THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE 



139 



fc- — •« exertions, aided by a propitious season, 

 J^JfST yielded us only 12 days' consumption of 



•fc^ -,. „f land under crop in Ireland show the 

 » ^Vhtt last year, as compared wit,, 1 8.53 to 



k-BT considerable ; and if the yield has been 

 *" Jroportiou, Ireland will this year g.ve us 



p F — of Wheat, or nearly one 



ta ike iaw e 



ST i,400,W« qu; 



^A'g consumpt'Oi 

 fornish us with 



about six weeks' consumption of 

 'JIZa Kingdom. So far we have sometliing like 

 ^'l K i on 'which to rest an estimate of the 

 •^ • and when the returns from those English 

 •""^hore'the experiment has been tried come in, 

 •"■fS ". Te the means of still further verifying current 



England is the great Wheat- growing quarter 



Great 



W 



and the 



.uMnot less than w,uuv,uvv 4 UMIWO ^ " , - . r 

 * S SSiev, Scotland gives about one-seventh part of 

 teJnoal consumption, and of Oats nearly one- fourth. 

 £!!Ld with Ireland the two countries are nearly 

 J5ljn Barlev, while Ireland grows more than double 

 ELntitv of Oats which are produced in Scotland. 

 SIS corn produce of Ireland in 1853 was 13,500,000 

 2tei* and that of Scotland in 1854 about 6,000,000 

 Srters! Ireland thus yielding considerably more than 

 Smb much corn as Scotland, which may be a useful 

 bint to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if any future 

 thin for exemption from taxation should be made from 

 Ijdmd. The crop of Potatoes in Ireland in 1853 was 

 Mtrds of 5,500,000 tons ; that of Scotland in 1854 

 [boat 500,000 tons, or not quite one-tenth of that of 

 Ireland. The total money value of the corn and 

 Potato crop of Ireland for 1853, at average prices (50s. 

 fcr Wheat, and corresponding rates for other produce, 

 ud Ms. per ton for Potatoes), was upwards of 

 24,000,000/. sterling, while that of Scotland for 1854, 

 it the same rates, is little more than 8,000,000/. sterling. 

 We know not whether the revenue raised in each 

 country bears the same proportion to the produce of 

 their soil, but the facts stated above form a sound basis 

 for the consideration of questions of revenue hereafter. 



We have not space, amid the more stirring matters 

 thai absorb public attention, to enter in detail into these 

 returns ; but we have been struck with the comparative 



Sace shown by them when placed beside those of 

 indfor 1853. For instance, the following figures 

 ihow the average produce per acre in bushels of corn 

 and tons of Turnips and Potatoes : 



Turnips. Potatoes. 

 16 6} 



On the abstract question of breeding in-and-in I shall 

 say nothing, as I believe no one defends it for its own 

 sake. The difficulty is for those who have animals of 

 superlative merit to continue their herd without either 

 risking the loss of some of their most valuable qualities, 

 or resorting to near degrees of affinity. My belief is, 

 that no man of our day has possessed such a herd as the 

 late Mr. Bates, That he scrupled not to combine very 

 near relations is undoubted ; but it must be remember* d 

 in the first place, that the animals he began with \ 

 of most excellent quality, and in the next, that hi 

 tribes were so numerous that he was able to produce 

 much variety, even while apparently urging the changes 

 within a limited circle. You have yourself pointed out 

 on the other hand, that when he'saw occasion, he would 

 freely resort to new blood. He has been condemned for 

 both courses ; but his success, now tested by time, is the 

 best answer to his censors. The fact is, that he 

 possessed that intuitive genius, without which no man 

 can hope to rise above a bungler in the difficult art of 

 breeding. With this he united long experience, and 

 a degree of enthusiasm which no difficulties could re- 

 press, no failures could daunt. He loved his cattle for 

 their own sake, not for the money he might happen to 

 make by them : above all, he never forgot the character 

 of the animal he was dealing with. He insisted on a 

 cow being a cow, and not a mere oblong box of fat. 

 Hence the charm of his herd, of which every individual 

 has a character which when once studied will never be 

 forgotten. Hence he did not, as some breeders do, 

 neglect the milking qualities of his favourites, for he 

 well knew that a first-rate animal may both milk and 



feed. 



From my own experience I find the cows of Mr. Bates' 



blood the best thrivers on hard keep and in an exposed 

 situation I ever possessed. The popular notion that 

 high-bred animals are tenderer than mongrels is a 

 mistake, arising in great measure from the injudicious 

 nursing they too frequently receive. I never pamper 

 my short-horns, and, therefore, when removed from my 

 farm it would be difficult to find a situation on which 

 they would not thrive, or food on which they would not 

 keep their condition. WMoughby Wood, Holly Bank, 

 Burton-071-Trent. 



TURNIP GRATING. 



Home Correspondence. 



Manures. With the rotation or routine of crops is con- 

 nected the judicious application of manure, of which I now 

 venture to offer the following suggestions. Many years 

 have not elapsed since it was received as an established 

 fact, worthy of all acceptation, that farm or fold-yard 

 dung formed the basis of manure ; but that before it * 

 could act as a fertiliser, it must be dissolved in the soil, 

 converted into a liquid, to be then absorbed by the 

 sponge-like processes of the rootlets, and thence carried 

 up, as raw sap, through the ascending vessels and cells 

 of the growing plant. About the commencement of the 

 present century the discovery of a new substance was 

 announced. This was analysed by Fourcroy, Davy, and 

 other eminent chemists of the day ; it was then termed 

 vegetable mould ; but subsequently, on the authority of 

 Thaer, it received the name of humus. By some- 

 persons, zealous supporters of the humic theory, it was 

 fancifully denominated "the cooked food of plants." 

 Humus was described as "a dark, unctuous, friable 

 substance, a compound of oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, 

 and nitrogen ; the result of the slow decomposition of 

 organic matters in the earth, and found in greatest 

 abundance in rich garden mould, or in old neglected 

 dunghills. ,? Thus viewed, its components constitute 

 the elements of all animal and vegetable substances. 

 To the theory of humus succeeded that of humine 

 and humic acid ; and here I might refer to the fourth 

 edition of Liebig's '< Agricultural Chemistry," chapters i., 

 ii., and iii. : but considering the principles therein 

 advocated as purely hypothetical, I prefer to return 

 now to the agency of farm-yard manure. It is curious 

 to observe the different opinions that have been enter- 

 tained concerning the action of this manure within the 

 soil, although not one particle of it can be taken up by 

 the roots of plants. Some persons contend that the 

 dung must be dissolved, and thus presented in the form 

 of a watery solution. Liebig believed that the humus 

 or vegetable mould (and by parity of reason the dung 

 when reduced to carbonaceous matter within the soil,) 

 becomes carbonic acid by absorption of oxygen, and 

 thus yields an atmosphere of carbonic acid gas, which 

 being taken up by the green parts of a plant nourish the 

 organism, and thus furnish its entire system of woody 

 matter. The specific action of manure of any kind, 

 organic or mineral, 'depends mainly upon the 

 constitution of the land. If the staple be clayey, 



Ireland.. 

 Scotland 



Wheat. Barley. Oats. 

 .. 27 40 38 



[The following is the abridgment of a letter to the Dublin 

 Farmers 1 Gazette, giving the results of experiments on grated -- — - i «m,«„ mm «n-l drained 



food; the report alluded to seems to have been an opinion it must be thoroughly broken up and drained 

 adverse to the practice, by Dr. Hodges of Belfast. Our opinion | depth of 3 or 4 feet, by tiles or pipes laid witU all 



28 36 36 14| 3£ 



Now, this indicates an inferior style of agriculture in 

 Scotland when contrasted with Ireland, as in every kind 

 of produce but one the latter appears to excel. But 

 everyone who has travelled in both countries must feel 

 that this is not the fact, but that very much the con- 

 trary is the fact. If the Scotch returns, therefore, are 

 a any degree accurate, the Irish ones must be most 

 Woneous, and in extending this inquiry to England we 

 iould do well to follow the Scotch mode rather than 

 4*t of Ireland. It is worthy of note that the two most 

 lortherly counties of Scotland, Caithness and Suther- 

 land, Aow the highest average produce of Wheat and 

 Turnips per acre, a fact which we cannot help attri- 

 J*% in a great degree to the spirit of agricultural 

 approvement early introduced into that remote district 

 ty the late Sir John Sinclair, formerly President of the 

 wd W Agriculture.— Times. 



[The average produce of Wheat in the northern counties being 

 JV^ge is owing to the very small extents to which those 

 rewnw refer— extents confined exclusively to the best soils in 

 ■'•^eral counties. And as to the comparison between Irish 

 E *k!! ttish a e ricil lt«re here instituted, we have no doubt 

 explanation suggested is the true one. The Scottisli 

 _^ is, no doubt, near the truth— and the Irish is * 



fermentation.] 



The trial which Dr. Hodges reports upon took place 

 under his auspices near Belfast, with animals the 



property of members of the society, who kindly offered * - - - 



L/ section, amongst 140 tied upf and also With pigs, water, be the amount of t he fal what i , nay 



At the request of some of the members of the society 

 to my brother (the inventor of the system, and upon his 

 request to me), I sent my steward to Belfast for one 

 week, to show them how to go to work, and to superin- 

 tend the proceedings for that time ; at the termination 

 of the week I went myself out of curiosity, and found it, 

 not only all, but quite beyond my expectations. Also, 

 the professor expressed himself to me — " That it was 

 the greatest discovery of the age." The results at the 

 end of the first week were as follows : — 



Increase 

 2 heifers on their feeding 

 2 ,. on fermented food 



vide a gradual fall from end to end, without one single 



depression. Drains so made, as "Talpa" has practi- 



cally shown, constitute underground furrows, which 



effectually carry off every drop of superfluous rain- 



---■-••• I do not 



• • • 



qrs.lbs. 



2 



3 14 



3 pigs on steamed food 

 3 „ on fermented food 



• « t 



1 1 • 



• 9 • 



• • • 



• • f 



• • * 



1 



2 



7 

 4 



tttfantte 



most 



v.v* tto an juaituiUC Ul SUiut urauu-in ux*;u\x- 



nrst place, the sire of Duchess 67 was 





DUCHESS 67 AND HER CALF. 



lA*ktJ 0Ur mtere sting article on short-horns of the 

 Wa Feb. you allude to the calf of Duchess the 67th as 

 one of the most vigorous young quadrupeds that ever 

 pzled those who condemn in-and-in breeding." If, 

 T? eTer > you examine her pedigree, you will find that 

 ■jwoiigh it contains a good deal of close breeding, it can 



5**7 be cited as an instance of strict in-and-in breed- 



* In the 



g^ j whob* uiuou is toiauy uinerem irom mat oi ivir. 

 due* f i . ^' ^ certainly was a bold innovation to intro- 

 ^ wis strain into the Duchess family ; whether it 

 Ataa ^ u< ^ c *° ua niove or not, time alone can show. 

 calf * J ate> tnere ,s no affinity between the sire of the 

 * *na the si re of its dam. The dam of Duchess 67 

 an Jr A ? econd Duke of Oxford, grandam by second Duke 



01 Northumberland. ' b 



DnCv Duke ° f 0xford > the calFs sire > is bv Grand 

 » «»a dam by second Duke of Northumberland, 



*ith u\ am ^ ^ nort Tail. Every one who is conversant 

 *iTea ped .^ rees of these celebrated animals will per* 

 Ofl^ * C0D8ld erable closeness of affinity so far. On the 

 tij^ there is a *so considerable diversity of indi- 

 4^^ n ° ac hial identity occurring until we arrive at 

 ». I JP'& sir « of the calf in the female line, and her 



* 1W* m i the raale line > both bein £ the second Duke 

 Q^^mberland. We find then in the maternal line 

 *** W as the 8ire of Duchess 51, and he was 



ftemate'rn'l r° the 8ire of Grand Duke - Aft€r this 



°* the l) u cont , m ues steadily among the members 



paadd 



*** 



Oil 



remainder 



In the pamphlet is brought forward a trial made by 

 another steward of mine, and carried out with the 

 greatest precision for 30 days, and which is borne out 

 by subsequent experiments, and which, at a low calcula- 

 tion, makes about 4d. per diem, saved on each pig fed 

 on Turnips and Barley- meal, and still returning a larger 

 and harder quantity of meat by fermenting instead of 



cooking. 



At the termination of the first week, and after the 



weighing, I ordered my steward to return home, as 

 agreed upon ; but there was so great a desire amongst 

 the members that he should be present at the second 

 weighing that, with extreme reluctance, I so far yielded 

 the point as that he should return for it. As he was, 

 therefore, at the second weighing, he must stand god- 

 father to the results, although he did not superintend 

 the proceedings. 



A chemical friend of mine stated, that the professor 

 over fermented, and that, according to his calculation, 

 his pigs had swallowed several gallons of brandy. The 

 fact is, the food at first is apt to scour the animals and 

 when this happened I suppose the professor's staff went 

 on with the regular dose, instead of correcting it by 

 increasing the quantity of dry food, and diminishing the 



other. 



English hay is notoriously superior to Irish, merely 

 because there great care is taken that it goes through 

 but the one fermentation, and this sweet hay is again 

 the reason why Englishmen say that Irish horses 

 show such wonderful improvement, when they have 

 been one year in their country. The Frenchman says, 

 his sheep prefer the refuse of Beetroot to young Grass 

 —as the object of their manufacture is sugar, their 

 Btetroot must have arrived only at the first fermen- 

 tation. 



Why should not the pigs have sugar in their grub, 

 when giving them a dinner to their taste— saves halt 



our Turnips and all our fuel. Jervase JBuske, QUncairn 

 Abbey, Lismore. 



attempt to inquire into the varieties of soils; it must 

 suffice to urge the absolute necessity of deep intermix- 

 ture and comminution, being convinced that if adequate 

 labour is actually bestowed upon those fundamental 

 operations, the required manure will be placed in a 

 position wherein it cannot fail to produce its greatest 

 effects. We will select farm-yard manure, by way of 

 example, as containing every fertilising element, pro- 

 vided the dunghills have been formed upon the prin- 

 ciples of the one termed « Norfolk-pie." This consists 

 of a vast heap compressed to the utmost by carting over 

 it, and then covering it with a thick stratum of earth, by 

 which the ammonia developed is absorbed and perma- 

 nently fixed. When' a manure so prepared is duly 

 blended with deeply pulverised land decomposition of its 

 organic elements commences, and electricity, or electro- 

 magnetic action is set up, particularly when the ground 

 is under crop and roots advance in growth ; thus by the 

 play of affinities sap is prepared, and propelled into the 

 spongelets of the roots ; it then ascends through the 

 cellular system, is laborated by the leaves, and finally 

 certain portions of it are returned to the soil through 

 the channels of the reducent vessels. Such is the 

 general routine of vegetable growth, the whole being 

 effected by a reciprocating agency between terrestrial 

 and atmospheric electricity. J.T., Croydon. 



Horse food.— They have Clover and a pint of corn 

 in the morning before they go to work ; they leave the 

 stable at 6 o'clock and return to it by 11, being hve 

 hours out of the stable at their work ; when they come 

 in they have Clover as much as they can eat, and at ter 

 12 they have their feed of corn, and leave the stable at 

 1 o'clock for their work, and return to it from their 

 work at 6, being five hours from their stab e They 

 then have as much Clover as they can eat ; at 8 o clock 

 they have their supper, which is a mash of cut straw 

 Linseed, bran, or Beans mixed up in this way^ lbs. of 

 Linseed meal is boiled in 8 gallons of water for about 

 15 minutes, and 6 lbs. of straw chaff is spread on the 

 barn floor, the liquid is spread over ft and well mixed 

 and the chaff imbibes all the liquid ; it is again spread 

 out and then 5 lbs. of Bean-meal and bran are sifted 

 through a sieve on the chaff, and the whole being well 

 mixed together is given to each horse for his supper. 

 During the winter the horse is fed in the morning — he 

 gets first bis feed of corn, and when this is done some 

 Carrots are put before him to eat till he leaves the stable 

 for his work ; when he comes in at 12 o'clock he then 

 gets his feed of corn and Carrots till he is taken out to 

 his work, and when he comes in at night he gets some 

 more Carrots, and has the same as above for his supper. 

 We do not make any hay, and the horse has no dry 

 fodder but straw, which he has in his mash, as we think 

 Carrots are not only superior to hay but much cheaper. 



