4 BO 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ May 23,1859. 
the ten thousand members of the Royal Agricultural Society of 
England must cause its Journal to be widely disseminated, yet it 
■should be in the hands of every farmer, for it is a perfect mine of 
information on matters agricultural—all more or less valuable, 
"both in its papers and statistics. 
Perhaps the most important paper is that by Sir J. B. Lawes, 
■giving “ The History of a Field Newly Laid Down to Permanent 
Grass.” The term “ new ” is hardly applicable to the pasture, for 
it was laid down nearly thirty years ago ; but the records which 
have been kept for the last twenty-three years, both of the manures 
used and the produce removed, are of especial value, and are all the 
more reliable from the fact of the pasture having been mown for 
hay every year. The summary of results and general conclusions 
is so important that we give it fully :— 
1. By the judicious employment of manures, both natural and 
■artificial, arable land has been converted into permanent Grass, not 
■only without loss, but with some profit to the tenant. 
2. The important constituents, nitrogen and phosphoric acid, 
were supplied in the manures in larger quantities than they were 
removed in the crops, but potash in only about the same quantity 
as it was removed. 
3. The application of dung not only compensates for much of 
the exhaustion from the removal of the hay, but it has a beneficial 
influence on the botanical character of the herbage. 
4. Although the Grass has been mown every year for nearly 
thirty years, there has been a considerable accumulation of fertility 
within the soil. 
5. Analysis has shown that there has been an increase of 
nitrogen in the surface soil beyond that which could be explained 
by excess supplied in manure over that removed in the crops, and 
by the combined nitrogen coming down in rain, and the minor 
deposits from the atmosphere. Part, if not the whole, of this 
increase is probably derived from the subsoil by deep rooted plants, 
which afterwards leave a nitrogenous residue within the surface 
-soil ; or possibly some of it may have its source in the free 
nitrogen of the atmosphere, brought into combination within the 
soil, under the influence of micro-organisms or other low forms. 
6. In laying down arable land to permanent Grass, especially if 
hay is to be removed, it is essential to supply not only nitrogenous, 
hut an abundance of mineral manures, and especially of potash, a 
large quantity of which is removed in the crops, and must be 
returned. When the Grass is not mown, but fed, the exhaustion 
is much less. 
The manures annually applied per acre, and the average cost for 
iwenty-three years, were as follows :— 
£ 
s. 
d. 
3 tons 8 cwt. farmyard manure 
. 1 
5 
6 
fil lbs. superphosphate 
. 0 
2 
9 
46 lbs. sulphate of potash ... 
. 0 
6 
2 
26 lbs. guano ... 
. 0 
2 
6 
SI lbs. nitrate of soda 
. 0 
13 
0 
£2 
9 
11 
this amount add for rent, tithe, 
and rates, £1 
10s. 
and for 
harrowing and other labour, 10s., which brings up the total yearly 
outlay per acre to £4 9s. lid. Each year 1 ton 14f cwt. of hay 
was sold per acre at £6 183. 6d., leaving a balance per acre of 
£2 8s. 7d. Nothing was left to conjecture in this long and 
exhaustive trial, but everything has been submitted to the test of 
severe analysis. We have in full detail the account of constituents 
supplied in the manure and removed in the crops, changes within 
the soil in the formation of the pasture, and even the botany of 
the meadow. 
We regard this paper as the most important recent contribution 
on this subject, and hope it may induce general recognition of the 
importance and profit of pasture cultivation. At the same time, 
we by no means recommend a close adherence to the formula of 
manures, as it is clearly shown in the summary that nitrogen and 
phosphorus were supplied in excess of the annual requirements of 
the pasture, and we have found that pasture may be maintained in 
full vigour for about half the cost given by Sir J. B. Lawes. The 
essential point is to avoid the wasteful use of manure on pasture as 
on all other crops (this is the end and aim of the numerous 
agricultural experiments now being made in so many parts of the 
country), and to see that all pasture has an annual dressing of 
some manure containing the three essentials—nitrogen, phosphorus, 
and potash. Remember also that sheep folding will do this in a 
more economical and thorough manner than any other method, and 
where pasture is mown regularly for hay sheep folding may always 
be done upon it, either in autumn or during the lambing season. 
We have done this now for several consecutive years on the same 
pasture, and the hay crop is invariably a full one. The ewes have 
trough food and roots on the pasture, which of course makes the 
manure more effective than it would be without such high feeding. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Owing to the excessive rainfall work on heavy land and most other 
farms was almost at a standstill during the second week of this month 
of May. Part of the home farm is very light land, and we were able to 
keep the ploughs going ploughing in Rye after sheep folds for Swedes, 
so that when fine weather set in again we were able to sow the Swedes 
at once. This was, of course, done on the flat, by harrowing three or 
four times after the plough with two horses, the drill followed with a 
man and one horse, another man and horse with a light Earley roller 
following the drill, and pressing the soil firmly about the seed. Three 
men and four horses were all that was necessary for the combined 
operation of harrowing, drilling, and rolling. The drill is a light, one- 
horse eight-coulter Excelsior, particularly useful for sowing all sorts of 
small seeds as well as corn, and it has been used this spring for sowing 
all our layers upon a heavy as well as a liaht land farm. Never 
was there a more favourable spring for sowing Mustard on fallows. Our 
fallows so sown last year have now most flourishing Wheat crops, the 
appearance of which is equal to any Wheat we have. Corn-hoeing has 
been so much retarded by the rain, and growth is so brisk, that weeds 
will hardly be got under so well as could be desired. Under the cir¬ 
cumstances the value of horse corn hoes each doing ten or twelve acres 
daily will be fully appreciated, provided due care is taken in using them. 
The broad horse hoes are also busy amony the Beans and Mangold, and 
hand hoes follow in the Mangold, every effort being made to weed and 
single the Mangolds before the haymaking begins. In view of an early 
“ haysel ” the mowing machines have been sent to the foundry to be 
overhauled and be put into thorough order, and other implements re¬ 
quired for this work all examined and necessary repairs done. A recent 
inquiry for the best grass mower leads us to indicate our preference for 
the Hornsby mower over all others we have tried. It is an admirable 
combination of simplicity, strength, and efficiency, the chief merit being 
found in a short stout connecting rod close to and on the same side as 
the knives. We have ample reason to object strongly to any machine 
which has its connecting rod passing across the front of it to the knives, 
as it is then of necessity both long and weak, which means many a 
stoppage in the midst of the haymaking. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
CAMDEN SQUARE, LONDON. 
Lat. 51° 32' 40 'N.; Long. 0° 8' 0' W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
DATE. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAY. 
Hygrome- 
fl . 
Shade Tem- 
Radiation 
d 
IS89. 
B £ 
o .. 
ter. 
S a 
. oS 
Q,_, O 
perature. 
Temperature. 
I 
May. 
* - 
S o*- 
In 
On 
m2 3 
Dry. 
Wet. 
So 
H 
Max. 
Min. 
sun. 
gras3 
Inches. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
In. 
Sunday . 
29.789 
49.1 
4H.7 
w. 
52.1 
61. 2 
46.8 
60.9 
47.5 
0.032 
Monday. 
29.900 
72.6 
51.3 
N. 
51.3 
C0.I 
48.9 
80.9 
49.8 
— 
Tue8da’y ... 
14 
29.876 
51.2 
50.2 
tf.rc. 
51.8 
X2.0 
49.2 
88.7 
46.9 
— 
Wednesday. 
15 
21) 8 10 
51.7 
49 3 
N.E. 
52.0 
r5.2 
46.2 
102.1 
43 2 
— 
Thursday... 
Id 
30 0L2 
53 2 
49.2 
E. 
52 0 
72.8 
448 
1X3.0 
4 a.9 
— 
Friday . 
29.903 
52.9 
51.G 
E. 
54.0 
669 
47.0 
94.9 
45.6 
— 
Saturday ... 
18 
29 909 
54.1 
50 0 
s.w. 
54 0 
64.1 
51.3 
108.2 
50.6 
0.036 
29.906 
52 J 
50.0 
52.5 
63.5 
47.7 
92.7 
47.9 
0.118 
REMARKS. 
12tli.—Rain nearly all day; overcast and cold. 
13tn.—Doll, cold, heavy morning, day, and night. 
14th.—Dull, thick, hazy morning; occasional sunshine during day; fine evening. 
15tb.—Fine morning, chilly; bright sunshiny day aud fine night. 
lGth.—Fine bright morning, day, and night. 
17th.—Fine, but overcast early; dull warm day, and fine night. 
18th.—Dull morning; fine day aDd evening. 
Sunday, 12th, was cold, the max. only reaching aw. The other features of the week 
call for ne comment.—G. J. STM0N8. 
