THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 



[July 7, 1 



j). 



and h 



Mr. Mookk, are, in our judgment, 

 useful in this, that while success 



ayent, 



especially useful in 



is attainable by any one who is allowed to enter the 

 liftt* by the exhibition of skill alone, yet the known 

 character of those who organise these meetings, as 

 well as the actual addresses given on the spot, all 

 tend to impress the labourer with the value of per- 

 sonal character, with the all-importance of his per- 

 sonal relations both to God and man, as the only 

 true ground on which success in life can be built. 



A steam-cultivator for light lands, where shallow 

 tillage is unavoidable, should be able (as we lately 

 showed) both to scarify, drag, and plough, or per- 

 form something very much akin to these processes ; 

 and there would seem to be no good reason why the 

 screw-wedge principle of the plough should not be 

 employed to turn over thin slices of a soil which 

 is all the better for squeezing. Let us now inquire 

 into the special requirements of perhaps the most 

 extended dim of soils— those more or less friable 

 loams, together with a vast variety of soils (ex- 

 cluding heavy clay) which are capable of moderately 

 deep culture. j\s one description of land has not 

 always the same depth of staple, it is impossible to 

 point out in a general way the localities of all the 

 soils to which we refer; but they may be found 

 interspersed both in strong clay and light land 

 districts ; they occur upon the drift-beds covering 

 various formations ; on the green-sand oolite, new 

 red sandstone ; and form almost the whole of the 

 alluvial tracts of deep land free from stones. Some 

 are porous a i f ruble ; some are rather tenacious, 

 and abounding with stones of considerable size ; 

 others consist of clayey and sandy gravel. 



Now, the prime operation, engaging the chief share 

 of the motive power of the farm, and demanding 

 the greatest exactness and attention, is the breaking, 

 loosening, and inverting of the staple by means of 

 the plough. Lea ground, having remained unstirred 

 for a considerable time, requires the most accurate 

 manipnlation, because of the twofold object of 

 burying every trace of former vegetation, and ob- 

 taining a plentiful mould as a seed-bed. Stubble 

 ground is generally more loose and friable, so that, 

 whilst equal care must be taken to bury all super- 

 ficial vegetable matter, no particular provision need 

 be made for securing a surface-mould. 



The most common depth of ploughing is perhaps 

 a little more than 6 inches : but in ploughing land 

 after sheep-feeding, and in cleaning the surface, 

 half this depth is often chosen ; and in turning over 

 stubbles for fallow it is becoming more nnd more 

 the custom to go 9 or 10 inches deep. A steam- 

 cultivator, then, to be really useful, should dig, 

 plough, or in some way accomplish the slicing and 

 complete inversion of the soil at the above variations 

 in depth. On deep loams and rich alluvial lands, 

 where the subsoil is of good quality, trench-plough- 

 ing also is largely practised ; by which a staple of 

 cultivated earth is obtained at least one foot in 

 thickness: a hard,tilly substratum has frequently 

 to be broken in this way ; soils are often deepened, 

 indeed, by tearing up and disintegrating the very 

 rock; and in all cases, in going deeper than the usual 

 tillage, the implement is sure to encounter roots, 

 stones, or other obstructions. The steam-digger 

 should be able to effect this difficult operation when 

 required, and, if possible, more efficiently than by our 

 present double-ploitghitig. 



But besides this deep ploughing (which is equiva- 

 lent to the double-digging or trenching of gardeners), 

 there is the operation of subsoiling some 16 inches 

 deep (which represents what the gardeners call 

 bastard -trenching), — that is, the substratum is 

 broken and disintegrated without changing places 

 with the top soil. It is very extensively practised 

 upon lands having an impervious subsoil of a poor 

 or noxious character,— as, for instance, where inju- 

 rious salts of iron are contained in the pan formed 

 by the cemented filiations of the surface soil. Th 

 same tool which trenches or inverts cannot be ex- 

 pected to perform this mere stirring without lifting 

 the subsoil : but as it is precisely in the deepest 

 tillage (wherein our present traction implements 

 depress their line of draught to an angle necessi- 

 tating an enormous amount of motive power for 

 propulsion), that steam-power should give us its 

 chief help ; and as the farmer will not have horses 

 enough left lor the purpose, when his surface- 

 ploughing is done by steam— a steam cultivator 

 ought to possess some modification of cutter or some 

 Simple adjustment of part* for subsoiling 



* or all the above processes, a slow motion in the 

 implement is indispensable. 



rooting-up of Couch, &c, for 9 inches or even a toot 



in depth. 



We may sum up our inferences by dividing 



methods of cultivation into two principal classes :— 

 one comprising the inversion of the soil to greater or 

 less depth, under the names of ploughing, trenching 

 &c, capable of being accomplished by one form of 

 implement ; the other class embracing every species 

 of stirring and pulverising used in preparatory tillage 



harrowing, rolling, clod- 

 (which seem to have 



KOYAL AGRICULTURALCOLLtG? 

 The sessional examination of students *t ,k t> 

 .Agricultural College was brought to Tcl^J*** 



such as 



grubbing, 

 subsoiling 



crushing, and __ _ , 



essentially the same stirring and crumbling cha- 

 racter), all of which may be combined and embodied 



in a single machine. 



Provide British agriculture with these two engines, 

 and the major portion of our arable lands will par- 

 take of the benefit- And with the main work done 

 by steam, all secondary labours such as hoeing, seed 

 sowing, ploughing drills for root crops, &c, will be 

 accomplished by the horses still retained for the 

 portage of produce and manures. I. A. C. 



The deeper cultivation, which we last week 

 referred to as one cause of fertility in soils, is being 

 rendered possible by drainage, and it is one of the 

 collateral advantages of this great and essential 

 agricultural improvement. The subsoil was the 

 poison to the plant which it was thought to be, so 

 long as filled with stagnant water, and impervious to 

 the air. When a current was established through 

 it the roots soon found their way below, and the 

 plants above show r ed the advantage of the more 

 extensive feeding ground thus obtained. 



We must do little more than name land drainage 

 as an observed cause of fertility — for it has been 

 observed now so universally, and its benefits are so 

 obvious in all cases of stagnant water, whether in 

 stiff soils or light soils, that no one questions them. 

 Though it is in point of fact the first step towards 

 the reclamation of any land that is liable to fill with 

 water, yet it comes last to be named in the order of 

 benefits conferred upon the soil, for its principal 

 advantage lies in the ability which is thus conferred 

 on plants to use the fertilising matter already present 

 in land. It is as it w r ere the key by which access is 

 obtained to a warehouse that may be full of vegetable 

 food, but whether full or not is valueless so long as 

 locked. By means of drainage, water runs through 

 the land, gathering whatever soluble it finds, and the 

 roots of plants by which it flows are fed. In land 

 undrained, whether by Nature or by art, the water 

 does not pass through the soil to feed the plants, 

 it passes off the soil and leaves them starving. 

 Land water-locked is barren, whether it be full of 

 food for plants or not ; and putting out tff sight all 

 the collateral advantages of drainage, the one great 

 purpose which when drained the water serves — that 

 of a carrier of food — is sufficient to account for the 

 universal testimony of observation to the benefits of 

 drainage. 



The use of water as a vehicle of food to plants 

 connects the subjects of drainage and irrigation. The 

 volumes of the Society's Journal contain many 

 references to the feitilising influence of irrigation ; 

 and the traveller in the vales of Hampshire and of 

 Wiltshire cannot fail to have his observation drawn 

 to the luxuriant growth of Grass which by means of 

 it are produced. 



The following detailed particulars relate to a 

 case with which we are acquainted in another 

 county. The extent of meadow is about 15 acres ; 

 before irrigation its value averaged 20s. per acre. 

 In its original state the land rotted sheep, and was 

 therefore unsafe except to put fat sheep on just 

 before sending them to the butcher. The cost of 

 bridges, levelling, channels, &c, in fact all the 

 works preparatory to irrigation, amounted to as 

 much as 15/. an acre. The annual cost of clearing 

 water-courses, repairing hatches, &c, is 15s. per 

 acre, and another 15s. per acre will cover the cost 

 of making hay and other management throughout 

 the year. The return from this outlay is in the 

 form of a greatly increased value of spring and 

 autumn feed, and in the safety of the land as regards 

 the rot. The meadows are shut up early in May, 

 and the crop is cut in seven or eight weeks. It 

 averages 35 cwt, per acre. The value of the spring 

 and autumn feed is at least 21. per acre. The fol- 

 lowing is a statement of the amount :— 



Dr. Cash 



delusion 



4 - r i .- I& the various after 



operations of reducing, pulverising and cleaning, by 

 some action akm to scuffling, harrowing, &c' 

 revolving toilers mth a somewhat quicker speed 

 most adapted; and their capabilities should range 

 from shallow paring ; of the surface or pulverising of 

 a 6-inch staple, to the stirring of dug ground and 



seem 



35 cwt. of hay- 

 Value of aftermath 





■ . . 



9 • t 



£5 

 2 



5 







£7 5 



Contra 



Cr. 



Former value of the land £1 10 

 5 per cent, on 15s. per acre 15 

 Annual expense ... 1 10 



Profit 3 10 



• •■ 



t ■ • 



£7 



In addition to this it must be remembered that 

 the farmer has the advantage of carrying the crop 

 off ihe land each year without impoverishing it; 

 and this is in fact the real point of this case in its 



relations to the present subject. Observation thus 

 bearing witness to the efficiency of irrigation, as the 

 source and maintenance of fertility in soils. 



Wednesday, 20th ult. The following are thTrTuL 



FIRST CLASS IN PRACTICAL AGMCULTUlE ' 



Arranged in order of merit. 



3. 



1. Rome. 



2. Wilson. 

 J Kimber. 

 ( Troutbeck. 



A j Hollins. 



4 ' 1 G. Wynne. 



5. Burn. 



6. Palmer. 



7. Gee. 



8. Field. 



9. W. Colby. 



10. Smith. 



11. J. Colby. 



12. A. Wynne. 



14. I Slit*. 



15. Tousey. 



16. Butcher. 



17. Knox. 



18. Lewig. 



19. Foth«gBL 



1. 



( Jacob Wilson. 



13. Zamoyski. 



The following were placed at the head of their cUsi'TT 



department, as under :— 



Organic and Agricultueal Chimistey 

 1. Thomas Rome. | 2. Jacob Wilson, 



Inorganic Chemistry. 

 George R. Wynne. 



Geology and Zoology. 



< James Carter Hollins. I „ f Thomas Rome. 



2. < Robert Troutbeck. 

 ( George R. Wjnue. 



Veterinary Medicine and Surgeky. 



1 . James W. Kimber. I 2. \ i me **j*?« ***■> 



I ( Jacob W llson. 



Civil Engineering. 

 1. James Carter Hollins. | 2. Jacob Wilson. 



The Laboratory Prizes were adjudged as under :— 



Classes 1 and 2 James W. Kimber. 



Classes 3 and 4 G eorge R. Wynne. 



Commended. 

 Jean Zamoyski and Alfred Wynne. 

 Classes 5 and 6 Octavius Newry Kmx. 



Commended. 

 John C. Pickin, James E. Parsons, and Montague Mi 



The Essay Prizes were awarded to 

 Robert Troutbeck Subject, Wheat. 



Jacob Wilson Subject, The Geology of the R. A 



College Farm. 



Thorn. Fewster Wilkinson... Subject, English Agricultural la- 



plements. 



The R. A. College Certificate or Diploma was awarded to fb 



following Students, who passed a very creditable examinitioi 



in every Department : — 



James Waving Kimber, of Fyfield Wick, near Abingta. 



James Carter Hollins, of Nottingham. 



Jacob Wilson, of Woodhorn, near Morpeth. 



Thomas Rome, of Groundslow, near Stone, Staffordshire. 



Robert Henry Palmer, of Wyke Regis, Dorsetshire. 



Home Correspondence. 



Wheat in Hampshire. — As much has been said aid 

 written about the failure of the Wheat crop, I give joo 

 the history of it so far as this part of the county is 

 affected. Our Wheat was put in generally pretty id, 

 rather light than otherwise, but this I do not consid* 

 of much consequence as I have seen as good Wheat km 

 a light seed bed as from a heavy, and the former is mock 

 less labour. The injury was done before the term 

 frost that set in about the middle of January, andiM* 

 from the ravages of a small insect about three sixteen tin 

 of an inch long, eating out the heart of the then yowg 

 and tender plant. I found it on my own and several 

 other farms. My friends had attributed it to fce ra* 

 worm, until I showed them the insect ; many of» 

 fields looked pretty well till the withering frost aaa 

 drying winds had passed over them. This i was the em 

 with a 16-acre field of mine sown after Clover, wr 

 was very much thinned all over ; in every caaeoi 

 inspection some of these little insects were ic 

 After the frost none could be found. On searching 

 find that Mr. Curtis, in the " Agricultural Journj 

 fully describes them as larva of chlorops, i ina «■» 

 believe them to be. I have found them Jffow, "• 

 never to the same extent as last winter. * mc * "Tj 

 and within the last two months, the wire won* 

 committed great ravages in an 8-acre field « ™"V 

 after Mustard fed by the sheep ; it -a quite &*" g^ 

 several other fields. They have done ^P?"^ 

 mischief, but for farmers to be complaining, wot ^ 

 at from 70s. to 80s. per quarter, of cou ™* ^^ 

 listens to them, but I would beg to remind y^^JJ 

 that there is a cause for these things ; tiie / ]0btfhl y 

 last this district where I write did not •▼W 1 *-,,,* 

 of Wheat per acre. Last year we grew about an a £ 

 ►, and this year when you hear »™ e " /^fct 

 much of their Wheat will not grow the seed, an J ^ 

 telling you on the 8 th of June, at ^a .market ^e, y^ 

 is to-day rolling and harrowing Wheat, yon ^itJJJJ 

 but poorly of the growing crop. fcatur ; ^ 

 showers of hail and rain, and very cold to-mg , ^ 

 markets here and at Southtowu ™ m .* o iQ0* 

 prices. Lent corn was looking well : short crops 

 &c. James Fames, Lymnyton, June J u 



crop 



W*» 



& 



En 



hnrtmna ana waits, mm* »,« — -- - dam*—*' V 

 year, to be sent to the Collector ™f l \ l ^£to** 

 appoint an intelligent agriculturist as u aj*c ^ ^ 

 county holding not less than ^0 acres ' » xft M 



pation, with a salary of 60/. to ^ n X<&^ 



m 



T&& 



with the extent of the returns 



there are 135 parishes, and accoraing- - ^^ 



d the 



hoi« 



t 



returns might 



c 



»£*««* 



inigjj** 



[ re*? 



uld 



L counties some ui «^ ~o f ., sC tu»* ■— 

 desirable to divide), the whrie rf » ^^& 



ITP** 



v5- 





from the county inspectors «.«•» b , ed w 



and the Board of Trade would he en^ ^ 



the combined amount of the ^ ^p«»£ 



hours' labour on receiving tnem ^ (kaii a 



3. The mode of obtaining »« 





