•JJ 



THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 



Cauu>, • I Pain and *m and Sidney, who 



were^uaru *s that the pureljr agricultural aspect 

 of it wa§ ill v represented. 



The main results of the debate may perhaps be 

 given tli us :— (1), that the conversion of sewage 

 into a solid manure of value enough to pay for cost 

 and can ge fa impracticable ; and (2), that the possi- 

 bility of carrying it in a liquid form to such lands 

 ag^are suit, le for it is more than ever doubtful. 

 Probably on the first point it would be fair to add 

 that the decision of Professor Way, which was 



large produce have been held proof of healthy 

 growth, — whether this wholesome growth is ensured 

 by a digestion, so to speak, of the manure in the 

 soil before it is sucked in by the plant — we do not 

 now discuss, but we must state the belief that, 

 comparing present practice w T ith that of years ago, 

 there is a shorter interval generally now between 

 the application of manure and the attainment of its 

 result in the crop than there used to be. The idea of 

 a crop whose consumption shall restore the land — one 

 manuring crop in a rotation by which fertility is 

 maintained throughout it, so that the full result is 



compare th e 



38 •! 



a 



to 



We do not here 



merits of the spur and drag resp^WelJ 



tural implements ; but, in reference to 



so constant and so safe— made, too with '^ 



of any spur— and proved so unquestionM ^ - 



direct testimony of seedsmen, it ■ does v^ 



the height of absurdity to think that the in?* Ul 



the farmer require him to be cautioned * ***** 



adoption or extension of it We have no' 



in spite of the exceptional failures— and th l^- 



to false seed is just as fatal to the result V^ 



liability to adulterated manures- * L 



the 



— ^ j 



may be — no longer has that hold it used to have. 



" The practice on this farm/' said the Times com- 



1 at Castle Acre, " is 

 And that practice is 



^* 



enerally acquired in, related to London sewage. , D - - , m va — LI1B 



Elsewhere (unfortunately for the inhabitants of ich ; not obtained till the 4th or 6th year, as the case Italian Rye-grass will continue to extend i*** 

 places) it may be stronger than it is with us, and its 

 concentr ion may be profitable : and Mr. Wick- 

 steed's works not yet completed at Leicester— of missioner of Mr. Hudson's land at Castle Acre, "is 

 which we 11 give a report as soon as they are to manure for every crop." 

 ready for inspection— have been erected in the con- gaining ground everywhere : witness the enormous 



the use of guano has extended ; and a larger e* 

 of the stubbles of the now young grain crom2 

 this year be set apart for Italian Rye-grass thaBk! 

 ever hitherto been done. We venture to recoil 

 agriculturists to act in this matter independents 

 fident belief that Mr. Wa\ decision does not apply bulk of artificial manure now in use, and the j the doubting tone which has been raised upoatt! 

 " ~ " ' practice now becoming more general, of saving a point, and so echoed as that the warning portM' 



it i* hpard lmider ihnn \ha r oc f x*r_ i* t 



in that locality. On the second point, too, it must 

 be added that the doubtfulness of a profitable appli- 

 cation of town sewage in the liquid form seems to 

 depend on the improbability of finding suitable 

 land .on a lower level than the sewers. Proft .or 



Way's 



either 



remark, 

 the 



hat 



large 

 in uie neighbourhood 

 adhesive toils does not 



towns are situated 

 of alluvial and 



and 



universally apply ; 

 "wherever drained land of a porous character is ob- 

 tainab 1 below the level of and near a source of 



sewage, it may no doubt be profitably used, 

 very interesting experience of Mr. Paine on 



The 



portion of- the farm-yard dung from the green crop 

 " break" and applying it to the other crops in the 

 rotation. Whatever use may be, has been, and no 

 doubt will b% made of Mr. Way's discoveries as 

 to the conservative character of ordinary well tilled 

 soils, we believe that, comparing 1855 with 1845 

 and previously, it is becoming less than ever the 

 rule to manure the land rather than the crop. And 

 how greatly to the advantage of the farmer this 

 altered practice is, any one who can do a sum in 



it is heard louder than the rest. W 



the growth of this crop has been, and we belie* 

 will continue to be, extended largely, not onl? 

 mixtures with other Grasses and with Clover m 

 by itself, both under ordinary cultivation aid a 

 stimulated by irrigation. 



possibility and economy of applying liquid manure 

 during the winter months to arable land, in antici 

 pation of summer crops, together with the researches 

 of Professor Wat on that power in soils on which 

 their conservative character in this respect depends, 

 are, of course, an encouragement to persevere in the 

 attempt to utili>e the contents of our sewers ; and 

 the piacticeon the Ayrshire farms, where the liquid 

 is applied during the winter months upon the land 

 for Turnips, and only in the spring and summer on 

 the Italian Rye-grass, points the same way. 



The agricultural discussion in connection with the 



the compound interest and knows the difference between 



quick and slow returns on the profits of a business, 

 easily can tell. 



The subject in some other of its relations must 

 be again referred to. 



» 



Among the earlier agricultural gatherings of im- 

 portance this year will be that of the Royal Dublin 

 Society on the 10th of next month, and the forth- 

 coming exhibition between June 1st and 10th at 

 Paris. The extent of the Dublin show may be 

 gathered from the fact that there are 200 bulls 

 entered for competition. The character of the 



from the central 



columns, 

 of 



Our 



ow 



The 



subject, conducted chiefly by Messrs. Scott, Caird, Paris exhibition may be anticipated fi 

 and Paini we have given pretty fully in our position which the capital of France this vear 



n opinion is that the possibility occupies from almost every point of view, 

 growing a po ohous ! " food by excessive J agricultural, no less than the commercial and 

 manuni if it has any truth at all, has been greatly social interests, are being cared for by the imperia 

 exaggerated ; and th to attribute pleuropneumonia j commissioners in charge of the Great Exhibition of 

 to the use of luliau Kye-grass grown in this way is : 1855. Agriculturists of all countiies are invited to 



not tving the two ends of a thing together" at all j ,' compete for the very liberal prizes offered for cattle, 

 ,f 1c placing *—•'•-* — — *i— r_ J-J* ' .1 • i . . . r - > 



1 



together two entirely different things sheep, pigs, and poultry ; and we hope those of th 

 ) nectssan, relationship to one another. United Kingdom will respond liberally to th 



it is 



which have no 



He evils of those Edmbui i meadows, of which, ! invitation! 



we should think, every reader on this "" _ 



heartily tired— i he experience of cow-feeders' there, Paris towards" the end of 



e 



the 



Many of the cattle shown at Dublin 

 early in April will no doubt find their 



mher exceptional or the result of mismanagement, of the animals in Paris. 

 there is hardly any more richly manured field, 

 we dare sav. in the island ' " " 



iy, m the island than Mr. Telfer's 

 Italian Rye-grass plot near Ayr; but he can 



It appears that " the experience of some of the 

 cut best Lothian farmers is against the growing of 



from off that field food as succulent or as drv a, ItTli „ p 11 If g growing ot 



zxt- =* z?z2& j* — ^ as Sra £ h .r z seeks 



TOWN SEWAGE AND ITALIAN RYE-GR 



The question of liquid manuring begins to 

 practical bearing, and the interest as well as the 

 portance of the subject has been greatly promoted^ 

 the recent excellent papers of Mr. Lawes on the Sni 

 of London, and of Mr. J. C. Morton on the Italian fiX 

 grass. I am pleased to find that the conclusions respect- 

 ing the value and the application of sewage it^h [ 

 arrived at several years ago, and which I endeivourcla 

 vain to impress on a neighbouring town (since vie timid 

 by the apostles of the Board of Health) has been 

 out and established by the elaborate and valuable d- 

 culations of Mr. Lawes* The subject is, therefoe, 

 one of peculiar interest to 'me/ and I am desirom « 

 directing attention to one or two points, whilst fc 

 papers to which I have referred are before the at 

 of readers. We may I think consider as settled poiutt- 



1. That if the sewage of towns is to be rendered fk 

 fitable it must be by being applied in a liquid state. 



2. That Italian Rye-grass is above all others tk 

 plant which offers the greatest return for the appliota 

 of liquid manures. 



3. That this plant should not be fed on the land, t* 

 cut for soiling, and removed, so as to allow the immedifc 

 supply of an abundant dressing of liquid manure, 



4. That the liquid manure as applied by Mem 

 Mechi, Kennedy and Telfer is of vastly superior qualify 

 to that furnished by ordinary sewage. On this tot jaw 

 I think it would be very desirable if the above gentle- 

 men were to furnish samples of their manure, whia 

 should be compared by a chemist with that fumiaheiij 

 ordinary sewage. This observation leads us tow** 1 

 practical difficulty with regard to sewage which has lit 

 hitherto received the attention it deserves, viz., » 

 when we require the most sewage we shall hwlj 

 least, and when we need the least we shall be softf 



when the land is saturated wtfh 



health for his live stock he may please, not of and as a mixture with it 

 g^^y»*» »«* to their" food' but by having sfncTaSoned it ? 



common Rye-grass, 



and most of them 



management in other resnects * I l\"\ Tr » w « w '^~ ■■■»• This 



50 



is a statement 



ted 

 ph 



with the most ; ,..— * ...«« -~~~ -~ , . 



ture the sewage will be copious and diluted, and n* 

 the soil is parched by drought the sewage wiIlb ^*J' 

 and concentrated. To this we may add that ■*•• 

 dency of sanitary improvements is to render set* 

 more diluted and less valuable. .. ^ 



It is evident therefore that it will be at Ul"J 

 difficult to fix a pecuniary value per ton on sewage _ 

 the same manner as it would on Peruvian gu* 



and foul as 



What if an agricultural j sometimes contained 17 per cent, of ammomi 



imagined. 



warning voice against the use i somet imes only seven. 

 WVpntPrprf tko ™* «, '""•«* "~~ ™"li" S"*""— quote instances (which may no doubt be 

 entered the one as into an airy had for the search) in whi 4 the manure has failed 



ine door ot _ an d ; generally, shake the head and recommend 



& 



and pleasant apartment ; on openin 



the other a rat was disturbed, and~ slunk lazily 



away out of sight, just as if we had been look- This 



lag m at the mouth of a sewer tunnel Tn Knfk # A •* j T, , . . 



of these hyres the cattle are fed Tpon Itahln tJ ^ the cu tlvation of I^lian Rye-gra.4. 



n upon Italian The single ton or so of gnano which Mr. Scott told 



the wisdom of a cautious course in reference To it" 



would not be greater folly than the attempt 



It wHl be necessary, in order to render it »"■* 

 that a given number of acres should be devo* 



e, with 



fe^ -t the Society of Ana last ^^l 



of the two cow-keepers actually may he we do ^ if VIK ^° f Llver P° o1 ' was the "'st to use 



not know, but that there is a liffTren* TbeTween T\ tf U 2™Z ^ thon § h at the F 5 ^ of 



the two, both aa to he^tbine^TSn^d and ^ 1 iT ^ ^ *^T *° u 129 ' 839 ' 123 ' 166 >' 



wholesomeness of milk, we cannot doubt This dif : !S « ■ \ , S , 1 f l , the three Iast 1**™ 



ference is notwith sf andW a g^eat san^ Xod, S ^17^^^ * ^ C ° nd 



for both are fed upon the " unwholesam." T»,li.« I T,serulness 



usive of 



»ng to mismanagement or ; " " """"* *" 



upon the food of *the animals ~u~a^ their S ?-° U8 u-- S ° me ° f the ^ est of the L °^™ farmers " 



ted to *t 



growth °of Grasses for its reception, and tb»t ^ 

 should be afforded by which its quality *n°«^ 

 doubled or trebled by artificial manure when m^ 

 and either diluted with water in the summer, or ^ 

 and retained in immense reservoirs again9t "9 M ^t 

 Dismissing the subject of sewage, and ^Y^w'** 

 of the application of ordinary or artificial m i ^ 

 liquid «ute, I may venture to express my 

 although the idea of laying down pipes tor w^r ^ 

 throughout the whole extent of a farm, * "j-* 

 farms, is probably Utopian, and would W 1 ^* 

 general use a particular mode of fanDI " s . ^ j^ 



™ uu lu are ieu upon the " unwholesome" Italian the failn«7 \Lw.X C b 

 Rye-grass-and it shows where we must lav thl 2f- • wh ' ch have 



charge of pleuro-pneumonia deathln^so much 7^u !?" , «Tfr t 



it would be introduced 8i«^ # 

 that it is extremely pro^yi" 



or adulteration. 



ment in other respects. 



We must add a word upon the 

 manuring soils rather than plants, ex 



. , a great number of farms where steam m - 

 An(1 available, and a copious supply ot ^ * 



a portion of the farm nearest the n^_ ^t 



™!rT^lZ\l^ ^ ° f Ital r % e "^ ! be^urn^ea Sh pipes, "7nd"devoted , fc, ^ 

 suffi entlv ^ JJ h £ T?£ #™* est i mat >°« « ! L-gation to the produXn of monster crops . - 



ie opinion on sufficiently proved bv the imnniZiZ f T Y IV'? 8110 . 11 10 tne P r . 

 Dressed hv Mr wbi^h ; n *uu j r wiportation of its seed, If, for instance, i 



P rZJ/J± ^?JV he hands 0f a S1 »8le firm alone has nearest the homes! 



SI 88 !} P ! act,Cal agriculturist, in accordance reached the amount of JarK 



rule to manure the iJ^ffC^pTN^ frZtKands o? 2f Wfii ^ ^ ^ 

 we confess that we should have .tateA. JL* ™1 lH ^ -lf ll . th , e r ?. tai1 balers who have 

 exactly the other way. 



advantage to the wholesomeness of vegetable growth 



(which, by the way, is almost entirely a new idea nro <n van ** »~ i *• > * ' e««»»»y 



f MP 



»is seed, too, 

 rs who have 



[.fit triAvA iirKrv ikinl *U«i __ • t. . * 



Let those who think that agriculturists eenerallv 



homestead were to be mereeu .-^ ^ 



moiety of 5 acres might always be kept m ^m 

 grass or Clover, whilst large crops oi g t $» 

 roots might be raised alternate ly ^ ^ m 

 manure. The resources of the farm wou. ^&* 

 enhanced whilst the general managers ^^ 



interfered with. „ w ith «•?"* 



There appears to be much ^« wre P*'2, ares* 8 ?!* 



ntity of liquid to be applied^** "^di**^ 



greatly interfered with 



ara to be 



f liquid to "^ "rr"- u - rr nore 



Mechi applies 10,000 gallon^; M ^ T j^ t Mr. 



the quantity 



viz. 100 tons, or 22,400 gallons 



