

tht^GRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 



fFEB. 8, 



ex 



M it is only used for kyin X and rooetog at night , they 

 tef «* iJd oo »*y. &*> and off-corn, mixed a* 

 2hM they can «t twice a day, with ^occasionally a 

 little Pollard and Cayenne pepper, which they ea 

 SSlU^with nowand'then a Cabbage Potatoes, and 

 SS£ to vary the food. The eggs are of a brownish 

 tab cJloor, with minute specks of white, and most 

 dSctai eating , and even at this season of the year my 

 hens are laying from five to six eggs a week each, ana i 

 !*ct all my pullets to begin laying in a few days. 1 

 wJjmy particular in the selection of my stock, which 

 is rery nece^arv, now more particularly; the parents 

 of my birds were from those at Windsor, and I have 

 crerv reason to believe perfectly pure. I forgot to say 

 that'l crossed a few last year with the common hen for 

 the table, and found the progeny were, if anything, 

 larger than the true kind ; this, I believe, is usually the 

 •ease. I feel much pleasure in reading the remarks 

 made n your paper on poultry, and am glad to see that 

 the mbj-ttt is receiving more attention than it was 

 wont to have. Why should not the London Show, in 

 Baker-street, add poultry to their exhibition, as is done 

 in the Midland districts \ It certainly would be much 

 mere int resting to the lady visitors than the mountains 

 of olesi usually displayed there. Henry Copland, 



Vh tin * for* I. 



The BUfjki of Wheat— The Oxford Farmers' Club 

 has been discussing the origin or cause of this disease ; 

 some of its members attribute it to hedge-rows, want of 

 draining . and to a proper cultivation of the soil. The 

 writer < his cannot, from post experience, attribute it 

 to any of these causes. Sometimes very forward crops 

 of Wheat ai attacked ; and, again, very backward crops 

 are equally liable to this disease. Land that has received 



a good coating of manure has suffered much from this 

 diiease, whereas the other half of the Held that received 

 no d i swing of dimj*, was strong, luxuriant, and yielded 



squeezing out the last penny from the wretched profits 

 of an infatuated people, and " drivers" were employed to 

 snatch from the ebbing industry of the nation the only 

 remains of a wrecked prosperity. Could the small 

 farmer prosper under the evil lynx eye of an agent, 

 who but watched for the smallest outward mark of im- 

 provement on his farm or person, as a pretext to raise 

 his rent ; or, perhaps, bribed by a selfish neighbour, 

 coupled with the offer of a higher rental, to eject him ! 

 Were these not sufficient causes to induce a partial, 

 faithless, and ungenerous agent to dislodge, perhaps, 

 a thriving tenant? A heavy purse and a swelled 

 rent-roll were agreeable to both agent and landlord, lhe 

 farmer, to prevent himself from being suspected as well- 

 doing had to resort to the meanest subterfuges to coun- 

 teract! the too evident designs of an unscrupulous agent. 

 This led to the practising of that low cunning which 

 is peculiarly characteristic of the lower Irish. They 

 have been thus forced by circumstances to overlook the 

 duties of outward decency, to deny themselves those 

 domestic little comforts which exhilarate the blessings 

 of life, and to dwell in the most miserable abodes, at 

 which feeling humanity must shudder, as the only safe- 

 guards from rack-rent and eviction. Where was im- 

 provement to spring from such an anomalous position 

 of society? Was not the road to progress, here, the 

 road to ruin ? And let a consideration of these things 

 mitigate our censure upon an unfortunate people, whose 

 industry was checked, whose energy destroyed by the 

 oppressive workings of a system. Thus things went on 

 the cultivation of the land was in an inverse ratio to 



the fertility of soil, until the Potato, the sole esculent 

 of millions, was destroyed, and the hopes of thousands 

 blasted, fortunes shattered, enterprises wrecked, and the 

 grave prematurely opened to receive its early victims 

 The income of proprietors being checked in its flow to 



their coffers, we can now imagine the bitterness they 



10 sacks as acre, file field J- the blighted portion 'wis feel in the possession of a diminished income. They 

 between h and 6 s* I per acre. The* autumn of 1850 can no more settle princely dowers upon their daughters, 



anv or brine up their sons as idle " 'squireens * to ride rough- 

 Rich and 



up tneir sons as mie - squ 

 shod over the honest industry of a tenantry ^ 

 poor must follow the law of subsidence in their fortunes, 

 and the former may, in the retirement of an inferior, 

 but perhaps not the less happy home, find room for 

 calm reflection. Not by building sanguine hopes on the 

 " baseless fabric " of renewed protection, which, alas, to 



was til* ! » ri< ! the Whnat crop suffered more than any 

 farmer m fit irts ever rem» inhered. Fields of 



Wheat, in a forward state of growth, and somewhat 

 thickly sown, were almost annihilated, as was the case 

 of the W heat rrops around Reading, in Berkshire. 

 Karly sown Barley erope suffered at the same time, and 

 the attack of this disease was distinguished by the 



redness of the straw; that redness was attributed by many, is yet the nightmare of their thoughts ; but in 

 •trar rs as being a different variety of Barley ! I saw ! the hope that better men will fill their much neglected 

 this last-mentioned rrop at harvest, and upon examining office, who will, by studying the improvement of their 

 he cars 1 fou I the leading stem had been stunted or Irish tenantry, raise Irishmen to the en j oy ment of every 

 arretted in iu growth, and the ear had ripened almost physical, moral, and social happiness, and treating them 

 in the sheath. The sample of Barley was not bad, but j &a rational men, not mere serfs, nor yet mere machines; 

 tlo grain was not so plump as it otherwise would have ' but as individuals, in whose proper . management the 

 been. These crept all suffered from a westerly and interests of the landlord and happiness of the tenant 



south-westerly gale— and during the last 3 or 4 years 

 thin Vindfl have done much harm both to Beta Crops 



and Potatoes Ifow is it the Might attacks Vines, en- 



cm the (frapes with a sort of scab ? It is said to 



be a new disease within the last two years. X. Y. Z., 

 //aula ' 



Thr /Ve*n< Condition of Irish Agriculture.— Perhaps 

 the unprejudiced refl tions of an Irish subscriber on 

 this subjeet, and the means employed for its elevation, 

 may not be unacceptable to your readers. Ireland, as 

 she is, presents a sad picture of rural and social dis- 

 organisation. Many causes have been set forth to 

 account for the physical decrepitude of the nation, and 

 no matter how opinions may clash, the main cause must 

 be traced to the defective agriculture of the country. 

 I his defective system of cultivation has been encouraged 

 by two principal causes. 1. The apathy of landholders 

 *s to the improvement of their tenantry. 2. To the 

 absence of an industrial education among the agricul- 

 tural population. Landlords have studiously neglected 

 the improvement of their tenants, they have kept too 

 great a distance from them, they hare disregarded their 

 wants, requiring only their rent ; no matter how that 

 rent was made up, whether it was wrung from the 



foSfr? ^VT- °i industr y> or draw " from the expiring I langtoft). 

 fertility of theur farms. To meet a heavy rent, the chief 

 object of the farmer was to take as much out of the 



are inseparably bound. Libra, Jan. 29. 



&orietie& 



ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY OP ENGLAND. 



A Monthly Council was held at the Society's House 

 in Hanover Square, on Wednesday last, the 5th of 

 February ; present, His Grace the Duke of Richmond, 

 K. G., President, in the chair ; Lord Camoys, Lord 

 Southampton, Lord Feversham, Lord Ashburton,* Lord 

 Portman, Hon. Robert Henry Give, M. P., Hon. Dudley 

 Pelham, M. P., Hon. Henry William Wilson, Sir Thomas 

 Dyke Acland, Bart.,M. P., Sir Robert Price, Bart., M.P., 

 Colonel Austen, Mr. Raymond Barker, Mr. Barnet, 

 Mr. S. Bennett, Mr. Bramston, M. P., Mr. Brandreth, 

 Mr. Burke, Colonel Challoner, Mr. Evelyn Denison, 

 M. P., Mr. Druce, Mr. Foley, M. P., Mr. Garrett, Mr. 

 Brandreth Gibbs, Mr. Grantham, Mr. Fisher Hobbs, Mr. 

 Hudson (Castleacre), Mr. Jonas, Mr, Kinder, Mr. 

 Miles, M. P. (Leigh Court), Mr. Milward, Mr. Pusey, 

 M.P., Prof. Sewell, Mr. Shaw (London), Mr. Shaw 

 (Northampton), Mr. Villiers Shelley, Prof. Simonds, 

 Mr. Slaney, M. P., Mr. Stanfield, M. P., Mr. Thompson 

 (Moat Hall), Mr. C. Hampden Turner, Mr. Villebois, 

 Prof. Way, Mr. Jonas Webb, and Mr. Wilson (Stow- 



man of the Judges 1 Committee, presented to theCovwi 

 the^following report, which was unanimously adopted ■ l 



The Committee beg to recommend to the Council the ad<m«T 

 of the following course, to be pursued in future lor the nomin, 

 tion and selection of the Judges of Implements and of St^t 

 at the Country Meetings of the Society,— namely,— . ^*| 



1. That prior to the Monthly Meeting of the Coun c n 5n 

 May, the Secretary shall write to each of the Judges wh* 

 have acted in the three preceding years, asking whether he u 

 willing to allow himself to be again put in nomination • and 

 if so, for what description of stock or class of implement 

 he would be ready to act, if he should be appointed by the 

 Council. 



2. That the members of the Society will materially aid the 

 Council, if they will exercise their privilege of forwardinj 

 to the Secretary, before the 1st of May in each year the 

 names of such parties, willing to act, as they would recom 

 mend to fill the office of Judge, stating the particular kind 

 of implements or description of stock for which their expe. 

 rience would render their services most likely to be useful to 



the Society. - 



3. That the Secretary, immediately after the 1st of May 

 should form a schedule of the names of persons so obtained' 

 and supply each member of the committee of selection with 

 a copy thereof as soon as possible after their appointment. 



4. That the Committee, or Committees, appointed by the 

 Council in May, for the selection aud recommendation of fit 

 persons to be appointed Judges at the ensuing Country 

 Meeting of the Society, should consist of not less than l| 

 members each, of which the quorum for business should be 

 five. (Signed) Poktman, Chairman. 



Veterinary Science. — Lord Portman, having laid 

 before the Council the following Report, which was 

 unanimously adopted, gave notice, that, at the next 

 Monthly Council, he should move the annual grant of 

 200Z. should be made to the Royal Veterinary College, 

 as proposed by the Committee : — 



The Committee, appointed to confer with a Deputation 

 from the Royal Veterinary College, beg to report to the Council 

 the result of that Conference : namely— 



1. That, on July 10th, 1839, the Royal Agricultural Society 

 of England made a communication to the Royal Veterinary 

 College, inviting their co-operation, and requesting them to 

 turn their attention to the diseases of cattle, sheep, and 

 pigs ; and they voted to the College the sum of 2O0J. per 

 annum, as a contribution towards the additional expenses to 

 which the Royal Veterinary College would be subjected. 



2. That the Royal Veterinary College readily responded to 

 this appeal, and expended a considerable sum of money ia 

 building sheds, &c. ; and appointed a professor to attend to 

 this department, at a cost to the Royal Veterinary College of 



about 4002. a-year. 



3. That since that time the pupils in the College have 

 received instruction in these branches, namely, in the 

 pathology of cattle, sheep, and pigs; and a body of voting 

 men, thus instructed, have been spread over the country. 



4. That the Royal Veterinary College, during the sug. 

 pension of the grant, have continued for the last two years 

 the same course of instruction, and the same expenditure, 

 and in addition have paid to Professor Simonds 50i. for 

 lectures given to the Royal Agricultural Society of England. 



5. That the Committee, after a full consideration of the 

 question, are unanimously of opinion, that the best mode of 

 expending the sum of 2002. per annum, devoted by the 

 Council of the Royal Agricultural Society of England to the 

 improvement of Veterinary Scienoe, is, to renew the annual 

 grant to the Royal Veterinary College. 



6. The Committee propose, however, that the renewal of 

 the grant should be accompanied by the following con- 

 ditions: namely— 



(1.) That the Royal Veterinary College make a report 

 annually of their proceedings in these particulars to 

 the Royal Agricultural Society of England. 



(2.) That the Royal Veterinary College admit to thfl 

 Members of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, 

 the privilege of sending to the Royal Veterinary 

 College, Cattle, Sheep, and Pigs, on the same term 

 as if they were subscribers to the Royal Veterinary 

 College. 



(Signed) Portman, Chairman. 



Show of 1851.— Lord Portman then laid before tie 

 Council the Report of the General London Committee, 

 along with the "conditions" transmitted to him by 

 Lord Seymour, her Majesty's Chief Commissioner of 



Woods and Forests, and a Letter from Lord John 



corn- 



soil as possible, with a total disregard to every principle, 

 «tnrr lor maintaining the soil's present nrnriiiPt;™™** 



ZV~ ~r\ ~ mui%9 OI impenect cultivation, which, bv 

 repeated practice, settled down into fixed principles 

 lhe culture of the Potato, affording a large return for 

 very httle expended labour, was "quite in accorlnce 

 *itn the farmer's inclination-plenty to eat, and nothing 



*W *™ P^P 1 * havin " thu9 the means of Procuring 

 ?i™U °°? at a tnfl j n g cost > carriages were encouraged, 

 ITunZ T™™*-* denmnd for la *d ensued, Ind 

 U Z 1 t^- f° lloim B th * >aw of selling, let out his 

 ^nd to the Whest bidder, neither considering the cha! 

 racter oi the purchaser, nor even giving a thought as to 

 the ? Permanent itt^-eme* of the land. Why should 



iLLST ^ g ^ L* 0tat0eS Were t0 ta «~4 he felt 

 thoi 1 W ° Uld bG ***** to P^duce them^; for in 

 those days no one even drevnt of the Potato disease 

 But here was an infinitely wo** disease which affTcted 

 both landlord and tenant, which slowly pre ved upoTthS 



pered by the annual increase of a people for food or 

 what was the same, a demand for land to prUuce h 

 The consequence was, holdings were subdivided and 

 parcelled out, and the cursed conacre system ensued. 

 Land rose to treble, aye, quadruple its value, landlords 

 intoxicated w,th their ill-amassed wealth became pro! 

 fligate, middle-men aspiring to hopes beyond their reach 

 became extravagant ; agents accumulated fortunes by 



Zachary Daniel Hunt, Esq., of the Old Bank, Ayles- 

 bury, and William Augustus Commerell,1 Esq., of 

 Strood Park, Sussex, were elected Governors of the 

 Society. The following new members were elected : — 



Gow, James, Fowler's Park, Hawkhurat, Kent, 

 Hale, John, Fellcourt, East Grinstead, SusBex. J 

 Gosselio, Martin Hadsby, Ware Priory, Herts. I 

 Pelly, John Henry, Oak Hill, East Barnet, Herts. 



The names of 53 candidates for election at the next 

 meeting were then read. 



Sir. Francis Lawley.— The Council received with a 

 deep feeling of regret the announcement of the death 

 of Sir Francis Lawley, Bart., of Middleton Hall, Staf- 

 fordshire, one of the members of the Council in the 

 class of Trustees, and an original Life-Governor of the 

 Society, who, preferring the hereditary rank of his 

 ancient family, as one of the oldest baronets of the 

 United Kingdom, to the honours of the peerage, which 

 were offered for his acceptance, devoted his L time and 

 means to the happiness of all around him. He was 

 indeed, in the highest sense, a truly English country 

 gentlemen, whose name and memory will be long 

 cherished with affection by the wide circle of his 

 friends, and the results of whose benevolent considera- 

 tion will be long felt by the tenantry on his estates, who 

 were more immediately within the sphere of his 

 influence, and by the * poor and needy n of every class 

 to whom he ever proved so great a blessing. 



FiKAiscEs.— The current cash balance in°the hands of, 

 the bankers on the last day of the month just ended 

 was found to b« 2177/. 



Russell, First Lord of her Majesty's Treasury, 

 municating to Lord Portman his own views, as welljas 

 those of the Duke of Wellington, Commander-in-Chief and 

 the Ranger of Hyde Park, in reference to the show of Uye 

 stock which the Society had been invited to hold in 

 Hyde Park during the present year. This Report 

 which, on the motion of Lord Feversham, seconded # bj 

 Mr. Miles, M.P., was unanimously adopted by tb 

 Council, recommended in the most decisive terms? tM 

 the Council, acting on the part of the Royal Agn- L 

 cultural Society of England, should not consent to # »e 

 H conditions " proposed for their acceptance by w 

 Office of Woods and Forests ; but, on the contrary, *» 

 they should request the Duke of Richmond, as ^ 

 President, to wait upon Lord John Russell, agreeaW 

 with his lordship's expressed willingness to promote w 

 objects of the Society, and confer with him on the artj 

 most suitable for the purposes of the Society's Show ■ 

 Stock, in order that her Majesty's pleasure may w 

 taken on the subject. 



The Duke of Richmond intimated his intention » 

 take the earliest opportunity, consistent with the c^ 

 venience of members, to hold a special Council w 

 further decision on this important subject; to w ^ 

 occasion, also, it would be desirable to refer the cor 

 ditions and regulations of the Society's Prize Show w 

 1851. 



Flax-Cotton.— Mr. Puset, M.P., gave notice *J 

 M. Claussen would attend at the Weekly Council 

 Wednesday next, for the purpose of showing sp*^ 

 of the new mode of preparing flax for its convey 

 into flax-cotton ; and of giving to the members » 

 account of the process. ^ 



Exeter Meeting.— Mr. Spreat, of Exeter, pres- 

 to the Council a first-class coloured print of his > ] ^ 

 the Fore-street in that City, on the occasion oi 



Society's Country Meeting in 1850, and of tbei "^d 



tions of the city on the occasion ; dedicated, by ^P^ ; 



permission, to Her Most Gracious Majesty the H ^ 



v _ T . for which, and other presents made to the Sociej^ 



domination of Jcdges.— Lord Portman, as Chair- Council ordered their best thanks to be communis 



