801 



THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTF.. 



colour throughout their growth, ami have yielded com- 

 paratively well. The experiment on Wheat has been 

 resumed under my own e\e, conforming strictly with the 

 printed directions accompanying each box. Part of a 

 field was sown early in October with Wheat so prepared, 

 ■which Ins to a great extent perished in the ground ; t! 

 seed for I aher portion of the same field, sown at the 

 same time, and similarly prepared, was dried (by mistake) 

 with lime—this all grew, as did that of another portion 

 dried with gypsum. Mr. Campbell might say that the 

 steep was too strong (though his own directions were 

 followed) ; certain it is that the lime, by throwing off the 

 ammonia, of which it is principally composed, had neu- 

 tralised its effects on the second portion : but why 

 should the part treated with gypsum vegetate better than 

 the first ? I have tried a variety of steeps, but find none 

 to answer so well as the undiluted urine from the stab 

 tank. This appeared at first by far too powerful a sti- 

 mulant, and to test it, I soaked 20 grains of Wheat (in 

 August) for 50 hours, which were sown at the same time 

 and place with 20 others unprepared. The steeped seed 

 came up some days before the other, soon outstripped it 

 in growth, and h is in every respect taken the lead since; 

 I have, in consequence, caused all my seed Wheat, except- 

 , ing that prepared with Campbell's rteep, to be similarly 

 pickled, and nothing can surpass its pr ,t appearance. 

 Whatever the ultimate effects may be, there can be no 

 doubt of its proving at least equally efficacious as the 

 common saline preparation in averting smut, while it 

 certainly promotes the early growth of the plant, causing 

 it to tiller surprisingly. — U.S. 



Useless Animals.— The number of these kept in this 

 country is immense, and the sums paid for their main- 

 tenance absolutely incredible. I wish to call the atten- 

 tion of the public to this evil, which I believe to be a sin 

 of the first magnitude, and an abuse of the trust con- 

 ferred upon us by an all-bountiful Creator, as the food 

 consumed by them is so much indirectly taken from the 

 poor, by very much enhancing the price of the remaining 

 portion of the provision of the people ; let every one who 

 keeps a useless animal reflect that it is wasting the re- 

 sources of the country; and with a teeming population 

 bordering on starvation, the money thus spent on 

 pampered animals would cause employment, fill the 

 mouths of thousands, greatly improve the land, ame- 

 liorate the condition of human beings, and benefit the 



nation.— J.S.H. 



Dibbling Wheat.— It is surprising to see 

 alacrity the labourers of our village have 



the dibbling system ; there is not a single _ 



where Wheat is, but it is dibbled ; men, women, and 

 children, have been busy at the work; but the great fault 

 is too thick planting— six inches between the rows, and 

 four inches in the rows, and seven, eight, and even ten 

 grains, in each hole. This is the distance, 1 believe, in 

 every case but one. I saw a labourer dibbling the other 

 day, which was the same distance in the row, but eight 

 inches between the row?. I tried to convince him 

 that two or three corns at the most was sufficient, and 

 that the crops up were all too thick. He replied 1 

 should not like to have a piece set with four or five in a 



the manure being too dry, and to the state of the atmo- 

 sphere at the time of planting, and not so mucli in the 

 Potatoes as is supposed ; and as a proof of this I took 

 from a heap of Potatoes, which had been heated and 

 thrown away as worthless, and planted 12 of them in 

 June in the garden, with cow-dung and guano ; they all 

 came up and produced a fair crop; and other obser- 

 vations of the last season fully bear oat as above 

 stited. — M. Saul. 



with what 

 taken up 

 allotment 



ftocfctfe*. 



AGRICULTURAL IMPROVEMENT SOCIETY 



OF IRELAND. 



Council Meeting, Thursday,November 7, 1814.— The 

 following is a portion of a letter received from the Mar- 

 quis of Downshire : — The intention of establishing in 

 London a Chemistry College, has suggested to me that it 

 might be very beneficial to the farming interest in Ireland, 

 if the Society would elect one or more experienced 

 chemists in the chief towns in Ireland, not with salaries, 

 but merely appointing one or more in each town, and 

 arranging with them a scale of charges, for analysing 

 manures, earths, minerals, or what not, to be hung up 

 in the shop, to be referred to on the application of the 

 persons requiring information. Such a system would 

 gradually bring chemistry and the necessity of more accu- 



my in the management of the soiL and of the suitable 

 crops to be grown on it, into notice, and pave the way 

 for an Irish College of Chemists, after experience has been 

 had of that which is about to be tried in London. — 

 The report of the sub-committee for preparing the list 

 of premiums for the cattle-show at Ballinasloe, next year, 

 was then submitted to the council, which suggested many 

 important alterations from the premium. sheet of the 

 present year, and, among the rest, that all local compe- 

 tition should be abolished ; and that all the different 

 breeds of stock, both males and females, should compete 

 in separate classes ; that the premiums for South Down 

 sheep and for swine should be increased considerably ; 

 that the sum usually allocated for agricultural improve- 



ents should be increased to 100/., and the prizes for 

 butter and wool be continued, and for poultry also in- 

 creased ; that the sum of money usually allocated for 

 extra stock be increased to 40/. ; and that premiums be 

 given for frieze, home-made linen, stockings, &c, to be 

 confined exclusively to the class of workijig farmers and 

 their families who are the objects of the Society's bounty 

 in the local Societies, and holding under 25 acres of land 

 in their possession. On the motion of Mr. Lyle, the 

 premium- sheet was referred back again to the sub-com- 

 mittee, with instructions to the secretary to have it 

 printed as it then stood, and circulated amongst different 

 members of the council, to ascertain their views upon the 

 various portions of it, previous to the next general meet- 

 ing of the Society on the 29th instant. 



FL 



' — »*"•-* *=» auvancine:: and rnn, 



committee are now credibly informed that the yarns 1*2 

 rom Irish Flax are considered, by manufacturer/^ 



hole; but I hope in time to see this prejudice removed. 

 I quite agree with Mr. Goodiffe as to distance, and I 

 think another advantage is, that two crops in succession 

 may be obtained off the same piece of ground, by plant- 

 ing between the rows of the previous year.-Sand- 

 jordenstone. 



• Gr 1Z {^•—Seeing an article in your last Number, 

 signed Dodman," complaining of the wet state of his 

 meadows, and of a weed which he calls Hard-heads, a 

 plant which I do not know by that name, but suppose it 

 to be a species of Centaurea or Plantago ; whatever the 

 plant may be, if the roots are difficult to eradicate I 

 could not suggest a better remedy than he himself pro- 

 poses ; namely, thoroughly tile-draining, severely scari- 

 fying, and sowing with fresh clean seeds of the proner 



ll T ZZ n \ • P f, Ure Gra ? 8eS ' T ° Carr * off the ■wfcee- 

 water of which he complains, I should, instead of bush- 

 drains, recommend open furrows, which if kept clear will 

 I have no doubt, with the aid of the tile-drains below' 

 effec a complete reformation in the appearance of his 

 meadows.— W.J. Cormack. 



Agricultural Chemist n >/. — An extract from "The 

 Gentleman Farmer," fifth edition, published at Edin- 

 burgh, in 1802, by Henry Home - shows that c 

 mistry, as applicable to agriculture, is not the mania of 

 the present day only. Page 315-.««Tobe an expert 

 ewL 1S " 0tnecessa 7 that a gentleman be a profound 

 rinl? i . ^ however > cer ^n chemical prin- 



ouahr I h ? agncu j ture that no f *™er of education 



cestrv .w!* TT ° f ' Such aS a PP ear the ffiost ««" 



StracLn »„ 1 f' 6 SU > ted ' be 8 inniD S with elective 



attract on and repn hnon, which make a capital article in 



tKr^ aS WeU aS 0f chemistry." 

 £ ill I !"" k rea *<>ning on the subject, it savs : <> It 



bet^^^ 



the weather a century ago : - In V^f^^f 



10 davsl g W W T *n T J,| , hU0il Spr ° Uted in the 8h °ek 

 10 days earlier than Oats that grew in a cold soil."- 



Semper ego auditor tantum. 



Hifkift^/^^-^ 1 !"- W ° rtM ***>n, farmer, at 

 Hi.kin, has dug up several large Potatoes, varying in 

 weight from 4f to 5 lbs. each. In this neighboured 

 they are no t only large, but rise well where they have not 

 have 77° ml "e U P I and il a PPears to me that where they 



IMPROVEMENT SOCIETY OF IRELAND. 

 Tun fourth annual meeting of this Society took place 

 in Belfast on Friday, the 8th inst. The competition 

 was very extensive— there having been no less than 132 

 entries of Flax ; and the meeting was well attended. 

 Amongst the machinery, a very superior machine for 

 rolling Flax, previous to scutching, was exhibited by 

 Messrs. Mac Adam, Curell, and Co., of the Soho Foun- 

 dry, which attracted general attention. This machine is 

 entirely of cast iron, and consists of a series of fluted 

 rollers, of different sizes. It contains all the various 

 improvements hitherto made in Flax rollers, and differs 

 from them all in several particulars. The Flax passes but 

 once through the machine, and is perfectly rolled. The 

 rollers are so contrived that the Flax, in passing through 

 them, receives a peculiar motion towards the end of the 

 process, which has the effect of completely loosening the 

 woody part. They are also so made that the fibre of the 

 Flax cannot receive any injury ; and by a new arrange- 

 ment of the pressing levers the entire strain is taken off 

 the machine the moment the Flax passes through This 

 rolling machine is driven by about half a horse-power 

 and can be attached to water-wheels, horse-machinery' 

 en driven by men. The following certificate has 

 been forwarded from the Messrs. Herdmans, proprietors 

 of the Sion Flax-mills, at Strabane :— 



or even 



Sirs— After a 



mnntlt.??" !f "If 1 Stfabane ' 7th NOV., 1844. 



month s trial of your bruising machine, v 



s 



-~, .....w o F «v.<-. », c are aoie co oruisc with it two tons nf 



jssre&s ass aar- -sffls 



TI,7m M1C A" 3 ? 1 ' Curell & Co. Hjmmmak & Co. 



, \ ,e I 1 *'.*™ ° f Dowwhire, one of the Vice-Presidents 



V f , \f S ° C A e 7 ' be ' nS , C l" e ?, t0 the chair - the "cretary, 

 Mr. Mac Adam, read the Report, from which we make 



the following extracts :-The estimated quantity of Flax 

 TnLr°r ,'" re ' a ? d ' iD ^ ■P rin * of this" year, is 



„ 8 S S rln/ n Ten , bushels each « the q«»» tity 

 10 18-13 was 3/, 400. On the estimate that each hogs- 

 head would sow three statute acres, the quantity of land 

 under the crop in 1813 was 112,200 acres ; 'and this 

 year (1814) is 122,088 acres. Supposing that each at 

 will give an average produce of G cwt. of scutched Flax 

 the entire produce of Irish Flax, last year, was 36 405 

 tons, and this year 30,611 tons. Estimating it at an 

 average value of 45/. per ton, this add tioiwl quantity 

 would hnng 141,370/. The quantity of Flax crown in 

 Ireland in 1841. the first year of the Soele?,Vubou™ 

 was about 2o,000 tons; this year (1844) it is, in round 

 numbers 40,000 tons. There has thus bien an increase, 

 during the past three years,of 15,000 tons, which, at the 

 same estimate of 45/. per ton, would amount to 675,000/ 



[Nov^SO, 



less than was estimated last year, viz., ia i , ' lni 

 ton, on one-fourth of the quantity crown Ti ; *** 

 be 100 000/. more, which, aided to^fe' 675 W/ ' ^ T 

 given for the increase .„ quantity, make . i„ ,11, ;;££$ 

 —a sum which would formerly have been m, id i„ k , 



ion, to foreigners, but is /ow circulated" am'ong "the 

 farmers and labourers of Ireland. I„ consequence ol 

 the care now bestowed, both on the growth and »,.„. 

 .ion of Irish Flax, its character is aiancing ; and ^ 



affording a better and more durable material for the? 

 fabrics, than those spun from the generality of foreign 



Saving of Flaxseed.— Your committee have been instru 

 mental in bringing prominently before the farmers the 

 great utility of Flax seed as food for all kinds of live stock 

 A prejudice had formerly prevailed against saving the 

 seed, from an idea that it would injure the quality of he 

 fibre. Almost everywhere through the country thU 

 season, a large portion of the crop of seed has' been 

 saved, and the Flax fibre has not been at all deteriorated 

 when the operation was performed with care Your 

 committee have reason to believe that fully one-sixth of 

 the Flax grown in Ireland, this season, has been rinnled 

 The seed has either been used for feeding, or has been sold 

 for the oil-mills ; and the total value of the above-named 

 quantity reckoning it at 3/. to 41. per acre, cannot be 

 estimated at less than 60,000/. to 80,000/. Several lanre 

 landed proprietors have, at great cost, erected scutch- 

 mills on their estates, for the benefit of their tenantry 

 containing the most approved machinery. 



The Factor System.— It has ever been the desire of 

 your committee to introduce and foster the trade of pur- 

 chasing Flax on the foot, as they conceive that this would 

 at once obviate the objections to the trouble of manag 

 in- the crop in districts of Ireland like the adjoining 

 counties, where the agricultural population is fully emt 

 ployed. The gentlemen who engaged in this new branch 

 of business, last year, from taking too much in hand, 

 were unable to realise any profit, as much of the flax was 

 greatly injured by their inability to have the different 

 processes, on so large a quantity of Fiax, managed by 

 their infant establishments. This season, however, those 

 who have purchased Flax on the foot have expressed 

 themselves well satisfied with the result of their enter- 

 prise ; and the claimants for the prizes, which your 

 committee offered to these gentlemen, can testify that 

 such is the case. Mr. Galbraith's establishment at 

 Lifford, has been of the most essential service, not only 

 in giving profitable employment to numbers of persons 

 in that neighbourhood, but in holding out such an 

 example to the surrounding farmers, in the neatness and 

 care with which the Flax is handled, and the consequently 



vast improvement in the quality of the fibre, when ready 

 for the market. 



In the course of the evening of this day's proceedings 

 Mr. J. Campbell made the following remarks on the 

 Irish linen trade : — Not many years ago, in the summer 

 days and winter evenings, the enlivening sound of the 

 spinning-wheel gladdened the hearts of the peasantry of 

 this country, and our linen trade flourished. The enter- 

 prising Englishman saw that this simple operation could 

 be more economically done, upon a large scale, and by 

 machinery. It were needless to inquire whether it would 

 be better to have the trade as it was, or as it is now con- 

 ducted. One thing, however, became certain, that if 

 this country did not keep pace with the improvement, 

 and adopt spinning by machinery, it would soon lose it 

 altogether, and possibly the other branches of the linen 

 trade along with it. In that emergency those spirited 

 and patriotic individuals, the Murlands, of Castlewellan, 

 and the Mulhollands, of Belfast, determined to avail 

 themselves of the improvements, and to use them for 

 their own and their country's benefit. They commenced, 

 and had carried on till that day, that new branch of 

 trade, in a manner creditable, as he hoped it had been 

 profitable to themselves, and highly beneficial to the 

 province of Ulster. Their example had been followed 

 by others, and there were now a number of concerns of 

 this description in the north of Ireland, costing, as near 

 as he could compute, 1,160,000/., and requiring, besides, 

 about half a million of floating capital— attributing 

 6000/. per week, employing upwards of 12,000 men, 

 women, and children, and indirectly, a vastly greater 

 number; using 90,000 tons of coal yearly, which would 

 employ about 30 vessels and 150 seamen to carry them 

 from England and Scotland ; and, what was still of 

 greater importance to that Society, using about 300 tons 

 of Flax per week, worth from 12,000/. to 15,000/., or 

 15,600 tons a year, worth at least 653,200/.— Abridged 

 from the Northern Whig. 



FARMERS' CLUBS. 



Maidstone.— An unusually full meeting of this claD 

 lately took place to receive the report of the deputation 

 appointed at the previous meeting to visit the farms 



iv.„< <T ", j ." ? ^ \ ftliU 1L d l'ps»r:» 10 me mat where they T , .™— — "* »«• f« <•"". "uuiu amount to 075,000/. 

 have failed, it is owing to the state of the ground, and -i Im P rov ? me *ts in quality, during this period, so 



I evident to all the consumers nf Pin V na ».\ ,' 



the consumers of Flax, cannot have been 



Mr. Dickson read the following report :— Spring Pf k 

 Farm consists of about 200 acres. The most 8trll j| n ^ 

 feature observable on entering the land was the care that 

 had been taken, by grubbing hedgerows, &c, to lay t e 

 land open to the influence of the sun and air. The soi 

 of this farm consists of black sand and beech gravel, 

 with a subsoil of white sand and gravel. The moor-pan 

 formerly consisted of exceedingly hard conglomerate 

 masses of gravel and apparently ferruginous sand, some o 

 which were so large as to require six horses to draw the 

 I off the field. They are very similar to what is calie* 



