December 8, 1887. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
507 
This Association was formed in 1881, and the Report of 
its proceedings that year has especial value, as showing 
the thorough and careful manner in which the work was 
begun. Similar associations are springing up in other 
counties, and it may prove useful if we give a brief 
account of the details of primary importance in the work 
of such associations. 
The first four rules of the Sussex Association are so 
important that we give them fully 
1. That the work should consist of experiments, with 
the object of ascertaining the most efficacious and econo¬ 
mical forms of manures. 
2. That the crops experimented upon should be those 
largely grown in Sussex. 
3. That there should, in the first instance, be four 
experimental stations—viz.: 
(a) One scientific station for eliciting information, to 
be afterwards put in practice in the field. 
(b) Three field stations, where the experiments would 
be carried out in such a way as are, or might be, practised 
on a large scale. 
4. That the three field stations should be upon the 
three chief geological formations of the county—viz. : 
(a) The weald clay; ( b) the Hastings beds; (c) the 
chalk. v 7 
It will be thus seen how thoroughly practical and 
comprehensive the work of the Association has been from 
the outset. The next step was one of equal importance. 
Rule 2 naturally gave rise to the query, What are the 
crops largely grown in Sussex ? The agricultural statis¬ 
tics issued by the Board of Trade afforded a complete 
answer, so that Professor Jamieson, the chemist of the 
Association, was able to show upon a diagram of the 
agricultural land of that county the proportion of land 
devoted to the crops of Wheat, Barley, Oats, Rye, Beans, 
Peas, Potatoes, Turnips, Carrots, Cabbage, Vetches, &c.; 
Rotation Grass, Permanent Grass, Hops, and Fallow! 
Then came the work of selection and mixing of manures 
for trial upon what were appropriately termed “ educa¬ 
tional plots, and these plots are of especial interest, as 
showing how farmers may analyse the soil for themselves, 
and obtain exact knowledge of its nature and require¬ 
ments. We invite special attention to this matter on the 
part of our readers, for the knowledge so gained may be 
regai ded as an indicator pointing to success even now. 
Professor Jamieson explains that the essential elements 
of plants are potassium, calcium, magnesia, iron, phos¬ 
phorus, sulphur, and nitrogen. A substance containing 
none of these elements is no manure. A substance con¬ 
taining all of these elements is a complete manure. A 
substance wanting one or more of these elements is a 
partial manure. Deprived entirely of any one of these 
elements the plant cannot live. No excessive quantity of 
any one element will make up for deficiency of any other 
element. Rational manuring is the application of all 
those—but only those—elements which are deficient in 
the soil. He goes on to show that chemical analysis of 
the soil properly conducted is the natural and speediest 
method of ascertaining which ingredient is deficient; but 
this is an operation which farmers generally will not 
learn to do for themselves, nor even be willing to pay a 
chemist to do. Without much trouble, however, and at 
little or no expense, similar information of the state of 
the soil may be ascertained by making the soil analyse 
itself, as it were ; in other words, by partial manuring in 
a systematic manner— i.e., by giving to one patch of land 
no manure whatever, to another patch of land all the 
essent al elements, and to six others all the essential ele¬ 
ments excepting one, and that excepted one being a diffe¬ 
rent element in each case. 
We may explain that so little iron is required in plants 
that it was rightly considered at the outset that no special 
plot was required as a test for it, nor was one wanted for 
lime. The outcome of the analysis was most important, 
leading as it did to the conclusion that the only fertilisers 
required by soil generally are nitrogen, potash, and plios- 
phorus. The best form in which these three manures 
can be used is as nitrate of soda, nitrate or muriate of 
potash, steamed bone flour, coprolite, and superphosphate, 
all procured separately, and mixed according to the for¬ 
mula which we have given repeatedly. 
i I>Io ! 1 °k in S is stiii being pushed on briskly, especial care bavins been 
taken to plough the Mangold land immediately after the roots” were 
c eared off it. We had really a useful green crop to plough in, for in 
addition to the Mangold tops, Charlock had sprung up so thickly as to 
quite cover the surface. The showery autumnal weather has been 
peculiarly favourable to seed germination, and where land is infested 
by Charlock we were indeed glad to see its seed caused to growth 
now, so that the plant could be ploughed in, and a considerable out- 
lay tor hand and horse hoeing avoided next spring. We still see 
sheep folded upon Mangold land to consume the leaves. Such a plan 
coukl oniy be justified by great scarcity of food, for the leaves are so 
yaluabie for manure that they should, if possible, always be ploughed 
in. the leaf growth was so vigorous that some men had to go before 
the ploughs with forks to spread them over the surface in order that 
they might be quite covered by soil in the ploughing. A little extra 
labour in deep ploughing at this season of the year is well rewarded 
by a fine seed bed next spring, for soil so turned up and exposed to 
the action of frost becomes pulverised, crumbling when stirred in spring 
like a bed of ashes. _ We do all the ridge ploughing we can, first of 
all throwing the soil into ridges, which are at once split asunder 
V TJ ssm ?, a . Pl° u gb along the middle of each ridge, by which means 
all the soil is moved and the ridges are left high, loose, and well 
open to the action of frost. In ploughing due attention is given 
to making enough water furrows on heavy land, and all such furrows 
are opened into the nearest ditch so as to ensure a speedy passage for 
rain or snow water. Foul land having much couch grass in it should 
also be ploughed up and welt exposed in order that stirring and clean- 
™ a y begin early in spring, and with favourable weather then most 
or the grass roots may be got out quickly, at any rate much sooner 
than is possible when land is left unploughed till spring, and then 
comes up so sodden and heavy that exceptionally fine weather is neces¬ 
sary to render it possible to use harrows upon it. 
SEEDSMEN’S STANDS AT ISLINGTON. 
The Smith field Club Exhibition at the Agricultural Hall, Islington, 
is very satisfactory in the number and quality of the cattle entries this 
year. It is said that there are not quite so many implement and ma¬ 
chinery exhibits, but all available space seems to be occupied. The 
seedsmen s stands are even more elaborate than usual, and there is an 
uncommonly good display of roots for such a bad season as the present. 
Messrs. Sutton & Sons, Reading, have ail extensive and handsome exhibit, 
comprising mounds of their select Mangolds, such as the Mammoth, the 
Intermediate, the Oxheart, and G-olden Tankard, all remarkable for their 
evenness ; fine examples of Champion Swedes and Kohl Rabi being ar¬ 
ranged in a similar manner. At the lower part of the stand are samples 
of Sorghum, the Thousand-headed Kale, Flax fibre, with miscellan- ous 
vegetable farm seeds, and a shield of medals accorded to the firm at 
numerous exhibitions. 
Messrs. J. Carter A Co., High Holborn, have a new and tasteful stand 
constructed of Wellingtonia gigantea wood, in commemoration of the 
jubilee of the firm. A series of recess s in front is devoted to samples of 
seeds, then there are specimens of Tobacco leaf, cut Tobacco, with 
cigarettes and cigars prepared from the samples grown on Messrs. Carter’s 
Kentish farms. Boxes of lawn and pasture grasses forma pleasing finish 
to the fore part of the stand, the upper portion being occupied with 
Green Globe. Elephant, Warden, and Golden Intermediate Mangolds, 
Green Kohl Rabi, White Globe Turnips and Prizewinner Swedes, all 
admirable specimens of their respective varieties. 
Messrs. Webb & Co., Wordsley, Stourbridge, have provided an excel¬ 
lent exhibit of farm roots, the Mangolds and Swedes being of great size 
and very even. The most notable of the varieties which this firm has 
carefully tested are the Champion Yellow Globe and the Mammoth 
Long Red Mangolds and the Imperial Swede. The samples of these are 
displayed in conical mounds and comprise a large number of roots. 
Specimens of farm seeds, Potatoes, including the new Stourbridge 
Glory and other exhibits, complete a very effective stand. 
Messrs. Harrison A Son, Leicester, also have a large number of 
Mangolds and Swedes, with Potatoes and miscellaneous seeds, Messrs. 
Hooper & Co., Covent Garden, contributing a stand of Potato seeds and 
grain samples. 
