1851.1 





 

 







1_ 



HE"1^^0irMANU RE COMPANY beg to offer 



£^DON MANURE COMPANY'S WHEAT MANURE FOR 



ro\7EN M TRA?^ URATE. SUPERPHOSPHATE of LIME. 



S?RrvnfGUANO SULPHATE OF AMMONIA. 



JhhFRYAND AGRICULTURAL SALT, GYPSUNf, and 

 SS artificial Manure; also a constant supply of English 

 mForeiffn LINSEED CAKE of the best quality. 

 The L ondon Manure Company will guarantee the Guano they 



s,~tr,u, tn be free from the slightest adulteration. 



S T!LtstreetTB^ckfriars. Edwakd ^CESEii^Secretary^ 



ANURES.— The following Manures are manu- 

 factured at Mr. Lawes's Factory, Deptford Creek : 



Clover Manure, per ton * 11 " 



Turnip Manure, do. • • — J. JJ 



Superphosphate of Lime ' JJ 



Sulphuric Acid and Coprolites ... .« _ D u 

 Office, 69, King WUliam-street, City, London. 

 N B. Peruvian Guano, guaranteed to contain 16 per cent, ot 

 jLmmonia, 91. 15*. per ton ; and for 5 tons or more, 91. 10s. per 

 ton, in dock. Sulphate of A mmonia, &c. 



K J. C. NESBffTF.C.S., F.G.S., Consulting and 



Analytical Chemist, Laboratories. 33 Kennington-lane, 

 Tendon -PRIVATE INSTRUCTIONS in Chemical Analysis, 

 and ?he most approved methods of making ARTIFICIAL 

 MANURES. Analyses of Soils, Manures, Minerals, <fec, per- 

 form e d as usual, on moderate terms. 



— TEPHENSON and Co., 61, Graeechurchstreet, 



London, and 17, New Park-street, Southwark, Inve ritors 

 sndXnufacturersof the Improved CONICAL and DOUBLE 

 CYLINDRICAL BOILERS, respectfully solicit the attention of 

 scientific Horticulturists to their much improved method ot 

 aDDlvin? the Tank System to Pineries, Propagating Houses, 

 Ac by which atmospheric heat as well as bottom-heat is 

 gecured to any required degree, without the aid of pipes or flues. 

 S and Co have also to state that at the request of numerous 

 friends they are now making their Boilers of Iron, as well as 

 Copper, by which the cost is reduced. These Boilers which 

 are now bo well known, scarcely require description, but to 

 those who have not seen them in operation, prospectuses will 

 be forwarded, as well as reference of the highest authority ; or 

 they may be seen at most of the Nobility's seats and principal 

 Nurseries throughout the kingdom. 



S and Co. beg to inform the Trade that at their Manufactory, 

 17 New Park-street, every article required for the construction 

 ©^Horticultural Buildings, as well as for heating them, may 

 be obtained upon the most advantageous terms. 



Conservatories, &c, of Iron or Wood, erected upon the most 

 ornamental designs. Balconies, Palisading, Field and Garden 

 Fences, Wire-work. &c 



THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE 



9 



M 



BY HER 



MAJESTY'S 



ROYAL LETTERS 



PATENT, 



PATENT HOTHOUSE WORKS, KING'S-ROAD, CHELSEA. 



EDENCH invites the attention of Gentlemen about 

 • to erect Hothouses, &c, to the vast superiority in every 

 respect possessed by his PATENT HOUSES, which he will 

 warrant superior in every respect to any others. Good Glass 

 from 16 to 21 oz. per foot, 1 foot wide, 3 feet long, furnished, 

 and the Houses, when completed, charged from Is. 3d to Is. 6d. 

 per superficial foot, according to size and quantity ; on oue 

 principle the roof is formed without wood or putty, and on 

 another principle with wood rafters, and the glass put in with 

 nutty. Patent Sashes, requiring no paint, from Id. to 9d. per 

 foot. HEATING BY HOT WATER. 



JEfve Iftgtf cttlttttal (Bmttt 



JANUAR 



MEETINGS FOR THE TWO FOLLOWING WEEKS. 



WsD*BSDAY, Jan. 8— Agricultural Society of England. 



Thubbdat, — 9— Agricultural Imp. Society of Ireland. 



Wionbbdat, — 15— Agricultural Society of England. 



Thubbdat, — 16— Agricultural Imp. Society of Ireland. 



Before entering upon the drier and minuter details 

 of the subject of Farm Accounts, we think it may 

 be right to make a few observations on several 

 matters connected with it. We believe, that with- 

 out accounts, the proceedings of any one, whatever 

 may be his engagements, whatever his business, 

 must be a matter of chance speculation, and even 

 then that the chances are entirely against him, 

 because he is progressing in the dark. 



We never yet knew a man who became, as it is 

 termed, " unfortunate in business/' but upon the in- 

 vestigation of his affairs, his books were found badly 



r suffered to get " behind-hand," or perhaps 



kept 



no books were kepf at all: had they been duly 

 attended to, what was there to prevent his circum- 

 stances being thoroughly known, and a stop being 

 put to many of his ruinous speculations, and also a 

 due estimate made of those that were profitable. 

 What must we say to the merchant who conducts 

 his tradings in the manner described ? the mildest 

 term must be foolishness, and yet how many do so— 

 and perhaps amongst the agriculturists the instances 

 are more numerous ; indeed, we must express our 

 belief that often a farm is conducted without 

 accounts at all : that is, any such accounts as can 

 truly bear the name, many thinking "that what 

 slips out of the kneeband falls into the boot." That 

 is not enough — every farmer, like the merchant, 

 should know positively the profit or the loss on 

 every mode of cultivation, on each sort of grain, 

 stock, &c, otherwise (in many instances it has been 

 proved) he is pursuing his ruin ; so careful indeed 

 would we be — perhaps by some we may be 

 laughed at for " splitting straws "—that we should 

 recommend, in addition to the exactness required on 

 the land, as careful an account to be kept of house- 

 keeping, because, generally speaking, the farmer 

 consumes, if with a large family and establishment, 

 a considerable portion of his produce, and, when 

 placed to the proper sources from which the con- 



sumption was derived, it would therefore form a 

 no less item of profit. 



It will not be out of place if we mention another 

 source of profit or loss, as the case may be, in the 

 cultivation of a farm — we refer to the amount of 

 capital employed. If the moneys employed are too 

 little to meet all the requirements without a pres- 

 sure, that pressure will oblige the farmer to neglect 

 his culture, or to force sales at a great disadvantage, 

 or perhaps do that which is more ruinous still, viz., 

 borrow money at a rate of interest, perhaps greater, 

 with the expenses attending it, than the average profits 

 of the farm ; when, on the other hand, if he employs I 

 a larger capital than is necessary, that very capital 

 becomes a clog, as the land must be charged for the 

 interest of the capital employed, and if nothing 

 worse is the result, it changes the farmer into a 

 speculator, and the meaning of that word, surely, 

 points out to everyone that the chances of success 

 cannot be so certain. 



In pursuing our subject, we propose to ourselves 

 the task of framing a system, and conducting the 

 accounts through the period of one year ; viz., from 

 Michaelmas to Michaelmas — the extent of the farm 

 to be 100 acres of arable, pasture, and woodland, in 

 order that as much as possible every circumstance 

 may be embraced in which a farmer can be placed. 

 At the same time we must observe, that although 

 we have fixed on 100 acres as the extent of our 

 farm, we are perfectly aware that, under ordinary 

 circumstances, such an acreage would be cultivated 

 at proportionally a much greater expense, as the 

 number of horses, implements of husbandry, &c, 

 must be sufficient to meet every requirement ; 

 whereas, if the farm were 500 acres, those items 

 would not have to be, perhaps, more than four 

 times the number. But this circumstance is not for 

 us minutely to consider. Our system will be the 

 same, yet we deem it right to bring this matter 

 before public notice, in order that we may not be 

 misunderstood. We shall not presume to teach the 

 farmer how to make the most from his land, but 

 simply how he is to keep his accounts, and by them 

 to discover that system which will best remunerate 

 him for his skill and labour. 



From the circumstances of a residence in Essex 

 having witnessed the modes of cultivation there 

 pursued, more than in any other county — w r e shall 

 consider the farm situate in that county. Of course 

 the nature of occupation, whether under a lease or 

 not, whether under a corn rent, or otherwise, in the 

 present case, is of no importance'to the discussion of 

 the subject before us. No doubt it does, to a great 

 extent, influence the farmer ; for, in the one case, 

 he is induced to farm with a " free and open hand," 

 and the system pursued is both better and more 

 profitable ; whereas, in the other hand, he fears to 

 calculate beyond the one year. 



It may be right, ere we close this somewhat length- 

 ened introduction, to enter upon one subject more, 

 with reference to this 100 acres : on the amount of 

 capital required for its proper cultivation, there may 

 be some difference of opinion, as some farmers (ac- 

 cording to their views of farming) consider 81. per 

 acre sufficient, some 91., some 101. Each may be 

 right in his estimate, as the nature of the soil will 

 necessarily greatly influence these opinions ; but 

 perhaps 101. per acre will be the safest amount both 

 for landlord and tenant ; and throughout our calcula- 

 tions we shall consider it so, and name the capital 

 employed, 1000?. 



Having thus prefaced our subject, we shall, in our 

 next communication, in another section of this 

 Journal, inform our readers that we have hired our 

 farm ; — that a valuation for incoming has been 

 effected ; that we have taken possession, and have 

 commenced operations, the nature of which we shall 

 endeavour to render as clear as possible. F. 



the lands of his employer. Again, as to "office ex^. 

 penses turning a very pretty penny for somebody or 

 other," as your correspondent phrases it ; if he really 

 be what he styles himself, he ought to know that there 

 are no office expenses which can by any possibility be- 

 nefit any person there ; that, in fact, the only expenses 

 required by the office, are repayments of sums paid out 

 for advertising, as required by the act, &c. It is an 

 unavoidable evil that some of the expenses are as great 

 in the case of an application for a few hundreds as a 

 few thousands of pounds ; and also that the expense of 

 inspection is not materially less, especially if the money 

 be required in small portions ; but your correspondent 

 has shown that inspection cannot be dispensed with ; and 

 it must be borne in mind, that the advice of the inspector 

 is worth something to the individuals draining under the 

 acts ; indeed, in 6ome cases a great deal, as for instance, 

 in one case within my own knowledge, where it seems 

 probable it will be the means of saving 500/. on one 

 single application. I cannot at all see what the tax- 

 paying portion of the community have got to do with the 

 Drainage Acts in their capacity of tax-payers, as they 

 certainly cost them nothing, and your correspondent is 

 not likely to find many adherents among the landed 

 interests ; for they one and all seem highly pleased 

 with the measures and their administration ; and in 

 truth they have no cause to feel otherwise, for the 

 measures themselves are affording the means of greatly 

 improving their estates, at a very small cost, without 

 any trouble with titles or law, and it is well known that 

 no public board has more anxiously endeavoured to 

 carry out cheaply and well the measures entrusted to it 

 than the inclosure commission has in the instance in 

 question. I would not have noticed your correspon- 

 dent's remarks at this length but for the fictitious im- 

 portance they acquire by obtaining a place in your 

 widely circulated Paper. John Girdwood, Cltlrk, North 

 Wales. 





EXPERIMENTS ON CULTIVATION. 



It is the more necessary to communicate to you the 

 results of my agricultural experiments this year, 

 because they in some degree contradict my former ex- 

 perience, and disappoint the expectations which theory 

 seems to authorise. On the disputed question about 

 the best quantity of seed to be sown for a crop of 

 Wheat, I have hitherto found it about the mean 

 between four pecks and ten ; this year the evidence is 

 in favour of the smallest quantity. In order that the 

 effects, whatever they might be, should not be attributed 

 to the mode of cultivation, each experiment was con- 

 ducted in three different ways ; part was broadcast, 

 part dibbled, and another part was dropped by hand 

 after the presser had formed its well consolidated lines ; 

 in a wet season this is a good method of avoiding the 

 inconveniences of the dibble, which in a retentive soil 

 forms cups, that hold the water and exclude the air, 

 till the seed is rotted ; it is moreover more expeditious, 

 and forms an equally firm seed bed. The last season, 

 however, did not require such precaution, and perhaps 

 from the absence of wet, the pressure of the dibble was 

 more effective ; certain it is, that the produce was 

 inferior to the other. 



4 



6 

 6 

 6 

 S 

 8 

 S 



t t 



• # • 



4 pecks per acre sown broadcast 



4 do., dibbled 

 do., dropped 

 do., broadcast 

 do., dibbled 

 do., dropped 

 do., broadcast... 

 do., dibbled 

 do., dropped 



* • 



• •• 



• 1 1 



• • ■ 



• • • 



t • • 



■ ■f 



• • • 



• i - 



• • ■ 



■ . * 



Straw. 



Trnsses.lbs 

 108 32 

 116 

 103 



62 

 108 



62 



69 



97 



80 



Average 



of 



Corn. 



bsh. gal. 



31 5 



27 7 



26 5 



THE DRAINAGE ACTS. 

 An " anonymous correspondent, describing himself 

 as " An Assistant Commissioner under the Acts," 

 has, in page 811 — No. 51, 1850 — made an attack upon 

 his official superiors, for their administration of the 

 provisions of the Drainage Acts. I believe that attack 

 to be altogether unwarranted, for I happen to know that 

 it is a rule at the Inclosure Office, that no assistant 

 commissioner shall be allowed to act as inspector upon 

 any lands in which he may be interested, either as pro- 

 prietor or agent, or as a contractor for the works to be 

 performed ; and in my experience of the carrying out 

 of the provisions of the acts, which, I daresay is not 

 less than that of your correspondent, I know of no in- 

 stance in which this rule has been broken through ; I 

 therefore make bold to assert that, upon further inquiry, 

 your correspondent will find that he has been misin- 

 formed ; and trust, that for the credit of your excellent 

 Paper, he will at once either withdraw or substantiate 

 his charge, by naming the party, who, holding the ap- 

 pointment of steward, has been allowed (the commis- 

 sioners being cognisant of such connection between the 

 parties), to act as assistant commissioner for the works 

 executed under the provisions of the Drainage Acts, on 



It may be observed that in the two last trials the 



broadcast produced less than either of the others, and 

 in the first, though it was on a par with the dibbled in 

 point of grain, it was inferior to it, where it might be 

 supposed to have the advantage— in the quantity of 

 straw ; but it is more to my present purpose to observe, 

 how much the average quantity of corn is diminished 

 in proportion as the quantity of seed is increased ; and 

 this can scarcely be the effect of accident ; for it is 

 confirmed by another series of similar experiments, the 

 results of which so nearly coincide with these that it 

 is needless to occupy your columns with the particulars, 

 but a greater quantity of seed was tried, and it may be 

 a warning not to be too precipitate in drawing conclu- 

 sions from a limited set of experiments, when it appears 

 that if only 6, 8, and 10 pecks had been tried against 

 one another, the evidence would have seemed in favour 

 of thick sowing ; for in the last case the average was 

 23 bushels ; higher, that is, than either of the others, 

 but when compared with the produce of the thinnest 

 sowing it falls below it by nearly 3£ bushels, which added 

 to the difference in seed makes up a loss of almost 

 5 bushels per acre ; another series of experiments was 

 intended to show whether a variety or increase of food 

 to the plants would materially affect these proportions. 

 The fertilisers used were guano, phosphate of potash, 

 sulphate and muriate of ammonia in different P^P^* 

 tions ; but thev all tell the same tale- all increased the 

 produce, but the amount of that increase observed 

 much the same proportions. 



The a?erage from 4 pecks was 34J basheis. 



6 „ *2$ 



10 " S 



Nevertheless, when the experience of one year con 

 tradicts that of several, and not only in one locality bu 







