THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE 



t of the adver isemenLs requjedby t^ ^ and 

 are inserted by the comm.ss.oners T he d«»cuig 

 1ms been observed upon in the Gazette, as to tn 

 advice of the money for the exeei ttton . of the »o rks 

 the y proceed, surely is ^^^T^SSi the 



that even now 



then to 



Before this is 



to; any 



en plants 



m Clover 



il"« litter is written, and to observe, __ — . uuucri „ t 



hnk our opinions are notfar from coinciding and that ; Humphry Davy had found, i„ft 

 I do not fear but ultimately they will meet and coalesce J into the relatvon betwe- ■ 

 pntirelv I draw this conclusion from the enlightened ( existed more gypsum i 

 sentiment at the conclusion of his letter, that « a farmer I ntW nW- -aw. u. . 

 would not totally destroy winged game, as they are h.s 

 best friends, living upon his enemies ;" or he might .have 

 said, that a single brood of partridges do more real ser- 



narV circumstances. — , 



loan by Government will have been agreed ^ 



banker in the neighbourhood Wj»J™°*V ly, ma k e sa .d, that a sing.e urinm u, !«—-«> 



stances, and has any confidence ,n the Pjg^JJ vice ' to the farmer, by destroying w.re-worms and other 

 the necessary advances for lOT the jo kmen am g ^ ^ ^ score or two of rabblts 



the progress of the work, to be repaid w tn «»"» 

 the loan is paid over from the Treasury. C Z*™ 



I rejoice that so intelligent a correspondent of 



•ence . 



or hares do injury. Geo. Wilkins. 



Mr! Cuthill should have 



the A «T™ Ul ^ from the obloquy 



deemed ray challenge to defend "» ronsider 



cast upon it, to be worth his accepting , as 1 consider 

 thft rSm his experience, observations, and prudence, he 

 s we TZM to defend and support any views he may 

 Sider ake to advocate. I shall, however require much 

 Sil^n^th from him and others, who may take an 

 interest in this very important subject ; for the task I 

 have u*\ med myself of defending what is generally con- 

 demned, is not a very grateful one: but I hope, never- 

 theless to eradicate some of the prejudice existing 

 **ins7game and game-preservers, and I trust also to 

 make some proselytes to my own opinions. I observe, 

 however, that I shall keep my mind open to conviction, 

 and be more anxious to acknowledge that my own views 

 are erroneous, than to gain a triumph over my competi- 

 tor. But first, and in limine, I wish it always to be borne 

 in mi nd , that in my challenge I studiously and carefully used 

 the word" Game, 5> meaning thereby game in theaggregate, 

 and not any one or more kinds of it. With these pre- 

 liminary remarks, I proceed to Mr. CuthnTs six ques- 

 tions as they appear in the Agricultural Gazette of May 

 30. 1. • Who does he," Mr. Wilkins, * consider is the 

 master on the farm where game is preserved?" I 

 answer this question by putting a parallel one ; namely, 

 when a master of foxhounds covenants with a tenant to 

 keep for him breeding-hound bitches and their puppies, 

 or brood-mares and their foals, who does Mr. Cuthill 

 consider is master on the farm whereon those bitch- 

 hounds and puppies, and mares and foals are kept ? 

 2 and 3. " How much does a hare or rabbit cost the 

 landlord ? How much the tenant P These questions 

 embrace so many circumstances and casualties, that a 

 volume would be required in which to enumerate them; 

 but I will endeavour to give a brief reply to them, by 

 again asking a counter question. The proprietor of a 

 farm says to an applicant for it to rent, " Sir, I preserve 

 the game on my estate, and on this account I have 

 fixedthe rent of the farm at 450?. a year, otherwise it- 

 would have been 500/." m Very well," replies the applicant, 

 "grant me a lease on those terms, and I will sign it and 

 become your tenant." Now, should the landlord get 

 annually 50 hares and rabbits only from that farm, each 

 one would cost him just 20s., besides the expenses of 

 preserving : and were 25 only obtained by the landlord, 

 then, in that case, each one would cost him 21. But 

 what would the 50 or 25 hares and rabbits cost the 

 tenant 1 Perhaps 50 pence or 25 pence, or say, 50s. 

 or 21 10.?. ; but this would be a very high sum indeed. 4. 

 u How is it that when a large landed proprietor takes to 

 farming himself, he always does away with his pre- 

 serves ?' Were this the case, it would certainly tell 

 somewhat against my argument, but my experience has 

 shown to me that just the reverse has been the truth. 

 For example, at this time I am personally acquainted 

 with several game preservers, and every one of them 

 farms, and some of them extensively ; and I be- 

 lieve this to be the rule with most preservers, 

 the other to be the exception to it. 5. " What 

 effect on the county-rates, if the Game Laws were 

 abolished ?" I reply to this question by again asking 

 one or two more ; namely, what effect upon the county- 

 rates were the laws abolished for the preservation of 

 poultry, or fruit I For I, myself, can perceive but 

 little or no difference between these cases, except that 

 to steal hares, and rabbits, and partridges, and phea- 

 sants, is called poaching, whilst to rob fowKhouses and 

 orchards is called thieving. But in my opinion there is 

 but little difference between the crimes, except that the 

 * poacher is the most desperate character, as he gene- 

 rally pursues his vocation in the dead of the night,armed 

 like a bandit, with murderous weapons, whilst the other 

 but seldom commits violence. Were I, therefore, to 



of 



^orifties;* 



ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY OF ENGLAND. 



A Weekly Council was held at the Society s House, 

 in Hanover-square, on Wednesday the 18th of June, 

 the Hon. Robert Henry Clive, M.P., Trustee, in the 

 chair ; when Professor Way, the Consulting Chemist of 

 the Society, delivered a Lecture on the — 



AGRICULTURAL EMPLOYMENT OF GYPSUM. 



Professor Way commenced his lecture by stating the 

 chemical composition of Gypsum, or Plaster of Paris. 

 He described it as a Hydrated Sulphate of Lime, con- 





its indirect action on*** * * «£ 



and 8ojL ?^k 



the conclusion "tharg;;™^ and ^th^*** 

 combination of sulphuric add ^V**' "2^ 

 an essential food of plants lme > **>W ' 



"In examining the ashes ofSainf„- „, ~"*^« 



found .hat the, afforded ESffi &*' M4 W 

 aud this substattr*A r,^K„ hlw . . . qQan 



son »!,. b ' ln " »• (lltM ' 



on an acre, according to mv *est;^.' op ' or »**k5f 

 incineration only three or four hSi on ' *<W2S 

 Davys Seventh Lecture: ° M bUShels ot l!Mi£g 



In none of the experiments made by Sir R * 

 gypsum appear to increase the putref^L f^* 

 matter or the decomposition of i* 6 * f 

 Berkshireand Wiltshire peat-ashes cooS, »' **** 



necessary 



Ci 





sisting of- 



Lime ... ... 



Sulphuric acid 

 Water 



. He had, however 



many peat-ashes m which gypsum ' 



of this substance : the Newbury pea t if*'* 

 from one-fourth to one-third ; the StocE, 

 ashes a larger proportion. He had, however ^S 



- . • 



• • • 



• • * 



i • ■ 



32*5*) Or as composed, 

 46 5 > in peneral terms, 

 21 Oj of about .. .. 



100-0 



J Lime, 



$ sulphuric acid. 



1-5 Water. 



acted 



i 



be 

 L 



and 



It occurred in the older transition rocks, in the 

 secondary strata (especially in the new red sandstone), 

 and in the tertiaries above the chalk : for instance, in 

 the London and Pans beds, the Oxford clay, the red 

 marl in Cheshire above the salt beds, and generally in 

 the counties of Cumberland, Stafford, Derby, and Not- 

 tingham ; in the state of alabaster, and also in the form 

 of lance-headed crystals, as selenite. The colour of 

 natural gypsum varied according to its impregnation 

 with iron and other substances. He submitted to the 

 members some specimens from Normandy, Nottingham, 

 and Derbyshire, which had that morning been received, 

 in which this variety of colour was shown. Gypsum was 

 soluble in 461 times its weight of water. When heated 

 to 272 degrees, its water was driven off, and the gypsum 

 lost about one-fifth of its weight ; it could then be easily 

 reduced to a fine powder, and became the well-known 

 substance, "plaster of Paris," so extensively used in 

 plastic operations ; the powder on being wetted assuming 

 a compact mass, having the shape of the vessel or mould 

 into which it was poured. Professor Way supposed this 

 binding effect to be the mechanical result of the interlacing 

 of the crystals formed during the operation of the water 

 on the plaster of Paris. If heated too strongly, however, 

 as, for instance, much beyond the common heat of a 

 baker's oven, it would not set afterwards on the admix- 

 ture with water. He thought there might perhaps, 

 prove to be an advantage in this result when gypsum 

 was required for application to the soil, as it would no 

 longer have binding properties. He then performed a 

 very simple and striking experiment to show how easily 

 gypsum could be recognised when held in solution by 

 water. He filled two tumbler-glasses with water im- 

 pregnated with gypsum : into one of these he poured a 

 solution of oxalate of ammonia, which immediately gave 

 a copious white precipitate showing the presence of 

 lime ; into the other he poured a solution of muriate of 

 barytes, which also gave a copious white precipitate, in- 

 dicating, however, in this case, the presence of sulphuric 

 acid. The two tests thus establishing, by their com- 

 bined evidence, the existence of sulphate of lime, or 

 gypsum, in the water under examination. Professor 



5 inferred that it would °furnish^sam° b1!! 



iebig considers that the sulphuric aci'a rf^! 

 becomes decomposed in the course of the vi£ 

 process of plants, and that its sulphur is theC 

 which is given off to leguminous seeds and cornai! 

 generally. ™ 



■* Thin me are enable* to explain the use of coming uk M 

 manure ; it enables the plants for which this ma^Tt7.i! 

 to extract its su'phur from the soil ia which it tinfoil? 

 form of sulphate of lime." * 



"Gypsum, or sulphate of lime, is the most geQcntif him 

 sulphate. Being soluble, it may either pas* dim 

 plant, or it may be decomposed by the carbonate 

 existing in rain water, when its sulohur willpmlafr 

 plant in the form of ammonia,"- Liebig's Agr. CknLU 

 (chapter v\) 



M. Boussingault regards lime as the valuable <m 

 nent part of gypsum, and considers gypsum to be tf i 

 value where there is an abundant supply of * 

 of lime. 



*' In conclusion, we perceive that it may fair.Tha 



tha* gypsum acts beneficially on artificial meadows, byew 

 ing lime into the soil : that, at least, is the opinion ffefc 



seems best to accord with agricultural facts, ndijftfc 



results ob'aine'i by analysis from the ashes of op; I 



may even add, that best accord* also with resoltiAM 



from the analysis of arable soils; for it maYbewfeni* 



from a series of researches made by M. Rigaad it '?* 



that gypsum acts only on those soi's which do net*, mm 



a sufficient amount of lime in the sta'e of wtb:aitt*- 



Boussingaidt : Economie Rurale, 18 14 {Chip, vi ) 



Liebig ascribes to gypsum the power of solidifjiajfc 

 ammoniacal vapours floating in the atmosphere, utt 

 giving to nitrogen or ammonia a fixed condition in* 



soil. 



" The evident influence of gypsum upon the nowtli of Win 

 the striking fertility and luxuriance of a EeMorip 

 which it is strewed, depends in some degree Bpjjto 

 in the soil the ammonia of the atmosphw, rtttij? 

 otherwise be volatilised with the water which er 

 The carbonate of ammonia contained m ™n-watffM«g 

 nosed bv evp*um in precisely 'the same maonfriiW 

 manu'Bc'ureuf sal-ammoniac. 





onnte oi nme are wuu™ > ■— - - — - ,. . 



AH the k.,, — m rto 



the carbonate of ammonia continues 



pos*essin>r no volatility, i« conaeqnentij r ™ «.~ 



saying that gypsum would do no further good to land in 

 which it already existed. In order to ascertain whether 

 such was the case, the farmer had only to digest some of 

 the soil in cold water, filter the liquid through blottin- 



nr 



n 



. nd carbontte of lime are formed ; and dm sal.of i 



iBf 1 



ite of ammonia continues *» JJ^T-drfiii 



e*i.U.» -The action of pP»™,'^«ft?5Si- 

 of other salt, of lime, really consul .« tbw» £■ j, 

 co.d;tion to the ni-ro.en or ammonia ^^d 

 soil. This nitrogen is indispensable for W 

 plant,."- Liebig's Agr. Chem. [Chap *J . - 



I : . „ .«tann!i oppoaea tins view of w£JJg 

 pounded"!, l2C ^.^S15S1 



decorn 



- " -' -a UK "* 



odd ai 



p^ence of water -Jn * ^S£*£* 

 diffused state. Boussingault i» f 



could have no effect in decomp £ ^^ 





toke place u..der cIrcumsM«s ol s««. » r, 





one woo ot property, I would also abolish the laws for the 



K^S^ 8 ? ^^ ButUm also Mlted.2wo3d 

 I. be u etter f ° r landl0 ^ to let each of his tenants 



person 



tenants 

 noxi- 



™ Iand ? d a " d t^ tenant ?» My decided opinion 



Sw W °?l d n0t b6 better ' but a **** deal wor ^ »«e 

 landlords not to preserve game by means of keepers ; nor 



Snl S Ve ^ Z*™^^ •» t^ cause of all bitter 

 strife between landlords and tenants. It is true, and 

 nu.tepo8s.ble, that tenants may not lite a keeper, or 

 »t the keeper may be litigious or overbearing to the 



rsteiUds and' S r ^ K appHeSals ° to rewards Bu 

 Inrafnlirlfe? be _ nece8sa fr or useful, as I 



paper, and then add to two separate portions of it a little 

 oxalate of ammonia and muriate of barytes, as just 

 shown. Gypsum, when broken down into powder, might 

 be drilled in with the seed, or used (as was more gene- 

 rally the case) as a top-dressing in the spring. In 



America gypsum had been applied with great success to j absorption of ammonia 

 all crops ; but in England, while it had been found ~ " T 



valuable to Clover, Italian Rye-grass, Sainfoin, Lucerne, 

 and to leguminous plants and artificial Grasses generally, 

 it had not proved beneficial in the same degree to the 

 Grasses of natural pastures. The actiSi of "gypsum on 



vegetation was very capricious and often fallacious : 



although occasionally useful, like common salt, it was 



sometimes successful and at other times not so. Thcfi- 



apparently inconsistent results had arisen from want of 



care in noting the precise circumstances in each case of 



the application of this manure. To one of these cases 



he had just made reference, namely, to that of gypsum 



beinz already present in the soil, as on the new red 



sandstone and Oxford clay formations, and therefore not 

 further required by crops growing on such land. Fail 



ure 



also, or made I 

 never can be. 

 ad 



1 \ r SUVUi ' M l0 the tenants, and 

 must be preserved, and by keepers 



it 



TT . * „ r*T vl Vj w«t mat It 



Having so far replied to my worthy 

 questions, I close the --"«/• - y 



reserving what I have 

 itself for suhsennAnf ^; Crt « c 



versary's ijucrooas, i close the subject for the 



to say in 

 tion. I 



crops, then gypsum might be applied under favourable 

 circumstances. Prof. Way then proceeded to discuss 

 the theory of the action of gypsum. If it in certain 

 cases proved of service, in what manner, it might b 

 tor the asked, was this beneficial result produced 1 what had 

 defence been the mode of aetinn in pU mn ^ M «„j «: * ■ 



wish, how. I Was the lime, the sulphuric acid 



ilpt 



cvpsum couia nave m# m*™ . ^ 



Unate of ammonia of the atmosphe« j 



state of the soil. If ««» on ^' c 1, whj.h* 

 plants, and particularly to the Wheatcr<> , ^, 

 !loes not evpsum act benefic.ally on al ^ + 



which Lieoig »» ■ ^ ^ 



Place? Professor way .then ^f^ ,^j 

 objections to the theor.es of these tn .^ 

 chemists. Sir Humphrey ^y 8 J f V-*« 

 led him to deduce sound ^S, rf ph«l»«J 

 they stood before him j but the jmsl g J ^ 

 time was very imperfect, and . ^ad, s ^ . * 



of his lectures, been earned on » >r ^^ 



it was now known that man) other P G! ^ 



as much gypsum as Sa.ntfo.n , and tj » 



without being benefited byteJJ* to the obj«J* 



growth. M. Liebig's theory^aB op . shsBl g» 

 that although gypsum may no Jou ^*** 

 phmts^oils'possess toV^$$&A «£% 

 gypsum being present. M. »» ^ maD y &fg 

 the fact that more lime was fojaj * ^ » 

 than in those of arnfioal Grj«J» ^ fcjj 



crop of Carrots takes ^m^ ^ m #> 

 as much lime as Cloi -er haj a ' m cb^ ^ 

 asSaintfoin hay, and fourteen to ^ u mlg t »J 

 Rye-grass ; and Professor ^y tl >«%j 

 fofe Reasonably be asked v£y W {qx wf 

 of lime, is not a good rna ^ ^ « 



Carrots I It was unfortuna £* »*}> 

 these points was as yet so *W* ^ m & 

 Bhould go much straighter w 



