1844.] 



THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 



ings, and the stagnant state of the drains, cesspools, &c. 

 The foundations of most of the houses are much below 

 the level of the roads, from being originally low, whilst the 

 roads and paths have been raised from time to time. An 

 example of the efficacy of thorough drainage by sewer 

 may be seen in the suburbs of London, on the Surrey 

 side, which, from being constantly infested by ferer, 

 have been rendered by this means comparatively healthy. 

 Lastly, it may be noticed, that this parish possesses a 

 population of a rural and agricultural character, many of 

 the inhabitants having either their farm or field. The 

 labouring class is unvarying and scarcely fluctuating in 

 number, and those (chiefly the young) who do roam in 

 search of employment, are invariably observed to return 

 to their native place, and no doubt, with full occupation 

 and a proper direction of their energies, would improve 

 and come into orderly and industrious habits. 



I SKETCHES OF EAST LOTHIAN HUSBANDRY. 



Cultivation of Turnips.— The era of agricultural im- 

 provement in E*st Lothian may justly be dated from the 

 introduction of Turnip husbandry, which was, it appears 

 partially effected about the year 1760. The extent of 

 real Turnip-soil in the county is not great ; but from the 

 effects of judicious drainage on the soil, and the employ- 

 ment of efficient implements in its preparation, farmers 

 are now enabled to cultivate this valuable and indispens- 

 able root to an extent, and with a degree of success, 

 scarcely to be surpassed in any other district in the 

 kingdom. 



There are several varieties both of the Swedish and 

 common Turnip in general cultivation : of the former 

 species the purple-top kind is most esteemed and chieflv 

 grown ; and of the latter the Dale's Hybrid, Green-top 

 Yellow, White Globe, &c, are the kinds generally culti- 

 vated. 



As the greater portion of the soil is naturally unsuited 

 to Turnip husbandry, much labour and attention are 

 necessarily bestowed on the preparation of the land. The 

 first ploughing is given immediately after the labours of 

 the harvest, and the Wheat-sowing after fallow, Beans, 

 and Potatoes, are concluded ; in which state the land 

 remains until the spring Corn-crops have been sown, and 

 the Potatoes planted, when it receives a second furrow, 

 sometimes in a contrary direction to the previous one, 

 but more frequently along the ridges, reversing the 

 former furrow-slices. It is then repeatedly harrowed, 

 rolled, and grubbed in various directions, for the purpose 

 f of pulverising the soil, and of dragging to the surface, and 

 disengaging from the indurated clods of earth, the roots 

 of Couch-grass and other weeds, which are carefully 

 gathered into heaps, and carted off to some convenient 

 corner of the field, where they are subsequently formed 

 mto a compost with quicklime. A third ploughing is 

 then bestowed in a direction traversing the last one, and 

 me other operations of harrowing, rolling, grubbing and 

 weed-gathering, are repeated as before. The land is 

 generally ploughed once more, and the subsidiary opera- 

 tions again resorted to ; after which it is, in most cases, 

 in a suitable condition for being formed into drills ; but 

 as the great objects aimed at in preparing land for Tur- 

 nips are the minute pulverisation of the soil, and the tho- 

 rough eradication of weeds, the different operations must 

 be persevered in till those purposes are attained. During ' 

 this preparatory tillage much attention is necessarily paid 

 to the state of the weather. Should it happen, as it not 

 uncommonly does, to be droughty, the harrows closely fol- 

 low the plough, in order to catch the land in a particular 

 state between wet and dry, when it readily crumbles 

 f. 0w °- Tn e roller immediately succeeds the harrows, for 

 the double purpose of further reducing the clods and of 

 preventing the evaporation of the moisture in the soil. 

 Inis is a part of the process particularly attended to. 

 Another point regarded as equally important is, that the 

 land should never be ploughed or otherwise worked 

 wnile in a wet state, unless under peculiar circumstances. 

 as already intimated, great difficulty is experienced in 

 Preparing the land on many farms for Turnips in wet 

 eather while in droughty seasons the moisture is so 

 cnectually worked out of the soil before it can be brought 

 as tu requislte degree of pulverisation, that small seeds, 

 s tnose of the Turnip, cannot possibly germinate in such 

 «n unfavourable bed till stimulated by copious rains, 

 in l • VleVV 0f 8urm0UQtin g the difficulty experienced 

 dit* f Cln ? Str ° ng adhesive cIa y soils to a suitable con- 

 fo/th f Turni P s » 80me farmers give the land intended 

 for J 2 Cr ° P a thorou S h autumn tillage, the drills being 

 whi h and - he dung covered in the usual manner ; in 

 j M 8tate ** romains until the proper period for sow- 

 g tne seed arrives, when the soil is invariably found to 

 wint n * f ghIy P ulv erised state, from exposure to the 

 tin J th* 8ts * ^eral farmers, however, while admit- 

 isbe fi- the Plan 0f P re P arin S stiff clay land in autumn 

 the r ^ inasmuch as it renders it sufficiently fine for 



land i eptIOa ° f tne seed ' y et contend that > f rom 

 Bario ying so lon S unploughed, the succeeding Whea 

 barley crop must be inferior. 



formed '^i be ' ng sufficientl 7 prepared, the drills are 

 the m m anner described in the case of Beans, 



iafor ?? n pl ° Ugh being generally employed. A drill 

 one di r the rece i )tion of th e manure in passing in 

 manu re ? tlon ' and another is reversed, covering in the 

 verv Jh ! ? . returnin & in th e contrarv direction. Only a 

 until th lnterval eIa P ses f rom the formation of the drills 

 view of G T nUre i8 covered and the seed sown, with a 

 26 to 27 F - a i mng the moisture of the soil and manure. 

 The m»« ls the USUiil dis tance between the rows. 



farm^T Chiefly applied to tbis cro P is well-fermented 

 trih/tZ , g ' c 1 ftrted (rom a hea P il1 the field, and dis- 

 <«ea along the liollows of the drills in the manner 



already described. Other manures, such as bone-dusr, 

 Kape-dust, guano, &c, are also employed ; the quan- 

 tities of each given per acre, and the mode of applying 

 them, have been noticed when treating of the manage- 

 ment of manures. 3 



The seeds are sown by a machine which sows two drills 

 and compresses the soil simultaneously ; some farmers 

 steep the seeds, especially those of the Swedish Turnip, in 

 water before sowing, in order to induce quick vegetation. 

 As a preventive against the ravages of the tlv, a small 

 quantity of the flowers of sulphur is sometimes sown with 

 the seed The quantity of seed allowed to the acre is 

 from 2 lbs. to 2^ lbs. Swedish Turnips are sown from 

 the 10th to the end of May, and the softer kinds from 

 the 1st to the end of June ; but no certain period can be 

 specified or adhered to for sowing the seed, as so much 

 depends on the state of weather, and the condition of 

 the land; the sowing is sometimes not wholly finished 

 till the middle of July. It is usual, on some farms, to 



771 



Swedish turnips are generally taken up with the plough, 

 which is decidedly the cheapest and 'most expeditious 

 plan. Tne bulbs receive a good harrowing before being 

 co.lected and carted off the land. It may be proper to 

 mention that many of the farmers raise a considerable 

 portion of the Turnip- 1 required for their own 

 farms. — T. Sullivan. 



the 

 heat or 



supply one of the seed-boxes of the sowing-machine with 

 Swedish Turnip-seed, and the other with Dale's Hy- 

 brid, or some of the other yellow kinds ; two conti- 

 guous drills of each kind thus alternate over the field 

 This plan is adopted only when it is intended to consume 

 part of the produce on the ground by sheep. The Swed- 

 ish Turnips are taken up and carried to the cattle in the 

 yards, and the others left for the use of the sheep. 



When the plants have assumed what is termed the 

 rough leaf, the hoeing and thinning processes commence. 

 A drill-grubber, or horse-hoe, provincially termed 

 scraper, is passed along the intervals as near to the plants 

 as may safely be done; the hand-hoers immediately 

 follow and single out the plants to the proper distance--- 

 8 to 10 inches : boys and females of all ages and 

 sizes are employed at this operation. There are several 

 plans of arranging the hand-hoers,'so that none of them 

 may impede the other, nor tread upon the plants in the 

 drills just finished. Ins'ead of each taking the drill next 

 to the person immediately preceding, it is usual to place 

 them at two or three drills apart ; some time is also evi- 

 dently saved by this plan at the extremities of the rows 

 as the hoers have their next drill at hand. Another plan 

 is, to arrange the band in a semicircular order, the 

 individuals in the centre taking the lead, and the 

 others following at a short distance from each other. 

 As soon as the whole crop has been once horse-hoed 

 and thinned, the part first gone over will be ready 

 for a repetition of the same operations ; but at this 

 stage it is only necessary to hand-hoe the sides of the 

 drills, pulling out any superfluous Turnips with the 

 hand. The after culture is terminated by passing the 

 plough along the intervals, for the twofold purpose of 

 making a channel in each for carrying off superfluous 

 moisture, and of raising the earth up to the sides of the 

 drills ; but this last operation is not held to be indispens- 

 able, and is therefore frequently omitted on dry land. 



A large proportion of the Turnip-crop is consumed on 

 the ground by sheep confined by means of nettin-- 

 three or more rows are taken up for the use of the cattfe' 

 and the same number left to be eaten by the sheep. The' 

 stock kept for this purpose are, for the most part, pur- 

 chased at Falkirk Tryst and other markets in autumn, 

 and sold off when the Turnips are consumed. Many 

 farmers, however, prefer letting the greater part of 

 their Turnip-crop by public roup (or auction), to dealers 

 and others, or by private bargain, at a certain price per 

 acre, or an agreed rate for each sheep weekly. Swedish 

 Turnips are found to be a very wholesome and nutritious 

 article of food for farm-horses, and accordingly a limited 

 allowance is given uncooked to each, after the work of 

 the day is over. Black cattle are invariably fed in open 

 fold-yards, provided with sheds to which they may retire 

 for shelter in bad weather. The Turnips with which they 

 are fed are taken up by the women and boys formerly 

 employed at hand-hoeing, and after being divested of 

 their leaves and tap-roots, they are carted to the yards 

 for the use of the cattle, the leaves being generally 

 scattered over the ground and afterwards ploughed 

 in. The practice of taking up and storing considerable 

 quantities of Swedish and common Turnips as suitable 

 opportunities occur during the early part of the winter, 

 is deservedly extending, and will shortly become general'. 

 This plan is resorted to with the view of providing a 

 supply for frosty or stormy weather, when the pulling 

 and carting of Turnips would be attended with much un- 

 pleasant labour, besides injury to the land ; but, perhaps, 

 the principal advantages resulting from storing this crop 

 before winter are, that the land may be cleared and pre- 

 pared for Wheat, or ploughed up and exposed to the 

 mellowing influence of the winter's frosts, preparatory to 

 a crop of Barley, while the Turnips are always in good 

 condition and at command for the use of the stock. The 

 usual method of storing Turnips is as follows :— The 

 bulbs, divested of their leaves and tap-roots, are carted 

 to some convenient situation in the stack-yard, and made 

 up into oblong heaps, from 8 to 10 feet wide at bottom, 

 and raised as high as the Turnips can be conveniently 

 piled. Dry weather is, of course, selected for this work, 

 and, unless an adverse change is apprehended, the heaps 

 may remain uncovered a day or two ; they are then 

 carefully thatched with straw, and firmly secured with 

 straw ropes. Swedish Turnips stored in this manner, in 

 a dry and clean condition, in November and DecemBer, 

 are found to have lost but a comparatively small propor- 

 tion of their original weight and nutritive qualities in 

 the months of March and April following. There is 

 another practice not unfrequentiy adopted, of covering 

 the Turnips in the drills by passing the plough along the 

 intervals, and raising the earth over the bulbs, which is 





Home Correspondence. 



Allotment System.— I have "observed with much satis- 

 faction, that in se al of the recent Numbers < the 

 Gazette observations have appeared in furtherance of the 

 allotment system, which, under good regulations, has 

 always appeared to me to be one of the most desirable 

 methods which can be devised for bettering the condition, 

 both mental and physical, of the labouring cla s! 

 Those contained in the Number of Saturday, Oct. 19, 

 appear to me to challenge some observation, inasmuch 

 as it is evident that upon the well working of the svstem 

 depend all its benefits. I observe that, from some acci- 

 dent, you have fallen into the error of stating that a Bill 

 introduced into Parliament by Mr. Cowper, during the 

 past session, had passed into a law. Such is noc the 

 fact ; the Bill was introduced and laid on the table for 

 future consideration, and there, I hope, it will lie for 

 ever, because it appears to me that this is a subject 

 peculiarly ill-adapted for legislation ; and further, the Bill 

 contains within itself propositions which, if carried, will, 

 I think, strike a death-blow at the svstem. It is not my 

 intention now to enter into a critical examination of this 

 Bill, but there is one part of it which I cannot pass with- 

 out observation. It is needless to inquire as to the 

 causes m which it originates, but every one whose lot it 

 has been to have much intercourse with the labouring 

 class will be quite aware that, stolid and uneducated as 

 they appear to be, they have their full share of mother- 

 wit, and that suspicion of the motives and objects of 

 those who take an active part in matters connected with 

 their interests, operates upon their minds in full sway. 

 Whatever we propose for bettering their condition must, 

 on its very surface, display the absence of self-interested 

 motives, and if this be not carefully provided for, the 

 parties on whose behalf we are labouring will be the 

 very first to attempt to defeat us. Now it appears to 

 me that this Bill of Mr. Cowper's on the face of it pro- 

 vides a very fertile source of such suspicion, for it pro- 

 poses to enact that any surplus arising after the discharge 

 of all expenses, shall be paid over to the overseer in aid 

 of the rates (vide section 25); and the result, I am firmly- 

 convinced, will be that the labourer will at once say, "A 

 very pretty scheme truly, to relieve the farmer's rates by 

 the produce of my labour !" and we can easily divine the 

 result. Besides the itch which prevails for legislation, 

 another curse of the present age is the rage for Societies ; 

 nothing can be done but by a Society, with all its train 

 of committees and sub-committees, treasurers, secreta- 

 ries and collectors. Some little practical acquaintance 

 with the subject, and considerable observation of the 

 working of the system, has served to convince me that 

 the less public interference there is in it the better; no 

 fixed system will adapt itself to the necessities of everj 

 paiish ; and I am satisfied that the best method of get- 

 ting it into general action, and making it conducive to 

 general utility, is to leave it as free and unfettered as 

 possible ; to let it spring from a spontaneous desire on 

 the part of the owners of property, whether lay or cle- 

 rical, to benefit their poor neighbours ; that thev should 

 work it in their respective localities entirely according to 

 their own knowledge of their wants, and the best means 

 of applying it, without the intervention of rate-payers or 

 any officials whatever. I cannot at all coincide in your 

 view of a meeting of the inhabitants (parish meetings are 

 proverbial), or of a committee and sub-committee; the 

 only committee required is an owner with property he is 

 willing to let for the purpose, and the clergyman of the 

 parish, who knows the circumstances, characters, and 

 wants of his parishioners, and can at once, without the 

 intervention of other inquirers, afford all the information 

 and advice wanted in furtherance of the benevolent de- 

 sign. With reference to the management of the allotments 

 themselves, the fewer the rules and regulations with 

 which they are clogged, and the more simple those rules, 

 the better. The best method for insuring good cultiva- 

 tion is affixing a rent which, prima facie, may appear 

 rather a high one, but which (when it is borne in mind 

 that allotments are small, and all good land — generallv 

 very near the occupier's residence ; and that there is no 

 averaging of good and bad land, of long and short dis- 

 tances, for expense of cultivation ; and that, as is well 

 known, under the spade land will throw out an enor- 

 mously increased produce) will only appear to be a fair 

 remuneration for expense incurred and accommodation 

 afforded, while it tends to insure active exertion in their 

 cultivation. In the commencement of the system its 

 advantages ought, in my opinion, to be exclusively 

 offered to persons of known good character and conduct, 

 and the moral effect produced upon others by the dis- 

 couragement thus afforded to intemperance and irregu- 

 larity will speedily develop itself. In the observations 

 contained in the concluding paragraph I entirely concur, 

 and I hope the time is not far distant when we "shall see 

 spontaneous exertions in favour of the honest and in- 

 dustrious amongst the labourers in active operation in- 

 every parish ; and I trust that in this case the state of 

 their habitations, and the enormous rents they are too 

 often called upon to pay, will excite their full share of 

 attention.— £. J. If. 



Harvesting Carrots. — In your Paper of Nov. 2, you 

 ...... ™, «»v* .». aiU5 i UB ca.tu u>ci luc uuiu 3 , wu.cn is I ooservethat the " women cut off the leaves." I beg to 



found to be a good defence against extreme frosts, i say, that cutting the leaves off is not the best method of 



