Nov. 17, 1855.] 



THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 



70 





^ostlo"be depended on for a satisfactory crop. I have 

 alluded to rust, mildew, and the Wheat midge, as occa- 

 sionally diminishing the produce of our fields. I do not 

 think I can add anything more to the hints I have 

 already given in order to mitigate the evils occasioned 

 by them. To get a full crop of Wheat you can scarcely 

 a pply too much manure to your previous green crop— 

 the soil should also be free v from all weeds. I find the 

 best time for sowing is the last week of October, and 

 all the month of November ; but as the season advances, 

 greater care is necessary that the land is not over- wet, 

 and to be more sparing with the harrows when it is at 

 all doubtful. I prefer old seed at first. I drill the 

 most of it, and find that 2 bushels or 8 pecks are enough 

 for a Scotch acre if sown in October, 9 pecks in Novem- 

 ber and 10 towards its close ; but, if sown broadcast, I 

 would give 3 bushels. With present prices, the saving 

 of seed by drilling is worth attention. In spring I 

 invariably roll all my Wheat, and either hoe it or give 

 it a turn with light harrows. By these means I have 

 almost invariably a fair crop, though some fields will be 

 better than others. In regard to the best mode of top- 

 dressing Wheat, 1 will simply state my own experience. 

 For a year or two I have topdressed in spring almost 

 the whole of that crop, partly with guano, partly with 

 nitrate of soda and salt, and partly with sulphate of 

 ammonia and salt. Last winter, I stated my views on 

 this subject fully at a meeting of the Highland Society. 

 This year my best crop of Wheat is where it was top- 

 dressed with sulphate of ammonia and salt. Both the 

 guano and nitrate produced too much straw, laying the 

 crop, damaging the quality of the grain, and diminishing 

 the quantity. I might have had a good round sum 

 expended on artificial manures in my pocket, and 

 a more valuable crop of Wheat to sell ; but the 

 season has been exceptional, for previously my outlay 

 always paid me. I think I have done such ample 

 justice to all my green crops, that I hope to be relieved 

 of the trouble and expense of top-dressing them in 

 spring. But if any part then appears as if it would be 

 the better for assistance, I will dress it with sulphate of 

 ammonia and salt. This year my friend Mr. Shirriflf at 

 Saltcoats has conducted a very interesting experiment, 

 to ascertain the value of different manures as a top- 

 dressing for Wheat. There is a singular difference in 

 the bulk of straw produced, but he has not yet got the 

 separate lots threshed to know the actual produce. I 

 know he intends stating the result to the club ; I only 

 wish he had been able to have done so to-day. With 

 these few plain remarks I now leave the subject in your 

 hands.— Mr. R. Scot Skirving said, That the first of 

 the topics which formed the subject of this day's dis- 

 cussion was one upon which he was very anxious to 

 obtain information, as it was apparently shrouded in 

 much darkness and obscurity. It was true, that, as the 

 Chairman had remarked, a failure in winter Wheat, 

 where the crop had been well managed, and the soil 

 generously treated, was the exception, but at the same 

 time instances were more numerous than might gene- 

 rally be supposed. But even if failure occurred once 

 only in a hundred times, the subject would be one well 

 worthy the attention of agriculturists. Failures iu 

 autumnal Wheat might, in many instances be accounted 

 for, by being sown at too early or too late a period, by 

 the seed being put into a soil too wet or too dry, or by 

 being sown too thick or too thin ; these, and no doubt 

 other well known causes, might account for failure, but 

 there were certainly instances, and these not altogether 

 isolated ones, where fields failed from some cause so 

 subtle as to escape ordinary observation. There was 

 one general cause of danger to winter Wheat, to which 

 for two years the country had been unusually exposed. 

 The cold had been greatly more intense during the last 

 two seasons than during other recent years, the ther- 

 mometer having fallen to zero, and even below it. 

 Fortunately much of the country was covered with snow, 

 and as this was not equal over the whole ground, per- 

 haps the frost, acting with more force where the snow 

 was less deep, might peculiarly hurt fields, which it 

 caught in some particular condition of dampness. As 

 an example of the arbitrary and unaccountable manner 

 in which these failures occurred, he might instance a 



homoeopathy, had succeeded by doinsj nothing. Mr. 



Shepherd, Gleghornie, said that the failures in winter 



I Wheat were not now nearly so frequent as when he 



came to the county. At that time he used to sow his 



STAN- 



Wheat early, and failures were frequent — now he delays 

 his sowing to November, December, and even January, 

 and his Wheat is invariably thick in the spring, lie 

 mentioned that last year he had sown a large field, part 

 in each of these three months, and the whole was good ; 

 nor did he think that frost killed Wheat, unless upon 



wet land, or with some defective management. 



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Newton Abbot. — The Labourer, the Farmer , and 

 the Landlord. — Mr. P&lk, M.P., spoke as follows at a 

 late meeting of the agricultural society here :— One 

 material operation of the war was to impede the intro- 

 duction of foreign corn into this country, and so to 

 throw on the agriculturists the necessity of increasiii_ r 

 the produce of the soil, to provide for the wants of the 

 ! population. Anotiier result which they would have to 

 contend against was the great demand it created for 

 human life. From every part of the couutry the youni: 

 and active man, who in peaceful times would have he- 

 come a labourer on the soil or a mechanic in the mill, 

 was hurried off to the seat of wai 



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failure in a field, belonging to his friend Mr. Reid, who 

 farmed as near him as he happened now to sit. Here 

 was a highly cultivated and well manured field, sown 

 with Wheat after Potatoes, the crop of which was 

 scarcely worth the reaping, thus forming a remarkable 

 contrast to Mr. Heid's other field. Now, he believed 

 Mr. Reid was unable to assign any cause for failure in 

 this field, which miirht not have caused a similar result 

 in the contiguous field. He knew another instance where 

 * large extent of excellently farmed land had failed, the 

 owner of which was unable to charge himself with any 

 defect or deficiency iu the management The general 

 rules laid down in the speech they had just heard were 

 probably all that skill could at present suggest, but he 

 trusted that future experience might yet discover some 

 antidote or preventative to these remarkable failures in 

 autumnal Wheat. With regard to topdressing he would 

 make but a single observation ; like the chairman he 

 had this season largely used sulphate of ammonia, but 

 Ma experience of it was not nearly so favourable, and 

 he much preferred guano or Rape in autumn. The 

 chairman had said that on account of much of his crop 

 having been too soon « laid" he might have had a better 

 *eturu, and a good round sum in his pocket, had he not 

 (on this exceptional year) purchased so largely. Now, 

 it occurred to him, that this was the real cause of the 

 success of the sulphate of ammonia. It had produced 

 comparatively little effect, and consequently, Ike 



, and consequently a 



want of labour had for some time been felt. He had 

 experienced it himself, and it had been called very 

 seriously to his attention. There was another sad 

 reflection he could not help making — it seemed that the 

 farmer had not now the control over his labourer which 

 he used to have. He had been told by many agricul- 

 turists that if they complained of the conduct of a man, 

 or said a word to him, he demanded his day's wages, 

 away he went and left the employer in a disagreeable 

 position. He was satisfied that much of the damage 

 that was supposed to be accidentally done to crops and 

 plant of the farmer was due to the negligence of idle 

 boys. In olden times there was a system — he did not 

 J pretend to say it was faultless, but it was attended with 

 most excellent results— he meant the system of appren- 

 ticeship. The boy was carefully instructed in his 

 duties by the farmer, while the girl was probably 

 brought up under the eye of the mistress of the 

 house, and both became useful members of society ; 

 but he regretted to say there was now a system 

 of taking and dismissing servants without a cha- 

 racter. This was a serious matter ; for it appeared to 

 him that the character of every man, whether he was 

 the servant in the farm, or one who served his country 

 in the senate— was dear to him and should be given to 

 him. If they withheld from the honest servant the cha- 

 racter which he had richly deserved, what recompense 

 did they offer him ? It was not the wages that the 

 servant earned, nor the home that the master pave, 

 which was most highly prized, but the hope of rising in 

 his station -a hope which should be an inducement to 

 every man and woman to do well, and which should be 

 encouraged. Another question which had lately at- 

 tracted much attention amongst those who wished well 

 to the agricultural interest, was that of education— one 

 worthy the attention of every man who had the well- 

 being of his fellow-creatures at heart. The facilities of 

 railroads induced men to travel, and the cheapness of 

 literature gave them a taste for research. It was to the 

 cheapness of literature, the opportunity of mixing with 

 practical men, and of seeing different customs in different 

 countries that the marked improvement in Devon farming 

 was to be attributed. They had introduced a very supe- 

 rior system of cultivation into this county, and many of 

 the innovations they had seen practised in other counties. 

 So much had the necessity for education impressed the 

 minds of those who took a lead in the legislature of this 

 country, that they would see Lord Ebrington had 

 offered a prize, which he (Mr. Palk) hoped would be 

 well contested for, to the farmer's son who was the most 

 proficient in history, geography, and mathematics. The 

 noble lord had undoubtedly given this prize with every 

 desire that it might stimulate the rising industry of the 

 sons of agriculturists. He hoped on Thursday next to 

 have the honour of meeting a large body of agricul- 

 turists in his neighbourhood, to show them a system— 

 largely adopted in other counties, but not carried to 

 such an extent as he had attempted to carry it— a 



For the last six or seven 



'i he short barrel rump it very 

 for fixing in situations of limited height * 

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 Wash-houses with soft water from under- 

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Price of Pump and Union, 



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H inch Flexl le Ru 



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 &i . (ki. per 



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PATENT LIQUID-MANURE DISTRIBUTOR 

 or WATER-CART, for the Distribution of Guano, &c., 



' It ha*. 





warranted not to clo^ np or otherwise pet oat of order. 

 Waterproof Joints, and will scatter its Liquid from 12 to 15 feet 

 wide. It will work equally well on hilly or on level land without 

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Fountains of every description erected: 

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Hose Pipe of every kind for watering 

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W. F Rqi (late Fp.fekas Roe), Hydraulic 





TRELOAR'S COCOA-NUT FIBRE MANLr AC- 

 TURES constat of MATTING, DOOR MATS, MAT- 



,TRI S.HA8F < KS, BRTJSHES.Ac., and wnsdistittgniabed 



by superiority and excellence of workmanship, combined wit* 

 moderate charges. « ataln C ues. containing pri< * and every 

 particular, fee by post-1 . Ti.RLOAK, Cocoa-nut ribre Mam: 

 facturer, 42. Lndpate Hill. London. 



— 







system of meadow irrigation 



years, with the assistance of a tenantry, who, no ucn.vcu, 

 bore a richly-deserved reputation in this county, he 

 had been remodelling some valleys, and turning orchards, 

 hedges, lanes, and horrible holes, as he called them, into 

 what had now become green and fertile meadows ; all 

 irrigated under a system that made the most of the 

 running water, the atmosphere, and the sunshine. In 

 conclusion, he asked the society why they did not give 

 prizes for landlords as well as for tenant farmers and 

 labourers ? He would most gladly compete. Perhap* 

 they would tell him that they already gave a high prize 

 for landlords, and he admitted it, for where the land- 

 lord endeavoured to do his best for the tenantry, there 

 they would find the best and most enterprising ol 

 tenants. 



ic 







Notices to Correspondents. 



Tuum* for Seed: J D. We have been » ccus '°™f *° r fI aD ' '^ 

 autumn lected tubers in a field not manured but ™/';'™ 

 If you have no such land we * .Id plnngb mover old manure. 

 Plant about 2 feet apart in rows. 3 leet apart if the land is rich. 



Erratum. In the account of Fisken's plough *t page .31, n 

 should have been stated that " the straw .upon th Mm. 1 or 

 furthest from the engine is no greater ■than the drangh t of a e 

 travelling machine plus the slight strain due to t he ten won, 



Ac., of tlfe light drivWrope," ?' , * he "^1 ^emeu / TP. 

 equalling one-eleventh of the draught of the m.p.enieut. i. a. i 



■ -I 



i 



PARKES' STEEL DICCINC FORKS X DRAINING TOOLS. 



Yf ESSRS. BURGESS and KEY, as Mr. Park es 



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upwards of 1000 of the Nobility and >^« J"!?^,^? 

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103, Newgate Street, London. 





