188 
FOREIGN AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 
Special Manures ,—Mr. Fleming of Barrochan (a 
Scottish farmer) gives the following as the results of 
his steward’s experiments on special manures. He 
found that the nitrate of soda and potash, when applied 
by themselves, or in mixture, are beneficial to potatoes 
and hay; but when applied to grain crops, especially 
singly, they are positively injurious in a moist climate, 
as, though the growth of straw is greatly increased by 
them, the sample of grain becomes lighter and other¬ 
wise deteriorated. He considers it probable that the 
silicate of potash would counteract this effect. Com¬ 
mon salt, at a distance from the sea, is advantageous to 
grain crops as respects color and plumpness, and also 
to grass and hay, although it does not cause a rush of 
growth like the nitrates. Soot differs little from nitrates 
in its effects on grass intended for hay, but the dealer 
in hay gives a less price for hay raised by soot. Sul¬ 
phate and muriate of ammonia have the same effect as 
the nitrates. Sulphate of soda and magnesia act differ¬ 
ently, and will not pay in most cases when applied by 
themselves to potatoes or grain, but they do well when 
mixed with nitrates. Guano may be successfully ap¬ 
plied to every species of crop in the field or garden, and 
it always proves a most powerful auxiliary to farm-yard 
dung. 
Analysis of Soils.— The following is a method of 
analysing soils, for ordinary agricultural purposes: 
Weigh a sufficient quantity of the earth to be analysed, 
say 1000 grains dried in the open air: dry the same 
before a fire on paper so as not to scorch the paper; 
re-weigh, and the difference will be the moisture. 
Roast the residue; re-weigh, and the difference will be 
the organic matter. Pour a convenient quantity of 
muriatic acid on the remainder, when stirred and set¬ 
tled pour it off, and add oxalate of ammonia ; the pre¬ 
cipitate will be the lime. Mix the remainder with 
water, and stir it well; when a little settled, pour off 
the turbid mixture, and the suspended contents are 
argillaceous, and the deposite siliceous. 
Remarkable Fecundity of a Ewe. —A valuable ewe, 
the property of Mr. Edward Rowle of Cumberworth, 
near Alford, yeaned on the 7th inst., in less than half 
an hour, the extraordinary number of five lambs, aver¬ 
aging in weight 5| lbs. each. The whole of the lambs, 
with the ewe, are stout and healthy. 
British Guano. —British Guano is now being gather¬ 
ed from the Flamborough cliffs, in Yorkshire. 
New Work on the Vine. —We learn with much pleas- 
are that a descriptive account of an improved method 
of planting and managing the roots of grape-vines is 
about to be published by Mr. Clement Hoare, whose 
valuable work on the general management of vines in 
the open air is so well known. We understand that 
the author’s intention is to make known a new method 
of planting and managing vines, so as to give the gar¬ 
dener as perfect a command of the roots as lie now has 
of the branches. 
Culture of Wheat in China. —Wheat is cultivated 
nearly throughout the whole of China; hence the dif¬ 
ference in the time of planting, and its coming to ma¬ 
turity. In the southern provinces it is sown in Novem¬ 
ber, as soon as the rice crops or vegetables have 
been cleared away; and in the northern it is planted 
toward the end of October. In the former the harvest 
commences in April, and in the latter in May; in the 
Shantong and Chensi provinces it is not finished before 
the end of July; so that it requires above half a year to 
come to maturity. It is cultivated on almost every kind 
of soil, and on the slopes of the mountains, which are 
cut into terraces for the purpose. In the neighborhood 
of Amoy (lat. 24° 25') it is planted in the marshy 
grounds from which the rice crop has been removed; 
and the mean temperature of the months of January 
and February, 1843 (which were very wet) was about 
56° of Fahrenheit. The coast about Amoy is ex¬ 
tremely barren and unproductive, the soil being chiefly 
composed of disintegrated sand-stone, and the detritus 
of granite, naturally producing nothing but mosses, and 
a few stunted pines and laurels; by the industry of the 
Chinese, and the copious application of human ma¬ 
nure, it is made highly productive ; and cultivation is 
carried on to the very summit of hills 1,000 and 1,200 
feet high, the slopes of which are formed into terraces, 
to prevent the soil from being washed away by the 
rains. Smut appears to be the only disease to which 
the wheat is subject. Everything in the shape of a 
weed is carefully removed, and the utmost attention 
paid to prevent any noxious influence from injuring the 
crop. The land is prepared in the ordinary manner 
when the autumnal rains have fully soaked it. Having 
been plowed in a very loose manner, the clods are di¬ 
vided by a harrow, the pins of which have a cutting 
edge, which is drawn by a small ox, after which it is 
formed into deep and broad furrows, with intervening 
ridges for the reception of the plants, which, having 
been raised in nursery-beds, are transplanted when 
about five inches high in bunches on the long ridges, 
so as to occupy only one half of the ground. In each 
bunch of the transplanted wheat which I picked here 
(at Chusan) there were 29 plants or stalks; and a 
square yard contains 15 such bunches planted at equal 
distances. I examined 15 heads (ears) one from each 
stalk of the bunch, in their perfectly ripened state, and 
found them to contain as follows: 33, 45, 34, 49, 
34,40, 42, 32, 48, 45, 31, 33, 38, 34, and 44 grains 
each, giving an average produce of 38.8 per ear. An 
ounce avoirdupois contains 1067 grains; this gives 
48.771333 to the apothecary’s scruple, or 146.3213 to 
drachm. 
The process of tillage is rather tedious, and the ex¬ 
pense of ground considerable; but in return for this, 
the wheat takes deep root, and is well nourished. 
The manure employed in some places is the cake left 
after expressing the oil from mustard-seed, human and 
other hair, lime from burned shells; but human foeces 
and urine constitute the prevailing manure, and are so 
highly valued that they are carefully preserved by every 
family, and sold at a high price. To such an extent is 
the economy of this manure carried, that, to prevent 
any possible waste, privies are everywhere provided in 
the towns, and those who have occasion for them, not 
only invited to enter, but paid for so doing with a small 
piece of money. All these several substances, with a 
vegetable expressly cultivated for the purpose, straw 
and weeds are thrown into vats, of which several are 
placed for security at the door of every house, and left 
to ferment till required. Wheat is called by the Chi¬ 
nese “ syiy nia,” and barley “ drow nia,” or «the poor 
man’s grain the former being called, when speaking 
to us, £C mandarin chow,” chow or food. The latitude 
here (at Chusan) is 30° O' 20", at Amoy 24° 25' 0"; 
but the cold is both longer and more severe here tha.. 
at Amoy during the season of wheat. There is a wheat 
here without a beard, a specimen of which I have. It 
is cultivated in the same manner as the other. The 
average weight of each ear in an undried state is 15 
grains. Great attention is paid to the manuring and 
irrigation if the season happen to be dry. During the 
winter the wheat remains very low, and no further at¬ 
tention is paid to it by the husbandman. In April and 
May the growth is extremely rapid; but the Chinese 
do not allow the crop to attain perfect maturity before 
they cut it, lest the grain should fall out. When cut it 
| is left to dry, and the grain is then beaten out in a tub. 
