THE SOUTHERN PLANTER 



423 



Two only chances remain to them ; and these 

 are, that some new disco-very may be made for 

 raising the produce of pasturage to the same 

 height as that which stabulation now gives, or 

 that further experience may show some detri- 

 ment to the cattle from this confinement. Al- 

 ready complaints are made about the quality 

 of the meat so abundantly produced in this 

 way ; it is said that the oilcake gives it a bad 

 taste, and that the excess of fat on the Dur- 

 ham cattle and Dishley sheep renders the meat 

 neither very agreeable nor so nourishing. It 

 is possible that this is an evil in the new sys- 

 tem, and that pasturage, surpassed in quantity, 

 maintains its position for the quality of its 

 produce ; it is possible, also, that some new 

 disease may suddenly develop itself among 

 these inert and unnaturally fattened races, and 

 oblige a new infusion of more energetic blood. 

 In any case *ve may depend upon this, that 

 the old-fashioned pasturing will not be given 

 up without a struggle ; if it is destined to dis- 

 appear, it will be because of their being no 

 other alternative. The most likely result is 

 the adoption of a mixed system, partaking of 

 the advantages of both methods.* 



While by means of the improved pasture 

 farmers succeeded in keeping at most one head 

 of large cattle, or its equivalent to one hectare 

 in cultivation, which was already much more 

 than could be done in France, it is now main- 

 tained that by stabulation they will be able to 

 keep two, or even three, and so increase con- 

 siderably the production of cereals. In that 

 case, all the land becomes arable ; and the 

 Norfolk rotation may be applied over the whole 

 extent of the property, in place of being con- 

 fined to a half. Such are the changes which 

 take place in things human ; agriculture is 

 subject to them like all else. Hitherto it was 

 the use of the pasture-land which, by increas- 

 ing the number of cattle, and reducing the 

 breadth of cereals, swelled the average return 

 of the corn-lai^d. Now the reduction or abo- 

 lition of pasturage, while it further increases 

 the number of cattle, supplies fresh means for 

 increasing the fertility of the soil, and conse- 

 quently the production of corn for human 

 Consumption. 



We have already noticed that, in the pres- 

 ent state of things, a farm of 175 acres, taken 

 in average condition, would have 75 in grass 

 and natural pasture, 20 in roots and pulse 

 crops, 20 in barley and oats, 40 in artificial 

 grasses, and 20 in wheat. By the new system, 

 pushed to its greatest extent, the natural mea- 



* We believe this last conjecture is that most likely 

 to be realized. Box-feeding and soiling is not gaining 

 eft rapidly in favour as to cause us any anxiety, either 

 as to the desertion of our pastures, or the comfort 

 and health of our stock —J. D. 



dows would disappear, and the 175 acres would 

 be thus divided : 35 in roots or pulse crops, 

 35 in barley and oats, 70 in artificial grasses, 

 and 35 in wheat. The proportion of improv- 

 ing crops to exhausting, which in the first 

 case was 135 to 30, would in the second be 

 only 105 to 70 ; but this difference, it is said, 

 would be more than compensated by the ad- 

 ditional quantity of manure, since, instead of 

 feeding 70 head of cattle, 150 or their equiva- 

 lent might be kept, and not an atom of manure 

 would be lost. 



Can the extension of roots, pulse crops, and 

 artificial grasses, at the expense of natural 

 pasture, really give, as is affirmed, two or three 

 times more food for cattle ? This question is 

 already, in many respects, proved by facts. 

 All these crops are improved together, and, 

 with the aid of draining and machinery, car- 

 ried to their maximum. The cultivation of 

 turnips in drills, called the Northumberland 

 system, nearly doubles their produce ; the 

 rutabagas, or swedes, which are substituted 

 for English turnips on clay lands, give a better 

 result ; and a still larger increase is obtained 

 from the artificial meadows since two new 

 methods have been introduced for rendering- 

 vegetation .more active : the first is the use of 

 a particular kind of rye-grass, called Italian 

 rye-grass ; the second is an improved method 

 for distributing liquid manure. 



The Italian rye-grass is a plant remarkable 

 for its rapid growth. It lasts only two years ; 

 but under favourable circumstances it may be 

 cut as many as eight times in one season. The 

 hay it gives is hard, but, consumed in the 

 green state, it is excellent. It thrives even in 

 the coldest districts, notwithstanding its name 

 and origin ; and it is fast coming into general 

 use, both in England and Scotland. If it real- 

 izes the expectations formed of it, it would 

 seem to be superior to lucerne. 



As to the mode of distributing the liquid 

 manure, it is certainly the most original and 

 curious part of the system. It was invented 

 by Mr. Iluxtable of Dorsetshire, the principal 

 promoter of the new agricultural revolution. 

 It is as follows : The evacuation of the cat- 

 tle, after falling into trenches running under 

 the stalls, pass through pipes into a reservoir, 

 where they are mixed with water and fertilizing- 

 substances ; from thence other pipes branch 

 off underground to the extremities of the 

 property. At distances* of every fifty or sixty 

 yards are placed vertical pipes rising from the 

 conducting-pipe to the surface of the ground, 

 the orifice of which is closed by a cap. When 

 it is desired to manure a part of the land, the 

 cap is removed from one of the vertical pipes, 

 and a gutta-percha tube fitted on ; a pump put 

 in motion by the steam-engine drives the liquid 

 through the pipes, and the man who holds the 

 movable tube waters around him as from a 

 fire-engine. A man and a boy are able to ma- 

 nure in this way five acres a-day. 



