6S2 



THE AGRICULTURAL G AZETTE 



13, 18 



e 



in it. vrvins quantity and quality iVdit- | of the system, for it not only f^^I^J? 1 

 IrVof 3&V by .hAbuince of th. ewe S and lambs tu a ^tnct ., rWlyJate, 



herbag 



ferent parts of the field will, r>y tne aounuauc* .» J«« <""~ T"^7,irfda »~«K>d crop of hay whilst 



one form of plant here, and the scantiness of another but year after year yields a gooo l ciop y 



thererp^int out not only extremes of good and bad the on-irrigated meadows in the same MM 



quality, but every degree of it, for where the 

 herbage mav be made up of 30 different species of 

 plants, each one with peculiar idiosyncracies, the 

 fact of any of these monopolising a certain space, 

 and the proportions in which they mix become as 

 important when the species themselves are studied, 

 as, in the estimation of society, is an analysis of 

 the habits of its different members. 



If we contrast a survey of a good irrigated 

 meadow in mowing Grass with a bad one, we shall 

 at once see the significance of the foregoing remarks. 

 A meadow in good condition will contain abund- 

 ance of such Grasses as are of known nutritive 

 quality — " sweet Grass ;" and though the botanist 

 may detect here and there a stray specimen of an 



usually look as sickly 



scarcely afford a ton of hay to the acre every other 

 year, and for this they must be shut up very early 

 in the spring. 



The third prize is awarded to M 



ir. Barnaby PickeTS? 



of Sharnford, occupying 80 acres, of which 42 acres are 



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opposite description, yet th__ % 



and unhealthy as do the better kinds in bad soil and 

 circumstances ; for it must ever be borne in mind 

 that Grasses like other plants, if designed for poor 

 soil, do as badly in richer ones as do those that 

 require good land in that of a poorer quality. If, 

 therefore, we see a field of Grass the bulk of which 

 is composed, pretty evenly mixed, of 



Lolium perenne, Rye-grass 



Poa pratensis, Smooth-stalked meadow Giass 



Featuca pratensis, Meadow Fescue 



m var. loliacea, Spiked Meadow 



Fescue 



„ duriuscula, Hard Fescue 

 Dactj/lis glomerata, Cock's-foot 

 Agrostis stolonifera, Creeping Bent 



we may from these judge the irrigation process to 



be properly carried out. 



On the other hand, when we observe either over 

 the whole field or in patches here and there bad 





PROFITS OF AGRICULTURE. 



The increased profits to be made by high farming 

 must be little understood, seeing how small is the por- 

 tion of the land in cultivation that is being benefited^ in 

 this way The feeling is far too general that artificials 

 do not pay, and in this term are comprehended all pur- 

 chased food and manures, high feeding, hoeing, and extra 

 cultivation The Leicester Agricultural Society has or 

 several years been enabled by the liberality of Mr. Packe, 

 the county member of Parliament, to offer three 

 prizes, in classes, to the tenants of the three best culti- 

 vated farms within 15 miles of Leicester, ™z., 3<M. to 

 the tenant of over 200 acres, 152. of from 120 to 200 

 acres, and lot of from 80 to 120 acres. This year there 

 were thirteen farms entered, and seeing how successtul 

 is the farming that has been brought to my notice in 

 acting as the judge to award the prizes, and how much 

 of this success must be attributed to the high farming, 

 I am induced to give some details of the cultivation, 

 dressing, cropping, and working of the three farms to 

 which the prizes have been awarded. 



The first prize is awarded to Mr. J. N. Gimson, ot 

 Ibstock, Ashby de la Zouch, occupying 252 acres, of 

 which 104 acres are in permanent Grass, and 148 are 

 arable. The cropping the last year was as follows, viz. :— 



22 acres. 



29 



28 

 12 



5 



28 

 12 

 11 



in permanent Grass, and 38 acres are arable, 

 cropping the last year was as follows, viz. : 



Wheat after Oats ... 



„ after lea of 1 year 

 Oats after lea of 2 years 



,, after Turnips ... 

 Barley after Turnips 

 Peas early following Turnips 

 Seeds early following 1 year lea ... 

 early following 2 years lea... 

 grazed till June, and then broken up for 



Turnips ? 



Turnips after fallow... 



Hi* 



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5 acres 

 4 



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4 

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38 

 4 

 2 



it 



it 

 it 



viz., town 

 The stock 



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16 



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30 



30 



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Wheat after Oats 



Oats after seeds 



Barley after Turnips 



Peas, early, followed by Turnips 



Tares followed by Turnips 



Seeds, mixed 



Ditto, laid down permanent 

 Swedes after fallow 



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11 

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kind 



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sour Grasses, 



to be the rule, and good 



exception, we 



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148 

 17 



specimens in a starving state the 

 may be quite sure that the meadow, either as a 

 whole or in part, is in an imperfect state. And 

 the Grasses which best point this out are the 

 following : 



Air a ccespitosa, Hassock Grass 



Poa trivialis, Rough-stalked Meadow Grass. 



These with the different species of Sedge (Carex), 

 indicate a want of drainage. 



Avena pratensis, Meadow Oat Grass 



Briza media. 



These point out a poor clayey subsoil, a " hungry 



clay." 



Holms lanatus 



Arrhenathcrurn avenaceum, Oat-like Grass 



Bromus mollis (its varieties), Soft Brome Grass, 



at once lead to the inference of a poor soil not of a 



stiff description. 



From the foregoing remarks, then, it would 



that irrigated meadows varv much in 



Turnips after Peas and Tares 



The enriching food and dressing bought, viz. : 



Cake Tons I 



Bush. 8 

 Tons 174 



Malt dust 

 Linseed 



Lime 



The stock kept, viz. : 



Beasts, stall 

 Ditto, fatted 

 Sheep, ewes 

 Ditto, lambs 

 Ditto, rams 

 Ditto, fatted ... 

 Horses, working 

 Ditto, others 



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30 



40 



100 



126 



2 



80 



6 



3 



15 



appear 



quality, which variation, 



vary 

 though it depends greatly 



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on the land is perhaps but little due to the water, 

 but is principally owing to the perfection of the irri- 

 gating processes and to the subsequent management, 

 and therefore the following epitome of the method of 

 using an irrigated meadow, on the borders of which 

 we lived for some time, and the observation of which 

 gave us great pleasure, is added as an illustration of 

 the use and value of irrigated meadows. For thi 

 we are indebted to the kindness of Robert Ander- 

 son, Esq., agent to the Earl Bathurst. 



" In the field of about 9 acres we begin flooding in 

 the early part of October, and continue it perhaps 

 once a week, or as often as we can get water, till the 

 end of March. The meadow is then kept dry for 

 sheep, which are putupon it about the middle of April, 

 namely, 300 ewes and their lambs. These sheep are 

 folded at night, upon Italian Rye-grass, on the farm 

 about half a mile from the meadow ; they continue 

 this course for about five weeks; after they have 

 left, we flood the meadow once or so again if the 

 water will admit, and save it up for mowing. The 

 hay crop averages from 25 to 30 cwt. to the acre. 



" Immediately after the hay is carted off we flood 

 again if possible, so as to get a good lattermath for 

 the fattening oxen, ten of which graze it from about 

 the beginning to the end of August. ^ In about a 

 week or 10 days afterwards 100 ewes with the ram 

 are put in, and it keeps them about three weeks. 

 This brings it to October, when the same course is 

 recommenced. 



" The labour is about 10$. an acre, including the 

 repair of hatches. Our meadows are all now in ^^f^i^^^^J 

 hand, but when they were let the rent was 61. 



Pigs 



The system has been to drill the Wheat, Peas, and 

 root crops, and to both hand and horse hoe them. On 

 the weaker land to take one white and one green crop 

 alternately, viz., Oats, Swedes, Barley, and seeds, the 

 seeds being mown for fodder and then broken up for 

 Turnips, having a dressing of bones or guano, and the 

 Turnips being eaten off with sheep, having a little cake. 

 On the deeper soiled, to take Wheat after Oats, giving 

 the Oat stubble a good dressing of lime and bones. The 

 whole of the beasts were wintered in yards and sheds. 

 Twenty -two were fatted in sheds on Swedes, Linceed, 

 Rape-cake, Barley, and Oatmeal, with hay and straw cut 

 and whole, the chaff being moistened with boiled Linseed. 

 These were sold fat the 12th of May. Eighteen were 

 fed in open yards and sheds on Swedes, Barley-meal, 

 Rape-cake, hay and straw, until put on Grass, when 

 they continue! to have Barley-meal. These were sold 

 fat the 26 th June. The store beasts were kept in winter 

 on straw and Swedes, with some hay and straw chaff 

 mixed with a small quantity of malt, dust, and Rape-cake. 



The second prize is awarded to Mr. Ralph Arnold, 

 of Shackerstone, occupying 185 acres, of which 106 are 

 in permanent Grass and 79 acres are arable. His crop- 

 ping the last year was as follows, viz. : 



Wheat after Peas, Beans, and Oats 

 Oats after two years lea 

 Barley after Turnips 

 Seeds, one year lea 

 Ditto, two ditto ... 



Swedes 



Turnip* 



Cabbage 



Potatoes 



after seeds broken up in June 



after early Peas 



The enriching food and dressing bought, 

 manure and guano to the amount of 20Z. 

 kept, viz. : — 



Milch cows 



Stirks 



Calves 



Bull 



Ewes 



Lambs 



Pigs 



Workiug horses... 



The system has been to drill the Wheat, Barley, 

 Peas, and roots ; to hand-hoe the drilled corn, and to 

 both hand and horse-hoe the Peas and roots. He an- 

 nually fattens about 30 teggs, and from 20 to 30 ewes, 

 part raised and part purchased, and sometimes to feed ; 

 two or three cows in stalls upon hay and Turnips, with 

 a little corn or cake. The manure made on the farm 

 is from wintering the cattle in yards, and giving them 

 the produce of the farm with a little corn and oil-cake. 

 On each of these farms some extent of draining has 

 been done by the tenants at their own cost (in two in- 

 stances only were the pipes found them), and there 

 was a general evidence of attention to maintaining 

 the premises and fences in good condition. The land 

 was very clean, and all the crops were very large 

 and without any failure, and the returns both of stock 

 and corn with reference to the extent of the farms 

 will be seen to considerably exceed what is usual. 

 The land is considered to be naturally very good, and 

 is proportionately high rented, but to what extent its 

 superior fertility may be owing to the cultivation and tug 

 feeding it receives it is impossible to say, but contrast- 

 ing the superior treatment it has received for ages to 

 that which is generally given, one need not attribute 

 great natural fertility to it to account for the larger 

 returns. By many their land is thought to be too poor 

 to warrant such outlay, and by others not to call for 

 it, and it is to the attention of these that I particularly 

 recommend these details. 



I may take this opportunity of saying a word or two 

 in favour of such prizes as these : they not only excite 

 individual exertion with a view to gaining a prize, 

 but they create a spirit of rivalry and draw attention to 

 the best cultivated farms in the district, and in so doing 





offer examples to others to copy from. Hewitt Data 

 3, Frederick's Place, Old Jewry, London, Oct. 1, ww. 



ON SOME POINTS CONNECTED WITH AGRI- 

 CULTURAL CHEMISTRY. 



By J. B. Lawes,F.R.S., & Dr. J. H. Gilbert, F.C.S. 



(Concluded from p. 667). 



They next called attention to the analysis of three 

 actual rotations, the course in each case being inr -£j 

 Barley, Clover, Wheat. In one instance the , w*m 



without manure, in the second wrth sjer 

 lime alone, and in the third witUa^J 



commencing 

 phosphate of 

 and pretty full manuring. 



It appeared that i. -* 



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12 acres. 

 9 



20 



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n 

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 it 

 it 



case the Clover grown between the Barley ana 

 Wheat (the intervention of which instead ot »» 

 diate succession of the Wheat would greatl y . rm 

 the produce of the latter) removed from the an ^ 

 much more of phosphoric acid, of potass, ot urn* 

 of magnesia-in fact of every important o""™^ 

 stituent except silica-than either the pw^SJL. 

 or the succeeding Wheat. Hence it was main ^ | 

 that the effect of this leguminous crop in row* ^ 

 preparation for Wheat could not be, "coraing 



lable supply 



11 



79 



The enriching food and dressing bought, viz. : 



Cake Tons 3 



Manure Loada 25 



Guano Tons J 



Lime ... ... ••• ••• ••• ••• « «0 



The stock kept, viz. : 



Milch cows 

 Beasts ... 



Ditto yearlings 



Calves 



Slieep 

 Lambs 



Horses, working 

 Pigs 



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28 



10 



3 



3 



108 



75 



4 



theory of mron LaeDig, u> increase -«• ■""*" tent m ine» 

 of, or to conserve within the soil, the imports ni ^ 

 constituents of the crop. Unless indeed in w ^ n- 

 silica, which however Baron Liebig had mm* lD 

 tained would never be wanting in sufficient J^y. 

 any soil, provided there were a sufficiency o ^ 

 alkalies present. Taking these facts, together w ^ 

 indicating the most important manuring 10 *\ itioQ &iid 

 as well as with others relating to the con3 P^ um iQ0i 

 known circumstances of growth ot tne * w 

 crops, it could only be concluded that tne ^ 

 accumulated from the atmosphere within t»"" ed by the 

 of available nitrogen to a great extent exnj ^ ^0 

 growth of the previous cereal— Barley, a 

 for the succeeding cereal— Wheat. 



lied 



The system has been to drill the Wheat and root?, 



the drilled corn, and to both 



an acre. It may be well to add that ; not having 

 the command of water, flooding cannot always be 

 used to the desired extent." 



This description of the management of a single 



cailed- to the fact- ***** 

 rtion of the nitroj 

 of the cereals wa 

 They showed by 

 the loss of nitrogen was greater or less **» ^^ 



*■ '. \Z~.A ... mantlPP. ftntl V" l * i_.«a*ft:l 



Finally, attention was called » "" " ' en w pp^ 

 comparatively small proportion of «>• n " 1 = ec0 ^f 

 in manure for the growth of the cereals^ ^ 

 in the increase produced. They ^tcording w ^ 



to nana-iioe ana weea «ie urmea corn, ana 10 Dom ineiossoi uibuj™ "»» &- ml to the cou-- 



horse and hand-hoe the roots. Nearly the whole oflamount of it supplied in manure, an cb*&f A 



the straw consumed by the stock is cut and given mixed f.™«irahle or otherwise as to n.-nera f r „ hlft guppUf 



with hay, Turnips, ground Oats, Peas and oil-cake ; a 

 few beasts are fattened in the winter upon cut Swedea 

 and oil-cake ; the lambs are fed upon Turnips with malt 



dust and a few Peas ; the manure is made by the beasts 



Iff 1 . • * 1? »__ L 



irn 



conditious-that is with a lull sanpiy «' reC overe u '' 

 limited supply of nitrogen, they had °»V »d ia tj 

 t hTincre. P Je about half the nitrogen ontam ^ 



manure 



