THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, January 3, 1860. 
216 
thirteen tons weight per acre. The White Silesian Sugar Eeet is 
a free grower, but stock do not care much for it. Crimson Beet, 
on the other hand, is large, good, and well relished. It might 
with advantage be more generally grown, especially if the price 
were lessened. Twenty shillings per acre for seed—and we should 
not recommend less than 8 lbs.—are a very heavy item. Crop 
thirty-one tons per acre. The same objection, as to cost of 
seeding, holds good with Kohl Rabi. Few farmers, in this dis¬ 
trict at least, have sufficient command of labour to warrant their 
transplanting a large breadth from a seed-bed ; and if drilled the 
same as Swedes—coming in the room thereof—they require quite 
as much seed. At Walton Hall, Warwickshire, the intelligent 
manager, Mr. Cobb, has been in the practice of raising capital 
crops by the transplanting mode, which saves three-fourths of the 
seed and obtains the heaviest plants. The weight of Large Green 
Kohl Rabi, sown on May 16th, we find to be twenty-six tons per 
acre. 
“ Potatoes. —Few districts in Warwickshire are regarded as 
suitable for growing any breadth of this esculent. Most farmers 
grow only for home use, and a whole field, or even a few acres, is, 
generally speaking, the exception. Hence those large centres of 
consumption, Birmingham, Coventry, and other towns, are 
chiefly supplied from greater distances. Their field culture has 
been small since the breaking out of the disease in 1846; one 
reason being that the heavy clay soils, and small fields surrounded 
with hedge-row trees, are ungenial for the produce, either in 
quantity or quality. Coarse, free-growing sorts, such as the 
Farmer's Glory , are preferred in such situations, while York 
Regents are almost wholly ignored. Nor do Flulce Kidneys meet 
with the favour they deserve, although they have hitherto proved 
comparatively free from disease. The produce is less in quantity, 
but quality decidedly superior. We append the acreable results 
of a crop of the latter variety, which were planted the first week 
April, and yield a return of fully six and a half tons per acre. 
Generally speaking, field Potatoes this year run small in size, but 
disease almost unknown. 
CULTURE. £ V. d. 
Manure, 10 loads at 5s... 2 10 0 
Deep ploughing:—4 horses and 2 men . 0 15 0 
Ridging, planting, and summer labour . 1 10 0 
Seed, 15 ewt. at 80s. per ton.„. 3 0 0 
Rent and taxes... 2 2 0 
Digging and storing . 1 10 0 
11 7 0 
PRODUCE. 
95 bushels (84 lbs.) at 4s. 19 0 0 
60 ditto ditto, second quality, at 2s. 3 d . 6 15 0 
20 ditto ditto, third ditto, at Is. 3(7. 1 5 0 
27 0 0 
Deduct cost of culture, &c. 11 7 0 
Profit, &c... 15 13 0 
The above is no fictitious arrangement of figures, although the 
cost of culture would, probably, be differently arranged by other 
growers. There might be more spring labour charged, but the 
deep ploughing in early autumn has not at any time rendered this 
needful in our own case. A single turn of Coleman’s cultivator, 
followed by the harrow and roll, will, in land free from weeds, 
be sufficient before ridging. And, as regards the produce, it need 
only be said that the second two lots were sold to a Potato dealer, 
at the prices named ; while the first—equal in quality and size to 
the best Covent Garden—were entered for the consumption of 
this establishment at the figure quoted. Many growers might 
secure a larger acreable return, and we do not adduce the instance 
as remarkable either way ; it represents our usual produce under 
the ordinary routine of farm management. 
“Holcus Sacchabatus. —This cannot be regarded as a root 
crop, but its excellent qualities for summer forage may excuse 
its being referred to here. The seed we dibbled May 20th on 
good loamy soil, in rows fourteen inches apart and eight inches 
between the plants. The braird was long in coming up, and it 
w’as nearly two months before it set off growing freely. How¬ 
ever, with the warmth of July it flourished luxuriantly, every 
twenty-four hours showing a visible increase. Commenced 
cutting in the last week of the month, and then onwards to the 
end of September. All animals took it readily; but pigs appear 
to waste it more than either liorse3 or cows. For horses we put 
it through the chaff-cutter, instead of their usual summer mixture 
of vetches and straw. They did well with it. They were by 
this time getting too strong to be cut by the scythe, and the 
bean-hook was the better instrument. But notwithstanding the 
hard and woody appearance of the stems, as the season advanced 
the sweetness sensibly increased. It is probable that its en¬ 
thusiastic admirers, such as Mr. J. W. Clarke of Whittlesea, 
have over-estimated the produce. We have repeatedly weighed 
portions after being cut for one day, and have found it average 
35| tons per acre when fully grown. It only threw up half-a- 
dozen seed-stalks to the acre. As a whole, it may be regarded 
as a very valuable addition for summer growth, especially for 
late soiling purposes, after the winter Yetches and Clovers are 
exhausted.” 
THE LATE SHOW OF AGRICULTURAL ROOTS 
AT THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 
During the great show of fat stock by the Smitlifield Club at 
the Bazaar, Baker Street, a very interesting show of agricultural 
roots was held at the Crystal Palace. For a first attempt, and 
got up as it was at a very short notice, it was most successful, 
and brought together a very fine collection of roots. The Long 
Red Mangold Wurtzel, and the Yellow Globe Mangold Wurtzel, 
were some of the best roots ever exhibited. The first prize of 
the former was awarded to Mr. W. B. Boxall, one of whose 
roots, of excellent growth, weighed 28 lbs. The second prize 
went to Mr. Richard Benyon. The first prize of the Yelloto 
Globe Mangold was awarded to Mr. Richard Benyon ; and the 
second prize to Mr. W. Horsburgh. The Turnips and Swedes 
were very good; Mr. Robert Farthing, Mr. W. B. Boxall, 
and Mr. R. Benyon taking the first prizes for Turnips; and 
Mr. E. Wright, Mr. R. Benyon, and Mr. J. K. Fowler, the 
first prizes for the Swedes. The Carrots w r ere fine specimens, 
His Grace the Duke of Portland taking the first prize both in 
White and Red. His Grace’s six roots of Red weighed 
19 lbs., and measured twenty four inches in length each. The 
Kohl Rabi excited much attention. Colonel North exhibited 
most excellent specimens in all the four varieties, and obtained 
four first prizes and two second prizes. Mr. J. H. Clark gaining 
the second prize for the Round Purple. Very good samples of 
Potatoes were also shown. Messrs. James Dickson and Sons, 
of Chester, had a stand with an excellent collection of Roots, 
Grasses, and Seeds ; and Messrs. Sutton and Sons, of Reading, 
had a very large collection of roots of excellent quality, in 
which their Champion Swedes, Flvetham, Fnglefield, and Yellow 
Globe Mangold Wurtzel, deserve especial notice. 
VARIETIES. 
History or the Oat.— “Like the other cereals, the early 
history of the Oat is enveloped in mystery. It has been so long 
in cultivation, without any distinct records to guide U9 to its 
original country, that it still remains unknown. It has been 
suggested that the cultivated Oat originally came from Persia or 
Mesopotamia, countries to which we are indebted for so many of 
our cultivated productions. Indeed, Colonel Chesney, in one of 
his explorations, met with a variety of Oat growing wild on the 
banks of the Euphrates, which would go far to strengthen this 
belief. Dr. Lindley tells us that although this plant (which he 
describes) differs materially from our common Oat, still it is not 
inconceivable that it may be either the original state of this kind 
of corn, or that it may be it in a state of degeneracy, arising from 
many centuries of neglect. No mention, liow'ever, is made of it 
in the Bible, wdrere we find the other cereals spoken of. It 
would, therefore, appear doubtful whether it was known to the 
natives of the East at that early period. This fact, combined 
with the knowm hardiness of its constitution, leads others to look 
upon it as a plant more likely of northern origin; for it is culti¬ 
vable up to the most northern latitude. Yet, in all the countries 
which have been visited, no trace of its wild prototype has been 
discovered. Our evidence is certainly very defective with regard to 
the early history of Oats. None of the Roman agricultural 
writers mention it; and yet we find in Roman history indi¬ 
cations of its cultivation from the story of the Emperor Caligula 
feeding his favourite horse with gilt Oats served in a golden 
manger. The. wide range of soils that Oats possess, and tlio 
comparatively low temperature under which they come to their 
maturity, have rendered them well adapted to the cultivation of 
high latitudes, and especially for insular climates. If w T e draw a 
line across this country w r e should find that north of York the 
Oat thrives better than in the southern half, where the compa¬ 
rative dryness of the air and the higher temperature of the 
climate render it more suitable for the cultivation of Wheat and 
