THE AORTOULTURAL GAZETTE 



4, 



Sunday to Kirk, because the preacher was the son of a 

 hatter in the same town ? She was not a lady by birth, 

 and her conduct proclaimed her origin. Virtus sola 

 nobilltas. Will his Grace translate this piece of Latin 

 for us landlords ? We need not give other examples, as 



Wheat, as they allowed so many Docks to grow up to 

 support it (laughter). When in Scotland, he (Mr. 

 Pusey) saw a great deal of land that was entirely out of 

 cultivation. He would not pursue the subject. If the 

 Scotch would let them alone, they would let the Scotch 

 alone ; but so long as the Scotch went on boasting of 

 the superiority of Scotch farming, he would declare his 

 belief that such superiority was as gross a humbug as 

 was ever palmed by the vanity of one nation on the 

 credulity of another (cheers). The challenge which he 

 had mentioned was still open, and be would be most 

 happy to make the wager, in defence of British farmers. 

 Liquid and Solid Manure.— I have read in your 

 paper of the 14th inst, a letter from " C. W of Ciren- 

 cester, condemning a notion which some people entertain 

 of making their manure in a liquid, instead of the usual 

 solid form ; and he ridicules the idea because, in one of 

 his travels, he finds some one has put up expensive 

 buildings and machinery for the purpose of applying it, 

 without stating whether the manure had failed, or even 

 if it had been tried. I have no experience on the 

 Bubject, but possibly some of your many readers may be 

 able to give theirs. Without the knowledge which trial 

 will give, it would seem that if all the excrements of 

 cattle, both liquid and solid, are collected together in a 

 tank, they will be as valuable in that state, as if they 

 were absorbed and mixed with straw, according to the 

 common custom. It seemB a separate question to deter- 

 mine which of the two manures can be most economically 

 conveyed to the soil, though it should of course be 

 Bettled in any one's mind, before going to the expense 

 of tanks, &c. But does the manure made with straw 

 possess a greater value than it would have if collected 



in tanks 1 A.E.C., Warwickshire. o * ^ - . * 



To the question of, " An Assistant by the filtration : and that can be ascertained by sight 



and smell ; or by adding acid, which will make old 

 liquor effervesce if it be not well filtered. Charcoal 

 thus treated will be a capital top-dressing for grain crops.] 



The Dra 

 Commissi o 



posterous a sum as 34 £. 5s* 10cZ. deducted by the Board 

 for expenses, was for?" I can gm no answer. The 

 sum total was merely sent me, and a draft for 365/. 

 14#. 2d., the balance. Two inspections only were 

 made 



not a little money, they have taught themselves some- 

 thing, and, it is to be hoped, many landlords also. 



X F. Z., Hants. 



Peat Charcoal— A friend of mine has a quantity ot 

 it. How shall he treat it so as to get it saturated with 

 ammonia ? At present he has some flour barrels, with 

 a few gimlet holes in the bottom, three parts filled with 

 charcoal, into which are poured the urine of the feeding 

 cattle. The liquid after standing for some time in the 

 cask, is drained off, and a fresh quantity poured on. 

 After how long a time or how many saturation of urine 

 will be sufficient to prepare the charcoal \ Is this the 

 best or proper method \ Can the charcoal be used for 

 top-dressing for Grass or Wheat, or is it best for 

 Turnips ? I suppose it must be kept from wet. The 

 charcoal has been prepared, and most satisfactorily and 

 cheaply, in a kiln or furnace rather, used for making 

 small coal into coke ; it was burnt for 48 hours, and 

 the peat lost two-thirds of its weight, but not very much 

 of its bulk. Should this same charcoal turn out half so 

 valuable as Mr. Jasper Rogers would have people sup- 

 pose, the farmers in some parts of this district will 

 be able to supply themselves with any quantity at less 

 than )s. 6d per cwt. /. L. [The charcoal may be used 

 so long as the liquid coming through it seems purified 



m . n * ■ "• » ■ V • * 1 1 * 1 



forget 



We 8t 



(who did work for me, under the inspection of their 



own erigii r), in < er, 1846. The work was com- 



menced, January, 184 7, completed, June, 1847, and 

 tho sum of 8651 14$. 2d., was received by me, October 

 21, 1848, upwards of 16 months after the work had been 



Said for. 1 think, therefore, I have pood reason for 

 iffering from Mr. II. Davis's eulogistic strain, 

 though, I truly wish, I could instead, join him in it, 

 for the design is most excellent, but, the carrying it out 

 is so troublesome, so much letter writing attendant on 

 it, the charges so exorbitant, and the delay in the 

 receipt'of the money so great, (I speak only from my 

 own experience), as to render it totally impracticable 

 for that class of persons, who, among others, most re- 

 quire the assistance, viz., the smaller class of freeholders 

 of this country. /. T. 9 Swansea, Dec. 23, 1 850. [We hope 

 that any who have had a more favourable experience of 

 of the Act, will be good enough to speak out.] 



Reduction of Rent.— The Earl of Stair has granted to 

 his extensive tenantry, in Wigtownshire and Midlothian, 

 an abatement of 25 per cent, upon the year's rent 

 which fell due at Martinmas last (rents are payable in 

 this country at the terms of Whitsunday, 24th May, 

 and Martinmas, 22d November), besides allowing two 

 months after term time to make up the sum. For 

 making this abatement, his lordship has not been led 

 away by mere pity or by fear ; the manner in which the 

 boon is to he expended, showing as much wisdom as the 

 amount exhibits of benevolence. In making the deduc- 

 tion it is stipulated that the amount must be expended, 

 before May next, upon agricultural improvements. 

 While this must prove the most profitable manner in 

 which the farmers could invest the sum, it will, at the 

 same time, gladden the firesides of many agricultural 

 labourers, who have of late been but indifferently em- 

 ployed, and the public will be generally benefited. The 

 period in which the boon has been granted, under the 

 foregoing stipulation, is likewise highly seasonable. 

 The present Earl of Stair succeeded to the extensive 

 Wigtownshire estates about 10 years ago, when by the 

 splendid improvements upon his own domain, and en- 

 couragement given to the numerous tenantry, a spirit of 

 emulation was excited, which soon had the effect of 

 completely changing the appearance of the face of the 

 district. Such a state of matters continued for some 



&0tttt\t&+ 



Agricultural Improvement Society of Ireland, 



Dec. 6. — The half-yearly general meeting of the above 

 Society was held this day in their rooms, Sackville- 

 street, his Grace the Duke of Leinster, President, in the 

 chair. The Secretary, Mr. Bullen, read the report and 

 statement of receipts and expenditure for 1850, which 

 was adopted. The following is a statement of the 

 receipts and expenses at the Cattle Show at Cork, 

 July 24, 1850 : 



BECEIPTS. £ 



Amount received from local committee, 



towards payment of prizes at Cork 

 Entrance fees from non-subscribers 

 B v sal© of catalogues 



s. d. £ s. d 



• • t 



• • • 



500 o a 



25 5 



n 17 o 



Balance of expenses of Bhow paid by the 

 Society 



* f t 



• » i 



• •• 



• •• 



50 2 



296 17 7 



o 



EXPENDITURE. 



Amount of money prizes awarded at the 



Cattle Show at Cork 

 Gold and silver medals ditto 



£816 19 7 



• t • 



• • ■ 



Ml 



•• • 



598 10 

 30 





 



■ •a 



• • • 



til 



• •• 



Travelling expenses of judges 

 Advertisements 



Expenses of deputation to Cork, previous 



to Show 



Ditto of secretary and staff at Show 

 Printing and selling 1000 catalogues 



Printing and stationery generally for Show 



628 10 

 77 5 

 71 11 6 



• * t 



■ t • 



• * * 



10 17 9 

 24 18 10 



18 5 

 15 11 6 



39 13 1 



£816 19 7 



The time having come round, by rotation, for holding 

 the next annual Cattle Show of the Society in the Pro- 

 vince of Ulster, for the year 1851, steps were taken, by 

 public advertisement and otherwise, for giving due pub- 

 licity to such an arrangement ; but the Council regret, 

 that, up to the present time, no decisive move has been 

 made to effect such a desirable object. The list of 

 prizes for the ensuing year has, however, been agreed 

 on, and are now submitted to the Society for approval, 

 and the Council hope that nothing will intervene to 

 prevent the Province of Ulster from aiding the efforts 

 of the Society, to improve the breeds of stock, and en- 

 courage the introduction of new and improved agricul- 

 tural implements into the north of Ireland. 



Local Farming Societies.— In order to encourage the 

 formation and revival of these useful bodies, the Council 

 increased the amount of premiums to local farming 

 societies considerably this year, and rescinded many 

 conditions and restrictions which, it was conceived, in- 

 terfered with their general working and utility. They 

 regret, however, to state, that the numbers which have 



Others, continue to go on as nsualTyeT^p^eVTf falS £SrfT/ ^ ??>*'■ P remiums . ™ 7* 

 common spirits had begun to tiJ The nronS 1 fit a i 1 I ^ * x P ectatl <> D 3> and prove the gene- 



provements, however, wUl set ^hZff^S^ft ttf T ^ ^ f e \P lace in thes * useful ^itu- 

 motion, and then it is to be hoped whT ££TlZ TcMmXT^ ^ f °™ er »?»• U P ward * ° f 

 brighter days dawn upon the agriculturists of wLoT 2JSS?? &™*f* premiums last year, and ic is 



shire. James Kennedy, S<nUh Caird, by Stranraer* NB 

 Dec. 21th. * •> 



Mr. Mechi and his Farms.— The public, who a*e 

 ^oroughJy English in their feelings^ike'fa^pla^ 

 Mr : Mechi has not had fair play from one of the noblt 

 men at a late agricultural meeting, nor is it the first 

 time his farming has been sneered at, nor his calSS 

 as a tradesmen This last is -the rub - v£ttw f 

 Ws origin or his calling got to do with the beneS or 

 good he may confer upon his species J Is the Arch! 

 bishop of York the worse divine because he is the son 

 of a tailor ? Will the duke refuse to go and hear lum 

 preach, because he is not the sontf a noble* I 



expected that a similar number will qualify for 1850. 



Chemico* Agricultural Department— An offer having 

 been made at the General Meeting in 1848, to render 

 the Laboratory and Chemical Department of the 

 Museum of Irish Industry, in Stephen's-green, avail- 

 able upon certain conditions, for promoting chemical 

 analysis and inquiry on agricultural subjects, among 

 the members of the Society, and the same having been 

 accepted, Mr. William K. Sullivan, Chemical Assistant 



tO that eStabHhh men* Waa «nnnm^ PUr«U 4- n 4UZm 



mend that it should terminate at the end of the preset 

 year ; and that it should be referred to the Manama 

 Committee to inquire and report on the best mode f 

 procuring chemical advice and analyses on agricultural 

 subjects in future, and of promoting the views of th 

 members in this most important branch of agricultural 

 knowledge. 



The Practical Instructors. — The Council have re. 

 ported to the Society, at the last General Meeting, that 

 33 instructors had been appointed to as many districts 

 including 12 from which the requisite contributions had 

 been received, and 21 gratuitously, the Committee took 

 the necessary steps for carrying out the views of his 

 Excellency the Lord Lieutenant, and the Council to 

 secure the proper superintendence of the instructors 

 in their respective districts, so as to render their ser. 

 vices as practically useful as possible. The Local CoaJ 

 mittees previously formed were re-organised, and new 

 bodies, where required, were established, to which the 

 instructors were duly accredited, and a system of local 

 superintendence and control was thereby formed, from 

 which the best results have been experienced. 



Summary of the Receipts and Expenses connected 

 with the Practical Instructors for 1850 : — 



BECEIPTS. £ t. d 



To balance to credit of fund since 1849 3qj fg ^ 



To third contribution from the Irish Reproductive 



Loan Fund, per the Earl of Clarendon 1000 



Conditional Subscription from Local Societies towards 



procuring Practical Instructors for 1850 ... 351 q 



Unconditional subscriptions 674 



Amount refunded by the sale of green crop seeds at 



half-price, in 23 localities 399 18 n 



2726 17 

 Disbursements. 



Paid salaries to 33 Practical Instructors 1644 



For green-crop seeds to be sold at half price ... 820 12 



Carriage, and other expenses connected therewith 67 5 



Office expenses, printing, stationary, advertisements 56 14 



Balance in bank to credit of fund 138 6 



a 

 7 



3 



2 

 1 



£2726 17 



Thecommittee[having closed the accounts and called in 

 the instructors for the present year, were anxious to ascer- 

 tain the wishes of his Excellency relative to thecontinu-i 

 ance of the system,during the approaching season. Accord- 

 ingly, a letter was addressed to his Excellency, dated the 

 12th Sept. last, stating the results of the inquiries as to 

 the general effects of the system, but that the Committee 

 were of opinion, from the continued depression of the 

 times, that it was vain to expect any timely or substan- 

 tial contributions from those remote localities, where 

 instruction and encouragement were most required, 

 and, at the same time, it was most important that if 

 assistance was given it should be available at as early a 

 period as possible, 9 and that a larger sum would be 

 required than has been hitherto placed at the disposal 

 of the Society for the purpose. To this communication 

 a letter was received from Sir Thomas Redington in 

 reply, dated the 11th October, stating that his Excellency 

 was prepared to recommend to the Lords of the 

 Treasury, the issue of another 1000/., from the proceeds 

 of the Irish Reproductive Loan Fund, upon the same 

 terms and conditions as upon the three former occasions. 

 Circulars were accordingly directed to be sent to the 

 different districts mentioned in the counties specified in 

 Sir Thomas Redington's letter of the 11th October, 

 requesting to know what contributions might be expected 

 from these localities in aid of the Instructor Fund for 

 the ensuing year. To these circulars replies have been 

 received, stating the total incompetency of the different 

 localities to subscribe to the fund ; and at a meeting of 

 the Instructor Committee, held on the 21st November 

 last, it was resolved to send instructors to 10 districts, 

 gratuitously, leaving the balance of the fund to be applied 

 to such applications as may be made from localities 

 willing to contribute the necessary sum. 



Flax Improvement Society of Ireland.— The tenth 

 annual meeting of this Society was held on the 29to 

 ult., in the Society's rooms, Commercial-buildings. 



The following extracts are from the report. 



The Flax Crops of 1849 and 1850.— According to 



Captain Larcom's report, it appears that the Irish FiaX 

 crop of 1848 was 53,863 acres, and in 1849, 60,014* 

 being an increase in the latter year of 6451 acres. The 

 county of Donegal produced the largest quantity, 1 2,604 

 acres, being 1 to every 18 of arable land, while Kerry, 

 with about the same superficial area, produced but 1*> 

 acres. The province of Ulster produced 57,651 acres 

 of Flax, while Munster, with about the same superficial 

 area, produced but 937. Monaghan gave 6775,* 

 Limerick, with two and a half times its area, yieldea 



At the head of the southern ana 



only 94 acres. -~„ WM « M v,»v *,* — # , 



western counties appear those where the Society «*■ 

 already made some footing — Mayo giving 524 a £ re 7 

 which is more than all the rest of Connaught, and tor 

 458, being about the half of what Munster producea. 

 Sligo, again, with 218 acres, Clare 179, and Wetforo 

 115, contrast favourably with such counties as Wic wo 

 with 7, Waterford 11, and Kilkenny 16 acres; «J 

 three former having already made a commencenie 



under this Society's superintendence, while the tnree 

 last named have only now begun to bestir themselves* 

 These details are all from the agricultural returns lor 

 1849. Those for the present year not having been W 

 yet compiled, it can be only stated, that there is reas 

 to believe the breadth of land under ™«- in 18W_ W 



Society, and a set of rules and scales of prices published have been greater than in 1849, more especially in J* 



lor the guidance and direction of the members. The | southern and western provinces, where many of tne 



* , .«, „o « uoi me son of * nnMot t ^™? l [ re 8»*» ^ w ever f that little substantial benefit counties would make a more respectable figure than 10 



remember, in Scotland, an old ladywoulJ J „« fVJ •" '° been ^ to * he Societ * f ™m the exist- the table just quoted. The sowing would bavebeej 



l u om lady *ould not go one | mg arrangement, and that they are obliged to recom- still more extended, hid it not been f- <he scarcity »** 







