Dec. 15, 1855.] 



THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 



82? 





] 50 pens appear, and a magnificent show of birds they 

 Ire. The large Dorkings and Cochins, the elegant 

 Hamburghs, and the Polands, are all admirably repre- 

 lented ; and no one needs to have been ashamed of 

 failing of distinction in such a competition. We have 

 pot room for the prize list of the poultry show. It 

 occupies 16 closely printed pages in the published 

 catalogue, containing 165 separate awards beside com- 

 mendations, and beside the premiums given to 16 classes 

 of pigeons. 



The following is the award of prizes for cattle and 

 sheep : 



CATTLE. 



Class L Hereford Oxen.— 101. and Gold Medal, Mr. W illiam 

 Heath, Ludham Hall, Norwich. 51., Lord Atherton. 



Class II. Hereford Steers.— 101., John Naylor, Esq., Leighton 

 Hall, Welshpool 51., Mr. Edward Longmore, Adforton, near 

 Ludlow. 



Class III. Hereford Cows.— 10?., Mr. S. W. Urwick, Leinthall 

 Starks, near Ludlow. 5/., Mr. J. Smith, Scheleley Walsh, 

 Worcestershire. 



Class IV. Hereford Heifers.— 101. and Gold Medal, Mr.E. Price, 

 Court House, Pembridge. 51. Mr. Pitt, Chadnor Court, Dilwyn. 



Class V. Short-homed Oxen.— 10/.. Colonel Pennant, Penrhyn 

 Castle. 51., H.R.H. Prince Albert. 



Class VI. Short-horned Steers— 10?., Mr. J. Robinson, Thirsk. 

 5J., Lord Leigh. 



Class VII. Short-horned Cows.— 10Z.. Viscount Hill. 51.. Mr. 

 Herbert, Powick. 



Class VIII. Short-homed Heifers.— 10/., Earl Howe. 51., 

 Viscount Hill. 



Class IX. Devon Oxen and Steers.— 10?., H.R.H. Prince 

 Albert. 51., Mr. William Heath. 



Class X. Devon Steers.-10/., Mr. J. C. Halse, South Molton. 

 5*., H.R.H. Prince Albert. 



Class XI. Devon Cows. 10?., Mr. A. Umbers, Weston Hall. 

 5J„ H.R.H. Prince Albert. 



Class Xri. Devon Heifers.— 10?., II.R.II. Prince Albert. 



Class XIII. Long-homed Cows or Heifer.s- 10?., Mr. Hnrbery, 

 Wroxhall. 51., Mr. P. F. Hussey, Wyrley Grove, Walsall. 



Class XIV. Fat oxen of other pure breeds and cross-bred 

 animals.— 10?., Mr. W. Wilson, Coleshill. 5?., Mr. R. Hawkes, 

 Charlecote. 



Class XV. Fat Cows.— 10/., W. T. Cox, Esq., Spondou, Derby- 

 shire. 51., Mr. R. Timms, Branston. 



Class XVL Fat Heifers.— 10?., The Moira Colliery Company, 

 Ashby-de-Ia-Zouch. 5?., the Duke of Beaufort. 



Class XVII. Scotch or Welsh Oxen or Steers.— 10?., Mr. 

 W. Heath. 51., A. Campbell, Esq., Monzie Castle, N.B. 



SHEEP. 



Class XXI. Leicester Wethers, 22 months old —10?., G. S 

 Foljambe, Esq., Osberton Hall. 5?., Mr. R. L. Bradahaw, Burley- 

 on-the-Hill, Oakham. 



Class XXII. Ditto ditto, exceeding 22 but not exceeding 

 34 months old.— 10?., Mr. G. Turner, Barton, Exeter. 51 , the 

 Marquis of Exeter, K.G. 



Class XXIII. Long-woolled Sheep, not being Leicesters. 

 Wethers, not exceeding 22 months old.— 10?., Mr. W. Slatter, 

 Stratton, near Cirencester. 51., Mrs. S. West, Green Hill Farm, 

 Bletchington. 



Class XXIV. Ditto ditto, Wethers, exceeding 22 but not 



exceeding 34 months old.— 10?., Mr. R. Beman, M or ton- in-t he- 

 Marsh. 



Class XXV. South aud other Down Sheep, Wethers not ex- 

 ceeding 22 months old.— 10?., Lord Walhingham. 5/., Lord 

 Walsingham. 



Class XXVI. Ditto, ditto, Wethers 22 but not exceeding 84 

 month old. 10Z., Lord Walsingham. 5?., Lord Walsingham. 



Class XX VII. — Shropshire short-woolled sheep, Wetliers not. 

 exceeding 22 montns old.— 10?., Mr. J. B. Green, Marlow, Here- 

 fordshire. 5?., Mr. 11. Smith, jun., Sutton Maddock, Shiffnall. 



Class XXVIII. Ditto, ditto, Wethers exceeding 22, but not 

 exceeding 34 months old.— 10?., Earl of Avlesford. 51., Mr. W. 

 Masfen, Walsall. 



Class XXIX. Cross-bred sheep, Wethers, not exceeding 22 

 months old.— 10?., Mr, A. C. Keep, Wollaston. 51., Mr. A. C. Keep. 



PIGS. 



Class XXXI. Fat Pigs, net exceeding 10 months old.— 10?., 

 C. C. Dormer, Esq., Rousham. 5?., Mr. J. Wyley, jun., Rugeley. 



Class XXXII. Fat Pigs, not exceeding 15 months old.— 10?., 

 Mr. George Turner, Barton, Exeter. 51., Duke of Sutherland. 



Class XXXIII. Fat Pigs, exceeding 15 months old.— 6?., 

 K. Benyon, Esq., Reading. 3?., Mc C. Holland, Seabridge, 

 Staffordshire. 



PRTZES FOR BREEDING PIGS. 



Class XXXIV. Pigs of a Large Bk-eed, exceeding 3 and not 

 exceeding 6 months old.— 10?., Mr. J. Smith, Henley-in-Arden. 

 5?., Mr. E. Harrison, Great Charles Street, Birmingham. 



Class XXXV. Pigs of a Small Breed, exceeding 3 and not 

 exceeding 6 months old.— 10?., the Rev. M. Shaw, Rougham, 

 Bury St. Edmund's. 5?., U. II. Watson, Esq., Wigton, 

 Cumberland. ' ' 



former years, and a great portion thereof in prime con- 

 dition for immediate use. In consequence of the high 

 prices ruling, and the fine dry weather so favourable 

 for the ploughing after Turnips, a much greater breadth 

 of land than usual has been seeded with Wheat the 

 present autumn, and this no doubt has contributed to 

 enhaiue the value of prime samples, which have been 

 sold as high as 985. in the market ; less, however, for 

 that purpose will now be required, and we fully expect to 

 see the demand assume a more steady attitude without 

 any material reduction of rates. Barley, though bulky, 

 is certainly short of an average crop, and- the quality 

 by no means first-rate for malting purposes ; whilst 

 Oats from the immense spread of stacks everywhere 

 observable must reach a full crop, but the quality is 

 short of former years, and the deficient weight per 

 bushel will be a drawback on the value of this grain. 



Lincolnshire. — The crop of Wheat in this neighbour- 

 hood will this year in my opinion be under an average. 

 We have here three descriptions of soil — clay, loam and 

 fen ; some of the clay lands, well drained and highly 

 cultivated, have produced a full average quantity of 

 corn but where badly farmed or inefficiently drained 

 the yield has not been so good as usual. Loamy land 

 seems to have fared best, as excepting on a few neglec- 

 ted spots it is generally reported to have yielded an 

 abundant harvest of Wheat of good quality ; but the 

 bulk of land about here is fen soil, on which scarcely a good 

 crop was seen. Many acres were ploughed up and sown 

 with Oats or Coleseed, and a large quantity might as 

 well have been ploughed up, for in several instances the 

 corn that was gathered would scarcely pay the expense 

 of getting. The crop of Wheat in the fens must be regar- 

 ded as very inferior both in quantity and quality, and 

 considering the great extent of the fen country, 

 that it is nearly all arable land and that it is 

 generally very productive, I consider this falling off in 

 the Wheat crop must tell greatly on the gross produce 

 of the kingdom, which I do not think is compensated by 

 any additional appropriation of land to the growth of 

 Wheat, neither do I think diminished consumption will 

 be resorted to so far as to occasion a material reduc- 

 tion in price. One clay land farmer tells me his 

 Wheat will average 3 \ quarters per acre instead of 4 

 quarters ; a good fen farmer says he shall not have so 

 much Wheat as usual by 200 quarters. Wherever the 

 joint effects of frost and wind injured the Wheat plant 

 during the spring, the consequences were perceived at 

 harvest day and proved in threshing. John Whitwcll, 



Peterborough.- 1 shall take an extensive district 



with which I am well acquainted, having resided in it 

 all my life, and frequently passing over many parts 

 of it ; I mean the Great Level of the Fens, and the 

 marshes lying between the Fen and the Great Estuary 

 of the Wash. It comprises 680,000 acres, a great 

 portion of which is peat, black, moory soil. Owin^ to 

 the absence of rain to any extent in the autumn of 1854, 

 followed by one of the driest winters almost ever known, 

 and frost the most severe, the Wheat plant on all the 

 light soils, i.e. peat, silt, gravelly clays, clays bare- 

 fallowed, and light loams, was very seriously injured, 

 and in many instances destroyed. In many parts of 

 the Fens the light dry peat was blown away by stormy 

 winds, the ditches were levelled, and the black dust 

 lodged in large black ricks, like snow ricks, except in 



causes attendant upon that peculiar bo— on make it a 

 difficult matter to arrive at a proper conclu<iou. A 

 considerable portion of the plant upon light soils, as also 

 the elevated portion of fallow Wheat, was destroyed 

 by the severity of the frost in spring, and when 

 replanted gave a sad return of both quantity and 

 quality, very different to the usual spring sown 

 crop. Where a good plant was retained (as particularly 

 upon Bean brash or early ploughed turf which had 

 been heavily pressed by the clodcrushers, &c, at the 

 time of planting) upon some of the best Wheat soils, 

 with good farming, there was promised at the com- 

 mencement of June a great crop, but in consequence of 

 the storms laving them before the completion of 

 blossoming, they yield a less return than lighter crop* 

 which remained standing ; yet some early sown and 

 early variety of Wheat which had fully blossomed 

 before the storm, return a good yield. Some poor clay 

 soils yield from 8 to 24 bushels per acre, whilst others 

 produce from 15 to 40 bushels. From the causes above 

 stated, in this district the general yield I think must 

 be at least (I bushels less than an average after allowing 

 for the extra breadth sown, which was of little amount, 

 as the six-course system is greatly adopted. The 

 heavy crops of Barley were much laid and do not 

 produce equal to bulk, yet I think the crop an 

 average. The Bean crop decidedly under an average- 



W. Gtbbs, Stratford on Avon. 



Es-K\ — The yield of the crops in this county may 

 be considered better than had been anticipated, and the 

 yield will upon the whole be about the same as that of 

 1854. In that year the heavy dry land was deficient in 

 plant, and the yield was indifferent ; in this year all 

 that portion, by far the largest, has a full crop, but the 

 light land portion of the county is defective. Taking 

 the yield of the county together, it will afford more 

 than an average growth of Wheat, which is estimated to 

 be 3 qrs. fi bushels per acre. The yield this year, I think, 

 may fairly be taken at four quarters, the weight 60 lbs. 

 to 62 lbs. per bushel, and for the most part the samples 

 come in good condition ; the top price at Chelmsford on 

 Friday 7th was 865. fine rough chaff white, and 

 81s. for red. A large quantity of Wheat has already been 

 threshed, and it is presumed that the deliveries will now 

 fall off, as threshing Barley will be resorted to ; the 

 yield of that grain is good — the average will be about 

 6 quarters, but the quality is inferior, one-tenth to one- 

 eighth being taken out to render it marketable. Oats 

 are a good crop, above an average by about 6 bushel* 

 per acre. Beans on the heavy land an average crop, 

 but Peas are deficient. The quantity sown exceeded an 

 average last year ; the fine season and the anticipated 

 high price of Wheat increased the breadth to about 

 10 per cent., but that may be considered the maximum, 



R. Baker, Wrtitie. It is the opinion of myself and 



some neighbours that the Wheat crop of Essex is a full 

 average crop — on the tenacious and un drained heavy 

 land far superior to last year— but not so good either 

 on the mixed soils of higher quality or the chalky 



Beans are a full average crop, much better than 



clays. 



full 



average (some injured in 

 Potatoes very much more 



Tur- 



colour 



or sown 



^^ 



YIELD OF LAST HARVEST, 



Westmorland. — The gloomy predictions respecting 

 the late crop of Wheat which prevailed through a great 



Cfc of summer, were in some degree allayed by the fine 

 vest weather which, commencing in the latter end of 

 August, continued until the principal part of the crop 

 jas safe under "thack and rape." In fact not a single 

 toy's interruption took place during the entire month of 

 September, both the autumn and spring sown Wheat 

 teing carted in the very best possible condition. Rust 

 ^d mildew to some considerable extent made their 

 appearance during the wet weather which prevailed in 

 August, more particularly in red Wheat, but the clear 

 atmosphere and dry light winds which succeeded had 

 toe effect of checking these, yet the samples where these 

 ca ses occurred are small and shrivelled, weighing not 

 Etore than 58 lbs. per bushel, whilst the finer samples of 

 white escaped with less damage, and come into the 

 Market fully 63 lbs., and in some instances even a higher 

 Wei ght, affording from their excellent condition satisfac- 

 1:100 to the miller. From the various and conflicting 

 PPjDions existing with respect to the extent of the crop 

 ? 18 ^possible to arrive at any exact data as to the pro- 

 ves of last harvest, in fact men's minds have been so 

 stated by the peculiar features of the time, and the 

 ^nstaut upward tendency of the corn markets, as 

 *j| almost prevent sober calculation ; yet taking 

 ~J e appearance of the stack yards, everywhere 

 crowded, our own experience over a pretty large extent 



cropj an( j tne b egt opinions existing, we are led to the 

 ^elusion that the yield, although not equal to the crop 



A 854, will still reach a fair, perhaps full average of 



much land was ploughed and resown, 

 with spring cropping, and on the 

 remaining was left the thinnest plants ever remem- 

 bered. On the light loams and soils of greater 

 consistency the plant recovered pretty well and pros- 

 pered tolerably till the flowering commenced, when 

 most disastrous winds and rains beat down the crops 

 and irrecoverably damaged the ear in its most critical 

 season, that of flowering. The spring crops received 

 more or less damage at this period, but upon the whole 

 the crops of Oats, Beans, and Peas, the chief spring 

 crops of the district, are not very unsatisfactory. Oats 

 are light in weight, and not an average crop in produce. 

 (What is an average crop in these days ?) Beans pro- 

 duced a strong healthy plant, but from the causes above 

 stated do not yield well. Peas, likewise, have less plant, 

 podded tolerably well but ripened irregularly and deep 

 away. But Wheat, that staff of human life, I believe I 

 am correct in stating, and I am confirmed in this state- 

 ment by the deliveries to merchants, &c, at all the 

 district markets, is one of the worst crops ever 

 harvested in this extensive district, certainly not 

 yielding more than three-fifths of last year's produce, 

 and of a quality so inferior as to weigh less by from 4 

 to 6 lbs. per imperial bushel. The quantity of flour ob- 

 tained is of course in proportion, but I understand it 

 yields as much as can fairly be expected from such light 



weights of Wheat John Clarke. In answer to your 



inquiries respecting the yield of Wheat this past harvest, 

 I beg to say I think from my own observation and what I 

 can learn from others, that this neighbourhood is fu'ly 

 one-fourth less than last year and one-fifth less than an j bushels. 



Barley is equally as deficient. 



A. Sowerby, Ayksby, Oreat 



average of years. 



are very little grown. F. 



Qrimsby. . . 



Northamptonshire.— I am still of the same opinion 

 that the Wheat crop is not an average, although I am 

 willing to admit that the Wheat does yield better than 

 anticipated at harvest. Barley quite an average crop, 

 but rough in quality. Beans and Oats about an average. 

 I believe I am justified in saying that more than the 

 usual quantity of corn has been brought to market 



W. Or ay, Courteen Hall. 



Warwickshire.— With respect to the probable yield 

 of the late harvest in the case of Wheat, the variety of 



last year. Barley a 



sample) and so are Oats. 



abundant than last year. Mangel Wurzel good. 



nips a general failure. My own crops are heavier in 



every respect (excepting Turnips) than those of last 



year. /. /. Mechi, Tiptree. 



Buckinghamshire.— I beg to say that from what I 

 know, and from all I gather from the persons who go 

 about with steam threshing machines (and from all 

 accounts they have never been more busy than they 

 have been since harvest), that the yield of Wheat in thia 

 immediate neighbourhood has been quite an average 

 one. More than this, I have never heard one person 

 complain of a bad yield. Barley is said to be rather 

 under an average. Oats are not much grown, but the 

 few acres sown are reported to have yielded welL 

 Beans an average crop. I think this immediate neigh- 

 bourhood, consisting chiefly of strong land, was highly 

 favoured in regard to the Wheat crop. It certainly 

 did not lose plant in spring as those crops did sown 

 on light soils. I have threshed 26 acres of Wheat 

 (Spalding), and it yielded 40 bushels an acre. This in- 

 cludes first, second, and third qualities. I had 36 bushels 

 of best Wheat per acre. W. O. Duncan, Stony Stratford. 

 Hampshire.— In answer to your inquiry respecting 

 my opinion of the yield of the Wheat crop in this locality, 

 I have no hesitation in repeating my conviction (which 

 I have several times expressed through our local press) 

 that taking an area of 25 square miles round this city 

 the Wheat crop is short, in bushels, of an average very 

 nearly one-third, and more than a third of the crop of 

 1854; that as compared with last year, it is further 

 short in weight of four pounds per bushel on the average, 

 which on the quarter of Wheat (? bushels) is a good 

 half bushel, being 1-1 6th deficiency on the crop in 

 weight alone, irrespective of one-third deficiency of 



Our estimated usual average in this dis- 



In 1854 we grew 



Oats ' trict is about 26 bushels per acre 



28 bushels. I am quite at the extreme quantity when 

 I say that 1 8 bushels is the average quantity grown th» 

 season. My qualifications for thus publicly stating these 

 unwelcome, vet truthful facts, are a tolerably long life 

 passed uninterruptedly in very extensive farming pur- 

 suits, my opportunities as an agricultural vainer for 

 closely inspecting the growing crops, an unlimited 

 acquaintance with the agriculturists around me, and 

 the means of obtaining the most confirmatory of aU 

 evidence, that from the many owners of steam-threshing 

 machines (with which our county swarms) and the united 

 testimony of all which have been worked in this district 



