556 



THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 



[August is 



THE SHOW OF HORSES AT CARLOW. 



A stranger on first landing in Ireland is struck with 

 surprise at the number of plain under-sized inferior 

 horses, which are to be seen in the cars and other 

 vehicles in the public streets, and he looks in vain for 

 the massive forms of the English cart-horse. The 

 Agricultural Improvement Society of Ireland, impressed 

 with the importance of improving the breeds of agricul- 

 tural horses, devote no less than six prizes to the 

 purpose at the late Carlow show, scarcely inferior in 

 amount to those offered by the Royal Agricultural 

 Society of England : 



'section I.— For the best stallion of any breed for agricultural 

 purposes, foaled on or after the 1st of January. 1848, and previous 

 to the 1st of January. 1853. In this class there were 16 entries, 

 and there ought to have been more, considering that two prizt 

 ■were 30Z. and 102. Ot these about one-half were of the Clydes- 

 dale breed, and although we should certainly like to have seen 

 some specimens of the other English cart breeds, and particularly 

 of the Suffolk Punch, yet we must confess that there is no descrip- 

 tion of horse better calculated either to breed a distinct breed 

 or to improve the native breeds for purposes of draught than the 

 Clydesdale ; no other will assimilate so well with lighter mares, 

 or less frequently produce those anomalous specimens which are 

 so frequently the offspring of violent crosses. The CI vdesdale is 

 naturally an active animal, and therefore will improve without 

 spoiling small and active breeds. It must not, however, be in- 

 ferred that everv Clydesdale is adapted for this purpose, or even 

 that the majority of those either kept at home or sent out of 

 their native shire are so suited. We must have none of the 

 flat-sided, long-backed, long-legged animals that are often sold 

 for high prices on account of the name, but a short-legged, com- 

 pact, strong, and active animal, which good judgment can select 

 and money can purchase. If such an animal is a Clydesdale so 

 much the better. It was just such an animal that obtained not 

 only the first prize but the medal, as being the best horse in any 

 class. The owner was a Scotch farmer settled in Ireland, Mr. 

 S^lvfcster Rait, and who appears to have been a prizs winner also 

 in other classes. The horse was active, strong, and compact ; 

 not too large, dark brown in colour, and with much symmetry. 

 The second prize was also taken by a Clydesdale belonging to 

 Mr. John Pearson Bewley, a nice symmetrical animal, whilst a 

 very superior brown horse of the same breed, No. 115, was highly 

 commended, and would, no doubt, have received a prize if one 

 •or two exceptions had been passed over. No. 150, another Clydes- 

 dale, was commended. Several horses in this class were too 

 light, and some too leggy. 



Section II.— Of 2-year-old cart stallions there were ten entries, 

 the first prize being awarded to Mr. S. Rait for a very superior 

 brown Clydesdale colt, that bids fair to rival the winner in the 

 first class. The second prize was given tn(||o. 168, a fine youn 

 horse, but rather adapted for earn e than cart work, although 

 quite as heavy (or more so) as the generality of farm horses in 

 Ireland; the owner, Captain M 4 C. Banbury, R.N. Some 

 animals in this class were faulty and inferior. 



Section III.— Draft mares in foal, or with foal at foot, or having 

 reared a foal in the year 1S55. The first prize of 101. was take 

 by Mr. Rait, for a Clydesdale mare in foal, a very fine mare, and 

 well calculated for breeding superior animals. A chesnnt mare 

 with a fine foal by her side was highly commended. The mare 

 was a strong, useful, and active mare, but rather coarse, and with 

 too much white about her legs. No. 176, a very compact, strong, 

 and symmetrical grey mare, with a very pretty foal, belongir, 

 to Mr. James Hobson, was commended; as well as a fine ol ! 

 ^reymare, No. 175, belonging: to Mr. Thomas Butler. There 

 were also several other useful mares in this class. 



The prizes were withheld from Section IV., 3-year-old fillies, 

 on the ground of want of sufficient merit. There were only four 

 shown, and with the exception of one rather tine filly, No, 1^7, 

 which was unrewarded for particular reasons, th*» animals were 

 inferior. We doubt the propriety of offering a priz-i to this class 

 at all : we think the money can be much better bestowed. 



Section V. — The 2-year- oW class afforded more promise eer- 

 "tiinly. There were Gentries, and the prize was awarded to N- 

 194, a Clydesdale filly, belonging to Mr. .Tames Kerr; m] >t the 

 second prize w:»s taken bv a promising ClereUnd filly, belonging 1 

 to Mr. .James Waldie. No. 193. a very strong and compact black 

 filly, hr; longing to Mr. James Cannon, was highly commended. 

 No. 196, a Clydesdale cart i belonging to Mr. IVter 15. Mo 

 was commended ; as well as 107. the property of Mr E. IV Swift. I 



nteresting to note that No. 11*3. as well as the priz<* winner 

 134 were got by the prize horse fGlaneer) in the first section. 



Section VI.— Far draft fillies foaled in 1^4 The priz* wan 

 given to No. 200. a draft filly belonging to Mr. James Kavan li ; 

 a the second to No 202. belonging to Mr. John Ronsl n. l^th 

 Clvdfsdales. No. 805 was commended. In conclusion the 

 writer would beg to make the following anggeations: 1st, the 

 -liofses and mares should be shown in rnomy boxe* instead of 

 narrow stalls, so that every countryman should be able to carry 

 away with lrlm in hi* mind a correct outline of the I rni of 



animal to propagate or t« purchase. 2d. We would recommend 

 that prize* should be given to the beat atallhm and mare calc u- 

 *ted for breeding horses for the cavalry. Ireland with its ex- 

 tensive pastures and with its native breed of horses, now we fear 

 Regenerated but susceptible of so much improvement, is pecu- 

 liarly adapted for this purpote. It is unnecessary to describe 

 further the sort of animal required, as it is evident that he m 

 he of a good height, strong, safe, and active, and with a fair 

 amount of breeding. Such an animal would alwavs com- 

 mand a market, not only in the army, but for numer other 

 purposes, and would also be available, until sold, for all tl»e 

 farmer's requirements. 



If the funds of the Society are not RnfRcien we think for such 

 a purpose the sections for 3-year-old and yearling fillies may 43 

 dispeweed with indeed, we can see no good r< on why double 

 the number of pi as should be given, as at present, to mares 

 and fillies over that of horses. //. €• S. 



specimen of either: but, like " the tine old English 

 gentleman all of the olden time," 



"AYho while he feasted all the great, 

 lie ne'er forgot the small/' 



the Royal Agricultural Society of England, whilst sup- 

 porting the great breeds of the country, should adapt 

 her schedule of prizes to the district in which the 



f veved irom 

 stray tubers 



level 

 t reft ted as before. 



Potatoes bavins? 



;o inequalities, and &V* 



been 



1 <>:»uK-» jmving ueen wrought dnriiu. ^of 



shufflers and horse hoed, tha CaJ *? ? g , SUD **r k 



meeting may take |ji«v*, *. -,---© — 



which long experience has proved to be suitable to it, 

 and not leaving them to the accident of local or special 

 prizes. The attendance at Carlisle is an evidence of 

 the warm interest which the northern farmers take in 

 the success of the Society, and of their appreciation of 

 he great benefits which she has conferred on agriculture. 

 In conclusion, I venture to suggest to the two great 

 national Societies whether it would net conduce to the 

 advantage of the farming interest on both shies of the 

 border to combine once in ten years to nave a great 

 national show, alternately in England and Scotland. 

 Their combined resources, aided, no doubt, by contribu- 

 tions from numerous local societies, and supported by 

 the railway interest throughout the country, would pro- 

 dneA a show surnassinir all precedent, A Xuvthern* 



, the latter with <i TT er h 

 the drills bavin, been earthed u?J^J^*f, K. 



sole and cast-iron plate, the bi^^f^- 

 by the sledging action, in many cases refnl* T*** 



: that falls, and which^S?*^ 



the drills huving been earthed up after iiiT lcet > * 

 of hoeing by a double mould-board jC^f 81 



to the water 

 drills. 



arer mat laiis. and which runs to h\* 77* 



THE PRIZE LIST AT CARLISLE. 



It certainly appears extraordinary that Scottish 

 *rmers, not usually deficient in enterprise, nor unmind- 

 ful of their own interest, should neglect the favourable 

 ^opportunity offered by the meeting of the Royal Agri- 

 cultural Society at Carlisle of bringing their valuable 

 local breeds — and especially Galloways and Ayrsh ires, 

 of which the Scottish border counties are the head 

 quarters — under the notice of English and foreign 

 buyers, and of probably originating an extensive and 

 important English and export trade in these breeds. 



I believe the explanation may be found in the offence 

 which I know has been taken by breeders in Dumfries- 

 shire, and I believe in Galloway and Ayrshire also, at 

 the Royal Agricultural Society, for adhering to their 

 usual schedule of prizes for short-horns, Hereford*, and 

 .Devons only, in a district where a Hereford or Devon 

 is quite as great a rarity as an elephant or a rhinoceros. 

 True, the show of these breeds at Carlisle was excellent, 

 and thousands had an opportunity of becoming acquainted 

 with their merits who had never before seen a single 



Home Correspondence. 



Turner's Com Mill.— In your notices of implements 

 at the Carlisle Meeting you conclude } ur remarks upon 

 our patent combined crushing and grinding mill with 

 the observation — " The mil! was too complicated, we 

 thought/' Being a new implement we are anxious to 

 correct, by a little explanation, the impression its 

 appearance has thus created. We have found by 

 repeated experiments that there is a decided advantage 

 obtained by first crushing the corn intended for grinding; 

 but there is obvious inconvenience in passing the corn 

 through an independent crushing mill, and then con- 

 veying it to the stones. To secure the advantages only, 

 we have in our combined mill simply placed a pair of 

 crushing rollers over a small pair of stones. No machine 

 can be more simple than our ordinary crushing mill, and 

 the stone3 in the grinding mill drive in the usual way 

 by placing the one over the other, so that the corn M 

 it falls from the rolls passes directly into the eye of the 

 I stones (motion to the rolls being obtained by a Bingle 

 I strap from the horizontal spi He of the grinding mill). 

 There can be, in reality, no complication— particularly 

 as the independent action of either mill is preserved, 

 the rolls admitting of being used for crushing Oats, 

 malt, or Linseed, &c, whilst the stones are still, and the 

 stones also without the action of the rolls, perfect facility 

 being also secured for getting at the stones without 

 interfering with the rolls beyond removing the frame in 

 which they work, which is effected in two minutes, and 

 replaced as quickly. Setting aside the advantages we 

 claim from the combined processes, its adaptabil v as a 

 crushing as well as grinding mill will, we anticipate, 

 prove it to be really valuable. /*. R <L- F. Turner, Ipsurich. 

 Autumn Digging r>f Potatoes. — The tubers of Potatoes 

 have attained the ripened condition in the month of 

 October over the gr> iter part of the United Kingdom 

 I There is less difference caused with the ripeness of 

 Potatoes by early and late climates, or southern and 

 northern situations in Britain, than in the case of grain 

 crops, which are more susceptible of external impres- 

 sions, and are more regulated by climatic affe ons. 

 Potatoes contain a very large assemblage of field and 



garden varieties which exhibit an earlinets or lab nets 

 in being ipened, and are used accordingly. The sorts 



that are grown in the lb Ids of the farn are found in 

 two large divisions, kidney shapes and round eyes, 

 which are in many colour?, derived and ntinued fron 

 accidental circumstances The kidneys are the earlier 

 in maturity, but the least prolific ; the stems are weaker, 

 and sooner decay. The round shapes are most abundant 

 in produce, and strong in the stems ; later in ri|>ening 

 than tho kidneys, but not so distant as that one time of 

 digging does not answer for both varieties. The stems 

 are generally green, at least in the tope, when the kid 

 neys are wholly decayed, and a half-way decay of the 

 stems usually marks the time of raising the crops of 

 roots. Two particular methods are adopted in diggin 

 from the ground the tubers of Potatoes on farms that 

 produce a very considerable quantity of the vegetable. 

 One way appoints a man to dig each drill of Potatoes 

 with a spade or fork, which throws off its load of earth 

 and Potatoes, the latter being gathered into a basket by 

 a lad or woman, who is appointed to each digger. The 

 stems are pulled by the hand of the gatherer from the 

 raising by the spade, shaken from the toil and tubers, 

 and thrown into heaps, then into rts, and carried from 

 the field. The tubers are placed from the baskets into 

 carts that are conveniently set down on the field, and 

 conveyed to the place of winter accommo iation. The 

 field is now cleared of roots and tops, is harrowed in 

 order to find any stray tutors, ploughed, and sown 

 with Wheat, or lies over winter for spring Barley. The 

 other method sends forward one-horse carts that are 

 j followed by a gang of workers, who pull the stems of the 

 Potatoes, one to a drill, shake off the adhering earth and 

 tubers, and throw them into the carts, which convey them 

 away. Carts follow behind and receive the tubers from 



by the plough tins farm bottom of the inter ,1.^ 

 moved ; the plough is directed aW the rill? m 

 underneath the tubers with one furrow u-kT 18 * 

 the loot* soij; the intervals of the drill. T? 

 bottoms remain wholly untouched. In the case nf S 

 land being sown with autumn Wheat it rJ v 

 peeted that the seed furrow will reach below L« 

 bottom, and raise the hardened soil into action 

 may slip over it, and leave the consolidation to a ,1? 

 any percolation of air or moUure. When I 

 with spring Barley, the bottoms remain JE 

 unmoved ; and though less objectionable oa { \1 

 light soils than on the heavy earths that arethenroS 

 lands for Potatoes, yet the benefit will be W tW 

 there be an open transmission of air and ^Z 

 through the greatest possible depth of ground. TU 

 object is most evidently not attained by the use of the 

 plough in raising a crop of Potatoes from tlie^ouni 

 The following method is suggested in order to remove 

 the objection of the land being made firm bv the 

 sledging action of the plough, remaining in that con- 

 dition, and denying a passage to atmospheric elements, 

 A man provided with the common three-pronged fair 

 of the farm is appointed to each drill of Potatoes alon* 

 with a woman or lad with a basket. The man di>s the 

 fork sideways into the rid<re of tubers below one stem, 

 which is held (if any) by the hand of the latter, pilled 

 to assist the fork, and shaken by the hand from the 

 attached roots and adhering earth, and thrown into 

 heaps to be carted from the field. The tubers are 

 gathered into basket which are emptied into carts on 

 the field, and drawn to the stone pits. It is theme 





especial duty of the overseer of the gang of workers to 

 attend that the consolidated bottoms of the intervals of 

 the drills are dug by the fork in the depth of the leng 

 of prongs, and the earth laid in a level surface 0! 

 trenched ground along with the loose dry soil that has 

 form i the drill and contained the tubers. Along with 

 the stems and roots there may be gathered and remold 

 any weeds that may remain in the land from tie fal- 

 lowing during summer, and stones, also, if the time of 

 so win - rmits. A ] kged fork is preferable to the 

 spad for this purpose, as the wide blade of the latter 

 tool cuts into slices the tubers as it is thrust into the 

 ground, and the resistance of its use is ?reaferfotne 

 workman. The three prongs of the fork pass easily 

 into tho earth, and with less damage in cutting the roots, 

 the ] in ted ends penetrate the subsoil and lew holes 

 m the bottom into which air and moisture can enter. 

 The earth is looselv raised and thrown aside, and toe 

 mould -round and the pierced subsoil are ahkemaae 

 porous. It is an essential condition that the entire 

 ground is dug and raised by the fork-the top ot u* 

 drills in one spit which throws out the tuhers-anotner 

 m< es tho side of the ridglet, and a third mav he we 



of the intervals; ftHW 



sary to dig the bolu~ — - orrnwm 



must be close to the d. T th of the prong8,snd narro 



width, not to break the tool in raising a heavy wcj • 



7 ' TithHmf of am.-Interrog»timis are frequeng 

 to us, will' Barley and Oats tiller or branch as mw 

 Wheat by being planted early, and s^ly, wdJWJ 

 < hir answlr is, that the former will, and tb 1 ^ 

 beliere, will not. Oats however are dec.deui) ^ 



prolific, containing many more ^ ain ^ J ^f p i ant edtf 

 either Wheat or Barley, and require J »?H 



■own equally as thin. Every V^^/^^Jl s* 

 at equal distance* with only half a P' CK Rental 

 (not 3 bushels) by proper cultivation, ana 

 point of this is to keep it clean, wil ^WflA 



fire ears; this we believe *»™* ***?"' \0 & 



ill be found to average 200 kerne Is or ^ g 



ear w 





Miml of cour»e to 1000 half peck-, ««* ^rfj*, 

 1 :, -,rs. B bu,hel. per acre Every gram* ^ 

 plante.1 at the rate of half a peck P ^ J 4 ' " 

 rit>.,t;nn- hv mioerior culture, mil no* »' 



tribut ns, by superior 



'eh 30 F?* W 



20 ordinary fall e*rs, containing »n eacu b^ 

 00 fobl. aad as a neceaaary ^^J, per a* 

 Ul, or 75 buahela, of 9 q»3J» ia0 » 



The Persian variety of Bar ley co ^^V 

 •■.mount of grains in each ear than ne ^ 



ahhoagh smaller in size, U f.»«o »» ^ tb e * 

 much more proactive »" «£ in V*Z 

 especially as it far ^^^jKJwa^ 



weight and nutriment. li J\ aho .?*Zl* iat °?t 

 regretted that destructive b.rd* ml atw * & & 



cratherers with baskets, which precede the carts to prevent 



the damage from wheels bruising the Potatoeslying abroad. 



The sterns and tubers being thus removed, the mmon 



plough drawn by two horses having the coulter removed 



lays over the drill of Potatoes by passing along tlie side 



or half way from the top of the ridglet to the bottom of ( moderate 



the furrow* 



for 18.54 bive been published, anc U »PP f <** 

 following numbers of acres under tu ^ ^ ,. 



England and Wales (to say 

 cotland) was— Wheat, 



"-*"*&'*$ 



The tubers are thrown up and exposed to 

 i v »* w » gathered into baskets, thrown into carts, and coo- 1 crops cciwmed, or spa 



grand total of , fio2,lfo, say , [<)W6 that 

 eluding all kinds of seeds. It thus . yU 



moderate estio,. * of I p** ?"* ne-bf t ° f Jd * 

 ften ia there much more, nay • ^ p | ot g, w 









led 



