

THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 





269 



lculated to convince 



that will not 



ers 



::.* 



!:•:• 



ljahmr _I have read with much pleasure in 

 iJ^STof the 'JiMi March an article from the 

 yfLlfnen of the author of "The Word in Season to 

 g^STLrf which I consider is one well deserving 

 JSioorfill Parties interested in the present im- 

 •JJ^g^ie of agriculture, and calci- 1 -^' 1 ♦*» -m-v,..** 



T'Sedulous speakers and think 



2|J*d an v thin* but the plain alphabet of undeniable 



£** in such matters as seem from their complicated 



J^LieDce to be impossible. If farmers in general 



!2dd practise the svstem adopted by Mr. Smith, what 



WC 'mma&& good it* would produce to the farmer, to 



! lindlord, and particularly to the labouring classes, 



hsnble brethren, by whose industrial labours the 



^Lb machinery of Society is kept in continual work- 



2° and all of such who are now inmates of the poor- 



m ' where they are supported at the expense of the 



firmer in indolence and ease, might issue forth from 



hmorky walls of their gloomy habitations, breathe a 



nurer atmosphere, and become useful instead of burden- 



p e to the farmer. Let 8 or 10 hearty labourers be 



t on an acre of ground with spades, and when these 



men are trained to the use of those tools, I have no 



itmht whatever but they will earn a moderate rate of 



and accomplish the work for the price quoted by 



Mr. Smith. The spade used should be one of proper 



construction, and to this point particular attention should 



be paid, not bf the mere theorist, but by the practical 



^Jjegman the man of head and hands. If the spade is 



tooibortit will cause unnecessary strain and fatigue of 



y. On the other hand, if it be too long, the fault is 

 even worse, as it will keep the workman at too great a dis- 

 tance from his work, in which position he will not be able 

 to accomplish more than half the quantity of work which 

 he would with one of a medium length, which cannot 

 better be described than thus : the spade standing close 

 by his side, the box-handle should fit under the armpit 

 of the man who works with it ; one of this description, 

 18 inches to be occupied by the handle, will suit the 

 capacity and convenience of every workman according 

 t) his dimensions. Jf any person doubt the truth of 

 these peculiar remarks, let him practise and advise 

 other* to practise, and I warrant he will experience the 

 truth of them. By 6pade labour can the fresh subsoil 

 be brought up (and which no horse-power could accom- 

 plish to such perfection) to do the duty for which 

 Nature provided it, and when exposed to the action of 

 the various chemical agents which the atmosphere 

 eternally supplies, will tend to a considerable saving of 

 are, and with the Tullian system of cropping will 

 enrich the farmer with an abundant harvest, the land- 

 lord by enhancing the intrinsic value of the land, and 

 the labourers, as 1 have said before, by affording so 

 much 'employment. By spade- labour, in deepening the 

 soil, we shall find the rich treasures which our fore- 

 fathers allowed to remain, where the two sons of the 

 I dying man, related in the parable, found the treasures 

 I which he bequeathed to them between 18 inches and the 

 1 top ; and if we go a little deeper, we shall find more . 

 I and if the system should be once generally adopted, in a 

 few years we should find the fertile soils of the sister 

 isle to equal in worth the golden soil of California. 

 Objections may be raised to some of the items in the 

 balance sheet of Mr. Smith, but I think if the man who 

 would make them would set about the experiment 

 economically, and on a fair stratum of land, he will, in 

 course of time, have reason to credit and coincide with 

 Mr. S. in his statements. I think the experiment of 

 * Amicus Tull" could not be looked on as a fair trial, 

 his land being so extremely hard and difficult to trench, 

 having to be worked with a pickaxe, while that of Mr. 

 Smith was, and could be, worked with the spade ; 

 and even that, admitting it might have been an 

 average of his own farm, on which he tried the 

 experiment, the first trenching was the hardest to 

 be done, and therefore the dearest, and will save him 

 the same trouble at least for seven years to come, during 

 which time annual diggings from 10 to 14 inches in 

 depth will be found sufficient. Neither is it essential for 

 proprietors to employ no other than a man of such 

 major dimensions as that described by w Amicus Tull," for 

 1 think it is more by the heart and will of a man than 

 by the bulk of his body that the work is done. The only 

 objection to all Mr. Smith's statements is, that though 

 he will admit of manuring, yet he is far from being an 

 advocate of that valuable stimulant to vegetation, the 

 intrinsic value of which, with any method of tillage, is 

 too well known to need any superfluous comment. 

 Hoping he will add to his valuable work the use of 

 manures, and hoping it may succeed in its objects, the 

 system may still be adopted and theorised, I conclude 

 vi th the Irish phrase of " God speed the spade." E. F., 

 Phamix Park, Dublin, April 10, 1851. 



Allotment Culture. — I have for several years culti- 

 Tated a plot of land to advantage, having grown some 

 very superior crops of Wheat, Beans, Barley, and roots. 

 1 have grown Wheat at the rate of 6 quarters 5 bushels 

 *nd 6 gallons per acre, from a crop dibbled at the rate 

 a bushel per acre; but I have since grown crops 

 equally as good from a half bushel per acre, dibbled by 

 i>r Newington's hand-dibble, which is by far the best 

 implement I have yet seen, by which small holders can 

 ^postf their seed. A half bushel of seed is amply 

 "wfccient when dibbled early in September in a good 

 •^d well-cultivated soil. I have this season a very 



5K!r or cro P of dibbled Wheat on a plot of ground 

 «wbled at the rate of a half bushel per acre ; if there 

 ^ any fault in it, it is too thick. I generally hoe my 

 h^atfonr times, which I consider to be greatly ad van- 

 ■■Broils to the growth of the plant. I have grown sur- 



prising crops of Barley, cultivated in the same manner 

 as the Wheat I generally plant my Long-pod Beans 

 in double rows, at 3 feet apart, and interline a row of 

 roots or Cabbages. I have hitherto found the inter- 

 lining system to answer very well indeed. I intend next 

 October to commence getting five crops from the same 

 piece of ground, which can be easily done within the 

 space of 13 months, a plan of which is given in the 



the Uiutf red and orange glob*?; the la ter I tmuk ibr b^tt bat 

 the red keeps longest, and it make* a change to the cattle' 

 Pt dib them in with the same dib as I mentioned for Cirroti! 

 They are dibbed on yard ridges ; they are ploughed between 

 two or three times duriugthe tumm?'-, as wtdl as h<»r«e boed t 

 they have been found most valuable his sprin* ; as the Clover 

 and Grass has no' as yet starte4 at all, there cannot be 

 a -i} thing except for sheep these ihree weeks or a mouth • there 

 arr- nunt farmers round who have had to buy airealy: the 

 hay is almost all gone, and as the »heep have had to be kept on 



AgMtural Qazctte of the 29th March at .page 203 I *Mft «' - '^ k^e^Tn^a^^^a^ tt.e 

 Stirring frequently between the rows of all kinds of j f ew last days on a field of r*d Clover, a little forwar er than 



root crops greatly improves their growth ; the best 

 instrument for that purpose is that very excellent im- 

 plement of Dr. Newington, which he calls his hand row- 

 hoe or cultivator ; it is equally adapted for hoeing 

 Wheat or any kind of crops sown in rows. I have this 

 season used the three-pronged fork instead of the spade, 

 and like it much better. It can be worked with greater 

 ease, and does its work more effectually. Those with 

 whom it is not convenient to trench their land should 

 dig it with a fork to the depth of 14 inches, as does 

 John Sillet, of Kelsale, near Saxmundham, Suffolk, who 

 gets his living off 2 acres of land. I would strongly 

 recommend his pamphlet on « Spade Husbandry" to 

 the notice of all small holders. 1 have just prepared a 

 piece of ground for Swedes, and as I do not want to bury 

 the manure deep in the soil, I am at a loss how to cover 

 it : but it has just occurred to me how this difficulty 



After the manure is spread, a 

 man with a breast plough could easily turn it over to 

 the depth of 2 or 3 inches, but it would take a Ion 



Italian Ktk-gra&s 



might be overcome. 



time in doing. 



If Dr. Newington would attach a kin 



of plough-share and shell-board to his cultivator, I think 

 it would cover the manure famously at almost any depth 

 you please, and this kind of plough would be also 

 famous for ploughing and stirring the soil after being 

 dug with the fork. This addition would, in my opinion, 

 be a great improvement, and make the implement com- 

 plete, and prove very beneficial to all small holders. 

 W.^Qriflin, Eydon, near Daventry. 



&ebteun 



Land Draining, Embankment, and Irrigation. By 



James Donald, C. E. W. S. Orr and Co., London. 

 This is one of a shilling series of rural hand-books, 

 commenced by the late H. D. Richardson, of Dublin, to 

 some of the numbers of which we have already referred 

 as they appeared. The present is by a gentleman who 

 has occasionally contributed to our own columns, and 

 whose practical skill and well informed mind are both 

 well illustrated in the volume before us. It is a plain 

 statement and description of the details of its subject 

 which all can understand, and by which, no doubt, many 

 will benefit. 



Date. 



METEOROLOGICAL REPORT April. 



[Continued from page 253.) 



1 



Apr. 16 



17 



18 

 19 



Time, 



LI. 10 a.m. 





tl 

 5 



ll 



S 30 

 ll 



6..3a 



p.m. 

 a.m 



p.m. 

 a.m 

 p.m. 

 a.m 



Sun. 20 





6 40 p.m. 

 9 45 p.m. 

 8,-JOa.m. 



t 



10 p.m 



21 6.45 a.m. 

 Ll.l5;a.m 



M 



29.68 



■ • • 



-'9. 



• * • 



29 81 

 29.88 



Min. 



• •• 



29.55 

 29.56 



29.74 



29.87 



• • ■ 



29.60 



• • t 



■ ■ • 



23 45 



• • • 



29.E6 



• »• 



29.38 



29.43 



• • ■ 



Wind.— Weather. 



i | ^m | - ■ — 



8. Very heavy rain and stiff 



breeze all day. 

 *?NB. evening. Do weather. 

 SSW. Brisk breeze, and 



warm pleasant day. 

 Southerly. Moderate breeze, 



and pleasant day. 

 White frost. Beautiful calm 



fine day, and very little 



wind. 



J aim afternoon, and bright 

 starlight evening. 



a.m. northerly. Heavy ap- 

 pearance on edge of horizon 

 at W. to NW., but nearly 

 calm. Noon, easterly. 

 Lfghc breeze, and overcast. 



evening, S., light. Damp 

 mist. Night, very heavy 



rain. 

 >., moderate. Overcast, but 



dry. Towards noon, be^an 



a heavy driving rain, which 



lasted till 6 p.m. ; a very 



warm genial day. 



the rest, but it does not stand before them *ny time, though 

 thev hnve Mangold Wurzel thrown down to th« m The Wneat 

 look-* here mo«t beau iful, a rich green, an 1 tillering well, and 

 lying close to the ground. The early sown Barley also look* 

 well. E. X , near Braintree. 



Notices to Correspondents. 



Books : Filint Eculapii. Low'* " Elements of Practical Agri. 

 culture " i* as good a guide as you can nave. 



Dairy : P T O. Milk aud cream will churn, altboagh they bs 

 not. sour en >u-. r h to curdle. 



Hotbed : P J O. Cow litter and dung will make one : which 

 »*iii maintain a lower hen a longer lime than bor*e dung. 



Tyro It will not answer to Jet it remain 

 another year ; at leas', it has not generally auswered, but you 

 will l> • ab'e to judge better a few mon<hs henc«. 



Mahoold Woezel: F. C. Your dairy experiences are attr> 

 bu anle to tne die of the c<»w*» Mangold Wurzel is ap: to 

 make the but er white, hard, and difficult to g ee . 



Manure: Burbage. The following a swer is, we are sorry, too 

 late for your purpose. It i* given from a practical judgment 

 of ihe subject aud not after consult^, . u of chemical autho- 

 rities. If 10 tons of soiled litter an«i manure ju*«- thrown out 

 of reading s all and stable be worth 3at , tne tame manure 

 allowed 10 rot in a heap for 8 month* may perhaps be 5 or 

 6 tons, worth 43. a ton ; bu' made into c<mipo»twith earth and 

 rotted, then it will be worth all its original cost, j*ia* what 

 va »ie of labour miy have been eipeudcd upon it. 



Meat Produce: Examiner. We have to apologise for the delay. 

 20 tons of Swedes 26 cwt. ot Clover hay, 4u bushels of Bar- 

 ley, I ton of oilcake, wi h a quantity ot straw not specified, 

 ought to have produced 9 or 10 cwt. of beef. 



Potatoes : A B. They will, most likely, be the later for 

 strong ammoniacal manurm/ ; it will tend to the growth of 

 le«*f, though no doubr, if unchecked by disease, to that of 

 tuber also. You may fold »heep aud lambs on rare* towards 

 the end of May, If they are very young, cut for tb»m 24 

 hours in advance. Beaus or Peas are better than oilcake as 

 a corrective of looseness. 



Poultry : Lady M. It is difficult, on the information given, to 

 a*»ign a cau^efor the mortality among the Doraiog chickens. 

 With us, the weather alone would be a sufficient cause, the 

 last few weeks; Du; where Lidy M resides, it may have 

 been warm and genial. The answers to anonym ms and 

 undated inquiries cannot be so precise as thev ought. Per- 

 haps part ot the stock wants changiug.— 3frt. M Cooice Ban- 

 tams are apt to suffer from being too carefully guarded. 

 Good barley would not give them the cramp. They require 

 green food, worms and iusects, broken e<*-shells or burnt 

 oyster- shells, and pertupj more air, sunsuine, liberty, and 

 dus ing holes. 



Soothdowns : T S Southdown breeders alwayB advertise their 

 anuual sales. As to the cross between the southdown and 

 biackfaced heath breeds, your question has been handed to 

 good authority. 



\ Eeeatum. Iu the article published last week on the " Manage- 

 ment of St. am Engines," there Is an erratum, which should 

 be corrected thus : *'th^ coals best suited for bou*enoio pur- 

 poses are generally least suied for the engine " The one 

 requiring coals that swell aud cohere iu the grate ; the other 

 working beat with coals that open readily, aud thus extend 

 the surface for oxydation. 



illaritfts* 



COVENT GARDE *t AraiL 26. 



Hothouse Grapes are becoming very plentiful, and, con- 

 sidering the season, they fetch but indirletent prices. The 



same rematk applies to Strawberries. Good Pine-apples are 

 scarce, as are also dessert Apples. Oranges and Lemon* are 



plentiful. Nuts remain nearly the same as last week. Vege- 

 tables of all kinds are abundant and good. French Beans 

 are very plentiful. Carrots and Turnips are dearer. New 

 Cornish Potatoes may be obtained at from Is. to 2s. per 

 pound ; old kinds realise better prices. Lettuces and other 

 saliding are sufficient for the demand. The best Mushrooms 

 fetch Is. 3d. per pottle. Cut flowers consist of Heaths, Pelar- 

 goniums, Camellias, Mignonette, Double Primroses, Stepha- 

 notis floribunda, Cinerarias, Moss and Prorins Roses. 



FRUIT. 



* This would be a storm coming from the south, over France 

 and Holland, and curving to westward of north, on overtaking 

 the preceding storm. 



f A storm convng from the westward, and passing over 

 France to »he sou*h of east, being deflected from its proper 

 course by the preced ! ng storm. 



Dorchester, April 24 m. F. P. B. M. 



{To be continued.) 



Pine-apples, per lb., 6s to 10s 

 Grapes,ho bou9e,p.ib.,6* to 12s 



Portugal, p. lb. f Is to 2&6d 



Strawberries per oe., 6i to Is 

 Pears, per doz., 2s to 5s 



— per half sieve, 6s to 15s 

 Apple8,de*8ert,p.bu«h.,6s tolOs 



— kitchen do., 5s to 8s 



Almonds, per peck, 6s 



— sweet, per lb., 2s to 3s 



Oranges, per doz., 9d to 2s 



— per 100, 6s to 14 s 

 Seville p. 100, 7stol4» 



— p. doz., Is to2s6d 

 Lemons, per doz.. Is to 2s 

 Chestnuts, per peck, 2s to 5s 



— per 100, 9d to Is 6d 

 Nuts, Barcelona,p. bsb,20sto22s 



— Brazil, p, bsh , 12s ro lis 

 Cote, per 100 lbs,, 70s to 75s 



VEGETABLES. 



Calendar of Operations. 



APRIL. 

 Es^ex Farm. — Since my las' we have been doing nothing 

 wo^th reporting ; from the continued wet weaher it has been 

 impossible t«i get upon the land till wi-.bin the last fortnight; 

 we have finished cowing the Barley after Turnip*, it bt-iug im- 

 possible to keep the sheep upon them to feed them off sooner ; 

 • his is not the way we like, as it has always been iound that 

 early sown Barley yields best, sometimes as much as three 

 quarters per acre difference, but it should never be put in till 

 he land is in a fit sta e, if the weather will allow it. We have 

 finished dibbing Carrots ; -his is the second 3 ear we have puc 

 fhem in this way, and though not so ezpt-dnious as drilling 

 them, it paves much labour when they are fit to single out, as 

 well as allowing us to put into the hole, after the 6eed is 

 dropped, a small handful of a mixture of guano and burntearth 

 -auratei with urine; this h»Ip3 the young plant on rapidly in the 

 spring months. The way weoiD them in is with a dibwithtive 

 joints 8"t in a frame six inches apart, having a double handle, 

 rhe man setting his foot up >n the frame, making the holec 

 •24 inches deep. The land i* well " mended" in the autumn 

 with farmyard dung, and ploughed twice before Christmas, 

 if possible ; it cannot be too fine. It is left the last time 

 ploughed before dibbing on bouts, the holes bein^ made along 

 the top <f 1 he bout, this leaves a spice of about 18 Inche 

 between ihe rows, which is a good distance to get between wiih 

 a horse hoe. Carrots are so well liked by all cattle that we 

 \ grow more every year ; we have also put in the Mangold, both 



Cabbages, per doz., Is to Is 6d 

 Gre ns.p. doz. bunches,4s to 6s 

 Cauliflowers*, p. doz., Is 6d to 4s 

 Broccoli, p.doz.bundl.,7s to 12s 

 French Beans, p. 100, 9d to 2s 

 Seakale, per punnet, 6d to 2s 

 Asparagus, per 100, 4s to 10s 

 Rhubnrb, p. bundl., 6d to Is 2d 

 Potatoes, per ton, 90s to 150 



— per cwt,, 4s to 7s 



— per bush.,ls6d to 3s 

 Turnips, p. doz. bundl., Is to 2s 

 Cueumbers, each, Is to 3s 

 Radishes, per doz., 6d to 9d 

 Celery, p. bundle, 6d to Is 6d 

 Carrots, per doz., 4d to 7d 

 Spinach, per sieve, Is to Is 6d 

 Onions, p. bunch, 3d to 4d 



— Spanish, p. doz., IsSd to 4s 

 Leeks, per doz., 9d to Is 

 Shallots, perJb., 6dtols 



I Garlic, per lb., 4d to 8d 

 Artichokes, Jerusalem, p.halx 



sieve, Is to IsCd 

 Lettuce, Cab., p. score, 6d to 9d 



— Cos, per score, lstolsrtd 

 Endive, per score, Is to Is 6d 

 Small Salads, p. punn ,2d to 3d 

 Horse Radish, p.bundl.,ls to 4s 

 Red Beet, per doz., 6d to Is 

 Mushrooms, p. pot., 9d to Is 3d 

 Sorrel, per hf. sieve, 6d to 9d 

 Fennel, per bunch, 2d to 3d 

 Savory, per bunch, 2d to 3d 

 Thyme, per bunch, 2d to 3d 

 Parsley, per doz. bun., 2s to 3§ 



— Roots, p. bundl. 9d to Is 

 Marjoram, per bunch. 2d to4d 

 Mint, green, per bunch, 4d to 6d 



Watercress,p.l2bunch.,6d to9d 

 Corn Salad,p.h£sieve,lstoU6d 



HAY.— Pt-r L,uau ot 36 I mates, 



Smithfield, April 2 



... 



Clover 

 Second cut 

 Straw 



• •• 



• • • 



-• - 



• •• 



Prime Meadow Hay 73s to 90s 



Inferior ditto 65 72 



Kowen ... 65 70 



New Hay — — 



Trade heavy. 

 Cumberland Market, April 24. 



70i to 85s 

 7* »0 

 25 SO 



J. Coopi*. 



> * * 



. -- 



Prime Meadow Hay 88s to 92s 



Inferior ditto 60 76 



Mew Hay — — 



Old Clover 83 92 



Inferior ... 



New Clover 

 Straw 



*•• 



• •• 



• •* 



75s to 80* 



28 



JOSB17A Ba***. 



• •• 



• - * 



COAL MAUKtil.— F*I"*>. »*" ll i?'„. Mr i Ha- 

 IIol! w II, 13*. 6d. ; Edeo Main. 14.. 81 ; ,* »"■"•* *!!f; 



