1855.1 



THE AGRICULTURAL 



A.ZETTE 



introdoced 



^ the food gr 



winter BK> nths - * 



« result 



\$y many ol me principal iwmers mere 

 led out a plan of steaming a large quan- 



*V 



morthig^ 



because n 

 particu 



high. 

 relative 



J^T^Helioped, therefore 



dhat this system might be also carried out in Suffolk, 

 fr ^ H* believed it would be of much advantage, 



larly at a time when food is scarce and 

 Yet when they talked of high prices, it 

 ,■»,„ subject. Though prices were high now 

 That ^ey had been, he understood from a gentleman 

 food authority, who was at the present moment em- 

 ^a net number of people in making a trunk line 

 railway through Canada — he had no doubt they were 

 .ware to what gentleman he alluded— at this moment, 

 the prices of flour and beef were higher in that colony 

 leraMj than in England. 



SUbfefo*. 



on the best Mode of Cultivating Potatoes. By 

 Jlr. Bennett Printed for the Wakefield Farmers' 

 dab, by Charles Hicks, Market Place, Wakefield. 



This is another of those essays which the Wakefield 



Club receives from its members and after- 



We extract 

 in which the details of Mr. Bennett's 





plough and it is also cheaper."* We'tSen^u! them in* 

 pits, and cover them over as soon as possible with straw 

 and a thin coat of earth, in order to keep the sun wind 

 and ram from them, for if they are left a short time 

 uncovered, the wind and rain will soon spoil their colour 

 After a while they should be turned and picked over' 

 and covered for the winter with a greater thickness of 

 straw and earth. I would now ask, if by an additional 

 outlay of, say 5/. per acre, a crop of this valuable root 

 can be grown, is it not better than letting the land lie 

 idle all the year ? It may be said by manv that a crop 

 of bwede Turnips is quite as valuable. I grant that, 

 only so far as to the quantity required for the use of the 

 farm, but there is much in favour of the Potato as being 

 less in bulk per acre than the Swede Turnip, where both 

 are grown to be sold off the land. Besides, Potatoes 

 being more directly food for the people, it is a question 

 whether an acre of Swede Turnips, pulled and consumed 

 on the farm, will bring as much into the farmer's 

 pocket, in the shape of beef, as an acre of Potatoes sold 

 off the farm would do." 



We would suggest, as regards the publication of the 

 discussion ensuing upon the reading of the paper, that 



an abridgment of some of the addresses might be made 

 with advantage. 



Firmer*' 



wards publishes for general circulation. 



the ptaasge " 



■ricticeire given, though, beyond the room given to 

 tisplants, and the large quantity of a " nitro-phosphate" 

 maocre applied in addition to farm-yard dung, there is 

 nothing very remarkable. As to the estimated cost of 

 A* crop, we can only say that the * seeding " for an 

 of Potatoes has generally been this spring worth 

 v three times as much as is here put down. 

 "After the Wheat has been harvested, I then plough 

 ikim the land, not very deep, and clean off the weeds 

 and Couch. I next proceed to plough it for the winter, 

 u deep as possible— the deeper the better. At spring 

 we plough it over again, and perhaps it might be neces- 

 sary to plough it over again, and work it to a mould. I 

 do not think that it requires to be too fine. After, we 

 •et out the ridges at about 30 inches apart, and manure 

 the land with about 10 cart loads per acre of good 

 ■inure, which has been laid out and hilled for a few 

 iks, previously using 4 J cwt. per acre of Mr. Simp- 

 son's mtro-phosphate, sown on the ridges. We then 

 Jjui the seed at least 1 foot wide. I am of opinion that 



IN iced Bhould not be too small, and when large it . 



ihoold be only cut in two. When planted a yard apart, thecountry. W. P 

 the seed should be the largest that can b/ procured .V*™*9*m™+ 

 and the Potatoes should be set whole. The sort which 

 i tuve principally grown is that which is called the 



that anv time from 



Calendar of Operations. 



JULY. 



Cheshire.— The last five or six weeks have been most 



propitious for the growing crops, and the whole country has now 



the appearance of great productiveness; perhaps there never 



was a more sudden change from comparative barrenneaa to 



luxuriance than has taken place during that time. The Wheat 



crops have improved astonishingly, and the Oat and Barlev 



crops are remarkably fine ; in fact, the latter are too luxuriant in 



many places and the fears of their being laid are beginning to 1* 



realised by the heavy rain during the past night. Mangold 



Wurzel, with very few exceptions, is doing well; in some 



instances wire-worm and other insects have eaten off the roots 



and in a great measure destroyed the crop; manv of the early 



sown Swedes had to contend with severe attacks of flv, and in some 



cases resowing was resorted to; those which were fortunate enough 



to escape have done well, and the Turnip crop, upon the whole 



is very satisfactory. Early Potatoes, most of which were severely 



injured by the frost, are later than usual, and the crops generally 



which are now being raised for the market are small, but as the 



second crop, which usually consists of transplanted Mangold 



Wurzel or Swedes, Green Melon, or other varieties of common 



Turnip, are of great importance, it is thought better to sacrifice a 



portion of the Potato crop than to run the risk of being too late 



with the second. The hay harvest is in full operation, excepting 



in some of the low cool meadows, and the crop is quite as good as 



could possibly be anticipated. Grass has increased upon the 



stocks of cattle, and the pastures have a fine rich appearance. 



I leuro-pneuroonia is still committing its ravages in some parts of 



HAY-MAKING MACHINES. 



'TIE ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY'S 



JL niU ; MACHINES are .applied by w« l£ T \ Co 

 Swan Lane, U p per Thamea Stmt, London. * 



OR GLNLKAL PORTABLE PUMP. 



mV&If 1 ** J 8 * WI of im P«rishabJ« 

 iTv!, b V Tel lB , 0{ ^«W iron, not 

 lowered at pleasure. Tba legs will fold 



SKErri* 1 * Uie whole ***** «*«« 



on bhouldei -to any pond or tank required. 

 I nee of 4* in. l'ump, with Ieg£ S/.S# 



asst" 1 * ** - & £ 



li inch Gutta Percha Suction Pine 

 U. 6J. per foot ° * ,pc > 



Suction Pipe, la. 6d. per foot. 



May be obtained of any Ironmonger 

 or Plumber in town or country, ™, th* 

 above price*, or of the Patent*! i and 

 M anufac: era, Jon* Wabvbb A Suit 



8, Crescent, Jewin &tntt London. 

 Erery .inscription of Machinery for 



L.v.sing: "Water, by means of Wheals. 



.'ire .„„ q^^ H^S^aS^f 



U A KNUR'S . PATENT VIBRATING STAN- 



* * DARD PUMPS. 



I 



4 



21 



M 

 tt 



ss f ana *\ elisor a depth not exceeding 30 feet. 



Diam r Length of Harrel, 

 of Hariri under uosa. tad 



n in short li 7m./Fittedforlead,\l Vii 

 Z* n long J „ 3 „ gutta percha, 1 15 



5iH° 2 w 5 " 1 or cast lron r* 12 o 



ditto d „ 6 „ \ a* required. J 3 5 a 

 Short, n ith 15 feel of Lead Pipe 

 attached, and ttolts and NuU 



ready for fixing 2 12 



24 in. long ditto ditto ditto 2 15 



The short barrel Pump is very convenient 

 for fixing in situations of limited height and 

 space, for the supply of coppers and sinka in 

 Mash-houses with soft water from under- 

 ground tanks, or in Hot, Forcing, and Plant 



Houses; they may be fixed, when desired, 



under the stage. 



- May be obtained 



Plumber in Town or Country, at the 

 Patentees and Manufacturers, JOHN 

 8, Crescent, Jewin Street, London. 



of any Ironmonger or 

 above prices, or Of the 



WAENEK and SONS, 



Every description of Machinery f or Raising Water, by 

 of AMieelH, Rams, Deep Well Pumps, Ac.; also Fire and 1 



:ngines, &c.&c— Engravings sent on appHcatipn. 



means 

 Garden 



Prince ? ^ u .i VUIV * oa 



the middle'of M _ arch to the"end of 



ptotmg. 



any 

 April is the best for 

 into the rows, I like 



., ~ Af ter the sets are put 



»o be cowed as quickly as possible, * inch we do 

 J* the plough. There is, however, one evil attending 

 «aode of covering, for the horse, in walking, ei the? 

 «yf »Pon or displaces many of the sets ; but I do not 



K f. to l ini tK we then plough and afterwards 



JJ^rowed down. We then horse-hoe as deep as 

 FJJ^behveen the ridges, pulling whatever Couch or 



fcfa. hi * Y he ', When the P ,ants »re coming up, 

 **om.hoe is used to loosen the earth about them 



•trthkir enJ !i WG ' , We then § ive them a sli S ht 



•5 fa ^t 7 f e then left tiU the y g~w h«h 

 ^Z l he J final carthin & when the horse-hoe is 



^ed^efy eeP TL P rll le ^ J W follOWing the 

 ••can be «n7/ # / A ne , earth should be thrown as high 



*«top of VK? t ave an ^ channel or gutter on 



* &* as cWr I*/' % 8 ° WOrkin S the Iand ^ we ^ 

 M °w can mall' T r U , aS good a 8tate as an y summer 

 *fcr*nt W.! • have ment ^ned particularly the 

 *_ .norse-hoemgs and earthings, because I think 



kill 



bi 



that 

 *ep 



■•ween 1 



g of the land. For my own 

 his purpose a horse-hoe with 



^ 13s. 6d. 



^StS^J^ Earthing 



"*" cwt, of Nxtro -phosphate 



per acre, and I calculate as 



. . ^ -The weather that affords no room 



lor the complaint of the fanner must, indeed, be good; and stich 

 was the month of June. So warm was it throughout, and so 

 seasonable the showers, that the bad effects of a cold and pro- 

 tracted spring were well nigh done away with, and an abundant 

 and not a late harvest was hopefully anticipated. I5ut for the 

 first 12 days of this month— a season when the most promising 

 crop can be turned into a very dwarfish one— we had a very high 

 temperature, without a drop of rain. Wheat, which promised 

 formerly to be only an inferior crop, still further dwindled away, 

 and now, in this whole neighbourhood, there are only a few fields 

 bearing heavy crops, and these our heavy Carse lands. The 

 likelihood, however, is that although our Wheat crop will be 

 inferior in quantity, with the abundant sunshine we have had 

 the quality will be fine. Barley and Oats, ere the drought set in, 

 bespoke an abundant crop ; but already in regard to many a 

 field our hopes have been disappointed. For the higher and 

 later districts, however, the abundant rain we have now had came 

 in time, and more suitable weather than we at present enjoy 

 could not be desired. A great deal will yet be done in the way 

 of mending matters in the earlier districts; but the crops are so 

 far advanced that straw cannot be ordinarily abundant. Swedes 

 were very stiff in coming away, the ground being cold and damp, 

 and in the process of singling many blanks were discovered, 

 which in damp weather would have been easily remedied, 

 but no sooner was a Turnip transplanted than it withered 

 and died from lack of moisture. They are now, however, 

 making rapid progress. Of all our other Turnips we have had 

 an abundant braird, and they glow so quickly that the difficulty 

 is in getting a sufficiency of hands for singling. A large breadth 

 of Turnips has been sown, and a larger quantity perhaps than 

 ordinary of guano, bones, and dissolved bones has been applied. 

 Having suffered so much from the disease last year, a smaller 

 breadth of Potatoes has this year been planted; but what we 

 have present such a vigorcus and luxuriant stem as if they had 

 resolved on yielding to no disease, however formidable, at" least 

 for this season. We have been overtaken and arrested in the 

 midst of hay-making by these anxiously longed for showers. A 

 good part of it has been got into ricks in the best possible con- 

 dition; the remainder remains exposed to the weather. This 

 crop is generally light. Pastures are benefiting by the showers 

 and the prospects of our stock are cheering. 



a 



CUTTING MACIilV 



All the various modern Implements of Agriculture manufac 

 tured on the most scientific and improved principles, suitable for 

 home use and exportation.— Address, Rhhmoxd & Chandler, 

 Salford, Manchester ; end 32, South .John Street, Liverpool. 



Catalogues Ghatis. 



• •• 



• • • 



*•• 



• • * 



• . - 



t • ■ 



• •• 



£2 

 

 

 

 1 



4 



3 

 2 



8 

 16 





 

 6 











Of 



£4 13 6 



fee 



T 



*u 



* toe »L .. •!• ?/ putt, "S on the f <> ld manure 

 «me aa ,f lt were a bare fftllow _ Ial]uded 



it ? the , Wft y of Planting at a yard 



time 

 I 



think 



*W 



•wthed 



g-^wea udYJ J ' 11 ? in th '8 manner. They have 

 •P*»<i out LdS. aC ^ SS the rid S e3 > the hauIms 

 ' Uil °% a short eS0 ' 1 puton t,,e t0 P with «>e 

 *J?° S the Jlann. P I ° n,0n . of the end * *™ out. By 

 2&*^tKte' kept , d ^ a t the top, the water 



£*£» *"*> £t« S" T \ he 8!de of the hillock - The 

 WT?S h - The «k* • , Wlth the s P ftde than with 

 51?! P'a» Ja,t ZL ,S a >, ut "• P er acre ex( ra. I 



fc in « ^gei, wit!, n< l ?? d a better >' ield > the 

 ben the tow l*\ bu ' few 8ma11 ones among 



p', eh «»ay b,i? ead ' and the tubers are fully 

 *+£l d eit her by SI f { the ski " bei,, S fast ' th ^ 



^ *• *ter m0 dt t f think S* the , Fl0U8h - l 



9 *w 1 think the soils are more 



Notices to Correspondents. 



Bees : W. There is a tract published in Oxford, and which bears 

 upon it that it is to be had at the Ashmolean museum on appli- 

 cation to Mr. Duncan, which is as good a manual for cottagers 

 as any. 



Roots is Drains : A Header. "We do not know what you refer to. 

 If the risk is only incurred in part of the drain we would bed 

 the tiles there in cement. 



Superphosphate : E. Durrant. The sample is of a very poor super- 

 phosphate. It ought to contain from 10 to 12 of the soluble 

 phosphate, and 10 to 15 of the neutral insoluble phosphate, 

 besides 2 per cent, of nitrogen. 2 per cent, of the first, 15 of the 

 second, and 1.15 of the third make a very poor manure, more 

 especially from its deficiency in the first particular. If we 

 value it on the principles indicated in page 226, vol. xii., " Eng. 

 Agr. Soc. Jour.," we have 



One-third of a ton of gypsum, at 20s., say ... £0 7 

 Insoluble phosphate. 335 lbs. at j<f. per lb ... 1 

 Nitrogen = 33 lbs. of ammonia, at Od. ner lb 









■ - ■ 





£ 



i 



making £2 3 6 



as the value of all the ingredients except the biphosphate, of 

 which you have about 40 lbs. in the tou, and pay the differ- 

 ence = £3 65. 6d. for it 



Waterproofing : Thtta asks for a recipe for a composition which 

 will render a rick cover waterproof, and at the same time not 

 injure the cover, ur cause it to rot or become mildewed. 



WSBSWOBX: Heppentone. They are said to be checked by pres- 

 sure. Treading Wheat has saved It; we doubtif vmi will save 

 Swedes in that way. Nothing that will not also kill the plants 

 will poison them. 





MESSRS. BURGESS and KEY, as Mr 

 WhnlPKAlA Ap-Pnfq for F.ncrlanil h«T-A al «.•*.« 



PARKES' STEEL DIGGING FORKS X DRAINING TOOLS. 



Parkks' 



in stock a 

 large assortment. These Forks and Tools are now in use by 

 upwards of 1000 of the Nobility and Farmers, members of the 

 Royal Agricultural Society, who pronounce them to be the best 

 ever invented, and to facilitate labour at least 20 per cent. 

 Price Lists sent free on application, and Illustrated Catalogue 



of the best Farm Implements, on receipt of eight postage stamps: 



