73 



O 



THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE 



their profits. Small fanners cannot be expected tor 



% as Dr. Anderson recommends. But 



With an Irish climate and soil, no doabt Turnips can 

 be grown at 6, per ton, and of a'good succnlent cfuaUu 



fZ hV * "? ,*,' T ,er in ™ r d ^ Wheat-growi, g 

 English distncfa I I w,ll venture to state, that taking the 



^rhole county of Essex (one million of acres), the Swede 



lurn.p crop does not this year average nine tons per 



imperial acre. In fact, in many cases, the crops are 



study chemistry _ 



now there is an official chemist, Dr. Voelcker, of Ciren- 

 cester College, appointed by the West of En-land 

 Agricultural Society, who will examine their manures 

 at a very reasonable rate, they may agree among them- 

 selves to have a few well averaged samples assayed 

 yearly, to detect these swindlers, and drive them from 

 the market. Not seller's samples, but drawn from dif- 

 ferent parts of their purchases, and well mixed, so as to 

 form average samples of the whole. Let them reflect 

 on being thus cheated of a bag of Wheat, or a ton of 

 Turnips, per acre, year after year : and think how many 

 assays this would pay for, and leave a good profit for 

 ther own pockets, instead of going for articles nominally 

 cheap, but really little worth. Nor is the farmer the 

 only sufferer. The country needs all that can be pro- 

 duced from its soil ; and whatever is thus hindered by 



falsified manures is a national injury. /. Pvideaux. 



I see that your correspondent from the Fens reports 

 tjiat now, as ever, an enormous amount of roguery is 

 going on in the guano trade. I belong to an agricul- 

 tural society held in a small out-of-the-way place,°called 

 Dolsdown. Among other benefits we hope to confer on 

 the neighbourhood is the detection of adulteration in 

 manures, carried out in the following manner :— A 

 farmer requiringa load of guano or superphosphate selects 

 a suitable trustworthy man as waggoner; he is provided 

 with a small tin canister; when the waggon is loaded 

 the driver requests the vendor to take a small quantity 

 out of one of the bags, and in his presence to seal it up 

 in the canister ; this sample is sent to be analysed, and 

 the chemist's report, be it good or bad, is read at the 

 next meeting. I cannot but think that if this plan were 

 carried out by the numerous influential societies held in 

 all parts of the country, we should hear no more com- 

 plaints of adulteration of manures. Thomas Sibbald. 



Thin Seeding*—ll\& gratifying for us to know from 

 your leading article that you bespeak attention to our 

 remarks on sowing of corn. As to our experimental 

 yards, and the inference you draw from them, we agree 

 with you in most points— especially that a whole acre 

 caunot be expected to produce as much proportionately 

 as a single isolated yard ; nor did we ever intend to 

 convey such a conclusion, however differently the mean- 

 ing of our statements may have been construed in this 

 particular. The idea and practice, as we desire to convey 

 it and to have it understood, differs but little from Mr. 

 Smith's plan of Lois-Weedon- viz., planting only half 

 the land continually in square yards or a yard wide, 

 alternately fallowing and interlining other crops in the' 

 intervals, with this difference only— -that we sow much 

 Jess seel than Mr. Smith, and profess to obtain thereby 

 cpnsiderabl/more produce. Weouly quote theproductions 

 possible to be obtained from extreme wide distances of 

 planting, and small quantities of seed, with the view of 

 proving the absurdity of sowing 20 times the quantity 

 to obtain less. We beg also to observe that our single 

 yards referred to were grown surrounded by other 

 crops (French Beans), though not amidst other crops of 

 corn. Also, that another yard side by side, treated 

 alike in every respect, was sown with the same kind of 

 seed at the rate of 3 bushels per acre, and produced 

 only a quarter of a pint of inferior stuff, or little more 

 than 2 quarters per acre. What then can be expected 

 from a lull crop equal to this ail over the ground I We 

 are now farmers of 100 acres and not gardeners, but 

 have to rejoice that we were first gardeners ; neither of 

 them are mean occupations. Sir Joseph Paxton was 

 once a gardener, and the junior of our establishment 

 was once a partner with him in the Duke of Devon- 

 shire's garden at Chiswick. Let us but endeavour to 

 follow Ins good example, and we doubt not of good 

 •result* Hardy & Sons, Seed Growers, <Lx., Maldon, 



Drains with Brushwood.— Being about to drain some 

 wet clay lauds which lie very high and far away from 

 €ood roads and at a long distance from a draining pipe 

 maker, and where the stone of the neighbourhood is so 

 hard that it is very expensive to break up for draining 

 purposes, but where underwood is abundant, I am 

 anxious to inquire if any of your numerous correspond- 

 ents have had any experience in draining with under- 

 wood of about 12 or J4 years growtb, such as Blackthorns, 

 Hazels, and Oak, &c. I remember the farmers using 

 brushwood extensively for draining when I was a boy 

 30 years ago, but as I was moved far away from the 

 neighbourhood when I was very young I have no means 

 ot knowing how it answered except in one instance, 

 winch I was told three years ago was still satisfactory. 

 L was also lately informed of a party of workmen who 

 in makmg a road through some fields in Herefordshire 

 cut through some drains that had been made with 

 brushwood-Willow-the branches of which were 

 H~L S T- ' but D0 P" 801 ™ •■ the parish remember the 

 2£S V Rg • made - Ali y inf °rmatH.n respecting the 



nhW U8 u g bru8hwood » drains would greativ 



oblige your subscriber. H. B. 



« Ca nlJ? di " g -~ l a « ree wi,h Mr - Harkness, that 



TurninsLr" 3 SS* 1 ** W «*• P er *» '«* 



<Sv Z ' S Unlu » ite<1 Oat straw gratis, and re- 



The cost ot tile awede crop will be 



3, 18 



oo. 



and on an average it is 



an entire failure. 



certainly 20*. per ton this yei 



seldom less in Essex than 10s. to lis. Let me not be 

 misunderstood ; I am a strong advocate for root culti- 

 vation, but I repeat what I have before said, that on an 

 average of seasons and soils, the return for the Turnip 

 crop is, independent of manure, much less than its cost. 

 Your own large experience in this matter confirms my 

 statement. The Mangold Wurzel and white Turnip 

 are the more suitable crops for Essex. I have this 

 year 28 tons of Mangold Wurzel per English acre, but 

 if I can se'l them in the spring at 16s. to 20s. per ton, I 

 will certainly do so, and replace their exhaustion by 

 i^uano, Rape cake, &c. I find that after Mangold 

 Wurzel I can grow a large spring crop either of Oats 

 or Barley, by a dressing of 2 cwt. of guano. In fact, 

 this year I have over 64 bushels of Barley per acre 

 after Mangold Wurzel without any dressing. It may 

 be interesting to some of your readers to know that my 

 crops of 1854 averaged Wheat, 39 bushels per acre 

 imperial ; Barley, 64 bushels ; Oats, 88 bushels ; Beans, 

 32 bushels. This year I have reason to believe they 

 will be heavier. Generally speaking I dare not 

 guano for my cereal crops. I mention these facts, as I 

 see Mr. Harkness' correspondent implies that I farm 

 high but badly. /. /. MecM. 



Dairy Production. — Referring to my communication 

 on this subject in your number of August 11, in which 

 I gave the result of a trial made of the produce of three 

 ordinary milk cows for the week extending from June 

 26 to July 2, which may be taken as the period of 

 maximum production in the year (the production then 

 being found to be at the rate of U. 6s. 10c?. per week for 

 the three cows, or about Is. 6d. per diem for each cow, 

 the fresh milk being valued at 2d. per quart), I now 

 give you below the result of a trial made with the milk 

 of four cows for eight days in October, which may be 

 considered as a period of medium production. The cows 

 were fed with cut second-crop Clover, with, as before, a 

 daily run in a Grass paddock with a supply of running 

 water. It will be noticed that on the first and last days 

 of the trial the milk of each cow was measured, and is 

 stated, separately. On the 21st, which was Sunday, 

 they were milked but twice, say at 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. ; 

 on the other days they were milked at 6 a.m., 1 p.m., 

 and 8 p.m. 



Oor.17 



it 



it 

 it 



18 

 19 



20 



21 



22 

 23 



>; 



24 



Morning 



quarts. 



Noon Evening 



Total. 



11 



10 



11 



n 



10 



8 



11 





11 



8 







8 



10 i 



-2J) 

 -141 9 



~ 2 M 





-2 ) 



Total quarts 



. ♦ . 



210 



Which if sold fresh at 2d, per quart, would bring 1Z. 15s., 

 being at the rate of Is. Id. per day production from each 

 cow ; but it was uot so used, and our experience (as 

 shown below) is similar to that which I chronicled in my 

 last communication, viz., that milk may be as profitably 

 disposed of by being converted into butter, &c, as by 

 being sold fresh. This finding is contrary to the gene- 

 rally received opinion, and it may be of instruction to 

 those who, acting on that opinion, put themselves to 

 much trouble and expense to bring their milk fresh to 

 market. It is true that the manipulation and sale of 

 butter, &c, involves also labour and supervision, but 

 not to the same extent as does the delivery of the milk 

 in bulk. 



Return from 210 quarts of milk as above; — 

 Cream collected therefrom 25 quarts, which when £ 

 churned gave '24 lbs. of butter (as salted) at Is. ... 1 

 16 qts. of buttermilk, sold or used for household, Id. 

 54 qts. skimmed milk ditto ditto Id. 

 Kemainder of milk made 29 lbs. curd, at 2\d 



s. 

 4 



1 

 4 

 6 



d. 



O 



4 



6 







perature and therefore the climate of bo its is elevaleT* 

 My disappointment arises from the fact that as tho 

 statement does not go to confirm the theory it will b* 

 hastily accepted by many in the negative, although the 

 attendant circumstances are most fairly described h 

 Mr. Stephens. All should observe that the trial w J 

 not upon the same land before and after the operation 

 of draining, and in the same condition of tillage and 

 culture, but it was made in different fields differently 

 cultivated. I have heard that Mr. Parkes has for some 

 years past been carrying out a series of experiments on 

 the temperature of soils before and after drainage and 

 the public will do well to defer their judgment until the 

 results are published, as it is to be hoped they will 

 shortly be. One very extraordinary circumstance has 

 come to my knowledge, showing the activity of atmo- 

 spheric influences in a drained soil. Drains have been 

 observed to run after a discontinuance of that duty 

 without any fall of rain on the surface, and upon refer- 

 ring to the barometer it has been found that the quick- 

 silver had fallen very considerably whenever this has 

 been the case. If this curious circumstance can be 

 corroborated by careful investigation, how can Mr 

 Stephens assume that at 18 inches deep, in a drained 

 soil, a thermometer is " not sensibly affected by the 

 changes of temperature in the atmosphere ? " While 

 suggesting that agriculturists should suspend conviction 

 on this point, I cannot help turning to what was reported 

 to have been said at Witham the other day — that " the 

 occupiers of undrained land doubted whether the extra 

 benefit would compensate the cost of draining." Will 

 any one assert that the increased produce resulting 

 from drainage is not at least 1 bushel to every 24 

 bushels grown on undrained land ? I hardly think 

 there is a man who has fairly tried the question who 

 will hesitate to affirm that the gain is very much more 

 than a twenty- fourth. But it is not necessary to prove 

 a greater increase than this to show that drainage must 

 be profitable to the occupier. We will leave out of the 

 question all reference to easier tillage and earlier growth, 

 as involving too many words for the purpose. Drainage 

 now is a landlord's operation. The tenant has only to 

 do with the interest on the outlay, and if we accept 5s. 

 per acre as representing that interest (the annual con- 

 tribution of the tenant), it must be conceded that an 

 increase of 1 bushel to every 24 bushels of corn and 

 Pulse hitherto grown will more than pay it. With 

 respect to open " land ditches *' as a means of draining 

 soils of a tenacious nature, it is notorious with all men 

 practically acquainted with the subject that they fail 

 altogether in that object. It is often observable that a 

 clay subsoil at a given depth is wetter within a yard of an 

 open ditch than within three times the distance of 

 a sufficiently deep underdrain. /. Bailey Denton, 52, 

 Parliament Street, 



The New Forest. — Your correspondent Charles Paul 

 in Agricultural Gazette, Oct. 20, states that * we have a 

 New Forest of 92,656 acres," confounding the extent of 

 forest with that of the land within the boundary, one- 

 third of which consists of cultivated land, and includes 

 towns, villages, and private property of all descriptions. 

 Ot" the remaining 60,000, 6000 have always been enclosed 

 for the protection of young timber, and this quantity is 

 now, I believe, more than doubled, and over the re- 

 mainder, whether consisting of woodland or heath, the 

 neighbouring poor enjoy very extensive rights. What- 

 ever may be thought of Mr. Charles Paul's plan, of 

 which he may see plenty of examples within and around 

 the New Forest, it is a pity that the above error should 

 go forth. S. B. 



At the 



£1 15 10 



Being 10c?. more than the value in the* shape of fresh 

 milk. & 



Salt for Retention of Ammonia. — Your " Allerton " 

 correspondent (p. 700) is, I suppose, aware that the 

 excellence of used fishery salt as a manure depends not 

 on its purity as chloride of sodium, but on its richness 

 in oil and animal matter ; and he is surely right in pre- 

 ferring this, to which he can add sulphate of lime 

 (gypsum) in any proportion, to mere impure salt, with 

 sulphate of lime in uncertain proportion ; and fishery 

 salt is good to mix with guano, equal parts, not merely 

 to retain the ammonia, but to improve the quality of 

 the products, as the guano increases their quantity. But 

 it will not bear the cost of rery distant carriage ; its 

 price should not be more than 25 per cent, above that 

 of ordinary agricultural salt. And so of the ashes; 

 the proportion of sulphate of lime may be increased 

 with gypsum, but it does not act well dry ; whether 

 mixed with or contained in the ashes, they must be 

 damped to retain the ammonia. /. Prideaux. 



Drainage and the Improved Temperature of the Soil. 



I have read, as every one engaged in draining would 



Farmers' Clubs. 



Loughborough : Agricultural Statistics. 

 meeting of this Association Mr. Packe, M.P., made the 

 following remarks on the subject : — They all know that 

 this which had been called their own hobby in matters 

 of legislation, many people said was " dead." He would 

 perhaps not go so far as that — but he would admit that 

 it was *■ gone to grass." There had been sitting this 

 session a committee of the House of Lords who had 

 had a motion brought before them to m inquire into the 

 best mode of obtaining accurate agricultural statistics in 

 the United Kingdom, and to report thereon." The 

 peers, composing that committee, seemed all to have 

 entertained a similar opinion that it was settled that the 

 collection of agricultural statistics would be for the 

 interests of the country generally, and no evidence 

 whatever had consequently been taken as to whether it 

 would be right or wrong, injurious or inquisitorial into 

 private affairs and interests; but they had jumped to 

 the conclusion that the whole nation was in favour of it. 

 Thus the committee rather laconically observed at the 

 commencement of their report that the advantage of 

 obtaining agricultural returns was so obvious * that tluS 

 committee deems it scarcely necessary to dwell upon it 

 This done, the committee had recommended that power 

 should be given by act of Parliament to enable the 

 government to compel the occupiers of land to fill U P 

 schedules of returns ! That has been the recommenda- 

 tion of the committee without the examination of any 

 witnepses, social or political, or inquiring whether it 

 would be agreeable to the agricultural interests gene- 

 rally that such statistics should be taken ! They bad 

 passed a series of resolutions of which he might read 



— i nave reau, aseveiy uue enga^ea in urainm^ would passeu a series oi resuiuuuna ui which hc m^"**-, 



read, the statement of the experiments on the tempera- a few most important, purporting that the collection 

 tore of the soil at Yester Mains of land drained and of agricultural statistics was an object of national J*^ 

 15 ... •.! •! ,. , . portance ; that whilst many classes would be benefited 



by it, none would derive greater advantage from it than 

 those connected with agriculture ; and that this being 



the case, power should be accorded by act of Parliamen 



land undrained, with considerable interest and some 

 disappointment. But I am not disposed with Mr. Clut- 

 terbuck to accept those experiments as proof conclusive 

 of the fallacy ot the theory that * by drainage the tern- 



