





THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 



<H 



7 That petitions to both Houses of Parliament, praying { 

 them to pass an enactment giving the rate-payers the . 

 control of the county funds, be previously to our next 

 meeting prepared for the signature of the members of j 

 the Club. 8. That these resolutions be printed, and a 

 COOT of them sent to the editors of the county papers ; 

 to the London and other agricultural journals ; to the 

 secretaries of the Winchester Farmers' Club, and of 

 each of the other farmers' clubs in Suffolk and Norfolk. 

 Thomas Bishop, jicn., Secretary, Chediston, near Halts- 

 worth, Dec 24. ,-- 9 



Sprotbro' : " The best method of Storing Turnips for 

 Sprin'f Feeding'' — Mr. M. Clarke observed that he was 

 not at all satisfied with his own experience, and was 

 therefore desirous of hearing from the members present 

 something which would improve his present system. 

 He alluded to the several methods which he had seen. 

 He found that by leading off the Turnips in frosty 

 weather the crop of Barley was affected. Turnips pulled 

 off and thrown up against a wall, and then covered with 

 straw, were kept as successfully as by any plan he was 

 aware of. It was urged by some, that sooner the Turnips 

 were pulled off the better, but yet he thought that it 

 was' as well for those to remain on the land which were 

 required to be consumed upon it, or at all events until 

 they were fully grown, lie had observed some parties, 

 in taking up their Turnips, cut off the tops, and leave 

 them on the ground to be ploughed in. He should be 

 glad to hear from any present their experience upon 

 such a system. — Mr. Newham, of Edlington, said that 

 it was highly necessary to have the Turnips which they 

 required for spring food taken up before the frost came. 

 Some would take them up while in a frozen state. This 

 was highly improper. It was requisite that they should 

 be taken up when fully ripe, and they would best ascer- 

 tain this in the clean manner they would leave the earth, 

 by the fibres not in the least adhering to it. They 

 would find Turnips left in an exposed situation very 

 much deteriorated in value. His plan of preserving 

 Turnips was carefully to shut out the effects of the west 

 wind, and on that side of the pie he built a wall of 

 stubble, covered with thatch, and instead of fastening 

 it down as they did their corn stacks, he had the thatch 

 rods laid in straight, so that by this means the water 

 run off. The other side was also covered with straw in 

 a similar manner ; and he found the Turnips would re- 

 main good until spring. He was now placing about 

 three loads in a heap* It was requisite they should 

 have air. He strongly recommended that the Turnips 

 should be taken up as early as ripe, and never allowed 

 to make a second growth, as this would prove very 

 injurious to the land. The following crop would be 

 found to be much better than when they were allowed 

 to grow again. He always avoided leading Turnips in 

 frosty weather. They never kept well, and would 

 generally become rotten. The plan he conceived best 

 adapted for preserving Turnips was having them got off 

 the land when fully ripe, not in a frozen state, and 

 placed together in heaps in the manner he had described, 

 and they would be found to keep well until the end of 

 June. If they placed the tops of the Turnips upon the 

 heaps they would rot, and it would be found that 

 where the heaps had been placed there would be 

 found a superabundance of tillage, and the succeeding 

 crop injured rather than benefited. There was a 

 large amount of tillage in the tops of Turnips, and it 

 was quite natural to suppose that if they allowed them 

 to rot upon the land the corn crop would be much 

 better. They would find that frozen Turnips did not 

 contain the same amount of food as those which were 

 not so, and therefore not so good for their sheep and 

 cattle ; although it would be generally allowed that 

 sheep improved more in frosty weather than in any 

 other, provided their food was of good quality. He 

 avoided cutting the Turnips as much as possible, and 

 would rather give his workpeople a little more money 

 to have them done well than otherwise. He was 

 satisfied that a large amount of money was yearly 

 thrown away from inattention to this point. He had 

 the tops of the Turnips taken away and given to the 

 ewes on the Grass, or to the cattle in the yards. There 

 was undoubtedly a great amount of nutrition in the 

 Turnip top, and he thought it better to have them 

 consumed rather than plough them into the land. 

 He, had no doubt that ploughing them into the land 

 would be productive of good to the land, but still he 

 thought it a slovenly plan, and not worthy of general 

 adoption. He preferred giving his Turnip heaps a south- 

 east aspect, having a heavier portion of thatch placed 

 upon the western side of those heaps in the fields. They 

 did not require theJTurnips to remain so long in the 

 fields as they did those which were brought home. 

 Hogs in high condition would suffer much by giving 

 them Turnips deteriorated in value. Frozen Turnips 

 would lose their colour, which could only be regained 

 by allowing them to grow again, at an injury to the 

 land. It was never in his opinion too soon to cut Tur- 



n *r i lf l u ey Were only ripe > aud he considered th &t those 

 winch had been taken up early and preserved were 



™ys better than those which had been pulled fresh. 

 He had frequently found that those Turnips which were 

 pulled the first would keep the best.— Mr. S. Vickers 

 said that he did not remember a year when Turnips 

 Kept so well as last, although they grew until nearly 

 ^bnstmas. His Turnips this year were sown on the 

 aa, 4th, and 5th of June, and were still growing. What 

 were intended for spring food he had led into the stack- 

 yara and placed together in heaps of from 10 to 15 

 loads, covered with straw, and not quite air tight ; and 

 mese last season were beautiful Those which re- 



mained in the fields were covered with tops, but these 

 decaying they were further covered with straw, and 

 were remarkably good. Where the tops had decayed 

 upon the heaps, their decomposition tainted many of the 

 Turnips, and caused the Barley to be there more luxu- 

 riant than in other parts of the field, so much so that 

 the crop was the first to be laid, and the extra tillage of 

 the Turnip tops a positive injury. It was of great im- 

 portance to know when the Turnips were really ripe, 

 and if they were taken up in a frozen state, they would 

 certainly rot. He always found, with Mr. Newham, 

 that the west side of the field was the most unfavourable 

 for preserving Turnips. After some further remarks 

 the meeting came to the following resolution : — " It is 

 recommended that Turnips for spring feeding be cut as 

 soon as ripe, placed in pies, with a south-east aspect, 

 covered well with thatch, and on no account parted 

 while in a frozen state." 



shifting every four or five days, or not longer than % 

 week, should also be attended to ; and a supply of 

 stored Turnips always at hand to give the sheep in 

 case of severe frosts, more especially when feeding on 

 Grass land. Dickson on Hie Breeding of Live Stock* 



METEOROLOGICAL REPORT. 



{Continued from page 45.) 



Jan. 



Friday 3 



Time. 



Miscellaneous. 



Beans as Cattle Food. — In 1825, a sweepstake was 

 entered into by live East-Lothian farmers, to be claimed 

 by the one who should be pronounced the best feeder of 

 cattle. In order that an equal chance should be enjoyed, 

 Mr. Charles M'Combie, then an extensive dealer in 

 Aberdeenshire, was instructed to forward 40 long-horned 

 Aberdeen cattle. These were of the same age, and in 

 equal condition, and were divided as fairly as possible 

 among the five farmers. The price was 18£. per head. 

 The cattle were put up to fatten in the second week of 

 September. There was no restriction as to feeding. 

 At Christmas following, they were exhibited at Had- 

 dington, and the improvement was most remarkable. 

 The late Mr. Lee, of Skateraw, was declared the winner. 

 He had used boiled Beans throughout in feeding. The 

 other competitors fed very high, as on draff and dregs, 

 Swedish Turnips, hay, bruised Beans, and Oats. The 

 superiority of boiled Beans was here proved — a fact 

 which deserves the particular attention of cattle-feeders 

 at the present day. Dickson on Breeding Live Stock.. 



Agricultural Tours. — South-country farmers have 

 generally but an imperfect or erroneous idea of the 

 resources of the north of Scotland, which a personal 

 inspection can alone correct. In Caithness, an exhibi- 

 tion of live stock is held in July, where there is gene- 

 rally, both in respect to numbers and quality — particu- 

 larly as regards Short-horned cattle and Leicester sheep 

 —as fine a show as in more favoured districts. These 

 breeds, it is erroneously supposed, are not sufficiently 

 hardy for this northern latitude ; but an inspection of 

 the animals collected at the above annual exhibition 

 will prove the contrary. Every young man who intends 

 following the occupation of a farmer should make such 

 tours ; but the sons of farmers are often prevented 

 from obtaining the information they require, from the 

 work at home occupying all their time. It would be 

 well if farmers were to allow their sons sufficient oppor- 

 tunities to visit, at least, the markets and agricultural 

 shows in their own localities, and not grudge the money 

 or time thus expended. By means of visiting distant 

 localities, young men are enabled to become acquainted 

 with the general progress of agricultural improvements; 

 and thus is created in them a spirit of emulation which 

 stimulates to similar improvement on their own farms. 

 How else is it to be expected that young farmers can be 

 excited to such a spirit of emulation, if they are kept at 

 home, toiling with their fathers in the dark, as it were, 

 and following the empirical routine of their grandfathers % 

 There are yet, even in this age of improvement, many 

 farmers content to follow in the steps of those of the 

 u old-school" — their sons seeing nothing, and therefore 

 having faith in no system different to that they have 

 followed from their youth up. The consequence is, that 

 when they possess farms of their own, they have nearly 

 all the elements of the improved systems of agriculture 

 to learn. Dickson on the Breeding of Live Stock. 



Feeding Sheep. — The practice of feeding sheep, netted 

 or flaked on the land, and feeding on lea or Grass land 

 with Turnips, has been much discussed of late, par- 

 ticularly by the Ayrshire farmers. They seem all to 

 agree that feeding with Turnips on Grass land is not 

 only the best, but most economical system. This may 

 be the case in Ayrshire, where the climate is in general 

 wet and moist, and much of the soil rather close bot- 

 tomed and retentive. They also take the merit of 

 feeding sheep better than the feeders in Forfarshire — 

 affirming that their wedders of the same appearance 

 fetch 2s. a-head more in the Glasgow market than those 

 fed in the latter county. This is not generally under- 

 stood, even by the Glasgow fleshers, as few counties can 

 beat Forfarshire in this particular ; but fat sheep, like 

 many other good things, often come out of places from 

 whence they are least expected. At one time, East 

 Lothian and the Border counties were the only districts 

 in Scotland famed for feeding sheep ; but now almost 

 every locality puts in its claim. Generally speaking, 

 the preference is still to be awarded to East Lothian, 

 particularly near Dunbar— the land in that neighbour- 

 hood being open bottomed, resting on a strata of red 

 sandstone. Sheep will feed faster netted on the Turnip 

 land, than when the Turnips are laid on Grass land. 

 All East Lothian feeders are agreed on this point. The 

 great point in feeding sheep with Turnips, either hoggs 

 or old sheep, is to commence as early as possible, say 

 about the middle of September, or at all events before 

 the 1st of October. The Turnips should be given on 

 fresh pastures for the first month, and afterwards treated 

 as already mentioned. When feeding Leicester hoggs, 

 the Turnip tops should be cut, as previously recom- 

 mended, which will prevent many deaths. Regular 



Sund. 5 



9.30 a.m. 



4.40 p.m 



8.20 p.m. 



LI p.m. 



10 a.m. 



10 55 p.m. 



8.30 a.m. 



Wind, and Remarks. 



Calm. Steady rain all day. 

 with very little wind. 



W. 



29.69 



• ■ • 



t 



G 



9 p.m. 

 8,30 a.m. 



29.50 



29.50 



■ ■ ■ 



• •• 



29.38 

 29.38 



7 

 8 



11.25 p.m. 



29.47 



* 



9 



10 



9 a.m 

 5.50 p.m. 

 8 a.tii. 



11 



Sund.12 

 5 



3.40 p.m. 

 5.45 p.m. 



11 p.m. 

 8.20 a.m 



1 p.m. 



7.30 a.m. 



10.20 p.m. 



7,40 a.m. 



• • • 



s. Cloudy, with light scad; 



S. Blowing hard p.m. 



S. 1pm. tremendous black 

 cumuli, with white summits, 

 about 20°, extending from 

 NE. to SB., moving slowly 

 to northward, as though the 

 shower, which fell heavily 

 during church-time, had 



gone away to the eastward* 



S. 



SE. a.m., clouds passing 

 slowly from SE. and E., 

 with very heavy appear- 

 ance, to northward. 



NE. p.m., cold and gusty, 

 but not much wind. 



• ■ • 



• « • 



OQ *7 if' P amP f °K* Httle Wind . 



-J.*t is. Heavy rain in evening. 



8. Heavy cumuli in E., at 

 8 a.m.; at 2 50 pm. tre- 

 mendous rain, with very 

 heavy squalls ; Wowing 

 hard. & 



29.21 



29.24 





2.40 p.m. 



10.15 p.m. 



8.30 a.m. 

 11.30 a.m. 



29.73 



t • • 



29.S2 



39.00 



- ■ ■ 



• t • 



• • • 



29.88 



29.95 

 29.86 



II 



3.10 p.m. 



13 7.40 a.ra. 

 11 15 p.m. 



14 8.30 a.m. 



10.20 p.m. 



15 8 a.m. 



16 



12.30 p.m. 



10.40 p.m 



2.30 am. 





5 



a.m. 



29.84 



3. ail^ the afternoon and 



evening. 

 S. More moderate. 



W. Fine day, with very little 



wind. 

 W. 



S. Dense fog a.m. 



BW. Drizzling p.m., aad 

 misty. 



Calm, 



breeze, and 



S W. Fresh 

 drizzling. 



SSW. Increasing; steady 

 rain. 



S. Steady rain, all day, with 

 little wind. 



29.54 



« » * 



29.02 

 28.89 



3. Do. 



S. Squally and rainy, all day* 



S. Blowing hard. 



SE. Gloomy to eastward* 



SE. Blowing hard. 



SSE. Do. ail day, with heavy* 



passing squalls of rain. 

 23.92; SSW. 



( W. Very little wind. 



29.56 Clear moonlight, almost calm. 

 WNW. Do> 9 light fleecy 

 clouds. 



• • ■ 



* Could this fall of the barometer, and the low state of the- 

 thermometer, be owing to a storm at a great distance to the 

 westward, and travelliug northward 1 



f This storm passed up Channel, eastward and northward, 

 producing fogs on the 6th and7th. 



$ A storm travelling nearly due north ; it passed west of 

 Ushant at 11 a.m., and near Plymouth at 2 p.m. of the 8th. 



§ If all the rain that fell during the 11th, 12th, and 13th 

 was produced by the same storm, it must have travelled very 

 slowly from the south ; but I think it will turn out, on inquiry, 

 that on the 11th and 12th a storm was travelling eastward up 

 the Mediterranean, causing the unusually high temperature of 

 those days. 



|| From the 13th to the 16th this storm was travelling north- 

 ward ; the wind on the 15th veering regularly as it passed to 

 the westward of this island. I subjoin the detailed observa- 

 tions of that day, as a beautiful instance, rarely occurring on 

 shore, of the coincidence between the fluctuations of the baro- 

 meter, and the veering of the wind from SE., S3E., 8., SSW. 

 SVV., W., WNW. Having passed off to a colder latitude, the 

 back draught of it produced a frost on the night of the 15th. 



10.20 p.m. 



8 a.m. 



10.40 a.m. 



12.30 p.m. 



3.5 p.m. 



5.10 p.m. 



7.20 p.m. 



10.40 p.m. 



5 



a.m 



29 02 

 28 89 

 28.89 



28.92 



29.01 

 29.18 

 29.29 

 29.44 



SE. 



SSE. 



S. 



SSW. 

 S.W. 



w. 

 w. 



w. 



29.57 j WNW. 



R&MABK3 



Blowing hard, all night. 

 Do. 



Heavy squall, shower jiwt 

 passed. 



Blowing hard, with heavy. 



squalls* 

 Do. 



Wind moderating. 

 Much quieter. 



Very little wiad, cloudless 

 sky. 



| Almost calm, light fleecy 



clouds. 





Dorchester, Jan. 21st. 



(To be continued.) 



F. P. £. M. 



Calendar 



JANUARY. 



Fen Farm, Jan, 14. — Seeing the remark from one of yoizr 

 correspondents, "Everything is dull," apparently applied to 

 the business of the farm, I merely write to show that it is n«t 

 so in all cases. The diminished and interior produce of last 

 years' corn crops, the falling prices of the present period 

 (excepting sheep and wool), are truly causes of depression of 

 mind to hundreds of worthy industrious men, whose sufferings 

 and losses will not permit them to take any pleasure in pros- 

 pects of the future ; but with ail those who hope to weather the 

 storm, who have trimmed their sails, taken an observation 

 and steered truly, this season of the year is not so very dull 

 after all ; to see the result of your past cares in the shape of 

 large pies of Turnips and Mangold Wurzel disappearing before 

 the bullocks and sheep ; to notice the varied effect on each head 

 of stock of cake, roots, straw, hay, chaff, shelter, or other 

 treatment ; to notice the growth of the young stock, to change 

 the fold for the sheep, to provide a sufficient supply of Turnips 

 or dry food to ewes on grass; to siore away manure, and- 

 remove the accumulated heaps and piles in alternate layers ; 

 the well-trodden compound from beast stalls, boxes, stables, 

 and crew yards, saturated with tank liquor, and swelled with 



