1 



1851.1 



THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 



11 



remarks on tin-, head, 1 will confine my sell to the imme- 

 diate locality in which I am situated. The land 

 designed for Bean culture is that in which there had 

 been previously a corn crop ; and sometimes the land 

 selected is meadow or pasture land, " ploughed out of 

 the lea," in September, October, or November, into 

 beds from 4 to 5 feet wide, en which is laid from 10 to 

 40 ton3 of farm-yard dung, or compost of sea weeds, 

 road scrapings, &c, to the Irish acre. When this 

 compost is spread on the ploughed land (it is sometimes 

 spread on the land before being ploughed), it is then 

 either lightly covered — or not covered at all— with a 

 couple of inches of earth, either from the furrow or 

 other beds, according to convenience ; the seed then, 

 in November or December, sowed broadcast, at about 

 SO stones per Irish acre, and covered from the furrows, 

 like to the planting of Potatoes in u lazy -beds, so called, 

 and generally left so, till the crop is fit to cut, the 

 August or September following, when the produce will 

 vary at from 5 to 20 barrels per acre, according to 

 the goodness of the soil, or favourableness of the season. 

 The kind thus grown is called the Wexford Bean, in 

 character something like the winter or Russian Bean, 

 of late introduced into Ireland. I am trying several 

 varieties of Beans this season, under a great variety of 

 circumstances, and will give you the result, if I think 

 it of any importance to any class of your readers at 

 either side of the channel. Edward Carroll, Beg Erin, 

 Wexford, Dec. \\th> 1850. 



8 

 9 



10 



n 



19 



13 

 14 

 15 



• > ■ ■ 



lbs. 



177 

 134 



17G 



181 



168 



1904 

 172 



tons 



c w t. 



qi-8 



23 



3 



3 



17 



11 







23 



1 







23 



14 







22 











5 



15 



3 



24 



19 







22 



10 



2 



It will be observed that the difference between lots 1 

 and 3, which were manured with dung kept under cover 



play. There is a reservoir of liquid manure, and now 

 comes some of the results from the application of liquid 

 manure— 6 quarters of white Wheat to the acre. 

 There is at this present time, on the same field, as good 

 a crop of Mangold and Cxbbage as any farmer might 

 wish. Large crops of Italian Grass, and last, though 

 not least, if carried out largely, as Mr. Kennedy, of 

 Myremills, in dry weather, at a cost of Is. per acre ; the 

 being able to plough and get in the seed directly, thus 



EXPERIMENTS WITH MANURES IN THE 



GROWTH OF TURNIPS. 



A number of experiments, for the purpose of testing 

 the comparative values of various manures in the 

 growth of Turnips, were conducted last summer on the 

 home farm at Craigie House, for the information of the 

 St. Quivox Farmers' Club. At the request of Mr. 

 Campbell, I examined the different lots, along with 

 Mr. .Smith, Nursery Hall, on the 3d of December ; and 

 the Turnips were then taken up, cleaned, divested of tops 

 and roots, and carefully weighed under our supervision. 

 And I now have the honour of stating to the club the 

 nature of these experiments, and the results which have 

 been ascertained. 



The side of the field on which the experiments were 

 made is well adapted for a comparative trial of 

 manures, as the soil is of a very uniform character. 

 It is naturally poor — the soil consisting principally of a 

 hungry grey sand ; but, under the liberal management 

 of Mr. Campbell, it has been much enriched. Of this 

 there is evidence in the fact that the lot in the experi- 

 ments which got nothing produced- a considerable crop. 

 The usual experience of farmers is that, when there is 

 nothing applied to Turnips in the shape of manure, the 

 return is also nothing. The field, therefore, was in 

 ood condition previous to the application of manure 

 or the Turnip crop. There were fifteen lots, each of 

 which consisted of three drills ; and the centre drills of 

 the lots were alone weighed, that the result might not 

 be affected by the influence of particular manures upon 

 any Turnips in neighbouring drills, which might send 

 out their roots unusually far in a lateral direction. 

 JNos. 1 and 2 extend from top to bottom of the field. 

 I he other experiments were in small lots of four rods 

 in length ; but they were made with the utmost pre- 

 cision. The drills were drawn 27 inches wide, and the 

 lurnips singled out 12 inches apart. A few plants had 

 been destroyed, and others injured by wire-worm ; but, 

 so tar as could be judged from observation, the com-' 

 parative results were not materially affected by this 

 means, as the different lots appeared to have suffered 

 very much alike. 



The first and second lots arc the most important ex- 

 periments. They were manured respectively with 

 dung, preserved under cover according to the dicta of 

 chemists, and various eminent agricultural authorities • 

 and with dung preserved on an uncovered duno-.stead' 

 as is commonly practised. These lots were each ma- 

 nured at the rate of 40 farm cart-loads per acre. The 

 lower part of the field is a heavy clay. We therefore 

 weighed 4 rows near to the foot of the drills, in order to 

 have a duplicate of this interesting experiment. These 

 I shall describe as lots 3 and 4. No. 5 was manured 

 with Peruvian guano, at the rate of 7 cwt. per acre ; 

 % with t cwt dissolved bones ; 7, with 25 cart-loads of 

 dung and earth compost, and 3^ cwt. of guano ; 8, with 

 j5 loads of compost, and 3 cwt. of dissolved bones- 

 p with / cwt. of M'Call and Co.'s manure ; 10, with 

 < cwt. of guano and dissolved bones, mixed in equal 

 proportion ;1 1 with 25 loads of compost, and 3 cwt. of 

 M Call and Co.'s manure ; 12, with 25 loads of compost 

 and 3 cwt. of dissolved bones ; and to No. 1 3 no manure 



xL^ and WM a PP Iiei The Turni P s on these lots 

 were the green top Swedish variety. Lots 14 and 15 



m^LFl r U ° W Turui P s - TIlc former of these was 

 Ce? . I? J T ter d ° cks > and 3 cwt of dissolved 

 StVoS fi the , ,atter f th NettleS > and 3 cwt ' of *e 

 fom ^2 „ T hary .' u I appeDd the result in a ******* 



pe£ Lre' ^V^T the " te ° f P rodu " P er im ~ 

 be ^t^ned tJ Pr ° dUCe Per . Scotch acre "** easi, r 



trifling as to be practically of no moment. Thelot°rown 

 on 7 cwt of guano is much superior to that on an equal 



weight of dissolved bones, and is the finest in the field 



the produce being at the rate of nearly 32 tons per 

 Scotch acre. But again, 3 cwt. of dissolved bones are 

 found to be as good an auxiliary to the dung compost as 

 3i cwt. guano. M'Call's manure applied alone is a 

 signal failure ; but it seems to be superior to guano or 

 dissolved bones as an auxiliary. I am not acquainted 

 with the composition of this manure ; but the experi- 

 ments lead us to suppose that, while some of its con- 

 stituents are favourable in a high degree to the growth 

 of the Turnip plant, it fails when applied alone to a light 

 soil to sustain the growth during the autumn months, 

 and to produce a bulky crop. The crops of yellow 

 Turnips grown upon water docks, and nettles, with the 

 aid of dissolved bones, are excellent, and point out the 

 propriety of putting to use every description of vege- 

 table matter about the farm.' 



But the chief feature of interest involved in these ex- 

 periments is the comparison between the crops grown 

 on farm manure kept under a roof, and those on dung 

 kept in the usual manner. It is an important contri- 

 bution towards a solution of the question — Whether is 

 it profitable to roof over manure heaps at farm stead- 

 ings? It i* needless to expect that this point will be 

 settled in the laboratory of the chemist* As in many 

 other things, the farmer must, in all likelihood, find out 

 the way for himself, and the chemist will afterwards tell 

 him why his practice is correct. At a recent agricul- 

 tural meeting, Professor Way, when asked whether the 

 advantages gained by covering a manure heap were 

 worth the expense, replied that * the question was an 

 unfair one, as he could not be supposed to know what 

 the expense would be ; but as a principle he would say, 

 by all means cover it over, and if they must dilute their 



heap, dilute it when they wished, and not let the heavens 

 do it for them. 



say that it would be better to cover it." It may as well 

 be said, however, that if the heap must be diluted,' in order 

 to keep it in a cool condition, it can in no other way be so 

 cheaply done as by the rains ; and if these should wash 

 out a portion of the soluble fertilising matter, a good tank 

 can be constructed to receive it at far less expense than 

 a large roof ; and besides, we have here a fact, and one 

 fact is said to be worth a number of theories, that the 

 manure kept in the open air at Craigie Home Farm last 

 winter was as valuable for the growth of Turnips as 

 that kept under a roof. The quality may be a little 

 lessened by exposure ; but what remains appears to be, 

 weight for weight,, of equal quality. Nor is it likely to 

 lose much if mixed with soil containing a considerable 

 portion of alumina. Professor Way has himself shown, 

 by his admirable discoveries, that such soils possess 

 the power of absorbing and retaining the fertilising pro- 

 perties of manure in so effectual a manner, that no 

 amount of rain will wash them out. With this know- 

 ledge it is difficult to discover what great good can result 

 from roofing over a heap of dung mixed with earth. 



In these times it will not do for farmers in undprtnlro 



and 2 and 4, manured with dung kept uncovered, is so saving many ploughiogs at a time, when it is a great 



. x.._ . , object to get in Swedes, and the ensuring of a crop. It 



is easy to find fault, but truth tells its own tale. I 

 cannot perceive why " C. L." has made such statements, 

 unless he has some underhand object. It is unfair for 

 any person to go round the country to look at farms or 

 machinery, and then, without giving notice to the owner, 

 to insert that which is not true. J. J. JF., Reading. 



Mangold WurzeL — Your correspondent "B. T." 

 seems astonished at his plants not coming up true, and 

 some of them being "runaways." His dressing of 



4 cvvts. of Peruvian guano per acre was sufficient to make 

 the whole crop run away. We kn3w an instance this 

 season of such an occurrence. Dry weather will " set 

 the plants up," and especially where there is a lack of 

 diligence in having them hoed ; the more attention this 

 crop receives in the early stages of its growth, the more 

 abundant and certain will be the yield. Flints once set 

 up, and especially in strong land, there is little hope of 

 a good crop— sandy loams suit them the best. We 

 generally allow 1 cwt. of guano to an acre, and this 

 mixed with other manure. The same we apply to 



5 wedes, mixed with bone-dust^ ashes, and urine. There 

 is no doubt 4t B. T." might have had true seed in the 

 first instance, but his plants were unquestionably inocu- 

 lated ; and distance, and the absence of any other 

 variety near him, would be no hindrance to such an 

 occurrence. The above root is becoming more and 

 more cultivated ; it affords an excellent food for pigs 

 during the months of May, June, and July, when other 

 food is scarce. We, ourselves, did not this year get our 

 crops in till the 18th of May, somewhat late no doub*, 

 hut it proved the heaviest crop we have ever grown. 

 Two, or three at most, of these ran to seed. Of all 

 varieties of this root, all agree in one thing, that the 

 Yellow Globe surpasses in weight and bulk of crop all 



other varieties. X. Y.Z., Hants. 



Mr. Pusey's remarkable speech 



., ^j , _. „ v «,*•.*,«■ Scotch Farming.— r — ,— _ r __„ 



Even if mixed with soil, he wished to at the annual meeting of the London Farmers' Club, 

 1 * " * " T " ought to appear in your columns. M. 5.— We subjoin 



a portion of it:— They had heard for a great many years, 

 and many gentlemen believed in, the great superiority 

 of Scotch farming to English farming, lie believed in 

 it once ; but he knew a little more about the matter 

 now (laughter). Having heard so much about it, he 

 wished to bring it to a test. Some time ago, therefore, 

 he begged the committee of that club to offer on his 

 part a bet of 1502., to back three farms in the eastern 

 counties of England, against three farms in Scotland. 

 There were to be three events ; and he left it to the 

 club to settle the conditions. This was communicated 

 by the Farmers' Club to the Haddington Farmers' Club ; 

 but he was not aware that the challenge had been ac- 

 cepted up to that day (cheers and laughter). There 

 had, in fact, been no answer. Now he bhould not say 

 one word against Scotch farmers if they only praised 

 each other ; thry would be perfectly welcome to do that ; 

 but when they depreciated English farmiug his blood 

 was up (laughter). He felt that, as being connected 

 with an English journal, the character of English farmers 

 was in some degree in his hands ; and as long as he 

 continued connected with it, he would not listen to that 



Well, the challenge had, as he 



Yet he 



1 



expensive worKs wnicii may be ol doubttul utility ; and 

 it is therefore satisfactory to find that some progress has 

 been made in the accumulation of data, from which a 

 correct judgment may be formed. A tew more of care- 

 fully conducted experiments to confirm or disprove those 



of our respected President, will be the simplest way of h»g in Norfolk, had r 

 setting the matter at rest ; for, with all deference to c — " u '™" ; — *~ **~" 

 those who guide us to principles, it is facts from the 

 field which will most readily influence practical men, at 

 least so long as the knowledge of these guides is so in- 

 complete that their deductions are frequently found not 

 to be trustworthy. It will probably be found that dung 

 which is exposed to the summer sun loses more rapidly 

 than that which is winter made ; but in the generality 

 of cases at present, the majority of farmers will concur 

 that about almost every farm-steading there are many 

 extensions and improvements remaining to be effected, 

 which are of much more urgent necessity than roofs 

 over manure-heaps. Reported to the St. Quivox 

 Farmers? Club bit James Drennan. Secretary. 



depreciation in silence. 



had stated, been given, and was not accepted, 

 read in a newspaper, which should be nameless, that a 



East Lothians who had been travel- 



rkei upon the superiority of 

 farming. Why \ Because, 

 while in the East L tthians land sold for 40 years' pur- 

 chase, in Norfolk it would sell only for 30. He (Mr. 

 Pu>ey) would draw the opposite inference. His con- 

 clusion would be that the laud of Norfolk had been 



Home Correspondence. 



Liquid Manure.—" C. L., M of Cirencester, ought to 

 have had a more correct statement of things before he 

 put the same on paper. The huge brick tower that he 

 mentions is not for liquid manure at all, but a reservoir 

 for water for the mansion and fountains. The quantity 



improved so much already, that it could not be improved 

 much more ; whereas the land in the East Lothians 

 having beeu in a very bad state 100 years ago, had been 

 so much improved, that its value had of late greatly 

 increased. He had travelled in Scotland himself, with 

 a determination to look into the matter, and drove his 

 own horses through 20 or 30 mdes a day. He saw 

 along the sea-coast some wonderfully fine deep red land, 

 very well farmed ; but, having horses with him, he left 

 the sea-side and rode up to the hills. There he first 

 found very indifferent farming, then bad farming, and 

 on the tops of the hills no farming at all (taugnter). 

 On this subject, as he did not wish them to rely upen 

 his opinion, he would read to ihem that of an old farmer 

 who afterwards turned politician — the opinion of Oliver 

 Cromwell, who began life as a farmer and grazier at 



Oa the 25th of September, 1650, he 





I 



2 



3 

 4 

 5 

 6 



•••«•• 



lbs. 



159 



156 



180* 



1794 



194 



1591 



m 



tons 

 20 

 20 

 2 



23 

 25 

 20 

 22 



cwt. 



qrs. 



16 



2 



8 



2 



12 



3 



10 







8 







17 







7 



2 



ana complexity oi the machinery eannot be so very | Huatin _ „ . ... m , „ 



great. When a common blacksmith, at 1/. and a house wrote thus to the Lord President of the Council:' u I 

 a week, has to shoe above 30 horses, and farm work ; thought I should have found in Scotland a conscientious 

 can manage the same machinery, with the assistance! people and a barren country. About Edinburgh it is 

 of two boys at 10*. 6rf., who were accustomed to attend as fertile for corn as any part of England :" and such 

 the pigs and dogs, and have never been five miles from was his (Mr. Pusev's) opinion of the land. About 100 

 where they were born, "C. L." ought to have en- [ years afterwards, Dr. Johnson, who wrote a great Die 





quired what was the nature and requisites wanted. He 

 would have tlun found that the open sheds were for 

 summering hunters, and that air was required. They 

 are also all boxes and not stalls. The enclosing of 

 these in the winter for beasts, the applying liquid to 



the already formed heaps of manure, are mere child's 



tionary, and was half blind, and living in Bolt-court, 

 Fleet-street, of course did not know anything about land. 



from EdinbuTii 



his life. It must have been very good to have struck 

 him. His lamented friend, the late Lord Leicester, 



said the Scotch must be very much afra : d of their 



