I 



1844.1 



2LHEAGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 





A 



commerce is of the best quality which I have met will 

 daring the last four years. 



g. Meadow Fox- tail. 



5. Cock's-foot. 

 7 # Meadow Fescue 

 9. Hard Fescue, 

 I. Timothy-grass 



4. Perennial Rye-grass. 

 9. Italian ditto. 



3. Red Clover. 



4. Yellow Clover. 

 2. White Clover. 



> growing crops io og every s© 



which they never could do before draining ; these with 



707 



If the seed should prove of this quality I would 

 recommend the following mixture to be sown for per- 

 manent sheep pasture :— 



9 lb. of Fox-tail, which will give 1 plant to each 8 square inches 

 ja Cock's-foot, 1 „ 16 of ground. 



-« 



4i 



M 



3 



4 

 4 



8 



2 



1 

 1 

 1 

 1 

 1 

 1 

 I 



>t 

 tt 



>t 

 >t 

 »» 

 tt 



16 

 16 

 16 



8 

 8 



4 

 1 



j» it 



tt 

 tt 

 >» 

 t» 



tt 



»t 



>» 

 >» 

 >» 

 «t 



Meadow Fescue, 

 Hard Fescue, 

 Italian Rye-grass 

 Red Clover, 

 Yellow Clover, 

 White Clover, 

 Timothy, 

 Rib- grass, 

 I Yariow. 



Which will altogether give about two plants to the 

 square inch. If the trial of any seed falls short of the 

 number of 190, by any quantity, say an eighth, then 1 lb. 

 must be added to the Timothy, £ lb. to the yellow and 

 white Clover, and so on in proportion. , It may be 

 asked why I recommend this mixture in this proportion ? 

 I answer that, after repeated trials, I have found it to 

 succeed better than in any other. Why do I sow red Clover 

 and Italian Rye-grass for permanent pasture ? Because it 

 is too expensive to seed the land sufficiently for the first 

 year with the Grasses which sheep prefer, and because, in 

 consequence, it carries more stock, and I have better pas- 

 ture the following year. I cannot tell whether this is owing 

 to the quantity of manure which the stock leaves, or to 

 the food for plants conveyed to the soil by the Clover, 

 from the atmosphere, or to the fact which I, as well as 

 others, have noted (Mr. Kay, of Shiphaugh, Stirling), 

 viz., that Grasses grow best when Clover is sown along 

 with them. The Italian Rye-grass gives the earliest 

 bite, and helps to occupy the space which would other- 

 wise be filled with Daisies and other weeds. Why I 

 sow yellow Clover ? Because I sowed down a field with 

 Grass, one half mixed with yellow Clover, and the other 

 with white, and the sheep preferred that which was 

 sown with yellow. Why do I not sow Rye-grass, Dog's- 

 tail, Vernal, Poa trivialis, pratensis, and perennial red 

 Clover ? Because I sowed these and the others, which 

 I recommend, separately, and put on a light stock of 

 sheep early, so that they should not be compelled to eat 

 that which they disliked. The Rye-grass will not carry 

 through the stock necessary to keep it down in spring, 

 and both it and the Dog's-tail were so much neglected, 

 that I cut a full crop of hay off them. The Poa trivialis, 

 Vernal, and pratensis, in a year or two became very 

 unproductive, the two former suffering from drought, 

 and the last forming a mat of which the greater propor- 

 tion is uneatable, and which chokes everything else. 

 The perennial red Clover, which I procured from a most 

 respectable seedsman in Edinburgh, proved the common 

 biennial. I therefore do not choose to pay an additional 

 price, and run the same risk again. Besides, I see it 

 neglected in my old pastures, where it grows naturally, 

 for neat cattle I would recommend Rye-grass in 

 addition, and for milch cows that the Yarrow be omitted, 

 as I have found it, when in excess, to impart a disagree- 

 able flavour to the butter. 



I have the greatest pleasure in expressing my obliga- 

 tions to Messrs. Drummond and Sons, of Stirling, for 

 their ready assistance in this and all other matters relat- 

 ing to agriculture. 



Table of the greatest number of plants I have suc- 



06 j, in raisin S» fr <>°tt 1 oz. and 1 lb. of the following 

 seeds during the last four years : 



with their excretions decompose on the removal of the 

 crop and are acted on by the alternating air ami water, 

 wmch also decomposes and changes in degree the ino: 

 game substances of the soil. Thereby drained land, 

 which was before impervious to air and water, and con- 

 sequently unavailable to roots, to worms, or to vegetable 

 or animal life, becomes by drainage populated by both, 

 and is as great a chemical laboratory as our own atmo- 

 sphere, subject to all the changes produced by animated 

 nature. I apprehend that two days' stagnation of water 

 would endanger either worms or roots. Mr. Parkes 

 justly observed to me that worms act as assistant 

 drainers, occupying the soil which before never contained 

 any living thing; and it is through the innumerable 

 conduits they make that water finds its way so readily 

 to a small pipe at a considerable depth ; but 1 consider, 

 and must maintain my theory, that he who carries the 

 ailing water through heavy land in the shorted period is 

 the best drainer, and will the soonest render such land 

 equal to the best. To do this there must be in the drain 

 a large area of porosity. The means of effecting it may 

 vary as opinion varies ; but the drain, to be economic, 

 must have the largest porous area in the smallest possible 

 space that will convey the water. I consider that the 

 falling water descending uniformly through the whole 

 surface, and mixing intimately with each grain or particle 

 of earth, is far preferable, chemically and mechanical: 

 to its forcing its way in streams towards the joints of the 

 pipes, whilst the remainder is delayed, waiting a day or 

 two, to take its turn in the same worn channel. For 

 this reason I object to waiting for gaping cracks to make 

 drains act, because it is quite possible the water may 

 rush down such cracks from the surface, and leave con- 

 siderable masses of intermediate earth unmoistened. 

 The principal utility in drains is, in my opinion, to 

 enable the earth to derive the full benefit of the various 

 and all-important manures with which the failing water 

 and renewed air are so amply charged. Another very 

 considerable objection to the " wait-a-day-or-two " plan 

 is, that the greater quantity of rain falls in the autumnal 

 or winter months, when every day's ploughing lost is of 

 consequeixe, economically and as regards the welfare of 

 the ensuing crops. This alone should stimulate us to 

 get rid of the obstructive water in a trice, for our autumns 

 are never deficient in moisture, but the reverse. A small 

 pipe will readily carry water when it gets in, but the 

 question as to how and when it enters are subjects worthy 

 the attention and experiment of your numerous and 

 valuable agricultural correspondents. A comparative 

 trial in various parts of one field would convince those 

 who doubt. For my own part I am practically satisfied 

 that my drainage is not too sudden, but that if it errs at 

 all it is in not being quick enough, in such dense yellow 

 soil. It may appear a startling proposition, but I think 

 we are justified in inferring that drains in the summer 

 season occasionally lay dry the soil below them. It is 

 quite clear that if the porous portion of soil above the 

 drain is deficient in moisture, earth below the drain must 

 give up its moisture by capillary attraction, there being 

 no impervious intervening substance between the upper 

 .and lower soil to prevent it.— J J. Mechi, 4, Leaden, 

 hall-street. 



Home Correspondence. 



No. of Plants per 



lb. 



5 



is OZ. 



nmothy . 49,00 



!«:**} • 5,445 

 Cock's-foot 9,801 

 JJead.Fesc. 5,801 

 Hard Fescue 5,445 



784,080 



87,120 

 156,816 

 112,011 



87,120 



OZ. 



PerennialRye-grass 12,251 

 Italian ditto . . 5,445 

 Red Clover . . 16,335 

 Yellow ditto . . 12,251 



No. of Plants per 



lb. 



195,020 



87,120 



261,360 



196,020 



392,040 



-,,-— White ditto . .24,502 -;,*,„,„ 



{Communicated by Mr. Stirling, from the Hiqhland 

 Society's Transactions.! 



ON DRAINING HEAVY LAND. 



ton PER ^ ECT i-Y agree with you that there is frequently 



mas f W ' dth in drains ' and t0 ° little de P th; the 

 I will 1 Wt k t0 be removed adding greatly to the cost. 



tinn ik admit that the smal1 PiP* 58 alone ( as men " 



Talnw 7y ° U ' and as described by Mr. Parkes in bis 

 Sod t\ c ? mrnunicati °ns to the Royal Agricultural 



dav's • ^ i11 after a time ^ a J ear or two ) carrv off one 



mode/!! ln - three da y 8 - But this is onl y aa im ? erfe ct 



two °;, draina & e » for several reasons. 1st. Because it is 

 at J 1 " a years before [t wiU act perfectly, instead of 

 Berai • fying the S0il » and rendering 1* friable. 2d. 

 the ret Se ? denSe 80iIs ( and t0 those m y theories applied), 

 must h ° f Water 48 hours lon S er than is necessary 



a Deri H V6 / y ln J urious . by depriving it for so considerable 

 [1 " 0d of ?be atmospheric action. It acts like drown- 

 undulv lng . earth iQ wate r for two days, and must 

 dterj II Pand its Particles, absorb heat, and retain in 

 Wended \* S ° dden chara cteristic which drainage is 

 friabilir f remed y- I consider it an axiom that the 

 of nenvJ ♦• th<J 8oil wiU be in proportion to the rapidity 

 enoU 1 ; nltration may be too sudden, as is well 



Prehend by -° Ur hot Sands and g rave,s I but * a P' 



Porous »"!! ° ne Wl11 ever fear rendering strong clays too 

 impart rn mana S eable . The object of drainage is to 

 ^If-drain T°\ SOlis the me Uowness and dark colour of 



**d cuUW and friable 8oiL That P erfect d ™inage 1 

 fact. j™ 1011 . w .ill ultimately do this is a well-known 



lt does sol^ U m the case of m y own g^den. How 

 bu t it ii mmV? chemi8t enough to explain in detail, 



iacnt tQC effect is produced by the fibres of the 



Allotments. — The subject of allotments of land, to be let 

 at reasonable rents to persons of the labouring class, well 

 deserves a prominent place in the Agricultural Gazette. 

 It seems that the general adoption of the practice will 

 much depend upon landlords; for, besides the usual restric- 

 tions in leases against underletting, the time is scarcely 

 yet arrived when a majority of tenant-farmers would 

 freely concur in the proceeding. When we read of 7s. 

 or 8s. a week being the usual rate of wages for agricul- 

 tural labour in Wiltshire, and when it is known that in 

 districts of wealthy England, not 50 miles from the 

 metropolis, a similar rate of wages prevails, surely some- 

 thing is wanted to remove a just cause of alarming dis- 

 satisfaction among an important class of persons, the 

 value of whose labour — their only commodity for ob- 

 taining the means of supporting life — is thus depreciated. 

 And while 7s. or Ss. a week is paid in some places, and 

 9s. or 10s. a week is paid for the same kind of labour in 

 other places of a similar agricultural description, intelli- 

 gent and impartial observers are not satisfied with the 

 reason probably assigned for the difference — that, in the 

 former case, there is an excess of labour, and not in the 

 latter. But though allotments of land appear so desirable, 

 and their advantage has in so many instances been so 

 undeniably proved, strange cases have occurred— at least 

 to the knowledge of the writer one case has occurred — 

 where this advantage has been refused by labourers. In 

 a parish chiefly agricultural, where the supply of labour 

 has been fully equal to the demand, but not much in 

 excess, and the rate of wages usually fair in comparison 

 with some other districts, an owner of land, whose kind 

 disposition is known, lately appropriated a field of good 

 land for letting in allotments on fair terms to Iabourii 

 persons, and only a small portion of the land was taken. 

 Such cases are perplexing, and demand inquiry into their 

 causes ; and it might be inquired whether there was 

 reason to fear that the farmers would regard the practice 

 with jealousy, as apprehending (unfairly) that it might 

 lead to neglect of their business by workmen. The dif- 

 fusion of sound knowledge, and of good feeling and prin- 

 ciples, will, in time, correct these evils in a country 

 to which Providence has been abundantly favourable. — //. 

 Litter. — There are many thousand acres in this neigh- 

 bourhood, formerly reclaimed from the sea, which afford 



ae nc! r cattle, but which re< large 



and deep dykes to prevent them from being tie i in 

 the winter, and in wet seasons. In keeping these 

 large-water courses clear, a considerable depth of heavy 

 soil is excavated. There being in this neighbourhood 

 an inexhaustible supply of sea-sand, it has occurred to 

 me that for cattle-yards, and fur sheds in which cattle 

 are fed, this sand, which is quite drv, and carried by 

 the wind around the country, can be substituted for 

 raw as litter for the cattle, 'it has 1 ral good quali- 

 ties : a soft and dry bed for the animals, very dean, 

 so porous as to prevent the urine and liquid matter of 

 ie manure from running off, which would prevent the 

 expensive process of making tanks. It would check the 

 e of ammonia by constantly covt ring the wet 

 bedding with dry sand, and it would immediately lick up 

 any solution for fixing the ammonia ; and when satu- 

 rated with the excrements of the animals, would not 

 only be highly fertilising on this account, but would be 

 ry beneficial in acting mechanically upon a clay and 

 vy soil, such as there is always being dug up from 

 the dykes. Thus acting as a substitute for Btraw, the 

 farmer can use his straw in the form of chaff, mixed 

 with nourishing food, and thus passing through the 

 animals, it will have lost none of its inorganic principles, 

 but the same quantity of silex, &c, will be returned to 

 the soil, as if it t been employed in bedding down 

 ttle, and employing it afterwards as manure ; and a 

 much larger quantity of manure would be thus pro- 

 duced. — Inquirer. [We have known instances w e 

 sand has been used as litter for sheep ; and in a year like 

 the present, when straw is by no means plentiful, neces- 

 sity will, we doubt not, induce many to try tin- plan, 

 onnected with which our correspondent points out so 

 many advantages.] 



How to Harvest Cabbages.— Allow me to remark that 

 I have heard that, in Germany, some farmers, when they 

 have a superabundance of Mangold- Wurzel leave?, half 

 steam them, then pack them close in casks, slightly 

 sprinkling the steamed leaves with salt by layers, which 

 keep very well, and are eaten with much zest by cattle 

 in that state. This might answer equally well with 

 Cabbage leaves. Should it succeed, it would benefit the 

 public generally if "Querist" will mention its success 

 in the Chronicle at a future time. — Khjse--. 



Two Crops per Annum. — I quite agree with your 

 correspondent, M Cantab," that it is necessary for the 

 English farmer to have two harvests in one year if pos- 

 sible, and I have often thought the Belgian system of 

 growing a green crop upon the same laud, and in the 

 same season, that had previously grown Corn, a most 

 excellent one, and worth our attention. I fear, though, 

 it is impossible to introduce it here, the English climate 

 being neither sufficiently early or certain to bring any 

 kind of grain to maturity in time to grow the green food 

 after it. Lord Lovelace's crop of Beans and Cabbages 

 upon the same land approaches nearer than any other, 

 but they neither of them grow well upon shallow soil. 

 I have thought of trying Rye and Cabbages, but I have 

 never seen the former harvested in this county at a 

 period when I thought the latter would have succeeded 

 had the attempt been made, which I confess it never yet 

 has by me. — A Norfolk Farmer, Fordhum, Downham 

 Market. 



j [Professor Johnstone's Catechism of Agricultural Che- 

 mistry and Geology — This Catechism is a clear and 

 succinct arrangement of the rudiments of these sciences 

 as far as they refer to agriculture ; but I have some ob- 

 jections to the manner in which this manual is arranged. 

 The first and most serious of these is — its catechetical 

 form. I think that if the Professor had drawn it up in 

 short and comprehensive sentences, without the form of 

 question and answer, it would have been a far preferable 

 book for the use of our schools. In this form it could 

 have been made use of as a class-book for reading, and 

 at the same time for instilling into the young mind the 

 principles of those sciences of which it treats. Should 

 questions be thought necessary, they could be placed at 

 the end of each section, or at the tnd of the manual ; 

 but I would prefer the questions without answers, so 

 that the pupil would be under the necessity of finding 

 the answer for himself, and thereby giving him additional 

 mental exercise. My next objection is the insertion of 

 the instructions for the teacher in the body of the book. 

 These should have been placed at the end, or on a sepa- 

 rate sheet, so that they might only be in the hands of 

 the teacher ; but should the narrative form be adopted, 

 they could be continued in the present plan without great 

 objections. It would be a great improvement upon this 

 manual if there were affixed an alphabetical list of tech- 

 nical terms, with explanations for the reference of the 

 scholars, such as acid — how formed, and its component 

 parts (that is, of any particular acid) ; carbonate, phos- 

 phate, nitrate, sulphate, &c. ; and even very common 

 terms, as calcareous, solution, dissolve, manure, etc., ice. 

 In short, I would have this Manual of Agricultural 

 Chemistry and Geology arranged as those of Natural 

 Philosophy, published by the Scottish School-Book 

 Association, which I consider superior models of a 

 school-book. — K., Denny. 



On Bones. — Of all the auxiliary and artificial manures 

 yet found, bones hold the first place, both in I and 



in certainty of result. They are applicable to most soils 

 on which Turnips can be grown, and a failure is very 

 rare. My own experience extends to twenty years, and 

 only one failure occurred. My first trial of them hap- 

 pened in Northumberland, on a light sandy loam lying 

 m patches on the outburst of a friable sandstone, in the 

 vast bed of clay on the coal formation. A grinding mill 

 was attached to a flour mill driven by water ; the bones 



