into, and as freely com- 

 municated, tending to diffuse a vast amount of scientific 

 and useful knowledge. Although the party, on leaving 

 home in the morning, might have individually thought 

 their own practice perfect, they must have returned in 

 the evening better farmers, or at least with the 

 determination of endeavouring to become so. On the 

 following day the Club met at Gadgirth, and having in- 

 spected Mr. Gairdner's farm of Brocklehill on their way 

 thither, proceeded to inspect the home farm of Gad- 

 girth, which, from the varied experiments with special 

 and other manures, so distinctly arranged, occupied a 

 considerable time. The improvements effected by Mr. 

 Burnett to those who may have seen his lands a few 

 years ago, ere he began his operations, must be striking 

 indeed, showing how, under a judicious and well-regu- 

 lated system, a comparatively sterile and shallow soil 

 may be converted into a deep and fruitful loam. The 

 Club then proceeded to Mr. Inglis's farm of Stair, where 

 a field of splendid Beans upon very poor soil attracted 

 general attention, proving to what an extent this crop 

 mey be benefited by a moderate dressing of guano. 

 The next farm visited was that of Mr. Bell of Enter- 

 kine, who displayed excellent crops of Turnips, Beans, 

 Potatoes, and Oats. After another day spent in examining 

 several other farms, these proceedings terminated. It 

 is right to state, that although each farm did not show 

 the same perfection in every respect, there was much 

 judgment and scientific skill displayed in all, according 

 to the locality, diversity of soil, and mode of farming 

 pursued. We insert the above short account, in order 

 to give publicity to a system worthy the adoption of all 

 Farmers' Clubs ; a system of annual visitation of the 

 farms of members, which cannot fail to result in rapid 

 agricultural improvement. 



East Cornwall.— At the late meeting of this Society, 

 the president, Goldsworthy Gurney, Esq., opened :the 

 discussion by calling attention to the management of 

 Wheat stubbles. He was of opinion that they might be 

 more profitably turned to account than by sowing 

 Turnips, Rape, or lying fallow ; he had transplanted 

 Swede Turnips in several of his stubbles experimentally. 

 It was of importance to know how late in the season the 

 planting might be deferred with success, as the harvest 

 this year was unusually early. He had manured some or 

 the transplanted Turnips with guano, some with nitrate 

 of soda, some with bone-dust, some with wood-a 8 hes, 

 and some with farm-yard manure. Those which he had 

 transplanted in his stubbles were looking better than those 

 transplantedlin some parts of his fields where Turnips 

 had failed. After some conversation on this subject, a 

 discussion took place on the pickling of Wheat for seed. 

 Mr. Pethick said he had used blue-stone (sulphate or 

 copper) mixed with lime, successfully, for this purpose, 

 about an ounce of blue-stone to the bushel. Mr. Thomp- 

 son had used arsenic, but it was not effectual ; he 

 thought pickling very useful, and approved of the sul- 

 phate of copper. Mr. Badcock, St. Stephen's, observed 

 that old Wheat-seed was not subject to smut t but that 

 a greater quantity was necessary ; the germinating power 

 of old seed was well known not to be equal to that ot 



„ i . : . 7 — » "*"" ,w » " Avjc-jjrasji uiup, nunc ic would be of immense new. The cnairman remarKea mai me duj/w.w. b — 



H^A.^ • S -f' 'f nefU t0 d0uble the £ uantit 7 for Cl °«r or Lucerne minting power of new seed was a fact of some import- 

 Hence the W heat required a 1 And again, some soils contain it in sufficient quantity for ■ uw, particularly in connexion with S*ede Turnip cul- 



The chairman remarked that the superior ger- 



