

1844.1 







r 



THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 



S39 



manufacture of kelp, and it is therefore belter to ajmh 

 it to the soil. Forty tons of se*-ware are equal to or 

 ton of kelp, and twenty tons of this sna-ware is quite 

 enough to dung an acre; this is 25*. for ma-.urin^ an 

 acre, and doubtless this sea-ware will come more and 

 more into general use for the purposes of cultivation. 

 The lecturer then exhibited a large bag in use in Lewi?, 

 which was made of the stem of the Bent Grass, i.nd spun 

 in the long winter nights; they are used for keeping tl 

 corn in, and carrying t-uch pjrlior.s of it to market a? 

 they are able to spate for sale. There is a distillery on 

 the island, which takes up all the surplus of the Barley 

 •crop. After giving a few geolo ; ic»l details, Mr. S. 

 stated that the population ex ended to 17,000 souls, and 

 there were 270,000 acres of laud, which, if improved i 

 it might bi^, would maintain twice the number of neopl 

 in mere comfort than they were at present. — Alridged 

 from the Scottish Guardian. 



SKETCHES OF EAST LOTHIAN HUSBANDRY. 

 Livestock. — East Lothian being essentially a Cam- 

 growing county, grazing is carried on only ai subser- 

 \ient to tillage, and the rearing and man ment of live 

 stock is therefore regarded as an object of serondar 

 consideration by most of the farmers. C d sheep 



are fed to a coii>i..lerab!e extent, but comparatively few < 

 the former are reared in the county, the / iter numb. 

 •of them being purchased annually ac Falkirk Tryst, All- 

 hallow F^r (held inEdinbu .), and other marked; oulya 

 very few farmers keep r.v milch cows than are tufa 

 to furnish a regular supply of dairy produce for their 

 families. Each hind or servant bavin,; a h Be, has alt 

 n cow supported for him throu^iout the year on th 

 farm in which he works. No oxen are employed in farm 

 labour, every description of work at which beaits i 

 employed, being performed by horses. The ati 

 the intelligent ltUiista of this county not ha g 



j -.cemrily been bo much directed towards the rearing 



and improvement of cattle, as in other districts where 

 these animals form a more important branch of fan 

 management, the stock farming of j : Lo; ioes not 



exhibit much deserving of commendation. There 

 however, several exceptions to this, as many fine id- 

 mens of the short-homed breed are reared "in different 

 parts of the county; a circumstance coi 1 bv the fact 



that many of the prizes awarded at the II laud Society's 

 Show iu Edinburgh were carried off by East Lothian 

 farmers. 



The method of feeding usually practised is to allow the 

 cattle, in lots of five or six, or more, according to their 

 age and size, perfect freedom in open courts or jar 

 provided with tsheds, to which they may retire for shelter 

 in inclement weather. E \ jardhas along on^ or more 

 of its sides a range of shallow troughs formed of w 

 or flag-stones, about 3 feet high, from which the catt 

 eat their Turnips or other food. Oil-cuke and Bean- 

 meal are used to a considerable extent as auxiliary to 

 Turnips iu faLteuing oil cattle i-i s_ »g, As has been 

 already observed, many farmers let the greater portion u, 

 their Turnip crop to cattle-dealers, either at a certain 

 price per acre or at au agreed rate — now . to ox. a week, 

 for each beast. 



Permanent and extensive flocks of sheep are almost 



each, per diem, and straw ad lihi \ : four ! , of J th. s k, n I 



s is the general allowance to a pair of horses in the 

 week. Mo-t farmers gi a bo! -d mixture of Beans a: 

 Barter,! oarenightfra** k; and instead of gnu 



the Cjrn entire to horses, it is not uncommon to brui 

 or break it with an aj paratua for the purpose, ci ri i bv 

 the Bam i power that propels the ton iuy achine. A 



!W-S Turnips are given daily to each horse duri 



the winter and spring months, wl i fends very ram- 

 to their ii ovement. There are, no doub% many little 

 deviations in the practice of difi at f , but ti 

 aborts is the gei manage nt of farm-. adopted 



in this county, and indeed thro ut the south of 



Scotland. Then . too little . . on paid to 



cleanliness iu the stable; and it is a fact g ally oh- 



red str.i: rs, t the harness < le farm-horses 

 here, is much inferior in an mce an ality at first, 



to that commoniy met \ i other p8ii of Scotland, 



and that much less j is are t / the servants i 



; il iarnes8 p to their horse maud 



in good or r. 1 tck is suj i Q 



a great mi r-Q from the . mn ;e that tho: 



; with horse e, for the : it part, manic. i 

 who are generally found to post 



in this resp than younger and unmarried men. I 

 - -ring and summer the time of working is boors 



7» 



id 5o mis- taken d [ ueeas 



- as to coi Icr that no creature is so ser- 



viceable to the farmer', ex the live stock he keep* on 



I farm, as the k. In the n d of my 



native pi a is. a looker, belo i Wm. Va; 



iq.« of VVe :i. in \ arfedale. in wl i it is esti 



there are 10,000 roo t 1 lb. of food per week is a 



very moderate allowance for each bird ; and th -lOths 

 of their food consists of wor , inseci eir lartce. 



For, although they do con damage to the t :«, 



for a few weeks in teed- time and ew wetl n harvest, 

 p- icularl? in backward seasons, yet a very !»rt,'e pro- 

 portion oft., ir food, even at these of 

 insects and i , which (if we i pt a f e \corns 

 aud uti in m . r.n) form, at iises, the 

 whole of their »ii! •. Here, m lata be 

 correct, re is tl rmous i 



or '. of worms, i. . arva astroyed 



by one .- le rookery ; at cry nows l.ow 



ivi the larva? of the 



insects ia^ ) fed i 



some *li idea may be f . o! 



rowks .■ h»5. means of pre vei J 



at in St . nd in ma of the 



-i vie of i dant 



I at thee s of coin no*t ( J by th 



, and I i the cj gi* 



to the h es . in < * pa is the customary p; 



tice iB to c< TO the h - and in ti 



to avoid the ' - of a or ; by goin^ to and 



returning from the s k — T. i*. in, 





on.-. 



confined to the Lamm. rumor district — the upland j 

 of the county. The hinds kept there as being the be 

 adapted to the situation, are the black-faced and Cheviot 

 breeds. Improved Leicester sheep are common in the 

 low parts, as are also the Cheviot. Crosses between the 

 last named breeds are held to be better adapted to the 

 soil and climate than pure sheep of either of those kinds. 

 In the low d strict sheep are kept chiefly to consume a 

 portion of the Turnip crop on the ground ; black-faced 

 hogs are most generally preferred for this pu >se, as their 

 mutton is most esteemed, and obtains the hi M prices 

 in the market. Turnips are also frequently sold to 

 dealers to be eaten by sheep, either by the acre or at an 

 agreed rate, generally &±d. a week for each sheep. These 

 are commonly purchased in autumn, and again sold < 

 when ready for the butc! . A very considerable 

 number of Iambs are brought up for the supply of the 

 Edinburgh market, and many are annually t ped for 

 London. 



_ The horses generally lflept are of moderate size, com- 

 bining much strength with activity, and partaking largely 

 of the Clvdesdale breed. These animals receive much 

 attention, and are, generally speaking, maintained in 

 good condition, i. c. equal, if not superior, to the work 

 which they have to perform. A pair of stout horses are 

 allowed to be capable of working CO Scot acres of land 

 of an average quality. The following is the mod.3 of 

 feeding and managing farm "horses generally adopted i 

 the Lothians: — About the beginning of May they ai 

 turned out to graze at nights, but receive their usual 

 allowauce of Coro — three feeds of about 4|lbs. t 

 with a limited quau :. f y of hay daring the mid-day rest ; 

 very little hay is used by the farm horses, but what is 

 given is always reserved till the period of hard work 

 attendant oa the preparation of the land for g u 

 crops. This m igement is continued until the Clover 

 is ready for cutting, the horses are then ke>,t in the 

 stable durina: the niirhr, and receive a limited allowance 

 ot cut Gra^s. When the Turnip seed is all rn, 1 the 

 fallow laud (if any) finally ploughed aid woilu-d, the 

 horses are again turned u-fkld, \ re they rrm day 

 and t.i^ht until the carrying of the Conwropcoium s. 

 Green Clover being then generally consumed, Tares are 

 substituted during harvest, the horses i.elug still ke; 

 out over night till the ploughing of the stubhh-, or of 

 th« land for autumn-sown Wheat begins ; they then re- 



me Corr or ace. 



The AUolmatt System now appears to ght at aa 



the r a to meet the < s of the 



labouring 4 q. *• Drain, drain your laud and gi« 

 plojinent/ 7 is now the cry. w Si Hand (urn chemise, 

 find out the fo^d best adapted lor your difTeren' :1s, a I 

 ycHi \ enrich yourselves bey end oei " for s > sayi the 



ithusiast. appose thU to be true — and I do nor qa - 

 tion but t a \rho has a kno of chemistry, ai 



a p *, to < in aud s ii, may i tcrease ins crops 

 murveiiously — I ask who is tft start these schenit-.s ; 

 Why, the landlords to be sure ; few tenants have the 



sacs. It is all very fine talking of the landlords lay- 

 ing the foundation of good cr > on their tenants' lam 

 by draining, and getting 5 per cent, for doin^ so. But 

 many owners of property are as poor as the rs of it ; 

 and oihers are unbelievers in these plans, or excuse th«i. - 

 selves under various pleus. )r , " Give the tti ts 



cs, for they would sp^nd t / c tal and give em- 

 a^nt, aud embark ■ i z ul in t!ie new >\$v ax so 

 geuev cornuie; d." And son 3re are that would 



do so ; ba I take it, with the plurality t -e r 



there would be many things wanting > bring i 

 de ^d end; for edacation, as far as I cin see, has not 

 tri rapid!}- in the ^^riciih'ural provinces; be- 



sidcr., how few te * have capital, if it had. I a. 



no Iriend to le s ; 9-tenths of theuj are dropping in, 

 with the farms little better, often worse, than they found 

 theui. And what is the allotment a em to do? The 

 a.iswer is glibly givc.i — <4 It will ameliorate thee jnuition 

 of the poor.'' There are many diff. ea in practice con- 

 nected with this new scheme. It often disgusts the man, 

 striving to his labourers, to find in numbers, how 



many are unwilling to help themselves, and how many 

 are ca: i of your consideration. Certainly, many are 

 benefited by h iug a piece of land, and comfort, hca: 

 enjoyment, and comparative wealth, btetl m mjr a 

 family t; cu ates it well ; but how few are there 



U ! How many smile and say, u What new crotchet 

 now has the squire got into his head?" How many do not 



iy, and say it doea not answer ! How many tell you, 

 44 liow can I tind strength (poorly fed) to work from six 

 to six on my master's I n, and then set to work 

 u ; y own; M The wife has indoor work, and childn 

 to look after ; bat there are many .men who think feel- 

 ingly that ging and delving for a woman is bordering 

 on slavery, Suppose a nobleman or gentleman kept 

 50 labourers, and to e i he gave an allotir. of land ; 

 to see that i served all the rules laid down wot. 



occupy much of his or the bailiff's time, which possibly 

 be cheerfully given if the results would turnout 

 benel d to all \ Lies. As the seasons are the same 

 for all, and so are the preparations for planting, sowing, 

 and iu t reaping, the one interest, I apprehead, 



would greatly interfere with the other; aud for the land- 



rd in the midst of his own harvest to be asked by his 

 labou >r half and whole holidays to do their own 



work, appears to me likely to create unpleasantness. 

 If [if /j a labourer i;:n get work all the year round, my 



vice to them would be to stick to it, and that alone , 



t the goodness and benevolence of the old count! 

 gen' dl exists in our landed proprietors— tlu-y 



seldom turn adrift the man in short winter days, or when 

 the sere and yellow leaf is come u i him. It is n< 



i them to cheapen wages, and grind them down, and 

 use them only for their own pro. — L- L. [These 

 oft-repeated objections to the system are sufficiently 

 refuted by history and fact. See the M Labourers' 

 Friend " for August, September, October and November, 



18 ] 



Sen of the Iiook.—k strong prejudice is felt by 

 many persons against rooks, on account of their de- 

 stroying n aud Potatoes; and so fir \< this carried. 



■ 



ceive their full winter's feediu^— about I libs, of Corn that 1 know persons who offer a reward for every rook 



ii ty of) , us I have somev re seen en ac- 



a t that i !cs in I se i are not 



ier . th 



or that $ been d? omits. Tarn 



tl to lie o ,. have 



many rooks . )ur d v*| 



is Dot s a deal. Met, and 1 



infects of that class, an< ir . irv«, » . fav 



food of tbe rook. 1 \ f f the 



abo«r- 



d ooany yen 



d I wen as to create < 



m among tl .. ne 



soen, hom their c i 



flocked in from lamia ■ of 



ousa; , and devoured I > g; c -re 



all destroyed ia ;; ve j time. It was at: 



newspc rs, a year or tv; at tl h an 



en »us quantity of * upon i aw, that 



tin y devoured all the v n on the r >, and 



e were t: ens would atta 



the inclosed U»ds; but ihe rooks (« \ arr of 



jfa gro in tlie summer) 1 h^m, in 



a very hhort time put an end to ti ravag — 7'. ( 

 Clith. , L< 



Ti r 9 s J -r- c ir Josepl anks 1 



MSS. to the British Mu tin, 1 recsoll he time 



there was in uc a-4 tow pers 



h laund t r way to t , es y 



of u Points in llu- ie* 



f -, livable baronet -id adc ± vai e i n- 



tiin his personal oi >ns. I think Sir 



was employed in pr vrin for the | i these 



tiiiics such a work would be v . Can any 



on< ?e any i rmation on 



j nto .—In your the . " A 



Farmer M wishes to know tbe best time to g; rre, 



and sow Potsto-seed. 1 *Y t'** 1 l of 



hering is any i e fron bat of the apple's being 

 y ripe to the prw her them, and * e them 



id to ibiy dry t . either wh< • bruised: L< m 



i the ground from frost, ana iu dk or - ke 



and mix the soil in they have been 1 jw 



altogether and cover i i 1 gh: 1 about a q r of au 



inch deep. — J i J /. 



Malt j , — I ii.: consumption of m "or a cei try 

 previous to 1830 remained nearly 

 the f Lion had >iau th . but 



in consequence of a r< d of beer e find 



that the consump malt by pnhlic brew ^hs in 



thnt year only 2 ,i71 qrs. of malt, but in 1S40 was 

 4,0S2,i>o7 qrs. ; the governm< in I ed the 



d on malt and I § "» | ent., and we find t at ia 

 1813 the consumption of malt by brewers bad I ^n to 



<jrs., thus M, owing that with a i of . R<L 



per qr. on 4 ',->G7 qrs. in 1840, the g re- 



ceived a revenue of 4 in 184 '8 



qrs., at 21.v. &/., « J,4« L ; showing- 7. 



by the increase or y ; wht tight 



• have increased the revenue by /., ^ ing 



we 1 no increase of popu from 1 md 



that the consumption i-ad remained ti.e^ame; whereas 

 the former bad increased by i )00 j and 



the latter had de ed b i f . Agsin, we find 



that 5 years pre\ is to the r cent, d laid 



on Malt and Hops, the aver • num' of * i- 



vated lor Hops was about ; in the "S 



4i,o00; showing a de« ■ <se of 1 00 acres the 



last 5 years as eon ed witi ye. - s, 



alone, is a serious injury to the labourers < J in 



producing Hops, and also a fcerioos loss to the revenue, 

 for during the ^ first jesrs the a\ ;e an t of 

 revenue derived I a Hops ■ about 34.") ,000 : duri 

 the last 5 years, with iocreased da1 ., only 



228,000/. ; showing a loss of 1 1 7,C ?r annua e 



nseofduty. Now, the object of taxes I imagine to be, 

 to raise and imiWI tbe it venue, ai not to decrease 

 consumption, for this last might be effe< 1 by ive 



and prohibitory law. The ect, therefore, of the 5 per 

 cent, duty is manifestly attUified ; for we see, that as 



