THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE 



I1W 1 in putting the Act in force in different 

 riband nan. have beeu used with more freedom 

 }Hr lkjcti n It has been my lot to have to arrange 

 T?aZ£*C under the Act with two inspectors on 



\»totes ; and I have had no reason to complain 



ctansea °r of a ". v * sire t0 force any s i' atem of 



*^ .-ariance with my own experience. I know, 



w>,- hit such judicious conduct is not always 



; tak 



for a loau 



Vpplica- 



^Mier an inspection was made, and the loan granted. 

 Cgfcr all was smooth enough, but when the inspector 

 Waited his account, judge of the surprise it created 

 ii it was found to amount to 1202. or 1307., I do not 

 m iber which. The commissioners were referred 

 C and their remark on the charge was quaint and 

 Shy—* It is monstrous." If there have been many 

 «WUr charges fur " inspections," can it be wondered at 

 if Muprietors hesitate before they venture to incur 

 tkJn i I think it might be useful if the 



f I think it might be useful if tlie commissioners 

 were to lay i n a few stringent rules for the guidance 

 of their subordinates in the matter of charges ; that 



latter ijtleman want bringing into subjection to 

 their superiors, the recent letters in the Agricultural 



Gazette abun tly show. RoaXdu . 



2^ ,g m — I should like to ask "J. II." two 



8 feet high 



he sows per aci ! for though he puts his rows 2 and 34 

 feet apart, perhaps he puts the grain very thick in the 

 rows. Your correspondent says he grows seven quarters 



of Barlev per acre in rows 3-i feet apart ; and after 2(5 

 ears practice 



gnu 



1 thought I was as near as possible of 



getting hold of the philosopher's -stone, if I had not got 

 it, in ice both to quantity and distance, viz., the 



rows betw 11 and 12 inches apart, and the quantity 

 according to the quality of the laud, say good land one 

 peck, middlin land two pecks, and bad land three pecks 

 per acre. It seems strange that so many millions of 

 farmers should have been trying their skill in the art of 

 sowing for so many thousands of years, and cannot as 

 yet decide upon a verdict as to the quantity to be sown 

 per acre. If by sowing one bushel less we could grow 

 more corn it would be a greater benefit to the nation 

 than the abolition of all the taxes the public are now 

 seeking. ./. D. Piper, Colne Engaine. 



Winno / Mac es. — We have now got various 

 sorts of winnowing machines, which would appear 

 capable of dressing the corn far better than it could 

 have been done formerly with the same labour. But it 

 often occurs that the work is not done in such a manner 

 as we might be led to expect. And there are varions 

 reasons given for this. If the maker is told that the 

 implement does not make a good sample, he at once 

 lays the blame on those who have tlio working of it. 

 It has not been put in proper order for the work. And 

 to | .vide against this many have pri ed directions to 

 accompany their machines, which state how everything 

 is to be set. And one would think that they should 

 know well enough how it is to be put. But after all 

 their rules are attended to, we find that the work is in 

 many cases but indifferent. There is one defect that 

 I think applies to some of our best machines, that is, 

 that they are too wide, that the fan is too Jong in pro- 

 portion to the machine from head to tail ; and the con- 

 sequence is that the air has not time to rush in for 

 supplying the fan equally from outside to centre, and the 

 consequence is that the currents of air go in a d gonal 

 direction towards the riddle, until they meet, and coming 

 together obliquely their force must be considerably 

 broken, and their course altered, so that the wind may- 

 be strong enough to drive corn before it at one part, 



Slid SO wea.k t thft ehafP is Iftft ol nnnflior J have 



seen an old narrow machine perform her work far 

 better than some of our modern highly finished ones, 

 and I have generally noticed that the narrower ones do 

 it best. I believe that if the length is proportioned to 

 the width, this defect will be got over ; but then they 

 will require greater power of motion ; and perhaps 

 without a corresponding speed. And I do not consider 

 that they would be so convenient for general purposes 

 *s if of moderate size, however they may do for bein^ 

 attached to a threshing machine, as in that case they 

 would not have to be moved about. It would be well if 

 our mak< j, in their anxiety to produce a perfect article, 

 would not overlook this, for we have them now in many 

 respects very efficient, especially in the mechanical 

 Parts of riddling and sifting, but too often deficient in 

 the winnowing part G. S. 



Mvmgemmt of Manure. — On looking over the 

 CAroatcleof the 18th of January last, I perceived a 

 report ofa meeting which took place at Exminster, to 

 near a lecture from Dr. Bucknill, on the most econo- 

 mical method of using manure ; and on reading over 

 that able, eloquent, and admirable address, which every 

 termer and gardener ought to make their study, I was 

 wuck with that part where he speaks of the rain 

 jnich falls on the sheds being allowed to run into the 

 ^g-pits to wash away anything that is soluble in them 



add « ext ditch ; aud ou S ivi »g tllis P art of the 



■^^8 all the consideration possible for me to do, I 



erl/i S i iappenS in fAVOUred England, what can be 

 Ejected o this fertile, beautiful, but neglected eountrv, 



av^+' Y thcre is rarel y an y encouragement 



£ en to the farmer to be zealous, or to the labourer to 



"" maustnou. : and yet even here I have occasionally 

 ^ all the methods recommended by Dr. Bucknill for 



itt £?^? l V' eU Carried out and dearljuind. r,tood ; 



frtn . nly l luust aHow the instances were not as 



«Veiit as could be wished. I was led to make the 



above remarks by observing, that among the many 

 means advised by the learned doctor for saving the 

 urine of cattle, there is one not spoken of which I hav< 

 carried out for the last three years with very great 

 advantage, and as it is one which is very economising of 

 labour and manure, I will, with your permission, here 

 mention it. I make it a practice, during the spring 

 and summer months, to get the parings of ditches, and 

 any other spare earth or mould to be had on the farm, 

 carted into a heap, as near as possible to the cow-sheds, 

 and made up so as to turn oft' the rain ; and when the | 

 cows are bedding down I have a quantity of the same 

 strewn immediately behind the cows, which effectually 

 soaks up every drop of urine that comes from them. 

 hi the cleaning out of the sheds this becomes mr\ed up 

 with the solid manure, and occasionally there is a lay 

 of about 6 inches of the dry earth spread over all ; 

 and I have found by this means my manure heaps to 

 accumulate amazingly, and to be greatly improved in 

 texture ; and there is seldom any of that coloured 

 matter, which is well known to be the farmer's best 

 friend, to be seen oozing from the sides of a heap made 

 up after the above manner, although I have had them 



but then we have gutters to our sheds, and 

 they are not allowed to run into our dung-pits. E. M m C. 

 Agricultural Improvement, — Jt is a common opinion 

 with practical farmers that large farms and numerous 

 ploughs and horses are requisite to enable the farmer 

 to farm profitably. Though in some situations, as on 

 thinly populated tracts of shallow wold land, this may 

 be correct ; it will probably be found to be a very 

 erroneous opinion in other cases. In many situations, 

 where the population is great, and labour plentiful and 

 reasonable, it may be far more profitable to cultivate 

 smaller farms, in a more perfect garden like style, with 

 fewer horses and more manual labour. The spade and 



the fork have sometimes been advantageously substituted 

 for the plough and the harrows, and that might be the 

 case much more frequently on small, and sometimes on 

 large farms. Thus cultivated, 50 acres will frequently 

 produce as much as 100 or 150, in the common way of 

 cultivation. If this be true, and we have abundant 

 evidence of its truthfulness in allotment ground; it is 

 evident there is a great waste of land, of horse keep, and 

 of unemployed manual labour, whiclrmight be advan- 

 tageously employed, even on poor soils. It is evident, 

 too, that by labour and science, some of our very poor 

 land may be profitably cultivated, even though the price 

 of produce should be low. Since writing the above, I 

 have been much gratified by reading Mr. Meehi's 

 account of Lord Fortescue's farm of 52 acres, published 

 in the Agricultural Gazette of the 8th Feb. It greatly 

 confirms my opinions, and illustrates practices which 

 might be advantageously adopted in other places. The 

 public owe a debt of gratitude to Mr. Mechi for his 

 spirited efforts to improve agriculture by new plans. 

 He may be enthusiastic and run into errors. And if he 

 be at times a little severe in censuring our bad old 

 practices, and if he urge us old farmers on at a quicker 

 pace than we are willing to go, it is all for our good ; 

 it is a little good tempered raillery which we really 

 need. Let us not then take offence where none 

 is intended ; let us rather pity than retaliate ; for 

 though he, and such men as he, are public benefactors, 

 I fear, they are too experimental and enterprising, and 

 too fond of trying untried schemes to profit them- 

 selves ; but the public is greatly benefited by their 

 experiments, and it is our own fault if we do not profit 

 by them. It is evident that there is very great need 

 of new and improved plans to bring agricultural im- 

 provement up to the improvement made in other arts 

 and sciences. The most perfect cultivation that can 

 be found comes very far short of the degree of per- 

 fection which may be attained ; and every effort towards 

 it should be encouraged. If landlords and land-agents 

 would give all the encouragement to agricultural im- 

 provement which it is their duty and interest to do, 

 tenants would soon become far more energetic, in- 

 telligent, and enterprising than they now are. Let 

 those landlords and agents who complain of bad tenants, 

 consider whether they have done their own part in 

 encouraging good ones. I am glad to find that many 

 landlords and agents are now endeavouring to do their 

 part in encouraging improvement ; but this is a new 

 thing, and as yet there has not been time to cultivate 

 those qualifications in tenants which Bttch proceedings 

 will after a while produce. Let every man do his duty, 

 and agriculture will rise from its present state of de- 

 pression, to a degree of perfection hitherto unknown. 



0. F. 



Mr, Pusey arid Scotch Farming. — The Scotchmen are 

 justly roused by the speech of this gentleman at the 

 meeting of the London Farmers' Club. I believe the 

 English are more to blame for commending the farming 

 of the north than the inhabitants themselves. And 

 why \ Does Mr. Pusey know that many sens of English 

 landlords have visited Scotland these '20 years past 

 solely to study agriculture in that country I And who 

 can deny the Scotch the merit of farming well, especially 

 in the counties of Berwick and Roxburgh, and we will 

 add the Lothians, and the neighbourhood of Coldstream. 

 Mr. Pusey, in his travels, went away from such places 

 as had any repute for farming. He did not see them, 

 save afar off, if at all. in England we have many ad- 

 _ Soil, situation, and climate, 



form the natural basis of good farming ; and this is not 

 at the command of every oii3. We can soil our horses 

 upon Tares a month to six weeks earlier than they can 

 in Scotland. Wheat can be grown with greater ad- 

 vantage by us in the south, but who can surpass them 



vantages as to climate. 



in the growth of roots, Barley, Oat?, Beans, Ac. Their 

 Clover crops are magnificent. And in ploughing, hoeing, 

 weeding, &c, who can surpass them ? In draining also, 

 who value the necessity of it more than our old friends 

 north of Tweed ! X Y. Z., Hants. 



Poultry. — Perhaps you will permit me to state my 

 own mode of managing a small stock. Mine is a small 

 family, and we wish to have both chickens and egg3 ; for 

 the former purpose I have a Cochin China cock and five 

 hens, and for the latter, the same number of Spanish ; 

 and they are thus assorted — the Spanish cock, one 

 Spanish and four Cochin China hens ; so also the Cochin 

 China with one of his own and four Spanish hens. The 

 object of this arrangement is to have a sufficient number 

 of pure bred birds for breeding stock, and all the other 

 chickens for table to be half-bred ; as I consider the 

 first cross an improvement on either breed for that 

 purpose, but the next cross would degenerate. I take 

 care that all the half-bred are killed off before breeding, 

 as if allowed to continue they would soon spoil the stock* 

 The eggs of the China and Spanish are so different, that 

 there is no danger of any mistake between them. I find 

 this plan to answer very well, and perhaps some of your 

 readers, who rear poultry on a small scale, may be in- 

 clined to try it. It is of great importance in keeping 

 up a pure stock, that all the breeding fowls should be 

 thorough-bred, which is easily provided for by this 

 means. May I add, that for table, there is no poultry 

 so well tasted as the Sebright bantam. T. 



Rabbits on open-boarded floors. — My groom having a 

 ;reat fancy for rabbits, was often unfortunate with 

 them, by heating, rotting, &c. Envying my success 

 with young animals on boards, he begged to have a 

 place similarly constructed ; and the result for six 

 months has been perfect health amongst the rabbits, 

 which afford every week some fine specimens for the 

 table ; and so successful is the operation and increase 

 that we shall be obliged to market some. The boart g 

 have intervals of 1 inch, being 3 inches wide. The 

 rabbits are fed on Swedes, or green food, Oats, and cut 

 hay. The warmth is regulated by putting up boards in 

 front of their sheds. I should not have thought of 

 troubling you with this matter, but that so many of my 

 visitors are struck with the advantage and economy of 

 these open-boarded floors for rabbits. It is quite cer- 

 tain for all animals they possess immense advantages in 

 a sanitary and economical point of view. Where I have 

 a few young pigs on straw, I have always cause to 

 regret it, so I must extend my operations. They will 

 be found most convenient for ducks. J* J. Mechi, Feb 26- 



^octettes* 



ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY OF ENGLAND. 



A Weekly Council was held at the Society's House 

 in Hanover-square, on Wednesday last, the 12th of 

 March: present, Sir Robert Trice, Bart., M.P., in 

 the chair, Baron Mertens, Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, 

 Bart., M.P., Mr. Bastard, Mr. Bosanquet, Mr. Beale 

 Browne, Dr. Calvert, Mr. W. G. Cavendish, M.P., Mr. 

 Dyer, Mr. Fuller, M.P., Mr. Gadesden, Mr. Garrett, 

 Mr. Fisher Hobbs, Mr. Maddison, Mr. Majendie, Mr. 

 C. E. Overman, Mr. Pendarves, M.P., Mr. Rowlandson, 

 Professor Simonds, Mr. Aug. Smith, and Professor 



Way. 



The following new members were elected : 



Do Gr*-y, the Earl, VViesc FTouse, near Bedford. 

 Marshall, Gtoge Ilibbert, 85, Eaton-squire, London. 

 Smith, Henry, New House, Sutton, SbifFiall, Salop. 

 Tamil, Richard Relfe, New Hal!, Hmfield, Sussex. 

 S ames, Daniel W., Pinner, Middlesex. 

 Br John Atkinson, Bessel's Green, Chevening, Kent. 



Page, Thomas, 2, New Scotland-yard, Whiteha 1. 



lowgood, E ward, St Neot's, Huntingdonshire. 

 Boughton, Andrew K. Rouse, Acton Hall, Salop. 



Country Meeting of 1851. — The Duke of Rich- 

 mond forwarded to the Council a letter addressed to 

 him, as President of the Society, by the Mayor of 

 Kiu^ston-oii-Thames, offering to the Society, in the most 

 handsome manner, on the part of the Corporation of 

 that ancient and royal borough, the free use of their 

 Guildhall, Assize Courts, and other public rooms, for 

 the use of the Society during the period of the ensuing 

 country meeting to be held in Bushy Park, " hoping 

 that the Council of the Society would do the Corporation 

 the honour of accepting the offer." This communication 

 was received with the best acknowledgments of the 

 Council, and referred to their next monthly meeting. 



A deputation from Windsor, consisting of the Right 

 Hon. John Hatchell, M.P., Attorney- General for Ire- 

 land, Colonel Keid, M.P., Mr. Leslie Melville, and Mr, 

 Darvill, was then announced, requesting an interview 

 with the Council, for the purpose of endeavouring to 

 induce the Society to hold its Country Meeting, not in 

 Bushy Park, but in the Home Park at Windsor, in the 

 immediate vicinity of the Castle walls, where superior 

 ad van i :es of every kind would, in the opinion 

 of the deputation, be found for the arrangements of the 

 meeting itself, and the more distinguished promotion of 

 the truly national and patriotic objects of the Society. — 

 The Council expressed their regret that the circum- 

 stance of their being then only in weekly session, when 

 by the bye-laws their proceedii a were connected only 

 with discussions on points of practical farming, without 

 the power of legislative functions, would not allow them 

 to receive the deputation which had on that ocea f^ ^ 

 honoured the Council by their attendance. Sir Robert 

 Price and Sir Thomas Acland then saw the deputation 

 privately in the library of the Society, and explained to 

 them the nature and extent of the arrangements aireauy 

 made for holding the Country Meeting o* the Society at 



w« — f™ r^nvi nnrl the show of live stock in Bushy 



