*3 — 1851- J 



THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE 



3f» 



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^ *_ ^e^rmltuUde and clearly explained practices of . 

 ZJZmtkmen who favour the Society with their opinions. I 

 UrMlrodie gave the result of * very interesting 

 I amiplete set of experiments on four lots of cattle. 



90* «*^"T~V' ... rr :«.« n l,M^ . *V»a eo^nn.l with Tnr- 



fW first fed with Turnips alone ; the sec 

 ^ and oil-cake ; the third with Turnips and ground 

 2 . and the fourth with distillery grains and Bean- 

 W" ■ The cattle were kept from October to June, and 

 w the end of that time, the first lot weighed 536 stone, 

 !nd had cost 108*. 9s. ; the second lot weighed 55*2 stone, 

 and cost 103/. 16*. ; the third lot weighed 517 stone, and 

 jS 1 13/. fo. ; aud the fourth weighed 545 stone, and 

 tut feeding 118/. &?. Here we have the most conclu- 

 de evidence of the superiority of oil-cake ; and, be it 

 -ved, the cattle fed with it weigh 16 stones more 

 . nn those fed with Turnips, also while the cost of feed- 

 jK has been nearly 5/. less. \V here corn has been used 

 the difference is still more conspicuous, the weight being 

 J5 stones less than the second lot, while the cost of 

 keep is nearlv 10/. more. These results are also fully 

 borne out by 'the practice of Mr. Kennedy, of Myremill, 

 and the other speakers at the meeting, all of whom have 

 fcumi the great advantage of giving other foods, and 

 specially oil-cake, as auxiliaries to Turnips ; and we 

 can understand at once the results of their practice, 

 when we inquire, not into the gross weight of the food 

 they give hut the amount of nutritive matter it contains. 

 Thus, for instance, Mr. Kennedy considers that the best 

 practice is to allow 60 or 70 lbs. of Turnips; and, in 

 addition to tliat 2 lbs oil-cake boiled into mucilage and 

 poured ov« r 2 lbs. Bean-meal, 2 lbs. bruised Oats to 

 12 lbs. hay, and a stone of chaff. Now, these substances 

 contain in all about { lb. of nitrogen, which is equal to 

 the quantity of that element contained in above 3 ewt. 

 of Turnips.* Suppose, however, that the animals were 

 fed on Turnips alone, 2 cwt. would be about the 

 c *nt of what they would consume, or they would be 

 able to obtain little more than half the nutriment which 

 they t from the food supplied by Mr. Kennedy's plan 

 of feeling. Mr. Russell and Mr. Wilson have added | 

 their valuable experience to that of the other speakers 

 in support of the example of supplying food in much 

 the same manner as is done by Mr. Kennedy, and in 

 every case we observe that there is given a quantity 

 co lining much more nutritive matter than is con- 

 tained in the quantity of Turnips which they replace. 

 Now tii is directs our attention to the question to which 

 I have already alluded, of the availability, if I may 

 so express it, of the nutritive matters in these different 

 foods. It needs scarcely be observed that where, as in 

 Mr. Kennedy's case, the supply of nutritive matter is so 

 greatly above what can be consumed in Turnips, the 

 weight of cattle is proportionally increased. The cattle 

 become fatter, but not to the extent which might be 

 expected, from the large supply of food, because the 

 nu tire matters are not so readily assimilated in the 

 forms in which they exist in oil-cake, and other similar 

 substances, as in Turnips. It is especially for the 

 determination of this point that I think careful, 

 minute, and oft-repeated experiments on feeding of 

 stock with food of known composition and quanti- 

 ties, are requisite. Such experiments, however, would 

 require a far more minute and constant attention 

 than it is possible for a farmer occupied with his 

 other avocations to give them, and in fact are the sort 

 which would require the exertions of a Society supplied 

 with liberal funds. I am free to admit that with the 

 present feeling of the agricultural public, their per- 

 ormanee on anything like an extended scale is at the 

 present mom^pt almost impossible, but I feel equally 

 certain that the time will come when it will be absolutely 

 necessary that such experiments shall be made. In the 

 meantime I do not see that we have any reason to 

 complain of the advances hitherto made. The state- 

 ments of the speakers show how greatly the practice of 

 feeding has ext n led and the attention which has 

 been bestowed upon it, and as time goes on we may 

 feel sure that the principles of successful practice will 

 become more and more understood, but could a sys- 

 tematic series of experiments be instituted under the 

 supervision of some of our great agricultural societies 

 I am convinced that most important results would be 

 derived from them. The third discussion on the best 

 methods of preparing and applying the different ma- 

 nures, brought out a large amount of precise and 

 valuable information, and may be looked upon as a very 

 valuable illustration of the care and attention now 

 devoted by our best farmers to such matters, Mr. 

 Finnie, who opened the discussion, entered at great 

 length into the best arrangement of a farm- yard, the 

 manure heap, and liquid manure tank, best adapted 

 for the collection and preservation of the shed and 

 hqiiid manures. His principles, without entering into 

 details, may be described as endeavouring as far as 

 possible to collect the liquid separate from the solid 

 excreta. The latter he would interstratify with peat, 

 jniere it can be had, or failing that, with soil or clay. 

 Over the heap he ladles the liquid manure, so as to 

 allow as much as possible to be absorbed, and collects 

 «* the liquid manure tank only that which cannot be 

 obtamed. Mr. Finnie, with full knowledge of the bene- 

 neml results obtained from the application of liquid 

 pan ure, is of the opinion, in which I fully agreed with 

 him at the meeting, that it will, generally speaking, be 

 touch more economical to apply manure in the solid 

 wun in the liquid state. When liquid manure can be 

 Obtained in any quantity, and applied exactly as it is re- 

 T^red, no method, perhaps, pro luces more striking results. 

 "a invigorating effects are immediately seen, and by them 

 w e are apt to be led to form an estimate of liquid manure 



higher, perhaps, than thai which it actually d rves, 

 and even cone, ive it to be superior to, and likely to 

 form a substitute for, the solid farm-yard manure. 1 do 

 not, however, think that it is consistent with what we 

 know of its chemical composition, which should incline 

 us to class it rather as an auxiliary, such as guano, 

 sulphate of ammonia, and the like. Viewed in this way. 

 its importance cannot be over-estimated, but I confess* I 

 consider it doubtful whether its advantages are likely to 

 be felt, excepting upon what may be called altogether 

 exceptional farms, when the quantity is so great that it 

 becomes desirable to erect machinery for its economic 

 distribution. That such cases exist, the experience of 

 several distinguished farmers seems unequivocally to 

 show, but nothing would be more rash than to attempt 

 the extension of their systems to the general husbandry 

 of the country. In fact, we must have solid as well 

 as liquid manure, and for the very important reason 

 that the latter is deficient in phosphates, which 

 among the most important and needful elements 

 of our cereal crops; and wherever the quantity of liquid 

 manure does not exceed that produced on ordinary 

 farms, I agree with Mr. Finnie in thinking that the 

 best and most economical plan is to convert it by means 

 of absorbents into a solid form, rather than to attempt the 

 application of it partly in that, and partly in the liquid 

 form. On the subject of these absorbents, we have heard 

 much lately,and peat charcoal and other substances have 

 been recommended for the purpose, especially of retaining 

 the ammonia. Some experiments and analyses made 

 in the Laboratory of the Society on this subject will be 

 found in the last Number of the Transactions, which 

 show that in this respect peat itself greatly surpasses 

 charcoal or any other substance. In these experiment 

 it was found that solution of ammonia was absorbed in 



the most effectual manner by dried peat, and that even 

 when the saturated peat was exposed to the air until it 

 became dry, it retained a very large quantity of am- 

 monia. It was, however, always observed that a larger 

 quantity of ammonia was absorbed by the peat than was 

 retained by it after it was allowed to become dry, in 

 some instances as much as half escaping in the latter 

 case ; and I think the fact an important one, because it 

 indicates what practice confirms, namely the necessity 

 of keeping the dung-heaps in a state of moderate mois- 

 ture, which is the condition best adapted for preventing 

 the escape of its ammonia. There cannot, on the other 

 hand, be anything more important than the avoidance 

 of too large a quantity of moisture, as nothing is more 

 prejudicial to the manure heaps than its exposure to all 

 the vicissitudes of our climate, at one moment saturated 

 with rain, or more than saturated, at another dried up 

 by the heat of the sun, in both of which cases a loss of 

 ammonia must be occurring, with much more than the 

 average rapidity. All the gentlemen who took part in 

 the discussion were fully alive to this, and it afforded 

 me much satisfaction to observe that one and all of them 

 supported the introduction of correct manure depots, 

 which I anticipate will be the next great improvement 

 in the arrangement of our farm steadings, for it is only 

 under cover that the perfect preservation of manure can 

 be effected, or all those precautions taken which are 

 required to protect it from loss. Such opinions, how- 

 ever, though they are consistent with theory, and are 

 borne out by the observations made on the superior 

 value of the manure produced by the system of box 

 feeding, and other similar plans, have not as yet been 

 sufficiently substantiated by experiment. So far as I 

 know, we have only one experiment on the comparative 

 value of manure made under cover and without, that of 

 Mr. Campbell of Craigie, to which I referred at the 

 meeting, and I mention the matter again here, because 

 it would be doing a good service to the progress of 

 agriculture if any of our members could be induced to 

 institute an extended series of experiments on this sub- 

 ject. The condition in which farm-yard manure should 

 be applied is a question which has been fully discussed by 

 several of the speakers, and the general opinion is. that 

 in autumn it should be applied pretty fresh, but that in 

 spring it should be well and thoroughly rotted. Such, 

 I need scarcely say, is the general opinion, and it is that 

 also to which we should be directly led by theoretical 

 considerations. The rotting of manure is, in fact, the 

 conversion of its nitrogen into ammonia, the state in 

 which it is absorbed by the plant, and when the manure 

 is to lie long in the ground before that process is to take 

 place, it is obvious that the less of its nitrogen that is 

 converted into the condition of the volatile and soluble 

 ammonia the less likely will it be to lose by the protracted 

 exposure to the vicissitudes of the winter. Exactly the 

 reverse of this should be the farmer's object when he 

 applies his manure in spring. He must then endeavour 

 to have as much of its nitrogen in the form of ammonia 

 as possible, as we know well that the abundant supply 

 of that substance is most valuable as giving a start to 

 the young plant, and bringing it rapidly through the 

 first stage of its tender existence Such should obviously 

 be the system, where farm-yard manure alone is to be 

 employed, but it is worthy of observation that the 

 rotting or fermentation of manure can scarely be carried 

 on without at least some loss of ammonia, and it has 

 frequently struck me, that now we can obtain guano, 

 sulphate of ammonia, and the ammoniacal manures, 

 theoretically, the best and most economical method of 

 applying farm-yard manure, would be to use it unrotted, 

 and to mix with it a sufficient quantity of one or other 

 of these substances to supply the ammonia requisite for 

 starting the plants. Mr. Main communicated to the 

 meeting the results of a very interesting experiment, in 

 some respects confirmatory of this view, for he found 



that the best results were produced when a mailer 

 quantity of manure was employed alon with a certain 

 proportion of guano. All the manure he applied in this 

 experiment was, however, well rotted ; but he gives the 

 results of another experiment in which equal quantities of 

 rotted and recent manure were employed for Turnips, 

 and the latter produced by much the best effect. This 

 experiment and its results are certainly at variance 

 with what has hitherto been the practice established 

 by experience, and I trust it will be carefully repeated, 

 because, should the results be confirmed, it will create 

 a very great change in our agricultural practice. 

 In fact, Mr. Main finds that 28 tons of recent 

 manure produce a better effect than 28 of rotten ; but 

 any one acquainted with the management of a dung-heap 

 knows that 28 tons of well-rotted manure correspond to 

 a much larger quantity, perhaps 35 tons, of the recent 

 manure, so that if Mr. Main's experiment be confirmed, 

 not only will the application of the manure in a recent 

 state produce a better crop, but there will be also a very 

 great economy in the quantity employed. The question 

 is one of great importance, and should not be lost sight 

 of by our practical men. It would occupy too much 

 time if I were to attempt entering upon the observations 

 made by the speakers regarding the other manures made 

 upon the farm ; but attention was directed to several 

 other sources of manure, which, though of less imj r- 

 tance than that of cattle, should not be neglected. 

 Poultry manur^vas particularly alluded to, and estimated 

 at about half t^ value of guano, which is probably not 

 far from the truth, and it seems to me that its produc- 

 tion is worthy of more attention than it has hitherto 

 met with in Scotland, and might be coupled with the 

 feeding of poultry, which would be a profitable matter 

 in the neighbourhood of large towns. Compost heaps 

 were also touched upon by some of the speakers, though 

 none enlarged upon their management ; and allusion 

 was also made to the importance of collecting vegetable 

 and animal refuse of all kinds whatever ; nothing in fact 

 which is organic ought to be neglected, and the manure 

 heap, as Mr. Finnie well observed, should be like the 

 purse of the miser, in which should be collected every 

 thing that meets the farmer's eye, as he may be assured, 

 that however trifling it may be, everything he adds to it 

 will go eventually to make his profits. — The last dis- 

 cussion on Grass and Clover seed- for hay-making and 

 pasturage, we have not yet published in our Journal, 

 but shall do so as soon as room is possible. 



Calendar of Operations. 



JUNE. 

 Lammermuir Sheep Farm, June 3. — The unpropitious cir- 



cumiranceB under which May opened, arising from snow, sleet, 

 and cold rain, soon gave wa£ to more cheerful prospect* ; and 

 u the weather has not been so genial as we have frequently 

 seen it, yet it has been dry— an extreme of this being wha* the 

 Lammerrauir hills rarely complain of; still, as it has only been 

 during the last fortnight that the thermometer has kept at, or 

 a little above, temperate, the pastures are by no means rough. 

 The sheep, however, have enough to be doing with, and are 

 healthy, as well as improving in appearance. The lambing 

 being nrer, we can now pronounce our crop to be an average 

 one. With the exception of a few of the youngest lambs, the 

 joint operations of castrating, docking, and earmarking have 

 been got through. The state of the atmosphere, this season, 

 was particularly favourabe for this work, being cool — extremes 

 of heat or cold being frequently followed by severe loss. Though 

 the principle on which many agricultural operations are per- 

 formed by different men be the same, the result is frequently 

 considerably influenced, according as the working of the details 

 is more or less carefully attended to. To one little acquainted 

 with the management of sheep stock, it may appear a very 

 trifling matter, whether in such an ordinary business as dock- 

 ing and castrating a few lambs, the tails be kept •' long" or 

 *' short," or the scrotum be "slit" or ■* topped," and yet, as 

 these things are attended to, will the after appearance, and 

 consequently, the value of the fl »ck be affected. At the tails 

 of the b'ack- faced breed are naturally short, these are never 

 interfered with ; and as lowland breeders shou'd know best 

 what •' cut " snits them, our remarks refer to Chevio'B only* 

 These, w e think, should have their tails cut away exactly at 

 the hocks, care being also taken to have them all of a uniform 

 length. If removed much higher up than this point, it gives to 

 the body of the sheep an appearance of shortness, wnich it 

 would not otherwise have. Besides being considered a point of 

 b*auty in the Cheviot to have a well covered broad tail, a '* good 

 tail " also serves the important purpose of projecting the animal 

 during the cold storms to which it is so much exposed. In 

 ctstra»ing. we prefer M slitting" to " topping ; " for, although 

 by the latter method any matter which may collect can more 

 readily escape, yet this takes place so seldom as to be of little 

 consequence, while, when the animals come to be fed, although 

 equally fat in other respects, those which have been slit will 

 btt found to be much better filled up below; this, at least, 

 pleases the bu'eher, which is not always very easily done. With 

 the exception of the rams and a few* odds and ends kept in 

 the enclosures, sheep-shearing will not be begun in good earnest 

 till towards the end of this month. The fresh growth of wool 

 is not yer sufficiently advanced, and sudden unfavourable 

 changes are of too frequent occurrence in hill districts to venture 

 upon divesting them of their fleece in a hurry. Of this we have 

 abundant evidence since we began writing, the wind having 

 shifted from west to east, and the thermometer falling from 

 55° to 40°, with heavy ram. We have got 18 acres of Turnips 

 sown, consisting of a few white Globes and Swede*, the rest 

 of green top jellows, a variety we find to be admirably adapted 

 for our climate. From the dry state of the soil, very" few have 

 hitherto brairded; now, however, they have plenty of moisture, 

 and with beat following, they will soon be above ground. Wj 

 hav« still a considerable quantity to sow, but as the ground *s 

 either already prepared, or will require little work to put it in 

 order, another fortnight should finish our Turnip sowing. Oata 

 are not looking so well as we could wish. Many of them were 

 late in being sown, and want of ran has hi herto retarded 

 their progress. This year we bad a few acres drilled on a 

 i»iec« of ground much infested with annual weeds ; and these 

 look better than some sown broadcast on the same fie d, though 

 tms may be owing, in some measure, to the former being on, 

 the best soil. At present they are being hoed The cattle are 

 now at Grass; and the milking calves are turned out during 

 che day. but brought under cover at night, when they 

 rece ; v»» Olo*er hay and a small quantity of bruised Oats. A 

 Lammermuir Farmer, 



Notices to Correspondents, 



Charcoal : F Benson. The cheapest plan is to light a peat fire, 

 and continually cover it over with dry peats as it gets red-hot 



