1 3 - 



THB AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 





pitttoti 



the direction 



which it revolves 



aiatd 



cat or ffrated off the root by 

 •oo*h. Mr. Tklfer's grater a 



ribbon-like piece 



these edges, pan ti: 



solid cyliuder of wood covered with .sheet iron, v ich 

 has been pierced . ver from the inside outwards, 

 with a solid j ramidal-pointed punch. At each of 

 these points the sheet is torn open, presenting 

 three torn eeth, ; I over the whole surface so 

 punctured these teeth point promiscuously in every 

 direction. The cylinder revolves several hundred 

 times in a minute, and I s cwt. of roots are torn 

 down by It in the hour. This grated Mangold i 

 not allowed to ferment as in the plan described in 

 another colui i : 3 cwt. of it are steamed and mir. 

 gled with 2o s. of Bean-meal and 84 lbs. of Lin- 

 seed and 7 or 80 lbs. of the Oat-hu>k from the Oat- 

 meal mill — each * teamed separately, and the whole 

 then mingled together, and these quantities make 

 one of the feeds which are given daily to 48 cattle 



in the byres. It is in the adaptability which they 

 thus a< e for intimate commixture with other 

 food that the advantage of grating or pulping roots 

 is chiefly found. 



specially the ca.se in regard to Wheat ; and Mr. 

 dors found 90 lbs. of nitrate with 180 of guano 

 give a heavier crop of Clover and Grass at less 

 expense than 180 of nitrate alone/' 



Now Mr. Harcouut says truly that nobody will 

 contest any moderate praise of nitrogen in it- 

 forms of the various nitrates and of the several 

 ammon'acal salts. " Its value is well known, 



["Maico 



I 





The present is the season during which purchases 

 of artificial manures are generally made, whether 

 for top-dressing the young Wheat— and its present 

 appearance a iVr the frost will be a tern] on to 

 the more general use of top-dressings than lias 

 hitherto prevailed— or for use a>- auxiliaries to the 

 ordinary dressings of farm dung for Turnip and 

 other gietn crops. Mr. Pi sr f s confident recom- 

 mendation of nitrate of soda will occor to many a 

 purchaser about to enter the guano market ; and 

 salts of ammonia, whether obtained by direct distil- 

 lation from coal, as in the sulphates, &c, prepared 

 from gas water, or made in a roundabout way out of 

 various prepwat of animal offal, blood, &c, 



which are now coming into more general iho aaj 

 thi in short, as \ 11 as nil s and ammoniacal 

 salts, which in any degree lessen the demand 



upon our limited supplies ot guano, is of great agri 

 cultural and national value. We hope next week, 



soon, to cive what information 





or very 



can obtain of the 



supplies and methods 

 phosphate Manure Company's 

 where blood comes into direct 



give 

 London 

 of 



supply 



Manure 

 •of 



we 



Company'^ 

 the Nitro 



also. 



experiments. It is a-constant subject of advice to 

 farmers to prevent the escape of ammonia from 

 their dunghills ; and nitrate of soda and sulphate 

 of ammonia have long been used as valuable 

 manure But to speak of nitrogen as " the main 

 strength of vegetation by a law of nature " is not 

 only mistaken in itself — it is calculated to mislead 

 with regard to the whole scope and philosophy of 



manuring. 



We prefer guano to nitrate of soda as a manure, 



because the former supplies nearly all the building 

 material needed by the plant ; while the latter at 

 most -applies but three, and in effect but two, of 

 these essential substances. Doubtless the most 

 economical manuring is that which supplements 

 deficiencies in the natural supplies of food for plants; 

 but eeing that generally we do not know wherein 

 a soil may be deficient, it is well to employ ma- 

 nures which are more compound in their nature 

 than a single mineral salt can be. Hence it is that 

 farm-yard manure is the best of all as to its cha- 

 racter, though no doubt there are many forms of 

 fertiliser more intense and energetic in their action. 

 If a soil does contain abundant store of mineral 



nd other food, then some nitrogenous manure, such 

 as nitrate of soda, will no doubt excite most 

 vigorous growth and produce, and experiments with 

 nitrate of soda performed under such circumstances 

 will corroborate all that Mr. Pcsey has said in its 

 favour. Hut such soils are the exception, and we 

 believe that top-dressings of the young Wheat 



■lant will he safer and more profitable if they are 

 more mixed and compound in their character. We 

 recommend, therefore, in preference to 1£ cwt. of 

 nitrate of soda per acre for the Wheat plant an 

 equal value of genuine Peruvian guano. 



by I,*,! work. "'^ **!*% 



I observe the compliments bestowed by Jj r v 

 on the Government Inspectors, and I do not de^f* 

 lessen the influence of his good opinion, but I v* * 



nevertheless, to assert that there is w ^ * n y* 



ft* 



i* 

 k* 



officers who has not seen reason to regret the v* 

 perfect manner in which much of the drainaee hJ?i 



Drainage Acts. 



M. 



■W 



p ro ce ed ings 



of the Cyanic 



Manure Compai too, all of whom advertise in our 

 columns : but before givim in this way the actual 

 quantities and qualities of the material on which 

 theannual fertility of the land is to depend so much, 

 it may be well just to direct attention to the principle 

 on which all these fertilisers act. And no way of 

 doing thiscAn he m re appropriate than that afforded 



by a short review of an interesting lecture lately 

 delivered to the men. s of the West Cambridgeshire 

 Agricul ml Club < On the connection of chemistry 

 with agriculture— its uses and abuses,*" by the 

 Hon* and Rev. 1 Vrrnon Harcourt, I whom the 

 readers of the Agrieuttmral Gazette have in past vears ot interest snail represent 



LAND IMPROVEMENT COMPANIES. 



I have to beg you will favour me with space for a few 

 words of explanation on the points referred to by Mr. 

 Napier in last week's Agricultural Gazette. 



Mr. Napier alleges that there are two inaccuracies in 

 the passages you did me the honour to quote from my 

 recently published paper on u Land Drainage and Drain- 

 age Systems," which might injuriously affect the Lands' 

 Improvement Company ; and to a certain extent the 

 allegation is true, but not wholly so. I admit the 

 error respecting the clearing of lands — it was unin- 

 tentional, and shall be rectified in the second edition 

 of my pamphlet, which is now preparing. But with 

 respect to the maximum amount of annual instalment 



indebted for some of the most v; 

 which hive appeared in its column 



The first few p* > s of this pamphle 

 by a parallel between the arts of aj 

 medicine— showing how, in both, < 

 reformed nractice. and h*™ a*..^*^ 



so entirely problematical that the Lands' Improvement 

 C npany are in fact rather benefited than injured by 

 widening the latitude of possibilities. I am informed by 

 persons conversant with money matters that, if the 

 present war continues, there is great probability that the 



com 



guidance no longer gropine » & " da7k Yk W £1 ^J"" 1 ° f ' ^ noto f nl y bei : eached butwi » be exceeded^ 



llDDrove «™»ri.L Tk. 1 j ' * kely io ' and M some P roof of this the Lands' ImDrovement 



Srof ZSi IiLT ge |; arKl m ° re J im P° rt ^t i Comply have/l helieve, already increaLdThe r anTua 

 r^,.nl ; P"™ c »* ,on >f, however, devoted to ' rate of instalment to 67. 1 is. d£, which is within Tfi,/ 

 a cnfcque npon Mr. P 3KT ' S >te pap e r on -the of Mr. Napier's maxima. \ UndS • Si. «SaS.£ 



and it is to this that merely to justify your observation that the account I 



Nitrate of So< 



i>u one nas ever inougnt 01 noiaing the Inspect 

 responsible fur details committed to the°superintenS!!! 

 of ignorant and unpractised men, and as long 1 

 ignorant and unpractised men are intrusted (m tb§! 

 continue to be) with such importaut works as drain!? 

 so long will the mode of carrying out the sever 

 Drainage Acts be liable to abuse. Now, it is juattfc 

 abuse of the powers delegated to them that it becoa* 

 the duty of all companies to use their utmost vigils. 

 to prevent. It is not assumed that every thing a drtinju 

 company may undertake must itself be perfect; all tta 

 is insisted upon is — that knowing the liability to defects 

 which all works of drainage are subject to, the direct^ 

 acting as trustees for capitalists, and as sureties for ti* 

 "advance of agriculture" are bound to us% every p^. 

 caution against abuse. The amount of vigilance to'eSeet 

 this security practised by the Directors of the General 

 Land Drainage Company in cases where the works art 

 performed by the landowner's own agents, is simply, in 

 the first instance, to satisfy themselves that the propo«4 

 works are creditably designed, and, in the next, thtf 

 they will be fully carried out by competent haudi, 

 And when landowners become cognisant of the fact thai 

 whereas the Lands' Improvement Company have the 

 power to charge estate for a terra of 25 years only, tht 

 General Land Drainage Company can charge for 51 

 years, the necessity for vigilance will not fail to V 

 manifest to them, particularly when the explanation it 

 accompanied by a tangible proof of the advantage 

 attending the extended term, in the truth that it tikes 

 61. 175. 6 d. to repay 100Z. to the Lands' Improveraet 

 Company, while it only requires hi. 2s. IQd. to satisfy 

 the General Land Drainage Company — a very sensible 

 difference when landowners are arranging with their 

 tenants for the payment of interest. 



And what is the cost to landowners of this vigilance 

 on the part of the General Land Drainage Company ! 

 It will be found to depend entirely upon the capability 

 of the "landowner's own agent" to design and carry 

 out the improvements. I need not say there are many 

 agents quite as competent for the work as any officer 

 connected with the Government or with the companies 

 In instances where the landowner is represented bj 

 such agents, the cost of the company's vigil*** 

 will be minimum, but cases may happen in which the 

 qualifications of the agents may be so small m to 

 raise it to a maximum. Now the maximum 

 cost cannot exceed two per cent, on the outlay 

 in drainage, road making, and the erection of fane 

 buildings. And what does this practically amount to! 

 One penny farthing per acre per annum on drainage 

 works charged for the term of 50 years ! 



However gratifying or politic it may be to compliment 

 the Drainage Inspectors and to treat with the a g e £*j* 

 landowners without distinction of character, I fe ^ l€ "^ 

 submit that such a mode of proceeding does nothing to 

 prevent the abuses of the present system, nor to advance 

 the character of agricultural improvements. 



It would be easy to prove that in every idbihw 

 where a land agent has presented a creditable ^ott 

 improvement, the General Land Drainage Comp • 

 have not only given him every facility of carrying «» 

 without any objectionable interference of its o 

 officers, but the advantages on the score of cost w 

 they have offered will bear a favourable cotafun** 

 any other method of effecting the only legitimate <*]" 

 in view — effective work at the least cost. ^ 



In estimating the actual cost and charges to ^^^ 



instance 



Heve that in this matt 

 Mr. Puixy is wro ; ; 

 they dHfcr is of real 



and, at 



seasonable importanc we shall 



ment of the former. Avoiding h< 



- — ,w v« nnw But *• concluding observations by which Mr. Napier 

 the present time, of fiu W ort ! tb f P^tice of the Lands' Improvement Com- 

 renrorlu^ tfc* e #'*„ ' P an >' of advancing money to landowners whn H*vo 





""»tr wneii treating wmi uw ii»»*^« *— r , w y| 



Company, it must be borne in mind that with an in ^ 

 of responsibility the Government Inspectors mn > 

 justice to themselves, increase their inspections. _# 

 will have, in fact, to satisfy the three P art r\l; c . 



i«„ r i ' xl. ' 'j ^i,~ T™Ue«re Cou^- 



wiuch he has nnnecessa 

 attack u n the tl I 



Cultural Societv nf Enirl 



ay 



-iS r " P * ') \ viU be re, «emb€red, attributed the 



S ! ffect ,°. f the nitrate of *«** ^ the nitrogen 

 which n contains. 6 



•MA k Ha J' ,ows that the experiments on 



Suy ,*!*,' PP S » r t. 111 ' 8 ^elusion io not neces- 



Land Drainage Company does the same thing. The 

 fact is th : the General Land Drainage Company has 

 two branches of business, the execution of works (which 

 the Lands Improvement Company does not undertake) 



evl!^ l-T- ° m ,° Dey 0n Works approved and 

 executed, wh.ch ,, s.mply and singly what the Lands' 



Improvement Company does undertake. That the two 



IT , — brancne 8 f busmess do not militate against each other 



He also says that the idea of the £ P rovedl >y the fact that the General Land Drainage 



* - "■ - Comnanv has Wn coi<>«4^ u.. . ,. »""»6 e 



Feb. 28. 



AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS. 



T»»i~»t M lx • Ti c aiso sa 7 s "i-"" "ie idea of the ~ *"""*" "{ "T iaci Wli « tnc Ueneral Land Drainage 



experien 

 says; 



Fftr . ,t « ««. For himself he while .^r^ 6 ^ 



For ei ,ht years tocether j tHed n . trate of wh,le h t ^ ^ advancng money on approved 



potash on Wheat aainst 

 invariably found the latt« 



the nitrate, though duri B / all & "^ un<le ™ tood 



particle of nitrucen «. u *j.)'„j 



■oil." 



not a of working this n^neyadvancin .^tTS^tS^S 



^i the two comnampfl wp ah»l &~a « -— 1^ , . ,.L v lue 



IndpZarJ aCd ^^lly to the two companies, we sl.all find a wmewhat dhWn? i ? 



perimentS^gtXe ' TttSL^J** m ^\7^^r^***i*E^ 



«^i.w. bat'noi ^ invaria^S ^ i he ait ^s SESS&KI! W« ™* that the « S- 



of 



usual ly 



^Wished by Johk Wabrjw 



ot inspectors «hall be aatia- 



«.^, w„ CIC «, ,„e ^.reewws of the General Land Drainage 



Company hav.ng greater powers to protect as well as a 



jpracfcal character to maintain, require to be self 



jMBured that the powers entrusted to thJ , .« Hi 



The total Wheat crop in Scotland last year i* 

 mated to have yielded 606,000 quarters, or about & 

 only of the annual consumption of Great ^ rit ^' tri- 

 very small is the proportion in which* Scotland c 



butes to the staple food of her southern neigbhou^^ 

 in so far as the supply of Wheat is concerned, we ^ 

 miss her less tham if the ports of Denmark an ^ 

 Hanse towns were closed against us. ^"n^oth^ 

 sent us last year twice as much Wheat as . a11 s rts i» 

 produced; and the shutting of the Russia 11 Pj ^ 

 attended witli much the same effect on the br ?£kinfr 

 sumers of England as if tlie northern half ot ta ^ 

 dom had for two years yielded no . Wheat n -^ 

 Such facts are, doubtless, painful at the P^V 1 *^ 

 for they press upon us the extent to which tn'S ^ 

 of manufacturing industry is dependent for lt * ^ $ 

 foreign supply ; but it would be as seI18eleSS ^ tr** 1 

 ignore that as to attribute its e*i«*« 

 The breadth of Wheat sown in 



pro- 



bably never greater than last year, under tf* e ■ . ^ 

 of high prices and the prospects of war, an* 7 



