142 Domestic Notices : — Scotland. 



plished, the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society would unquestionably 

 attain a status superior to what it now holds, and be the means of conferring 

 inestimable benefit on the country. At such meetings, useful and instructive 

 lessons might occasionally be given to members ; for instance, the various 

 methods of grafting, inarching, budding, &c, might be explained and illus- 

 trated by practical operations, Besides, gardeners and amateurs could there 

 meet familiarly together, and discuss different matters of interest, which might 

 afterwards be committed to writing, and read to the Society ; and thus a 

 friendly intercourse between the members and practical gardeners would be 

 promoted, a measure which Dr. Duncan, the father and founder of the Society, 

 had in view at its commencement. 



" The proposed building could also be advantageously used as an exhibition 

 room for select plants in flower from the hothouses in the garden, and for 

 others sent by gardeners and amateurs from the neighbourhood, at various 

 seasons of the year ; for a museum for plants, model-tools, &c, connected 

 with horticulture ; for exhibiting in glass cases, collections of named fruits, 

 preservations of tropical fruits, casts of fruits, &c. ; and also for a botanical 

 and horticultural library, where the periodical and other works belonging to 

 the Society might be arranged for the use of the members and others. 



" It is scarcely necessary to add, that such a hall would be of great general 

 advantage as a place of resort for members and their friends at all times, 

 and would afford convenient shelter on promenade days, in case of bad 

 weather coming on." — Dec. 9. 1841. 



The Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, as noticed in the pre- 

 ceding article, have lately begun to hold monthly meetings for reading papers 

 and for verbal discussion, a practice which cannot fail to be attended with 

 the best results. 



The first paper read, and which was by Mr. Oliver, Lochend, was on the 

 importance to agriculture of discovering new fertilising substances. He com- 

 menced by stating his conviction that, by the discovery of new fertilising sub- 

 stances, in connexion with thorough draining, a great and fresh impulse 

 might be given to agriculture ; and, after adverting to the importance of pro- 

 viding an increase of food for the rapidly increasing population of this 

 country, he stated that the great desideratum for effecting this object was the 

 means of keeping up and increasing the fertility of the soil under a continued 

 system of culture, by restoring to it more food for plants than had been 

 carried off by their production ; and by a reference to the past history and 

 progress of the art, showed that the latter had been nearly in proportion to 

 our means of supplying the food of plants. In illustration of this view, he 

 contrasted the weight of materials afforded for manure, under the old S3 stem 

 of successive white crops, with those obtained after the introduction of 

 turnips and other green crops, which he distinguished by the name of manure- 

 making crops ; showing, on the authority of writers on rural affairs of the 

 period, that a farm of 100 acres, under the former, yielded only about 45 tons 

 of straw, while under the system which followed the introduction of green 

 crops, it yields upwards of 600 tons of straw, hay, and turnip, to be applied 

 to that purpose: thus demonstrating, that to this circumstance, more than all 

 others, the progress made in agriculture, which enables us to supply food for 

 our present population of nearly 20,000,000, with little more reliance on foreign 

 countries than at the former period, when it was under 9,000,000, is mainly to 

 be ascribed to the increased means of furnishing the food of plants to the soil. 



He next pointed out the system of management which followed the intro- 

 duction of manure-making crops on lands of the first, second, and third 

 degrees of fertility, and explained by what changes on these systems, with the 

 aid of new and additional fertilising substances, the quantity of grain produced 

 might be greatly increased, as well as a large addition made to the means of fat- 

 tening live stock. It appeared, for instance, that farms situated near large towns, 

 from which an abundance of manure could be procured, should adopt the four- 

 course shift, which allows one half of the land to be under grain crops ; 



