MASSACHUSETTS STATE COLLEGE GOODELL LIBRARY D Ser.3 raas4 j-v- 14^ 3er. 3 No. 1, Vol. XIV. I ^, JULY, 185S. [Third Series. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE AKB MONTHLY JOURNAL OP THE AaRICULTUEAL mTEREST. Bfiritatfir TO THE FARMERS OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. LONDON : PUBLISHED BY ROGERSON AND TUXFORD, 246, STRAND. PRICE TWO SHILLINGS, XOaEUON AITD TDZTOBD,] [PBINTEBS, 246, STBAMO. THE ROYAL FARMERS* AOIKI€U£.TURAl. A ]¥ ]> COMMXIIICIA]^ INSURANCE COMFANV. 3, NORFOLK STREET, STRAND, LONDON, W.C. RATES. HATL — Wheat, Barley, Oats, and other ordinary Crops, without limitation, as to quantity"! „, . grown, J "^* P" Acre. The last Bonus (1856) was upwards of 60 per Cent, to Insurers of the four previous years, and in propor- tion to Iiiiiuiers for h hss period. The R .yal Farmers' is the first Office which introduced this additional means of protecting the interest of the Farmers. It should be brtrne in mind that no care whatever can prevent damage by Hail, and that there is no means of protection other thiin that now < ffered. J he losses by Hail Storms within the last few years in districts where parties neglected to insure, have been very seveie ; and many persons were reduced from prosperous circumstances to the painful necessity of avail- in,- themselves of a public subscription — a necessity they might have avoided by the trifling payment of Sixpence per Acre. FI KE.— Fire Insurances of every description at moderate rates. Farming Stock without average,4s. per cent. LOSSES paid immediately after the amounts have been ascertained. LIFE. — Li/e Insurances on moderate terms by Policies payable to the Registered Holders. Further particulars may be had at the Chief Office, or of the Agents. Additional Agents Wanted. Application to JOHN REDDISH, Secretary and Actuary. ORII^IIVAI. A]¥TI-€0»RO^IO]V PAI]!¥T, Specially patronized by the British and other Governments, the Hon. East India Company, the principal Dock Companies, and otlier public bodies, &c., is particularly recommended to the Nobility, Gentry, Agriculturists, Manufacturers, West India Pro- prietors, and others, it liaving been proved by the practical test of more than seventy years to surpass all other paints as an out-door preservative. It is extensively used for the protection of wooden houses, farm, and other out-buildings, farming im- plements, conservatories, park paling, gates, irun railings, iron hurdles, copper, lead, brick, stone, old compo, and stucco fronts, and tiles to represent slating. The superiority of the Anti-Corrosion to every other paint for out-door purposes may be easily inferred from the simple fact, that its use has been always most strenuously opposed by Colour Manufacturers, Painters, Oil and Colourmen, and others interested in the sale of common paints. It is also very economical, any labourer being able to lay it on. 34s. White Stone Li'.HT Do. Dkab or Portland Do Bath Do. /■ Light Yellow Do I^per cwt. Dark Yellow Do Light and Dabk Oak Bkown .. .. ., .. ,. .. CoLOES ; Li .UT and Dark Lead 30s. Dakk Chocolate \ Bright and Dark Red ( 30s. CoppEE l' per cwt. Black ) Invisible Geeen 46s. per cwt. Deep Geeen 5Cs. „ Bright Green 56s. „ Blue (for Carts and Wagons) 56s. „ Light Chocolate .. '. '.'. W '. |;jpercwt In casks of ;i8, 56, and 112 lbs. each, and upwards. — Oil & Brushes. — The Original Anti-Corrosion Paint is only to be obtained of (Successors to the Inventors) 9, GREAT WIXCHRSTRR STREET, OLD BKOaD S T. (Near the ROYAL EXCHANGE) LONDON.EC. who will show 700 most flattering Testimonials received from the NobJity, Gentry, and Clergy, who have used the Anti-Corro- sion for many years at their country seats. A Copy of the Testimonials will be sent on application. No Agents. -All Orders are particularly requested to be sent direct. BLAIR'S GOUT AND EHEUMATIC PILLS. Price Is. Ijd. and 2s. 9d. per box. ryiHIS preparation is one of the benefits ■which Ihe science of modern chemistry baa conferred upon _L mankind; for during the tirst twenty years of the present century to speak of a cure for the Gout was considered a romance ; but now, the efticacy and safety of this medicine are so fully demonstrated by unsolicited testimonials from persons in every rank of life, that public opinion proclaims this as one of the most important discoveries of the present age ; and, in testimony of its etiicacy, Mr. W. Burch, Chemist, West Bromwich, writes — "Nov. 8th, 1866. Gentlemen, The enclosed Testi- monial was received by me from a customer residing in this town. Yours respectfully, W. Burch. To Messrs. Prout & Co." Mr. Ark INSTALL, of the Lyng, West Bromwich, says:— "I have much pleasure in bearing my testimony to the wonderful effi- cacy of Blair's Gout and Rheumatic Pills. Having been a great sufferer from rheumatic gout, 1 have upon various occasions had recuin-se to them, and am happy to say that however acute and distressing the pain may be, I always receive relief in an almost incredibly short Lime, even after talting only one dose. If taken in the early stage of the disease they dissipate it; if later they ease the pain and cure much sooner than any other medicine I ever made use of. I would not be without them on any acfouiit." FURTHER PROOF OF TUF. GREAT EFFICACY OF BLAIR'S GOUT AND RHEUMATIC PILLS.— Forwarded by Mr. Reinhardt, Chemist, Hull. Sir, -Enclosed is a testimonial from a customer of mine, who is well known about here: he speaks in the highest terms of Blair's Gout and Rheumatic Pills, and would be glad to give information to anybody. " To Mr. Reinbardt, 2'2. MarUet-place, Hull. December 4th, IH.'iS. Dear Sir, I have been afflicted with rheumatism for 12 years, during ■which time I have tried almost everything, boih internally and externally, but could not obtain any permanent relief. A short time ago 1 purchased a 'is. 'Jd hex of Biair's Pills of you, and before I had taken the whole of them I was more free from pain than I had been fur the last dozen years. You will please iet me have another box, as I mean to keep them by me in case I should again require thein, and oblige, <>ear Sir, yours obediently, Jeremdii G amess." These Pills require neither ati ention nor confinement, and ai-e certain to prevent the disease attacking any vital part. Sold by oil medicine vendors. See the name of " Thomas Jf rout, 229, Strand, London," on the government stamp. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. VOLUME THE FOURTEENTH. (third series.) JULY TO DECEMBER, MDCCCLVIII. LONDON : PUBLISHED BY ROGERSON AND TUXFORD, 246, STRAND. MAY BE HAD BY ORDER THROUGH ALL BOOKSELLERS. LONDON: PRINTED BY ROGEKSON AND TUXFORD, 248, STRAND. Hr Faas-^ S^r , 3 V. 1 + INDEX Agriculture, Calendar of, 80, 162, 260, 442, 534 Agriculture of Austria, 405 Agriculture — Social Science, 466 Agriculture, Suggestions for the Benefit of, 489 Agricultural Class, Enterprise amongst the, 443 Agricultural Distilleries, 370 Agricultural Intelligence, 169,263,351,447,535 Agricultural Labourer and the Prize System, 473 , Agricultural Labourer, Improvements of the So- cial Condition of the, 526 Agricultural Reports, 80, 16G, 261, 349, 444, 535 Agricultural Societies — Bath and West of England, 20, 279, 522 Cumberland and Westmoreland, 299 Driffield and East Riding, 255 Essex, 61 Glasgow, 55 Hereford, 374 Long Sutton, 399 Ludlow, 388 Manchester and Liverpool, 191, 318, 344 Monmouthshire, 523 Norfolk, 66 Northampton and Bedford, 381 Northamptonshire, 413 North Lincolnshire, 197 Northumberland, 254 Oxford and Banbury, 340 Royal Cornwall, 54 Selby, Tadcaster, and Market Weighton, 201 Stirling, 109 Suffolk, 111 Wayland, 282 Welsh ( proposed ), 283 Wetherby, 386 Yorkshire, 183 Agricultural Society for Wales, 367 I Agricultural Societies, the Autumn Meetings of the, 338 Agricultural Statistics (Irish), 284 Agricultural System, 497 Alpaca, Proposed Introduction to Australia of the, 286, 519 American W^ool Trade, 16 1 American Farmer, 440 Aphis (Plant Louse) the, 106 Apple, its Culture and Uses, 327 Artificial Food. By Cuthbert W. Johnson Esq., 457 Autumnal Cultivation, 418 Averages, Imperial, 85, 173, 268, 357, 452, 541 Ayrshire Cattle Show, Trial for Fraud at the, 414, 428 > B. - Bark, Price of, 175, 360, 543 Beans and Peas, the various Uses and Supplies "T of, 333 Beans, the Cultivation of, 13 Beetroot Distillery at Fulham, 325 Belgian Farming, 514 Babraham Ram Letting, 123 Bread-making and Fermentation, 34 Butter and Cheese, Price of, 86, 174, 264, 358, 453, 541 C. Canada as a Field for Settlement, 37 Cardiff Meeting, a West Country Farmer at the, 52 Cattle-trade, Review of the, 81, 167, 262, 350, 445, 535 Cereals in Hilly Districts, profitable Culture of, 372 Chemists, a Farmer amongst the, 426 Chester Show, the after Business of the, 190 Chester Show, the Leading Features of the, 346, 390, 471 Chicago, the Commerce of, 39 Chicory, Price of, 174, 358, 542 Coal Market, 175 Comparative Averages, 85, 173, 268, 358, 452, 540 Compost, Cheap Fertilizing, 442 Corn Trade, 83, 170, 265, 354, 450, 538 Corn Trade, State of the, 376 Corn, the Stripe System of Sowing, 115 Covehithe Sale, the, 389 Covent Garden Market, Prices at, 174, 359, 453, 542 Crosskill, Mr. Wm., Biographical Sketch of, 1 Cultivation, Essay on Intensive, 474 Currency per Imperial Measure, 85, 173, 267, 357, 452, 540 Cut Feed : Why use it ? 165 D. Drinks ( fermented ), Manufacture and Consump- tion of, 304 Dumbartonshire Cattle Show, 16 Durhams, for Profit, 60 E. Earthworm and House Fly, 417 Eel, the Microscopic, in Smutty Wheat, 492 English Wheat-sowing, 490. Exmoor Ponies, Sale of, 487 Fallows, Summer, in Sussex, 204 Farm Labourers, 280 Farm, the actual Profit of the, 493 Farmer of Modern Times, 159 Farmers' Clubs — Halesworth, 384 London, 71, 496 Farmers' Homes, Adorning and Beautifying, 431 Farming as it was. By Lord William Lenno.x, 151 Farming Land at a Loss, 521 IKTDEX. Farming, Sir Isaac Newton's Taste for, 345 Farmyard Dung, 520 " Filler," the Horse called, 269 Fish Manure, 285 " Fisherman," Pedigree and Performance of, 361 Flax &c.. Price of, 175, 360, 542 Food and Manures, 478 Food for Agricultural Stock, Observations on the recently Manufactured. By J. B. Laws, F. R. S., 336 Food, the Preservation of, 119 Fowler, Jun., Mr, J., Presentation of a Testimonial to, 449 France, The English Farmer in, 126, 423, 494 Furze, as Food for Horses, 164 G. Garden Ground v. Allotment, 524 Geology, Lecture on, delivered at the Kennington Agricultural College, 306 Giant Wheat, 534 Greaves as Manure for Turnips, 491 Grain, How to Measure it in Bins, 533 Grain Securing, 323 Guano, the Origin of, 37 H. Hailstorms, On, 77 Harvest Drinks, 205 Hay, Price of, 174, 358, 542 Hereiord Cow (Carlisle), Description of, 456 Hide and Skin Market, 175, 360, 454, 543 High Farming, 345 Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, 309 Hop Duty, Great Meeting for the Repeal of the, 516 Hops, Price of, 86, 173, 264, 358, 453, 541 Horse Show at Alenfon, France, 78 Horse Taming, l07 Horse, the Uses of, 195 Horses' Coats, 79 Horses, National Importance of encouraging the Breed of Riding, 324 Horticulture, Risks of, 427 House-feeding Sheep, 398 I. Implement Trial at Cardiff, 48 Ireland and Irish Farming, 461 Irish Agriculture, 433 Irish Societies, Meeting of the, 422 Judges of Agricultural Societies, their Duties and Responsibilities, 17 K. Kent, Cattle &c. Show, 300 L. Lambs, the Treatment of, 33 Landlord and Tenant, 15 Landlord, Tenant, and Labourer, 196 Lard v. Butter, 482 Leather, Price of, 175, 359, 453, 543 Leicester Sheep, Description of three Prize, 87 Leicester, the Earl of, and his Tenantry, 419 Light, its Influence on Animal and Vegetable Life, 272 Light Land, the Management of, 45 Lincoln Rams in Devon, 341, 424 Liquors, the Use of Spirituous, 206 " Lois-Weedon" Husbandry, 287 Long Island, a Home for Emigrants, 260 M. Machinery, Labourers' Opposition to the Use of, 182 Malt and Hops, 152 Mangel Wurzel, Cultivation of, 495 Mangel Wurzel, Getting-up and Storing, 525 Mangel Wurzel, Growth and Use of, 522 Mangel Wurzel, Use and Abuse of, 513 Manures and Chemistry, 470 Manures, Fresh and Fermented, 365, 544 Manures, Price of, 86, 175, 268, 360, 454 Maxwell, J. Hall, Esq., Biographical Sketch of, 177 Metals, Price of, 175, 454, 543 Michaelmas Rents, Corn Averages for, 429 Millet, the Trade in, 38 Morrell, James Esq., Sketch of, 455 N. Nitrogen, the Annual yield of, in different Crops, 408 O. Oil, Price of, 174, 359, 542 Overman's South Downs, Sale of Mr., 319 Ox, a Prize Devon, Description of, 269 Ox, a Short-horned, Description of, 3 P. Pasture Land, on the Stocking and Management of, 18 Poetry ; — A Country Cottage, 420 A Country Home, 533 Autumn Invitations, 387 Harvest Home, 284 Many-coloured Oak-bough, 441 Symondsbury Harvest Home, 477 Plants, the Nutrition of, 154 Pleuro-Pneumonia in the Cape Colony, 468 Potatoes, Distinguished, 400 Potatoes, Price of, 86, 174, 264, 358, 453, 541 Pulping Food. By C. W. Johnson Esq., 3 Q. Queen's College Birmingham, Inaugural Address at, 507 Queen Mary, dam of BUnk Bonny, Description of and Pedigree, 102 R. Rarey's System of Horse Taming, 90, 193 Reaping Machines. By Mr. Alfred Crosskill, 1 77 Reform most Wanted, 476 Reviews — British wild Flowers, 345 Dixon's Law of the Farm, 257 INDEX. Ill Fever in Agricultural Districts, 531 Gardeners' Assistant, 162 Progress of Agriculture, 1'2'2 Report on tlie Insects in the State of New York, 25S Richmond, the Duke of, as a Farmer, 483 Root Crops, Consuming of, 430, 443 Royal Agricultural Improvement Society of Ireland, 289 Royal Agricultural Society of England, Proceed- ings of the, 6, 103, 131, 207, 488 S. Sanday's, Mr., Letting of Leicester Sheep, 203 Seed, Adventures of a, 158 Seeds, Price of, 85, 173, 268, 358, 453, 541 Sewage Irrigation, the Lochend. By C. W. Johnson Esq., 270 Sewage Manures. By C. W. Johnson Esq., 87 Sheep, a Trial to find the most Profitable Breed, 5 Sheep, Lincolnshire, &c., 1 58 Sheep, the Bakewell-framed, 192 Sheffield Poultry and Implement Show, 114 Shoeing: its Principles and Practice, 41 Short-horned Bull (Frederick), Pedigree of, 192 Short-horned Bull (Sir Edmund Lyons), Pedigree of, 361 Short-horned Stock, the Breeding and Manage- ment of, 328, 401 Show Stock, Over-feeding of, 202 Soil: its Culture more Healthy than any other Pursuit, 163 Sorgho, or Chinese Sugar Cane, 160, 425 Sowing, Thick or Thin, 181 Spirits, Price of, 174, 359, 542 Spring Corn, 259 Steam Plough, 301 Steam Thrashing Machines, the Law of, 464 Stock Feeding, 379, 459 Sugar Millet, 105 Swine, a Paper on, 57 T. Tallow, Price of, 175 Taxation, Voluntar}', 58 Thistle Question, the, 443 Timber, Price of, 174, 359, 543 "Tiptree Hall," 76 Top-dressing for Grass. By C. W. Johnson, Esq*. 362 Turnip Crop, the Cultivation of, 128, 334, 421 V. Vegetation, Ancient Notions of, 281 W. Wales (North), the Agriculture of, 116 Warts on Horses, 192 Weights and Measures, 409 Wines, our Orchard. By C. W. Johnson, Esq., 178 Wheat Crop, Insects and Diseases injurious to the, 416 Wheat : its Value as Food for Cattle, 518 Wool Markets, 86, 176, 268, 360, 454, 543 THE EMBELLISHMENTS Portrait of Mr. Wm. Crosskill A Short-horned Ox Prize Leicesters . dueen Mary, the dam of BHnk Bonny Portrait of J. Hall Maxwell, Esq. " Frederick," a celebrated Short-horned Bull A Prize Devon Ox The Filler " Sir Edmund Lyons," a Short-horned Bull " Fisherman " . Portrait of James Morrell Esq. " Carlisle," a Hereford Cow Page. 1 1 87 102 177 192 269 269 361 361 455 456 PRICE ONE SHILLING EACH, Neatly printed in foolscap 8vo,, each Volume containing from 130 to 160 pages of Letterpress, witli numerous illustrative Engravings, NEW EDITIONS, REVISED AND ENLARGED. RURAL ARCHITECTURE ; a Series of Designs for Rural and other Dwellings. THE AGRICULTURAL INSTRUCTOR; or Young Farmer's Class Book. DOMESTIC FOWL ; their Natural History, Breeding, and General Management. THE FLOWER GARDEN. HORSES : their Varieties, Breeding, and Management. DOGS : their Origin and Varieties. PIGS : their Origin and Varieties. COWS : and Dairy Husbandry. THE HIVE AND THE HONEY BEE. PESTS OF THE FARM. LAND DRAINAGE, EMBANKMENT, AND IRRIGATION. SOILS AND MANURES; with Instruction for their Improve- ment. London : Piper & Co., Paternoster Row ; Dublin : J. McGlashan, Upper Saekville Street ; and all Bookseller*; Copy of a Letter from the late Colonel Hawker (the well-known Author on " Guns and Shooting.") Longparish House, near Whitchurch, Hants. Sir, — I cannot resist informing you of the extraordinary effect I have experienced by taking only a few of your LozENOES. I had a cough for several weeks that defied all that had been prescribed for me; and yet I got completely rid of it by taking about half a small box of your Lozenges, which I find are the only ones that relieve the cough without deranging the stomach or digestive organs. I am, Sir, your humble servant, To Mr. Keating, 79, St. Paul's Churchyard. P. HAWKER. Prepared and sold in Boxes, Is. ]id., and Tins, 2s. 9d., 4s. Gd., and 10s. 6d. each, by Thomas Keating, Chemist, &c., 79, St. Paul's Churchyard, London. Sold retail by all Druggists and Patent Medicine Vendors in the world. ____^ K EATING'S PALE NEWFOUNDLAND COD LIVER OIL, perfectly pure, nearly tasteless, and free from adulteration of any kind, having been analyzed, reported on, and recommended by Professors Taylor and Thomson, of Guy's and St. Thomas's Hospitals, who, in tlie words of the late Dr. Pbreira, say that " The finest oil is that most devoid of colour, odotir, awA flavour," characters this will be found to possess in a high degree. Half-pints, Is. 6d. ; Pints, 2s. 6d. ; Quarts, 4s. 6d. ; and Five-pint Bottles, 10s. 6d.-, Imperial Measure. 79, St. Paul's Churchyard, London. BLAIR^S GOUT AND RHEUMATIC PILLS. Price Is. l^d. and 2s. 9d. per box. THIS preparation is one of the benefits wliicli the science of modern chemistry has conferred upon mankind; for during the first twenty years of the present century to speak of a cure for the Gout was considered a romance ; but now, the efficacy and safety of this medicine are so fuUy demonstrated by unsolicited testimonials from persons in every rank of life, that public opinion proclaims this as one of the most important discoveries of the present age ; and, in testimony of its efficacy, Mr. W. Burch, Chemist, West Bromwich, writes—" Nov. 8th, 185G. Gentlemen, The enclosed Testi- monial was received by me from a customer residing in this town. Yours respectfully, "W. Bdkch. To Messrs. Prout & Co." Mr. Arkinstalt., of the Lyng, West Bromwich, says :— "I have much pleasure in bearing my testimony to the wonderful effi- cacy of Blair's Gout and Rheumatic Pills. Uaving been a great sufferer from rheumatic gout, I have upon various occasions had recourse to them, and am happy to say that however acute and distressing the pain may be, I always receive relief in an almost incredibly short time, even after taijing only one dose. If taken in the early stage of the disease they dissipate it; if later they ease the pain and cure much sooner than any other medicine I ever made use of. I would not be without them on any account." FURTHER PROOF OF THE GREAT EFFICACY OF BLAIR'S GOUT AND RHEUMATIC PILLS.— Forwarded by Mr. Reinhardt, Chemist, HuU. Sir,- Enclosed is a testimonial from a customer of mine, who is well known about here : he speaks in the highest terms of BUir's Gout and Rheumatic PiUs, and would be glad to give information to anybody. " To Mr. Reinhardt, 22, Market-place, Hull. December 4th, 18S5. Dear Sir,-I have been afflicted with rheumatism for 12 years, during which time I have tried almost everything, both internally and externally, but could not obtain any permanent relief. A short time ago I purchased a 2s. 9d. hot of Blair's Pills of you, and before I had taken the whole of them I was more ft-ee from pain than I had been for the last dozen years. You will please let me have another box, as I mean to keepthem by me in case I should again require them, and oblige, dear Sir, j-ours obediently, Jeremiah Gambss." These Pills require neither attention nor confinement, and are certain to prevent the disease attacking any vital part. Sold by all medicine vendors. See the name of " Thomas Prout, 229, Strand, London," on the government stamp. DEVON AND CORNWALL MANURE WORKS, AND PATENT STEAM BONE MILLS, CATTE DOWN, PLYMOUTH. CHARLES NORRINGTON & CO.'S celebrated SUPEI^ PHOSPHATE OF LIME stands \J tmrivalled in the Manure Market for all Root Crops. During the past season npTai-ds of Forty Tons of Mangold Wnrtzel, Swedes, and Common Turnips per Acre have been grown with this Superphosphate, without other Manure. C. N. & Co. bind themselves to the valuation of the various ingredients as given by Professor Way, in the Journal of the Boyal Agricultural Society, vol, xvi., pp. 532—42. Price £1 10s. per Ton, in Bags, delivered to any Pert In the United Kingdom. IMPORTANT TO FLOCKM ASTERS THOMAS BIGG, AGRICULTURAL AND VETERINARY CHEMIST, BY APPOINTMENT, TO H. R.II. THE PRINCE CONSORT, K. U., &C. LEICESTER HOUSE, GREAT DOVER-STREET BOROUGH, LONDON, Begs to call the attention of Farmers and Graziers to his valuable SHEEP-and LAMB DIPPING COMPOSITION, whicli requires no Boiling, and may be used with Warm or Cold Water, for effectually destroying the Tick Lice, and all other insects injurious to the Flock, preventing the alarming attacks of Fly and Shab, and cleansing and purifying the Skin, thereby greatly improving the Wool, both in quantity and quality, and highly contributing to the general health of the animal. Prepared only by Thomas Bigg, Cliemist, &c., at his Manufac- tory as above, and sold as follows, although any other quantity may be had, if required : — 4 lb. for 20 sheep, price, jar included 6 1b. 30 8 lb. 40 XO lb. 50 20 1b. 100 30 1b. 150 40 1b, 200 50 1b. 250 60 1b. 300 80 lb. 400 100 lb. 500 (cask and measure included) ,£0 . 0 , 0 . 0 0 2 3 4 5 10 0 15 1 0 I 3 1 7 1 17 2 5 0 Should any Flockmaster prefer boiling the Composition, it will be equally effective. He would also especially call attention to his SPECIFIC, or LOTION, for the SCAB, or SHAB, which will he found a certain remedy for eradicating that loathsome and ruinous disorder in Sheep, and which may be safely used in all climates, and at all seasons of the year, and to all descriptions of sheep, even ewes in lamb. Price 5s. per gallon — sufficient on an average for thirty Sheep (according to the virulence of the disease); also in wine quart bottles, Is. 3d. eanh. IMPORTANT TESTIMONIAL. "Scoulton, near Hingham, Norfolk, April Ifith, 1855. 'Dear Sir, — In answer to yours of the 4th inst, which would have been replied to before this had I been at home, I have ■much pleasure in bearing testimony to the efficacy of your in- valuable 'Specific for the cure of Scab in Sheep.' The 600 Sheep were all dressed in August last with 84 gallons of the ' Non- Poiso7ioiis Specific,' that was so highly recommended at the Lincoln Show, and by their own dresser, the best attention being paid lo the flock by my shepherd :ifter dressing according to instructions left ; but notwithstanding the Scab continues getting worse. In December I informed the ' Agent for the above Specific,' that the flock was not cured, and that it requires their immediate attention. The Agent informed me they should be at once seen to, but did not do so until/ice weeks afterwards, and in the mean time the Scab spread over the whole flock, that I never saw such a disgraceful sight in my life ; and when the Dresser was sent over to inspect the Flock, he decided on not dressing tliem again, as one- third of the Sheep had lost half their wool. I then agreed with an experienced dresser in Norfolk to dress the flock, and when he saw the sheep he declined doing them, as they were so very bad, and the time of lambing so near. Being determined to have the Scab cured if possible, I wrote to you for a supply of your Specific, which I received the following day ; and although the weather was most severe in February during the dressing, your Specific proved itself an in- valuable remedy, for in tliree weeks the Sheep were quite cured; and I am happy to say the young lambs are doing remarkably well at present. In conclusion, I believe it to be the safest and best reme iy now in use. " I remain, dear Sir, your obedient servant, " For JOHN TINGEY, Esci , " To Mr. Thomas Bigg." " R. RENNY. In addition to the foregoing, he has very materially improved, as well as considerably reduced the price of his Dipping Ap- paratus; and he would venture to suggest that no Flockmasters ought now to be without one. Price in London, New and Improved Dipping Apparatus, on Wheels £14 0 0 Ditto ditto with Iron-bar Drainer 5 0 0 Ditto ditto 4 0 0 Ditto, plain, with Wooden Drainer 3 0 0 N.B. — Catalogues, containing List of Patrons, Testimonials, &c., to be had of all agents, or sent Jirect per post free. RANKINGS NEW PATENT COEN SCREEN AND SMUT MACHINE MANUFACTURED SOLELY BY R. & J. RANKIN, UNION FOUNDRY, LIVERPOOL. THE very great improvements made in this new PATENT SMUT MACHINE comprise an arrange- ment by which (in addition to freeing and purifying the Wheat from all Smut, however iadly it may be affected) all Sand, Seeds, and heavy matter are extracted in one operation. The Machine has a Double Action upon the Wheat, and combines all the important advantages of the original (Grimes') Machine, with the addition of those of a Wire Screen. The following Testimonials prove that the Machine is found to be the best of the kind in use : — Messrs. R. & J. Rankin, Liverpool. [COPY.] Slane Mills, 14th August, 1856. Dbar Sirs, — We have much pleasure in saying that the Patent Smut Machine has given us every satisfaction, and for so far has not cost us one penny. The working parts — that is, bearings, &c., are just as good as the first day we put it to work, now twelve months ago, and it has run nearly every working-day feince^ Yours, truly, (Signed) Wbthbrill, Powell, & Co. Boston, '25th July, 1857. Qentlemen,— Your Smut Machine I consider to be the best invented, and after working it seven years I find it to be as effective in its operations as it was the first week it wa,? erected. I shall be happy at any time to render an account of it and its good qualities when called upon ; and I am. Gentlemen, your obedient servant, (Signed) A. Rbtholds (late Reynolds & Son). RANKIN'S NEW PATENT BONE MILLS. These MILLS are adapted for the use of Farmers and Manufacturers, and are made in all sizes. They are a most decided improvement upon those in ordinary use, taking much less power to drive them, whilst they work far more efficiently. The Mills will Grind the largest and hardest Bones with ease to any degree of fineness that may be wished, there being provision made to regulate their working as may be required. Manufacturers will find this Mill to be much more durable, to Grind quicker, and to a greater degree of fineness than any other. TESTIMONIAL. Amcrtham, Buckt, November 8, 1855. This is to certify that Messrs. Rankin, of Liverpool, have fixed one of their Four-horse Bone Mills for me, with which I am poi- fectlv satisfied, not only as it regards the power taken to drive it, but also the fineness of the Bones when ground. The principle I consider superior in every respect to the old ones. The work is exceedingly well done, not only as it regards the Mill itself, but the Horse Gear is of a very superior character. I shall be happy to show the Mill when working, or answer any enquiries. Messrs. R. U J. Rankin, LlverpooL (Signed) Thomjls H. MobteK. Apply to B. & J. RANKIN, Sols Makers, Union Foundby, Livbrpool rC^^I^tflvcs-^- -■-'--" -- ■':'-- -'■^^^'^- CUFF'S FAmiEIl'S FRIEWU. One dose of this invaluable medicine will cure the SCOUR or LOOSENESS in Lambs, Calves, Sheep, Colts, Heifers, Steers, and all Cattle, without leaving costiveness ; and given occasionally to Beasts whilst f atoning will promote a healthy and thriving condition. It will also perfectly cure the FRET, COLIC or GRIPES in Horses. Price Is. 8d. or 3s. per Bottle. CUFF'S FOOT-HOT PO^IV»E« Is a cheap and effectual remedy for the FOOT-ROT or HALT, a single Packet of which will cure One Hundred Sheep, and large Flocks may be soon freed from the Disease by its use. It has been extousively used and highly approved of for nearly thirty years by larsre Sheep Breeders throujihout the Kingdom. P. ice Is. per Packet. CUFF'S JPJLY, SCAB, & MAMCJE Ol!!. Will very quickly destroy MAGGOTS in Sheep, and LICE or VERMIN in all animals. It will also cure the MANGE, and SKIN DISEASES in Horses or Cattle, and effectually cleanse a Flock of Sheep from the SCAB or SHAB. Price Is. 8d. and 3s. per Bottle. THE BHITISM SHEEP IrVASH Is used for Dipping or Dressing Sheep and Lambs, without boiling, to prevent the Fly striking, and the Scab or Shab from spreading, and effectually to destroy TICKS, LICE, and VERMIN in Sheep. Price 2s. 9d., 5s., and 10s. per Jar; or 2s. 6d. per packet. SHEIli;f'001l»'S OKICJiUfAHi I>llIFFfiElLl> OltS Are strongly and confidentlv recommended for preventing GANGRENE or MORTIFICATION after Lambitig or Calving, and for Healing' CUTS, STABS, WOUNDS, BRUISES, STRAINS, SWELLINGS, &c., &c.. As these Oils are in constant use by some of the most celebrated Breeders in the world, and have maintained a re- putation about fifty years, it would be superfluous to enlarge upon their value and importance. Pints, 2s. 6d., Quarts, 5s. Prepared by J. H. Cuff, No. 10, Smithfield Market, London, and sold by Druggists and Medi- cine Vendors. None is Genuine unless signed by J. H. CUFF in writing. X/1 I— I l-H EH "^ O < o UNDER LETTERS PATENT, O. 57 NEW PATENT CHAFF CUTTING MACHINE, price £3 15s.. delivered at Manchester or _ ^ 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 m P5 P t o ft tz; o Q I— I N Liverpool. PRESENT PRICES. £ No. 57 Chaff Machine 3 15 No. 1a Machine 4 10 No. 3b Machine 7 0 Pulley for power extra 0 Change Wheels, to vary the lergth, per pair 0 K nives, extra for each 0 No. 4b Machine ..... 10 Pulley for power, extra , 0 Change Wheels, per pair 0 Knives, extra /or each . 0 No. 5 Machine 15 Pulley for power 0 12 Change Wheels 0 6 Knives, extra for eacfi .,,. 0 7 No. 1 Improved Corn Crosher .. ,, 5 5 No. 2 Improved Corn Crusher 6 10 Pulley for power 0 9 No. 3 Improved Corn Crusher 10 0 Pulley for power 0 12 No. 4 Improved Corn Crusher 14 0 Pulley for power 0 15 Bichmond & Chandler's extensive application of the most ap proved Steam Machinery in the manufacture of these Imple- ments, afford incrpiised f ^cilitirs, together with greater roatho - matical accuracy in cverv ;> n. obtairn'>Ie bv -jo '-tii."r m-tn^:. DURESS, RICHMOND '& CHiVNDI.EIt, ^A!.I-('iM) ; Bhamsjj AEsTdBHSHMBNT, SOUTH J ^HN S THEET, L' VERl'OOL. LICIUID MANURE 6 4 0 9 0 6 0 4 6 0 0 0 0 TAMES' PATENT LIQUID-MANURE DIS- (J TKIBUrOR OR WATER-CART, warranted not to choke up or otherwise get out of order. It is thoroughly adapted for Drill Crops, or Pasture Land, or for Watering Streets: has been awarded SIX FIRST PRIZES. Full Particulars and Testimonials may be obtained of the Patentee, Isaac Jamks, Tivoli Waggm Works, Cheltenham. N.B.— IMPROVED LIQUID MANURE PUMPS, With Flexible Rubber, or Gutla Percha Suction Pipes for ditto. qiWO and THREE HORSE POWER PORTABLE STEAM ENGINES, WITH VERTICAL CYLINDERS, For Working Straw Cutters, Turnip Pulpers, Small Thrashing Machines, Grinding Mills, &e They will also answer the purpose of a Steaming Apparatus for Steaming Food for Cattle. Pbice. Two-HoRSE Power £65 TflREB-HORSE £S5 Manufactured by JAMES HAYWOOD, Jn. PHCENIX FOUNDRY, and ENGINEERING WORKS, DERBY. D.s. ri;>t.>eCi^.->ilji- m Ui:u ui) anplioatiyii. ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY'S MEETING AT CHESTER, 1858. THE ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY OF ENGLAND'S FIRST PRIZE PORTABLE STEAM THRASHING ENGINE. ^^HE last trials of the ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY of ENGLAND, 1 Society, aided by the most perfect tesling apparatus tliat mechanical skill has yet produced, where the fuel for trial was weighed and watched by the Judges with extreme carefulness, and where prior to com- mercing the strict tesiiug of consumption of fuel per horse-power, all portions of unconsuuied fuel left from preliminary operations were taken back into the custody of the Judges, and placed beyond the possible reach of any party under trial, induce the successful competitors to ask, wheiher any Engine with horizontal cylinder, when in its very best condition, and under the same strict investigation, has been able to effect the same amount of duty as has been eflfected by TUXFORD & SONS' Portable Engine with vertical cylinder? THE ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY OF ENGLAND, at their latest award of Prizes, decreed the mtrit of the FIRST PRIZE to TUXFORO & SONS' PORTABLE STEAM THRASHING ENGINE, the Judges at the same time declaring, in addition to its other excellencies, that the Straw Shaker asd Barley-horning Apparatus of TtXFOBD AND SONS' PATENT COMBINED THRASHING MACHINE Were PERFECT in their operations — ( Vide the Journal of P. A. Society, Vol. xvi., page 614.) The superiority of TUXFORD & SONb' PATENT PORTABLE IRON-HOUSED STEAM THRASHING ENGINES, with upright Cylinders and Improved Boiltrs, for continuance of power and economy in fuel, over Engines with horizontal Cylinders, is well known in all parts of England wherever they have been brought into competition with other Engines (the proportion of parts and arrangement of the Carlisle Prize Engine Boiler is strictly adhered to when a Tubular Boiler is selected in prefu'ence to a Combined Boiler); and their PATENT COMBINED THRASHING, SHAKING, AND DRESSING MACHINES, for simplicity of construction, the amount of work performed, and perfec- tion in the Thrashing, Shaking, and Dressing operations, have the well- merited refutation of standing at the head of their class. Illustrated Catalogues, with Prices, forwarded free on application to the Manufacturers, TUXFORD AND SONS, ENGINEERS, BOSTON, LINCOLNSHIRE. HOLMES k SONS, PROSPECT PLACE WORKS, NORWICH. ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY OF ENGLAND, SALISBURY MEETING, 1857, FIRST PRIZE CORN DRILL. Iso at NEWTON ABBOTTS, 1857 ...The Two First Pbizbs At TIVERTON, 1855 The Prize. y the DEVONSHIRE AGRICUL- TURAL SOCIETY, 1854 The Prize. ''PHESE DRILLS now stand unequalled for sim- JL plicity, durability, and efficiency, and are of lighter draught than other*. The ratiidly increasing demand, and the position they have attained this year by taking Three First Prizes for the best Corn Drills at the most important Agricultural So- cieties in England, are a good guarantee of their efficiency and being approved. IMPORTANT TO FLOCK MASTERS, COOPER'S SHEEP DIPPING POWDER. (which has stood the Test of Twelve Seasons) DESTROYS all the Ticks, stops the Fly, prevents and cures the Scab, promotes the growth of Wool, and improves the appearance and condition of tlie I'ioclv. For all tht.se purposes this Powder can- not be surpassed, and it positively has no equal as A CURE FOR SCAB, even after all other means have failed, atany season of the year, and however long the disease may have existed in the Flock. Finding there is so little trouble in using this Preparation, which is iustuutly Soluble in Cold Water, Flock Masters pa- iioiiize it to such an extent, both at Home and Abroad, lluit Powerful Machinery is required for its manufac- tiirc For Testimonials see Handbills. Prepared at W. COOPER'S Chi.mical Works, Gt. Berkhrimpstc'd, Herts, and sold (with jtlain direc- tions) at Is, 4d.. a packet — the average quantity for dipping twenty sheep. Agents throughout tlie civilized World, or may be uad thioujh any Chemist, ESTABLISHED 1812. TURNIP MANURE. — This valuable fertilizer has been used for the last twelve years with great success by most of the eminent Agri- culturists throughout England, and stands unrivalled in the loeiglit an5-3 4 ^ ^ I i 5^ ^^smL^% \^ THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE JULY, 1858. PLATE I. PORTRAIT OF MR. WILLIAM CROSSKILL. PLATE II. A SHORTHORN OX. THE PROPERTY OF MR. E. WORTLEY, OP EIDLINGTON, RUTLAND. MR. WILLIAM CROSSKILL. The little town of Beverley, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, has lately been heard of in every quarter of the globe — chiefly from the activity and enterprise of the well-known agricultural imple- ment maker whose portrait appears this month in the Farmer's Magazine. Mr. William Crosskiil owes his position in life entirely to his own industry and perseverance. The son of a whitesmith in a small country town, left fatherless at the early age of thirteen, with a widowed mother and younger brothers and sisters to provide for, his early struggles were well calcu- lated to call forth all his energy of character. By hard work, he succeeded in gradually extending the little workshop left by his father. As soon as practicable, he exchanged it for a larger one, and erected an iron foundry, to blow the furnace of which, and to drive a few simple tools, he fixed a steam engine— at a period when such a machine was considered a prodigy in a remote agricultural district. The establishment increased rapidly, and became well known as an agricultural implement manufactory ; until the invention and successful in- troduction of the celebrated clod-crusher spread Mr. Crosskill's name and fame far and wide, as OLD SERIES] one who had rendered essential service to the cause of agricultural progress. The difficulties and obstacles that had to be overcome in bringing this implement into use, would afford materials for a striking contrast be- tween the manner in which agricultural improve- ments were received twenty years ago, and the avidity with which they are now-a-days seized upon and turned to account. In the first year after the invention of the clod-crusher, only three were manufactured; and in order to bring them into use, two of these had to be given away. But the obvious excellence of the implement, whenever it was tried, could not fail to vanquish all pre- judice. The yearly sales increased rapidly; and, after awarding prizes to the implement at their annual exhibitions in 1843 and 1844, the Royal Agricultural Society of England in 1846 stamped it with the highest mark of their approval, by passing a unanimous resolution of Council, to the effect that the Gold Medal of the Society should be presented to Mr. Crosskiil for his valuable inven- tion. Since that time, its introduction has been rapid and complete. A clod-crusher is now an in- dispensable requisite on every well-managed farm, B [VOL, XLIX,— No. 1, 3 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. both on light and heavy land, as its utiUty in roll- ing young wheat, fully equals its efficiency in pulverizing the roughest clods. Mr. Crosskill has always been foremost amongst the advocates of the use of machinery for agricul- tural purposes. In the year 1841 he proposed to apply the steam engine to drive thrashing ma- chinery ; and at the meeting of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society at Hull, in that year, he exhibited a combined thrashing machii\e driven by a portable steam engine. Agriculturists were not, however, at that time, prepared for such an innova- tion. The scheme was unfavourably regarded; and it was not until seven or eight years subse- quent that agricultural societies offered any encouragement for the exhibition of portable steam engines, or that such engines were to any extent brought into practical use. Another object which for many years engaged Mr. Crosskill's attention was the application of machinery to the manufacture of wooden wheels. He arranged and constructed on his own works a complete set of machinery for this purpose. By means of these, the wheels are not only made at less cost, but are more accurately fitted, and there- fore more durable, than those put together by hand-labour. By keeping a very large stock of timber, and using nothing but the driest and soundest materials, Mr. Crosskill has obtained a well-deserved reputation for his patent wheels, while the demand for them is still increasing. Mr, Crosskill is further justly entitled to credit for his sagacity in discerning the uses to which a small railway might be applied in agricultural operations. In 1847 he brought out his portable railway, by means of which two men can easily lay a road that will carry fiftesn to twenty cwt. over the softest land, m.ove it about where necessary, and take it up when done with. The large quantity of the portable railway that has since been sold, proves the high estimation in which it is held by the owners and occupiers of strong soils, who are often compelled by the seasons to draw turnips from or lead manure to their land, when it is in too soft a state to bear the pressure of cart-wheels upon it. At the Great Exhibition of 1851, the American reaping machine attracted Mr. Crosskill's attention. With characteristic ardour, he set to work to aid the introduction of machinery into the English harvest-field ; and, after encountering and success- fully overcoming more than the usual number of difficulties with which the introduction of new agricultural machinery is too often beset, he had the gratification of seeing his improved reaping machine fully recognized as a standard implement. Without further adverting in detail to the different branches of machinery that have engaged Mr. Crosskill's attention, enough has been stated to show that his claims are of a very high order. The extensive manufactory which he has built near the town of Beverley, occupying upwards of six acres of ground, and containing the most improved machinery for executing every kind of work, either in wood or iron, is an enduring monument of what may be accomplished by a man of industry, skill, and perseverance. Like his most successful contemporaries in business, Mr. Crosskill has received his full share of the medals, prizes, and commendations which our agricultural societies take pleasure in bestow- ing upon the exhibitors at their shows. Amongst his large collection of medals, he may especially feel proud of the gold medal of the Royal Agricul- tural Society of England, the Council medal of the Great Exhibition of All Nations, and the gold medal of the Universal Exhibition in Paris. In the year 1852, when the artizans of most of the great engineering establishments in Lancashire and Yorkshire were at variance with their em- ployers, and had resorted to the desperate and distressing expedient of a general strike, Mr. Crosskill's workmen showed their appreciation of his conduct as an employer by entering into a subscription to present him with a handsome time- piece, as a testimonial of their regard and esteem. The value of the gift was greatly enhanced by the remarkable contrast shown in such a presentation, to the relations which at that time existed between many other employers and their workmen. Mr. Crosskill retired from business in the year 1855. The Agricultural Implement Works at Beverley have since been carried on under the management of his two sons, who had assisted him for some time previously. In his own neighbour- hood he has for many years been known as an active and determined politician; has for a long time filled the office of alderman for the borough of Beverley ; and taken a prominent part in the election of members to represent the town in Parharaent. Shortly after his retirement from business, he received from Government a valuable appointment, in recognition of his political services. All who know him will, doubtless, concur in the wish that he may live long to enjoy the reward of his active exertions — labours, the more important of which have been the rather for public good than party purpose. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. PLATE II. A SHORTHORN OX. THE PROPERTY OF MR. E. WORTLEY, OF RIDLINGTON, RUTLAND, This OX, bred by Mr. Wortley, is by a son of Father Mathew, a bull bred by Lord Spencer, and bought at the Wiseton sale by Mr. Syson, of Er- pingham. The dam, bred by Mr. Wortley himself, is well descended, but has no registered pedigree. At the Oakham Show in December, 1856, this ox took the first prize of 7 sovs. as the best steer under three years of age. At the same show of the following year he was awarded the first prize of 15 sovs., as the best ox onsteer of any breed or weight under five years old — open to all England. At the Leicester Show he carried off another open first prize of 15 sovs., as the best ox under five years old, of any breed. At the Smithfield Club the following week, he took the first prize of 25 sovs., as the best short- horn ox, with the silver medal for the breeder, and the Gold Medal as the best ox in the yard. He was thought by some good judges to be the best beast ever sent to the Baker-street Bazaar. He had extraordinary length and breadth, with most beautiful symmetry and compactness of form. His chine and ribs were most wonderfully extended ; his immense weight of flesh most evenly laid on, and of first-class quality. His head was very hand- some and bone fine. His girth was nine feet and his length six feet. His dead weight was 206 stone, with 22 stone of loose fat. His age was 3 years 1 1 months and 6 days, when slaughtered by Mr. Smith of Harapstead. Mr. Wortley, the breeder and feeder of this fa- mous beast, had never before entered one at the Smithfield Club. His success was so altogether extraordinary; for with the two shorthorns he sent up last Christmas, he took the Gold Medal with the ox, and the third prize, in an exceedingly good class, with his cow. Mr. Wortley, who farms under Lord Gainsbo- rough, has been a breeder of shorthorns on a limited scale for the last fourteen or fifteen years. His stock are chiefly from the herds of Mr. Baker of Cottesmore, the late Mr. Samuel Cheetham, and the Messrs. Chapman of Whitwell. Although so entirely unknown in London, Mr. Wortley has exhibited at the local meetings with much success, having in the last ten years taken no less than forty premiums for shorthorns. Not- withstanding this, his average does not exceed the raising of more than six calves a year; This is, we believe, the first Gold Medal steer from the little county of Rutland. Mr. Baker once won it with a heifer, so that the hcwuours so far are well divided. PULPING FOOD. BY CUTHBEET AV. JOHNSON, ESQ., F.R.S. The best state of the mechanical division of food has recently excited considerable inquiry. The pulping of roots has been strongly urged upon the attention of the stock-owner. The asserted advan- tages of this system of finely dividing the food of animals would seem to arise from either the masti- cating labour of the animal being saved, or from the food by this mode of division being more com- pletely digested. It will not, then, be a useless labour if we briefly consider these two asserted advantages of well dividing our food, and glance at certain errors which are to be avoided in giving a fair trial to the pulping, or any other system having the same objects. The importance of the form in which the food is administered to cattle did not escape the attention of Dr. Lyon Playfair, when he was, some time since, addressing himself to the very important subject of the application of physiology to thp rearing and feeding of cattle (Jour. Roy. Ag. Soc.f vol. iv., p. 234). He very clearly perceived that the form in whiph food is given to cattle is far indeed from being a matter of indiffierence. If, as he remarked, the food be in a state in which it is either difficult for the animal to attain, or difficult to masticate when obtained, much of it will be lost in the production of force necessary to adapt it for the organs of digestion. The cutting of hay and straw to chaff" is unwittingly done, in fact, with a view to prevent any unnecessary expenditure of force. Less mastication being necessary, conser quently less of the tissues of the body are expende4 in grinding down the food. Then, aa to the better digestion of niechanicaUy- B 2 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. divided food, there is, I take it, no doubt of this fact as a general rule ; and the reason of this was thus given to me by one of the Professors of Guy's and St. Thomas's Hospitals, to whom I had pro- pounded the question : " It is a well-known fact, both from experiments and observation, that the food is retained in the stomach for only a certain time, and that, if the substances it contains are not in a state of division fine enough to be acted upon by the gastric juice in that period, they are passed on to the intestines, where the nutritive portions of only the digested food are absorbed into the system. The advantages, I conceive, therefore, of this pulping machine over machines which only slice the roots is, that it imitates more the operation effected on the food by the molar teeth. Food which is only cut into pieces does not, of course, expose so great a surface to be acted upon by the gastric fluid ; and thus the nutritive effect of the root is, of course, increased by such a machine ; for the whole of the food is by this means subjected to the dissolving power of the gastric juice." The pulping machine, however, is, after all, only to be regarded as an aid to mastication : it cannot render it unnecessary. We must ever be very cautious in arriving at such conclusions ; for other essential operations of animal life are here involved. Lyon Playfair alluded carefully to some of these in his first lecture. To give only one instance : The use of saliva, according to Liebig, is to form a receptacle for air, or oxygen, by which means it is mixed with the food, and carried to the stomach. The use of mastication, then, is not only to com- minute the food, but also to mix it with air, or with saliva. " We find," continued Dr. Playfair, " that a larger size of chaff is given to those animals which chew the cud, than to those which do not." One great object of rumination is to obtain a repeated supply of oxygen to the food. Hence in our ordinary practice we cut the hay-chaff one inch in length for oxen, half-an-inch for sheep, and only a quarter of an inch for horses. The two first being ruminating animals, require it longer than the horse. I am aware that many farmers enter- tain the opinion that cutting hay is only of use in the facilities which it affords for mixing with the inferior hay, straw, or other food (and the pulping system is commonly supported by a similar argu- ment). Straw, in fact, except when new, is not a very nutritious food ; for we find a great part of it unchanged in the faeces of the animal. Its prin- cipal use perhaps is to give bulk to the food. Even in the case of turnips, a food of considerable bulk, straw is necessary, because these roots contain ninety per cent, of water, which becomes soon separated. Thus it is, that cattle fed upon turnips voluntarily take two or three pounds of straw daily. or as much as will serve to give the necessary bulk to the food. This would appear to be the reason for giving straw with turnips and other kinds of succulent food. The common expression of the farmer is, that straw " corrects their watery nature," which means, increases their bulk, when their^water has left them and reduced their volume. Rumination is requisite, in order to keep an ox in health. A little hay or straw is accordingly neces- sory to enable it to chew the cud. We know a case in which barley-meal and boiled potatoes were given to cows, without hay or straw. Constipation resulted, and the cattle nearly perished from the ignorance of the feeder. From these considera- tions, Playfair concluded that a greater return will be made by food partly but not too much me- chanically divided. The difficulty of attaining anything like minute accuracy in experiments upon digestion is, un- fortunately, very considerable ; the inquiry in- volving not only the varying degree of rapidity, but also the completeness of the digestion of dif- ferent substances. It is one of the many obstacles in this case, that the mysterious process of digestion is hidden from our eyes. We have only one recorded case in which (owing to an opening in the stomach caused by a wound) the digestive process in a man's stomach could be actually observed. This was the case of a robust Canadian, St. Martin. Dr. Beaumont took advantage of this, to subject to actual experiments in the patient's stomach a variety of substances. The following were some of the results obtained by him. In this table, the time taken for complete digestion is given in minutes : — Boiled rice 60 Raw mellow apples . 90 Barley soup 90 Boiled sago 95 Boiled barley.. .... 120 Boiled tapioca 120 Raw cabbage, with vinegar 120 Boiled beans 1 50 Boiled parsnips. ... 150 potatoes.... 150 Raw cabbage .... 150 Raw sour apples .. 170 Boiled apple dump- hng 180 Indian corn bread . . 195 Fresh wheaten bread 210 Beets, boiled 225 The inquiry was not confined to vegetable sub- stances— animal food was also experimented upon, some of the results of which I subjoin, although these are not strictly connected with the subject of this paper. {Dr Biishman's Medicine, p. 294) : — Tripe, soused .... 60 Liver, broiled .... 120 Boiled milk 120 Raw milk 135 Broiled lamb 150 Boiled beef 165 Roast do., underdone 180 Fresh salted pork.. 180 Stewed ditto 180 Mutton, boiled .. 180 — • broiled .... 180 Pork, broiled 195 steaks 195 Mutton, roasted .. 195 Melted butter ..— 210 Beef, lean, roasted 210 fried . . 240 Calf's heart, fried — 240 Veal, broiled .... 240 fried 270 Pork, roasted 315 THE FARMER'S MAGAZLNE. With regard to the degree, or completeness in which the same food in different states is digested, the evidence seems to inchne pretty well all the same way, viz., that the more finely the food is di- vided, the greater is the portion of nutritive matter abstracted from it by the stomach. The process of cooking, by rendering the food more readily divisi- ble, probably operates also in a similar direction. The operation of mastication — the grinding action in the gizzard of a bird — the bruising of corn for our live stock — the gruel and other thin farinaceous food given to invalids — all seem to lead us to the same conclusion. One of the common results of overfeeding shows, however, that by no method of division can loss in this way be avoided, for in such cases portions of undigested food are voided by [the subject, often in considerable quan- tities. This voidance of food by cattle did not escape the attention of Sprengel. He long since remarked, in a valuable paper on animal manures, so well translated from the German by James Hudson, the secretary of the Royal Agricultural Society {Jour. Royal Agricultural Society, vol. i., p. 4590. * that it is sometimes maintained that the excrements of cattle fed on scalded fodder are of superior quality to those of stock fed in the ordinary way. This, however, adds the German chemist, is scarcely pos- sible. They must, on the contrary, with equal quan- tity and quality of food, be inferior ; for by the pro- cess of scalding, the materials are so prepared for the digestive organs as more easily to lend their best portions to them. For this reason we give cows a less quantity of scalded fodder than of that which has not been so prepared. The excre- ments of oxen fed on scalded food come sooner into effective operation, since the woody fibre, and the hardened vegetable portions of the food, are softened by the process of scalding, and conse- quently when in the state of excrement are decom- posed more rapidly. On account of this quicker effect, the excrement of cattle fed on scalded food is sometimes supposed to be the best, although it is not really so. The solid excrements of cattle has been ex- amined by several chemists — in all cases vegetable fibre, and other organic matters were found to be present. Einhof found in 1,000 parts of the solid excrements of cattle fed on spurry. Water 717 pints Green mucous matter 93 „ "Vegetable fibre 156 „ Similar remarks have been made in chemical examinations of human faeces. These, said Way * Why was the translator's name not appended to this Essay ? Why is he not eucouraged to rrnke other va- Ivsable' efforts in this way ? {Jour. Roy. Ag. Soc. vol. xv.,p. 141) consist partly of the undigested food which has been taken in ex- cess over the necessities of the stomach and sys- tem, and partly of those undigestible portions, such as woody fibre, which being part and parcel of the food, are necessarily taken into the stomach with it, but which pass unchanged out of the body in the faeces. In an analysis by Berzehus, the cele- brated German chemist, seven per cent, of vegeta- ble and animal remains were found. These researches, then, pretty uniformly tend to support the economy of reducing the food of stock to a fine state of division— a practice, however, which can hardly be carried out to any material extent without the aid of steam. We have seen, too, that it is necessary, amongst other thmgs, to be careful in such cases, lest we reduce too much in this way the necessary bulk of the food. With these precautions it would certainly seem that the ordinary amount of food may, in many instances, be still profitably reduced, by its soluble and nu- tritious portions being more completely extracted. A USEFUL TRIAL WITH THREE DIFFER- ENT KIND3 OF SHEEP TO FIND THE MOST PROFITABLE BREED. Sir,— The conviction that the Mark-laue Express is throw- ing more light upon agriculture, direct and indirect, than any other journal upon the globe, not only in theory, but practice combined, causes me to send you this letter. If an old manusciipt serves me right, a grazier of great eminence tried the following experiment in the year 1819. He purchased, in April 20, great Lincolnshire ewes with a lamb each, 20 pure bred Leicester ewes with a lamb each, and 20 Sussex Downs with a lamb each. The 60 ewes with their lambs were put upon 40 acres of famous old grass land, with 35 first-class Hereford oxen. The ewes were taken from their lambs and off the land on the 20th September, and their lambs were all wintered and summered in the said close without any other sheep until the 5th November. The 60 lambs, all alive, had been on the land two summers and one winter without cake, corn, or turnips, nay, or anything else but what the said land produced — grass. The Lincolns averaged, when slaughtered, SOlbs. per quarter, and cut 121bs. of wool each ; the Leicesters averaged 261bs. per quarter, and produced 7lbs. of wool each ; the Sussex Downs averaged 231b8. per quarter, and sheared S^lbs. of wool each. Wool, at £2 per tod, would bring 17». l^d-each fleece of the Lincoln ; the wool of the Leicesters, 10s. each fleece ; and the wool of the Down, 7s. 105d. each fleece. The Lincolns produced 1201b8. of mutton each ; the Leicesters produced 1041b8. of mutton ; and the Downs 921bs. of mutton each. The 20 Lincolns, when added together, made 2,400ibB. of mutton, the 20 Leicesters I roduced 2,0801bs. of mutton, and the Downs made l,8401b3. cf mutton. Since this trial took place, the Southdowns have wonderfully improved in frame, weight of mutton, &c. Many of the pure- bred Leicester flocks have degenerated in constitution ; whilst the Lincolns were never better — Peterborough ram fair as a proof. Samuel Arnsby. Mill Field, Peterborough, Jane ord, 1853. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY OF ENGLAND. A Weekly Council was held on Wednesday the 26th of May, present : Colonel Cballoner, Trustee, in the chair; Lord Walsingbam, Lord Bridport, The Barons de Laffert (of Mecklenburg), Mr. Raymond Barker, Mr, Caldwell, Mr. Corbet, Mr. Glegg, Mr. Harkness, Professor Henfrey, Mr. Jennings, Mr. Maddison, Mr. Majendie, Mr. Milward, Mr. Pollard, Mr. H. A. Smith, Mr. Timms, Mr. Burch Western, Mr. Wilson (of Stowlangtoft), and Professor Wilson. Communications were received; I. From the Board of Trade, announcing the occurrence of a disease in the 'frheat-crops of the valley of Mexico, called by the Indians " chahmztle," and similar in external appear- ance to the disease known to English farmers under the term rust. 2. From Mr. William Cohen, of Bishops- gate Churchyard, offering his services to collect sta- tistical information on the " actual consumption of guano, whether the real or spurious article," in order to show, what he believed to be the case, that one-half at least of the substance sold as guano would prove to be spurious imitations of that article ; and by such evi- dence to induce Messrs. Antony Gibbs and Co. to reduce their price for genuine guano, with a view to dcuble their sales by driving the spurious mixtures out of the market. Professor Henfrey, of King's College, London, then delivered the following lecture on Vegetable Physiology in refereuce to the kinds, races, and organs of plants. Mr. President aud Gentlemen,— In preparing to execute the taak with which you have honoured me, I felt considerable difficulty from the peculiar circumstancea of the case. The occasional lectures which have been delivered in this room have beeu for the most part given with a view to promote practical agriculture, aud they have had a more peculiar interest here from the circumstance that these experiments have generally beeu undertaken at the instigation of the Society. Now, 8cieQti6c men, called upon at short notice, are cot always in a position to furnish new facts or new conclusions, or to bring forward series of researches which are capable of prac- tical application. lu my own case, my recent work has been devoted especially to subjects whose appliciition to science or whose relation to science is at present lather remote, and in fact to subjects which are so abstract that they scarcely admit of popular treatment: I was therefore thrown more on the general subject. Here again a certain difficulty met me in the circumstance that vegetable physiology may be said to be still in its infancy. Hence it is in possession only of a few well-established generalizations, and these are too well known and too commonplace to form the subject of a lecture; while the objects of its present activitj' consist chiefly of questions still in a state of debate, overloaded with unclassed, unsatisfactory, and even contradictory evidence, the attempt to discuss which could only have led to a kind of controversial the.^s. It appeared to me, there- fore, better, especially in considtration of circumstances to which I shall presently allude, to occupy your time with a , few illustrations of the nature and objects of the science of I vegetable physiology itself, selecting these illustrations, as far as possible, from departments of the subject which either do at present or hereafter may admit of a practical applica- tion. The circumstance to which I have just alluded as especially influencing me is the tendency or the direction of agricultural physiology of late years — the tendency which rather leaves vegetable physiology, properly so called, in the background. If we look back for a few years at the literature of agricultural science, we find that the works which have made most impression, those which have been most valuable, and are best known, have been written by chemists. I need scarcely allude to the works of Liebig and Mulder ; even in the writings of Boussingault, and of Lawes and Gilbert, vegetable physiolog}', properly so called, has been recognised; still the vital qualities of plants have been rather looked upon as secondary considerations than as primary. The chemistry of the subject has been that which has principally occupied attention. Far from com- plaining of this, far from regarding it as a mistake, I regard it as desirable, inevitable, if we would make secure pro- gress, because vegetable physiology does really depend upon chemistry for some of its most important materials. Vegetable physiology is not merely organic chemistry ; but organic chemistry is required to advance to a certain degree of perfection, before we have the mateiial upon which vegetable physiology, properly so called, can work. It is hardly necessary to remind you of the views which have been entertained by those who have pressed the chemical theory of physiology too far, with the notion that the life of plants or animals consisted merely in a succession of chemical changes. Such a view can only be entertained by those who take an extremely one-sided view of the subject. The old illustration of the duck's egg and the hen's egg are sufficient to show that there is something more than chemistry in the difference of species, and the same argument may be carried throughout all the details of life, throughout the whole phenomena of organieation. Chemists will scarcely be able to distinguish, by any means belonging exclusively to the chemist, between the germ of the hen and the duck ; but in those germs, un- distinguishable from one another, lies the energy which results in the product of a totally different organization. The line of argument thus illustrated shows at once that we must, in order to cultivate vegetable physiology, advance a step beyond the mere examination of chemical conditions and changes, and take into account the phenomena of life. The phenomena of life as regards plants may be called the phenomena of organization — that is, the phenomena pre- sented by the conversion of mineral or dead matter into organs. Now, the difference between organs and sub- stances— those parts or constituents which distinguish living things from mineral or dead substances — lies in the circumstance, that while in substances we have what we may call merely qualities, in the organs we have what are called functions. The qualities are, as it were, passive characteristics ; and functions are active characteristics — manifestations of constant, or at all events periodical activity, in the presence or manifestation of which we dis " tinguish the force which we call the vital force. This con" tinned activity, more or less independent of external cause . THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. resulting in continued or periodical change, is the sign of the existence of this vital force — that force whose laws form the subject of vegetable ph}'siology. The collective functions of a plant or animal constitute its life. I will now confine myself to the consideration of the life of plants, consisting in the performance of their collective functions by the different organs. Now, these functions collectively constituting the life, exhibit what we call the constitution. When we say that a plant has a particular constitution, we mean that it performs its functions in a particular way. It is to the examination of the constitution not only of plauts, but of the organs or parts of plants, to which vegetable physiology has especially to direct its attention; and I wish to-day briefly to indicate some points of importance in regard to this subject— the constitution of plants or their organs. In the first place, I would direct attention to the pheuomcna illustratmg the existence of constitutious iu species or kinds of plants. The phenomena which prove these are familiar to every one. Every one knows, for example, that Chickweed fljwers in the winter season, when the great proportion of the plants growing in this country are unable not only to form flower or seed, but even to put forth their leaves. The irrita- bility (to use a somewhat hypothetical expression) or the vital activity of this plant is evidently very dififerent from that of the majority of plants in this climate ; the particular irritability there denotes its constitution ; it is the constitution of the plant which causes it to pass through these changes under differeut conditions from other plants, scarcely distinguishable probably iu the majority of their characters. There is nothing known, and probably nothing to be known, in the case of Chickweed, to distinguish it chemically from many other common weeds, but it is the peculiarity of the constitution of that species, that it passes through these changes under dif- ferent conditions. Abundant illustrations of these peculiarities might he readily furnished, with which it is scarcely worth while to take up your time ; for instance, the late flowering of the Ivy in November, the flowering of the Hel'ebore or Christ- mas Rose in January, and so on, as contrasted with the sum- mer and autumn flowers, forming the great mass of our native and cultivated vegetation. These peculiarities of constitution are not entirely explicable by the view which has been taken by some authors, that plants are dependent for their growth upon a certain supply of heat given to them. Some years ago M. Boussingault published some interesting researches, iu which he showed that many plants, especially cultivated plants, required a certain sum of heat for their perfect development ; that betweea the time of the germination of the seed atid the ripening of the fruit, or the production of the grain, the plant required to receive a certain amount of heat. He measured this heat by taking the daily mean temperature and multiplying it by the number of days, and he found that the plants received pretty nearly the same amount of heat in very different climates. Where the heat was greater the plant was perfected in a smaller number of dajs; where the heat was less a greater number of days was required. For instance, ia Alsace, where his own property was situated, he found that Barley would be perfected in ninety-two days, where there was an average temperature of 19 deg. of the Freuch thermometer, giving a total of 1,743 deg. He then obtained the Date from Cumbal, situated under the equator, where the plant was grown between June and November, instead of between May and August ; the daily temperature was there (it being in the colder season) between 10 ?nd II degs., and 168 days were required for the perfecting of the plant, giving a total result of 1797 degs. Iu many cases the numbers came out very satisfactorily for this hypothesis, showing that the plants required a certain sum of heat, and that that heat might be given in sfaall pro- portions during a large number of days, or in higher propor- tions iu a small number of days. However, there were many important exceptions to this rule, those depending on certain matters of detail which were overlooked in the first experiments. For instance, Boussingault did not pay attention to the omission of useless heat. Many plants do uot move at certain tem- peratures, even far above the freezing point. No plant, pro- bably, will vegetate or perform any of its vital functions undcj the freezing point : many require several degrees above freez- ing point before they begin to start into life. That must be ascertained in each individual plant before we can calculate the useful heat which it receives, as we must omit all degrees below the point at which the plant moves. Then it is im- portant to take into account the temperature of the soil, upon which the development of plants very greatly depenJs. We have no more striking illustration of that than was fnrniahed by the records of last year, when the temperature of the soil in this country was fouad far ebove the average during the later months, the result of which was the flowering and even the ripening of seed in many plants, which very rarely perfect their fruit in this country. Though the consideration of the constitution of many plants may be reduced practically to a consideration of the climate— the supply of heat varying with the length of time during which the plants grow— still there are limits to these conditions. Supposing the calculations to be carried out with the precautions to which I have just referred, there are certain limits beyond which they cannot be admissible. Over-supplies of heat do not produce the same results in a shorter time, but produce disease; and cold below a certain temperature will prevent the perform- ance of the vital functions at all. It is well known that in the Feroe islands and in Iceland the amount of heat is never sufficient to produce the ripening of the seed of grain, even though the vegetation of the plant be prolonged to a much greater extent than in this climate ; there is not a sufficient stimulus ever given to the plant, so that the natives are obliged to import their seed, though they grow the grain year after year. Again, we may note the information furnished by travellers in regard to vegetation on the island of Madeira. There, in the season when the mean temperature approaches that of our own summer, our Beech loses its leaves and remains without them for 149 days ; the Oak remains without its leaves 110 days, the Vine 157 days. The Vine sgain affords an example of the noxious results of excessive heat, because in climates near the equator the plant scarcely produces fruit, or only fruit of a very imperfect character, runumg away to vege- tation, and losing those qualities for which it is most valued. This conslitntiou of particular kinds of plants is a subject of great importance both to the agriculturist and the horticul- turist, and its practical influence has strongly attracted ttten- tion in those valuable experi^nents which have been carried on at Rothamsted by Messrs. Lawes and Gilbert. There they have found most important differences, not only between such plants as Turnips and Grain crops, but also differences of con- stitution between Barley and Wheat — plants belonging to the same natural families, and differing (scientifically speaking) only in slight peculiarities from each other. We cannot doubt the exisience of this peculiar constitution in species of plants. But going a step beyond this, we find that individual plauts have their constitutions, and the result of this variation within the limits of particular species is to produce plants haviug characters considerably differeat from each other, and jct referable all to the same specific type. Species of plants are subject to Tar!=(tioni according to externa THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. conditions, variations which not only affect their structure, but declare themselves in a difference in constitution. Some of these differences of constitution are transmissible, as also the differences in the details of the minor parts of their organization. The preservation of peculiarities of this kind, transmitted through generations, results in the formation of what are called races of plants. When we see a variation of species, a particular modification, falling within the specific type, which presents desirable qualities in regard to structure or constitution, we endeavour to preserve it, and cultivation is, to a great extent, devoted to the preservation, the continuance, and improvement of races established in this way. It is because the constitution of these variations of the original form is favourable that we endeavour to preserve them ; and when we have firmly fixed these pecu- liarities in a series of foi-ms, generation after generation, we have produced a " race." The varieties on which these races are founded may perhaps be attributable, iu the first instance, to physical conditions ; these conditions may have produced the original modification from which the race takes its character. By this I would not admit, for a moment, that the external conditions may transform one species, properly so called, into another; but every species has a certain range of differences, and external conditions may call out one or other of these modifications under particular circumstances. I think it pro- bable that most variations of particular species may have been produced by external conditions in the first instance ; it is true also that the external conditions have great influence iu pre- serving these characters in races ; but we find that in old- established races the character is preserved with a certain obstinacy iu spite of external conditions, and that the running back or reverting of such races is slow. The races which are cultivated chitfly in this country — races of Wheat, plants be- longing to the Cabbage tribe, Turnips, Cauliflower, and so en — are moat of them very old, and we have little information as regards their origin. Gardeners prosecute this part of cul- tivation— the formation of races — very actively; and with florists especially the production and establishment of races is one of the most important departments of their art, being as important to them as the importation and introduction of new species. They obtain these different races by sowing large quantities of seed, selecting the specimens which come up of the form which they require, saving these alone, and repeating the process generation after generation, getting rid of all the forms which are most like the original parent. It has been ob- served by cultivators that there are certain peculiarities in the product of these successive sowings, which can scarcely be called unexpected, because we see the same thing illustrated in the races of animals and even in the human race. Two general rules are derived by gardeners from the observation of the phenomena presented in this production of races by successive sowings. The first is that like produces like. They save the seed only of the variation which they wish to preserve, and the probability is that it will produce its like. This, however, is by no means certain, as every one knows. The seed of any variety produces a great number of varieties of which only a part are like the immediate parent. It is found that there is a tendency for several generations to run back to some of the former generations, in contradistinction to the rule that like produces like, and this is called by physiolo- gists atavism, or a " taking after " their ancestors. M. Vilmo. rin, a distinguished Belgian florist, thinks that the best way of breaking this tcnucacy to run back to the ancestral type — to take after tlicir grandfathers or ereat-grandfathers, instead of their fathers— is to select for a number of generations those forms which are lea?t like the orijiua) parent ; to g'-t the form? as far as possible away from the original type, in the first in- stance, before proceeding to select the absolute form which is required. After a certain number of generations, however, of course, this atavism will begin to act on the same side as the tendency of like to produce like. If we get a number of generations of the race resembling one another generation after generation, of course the tendency to go back to the ancestors will not tend to alter the plant, because it will have a long line of similar ancestors before it, where it will not find the differences which it did in the original case. From this it follows that the older a race is, the more it is fixed. If a par- ticular form has a long line of similar ancestors, the tendency to run back to the form of its ancestors co-operates with the tendency to be like its immediate parent; both these work to the same end, and the practical deduction is that races recently established have little or no fixity ; that the older a race is, the more firmly and surely its peculiarities are fixed. We have illustrations of this in the human race, and amongst the most striking may be mentioned the Jewish race, undoubtedly one of the most ancient, in which we see fixity so strikingly marked under such very different external conditions. In this second part of my discourse I have directed attention to the importance of physiology in reference to races. The subject of races is one which belongs particularly to physiology as distinguished from organic chemistry ; as also does the constitution of species or kinds of plants, of which I have previously spoken. The third head of my lecture has reference to the con- stitution of particular organs. No organ, perhaps, is of more interest in this respect, or presents a greater variety of conditions, having relation to practice, than the root. It is very much the case with those who take merely a chemical view of physiology, to regard the root as a kind of absorbing machine, as a process of prolongation of the structure into the soil (serving like the lower part of the wick of a lamp) to absorb the nourishment contained in the roil. Such a view as this is a very partial view of the nature of the root, and leaves out of consideration the most important of its physiological characters. In the first place, roots are very diiferent in their kinds. We have two classes of roots among the flowering plants, examples of which occur among commonly cultivated plants. We have roots such as are produced by the turnip, by the bean, and various leguminous plants ; and we have roots produced by the different kinds of grass and grain plants, where there is an original dift'erence in the structure, a difference depending on the modes in which they first sprout from their seed. One class produces a large root ; the class to which the turnip and bean belong produces a main trunk, a continuation of the lower part of the stem, from which the different alisorbing branches are given off as the branches are from the trunk above. In the grass and corn plants there is never any main trunk of that kind produced, but a variable number of fibres or filaments thrown out from the bottom of the stem, as we see from the bottom of a Hyacinth bulb when growing in a glass. The number of tliese and their vigour depend greatly upon the stimulus applied to the plant at the base of the stem when the roots are sprouting. The number is not fixed in any given plant ; it varies to a great extent in proportion to the supply of food furnished to the plant. But when developed in either of these ways, plants do not all send their roots at once into the soil to absorb the food iu the same way. We have ordinary plants growing down into the soil ; then we have a large class growing ia water ; and iu addition to these there are others which never make (heir way into the csrth or into the water, but a^c cuppHcd by tho THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 9 moisture contained in a damp atmosphere. Considerable difference must necessarily exist in the way in which these plants absorb their food ; and not only is this the case, but we have plants which do not absorb their food from the soil or from any mineral sources. For example, we do not unfre- quently find Clover fields in this country infested by a vege- table parasite, of which the plant before me is a specimen, having brownish withered-looking stalks apparently destitute of leaves (the leaves being represented by scales), and termi- nating in pale brawnish flowers. These flowers are as perfect as that garden Snapdragon, or the Foxglove, to which they are nearly allied, and they produce seed as perfectly as ordinary plants with proper leaves and well-developed structures. This plant will be seen to be firmly attached to the Clover — indeed when the sections are placed under a microscope the two structures are found to be organically connected. The germi- nation of these plants has been observed. When the seeds are sown they sprout in the ordinary way ; but if they do not find a plant of the kind upon which they are naturally parasitic, they wither away ; if they find a plant of the kind in the neighbourhood they send their slender rootlets iuto the root of the plant which they are about to infest, and very soon the structures become completely grafted, after which the plant derives the whole of its nourishment from the root of the plant which it has attacked. Not only have these plants a particular constitution, but they infest particular species or groups. This small Broom (Orobanche minor) infests Clover, another kind infests Ivy, another kind infeats^bed-straw; six or eight dif- ferent species are known to botanists of this country, and many more in foreign countries. This plant is an illustration of a peculiarity in the constitution of roots upon which depends the pecularity of the entire plant. It is a plant inteiesting to agriculturists, not on account of any beneficial results, but on account of the mischief which it does. I have also here a specimen of theDodder (Cuacuta), which has been so mischiev- ous occasionally also in Clover fields, particularly in Norfolk. The plant has flowers like the Convolvulus on a small scale ; it belongs to the family of the ConvolvulaceiE, the same family to which belongs another pest, the Bearbind. This plant forms perfect seeds like the seeds of the Convolvulus, and the flowers are in all respects as complete as the flowers of that plant. When the eeeds fall to the ground they germinate like ordinary seeds, they stretch out along the ground in a little narrow wire-like process, and if that does not meet with a clover plant it dies ; but if it fiuds the clover plant, it makes its way to it, and the older part of the original root soon withers away. The part of the stem which is attached to the clover produces little papillae or peg-like processes of a delicate structure, which drive their way iuto the tissue of the stalk of the clover. The plant derives the whole of its nourishment, after the first early epoch of its growth, from the juices of the ^lant which it infests : the plants are entirely parasitic. But tuo modifications of parasitism by means of roots are not ex- hausted by such plants as broomrapes and dodders; for we have others which are imperfectly parasitic, and which have in this kind of parasitism a distinct constitution. Of these are the weeds often found in pastures, called the Eye-bright, the Yellow-rattles, and some others. I have before me a specimen of a Thesium, a plant also belonging to this class, which is rather rare in this country. The roots at first attach them- selves to other plants like the broomrapes. A careful examination shows little suckers or disc-like processes upon the roots ; but when the plant obtains a certain degree of vigour it ceases to be parasitic, it ceases to depend upon the nurse, throws up astern, becomes covered with green leaves, and provides for ita own auatcnancc. The Mistletoe ia an ex- ample of parasite where the root ceases to exist at a very early stage of growth. When it germinates it produces a rootlet like any other seed. It attaches itself to the branches ot the trees it infests by the viscid gummy or mucilaginous matter surrounding the seed. If it falls upon an old branch covered with a corky bark it will germinate, but nothing more; but if it falls upon a young shoot covered merely by a delicate thin rind and sticks there, when it begins to germinate the lower part of the stem spreads out to a kind of disc, and from the centre. This the little rootlet penetrates through the spongy parts beneath the bark, making its way to the cambium, where the new growth of the nurse-plant will take place, so that the seedling is brought exactly to the same condition as a bud when it is grafted on the stock in the ordinary operations of gardening ; an organic connection is set up, the tissues become vitally connected, and then the plant becomes, as it were, a branch of the nurse-plant, and no longer produces any root structure. Still, though it has no root, unlike the broom- rapes to which I have adverted, it does produce green leaves ; even its stem becomes green ; and it decomposes oxygen; there- fore, though it does not absorb its own food, it performs some part of the processes of vegetation, and takes a share in the elaboration of the food. These are interesting cases of peculiar constitutions in plants, manifesting themselves in peculiar vital qualities, as they may be fairly called, in the roots. It certainly must be regarded as a vital peculiarity in these plants that they attach themselves in this way not merely to other plants, but to particular parts and even to particular species of plants. In preparing this lecture, I have noted down in regard to this subject some facts and conclusions as to the functions of roots generally in reference to the supposed phenomena of choice. The above are illustrations of what may be called in roots a choice of food, and they may be taken as serving, in part, as evidence on the general question. But we must not regard this kind of choice in the same way that we regard choice of food in man, for example. The plant cannot go and seek out what food it pleases, but it has a kind of negative choice. It cannot grow upon food that is unsuitable -, it must have that food which is suited for its particular constitution. If the food is indifferent, the plant will notgrow, but need not be absolutely injured. If the food is noxious, the plant will be killed by it, but to grow properly it must have food which is favourable ; so that we may say there is a kind of choice, which, as already re- marked, is as it were negative. It has the power of refusing to grow unless proper food is supplied. That is the only way in which we can suppose that plants have really a choice. I think this statement is sufficient to explain many of the phenomena which have been brought forward, as tend- ing to prove the existence of choice food in plants. The circumstance that a fair supply of food favourable to the plant exists in the soil is sufficient to account for the plant possessing abundance of that particular substance in its ash, and a greater abundance of that substance in its ash than another plant whose constitution does not require that par- ticular kind of food, and which has been well developed in a different soil. In addition to this refusal to produce organization out of uufit food, we have certain phenomena which are partly chemical and partly physical. The absorp- tion of the root depends to a great extent upon what is called endosmosis— the power of the membrane of the root- lets to draw in fluids and solutions by which the root is sur- rounded with a certain amount of force, arising in many cases simply from tlie fact that the fluids within are denser than those ■without. But decompositions prol).abIy take 10 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE, place immediately inside the membrane of the rootlets, and the decompositions may cause differences in the proportional absorption of different constituents of the soil. That, how- ever, is rather a speculative than an assured point. The greater part of the absorption of liquid food is decidedly a mere physical process. Supposing the food to be favour- able and accessible, and supposing the proper conditions to be fulfilled in the different species, the absorption of food is, to a great extent, a mere physical process. It is the result of the action of endosmosis. If you put a solution of gum into a bladder, and place that in water, the gum will attract the water with great energy, so that it will swell out. and if the proportions are suitable, may even burst the bladder. If the pressure is withstood there may be a filtration through the bladder from the tension produced by the excess of absorp- tion. Some experiments have been recently made by the German physiologist, Hofmeister, showing that the endosrao- ais is the principal cause of the flow of sap upwards into plants. More than 150 years ago Hales showed that such sap flowed out from plants, especially from the vine in spring with considerable force. His experiments with glass tubes containing mercury showed that cut brunches of the vine emitted the sap in spring, at the time of what is called the bleeding of the vines, with such force as to raise a column of mercury equal, iu some instances, to an atmosphere. The same observation has been confirmed by other observers ; and Briicke has observed that the force depends upon the distance of the branch from the root — for instance, that a branch close to the root would lift 30 inches of mercury, while a branch 15 inches above the root would only lift half that quantity ; so that the branches and the stem acted, as it were, like inter- communicating tubes, and the pressure was diminished in pro- portion to the distance from the roots. Hofmeister has gone further than this, and has shown that the force lies in the roots. By fixing the tubes upon the roots themselves, and in making some experiments on the common herbaceous garden plants, he has found that the same force exists throughout all of them, and throughout all seasons, modified by conditions of humidity of the atmosphere and soil. In one experiment on the common foxglove, a plant a yard high was cut off near the root, and a tube containing mercury, similar to a barometer tube, was fixed upon this ; it was found that the force of the sap driven out from the crown of the root by the absorption of water from the surrounding soil would raise a column equal to 20 inches of mercnry. Even little seedling peas were found to be capable of forcing tip a column of I inch of mercury. The structural conditions of the tissue of the root all tend to show that these experiments are worthy of credit ; the conditions of the root are exactly those which would favour this endosmosis, and also tlds driving of the fluids upwards in the long tubes and canals of the woody tissue, when it was filtered out from the absorbing cells by the tension produced by excessive absorption. In these experiments a most important diff'erence in the pressure was found to result from the amount of evaporation going on in the leaves above. Where the evaporation was very rapid the pressure was re- moved, and thus no tension or gorging of the vessels or soils could result. This evaporation is important as connected with the influence of excessive vegetation in modifying the condition of roots. It is well known— it is shown by the experiments, I think, of most cultiva'ors — that excessive development of the foliage is unfavourable to tlie develop- ment to the roots of plants iu tbe first instaoce. We have not only to consider the different direction of the energy of the plant, and the tendency of the growth of the foliage itself, but I think the rapid evaporation from the leaves may cause too quick a flow of the sap through the structure, and prevent that elaboration which is necessary from taking place in the roots. I think all onr observations hitherto tend to show that a cer- tain amount of elaboration does take place in the roots them- selves, and if there is too rapid a flow of the nutriment absorbed by the roots towards the upper part of the plant, there is not a sufficient supply of elaborated nourishment in the roots, and we get too crude a condition of sap in the upper part. In the cases of plants cultivated for their flowers, we see excessive luxuriance of foliage producing an indisposition to flower and a throwing back of the whole growth. The same thing occurs wherever we promote too great luxuriance of foli- age in grain plants, as when wo stimulate Wheat by excess of nitrogenous manures. There is too great a development of vegetative structure, and the same supply of climatal agency (heat, light) is incapable of thorriughly ripening the seeds. We see the same in garden plants, where too rich a soil pre- vents the plants from flowering. Almost any common weeds if transplanted in a garden will run away and produce leaves, and perhaps flowers, but the seeds will scarcely ripen ; and even with cultivated plants it is a common practice among gardeners to prune the roots, to cut of the supplies of nourish- ment, especially by withholding water, and thus cause the plant to turn upon itself as it were, and elaborate its food rather than devote it to the production of new tissues. The absorption of food by the roots is concerned not only with water, but with the most important of the materials out of which vegetable structure is formed, namely, nitrogen There is little doubt that the greater part of the nitrogen con- tained in plan's is absorbed by their roots. All experiments tend in tiiis direction. When I say that nitrogen is the most important of the substances absorbed by plants, that is the conclusion derived from both chemical and anato.nical investi- gations into the structure of plants. I may direct attention to a paper I published in the last part of the Society's Journal for evidence of the importance of nitrogenous substances, not only in the development of the tissues, but in the formation of the secretions or elaborated substances. Not only does the exami- nation of the structures show this, but experiments with manures also thoroughly prove it. That nitrogen in excess will do mischief I have already stated, because it will produce excessive growth and prevent proper elaboration ; but a certain amount of nitrogen is necesoary in order to convert what may be called the wild plant into a tame one, to produce that full development of structure which we consider necessary to the perfection of the plant. The cultivated plant has all its favourable characters more fully developed than the wild plant through this more abundant supply of food, and the most important of the stimuli in this food is undoubtedly nitrogen. The recent experiments of M. Couaaingault on the growth of plants with or without nitrogen, and with and without phosphate of lime in combination, are very interesting in this respect. He grew sunflowers — 1st, in a mixture of pounded brick and sand, carefully purified ; 2nd, in the same mixture with nitrate of potash and phosphate of lime added ; and 3rd, in the same brick and sand mixture with car- bonate of potash and phosphate of lime (tiius giving the alkali and keeping out the nitrogenous substances). The plants grown in brick-dust and sand, after struggling through a few weeks of vegetation, attained only a height of six inches, and they produced a flower about an inch across ; and the same result, with but little di!Terencc, took place where the plsnts were grown in the same mixture with phosphate of lime and carbonate of potash. The phosphate of lime did not enable the plant to go beyond this starved condition; and when the whole was analyzed, the pb.ots were found to contain liltlc THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 11 more nitrogen than was originally present in the seeds. They were freely exposed to the atmosphere, but they were in- capable of extracting from the atmosphere sufficient nitrogen to do much more than to keep them alive. The plants, how- ever, in the brick-dust and sand, to which not only phosphate of lime but nitrate of potash had been added, grew between three and four feet high, and were equally high, and were as healthy and fertile as plants grown in a rich garden soil. As an instance of the vital powers of the different plants, I may cite some figures. The plant in brick-dust aud sand aloue pro- duced, taking the seed as one, a dry product of little more than three parts ; while the one with nitrate of potash aud phos- phate of lime produced 198 parts; and that of the phosphate of lime aud carbonate of potash about four parts. The plant in the nitrate of potash showed 200 times the quantity o' nitrogen existing in the others. The result of the nitrogen present in the plant was shown also in the quantity of carbon fixed in the tissues — the substance of which the solid structure of the plant is chiefly built. The carbon fixed in the plant grown in the brick-dust amounted to little more than the 1^ grain; in the plant grown with the nitrate of potash it amounted to 120 grains, or eighty times the former. The car- bonic acid, which was decomposed in twenty-four hours by the starved plant, was only 2^ cubic centimetres ; while that fed npon nitrate of potash consumed in the same time 182 ; show- ing that the presence of nitrogen in the manure was that sub- stance which not only produced the development, but produced the increased quantity of nitrogen in the product and the fixa- tion of the carbon. These experiments, physical and chemical, bring the evidence from one side of the question to complete the reasoning furnished by the anatomical conclusions to which I previously alluded. The results are remarkable in the two cases. Boussingault's experiments show that nitrogen is the efficient agent in the assimilation of food, and the anatomical examination of the tissues demonstrates the actual process of elaboration taking place in the midst of these nitrogenous sub- stances. There are one or two other points to which I must briefly advert, as of interest in reference to this matter. I may men- tion, in the first place, that we have lately had a new hypo- thesis as to action of roots from Liebig, which, hos'ever, can only apply to roots of a certain kind, and not at all to those growing in water or very wet soils. He has formed the sup- position that roots act not merely by absorption of solutions, but by decomposing solid substances with which they come in contact. In this he endeavours to explain the abstraction from toils of substances apparently insoluble. He finds that not only do aluminous soils, as shown by Prof. Way, fix various nseful substances, and prevent their filtering through, but that humous soils e1«o have a similar power. Recent researches of Tbenard show that phosphates are rendered insoluble when they come into contact with alumina or oxide of iron, and that these are decomposable again by soluble silicates, and in that way the phosphates rendered available. Now, supposing the phosphates are taken up in solution, it would appear to be re- quisite iu a soil containing abundance of alumina that soluble silicates should be also present. But, as I have said, Liebig thinks the roots may be able to decompose aud abstract parts of these insoluble compounds. There may be some truth in this ; and if so, we must attribute it to certain peculiarities in the constitution, as we may say, of the roots themselves. As an illustration of the possibility of some such process, I may direct attentif n to what takes place in the fungi, where we de- cidedly have a direct action of the surface of roots upon the media in which they grow. We knosv that the process of fer* mentation takes place during the action of yeast on liquids with which it is in contact ; that is, the action of the surface of the membrane of the yeast and the interchange of the con- tents of the cells with the liquid that produces the conversion of the wort into the alcoholic fluid. It is the same with the plants that produce vinegar and that cause acid fermentation of vegetable preserves. There may be an action of this kind in the roots. The actual contact of the roots with the sub- stances in the soil may be requisite, and in this way roots may be able to abstract from the soil food not previously in solution, but in a state of fine subdivision, chemical action being rendered probable by the moisture present in the root. It would have been desirable perhaps to have directed your attention to some speculations with regard to the in- fluence of phosphate of lime upon roots, but time will not admit of this, and moreover our knowledge on the subject is extremely limited. Nn doubt there is a kind of specific action of phosphate of lime upon roots, that it does favour the production of roots at particular seasons, and under parficiilar conditions of cultivation. How and why it does so science, I think, is unable at present positively to demonstrate, and it is too late to-day to enter into any speculations with regard to this point. I may say, however, that for the settlement of that point only carefully devised and extensive experiments can be of any service. In regard to such experiments, I will make one remark in con- clusion of my lecture. I must differ, or apparently differ, to a certain extent, from our professor of chemistry in one opinion to which he gave expression in his late interesting lecture concerning the office of science in relation to prac- tice. I am not of a sanguine disposition— am considered rather cautious than otherwise ; but I must declare that I look upon science as not onlythe means of explaining what has been done, but as the great instrument by which we shall discover means of doing what we have never done before. It is quite true that in the present state of know- ledge agricultural practice may be in advance of science : theory has not worked its way up to the point in which it can explain all science, much more lay down any new rules for guidance. That is the result of the condition of the particular branch of science : it is not the fault of the science itself. That it is unable to do so, arises from the condition in which the science is placed by the natural course of events. Physio- logy depends for one complete set of its data npon organic chemistr_v ; organic chemistry could never be properly worked out until mineral chemistry had made considerable advances; and even were these departments of inquiry per- fect, there is still meteorology in its infanc}', incapable as yet of explaining peculiarities of climate, so as to unable us in some degree to foretell events with regard to weather, as the astronomer does as regards the movements of the heavenly bodies. I do not consider that this imperfect state of our information demands the conclusion that we are to give up the position of science as the leader of practice. I think that when we look upon the other branches of science which have to deal with simpler forces and less complicated questions, we have every reason to suppose that with proper prosecution of experimental inquiry in physiology, we may be able to use speculation as a means of greatly improving and advancing our practical knowledge. When we see the results of speculation in physics and chemistry, in the conquests of the powers of steam, oleclricitj', light — all products of speculative or abstract science — I think we should not doubt that when physiology has ascended to the same relative stage, that branch of science will take its B THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. proper position, and be the guide and leader of practice rather than simply an humble follower in its footsteps. On the motion of Lord Walsinghara, seconded by Mr. Caldwell, the best thanks of the meeting were voted to Profevsor Henfrey for the able, learned, and interesting lecture with which he had then favoured them. A Monthly Council was held on Wednesday, the 2ad of June ; present : Lord Berners, President (in the chair), Lord Walsingham, Lord Faversham, Lord Portman, Sir Philip Egertou, Bt., M.P., Sir Archibald Keppel Macdonald, Bt., Sir John V. B. Johnstone, Bt., M.P., Hon. William George Cavendish, M.P., Mr, Raymond Barker, Mr. Barnett, Mr. Hodgson Barrow, M.P., Mr.Barthropp, Mr. Bramston, M.P., Mr. Brand- reth. Colonel Challoner, Mr. Druce, Mr. Brandrelh Gibbs, Mr. Fisher Hobbs, Mr. Wren Hoskyns, Mr. Humberson (Mayor of Chester), Mr. Lawes, Mr. Law- rence, Mr. Milward, Mr. Chandos Pole, Mr. Pope, Mr. Shuttleworth, Professor Simonds, Mr. Thompson, Mr. Torr, Professor Voelcker, Mr. Burch Western, and Mr. Wilson, of Stowlangtoft. The following new Members were elected : Armstrong, Johu, Palterton, Chesterfield, Derbyshire Barwell, Thomas, Leicester Bircham, Merrick, Chosely, Docking, Norfolk Bowers, Henry Richard, Eastgate Row North, Chester Brooke, T. I. Langford, Mere JJall, Knutsford Brooks, James, Henley-ou-Thames, Oxfordshire Bowers, Tbomas, Chester Butt, Thomas, Pirton Farm, Kempsey, Worcestershire Carr, William, Lmgcliff, Settle, Yorkshire Cave, Heary Haddon, Desborough, Market-Harborough Ciiivaa, George, Eaitgate-street, Chester Clarkson, Townley L., South Elmham, St. James's, Harleaton, Norfolk. Coggins, G. Fisher, Coombe, Woodstock Cohen, William, Bishopsgate Churchyard, London Ecches, William, Harbythorn, Newcastle, Staffordshire Faulkner, John, Bretby Farm, Burton-on-Trent Fletcher, Samuel, Ardwick-place, Manchester Foden, Johu, Mere, Kuutsford Francis, Clemeut, Cambridge Garnett, William, Clitheroe, Lancashire Humble, William Turner, Sealand, Chester Hunt, John, Rainham, Rougham, Norfolk Kindersley, Edward Leigh, Sywatd Lodge, Dorchester, Dorset Mansfield, John, Trent Vale, Newcastle, Staffordshire Morrell, James, Headington-hill, Oxford Norton, John Edward, M.D., Greyfriars, Chester Parson, G. F,, Waldringfield, Sudbury, Suffolk Perren, W. B.,Comptou, South Petherton, Somerset Ruse, Robertson, Warfield, Bracknell, Berks Savill, Henry, Boleyns, Braintree, Essex Saxton, William Waring, MarketDrayton, Salop Sawers, John, Dunbar, Scotland Smith, Thomas, The Lodge, Northwich, Cheshire Wallace, John, Houghton, Stockbridge, Hampshire West, Mrs. Sarah, Bletchington, Oxfordshire. Finances. — Mr. Raymond Barker, Chairman of the Finance Committee, presented the monthly report on the accounts of the Society, from which it appeared that the current cash-balance in the hands of the bankers was ^£3,034, Prize Essays.— Mr. Thompson, Chairman of the Journal Committee, reported the following adjudica- tions : — To J. Lang, M.D., of The Elms, Newton- Abbot, Devon- shire, the prize of 10 Sovereigns, for his Essay on the Cultivation of the Potato. To Henry Tanner, of the Lodge, Puddynton, near Crediton, Devonshire, the prize of 50 Sovereigns, for his Report on the Farming of Shropshire. To James Dixon, of Ashley, near Altringham, Cheshire, the prize of 20 Sovereigns, for bis Report on the Im- provement of Grass Land by the Use of different Manures or Manurial Substances. Lectures. — Mr. Thompson also reported from the Journal Committee the following recommendation, which was adopted by the Council : " That Professor Simonds be requested to give a lecture before the Society, On the Blood, its composition and circula- tion, loitli the diseases in toliich it is chiefly affected : the first part of the lecture to be delivered on Wed- nesday, the 9th of June, at half-past 12 o'clock, and the remaining second part on Wednesday, the 16th of June, at the same hour." — The Council adopted the recommendation of the committee, that Mr. MofFatt's offer to deliver a lecture at Chester during the period of the meeting in July next, should be declined with thanks. Mr. Lawes.— Mr. Thompson having placed before the President the engrossed resolution of thanks to Mr. Lawes for his valuable contributions to the Journal of the Society, along with a handsomely bound set of that work, prepared for the occasion under the directions of the Journal Committee, the President presented to Mr. Lawes, in the presence of the Council, these tokens of their high appreciation of his scientific researches and practical labours for the promotion of the objects of the Society. Mr. Lawes, in receiving them, thanked the President and Council for the honour of this flattering testimonial. He was well aware of the many defects in those labours in which he had been employed for so many years ; but he might venture to claim for himself and his colleagues in the work their impartial and dis- interested desire to promote by every means in their power the advancement of agricultural science. Agricultural Chemistry. — Sir John V. B. Johnstone, Bart., M.P., reported from the Chemical Committee, that Professor Voelcker, the Consulting- Chemist of the Society, had exhibited to the Committee a diagram for experiments to ascertain the essential fer- tilising value of ammonia as applied to root-crops ; and that he intended, on a future occasion, to offer some suggestions on field-experiments. Sir John Johnstone then submitted an enlarged schedule of Members' Privi- leges of Chemical Analysis, which was adopted by the Council. In this new schedule, not only an opinion of the genuineness of Peruvian guano may be obtained of the Consulting-Chemist by members of the Society, at the small fee of five shillings, but also a similar opinion of the genuineness of bone-dust or oil-cake, at the same rate of charge; for the fee of a sovereign, not only an analysis of oil-cake may be obtained by members, but also of any other substance used for feeding-purposes j and not only analysesof animal products, at a fee varying from ten to thirty shillings, but also " analyses of any vegetable product;" such privileges, however, not being applicible to analyses made for persons com- THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 13 mercially engaged in the manufacture of any substance for sale. Chester Meeting. — Lord Portman, Chairman of the General Chester Committee, presented the monthly report of the operations and arrangements connected with the ensuing Country Meeting in that city, now in a favourable train for completion; and submitted for the approval of the Council the programme for the occasion. Implements. — Colonel Challoner, Chairman of the Implement Committee, reported the progress of the arrangements in connection with the various topics re- ferred to the Committee by the Council. Warwick Meeting. — The Mayor of Warwick having transmitted to the Council the agreement signed by himself on behalf of that Borough under the great seal of the corporation, the Council authorised the Se- cretary to sign the agreement on their behalf, agreeably with the special clause of the Charter, and under the great seal of the Society. Adjourned to June 9th. A Weekly Council was held on Wednesday, the 9th of June : present, Lord Berners, President, in the Chair, Duke of Marlborough, Hon, Colonel Nelson Hood, Hon. William George Cavendish, M.P., Mr. Raymond Barker, Mr. George Davey, Mr. Dent, M.P., Mr. Garrett, Mr. Glegg, Mr. Hancock, Mr. Holland, M.P., Mr. Fisher Hobbs, Mr. Majendie, Mr. Mundy, Prof. Simonds, Mr. Burch Western, and Mr. Wilson, of Stowlangtoft. Prize Essay. — Mr. Thompson, Chairman of the Journal Committee, reported the following adjudica- tion : — To Edward Bowly, of Siddingtoa House, Cirencester, tlie prize of £20, for his Essay on the Management of Breeding Cattle. Communications were received : — 1. From Mr. Samuel Osier, of Great Yarmouth, transmitting a specimen of Fish-guano. 2. From Mr. Hartley, of Lille, transmitting a specimen of the Sorgho Plant, used in the North of France as green food for cattle. 3. From Mr. Bright, of Teddesley Park Farm, Penkridge, reporting the successful application of steam cultiva- tion. 4. From Mr. Bartholomew, of Wapping, contro- verting the received opinions of Veterinary Professors on the condition of the hoof of the horse, in motion and at rest. 5. From Dr. Voelcker, giving the names and addresses of merchants from whom the specimens of Cotton-cake analyzed by him had been obtained, namely, the first from Messrs. Grieves and Co., of Mark-lane, London (price £1 5s.), and the second from Messrs. Baty and Searight, of Liverpool (^6 lOs.). 6. From the Baron de Cetto, Transactions of the Royal Agricul- tural Society of Bavaria; and 7. From Prof. Way, a copy of the Preliminary Report of the Sewage of Towns Commission, of which he is a member. Prof. Simonds, the Veterinary-Inspector of the Society, delivered the first part of his lecture on the Composition of the Blood, and the Diseases with which it is connected, illustrating the details of his explanations by means of coloured diagrams on a large scale. On the motion of Mr. Henry Wilson, seconded by Mr. Burch Western, the best thanks of the meeting were proposed to Prof. Simonds for the clear, luminous, and interesting lecture he had then delivered ; and the mo- tion, being put to the meeting by his Grace the Duke of Marlborough, was carried unanimously. — Pref. Simonds will deliver the concluding part of his lecture on the 16th June. A Weekly Council was held on Wednesday, the 16th of June : present. Colonel Challoner, Trustee, in the Chair, Hon. Colonel Nelson Hood, Hon. Wm. Geo. Cavendish, M.P., Mr. Caldwell, Mr. Humberston (Mayor of Chester), Mr. Parkins, Professor Simonds, Mr. Burch Western, Mr. Wilson (of Stowlangtoft), and Mr. Reginald Wynniatt. Sir Emerson Tennent communicated to the Council, from the Board of Trade, a series of queries on the subject of drainage, received through the Foreign Office from the French Government. The Council took these queries into their consideration, and postponed the completion of the replies to be sent to them until the following week. On the motion of the Hon. W. G. Cavendish, M.P., seconded by the Hon. Colonel Hood, the second part of Professor Simonds's lecture was postponed for a fort- night in order to give the members of the Society an opportunity, by more extended notice, of being present at its delivery. Adjourned to June 23. THE CULTIVATION OF BEANS. The philosopher who warned his disciples to *' abstain from beans," never calculated on having fol- lowers in agricultural England. Not that we mean to say the rare old Hampsliire dish of savoury, pink- skinned, green-fleshed "broad beans," and the greasy accompaniment of " bacon," are being anywhere vitu- perated against. No. But there is one sort, the winter bean, that has unluckily earned a bad name ; while, indeed, beans in general are hardly cultirated to the extent they might bsi Now in a cyclopaedia, prize essay, or calendar ot operations, it is usual to find beans and peas treated of together as " pulse crops ;" but excepting on compara- tively light or loamy land, where the management is much the same for both, there is too great a difierence in the preparation of the land, the time and manner of sowing, the after-management, and, indeed, in the place and purpose of the bean and pea crops in the ro- tation, to admit of the same " directions" being suffi- cient for both. And no description of corn is grown 14 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. in a greater variety of ways than the bean. We not only have the two distinct sorts of " winter" and "spring" beans, but they are sometimes cultivated as a fallow or cleansing crop ; sometimes for the sake of the produce only. On heavy lands they occupy a regular place in the rotation, next in importance to the wheat. On light land they ai'e frequently only a catch crop in lieu of roots; and they may be grown upon trenched or newly-deepeneil land, where wheat would fail. Nograin is put in by so many methods— dibbled on the whole furrow, dibbled in worked soil, dropped from a barrow- drill and ploughed in, drilled or dibbled on lands or stetches, on the ilat or on the top of " ridges," or " drills" like those for turnips ; ploughed and ma- nured for, before winter ; and a seed-bed scarified, or merely harrowed for, in spring : or else all deferred till the time for sowing. In harvesting, also, are used different tools ; and finally, for thrashing, is needed a differently-constructed machine from those used for any other crop. There is much testimony in favour of the winter bean, which branches more than other sorts, and in proper seasons yields a large produce, ripening very early, it allows of a crop of late-sown turnips or rape afterwards, or at any rate gives abundant time for cleaning for wheat. But in districts where harvest is late, there is often too much autumn-cleaning to do, to permit of ploughing for beans until the winter is far advanced ; hence, also, the difficulty of carrying out what is certainly the most rational system of prepara- tion for spring beans — autumn-plonghing-in the ma- nure, and simply grubbing or harrowing to a tilth at the frequently wet sowing-time. Winter-beans should be sown on land that is in a clean state, as the early autumn-ploughing assists the spread of couch more than the late ploughing given for spring beans. So that if the object be to grow a cleansing crop, choose spring sowing; and, indeed, the success of winter beans is not such as to warrant our hindering a wheat-seeding for the sake of getting them in. Beans usually follow a white-straw crop ; therefore, having forked-out beds of couch, &c., from the stubble, cart on manure during the winter, and spread and plough it in. The soil absorbs the products of the de- composing manure, is rendered more porous and friable as well as rich, and requires a mere stirring with the cultivator, or pei-haps only heavy harrowing, at seed-time. It is a common thing in the thoroughly " bean" districts to plough twice in the spring ; but so much trampling by horses, in vain endeavours to pul- verize the stiff solid furrow-slices always turned up after the rains, is condemned by common sense as likely to render the land unsuitable for the growth of the plants, and, by hardening when the dry weather comes, to impede the hoeing. Besides, if the beans are to be a cleansing crop, and horse or only hand-hoeing be freely used, we need not prepare more than a suf- ficient tilth for the young plants ; and when they have come above ground, and during almost the entire period of their growth, we can pulverize the soil and feed them by hoeing, while we at the same time destroy the weeds. Drilling across the furrows, and harrowing afterwards to cover the seed, is practised with great facility and advantage ; the coulters cutting the slices partly into pieces, and keeping themselves clean. Of course, first-class drill-men, or what is better, a steer- age drill, are needed to preserve the distances of the rows with accuracy. The most common, expeditious, and easy method of putting-in beans is certainly with the drill ; which plan may be considered as applicable to all soils and seasons. Why has so much pains been taken to dibble this crop; and why have so many ways of sowing been devised, that are never thought of in connexion with any othor grain ? Ploughs have been made with a little drill attached to the beam, to drop the beans in the furrow ; barrow-driUs, run along by hand ; dibbles and dibbling machines employed ; and beans have also been sown broadcast and ploughed in. When the ground is pretty clean, and horse-hoeing is not required, the rows may be 12 or 15 inches apart ; but a very common cause of deficiency of produce is drilling too closely : the beans will flower from top to bottom, if we only give them space for the admittance of light and air — and it is flowers and pods, not straw, that we want. We have frequently grown crops of beans having stalks six to eight feet long, and with a small yield of corn ; and we believe it is as much the truth of beans as of other grain crops — if you practise thin-seeding take care that you have plenty oi" seed iti each roiu, but let the saving of seed be in having the rows widely apart. You thus secure regularity and sufficiency of plants, while great space is provided for their full development. But one of the most valuable uses of the bean crop is for enabling land to be cleaned or foulness kept in check by horse-hoeing, while at the same time a profit- able yield of grain is obtained. In single rows two feet apart, or in double rows one or less than one foot apart with two-feet intervals between, beans are horse-hoed or skeleton-ploughed, and, when in full flower, moulded- up by the double-winged plough as potatoes are, to prevent lodging and loss of corn. The subject of wide intervals between the rows of all sorts of cropping is so extensive that we shall devote a paper to some circumstances bearing upon it. Mean- while, we record it as our opinion that the drilling of beans at very broad distances, and pursuing a system of tillage between, is not nearly so generally adopted as it might be with very great success. We have seen winter beans ??t single rows Jive feet apart yielding fifty imperial bushels per acre ; the manuring, of course, being very high, the tillage exceedingly deep, and the hoeing followed up with frequency. And yet there are persons who are sceptical as to the possibility of so few rows being able to contain pods enough for such a magnificent yield. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 15 LANDLORD AND TENANT, Sir, — The anomalous and insecure position of the tenant farmer, as regards his relationship with his landlord, is greater than is generally known or may be believed. It is thought by those not intimately acquainted with the agricultural interest that the farmers are a contented well-to-do class of men, who cultivate the farms they occupy with as much spirit and skill, and with the same confidence in the security of their invest- ments, as if the land was their own. To talk of the insecure position of the tenant farmer to some people would be treated as a ridiculous idea; yet bold as the assertion may seem, there is no class of the community who live more upon sufferance, who are so shackled in the exercise of their avocations, and who have so little security for the amount of capital which they may invest in the cultivation and improvement of the land, as the tenant occupiers of this country. The tenure under which the farmer holds his land is for the short period of twelve months, and a tenancy of this nature is contingent on six months' notice to quit or of quitting. This is the mode of tenure under which, I may venture to say, 99 farms in every hundred are held ; and can such a system, I would ask, be calculated to make the cultivator of the soil that indejiendent being he is — ironically, I presume — called ? or is it a system that is likely to induce him to invest his capital and employ his energies in the permanent improvement of the property of which he is but the occupier for the limited period of twelve months, and or which he may be deprived even at six months' notice on the will or caprice of his landlord or his landlord's agent ? A tenant " at will," as a yearly tenant is deaomiaated, and not inappropriately, may under some land, lords feel himself safe of continitiug upon his farm as long as he lives, provided he cultivates his land in a creditable man- ner, and is content to plod on in the "even tenour of his way," careful to give no offence to his landlord or those under him. This feeling too may be entertained by tenants under a good and liberal-minded landlord, who takes an interest in the comfort and well-being of his tenants, and who does not leave the absolute management of his estate to creatures who, " Dress'd in a little brief authority, PI ly such fantastic tricks before high Heav'n As make the angels weep !" But even under the most favourable circumstances the position of the tenant-occupier is not the less insecure or the less de- pendent. A tenant " at will" is in continual fear of doing or saying something which might not accord with the views or meet the approbation of his landlord, or more especially bis landlord's agent or sub-agent ; and though he may not al- together sacrifice his independency of opinion or action, his own self-interest will induce him to be guarded in the expres- sion of the one, and perhaps prevent him f.-om the exercise of the other. The limited tenure of his holding, which he may for many reasons be anxious to retain, naturally renders him more or less subservient to the wishes and caprices of the " powers that be." And no matter whether we take the tenant-farmer in his position as an occupier, a parishioner, o^ a politician, he is equally dependent, or if not dependent, he is at least constrained in his opinions and acts. It is, howewer, more with regard to the insecure position of the farmer as an occupier, that I wish to treat upon. The conditions upon which he holds his farm are such as must necessarily prevent him from embarking his capital to the ex- tent which he might under different circnrastances feel dis- posed to do, in cultivating the land to the best advantage There is a wide difference between the investment of capital in ordinary commercial transactions, and in the permanent im provement of laud, &c., by a tenant occupier. In the former case the employment of capital is temporary, andleft toa person'sown judgment and discrimination : the risk is his own, the profit his own. In the latter case its employment is a matter of contingent speculation, and for which no commensurate return can be ex- pected for years, besides the uncertainty and insecurity of the tenant's occupancy. Thus it is that a farmer who holds bia land from year to year, and is subject to six months' notice to quit, is deterred from investing his money in any permanent improvements. His practice is — I am now speaking generally— to expend no more than he can see a reasonable prospect of a return, in the event of his having to quit his occupation and can he be blamed for his carefulness and caution ? The agri- culturists have been censured by certain parties, as slow to adopt improved systems, and as not progressing so rapidly as they ought in agricultural perfection. But if such be the fact which in part, at least, is open to question, is it owing to the want of knowledge, capital, and enterprise on their part, or to the short and precarious tenure imder which they hold their farms ? I admit at once, that the energies of the English far- mer, taking him as a class, have not been brought to bear to the extent which may be desirable upon the cultivation of the soil, nor will th«;y ever be under the present system of occupation from year to year. What the farmer wants is a more length- ened tenancy than twelve months, and more enlightened and liberal covenants. Under a yearly occupancy he has no fair prospect of remuneration for his outlay, and consequently he tries to make the most of the land for the time being. What he puts-in one year, he, like a sensible man, takes out the next, knowing full well that unless he steers his course tolerably clear of the " breakers a-head" in the shape of agents and sub- agents, he is the tenant one Lady-day, and kicked off the farm, the next. As regards liberal covenants, that is a concession which the farmer must not expect under a yearly tenancy. A short tenancy and stringent agreements are inseparable. Co- ercion and liberality cannot go hand in hand. A " tenant-at- will" is simply a tenant on sufferance ; and it is beyond the bounds of common sense to suppose that he can have the same inducement to properly cultivate, much less to permanently improve, the property he occupies, as he would if he had an interest in it for a longer period. Hence, too, the precaution, under the existing system of annual tenancies, cf stringent agreements — necessary perhaps foe the security of the landlord against a designing tenant deteriorating the land or premises ; but operating most injuriously against an honest man, who takes a farm, as he does his wife, " for better for worse," and who has no higher ambition than to live respectably, and keep his home. The importance of the farmer is not fully recognised either by his landlord or by the Legislature. The interests of the landlord and the tenant are identical, yet no legislative provi- sion exists for the protection and security of the latter. He may expend his capital in building, in drainage, and the gene- ral improvement of the land he occupies, and enhance its value from 10 to 100 per cent. ; yet in the event of his leaving, either voluntarily or compulsorily, the law will give him no claim, no compensation for the improvements effected. It is true that for labour and management applied to the laud th« 16 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. " custom of the couutry," not the law, will allow him to be reimbursed ; but the settlement of valuations between land- lord and tenant is invariably attended with difficulties and de- lays, owing in a great measure to the want of a legislative enactment as to the legitimate claims of the latter, and too frequently gives rise to the worst of feeling, by each party trying to take advantage of the other. The remedy for this anomalous state of things aa regards, the tenant occupier, is more security, by a longer tenancy than from year to year, and granting him a legal claim for all permanent and unexhausted improvements he may effect, under certain conditions, during his tenancy, and in the event of his quitting at the end of the stipulated term. One important result of this would be, that his capital and enterprise would be applied to increase the productive qualities of the land, and to make it as remunerative as skill, industry, and science could do. This is not all ; for, instead of the tenant farmer living, as he now does, more or less on sufferance, and being to a certain extent, in a political sense, " a cipher in the great account," he would become a useful and an independent being in the great social community, and exercise, without fear or restraint, the rights and privileges to which every Englishman is justly entitled. I am, sir, your obedient servant, A Nottinghamshire Farmer. June 9th, 1858, DUMBARTONSHIRE CATTLE SHOW. The annual show of the Dumbartonshire Agricultural Society took place on the 1 5th June. The Society em- braces the whole of Dumbartonshire and part of the counties of Renfrew and Stirlingshire. The competition was not so well sustained as in previous seasons, the number of animals shown being rather under that of former years ; but in several of the classes of Ayr- shire stock the competition was well sustained. The cows were unequal, and few very superior animals were shown ; the number of cows was upwards of fifty. In the classes for queys the animals were somewhat coarse, and were in- ferior to the cows. In the classes for bulls, the show in the class for those from three to seven months old was excel- lent, several good animals competing. In the class for two year olds, the bulls were unequal in quality, but the prize animals were good. In the class for aged bulls, only four animals competed ; they ware only of medium merit. In the several classes for bulls, twenty-three bulls were shown. The show of horses was not extensive, and few superior animals competed. Several of the brood mares were of good frames, but were blemished— the knee, hock, and pastern joints being injured. The show of young horses was of fair average quality. In the sheep classes the show of Leicester sheep was not extensive. In the classes for Blackfaced the exhibition was very superior, particularly in the classes for tups. The whole of the Blackfaced were shown in the wool — certainly a questionable proceeding at the season of the year. We would suggest to the Society the advisability of showing in and out of the wool, the sheep being shorn in the show- yard. Premiums for the best shearers of sheep could with advantage be offered to the shepherds of the district em- braced by the Society. Judges: Cattle and Horses. — Lawrence Drew, Esq., Merrytoii ; John Macadam, Esq., Blairour, by Drymen ; and Robert M'Allister, Esq., Ascog, Rothtay. Sheep. — John Macfarlane, Esq ,Faslane, Garelochhead ; Archibald Clark, E»q., Inverchapel, Dunoon. The following is the list of successful competitors in the various classes: — Ayrshire Stock. Milk cows, in milk, not less than four years old — 1, Robert Hamilton, Tillichewan; 2 and .S, John Houston, Geilston, Milk cows, in milk, bred in the district, not less than four years old — 1, Duncan Macfarlane, Torr ; 2, James Maconchie, Dumbain ; 3, James Moncur, Bowling. Milk cows, three years old, calved or near calving, (cal- culating from or after the 1st January) — 1, John Houston, Geilston ; 2, James Maconochie, Dumbain ; 3, Allan Snod- grass, Mollandow. For three best cows — 1, Duncan Macfarlane, Torr; 2, John Houston, Geilston; 3, James Maconochie, Dumbain; 4, Allan Snodgrass, Mollandow. Single two year old queys, calved or near calving — 1, John Houston, Geilston ; 2, James Rennie, Kessington ; 3, James Moncur, Bowling. Milk cow, with two of her offspring ; offspring not less than one year old— 1 and 2, Duncan Macfarlane, Torr ; 3, James Moncur, Bowling. Cows near the calving — 1, 2, and 3, Duncan M'Farlane, Torr. Bulls from three to seven years old — 1, George Paton, Bankhead ; 2, Alexander Lindsay, Mollandbowie ; 3, George Kinloch, Nether Dalquhurn. Bulls over eighteen and under thirty months old — 1, George Paton, Bankhead; 2, James Calder, Colgrain ; 3, Allan Snod- grass, Mollandow. Bulls under eighteen months old — 1, John Smith, High- dykes ; 2, James Kennie, Kessington ; 3, James Maconochie, Dumbain. Single two-year-old yell queys, bred by the exhibitor; quey not to calve before 1st January next — 1, Malm. Cow- brough, HighCraigtou; 2, Alexander Lindsay, Mollandbowie ; 3, Allan Snodgrass, Mollandow. Single quey, under eighteen months old, and bred by the exhibitor — 1, Allan Snodgrass, Mollandow ; 2, Robert Brown, Aitkenbar ; 3, James Maconochie, Dumbain : 4, Alexander Lindsay, Mollandbowie ; 5, James Maconochie, Dumbain. For three best stirks, all bred by the exhibitor, a sweep- stakes of 5 s. each lot; two-thirds to the best lot, and one-third to second lot — 1, James Maconochie, Dumbain ; Allan Snod- grass, Mollandow. Horses — Clydesdale Breed. Draught brood mare, with not less than two of her offspring, a sweepstakes of lOa. each lot — Peter Macaulay, Blairennich. Draught brood mares with foal at foot, or near foaling — 3, Robert Morton, Dalmuir; 2, William Park, Balquhaurau; 1, Robt. Hamilton, Tillichewan. Draught yell mares for agricultural purposes — 1, James Hay Law, Duntocher ; 2, David Riddell, Kilbowie ; 3, Peter Macaulay, Blairennich. Draught fillies two year old — 1, Robert Morton, Dalmuir ; 2, James Traquhair, Cairneydrouth ; 3, Allan Meikle, Bal- lagan. Draught fillies, one year old, and bred in the district — 1, Wm. Park, Balquhaurau ; 2, John Smith, Highdykes ; 3, Robert Brown, Aitkenbar. Entire colts for agricultural purposes, foaled after Ist Ja- nuary, 1856—1, John Glen, Blairaddick ; 2, Jas. Calder, Col- grain ; 3, D. Riddell, Kilbowie. Entire colts, for agricultural purposes, foaled after Ist Ja- nuary, 1857 — 1. Wm. Park, Balquhaurau; 2, John Govau, Mains ; 3, W. Turner, Gavinbnrn. Sheep. Leicester tups of any age — 1 and 2, Messrs. Turnbull, Milnburn. Two Leicester ewes of any age — 1, Peter Lennox, Kirkton ; 2, Messrs. Turnbull, Milnburn ; 3, Peter Lennox, Kirkton. Blackfaced Sheep. Pen of five ewe hoggs, bred in the district — 1, Wm. Turner, Gaviuburn ; 2, John Phillips, Laighpark : 3,^Malm. Cow- brough, High Craigton. Prizes offered hy Hi'jliland and Ayricidlural Society. For the best tup of any age, belonging to a proprietor or factor — The silver medal to Wra. Turner, Gavinburu. For the best tup of any age — 1, Wm. Turner, Gavinburn ; 2, Robert Filahie, Muirhouses. For the best two shearluig tups — 1 and 2, Malm. Cow- brough, High Craigton. For the best pen of five ewes, not less than two shear — Wm. Turner, Gavinburn. For the best pen of five giramers or shearliug ewes — John Phillips, Laighpark ; claimed also by Wm. Turner, Gaviaburn THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 17 THE JUDGES OF OUR AGRICULTURAL SO CIETIE S— THEIR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES. I have for many years derived great pleasure from reading the various accounts given of the proceedings of our agricultural societies, and the reports of their nu- merous meetings held in every part of our highly- favoured country. They are often highly interesting to the general reader ; but to the agriculturist, who de- lights in noticing the progress of agricultural science, and who lays himself out to forward the great modern improvements in its practice, they are intensely so. Be- sides, they are, and have long been, amongst the greatest blessings and benefits enjoyed by this kingdom; for it is no fiction to say that, under the stimulating and en- couraging influences of such societies, the supply of human food, the value and amount of the landed produc- tions of the country, have been astonishingly increased ; and that these are still undergoing vast accessions, both in weight and quality, for the sustenance and com- fort of man and beast, is manifest to all. It must have struck the most casual observer that we are indebted in a great measure, for the fullest, for the true success of these meetings, to the gentlemen who are called upon to act as judges on these occasions ; and as the period is near at hand when the meetings of our leading societies take place, it is my intention to express a few thoughts on their duties and responsibilities as a class. The first thing I would advert to is this — the choice of judges. I have frequently cast my eye over the list of judges who have officiated at our principal meetings, and have wondered why the same names should ap- pear over and over again. " Surely, I have thought, " this cannot be right. Why, these men are not the only ones entitled or qualified to set the taste, the shape, or fashion of the different animals, or affirm their value as abreed ; nor are they the only qualified men to decide as to the usefulness and economy of the various implements, roots, or other produce, &c., &c., coming under their inspection in the yards and trial-fields." And I have expressed my surprise that more fresh men were not sought out and engaged ; but I have been invariably met with this rejoinder : " That really the duties and responsibilities of judges were so onerous, and the difii- culties they experienced in arriving at correct and just decisions so great, that it has almost become a matter of course to invite men who have gained, and who enjoy the confidence of the public, and of the exhibitors in the various departments of these shows — men of great experience, sound judgment, comprehensive views, and free from prejudice." This is all right enough, and these are the very men the officers of all societies should endeavour to find — men of independent minds, well versed in general knowledge of the particular classes upon which they are called upon to adjudicate, and the especial claims they put forth for public patronage. I say general knowledge, because their judgment must embrace the widest scope possible. Judges at the Royal Agricultural Society of England's Meetings, or similar meetings, do not adjudicate for particular districts : they take the wide scope of British agriculture. It is only at small local shows where su^h adjudications can be at all permissible, and then a himdred to one but they are wrong. Judges who possess the highest requisite qualifications, even at these local meetings, will ignore every animal or every implement which does not manifest and combine in a great degree those modern improvements or adaptations which the present age has established as absolutely necessary. In the implement classes this is a very important feature ; for, notwithstanding all that has been done or achieved in agricultural mechanics, there are yet many districts in the kingdom, where the rudest implements are still in constaat use, and efi"ective economical labour in cultiva- tion almost unknown. The awards of competent judges, even at the local shows, connected with, or being near such districts, should and will tend much to guide the farming public in their choice of implements and ma- chinery best qualified for the most extensive usefulness therein, and thus by their decisions promote and en- courage the introduction of a better order of both im- plements and machinery. I am well aware of the great diflSculties thatexistinovercominglocal prejudices ; hence the great value of the migratory eharacter of our great societies, carrying, as they do, their knowledge and their influence into every district of the United Kingdom. It is at these and similar large meetings that competent judges exert such a powerful influence ; and therefore is it the more imperative that they should be right men — " right men in right places." No man ought to under- take the important duty of a judge at these shows, unless he is " well up to the mark." If a judge of stock, he ought to possess a minute acquaintance with the lesser things which cause to differ, as well as a correct general knowledge of the precise classes of stock he is called upon to examine and adjudge. The same remark will apply to an implement judge : his knowledge of agricul- tural mechanics should be very comprehensive and sound, descending to every minutise of manufacture in detail ; he ought also to be a thorough practical man of business as a farmer, competent to decide upon the real utility of every implement brought under his inspection in actual trial for farm service, carefully discriminating between the workmen's skill in applying the implement, and the capabilities of it in general use. I have frequently officiated in both capacities, and have no hesitation in declaring the duties of an implement-judge to be far more onerous and difficult than those of a stcck-judge ; certainly re- quiring much greater attention to minute particular?, and a comprehension of a far wider character — from the IS THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE, gigantic steam-plough to the housewife's apple-paver, &c,, &c., including the quality of work performed, with every other gradation of usefulness, econoiv!y,and work- manship, in very perplexing variety. The choice of judges, then, is one of the most important in character connected with the management of these influential so- cieties ; neither will the breeders of stock or the manu- facturers of implements be content to place their credit as exhibitors under incompetent inspection. The ut- most care and discrimination should be exercised in making the selection. No motives of friendship or favouritism should for an instant be permitted to weigh in the nomination of a judge ; but competency and uprightness should alone constitute the prerequisites. One word relative to selected judges. I have often observed that men who are deemed eminently qualified to undertake these duties, frequently shrink from the task, and decline it. Nov/ this is decidedly wrong. Managers of these societies have great difficulties to contend ?/ith in this particular thing ; and when men are so honoured, and deemed worthy of being chosen, they ought to accept the office, and do their best to fulfil it as a public duty. No qualms of incapacity or modesty ought to interfere. You would not have been invited, had you not been deemed competent ; and the ordinary routine of your duties is generally laid down in your enclosed prize-sheet, so that you have merely to inspect and carefully examine the classes brought before you, and simply to decide according to your best judg- ment. There can be nothing very troublesome or difficult in this, for a man who is competent to fulfil his post. Why, then, do so many, who are truly suitable men, object to undertake these duties ? Depend upon it, it is false modesty, or — what is worse — sheer indiffer- ence, both of which ought to give way to a far more noble philanthropy. In what a wretched position would the world be, if every man of worth and talent refused to give a portion of his time to the public weal ! C, S, ON THE STOCKING AND MANAGEMENT OF PASTURE LAND. Time for SlocYcng. — The time for stocking pastures in the spring depends in great measure on the mildness of the season, the soil, climate, and other circumstances which advance or retard vegetation ; for it is evident that to turn slock upon bare pastures would be to the detriment of both animals and land. From the middle of March to the middle of April is the usual time to commence stocking, but for bullocks (especially those which are forward in flesli) it is necessary to vrait until a longer bite is obtainable ; these latter should not be turned out before the end of April or beginning of May, Description of Stock. — The description of stock must depend on the quality of tbe land. In the country round Exeter we should find the handsome breed of cattle called the North Devons, famed for the quietness of their disposition. In Hereford, Salop, Radnor, and Brecon the larger breed of Herefords has the pre- eminence ; and in dost parts of England the favourites and fashionable breed, tlie Shorthorns, seem to have monopolized the richest pastures. In shet'p, the Lei- cester, Lincoln, Cotswold, and Cheviot, the South Downs, the West Country, and Dorset are fed in their respective districts. As a rule in grazing, we find the richer the land the heavier may be the description of stock upon it. The only exception I know is that of the Cotswold sheep, which are fatted on hills from 400 to 500 feet above the level of the sea. On the richest pastures, such as those of Buckinghamshire, Lincoln- shire, and Leicestershire, cattle can be fatted to more advantage than sheep : the latter do best on fine, short, sweet grass ; rank herbage is injurious, and on a rich moist pasture they would be liable to the rot. The former, on the contrary, require a good bits of grass. An old and true saying is that '* grass must be twenty-four hours old for a sheep, twelve days for a beast." The first-class pastures are those which can fat a bullock to the weight of 80 or 90 stone (141bs to the stone) ; those which can turn out a beast of GO stone may be styled second-class ; and the third-class are more adapted for sheep or bullocks of a lighter frame, as the Welsh or Highland breeds. Mixture of Stock. — Many graziers will not allow a mixture of stock in their fields ; it is nevertheless a cus- tom very generally adopted. Horses and cattle graze well together, because they both dislike to feed near their own dung. One horse to twelve bullocks on bul- lock land, and one young steer to twelve sheep on sheep land, are recommended by some as a good mixture. Too many sheep should not be put with bullocks, because in this case the former eat the grass so short, that as the country people say, " the beasts can't lap their tongues round it" to feed themselves to advantage. Quantity of Stock j)er acre. — The quantity of stock per acre depends of course en the quality of the land. On the rich pastures near Banbury in Oxfordshire, one ox and two sheep can be fattened. A writer in " Mor- ton's Cyclopsedia of Agriculture" says, " Good sheep- lands will fatten heavy Icng-wcolled sheep, five per acre ; Lincolns and large Leicesters, six per acre ; Hampshire Downs, thirteen to two acres ; small Downs, seven per acre ; half-bred long-wools and Downs, sis per acre ; half bred Leicesters and Downs, thirteen to two acres." Mr. J. A. Clarke, in the Prizo Essay on Lincoln- shire, states that the superior grass lands near Boston will fatten eight or nine sheep per acre. Mr. Dyke Acland, in his Report on Somersetshire, says, that on the best land in that county a bullock and two sheep are fattened, and in some fields of forty acres the grazier will put 30 bullocks and as many couple of ewes with their lambs. It is a common practice with many people to allow to each of their fatting bullocks four or five lbs. of oil-cake per day, which not only allows of more beasts being kept on the same ground (for THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 19 five can be kept in the place of four), but brings them to an earlier maturity, gives them that softness and silkiness of skin so much admired by butchers, and makes their manure fully half as valuable again. Light and Hard StocMng. — If pastures are stocked too lightly, enough profit is not made : if over-stocked, both cattle and land suffer ; indeed on some soils by over- stocking before midsummer there is danger (if the season be hot) of losing the whole of the summer grass. In this, as in other things, the wisest plan is to take a middle course, shunning the extreme on either hand. Judicious management will prevent the waste of any grass by making store stock, sheep, Ac, follow the fatting beasts, for whom, of course, the best pastures are reserved. If the latter are in good condition, when first turned to grass in the spring, six or eight weeks' grazing will, perhaps, render them fit for the butcher. The land they were on may either be kept for a reserve for other stock ; or else directly the fatting beasts are removed, it may be crowded with stock to eat the field close as soon as possible, then laid in for a few weeks to freshen, after which a second lot may be fattened. Quick Land. — Sometimes grass grows so rapidly that it is found necessary to put as much stock on the land as it can well carry; this is often the case on what they call the " quick land" in Romney Marsh, Kent, where they depend mostly on sheep. It is there cus- tomary, when the grass shows symptoms of running away, to buy or hire a sufficient quantity of stock to keep it down ; but we must notice that this extra stock must be removed as the summer declines, to keep the pastures in good order. Winter. — As November approaches, the grass begins to lose its nutritive quality. If the season is wet and cold, a little good hay given to fatting bullocks in the morning will do much good in preventing scouring, &c. Soon after the month comes in, according to the season, they should, if not fat, be taken into the stall, and finished with corn or cake. The lean stock are now put into the straw-yard, and the pastures cleared of all but their winter stock (often the breeding ewes) ; other sheep are usually by this time on turnips or coleseed* About the middle of January the pastures intended for early stocking should be cleared, but meadows need not be " laid in" until May. Size of Enclosures. — With regard to the size of en- closures, it is well known that stock do better in small fields than in large. Mr. NichoUs says (" The Farmer,") " The English graziers have found that five enclosures of ten acres each will feed as many cattle as sixty acres within one fence." Water. — A supply of pure water is necessary to the well-doing of stock. When bullocks drink from a pond it should be hurdled round, to prevent them spoiling the water with their feet and dung ; a tub may then be placed outside the hurdles, which can easily be filled from the pond, or else two posts and a rail may be placed so that the cattle can get their heads to the water without being able to stir up the mud. Shade. — Shade too is very beneficial, particularly to cattle, who should never be without it where obtainable. Posts. — Where there are no trees, rubbing-posts should be set up in the fields, to prevent the use, or rather abuse, of gates and fences. The Rev. Sidney Smith, of facetious memory, used to pride himself on what he called " a universal rubbing-post" of his own invention, equally suitable to beasts, horses, and sheep. Droppings. — The droppings of cattle should be care- fully knocked about from time to time; the neglect of this makes the grass to grow coarse and in tufts. I have heard of people who cause them to be collected every day from their pastures, which necessarily therefore re- quire a pei-iodical dressing of manure. I should not think the increased produce would pay the expenses of collection and distribution. Once every year, at least, the pastures should be closely fed off. This gives the finer grasses an opportunity of coming up, and makes the whole herbage sweeter. A good time for this is after the heat of summer. Brushing the pastures with a scythe is done to answer the same purpose, and the cat- tle will soon pick up what is thus cut. The same reason— that of getting rid of the old grass to make room for the new — causes the squatter of the American continent to fire the prairies. Moles and Ants. — Some of our wise ancestors used to encourage moles and ants in their pastures, under the delusive idea of getting more land for their money. This, with its kindred notion of cutting crooked chan- nels for water, has now gone out of fashion, and we slaughter the little " gentleman in black" whenever we find him, in spite of his instructive lesson to Mr. Hoskyns. Ant-hills should never be allowed. If they cannot be kept down by rolling every year, the operation called gelding should be performed, thus described by Loudon {Encyclopcedia of Agriculture) : " With a turf- ing iron make two cuts across the hill at right angles to each other ; then turn back the four quarters thus ob- tained from off the hill, leaving it bare. Next cut and throw to a distance the interior earth of the hill, with all the ants, their eggs, and winter's store of provision. Now return the quarters of turf to their places, treading them down to form a basin to hold the winter's rain, which will prevent a new settlement of ants, and they being thrown to the surface will perish by the frost." Weeds. — Weeding should be constantly attended to ; docks and suckers from trees or hedges pulled wherever seen ; thistles should be spudded below the crown, or pulled with tongs if the ground is moist enough. Far- mers are generally too careless in allowing weeds to flower in their hedge-rows. Thistles are biennials, but they flower and seed very quickly, and the wind dis- perses the seeds a long distance from the parent weed. Hedges should be weeded as carefullv as the fields they surround. Moss is sometimes very troublesome on old pastures. There is nothing better than to harrow well, and administer a good dose of lime and salt. Rushes ought not to be permitted ; they generally show the want of draining. When that necessary work is done, mow the rushes, and apply 50 or 60 bushels of wood ashes per acre, if obtainable. BreaMng up Pastures. — The practice of breaking up e 2 20 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. old and worn-out pastures, and after a year or two's cropping laying them down again, is often attended with much benefit ; it should not, however, be done too rashly, as grass takes many years to form a new bottom. In lieu of breaking up, some people sow a good mixture of grass *eeds in spring, which brushed in with a slight top-dressing of artificial manure will sometimes renovate the face of the pasture. Draining. — Pastures should be well-drained where the soil requires it. There are many old grass fields in the country, covered with rushes and coarse herbage, which if drained and manured would increase in value three-fold. Surface drains or " gripples" are some- times used, where the subsoil is porous. Although cheaper, they are not neatly so effectual as underdrains, and sheep are liable to get cast in them. Manure. — It is imagined by some people that pas- tures have no need of manure, except that left by the cattle which consume the herbage. But the question ought not to be " whether the land will do without ad- ditional manure," but "whether such manure will yield proportional profit ;" and I believe on most pas- tures an occasional top-dressing would be advantageous. Lime is an exceedingly good mendment, particularly where the soil is deficient in calcareous matter : it destroys the coarser grasses, and produces in their place white clover and other fine grass. In Cheshire some years ago, the pastures that graze the dairy cows were found to be sensibly deteriorating in value': the dung left by the cattle did not seem to supply the neces- sary element that was wanting. A chemist was appealed to, and he happily suggested that as phosphate of lime was continually being removed in the bones and milk of cows, any manure that contained that ingredient might be found beneficial; hence they first crushed bones, which had the bi-iold result of improving both the quantity and quality of the herbage to a remarkable de- gree. On poor pastures lime, guano, and salt, wood ashes, chalk, soot, super and nitro-phosphates of lime have been used to great advantage. The bush-harrow and the roll are often ot great use in pasture as well as in meadow ground. In conclusion, I would say, that in no branch of farming is more industry, skill, and perseverance re- quired than in grazing. Great judgment must be used in selecting the description of animals most suited to the soil, the number that can be conveniently carried by the land, and the most economical way of disposing them : constant attention must be paid to watch the first un- favourable symptom, to change the food of the herd as often as required, and to make the land produce as much beef, mutton, and wool as possible, at the least expense, in the shortest time, leaving the land in the best condition. I, R. THE BATH AND WEST OF ENGLAND SOCIETY. MEETING AT CARDIFF. Modern agriculture has this year resolved on a tho- rough invasion of the Principality. Acting as it were by some skilful arrangement, the two great leaders of her forces attack the country from the cardinal points of North and South. During next month the Royal Agricultural Society of England will lay siege to Chester, while the West of England Association has already opened the campaign at Cardiff. Fully armed and prepared for such an encounter — with all the aid machinery can afford, backed by an ample store of beeves and other provision, such an onslaught is not easily to be withstood. Acting more, however, up to her professions than many great Generals, Agriculture comes really to benefit those plains she encamps on. The people, gradually appreciating her motive, gladly take her at her word ; and a wave of welcome an- nounces a victory, that either side should lay equal claim to. In thus extending the range of its operations, no one will say but that the West of England Society was well advised. It is, indeed, its especial privilege to be so. Cardiff was just the place to break fi-esh ground on. With its minei-al wealth, its increasing commerce, its home and outward traffic, Agriculture has come to occupy here anything but the positicm that in these times it should do. With many facilities of site, a certain rough energy in its people, and plenty of spirit amongst its loading men, the district still needed some little stirring up. The voice of authority was wanting to show how far the land was good, and in how much deficient. This has at length been supplied, and an impressive lesson read that can never again bo for- gotten. In selecting such a place of meeting, the aim of the Society can only be considered as most patriotic and commendable. The advantage from the outset would be clearly with those it visited. It was not a neigh- bourhood to make " a great show," in the now com- mon acceptation of the term — that is, one better than ever it has been. For many exhibiters and true fol- lowers it was quite " out of the way." And this we have to record as the general character of the week's proceedings. As a gathering of " the West of England " the exhibition was clearly below the average of its re- generation. There was scarcely a description of the more important breeds of stock, as well represented as they have been. Or, if one or two did excel, this was mainly owing to local support, rather than to the as- sociated strength of the Society's dominion. Again, the implement business was by no means attended with the customary bustle and interest. But there may be more reasons than one for this; and a certain slack- ness and misunderstanding at Cardiff might have come to pass, had the battle been fought in the Vale of Taun- ton, or on Bristol Green. Still, every one who serves his country must be pre- THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 31 pared to do so at some self-sacrifice. It is the same with an institution ; and this one, we repeat, deserves every credit for its passage into Wales. If tliere be any to blame — as, moreover, any to suffer, (ov a short show at Cardiff, it will be those, who in their absence, conduced to such a result. A man whose name is not continually before the public is soon forgotten ; while nothing tells stronger than a first impression. Here, then, was the opportunity for opening a new connection, and for the further advertisement of " a good article." And it all ended in this wise : — The show of Shorthorns was moderately good; that of Devons decidedly inferior; and the entry of Herefords, with what it often has been, very good indeed. Perhaps this was to be expected. Still the great moral of such a meeting is lost by the other breeds not being sent in greater force. The Welsh farmer will go home again convinced there is nothing to beat his old favourite, the Hereford, after all. And by the experience of this week he is right. Whereasthere are many parts of Wales in which the Devon might be introduced with every promise of success. But the great men do not care about this. Neither Mr. Quartley nor Mr. Turner had an animal on the ground, and it is thought some who did send, had better beasts at home. What has helped to make the fame of the Shorthorn ? The system by which he has been pushed on from one district to another. It will never pay to keep all the best at home. Still there were some beautiful Devons at Cardiff, and conspicuous amongst these stood those in the name of a new exhibitor, Mr. Merson, of Brinsworthy. His two- year-old bull was the pride of the entry; fine in quality, thoroughbred in appearance, and a very model for the mould in form. His prize cow, again, headed a class that, as a whole, was far better. It is indeed difficult to speak dispara- gingly of a Devon cow, and the spectators atCardiffwere quite willing to allow them all the merit their good looks entitled them to. Captain Davey, and a namesake, Mr. Davey of Flitton, stood also more or less distinguished here. The latter was thought to have been hardly used in the heifer class ; his entry being generally considered the fii'st, and not as placed, only the second prize. It is bad taste, however, not to say dangerous work, quarrel- ling with the judges; and we have heard of an instance during the week where an exhibitor personally abused the one judge of the three who had long stood out in favour of his own beast ! Of course the one did not know this when he was venting his wrath, and the other had too high a feeling to tell him. It shows, though, how unwarrantable such attacks are. As Mr. Smith truly said at the dinner, the judges see the stock under many other circumstances to what the public do, and there is scarcely an animal of any kind but that shows very different out and in. Some stand "all of a heap," and others, like a dealer's horse or a well- drilled man, make the most of themselves anywhere. If the Welsh should havealeaningforanythingbeyond tluir own mountain breeds, or white-faced neighbours, it should be for the Shorthorn, and for this reason — Adjacent to both Cardiff and Newport lives Sir Charles Morgan, who occupies a somewhat similar rank in the South to what Sir Watkin Wynne docs in North Wales. Every year there is a vei'y good meeting at Tredegar, prominent at which gatherings are the baronet's own well-cultivated Shorthorns. Strange as it may sound. Sir Charles was not, we believe, at Cardiff during the week, nor does he appear to have taken much interest in what was going on there. He certainly entered a few cows, but these were, of course, at the mercy of Mr. Stratton, in whom the shorthorn show of the West of England Society is coming more and more to centre. His second-prize cow at Newton — second to her own mother — was the first here; while a roan, that stood beside her as second, was thought to be almost as good in appearance, and is certainly so in pedigree ; for the two are out of the same cow. They were a magnificent pair ; and as specimens of the sort, ranked well with Mr. Perry's couple of Herefords, which stood equally distinguished. Next, if not su- perior to these in excellence amongst the Shorthorns, were the shown-in-pair heifers, also from the Hinton Herd. The red heifer, " Bee," was taken with Lord Bateman's Hereford bull, Mr. Merson's Devon, and Mr. Blakemore's pony, as the lions of the show. But even Mr. Stratton's own name is not enough here. Mr. Starkey's second-prize cow is of his blood, and many of the other commended animals as directly related to his sort. Without being precisely able to say why, the Durham cows are as a rule better at these meetings than the bulls, and it was so on this occasion. The latter appear to want altogether more style. There were many of them creditable animals, but few quite up to the stamp of a prize Shorthorn. It was only last week wc had to speak to the way in which a show beast is sometimes got-up. Lord Bate- man sent a well-known Hereford bull to Cardiff, not improved, but positively disfigured with fat. A finer beast, if in anything like proper condition, it would be difficult to meet with. He has all the grand points of the Hereford, with at the same time a certain compact- ness of frame not always so characteristic of the kind. But, he bad unsightly wells in the back from mere fat; he had ugly patches of it here and there. Mr. Gant would have fainted at the sight of his obesity, while the less initiated laughed at, rather than admired as they should have done, an admirable animal, in all "the splendid misery" of having lived not wisely but too well. To the excellence of Mr. Perry's cows we have already spoken, and there were a pair of yearlings by the prize bull, that made one only the more regret the state he had been brought to. It will be observed that many of the more local exhibitors distinguished themselves as breeders of Herefords, and very deservedly so, too. It is not often one sees so generally a good show of them. The district so far, by no means broke the vi'ord of promise. Another little treat here, and one we are less accus- tomed to, was to be a show of ponies. Everyone knows the Welsh pony, at least by repute— his safe action, wear-and-tear constitution, good shape, and 22 'liii'u FARMKit'lS MAGAZINE. fiue temper. And there was to be a class of such at Cardiff. At any rate there was a series of premiums, although too often ere now these have not com- manded an entry. They did, however, at Cardiff. Ag^in the neighbourhood acted up to its character. It was in every way, either for numbers or excellence, the best exhibition of the sort we ever saw } and alone well worth the run down. Such miniature pictures of perfection ! Not merely curiosities, like Tom Thumbs or tadpoles, with small bodies and big heads ; but finely-bred little creatures, with heads like race-horses, the necks and ci'ests of chargers, and the high courage of Arabs. If a man wanted a mount for his son, what would he not give for such a pony as Mr. Blakemore's ? Or, to see how proportioned a small animal may be, let him look at Mr. Williams's bay mare — the realization of what a well-bred hack should be of any size. Such a head here, again, one rarely finds. And yet it is an old story, that ponies are never good in this wise. Some of our friends say they will bring even better from Exmoor to Barnstaple next year. We doubt it. But, if they do, the West of England Society has a capital card to play with them. These concomitant attractions go a great way ; and many people will come to look at a game cock, a smart hack, or a steam-plough, that don't care much about the biggest of bulls, or the squarest of sheep. But the denizens in these parts have always had a liking for a good horse, be he little or big; and great the sport, in days gone by, over Cardiff Course. The proof comes in upon us here in more ways than one. There were not good ponies only ; but a capital class of hunting mares, and some very good two and three- year old colts and fillies. The latter, for a wonder, went almost too much for blood, and looked, as a class, rather light and weedy. They go for a speed here, with Gaper and St. George, the favourite stallions of the country. Many of the mares were themselves thorough-bred, and the Judges rather unaccountably passed over a gi-eat fine Melbourne mare of Mr. Cartwright's, that should have been better appreciated. This section of the Show was quite up to the standard ; and thanks, once more, to local support. This, again, will be grateful to the Council of the Society. We can see Shorthorns and Devons in most places ; but it is not always we can command an entry of Hereford cattle, of good ponies, or well-bred horses. The draft-horses did not rank so highly ; the young stock were altogether but inferior. The season of the year will not allow of a show of Stallions, and the pick of the fair was accordingly with the mares. Mr. Lowrie's first prize is really a splendid animal, with two good ends and something between them ; for she was nearly as fat as Lord Bateman's bull. But one yet more distin- guished before now, the old Suffolk " Darby," a winner of almost endless premiums, was altogether overlooked. The judges, in fact, ignored the Suffolks, of which sort Mr. Beever, of Cowbridge, sent three or four very well-bred ones. But then, as they were judges of pigs as well as horses, one or the other might have been out i of their line. The pigs could not have given them much trouble. There was but a short entry, although a very good one. In the large breed the Berkshires carried all before them ; and in the small sorts— a very nice distinction — the reverend Mr. Hodgson maintamed the superiority of another black pig, which he calls the Leicester. "If we compare"— writes Professor, orV. S. Brown, in the new number of the West of England Journal — "If we compare the present cultivated breeds with the original hardy mountain- sheep, it requires no argu- ment to prove that domestication has impaired their original strength of constitution, and their power of resisting causes of disease. In fact" — hear this, Mr. Marshall, of Riseholme—" iAe tendency to consump- tion amongst highly-bred sheep is very general." Mr. Brown then dwells on " this remarkable debility of the general system among sheep;" while he adds that " the remedy is, fortunately, not remote — our moun- tain breeds will afford new materials for invigoi'ating the organisni, weakened by a too exclusive system of cultivating certain recognized excellencies." Now the feature of the Cardiff sheep- show was this mountaineer — the Exmoor sheep that is — of which Mr. Merson exhibited some extraordinary specimens. They are very active, small only in height, large in breadth, wide in the chest, and with a very capital clip of wool. They really look healthy, and promise to achieve much of what the Professor has just said for them. Although shown in no great num- bers, they had quite the call over the other varieties ; but beyond them, the sheep were anything but generally good. Mr. Beale Browne, Mr. Handy, Mr. Smith, of Bibury, and Mr. Tombs had the best of it with the Cotswolds, though the entry of this rising breed was not what it has been ere now. The only good Southdowns, those of Sir Robert Throckmorton, were very properly disqualified, for being unfairly shorn. They had over an inch of wool on them. Clipping a bad-shaped sheep into a good one is an old story, but Sir Robert's did not require it; and it is said the shepherd offended in entire ignorance of the rules. However, he will know better next time ; and some people, servants especially, take a deal of teaching. The Shropshire and Hamp- shire Downs — saving only Mr. Harbin's ewes — were few and inferior ; and the Dorsets almost as far below high water mark. The home flocks, from the ex- perience of this meeting, will have to look chiefly to their brother-mountaineers, on the other side of the water. "The Welsh breeds" and other local classes were an utter failure. A native cow, with a back like a razor, and with nothing but skin and bone beneath it, was one of the curiosities of the show. Her entry only further proved how much with some peo- ple the lesson was required. Running to the length our lists and reports already do, we can only add that a pet child of the Society — the Poultry Show- was a most successful addition to the attractions of the week. In some varieties it was more than usually strong. The Malays, for instance, made up an extra- TiiE I'ARMEirs MAGAZINE. 28 ordinary entry. The pigeons furnished one of the best collections ever seen ; Mr. Adkins carrying oiF the cup, as having the best " cot." The old Dorkings were quite up to their chartered excellence — the single game-cock a very neat bird; and the Aylesbury ducks, as a whole class, very good. Mr. Fowler, of course, had a lead here. The judges, who had plenty to do, were Mr. Hewett and Mr. Tegehuier. The Society has a dis- creet dislike to putting dealers in office. An old and well-qualified correspondent will help us out with the record of the implement business. Here matters once more did not run quite so smoothly. There was the disinclination of last year on the part of certain great houses to enter for competition. But this, at best or worst, is an evil that cuts both ways. One of the most intelligent agriculturists of the dis- trict, a magistrate for his county, and the chief sup- porter of a local society, expressed his surprise at what he saw. The prize for the steam-engine was carried off by a comparatively little man, against such firms as Clayton and Shuttleworth, Garrett, Hornsby, and Tux- ford, ranged side by side with him ! The fact was our Monmouthshire friend had naturally supposed all these had been entered for trial. On meeting one of the judges shortly afterwards, we told him of the mistake. His only comment was, " I hope you did'nt undeceive him ; I should like everybody here to think so." It is but right to add, however, that the conditions for the steam engine trials were considered unprecedentedly exacting. There were so many subsequent particulars to be given in, and so much minutiae to be unravelled, that, with the Great Chester contest before them, the more formidable firms discreetly reserved themselves. Otherwise, the secret must have been out before now ; and the interest of the Great Triennial Stake more or less anticipated. We do not know whether Mr. Fowler with his steam- plough, or Mr. Smith with his steam-cultivator, had any similar cause for their conduct. But both availed themselves of the introduction and influence of the Society, while neither would condescend to enter for the premium offered. Why should Mr. Fowler submit to such a test elsewhere and not here ? The Society might have well put the question. As regards Mr. Smith, his would have been just the triumph every one would have sympathised with — a farmer fighting his way on, entirely through his own energy and ability. Nothing, we are assured, could have been fairer than the trials, and nothing better than the behaviour of the Society. We only wish we could speak as decidedly for that of some of the exhibitors. As it is, of course Mr. Fowler says he did very good work, and Mr. Smith that he did capital work ; while the prize-list declares that a premium of twenty-five pounds for the best application of steam-power to the cultivation of the land brought no comj)etition. We have already quoted the opinion of one of the Judges on tliis subject ; and another gave his a little more publicly. At the dinnei', on the Thursday, Mr Caldwell, in one of his tell- ing practical speeches, regretted the want of more com- petition. His tone, it will be found, was very moderate, but not the less effective on tliut account. Some new system — the triennial perhaps — may be under con- sideration; but, until it be adopted or rejected, we certainly think more respect should be paid to the So- ciety and its intentions. In addition to Mr. Caldwell, who has just bought an estate near Chippenham, and is now a West of England man, the dinner was remarkable for the number of good speakers drawn out. Mr. Robert Smith, another of the judges, Mr. Acland, the leading member of the direction, Mr. Pitman, and Mr. Jonathan Gray, all went well to the business before them. Lord Coiirte- nay proved, again, a most judicious and able chairman ; v/hile a gentleman of the county, Mr. Thomas, relieved the more serious subject matter with a little speech that, for quaint humour and nice telling, it would have been diflicult to beat. An American, singled out a^ " a visitor," was also found quite equal to the occasion. The day previous the Mayor of Cardiff, Mr. Croft Williams, entertained some two hundred neighbours and strangers most hospitably in the Town Hall, where everything was of the best, bat the attendance, and that was infamous. Amongst the local supporters of the meeting, Mr. Williams occupies a deservedly pro- minent position. He has proved himself, indeed, as good a mayor for agricultural purposes as even Mr. Pain did at Salisbury. This is high praise, too ; but Mr. Williams honestly earned it. Every one, in fact, would seem to have done his best hei'e but the railway people ; and they by no means over- exerted themselves. They ran very few excursion trains untiljust the last day. They refused, we believe, certain of the customary facilities in the carriage of stock, and they were thanked twice over by the Society ! There certainly cannot be a more courteous set of gen- tlemen than the Council of the latter ; but so much thanks for such small favours reads almost ironical. We now proceed to THE IMPLEMENT DEPARTMENT. We have never attended an exhibition of implements where all the points and details so much accorded with our notions of what they should be. Here was a first- class collection of great agricultural value, and all ar- ranged in the most convenient and attractive vv^ay imagin- able, thanks to the good taste of the steward of shedding, Mr. Jonathan Gray — a real West of England man of true national type — to whom on this, as on many other like occasions, the Society is vastly indebted. The shedding itself is exceedingly good in quality, and very orna- mental. It occupies about 4,200 feet in length, of which 2,200 are appropriated to the use of the implement ex- hibitors. These sheds have a peculiar appearance, from their lightness and the absence of much of that cum- brous poling and roping so often in the way. One of the great novelties is that their safety is almost insured from boisterous winds by india-rubber fastenings. These sheds presented a very pleasing appearance, as on en- tering the bcautif^il yard, at the point chosen for the entrance, the end of every shed was to be seen, and the little gay flags by which they were marked gave a very 24 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. pretty appearance. Mr. John Gray, of Somerton, officiated as steward of implements, and was most inde- fatigable in attention to his duties. Mr. Widdicombe, of Fonhill, Wybridge, was the director of the show, and Mr. T. E. KnoUys, of Fitzhead, near Taunton, the field steward. We attended most of the trials, and it cer- tainly did strike us that we had never seen the arrange- ments better, or carried out with greater readiness. No sooner did the judges demand a team or an implement, but it was at once at their disposal. The chief secret of this is in having a responsible man, under the stewards — one who does much to curtail the labours of the field judges. These, again, we learnt, not only at Cardiff, but on most other occasions, at the meetings of the Bath and West of England Society, have been treated with every attention — the best of accommodation, and other creature-comforts liberally provided for them. This is quite right for men who leave their business for many days together, to serve such societies without remunera- tion. We only hope the Council of the Royal Agricul- tural Society of England may take a lesson from the manner in which matters were managed here. Messrs. Caldwell and Wallis, as Judges, took the thrashing machines and other implements for trial in the yard ; Messrs. Lister and Scott the miscellaneous department; Messrs. C. S. Read and John Clarke the field implements and their trials ; and Messrs. Easton and Gooch the engineering department. The trials com- menced on Saturday morning, the 29th of May (Royal Oak day, much observed here), Messrs. Easton and Gooch commencing with the brakes. All being ready the steam-engines were proceeded with, followed bj' thrashing-machines. This was an interesting trial, con- ducted as it was by two of our most experienced judges. We are inclined to think highly of the adjudication, which was said to be upon the plan laid down in a letter addressed to the Council of the Royal Agricultural Society of England a few weeks since, namely, the system of points of merit and other details. Mr. Humphrey may congratulate himself upon his dis- tinguished success, upon such sound principles. The Judges put those machines purporting to dress a per- fect sample through severe tests; and Boby's celebrated screen proved what everybody knew before, that per- fection is unattainable in mundane affairs. The trial of horse-gear, waggons, carts, churns, cheese-presses, cooking-apparatus, together with the above machines, took place on Monday. On Tuesday, chaff-engines, cake-bruisers, and other machines driven by power, as well as miscellaneous articles, were tried both by the above gentlemen, and also by Messrs. Lister and Scott, the results of which will be found in the prize list. Messrs. Read and Clarke conducted the field trials, and on Saturday they were enabled to get through many of these. The implements tried consisted of cultivators, grubbers and scarifiers, single and double drags, sets of general-purpose harrows, S2t3 of seed-harrows, chain- harrows, clod-crushers, and pulverizers. On Monday they proceeded with tlio plough trials, hot!) general pur- pose ploughs and turnwrest ploughs, parers, and sub- soilers. On Tuesday they proceeded with horse-hoes, both for ridge and flat work, and hill-sides ; turnip thinners, liquid manure drills, and general manure dis- tributors. The corn drills were not tried, but the prizes were adjudged in the yard, as were some others. We were much interested in noticing the judges applying the dynamometer to several field-rollers and clod-crushers, although the grass-field being dry and hard-trodden, no satisfactory result was arrived at. Still, sufficient was shown to prove that those rollers having discs of different diameters worked with less draught than those all of like diameter. Having gone through these preliminary remarks, we will now take our accustomed walk through the im- plement yard. The first thing which attracted our attention, as possessing some new features, was Boby's improved screen. It is fitted with small fixed square plates instead of the little revolvers as heretofore ; and, by a very simple adjustment, every alternate wire is made to rise up, so as to make the screen fine or coarse as re- quired. Coleman and Sons exhibited a selection of their ex- panding harrows, potato digger, and celebrated scarifier. They also sent one of these implements fitted for steam cultivation. Comes had his chaff engines in variety. We noticed, as new, his feeding trough ; which, being 13 in. at the feeding end in width, and IG in. at the further end, thus contracts the feed gradually. Mr. Bentall had a large assortment of scarifiers shown in variety. He has greatly improved his cake-breaker. By means of a roller under the top rollers, and the ap- plication of a plate of peculiar character, the cake can be broken fine at pleasure. Glidden showed his kitchen ranges. His new roller is commendable. Hughes and Sons showed some exceedingly good mill- stones. Eddy had a capital stand of ploughs, harrows, &c. We thought his plough made good work in the field ; but the mole-turner is too long — i. e., 3 ft. 8 in. His harrows are good, as is also his subsoiler. Of the trials we will give a more detailed account next week. We have seldom seen a comparatively new man come out so well. Huxham and Brow show good millstones. James had, in addition to his liquid (or water) carts, &c., a chaff engine of remarkable make. It feeds by an endless web, and only when the knife is from it, and will cut at great differences in length. Rather too old-fashioned we thought. Archer had a good collection of coffee-mills, mincing- machines, apple-parers, turnip-thinners, &c., some ca- pable of cutting two rows at once, and hoeing the interstices at the same time — of which more in field- trials. Lyon's machine, for cutting raw roots and meat, de- serves notice. Monro & Co. exhibited a number of excellent harvest- carts, with wheels of four and five feet diameter. The four-feet wheels are too low for ruttv roads. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 25 We found the forks of Parkes here, as also churns, &c. Milford had a two-horse waggon and one-horse cart, cheap and good. Hugh Bird brought the largest and best assortment or collection of inaplements in the yard ; for which he re- ceived the prize. We found Howard's ploughs, harrows, rakes, scarifiers, and horse-hoes on this stand in consider- able variety, and in all their excellence ; the ploughs, to our mind, still standing pre-eminent in form and manu- facture. We often wonder why it is that they are not more copied, having, like their respected competitors, Ransomes, so long proved their capabilities for their practical and general utility, and their lightness of draught. Their far-famed horse-rakes and their original patent zig-zag harrows were also here. These we find are essentially copied by most makers, in one form or other; but not excelled by any. We noticed capital whippletrees and good horse-hoes. On this stand were ex- hibited many of Samuelson's implements, amongst them, of course, his famed Gardner's turnip-cutter, and we par- ticularize thisbecausehe has effected a greatalteration, and to us it appeared a great improvement, in the adaptation of it as a root pulper, combining the cutting of finger pieces and slices of turnips in two-size slices, and the grating of roots, as also mincing like Bentall's. The nibs for grating are affixed in the hollow of the barrel in front of the cutting-knives. Burgess and Key's reaper was here with all its improvements, of which we need not speak further than to say it worked admirably amongst the green rye, and fully sustained its high standing. Here were the chaff machines of Richmond and Chand- ler ; the drills of Hornsby, of Grantham, and Smith, of Peasenhall ; with a great and superior selection from our most popular makers, many of whom have stands, which we shall endeavour to notice if our space will permit, but it must be brief — a bare mention in most cases. Brinsmead showed his straw-shaker and machine. Bradley his horse and pig food. Comins his usual assortment of implements ; his curved cutters in his horse-hoe deserve especial notice. Carson had an excellent stand in great variety: amongst them we observed several deserving especial notice. His plough is much improved, and worked well in trial, as did also his roller or clod crusher, of which more in our trial report. It has a singular adaptation in alternate nibbed or cross-cutting discs running in connexion with the Cambridge discs, but independently. His wrought- iron horse hoe is in the best form for hoeing green crops of considerable growth and without injuring them, and has a movement for adapting it to hill sides. It deservedly received the prize. We did not admire the form of the large pronged cutters. Moody's turnip cutter is well manufactured by Mr. Carson. Powis showed his morticing machine. Cockey and Sons' cheese-making apparatus, garden seats, pumps, fjrks, &c., in excellent variety. A. and T. Fry exhibited a large collection of very useful implements and machinery, including waggons, carts, drills, distributors, ploughs, harrows, clod crush- ers (Paterson's), chain-harrows, rakes, chaff engines, graters, coulters, corn dressers, forks, &c., &c. We had our attention particularly directed to a plough invented by Cousens, which was tried. It has many points of excellence, but he has made a mistake in the extraordinary length of mole-turner, 4 ft. 9in. : the long turn-furrow is undoubtedly good, but it has its proper limits; to exceed them increases the friction, which was borne out in this instance by the dynamometer — more of this in our trial report. The most remarkable thing on this stand was a model of a coal-loading apparatus, invented by Mr, Mackworth. Hole's expanding horse-hoe possesses merit. Lewis exhibited some useful implements. Lyne's harrows and field stile struck us as very novel and very useful. We must give a short notice of the harrows, which proved well on trial, of which more in our report. The principle received especial commendation from the judges under three phases, as shown by the prize list. The set, &c., is composed of three four- beam harrows (serpentine in form), not connected by cross-bars, but each having a loop on the front end, which is looped and works on a round draught bar, the distance regulated by draught hooks and ferrules ; each beam is independent in action, and is kept within limits by couplings behind, without impairing its efficiency. A strengthening bar is attached to one of the sets, which is evidently an improvement. His field-stile excited much attention. It is almost in shape like a lady's open fan. Between the middle bars is a spring, which being pressed, it opens, and closes immediately you pass through. Milford and Sons showed their excellent prize carts ; very strong and useful. Their waggons are good and cheap ; the break is a great acquisition. Morgans shows what he calls hoop waggons. R. and J. Reeves, as usual, were successful with their liquid-manure drills. They are now fitted with Chambers' drop, and do exceedingly well in trial. The new stirrers in No. 2 we did not like quite so well as the bucket-lifters. They are very effective, as is also their dry-manure distributor, doing much work at a cheap rate, and varying in quantity from 2 lbs. to 100 lbs. per acre. Pridmore and Son exhibited their corn-dressing machine. Rowsell his very simple but most useful and cheapest of horse-rakes. Smith and Ashby took the prize for their celebrated haymaker. They had also their very popular and well- appreciated chaff-cutters in excellent variety, as also their horse-rakes. Their two-horse power steam thrashing machine is useful for small occupations ; but we question its utility in a general srnse, particularly in this country. But the engine can most usefully be applied to all the chaff-cutting and oil-cake breaking of the farm. Tree exhibited his gauges, levels, &c. E. R. and F. Turner crushing mills and grinding mills in great variety, as also their chaff-cutters, cake- breakers, and steam two-horse thrashing machine. 20 TilE FAivMEil'S MACAZilNj Rea and Burns sent a bone-cutting and rasping- mill ; invented, we thinkj ^J Forshaw. It appeared capable of great usefulnesSj but broke accidentally in trial. Read entered some highly-useful fire and watering engines, pumps, probangs, green-house syringes, &c. Stone exhibited waggons, carts, trucks, &c. Thorley his cattle food. Woof a land-parer of highly-useful character, and washing machine, &c. Whiteman and Dening many useful implements, amongst them a tubular gate and universal mill. James and Robert Wright a very commendable iron plough, which obtained the favour of tlie judges on trial, and received the prize. It is a near approach to the proved standard of mole-turner. Their horse-hoe requires improvement. Their harrows are good. Young's tree-planter attracted attention. Lemon had a good show of implements from our best makers. He sent Ball's plough for trial. It did exceed- ingly well, but is overdone in length of mole-turner. Richmond and Chandler had their chafF-cutting ma- chines, crushers, mills, &c., in their usual style of ex- cellence. They showed also a very economic steam ap- paratus. J. Whitmee and Co. had, as usual, their corn- crushers, chafF-engines, grinding-mills, flour-mills, their little sausage machines, and a new washing machine of highly useful power. B. Wright a variety of useful implements. Wheeler and Son, a collection of agricultural seeds, properly arranged. Chanter and Co. showed some good models connected with steam boilers. Bridges brought his endless variety of butter-prints and other dairy requisites. Pickerslay, Sims, and Co. exhibited their chaff engines, bean and oat mills, lawu mower, and washing machine. Their No. 5 engine has many valuable points. Haigh, washiug-doUys, &c. Dobbs, spirit-level. David, a monstrous iron cart. J. C. Glover, some nice Scotch carts. Busby displayed his customary assortment of very useful and well-made implements, consisting of a num- ber of carts and waggons, ploughs, Norwegian harrow, Woofe's parer, &c. His carts deserved, as they received, much encouragement. Lucas and Son, steel forks, shovels, spades, and other capital tools, &c. Hayward, a two-horse steam engine and stone- grinding mill, Bruce, varieties of varnish. Jno. Fowler, steam plough, of which we shall speak more definitely in a special report of the trials of steam cultivators, &c., in the field. The steam plough con- sists of windlass, anchors, and ploughs, and is drawn backwards and forwards in the field by means of an endless rope of wire. Holmes and Sons showed corn drills, seed drills, a cheap and excellent manure distributor, and a very eco- nomical seed machine for sowing grain of all kinds broad- cast, for which they vei'y properly received a prize. Their economical seed and manure drills are very com- mendable. Williamson and Brothers, a portable steam engine and thrashing machine, and a 3- horse power patent vortex turbine, an appliance for the better application of water to drive machinery. William Butler, a well-arranged and good 6-horse steam engine. Garrett and Sons had their usual and very superior assortment of implements, consisting of steam engine, thrashing machines, drills, seed and manure distribu- tors, horse-hoes, revolving hoes, dressing machines, and chaff-cutters for steam and horse power, &c. Hart, Gibbons, and Gibbons, steam engine and thrash- ing machine, horse-power machine and horse-gear, and cultivator and small thrashing machine complete. W. Smith, his far-famed steam cultivators and subsoil plough with patent turning bow, a truly simple and effective device for accomplishing a most necessary ob- ject— the turning the implements at the ends. It must be seen to be fully appreciated. His trenching plough and set of tackle for steam ploughing was made by Messrs. Humphries, his steam engine by Messrs. Clay- ton and Shuttleworlh, and the other patented imple- ments by Messrs. Howard. They are got up splendidly. We shall have occasion to speak more of them in our notice of the trials in the field. Brown and May exhibited steatn engines, combined thrashing machine, screen, hummellers, mill, saw- bench, &c. Barrett, Exall, and Andrewes, their excsllent variety of first-class implements, including steam engine and combined thrashing machine, two-horse machine hay- maker, horse-rake, mills, chaff-cutters, &c. Tux ford and Sons their seven-horse power steam engine with vertical cylinder, which is the great pecu- liarity of, and gives a higher value to the engine. Their combined thrashing-machine is so arranged as to work an ordinary corn-dressing machine, which is manufac- tured into the machine, and is after Gooch's old pattern. This novel idea deserves especial notice. Cambridge displayed the only Boydell's traction engine shown, of which we will say more in our field trial report. He had also combined steam and horse-power machines, from eight down to two horses' power winnowing machines ; his improved and world-renowned clod- crashers, and chain harrows, the trials of which we shall notice. Oliver Maggs showed a four-horse steam engine and combined thrashing-machine ; two-horse ditto corn and oat and bean crushing mills, chaff-cutters, root-graters, cheese-pressers, cider screws, &c., &c. E. and T. Humphries six-horse power steam-engine (the prize one) and combined thrashing-machines, of which we have said a word or two. We know more of implements than flannels, but we could observe that the competition for this prize was good, and many excellent specimens of this peculiarly Welsh manufacture were exhibited, in great variety of THE FARMKll'iS MACJAZliNE. 27 colour, pattern, and quality. We must now turn to the prize list for the adjudications in all the classes, as our space would not permit a repetition upon the slight no- tice we are enabled to give. We cannot, however, omit expressing our regret at the absence of some of our best and most approved makers. We hope it was not from other than accidental causes. We did not meet with a Ransome ot a Hornsby ; nor did we see many of their implements. We always like to look over their stands; and at a national meeting like this, we think their absence, with that of many others, a loss both to them- selves and the public. PRIZES FOR CATTLE. DEVONS. Judges — Edward Price, Pembridge, Leominster. S. Treaawna, Lamellyn, Probus, Cornwall. G. R. Turner, Coombe, Sydenham, Taunton. The best Bull above three years old. The prize, a silver cup, to Thomas Webber, Halberton Court, Tiverton. (Prince Albert.) The best Bull not exceeding three years old. First prize of 12 sovs. to Richaid Corner, Torweston, Wil- liton, Devon. (Briton.) Second of 5 sovs. to M. Godfrey, Ruperra Castle, Cardiff. Commended— Ca.T?t. J. T. Davy, Rose Ash, South Molton, for his bull. The best Bull not exceeding two years old. First prize of 10 sovs. to James Merson, Brinaworthy, North Molton. (Prince of Wales.) Second of 5 sovs. to Thomas Webber, Halberton. (Gene- ral Havelock.) Third of 3 sovs. to James W. BuUer, M.P., " The Downes," Crediton. The best Cow in-calf or in-milk, having had a calf within six months. First prise of 8 sovs. to James Merson, Brinsworthy. (Dairymaid.) Second of 4 sovs. to James Davy, Flitton, North Molton. (Curly.) Commended — Capt. J. T. Davy, for his cow. The best Heifer in-calf or in-milk, not exceeding three years old. First prize of 8 sovs. to Thomas Strong, Dunchideock Farm, Exeter. (Ruby.) Second of 4 sovs. to James Davy, Flitton. (Princess of Prussia.) Commended — Another of Mr. Strong's heifers. The best pair of Heifers not exceeding two years old belonging to the same owner. First prize of 8 sovs. to James W. Buller, M.P. Second of 4 sovs. to James Merson, Brinsworthy. SHORT HORNS. Judges — Edward Little, Chippenham. Robert Spiller, Branscombe, Sidmouth. Edward Squarey, Odstock, Salisbury. The best Bull above three years old. The prize, a silver cup, to Johu Logan, Maindee House, Newport, Monmouth. (Glanville.) Commended— Ci-pi. Blathwayt, Dyrham, Chippenham, for his bull. The best Bull not exceeding three years old. First prize of 12 sovs. to R. Strattcn, Broad Hinton, Swin- don. (Victory.) Second of 5 sovs. to the Hon. P. P. Bouverie, Brymore, Bridgwater. (Frantic.) The best Bull not exceeding two years old. First prize of 10 sovs. to Wilham Hewer, Sevenhampton, Highworth, (Economist.) Second of 8 sovs. to R. Stratton, Broad Hinton. Commencfec?— Edward Holland, Dumbleton Hall, Evesham, for his bull. The best Cow in-calf or in-milk, having had a calf withm six months. First prize of 8 sovs. to R. Stratton, Broad Hinton. (Match- less the 3rd.) Second of 4 sovs. to R. Stratton. Highly co»i?«e?iOed— Edward Bowly, Siddington House, Cirencester, for his cow. The best Heifer in-calf or in-milk, not exceeding three years old. First prize of 8 sovs. to R. Stratton, Broad Hinton. (Sul- tana the 2nd.) Second of 4 sovs. to J. B. Starky, Spyepark, Chippenham, (May Day.) lliglily commended— Johu Garaed, Moorlands, Cowbridge; J. Logan, Maindee House; and J. Sbattock, Parsonage Farm, Long Ashton, Bristol, for their cows. Commended— Anotbei of Mr. Stratton's cows. The best pair of Heifers not exceeding two years old belonging to the same owner. First prize of 8 sovs. to R. Stratton, Broad Hinton. Second of 4 sovs. to J. Logan, Maindee House. HEREFORDS. Judges— Edward Price, Pembridgs, Leominster. S. Tresawna, Lamellyn, Probus, Cornwall. G. R. Turner, Coombe, Sydenham, Taunton. The Best bull above three years old. The prize, a silver cup, to Lord Batemau, Shobdon Court, Leominster. (Carlisle.) Highly commended— The Tredegar Iron Company, for a bull. Com7nended—Wi\\i&m Taylor, Showle Court, Ledbury, Hereford, for bis bull. The best Bull not exceeding three years old. First prize of 12 sovs. to Rees Keeae, Pencraig, Caerleon, Monmouthshire. (General Wyndham.) Second of 5 sovs. to William Taylor, Showle Court. (Thankful.) The best Bull not exceeding two years old. Firgt prize of 10 sovs. to William Perry, Cholstrey, Leomin- ster. (The Monk.) Second prize of 5 sovs. to W. C. Morris, Whitwick, I^ower Eggleton, Ledbury. (Admiration,) The best Cow in-calf or iu-milk, having had a calf within six months. First prize of 8 sovs. to Henry Morgan, Mamhilad House, Abergavenny. Second of 4 sovs. to Rees Keene, Pencraig. (Jenny.) Highly commended — Warren Evans, Llandowlas, Usk, for his cow. The best Heifer in-calf or in-milk, not exceeding three years old. First prize of 8 sovs. to William Perry, Cholstrey, Leominster. Second of 4 sova, to William Perry, Cholstrey. The best pair of Heifers not exceeding two years old. First prize of 8 sovs. to Lord Bateman. Second of 4 sovs, to William Williams, Red House, Ely, Cardiff. Commended— Uiea Keene, Pencraig, for his heifers. SHEEP. JuDGES—Robert May, Rewe, Exeter. Robert Smith, Emmetts Grange, Exmoor. — Spencer, Lutterworth, Leicester. LEICESTER OR LONG-WOOLLED. (Not qualified to compete as Cotswold). The best Yearling Ram. First prize of 6 sovs. to John Bodley, Stockleigh Pomeroy, Crediton. Second of 4 sovs. to John Partridge, Bow, Crediton. Third of 2 sovs. to Thomas Potter, Yellowford, Devon. The best Ram of any other age. First prize of 5 sovs., John Partridge, Bow. Second of 3 sovs., John Gregory Watkins, Woodfield, Wor- ccstcr. Highly commended.— Sarauel Kingdon, Lynch, Thorvertou, Devon, for his Ram. The best Pen of Five Ewes. The prize of 4 sovs., Samuel Kingdon, Ljnch. 28 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. The best Pen of Two-teeth Ewes. First prize of 5 govs., R. Corner, Torweston. Second of 3 aovs., James W. BuUer, M.P. Third — not awarded. COTSWOLD. The best Yearling Ram. First prize of 5 sovs., Thomas B. Browne, Hampen, An- doversford. Second of 3 sovs., Edward Handy, Sierford, Cheltenham. The best Ram of any other age. First prize of 5 sovs., Edward Handy, Sierford. Second of 3 sovs., John K. Tombs, Langford, Lechlade. The best Pen of Five Ewes. The prize of 4 sovs,, Wiliiara Smith, Bibury, Fairford. The best Pen of Two-teeth Ewes, First prize of 5 sovs , Thomas B. Browne, Hampen. Second of 3 sovs., Wm. Smith, Bibury. COTSWOLD DOWN OR OXFORD DOWN. The best Yearling Ram. First prize of 4 sovs., Wiliiara Flemming, Goldicot, More- ton-in-the-Marsh. Second of 2 sovs., John K. Tombs, Langford. The best Pen of five Two-teeth Ewes. First prize of 4 sovs., John K. Tombs, Langford, (Only one entry), SOUTHDOWN. Judges. — Edward Little, Chippenham, Robert SpiUer, Branacombe, Sidmouth, Edward Squarey, Odstock, Salisbury. The best Yearling Ram. First prize of 5 sovs., Ralph Neville Grenville, Butleigh Court, Glastonbury. Second of 3 sovs., the Duke of Beaufort, Badminton, The best Ram of any other age. First prize of 4 sovs., the Duke of Beaufort Second of 3 sovs., the Duke of Beaufort. Pen of Five Ewes. The prize of 4 sovs., the Duke of Beaufort. The best Pen of five Two-teetb. First prize of 5 sovs., Wm. Lucas, East Coker, Yeovi'. Second of 2 sovs., the Duke of Beaufort. SHROPSHIRE DOWN, OR HAMPSHIRE DOWN (Not qualified to compete as Southdown). First prize of 4 sovs., John Moore, Littlecott Farm, Pewsey. Second of 2 sovs., John Moore, Littlecott. The best Ram of any other age. First prize of 3 sovs., George Traherne, St, Hilary, Cow- bridge. Second of 2 sovs., John Garsed, the Moorlands, Cowbridge, The best Pen of Five Ewes. The prize of 4 sovs., George Harbin, Newton-house, Yeovil. The best Pen of Two teeth Ewes, First prize of 4 sovs., George Harbin, Newton. Second of 2 sovs., John Moore, Littlecott. SOMERSET AND DORSET HORNS. Judges. — Robert May, Rewe, E.ieter, Robert Smith, Emmett's Grange, Exmoor, — Spencer, Lutterworth, Leicester. The best Yearling Ram. First prize of 5 sovs., Thomas Danger, Huntstile, Bridg- water. Second of 3 sovs., Thomas Danger, Huntstile. The best Ram of any other age. First prize of 3 sovs., Thomas Danger, Huntstile. (Only one entry). The best Pen of Five Ewes. The prize of 4 sovs., Wm. Templeman, North Perrott, Crewkerue, Somerset. The best Pen of Five Two-teeth Ewes. Firs* prize of 5 sovs., Robert Templeman, Perrott, Second of 3 sovs., Thomas Danger, Huntstile. MOUNTAIN SHEEP. The best Ram of any age. First prize of 4 sovs., Jaraes Merson, Briusworthy. Second of 2 sovs., James Merson, Brinsworthy. Commended. — Sir T. D. Acland, Killerton, Exeter, and Jaraes Merson, Brinsworthy, for rams. The best Pen of Five Ewes of any age. First prize of 4 sovs., James Merson, Brinsworthy. Second of 2 sovs, James Merson. Commended. — Sir T. D. Acland, Killerton, for two pens. HORSES, Judges. — G. Brown, Avebury, Wilts, John Wippell, Exrainster, John Moore, Whitchurch, Hants. FOR AGRICULTURAL PURPOSES. The best Mare and Foal, or in Foal. First prize of 10 sovs., Wilham Lowrie, Cadoxton- Jnxta- Barry. Second of 5 sovs., John Logan, Maindee-house. The best Two-year-old Colt. First prize of 10 sovs., John Logan, Maindee-house. Second of 5 sovs , Henry Hitchcock, Chilterue All Saints, Heytesbury. The best Two-year-old Filly. First prize of 5 sovs., W. Lowrie, Cadoxton. Second of 3 sovs,, Messrs. Llewellyn and Henry ThomBB, Tydraw Llantrythyd, Cowbridge. The best Yearlhig Colt or Filly. First prize of 3 sovs., Edward Holland, Dumbleton. Second of 3 sovs., John Logan, Maindee-house. Commended. — W. Lowrie, Cadoxton, for his colt. HACKS AND HUNTERS. The best Mare and Foal, or in Foal. First prize of 5 sovs., H. Entwisle, Marlbro' Grange, Cowbridge. Second of 3 sovs., B. H. Cuthbertson, CefuLlech, Llangibby. The best Two or Three-year-old Filly. First prize of 5 sovs., Hamilton Baillie, Ash Hall, Cow- bridge (filly by Sebastopol). Second of 3 sovs., T. W. Blakemore, M.P., Velindra House, Cardiff (filly by St. George). The best Yearling Colt or Filly. First prize of 5 sovs., William Williams, Zealand, Bridgend (colt by Gaper), Second of 3 sovs., Hugh Entwisle, Marlbro' Grange. Commended. —Rev. G. F. Hodson, North Petherton, Bridge- water, and Hamilton Baillie, Ash Hall, for fillies. The best Two or Three-year-old Colt or Gelding. First prize of 4 sovs., Jaraes Ballard, Llwyn Hily House, Cowbridge (colt by Chanticleer). Second of 2 sovs., Jaraes Watson, St. Pagans, Cardiff (colt by St. George). PONIES. For the best Mare Pony of any breed, not exceeding fourteen hands high. First prize of 4 sovs., G. M. Traherne, St. Hilary, Cowbridge. Second of 2 sovs., Thomas Thomas, St. Hilary, Cowbridge. The beat Mare Pony of any breed, not exceeding thirteen hands high. First prize of 4 sovs., John Williams, Splott House, Cardiff. Second of 2 sovs., W. Leyshon, Bridgend. Highly commended. — Rev. C. J. C. Bulteel, Holberton Vicarage, Devon, for his pony. The best Stallion Pony of the Welsh breed, not exceeding fourteen hands high. First prize of 5 sovs., T. W. B. Blakemore, Velindra House. Second of 3 sovs., Robert Griffiths, Sigginstone. Hifjhiy commended. — Henry Anthony, Pandy, Caerphilly, Glamorgan, and P. James, Chepstow, for their ponies. PIGS. Judges. — G, Brown, Avebury, Wilts. Johu Moore, Whitchurch, Hants. John Wippell, Exrainster. LARGE BREED. The best Boar, not exceeding two years old. First prize of 4 sovs., William Hewer, Sevenhampton, High- worth (Berkshire). Second of 2 aovs., William Hewer (Berkshire). The best breeding Sow in farrow, or that has farrowed within four months First prize of 4 sovs., Edward Bowley, Liddiugton House, Cirencester (Berkshire). THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 29 Second of 2 sovs., Sir Robert G. Throckmorton, Buckland, Faringdon (Berkshire). Hifjldy commended. — Meaars. Brogden and Sons, Toudee Iron Works, Bridgend (Lancashire). Commended. — E. N. Grenville, Butleigh Court. The best Pen of three Breeding Sows, not exceeding nine mouths. First prize of 3 sovs., William Hewer, Sevenhampton (Berk- shire). Second of 2 sovs., William Hewer (Berkshire). Commended. — William Hewer, for another pen of sows of the Berkshire breed. SMALL BREED. The best Boar, not exceeding two years old. First prize of 4 sovs., Rev. G. F. Hodsou, North Petherton, Bridge water (Leicester). Second of 2 sovs., Rev. G. F. Hodson (Leicester)- The best Breeding Sow in farrcw, or that has farrowed within four mouths. Fir.st prize of 4 sovs., Kev. G. F. Hodson (Leicester), Second of 2 sovs., Rev. G. F. Hodson (Leicester). The best Pen of Three Breeding Sows, not exceeding nine moQths. First prize of 3 sovs., Llewellyn Williams, Merthyr (white). Second of 2 sovs., John Homfray, Peulliue Castle, Cow- bridge (White Yorkshire). WELSH CATl^LE.— ANY BREED. Judges. — Edward Price, Pembridge, Leominster. S. Tresawna, Lamellyu, Probus, Cornwall. G, R, Turner, Coombe, Sydenham, Taunton. The best Bull, not exceeding three years old. No entry. The best Ball, not exceeding two years old. No entry. The best Cow in-calf, or in-milk, having had a calf within six months. No merit. For the best Heifer in-calf or milk, not exceeding three years old. First prize, not awarded. Second of 2 sovs., George Goode, Croft Cottage, Carmar- then (Black). Special Prize offered by C. C. Williams, Esq. The best Cow in-calf or in-milk, having had calf within six months. The prize, Rees Keene, Pencraig (Whitefaced). Commended. — John Logan, Maiudee House, for red cow. The best Pair of Steers, not exceeding three years old. The prize, Sir Charles Morgan, Bart., Tredegar Park, Mon- mouth (Shorthorns). Commended. — Hugh Entwiale, Marlbro' Grange, and Rees Keene, Pencraig, for their steers. EXTRA STOCK. A prize of £2, James Wall, Redlaud Lodge, Bristol, for a pony. A prize of £L Hugh Entwisle, of Marlbro' Grange, for Shorthorn Cow and Calf. A prize of £2, John Logan, Maindee House, for Shorthorn Cow. A prize of £1, the Tredegar Iron Company, Newport, for Hereford Heifer. A prize of £2, Sir Charles Morgan, Tredegar Park, for pair of Shorthorn Heifers. PRIZES FOR IMPLEMENTS. JUDGES OP IMPLEMENTS IN THE FIELD: John Cl.vrke, Long Sutton, Wisbeach. Clare Sewell Read, Stoke Feiry, Brandon, Norfolk. JUDGES OF thrashing MACHINES, &C., IN THE YARD : H. B. Caldwell, Brandon, Norfolk. Owen Wallis, Overstone, Northampton. MISCELLANEOUS: William Lister, Richmond, Yorkshire. Thomas Scott, Ripoo. engineers: Edward Easton, Grove, Southwark. W. GoocH, Great Western Railway, Swiudon. preparation for ground. The best application of steam power to the cultivation of land, 25/., no competition The best plough for general purposes, 3^., J. & R; Wright, Sandford, Crediton, Devon. The best subsoil plough, 2Z., E. H. Bentall, Heybridge, Maldon, Essex, The best turnwrest plough, which will efficiently turn the furrow against the hill, 3/., John Eddy, Kennford, Exeter, The best cultivator, grubber, and scarifier (wide), 21., Richard Coleman, Chelmsford, Essex. The best (narrow), 21., Richard Coleman, Chelmsford. The best single or double drag, 11., E, H. Bentall, Hey- bridge. The best set of harrows, H,, A, and T. Fry, Temple-gate, Bristol, The best set of seed harrows, II., J. and R. Wright, Sand- ford. The beat chain harrow, II., W, C, Cambridge, Bristol, The best clod crusher or pulverizer, 21., W. C. Cambridge, cultivation of crops. The best corn drill, 5Z., Hugh Bird, Cardiff. The best corn drill for small occupations in hilly districts, 51., withheld. The beat turnip and mangel wurzel drill, for ridge or flat, depositing manure with the seed, 51., R, & J, Reeves, West- bury, Wilts, The best general drill, capable of distributing at pleasure liquid manure ivith the seed, 51. No machine complied with the conditions of this prize. The best general manure distributor, 5Z., R. and J. Reeves. The second beat 21., the prize withheld. The best horae hoe for green crops on the ridge and flat, 1/., Hugh Carson, Warminster. The best on steep hill sides, specially adapted to work hori- zontally along the side of thejhill, 21., Hugh Carson. The best machine for setting out turnips on the ridge or flat, preparatory to singling, 31., John Eaton, Twywell Works, Kettering. The best hand machine for filling up vacancies in drilled green crops, 1/., no entry. harvesting crops, and preparing for market. The best haymaking machine, 21., Smith and Ashby, Stam- ford. The most economical and practically useful portable steam- engine, lOl., Brown and May, Devizes, Wilts. The second best, 5Z , to W. C. Cambridge, Bristol. The portable combined steam thrashing machine, which shall perfectly prepare the sample for market, lOZ., Humphries, Pershore, Worcester. The moat simple and practically useful portable combined steam thraahiug machine, not requiring more than eight horae power, which shall make the best subdivisions of corn and re- fuse, 5/., Humphries, Pershore. The most practically useful portable thrashing machine, with riddle and straw shaker, not requiring more than three-and-a- half horae power, when worked independently of its horse gear, 3/., H. Beare, Newton Abbott, Devon. The best portable four-horse gear, adapted for driving thrashing machines, 21., H. Beare, Newton Abbott. The best single horse gear, for driving chaff-cutters, &c., 1 L, A. and T. Fry, Bristol. The best winnowing machine, which shall be also convertible into a simple blower, 31., Burrow and Page, Morchard Bishop, Devon. The best one-horse cart, for general purposes, 21., divided between jMilford and Sons, and George Milford, both of Thorverton, Devon. The best two-horse waggon, provided with efficient means of checking its speed downhill without dragging or locking the wheels, 2Z., divided between MilforJ and Sons, and George Milford. preparation of food for stock. The best chaff-cutter, worked by horse or steam power, 21., H. Carson, Warminster. The beat machine for grating or pulping roots, 21., E. H. Bentall, Heybridge. The beat turnipcutcer, II. , divided between A. and T. Fry, Bristol, and H. Bird, Cardiff, 30 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. The best corn and pulse bruiser, worked by horse or steam power, 21., E, R. and F Turner, Ipswich. The best oil -cake erusher, for every description of cake, ll„ E. H. Bentall, Heybridge. The best gorse bruiser or chopper, 2Z., Richmond and Chandler, Salford, Manchester. The best and most eccnomical steaming apparatus for pre- paring food for cattle, pigs, &c., 21., Richmond and Chandler, Salford. MISCELLANEOUS. The best churn, 1/., Hugh Bird, Cardiff, The best cheese press, IL, Carson and Son, Warminster. The best cooking apparatus for farm kitchens, 21, John Gliddou, Williton, Someraet. The best field-gate, not less than nine feet in length, fitted with haHgings and fastenings, 11., Samuel Rousell, Buckland St. Mary, Somerset. The best specimen of substantial fencing, calculated to resist cattle of all kinds, constructed either of iron, wood, or a com- bination of both materials, fixed or moveable, II. No award. The best self-acting valve for the discharge of small streams into tidal rivers. No merit. SPECIAL PRIZES. OFFERED BY CHARLES CROFT WILLIAMS, ESQ. The best and most useful collection of agricultural imple- ments, bona fide the property of the exhibitor, first prize of lOZ., Hugh Bird, Cardiff; second of 1^., A. and T. Fry, Bristol. OFFERED BY A MEMBER OF THE SOCIETY. The best machine for sowing grain of all kinds broadcast, capable of being worked by one horse, \l.. Holmes and Son, Norwich, Norfolk. OFFEREB BY JONATHAN GRAY, C. C. WILLIAMS, AND T. D. ACLAND, ESQRS. The best specimen of 10 yards of real South Wales white flannel, three-yards wide, Zl., David Lewis, Pandy Machen ; second, \l., W. Smith, Tonyrevail. Pontypridd. The prize de- cided by texture and durability. The best specimen of 10 yards of blue and white, or red and white striped flannel for gowns, woven in the national style of South Wales, 3Z., David Lewis, Pandy Machen; second, \l., Wm. Smith, Tonyrevail. The prize decided by quality, pat- tern, and colours. The best specimen of 12 yards of Welsh fancy plaid flannel adapted for ladiej' dresses, 5Z., David Lewis, Pandy Machen ; second, 1^., Wm. Smith, Tonyrevail. AWARDS OP CERTIFICATE OF MERIT. For single or double drag, Thomas Lyne, Malmesbury, Wilts. For a spiked chain harrow, Thomas Lemon, Cardiff. SPECIAL AWARDS. For a paring plough, 21., William Woofe, Regent-street, Gloucester. For lever harrows, \l., Thomas Lyne, Malmesbury. For Chandlers' water drill, with Reeves' improvements, and Chambers' drop, 5^., R. and J. Reeves, Westbury. For improvements in his corn screen, by which the wires can be set fine or coarse, 1^, Robt. Boby, Bury St. Edmunds. For an improved horse hoe, 1^., Garrett and Son, Sax- muudbam. For improved steam power portable cloverseed-drawiug machine, 21 , Holmes and Sons, Norwich. HIGHLY COMMENDED. A winnowing machine, Robert Boby, Bury St. Edmunds. A cultivator, grubber, and scarifier (wide), E. H. Bentall, Heybridge. A set of seed harrows, James Comins, South Molton' Devon. Plough for general purposes, Thomas Lemon, Cardiff. Chaff-cutting machine, James Comes, Nantwich, Cheshire. COMMENDED. A subsoil plough, John Eddy, Kennford, Devon. A turnwrest plough, J. and R. Wright, Sandford. A cultivator, grubber, and scarifier (wide), Hugh Caraou* Warminster. A set of seed harrows, E. H. Bentall, Heybridge. A set of harrows, Thomaa Lyne, Malmesbury. A clod crusher or pulverizer, A. and T. Fry, Bristol. A cultivator, grubber, and scarifier (narrow), E. H. Bentftll, Heybridge. A single or double drag, John Eddy, Kennford. A single or double drag, J. and R. Wright, Sandford. A set of harrows, E. H. Bentall, Heybridge. Plough for general purposes, Hugh Carson, Warminster. Plough for general purposes, John Eddy, Kennford. Plough for general purposes, Reubin Lewis, Whitchurch, Cardiff. Clod crusher or pulverizer, Hugh Carson, Warminster. Clod crusher or pulverizer, John Eddy, Kennford. Oilcake crusher, Smith and Ashby, Stamford. Chaff-cutting machine, Richmond and Chandler, Salford. Patent safety chaff-cutter, Smith and Ashby, Stamford. Double ridge horsehoe, E. H. Bentall, Heybridge. A winnowing machine, George Wreford, Newport, Barn- staple. THE DINNER Took place on the Thursday afternoon, in a well arranged and ventilated marquee, within the Show ground. Lord Courtney again presided, with Messrs. SiUifant and Newman as his Vice- Presidents, and the following gentlemen as stewards of tables: — John Gray, KnoUys, Acland, Pitman, Jonathan Gray, Gitlett, Fartant, Widdicombe, Maule, Hussey, and Gordon. There were also present the Mayor of Cardiff, Lord James Stuart, M.P., Col. Stuart, M.P., H. A. Bruce, Esq., M.P.,H. H. Vivian, Esq., M.P., H. Thomas, Esq., the Rev. J. EvanS, jun., and about three hundred other gentlemen, either locally in- terested, or more directly identified with the cause of agricul- ture. After the customary loyal toasts, the Chairman gave the " Army and Navy," Colonel Stuart replying for the former, and Captain Scobell in a long tedious oration for the Navy. The healths of, "The Lord Lieutenant," "The Mayor," "Lady Bute," and "The Chairman" followed. Mr. Sillifant gave " The Local Committee," and Mr. KnolLya " The Judges." Mr. Caldwell in replying said: My Lord and Gentlemen, I rise to respond to the toast just proposed by Mr. KnoUys in so complimentary a manner, and so far beyond our deservings, though I know we have all fearlessly and conscientiously tried to do our duty. If I now venture to make a few remarks on some of the trials which I have had to do with, I trust I shall be pardoned if I omit any thing really of consequence; for, having had no intimation of having to respond to this toast, I have no notes by me. First, I must congratulate the Society upon the very excellent show of implements in the yard ; next, on the great assistance rendered to the judges by the stewards; and further, to the readiness with which the implement makers came to their trials ; but I must add, how sorry I am that we had not more competition with the thrashing machines, for finish- ing corn for market. We put two (Mr. Humphries, and Mr. Cambridge's) to severe trials, and they did their work well, and we proved the quality of their work by passing some of their dressed corn through Mr. Boby's very excellent screen ; even then we had great difficulty in deciding on the superior merit of one machine over the other, and it was only when we put all things together which as judges we had to consider, that we could but award the prize to Mr. Humphries. For our own satisfaction, and also that of the farmer, we made furthertrials. Taking the samequantity of dressed corn from the hand-power dressing machines, that is, from a sample of the best dressed given to us by the judges of those implements, we passed it through Mr. Boby's screen, and had the same result as from the corn which was dressed by the finishing thrashing machines — that is, while we had a difference of 4 and 51b8. of light corn taken from \\ cwt. of the thrashing machine samples, we had 4^1b3. from that of the hand-power dressing machines. This we considered a great triumph for the finishing thrashing machines ; and I do not hesitate to say, that if the prize machine goes to Chester, it will be something very superior that beats it, though I shall be de- lighted, for the benefit of the farmer, if such a thing takes place ; and if after three years' lull, such is not the case, all I can say is, it ought to be. We also had some corn thrashed by a machine driven by its own steam-eugine, both belonging to a steward of the society. We took a sample of what we considered his very best dressed corn, and the result was the same as all the other trials, when it had been passed through THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 31 Bohy'a screen, viz., 4|lbs. from 1^- cwt. — aud this thrashing machine is supposed to be perfect. I must say again, I was sorry at haviug so small a number of competitors ; but having had my ruhs with the makers on the subject, I will say no more than that I am happy we still meet as friends, I can also answer for the goodness of many chaff-cutters, and nothing but the greatest pams-taking and the working of many figures from the dynamometer could decide on the superiority of one over the other. The pulse-bruisera were not equally matched astosize.sol willsay nothingonthat subject. With the ploughs and field implements I had nothing to do, as they were not in my department. On the trials of 3^ horse-power thrashing- machines I will say nothing: they are a bad class ; aud where farmers wish for such small power, they had better adhere to the simple thrashing machine. As a judge, I well know there must be disappointed exhibitors, but we act for the benefit of the farmer; and if leading firms are beaten, we must rejoice that the agricultural societies have stirred up a good and wholesome rivalry, and thus brought better implements iuto use, I hope I have now said enough for my department, and having made thus a small report of our pr;iceediag:8 duricg this pleasant meeting, I must congratulate the Society also on the benefit that is entailed on the labouring community ; for where steam is employed, there you see more labour employed, and much more intelligence growing up amongst our humbler brethren. This is caused by the march from place to place of the Agricultural Societies ; securing at the same time good employment for the artizaa and mechanic, as well as for the farm labourer. While the country thus improves iu intelli- gence, and consequently in morality, so will blessings be added to the many so long bestowed on dear old England. In the name of the judges of implements, I return you our best thanks. — [Mr. Caldwell's address was received with marked attention, and he sat down amidst general cheering.] Mr. S.MiTii, of Exmoor, also replied, as cue of the Judges of stock. He said: My Lord and Gentlemen,— I feel tiiat an im- portant duty has fallen to my lot. I am called upon to aaawer for the opinions of the twelve learued judges who have acted on this occasion to award the many premiums offered in the stock classes. If I had the talent of a Siliivant, this would indeed be an e.isy task. But, ray Lord, I am thrown on my own resources ; and happily do I reflect that while Dame Agriculture gave us birth, we have had practice at our fingers' end, aud I hesitate net to tell you that we have fearlessly done our duty. The practical duties of a judge are best illustrated by the fact that, at such gatherings as the present, it is their d'.Uy to keep in view the great object of the Society, viz., to unite with elegance and quality of flesh the great essential of constitution which can alone be produced by the cylindrical form. Again, it should be remembered that they are required to point out a class of animals that shall be best suited to the production of male animals, leaving the local societies to award their prises for geldings, steers, and general stock. In so doing they are bound to adhere to symmetry and quality as the only founda- tion of this important object, leaviug the larger or irregular forms to the chances I have named. Allow me, my Lord, to claim for myself and colleagues the advantages we had in being etiabled to see the animals unloosed and paraded before us to assist our judgment, while the spectator during his scrutiny has a'one the chance of seeing the animals as they may happen to appear before him, attitude having mui;h to do with the decisions they come to, aud thus frequently to con- demn the judges. Having said thus much for my colleagues, allow me as a west couatryman to express my delight in common with previous speakers at the warm reception we have met on this our sister soil. Although our Society boasts its ancient date, and consequent usefulness, I may faitly say that, in accepting the invitation of the Principality, we do not hritig with us the spirit of dictation, but we do bring with us a spirit of fellowship, which we hope will ripen into maturity on both sides the Bristol Channel. We brijig not with us our camp for warfare, but rather for peace, and this we have pitched upon the green sward of this !,beautiful park. To cement this union, we invite you to pay i.is a return visit in the year 1859. I say come to that picturesque and beautiful locality. North Devon — our neit anniversary at Barnataple — and we will give you a hearty welcome. To re- turn to my charge, it may be rightly expected that I should give some account of the exhibition. This is told in a some- what brief summary ; it is a fair and bold average gathering upon the whole. There are, as in former years, the strong entries aud weak entries. It has been truly said that the Society comes not here to teach ; but I would humbly suggest that it would be well for the Welshman to engraft upon his mind by observation the merits of the several prize animals ia their respective classes, for these are happy types of their order. For the beat displays we may refer to the cattle classes, It is unfortunately true that the exhibition of Devous is not what we in North Devon could have wished ; but when you come to our classic lands, we will show you them in greater numbers and of better quality. Your Welsh ponies are worthy of attention, and we here exchange with you a few ideas as to the merits of this most beautiful and useful animal, the pony. I cannot, unfortunately, say as much for your mountain sheep, they are so much excelled by my friends the Exmoors. I have mentioned the home of the Devon? on our side the water; let me add to this that we have also our mountain lauds, and we will exhibit to you on our own soil the Exmoor mountain sheep and ponies in goodly numbers, and then leave you to draw your own inference as to the respective merits of the sister mountain products. We meet here on mutual ground for the interchange of ideas. I see no reason why we should not meet ogaiu to exchange our produce. The Exmoor pony is a popu- lar beast, but I feel that he does not excel hia companion oa the hills, the Exmoor sheep. These require to be better known. As an illustration I will give you figures from my private book. The council having entrusted to my care the collection of information for their report of the show, I have called to my aid the assistance of " the tape," whereby to make a comparison of their girths against the other sheep. In doing this I selected the prize ram in each of the old classes, taking as my basis the fact that these would be fully developed in their form, aad thus best suit my experiment. I will now read to you the result : — Girth op First Prize Old Sheep. Southdown 49 inches, Hampshire Down 49 „ Exmoor Mountain 48 ,, Dorset Horn 46 „ la the long-woolled classes the old Leicester girthed 61^ inches, the Cotswold 60 inches. The Welsh mountain rams from 33 inches to 39 inches. By these figures we get comparative data ; aud, I may add, that if any one will visit aud inspect the forms of these respective animals, they will find that it is the cylindrical form and depth of flesh that have governed this result, aud clearly poiut to the Exmoor sheep as a hardy class of animal, aud why they can so well contest the storms of their mountain district. I may mention another fact — that, in mea- suridg the prize animals in the cattle classes, we found those animals which were the deepest in their fore-quarters were also longer in their form — a circumstance rather contrary to the general views of the spectator (much cheering). Mr. Thomas gave " The Stewards," in a speech of much humour, in which he lelated how turnip culture was introduced into Wales, through the agency of a Lincolnshire farmer, who married a Welsh widow with eight hundred a year as some re- ward for his patriotism, Mr. Pitman, as steward of the Poultry Show, responded, aud bore testimony to the advantage of poultry shows, in in- creasing the quantity produced, and the quality also. Dork- ings had increased one-third during the last nine years. Eng- land used to spend £1,500,000 annually in the purchase of poultry in France and Spain ; but this had now been con- siderably lessened, Mr. Bruce proposed " The Labourer," in a speech of much eloquence, and Mr. Moysey " The Royal Agricultural Society of England," Mr. AcLAND, as a member of the Council of the Society, replied. It was the maxim of his relative, the well-known Philip Pusey, that they should not atte:apt to teach farmers, but collect their experience, and put it before them in a prac- tical form. That was what the Royal Society atill desired to do. Mr. Acland dwelt at some length on the advantage of water meadows, and instanced those of Mr. Pusey, and the later triumphs of Mr. Smith on Exuioor, as worthy of the at- tention of the Welsh farmer. He proceeded to show the ad- vantage of " mind" applied to the pursuits of agriculture, and trusted the time would come when the Royal Society would not refuse to pay becomingly for its application to such a pur 32 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE, pose. Mr Acland concluded by proposing " The Visitors," and coupled with the toast the uame of Mr. Olcott from the United States. Mr. Olcott, on rising, was greeted with an expression of hearty welcome. He said that it gave him the highest grati- fication, as a member of the United States Agricultural So- ciety, to receive the polite courtesy which had been extended to it in his person ; and as a representative of that young and vigorous nation wliich had sprung from our own loins, and was by ten thousand bonds linked to us, he returned thanks for the expressions of interest iu her welfare. He was both surprised and gratified to find that an agricultural meeting in England was so similar to one in his own country, for it evinced the progress they had made towards an imitation of our own excellence. And further, he saw that at an agricul- tural banquet we, like they, seemed animated by a de- sire to bury all controversies and sectional jealousies, and unite in praise of the most majestic of national interests. You have read, gentlemen, of the strife between the slave- holding and non-slaveholding interests, and of the opposing factions at the North and the South. But need I tell you that when the representatives of those parties meet at the table of a society such as this, peace and fraternal courtesies banish all harsh feelings ; and that with one accord, and like loving children of a common parent, they seek only to say, as eloquently and as earnestly as they can, how important is the labour of the husbandman. The peculiar necessities of each nation tend to develope certain branches of industry to a very unequal extent, and hence the show-yard of an American Agricultural Society presents a certain dissimilarity iu appear- ance from one in Great Britain. At an American meeting we have a larger variety of labour-saving machinery, but not so many stationary engines. Horse power is still, to a great extent, applied to the working of thrashing machines, sawing wood, grinding, and such-like occupations. Still, steam is being slowly but surely employed for all these purposes, and a large number of very excellent portable engines are being annually brought into use. The scarcity of labour, as compared with an almost boundless territory of 3,000,000 of square miles, compels us to the production of machinery and implements for performing every detail of agricultural labour. Take, for instance, the Indian Corn or Maize crop, which, strange as it may seem to such of you as are not familiar with the actual statistics, is four times as valuable in the aggregate as the cotton, which is boastingly said " is king." The vast area of fertile land in the VYestern States, which is suitable for the production of this staple, and its very moderate price, enable men in even moderate circum- stances to own hundreds and even thousands of acres. With a scanty, and what is more, a thoroughly independent popula- tion, it is evident that these fields cannot be worked by manual labour, and the result is that the mechanical faculties of the nation are taxed to produce machinery to supply this pressing need. So successfully has this demand been met, that we plant, cultivate, harvest, and prepare for market the corn. A farmer scarcely needs to touch it, from the time it leaves hia granary until its produce fills his bins in the autumn. You will not then, my Lord and gentlemen, accuse me of exaggera- tion when I say that it is only necessary to intimate to a really ingenious Yankee that a machine is wanted for a particular purpose, and in thirty days you will have patenls registered for at least thirty machines of the greatest dissimilarity of plan, and each claiming to accomplish its work by the shortest possible cut. To the breeding of cattle we are also giving much attention. By importation from your best herds we have, in a quarterof a century, accumulated manyofyourverybest blooded animals ; and in a genial tlim^ite, and by skilful management, their progeny reproduce with faithful exactness the noble qualities of their sires. At an American show you will see ranges of sheds appropriated to Shorthorns, Hereford s, Devous, Alderneys, and Ayrshires, to all your various breeds of sheep and swine. We have breeds of horses peculiar to our country. The Morgan and Black Hawk of Vermont are strong, symmetrically shaped, and of great beauty of appear- ance. In Kentucky, your thoroughbreds attain an parly matu- rity, and lose nothing of their strengh of constitution or flcet- ness of foot. The very abundance of land and the migratory character of our people militate against the realization of that beautiful system iu farming which I see in every part of Eng- land which I have visited ; but the wide diffusion of agricul- tural llteratnre, the interchange of visits between wealthy agriculturists of both countries, the enthusiastic support of agricultural fairs, are all working effectually to bring about a future " good time" for agricultural science in my country. Do not suppose, my Lord, that we are ignorant of what you are doing in the field of agricultural experiment ; for we are, per- haps, as well aware of it as yourselves. We get your Mark-lane Express, your Farmer's Magazine, the Gardeners' Chronicle, the Journal of your own Society, and those cf the Royal Agricultural Society of England, and the Highland and Agri- cultural Society of Scotland; and although our farmers have not the means or the disposition, or I might say, iu many cases, the necessity, to duplicate your prac- tice, they know very well what is going on at Rothamsted and Cirencester, at Tiptree Hall and Lois Wee- don. My Lord, I pray you to bear with me if I seem to be prolix ; but the theme is a glorious one, and the interest and the nation in whose behalf I speak are very near to my heart. I could wish that we might welcome to the tables of our agri- cultural banquets many more of your agriculturists than we do, and that many more of my brother farmers of America could see what I have this day seen, and hear what I have heard. It does not need your warm grasp of the baud or your kindly accents of welcome to convince us of the interest you take in our welfare ; nor do I believe that yourselves require like convincing proof on our part. A community of interests between your Royal Exchange and our western farm — between your cities of manufacture and ours of shipment — have forged bonds that will endure for ever. A common origin causes national sympathies that cannot be kept asunder by a few thousand gallons of water in the bed of a sea. When your brave and good soldier fell in the torrid latitudes of the East, after having conquered impossible difficulties and achieved almost impossible glory, we mourned for him as if he had been leading an American, and i.ot an English host. In our principal cities the flags at half-mast, the solemn tolling of the bells, the deeply affectionate expressions of our citizens, and the tone of our public press, all betokened our sentiments of grief. It was the tribute of a brave nation to a brave and good man. And I feel confident that General Havelock's widow, or his children, would find in the United States an opening of doors and an opening cf hearts that is only ac- corded, in most cases, by one's own countrym.en. Thanking you sincerely, my Lord, and gentlemen of the Bath and West of England Society, for your welcome and the attention you have bestowed upon my remarks, I take my leave of your hospita- ble society. Mr. Jonathan Gray gave "The Railway and Steam Navigation Companies," and thanks to them for the facilities they bad afforded the society. Mr. T. Waldron, " Prosperity to the town of Cardiff." Mr. Caldwell "Success to the Bath and West of Eng- land Society ;" and the Chairman " Success to the next merry meeting at Barnstaple." THE ANNUAL MEETING took place on Thursday. Lord Courtenay in the chair. The Secretary read the REPORT OF THE COUNCIL, which was adopted. " The Council have again the satisfaction of reporting an increase in the number of members. " Since the last annual meeting the sum of £76 has been distributed in prizes for essays. " The Council deem it of great importance to maintain the efficiency of this branch of the society's operations, and they have issued the following offers of prizes for essays, to be sent iu for adjudication next year: — On Pigs, £15 ; on Steam Cul- tivation, £25 ; oil Potatoes, £10; on the comparative Value of Cake, Corn, and Roots iu making Flesh and Manure, £20 ; on Autumn Cultivation, £10; on the Training of Farm Ser- vants, £15 ; and lastly, on a subject for which they hope that the present gathering will furniish fertile suggestions. On the Connection, both Agricultural and Commercial, be- tween the West of England and South Wales, £20. " After careful consideration, the Council have thought it for the interest of the society to again engage the services of Professor Brown, and he is accordingly acting as veterinary inspector at the Cardiff Meeting. Arrangements have been THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 33 made in conjunction with this appointment, which, it is confi- dently hoped, will obviate difficulties which have sometimes arisen in the selection of stock entitled to compete for prizes. " The Couccil desire specially to direct the attention of the members and friends of the society to the fiQaucial state- ment published in the Journal. " The circumstauce that the increase of members is not followed by a proportionate increase in the available resources of the society, has eug^aged the attention of the Council, and a committee of their nu'i ber has reported the result of an investigation of the subject. It appears that a considerable proportion of our members are of the class entitkd to the privileges of the society on payment of an annual subscrip- tion of ten shillings, which amount is almost, if not entirely returned in the form of a copy of the Journal, and free ad- missious (o the sho-v-yard and other privileges, leaving little, if any, balance applicable to general purposes. Mauy gentlr- men who might have claimed the advantages of membership at ten shillings per annum, have from the first subscribed double this amount, aud several others have lately foUo'.ved their example. The Council hope that mauy more may be encouraged to adopt the same course, as it is only by a per- manent aud substanti-1 increase in its resources that the society can be maiutained in its present state of efficiency. The receipts for admitsiou to the show-yard have hitherto proved a most important aud auuually-improving branch of revenue ; but it must be remembered that this is liable at auy time to l)e seriously affected by the continjrency of unfavour- able weather and other causes. " On the recommendation of the Implement Committee and their Engineers, the Council think it right to add that they have adopted some new regulations, as conditions to be com- plied with by all exhibitors of steam engines, the result of which they hope will be to secure to the practical farmer the oppor- tunity of witnessing in operatioT iu the yard engines possesa- iug grea'er simplicity and more permanent efficiency than heretofore." Mr. Silli'ant was elected president for the ensuing year; and Mr. Cleoient Bush, of Wistou, near Bath; Mr. Cald- well, of liickham house, Wilts ; Sir J. Duntze, Bart., of Star- cross ; Mr. E. S. Urewe, of the Grange, Coilumpton ; Mr. Walroud, of Bradfield ; Mr. Langford, of Ashpool, near Barnstaple ; Jlr. Pitt^ of Drewsleiguton ; and Mr. John Vre^, Jun., of Powderham, near Exeter, were elected mem- bers of Council, in addition to a number of re-elections. Mr. Buller, M.P., and Mr. R. K. King, are the vice-presidents. THE TREATMENT OF LAMBS AS A PREVENTIVE TO DISEASE. The paper read by Mr. Marshall to the members of the London Farmers' Club was both novel and in- structive. Although the discussion that followed upon it did not greatly elucidate the subject, still sullicient was advanced in corroboration of his statement to lead us to infer that hereafter it will tend to a beneficial re- sult. " Any infringement of the organic laws," Geo. Coombe observes, "will inevitably lead to a derangement of the system ; " and it is to this circumstance that the origin of the disease is to be traced. Sheep in their natural state are not subjected to feed on the same pasture continuously for any great length of time to- gether, but travel from one portion to the other, as it suits their inclination. In no instance, either, do the lambs leave their mothers until late in the autumn, or when they become able to provide and assimilate their food properly, and at a season when the autumnal showers have rendered it succulent and adapted to their constitutions. This premised, let us examine the method pursued by our sheep-breeders as regards their young stock. At a very early period the lambs are separated from their mothers, and are at once placed upon artificial grasses, at a season when these are so far ripened as to be totally unsuitable to the tender stomachs of the lambs. The sudden transition from the milk of Ihe ewe to the dry summer food that succeeds, is beyond the power of their digestive organs to assimilate pro- perly; consequently general derangement of the sto- mach and system immediately follows, and of which the small thread like worms that are found in Ihe lungs are but the indication. It has been established as a principle among the me- dical profession, that upon any sudden change taking place in the qualify of the food, disorder in the di- gestive organs is prclty certain to follow ; and this is so palpable to every ouo^ that it requires no argument to prove that such is the ca>e. With herbaceous ani- mals also the same result will invariably follow — instance that of a horse when taken suddenly from dry food, and put upon pasture, or vice versa. The fact is, the gastric juice of the stomach i i process of time adapts itself to the task it has to perform, and when once so adapted, requires time for it again to suit it- self to any other description of food to which it may bo subjected. A lamb in its early stages is dependent almost entirely upon its mother's milk for subsistence, and for several months from its birth mainly so. Ima- gine then its being at once taken from the ewe, and placed upjn food entirely of a different character, which, as we before stated, it is unable to digest ! Dis- turbance of the system at once follows. This is attended with loss of appetite and fever ; parasitic worms, as al- luded to, are engendered in the vessels of the throat and lungs, and which, from their constantly irritating tho.se important vital organs, soon terminate the life of the animal, to the great loss of the owner. We have analogous cases in other descriptions of live stock — in young calves especially, taken too early from their mothers, or improperly fed upon food that they cannot digest. Milk, when tiiken into the stomach of a young animal, becomes immediately coagulated by the action of the gastric juice, and digestion then follows in the natural way. But if, as in some cases, any admi.\ture of other substances be made with the milk previously to giving it, in the early period of rearing, so as to prevent the coagulation of it when taken into the stomach, an unhealthy condition of the animal follows. The coat stares, a cough ensues, ar.d all the symptoms that are attendant upon the diseased lambs become apparent. Small thread-like worms fill the cavities of the lungs and windpipe ; and the animal dies, unless medical aid be procured in sufficient time to arrest the disease. This is generally effected by the inhalation ©f gases destructive to the parasites, or u THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. by admixture of linseed oil and turpentine, given for the same purpose. It may not be considered out of place to add here some remarks upon the nature of parasites in general. In every case they ought not to be considered as pri- mary, but as secondary, indicating the existence of disease rather than producing it. For instance, ani- mals in an unhealthy or impoverished &tato become infested with parasitic lice, whilst those in healthy con- dition are free from them. Parasites, also, that attack the internal organs are invariably the result of pre- vious disorganization of the system. Even with trees and vegetables the same laws prevail. The branches of trees, when disea-ed, become covered with lichens and fungi, from which the other portions in a healthy state are free. Bodies enteiiug into decomposition also engender worms innumerable, and even vinegar itself abounds with myriads of small thread-like worms, under certain conditions of temperature or chemical change. From all, then, that has been adduced, we arrive at the following conclusions — 1st. That the sudden removal of the lambs from the support derived from their mothers at too early a period produces disorganization of the digestive organs, which cannot bo overcome unkss the food that is sup- plied is. of a highly nutritious quality, and easily to be assimilated in the stomach of the young animals. For this purpose young succulent pasture-grass appears to be best adapted. 2nd. Thai the present mode of keeping sheep in large numbers upon arable land and dry artificial grasses is totally at variance with the natural habits of the animal ; that under such management the lambs, from their tender nature, are the first that suffer ; and that when grazed upon land of a sterile character, the nutri- tious portions of the food become diminished in ratio to the quality of the soil upon which it is grown. 3rd. That the early period of removing lambs from the ewes tends greatly to produce disease, inasmuch as such treatment is directly contrary to that which would take place under the ordinary course of nature. The remedy, therefore, becomes apparent— that this sudden transition be as far as possible avoided, by suffering the lambs to continue longer with the ewes ; and that, when removed from them, the food supplied be of a succulent and nutritious character, with a proper admixture of nourishing dry food in addition. If the weather be hot and dry, a plentiful supply of water should be at all times given them. FERMENTATION AND BREAD-MAKING. Fermentation is that sponlaueous chauge whiclt, ia various forms, takes place ia animal and vegetable substances, pro- ducing new fluids and gaseous compounds. It is of three kinds, namely, the vinous, producing alcohol; the acetous, yielding vinegar ; and the putrefactive, of which the products are very variable, and usually fetid. The two former may be considered as merely decompositions, the latter that of decay. "Wbentheesprefsedjuiceof the grape, &c.,i3esposed in warm weather to the air, which is necessary to the operation, it soon becomes turbid : its temperature rises a few dei;ree3, a motion takes place in the fiuH, and minute bubbles of air form and break. If the process goes on, a thick froth, consisting of those bubbles aud viscid matter, rises to the surface; and when these bubbles have burst, a viscid substance falls to the b9ttomofthe vessel. This possesses the property of causing fermentatiou to take place ia other fluids, which without its presence would not undergo such a change. This substance is called yeast." In order to observe what happens during the vinous fermen- tation, dissolve some sugar in four times its weight of water» and add to the solution a small quantity of yeast obtained as above described, or from the fermentation of beer. Expose this misture, in a glass with a bent tube, aud a bottle for re- ceiving the gaseous products, to a temperature of about 75 degrees, it will soon be found that the substances will so act upon each other as to produce carbonic acid, which will be found in the gas bottle, while the sugar will gradually disap- pear, aud the flask will contain a mixture of wafer and alcohol, or spirits of wine; this is separated by distillation. These changes occur without the interference of the air or its osygen; nor does it appear that water is decomposed, or that anything is added by the yea^t. It seems, therefore, t^t when sugar is deprived of its osygen and carbon in the form of carbonic acid, it is converted into alcohol. Now alcohol consists of 3 equiva- lents of hydrogen, equal 3 ; 2 of carbon, equal 12; audi of oxygen, equal 8 ; its equivalent therefore is 23. In order, therefore, that the alcohol and carbonic acid aloue should be produced from sugar, this last eubstauce should consist of 3 equivalents of hydrogen, equal 3; 3 of carbon, equal 18; and 3 of oxygen, equal 24; giving 45 as its equivalent. On this admission, the production of alcohol by the separation of carbonic acid from sugar may be thus shown : Hydrogen. Carbon. Oxygen. Sugar ...... 3 3 8 equivalents. Carbonic acid 0 12 Alcohol 1 This will, however, show that sugar contains a larger quaa. tity of carbon than is usually assigned to it. According to Gay Lussac, 100 parts of sugar should yield 48.76 of carbonic acid, and 5.24 of alcohol, which is very nearly in accordance with the foregoing theoretic statement. Although sugar appears to be the only vegetable matter that yields alcohol by its decomposition, yet it is to be observed that pure sugar suffers no fermentation. In the juice of the grape, as well as in some other cases, there is some accompany- ing matter which acts as a ferment ; aud when yeast is thus spontaneously produced it causes fermentation in sugar with- out, so far as appears, adding anything important. Indeed it is stated that scarcely 2 per cent, of this substance suffers de- composition. It will therefore almost appear to produce the effect by what has been termed " an action of presence," aud by Berzelius denominated " catalysis." In brewing, distilling, and vinegar-making in this country THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 35 tlie substance fermeuted is malt, io which the starch that the grain contains has by incipient vegetation been converted into sugar, and thus rendered fermentable. In the acetous fermeutatiou the materials employed are similar to those used for the vinous, but the temperature em- ployed is higher. Little acetous acid is produced unless atmo- spheric air is present, the oxygon of which must combine directly with the requisite proportion of oxygen and carbon that constitute acetic acid. But as alcohol may be converted into viuegar, as indeed is practised ia wine countries, it is pos- sible, even when sugar is produced from malt, that the previous formation of alcohol may occur. And this view will beat ex- plain what happens, and show that by the mere absorption of o.xygen, so as to form water, and without the evolution of any carbonic acid, acetic acid may be formed. With respect to the putrefactive fermentation, it is to be observed that it is spontaneous decay and decomposition of vegetable and animal matter, which is unaccompanied with the production of alcohol or acetic acid. In the vegetable putrefactive fermentation, the principal product is carbonic acid, and probably water; both derived from the combina- tion and absorption of the oxj'gen of the air, which unites with the hydro;Ten and carbon of the vegetable matter. In the putrefactive fermentation of animal matter ammonia is a very usual product, owing to the presence of azote, which enters largely into the composition of animal matter in general ; and thus, by uniting with the hydrogen, the alkali just mentioned is produced. BREAD-MAKING. When flour is made into a paste with water, the mixture is called dough; and when this is suffered to remain in a moderately warm place, it undergoes that partial and spon- taneous decomposition which is called fermentation, and which, in order to distinguish it from other kinds, has been called, but without sufficient reason for the distinction, the pansry ferincHlatio7i. Daring this fermentation, a portion of the carbon and oxygen of partially-decomposed flour recombines, so as to form what is sometimes called fixed air, but correctly carbonic acid rjas. This, during its natural tendency to escape into the air, is arrested in its progress through the dough by the adhesiveness of the gluten, and forms, owing to its retention, numerous cavities in it. It is thus that wheat-flour makes lighter bread than that of oats or rye, owing to the larger quantity of gluten it contains, by which the bread is rendered more porous and lighter, and consequently more digestible. This plan of fermeutalion would, however, not only require much time, but dough thus spontaneously fermented is never quite free from putrescence and acid, both of which are in- jurious to the flavour of the bread. To remedy these incon- veniences, the process was formerly accelerated by adding to a mass of recent dough a quantity of old dough in a state of strong fermentation : this was called leaven, and the mass to which it was added was said to be leavened. Although the use of leaven was an unquestionable improve- ment, a still further one was made by the employment of yeast instead of it : by this, the fermentation is much more rapidly and perfectly effected. The exact nature of this ferment has not been ascertained ; it is the frothy scum that rises on the surface of beer during its fermentation : it is a very com- pounded substance, and it is by no means determined to what portions of it the fermentive power is particularly owing. It appears to contain gluten, but that alone is not sufficient to account for the efifects produced, as it is incapable of fermen- tation per se. Wbcji the baker proceeds to the preparation of dough by means of the yeast fermentation, he at first takes generally a portion only, but sometimes the whole, of the water wanted to make the refiuisite quantity of dough. In this water, which varies in temperature, according to circumstances, from 90 to 100 de;.. 28,^269 ,, 1855 „ 88,509 „ 1857 estimated to contai^ 13^>;^W. ,, It can be no ordinaiu|||jipefiinaty of situation that would have caused ^o rapid an accumulation of popu- lation ; and although the commercial season is in- terrupted in a g^e-at measure for some months by the frost, we find that its internal tr^de, and that by railway, keeps the ^populdtion in a constant state of activity; whilst, its manufactures employ upwards of ten thousand 3lF^ne adult inhabitants. We shall next ^ive some statistics of the commerce of Chicago. he capital expended in warehouses amounts to •A.hvee millions and eighty-seven thousand dollars (£017,400 sterling), affording stowage for 4,095,000 quarters of grain. The facilities for "handling" or shipping the grain will clear off 1,340,000 bushels per day. The progressive increase of the corn-trade may be judged of by the following statement : SHIPMENTS OF GRAIN. Yrs. Wheat. Ind.Corn Oats. Barley. Bushels. Bushels. Bushels. Bushels. 1838 78 . , 1843 688,907 . , 1848 2,380,000 550,460 65,280 1853 1,680,999 2,780,253 1,748,493 120,275 1857 10,783,292 6,814,615 416,778 17,993 SHIPMENTS OF FLOUR — FIVE YEARS. Brls. 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 131,130 224,575 320,312 410,989 489,934 SHIPMENTS OF ALL KINDS OF GRAIN, AND FLOUR AS GRAIN, FOR FOUR YEARS. Bush. 1854 12.902,320 1855 16,633,813 1856 21,583,291 1857 18,032,678 The facility with which this large grain trade is con- ducted is its most notable feature. "To the casual visitor," says the pamphlet, " the grain trade does not appear to be near the magnitude that the figures show it to be. Our warehouses are all erected on the river and its branches, with railroad tracks running in the rear of them ; so that a train of cars loaded with grain {loose, we presume) may bo standing opposite one end of a large elevating warehouse, being emptied by elevators at the rate of from dx to eight thousand bushels per hour, whilst at the other end the same grain may be running into a couple of propellers, and be on its way to Buffalo, Oswego, Ogdenshurg, or Montreal within six or seven hours ; and all this is done without any noise or bustle, and with little laboui*, except that of machinery," &c. The expense of the transmission, THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 41 or " handling," of grain is very m^Brate/ " IJB receive and ship grain from cars or^^'o^al-boMte to lake-craft costs one-half cent, (a farthing) per Bushel; while to receive, warehouse for fifteen days, weigh, and ship grain costs one cent. (Cjialfjienny) per bushel," &c. Such are the extent and facilities of the grain trade of Chicago The "provision trade" is equally in a progressive state of development. The number of hogs, live and dressed, shipped in three seasons, was as follows — 1854.5 54,156 1855-0 170,181 1856-7 103,074 The falling off in the last season is accounted for by 100,000 hogs being sent alive by railways early, which produced a scarcity when the season commenced. The number of catt'e killed and packed in seven years, with their weight, was as follows : — Year. No. Weii^ht. 1851 .. 21,806 .. lbs. 1852 .. 24,663 .. 13,367,346 1853 .. 25,431 .. 14,010,905 1854 .. 23.691 .. 13,402,223 1855 .. 28,972 .. 16,932,137 1856 .. 14,977 •• 8,130,496 1857 .. 19,127 .. 10,354,500 A large butler trade is growing up, as will be seen by the following table : — SHIPMENT.S OP BUTTER. 1854 2,143,569 lbs. 1855 2,473,982 1856 2,668,928 1857 3,149,387 A rising trade in mines, wool, and stone — the latter quarried at Athens, Desplaines, and .Toliet — are likely to increase largely the resources ol Chicago. But the lumber trade exhibits an enormous development. SHIPMENTS OF LUMBER. 1865 306,553,467 ft. 1856 453,673,169 1857 459,639,198 The shipping by which this large traffic is carried on is thus stated : — Number and tonnage of vessels arrived AT the port of Chicago for four seasons. Year. Number. Tonnage. 1854 5,021 1,(192,644 1855 6,610 1,608,845 1856 7,328 1,545,379 1857 7,557 1,753,413 These vessels employ from 60,000 to 70,000 seamen. We have no room to speak at large of the railway traffic and its extension, centering in Chicago; and can only say, that there are upwards of thirty lines of rail connected with this city, of which eleven are trunk and twenty-one branch and extension lines, the total earnings of which for the year 1857 were 18,590,520 dollars. The whole of the-e lines, extending 3,953 miles, have, with the exception of about forty miles, been begun and completed in si.r years. Such are the details of the rise and progress of this extraordinary city, which has risen out of the wilder- ness with a rapidity that sets all our Old Country notions at defiance, '/'he firmness with which Chicago, after the first season of dismay, withstood the panic- shock, sjieaks volumes for the present stabilily of her institutions; whilst the rapid peopling of the neigh- bouring Stafes, and the increasing facilities of inter- communication with all parts of the Union, guarantee to her a continuous prosperity —possessing, as she does, a position at the head of the Lake navigation the nearest and most accessible to the " far west" of any other port. SHOEING: ITS PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE. The connexion which has so long existed between the science of veterinary medicine and the art of shoeing ought to have insured the improvement of the latter, however it may degrade the former ; but from all accounts, the system of shoeing is very mucli what it was at its commencement — by no means free froin grave objections, on the score of the injury that it does to the animal's feet. Notwith- standing the science that is brought to bear upon the question — notwithstarding all that Coleman, Bracy, Clarke, Turner, and others have written — horsemen constantly complain of bad slioeing, and its effects upon their animals' action. It seems pretty well decided upon v/hat principles we are to proceed ; still, the practice does not keep pace with our theory, and the reason of this we believe to be found in the absence of tlie ])roper knowledge in the proper quarter. The men who know how horses should be shod are not the men who shoe them, or in any decided way interfere with the work. The absurdity of connecting the treatment of the horse's diseases with the shoeing of his feet is not even reheved by the advantage of superior care of finish in the work ; the veterinary surgeon can only leave general directions, which may not even be noticed, or probably not be applicable to numerous cases ; his personal superintendence being of course usually out of the question, although by it alone could he insure the carrying out of his intentions. To educate the workmen, as has been suggested, by the formation of schools for this branch, is an idea altogether out of the pale of .feasibility. The country farrier who could afford to send his son to such a school can at the same time send him to the Veterinary College, where he studies, among other things, the anatomy of the foot, with ^peci^ reference to the application^f sMbes ; he comes back probably with his dfj5loma, and thinks of something beyond his l»mmer and anvil. And who shall ])]ame him for it? Educate craftsmen in the science of their craft, and you destroy them ; they seek instinctively for others less knowing than themselves to perform the drudgery they have learned to despise. We are not condemning popu- 42 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. lar education ; we merely wish to show how little it will affect the mechanics of an art ; so long as uneducated artizans can be found, so long will the educated ones allot to them the handiwork, re- serving to themselves the right to conceive and direct. The I'emedy appears to us to lie with the horss owner : the veterinary surgeon cannot be expected to devote his time to the inspection of the animals shod at his establishment; the men who make the shoes and nail them on are not likely to understand the science of the subject ; therefore the owner has, in self-defence, to make himself familiar with the mechanism of the foot, its movements under various circumstances, and decide what system is best adapted for his purpose, taking care, by examination of the horses after shoeing, to see that his wishes are complied with. The amount of knowledge re- quired is not extensive, and most men are sufficiently interested in the matter to take a little trouble about it. During the course of our remarks we shall mainly aim at supplying a few directions which will enable the inquirer to avoid some very common mistakes, and to understand sufficient of the action of the foot to prevent the commission of any great ab- surdity in the selection of a system of shoeing. The situation and shape of the foot, we take for granted, are perfectly understood by everyone know- ing anything about horses. The common terms applied to the different parts are also usually quite familiar ; but, in case of any difficulty hence, we may just mention them. The whole of the hoof, from the termination of the hair down to the ground, is called the " wall." This " wall" or shell of horny matter bends inwards at the back of the foot, form- ing the " heel ;" the front of the wall is called the " toe," and the sides the " quarl;ers ;" the con- cave bottom of the foot is the " sole," and the ground surface of the wall which surrounds it is the " crust ;" at the back of the sole, between the two heels, filling up a triangular space, is a soft bulbous substance of thinner horn, called, from some unexplained reason, the " frog." The founda- tion of the foot is, as in all other cases, bone, over which is reflected a quantity of fibrous matter, covered by a membrane, from the vessels of which the horny covering is secreted. The support of the horse's weight during rest and motion by these organs presupposes considerable elasticity or immense power of resistance. We can hardly imagine the part to exist in a perfectly pas- sive condition, particularly when we discover that all its structures are arrayed to admit of motion. For a long time it was held, and doubtless is now supposed by many, that the foot expands at the time when the horse throws his weight upon it, the expansion being at the ground surface. The idea was, that, during this support of the weight of the body, the concave sole had a tendency to assume the form of a plane ; in doing this its circumference would be increased, and consequently push out the ring of the wall to a corresponding extent. All this seemed satisfactory ; there was no direct proof to the contrary, and the theory of " ground surface expansion," strengthened by Coleman's defence, was allowed to remain unmolested, until some one started the query, " How can the horny concave sole alter its shape in approaching the figure of a plane, without becoming detached from the sensi- tive sole to which it is perfectly adapted in every part — indeed, from which it is secreted ?" This point not being open to a satisfactory solution, the opponents to "ground surface expansion" took fresh heart, and soon found fresh reasons against the theory. At present, experiments and investi- gations upon the dead and living organ seem to have perfectly established the following facts : — The hoof is thinnest and most easily moved at the heels, particularly the upper part of them. Pres- svu"e upon the bones of the foot removed from the limb causes the internal structures to descend slightly upon the horny sole, so far as the yielding of the intervening membrane will permit ; but it in no wise causes any alteration of the form of the horny sole, although it may have been previously thinned out for the purpose of making it more elas- tic. These experiments, aided by reasonings on mechanical principles, lead to conclude that, while the animal's weight is thrown on the foot, the inter- nal parts descend on to the horny sole, pressing firmly upon it. At the time of this descent, the fibrous pad at the back of the foot expands, and presses out the upper parts of the heel slightly ; the ground surface does not appreciably alter its form. Whether we accept the above explanation of the movements of the foot, or adhere to the old notions of expansion, one thing is quite clear, namely, that in the employment of shoes to the bottom of the hoofs, we should give preference to that plan which allows the largest amount of freedom. The neces- sity of protecting the sole of the organ by some hard material is quite evident ; the points to be determined are the kind of material, and its methods of adaption. With a laudable wish to molhfy the evil which must follow the fettering of the foot by an iron ring, experiments have been made with India rubber, felt, and gutta percha ; but without even a temporary success. Iron being thus estab- lished as a necessity, it was suggested that a less injurious fastening than the nail might be found ; accordingly, various clips, fixing the shoe by pres- sure to the sides of the hoof, were tried and failed ; more lately, threads applied through carefully drilled holes, and, on their inefficiency being ascer- tained, wires were substituted ; but in no instance did the experiments justify an attempt to introduce either system into practice. After all our inquiry, therefore, it may really be said with truth that the present system of shoeing is precisely the system upon which the first shoe was applied— a piece of iron fastened to the sole of the foot by other pieces of iron driven through the horn. Taking the system, therefore, as we find it, it must be our object to see how this iron may be nailed to the hoof in a manner to allow the greatest freedom to all parts, consistently with the firm attachment of the shoe to its situation. In shoeing, as in everything else, a good begin- ning is a great way towards a proper continuance ; we therefore commence our suggestions by sup- posing we have a colt ready for work, and requiring to be shod as a preliminary proceeding ; we under- stand, of course, that the animal has for some time THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 43 previously been accustomed to have his feet Hfted and sh^htly hammered, to remove any fear of injury from his mind. We will suppose that no brute force is necessary to spoil his temper, and render him vicious in the shoeing forge ever after; the subject is perfectly quiet, and we have nothing to do beyond preparing the foot, and attaching the shoe to it as expeditiously as may be. In applying shoes for the first time, the difficulty is not m doing, but in leaving undone. Nature has really prepared the foot for us, and, beyond scraping off any loose pieces of horn, and levelling the crust, nothing is required. The shoe should fit the outline of the hoof, and be attached suffi- ciently to prevent casting, the nails being more on the outside than inside. Instead, however, of this simple system, the most elaborate preparation is considered necessary ; the hoof is cut and rasped into what is thought to be the most advisable shape ; a shoe that bears little or no relationship to the form of the ground surface of the hoof is applied ; and a further rasping is required for the purpose of perfectly adapting the horn to the iron at its base. Here the first step is often taken towards causing contracted or brittle feet, and towards a further series of evils, all traceable to the single origin — bad shoeing. Horses that have been long shod on this plan of cutting and rasping are not subjects for the more natural system of non-interference with the healthy form of the foot, because the organ has become accustomed to the periodical removal of a large portion of it, and the supply is soon equal to the demand; a sudden alteration, therefore, would be injurious. The error commenced must be con- tinued, or only left oflf by degrees ; otherwise, the excessive growth, not being moderated, would cause an unnatural spreading of the lower surface over the shoe, besides removing the frog from its proper place near the ground, and leaving nothing to guard against contraction of the heels. The rules that distinguish a good system of shoeing from a bad one are so perfectly simple and easy of application, that one. is led to wonder at the difficulty that usually attends the attempt to enforce them. Supposing we commence with the first shoeing, we should be careful to leave the frogs level with the heels ; the rasp may be applied to the bottom of the foot sufficiently to get the level sur- face, and to lower the crust to the line of the frog; the shoe is then applied, hot enough to burn its own channel or seating ; this is of course left imcut, and the shoe, after being cooled, is nailed on, as we have said, leaving the inside quarter and heels as free as possible. Generally, seven nails may be used, four of which should be on the outside quar- ter. The nails are clenched on the wall of the foot, and lightly rasped until level ; avoiding, however, any unnecessary removal of horn during the pro- cess ; a little tar is applied to cover those parts where the rasp has touched, and the process is complete. In the adult horse it will be always necessary to cut out sufficient of the sole to prevent pressure upon it when the crust is rasped down to the frog ; buf to cut the horn until it yields to the pressure of the thumb is absurd and injurious, removing the support which the sides of the foot require, par- ticularly towards the heels, and causing them to fall inwards if the plan be persisted in. The object in cutting out the sole is entirely to prevent its con- tact with the iron of the shoe ; as soon as this is done, nothing more is necessary ; the same system of burning a sealing — to which plan there is no real objection, notwithstanding the outcry about it — is proper ; and the same care in arranging the nails, and rasping them after clenching, only so much as to render them smooth. These few rules are alone necessary for the pre- paration of the foot in all cases where the organ is healthy, and for the proper attachment of the shoe; but something remains to be said about the pre- paration of the shoe — certainly one half the process. If we separate working animals into heavy and light, we shall find that two sorts of shoes only are necessary ; a rough kind, with the nail holes plainly punched by a square pointed instrument ; and a more highly finished piece of work, with the holes for the nails punched in a groove that is cut beforehand for the purpose of receiving the nail- heads, which may be driven level with the base of the shoe. The first kind is the common " stamped" shoe, used for draught horses; the second the " fullered" shoe, employed for carriage and saddle horses. Taking for granted the single diflTerence in finish, however, we admit no other distinctions between the two sorts ; the same rules must be applied to the final fitting out of the shoe, and the same method of attachment is to be followed. To the man who comprehends the proper method, it is as easy to proceed in the right way as in the wrong. The fore shoes, which are usually con- sidered the most important, should have a broad under-surface (" cover "), and a good thickness of metal; the heels should invariably be thinner than any other part ; this lessening of the sole should be from the upper surface — the part which is attached to the hoof; so that when the shoe is nailed on, a flattened strav/ may be passed between the iron and the hoof to the distance of an inch or more from the heel forward ; the space thus left prevents any fet- tering of this posterior part. For the purpose of assisting the firm attachment to the hoof, a clip is usually taken out from the toe of the shoe, and fitted into the hoof by cutting, and burning when the hot iron is applied, as the last step in the fitting- out process. The shoe is now ready for fastening on in the way we have before described. In some instances certain alterations are necessary, from peculiarities of locality. In some hilly countries, for instance, the heels of the fore shoes are always turned down to the extent of half an inch, to pre- vent slipping when descending hills with heavy loads ; but these considerations do not aflfect the shoeing of healthy feet under ordinary circum- stances. The hind shoes do not receive so much attention as the fore ones, for the reason that the hind feet, frdm their position, are not so liable to the effects of concussion as the fore — disease of those organs being indeed extremely uncommon. The heels of the hind shoe are always made thicker than any other part; this arrangement is found necessary to enable the animal to stop himself with sufficient readiness, by taking advantage of the resistance which the thickened heel offers to the slipping of 44 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. the foot in a forward direction. The thickening is either obtained by flattening the iron laterally, or by turning down an inch at the end in the form of a knob or " calkin." This latter is the usual plan for heavy draught horses ; for lighter animals a combination of the two forms is frequent, the out- side heel being turned down, and the inside one flattened ; this allows the iron on the inside to be kept with the hne of the hoof, and prevents the possibility of cutting the opposite joint during quick movements. The shoes with two calkins are generally clipped at the toe; those with the flat side, or " feather edge," have most commonly side clips. By this arrangement the iron is not required to project from the toe of the foot ; the importance of this we shall see shortl}', when we speak of the alterations necessary to suit certain peculiarities of conformation, giving rise to such annoying habits as " cutting," " forging," &c., as well as in instances of positive disease, where the animal is still in a condition to work without difficulty, if the part be protected during the time by a properly adjusted shoe. From our observations on the application of shoes to the horse's feet, we may collect the fol- lowing rules to guide us in ordinary cases : First, to prepare the foot by levelling the " crust" to the line of the frog, and removing so much of the sole as is necessary to prevent its contact with the iron of the shoe; leaving the frogs generally un- touched, save to scrape off" any loose pieces of horn. Secondly, to have a shoe of good thick- ness and breadth of " cover" or " web," with the heels (of the fore shoes) thinned so as to allow the passage of a flattened straw between the iron and the hoof when the naihng is complete. Thirdly, to use as few nails as possible, and to keep the larger number on the outside of the foot ; four outside and three inside will be the extreme num- ber required. Fourthly, to rasp the outside of the hoof no more than is unavoidable in smooth- ing the clenches. Simple as these rules are in appearance, it will require a man conversant with his subject to direct their proper application, and we can only repeat that we strongly advise owners of horses to study the matter for their own interest's sake, as we are perfectly satisfied that that is the only method of ensuring a proper system of shoeing. So far we have only had to deal with healthy feet, or at least with feet free from any positively serious defect that interfered with the animal's action ; but cases of such defects are so numerous, and frequently so entirely connected with shoeing, that no one is in a position to direct or advise on the subject who is not acquainted with these defects and their re- medies. Among other instances, we need only refer to the annoying habit of " cutting," caused often by a bad position of the limbs, but not un- commonly due to the awkward use of shoes not properly constructed or fastened. Cutting is of several kinds ; the horse sometimes strikes the opposite fetlock joint of one leg habi- tually— not with sufficient force to produce much injury, or even lameness at the time, but enough to leave a mark, and by repetition to produce a gradual enlargement ; sometimes the blow is only occasional but more violent, causing instant and severe, though temporary lameness, or even bring- ing the animal suddenly down. Both hind and fore limbs are subject to be struck — we think, equally so ; but the danger of falling is much greater when the horse cuts with his fore feet. Sometimes the blow is given immediately under the knee, in which case it is called " speedy cut" — we presume, because the injury is usually inflicted during rapid motion, or because fast trotters are particularly subject to it ; this form of cutting is the most dangerous of all, principally from its occurrence while the animal is going quickly ; a fall under such circumstances is almost inevitable, and proportionately serious. The " speedy cut" is confined to the fore limbs, and generally to one leg. Before attempting to suggest a remedy for any species of cutting, it will be necessary to ascer- tain the precise cause. Is the shoe on either foot too far beyond the edge of the hoof? Are the joints unnaturally turned inwards ? Is the blow given by the shoe, or by the side of the hoof? This may be usually ascertained by examining the foot, and observing from what part the mud or dust has been brushed. To cure the first form, where the projecting shoe is the cause, we need only lessen the breadth of the web on that side, and by placing the inside nails (in such cases two will be quite sufficient) quite close to the toe clip, we may keep the iron of the ins-ide quarter quite within the foot. For the kind feet it is necessary to use the toe-clipped shoe with a feather-edge for the inside quarter, nailed only close to the toe ; if necessary, a clip may be also taken from the outside of the shoe; but, naturally, the inside must be left quite free, that nothing may interfere with keeping it well inside the line of the crust. Where the blow is inflicted by the hoof, as well as on, instead of by the shoe, then we are occasionally compelled to rasp away a considerable portion of the horn ; but this should not be permitted until other plans have failed. In cases of mal-position of limb, such as slight inward inclination of fetlock-joints, we frequently effect a cure by using shoes with one side much thicker than the other, and arranging them so as to reverse the position of the feet as much as possi- ble; for instance, giving one foot a thick inside quarter-shoe, and the opposite foot a thin one ; changing them again if the first experiment should not answer; varying by thin and thick outside quarter; or employing both insides, or both out- sides, now thick and now thin, until we ascertain by which system the desired alteration in the posi- tion of the joints is produced. All these plans should be patiently tried before we resort to the expedient of rasping away large portions of the hoof — a doubtful remedy at best, and probably only a temporary one. The habit of "forging" or "clicking" consists in striking the back of the toe of the fore-shoe by the extreme front of the toe of the hind one. Not only is the noise produced vmpleasant, but, (i^pn the occasional fettering of the fore-foot by its con- tact with the hind, the animal is likely to be thrown down, or to loosen the fore-shoe by the blow. Weakness from illness frequently causes the habit. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 45 and calls for proper constitutional treatment, which by restoring the strength will effect a cure ; but in other cases, the peculiarity of the stride is the cause, and we are compelled to arrange the shoes to meet the difficulty. The hind-feet will require the shoes with side-clips and square-toes, which may be kept inside the horn ; the posterior part of the toe of the fore-shoe may likewise be rasped away. The hind-shoes are, however, principally concerned ; and there is fortunately no difficulty in shortening the toes consideraably without in- juring the foot, there being no necessity for nails or clips in this part. In very occasional instances, the animal's conformations are such that no care in shoeing can remove the evil ; but generally it may be concluded with perfect safety that the habit is quite curable by a proper attention to the feet. For application to flat weak hoofs with low heels and a tender sole, no shoe seems so successful as the "bar-shoe." This is in reality a common shoe with a piece of iron crossing from one heel to the other, giving thereby a more extensive ground surface, allowing more space for placing the nail- holes, and consequently a better chance of fixing the shoe by nailing in those parts where the horn is best able to bear the introduction of the fasten- ings, the increased surface for the support of the foot permitting with safety the removal of any pressure from a particular part in cases of corns, } or injury to the sole. With the addition, if neces- sary, of a leather covering between the shoe and the hoof, the bar-shoe furnishes an invaluable means of protecting the foot in cases of such chronic diseases as "canker" and " quittor," where treatment is required for a long time, and the patient expected to perform his ordinary work during the cure. To every one who cares for his horse's soundness, the treatment of the feet in the stable is a matter of grave importance, neglect in this respect entirely negativing the advantages of good shoeing. We have several times insisted on loose-boxes in pre- ference to stalls, as more favourable to the change of position necessary to prevent stagnation of the circulation in parts prone to it from their position ; we have also objected to the litter being always left for the animal to stand on, or rather in. To these points we have only to add the necessity of keeping the feet cool and moist by the daily em- ployment of wet wrappers round the hoofs ; pieces of old horse-rug answer perfectly well for this purpose, doubled three or four times, and tied loosely on. Stopping the bottoms of the feet we do not lay much stress upon ; if the sole be never cut thin, and the litter be thrown up during the day, we should not perceive much necessity for stopping. However, where material can be easily obtained, no harm can possibly follow from the plugging of the feet by a mixture of cow-dung and clay, taking care that the compound is always moist. The use of some protective to the outside of the hoof is very desirable, and common tar should always form the base of any compound employed for the purpose. A very good mixture is made of tar, four parts ; soft soap and bees-wax, of each one part ; melted together, and coloured to suit the hoofs. In every well-regulated stable the feet are peri- odically examined to ascertain that the shoes are all fast and in proper place, especially before a journey be undertaken. Horses in moderate work will wear shoes for six weeks, and probably requne fastening, or removing and re-adjusting, once during the time. When the work is exclusively on soft ground the shoes last much longer, but will always require removal at the end of a month or six weeks, supposing they retain their proper position so long. Horses doing fly or brougham work on the London stone during the " season" will frequently cut out their fore-shoes in ten days or a fortnight, and even require them fastened once or twice during this short time. Such fre- quent interference with the hoofs must naturally be injurious, but happily the majority of horses are not in a position to render such treatment necessary. — Jackson's Oxford Journal. THE MANAGEMENT OF LIGHT LAND Mr. Robert Henderson, of EastElleriugton, Hay- don Bridge, has recently read a paper on the man- agement of light land, before the members of the Hexham Farmers' Ckib. He spoke to the following effect : Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen— The subject which I have to bring before your notice to-day, is "The Management of Light Land," a subject of very great importance, because light land is capable of being cultivated so as to raise a greater variety of farm produce than some kinds of land, and as the pros- perity and comfort of many farmers and families depend on the manner in which it is conducted. Although this subject may leave a wide field open for much to be said, it leaves me as mucli at a loss to adopt a system to be generally followed under such a multiplicity of complex circumstances as are con- sequent upon farm-holdings and farm operations, such as locality, length of lease, extent of capital, and extent of the farm, which is not of the least im- portance ; under these, and mauy other circum- stances, it would be impossible to fix a system suitable on all occasions, as it sometimes happens that pro- prietors of laud are so situated as not to be willing to give their tenants due encouragement to improve their farms, or where landlord and tenant are com- pelled to come to an unsatisfactory agreement, which leads the tenant to adopt a system both contrary to tlie condition of the land and his better judgment, which not unfrequently causes them to counteract, instead of assist each other ; and yet we see tenants farm and succeed very differently, even under the same owner and with the same conditicus. But where a landlord and tenant make a mutual agree- ment for a farm, for a certain term of years, without a long chapter of barbarous and stringent clauses in 46 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. it, then it becomes the desire and the duty of every euterprisiug farmer to raise as much produce from his land as Jie possibly can, and at the least possible expense to keep Jiis land in an improving condition. And I would recommend that produce be more in the shape of beef, mutton, and wool, and less of coru, as is too frequently the case in a hill-aud-dale country like this, and especially on second and third class laud; we cannot bear in mind too much, the bad effect which under-stocking and over-cropping have had on the greater part of the land iu this neighbourhood. If we would look at the present price of certain kinds of farm produce— for instance, butter and wool, the average price of the latter article having been, for 50 years preceding 1856, ISid., and has since been more — and calculate the difference of the cost that these articles, as well as mutton, can be raised at on inferior soils, and compare it with that of corn, our appetites would diminish for grain crops. Light soils can be ranged in three different classes — first, land of the best quality is often situated in the vales, in smaller quantities together, and is capable of producing corn to greater advan- tage, while farms of that kind are less adapted for sheep-keeping. But even on that land I would not recommend the four-course system, both oh account of its being more severe upon the land, and requiring greater expense, both in the shape of procuring manure, and keeping it free from weeds. When laud is ploughed out, after having lain one year only iu grass, and perhaps been mown, and sometimes twice, should it not be clean, the weeds increase with the following crop, without the land being able to produce a quantity sufficient to check their growth much, both for want of rest and from ex- haustion. On land of the second and third quality, if the farm be a large one, so as to render it capable - of being made a useful grazing farm, I will not attempt to fix any system, but would recommend the five iu preference to the four-course ; as liglit land, which does not exceed one pound per acre rentable value, can never be cultivated to grow corn to advantage, and compete with the good corn-growing districts. It is therefore necessary, on such soils, to have recourse, in a measure, to some other mode ; and there is none more likely to repay the enterprise of the farmer, than to endeavour to raise as much green food for cattle and sheep as he can, with as little draught and manual labour as possible, as the im- port trade from foreign countries is never likely to hurt the English grazier in our day, if ever. There is a system, gentlemen, that has often engaged my mind, which although it may apjjear to you to be much out of the common way, yet I think on suitable situations would be found to answer, if properly carried into effect : I can best describe it to you by supposing a farm of 450 acres, the whole or major part of which was capable of producing turnips, 150 acres to lie in permanent grass, 20 of which should be mown every year for hay, and the remainder in pasture, leaving 300 acres under the plough, to be managed in a six-course shift, viz., 50 acres of oats, upon lea ; 50 acres of turnips, after oats ; 50 acres rape and seeds, after turnips ; and the remaining 150 acres in first, second, and third years' grass, of 50 acres each. This mode of farming would at all events secure a fertilizing tendency on the land, a satisfaction to the landlord, and an abundant supply of food and clothing for the consumer, as well as a remunerative profit to the tenant, provided his lease was long enough, as he would always have his land clean and in good condition ; and, should corn ever much outreach other farm produce in price, it would be in a fit condition to be ploughed out and cropped in the above described way. Three hundred acres of tillage-land could be well managed with two draughts and a half. The only item of expense that would approach near to that ordinary mode of farm- ing would be the seedsman's bill, which would be heavy ; and the only great difference in the kinds of stock kept ought to be, not to keep many ewes, nor to feed many cattle in the folds in winter, which is not only wrong, but often unprofitable in the end, under any system on thin laud ; but to be content to make as many young cattle fit for the spring markets as you can, with 50 acres of oat-straw, which would be in quantity equal to 100 acres under some systems of management ; and 50 acres of tur- nips, one-half taken off, and leaving the leaves upon the ground, along with the other half to be eaten on the ground by sheep. It would not require a large farm, conducted iu this manner, to produce 1000 fleeces of good wool in one year, provided the sheep were mostly hoggets, and propei'ly conducted; as the whole of the farm would be producing, instead of the one half lying in a state of poverty and nearly useless, while the other half is used to abuse with growing corn, and therefore becomes poor also. Soils most difficult to manage are those of an open clay-sandy nature, such as rabbits can browse in ; as its appetite for manure and the expense of freeing it from weeds, which it is difficult to do, are such as to swallow up the price of the crops so much, that they often do not repay for cultivating, and especially when kept in the four-course system. I would rather recommend that it should be cropped alter- nately with corn and turnips, which ought to be eaten off by sheep, and the corn to exchange in turn between oats and maslin, till the land be perfectly clean, and iu a fit condition to be laid down, either with or without a corn crop, to lie from three to seven years, or so long as might be deemed advan- tageous ; if lime was required, it should be applied moderately, iu the month of April, previous to sow- ing with turnips. It might be beneficial to sow fourths or fifths of red clover each time it was sown with corn, for food for lambs in October, so as to keep sheep going over it as much as possible. It ought to be well ploughed, and no oftener than would suffice to keep it clean, and not to trust too much to the uncertainty of the grubber to effect that purpose. Grubbers were introduced into this neighbourhood to assist iu cleansing the land, and it will be well if they have not a contrary effect. Light land in this country, when in turn to be followed, is generally sown with turnips, which ought not only to be well manured, but well managed in every re- spect, as the turnip crop is the most important one of the whole course. After my land has been made ready for the drills to be raised and the dung to be put in, which is done in the way best known by raising and splitting, the whole is manured with THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 47 half-duug aud half artificial ma., ares, or at least tlie dung that has been made, to '.e divided over the laud, to be sown according to its condition ; the re- mainder being guano, and prepared on halt'-iuch bones mixed, and sown with Garrett's manure-drill. I never use any other. In covering the dung, care ought to be taken to divide the ridges, so as to leave it in the middle of the one to be formed. I never use oval rollers, neither do I sow the artificial manure aud turnip seed on the same day the drills are raised, if it be convenient to do otherwise, aud especially if the weather be dry. Another description of second-class laud is that which has been dowu to grass for many years ; when ploughed out and sown with oats, it should only have one crop taken before fallowing, however tough aud cloddy it may be, but ought to be sown with turnips, and to be eaten off by sheep, which process w'ould make it fit for further and better cultivation. Land of this descri|)tion ought to have a liberal supply of lime put on in the month of April, previous to sowing the second crop of turnips, instead of being put upon the oat stubble in the autumn. When lime is thus applied, it will either be ploughed dowu too deep, or the laud will be too lightly ploughed, which ought not to be the case, as the autumn ploughing, before fallowing, is of great im- portance, it therefore ought to be done deep aud ■well ; moreover, when lime is applied in the autumn or winter mouths, it is very apt to form into clods, and can never again be so equally divided into small parts, therefore a much larger quantity is required to produce the same immediate effect ; wheu applied in a powdery aud caustic state, a smaller quantity may suffice to cover the whole surface of the ground, and come in contact with the more minute particles of the soil. As there are only certain and few conditions in which laud can be made to receive lime to be bene- fited by its applicatiou, it is therefore necessary to know something about the condition of our laud before applying it, because where laud has been injudiciously cropped or insufficiently manured, a heavy dose of lime will then certainly add to its infertility. There is another class of land which might be im- proved to become much more useful than in its present condition, viz., unreclaimed. In breaking up unimproved land, after draining, paring aud burn- ing are often resorted to — a practice which I would not recommend, except that which is covered with heath, a substance ■which ought never to be ploughed down. I improved a field of very poor, sandy laud, covered over with short, unhealthy heath : it was pared aud burned in the summer, previous to its being ploughed aud sown with oats, which grew till the middle of Jul\?, and then died off. It was again ploughed a little deeper, in a contrary direction, during the autumn following, which cut it into squares. It was theu wrought, but not very much, during the following S]n-ing, for turnips, which -were manured with a very sUght dunging, 2 ewt. of guano and J of a cwt. of prepared bones per acre, sown ■with the drill ; the turnips were a regular crop, but not large, and were fed off ■with sheep in the mouth of October. The laud was then ploughed up into large casts ; when, in April, it got seven fothers of lime per acre, and was again sown with turnips iu the first week of June, which were a good crop, and consumed by sheep, as before, in October and No- vember. The land was then ploughed, and sown away to permanent pasture, without a corn crop ; in the middle of April the grass-seeds were mixed with a little rape, which made a very luxuriant pas- ture. The annual rent of this field was a mere acknowledgment, until the per-centage for draining was added ; and yet it depastured and fattened more sheep the first year it was in grass than a crop of tui'uips would have done, and all land so laid away ought and will. As the condition of that field im- proved, I increased the doses of manure accord- ingly ; and I am quite convinced that had the lime been applied sooner than it was, it would have been nearly wasted, as the land contained neither organic nor putrescent matter, aud very Title of anything else calculated to promote the growth of plants, ana thus a great deal of labour and capital would have been wasted, and my purpose not effected. It may be thought that to raise so many green crops without getting corn to take to the market would not repay the expense ; but we know what marketable corn can be got from land worth from Is. to 7s. or Ss. per acre. Although I grew no corn on the field above mentioned, yet it produced crops which left it in the best possible condition to lie to pasture ; and, had it not been for the encourage- ment which I received from my landlord, that por- tion of the farm might have been still unimproved, as my lease was nearly expired at the time it was commenced with. In no farming operations will half-measures be found to succeed ; aud when a man has such an ob- ject in view as laying dowu laud to produce crops without further cultivation for a series of years, he should calculate the loss that he will sustain if he does not effect it iu the most complete manner. Another process of improving a pasture, covered with coarse rough foggage, which had never been ploughed before, was practised on a farm not many miles distant from this place. It was drained two or three years previous to its being ploughed, and was sown with oats ; the next year it was ploughed and again sown ; and the third year it was well autumn- ploughed, and in the mouth of March or xipril it got a heavy dose of lime, hot from the kiln, which was spread and well harrowed in, without having been either stirred or cross- ploughed. The drills were theu formed of the loose soil upon the top, wheu the turnips were sown, along with artificial manure sown with the drill, and were a most abundant crop. They were partly taken oflf, and the remainder con- sumed upon the laud by sheep, wheu it was ploughed the ordinary depth, and sown with corn and perma- nent grass-seeds, thus growing four abundant crops with four ploughings, and it has been a good pasture ever since. One author, writing on agriculture, says that a farmer is not perfect in his business who cannot grow to advantage three green crops for one of corn. The last-mentioned method was exactly the very opposite, making the difference very great. As it is each man's duty to consult his o^wn inter- est under the circumstances in which he may be placed, it is probably from the same cause which E 2 48 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. makes the term so widely different between cropping and farming. Notwithstanding these remarks, the value of all systems of farming must be determined by tlieir effect on an average for a certain number of years, by strict observation and long practice. [At the conclusion of the reading of the paper, a discussion arose amongst the members relative to the merits of the system expounded by Mr. Hender- son, and the Chaii-man expressed, on behalf of the members of the club, the obligation they were under to Mr. Henderson for his valuable paper.] THE TRIALS OF IMPLEMENTS AT CARDIFF, We must premise that this is necessarily imperfect ; but wc have done our best to acquire correct information, as also to use our judgment in the best manner of which we are cajiable. We will begin with the trials in the yard as conducted by the Engineering Judges, INIessrs. Eaton and Gooch, whose first business appeared to be the trial of the testing brake or power dynamomeler. Steam Engines. — Mr. Butlin, of Northumptou had the honour of opening the trials by submitting his new and complete engine, designed expressly for strength, simplicity, and economy. It is of six-horse power, and possesses a boiler of great capacity and much heating surface, and a steam dome to control dirty water. Messrs. Brown and May's engine fol- lowed. It i> of eight-horse power, and also pos- sesses great simplicity, the working parts being out- side, and easily accessible. The cylinder is encased ; the case also is filled with steam, and thus keeping a high temperature, tends to save fuel. This engine re- ceived the prize of £^10. Mr. W. C. Cambridge next submitted his eight-horse engine. The cylinder of this is also surrounded by sleam, and the pump protected by the smoke-box — a useful contrivance against frosty weather. The prize of £i> was awarded to it. We could wish our space would permit us to go more into detail relative to these interesting trials, and therefore we can only here say that all the trials were marked by great care and correct judgment. The Trials of Thrashing and other Machines. — These were conducted (with the assistance of the En- gineering Judges) by Messrs. Caldwell and Wallis, to whose joint care and nicely-balanced judgment the pub lie are much indebted. The trial of thrashing machines were conducted, as we have already said, upon the prin- ciples laid down by Mr. John Algernon Clarke in a letter lately addressed to the Council of the Royal Agri- cultural Society, vz., a system of points of merit. The brakes or dynamometers used for testing both the steam engines and thrashing machines were invented by Mr. W. Froude, of Darlington, Totnes, and, we believe, performed the duty required admira- bly. The well-known thrashing machine manufac- tured by Messrs. E. and T. Humphries, of Pershore, was first tried. It is fitted with a thin divided trough ; and iilso a very effective little machine is attached, to destroy smuts and take off the capes or whittheads ; it consists of a revolving brush rubbing against a circle of ribbed iron, which not only takes off the white coats, but separates other refuse before going into the second blower, from whence it is blown away. This machine again received the first prize of £10. Price £'iZ. This also received the £b prize as the best finishing machine. Messrs. Brown and May's machine was next tried. These makers have endeavoured to separate more correctly the straw, cavings, chaff, and corn, in every stage, into their separate and respective places, and it has all the combinations for perfecting the sample for market and putting it into sacks. Price £93. Messrs. Cambridge's machine was also tried. It is 4 feet 6 inches wide, and is adapted fur both bolting and thrashing, and, being fitted with his patent dresbing apparatus, finishes the corn for market. This proved ex- tremely well on trial. Price „£'100. Then came the smaller m!\chines of three or three-and-a-half horse-power, the prize for which was awarded to Mr. H. Beare, of Lever- ton, Devon. It is a highly useful and complete machine, and fitted with excellent apparatus for preparing the corn for final dressing. It can be worked by steam- power. Price ^£"32, and horse- gear additional ^£'15, or complete £"'47. The judges do not speak favourably of this class of implements as combined machines. But wc must pass on to notice a few smaller machines and gearing. Mr. Boby's screen was practically of great service to the judges, as they submitted the perfected corn to its severe scrutiny, through which, however, it passed imperfectly though creditably — the finishing thrashing machines leaving 5 lbs. of light corn from l^cwt., and the hand-dressing machines 4^ lbs. from H cwt. of the perfected samples. The trial of chaff- cutters is always a matter of considerable interest, and this year it has lost none of its power, owing to our old friend Cornes having sustained a defeat ; and although we bow almost implicitly to the decision of the judges, aided by the testing-brake and steam-power, we wish the public to bear in mind that when machines are put to such tests, judges are almost compelled to abide by them. We congratulate Mr. Carson on his well-earned victory. It was obtained " after much pains-taking and the working of many figures from the dyna- mometer." He has brought out a highly-useful machine, which, after going through many commenda- tions, has at length obtained the prize, having beaten Mr. Cornes by 7 lbs. in the trial. Price £15— Mr. Cornes, of course, receiving the high commendation. We noticed a lengthened trial of Rea and Burns' bone-cutting and rasping mill, by Messrs. Lister and Scott, but with no very satisfactory result. It is, however, a machine of considerable value, but from accidental breakage it failed to prove well. The pulse-bruisers, cake-breakers, root pulpers, THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 49 turnip-cutters, churns, &c., &c., all had to undergo close inspection, and some were tested ; but we cannot, without encroaching upon too much of our space, refer further to them, except to say that every care was taken by these gentlemen, and their decisions were marked by sound judgment and experience. The Field Trials, ^~These trials always give a cha- racter to the meeting, be held where it may, and the Cardiff one will long stand pre-eminent in this respect, from the number and variety of the trials insti- tuted, including all the chief points of interest sought to be solved by modern agriculturists. We will endea- vour to go through them in succession, as the trials took place. They were conducted by Messrs. Read and Clarke, greatly aided by the field steward, Mr. J. E. Knollys, on land occupied by Mr. RichardThomas, called the Crwys Farm, about one and a-half miles from the show-yard. Mr. Thomas did all in his power to facilitate the progress of the judges, as did also the subordinates engaged, so that no confusion or the slightest hindrance occurred. The field selected for the trial of the culti- vators, drags, &c., &c., was in the best possible state for that purpose, having been long ploughed, and upon it was a great abundance of strong well-grown twitch to be torn up and worked out — a severe test for broad- shares, parers, and the like, against scarifiers and drags, as the result proved. Only three implements were duly entered for trial in Class 5 — Bentall's, Carson's, and Coleman's, and they were first put to the work with their usual shares, or as for broadsharing. Bentall's took 4 ft. 6 in. width, Carson's 5 ft. 2 in., Coleman's 5 ft., each 6 in. depth. Carson's was with difficulty kept clean, and was hard to take up ; Bentall's worked evenly and quietly, with occasional clogging, and left the work but slightly broken, and was scarcely taken out of the ground at all ; Coleman's worked well, and left the work more ready for the drag-harrow — the side and lifting movement excellent. This was, however, not proper work in this state for either of the implements, therefore their shares were taken off, and points substi- tuted. In this trial Carson had 7 points, SJ in. each ; Bentall had 5 points, took 4 ft., 6 in. ; Coleman 7 points 4 in. each, took 4 ft. 4 in. The work of the latter was best adapted for subsequent harrowing. The dynamo- meter was aiiplied at equal depths ; the variation was not great, Bentall's having a slight advantage, the other two about equal ; but in this instance and circumstance of the work to be done, Coleman's cultivator certainly made the best work, and con- sequently took favour with the judges, Bentall receiving the .high commendation, Carson the commendation. They were subsequently put through another phase of their peculiar adaptations as parers, but the judges did not alter their decision. Mr. Comins brought forward a drag, or grubber, in competition, but made a most laughable exploit of it. These respective culti- vators— or rather, modifications of them — were brought forward in Class 6 (" Narrow Cultivators, &c."). The result confirmed the prize in both cases to Coleman. Carson, with 5 shares, took 3 ft. 5 in. ; Bentall, with 3 shares, took 3 ft. 3 in. ; Coleman, with 5 shares, 3 ft. 10 in. Bentall and Coleman were equal, Carson a lillle heavier draught. Bentall's received the commendation. Single or Double Drags.— Messrs. Fry, Eddy, Comiiis, Coleman, Lyne, Wright, and Bentall were competitors. The trial was a good test of merit ; but they were all large harrows, not drags, and partook of Howard's well-known form. Fry's took 7 ft. with 1 5 teeth in each harrow ; Eddy, 7 ft. 6 in. with 20 teeth in each harrow. These worked well ; but the tines, or teeth, appeared a little too much in line. They were commended. Comins took 8 ft. 9 in., having three harrows, each 15 teeth, the last row a little bent, for more effective working. Coleman took 10 ft. 6 in. with his well-known expanding harrows, but, as theyaremore adapted for stetch-work, they did not show well here. Lyne (an amateur mechanic) took 6 ft. 9 in. with 31 teeth, set in a peculiar way in seven serpentine bars, which are independent of each other, but connected in front, and are drawn from a rod which runs through loops in each bar, which are kept separate at proper distance by ferrules ; and at the other end they are con- nected by short, jointed rods, so as to permit their rising and falling at pleasure, somewhat after the old gingle- harrow fashion. In the rough work appointed them they proved exceedingly well, and could not be clogged. The Judges awarded them a certificate of merit. J. and R. Wright took 7 ft. 6 in. Each of the harrows had 20 teeth. The teeth did not track quite to our satisfaction ; but they are strong and cheap drag-harrows, and very properly received the commendation. Bentall took 8 ft. with 20 teeth in each of his double-angle iron drag- harrows. The fastenings and couplings are very good. These harrows made the best work, and showed evi- dence of the greatest utility, with permanence and cheapness. They were awarded the prize. In the General-purpose Harroio class the same parties competed. Fry's are a set of three harrows, of 24 teeth each, taking 9 ft. 6 in. The teeth are squared into the bottom-bar, and then fastened by screw. They did exceedingly well, and were justly awarded the prize. Bentall's is a set of four harrows with 15 teeth each, and are as well made and well fastened as usual. They received a commendation. Eddy's is a set of three harrows, each 24 teeth, taking 9 ft. We thought them too light for the class. Lyne showed two sets of three harrows— or rather, 13 bars each set, of 5 teeth each, fastened as named above. One set has a straight strengthening bar, which adds greatly to its stability. These worked admirably, and received a special prize for the originality and usefulness 9f the invention. J. and R. Wright's are a set of three 20-teethed harrows, taking 10 ft., with square bars, and a peculiar setting of the teeth for fine or coarse work. Coleman's is a set of his expanding harrows, well manufactured, and highly useful in their more especial departments. Both sets worked well. Sets of Seed Harrows.— The same Firms were once more competitors. The style and character of their respective implements were kept up on a reduced scale, some differing from the others in the extent ot the reduction, Bentall's were too light, but worked to 50 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. perfection, and thus commanded a commendation. Fry's were likewise too light and small; Coleman's his light expanding ; Eddy's rather longePj of same form ; Comins, a good country-made set, of good farm service, and did their work well. Highly commended. Lynes' continues his shape, and his size is more proportionate, the weights, (for all his harrows had weights; hanging on the bar behind,) were taken off to try their steadiness, which proved them unnecessary. Wright's were same form, but somewhat stronger than the other sets, with good length of teeth, and good fastenings. He wus awarded the prize. Chain Harrows. — This implement is becoming every day more popular. The judges took great pains to test the value in work of two inventions of this character, Cambridge exhibited that of Cartwright's invention, with plain square links, and his own expanding appara- tus. Lemon exhibited a set of his own invention, hav- ing the same square links, with the alternate ones spiked at the corners ; this appeared to promise both durability and effective working. The expanding apparatus is not so perfect as that of Cambridge. These were tried im- mediately after the harrowings on Saturday, but the couch being green and soddy, neither would work v/ell, but the spiked chains clogged most. They were again tried on the following Tuesday, upon dry twitch or couch, both in regular draught, at about 2^ miles per hour, and also with horses on full trot. Tu both cases Cambridge's harrow had the advantage. Lemon's har- row worked well, but it gripped more, and retained it too long. The points, too, appeared to hinder the clearing. That of Cambridge stuck closer to the surface, collected much under it, and discharged it with greater regularity. The prize was at lengtt awarded to this, and a certificate of merit to the other. Clod- crushers. — In this class Messrs. Gliddon, Fry, Carson, Cambridge, Eddy, and Bird were competitors. Gliddon's is a useful implement, of small size (6 feet by 20 inches) ; Fry's is Paterson's (6 feet 2 inches by 24 inches). We need scarcely say that it did well, and was commended. Carson's (6 feet 6 inches by 24 inch discs), is a combination, or has alternate discs of the Cambridge and Paterson type, his own invention, the latter being a nibbed rim, outside the smaller ones, kept in its place and made to revolve by these smaller ones. It does exceedingly well, and was commended. Cambridge has improved his greatly, the alternate discs being serrated ones ; it is 6 feet 6 inches by 26 inches ; weight, 22 cwt. ; crushes admirably. — The prize. Eddey's crusher has a good scraper and serrated discs : it is short, 5 feet 6 inches by 24 inch discs. It received a commendation. We observed the judges subsequently in the yard, attaching the dynamometer to several clod- crushers ; contrary to their expectation, that unnerring, " tester" proved that those crushers with discs of difl'er- ent diameters, working freely, possessed a slight advan- tage in draught over those of equal diameter. Two of these clod-crushers, of equal diameter, the larger rims excepted, were taken to the field, but the tremendous shower which came on prevented an accurate result being arrived at. Ploughs. — The trial of common-purpose ploughs is always a matter of the greatest interest. Every requisite arrangement was made for the purpose of insuring a fair and correct trial, so that the advocates of triennial trials should not have a just cause of complaint. Great pains were taken by the judges in order to arrive at a satisfactory con.' elusion. The competing ploughs were severally ex- hibited by Messrs. Fry, Carson, Eddy, Comins, Lemon, Wright, Hole, and Lewis. The land being marked oct, and all being strangers to the soil, it was arranged that each plough should take its place as entered in the judges' books ; consequently, Messrs. Fry took No. 1, with a plough invented by Robert Cosens, having a 4 feet 9 inches mould-turner, and a regulating wheel to run on the furrow-sole. We thought in doing its severe work it ran too much on its points, that the mould- turner caused too much pressure on the furrow by throwing it out too wide and over, and the regulating wheel to be of but little service. Carson took No. 2, with a plough, his own invention, of good form and construction. The mould-turner rather short (3 feet 4 inches). The work was fairly laid, but scarcely close enough, and it with difficulty made an even furrow-sole. It proved well with the dynamometer, and the judges awarded a commendation. Eddy took No. 3^ with a rather attractive plough, possessing many of the points of our best makers ; but, in looking closely into its details, we discovered imperfections which did, as they ever will do, show themselves in work. The plough ran well on its furrow-sole, but threw the furrow too wide and broke it in deep ploughing. The mould-turner 3 ft. 8 in. We observed a judge pointing out the defects in form of some parts of this plough, which he acknow- ledged, and intends to obviate another year. Com- mended.— Comins took No. 4 with a plough of bis own invention. He was also his own ploughman. He succeeded much as a man does when in an intricate law- suit he persists in acting as his own " lawyer.'' He might have found a better ploughman. — Lemon took No. 5 with Ball's plough and best ploughman. The work was well laid ; the furrow too wide and too much pressed over by mould-turner, which is 4ft. Gin. long, run well on furrow sole. Draught light. This plough was highly commended. — J. and R. Wright took No. 6 with a well- formed plough; their own invention. The mould-turner nearly in true form, and 3 ft. 10 in. long, and the share nicely-adjusted to cause a uniform lift without breaking the furrow. The furrow was cut clean and right, and turned-over at the correct angle. On proof it was found to be of light draught. The Prize. — Hole took No. 7 with a plough his invention, having a mould-turner of the old turnwrest or convex principle. The work was laid fiat and much broken, nor does the plough havel well on the furrow sole. Draught not excessive. — Lewis took the last work with a plough of his own invention. The work was well done, but we thought the plough required im- provement in the first lift and inclination of mould- turner. Commended as a good country plough. Subsoil Plou swine, dairy produce, and implements and machines, took place Tuesday, June 8, in the Cattle-market, Graham's-square. The weather was auspiciously beautiful, and there was a large and respectable concourse of spectators. In point of quality the stock exhibited was good, and the entries were about the same as last year. There was a pretty large variety of imple- ments and machines exhibited, including ploughs, harrows, fans, crushers, rollers, &c. — indeed, this is the only occa;ion when there has been anything like a show of implements. At a meeting of the directors of the society, held on the 2nd inst., A. Campbell Colquhoun, Esq , yr., of Killermont, in the chair : Attention was called to certain deceptions practised at the re- cent show at Ayr ; and, on the motion of Mark Sprott, Esq . of Garnkirk, seconded by James Campbell, Esq., yr., of Tilli- chewan, it was resolved to instruct the judges at the ensuing ahow to pay particular attention to the appearance of the animals exhibited, so that any such practices, if they have been resorted to, might be detected, and the animals not only ex- cluded from competition, but the owners of them subjected to any other penalty which the directors might think it necessary to impose. During the day, it was found necessary to examine the bull 151, belonging to John Stewart, Burnside Cottage, Strathaven ; and Mr. Cockburn, veterinary surgeon, gave in his report to the directors that a portion of the dewlap had been excised, but not recently. The directors therefore agreed, by 18 to 2, that the bull be excluded from competition. The following gentlemen oMciatedas judges : Ayrshire Breed. — Messrs. A. Buchanan, Garscadden, Mains, Maryhill : Andrew M'Gregor, Hittou, Kilmarnock ; James Salmon, Benston, Johnstone. Short-horned and Polled Cattle, Leicester, Cheviot, ar,d South- Down Sheep. — Messrs. John Dudgeon, Almondhill, Kirkliston ; Thomas Simson, Blainslie, Lauder; Robert Hardie, Herriot- field, Kelso. West Highland Cattle, BlacJc/aced Sheep, and Swine — Messrs. John M'Farlane, Faslane, GairlochhcaJ ; Peter Geekie, factor, Scone. Horses for Agricultural Purposes. — Messrs . Matthew Young, Knockendale, Symington ; Robert Wilson, Frithfield, An- atruther; and John S. Jack, Carrot, Stirling. Roadsters. — Messrs. Wm. Lang of Groatholm, Kilwinning; George Stodart, St. Vincent-place, Glasgow ; and John Hami - ton, Greenbank, Mearus. The following is the prize list : — CATTLE. AYRSHIRE BREED. Cow in Milk — 1, Wm. Kirkwood, Shankston, Ayr ; 2, Hus;h Donald, 13, William-street, Johnstone ; 3, Alexander Wilson Forehouse, Kilbarchan; 4, H. M. Cunninghame, Carskeock, Patna. Cow, bred by Exhibitor — 1, Laurence Drew, Merryton, Hamilton ; 2, John Anderson, Smithaton, Croy, Kilsyth ; 3, William Hay Orchardton, KirkiutiUoch. Threeyear-old Cow.— 1, George Pender, Dambreck, Kil- syth; 2, Hui:h Donald, 13, William-atreet, Johnstone; 3, J. Houston, Geilston, Cardross. Pair of Cows, in Milk bred by Exhibitor, and never out of his Possession. — A silver medal, given by the representatives of the late William Lockhart, Esq., M.P.— to George Pender, Dumbreck, Kilsyth •, certificate of merit — Wm. Orr, Linthills, Lochwinnoch. Two-year-old Quey in Milk — 1, Alex. Fleming, Avon Mills, Hamilton ; 2, John Stewart, Burnside Cottage, Strat- haven ; 3, Robert Kirkwood, Highlongmuir, Kilmaurs. Two-year-old (iuey iu Calf or Milk, bred by Exhibitor — 1, A. Fleming, Avon Mills, Hamilton ; 2, Alex. Wilson, Fore- house, Kilbarchan ; 3, James Williamson, Stonefield, Elan- tyre. Three Cows of any Age. — 1, John Stewart, Burnside Cot- tage, Strathaven ; 2, Robert Russell, Canal- street, Paisley ; 3, Laurence Drew, Merriton, Hamilton. Pair Three-year-old Cows— l,R.M'Kean, Ballewan, Strath- blaue ; 2, Robert Kirkwood, Higblongmuir, Kilmaurs ; 3, Wm. Hay, Orchardton, Muirhead. Kirkintilloch. Pair of Cows in Milk, kept by Dairyman within the Parlia- mentary or Police Boundary of Glasgow, and suited for Stall- feeding— 1 and 2. James Stark, Garngadbill, Glasgow. Cow in Calf — 1, W. Hay, Orchardton, Muirhead, Kirkintil- loch ; 2, John Parker, Brooralands, Irvine ; 3, John Stew art, Burnside Cottage, Strathaven ; 4, Duncan M'Farlane Torr, Helensburgh. 56 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. Twc-year-cld Quey Yeald aud cot iu Calf— 1, Georga Peu- der, Duoobreck, Kilksyth ; 2, John Stewart, Burnside Cot- tage, Strathaven ; 3, A B. Armour, of Mciklehill, Kirkintil- loch. Oiie-ycar-old Q.uey — 1, John Stewart, Burnside Cottage, Strathaven ; 2, David Bickett, Muirs, Duulop ; 3, Alex. Fiiidlay, Maiuhill, Baillieston. Bull, calved before Ist Jan., 1856—1, Sir James Colqu- houn, Bart., of Lues ; 2, Ivie Campbell, Dalgig, New Cum- nock; 3, Geo. Paton, Baukliead, Patrick; 4, James Stone, Ardochrig-, Kilbride. Two-} ear-old Bull — 1, John Parker, Broomlands, Irvine; 2, Lawrence Drew, Merriton, Hamilton ; 3, Edward Watson, Crawford John Mains, Crawford John ; 4, William Lang of Groatliolm, Monk Castle, Kilwinning. One-year-old Bull — 1, George Dow, Sym's Hill, Cathcart ; 2, James Reunie, Kessington, New Kilpatrick ; 3, John Stewart, Burnside Cottage, Strathaven ; 4, James William- Bon, Sionefield, Blautyre. A silver medal was awarded to Lawrence Drew, as breeder of the best of the prize cows ; to ditto as breeder of the best of the prize queys ; and to Alexander Fleming, Avon Mills, Hamilton, as breeder of the beat of the prize bulls. SHORTHORN BREKD. Bull calved before 1st January, 1856 — 1, Lord Kinnaird, Rossie Priory, luchture; 2, Alexander Rintoul, Lady well, Auchterarder. Bull calved after lat January, 1856 — 1, William Walker, Inner Avon, Polmont ; 2, Messrs. TurnbuU, Bonhill Place, Dumbarton. Cow, of any age — 1 and 2, James Douglas, Athelslaneford, Drera, East-Lothian ; 3, Alexander Learmouth, North Bank, Borrowstouness. Heifer calveJ a^ter Ist January, 1856 — 1 and 2, James Douglaf, Athelstaneford, Drem. Heifer calved after 1st January, 1857—1 aud 2, James Douglas, Athelstaneford, Drem. Two silver medals were awarded to James Douglas, Athel- staneford, as breeder of tlie beat of the prize bulls, and breeder of the best prize cow or heifer. WEST HIGHLAND. Bull calved before 1st January, 1856 — Allan Pollok, of FasiJe, Mearns. Two-year-old Bull — 1 and 2, Allan Pollok, of Faside, Mearns. Oue-year-old Bull — Duncan M'Arthur, Achaduuan, Cairn- dow. Cow, of any age, having had a Calf in 1858—1 and 2, Allan Pollok, of Faside Mearns. Heifer calved after 1st January, 1855 — Allan Pollok, of Faside, Mearns. Heifer calved after 1st January, 1856 — 1 and 2, Allan Pollok, of Faside, Mearns. Two silver medals were awarded to Allan Pollok, Faside, the breeder of the best of the prize bulls, and the breeder of the best prize cow and heifer. POLLED BREED. Bull calved before 1st January, 1856 — 1 and 2, Allan Pollok, of Faside, Mearns. Two-year-old Bull — Allan Pollok, of Faside, Mearns. Heifer calved after 1st January, 1856 — 1 and 2, Allan Pollok, of Faside, Mearns. Two silver medals were awarded to Allan Pollok, of Faside, Mearns, as breeder (and also proprietor) of the best of the prize bulls, and of the beat of the prize cows aud heifers. HORSES. FOR AGRICULTURAL PURPOSES. Brood Mare, in Foal, or with a Foal at foot — 1, James Rus- sell Shawhill, Mearns ; 2, Robert Morton, Dalmuir ; 3, Mat- thew Gilmour, Inchinnan, Paisley ; 4, Hugh Taylor, BuUhiU, Kilmarnock. Yeald Mare— 1, D. C. R. Carrick Buchanan, of Drumpeller, Coatbridge ; 2, Andrew Renfrew, Burrauce, Newton, Mearns ; 3, James Hay, Law Farm, Duutocher; 4, Robert M'Kean, Lumloch, Cadder. Three-year-old Filly — 1, Dugald Napier, East Milton-street, Glasgow; 2, David Riddell, Kilbowie," Duntocher; 3, George Morton, luchbelly, Kirkiatilloch. Three-year-old Gelding — 1, Richard Cullen, Windedge, Mo- therwell ; 2, William Muir, Hardington Mains, Wiston. Two-year-old Filly — 1, James Kerr, Barrodger, Lochwinnoch; 2, Matthew Gilmour, Inchinnan, Paisley ; 3, Robt. Morton, Dalmuir. One year-old Filly— 1, Jas. Eaaon, Inches, Larbert ; 2, Wm. Paisley, High Walton, Mearns; 3, Wm. Muir, Hardington Mains, Wiston. Two-year-old entire Colt — 1, Peter Crawford, Diimgoyacb, Strathblane ; 2 and 3, James Salmon, Benstone, Paisley ; 4, J. Kerr, Morton, Mid-Calder. Oue-year-old entire Colt — 1, Andrew Logan, Crossflat, Kil- barchan ; 2, Wm. Park, Balquhanrau, Dalmuir ; 3, J. Dunn, Laggan, Strathblane. Draught Mare or Gelding, iu harness — 1, Alex. Gardner, Linclive, Paisley ; 2, Robert Hannah, St. Rollox. Glasgow ; 3, Robert Murdoch, Hallside, Cambuslang ; 4, Thomas Kerr, East Fulton, Johnstone; 5, Dugald Napier, East Milton- street, Glasgow. Pair draught Mares or Geldings, in harness — 1, Alexander Cameron, Bogside, S,'iringburn ; 2, Robert Hannah, St. Rol- lox, Glasgow ; 3, Dugald Napier, East Milton-street, Glasgow, A silver medal was awarded to the breeder of the best of the prize mares, D C. R. C. Buchanan, Drumpeller; to the bleeder of the best of the prize filliea, Thomas Kinloch, Bridgend, Kilmalcolm ; and to the breeder of the best of the prize entire colts, Peter Crawford, Strathblane, ROADSTERS. Horse or Mare — 1, H. Fleming Edmiaton, Yoker ; 2, Lau- rence Drew, Merryton, Hamilton ; 3 and 4, Allan Pollok, of Faside, Mearns. Pony, suited for sweet milk cart, not exceeding li^ hands high — ], Robert Ruasel, Csnal-street, Paisley; 2, George Robertson, Maryhill; 3, William Johnston, Dumbarton-road, Patrick. Horse or Mare, suited for buttermilk cart, not exceeding 15 hands high — 1, Mr. Thomas Scott, Iloughhead, Hamilton; 2, Andrew Pollok, Muirhouse, Eaglesham ; 3, George M'Mur- rich, North Maius, Houston, SHEEP. LEICESTER, Tup not more than three-shear — 1 and 2, Lord Kinnaird, Rossie Priory, Inchture. Tup, lambed a''ter lat Jan., 1857—1 and 2, James Melvin, Boniiington, Ratho. Penof three Ewes, not more than three-shear, with Limb at foot — 1, James Salmon, Benstone, Paisley; 2, Alex. Graham, Summerston, East Kilpatrick. Pen of Three Ewe Hoggs, lambed after 1st Jan., 1857 — 1 and 2, James Melvin, Bonnington, Ratho. SOUTHDOWN, Tup, lambed after 1st Jan., 1856—1 and 2, R. Scot Skir- ving, Camptown, Drem. Pen of Three Ewes, lambed after 1st Jan, 1856 — 1 and 2, R. Scot Skirving. BLACKFACED. Pen of Three Tups, not more than three-shear — 1, D. Foyer, Knowehead, Campsie ; John Watson, Nisbet Culter, Biggar. Pen of Three Tups, lambed after 1st Jan., 1857—1, J. Watson ; 2, James Coubrough, Blairtumnock, Campsie. Pen of Five Ewes, not more than three shear, with Lamb at Foot — 1, Allan Pollok, of Faside, Meams; 2, William Turner, of Gavinhurn, Old Kilpatrick. Pen of Five Ewe Hoggs, lambed after lat Jan , 1857 — 1, A. Lusk, Craigcaffie, Stranraer ; 2, Allan Pollok. SWINE. Boar, Large Breed — 1, Thomas Sadler, Norton Mains, Ratho; 2, John Gordon, of Aitkenhead, Cathcart. Sow, Large Breed — 1, James Skinner, Woodside, Aberdeen ; 2, John Gordon, of Aitkenhead, Cathcart. Boar, Small Breed — 1, John Webster, Thankertou, Holy- town ; 2, James Skinner, Woodside, Aberdeen; 3, Thomas Sadler, Norton Mains, Ratho. Sow, Small Breed — 1, Thomas Allan, Westerwood, Cum- bernauld ; 2, John Webster, Thankerton, Holytown , THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 57 A PAPER ON SWINE. [Read before the Committee of the Worcester (Massachusetts) Agricultural Society.'] Mr. President and Gentlemen,— With instinctive modesty I appear before you as Chairmaa of the Committee on Swine, deeply feelinfif, as I do, the respousibilities of the positioa I have unwittingly, and I fear unwisely, assumed ; but, gentlemen, relying on your well-known courtesy, I have endeavoured faithfully, and to the best of my ability, to dis- charge the task which you have assigned me. It is placing one in a very awkward predicament, to be invited out to a dinner or evening party, and whe i the ices or jellies have disappeared, to receive a quiet intimation from host or hostess, that the time is arrived when he is expected to be exceeding funny. Such a hint, however deliberately adminis- tereJ, would chill the heart of the merriest, aud banish every thought of jest or humour, unless, like the farmer's farrow cow, the luckless individual possess the faculty of never drying- up, but is ever prepared to give down fun, frolic, and comical stories the whole year round. The traditions of the past, the hallowed usages of days gone by, all point to the report of the Pig Committee, as the pecu- liar and proper Tehicle for fun in the celebration of our Society. Prosy we dare not be, merry we would be ; but the tricksy spirit which inspires with wit and humour is coy indeed, and comes not always at bidding, though wooed never so ardently. Wit, fun, and frolic are like the dew-drops that sparkle aud glitter in the bright sunlight but for a moment ; sprite-like they come and go — whence or whither no one knows. After an earnest invocation to the Deity of Fun, that she will grant me a few ideas which may interest or amuse you, I proceed with the subject. Historically, socially, and gastronomically, the pig demands our careful attention. The connection with commerce, with the cuisine, and even with the great interest of fire insurance- have all made him an object of particular regard. In the early days of the Celestial Empire— aa we learn from the veracious writings of the witty and voracious essayist, Charles Lamb — a wealthy Chinaman was so unfortunate as to have his dwelling destroyed by fire. Prowling around the smoking ruins, and seeking to save some of his valuables which the conflagration might have spared, his hand came in contact with the smoking remains of a poor pig which had perished in the flames ; in- stantly, smarting with the pain, he carried his hand to his mouth, when a peculiar flavour greeted his palate, such as the gods (Chinese ones I mean, of course) might in vain have sighed for. Regardless of pain he applied himself once more, aud drew forth from the smoking cinders the remains of the pig. Carefully brushing off the ashes, he regaled himself with the feast before him, but closely preseived the secret he had learned. In a few short months, however, the taste for roast pig came back so strong, that John Chinaman's house was burned down again, and again was a pig found in the ashes. This was repeated so often that the neighbours grew suspicious, and watched until they ascertained that the reason for the conflagratiou was the feast that invariably followed. Occe out, the secret spread like wiHfire; every hill-top shone with the flames of a burning habitation— every valley was blackened with the ashes of a homestead ; but roast pig was dearer to a Chinaman than home or honour, and still the work of destruc- tion went on, Ahrmed at a course which bid fair to ruin every insurance office in the empire, the directors petitioned in a body to the General Court of China, for the passing of aa Act that should arrest the evil aud avert their threatened ruin ; and a careful examination of the revised statutes of China would probably show stringent resolutions against the crime of burning houses for the sake of roasting pigs. Since the invention of the modern cooking stove, however, although incendiarism has decreased only in a slight degree, still it has ceased to be attributed to this cause, and a juicy crackling is no longer suggestive of fallen rafters or a houseless family. There is an old adage, " Give a dog a bad name, and his ruin is accomplished." Such may be true of the canine race ; but the noble family of animals of which I am treating furnishes a striking illustration that the proverb applies not to their num- bers. A goose, it is said, saved lordly Home by its cackling ; and had not their list of Divinities just then been full, a grateful people would have found for him a sedgy pool and quiet nest in Olympus. How did the ancestors of that same people repay the pig for a service scarcely less important? The veriest smatterer in the classics knows, that, when from flaming Troy, " ^Eueas the great Anchises bore," seeking in strange lands a new home for his conquered people, a white sow, attended by thirty white little pigs, pure as herself, pointed out to him the scene of his future empire. But what did he and his people do for the pig in return ? Did they load him with honours ? Did they cherish him with corn ? Did they treat him with respect? No! with black ingratitude, which still merits the indignation of every admirer of the pig, they affixed to the animal the appellation of " Porcus ;" and " poor cuss" the pig would have been to the present day, had not the Latin tongue long since ceased to be the language of the world. But " poor cuss" he is no longer, when in Wor- cester county he spurns his classic name, and, adopting the vernacular, he "grows the whole hog," that he may "pork us," in return for the care which we bestow upon him. For the sake of our farmers, who are anxious to make a profit from pig-raising, it is greatly to be regretted that the thirty - at-a-litter breed, already alluded to, has disappeared from the face of the earth. Breeding swine with such a rate of increase must be almost as profitable as " shaving" notes at two per cent, per month ; but still the impression is irresistibly forced upon us, that, in a family so numerous, those who came last to din- ner, at least in their infant days, would not have gained flesh very rapidly. Indted, in such a family it would seem almost impossible to dispense with the services of a wet nurse, in order to bring up profitably the rising generation. The course of t^e pig, like that of the Star of Empire, has ever tended westward. From China we trace him to Italy, the gloomy mountains of the Hartz, the broad plains of West- phalia, the fertile valleys of France, and to the waving forests of " Merrie England;" all have known him since the days when their bold barons aud hungry retainers sat down to feast on the juicy chine of the wild boar, and the savoury haunch of venison. In green Erin piggy has been an important member of society ; true, he has shared his master's meal, and basked inthecomfortable warmth of his cabin; but,likea '•'gintleman" as he is, he has ever paid the " rint ;" and St, Patrick, in the 58 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. Dlenitude of his poster and influence, never saw the day he could have banished him from that " gem of the ocean." When the pig first crossed to this western world remains in doubt. Whether he came with the Pilgrims, pressing with the foot of a pioneer the Blarney-stone of New England, and ecanning with fearless eye the cheerless prospect before him, or whether, regardless of liberty of conscience, and careful ouly of his own comfort, he waited till the first trials and toils of a new settlement had been met and overcome, we have no record ; enough for us that he is here ; how or where he came concerns lis not. He is among us and of us. From souse to sausage ws have loved him ; from ham to harselet we have honoured him ; from chine to chops we have cherished him. The care we have shown him has been repaid a hundred-fold. He has loaded our tables, and lighted our fire sides, and smiling plenty has followed in his steps, where hungry famine would have stalked in his absence. But slill further towards the setting sun has been the arena of the pig's greatest triumphs ; there have been the fields of his widest influence. Beneath tUe vast forests of Ohio, raining to the ground their yearly harvests of mast — through her broad corn-fields, stretching as far as the eye can see, he has roamed, and fed, and fattened. From him, and the commercial interests he has mainly contributed to establish, has grown a mighty State, scarcely second to any in this confederacy ; from hia ashes has arisen a new order in society — the " Bristleocracy of the great West." A broad levee bustling with business, lofty and spacious stores and slaughter-houses, crowded pens, and a river bearing on its bosom steamboats in fleets — all attest the influence which the pig has exerted on the agricultural and commercial interests of the great State of Ohio. He his filled the coffers of her bankers, and has bought the silks which cover her belles. He has built the beautiful palaces which adorn the " Queen City of the West," and feeds the princely luxury of those who inhabit them. There he is almost an object of worship, and his possession is considered as about equivalent to a patent of nobility. Fancy dimly paints the picture, when a few years hence, the wealthy pork merchant, who jusl:ly boasts his nume- rous quarterings, shall, in the true spirit of heraldry, paint on the panel of his carriage, and on the escutcheon over his door- way, a lustrous shield, bearing in brilliant colours a single pig, his bristles all rampant, his tail closely curlant, and his mouth widely opant, till the lions, the griffins, and the unicorns of the Old World shall fade into insignificance before the heraldic devices of the New." George S. Tait, Chairman. VOLUNTARY TAXATION. Sir, — Methinks I hear some of your readers repeat the words, and say, " Voluntary taxation ! what can that mean ?" Paying taxes is no such pleasing duty; but to be freed from them is, I believe, the desire of every individual, and to miti- gate taxation constitutes much of the labours of every states- man. Seeing, therefore, that freedom from taxes is so ardently desired by all, how, it will be asked, are we to recon- cile this with the expression " voluntary taxation," or the act of a man's taxing himself ? Perhaps the quotation of a pas- sage from the works of Dr. Benjamin Franklin will serve to introduce the subject upon which I propose making a few re- marks. " Friends," says he, " and neighbours, the taxes are indeed very heavy, and if those laid on by the government were the only taxes we had to pay, we might more easily discharge them ; but we have many others, and much more grievous to some of us. We are taxed twice as much by our idleness, three times as much by our pride, and four times as much by our foliy, and from these taxes the commissioners cannot ease or deliver us by allowing an abatement." Now, Sir, we live in an age in which the discoveries of science have done much towards enlightening the minds of the people, and, as a neces- sary consequence, this increase of knowledge is wielded in the production of evil as well as of good. The progress of civiliza- tion has also extended our ideas of luxury, and given scope to the development of pride in the gay world of fashion ; conse- quently the inducements to this description of taxation have been considerably extended since the days of T)r. Franklin, and may afford an opportunity of enumerating a few of the different ways in which this taxation is palmed upon the public, and through which, in a great many instances at least, people voluntarily tax themselves. My remarks shall bear as much as poasihle upon subjects connected with agriculture, although a passing glance at the impositions through which many of all classes allow themselves to be taxed may not prove uninterest- ing ; and I shall not refer to the first and second means men- tioned by Dr. Franklin, through which individuals tax them- selves, further than to remark, that, by instituting a rigid investigation into the amount of taxation we impose upon our- selves by idleness and pride, we will be enabled to discover results which before we had but little anticipated. It is, therefore, to the third means, viz., folly, or want of due consi- deration, that is to be attributed much of that voluntary taxa- tion of which I am about to speak. The ills to which mankind are subject are numerous, and often very acute ; and however incurable our afiliction may in reality be, the most distant ray of relief is nevertheless generally grasped at with the greatest eagerness, and the history of the present; age is " every man for himself," and how he can prey most largely upon his neighbour, or impose most successfully upon the credulity of the public ; hence much money is spent for that which profiteth not, or, in other words, is a certain description of taxation. We have ouly to unfold almost any London newspaper, and run our eyes over its advertising colnmns : there we will see remedies the most simple for all diseases — chronic, acute, or hereditary — so that one might al- most expect to see mankind freed from the numerous ills to which they are subject, and even death itself overcome. Or, do we want assistance in the difficulties and troubles which beset us in life? then observe such advertisements as the following: " Money to be lent, at a moderate rate of interest, on the borrower's personal security." " A most lucrative business can be obtained by any one who can advance the moderate sum of 500/." " Partner wanted in an old-established lucrative business, who can advance a capital of 1,000?." " The advertiser can pro- cure for any young man of good business habits an excellent permanent situation, on payment of a small premium." In fact there is no difficult position in which we can be placed, no want with which we can be assailed, no requirement which fancy can suggest, for which this wonderful mart cannot supply aa antidote. But when we come to examine more closely the pretensions of most of these advertisers, we shall find that the M.D, F.R.C.S., appended to the name of the would-be physician, is often a complete forgery; that the easy means of obtaining money, the lucrative business, the faithful partner, or THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. S9 tbe excellent sitiiatioo, are often nolhiaj; eke but deep Jovices to entrap tlie oppressed and unwary. The gciind secret of the business evidently consists in a flashing advertisement, artfully addressed to the wants and requirements of the evil which it professes to cure ; and when once the victim gets entangled in the net, there is no danger of escape, until the impostor has accomplished his object, and mulcted him of a considerable sum, and frequently of something much more serious. But the most wonderful thing connected with this business is the fact that with all its apparent publicity, it nevertheless, like masonry, keeps itself a profound secret. No one, who has allowed himself orherself to be victimized, dares to acknov/ledge the fact ; or how- ever smart he may have been compelled to pay for his thir -t after knowledge, be willingly submits, rather than sacrifice his own character to expose or discover the impostor. Now this is a voluntary tax, which unquestionably produces a large revenue ; for if the receipts did nothing more than pay the expense of advertising and correspondence, &c,, they must needs be something considerable ; but we may in.'"er that unless there were some greater encouragement than this, the system would soon fall to the ground. But if for a short time we step out of the arena of what may be denominated regular impositions, and set ourselves about inquiring into what may be considered a more legitimate means of earning a livelihood, we shall see taxation to a considerable extent carried out under the aus- pices and with the full sanction of the tax-payers themselves. We have artificial manures of almost every description, brought to us from almost every clime, possessing every re- quisite quality, composed of almost every material, and called by names which hardly admit us to doubt their value. Now, I should be sorry to condemn artificial manures, for I feel convinced that by the aid of chemistry we shall be enabled to repair the exhausted condition of soils, by manures of a much more portable and specific character than have hitherto been employed ; but I complain of the impositions that are practised, the high commissions allowed to agents, and the depreciation of their value by adulteration ; and although the article may not be altogether worthless, it nevertheless costs the farmer a price double its real value. Then we have artificial food for cattle, anti-smut powder, for the prevention of smut in wheat, cough-balls for horses, remedies for foot-rot in sheep, cures for pluro-pneumonia, spe?ifie for the potato dis- ease, &c. &c. Now all these may possess a certain value ; but I have still to be convinced, that any artificiil composition which can be prepared will be superior to the best natural productions of the earth, which are suited by nature to tbe constitution of the animal, and compounded and prepared in the laboratory of that unerring chemist. We have frequently brought before us the effects of over-stimulating, when prac- tised either upon animals or plants. A deviation from Nature's laws, however apparently successful at first, ultimately pro- duces a weakness of constitution, and consequently a liability to disease ; a proof of which is afforded by the manifold diseases, to which both the animal and vegetable creation of this day are subject, in comparison with years gone by, when ignorance of science compelled a more strict adherence to the laws of nature; and however time-honoured and generally adopted may be the practice of dressing wheat as a preven- tive for smut, I have yet to learn of its efficacy, as fiequent experiments have never yet shown me the difference between the dressed and tbe undressed. Of course, for all diseases there are remedies prescribed j some of these may have been discovered by accif^ent, and their application during a lapse of centuries may have established their good name; but why they should be thus efficacious, or how they perform the cure, may never have been inquired into: it is sufficient to know that whilst they are applied, a cure was effected. The introductioa of others may be traced to a more recent date, and till thit they originated from the investiga- tions of science, and from the known effects of certain of their constituents to counteract certain symptoms by which the disease is known, their efficacy must be doubted ; to a cer- tain extent they may prove useful, and if they be not quacks, and positively injurious (a hich is not uufrequently the case), they may somewhat assist nature ; but they will be found to come far short of that never-failing remedy which they are invariably represented to be. Accidents do require skill and attention bestowed upon them ; diseases can be modified and assisted to a cure ; but that wild frenzy exhibited by some, in having the farrier or medical man always by their side, their unswerving faith in I he potency of medicines, is a tax they impose upon themselves, and one not lightly to be borne. They will be sure to find those who will take advantage of their simplicity, and gratify their very utmost wish; and having spent their money for that which is not bread, and, after all, failed to accorapliah their end, they console themselves with the pleasing reflection that they have at least done their duty. Their con- dition is only a modification of that of the Wild Indian, who inflicts upon himself grievous injuries as an atonement for past misdeeds. When we consider the great sums which British farmers must annually spend on such matters, I think it is at least worthy of consideration whether they receive value for their money. We now come to consider another description of taxa- tion, which may not be altogether voluntary, but in most cases it is countenanced and approved by those who have to bear the burJen — I allude to the middle-man. I will not style the speculator an unproductive labourer, because specula- tion forms a reservoir in which the fruits of abundance are stored up for a time of scarcity. I will not say that the middle-man can be altogether dispensed with in this populous, competing, and commercial nation ; but I will endeavour to point out the manner in which a very numerous class obtain a living (and some a very lucrative one) upon almost every commodity, from the time of its leaving the hands of the manufacturer or producer, until it reaches those of the con- sumer. The nature of transactions is a payment of money for value received ; that value may sometimes consist of labour, for by labour a small piece of iron may sometimes be rendered worth double the vahie of its weight in gold. A value also attaches to every article as it comes raw from the baud of nature ; but for the additional price which is stuck on to com- modities through the agency of the middle-man, no real value is frequently received. I daresay I shall enumerate some for which a certain value may be received, but the unlimited extent to which it is carried renders it questionable whether the injury does not frequently outweigh the advantage. If we consider the necessiries of life, wc shall find that even upon flour — our staple article of consumption — a good many derive profits and commissions ; and the farmer, as if unwilling to deprive the miller of his profits, generally sells his wheat to him, and buys his flour for family consumption, subj-'Ct of course to the miller's profits. He will tell yoii, that he finds this to be the cheapest plan ; but why should it be ? If so, it must be because imposition is prac- tised. If we look into tbe trade in live stock, we shall find the dealer supplying the farmer or rearer with young calves. At the age of two years or eighteen months he will purchase them from the farmer again, sell them very possibly to another dealer, who perhaps disposes of them to the grasier or feeder, who having doue his part sells them again to the dealer who most 60 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. probacy transferB them to another dealer, and having passed through the hands of the commission agent or salesman, they eventually become the property of the butcher ; all of whom have their profits, which are generally not so small but what they can afford to count them up together over a bottle of good old port. Here again our farmer displays his usual benevolent disposition and gentlemanly habits, by selUng his bullocks and sheep to the butcher at 6s. 6d. and Zs. 6d. per stone, and purchasing his beef and mutton for family use at 8 J. and 9d. per lb., for what the butcher calls " prime pieces." In a corner of the Corn Exchange we shall find a merchaut buying barley on eummisiion ; he sends it off to the maltster, or, perhaps, malts it himself upon commissiun ; at all events it by-and-bye reaches the brewer, who secures a handsome profit by monopoliziog the trade, and purchasing a goodly number of public houses, and allows the liberal commission of 30 per cent, for the sale o! his beer. If we turn our attention to articles of clothing, we shall find them also sub- ject to a similar state of things, and, by reason of the incapa- city ofa great bulk of the public tojudge, to impositions of much greater magnitude. Observe, the wool is purchased iu the first instance by the dealer, sold to the wool-merchant or wool- stapler, the wool-sorter, the manufacturer; then the goods to the wholesale house, which supports its hosts of agents and travellers riding from town to town, on Sundays a? well as week days, putting up at the first-cla?s hotels, and sitting down to the most sumptuous repasts ; at length the goods are lodged in the shop of the country woollen-draper, who is very fond of dealing with the ladies ; and although be is appa- rently so exact, and obUged to count his profits so close as to have an odd half-penny attached to the price of almost every article, he is nevertheless very partial to reckoning his profits at cent, per cent. If we look into the coal trade, we shall there find no departure from the usual routine : the coals purchased at Newcastle for I suppose about 7s. per ton, are sold a little further south at from 20s. to SOs. per ton ; of course we are told that this is occasioned by the enormously high freights. If we turn to the machines and implements we use upon our farms, we shall find them also taxed by commissions, the circulation of catalogues by thousands, salesmen's travelling expenses, conveyance of machinery to agricultural shows, advertising, &c. But it matters uot to what we turn our attention — from the necessaries of life, to the child's toy — all are go- verned by the same laws. Surely there cau be no necessity for all this. But some may think that it is only the effects of com- petition, or trie natural division of labour, and no doubt but it is so. I regret, however, that much of it is over-paid labour, much of it unproductive labour. We see also that competition, by creating these charges upon commodities, has the effect of raising their price, as well as reducing it. It may also be argued in favour of the middleman, that in that capa- city a very numerous body earu a livelihood ; but it is a pity that their energies could not be devoted to something which would contribute more to the public weal, and that their whole lives should not be spent in working only for themselves, and picking out of the incomes of their neighbours. We are cer- tainly not so far advanced but that the labours of individuals and the application of capital might yet be rendered produc- tive. Surely this numerous body are uot to be looked upon as the supernumeraries of society ! But if their cause be defended by the plea that they must do something, and this is all they can do, then to a very great extent they most decidedly are. It may be said again that it is the turn which society has taken ; let things alone, they will adjust themselves. This is an error : everything is improved by culture. Man without c!:ltare, what is he but a stupid, sensual, distrusting savage ? but the same humau creature subjected to early training, in- structed, disciplined, and christianized, is but " a little lower than the angels." Let things alone, and power will soon over- rule weakues?, monopoly will crush competition. Let society alone, and it would soon relapse into a state of barbarism. Farmers, in all these things let me warn you to guard your- selves. The land you cultivate has got many hangers-on to support; and, however much the bustling company of com- mercial gentlemen may jeer honest plodding farmers, they at the same time court and value your society. Times appear to be changing ; then do uot despise " Poor Richard's" advice. " Away with your expensive follie?, and you will have less cause to complain of hard times a;id heavy taxes." It is both interesting and essential to look into and consider how the money goes ; to observe whet we spend upon things really re- quired, and what we could really do without, or what is really useless ; to see how one man picks out of another by superior keenness and shrewdness in business ; how the progress of the times creates artificial wants, and how artifice imposes upon credulity. The same writer whom I have already quoted says : " There seems to be but three ways of a nation's acquiring wealth : the first is by war, as the Romans did in plundering their conquered neighbours — this is robbery ; the second by commerce, which is generally cheating ; the third by agricul- ture, the only honest way wherein a man receives a real in- crease for the seed thrown into the ground, in a kind of con- tinual miracle wrought by the hand of God in his favour, as a reward for his innocent life and virtuous industry." Yours obediently, i»/«y 18, 1858. Wm. Arnott. DURHAM ALIAS SHORTHORNED CATTLE SECOND TO NONE FOR PROFIT. Sir, — By public auction sales the Durham cattle have been proved to stand pre-eminent in price per head, which gigantic prices have struck thousands of wise men with admira- tion and amazement. They are finding their way into many far- distant climes as being the most profitable breed of cattle upon the whole earth— nay, an ornamental, useful, and a pro- fitable breed. Bulls sold at upwards of 1,000 guineas each ! which is wonderful, and a temptation for foreigners to pur- chase some of them. These Darhams are not only famous for a great weight of first-class beef at early maturity, but they are famous for the dairy, which is a great consideration, and ought to he particu- larly attended to, as adding much to the profit of the breed — actual merit being profit. There is no merit in an auimai making less than it cost making. The great milkmen of the metropolis do not keep their shorthorned cows for ornament : they keep them for profit ; and as milkmen, they prefer the shorthorns, as being the best for their purpose. They do uot use the Herefords or Devons, as they do not give so large a quantity of milk as the shorthorns. Therefore it may be clearly asserted that the shorthorns, including their milk, are the most profitable breed of cattle ; and the Lincolnshire sheep, including their wool, are the most profitable breed of sheep. Mill Field, PeterborougJu Samuel Arnsby. Uth May, 1858. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 61 ESSEX AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION. MEETING AT CHELMSFORD. If any proof were yet wanting of the permanent good effected by the country meetings of the Royal Agricul- tural Society, we have it in the establishment of this kindred institution. Without the national society there would have been no such district society. De- spite the number of public men, who flourish in the county — notwithstanding the lead so many of them take in matters agricultural — their practice has so far had no home exposition. You associate their sayings and doings rather with the proceedings in Hanover Square ; or, more still, with the meetings of the London Club. They even break ground into the adjoining counties, and figure occasionally at both the Norfolk and Suffolk gatherings. The increasing success, how- ever, of either of these, was not sufficient to prompt Essex to originate such a high day of her own. The master-hand was needed, and from it alone was the time taken. The first County meeting at Chelmsford in 'fifty-eight is solely a consequence of the Great National one in 'fifty- six. It is only fair to say that the signal having been once given, every one appears to have done his best to an- swer it. There have been few opening meetings held under more encouraging auspices. It afforded a first lesson that is sure to be remembered. Perhaps, there never was a more uneven show. Each ex- hibitor, no doubt, sent the best he could. Many of these entries were of the very best, while some were almost as palpably bad. It is sometimes said that Essex is not a stock district ; but such an argument in these days can really mean little or nothing. If a farmer intends to hold his own he must keep good animals in place of bad, let him live where he will. It is only men like Mr. Mechi that can afford to pass over a well-bred beast as the mere play- thing of agriculture. But Essex does not need the excuse some of her friends would make for her. There was ample evidence on Tuesday of how much good material there is in the county, as well as of how ready those arljoining are to still further improve it. The Society offered two " all England " pre- miums— for the best stallion, and fur the best bull. Mr. Jonas Webb sent a short-horn from Cambridgeshire, and Mr. Badham a horse from Suffolk. They were either well worthy of the distinction they claimed. The two, in fact, were the lions of the sliow-field. In a really very commendable entry of Shorthorns, Mr. Webb's bull still held a place and rank far above all others. For his age, two years and a-half, he is an extraordinary animal ; already beautifully developed, and with some of the finest points of his kind. He has great breadth of back, stands wide in front, is very kindly in handling, and has a capital head — with all the properties of the male animal, wanting only that defiant look we find in some of them. To show how strongly this red bull took, we may add that, in the opinion of one of the judges, he was " neai"ly equal to Master Butterfly." But this is high praise we are scarcely prepared to endorse, at least to its full amount. Mr. Baker, of Writtle, showed another young bull, the first of his class, also much admired, and remarkable for the fair unprepared condition in which he was ex- hibited. The credit of breeding him is, we be- lieve, due to Mr. Bramston, who sent some most use- ful, roomy, well-bred cows; while Mr. Fisher Hobbs, Mr. C. Sturgeon, Mr. Barnard, and Mr. Long- bourne, had also some well-merited distinction in these classes. Mr. Hobbs, indeed, was, for its general fea- ture=, the chief supporter of the show. He entered Shorthorn, Hereford, and Alderney cattle; Dorking chicken ; and once more his own celebrated breed of pigs. With all, too, he was more or less success- ful. His Alderney heifer was quite a picked sample of the sort ; and his Hereford prize cow, neat and pretty in appearance, was only to be complained of for the over-fed state she had been brought to. As it was, of course some of the sufferers sunk under the effects of their preparation. A pig we can certify to, and one or two more animals we heard of, died upon the field. Does not this kind of thing approach very closely upon cruelty to animals ? We have said the exhibition was an uneven one. There were some of the Shorthorns, for instance, their breeders will never think of showing again as prize beasts ; while the specimens of the Devons were quite marvellous to look on. One Devon breeder who was present could scarcely contain himself. Where did Lord Rayleigh get them from ? Or, what could his lordship or his maa be about, to show such animals ? Certainly such bony, narrow, scraggy, wretched-looking things were never seen before, and by this argument the breed does not prosper in Essex. Amongst the other sorts Lady Pigott sent a West Highland bull— a novelty at any rate to many present, and by no means a bad little ani- mal. The few Alderneys, however, had by far the best of the less prominent races. As with the cattle, the horse-show was of anything but general excellence. Indeed, the entries of hacks and hunters looked more like horses ranged for sale in a fair, rather than as selected for prize purposes. The pick of them was a long low, hack mare, bred by Lord Lonsdale, and shown by Mr. Hutley. She stood about fourteen two, with a most beautiful wicked head, bloodlike neck, and fine shoulder. Had she but a little more "style" throughout, there is no saying what, with her action, such an animal might fetch. There were one or two large roomy hunting mares, although we can hardly identify them at this date, and four or five thorough- G3 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. bred stallions, from which the judges discreetly refused to name the best. The horse supposed to have most favour with them was disqualified from a bad sand- crack and other ugly blemishes. But the Society quickly "righted" again when it came to the cart- horses. Nowhere out of Suffolk could we have mus- tered such an entry of that useful breed. It is very evi- dent their Essex neighbours have been long laying the foundation for a good supply. There were grand stal- lions, mares as worthy of them, and capital working " pairs " — all to be seen in the names of Essex men. A county man, moreover, would tell you seriously they really had the best sorts, but there was no mistake about the open prize going to Mr. Badham. His horse made some sensation at Ipswich last year, where he took the first prize as a three-year-old, and then finished a very close second amongst the aged horses. He is a rare sample of the SufTolks — big, weighty, and compact ; has a kinder head than many of them, and with a little more below the knee, might tr.^vel some distance to meet his conqueror. As it is, he does not appear to have tra- velled far for anything. He was shown very fat, and a story was going about, that he took his pail of milk a day ! This is worse than the tourists in Yorkshire who could get no cream for breakfast, because a famous bull had put up for the night at the same hotel. There were but few draught-horses of other breeds, and these stood no chance with the chesnuts. We cannot point out some of the latter so clearly as we could have wished, but must refer to the prize list to distinguish the best, where so many were good. The mares and fillies were generally commendable, and one of the judges assured us he had seldom seen better pairs of plough horses. We can only speak in the same general terms ; for there was no catalogue to guide one, or to refresh the memory by that peculiar mark nearly every one of us gives to a number that pleases him. Without you walked right up to a horse's or beast's head, you knew nothing as to how he came there. Now, an agricultural show of stock without a catalogue is a meeting minus half its effect and influence. Above all, it is an especial injustice to exhibitors. How the committee could refuse the issue of one is more than we can understand. It was in reality lying ready at their hands for use; for on the same afternoon, between two and three o'clock, or just as the people were leaving the ground for the town, a supple- ment to the Essex Herald was published, in which were given the entries in full ! It might not have been quite perfect, but it would have been a vast deal better than no catalogue at all. Many of the animals, horses es- pecially, were often taken out of their standings ; and of course, with simply numbers to their heads and nothing to refer to, it was quite impossible to make out what they were. Fortunately the men in charge showed more consideration for the public ; and thus infor- mation was not quite denied one. Utterly rudderless then, we land at last at the top of the field, amidst sheep, pigs, and poultry. The sheep were the weak place of the show. The Southdowns, of which they were chiefly composed, lacked substance — " too finely bred" again— the common complaint just now. Mr. Sexton's Cotswold was by far the best entry here. But the pigs were very grand. Mr. Fisher Hobbs brought "the improved Essex" back to all their pristine force and repute. They were, indeed, very taking to look at, and at the same time of more size than some people are ready to allow them. The second prize boar was a perfect picture of a pretty pig — a better head and fore-quarter were never seen. The first prize, however, had a little more length, and so the judges eventually drew a lin^ between the two. But it was a very nice distinction. There were a few white pigs and one or two good Berkshires, but the call was all with the Essex. We never remember a better show of them. Having finished their labours here, one of the Judges of sheep and pigs was summoned to assist in the imple- ment awards — confined to one general prize. A friend in the other field will tell of this warm day's work. If the men of Essex are known more for one thing than another, it is for their public dinners. During the Free-trade fights they were especially famous in this line ; and every now-and-then they still break out again. There were, then, plenty of committee-men with some experience in such a department ; and, accordingly, the new Society's dinner ended in this wise — It reminded one of Mr. Pickwick, who, travel- ling a little further down the Eastern Counties, " ordered a bottle of the worst possible port-wine at the highest possible price, for the good of the house." Six shillings was asked and had for a scanty supply of cold meat and cloudy beer. Nothing be- yond this — not even was "attendance included;" for there was none, save when you caught a man by main force, and insisted on his bringing a bottle of wine, for love, money, or old acquaintance. It is said the Society would only guarantee for seventy dining, instead of some two or three hundred. It is, though, palpably absurd to assume that so small a party would support the opening day of a new Society like this. Still, if it be true, it certainly affords some excuse for the short supply of loaves and fishes. Six shillings, how- ever, without wine is clearly too high a charge. At the West of England the other day a far more liberal feast was served at four shillings a-head. Mr. Du Cane, who presided, made a smart, able chairman, and spoke more to the point than some who succeeded Lim, Even the most agricultural of his followers dwelt a little too much on complacent generalities. The meeting was, indeed, chiefly remarkable for the welcome given to certain speakers — Major Beresford and the Rev. Mr. Cox coming in for perfect ovations. In the matter of "cheers" and thumping tables the men of Essex are, when it suits them, very enthusiasts. THE IMPLEMENT DEPARTMENT. The exhibition of implements surpassed in extent and value the anticipations of the Society's most san- guine friends. Messrs. Coleman, who received the first prize for the best general collection of imple- ments, had no less than one hundred and thirteen articles on their stand, including various forms and sizes THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 63 of their celebrated cultivator, hay-rakes, chafF-cutters, ploughs, clod-crushers, horse-hoes, pulpers, carts, wag- gons, &c. ; Burgess and Key's reaper, Hanson's potato- digger, Hornsby's portable steam-engine, and a com- bined thrashing-machine of their own manufacture, with a peculiar arrangement of the riddles, one below the other, so that the pulse, corn, &c., traverses each riddle in succession without having to be cirried back- ward for the purpose. They have improved the chaff cutter by constructing it with a V-shaped mouth, fixing: a comb to clean the teeth of the feed-rollers, and having the rollers made of loose toothed rings, by which all chok- ing is avoided. Their hay-rake has teeth peculiarly curved for holding a large amount of stuff, and the wheels are of large diameter. An improvement is found in the cultivator, the side-wheels being raised or lowered by means of a sliding vertical standard, instead of the old adjustment. Bentall, who took the second prize, shovv'ed a great variety of sizes and adjustments of his famous broad- sharer; a number of ploughs, including the original Goldhanger plough, chaff-cutters, pulpers, rollers, and troughs. He has attached the admirable pulper to an overhand horse-work, which is quite portable, intended for field use, or for transporting from one homestead to another: price ^21. The prize for the best improve- ment in any known implement was awarded to him for his new, simple, and effective oilcake breaker, the ad- justments of which are very easy and durable, and the coai'ser breaking or fine pulverizing is completely ef- fected : price £5. The two-horse portable engine, with iron intermediate motion, with straps and shafting, driving a small thrashing-machine capable of knocking out twelve quarters of mown wheat per day, a chaff- cutter, a pulper, and oilcake-mill, was a very neat and useful arrangement of machinery : price 125 guineas. The third prize was awarded to Messrs. Everett and Taylor, for a good assortment of implements, chaff- cutters, Turner's roller-mills, Holben's barley-hum- meller. Smith and Ashby's haymaker. Burgess and Key's reaper. Messrs. Ransome and Sims had a good stand of imple- ments, but not in competition for the prizes. They showed their portable engine and thrashing-machine, with Brlnsmcad's rotary shaker, and an improvement which facilit-*tes the delivery of the straw ; ploughs, scarifiers, chaff-engines, bean-cutter, oat- crusher, &c. Messrs. Ward and Silver exhibited scarifiers, dress- ing-machines, horse-rakes, haymaking-machines, &c. Messrs. Hunt showed Howard's horse-rake, some chaff-cutters, Crosskill's carts, the American hay- collector, &c. Impey had Barrett and Exall's haymaker, Parkes's forks, chain-harrows, &c. Gripper and Co.— troughs, corn-bins, garden-seats, &c. Catchpool and Thompson — among other articles, a thrashing-machine, having a fised sloping board instead of a vibrating-table ; the corn, &c., which has dropped through the straw. shaker, being carried to the riddle by means of scrapers fixed to the shaker-boxes underneath. If this method would answer, it would effectually get rid of the oscillation and strain and wear of the frame- work, &c., caused by the common shape. They had a double-blast winnowing-machine, iron roller, Essex harvest cart, seed barrow-drill, stack staddle, &c. Dray and Co. showed their Champion reaper, and their mowing-machine, which had been at work at Sir John Tyrrel's. Smyth and Son their well-known corn and* seed drills. Haigh, washing and mangling machines. Woods and Son, of Stowmarket — poppy extirpator, mills, crushers, cart with removable iron boxes in the naves, and a complicated reaping-machine, to take the same breadth of work as Burgess and Key's, but of smaller size, weighing 8 cwt., endless bands across a platform for the side delivery, and straps and riggers instead of gear-work for actuating the cutters, &c. Goss and Pcene— ploughs, scarifiers, horse-rakes, chaff-cutters, root-graters, &c. Turner — mincing-machines, washing-machines, fruit- parers, kidney-bean slicer, knife-cleaner, &c. Simpson — " Mechian" harvest carts. Grove. — Specimens of agricultural roots. Thorley's and Henri's cattle-foods also occupied stalls. To keep in remembrance the steam-ploughing of 1856, Burgess and Key's reaping-machine was a'so at work in another direction from the show-yard. Again, Edding- ton's steam-ploughing and draining with Fowler's imple- ments and anchorage, and a novel form of windlass, in which a portable engine is run up on to the top of the frame containing the winding-drums and gear-work, were in operation in a field on the Broom field road. The ploughing with Fowler's four-furrow balance plough, to one of Clayton and Shuttleworth's eight- horse engines on the windlass, was well performed ; although one part of the land was a very deep hollow. PRIZES FOR STOCK, &:c. HORSES FOR AGRICULTURAL PURPOSES. Judges. — S. Jonas, Chrishall Gransrs, Saffron Walden. W. C. Spooner, Eling, Southampton. The best Stallion. First prize of £15 and tlie special prize of £25, open to all Enf;laud, G. D. Badham, the Sparrows' Nest, Ipswich (The Emperor). Second, of £8. George Carter, Danhury. Higiilri commended.— Gecirf^e Hare, Hnlhrook, Thos. Crisp, Butify Abbey, and Georee Slater, for Suffolk stallions, Commended. — George Rust jun.'s stallion. Beat Two-years-old Entire Colt, First prize of £10, G D. Badham. ■ Spcond of £5, Wm. Bolt, jun , Broomfifld. HicjMy commended. — W. H. Walker's colt. Best Mare, with Foal at foot. First prize of £6, John Ward, East Mersea (Moggy). Second of £3, John Ward. Hifjhhj commended. — W. Livermore, Elsenham, for bis mare. Commended.— G. Slater, Saffron Walden, and Wm. Belcher, Sandon. Beat Three-years-old Filly. First prize of £5, G. D. Badham. Second of £3, George Carter. Ilif/hly commended.— J. Ward, East Meraea. Commended.— George Hart, North Weald. F 2 6i THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. Best IVo-ycars-oKl Filly, First prize of £5, G.Carttr, Stowmaries. Second of £3, G. Carter, Danbury. Commended. — T. W. Brarastoii, M.P, Best Foal. First prize of £5, J. Ward. Second of £3, Wm. Belcher, Saudon. Commended. — J. Ward, G. Slater, O. Hanbury, aud Geo. Cousins, Wood's Langdou. — [Most of the loals were shown with the mares in Class 5.) The best Pair of Plongh Horses or Mares regularly used ou a Farm, and bred by the Owner. Prize of £5, G. U. Badham. Highly commended. — Wm. Simmouds, Danbury, and O. Hanbury. — [This class was generally commended.] KIDING ANJ) COACHING HORSES. JunGES.— Capt. Barlow, Hasketon, Woodbridge. C. Barneit, Stratton Park, Biggleswade. Best thorough-bred Entire Horse, £20.— (Prize withheld). Best weight-carrying Hunting Mare, that has been regularly hunted (luring the past season in Essex. £5, J, T. Hallam, Wormingford. Tho best weight carrying Gelding, £5, W. P. Houeywood, Marks Hall. Best Hackney Mare. £5, Joseph F. Hutley, Braxted. Highly commended. — Decimus Winstauley, for hackney mare or hunter. Commended. — Edward Emson, Littlebury, hackney mare ; Richard Buuter, hackney mare. Best Hackuey Gelding. £5; Simon Viall, Bitdbrook. Best Brood Mare, with Foal at foot. £5 ; Charles Squier, Thorndou, hackuey and carriage mare. CATTLE, Judges: H. Cooke, Camden Town, London. J. Spurling, Shotley, Ipswich. Best pure bred Shorthorn Bull. First prize of £10, T. W. Bramston, MP. (Duke of Cam- bridge). Second of £5, W. Fisher Hobbs, Boxted (Augustus), Best Bull of any other pure breed. £5 ; W. Fisher Hobbs, for his Hereford bull (Salisbury). Best two-years-old pure bred Shorthorn Bull. First prize of £5, Robert Baker, Writtle (Congress), Second of £3, W. T. Longbourue, Ditchley, Brentwood. Best two-years-old Bull of any other pure breed. £4 ; W. Fisher Hobbs. Best Yearling pure Shorthorn Bull. First prize of £5, Jaiiies Upson, Riveuhall (Hastings). Seccnd of £3, James Cliristy, jun. Highly commended. — Charles Sturgeon, for a young short- horn bull (Steaton). Best Yearling pure bred Bull of any other breed. W. Fisher Hobbs (Alderney). Best pure bred Shorthorn Cow. First prize of .£5, T. W. Bramston, M.P. (Princess Alice). Second of £3, Charles Barnard, Harlow (Flirt). Highly commended.— R. B. Wingfield, M.P., for shorthorn cow m calf. Best Cow of auy other pure breed. £4, W. Fisher Hobbs, Hereford cow (Young Golden Drop). Best pure bred Shorthorn two-years-old Heifer. First prize of £5. T. W. Bramston, M.P. (Duchess of Cam- bridge). Second of £3, W. T. Longbourue. Best two-years-old Heifer of any other pure breed. £5, W. F. Hobbs, Alderney heifer (Beauty). Best pure bred Shorihoru Yearling. First prize of £5, T. W. Bramston, M.P. (Velvet). Second of £3, George Hare. Highly commended.— John Goslnig, Bocking, for yearling. Best Yearling of any other pure breed. £4, Joseph Hutley. iBeut tat Ox or Steer, not exceeding three years old. First prize of £5, W. Fisher Hobbs. Second of £3, W, I, Huriell, Borehani. Best fat Cow or Heifer. First prize of £3, W. F. Hobbs. Second of £2, Chas. Barnard, Harlow. Best Cow or Heifer for dairy purposes. First prize of £3, James Upson, shorthorn (Lofty). Second of £2, James Christy, jun. I liyldy commended. — Charles Barnard (Fairy). Commended. — Charles Barnard (Maria). Beet pure bred Shorthorn Heifer, not exceeding 12 months old, and not under 6 months. £2, B. B. Colvin, Pishiohury (Sensible). Highly commended. — B. B. Colvin (Milkmaid). Commended. — Robt. Baker, for heifer. Special prize of £15, for the best Bull of auy age, of a pure breed, open to all England. Jonas Webb, Babraharo, for shorthorn bull (Young HoU laud,) SHEEP. Judges — T. Hawkins, Smallbridge, Bures St. Mary. H. Woods, Mertou, Thetford. The beat Southdowi Ram, auy age. First prize of 5/. to T. W. Bramston, M.P. Second of 21. to J. G. Rebow, M.P., Wivenhoe. Best Ram of any other shott-wooUed breed. No prizes awarded. Best Long-woolled Ram of any age. First prize of 5/. to John Hiue, Epping. (Leiscestcr.) Second of 21. to J. Gosling, Bocking. (Cotswold.) Best Southdown Shearling Ram. First prize of 5/, to W. T. Lougbourne, Second of 2^. to W. T. Longboiirne. Best Shearlinx Short-woolled Ram. — (No entry). Beat Shearling Liiig-wooUed Ram. First prize of 5/. to Alfred Tuck, Ingatestoue, Second prize — (not awarded.) Best pen of five Shearling pure Down Ewes. First prize of 51. to W, T. Longbourue. Second of 21. to W. T. Longbourue, Best pen of five Shearling Short-woolled Ewes. Prize of 5^. to Co). Rungles Brise. (West country down.) Best pen of five Ewes of any kind, with Lambs, First prize of 5/. to J. Gurdon Rebow, M.P. (Souihdown.) Second of 2/. to Thomas Crooks. (Down.) Beat pen of five fat Shearling South-wooUed Wethers. First prize of 3/. to W. T. Longhource. Second of 2^ to Simon (i Viall. Commended — T. Richard Chaplin. (Hampshire Down.) Best pen of five fat Shearling Long-woolled Wethers, First prize of 31. to Simon U. Viall. Second of 21. to Henry Holmes, Bocking, Special prize of \Ql. for the best Ram of any age of a pure breed ; open to all England. The prize to G. Mumford Sexton, Cockfield, Sudbury, for Cotswold ram. PIGS. Judges— T. Hawkins, Smallbridge, Suffolk, H. Woods, Mertou, Norfolk. The best Boar. First prize of 5/. to W. F. Hobbs. (Improved Essex.) Second of 2/. to W. F. Hobbs. (Do.) Commended — W. F. Hobbs. (Do-) Best Boar not exceeding twelve months. First prize of 4/. to W, F. Hobbs. Second of 2/. to Robert Baker, (Improved white,) Highly commended — W. F. Hobbs. Best Sow in Pig. First prize of il. to T. W. Bramston, M.P, (Improved Berkshire.) Secoud of 21. to Lady Pigot. (White.) Highly commended — Robert Baker. (Black.) The best Sow with her Pigs. First prize 4/. ; second 2/, — {No prizes awarded.) Best pen of three Sow Pigs of same litter, under nine months old. First prize of 41. to John Clayden, Littlebury. Second prize— {not awarded.) EXTRA STOCK. Highly commended — A sow, the property of Mr. (iui- hampton. Commended — Three sows of Mr. Quihampton. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 65 WOOL. Judge — Mr. Johns, Chelmsford. Best ten Fleeces of Short "Wool. First prize of 21. to C. T. Tower, Weald Hall. Second of II. to J. G. Rebow, M.P. Beat ten Fleeces of Long Wool. — (No prize given.) PRIZES FOR IMPLEMENTS. Judges— J. A. Clarke, Lone; Sutton, Wisbeach. T. Hawking. Sraallbrid^je, Suffolk, Best General Collection of Implements. First prize of 201. to Coleman, Chelmsford. Second of 10^. to Bentall, Heybridge, Maldon. Third of 51. to Everett and Taylor, Chelmsford. For best new or improved Implement. — {None exhibited of ■ufficient merit.) Mr. Bailey, of Mount-street, Loudon, was the Judge of Poultry. THE DINNER Took place in the New Market Hall, at five o'clock, just an hour or so too late for those who had to return by train. Seats had been prepared for somewhere about two hundred and fifty, but an extra table had at last to be laid out, and provi- sion for it obtained from the not over sumptuous board already arranged. Mr. Du Cane, M.P., presided, supported right and left by Lord Rayleigh, Major Beresford, M.P., Col. Brise, the reverend John Cox, Messrs. J. G. Rebow, Perry Watlington, J. J. Mechi, J. Parker, J. O. Parker, W. P. Honeywood, Burch Western, W. Fisher Hobbs, R. Baker, J, Clayden, and other notabilities of the county. There were also present the Rev. C. T, James and Messrs. C. Bai-nett, S. Jonas, W. C. Spooner, T. B. Gibbs, J. Tanner Davy, Henry Cook, J. Algernon Clarke, G. D. Badham, and J. Spurling. After the customary loyal and patriotic toasts had been duly given and enthusiastically received. The Chairman in proposing the toast of the evening, "Suc- cess and Prosperity to our new-born Essex Agricultural Asso- ciation, said: When I look around these tables, and see gathered together on this occasion men who, by their practical skill and their high intelligence, have contributed in no small measure to raise the agriculture of England to that proud pre-eminence t now enjoys, I have no doubt whatever of the reception you iwill accord to it. It will hardly be within ray province on the present occasion to dwell at any length upon the circumstances that have led to the formation of this association ; they are doubtless, for the most part, fresh in your recollection ; but I may, perhaps, be permitted to point out to you that this so- ciety owes its foundation, not merely to that national interest that we all — who view in the prosperity and well doing of the agriculture of our country the truest foundation of national greatness — feel in whatever tends to further the great cause of agricultural improvement and develop the productive re- sources of the soil, but it has emanated also from a special, I might also say a noble, effort made by the county of Essex and the town of Chelmsford to secure for us that which is one of the highest of agricultural benefits, as it is one of the highest of agricultural distinciions, the annual meeting of the Royal Agricultural Society of England. I t&ke it we may fairly say that to the good seed sown by that memorable meet- ing we owe ihe inauguration of the present association ; and I thiiik we may also fairly say that, considering the short time our seed has been in the ground, and the somewhat early period we have fixed on for the in-gathering of our harvest, we have reaped, upon the whole, a crop that ia far beyond the average. Gentlemen, we know very well, from past expj^rience, that the successful establishment of an association of any kind is not always an easy matter : there are always opponents of various kinds, to be won over as allies or reduced to submission. There is the cautious man, who waits to see how the thing will work before he tenders you his allegiance; there is the des- ponding individual, who has gloomy tales of past ill success, irora which he augurs badly cf the future ; and last, not least, there is the plain-spoken honest opponent, who tells you frankly and flatly that he thinks both you and your prospects are all a humbug, and that if you think to catch him in your net you are very much mistaken. Noaf, gentlemen, in the very small part that I individually have borne in the forma- tion of this association, I will not pretend to say that I have not encountered an isolated instance or so of these three species of opponents, but I can say that these instances have been in- deed few and far between ; and I can say, too, and it is with a feeling of pride in my county that I say it, that never did any proposal meet with a more hearty, or more cordial, ot more unanimous response than this has done at the hands of the good farmers of Essex. And, gentlemen, I should have been surprised if it had not been ao : a^ricul- tural times have changed of late years in England, anJ they have changed, too, in Essex. It is no great effort of memory to carry our recolleciions back to the time when, some few- years since, an individual whom I may style the knight errant of the monarch of the prcis, rode through the length and breadth of England, calling upon the furmers of England to " Awake, arise, or be for ever fallen." We rfmember how, in the course of hia career, he halted for a brief space to survey the broad acres of Essex, and the not very complimentary lan- guage in which he tpoke of E->sex farmers ami Essex farming. We remember how, in spite of its proximity to the great me- tropolis, this county was said to be in a state of Cimmerian agricultural darkness— how Essex landlords were said to be de- void of capital, and Essex farmers to be devoid of brains. We remember how we were told that our fields averaged about an acre a-piece in size; how they swarmed with injurious hedge- row timber ; how the use of a draining-tile was unknown; how mistrust was universally shown of recent improvements in ma- chinery, and a general want of confidence in everybody and everything. We remember all this— and saddest of all, I am afraid, we must remember too that this fluttering picture was not altogether too highly coloured. But, gentlemen, I say, let the same knight-errant come now, and he will say, if he be honest, that a "change has come o'er the spirit of our dream." Let him come, I aay, and he will see that good farming is now the rule, and bad farming the exception ; he will see an earnest desire, both on the part of landlords and of tenants, not only to avail themselves of every acknowledged agricultural im- provement, but to test the value of new discoveries by fair and impartial experiment and investigation. He will find that landlords have somehow or another obtained possession of capital, and tenants of brains ; and, co-existing with a kindly feeling to each other, he will find an earnest desire on the part of both to study the welfare and ameliorate the condition of the labouring classes dependent on them for employment. I do not mean to say we have yet nearly approached to perfection, for I believe that the age of agricultural improvement is as yet but in its infancy, and that great discoveries are yet in store for us. I believe that ere many years have elapsed we shall wit- ness an application of steam power to the cultivation of the soil to an extent that but a few years since would have been looked upon as the chimerical vision of a lunatic ; we shall witness further developments in the science of agricultural chemistry, improvements in the breeding and rearing of stock, the art of draining, and other brauchea of agriculture. And, gentlemen, it is to assist in this good cause— it is to give, if possible, a finishing touch to these discoveries— that I imagine we have this day assembled to commemorate the inauguration of the Essex Agricultural Association. I will not enter myself into the particular merits of this day's exhibition. There are sub- setjuent speakers who have to address you, men who are what I am not— agriculturists of great practical skill and eminence— who will point out to you its merits and demerits, and who will tell you something of the errors of our ways of Essex farming in general ; but this much I will venture to say- that, considering the time we have had for preparation, won- ders have been accomplished, and an exhibition has been held in every way worthy of this great agricultural county. I f;ive you, then, "Success to the Essex Agricultural Association," and I venture to recommend it, in conclusion, to jour support in the words of a recent able writer ou English agriculture — " The wave of agric\iltural progress has acquired irremitible might : we must mount it, or it will sweep u» away. He who lives within the diameter of a little circle has ideas as narrow as his horizon ; but the influence of numbers and skill together is irresistible, and no impersonation of ignorance or bigotry has probably ever visited a single great agricMiltural exhibitioa without returning a wiser aud a better farmer" (Great applause). Major Beresford gave " The Judges ;" and Mr. Barnett in responding said, in one class upon which himself and Capt. Barlow were appointed to adjudicate they did not give a prize; and if he were not to allude to the circumstance, and state why 66 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. they did not, he might go away under the imputation of not having done his duty, and posbibly of being a coward. The secoud article of their bye-lawa was to the tffect that ''the judges would be iosiructed not to award prizes in classes where the Miuiuals exhibiteil did not possess sufficient merit." Doubt- less tbeie were in the class referred to annuals which in their eyes possessed some merit; but the judf,'es were placed in a very onerous position when they considered that they vvere adjudicating upon aiiimaU which were to produce stock not only in this cuunty, but in Eu-^land jjenerally ; for he must saj, as a breedei' of stock, that unless they bred from animals per ecily sound and free from blemish, they could never arrive at perlettion. Mr. SAMUEL Jonas being called for, also replied to this toast. Lord Rayleigh gave the health of "The Chairmau ;" becomins^ly acknowledged. Mr. Western followed with " The Vice-Pre»itients and Committee." lulroduciug this he eaid, it had been asked, with all the iuteiligence, ability, and capital invested in the cultivation of the soil in Eseex, and with similar societies existing io neighbouring counties, why this county haii so long been without oue, and why they had met that day for the first time as members of an Essex Agri- cultural Society ? Probably many reasons might be giveu for this, and he was not at all sure that he had hit upon the right oue, but it might possibly have arisen from the circumstance that thev had not in Essex any particular breed ot stock iden- tified with the county. Suffolk was celebrated for its horses, and other couuties for particular breeds of cattle or sheep ; but with the exception of the improved Essex breed of pigs — to which he meant no disparagement — Essex was not cele- brated as a stock-breeding county ; and therefore it vi'as that tiie agriculturists of Essex had occupied themselves more par- ticularly in the cu tivation of the soil, and more especially in the growing of corn crops, for which there was no doubt they were highly celebrated. The society whose establishment they that day commemurated might be looked upon as au off-shoot of that great national society which was so useful in showing counties what their wants were iu respect to agriculture, and which held its meeting in thii town two years ago. It was that circumstance which turned the minds of the landowners and farmers of Essex to this particular subject; and although, as he hsd said, their county was not celebrated (or any parti- cular kind of stock, be bad uo doubt the establishment of this society would stimulate them to show what might be accom- plished by perseverance even under circumatauces less favour- able than those of other parts of the ccutitry. Mr. Fisher Hobus replied. They had inaugurated that day the establishment of a society of which every Essex man might be proud. The success of that inauguration had sur- passed the expectations of the committee, and had proved what the county of Essex was able to do, not only in the cul- tivation of the soil, but iu the rearing and breeiling of stock ; for alihough, as had been said, they were not thoroui-h breeders of stock, and although ihia climate aud soil were not bo propi- tious as some other localities, they had had ample proofs of what perseverance could do ; for he did not hesitate to say that there were in the s!iow-yard that day animals as well bred as any stock in the kingdom ; and he would further assert that uo c'junty society could bring togetiicr a better exhibition than tbey had witnessed that day. They had had a good be- ginning ; they did not mean to be contented with an exhibition of stock, but should endeavour gradually to embrace every branch of agriculture. The other toasts included "The Stewards," proposed by Mr. Perry VVatliuf;tou, and answered by Mr. Oxley Parker; " The successful Candidates," in replying to which Mr. Hon V WOOD said, it must be admitted that iu breed- ing horses Essex was wofully deficient compared with other counties; but he had nevertheless felt it to be his duty to send as many as he could. Mr. Alderman Mechi hoped nothing ironical was intended in allotting to him the duty of proposing the health of the un- successful candidates (laughter) . To hia mind they owed a debt of gratitude to those gentlemen, because, if there had not been unsuccessful candidates, and if no inferior animals had been exhibited, they could not have so fully appreciated the merits of those which were successful. To pass at once to the sub- ject of that day's show. It had been said that Essex was not famous for any particular breed of stock — though by the way he had always understood that it was celebrated for Essex calves (laughter) — but if nature had not blessed them with those light and sandy soils which were so favourable for the production of good stock, they had had abundant proof that day that by means of oil-cake, covered buildings, &c., they were able to produce a highly respectable show (cheers). He congratulated them upon the progress agriculture had made du- ring the last few years : he wished they could say they had arrived at perfection ; but he had been struck to-day with the fact that while everybody was running after the reaping- machine — which was thought nothing of a few years ago, but which was certainly no longer a novelty — nobody weut to see the steam-plough, which was one of the new elements iu agri- cultural operations, and was destined to produce the most im- portant results in the cultivation of the soil. Lord Rayleigh replied as an unsuccessful exhibiter, his Lordship having previously taken the place of Mr. Du Cane, who had been compelled to leave. " The Ladies" came as the concluding toast, many of the company having previously retired. NORFOLK AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. MEETING AT NORWICH. On Friday, the 18th of last month, the Norfolk Agricultural Society on^e more brought its annual exhibition to Norwich. The meeting was held under somewhat exceptional circumstances — the all-ab- sorbing topic in Norfolk just now being not farming, but the impending election struggle between Sir Henry Stracey and the Hon. Major Coke. Politics always exercise an under-current influence in English affairs, but especially among farmers on ths eve of a contested county election. No wonder, then, that conversation, on Friday, was frequently turned from the merits of this or that implement, or tlie points of this or that animal, to the for the time absorbing topic of Stracey v. Coke. In another respect, how- ever, the meeting profited greatly. The intensely hot weather of the last few days was brought to a sudden check on Thursday, with heavy shower?, which cooled the parched earth, and enabled exhausted nature — human, animal, and vegetable— to exhibit symptoms of returning vigour. On Friday, the favourable change continued, and the state of the elements left little or nothing to be desired ; so that the visitors to the ex- hibition, who numbered about 1,500, wore enabled to perambulate the show-yard with unlooked-for comfort. The site, wliicli was the spot usually selected by the Society for it:i Norwich meetings, is known as the " cricket-ground," and is well calculated for an agri- cultural show, as it is within toL rably ea'*y distance of the city, and has sufficiently rural accessories to render it in keeping with such an exhibition. The stock and implements occupied three sides of the field, and the sheep aud pigs, which did not take THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. G7 up much room, were accommodated in the contre. The show of cattle, which was about an average for a Norfolk shoiv, was far from excessive, the total num- ber of entries being about 70. In Classes I. and II,, vShorthorn Bulls, there were 14 animals exhibited. No. 7, shown by Mr. R. Gilbert, was a fine bull, with good loins, and fore quarters. No. 9, which received the first prize, and was showa by Mr. N. G. Barthropp, was also a good animal. No. 12, shown by Lord Wal- slngham, had superior hind quarters, and was good in hischiuo, but heavy about the shoulder. No. 8, shown Mr. W. Birch, was a good animal, but rather defective in his hind legs. In Class III., Devon Bulls, No. 16, exhibited by Mr. J. Overman, had fine loins, rump, and head ; being on the v/hole a first-class animal. In Class V. and VI., Polled Bulls, the most noticeable animal was particularly sharp in the rump. Among the Shorthorn Cows, No. 2-1, shown by Lord Wal- singham, was particulirly good, deep in her chest, with her shoulders well covered. No 32, exhibited by Lord Walsingham, was also a good animal. No. 23, shown by Mr. S. Gooch, was favourably regarded. In Class IX., Devon Cjws, the Earl of Leicester car- ried, as usual, all before him. No. 34, exhibited by his Lordship — who was the sols competitor in this Class — was a fine cow, with good Iiead, rump, and lorn, and resembling the prize steer sliown by the same nobleman at Birmingham. In Classes XI. and XII., Polled Cows, No. 37, showa by Lord Sondes, was par- ticularly good in the rump, as though she had been crossed with the Devon breed. No. 44, shown by Lord Walsingham, was a fair heifer. In Classes XVII. and XVIII., No. 51, exhibited by Mr. J. Blomfield, was a beautiful animal, with plenty of beef in the most valuable parts. No. 53, a yearling Devon Heifer, shown by the Earl of Leicester, was also good. The Class of Fat Steers attracted a good deal of attention, espe- cially Nos. G4 and 08 ; the former shown by Mr. R. Wortley, and the latter by the Rev. J. Holmes. The age of the first was three years and six months, that of the other two years and seven months. The judges ex- perienced some little difficulty in making their award, but it was given in favour of the older animal, as it was considered that the younger would not be so good when it had attained a similar age. Among the extra stock a roan shorthorn bull was commended, and pre- sented several good points. The show of sheep, as be- fore hinted, was limited ; in fact, there was a consider- able diminution as compared with last year, the entries being 72 this year, and 113 at the meeting at Swaff"- ham twelve months since. If one were disposed to cast about for an explanation of this falling-off, it might possibly be found in the monopoly which Lord Walsingham, Lord Leicester, and Lord Sondes enjoy in regard to the prizes for Southdowns. Thus in the seven Southdown classes there were only five district competitor.s, the changes being x^leasantly rung on Lord Walsingham, Lord Sondes, and Lord Leices- ter. It should not, however, be attempted to bo insinuated that these noblemen do not deserve the pre-eminence which the well-directed energy of their agents has secured for them. Lord Walsinglu\m's rams were much admired, and it was stated that two of his lordship's best shearling and two of his two-year old rams were kept back for exhibition at the approaching Chester meeting. In the Leicesters there was not much more competition, but some fine animals were penned. It was on the whole, however, matter for regret to see so insignificant a show in this department, especially to those accustomed to witness the splendid supply of mutton generally exhibited on Saturdays on Norwich hill. The pigs occupied very little space, and were confined to five classes, in one of which no award was made. There were, however, four entries more than at the last meeting, and eleven competitors pre- sented themselves. The show of horses was tolerably good, although the number entered at the meetings of the Society bears no comparison with the entries made under this head at the Suffolk exhibitions. Mr. G. D. Badham, of Sparrow's Nest, near Ipswich, carried away the first prize for cart stallions over four years old ; and Mr. T. Crisp, another Suffolk exhibitor, bore away the first prize for three-year-olds. In the next class, two-year-olds, the same gentlemen were also successful, so that Suffolk again asserted her superiority in this department, in which some very powerful and beautiful animals were entered for competition. Mr. H. K. Tompson, of Witchingham, ofFei-ed a new prize of £6 for the best horse not exceeding six years' old, calculated from shape and breeding to make a heavy- weight hunter. There were five competitors and six entries, including some likely animals. The fillies and foals were up to the standard of previous years. With regard to implements there is not much lo be said, the entries having been principally confined to local makers, while the novelties were not very nu- merous. Messrs. Clayton and Shuttleworth, Hornsby, Barrett, Exall, and Andrews, Crosskill, and other lead- ing firms did not put in an appearance, Messrs. Ran- some and Sims only exhibited a haymaking machine ; and Messrs. Garratt and Sons did not enter for pre- miums. A new steam-plough, exhibited by Messrs. Holmes and Sons, of Norwich, attracted some attention. Messrs. Holmes, without adopting the endless railway ap- paratus of Mr. Boydell, obtain a progressive motion in any direction, by means of a kind of toothed wheel falling into a series of holes punched in the outer wheels. The en- gine exhibited was of small power (about two-horse) ; but it made a tolerable progress over the ground, and the turning apparatus was effective. The ploughs are placed underneath, and were not, actually, employed. How the engine would have acted when really at work, and turning a furrow, was a matter of doubt with some of the bystanders ; and an increase of power would pro- bably be necessary to eff'ectively overcome the increased resistance. The working of the engine, and of one or two other small ones, which were in motion in the yard, suggested the idea that it is not desirable to adopt a very limited form of construction, as the shaking and "racket" (and consequent wear and tear), from the want of adequate solidity and resistance, is far greater, proportionately, with apparatus of two or three-horse 68 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. power, than with a greater calibre. A trial of Burgess and Key's reaper was announced to take place in the course of the day, at a farm at some little distance from the exhibition, which comprised six or seven portable engines, and the usual supply of root-pulpers, bean- splitters, turnip-cutters, circular saws, washing ma- chines, haymakers, et id genus omne. With these observations, the prize-list may be left to speak for itself, as it enters copiously into details : — PHIZES FOR STOCK. CATTLE. Judges— Capt. J. T. Davy, Rose Ash, South MouUod, Devon. J.Thompson, Badminton, Gloucestershire. SHORTHORN BULLS. First prize of £7, and the Society's silver medal, to Mr. N. G. Barthropp, Cretingham.'SufiFolk, Second prize of 4 sovs. to Lord Walsingham. Commended, Mr. R. Gilbert's ; and Mr. W. Birch's. Devon Bulls. First prize of 7 sovs. to Mr. J. Overman. _ Second prize not awarded, there not being four exhi- bitors. Commended^ the Earl of Leicester's. Polled Bulls. First prize of 7 sovs. to Lord Sondes. _ Second prize not awarded, there not being four exhi- bitors. Shorthorn Cows, in-calf or in-milk. First prize of 5 sovs. and the Society's silver medal to Lord Walsingham. Second of 6 sovs. to Lord Walsingham. Devon Cows in-calf or in-milk. Firstprizeof 5 sovs. (oftered by Mr. A. Hamond) and the Society's silver medal to the Earl of Leicester. Polled Cows, in-calf or in-milk. First prize of 5 sovs. to Lord Sondes. Second of 3 sovs. to Mr. T. M. Hudson. Cows of any breed (not Shorthorn, Devon, or Polled) for Milking Purposes. Prize of 3 sovs. to Mr. S. Gooch, Shorthorn in-calf Heifers. First prize of 5 sovs. (offered by Mr. W. Bagge) and the Society's silver medal to Lord Walsingham. Second prize of 3 sovs. not .awarded. Yearling Shorthorn Heifers. Prize of 2 sovs. to Ladj^ Pigot, Chippenham, Wilts. Devon in-calf Heifers. First prize of 5 sovs. and the Society's silver medal to Mr. J. Bloomfield. Second prize of 3 sovs. not awarded. Yearling Devon Heifers. Prize of 2 sovs. to the Earl of Leicester. Polled in-calf Heifers. First prize of 5 sovs. and the Society's silver medal to Lord Sondes. Second prize of 3 sovs. not awarded. Yearling Polled Heifers. Prize of 2 sovs. to Lord Sondes. Fat Steers of any breed, under four j'ears old. First prize of 5 sovs. and the Society's silver medal to Mr. R. Wortley. Second prize of 3 sovs. to the Rev. J. Holmes. Fat Cows or Heifers. First prize of 4 sovs. to Mr. S. Gooch. Second of 2 sovs, to Mr. S. Gooch. EXTRA STOCK. Commended^ a roan yearling bull. [ With reference to the cases in which no awards of second prizes were made, it is desirable to give the following ex- tract from the instructions to the judges of cattle: — "If there be not at least four animals exbibited in a class, no second prize is to be awarded, imless the judges think it right to award such second premium on the ground of spe- cial merit, but such second premium is in that case not to be awarded to the exhibitor receiving the first prize."] SHEEP. Judges.— For Southdowns : J. Moon, Hurstboume Priors, Hants. E Pope, Great Toller, Dorsetshire. For Long-woolled and Half-bred : T. Carpenter,ClitFord,Stratford-on-Avon. W. Slatter, Stratton, Cirencester. Southdown Shearling Rams. First prize of (J sovs. to Lord Walsingham. Second prize of 4 sovs. to Lord Walsingham, Southdown Rams, of any age. First prize of 5 sovs. (offered by Mr. H. S. Le Strange) and the Society's silver medal to Lord Walsingham. Second prize of 3 sovs. to Lord Walsingham. Southdown Shearling Ewes. First prize of 5 sovs. and the Society's silver medal to Mr. J.B. Aylraer. Second prize of 3 sovs. not awarded, as there were only two entries. Southdown Ewe Lambs. First prize of 4 sovs. and the Society's silver medal to Lord Sondes. Second prize of 3 sovs. to Mr. J. B. Aylmer. Southdown Shearling Wethers. First prize of 5 sovs. and the Society's silver medal to Lord Walsingham. Second prize of 3 sovs. to Lord Walsingham. Southdown Wether Lambs. First prize of 5 sovs. (offered by Sir W. Ffolkes) and the Society's medal to Lord Sondes. Second prize of 3 sovs. not awarded, as there were only two entries. Southdown Shearling Ewes. First prize of 5 sovs. (offered bj-^ the Earl of Leicester) and the Society's silver medal to Lord Sondes. Second prize of 4 sovs. to the Earl of Leicester. Third prize of 3 sovs. not awarded, as there were only- three entries. Leicester or Long-woolled Shearling Rams. First prize of 6 sovs. and the Society's silver medal to Mr. T. Brown (Marham). Second prize of 4 sovs. to Mr. G. M. Sexton. Leicester or Long-woolled Rams, of any age. First prize of 5 sovs. and the Society's silver medal to Mr. G. M. Sexton. Second prize of 3 sovs. to Mr. J. Overman. Commended, Mr. J. Overman's. Shearling Leicester or Long-woolled Ewea. First prize of 5 sovs. and the Society's silver medal to Mr. T. Brown. Second prize of £3, to Mr. T. Brown. Wether Lambs of any breed. First prize of £5, and the Society's Silver Medal, to Mr. W, Groom. Second prize of i3, to Mr. J. L. Barrat. Shearliug Wethers of any breed (except Southdown.) First prize of £5, and the Society's Silver Medal, to Mr. J. Overman Second prize of £3, to Mr. J. Overman. Ewes of any age or breed, from a flock of not less than five score Ewes, and having brought up a Lamb or Lambs to within three weeks of the day of Exhibition. Prize of 5/., (offered by Lord Sondes), and the Society's Silver Medal, to the Earl of Leicester. HORSES. Judges : — W. C. Spooner, Eling, Southampton. J. Clayden, Littlebury, Essex. Cart Stallions not under Four Years Old. Firstprizeof 10/., and the Society's Silver Medal, Mr. G. D. Badhara, Sparrow's Nest, Ipswich. Seco)id prize of 11., to Mr. R. Pratt. Third prize of 5/., to Mr. T. W, Read. Three Year Old Curt Staliiou?. Fir^t pn'zc of 8/., to Mr. T. Crisp, Budey Abbey, Suffolk. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 69 Second prize of il„ to Mr. W. Wilsoii. Commended, No. 156, Mr. H. K. Tompaon. Two Year Old Cart Stallions. Firat prize of 6L, to Mr. T. Crisp. Second prize of 31., to Mr. G. D. Badham. Highly Commended, Mr. T. Crisp. Thorough-bred StallioDs. Prize of Tl. ; no award, the Judges not thinking the animals exhibited were of sufficient merit. Stallions for Saddle or Harness, Prize of 7?., and the Society's Silver Medal, to Mr. T. Austin. Second prize of 4/., to Mr. N. Drane. Highly Commended, Mr. F. Gardner's. Commended, Mr. F. Gardner's. Hackney Mares or Geldings above Five Years Old, above 14 and not exceeding 15^ Hands High, Prize of \0l., (offered by the Earl of Leicester), to Mr. M. Cooper. Highly Commended, Mr. W. Rose's. Commended, Mr. J. A. Storey's. Mares or Geldings for Saddle or Harness, under Five Years Old. 1^ First prize of 5'., to Mr. F. Barlow. Second prize of 21., to Mr. P. Barlow. Commended, Mr. W. Roses. Brood Mares for Saddle or Harness. Prize of 51, (offered by Mr. J. H. Gurney, M.P.). to Mr. W. P. Salter, jun. Heavy-weight Hunters not exceeding Six Years Old. Prize of Ql., (offerei by Mr. H. K. Tompson), to Mr. E. A. Applewhaite. Cart Mares. Prize of 5Z., (offered by Mr. G. P. Bentinck, M.P.), and the V Society's premium of 21., to Mr. G. D. Badham. Second prize of 5/., to Mr. T. Crisp. Third prize of 31., to Mr. S. Wolton, jun. Three-year-Old Cart Fillies. First prize of Ql , and the Society's Silver Medal, to Mr. S. Wolton, juu. Second prize of 31., to the Rev. J. Holmes. Two-year-Old Cart Fillies. First prize of 5 sovs. to Mr. T. Crisp. Second of 2 sovs. to Mr. P. Rose. CART FOALS. ^ First prize of 4 sovs. to Mr. J. Smith. Second of 2 sovs. to Mr. T. Crisp. Uighly commended , Mr. S. K. Gayford's. Commended, Mr. S. Woltou's. Ponies not under 12 nor above 14 hands high. Prize of 5 sovs. (offered by Lord Stafford) to Mr. F. Barlow Highly commended, Mr. G. Nicholson's. Commended, Mr. W. Heath's. SWINE. Judges— T. Carpenter, Clifford, Stratford-on-Avon. W. Slatter, Stratton, Cirencester. Boars of Large Breed. First prize of 4 sovs. and the society's silver medal to Mr. T. Crisp. Second of 2 sovs. to Mr. J. H. Gurney, M.P. Breeding Sows of Large Breed. No award, in consequence of the animal shown not being considered by the judges of the large breed. Boars of Small Breed. First prize of 4 sovs. and the society's silver' medal to Mr. T. Crisp. Second of 2 sovs. to Mr. M. Biddell. Highly commended, Mr. T. Crisp's. Breeding Sovrs of Small Breed. First prize of 4 sovs. and the society's silver medal to Mr. T. Crisp. Second of 2 sovs. to Mr. T. Crisp. Highly commended, Mr. M. Biddell's. Commended, Mr. M. Biddell's. IMPLEMENTS. Judges — T. Cri.sp, Butley Abbey, Suffolk. G. Gayford, Ryracr House, Buruhnm, Suffulk. Collections of Agricultural Implements. To tltc exhibitor of thp best collection of implements for the purpose of agriculture, the society's premium of 6 sovs. Messrs. Holmes, Norwich, To the exhibitor of the second-best, the society's premium of 4 sovs., Mr. E. H. Beutall, Heybridge, Essex. To the exhibitor of the third-best, the society's premium of 2 sovs., Mr. James Woods, Stowmarket. Silver medals were awarded to Messrs. Barnard and Bishop, Norwich, for an improved turnip cutter ; Mr. R. Coleman, Chelmsford, for a cultivator; Messrs. E. R. and F. Turner, Ipswich, for an oil-cake breaker; Mr. J. Sainty, Burnham, for wrought-iron sheep troughs. The judges highly commended a bailey aveller, with screen, by Mr. James Campling, Norwich ; a wrought-iron water winch, by Mr. Cubitt, North Walsham ; a portable sawing mill, by Messrs. Holmes, Norwich ; a lever corn drill, by Messrs. Smyth and Sons, Peasenhall, Suffolk; and a hay- making machine, by Messrs. Ransomes and Sims, Ipswich. THE DINNER Took place at the Royal Hotel, and was served with much taste and comfort. The Marquis Townshend, the President of the Society for the year, presided, and was supported right and left by the Earl of Albemarle, Lord Sondes, Lord Rainham, M.P. (son of the chairman), Lord Suffield, Lord Stafford, Sir Henry Stracey, the Hon. Major Coke, Mr. Brampton Gurdon, M.P, Mr. W. Bagge (late M.P. for West Norfolk). Lieut.-Col. Fitzroy, the Hon. E. K.Coke, the Hon. Harbord Harbord, the Rev. P. Gurdon, Mr. R. Gurdon, Mr. H. B. Caldwell, the Rev. Campbell Wode- house, the Rev. R. Burroughes, Mr. J. Hudson (Castleacre), Mr. J. Overman, and upwards of one hundred and twenty of the principal agriculturists of Norfolk. The usual loyal toasts having been disposed of, The Chairman gave "The Army and Navy," remarking that it was the 18th of June, the anniversary of a day never to be forgotten by Englishmen. (Loud cheers.) The Earl of Albemarle (who took part in the action at Waterloo) responded to the toast at considerable length. His Lordship, in the course of his observations, said there was some- thing in the soil and the air of Norfolk which produced good far- mers. The farmers of Norfolk had maintained their pre-emi- nence to the present day, and he hoped that by such societies as the present — by the competitive examinations which such societies produce^ they would be enabled to hold their own. England was justly proud of Norfolk agriculture. The county produced farmers as it produced the turnip, which was the basis of its agriculture. Norfolk produced good turnips, good partrid;;e3, good turkeys — good everything, in fact ; and he remembered that in his younger days it produced aho a good breed of trotting horses. Who did not remember the famous trotting Fireaway ? (Hear, hear ) He was afraid that the breed was now nearly extinct, though he should be personally very happy if it were not. But there was another breed peculiar to the county of Norfolk, in which it preserved the same pre-eminence it had secured in agriculture ; he referred to the fighting breed. (Cheers.) The noble Earl then noticed at length the distinguished military and taval officers which Norfolk had produced, from the Wodehouss who fought at Agincourt, to the Feiloweses, the Hodges, the Charley Wind- hams, the Archdale Wilsons, and the Harry Keppels of the present day. Major Coke and Lord Sondes (another Waterloo veteran) also responded to the toast. " The Bishop and Clergy of the Diocese." The Rev. P. Gurdon replied. " The Lord Lieutenant of the County." The Hon. E. K. Coke, in reply, stated that hi. brothei', the Earl of Leicester, whose health had just been drunk as Lord Lieutenant of the county, had, like a sensible man, dur- ing the late extremely hot weather packed up his traps and gone as near the North PoIr as possible. (Laughter.) After re- marking irouically, amid considerable laughter, on the sudden interest manifested by some gentlemen present in the objects of the society in consequence of the present position of Norfolk politics, the hon. gentleman said he lived iu Derbyshire, where there was some of the best and most valuable hnd in the kingdom. He had no hesitation in saying that they had got acres in Derbyshire that were worth any two in Norfolk ; but they were the worst farmers in England. ( Laughter.) 70 TilE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. The awards in the cattle dasses having been read, the Chairman gave the healths of the gentlemen who had acted as judges in that department. Capt. Davy responded, and in a brief but telling address observed that if one was inclined to speak, one would feel entirely " shi;t up" in coming to Norfolk, and especially on coming into the presence of a gentleman on his right (Mr. Hudson), who had been described as the "farmer king." lie hoped the decisions of the judges had given satisfaction, but he was one of those independent fellows who did not care much whether thej' had or not. .He and his colleague had come to unanimous decisions: tliey had liad no discord or disa,'»recmpnt, and in their judgment the animals towiiich they liad awarded tlie prizes were the best in their respective classes. He liad often heard of the Norfolk polled cattle, but he never saw much of them till that day; and all he could say was, that they were not so famous in breeding the Norfolk polled cattle as in their farming. It was to be hoped tliat the breed would be improved, for there was plenty of room for it. In the county from which he came tliey liked the best beef; they suffered a good deal from toothache, their gums were tender, and they did not like to eat so much sinew and muscle. They endeavoured to produce those animals which gave the most beef in tiie most valuable parts, and if Norfolk gentle- men who bred this kind of animals would allow him to make a remark, he would suggest that they should get them a little thicker in the fore-quarters ; and if they could make them abou*^ hree feet through instead of eighteen inches, it would be all the better. The noble I']arl who had done so much for the agriculture of this county, and Eng- land generally, came down into the ^V'est Country— to his father, relatives, and neighbours— and brought back to tliis county the foundation, if he might presume to use the word,, of that noble herd of which England had heard so much at Holkham. He might, therefore, perhaps be per- mitted to make one remark, and he would humbly suggest to those gentlemen who bred Norfolk polled beasts, whether they might not improve them bj^ judicious crosses with the Devons, increasing their beef-producing qualities without decreasing their milk. It would be for others to work this out, but he shoidd be happy testate his ideas on the subject in private conversation. He had come into Norfolk hoping to carry away some information, and he intended to keep his eyes and ears open as much as possible ; but although he should pick up a few notes, he siiould not print them although he might profit by them. (Applause). The Chairman said, after the rather uucomplimeutavy account they had received of their beef, he hoped they should get on better with their mutton. The Earl of Albemarle : Lord Townsliend hapea we shall save our bacon (laughter). The awards for sheep having been read, the toast of the " Judges" followed. Mr. Carpenter responded very briefly, observing that the true character of the Cotswold sheep were shown in the two- shear sheep exhibited by Mr. Sexton. Mr. Sexton, as one of the successful candidates, said he should not rest upon his oars, but endeavour to produce better sheep than he had yet turned out. The " Judges of Horses." Mr. Spoon ER, iu reply, said he could not venture to follow the worthy geatleman beside him (Capt. Davy) ; for, not havinir taken lessons from Mr. Rarey, he could not accomplish the feat performed by that gentleman, wlio, in speaking of a polled breed, had boldly taken the bull by the horns (laughter and applause). In respect to the class which he had had the houour of judging that day, they would be aware, from the list read by the secretary, that their labours had not beeu very light. Tliey had had a good many animals to examine; but fortunately, although there were but two judges, they bad beeu able to get through their task with very little difference of opinion, and on only two occasions had they found it neces- sary to call in au umpire. It was very possible, or rather very likely, that some of the decisions at which they had arrived might be scrutinized and criticized by geutleiuen who had passed round the field and examined the animals. This had occurred before, it would occur again, and they were neither surprised nor displeased that such should be the case. Every man had a right to exercise his own judgment ; but he could explain one reason why a difference ficquenlly arose between the decisions of the judges, and the opinions of the bystanders. Bystanders looked through a telescope for good pomls, while the judges by the aid of a microscope sought to find out defects. By means of the instrument which bystanders used, virtues were sometimes greatly maguified— so magnified, indeed, as altogether to put from view those defects which it was the business of the judges to discover and appreciate, and if necessary to condemn. The judges held that they diJ more service by pointing out defe<;t3 than by praising and prizing the most admirable points. He could not pretend to say, not having olficiated iu the class here before, whether the present show was superior to former exhibitions ; but taking it as a local show, and speaking of the class of horses alone, it was a highly respectable cue. The judges liad had the pleasure of examiniiig many noble animals. Imperfections bad been found, and he was sorry to say they were neither few nor far between; but at the same time they found many excellences, and they trusted that on some future occasion a few years hence, if they were spared to oliiciate as judges in the same class again, they might see all the virtues whicti they had witnessed on the preseut occasion, and that some of the blemishes would have disappeared. There was one particular - class of horses to which a noble lord at the head of the table had called attention : the class of trotting horses, of which, as a south-countryman — never having acted as judge at any of the Norfolk shows before — he had certainly expected to find some. If there were any of that celebrated trotting breed ex- isting in some of the distant nooks of the county, let them not lie dormant. He used the word " dormant " advisedly, because if such an animal, having powers of propagation, were not shown at the society's meetings, he was asleep, or, at any rate, his master was (laughter). He trusted that the breed had not entirely disappeared. Such horses, which had been heard of elsewhere, had been greatly prized ; and if those pre- seut would listen to a word of advice, he would say to them, " Cherish what remains of this breed as you would that you prize and value most highly ;" because, if the good fore-quar- ters, fore-legs, and actiou of the Norfolk trotter were once lost, they could never be restored. What remained of the breed should be propagated to the utoiost extent. In conclusion, Mr. Spooner tendered his best thanks to the Committee and Stewards J who, by their excellent arrangements had enabled his colleague and himself to complete their awards in conve- nient time. Lord Sondes proposed the health of the noble Chairman, which was very cordially received. The Chairman, in the course of hia reply, expressed the pleasure with which he met so numerous a party of Norfolk agriculturists. His Lordship also referred to the service ren- dered to agriculture by one of his ancestors, styled " Turnip Townshend," who introduced the turnip into England, and who in doing so conferred a greater benefit on his country than all he did during several years of official empbymeiit as ambassador at the Hague, &c. (laughter). " The Royal Agricultural Society of England " (applause). Capt. Sey.mour said that, although his name had been coupled with the toast, he should take the liberty of associating it with a name of European reputation — John Hudson (ap- plause). Mr. Hudson responded, and observed that he had been a member of the Council of the Royal Agricultural Society for some few years. He had beeu reiurued (for the members of the Council were eligible for re-election) six times; almost as many times as his excellent friend Mr. Bagg was returned as member for Norfolk (applause). He hoped the Royal Agri- cultural Society had done some good in regard to the production of food for the increasing population of these islands. It had offered prizes for the best breeds of cattle and sheep, and for the beat implements that could be produced. Without those implements, he thought the agriculturists of England would now be in a very poor place. The youth of the country were gone to fight its battles, but mechanical aid had come to their assistance, and he was sure that they would be able, by the blessing of Providence, to gather in the harvest; which he hoped would be a most productive one, if it was not put down by too much wet. He hoped, with the assistance of the new machines which had been brought out, corn would be cut ex- ceedingly well ; and he trusted those present would not be afraid of tbc«c implcmeuta. He had used them more than a THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 71 year, and he would not have recommended them if he had not had full confidence in them. Not only had reaping macliinea been brought to bear, but the steam-plough was coming into use ; and lie hoped that before long f>ler, 3. C. Nesbit, C. T. James, John Thomas, J. G. King, Spencer Skelton, I T. B. Chapman, J. Russell, G. Fidler, J. Cressingham, J. Wood (Croydon), J. Appleford, C. Asplin, K. Marsh, J. T. Davy, Ibbott Mason, C. J. Brickwell, T. Lyall, G. Smythies, F. Dyball, J. Hooker, — Paul, jun , J. Dunn, &c., &c. The subject of discussion, introduced by Mr. T. Fordham, of Snelsmore Hill, Newbury, was " The Benefit of Pulping or Mincing Roots for Cattle, Pigs, and Sheep." The Chairman, in his opening remarks, said they all knew that the growth of turnips was a very expen- sive process. It was, however, one of great interest to the farmer ; and no one could doubt that the discovery of the best method of consuming roots must be very advantageous to all of them. He hoped, therefore, that Mr. Fordham and other gentlemen would be enabled to throw some light on the subject. Mr, Fordham said : Having the pleasure to intro- duce to your notice for discussion this evening the ad- vantage of the pulping and mincing of food for cattle, pigs, and other domestic animals, over the old system of the turnip slicer, I beg to observe that I do not pre- sume to teach, much less to dictate ; my object being chiefly to explain the system, in order that my brother- members may be assisted in judging of its merits. One of the many advantages gained, is the getting rid of the dangerous risk of choking, and, as far as I can ascertain through my friends, of hoove, cr lioving. There is also great economy in the consumption of roots with straw- chaff, and this in some cases enables twice as many aniuoals to be kept upon the same acreage. Oxen when turned into a fresh pasture feed with great avidity, and they take their food in pellets, which after about 40 or 45 minutes they prepare for rumination. I do not intend to enter minutely into the anatomy of the ox, knowing that a gentleman versed in veterinary science would be more fitted to discuss the various wonders of the digestive organs. We all know that the ox has four stomachs — the rumen, the reticulum, the manyplus, and the abomasum. I find, on examination, through the kindness of a respectable purveyor, that the rumen, or first stomach, has a number of pillars or flaps. The late Mr. Youatt, in page 425 of his work on Cattle, pub- lished by Baldwin and Cradock, says : " These flaps are in constant motion ; the food is perpetually revolving through its different compartments, and undergoing important preparation for future digestion. The muscles are the mechanical agents by which this is effected ; and by running in these different directions, they are enabled to act upon all the differently formed cells of this enormous viscus." Professor Jas. B. Simonds, in a lecture at the Royal Veterinary College, published in the Farmer's Magazine, vol. i., p. 245, says : " The reticulum supplies the third stomach with aliment suited for digestion. This it receives from the rumen by the ordinary peristaltic action that is continually going on in that viscus." Here, then, we have nature's pulper. Surely, by aiding in this work by means of a clever invention, we greatly assist the animal in preparing its food for digestion, the roots being intimately commixed with cut hay or straw, and thus may we account for the shortness of the time i-equired to bring animals into a ripe and wholesome fatness fot human food. What are the circumstances that regulate the tendencies of cattle to fatten, is yet unknown. The fact is, cattle consume very different quantities in diff'er- erent states of condition, consuming more when lean than when fat. I have here a pamphlet containing the names of sixty-four highly respectable persons, all well- known as improvers of the system of agriculture, and all signifying their approval of the pulping and mincing of food for animals. In order to test this method accurately, I purchased, last autumn, two three.year-old North Devons, at a fair in my neighbourhood, for ^14 n THE FARMER*S MAGAZINE. a-piece. They were not ia good store condition. I turned them into a cattle-yard by themselves. On the 3rd of December, I placed them with the store cattle upon two bushels of cut oats, straw, and one bushel of pulped swedes f451bs. weight), pulped twenty-four hours in advance, in order that they might ferment previous to the feeding. I continued this food until the 13th of January, when the animals were put upon the fatting food. They had two bushels of pulped mangold wurzel mixed with one of straw, and in addition 31bs. barley- meal per day, until the 28th of April — fifteen weeks altogether — when they were sold. In the course of the day the fatting beast were well dressed with the dandy brush. This is a most essential thing to the animal's happiness ; it removes dust, circulates the blood, and tends greatly to familiarize the beasts to their attend- ants. Everything is kept particularly clean, the droppings being removed whenever the herdsman enters. Let me now state how these cattle were fed. At six o'clock in the morning they had a mixture of straw, chaff, and pulped roots ; at nine o'clock the mixture ; at half-past eleven, straw chaff and 3lbs. of barley-meal; at one, the mixture; at four, the mixture; at five, the mixture; at six, straw, chaff, and clean wheat straw ; after which they were well bedded. The cost of the food which the two North Devons consumed was £& 9s. 9d., which added to the first cost, namely ^28, made a total outlay of ^34 9s. 9d. ; and as they were sold for £40, there was a profit of £b 10s. 3d. I have four cows, stall-fed Alderneys, all in good condition. They have two bushels of pulped mangel and one of straw. The butter made from this food is very good. I have yearlings in excellent condition, store-fed with the refuse of the stalls from the fatting animals, as they do not consume their allowance when long tied up. I may state that my land being a strong adhesive soil, and all my manure having to be hauled up-hill, I feed my horses upon oats, beans, and hay. Pigs I do not fatten ; but I keep a large number in store : seldom less than fifty, and generally above a hundred. They are fed upon coarse pollard and pulped roots, with the milk and wash of the house, and with such refuse of the trimmings of the roots as they find in the yard. My store-pigs are in excellent condition, and sell, as soon as they are sent to market, at ^^1 a-piece and upwards. I find that young pigs, under a quarter of a year old, require peas and other generous food. My sows are in good condition. Sheep I cannot say much about. I think, however, that the pulper would be a great improvement in fatting sheep, if some con- trivance could be made for moving the sheep in the field. Owing to the extension and improvement of the cultivation of mangel-wurzel, that root is, as you are all aware, greatly used at present in the feeding of sheep. Mr. R. Baker (Writtle) said he had himself used a pulping machine, and he believed he was almost the first person to introduce the subject to the notice of the Club. The principle with which he started was that it was injudicious to feed cattle on roots alone, but that whenever roots were given to cattle they should be com- bined with some description of dry food ; and from this he was led to the principle that the mincing of roots into very small particles, and then mixing them with dry food, was preferable to pulping. He had tried the pulp with pigs, with sheep, and with cattle ; but the re- sult was not so satisfactory as to justify the continance of it, and consequently he had laid it aside. He still adhered, however, to the principle of mixing every description of roots with dry food, and this he did with regard to forty cows during the whole of the last winter. For feeding stock the mangel wurzel was sliced either with a Gardner's slicer or with a pulping-machine, which pulled the mangel in pieces, and which was afterwards mixed with chaff. As regarded the pulping, which had been so much talked of — the pulping of roots into small pieces, and then mixing them with chaff, and afterwards letting them remain till they got into a state of fermentation — he must say that he thought no practical benefit arose from it. Those who had read the results of the experiments made by Lord Kinnaird, during the last winter, with regard to the pulping of roots and the giving them in a fer- mented and in an unfermented state, must, he thought, have been led to the conclusion that, taking into account the question of expense, which would of course always operate in the mind of the farmer, there was no practical advantage to be gained by the pulping system. The experiments were very elaborate, and were very well carried out ; the results were published in the Marli Lane Express and the other leading agricultural papers, and any gentleman who referred to them would there find a vast amount of information on the subject. He must confess that his own experience was rather small. Mr. Hawkins, of Sraallbridge, had pulped for his feeding cattle on a larger scale ; and dur- ing a visit which he paid to him, he told him (Mr. Baker) that he had not found such an amount of benefit as would enable him to speak decidedly on the subject. He said the expense was very considerable, and although the cows gave more milk, still he did not know whether or not the extra quantity was sufficient to meet the addi- tional expense. Any difference in the food must arise from the fermentative process. No doubt that process affected the roots so as to make them more fattening than they otherwise would be ; but, considering the extra expense occasioned by the pulping, the practice did not appear satisfactory as regarded results. He did not know how the fermentative process acted chemically ; but he believed that so far as pigs were concerned, the fer- mentation of any description of food was beneficial. Pigs fed on any kind of food which had gone through fermentation with great avidity, and seemed to do very well upon it. Mr. W. Bennett (Cambridge) said. Like his friend, Mr. Baker, he had not derived from pulping all the benefit which he had expected. At the same time, he thought it was very important to get the roots into very small pa'flticles, where the object was to consume a large quantity of other food besides roots. He began pulping with Phillips's machine : and there was one good result which he soon discovered ; when roots appeared to fall short, pulping made them hold out exceedingly well, and this was the case in his own experience. But TFIE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 73 although pulping caused the roots to hold out well, there was not that amount of benefit to the animals which he expected to witness. He abandoned the machine because it did not do the work fast enough. The man and the lad who were usually employed in pulping did not get enough through the machine, and consequently the animals did not obtain as much food as they required- After parting with that machine he got another, which did not pulp the roots, but cut them into small shreds, so as to fit them for mixing well with straw or hay chaff. He used partly the one and partly the other, and he found that that machine got through more work than the other, while the stock did equally well. He was of opinion that in the feeding of cattle it was desirable to have a certain proportion of dry food mixed with the roots, especially as they were not always of the best quality. The result of his experience, extending over some years, was that it answered the purpose of the dairyman and grazier, if not to pulp — and he could not call his own machine strictly a pulping machine — at all events to cut roots into very small pieces, so as to enable it to mix well with the chaff which formed part of the animal's food. By that means he thought they would improve the fattening qualities of the roots, and at the same time make their roots go further than they otherwise would do. He agreed with Mr. Baker that in all such matters Dr they must have regard to expenses (Hear, hear) ; for un- less there was a profit from their several operations, no- thing would be satisfactory in the end. He must say that their excellent friend, who introduced the subject, appeared to have been very lucky this year, inasmuch as he had obtained a profit. Sometimes, however, when a man had a hobby, he contrived somehow or other to ride it well ; and he must add that sometimes, under such circumstances, labourers, wishing to please their master, pT contrived to make the thinganswer his purpose (laughter). Asa general rule, however, he paid the most attention to those who did not farm very largely themselves, and who did not keep a bailiff, with a number of servants under him — a state of things which often caused others who listened to what was said about the results, and imitated the experiments, to be marvellously deceived. He should pay great deference to the experiments of such a man as Mr. Pawlett. That gentleman's farm, though not large, was a very good one. He had tried experi- ments in feeding with mangel-wurzel alone, with turnips alone, and with the two mixed together ; he had also ex- perimented a good deal in boiling ; and he did not know any experiments, the results of which might be more usefully circulated among farmers, or which would do more to prevent them from being led astray in reference to this subject. The Rev. C. T. James (Ermington Rectory, Ivy Bridge) thought the best mode of testing the value of any system of recent introduction was to compare it with what was done before. Before pulping commenced the steaming of food was carried on to a considerable extent, and, he believed, with very good results. He himself had practised steaming a good deal, especially in winter, when the keeping up of animal warmth was a matter of so much importance ; and one great advan- tage of the system was that it brought a large quantity of roots within the reach of what might be termed, in a farming point of view, little men. He had heard nothing as yet in reference to what he considered a most important question, namely, what effect the fermentative process produced upon the nutritive qualities of roots, and whether animals ought to eat *oots after they had been brought to a fermented state for some time, or within four-and-twenty hours. Now he wished to state what his own experience had been with regard to that question, having tried experiments upon horses, upon horned cattle, and upon pigs. As regarded pigs, the etfect which the application of heat produced on the saccharine qualities of the food was generally in favour of fermentation ; but horses and cows v^ere far more sensitive than pigs, and if food were given to them in a fermented state — if it had been steeped as it were in a tub, those animals were very likely to reject it. The grand point was to take care that the process did not go beyond the rising of the bubbles — that the head did not break ; for if the latter effect were produced, the pinguitudinal or fattening qualities of the food were likely to escape. One great advantage of the system was, that it met the case of old animals whose teeth were not in a fit state to deal with the food properly without its having undergone some change, and also of young animals in whom the process of dentition had not gone far enough. As regarded horses, he had found that there was no period of the year in which this kind of food might not be given to them with advantage, especially if it were mixed with salt. With reepect to horses and cattle, he was of opinion that pulped roots ought to be given to them within four-and-twenty hours, being mixed, of course, with a certain proportion of chaff", or some other solid food, which is essential ; and his own experience went to show that the pecu- niary effect of adopting this system was a saving of 2id. in every shilling. He should be glad to hear some- thing that evening with regard to the effect produced by the fermentative process upon nutriment, that being the great point on which information was required. Mr. J. C. Nesbit (of Kennington) said, having been called upon by the Chairman, he begged to offer a few remarks, rather in reference to the principle on which all these preparations should be made use of, than in relation to the practical purposes to which they should be applied, though the practical purposes might be deduced from the principle which he was about to lay down. The question on the card, namely, "The bene- fit of pulping or mincing roots for cattle, sheep, and pigs," resolved itself into this — Could they, by either mechani- cal or chemical processes, reduce roots from their ordi- nary state into a better form for fattening animals ? Now that being the question, he would first observe that he did not see how by means of any mechanical operation they could do anything beyond simply bring- ing roots into a more minute form, and thus enabling the animals to swallow them in less time. When this had been done it would take less time to get a given amount of nutriment into the animal's stomach, and con- sequently the animal would have more time to 74 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. lie down. That was of course, in itself, a mat- ter of very great importance. Now there could not be the slightest doubt that in the feeding of all animals, and more especially oxen and horned cattle, with roots pulped or reduced into small particles, it was necessary that there should be some hay or straw or solid food of some ]^ind mixed with the roots , other- wise the animal would not be able to chew its cud — it could not exercise the power which it naturally pos- sessed of making its food into little balls. In all cases in which a pulping machine was used for the preparation of roots, recourse must be had to some kind of solid food. Even sawdust should be used with roots, if they had nothing better to mix with them. If straw and hay and roots were all given to them together, the animals would themselves select the proper quantities ; and they would eat the straw and hay at the game time that they were eating the mangel-wurzel or turnips. It the food were prepared artificially, they must always take care to put the proper amount of solid matter with the pulped food ; for, without that, the animals would inevitably become ill. When they came to the cooking of the food, or the leaving the pulped matter to ferment for a certain period of time, they came to a totally dis- tinct question. The question which then arose was, whether they wished to fatten the animal within a very short time ; and whether, therefore, a portion of the di- gestion should, as it were, take place before the food was given to the animal. In that case, they might fer- ment the food to a certain extent before giving it to the animal, and thus cause it to fatten quicker than it would do under ordinary circumstances. An illustration of this was afforded by the experiments of Dr. Thompson on the malting of barley. Now this was the simple question to be considered in reference to the pulping of roots. If they chose to let roots ferment for a certain time, they would have a portion of the starchy matters turned into sugar. If they mixed with the pulpy matter a certain quantity of chopped straw, and the straw were well intermiugled with the fer- mented matter, the food would furnish an increased amount of nutrition, and the animal would be able to obtain a given amount of aliment in a shorter time than it otherwise could. It was remarked by Mr. James that horses and cattle did not like food which had been fermented. He believed that horses liked sugar and treacle better than almost anything else. He once met with a pony which, in consequencj of being out of health, had some treacle given to it with its food ; and such was the sagacity of that animal, that it would never afterwards eat its food without treacle (laughter). In conclusion, he would remark that he thought a cer- tain amount of solid matter was absolutely necessary ; that fermentation was merely a certain amount of diges- tion outside the animal ; and that pulping was merely a mechanical means of assisting the animal to do a certain thing in a shorter time than it would otherwise be able to do it in (Hear, hear), Mr. Thomas (Blefsoe) said he had during the last two years done a little in the way of pulping or mincing. He had tried the system of fermentation. It depended a good deal on the weather. In cold weather it would take four-and-twenty hours to produce the same effect that was produced in hot weather in twelve hours. His plan of pulping or mincing was simply this : Having a fixed steam-engine, he applied a strap to the pulper ; a scuttle basket having been put under the pulper to catch the pulp as it fell from the machine, and which was removed through a loop-hole into an adjoining chamber, and was all mixed with the chaflF ; and after it had remained about four-and-twenty hours, it was given to the animals. He found that his store.beast did exceedingly well upon that system, better than they did upon mangel wurzel which was not pulped. It was a great question now, whether the thing would pay if the work was done by hand. He had given pigs pulped mangel wurzel mixed with barley-meal, bean-meal, and other sorts of meal. This year he had consumed a good deal of wheat-meal along with barley-meal, because it was at the present time one of the cheapest articles of food that could be used (Hear, hear). He referred of course to the tailings of wheat; but even if they used the best, it was question- able whether at present it would not be more profitable than oilcake. He had also tried the pulping system with fat beasts — tried it in connection with cake and dif- ferent sorts of corn ; buthe was not ashamed to confessthat he had not made any profit this year ; on the contrary, he had decidedly sustained a loss with every experiment that he could adopt. His own experience, with regard to pulping and mincing, went to show that they caused a great saving of roots. He admitted that this question was in a great degree one of expense, but even in that point of view he was inclined to advocate it. Mr. G. Smxthies (Marlow, Leintwardine) had tried pulping for a couple of years, and had not found it so expensive as some gentlemen appeared to have done. Putting as he did a strap to a steam-engine, like the last speaker, he found the expense very small indeed. He had tried it for too short a time to speak positively as to the benefits to be derived from pulping roots, but his impression was that it answered well for store stock, and also for feeding beasts, whore a large quantity of cake or corn was given ; but in the ordinary way of feeding with turnips and hay or straw it did not pay. He thought with some of the former speakers that more time was required to judy;e of its merits. Mr. Lyall (Lincolnshire) said that for the last two years he had used a root-pulper. The first time he did so was immediately after the Lincoln Exhibition of the Royal Agricultural Society. Before that event he and his neighbours were rather behind the rest of the com • munity in agricultural implements, and one gentleman wont so far as to say that the village blacksmith could supply them with all the implements they required ; but this the Lincoln Show proved to be altogether a mistake (Hear, hear). The first pulper he had was manufactured by Keeley ; but he found during the first year that using it economically with store beasts he was exactly in the same position as Mr. Bennett, with Phillips's pulper, and that it would not do a sufficient quantity of roots to en- able them to hold out. In the fattening of pigs he found THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE, 'ro it of great advantage. He adopted the plan of the rev. gentleman who had addressed the Club that evening, namely, steaming his turnips and mixing them with other materials ; and his pigs did much better by allow- ing the food to remain a sufficient time to ferment, with- out resorting to the process of boiling. The quantity of water naturally contained in turnips must convince any practical man that he could not use them to advan- tage by any steaming process. After the Chelmsford Show he purchased one of Bentall's pulpers, which he used all last winter ; and with its aid he had been en- abled to save 3 lb. of cake per store beast per day. His friend, Mr. Charles Swaine, one of the principal farmers in Lincolnshire, and a thorough practical man, had written him a letter, in which he expressed a decided opinion in favour of the process of pulping ; and he (Mr. Lyall) had found from experience that he could use roots profitably during the cold months of the year. His plan, however, was different from that which was pur- sued by some gentlemen ; for instance, he observed that it would not do to pulp roots more than twenty-four hours in advance, else he could not get the beasts to eat the food. His practice, therefore, was to pulp every morning, and such was the excellence of the machine that he himself had pulped as much as six pecks of man- gel wurzel in two minutes. He must say, he v/as sur- prised at the remarks of Mr. Baker respecting his own pulper. He was sure that if he had one of Bentall's he would find that he could use it with roots to very great advantage. Mr. Baker said that Mr. Lyall must have misunder- stood him, for he himself had introduced the question of pulping to the notice of the Club two or three years ago. Tn the remarks he had made he had distinguished between pulping and mincing. The mixing of chaff with roots he had always advocated, as one of the best methods of feeding he had ever seen practised. Bentall's pulper reduced it in very small quantities, and what he contended was, that tlie system of reducing mangel to a very minute extent and mixing it with chaff was not de- cidedly beneficial, and he thought that Lord Kiunaird's experiments fully proved the truth of that. He meant to say, that when the whole expense of pulpiag was taken into consideration, whether that of mincing or breaking the roots into small pieces, there was not the advantage which some persons appeared to suppose. Upon this point he might take the liberty of saying that he thought the Royal Agricultural Society was rather to blame ; for although it gave prizes for the best ma- chines, yet amongst those which came into competition year after year might be found many which were cer- tainly of very inferior quality. Mr. Nesbit reminded Mr. Lyall that the pulping of roots would enable animals to lie down quicker than otherwise they could do. Mr. Mason said that last year he had one man and a boy employed in working one of Bentall's machines, for the supply of 60 bullocks, which never appeared to be dissatisfied with the quantity of food they had. On the contrary, it would seem as if they had rather too much. He found that, without any difficulty whatever, sixty bushels a day were produced ; and, so far as economy was concerned, he regarded the process as a very great saving. Much had been said about fermentation, in which he fully agreed. He thought that twenty-four hours was the utmost extent of time during which the food should be permitted to ferment ; and this, he said was the result of his own experience. On the whole, he was of opinion that the system of pulping was most economical and effective. Mr. Dunn (of the Avon Club) made some remarks on the quality of roots consumed by cattle, but these he subsequently withdrew. The Chairman said, that being ignorant of the pulper he could not take upon himself to speak with re- gard to its properties; but he thought that the fatten- ing of a bullock or sheep ought always to have reference to the mode of feeding. For instance, he did not think that they should feed a sheep or a bullock in the same manner throughout as they did at the commencement ; nor could he quite agree with his friend, Mr. Fordham, in the plan he had adopted of continuing to feed the animal. His (the chairman's) system, with both sheep and bullocks, was to feed them only three times a day. He used a common slicer, and after the animal had fillep its belly — the mixture of chaff following upon the sliced roots, he was satisfied that it had ample amusement in lying down, and masticating its food in contentment. If the animals did not eat all the food that was placed before them, he at once had them removed, and others followed to clear the troughs. They were then placed in the yard, where they lay down and took rest, but there was no more feeding. (Hear, hear.) He fed his fatting sheep in the same manner that he did his bullocks in the yard. In the spring of the year he cut his mangold and swedes, and mixed them ; and he always found that the crossbred sheep particularly fed faster in the yards than in the folds. Many persons threw the roots about the folds or the fields ; he seldom did, except for store sheep, and he always put his sheep into the yard, because he had a surplus of straw. On a farm like his, and in fact throughout that district, the cutting up of straw was altogether unnecessary. They had ample hay lo mix with the roots throughout the year, without the addition of straw, and he must say that he had never found straw of any benefit, or that the cattle would eat of it so as to do them any good. As he had before stated, he was ignorant of the pulping system. Mr. Fordham, however, had paid great attention to it ; he had made it his hobby, and he (the Chairman) was sure that his statements were correct. (Hear, hear.) Mr. Fordham then replied. Mr. John Thomas had understood Mr. James to say that he consumed a large quantity of salt in feeding pigs ; and he should like to be informed if that were a proper course to pursue, inasmuch as he had always been led to believe that if salt were given in large quan- tities it did more harm than good. Mr. Nesbit said that, if they gave salt to pigs or any other animals, it had a tendency to prevent them from fattening ; but that in hot weather it certainly prevented disease. When they were not well it would be useful to 76 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. give them a little salt. Under other circumstances there was suflScient salt in the food with which they were or- dinarily supplied. To horses they might give salt with impunity. A vote of thanks was then passed to Mr. Fordham for his lecture ; and a similar compliment having been paid to Mr. Owen for presiding, the proceedings ter- minated. TIPTREE-HALL STILL ON VIEW. Important to Agriculturists and Others* — Just re-opened, after extensive alterations and re- pairs ! An early visit is requested ! Try our magic crops : cheapest and best ! The terrible veto has been withdrawn. The long- vacation is over. The great lesson is once more to be taught us. Tiptree-hall is still on view. Like Sheri- dan's stage father, the Alderman may be firm, but the farmer, he relents. We have given a long good-bye, no doubt, to the famous " Gatherings." But the example itself is yet at our service. Who shall say but that the change is one for the better ? The transplanted City- feast was never needed. The majestic Mr. Marker, the Cider-cellar singers, and the amateur conjurer who made no mouths at swallowing anything and every- thing, were hardly in place, after all. The day might so serve a double duty ; but it was not classically the feast of Ceres. People came more to be amused than instructed ; and there was little argument to be had from a man, who declared these were the finest mangels he ever saw, having never, to the best of his recol- lection, seen any befoi-e in his life ! The innate hospitality of Mr. Meclii, then, breaks out again, as needs it must. It is, however, tempered with discretion, while it promises to be of far more real use. A party often or twelve practical farmers will see more, and will be much more ready to do justice to what they see, than they would in a bounds-beating chevy of some two or three hundred. The lesson, too, will be reciprocal. A plain agriculturist, who would not care to raise his voice amongst City Magnates and Grand Plenipotentiaries, might put a few home questions to the worthy Alderman, when the eyes of England were not centred upon them. Mr. Mechi deserves every credit for reviving, if not originating, such kind of meetings. His were only a little over, done ; and they will do far better now. We counsel our friends to accept the invitation as heartily as it is given. Whenever the opportunity occurs, let them send in a card, and book themselves for Kelvedon. We shall always have a corner for what they see there, and what they think of what they see. These pleasant little " calls" are visibly on the in- crease; thanks in a great degree to Mr. Mechi's lead. With one the occasion is a sheep-.shearing, with another a ram-lttting, and with more, the visit of some agri- cultural society to the district. Within only this last week or two the opening day of the new association Essex provided such means and opportunity. On the Monday Sir John Tyrrell had a parly at Boreham, Mr. Baker a few friends during the week at Writtle, and on Thursday Mr. Fisher Hobbs his turn at Boxted. All these were well done, but it is of the first of them that we purpose hei'e to treat. Sir John brought landlords, tenants, amateurs, and manufac- turers well together. There were such men as Lord Rayleigh, Colonel Lowther, and Captain Bennett to represent the owners of the soil. Mr. Hutley, Mr. Seabrook, and Mr. Bewers were directly called on to act for the farmers. Some of Dray's and Smith and Ashby's implements were at work ; and Mr. Alderman Mechi, Mr. Dixon, and others, spoke and answered for collateral interests. As a test of agricultural progress, the programme was not altogether a happy one. A new mowing machine would not mow ; and a new hay-rake was found to be nothing like as good as Smith and Ashby's well-known one. The only thing, indeed, that told in this way was " a cocking-rake," for use in catching weather, of Sir John's own invention ; but even this could not command the prize for the new im- plement, on the day following. There were, however, other signs of progress, especially in the speech- making. Mr. Dixon, for instance, in proposing the health of the host, said that, " without the support of those in the position in which Sir John stood, progress would be slow ; but such meetings as this augured well for the cause." The worthy Baronet himself stood up manfully for the use of the steam-plough, and descanted on the merits of the implement he had in- vented— not bad signs, either of them, of the progress we are achieving. Mr. Mechi, of course, followed ; and from him we may gather something even a little more definite as to what standard we should act up to. He commences on the old string :^ " The more people they had, the more prosperous and powerful they would be, if they fed them. To do that they must improve their agriculture. For himself, he had passed through an agricultural purgatory, and for fourteen or fifteen years Mr. Mechi was looked on as a great fool and a humbug. But he had been hopeful ; he had gone on, and he had lived to see his friends adopt what they before condemned. The steam-engine which he put up was the first in the county, and Mr. Samuel Jonas said he was a fool to put it up ; but nearly all his friends had now got steam-engines ! So it was with draining ; and he was glad to find that conviction had come to the minds of his friends at last. He thought that to secure a greater supply of food from the soil they must have increased depth of cultivation. He believed they could not air the heavy lands too much, or enough. He had evidence of this on his farm, where, after carting mangold-wurtzel from a field, he could show that, by the compression of the THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 77 cai'ts on particular stetches, the crops were less ou those stetcbes ia the following year; and they might infer from this that if the compression of the land rendered it unfertile, the opening it and exposing it to the air must make it fertile. That was illustrated by Mr. Smith, of Lois Weedon, who made a long fallow by the side of growing-crops. But he ought to guard himself on this point, for he had been misunderstood upon it. He did not say — ' Bury your good soil, and bring up the thirsty and cold to put your seed in.' That was not what steam-cultivation was to do for them ; but the object was to break up the bottom soil, 80 that it should, by the infiltration of manure, become what the top soil had become by aeration. They could not do that with their present horse-power ; and he be- lieved that in ten years they would see steam-engines in use for this purpose in Essex." And, on the day following, as will be found in our report, speaking to the same theme, Mr. Mechi said : — " I congratulate you on the progress agriculture has made during the last few years. I wish I could say you had arrived at perfection. But it struck me to-day that while everybody went to see the reaping machine, which they thought nothing of several years ngo, very few had been to see the steam plough. I asked many of my friends whether they had been to see the steam- plough, and they answered, ' I have been to see Burgess and Key's reaping machine.' As I have cut my corn with a reaping machine for the last seven years, I thought that was done with a long time ago ; but I hope agriculturists will use steam for the cultivation of the soil, which is one of the new elements of the profits of agi'iculture." Still do we find him the sure pioneer of the whole force. He put up the first steam-engine in the county. He has cut his corn with a reaping machine for the last seven years ; and he goes in now for steam ploughing and deep cultivation. There is one great practical commentary ou all this. It is m the letter of invitation we published last week : — " Those who are desirous of estimating the value of agi'icuUural improvement, may inspect my crops between this time and harvest, and form their own opinions by a fair comparison with the surrounding neighbourhood of similar soils to my own." Nothing can be more " fair," honest, or straightforward than this ; and again we counsel our friends not to lose the opportunity. Some men are born to play many parts, and it is not merely as an agriculturist or an alderman that Mr. Mechi is famous. Equally popular is he at Institutes and Athenteums; apt as a linguist; and renowned, again, as a sportsman. It was in something of this character that he concluded the day's performances at Bore- ham. Let the county paper tell its own story : — " After luncheon, the company assembled at a straw yard, round which waggons had been placed for the accommodation of the ladies, to witness some feats of horse-taming by Mr. Giblin, the protege of Mr. Miles Formby ; and Mr. Alderman Mechi, installed as chair- man upoli a neighbouring wall, was appointed to ad- judge the prize to the panting victor. A horse was brought in, described as a vicious brute, which no groom could saddle or man dare mount, but either there had been some mistake about the matter, or the animal had in his own mind entered into a conspiracy to baffle the sport by a peculiar exhibition of good temper ; for it was soon found that an ordinary mortal could mount and manage him with ease. Some exhi- bitions of Rareyism and anti-Rareyism followed, in taming a tame horse ; and the company left far from convinced that Mr. Rarey would find a formidable rival in Mr. Giblin." We can well picture the worthy Alderman perched upon the top of the wall, fully conscious of the arduous and not altogether enviable position he was filling. But, unluckily, Sir John's experiments would not work. The new mower would not mow, the improved rake would not rake, the vicious horse would not be vicious, and the horse-tamer could not tame him. We congratulate the Chairman on his safe return to mother earth — after all, his first and fondest care. TO THE EDITOR OF THE MARK LANE EXPRESS. Sir, — Those who are desirous of estimating the value of agricultural improvement may inspect my crops between this time and harvest, and form their own opinions by a fair com- parison with the surrouudiug neighbourhood of similar soils to my own. I consider it my duty to agricultural progress to invite this comparison. Thick sowers may also judge of the propriety of drilling one bushel of wheat per acre on such soils as my heavy soils. I am, Sir, your obedient servant, J. J. Mechi. Tiptree Hall, Kelvedon, Essex, June 12, 1858. THE RECENT HAIL-STORMS. The farmer is proverbially difficult to please. It is seldom quite fair sailing with him. If the dry and sunny is good for the growing wheat, it is most likely bad for the roots. Or, showers that must bring on the turnips, will do little to improve the hay in cock. Most probably he would like it fine here, and a fall there. The clerk of the weather might even put him in office, and the chances are he would anything but satisfy himself. And yet there is no man who should be better prepared for the variations of season, cli- mate, and temperature, for there is none other whose business is so much influenced by them. If, however, the farmer cannot command the sea- sons, he may in some measure render himself inde- pendent of them. It should bo difficult indeed to sup- pose any one would omit the opportunity of doing so. And yet there are thousands at this moment — prudent, careful men in other ways — whose all may be sacrificed by the passing cloud of a summer storm. Men, who can- not say for four-and-twenty hours together when this '8 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. shall or slmll not como ; and who, moreover, have constantly recurrins: evidence of how often such a visitation does happen. It was imjiossiblo tn take up a London or locil jiaper within this week or two, with- out reading of the fearful losses and injury occasioned by the recent hail-storms in different parts of the country. In many instances every kind of crop was destroyed, and to be uninsured was simply to be ruined. At least in some cases it was so ; and the humiliating subscription-list the only means by which the sufferer could in any way expect to weather the storm. It must be distinctly understood that we have no desire to puff off any particular office or project. Within the week we have certainly put ourselves into communication with the more important hail-insurance Societies, and have intelligence from the London Farmers', the Nor- wich, and the Midland Counties at Lincoln. A line to the Hertford Office has to this time produced no reply. These are the three leading Institutions of the kind, and they all confirm the flying reports which had already reached us. There has been nothing so severe since the great storm of 'forty-threo ; and although occurring at different times, and taking va- rious circuits, there are few districts but that have felt something of its force. In many places the in- jury has been altogether unparalleled. Take, for example, the following communication to the Norwich Office : " Storm, 12th June. — The Surveyor of the Ge- neral Hailstorm Society stated that in the neighbour- hood of Stratlbrd-on-Avon there were upwards of a thousand acres of wheat which would not produce a thousand coombs (500 qrs.), but tliat the beans and peas had suffered the most j many fields were so utterly destroyed thiit the pigs were turned in, to feed off the hulms; one field of peas much injured on the 12th, suffered from a second hailstorm on the I6th ; one farmer uninsured has sustained a damage of j^SOO to £1000; another about £600." Then, again, near Biggleswade : " The storm hasda- raag. d the ci-op* about here, to the amountofsome thou- sands." And anotlier ofiicial report from theNorth says : "Storm, 4th June. — A person walking from Hehns- ley to Thiisk in the open moor during the storm ; the hailstones were lai'ger than walnuts, and battered in his hat and much brui-ed him personally. SeveiMl farmers tnid him that they never remembered such a storm, and the damage to the growing crops in this part of Yorkshire was very great." The reports to the Midhmd Counties office also speak to the damage done in Yorkshire during the first week in June; more especially in the vicinity ofMalton, Knaresboroagh, Otley, and Wakefield. Nearer town, Berkshire, Gloucester, Huntingdon, and Warwick have been the scenes of much similar disaster ; while the following graphic description is from Cambridge :— " The storm of to-day (12th), for we had two, and both had large quantities of hail and ice, which appeared quite as destructive as the oue on the memorable 9th August, 1843. The second raged from two to half- past three ; the thunder, lightning, and hail were awful and grand, and, with the deluge of rain, put a stop to all business, although it was market-day. We already hear of great losses to the crops." Let us picture the farmer driven out of Cambridge market at so critical a period as the middle of June. Let us see him starting, when the storm has quite sub- sided, for home again. And, supposing him not to be insured, let us try and imagine what he thinks, as he hur- ries on his horse at far beyond his usual steady jog-trot pace. Will it have reached him ? Or, rather, can it have missed him ? He dare hardly take the turn that leads to his own place, or stand up in his gig and look for the grand fifteen-acre piece that he was so proud of, this morning. The very boy that opens the gate seems to have more to tell than he will ask for. There are many trying occasions for us all — the merchant when his great venture is not telegraphed to her time — the turfite as he sees his horse drop back into the crowd — the prisoner when the jury come into court again. But even theirs is a lifetime hardly fraught with more anxiety than that of the farmer driven out of Cambridge market by a summer storm. Can any one of them be a greater speculator, or in any way more to blame ? Oue may play with his fortune, and the other with his life. The uninsured farmer risks almost as much- he stands the hazard of the die, moreover, day by- day, with the one chance only of heavy loss. For a few pounds he is safe, or in a few minutes he is ruined. A word more to the incautious. It is not merely one storm — one crash — and we are free. It has escaped us this time, and may not happen again for years. On the contrary, it will be seen that two very severe falls of hail were experienced in the same place within a few days of each other, the one completing the wreck the other had begun. In a climate like ours it is simply foolhardiness to calculate on such chances of coming or not coming. In short, as njucli injury may arise Irom hail as from fire, and the farmer who does not insure himself against eithpr must expect but little sympathy when his turn comes. How will others think of him who had no thought for himself? THE HORSE SHOW AT ALENCON, FRANCE. The month of May seems to be the month of gather- ings on both sides of the Channel. In England, Exe- ter Hall is characterized by its religious and philan- thropic meetings. In France, agriculture holds its asisize with all the pomp and splendour which official encouragement and national taste can bestow. Accustomed as we are to tlio uniivalled magnificence | of our own shows in j)oint of number and excellence of entries, and the high renown of our rival competitors, [ the chief attraction for an Englisliman in our neigh- 1 hour's exhibitions, is the interesting study of symptoms } of progress, which occasionally greet the eye. On the i wliole, with some rare ex^:e|)tions, the generality of the j animals exhibited are few in number and inferior in quality, although there are now to be seen in every ' district of France several beautiful specimens of Eng- lish pure breeds, that show no marks of degeneracy under the influence of the mild and kindly climate of Fiance. During the month of May, and almost simulta- neously all over France, there are held what are called regional or district agricultural exhibitions, under the control of the Government inspectors of agriculture. The first of these shows took place at Versailles, in 1850, and it being the only one lor the whole of France, was styled ^e^ero^. It was very succe-sful, and en- couraged tiio French Government to extend similai" ex- hibitions to v.irious parts of the empire. In 1851 there were three — one at Aurillac, theotherat Toulouse, and the other at St. Lo. They were called THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 79 regional from their comprising several departments ■witliiii their spliere. There was also in that year another general show at Versailles. In the year 1852 there were seven district shows, with another general one at Versailles, a place wliich was thus selected for this solemnity, on account of the Agricultural Institute, so ably directed by M. de Gasparin, and which had been established in a portion of the Palace grounds comprising the Government farms in the neighbourhood. In 1853 there were eight district shows, the general one taking place at Orleans, the Versailles Agronomic Institute having been abandoned. In 1854 there were only seven exhibitions, and no general one, but it was determined this should hence- foi th be held in Paris. In 1855 there were eight district shows, and one at Paris, in the Champ de Mars, called Universal, from the admission of English animals and implements to compete for prizes. In 1856, as our readers will recollect, the Universal Exhibition assumed immense proportions, as the wliole world was invited to compete, ^pecial prizes being of- fered for all breeds, all nations. Beside^ this remark- able exhibition, there were aLo eight district ones, in various parts of France, as in the preceding years. In 1857 another Universal Exhibition wasannounced ; but not proceeded with. There were, however, eight district shows. This year the number of the regional exhibitions has been increasi d to ten. Next year it is not impro- bable tliercmay be another universal one ; or if not next year, at least in 1860, when the number of district shows will be further increased to twelve. To give an idea of the progress manifested by these Exhibiiions, we transcribe a paragraph lately published by the Monttettr, sho.ving the increase in the entries of cattle, implements, and produce for the year 1858 as compared with 1857. 1857. 18S8. Bulls and cowa 1,363 .. 1,650 Bams aud lots of ewes ... . 761 .. 9^1 Boars and sows 272 .. 511 Lots of poultry 260 .. 648 Implemeuta 1,001 ,. 2,126 Produce 1.300 .. 2,003 The district show held at Alenqon on the 17th ult. was e?peeially interesting, from two features which no other in France could boast of. The first was one of the most magnificent shov/s of horses that have ever betn held in this country ; the other, a new competing ex- hibition of the famous Lonrai herd, belonging to M. Le Comte de Seraincourt. This herd is composed of nearly all the first-prize animals in all the classes of the Universal Exhibition of 1856, and their prod ice. This wealthy nobleman spared no treasure that we might gratify his praiseworthy ambition lo pos'-ess the best animals in all European breeds. The Universal Show of 1856 offered to him, no doubt, tho very sug- gestion of his desire, and a fitting opportunity of gia- tifying it. At all events, the result of his lavish ex- penditure is a collection of animals, a kind of zoological museum, which has not its like in the whole world, and which offers, from its comparative merits, one of the most curious and instructive sights which an agricul- turist can heboid. It is like Noah's ark. We have serious misgivings as to the practical result of this mixture of breeds; but, nevertheless, the exhibition is a most interesting one, and is well worth the journey to Alencjon — especially as the pleasure of such a jour- ney is further enhanced by the hospitality of the owner, or, in his absence, the courtesy and polite attention of his steward. We may state that the Count de Serain- court has also at Lonrai a beautiful stud of thorough- bred English horses, which would do honour to any of onv sporting noblemen. It had for a long time been a subject of regret and complaint on the part of French ay:riculturists, that aiiricultural horses were nt admitted in district sho«\*, and that Government, so liberal in their prizes for cattle, offered none for the breeding of farm horses. The district of Normandy, so celebraied fr iis horses, was especially loud in its gi-umhlinur nt this exclusion. The departmentof Orne, the capital of which is AlenQon, has, however, on this occasion, given a nobL' ex- ample to the oth r French districts, by getting up an independent show for horses, and thoir ap[)eal to the breeilers of Normandy has been most enthu- siastically responded to. The beantiful promenade outside the town, known as the Fair Field, was most tastef illy arranged for the reception of the animals. Stalls of an eh gant construction, covered with bine and white awnings lallin;^ in front like curtains, were erected under the trees all round ihc promenade. At night, on the curtains being closed, the stalls were transformed info comfortable staUles, and during the day I hoy were gathered eacii side in graceful folds, thus adding artistic effect to comfort. There were on the catalogue nearly 400 entries; but we apprehend there were a good many defaulters. Still if there was a little disappointment in the numbi r, that was amply redeemed by the extraordinary merits and beauty of the animals exhibited. The horses were divided into many categories — viz , thorough-bred stal- lions,andmares with or without foals; half-brfd, of va- rious degrees and races; the pure country brei ds, among which v^e greatly ngretted to see so few jmre Per- cherons — those lamons grey horses, which being more and more crossed by h df bred stallions, are rapidly dis- appearing from the country. The half-bred hor.-es were truly commendable. In colour, coar, spirit, power, ;:nd symmetry, they were really gnod ; and un English agriculturist, I\Ir. W. Fisher Hobbs, who was jjresent, expressed a similar opinion. On the whole, it is very obvious that the introduction oT English blood into some of the best breerls of French horses lias been attended with the most comphite suc- cess. This element of perfection, skiil'ully applied by the Norman breeders, has certainly becmne a source of ^'reat prosjjcrity to the beautiful province of Normandy. The rich pasture land of the Vdlleen d'Ange re-ders that district pre-eminently suitable to tiie breedin;^- of all kind of animals; no wonder, then, that lingllsh blood, implanted ujjon so well a soil, and lb>tered by so many favourable local circumstances, should have produced such gratifying rtsulis. Should this show tnke place again next year at St. L6, we think it will be well worth the while of our English horse-breedeis and agriculturists to avail themselves of the facilities of tra.^elliug which now exist, and pay it a visit. Clever aud experienced as they undoubtedly are, they nuglit take a leaf or two out of the books of their ^^ orman kinsmen. HORSES' COATS.— Litely Koing to the country to spend a few weeks witli a friend of miue, I drove a very handsome horse, aud a good 'uq — but was always aunoyed about his oat, as it was more like a lot of bristles thtin a horse's smooth skin, and all the jiroomirig he could get " would'tit do it no good." My friend, who is a great horse-breeder and fmiciei', made uie try giving him a few carrots every diy out of ruy hand, saying that he would have a good smooth coat iu three weeks — and he was right, for iu that time my horse bad a beautiful, sleek, glossy coat, and uU from ea'ing a lew carrots daily. He tells me it is infallible. — Porter's Spirit, Q 2 80 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. CALENDAR OF AGRICULTURE. In some places the turnips are sown in the first part of this month, as the fly is not so prevalent as in June, and a later sowing is not so apt to be mildewed. Sow the turnips as directed last month. Horse and hand-hoe potatoes and beet, repeating the processes till all weeds are completely destroyed. Morton's expanding scuffler takes a good hold of firm-bottomed lands, and by expanding on the principle of the parallel ruler, the face of the cut- ting knives always point straightforwards. It is drawn by one horse, and suits any soils, light or firm. The young plants derive much benefit from the frequent stirrings of the intervals of the drills, and most during dry weather : it causes evapora- tion of moisture, which is imbibed by the leaves. Proceed with the working of clay fallows by ploughing, harrowing, and rolling; pick off every weed and stone, and get ready the dung and lime that are to be applied. Proceed with draining, both on grass lands and on fallows. Finish the latter as quickly as possi- ble, in order not to impede the working of the land. The state of grass is much more preferable : the work is done with cleanness and neatness, which amply compensate for the hardness of the ground in digging. But the proper course of all drains should be marked in winter, when every wet- ness shows itself. "Wean the latest lambs, and give them the best encouragement of pasturage. Put mares to the stallion regularly. Attend that the pasture fields have a supply of water, and see that no gaps are continued in the fences. Apply the contents of the dredging-box to the sheep, to prevent the maggot fly depositing the larvae. Dress clean the posterior parts of the animals from the adhesion of excrements. The hay season will be ended this month ; make dry and carry the grass quickly ; build into long stacks, lay it lightly together, and allow it to settle by its own weight. It is a mistake to tread it firmly together. Pull nothing from the sides of the ricks till well settled, then dress it into any form, and thatch it without delay. To get up the hay to a high rick when building, use a scaSbld raised on four upright posts, resting below on a four-wheeled platform ; and elevate and depress the scaflTold by means of pulleys to any height that may be required ; lay some loose straw on the ex- treme top of the rick till it be thatched. When hay is damaged by rains, mix in the ricks a por- tion of salt, as has been directed. "When the building of ricks is stopped for a day or two, spread over the rick a water-proof tarpaulin cloth, which will defend it from rain ; remove the tarpaulin early in the morning, to permit the sweating of the grass to escape. To defend from day showers of rain, suspend over the rick a light cloth by means of a rope passing the length of it, and attached at each end with an upright pole. Harvest will commence this month in early localities. Early peas, barley, and rye will be first cut; tie the barley and rye into sheaves, and set them in shocks of twelve each ; lay the peas in small heaps, to be frequently turned. Carry the grains quickly when dry : have rick-stands ready, and barns cleared out. AGRICULTURAL REPORTS. GENERAL AGRICULTURAL REPORT FOR JUNE. During nearly the -whole of the month we have had an unusually high temperature, and very little moisture has fallen in any part of England. Everywhere, the wheats have progressed with wonderful rapidity, and the fields now present the appearance of a very large growth of corn ; in- deed some estimates come fully up to last year's yield, both as to quantity and quality. Had there been the usual f;ill of rain, we should no doubt have had to write equally fa- vourable as respects spring corn ; but the want of moisture has checked the growth of barley, oats, beans, and peas, and we are apprehensive that their produce will be a very mode- rate one. In many districts, especially upon the light lands, the two latter articles are suffering severely from insects, so much 80 that all hopes of a crop have been abandoned. We assume, therefore, that we shall have new wheat on offer in Mark Lane by the last week in Jul^', that the produce will be an abundant one (since it must be admitted that the crop generally never presented a finer or more promising appear- ance), and that spring corn will to some extent prove less in quantity than in 1857. These remarks naturally lead to some reflections as re- spects the future state of our markets. We shall, it is ge^ nerally admitted, commence the consumption of the new crop of wheat with the largest quantity of old corn on hand, both in barn and in stack, almost ever remembered ; we shall continue to import foreign produce extensively ; and we are still labouring under the disadvantage, so to speak of a great pressure of continental wheat upon our markets. Admitting that consumption is steadily increasing, our far, mers have to contend against forced sales of produce arising THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 81 from the want of means amongat the foreign growers. And this is especially the case in the Baltic ports and in the far west in the United States, where there is still an immense amouutof food on hand. No doubt there must be a limit to the downward movement in the value of wheat ; but ere we can predict improving markets and greater confidence amongst the home growers and the continental shippers, we must see a revival of speculation, an accumulation of supply in our warehouses, and a less amount of anxiety on the part of the importers to realize at almost any sacrifice ; but another heavy crop of wheat in the great districts of the world — an event which may be safely predicted — would lead to fur- ther depression and loss. We have stated that our farmers hold very large quantities of wheat for the time of year. Fortunately for themselves they have, for some time past, thrashed out very moderate supplies, or we should have had prices considerably lower than they now are. However, the quotatious now require regulation, that is to say, the sup- plies of produce on offer should be governed by the demand, and the exercise of more discretion and judgment will be absolutely necessary on the part of the foreign houses than hitherto, or we shall have wheat selling at a much lower range than barley. We do not, however, apprehend any perma- nent fall in the value of either barley, oats, beans, or peas, because we think that the time has now arrived when a fair estimate may be made of the yield of those articles, and which estimate is in favour of a very moderate — perhaps we may say a limited— growth. Besides, we muot bear in mind that home stocks are almost wholly exhausted, and that our chief consumption must be met by foreign importations. The hay harvest has been pretty generally commence'd around the metropolis. The produce may be considered a fair average one ; but it is certainly one-third less than last year, which, it will be recollected, was the largest growth on record. There is still a large supply of old hay in stack but the quotations rule low and the demand has not im- proved. The great abundance of green crops has checked any upward movement in price ; but our impression is that fine old hay will become dearer as the year advances. The crop of swedes and mangels is coming up, and is quite as forward as in the general run of years ; but like spring corn, it stands much in need of moisture. Last year's growth has lasted remarkably well, notwithstanding that the demand from the cowkeepers and others has been very extensive. The falling-off in our exports of raw spirit has formed the subject of much discussion of late. The quantity ex- ported in the first five months of 1857 was 2,796,517 gals. » but in the same time this year it has been only 525,446 gals. This great decrease is to be attributed chiefly to the cessation of the temporary cause which led to so great a demand for British spirits in France, owing to the failure of the wine crop. To France alone, the exports in the above period in 1857 amounted to 1,926,202 gallons, and in the present year they arc reduced to 25,774 gala., or from a va- lue of £429,933 to that of £3,658. This great falling-off in the shipments must lead to a considerable decline in the consumption of barley in our distilleries, and have the effect of checking any rapid upward movement in the value of distilling qualities. For some time great complaints have been made respecting the state of the malt trade. At Mark Lane and in the large provincial markets, malt has con- tinued heavy, and depressed rates have beea the conse- quence, even though supplies have not been large, and though the consumption of malt liquor has been favoured owing to the extreme heat of the weather, Notwithstanding that there has been no actual excess in supplies, compared with some previous seasons, the cattle trade has been far from active. Prime sheep and lambs have mostly sold at what may be termed full quotations ; but other kinds of stock have ruled somewhat easier in price. From nearly all parts of the United Kingdom, our ac- counts respecting the appearance of the potato crop are very favourable. The haulm is looking healthy, and, as yet, the tubers show no signs of disease. It is, however, far too early to form anything like a correct estimate of the aggregate produce. The stocks of old potatoes are now ex- hausted ; and new qualities are in request at from 68. to 18s. per cwt. The demand for most kinds of English wool has been comparatively active, and prices have had an upward ten- dency. The advance is likely to be maintained, as trade in the manufacturing districts is improving, and as the stocks held are very moderate. In the value of foreign and colonial wool, little or no change has taken place. The stock of the latter now on hand is over 62,000 bales, against 40,000 bales at the same period last year. In Ireland and Scotland the demand for wheat, barley, oats, and all other produce has continued very inactive, at almost nominal quotations. The shipments of oats from Ireland have been trifling •, but those from Scotland have continued large for the time of year. REVIEW OF THE CATTLE TRADE DURING THE PAST MONTH. Seasonably large supplies of both beasts and sheep have been on sale in the Great Metropolitan Market throughout the month; but, for the most part they have appeared ia but middling condition, consequently there has been a wide difference between the value of the primest and the most inferior breeds. Notwithstanding that very little country- killed meat has been received up to Newgate and Leaden- hall, in consequence of the hot weather, the trade has been rather inactive ; indeed, the only stock which has com- manded what may be termed a steady demand have been the primest old sheep and most breeds of lambs, both of which have realized extreme, in some instances very high, rates. Some of the former have produced as much as 5s.— out of the wool of course, and some of the latter over 78. per 81bs. The consumption of meat in London has, we think, equalled most past corresponding seasons, and we see no reason to look forward to what may be termed low quota- tions : nevertheless, it can scarcely be presumed that we shall have a return of a period of high prices— so dangerous both to the graziers and butchers in the long run, — because our impression is, contrary reports notwithstanding, that there is now a large available supply'of stock in the country. True, we see no prospect of large importations from the continent, even though the demand for France, both in Holland, Belgium, and Spain, has fallen off; but most of our correspondents state that our leading districts are well stocked for the time of year. There is, however, some dc ficiency in the north of Scotland, caused by the large num- bers of beasts which have been sold for the south from time to time, and which to some extent have checked the supplies usually forwarded to England. The " Norfolk" season for beasts is now drawing to a close, and that from Lincolnshire has just commenced. As yet, only about 1,000 shorthorns have made their appear- ance in the Metropolitan Market from the latter county; 82 THE FARMER»S MAGAZINE. but llioy have reached tis in first-rate condition. The favourable feason for rearing stock during the last six months, and the abimclance of food, lead us to conclude that we shall receive a larger number of finer animals than usual between this and the end of December. The imports of foreign stock into London have been on the increase, or as follows : — Beasts 1 ,'i56 head. Sheep 11.567 „ Lambs 2,148 „ Calves 1,909 „ Pigs 117 „ Total 17,720 „ The total arrivals in .Tune, 1857, amounted to i;),551, and in the game month in 1C56, to 10,136 head. The following figures show the supplies of each kind of Stoc'< — English, Scotch, Irish, and foreign— exhibited in the great market : Beasts , 18,492 head. Cows 5.3 „ Sheep and lambs 144,"280 „ Calves 2,972 „ Pigs 3,115 „ Comparison of Supplies. Sheep and June. Beasts. Lambs. Calves. Pigs. 185.1 1.0.173 12.5,^70 2,209 3,180 1856 17,896 112.110 1.839 2.740 1857 20,063 108,480 2,404 2,125 Beef has sold at from 3s. to 4s. 6d. ; mutton, 3s. 2d. to 4s. lOd.; lamb, 5s. 8d. to 7s.; veal, 3^. 8d to 5s.; and pork, 3s. to 4s. 4ld meadows either grazed or laid up for hay are an agreeable exception, being richly clothed with the natural grasses, and atfordiiig a full bite for fattening stock, which so far are healthy and doing well, with one solitary exception, viz., a failure in supply of pure water. Nor can other be expected, when we look back to the last seve7i months, without a fail sufficient to fill the reservoirs. The w.ntery element in town and country is being husbanded with economj', and on more than isolated occupations at this early season already creates some alarm. In atmos- pherical phenomena : W'e had a fall of cold rain on the 18th and 19th of May, which capped the h gh mountains while. The following week dry, cold, and withering. June came in dry, with great forcing heat. A heavy thunder- storm on the 3rd, which battered down the newly-tinished turnip drill.s, and left them completely crusted. Very hot sultry days succefded, and again on the ICth and 17ih thunder, rain, and hail. Many casualties occurred in this locality, without loss of human life. On one farm four horses fell at one stroke, one ou another ; sheep and lambs on other places. The weather, with Vi-ry few exceptions, h;is been fiivourable for field operations, enabling the culti- vator to act vigorou-Iy in clearing land and sowing turnips, whieh over the breadth of the county were earlier brought to a finish than for many years ])ast ; yet, owing to the sudden downfall, and hot dry following days, the plant has been completely either destroyed by the beetle or encased in the soil. Rolling, scarifying, and re-sowing to a very great extent has been resorted to, and up to this day over only portions of our freest soils can we report a full plant, while over by far the larges^t breadths sown, r.ot a plant is yet visible. To return to the wheat. All the early sown is now out into full ear, with fine, clear, cool atmosphere for blooming. What was sown in December and January decidedly thin, and of various growth.^, coming into ear ; sown in l''ebruarv or March, better planted, and with fi*e weather may yield a good crop. More of this next month, —June 25. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. REVIEW OE THE CORN TRADE DURING THE PAST MONTH. The month just past has been a further display of the extraordinary char;ges that have hitherto characterized the present year. After many prog- nostications of a late season, from the long con- tirmance of dry cold weather in the spring, a sud- den outburst of summer came upon the country as June opened, which has continued with great sultriness, the only changes consisting of occa- sional storms and some fresh breezes towards the close. The wheat plant, therefore, which was getting too rank in many places, was forced into ear in considerable quantities by the second week, and with slight exceptions has had an unusually favourable time for blooming. The United King- dom, should no disasters happen, again has the promise of an excellent crop. The prospects as regards spring corn are not, however, so favoura- ble. The overpowering heat has been rather too *' much for barley and oats, while beans and peas have gone back, the former not setting well, and the latter being small in size, and much infested with the dolphin. A great deal of hay has been secured in the finest order : the yield in some forward pieces is excellent, but there was scarcely time for the formation of a strong bottom in backward localities; so, little bevond an average in such localities can be expected. Potatoes as yet are doing well, and roots generally in deep friable loam ; but a fall of rain would be very ser- viceable, especially for the light lands. With these" altered appearances for wheat, the markets, which were becoming firm, have been neglected by mil- lers, though only moderately supplied, and prices have not been sustained ; still the easy rales lately being realized did not permit much dechne, and tlie general depreciation has not exceeded Is. to Is. 6d. per qr. Many holders have refused ac- cepting this abatement, preferring to take the chances of harvest time, especially as in foreign parts there is not an equal promise of plent)', and stocks of old, notwithstanding a fair importation, are but moderate. On the continent, the southern latitudes have found insufficient rain for even the wheat plant, so that Italy, Spain, and some parts of Fiance and Belgium are not likely to yield bounti- fully ; prices, therefore, have fluctuated with the weather, especially in Spain and France, closing with some decline, after considerable excitement. Spring corn has in these places suffered more, but the crop most affected has been that of rye in Holland, Belgium, and Germany, where it is the chief sustenance of the poor, while maize in Pied- mont and several other places is despaired of. Rye has been cut in the south of France, and wheat is expected to begin in some districts about the 12th of July, which is nearly a fortnight before the usual time. In Algeria the soft wheat is mostly harvested : though not a great crop, the qua- lity by specimens lately sent on to France is fine and heavy, say about 66 lbs. per bushel ; but the hard will be deficient, as well as all other cereal produce. Accounts, till of late, were favourable from America ; but a set-in of wet in the west has produced some degree of alarm there, the wheat plant having become rank, and therefore liable to be seriously laid. The land has also by the same means been put out of course for the planting of Indian corn, a good deal being yet to sow on 5th of June last, in Indiana and Illinois, so that it will not be prudent to calculate on the safe gathering of the general harvest, and (as repeatedly noted) our resources are limited to the fine crop of last year for stocks ; the least mishap would make a complete change in the markets. The following extracts will show the different state of foreign markets in the value of wheat. In Spain, prices were verv unsettled ; but at Santan- der first quality flour sold at 44s. 9d., which is 4s. per sack above our top town price. In Paris, quo- tations for fine quality wheat were 26 f. to 29 f. per hectolitre and half, equal to 458. At Antwerp, in consequence of the heat, wheat was quoted 49s. 3d. to 51s. 6d. ; Rhine red at Amsterdam, 44s. ; Polish mixed, to 54s. 6d. The quotations at Stettin were 44s. 8d, and Dantzic prices to 47s. for high mixed. At Odessa, where there had been a good trade, and the neighbourhood looked promising as re- spects the crops, Polish wheat had sold at 42s. 9d., Ghirka at 44s. Saidi wheat, for delivery at Alex- andria in September next, was held at 29s. 4d. Romagna wheat at Trieste sold steadily at 41s. 6d. Soft wheat of this year's produce brought 448. at Algiers. At Leghorn, Romagna wheat was quoted 44s., at Genoa 50s. 6d. In Canada, though the spring was backward, a set-in of fine weather was rapidly changing the face of things. Spring wheat there was quoted 3s. 4d. to 3s. 9d. per bushel. At New York supplies were moderate as yet, the prices not having been satisfactory : quotations were steady, there having been some export to this countr)'. Chicago spring was about 29s. per qr., red Michigan 35s. 6d., white 41s. 3d., Canada S4 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 39s. Gd. A small lot of the new crop from the southern state of Georgia had sold at a high price, viz., 54s. 6d. The bulk of wheat in the west was of inferior quality, and the low value made holders reluctant to send on, which it was thought they would not do freely without monetary pressure. The first Monday commenced on good supphes, both English and foreign, with a moderate arrival from Kent and Essex in the course of the morn- ing. This, together with the fine forcing weather experienced, produced great dulness, and the sales eventually made were at a reduction of Is. to 2s. per qr. Foreign, though not forced, was decidedly cheaper to sell to the same extent. The country markets were partly influenced by London reports, and generally gave way ; Boston, Spalding, Lynn, Newark, and Bristol, all yielded Is. per qr. ; Louth, Melton Mowbray, Portsmouth, and some other towns were down Is. to 2s. per qr. Liverpool, on Tuesday, was 2d. per 70 lbs. easier, and Friday con- firmed the previous decline. The second Monday had still more liberal sup- plies of foreign, with nearly as much English, though the near counties sent a diminished sup- ply. Nothing, however, could prevail with mil- lers to induce jmrchases, with such a splen- did commencement of the blooming time, and again prices receded Is. to 2s. per qr., with but a limited placement of samples. The foreign trade was also in sympathy with home-grown samples, and to sell in quantities was imjjossible with such a favourable time, the abatement where cargoes were forced off exceeding the reduction on English parcels ; but generally holders resolved on landing, stocks in granary being low, and the qualities on sale in a great proportion fine and fit for mixing. In the country there was not an equal difference. Hull, Leeds, Birmingham, Norwich, Newcastle, and some other places were dull, but scarcely lower. Newark, Boston, Spalding, Gloucester, and Bristol only reduced the rates Is. per qr., but Louth and some few places agreed with the London report. The first market at Liverpool was nominally as on the previous week ; and the second was more decidedly dull, and retail in the character of the demand. The third Monday came, foreign supplies con- tinuing free, and English, from occupation in hay- making, very small. Kent and Essex, as though disinclined to make sacrifices, presented but few samples throughout the morning, and factors were therefore unwilling to make lower offers. Millers also b2ing short in stock, were content to supply their necessities at former rates. The foreign trade, though very calm, was fully as dear. The country markets generally were without alteration ; but several markets were Is. per qr. dearer, in- fluenced by the scanty supplies which were noted everywhere. Spalding, Boston, Lynn, Derby, Nottingham, Lincoln, and Rochester, all made Is. per qr. improvement ; but the greater number of places only reported former prices. Liverpool, on Tuesday, found a very heavy retail trade ; but Friday's report was rather improved as it respects prices. The fourth and last Monday had plenty of foreign wheat; but the supplies from Kent and Essex were quite trifling, the millers were therefore compelled to pay Is. per qr. advance in their pur- chases, and about the same improvement was realized in good foreign cargoes. The imports into London during the four weeks of June were 17,128 qrs. English and 90,44y qrs. foreign. The imports into the United Kingdom for May were 503,567 qrs. wheat and 414,954 cwt. flour, against 196,278 qrs. wheat and 189,172 cwt. flour in May, 1857. Since May the weekly imports have increased. The averages throughout the kingdom, commencing at 44s. 8d., closed at 43s. lOd. per qr. The London returns show a decline of lOd. per qr., commencing at 47s. od. and ending at 46s. 7d. per qr. The flour trade throughout the month has been remarkably steady, town quotations not having varied: Norfolks gave way on the first Monday Is. per sack, and on the third Monday recovered the decline, finishing at 30s. 6d. toSls.per sack. So httle American has been in the market, that prices could hardly be quoted, and the imports from France have lost Monday, the rates at Paris being 36s. 2d. per sack for the four marks, which on the London market were scarcely worth 36s. per 280 lbs. Enghsh. The imports for June were 60,751 sacks from the country, 5,533 sacks chiefly French, with 3,620 barrels from America. The want of water has been felt by country millers as well as those in France, and this has considerably limited the supplies in both countries. The barley trade has been steady through the month, the business being almost limited to feeding and grinding quahties. The stock of English ap- pears, by the scanty arrivals as well as reports from the country, to be nearly run out, and a good portion of the foreign has been of a light descrip- tion from the Mediterranean. Some decline was noted on the first Monday; and where cargoes have been forced oft' or out of condition, there has been some concession to get cleared ; but the low rates, 23s. to 24s. per qr. for 50 lbs. per bushel barley, place this grain below the value of oats, and almost secure its rapid consumption. The quantity received in the port of London during the four weeks, in English sorts, were 1,036 qrs., in foreign 22,433 qrs. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 85 Malt during the course of the month has found but a dull dragging sale, and the price of the best Ware has receded 2s. per qr., leaving its value 67s. per qr. The oat trade has given way during the month about 2s. per qr., the heaviest fall being on the first Monday, when the smallest arrivals were re- ported ; but there were many cargoes that sub- sequently got up to market, and added to the then depression. Subsequently they were recovering, but the last Monday again was easier, especially in Russian qualities, which greatly predominated. Some demand having sprung-up for the near foreign ports, we can hardly look for much easier rates before the new crop is gathered, as stocks in the country run short, and our Scotch and Irish supplies have almost ceased. During the four weeks there were 629 qrs. Eng- lish received, 1,026 qrs. Scotch, 1,035 qrs. Irish, and 209,909 qrs. foreign. Beans and peas have neither been in quantities of home-growth or foreign ; but, with the limited inquiry always obtaining at this period of the year and relatively high prices, they have maintained their value fully, closing with Is. per qr. advance. The unfavourable reports respecting the appear- ance of some pieces, from the great heat, have made holders firm. The receipts through June for Lon- don have been in beans 970 qrs. English, 3,419 qrs. foreign : in peas 154 qrs. English, 6,375 qrs. foreign . The linseed trade has been very firm all through the month, in consequence of a free export demand, but there has been no advance. The imports into London for the four weeks were 17,320 qrs. The exports 18,673 qrs. Cakes have found a tolerably free sale at full prices. The seed trade has been perfectly calm. Un- favourable reports have come from the continent respecting the crops of cloverseed, and there has in these parts been a rise in prices; but the losing character of the last season has made speculators very cautious here, especially as our own crops are considered to give a fair promise. The low rates, however, to which prices of red sunk, dispose holders to rest on their stocks, so that little has been offering on the market, either red or white, and the rates of the former are rather improved. Canaryseed, from its scarcity, has kept very high- priced ; but as soon as the new crop is harvested, which looks uncommonly fine in Kent and Essex, it is reasonable to expect a great reduction from the present high quotations — 90s. to 98s. per qr. No tares have been left over. "White mustard has preserved a high value, and brown continued in neglect. Rapeseed has improved from the failure of the crops in some parts of Europe. Hempseed has remained steady. Coriander and carraway have found a retail sale, with scarcely any change of price. CURRENCY PER IMPERIAL MEASURE. Shillings pe Qaarter. Wheat, new, Egsex and Kent, white 41 to 49 red 38 to 44 Norfolk, Line. and Yorks., red 38 43 Babley, malting —to-.... Chevalier — Distilling 20 31.... Grinding 24 29 MALT.Essex, Norfolk, and Suffolk 55 63 fine 65 67 Kingston, Ware, and town made.. .. 5.5 63 „ 65 67 Brown 51 S3 — RrE ,.. — — 27 29 Oats, English, feed 21 25 Potato 26 33 Scotch, feed 22 26 28.. Potato 26 32 Irish, feed, white 21 23 fine 25 3i Ditto, black 21 23 ,, — 24 Beans, Mazagan 34 37 Ticks 35 Sg Harrow 35 38 Pigeon 39 44 Peas, white boilers .. 40 46. .Maple .. 42 46. .Grey 40 44 Flodr, per sack of 2801bs., Town, Households.. 32s., fine 36 4o Country 31 33 Households.. 31 3= Norfolk and Suffolk, ex-ship „ 29 3, FOREIGN GRAIN. Shillings per Quarter. Wheat, Dantzio, mixed.. 43 — high do. — — extra Konigsberg 40 46 „ — — — Rostock 43 — fine.... 46 — — American, white.... 4 1 49 red.... 40 45 Pomera., Meckbg.,& Uckermrk, red 40 45 Silesian, red ^40 43 white 41 Danish and Holstein 33 Russian, hard,. 37 41 .. French. »40 43 white 40 St. Petersburg and Riga ^ 38 Rhine and Belgium ,, Babley, grinding 21 27 Distilling.... 29 Oats, Dutch, brew, and Polands.. 21 27 Feed 21 Danish and Swedish, feed . ..22 24 Stralsund.... 22 Russian 20 Beans, Friesland and Holstein 34 Konigsberg 34 38 Egyptian.... 34 Peas, feeding 40 42 fine boilers.. 42 Indian Corn, white 34 35 yellow 34 Floue, per sack French 32 36 Spanish .... — American,per barrel, sour.. ..18 21 sweet 22 IMPERIAL AVERAGES. Fob the last Six Wheat. Barley. Weeks : s. d. ' s. d. May 15, 1858 .... 44 11 May 22, 1858 .... 44 6 May 29, 1858 .... 44 8 June 5, 1858 .... 44 9 June 12, 1858 .... 44 7 June 19, 1858 ....' 43 10 Aggregate average 44 6 Sametimelastyear 58 7 51 45 43 45 42 44 30 24 25 21 37 36 45 35 Barley. Oats. 1 s. d. s. d. 1 35 0 25 8 ! 34 9 26 1 34 3 26 2 33 7 26 5 33 5 26 0 30 7 26 10 33 7 26 2 41 3 25 Sl Rye. Beans. Peas. 8. d. 8. d. s. d. 35 7 40 9 42 1 32 8 41 6 42 7 33 9 41 8 42 8 31 0 42 5 43 3 33 0 42 10 44 3 26 0 42 5 43 4 32 0 41 11 43 0 39 11 44 0 41 10 COMPARATIVE AVERAGES— 1858-57. From last Friday's Gai. g. d. From G'a«e«e of 1857. s. d. Wheat 77,592 qrs., 43 10 Wheat 102,780 qrs., 60 I Barley 1,099 Oats 3,738 Rye 134 Beans. 2,574 Peas... 119 30 7! Barley 1,769 26 10| Oats 9,011 26 0 Rye 33 42 5 Beans 3,469 43 4' Peas 389 38 n 26 7 40 6 44 10 42 8 FLUCTUATIONS in the AVERAGE PRICE of WHEAT. Fhigb. May 15. May 22. May 29. Junes. June 12. June 19. 44s. lid. _— I..., .. ,, ,, 44s. Qd. .. •• r ^^ 44s. 8d. • • r .. i ^^ 44s, 7d. •• L .. 1 . . .. •- —- T 443. 6d. ^^ 48s. lOd. .. •• •• •• .. •- — LI— PRICES OF SEEDS. BRITISH SEEDS. Cloveeseed, red — s. to — s., extra — s., white — s. to — s. Trefoil — s.' to s,' Tabes, Winter, new, per bushel 68. Od. to 78. Od! Tares, Spring, per bushel Os. Od. to Os. Od*. Mustabdseed, per bush., new 178. to 258., brown 13s. to 16s. CoBiANDEB, percwt 20s. to 26s' Canary, perqr.^ 80s! to 978'. Linseed, per qr., sowing — s. to —s.. .crushing eSs. to 678, Linseed Cakes, per ton £9 Os. to £10 Os, Rapeseed, per qr 708. to 72s'. Rape Cake, perton , £6 I0s.to£6 Os. THE FAKMEIVS MAGAZINE. HOP MARKET. BOROUGH, Monday, Juue 28.— We ha^* no material aUeration iu our market aioce our last report. The demaud IS ^ery limited, and the accouuts received from the hop plan- tatioua are generally favourable. — MEASE AND WiLD, IIop- factors. WORCESTER, (Saturday last.)— The reports from the plantations vary. On the clays the bine continues to grow, but does not clear from the blight. The gravel bottoms are beginning to knock up. Duty, £10,000 to £12,000. MAIDSTONE, June, 24.— The hop bine in this neigh- bourhood grows rapidly, and generally looks healthy and of good colour. The weather is very favourable thus far. In some grounds there is an increase of fly, while other plan- tations where flygolding is pretty plentiful are more clean ; opinion goes in favour of a heavy duty. The reports are generally good. — Sttssex Express. POTATO MARKETS. BOROUGH AND SPITALFIELDS, LONDON, Mon- day, June 2S. — Since Monday last the arrivals of home, grown Potatoes have been very moderate, for the time of year. The imports have amounted to 10,500 baskets from Rotter- dam, 1,240 from Schiedam, 1,819 from Dnukirk, and 15 tons from Jersey. The demaud is steady, at from 6s. to 16s. per cwt. In old Potatoes nothing is doiu^. COUNTRY POTATO MARKETS.— York, June 19: Potatoes sell at lOJ. to Is. per peck, and 3s. Cd. to 3s. lOd. per bushel. Richmond, June 19: Potatoes, 4s. 8d. per bushel. Manchester, June 22 : Potatoes, 12s. to 17s. per 252 lbs. ; new ditto, 26s. to 42s. PRICES OF BUTTER, CHEESE, HAMS, &c. BUTTER.pef cwt. : «. ». Frieslaud 96tol0) Kiel — - Dorset 96 101 Carlow S6 100 W»terford 6fi 96 Cork, 92 98 Limerick — — 81i(fO 86 98 Fresh, per doiea.. 10s. Od. to 13ti.0d. CHEESE, par cwt.: ». «. Cheabire 64 BO Cheddar 72 80 Double Gloucester 66 72 HAMS: York 78 85 WestmorelRiid 78 84 Irish 76 86 BACON : Wiltshire, dried 74 78 Irish, t;reen 66 70 ENGLISH BUTTER MARKET. LONDON, Monday, June 28. — Owing to a short supply of foreign Butter, we have an improved demand for English in casks, but fresh is no dearer. Dorset, fine . : 106s. to llOs. per cwt. Ditto, middling 903. tolOOs. „ Fresh iOs. to 13s. per dozen. BELFAST, (Thursday last.)— Butter: Shipping price, 88s. to 96j. per cwt. ; firkins and crocks, 9d. to 95d. per lb. Bacon, 56j. to 6O3.; Hams, prime 74s. to 78s .second quality 6O3. to 663. per cwt. Prime mess Pork, STs. 6d. per brl. ; Beef, I2O3. to 1303. per tierce; Irish Lard, ia bladdera 728. to 763. ; kegs or firkina, 649. to 663. per cwt. LONDONDERRY, (Thursday last.)— A large supply of butts, and prices rather lower; for firkir.s the demand was dull, but the quantity at market being small, prices remained without alteration ; firkins, first 10|d., seconds 9|il. to lOd., third 9d., fourth 7|d. to 8d.; butts fine lOJd., good 9id. to 9|d , middling Sd.to S^d. per lb. WOOL MARKETS. LONDON, Monday, June 28.— Since our last report, there has been a full average business doing in nearly all kinds of home-grown wools. Holders, generally, are very firm, and most of tliem refuse to sell except on higher terms. Through- out the provinces, there is a good demand for wool, at improv- ing currencies. ANDOVER WOOL MARKET.— As regards the number of fleeces, they exceeded that of last year. 35,000 fleeces were pitched. The luunber of dealers was unusually large, and a desire was evinced to lose no time in making pur- chases, as long before the fair commenced many transactions Lad taken place. On the opening of the fair an unusually brisk tradecomnienced, and continued until a general clearance waseft'ected, at the following price.s: Mixed lots, 13d. to I4d. per lb.; tegs, ]4d. to l5d. per lb. ; ewes, I3d. per lb. BIRMINGHAM WOOL SALES, Juue 22.— There was a good attendance of buyers at to-day'a sale. The coropeiitiou for all descripiious of fl.-ece wool was very animated, more pari ticularly for strong bright clips of the midland counties. The quotations of prices are as lollows : — Fleece wools: Mixed clips from 13d. to 15|d., tegs 14d. to 16jd , matchings lOiJ. to 17|d., wethers 13d|. to 14|d., black and grey 12^d. to 12|d., cots ll^d. to 12d, locks 9d, to 9|d. Skm wools: Combing IS^d. tol5d., super 12d.to 14d . heads 9d. to lid., bays 6d. to 7d., and shorn lambs I2d. to 13^d. BRADFORD WOOL MARKET, (Thursday last.)- There is no abatement of the activity at the fairs and markets now pro- gressing, and the farmers are free to admit that they are obtain- ing many shillings per tod more ihaa they, two months ago, expected to realize. How far this game can be further played appears to perplex the trade, for the state of this market does not at all justify it. There is more doing iu fine yarns on the spools, and the spinners generally engaged to order, at fair prices. In lower uurabers the trade is really ruinous, aod for shipping sorts the jirices offered are such as to induce the pro- ducers to allow thiir machinery to stand idle, for they are un- willing to spin except to order ; and we are glad to learn there are no stocks on hand, which augurs more favourably for the future. Pieces: There is no change of any moment to day. There is a steady businejs doing to order only ; no one steras inclined to make for stuck. So long as this prudential course is pursued, it will prveent such irregularities as the trade haa recently been snhject to. — Bradford Observer. GLOUCESTER WOOL MARKET.— About 100 tods came to market, all which found buyers, and, in some instances, at rather over 13!. per lb. GERMAN WOOL SALES.— Berlin, June 19 : The Ber.in wool fair commenced on the IcJth inst., and ter» minated to-night. The quantity of wool in this market was larger than last year, and consisted of more than 125,(100 cwt., inchiding about 10,000 cwt. of old wool. The condi, tion of the wool was, on the average, not satisfactory. The attendance of buyers was very numerous. The tudness altogether was slow, and the expectations regarding prices were not realized. The farmers asked last year's prices at the beginning, and on the first day only a quarter of the wools were sold, at a reduction of about 5 to 8 rix dollars per cwt., but in some cases even at a le.ss reduction — 8a3', 2 rix dollars per cwt., for the clean and good-conditioned wools. The business continued flat on the second day, and prices were easier ; wools could be bought at 1 to 2 rix dol- lars per cwt. lower. The faulty wools were partly dis.posed of, at a reduction of about 10 rix dollars per cwt. In these wools there was not much business done. The disappoint- ment of the buyera was genera!, they expecting, with good reason, a greater reduction in prices at our fair— at least 10 to 15 rix dollars per cwt. below last year. For the English market no great quantity has been bought; wools suitable for that market could not be bought below 80 to 87 vix dol- lars per cwt. — Leeds Mercury. MANURES. PRICES CURRENT OF GUANO, &c. PERUVIAN OUANO,(perton,for 30tons)nominal£13 6 0 to .£ 0 Op Do. Do (under 30 tons) 14 0 0 0 0 ft BOLIVIAN GUANO none ODD 0 0 n So1«}^18 Nitrate (per ton NitratePotaBh> or Saltpetre J Sulpht.Ammonia 19 10 0 Muriftte ditto . ., 8uperphoaplit. \ of Lime.... f Soda Ash, or ) Alkali / Gyps 0 0toi;20 0 0 0 0 30 0 0 Coprolita 3 10 0 ARTIFICIAL MANURES, &c. Sulph.orcopper J £ e.d 01 lloman V'i- I trioljforWheat ( steepinf^ J Salt 10 0 Bones, Dust, perqr. I 5 0 Do. J-inch 110 Oil Vitriol, J concentrated, > 0 per lb } Do.BroTvn 0 0 0 5 10 0 6 0 0 10 0 0 2 10 0 3 IS 0 OIL-CAKES. £ a.d. 4S 0 0 to 47 0 0 1 10 0 1 6 0 15 0 0 1 0 01 0 0 0 0 Linseed-cakes, per ton- Thin American, 1 ^„ J. . ..f. ,„. inbrla.orhsff./ ■*" '^ "* *'" '" " Thick do. round (none") 0 00 John Keen, 35, Leadenhall-strcet, (Late Odams, Pickford, and Keen.) English 10 0 0 0 0 0 Rape-cakeH,prton 5 10 0 6 10 0 Agricultural Chemical Works, Stowmarket, Suflolk. entice's Cereal Manure for Corn Crops per toni:8 10 0 untice's Turnip Manure ,, 7 0 0 entice's Superphosphate of Lime ,, 6 10 0 Printed by Rogerson and Tuxford, 240, Strand, London. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. VOLUME THE THIRTEENTH. (thiud series.) JANUARY TO JJJNE, MDCCCLVIII. LONDON : PUBLISHED BY ROGERSON AND TUXFORD, 246, STRAND. MAY BE HAD BY ORDER THROUGH ALL BOOKSELLERS. LONDON: TRINTED BY BOQERSON AND TUXFORD, 246, STRAND. INDEX. Accidents caused by Agricultural Machinery, 421 Agriculture, a plain Farmer's Views of the New Things in, 60, ]60 Agriculture and Population, 244 Agriculture, Calendar of, 81, 175, 269, 353, 445, 539 Agriculture in America, the Progress of, 530 Agriculture in India, 354 Agriculture, the New Power in, 215 Agriculture, the Beautiful in, 316 Agriculture, the Pests of, 458 Agriculture, the Neglect of, the Forerunner of Na- tional Decay, 513 Agricultural Buildings, 341 Agricultural (extraordinary) case ; Senior v. Self, 77 Agricultural Intelligence, 84, 268, 358, 445, 543 Agricultural Meetings in 1858, 458 Agricultural Reports, 82, 176, 267, 357, 450, 539 Agricultural Shows of 1857, Notes on Novelties at the, 61 Agricultural Societies — Bath and West of England, 57, 263, 305 Birmingham and Midland Counties, 29 East Kent, 63 Essex, 256, 307 Gloucester, 35 Haddington, 99 Leicestershire, 65 Norfolk, 196 Rutland, 36 Stirling (Central) 530 Stockbridge, 513 Agricultural Statistics of Ireland, 480 Agricultural Statistics of Scotland and the Govern- ment, 169, 196 Air, invaluable to the Successful Husbandry of the Soil, 217 Alum in Bread, 78 America, Size of Farms in, 227 Animal Food, Collection of, at the Kensington Museum, 481 Animal Food, on the Production of, 292 Australia — Experimental Farms in, 505 Averages for Lady Day, from 1847 to 1857, 442 Averages, Imperial, 87, 179, 272, 366, 456, 549 B. Bank Charter, its Objects and Effects, 22 Bark, Price of, 458, 549 Barley, 463 Barley. By Cuthbert W. Johnson, Esq., 274 Barley, Premium for the best Samples of, 494 Barley, the Growth of, by diiTerent Manures on the same Land. By J, B. Lawes and Dr. J. H. Gilbert, 372 Beans for Hunters, 235 Beckett, Mr. R. T,, Presentation of Plate to, 294 Beetroots ; Distillation at the Ruddington nistillery from, 472 Birds, spare the Little, 489 Blink Bonny, Description and Pedigree of, 89 Blood in the Horse, on the Trans.fusion of, 210 Bones : What becomes of them ? 503 Bread, Economy in, 351 Bread-making, the Use and Abuse of Alum in, 381 Butter, Cheese, &c.. Prices of, 8S, 180,272,446^ 456, 545 Butter-makinff in Winter, 351 Calves, Summer and Winter Treatment of, 442 Cattle, Stall-feeding of, 164, 166 Cattle-trade, Review of the, 83, 176, 267, 357, 450, 540 Chicago, its Trade and Commerce in 1857, 25S Chicory, Price of, 85, 366, 456, 549 China, Agriculture in, 224 Clay Lands, how to Farm them, 265 Colic in Sheep, Cure for, 263 Corn, Causes of the Decline in the Price of, 250 Corn, on its being cleaned from the Straw, 232 Corn, present Price of, 564 Corn Trade, Review of the, 85, 177, 270, SGi, 453, 546 Covent Garden Market, Prices at, 456, 549 Crystal Palace Poultry Show, 168 Currencv per Imp. Measure, 8?, 179, 272, 306, 455, 548 D. Dairy Cows, the Food of. By C. W. Johnson, Esq., 4 Drainage, the different Systems of, 105 Drainage, the Mechanical and Chemical Principles applicable to. By J. C. Nesbit, Esq., 6 DriUing of Crops, 243 Dublin (Royal) Society's Winter Exhibition of Farm Produce, 79 Dublin (Royal) Society's Spring Show, 487 " Duchess" Family, Origin of the, 4? 2 Ducks, successful Method of raising, 334 Dung, Farm-yard : Preparation and Application, 212 E. Education, its Influence on the Cultivation of the Soil, 343 English Farmer in France, 348, 417, 533 Ewes, Breeding, on the Management of a Flock, 329 F. Farm, Order on the,* 288 Farm Horses, the Management of, 383 Farm Servants and Farm Horses, 338 Farmer, the present Position of the, 411 INDEX. Faumers' Clubs — Hale&worth, 208 Hexham, 238 London (the Central), 74, 174, 199, 321, 399, 475 Norton, 355 Oxford, 343 Wenlock, 108 Winfrith, 96, 236, 46G Farmers, Old and New School of, 286 Farms, modes of entering and quittinjr, with sug- gestions for their improvement. By Mr. Robert Baker, of Writtle, 18 Farquharson, Esq , J. J., Biography of, 459 Fiars Prices, 287 Fish Manures, Composition of, 284 Flour, Adulteration of, 259 Food, the Importations of, in the last twenty years, 394 Fowler's Steam Plough, Report of the Judges on, 156 France, Agriculture of, 279 Furze as Food for Horses, 420 G. Game Laws, Injurious Effects of the undue Preser- vation, 280 Garrett v. Woolnough, Breacli of Contract, 356 Gas-lime, its Use, 242 Grain for Food, Preservation of, 491 Grass Lands, the Management of, 313 Green Crops for Manure, 441 Green Crops, Manures for, 308 Grinding Feed, 285 Guano, Simple test of, 356 Guano Trade, a Monopoly, 295 H. Halkett's Guideway in Steam Agriculture, 140 Harvests, how the good and bad come in succes- sion, 337 Hay Markets, 366, 456, 549 Hereford Heifer, Description of a Prize, 89 Hereford Ox, Description of a Prize, 460 Hide and Skin Markets, 457, 549 Hobble Noble, Pedigree and Description of, 181 Holly, the, 310 Hop Duty, Meeting for the Abolition of the, 232 Hop Market, 180, 272, 366, 446, 549 Horns of Animals, the Trade in, 17 Hornsby, Mr. Richard, Biographical Sketch of, 1 Horse, how to make the most of a, 385 Horse-power, novel Application of, 278 Horse-tamer, Mr. Rarey, the American, 266 Horse-taming, 340 Horse, the uses of a dead one, 302 House, on Choosing a Site for one, 197 Hull, Annual Report of the Trade of, 152 Imperial Bushel the best Standard Measure, 209 Implements of the Farm, 226 Insects, Language of, 283 Ireland, the Great Owners of the Soil in, 342 J. Jonas, Mr, Samuel, Biography of, 367 K. Kennington Agricultural and Chemical College, Lectures at the, 213 Kirby, the late Mr. Thomas, of York, Memoir of, 273 Labour and Wages, 415 Labourer, the present Position of the, 24 Labourers' Cottages, Description of Plate, 81 Labourers' Registration-offices v. Statute Fairs, 240 Labouring Classes, their Education a National Question, 27 Lambs, the Rearing and Diseases of, 50G Land, Aeration of, 393 Land Drainage, its Action and Effect, 223 Leases, the Advantage of, 96 Leather Market, 458, 549 Lime, and its Chemical Changes, 235 Lime and Marl, the Agricultural Value and Uses of, 422 Lincoln Rams in Leicester, 449 Linseed and Oil-cake Trades, Annual Report of the, 146 " Lois-Weedon" without the Spade, 346, 386 M. Manure, a new one, 496 Manuie, Artificial, 249 Manure within the reach of the Farmers, 101 Manures, and their Application, 43'i Manures, Artificial and Farm-yard, Dr. Voelcker on. 111 Manures, Auxiliary, 511 Manures, Experiments with different, 155 Manures, Prices of, 88, 180, 457, 549 Manuring on the Surface, 352 " Matchless," a Lincoln Cart Stallion, description of, 273 Meat Trade of Paris, 290 Merino, or Spanish Breed of Sheep, 288 Metropohtan Cattle Market, the Great Christmas, 52 Milk, 163 N. Names of Animals on a Farm, Uniformity in the, 198 Nesbit Testimonial, Proceedings at the Presenta- tion of the, 6 Nitrates contained in the Soil, Inquiry respecting, 228 O. Obituary — Mr. Stephen Mills, Oil, Price of, 458 Paring and Burning in Dauphine (France), 447 Phosphate of Lime on Vegetation, Action of No- dules on some Descriptions of Soils, 304 Piggeries, on, 300 Plants, Something of, and how they live, 507 Plants, the Class most likely to enrich the Soil, 287 INDEX. Ul Pleuro-Pneumonia, 319 Pleuro-Pneumonia, simple Remedy for, 2G6 Plough, the, or its Substitute, 15:i Ploughing-, a State of Transition in, 2Gl Ploughing by Steam, 248 Poetry — Agricultural Ode, 351 God save the Plough, 421 Poppy, ISlr., of Witneshara, proposed Subscription for, 211, 306 Potato, its Regeneration by Cuttings, lOG Potato Markets, 88, 180, 272, 36G, 446, 545 Potato, on the Method of Extracting the Starch from the, 102 Potato, the Qualities constituting a good one, 474 Quicks, 350 Q. R. Rainfall, Advantages of a Daily Register of the, throughout the Kingdom, 170, 231 Rat-trap, a funny, 225 Reviews — Road Legislation and Management, 440 The evil Results of over-feeding Cattle, 395 Rinderpest, or Cattle Plague, Report on the. By James B. Simonds, Esq., V.S., 113 Romaine's Canadian Steam Cultivator, 78 Rook-flights, 443 Root Crops, Advantage of Autumn Cultivation for, 466 Royal Agricultural College, 174 Royal Agricultural Society of England, Proceedings of the, CG, 26-.;!, 277, 432, 495, 514 S. Scotch Cottages, 529 Seaweed, 423 Seeds, Price of, S7, ISO, 272, 36G, 456, 549 Seeds, the Incrustation of Cereal and otiier, 221 Sheep, Foot-rot in, 444 Sheep, the Culture of. By Robt. Smith, of Em- mett's Grange, 296 Shorthorns, Origin of the Durham, 406 Shorthorns, Sale of Mr. Cartwright's, 504 Smithfield Club, Mr. Gibbs's History of the, 56 Smithfield Club Cattle Show, a Visit to the, SO Smithfield Club Fat Cattle Show, 38, 165 Smithfield Show, Notes on the Implements and Machinery shown at the, 93 Smithfield Show V/eek, 54 Snow, the Uses of, 251 Soapsuds, 353 Soil, the, 502 Southdown Rams, Descrijjtion of, 181 Spring Prospects, 398 Stallions for the Season, 360 Statistics Bill, Fate of the, 484 Steam Cultivators, Memorial from the E.xhibitors of, 497 Steam Engine and other Machinery, Suggestions for the 'I'rial of, at the Chester Meeting, 28 Steam Engire Trial, Letters on the, 58 Steam Plough, 184 Steam Plough at Salisbury, the Trial of the, 404 Steam Plough, Who invented it ? 23 Stock, difFerent Breeds of, 289 Stock purchased by the Emperor of the French, 260 Surveyors of Highways, and their Responsibility, ^ 167 Swing r. Wheel Ploughs, 265 T. Tenant Right, Necessity for, 37 Thrashing Machines, gradual Improvement in, 219 Thrashing Machines, Trial of, 498 Timber, Price of, 458, 549 Tithe Commutation Tables, 104, 264 Toll on Steam Engines for farming Purposes illegal, 174 Town Sev.-age, Patents taken out for the Applica- tion of, 344 Town Sewage, the practical Value and Application of, 537 Trial, an important one, in reference to the War- ranty of Cattle, 412 Trunk Drainage, 252 Turnip Crop, Dressing for. By C. W. Johnson, Esq., 460 Turnip, on storing the, 175 Turnip-plant, the. By C. VV. Johnson, Esq., 90 V. Veterinary College in relation to Agriculture, 500 Veterinary Science, the present State of, 172 " Victoria," a Shorthorned Cow — Pedigree, &c., 368 W. Wandle Valley, the. By C. W. Johnson, Esq., 369 Weeds. By C. W. Johnson, Esq., 182 Weeds and Weeding, 371, 526 Weights and Measures, English, Irish, and Fo- reign, 259 Wheat, Prices for the last four Years, 175 Wheat, Warehousing of, 441 Wheat, What should we do with our sprouted ? 92 I Winter Food for Cattle, 333 Winter Garden, 449 Wireworm, to destroy the, 538 Wool and Woollens, 396 Wool Markets, 88, 180, 272, 456, 549 Wool, the Growth and Management of, 311 Wool Trade of Liverpool, Annual Report of the, 149 Wool Trade of the Year 1 857, 173 THE EMBELLISHMENTS Mr. Richard Hornsby .... Diagrams in Explanation of Mr. Nesbit's Lecture on Draining Two Labourers' Cottages Hereford Heifer . Blink Bonny; Winner of the Derby and Oaks, in 1857 Four South-Down Rams Hobbie Noble .... " Matchless," a Lincolnshire Cart Stallion Mr. Thomas Kirby, of York. Mr. Samuel Jonas " Victoria," a Short-horned Cow J. J. Farquharson, Esq. Hereford Ox . Page. 1 8,9 81 89 89 181 181 273 273 367 367 459 460 IMFORTANT TO FLOCEMASTERS. THOMAS BIGG, AGRICULTURAL AND VETERINART CHEMIST, BT APPOINTMENT, TO H. R. H. THE PRINCE CONSORT, K. G., &C. LEICESTER HOUSE, GREAT DOVER-STREET BOROUGH, LONDON, Begs to call Ihe attention of Farmers and Graziers to his valuable SHEEP-and LAMB DIPPING COMPOSITION, which requires no Boiling, and may be used with Warm or Cold Water, for effectually destroying the Tick Lice, and all other insects injurious to the Flock, preventing the alarming attacks of Fly and Shab, and cleansing and purifying the Skin, thereby greatly improving the Wool, both in quantity and quality, and highly contributing to the general health of the animal. Prepared only by Thomas Bigg, Chemist, &c., at his Manufac- tory as above, and sold as follows, although any other quantity may be had, if required : — 4 lb. for 20 sheep, price, jar included £0 6 1b. 30 8 lb. 40 10 lb. 60 20 1b. 100 80 1b. 150 40 lb. 200 50 1b. 250 60 1b. 300 80 1b. 400 100 lb. 500 (cask and measure included) 0 10 0 15 1 0 1 3 1 7 1 17 2 5 0 Should any Flockmaster prefer boiling the Composition, it will be equally effective. He would also especially call attention to his SPECIFIC, or LOTION, for the SCAB, or SHAB, which will be found a certain remedy for eradicating that loathsome and ruinous disorder in Sheep, and which may be safely used in all climates, and at all seasons of the year, and to all descriptions of sheep, even ewes in lamb. Price Ss. per gallon — sufficient on an average for thirty Sheep (according to the virulence of the disease); also in wine quart bottles, Is. 3d. each. IMPORTANT TESTIMONIAL. "Scoulton, near Hingham, Norfolk, April 16th, 1855. 'Dear Sir, — In answer to yours of the 4th inst, which would have been replied to before this had I been at home, I have much pleas ure in bearing testimony to the efficacy of your in- valuable 'Specific for the cure of Scab in Sheep.' The 600 Sheep were all dressed in August last with 84 gallons of the ^Non- Poisonous Specific,' that was so highly recommended at the Lincoln Show, and by their own dresser, the best attention being paid to the flock by my shepherd after dressing according to instructions left ; but notwithstanding the Scab continued getting worse. In December I informed the ' Agent for tho above Specific,' that the flock was not cured, and that it required their immediate attention. The Agent informed me they hould be at once seen to, but did not do so until yit'e weeks afterwards, and in the mean time the Scab spread over the whole flock, that I never saw such a disgraceful sight in my life; and when the Dresser was sent over to inspect the Flock, he decided on not dressing them again, as one- third of the Sheep had lost half their wool. I then agreed with an experienced dresser in Norfolk to dress the flock, and when he saw the sheep he declined doing them, as they were so very bad, and the time of lambing so near. Being determined to have the Scab cured if possible, I wrote to you for a supply of your Specific, which I received the following day ; and although the weather was most severe in February during the dressing, your Specific proved itself an in- valuable remedy, for in three weeks the Sheep were quite cured ; and I am happy to say the young lambs are doing remarkably well at present. In conclusion, I believe it to be the safest and best remedy now in use. " I remain, dear Sir, your obedient servant, " For JOHN TINGEY, Esq., " To Mr. Thomas Bigg." " R. RENNY. In addition to the foregoing, he has very materially improved, as well as considerably reduced the price of his Dipping Ap- paratus; and he would venture to suggest that no Flockmasters ought now to be without one. Price in London. New and Improved Dipping Apparatus, on Wheels £14 0 0 Ditto ditto with Iron-bar Drainer 6 0 0 Ditto ditto 4 0 0 Ditto, plain, with Wooden Drainer 3 0 0 N.B. — Catalogues, containing List of Patrons, Testimonials, &c., to be had of all agents, or sent direct per post free. CURTIS ON MANHOOD— SHILLING EDITION. A MEDICAL ESSAY ON NERVOUS AND GENERATIVE DISEASES. Just published, the 77th Thousand, with numerous plates, in a sealed envelope, price Is., or sent, post-paid by the Author, for Fourteen stamps, MANHOOD : The CAUSE and CURE of PREMATURE DECLINE, with Plain Directions for Perfect Restoration to Health and Vigour; being a Medical Review of the various Forms and modern treatment of Nervous Debility, Impotency, Loss of Mental and Physical Capacity, whether resulting from Youthful Abuse, the Follies of Maturity, the Effects of Climate or Infection j with Observations on a new and successful mode of detecting Spermatorrhoea, and other urethral discharu;es, by Microscopic Examination; to which are added. Curious and Interesting Cases, with the Author's Recipe of a Preventive Lotion. By J. L, CURTIS, Surgeon, 15, Albemarle-street, Piccadilly, London. At home for consultation daily, from 10 till 3, and 6 to 8. Sundays, from 10 to 1, REVIEWS OF THE WORK. " CtJRTis ON Manhood. — Shilling Edition. — 77th Thousand. — This is a truly valuable work, and should be in the hands of young and old. The professional reputation of the author, combined with his twenty years' experience as medical referee in the treatment of nervous debility, &c., fully accounts for the immense circulation which this popular and ably-written medical treatise has obtained." — Sunday Times, 23rd March^ 1856. " Curtis on Manhood. — The author has conferred a great boon by publishing this little work, in which is described the source of those diseases which produce decline in youth or more frequently premature old age." — Daily Telegraph, March 27, 1856. Curtis on Manhood. — The book utider review is one calculated to warn and instruct the erring without imparting one idea tiiat can vitiate the mind not already tutored by the vices of which its treats." — Naval and Military Gazette, 1st Feb., 1851. "We feel no hesitation in saying that there is no member of Society by whom the book will not be found useful — whether such person hold the relation of a parent, preceptor, or a clergyman. — Sun, Evening Paper. Published by the Author; sold also in sealed envelopes, by Gilbert, 49, I'aiernoster-row ; Hannay, 63, Oxford-street; Mann, 39, Cornhill, London; Robinson, 11, Greenside-street, Edinburgh; Heywood, Oldham-street, Manchester; Howell, 6, Ciuirch-street, Liverpool; France, 8, Side, Newfastle-on-Tyne ; Ashley, Post-Officp, Newbury; Fekris & Score, Union-street, Bristol; Pierson, Shrewsbury; Jule, Braintree; Thew, Lynn ; Peat, Chichester; Lurcock, Maidstone; Cook, Ipswich; Huscroft, Bury St. Edmunds; Dove, Swindon ; Jearey, Bridewell Alley, Norwich; Smith, Cambridge; Slatter, Oldhamj aud by ail Booksellers and Chemists in the United Kingdom. Visitors to the SEA-COAST, and to those who enjoy the Promenade, the Ride, and Drive. In all cases, Fervid Heat, and its concomicant Dust, materially injure the skin, producing Sunburn, Tan, Freckles, and Discolorations, of an almost indelible character. To obviate and eradicate these baneful results, recourse may with confidence be had to ROWLAND S' KALYDOR AlV OBZSXa-TAIi BOTAiriCiili PREPABa,TZOXa-. Whether resorted to in its specific character as a thorough purifier of existing defects of an eruptive nature, and discolorations of the Skin, or as a Preserver and Promoter of a clear and healthy complexion, this LI© Tf T@a L€T y T COM- Has, in every instance, maintained its claim to the title of <.3 [»»«THW, 246, BTBAn. THOBLCY'S FOOD FOR CATTLE, AS USED IN ;HER MAJESTY'S STABLES, And also on His Royal Highness the Prince Consort's Farm, Windsor. IMPORT A]¥T TO EVEHY M A IV WHO KEEPS A THE FIRST AND ONLY PRIZE EVER AWARDED FOR FOOD FOR CATTLE IN A CONDENSED STATE WAS GIVEN BY THE CHCISIIIRC A€}RXCUI.TURA.I. SOCIETIT IIV 1S57, TO JOSEPH THORLEY, ESQ., THE INVENTOR AND SOLE PROPRIETOR OF THORLEY'S FOOD FOR CATTLE ! THIS FOOD is now receiving patronage from all parts of the kingdom, including His Grace the Duke of Richmond, His Grace the Duke of Athole, the Earl of Wilton, the Earl of Eldon, the Earl of Essex, the Earl of Bessborough, the Earl of Aylesford, the Earl of Lisburne, the Earl Rosslyn, Viscount Strathallan, Viscount Dillon, the Right Hon. Lord Willoughby de Brooke, the Right Hon. Lord Londesborough, Lord Lurgan, Lord Macdonald, Lord Saltoun, Lord Greenock, Lord Hatkerton, Lord A. Russell, Sir John Cathcart, Bart., Sir John Ribton, Bart., Sir Wm. Payne Galway, Bart., Sir David Cunynghame, Bart., Sir Montague Cholmely, Bart., Sir John Seymour, Bart., Sir Charles Payne, Bart., Sir Thos. Erskine, the Hon. D. Astley, the Ven. Archdeacon Freer, H. Drummond, Esq., M.P., E. Holland, Esq., M.P., Gerrart Sturt, Esq., M.P., General Wyndham, Col. Ames, Col. Cartwright, Colonel C. Hunter, Lieut.-Col. Candley, Lieut. Williams, Lieut, and Adjutant Holland, and many others too numerous to mention. CoiiTerts tbe eominoitest of ^trair iuto a superior Provender. It is requisite you should notice the Inventor's Signature on each package or feed, as inferior sorts are often substituted. BIN6LEY HALL CATTLE SHOW, BIRMINGHAM, 30th November, 1857. Class X.— FIRST PRIZE. JPMJ^ 01!f TII01I1.£Y'^ I^OOD FOR CAXXI^E. DEVON STEERS. See Catalogue, No. 88. — The property of the Right Hon. the Earl of Aylespord. SECOND PRIZE. Fi:]> OIV TMORIi^Y'^ I'OO]) FOR CAXTI^i:. The property of His Royal Highness the Phince Consort. The above are a few of the many Prizes obtained through the use of this invaluable Compound, which %i adapted for all kinds of Stock, and now in use throughout the world. Sold in Cases, containing 448 Packages— each Package one feed — at the cost of 66s. per Case; also in Casks, containing 448 feeds, with measure included, price 50s. per Cask. Carriage paid to any Railway Station in the United Kingdom. None are genuine without the Signature being affixed ^^ ^^ * .^/j to each Package or Feed. "^ ••« .l^^^^S^pr*^^ INVENTOR AND SOLE PROPRIETOR. Central Depot. -77, NEWGATE STREET, LONDON. THB LANE EXPRESS AND AaMCULTUEAL JOUENAL IS THE LARGEST AND THE LEADING FARMERS' AND GRAZIERS' NEWSPAPER, PUBLISHED EVERY MONDAY EVENING IN TIME FOR POST. The object of the Proprietors of Ih* MARK LANE EXPRESS has ever been, to render it in every way the most efficient organ of the Agricultural Class, to direct and difi'use practical and scientific information of all kinds relatin? to rural atfuirs, to be a medium for giving circulation to the Proceedings of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, the Royal Agricultural Improvement Society of Ireland, and of every Aericultura! Society and Farmers' Club in the Kingdom. All political and party discussions are carefully avoided, except such as are purely Agricultural; since its establishment, twenty-six years since, this course has been steadily adli?red to, and the result has been, the accession of a numerous and rapidly-increasing list of Subscribers comprising the most influential Agriculturists in the kingdom. In times when the position of the Tenant Farmers has been one of great difficulty, the MARK LANE EXPRESS has ever been directed to the advocacy and support of the rights of the Tenant FAR.\fERS. In stating this, it is not intende (i to lose sight of that noble principle which tlie great Lord Leicester so successfully followed ; viz., that liberal conduct towards the Tenant will ever be found to be the most bcncjicial to the Landlord. THE MALT TAX.— This is the only Farmer's Paper in London which advocates the Repeal op the Malt Tax. In authenticity and extent of Market information, tlie Mark Lanb Express stands unrivalled. A REVIEW OF THE CORN TRADE (British and Foreign) fully explains the Causes which occasion the Rise or Fall in Prices, thus affording the Growers and Speculator some grounds for anticipating the stability or future tendency of Prices. The Latest Reports of the Corn, Cattle, Provision, Wool, Seed, Hop, Malt, and Commercial Markets, appear with the leading Country Fairs and Agricultural Meetings. Authentic Weekly Advices are received from all the Important Markets in the king- dom^ otir Colonial Possessions, as well as all parts of Europe any America. Office of Publication and for Advertisements, 246, Strand, London. May be had of all Booksellers and Newsmen throughout the Kingdom, price Sevenpence, or £1 1C«. 4d. per annum. NEW I»ATENT CORN SCREEN AND SMUT MACHINE MANUFACTURED SOLELY BY E. & J. RANKIN, UNION FOUNDRY, LIVERPOOL. THE very great improvements made in this new P.iTENT SMUT MACHINE comprise an arrange- ment by which (in addition to freeing and purifying the Wheat from all Smut, however badly it may be affected) all Sand, Seeds, and heavy matter are extracted in one operation. The Machine has a Double Action upon the Wheat, and combines all the important advantages of the original (Grimes') Machine, with the addition of those of a Wire Screen. The following Testimonials prove that the Machine is found to be the best of the kind in use i — Messrs. R. & J. Rankin, Liverpool. [COPY.] Slane Mills, Uth August, 1856. Dbar Sirs, — We have much pleasure in saying that the Patent Smut Machine has given us every satisfaction, and for so far has not cost us one penny. The working parts — that is, bearings, &c., are just as good as the first day we put it to work, now tv/elve months ago, and it has run nearly every working-day since. Yours, truly, (Sifned) Wetherill, Powell, & Co. Boston, 25th July, 1857. Gentlemen, — Youf Smut Machine I consider to be the best Invented, and after working it seven years I find it to be as effective in its operations as it was the first week it was erected. I shall be happy at any time to render an account of it and its good qualities when called upon ; and I am, Gentlemen, your obedient servant, (Signed) A. Reynolds (late Reynolds & Son). RANKINGS NEW PATENT BONE MILLS. These MILLS are adapted for the use of Farmers and Manufacturers, and are made in all sizes. They are a most decided improvement upon those in ordinary use, taking much less power to drive them, whilst they work far more efflcieatly. The MUls will Grind the largest and hardest Bones with ease to any degree of fineness that may be wished, there being provision made to regulate their working as may be required. Manufacturers wUl find this Mill to be much more durable, to Grind quicker, and to a greater degree of fineness than amy other. TESTIMONIAL. Amersham, Buckt, Noveviber 8, 1855. This is to certify that Messrs. Rankin, of Liverpool, have fixed one of their Four-horse Bone Mills for me, with which I am pei- fectlv satisfied, not only as it regards tlie power taken to drive it, but also the fineness of the Bones when ground. The principle 1 consider superior io every respect to the old ones. The work is exceedingly well done, not only as it regards the Mill itself, but the Horse Gear is of a very superior character. I shall be happy to show the Mill when working, or answer any enquiries. Messrs. K. & J.*Rankin, Liverpool. (Signed) Thomas H. Morten. Apply to R. & J. RANKIN, Solb Makers, Union Foundry, Livbrpool NOTICE OF DIVIDEND. BANK OF DEPOSIT.— No. 3, PALL MALL EAST, LONDON, S.W. THE WARRANTS for the HALF-YEARLY Interest on Deposit Accounts, to thd 30th Jane, are ready for delivery, and payable daily between the hours of 10 and 4. The present rate of Interest is 6 per cent, per annum. IQth July , IQbB. PETER MORRISON, il/rtwagrzn^ Director. Prospectuses and Forms sent free on application. COLEMAN'S PATENT PRIZE CULTIVATOR & SCARIFIER TS THE BEST IMPLEMENT for PARING JL STUBBLES, &c., and for all work where a Cultivator, Grabber, or Scarifier is required. TWO FIRST PRIZES were awarded to this Implement at the Bath and Wat of England Shorn, held at Cardiff, making upwards of THIRTY FIRST PRIZES as a CULTIVATOR & SCARIFIER. These Implements delivered free by rail to Stations on the Eastern Counties, South Eastern, London and South Western, and London, Brighton and South Coast Railways ; also to Liver- pool, Manchester, York, Hull, Exeter, Cardiff, and all inter- mediate Stations. As the Season for Paring is fast approaching, orders should be given as early as possible, to prevent disappointment. Manufactured bt COLEMAN & SONS, Chelmsford, Of whom Prices and Testimonials may be obtained post free. Also, COLEMAN'S PATENT PRIZE EXPANDING HARROWS, and COLEMAN'S IMPROVED HANSON'S PATENT PRIZE POTATO DIGGER, Of which Implement COLEMAN & SONS are Sole Manufactur- ing Agents for England and Wales. RICHMOND & CHANDLER^S PRIZE CHAFF-CUTTING MACHINES. I UNDER LETTERS PATENT, "VrO. 57 NEW PATENT CHAFF CUTTING _L> MACHINE, price £3 I5s., delivered at Manchester or Liverpool. PRESENT PRICES. £ s. d. No. 57 Chati' IMachine 3 15 o No. lA Machine 4 lo 0 No. 3b Machine '. 7 0 0 Pulley for power f.r//-rt 0 9 0 Change Wlicels, to vary the length, per pair 0 6 0 'Kn\\ei, extra for each 0 4 6 No. 4b Machine 10 0 0 Pulley for power, c.r^rn 0 9 0 Change Wlieels, per pair 0 6 0 Kmyes, extra for each 0 4 No. 5 Machine , 15 0 0 Pulley for power 0 12 0 Change Wheels 0 6 0 Knives, extra for cacli 0 7 6 No. 1 Improved Corn Crusher 5 5 0 No. 2 Improved Corn Crusher 0 10 0 Pulley for power , 0 9 0 No. 3 Improved Corn Crusher JO 0 0 Pulley for power , 0 12 0 No. i Improved Corn Crusher 14 o 0 Pulley for power 0 15 0 Richmond & Chandler's extensive application of the most ap- proved Steam Machinery in the manufacture of these Imple- ments, afford increased facilities, together with greater mathe- matical accuracy in every part, obtainable by no other means. Address, RICHMOXD & CHANDLER, SALFORD ; Branch EariBHSHMF.rjT, SOUTH JOHN STREET, LIVERPOOL. mWO and THREE HORSE POWER PORTABLE STEAM ENGINES, WITH VERTICAL CYLINDERS, For Working Straw Cutters, Turnip Pulpers, Small Thrashing Machines, Grinding Mills, &c., &c. They will also answer the purpose of a Steaming Apparatus for Steaming Food for Cattle, rr::.^::,: Price, Two-Horse Power £65 Three-Horse £S5 Manufactured by JAMES HAYWOOD, Jn. PHOSNIX FOUNDRY, and ENGINEERING WORKS, DERBY. Descriptive Circulars sent free on application. LIQUID MANURE TAMES' PATENT LIQUID-MANURE DIS- 0 TRIBUTOR or WATER-CART, warranted not to choke up or otherwise get out of order. It is thoroughly adapted for Drill Crops, or Pasture Land, or for Watering Streets: has been a'aarded SIX FIRST PRIZES. Full Particulars and Testimonials may be obtained of the Patentee, Isaac James, Tivoli Waggon Works, Cheltenham. N.B.— IMPROVED LIQUID MANURE PUMPS, With Flexible Rubber, or Gutta Percha Suction Pipes for ditto. IMPORTANT TO FLOCKMASTERS, THOMAS BIGG, AGRICULTURAL AND VETERINARY CHEMIST, BY APPOINTMENT, TO H, R.II. THE PRINCE CONSORT, E.G., &C. LEICESTER HOUSE, GREAT DOVER-STREET BOROUGH, LONDON, Begs to call the attention of Farmers and Graziers to his valuable SHEEP-and LAMB DIPPING COMPOSITION, which requires no Boiling, and may be used with Warm or Cold Water, for effectually destroying the Ticl; Lice, and all other insects injurious to the Flock, preventing tlie alarming attacks of Fly and Shah, and cleansing and purifying the Skin, thereby greatly improving the Wool, both in quantity and quality, and highly contributing to the general health of the animal. Prepared only by Thomas Bigg, Chemist, &c., at his Manufac- tory as above, and sold as follows, although any other quantity may be had, if required :— 4 lb. for 20 sheep, price, jar included £0 6 1b. 80 8 lb. 40 10 lb. 50 20 1b. 100 80 1b. 150 40 lb. 200 50 1b. 250 60 lb. 300 80 lb. 400 100 lb. 500 (cask and measure included) 0 10 0 15 1 0 1 3 1 7 1 17 2 5 Should any Flockraaster prefer boiling the Composition, it will be equally effective. He would also especially call attention to his SPECIFIC, or LOTION, for the SCAB, or SHAB, whicli will be found a certain remedy for eradicating that loathsome and ruinous disorder in Sheep, and which may be safely used in all climates, and at all seasons of the year, and to all descriptions of sheep, even ewes in lamb. Price 5s. per gallon — sufficient on an average for thirty Sheep (according to tlie virulence of the disease); also in wine quart bottles, Is. 3d. each. IMPORTANT TESTIMONIAL. "Scoulton, near Hingham, Norfolk, April Ifith, 1855. 'Dear Sir,-4n answer to yours of the 4th inst, which would have been replied to before this had I been at home, I have TOUch pleasure in bearing testimony to the efficacy of your in- valuable ' Specific for the cure of Scab in Sheep.' The 600 Sheep were all dressed in August last with 84 gallons of the ' Non- Folsonous Specific,' that was so highly recommended at the Lincoln Show, and by their own dresser, the best attention being paid to the flock by my shepherd after dressing according to instructions left ; but notwithstanding the Scab continued getting worse. In December I informed the 'Agent for the above Specific,' that tlie flock was not cured, and that it required their immediate attention. The Agent informed me they hould be at once seen to, but did not do so unliX Jive weeks afterwards, and in the mean time the Scab spread over the whole flock, that I never saw such a disgraceful sight in my life; and when the Dresser was sent over to inspect the Flock, he decided on not dressing them again, as one- third of the Sheep had lost half their wool. I then agreed with an expirienced dresser in Norfolk to dress the flock, and when he saw the sheep he declined doing them, as tliey were so very bad, and the time of lambing so near. Being determined to have the Scab cured if possible, I wrote to you for a supply of your Specific, which I received the following day ; and although the weather was most severe in February during the dressing, your Specific proved itself an in- valuable remedy, for in three weeks the Sheep were quite cured; and I am happy to say the young lambs are doing remarkably well at present. In conclusion, I believe it to be the safest and best remdy now in use. " I remain, dear Sir, your obedient servant, " For JOHN TINGEY, Esq., " To Mr. Thomas Bigg." "R. RENNY, In adUiiion to the foregoing, he has very materially improved, as well as considerably reduced the price of his Dipping Ap- paratus ; and he would venture to suggest that no Flockmasters ought now to be without one. Price in London. New and Improved Dipping Apparatus, on Wheels £14 0 0 Ditto ditto with Iron-bar Drainer 6 0 0 Ditto ditto 4 0 0 Ditto, plain, with Wooden Drainer 3 0 0 N.B. — Catalogues, containing List of Patrons, Testimonials, &c., to be had of all agents, or sent Jirect per post free. ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.— MEETING AT CHESTER. PRIZE JUST AWARDED AT CHESTER TO SAMUELSON^S PATENT GARDNER^S TURNIP CUTTER, BEING THE ELEVENTH SUCCESSIVE ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY'S PRIZE TO THIS MACHINE. PRIZE OF £3 TO SAMUELSON^S POWER CHAFF CUTTER. B. SAMUELSON, BRITANNIA WORKS, BANBURY, TS PREPARED TO SUPPLY IMMEDIATELY, ON RECEIPT OF ORDER, the followinff J_ MACHINESaNDIMPLEMENTS:— MACHINES FOR PREPARING FOOD FOR CATTLE, Viz. :— GARDNER'S PATENT DOUBLE-ACTION TURNIP CUTTERS, with Mr. Samuelson's recently- patented Improvements, enabling the same Machine to Slice for Cattle, Cut Pieces for Sheep, Pieces for Lambs, thin Riband Pieces for mixing with Chaff, and to Pulp. SAMUELSON'S PATENT GARDNER'S SINGLE-ACTION TURNIP CUTTERS. BUSHE AND BARTER'S PATENT TURNIP GRATERS. MOODY'S PATENT TURNIP GRATERS. PHILLIPS' PATENT ROOT PULPER. PATENT COMBINED TURNIP GRATER AND CHAFF-CUTTING MACHINES. MILLS FOR CRUSHING EVERY DESCRIPTION OF CORN AND SEED. OILCAKE BREAKERS, FOR HAND AND MACHINE POWER. FIELD IMPLEMENTS- HARROWS, CARTWRIGHT'S PATENT SELF-CLEANING. CROSSKILL'S PATENT CLOD CRUSHER. PATTERSON'S PATENT ditto. CAMBRIDGE'S PATENT ditto. HORsE HOES— HUCKVALE'S PATENT REVOLVING THINNER HILL-SIDE HOE ; FIELD ROLLERS, &c., &c. HAYMAKING MACHINES, DOUBLE-ACTION AND SINGLE-ACTION. HORSE-RAKES, MARYCHURCH'S PATENT SELF-RELIEVING. LAWN-MOWING MACHINES, GARDEN ROLLERS, &c. PATENT AMERICAN FLOATING BALL WASHING MACHINES, MANGLES, WEIGHING MACHINES, PUMPS, &c. Illustrated Catalogues, with Prices and full particulars, will be forwarded (post free) on receint of application hv B. SAMUELSON, BRITANNIA WORK'^, BANBURY. ' Specially patronized by the British and other Governments, the Hon. East India Company, the principal Dock Companies, and other public bodies, &c., is particularly i-ecommended to the Nobility, Gentry, Agriculturists, Manufacturers, West India Pro- prietors, and others, it having been proved by the practical test of more than seventy years to surpass all other paints as an out-door preservative. It is extensively used for the protection of wooden houses, farm, and other out-buildings, farming im- plements, conservatories, park paling, gates, iron railings, iron hurdles, copper, lead, brick, stone, old compo, and stucco fronts, and tiles to represent slating. The superiority of the Anti-Corrosion to every other paint for out-door purpose.s may be easily inferred from the simple fact, that its use has been always most strenuously opposed by Colour Manufacturers, Painters, Oil and Colourmen, and others interested in the sale of common paints. It is also very economical, any labourer being able to lay It on. 34s. per cwt, CotOKS : Dark Chocolate .. Bright and Dark Red .< Copper .. ., Black Invisible Green .. Deep Green Bright Green- Blue (for Carts and Wagons) . . ( 30s. . . fper cwt. 46s. per cwt. 5Gs. „ 5Gs. „ 5Gs. „ White Stone < Light Do. Drab or Portland Do « Bath Do. Light Yellow Do Dark Yellow Do Light and Dark Oak Brown ) 30g LiaHT and Dark Lead } pgj. ^^.j-^ Light Chocolate .....) ', .j. In casks of 28, 5G, and 112 lbs. each, and upwards. — Oil & Brdshes. — The Original Anti-Corrosion Paint is only to be obtained of ^YAIiTEIfe CAMSOM ^ SOW, (Successors to the Inventors) 0, GREAT WINCHESTER STREET, OLD BROAD ST. (Near the ROYAL EXCHANGE) LONDON, EC. who will show 700 most flattering Testimonials received from the Nobility, Gentry, and Clergy, who have used the Anti-Corro- sion for many years at their country seats. A Copy of the Testimonials will be sent on application. No Agents.— All Orders are particularly requested to be sent direct. FRAMPTON'S PILL OF HEALTH. Price Is. Ud. and 23. 9d. per box.— This excellent Family Pill is a medicine of long -tried efficacy for purifying Iho blood, so very essential for the foundation of good heslih, and correctnig all Disorders of the Stomach and Bowels. Two or three doses will convince the affiicted of its salutary efl'ects. The stomach will speedily regain its Btrenglli ; a healthy action of the liver, bowels, and kidneys will rapidly take place, and renewed health will be the quick result of taking this medicine, according to the directions accompanying each box. PERSONS of a FULL HABIT, who are subject to headache, giddiness, drowsiness, and singing in the ears, arising from too great flow of blood to the head, should never be without them, as many dangerous symptoms will be entirely carried off by their timely use. The following extract of a letter from IMr. Thomas Province, of Winchmore Hill, Middlesex, is another proof of the Invaluable Medicinal Pro- perties of FRAMPTON'S PILL OF HEALTH :— " For upwards of nine years I have experienced the efficacy of this escellent medicine. I had long previously been afflicted with headache and indigestion, but a friend having induced me to make a trial of Frampton's Pills, I now inform you that a few doses gave me great relief; and during this long period of time I luve taken them in preference to any other medicine; and I have the liappiness of sayifig that I never had a better state of health, wnich I att'ibute to Frampton's Pills. I beg further to add, that this medicine is in general use by my family, and we know of nothing to equal it." FOR FEMALES these pills are truly excellent, removing all obstructions, the distressing headache so very prevalent with ihe sex, depression of spirits, dulness of sight, nervous affections, blotches, pimples, and sallowness of the skin, and give a healthy, juvenile, bloom to the complexion. To MOTHERS they are confidently recommended as the best medicine that can be taken; and for children of all ages they are unequalled. These Pills unite the recommendation of a mild operation with the most successful effect, and for elderly people, or where an occasional aperient is required, nothing can be better adapted. In consequence of the great and increasing demand, the Proprietor has obtained permission from her Majesty's Commissioners to have the name and address of "Thomas Prout, 229, Strand, London," impressed upon the Government stamp affixed to each box. Sold by all Ven- dors of Medicine. ESTABLISHED 1812. TURNIP MANURE. — This valuable fertilizer has been used for the last twelve years with great success by most of the eminent Agri- culturists tliroughout Englanil, and stands unrivalled in the locight and quality of the bulbs which it pro- duces ; it is besides especially beneficial to the Grain Crops which follow, while Clover is rarely found to fail after the first application. Some of the crops produced by this Manure last year weighed upwards of Thirty Tons per acre. GRASS, BARLEY, CLO- VER, and WHEAT MANURES ; also BONE, GUANO, and SUPERPHOSPHATE of LIME, warranted of the best quality. Apply to — H. & T. PROCTOR, Cathay, Bristol. {Birmingham, Edmonscote, Warwick. And Saltney, near Chester. N.B.— A Pamphlet on " MANURES, their PRO- PERTIES and APPLICATION," forwarded on receipt of 12 postage stamps. DEVON AND CORNWALL MANURE WORKS, and PATENT STEAM BONE MILLS, C A T T E DOWN, PLYMOUTH. CHARLES NORRINGTON & CO.'S celebrated SUPERPHOSPHATE OF LIME stands unrivalled in the Manure iVlarket for all Bnot Crops. During the past season up- wards of Forty Tons of Mangold Wurtzel, Swedes, and Common Turnips per Acre have been grown with this Supcrphospliate, without other Manure. 0. N. & Co. bind themselves to the valuation of the various Ingredients as given by Professor Way, in the Journal of the Jtoyal Agricultural Society, vol, xvi., pp. 632 — 42. Price £7 IDs. per Ton, in Bags, delivered to any Port in the Unittd Kingdom. IMPORTANT TO FLOCK MASTERS. COOPER'S SHEEP DIPPING POWDER. (which has stood the Test of Twelve Seasons) DESTROYS all the Ticks, stops the Fly, prevents and cures the Scab, promotes the growth of Wool, and improves the appearance and condition of the Flock. For all these purposes this Powder can- not be surpassed, and it positively has no equal as A CURE FOR SCAB, even after all other means have failed, at any season of the year, and however long the disease may have existed in the Flock. Finding there is so little trouble in using this Preparation, which is instantly Soluble in Cold Water, Flock Masters pa- tronize it to such an extent, both at Home and Abroad, that Powerful Machinery is required for its manufac- ture. For Testimonials see Handbills. Prepared at W. COOPER'S Chemical Works, Ot. Berkhainpsted, Herts, and sold (with plain direc- tions) at Is. 4d. ft packet — the average quantity for dipping twenty sheep. Agents throughout the civilized World, or may be had through any Chemist. ^ *K J m MSMVmd wmi THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. AUGUST, 1858. PLATE I. PRIZE LEICESTERS, THE PROPERTY OF MR. W. SANDAY, OF HOLME PIERREPONT, NOTTINGHAM. " Mr. Sanday is to the Leicester what Mr. Webb is to the Southdown. He had, indeed, yet more his own way, and took every prize that was oftered. For the pure Leicester there is no other man hke him; and however fond some of us may be of tryin/r our hand at experiments, it is here you must go again and again for the cross, just as you would to the ihorough-bred horse. There may be bigger sheep than Mr. Sanday's, but there are none safer to deal with." The above extract is from our own report of the Agricultural Society's Meeting at Salisbury, last year. These portraits are from the same show. The first sheep— to the left of the picture, that is — is from the first-prize pen of shearling ewes. Her pedigree, written in somewhat pecular cypher, makes her by M. U., dam by No. 3, grandam by K. G. The next in our print is the first-prize aged ram by W. H., dvim by Y., grandam by H. W. H. was a prize sheep at Windsor, Y. the first-prize at Norwich, and H. second at Shrewsbury. The third sheep is the " best shearling ram," also by W. H., dam Y. H., grandam (P. P.) by D. N. The latter (P. P.) was one the first-prize ewes at Windsor, None of these sheep had ever been exhibited previous to the Salisbury show. Mr. Sanday did not enter at Chester, and the class suffered materially in character from his absence. PLATE II. QUEEN MARY, the dam of Blink Bonny and Haricot. (For (Jescripdoii see fage 102.J SEWAGE MANURE BY CUTHBEKT W, JOHNSON, ESQ., F,R.S. Fortunately for sanitary improvement, and for irrigation, the sewers of London have been in the summer of 1858, rendering themselves very disa- greeable. Their conduct has seriously annoyed their owners, and disgusted the Parliament assem- bled near their mouths. The pernicious nuisance has at last forced itself upon the attention of the Go- vernment ; the interest, therefore, of a large sum of OLD SEKIES.] money is to be guaranteed for the construction of capacious transverse or intercepting sewers. The sewage of London is to be received in these before it reaches the Thames, and is thence to be carried either far down the river, or on to the shores of the German ocean. At such a time it may be well if we again examine the guiding facts, which have been recently determined with regard to the real H [VOL. XLIX— No. 1, 88 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. value of sewage in irrigation, or tliat of its merely mechanically or chemically comhined portions. This examination may be, perhaps, the more valu- able, since there is still a considerable general confusion of ideas with regard to the agricultural value of sewage, and the most profitable mode of applying it to the soil. The startling amount of the sewage of our great towns is but little understood ; let us confine our attention on this occasion to that of London. The bulk of the metropolitan sewage may be approxi- mately estimated by that of the water used by the inhabitants. Now, this was ascertained in 1850, by the officers of the General Board of Health, and is given in their report on the supply of water to the metropolis, when they remark, p. 10. — " The gross daily quantity of water pumped in- to the metropolis amounts, according to the ob- tained returns, to upwards 44,000,000 gallons. In order to give a conception of the quantity of water thus delivered, it may be stated, that the daily sup- ply would exhaust a lake equal in extent to the area of St. James's Park, 30 inches in depth ; that the annual supply exceeds the total rainfall of 27 inches over the populated portion of the metropolis (25 square miles), by upwards of 50 per cent., and that it would cover an extent of area equal to that of the city (or about one square mile), with upwards of 90 feet depth of water. " The daily supply would, however, be delivered in 2 4 hours, by a brook 9 feet wide and 3 feet deep, running at the rate of 3 feet per second, or a little more than two miles per hour; and three sewers of 3 feet in diameter, and of a proi)er fall, will suffice for the removal of the same volume of refuse or soil-water. The total weight of this annual supply of water is nearly 72,000,000 tons. The daily cost of raising the whole quantity by engine power 100 feet high, would be about £25 or about £9,000 per annum. " The average daily quantity pumped into the districts, exclusis^e of the supplies to large consu- mers, and of the quantity used for all public pur- poses, would, supposing it were equally distributed for each house, occupy about 50 pailfulls, and %vould weigh about 13 cwt." In urging the removal of the great mass of de- composing sewage matter, whose bulk is thus in- dicated, the Commissioners allude to some of its injurious effects, which will not be unworthy of my reader's notice, in regard not only to their own health, but to that of their domestic animals. They observe : — '•' In a state of nature animals will not, when at liberty, remain near or sleep over their own drop- l)ings. Some animals are endowed with instincts to cover them up. When attention is paid to the proper keeping of animals, it is found to be inju- rious to allow them to lie amidst the fumes of their own dung. Formerly the Zoological Society suf- fered heavy losses among the animals kept at Re- gent's Park from neglect of this law, as, e. g., in the case of the carnivora, which were originally confined in a roofed and enclosed building, the at- mosphere of which, during a single night, became strongly impregnated with ammoniacal exhalations* A marked improvement has followed the keeping of the same order of animals in dens exposed to the open air, together with the practice of immediate removal of the excrement. Skilful trainers of horses for hunting and racing have their stables carefully cleansed, and all dung as well as the urine removed, three times a day, to such a distance that no fumes from them may reach the animals. But the common practice in towns is to keep the dung in the stables for weeks, during which time not only the animals, but the neighbourhood, are sub- jected to insalubrious effluvia, the effects of which are strikingly visible in the palhd countenances and inferior stamina of the grooms and stable boys; On an investigation of the disease among hunting dogs, called " kennel lameness," it was found that mere change of the sites of kennels did not avert it ; and eventually its cause was ascertained to be defective cleansing, including the want of a due supply of pure water, and of effectual drainage. A person having much experience on the subject lays it down as an axiom, that the removal of all foul matters from within or beneath the kennels, must not only be constant and complete, but distant; and that no opening of a drain should be allowed within at least 100 yards of the kennel." This amount of water supplied to the metropo- lis (which has been materially enlarged since 1850), nearly represents the whole bulk of the London sewage ; since, although reduced by evaporation, it is most considerably enlarged by the drainage of the rainfall and springs. To worse than waste this enormous amount of liquid manure, by pouring it into the Thames has long and justly been deemed a gross absurdity; but how that national loss of fertilizing matters shall be best appHed to an agricultural purpose is not so generally understood, although it has been the occasion for the display of very considerable discussion, of illinformed zeal, frequently mingled with personal vulgarities, not unworthy of those very sewers. There have been two modes suggested for the utilization of the fertilizing matters of sewage. 1st. That of precipitating its solid portion, as at Leices- ter, and one or two other places ; and 2ndly, by using the sewage (in its ordinary state, or after being deodorized), in irrigation. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE, 89 The first mode has the advantage of commonly requiring less outlay of capital than is essential to construct sewers sufficient to convey the sewage to the necessary distance from densely inhabited dis- tricts. But then it has the almost insurmounta- ble disadvantage, that the solid manure thus pro- duced by the deodorizing works is of too little value to be worthy of the farmer's attention, more espe- cially in such places where the richer refuse matters of towns are largely obtainable at a very reasona- ble rate. It is most desirable that we should well understand this portion of the inquiry. It has been successfully examined by Mr. R. S. Burn, {Quar. Jour. Ayri. 1858, pp. 270-386.) He gives the esti- mate of Messrs. Hoffman and Witt, who have cal- culated the agricultural value of the soluble and insoluble constituents of 100 tons of London sewage. It is as follows : — Soluble. s. d. 15 4,V Insoluble. s. d. 2 ^ In its original state (Total value 17s. 8d.) After treatment with lime .. 11 11 — After filtration through charcoal 11 1.^ — After shaking with charcoal .. 10 IH — After treating with Stothart and Gotta's mixtures .. i 12 5 — From these numbers, as it is truly observed by these chemists, it i? obvious that six-sevenths of all the fertilizing constituents of sewage are in the soluble form ; and that, in the liquid which re- sults from the deodorizing processes by means of lime and charcoal, a very considerable proportion of the soluble agents of the original sewage remain unremoved. We are furnished, however, with the means of still further and practically examining this branch of the inquiry. Professor Voelcker analyzed the solid sewage manure, which is skilfully precipitated at Leicester by means of lime, moulded mto the form of bricks, and properly dried, for the greater convenience of carriage. In 100 parts of these bricks were contained : Water 10.52 Organic matter 12.46 Insoluble siliceous matter .. 13.50 Sulphate of lime 1.76 Oxides of iron, and alumina. . 2.89 Carbonate of lime 52.99 Carbonate of magnesia 3.67 Common salt 0.45 Potash 0.26 Phosphate of lime 2.27 Nitrogen 0.60 per cent. Ammonia 0.72 „ From this analysis, the value of the Leicester sewage brick manure is 15s. 5d. per ton; but, as- suming it to be 18s., then, as it takes 124 tons of these bricks to give the same amount of fertihzing matter as 1 ton of guano, these chemists have thus shown the relative cost of applying the bricks and guano as a manure : AT THE FACTORY. Guano. £ 1 ton guano 11 Spreading o d. 0 9 £11 0 9 Leicester Brick. £ 122 tons 11 Spreading o s. d. 0 0 9 9 £11 9 9 AT A DISTANCE OF FIVE MILES. Guano. £ s. d. 1 ton of guano ii o 0 Carriage o 5 0 Spreading o 0 9 £11 5 9 Leicester Brick. £ s. d. 12 7^ tons 11 0 0 Carriage 3 2 6 Spreading 0 9 9 £14 12 3 It is evident, therefore, that in general the sewage brick manure of Leicester best bears an economical comparison with guano at the manu. factory, which is the place where it is most exposed to competition with more concentrated organic town manures. It would seem, therefore, that the further the deodorizing works are removed from populous places, the more valuable is the solid manure produced ; the farmer, in distant places, commonly becoming more willing to purchase heavier and less-concentrated fertilizers, if obtain- able near his land. Where we have the power to apply sewage in its original state to grass-land, we get rid of all the labour of deodorization, and utilize the most fer- tilizing (or liquid) portion of the sewage. Here, however, we have to apply it in large proportions : it is idle to expect very considerable benefits from the limited amount which is very often used. The liquid employed can only possess fertilizing powers from (first) its water, or (second) the foreign matters chemically or mechanically diffused through it. Now, to give to an acre of grass-land the fertilizing power of 4 cwt. of guano, it is neces- sary to use 250 tons of sewage ; but then, in so doing, we apply water equal to a depth of 2^ inches of rain. My readers will remark that the results of these h2 90 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. calculations wellaccord with the practice of the owners of the great sewage-irrigated meads of Clipstone in Nottinghamshire, of Edinburgh, and of Milan, only lately reported upon by her Majesty's Com- missioners, Messrs. Austin, Way, and Southwood Smith. In all these cases, large quantities of sewage are employed. These Commissioners, when reporting upon the irrigated meads of Milan, 80 celebrated for their productiveness, tell us that they found that the river Vettabbia, which conveys the liquid refuse from the city of Milan, is made to ramify, and serve for the irrigation of about 4,000 acres of land : and that the depth of water conveyed on to the land, calculated over the whole area, is about 8 feet per acre per annum, conveying to each acre the liquid refuse of about 40 persons : but then it must be observed that much of the water is used over and over again successively, on lands at lower levels. We see, then, that the quantity of water annually applied by the Milanese irrigators is about equal to 9,600 tons per acre. The Itahan farmers turn on the water, duiing the summer months, for 6 to 10 hours every week ; but on some of their meads, which are then called " marcite," the water is, during the winter, constantly kept flowing over the grass, in a thin film. The produce of some of these meadows is given by the reporters. On the farm of Dr. Chiappa (of 580 acres), between 3 and 4 miles from Milan, about 80 acres are " marcite." These support entirely, during the year, 100 stall- fed cows. Six crops of grass are cut during the year — viz., in — February, 800 kilogrammes per pertica April, 800 June, 600 „ „ August, 600 „ „ October, 400 „ „ December, 400 ,, „ Or, annually, about 22 tons of grass per acre. Hay, it seems, is here made in June and August, and sometimes in October. The cattle have hay only during about 40 days in the year ; at all other times they are fed upon fresh grass. No manure whatever is applied to meads, except the foul irri- gating waters. It seems evident, then, that the application of sewage to land is best accomplished by using it for irrigation ; and if so, then it appears very de- sirable for this purpose that, in all engineering arrangements where it is necessary to raise the sewage by mechanical means into main sewers, a reasonably high level should be selected for those great culverts. It is hardly necessary to say why a high level is preferable, since it is evident that it is only from its flowing at such elevations, that the owners of the land near which it passes towards its outlet can use the sewage (flowing by its own gravity) in sufficiently copious quantities for the valuable purposes of irrigation.] MR. RAREY'S SYSTEM OF HORSE-TAMING. It ssems that Mr. Rarey's secret was no secret, as far as our cousins at the other side of the Atlantic were concerned, as he published in 1856, in America, a work on the subject, which, from the evidence of some of his pupils, seems to contain all the information which he has communicated to his two or three thousand subscribers, to the tune of £10 10s. each. Some of them seem much annoyed at the position in which they are placed, having signed a bond not to reveal the secret under a penalty of £500, while they find the whole can be now had in a pamphlet for sixpence. At one of Mr. Rarey's lectures, lately given, it is reported that Mr. Leslie complained, "in a manner not altogether gracious or respectful, that, although he had paid 10 guineas to learn Mr. Rarey's system, and had entered into a bond of £500 not to betray the secret, he yet found that a pamphlet had been published for sixpence, which purported to be written by Mr. Rarej', and to contain the same in- formation as that which he communicated in his lectures. He wished to know, under the circum- stances, what part of the secret it was which he was required to conceal ? and whether the sub- scribers were to be placed in a worse position, in regard to divulging the mysteries of the system, than the public who read the pamphlet ?" Mr. Rarey admitted the fact that " the pamphlet was a reprint of one which he had published in America some years ago, and against the piracy of which, as there was no international copyright, he could obtain no protection." " The pamphlet, he re- marked, " could not be said to contain the details of his system, as now perfected by long subsequent experience and observation." Mr. Leslie, evi- dently not satisfied with his position, thus wrote to the Editor of the Morning Post : " Sir, — Being one of Mr. Rarey's pupils, and the person who commenced the remarks to-day at the Kinnerton Round House, on the subject of the bond to secresy of £500 entered into individually by all subscribers, I feel at liberty to recommend subscribers to look into their position as regards THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 91 the bond of secresy, seeing that a treatise on 'The Modern Art of Taming Wild Horses, by J. S. Rarey, the Horse Tamer, reprinted from the Ame- rican Edition,' can be obtained at the publishers', Messrs. G. Routledge and Co., Farringdon-street, City, for the sum of sixpence. " I remain. Sir, your obedient servant, "George FARauHAR Leslie. " 45, Rutland Gate, S.W." Other parties have written to the Times— some in their own name, others signing themselves " Zebra," &c. However, we give the pamphlet entire, premising that some parts of Mr. Rarey's process (secret no longer) appear to us not only cruel, but dangerous to the animal, in the hands of inexperienced persons ; and how men of intelli- gence could proclaim to the world that no cruelty was practised, seems to us, after reading the book, a perfect mystery. Here it is, in extenso : THE MODERN ART OF TAMING WILD HORSES. INTRODUCTION. The first domestication of the horse, one of the greatest achievements of man in the animal king- dom, was not the work of a day, but, like all other great accomplishments, was brought about by a gradual process of discoveries and experiments. He first subdued the more subordinate animals, on account of their being easily caught and tamed, and used for many years the mere drudges — the ox, the ass, and the camel— instead of the fleet and elegant horse. This noble animal was the last brought into subjection, owing, perhaps, to man's limited and inaccurate knowledge of his nature, and his consequent inability to control him. This fact alone is sufficient evidence of his superiority over all other animals. Man, in all his inventions and discoveries, has almost invariably commenced with some simple principle, and gradually developed it from one de- gree of perfection to another. The first hint that we have of the use of electricity was Franklin's drawing it from the clouds with his kite : now, it is the instrument of conveying thought from mind to mind, with a rapidity that surpasses time. The great propelling power that drives the wheel of the engine over our land, and ploughs the ocean with our steamers, was first discovered escaping from a tea-kettle. And so the powers of the horse, second only to the powers of steam, became known to man only as experiments and investigation revealed them. The horse, according to the best accounts we can gather, has been the constant servant of man for nearly four thousand years, ever rewarding him with his labour, and adding to his comfort, in pro- portion to his skill and manner of using him ; but being to those who govern him by brute force, and know nothing of the beauty and delight to be gained from the cultivation of his finer nature, a fret- ful, vicious, and often dangerous servant; whilst to the Arab, whose horse is the pride of his life, and who governs him by the law of kindness, we find him to be quite a different animal. The manner in which he is treated from a foal, gives him an affection and attachment for his master not known in any other country. The Arab and his children, ihe mare and her foal, inhabit the tent together ; and although the colt and the mare's neck are often pillows for the children to roll upon, no accident ever occurs, the mare being as careful of the children as of the colt. Such is the mutual attachment between the horse and his master, that he will leave his companions at his master's call, ever glad to obey his voice. And when the Arab falls from his horse, and is unable to rise again, he will stand by him and neigh for assistance ; and if he lies down to sleep, as fatigue compels him to do, in the midst of the desert, his faithful steed will watch over him, and neigh to arouse him, if man or beast approaches. The Arabs frequently teach their horses secret signs, or signals, which they make use of on urgent occa- sions, to call forth their utmost exertions. These are more efficient than the barbarous mode of urging them on with the spur and whip, a forcible illustration of which will be found in the following anecdote : A Bedouin named Jabal possessed a mare of great celebrity. Hassad Pasha, then Governor of Damascus, wished to buy the animal, and re- peatedly made the owner the most liberal offers, which Jabal steadily refused. The Pacha then had recourse to threats, but with no better suc- cess. At length one Gafar, a Bedouin of another tribe, presented himself to the Pasha, and asked what he would give the man who should make him master of Jabal's mare ? I will fill his horse's nose-bag with gold," replied Hassad. The result of this interview having gone abroad, Jabal became more watchful than ever, and always secured his mare at night with an iron chain, one end of which was fastened to her hind-fetlock, whilst the other, after passing through the tent-cloth, was attached to a picket driven in the ground under the felt that served himself and his wife for a bed. But one midnight Gafar crept silently into the tent, and succeeded in loosening the chain. Just before start- ing off with his prize, he caught up Jabal's lance, and, poking him with the butt end, cried out, " 1 am Gafar ! I have stolen your noble mare, and will give you notice in time." This warning was 9^ THE FARMER^S xMAGAZINE. in accordance with the customs of the Desert ; for to rob a hostile tribe is considered an honourable exploit, and the man who accomplisbes it, is de- sirous of all the glory that may How from the deed. Poor Jabal, when he heard the words, rushed out of the tent, and gave the alarm ; then, mount- ing his brother's mare, accompanied by some of his tribe, he pursued the robber for four hours. The brother's mare was of the same stock as Jabal's, but was not equal to her : nevertheless, he outstripped those of all the other pursuers, and was even on the point of overtaking the robber, when Jabal shouted to him, " Pinch her right ear, and give her a touch of the heel ! " Gafar did so ; and away went the mare like lightning, speedily render- • ing further pursuit hopeless. The pinch in the ear and the touch with the heel were the secret signs by which Jal)al had been used to urge his mare to her utmost speed. Jabal's companions were amazed and indignant at his strange conduct. " O thou father of a jackass," they cried, " thou hast enabled the thief to rob thee of thy jewel ! " But he silenced their upbraidings by saying, "I would rather lose her than sully her reputation. Would you have me suffer it to be said among the tribes that another mare had proved fleeter than mine r I have at least this comfort left me — that I can say she never met with her match." Different countries have their different modes of horsemanships but amongst all of them its first practice was carried on in but a rude and indiffer- ent way, being hardly a stepping-stone to the com- fort and delight gained from the use of the horse at the present day. The pohshed Greeks, as well as the ruder nations of Noithern Africa, for a long while rode without either saddle or bridle, guiding their horses with the voice or the hand, or with a light switch, with which they touched the animal on the side of the face, to make him turn in the op- posite direction. They urged him forward by a touch of the heel, and stopped him by catching him by the muzzle. Bridles and bits were at length introduced; but many centuries elapsed before anything that could be called a saddle was used. Instead of these, cloths, single or padded, and skins of wild beasts, often richly adorned, were placed beneath the rider, but always without stir- rups ; and it is given as an extraordinary fact that the Romans, even in the times when luxury was carried to excess amongst them, never desired so simple an expedient for assisting the horseman to mount, to lessen his fatigue, and aid him in sitting more securely in his saddle. Ancient sculptures prove that the horsemen of almost every country were accustomed to mount their horses from the right side of the animal, that they might the better grasp the mnne, which hangs on tliPl side — a prac- tice universally changed in modern times. The ancients generally leaped on their horses' backs, though they sometimes carried a spear with a loop or projection about two feet from the bottom, which served them as a step. In Greece and Rome, the local magistracy were bound to see that blocks for mounting (what the Scotch call " loupin'-on stanes") were placed along the road at convenient distances. The great, however, thought it more dignified to mount their horses by stepjnng on the bent backs of their servants or slaves ; and many, who could not command such costly help, used to carry a light ladder about with them. The first distinct notice that we have of the use of the saddle occurs in the edict of the Emperor Theodosius (a.d. 385), from which we also learn that it was usual for those who hired post-horses to provide their own saddle ; and that the saddle should not weigh more than sixty pounds — a cumbrous con- trivance, more hke the howdahs placed on the backs of elephants than the light and elegant saddle of modern times. Side-saddles for ladies are an invention of comparatively recent date. The first seen in England was made for Anne of Bohemia, wife of Richard the Second, and was probably more like a pillion than the side-saddle of the present day. A pillion is a sort of very low- backed arm-chair, and was fastened on the horse's croup, behind the saddle, on which a man rode who had all the care of managing the horse, while the lady sat at her ease, supporting herself by grasping a belt which he wore, or passing her arm around his body, if the gentleman was not too ticklish. But the Mexicans manage these things with more gallantry than the ancients did. The paisana, or country lady, we are told, is often seen mounted before her caballero, who takes the more natural position of being seated behind his fair one, supporting her by throwing his arm around her waist — a very appropriate support, if the bent position of the arm does not cause an occasional contraction of the muscles. These two positions may justly be considered as the first steps taken by the ladies towards their improved and elegant mode of riding at the present day. At an early period, when the diversion of hawking was preva- lent, they dressed themselves in the costume of the knight, and rode astride. Horses were in general use for many centuries before anything like a protection for the hoof was thought of; and it was introduced at first, as a matter of course, on a very simple scale. The first foot-defence, it is said, which was given to the horse, was on the same principle as that worn by man: it was a sort of sandal, made of leather, and tied to the horse's foot by means of straps or strings. And, finally, plates of metal .vere fas- THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 93 tened to the horse's feet by the same simple means. Here agahi, as in the case of the stirrupless saddle, wten we reflect that men should, for nearly a thousand years, have gone on fastening plates of metal under horses' hoofs by the clumsy means of straps and strings, without its ever occurring to them to try so simple an improvement as nails, we have another remarkable demonstration of the slow steps by which horsemanship has reached its present state. In the foregoing remarks, I have taken the liberty of extracting several facts from a valuable little work by RoUa Springfield. With this short comment on the rise and pro- gress of horsemanship, from its commencement up to the present time, I will proceed to give you the principles of a new theory of taming wild horses, which is the result of many experiments, and a thorough investigation and trial of the different methods of horsemanship now in use. THE THREE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCPLES OF MY THEORY. Founded on the Leading Characteristics of the Horse. First. — That he is so constituted by nature that he will not offer resistance to any demand made of him which he fully comprehends, if made in a way consistent with the laws of his nature. Second. — That he has no consciousness of his strength beyond his experience, and can be handled according to our will without force. Third. — That we can, in compliance with the laws of his nature, by which he examines all things new to him, take any object, however frightful, around, over, or on him, that does not inflict pain — without causing him to fear. To take these assertions in order, I will first give you some of the reasons why I think he is naturally obedient, and will not offer resistance to anything fully comprehended. The horse, though possessed of some faculties superior to man's, being deficient in reasoning powers, has no knowledge of right or wrong, of free will and independent government, and knows not of any imposition practised upon him, however unreasonable these impositions may be. Consequently, he cannot come to any decision as to what he should or should not do, because he has not the reasoning faculties of man to argue the justice of the thing demanded of him. If he had, taking into consideration his superior strength, he would be useless to man as a servant. Give him mind in proportion to his strength, and he will de- mand of us the green fields for his inheritance, where he will roam at leisure, denying the right of servitude at all. God has wisely formed his nature so that it can be operated upon by the knowledge of man according to the dictates of his will, and he might well be termed an unconscious, submissive servant. This truth we can see verified in every day's experience by the abuses practised upon him. Any one who chooses to be so cruel, can mount the noble steed and run him till he drops with fatigue, or, as is often the case with the more spirited, falls dead beneath his rider. If he had the power to reason, would he weight, and temper — but he is often anything but " good all over" ; and there is no doubt that, with one or two very good strains of blood, there is much but middling. The Bury Show went far to prove this. These meetings are altogether very " horsey" in their character. With some care and perseverance a good ex- hibition of riding and driving stock has now been es- tablished. Buthere, again, neither innumbers nor quahty was the entry equal to that of last season. The prize list of this section extends over all sorts of horses — thorough- bred stallions, coach-horses, cobs, hunters, hacks, brood mares, foals, and ponies. Notwithstanding the vicinity to Newmarket, there were only two thorough-bred horses sent, of which an old favourite, " The Lion," was a long way the best. From the others we may select a very clever Norfolk cob of Mr. Gowing's ; the two prize hacks, both by Robinson, and one. Captain Barlow's horse, a winner at Ipswich ; some stylish good-looking foals by "Revenge," and the two prize ponies. Only a couple of weight-carriers faced the hurdles, which they accomplished in rather a slovenly style. But many a young horse would get nervous in such a crowd as thronged down to see this extraordinary feat — at best but a cocktail business. Although the cart-horses are all supposed to be natives, it is not so with the cattle. The home breed have a series of premiums to themselves, "the other" sorts being confined almost entirely to shorthorns. But the Suffolk cow is not at best a show beast, and one or two of the most successful breeders of them did not enter here. There were fewer good-looking animals than usual amongst them. However, it is said they go more for use than appearance, and certainly quite hold their rank in their own county. Suffolk is one of the few districts in which the Shorthorn does not flourish. For years now have Messrs. Barthropp and Crisp, who went into the experiment with great spirit, had the breed very much to themselves. It will be found they took the majority of the prizes. Mr. Beckett's two-year-old bull is one of a lot purchased of Mr. Barthropp. But we should question whether the latter has many such neighbouring customers. Major Parker's white bull, the first prize amongst the Shorthorns, has no pedigree, but stands simply as a Durham. That of Mr. Barthropp, on the other hand, which was thought to be of a finer quality, is duly registered. He was the first prize bull at Norwich the other day. Mr. Crisp's picked cow, a 112 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. fiae roomy, bfoad-backed animal, lead off as good a class of cows as the Society has ever mustered. But the adjoining counties may have contributed something to this. Lady Pigott, for instance, sent one or two highly- bred beasts that may yet do better. Her Ladyship's turn is hardly yet come ; but she appears to unite the great essentials of success — spirit and perseverance. The show of sheep, vrhich alone could have brought the entries up to tlieir average strength, was numerically greater than those of past years. Mr. Sexton stood the most distinguished here with some- Cotswolds, which he is endeavouring to introduce. Mr. Aylmer and another Mr. Sexton had some fairish Southdowns ; and Cross- breds and Blackfaces — much the same thing — made up this department. The Black-faces — a mixture of the Southdown and Norfolk — may be considered as one of the features of West Suffolk. Mr. Crisp had it nearly all his own way with the pigs, being chiefly successful with the white, but showing a black boar — his best — that looks like an enlarged edition of the Essex. The Suffolk Association does not deal in poultry, and the great manufacturers will not have any prizes for im- plements. We should be sorry to take this as a speci- men of what an exhibition of machinery would become without competition, but it was a long way behind the other field in interest and attraction. As our opinion is well-known on this subject, we will avail ourselves of the report of a local journal. The Bury Post says : "With regard to the Implement Show, it was very good as a commencement, and as the exhibition was almost solely by exhibitors of the county. Mr. Boby, of this town, and Mr, Woods, of Stowmarket, exhibited a good collection ; but those of our larger manufacturers were on so small a scale, and so much inferior to their variety as shown at the national meetings of the R.A.S.E., that one cannot avoid saying that the county did not do itself justice in this department. Suffolk could provide such a first-rate exhibition of implements, that one which would be considered good in almost any other county, can here only be looked upon as the introduction to better things, a commencement which ought to lead to something better in future years." Is not this rather suggestive of No prizes, no show ? However, a medal or award is to be given next year for the best steam- cultivator, and this may lead on to something more. In addition to what was exhibited from the strength of the county, there was one of Burgess and Key's prize reapers, and an engine fitted with Boydell's wheels parading the ground — both, we believe, from the stock of Mr. Boby. At the general meeting held before the dinner, the usual series of premiums were distributed to good la- bourers. Mr. Bond's suggestion, for having the stock in the day previous to the show, was again referred to the committee ; and the offer of a prize for a steam plough agreed to. The dinner itself, in no way to be complained of, was served strictly on the principle that " Jupiter helps those who help themselves." There was in reality no attendance, and the comfort of the thing was of coursB quite gone. The toast list, ejitending t 5s. com- plete." " At Benthal," he says, " turnips are coming ia among them ; they begin to hoe, ,but only a little. Soot they use a little for wheat-crops in April, at 6d. a-bushel. In weaning calves they have several methods to make a little milk go a long way ; for instance, to a pail of water they put a pint of linseed, which they boil, so that when cold it shall be a jelly ; they then warm it for use, and mix it with skim-milk half-and-half. They abo mix milk and water and pea-flour for the same pur- pose. Cutting straw into chaff is much practised." Near Shrewsbury, on a strong loam, " they plough with horses four or five at length, and do an acre a day ; keep eight horses to 100 acres of tillage. Break stubbles a^tcr wheat-sowing. Swing-ploughs used, and the c suiters fixed to the shares. Irrigation practised. Many co,)ses in the landlord's lauds ; the young wood cut and so'. J to the collieries. Lime spread on peas when thrie or four laches high, to keep insects from them." At Orton he found a farmyard managed on the best system he had anywhere seen. "In aulumn the farmer carts marl in, and spreads it ; upon this he confines his cittle, giving them their fodder on it ; and he has a well in the lowest part for pumj/ing up the drainings and scattering them by trouglis over the whole body of the compost." Have any Shropshire farmers cause to be ashamed when they read Ihle re<5ord of fiixLy-two years since .•* Of its breed of sheep, a large and most valuable variety of Downs, this county may justly be proud, and we have no doubt that visitors will profit by this opportunity of acquainting themselves with the peculiar merits and properties of these rapidly improving animals. North Wales, embracing the counties of Montgomery, Merioneth, Flint, Denbigh, Carnarvon, and the Isle of Anglesea, is more renowned for its magnificent moun- tain sceaery, its slate, copper, lead, iron, coal, and manganese works, its flannel, cotton, and other manu- factures, than for its farming. Indeed, the arable land is less than one-fifth of the whole acreage, and one- fourth is in wood and waste. The largest extent of any one kind of soil is on the coal-measures, or compara- tively level tract, stretching south-west of Chester; beyond this are the limestone hills of Flintshire, and the Silurian mountains of Denbigh ; then the vale of Clwyd lying on new red sand-stone, and proverbial for its fer- tility. Most of Carnarvonshire is a district of moun- tains, comprising the mighty Snowdon, and other lofty peaks ; abounding in precipices, lakes, and passes ; sheep-walks, and bogs on the elevated parts of the region, and miniature valleys, with good soil, bordering the streams — as near Carnarvon, Bangor, in Conway vale, Festiniog, and other places ; and on the shores of Cardigan Bay are sandy marshes, embanked from the sea. In Anglesea are some marshy tracts, capable of great improvement. Remote from good roads and markets, Welsh husbandry is in a backward condition ; such, in fact, as that of some of our best- managed cjunties was fifty years ago ; but railways and other stirring influences ^re awakening the spirit of progress. But the improvements must necessarily be of a rudi- mentary character, in spots where the growth of grain is impossible, and cattle have to be sent off to the eastern farms ou the approach of the Alpine winter. The history of the agriculture is, first, solely grazing ; next, a little tillage is combined with it ; and then manures are economized and applied to the cereal crops and meadows ; subsequent to which an advanced step is taken by the introduction of green crops and alternate husbandry. But turnips form, at present, a minor part of the usual culture ; and owing mainly to the bad practice of taking two, three, or four corn crops in succession, and breaking up the lea again within two, three, or four years of so exhausting a course, the de- ficient average produce does not supply North Wales with enough corn for its own consumption, large quan- tities being imported from England and Ireland, to feed only a scanty population. Sheep-farming upon the mountains is the principal business of the occupiers ; and of the qualities of the nati-?e sheep we shall have some- thing to add in our report of the show. Cheshire is a comparatively level county ; about one quarter, in the east and north-east, rising into lofty hills. Rich red loams and strong tenacious soils pre- vail ; and the pastures, sheltered by a profusion of timber, and kept moist by the great rainfall, arc some of the most luxuriant grazing-lands in England, Those of U8 proposing to devote a day or two to exi)Io*»Mon8 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 119 in Cheshire, may bear la mind the famous beds of rock- salt, and the brine-springs near Northwich, Middle- wich, etc. ; the cotton and silk factories of Macclesfield, Stockport, Congleton : but cheese, being the principal product, will be the main subject of inquiry to the agri- culturist ; and the boning of grass-lands may also be investigated with benefit at rhe same opportunity. Two- thirds, or more generally three-fourths, of a dairy-farm are in permanent pasture, the remainder in tillage ; the farmers being commonly bound to lay the whole of their manure, not on the arable, but on the grass, purchasing what may be necessary for the other fields. And the cheese — that is, the chief product of the farm — goes to pay the rent. Tile-drainage has been done to a very considerable extent ; but the chief improvement consists in the application of bone-manure. In the milk of each cow, in its urine, and in the bones of each calf reared and sold off, a farm parts with as much earthy phosphate as is contained in half a hundredweight of bone-dust. Hence the advantage found in returning this mineral matter by boning. It is considered that draining and boning four acres of land yield an addi- tional produce equivalent to the keep of one cow ; and tenants readily pay 7 per cent, to their landlords for expenditure in bone-manure. The quantity applied varies from one to two tons an acre, ground to coarse powder, and put on in the autumn. Nutritious grasses quickly take the place of useless or injurious varieties ; and the land never afterwards reverts to its sour condi- tion. Why is it that the same practice has failed in some other counties ? THE PRESERVATION OF FOOD. In preceding articles in this Journal we gave abstracts of the specifications of patent inventions relating to "Drain-tiles and Pipes" and "Manures." We now propose to follow these up by similar abstracts of the specifications of inventions relating to " The Preservation of Food." And we do this all the more readily, as our article may form a suggestive sequel to the paper pre- sented some short time since, entitled the " Preservation of Grain for Food." For the matter of the present paper we are indebted to one of the publications of the Com- missioners of Patents, corresponding in size and price (6d.) to the Abridgments of Specifications relating to " Drain-tiles and Pipes" and " Manures," as above al- luded to. We shall confine our remarks chiefly to those patents having special reference to agricultural produce. The first patent recorded bears a date as early as October 7th, 1691 ; it was granted to Thomas Porter and James White, for preserving " by liquors or other- wise all sorts of flesh, fowle, and fish, and many other things, either in pieces or whole bodyes, at a cheaper rate, for many years, in all climates, without changing the nature, quality, taste, smell, or colour thereof, as good, palatable, and wholesome, to be eaten and made use of for any intent and purpose whatever, as when first killed or put into such liquor." What these liquors or "otherwise " were, which were to effect such a preservative process, does not appear, as no specifica- tion was enrolled. Vegetables were proposed to be preserved by drying and preparing, so as to keep a twelvemonth or longer without loss of flavour, under the patent dated Dec. 30th, 1780, to John Graefer. The plants and vegetables to be preserved were boiled for a " minute or there- abouts " in salt and water, taken out and hung sepa- rately on lines or small hooks, in an atmosphere impreg- nated " with heat or fumigation by means of a bazaglo or any other stove, or steam issuing through funnels, or by the natural heat of the sun." To this atmosphere the plants were to be subjected till perfectly dry. To fit them for exportation, they were to be removed to a damp room, where they were allowed — oddly enough, after the care taken to dry them — to imbibe a sufficient quantity of moisture to allow of their being packed without crumbling. Eggs were proposed to be preserved "for the space of two years at the least," by immersing them in a mixture of such specific gravity as to allow of their floating in it; this mixture to be composed of the following substances in certain proportions : Quicklime, salt, cream of tar- tar, with water. The date of the patent is Feb. 8, 1791 ; the name of the patentee, William Sayne. February 19th, 1793, a patent was granted to John Donaldson, for preserving animal and vegetable sub- stances, by combining certain principles therein con- tained ; " proportioning the farinaceous vegetable principle with the coagulative or mucilaginous one." Watery vegetables required, according to the patentee, a greater quantity of farina or mucilage. Carrots or turnips required a preserving matter compounded of barley or wheat meal with a solution of common gum or vegetable mucilage. The substances, either raw or otherwise, were afterwards to be kiln-dried and packed in boxes. In the patent granted to Augustus de Heine, Feb. 26th, 1810, the articles to be preserved were proposed to be put into vessels of glass, iron, or other metal ; in the lids or covers of which were protuberances wherein valves were fitted, which sufi'ered the air in the vessel to escape, but prevented it from entering. From the in- terior of these vessels the air was exhausted by a peculiar machine described. June 20th, 1820, a patent was granted to John Val- ance, for a method of packing or casking hops, so as to be out of the reach of atmospheric influences, and which would enable them (as anticipated by the patentee) to be kept " as long as is pleased — perhaps half a century even" — without being damaged. The hops packed in metallic or wooden cases, by means of a strong hy- draulic pressure, or otherwise j the joints, or crevices, were to be luted with pitch and rosin," softened 120 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. and toughened ia texture by the addition of a little tallow. Potatoes were proposed to be preserved by Thomas Alexander Roberts (patent dated April 23rd, 1825), by taking them when thoroughly ripe, and before they have grown in the spring, and cutting out or otherwise destroying the eyes or germs," Carrots, turnips, and other vegetables were to have the germinating parts cut out. In the patent granted to Robert Vazel, July 12, 1827, a claim is made which has reference to " preventing the injury which corn and pulse too frequently sustain by rain and wind during harvest," this being effected by placing round a stake driven into the ground eight sheaves of the grain, and placing a hood sheaf spread round the upper part of the upright sheaves. This arrangement is called the " corn preserver." There are other claims which donot comewithin thecompass'of the present paper, Donald Currie patented, January 31, 1828, a me- thod of preserving grain, and other vegetable and animal substances, by inclosing them in air-tight vessels, vaults, and other proper receptacles. From these the atmospheric air was to be extracted as much as possible, and to be replaced by carbonic-acid gas, obtained by any of many well-known methods, as by combustion of charcoal and fermentation. Potatoes, and other vegetable substances, were pro- posed to be preserved by a process patented by Edward Downes, Aug. 8, 1840. The potatoes are first to be boiled, or steamed, till the skins just show symptoms of cracking ; they arc then put into a cylinder, the bottom of which is pierced with small holes, and in which a pis- ton is pressed down, forcing the potatoes through the holes in the form of small threads or fibres, which retain the form. The potato fibres are then dried in water baths. The object of the patent granted to Charles Grellet (Nov. 25, 1840) is also the preparation of potatoes into various articles of food, in the shape of potato flour and potato meal. Various machines and apparatus for dry- ing are described in the specification. To Robert Davison and William Symington a patent was granted, March 28, 1844, for a method or me- thods of drying, seasoning, and hardening wood and other articles, parts of which aie applicable to the desic- cation of vegetable substances generally. For this pur- pose currents of air heated to definite temperatures in a series of pipes placed over a furnace are propelled with high velocity, by means of revolving fans, through and among the mass of wheat, coffee, starch, or other substances to be dried. In the patent granted to William Truman Hall (Jan. 28, 1845), the animal and vegetable substances to be dried are hung up, or thinly placed on shelves in a dry- ing chamber, through which air is propelled by means " of a fan, a piston, or a cylinder." The air, before en- tering the chamber, is proposed to be passed through a vessel containing fragments of chloride of calcium ; the object of this being to deprive the air of moisture. To keep animal and vegetable substances " dry " only, the patentee proposes to place them in vessels " generally made of tin," containing chloride of calcium. When the substances to be kept dry are very moist and thin, " it is advantageous to make a partial vacuum in the cases or vessels," and to increase considerably the quantity of chloride of calcium. Samuel Carson, in his patent (dated Nov. 4, 1845) aims at preserving eggs by puncturing them at one end with a pin, placing them in cases with the punctured end up- wards. The lids of the cases are then soldered on, and the air exhausted from a tube in the lid, which has two openings, one of which leads into a steam boiler ; the steam from this enters the case, and the water of con- densation islet off through a hole in the bottom of the case. Thomas Grimwade Shipp, in his patent (dated May 14th, 1847), proposes to preserve milk for any length of time, by the simple admixture of pure water. To the mixture saltpetre is added ; the whole being exposed to heat in vacuo, so as to evaporate and extract the aqueous particles. The fluid is then to be enclosed in vessels from which the air has been previously exhausted _; and preserved from contact with the atmosphere. The object of the next patent (patentee, Francis Bernhard Bekeart, date May 29th, 1847) is to increase the quantity of cream from milk, by adding to it, in the proportion of one table-spoonful to two quarts of milk, a liquid prepared by dissolving in one quart of water one ounce of carbonate of soda, to which is added one teaspoonful of a solution of turmeric or curcuma, and three drops of marigold water. Other alkaline sub- stance may be used, and the patentee states that the soda solution will be efficacious without the other ingredients above mentioned. Milk is proposed to be preserved under the patent by adding to one quart of the milk one spoonful of the solution of soda. The milk thus treated is put into a bottle which it should exactly fill, the cork to be secured by wire or string to prevent it flying out, The bottles thus filled are to be placed in a cold bath, the water of which is to be raised to the boiling point, and allowed to cool. Milk is also proposed to be preserved by the patent process of Jules Jean Baptiste Martin de Lignac (date of patent Oct. 7th, 1847), which consists in first straining the milk, evaporating it in flat shallow pans, placed in a water bath heated to 18G deg. Fah. fill it is reduced to one-sixth of its original bulk. It is then filled into tin vessels, which are hermetically sealed after standing twenty-four hours. When sealed, the tins are put into water at a temperature of 210 deg. Fah., and allowed to remain for ten minutes. Robert Davison and William Symington propose, in their second patent (dated Nov. Gth, 1847), to dry pulse or vegetables by means of currents of heated air— pro- duced as stated in their first patent — passing through the substances, which are placed in the heating-chamber upon trays with hair-cloth or lattice-work bottoms. The patent of date May 26th, 1848, granted to Felix Hyacinthe Folliett Louis, proposes to preserve milk by converting it into solid cakes or masses, soluble in warm water, " and capable of preserving for a long time their original freshness and sweetness." These cakes are made by mixing with the milk well clarified raw sugar, THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 121 agitating it, and evaporating it in certain apparatus, con- sisting of shallow pans with steam jackets. Where the milk does not exceed ths depth of one-tenth of an inch in the pan, the evaporation may be effected by allowing the dishes to remain in the open air. To John Bethell a patent was granted (dated August 21st, 1848), in which he claims a method of preserving corn and all sorts of grain by the use of heated steam. This is obtained by " simply passing steam, generated in the usual way, through a series of heated or red-hot pipes ; or the grain may be made to pass through a re- volving cylinder of perforated metal or wire-gauze, placed in a close oven or chamber, heated in any way." A machine is also described for drying grain, which con- sists of a chamber, in which a series of endless cloths or aprons traverse upon rollers. The grain is passed to the first cloth at one end of the box, passed by the gradual motion to the opposite end of the box, where it falls into the second cloth, placed below the first, and moved on to the opposite end of the box, where it is in like manner delivered to the third cloth, and so on to the end of the series. The grain, in its passage thus through the chamber, is subjected to the action of currents of heated steam. In the same patent, Mr. Bethell proposes to preserve milk by first scalding it, and then impregna- ting it with carbonic-acid gas in a soda-water machine, and bottling it in the usual way. The milk, well scalded, may be put into strong tin vessels, into which the carbonic-acid gas may be forced. To James Murdoch, Jan. 30, 18.51, a patent was granted for preserving animal and vegetable substances, by subjecting them in a close chamber to the action of currents cf dry air. Provisional protection, under the new act of 1852, was granted to Louis Constant Alexandre Vittrant, for a method of preserving grain or seeds, or other matters, by enclosing it or them in a chamber hermetically sealed, either from light or contact with the atmosphere, with the exception of one point or opening, which communi- cates by means of a pipe with a chamber made in the ground underneath the upper chamber. The air in the lower chamber having by reason of coming in contact with the earth, " a proper electrical condition," is led to the upper chamber by means of the pipe of communi- cation, and tends to preserve the grain. An " impor- tant point" is to place the grain in thin layers in the upper chamber. The air is made to pass through the upper chamber by exhausting it by means of a fan. To destroy the noxious insects which may lodge in the grain, carbonic-acid gas may be made to pass through the upper chamber. Warm air may also be passed to the upper chamber, being generated in the lower by means of a furnace. This patent is void by reason of notice to proceed not having been given within the time prescribed by the act. To Julien Boilesve a patent was granted (date Oct. 22, 1852,) for a method of preserving all kinds of vegetable substances, and for destroying insects, by employing chlorine or other sulphureous gas. The gases are al- lowed to expand under a bell-jar, a box, or an air-tight clolh, and directed to the chamber, in which are placed the substances to be operated upon. In the chamber a number of sieves are superposed one upon another, so as to allow vacant spaces between. The grain is placed in these sieves, and the gases allowed to circulate under and around them. A cylinder is proposed to be used, provided with a sufficient number of holes, and which is to revolve in an air-tight case ; as the grain traverses along this cylinder, which has a rotary motion given to it, it receives the effect of the gases. William Symington m his patenc of date Feb. 25, 1853, proposes to preserve milk, by obtaining a vacuum in the vessel which is to contain it ; then to fill the ves- sel well, to close it tight. The vessel is provided with a tube of soft metal, which is capable of being easily pinched close together, so as to form a tight joint; to this short pipe a longer tube is fitted, and is led into the vessel containing a quantity of milk. Heat is applied to the small vessel which is to hold the preserved milk; a vacuum is formed by the air passing out by the tube; the milk in the large vessel rushes up by the tube, and fills the small one. The soft tube is then pinched to- gether, and finally well soldered. June 10, 1853, is the date of the patent granted to Peter Armand le Comte de Fontaine Moreau, for pre- serving milk, " by forming a vacuum within the sub- stance, by an exhaust pump , by raising the temperature," or " by using a tube which is filled with milk, and put in communication with a reservoir containing a conve- nient quantity of that liquid, and covered with a layer of oil." A pump is used for exhausting the air from the milk. William Farmer, in his patent dated Sept. 24, 1853, proposes to preserve provisions, by placing them in a vessel contained within an outer one holding water. The lid of the first vessel enters the water in the space between the two, and forming a lute or water-joint, which prevents the access of the atmospheric air to the articles contained in the main vessel. October 12, 1853, is the date of the patent granted to Charles Scott Jackson, for a method of preserving seeds, potatoes, and other roots, from mildew, rot, fungus, and worms, by subjecting them to, or applying to their surfaces, salts of zinc, principally the sulphate of zinc. " To prepare potatoes for seed they are first washed clean, cut in the usual manner, and steeped in a solution of the sulphate ftf zinc from eight to twelve hours." Atmospheric air is proposed to be desiccated and cooled for the purpose of preserving and drying grain in air-tight reservoirs, by first withdrawing the moisture by causing it in a heated state to pass into a vessel in which are a number of pipes, the temperature of which is kept low by the constant circulation through them. The heated air, by coming in contact with the cold sur- faces of the pipes and the interior of the vessel, deposits its moisture by the condensation of its vapours. The air, thus cooled and desiccated, is to be drawn through the reservoir in which the grain is placed, by means of an exhauster. The name of the patentee of this method is Edward Acres, and the date of the patent April 30, 1855. R. S. B, K 2 122 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. REVIEW. THE PROGRESS OF AGRICULTURE.— A PAMPHLET ON STEAM CULTIVATION. BY J. A. WILLIAMS. The great interest and attraction of the approaching national meeting will unquestionably centre in that one naagic word — Steam. We may all, as heretofore, in- dulge in our peculiar pets and fancies — hurry to see who has got the best short-horn — how the horses show — or whose flock is this year in the ascendant. But at such a time any of these are scarcely more than subsidiary sections of the exhibition. The grand points to which we look here for a solution are — Who after a three years' peace can now produce the best steam-engine ? And, again, is the steam-plough really so improved as to become a practical implement of tlie farm ? Will the Society dare to recommend it as such? And, if so, on whom will their choice fall — Fowler, Smith, or Romaine ? There is no doubt, either, that the latter is by far the more important consideration of the two. \y& have already some considerable experi- ence of good working steam-engines ; Ijut as to steam cultivation, the public mind is just ripe to know and do more. After much labour, some disappointment, and many difficulties to overcome, the several inven- tors of such implements have at least succeeded so far — The agricultural world, the practical farmer, has fairly taken up the subject. He is only waiting now to know when he is to begin, or how he is to set about the business. Nicely timed, then, to the occasion, one of the most enthusiastic of these pioneers has within the week issued a pamphlet on steam cultivation. This essay has the double recommendation of being written by a gentleman who has not only deeply studied the question, but who ishimself a tenant farmer. His best sympathies must be accordingly with the class he addresses. However far his own zeal may lead him, he will feel at the same time how far he will be justified in taking his brother- farmers with him. He will know, moreover, from his own experience, how far they are prepared to go with him, how their lands actually lie for the reception of the new power, and how much alteration will be re- quired before this can be fairly or properly applied. This promises soon to be the great or only obstacle. We have within the last few months witnessed such certain progress in the art of ploughing by steam, that the attainment of the object might even now be safely recorded. Early in the spring of the year, Mr. Fowler declared at a public meeting that he considered his share of the good work done. Its consummation rested now with the farmers and landlords — in his opinion, more especially with the latter. Let them so prepare their estates that the system may be easily ap- plicable. Let them directly encourage their tenantry to avail themselves of its use. In a word, it would seem that the steam-plough was ready for the land, if the land were ready for it. The paper now published by Mr. Williams, of Baydon, comes very much to the same thing. He introduces it with a plan of a six- hundred-and-forty-acre farm laid out into ten fields or divisions of sixty-four acres each. He fits this with a ti-amway, moveable rick-houses, tanks, and so on, that read and look prettier than it would be perhaps possible very often to render them. However, this is thekey-note of Mr. Williams's song. He assumes with very excellent discretion that we have already heard something of the several methods of ploughing by steam, and he devotes his essay accordingly to a branch of the subject, so far, anything but overdone. His reading of the question is in every way acceptable. It is, in fact, to this we are now coming. The economy and practicability of the process must be preceded by a certain outlay in adapt- ing our farms_ to its use. Our author makes the following half-dozen desiderata the great points of his charter : — 1st. The most advan- tageous mode ol laying out fields for steam culture. 2nd. The obtaining a self-acting supply of water for the engines and other farm purposes. 3rd. The grub- bing and clearing of hedgei'ows and timber, by means of the engine and ploughing machine, and making use of the same for fuel. 4th. The levelling and filling up of pits, and blasting of rock-stone, where existing. 5th. The beneficial exchange of lands between neigh- bours where lying intermixed ; the facility with which it might be done. 0th. A few words on autumn culti- vation. We have already referred to his plan of laying out a farm. Of course the fewer hedge-rows, and the more level the land, the better. But the following concomitant advantage may not be so generally known : " Opposite to fields No. 3, 4, 7, and 9 are stationed rick-houses : these are on grooved wheels, running on triangular wooden rails, dowelled at the end, and re- moved from the rear to the front as the house travels forward, drawn by the engine at a slow pace by means of the hauling windlass used for ploughing. At harvest they can be placed where required, that is, two at least opposite the roots, the others near the Lent corn. Those opposite the roots could be filled with wheat ; after harvest the wheat threshed out, and the building will then make a bullock-shed for the remainder of the year ; a part of it being used for chaff-cutting, tui'nip- slicing, &c., the engine at the same time turning a windlass for hauling the roots from the field opposite into the building where required. This could be done either with the ploughing windlass, or with drums of a lighter description attached to the building for the pur- pose. As the field of roots opposite the sheds became cleared of the quantum to be drawn off, the straw on THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 123 the opposite side used up, and the manure accumu- lated, the engine could pull the building oppoRite to another part, and begin afresh ; the hay and corn- ricks affording a supply ad libitum, and the roots being fed close to where they grew. Thus, by stacking the produce in the field (thereby making the most of valuable time in harvest), the manure being left in the right place, and the roots brought in by the engine, an amount of hauling would be saved quite unpre- cedented, and it will be found to be much less cost and trouble to move the buildings than the produce !" The tanks, or a self-acting supply of water, are to be wells in the field, dug and discovered on the principle of Lord Berners' test-holes — to whom, by the way, the pamphlet is dedicated. The grubbing of hedgerows, and the filling up of pits, are matters that at once sug- gest their own remedy. Important as they are, in the way of obstacles, we need not follow the writer in the means for their removal. Of the next cause or impediment, he says truly enough : — " There are very few parishes in which a beneficial exchange of land between neighbours might not take place, to the mutual benefit of all parties ; but the expense has hitherto put a stop to such a desirable object. As steam cultivation becomes more general, so will the in- convenience ofan acre-field belonging to one iudividiial, intercepting a good long field of his neighbour, and causing him to make two of it, become more apparent. In all probability the other party can give a piece in exchange. Crooks and angles often lie close to lands of the other, which again would benefit both, by making each a straight outside ; for however picturesque in appearance the crooked boundaries might be (and one would think such must have been the object of our forefatliers), they are quite out of the question now that the steam-engine is brought into the field." And, he adds, " I have legal authority for asserting that under recent acts an exchange of land may ef- fected on an average at one-fifth, and in some instances at one-tenth of the expense incurred in times past." We repeat that the now great difficulty in the way of steam culture is its proper application. The onus thus shifts itself from the inventor to the employer of such an agent. With none, however, does the due perform- ance of this rest more than with the landowners. It has been our lot of late to hear many a country gentleman cry up the steam plough. It is, indeed, a very popular theme to go on. But, in doing so, he must ask himself a home question or two. Is he individually doing any- thing to assist its progress ? Has he volunteered to help his tenants to adapt their lands to this new state of things? We have had some rare examples of en- thusiasm on the one side : let lis look for a little welcome on the other. THE BABRAHAM RAM-LETTING. If Mr. Jonas Webb were a citizen of the United States, he would probably be referred to by exultant Yankees as an ' institution." As, however, a kind Providence has cast his lot in Old England, he is simply a "great" agricultural "fact." For thirty-two years hia fame as a breeder of Southdowu rams has been steadily maintained and extended throughout Eng- land, end one may altaost add, throughout the world. Dis- tinguished agriculturists from various European states, the Transatlantic Republic, and the Australian colonies have sought to improve their stock from his reserves. That the result has beea mutually profitable is proved by the steady and continued support which Mr. Webb has received, and that the cause of agriculture generally has been advanced by his perseverance on the one hand, and the enterprize of his cus- tomers on the other, can admit of no doubt. Happy the country which is benefited by such ardent disciples of useful pursuits! Mr. Webb met his friends for the thirty-second time on Friday, and greeted them with the same cordial, yet simple hospitality which has always distinguished his gatherings. The visitors on entering the trim grounds and comfortable house could scarcely dissipate the impression that it was 1857 or 1856 over again. AVavy corn crops and beautiful rams met the eye a» uaual, aud the new-comer received the same cordial shake of the hand, and the same friendly invitation to " fall to" immediately, on the good cheer provided for his entertainment. But a closer examination showed that the weather, a most im- portant matter in agricultural out-door meetings, was not so propitious as on former occasions, while from various circum- stances, to which it will be seen Mr. Webb made allusion after dinner, the attendance was not so numerous, or the proceedings quite so animated. About eleven o'clock the laiu commenced falling heavily ; but two commodious marquees, erected on the field appropriated to the rams, sheltered the company from the annoyance to which they would otherwise have been subjected. The clouds afterwards cleared off a little, but the hopeful pros- pect proved delusive, and several other showers more or less heivy fell at intervals during the afternoon. Englishmen's spirits are not generally improved by a " juicy day in the country," and the superabundance of moisture certainly did not encourage speculative tendencies. In fact, a well-con- ditioned spectator was heard to remark, that " it took the go out of him," and it is not altogether unlikely that others ex- perienced the same feeling. Moreover, the gradual reduction of wheat prices to an unduly low point has a great tendency to confine enterprize which would have free scope under more favourable conditions. To revert to Friday's proceedings : There were altogether 140 rams offered for competition, viz., foui- S-year-olds, six 4- year-olds, twenty-four S-year-olds, thirty-seven 2-year-oldg, and sixty-nine yearlings. About two hours having been devoted to their inspection, the public letting commenced at half-past two. Mr. S. Carter Jonas, of Cambridge, officiated as auctioneer — for the first time here — with much ability and promptitude. His rostrum was a carriage placed in the usual spot under the lee of one of the hedges. The rams called for were brought one by one into a space fenced off, the company ranging them- selves round the ring formed by the railings. The rain was falling rather amartly when the auctioneer made his appear- ance, but it did not subsequently interrupt business. Mr. Jonas having read the conditions of letting, he made a few appropriate and telling remarks on the buaiaess of the occa- sion. The Brabiaham flock enjoyed a norld-wide teputa* lU THE FARMERS MAGAZINE. tioD, and it was sufficient to aay that the present vas the thirty. second letting. Looking at the great numher of supe- rior youDg sheep iu the hurdles, he might safely ohserve that the ihow oa the preaeut occasion was better than it had been at previous gatherings, and more than supported Mr. Webb's reputation. The prices set on the sheep were low, and Mr. Webb would be disappointed if they did not realize higher rates. He (Mr. Jonas) trusted that the company would be prompt and liberal in their bids, so that they might arrive as soon as possible at that appropriate termination of the pro- ceedings— dinner. The second sheep brought into the ring excited some com- petition. The ram (No. 40) took the first prize at Salisbury last year, and the biddings rose rapidly from 60 to 70 guineas. They afterwards advanced to 75 guineas, and at this rate the purchaser was declared to be Mr, Heasman, of Sussex. This sum was not subsequently exceeded by any other lot, and Mr. Heasman was, therefore, the purchaser of the highest priced ram. Last year this position was occupied by Mr. Lindsay, of New York, who through Mr. Sabine, of Newmar- ket, hired a ram at the enormous price of 197 guiaeas ! For the third sheep called in (No. 21] ) there was also some brisk bidding, the price oflfered advancing rapidly from 30 to 58 guineas. At this rate the ram was all but sold, in fact he was taken partially out of the ring when he waa recalled, and let for four guineas more. It was reported that Mr. Overman was the hirer. No. 175 was knocked down at an advance of 11 guineas to Mr. Marjoribanks ; No. 41, at an advance of 6 guineas, to Mr. Rigden; No. 95, at a similar advance, to Lord Radnor ; and in a few other cases small premiums were obtained. Generally, however, the biddings were slow, and a large proportion of the sheep brought into the ring left it at the same rates at which they were called in. Among the other hirers, whose names were mentioned, were Lord Sondes, Mr. Adeane, M.P., Mr. Twitcher, Mr. Dobito, Mr. Bosanquet, Mr. Dobson, Mr. Moody, Capt. Bowyer, Mr, R. Palmer, Mr. Kutleigh (Kent), Mr. Turner, Mr. Jonas, &c. The following table shows the order in which the sheep were called in, and the prices realized. No. Called in at Hired at No. Called iu at Hired at 101 ..,. 25 guineas. 25 8 . . . . 8 guineas. 8 40 ,... eo 75 126 9 .. 9 211 .... 30 62 5 . . . . 40 . . 40 9 .... 18 21 20 .... 18 .. 18 11 .... 17 17 37 .... 7 .. 7 175 . . . . 28 39 82 .... 13 .. 13 61 .... 18 20 54 .... 12 .. 12 42 .... 22 22 47 . . . . SO . , 31 195 .... 18 22 147 .... 13 .. 13 41 . . , . 60 66 52 9 .. 9 202 .,.. 15 17 30 .... 10 .. 12 44 .... 35 35 28 .... 23 ., 24 93 .... 30 30 114 .... 10 .. 10 32 9 9 17 .... 18 ,. 18 195 .... 20 26 105 .... 20 .. 21 185 .... 20 20 198 .... 15 .. 17 124 ,,, 37 17 36 .... 12 ., 12 181 .... 20 24 205 . . , 30 . . 30 . 4 .... 30 30 59 ... 7 .. 7 177 .... 13 21 34 ... 14 .. 14 )^63 .... 6 6 152 ... 7 .. 7 134 9 16 154 ... 7 ,. 7 94 . . . . 40 40 165 ... 7 ,. 7 22 9 9 204 ... 30 .. 30 64 8 8 189 ,.. 11 .. 11 193 .... 17 19 185 ... 20 .. 20 144 9 9 84 ... 11 .. 17 33 .... 15 19 55 ... 12 .. 12 192 ..,. 16 16 81 ... 7 .. 7 136 9 9 29 ... 8 .. 8 183 .... 18 18 This gives a total of 61 rams let, and an average, according to Cocker, of £20 193. 3d. each. The comparative results of the public lettinga for the last seven years will therefore stand thus (but at the same time it should be observed that the public transactions do not afford a complete view of the busi- ness done, a good deal being effected by private contract after- wards) : — Year. 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 No. Publicly Let. Average Price .... 69 .., £22 3 1 71 22 .... 75 ,. 25 4 .... 77 25 15 .... 77 S3 1 65 27 17 61 20 19 6 3 3 2 4i 3 It may be interestiog to observe that it was stated that No. 4, let at 30 guineas, was hired at 102 guineas as a yearling ; that No. 5, hired at 40 guineas, has been let for 400 guineas within the last three years ; and that the sire of No. 105, let for 20 guineas, was the celebrated ram hired last year at 197 guineas. Shortly after 4 o'clock, the ring having gradually thinned, the auctioneer thanked the company for the biddings which they had made, and announced that the next lot was — THE DINNER. This took place, as usual, in one of the farm sheda, which was decorated for the occasion with flags and evergreens. Three long Hues of well-supplied tables were occupied by between 150 and 200 guests, the chair being filled by the Hon. Eliot York, M.P., while at the end of a remote vista the goodly person of Mr. Webb might be discerned in the vice- chair. The seats at the head table were occupied by Mr. H. J. Adeane, M.P., the Yen. Archdeacon Yorke, Mr. T. St. Quintin, Mr. S. Batsou, Mr. C.Pemberton (High-sheriff of Cambridge- shire), Mr. Parker Hammond, Mr. Sydney Tharpe, Mr. Hicks, Mr. Parker Hammond, jun., &c. There were also present at the dinner, or on the ground during the day, Ccl. Wale ; Capt. Davis, R. N , chief constable of Cambridgeshire and Hunting- donshire ; Mr. Clutterbuck, Hertfordshire ; Mr. Rigden, Sus- sex; Mr. Heasman, Sussex; Mr. J. Clayden, Bishop's Stort- ford ; the Rev. Mr. Benyon, Livermere Hall, Suffolk ; Mr. H. Woods, steward to Lord Walsingham ; Mr. Purvis, Brampton, Himtiogdonshire ; Mr. S. Jonas ; Mr. H. Overman, jun., Nor- folk ; Mr. Lugar, Hengrave, Suffolk ; Mr. Jacksou, Wendy, Cambridgeshire; Mr. Robinson, Cambridge; Mr. Dobito, Kirtling, Suffolk ; Mr. Copeland, London ; Mr. Pym, Chester- ford ; Mr. Ratcliffe, Newmarket ; Mr. J. Archer Houblon, Hallingbury, Essex; Mr. Read, London; Mr. H. Thurnall, Royston, Cambridgeshire ; Mr. Rigden, jnn., Sussex; Mr. W. Pate and Mr. R. Pate, Haddeuham, Cambridgeshire; Mr. C. Barnard, Harlow, Essex ; Mr. J. C. Cornwall, Bishop's Stort- ford ; Mr. E. Frost and Mr. H. Frost, West Wratting, Cam- bridgeshire; Mr. T. Nash, Carlton, Cambridgeshire; Mr. J. Grimwade, Hadleigh ; Mr. H. Grimwade; Mr. J. S. Phillips, Barton, Suffolk; Mr. H. Clayden, Hadleigh; Mr. Tuxford, London ; &c., &c. The Chairman gave the usual loyal and complimentary toasts with his customary grace and fluency, and, in intro- ducing each subject, spoke at considerable — possibly too great — length. Referring to Prince Albert, he observed that his Royal Highness was a successful brother-agriculturist, and had gained much credit as an exhibitor of stock. Having once or twice been a spectator at the exhibitions at Christmas, the idea — he hoped it was not a disloyal one — had crossed his mind, that Prince Albert had had a good deal of luck (laughter). At the same time they did not grudge his Royal Highness any THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 125 of his triumphs j on the contrary, they were happy to see him a promoter of one of the great national interests (applause). To the " Array and Navy," Colonel Wale and Captain Davis, R.N., responded ; and the toast of the " Bishop and Clergy of the Diocese" was acknowledged in a most conciliatory and pleasing address by the Ven. Archdeacon Yorke, which elicited the thorough approval of all his hearers. Mr. Fisher Hobb?, and several other gentlemen, having to leave by an early train, were unable to be present at the dinner, Mr. Hobbs bid up to beyond sixty guineas for a ram, which was ultimately secured by Lord Leicester. " The Landlord of the Soil" (loud cheers). Mr. Adeane, M.P., responded, and observed that the greatest ambition of his life was to live in friendship and good- will among his neighbours. The Chairman, in giving the toast of the evening, said in the course of the proceediugs he had been face to face with the Queen, shaken hands with the squire, enlisted himself with what Mrs. Malaprop called the " miUntary" (loud laughter). and ruled the waves, like Britannia, with the sons of the ocean. He had burnt like a rocket, and he now came down like the stick. But he found himself in the midst of the fold, and face to face with the owner of the fold, whose triumphs they were that day met to celebrate (applause). With reference to the fold, he had to announce that 61 sheep had been let before dinner at an average of £21 each. When it was remembered that these meetings had now continued for no less than 32 years, he thought it would be considered that the old adage was not true, and that there was something to be preferred before leather, viz., mutton (laughter). But was mutton always mutton ? Was it not sometimes pork (laughter) ? As in duty bound, he had endeavoured to cram himself down upon the subject, and he found that both male and female mutton contained a good deal of pork. In one perplexing passage a sheep was called a hoggett (laughter). A sheep was also called a tup hog; and as if by way of compensation for a practice resembling that adopted in Turkey for the purpose of establishing a class of compulsory bachelors (much laughter), he was called a wedder. Again, after shearing, he was called a shear hog ; and even the fleece sounded rather grisly, for it was called hoggett wool (laughter). The females also exemplified swinish elements in their nomen- clature, for a female lamb was called a gimmer hog and a ewe hog (laughter). He thought, without going further into the matter, that he had a right to propound a question which he now proposed, and which would, he thought, puzzle the best initiated to solve in less than twelve months. The question was — What, in a sheep, whether male or female, was the relative proportion of pork and mutton by which the joint appellations were justified ? (loud laughter.) Passing from the fold to the shepherd, he could assure them that their host was fast becoming an annual difficulty to him. His demands were so large that, like the French financier, Neckei", he (Mr. Yorke) was always afraid of a deficit. He had sought, in times gone by, to furnish a kind of portrait of Mr. Webb. He had frequently depicted him in prose, but there were certain qualities of mind and nature which could not be approached by an artist. Neither Rubens nor Titiens could paint the inner man. Who could gild refined gold, or paint the lily ? Still he would make one more effort. An article in the Quarterly Review for April, on the " Progress of English Agriculture," stated that the Leicester breed of sheep was for some time adopted by Mr. Coke, but afterwards the Southdown was substituted for it. The perfection to which this breed had been brought in the present generation by Mr. Jonas Webb might be said to be due to one of those trivial circumstances which were always influencing events in the world. This was the cir- cumstance : His grandfather was a breeder of Norfolk rams, and it was the amusemenUof the old gentleman, at his annual sales, to set his grandson riding on his tups, holdmg fast by their huge horns. Could they imagine thtir present host holding fast in this manner ? (laughter ) These races on sharp-backed rams determined Jonas — and the letters in the word Jonas could, singularly enough, be transposed to Jason, the great author of the golden fleece — to breed animals with better saddles of mutton. The beautiful firkin-bodied Southdown for which Mr. Webb refused £500 at the Paris Exhibition had been one-of the results of the experiments made (cheers). After some fur- ther observations on Mr. Webb's estimable qualities, the hon. member proposed that gentleman's health, and " Suc- cess to him in all his undertakings" (loud cheers). Mr. Webb, in responding, said he feared their worthy chairman had praised him more than he deserved, but he would try to merit what had been said of him. With re- gard to the company generally, he thanked them most sin- cerely for the kind manner in which they had supported him. The present hiring had resulted in one of the lowest averages which had taken place for years ; but he was not at all disheartened by this state of things, to which various circumstances had contributed. If his friends had been selling their wheat at a higher rate, he should no doubt have had a better price for his sheep ; and he hoped that those gentlemen who had made such good purchases during the day would come forward with better prices next year. Something had been said by the chairman during the even- ing about the Limited Liability Act, and he thought they had had limited liability in operation during the day. Wheat had now become almost so cheap that they could feed dogs and pigs with it; this would clear it away, a better price would be obtained for it, and consequently a better price for sheep. The health of his landlord had been proposed and drunk, and the chairman had observed that a good landlord made a good tenant. He did not profess to be a good tenant, but he had got a real good landlord. Mr. Adeaue was cer- tainly rather a young man, and he (Mr. Webb) had had the honour of living under his brother, father, and grandfather j but he had never met with a better landlord than his present one. He had publicly let rather fewer sheep this year than on former occasions, but he had been doing a good deal of business with foreigners, who could not be present, and he could not eat his cake and have it too. Last year he let one of his sheep to an American for 19/ guineas; but since then there had been an extraordinary panic across the broad Atlan- tic, and their American friends had not thought proper to come across the water. On previouii occasions he had also had very material support from the Emperor of the French. Another customer, a Norfolk gentleman, was about to dispose of his sheep, and he (Mr. Webb) trusted he might have a good sale. Having entered into these explanations, Mr. Webb closed his observations by expressing his hope that the present occasion was not the last on which his friends would assemble under his roof (applause). Mr. Parker Hammond proposed the health of the hon. chairman (Loud cheers). The Chairman returned thanks, and assured the company that his services were always at the command of his friends. Mr. Webb expressed his hope that Mr. .Yorke would do him the favour next year to fill the position he at present oc- cupied. " The High Sheriff of the county"— (Cheers). 128 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. Mr. Pemberton. iu acknowledging the compliment, said the present was a kind of public dinner given by a private in- dividual, who had become as it were public property. Mr. Webb, in many respects, resembled, he thought, the late George Stephenson, who had been pronounced a fit inmate for a lunatic asylum in consequence of his prediction with regard to the speed of the locomotive. Who would not have said the same thing of Mr. Webb, if he had predicted that he would ever have received 197 guineas for the hire of a tup? Mr. St. Quintin proposed " Prosperity to Agriculture," associating with the toast the name of Mr. Clutterbuck, of Hertfordshire, whom he eulogized as being, both in theory and practice, a complete agriculturist (cheers). Mr. Clutterbuck responded, and expressed his opinion that the well-being of the county depended, and always must depend, upon the prosperity of agriculture. Agricultural pros- perity had now become a relative term, for that condition which would have been prosperity in the days of the Tudors would be stagnation in the nineteenth century. There could be no doubt that science presented to the agriculturists of the present day means of dealing with mechanical and physical difficulties in a manner of which our ancestors knew nothing; and that the agriculturist could not now exist who dealt with the same tools in the same manner as in the olden time. An- other point, with regard to which he thought he might appeal with confidence to practical men, was that a superior class of labourers was required ; and no one could go into the premises of a farmer who was dealing with the difficulties of agri- culture in a scientific manner, without observing that the labourers presented evidence of superior intelligence and su- perior treatment. For himself he had only done what he be- lieved every Englishman did who found himself face to face with difficulties— he had done his best to get the better of them. Mr. St. Quintin had referred to some operations which he had carried on in Hertfordshire, and every reasonable facility should be afforded to any gentleman desirous of in- specting them; a certain amount of success had, he believed, been obtained, and he trusted that he and his brother-farmers might not only have increased produce, but better prices (Hear, hear). Mr. Hicks, in suitable terms, proposed the health of the buyer of the highest-priced tup — Mr. Heasman, of Sussex. Mr. KiGDEN, in the absence of Mr. Heasman, returned thanks, and stated that he was himself the next bidder for the sheep Mr. Heasman had hired. He (Mr. Rigden) congratulated himself, however, that he had got Mr. Webb's best sheep, al- though he did not pay the highest price for it (laughter). He was greatly pleased to see some Sussex gentlemen present, for he had no hesitation in saying that not only the county of Cambridge, but also the county of Susses was deeply indebted to Mr. Webb. No man iu England had done more to improve the breed of Southdown sheep, and he (Mr. Rigden) felt deeply grateful to him. He had for many years taken some of Mr. Webb's best sheep, with the aid of which he had been able to beat every breeder in Sussex, not excepting the Duke of Richmond, although it was no easy matter to compete with his Grace, who had sometimes beeu successful. He (Mr. Rigden) trusted that Mr. Webb might go on and prosper for many years to come. The Chairman gave "Mrs. Webb and Family," a toast to which a gentleman present added the sentiment, " May their hearts be as large as their crinoline, and their faults as small as their bonnets" (laughter). Mr. Webb, in reply, said he hoped the ladies would profit by the fate of his poor sun-struck bull, and have bonnets which would cover what brains they possessed (laughter). Mr. Webb then proposed the " Royal Agricultural Society of England," coupling with the toast the name of Mr, Jonas. Mr. Jonas responded, and expressed hi3 belief that the Royal Society had done much for the advancement of agricul- ture. For his own part he was in a very different position from his friend Mr, Webb; that gentleman had gathered honey, and he (Mr. Jonas) had spent his money (laughter). With the exception of a prize for an essay, he had never de- rived any benefit from the Royal Society ; but he hoped every farmer throughout the country would endeavour to support it to the utmost of his ability. He cordially wished prosperity to every British farmer ; but if that prosperity was to be realized, they must have better prices than they were receiving at the present moment (loud cries of Hear, hear). The Chairman then gave " To our next merry meeting," and some of the company adjourned to tea and coffee, while others entered on their homeward journeys. THE ENGLISH FARMER IN FRANCE. Sir, — I have sent you a stem of sorgho above nine feet high, and another I have forwarded to the Royal Agricultural Society. But before I write further, would you be so good as correct a typographical error in the fifth paragraph of my last letter ? For " Agriculhiral Society" of Paris, read "Acclimatising Society." It is a most useful one, and must not be misnamed in the leading agricul- tural journal of England, I cannot help giving you farther information on this extraordinary plant, though I dislike continuing a sub- ject in two letters ; but all I knew of it before was from hearsay and letterpress. Of course, they were well authenticated, or I would not have written as I did ; but I havewow had ocular demonstration, which is the best of all ; and by sending the specimens to the Royal Agri- cultural Society and to your oflSce, all may see it who please. I took it from the cart-shed of a small farmer ten miles from Lille ; he had grown them in his garden last year, and how far he cut them from the ground I cannot tell : it did not appear that he had taken any pains with their cultivation ; he had a few seeds given him, and he had simply stuck them in his garden. They m\ist attain a most enormous height in hot climates, I have also been to a distiller's about ten miles from here, who has what is here considered one of the largest farms— 250 acres. He had planted it, last year, in a very imperfect manner, putting four or five seeds in each hole: he sowed it the last day in April 1857, a yard apart and two feet in the rows. At first it made very slow progress, but after a month it took a more rapid start, and when the plants were nearly as high as him' self, middle of September, he removed about two-thirds of them, and gave them to his fatting bulbcks, of THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 127 which he always has from forty to fifty, to eat the refuse of his distillery ; they ate it with the utmost avidity : even little pieces which dropped among the litter they picked up. At this age it must have been very coarse and hard ; and if they liked it in that state, it only proves how sweet a flavour it must have. He distilled it ex- perimentally, after standing till November, and obtained 7^ litres (fourteen pints) of alcohol from 2 cwt. of canes. The land on which it grew is now wheat, and a splendid crop it is. We all know how bad a preparation for this is ray-grass, whether Pacey's, Italian, or common ; and should this turn out (as I expect) to be of quite a diflferent nature to any of our grasses, and so a plant which feeds not on the food of wheat, it will greatly add to its value as one of our alternate crops. This year he has in- creased his acreage : it is now about three inches high in a piece of four or five acres ; and should it turn out as he expects for soiling, he will enlarge his growth still more next year, he told me. A more practical or in- telligent man I never met with, and one not likely to be misled by fancies or mere novelties, but who is fully alive to the necessity of assimilating himself to circum- stances and changes over which we have no control. Forty years ago his father established the distillery for extracting alcohol from potatoes : that he continued to do until the disease completely stopped his trade ; he now uses the betterave. The sorgho, he thinks, will never be produced in these northern departments for that pur- pose, but for feeding he is very sanguine. I shall every fortnight go to his farm to see the progress it makes, and I hope and believe it will be such as to induce me to advise an extensive growth of it in England. Depend on it, I will never continue to assist in introducing a plant that may be likely to fail. I must not omit to add, he told me it particularly ought to be steeped in water for three days, as it was such a hard dry seed, and slow to move in the earlier stages of its growth. The best way to sow it for trial is, some one foot by three inches, some six inches by three, and some broadcast. A few of the largest stems might be left to mature until November, but it ought to be cut before the frosts come on. Excuse me, Mr. Editor, for this second edition ; but from the letters I have received I find it has excited unusual interest, and I believe many will be pleased to read this, and find in it confirmation of what I have before written, and I also thought it right to inform your readers where they also could see for themselves specimens of the plant. The more is seen of Flanders, the stronger must be the Impression that her character, of being the best cul- tivated district in Europe, is indeed well deserved. I cannot perceive how more can be obtained from the land, either in weight or money ; and certainly I never saw so much manure employed. Their courses of alternate cropping, and (except as regards their hay and clover), their general management, their excellent ploughing, and their constant hoeing and hand- weeding, appear to me to be nearly perfection. I have seen many a piece of broadcast wheat hoed with little onion hoes — the handles only a foot long ; and, again, when the corn was a foot high, thoroughly hand- weeded : the hedges (what few there are) weeded also. The banks of the ditches are all mown ; and there is a law which obliges them to cut all thistles (an act of parliament of like nature would not be amiss in Eng- land). Their great product per acre in value is greatly owing to the sort of crops they grow ; some of which we are prevented producing by law, and some we have no sale for, because we have no factories to work them. I cannot help thinking it is well worth our while to make inexpensive trials, on a small scale, of some of them. I shall in a few days publish a pamphlet on the cultivation and management of such as are suitable to our soils and climate ; and which, I believe, if ma- nured and attended to in the same way as here, will produce as good results. There is no particular diffi- culty in any of the operations ; but if we found the crop successful, and our labourers obstinate and difficult to teach, many an experienced man of good character would be glad to come, at the expense of a pound, per rail and boat. They have, oi- rather would have, as much twitch and black grass as anywhere in England, were they not so unremitting in their care to destroy them. I once had a farm in a twitchy district, and it was said to be impossible to have a field entirely free from it, becanse it is propagated by seed, as wtdl as by roots, at every joint. My old neighbour should come here. Had I a son I wished to learn farming I would send him. Many an intelligent and respectable farmer would be glad to take him at little expense ; and with the knowledge he would obtain how to make the most of land, I am sure he would learn nothing bad. They are a very moral people ; and, unless he had in- deed a weak mind, the more he saw of Catholicism, the more he would be disgusted with it. The other day I went nine miles to the largest farm about here — three hundred acres ; all in a ring fence, and, except round the orchard, not a hedge upon it. The owner, a wealthy man, lives on it, and cultivates it himself. Adjoining his house is the farm-yard, and near by his large beetroot sugar factory. The whole is of brick ; high ceilings, high roofs, and a most perfect and substantial structure. One side of the house forms one side of the farm-yard : the other looks into a well- managed garden with high wall, shutting out a very pretty view. (This is commonly the case, illustrative of the minds of all here, more or less. Taste means literally the palate ; and no image is so devoutly wor- shipped as the image of the Emperor (ai the coins of the realm.) The yard is surrounded with a raised path six or eight feet wide, one side being entirely occupied with the " stables " of the fatting bullocks—cows I might call them, for ten cows are bought in Belgium and fattened here to one bullock ; above one hundred are generally, but only eighty were then, tied up. They had 21bs. of linseedcake, 31bs. of rapecake, and 21bs. of " oeillette" cake, some of which is East Indian, and some French ; but the two latter articles he mixed with the water which is constantly before them. They have also half a hundredweight a day of the " press- 128 THE FARMER'S ^MAGAZINE. ings " of tlio sugar-beet. This thoy have all the year round, as I said in a previous letter ; it TVill keep in a damp for tlireo or four years. At niglit tliey are racked up with hnst wheat-straw, of which he told me they ate about lOlbs., and the rest was in the morning used for litter. I never saw higher, wider, or better ventilated cattle-houses : twenty-four were tied in each, and an air chimney passed through the loft over, into the open air, with a shutter at bottom to regulate the temperature ; in fact, the whole of this gentleman's establishment is regulated by utility, not cost ; his cart-horse stable (he has twenty-four horses) elicited a remark of surprise at the great width of stall allowed to eai:h : he told me it was done to save horses from the glanders ; some few years back it was a serious thing among tlie cavalry horses of France ; an order was issued that every horse should have more space, and more stables erected, and from that time the disease has sensibly diminished. I have not for many years heard of any horse establishments in England being troubled with this horrid disease ; but should any now have it, the owners would do well to give room and air. The manure made from the cattle, and wheat-straw, was thrown in the yard as it came from the stalls, and as I had noticed the general use here of long dung, I asked him if he had it turned for a fortnight (as I must say I should have done) till it was full of heat, and the woody-fibre of the straw well broken by the fifteen days of fermenta- tion ? But no, he said : he always used it as he wanted it, quite in its raw state. He took me into his steam- engine house to see his thrashing-machine, which had a cloth hung before the man (feeder), and a wooden chimney to the roof, which took away the whole of tlie dust while thrashing; a cheap, most useful, and benevolent invention, for many a man has suffered severely from this. Should any gentleman like to apply this to a fixed machine, if he will write me, I will, with pleasure, send him particulars and working drawings, so that his carpenter can understand it. We then walked round his farm : he had 45 acres of sugar-beet, and 120 wheat; magnificent corn, sown only at the rate of 1 i bushel an acre ; and what surprised me, he only allowed the same quantity of seed for his oats, which appeared to me so thick, I never should have imagined they were thin sown, had he not told me. His sugar- beet was being hoed with a light " horse" hoe, drawn by one man and pushed by another; he had ten of these going. No sheep were on the farm : two or three cows for the house ; hogs in plenty, but fatting bullocks were his main stock. His ton waggons were all gone for manure, bringing 40 tons. I spoke in praise of the " whippletree" mode of attaching the horses in pairs to the waggons, but remarked on the absurdity of the length of traces. He gave his opinion that one or two feet more or less in the trace was of little or no effect on the power of draught, and that the horses had more liberty. I wish some of your scientific readers would give us the proof and rationale of this matter. His wheat produced an average over five quarters to the acre. This gentleman is considered one of the most scientific and practical farmers about here, and has been in the habit of having young men as pupils ; but he does not like the trouble, and at present he and his sons attend to all the daily duties of the farm as unceasingly as if he depended on the profits of it ; but he is very fond of it, as well he may be. 300 acres in one piece ; just sufficient inclination to carry off heavy rains ; not a stone nor a wet place ; house in the centre, and paved roads in every direction. A factory on the farm to use all the roots, and fatting beasts to convert all the straw. His own property ; no tithes ; pretty country, and always dry and clean ; what ditches there are he is tilling up, after laying in 3 and 4 inch pipes ; not a tree to cast shade and waste the nourishment of the land, except one little copse in the centre; well-behaved and intelligent labourers, and a pleasant climate— what man can want more ? The oiellclte cake which he gave his bullocks is a poppy grown here for salad oil. It is a crop too generally sown here to be merely spoken of at the end of a letter. Since my visit to this farm I have met with a gentle- man from Prussia, who so interested me by his account of the great advantages possessed by the yellow lupin over the old white Italian lupin, that I have written into Prussia fro some seed, as now is the time for sowing it. On the poor sandy lands of Prussia it h^s made in the last six years the most worthless estates useful ; if 85wn for corn, it is so unexbausting, that for years together it has been grown on the same land, with evident improvement to the soil. Youry truly, The English Farmer in France. Lille, June \&th, 1858. P.S. — Since my last I have transplanted some norgJio, which immediately took root ; and I also believe that if cut for soiling, and therefore not allowed to seed, it will stand a second year ; but we shall see. My pamphlet on its cultivation and use is ready for delivery. THE CULTIVATION OF THE TURNIP CROP. The extended cultivation which this crop has received of late yeari, lias had a most important iuflucuce upon agricul- tural operations ; large tracts of land which were previouBly barren wastes have under its aid been rendered valuable sheep and barley farms, and land wliich had for many generations been under cultivation appeared to revive under its reign, and to deck themselves with renewed vigour. In fact, it intro- duced a new life into farming operations, and the energy thus imparted still continues. The turnip crop must be looked upon as the foundation of profitable farming upon the majority of farms, and upon it very many remunerative systems have been baaed, so that its returns, although they arc indirect, are still sure. The season is now advancing in which this becomes a prominent duty of the farm, and engages our chief atten- tion, for its successful growth well recompenses the farmer for the anxiety and labour thus devolving upon him. fflE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. The Bystem puraiicd will naturally vary with the result to be ^aine'J, and the time at which the crop may be required. Some farms are short of ^^rasa and fodder throughout the spring months, whilst in many cases the autumn is the trying time, and on most farms tho winter store of roots is necessary. To meet these varied requirements from the same crop, and also to have the produce in its best condition at the time needed, is a most desirable object to be realized. When the circumstances of the farm require food to be provided in the autiimu, the crop for thii time requires our earliest attention iu the season. Ihe last week of Alay and the first in June^ according to variation of locality, will be found to be the best time for sowing, and my own experience leads me to say that the white stone turnip and others of the same class are the best for early autumn food. I am well aware that localities vary so much as to cause much diderence of opinion as to the most anitable varieties, but the experience of the district must decide when the circumstances of any particular neighbour- hood require a local variation in the practice. However, the early white-fleshed turnips are generally the beat suited for autumn food, and when sown as directed, cora« in of consi- derable value to the sheep master in the autumn of the year, fiomeof the more hardy varieties and hybrids will succeed the above for feeding. These have generally coloured skins, with white and occasionally yellow flesh. There are inuumcrabie varieties, and every district has its peculiar favourites. These roots, although holding this position as regards consumption, do not require such early sowing as the swede, which is re- quired for later use. The time for sowing swedes varies in difl'erent parts of England, and it is often surprising to hear the strong contentions as to the best time for sowing swedes, some sowing in May, others maintaining that the end of June is the beat time, forgetting altogether that as circumstances differ, so also must our practice. No doubt each of these extreme instances may be right for its own district, and here again local evidence must decide. In by far the majority of cases the second and third weeks of June arc thought the best time for sowing the main crop, but each person must rely upon his own and his neighbour's experience in deciding this matter. There are, however, peculiar circumstances which limit the seed time for swedes, and allow only a short time for sowing this most important crop. Much is to be referred to the peculiar habit of the plant's growth, but still more to its diseases and the attacks of insects. Those districts which are favoured with a soil and climate favourable to the growth of swedes, can produce a crop within a shorter period of time than those districts which are not equally favoured, and the influence is also manifest when only one of the conditions is in operation. It is therefore clear, that as the elevation, aspect, climate, and soil of different farms vary, so also may we expect some modification in the time of sowing. For these reasons, should a crop of swedes he required for general use up to the middle of winter, we should endeavour to get them sown so as to come to perfection before the season of vegetable growth ends. If the conditions of growth are favourable, then we may find the first week of June will be quite early enough, and often rather too early. Should the crop be required for use later in the winter, or in the early spring, we must not allow the roots to grow so large, for a small size swede will almost always be found to keep later than a full- size root, and to aid in accomplishing this result, the crop should be sown somewhat later. It is often very desirable in the spring to have a supply of fresh juicy roots for the ewes and lambs, as their food causes the milk to spring more freely thsn almost any other food zhl'-h th-- fields ofTrr at this Hm" of the year. Turnips sown for this purpose are, in comparison with swedes, very mucii to be preferred, provided they are in good juicy condition, and for this nee the turnips may be sown in July and August, according to the district. These are the chief respects in which the time of sowing controls the character of the crop. The early stage of the plant's growth is the most critical part of its existence, as it is especially subject to the attacks of the small turnip beetle, or, as it is more commonly called, the turnip fly. These insects consume the young and smooth seed-leaves before the plant has time to throw out its rough leaves, and the young plant deprived of these organs of respira- tion quickly perishes. In this manner thousands of acres are annually destroyed by this small and apparently insignificant insect. The great safety of the crop when tnus attacked lies in its rapidity of growth, which in favourable weather, and on land iu condition, survives the attack, and really grows more quickly than these beetles can consume the crop. This rapidity of growth is very much accelerated by a judicious use of manure, and under this valuable agency this crop is almost rendered certain. The condition of the land when the crop is sown is also very influential upon the stability of the crop, as well as its ultimate success. It is a point which is often dis- regarded, but experience has proved it to be important. The dryness of the soil is the especial feature now referred to. It is a general idea that a moderate degree of moisture is desira- ble when the seed is sown, end this is a point worthy of mure attention. It is the degree of moisture which determines whether it is useful or injurious. We all know that during the season for sowing turnips we are subject to intervals of dry weather, during which the fly often plays sad havoc. Suppose, for example, a field has been reduced into a good tilth, and has just enough moisture to enable the seed to sprout. It sends forth its pair of tender seed-leaves into the air, and its little rootlets pierce into the soil in search of moisture, but none can it find, for the soil has only enough to quicken it into a dangerous existence, and cannot supply the roots with the moisture they seek. The weather continues dry and parching, and hour after hour the farmer's anxious eye watches the battle waging above ground, for the turnip beetles devour the leaves, and with doubtful mind he rests his hope of saving the crop upon the prospect of rain. In such a case it is evident that a small amount of moisture in the soil when followed by dry weather is dangerous ; for if the seed were sown in a dry seed bed, there it remains until rain falls, which is almost always enough at this time of the year, when it docs come, not only to sprout the seed, but to carry it into rough leaf, and render it safe. Another very important help towards securing the crop is a liberal use of seed ; for whilst the additional cost of Is. or Is. 6d. per acre is nothing com- pared with the amount risked, yet it is a valuable adjunct to other measures. It is equally necessary to be confident as to the quality of the seed sown, and for this purpose some seed must be previously grown, for no ordinary person can detect the difference by the eye after the old seed has been prepared for sale, as is too frequently done. A trial of the growth is at once a test, and as'it gives but little trouble, should never be neglected. We are now brought to that point which requires some notice of the manures to be used for turnips, and the beat mode of using them. In accordance with our invariable rule we shall endeavour to do so, v/ithout in any way recommending any manufacturer more than another, or refer in any degree to private and commercial interests. The fVrst manure which claims our notice is that which we produce at home, or in othel 'vonl", farmyard msnnrc, The better the quality of such 130 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. manure, aud the greater the judgment which may have been ahowa in its care and management, the less will be the quantity which need be applied to the land. The soil will also influence the farmer in respect to the quantity per acre. However great the care and discretion shown, it seldom happens that the farm-yard dung holds out for the entire breadthof turnips, and consequently we always use it where it is most needed ; and for this reason the swedes generally have the preference for being a firmer and more nutritious root. They require more nourishment, and for this purpose farm-yard dung is of very great value. But whereas the manure from the farm-yard does not prove sufficient for the whole of the land, some other sup- plemental manure has to be procured for the remainder. Now manures are of two classes— those which act as food, and those which also enable other matter to be taken up as food. In farm-yard manure, which is a very compound substance, we have both of these classes present, and in our imitation we should also introduce both. For this reason we need the assistance of guano, or some ammoniacal manure of the same class, and by the additiou of bone-earth or super-phosphate of lime we supply all that the crop requires for its healthy growth- It is therefore desirable to use these or similar manures for making-up any deficiency which may be found to exist in the supply of yard-manure. The disposal of the farm-yard manure admits of another sug- gestion ; for it is worthy of enquiry, whether or not it is desirable to use all the manure from the yard by itself, and all the artificials by themselves, or in what form they should be used. For example, 50 acres of turnips are to be sown, and there is only sufficient manure for 30 acres, and the residue has to be manured by purchased substitutes. Would it, or would it not, be better to have a more general distribution of both natu- ral and artificial manure ? Without now going into any ex- planation of the reason why, it may be sufficient to state that practical evidence invariably supports the use of the manures mixed, in preference to either alone ; but still the swedes should have the largest share of the dung. When good farm-yard manure is freely employed the necessity for guano is very much decreased, because the former has already added to the soil the necessary ammoniacal manure ; not that the guano is un- necessary, but less urgently required. With the superphos- phate of lime the case is quite diflferent, for yard-manure is generally deficient in this particular, and a moment's considera- tion will make this manifest. Much of the value of the manure depends upon the excrement of the animals kept on the farm, nearly all of which rob their food very completely of the bony matters therein contained to strengthen their skeletons : there is therefore but a small proportion remaining in the dung ; so that, although the use of dung on a field lessens the need for guano, it does not decrease the demand for superphosphate of lime, but, on the other hand, actually increases it. This may at first sight appear to be inconsistent and contradictory, but it will bear looking into. One of the uses of the bony matter of manure is to enter into vegetable growth again, and give strength to our crops. A crop of 20 tons of swedes must need more than another crop of 15 tons ; aud if both are fully developed, the former will have drawn more from the soil ; hence, if we are giving dung to a field to produce 20 tons, we ought to give our bone-manure with an equally liberal hand. It is a subject of frequent inquiry with farmers — Shall I buy guano or superphosphate for my turnips ? This is partly answered above, but a few remarks may make their relative value to be better uuderetood. The first point is to remove from the mind the very common notion that they can each do the same work. True they can each encourage the growth of the crop ; but this is a combined result, ia which one manure takes one part, and the other manure a different one. The value of the bone-manure or superphosphate of lime is, to supply materials which the crop needs, but which are present in the soil only in small proportions. Guano supplies other materials equally necessary, but which are more abundant ia the dung from our farm-yards. If there is enough dung for the land there is less need for guauo ; or if the dung is short in quantity its place may be supplied by the use of guauo. These manures are therefore to a great extent substitutes for each other ; but for the successful growth of turnips, both need the addition of superphosphate. The answer to the above inquiry is therefore simple. If the laud is poor, and no dung available for it, give it guano or some similar ammoniacal manure ; but if the field is in good condition there will be less need for it; but in either case the use of the superphosphate will be beneficial. Another circumstance which iofiuences the use of farm-yard manure or its substitute is, the diataace of carriage, for it is manifest that economy will allot the most portable manure for the more distant land. It may, however, be right, whilst noticing the manures used for turnip crops, to refer to the use of bones, which are so ex- tensively employed in some parts of the country. The great advantage claimed for the superphosphate of lime, which is prepared from bone-earth, is the fact of being more readily dissolved in water than the bone. This naturally induces prompt and vigorous action on the part of the superphosphate, whilst the bone acts slowly. The practice of different districts shows the use of bone, iu preference to superphosphate, lo be chiefly confined to the sandy soils ; for here, iu consequence of being so readily washed by rain, the soluble superphosphate is soon lost, whilst, as the boue decays slowly, it is valuable for several successive crops. The addition of a small quantity of superphosphate of lime has been found useful in giving nourish • ment to the young crop until the bone-earth has come iuto service. We cannot, however, leave this subject without referring to the well-known fact that there is at the present time a vast amount of trickery and deception practised by some unprinci- pled dealers in the manure trade, and that the adulterations are carried out to an incredible extent, far beyond what pur- chasers generally imagine, and that these fraudulent practices are carried out with great skill and ingenuity. Those who have most to do with the examination of such manures have the fullest possible proof of the enormity of the evil. It was only on May 17th that we reported in the Mark Lane Express the communications received by the Council of the Royal Agri- cultural Society, from Dr. Voelcker, in which he brought under their notice spurious guanos, worth 63s. aud SOs. per ton, sell- ing as best Peruvian, probably from £12 to £14 per ton, according aa the dealers wished to throw a tempting bait, or to stand out for the price of the genuine article. We refer our readers to this communication again because of its great im- portance. It is hard enough for farmers to have to pay such heavy prices for their guano ; but after this sacrifice, to find that the purchased article will scarcely pay the expenses of carriage, this is indeed a severe aggravation of the evil. There is a remedy, and if not used we have only ourselves to thank. Send a sample for examination before you purchase; this will cost 5s. ; send another sample of the manure received — and this will cost another 5s. — and you will then know what you purchase and what you receive, and thereby you will protect yourselves against fraud and imposition. It is a serious evil to the agricultural community, but it only needs a simultaneous action throughout the country. Amongst the manure mer- chants there are numbers of hoiourable men, who not only do not shrink from the exaniuation, but are desirous for it, because they will then be recognised as they merit ; aud as to the others, the sooner they are known the better for the agri- cultural public. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 131 ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY OF ENGLAND. MEETING AT CHESTER. TRIAL OF THE STEAM CULTIVATORS. The Society having determined to give a more lengthened as well as thorough trial to these im- portant pieces of machinery, orders were issued to its Judges to be at their post several days earlier than on any previous occasion. Accordingly, under the directorship of the indefatigable Mr. Brandreth Gibbs, and the gentlemanly and business-like stewardship of Sir Archibald Macdonald, the four gentlemen selected as representatives of the mechanical knowledge and practical experience of the agriculturists of England — namely, Professor Wilson (of Edinburgh), Mr. Shackel (of Read- ing), Mr, Druce (of Ensham), and Mr. John Clarke (of Long Sutton), assisted by Mr. Amos (the Society's Consulting Engineer), by Mr. Appold, and other amateur men of wisdom among wheels — began their difficult and responsible labours on Tuesday last. Of course, considerable time was taken up in measuring and laying out the work, and in getting the various un- wieldy or strange-looking machines to the scene of their performances. The first trial-field was a piece of seeds of about ten acres in extent, on the farm of Mr. Nicholls, of Chester, and situated about a mile and a half north of the show- yard. Though pretty level as respects the general slope, the surface lay in ridge-and-furrow " lands" of about 13 feet width ; and there was a long and shaggy sward of rough grass, coltsfoot, coucli, and thistles, rendering smooth, clean, neatly-tucked ploughing im- possible without a well-set skim coulter. Divided into five equal plots. No. i fell to the lot of Mr. Burrell, for his Boydell traction engine ; No. 2 to Messrs. Howard, for their Smith's Woolston apparatus; No. 3 to Mr. Rickett, of Buckingham, for his locomotive rotary digger ; No. 4 to Mr. Fowler, for working the ploughs of Mr. Crawley, of Newport Pagnell ; and No. 5 to Mr, Fowler, for his own steam plough. On Tuesday these were the only four inventions actually competing, though Messrs. Tuxford's traction engine made its entry into the trial-yard, and there are reported to be no less than twelve exhibitors either of machines or models for steam tillage. Without attempting a general description of the different working parts of the four schemes (which, very fortunately, represent as many distinct principles — the locomotive traction engine, the locomotive engine drivins? a revolving tiller, and two systems of wire-rope traction), we may refer to those really new, and to im- provements in the machines already noticed in detail last year. Tiie main alterations observable in Burrell's traction engine are, the gear-work for driving both carriage- wheels, instead of only one ; the new pinion and toothed quadrant steerage, instead of the oil ship's rudder- chains and pole ; and pieces to be attached to the shoes, to guide them and give them a better hold on the ground. There is also an additional force-pump, and an extra lifting-pump, with 30 feet of India-rubber suction-hose, for supplying the tender with water from roadside streams or field-ditches. The price is £800, or ^"750 without these extra pumps. In travelling from the yard, a detour had to be made up a hill, la order to avoid passing over a rather tender canal- drawbridge ; and, this slope of 1 in 10 being paved with cobbles, the " shoes" or rail-pieces slipped, causing a considerable delay ; and a slight accident occurred, as the large tank, full of water, being drawn uphill, broke away from the engine, and, running down, upset a horse and cart. However, the ascent was finally made ; and the engine, with its tank and Mr. Williams' frame of six ploughs, proceeded to a field, for private trial by the exhibitor, before being brought into contest in the Society's arena. The apparatus invented by Mr. Smith, of Woolston, consists of an eight-horse portable engine, with double cylinders, manufactured by Clayton, Shuttleworth, and Co. ; a windlass of remarkably simple construc- tion, made by Messrs. Humphries, of Pershore ; and anchors, pulleys, wire-ropes, and implements, turned out by Messrs. Howard. The three-tined and five-tined implements are well known, and also the mode of hauling them by wire-ropes laid around the compartment to be cultivated, and turning the imple- ments at each end. A ridging plough with two mould- boards is now employed, and turned round at the ends in the same manner. The anchors consist of iron frames, each having a couple of strong curved tines, which are drawn into the ground by the strain of the pulleys hooked to them. The windlass has two drums, with horizontal axes, hung side by side, on separate bearings, in a strong timber frame about 8 feet long by 5 feet wide, mounted on four travelling wheels. To prevent its moving from its place, a chain connects it with the engine. A double-toothed pinion on a trans- verse shaft, driven by a rigger and strap from the engine fly-wheel, gears alternately with teeth on the flanges of either drum, being shifted along the shaft for this pur- pose by a small lever ; a break is pressed by a weight against the side of each drum alternately ; and this is all the machinery there is about it. In working, when the implement arrives at the headland, the steam is shut off; then the pinion can be shifted sideways, out of gear with the drum which has been winding up the rope • and when the other drum, which has been paying out 132 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. rope, stops, the pinion is slipped into gear with it ; and it is found that there is no tendency of the teeth to catch and break, for the cogs on the pinion and drum cannot catch each other unless both are going the same pace, and then, of course, there is no danger of fracture. Mr. Fowler's machinery has been greatly improved since the Salisbury meeting. One of Ransomes and Sims' ten-horse double- cylinder portable engines is adapted for temporary attachment to a windlass, which, when the fore-carriage is removed, incloses the engine as in a pair of shafts. This windlass, manufactured for Mr. Fowler by Robert Stephenson, of Newcastle, is a beautiful piece of machinery, the framework being of light yet sufficiently strong plate-iron, and the adjust- ments for attaching to the engine, etc., being of the simplest and neatest character. It carries two drums, on vertical axes, each of 4 feet diameter, with four grooves on their peripheries ; and round these the wire- rope is led, and, being pressed against the drums by four small spring-rollers, the rope does not slip. Thus an endless rope is employed, instead of the two ropes heretofore wiund and unwound ; the great damage done by crushing the rope upon itself, the irregular progres- sive motion of the implement, and the labour of the man required to regulate the coiling on the drum, being escaped altogether. The drums are actuated by spur- wheels, mitre-wheels, with a clutch for reversing the direction of rotation of the drums, and a rigger and band from the engine fly-wheel. The gradual creeping of the engine and windlass along the headland is effected by a separate small barrel and chain from an anchor fixed a-head, driven by a belt from a small rigger on the other end of the engine crank- shaft. It should be no- ticed that the hinder wheels of the engine are on a rocking-bar axlctree, to adapt the four wheels, of the engine and windlass together, to uneven ground ; and the axletree of the two windlass carriage-wheels can be " locked" when required for steerage. The rope going down the field, round an anchored pulley on the head- land, and back again to the windlass — or rather two lengths of rope — meet at the plough , on which portions are wound on small barrels, so as to be taken up or let out ac- cording to the varying length of furrows required ; and the rope is divided into lengths, joiaed by eyes and links, for enabling an endless rope to be made for any sized field. The experimental investigations having been first in- stituted with this apparatus, we will now describe them before proceeding to the other inventions. To draw the whole up to the field were required — 4 horses with the engine and tank, 2 horses with the windlass, 1 with the anchorage, and 1 with the plough. The windlass was connected with the engine in 17 minutes ; but less time would have sufficed, had it been in order, as on a farm, and not just off the railway trucks. Leading out the ropes with a horse took 20 minutes more, or 37 minutes ; to which must be added several minutes more in setting down the anchorage ; and then filling the boiler and getting up steam occupied more than an hour, before all was ready for work. The ploughing could not be proceeded with on Tuesday evening, owing to tiie engine-pump being out of order ; and so Mr. Fowler was given until 8 o'clock on Wed- nesday to get all in going gear. Accordingly 2 cwt. of coal was served out, steam being at 601bs. pressure, and work began at 8. 52 o'clock. The following is a table of observations taken : Time occupied I'y '• down" journey towards tlie Time of Size of furrow. Time at the end. "up" journey towards the Time at the end. stop- pages. Remarks. anchor- engme. age. Mins. Mins. Mins. IVlins. Mins. 10x5 in. Sk 1 ^ OJ — Besan at COlba. pressure. n 1 4 0^ — 4Mbs. pressure. 19x6 in. H 4 H — 561b9. H H H 1 Oi Stoppage on "up" journey. Work s H 4| H A.lleririg plough done 1 4 55 ^trap broke. iu ele- 1 H 1 60Ibs. pressure. ven 4 0* 3| u — bouts 8 ('s 4 o\ — and a Of Si H — piece. 81 H 84 U H On '• down" journey. n Half a journey, to make up area of plot. 463 8J 44 8| 10 Average. 4 1-1 Ith S 4 i i "Going, 90^; "at ends, i7j; stoppages, 10; =118 miuuteSj or 1 Inur 58 minutes total time. In the last bout but one, an " eye" of the wire-rope broke, and 22 minutes were lost ; but this being a casualty extremely unlikely to occur in every two hours' work, is omitted, and only ordinary stoppages included in the time run. The ground measured 1 acre 2 roods and ISi perches ; and this, for the time occupied (that is nearly two hours), is equivalent to eight acres and twenty perches in a day of ten hours. The weight of coal consumed was found to be 195 lbs. ; the pressure of steam being the same at the conclusion as at the beginning of the experiment. This is equivalent to 100 lbs. of coal per hour, or nearly 9 cwt. in a day. The labour employed was that of two men and two boys, and a man and horse fetching water. The wear and tear and interest on £650 (the cost of the engine and machinery), for 180 days' work in a year, the engine itself being used besides for thrashing, &c., is taken at Is. 6d. per acre. Suppose the average size of fields to be 16 acres, or the area of two days' work, and that a quarter of a day is sufficient for the removal of the apparatus from one field to another, there will thus be 5^ days' work and half-a day's shifting iu a week. And each removal takes four horses and two extra men. The expences for a week, therefore, stand thus : Engiuc-man 248. Ploughman 18 Two Boys 12 Horses and men 8 Coal and oil 66 Water 30 Wear and tear and interest. 72 58. 2^d. \,et acre. Acre?, 44 230s. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 133 What would be the cost of ploughing the same exteut of land per day by horses .' lu order to arrive at a satis- factory estimate of this point, the judges ploughed some furrows alongside of Mr. Fowler's work, with one of Messrs. Howard's PP 3 iron ploughs, drawn by a pair of horses. The dynamometer, we observed, pointed to an average draught of about 4 cwt. for the best plough that could be used ; or, in other words, the work of turning over a furrow 10 inches wide by 6 deep (similar to those of the steam-plough) was fair two-horse labour for an acre a-day. Sixteen horses at 3s, each, and eight men at 2s. each, would thus plough the eight acres per day at an expense of 8s. an acre. By rule of three, then, we find that 8 : 5^ : : 100 : 65 ; showing a saving of 38 per cent, in favour of the steam-plough. We cannot stay, at present, to point out the merits of the work per- formed ; but considering the roughness of the ground, it was certainly well done. In ploughing clean land for wheat-seeding, it is evident that the slices would be more neatly laid ; and on clover-lea, without ridges and fur- rows, the work would be beautifully done by adding skim-coulters. But the economy is remarkable, parti- cularly for land that is to be further prepared by the scuffler. In the heavy-land field on the farm of Mr. Cooper, at Blacon (two miles north of the Show-yard), during the trial of Thursday, we timed four bouts of this plough as follows : "Down journey." At end. , "Up journey." At end. (Stoppage Minutes. 4 3 2| Minutes. 0| i 14 ' Minutes. 3 3 f Minutes. Minutes. 0^ - o| 1 H 1 — 0| 1 - 4) 12i 3 ; IH 3 H 3 0| 2| Of ' - " Going,"23|; " at end," 6 ; " stoppages," li; = 314 minutes ; doing eight journeys of 200 yards each. The engine working at 55 to 60 lbs. pressure, we calcu- lated from the measure of the cylinders and number of strokes per minute, to be giving off about 18 horse- power eflfective. In one hour, the area of land ploughed was just 3 roods, or at the rate of 7^ acres a-day. The expense, with one man extra to hold the plough, in this extraordinarily and disgracefully rough field, can scarcely be put at more than 37s., the cost per acre being thus only 5s. 3|d. A plough tried alongside showed 6^ cwt. draught, or 3-horse labour ; so that ploughing by horses would cost, at a moderate estimate, lis. In heavy land, or deep work requiring great traction -power, it is pretty clear that this machinery saves one-half the ex- pense incurred by horses — that is without reckoning up great casualties which are perhaps liable to occur at times with steam-machinery, as well as with animals having shoulders and fetlocks. Mr. Howard's apparatus did some excellent work with the three-tiner, and also with the trench-and- subsoil implement in the light-land field on Wednesday, the grassy surface being kept on the top by the first implement ready for the after-extraction or killing of the couch and rubbish; and the loamy soil " raftered" into drills or ridges with the bottoms of the open furrows broken up by subsoiling tines, by the action of the other implements. On Thursday, in the heavy-land field, with a stiffor soil, and also many small stones, the three-tine cultivator was worked with excellent effect, breaking up the hard ground into pieces ready to be crossed and still further reduced by a broader scuffler. Owing to the pieces not being turned over, the work appears to the eye almost as green as the whole sward ; but still every portion is cut or torn from the bottom, and much of the ground set up in au angular position, offering a rough surface for the operation of drag or harrow. The plot was about 170 yards by 112, the work being done across the short way ; the rope, laid out all round, being at first some 560 yards length, running at once. Eight cwt. of Lancashire coal being served out, steam was got up ia 43 minutes, and the machine started an hour before Fowler's plough, owing to the engine-man of the latter having neglected his tubes and snake-box, so that a great delay occurred in getting-up steam. The observations we made are as follows : — Time occupied in "down" journey. At end. "Up" journey. At end. Stoppage. Minutes. Minntea. Minutes. Minutes. Minutes. 1| 2 1.1 X — li ^ U i — 1| 5 H ^ 1 li i 9 f — n i If 4 — H i n 4 — i| J H I — If 4 11 ^ 24 n i If i •— If i 14 3f 24 1 4 u 1. 4 — If 1 2 H 4 — 19^ 41 194 44 5i Average \ , i about J ^* * i| - — The total time of the observation was 53 minutes — that is, 38f going, 8f turning at the ends, and 5| lost in altering the implement, &c. The work being done the short way of the plot, the journey was only about 110 yards, the pace travelled being 2^ miles an hour ; had the plot been taken length- wise a much less proportion of the time would have been occupied by the turning. The area cultivated in this 53 minutes was equivalent to 2 roods 38 perches per hour — or say 74 acres per day. The expenses (reckon- ing coal and oil at 12s. ; water, 5s. ; engineer, 4s. ; four men and a boy, lis. ; removals, 4s. ; wear and tear and interest on £430, lis.) amounted to 478.— or 6s. 7d. per acre. In order to form some idea of the heaviness of the labour being performed, six horses, pulling well together, were made to draw the three-tine implement alongside the work; and, though it had been supposed that more draught-power would be needed, the six horses (yoked three before three) walked along at a fair brisk pace, without fatigue or distress ; in fact, it appeared to be good ordinary work for them. The dynamometer 134 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. attached could only indicate up to 10 cwt., and conse- quently the draught, which was of course considerably higher, was not ascertained. To do as much work in a day, it would require two implements, twelve horses^ two men, and two boys, the cost being about 6s. per acre. According to this comparison, there would seem to be no saving in the steam over the horse-power opera- tion ; but the fact is, that horses could not produce the same efficiency of result, seeing that the quicker pace travelled, and the freedom from trampling, cause the ground to be so much better torn up, and laid in a better posture for after-treatment. On Friday Mr. Howard crossed his work with the 5.tined cultivator, taking 5 feit breadth, and so divided and uplifted the pieces left by the first process, and also broke up every portion that had escaped the other im- plement, that common ploughing and cross- ploughing and then dragging could not have left the ground in a better state. Adding the cost of this second operation, namely, some 3s. Gd. to 4s. per acre (the quantity being about 10 to 12 acres per day), to that of the first, we have about 10s. or 10s. 6d. as the expense of accom- plishing tillage worth, on stubbles for cleaning, at least the price of two ploughings; and the advantage in the heavy spring tillage saved, and the fertilizing effect of early breaking-up, still far outweigh the comparative pecuniary estimate. On the same day, also, Mr. Fowler worked his ad- mirable trenching-plough, which took two furrows' breadth at a time, and went 12 inches deep, breaking up the amazingly hard subsoil, and laying it upon the sward-slice turned down. His common plough frame is fitted with cross-bars for carrying cultivator tines ; but the first attempt to work them in this firm -baked soil was not successful. However, it is exceedingly de- sirable that scarifying or grubbing should be within the compass of the engine's ability, as well as turning over furrows. Indeed, it is precisely the beautiful adap- tation of Howard's cultivating implement to this process of "smasliing-up" without inversion, that has achieved for the Woolston system of tackle so large a measure of success. Mr. Rickett's machine is a locomotive engine, with flue-and-tube boiler, propelling itself slowly by means of pinions, spurwheels, and cage-teeth on the inside of one of the broad-bellied travelling wheels ; and at the same time driving with pitch-chains from pinions on each end of the engine crank-shaft a revolving digger hung transversely behind. This digger consists of a strong shaft of 2\ inches square and about 7 feet long, on which are slided a number of curved arms carrying prongs or spade-shaped cutters or shares of chilled cast- iron. It .is hung upon two radial arms, so as to be capable of being raised or depressed, and the short pieces of pitch-chain driving it at each end gear with pinions only 5 inches diameter, which are certainly too small. The circle described by the cutters is 2 feet in diameter, and the digger rotates in the opposite direction to that of the carriage-wheels, so that the blades enter the hard ground from below, carry over the loosened soil, ^nd deposit the pieces mostly in an inverted position. The digger makes say about 60 revolutions per minute, while the engine advances 45 feet in the same time ; and as there are two cutters in one ring (at opposite diame- ters), each cutter takes 4| inches " bite." And shares of all varieties of form and breadth may be employed. Three men are required to work the machine. Going 5 inches and sometimes 7 or 8 inches deep, it made very fair work, good enough to show that on light land in dry weather it might be a valuable tool. The engine, a 10-horse power, worked up to 90 or 951bs. pressure, and when choking did not occur (from the confined and defective construction of the machine), proceeded at the rate of nearly six acres a-day, at an estimated cost (in- cluding interest on .£'440) of about 6s. an acre. All readers of "Talpa's Chronicles of a Clay Farm" will appreciate this invention, although the revolution of the digger is in the opposite direction to that with which their imagination is familiar. Mr. Crawley's set of three one-way ploughs, each consisting of two plough-bodies fixed heel to heel, for working up and down the field without turning at the ends, and yoked to a lever whippletree that of its own accord alters the succession in which the ploughs follow one another for the up and return journeys, were hauled a little way on Wednesday by Fowler's tackle, but could not be made to work properly. Each plough should have had a means of independent steerage ; but as they tore their way sideways into the unploughed land, after proceeding a few yards with some large furrows, a bystander remarked that " they wanted ringing." We have now given the facts of the steam-plough trials as far as we could ascertain them from our own observation ; but doubtless the prolonged experiments of the judges in weighing coal and measuring the work done, besides the careful testing of the implement draughts with the dynamometer, expected to be carried out on Monday, will prove most valuable and interesting to the agricultural public, when the next " part" of the Society's journal comes out. We refrain from express- ing an opinion upon the comparative merits of the two systems of applying steam-power to tillage, which appear to be, so far, the only likely competitors for the ^500 : both are " economical" — both make good workj and seeing that a baulk-plough is used, as well as mere grubbers, by the one which does not " plough," we sup- pose that both comply with the condition of " turning- over" the land. The judges have to give in their award on Tuesday night ; and we have no hesitation in saying that they have taken far better and more satisfactory means for investigating the capabilities of these inven- tions than have ever been employed at previous meetings. Our readers may safely venture to Chester, without fear of a second Salisbury imposition. But so long have we been dwelling upon this all- absorbing subject, that we are forgetting the equally exciting operations in the spacious trial-yard, where Messrs. Barker, Shackel, and Jno. Clark are trying the thrashing-machines ; Messrs. Druce and Professor Wil- son are examining the chaff-cutters, pulpers, mills, &c. ; Messrs. Higgins and Wilshere are hunting out miscella- neous improvements ; Messrs. Owen, Wood, C.E., and THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 135 Mark Fothergill, C.E., are testing the steam-engines; and Mr. Amos and his assistants are recording time and units of power evolved or consumed in all these mani- fold operations, by means of the brakes, springs, and clockwork of their dynamometers. THRASHING MACHINES. The thrashing-machines are being worked in a shed erected for the purpose ; but so numerous are they, that the judges have been driven either to work each one a few minutes only — a time utterly insuilcient for afford- ing any criterion of merit — or else select machines for trial ; and the latter course is the one they appear to be adopting. Twenty sheaves are allowed to any exhibitor requiring to adjust his machine beforehand, and it is then tried with 150 sheaves of wheat; of course very nice dry stuff. If this performance be tolerably satisfactory, a fur- ther ordeal is instituted, with twenty sheaves of barley. The products are then inspected, and what is still better, are scrutinized by the test of dressing over again, the chaff being put through a new chaff-screener, invented by Howard, of Bedford, which separates pieces of cavings from the chaff, cleans out the dust, and extracts any corn that may be present, and the head corn tried upon Boby's infallible screen. We heard a spectator's opinion, that, " between Howard and Boby the machine- makers would have a deuce of a time of it!" — as was no doubt the case with many of them. On Friday were tried the tinishing-dressing combined thrashing machines of Heywood, Ransomes and Sims, Savory, Nalder, and Bobey and Scott, Ransome's ap- pearing to give the best results. Other machines were tested on, Saturday, including that of Messrs. Fowler and M' Collin, Garrett, Clayton and Shuttleworth, Hornsby, &c. — Clayton's appearing to excel in most respects. It is understood that the hard-working judges in this department are paying strict attention to the state of the shaker and riddles when the trial is concluded ; as many which answer ad- mirably for a few minutes are not calculated to keep clear for several hours, particularly with a damp sam- ple of stuff to thrash. In fact, the experiments are being conducted in pretty close conformity with the sugges- tions contained in a letter recently addressed to the So- ciety's council and published in our columns by Mr. John Algernon Clarke. The trials of chaff-cutters, pulpers, &c., &c., are carried on by other judges, namely, Messrs. Druce, Hicken, and Professor Wilson ; and the " miscellaneous" articles are sought out and examined by Messrs. King and Wilshire. STEAM ENGINES. The trials of portable 8-horse engines have given the following results, from Thursday up to Saturday night, when all were finished ; the 12-horse engines coming on for Monday : Brown and May's .. ran 2 hours 35 minutea Clayton and Shuttleworth's „ 3 „ 2 „ Clay's „ 1 „ 28 „ Foster's , 1 „ 35 „ Fowler and McCoilin'a , . „ 1 „ 43 „ Haywood's „ 2 „ — „ Hornsby and Son's . . „ 2 „ 40 „ Tuxford and Sons' .. „ 3 „ 35 „ By the time-test, then, Tuxford stands first, Clayton and Shuttleworth second, and Hornsby third— the three being Lincolnshire firms. With the fixed engines, Hornsby is first, Ransomes and Sims the second, and Ferrabee third. THE SHOW WEEK AT CHESTER. Notwithstanding one or two memorable Meetings held, years gone by, in this quarter, the Society broke comparatively fresh ground at Chester. Never were the visitors to the Show-yard so numerous, and never were there so many who had little or no previous ex- perience of such a national celebration. This was a remarkable and encouraging feature in the history of the week; showing, as it did, there are yet districts where the lesson may be given with mutual advantage. What with an early harvest, and a still low range of prices, there was not so great a number of strangers — men coming from longdistances — as usual. We missed, indeed, many whose names and faces have almost from the first been identified with these occasions. Their place, however, was well filled by others, who had no such round of recollections to fall back upon. The old member or habitue may have often felt himself alone here — jostled by an eager crowd of sight- seers, who hurried on, with that first of incentives to enjoyment and inquiry, the utter novelty of the scene and the proceedings. Fortunately these were worthy of the support they received. It is still the old story, that the Society has never had such a thoroughly successful gathering, as that just now held in tho quaint old city of Chester. It speaks in every way to the gradual advancement of the Institution. It was not merely one of the best Meetings so far as either the entries of Stock or Imple- ments were concerned, but it was altogether one of the best conducted. We never remember one where there was so little to cavil at in the arrangements, or where the business passed off so pleasantly. All this, of course, is but the effect of experience profitably employed. Year by year there is more to do ; but it is better done. We may honestly embody in one general compliment all the working-men of this busy time. Officers, stewards, and judges ably did their duty, while they must regard the unparalleled success of the Show as the most grateful return that can be made them. Few, but those actually engaged in such a business, can imagine the life of a steward, a judge, or an exhibitor, for the eight or nine days he is thus employed. How he gets up with the earliest, and is too often to bed with the last. How he dines irregularly and hastily of cold meat, neatly spread-out on the tail-board of a waggon, or with a plate nicely balanced on the handle of a plough. How he works with the eyes of some of the keenest men of the day resolutely fixed on him— feelin • '.!:.;t if 'i: should make a mistake, all the world will very soon know it— and thinking it the height of good fortune if he can " pass" without being' too much talked about. It is almost surprising how some can bear such periodical excitement ; and no wonder, when L 136 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE, aa implement - maker, wipiug his brow, declares " these meetings are wearing liim out." We speak here more especially with reference to the Implement Section of the Show, which has now come to the third year of the triennial experiment. Regai'ding this at first with some distrust, as, perhaps, but the means to another end, we are bound to record it as having worked most satisfactorily. The system has al- lowed of a certain method and testing-power never before arrived at, and which has progressively cul- minated to Chester. The trials, both in the yard and the field, were never so searching; and, as a rule, never were the prizes so fairly won. And the great interest of the occasion centered here. How long is it since the steam plough was laughed pfF the ground at the Shrewsbury Show? A sufficient time, at any rate, to permit of its being somewhat improved upon when it came to be tried again in the same neighbourhood. We have already entered so fully on the performances of the steam cultivators, that we shall not repeat our selves. The report, however, is wanting in one im- portant point, for the solution of which the agri- cultural world has been long waiting. Is there a steam plough the Society can dare to recommend ? And, if so, whose has the preference ? But, provokingly enough, this is the only blank in our Prize Lists. The judges of steam-ploughs are not suffered to arrive themselves at the dignity of a decision. They can only ofier their recommendation to the Council, who will consider this at their next meeting, eaily in August. The race from thefirst hasbeen entirely between Fowler's plough and Smith's cultivator; and it is now said the judges will advise a moiety only of the five hundred pounds being paid to Mr. Fowler, and an extra medal of merit being given for the Woolston machine. As a specimen of good plougliing, whether economically or not, the former did all that was required of it. The working of Smith's grubber was not so thoroughly understood by those who had but little time to study its straight and cross action ; but it is, unquestionably, a farmer's implement. It is, indeed, the only one the practical man has yet fairly taken to ; and, on the very Wednesday we witnessed it at work in Cheshire, a number of his brother agriculturists and next-door neighbours were presenting Mr. Smith with a testi- monial in fiivour of his invention, at Newport Pagnell, in Buckinghamshire. He has, however, to especially thank the Messrs. Howard, of Bedford, for the interest taken in his implement at Chester. Their entry and management of it has been most liberal minded, and useful in its results. The steam-plough is in every way an "extraor- dinai'y" feature in the business of this anniversary. The third division of the implement prize-sheet should bring us, in due course -after having prepared the land and secured the crops — to getting them ready fpr market. Wo make another application here again to steam- power, but in a phase now familiar enough. Indeed one might, by this, engrave the Engine on a seal as the emblem of agriculture ; or take for our motto, "Get up the steam," in place of " Speed the plough." Considering the original outlay, and the uses to which it can be turned, the purchase of a good steaui-engine must always be a serious matter with the farmer. The Royal Agricultural Society has certainly done its best to assist him. The Carlisle award, still, may have ^ taken the Council, as it did a majority of the public, somewhat by surprise. Many would have it, indeed, it was an achievement that wanted confirmation. Tux- ford's engine had won from a lucky accident, or else by a means that could never be made applicable to every- day work. We question whether the active members of the Council ever took more interest than they felt over the decision of this prize at Ciiester. The trial is altogether unparalleled for the care with which it was entered on ; and we believe the exhibitors generally admit the justice and true principle upon which the issue was arrived at. Our report has shown that the three firms distinguished at Carlisle occupied again precisely their former positions — Tuxford first, Clayton and Shuttleworth second, and Hornsby third. That is, Tuxfords' engine ran the longest; but it was found to be equally excellent on the other "points" of utility and construction, and the first prize of course awarded to it. We shall allow a con- temporary— The Times — to speak to its especial merits : " The trials have been conducted with greater strictness than on any previous occasion; yet Tuxfords', Clayton's, and Hornsby 's engines stand in the same relative position to each other as at Carlisle. On that occasion the unsurpassed performance of the prize en- gine was attributed to the great number of its tubes ; but here we have an engine of precisely similar con- struction, only with about half as many tubes, again successful over all competitors. And this engine has not only proved the soundness of the principles on which it is built, but is remarkable for the extraordi- nary finish of the workmanship — not in polishing up, but in trueness of fitting, and the uniformly excellent and beautiful adjustment of the parts to each other. The peculiarity of Tuxford and Sons' engine consists in the cylinder being vertical, so as to avoid the usual wearing of horizontal ones ; while the working parts are inclosed in an iron ' house ' at one end of the boiler, and kept free from dust, and under lock and key when not in use. They had also a horizontal engine in the yard, and the Judges were offered whiciiever they chose for trial. The engines chiefly sent out by this firm have both flues and return-tubes — a somewhat more expensive construction, but giving the greatest dura- bility, and freedom from liability to leakage or burn- ing." For the twelve-hnrse portable engine, the Messrs. Hornsby improve upon their place in the eight-horse-power trial. But it would be affec- tation not to say that the decision of the Judges has given rise to endless discussion, if not more boldly expressed dissatisfaction. As a principle, we are ever loath to question what the Judges decide. In these times, they must have some known quali- fication for the appointment they take, while their opportunities for inspection, or rather, rigid exami- nation, are of course infinitely superior to those of a THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 137 mere spectator. The public, however, will never rest content until their reasons for this award are explained. In the matter of " duty," or run, the other Lincolnshire firms had again the best of it. The time-table is thus officially announced :— Tuxford and Sons' . ran 2 hours 57 minutes. Clayton and Shuttleworth's 2 hours 41 minutes. Ransome and Sims' ... 2 hours 29 minutes. Hornsby and Sons' . . .2 hours 25 minutes. And Hornsby receives the first prize ! It does not seem probable that a manufacturer would differ much in his plan of constructing either a twelve or eight- horse engine. But, under any circumstances, this case shows the necessity of an early report ; and it is even said that Messrs. Clayton and Slmttleworth have asked, or are about to ask, for an official explanation of the Judges' decision. Still the working value of Hornsby's machinery is proverbial, and perhaps the more we in- vestigate it the less may we question what the .Judges have decreed. Barrett, Exall, and Andrewes are declared to have the best fixed engine — a plan that at one time threat- ened to supersede the moveable, but that has latterly rather receded in practice. The Reading firm, how- ever, did capital work with theirs. Ransome makes the best boiler for engines; and Boby's is indis- putably the best screen for machines. It sounds almost strange that the thrashing-machine and the engine should not go together. But, in equal merit, it would appear they do not. The Tuxfords, for in- stance, have not yet taken a prize for a thrashing- machine ; and the four selected for the great two-hours' trial on Wednesday were — Clayton and Shuttleworth, Hornsby, Humphries, and Ransome j their merits being pronounced as we have placed them. Clayton and Shuttleworth have, indeed, a very marked supe- riority here, while the trials were entered on with unusual energy by the Judges; an enume- ration of points having been previously very nicely adjusted by them. The Messrs. Hornsby and Garrett are the next selected from, as with the en- gines, whole hosts of opponents. When we say there were not less than 105 engines entered, and 87 thrashing machines, it will be seen how good either must actually be, to take any place here. As Mr. Stratton said of his short-horns, the Ransomes and Garretts may say of their implements, " It must be pretty good stock to get any notice at all at such a meeting as this." If the great majority of the visitors had the look of people who had seen heretofore but little of such sights, they were certainly not merely idle or uninterested spec- tators. The manufacturers have seldom had a better time of it. There was scarcely a man amongst them but who was " doing very well indeed." But there was a moral, too, in the way the company crowded round those entries which had this year received the stamp of approval from the Society. They bought engines, thrashing-machines, and even steam-ploughs. There were plenty of prizes for such smaller implements as chaff-cutters, mills, pulpers, and so on, and quite as many people to purchase them, The ixnrivalled Mr, Cornes must have had a busy time of it ; and Richmond and Chandler, Samuelson, Garrett, and Ransome also drove a roaring trade. The public really meant busi- ness, and did in a day or two, what it would take their historian a week to go fairly through. We shall hereafter, however, " try" carefully through the different lines, and endeavour to do something like jus- tice to a branch of home manufactures that has taken a very high rank amongst us. The great mea of Manchester, we are assured, were much struck with the excellence of the workmanship, which now so generally characterizes the implements of agriculture. As a whole, we must repeat, this section of the show has seldom, if ever, come to a more satisfactory conclu- sion than it has this year. The natural consequence of this is, then, that the triennial system will be renewed. Such certainly would read like a settled fact ; but so far no one can say anything for certain. The Implement Committee, it is reported, will not meet to consider the subject before November ; and in the interim the manu- facturers are all at sea as to what is to come next. Of course such a delay is in every way injudicious and re- prehensible. It was whispered the question would be asked at the general meeting on Friday, but this broke up in twenty minutes, after a merely formal sitting — thanks to the Mayor, the President, the Railways, and for the use of lands. It was considerably " past one o'clock" before the Judges of stock had concluded their duties on the Wed- nesday. This of itself went some way to confirm the rumoured excellence and extent of the entry. When once the rush at the doors was conquered — and we never remember it so great — a very passing glance tended to assure one that any expectations of a great show would not be disappointed. Testing it by the combined strength of numbers and quality, it is the best exhibition of animals the Society has ever yet brought together. There was of course a weak place or two ; but as a whole either established breeds or more local varieties seldom came out in greater force. It is a nice question, to be- gin with, whether there ever was ere this such a lot of Shorthorns — so many to be seen, and at the same tim so few of an inferior description. The proof of this is easily arrived at — some of the most famous of our exhi- bitors having had to be content with a mere commendation, or at best but a second place. This was the case with Colonel Towneley, whose Brother to ]\Iaster But- terfly was only highly commended, while from no less than ten yearling heifers he reached no higher than next best. But then this was a most extraordinary class, both for merit and the many competing. There were thirty- three for the Judges to pick from, and their premier se- lection was generally allowed to be the best animal of the yard. She is one of Mr. Booth's famous sort, by his well-known prize bull Windsor. With that really graceful appearance that so generally distinguishes the Warlaby herd of cows, " The Queen of the Isles" is, for her age, wonderfully well developed, and very heavy fleshed. As a class, the aged cows rank only next to the heifers, and here again Mr. Booth has the first place with a broad, roomy, and altogether most handsome cow, L 2 138 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. that quite maintains the repute of her owner. The Judges thought so well of these cows, that thsy generally commended them, distinguishing Mr. Stratton by the second prize. Indeed, the Hinton stock never showed so well as it did here. When we consider the company he is in, Mr. Stratton's position is now clearly established as a breeder of first- class animals. In the cow classes, however, Mr. Douglas must on the whole be ranked as only second to Mr. Booth, from whom he will have his best blood. As the property of one man, his pair of three-year-old heifers have never been excelled ; although the Gold Medal and Challenge Cup heifer of the last Dublin show (Venus do MediciJ was only the commended here, and her companion, Queen of Trumps, the first prize. But if we recollect aright, the positions of the two have more than once, before this, been reversed. Another of Mr. Douglas' cows, in the all-aged entry, yet holds the challenge cup of the Irish national society. In short, there never were so many excellent animals to be found on the same ground, almost any one of which might have fairly been expected to win. The Shorthorn bulls, if not quite equal to the cows, still studded tlie catalogue with renowned names and pedigrees. The best bull was undoubtedly the best bred one in his class, coming direct from the Bates' blood, as preserved by the late Lord Ducie. But he was yet quite a contradiction to look at. Of immense size cer- tainly, but very coarse in appearance, with a plain head, a drooping horn, and big joints, the Duke of Oxford owes his success almost entirely to his quality. This was pronounced to be wonderfully fine. Seldom was there a beast that handled so well, and this of itself proved his high descent. He is not, however, an animal to please the eye ; while his dam, we believe, had the same ugly straight horn and mean head. This bull was bought when a calf at the great Tortworth sale, by Lord Feversham, for three hundred guineas, and his lordship has no cause to complain of the price. Amongst the other especially good animals in this class were Sir Charles Tempest's Napoleon, Mr. Wetherell's Statesman, and Mr. Fawkcs' Sir Edmund Lyons, the first prize yearling at Salisbury. The latter showed to consider- able disadvantage here, not being half the age of the prize bull. Lord Hill's two-year-old is a good useful animal, but scarcely of a first-class character ; while the second, the prize calf at Salisbury, " The Great Mogul," did not come up to the expectations he then raised. The commended bull, belonging to Mr. Fawkes, saving just for a defect or so, might have had the best of it ; but the class positively abounded in good ones. It was a nice point, again, as to which was the best calf, Bon Garcon or Comet, though the prize-list will show how good they eitlier were. Royal Butterfly, thought to be sure to win, was third to them ; and five others com- mended. The Shorthorn honours did not even end here. Say or fancy what some people will, the Judges stamped their excellence for dairy, as well as for feeding, purposes. Of the twelve prizes offered by the local committee for cattle best adapted for the dairy, eleven were awarded to Shorthorns, a third premium only being given to some cross-bred cows. In short, the Chester Meeting makes the sort fit for any- thing, at the same time an amusing anecdote is told of the manner in which they maybe prepared. A Steward of the yard encountered a man bringing in four cows, evidently of one herd, although vastly different in appear- ance. Two were well-rounded, plump, comely heifers ; the others prominent in rib and hip-bone, and anything but over-fed. '' How is this ?" asked the authority ; " what do you mean by fattening one pair and starving the other .'" " Well, sir, you see," answered the herds- man, with a grin, " these two bo for breeding, and them there thin cows for milking — you understand ?" As he did at once, no doubt. It is not very long since that the other established breeds suffered terribly from comparison with the Durhams, at least in the numerical force of the entries. The taste for the Hereford, hawever, is rapidly reviving ; and, after doing better and better for some time, their admirers have reached a very admirable show .of them at Chester. The cows in this instance had also as a rule the preference, and nothing could look sweeter or prettier than their while faces, ruddy coats, and fine frames. Mr. Price, Mr. Hill, Lord Berwick, and Lord Bateman, still, sent some grand.highly bred bulls, amongst which we cannot help fancying that of the latter noble lord might have taken a higher rank had it not been for the monstrous state of fatness to which he has been brought. We should almost hope he was passed over on this ac- count. He was the first prize bull at the recent West of England Meeting; and really, for compactness of form, size, and quality, is very nearly perfect. The Hereford is becoming more and more worthy of his Herd Book, of which, by the way, Mr. Duckham has just issued his third volume. A sense of justice will soon make it a question whe- ther the Devous will not have to merge into " the other classes." There were, as usual, very few, if not yet fewer, of them than heretofore, at Chester, But the test of a Devon is more quality than quantity, and Mr. Quartley's cows and Mr. Pope's heifers were very pic- tures of useful beauty. In this Heifer Class there were just three entered, Mr. Pope taking the first and second premiums, and Mr. Davy receiving a high commenda- tion ; so that the Prize Sheet reads far better than the Catalogue. Mr. Pope appears to have got hold of a rare sort of his own, while other exhibitors out of the county generally go to it pretty directly for their ma- terial. In the other established breeds to which the Devons stand in ominous proximity. Lord Southesk's Polled Angus had a long lead. His prize bull was a grand, lengthy, even be;ist, and altogether of quite a majestic appearance. But the Welsh cattle stood in the great- est prominence here ; and it is only a national meeting like this that can demonstrate how far they may be ac- tually improved. Colonel Pennant's stock are very different to the " runts" we are accustomed to — good even as they are — and it is very evident that, with a little more care, the black cattle of North Wales may become a favourite breed. At present, it is said, the THE^FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 139 farmers take little or no pains with them. The land- lords, however, are setting them an excellent example ; and something must come of it. The Sheep-show was the weakest division of the Stock Classes. The Leicesters, still declining, were very inferior, although Mr. Paulett came to the rescue with some good rams. But where was Mr. Sanday ? Neither judge nor steward, the class could certainly not afford his absence. Then Mr. Jonas Webb does not show Downs ; and Mr. Sainsbury does not show Downs, and Mr. Overman does not show Downs — ergo, the Southdowns were not numerically what they had been. Thanks, however, to the Duke of Eichmond and Mr. Rigden, we had some beautiful finely -bred sheep to look at ; and as the judges went all for quality, the honours were divided between them, Mr. Rigden taking the better half. Lord Walsingham has had some recent mishaps with his flock, and one ram was shown with a bad cut across the eye, a better having been left at home. Useful sheep, as his lord- ship's are, it would have been a difficult thing to alter the Chester edict. If some of the best men amongst the Lei- cesters and Downs did not exhibit, the great breeders of the Cotswolds did. The consequence was that the pick of the fair was to be found here. We were assured, indeed, at Cardiff that the comparatively inferior exhibitioa of Cotswolds in South Wales would be consi- derably amended in the North. And so it was. The Lanes, Hewers, and Games had evidently been reserving themselves, and a better show of Cotswolds has rarely been known. They stood out in strong pre-eminence to the other sorts; and Mr. Hewer'spenof ewes was deser- vedly one of " the sights" of the show — such beau- tiful heads, grand forms, wide chests, and fine fleeces. Beyond this, the French savans say that the Cotswold is the very best eating ; and so really, Mr. Webb and Mr. Sanday, you had better make haste back again, or we shall have these Wiltshire people going yet more to the fore. Mr. Beale Browne, in such company, could get no higher than a commendation ; and the thousand-pounds challenge — accepted by Mr. Hewer— has ended in a forfeit. Mr. Browne paid five hundred to be " off" on Saturday last — a most discreet proceeding. Shropshire and West-country Downs stood deservedly high amongst other kinds ; and Mountain Sheep, both Welsh and Scotch, formed another appro- priate feature in the local character of the Show. One of the " extraordinary " facts of the meeting— we use the Judges' own words — was the exhibition of small Pigs. All were generally good, but the small sows especially were remarkable for the number of good ones amongst them. It is said eight were " called out " for the first pri/e, and no less than ten were altogether distinguished either by prizes, " special" or high commendations. Colonel Towneley faired better here than with the Short-horns, as he took the local as well as the Society's premium with the same sow. And^ here it must be said that many an animal contended for both classes of premiums, and often with success. This caused some little confusion to the .spectator, as vrcU as it will to the reader, but we have endeavoured to identify every animal as closely as possible — either by name, breed, or colour. With the pigs the latter ran all for white. With the sole exception of one or two Berkshires, none of the darker shades were in fashion. Amongst the larger kinds, there were one or two animals of immense size and weight, apparently so helplessly fat, that their value for "use" would seem like an absurdity. The horses, again, were entered in all sorts of ways ; and the best of one division was often enough the second for another. Or, a winner in the national did not con- tend for the local prize, which of course went to some- thing beneath him. There was altogether a very large display of agricultural and dray horses, with some capi- tal specimens amongst them ; but, like most horse shows, it was a very uneven one. The call went chiefly for Suffolks and Clydesdales, notwithstanding there were comparatively but few on the ground. This is the more creditable, as neither of the judges were Scotch nor eastern counties men. Mr. Badham's Suffolk has now corrected the Bury oversight, the only time he was ever beaten. His other performances are very good. At three years old he took the first prize of his class, and the second amongst the aged horses at Ipswich, where there was one of the best lots of Suffolks we ever saw. At four years old, that is during this summer, he won the All England prize at Chelmsford on a Wednesday, and a similar one at Norwich on the Friday following. Often as we have met " Emperor," 'ere this, we never saw him look so well as at Chester. He appeared, as it were, to feel his own triumph, and to display himself to the best advantage. He is cer- tainly a very handsome horse — a beautifully topped one, with a good head, rare neck and crest, plenty of middle piece, and better behind in the thighs and gaskins than many of them are. His weak points are that he is a little light below the knee, has a small but still good foot, and is perhaps a trifle confined in the shoulder. Then, Mr. Crisp well supported him with another Suff"olk Emperor — not Ploughboy, as printed in the catalogue — who took not only the first prize of the Society, but with it tlie local one, so thai. Shropshire and Cheshire will have a good opportunity of fairly trying the breed when Em- peror " number two" comes on his travels amongst them next year. Another commended Suffolk, Mr. Wilsot's Salisbury horse, was sold on the ground, to go to Australia, whither he is bound with two or three more o\ his countrymen. Those &t Chester have of course often met before at home meetings, and with varied su-jcess, but their ups and downs are scarcely worth tracing here. The second prizes in these two classes went to a goorl-looking black Leicester horse, and to a tw,i-year-old by that great horse, England's Glory. The young one is quite worthy of him. Then the Clydes had a turn, and the mares began with one of the most perfect ever sent into a Show-yard. She was better all over than the North Country nags generally, and was really as splendid a cart marc as need be asked for. If she had a fault, 140 THE l^ARMiiR'S MAGAZINE. it was being a little too long in the pastern for heavy work — rather a sign of speed than strength. Then his Grace the Duke of Marlborough put to demonstration the difference between a dray-horse and oae for agri- cultural purposes. Glengarry, at the first glance, was a magnificent animal, standing over seventeen hands and a hall high, of a very showy colour, and with many catching points. Only adorn him with well-embossed harness, so as to hide his quarters and thighs, and he was quite a lion to " walk up" and see. Still the Society's best horse for farmers, or best horse for draymen, did not find the best draught-horise on the Roodee. The local committee off'ered their premium also, open without any restriction to all comers; and this attracted, amongst others, two senior wranglers of other years. One was the grey horse " Matchless," who was first at Salisbury last year, and easily identified by his long flowing mane. He looks better out than in, and is anything but improved since last season. The other was the Leicester bred horse " Nonpareil," still better known at the So- ciety's meetings. He was the best two-year-old at Wind- sor, second in his class at Lincoln, and the best horse at Carlisle. He was pronounced, and very deservedly so, the best, again, at Chester. He has worn well, and all his points are now beautifully developed, without any sign as yet of decline. Still it is only fair to remember, when estimating the merits of the two, that Mr. Bad- ham's horse is only a four-year-old. But we cannot understand how the SuS'olk is inferior to the Lincoln grey. There was plenty of young stock to pick from, and some capital working pairs. As a whole, the show of farm horses, without being at all extraordinary for its excellence, was well up to the high-water mark of the meeting. We can scarcely say as much for the hacks and hunters. We thought the thorough-bred stallions a very middling lot, and one of the Judges confirmed us in our opinion. They were only saved from positive inferiority by the two prize animals ; not that either of them is by any means of the high character of Hobble Noble, or A British Yeoman. Spencer, pronounced to be just the best of the two, was the second horse at "Salisbury, where he made no sensation. And then followed such cast-offs as Peppermint, Raven, Come-away, and Burndale. The last of these is a thorough savage, with the worst sullen eye we ever saw in a horse's head. He was bound down, to keep the peace, by all sorts of head-reins and chains ; offering a fine opportunity for any of Mr. Rarey's dis- ciples to go through a performance. It was said, indeed, one of the two gentlemen at least, who came in judgment on him, had taken out his ten-guinea diploma ; but when we left the unhappy Burndale on Friday, he was still all foam, head-tackle, and bated fury. The Hack Stallions were far better ; only it is diffi- cult to define what a hack is. One man, we remember, at Salisbury, sent a great Cleveland harness- horse, and entered him as a hack. The class here, too, was made up of " all- sorts ;" and the Judges joined issue as to whether Sir Watkin's Colonel horse or one of the old sort of roadsters the better came up to the description. An umpire decided in favour of the latter— a very neat nag, with lots of " go," " show," and power about him. Another handsome Galloway in this class was declared to be the best sort of animal to improve the breed of Welsh ponies. These hardly came up to our expectations, and we certainly saw one or two more perfect at the .South AY ales Show at Cardiff. In fact, the best pony here was a Scotchman, bred as far North as Dumfries, and for his size a very model of strength, with the pony's first excellence — straight, true action. There was quite a history connected with him. In the first place, after some dispute, he had been sold for " sixpence a pound," at which he realized some- thing over twenty. Then, a few months since, Mr. MofFatt gave five-and-twenly for him. Mr. Pain, one of the stewards of the yard, indulged his fancy directly he saw him, and took him at double the price. The same afternoon Mr. Starkey, the owner of Fisher- man, the race- horse, loould have him, and the figure was doubled again, like the horseshoe-sum, up to a hundred and ten guineas 1 — Just about twice as much as "Highland Laddie" is worth. Neither the hunter nor hack mares will bear speaking of. The poultry department is said to be doomed ; but the birds never showed, at this time of year, in better condition ; and some of the Aylesbury ducks were so fine that it was thought they must have had a cross of the goose in them ! A Cheshire show without Cheshire cheese would have been a mistake ; and with a hundred-pound prize to be had, no wonder they took a line of their own on the ground. The four thus selected have been presented by the local committee to her Majesty, the Emperor of the French, Lord Derby as Prime Minister, and Lord Berners as President of the Society. Tempting, indeed, were they to look at; but there was no tasting till the dinner, when the Chairman cut away at one in good earnest — not his Lordship's own, we trust. This dinner, which was very well done, was chiefly remarkable for the presence of the Duke of MalakofF, and the speech of Mr. Gladstone. A full re- port of this is given further on ; but it was a terrible mistake to ignore the Stewards and Judges ; neither of whom would have had a word had not Lord Berners himself called one of them up. In truth, the toast list might have been improved. The Chester Meeting, in a word, was " a bumper." There was more than ever to see, and more people than ever to see it. The general arrangements were good, the results encouraging, and the week to be marked, as the ancient philosopher did his happy days, with a white stone. PRIZES FaR CATTLE, &c. SHORT-HORNED CATTLE. Judges. — William Ladds, Ellington. A. L. Maynard, Morton-le-Moore, Ripen. Thomas Parkinson, Hexgrave, Southwell. Class 1. — Bulls calved on or before the 1st of July, 1856» and not exceeding sis years old. First prize of £30 to Lord Feveraham, of Buncombe Park, Heltnsley, York (Fifth Duke of Oxford). THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. lil Second prizs of £15 to Mark Barroby, of Dishforth, Thirsk, Yorkshire (Mark Anthony). Highly commended.— Georga Bland's, and William Weth- erell's bulls. Commended. — John Hanbury Blackburne's, Hon. and Rev. T. H. Noel Hill's, Sir Chas. Roht. Tempest's, Richard Strat- ton's, and another of William Wetherell's bulls. Class 2. — Bulls calved since the 1st of J uly, 1856, and more than one year old. First prize of £25 to Viscount Hill, of Hawkstone, Shrews- bury (Hetman). Second prize of £15 to Stewart Marjoribanks, of Bushey Grove, Watford, Herts (Great Mogul). Highly commended. — The Hon. Col. Pennant's, and Francis Hawksworth Fawkes' bulls. Commended. — Another of Francis Hawksworth Fawkes', Hon. and Rev. T. H. Noel Hill's, Henry Edward Surtees', and William Torr's bulls. Class 3. — Bull-calves above six and under twelve months old. First prize of £10 to Francis Hawksworth Fawkes, of Farnley Hall, Otley, York (Bon Garcon). Second prize of £5 to Thomas Forrest, of Spurstow Hall, Tarporley, Cheshire (Comet). Highly commended. — Lieut. Col. Towneley's bull calf. Commended. — John Grundy's, Mark Barroby's, Sir Wta. Lawson's, Bart., John Armstrong's, and another of Lieut. Col. Towneley's bull calves. Class 4. — Cows in milk or in calf. First Prize of £20 to Richard Booth, of Warlaby, Northal- lerton, York (Nectarine Blossom). Second Prize of £10 to Richard Stratton, of Broad Hinton, Swindon, Wilts (Matchless 4th). Highly commended. — William Wetherell's cow. This class generally highly commended. Class 5. — Heifers in milk or in calf, not exceeding three years old. First prize of £15 to James Douglas, of Athelstaneford Farm, Drem, East Lothian (3rd Q,ueen of Trumps). Second Prize of £10 to Hon. Rev. T. H. Noel Hill, of Ber- riagton, Shrewsbury (Lady Rockingham). Highly commended. — Another of James Douglas', and Lieut. CoL Tosvneley'a heifer. Commended. — John B. Starkey's heifer. Class 6. — Yearling heifers. First prize of £10 to Richard Booth (Queen of the Isles). Second prize of £5 to Lieut. Col. Towneley, of Towneley Park, Burnley, Lancaster (Diadem). Highly commended, — John Grundy's, Lord Feversham's, another of Lieut. Col. Towneley's, and Sir Chas. R. Tempest's heifers. Commended. — W. Barker Cox's, W. Fletcher's, and two more of Lieut. Col. Towneley's heifers. HEREFORDS. Judges. — Samuel Anstey, Monabilly. Samuel Bloxsidge, Warwick. E, L. Franklin, Ascott, Wallingford. Class 1. — Bulls calved on or before the 1st of July, 1856, and not exceeding six years old. First prize of £30 to Edward Price, of Court House Pem- bridge, Leominster (Goldfinder Second). Second prize of £15 to Thomas Rea, of Westonbury, Pem" ridge, Hereford (Sir Benjamin). Highly commended. — Lord Bateman's bull. Commended. — Lord Berwick's bull. Class 2. — Bulls calved since the 1st of July, 1856, and more than one year old. First prize of £25 to Richard Hill, of Golding Hall, Shrews- bury (Claret). Second prize of £15 to John Naylor, of Leightcn Hull, Welshpool, Montgomery (Lucknow). Highly commended. — John Williams' bull. Commended. — Edmund Wright's bull. Class 3. — Bull-calves, above six and under twelve months old. First prize of £10 to Thomas Edwards, of Wintercott, Leo- minster, Hereford (Leominster). Second prize of £5 to Lord Bateman, of Shobdon Court, Leominster, Hereford (Chester). Highly commended. — Wm. Perry's, and W. Greenhoii>e'8 bull calves. Commended.— EimvaA Wright's bull calf. Class 4.— Cows in milk or in calf. First prize of 20^ to Edward Williams, of Llowes Cjurt, Hay, Brecon (Young Browdy). Second prize of 10/ to Philip Turner, of The leen, Pern- bridge, Leominster (Promise). Highly commended. — George Pitt's cow. This Class generally commended. Class 5.— Heifers, in milk or in calf, not exceeding three years old. First prize of \U to Thomas Rea (Bello). Second prize of lOZ to James Rea, of Monaughty, Knighton, Radnor (Heiress). Highly commtnded. — William Perry's heifer. Commended. — Another of William Perry's heifers. Class 6. — Yearling heifers. First prize of 10/ to James Rea (Czarina). Second prize of 5/ to William Child, of Wigmore Grange, Lcintwardine, Ludlow (Peggy). Highly commended. — Richard Hill's heifer. Commended. — Lord Bateman's, Edward Price (for two), and George Pitt's heifers. DEVONS. Judges. — Samuel Anstey. Samuel Bloxsidge. E. L. Franklin. Class 1.— Bulls cslved on or before the 1st of July. 1856, and not exceeding six years old. First prize of 3'J to Samuel Umbers, of Wappenbury, Leamington, Warwick (Birmingham). Second prize of 15Z to H.R.H, the Prince Consort (The Zouave). Highly commended. — William Hole's hull. Commended. — Thomas Webber's, and James Davy's bulls. Class 2. — Bulls calved since the Ist of July, 1856, and more than one year old. First prize of 25/ to John Quartly, of MoUand, South Molton, Devon. Second prize of 15/ to George Turner, of Barton, Devon (Clarendon) Highly commended. — H.R.H. the Prince Consort's, James Merson's, and James Quaitly's bulls. Class 3. — Bull-calves above six and under twelve months old . First prize of 10/ to George Turner (Prince Leopold). Second prize of 5/ to H.R.H. the Prince Consort (The Colonel). Highly commended. — James Davy's bull calf. Class 4. — Cows in milk, or in calf. First prize of 20/ to John Quartly (Picture). Second prize of 10/ to John Quartly (Milkmaid). Highly commended. — George Turner's and James Merson's cows. Commended.— khx»hi.m Umbers' and James Davy's cows. Class 5. — Heifers in milk or in calf, not exceeding three years old. First prize of 15/ to Edward Pope, of Great Toller, Maiden Newton, Dorset (Iiovely). Second Prize of 10/ to Edward Pope (Dove). Highly commended. — James Davy's heifer. Class 6. — Yearling heifers. First prize of 10/ to James Quartly, of MoUand House, South Molton, Devon, Second prize of 5/ to George Turner (Vaudine). Higldy commended.— knoVatx of George Turner's heifers. OTHER ESTABLISHED BREEDS, NOT INCLUDING THE SHORT-HORN, HEREFORD, OR DEVON BREED. Judges. — W. Tindall, Wheatley, Oxon. J. S, Turner, Seaford, Lewes, Joseph Woolf, Haslington, Crewe. Class 1. — Bulls calved on or before the 1st of July, 1856, and not exceeding six years old. Prize of 10/ to Earl of Soutbeak, of Kinnaird Castle, Brechin, Forfar, N.B. (Polled Angus). Highly commended.— Tlev. R. T. Forester's Alderney. Cojnmended.—Riihert Dryden Corbet's Ayrshire. Class 2. — Bulls calved since the 1st of July, 1856, and more than one year old. Prize of 10/ to Lady Pigot, of Chippenham Park, Sohanii Cambridgeshire (West Highland). 143 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. Class 3. — Cows in milk or in calf. Prize of lOl to Earl of Southesk (Polled Augus). Highly commended. — Rev. R. T. Forester's Alderney. Commended. — Robert Dryden Corbet's Ayrshire. Class 4. — Heifers in mi'k or in calf, not exceeding three years old. Prize of 10^ to Earl of Southesk (Polled Angus). Highly coinmended. — Lord Sondes' Polled Norfolk. Class 5 — Yearling heifers. Prize of 51 to Lord Sondes, Elmham Hal), Thetford, Nor- folk (Polled Norfolk). Highly commended. — Earl of Southesk's Polled Angus. HORSES. Agricultural Horses Generally. Judges. — R. Brewster, The Holmes, Bingham. W. C. Spooner, Eling, Southampton. Class 1. — Stallions for Agricultural Purposes foaled on or before the 1st of January, 1856. First Prize of £30 to G. D. Badham, of the Sparrow's Nest, Ipswich ( Suffolk, Emperor). Second Prize of £15 to Matthew Berridge of logaraby, (Leicester, Victor). Highly commended. — Thos. Crisp's and W. Wilson's Suffolk horses. Commended. — Alex. Begbie's Clydesdale and Peter Night- ingale's grey horse. Class 2. — Best Stallions for Agricultural Purposes foaled in the year 1856. First Prize of £20 to Thomas Crisp, of Butley Abbey, Woodbridge (Suffolk, Emperor.) Secoad Prize of £10 to Benjamin Taylor, of Peterborough, Northampton (Young England's Glory). Highly commended. — Another of Thos. Crisp's Suffolk horses. Commended. — Edward Robinson's Cleveland, and W. Wil- son's Suffolk. Class 3.— Mares and Foals for Agricultural Purposes. First Prize of £20 to Isaac Fawkes, of Outertown, Annan, Dumfries (Clydesdale Jessie). Second Prize of £10 to J. H. Hayes, of Frodshani, Chester (Gipsey). Highly commended. — William Taylor's black mace. Commended. — William Etches' bay, J. G. Thompson's ches- nut, and Thos. Crisp's Suffolk. Class 4.— Two-year-old Fillies for Agricultural Purposes. First Prize of £15 to Samuel Fisher, of Whatton, Notting- ham (Grey). Second Prize of £10 to Hon. Co!. Pennant, of Penrhyu Castle, Bangor (Bay). Highly commended. — Thos. Crisp's Suffolk. Commended. — J. S. Crawley's Suffolk and H.R.H. the Prince Consort's Clydesdale. DRAY HORSES. Class 1. — Stallions foaled on or before the 1st of January, 1856. Prize of £30 to Duke of Marlborough, of Blenheim, Wood- stock, Oxon (Clydesdale, Glengarry). Highly commended. — W. and T. Baker's and S. and R. Spencer's horses. Commended. — James Robinson's horse. Class 2. — Stallions foaled in the year 1856. Prize of £15 to James Rawlence, of Bulbridge, Wilton, Wilts (Buckinghamshire, Hillesden). Class 3. — Best Mares with Foals at foot. Prize of £20. Withheld. Class 4. — Fillies, foaled in the year 1856. Prize of £10, No entry. OTHER HORSES. Judges. — Captain Barlow, Hasketon, Woodbridge. C. M. Nainby, Barnoldby, Grimsby. Class 1. — Thorough-bred Stallions for getting Hunters. First Prize of £30 to Thos. Mansfield, of Thirkleby Bridge, Thirsk (Spencer, by Cotherstone, out of Polka, by Erailius). Second Prize of £i,Q to C. Spence, of Huntingdon Hell, York (Canute, by Emperor, dam by Economist). Class 2. — Stallions for getting Hackneys. \ i Prize of £20 to R.P. Ridadale, of Watergate Bishop, Thorn- ton, Ripley (Troubadour). Class 3. — Brood Mares for breeding Huntera. Prize of £20 to J. B. Starky, of Spye Park, Chippenham, Wilts (Golden Locks, by Jack Tar). Commended. — J. K. Farnworth'a and George Holmes' mares. Class 4.— Brood Mares for breeding Hackneys. Prize of £15 to J. L. Harland, Bradly Green, Whitchurch, Chester. SHEEP. Leicesters. Judges. — John Bodley, Stockley, Pomeroy. Charles Stokes, Kingston, Kegworth. John B. Thompson, Anlaby. Class 1. — Shearling Rams. First Prize of £20 to Thomas Edward Pawlet, of Beeston, Bedford. Second Prize of £10 to R. W. Cresswell, of Ravenstone, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicester. Commended. — Another of T. E. Pawlet'a, John Borton's, and Lieutenant Colonel Inge's rams. Class 2. — Rams of any other age. First Prize of £20 to T. E. Pawlet, Second Prize of £10 to Frans. Spencer, of Clay Brook Magna, Lutterworth, Leicester. Highly commended. — R. W, Creswell's ram. Commended. — Another of T. E. Pawlet's, Samuel Umbers', John Borton's, and George Turner's rams. Class 3. — Pen of Five Shearling Ewes, of the same flock. First Prize of £20 to Lieutenant Colonel Inge, of Thorpe Constantiue, Tamworth. Second Prize of £10 to Samuel Wiley, of Brandsby, York, South Downs. Judges. — E. Trumper, Nuneham, Oxon. Peter Purves, Kimbolton. John Waters, Eastbourne. Class 1. — Shearling Rams. First Prize of £20 to William Rigden, of Hove, Brighton. Second Prize of £10 to the Duke of Richmond, of Good- wood, Chichester, Sussex. Class 2. — Ram, of any other age. First Prize of £20 to William Rigden. Second Prize of £10 to the Duke of Richmond. Class 3. — Pen of Five Shearling Ewes of the same flock. First Prize of £20 to William Rigden. Second Prize of £10 to the Duke of Richmond. Highly commended. — The Duke of Marlborough's Ewes. Long-woolled Sheep (Cotswolds). Not qualified to compete as Leicesters. Judges. — H. Bateman, Asthall, Whitney. Chas. Clarke, South Copwick, Lincoln. Robt. Fisher, Leckenfield, Beverley. Class 1. — Shearling Rams. First Prize of £20 to William Lane, of Broadfield Farm, Northleach, Gloucester. Second Prize of £10 to William Lane, Highly commended. — Thomas Porter's and Robert Game's rams. Commended. — George Fletcher's, Thomas Porter's, and Win. Hewer's rams. Class 2. — Rams of any other age. First Prize of £20 to Wm. Hewer, of Hill House,^North- leach, Gloucester. Second Prize of £10 to Robert Game, of Aldsworth, Northleach. Highly commended. — George Fletcher's ram. Commended. — T. Beale Brown's and William Lane's rams. Class 3. — Pens of Five Shearling Ewes of the same flock. First Prize of £20 to William Hewer. Second Prize of £10 to William Lane. Commended. — Thomas Walker's, George Fletcher's, Thos. Beale Brown's, and another pen of William Lane's ewes, Short-Woolled Sheep. Not qualiQed to compete as Southdowns. Judges. — Joseph Bhmdell, Bursleden, Southampton. Geo, Brown, Avebury, Marlboro', Henry Thuraal), Royston. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 143 Class 1. — Shearling Rams. First Prize of £20 to Wm. Ilumfrey, of Oak Ash, Chaddle- worth, Berks (West Country Down). Second Prize of £10 to William Humfreys (West Country Down). Highly commended.— kuoVatt of William Humfreys' rams. Commended. — J. & E. Crane (for two rams). John Bryan's, W. O. Foster's, and a fourth of Wm. Humfreys' rams. Class 2. — Rams of any other age. First Prize of £20 to Mrs. Baker, of Grendon, Atherstone, Warwickshire (Shropshire Down). Second Prize of £10 to George Adney, of Harley, Much Wenlock, Salop (Shropshire Down). Highly commended. — John Bryan's and William Humfreys' rams. Commended. — J. W. Brown's, G. M. Kettle's, and two more of Wm. Humfreys' rams. Class 3. — Pea of Five Shearling Ewes of the same flock. First Prize of £20 to Wm. Humfrey (West Country Down). Second Prize of £10 to Robert Coles, of Middleton Farm, Norton Bavant, Warminster, Wilts (Hampshire Downs). Highly commended, — Another pen of William Humfreys' sheep. Commended. — I. and E. Crane's and Edwd. Holland's ewes. PIGS. Judges. — A. Denman, Lewes. C. Randall, Evesham. Thomas Trotter, Darlington. Class 1. — Boars of a large breed. First prize of £10 to John Harrison, Jan., of Heatou Norris, Stockport, Lancashire (white). Second prize of £5 to Joseph Gill, of Siesden Silsdon, York (white). Highly commended. — Another of John Harrison, jun.'s boars. Commended. — T. M. Richardson's white boar. Class 2. — Boars of a small breed. First prize of £10 to S. B. Hill, of Beech Hall, Chester (white). Second prize of £5 to Jonathan Brown, of Brewery House, Aspatria, Cumberland (white). Highly commended. — John Harrison, jun.'s white boar. Commerided. — Thos. Barker's, P. S. Humberston's, Thos. Crisp's, f.nd Earl of Radnor's boars. Tue class generally commended. Class 3. — Breeding sows of a large breed. First prize of £10 to Thos, Barker, of Brown's Yard, Leeds, Yoik (white with spot). Second prize of £5 to Joseph Wilkinson, of Roundhay, near Leeds (white with spots). Specially commended. — Another of Joseph Wilkicson's sows. Highly commended. — W. B. Wainraan'a and Joseph Tuley's sows. Commended. — Peter Wright's, James Claytoa's, Edward Bowly's, and John Palmer's sows. Class 4. — Breeding sows of a small breed. First prize of £10 to Lieut.-Col. Towneley, of Towneley- Burnley, Lancaster (white). Second prize of £5 to Joseph Hindson, of Barton House, Everton, Liverpool (white). Specially commended. — Thos. Crisp's white sow. Highly commended. — Lieut. -Col. Towneley's sow. Commended. — R. H. Watson's, George Mangles', John Harrison, jun.'s, Thos. Crisp's, John Pulmei's, and Joseph Wilkinson's sows. The judges consider this to be an extraordinary class. Class 5. — Pens of three breeding-sow pigs of a large breed, of the same litter, above four and under eight months old. Prize of £10 to Edward Bowly, of Siddington House, Ciren- cester, Gloucester (Berkshire). Commended. — William Jas. Sadler's Berkshire sows. Class 6. — Pens of three breeding-sow pigs of a small breed, of the same litter, above four and under eight months old. Prize of £10 to Samuel Wiley, of Brandsby, York (white). Specially commended. — Robert H. Watson's white pigs. Highly commended. — Another pen of Robert H. Watson's white pigs. Commended, — Hon. Col, Pennant's white pigs. SPECIAL PRIZES GIVEN BY THE CHESTER LOCAL COMMITTEE. CATTLE BEST ADAPTED FOR DAIRY PURPOSES. Judges. — W. Tindall. J. S. Turner. Joseph Woolf. Class 1. — Bulls calved on or before the 1st July, 1856, and not exceeding six years old. First prize of £30 to J. H. Bradburne, of Pipe Place, Lich- field, Staffordshire (Shorthorn, Radford). Second prize of £15 to Joshua Price, of Featherstone, Wol- verhampton (Shorthorn, Sutton). Commended. — Thomas Waller, jun.'s and Richard Barton's bulls. Class 2. — Bulls calved since the Ist July, and more than one year old. First prize of £15 to Hon. Colonel Pennant, of Penrhyn Castle, Bangor (Shorthorn, Sir Colin Campbell). Second prize of £10 to Hon. and Rev. T. H. Noel Hill, of Berrington, Shrewsbury (Shorthorn, Attingham). Class 3. — Pairs of cows, in-milk or in-calf. First prize of £30 to Henry xVmbler, of Watkinson Hall Farm, Halifax (Shorthorns, Foundling and Woodbine). Second prize of £15 to Richard Stratton, of Broad Hinton, Swindon, Wilts (Shorthorns, Clarissa and Blossom). Third prize of £10 to John Churton, of Barrel Well House, Chester (Cross-bred). Commended. — William Palin's Yorkshire cows. Class 4. —Pairs of heifers, in-milk or in-calf, not exceeding three years old. First prize of £15 to Joshua Price, of Featherstone, Wol- verhampton (Shorthorns, Vapour and Queen Elizabeth). Second prize of £10 to Hon. Colonel Pennant (Shorthorns, Lavinia and La Favorite). Third prize of £5 to John Dawson, of Gronant, Rhyl, Flint (Shoithorns, Lowry and Fancy). Class 5. — Pairs of yearling heifers. First prize of £10 to Joshua Price (Shorthorns). Second prize of £5 to Hon. Colonel Pennant (Shorthorns, Phoebe and Eglantine). WELSH BREEDS. Class 1. — Bulls, above two and under three years old. First prize of £30 to the Hon. Col. Pennant (black). Second prize of £15 to the Hon. Col. Pennant (black). Class 2. — Bulls of any other age. First prize of £30 to the Hon. Col". Pennant (black). Second prize of £15 to Sir R. B. W. Bulkeley, M.P., of Baron Hill, Beaumaris, Auglesea (black. Highly commended , Llewelyn Lewis's black bull. Class 3. — Heifers or Cows, lu-calf or la-milk, above'two years old. First prize of £20 to Sir R. B. W. Bulkeley, M.P. (black). Second prize of £15 to the Hon, Col. Pennant (black). Third prize of £10 to the Hon. Col. Pennant (brindled). Highly commended, Sir R. B. W. Bulkeley's and Edmund Sweteuham's cows. Class 4. — Breeding Heifers, above one year old and under two. First prize of £15 to the Hon. Col. Pennant (black). Second prize of £10 to the Hon. Col. Pennant (black). Third prize of £5 to the Hon. Col. Pennant (black). Class 5. — Breeding Heifers, above two years old and under three years. First prize of £15 to the Hon. Col. Pennant (black). Second prize of £10 to the Hon. Col. Pennant (black). Tnird prize of £5 to the Hon. Col. Pennant (black). ESTABLISHED BREEDS, OTHER THAN SHORT- HORN, HEREFORD, OR DEVON. To the Winner of the Society's Prizes for " Other Established Breeds." Class 1. — Bulls calved on or before the 1st of July, 1858, and not exceeding six years old. Prize of £15 to the Earl of Southesk (polled Angus). Class 2. — Bulls calved since the 1st of July, 1856, and more than one y OD en CO o en °2 5 5' CD Weight of the plants dried up. en Oi en >«.' IW o & i S-^ o ^ ^I to ^^ o - en If^ to O ^I 09 to 00 S. 3- o o o o » o 2. ™ hS CO to en a m tabI ter rate inin grs f • ors B. « s.^ to a. CO en CO O D 5' B- to o> to en a' CO a .-t onic id posed the nts n t-J ^9 <^9 P' ,_i ^J (.^ » 3- 3 > «o CO o ■c^ a. a> o- to en ^ B S- «. M ■« B S-a 9 - S S B S S" W2,«. 5- e- o o o o O^ » S «> « i» O ^^ z -^ c a w 3« s > 2 z S S "S [? M o 7! w a n CO o §? Erg S CO W 2 S ►a Second Experiment. — Vegetation of Helianthuses in the open air, in a soil of Calcined Sand, contain- ing no Phosphate of Lime, and being vianured with Nitrate of Potash only. In flower pots, previously heated to a red heat, some granulated calcined white quartzy sand was placed, mixed with some nitrate of potash. In the flower-pot No. 1, weighing 3332*5 "grs., were put— Quartzy sand 10,230 grains. Nitrate of potash 4*65 put in at once. Into the flower-pot No. 2, weighing 9300 grains, were put- Quarry sand 23,25017 grains. Nittate of potash -5 Euccesaiiiely put in. In each of the pots two seeds of Helianthuses weigh- ing 1*798 grains were placed: they were watered with water perfectly pure. Seventeen days after, the two first leaves were formed, and the second were already visible. After thirty days, the second leaves were developed. All the plants appeared strong and healthy ; the cotyle- dons had a dark greenish hue. Nevertheless, black spots were already visible at the extreme ends of the first leaves. It was from this symptom that I thought it advisable to examine the plants, because it showed that they were about to enter into the period of deca- dence. The plants of pot No. 1 were dried up, and they weighed 18"0885 grains. The analysis indicated the following results : Nitrogen. 0-367815 0.247225 0615010 0.701220 0086180 In both plants In the soil and the pot, nitrate 17856 "1 equivalent to J Total of nitrogen found There was in the two seeds .... 0'057660 "I In the 4-65 of the nitrate added 0 643560 J Loss of nitrogen in thirty days' vegetation The land did not contain any carbonate of potash. Within a fraction I found in the plants the nitrogen which had been supplied in the nitrate and the seeds. It is interesting to compare Helianthuses grown under the sole influence of nitrate with the same plants of the same age which had been grown in 1856, in a soil mixed up with nitrate and phosphate of lime. Stems. Leaves . lu 1856, soil with nitrate and phosphate 10 to 12 in. 2 j in In 1857, soil with nitrate only 2^ in. 4^ in. It is not doubtful that the absence of phosphate of lime in the soil had checked the progress of vegetation ; but it is quite evident that, alone, nitrate of potash bad produced a better efi'ect upon the development of the Helianthuses than phosphate of lime added to the soil without the concurrence of a manure containing soluble nitrogen. To prove it, it is only requisite to compare the results furnished by the plants No. 2, of the first experiments, which had nothing but phosphate, with those which I have just mentioned. Dry weight. Grains. Helianthus No. 2, thirty-three days old 5 115 Three and four-tenth times as much as the seed; Helianthus No. 1, second experiment, 30 days old. 18'088 Ten times as much as the seed. No. 2 took of carbon from the atmosphere 1.705 No. 1 took of carbon (second experiment) 6'510 On the fiftieth day, the stems of the remaining Helianthuses No. 2 (second experiment) were 3^ to 3| inches respectively in height. The cotyledons were withered ; the first leaves almost faded. The plants had a sickly look. On the seventy-second day, the plants were 4^ and 8 inches high respectively. All the leaves, with the exception of the fourth, were either faded or greatly- spotted ; the fifth leaves were just appearing, and one of the plants, the highest, bore a little flower. The other plant had nothing living but the stem ; it was evidently on the point of dying. It was that circum- stance which decided me in bringing the experiment to a close. After drying up the plants, both were found to weigh 18*2125 grains, about 0'155 grains more than the Helianthuses No. 1, when they were one month old. TJie analysis showed the following results ; 156 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. Nitrogen Gra ins In both plants C24862 I had placed into the Eoil nitrate 17"05, equal to 2-35972 Nitrogen from the nitrate not assimilated 2-11110 In seventy-two days, these Heliaathuses absorbed from the atmosphere only 6.572 grains of carbon. Here, again, I am induced to attribute this languid state, which was manifested in the vegetable life of the plant even from its earlier growth, to the fact that it did not find in the soil any phosphate of lime, for it must have been developed with the help of the small portion of that substance always contained in the seed. In fact, there is no seed in which are not found, at the same time, although in limited proportions, the essential agents of manure — phosphates and soluble nitrogen. We can, besides, form an exact idea of the utility of phosphates for the development of organism when it is allied to a nitrogenous manure, by comparing the veget- able matter formed by the plants which have grown with the co-operation of a complete manure, as in the experi- ments of 1856, with those that were developed under the action of a nitrogenous manure from which phos- phates were excluded :— g2 CO Oi s l-S" 05 < S" p:3 3 &S' §"« u o s (S St Ms;- 0_B • s =- 2 n gf .^0! 00 h? o> h-H oQo n CO g- ^ 03 O ^^S-o :^ 00 00 1- *~^ . H3 <* o i-u CD p ^ S-s:s"o en CO a i-j Q OS CO o 00 l-l ^^ ?* o — 0-0 0 o c: a" 10 r» 0 5- .«* B-O 0 CO -i ?" rt- P- 2. OS s. 0 en ^^ a s a d a a 1 have verified this result, which demonstrates the insufficiency of soluble nitrogen when it operates with- out the help of phosphate, by adding to the soil a manure other than saltpetre. I selected carbonate of ammonia, because it is always found in stable manures. Third Experiment. — Vegetation of the Helian- thuses, in the open Air, in a Soil destitute 0/ Phos- phate of Lime, and being manured vnth Carbonate of Ammonia. The soil wcighins 12100 grains was formed of a mix- ture of white sand and fragments of bricks. These sub- stances, like the flower-pot,* had been calcined. After having damped the soil with pure distilled water, the seeds of the Helianthus were sown in it : they weighed, together, 1798 grains. When germination was ac- complished, I began to introduce, every time the soil was watered, a certain quantity of carbonate of ammo- nia, by pouring a solution of a determined quantity. On the seventeenth day the first leaves were formed. Like the cotyledons, they were of a very deep green colour. On the twenty- seventh day the plants were 2J inches high ; the cotyledons were discoloured. Tjie second leaves were developed ; and indication of the third leaves was just discernible, but, already, several black spots were visible upon the first leaves. On the seventy-fourth day the highest stem was 6 inches high ; the first and second leaves were withered, the third leaves were spotted, the fourth and the fifth of a beautiful green colour. A floral bud, small but very well formed, was visible. The two plants weighed, when dried up, 17"615 grains. During the cultivation I had introduced into the soil 1029'16 cubic eighths of an inch of solution of car- bonate, containing 29'1245 grains of soluble nitrogen. The analysis indicated in the two plants 0-6466 gr, of nitrogen. The dried-up plants weighed between ten and eleven times as much as the seed. There had been 15-71 7 gr. of vegetable matter formed, in which there were 6-923 gr. of carbon assimilated in seventy-four days, which indicates that upon an average, in every twenty-four hours, the plants had decomposed 34*76 cubic eighths of an inch of carbonic-acid gas. This is exactly what had happened with the Helianthuses grown under the sole influence of saltpetre, and this coincidence is very remarkable. There is, however, between the two results a difference which is not less extraordinary ; and that is, that the Helianthuses grown under the influence of saltpetre have fixed 0-268 gr. of nitrogen, whilst those that grew under the influence of carbonate of ammonia fixed 0.651 gr., nearly three times as much — a very singular constitution, since the result is that one hundred parts of the dried-up plant con- tain 3*67 gr. of nitrogen, that is more than is contained in one hundred parts of the seed. This is the first time that in the course of my researches I have observed such a fact. Constantly does the whole of a plant furnish, under analysis, a less quantity of nitrogen than the seed ; and the difference has always been so much the more remarkable, as the plant was more developed, from the reason that it had elaborated more cellular tissue, pectic produce, oily matter — in one word, more principles in the constitution of which there is no nitrogen. I cannot explain this anomaly, for this is one undoubtedly to admit, that which is after all pretty probable, that carbonate of ammonia is apt to act two perfectly distinct parts in the chemical phenomena of vegetation. In the one, it would act in supplying the plant with soluble nitrogen, it would then concur like the nitrates in the formation of the albuminous matter of the tissues ; in the other it would intervene in the same manner as mineral manures, acting as an alkaline carbonate — as, for instance, carbonate of potash — its base uniting with vegetable acids to constitute ammoniacal salts. In the conditions in which the Helianthuses were grown, there could not be any other salts there. Ammonia was the only alkaline substance which they could absorb. Thus, in this hypothesis, which I will * The flo(ver-pot made in Paris^ notwithstanding its being calcined, still retained some nitrates, equal to 00031 grain of nitrate of potash. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 157 certainly investigate as soon as circumstances will admit, the strong proportion of nitrogen found in the Helianthuses would have two causes : a part would come from the albuminous matter, the other from ammoniacal salts. I will add that it is not indispensa- ble that plants be manured with ammonia, exclusive of any other alkali, that they may contain ammoniacal salts ; it is sufficient that they grow in land strongly manured with stable dung : and I apprehend that crops stimulated with fermented human dejections, in which carbonate of ammonia is dominant, must contain a very notable proportion. I have repeated upon hemp plants the experiments made upon Helianthuses. Fourth Experiment, — Vegetation of Hemp Plants, in the open air, in a soil, destitute of Organic Matter, and containing Phosphate of Lime and Vegetable Ashes. Doses of nitrogen in hemp seeds. Gr. Nitrogen. Per-centage. lu 7 seeds, weighing . . 2'3675.. 0-105555.. .. 3-721 lu 42 seeds, weighing .. 1-1-3220.. 2-055915.. .. 3 712 Seven seeds, weighing 2.8675 gr., were sown into white granulated calcined sand, contained in a flower- pot equally calcined, and manured with 30.10 gr. of phosphate of lime, and 4.65 gr. of vegetable ashes. On the thirteenth day the cotyledons had lost their colour ; the highest stem was not more than 1 inch and three-sixteenths in height; the first leaves were deve- loped. On the fiftieth day the male plants, 5^ inches high, had each preserved four leaves ; the inferior leaves were withered. The female plants were only Ij inches high. All were covered with flowers ; upon one of them four small but well-formed seeds were found. These seven limit plants weighed, on being dried up, 4.7275 gr. — not quite double the weight of the seeds planted. Nitrogeu, grains. In the seven plants was fouud 0.063395 The sand weighed 4877.850 gr. The flower-pot 3360.400 gr. 8238.25 gr. Nitrogen found. The fourth 2059.64 gr. 0.025265 gr. The tenth 823.82 gr. 0,010230 gr. In 2883.46 gr. 0.035495 gr. la the total 8238.25 gr. 0.101370 luthecrop , 0.164765 la the seeds 0.106795 Gain in nitrogen after 50 days' vegetation 0.057970 Each limit hemp plant had, then, acquired in fifty days' vegetation 0.00775 gr. of nitrogen, equivalent to 0.0465 of albumen ; and, from the amount of vegetable matter elaborated, this plant, the weight of which did Eot exceed 0.682 gr., must have decomposed on an ave- rage, and per day, 0.918 cubic eighths of an inch of car- bonic acid gas. The dried up limit 2}lfiiit contained 1.23 per cent, of nitrogen ; and it is very remarkable that, as I found it in a hemp plant taken from a field, there should be in a full-grown plant nearly the same proportion of nitrogen, viz., 1.52 per cent. Fifth Experiment. — Vegetation of Hemp in the open air, in a soil destitute of Organic Matters, con- taining Phosphate of Lima, Vegetable Ashes, and, as a nitrogenous manure, some Nitrate of Potash. The soil, formed of white and granulated quartz sand, had been washed and calcined. The flower-pot weighed 3332.5 gr. With the sand were mixed the following substances : — raosphate of lime . 1.50 gr. Vegetable ashes 3.10 Nitrate of potash 10.85 After having watered with pure water the sand, which weighed 10850 gr,, five hemp seeds were sown, weighing 2.046 gr., and in which there must have been 0.06795 gr. of nitrogen. On the forty-third day the highest stem (male) was about 12 inches high, the shortest (female) 7h inches. The five plants bore flowers ; upon one of them green seeds were seen. After being dried-up, the plants weighed — Leaves and blossoms 11.8575 gr. Stems 7.3625 Roots 9.7650 28.9850 From an analysis made of half the crop, I came to the conclusion that — Nitrogen, grains. The whole 28.9850 gr. contained 1.67450 There was fouud in the soil 6.394525 gr. nitrate, equal to 0.88505 Nitrogen found 1.55955 The soil had received210.85 gr. nitrate, equal to nitrogen 1.50164 gr. The seeds contained 0.07595 1.57759 Difference 0.01804 It is seen from the above table that the nitrogen brought by the nitrate was found again, both in the plants and in the soil. Under the influence of a manure containing soluble nitrogen, such as saltpetre, the assimilation of carbon was much more apparent than when the plants were supplied with phosphate of lime only. In one month and a-half the five hemp plants had elaborated 26.939 gr. of vegetable matter, in which there were 10.7725 gr. of carbon; so that, on an average, and per diem, 11.85 cubic inches of carbonic-acid gas had been decomposed. To complete the programme which I had drawn for myself, there still remained to examine what would be the development of hemp plants having for manure a nitrogenous matter alone, without the concourse of phosphate of lime. Sixth Experiment. — Vegetation of Hemp in the open air, in a soil containing only Carbonate of Am- monia. Seven hemp seeds, weighing 2.8675 gr., were sown into 10850 gr. of calcined quartz sand. After the ap- pearance of the cotyledons, the plants received known quantities of carbonate of ammonia in solution, which were applied every time the soil was watered. On the twenty-fifth day the tallest of the stems was 2| inches high ; the cotyledons were withered. On the thirty -seventh day the tallest stem was 5§ inches high ; the blooming was very forward. On the forty -ninth day seeds were formed; the tallest stem was 51 inches high; the shortest about 4 inches. The plants, after being dried-up, weighed 11.8576 gr. — a little more than four times the weight of the seeds. There was found in the crop — nitrogen, 0.35805 gr. In the course of the experiment there had been poured into the soil 563.80 cubic eighths of an inch of a solution of carbonate of ammonia, containing 19.53 gr. of alkali, or 16.12 gr. of soluble nitrogen. Thus, under the action of a nitrogenous manure; and 158 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. without any phosphate ia the soil, the five hemp-plants fixed only 0.3565 gr. of nitrogen, having within their reach so much as 16.12 gr. The carbon assimilated in seven weeks' vegetation did not exceed 3.596 ; and, ;;«• diem, on an average, there were only 28.44 cubic eighths of an inch of carbonic-acid gas decomposed by the leaves. As was tlie case with the helianthuses grown under the same influences, the proportion of nitrogen acquired by the plants was abnormal — 3.06 per cent, of dried matter — that is to say, nearly the same quantity as had been found in the seed. There is no doubt that the carbonate of ammonia acted as a nitrogenous manure, and also as an alkaline carbonate ; and, consequently, there were ammoniacal salts, with organic acids, formed during vegetation . The experiments made upon hemp-plants have, then, led to results entirely similar to those obtained from the cultivation of helianthuses grown in precisely similar conditions. I have resumed these results in the follow- ing table, in which, in order to make the comparison easier, I have calculated the fifth observation as if it had been made upon seven hemp-plants : VEGETATION OF SeVEN HeMP-PLANTS. SUBSTANCES ADDED TO THE SOIL. Fourth Experi- Fifth Experi- Sirth Experi went. ment. ment. Phosphate, Carbonate Phosphate, Ashes, of Ashea. Saltpetre. Ammonia. Duration of vegetation. . 30 days 43 days 49 days Weight of the dried - up plants .... 4.7275 gr. 40.5790 gr. 11.8575 gr. Proportion be- tween wght. of seeds & that of crop 1 : 1,6 1 : 14.2 1 : 4.1 Vegetable matter ela- borated . . 1.8916 gr. 37.7115 gr. 8.9900 gr. Carbon fixed 0.7595 gr. 15.0815 gr. 3.5960 gr. Carbonic acid decomposed in 24 hours 6.32* 132.72* 28.44* Eemarks .... Flowers and Flowers and Flowers and seeds seeds seeds * Cubic eighths of an inch. Conclusions. In the first part of these investigations, it was de- monstrated that phosphate of lime acts favourably upon plants only when associated with matter containing so- luble nitrogen, which I thus call, to distinguish it from the free nitrogen of the atmosphere, which plants do not assi- milate directly. In thissecond part, it has been established that a substance rich in soluble nitrogen acts, however, as a manure only with the co-operation of phosphates ; and that if, indeed, a plant under its influence takes more development than when it grows under the sole in- fluence of phosphate, it never reaches to a normal and full growth. Besides, this notion of the necessity of the two fertilizing agents in a manure is now admitted ; it has very felicitously contributed to remove fraud from a kind of trade which interests the rural population in the highest degree. I may be permitted to state, that this notion was introduced into science nearly twenty years ago by M. Payen and myself.* I should not then have * Payen and Boussingault : " Annals of Chemistry and Natural Philosophy." Third series. Tom. iii. & vi. We find ia these papers—" Although recognizing the importance, the absolute necessity, of nitrogeuous principles in manures, thought it necessary to undertake new researches to cor- roborate an opinion bo generally accepted, if I had not particularly had in view to appreciate, to measure, so to speak, the useful eflfect which is exercised upon vege- tation by certainly the two most efiicient elements of manures — the nitrogen combined in nitrous or ammo- niacal compounds, and the phosphoric acid, with which phosphates are constituted. BorrssiNOAULT. Member of the Academy of Sciences, and of the Central Agricultural Society. LINCOLNSHIRE SHEEP AND SOMERSET- SHIRE GRAZIERS. Sir,— Several Somersetshire and west-country farmers ot eminence were at Lincoln Great April Sheep Fair to see a breed of sheep stated to be second to none for profit, and which statement they believed to be correct, after seeing the great show of sheep at the said fair, it having struck them with admiration and amazement to see such a vast weight of wool and mutton per head at early maturity. A vast number of the said sheep were bred upon Lincoln-heath and the Lincolnshire Wolds, which a few years back let at 23. 6d. per acre, as great rabbit warrens. Taking the vast number into consideration, from 60,000 to 70,000 sheep. The principal part of them hoggs, and making a great deal of mutton and wool peracre, it of course must leave a great profit to the breeders of them. The Somersetshire gentle- men returned to their county perfectly satisfied that the Lincolnshire sheep were second to none for profit. And profit is what every farmer ought to aim at, there being no merit without profit. Samuel Arnsby. Millfield, Peterborough THE ADVENTURES OF A SEED.— Nature has arranged that plants growing even in the buruiog desert shall be pro- vided with enough of water for the generation of their seeds ; and one of the most remarkable instances of this fact is fur- nished by the Anastatica Hierochuntica, or rose of Jericho, which grows in the arid wastes of Egypt, Palestine, and Bar- bary; upon the roofs of houses and among rubbish in Syria ; and in the sandy deserts of Arabia. This little plant, scarcely six inches high, after the flowering season loses its leaves, and dries up into the form of a ball. In this condition it is up- rooted by the winds, and is carried, blown, or tossed across the desert into the sea. When the little plant feels the con- tact of the water, it unfolds itself, expands its branches, and expels its seeds from their seed vessels. The seeds, after having become thoroughly saturated with sea water, are carried by the tide and laid upon the seashore. From the seashore the seeds are blown back again into the desert, where, sprout- ing roots and leaves, they grow into fruitful plants, which will in their turn, ^like their ancestors, be whirled into the sea. These regular periodical processes of the life circle of this wee rose struck the simple imaginations of the men of old with superstitious awe, and they invested it with miraculous virtues. — Dickens's Household Words. we are far from thinking that these principles are the only use- ful ones to the improvement of the soil. It is certain that several calcareous and earthy salts are indispensable to the de- velopment of vegetables," THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 159 THE FARMER OF MODERN TIMES. It used to be rather a difficult matter to draw the farmer out. He had something like a positive terror of appearing in print, and would look cautiously round a room to see that the newspaper people were not there. His business was consequently something of a secret. He made it at home, and he kept it there. The very leaders of those days were terribly mysterious. The breeder of an improved kind of sheep or beast consi- dered it his first care to keep his discovery all to him- self. No doubt he would at once have taken out a patent for it had this been possible. The stranger visitor was always regarded with something of sus- picion ; and the great fond aim of our friend's heart was, to be left alone. He did not want to meddle with other persons' business, and he certainly did not want them to interfere with his. He went to his weekly market, his rent audit, and on rare occasions, perhaps, to a comparatively far-distant fair. But as a rule his practice was still the same — to stop at heme and mind his own business. The farmer of more modern times is an altered man. He goes abroad to mind his own business. He speaks not only face to face with the reporters, but writes, him- self, many a letter to the papers — and this all about his own vocation, too. Then, he is always asking you to come and look over his place, and to see how he isget- tini- on. He has some new process of cultivation, which he should like others to try as well as him- self. Or, if you really admire his stock, he will show you, in the Herd -Book, or from some less public record, how they are bred, and how he brought them to what they are. So that, instead of being a mystery or a secret, the practice of agriculture is gradually becoming the most open-handed business under the sun. There is no man but who may learn something about it if he so chooses. Look only at "the event" of this last week — the gathering at Babraham. No one could have attended it without "learning something" — not merely of sheep, but almost equally of short-horn cattle, and a superior system of,cultivation. The wheat crop at Babraham of this year is itself a sight to see. The plain truth is, that we have been opening and expanding our minds as well as our doors. A secret at best is rarely more than the ideal strength of ignorance and meanness. The farmer is fortunately getting fast beyond this, while we trace his emancipation to the influence of one great cause. It is the inter-commu- nication afibrded by the establishment and success of our Agricultural Societies that has almost altogether conduced to such an advancement. Nothing less could have accomplished it. A district sheep-shearing, or a local celebration of the rites of Ceres, however good or useful in the way of precedent, would lack this very essential of intercommunication. You must by the action of some general principle draw men away from themselves, as it were. If you merely ask one up to the Hall, or into the next parish, to tell him thisfis a very good system, and that these are very fine animals, he will cross his hands, and fall back at once into " As you were." There is a famous Club in London, to which no one is eligible to be elected until he has been so many hundred miles away from it. We are begin- ning to apply much the same proviso to our Agricul- tural Institutions. If you expect a man to farm well in this quarter, you start him to see how they do it in another. But then, again, the golden rule for good and profit- able farming is that it is a business that requires per- petually looking after. Above all, you must see to it yourself. The fine gentleman who gives his bailifi" an audience once or twice a«week, and rides over his oc- cupation when he has nothing else to do, cannot expect to make much of it. 'Tis at best but a coy maid, who yields her favours to him only who is constant to her. Here, then, are we on the horns of a dilemma. Agri- culture is a tarry. at-home trade, and yet we must go abroad to pei'fect ourselves in it. But there is a time for all things, and by availing ourselves of proper opportunities the two may be no such contradiction after all. At least, if they be, we stand not quite alone in our misinterpretation. Tlie great aim of the " West of England Journal" would appear to be this drawing of farmers out. We do not say so much, perhaps, away from their homes, as to talk and write about matters relating to their own condition. Like most things, moreover, connected with the management of the West of England Society, the attempt has succeeded. In short, straightforward, unpretending papers— just such, in fact, as they should be — the agriculturists of the district have become con- tributors to their own organ and authority. In the new number, for instance, amongst many similar articles, a farmer strings together a dozen practical hints for young farmers. He speaks to choice — entry — size — plant — capital — in-coming payments, and so on. He quotes facts and figures in support of his precepts, and he finishes with this very memorable moral: ''Supervision, — The necessity for supervision makes it imperative on the young farmer — no talents will make up for the want of it : it is the real secret, the key-stone to successful farming : without it, nothing goes on well : not only is less done, but it is not done so well. Where was it known that a man farmed well if he was much from homo? The diligent, watchful, enterprizing farmer is sure to get on, sooner or later. He is re- cognized as such, and will be valued accordingly. No matter how good the farm, or how easily managed it is ; if a farmer goes much from home, and trusts to his servants, the whole establishment will get into con- fusion— ruin ; while, if a difiorent line of conduct had been pursued, all would have been well — a thriving 160 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. concern— and the farm itself the best of all " Hints to the Young Farmer." This reads hard and plain, abounding in good advice, and, if taken literally line for line, might keep the young farmer at home all his life. But who is the gentleman who wrote it ? And where is he ? It is the well-known Mr. Robert Smith, of Exmoor, who, as we take it, is for these passing eight or ten days, busily en- gaged in fulfilling his honorary duties at Chester, as one of the stewards of the yard — Who has been judge or steward at such meetings, to his credit be it said, as often perhaps as any man in England — and who as a consequence cannot have been quite so much at home as he might have been. But we will construe Mr. Smith's counsel a little more liberally, and assume that he himself is not a worse, but a better farmer, for all this going about. Did he ever attend a meeting with- out gaining some useful "hint" from it? And has he not often done a good deal more when he got back home, than he might have done had he never left it? Fortunately for us all, there is norule without an ex- ception, and the man that attempted it would cut the ground 'from under him ere he had gone half-a-mile. Even Mr. Smith speaks of " the leisure hour," and quotes Arthur Young for the maintenance of such a holi- day : — " July is the month for the young farmer to look about him — to see other farms and farming." Let us as unconditionally accept the edict. This is July. The great meeting of the year is on, and let the young farmer look about him. It is a mere truism to say these gatherings cannot ilourish without him. But even more than this, they cannot do all the good they might for him without his actual presence and influence. Ask the implement- maker from whom he receives the most useful hints, amendments, and corrections ? He will tell you fairly at once, " From the farmer himself." Who is it that prompts the landowner to introduce better stock into the neighbourhood? Who is at his side, to advise and direct him ? Corn may not be quite so high as it should be, the Missis may grumble at the money he spends away from home, but the farmer who does not neglect his own business will be at the Chester Show. THE SORGHO, OR CHINESE SUGAR-CANE. Every addition to the number of cultivated plants, whether directly applicable to the support of man as food in themselves, or indirectly as contributing to the rearing and fattening of animals for the slaughter- house, must be reckoned as so much gain to our com- mon humanity; valuable, of course, according to the proportion between the expense of their cultivation and the amount of production, as compared also with those plants ah-eady in use amongst us. Since the general introduction of root and green crops in the cultivation of the country, an immense increase of food has been added to our stores of food ; and at the same time the condition of the land has been improved, and the produce of the grain crops increased, oy the raising of greater quantities and a better quality of manure. The turnip husbandry drove out the system of fallow- ing ; after a time the ruta baga neai'ly superseded the common white loaf first introduced ; and till more re- cently, the mangel-wurzel has, in a great measure, ridden over both, as yielding a larger and more pi-ofit- able crop. Thesugar or Silesian beet-root is still upon its trial in this country, as against the common mangel, although on the Continent it is, for special reasons, largely cultivated. When its saccharine properties are as well understood here, it will probably be more gene- rally patronized by the graziers. Another plant — for which Europe is indebted to China — has recently been introduced into France, where it is likely to be extensively cultivated. We refer to the sorgho, or Chinese sugar-cane, of which a specimen has been forwarded to us by our agricultural correspondent now travelling through France. As in his letter on the subject, published in a recent number of our Journal, he recommends this plant to the at- tention of the British farmer, v/e have thought it well to look into the subject; and we shall now proceed to give them the result of our inquiries. The sorgho appears to be a plant of a nature between the sugar-cane of the West Indies, and the maize or Indian corn. It is like the former in the stem ; but, so far as we can ascertain, is nowhere, like it, a peren" nial plant. It comes to maturity in five months; whilst the cane requires from twelve to eighteen montlis, ac- cording to the irrigation applied to it. With regard to the maize, the sorgho resembles it in its growth, foliage, and constitution, but is totally different in granular produce. In saccharine properties the cane and the sorgho are nearly of eq':al value; for whilst the cane yields from 14 to 18 per cent, of saccharine, the sorgho will yield, according to Leplay, 15, and to Dupeyrat 10 per cent, of crystallizable sugar, of precisely the same character as that of the cane, the beet-root, and the ma- ple. Of the proportion contained in maize we»have not the means of ascertaining at hand ; but if our recollection does not deceive us, it is from nine to twelve per cent. This, however, is not now the question which lies be- tween the sorgho in the South and the beet-root in the North of France, in which country the two will proba- bly come into vigorous competition in the manufacture of sugar. The sorgho has hitherto been acclimated in France only as high as the department of the Loire, in the 47^° N. L.; and we have reason to think that it will not'pay to cultivate it at a higher latitude, from the noticeable fact that the further north it is grown, the less saccharine it will yield. This accounts for the dif- ference between the two statements given above. M. Dupeyrat speaks of sorgho grown in 474'* N., whilst THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 161 Leplay refers to the depaitment of Le Gard, in 44" N. L., the difference in the produce of saccharine being Jive per cent. It is the same witli the sugar-cane, which cannot be cultivated at all at a higher latitude than about 44'^, at which the proportion of saccharine is far less than in the tropical countries. In this • respect, both the sorgho and the sugar-cane differ in toto from the beet- root; the quantity of saccharine contained in this latter being greater in proportion as it advances northward. Below 45° it is so small as not to be worth cultivating, whilst in Northern Russia it yields as much as from 13 to 15 per cent. The cul- tivation of the sorgho in France therefore, for the pur- pose of making sugar, must necessarily be confined to the South, as that of beet-root is to the North, even if it could be acclimated in the latter, which we much doubt ; at any rate, it cannot be profitably grown there for sugar making purposes. As fodder, however, the sorgho possesses valuable properties, and will doubtless be extensively cultivated in the North of France. Whether for that purpose it could be grown in the United Kingdom remains to be proved ; but, at any rate, it is worth trying. In that case, it ought to be sown in the latter end of June or early in July, when there is no danger from frost. It will then be ready to cut in September, and continue until November. If the plants were raised on seed- beds, protected from the frosfs at night, it would enable the grower to obtain them at least a month earlier, * and they would then come in at a period when the dry weather would render them particularly useful for cattle. With respect to the mode of cultivating the sorgho, it is sometimes sown broadcast, and sometimes in drills. Another method is, by throwing the land into small hillocks, by first ploughing it in the Northumberland fashion, and then by cross-ploughing to form it into squares; upon which, put in about four seeds, or plants (if ready), at a distance of about a foot apart. A small quantity of guano or other artificial manure put in near, but not with, the seed, will materially promote its growth. A light sandy soil is the most adapted to the sorgho, but it should be well manured. The Landes in the department of the Loire, to which the statement of M. Dupeyrat refers, are a pure moving sand. lOlb?. of seed per acre is about the quantity. It should be previously steeped in water from twenty-four hours to three days; the latter, in order to hasten its growth. The seeds which swim on the top should be thrown away, as only that which sinks to the bottom will vegetate. The quantity of produce from the sorgho is pro- digious. Dupeyrat speaks of a return at Beyrio in 1857, in one cutting, of 123,000 kilos, per hectolitre, or about 48^ tons per acre. It grows from nine to twelve feet in height, the specimen we have received, being fully the latter. It throws out several stems from the root ; and when intended for sugar making the weak shoots are taken off, leaving from three to five only of the stronger ones. But when it is intended for fodder tliis is unnecessary. In France it is used in the making of wine ; and t'No ares of land, which are 239 square yards, yielded 132 gallons of excellent wine. In distilling, the ripe plant will produce from 7*45 to 9"80 per cent, of alcohol. This refers to the south. It is estimated that 44,000 kilos, of green sorgho are equal to 1G,000 kilos, of hay, in nutritive properties. The cattle are remarkably fond of it^and will leave any other food whatever for it. THE AMERICAN WOOL TRADE. We give below the circular of the Cleveland Wool Depot for July. It is encouraging to wool owners. It aaya : — " Our receipts at the present time are very brisk, although the amonnt in store at this time is not equal to that of former years, which may be attributed to the unfavourable weather for shearing. Haviug made no Biles of our medium grades, we are unable to quote prices of same. We have effected sales of our extreme coarse and fine grades, which we quote at 30 cents for No. 5, and 50 cents for super. " The indications are far more favourable than we anticipated two months ago, at which time the views of manufacturers were much lower thau at the present time. During the last two weeks, a large amount of low and medium wools have changed hands in this State, prices starting at 22 to 33 ceats, and, by the competition of buyers, rapidly advancing to 28 and 40 cants. Tiie average price paid in this country at this time is about 33 cents, which, however, does not command the best clips. " The manner of operating so far, this season, has been un- like that of any former years. Agents have had positive instructions not to exceed a given price for any quality of wool, and this has had the effect to biiag out a much larger pi^por- tion of low wools, and to leave a much larger proportion of fiae to be sold, than during any former years. We have heard of a few fine clips being bought through the country at 42, 44, and 45 cents. Our advices from Michigan are very relia- ble, giving a similar state of the market there, prices starting at 27 to 31 cents, and advancing quickly to 33 and 35 cents. We are advised that one prominent buyer has withdrawn from the market in Michigan, deeming the latter rates too high. The wool market through the west presents quite an anomaly. Manufacturers measure the prices they wish to pay by their good or bad luck durins; the past six months, whilst speculators seem to measure them by the amount of money they can com- mand, and the competition surrounding them. " Those who complain of too h'gh prices, follow in the wake of the bolder operators, aad are rapidly taking up the coarse wools at satisfactory prices to growers, except in certain locali- ties, where prices remain low. We would advise growers in such places to ho'd their wools until they are wanted for con- sumption, and abide the result of a more favourable market. " Your obedient servants, " GOODAI.E & Co," — Ohio Farmer, 1G2 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. CALENDAR OF AGRICULTURE. This is the general harvest month, as all kinds of seed-crops will be cut and carried, except in high situations and in northern latitudes. Wheat is best cut by hand-sickle, and tied in sheaves : barley and oats are mown, and may lie some days in swathes before being tied into sheaves. When dry, carry the grains quickly. Turn over the heaps of peas very often, that no mouldiness may happen on the under-side : build the crop with a light pressure in the ricks, and have plenty of thatch always ready. In late climates, the sheaves of grain must be made small in size, and may be very beneficially built into small ricks of three or four shocks in the field, to stand there till sufficiently dry to be carried. Cut all grain-crops before dead-ripeness hap- pens : the straw makes better fodder, the sample of grain is finer, and the meal is more farinaceous. The husks being thoroughly filled, the grain will soon become hardened. Finish the cleaning of all grain-crops ; and earth-up potatoes with two farrows of the double- mouldboard plough, drawn by two horses walking in distant furrows, with a main-tree of five feet stretching between them. A week may elapse be- tween the two furrows of earthing-up. Pull by hand all tall weeds that may afterwards arise. Lay pulverized lime on clay fallows : harrow and plough it into the land lightly ; or lay the cinders on the land, and plough them under. The burst- ing by the moisture in the soil will emit much caloric and damp exhalations, which will very greatly benefit the land. The subsequent plough- ings and harrowings will mix the lime and the soil. This mode requires an earlier • application than when the lime is pulverized. Lay dung on the wheat-fallows. Spread it over the surface of the ground very evenly, and plough it under ; or drill the land with one furrow of the common plough, spread the dung in the hollows, and re- verse the drills with a single furrow, which will completely cover the dung. A cross-harrowing will level the drills before the land is seed- furrowed. When wet clay-lands are ploughed, the cuts across the headlands must be very care- fully opened, to convey the water into the ditches. Supply to horses and cattle in the feeding-yards ample store of vetches, which, being now seeded, will form a very good provender. Provide litter in abundance : the manure produced will pay almost any cost. Fold sheep on bare spots of poor lands, arable or in pasture. Proceed with draining. Turn over earthy composts. Burn peaty and vegetable substances, for ashes as manure in the drills. Keep the liquid-tank filled with earthy substances, to be saturated. Carry to the pit refuse matters of every kind. Keep the draught-ewes on good pastures, in order to get them fattened. Put ewes to the ram, for early lambs. The lambs of last year must have good keep. Some farmers, who have not winter-food nor the means of fattening, now sell the lambs and draught-ewes. Sow on beds of rich and well-prepared ground the seeds of drumhead cabbages, kohl-rabi, savoys, and broccoli, for plants to be used in May. Sow, about the end of the month, rye and tares for early spring use. THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT, PRACTICAL AND SCIENTIFIC : a Guide to the Formation and Management of the Kitchen, Fruit, and Flower Garden, &c. Parts I. and 11. By R. Thompson, Corresponding Member of the Massa- chusetts Horticultural Society, &c., &c. (Blackie and Son, Glasgow, South College, Edinburgh, and Warwick-square, London.) This is an elementary] work on the sciencejand practice of gar dening in all its branches, conducted by a person whose name, wherever it is known, is a guarantee of the merit of his book. It commences with a complete calendar, condensed in a small compass, of the operations necessary in each mouth ; and without going into the minutiae of processes which swell the pages of most books on the subject, but which every man who undertakes a garden must be supposed to be acquainted with, it is a reminder of the most essential work to be performed, and the most direct method of performing it. We take at random the section on "Pits and Frames" cf the floial depart- ment in February as follows : Auriculas. — Top dress with rich soil. Young plants in small pots should be shifted into larger. An increased supply of water wUl be required as the plants start into active vegetation . Protect from frost, but give always plenty of air when the weather is favourable. Azaleas must be kept from damp by a free circulation of air. Calceolarias. — Shift, and keep in a general moist atmos- phere. And so on through the alphabetical list, every part of the calendar being couched in the same concise and direct style, conveying the largest amount of information in the fewest words our language will admit. The scientific part of the work is equally comprehensive, and conveys the greatest amount of information in a condensed form, of any work of the kind we have met with. There are seven chapters in the two numbers or parts before us, which respectively treat of, 1st, The priucipal organs of plants; 2nd, Germination; 3td, The food of plants; 4tb, Assimilation of food; 5th, Soils; 6th. Manures; 7th, Tools, instruments, machines, &c. used in gardening. On all these subjects the latest and best information is afforded in this work, which will be fouud both valuable and interesting to the practical gar- dener who is desirous of basing his operations on scientific principles. The work will be completed in about ten parts. The plates and illjistrations are in the first style of engraving, and the whole will form a valuable addition to the horticultural class of publications. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 163 CULTURE OF THE SOIL MORE HEALFHY THAN OTHER PURSUITS. Farmers are by no means exempt from the thou- sand ills of life. They sicken and die, as well as other people. Husbandry, as a calling, is a healthy one ; yet there are exceptions to the general rule. Farmers may overwork themselves, may wear un- suitable and insufficient clothing, may be uncleanly in their persons and habits, may indulge undue anxieties about their affairs, and may give them- selves up to the control of passions which are fatal to the health of every man. And if they trans- gress any of these laws of health, the fact that they are tillers of the soil will not save them from the penalty due to their misdeeds. We maintain, however, that this pursuit is emi- nently favourable to health and longevity. It fur- nishes exercisg in the open air, which is one of the chief promoters of good health. All professional authorities, and the experienceof mankind at large, agree as to the value of this medicine. Abundance of the choicest food, the finest clothing, superb dwellings, education, polished society, and all other good things of life combined, are no substi- tute for this. With them all, and yet without this, the poor body will wither away, and fall into a premature grave. The business of the farmer calls him into the open air at all hours of the day. If there is any virtue in early rising and the morning air, he gets it. If there is any evil in the damps of the night air, he generally escapes it ; for his labours com- monly close with the setting day. It is a rule of health to expose oneself to the open air every day in the year, regardless of clouds and storms. A faithful farmer can hardly shut himself within doors an entire day, unless confined there by sick- ness. Even in the most leisure seasons of the year, and with abundance of hired workmen, he wishes to be abroad, looking after the welfare of his stock, his buildings, and crops. The labours of the farm furnish exercise of the best kind. It is not labour in a confined shop, nor the use of one set of muscles exclusively. The arms, chest, feet, legs, all come into requisition ; and the labour is so varied from day to day, as to afford a pleasing alternation of exercise and rest to the several members of the body. As a general rule, too, this labour is not exceedingly wearisome. Farmers, like other men, may lose their balance, aud toil imprudently at times, as in haying and harvest; but they need not overwork themselves. The general fact still remains, that the labours of the farm are pleasant, not burdensome and in- jurious, and are well adapted to invigorate the whole frame. Temperance in living has much to do with the preservation of health. And by this we mean, not only temperance in drinking, but also in eat- ing; abstinence from unwholesome food, as well as from alcoholic hquors. It cannot be denied that the use of intoxicating drink is much less common among farmers than among other classes. The circumstances of their life seem to forbid such indulgence. They are away from scenes of temp- tation ; their passions are little excited ; their work cannot proceed if body and mind are not under control; they must either give up their calling, or renounce the cup. The diet of the husband- man is generally simple and wholesome. The rich and highly concentrated dishes of fashionable and epicurean tables, the mysteries of French cookery, seldom find their way to his board. In their place, he has the fruits of the earth in their natural state, and in abundance. He is not without luxuries and delicacies ; but they are, for the most part, those which his own industry and skill have produced from his farm and garden. He has them in great variety, and in their highest state of per- fection and freshness. His food is eaten, too, at suitable and regular hours, and under the impulse of a healthy appetite, not one created by artificial stimulants. Mental excitement is a prolific source of ill- health. It is a common saying that a fit of anger is about as bad in its influence on a man's lon- gevity, as an attack of fever. Excited expecta- tions or great disappointments are well known to wear upon the nervous system, and to derange the health. The constant anxieties and cares of trade, manifestly operate in the same way. From wearing excitements of this sort, the agriculturist is mostly free. He is not, indeed, without his cares. Late springs, and early autumnal frosts, untimely rains, droughts, and the uncertainties attending the ingathering of crops, give him no little anxiety. Yet these do not corrode the heart, like the cares of trade, the thousand annoyances of intercourse with selfish men ; they are not so constant; they are almost remitted during the winter season ; and they are mitigated, if not wholly counterbalanced by the scenes of quiet and repose, amid which the farmer's life is passed. We have often contrasted the history, in this N lU THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. respectj of different members of the same family, some of whom left their country home to engage in business in the city, while others chose farm-life. Sometimes the tradesman succeeds in business, and prosperity and health crown his days, even to a good old age. But more often, the wear and tear of business, disappointments and losses set over against successes and accumulations, sap the foundations of health ; and dyspepsia, or consump- tion, or nervous affections in their various forms, creep in unawares, and embitter life and cut it pre- maturely short. As a general fact, grey hairs and wrinkles show themselve much sooner upon the tradesman than upon the farmer. We do not mean to go into a laboured argument on this subject; but in closing, we want to fire a little volley of statistics, before which nobody but a farmer can stand. From a late annual Report of the Secretary of the State of Massachusetts, con- taining returns of marriages, births, and deaths in each town, the foUov/ing facts have been gathered. The result has been made up from the returns for nine years and eight months, of persons dying over twenty years of age; and the comparison is drawn between agriculturists and persons in the leading mechanical trades : Average Average length Occupations. age at of life after 20 Death. years of age. Agriculturists ... .64 44 Hatters 53 33 Blacksmiths 51 31 Carpenters 49 29 Masons 48 28 Tailors 43 23 Shoemakers 43 23 Painters 42 22 Tinsmiths 41 21 Machinists 37 17 Printers 3G. . 16 Operatives 33 13 In the above Report, the deaths of 7,781 me- chanics are given (46 more than of farmers), whose average age is exactly 46 years, while that of farm- ers is a little over 64 years — showing a difference of 18 years in favour of agriculture. Speaking statistically, it appears that a farmer at 20 years of age may expect to live 44 years, and a mechanic only 26. Among mechanics, carpenters and masons, who spend much of their time in the open air, live nearly 50 years ; while machinists, printers, and operatives, live less than 40 years. — American Agriculturist. FURZE AS FOOD FOR HORSES, Sir, — As you now and then receive some little matters written by me, and are so courteous as to give them a place in the Farmers' Gazette, I now send another in the hope it may promote your ob- ject in being of benefit to those who read your paper. It has been too much the practice of hor- ticulturists to introduce and recommend new plants and flowers,, and to let the old pass into oblivion. Thus the beautiful moss rose, the cabbage rose, the York and Lancaster, the double white rocket, with others, which fifty years since were the de- light of the cultivators, some are now never seen, and others, like poor relations, are left to take the lowest room, and new or scarce plants and flowers, which bear no comparison in fragrance or beauty, are the ornaments of the garden. In the same way, in improved agriculture — though there are few who join more in heart and hand in the intro- duction of new plants and new practices to this land ; though there are many of the old I long to see exploded, such as poorly paid, badly fed, and, as a certain consequence, badly executed labour; small, weak, badly fed horses, and consequently light and inefficient ploughing, and therefore scanty produce — still there are others of the old school I regret to see neglected. " 'Tis right to be oflf with the old love, Before we are on with the new." I shall now make some remarks on the most valuable of those old practices which are too much neglected — feeding cows and horses on furze (whins), the florin grass, and irrigation. I have been for fifty years and more feeding my cows and horses on furze, and I can say, from that long ex- perience, that it is the cheapest and best food for the autumn and winter months. I saw it in con- stant use at the residence of the late Rev. Horatio Tov/nsend, the author of the Statistical Survey of this county, who strongly recommended it. I followed his example, and never have regretted doing so. I have had my horses, getting neither hay or oats, in more beautiful condition (sleek as mice) than any of my neighbours, though they had costly grooms, the horses fed with best hay, oats, and beans, and warmly clad. Mine were, perhaps, not as fit for the race-course or the hunting fields ; but for road-riding, carriage work, or the work of the land, they were most fit, though fed only on chopped furze and steamed swede turnips, and I rejoice to see that this valuable food has been brought under the notice of the agriculturist. On arranging some papers lately, I found a letter. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 165 dated June, 1840, from one of the best practical agriculturists I know. He states, " Tiie most profitable crop I have planted is furze. With an acre and a half I fed five horses up to the 1st of June. I have twelve tons of hay for sale, which I never had before. It would be much easier to induce the farmer to cultivate furze than to grow turnip ; and I believe it is more profitable. Land inaccessible to the plough, of which we see so great a proportion, would yield great crops of furze ; and land remote from manure could not be better disposed of. We are in the infancy of knowledge as to what ground is capable of, or what plants are best suited to the varieties of soils. The florin is a plant that never got a fair trial in the south of Ireland. I think the time will come when all the bog and low lands will be covered with it. If you look out about the latter end of June you will meet it at every step." The old pi'actice of preparing furze was tedious, and comparatively expensive, by a block with transverse knives', sometimes with a long handle, and better with a chain, hooked on what is known by the name of a turner wattle, or by a straight spade, sometimes by thrashing. The great desideratum has been hit upon by Messrs. Richmond and Chandler, in their powerful straw- cutters, varying in price from £7 to £10. I have just now attended my machine bought from Mr. Thomas M'Kenzie, Cork, for £7, a man cutting, and a boy feeding it, the furze ready, and in 17 minutes they cut 17 buckets full ; the bucket contains 3| gallons. Tliis is fully sufficient for four horses for 24 hours instead of hay. Hay is spread on the top of the furze and cut with it; it improves the cutting, saves the boy's hands from the prickles, and is an advantage in the feeding. When ready it is wetted with water, which makes the mastication easier. The expense of the man and boy is Is. 5d. a-day — say ten working hours ; and working little over a quarter-hour, or the one- fortieth of 17 pence for llie labour of preparing food for four horses, or about three eighths of a penny a-head. A tenant of mine who lives in Carberry told me he feeds his horses entirely, and his cows mostly, on it all autumn and winter ; he mows it every second year, and has abundance for them from a piece of land which cannot be ploughed, and which would produce nothing else ; he cuts it with the straight spade, and it takes a man for the entire day to prepare sufficient for six horses. Now that Richmond and Chandler have brought out such a machine, there is no excuse for it not being in general use ; and though furze will grow well on stony and rocky land (I have seen the roots several feet down in the chinks of a quarry), the best arable, dry land will produce a far better and more abundant crop, and a more succulent shoot. Three acres of such land appropriated to the growing of a plant which is perennial, and re- quires no further culture (though, I doubt not, it would be still better for annually opening the ground, and digging or forking in manure), still an everlasting winter meadow, of no comparison better food than hay, is no shght benefit now that the difficulty of its preparaliouf— the great obstacle — has been overcome. Cattle will not hove with it. They are always sleek — an indication of health. It is in a fit state from October to May, inclusive. It improves the wind — a thick-winded horse be- comes a free breather; broken-winded have r.o appearance of their being so; and I have seen horses cured of cough by feeding with it. I dare say many who know not its value, and who are of those who deprecate any innovation or change, will say all this is hyperbole; this was often said of fiorin and of turnip culture; but when the failure of the potato compelled turnip culture, they then saw that the new was better ; and I pledge myself that any who henceforth use furze, as directed, will fully agree in every word I say. Directions for sowing the seed in fields would be very desirable. — Yours, &c., William R. Tow n setsit>, Aghadda Rectory, Rosiellan, Co. Cor/,-, Feb. 12, 1S58. WHY USE CUT FEED? An intelligent farmer asks for the philosophy of cutting hay. He can understand that it is useful to cut corn stalks and coarse fodder, because the cattle will eat them better. But when cattle will eat up good English hay perfectly clean, why should it be j)assed through the hay cutter ? Our friend evidently supposes that the stomach does its work upon everything that passes into it, with equal facility, and without any tax upon the rest of the system. This is manifestly an error, All food has to be ground up, before it can be assimi- lated and pass into the circulation of the animal. If food is not artificially prepared by cutting, grind- ing, or steaming, the animal has to prepare it him- self, so far as he is able. Certain kinds of food will pass through the system, imparting to it only a part of their nutriment, because the teeth of the animal have not perfectly masticated it. Whole kernels of corn or of oats are frequently seen in the faeces of an old horse. N 2 16G THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. The more perfectly food can be prepared, the more completely will the system appropriate its nu- triment. If the whole labour of grinding up the food is thrown upon the animal it is a serious tax upon the vital energy, which every good farmer wants for other purposes. In the case of the horse and ox, you want the strength applied to locomo- tion and draught. Whatever strength is applied to grinding food, is so much taken a%vay from their capacity for labour. If three or four hours of strong muscular labour are spent in working up hay and straw into a pulp, there is a great loss of strength and of time. In the case of fattening animals, you want the aliment to go to the formation of fat and flesh. This process goes on successfully, just as the ani- mal is kept quiet and comfortable. No useless la- bour should be expended in the grinding up of food. The straw-cutter, working up the hay into fragments of half-aninch in length or less, performs good part of the working of the jaws, and makes the feed- ing of the amimal still a light matter. If the hay could be ground up into a fine meal, it would be still better ; as it would make the work of the ani- mal still lighter, and would more completely yield up its nutriment. If it could be steamed it would be best of all, as it would then be wholly appro- priated. We have no doubt that it pays quite as well to pass hay through the machine, as the coarsest fodder. A root-cutter is also an indispensable ad- junct to the barn, and the more perfectly it com- minutes the roots the better. The farmer who has ever experimented with these machines, and marked the results of feeding with hay and roots prepared in this way, can have no doubt of their utility. Laziness, we apprehend, has quite as much to do with these machines as ignorance. Is is work to turn the crank to cut up hay enough to feed twenty head of cattle ; and in prospect of spending the elbow grease,it is very con- venient to believe that it will not pay. Sloth, how- ever, is a poor counsellor in this case, as in all others. We should as soon think of feeding them with uncut straw. A warm stable and a straw-cutter are both good investments. — Goward's Register. AGRICULTURAL REPORTS GENERAL AGRICULTURAL REPORT FOR JULY. The all-engrossing topic of discussion iu agricultural circles during tlie month has been the present prospect and the probable yield of the new crop cf wheat. On this highly-im- porfant subject the most conflicting accounts have reached us, and, as yet, we have not had an opportunity of forming a decided opinion, except on their general bearing, owing to the limited quantities yet submitted to the process of thrashing- From some counties our letters state that the crop is fully one- third deficient, when compared with last year ; and some corre- spondents declare that the growth is unusally small ; but from the general tenour of our accounts, which are certainly niucii less favourable than they were a month since, we are of opinion that the yield will be nearly equal to 1856, though short when compared with 1857. The quality of the grain is likewise much complained of, and no doubt the unusually high temperature experienced during the last portion of June and the beginning of July, and the almost total absence of moisture, produced what may be termed premature ripeness, consequently a shrivelled grain and light sample. In many quarters, too, large breadths have been laid by the heavy rains ; consequently the sample must be more or less deficient, and the expense of cutting and carrying increased by some ten to fifteen per cent. In a comparative sense, therefore, there is undoubtedly a deficiency both in the yield and quality; but its extent must in a great measure be determined bj"- the state of the weather between this and the close of harvest work. In the most forward counties a good deal of wheat is now cut ; but in the north very little progress has as yet been made in cutting. Again, the future value of wheat has been the subject of deep anxiety ; but this point will, of course, be more clearly defined as harvest work progresses, and when itg actuftl lesult is more clearly understood. Although spring crops have rather improved in appearance, we have no hesitation in saying that their yield, especially that of beans and peas, will prove very deficient. The new barley which has made its appearance at Mark-lane has turned out somewhat thin, but other^vise in nice condition. The prices realized for it have varied from 363. to 42s. per quarter. New white peas have sold at 43s. to 453. per quarter ; but their quality has been very middling. The crop of hay has been mostly carried, even iu the north- In some quarters it has turned out tolerably well ; but we estimate it at fully one-third short of last season ; however, there is every prospect of a heavy second crop, as there is now much more grass iu the fields than at this time last year. From nearly all quarters unusually favourable accounts have reached us respecting the crop of potatoes. The haulm is looking remaikably well, and during t'le past three weeks the tubers - in which no traces of disease are yet to be met with — have grown with great rapidity. Prices, with large supplies on offer in the various markets, have fallen. The demand for wheat has continued iu a most inactive state, and prices have consequently had a drooping tendency. The importations from abrosd have been seasonably large ; but our farmers have supplied the various markets with more than usual caution. They are perfectly justified in the course they have taken, because it is quite clear to us that even a good new crop can scarcely reduce prices much below their present level ; and it is quite evident that a deficiency iu the yield will have the effect of producing greater firmntss in the quota- tions. We must bear iu mind, however — and this matter must enter into calculations on the subject of future prices — that we are now commenciog the consumption of the new crop with more old wheat in stack than has been known for mauy years past. All must admit that last year's crop was a most abun- THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 167 dant oue, and statiatica show that less English wheat has been sold since la'it harvest than in many previous years. There- fore, although there may be a deficient crop, we can scarcely see room for any important rise in the quotations. As re^^ards spring corn, however, we may saf-'ly state thst there is room not only for great firmness, but an upward movement in value. The quantity produced in this country is never equal to the demand, and we may take it for granted that there is a dtfi. cient yield. Although the trade and commerce of the country have as yet shown no sigus of increased vitality, the consumption of food generally has been on the increase. The cattle tralc has consequently assumed more firmness during thep.ist foiliiight, and tbe amount of stock disposed of in the Metropolitan Market has been rather extensive. The produce of fruit this year is a full average oue ; but we understand that on the continent it is considerably less than last season; consequeutly, the importations have been on a very limited scale. At length the wool trade has shown signs of vitality. Not- withstanding that nearly 80,000 bales of colonial wool will be otfered at the public sales no«' in progress, prices have ad- vanced Id. per lb. English wool has like^viae commanded more money ; but within the last ten days the demand ha* slackened, owing to the large quantities of the new clip on offer. Owing to the splendid prospect of the hop bine, the duty on the new growth of hoj-s has been done as high as £230,000. Old hops have sold heavily, and prices have continued to give way. In Ireland and Scotland wheat has sold slowly, and the quotations have had a drooping tendency. lu spring corn — more especinUy in oats, which command high quotations — a steady business has been transacted, but the stocks generally are almost wholly exhausted. The shipments of produce to England have been on a very moderate scale. ilEVIEW OF THE CATTLE TRADE DURING THE PAST MONTH. 0 wing to the long drought which prevailed throughout England prior to the 14th of the month, increased supplies of both beasts and sheep, chiefly in very middling condition, have been on sale in the leading markets since we last wrote. At one period so bare were the pastures of food that it was found necessary to commence the consumption of the new crop of hay, and not a few of our graziers were compelled to dispose of stock which otherwise would have been kept back for some months. However, since the date above mentioned, grass has become plentiful, we have had abundant and refreshing rains, and fewer forced sales have taken place : hence, the cattle trade has assumed more firm- ness, and prices have had an upward tendency. The con. sumption of food in the metropolis and in the manufacturing districts has certainly increased, and the cattle trade generally now appears to be in a more healthy state than since the commencement of the year. Still we are not anticipating much higher prices than those now current ; both for the grazier and breeder they present a fair margin of profit, and we see no reason why any important fluctuation should take place in them between this and the close of the year. No doubt the supplies will be taken off somewhat freely as they come to hand ; but We must bear one important feature in mind, viz., the full average numbers of both beastand sheep at this time in our various districts, and the absence of any serious disease, even in counties where from time to time heavy losses have been frequently sustained. It is possible that some parties may feel disinclined to endorse our ob- servations in reference to the supplies of stock in the country ; but it would be folly for us to contend that any- thing approaching scarcity exists : besides— though we be- lieve that the importations will be only moderate when compared with some former seasons, we must not forget that we shall have foreign supplies continually dropping in, and which, as a matter of course, will exercise some influence upon the quotations. The Norfolk season for stock has now just concluded. Throughout, it has not produced so large or so valuable a number of stock as we have sometimes witnessed; still it has been decidedly good ; but it may be well doubted whether the season has been a profitable one to the grazier, owing to the unusually high prices paid for store animals during the greater portion of 1857. The supplies of beasts as yet received from Lincolnshire exhibit a great improve- ment over last season. For the most part they exhibit points highly valuable to the butcher, and, as such, they will, we think, prove a source of profit to the graziers. It is a remarkable fact that, during the last twenty years, the short-horned breed of cattle has increased in number, al- most throughout the United Kingdom, more than any other breed — a proof that it is highly appreciated both by the graziers and butchers. In the early part of the month — say during the first fortnight —the trade generally in the Metropolitan Market was in a most inactive state, at drooping prices ; lambs especially were extremely depressed. Since then, how- ever, the demand has improved, and the quotations have been ou the advance. The total supplies of stock, both home and foreign, brought forv^ard have been as follows : — ■ Beasts 20,468 head. Cows 547 ,, Sheep and lambs I54,93'2 „ Calves 4,262 „ Pigs 3,290 „ Comparison of Supplies, Sheep and July. Beasts. Cows. Lambs. Calves. Pigs 1857 1.9,558 ,530 14-2,280 3,830 2,395 1856 18,589 500 135,650 3,407 3,225 1855 16,702 535 149,470 2,757 4,000 From the above comparison it will be seen that more beasts and sheep were exhibited last month than at the cor- responding period in the three previous years. The arrivals of beasts from Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, and Cambridgeshire, last month, were 6,000 Scots and short- horns; from Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, and Northampton- shire, 7, GOO shorthorns ; from other parts of England, 1,020 of various breeds; from Scotland, 218 Scots; and from Ireland, 230 oxen. Some heavy importations of foreign stock have taken place, owing chiefly to the want of cattle food in the north of Europe. The leasts, as well as the sheep and calves, have reached us in very poor condition, and, consequently, the quotations have ruled very low. Annexed are the official arrivals into London : — Beasts 5,1 38 head. Sheep Lambs Calves Pijts .. 1 7,382 3,131 3,461 2,080 Total 31,192 16S THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. Same time in 1857 26,958 head. „ 1856 30,537 „ 1855 22,680 „ 1854 22,242 „ 1853 38,795 „ 1852 27,008 „ Advices from the continent state that the actual numbers of fat beasts and sheep on hand are smaller than in the usual run of years, and that prices are relatively high. Newgate and Leadenhall markets have been seasonably well supplied with meat, which has sold slowly, without material change in the quotations. CORN VV ALL, We are now verging on the brink of harvest, and every- thing will depend on the weather as to the quality of l.read during the ensuing year. The last ten days, or more, have been cloud\' and overcast : on the night of Saturday last and on Sunday it blew a storm. Monday was fine, but yesterday it rained the whole of the daj'. Should the weather become more settled, with bright sunshine, cutting of wheat will be pretty general in another week. The general appearance of the crop is favourable, though in many places it is very much lodged, and some flat and close to the ground, but what is standing appears to be turning off a good healthy colour. We have not heard any com- plaint of rust or mildew, but there are certainly great defi- ciencies in the ear. The early-sown barleys have a good appearance, and will soon be ready for the scythe, and in strong land there appears no want of straw; but the late- sown are thin aud short, particularlj' on the thin soils. Oats, which are generally sown on the light and inferior soils of this county, have suffered from want of moisture, but those on strong and heavy land are very promising, and, to all appearance, will turn out well. The late rains have already had some effect on our brown and sunburnt pastures, wliich for some time have yielded a very scanty supply, and it will require some weeks to restore them, even to keep the st-ick in condition ; as to fattening, it is quite out of the question, withoixt a supply of cake, corn, or some other substitute. The mangels ai-e doing well, and promise for a fair crop, and never was there a better season for hoeing and setting them out in order. Swedes in some instances have been taken off by the fly, and re-sown ; but upon the whole they may be said to promise fair. We have now several new varieties of pasture turnips, some of which were sown late, and all are coming forward most rapidly. Potatoes are much better in quality than for many years, and the crops of all kinds much more productive. The blight has, here and there, done some damage, but as yet not to the extent of former years, although the haulm is black and withered. Apples are a partial crop : we have seen some fine orchards nearly bare of fruit, and we have heard of some good crops. There is a good demand for well-fatted beasts at 60s. per cwt.,or a shade beyond ; but the scarcity of keep fills the markets with inferior ones, which are sold much lower. Stores are to be bought on much easier terms, and of late there has been no demand for them. Fat sheep 5|d. to 6d. per lb,, with a good supply. Wool much sought after, and the price firm. We cannot find any account of rape having been sown in this county until about forty years ago, and then only by one or two individuals. It is now become very general to sow a portion of the land destined for autumn wheat to rape in the spring, and feed it down with sheep throu2;h the summer, which ensures a strong crop of wheat. It is well known to fatten sheep in less time than any other food. Pigs and geese are also fond of it, and store pigs will not only keep in condition, but improve. We name thi?, as we perceive is is not cultivated to any extent in some parts of the king- dom.—July 28. NOTTINGHAMSHIRE. The time of the year furnishes us with ample material for a report. Our grass fields have for some time had a withered aspect, requiring rain very much. Keep has con- sequently become scarce, and many farmers have had re- course to oilcake as an auxiliary. Stock generally have made but little progress for want of a full supply of food ; and their being teazed with the flies, allowing them very little rest> well fatted stock is, as might be expected, scarce, while those which our butchers call half-meated things are very plentiful. Store stock is very freely brought to markets and, throughout the county, in but very indifferent condi- tion. The spring corn crops have progressed variously : very early sown has done well, while anything sown at a medium time or late, is in many instances nearly worthless. A friend of ours, who farms extensively in the neighbourhood of Mansfield, holding full 1,000 acres of light siliceous land, will scarcely have seed returns from all his spring crops. Auother tells us he has 40 acres sown with barley he was ploughingup again, to drill with turnips ; and hundreds of acres are in a similar state from Nottingham to Worksop. It will be felt the more as being a second disaster which has overtaken the farmers of that district. During the last harvest their wheat, which generally is fine white of Uantzic quality, was so sprouted as to render it nearly worthless for human food, and the money loss is not easily conceived- The southern parts of the county are more fortunate, but spring corn of all sorts as a whole is very deficient — a verj' poor crop. The turnip crop is very indifferent. The early- sown ones have made some progress, but hundreds of acres have been resown, and it will much depend on the amount of rain which may fall v/hether we shall Iiave any or not in such fields. There have, as usual, been a many ch.irges brought against the flj', and a full share of anathema in- dulged in. Why have the early plants escaped ? Why the sheltered parts of the same field .-^ Why, in the same field, BO many instances present themselves of hit and miss ? A neighbour of ours, a good farmer, and one of whom we thought better, has invented a dusting machine, which we think displays iiigeimity enough, but, as a remedy for the diseased turnip plant, is, we think, quite as well in the shed. It will do the plant about as much good as a good dusting of snuff would a lousy animal ! Oilcake, liberally given, we think is the best remedy for the animal ; and anything which stimulates the growth of the plant is, we think, the only means for the vegetable world. Adverse seasons will at times upset the best-conducted farming operations ; but we cannot see why there should be more difficulty in grow, ing the turnip plant than any other. We farm a medium clay soil, and never fail in getting a crop, and this season have not a broken drill, with a good healthy* plant ; we have seen flies upon them, but never felt alarmed. Our mode of farming is to clean and manure in the autumn* plough in the winter, stir the soil as little as possible in the spring, drill in with ashes three to four quarters of bone dust per acre, and use plenty of seed. There is no secret about it : they grow like docks, and we think the fly all humbug. Thn potato crop is good, and the quality, so far, all we could desire. Our hay harvest has been a good one '■> THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 169 never, we think, has more good hay been gathered in any- one season, The bulk has been more than, from the dry state of the weather, you might have supposed. Our corn is ripening apace, and we shall soon be in the thron,o[ of an early harvest. Our corn markets have rallied a little, but must soon recede, from the quantity of old corn on hand. Many of our farmers never made a greater mistake, we think, than to hold so obstinately last autumn, while the foreigner sold, and pocketed the cash. It is all up now : we advise them to hold on : prices for wheat cannot be much worse. Our labour market is better; good labourers are fully em- ployed, and, with the moderate price of bread, they must feel themselves in more comfortable circumstances. Wages 12s. to 15s., and harvest wages 2O3. per week. We hope the poor may be well employed and paid, and that there may be no complaining in our streets. — July 19th. AGRICULTURAL INTELLIGENCE, FAIRS, &c. BEDALE FORTNIGHTLY FAIR.— There was a small show of beasts, owing to Topcliffe fair being held the previous day. A good supply of sheep. Business was rather brisk, Beef, 63. 6d. to 7s. 6d, per stone; mutton, 5d. to 6^d. per lb. BEWDLEY FAIR.— There was a good shoAV of sheep, short supply of cows, and very few pigs. The attendance of buyers was scarce, and business very dull. Fat sheep fetched G^d. to 6f cl. per lb. ; stores from 283. to 863.; lambs, about 7id. ; beef sold at from 6d. to 6^d, Pigs were a trifle dearer. BRENTWOOD FAIR. — There was a large show of good cart horses, with an active demand. Mr. Barker, of In- gateatone, showed some very clever hacks and hunters, at prices averaging from £40 to £70 each, several of which were sold ; in cattle but little was doing. BRISTOL COLT FAIR.— There wes an unusually large show of colts, principally two-year-olds. Buyers, however, were not proportionately numtrous, and the colts sold slowly, the highest price given being £44. Several animals were sold at 38 to 39 guineas, but the general prices for useful colta were from £23 to £25, The rates may be stated at about 20 per cent, below those which were obtainable last year. CAMELFORD FAIR. — 3,500 sheep and lambs were penned, nearly all of which met with a ready sale, the lambs varying in price from ISa to 263. per head. The supply of cattle was large, but the demand fcr them was far from brisk, and only about 200 changed hands at prices rather on the decline. CARMARTHENSHIRE. — FAIRS have been held at Lansawal on the 15tb, at Haverfordwest on the 19th, and at Newcastle Emlyn on the 20th of this month. There was a fair number of store bea'ts on offer at each of those places. There was a fair attendance of dealers ; business was more animated than of late, whilst prices were a shade higher. Cows with calves and fat cows were in fair supply and demand at late prices. A large number of horses and colts were shown at Haverfordwest and Newcastle Emlyn; sales were brisk at satisfactory rates. A large number of sheep and lambs were penned at the two hst named fairs, and the whole sold at late prices. Piga of all descriptions continued without alteration. COLCHESTER FAIR.— The supply of sheep (about 2,000) was not so large as usual, and there was but little business done. There was a very large supply of horses, nearly 600 being on the ground, consisting of hackuejs, Suffolk cart horses, prices varying from 35?. to 45Z , Welsh horses, ponies, &c. Mr. Martin, of Cattawade, showed 60 fine Suffolk horses, of which he sold about 40. He also exhibited a very fine two- year-old Suffolk colt, thought to be the handsomest in the fair, which realized 50/., and a two-year-old filly, 46Z. There were about 150 head of neat stock, but no business doing. The attendance altogether small. CAWDOR MONTHLY TRYST was well attended, and the stock, taken as a whole, considerably above average in con- dition. The market was extremely stiff, business, from an almost entire absence of dealers, being confined to transac- tions among the farmers. For the best cattle there was scarcely any demand, and a number of superior lots left the ground early in the afternoon unsold. Highland breeds were, how- ever, in much more than ordinary repute, and the greater bulk of the sales effected were among them. Though business was not spirited, by the evening a good many sales were effected at much about the prices of last month's tryst. HAILSHAM FAIR.— With regard to the numbers ou the ground, the horses and bullocks seemed to be about an ave- rage, but certainly presented no feature worthy of remark, being on the whole comparatively poor, and most part unsold. Of sheep and lambs there were upwards of 2,000, the latter greatly predominating ; indeed, the fair was essentially one for lambs, which brought excellent prices. One lot of lambs brought 243. The other prices averaged from 14s. to 233. Nearly all were sold. Tegs were scarce : their prices ranged from 25s. to 32s., and one lot brought as much as 38s. HORSHAM LAMB FAIR.— There were 11,000, princi- pally lambs. In the morning the sellers asked prices which the buyers were not inclined to give, but about noon a better understanding seemed to have been arrived at, from 15s. to 303. being about the average range of prices. Only one of the lots, we believe, however, reached the latter figure, Mr. Emery's, of Hurston Place, which really was a very superior lot, and much admired in its bonny blue ribbons. Next in price was a very fine lot shown by Mr. Heasman, of Ang- raering, which made 29s., Mr. Heath, of Upper Hurston, made 273., Mr. G. Penfold, of Wiggenholt, 263., Mr. Hard- wick, Sullington, 253., Mr. Reed, Kithurst. 26s., &c., &c. There was a fair supply of horned cattle, and the strong hackneys and heavy horses rather exceeded the usual supply both in quality and quantity. MORETONHAMPSTEAD FAIR— The show of bullocks and sheep was tolerably good. Among the former were some prime fat bullocks, which were disposed of at from 98. 6d. to lOs. per score. There were many cows and calves in the fair; and, although the sales were not brisk, several were sold at from £12 to £16. Barreners, in good condition, also found purchasers at from 7s. to 8s. per score. Many of the steers driven in for sale also changed hands at from £10 to £24 the pair. The number of sheep penned did not exceed 579 ; out of the above number 350 were sold, and among these were some prime fat sheep, which were disposed of at from 5^d. to 6d. per lb. Good keeping sheep sold at from 283. to 368. each. Fat lambs sold pretty freely at about 7d. per lb. OVERTON FAIR.— The supply was rather over an ave- rage, but the trade was brisk from the commencement at from Is. to 23. per head under those of last year, at which a clear- ance was effected. Ewes sold from 30s. to 38s., extra 42s. to 45s. The prize ewes, exhibited in fatting condition, realized from 483. to 529. Lambs 22s. to 343,, extra 353. to 378. 6d. One lot belonging to W. J. Chaplin, Esq., of Ewhurst, which obtained the first prize, realized 40s. per head. Stock wethers, 323. to 38s. The sheep exhibited for the various prizes were of first-rate quality, and the competition unusually keen. The judges were Messrs. J. T. Twynam, Winchester, Mr. Thomas Gerrish, Hurstbourne Tarrant, and Mr. T. H. Saunders, of Watercombe, Dorset, who awarded the premiums m the fol- lowing order : For the best pen of 100 wether Iambs, bred from a flock of any number, a cup of ten guineas value, given by Sir Francis Thornhill Baring, to W. J. Chaplin, Esq. ; a cup of five guineas value, given by G. Sclater Booth, Esq., M.P., for the second best, to Mr. Digweed, Steventon. A cup of ten guineas value, given by W. B. Beach, Esq., M.P„ for the best 80 lambs, to Mr. James Parker, Lasham. A cup of ten guineas value, given by Melville Portal, Esq., for the best 100 ewes, full-mouthed, to Mr Anthony Budd, Overton ; a cup of five guineas value, given by his Grace the Duke of Wellington, for the second best, Mr. Davis. For the best ram, a cup of ten guineas value, given by the Earl of Porti- moutb, to Mr. Parker, Lasham. A cup of five guineas value, 170 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. giveu by the Right llou. the Lord Viscount Eversley, for the beat pen of ram lambs, of any breed, to Mr. George Edney, Whitchurch. SALISBURY FAIR.— About 10,000 sheep were penned, being about 2,000 more than the number shown last year. Trade was dull, owinjj to the weather, but prices were fully equal to those of Stockbridge fair. Ewes realized from 26s. to 463. 6d. ; lambs, from 20s. to 343. ; and Wethers, SOs. to 403. per head. Nearly all the stock brought was disposed of. SHERBORNE FAIR was well attended by dealers and agriculturists. There were about the usual number of sheep penned ; the trade was exceedingly heavy. Mutton, 6|d. per lb. ; Down lambs, in their wool, 21s. to 23s. ; do., shorn, 143. to 183, ; Down ewes, 253. to 283. per head. Tnere were about 80 Devon steers and oxeu ofTered for sale, but very few were sold. Cows and ralves, £11 to J£15 each ; barren heifers, £9 to £11 each; yearling heifers, principally Irish, £5 to £6 each. The pig trade was very dull. The best cart-horses were sold at from £35 to £40 each. Wool was in demand at 15d. per lb, ST. BOSWELL'S FAIR.— The buyers were more numerous than for many years ; no doubt arising from the recent rains having ss much improved the turnips and grass. The fat sheep were in demand for butchering purposes, and sold readily. Mr. Johnston, Mailtield, sold his wether lambs at 2t)s. Mr. Young, Cowdenkuowes, sold his wethers at 26s. Several other lots, from the same district of country, brought within Is. to Is. 6d. of the above quotations. Three-part bred sheep suffered about the same reduction ; but the half-bred sheep, in condition, brought equally good prices as last year. A lot of three-quarters-breds from Dalcone Mains sold at SGs. A lot sold by Mr, Dudgeon, Spylaw, of half-breds, at 35s. 6d, (eight score). A lot of half-bred ewes aud wethers sold at 31s,, from near Berwick-upon-Tweed. Mr. Ritchie, salesman, Edinburgh, bought a lot of half-bred sheep at IGs. 6d. ; another lot at 32s. ; aud three other lots at 283., 31s., and 30s. 6d. At mid-day there were a few remained unsold. STRATFORD-ON-AVON FAIR. — There was a large supply of stock, as well as some very fine cows with their calves ; but, in consequence of there being few buyers, trade was duU. Of sheep Ihere were nearly 2,000 penned, besides lambs, which hung heavily on hand, aud the farmers and dealers were obliged to accept lower prices ; therefore we may quote beef about O^d. per lb. lower — also mutton. Lamb sold quite as well as last fair. Both beef and mutton from 5|d. to 6|^J. per lb. TEV/KESBURY FAIR— There was an average supply of sheep, including some very good ones. There were not many cattle, and but few of them were fat. Horses were more numerous, and included some very gocd cart animals. Trade was not brisk in any department, although a good many farmers and dealers weVe present. Beef 7d., and muttoa 6^d to 7d. per lb. WEDMORE FAIR was not largely supplied with stock. To effect sales parties were obliged to come down considerably. Beef, ranged from 83. 9d. to 93. 9d., some of extra quality may be quoted at at lOs. per score, top figure ; wether mut- ton realized from 6d. to 6id. per lb.; ewe ditto from 5d. to 5|d. per lb. ; some choice lambs fetched from 7d. to 7|d. per lb. In store pigs there was a material reduction in price. YETHOLM LAMB FAIR.— The number of lambs was very small, aud few buyers being present, only a portion of lambs were disposed of. YORK FORTNIGHT MARKET.— Calving and dairy cows were in supply and demand about equal to last market, aud prices the same. A large number of grazing beasts had a very slow sale, many remaining on hand, yet prices were much lower. Fat beasts were in fair supply and demand, at 73. 6d. per stone ; and some of super quality exceeded that quotation. A moderate quantity of mutton sheep sold at ^d. per lb. advance. Grazing sheep and lambs were plentiful, at average prices. We had some very prime lots of foreign sheep, which were much admired for their size and quality, and par- ticularly for the quality of their wool. REVIEW or THE CORN TRADE DURING THE PAST MONTH. The month of July has been far less sultry than its predecessor, there having been a fair fall of rain, with some thunder storms, which somewhat laid the wheat and impeded harvest, though the month has not closed without some new appearing at mar- ket. As to yield, the prospect diminished as the crop was inspected, a good deal of blight being found in some pieces, while all the light land pro- mises to be short ; but should the weather be favour- able, though last year's plenty cannot generally be looked for, we anticipate a full average yield, the deficiency in the number of grains to the ear being in many places quite made up by their being more numerous than in 1857. The hay harvest, though at one time threatened, has been concluded favourably, but a good portion of the late-cut grass has lost colour. All the root crops have been greatly benefited, and potatoes especially, as the quantity of rain has not been too great for them to bear. Spring corn, particularly barley and oats, have im- proved, but the rain came too late to be of use to pulse, so that beans, peas, and tares will be very deficient; the former may be made up by arrivals from Egypt, but the latter must find substitutes. If in this humid climate the heat was too great in some places for the wheat plant, it has been found still more so in other parts of Europe ; Hol- land, Belgium, the borders of the Rhine, France, Spain, and Italy, not being so well reported ; while America, though favoured with a set- in of forcing iveather after much wet, does not seem likely to gather so much as last year. In Canada about an average is expected. The previous abundance will, therefore, not only be serviceable for mixing, but as a reserve against any deficiency in the present yield, and serve to keep prices at a moderate range. In America the maize crop is yet in jeopardy from the lateness of its being sown, in consequence of floods; but Southern Europe has lost the fears which at one time prevailed for its safety. The apprehension of very low prices, which at one time began to prevail, has now disappeared, the rapidly increasing population having made good account of the liberal imports since last harvest, as foreign stocks still appear moderate. Prices during the month have not fluctuated more than 2s., leaving rates little altered. Though stocks of English in the country are held to be good, the THE FARMER^S MAGAZINE. 171 market supplies were getting low, and the weekly sales were showing by their I'educed quantities that the low rates lately paid were unsatisfactory ; the amount of the last four weeks being 291,921 qrs. against 361, 160 qrs, in 1857, making a de- crease of 69,139 qrs. ; this deficiency, be it remem- bered, occurring after a most abundant crop. The following quotations will show that our own rates are still below several neighbouring countries ; but the settlement of prices must depend on the result of the several harvests. At Rotterdam the best red wheat was worth about 57s. 6d. per qr., rye 38s., and barley to 31s. 6d. At Antwerp, native red was quoted 54s. per qi'., at Louvain 56s. At Hamburg and Berhn the top quotations were about 49s. per qr., at Stettin 48s. at Dantzic 52s. A sample of very fine heavy new high mixed has been sent on here by post. Quotations at Petersburg were about 45s. per qr. ; at Odessa soft Polish was 44s. 6d. per qr.; Tagan- rog and Berdianski quoted 38s. to 43s. 6d. per qr. At Seville mixed wheat was held at 56s. per qr. Fine flour at Santander 42s. 9d. per sack of 280 lbs. The range of prices in Piedmont was very mode- rate, notwithstanding a deficient crop, some new wheat of fair weight having been sold at 40s. 6d. 1^: per qr. New wheat has been sold at Marie, in France, at 40s. per qr., and the best price for flour at Paris was about 37s. 6d. per English sack. Our receipts from the United States, from 1st Septem- ber to 6th July, were in wheat and flour equal to about 1,200,000 qrs. : — this, as compared with last season, is about 65,000 qrs. short. The lake ports by last accounts were dull, being disappointed at the prices at New York, and small export trade then obtaining ; but this business of late has been more important, as shown by recent arrivals here. The best white wheat at New York was about 45s. 6d. per qr., red to 40s. 6d. The finest Missouri flour was quoted equal to 42s. 6d. per sack. At Baltimore white wheat 46s. 6d. per qr., red 43s. Flour at Hobart Town has been selling at £l6 to £18 per ton. The average of wbeatfor South Aus- tralia, in 1857, was 7s. per bushel. The first Monday commenced on a fair supply of foreign, and very small one of English wheat. During the morning the samples sent from Kent and Essex were but few : a heavy fall of rain oc- curring the night previous, a good deal of the best and earliest wheat was laid ; and in conseciuence of it, the market rose fully 2s, per qr., some holders refusing to sell at this advance, especially foreign factors. The country responded to this rise promptly, though better supplied, Leeds, Leicester, Market Rasen, and Newmarket quoting 2s. to 3s. above previous rates. Several agreed exactly with London, but more generally the improvement was Is. to 2s., especially those places which had their market on Saturday. Liverpool, on Tuesday, ad- vanced 2d. to 3d. per 70lbs., and on Friday another id. per 70lbs. was gained. On the second Monday, the foreign supply was small, but the English improved. About an average number of samples appeared from the near counties, but the fine weather then prevailing quite checked all the upward tendency, and only the previous prices were obtained slowly. The foreign trade was firm, with htlle doing. The London report had its influence, and several places, as Leeds, Manchester, Spalding, and Gloucester, were all very dull. Hull, Louth, Lynn, Boston, and Bristol were all is. per qr. lower and Birmingham advices were down Is. to 2s. The first market at Liverpool was heavy, and Friday's report was id. to 2d. per 70lbs. cheaper. The third Monday opened on a large supply of foreign wheat, of good useful quality, with a mode- rate quantity of home growth, the show from Kent and Essex being fair for the time of year. The weather having continued on the whole very favour- able to the crops, though somewhat rainy, and im- peding harvest operations, millers would not buy without obtaining a concession of fully 2s. per qr. on former rates : those] who would not accept this reduction were without being cleared till the fol- lowing markets, which were quite as dull. In the country this reduction was hardly accepted ; Hull, Gainsborough, Wolverhampton, Manchester, Glou- cester, and several other places, quoted is. to 2s. per qr. lower, but Birmingham sold at Is. less, and some localities quoted former prices. Liverpool, on Tues- day, was Id. to 2d. per 70lbs. cheaper for the finest qualities, and 2d. to 3d. down on inferior; and on Friday there was a further decUne of id. to 2d. per 70lbs. The fourth Monday was commenced on moderate supplies, and the expectation that several new sam- ples would be oflfered on sale from Kent and Essex was disappointed ; some did appear, but only as specimens, and the Talavera sold at Chelmsford was inferior in quality to last year. The weather continuing very favourable to harvest operations, millers were reserved, and at the Kentish stands fully Is. per qr. less money was accepted; but some factors, holding for former prices, did not place all their samples. The foreign trade was almost at a stand-still ; some oflTers, however, at 2s. per qr. less were not accepted. A fall of rain on Tuesday night gave tone to subsequent markets, though followed by a drying north wind. The imports into the United Kingdom for June were 573,636 qrs. wheat, and 405,549 cwts. flour, making the receipts for the year to the close of that month 2,268,368 qrs. wheat, 2,328,722 cwts. flour, equal in wheat alone to 3,432,729 qrs. The arri- 172 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. vals into London during the four weeks of July- were 15,92(3 qrs. English, and 59,036 qrs. foreign wheat ; the country flour in the same time being 66,330 sacks, the foreign 548 sacks, 16,602 barrels. The exports were 332 qrs. wheat ; 99 cvvt. flour. The London averages commenced at 46s. 9d. per qr., and closed at 49s. 6d. The general averages began at 43s., and finished at 45s. 3d. ; but these returns are generally fully a fortnight after the transactions. The first Monday inHhe flour trade was noted by a rise on town-made samples of 3s. per sack, but Norfolks were only Is. dearer. Since then the fluctuations have been unimportant, and the last market closed at 31s. per sack for Norfolks, and 43s. for the best town-made; the want of water early in the month limited the supply of country flour, but since the rains there has been a full average quantity at market. The short arrivals of English barley, through the month, showed the dependence of consumers on foreign help ; but as the first fruits of the new crop have begun to appear, more will soon be at market, especially as all malting qualities are again likely to be scarcer, and command a high range of j^rices. The business of the month has nearly been limited to grinding qualities of foreign, and the low rates obtaining for light qualities as compared with other grain have made a good and constant demand. There has been scarcely any fluctuation in prices, the Is. per qr, advance of the first market being fully sus- tained up to the fourth Monday, when, in con- sequence of a heavy arrival from the Mediterranean, prices somewhat gave way. The arrivals of Eng- lish barley into London during four weeks were 616 qrs., and of foreign 52,906 qrs. The exports were 1,200 qrs. The arrivals for June in the United Kingdom were 151,590 qrs., and in maize 151,318 qrs. The malt trade has been calm through the month, and gained about Is. per qr. on the best samples. The oat trade has quite changed in its character in the course of the month, in consequence of the serious deficiency of the crops in Belgium, Holland, and France, producing an export trade in this grain of unusual importance on the very eve of harvest, after closing dull in June, with heavy foreign arrivals. The first Monday brought a rise of Is. to 2s. per qr. with fair foreign supplies, and on good corn there has been no giving way since ; but low Russian sorts being over-plentiful on the third Monday, sold rather in buyers' favour. With, however, a somewhat diminished supply on the fourth Monday, all good sorts were 6d. per qr. dearer, low Russian qualities alone being without improvement. The imports into London during the four weeks, in English sorts, were 1,154 qrs., in Scotch 2,102 qrs., in Irish 1,297 qrs., and in foreign 129,154 qrs. ; the exports in the same time being 47,742 qrs., against 9,991 qrs. last month — making a total in two months of 57,733 qrs. The imports into Great Britain and Ireland for June were 206,908 qrs. Should this export demand continue, with our own crop scarcely an average, and Ireland in the same predicament, we may see high prices at the close of the season, unless the Russian crop proves greater than expected ; but already there has been a pretty good clearance at Petersburg and Riga of old corn. The trade in beans through the month has been firm, after an advance on the first Monday of Is. to 2s. per qr. ; but the rise has checked the sale, and the fourth Monday was duller than any of its predecessors. The arrivals in the port of London during the four weeks, in Enghsh, were 1,217 qrs., in foreign only 3,106 qrs. The imports into this country for June were 37,820 qrs. Of English peas the supply has been almost nil, while the arrivals of Baltic and Canadian white have been fair, in consequence of orders, from the deficiency in this country. This trade was in sympathy with beans throughout the month, par- ticipating in the rise of Is. to 28. per qr. on the first Monday, without any subsequent change. The crop is undoubtedly very short; but some very fair, though small, new white boilers were offering on the fourth Monday at 50s. and maples at 44s. per qr. The arrivals in London in the four weeks were only 302 qrs. English, but the foreign were 5,945 qrs. : this, on short stocks, must soon go into consumption, even in times of limited demand ; and whatever may be the price of boilers, hog peas must again rule high. The total imports into the kingdom for June were 21,781 qrs. The export trade in linseed during the month has about equalled the arrivals, being 13,175 qrs. against 13,315. The market therefore has gained fully Is. per qr. ; and, were it not for good stocks on hand, extravagant rates must have been paid. Cakes, too, have increased in value about 10s. per ton, a fall of rain first making them duli, but the return of dry weather originating an active demand. In the seed trade but little has been passing. Several parts of France and Germany report almost a failure of the crop of cloverseed ; and a demand for the latter country sprung up in con- sequence, increasing the value here about 5s. per cwt. ; but this inquiry has ceased for the present, and no speculation appears here, as our own crop promises to be excellent ; and should it be warm in August, there can be little doubt of an abun- dance; while mustard-seed is said to be blighted in Lincolnshire, but is well grown in Essex. The THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 173 new tares appearing are very small, and as much as 15s. per bushel has been asked for them, which dealers seem in nowise inclined to pay. New carraway-seed has been exhibited remarkably fine^ without having a fixed price. Canary-seed brought 95s. per qr. on the last Monday, but it can hardly be expected to realize this on receipt of new samples. Rape-seed, hemp-seed, coriander, and other seeds have maintained their value, with, however, but a retail demand. CURRENCY PER IMPERIAL MEASURE. ShiUings per Quarter Wheat, new, Essex and Kent, white 41 to 50 red 38 to 44 Norfolk, Linc.andYorks., red..,. » 39 43 Barley, malting — to—.... Chevalier — — Distilling, new 29 31.... Grinding 25 30 Malt, Essex, Norfolk, and Suffolk 56 64 fine 66 68 Kingston, Ware, and town made.... 56 64 ,, 66 68 Brown 52 54 — — Rye ,.. — — 28 30 Oats, English, feed 22 27 Potato.. .... 27 35 Scotch, feed 23 27 31.. Potato 28 35 Irish, feed, white 22 25 fine 20 32 Ditto, black 22 24 ,, — 25 Beans, Mazagan 36 39 Ticks 37 38 Harrow 37 40 Pigeon 41 46 Peas, white boQers .. 40 48. .Maple .. 43 44, .Grey 44 4G FLOUB,pcrsackof2801bs., Town, Households. .36s., fine 40 43 Country 31 33 Households., ol 36 Norfolk and Suffolk, ex-ship 29 31 FOREIGN GRAIN. 8hilling^s per — high do. — — extra 48 „ - — — fine.... 48 — 51 red.,.. 42 47 Wheat, Dantzic, mixed.. 45 Konigsberg 40 Rostock 45 American, white . . , .43 Pomera., Meckbg.,& Uckermrk, red 42 47 Sile.sian, red A'i 45 white >..... Danish and Holstein Russian, hard.. 39 43 .. French. .42 45 white St. Petersburg and Riga , Rhine and Belgium Baeley, grinding 22 27 Distilling.... Oats, Dutch, brew, and Polands.. 24 30 Feed Danish and Swedish, feed . ..24 26 Stralsund.... Russian Beans, Friesland and Holstein Uuarter. — 53 Konigsberg 36 Peas, feeding 42 Indian C'obn , white. 34 Flour, per sack French 33 American , per barrel , sour. ... 20 40 Egyptian... 41 fine boilers. 30 yellow 37 Spanish ... 22 sweet IMPERIAL AVERAGES. Foa the last Six Wheat. Barley. Weeks: s. d. s. d. June 12, 1858 .... 44 7 ' 33 6 June 19, 1858 ....i 43 10 30 7 June 26, 1858 .... 43 0 I 31 1 July 3, 185S ...,, 42 8 I 30 8 July 10, 1858 .... 43 4 29 11 July 17, 1858 .... 45 3 , 30 4 Aggregate average 43 9 31 0 Bametiinelastyear 62 1 { 38 3 Oats. I Rye. Beans, s. d. I s. d. 8. d 26 0 133 0 42 10 26 10 26 0 42 5 25 10 33 10 42 26 11 33 2 42 26 3 28 11 42 26 6 26 2 27 2 30 8 43 30 11 42 40 10 45 Peas- d- 43 8 COMPARATIVE AVERAGES-1 858-57. From last Friday's Oa«. s. d.iVrom Gazette of ISbl. s. d. Wheat 91,232 qrs., 45 SJWheat 81,704 qrs., 63 8 Barley 1,343 .. 30 4 Barley 1,03H .. 37 9 Oats 2,734 .. 26 6 Oats 6,102 .. 27 9 Rye 93 .. 30 8 Rye 76 .. 42 7 Beans 1,357 .. 43 3 Beans 2,098 .. 45 11 Peas 77 .. 41 S] Peas 261 .. 44 4 FLUCTUATIONS IN THE AVERAGE PRICE OF WHEAT July 10 July 17. Friob. 1 June 12. June 19.|Juiie26. July 3. 45J^3d.^| ..I .. 44s. 7d. !—- — , .. 43s. lOd. I .. *.__- 43). 4d. .. .. i .. .. r 43s. Od. .... ».„— »T .. i 423, Sd. I ., .. .. ».-——' MONTHLY RETURN. An Account shewing the Quantities of Corn Grain, Meal^ and Flour, imported into the United Kingdom, and admitted to Home Con- sumption, IN THE month of June, 1858. Species of Corn, Grain Meal, and Flour. Wh^at..... Barley Oats Rye Peas Beans Maize or Indian Com .. Buck Wheat Beer or liigg Total of Corn and Grain Wheat Meal and Flour . Barley Meal Oat Meal Rye Meal Pea Meal Indian Meal Buck Wheat Meal Tutal of Meal and Flour. , , , Inipoited Imported f,o,n'u,itish fr.>iH foieign possessions Countries, ^ut of Europe qrs. bush.; 54'9166 1 151590 2 t 205928 12832 18885 37820 150936 137 ars. bush. 24469 7 980 0 2895* 5 1127298 7 ' 28727 4 cwts. qr.lh. cwts. qr.lb. 369127 3 17 36421 1 27 2**0 0 '.'. 119 2 14 0 2 0 363 3 0 89 1 4 Total. qrs. bush. 573636 0 1516S0 200908 12832 21781 378,i0 151318 137 369613 3 3 36510 3 3 406124 2 6 1156026 cwts. qr.lb. 405649 1 16 2"o 0 119 2 14 0 2 0 453"o 4 PRICES OF SEEDS. BRITISH SEEDS. Cloverseed, red — s. to — s., extra — s., white — s. to - s. Trefoil — s. to — s. Tares, Winter, new, per bushel Os. Od. to Os. Od. Tabes, Spring, per bushel Os. Od. to Os. Od. Mdstardseed, per bush., new 178. to25s., brown 13s. to 16s. Coriander, per cwt 20s. to 26s. Canary, per qi- 80s. to 958. Linseed, per qr., sowing — s. to — a... crushing 668. to 68s. Linseed Cakes, per ton ^9 Os. tcflO Os. RAPESEED,per qr...,, 70s. to 72s. Rape Cake, perton £6 10s. to £6 Os. FOREIGN SEEDS, &o. Cloverseed, red 40s. to 46s., white 50s. to 60s Trefoil, 17s. to 18s. Hempseed, small, per qr .....Dutch 42s. to47s. Coriander, per cwt 17s. to 26s. Carrawat ,, 44s.to46s. Linseed, per qr., Baltic 588. to 628 Bombay 60s. to 62s. Linseed Cake, perton £0 10s.to£ll Os. Rapeseed, Dutch 6Ss. to 728. Rape Cake, perton £5 Os. to £0 08. HOP MARKET. BOROUGH, Monday, July 26.— Very little business doing in our market. The new growth is reported to be pro- gressing very favourably. Mease & Wild. MAIDSTONE, July 22.— During the past few days we riotice an increase of vermin. Lice abound in many of the plantations, but they do not as yet appear to have injured the bine or the young shoots. The appearance thus far is good, and the duty goes up. Many judges are of opinion that the crop will be as large, or nearly so, aj in 1855, and very few, if any, will bet against £230,000. Allington.— The bine is looking very well, the vermin not having injured it. Hitherto it has done its work. Aylesford. — The weather has been very favourable, and the hops grow apace. A good bine, and not much vermin. Artington. — Our hop pluntations look well for a crop. The young shoots are very promising, and the bur is coming out strongly. Appearances are in favour of a heavy duty. Otham. — Our hops still improve ; the blue is strong, and although backward at first, it now throws out good healthy shoots. The bur is coming out and thus far looks well. BoxLEY. — Since the late rains the hop grounds have greatly improved, but we find vermin at places. — Bear- STED. — Our hop plantations are looking well; the bine is strong and healthy. The weather has of late been in our favour, and wc look for a largo crop. — Susscd' Express. 174 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. POTATO MARKETS. BOROUGH AND SPITALFIELDS. LONDON, Monday, July 26. — Very large supplies of home-°;rowu Fotatoes have appeared on sale since our lasr, report, ia good coiidilion. The importa baveamouutel to only 116 baskets from Boulogne. A lull average businses is doing, and prires range from 503. to lOSs. prr ton. COUNTRY POTATO MARKETS.— Yokk, July 17 : New potatoes sell at 4cl. per pei k and Is. 4d. ptr quirtcru. Leeds, July 20: A fair supply if new potatoes, hImcIi sold at 9|d. to lOd. per 2III13. wholesale, and Id. per lb. rctnil. Rich- mond, July 17 : New potatoes !■<. 8d. to 2s. per peck. Man- chester, July 22: New potatoes sell at 8s. to 10s, per 2521b8. PERTH POTATO TRADE. -The potato market is mw fully supplied, and prices are very moderate. Best sorts sell at 2d. per lb., but in many cases Hd. per 21bs. is the re'ail price. — Perlh Courier. PRICES OF BUTTEK, CHEESE, ilAMS, &c Prieslaiid 106toir2 Kiel - - Dorset 110 114 Carlow 100 108 Waterford 102 ins Cork, !I8 106 Limirick SS 104 SllKO... FllKSlI.pt; 94 lOfi .12s.0d.tol43.0d. CHKKSE.i.eront.: Cheahii Cbrdda Ti 80.. „ 60 DoublfiOloiio.SS 72.. „ 62 HAMS: York 78 Westmoreland 78 Irish 76 BACON : Wiltshire, dried 74 Irish, Kreen <><) ENGLISH BUTTER MARKET. LONDON, Monday, July 26.— Our trade is firm, at the same prices. Dorset, fine . 1123. to llGs. per cwt. Ditto, middling .... 100s. to 106s. Devon 108s. to 112s. „ Fresh 12s. to Hs. per dozen. BELFAST, (Thursday last.)— Butter: Shipping price, 94s- to lOOs. per cwt.; firkins and crocks, lOd. to IC^d. per lb Bacon, 56s. to 60a ; Hams, prime 74s. to 78s .second quality 603. to 66s. per cwt. Prime mess Pork, 873. 6d. per brl. ; Beef, 120s. to ISOs. per tierce ; Irish Lard, in bladdcri", 72s. to 76s. ; kegs or firkins, 648. to 66s. per cwt. LONDONDERRY, (Thursday last.)— The supply large. aud in conseoueuce prices rather lower : firkins, first lid., seconds lOJdl to 10|d., third P^d. to 9Jd., fourth 8|d.; butts, fine lOJd. to lid., good lOd. to lO^d., middling 8d. to 9d. per lb. GLASGOW. — There was only 1 cart in the bazaar, which was not sold till midday, but there being a plentiful supply in the weighhouse, 22 tons passed the scale, at about last week's prices. Old cheese 483. to 528 , new do. 39s. to 428., skim do. 208. to 223. per cwt. OIL M.\RKET. OILS. Olive, Kloreuce,> -„ half-chests .,.i*" Lucca 6 aaUipoli(2,S2Kal8") 4.") Spanish 43 Linseed (cwt.).... 1 Rape, Pale 2 Brown 2 Ood(tun) :« Seal, Pale 37 Do. Brown, Yel.&c 29 Sperm 82 Head Matter 8S Southern 37 Cocon-not(cwt.). \ Pulm 1 RESIN Yellow (per cwt.) £i Tranepareot 0 18 OtoXO 0 0 0 0 n 0 0 0 0 Ab 10 0 10 0 44 0 0 14 « 1 14 i* 8 fi 2 10 0 5 0 2 « 0 0 0 S.-i 0 0 0 0 3S 0 0 0 0 31 0 0 0 0 H6 n 0 0 0 P8 0 0 10 0 58 n n 18 0 1 19 0 )2 0 1 18 0 PITCH. British (per cwt. )i:0 l> 6 0 00 ArchanK-el 0 0 0 0 0 Q Stockholm 0 10 0 0 00 TURPENTINK. .Spirits (per cwt.)jfl 19 0 0 0 0 In Puncheons 2 00 0 00 Routfh 0 9 6 0 9 9 TAB. ..£0 0 0 0 0 0 .. 0 0 0 0 16 0 ..000 0 15 0 Archangel . Stockholm WIIALERONK. Greenland full 1 ^„„ 0 60O 0 0 sue (pet ton). ) SouthSea 470 a 480 HO HAY MARKETS. SATnRPAT, July 24.— SMITHFIKLD.- Roth liny and straw sold heavily at our quotations. CUMBERLAND. — A full supply, and a heavy demand at drooping prices. WHITKOHAPEL.— Triidt! heavy, on rnthir lower terms. AtperLoad oftHTrusses. S«irrHyiRi.i>. CnMDKKlANP. WHITHOaiPlL MKADOW HAY OLD K'n. to 858. 665. to 86s. 605. to 85". NEW DITTO «,s. 80s. Biis. 825. 65s. 80s. CLOVER DirTO OLD 85s. 105s. 855. J 06s. Sis. 105». NEW DITTO S.tiS. 96s. 86s. 97s. 85s. 95s. STRAW 34«, 38i. 388, 3»». ■6i^. 33». COVENT GARDEN MARKET. LONDON, Satuhdat, July 24. — Trade cnntinut.'i tribk and the supply is equal to the ilemand. Cherries are riol now imported, but Apricuts, Plums, and Kigs, are still supplied from foreign sources. Strawberries are net now so good or plentiful as Ihey were. Some ripe French Pears chiefly Jaigonels, may now be obtained. Barcelona Nuts fetch 2(ls. per bushel ; new Brazils, Is. 6d do.; Spanish, 14s. do.; Almonds, 24s.; Walnuts, kiliidried,20s. do. Amons Vegetables are some nice Cauliflowers. English Peas are now plentiiiil. and since llie late rairs they have improved in quality. Of the latlor there are still arrivals from France, (jreens are plentiful, as are also l''rench Beans. Now Potatoes are largely supplied, and green Artichokes fetch from 4s. to (is. per dozen. Cuciunbers plentiful. Cut flowers chiefly consist of Orchids Garilenlas, Heliotroiie'!, Geraniums, Violets, lligi.o- nette, Heaths, and Roses. FRUIT. d. Apricots, per doi 2 Oto 4 0 Apples, perhalfnirve.. 7 0 8 0 Oranjfea, per doz 10 1 fi Melons, each 3 0 S 0 Cherrie.s, per 111 0 6 10 f:ul)8 35 0 40 0 Urnpes,neiv, perlb 4 0 8 0 Nectarines, per dozen lb. apples, pe Cunants, W.ick, p. J-s. Do. red Do. while Lemons. per dozen .... Peaches, per dozen .... Strawberries, per pun .. s.d. s.d. 5 Oto 7 0 4 0 5 0 3 0 4 0 VEGETARLES. s. d. CsuliflowcrK each 0 21 Broccoli, per buTidle.,.. 0 0 (Jreens, per doz. bunches 2 0 Seukale. per punnet 0 0 French lienns, per 100 ..2 0 AsparajcMs, per bundle . . 0 0 Rhub.iil. " half-sieve 0 Oto 0 0 , per In. Potatoes, per ton Do. per bush 2 Do. percwt 4 Do. NfW, perlb 0 Carrots, per bunch 0 Turnips, new per bunch. 0 Bpinnch, per sieve 1 Cucumbers, p.-v dozen .. 6 Bi-et, per dozen 1 )0 4 Tomato, 0 0, l,«.ks,per i.unch 0 4 0 Celvrv, per bundle 1 0 ( Shallots, per lb 0 3 0 (Jurlic,perlb 0 0 0| Lettuce, cub., per score.. 1 ■ score ... 1 0 8 0 8 1 6 .60 0 190 0, Endi , I" , per d,. 2 6 0 2 9 Radishes, lurnp, per doz. 0 U 0 6 0; Horseradish, per bundle. 1 6 2 0 4 Mushrooms, per pottle.. 2 0 6 0? Parsley, per 12 bunches 2 0 4 0 8 Basil, 1,'reen, per bunch.. 0 0 6 2 o! Marjoram, per bunch ... 0 0 0 2 OlMint,(cr ry, per Luii , per bunch.. 0 2 0 4 CHICORY, ■■^LONDON, Satubday, July 24.— There is very liftle dt- m-md for either English or for- igii Chicory; and, in some iiislancps, prices have ado. d. d. Do. do. do. 9 11..10 0 12 6 Do. do. do. inferior.. 5 0 7 0 14 17 16 17 20i CALF SKINS. 17 21 Av.wci(fht. Unrounded. Rounded. HI 24 .... li 23 Ibi. lbs. d. d. d. d ill) 38 21 25 20to28 14 to 16 .... 16 to 22 '29 S2 22 2<5 30 35 14 17 .... Ifi 22 SS 36 24 SH 35 40 15 18 .... n 23 FOHEION. 40 45 15 18 .... Ifi 24 45 46 60 .... — OFFAL. d. Eiglish Shoulders 13 Do. Cheeks and Faces 7 Do. Bellies 8 Do. Middles 11 Foreign Shoulders 12 Do. Necks 10 Do. Bellies 7 Do. Middles du II Dressing Hide Shoulders. 10 D. do. Bellies... 7 Kip Shoulders S Do.Bellies 6 DRESSING HIDES. lbs. lbs. d. Common 20 to 24 .. 12 t Do 25 28 .. 12 Do 30 34 .. 12 .35 40 ..30 35 60 .. 14 Do. .... Bulls ..36 . 15 . 11 Shaved ..14 16 19 23 28 24 T3. . 16 Do ..17 . 15 Do ..20 . \'i\ Do ..24 ..16 ide . QUI U Scotch do. .. Coach, per 1 HORSE .. 131 258. Sba 55 60 15 60 70 14 70 80 14 80 90 14 90 100 13 16 .. .. 14 19 100 120 .13 16 .. .. 14 18 d KIPS. 17 lbs. lbs. d. d. 10 Peter.burifh .. 4 to 7 .. .. 17 t 1.19 91 Do. ..7 9 .. .. 16 18* 1-?' Do. .. 9 10 .. .. 15 17* 15 Do. ..11 13 .. .. 15 17 12 E.Ind.drysltd. 5 7 .. . 18 22 H Do. do. 7 9 .. . 16 19 12 12 .. 14 17 Do. thirds .. 12 14 8 Do. iuferior .. 8 10 d. d. d. d. English II to 12 ..14 to 15) Spanish 101 11 ..14 15 SUNDRIES. 8. 8. Hog- Skins, best each 12 to 19 Do. seconds... ,, 7 12 .Seal Skins, split, per doc. 46 66 Do. for bindings ,, 34 66 Calf Skins, Sumach- tanned ,, 30 45 Do. white „ 25 35 Horse Hides, white, each.. 8 13 Sheep Skins— d. d. Basils, unstrained, r«r lb. 7 13i Do. strained ,, 7 14 Do. facing, per doi. ... 58. I6e Tan, Sheep, &Lambs,, 10 16 White Sheep, per 120 ... 50 90 Do. Lambs, ,, .. 40 80 Do. Sheep id Lainbs, stritined, per do2 5 14 Sumach Roans, per doi. 16 30 Do. Skivers, ,, 5 12 Bark Skivers, „ 7 12 Hide Splits, per lb 9 to lid BIRMINGHAM, Saturday. July 10. Perlb. HIDES. s. d. 951bs. and upwards.. 0 0 851bs. toyilbs 0 0 , 751b8. to 84lbs 0 0 . 65lbs.to 74lb8 0 0 , 56lbs. to641bs 0 0 551bs.and under 0 0 Cowa 0 33 Flawed andirregular 0 3J Horseeach 0 0 Bulla 0 0 0 58 0 n 0 ii 0 4 I 0 4JI 0 4.il 0 0 I 0 3^1 CALF. 8. d. 171bs. and upwards.. 0 0 . 121b8. to 1611.3 0 0 , 91'is. to lllbs 0 (t , Light 0 0 , Flawed fi irregular. 0 0 WOOL8KIN.S .... 4 PELTS 1 LAMBS 2 2J .. 1 Hi HIDE AND SKIN MARKETS. LONDON, Satcklai July '24. d. •. d. „ , MARKET HIDES : HORSE HIDliS,each 9 0 to 0 C 56to641b8 perlb. 0 3ito 0 33 CALF SKINS, light . 2 0 64to721bs 0 3j - ■ I - - •■ ' " 72 to 801b8 0 80 to 881ba 0 4J 88 to9r,lbs 0 4| 06 to 1041b8 0 0 101toll2ll.s 0 0 Do. full 5 Shearling 1 6 Half-bred Sheep 0 0 I Downs 0 0 Polled Sheep 0 0 , L-dmbs 2 3 2 0 0 0 FLAX, HEMP, COIR, &c. LONDON, Satukday, July 24.— For marly all kinds of Flax the demand rules steady, and prices are well supported. In Hemp very little is doini;, at barely last week's currency. Jute and Coir goods are in active request, at extreme ra es. TALLOW. OFFICIAL MARKET LETTEK. ISSUED BY THE XEADE EVEEY FRIDAY NIQIIT.] TownTBl.,p.cwt 60 0 Fat by ditto.... 2 7^ Melted stuff.,.. 34 « 8.d. 0 0 0 0 0 0 8. d. Rough stuff.... 20 0 Graves 17 6 Good Dregs .... 7 0 I. d. 0 0 0 0 0 0 BARK, &c. •^c^^^ll^^iJ^E^n^;!^}'^ »-^0 Coppice 18 0 • Dutch, pertou 5 5 Humhro- 4 10 AntwerpTree 5 10 Do. Coppice 6 0 Mimosa, Chopped .... 8 0 T>o. flround 9 0 Do. Long 0 LONDON, Saturday, July i4. ,Barbary £ 8. 20 0 1 0 6 10 5 10 7 0 7 10 9 10 0 10 6 10 Cork Tr Do. Leghorn « U Valonia,Smyrna,p.ton 11 0 Du.Camata 13 0 Do.Morea 9 0 Terra IGambier... 13 10 Japonica /Cutch 32 0 DiviDivi 9 0 MyrabolamB 7 0 H'lmaeh.Sieily, p.cwt. 0 13 METALS. LONDON, Saturday, July 24.— Scotcli pig is a slow in- quiry, at bis. cash. Manufacture" parcels move off heavily. Swedish Iron is sell ng at £i^ lo £13 10s. Copper is very firm ; but not dearer. In Lead, a full average business. Spanish pig, £20 to £20 10s.; Ensrlish £21 to £21 Ss. Spelter is very inactive, at £21 to £24 28. fid. ; and Zinc, £dl lOs, to £32 per ton. 'lin moves off freely, at I18h. to I19s. for Banka, and 116s. to ll/s. for Straits. Tin plates are s eady at full quotations. ENGLISH IRON. Barand Bolto perton£7 InWaleso 6 In Liverpool^ 8 InStaffordshireo 9 • Sheets, single a jE 9 5 0—10 Do. double • Honpa £8 15 0-£ • Nail rod, round aX7 10 0—8 0 0 0 0 Do 8 10 0 Rails, Wales, c ...jE5 ;0 0—6 0 0 Do. Staffordshire £.£7 15— 0 0 0 Railway Chairs, Clyde .... 4 0 0 Pig, No. I, Clyde c £2 13 0—0 0 0 3-5thaNo. lSt2-5th3No. 3 3 10 0 No. 1, in Wales 4 4 0 0 Scotch Pig, No. 1, in Lond. 3 14 0 Stirling's Non-laminating or Hardened Surface Rails £9—9 2 0 Coal-blast, No. 1 Foun 6 10 0 Charcoalhars 14 10 0 Stirling's Patent toughened Pigs, in Glasgow 3 10 6 Do. in Wales £4—4 6 0 FOREIGN IRON a. Swedish £13 0 0— 13i0 0 RusBianCCND 14 10 0 Ind. Ch. Pigs in London .. 6 0 0 FOREIGN STEEL a. 8wedi8hkeg,nom£;8 0 0—0 0 0 ZINC. In sheets d ....£3110 0—32 0 0 Tbrms.- ii,2J percent, dis.; *, 3 ditto; c, nett ; d, IJ per cent, di ditto; /, 11 ditto. Delivered in Liverpool , lOs. per ton less. » Cold blast, f.o.h. in Wales. 4 Discount for cash in fourteen days, 5 per cent. SPELTER c. On the spot ....£24 0 0—24 2 6 To arrive 24 10 0 ENGLISH COPPER. Tile.H to281bs. a 107 10 0 Tough Cakea 107 10 0 Sheath and Bolts a. .per lb. 0 0 0 Sheeta 0 10 Bottoms o 0 10 Yellow Metal o 0 10 Wetterstedt's Patent Metalt percwt 3 1 0 ENGLISH LEAD a. Pig, per ton.... £21 0 0-21 5 0 Sheet £22 6 0—22 10 0 FOREIGN LEAD a. Spanish in bond, p. ton £J0 0-20 10 ENGLISH TINe. Block, per ton £111 0 0 — 112 0 0 Bar £ 0 0 0—112 0 0 FOREIGN TINC. Banea £118 0 0—119 0 o Straits (uncert.) £116 0 0—117 0 o TIN PLATES 6. IC Charcoal, per box £1 12— 0 0 0 IX do £1 18 0—0 0 0 IC Coke £1 6 0—1 6 0 IX do 1 11 0-112 a Canada Plates perton 14 10 0 QCKSILVER/ perlb Is. lid.— 2b. MANURES. PRICES CURRENT OF GUANO, &c. PEHDVIAN GUANO,(perton,for 30tons)nominal£13 5 0 to £ 0 Do. Do (under 30 tons).... 14 0 0 0 BOLIVIAN GUANO none 0 0 0 0 ARTIFICIAL MANURES, &c. 0 0 Nitrat. (P' Sodal on).../ NitratePotash } 29 Q 0 Saltpetre Sulpht.Amnionia 17 0 0 Muriate ditto... 27 0 0 SuperphospLt.l 5 jjQ of Linie J Soda Ash, or 1 o n n Alkali S Gypsum 2 0 0 Cuprolite 3 10 0 £18 0 0to£20 0 0 30 0 0 6 0 0 10 0 0 Sulph.ofCopper^ £s.d. £ s. d t°rio'l/"wh«; f « » « »» " 0 0 steeping J Salt 10 0 1 10 0 Rones, Dust,per')r. 1 5 0 160 J-inch 110 15 0 Oil Vitriol, entrated. 2 10 0 3 15 0 OIL-CAKES. Marseilles 0 0 1 wn 0 0 0| 0 0 0 0 £9 10 Oto£10 0 0 English 10 10 0 0 0 0 Rape-cakes.prton 6 00 6 10 0 Lineeed-cakes, per ton — Thin American, I ^j.j ^ g ^j^ jj „ in nrls. or nags ) Thick do. round (none) 0 00 John Keen, 3.5, Leadenhall-street, (Late Odams, Pickford, and Keen.) Agricultural Chemical WoTks, Stowmarket, Suffolk. Prentice's Cereal Manure for Corn Crops pertou£8 10 0 Prentice'sTurnip Manure ,, 7 0 0 Prentice's Superphosphate of Lime ,, 6 10 0 COAL MARKET. Monday, July 19. Wednesday, July 21. 8. d. Friday, July23. WALLSEND.Haswell 17 0 Do.Hetton 17 0 .. 17 3 Do.Lambton 16 6 .. — Do. Stewart — .. 17 0 Do.Cassop — .. 16 0 Do.Heui,-h Hall 15 0 .. — .. Do.Tees 17 0 .. — Do.Riddell 14 3 .. — TANFIKLD MOOR — .. — .. HARTLEY 14 6 .. 15 0 Ships at Market.— July 19tb,53 ; July 2lBt, 30 ; July 23r Total, 128 -, sold 112. 176 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. WOOL MARKETS. ENGLISH V/OOL MARKET. LONDON, Monday, July 26. — Owing to the large sup- plies of wool now ou offer at public sale, the demand for English qualities has fallen oflf, and in some instances low descriptions were sold at a slight reduction in prices. An increased supply is on the market, and holders evince some anxiety to get out of stock. Per pack of 240Ibs. Fleeces— Southdown Hogs £14 10to£15 0 Do. Half-bred Hogs II 0 15 0 Do. Kent LS 10 14 10 Do. Southdown Ewes and Wethers 13 10 14 0 Do. Leicester do 13 0 13 10 Sorts— Clothing, picklock 1.5 0 16 0 Do. Prime and picklock . 14 0 14 10 Do. Choice 13 10 14 0 Do. Super 12 0 13 0 Do. Combing— Wether matching ... 15 10 16 0 Do. Picklock 13 0 14 0 Do. Common 12 0 12 10 Do. Ho? matching 17 0 18 0 Do. Picklock mat hing 15 0 15 10 Do. Super do 12 10 13 0 BRADFORD WOOL MARKET, (Thursday.)— The sales of the week are not large, spinners buying to cover orders on hand. The prices ruling in the country are higher than can be realized in this market. Noils and brokes without change. Yarns : The export houses are buying more extensively than for some months past, and as old stocks are cleared ofl', orders are only accepted at a price more commensurate with the cost. Cotton yarns about the same as last week. Pieces : There has been a fair attendance of buyers to-day, but the advance demanded somewhat restricted operations. — Bradford Observer. BRISTOL WOOL SALE was numercualy attended by buyers and others. The gale was under the direction of Mr. T, Warren, broker, for whom Mr. Coombs acted as auctioneer. There were 46 parcels of wool put down on the list for com- petition, and they were placed in their respective allotments for inspection. The bidding was not so active as might have been desired. The following was the business done : 80 fleeces, wethers, at 13|d. per lb.; 60 ditto, teg?, 14|d. ; 180 prime tegs, l.'iil; 46 wethers, 13i|il.; 95 tegs, l^^d. ; 126 wethers, 13id. ; 280 ditto, 14id.; 200 (150 wethers and 50 tegs), 14d., two sheets Cots., 9Jd. ; 120 tegs, 14|d.; 250 wethers, 14d.; one sheet of lamb wool, IS-J-d.; one superior combing, 14d. ; one superior lamb, 13d. ; one combing skin, 13d. ; 200 wethers; 13|; 130 tegs, 14id.; 320 wethers, 14fd.; 85 wethers, 13d. , 130 wethers (Downs), 14d.; 80 tegs, 14fd. ; 250 wethers, 13|; two sheets lamb, 13|-d; 70 wethers, 13f; 40 tegs,14|J. , 31 (15 wethers and 16 tegs), 13|^d.; one sheet shorn lamb; 13^d. ; 250 (120 wethers and ISO tegs), 14d. For two lots of super, skin and a lot of coarse wool there waa no bidding. Two bales of AustraVau sold at 16 J. per lb., the amount of the first bid ; and four hales of Cape went at lOd. The principal pur- chasers were Messrs. Hambler and Blackburn, of Halifax, who took ISO tegs at Is. 4d.; Mr. Gideon, of Bradford, had also several large lots assigned to him. DONCASTER WOOL MARKET, (Saturday last.)— Very small supply of Wool here again to-day. It is evident the bulk of the clip has been already disposed of. Prices are un- altered, the diminished qiautity giving firmness to value. The fair being on the 5th August next, there will be no market here next Saturday. DOaCHESTER WOOL FAIR.— About 2,500 tods were pitched, being an increase on last year's supply by 500 tods. Trade was dull in the early part of the morning, h\i% as the day advanced the scales were in greater requisition, and ulti- mately all was sold, with the exception of about 150 tods, at the following prices: — Ewe wool, from 30s. to 32s. ; mixed, 328. to 33s. 6d. ; teg (Down), 338. 6d. to 35s. 6d. LEEDS (ENGLISH AND FOREIGN) WOOL MAR- KET, July 23.— The relative prices of all kinds of combing wool in this market, as compared with the prices lately paid to the farmer, are much too low, and yet there does not seem a probability of an immediate advance, in the face of an im- mense supply of every description. There is a general dis- approval of the recent speculations, and yet it not unfrequently happens that merchants and manufacturers yield against their judgment to an active competition. The market being well supplied, buyers do not show much eagerness to purchase. A good deal of colonial wool has been sold since the public sales commenced, partly in consequence of the advanced rates paid in London. In low wool there is a fair demand, and prices are unaltered. THE LEWES WOOL FAIR.—This annual wool fair was held at the White Hart Hotel, on Tuesday last. There were nearly 100 farmers, wool buyers, and others present. John EUman, Esq., presided. The following were amongst the sales effected at the dinner :— Mr. R. H.Ellman offered Mr. Cyrus Legg 797 ewe fleeces, 96 wether, 15 ram, 23 ram teg, and 430 ewe teg fleeces— total 1,361 fleeces at 44s. per tod — Is. i^A. per lb. ; the Sussex tod being 3"21bs. Mr. Breach : And a very liberal offer (a laugh). The Chairman observed that it was only fair to state that Mr. Wallace, who had usually bought the wool of his son, not being able to be present, had requested him to offer it to Mr. Cyrus Legg. Mr. C. Legg offered Is. 4d. per lb. Ultimately Mr. Ellman's wool was sold to Mr. T. Legg for his brother, at 43s. per tod. Mr. J. Saxby offered to Mr. T. Legg 700 ewes, 250 tegs, and a few other fleeces, at Is. 4d.~42s. per tod offered and accepted. Mr. Harvey sold the wool of the Eai-1 of Chichester to Mr. Legg, 660 ewe and 380 teg fleeces, at 43s. per tod. Mr. Hodson offered to Mr. Breach, for Mr. Powell, 1,383 fleeces, the nsual portion of tegs, at 43s.— taken by Mr. Legg at the price. Mr. Knight (Pul- borough) sold to Mr. Sprately 2,55 tegs and240 wethers for Is. 3d" per lb. Mr. Hodson sold Mr. Moore the Blatching- ton and Portslade wool, 1,600 fleeces, more than a quarter tegs, at Is. 3d. per lb. Mr. Hacknian sold to Mr. Adams 300 ewe and 120 teg fleeces at 42s. per tod. Mr. Kent sold to Mr. Adams the Southease and Iford wool — 1,202 fleeces, including 840 ewes, 300 tegs, 36 fatting sheep, and 34 rams— for 42s. per tod. Mr. G. Blaker sold to Mr. Legg 903 ewe fleeces, 337 teg, and some others, at 43s. per tod. Mr. Guy sold to Mr. Adams his wool (quantities not stated) at 43s. per tod. Mr. P. Gorringe announced that he and his neighbour, Mr. Langridge, had sold their wool at 423. per tod. Mr. Assender (of Fletching) sold to Mr. Hother 160 Down fleeces — about 50 of them ewes, and 20 half- bred Leicester — for Is. 3d. per lb. Mr. Adams bought Mr. M. Filder's wool at Is. 4d. per lb. Mr. John Gosden sold to Messrs. Rickmau and Co. 700 ewe fleeces and 450 tegs at 43s. per tod. LIVERPOOL WOOL MARKET, July 24. Scotch. — The result of the fairs has in some degree fixed prices, and there is now a fair steady den;Hud from the trade for all sorts, about the quotations. s. d. R. d. Laid Hiahland Wool per 24 lbs 10 Otoll 0 White Hiiiiland do 12 0 13 0 Laid Crossed do.. unwashed .... 12 0 13 0 Do. do. .washed 13 0 15 0 Laid Cheviot do.,unwas!ied 14 0 16 0 Do. do. .washed.,, 16 0 18 0 White Cheviot do., washed 24 0 28 0 Foreign. — The public sales of fine colonial wool are pro- gressing favourably, which give a firmer tone to our markets, and there is a fair business doing by private contract. FOREIGN AND COLONIAL WOOL MARKET. Per lb. s. d. s. d. German, r 1st and 2nd Elect 3 4 to 4 6 Saxon, ) Prima 3 4 8 0 and ] Seciinda 2 0 2 4 Prussian. (Tertia 18 110 Colonial : -Sydney— Lambs I 5^ 2 1 Scoured do 1 4| 2 8 Unwashed 0 9^ 16 Locks and Pieces 0 10 19 Stipe and Skin 14 19 POKT Philip— Lambs 14 3 1 Scoured do.. ' 2J 2 SJ Unwashed 0 6 1 (J Locks and Pieces 1 i 1 7i lipo and Skin 0 PJ 1 6J S. Australian— Lambs ..., 14 19 Scoured do 18 2 2 Unwashed 0 9 Oil Locks and Pieces.. 0 7 12 V. D. Land— Lambs I 6i 111 Scourt'd do 16 2 8 Unwashed 1 IJ 1 8 Printed by Rogerson and Tuxford, 846, Strand, London. THE FARMER'S MAGAZUSTE. AUGUST, 1858. CONTENTS. Plate I.— PRIZE LEICESTERS. Plate II. — QUEEN MARY, the Dam of Blink Bonny and Haricot. PAGE Description of the First Plate . , . . . .87 Sewage Manure. — By Cuthbert W. Johnson, Esq., F.R.S. , . .87 Mr. Rarey's System of Horse-taming . . . . .GO Description of the Second Plate ...... 102 Royal Agricultural Society of England : Proceedings in Council . . 103 The Sugar Millet ........ io5 The Aphis (Plant-louse) ....... io6 The Great Art of Horse-taming . . . . . .107 General Central Union Show at Stirling ..... 109 Suffolk Agricultural Association : Meeting at Bury St. Edmunds . . no Sheffield Poultry and Implement Show . . . . .114 Stripe System OF Sowing Corn ...... 115 Agriculture of North Wales ...... uG Preservation OF Food . . . . . . ,119 Reviews : The Progress of Agriculture — a Pamphlet on Steam Cultivation, by J. A. Williams . . . , . . . .122 The Gardener's Assistant, Practical and Scientific (Parts I. and II.), by R. Thompson ........ 162 The Babraham Ram-letting ....... 12.3 The English Farmer in France ...... 126 Cultivation of the Turnip Crop ...... 123 Royal Agricultural Society of England's Meeting at Chester: Trials of Im- plements, Show Week, Prizes, Dinner, &c. . . . .131 Farming as it was. — Communicated by Lord William Lennox . . .151 Malt and Hops ........ 152 Nutrition of Plants : Influence of the Phosphate of Lime of Manures upon Vegetable Production. — From the French of Boussingault . . 154 Lincolnshire Sheep and Somersetshire Graziers .... 15s The Farmer of Modern Times ...... 159 The Sorgho, or Chinese Sugar-cane ...... 160 American Wool Trade ....... I6l Calendar of Agriculture . . . . ... . 162 Culture of the Soil more Healthy than other Pursuits ^ . , 163 Furze as Food for Horses ....... 161 Why use Cut Feed ? . . . . . . . . l65 Agricultural Reports ....... ]6G Review of the Cattle Trade during the past Month . . . 167 Agricultural Intelligence, Fairs, &c. ..... 1G9 Review of the Corn Trade ....... 170 Corn Averages and Market Currencies .... 173-6 PRICE ONE SHILLING EACH. NEATLY PRINTED IN FOOLSCAP OCTAVO, EACH VOLUME CONTAINING FROM 130 TO 160 PAGES OF WSfH IMiESHS SLLOSfBfifllfE ElERMiieS. KICHARDSOS'S RURAL HASDBOOKS, MtWi clEMtinM; xtmtl ant mkx^A A Series of Designs for Rural and other Dwellings. The Ground Plans, Elevations, and Specifications by James Sanderson, Borough Engineer's Office, Liverpool. THE AI^IRICUETUISAI^ lETSTltlJCTOll : OR, YOUNG FARMER'S CLASS BOOK. By Edmund Murphy, A.B. DOMESTIC EOWl^ ; THEIR NATURAL HISTORY, BREEDING, AND GENERAL MANAGEMENT. THE Er.OlirEK t^AMI^EM. By George Glenny, F.L.S., Author of " Properties of Flowers," &c. HOMSES ; THEIR VARIETIES, BREEDING, AND MANAGEMENT. Edited by M. M. Milburn. I>OG-S; THEIR OMI^-IHT AMI> VARIETIES. PICJ^S; THEIM ORICMIV AMR "VARIETIES. COIVS; AJ^R RAIRY HUSRAl^RRY. By M. M. Milburn, Author of the "Sheep," &c. (The Dairy Department revised by T. Horsfall). SHEEP A:^R SHEPHERRIi¥€^. Embracing the History, Varieties, Rearing, Feeding, and General Management of Sheep ; with TREATISES on AUSTRALIAN SHEEP-FARMING, the SPANISH and SAXON MERINOS, &c. By M. M. Milburn, Author of "The Cow," and of various Agricultural Prize Essays. THE HIVE A:^R the H0]J¥EY-REE. PESTS OF THE EARM. A New Edition. By M. M. Milburn, Author of " The Sheep," &c. EAl¥R-RRAi:^A€^E, EMRAIWKMEUT, A]¥R IRRI- CJ-ATIOW. By James Donald, Civil Engineer, Derby. soii^s a:wr ma inures. With Instructions for their Improvement. By John Donaldson, Government Land Drainage Surveyor. SHORTLY WILL APPEAR, IH CONTINUATION OF THE. SAME SERIES, THE IMPLEMENTS OF THE FARM.- By R. Scott Burn, C.E. WHEAT : ITS HISTORY AND CULTIVA- TION.—By S. Copland. THE POTATO : ITS HISTORY, CUL- TURE, AND NATIONAL IMI'ORTaNCK.— By S. Copland. London : Piper & Co., Paternoster Row. Dublin ; J. McGrlashan, Upper Sackville Street. And all Booksellers- Begiatered for tnm«nu»»ioii abroad. Price One Fenny. TXy wor/ca ! m midiim luui Tluiu madt thtm alt ; t/u tarC/i ti lull tjf Z'tiy ricliet THE BRITISH WORKMAN. July 1st, 1858 d«k night, the Iri rer did not «* m, » I ww ren OTcr and one o* "T '^S* l'«>^«"- Anolher time 1 Icl! into a quairr. and broke my Mm. Vcrfofionhml.anknojinE^. made my bed in both wol and dry diicliM. And. if tho Tillage town had been d«p eoongh. I must bavo been drowned loog aco. Tor I oJt«n Wombled into ii. rooaUT galhciings were frequented by me_ Very ofteo betore T lett thorn 1 got mywlf inia troaUa. The chief eauie of thi» wft* figbling. niOQghIwMeenvered with tuckiDg plajsler ; a si fure I therefore made, and I viaa aili meet any one, and particularly my m " Ah, Tom," he ujd, *■ the way ol i l«BGhK at the Tillago day-scliool to take tne j the pie ai a ni^bt echolar, «nd be paid him. 1 1 plicate' made poor work of it at first, and I think I arch, no lad ht ever bad under him wa« to dcU I column inltipli- 1 crambl ( whereon ihe gorgeoos. (be c o rains were either pierrcmoreJ. an ill cor, poet, and philoiopber. rbond myMlf^inlractioos and decimals. HeanDg cf a Ueohanick' Instiint« at the lOWD i^loM by, on* ereniog I walked otsi ind »w the ceeretary. fie very kindh xAi mr 1^ about it. and then I eatercd my- d learnt from it that 1 to tboM who fi be next thing I did myself. Books 1 the inititute library. I " " s field before i bard, and the dovil'i > tell me that ktclv 6 too. Whether it < I drink. I { in wbfcfi he apokt^ < say. but I told him that J i as he liked. He then told mo ':& done, he told me that 1 must pray to God duly to belp mo to aland. He gsv« me a largo baiin of good aoup, and Ibcn I abroad what I bad dooe. Some mnrkcd, but othcn tvd tti^i it was the best thing 1 had orer doneipnd hoped I would keep to it. Sonn after tiis, a meeting wu held in our riUage, and my maat«r was the chief speaker. I wrs rery much pleased to hear thai a farmer ohonld doit in such a clever way. And th4 be£t of it waa, I underatood a goad part ol irhat he said, because he spoke in D plain way. and ntcil no fine words. Dunce as I tbcn wiu, 1 picked up from his speech a few good roaiom for joining the temperance •6ciety, and I did not lail to make n»e of^them. After this, I went to God'» noa- heritage, for which I thank God, TIE COUlfTBT LABOUBEB. J^no is this, at dawn of day. Butening from hii home away? Vis the boneet labonrer'a tread, Ctlled to seek his daily bread; CUIed by God's Almighty wU), ibadowi ditappear. leaatemaky ing, bright I iUf the shade* of tin depart. Thus may beams of light divioe Through the love of Jenu thine. arlr dew, TBS WORTET LASOCSSR. idiD AfitiBmroji paid a beautiful tribute your tribnte of acknowledgment knowledge, I wanted yhtt was n^ ni - " wish. Here my m&stei and kent doing a link r«at thing, I thought, fi Jl^thank my good master, f( uirl, jon would scarcely ili-iuijh aa helpless. Hepa- : united, haod-in-hand. ok», that only to be knowledge, which the development of abstract rules and open and ink and c at hours at that wi would forthwith dub bin It he lost hours a Bight itiio the field a icily ( 1 disti e barreM yon shall '»< an appre . aanon of quantity, knowledge of the edacity of i'ropound the same problem to a philogo- ner. I bclicre the labourer would bow a 'hole farm before the other contd make ipply il! But this ti i t scholar t I have onselvea, the knowledge of the orf o//<9r no— an or( which hasever formed ihedelig ontempluion of Oon'a rorks. And yet * ' ' rained, is held i e a boor because he I Bie not led away by r yon may approve io rereoce bim for bU wondrou£ sagaciiVf r the genius of his instinctit and nr.'n len we are met together in this hii^h clival with the magnates of the land, witli ^ugh he ci THE RtJEAL POSTMAN OP BIDEFORD. Capcm. pubUihod' jecently. Edwsrd C^tiB?" ini * He was the rural posii called of Edi C*peait" inqni iral postman c His employmi Tes, all tl I Itui ;e of which r Mtnga' an of fine sympathies and ^ loU — he can boast of a hom Tly and comfortable by 1 isiry, and cheered by the ..intfe, intelligent wife, and ttcti oftwo lovely children. It " think of the posim THE WIDOWS SOS Such h course of liffe, oniiod with petty gambling, where tharo was little or no in. drew upon the lands stJU under his control as ciecuior oi bis father"* csiatc, which lind' already been greatly reduced, as stated, by the failure of a joint-stock company, in which large invcsimente had been mode. In cxuiiiniDg into this account one day, when hi* mind wa^ess under the induence' ofarttJicial excitonient than usual, he was alarmed to discover tliac there remained only about four thousand pounds. of '^^ " ' 'indsorao | ... Startled isles* his profesi struggled I reform. This sadly atti and spiri •flring his B Of we1com< taa superannuated on a pension of forty 'e subjoin two of his poems, and hope readers will imbibe the spirit of their teaching. LIVE IN LOVB ; 'TIS PLEASANT LIVING.'- . . And aasail thee indiscroeUy, L«8t Ibon needlsMly offend hiiu ; Shew him fore hath been tby teacher. KindneM is a potent preacher ; GenUencM is e'er forgivine.— with the merry bird, up and away. I honor with effort the mam of your day ; ero the ahaduWB come over your eve, 1 the web of your fortune, bdg, thriftil Upl tbeieUe B work for the world lo be done ; ALWAYS READY. \ Laly once asked Mr. Wealey >osing that vou hitic spend the ii How, Made preach this evi .gain at S to-o V night, how would ig lime." replied, " whv just de to Tewkesbury, preach in ine. I .ahould then repair lo imily as usual, retire dock, oommeod myse my Ileavenly ,iher, lie down ;lory." The pi Icath, is a l.fc of faith iD'Chrisi, and icarty and faithful discharge of erery duly. I rest, and ; preparation , they have living grace, and thev -C dying grace whenever ihey shall " As thy day so shall thy strength *"- have streogtb in life to live lo n death todieto Him. "Blessed h shall ;Ind long be < made a strong cfTori "lie profession, the annu itruggled^ for some weeks einkin; passage of two or >'B. one nan noticed thai he did 10 relircd to his room, nnd thus iiiT, .■.jip lii,f,ci] iiitle from the nil tin- (iiirj evening, she could loi.rc thiii ihore was a great dilTer- ii» ui.pe.ir«iiec and manner towariis ' was unusually kind, and secmod to do somethiog lo chase from her cloud of sorrow that ever roBtcd 1 1 read something to yon, mother? " day forth, I am resolved U I from vheri nd sole mi 3 falling fast upon 0 keep that rcsoln- ngth said in a low 1, lifting her bands and eyes >1 breathless silence fol- " she at length said ii a chair, fee lowed, during which both hearts wt to Heaven in deep aspirations forai< mere human strength, to sustain ih mother sunk exhausted on OS weak and helpless almos gre-actio; ,, irfnl for her ed by age Alfred," she "you c have suffered in the last few y "Don i, how I have lived through all ode to that, mother," he re- « "ihmk ' plied, while an expression of pain passed er his (ace, " I dare net think of these nga— *when.I do it seems aa if I should driven to desperation. Wretch ( mijifr- wretch, that I have been ■ ired in t Head to me, Alfred." she at Icngih you Yoo know how much 1 loi The young man opened a volu; !ad for more than an hour, and iht pleasant conversation on the subjecl book, boih retired for the night" iit*h ippier hearts than had beaten in their isoma for many and man) a day. Days and weeks now passed away to Mrs. Bnnox like avreet passages in a dream. >raut, her eye brightened, nnd her face happier, though there ?tHl seemed like evil a. LcitanttiaiencbtuiaiTtsiUDiloii. DifpHMor l«tlan mirfcid •• Uen," ^t bop« lo NEATLY PRINTE I.A1«»- With Instruct SHORTLY THE IMPL By R. SCO WHEAT: I TION.— E London: Pi; CUFF^S FARMER^S FRIEND. One dose of this invaluable medicine will cure tlie SCOUR or LOOSENESS in Lambs, Calves, Sheep, Colts, Heifers, Steers, and all Cattle, without leaving costiveness ; and given occasionally to Beasts whilst fattening will promote a healthy and thriving condition. It will also perfectly cure the FRET, COLIC or GRIPES in Horses. Price Is. 8d. or 3s. per Bottle. CUFF^S FOOT-ROT POWDER Is a cheap and effectual remedy for the FOOT-ROT or HALT, a single Packet of which will cure One Hundred Sheep, and large Flocks may be soon freed from the Disease by its use. It has been extensively used and highly approved of for nearly thirty years by large Sheep Breeders throughout the Kingdom. Price Is. per Packet. CUFF^S FLY, SCAB & MANGE OIL Will very quickly destroy MAGGOTS in Sheep, and LICE or VERMIN in all animals. It will also cure the MANGE, and SKIN DISEASES in Horses or Cattle, and effectually cleanse a Flock of Sheep from the SCAB or SHAB. Price Is. 8d. and Ss. per Bottle. THE BRITISH SHEEP WASH Is used for Dipping or Dressing Sheep and Lambs, without boiling, to prevent the Fly striking, and the Scab or Shab from spreading, and effectually to destroy TICKS, LICE, and VERMIN in Sheep. Price 28. 9d., 5s., and 10s. per Jar; or 23. 6d. per packet. SHERWOOD^S ORIGINAL DRIFFIELD OILS Are strongly and confidently recommended for preventing GANGRENE or MORTIFICATION after Lambing or Calving, and for Healing CUTS, STABS, WOUNDS, BRUISES, STRAINS, SWELLINGS, &c., &c.. As these Oils are in constant use by some of the most celebrated Breeders in the world, and have maintained a re- putation about fifty years, it would be superfluous to enlarge upon their value and importance. Pints, 2s. 6d., Quarts, 5s. Prepared by J. H. Cuff, No. 10, Smithfield Market, London, and sold by Dmggists and Medi- cine Vendors. None is Genuine unless signed by J. H. CUFF in writing. CURTIS ON MANHOOD— SHILLING EDITION. A MEDICAL ESSAY ON NERVOUS AND GENERATIVE DISEASES. Just published, the 77th Thousand, with numerous plates, in a sealed envelope, price Is., or sent, post-paid by the Author, for Fourteen stamps, MANHOOD : The CAUSE and CURE of PREMATURE DECLINE, with Plain Directions for Perfect Restoration to Health and Vigour; being a Medical Review of the variou« Forms and modern treatment of Nervous Debility, Impotency, Loss of Mental and Physical Capacity, whether resulting from Youthful Abuse, the Follies of Maturity, the Effects of Climate or Infection ; with Observations on a new and successful mode of detecting Spermatorrhoea, and other urethral discharges, by Microscopic Examination ; to which are added, Curious and Interesting Cases, with the Author's Recipe of a Preventive Lotion. By J. L. CURTIS, Surgeon, 15, Albemarle-street, Piccadilly, London At home for consultation daily, from 10 till 3, and 6 to 8. Sundays, from 10 to 1, REVIEWS OP THE WORK. " Curtis on Manhood. — Shilling Edition. — 77th Thousand.— This is a truly valuable work, and should be in th« hands of young and old. The professional reputation of the author, combined with his twenty years' e-xperience as medical referee in the treatment of nervous debility, &c., fully accounts for the immense circulation which this popular and ably-written medical treatise has obtained." — Sunday Times, 23rd March, 1856. " Curtis on Manhood. — The author has conferred a great boon by publishing this little work, in which is described the source of those diseases which produce decline in youth or more frequently premature old age."— JDoiZy Telegraph, March 27, 1856. Curtis on Manhood. — The book under review is one calculated to warn and instruct the erring without imparting one idea that can vitiate the mind not already tutored by the vices of which its treats." — Naval and Military Gazette, Ist Feb., 1851. " We feel no hesitation in saying that there is no member of Society by whom the book will not be found useful — whether such person hold the relation of a parent, preceptor, or a clergyman. — Sun, Evening Paper, Published by the Author; sold also in sealed envelopes, by Gilbert, 49, Paternoster-row ; Hannat, 63, Oxford-street; Mann, 39, Cornhill, London; Robinson, 11, Greenside-street, Edinburgh; Heywood, Oldham-street, Manchester ; Howell, 6, Church-street, Liverpool; France, 8, Side, Newcastle-on-Tyne ; Ashley, Post-Office, Newbury; Ferris & Score, Union-street, Bristol; Pierson, Shrewsbury; Jule, Braintree; Thew, Lynn ; Peat, Chichester; Lurcock, Maidstone; Cook, Ipswich ; Huscropt, Bury St. Edmunds; Do VE , Swindon ; Jbarey, Bridewell Alley, Norwich; SMITH, Cambridge ; Slatxbb, Oldham, and by all Booksellers and Chemists in the United Kingdom, Visitors to the SEA -COAST, and to those who enjoy the Promenade, the Ride, and Drive. In all cases, Fervid Heat, and its concomicant Dust, materially injure the skin, producing Sunburn, Tan, Freckles, and Discolorations, of an almost indelible character. To obviate and eradicate these baneful results, recourse may with confidence be had to ROWLAND S' KALYDOR AX OSIEXO'TAXi BOTB.igrXCAXi PRBPASATZOSr. Whether resorted to in its specific character as a thorough purifier of existing defects of an eruptive nature, and discolorations of the Skin, or as a Preserver and Promoter of a clear and healthy complexion, this iLi(g^[Mir T@[1L[ET IR ^ @ iU) 0 § [1 T 1 Has, in every instance, maintained its claim to the title of ''THE UZirFAII.ING AU3LIZ.IARV TO PERSONA!. COM- FORT ANB ATTRACTION." During SUMMER and AUTUMN the invigorating and refreshing properties of ROWLANDS' KALYDOR will be found singularly agreeable to LADIES TRAVELLING. The effects produced by temporary exposure to solar heat, upon the FACE, ARMS, and HANDS being neutralized, and the cloud induced by relaxation and languor dispelled by its power of sustaining a perfect elasticity of the skin ; without which certain deterioration takes place ; thus in the usual periodical visits made to the coast, Rowlands' Ealtdor is Indispensable as a preservative of the Skin after ^EA BATHIIVO, from the irritation caused by the chemical action of saline vapour. As a perfect illustration of the unquestionable safety attending the application of Rowlands' Kalydor, and of the wide range of its utility, its introduction to the nursery, with the advantage which ensues in that interesting department of maternal solicitude, is most convincing : here it soothes every species of incidental inflammation. From the sultry climes of India to the frozen realms of the North, this exotic preparation is perfectly iib. noxious acting in all cases by promoting a healthy tone of the minute vessels, and is the most elegant as well as effective Toilet appendage hitherto submitted to universal patronage. — Price 4s. 6d. and 8s. 6d. per bottle. The heat of summer also frequently communicates a dryness to the hair, and a tendency to fall off, which may be completely obviated by the use of ROWLAND S' MACASSAR OIL, A delightfully fragrant and transparent preparation, and as an invlgorator and purifier of the Hair beyond all precedent. — Price 3s. 6d. and 7s. ; or Family Bottles (equal to four small) at 10s. 6d., and double that size, 21s. Nor at this season can we be too careful to preserve the Teeth from the deleterious effects of vegetable acids (the immediate cause of Toothache) by a systematic employment, night and morning of ROWLANDS' ODONTO, \ @K [Pl/S^l^L ©IB^TQlFKDe A White Powder, compounded of the rarest and most fragrant exotics. It bestows on the Teeth a PearMike Whiteness, frees them from Tartar, and imparts to the Gums a healthy firmness, and to the Breath a grateful sweetness and purity. — Price 28. 9d. per box. The patronage of Royalty throughout Europe, their general use by the Aristocracy, and the well-known infallible efficacy of these articles, have given them a celebrity unparalleled. Beware of Spurious Imitations ! ! ! The only gennine of each bears the name of " ROWLANDS' " preceding that of the article on the Wrapper or Label. Sold by A. ROWI.AND and SONS, 20, Hatton Oarden, ZiOndon, and by Chemists and Perfumers. t:is\ No. 4, Vol. XIV. I OCTOBER, 1858. [Third Series. TEE FARMER'S MAGAZINE, AND MONTHLY JOURNAL THE AaEICULTUEAL INTEREST. TO Ta^ FARMERS OF THE UN.^TED KINGDOM. LONDON : PUBLISHED BY ROGERSON AND TUXFORD, 246, STRAND. PRICE TWO SHILLINGS. tn'iri^rf/jP^r EBMS ARC TtXfO&9,] iMBJiMti [?£IHTSBS, 246, BT&ARd. «ia!ieaen>^MBiSE^ IfHOBLEY'S FOOD FOR OATTLE, AS USED IN HER MAJESTY'S STABLES, And also on His Royal Highness thel Prince Consort's Farm, Windsor. IMPO»TA]!¥T TO EVEMY lIA:Sf WHO KEEPS A THE FIRST AND ONLY PRIZE EVER AWARDED FOR FOOD FOR CATTLE IN A CONDENSED STATE WAS GIVEN BY TH£ CI1£SIIXR£ AORICUIiTURAIi SOCIflXir TN 1S57, TO JOSEPH THORLEY, ESQ., THE INVENTOR AND SOLE PROPRIETOR OF THORLEY'S FOOD FOR CATTLE ! THIS FOOD is now receiving patronage from all parts of the kingdom, including His Grace the Duke of Richmond, His Grace the Duke of Atbole, the Earl of Wilton, the Earl of Eldon, the Earl of Essex, the Earl of Bessborough, the Earl of Aylesford, the Earl of Lisburne, the Earl Rosslyn, Viscount Strathallan, Viscount Di.lon, the Right Hon. Lord Willoughby de Brooke, the Right Hon. Lord Londesborough, Lord Lurgan, Lord Macdonald, Lord Saltoun, Lord Greenock, Lord Hatherton, Lord A. Russell, Sir John Cathcart, Bart., Sir John Ribton, Bart, Sir Wm. Payne Galway, Bart., Sir David Cunynghame, Bart., Sir Montague Cholmely, Bart., Sir John Seymour, Bart., Sir Charles Payne, Bart., Sir Thos. Erskine, the Hon. D. Astley, the Ven. Archdeacon Freer, H. Drummond, Esq., M.P., E. Holland, Esq., M.P., Gerrart Sturt, Esq., M.P., General Wyndham, Col. Ames, Col. Cartwright, Colonel C. Hunter, Lieut.-Col. Candley, Lieut. Williams, Lieut, and Adjutant Holland, and many others too numerous to mention. CoiiTerts tlie eoinmoiiest of ^traifr into a superior ;Proveii€ler. It is requisite you should notice the Inventor's Signature on each package or feed, as inferior sorts are often substituted. BINGLEY HALL CATTLE SHOW, BIRMINGHAM, 30th November, 1857. Class X.— FIRST PRIZE. EED OM THORl^EY'^ EOO]> EOK CAXT1.E. DEVON STEERS. See Catalogue, No. 88. — The property of the Right Hon. the Earl of Aylesford. SECOND PRIZE. EE]> 0]¥ THORIiElT'^ EOOD FOR CATTI^E. The property of I'is Royal Highness the Phince Consort. The above are a feiv of the many Prizes oo. 'ned through the use of this invaluable Compound, which it adapted for all kinds of StocAy .and notv in use throughout the world. Sold in Cases, containing 448 Packages— each Pack.je one feed — at the cost of 66s. per Case; also in Casks, containing 448 feeds, with measure included, price 50s. per Cask. Carriage paid to any Railway Station in the United Kingdom. iventor and sole pro Central Depot. -77, NEWGATE STREEiy. LONDON. "None are genuine without the Signature being affixed to each Package or Feed, inventor and sole proprietor. m ^E. W. KENT & CO.'S LIST OF NEW BOOKS. In demy 4to., handsomely bound, plain, 21s., coloured, 128., THE LOVES OF THE POETS; or, Portraits J- of Tfleal Beauty. Being Twelve original Steel Engravings, drawn by tho most eminent Artists, and engraved by Mote. With illustrative Text by Tennyson, Wordsworth, Moore &c. " Such pretty faces are rarely found even in art now-a-days, for the photographist has far too generally taken the place of the miniature painter — and the 'fair poitioii ' of creation has. little cause to rejoice at the change."— -Irf Journal. In small 4tO., cloth, elegant, l6s., morocco, 24s., 'HE MILLER'S DAUGHTER. By Alfred Tenny- son. By permission. Illustrated with Seventeen Steel Engravings, drawn by A. L. Eoni>, and engraved by Mote. With a Portrait of the Author. " This collection of illustrative etchings i« the production of an accomplished lady. They are graceful and agreeable, and as fanciful as the famous poem with which they are happily T' associated. Some of them manifest considerable power; and in all there is evidence of thought and careful study, as well as matured observation." — Art Journal. Now Ready, a greatly Enlarged Edition, I2s. 6d. cloth, MEN OF THE TIME ; or, Biographical Sketches of the most Eminent Persons in Literature, Science, Art, Religion, War, Politics, Commerce, &c., with Biographies of Celebrated Women. " This is an extremely useful Dictionary of fact and gossip about the well-known men and women of the day." — Economist. " As a careful compilation this work deserves high praise."— OJirrco-. In small 4to., 6s. plain, 10s. 6d. coloured, THE FABLES OF .^SOP AND OTHERS. J- Translated into Human Nature. With Twenty-five Humorous Illus- trations. By Chaeles H. Bennett, Author of " Shadows." " Among Christmas Books few will find mote general favour among the laughter-loving than this elegant collection of satires." — Statesman, In oblong folio, handsome cover by CBOWttoiLL, las., MERRY PICTURES BY COMIC HANDS, being a Collection of Humorous Designs by Phiz, Crowquill, Doyle, Leech, Meadows, Hine, « mh July, 1858. PETER MORRISON, Managing Directtr. Prospectuses and Form* sent free on application. tUO'RtJSY^B POOD FOR CATTLE, And also ] THI E" XKC T] THIS ] His C Eldon, the Bosslyn, Vi Lord Londes A . Russell, David Cunj Bart., Sir 1 E. Holland, C. Hunter, ] to mention. Coiivc It is requ often substi BING] fje: JPE The above i Sold in C Casks, con Station in t None are gi Works published by W. KENT iV Co. mntinued. 8vo.. 10». 6d. cloth gilt. Ids. mororco, LONGFELLOW'S "KAVANAGH." With Thirty-nine ucautiful Illustratious by Bir.Kr.T Foster. *** This forms a companion volume to the other Illustrated Works of this admired Author, jjublislied by W. Kent coloured, 10s. 6d., THE BOY HUNTEES; or, Adventures in Search of a Wiiite Buflfalo. With numerous Plates by Harvey. Second Edition, cloth, 7s., with coloured plates, 10s. CJ., .' THE Y^OUNG VOYAGEUES ; or, Adventures in the Fur Countries of the Far North. Plates by Harvey. Third Edition, 7s. cloth, with coloured plates, 10s. 61., THE FOEEST EXILES ; or. Perils of a Peruvian Family amid the Wilds of the Amazon. With Twelve Plates. LosDOK : W. Kent & Co., T)! & .52, Paternoster Row, and {laic D. Boyuc) SO, Fleet Street. INVENTOR AND SOLE PROPRIETOR. Central Depot. -77, NEWGATE STREEl",. LONDON, \ \ m XT -r-i ^E, Works fuhlished hy W. KENT ^ Co. continued. 3 New and Revised Edition. 48th thousand, wrappers. Is., cloth, ls.6d., CASSELL'S EUCLID. Edited by Professor Wallace, A.M., of the Glasgow University, and Collegiate Tutor of tiie University of Londmi. The Elements of Geometiy ; or, the First Six Books, with the Eleventh and Twelfth, of Euclid. The press and also learned professors strongly recommend this edition of Euclid as the cheapest and best. James Booth, Esq., LL.D., FrR.S., in his Lecture at the Lewes Mechanics' Institution said, " You may buy a Cassell's Euclid for a shilling, an Arithmetic for the same ; these are your best teachers." The London Journal of January 23 also states, that " a people's edition of Euclid was a want which has been well supplied by Professor Wallace. To those studying without the aid of a master the work of Mr. Wallace is peculiarly adapted." Price 4d., in a convenient size for the pocket, THE SELF AND CLASS EXAMINER IN EUCLID; containing the Enunciations of all the Propositions and Corollaries in Cassell's edition. New Edition, wrappers, Js., cloth. Is. 6d., CASSELL'S ARITHMETIC. The Elements of Arithmetic, on the Basis of the higher Aiithmetic contained in Day and Thompson's series of School Books. By Professor Wallace, Editor of" Cassell's Euchd," to which this work forms a companion. 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Bmjne) 86, Tleet Sibeexa pagb 270 DTr'TT r 272 iiU Ulj* 279 280 281 282 213 284 284 285 286 287 r LoN- 289 299 300 301 304 \G.S. * 306 JEEN . 309 318 319 323 324 325 327 328 333 334 IICUL- 335 338 340 341 342 Agri- 344 POINT 345 STATE 345 345 V 346 349 330 351 354 357-60 i5AiMV \je jjJifUSiT.— INo. 6, FALL MALL EAST, LONDON, S.W. THE WARRANTS for the HALF-YEARLY Interest on Deposit Accounts, to the 30th June, are ready for delivery, and payable daily between the hours of 10 and 4. The present rale of Interest is 5 per cent, per annum. 10th July, 1858. PETER MORRISON, Managing Directtr. Prospectuses and Formu sent free on application. i]«g;0j(«wj.<£ JFdOB FOR CATTLil, And als< 1 THI E Tl THIS ] His ( Eldon, the Eosslyn, Vi Lord Londei A. Russell, David Cunj Bart., Sir 1 E. Holland, C. Hunter, ] to mention. COllTC It i8 requ often substi BING] fje: JPE. The above c Sold in C Casks, com Station in tl None are ge Works published hy W. KENT §• Co. contimied. Vol. II., in limp cloth, 2s. 6d.; cloth hoards, 3s. ; extra cloth gilt, 3s. 6d., THE BOOK AND ITS MISSIONS. Dedicated to tlie British and Foreign Bible Society. Edited by L. N. E., Author of "The Book and its Story." Vol. I. in cloth boards, 2s. 6d. ; extra gilt, 33. 6d. Cases for binding single vols., Is. each, for double vols., Is. 3d. Vols. I. and II. bound toitether, in cloth boards, 5g., extra gilt, 6s., THE BOOK AND ITS MISSIONS. Dedicated to the British and Foreign Bible Society. Edited by L. N. R., Author of " The Book and its Story." Also iDublished in monthly.parts, 2d, • ich. «l4th Thousand. New Kdition, price 23. in paper boards or limp cloth ; 2«. 6d. cloth bogi"''- with gilt edpes, 33. ; haudsoniely bound in morocco, 8s., THE BOOK AND ITS STORY. A Narrative for llie Young. By L. N. R., on occasion of ihe Jubilee of liritisli and Foreign Bible Society. AYith an Inti'oductor} I'refaee by the ' T. Phillips, Jubilee Secretary. Price 3!. 6d., cloth gilt, LIONEL FiTZCIBBON AND HIS PARROT. By Jane Kennedy. A Tale for Boys and Girls, with attractive Woodcuts. Cloth gilt, 3s. 6d., THE BALANCE OP BEAUTY. By Jane Kennedy. " This tale shows abundant proofs of cleverness and shrend appreciation of character." — Weekly Messenger. "It tells, whether some may like it or like it not, what is going on in hundreds of familie'? daily, blighting hope, destroying happiness." — Devonport Independent , Now Ready, in 13 Books, each complete, in handsome wrapper, gilt edges, price 6d. ; the set complete, 6s. 6d., MARY HOWITT'S ILLUSTRATED LIBRARY FOR TME "^OUHTG i Forming the most elegant, entertaining, and instructive series for the amuse- ment of the young ever published at oO cheap a price. Admirably suited for presents. Now Ready, in Two Vols, crown 4to., price lis., or in One thick Volume at 10s. 6d., THE RE-ISSUE OF THE BIBLICAL EDUCATOR. Tlie articles which enrich these volumes have been written by gentlemen of iicknowledged attainments in literary, critical, and theological knowledge ; the public are familiar with their names and their works, and were we at liberty to mention them we feel that the already large circulation of the Biblical Educator would be greatly extended. Although this publication has been issued from the press in a serial form, yet it is not of an ephemeral and pass- ing interest, but forms a work of standard authority and permanent interest ; in fact, it is an Encyclopaedia of Biblical Knowledge. It can also be had in Forty-eight Numbers at 2d. each. Twenty-four Parts at 4d., and Eleven Parts at 9d. and lid. each. Cases for Binding, Is. 3d. and Is. 9d. Third Edition, Crown 8vo., 12s. cloth ; 18s. morocco ; large paper, 42s. cloth ; 60i. morocco, BUNYAN'S PILGRIM'S PROGRESS. Profusely Illustrated by Wii. Harvey. With Memoir by the Rev. George Cheevee, D.D. London : W. Kenx & Co., 01 & 52, Paternoster Row, aud {inte I>, Bogue) 86, Fleet Street, INVENTOfi AND SOLE PROPRIETOR. Central Depot. -77, NEWGATE STREEf,^ LONDON, \ \ THE EAEMER'S MAGAZII^E. OCTOBER, 1858. CONTENTS. Plate L— A PRIZE DEVON OX. Plate II.— THE FILLER. PAGE . 270 . 272 The Lochend Sewage Irrigation. — By Cuthbert W. Johnson, Esa., F.R.S. Influence of Light on Animal and Vegetable Life Bath and West of England Society for the Encouragement op Arts, Agricul ture, and Commerce ....... 279 Farm Labourers ........ 280 Anc^^nt Notions of Vegetation ...... 281 Wayland (Norfolk) Agricultural Association, .... 282 ■"*"" s ED Welsh National Agricultural Society . . . .213 'I Agricultural Statistics ...... 284 RVEST Home ........ 284 ^^ Manure ........ 285 Proposed Introduction of the Alpaca to Australia . . . 286 ,ois-Weedon Husbandry ....... 287 Ti E Royal Agricultural Improvement Society of Ireland.— Meeting at Lon- donderry ........ 289 Cumberland and Westmoreland Agricultural Show .... 299 Ke.vt Cattle, Poultry, and Implement Show ..... 300 TiiE Steam Plough ........ 301 Manufacture and Consumption of Fermented Drinks . . , 304 Geology practically applied to Agriculture : a Lecture by S. J. Mackie, F.G.S. . 306 The Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland.— Meeting at Aberdeen . 309 Manchester and Liverpool Agricultural Society .... 318 Sale of Mr. Overman's Southdowns ...... 319 Grain Securing ........ 323 National Importance of Encouraging the Breed op Riding Horses . . 324 Northend Beet-root Distillery at Fulham ..... 325 The Apple — its Culture and Uses ...... 32/ Breeding and Management of Shorthorn Stock. — By a Practical Man . 328 Various Uses and Supplies of Beans and Peas .... 333 Cultivation of the Turnip Crop ...... 334 Observations on the Recently-introduced Manufactured Foods for Agricul- tural Stock. — By J. B, Lawes, F.R.S. ..... 335 Autumn Meetings of the Local Agricultural Societies . . .338 Oxfordshire AND Banbury Agricultural Societies: Meeting at Banbury , 340 Lincolnshire Rams in Devonshire ...... 341 A New Reaping Machine ....... 342 Awards to Exhibiters of Implements at the Manchester and Liverpool Agri- cultural Society ....... 344 Review: Sowerby's illustrated British Wild Flowers described by C. Pierpoint Johnson ........ 345 High Farming in North Northamptonshire, on the Marquis op Exeter's Estate 345 Sir Isaac Newton's Taste for Farming ..... 345 The Leading Features of the Implement Department of the Chester Show . 346 Agricultural Reports ....... 349 Review of the Cattle Trade during the past Month . . . 350 Agricultural Intelligence, Fairs, &c. . . . .■ .351 Review of the Corn Trade ....... 354 Corn Averages and Market Currencies .... 357-60 NOTICE OF dividen;d. BANK OF DEPOSIT.— No. 3, PALL MALL EAST, LONDON, S.W. THE WARRANTS for the HALF-YEARLY Interest on Deposit Accounts, to the 30th June, are ready for delivery, and payable daily between the hours of 10 and 4. The present rale of Interest is 5 per cent, per annum. \OthJuly, 185«. PETER MORRISON, Managing JDirecttr, Prospectuses and ForuQu sent free on application. I ^, ^ ROYAL FARMERS' AC^lSICITIiTlJM AE. A I¥ I> COMMEM iNSURA»rcz: offics. I AH 3, NORFOLK STREET, STRAND, W.C. The Michaelmas Renewal Receipis are now iu the hands of the several agents. Persons insured by this Company have tlie security of an extensive and wealthy proprietary, and an amplg capital, always applicable to the payment of claims without any delay. JOHN REDDISH, September 21, 1858. Secretary and Actuary. RICHMOND & CHANDLER^S PRIZE CHAFF-CUTTING MACHINES. UNDER LETTERS PATENT, HAYWOOD'S /jlWO and THREE HORSE POWER PORTABLE STEAM ENGINES AND THRASHING MACHINES Are eipressly adapted to suit the require ' ents of suiall occupations. They are the only Ma- ohlnes mule of these siz'-s that will Ihrash, wimow, and bag the corn. SM-^ NO. 57 NEW PATENT CHAFF CUTTING MACHINE, price £S 15s., delivered at Manchester or Liverpool. PRKSEXT PRICES. £ s. d. No. .57 Chaff Machine . 3 15 0 No. lA Machine 4 10 0 No. 3b Machine 7 0 0 Pulley for power CJ^ra 0 0 0 Change Wheels, to vary the length, per pair 0 6 0 Knives, extra for each 0 4 6 No. 4b Machine 10 0 0 Pulley for power, ca-s, ii)gr>ther with greater mathe- matical accuracy in every part, obtainable by no otlRT means. Addrbss, RICHMOND & C.IANDLER, SALFORD ; Bkanch ESiABllSHMKKT, SOUTH JOHM S TREET, LIVER .'OOL. lUustratfd Catalogues sent free on application to — JAMES HAYWOOD, JUN., PHCENIX FOUNDRY and ENGINEERING WORKS, DERBY. ESTABLISHED 1812. TURNIP MANURE. — This valuable fcrtiliztr has been used for the last twelve years with great success by most nf tlie eminent Agri- culturists throughout England, and stands unrivalled in the ictlghf and qnality of the bulbs whieli it pro- duces ; it is besides esiiecially beneficial to the Grain Crops which follow, while Clover is rarely (bund to fail alter the first ajiplication. Some of tlie crops produced by this Mar.ure last year weiglied uj)wards of Thirty Tons per acre. GRASS, 13ABLRY, CLO- VER, and WHEAT MANURES ; ii'so BONE, GUANO, and SUPERPHOSPHATE of LIME, warranted of the best qualitv. Apply to — H. & T. PROCTOR, Cathay, Bristol. {Birmingham, Edrnonscote, Warwick. And Saltuey, near Chester. N.B.— A Pampliletou "MANUlfRS, their PRO- PERTIES and APPLICATION," forwarded on receipt of 12 postage stamps. DEVON AND CORNWALL MANURE WORKS, AND PATENT STEAM BONE MILLS, C A T T E DOWN, PLYMOUTH. pHARLESNORRINGTON & CO.'S celebrated \J SUPERPHOSPHATE OF LIME st .nds unrivalled in the Manure Market for all RootCrops. During tlie pat season up- wards of Forty Tons of Mangold Wurtzel, Swedes, and Common Turnips per Acre have been thrown with this Superphosphate, without other Manure. C. N. ic Co. bind iliemsi'Ives to the valuation of the various innroditnts as given by Professor Way, in the Journal of the Kojial Agricultural Society, vol. xvi., pp. 532 — 42. I Price £7 10s. per Ton, in Bags, delivered to any Port in the ' United Kingdom. COLEMAIN'S PATENT PEIZE CULTIYATOR & SCAHIFIE TS THE BEST IMPLEMENT for PARING JL STUHBLES, &c., and for all work where a Cultiyalor, Grabber, or Scarifier is required. TWO FIRST PRIZES were awarded to this Implement at the Bath and West of England Show, held at Cardiff, making upwards of THIRTY FIRST PRIZES as a CULTIVATOR & SCARIFIER. These Implements delioered free by rail to Stations on the Eastern Counties, South Eastern, London a'.d South Western, and London, Brighton and South Coast Railways; also to Liver- pool, Matichtster, York, Hull, Exeter, Cardiff, and all inter- mediate Stations. As the Season for Pabing is fast approaching, orders should be given as early as possible, to prevent disappointment. Manufactubed by COLEMAN & SONS, Chelmsford, Of whom Prices and Testimonials may be obtained post free. Also, COLEMAN'S PATENT PRIZE EXPANDING HARROWS, AND COLEMAN'S IMPROVED HANSON'S PATENT PRIZE POTATO DIGGER, Of which Implement COLEMAN & SONS are Sole Manufactur- ing Agents for England and Wales. NEW PATENT RANKIN'S CORN SCREEN AND MANUFACTURED SOLELY BY SMUT MACHINE R. & J. RANKIN, UNION FOUNDRY, LIVERPOOL. rnHR very great iraproveuieats made in this new PATENT SMUT MACHINE comprise an arrange- 1 nient by which (in addition to freeing and purifying the Wheat from all Smut, however badly it may be affected) all Sand, Seeds, and heavy matter ar(; extracted in one ()ns of the year, and to all descriptions of sheep, even ewes in l:imb. Price 5s. per gallon — sufficient on an average for thirty Sheep (according to the virulence of the disease); also in wine quart bottles. Is. 3d. each. IMPORTANT TESTIMONIAL. "ScouUou, near Hingham, Norfolk, April Ifith, 1855. 'Dear Sir, — In answer to yours of the 4th inst, which would have been replied to before tliis had I been at home, I h;ive much pleasure in bearing testimony to the efficacy of your in- valuable 'Specific for the cure of Scab in Sheep.' The 60O Sheep were all dressed in August last with 84 gallons of the ' Non- Poisonous Specific,' that was so highly recommended at the Lincoln Show, and by their own dresser, the best attention being paid to the flock by my shepherd after dressing according to instructions left ; but notwithstanding the Scab continued getting worse. In December I informed the ' Agent for the above Specific,' that the flock was not cured, and that it required their immediate attention. The Agent informed me they hould be at once seen to, but did not do so until_/irc weeks afterwards, and in the mean time the Scab spread over the whole flock, that I never saw such a disgraceful sight in my life; and when the Dresser was sent over to inspect the Flock, he decided on not dressing them again, as one-third of the Sheep had lost half their wool. I then agreed with an expirienced dresser in Norfolk to dress the flock, and when he saw the sheep he declined doing them, as they were so very bad, and the time of lambing so near. Being determined to have the Scab cured if possible, I wrote to you for a supply of your Specific, which I received the following day ; and although the weather was most severe in February during the dressing, your Specific proved itself an in- valuable remedy, for in three weeks the Sheep were quite cured; and I am happy to say the young lambs are doing remarkably well at present. In conclusion, I believe it to be the safest and best reme ly now in use. " I remain, dear Sir, your obedient servant, " For JOHN XINGEY, Esq., " To Mr. Thomas Bigg." " R. RENNV. In addiiion to the foregoing, he has very materially improved, as well as considerably reduced the price of his Dipping Ap- paratus; and he would venture to suggest that no Flockmasters ought now to be without one Price in London. New and Improved Dipping Apparatus, on Wheels £14 0 0 Ditto ditto with Iron-bar Drainer 5 0 0 Ditto ditto 4 0 0 Ditto, plain, with Wooden Drainer 3 0 0 N.B. — Catalogues, containing List of Patrons, Testimonials, &c., to be had of all agents, or sent Jirect per post free. Eighteenth Edition. "l^^rARREN'S ANNUAL FARMERS' ACCOUNT-BOOK. Price — Folio, for large farms, ▼ » 9s. ; Quarto, for small farms, and for Schools where Youths are trained for Agricultural Pursuits, 5s. Gd. Also, folio, with pages for a weekly instead of a daily account for Labour, 7s. Also, Folio, Price 8s., THE FARMING ACCOUNT BOOK. By T. W. JVash, Land and Estate Agent. Dedicated to the Earl of Hardwicke. Also, price 2s., the Third Edition of THE FLOCKMASTER'S COMPANION AND SHEPHERD'S GUIDE. Also, Price 2s., the Second Edition A READY RECKONER. For the use of Malsters, Farmers, and Seedsmen, enabling them to ascertain with ease the Sum for any Quantity of Corn at any Price : by Oswald Fokdham. Royston ; John Warren. London : Whittaker and Co. ; Longman and Co. ; Ridgway. Specially patronized b.y the British and other Governments, the Hon. East India Company, the principal Dock Companies, and other public bodies, &c., is particularly recommended to the Nobility, Gentry, Agriculturists, Manufacturers, West India Pro- prietors, and others, it having been proved by the practical test of more than seventy years to surpass all other pauits as an out-door preservative. It is extensively used for the protection of wooden houses, farm, and other out-buildings, farming im- plements, conservatories, park paling, gates, iron railings, iron hurdles, copper, lead, brick, stone, old compo, and stucco fronts, and tiles to represent slating. The superiority of the Anti-Corrosion to every other paint for out-door purposes may be easily inferred from the simple fact, that its use has been always most strenuously opposed by Colour Manufacturers, Painters, Oil and Colourmen, and others interested in the sale of common paints. It is also very economical, any labourer being able to lay it on. Colors : 34s. 30s. Dakk Chocolate .. ., Bbight and Daek Red .. COPPEE Black Invisible Green . . Deep Green Bright Green Blde (for Carts and Wagons) .. ( 30s. . . ( per cwt. 46s. per cwt. 56s. „ 56s. „ 56s. „ White Stone Light Do. Drab or Portland Do Batu Do. \^ ^, Light Yellow Do fper cwt. Dark Yellow Do Light and Dark Oak Brown ) LiQUT and Dark Lead \ . Light Chocolate ) P^*" *'^*' In casks of 28, 56, and 112 lbs. each, and upwai-ds.— Oil & Brushes.— The Original Anti-Corrosion Paint is only to be obtained of ^VAliTliSR (L;AaSlSJO]^ & SOU', (Successors to the Inventors) 9, GREAT WINCHESTER STREET, OLD BROAD ST. (Neau the ROYAL EXCHANGE) LONDON, EC. who will show 700 most flattering Testimonials received from the Nobility, Gentry, and Clergy, who have used the Anti-Corro- sion for many years ut their country seats. A Copy of the Testimonials will be sent on application. No Agents,— AH Orders are particularly requested to be sent direct. I .11 11 I .1 1^^ 1^^ c^ ^ i THE FAKMBE'S MAGAZINE. OCTOBER, 1858. PLATE I. A PRIZE DEVON OX. This ox, bred and fed by Lord Leicester, at Holkham, was calved on the 30th of October, 1853. His sire was Musician (255), grandsire Quartley's Prince of Wales (105), dam Cinderella (71), and grandam Caroline (60). At the Birmingham Show, in December, 1856, he took the first prize of £10, with the silver medal for the breeder, as the best Devon steer under three years and three months old. At Poissy, in the spring of 1857, he received a prize of l,000f. At the Norfolk Agricultural Society's meeting, in June 1857, he took the prize of £5, with the silver medal, as the best fat steer of any breed. At the Birmingham Show, in December 1857, he was awarded the first prize of £10 as the best Devon ox, the extra prize of £20 as the best of all the Devons, and Lord Ward's prize of £25 as the best ox bred and fed by an exhibitor, and the silver medal for the breeder. This was altogether an admirable beast, most symmetrical in form and fine in quality. Indeed, his symmetry was considered the most perfect of any animal we have now had " out" for many years. At the Birmingham Meeting, in 1856, he was one of the three ultimately selected by the judges as worthy of the gold medal, and was very near taking it ; the first time a Devon ever came so close on the chief honors in the Midland counties. Alma Mater claimed him for the sacrifice — procumbit humi bos! Mr. Stevens, of Oxford, must close this sad eventful history, and tell how mighty Dons and jovial Fellows dallied over the sweet short-rib and prime sirloin of Holkham's famous ox. PLATE II. THE FILLER. The Filler has a good deal of the character of the Clydesdale about her, and the scene altogether a Scotch look. What with the girl petting her favourite, the old bearded mountaineers, and the more picturesque than tidy stabhng, the make-up of a very pleasing picture has been obtained. In a few years hence it may be more diflScult to find. The steam-plough is to out-pace even the sraart- actioned horses of the Clyde. The bothies and shealings have latterly been subject to consider- able improvement, and modern Agriculture may yet find shoes and stockings for her Highland Lassie. More machinery and better buildings will promise to make sad havoc of the poetry even of a hill farm, and what may look very well in a picture may hardly pay in practice. "Are not the cattle beautiful?" asked a friend of an agriculturist, over one of Claude's master-pieces. " Well, they may be beautiful," responded the other, " but I should be very sorry to have such a ragged lot about my place." Our artist's make-up may be open to some such similar a criticism. OLD SERIES.] U [[VOL. XLIX.— No. 3. m THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. THE LOCHEND SEWAGE IRRIGATION, BY CUTHBEKT W. JOHNSON, ESQ., T.R.S. It was during the months of August and Sep- tember of this year that I had for the first time an opportunity of visiting Scotland. The result of a month's tour, chiefly amidst the magnificent scenery of its Western Islands, leads me to warmly commend a similar tour to the farmers of the southern por- tion of our island. And it may be serviceable to them if I give the outline of my route before I pro- ceed to glance at certain great objects with regard to the management of their grass lands, well worthy of the careful consideration of the farmers of warmer and drier districts. My course was from London to Glasgow by the railway. Thence by steamer to Rothesay in the Isle of Bute (there are several daily boats that carry you the forty miles down the noble Clyde for Is. 6d.). From Rothesay by steamer, through the very lovely Kyles of Bute, via the Crinan Canal to Oban, where there are ex- cellent hotels. From Oban, by fine steamers, round the iron-bound shores of the Isle of Mull to lona and StafFa, back to Oban. Then to the magnificent Vale of Glencoe and the Caledonian Canal, whence I returned to Rothesay. From Rothesay, up the Clyde, to Bowling, thence by rail to Loch Lomond (by far the noblest lake of our island), then by a lake steamer to Tarbert and Inversnaid. By coach, some four miles, from the pier at Inversnaid, to Loch Catrine; by steamer along this beautiful little lake to the entrance of The Trossachs. Through The Trossachs by coach to Stirling, thence by steamer down the Forth to Edinburgh. The English agriculturist, who leaves his vvarm vale and his elegant home for the colder climate of the North, may rest assured that he will find in Scotland almost every home comfort, and out of doors many things which it would be well if we could successfully imitate in our own parishes. There is in this great northern portion of our island a general intelligence, the result of universal education, fraught with the best results. Every ploughboy, even, that I asked a question of, replied in good language, with readiness and clearness : there was no appearance of anything like ignorance, and its natural child, destitution. I did not see a single beggar during my month in Scotland, and only two intoxicated persons, and they were both in Glasgow. Turn where I would, in their cities or on the mountain slopes of Scotland, there were economy and good sense displayed. The counties through which I chiefly passed were not the best distinguished for their agriculture, still their turnip crops were almost always good, and, like their oat crops, much superior to ours — in fact, their chief corn crop is oats ; and in September of this year, the larger portion of it, in Bute and the Western Islands of Scotland, was only then turniqg yellow, whilst a good deal was quite green. There were a few barley fields dotted here and there ; I noticed one crop of barley even in lona ; and a little wheat in the warmer nooks and sunniest inclines. But pasturage is the great object throughout almost all the districts through which I passed. Even on the more arable farms, the common course is a fallow, turnips, oats, grass seeds for two years; then oats, wheat or barley ; then a fallow. The breeding of sheep and cattle is a chief object. These are seen tenanting all the mountain sides of the noble Western Islands and the lochs I passed through ; almost all seemed of good breeds, and in thriving condition. Of the management of these I shall on another occasion enlarge; but in this paper I propose to confine my remarks to the result of my visit to a portion of the sewage-irrigated meads of Edinburgh. I do so (although there is much that I have to remark on other portions of Scotch agriculture), since there is at length a pros- pect of vast operations being undertaken for the disposal of the sewage of London. At such a period, every fact that bears upon the importance of employing in the irrigation of grass the enor- mous amount of the meti'opolitan sewage should be strenuously urged upon its commissioners and Her Majesty's Ministers. Now, the Edinburgh meads appear to me to afford most valuable evi- dence ; they prove what many persons feel inclined to doubt J they dispel more than one myth con- jured up by the timid, the ignorant, and the in- dolent. I was for several reasons, then, very glad when in Edinburgh (the queen of our northern cities) to pay a visit to some of the celebrated water meads, of which we have all heard so much. It was by the kindness of Mr. Thomas Duncan, of the Highland Society's office (Mr. Maxwell was, un- fortunately, absent from Edinburgh), and Mr. Stevenson, of the North British Agriculturist office, that I was directed to the farm at Lochend, be- longing to the Earl of Moray, of which Mr. Taylor is the manager for Mr, Scott, the tenant. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 271 Visiting Lochend on the 9th of September, just after the great annual meeting of the Highland Society, and in a month of general holiday-making, it was hardly a matter of surprise that so many persons whom I much wished to see were from home. I found, however, in the absence of Mr. Taylor, the keeper of the water rneads ( William Brunton), who readily gave me all the information in his power. He informed me and my friend and companion that he has had the care of these valuable sewage-irrigated meads for about eleven years ; that he spends all his days amidst them ; that he enjoys excellent health— indeed, to use his own words when describing himself, " there is not a healthier man in the world." The meads are situated only about three-quarters of a mile from Edinburgh, are only separated by a road from numerous dwelling-houses, are about forty acres in extent, and are irrigated entirely by the sewage of Edinburgh flowing from the sewers of the city by its own gravity. There are two arable fields, of which I shall presently speak, also irrigated by the sewage, but these require the aid of a pump worked by a water-wheel, to raise the water to the neces- sary elevation; these are about ten acres in extent. It will be well, before we examine the mode of irrigation employed, if we first examine the pre- sent money value of these meads. The keeper told us that these meadows are chiefly held, as tenants by the season (which ends on the first of October) by the Edinburgh cow-keepers; that they were annually let by auction, or "rouped;" that they varied in value, some choice acres fetching nearly £50 per Scotch acre (English acre 4,840 square- yards, the Scotch acre 6,150), but that the average rent is about £28 to £30 per acre ! The sewage (it closely resembled, in appearance and in its odour, the sewage of London and Croydon) is used in its normal state ; there are no settUng pits or ponds ; no need of diluting it : they prefer it when it flows to them in dry weather, " The rain," said Brunton, " They makes small- beer of it." The warmer the weather, the hotter the season, the more grass is produced at Lochend. They commence watering in February ; the sew- age is then allowed to flow on to the meads for about a day and a night, and no longer. This watering is repeated every ten or fourteen days, until the 1st of October, even when the grass is growing ; only, when this is the case, care is re- quired, so that the sewage shall percolate gently and thinly through the grass. After the sewage has passed over the Lochend meads, it flows on- wards to the celebrated meads of Craigintinny : there it is again used in irrigating the great grass meads of that place ; but as my informant said, " it is there not so good as it is with us, but still they are right glad to have it, and more too of the same sort if they could get it." They cut the grass at Lochend four times, and sometimes jive times a-year. That which I saw cutting on the 9th of September, 1858, was a capi- tal heavy crop, not more than about twelve or four- teen inches in height ; but it was thickly matted together and laid, and so thick that the lower portion of the stems was rather of the yellow appearance presented by very heavy crops in our own meadows, and as my companion, the occupier of some Surrey grass land, of average quality, remarked, " it was twice as heavy a crop as he could cut at the best season of the year," There were at this time several carts loading with the fresh-cut grass, and carrying of it away for the soil- ing of the Edinburgh milch cows. It sometimes, it seems, grows " nearly a yard high." I could not but feel, when I saw these things, that Brunton was not far from the truth when he observed of the sewage, " Folks down South don't know the value of it." On the north side of these fields the sloping gar- dens of a mansion-house descend to the boundary of the Lochend meadows; an open stream of sewage circulates around its garden wall. On either side of these gardens are situated the arable fields, which are watered by the pump and water- wheel, to which I have already referred. The field nearest to Edinburgh had, when I visited it, a very luxuriant crop of Italian rye-grass, sown this year after a good crop of early potatoes ; this grass was nearly ready for cutting, immediately after which it is irrigated with the sewage, conveyed through iron pipes, furnished with hydrants, and spread about through hose. In 1859 this will yield five good cuttings of rye-grass, and will be immediately and copiously irrigated after every cutting. They dung, and give a little guano, it seems, for the potatoes, which the keeper informed us he heard valued this year at £25 an acre ; but they apply nothing but the sewage to the Italian rye-grass. " It needs nought but that," observed Brunton. The rye-grass is grown, and irrigated for two years, after which it is ploughed up for another crop. The rye-grass, we are informed, would not continue thus productive for more than two years. As the mansion-house, to which I have referred, is in immediate juxtaposition with the Lochend sewage-irrigated meads, which bound its gardens on the S.E. and S,, and by the occasionally sewage- irrigated arable lands on the E. and W., I consi- dered it very desirable to ascertain the opinion of its tenant, as to the healthiness or otherwise of the locality. I found that the mansion and its exten- sive gardens had been only recently hired, through U 2 272 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. the benevolent exertions of Dr. Guthrie and others of the free church of Edinburgh, for the board, lodging', clothing, and education of the orphan scholars of the ragged schools of that city. Upon calling at the well-conducted house, Mr. Macdo- nald, the intelligent master of " the Marionville Industrial School," readily afforded me every in- formation in his power. " The house contains," he said, "at thepresenttime,about thirty inmates." He introduced me to the school-room, whereabout fifteen healthy-looking boys were at their lessons ; showed me over the dormitories ; pointed out to me " a sick-room;" but he added, " We have had no occasion to use it yet." The school was opened, it seems, on the 1st of July. All the inmates of the house have, during this time, enjoyed general good health. He employs the boys occasionally to carry the sewage from the open sewer, which flows at the bottom of the grounds, to water the garden plots. He sometimes perceived a pecuhar odour arising from the Lochend meads, but upon the whole had no reason to apprehend any injurious effects. Here, then, has existed for a series of years, within three-quarters of a mile of Edinburgh, a field of about forty acres (and still larger sewage- irrigated fields are at not much greater distances from that city), which not only demonstrates by its enormous rent the value of sewage employed in the irrigation of grass land, but at the same time shows that these irrigations may be carried on, not only with advantage to the public, but with very little annoyance to those who dwell im- mediatelyaround the very land on which the sewage flows. It is very true, that no one with whom we have to do proposes to thus employ the metropolitan sewage in such close proximity to any densely populated place ; but the result of the Edinburgh meadow experience does seem to prove that if the whole of the London sewage was conveyed at a sufficiently high level to a considerable distance fiom the metropoUs — that then that huge mass of liquid manure, if employed over any extent of grass lands, (the best, the most perfect, of all deodori- zers), would assuredly not only cause the growth of great crops of grass, but be not productive of such disagreeable or noxious results as it now causes by being mingled with, and allowed to de- compose in, the waters of the Thames. INFLUENCE OF LIGHT ON ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE LIFE. Of all the elements which play a high part in the material universe, the light which emanates from the sun is certainly the most remarkable, whether we view it in its sanitary, scientific, or sesthetical relations. It is, to speak metaphorically, the very life-blood of nature, without which every- thing material would fade and perish. It is the fountain of all our knowledge of the external uni- verse, and it is now becoming the historiographer of the visible creation, recording and transmitting to future ages all that is beautiful and sublime in organic and inorganic natixre, and stamping on perennial tablets the hallowed scenes of domestic life, the ever-varying phases of social intercourse, and the more exciting tracks of bloodshed and of war, which Christians still struggle to reconcile with the principles of their faith. The influence of light on physical life is a subject of which we at present know very little, and one, consequently, in which the public, in their still greater ignorance, will take little interest ; but the science of light, which, imder the name of Optics has been studied for nearly two hundred years by the brightest intellects in the Old and New World, consists of a body of facts and laws of the most extraordinary kind — rich in popular as well as profound know- ledge, and affording to educated students, male and female, simple and lucid explanations of that boundless and briUiant array of phenomena which light creates, and manifests, and develops. While it has given to astronomy and navigation their telescopes and instruments of discovery, and to the botanist, the naturalist, and the physiologist their microscopes, simple, compound, and polarising, it has shown to the student of nature how the juices of plants and animals, and the integuments and films of organic bodies, elicit from the pure sun- beam its prismatic elements — clothing fruit and flower with their gorgeous attire, bathing every aspect of nature in the rich and varied hues of spring and of autumn — painting the sky with azure, end the clouds with gold. Thus initiated into the mysteries of light, and armed with the secrets and powers which science has wrested from the God of Day, philosophers of our own age have discovered in certain dark rays of the sunbeam a magic though invisible pencil, which can delineate instantaneously every form of life and being, and fix in durable outline every expres- sion, demoniacal or divine, which the passions and intellects of man can impress upon the living clay. They have imparted to the cultivators of art their mighty secret, and thousands of traveUing artists are now in every quarter of the globe recording all that earth, and ocean, and air can display — all that man has perpetrated against the strongholds of his enemies, and all that he has more wisely done to improve and embellish the home which has been given him. A branch of knowledge so intimately connected with our physical well-being, so pregnant with dis» THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 273 plays of the Divine wisdom and beneficence, and so closely allied in its sesthetical aspect with every interest, social and domestic, might have been ex- pected to form a part in our educational courses, or, through the agencies of cheap literature and popular exposition, to have commanded a place in the school and in the drawing-room, and to have gilded, if not to have replaced, the frivolities of fashionable life. Such expectations, however, have not been realized. Men of science who are much in the society of the educated world, and especially of those favoured classes who have the finest oppor- tunities of acquiring knowledge, are struck with the depth of ignorance which they encounter ; while they are surprised at the taste which so gene- rally prevails for natural history pursuits, and at the passion which is universally exhibited even for higher scientific information which can be com- prehended by the judgment and appropriated by the memory. The prevailing ignorance, therefore, of which we speak, is the offspring of an imperfect system of education, which has already given birth to great social evils — to financial laws unjust to individuals, and ruinous to the physical and moral health of the community. If the public be ignorant of science, and its applications, in their more fascinating and intelligible phases ; if our clergy, in their weekly homilies, never throw a sunbeam of secular truth among their people ; if legislators hardly surpass their constituents in these essential branches of knowledge, how can the great interests of civilization be maintained and ad- vanced? how are scientific men to gain their place in the social scale r and how are the material in- terests of a great nation, depending so essentially on the encouragement of art and science, to be pro- tected and extended ? How is England to fare, if she shall continue the only civilized nation which, amid the perpetual struggles of political faction, never devotes an hour of its legislative life to the consideration of its educational establishments and the consolidation of its scientific institutions? Impressed with the importance of these facts, and in the hope that some remedy may be found for such a state of things, we have drawn up the following article, in order to show how much use- ful and popular and pleasing information may be learned from a popular exposition of the nature and properties of the single element of light, in its sanitary, its scientific, and its artistic or aesthetical relations. Should our more intelhgent readers rise from its perusal with information which they had not anticipated, and which they had previously regarded as beyond their depth, our labour in pre- paring it will be amply rewarded, and we shall hope to meet them again in other surveys of the more popular branches of science. I. In attempting to expound the influence of light as a sanitary agent, we enter upon a subject which, in so far as we know, is entirely new, and upon which little information is to be obtained; but, admitting the existence of the influence itself, as partially established by observation and analogy, and admitting too the vast importance of the sub- ject in its personal and social aspects, we venture to say that science furnishes us with principles and methods by which the blessings of light may be diffused in localities where a cheering sunbeam has never reached, and where all the poisons and malaria of darkness have been undermining the soundest constitutions, and carrying thousands of our race prematurely to the grave. The influence of light upon vegetable life has been long and successfully studied by the botanist and the chemist. The researches of Priestley, Ingenhousz, Sennebier, and De CandoUe, and the more recent ones of Carradori, Payen, and Macaire, have placed it beyond a doubt that the rays of the sun exert the most marked influence on the respira- tion, the absorption, and the exhalation of plants, and, consequently, on their general and local nutri- tion. Dr. Priestley tells us, " It is well known that without light no plant can thrive; and if it do grow at all in the dark, it is always white, and is in all other respects in a sick and weakly state." He is of opinion that healthy plants are in a state similar to sleep, in the absence of hght, and that they resume their proper functions when placed under the in- fluence of light and the direct action of the solar rays. In the year 1835, D. Daubeny communicated to the Royal Society a series of interesting experi- ments on the action of light upon plants, when the luminous, calorific, or chemical rays were made preponderant by transmission through the follow- ing coloured glasses or fluids : — Transparent glass Orange do. Red do. Light. 7 6 4 Heat. 7 6 5 Chemical Rays. 7 4 6 Blue do. 4 3 6 Purple do. 3 4 6 Green do. 5 2 3 Solution of ammonia, sulphate of copper . Port wine 2 1 1 3 5 0 Tlie general result of these experiments is thus given by their author : " Upon the whole, then, I am inclined to infer, from the general tenor of the experiments I have hitherto made, that both the exhalation and the absorption of moisture by plants, so far as they depend upon the influence of light, are affected in the greatest degree by the most luminous rays, and that all the functions of the vegetable economy which are owing to the pre- sence of this agent, follow, in that respect, the same law." This curious subject has been recently studied in a more general aspect by Mr. Robert Hunt, who has published his results in the Reports of the British Association of 1S47. Not content with ascertain- ing, as his predecessors had done, the action of the sun's white and undecomposed light upon the ger- mination and growth of plants, he availed himself of the discovery of the chemical or invisible rays of light, and sought to determine the peculiar in- fluence of these rays and of the various colours of solar light upon the germination of seeds, the growth of the wood, and the other functions of plants. In order to explain the results which he obtained, we must initiate the reader into the constitution of the white light which issues from the sun. If we admit a cylindrical beam of the sun's light through a small circular aperture into a dark room, it \n\\ 374 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. form a round white spot when received on paper. Now this white beam consists of three visible coloured beams, which when mixed, or falhng on the spot, make white, and of two invisible beams, one of which produces heat, and the other a che- mical influence called actinism, which produces chemical changes, the most remarkable of which are embodied in photographic pictures. The whole sunbeam, therefore, contains luminous or colour-making rays, heating rays, and chemical rays. When white light, therefore, acts upon plants, we require to know which of these rays produce any of the remarkable changes that tike place; and as it is not easy to insulate the different rays and make them act separately, the inquiry is at- tended with considerable difficulty. By using coloured glasses and coloured fluids, which absorb certain rays of white light, and allow others to pass, Mr. Hunt made arrangements by which he could submit plants to an excess of red, yelloiv, or blve rays, or to an excess of the heating rays, or of the chemical or actinic ones. In this way, he was not able to study the pure influence of any of those rays in a state of perfect insulation, but merely the influence of a j^reponderance of one set of rays over others, which is sufficient to indicate to a certain extent their decided action. This will be better understood from a few results obtained with differ- ently coloured media. Lio;ht. Heat. Chemical Rays. White light contains . . 100 100 100 Solution of bichromate of potash 87 92 27 Solution of suliihate of chromium 85 92 7 Series of blue grasses. . 40 72 90 Solution of sulphate of copper 60 54 93 Solution of ammoniate ol copper 25 48 94 It is very obvious that the action of the chemical rays will be obtained from the three last of these coloured media, and the action of the luminous and heating rays from the two first, where the chemical rays are comparatively feeble. In this way Mr. Hunt obtained the following interesting results : — 1. Light prevents the germination of seeds. 2. The germination of seeds is more rapid under the influence of the chemical rays, separated from the luminous ones, than it is under the combined influence of all the rays, or in the dark.* 3. Light acts in efl"ecting the decomposition of carbonic acid by the growing plant. 4. The chemical rays and light (or all the rays of the spectrum visible to a perfect eye) are essen- tial to the formation of the colouring matter of leaves. 5. Light and the chemical rays, independent of the rays of heat, prevent the development of the reproductive organs of plants. * This important result has been confirmed by the observations, on a large scale, of the Messrs. Lawson and Sons, of Edinburgh. See Hunt's Poetry and Science, 3rd Edition, appendix, and Ixese arches on Light, p. 375. 6. The radiations of heat, corresponding with the extreme red rays of the spectrum, facilitate the flowering of plants, and the perfecting of their re- productive principles. In Spring, Mr. Hunt found that the chemical rays were the most active, and in very considerable excess, as compared with those of light and heat. As the Summer advanced, the light and heat in- creased in a very great degree relatively to the chemical rays ; and in Autumn, the light and the chemical rays both diminish relatively to the rays of heat, which are by far the most extensive. •' In the spring," says Mr. Hunt, "when seeds germinate and young vegetation awakes from the repose of winter, we find an excess of that prin- ciple which imparts the required stimulus ; in the summer, this exciting agent is counterbalanced by another possessing different powers, upon the exercise of which the structural formation of the plant depends ; and in the autumnal season these are checked by a mysterious agency which we can scarcely recognize as heat, although connected with calorific manifestations, upon which appears to depend the development of the flower and the per- fection of the seed." The very curious fact of plants bending towards the light, as if to catch its influence, must have been frequently observed. Mr. Hunt found that, " under all ordinary circumstances, plants, in a very decided manner, bent towards the hght;" and, what is exceedingly interesting, when the light employed was red, from passing through red fluid media, the plants as decidedly bent from it. The property of bending towards the light is strikingly exhibited by the potato ; and it has been found that the yellov) or most luminous rays are most efficacious in producing this movement, while the red rays, as before, produce a repulsive effect. If light, then, is so essential to the life of plants, that they will even exert alimited power of locomotion in order to reach it, it is not unreasonable to sup- pose that it may be necessary, though to a less extent, for the development and growth of animals. "When we look at the different classes of the inferior animals, we hardly observe any relations with light excepting those of vision; but, under the con- viction that light does influence animal life, various naturalists have devoted their attention to the sub- ject. In his chapter " on the influence of light upon the development of the body," Dr. W. F. Edwards has given us some important information on the eflfect of light in the development of animals, or in those changes of form which they undergo in the interval between conception and fecundation, and adult age — a process which, previously to birth, is generally carried on in the dark. "There are, however, animals," says Dr. Edwards, " whose impregnated eggs are hatched, notwithstanding their exposure to the rays of the sun. Of this number are Batrachians (frogs). I wished to de- termine what influence light independently of heat might exercise upon this kind of development." With this view he placed some frogs' spawn in water, in a vessel rendered impervious to light, and some in another vessel which was transparent. They were exposed to the same temperature, but the rays of the sun were admitted to the trans- THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 275 parent vessel. All the eggs exposed to light were developed in succession, but none of those in the dark did well. As almost all animals are more or less exposed to light after birth, Dr. Edwards thought it would be interesting to determine the peculiar effect of light upon the development of the body. As all animals, in growing, gradually change their form and proportions, and make it difficult to observe slight shades of modification, he chose for his ex- periments species among the vertebrata whose development presents precise and palpable dif- ferences. These conditions are combined in the highest degree in the frog. In its first period it has the form and even the mode of life of a fish, with a tail and gills, and without limbs. In its second period it is completely metamorphosed into a reptile, having acquired four limbs, and lost its tail and gills and all resemblance to a fish. Dr. Edwards employed the tadpoles of the Rana obstetricians, and he found that all those which enjoyed the presence of the light underwent the change of form appertaining to the adult. " We see, then," says Dr. Edwards, " that the action of light tends to develop the different parts of the body in that just proportion which characterizes the type of the species. This type is well cha- racterized only in the adult. The deviations from it are the more strongly marked the nearer the animal is to the period of its birth. If, therefore, there were any species existing in circumstances unfavourable to their further development, they might possibly long subsist under a type different from that which nature had designed for them. The Proteus anguiformis appears to be of this number. The facts above mentioned tend to con- firm this opinion. The Proteus anguiformis lives in the subterraneous waters of Carniola, where the absence of light unites with the low temperature of those lakes in preventing the development of the peculiar form of the adult. The experiments of M. Morren on the animal- cules generated in stagnant waters, and those of M. Moleshott on the respiration of frogs as mea- sured by the quantity of carbonic acid gas which they exhale, confirm the general results obtained by Dr. Edwards ; but the most important re- searches on the subject have just been published by M. Beclard. During the last four years, he has been occupied with a series of experiments on the influence of the white and coloured light of the spectrum, on the principal functions of nu- trition ; and he has presented to the Academy of Sciences, in a concise form, some of the more im- portant results which he has obtained. Having placed the eggs of the fly (Musca car- naria) in six bell glasses, violet, blue, red, yellow, transparent, and green, he found, at the end of four or five days, that the worms were most de- veloped in the violet and blue glasses, and least in green; the influence of the other colours diminishing in the order we have named them from violet to green. Between these extremes the worms de- veloped were as three to one both with respect to bulk and length. In studying the influence of the differently coloured rays upon frogs, which have an energetic cutaneous respiration, equal and often superior to their pulmonary respiration, M. Beclard found that the same weight of frogs produced more than twice the quantity of carbonic acid under the green than under the red glass. When the same frogs were skinned, the opposite result was ob- tained. The carbonic acid was then greater in the red than in the green rays. In a number of experiments on the cutaneous exhalations of the vapour of water from frogs, the quantity was one-half less in darkness than in tvhite or violet light, in which the exhalation was the same.* We come now to consider the influence of light upon the human frame, physical and mental, in health and disease, in developing the perfect form of the adult, and in preserving it from premature decay. We regret to find that our knowledge on these points is so extremely hmited, and we are surprised that physicians and physiologists should not have availed themselves of their numerous opportunities, in hospitals, prisons, and mad- houses, of studying so important a subject. We must grope our way, therefore, among general speculations and insulated facts, in the hope of arriving at some positive remits ; and we have no doubt that the direct influence of light over the phenomena of life will not be found limited to the vegetable kingdom and the lower races of the animal world. Man in his most perfect type is doubtless to be found in the temperate regions of the globe, where the solar influences of light, heat, and chemical rays are so nicely balanced. Under the scorching heat of the tropics, man cannot call into exercise his highest powers. The calorific rays are all- powerful there, and lassitude of body and imma- turity of mind are its necessary results ; while in the darkness of the polar regions the distinctive characters of our species almost disappear, in the absence of those solar influences which are so powerful in the organic world. It is well known to all who are obliged to seek for health in a southern climate, that an ample share of hght is considered necessary for its reco- very. In all the hotels and lodging-houses in France and Italy, the apartments with a south ex- posure are earnestly sought for; and the patient, under the advice of his physician, strives to fix himself in these genial localities. The salutary eflfect, however, thus ascribed to light, might arise from the greater warmth which accompanies the solar rays ; but this can hardly be the case in mild climates, or, indeed, in any climate where a fixed * " Professor E. Forbes and Mr. Couch have both remarked that the vegetables and animals near the surface of the sea are brilliantly coloured, but that they gradually lose the brightness of their hue as they descend, until the animals of the lowest zone are found to be nearly colourless. . . . Or- ganization and life exist only at the surface of our planet, and under the influence of light. Those depths of the ocean at which an everlasting dark- ness prevail is the region of silence and eternal death."— Hunt's Researches, Sf-c, Appendix No. vii., p. 386. 276 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. artificial temperature can be easily maintained. Something, too, is doubtless owing to the cheering effect of light upon an invahd ; but this effect is not excluded from apartments so situated that, out of a western or a northern window, we may see the finest scenery illuminated by the full blaze of a meridian sun. While our distinguished countryman. Sir James Wylie, late physician to the Emperor of Russia, resided at St. Petersburg, he studied the effect of light as a curative agent. In the hospitals of that city there were apartments entirely without light ; and upon comparing the number of patients who left these apartments cured, he found that they were only one-fourth the number of those who went out cured from properly-lighted rooms. In this case, the curative agency could not be reason- ably ascribed either to the superior warmth or ventilation of the well-lighted apartments, because in all such hospitals the introduction of fresh air is a special object of attention ; and the heating of wards without windows is not diflScult to accom- plish. But, though the records of our great hospitals may not assist us in our present inquiry, yet facts sufficiently authentic and instructive may be ga- thered from various quarters. In the years of cho- lera, when this frightful disease nearly decimated the population of some of the principal cities in the world, it was invariably found that the deaths were more numerous in narrow streets and northern ex- posures, where the salutary beams of light and actinism had seldom shed their beneficial influ- ences. The resistless epidemic found an easy prey among a people whose physical organization had not been matured under those benign influences of solar radiation which shed health and happiness over our fertile plains, our open valleys, and those mountain-sides and elevated plateaus where man is permitted to breathe in the brighter regions of the atmosphere. Had we the means of investigating the history of dungeon-life — of those noble martyrs whom eccle- siastical and political tyranny have immured in darkness, or of those wicked men whom law and justice have rendered it indispensable to separate from their species — we should find many examples of the terrible effects which have been engendered by the exclusion of all those influences which we have shown to be necessary for the nutrition and development, not only of plants, but of many of the lower animals. Dr. Edwards, whose experiments on animals we have already referred to, applies to man the prin- ciples which he deduced from them ; and he main- tains even that, in " climates in which nudity is not incompatible with health, the exposure of the whole surface of the body to light will be very fa- vourable to the regular conformation of the body." In support of this opinion, he quotes a remarkable passage from Baron Humboldt's " Voj^age to the Equatorial Regions of the Globe," in which he is speaking of the people called " Chaymas." " Both men and women," he says, "are very muscular: their forms are fleshy and rounded. It is needless to add, that I have not seen a single individual with a natural deformity. I can say the same of many thousands of Caribs, Muyscas, and Mexican and Peruvian Indians, whom we have observed during five years. Deformities and deviations are exceed- ingly rare in certain races of men, especially those who have the skin strongly coloured." If light thus developes in certain races the per- fect type of the adult who has grown under its in- fluence, we can hardly avoid the conclusion drawn by Dr. Edwards — " that the want of sufficient light must constitute one of the external causes which produce those deviations in form in children aftected with scrofula;" and the more so, as it has been generally observed that this disease is most prevalent in poor children living in confined and dark streets. Following out the same principle. Dr. Edwards infers that, " in cases where these de- formities do not appear incurable, exposure to the sun in the open air is one of the means tending to restore a good conformation." " It is true," he adds, "that the light which falls upon our clothes acts only by the heat which it occasions ; but the exposed parts receive the peculiar influence of the light. Among these parts, we must certainly re- gard the eyes as not merely designed to enable us to perceive colour, form, and size. Their exquisite sensibility to light must render them peculiarly adapted to transmit the influence of this agent throughout the system j and we know that the im- pression of even a moderate light upon these organs produces in several acute diseases a general exacer- bation of symptoms." The idea of light passing into the system through the eyes, and influencing the other functions of the body, though at first startling, merits, doubtless, the attention of physiologists. The light, and heat, and chemical rays of the sun, combined in every picture on the retina, necessarily pass to the brain, through the visual nerves ; and, as the luminous rays only are concerned in vision, we can hardly conceive that the chemical and heating rays have no function whatever to perform. If the light of day, then, freely admitted into our apartments, is essential to the development of the human form, physical and mental, and if the same blessed element lends its aid to art and nature in the cure of disease, it becomes a personal and a national duty to construct our dwelling-bouses, our schools, our workshops, our churches, our villages, and our cities upon such principles and in such styles of architecture as will allow the life- giving element to have the fullest and the freest ingress, and to chase from every crypt and cell and corner the elements of uncleanness and corruption, which have a vested interest in darkness. Although we have not, like Howard, visited the prisons and lazarettos of our own and foreign countries, in order to number and describe the dungeons and caverns in which the victims of po- litical power are perishing without light and air, yet we have examined private houses and inns, and even palaces, in which there are many occupied ai)artments equally devoid of light and ventilation. In some of the principal cities of Europe, arfil in many of the finest towns of Ital)', where external nature smiles in her brightest attire, there are streets and lanes in such close compression, the houses on one side almost touching those of the THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 277 other, that hundreds of thousands of human beings are neither supplied with light nor with air, and are compelled to carry on their professions in what seems to a stranger almost total darkness. Provi- dence, more beneficent than man, has provided a means of lighting up to a certain extent the work- man's home, by the expanding power of the pupil of his eye, in order to admit a greater quantity of rays, and by an increased sensibility of his retina, which renders visible what is feebly illuminated : but the very exercise of such powers is painful and insalutary; and every attempt that is made to see, when seeing is an effort, or to read and work with a straining eye and an erring hand, is injurious to the organ of vision, and must, sooner or later, im- pair its powers. Thus deprived of the light of day, thousands are obliged to carry on their trades principally by artificial light — by the consumption of tallow, oil, or carburetted hydrogen gas — thus inhaling from morning till midnight the offensive odours, and breathing the polluted effluvia, which are more or less the products of artificial illumina- tion. It is in vain to expect that such evils, shortening and rendering miserable the life of man, can be removed by legislation or by arbitrary power. Attempts are gradually being made, in various great cities, to replace their densely congregated streets and dwellings by structures at once orna- mental and salutary ; and Europe is now admiring that great renovation in a neighbouring capital, by which hundreds of streets and thousands of dwel- lings, once the seat of poverty and crime, are now replaced by architectural combinations the most beautiful, and by hotels and palaces which vie with the finest edifices of Greek or of Roman art. These great improvements, however, are neces- sarily local and partial, and centuries must pass away fjefore we can expect those revolutions in our domestic and city architecture under which the masses of the people will find a cheerful and well- hghted and well-ventilated home. We must, therefore, attack the evil as it exists, and call upon science to give us such a remedy as she can supply. Science does possess such a remedy, which, how- ever, has its limits, but within those limits her principles and methods are unquestionable and efhcacious. Wherever there is a window there is light, which it is intended to admit. In narrow streets and lanes this portion of light comes from the sky, and its value as an illuminating agent dependa on its magnitude or area, and on its varying distances from the sun in its daily path. But whether it be large or small, bright or obscure, it is the only source of light which any window can command ; and the problem which science pretends to solve is to throw into the dark apartment as much light as possible — all thelight, indeed, excepting that which is necessarily lost in the process employed. Let us suppose that the street is a fathom wide, or two yards, and that the two opposite faces of it are of such a nature that we can see out of a window a considerable portion of the sky two yards wide. Now, the lintel of the window generally projects six or eight inches beyond the outer surface of the panes of glass, so that if the window is at a con- siderable distance below the luminous portion of the sky, not a single ray from that portion can fall upon the panes of glass. If we suppose the panes of glass to be made flush with the outer wall, rays from every part of the luminous space will fall upon the outer surface of the glass, but so obliquely that it will be nearly all reflected, and the small portion which does pass through the glass will have no illuminating power, as it must fall upon the surface of the stone lintel on which the window now rests. If we now remove our window, and substitute ano- ther in which all the panes of glass are roughly ground on their outside, and flush with the outer wall, a mass of light will be introduced into the apartment, reflected from the innumerable faces or facets which the rough grinding of the glass has produced. The whole window will appear as if the sky were beyond it, and from every point of this luminous surface light will radiate into all parts of the room. The effect thus obtained might be greatly increased were we permitted to allow the lower part of the window to be placed beyond the face of the wall, and thus give the ground surface of the panes such an inclined position as to enable them to catch a larger portion of the sky. The plates or sheets of glass which should be employed in this process, may be so corrugated on one side, as even to throw in light that had suffered total reflection. In aid of this method of distributing light, it would be advisable to have the opposite faces of the street, even to the chimney tops, white- washed, and kept white with lime; and for the same reason, the ceiling and walls and flooring of the apartment should be as white as possible, and all the furniture of the lightest colours. Having seen such eff'ects produced by imperfect means, we feel as if we had introduced our poor workman or needlewoman from a dungeon into a summer-house. By pushing out the windows, we have increased the quantity of air which they breathe, and we have enabled the housemaid to look into dark cor- ners where there had hitherto nestled all the elements of corruption. To these inmates the sun has risen sooner and set later, and the midnight lamp is no longer lighted when all nature is smiling under the blessed influences of day. But it is not merely to the poor man's home that these processes are applicable. In all great towns, where neither palaces nor houses can be insulated, there are, in almost every edifice, dark and gloomy crypts thirsting for light ; and in the city of Lon- don there are warehouses and places of business where the light of day almost never enters. On visiting a friend, whose duty confined him to his desk during the official part of the day, we found him with bleared eyes, struggling against the fee- ble light which the opposite wall threw into his window. We counselled him to extend a blind of fine white muslin on the outside of his window, and flush with the wall. The experiment was soon made. The Hght of the sky above was caught by the fibres of the linen and thrown straight upon his writing-table, as if it had been reflected from an equal surface of ground glass. We recollect ano- ther case equally illustrative of our process. A party visiting the mausoleum of a Scottish noble- man, wished to see the gilded receptacles of the 27« THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. dead which occupied its interior. There was only one small window through which the light entered, but it did not fall upon the objects that were to be examined. Upon stretching a muslin handkerchief from its four corners, it threw such a quantity of light into the crypt as to display fully its contents. But while our process of illuminating dark apartments is a great utilitarian agent, it is also an aesthetical power of some value, enabling the archi- tect to give the full effect of his design to the ex- ternal facade of his building, without exhibiting to the public eye any of the vulgar arrangements which are required in its interior. The National Picture Gallery of Edinburgh, erected on the Mound, from the beautiful designs of the late W. H. Playfair, is lighted from above ; but there are certain small apartments on the west side of the building which cannot be thus lighted, and these being very useful, the architect was obliged to light them by little windows in the western fafade. These windows are dark gashes in the wall, about two feet high and one foot broad, and being unfor- tunately placed near the Ionic portico, the principal feature of the building, they entirely destroy the symmetry and beauty of its western facade. Had there been no science in Edinburgh to give coun- sel on this occasion, the architect should have left his little apartments to the tender mercies of gas or oil; but science had a complete remedy for the evil, and in the hope that the two distinguished individuals who have the charge of the Gallery, Sir John Watson Gordon and Mr. D. O. Hill, will immediately apply it, we now offer to them the process without a fee. Send a piece of the freestone to the Messrs. Chances, of the Smethwick Glass Works, near Birmingham, and order sheets of thick plate-glass the exact size of the present openings, and of such a colour, that when one side of the glass is ground the ground side will have precisely the same colour as the freestone. When the openings are filled with these plates, having the ground side outwards, the black gashes will disappear, the apartments will be better lighted than before, and the building will assume its true architectural character. The plates of glass thus inserted among the stones, may, when viewed at a short distance, show their true outline ; but this could not have happened if, during the building of the wall, one, two, or three of the stones had been left out, and replaced by plates of glass of exactly the same size as the stones. This method of illumination will enable future architects to illuminate the interior of their buildings by invisible windoivs, and thus give to the exterior facade the full festhetical effect of their design.* * When ground glass is used for illuminating apartments, the ground side must always be out- side; but when it is employed, as it often is, to prevent the persons in a street, or in one room, from looking into another room, the ground side must be placed inside of the privileged room. If it were outside, the passenger in the street, or the occupant of the one room, could easily look into the privileged room by rendering the ground glass transparent — by sticking a piece of glass upon it with a little Canada balsam or oil. If it is important to obtain a proper illumination of our apartments when the sun is above the hori- zon, it is doubly important when he has left us altogether to a short-lived twilight, or consigned us to the tender mercies of the moon. In the one case, it is chieflj''in ill-constructed dwelling-houses, and large towns and cities, where a dense popula- tion, crowded into a limited area, occupy streets and lanes in almost absolute darkness, that science is called upon for her aid ; but in the other, we demand from her the best system of artificial illu- mination, under which we must spend nearly one- third of our lives, whether they are passed in the cottage or in the palace, in the open village or in the crowded city. AVhen we pass fi'om the flickering flame of a wood fire to rods of pine-root charged with turpen- tine— from the cylinder of tallow to the vase filled with oil— from the wax lights to the flame of gas, and from the latter to the electric light — we see the rapid stride which art and science have taken in the illumination of our houses and streets. We have obtained a sufficient source of light : we re- quire only to use it safelj', economically, and salu- briously. The method which we mean not only to recommend, but to press upon the public attention, unites the three qualities which are essential in house illumination ; but till our legislators, and architects, and the leaders of public opinion shall be more alive to the importance of scientific truths in their practical phase, we have no hope of being honoured with their support. True knowledge, however, advances with time. Vulgar prejudices are gradually worn down; and in less than a cen- tury, whether we have the electric light or not, we shall have our artificial suns shedding their bene- ficent rays under the guidance of science. The present inethod of lighting our houses, by burning the lights within its apartments, is attended with many evils. The intolerable increase of tem- perature in well-lighted rooms, whether they are occupied by small or large parties — the rapid con- sumption of the oxygen, which our respiratory system requires to be undiminished — the offensive smell of the unconsumed gas — the stench of the oleaginous products of combustion — the damage done to gilded furniture and picture frames— the positive injury inflicted on the eyes, by the action of a number of scattered lights upon the retina — and the risks of fire and explosion, are strong objections to the system of internal illumination. About half a century ago, the writer of this article proposed to illuminate our houses by burning the gas externally, or placing it within the walls of the house, or in any other way by which the products of combustion should not vitiate the air of the apartment. The plan was received with a smile. It had not even the honour of being ridiculed. It was too Quixotic to endanger existing interests, or trench upon vested rights. Owing to the extended use of gas, however, its evils became more generally felt; but no attempt was made to alter the existing system till 1839, when a Committee of the House of Commons was appointed to inquire into the best method of lighting the House. Many eminent individuals were examined ; and in consequence of the Report of the Committee, the new system was THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 279 adopted of lighting from without, or in which the air breathed by the members is entirely separated from the air which supplies the burners. A simi- lar change has, we beheve, been made in the mode of lighting the House of Lords ; but the new sys- tem, in its most general aspect, has been admirably carried out in one or more apartments in Bucking- ham Palace, where the light is distributed from the roof, as if from the sky above, without any of the sources of light being visible. This method, of course, can be adopted only in halls or apartments with an external roof. In all other cases, con- siderable difficulties must be encountered in houses already built and occupied ; but we have no doubt that the ingenuity of the engineer and the architect will overcome them, whether the system is to be accommodated to old buildings, or applied in its most perfect state to houses erected on pur- pose to receive it. But, however great be these difficulties, it is fortunate, that whether we are to have the advantage of the electric light, or a purer form of carburetted hydrogen gas, the mode of distributing it will be, generally speaking, the same, and we therefore need not hesitate to intro- duce the new system, on the ground that it may be superseded by another. Having so recently escaped from the inhumanity of a tax which prohibited the light and air of hea- ven from entering our dwellings, we trust that the governments of Europe will freely throw these precious influences into the dark abodes of their over-crowded cities, and that wealthy and philan- thropic individuals will set the example of lighting, heating, and ventilating, according to the princi- ples of science. Dr. Arnott has already taught us how to heat our apartments with coal fires without breathing either the gases or the dust which they diffuse. Why should we delay to light them with- out breathing the noxious gas, and over-laying the organs of respiration with the nameless poisons which are generated in the combustion of the animal and vegetable substances employed in the furnishing of our apartments? — Morth British Review. BATH AND WEST OF ENGLAND SOCIETY FOR THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF ARTS, AGRICULTURE, AND COMMERCE. A meeting of the Council of this society was held at Wag- horn's Hotel, Taunton, on Saturday, Sept. 25th, John Sillifant, Esq. (President), in the chair. There were also present Messrs. T. D. Acland, J. Fry, W. Wippell, J. Webb King, R. Badcock, D. Adair, W. E. Gillett, J. E. KuoUys, T. New- man, J, P. Pitts, G. Bullock, H. G. Andrews, J. Bailward, S. Pitman, H. G. Moysey, J. Tyrrell, T. Hussey, W. Thompson, Jonathan Gray, J. Widdicombe, G. Langdon, M. Farrant, J. H. Cotterell, R. Smith, John Gray, &c. The Meeting of 1860. — Mr. H. G. Moysey brought up the report of the deputation appointed by the Council to visit Dorchester, to inspect the sites offered for the society's meeting in 1860. The Council decided to hold the meeting at Dorchester, and adopted the recommendation of the depu- tation as to the site. The Forthcoming Meeting at Barnstaple. — Mr. Langdon submitted a liberal list of extra prizes for stock, im- plements, &c., which the local committee had signified their intention of offering for competition at the ensuing meeting at Barnstaple in June next. The schedule included the offer of a premium for the best " Essay on the Agriculture of North Devon." The Implement Trials Question.— The vexed ques- tion of adapting the trials of implements at the Society's ex- hibitions to the requirements of the age, and the wishes of the implement-makers generally, has been frequently before the Council. At the last meeting, Mr. G. Poole brought up a re- port from the implement prize sheet committee, affirming the expediency of annual trials in the sections of implements to which prizes had hitherto been offered, viz., implements re- lating to the preparation of ground, cultivation of crops, har- vesting crops, and preparing for market, preparation of food, &c. The committee also expressed a desire that certificates should be given for implements ia first and second classes of merit in lieu of money prizes, under these conditions : " That the first-class certificate shall designate each implement which has obtained it a first-class implement ; and that the second- class certificate shall state that each implement which has ob- tained it ia entitled to commendation. That the judges be empowered to grant a special certificate of merit, embodying the particular grounds of the award, to any implement or in- vention which shall present any novelty of construction, con- trivance, combination, or design worthy thereof." On the motion of Mr.T. D. Acland, this report was ordered to be printed and circulated among the exhibitors of implements of this Society, inviting suggestions thereon. A number of communications were now read from different implement-makers, offering suggestions of a wide and comprehensive character for the guidance of the Council in coming to a decision ; and so im- portant were they as a whole, that the Council were disposed to take further time to give due deliberation to the views of the parties moat interested. It was accordingly resolved to refer the report back to the committee, who were empowered to complete the prize sheet, and bring up the whole question for discussion at the next meeting. Prize Essays awarded. — The following premiums for essays offered in the Society's schedule for the present year (Cardiff Meeting) were awarded to-day, viz. : Personal Experience on a Farm in the West of England.— Prize £20, to Mr. Joseph Lush, Brewham Farm, Bruton, Somerset, motto — "Pedestrian." On Irrigation. — Prize £10, to Mr. Henry Tanner, Crediton, Devon ; motto — '' Fortuna Sequatur," On Sheep suited to the West of England. — Prize £15, to Mr. H. Tanner, Crediton, Devon ; motto — " Je vis en espoir." On Carts and Waggons, — Prize £10, to Mr. Edward Spen- der, Mannamead, Plymouth, and Mr. T. W.Isaac, Bath; motto — " Festina Lente." On Orchards. — Prize £10, to Mr. William Heale, foreman of the Upton Murseries, Cheater; motto — " Every tree is known by its fruit." The essays marked " Semper Fidelis" and " Three treei" were highly commended by the Journal Committee. Other business of minor importance occupied the attention of the Council until rather a late hour. 380 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. FARM LABOURERS, The notice that has been made of the hind sys- tem, that prevails in the border counties of England and Scotland, in fixing the engagements and re- munerating the services of the farm labourers, has brought forward the following statement and re- flections on the system there adopted, and that of other districts, that pursue a different course. The writer has had a very ample experience of the various modes of arrangement and payment, having served for three years in the border counties of Roxburgh and Northumberland as a learner in farming, and lived seven years in the latter county as a resident practitioner, and engaged and paid the labourers under the hind system : he has also farmed and paid labourers in the midland and southern counties of England, and used the cus- toms of those districts. In the Border counties, the married ploughmen and all the labourers required are lodged in cot- tages closely adjoining the farmery, and to the field of employment. This is a vast advantage over the custom of the midland counties ; where, more than in the south of England, the labourers live in villages, and travel one to two miles twice a day, betwixt the labour and their home. Even the farmers of these counties, with the farmeries, are huddled into villages ; while the land of the farm lies a good way off. This is a remnant of feudal villainage; which, from the word "villa," meaning a hamlet or village, gave the name of vil- lains to the inhabitants, who were congregated into hamlets for the sake of protection. The vast ad- vantage, in the presence of the labourers on the scene of action, is undeniable, and needs no de- monstration whatever. The hind may have an adult son to be a ploughman, who lodges with the father ; or the house accommodates a stranger, on an agreed allowance for cooking and lodging. The cottage dwellings for labourers are a very essential part of the furniture of a farm of land, which are provided by the landowner, with which the farmer has to use his capital with advantage : the value is fully equal to the general farmery, and to the dwell- ing house of the farmer himself. An imperfect provision on any point is a drawback to the de- velopment of his capital. The following arrangement pays the married ploughman, in the county of Roxburgh : A house and garden, in 300 to 400 square yards of ground . ten bolls of oatmeal ; three bolls of barley ; one boll of peas ; three pounds in money ; 1000 yards of potato ground in the drilled field ; a cow kept during summer and winter; a woman or stout lad, at Sd. per day, throughout the year ; coals carried ; flax land in three cupfuls of seed, about 500 square yards; a sufficient reaper for 24 days of harvest- work, who gets board, and quarter-boll of barley, in lieu of supper. The hind gets 24 days' board. The keeping of poultry is restricted to five hens and a cock ; and pays the farmer four March chick- ens in November. The shepherds get, in addition to the above con- ditions, six breeding ewes kept ; all the lambs sold in June, except two females, which supply the place of two drafts, that are fed on turnips to the first of January. Cottages in villages are often held in tenancy from the neighbouring farmers, on the following conditions : A house and garden ; 8d. a day for summer and winter in woman's work ; potatoes, flax, and reaping in harvest, same as the hinds ; coals carried ; alternate loosening of the unthrashed grain for the thrashing machine. In North Northumberland, the following con- ditions have prevailed : A house and garden ; three pounds in money ; six bolls of oats, of six bushels ; four bolls of barley; nine bushels of peas; three bushels of wheat; a cow kept during summer and winter; 10 two-horse cart-loads of turnips in Feb- ruary for the cow, or one ton of hay ; 800 yards of drilled potato ground ; to spin 3lbs. of flax ; pay one hen, and allowed to keep nine and a cock. The farmer gets the calf at 30s. in January, at 25s. in February, at 20s. in March, and so on, as no charge is made for the bull serving the cow. A stone of refuse wool, as clippings and coatings of fleeces ; coals carried. When the labourers get the use of a cow from the farmer, the calf is fed for nine days by the hind. In South Northumberland, the following con- ditions have been arranged : A house and a piece of garden ground; £3 in money; ten bushels of best wheat, three bushels of second quality, and one bushel in lieu of poultry ; nine bushels of bar- ley ; ten bushels of oats ; three bushels of peas ; six stones of pork, in lieu of keeping a pig ; a cow kept during summer and winter, with one ton of hay and straw ; coals carried ; SOO yards of drilled potato ground. The woman worker to get Sd. a day at all other times, and Is. per day in harvest. When the hind does not keep a cow, 4s. a week in money is paid him, in lieu of the value of the keep, including the £3 in money, thus estimating the cow at about £7. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 281 In these districts, the allowance in money is called the ''deaf stint," an allusion to the keep of a second cow which had been disused, and become dead or deaf. The custom had dwindled into one cow, and the quota of money : in former times the wages had been wholly paid in produce. The above arrangements may appear to be the remnant of feudahsm, and akin to the payment of rents of land in grain, which have never got into any favour or adoption in use ; but the applications are wholly different, and made under entirely differ- ent circumstances ; and several feudal regulations are by no means the very worst arrangements for human society, when dispassionately considered and legitimately established. The inhabitants of Rome enjoy the privilege of fresh water in abun- dance, free of any charge. The rising generation of ploughmen hinds are much better trained at the parental fireside, than in congregations, as lodgers ; or in villages, as frequenters of the beer shop : the whole attention is at home, and never diverted to follies and debaucheries. It is essential that ploughmen live in close contiguity to the farmery ; and the payment of wages, in produce, is prefer- able to money ; always including in the very fore- most place the keep of a cow, to yield milk to the children, as no other such food is yet known. The keep of a pig and of poultry adds to the posses- sion; and the garden yields a most healthy food in vegetables. The great and glowing defect of the hind system of these countries is the very insufficient accom- modation of the cottage dwellings, which are ex- clusively formed of one apartment on the ground floor, in the average of ten feet square : into this pinfold the father and mother with four or more children are huddled, along with a grown-up son and a female worker ; and in it, the common decen- cies of life are impossible to be preserved. The beds are wooden boxes, and are carried about by the removing hinds ; the fire-grates are also pulled down, and carried away at each migration of the occupier. Where the genius of agriculture has been truly said to have placed its chosen residence, the ideas of the owners and occupiers of land have not been able to rise to the height of a second floor for a cottage, in order to separate the sleeping and sitting apartments, and to afford different apart- ments for age and sex. This provision, along with a second apartment on the ground floor, and some back buildings, are essential to any human habita- tion, v/ith a back door for the sake of ventilation. Fixed bedsteads may be placed to remain in the sleeping apartments ; and it is idle to say that the hinds themselves do not wish such things ; for im- provements are only required to be shown, in order to be adopted. Some fifteen or more years ago, the rev. Dr. Gilly, vicar of Norham, on the south bank of Tweed, made a most pathetic appeal to the benevolence of the landowners, on behalf of the hind in respect of dwellings, which are only the stall of a stable, in which the animal performs every function of nature. Little response, if any, has been returned to the reverend gentleman, who, along with the instruction of the poor, laid the du- ties of property before the rich. The midland and southern counties of England are far ahead of the hind districts, in point of accommodation ; the ha- bitations, such as they are, contain two floors ; and all examples of that kind have been shown by the manufacturers. J. D. ANCIENT NOTIONS OF VEGETATION.— At the close of the sixteenth century the one idea seemed to be that there existed a universal, generative, and fructifying salt, to which all soils and earths owed their fertility. This was the crude "agricultural chemistry" of its time, and the philosophers of that age proceeded to show the vegetative virtues of salt, declaring that it not only promoted genera- tion in plants, but procreation in animals. " Plutarch doth witnesse, that ships upon the sea are pestred and poisoned oftetimes with exceeding store of mice. And some hold opinion that the females, without any copulation with the males, doe conceive ouely by licking of salt. And this maketh the fishmongers' wives so wanton and so beautifull." After many illustrations tending to show that common salt was the salt meant, the farmer vras told that the philoso- phers " speak not of common salt," but of a mysterious " vegetative salt." This assumed philosophy was stated with confidence, and its expression maintained with obvious conceit. " The secret virtues which lie hid in salt confirm the same. For salt whiteneth all thinges, it hardeneth all thinges, it preserveth all thinges, it giveth savour to all thinges ; it is that masticke which gleweth all things toge- ther ; it gathereth and knitteth all mineral matters, and of manie thousand peeces it maketh one masee. This salt giveth sounde to all thinges, and without the sounde no metall will wring in his shirle voyce. Salt maketh men merrie, it whiteneth the fleah, and it giveth beautie to all reasonable creatures ; it entertayneth that love and amitie which is betwixt the male and female, through the great vigour and stirring uppe which it provoketh in the engen- dering members; it helpeth to procreation ; it giveth unto creatures their voyce, as also unto metalls. And it is salt that maketh all seeds to flourish and growe, and although the number of men is verie small which can give any true reason whie dungue should doeanie good in arable groundes, but are ledde thereto more by custome than anie philoso- phical reason, nevertheless it is apparaunt that no dungue which is layde uppon barraine groundes could anie way enrich the same, if it were not for the salt which the straw and hay left behind them by their putrifaction." Sir Hugh Piatt expressed his astonishment that so good a philosophy as this should have remained for a long period unnoticed. — Philp's Progress of Agriculture, THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE, WAYLAND (NORFOLK) AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION. This society held its second annual meeting on September 23. Of late years, the increasing popularity of agricultural ex- hibitions baa been demonstrated in this county by the estab- lishment of district associations. Thus, within the last few seasons, the fertile hundreds of Tunstead and Happing have established an annual show at North Walsbaro ; and last year their example was followed in Wayland, a neighbourhood in which Lord Walsingham has played an honourably-useful part since his accession to the family estates. The Wayland Association, which assembled at Watton, also gives rewards to deserving agricultural servants for length of servitude and general good conduct. The Society does not omit, either, to offer prizes for the best specimens of cottage- garden produce, and Lord Walsingham addressed to the re- cipients a few appropriate words in praise and advocacy of honesty, frugality, and attention to the work ia hand. The total amount distributed was £52 63. The exhibition of stock took place in a field placed at the Society's disposal by Mr. Massey, A silver cup was oOfered by Lord Walsingham for the best animal on the ground, and special prizes were liberally given by Mr. Brampton Gurdou, M.P., the Hon. F. Baring, the Hon. B. N. O. De Grey, and the Rev. W. H. Hicks, clergyman of the parish in which the meeting took place. These prizes, and the silver and bronze medals offered by the Society, induced a fair competition. Of fat stock there were some fine specimens, and the prizes were awarded as follows : For the best horned bull, Mrs. Brasnett, silver medal ; best polled bull, Mr. R. Salmon, silver medal ; best horned cow, in calf or in milk, Mr. H. Oldfield, silver medal ; beat polled cow, ditto, the Hon. B. N. O. De Grey, silver medal ; best horned (in-calf) heifer, Mr. T. Matthews, sen., silver medal ; best polled (in-calf) heifer, Mr. R, Salmon, silver medal ; best fat beast, Mr. J. AUday, silver medal. The whole of this last class were commended by the Judges. Mr. Kersey Cooper, Mr. J. Smith, Mr, T. Crisp (of Butley Abbey), and Mr. T. Palmer, were commended; and the animal shown by Mr. T. Matthews, sen., was highly commended. The horned cow shown by the same gentleman was also highly commended. In the class of polled cows, Mr. T. Hawes was highly commended, and Mr. H. J. W. Hunter commended. The ewes were a good class, but the Leicester rams were scarcely up to the mark. Mr. R. Webb took the silver medal for the best shearling ram; Mr. B. Hardy, for the best ram of any age; Mr. B. Gurdon, M.P., for the best five shearhng ewes for breeding, and for the best five ewes of any age (Mr. T. Wrightup highly commended) ; Mr. T. Bar- ton, for the best five fat shearlings, and for the best ten lambs (Mr. R. Dewing commended). Three prizes were offered for pigs, and Mr. Gurdon, M.P., received a second-class silver medal for the best boar (Mr. R. Goulder commended) ; Mr, W. Back, ditto, for the best breeding sow (Mr. Gurdon, M.P., commended) ; acd the Rev. B. Edwards, ditto, for the best litter of pigs under ten weeks old (Mr. Gurdon, M.P., commended^. In the horse classes, Mr. J. Tingey exhibited a noticeable cart stallion, and the prize offered for hackneys elicited a fair competition. Mr. Tingey's stallion carried off Lord Walsingham's cup for the best animal in the yard ; and Mr. S. K. Gayford's hackney— a horse which also attracted a good deal of attention— was awarded the special prize (silver medal) offered the Rev. W. H. Hicks. Silver medals were awarded to Mr. W. Bacte for the best cart stallion above three years old ; Mr. J. Tingey for the best cart stallion not exceeding three years old ; Mr. J. Wace for the best cart mare (Mr. R. Dewing commended) ; Messrs. R. and C. Hartt for the beet cart colt not exceeding three years old ; Mr. J. Marsh for the best cart foal. This last class was a good one ; an! the foals shown by Mr. R. Dewing, Mrs. Bras- nett, and the representatives of the late Mr. J. Cook were commended, Mr. Dewing's highly. For the rest, Mr. W. N. Roberson's cart stallion was awarded the silver medal offered by the Hon. B. N. 0, De Grey ; Mr. T. H. Gayford's bay mare, hack and hunter, and Mr. W. Parsley's hackney stallion were commended. Before quitting the stock, we ought to add that Mr. T. Barton was awarded the special prize offered by Mr. Gurdon, M.P. — a silver knife and fork — for the best five shearling ewes ; that Mr. R. Goulder received the silver medal offered as a special prize by the Hon. F. Baring for the best pair of working bullocks ; that Lord Sondes' five shearling ewes were highly commended, while his lordship's five ewe lambs were commended. The total number of stock entries was 267, an increase of 40 on last year. Roots — there were 72 specimens exhibited, and this de- partment attracted some attention. The Tunstead and Hap- ping hundreds carry off the palm for roots, as far as Norfolk is concerned, but the Wayland district puts in a re- spectable appearance. Bronze medals were awarded to Mr. J. Tingey for the best six long mangel-wurzels (Mr. R- Salmon highly commended ; Mr. J. Wace, Mr. J. Pitts, Mr T. Wrightup, and Mrs. Brasnett, commended); Mr, H. Old- field for the aix beat globe mangel-wurzels (Mr. R. Oldfields commended) ; Mr. W. Rook for the six best swedes (Mr. J« Tingey highly commended, Mr. H. Oldfield commended) ; Mr. J. Tingey for the best six turnips of any other kind (Mrs. Brasnett commended); and Messrs. R. and C. Hartt for the six best carrots (also commended). The weather was all that could be desired, and several hours were devoted to an examination of the stock. As the shades of evening drew on, the company adjourned to the Wayland Hall (erected within the last few years for public purposes), where about 140 gentlemen sat down to a substan- tial dinner under the presidency of Lord Walsingham. Lord Sondes, Mr. Gurdon, M.P. , Capt. Haggard, &c., were among the local gentry present. Some hopes hsd been entertained that the Duke of Wellington and his guest the Duke de Malakoff would also have attended the meeting ; but both these dis- tinguished personages failed to make their appearance. The speeches alter dinner were of the usual character, and confirmed the opinion that to secure any valu- able discussion some subject should be chosen as a kind of text beforehand. Bj the system pursued at most ot our agricultural gatherings, instruction in agricultural science is sacrificed to conviviality; and a fragmentax-y bit-by-bit style of speaking is the result — such as the de omnibus rebus every Friday in the House of Commons on the motion for adjournment till Monday. The great obstacle, however, in the way of agricultural dis- cussion is the tendency of most farmers — and of other classes also — to keep a good thing to themselves, and to make the most of any advantageous wrinkle. Still the meeting did not pass off without affording a few THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE, 283 sentences worth notice. Mr. Gurdon, M.P,, in responding on behalf of the county members, urged the propriety of attention to all improvements calculated to improve the soil and cheapen the cost of production. Mr. T. Barton, refer- ring to a statement made last year by the judges, that the roots then shown would not keep, stated that mangel-wurzel had never remained in better condition than diu-ing the past season. The same gentleman, also alluding to a statement made in some journals, that if yellow flowers were planted among potatoes they would not become diseased, said he had tried the experiment with the perennial sunflower, and there had been no disease. Mr. Kersey Cooper, in return- ing thanks for the judges, expressed his opinion that several animals in the yard were worthy of more extended com- petition. Mr. Gayford, of Wretham, who responded for the successful competitors, remarked that the show was a de- cided improvement on last year, particularly as regarded the neat stock and sheep, with the exception of the rams. The cart-horses were not very superior to those shown last year, although it was a point of great importance to the farmer that his cart-horses should be powerful and active animals. He feared Norfolk farmers had rather neglected the breediug of cart-horses, and that they had to some ex- tent lost the Norfolk stock. " Prosperity to the town of Watton" exhausted a rather lengthy toast-list, in which the healths of the noble president and a number of compli- mentary toasts were of course included. PROPOSED WELSH NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. [The foUowlDg letter has been circulated throughout the Principality.] Sir, — So eminent and so acknowledged has been the suc- cess of the various National Agricultural Societies of England, Scotland, and Ireland, in improving the shape, and conse- quently the value of the native stock, while they diffuse a new current of enterprise and useful information throughout the farmiug iuterest, that the question naturally arises, why should not Wales have her Society, presided over by her Prince, supported by her noblemen, gentry, and yeomen, of whom many are already so distinguished for their stock and style of agriculture? At a period when the great English breeders are at their wits' end for new elements of improvement (see Professor Brown's "Report on Live Stock at Newton," Vol. VI. West of England Society's Journal), the Principality has a com- paratively virgin soil to work. That she is alive to the ad- vantages of such an exhibition, witness the crowds at Cardiff: witness the unprecedented gathering of the Royal Agricul- tural Society at Chester, where at every third step you met a Welsh gentleman or farmer. At Cardiff the great feature of the meeting was the collection of Welsh Ponies, " miniature pictures of perfection" {Mark Lane Express) ; surpassed not- withstanding, as all can testify they might have been, who have travelled the Black Mountain district, or remember the old Rflg strain of North Wales. In London prices almost fabulous are obtained for the first- class Welsh pony, with its hunter points, its blood-like head, square action, and indomitable spirit. At Chester the mountain pony-stallions were "highly- commended," as a class, throughout, and spoke of with ad- miration by the judges. The blood-hack, again, bred between the Welsh mare pony and the thorough-bred horse, is ever a subject of eager com- petition. At the Chelmsford Meeting of the Royal Agricultural Society, a leading attraction of the show was a little Carmar- thenshire mare, " one of the moat handsome cobs ever seen" (Mark Lane Express), subsequently sold at an advanced age for one hundred guineas. • There is, again, the spirited, compact carter, found along the hill side (of just the stamp the Yorkshireman loves), which needs only size and careful breeding to rival the Clydesdale and Suffolk. For hnnters let Pembrokeshire speak alone. Only a few weeks since, one London detiler took a string'of seventy from that county ; while the peculiar Shropshire type of horse is said to owe its best characteristics to a dash of the Welsh pony blood. Not a few indeed of the fine English horses are due to Wales in another point of view : having been bought as suck- ers at the Welsh autumnal fairs from the small farmers, and subsequently forced on rich fen pasture in England. Here then is material for the enterprising improver, when we consider the reckless way in which at present the Welsh horse is bred, and how grievously starved in youth. Then, as regards the native sheep, look what judicious se- lection and attention have done for the Exmoor breed, so faultless as they were at Cardiff. Already indeed in the spe- cimens exhibited annually at Sir C. Morgan's TredegRr Show there is an indication of what may be done for the Welsh. Interested breeders of other stock may smile ; but greatly es- teemed as Welsh mutton is in the " Metropolis, and command- ing an extravagant price" {Mark Lane Express), there is a good prospect of profitable returns to those who, disregarding pre- judice, will patiently adopt such reasonable principles as regulated the early cultivation of the Down and other fashion- able breeds. " Whatever you do," said Mr. Torr, at the dinner of the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, a few days since — " whatever you do, don't neglect the native breeds of Scotland. Depend upon it the nation does not possess more valuable animals than those native breeds." And why should Wales depend on others any more ? At Chester the black cattle were acknowledged to be admirable. On this head again hear that distinguished authority the Mark Lane Express : " But the Welsh cattle stood in the greatest prominence here ; and it is only a national meeting like this that can demonstrate how far they may be actually improved. Colonel Pennant's stock are very different to the ' runts' we are accustomed to, good even as they are, and it is very evident that with a little more care the black cattle of North Wales may become a favourite breed. At present it is said the farmers take little or no pains with them ; the land- lords however are setting them an excellent example, and something must come of it." Snrely in the cultivation of this field there is only needed enterprise and union, and it were a new firm bond of a decaying nationality. With Devonshire, Herefordshire, and the Short-horn conutry at hand, there need be little fear of a limited entry in 284 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. those respects if the prizes be, as they should be, sufficient and opeu. Several ulterior questions will present themselves in course, as, for instance, how far it may be deemed expedient to amal- gamate in one Central Society the existing local county shows ? Whether, if established, this Society should hold its meetings at one central place always, or alternately in North and South Wales? Whether there should not be special prizes for flannel and other provincial manufactures, &c. ? For the present, this circular is dispatched as a feeler, and we should be much obliged by an early answer, as to whether your support will be given to the project, and any suggestion on any point. On behalf of the Provisional Committee, George Montgomery Traiierne. To whom all communications are requested to be addressed. St. Hilary, Cowbridge, Glamorganshire, September, 1858. IRISH AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS. Total Number of Live Stock in each year from 1855 to 1858, inclusive : — Horses. Cattle. Sheep. Pigs. 1855 &56,287 .. 3,564,400 .. 3,602,342 .. 1,177,605 1856 573,408 .. 3,587,858 .. 3,69«,';94 .. 918,525 1867 599,782 .. 3,620,954 .. 3,452,252 .. 1,255,186 1858 610,717 .. 3,661,594 .. 3,487,785 .. 1,402,812 Increase or decrease in numbers from 1855 lo 1853 — 54,430 .. 97,194 .. 114,557 .. 225,207 increase. increase. decrease. increase. Total Value of Live Stock in each year from 1855 to to 1858, calculated according to the Rates assumed by the Census Commissioners of 1841, viz. : — For Horses, £8 each; Cattle, £6 lOs. ; Sheep, 228. ; and Pigs, 25s. each :— Horses. Cattle. Sheep. Pigs. Total. £ £ £ £ £ 1855 .. 4,450,296.. 23,168,600. 3,S6'2,576.. l,47i,0nc .. 83,05.'?,473 1856 . . 4,587,264 . . 23,321,077 . . 4,063,723 . . 1,148,156 . . 33, 120,220 1857 .. 4,798,256 .. 2.3,536,201 . . 3,797,477 .. l,.'i68,9^2 . . 33,700,9 i 6 1858 ..4,885,736 . . 23,800,301 . . 3,836,563 . . l,75i,5I5 ..34,276,175 Increase or decrease in value from 1855 to 1858 — £435,440 ,£631,761 £126,013 £281,509 £1,222,697 increase. increase, decrease, increase. increase. Abstract of Cereal Crops. 1857. 1858. Decrease. Acres. Acres. Acres. Wheat .559,646.... 651,386.... 8,260 Oats 1,980,934 1,976,929 4,005 Barlbv 211,288 190,721.... 20,567 BkrbandRye. 21,374.... 16,489.... 4,885 Beans & Peas. 13,586.... 12,876 710 Total.... 2,786,828 2,748,401 38,427 Total Extent, in Statute Acres, of Cereal and Green Crops from 1855 to 1858, inclusive: — 1855. 1856. 1857. 1858. Wheat 445,775.. 529,051.. 559,646.. 551,386 Oats ...2,118,858 ..2,037,<137 ..1,980,934 ..1,976,9.9 Barley 226,6^9.. 18i!,796 .. 211,288.. 190,721 Bp.re and Rye ... 22,817.. 19,S91.. 21,374.. 16,469 Beans and Peas. 18,495.. 16,034.. 13,586.. 12,876 Potatoes 982,301 ..1,104,704 ..1,146,647 ..1,160,058 Turnips 366953.. 3i4,451.. 350,047.. 837,877 Mangei, &Beet. 22,567.. 22,201,, 21,629.. 3(i,027 Cabbage 24,121., 27,968.. 30,0]1.. 33,107 Caiirots, Pars- nips, and other Green Crops.... 19,042.. 20,734.. 21,602.. 23,450 Vetches & Rape. 29,406.. 29,183.. 34 740.. 33,441 Pl-AX 97,075.. 106,311.. 97,721.. 91,555 Meadow fcCliOV.. 1,314,807 ,,1,302,787 ..1,369,892 ,.1,424,578 Abstract op Green Crops. 1867. Acres. Potatoes 1,146,647 ..1,160,066 Turnips 850,047 Mangel Wurzel and Beet Root 21,629 Cabbage SOJOll Carrots, Pars- nips, and other Green Crops.... 21,602 Vetches & Rape, 34,740 186S. Increase. Decrease Acres. Acres. Acres. 1,160,066 . 837,877 . . 13,409 ." 12,170 30,027 . 33,107 , . 8,398 . . 8,096 . '. - 23,450 . 33,441 . . 1,818 '. 1,299 Total 1,604,676 ..1,617,958 .. 26,751.. 13,468 Increase on Green Crops in 1858:— 18,282 acres. General Summary. Increase in Green Crops in 1 858 18,282 Do. on Meadow and Clover in ditto 54,686 Total increase 67,988 Deduct decrease on Cereal Crops, 38,427 acres ) ■ .j^ . , .39 Do. do. Flax Total increase in the extent of land under crops in 1858 .. 23,375 As regards the condition of Irish agriculture, I beg to state that I continue to receive communications from various quar- ters relative to the pernicious growth of weeds which is unfor- tunately so prevalent throughout the country ; and an anxious desire is generally expressed for some legislative measure to protect the improving farmer, who cleans his land, from the injury done to his crops by the winged seeds of noxious weeds carried by the wind from the field of some negligent neighbour. Such a protection is afl'orded to the cultivator of the soil in some of Her Majesty's Colonies, and in parts of Europe, The number of holdings in Ireland — from all of which re- turns are obtained — is nearly 600,000. The number of enu- merators this year was about 4,000 ; they were selected from the Constabulary and Metropolitan Police, and, as on former occasions, discharged their duties in a very efficient manner. William Donnelly, \5th Septemhtr, 1858. Registrar-General. HARVEST HOME, " Come sons of summer, by whose toil We are the lords of wine and oil ; By whose tough labours, and rough hands, We rip up first, then reap our lands : Crown'd with the ears of corn, now come. And to the pipe sing Harvest Home. Come forth, my lord, and see the cart Dressed up with all the country art : See here a maukin ; there a sheet As spotless, pure, as it is sweet ; The horses, mares, and frisking fillies. Clad all in linen white as lilies ; The harvest swains, and wenches bound For joy, to see the hock-cart crown'd : About the cart, hear how the rout Of rural younglings raise the shout, Pressing before, some coming after. Those with a shout, and tliese with laughter : Some bless the cart, some kiss the sheaves. Some prank them up with oaken leaves ; Some cross the fill-horse, some with great Devotion stroke the home-borne wheat. Well, on, brave boys, to your lord's hearth, Glitt'ring with fire, where, for your mirth, Ye shall see first the large and chief Foundation of your feast, fat beef; With upper stories, mutton, veal, And bacon, which makes full the meal ; With several dishes standing b^', As here a custard, there a pie. And here all-tempting frumenty ; And for to make the merry cheer. If smirking wine be wanting here, Thei-e's that which drowns all care— Stout Beer»" THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 285 FISH MANURE. It i; strange how long some subjects take before they obtain firm hold upon the public mind, or become objects of ju-actical utility and industrial application. Thus the utilization of the sewage-manure of towns, of the sea-weeds, and the waste otFal and inedible fish of our coasts, much as they have all been discussed for many years past, have not yet become articles of com- merce, so as to be available to any extent by the farmers of the kingdom. Mr. Braithwaite Poole, inhis Statistics of British Com- merce, tells us that there are annually used in the United Kingdom 90,000,000 tons of farm-yard or animal ma- nures, exclusive of guano, nitrate of soda, and other artificial fertilizers. This subject of fertilizers for our soils involves a money value of £^25,000,000 annually. Anything, therefore, that would economize the labour of transporting and spreading bulky farm-yard manure, by giving us a more concentrated and portable fer- tilizer for our soils, anything that will render us less dependent upon the Peruvian Government for guano, would be hailed as a national boon. If but half the energy, a tithe of the capital, and a small share of the experimental research and skill applied to many engineering and mechanical undertakings, had been directed to these important desiderata, we should long ere this have been reaping the benefit of a home manu- facture calculated to renovate and invigorate our soils, and add largely to the productive resources of the kingdom. For several years past, project after pi-oject has been started, to extend the use of fish-manure ; but one after another lias broken down, from some cause or other. Three years ago Professor Way, in a lecture before the Royal Agricultural Society, called special attention to the use of fish as a manure, and contributed much valuable information on this important subject. He described the various methods that had been proposed, or were being carried out, for drying and preserving the fish ; such as those of Mr. Pettittby sulphuric acid, of Mr. Elliott by the use of alkali, of Mr. Bethell by the employment of tar oils, of Messrs. de Molon and Thurnysen by treatment with high-pressure steam, of Mr. Stevens (the contractor for refuse fish at Billings- gate) who incorporates the fish in superphosphate of lime, &c. The West of England Fisheries and Fish Manure Company (Galway) recently wound up after a few months' trial, and wasting a large amount of capital. The Lowestoft Fi'ench experiment seems to have been placed in the hands of persons possessed of little or no practical commercial knowledge. Mr. Pettitt's patent seems to have failed mainly from the indolence of the Irish fishermen, where the chief experiments were made, and the expense of sulphuric acid required for the reduction of the fish. A new association, the North Sea Fisheries Company, is now establishing itself at Lynn; and another experi- mentalist on the manufacture of fish -manure, Mr. Samuel Osier, of Yarmouth, has also entered the field of production. Mr. Osier evidently brings to the sub- ject a large amount of local experience, extensive con- nections, sound judgment and practical knowledge, which we trust may result in benefit to himself as well as to the agricultural community. He proposes entering largely into the manufacture ol" fish-guano, and relies chiefly for the raw material upon the sup- plies of waste fish and offal always to be obtained. Thus he says : "The waste and refuse of a great fishin«c port will supply the materials cheaply and v?ithout risk or outlay, and as it will be a great additional gain to a fishing adventure to obtain a certain and constant demand for all this waste iind otherwise unsaleable fish, the establishment of manufactories of fish- manure will lead to new fisheries where, without such aid, they could not prudently be commenced. Yarmouth, the chief fishing-station in England, with the adjoining: coast from Lowestoft to Aldborough, offers every advantaj^e for such a manufacture. It employs near 400 boats, from 25 to 60 tons each. They ordinarily afford from 2,000 to 3,000 tons of broken fish and salt, selling at about £1 2s. per ton; besides the waste of 4C0 smoking-houses, sold as refuse ; and from 500 to 700 tons of herring-scales, a substance containing a very large proportion of phosphates, and obtainable for£I lOs. per ton. This is independent of the waste from occasional gluts of dog-fish and others, useless for food, of which no ac- count is taken, yet which are caught in very large quantity, and of which an unlimited supply might be obtained, if the fishers could obtain a sale. Last year, so great was the glut of herrings at Lowestoft that, at one time, they were carted by the farmers at 4s. 6d. per ton. An ample, cheap, and con- tinuous supply would therefore be secured from the first, by simply taking from the fishermen what they will only be too thankful to sell ; and the manufacture, which would be in every sense of the word a national benefit, may he carried on with no risk, small outlay, and large profit." We need not dilate upon the relative value of fish- manure as an application to the soil, because this sub- ject has already been well ventilated, and is perfectly understood by the farmers generally. The extensive and increasing use of Peruvian guano, even at its high ruling price, is an evidence of this. According to Pro- fessor Johnston, ten tons of fish, as far as nitrogen is concerned, are equal to sixty- six tons of farm -yard manure. Fish-manure afforded by dried fish will give 16 per cent, of nitrogen, if the ammonia is fixed ; in blood 12 per cent., guano 14 per cent., farm-yard manure and marine plants about 2 per cent. We have had analyzed different samples of Mr. Os- ier's patent fish manure sent to us, and find that it con- tarns from 8 to 12 per cent, of ammonia; the difference arising from manufacturing fully or partially-salted inedible fish; the higher per-centage being yielded without alknlinp salts. The manure is prepared in a single day, without hydraulic pressure or grinding. The product from salted fish is stated to be about four- tcnths of the bulk o? weight, and from fresh fish about three-tenths ; consequently the cost of the manufac- tured article may be readily determined by the rate at 286 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. which offal-fish can be bought— generally about 20s. per ton for dog-fish and others; and these rates will pay the fishermen to fish especially for them. Dog- fish yield a large quantity of manui'e, their muscular fibre being so firm; and there is also much oil obtained from the liver. During the process of manufacture the albumen becomes solidified, like the white of an egg, adding to the quantity and richness of the manure. While the manufacture of fish-manure is being suc- cessfully prosecuted in France, in Newfoundland, in Massachusetts, and other coasts of the United States, it does seem somewhat strange that it has not yet been made an extensive branch of business on our sea- coasts. With such fishing-stations and sources of supply as Yarmouth, Lynn, Penzance, Mullin, Ply- mouth, Edinburgh, Dundee, Wick, it is a disgrace to us that the boundless harvest of the ocean placed at our doors should not have been more ft'eely drawn upon for food and for manure. It is not every farmer who can avail himself of the superabundance of the fisheries to cart off to his land ; but by a slight desiccation and suitable preparation large supplies of portable and valuable manures are available, and would be readily purchased throughout the country. Mr. Osier combines M'ith his patent the preservation in a cheap and portable form of all the nutritive por- tions of fish for food, in a concentrated and portable form. But with this and the other products, oil, gelatine, &c., which come in as profitable adjuncts to the manufactui'e, we do not deal, confining ourselves chiefly to the consideration of the more important matter of raanui'e for the soil. Aside from this most important point, such a manu- facture exclusively carried out would even be of great national interest. It would enable a fishei'y to be established at every cove and nook that can shelter a boat, giving the blessing of abundant cheap animal food to the labouring population, genuine and eco- nomical concentrated animal manure to the farmer, a crew to man a life-boat at every spot of danger, and an effective band of seamen for the defence of the country. THE PROPOSED INTRODUCTION OF THE ALPACA TO AUSTRALIA. While attention is now so largely directed to works of skill and feats of construction, there is also something else to be done for the benefit of the United Kingdom and of mankind at large. We may contemplate with pride the mechanical skill, perseverance, and ingenuity which have resulted in our expensive railways, the At- lantic telegTaph, the launching of the Leviathan, and the construction of Keyham and Cherbourg Docks. But the human race, as it progresses, must be fed and clothed, for we shall get no work out of empty stomachs. It is right, therefore, that attention should now and then be directed to something useful and something new in the way of acclimatization, whether it be of ani- mals or vegetables. Not that we have been at all backward in this good work in Great Britain, as our fields, gardens, and pastures amply testify. The Me- rino and the Southdown improvements have done much for the fleece and flesh of our sheep. We may point also with satisfaction to our improved breeds of horses, cattle, swine, and poultry. If we have not yet found a substitute for guano, we may yet do so when our coast fisheries are more developed, and the metropolitan sewage projects have settled down into practical utility. But it is not with our home enterprise that we desire at present to deal. There is skill, energy, and compe- tition enough displayed among breeders, farmers, and agricultural implement-makers of every class. Still it is wise to have our eyes open to future interests at home and abroad; for we desire to receive something besides gold from our colonies, glad as we are to hail the arri- val of the auriferous ore which reaches us to the value of millions in the year. We could better, how- ever, dispense with the yellow metal from Australia than we could with the acceptable bales of wool. With- out the fifty-million pounds of wool annually from Australia our manufacturers would be sadly inconve- nienced for the raw material. The introduction of new and improved breeds of domestic animals in our colo- nies is of the highest importance to them and to our- selves, because we share in theii industrial products. Much too little has yet been done in this respect ; and now that the minds of the colonists are so pre-occupied with' the gold-mining and trading, that the days of squatting, when sheep-farming, cattle-breeding, and cultivation were more primarily thought of, have passed away, our merchants and farmers at home have to take the initiative in suggesting and caiTying out many improvements. Hence we hail with satisfaction the effort now being made to purchase by subscription and send out to Australia the flock of alpacas recently brought over from South America. The advocacy of the introduction of the alpaca into our colonies is no new idea, but was mooted many years ago, and its importance shown. These subjects are driven out of mind by other more stirring topics, and have to be renewed from time to time, in order to become impressed upon the public mind, and lead to the desired results. The United States are before ns in many of these matters. Thus they have recently been importing camels for interior travel, which are reported to answer admirablj^ They have also, for some time, introduced and bred the Angora and Thibet goats, and are now speaking of domesticating the Rocky Moun- tain goat or sheep, which bears a good fleece. How beneficial would the camel have proved in Aus- tralia ! IIow many good lives might have been spared had this useful beast of burden been introduced ! We should not have had to mourn the loss of such a man as Leichhardt, and other bold explorers. Australia is THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE, 2S7 the very place for the Baetrian camel ; and this animal is not only a necessity for exploring parties in the far interior, but would prove of immense advantage to traders in the conveyance of merchandise, until a net- work of railways cover the land. The importance of alpaca wool is now thoroughly appreciated, and our manufacturers, and those of France, would use twice the quantity if they could get it. It is still largely in demand, although our imports — 2,.500,000 to 3,000,0001bs. annually— are double what they were a few years ago. Beautiful stuffs are produced in great varieties from it, worked alone, or mixed with wool or silk. With the view of benefiting the colony, the Govern- ment of South Australia notified, some years ago, its willingness to encourage the importation of camels and alpacas by holding out a bonus of £60 to the first im- porter of one male and two female camels, and the sum of £50 to the first importer of two male and eight female alpacas, in healthy condition, any time during the year 1851. If the oSer was not claimed in due time, it at least led to some result; for we find that a Mr, Haigh, of Port Lincoln, has now several Cashmei'e goats, alpacas, and Angora goats thriving well. The alpacas are of remarkable excellence : the black speci- mens of a deep bright black, almost jet. These fleeces weigh from six to ten pounds each, the wool being thirteen inches long. The fleece of the Angora goat is a mohair of a peculiarly soft and silky character. Tiie fibres are wavy, and slightly inclined to curl. The wool, even at four months' growth, is six or seven inches long. The extensive introduction of the alpaca into Austra- lia ofifers a wide field of encouragement to the pastoral settler. The climate and pasture are well suited to the wants of the animal; and the profit on the clip is far beyond that of sheep's wool. Hundreds of thousands of alpacas might roam among the mountain chains, or cover the elevated plains of Australia, neither trench- ing upon the sheep nor depasturing upon culti- vated lands. They would not enhance the price of a whcaten loaf, but would open up employment to thousands — call a large and ever increasing capital into circulation, and not only produce a nev/ and valu- able fabric, but also by degrees create a demand within the colonies themselves for the employment of ma- chinery for the production of the multitudinous ma- nufactures to which the silky alpaca wool can be ap- plied. There are three distinct species of this animal : The alpaca, the largest and most important ; the guanaco, of a dark-brown colour, inclining to white under the belly; and the vicuna, the smallest species, about the size of a goat, whose body is covered with a remarka- bly fine soft wool, of a pale reddish-brown. All the species are easily domesticated; indeed, the alpaca has been a domesticated animal as long as we have any record. The wool of the vicuna and guanaco, although less valuable than that of the alpaca, enters into com- merce for hat-felting and other purposes. The vicuna and guanaco inhabit the elevated regions of Patagonia, where no other animal can live. They are numerous in the Cordilleras of Chile, where flocks of several himdreds are seen together, like sheep, and hunted for their wool and flesh. If they could but be multiplied in the interior ranges of Australia, taking the place of the native kangaroo, how great would be the benefit ! So jealous are the Peruvians of the export of these animals, that every possible obstacle — fine, penalty, and imprisonment — are placed in the way of their shipment ; hence their purchase and transport have to be made surreptitiously. That they can be obtained is evident from the fact that at least a couple of hundred have been imported into this country during the last fifteen years ; and that they have thriven and bred in England and Scotland. But they have been kept here more as ob- jects of curiosity than for propagating the breed and increasing the supply of fine long wool. What we desire to see, therefore, is a strenuous and business-like effort to extend this domesticated breed of wool-bearing animals in our colonies, wherever the climate and locality are suitable. If the Manchester manufacturers find it to their interest to promote, by every means in their power, the extended culture of fine and improved cotton by associated enterprise, surely it must be equally important to the second great manu- facturing interest of this kingdom to stimulate and encourage new supplies of fine long staple wool. What has been done by Mr, Titus Salt is an earnest of what can be done by others. The field of operation is a wide ene; the results likely to bo individually remunerative, and generally beneficial to the great interests of the wool trade. LOIS-WEEDON HUSBANDRY. In the absence of a new edition of the " Word in Season," all readers who feel an interest in the Lois- Weedon husbandry will welcome the following letter from the Rev. Mr. Smith : Lois-Weedon Vicarage, Aug. 23rd, 1850. Our wishes and expsctations are realized; and trench- ing is done by steam. If this is a boon to others, you, who have entered so deeply into the practical de- tails of Lois-Weedon husbandry, will foresee at once its eventual importance to me. For trenching by steam costs but i2s. per acre, up to 18s. in extreme cases; and if so, my moiety of each acre will cost but 6s. to 9s. at the utmost. But my great object in writing is to answer j'our ques- tion, How my crops have turned out.' Taking quality and quantity together, never so well ; for on my three-acre home piece of clay land, the yield this year of fine red wheat, tested by the bushel, was over 5 qrs. to the mea- sured acre ; sold at once for 45s, with a ver}' heavy weight of straw, estimated at more tlian 2 tons to the acre. And you would not be surprised at the estimate, had you seen it before reaping— a good deal of it upwards of 0" feet high, and yet none of it laid. By the expression, " 5 qrs, to the X 2 388 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. acre,"" I mean— as you know, but many do not— the whole superficial acre, including the fallow intervals. I mean that the crop of 5 qrs. was taken from only the moiety, or —as some will have it— three-fifths of the acre ; the other moiety bein^ a well-tilled bed for the succeeding crop. I have said that none of this tall and heavy wheat-crop was laid. I believe the case is almost peculiar. Witli the exception of another piece of wheat in this parish, on my plan, I know of no other bulky crop that was not in part or wholly beaten down; and had only ten days' fall of rain come upon it in that condition, the loss to the country would have been immense, and in some cases ruinous. We were only saved by a providential succession of many weeks of sunshine unprecedented in our climate. Could we reckon upon such a season year after year, the open-handed, intel- ligent farmer, with the aid he now has from artificial ma- nure, might safely reckon year after year upon a yield of C qrs. As it is, the best authorities despair of any means, in the ordinary mode of farming, of guarding against an evil which so often partially blights or utterly destroys liis hopes. I owe my general immunity from this disaster, not so much to the greater comparative stoutness of my straw, as to the broad space of my fallow intervals, which enables me to earth-np my wheat with the mould-hourd Though my wheat crop on the clu,y, with reference to the principles and practice of Lois-Weedon husbandry, is the most important crop of the two, you will like to hear of the four-acre piece on the gravel land. It is in stack, and can only be estimated at a full average. The crop, thougli short in the straw, and not bulky, was very beautiful, and upstanding throughout; and the large and heavy ears — nearly double the size of those in the adjoining fields — clear! 3' owed their excellence to a peculiar process in tillage — a last deep and efiTectual stirring, at the commencement of flowering ; and when I speak of such a stirring, I mean what is tantamount to a dressing of guano. My winter beans, in sinyle rov:s 5 fett apart, yield, hy measurement, 5 qrs. to the acre; with an interlining light crop of carrots. Last year the yield of beans, grown in the same way, was 6 qrs. 2^ bushels, which sold at 483. ; with somewhat under 8 tons of red carrots in the intervals. This very remarkable produce of beans was correctly given in the il/arfc Lane Express a short time since; but when reference was made to the wheat crop on the clay, there was an error, as the yield was actually 4^ qrs., after being estimated at 6 qrs. Faithfully yours, S. Sjiith. The successive yields in bushels per acre on the renowned " clay piece" have been as follows — in the harvest of — The straw varies from l^ to more than 2 tons per acre. Thus, while the average of the twelve years is about 35 bushels an acre, the average of the last four years is 38^ bushels — that is, 51 bushels more than the average of five earlier years. There are no symptoms of exhaustion in such a state of things, though the land has been kept in heart without a single application of either farm-yard, liquid, artificial, or any other manure — the grain, of course, being sold, and the straw and stubble carried-oif and consum.cd as fodder and litter for the enrichment of other fields. The soil being so mellow and productive, unlike its original self in tenacity and temper, possesses evidently no smaller amount of " humus," or unctuous warmth- yielding vegetable matter, than it formerly did ; and from the absorbent, altered texture of the soil and subsoil, there is obviously more instead of less of the carbon, ammonia, and other organic substances. So that the non-mineral portion of the crop — that is, the great bulk of all the twelve years' grain and straw, has been acquired from the atmosphere, either directly by the plant during its vegetation, or indirectly through the agency of the soil. But the silica, potash, soda, lime, phosphorus, sulphur, and other mineral ingre- dients— abstracted some by stones' weight, some by only pounds' weight per acre — have clearly been re- moved from the field without any return or restitution; and when the stock of these, or but one of these, con- stituents is reduced to a certain quantity, the land will be soon exhausted and the crops will fail. Year by year Mr. Smith deepened his staple with the fork, every inch of fresh soil providing a hundred thousand tons for an acre's crop to search in for minerals, and, while he thus deepened, all might be well. But when deep digging became too expensive and tedious, how long would the supply of earth-food bcforthcoming? Twenty inches down Mr. Smith stayed his hand, and the last four crops have been grown we believe, on intervals worked only half-depth— snowing that one crop cannot glean out the nutriment contained in a single fresh inch of such soil. The clay is not a shallow stratum, but has a similar constitution for several feet down, at least as far as minerals are concerned ; and as the ground grows richer in organic matter as the tillage opens it to the air, Mr. Smith may prepare mineral nourishment below as fast as the wheat crops consume it at the surface. This land is not peculiar for this homogeneous nature; but thousands and tens of thousands of acres of deep loams and clays, or soils now shallow because of the culture, but which might be worked to treble their depth, have subsoils minerally as good as the staple. Only prepare these minerals by contact with the atmosphere and its various agencies, sufficiently fast for the demands of your crops, and no number of crops in succession can exhaust them — the minerals, in fact, lasting while you have any soil left. On a shallow loam on raw gravel or rock, you cannot thus permanently maintain the supply : the hard material will disintegrate and furnish fresh soil, but so slowly that the minerals in the loam must be carefully husbanded, and fertility be preserved by restoring in manures what is stolen by the crops. On a gravelly subsoil, poor in wheat minerals, Mr. Smith only practises after-dressing with clay ; and his four-acre piece has produced an admirable harvest eight years in succession without any other species of manure than that one moderate spi'eading of clay, though the land was both foul and exhausted when he began his culture. With expenses and profits we meddle not just now — merely saying that with wheat down to forty shillings a quarter, Mr. Smith gets a handsome return for h;s outlay. But we would reiterate, that year after year brings new proofs to substantiate the system ; and now that steam trenching and subsoiling are within every farmer's reach, by which the Lois-Weedon tillage can be greatly cheapened, we really hope it will be taken up in earnest, in every snifal)Io locality. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 289 THE ROYAL AGRICULTURAL IMPROVEMENT SOCIETY OF IRELAND. MEETING AT LONDONDERRY. The national Agricultural Society of Ireland would seem to flourish almost before its time. It is very cer- tain that the Irish farmer is not even now quite pre- pared for its proceedings. He cannot welcome tlie insti- tution of such an organ as did his brethren in England the establishment of a similar association. In a word, he is hardly equal to tlie position. The small holdings, still more or less general here, will not allow of the oc- cupier taking much active interest in such an occasion. He has no stock to exhibit, and few implements to buy. He is rarely a member of the Society, is as seldom seen at the dinner, and year after year suflPers the tenant-farmer classes to pass by with " no entry," or " no competition." And yet, perhaps, there is not one of our tliree agri- cultural bodies doing more good than this is. Its in- fluence may be not altogether so apparent, but its effect is unquestionable. The Improvement Society, in fact, is acting quite up to its title, and is dating this improvement from the fountain head. It is sim- ply, so far, a school for landlords. Nothing, we really believe, has tended more to make the owners of the soil residents on their estates. Nothing has certainly ever, previous to this era, caused them to take so nctive a share in the management of their property ; and no- thing has conduced so much to its amelioration. The very character of the annual meeting has something of an excitement and an emulation about it, especially attractive to the national taste ; and "my lord" will now prepare a Shorthorn or a Clydesdale with all the energy he once employed over a steeple-chaser, or an entry for The Curragh. The only material difference is this, that, win or lose, the estate would suffer in the one case just as it profits in the other. But the diver- sion in favour of the pursuits of agriculture will not end here. The Irish Society must become a farmers' society, after all. An improving landlord will never rest content with a non-improving tenantry. The owner who has learned what may be done will be sure to see that it is done. Indirect as this action may be at the outset, it will eventually be effective. The land- lord is getting off his lesson very creditably, and the other's turn must come. There is no doubt they have both wanted it ; at the same time it is encouraging to see how people may improve themselves. The ad- vance of agriculture in Ireland is so far almost entirely due to the Irish themselves — to the Irish gentry more particularly. There are now few districts in which such a compari- son as that inferred would be more striking than in Londonderry. Such a meeting might at the first glance appear almost out of place here. What are the forty-acre farmers to do with costly shorthorns, or the promising pcrformaficeo of the yteum-plough ? What good can come of it? Can they ever hope to attain to either one or the other? We must let their landlords answer for them, as they did at the dinner here, and say they can hope for something from all this. It may begin with a better horse travelling the country, or by " Sir Harvey" buying a reaper or a steam-engine. But the visit will not have been paid in vain. The very city of Derry will "take up" the cause, and the goodly corporations will have to follow the example. It is proverbial that we have few worse landlords than these public bodies ; but the day is coming when Col- leges and Companies will no longer be allowed to stand in the way of our advancement. However well or ill the neighbourhood may have been previously read up, the kind of instruction pro- vided here was of the highest order. Without being throughout numerically the strongest, it was one of the best shows the Society has ever commanded. Of course, like nearly all other similar institutions, this has its peculiar features of excellence — Short-horn cattle and Berkshire pigs — more recently, Horses— and yet more recently. Implements. It was by far the best exhibition of the latter ever seen at one of these mi- gratory meetings; and yet more satisfactory was it to notice the increasing attention paid by the public to this section of the show. On the Thursday the crowd fairly deserted even the thorough-bred horses and Challenge Cup cattle, to throng round Richmond and Chandler's, and Gray's (of Glasgow) well-arranged collections. The steam-plough trials, to be reached by a miserable single line of railway, were too far off to tempt many; but either for business or good sensible enquiries, the manufacturers had never so much to do at an Irish gathering. It is significant to add that Mr. Torr, a judge here, and a member of Council in his own country, attributes much of this success to the introduction of the prize system. Some years since there were no premiums given for implements in Ire- laud, and the show of them was a mere shadow to what it has been since the offer of money prizes. Surely there is some deduction to be drawn from this. A full report of what was exhibited and done in this division of the prize sheet is subjoined by a valued correspondent of our own, who was present at all the trials. To return to the original attractions of an Irish meeting, wo have to report another famous entry of shorthorns. Indeed, had all been forwarded that were promised, it would have been a more than usually good display of them. Mr. Stratton, however, did not send his nominations, and the numbers consequently came very much to a par with those at Waterford last year. But to prove the sjuperiority of the sample, it 290 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. may be added that the then best of all the animals was only the best of her class here— Mr. Douglas' The Rose of Athelstane, who took the first prize for cows. She was still beaten for " the best of all" by one of her own herd, and a half-sister — the now famous Queen of Trumps. The latter was again side by side with Venus dcMedicis, and the vexed question as to the pick of the pair was decided in confirmation of the Chester award. In fact, the Queen of Trumps appears to have improved even since then, and it is diffi- cult now to imagine how the white heifer could have ever had the advantage of her. The quality of either is excellent ; but her majesty is the more roomy and broader, of a better colour, with a better head, and certainly with the preference in point of general appearance. But they are both extraordinary animals, and should be painted— as they so often have stood — together. Mr. Douglas thus wins the new Purcell challenge-cup for the second year in succession, aud it looks more than probable that he may follow Colonel Towneley's example, and secure it during the next. He also wins the gold medal with the Queen of Trumps as the best cow; while his especial success does not even end here. The London- derry meeting inaugurated another challenge-cup for the best three horned animals shown in the same sec- tion, and the master of Athelstaneford claimed this also with three beautiful heifers, all of his own breed- ing. So generally good were they, that in a remark- ably superior class of over thirty, they were only just separated. One took the first prize, and the other two were highly commended. Mr. Barnes' heifer, which Interfered, and had second honours, was a great fa- vourite with the judges. She is sure to go on improv- ing, and in another year will be a very formidable opponent. Her touch is peculiarly fine, and she has some other capital " points" that only require further developing. Captain Ball made a good fight for the Waterford cup with four heifers, all home-bred ; three of which were commended. Under ordinary circum- stances he might have fully expected to take it; tut to beat Mr. Douglas is now to beat the world. We are sorry to say that the latter, although in Londonderry, was too ill to appear on the show-ground. The meeting received another considerable accession of strength from Scotland in Mr. Tod, of Elphinstone, who had the best aged bull and the second-best cow. His bull is a long, square, but by no means perfect beast. Although we cannot say why, the Irish shows are never very good in male animals. The old bulls were quite a secondary lot, with one or two very inferior animals amongst them. But the repute of the meeting was saved by the twenty yearlings, all bred in he country, and almost every one a credit to it. Nothing speaks more to the establish- ment of the breed in the sister-kingdom than such heifers as Captain Ball could show, backed by such young bulls as those of Mr. Challoner, Mr. Barcroft, Mr. Gildowny, and Mr. Tynte. The last-named gen- tleman's yearling deservedly took the gold medal as the beet of all the bulls. He is very handsome, of a fashionable colour, and as he drops to his leg will be a grand framed animal. Perhaps the advance of the sort could not be better proved than by these classes. The two-year-old bulls were much better than their seniors, and the yearlings, again, far better than either. The only shorthorn sent by an Englishman was a two- year-old by the Fourth Duke of Oxford. Mr. Browne, of Swindon, risked the voyage with him, in company with one or two good coarsish Hampshire Downs. They had evidently stood the trip better than the young bull who looked " picked," tucked up, and leggy. Our Hibernian friends are apparently quite satisfied with the good sort of beast thty have now got so firm a hold of. The Herefords they cannot understand or appreciate, for never were there so poor a lot of cows, and heifers more particularly, entered for public com- petition. Ragged, narrow, and ugly, the judges positively refused to pass sentence on some of them. Then the Devons are "bad milkers," they say, and very few are cultivated : but Lord Charlemont has some fine specimens of them, and none the worse for a little more size than we see here. Another noble lord — Talbot de Malahide — has a fancy for the black Scotch polled cattle, and always shows them with credit. A yet more fancy article is the Kerry ; but beautiful indeed as are Sir Edmund M'Donnell's miniatures, they are far too small to make much head-way in these times. They form an agreeable variety in the yard; but it would be rather stretching the argument to tell a far- mer that is the sort of thing he should turn his at- tention to. In short, the modern agriculturists of Ire- land have made a most j udicious selection. When they want good beef, and plenty of it, they apply to the Shorthorn ; and when they want milk, they go to the Ayi'shire. The latter made almost as strong a show as the other favoured race. It is seldom indeed that we have seen better cows, with their beautiful deer heads, fine necks, and grand udders. They look better here, too, than they do in Scotland, and have not that bony, wretched frame so frequently associate 1 with a good milker. Sir F. Heygate and Messrs. Boyd, Harrison, and Alexander have done much for Ireland in this respect, and the specimens from their herds they entered at Lon- donderry would hold their own anywhere. An Ayrshire or an Alderney bull must be a difficult animal to judge; but we believe there is a scale of points to which, no doubt, the canny gentleman had referred, when he pre- pared his stock for the Glasgow Meeting. With sheep, Ireland is becoming yet more and more select. There is in reality only one breed now in favour here, and that is the Leicester. — A sort we have been rather prone of late to consider as going out of date, although Mr. Sanday's average is the highest of the year. The use they turn him to, aci'oss the channel, is in the improvement of a great coarse animal known as the Connaught sheep, that comes in its thousands and tens of thousands to the fair of Ballianasloe. Let him alone, and this native would not arrive at maturity until three years old. Messrs. Owen and Roberts, how THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 291 ever, are trying- the Leicester cross with great suc- cess, and they are KO'"? ^^ ^'^'T good men for what they want. This was the only creditable class of sheep in the yard. Mr. Owen's two-shear ram — the gold medal sheep — a very level animal, of capital quality, is by one of Mr. Pawlett's flock. His second prize, only a little deficient in the sci'ag, was bred by Mr. Torr. Then, Mr. Roberts' good-looking shearlings came respectively from the Messrs. Cresswell and Marris, and so tracing on to Holme Pierrepont. The first prize shearling ewes were in the same position at Chester — bought there by Mr. Roberts of Colonel Inge, and sold again on the ground at Derry. The second prize ewes were only depreciated by the introduction of a fifth sheep, that was palpably no match for the other four. Despite, however, a weak place and section or so, the show of Leicester sheep afforded a very good notion of what the breed is. JVot so the Southdowns. If there are not better than " came to Derry city," no wonder they do not make their way in Ireland. There was hardly any competition. Mr. Beale Browne had it quite as much to himself with his Cotswolds — very useful animals. To show the sort of opposition encountered, there were eight rams entered in the shearling class ; six the pro- perty of Mr. Browne, and two of Dr. Roche — the Doctor's being wofully inferioi". The Cheviots and Blackfaces were few in number, and not remarkable in quality ; and we may dismiss the other Down sheep as summarily. If they are to tell in Ireland, they must be better represented. Here, in England, we separate our pigs into large and small divisions — a distinction sometimes without a dif- ference. In Ireland they draw the line of demarcation much more clearly, and draft them out into blacks and whites. No matter what be his size, if a pig is black, against the blacks he must go — a very facile process un- doubtedly for the stewards, but one that greatly increases the labours of the judges. Mr. Wilkinson, moreover, thinking that size had a certain priority, entered his first prize Salisbury boar in the first aged class he came to. But, alas! his colour was white-with-blue-spots, and although he was the best of the lot, the judges could not give him the prize and medal, as they would have done, and were only permitted to specially com- mend him. As it was, the first prize went to what was called an " Essex" pig — a black, but clearly crossed with something larger than the Fisher Hobbs variety. The run in Ireland, however, is still on the Berkshire, and one of the j udges confirmed our own opinion, in considering they have now some better than we have at home. Amongst the white, Mr. Wilkinson showed two Yorkshire sows of immense length and size, one of which had a second prize at Chester. For pre- ference, though, we should have taken the smaller Cumberland pigs, two wonderfully good specimens of which were found in the aged boars. It must have been a nice point between Lord Lurgan and the stranger ; but his lordship's was only in fair working condition, while Mr. Wilkinson's was far too fat— a common fault with him ; and in poorer condition the second prize would have betrayed a certain slackness of loin, which quite warranted the award going as it did. By no means a large show, this was a very favourable display of what Irish bacon is coming to. There was hardly a bad pig presented to his Excellency. Captain Croker, the late secretary to the society, has quite a Yorksliireman's — and it may be an Irishman's — taste for hog's-flesh and horseflesh. He acted, as he often has before, as one of the judges of pigs; and it is mainly through his exertions that the show of horses has evinced so marked an advancement. At Waterford he got together the strongest show of thorough-bred stallions we ever saw, and yet the first ever brought under the sanction of the So- ciety. But unfortunately the judges and their medical adviser could not agree ; and what in the first instance looked like a very proper decision, was spoilt by what, we are still afraid, was undue interference. By no means discouraged, the Captain issued this well- considered prologue to the Londonderry Meeting : *' The decisions of the judges in the special prize class, Waterford Show, have caused a good deal of dissension, and, I regret to add, dissatisfaction throughout Ireland. I have been endeavouring to set matters to rights for the future guidance of the judges of horses at our shows. With this view I have placed myself in com- munication with my brother-secretaries of England and Scotland, receiving from them such suggestions as they thought fit to make. I have also consulted many large breeders of horses in this country, and some of our best veterinarians. With all before me, I have arrived at the conclusion that no agricultural society ought to give a prize to any animal which had a constitutional ailment. I have ascertained, beyond all doubt, that the number of unsound horses, and especially roarers, has increased to a frightful extent. Two and three-year- old colts — confirmed roarers — are now constantly met with at our fairs, and on tracing their pedigree they are proved to be the produce of unsound sires — generally cast-offs from England, As a national society, we are bound to check this great evil by every means in our power. Formerly, in this country, a roarer was hardly ever to be met with. Our council has named a com- mittee of eleven gentlemen to revise our premium-sheet for the coming year. This committee will meet on Thursday next, when I purpose to submit the following rules, which are partly taken from the Royal Society of England and the Yorkshire Society: — The judges are especially instructed not to award a prize to any unsound horse — lameness or other injury produced by accidental causes not to be considered unsoundness; but, in all cases, horses having constitutional unsound- ness must at once be rejected, A veterinary surgeon will be in the show-yard, but not in direct attendance on the judges, in order that whenever any doubt should arise as to the existence of disease in those animals which they may consider woi-thy of a prize or commendation, the veterinary surgeon may be called upon to give his opinion thereon. I hope to bo able to continue the large prizes we gave in the special prize class, Water- ford Show, but I have experienced a sad check by the 292 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. unfortunate selection of the Dey of Algiers as the re- cipient of the first tliereat. The veterinary is strictly enjoined to offer no opinion wliatever as to the merits of the horses, unless specially required to do so by the judges." But Captain Croker has done even more than this. On his retirement from office he has left a parting present to the Society, in the shape of a pair of claret jugs, for the owner of the best thorough-bred stallion. These are exquisitelymodellcd in silver, from gold and agate vases brought to this country from Pompeii by the late Lord Lorton, There is only one disagreeable condition attached to their presentation. So handsome do Ihey look, and so useful will they be for friends to drink the winner's health in, that we hardly know how a man will ever make up his mind to part with them again. However, it is another challenge plate; and if Mr. Fowler has not another Caledon ready for next season, we are afraid the claret cup will not be brewed any longer in Lancashire. It will be a difficult thing, more- over, to find another Caledon ; for he is the finest horse there has been seen iu a show-yard for many a day. The most extraordinai'y thing is, that, being so near, he was not shown at Chester; the more so as he has already taken some twenty prizes in that disti ict. He could not have failed of being first there. He is a remarkably fine handsome horse, standing sixteen hands high, with great power and liberty, as active as a pony, and as strong as a house. It is seldom a better-topped horse has been seen ; and, indeed, had he been quite as true below, he would be worth any money. As it is, there were sundry offers to retain hina in Ireland — after all, his native country. Caledon was bred by Lord Caledon's farrier, and is by a well-known horse. Simoom, out of Fortress. He was never trained, but presented by his noble namesake, when a yearling, to Mr. Thompson, a Yorkshire gentleman^ on whose de- cease he passed into Mr. Fowler's hands. Curiously enough, the second prize horse was quite worthy of him; certainly with a more blood-like look, and as neat as a picture. He had, however, neither the size nor the power of the other, although got by a big coarse horse. But he is by far the best-looking Cotherstone we have met with. Here, however, the interest ceased. Of the ten or twelve others entered, about half of them were not sent, and the judges signi- ficantly refused to award the third prize. There was the deHcate Windisgratz, scarcely thickened a bit since taken out of work ; the slack-limbed De Ruyter ; and two or three terribly coarse animals, the owner of one of which fired up tremendously when he was assured such a horse could not be thorough-bred. Still Caledon and Steppingstone made quite a show cf it themselves • and rarely has there been so good a first and second. If it were not for the Clydesdales we do not know what notion an Irishman would ever get of a cart-horse. The first entry here was a queer-coloured cob-sized thing, that it would be almost impossible to suppose any man would dare to breed from. Then there was a leggy half-bred skewbald, so flashy a coloured gentle- man, that we wonder how such men as Mr. Nainby, or bis brother-worship Wetherell, could ever have resisted him. Thirdly or fourthly, there was a bad cross be- tween a Cleveland and a Suffolk ; and then there was " a Cleveland or carriage stallion" (sic), but certainly not a cart-horse. The class, however, was saved by one of the best Clydesdales ever known in Ireland, shown by Lord Dufferin, who has had him now for two seasons. He is a very compact powerful horse, good behind as well as before, and really a treat to look at. The two other Clyde stallions were both superior ; but the drauglit mares and fillies were not of so high a character. The Clydesdale had the best of it here again ; while we saw amongst them what we never did before, a chestnut Clydesdale. Is this orthodox ? or would not a black Suffolk be as correct ? Our idea of the Clyde colour has been bay, brown, or grey. A small and very indifferent poultry show, with some good firkins of butter, and other specimens of produce, flanked the more important business of the scene. When we say that two guineas a night was asked for a bed, those who were not present may imagine how many were. But then there was a grand banquet and a grand ball, as well as a grand cattle show : and as the Lord-Lieutenant would, it was known, be there, fair ladies and fine gentlemen crowded in accordingly. The reception Lord Eglinton met with, at this dinner, would go far to argue that the most impolitic thing a govern- ment could do would be to abolish the office of Lord- Lieutenant. But our present representative in Ireland is unusually popular, and, it would appear, deservedly so. His Excellency delivered a very good address, conceived in the best taste, and even making the facts and figures tell. There were some other suggestive and earnest speakers ; but, altogether, the thing is not well managed. A party of six or seven hundred people did not sit down till past seven, and did not break up before midnight. There are few better friends to the Society than Lord Clancarty, the new President ; but he has one almost fatal drawback for the office. His Lordship had not a toast to give, or even a suggestion to offer, but he made it the occasion for a long speech ; whereas, con- sidering the length to which his list ran, he could hardly have been too short, sharp, or decisive. We confess to not sitting it out ; but some of the guests were getting very noisy when we left, and fairly lost their tempers, we hear, before it was over. There is no greater mistake than wearying out an audience, while nothing looks worse than to see a chairman gradually deserted by his company. PRIZE-LIST. SHORTHORN BULLS. Judges.— T. Croftou, Holywell, N.B. W. Torr, Aylesby, Lincoln. H. Watson, Keillor, N.B. Bulls calved on or after the 1st of January, 1853, and pre. viousto the 1st of January, 1856, 15/., William Tod, Elphin- stone Tower, Tranent (Younfj Heir-at-Law). Second best, 5?., Sir F. W. Hey^ate, Bart , Ballarena (Orpheus). Bulls calved ia the yeiir .185G, 15/, Johu M'Gilnowii)', Clare Park, Ballycastle (Stockwell the Second). Second best, 5/., Jaffray Barcroft, Kilboggett, Cabinteely (The Beau of Kilbog- get). Commended, Thomas Csther (Napoleon) THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 293 Bulla calved ou or after the 1st of Jamiary, 1857, 15/., gold medal, aud medal as breeder, Joaeph P. Tyute, Tynte Park, Dunlaviii (Sir Colin). Secoud best, 51., Puchard Chaloncr, King's Fort, Moynalty (Bridegroom). Commended, Charles L. Ellison (Baron St. Leonards), Charles Seaton (Jaccb Faithful). SHORTHOKN COWS. Cows, in-calf or in-milk, of any ag?, 10^., James Douglas, Athelstaneford Farm, Drem (Rose of Athelstane). Second best, 5/., William Tod (Sarah). Highly commended, George Vaugbsin (Village Maid). Commended, Sir F. W. Heygate (Queen of the Meadow). Heifers, in-calf or in-railk, calved in 1855,10/., N. M. Arch- dal), Crockuacrieve, Enniskdlea (Ada). Second beat, 5/., Sir F. W. Hey gate, Bart. (Sweetbriar). Heifers, in-calf or iu-railk, calved in the year 1856, lOL, Purchell cup, gold medal, and medal as breeder, James Doug- las (Queen of Trumps). Second best, 51. J. Douglas (Venus de Medicis). Highly commended, J. W. Maxwell (Moss Roae). Commended, Hamill Smith (Maiden). Heifers, calved on or after the Ist of Januarj', 1857, 10/., James Douglas (Lady of Athelstane). Secoud best, 5/. Tho- mas Barnes, Westlaud, Moynalty (Lady Hopewell). Highly commended, Thomas Ball (Nathalie), J. Douglas, (Titania), J. Douglas (Maid of Athelstane). Commended, T. Ball (Miss Goldschmidt), T. Ball (Pride of the Sea), Lord Lurgan (Blink Bonny). Mr. Douglas's heifers took the Waterford Cup for the three beat heifers together. OTHER BREEDS. Judges. — J. Collier, Panlalthy, Forfar. D. Hastings, Orangefield, Belfast. H. Shanks, Edinburgh. Hereford Bulls, calved on after the 1st January, 1853, 10/., Samuel Gilliland, Brook Hall, Londonderry (Jolly Miller the 3d). Devon bulls, calved on or after the Ist January, 1853, 10/., Earl of Charlemont, Merino, Dublm (, Volunteer). Polled Angus or Galloway bulls, calved on or after the 1st January, 1852, 10/., Lord Talbot de Malahide (polled An- gus, Luculluj). Ayrshire bulls, calved en or after Ist January, 1853, 10/., John Alexander, Newtownlimavady (Counsellor Greer). Highly commendfd, Heiry Harrison (Madman). West Highland bulls, calved on or after the 1st Jaauary, 1853, 5/. No merit. Kerry Bulh, caived on or after lat January, 1853, 3/., Sir Edmund M'Donnell, Newhaggard, Lusk (Mangerton). Highly commended, Edward Christopher Irvine (Ned of the Hills). COWS. Hereford, Sussex, or long-horned Leicester cows, in-calf or in-milk, of any age, 4.1. , Samuel Gilliland, Brook Hall, Lon- donderry (Herelord, Pale Face). Hereford heifers, in-calf or in-milk, calved on or after 1st January, 1855, 3/. No merit. Hereford heifers, calved on or after the 1st January, 1857. 3/. No merit. Devon cows, in-calf or in-milk, of any age, 5/., Henry L. Prentice, Caledon (Beauty). Commended, Earl of Charle- mont (Young Rose). Devon heifers, in-calf or in-milk, calved on or after the Ist January, 1855, 41. No merit. Devon heifers, calved on or after th.T 1st January, 1857, 4/. No merit. Polled Angus or Galloway cows, iu-calf or in-milk, of any age, 51., Lord Talbot de Malahide (Angus, Maid of Angus). Polled Angus or Galloway heifers, in-calf or in-milk, calved on or after let January, 1855, 41., Lord Talbot de Malahide (polled Angus, Fanny). Commended, Lord Talbot (polled Angus, Rose the Second). Polled Angus or Galloway heifers, calved on or after 1st January, 1857, 41, Sir Frederick Wm. Heygate, Bart. (Gallo- way, Bilberry). Ayrshire cows, in-calf or in-milk of any age, 41., John R. Boyd, Ballyinacool House (Spangle). Very highly commended, Sir F. W. Heygate (Myrtle). Commended, Anthony Ba- bington (Chance). Ayrshire heifers, iu-calf or iu-uiilk, calved oa or after 1st January, 1855,3/., Sir F. W. Heygate (Dewdrop). Highly com- mended, James Watson (Beauty). Commended, James Wight (Dewdrop). Ayrshire heifers, calved on or after the Ist January, 1857, 3/., Henry Harrison, Holywood House (Nectim). West Highland cows, in-calf or in-milk, of any age, 41., William and Thomas Orr, Gleuarm (Marchioness of Bredal- bane). West Highland heifers, in-calf or in-milk, calved on or after the Ist January, 1855, 31. No entry. West Highland heifers, calved on or after the lat January, 1857, 3/., Earl of Charlemont, Marino, Dublin (Jenny Lind). Kerry cows, in-calf or in-milk, of any age, 3/., Sir Edward M'Donnell. Commended, Sir Edward M'Donnell (Beauty). Kerry heifers, iu-calf or iu-milk, calved on or after 1st Ja- nuary, 1855, 21., Right Hon. John Wynne, M.P. (Mag). Commended, Sir Edward M'Donnell (Annie). EXTRA PREMIUMS. To be competed for by bona fide tenant farmers of Ireland not paying more than 100/. a-year of rent. Cows, ic-calf or in-milk, of any age, 3^., Francis Lindsay. Heifers, in-calf or in-milk, calved in 1855, 3/., Matthias Harford, Moate. Breeding sows, over eighteen months, 3/., R, G. Glen, Kil- feunan. Sows, under eighteen months old, 2/ , Matthias Harford. THE PURCELL CHALLENGE CUP, VALUE ONE HUNDRED SOVEREIGNS, For the best animal in the neat cattle classes, possessing most merit of its kind, James Douglas, for Queen of Trumps. The above cup is liable to be challenged for every year, un- til won three years successively by the same person. The original cup was finally won at Armagh, in 1854, by Charles Towaeley, of Towneley Park, Lancashire, who there- upon presented a new cup of equal value to the society. WATERFORD CHALLENGE CUP, VALUE ONE HUNDRED SOVEREIGNS. For the best lot of three horned animals (bulla or heifers) not in mixed lots, not exceeding twenty months old, having been bred by exhibitor, and bona fide his property, Jamea Douglas, Athelstaneford, for Lady of Athelstane, Maid of Athelstane, and Titania. The best of all the prize bulls, the gold medal, Joseph P. Tynte, for Sir Coliu. The best of all the prize cows aud heifers, the gold medal, Jamea Douglas, for Queen of Trumps. HORSES. Judges.— C. M. Naihby, Barnoldby, Grimsby. Hon. R. G. Talbot, Ballyncby, Dalkey. W. Wetherell, Durham. Stallions of any breed, for agricultural purposes, foaled on or after the 1st January, 1851, and previous to the 1st January, 1856, 30/., Lord DufTerin and Clandeboye, Clandeboy, Belfast (Clydesdale, Sir William Wallace). Second best, 10/., Sir Frederick W. Heygate (Clydesdale, Ploughman). Commended, George Bennett (Clydesdale, Milton). Stallions of any breed, for agrcultural purposes, foaled on or after the 1 st of January, 1S56, 15/, John Gleu, Letterwell, by Helensburg, Dumbartonshire (Clydesdale, Scotchman). Draught mares in foal, or with a foal at foot, or having reared foala in the year 1858, 10/., Nicholas M. Archdall, Crockua- crieve, Enniskillen (Princess). Second best, 5/., Samuel Hill, Carrymuddle, Myroe (Clydesdale, Jcaaie). Commended, Sir F. W. Heygate (Clydfsdale, Nannie), Wybranta Olphert (Lizzie). Draught fillies, foaled in the year 1855, 5/,, James Akinlas, Glasgow (Clydesdale, Queen Mary). Second best, 3/., W. D. Porter, Elagh House, Londonderry (half-bred Clydesdale, Jessie). Draught fillie? foaled on or after the 1st January, 1856, 5/, None sent. Draught fillies foaled on or after the 1st January, 1857, 5/., Anthony Babington, Creevagh, Londonderry (Clydesdale, Nancy). Second best, 31., James Wheeler Chapman, Carton, Mayuooth (Clydesdale chesuut, Kate). 294 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. SPECIAL TREMIUMS. For auy pure and distinct foreign breed, suitable for agricul- tural purposes or heavy draught. Stallions of any Age. — 1st prize, 500 francs. 2ud, SOO francs. — None sent. Mares of any Age. — Ist prize of 400 francs, Edward C. Irvine, 11, Eccles-street, Dublin (grey harness, Belgisu). THOROUGH-BRED STALLIONS. For the best weight-carrying thorough-bred stallion £30, the large medal, and a silver challenge piece of plate value £50, presented by Captaiu Croker, Hugh Fowler, Preatou (Caledon, by Siaioom). Second best, £15 and the small medal, Archibald Moon, Lisnamuck, Blackhill, Coleraiue (Stepping- stone, by Cotherstone). SHEEP. Judges.— R. Rsyaell, Kiliynan, Westmeath, W. Torr, Aylesby, Lincoln. A. Wright, Christorphine, Edinburgh. LEICESTERS. Shearling rams, £10, Thomas Roberts, Strokestown. Se- cond best, £5, Thomas Roberts. Two-shear rams, £10 and medal, William Owen, Blesintou. Second best, £5, \Vm. Owen. Rams of any other age, not exceeding six years old, £5, Thomas Roberts. Second best, £3, Thomas Marris, Ulceby, Lincoln. Pens of five shearling ewes, £10, Thotr.ag Roberts. Second best, £5, William Owen. Pens of five ewes, not exceeding five years old, £10, Thomas Marris. Second best, £5, Robert W. Creswell, Ashby-de-la- Zouche. Pens of five ewe lambs, £5, Sir Frederick W. Heygate. OTHER LONG-WOOLLED SHEEP, NOT QUALIFIED TO COMPETE AS LEICESTERS. Shearling rams, £10, T. Beale Browne, Andoversford. Se- cond beat, £5, T. Beale Browne. Two-shear rama, £8, T. Beale Browne. Second beat, £4, T. Beale Browne. Rams of any other age, not exceeding six years old, £5, T. Beale Browne. Second beat, £3, Charles J. Knox, Jackson Hall, Coleraiue. Pens of five shearling ewes, £5, T. Beale Browne. Second best, £3, T. Beale Browne. Pens of five ewes, not exceeding five years old, £5. Second best, £3. — No entry. Pens of five ewe lambs, £4. — No entry. CHEVIOTS. OR ANY OTHER MOUNTAIN BREED. Rams of any age, not exceeding five years old, £3, Marqiiis of Couyngham, Slaue Castle. Second best, £2, Sir Frederick W. Heygate. Pens of five shearling ewes, £3, Marquis of Conyngham. Second best, £2, Marquis of Conyngham. Pens of five ewes, not exceeding five years old, £3, Marquis of Conyngham. Secoud best, £2, Marquis of Couyngham. BLACK FACES. Rams of any age, not exceeding five years old, £3, Sir F. W. Heygate. Second best, £2, William Hunter, Gweedore. Pens of five shearling ewes, £3, Sir Frederick W. Heygate. Pens of five ewes, not exceeding five years old, £3, Sir F. W. Heygate. SOUTHDOWNS. Shearling rams, £4, Thomas Roberts, Strokestown. Rams of any other age, not exceeding five years, £4, Tho- mas Roberts. Pens of five shearling ewes, £3, Thomas Marris. Pens of ewes, not exceeding five years old, £3, Thomas Roberts. FOR OTHER SHORT- WOOLLED SHEEP, NOT PURE SOUTHDOWNS. Shearling rams, £4, P. Broughton, Moynalty (Shropshire). Rams of any age, not exceeding five years, £4. J. Browric Upcott, Swiudon (Hampshire). Pens of five shearling ewes, £3. No merit. Pens of ewea, nst e.Kceediug five years, old, £3, Lord Lou- donderry (Shropshire). S W I N E. Judges. — Captaiii Croktr, Ballynajjafde, Limtrick. II. M. Richardsou, Rossford, Fermanagh. II. Thurasll.Royston. BLACK. Boars under eightein months old, 5/., Robert George Glenn, Kilfeuiian. Second best, 3^ , T. W. D. Humphreys, Miltown House, Strabane. Highly commended, John Hemphill, II. Stanley M'Clintock. Boars over eighteen mouths and under thirty-six months old, 41. and medal for breeder, Thomas M'Evoy, Waterside, Londonderry. Second best, 21., Robert George Glenn, Kil- fennau. Very highly commended, Joseph Wilkinson, Leeds. Commended, Henry Harrison. Best Boar in the above sectionp, the Meda^, T. M'Evoy, Waterside, Londoiiderry. Breeding sows under eighteen months old, 41 , James Moore, Lougheek, Duuaraanagh. Second best, 21., James Sinclair, jun., Dromore, Coleraine. Highly commended, Rev. Edward J.Hamilton, Charles Powell. Breeding sows over eighteen months old, 31 , 11. Stanley M'Clintock, Randalslown. Second best, 21, George Hanson, jun , Mficleary, Coleraine. Lots of three breeding sow pigs of the same litter, not more than ten months old, 3/., Robert G. Glen, Kilfeiman. Second best, 2/, H. Stanley M'Clintock. ■R'HITE. Boars under eighteen mouths old, 5^, Chares L. Eilison, Loughglynn, Frencbpark. Boars over eigliteen months and under thirty-six months old, 41. and medal for breeder. Lord Lurgin, Brownlow House, Lurgan. Second best, 21., John Milford, Spring Vale, Belfast. Best boar in the above section?, tie Medal, Lord Lurgan. Breeding sows under eighteen months old, 41., Joseph Wil- kinson, Leeds. Second best, 21 , Anthony Babington, Cree- vagh, Londonderry. Beat breeding sow over eighteen months old, 3^., Joseph Wilkinson, Roundhay, Leeds. t?econd best, 21, Sir F. W. Heygate. Commended, J. H. Peart, William Boyle. Lots of three breeding sow pigs of the same litter, not more than ten months old, 31., Henry L. Prentice, Caledon. Second best, 2L, A. Babington, Creevagb, Londonderry. DAIRY PRODUCE, Judges. — J. Hardroan, Londonderry, H. Haslett, Londonderry. Alderman Mackay, Dublin. BUTTER. Firkin of butter, 70!b3. weight, independent of the firkin, suited for the English or London market, and made on the farm of the exhibitor during the season of 1858, 51., Henry Leslie, Drumslade, Coleraine. Second best, 3/., David For- rest, Dromore, Newtownlimavady. Third best, 21., Robert Macrory, Ardmore Lodge, Newtownlimavady. Darymaid whose butter won the first prize, 1^. ; second, 15s.; third, lOs. Coopered six butter firkin?, suitable for the English and London market, II. 10s., John O'Neill, Fountain-street, Lon- donderry. Firkin of butter, VOlbs. weight, iudependent of the firkin, suited for the foreign market, and made on the farm of the exhibitor during the season of 1858, 51., Baptist Gamble, Graan, Enniskillen. Second best, 3/., Baptist Gamble. Third best, 2L, Anthony Babington, Creevagb, Londonderry. Dairymaid whose butter won the first prize, 12.; second, 15s.; third, lOs. Coopered six butter firkins, suitable for the foreign market, II. 10s. Cool of butter, SOlbs. weight, independent of the cool, and made on the farm of the exhibitor during the year 1858, 3i,, Henry Leslie, Drumslade, Coleraine. Second beat, 21., John M'Kiuney, Kilfennan, Derry. For the best of all the prize butter exhibited at the Show, the Medal. THE FARMERS MAGAZINE. 395 CIIEESU. Couple of new lailk cheeses luadeiu Ircl*iid, of Ihe aijasou of 1858, iu imitation of a-iy liiowa fnd approved descript'on of En^jlish cheesf, not leaa than 201b3. weight e?.cli. First prize, 5^. Second, 'il. No saerit. FLAX. Bundles, uot less than IGPia. weist'if', of niiil-sciitched flix, being an average sample of the prodm^R of at least half au acre of British growth, and of the crop of either ti;e year 1837 or 1858. First prize, 3^., William Ydtiev, Glasslough. Secpnd, 21 , John F. Wilsou, Londoridcrry. A bundle, not leas than 1611)3. wcighc, of hand-scutched flax, being aa average sample of the produce of at least half an acre of British gronlh, Siui of the crop of either the ypar 1857 or 1853— first prize 3/., William Patten, second 21., Charles Glaskin, Nevftoncunningham. A bushel of flaxseed saved by the grower, 31 , David Pat- tt;n ; secoud 2L, John Boyle, Leeds. Commended, John Wight- man. Six hanks of handspun yarn, M. For the second best, lOs. No entry. CEREALS AND GRASS SEEDS. Collection of cereals and grass seeds, 3J., Dickson, Hog?, and Robertson ; second beat, 21., James Sherrard, Bishop- street, Londonderry. Commended, James M'Cauaughty; highly commended, the Earl of Charleraont. IMPLEMENTS. Judges. — J. Clarke, Long Sutton, Lincoln. J. C. Coddiugtoii, Dulargy, Co. Louth. R. M'Rea, Strabane. (Prizes given for implements btst suited to the wants and circumstances of Ireland). The bast implement for the application of steam power (o the cultivation of the soil, 50Z. — No award. The best mowing machine suitable for cutting meadow grass, 201. — H. Clayton ( Wood's patent mowing machine). The best reaping machine, 251.— U. Clayton (Wood's patent reaping machme). The best hay-makiag machine, 5l. — Smith and Ashby. Highly commended, Richmond and Chandler. The best horse rake, 3^. — Richmond aud Chandler. Highly commended. Smith and Ashby ; commended, R, Gray. The best plough for general purposes, 5/.— J. Gray and Co. Highly covameoded, Richmond aud Chandler (Howard's.) The best instrument for breaking up the subsoil, 51. — Robt. Gray. Highly commended, J. Gray and Co. The best heavy harrow, 3?. — E. H. Bentall. The best light harrow, 3^. — E. H. Bentall. Commended, R. Gray, and Richmond aud Chandler. The best grubber, 5^. — J. Gray and Co. Highly com- mended, R. Gray ; commended, J. Gray and Co. and R. Law. The best drill grubber, 31. — Robert Gray. Highly com- mended, J. Gray and Co.; commended, R. Gray. The best drill horse hoe, 21. — H. Carson. Highly com- mended, H. Carson ; commended, Robert Gray. Tiie best com drill for general purposes, 5/. — W. L. Fisher. The best corn drill for small occupations, 51 — Richmond and Chandler. Highly commended, R. and J. Reeves; com- mended, W. L. Fisher. The best turnip drill, 3/. — J. Gray and Co. Highly com- mended, Richmond and Chandler. The best implement calculated to cconomiae labour in raising the potato crop, 5/. — Robert Law. The best machine for distnbutiug portable manure broad- cast, 5?. — R. aud J. Reeves. The best and least expensive liquid manure carriage and distributor, 51. — I. Jamea. The beat machine for soaing grass seeds and clover broad- cast, 5/. — Richmond aud Chsndler. Commended, H. She- ridan. The best farm cart, .^Z. — Richmond and Chandler. Highly commended, Robert Gray; commended, J. Mitchell. The best set of hand implements for the farm, 3'. — Rich- mond aud Chandler. The best set of drainsgs tool?, 3/. — Kennan »nd Sons. The best a^sortmeut of drainage tiles, 31, — The Earl of Enn^sklUen. Highly commended, J. Robaon. The best aud moat ecouomical set of farm harness, 3^.— No award. The best a'.id most ecoaomical cart aud cattle weighing ma- chine, adapted to general purposes, 5/. — Forahaw and Co. The best assortment or collection of field gates, 5i.— Mus- griive Brothers. The best churn, 5Z.— J. Gray and Co. Highly commended, J. Eastwood ; corameuJeJ, Robert Gray. The best model of a portable shed for foddering aud feed- ieg unhoused cattle, 10^ — No entries. The best general colleclion of implements, 201. — J. Gray and Co. The second best, 10/. — Richmond and Chandler. Highly commended, Robert Gray. THE IRISH FARMERS' GAZETTE CHALLENGE CUP, VALUE FlPry GUINEAS. For the beat general collection of implements, manufactured by eshibiter, aud s\i;tei to the a^ricu'ture of Ireland. — J. Gray and Co., Uddingatou, Glasgow. The Judges of Poultry were Captain Croker; J. M. D'Olier, CoUyuc, Dublin; and G. A, Pollack, Oatlauds, Navau. THE SHOW AND TRIALS OF IMPLEMENTS. [FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.] The show of implements, as compared with last year, was more numerous, the number of stands being 85, against 53 at Watcrford ; but we missed Garrett's very excellent collection of last season. There was a great improvement in the order of ploughs, most of the manufacturers adoptiu;^ the acknow- ledged and established pattern or model of the best English ploughs. The excellence of workman- ship stands fully at A I. We never see the high polish anywhere else so perseveringly carried out as by the Irish and Scotch makers, quite eschev/ing paint, to say nothing of putty. Messrs. Gray & Co., of Uddingston, and Mr. Robert Gray, of Belfast, stand very high in this respect. In fact it will apply to most of the minor manufacturers : the high polish bestov^ed upon a common farm plough is extraordinary. Kennan's stand was one of capital manufacture : and Richmond and Chandler had an astonishing show of hand implements. The exhibition took place on the Quay and Stock and Corn Markets, and although very convenient for landing, was inconvenient in some other respects. The exhibitors found great difficulty in making their implements stand steadily on the hard pavement, and consequently a great uprooting of paving was necessary, which ultimately may lead our Derrians to a more level adjustment, avoiding those deep reser- voirs for water, which we observed here. And then the difficulties of our stable-fitting friends were great, several stands of which did them great credit. For our- selves we much prefer the soft greensward and gay huts or sheds in the open parks. But every visitor to Lon- donderry saw that such could not readily be obtained. The trial of field implements took place on the estates of Major Scott, at Wilsboro', and of Wm. M'Cormick, Esq., near the Muff" Station. The latter is here called slob-land, i. e., land recovered from the sea before being grassed over, as in the case with the English marshes. It is a deep soil, of rather heavy loam, recently reclaimed, and being inefficiently drained, formed a severe trial for Boydell's traction engine, which 206 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. more than once became imbedded in one or other of the cross-grips. The trial of ploughs and subsoilers took place in the bottom field, and grubbers in a field near the station. The mowing machines, also, were close at band, and the reaping machines and potato- diggers on Major Scott's farm. The trial of steam- ploughs was first commenced ; the competitors, Messrs. Boydell and Fowler. Boydell having his traction engine, with three ploughs and Cotgreave's trenching apparatus combined ; Fowler, his prize steam-plough, of the Chester Meeting. Descriptions of both these engines and ploughing apparatus have so often appeared in the Mark Lane Express, that we shall forbear any detailed account now. We did not notice anything new in either engine or implement. The judges commenced work in a systematic way ; land was marked out, coals weighed, time taken, steam got up, and the start given at 9.56, Boydell'swithapressure of 701bs., and Fowler's ofGolbs., to the square-inch. For a time all went on well, but at 10.55 Boydell's was fast in a cross-grip recently filled in ; he started again at 12.37, ploughing and subsoiling, with two ploughs, at a depth of about 13 inches ; in another bout or two, owing to a heavy shower softening the land, and notwithstanding every precaution of plank- ing the grips, the engine became again imbedded, and was not put again into competition during the day. It was at length got out in the evening, and placed on safe ground. On Thursday it was to be tried at Tem- ple Moyle, near Derry. Fowler worked awhile with his frame of four plough-bodies, but finding the public were desirous of seeing his trenching work, the trenching- bodies frame was attached, and excellent work was ac- complished— such, in fact, as we have not before SL'en him effect J the deep loam much softened forming no great obstacle. The crowding now became so great, and the impossibility of keeping a clear course being evident, the judges left the manager to work for some hours, whilst they went to test ploughs, subsoilers, harrows, &c. Subsequently, on the dispersion of the crowd, time was again taken and land measured, and the ploughman directed to fol- low the course adopted in this district to plough with horses going slowly. He did so ; and finished the acre in one hour and nineteen minutes, doing the work in a truly business-like manner. On Tuesday he per- formed for the public inspection. Woofe tried his well- known parer, which worked fairly ; but the surface was stiff, and broke considerably. He appeared to give great satisfaction. Ploughs.— In the common ploughing for testing the merits of the various ploughs were Messrs. R. Gray, of Belfast ; John Gray and Co,, of Uddingston, near Glas- gow ; Law, of Shettleston, near Glasgow ; Sweeny, of Drumarky, Limerick ; Gallagher, of Strabane ; Barber, of Londonderry ; Allen, of Moneymore ; Richmond and Chandler ; and a second plough of Gray, of Uddingston ; the competition was exceedingly good — far better than at Waterford. All were subjected to the test of the dynamometer. The palm lay between Gray's, (of Uddingston) No. 2 and Richmond and Chandler's ploughs, both much upon the same model, the latter be- ing Howard's ploughP2, Mr. Norton showing it as agent. The prize was at length borne away by Gray and Co., and certainly with a very superior plough, of light draught, and nearly a perfect model. We question the desirability of manufacturers permitting their agents to attempt to win prizes in these close competitions, unless an especial ploughman can be had. Messrs. Richmond and Chandler did all they possibly could to ensure a fair trial for their plough, but not a single Irishman could be found who could work a wheel-plough ; consequently the work was indifferently done. The plough, how- ever, received a high commendation. Subsoilers. — In this class Messrs. Gray, Gray and Co., Laws, Richmond and Chandler (Lord Beauclerk's), Bentall, and Sheridan were competitors. The dynamo- meter showed a marked difference in the power re- quired, but it was not easy to tell the amount of soil moved ; each, however, was fixed to work at a depth of six inches below the furrow-sole. Gray's, of Belfast, denoted the lightest draught at this depth, and conse- quently received the prize ; but we question its applica- bility as a general subsoiler : it is too small. Grubbers. — These implements belonged to Messrs. Gray, Gray and Co., Laws, and Sheridan, and were merely taken out to satisfy the judges respecting a de- cision made in the yard without trial, which proved de- cidedly correct. All worked well, but Gray and Co.'s the best. Mowing Machines. — The field was so full of deep grips, that it was with great hazard to the ma- chines that the judges were enabled to come to any test of merit ; just enough only was done to show the capability of each. Messrs. Dray and Co., Gardiner, Wood (Man- ning's patent), and Banks (disc machine) were competi- tors ; but it was soon seen that Manny's had the supe- riority. Haymakers were also very imperfectly tried, the day turning out wet, and then, those terrifying grips ! How- ever, Messrs. Sheridan's, Smith and Ashby's, and Richmond and Chandler's (Nicholson's) were tried as well as circumstances would permit, and the prize was again awarded to Smith and Ashby, and, so far as we could observe, deservedly, for it threw up the green clover to a great height, the wind scattering it all directions. The others scattered it more regularly be- hind it, but did not throw so high. Diggers. — These were all after Hanson's patent, and, when properly adjusted, made equally good work : some little difference in details in the con- struction, therefore, guided the judges. Reapers. — This trial took place amidst a heavy fall of rain, and, of course, militated against the working of those possessing complicated machi- nery. There were on the ground Burgess and Key's, exhibited by a neighbouring gentleman who had bought it, Clayton and Co.'s, Gardiner's, Dray and Co.'s, and Bank's disc machine. The field of oats was rather light and grassy. Mr. Macrory is an extensive miller and farmer, and not con- versant with the working of Burgess and Key's machine; he had also to hire a pair of etrange horses — small Irish THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 297 " — by no means powerful enough for working this rather cumbrous reaper ; consequently the work was badly done, and in this trial this valuable machine could not retain its well-acquired fame. Cartwright and Liadsey had two machines. The one of one-horse- power did its work fairly, but it was hard for the horse; the other was a two-horse machine, both having a back- delivery, and, of course, requiring to be cleared away before the next bout could be taken : this took up many hands, and it was almost ridiculous to see the number following and engaged. The machine is a very useful one, but exhibiters should take care not to condemn it themselves by such an unnecessary display of its require- ments : we counted no less than fourteen persons engaged on and about the machine. Dray and Co. exhibited riussey's improved reaper, which, owing to the ex- ceedingly wet state of the crop and the late hour it was enabled to commence, did not succeed so v/ell as usual ; but we thought in this trial it must take second place. The first was on all hands given to Clayton and Co.'s machine (Manning's patent), which, notwithstanding every obstacle, made most excellent work, and finished the three roods appointed for each in forty-five minutes, laying the sheaves in convenient heaps for tying. Banks' disc machine received injury, and the rain pouring down in torrents, the judges quitted the field before it could be got in readiness. The discs of this revolve horizontally, and have tackle with which the ,corn is drawn through the frame into a continuous line behind. This we thought in most cases would be impracticable ; but as we did not see it in operation, we cannot give a decisive opinion. In our judgment, we have as yet no better machine than Manny's patent for reaping corn ; and we were given to understand that the judges thought it very far ahead. We must allow it was rather an imperfect trial ; so much so, that they could not award a commendation, as no other did com- paratively good work. The yard exhibition was a very creditable one, well supported as it was by both home and more distant firms. The chief success was here, again, with Gray, of Uddingston, who took the first prize for a very excellent collection of implements. It is now ten or twelve years since this Scotch house has entered at the Irish shows, and its return was signalized by some very deserved triumphs. THE DINNER, Or " Grand Banquet" as it was termed, took place on the Wednesday in the Pavilion — the Earl of Clancarty, the new president of the society in the chair; supported by his Excellency the Lord Lieutenant, the Mayor of Derry, Lords Berncrs, Erne, Dunlo, Leitrim, LifTord, Abercora, and Talbot, de Malahide, the Bishop of Detry, Sirs H. H. Bruce, F. W. Heygate, Percy Nugent, E. Hayes, R. A. Ferguson, and R. Bateson, General Gough, Colonel Dunne, Admiral Hamilton, Captains Cockerell and Croker, and nearly six hundred others, consisting chiefly of landed proprietors and citizens of London- derry. The toast list embraced an unusual number of sub- jects, while the different addresses with which they were associated were &3 remarkable for their length. la responding to the compliment paid him, Lord Eglington thus proceeded— I do not hesitate to say that these meetings yield in importance to nothing else ; and that the impetus they give to every branch of farming industry, and the self-reliance they bring with them, are of the utmost possible benefit to the country. I believe that their utility does not end here, but that they bring together men of all classes and parties of politics, in friendly aad praiseworthy competition, which must have the most salutary and enduring effect in softening down social and sectarian animosities. I must congratulate the Royal Agricultural Society of Ireland on the success of the show to- day, a success I think which must have come up to their most sanguine expectations ; and, I think, I am justified in saying, that though, in some respects the show may be, and, of course, it must be, inferior in some respects to the show I saw in Dublin — in other respects, it is not only equal, but I believe it surpasses it. At all events, it is a show such as the North of Ireland may well be proud of. When we consider the enormous property which tliis society confers a benefit upon — I mean the enormous rental of Ireland, which I know is esti- mated at £13,000,000—11 must be palpable that this society is one which ought to be encouraged by every one who has the welfare of the country at heart; and I rejoice to know that since I was last among you the progress the society has made has been of a most gratifying nature. Since I was laat here the members of the society have been nearly doubled : one-fourth has been added to the premiums offered by the society; and the smaUer societies, which diffuse in their several localities the greatest possible benefit on Ireland, have aho been enlarged one-fourth during the same period. There is nothing which has given me greater gratification during the course of my life than the improvement which I find in Ireland since I was last here. The cloud that appeared at one time to have settled permanently on Ireland has been dispelled. Everything now shines on the Irish. Not only the practice, but the science of agriculture is spreading over the country. Your hills aud your rich pastures are teeming with sheep and cattle. Your rents are for the most part, paid with a punctu- aUty not exceeded elsewhere. Your poor-houses are half empty ; your labourers are employed ; crime has decreased ; railways are spreading their useful influences over the coun- try ; political strife, I may say, is almost in abeyance ; civil aud religious liberty are established on so firm a basis that the man who would advocate a return to bigotry would be set down as insane. There is but one plague-spot left aud ihat, I trust, has almost ceased to fester. There is nothing but sectarian animosities standing in the way of Ireland enjoying a happiness and prosperity not surpassed by any nation on the earth, and for which her great internal resources, her fertility, and the genius of her people so eminently qualify her. I may be accused by those who are not intimately acquainted with the subject, of partiality, and of colouring the picture too highly ; but, if you will allow me, I will go into that dry subject of figures, and prove that I am correct. I will not go to any distant period, or to any exceptional case, to take my comparison with the present time. I will only go to the time when I was here first, in the year 1852, If I were to go further back, no doubt the comparison might be more striking, but it would not be so fair. I rejoice to say that the improvement is not only progressive, but that it is rapily on the increase. Of course, in such a company, but in Ireland generally — for it is the main interest of Ireland — I will begin with agriculture. There is no doubt that the improvement that has taken place in that interval has been arrived at by great effort, and by very great industrial suffer- ing. For the latter I am not responsible; for the former I take no credit to myself or my colleagues. I merely rejoice in 298 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE, the fact that tlie prospects of Ireland are bright. Duriiij^ a perio!?, not of a great many j-ears, land to tjie value of £21,000,000 has changed hands in Ireland ; and, as in these days, new proprietors are almost always improving ones, we may calculate that more than ten per cent, has been laid out upon that. We ma}', therefore, calculate that more than £2,000,000 have been laid out in that way; £5,000,000 have been granted by Parliament for arterial drainage, the improvement of rivers, and £16,000,000 in the way of loan. It is only of late years that the results of these great e.Torts have begun to tell ; but they have begun to tell in a many most satisfactory. The first item that I will lay before you is the enormous in- crease of livestock in Ireland tiiice the year 1852. In round numbers there has been an increase of 85,000 horses, 570,000 cattle, 750,000 sheep, end 330,000 pi:8. Calculating these at the moderate price of 8/. for horses, Gl. lOs. for cattle, 223. for sheep, end 25s. for pigs, it comes to the enormous increase in the prop?rty of Ireland, in live stock, of 5,716,000Z. I will now merely state one fact as regards the increase of acreage now under cultivation, notwithstanding the enormoufl increase of pasturage. la 1852, in round numbers, the acreage under cultivation was 5,739,000; in 1857, 5,881,000, making an increase of 142,700 acres. Then there is another matter which is of the greatest possible importance to Ireland, I mean the decrease of pauperism. I will state a very few figures on that point. The total amount of paupers relieved in 1852 were 190,823 ; in 1857 they were 59,773 (cheers) almost a decrease of one-half; and in the county of Derry there were 4,691 re- lieved in 1852, and there are now 3,269. The average of poor rates of Ireland is Is. in the pound ; in England it is Is. 9J. ; in Sco*lan3 Is. 4d. There is only one other item which I will bring before you, and that i^s the enormous decrease in crime. The total number of offences reported to the Inspector General in 1852 were 7,824; in 1857 there were 4,032, being a de- crease of nearly one-half. Of those for homicide there was a decrease of 30 in the small number of 162. Of an entirely agrarian nature there were, in 1852, 100 cases ; in 1857 there were only 23. In robberies (burglaries) in 1852 there were 3,426; in 1857, 1,272. Of what I think a most iaiportaut item, iuceadiary fires, houghing cattle, in 1852 there were 1,507; in 1857 there were only 755. Of threatening notices iu 1852 there were 776 ; in 1857 only 251. And now I have only one other matter of figures to bring before you, which is that in the case of evictions for non-payment of rent. In 1852 the numbers of evictions were G,550; in 1857 they were only 919. Gentlemen, I trust I have not wearied you. ('No, no.") I cannot but feel proud in talking of the improvement that has taken place in this country. The President, in responding to a similar compliment, said : I suppose there never was so large a collection of farming implements at any previous show as there is at the present. There is a thing going on in this countrj', of which I think that great arm of improvement— the press — should take notice. I allude most particularly to those reaping machines, which would be the means of cheapening the food for those who buy, and would give emploj'ment to working men at the same time. His Excellency has al- luded to an increase of stock ; and if you have an increase of stock, you must have an increase of food for them ; and it should be our business as much as possible to encourage the cultivation of the soil, and thereby will the labourer find work. If the labourers endeavour to throw the agri- culturist back, by wishing to keep to the old sickle, instead of increasing labour, they will only cause the land to be left untilled ; and then there will be no employment for them. I plead most earnestly that the press— that most valuable lever for the improvement of the country — should spread those views that sensible men must entertain on such a sub- ject, and so far as possible change those opinions apparently bold bj'- the labouring classes, and so benefit the poor as well as the rich. Lord Talbot de Malaiiide, in proposing the nest toast, said it was that of three societies, all organized for the ad- vancement and promotion of agricultural knowledge. The first was the Royal Dubliu Society, which, although the emEllest, was yet the oldest in Europe founded for the pro- motion of agriculture. It was founded in the year 1731, since since which it had laboured unceasingly for the advancement of the agricultural ialcrests of tl;e country. So far back as one hundred years ago, a premium of £100 was offered by it for the cultivation of 100 acres of turnips, and he was proud to say that that premium was won by an Irishman. Tiienext society was the Royal Highland Society of Scot'and, which had laboured for half a century to advance the improvement of the Highlands of Scotland ; and this it had not only effected, but it had also contributed to the improvement of the Lowlands, and had also aided in bringing them to that state of tillage which made them justly be considered as models of agricultural prosperity. It had also laboured to promote a knowledge of veterinary science — so woefully deficient in this country, and by the publication of a journal which furnishes a lucid record of its proceedings. The third was the English society. It was a great Society; and though last in the field of agricul- tural usefulness, they should not despise those labourers who entered the field at the eleventh hour. No other society had accomplished more for the agricultural improvement of these islands — he might say the whole civilized world. They know the immense value of the journal of that society also ; and they no less admired and respected the list of noble presidents who, from time to time, directed the motions cf that society. He was truly happy to say that they had present the noble lord who at present presides over that society. To occupy such a position was truly a great honour — an honour which nothing but the most sterling qua^ities could secure. Lord Berners, in reply, said— In looking at your show to- day, and especially ou seeing the shorthorns and cattle gene- rally, I was cxccedicgly gratified. It was a show worthy of so.iie of the elder societies of EcglanJ. I believe, however, that the great source of the wealth of the country is derived from its agricultural implements. Believe me, those who use most implements engiige the greatest amouut of labour. Lord Erne returned thanks for the Vice-Presidents and Council of the Royal Agricultural Improvement Society of Ire- land.— I assu:e you the Vice-Presidents of the society are not like old pieces of family pLtte, which are brought out upon state occasions for show, but they are men who are always ready and willing to aid in promoting the interests of the society. They are constant residents in Ireland — men who are always at their posts, willing to assist their own tenants, and to advance their interests. I am happy to tell you that there are many such men in Ireland, The landed proprie- tors of this country see now that it is their interest, as well as their duty, to resile constsntly at home ; and it is not only their interest to do so, but they see that by doing so they set a good example. I am rejoiced to thir^k that this meeting has realized our most sanguine expectations. You have already heard some statements from the noWe chairman ; but I trust you will allow me to add a few words concerning this society, I find that in 1847 we had only 632 members, while now we have 1,200. Our premiums in 1847 only amounted to £792, now they amount £1,350, At that time we had only THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 299 one challenge cup, now we have four. And, lastly, the society has been most prolific, for it has reared no les3 than thirty-two young societiss, which are all in a healthy and thriving condition. I need not assure you that Ireland is bona fide an agricultural country, and that by agriculture alone we must live. We have got a fruitful soil, though we don't cultivate it as wo ought. lu short, we merely scratch the top of it, and it produces what we call a good crop ; but we don't go into the bowels of the earth, as I may say they do in Scot- laud, lu Scotland it is the reverse with the soil and with the people, for they have there an ungenial soil, and they have to work with their heads aa well as their hands ; whereas we have, I may say, the first coi;ntry in the world. In a ehort time, however, I hope that we thall be able, if not to surpass, at least to cope with Scotland. Mr. ToRR responded for " The Judge?." He congratu- lated the meeting upon the splendid exhibition which had taken place. He had been present on other occasions, but on none which was more successful. The sheep were good, the cattle excellent, and the implementa superior. He considered that the money prizes had conduced much to bring together so many superior implements. He had himself suggested this after the poor display at Armagh. He could personally speak to the great improvement in Ireland, even in this very neigh- bourhood, through which he had travelled many years since. There was a time when the English had rather a dread of any Irish provisions, but latterly they would prefer being fed by Ireland to any other country, when they could not find enough at home. One still great want in Ireland was that of sheep. He had often before spoken to this. The more sheep they had the better must the laud be cultivated. Mr. Torr concluded with a compliment to Captain Crokcr, of whose services while Secretary to the Society he bad the higliest appreciation. The meeting became rather stormy after this, although when we left there were several other names and subjects on the toast list. CUMBERLAND AND WESTMORELAND AGRICULTURAL SHOW. This flourishing society held its annual meeting at Penrith, on Friday last, and with very marked success. Itt consequence of the opening of the classes to the United Kinsdom, some " distinguished strangers " en- tered the lists. Among these was Sir Charles Tem- pest's two-year-old short- horn heifer " Crinoline," who not only won in her class, but received the silver Challenge Cup medal, as the best animal in all the classes. The judges seemed for some time to waver between her and Sir Charles's bull " Emperor Napoleon," who, after receiving high commendations, botli at Chester and Northallerton, took a winning tour to this and the Ulverstone show. Both in quality and make, the cannie Cumbrians pronounced him " almost faultless ;" his head is as sweet as a heifer's, but he is thought to be rather light in his hair. "Bloomer," the prize short-horn cow, had an immense frame, but she was anything but level-fed, and " Lizzie," from Captiiin Spencer's herd, was in many respects her su- perior. This gentleman won the first and second prizes in the Yearling Heifer class, wiih " Sappho" and " Blink Bonny." The former is the calf out of " Lizzie," which he purchased when it was carried into the gale ring at Willesden, some fifteen hours after its birth, for 50 guineas ; and " Blink Bonny" was bred by Mr. Strafi"ord. " Sappho" hus done full justice to such a gallant venture, and is quite a picture, especially in her head, and an equally beautiful handler. The pigs and sheep were good, but not especially choice. The entries of the first-named v.xre very scanty, and Mr. Watson, of Bolton Park, did not show anything. The horses came in much greater force, except for the cart-horse stallion prize, in which Young Blythe, who had just won at Ulverstone, was un- opposed. British Yeoman reigned supreme among the blood stallions, but Royal Ilavenhill has never been shown against him since they met at the Royal Agricul- tural. Although he is rising nineteen, the old son of Liverpool is scarcely dipped in the back, and was as gay as a kitten. The sight of him in a Cumberland show-yard always elicits not a little enthusiasm ; but both he and Royal Ravenhill were beaten for the two- year-old hunting prize by the stock of Clansman, a son of Barnton. The hunting mares were moderate, and perhaps the germ of the horse ghow was the prize cart mare from The Knells, near Carlisle. She is lengthy, low on the leg, and, with wondrous quality, so exactly resembles Melbourne in the style of her head, that we might have believed her to be got by him. We could not but regret that she had not been shown at Chester. The prime amusement of the afternoon was the contest for the hunter prize, the conditions of which required that every horse should jump twelve hurdles. Five of the lot would have disgraced no hunt- ing stable, but the others were common. At the first attempt, all but one, who was ridden barebacked by a clever little " Dick Christian " of a boy, refused point blank ; but they soon warmed to their work, and gave some two thousand lookers-on a very pleasant half-hour of it. The prize was eventually given to the boy's horse, who was of course the deservedly popular candi- date, and a horse belonging to Mr. Philip Musgrave — the Master of the Eamont Harriers, v;ho founded it- was placed second, and one of Mr. Parker's highly com> mended. The plan carried to this length is certainly novel, but one that Iiunting-mcn are not likely to follow, for fear of making their horses confirmed I'cfusers. The agiicultural implements were purely local, and very useful in their character; and if we have a com- plaint to make, it is of the very involved and tedious catalogue, which is twice as puzzling as any " Brad- shaw," and the immense length of the toast-list — the latter is becoming a sad nuisance at foo mauy iigricul- tural dinners. 800 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. KENT CATTLE, POULTRY, AND IMPLEMENT SHOW. Prompted, perhaps, by the success which has at- tended the meetings of our national agricultural societies, the last few years have witnessed the estab- lishment or re-orjjanization of several district asso- ciations. They have died out as political organs, like that in Essex ; and have extended their operations from parishes and hundreds to whole counties, like the Sparkenhoe Club. The latter, indeed, is the now popular plan of proceeding. In place of three or four little gatherings, that are at- tended with proportionately little effect, the aim is to concentrate these into one respectable focus. Even East Suffolk, doing so well as it was, must embrace the West also. The neighbouring coun- ties on either side ai-e now fairly under weigh with a venture built precisely on the same principle. Of course, however, all cannot flourish alike. The very character and extent of country will go to make one, as it will lessen the influence of another. Tliere is, for instance, no such county show as the Yorkshire, precisely because there is no other such a county. Still, all may in a degree command success if they will only go the right way to work to obtain it. The past month has ushered into action another of these societies. The Maidstone Christmas Fat Cattle Show has been altered and improved into a summer show of breeding stock and implements, including the whole county in its title and arrangements. But, unfortunately, the whole county would scarcely seem to have been duly consulted on this point. There are, we believe, in Kent three or four other similar associations, which still hold themselves altogether independent of this one. They have certiiinly gone by no means out of their way to support its opening day, and the rather grave question arises as to where is the blame ? Did the managers of the Maidstone fat cattle meeting bodily enlarge themselves, or did they take the proper steps to secure that co-operation they should have had ? There is no doubt the district would profit by a good lesson of this kind ; in fact, there are few quarters in which it is more wanted. Little good or effect, however, can follow from such a combined exhibition of strength as that we witnessed on Thursday, Aug. 26. In sober sadness, it was the weakest show, for such an extent of country, we ever remember having been present at. Kent is generally famous for hops, fruit, filberts, and pretty faces. It may still depend upon these by no means despicable attractions. Further than this, in an agricultural point of view, it is renowned for its breed of sheep and make of ploughs — either so peculiarly adapted to the county as to be of little use out of it. Let alone the excitement of hop cultivation, the farmers grow rare wheat and beans; and so we come again to the not uncommon excuse, when a man has little to show you, that " this is not a breeding district." One might, however, expect to find, as we con- fess we did, a strong entry of the local sheep. As it was, there were nine prizes for pure-bred Kent long-woolled sheep, and eight of these were taken by one exhibiter, Mr. Murton, of Smeeth. For the best yearling rams there were two prizes and two entries — both Mr. Murton's; for the best two-year-old rams there were two prizes and three entries, all Mr. Murton's, and so on. In fact, in tlie six classes there was only one other breeder who had a Kent sheep to show. None of these were thought to be remarkable for their excellence, but at best we should not think they were not a good sheep to exhibit. Their chief recommendation is a certain hardihood of constitu- tion which enables them to withstand the bleak un- sheltered range of Eomney-marsh, and at the same time to do the best by tlie good keep they find there. In neither size, symmetry, nor quality will they compare with the Cotswold, of which there were one or two good specimens on the ground, from the flock ot Mr. Slatter, of Cirencester. Of stock, the Sussex beast has long been the favourite here, and the entries were certainly more encouraging. But Mr. Rigden, one of thejudges, couldnot congratu- late the meeting on their quality — " there was plenty of room for improvement." Then the cart-mares and foals were a teriibly mixed and ragged lot, with a smart active mare of Mr. Leney's just saving them from con- demnation. The Messrs. Pack did better with three Shire horses, backed by a Catlin Suffolk, while a good-looking Voltigeur colt went far to help out this section of the show. As a class, however, of farm horses entered by farmers, it was wofully infei'ior. Luckily the Short-horn came once more to the rescue. It was the only really commendable class of the meet- ing, and Mr. Hales, Mr. Betts, and Colonel Austen sent some generally well-bred, good-looking animals. Mr. Hales' pair of prize cows, for instance, and more especially Mr. Betts' two-year-old bull, and heifer-calf were wonderfully admired— so that it proves a good beast can be appreciated here. For shape, and quality more particularly, the judges selected these two young animals as likely to hold their own in any company. Mr. Betls is clearly an acquisition to the neighbour- hood, and his example should not be without its effect. Mr. Gillett, one of the judges, declared he had never seen a property so well managed. The display of implements was altogether far better, made up, as it was, of such firms as those of Bentall, and Coleman, from Essex ; Dray, and Turner, from London ; James, of Cheltenham ; Picksley, from Lan- cashire; and the home houses of Foord, of Lenham ; Weeks of Maidstone ; Garrett of Maidstone ; Spencer ; Aveling, andotlicrs. Coleman, of course, was declared to have the best scarifier, Bentall tlie best broadsharc, Weeks and Picksley two good collections of imple- ments. Dray the best set of hand-tools, and so on. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 301 Three firms entered Howard's two-horse harrow, and, as there could be no best, the prize was divided amongst them ; two sent the three- horse, and of course with a similar division. The iron plough awards were also in favour of the Messrs. Howard, whose implements were exhibited by Mr. Foord. Although the land was rather too light and friable for show work, the performance was pronounced to be very good. On the other hand, nothing could be worse than that of the Kent plough ^ in which some recent improvements have been effected. It really looked more as if some of the Dorkings had been turned on the land the day before, and carefully scratched it over. However, the fore-carriage of the plough has been amended, the straight beam has been nicely arched, and the draught has been considerably lightened. And all to this purpose — that never, as the men of Kent themselves admitted, was there such un- sightly work. Well may the county want one good meeting, now and then, if this be a specimen of what they are doing there in the nineteenth century. Lord Darnley, the President of the Society, clearly takes a real interest in the proceedings, and he put the different points on his list with much good sense and earnest intention. Moreover his lordship asked others to follow his example, and begged the several speakers at the dinner not to deal in empty compliment, but to speak out. Messrs. Rigden and Gillett, for the Judges, answered to the call in two admirably practical addresses, in which they found but little to compli- ment the meeting. In fact, it would have been im- possible to have done so. Our own opinion is, that the Kent farmers themselves did not do the occasion jus- tice. Whether their general co-operation had been duly sought, we cannot say ; but until the Society can command more competition and more general interest from the county, it does not promise to make much way. We heard both on the ground and at the dinner the frequent remark that " I have a much better" mare or sheep or bull at home. As a rule, we do not attach much import to such an observation ; but, in this instance, it was really quite possible; and if so, the committee, of course, should look up such entries. Compe- tition, in short, is the very life-blood of these meet- ings; and we must let Mr. Rigden put this well home, as he did, in his own speech, with an anec- dote in point. At the Derby Meeting of the Royal Agricultural Society he exhibited a Southdown for the first time. He sent his ram with the notion that he was a very good one ; but he was "nowhere" on the day; and a friend-— one of the successful ex- hibitors— kindly gave him this piece of advice: — "Just take your ram out of the yard. Master Rigden, tie him tightly round your neck, and then throw yourselves into the first bit of deep water you come to !" Strange to say. Master Rigden did not do so, but took his ram home again, carefully studied his defects, and in three years' time lived to beat his adviser I Our Kent friends may profit in all sorts of ways by this story, although we don't go to the length of the deep water. THE STEAM PLOUGH. Wehave no wish to fight the battle of the steam-plough inventors; but while combatants wax hot or get sorely bruised, bystanders may sometimes profit by the strug- gle. It matters not, just now, whether a dignilied competition for an implement prize admits of " testi- monials " and lists of customers being proffered to in- fluence the opinion of the judges; whether a judge is worth having, who condescends to form his judgment upon heai'say, or decides by other evidence than the work and machinery before him — of course taking a comprehensive view of the subject in all its bearings and applications, by means of his own knowledge of his business; or, again, whether a judge should receive after-explanations as to the cost price of apparatus, or adhere to the statements of his " catalogue " and " in- structions." We reserve our opinion on these and simi- lar points, though we believe that a discrepancy can be explained without imputing to any man unworthy motives. As we said at starting, the rivals shall assert their own claim to priority of invention — or, if they have not that, to the most successful practical working-out of a pi'inciple. As they boast of priority in steam -ploughing, however, we cannot help thinking that the Marquis of Tweeddale or Lord Willoughby de Eresby could tell them a story ; that Messrs. Fisken can refer to tlieir early cxperimcnfs ; that Mr. Usher does not forget his trials of the rotary cultivator ; that Mr. M'Rae ploughed by steam-engine and pulley on an estate near Glasgow, in 1840; and that our great drainage friend, Mr. Josiah Parkes, had field-days >?ith Heathcote's steam-plough on the great moss near Manchester, and also at Dumfries, more than twenty years ago. But in Mr. Smith's letter of August 13th there are conclusions from which we greatly differ — leading the farmer, as they do, to estimate the value of a steam- cultivator from a wrong point of view. Mr. Smith re- presents the Chester trial as a race, in which that machine ought to win which performs with most economy, as compared with the horse-power required to produce a similar effect — the condition as to turning over the soil being of course complied with. Calculat- ing from the judges' figures, taking the price of Mr. Fowler's plough at the larger sum, which is its actual cost, and charging equal wear and tear for both ma- chines in question, Mr. Smith brings out the result that his machine worked more economically than Mr. Fowler's, as well as economically compared with horses' work. Then, as the judges stated that " the trials of Messrs. Howards' (Smith's) machine also prove that the soil can be inverted in an efficient manner," the logical deduction, be thinks, is t'-ut his apparafuH Y 303 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. clearly won the prize. Now, giving Mr. Smith the benefit of his own computations, and his interpretation of thejudges' description of his M'ork, thereis just one point which he appears to have overlooked. One im- plement may he said to turn over the soil " efficiently," and another may be said to do so too ; but there are degrees of efficiency, and we are no more bound to take the lowest tender in steam-culture than in the building of a house, where workmanship may be done to the letter, but be worth double in one case what it is in another. The terms of the offer promised a prize to the steam-cultivator that should "in the mos? effi- cient manner turn over the soil ;" and it is just possi- ble, therefore, that judges might prefer, as most con- formable to their instructions, the work which turns over furrow-slices, burying the sward and exposing the underside of the slices upon the top, rather than that work which boasts of leaving the surface unburied, and its torn pieces not inverted, or that which turning over slices right and left covers up half the ground without moving it at all. The plough mould-boai-d certainly does not turn the soil completely upside down, but lays it up at an angle — still it is commonly said to " invert ; " and as many of the broken pieces in Mr. Smith's work are tumbled over, and a portion of the under soil brought up and exposed, perhaps the term "invert" may also be applied to describe a part of his process. But we think the judges must have taken a most favourable view of the work done by Messrs. Howard at Chester ; for we certainly should never say (as they do) that, while the first operation with the three-tined im- plement left the surface "more or less in its original position," the crossing with the five-tined implement "reversed the whole of the top soil." Whatever " reversing " may mean, our own inspection assured us that the surface grass and rubbish were far from being- buried ; indeed, one of the chief merits of the work con- Bisted in the rubbish being left at top, to die or be ex- tracted and got off. They report that Messrs, Howard's operations exposed '' a rough, irregular surface to the action of the atmosphere," and that Mr. Fowler's ploughing left the soil " in a far more desirable con- dition, and better adapted for all the purposes of hus- bandry " than horse-ploughing does. And it is clear thatybr autumnal cultivation and for cleaning land they preferred the action of the scarifying apparatus ; while for the general requirements of husbandry, in which the plough is by far the most important and most extensively used implement, they selected the ploughing machine. And again we repeat that the mere per- formance of one process at a cheaper rate than another machine accomplishes a different process cannot alone entitle a machine to be considered the winner. If this principle were admitted, we might have a steam machine rolling, or drilling, or hoeing with a greater per-centage of saving over horse-work, than another machine could show in ploughing or grubbing, and so consider itself the most valuable because "most economical ;" when in a more important process, as ploughing, it might work at disadvantage, compared with the other inven- tion, or be altogether incapable. And now let us distinguish between things that differ. You may work most economically, owing to the ex- cellence of your implement or the superior nature of the process for certain purposes, when your mechan- ism for actuating the implement may be less econo- mical than that of other inventions. Or, on the other hand, you may work at least expense for every hun- dred-toeight draught of your implement, and yet the saving in your work be less than in the other ; because you may be performing an operation much more wanted in general practice, though the other can be done at more profit while it lasts. Which is the more valuable apparatus of the two ? Why, clearly that which can apply power most cheaply ; for you have only to attach the implement of the first machine, to work with greater economy still, and beat it in its own advantageous process j while the other apparatus would work your implement, or indeed any implement what- ever that is adapted for traction by rope, at a loss as compared with your performances. Apply this consideration to the rival Chester steam tilling-machines. And here we need have nothing to do with engine-power, length of rope, number of pul- leys, &c. ; but simply take the expenses as estimated by thejudges, and the draught and speed of the im- plements as deduced from their investigations. Six horses, yoked three before three, were found to pull Messrs. Howard's three-tined cultivator very well at their own pace, going the same width and depth as with the steam-power. And that the work was not at all above average pulling for the horses may be judged of from this fact : The draught of a Wilkie's swing- plough, turning a furrow 9 inches wide by 6 inches deep in this land, was 6| cwt., that is, fair draught for three horses. The scarifier took about the breadth of three furrows, not cutting all this width, but tearing up the soil both to a greater breadth than the outside shares extended, and also between the shares, which are set with an interval between their tracks instead of " overlapping." The depth was 6 and sometimes 7 inches. Everybody who has worked a good scarifier knows how much less power is required to break up hard soil into pieces without turning them over, than to cut rectangular slices, and turn them with the screw- shaped, frictional incline of a mould-board. However, as we reported of the trial at the time, the six horses drew the implement without any excessive exertion of strength. Taking 2 cwt. for each horse draught, the whole draught of the implement was thus 12 cwt. The average speed, including the turnings at the end, was observed, and found to be at the rate of 3,600 yards per hour. Now, let us get similar items of Mr. Fowler's work. In the first place, what was the draught of his plough ? Had it been thought of, a couple of the plough bodies might have been removed from the frame, and a num- ber of horses yoked before it ; but, as it was, the four furrows at once were evidently beyond the pulling force of any reasonable team. The draught of a single furrow an inch narrower than each of those taken by the implement, was found (as we have said), to be 6f THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 303 cwt. ; so that the draught due to the four furrows would appear to be some 24 cwt., or that of twelve horses. But it must be borne ia mind that a com- parison between an iron swing-plough and one of the ploughs in this machine cannot be on equal terms. In experiments with iron ploughs, we have found the draught of the implement along an open furrow (with- out doing any work), and due merely to the weight sledging on the sole, to be frequently li cwt. ; four ploughs thus requiring 6 cwt. to pull them "empty." We once tested the draught of Mr. Fowler's imple- ment, running empty on the land, and found it 3 cwt. : consequently, we deduct 3 cwt. from the 24, on account of the lighter travelling of the implement compared with horse ploughs. Then, it is considered that when a number of plough-bodies are set together in a frame, less power is needed to pull them than to pull as many separate ploughs. Tnis is seen in using the two-furrow plough with three horses, when four horses would be required for two separate ploughs. And Mr. Williams found from some trials of his ploughing-machine, that he saved one horse out of six by doing three furrows at once. We will, however, allow, say 1 cwt. more for this advantage : making altogether 20 cwt., or 10 horse draught for Mr. Fowler's implement. The average speed, including the turnings (but neither with this nor with Messrs. Howard's implement, reckoning stoppages for alterinsr, &c.), was at the rate of 3,088 yards per hour. For the sake of comparison, the same pace must be taken in both cases j and 20 cwt., at 3,088 yards per hour, is the same thingas 17 cwt. at 3,600 yards per hour. Messrs. Howard drew 12 cwt., and Mr. Fowler 17 cwt. at the same speed: the former using an 8-horse, the iBtter a 10-horse engine. What then is the cost per day in each case for every cwt. draught of the implement worked ? Messrs. Howard's expenses were estimated by the judges at 46s. 9d. a-day, being 3s. 10|d. per cwt. We will take the prime cost of Mr. Fowler's machinery at £753, instead of ^f 650, bring- ing the judge's estimate up to 48s. a-day : being 2s. 9|d. per cwt. That is, Mr, Fowler hauled more cheaply than Messrs. Hoioard hy as much as 28 per cent. To please Mr. Smith, we will now allow 20 per cent, wear and tear on Mr. Fowler's as well as on Messrs. Howard's apparatus: the daily expenses being then 51s. 9d., and the cost per cwt. 3s. 0|d., or 22 per cent, lower than Messrs. Howard's. But not choosing to take upon ourselves to impugn the judges' valuation of the relative wear and tear of the two ma- chines, one with a short rope, large grooved-drums, and one pulley, the other with more rope, coiling-drums, and four smaller pulleys, we prefer the former statement of 28 per cent, advantage in Fowler's working. Our calculation shows the cost of the power applied to any implement worked in the same way, by both sets of machinery ; the money value of the tillage done will, of course, depend upon the effectual or im- perfect use which the implement employed may make of the power conveyed to it — that is, the comparative excellence of the form of tool, or of the particular pro- ces8 performed by it. Whatever value was put upon Messrs. Howard's work, it is clear that, with a suitable scarifier, Mr. Fowler might have done work worth pre- cisely as much per acre; but, applying the power more economically, he would have accomplished it at 28 per cent, less cost. And on the other hand, Messrs. Howard could have drawn a frame of ploughs, doing work like Mr. Fowler's, only it would have been at greater expense. Now, we have no wish whatever to dispai'age Mr. Smith's apparatus — very far from it, indeed. It is particularly ingenious, and so valuable — from its simplicity, cheapness, portability, and several other important facilities and advantages — that many farmers are adopting it in various counties ; and there is no doubt that sets of this tackle will be sold by hundreds. But we object to any claim set up for m(tre than is its due. It certainly is to be regretted that the judges at Chester should have been carried oif to the thrashing machines just when they were gettingintothe merits of the steam-plough trials ; and more extended operations might have been conducted, with a view to ascertaining the capability of each machine in three distinct processes — the breaking up of foul land for cleaning, the preparation of lea gtround or other clean land for sowing, and deep-working for winter exposure. But as far as the work was done, there is no doubt that the relative importance of these various uses of the im- plements, as well as the economy in working, were duly considered by the judges. And the principle of con- struction may also have had some influence in their adjudication, though of course a minor point compared with economy and effectiveness in actual work. Look for a moment at this matter. Mr. Smith's system of hauling implements appears to have received most of the improvements of which it was originally capable, and we do not see that the expenses of working can be much reduced. The windlass, anchors, implements, &c., are already so simple in construction, that but little reduction seems possible in the prime cost ; but the labour, amounting to 16s. out of the 46s. 9d. per day, may perhaps be diminished 2s. 6d. by doing without the windlass-man — thus making the lowest cost per cwt. draught attainable by the system, say 3s. 8d. Mr. Fowler's system we regard as being open to a great diminution in the cost price — as shown by the simpler form of winding-gear attached to an engine fire-box which appeared at Chester, though only tried for a short time in the field ; indeed, the principle of grooved drums connected with an engine self-shifting along the headland is susceptible of innumerable practical appli- cations, and different manufacturers will reproduce it in various forms of machinery. We have no doubt that, with an eight-horse engine, the apparatus will be purchasable for £200 less money than tlie Chester trial machine, with all its appurtenances, is said to cost. The daily expenses will then be 44s., instead of 48s. ; and as one man at 3s. may also be deducted frpm the jiuLc.' c,l.:.r.ate of labour (excepting in diflScult ground with the largest-sized plough), the cost per cwt. draught would be only 2s. 5d. ; but less work being done by an eight-horse than by a ten-horse engine, we must reckon the cost at somewhat more. Invaluable T 2 304 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. as Mr. Smith's method of working undoubtedly is, and rapidly as it has attained to a thoroughly effective form of the various parts, we believe that Mr. Fowler's method (though wanting some of the haudiness cha- racteristic of Mr. Smith's) will ultimately prove supe- rior on all surfaces except steep hills, because it ap- plies the power with greater mechanical advantage and the lowest amount of labour. We have calculated the expense of steam culture at so much per cwt. draught of the implement; but lest our readers should fall into any misapprehension, we must compare it for a moment with horse labour esti- mattdinthe same way. For taking 2 cwt. as the draught of one horse, it might be said, "Why, horses pull at only 2s. a day for each cwt. draught, reckon- ing the cost of a pair-team and man at 8s." But time and distance were considered in the aforesaid calcula- tion, and must also be reckoned here for the sake of fair comjjarison. In ploughing one acre in an eight-hour day with a ten-inch furrow, a team travels 17,424 yards; so that the average pace, including the turnings, is 2,178 yards per hour ; and 2 cwt. drawn 2,178 yards per hour is equivalent (in power expended,) to only one and one-fifth cwt. at the speed of 3,600 yards per hour, the speed at which the steam implements were compared, and at which pace horses would not work for half a day. And one and one-fifth cwt. at 4s. a day, the expense of one horse and the manual labour, is at the rate of 3s. 4d. a day for each cwt. draught. Compared with horse-power, then, Messrs. Howard's 3s. lOjd. is a loss of 16 per cent., while Mr. Fowler's 2s. 9|d. is a saving of 16 per cent. But the horse damages his work by his trampling, and his slow pace produces work much inferior to that of the steam plough or cultivator ; so that the valuation of the steam tillage shows a profit as compared with horse- tillage, even when the cost of the power applied would indicate a loss. In heavy land ploughing, and in deep work, where horses pull at greater disadvantage, the gain is much greater, because the steam power is ap- plied at a still cheaper rate. Besides, the advantage of being able to work more than 10 hours a day (for which time the above prices are calculated), and the consequent expedition, forms an overwhelm- ing balance in favour of the steam power. In concluding this long story, we congratulate the ag- riculturist on the success which has attended the inven- tion and persevering improvement of steam cultivating machinery. We consider Mr. Fowler entitled to all honour and gratitude from the nation at large, as well as from the farmers, for his ceaseless efforts and inex- haustible ingenuity in grappling with the steam plough problem. And we cannot sufficiently express our ad- miration of the boldness and enterprise of Mr. Smith, in breaking away from the routine of immemorial practice, and successfully introducing a novel mode of culture that promises to work miracles on the clay lands of Britain, or say what satisfaction it gives us to receive the new tillage from a genuiue English yeoman rather than from some amateur farmer or member of a learned profession, as has frequently been the case in agricultural innovations. MANUFACTURE AND CONSUMPTION OF FERMENTED DRINKS. We furnished recently some details respecting the manufacture and consumption of our great national beverages, ale and beer ; and we now proceed to in- vestigate the production, im2:)ortation, and consumption of spirituous liquors; taking, at the same time, a passing glance at some other countries. The cereals, although not exclusively, are largely drawn upon for the distillation of spirit. Not that all the alcohol distilled is used as a beverage ; for it is often forgotten, in the comparative calculations of con- sumption, that it is extensively used for many other pur- poses : such as for chloroform, sal-volatile, dissolving gums and resins, extracting dyes, removing stains from silk, cleaning and polishing delicate machinery, optical instruments, silver and plated wares, in the Daguerre- otype and Talbotype processes, extracting or dissolving essential oils, preserving objects of natural history, and very largely in the chemical and pharmaceutical la- boratories of Europe. The following figures show the consumption of spirits in the United Kingdom at two periods, in gallons : — 1821. British spirits 8,349,170 Foreign do 957,340 Hum 2,489,120 1851. 23,976,596 1,903,203 2,880,425 11,795,030 88,760,284 In the first-named period the population was about 21,300,000, in 1851 it was 27,500,000. In 1851, there- fore, the average consumption was a little moi'e than one gallon ; and if we carry down the return to last year, the consumption — 28,866,074 gallons — would give a rather less average proportion per head of the popu- lation. Three years ago malt was made free of duty for dis- tilling purposes and for exportation, and spirits were allowed to be distilled free of duty to be sent abroad : hence an increased impetus has been given to the ship- ment of British spirits. Two years ago the shipments were merely nominal; last year they amounted to 5,190,538 gallons. It is not necessary now to enter into the discussion of the use and abuse of fermented drinks. It matters little whether they are presented in the shape of beer, wine, or ai'dent spirits : the active principle in all alike is alcohol, which exists in variable proportions in each ; and, to a great extent, they not only stimulate and invigorate, but they also partake of the exhilarating and soothing, hunger-stopping and waste-retarding effects attributed to tea. Fermented drinks are not only an agreeable, but often a necessary substitute for fat. Taken in moderation they not only promote d-igestion, but supply carbon to the system THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 305 give energy to all the vital functions, relieve the lassi- tude of the nervous system, and call into action the intellectual powers. All countries have some spirituous drink, of native or foreign manufacture. Whether it be the chewed kava of the Pacific islands, the chicha of South America, the pulque of Mexico, or the toddy and arrack of the East. Some of these stimulating beverages are of curious origin. Thus, an intoxicating spirit is distilled in Corinthia and Styria from gentian, which is found in most of the elevated regions ; in Tartary and Iceland we have the koumis, or fermented milk ; in Dalmatia, rakia, from the husks of grapes, mixed with aromatics ; in Northern Africa a brandy is made from dates, and a strong spirit from millet. The fermented fruit of the peach gives an excellent brandy, which is chiefly manufactured in the United States^. An American citizen has succeeded in distilling a pleasant spirit from the tomato. In Norway, where about 2,500,000 gallons are made annually, the spirit is chiefly distilled from the potato ; but a small portion is produced from rye, barley, and oats, and it is generally 50 per cent, proof. In Chili, after making cider and wine from their apples, they extract from the refuse a white and finely-flavoured spirit. Some of these foreign beverages require a de- gree of hardihood to experimentalize upon them. Thus the flavour of pulque — the sap of the leaves of the maguey — (the Agave americana) is likened, by Dr. Bayard Taylor, to a distillation of sour milk, strongly tinctured with Cayenne pepper and hartshorn. Another traveller tells us that " to strangers, both the taste and smell are horrible, something of the style of rotten eggs ; but one soon gets accustomed to the flavour." And this is the al- coholic drink of five millions of people. What propor- tion it is indulged in by them we have no means of determining. It would certainly be very beneficial, in many points of view, if we could obtain our alcohol from other sources than food plants ; and, as scientific discovery proceeds, there is little doubt that we shall in course of time utilize for this purpose many now neglected or wild plants. The French chemists have been long at work on this experimental research. Owing to the dearness of alcohol, a great number of continental beet- root sugar manufacturers transformed their establish- ments into distilleries ; but the alcohol obtained from the root was of such detestable taste and smell, as to be unfit for any purpose whatever, until, after some time, it was found that the essential oil could be separated from it, and the spirit rendered equal to the alcohol from colonial sugar and from grapes. The attempts to distil from beet-root in this country have not yet been very successful. In Algeria attention has been called to the cheap production of alcohol from indii^enous plants, obtained in great abundance in that province. The bulbs of Asphodel, in the months of May to August, yield as much as 12 per cent, of the fermentable principles — about the maximum of cane sugar, and almost double that of beet sugar. The marc or pulp, after the extrac- tion of alcohol, is also greedily devoured by hogs, who feed on it with advantage. The large and dry bulbs of Scilla maritima, another common plant, gi-owing abundantly in northern Africa, afibrd, according to M. Dumas, more than 30 per cent, of saccharine mat- ter; but this contains a bitter principle, which is in- jurious to the alcohol, although it can probably be removed like that in beet-root spirit. The French are even utilizing their pea-shucks : they have discovered, so it is said, that pea-pods yield alcohol as abundantly as the beet-root, or as pumpkins. There has been a great decrease in our imports of Geneva or Hollands. About ten years ago we imported on the average 400,000 gallons a-year : now it has de- clined to 178,000 gallons. The chief export is now to the United States, where this spirit has become highly popular under the name of " Schiedam Schnapps." The greater part of the gin shipped from Holland to the United States is imported high-flavoured for adul- teration— to be mixed with what is called in America " pure spirits" ; that is, common whisky obtained from maize, with the essential oil extracted, leaving it neu- tral. When brought into contact with an article bearing a high flavour, pure spirits therefore imbibe the flavour ; and in this way, in fact, are the wines, gins, and brandies adulterated in the New York mar- ket. The gin principally shipped to the States has an extra quantity of the juniper flavour, and, when added to the " pure spirits," it produces the article commonly known as " Old Hollands," and by other names. The manner of producing this extra flavour is somewhat after the following fashion : The juniper berry is mixed with the malt-wine of the Dutch— a liquor having a malt flavour, due to the mixture of corn and rye in its manufacture. The juniper and the malt-wine are put together in the mill, and concentrated. A few gallons of the extract will give a pipe of whisky the flavoui' of gin. From the last census we glean the following facta relative to the quantity of grain distilled per annum in the United States : — Indian corn 11,067,661 bushels. Rye 3,14.3,927 ,, Oats 56,717 „ Hhds. of molasses 61,675 From these products are manufactured annually 42,133,955 gallons of whisky, and 6,500,000 gallons of rum. There are also imported about 4,000,000 gallons of brandy, grain, and other foreign spirits. A late Cincinnati journal informs us that in that city and its vicinity there are thirty-two distilleries, which manu- factiu-e and send into the market in a year 19,260,045 gallons of proof whisky, in the manufacture of which there were consumed 6,420,015 bushels of Indian corn, besides a large quantity of rye and " ship stuff"." What this " ship stuff"" is, is not stated : it may pro- bably be the molasses or drainings from sugar casks. The average annual export of maize from the United States to Europe for the last nine years has been about 306 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 5j274,585 bushels ; so that the quantity of this grain consumed in the manufacture of tiae distilled spirits sold in Cincinnati was 1,145,430 bushels greater than the average annual shipment to Europe. The consumption of spirituous liquors is perhaps larger than it ought to be in many localities, such as Scotland, Australia, California, Poland, &c. ; but we believe this evil will in due time work its own cure. As active employment, education, and amusements progress, men will resort less to the bottle as a stimu- lant j and, as in the United Kingdom, the ratio of con- sumption will decline. LECTURE ON GEOLOGY, WITH ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF THAT SCIENCE TO AGRICULTURE. Delivered at the Agricultural College, Kennington, by S. J. Mackie, F.G.S., F.S.A., &c. ; AND printed at the DESIRE OF THE PRINCIPAL, J. C. NeSBIT, EsU-, F.G.S., F.C.8. Scjpnre not now to be disregarded in any department of industry. Belies and organic remains. Doctrines of central heat and gradual refrigeration of our planet. Elevation of land. Age of mountains. Spheroidal fi)rra of globe. Strata and sea- shores. Fossil and recent shells. Deposits — freshwater, terres- trial, and marine. Inclined and vertical strati. Speculative, theoretical, and practical geology. Explanation of ordinary technical terms proposed. Practical utility of geology. Every department of industry or comraerce, in England at least, has been developed into a science, and scarcely any avail- able sources of iufortnation or improvement have been neglected in advancing the progress of those arts and manufactures which have placed our country in the foremost rank of nations, and have made our merchants and our manufacturers like the princes of old. Most of us can recollect the former school of antiquaries — harmless old gentlemen, who collected all kinds of oddities, and carefully treasured them as curiosities ; men who would take to the fraction of an iuch the width of a church window or the height of a doorway ; who would count every nail in an old shoe, and exhibit with delight a spur of King James's, or a bit of Oliver Cromwell's coat tail ; but who never learned one fact from all the treasures they accumulated, nor advanced by a single new idea the intelligence of their race. And yet out of the things that to these men were mere idle vanities, the skilfulness of modern induction has developed such interesting knowledge, and from the graves, edifices, and relics of the ancient nations of the world, has furnished such valuable les- sons of history, as have made archseology one of the most interesting and attractive of the modern sciences. But antiquities are associated with the feelings and passions of the human race ; they retain the traces of those who have gone before us the way of all flesh ; there is a touch of some- thing as it were almost of humanity about them. The brooch of the Anglo-Saxon, or the fibula of the Koman, speaks, after no matter how many ages, to the mind like the trinkets of some departed friend ; and though we knew not the wearers, yet we link intuitively as it were, in their contemplation, many of the best sympathies of our nature. Relics always were the treasured memeatos of the past. Not so the curiosities of the soil : shells were broken out of the rocks centuries ago, when the mighty pyramids were reared ; and the mineralized teeth of fishes in more recent times have been regarded with super- stition or swallowed as medicines. There is no association, at first sight, between the relics of former creations and the sym- pathies or wants of our race. Iron and the metals were re- quired in peace and in war, and of their working and their manufacture we obtain evidences from very early periods. Stone for building also succeeded with the advances of national civilization. But geology, though in some branches practically existent within certain bounds, had not attained the rank of a science at the dawn of the present memorable century. Earnest and truth-seeking indeed have been those master-minds whose labours have developed this yet imperfect, but marvellous and noble science. From the shells and bones, and scales and leaves, mineralized in the solid stone, they have pourtrayed the creations of the past ; from the clays, and sands, and lime- stones, they have read grand passages in the history of former continents, and have mapped down seas and oceans that laved the shores of lands no monarch owned, or human being trod ; from the granites, traps, and basalts, they have told the ages of mountains, and have gained en insight into the mysterious powers of the volcano and earthquake, and they have given an interest of no ordinary character to the ages that were, and out of seeming insignificance and chaos have developed scenes of exquisite beauty and order. No wonder that the fossil relics of ante-human creations should be so eagerly sought after by so many of the votaries of this attractive study. Doubtless they are the finer types, in which the poetry of the science is printed;, but there is creeping into the fashion of collecting fossils rather too much of the spirit of the old antiquaries, and specimens are too often regarded in the light of something new or rare, something that nobody else has — in fact, as curi- osities, rather than as something every one is sure to find if they look — as sometliing useful and instructive — something that is an evidence of what was, and may be of service to what is. There are still numbers, notwithstanding the progress geology has made, who are ignorant of its first principles ; and the question is often asked, by those even who have some slight acquaintance with its rudiments, Of what good is it ? We have still much to do in promoting the knowledge of its principles, and what is still more to the purpose, their practical application. The anomalous and somewhat equivocal position which this science is through prejudice made to hold, among professional men as well as among the mass, in this respect, has undoubtedly been induced by the too-absorbing attention given to the study of organic remains ; and indeed a great proportion of so-called geologists would be with more propriety called amateur pateoB- tologists. We do not, however, condemn paleontology, while we hold distinctly and prominently that its true position is THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 307 subsidiary to true geology, and even to the study of the rocks themselves. Another point we would remark upon here, as tending to divert popular favour and a due estimation of the merits of this noble science, ia the want of a proper and suffi- cient distinction being ordinarily drawn between the specula- tive, theoretical, and practical departments into which this science is certainly divided. Some of its doctrines are most entirely speculative ; and when any of these are overturned in the popular faith — as assuredly they will be, with the progress of information — they will be so many reverses and drawbacks to its progress. For instance, it is common to hear of the incandescent state of the interior of the globe. This doctrine is purely speculative, but it is not usually set prominently forth as such. It is the more frequently received as one of the established deductions of geology, and we even find writers of eminence placing this speculation in a very decided manner before their readers. It had its origin chiefly in the fact that in descending into mines, or deep into the earth, au increase of temperature takes place, on the average, equal to one degree of heat for about forty-four feet of depth ; that the shape of the globe itself, that of an oblate spheroid, having its equatorial diameter greater than its polar diameter by about seventy miles, was indicative of an original fluid state ; that on the supposed principle of the condensation of the stellar nebulje in the heavens, this globe had originally been likewise con- densed from a vaporous condition, by which process great heat had been generated; that granite and other similar rocks exhi- bited the traces of igneous action ; and that from the lines and evident directions in which volcanic action takes place, it was to be concluded there was an internal sea of molten matter with which they were all connected. The refrigeration of this liquid sphere was supposed to have given rise to a thin consolidated ^\\\:./<^\V'^nV [LiGN. 1.— Ideal section, illustrative of the primitive structure of the globe, showin? the presumed consolidated crust (&), the central-heated Buid mass {a), and the outer ocean- covering of condensed water (c).] crust, which fell in at intervals, and had its fractured portions upturned, as the mass beneath contracted in cooling; that as soon as this film or series of films was sufficiently reduced in teaaperalure to form a protecting crust, the vapour of the atmosphere condensed upon it into seas and oceans, and the deposition of stratified rocks began. The hardened and often ifr'-^vh i^t.<.s>jyjn^^ isy\\ LiGN. 2. — Ideal diagram, showing the supposed fracturing of the primitive crust or primeval rock (r), in the progress of solidiflcation by the unequal contraction or expansion of the great central fluid mass.] crystalline character'of the earliest deposits were thought to be the effect of contact with the heated crust of the globe ; and the elevations of mountain langes at subsequent epochs, the depres- sions and upheavals of lands, and their various associated phe- nomena, were (and even still are by many) imagined to be produced by the continued cooling down of the central portion, and the consequent tilting inwards and upwards of gigantic fragments of the broken and fissured shell. Now very ordinary reflection will soon shew us how purely gratuitous is such a doctrine. That there is an internal heat produced by some cause no one will deny ; that great and wonderful powers have been at work changing the structure of rocks, upheaving, rend- ing, and depressing them, is equally evident ; but in all this there is nothing to prove that the interior of this globe is now in a state of such terrific incandescence, and possess- ing such accumulated intensity of heat as indicated by the calculation of one degree of increase for every forty-four feet of vertical depth. At this rate the boiling poiut of water would be reached at two miles, the melting point of iron at twenty-four. Now the heat that would melt iron would reduce nearly every known material to the fluid state ; and in the ratio indicated, the intensity at the centre would be equal, as has been calculated, to 450,000 degrees of Fahrenheit. What schoolboy that has cast leaden bullets but knows per- fectly well, no increase of temperature beyond the melting point will take place in the contents of his iron ladle while a single fragment of the solid metal remains. Every one knows too, that if we attempt to melt ice over the fiercest fire, the temperature of the water never rises above freezing point (32°) as long as a single particle of the solid ice remains. Now, as iron melts at about 2,786° Fah., it follows that the temperature of this globe must be reduced to that point at least before any super- ficial consolidation could take place. On the opposite hand, it would also be inferred from the same premises that if the in- candescence had reached the point submitted, the intensity of heat would be sufficient to instantly reduce the thin crust of the globe, and to drive off, with explosive violence, the waters of the oceans and seas. Again, if we placed the end of a bar of iron, or any conducting substance, in a fire, we should find the heat increasing, with a decrease of distance, as we approached the fire ; but in testing the temperature at great depths, it has not been found that the deeper the depth the shorter the distance which produces the additional degree of heat ; on the contrary, it has been found, in some instances, that the periods of space are even more lengthened as we recede from the surface. By this doctrine, too, the granites and crystalline rocks of every region should be all of one age ; but it is well known, and may readily be perceived, that they are of very various dates. If we broke through the ice on a pond with a large wedge from beneath, which we allowed to remain between the upturned edges, and if against or upon these elevated portions of ice a [LiGN. 3. — Ideal diagram, illustrative of the upheaval of mountains, their geological ages, and the protrusion of their central granitic masses, (a) Vertical section of a pond of water; (h) crust of ice broken through by a wedge from below, with the disrupted parts elevated on each side; (c) additional height of water subsequently added ; (re the rates of the different kinds : Three- parts bred, from 12s. to ISs., 23. 6d. to Ss. below last year; halfbreds from 8s. to 14s,, 2g. to Ss. 6d. below last year; Cheviots, lis. to 68. 6d., being Is. to 2«. below last year. HOWDEN GREAT HORSE FAIR.— The show has been better for sellers than buyers, anything good having met with a ready sale at high prices. While the dealers grumbled at what they called tlie short supply, there is no mistake about the satisiactioa expressed by the breeders — partly in words, and partly in their cheerful countenances — as they buttoned up their pocket?, and departed for their distant homes, fol- lowed by the good wishes of mine host, and earnest hopes again to see them at Howden show. ILSLEY FAIR— There were some fine pens of lambs, which sold at satisfactory prices; the demand for other descriptions of sheep was dull, but yet those that changed hands generally supported late figures. LAMBERT'S CASTLE FAIR was tolerably well at- tended : sales were very dull. The prices of fat sheep ranged frcra 333. to 45s., ewes 30s. to 353., lambs ISs. to 23s. Fat beef was scarce, aud the heifers and bulla on sale were little inquired after. There were some pigs in the fair, but few horses. LEWES FAIR. — lu point of numbers the stock was not only inferior to that of last year, but considerably below an average. The number of sheep and lambs penned was 27,000; 30,000 being an average for the Lewes September fair. With respect to quality, however, many of the sheep and lambs ex- hibited for sale have seldom been excelled ; indeed, there were certain lots of eacli which proved perfect models, and brought proportionately high prices. The fair opened with every ap- pearance of a br sk sals for ewes, aud many bargains were made, especially with the best sorts ; but towards noon there was a reaction, which was felt to the close, for several pens re- mained unsold. The buyers on the one band asked what was considered too high a figme, aud the sellers on the other hand THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 353 refused what they considered below the market value of their stock. Large uumbers of sheep and lambs changed bands, and though a considerable portion remained unsold, the sale was au average. Tor the best lambs there was a fair sale, most of theiu being disposed of. For wethers there was not a very good sale, arising chiefly from a deficiency of sorts in the county ; but altogether the prices may be said to be about 2s. above those of last year. Ewes sold from 293. to 46s, lambs 2l3. to 283 , culls ISs. to 208. LINCOLN FAIR was very largely attended as compared with former years. The beast fair was not to say largely, but moderately supplied with stock of various kinds and qualities, and S.S buyers were somewhat scarce, a languid sale was ex- perienced for all descriptions. The sheep fair was one of the largest known for many years at this season of the year, nearly 4,000 being penned, but still the trade was far irom brisk, and without animation. The best kind of wethers and gimmers realized good prices, but inferior sorts were difficult of disposal even at lower rates. The horse fair, as is gene- rally the caie at tliis season of the year, was very gooj as re- gards quantity, but the general quality of the animals exhi- bited was of a very inferior description, although some well- bred and useful animals were offered in the numerous Irish and Welsh droves, which on this occasion put in an appearance. A good amount of business was, however, done among the class of animals worth buying, but old and inferior horses were very difficult of disposal. Good cart foals and fillies, of which a very fair supply was on offer, readily found buyers at prices varying from £12 to £16 each. LOUTH FAJK. — There was a large supply of sheep, for the greater part of which there was a brisk demand, although the trade on the whole was not so active as had been antici- pated. The cattle department was not crowded, so that a ready sale was lound for beasts of every description, but not at a material advance in price. MOFFAT FAIR.— The show of rams was much larger than last year. Prices for Cheviots were down on the general class 10s. to 20s. below last year. Prices for the best class of Cheviot rams may be quoted from £10 to £21 ; superior animals, £i 10s. to £9 ; and secondary from £1 lOs. to £3 10s. Tup lambs, best 23s. to .'JOs., ordinary 16s. to 203. Yorkshire rams £4 to £6. Blackfaced rams, best £4 to £5 5s., secondary from SOs. MONIAIVE FAIR.— There has not been a better show of stock seen for many years ; it consisted of about 50 lots, comprising nearly 4,000 bead. Owing to the recent bad weather, and buyers consequently being cautious, the de- mand was slow ; still the presence of a few Cumberland dealers tended greatly to quicken sales. Prices for half-bred lambs were from 12s. to ItJs., Cheviot ewe lambs lOs. to ISs, wedder ditto (seconds) from 37 38 Ticks ...... 36 Harrow 37 41 Pigeon 40 Peas, new, white hoilerslO 44.. Maple 42 41..Grej 41 FLODU,persackof2801bs., Town, Households 37s., fine 40 Country 30 32, Households.. 30 Norfolk and Suffolk, ex-ship , 29 34 33 31 24 38 46 43 43 35 30 FOHEIGN GRAIN. Shillmf;:! per — high do. — — extra 47 „ — — — fine.... 46 — 50 red .. . 42 45 Quarter, — 50 Wheat, Dantzic, mixed 45 Konigsberg 4U Rostock 45 American, white ..43 Pomera., Meckbg.,& Uckermrk,red42 4G — — Silesian,red 42 44 white 43 45 Danish and Holstein ..,, 40 44 Russian, hard 39 40 .. French. .42 43 white 42 45 St. Petersburg and Riga , 40 4} Rhine and Belgium — 46 Barley, grinding ?H 27 Distilling.... 28 30 Oats, Dutcli, brew, and Polands 24 30 Feed 21 26 Danish and Swedish, feed ...24 2U Stralsund.... 2-'> 27 Russian 22 24 Beans, Kriesland and Ilolstein.. 36 41 Konigsberg 36 39 Egyptian .... S5 36 P^As, feeding 40 42 fine boilers., 42 46 Indian Corn, white 34 34 yellow 32 35 Floor, persack French 33 37 Spanish ,,,, ~ — American, per barrel, sour ..20 22 sweet..,.,., 24 25 MONTHLY RETURN. An Account shewing the Quantities of Cokn Grain, Meal, and Flour, imported into the United Kingdom, and admitted to Home Con- sumption, IN the month of August, 1858. Species of Corn, Grain, Meal, and Flour. Whwat Barley Oats Rye Peas Beans Maize or Indian Corn .. Buck Wheat Beer or Bigg Total of Corn and Grain Wheat Meal and Flour Barley Meal Oat Meal , Rye Meal Pea Meal Indian Meal Buck Wheat Meal , Total of Meal and Flour jr^„^,t„A Iniporteil f.^P?n • from British from foreign j,^^,^^^^^^^ Countries. „utofE„ qrs. bush. 356438 5 152447 7 256999 6 951 3 8241 7 21523 3 U2738 1 631 G qrs. bush. 17335 7 926 6 25 6 939975 6 18288 3 cwts. qr.lb. cwts. 225131 0 21 22268 qr.U). 2 17 0 0 0 0 225143 1 15 22360 2 17 0 22; 0 o; 1 0 2 0 1 0 91 Total. qrs. bush. 373774 4 162447 256t(99 951 9168 21523 142763 634 958264 1 cwts. qr.lb, 247399 3 10 0 22 0 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 247504 0 4 IMPERIAL AVERAGES. Foe the last Six j Wheat. Weeks : i s. d. Aug. 14, 1858 .... 45 2 Aug. 21, 1858 .... 45 1 Aug. 28, 1858 42 6 Sept. 4, 1858 ....1 45 3 Sept. 11, 1858 ....I 45 1 Sept. 11, 1858 44 U Aggregate average' 44 8 Sametimelastyear 58 4 Barley, 8. d. Oats. 8. d. 28 3 27 9 27 10 27 3 25 7 25 8 27 1 27 1 Rye. Beans. Peag. s. d. B. d. 8. d. 35 4 46 7 13 11 35 10 46 10 H 3 34 0 47 8 13 8 31 6 46 7 J 5 1 33 9 45 0 41 7 34 6 46 3 45 1 34 8 46 7 44 5 59 0 46 9 41 8 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. COMPARATIVE AVERAGES— 1858-57. From la»t Friday's 3 Peas 6i!9 From Oazetleot 1857. s. Wheat.. ....135,244 qrs.,5G Barley 28,275 .. 42 Oats 8,257 .. 26 Rye 1,208 .. 37 Beans...... 4,680 .. 45 Peas 1,703 .. 42 FLUCTUATIONS IN THE AVERAGE PRICE OF WHEAT. Pkicb. Aug, 14. Aug. 21. Aug. 28, Sept.4. Sept. 11. Sept. 18. PRICES OF SEEDS. BRITISH SEEDS. Trefoil, new 19s. to 31s. Taees, Winter, new, per bushel 128. Cd. to 138. MosTAKDSEED, per bush., new 128. to I4s., brown 10s. to 12s. Coriander, per cwt IBs. to 208. Canary, per qr , V2s.to 80b. Linseed, per qr., sowing — 8. to 729... crushing 6Gs.to68s. Linseed Cakes, per ton £9 10s. to £10 10a. IiAPESEED, per qr. , C8s. to 72s. Rape Cake, per ton £5 103.to£G Os. FOREIGN SEEDS, &c. Cloverseed, red — s. to 52s., white 70s. to %''S, Trefoil, 17s. to ] 88. Hempseed, small, per qr Dutch 428. to 45s. Coriander, per cwt. ICa.tolSs. Carrawat ,, 42s. to— s. Linseed, per qr., Baltic 663. to 588.... Bombay 60s. toC2s. Linseed Cake, perton £9 108.to£Il Os. Rapeseed, Dutch 62s. to 66s. Rape Cake, perton £5 Os.to £6 Og. HOP MARKET. BOROUGH,MoNDAY, Sept. 27. — Avery sjood demand has existed during the past week for Weald of Kent and Sussex Hop?, and an advance of from 2s. to ^s. per cwt. has been firmly maintained. In the first class of Mid and East Kents there has not been much doing, and in yearlings and samples of earlier date the decaaud is very limited. Our currency is as follows: — Mid. and East Kents ... . 708. 849. 112s. Weald of Kents 54b. 62a. 68s, Sussex 483. 548. 6O3, Duty, £270,000. Mease & Wild. WORCESTER, (Saturday last.)— A good supply of new Hops, both at the fair on Monday, and at market to-day, which sold readily at 54a. to 63s.— quality very good. MAIDSTONE, Sept. 23— Hop-picking is now in full opera- tion, and they come down very fast ; in fact more rapidly than Wiii anticipated. There appears to be a general impression tlifit the produce will be short— merely two-thirds of that of last year, and the quality is not so good generally as the nature of the season led the growers to expect. At the pre- sent time many of the grounds in this district are swar ning with vermiu, eating as it were the very vitals of the hops. They are aho be^et with red rust, mould, and blight, which are found at the core of the fruit. On the whole, it is believed that the duly will fall very short of the amount at which it has been Bet in the Borough. In fact it is a great question whether it will even pay our set of last week, namely, £248,000. They have gone off wonderfully. — Sussex Express. POTATO MARKETS. BOROUGH AND SPITALFIELDS. LONDON, Monday, Sept. 27.-~-The supplies of potatoes are less extensive ; nevertheless, they are quite equal to the demand, whch rules steady, as follows : York Regents, 703. to 953.; Shaws, 658. to 8O3.; inferior, 403. to 6O3. per stone. The imports last' week were only 30 bags from Hamhro'. The accounts respecting the potato disease are rather more favourable. COUNTRY POTATO MARKETS.— York, Sept. 18 : Potatoej sell at 6d. per peck, and Is. 8d. to Is, lOd. p-er bush. Leeds, Sept. 21 : A good supply of potatoes, which sold at 3^d. to 6d. per 21 lbs. wholesale, and 6d. to 7d. retail. Selby, Sept. 20.: Potatoes, 7d. per 21 lbs. Thirsk, Sept. 20: Potatoes, 6d. per stone. Richmond, Sept. 18 : Potatoes, 23. 4d. per bush. Sheffield, Sept. 21 : Potatoes sell at 4^. to to 7s. per load of 18 stones. Manchester, Sept. 23 : Pota- toes, 6s. to 9i. per 252 lbs. PillCES OF BUTTER, CHEESE, HAMS, &c. BUTTER, percwt.: a. s. Friesland IHtoll6 Kiel — — Dorset lU 118 Csrlow 100 10» VVaterfotd 102 110 Cork, 98 110 Limerick SIS 104 Slig-o !H 110 Passu, per docen.. 12s. 0d.tul53.0d. CHEESE, per cwt.: 60 7* 60 78 62 fiil HAMS: 86 DA WestmoreUnd ..... Iri,h BACON: WiltBhire, Iriuh.sreen dtied 64 i6 66 63 ENGLISH BUTTER MARKET. LONDON, MONDAI, Sept. 27.— We note but little change from last week. Fresh-made Butter is in request at full prices, but stale parcels are neglected. Dorset, fine ....... llSs. to 120a. per cwt. Ditto, middling .... nominal „ Devon 1123. to 114s. „ Fresh 13s. to 15s. per doren. CARMARTHEN BUTTER MARKET, Sept. 25.— A fair .supply of Butter in market to-day, which was cleared off easily at from 1023. to 104s. per cwt. to farmers. BELFAST, (Thursday last.) —Butter: Shippingprice,1048. to llOs. per cwt.; firkins and crocks, lid. to llfd. per lb. Bacon, 56s. to 6O3 ; Hame, priine 80s. to 903. .second quality 60s. to 6Gs. per cwt. Prime mess Pork, 853. per brl. ; Beef, I20s. to ISOs. per tierce; Irish Lard, in bladders, 72s. to 76s. ; kegs or fiikins, 648. to 66s. per cwt. GLOUCESTER CHEESE MARKET.-About 250 tons of cheese were pitched, which larpe supply proved more than equal to the demand, and therefore, and also in consequence of Worcester fair preventing the attendance of many buyers, trade ruled dull, and lower prices than were obtained at the last market were submitted to. Ulti- mately almost an entire clearance was effected at the fol- lowing prices: Best doubles and loaves 63s. to 70s., singles 58s. to 61s., seconds 50s. to 54s., and skim 24s. to 30s. per cwt. About 30 tons, mostly of secondary and inferior qua- lity, left the market unsold. "READING CHEESE MARKET.— There was a liberal supply of cheese, but the quantity bore no comparison with that seen here prior to the establishment of the monthly cheese markets. Half-coward 50s. to 56s, thin Wilts 403. to 56s., double Wilts 563. to 703,, fiue double 608. to 778., So- mersets 653. to 708., Cheddar 7O3. to 84s., and ekim 3Cs. to 353. per cwt. GLASGOW, (Wednesday last.)— There were six carts of Cheese in the bazaar, which were bought np at an advance on last week's prices, and 17 tons passed the weigh-houee scalea. Business was very brisk at the following prices : New, 42s. to 463.; prime early-made parcels. 49s.; skim, 223. to 248. per cwt. NORTHAMPTON CHEESE FAIR. — A somewhat larger quantity of cheese was pitched than last year, which fetched from SOs. to BOs. per cwt. CHICORY. LONDON, Satcrdat, Sept. 2.^.— We have no chance to no- tice in the value of any kind of Chicory, and the business done has bpen only moderate. ENGLISH, pertoniE]2 lOto jE 0 0 I ANTWERP iE 9 lOto jEU 6 IIARLINGEN.... 10 10 10 i5 .DACKTJM 0 0 0 o BRUGES 10 10 31 10 iOTIERNSEY .... 0 0 0 0 HAMBURG 0 0 0 0 I'BELGIUM 0 0 0 0 HAY MARKETS. SATtTRDAT, Sept. 25.— SMITHFIELD.— A slow trade, at late rates. CUMBERLAND.— Supply good and trade dull. WHITECHAPEL.— A full average supply and a sluggish de- mand. AtperLoad of36TrasseB. 1 SMITHFIELD. CUMBBBIAMD. I WHII10H4PEL 65s. to 9ns. 66s. to 9'2s. 69s. to 90s. 8S9. JOSs. 88s. 106s. 8Gs. 10G«. 88s. SZ(. I Sds. 32s. | SOs. 84s. J THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 359 COVENT GARDEN MARKET. LONDON, Saturday, Sept. 25.— Trade is somewhat im- proving. Apples and Pears are plentiful. Lisbon Grapes con- tinue to arrive. Melting Peaches begin to disappear, but some good late ones may now be had. Barcelona Nuts fetch 20s. per bushel ; new Brazils, !63. do. ; Spanish, 14s. do. ; Almond?, 24s.; Walnuts kiln-dried, aOs. do. Filberts fetih iCa. to 85s. per li)0 Its. Kent Cobs are comin? in very plentifully, and are of guod qualiiy— price 45s. per 100 lbs. Amona Vegetables are some nice Cauliflowers. Peas are now scarce. Greens are plentiful, as are also French Beans. Potatoes are still largely supplied; many are, however, diseased. Green Artichokes fetch from 43. to 68. per dozen. Cucumbers plentiful. Cut tlowers chiefly consist of Orchids, Gardenias, Heliotropes, Geraniums, "Violets, Mignonette, Heaths, and Roses. FRUIT s.d. s. d. Apricots, perdoi 0 Oto 0 Apples, per buihel.... S Or«njfes, per doz 1 Melons, each 1 Filbertu, oer lb 6 Cobs per lb 6 Grapes, per lb ] Nectarines, per dozen .. 4 5 Oi Cauliflowers each....... 0 Broccoli, per bundle.... 0 Oreeas, per doa. bundles S Seakale, per punnet .... 0 French Bt-an8,persieve.. 1 Aaparajfus, per bundle.. 0 Rhubarb, per bundle.... 0 Potatoes, per ton 60 Do. per bush 2 Do. percwt 4 Do. New, perlb 0 Carrots, per bunch 0 Turnips, per bunch... .. 0 Bpinach, per sieve 1 Cncorabers, per dozen .. 1 Beet, per dozen 1 a. A. (.d. Pineapples, per lb 4 Oto 6 0 Currants, black, p. J-s. 0 0 0 0 Do. red 0 0 0 0 Do. white 0 0 0 0 Lemons, per dozen .... 10 3 0 Pears, per doz-n 0 6 10 Peaches, perdozen .... 3 0 8 0 Fi^s, perdoz 0 9 16 VEGETABLES. . d. s. d. ■. d. s.d. 2to 0 4 Tomatoes, per half-sieve 0 Oto 0 0 0 0 0) Leeks, per hunch 0 2 0 3 0 4 0! Celery, per bundle 1 0 16 0 0 o! Shallots, per lb 0 6 0 8 9 2 01 Garlic, perlb 0 6 0 8 0 0 0;Lettuce, cab.iperscore.. 10 16 0 0 0! Do., Cos, per score... 10 16 0 90 0 Endive, per score 16 3 9 0 2 9' Radishes, tump, per doz. 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 Horseradish, per bundle. 1 6 4 0 0 0 0 Mushrooms, per pottle.. 2 0 2 6 4 0 6 Parsley, per 12 bunches. 2 0 4 0 4 0 6 Basil, green, per bunch.. 0 0 0 o 6 2 Oi Marjoram, per bunch... 0 0 0 o 0 4 Oi Savory, per bunch 0 2 0-1 6 2 ol Mint, ifrecn, per hunch.. 0 3 0 4 WINES. LONDON, Friday, Sept. 2i.—ln Wines we have no chinge lO note. Advices from the Douro report ihe gatherinij there lo be in full operation ; the quantiiy is conjectured to range bctwe'.n 2S,iiO0 and 3U,000 pipes. Great fears are expressed that the qua- lity may be injured by the flavour of sulphur, but of courj-e it is at present impossible to give a decided opinion on this point. £ £, £ £ Port,very super. old, pr.pipe 55 65 Clarets — (continued.) Goodold 46 Good youn^ ?B H Common and fair 30 36 18S3's and 1864's 45 50 Red Wines, from Oporto .... 23 26 Lisbon White dry 36 38 Red 28 32 Do. old — — Bucellas 36 44 Carcavellos 38 42 Fi^uera — — Sherry, verysuperior, p. butt 70 80 Istclass 50 60 2ndand3rddo 40 47 Fair useable qualities 34 38 Common 20 28 Mountain, London Particular, Pi^rp'pe — — 2nd quality 25 30 Lower do 20 22 Spanish, red, good 14 18 Common and fair, pertnn.. 16 25 Clarets, lstfrowthB,54'8, per hhd 60 70 Snddo 40 50 Otherqualities.perhhd.... 20 35 Cargo 10 15 Hermitage,rd.&wh.,l8t|frih. 40 44 2nd quality 20 30 Masdeu, perpipe 38 34 French Red IS 18 Champagne, 1st qual.,pr. doz. 448 508 Other qualities 20s38s Sauternel Istquality 443 548 Barsac J other qualities.... 22s343 Hock, superior, per aum jE40£50 Other qualities 20 35 Moselle, 1st quality 20 25 2ndquality 10 16 Madeira, E. I. ,lstqual.,p. pipe 80 95 West India, Ist quality .... 75 85 Direct 60 65 Other qualities — — Marsala 24 i5 Cape White, (food 14 16 Ordinary and common .... 13 — Cape Red, good and ordi- nary 22 23 Teneriffe, London Particular. 40 42 UnenumeratedRed. ........ . — — Matthew Clark ic Sons. SPIRITS. LONDON, Saturday, Sept. 25.— A full average business has been transacted in nearly all kinds of Rum, at full quotations — Proof Leewards, Is. dd. to Is. 9d. ; East India and Mauritius, Is. 8d. per gallon. Brandy commands rather more attention, but grain spirit is heavy. RUM. A. d. B.India.proof pergal. 1 7 to 1 8 Leewards, do 18 19 „ 10 o20O.P. 2 2 3 0 „ 21 29 „ 3 8 P«merara30 34 ,, 3 8 34 40 3 10 Jamfticft. 26to290.P. .. 33 36 „ q^ua"rtie.}32 36 „ BR ANDY— COGNAC . d. «. d. 3 to 4 4 6 18 40 Shipped I Shipped Shipped I Shipped by by by by IViny. Proprie* M&rtell. Hennessy. Otard. tors' Company. 8. d. s. d. s. d. s. d. 8. d. s. d. s. d. g. d 14 0 14 814 0 14 6 00 0000 00 12 6 13 0 ' 12 6 13 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 Hhds.3d. pergallonhigher. Puncheons scarce. OtberShippers 6 6 tol2 0 HOLLANDS, Geneva fine, for duty 3 8 45 Other qualitieB, to arrive and on the quay 3 3 ^ 0 BRITISH SIN, foreipiTitetiom, proof. bhdi SI? < g Tintaffs 1854... 1865.. OIL OILS. Olive , Florence, ■>,„ ,0 „,.,„ halflcheBts..!!-^" 18 "'o^" Lucea 6 0 0 0 Uallipoli(252gal8) 46 0 0 0 Spanish 44 0 0 43 Linseed (cwt.).... 1 12 9 1 Rape, Pale 2 7 0 2 Brown 2 3 6 2 Oodl,tun) 34 0 0 0 Seal, Pale 37 10 0 38 Do.Brown,Yel.&c 32 0 0 37 Sperm 84 0 0 89 Head Matter 87 0 0 SO Southern 36 0 0 37 Cocoa-nut (cwt.) . 1 17 0 2 Palm 1 13 0 2 RESIN. Yellow (per cwt.) jEO 6 0 0 Transparent 0 6 0 0 MARKET. PITCH, British (per cwt.)j£0 6 6 0 00 Archangel 0 0 0 0 0 0 Stockholm 0 10 0 0 CO TURPENTINE. Spirits (per cwt.)£l 17 6 In Puncheons.... 118 6 Rough 0 9 0 TAR. American £0 0 0 Archangel 0 0 0 Stockholm 0 0 0 0 0 0 U 9 6 0 0 0 0 Ifi 0 0 15 0 V/HALEBONE. Greenland full > ^^.^|y 0 620 0 0 8IZC (per ton). } SoathSea 410 0 0 00 TIMBER. LONDON. Saturdit, Se yet, compared with last week, quotations. Perload- £ a. jS Quebec, red [^ine ..... 3 6 to 4 Yel.Pine 3 10 4 QuebecOak. White... 6 0 Bi 4 0 ,, 4 10 DantzicOak 4 0 MemelFir 3 10 Swedish 2 10 Masts.Uubc. Red Pine 6 0 Do. Yellow Pine 6 0 Lathwood, Dantzic fm 8 0 Do. Memel 10 0 Do.Ouebec 5 0 D»j»l9.pcr C. 12ft.by3by9ii Quebec Wh. Spruce. 9 0 D.i. Red Pine.... 11 10 St. JohnWh. Spruce 11 11 pt. 25. — Our market continues flat, we have no change to notice in the £ ». £ ». Dl!ALB,Yel.Pine,perreducedC. 1 Canada, 1st quality. 15 Oto 16 6 Do. 2nd do. 10 0 11 3 Archangel Yellow.. 16 0 IS 5 Memel 13 0 14 3 Gothenburg Yellow. 13 0 14 0 Do. White 11 0 12 0 Gofle Yellow, 14 ft.. 30 Christiania,perC.12ft.by3by9in.: YelK White 19 Deck Plank, Dantzic, per 40 ft. by 3 in.... 1 Staves, per Standard M. : Quebec Pipe 75 Do. Puncheon.... 20 BalticCiown Pipe. 140 0 0 23 6 146 0 LEADENHALL LEATHER MARKET CROP HIDES. ENGLISH lbs. lbs. 38 to 36 36 40 40 45 46 50 50 55 S6 60 d. 141to 16 16 17 17 BUTTS. ENGLISH, lbs. 16^ 16i 20 FOREIGN. 144 23 16 24 OFFAL. d, English Shoulders 13 Do. Cheeks and Faces 6 Do. Bellies 9) Do. Middles 12 Foreign Shoulders 13 Do. Necks 10 Do. Bellies 8 Do. Middlesdo 11 Dressing Hide Shoulders. 10 D. do. Bellies... 9 Kip Shoulders 6 Do. Bellies 6 DRESSING HIDES. lbs. lbs. Commun 20 to 24 Do 26 28 Do 30 34 Do 35 40 Saddlers 30 35 Do. ......36 60 . Bulls Shaved 14 16 . Do 17 19 . Do 20 23 . Do 24 28 . Scotch do 16 34 . Coach, per Hide HORSE BUTTS. d. d English ....... 10 to U Hyanish .., 10 11 ,. 16 16 17 _ d. 14 to IS 14 16 16i 17 18 19 . 11 13 . 18 19 . 17 19 . 16 l8i . 16 18 . 16 19 30s. to35s. Shaved. . d. d. ..14 to 16 ..14 IS HORSE HIDES. lbs. lbs. d. d. English 13 to 18.. 11 to15 Do. without butts 9 14.. 12 14 Spanish salted, ) s.d. s.d without butts, [ 6 9..116 146 per hide. ) Do. do. do. 9 12. .12 6 15 6 Do. do. do. inferior.. 7 0 9 0 Do. dry do. 6 8.. 8 6 11 6 Do. do. do. 9 11. .11 0 14 0 Do. do. do. inferior.. 6 0 7 0 CALF SKINS. At. weight. Unrounded .Rounded. lbs. lbs. 20to38 14 to 16 30 35 15 17 d. 17 to 23 60 55. .....15 17 66 60 16 60 70 15 17 17 17 17 16 17 .... 16 16 70 80 14 16 16 80 90 14 16 .... 15 90 loo...... 14 16 .... 15 20 100 130 13 15 .... 14 19 KIPS. lbs. lbs. d. d. Petersbnrgh .. 4 to 7 .... }9to21 Do. ..7 9 .... 17 21 Do. .. 9 10 .... 16 20 Do. ..11 13 .... 16 19 E.Ind.drysltd. 6 7 ... 19 24 Do. do. 7 9 ... 18 21 Do. seconds 15 18 Do. thirds 13 14 Do. inferior 8 10 SUNDRIES. Hog Skins, best each Do. seconds... ,, Seal Skins, split, per doz.. Do. for bindings „ Calf Skins, Sumach- tanned ,, Do. white ,, Horse Hides, white, each.. Sheep Skins — Basils, unstrained, perlb. Do. strained ,, Do. facing, per doz.... Tan, Sheep, &Lamb8 ,, White Sheep, per 120 ... Do. Lambs, ,, Do. Sheep&Lambs, strained, per doz. .... Sumach Roans, per doK. Do. Skivers, ,, Bark Skivers, ,, Hide Splits, per lb S. 8 13 d. d. 8 14} 8 14 6s. 16b. 10 16 60 90 40 80 5 14 16 80 5 12 7 12 5 to na 360 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. BARK, &c. LONDON, Saturday, Sept. 19. £ ». d s 7 0 7 10 EnK'liali,petlondof45|, „ . Cork Tree, Burbarj .. . 7 0 CH-t.,del.inLrt.adon/" "'■"^^ " Do. Leghorn 6 0 Coppice 18 0 21 0 I Valonia,Smyru»,p. ton 11 0 H iQ - - ' Di.Camata 13 0 H lo Do.Morea 9 0 II n IGambier... 15 0 15 Iq , JCntch 32 0 ii (i Dutch. per ton 5 5 5 10 Ilainhro* 4 10 5 10 AntiverpTree ft 10 7 0 Do. Coppice 6 0 7 15 M i Hi 08R, Chopped 8 10 9 10 Do. Oround 10 0 11 6 Do. LoQS fi 0 8 1' Ter Japonic DiTiDivi.' 9 0 10 o MyrabolamB 7 0 10 q Smnach.Sicily, p.«wt. 0 13 OI4 FLAX, HEMP, COIR, &c. LONDON, Satukday, Stpt 25.— For most kinds of Flax, the demand continues steady and prices are well supportei. Hemp is quite as dear as last week, but the sale for it is by no means active. Jute has advanced 10s. per ton, and Coir goods are very firm in price. HIDE AND SKIN MARKETS. LONDON, Satdrdat, Sept. 25. ft. d. 8. d. I B. d. B. d MARKET HIDES: HORSEHIDES.each 8 0 tolO 0 6filo641b8 per lb. 0 4 to 0 41 CALF SKINS, light . 2 6 64to721bs 0 4J 72to801bs 0 44 80to8glbs 0 4| 88 to9fiIbB 0 5 S6 to 1041b3 0 5i ]04toll21bs 0 0 0 4J I Do. full 6 0 0 <)| 1 Shearlinff 0 0 0 5 ! Half-bred Sheep 3 4 0 5J t Downs 2 10 0 6 Polled Sheep 4 6 0 0 ( Lambs 2 9 WOOL MARKETS. ENGLISH WOOL MARKET. LONDON, Monday, Sept. 27. — Since our last report, there has been a full average buamess doing ia this market ; but we have no further improvement to notice in the quota- tions. The present advance induces caution in some quarters; but evidently prices must go higher, there beiiig ample room for enhanced rates. Per pack of 2401bs. Fleeces— Southdown rio:;s £16 0to£l6 10 Do. Half bred Hogs 15 10 16 0 Do. Kent 16 0 17 0 Do. Southdovi'n Ewesanl Wethers 14 10 15 10 Do. Leicester do. 14 10 15 10 Sorts— Clothing, picklock 17 0 18 0 Do. Prime and picklock 15 0 17 0 Do. Choice HO 15 0 Di. Super 13 0 It 0 Do. Combing— Wether matching .. . 17 0 18 0 Do. Picklock 16 0 17 0 Do. Common 14 0 15 0 Do. Ho? matching 18 0 19 0 Do. Picklock match. ng 16 0 16 10 Do. Superdo 14 0 15 0 LEEDS (ENGLISH AND FOREIGN) WOOL MAi'- KET, Sept. 24. — There has beeu on tlie whole a quiet week, and it seems a.s if for the present at least a check liad been given to any further adva ce on English wool. Prices are quite steady in co'ouial, and also in low foreign wool. GLOUCESTER WOOL MAKET.— About 100 tods came to market, and tlie whole sold at 16d. per lb. There was also a considerable business done in this article by sample, and about 700 tods were disposed of during the da)'. BRADFORD WOOL MARKET, (Thursday last.)~Very little wool has changed hands either to-day or during tlie week. Spinners having amply supplied themselves for the orders o:i band, pause at the high rates now demanded. Prices con- tinue quite firm: briu;ht-1 aired, if anything, a shade higher. Noils and brokes continne to move off, but the y.rices never were more out of proportion than at present. There has been more inquiry for Yarns by some of the shipping houses for Russia than for some time past, but their limits are too low to lead to much business. The home houses contiuue large buyers, and if the present month's prices could have been ac- cepted large contracts wo'.ild have beeu placed. Cotton yarns continue iu request, and are hardening in price. The demand for Pieces seems now to be about equal to the supply; stocks are all cleared off, and manufacturers well engaged to order. There have been several large buyers in the town, whose pur- chases, it is said, would have been very extensive if the mer- chants had been in a position to supply them. — Bradford Observer. LIVERPOOL WOOL MARKET. Sept. 25. Scotch Wool — There continues to be a good demand from the trade for laid Highland wool at rather improving rates. White is also more inquired for. Cheviot and crossed wools have not been so much in demand, but holders are not anxious to sell even at present rates. s. d. 8. d. Laid Hiahland Wool per 241bs..... 10 6to 12 0 Whit." Highland do. 14 0 16 0 Laid Crossed do..unvtashed .... 13 0 14 6 Do. do. .washed 14 0 15 6 Laid Cheviot do..unwashed.... .. 15 6 16 8 Do. do. .washed 18 0 19 0 WhiteCheviot do. .washed 26 0 30 0 Foreign Wool. — The sales not taking place so soon as was expected, it has cau.sed a better demand during the week to supply immediate wants, and a fair b siness has been done during the week bj' private contract. The public sales will take place here on the 6th October and following days, when 1,500 East India and 4,000 other sorts will be ottered. FOREIGN AND COLONIAL WOOL MARKET. Per lb. s. d. s. d. German, ( 1st and 2nd Elect .... S 4 to 4 6 Saxon, ) Prima 2 4 8 0 and ) Secunda 2 0 2 4 Prussian. (Tenia 18 110 Colonial:— Sydney — Lambs 1 5J 2 IJ Scoured do 1 4^ 2 8 Unwashed 0 Pj 16 Locks and Pieces 0 10 19 SlipeandSkin 14 19 Port Philip— Lambs 14 2 1 Scoureddo 1 2J 2 8* Unwashed 0 6 1 (J Locks and Pieces 11 1 7J lipe and Skin. 0 8J 1 6^ S. Australian— Lambs 14 19 Scoureddo 13 2 2 Unwashed 0 9 Oil Locks and Pieces 0 7 12 V. D. Land— Lambs 1 6J 111 Scoureddo.. 16 2 8 Unwashed 1 IJ 1 3 Looks and Pieces 1 0 1 8 Cape OF Good Hope— Fleeces 0 II 2 0 Lambs 0 11 1 10 Scoured 0 8 110 Unwashed 0 7i 10 MANURES. LONDON, Monday, Sept. 2".— The imports of Peruvian Guano last week were 3,900 tons and 130 tuns exported. The demand coutiuues good for Linseed Cakes, and Rape Cakes are very scarce. PRICES CURRENT OF GUANO, &c. PEHUVIAN OirANO,(pertoD,for 30tons)nominalj£12 6 0 to jE 0 0 0 (under 30 tons).... 13 0 0 0 0 0 10 0 0 0 Do. Do (under 30 tons).... 13 0 BOLIVIAN OUANO none 0 0 Soda! i)-..i ARTIFICIAL MANURES, &c. 5 10 0 Nitrate Sod (per ton Nitrate Potash "I or Saltpetre / SulpUt. Ammonia 17 0 0 Muriate ditto... 27 0 0 Superphospht. "> of Lime.... j ' A.kali^^..::} » » « Gypsum 2 0 0 Coprolite 3 10 0 Linaeed-cakefl, pt £18 0 0to£20 0 0 29 0 0 30 0 0 18 0 0 28 0 0 £ e.d. Sulpb.ofCopper"\ or Roman Vi- ( ._ ^ n triol,forWLeat r ** " " ateepini^ J Salt 1 BoneB,Du3t,perqr. 1 Do.J-inch 1 Oil Vitriol,- concentrated, per lb Do. Brown 0 0 6 0 1 n 0 0] £ t.d. 47 0 0 1 10 0 I 6 0 I 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 OIL-CAKES. Thin American, 1 ,g ^^ g ,i hags ; inbrls. Thick d« Marseilles XPlOOto^lO 0 0 Enfflish 10 10 0 0 0 0 Rape-cakeSjprton 6 0 0 6 10 0 50 round (none) 0 0 0 John Keen, 35, Leadenhall-street, (Late Odams, Pickford, and Keen.) Agricultural Chemical Worka, Stowmarket, Suffolk. Prentice's Cereal Manure for Corn Crops per ton £8 10 Prentice's Turnip Manure ,, 7 0 Prentice's Superphosphate of Lime ,, 6 10 Printed by Rop;erson and Xuxford, 246, Strand, London. EFFECTS OF RE-VACCINATIO ACTION AGAINST TWO SUEGEONS FOE MALPEACTICES IN VACCINATING ADULTS.— EE- VACCINATING A FAMILY. Martlebo:te CorxTY CorET. — Before J. L. Adolplius, Esq. and a jury. lliis action was brought to recover £50 damages wliicli the plaintiff alleged that he and his family had sustained through the want of skill and malpractices of the defendants in their professional duties as surgeons. The items were — four ^veeks' loss of time, £30 ; twelve mouths' loss of the plaintiff's niece's services, £17 I7s. ; expenses of family for change of aii*, £20 ; and servant, £1 Is. ]\rr. Bussell, instructed by Mr. G. Keene, appeared for the plaintiif, a merchant of York-place, Bayswater ; and Mr. Sleigh, instructed by Mr. "W. E. Cooper, was for tlio defendants. The court was crowded with members of the Medical Profession, Mr. Pemiy stated that the defendants had attended his family for some years, ''and in April, 1855, his daughter was attacked with small-pox, and one of the defendants recommended that the whole of he family should be re- vaccinated, and which advice was taken. No medicine was given to the adults, and the family were vaccinated from the same vaccine matter. In a week's time witness's arm began to swell, and a large lump the size of an egg, formed under his arm, which gave him great pain, and did not go away till he had taken a quantity of medicine for a whole month. He was confined to his bed for a fortnight, and was unable to transact business for a month. His niece was ill twelve months from the operation. After she had been vaccinated blotches came out all over her body. She was 27 years of age, and had previously enjoyed good health, and had to go to Guernsey for her recovery. His wife and servant were ill a fortnight. The above facts as deposed to by jNIr. Penny are quite sufficient — they are in accordance with what has befallen the French army through re-vaccination. [What will our Parliamentary noodles say to the above facts ? "Will they be as eady to put their heads imder the car of the Medical JuaGEEKAUT ? How ivould they like to set the example to the nation by being, with their families, ce-vaccinated ? We need hardly say, that in spite of the positive testimony of !Mr Penny, the ury made all things comfortable by returning a Verdict for the Defendiints ! 0 tempera, 0 mores !" The jurymen little suspected they were sealing their '". hwndoom. They were told it was all SCIENCE. Oh ! oh ! ! ISSUED BY THE BEITISH COLLEGE OF HEALTH, EUSTON" EOAD, LONDON, THE 20th OF AUGUST, 1858. *'-^ :-i^y^^sCsz^<^'%'^'Si^^i m SCHISM IN THE MEH ALLOPATHY V. H OM(EOP ATHl-I .^ Tue PRE§^?v!T MISERABLE STATE OF 11 SHEWING THE PK&.a'-s^s i _^ DR. ALLOPATH. KO QUACKEBY HSSE. from acrimonious humours lodged m tUe body. 5. Pain and disease bavi considered synonymous. 6 From tlie intimate coi the health of the one must 7. Proper puvgation wii eradicating disease. ^ ...^rtc.o.Mi una iUAioru, z»o, srrana, London. \Vl Ik JZJD^^ €^j,^ j^'l'T^ ,-^1'^ |IOAL_ PROFESSION. 4THE EIVAL BOG TOES. H| medical ''PRIESTHOOD'' IN THIS COUNTRY. 4 'h'rSELF CANNOT STAND." on. HO^CEOPATH. -• W lington---* j pakeotBeau- ^^ ^^ q lort • Ear\ of V^'l- ^^^ q q ion ■• LordBoUeby ^0 &C., &€• --/tic U>J'i TM Times o/J-pr^i QUACKERY OVER THE WAY- The man opposite is in error. MORISON is riglit at all events in contending for the lletlioal Liberty of the SuBject — Where should we be without it? london, for the Society of Ilygeists, wliose principles have been before id which are as follow : — n, and may therefore he ? between mind and body, reiiity of t!i(i otlier. he only effectual mode of ^i|p^'E>?|p#^->.'^iJ \;:^s^;^. 8. The discovery of a VeffelabU Compound, capable of being digested, and mixing with tlie bloi)d, so as to impart to it the energy requisite for ridding the body of all impurities, was a desideratum. 9. This discovery was made by JAMES MOIUSON, the Hygeist. in the composition of the VEGETABLE VNIVERSAL MEDJCIN£, of the British College of Health, Euston Eoad, London. ^^^ .. ^^^^^^^-"^^'^^ ^5:%^ m^ 80 t< 96 t< in4t thei but for t titi cj » "^:i ] MAD-HOUSES ! MEDICAL. DESPOTISM. na Fellow Countetmeit, An I Ui The Morning Advertiser of Friday, July 30tli, in its leading article, thus E describes how our ujifortunate fellow creatures are kidnapped ^vith a certificate signed by two Medical men : — " The patient is reading his newspaper, having no expectation of visitors, when del he sees two gentlemen in black enter his sitting-room. They are not wanting in act a grave considerate politeness, but be can see at once that it is not of the right ^ kind. They look at him, and they look at each other, and when he answers their questions, or makes a remark, or perhaps puts a question on his own account, he can see that there is more than the scrutiny of ordinary visitors about them. *J* Presently the interview is over, and the same, or llie next day, he finds himself ^\t on his way to a lunatic asylum. No matter whether he ia lunatic or not ; he may be as sane as they, wiser, abler in every respect ; tliat secret interview, those questions and answers, and the subsequent certificates, have satisfied the law and placed him beyond its pale. What tribunal can be more secret, irresponsible, and infamous than this ?" I "Will you allow such a terrible state of things to exist ? — Think of the cases of Lady Lyttou and JNIrs. Turner, and of those of our fallow creatures who are at tioi, this moment incai'cerated wJ^A all their senses ahont th^'nt-^^ovvov \ horror!! but hori'or ! ! ! James Moeisojt, the Hygeist, thirty years ago, warned the country that it would flill under this Medical Inquisition (worse than that of Eome,) and we now call upon you, as men, to emancipate 3^ourselves from the Medical priest- hood, and let the pieces of parchment (the diplomas) which give legal power to the foregoing enormities, be burnt amidst the curses and execrations of all good and right-thinking men. If the houses of parliainent are so lost to their o\\n safety as to wink at such infamy, let the people act for themselves ! — They will be supported by thousands and thousands. The Medical Diploma is only a pro- tection to fraud and to the evil doer. ISSUED BY THE BEITJSH COLLEGE OF HEALTH, EUSTON BOAD, LONDON, FOE THE gOCIETX OF HYGEISTS, THIS 16th DAT OF AUGUST, 1858. THE MEDICAL LIBERTY OF THE SUBJECT FOE EVER I KEF aud i' given •^tx DOWN WITH MEDICAL DESPOTISM ! came ' '~^ " was a j^jie folloiving Petition lies for Signature at the BHITISII COLLISGTI OF EEALTIT, ^^™P' Euston Road, London, and at all the Hygeian Agents tliroughov.t the Country .-^=- BR rjQ rfgE HONOLTEAELE THE COMMONS OF THE UJflTED KINGDOM OF sj,i„„ GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND IN PARLIAMENT ASSEMBLED, hand, The humble petition of the i\ndersigned sheweth, t>"V* That in the judgment of yoiu* petitioners the power vested in Medical practitioners (hy force NoiU of their diplomaj of consigning persons to mad houses without appeal, is a power which should ^^''^ ' belong to no one. j^„ggi That in all cases of alleged lunacy a jury alone shoixld have the power of consigning a fellow to lea creature to prison. buyer That the Medical Liberty of the Subject is a right inherent to all free born men, aud should, ceptec therefore, be pi-oclaimed. contiD Your petitioners, therefore, pray that the laws as regards lunatics may be completely altered ; for Pi and that no person shall be immured in a mad-house, except on the VEEPICT OF A JVEX ; and are all that the Medical Liberty of tlie Subject may be proclaimed, '■^^^^_ Aud your petitioners will ever pray, &c, chanti Ohsertt. chases — ^■.»^<'»» ^ vv»v»v«v*s. ,t"» tr^i ^ia_y, utv, ^_j chants BANK OF DEPOSIT. Established a.b. 1844. No 3, Pall Mall East, London. PARTIES desirous of INVESTING MONEY are requested to examine the Plan of ihc BANK OF DEPOSIT, by which a high rate of interest may be obtained with ample security. Deposits made by Special Agreement, may be withdrawn without notice. The Interest is payable in January and July. PETER MORRISON, Managing Director. Forms for opening Accounts sent Free on application. F HAMPTON'S PILL OF HEALTH. Price Is. Ud. and 2s. 9d. per box.— This excellent Family Pill is a medicine of long-tried eflScacy for purifying the blood, so very esssntial for the foundation of good health, and correcting all Disorders of the Stomach and Bowels. Two or three doses will convince the afflicted of its salutary effects. The stomach will speedily regain its strength; a healthy action of the liver, bowels, and kidneys will rapidly take place, and renewed health will be the quick result of taking this medicine, according to the directions accompanying each box. PERSONS of a FULL HABIT, who are subject to headache, giddiness, drowsiness, and singing in the ears, arising from too great flow of blood to the head, should never be without them, as many dangerous symptoms will be entirely carried off by their timely use. The following sxtract of a letter from IMr. Thomas Province, of Winchmore Hill, Middlesex, is another proof of the Invaluable Medicinal Pro- perties of FRAMPTON'S PILL OF HEALTH : — " For upwards of nine years I have experienced the efficacy of this excellent medicine. I had long previously been afflicted with headache and indigestion, but a friend having induced me to make a trial of Prampton's Pills, I now inform you that a few doses gave me great relief; and during this long period of time I have taken them in preference to any other medicine ; and I have the happiness of saying that I never had a better state of health, which I attribute to Prampton's Pills. I beg further to add, that this medicine is in general use by my family, and we know of nothing to equal it." FOR FEMALES these pills are truly excellent, removing all obstructions, the distressing headache so very prevalent with the sex, depression of spirits, dulness of sight, nervous affections, blotches, pimples, and sallowness of the skin, and give a healthy, juvenile, bloom to the complexion. To MOTHERS they are confidently recommended as the best medicine that can be taken ; and for children of all ages they are unequalled. These Pills unite the recommendation of a mild operation with the most successful effect, and for elderly people, or where an occasional aperient is required, nothing can be better adapted. In consequence of the great and increasing demand, the Proprietor has obtained permission from her Majesty's Commissioners to have the name and address of "Thomas Prout, 229, Strand, London," impressed upon the Government stamp affixed to each box. Sold by all V»n- donof Medicine. CURTIS ON MANHOOD— SHILLING EDITION. A MEDICAL ESSAY ON NERVOUS AND GENERATIVE DISEASES. Just published, the 77th Thousand, with numerous plates, in a sealed envelope, price Is., or sent, post*paid by the Author, for Fourteen stamps. MANHOOD : The CAUSE and CURE of PREMATURE DECLINE, with Plain Directions for Perfect Restoration to Health and Vigour; being a Medical Review of the various Forms and modern treatment of Nervous Debihty, Impotency, Loss of Mental and Physical Capacity, whether resulting from Youthful Abuse, the Follies of Maturity, the Effects of Climate or Infection ; with Observations on a new and successful mode of detecting Spermatorrhoea, and other urethral discharges, by Microscopic Examination ; to which are added. Curious and Interesting Cases, with the Author's Recipe of a Preventive Lotion. By J. L. CURTIS, Surgeon, 15, Albemarle-street, Piccadilly, London At home for consultation daily, from 10 till 3, and 6 to 8. Sundays, from 10 to 1, REVIEWS OP THE WORK. " Curtis on Manhood.— Shilling Edition. — 77th Thousand.— This is a truly valuable work, and should be in the bauds of young and old. The professional reputation of the author, combined with his twenty years' experience as medical referee in the treatment of nervous debility, &c., fully accounts for the immense circulation which this popular and ably-written medical treatise has obtained." — Sunday Times, 23rd March, 1856. "Curtis on Manhood. — The author has conferred a great boon by publishing this little work, in which is described the source of those diseases which produce decline in youth or more frequently premature old age." — Daily Telegraph, March 27, 1856. Curtis on Manhood. — The book under review is one calculated to warn and instruct the erring without imparting one idea that can vitiate the mind not already tutored by the vices of which its treats." — Naval and Military Gazette, 1st Feb., 1851. " We feel no hesitation in saying that there is no member of Society by whom the book will not be found useful — whether such person hold the relation of a parent, preceptor, or a clergyman. — Sun, Evening Paper. Published by the Author; sold also in sealed envelopes, by Gilbert, 49, Paternoster-row ; Hannat, 63, Oxford-street; Mann, 39, Cornhill, London; Robinson, 11, Greenside-street, Edinburgh; Hbtwood, Oldham-street, Manchester ; Howell, 6, Church-street, Liverpool; France, 8, Side, Newcastle-on-Tyne; Ashley, Posft-Office, Newbury; Ferris & Score, Union-street, Bristol; Piehson, Shrewsbury; Jule, Braintree; Te3w, Lynn; Peat, Chichester; Lurcock, Maidstone; Cook, Ipswich ; Huscroft, Bury St. Edmunds; DovE, Swindon ; Jbarey, Bridewell Alley, Norwich; Smith, Cambridge ; Slattbr, Oldham, and by all Booksellers and Chemists in the United Kingdom. At all times awakens the liveliest and most delightful feelings of our nature, and the willing homage it receives in the splendid assemblages of Royalty and Rank, or amidst the no less fascinating displays of our Social Re-unions, demands that the nicest and most careful attention should be paid to the cultivation of an object so manifestly important. These cursory remarks are peculiarly applicable to the universally acknowledged virtues of ROWLANDS' ELEGANT TOILET KEQUISITES, WHICH ARE PRE-EMINENT FOR THEIR BENEFICIAL OPERATION ON THE HAIR! THE SKIN! and THE TEETH! The August Patronage conceded by our Gracious Queen, the several Sovereigns of Europe, and the Beau- ties who adorn the Circles of Regal Magnificence, confirms by experience the infallible efficacy of these re«o- uffliinp' iSpeci/Ics, and gives them a celebrity unparalleled. They have proved the theme of the poet; they are celebrated in the periodical literature of the whole civilised world ; the lays of Byron, and the voice of the press, have proclaimed the incomparable virtues of the " Oil Macassar," and of its accompanying preparations. A few words on the merits of these admired specifics will doubtless be appreciated in the present instance : — ROWLANDS' MACASSAR OIL, Is a delightfully fragrant and transparent Preparation for the Hair ; and, as an invigorator and ieautifier, beyond all precedent. It bestows a permanent gloss, with a silky softness, and a strong tendency to curl, and is the only SPECIFIC capable of effectually sustaining the Hair in decorative attractiveness, during the exercise of dancing or the relaxing effects of crowded rooms. Price 38. 6d., 7s. Family Bottles (equal to four small), 10s. 6d., and double that size 21s. per bottle. ROWLANDS' KALYDOR, rOR THE SKIN AND COMPLEXION. A balmy, odoriferous, creamy Liquid, as equally celebrated for safety in application as UNEQUALLED FOR ITS RARE AND INESTIMABLE QUALITIES. The radiant bloom it imparts to the cheek, the softness and delicacy which it induces of the bands and arms, its capability of soothing irritation, and removing cutaneous defects, discolorations, and all unsightly ap- pearances reader it INDISFENSABLX: TO EVERIT TOILET. Price 4s. 6d. and 8s. 6d. per bottle. ROWLANDS' ODONTO, OR PEARL DENTIFRICE. A White Powder, compounded of the choicest and most rechercTie ingi-edients of the Oriental Herbal, and of inestimable value in PRBliSRTIlirO A.IVI> BSAIIXIflTIIVC^ THE T££XM, IMPARTING TO THEM A PEARL-LIKE WHITENESS, STRENGTHENING THE GUMS, AND IN RENDERING THE BREATH SWEET AND PURE. Price 2s. 9d. per box. %* Sold by A. RO^fl^IiAWl* & SOIWS, dO, Hatton Oarden, liOndoD, AND BY CHEMISTS AND PERFUMERS. ♦*• BEWARE OF SPURIOUS IMITATIONS!! % No. 5, Vol. XIV. I NOVEMBER, 1858. [Third Series. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE, AND MONTHLY JOURNAL OF THE AaEICULTUEAL INTEREST. TO TUE FARMERS OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. LONDON : PUBLISHED BY ROGERSON AND TUXFORD, 246, STRAND. PRICE TWO SHILLINGS. Mossaost tarn TBSfeKB,] t:tibi!rTte») 34S) Stacks. I IMPOETANT TO FIOCEKASTERS. THOMAS BIGG, AGRICULTURAL AND VETERINARY CHEMIST, APPOINTMENT, TO H. R. H. THE PRINCE CONSORT, K. LEICESTER HOUSE, GREAT DOVER-STREET.! BOROUGH, LONDON, See. begs to call the attention of Farmers and Graziers to his valuable SHBEP-and LAMB DIPPING COMPOSITION, which requires no Boiling, and may be used with Warm or Cold Water, for effectually destroying the Tick Lice, and all other insects injurious to the Flock, preventing the alarming attacks of Fly and Shab, and cleansing and purifying the Skin, thereby greatly improving the Wool, both in quantity and quality, and highly contributing to the general health of the animal. Prepared only by Thomas Bigg, Chemist. &c., at his Manufac- tory as above, and sold as follows, although any other quantity may be had, if required : — 4 lb. for 20 sheep, price, jar included £0 6 1b. 30 8 lb. 40 )0 lb. 50 20 lb. 100 80 1b. 150 40 lb. 200 50 1b. 250 60 lb. 800 80 lb. 400 100 lb. 500 (cask and measure 0 10 included) 0 15 1 0 1 3 1 7 1 17 2 6 Should any Flockmaster prefer boiling tlie Composition, it will be equally eflTective. He would also especially call attention to his SPECIFIC, or LOTION, for the SCAB, or SHAB, which will be found a certain remedy for eradicating that loathsome and ruinous disorder in Sheep, and which may be safely used in all climates, and at all seasons of the year, and to all descriptions of sheep, even ewes in lamb. Price 5s. per gallon — sufficient on an average for thirty Sheep (according to ihe virulence of the disease); also in wine quart bottles. Is. 3d. each. IMPORTANT TESTIMONIAL. "Scoulton, near Hingham, Norfolk, April 16th, 1855. 'Dear Sir, — In answer to yours of the 4th inst, which would have been replied to before this had I been at home, I have Tnuch pleasure in bearing testimony to the efficacy of your in- valuable ' Specific for the cure of Scab in Sheep.' The 600 She«p were all dressed in August last with 84 gallons of the 'Non- Poisonous Specific,' that was so highly recommended at the Lincoln Show, and by their own dresser, the best attention being paid to the flock by my shepherd after dressing according to instructions left ; but notwithstanding the Scab continues getting worse. In December I informed the 'Agent for the above Specific,' that the flock was not cured, and that it requires their immediate attention. The Agent informed me they should be at once seen to, but did not do so until Jir^e weeks afterwards, and in the mean time the Scab spread over the whole flock, that I never saw such a disgraceful sight in my life ; and when the Dresser was sent over to inspect the Flock, he decided on not dressing them again, as one- third of the Sheep had lost half their wool. I then agreed with an experienced dresser in Norfolk to dress the flock, and when he saw the sheep he declined doing them, as they were so very bad, and the time of lambing so near. Being determined to have the Scab cured if possible, I wrote to you for a supply of your Specific, which I received the following day ; and although the weather was most severe in February during the dressing, your Specific proved itself an in- valuable remedy, for in three weeks the Sheep were quite cured ; and I am happy to say the young lambs are doing remarkably well at present. In conclusion, I believe it to be the safest and best remedy now in use. " I remain, dear Sir, your obedient servant, " For JOHN TINGEY, Esq., " To Mr. Thomas Bigg." " R. RENNY. In addition to the foregoing, he has very materially improved, as well as considerably reduced the price of his Dipping Ap- paratus; and he would venture to suggest that no Flockmasters ought now to be without one. Price in London, Neiv and Improved Dipping Apparatus, on Wheels £14 0 0 Ditto ditto with Iron-bar Drainer 5 0 0 Ditto ditto 4 0 0 Ditto, plain, with Wooden Drainer 3 0 0 N.B. — Catalogues, containing List of Patrons, Testimonials, &c., to be had of all agents, or sent direct per post free. A SAFE AND CERTAIN REMEDY FOR COUGHS, COLDS, HOARSENESS, and other affections of the Throat and Chest. In Incipient Consumption, Asthma, and Winter Cough, they are unfailing. Beiny; free from every hurtful ingredient, they may be taken by the most delicate female or the youngest child; while the Public Speaker, and Professional Singer will find them invaluable in allaying the hoarseness and irritation incidental to vocal exertion, and also a powerful auxiliary in the production of MELODIOCS enunciation. Prepared and sold in Bi>xes, Is. ]|d., and Tins, 2s. 9d., 4s. 6d., and 10s. 6d. each, by Thomas Keating Chemist, &c , 79, St. Paul's Churchyard, London, and by all Druggists. K EATING'S PALE NEWFOUNDLAND COD LIVER OIL, perfectly pure, nearly tasteless, and free from adulteration of any kind, having been analyzed, reported on, and recommended by Professors Taylor and Thomson, of Guy's and St. Thomas's Hospitals, who, in the words of the late Dr. Pekeira, say that " The finest oil is that most devoid of colour, odour, and flavour," characters this will be found to possess in a high degree. Half-pints, Is. 6d. ; Pints, 2s. 6d. ; Quarts, 4s. 6d. ; and Five-pint Bottles, 10s. 6d., Imperial Measure. 79, St. Paul's Churchyard, London. BLAIR'S GOUT AND RHEUMATIC PILLS. Price Is. IJd. and 2s. 9d. per box. THIS preparation is one of the benefits which the science of modern chemistry has conferred upon mankind; for during the tirst twenty years of the present century to speaU of a cure for the Gout was considered a romance ; but now, the efficacy and safety of this medicine are so fully demonstrated by unsolicited testimonials from persons In every rank of life, that public opinion proclaims this as one of the most important discoveries of the present age ; and, in testimony of its efKcacy, Mr. W. Burch, Chemist, West Bromwich, writes— "Nov. 8th, 1856. Gentlemen, The enclosed Testi- monial was received by me from a customer residing in this town. Yours respectfully, W. Boech. To Messrs. Prout & Co." Mr. Akkinstaxl, of the Lyng, West Bromwich, says :— " I have much pleasure in bearing my testimony to the wonderful effi- cacy of Blair's Gout and Rheumatic PUls. Having been a great sufferer from rheumatic gout, I have upon various occasions had recourse to them, and am happy to say that however acute and distressing the pain may be, I always receive relief in an almost incredibly short time, even after taking only one dose. If taken in the early stage of the disease they dissipate it ; if later they ease the pain and cure much sooner than any other medicine I ever made use of. I would not be without them on any account." FURTHER PROOF OF THE GREAT EFFICACY OF BLAIR'S GOUT AND RHEUMATIC PILLS.— Forwarded by Mr. Reinhardt, Chemist, Hull. Sir,— Enclosed is a testimonial from a customer of mine, who is well known about here: he speaks in the highest terms of Blair's Gout and Rheumatic Pills, and would be glad to give information to anybody. " To Mr. Reinhardt, 22, Market-place, HuU. December 4th, 18;)5. Dear Sir,-I have been afflicted with rheumatism for 12 years, during which time I have tried almost everything, both internally and externally, but could not obtain any permanent relief. A short time ago I purchased a 2s. 9d. box of Blair's Pills of you, and before I had taken the whole of them I was more free from pain than 1 had been for the last dozen years. You will please let me have another box, as I mean to keep them by me in case I should again require them, and oblige, deai- Sir, yours obediently, Jeeemiah Gauxss." These PUls require neither attention nor confinement, and are certain to prevent the disease attacking any vital part. Sold by all medicine vendors. See the name of " Thomas Prout, 229, Strand, London," on the government stamp. '^ THE FARMER'S MAGAZI^^E. NOVEMBER, 1858. PLATE I. SIR EDMUND LYONS; A Shorthorn Bull. THE PROPERTY OF F. H. FAWKES, ESQ., OF FARNLEY HALL, OTLEY, YORKSHIRE. Sir Edmund Lyons, a roan bull, bred by Mr. Fawkes, and calved December 27, 1855, was got by Bridegroom (11203), dam (Lydia Languish) by Lord Marquis (10450), g. d. (Lovely) by Triumph (8717), gr. gr. d. (Lydia) by Matchless (4438), gr. gr. g. d. (Laura) by Boughton (2868), gr. gr. gr. g. d. Lily by Roman (2559), gr. gr. gr. gr. g. d. by Columella (904), gr. gr. gr. gr. gr. g. d. by Albion (l4), gr. gr. gr. gr. gr. gr. g. d. by Cinnamon (139), gr. gr. gr. gr. gr. gr. gr. g. d. by Neswick (1266). In July, 1857, at the Salisbury meeting of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, Sir Edmund Lyons took the first prize of 25 sovs. in the Yearling Class, against twenty opponents. In August, at the York meeting of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, he also took the first prize of 20 sovs. in the same class of Yearling Bulls. In September, at the Durham county meeting, he again took the first prize, Mr. Wetherell's Stales- man being placed second to him. Sir Edmund Lyons is an admirable specimen of what a shorthorn should be — very handsome, of great size, and splendid quality. Beyond his other good points, his chine and ribs are especially well thrown out ; and never, perhaps, did any bull for his age show so well, or promise so much. He is now largely used by Mr. Fawkes for his own herd, which, we need scarcely add, is one of the best in the country. " Fawkes of Farnley" is a name that almost invariably stands high on the list ; and at the Salisbury meeting he appeared as the breeder of the two first prize bulls, the famous John o'Groat and Sir Edmund Lyons. PLATE 11. FISHERMAN. Fisherman, bred by the late Mr. Fowler, of Erdington, in 1853, is by Heron, out of Mainbrace, by Sheet Anchor, her dam by Bay Middleton, out of Nitocris, by Whisker. Heron, foaled in 1833, is by Bustard out of an Orville raare. He was a very useful country race- horse, although perhaps hardly ever quite done justice to. Since the decease of Mr. Fowler, Heron has not been advertised as a public staUion, and has not, indeed, we believe, been allowed of late to cover any mares whatever. In addition to Fisherman, however, he is the sire of Moorcock (his only son in the stud). Kingfisher, Oyster-Girl, Whalebone, The Drag, Ibis, Purser, Vestris, Egret, Bull-Finder, Ribaldry, Water-Rat, The Witch, Charlotte, and Sea-Fowl. But there is nothing amongst these to compare with their younger brother. Mainbrace, bred by Mr. Watt, in 1844, has also thrown nothing worthy of Fisherman. She went into Mr. Fov,:..'3 dnd in 1848, and produced an own brother to Fisherman, called Purser, the following OLD SERIKS.] C C [VOL. XLIX.— No. 6. 362 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. spring ; another own brother, Midshipman, in 1852 ; and a filly called Wave, by Gabbler, in 1851. On the decease of Mr. Fowler, in the beginning of the year 1853, she was sold at the hammer, in foal with Fisherman, to a Mr. Smith, for 80 guineas, and at once transferred to Mr. Holford's stud. Mareschino, by Peppermint, is all we hear of, here. She has lately been purchased by Mr. Parr. Fisherman is a dark-brown horse, standing close on sixteen hands and an inch high. He has a coarse head, rather wide between the ears, very strong neck, good oblique shoulders, and great depth of girth. He has a short back, with good back ribs ; is high on the rump, drooping towards the tail, which is thin and ragged. His arms are large, and set on forward in the shoulder ; he has capital knees and hocks, with plenty of bone; long pasterns, and a somewhat large oval foot. His especial peculiari- ties are, that the angle from the hip to the round bone is very acute, with a remarkable straightness in his quarters and gaskins, and a rather unusual length of leg. If we couple these with a curious kind of knock-kneed action in walking, the tall gaunt frame of Fisherman is easily distinguishable. In fact, he is altogether but a mean-looking horse, and will rank amongst the more useful than ornamental. He has learnt, too, the great Wantage secret, and, despite his hundred and odd races, is nowas sound as the day he was foaled. A star on the forehead, and some white on the fore and hind coronet, complete the passport. Fisherman has again changed hands, and is now the property of Mr. Holland. TOP-DRESSINGS FOR GRASS. BY CUTHBEET W. JOHNSOK, ESQ., P.E.S. Considerable doubts have too long been enter- tained as to the manures adapted for grass lands ; a still more undecided question with many farmers is as to the econom.y of manuring pasture at all — far too many holders of grass lands do not allow their pastures to have even the benefit of the doubt. Travel where you may, you not only see extensive neglected common lands, and downs, from which age after age the herbage has been withdrawn ; but you may note other large upland pastures, to which the oldest neighbour cannot remember that a single cartload of manure was ever returned. Need we feel surprised then, when the owners gravely inform us that the grass on these unmanured lands does not commonly grow so strong as it used to do in their younger days ? Ought we not to feel grateful to the great Cheshire farmers when they noted this decrease in the produce of their dairies ? ard still more were they entitled to our thanks, when, after remarking the loss they were suffering, they were the first to discover and apply a remedy ? These facts ought to insure our early attention — and perhaps more particularly at the present season of the year, since it has been a growing conviction of late, with many large owners of grass lands, that November, December, and January are the months when almost all dressings can be more profitably applied to the land than in the spring. Let us, then, travel together through a little of this kind of evidence, which has been lately offered for our guidance. First, theuj why do we find that grass is more neglected than corn lands ? Mr. H. S. Thompson, in a very recent valuable paper, in the 19th volume of the Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society, p. 251, endeavours to answer this question. After having truly enough stated that as regards our corn, our turnip lands, the noble cultivators of our islands have well succeeded in making two blades grow where only one grew before, he then asks : " But what of the grass ? Few farmers could, we fear, give a satisfactory answer ; few could say that they had even tried to do more than keep their grass land up to the mark, that mark being the old landmark of quantity and quality. In short, they have only tried to produce the same number of blades of grass as heretofore. Fifty years ago, previous to the most striking improvements in our arable farming, Arthur Young estimated the best meadow land to produce 5 tons of hay per acre per annum (at two mowings), and the best grazing land to feed an ox of 90 to jOO stone (I4lbs.), and 1 large Lincolnshire sheep per acre ! Who can say, in 1858, that he has done inore? How many can claim to have done as much ? Doubtless bogs have been drained, mountains and moors cleared of rocks and rubbish, and many thousands of acres made to grow grass where none, or next to none, grew before ; but, taking the great body of the grass land of the kingdom, is it not notorious that farmers — good farmers — men of capital and intelli- gence, do, for the most part, look at their grass land as a kind of fixture, almost as much so, in fact, as the looms of their houses ? There is a THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 3B3 parlour here and a kitclieii there, and no one would think of letting one encroach on the other ; so there is a feeding pasture here and inferior grass land there, and as such they are allowed to rem -in; and if these lands are not ploughed out or per- mitted sensibly to deteriorate, this is considered quite good enough management for the grass, even on a farm where the tenant is introducing the most enlightened and excellent management into the cultivation of his turnips and his corn, " Such general results must spring from equally general causes, and we believe one of the most in- fluential reasons to be, that the returns from capital laid out in the improvement of grass land do not come so directly into the pocket as those from corn, and are apt, therefore, to be underrated or lost sight of. Few farmers sell hay; and if by more liberal treatment of their meadow land the hay- stack increases in size so as to eftect a saving in horse-corn and bring the store cattle into the pastures in spring in a more healthy and thriving state, or if the improvement made in a poor pasture enables the occupier to rear more young stock and in better condition, still the return on the outlay is mixed up with other questions, such as the market price of lean and fat stock at the times of sale and purchase, and it becomes extremely diflRcult to separate it from the general profit and loss account of the whole farm. In short, the farmer does not put the money derived from the improvement of his grass land directly into his pocket, and he is, therefore, not very sure whether what he lays out in this way ever finds its way back or not. The result of a doubt on such a question it is not diffi- cult to foresee : so the grass land has to content itself with what the half-starved cattle are com- pelled to leave behind them, added to a liberal allowance of atmospheric advantages, and its con- tinued poverty is a standing proof that these re- sources are not of the richest, and will not bring us any nearer to the two blades of grass." Let us, however, get over these cloudy modes of reasoning; let us at least endeavour to try if these things can be truly said of us and of our grass lands ; and let us not forget that it is always well and profitable to test the truth of such assertions of men of intelligence and of science. And if we can 'screw our courage to " the sticking-place" amid lowering prices, then let us not forget that many a most valuable trial may as well be made for the outlay of a few shillings, as for pounds, if we will but content ourselves with experimenta- lizing on plots of quarter-acres instead of commen- cing with larger portions of the field. It is not the extent, but the care bestowed, to exclude disturbimj causes, that renders an agricultural experiment valuable. It is this care which causes the trial of Mr. J. B. Lavv'03 to be commonly so noticeable: his results, and those of others with a similar object, are thus alluded to by Mr. II. S. Thompson {ibid, page 252) — they well illustrate the well-known and remarkable fact that certain top-dressings most materially alter the quality of the herbage of grass lands. He says : "The sheet of white clover pro- duced by a heavy dressing of lime on moorlands and other inferior pasture, where white clover had scarcely been seen before, is well known to upland farmers, and it would be easy to multiply instances of a similar kind ; but none of those I have ever seen can be compared in point of variety and dis- tinctness of result with the set of experiments which has now for some years been carried on by Mr. Lawes in his park at Rothamsted, and which I had the opportunity of examining in June, 1857. There might be seen, side by side, strips of the same old meadow, manured with farmyard manure, with alkalies, with phosphates, with aramoniacal salts, and with various combinations of these sub- stances. By comparison with the unmanured grass adjoining, it would be observed that the meadow in its natural state was one of only mode- rate grass-growing capabilities, yet some plots were loaded with a crop of the most bulky of our graminc?e, such as cocksfoot, rye-grass, foxtail, &c., all growing with a luxuriance which would excite attention even in a waterside meadow of the first class. Side by side with this might be seen a plot nearly covered with clovers, trefoils, and vetches ; whilst the next plot in the series would perhaps scarcely furnish a single head of any of those tribes of plants. It would be diflTicult for any one who has not witnessed them to imagine the strangeness of the appearance presented by the trial-plots when growing such very different quanti- ties and kinds of herbage, and the difficulty that would be experienced by a stranger, in persuading himself that they were all produced simply by the ap- plication of different manures to the same meadow. The fact being, then, admitted that the pasture mi(/ht be improved, let us inquire "how" and "when."' What did the Cheshire farmers dis- cover ? What do they use for the almost jjerma- nent improvement of their great dairy farms? what but crushed bones ? The chemist taught them this ; he was not to be mistaken here ; he was well able to show that the continued removal from the land (in the cheese and in the stock) of its phosphate of lime or bone earth, sooner or later exhausted it of this salt — a salt essential to, and always found in the grasses. The Cheshire agri- culturists, therefore, in bones merely restored to the pastures the substance which had, in the bones of the stock and in the milk, &c., been for ages steadily removing. On the importance of this C C 2 364 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. manure, let a Cheshire farmer, Mr. J. Dixon, of Ashley, speak for himself and other Cheshire farmers, as he is so well able to do. In his well- earned prize essay on this very subject (Jour. Roy. Ag. Soc, vol. xix. p. 204) he observes : " For the last twenty years I have had rather ex- tensive opportunities of examining the results from the use of bones, and I have no hesitation in pro- nouncing them to be pre-eminent above all other manures for the improvement of grass lands when permanency as well as cost are considered. Some farmers prefer them boiled, on account of their more immediate effect, and consider them equally lasting; but from my own experience I am de- cidedly in favour of raw bones ; only allow them to be ground fine, and the efiect will soon be evident, particularly if thrown on the land in early spring, and in showery weather. Of the per- manent power of the raw bone I can instance a case on land of which I was the tenant for 16 years ; it was old turf, and had been in the occu- pation of the proprietors for a long time previously to my becoming tenant. The extent of the land in question was little more than 20 acres. About the year 1790 the then proprietor had all the bones he could obtain in a commercial locality collected to- gether, and broken with a heavy hammer. No account was kept of the quantity or value used on a given surface, but there is sufficient evidence to show that an unusual dressing was given. The soil is of a close tenacious character, lying on a clayey subsoil. The subsoil did not contain calca- reous earth, at least it did not effervesce with the spirit of salts (muriatic acid). Some parts of the land had a more porous substratum, and were sufficiently dry for pasture; these particular parts were undoubtedly the most fertile land in the dis- trict. Such of the surface as was wet had scarcely any other vegetable covering than the carex and others of the coarsest grasses. It is, perhaps, pro- per here to state that this bone-dusted land has not been broken up or in tillage for a very long period. On becoming tenant I immediately set about draining the wet parts. In this operation we found, at from five to eight inches from the surface, much bone, in various stages of decomposition; the large pieces, when broken, appeared fresh in- side. I felt at the time some regret that much value must have been lost for many years, and, as I then supposed, for ever lost, on account of the manure having been in soil saturated with water ever since it had been laid on; however, before my draining operation had been completed twelve months, the coarse herbage began to disappear, and in its place appeared white clover, marl clover, and others of the best pasture grasses; and in the second summer after being drained, the soil was equally luxuriant with the naturally dry parts of the land. It is now nearly seventy years since this land was boned, and it is still markedly luxuriant beyond any other grass land in the same district." These facts would naturally lead to the conclu- sion that other manures containing the phosphate of lime would be also powerful fertilizers for grass land. The experience of many agriculturists testi- fies that such is the fact. Guano, which abounds with phosphate of lime, is a powerful dressing at the rate of, say 4 to 5 cwt. per acre ; superphos- phate of lime, at the rate of 6 cwt. per acre, is on many soils a still more powerful application. Then as to the season, many of the largest grass-land farmers dress their land with even farm-yard compost from November to the end of the year. (The objection that the ammonia in the dung escapes by a long exposure to the air, is found not to be so tenable as was once believed.) Some, like Mr. Horsfall, of Burley, when they do this, apply, in addition, 2 cwt. of guano per acre, either in the spring — or, as he observes in a letter to the Rev. W. R. Bowditch {ib., p. 230), " I have derived equal, if not greater benefit, from its application in very wet weather in November. The grov/th during March was sensibly greater than on adjacent land on which the guano was not applied till April, and the main crop of hay was certainly not less than on that dressed in April." And an Irish farmer adds in the same page : " My experience as to the time of application exactly coincides with Mr. Horsfall's, that December is better than February for guano and superphosphate : almost all the manures I have tried in top-dressing pasture land — as guano, superphosphate of lime, and even saline manures, when applied in spring, did not show their full effect until the autumn ; whereas, those applied in early winter seemed to come into operation with the first burst of spring, and be much more effec- tual." These results of the application of the same manure at different seasons may be verified by my readers; but, however that may be, these valuable experiments all bear testimony to the same important fact, viz., that there are various artificial fertilizers which, when applied to grass lands, produce the most powerful effects. The loncj -continued good result of the bonings of the Cheshire farmers, effects which are said to be perceivable during the continuance of a lease, demonstrates that at least one known fertilizer is useful not merely for a season ; and, moreover, as the enlightened Cheshire landlords have been long wont even to aid their tenantry in the requisite outlay for the bones, this further seems to prove that the land is not finally rendered less valuable by the more bountiful, and consequently more exhausting crops of grass that it is thus enabled to produce. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 365 MANURES FRESH AND FERMENTED; AND DUNG. EXPOSING OF LAND During a professional education in the border county of Roxburgh, in which the very best turnip soils are found, and where, in conjunction with the adjacent districts of Berwickshire and North Northumberland, it is generally supposed that the turnip husbandry is most expertly and economically performed, a most certain behef was inculcated that farm-yard dung must be carried to the fields during winter, and placed in oblong heaps about five feet high, in which the materials are thinly and evenly spread, without any pressure beyond the weight of one or two persons to form the heap in the proper structure. In this condition, fermenta- tion proceeds, and reduces the bulk by more than one-third : the state of reduction has reached a moist saponaceous mass that is mostly cold, or sometimes retaining heat in the month of June, when the dung is applied to the land. A vapour sometimes arises from the heap ; but, in most cases, it is cold and thoroughly moist. In North North- umberland, and around Wooler, a further reduc- tion is preferred of the strawy materials, showing a mass of nearly black putridity. It was enjoined, that the drills of land be opened, the dung spread along the hollows, the drills reversed over the dung, and the turnip seed sown, within half an hour from the land being stirred by the drill plough. Exten- sive farms enable this arrangement being done ; and to exceed half an hour is reckoned very bad management. The dung more fresh in condition was spread on wheat fallows, and directed to be covered by ploughing immediately on being spread, in a few hours, at least on the same day. A removal into South Northumberland found a very extensive practice, on a farm of 700 acres, wholly arable, chiefly in clay soils for wheat fallows, overlying the coal measures, and a portion of very light turnip soils, lying on the parent rock of sand- stone that accompanies the coal formation, rises in some places to the surface, and forms the build- ing stones of that country from the Tyne to Tweed, along the sea coast. The above maxims of practice were most carefully executed, under the general direction of a superior in office ; but, in which, all the details were left to the guidance of my own superintendence. In such extensive arrangements, circumstances and accidents will occur, to dis- arrange the continued execution, in short inter- ruptions, and which exhibit results for instruction, if the due notice is regarded. A partially fermented heap of farmyard dung, that had lain in position from March and April, failed to complete the manuring of a fallow field in August, when the necessary supply was carried from the farmyard in the fresh excrements of horses and cattle mixed in with the straws of litter. The matei'ials were as rough as could exist, and were laid on the fallow ground in the usual quantity, spread and covered by the ploughing. The rovigh condition prevented the covering of the dung, which laid mostly above ground for two months, exposed to sun, wind, rain, and drought. A most severe rebuke was administered by the general di- rector, for exhibiting such an unsightly and ruin- ous performance, with a last admonition to never again disgrace the practice of agriculture in such a manner, but rather to leave ground without ma- nure. The seed furrowing of the land in October did not then cover the rough materials, which were torn and pulled about by the harrows, affording a covering to the surface, over winter, in the manner of a top-dressing. When the Spring vegetation commenced, the wheat, in the ground so manured, advanced rapidly beyond the field of land — show- ing a more vigorous growth, broader leaves, and a much darker green colour, till the full ripening was attained; the superiority was most evident, and vi- sible from the entrance of the field. The stooks of the reaped crop of wheat were thicker on the ground than the general crop; and the pickles of grain were longer, and richer in colour. The prac- tice of subsequent years omitted the fermentation of farmyard dung for wheat lands; but the re- linquishment did not sufl&ciently progress to the necessary estabhshment of the superiority of fresh over heated matters, as a higher official authority had a command and a restriction. On being shown such a proof of superiority, the general di- rector surveyed and acknowledged ; but gave no reason, nor received any change of dogmatical opinion. My own conviction has led to the opinion that dung be used fresh in the excrements and straws mixed, remain on the surface of the ground over winter, and exposed to the weathers as may occur. Farmyard dung may be best applied to wheat crops in being spread over the young brairds in March, as a top-dressing; and done by means of light waggons, running along moveable railways of tim- ber, placed at proper intervals. A very careful spreading of the dung will cover the ground ; and, in four or six weeks after the harrowings, in sow- 366 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. ing the grass seeds, will mix the fine upper soil with the wasted faeces — effect a fine mixture of pul- verization, very agreeahle to the seeds of grasses ; and, being pressed together by a heavy roll, a ma- trix of blended materials will be formed, that is most congenial to any vegetation. In benign cli- mates, the dung may be laid on the ground imme- diately after the wheat is sown ; when it will protect the plants during winter, and confer the benefit of a top dressing, by preserving a warm temperature. No doubt can exist of the superiority of applying farmyard dung in these ways, beyond the common mode of burying it in the furrow, by ploughing in the late summer or during autumn. In the county of East Lothian, in the South of Scotland, beans are a favourite crop, and are grown in rather high elevations of latitude. The sowing is done in February and March, on lands drilled at twenty- seven inches distant, with fresh farmyard dung spread along the intervals. Changes of weather will occur in these localities, and at that season of the year ; and in such cases, farmyard dung has been exposed in heaps in the drills, and even spread thinly along the intervals, bleached by the rain, scorched by the sun, dried by the winds, wetted by the snow, and cramped by the frost, when the crop of beans was superior, or, at least, very fully equal to the usual mode of quick application and covering in the ground. This re- sult has occurred sufficiently often to establish a general fact, in different circumstances of soil and climate. However much these relations may clash with chemical doctrines, such facts are stubborn things. In turnip farming, accidents occurred to show the same fallacies in the practice that is established in these crack counties of Border farming. In or- der to finish a field of turnips when the fermented heap failed in the necessary quantity, fresh dung was carried from the door of the cow- shed, and used in the same mode and quantity in the drills of land, v/hen the crop was evidently superior to the fermented matters. Three cases are sufficient to establish the fact, from similar results being done in South Northumberland, Leicestershire, and in South Wales, in which the soil and climate are sufficiently varied to remove any objection. In order to cover fresh dung in the drills, the straws for litter must be cut into short lengths by the power of steam machinery for thrashing grain, which removes any objection on that point. The loss by evaporation of moisture, by exposing land and dung during the operations of drilling the land and reversing the ridglets over the dung, falls under the same ground of disproval. A varied prac- tice has shown dung and land exposed in open drills for several days of drought, sun, rain, and winds, from the intervention of circumstances to delay proceedings. The turnips grown in these drills showed no inferiority in the braird or crop, and even when no rain fell, and the land and dung were exposed to the hottest sun, not any loss ap- peared from evaporation of moisture by exposure. On a Saturday afternoon of a very hot season in June, a ploughman was sent to open some turnip drills, in order to have a readiness of work on the Monday morning. The superior in office, then resid- ing in a sea-bathing vicinity, happened to pass the field, and expressed not a little v/onder that a Tweed- side education exposed turnip drills to drought for forty-eight hours. A severe reprimand was ad- ministered in a tone of authority from a higher official grade. The ploughman smiled, and as- sured me he had seen many instances of exposing land and dung, without any difference in the crop. And in this case, not the slightest difference ap- peared. Farmyard dung is not in any way damaged by exposure; nor is turnip land subjected to any loss by evaporation. Mr. Mechi has most truly observed, that the days of dung heaps are num- bered. It was shown that bones, fresh from grinding on the day of being sown in the land, were equal to any preparation, by being fermented with urine, or any liquids with hot lime, or any other matters, or with any reduction by acids to make a super- phosphate. This fact was proved in several years of practice. The fresh condition of fertilizing sub- stances exceeds any preparation. The dogmas of agriculture ai'e closely allied with the scientific reasonings on the subject which dic- tate and prophesy, from the laboratory and the fire- side, the results that will most certainly happen in the field of nature. Nothing can be more falla- cious. The same has happened with political theories and commercial regulations, the framing of which merely shows the sandiness of the foun- dation, and the unskilfulness of the architect ; time and circumstances overturn all such baseless fa- brics. Railways have not diminished the breeding of horses, nor lowered the prices ; the introduction of foreign wool has not extinguished the home production ; free trade in corn has not lessened the quantity of arable lands ; nor has the abolition of the navigation laws hindered the building of ships or the employment of British seamen. On the con- trary, an increase progresses in every point. Vain prophets and false philosophers would do well to shut their open mouths and tie their babbling tongues ; to cease talking, and think of acting a rational sobriety and some practical good. J. D. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE, 367 A NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY FOR WALES. The Eisteddfod is doomed. Like the Donny-brook Fair of Ould Ireland, the Lord Mayor's Shov/ of Old England, and other such national celebrations, it can- not but grow gradually out of date. With one roll of its mighty thunder The Times has said it. "Why do you Dot take more notice of the great festival of the Principality ?" asks an indignant Welshman. And the very next morning the favour is granted. It is fit season such mummeries were done away with. They do no good, and the people themselves have but little sympathy with the performances. Quondam tradesmen playing at Princes, and country clergymen acting as showmen, scarcely tell in an age like this. It is a question whether " Ar hyd y nos " would not be quite as much respected as " Poor Mary Ann," while it is very certain Jenny Jones would never have achieved half her present popularity had Mr. Matthews sung of her in the language of the Native Bards. Unfor- tunately, we live in very utilitarian times, and that awkward question — What is the object of all this ? is sure to arise. Will Davy Morgan singing " down" Humphrey Owen, or the village school-master being tempted to make nonsense verses in an unkuowa tongue, do any of them any good ? And public opinion shakes its Hydra head dubiously, and rather thinks not. But the Welsh are an ancient people — a race whose very country may of itself tend to preserve somewhat primitive and peculiar habits. Shall, then, all oppor- tunity be denied them of meeting to enjoy and improve themselves? Shall we pay no defer- ence to the old families and customs ? Is there not a chance even of our arriving at some good in so doing ? Let Wales still have her own national holiday. Let her sons yet strive in friendly contest with each other. But in doing this, let it be more in the spirit of the days we live in. Let there be a real aim in our assembling together, and let no man go home again, ere he has learnt in some way to benefit himself and his neighbours. It is after all but the clever trick of the Good Genius in the panto- mime. The scene opens as usual with the celebration of the Eisteddfod — with the Druids in their robes and crowns— with the Harpers all duly ranged on one side, and their brother Bards on the other. They declaim — they sing— they prophesy— and then, just in the midst of their mystic rites, on comes the good fairy from the wing. It is Ceres sitting in her Boydell Traction cha- riot. With one wave of her wand, on which are scrolled, in curious character, " Reports," " Essays," and " Prize Lists" — and Presto ! the whole scene changes ! The Druids whisk off their crowns and gowns, and are well- to-do gentlemen, each bearing on his breast a little badge of office which proclaims him a " Steward of the Yard" or a " Judge of Stock." The Harpers at the same moment have dropped their lyres, and are grinding away at patent chaff-cutters, or clearing the corn from improved reapers. The very Bards, that we rather guessed to be clergymen from the first, are cler- gymen still, but of a very different order —such as Mr, Beever and his brethren — either reciting jn-ize papers from Agricultural Journals — careering up and down on famous hobby-horses, with Suffolk heads, and red to the hoof; or going through wondrous feats of horse- manship on well trained ponies of the old Rug strain. And then, Ceres is handfed down from her chariot by an attendant spirit, known in the bills as " Mont- gomery Traherne," and coming forward to the foot- lights, she makes just such a little speech as an Agricultural Deity should do. She craves the sympa- thy and support of the audience, and she commands it in an instant ; retires amidst " immense applause," and the curtain falls on a " great success." After this Mr. Traherne, who is in reality the stage-manager in disguise, comes on with a neat speech of his own, which goes to say that the entertainment *' will be i-epeated every year until further notice." In sober seriousness, a strong effort is now being made to start another agricultural society. It is not enough even that we have so many doing so well, or that the local feed so successfully the more national associations. It is, indeed, another national society that is asked for, England, Ireland, and Scotland have already each its own especial organ. For many years now it has been our pleasant duty to attend the anniversary meetmgs of all these, and for the good effected by all can we alike answer. We know of nothing that of late years has done so much for the country as these associations. It would be idle, of course, to look to one grand agent for every thing. It has been proved, too, long ere this, how much the shows of our own Royal English have been aug- mented by the smaller institutions with the same good intent, that now almost everywhere abound. It is the same both in Scotland and Ireland. During this autumn you could not take up a country paper from either of these parts of the kingdom without finding in it the report of some agricultural gathering. The benefit, however, all these are manifestly doing would be comparatively little without the directing influence of the National Society, By this means the good men are brought out of their own homes, while others as good come to them. Look, for example, at our most renowned breeders of stock, or great imjilement-manufacturers. It would not pay for them to enter at any local ex- hibition out of their own beat. But they are always ready at the word of a General of an array, when they might not be so attentive to the sum- mons of a mere Captain of his company. Mr. Douglas will send his Shorthorns from the Lothians to Salisbury or Chester, and Mr. Wetherell his bull from the North of England to the North of Scotland. Mr. Beale 368 THE FARiMER'S MAGAZINE. Browne's Cotswokls try llieir fortunes at the Iriyli shows, and Captain Ball has in turn a nomination at the English. Then the leading firms not only enter for " competition" or " exhibition," but carefully seek out for fresh agents, and a Garrett drill, a Ransome or Howard plough, or a Crosskill clod-crusher, is no longer unknown in the land. But it requires a com- manding influence to do all this — ^just, in fiict, such an agency as Wales alone has not, but that the Princi- pality at length sees how much it requires. It is by no means difficult to trace how this light has been let in. As wo wrote this spring, the country has been fairly besieged by the forces of Mo- dern Agriculture. She attacked it at Cardiff in the South, and a few weeks later at Chester in the north. As wo also reported at the time, the attempt on either was most encouraging. It was the people of the dis- trict who wore the great supporters of the meetings. We never saw this more strongly demonstrated than at Chester; while the habitues of the West of England Society candidly confessed Cardiff was out of their way, and left it all to the Welsh- men. The lesson taught, moreover, has boon any- thing but a fleeting one. A circular letter wo published a month since, signed on behalf of the provisional committee by Mr, Traherne, bodily pro- posed the establishment of a Welish National Agricul- tural Society. Wc think such of our readers as gave it the consideration it deserved will agree with us that it was drawn up with roniarkablo force and ability — going far, in fact, to prove all it advocated. This is now followed by a second ; and that wo hear has also been addressed to a majority of our contemporaries in the districts it refers to. It is evident the country is already warming to the proposition ; at the same time its re- ception has been anything but one of indifferent or passive support. Mr, Traherne and his committee have already had a number of objections to reply to. This second letter, indeed, is written chiefly to that end, while it is written so well that we shall not attempt to weaken its argument by doing more than calling atten- tion to it. After all, there can be but one great point toconsider — Should it be a Society embracing North and South ? Or, as urged by some, of North Wales only ? The answer to this is surely self-evident. To bo of any useful inipartance, to command any general influence, such an association must embrace the whole country. The South may, perhaps, not bo altogether so forward as the North. There are already good local meetings established about Bangor, Flint, and that quarter. We doubt, though, very much whether there bo at present a better or more creditable show of stock throughout the whole of the Principality than that which will take place in a few weeks at Trede- gar in South Wales. If we havo Colonel Pennant at one point, we have Sir Charles Morgan at another; and certainly the neatest pony exhibited this year was at tlie Cardiff Meeting. The iron is hot. The country itself is acting in an- ticipation, as it were, of such a society : " The un- wonted numbers and jimproved character of stock exhibited this autumn in the various show-yards of South Wales, Herefordshire, Monmouth, are distinctly refirable to the reflow of the wave which swept on Cardiff" in June." Wo may turn again to what The Heraford 2'imes, in the report of its recent meeting, can say of its own increasing strength. " A nexo era seems to have daicned upon its operations." The farmers themselves will clearly take their share of the work when it comes to them ; but there are many circumstances which warrant us in looking to tho landlords and gentry for the initiative. Let them from both North and South go heartily into tho venture, and the Welsh Agricultural Society will Boon become an established fact. Sir, — At the risk of being tedious, will you allow us through your columns to make a few further remarks in regard to the scheme for the formation of a Royal Agri- cultural Society for Wales : a scheme which we shall then be glad to devolve upon a more influential advo- cacy ? We should not ask this favour but that, after considerable expense and trouble, it has been found quite impossible to communicate directly with every gentleman and leading former, as we should otherwise have done; addresses and names being so difficult to obtain. Notwithstanding a most favourable reception of the project in the highest quarters, there have risen to the surface a few objections, which we are bound at once to discuss, and if possible dispose of. 1st. It has been said that it might answer to have one central show for South Wales, or one for North Wales; but that a combined exhibition for the whola Principality must fail ; mainly because of the difficulty experienced in the conveyance of stock. This objection might hold good if it were not that it is usual for the railways to grant a free passage and most liberal treatment to animals entered at the shows of the Royal Agricultural Society of England ; and we scarcely think that the Welsh lines would depart from this custom in the case of a Welsh national exhibition. On a rough measurement of the map, we cannot find that there are many, if any, spots distant more than thirty miles from a railroad, either in existence or pro- jected : and once upon the rail, what matter then how far? While to those who object thirty miles to be a long way, we can only reply that the farmers of this district think nothing of sending that distance to Sir Charles Morgan's Tredegar show. 2nd. We have read in a North Wales paper the opinion of an eminent agricultural authority, (whose promised communication has, however, not yet reached us^ that he thought a central society for North Wales was an excellent idea ; but that a combined society for North and South Wales would be a failure, for the rea- son that South Wales was backward to compete at Chester, and it was likely would be so also at a central show. Surely this argument must cut the other way ; if South Wales be stupid enough to desire to add her con- tributions to a prize fund, for which yet she wants the courage to compete, why what were this but the clearest gain for North Wales ? THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 369 3rd. We cannot but think that much needless appre- hension has been caused by the sentence in our circular, " how far it may be deemed expedient to amalgamate in one central society the existing local county shows." The question we threw out rather as being one which we knew several would come to discuss, who say that they cannot subscribe to two societies, but have pleasure in suppoiting one, and by no means as an idea of our own, as we have thought from the first that these district so- cieties would go tar to foster and be fostered by a Royal Welsh Agricultural Society. After all, deny " the ex- pediency" and the offence is drawn. The paragraph we should, however, have at once dismissed with a mo- nosyllabic tormentcr in its ear, had we forseen the up- roar it was destined to cause ; or, if we had sooner come across the subjoined quotation from The Farmer's Ma- gazine for 1838, which even as we write has casually turned up. It runs thus — '' We are aware of an idea having been once entertained that a general society would interfere prejudicially with the local societies. Experience in Scotland — and there is no reason why the result should be different in England — has proved the reverse. The local societies have flourished much better since the establishment of the Highland Society." Putting England for Scotland and Wales for England, we endorse this sentence as our own, 4th. One gentleman opposes the scheme on the ground that it is likely to nurse a morbid feeling of Welsh nation- ality, and remarks that it were better that all distinction between England and Wales be abolished. We may be excused if we pause to confess that, even supposing a pure race may be absorbed or exterminated — a physiological fact, by-the-way, which authors of eminence deny — we cannot in this instance see the ob- ject of the fusion. Why may not the Saxon and the Celt of our island move upon an amicable parallel of honourable rivalry, as continental nations do ? The inestimable advantage of free intercourse with enlight- ened neighbours we are forward to allow ; but why so studiously seek, without necessity, to swamp a distinc- tive genius, which after all may tend eventually to throw new light (for it is a genius of power) upon the various objects of their common scientific investigation? But to return. " It is the railways," he writes, " that we want." Now this scheme of a Welsh Royal Agri- cultural Society seems to us — though, after all, 'tis true we may be blinded by an over-weening fondness for our bantling — most excellently calculated to stimulate the formation of new lines through farming districts such as that just opened up the Clwyd ; while we can con- ceive few things adapted better to intermix the Saxon and the Cymry than an annual week of social walk and talk amidst machinery and cattle, where thousands daily come and go in a mood of most joyous in- spection. 5th. It is objected that the Welsh breeds of cattle and sheep — the superiority of the ponies none dispute — can bear no comparison with the English importations ; that the Anglesey or Castlemartin bullock can by no moans maintain its ground beside the Hereford or Shorthorn, Granted, for argument's sake ; but are there not dis- tricts of vast extent, both in North and South Wales* where — to quote the expressive words of Lord Bagot's agent, lately spoken at the Rhyl meeting of the Den- bigh and Flint Agricultural .Society—" you might as well look for an elephant as a shorthorn" ? It were hard to ' ' keep pace with the expectancy" of some, for we remember to have heard a titled lady ask the guide, on a bleak pass in Cumberland, whether pine-apples grew thereabouts ; and our impression is that not more out of place were a pinery on open Skiddaw than the silky coat of " Rose of Athelstane" by the shores of Llyn Arenig; nor less unhappy, in the mists of Snowdon, or by the morasses of the Berwyn, those lovely oval South- down forms, which you may see Her Grace of Rich- mond with gloved hand pat so daintily at Christmas time — the hereditary " gold medalists" of Smithfield. On this headj however, we would not be misinterpreted. We do not advocate, as some suppose, the expulsion of the Shorthorn and the Leicester, the Cotswold and the Devon, any more than we would go in for the restitution of the Druids. These justly valuable breeds we should be foremost to recommend upon the rich meadow pas- ture which a genial climate favours ; but at the same time we think it only fair that the highland farmer be encour- aged equally with the lowland, seeing that so large a pro- portion of the Welsh acreage is highland ; and we cannot deem it to be absurd, that at least an effort be made to im- prove stock which, fed by the graziers of Northamp- tonshire, Leicestershire, and Kent, have already the merit of fetching the best prices of the London market. The question how far the native breeds deserve cultivation, where it is to begin, where to end, and how to be carried on, can only be solved practically ; and it is the very question we want to see solved : a solution which can be attained, however, only by the establishment of a national Welsh society, for the Royal Agricultural Society of England will not recognise distinctly the Welsh breeds, and the West of England Society has enough to do at home, while the small local shows are obviously unequal to the task. On the other hand, let us consider the advantage that must accrue from the establishment of this society. First, as an immediate consequence, we shall have the best stock of all breeds brought into the country from all parts of the United Kingdom in competition for the prizes, with the certain effect at least of improving the Welsh farmer's eye and taste by the study of animals such as could be nowhere collected but at the exhibition of a national society ; besides that, the leading farmers and gentry will have inducement to import the best of fashionable blood for their own and their neighbours' use, an outlay to which they never could be tempted by the comparatively paltry £2 prizes of a country gathering. Secondly. We shall have a great mart for meritorious, even if not winning stock, such as the largest district show never could afford ; attractive not only to the elite of England, but, what is of more importance still, to the Australian, the French, the American, the en- voys of Hungary and Prussia — all eager to behold and 370 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. to purchase what may suit, at prices inconceivable on any other occasion. Thirdly. The small tenant farmers (a class we should encourage) will have more heart to compete at their own country shows, where landlords (after the example of Colonel Pennant) cease to exhibit, being contented with the laurels of a nobler arena. Lastly, w3 notice that at most of the recent Welsh meetings it has been suggested that prizes should be given for essays on local agriculture. How much better would this object be attained by the publication of an efficient Journal on the model of those issued by tha other national societies, which in itself were worth a guinea ! And, after all, what is it that v/e seek? To engage you in another South Sea bubble or British Bank in- vestment ? A speculation that may cramp your com- forts and endanger the inheritance of your children ? Nay, rather it is but to contribute one guinea — but a sack of oats from your hunter's stable — but a ribbon from my Lady's drawer ; neither of which essentials would you, we will be bound, in three weeks miss. And the consequence, if we succeed — and succeed we must, if once fairly afloat — will be, that for those swampy meadows, alder grown and mossy, which return you but a scant half-crown per acre, you will come eventually to receive your thirty shillings rent. In the room of yon feeble tenant, the despondent owner of an aged blind mare, three cows that live by gipsying, some dozen Ecabby sheep, a cur, and a "greyhound pig," you will have a thriving, ruddy yeoman, both able and willing to give employment to the hamlet, with the re- lieving officer " to let." For with stock improved will prices rise, and the farmer be enabled to do justice better to his animals, himself, his servants, and his land- lord. But supposing, after all, that upon trial this scheme shall fall through (we cannot, we confess, see how), what harm can possibly have happened but that 1,300 individuals have forfeited a guinea in an cfTort to advance their country's prosperity ; while in vivid con- trast view the beneficial results that must inevitably arise from even a single such united meeting. Witness the increased knowledge — the stimulated enterprise — the dissipated prejudices of master and man. Nay, we doubt if any would venture to deny that the unwonted numbers and improved character of stock ex- hibited this autumn in the various show-yards of South Wales, Herefordshire, Monmouth, are distinctly refera- ble to the reflow of the wave which swept on Cardiff in June. Our work, as a provisional committee, is now all but done. The ball we have launched ; it remains with you, the Press, to keep it rolling. Let the " fiery cross " go forth at once. District meetings should be held as soon as possible, and our efforts clenched. It is in favour of a large contribution that the surface of Wales is parcelled out amongst so numerous a pro- prietary, not one of whom would miss a subscription from their annual income. Did not North Wales alone advance i£'2,O00 towards the meeting of the Royal Agri- cultural Society of England at Chester ? What may not, then, the North and South united do, sinking petty jealousies, which but for one journal we should not have believed to exist more than in idea ? Laying well to heart the recent words of one of Europe's sagest rulers, " The progress of agriculture ought to be one of the objects of our constant care, for upon its improvement or its neglect depends the pros- perity or the decline of empires" (from the French Emperor's speech on opening the Legislature, 16th Feb., 1857), we need but " a pull, a long pull, a strong pull, and a pull altogether," to set up a noble society upon a footing second to none, and from which it shall never recede. We shall have a mass of most encourag- ing communications from influential quarters to hand over, on the establishment of a regular committee, though of the issued circulars a large amount yet re- mains unacknowledged. This does not, however, sur- prise or dishearten us. A grand project moves slowly at first ; and we conclude, not that it is the pheasant shooting, nor the hounds that interfere, nor yet apathy, as some suggest, but simply that " The charmed ocean 's pausing."^ There wants yet a short period to the turn ; but with the county meetings will subscriptions, we doubt not, come racing in at speed. On behalf of tho Provisional Committee, George Montgomery Traherne. Saint Hilars/, Cowhridge, Glamorganshire, October 2Wi, 1858. AGRICULTURAL DISTILLERIES. In a recent number we inserted a letter from the pro- prietors of the North-end Distillery, at Fulhara, iu reply to observations of ours, in our Journal of the 13th of last moatb, on the subject of agriculturd distilleries, which it is now pro- posed to introduce into this country, on Champonnaiy' prin- ciple. In much of wbat our conespondeut advances we quite concur : but there are points which appear to us to be treated Iheoretically rather thau praciicuUy ; and to these alone we propose to direct our present obaervationa. We do not consider machinery and science, applied to the increase of the products of a farm, as calculated to lessen the spirit of agricultural enterprise, but rather to stimulate and increase it, by placiug all the operatious of the farm, thus fa- cilitated, upon a more rational basis, and superinducing a hig'ier class of mind and intelligence in the operations of the farm. But we do conaiJer that, if a farmer goes beyond this, and commences as a manufacturer of spirit from the produce of his farm, he then becomes a commercial as well as an agri- cultural man, and has his mind distracted between the direct and foreign operations of an intricate and complicated branch THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 371 of commerce, and the operations of husbandry. There cannot be a greater contrast than that between the processes of the two pursuits and operations, or which require separately a more undivided attention to conduct them to advantage. And we deprecate the introduction of agricultural distilleries, as calcu- lated to draw off the attention of the husbandman from those grand improvements which have eet in, and are now in progress, and which demand the undivided skill, capital, and application of every one engaged in agricultural pursuits. We are quite aware that in those parts of France referred to by our correspondent, agriculture has long been conducted on far better principles than in the south or centre of that country, and with corresponding success. It is only recently, however, that distilleries have been introduced there, as ad- juncts to the farm, and the effect on either the agriculture or on the moral and physical couditiou of the rural population can scarcely be appreciated at present. It required a genera- tion to change the habits of the Austrian peasantry ; but we see there, at last, the dreadful effects of the advocated system. Aud that the disposition to substitute ardent spirits for light wine or water, by the working class in France, is gaining ground (gradually it ia true, but surely), I have the te&timony of those who have both the opportunity and the discernment for ascertaining the fact. They assure me that the operatives of Paris, moat of whom are migrants from the rural districts, are gradually acquiring the habit of repairing to the spirit- shop, instead of the piimi) or cafe, at meal-hours. We have a high respect for the opinion of such men as Liebig ; but we cannot admit opinion in competition with palpable facts daily staring us in the face, and patent to every man of common ob- servation. Wc admit that sometimes distress of mind does drive people to intemperance, as it also drives tbem to suicide ; but in both cases we believe there is usually a predisposition to the crime ; and it is equally true that the iutempeiate use of alcoholic drinks reigus chirfly amongst that class of operatives, in this countrj', who earn high wages, and who, being clever hands while at work, consider themselves entitled to spend a part of their time and money in dissipation of the most in- jurious kind. The example of Austria, too, is a sufficient answer to Liebig's theory, and a standing illustration of the pernicious influence of agricultural distil'eries, which all the theorists in the world cannot neutralize or refute. With respect to the increased value of the residue of beet- root after distillation, in nutritive properties, if it be a fact that it exceeds in this respect the raw or boiled beet in its original state, it is certainly one of the most extraordinary facts iu science, and upsets all the cliemical theories hitherto entertained. Saccharine ia the basis of alcohol; it is aUo, or has always been considered, tlie most nutritive element of plants. If, therefore, by distillation the saccharine is ex- tracted, which is the case, it is contrary to all the received opinions of scientific men that the residue should be superior, or even equal iu value, as nutriment, to the perfect root. If this is attributable to the cooking, the same process would be equally useful and more efficacious with than without the saccharine. We suspect, however, that the " other substances" mentioned ia our correspondent's letter includes something more nutritive than chaff or cut straw— a little barley-meal or linseed-cake, for instance — to give a nutritive tone to the residue. Until, therefore, we have a more tan- gible proof of a " better food" being obtained by depriving the beetroot of its saccharine.without any additions, we shall hold ourselves at liberty " to doot the fact," as a Scotchman would say. There is an inconsistency in our correspondent's letter in ■peaking of the effect on prices of the diffusion of distilleries. aud the consequent increase of ardent spirits. In one para- graph he admits that prices have been reduced so low as to stop the manufacture, aud in the next he denies that the in- creased production will have any such effect. We cannot, however, admit that the spirit from beet-root will supersede that from grain, except by being mixed with it to reduce the price. It certainly superseded grain spirit in Austria, be- cause, when diatifieries were first introduced, the price of grain was so low that its cultivation was discontinued for that of root crops, to be uaed in the distilleries. But they have again begun to distil from grain, and the quality of the two articles is so different (as regards flavour at least) that the one will never come into successful competition with the other when both are made. The duly, too, is so high on both, that the cost price forms only a small part of the price to the consumer ; so that it will not admit of a reduction at all adequate to the inferiority in quality of flavour. It will, however, be pvirchased by the low spirit dealers to be used in mixing, to increase their profit or decrease the price. We therefore adhere to the opinion we expressed, that the manufacture can only be ren- dered profitable by the increased consumption of spirits keep- ing up the priccj and that unless the consumption does so increase the whole system will be a failure. We are aware that no spirit can possibly be retailed, under the present laws, at the distillery, nor is it necessary. Instead of selling it themselves by retail, as in Austria, our agricultural distillers must have their spirit shops m every pariah, just as the public brewers and distillers have in towns at present. It will be their object to promote the sale of their article by mul- tiplying the number of grog shops as much as the magistrates will allov/. As to people caring little for that which " they have within their grasp," experience, we assert, is against that thsory. The enormous increase of gin-shops in London and other large towns has not decreased the demand for gin. On the contrary, is it not a fact that the multiplication of these pernicious establishment.", has been attended with an increase of prosperity to all of them? so that, let who will sink, through the spirit of competition, the gin-spinners are the men who play iuto each other's hands by multiplying the means aud in- centives of iatemperance. They are the men who, as a class make the most rapid fortunes, aud affect a splendour iu their establishments and dress, forming a singular contrast with the victims who herd in sottish brutality under the glare of the mrdtiplied gas burners. Let the same facilities and tempta- tions be extended to the country villages, which would be the inevitable result of the establishment of distilleries as adjuncts to the farm, and we should soon see the rural populations as demoralized and degraded as those of Austria or the large cities of cur own country. We confess that we should like to see the sale of ardent spirits restricted to the druggists' shops, as is the case with spirit of wine, which ia only more dclsterious iu degree, not iu principle. When wc reflect upon the enormous quantity of wholesome food for man and beast that ia destroyed iu the manufacture of the 25,000,000 gallons of this slow poison consumed in the United Kingdom (requiring not less than 2,000,000 quarters of corn), aud upon the amount of crime resulting directly from its use, and the misery and wretched- ness inflicted upon thousands of families, innocent themselves of any cause for such calamities, we feel assured that society in all its ramifications would be benefited by the diacoutinu- ence of the use of ardent spirits. This, and not the multi- plication of distilleries, is, we ate assured, what every well- wisher of his country and his kind would devoutly wish. 372 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. PROFITABLE CULTURE OF THE DISTRICTS. CEREALS IN HILLY At a meeting of the Galashiels Farmers' Club, held on the first Tuesday in July 1858, Mr. Scott sen., of Mossilee, introduced this subject in the following terms : — In the hope of having this ques- tion fully discussed in the club by members who have moi'e experience and are better able to do so than I am, I shall oifer a few remarks upon it. On the Gala — in some other places in the south of Scotland, but especially on the Gala — from its source to the foot of it, improvement may be seen climbing the hills to their summits. About ten or fifteen years ago, various proprietors and farmers began to open up their eyes so far as to see (and permit me to say, sir, that this was a most im- portant discovery) that there were various tracts of fine lowland that it would be advisable to bring into cultivation. It is needless to waste a single word on the profitable result of that, in hearing of the members of this club. But it is only within the last very few years that what I may call another discovery has been made by some far- mers, that it is advisable — and, for my part, I hesitate not to say profitable — that at whatever altitude on our highest hills where the plough can be made to enter, and lime can be taken up, to re- move the old comparatively useless sward of bent and heather, and introduce white clover and sown grasses in its place. And I think I may safely say — and I say so from my own experience — that, as a general rule, with some little exceptions, the improvement and comparative profit will be highest where the previous wild herbage was of least value. In so far as cereals are concerned, they may be profitably cultivated, if the soil is suitable, from 800 to 1000 feet above the sea level in this comparatively dry district. The highest part of the new improved land of Mossilee is about 900 feet above the sea. Hitherto it has been quite safe in regard to ripening. I would not recom- mend, with a view to profit, the cereals to be cul- tivated in the vicinity of damp moorlands, and in a damp atmosphere, at more than 700, or 800 feet at most; but in a dry atmosphere it may be ex- tended to a 1000, especially if the exposure is favourable. Higher than that, I would rather pre- fer sowing out without a crop. The pasture will generally do more than pay for the grass seeds the first year, and it will be better in pasture. You will have the acre of waste land, worth, it may be, less than 2s. 6d. up to 7s. Gd., increased up to from 10s. to 20s. The question is not whether, a the high altitude of 1000 to 1500 feet, we can ex- tend the cereals, but whether, from producing lambs of the value of from 6s, to 10s., we may not be able to increase the value up to from 15s, to IBs., and the fleece in proportion of 4 to 6. If I may be permitted to take a glance at the past state of matters, I would say that perhaps nowhere has there been more advancement made than in this district. Take the parish of Galashiels for instance. When Mr. Douglas wrote the Statistical Account of Scotland, near the end of last century, he put down the whole tillage land in the parish at 1200 acres — 900 acres of it in oats, the remain- ing 300 in barley, peas, clover, potatoes, and tur- nips : only 300 for these five different sorts. The harvest was late, beginning in September, and frequently concluding in November. The number of ploughs in the parish, 37. Again in 1833, when Dr. Paterson wrote the New Statistical Account, some forty years after, the arable land had rather more than doubled. The Doctor put it down then at 3000 acres. But the curious thing is the next entry, opposite which stands a cipher. It is to the effect that there is not another acre in the parish that will pay for cultivation. Who could have expected that from the author of the Manse Gar- den ? But I do not think it would be fair to let the onus of this rest altogether on the head of the Doctor, for we are not to fancy that he would not ask the opinion of all the enterprising farmers in the parish on the subject. That was written some four or five years before I came to Mossilee. In spite of this most sagacious opinion a good many extra acres have been cultivated since then, and I suspect in most cases not unprofitably. At that date there might still be seen hundreds of boulders which had formed the landmarks, and the heather and coarse herbage which gave colour to the land- scape long before the Scottish kings hunted in Ettrick Forest, which have now vanished, and given place to fine crops of corn and turnips, and to as fine pasture as needs be. I may just further mention, in regard to Galashiels parish, that Mr. Hooper Dawson, of Kelso, when he pubhshed his Statistical Account of Scotland, in 1853, put down the arable land in this parish at 3300 acres, being only an advance of 300 acres in 20 years. How- ever, I think we may take it for granted that this is rather below the mark at that date ; but we must THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 373 take into account that the landward part of Gala- shiels parish is of small extent, amountincr to 9850 acres, showing, by last account, just about a third of it cultivated. In the parish of Stow, there are about 40,000 acres. When Sir John Sinclair's statistics were published, the arable land was put down at 3700 acres, 90 cattle fed, and 120 sheep annually out of better than 21,000 then in the pa- rish, while none of the farms had more than three or four acres of turnips. When Mr. Waddell wrote the New Statistical Account in 1843 — at least, revised and published then — the arable land had increased to 11,345 acres. This is rather more than a fourth ; and I have no doubt but that, by this time, it is likewise approaching a third, if it is not beyond it. The members from that extensive parish will be better able to give an opinion than I am. He gives the cattle fed at 500, which is very respectable ; but the sheep have come down to 19,820. This decrease arose from the fact that many of the farms had been overstocked before. Unfortunately, Mr. Dawson has not taken the trouble to get the statistics of these matters in 1853 in the parish of Stow. It is needless to say that all classes of the community are interested in this question. I would say the commercial class first, the landlords next, and the tenants last — (Hear) — because on the tenants generally comes the onerous task of carrying out these improve- ments ; for, how liberal soever the landlord may be, this always involves considerable outlay, and then he has seldom more than eight or ten jears, in a nineteen years' lease, in which he can expect to be repaid, while to the other classes the improvement is permanent. The bales of wool are the raw ma- terial, which, passing through the manufacturing process in the mills, and coming out in fine tweeds and shawls, gives to Galashiels its importance. So the waste land, for an equally important and profit- able purpose, is just the raw material ; and it is still stored up in thousands and thousands of acres on the hillsides and vales drained by the Tweed and its tributaries, and that at altitudes which, till late, it has never been doubted would always be- long exclusively to the moorfowl and the black- faced sheep. Mr. A. Thomson, merchant, said he thought Mr. Scott had confined himself to rather narrow limits. Unless a regular series of crops was taken, they could not come to a satisfactory judgment. It might pay to open up a place here and there, but the question ought to be taken on a large scale. A good deal, he believed, depended upon the situation and exposure of the hill. For instance, Buckholm Hill, which had a northern exposure, if cultivated, would not return so well as Meigle, which hes to the sun, and is well sheltered. The northern ex- posure might raise a good crop of straw, but not of corn. No land could be said to be cultivated without the application of manures, especially farm- yard manure, and it was easier in some places than others to get up manures. Some places were al- most inaccessible. Middleton Moor, he instanced, which was well cultivated now, and yielded good crops, he should say was about the same height as Meigle Hill, and there the heights were cultivated profitably, because they were easy of access. Mr. Geo. Dun, Laidlawstiel, generally agreed with Mr. Thomson. He thought no universal rule could be laid down. Every farmer ought to be left, as circumstances dictated, to pursue his own judg- ment. Mr. HoBKiRK, Langlee, said he certainly ex- pected, in the discussion, to have got a leaf out of the experiences of those farmers present who had been engaged in breaking-in high land to a large extent. Instead of this, the question had been passed over almost in silence. He could not un- derstand how, in a club of this kind, members who ought to know something of the question, should be so stinted of their information. Many of them had done a good deal in hill cultivation, and they ought to be able to say whether their experiments had been profitable or not. It was rather heartless to sit and witness such indifference. For his own part, he could not add anything to the stock of information, having no experience in high cul- tivation. Mr. J. Smail said, he was surprised to hear Mr. Scott affixing such low limits to profitable cul- tivation. Caddon Head was 2,000 feet (?) above the level of the sea, and yet, to his certain know- ledge, it had topped the Galashiels market several times. He believed Mr. Scott to be a man of ex- perience, and that he would not cultivate high ground if it were not profitable. Mr. Smith, Sunderland, had not yet had time to sum up the results, but had commenced high ploughing, and would by-and-bye be able to give the statistics. He agreed generally with Mr. Scott. Mr. Brydon, Netherbans, had always found it profitable to cultivate at whatever height. After Mr. Scott had replied and summed up, he lead and moved the following resolution— " That as a general rule, it is profitable to cultivate cereal crops at an altitude of 1000 feet above the level of the sea, provided the situation and exposure be favourable ; but if not, an altitude of SOO feet is the extreme limits. That in the counties of Rox- burgh and Selkirk, there is no land at such an elevation as to render it incapable of profitable cultivation." The motion was seconded by Mr. Wm. Hal- DANE, brewer. 374. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. Mr. HoBKiRK rose and moved the following resolution, supporting it with some remarks against limiting the height as in Mr, Scott's motion — " That, in the opinion of this club, there is no lim- it to the profitable cultivation of the cereal crops in respect of altitude in this district, where the nature of the soil and the possibility of approaching it do not offer insurmountable obstacles." The motion was seconded by Mr. A. Fisher, who took objections particularly to the latter part of the first motion, viz., that there was no land in Roxburgh and Selkirk which would be unprofitable to cultivate. He referred to the great height of some of the hills in the north part of Liddes- dale, and in the head of Teviotdale, and also to the different nature of the soils in these uplands, com- pared with such places as Gala Water and Caddon. In the borders of Teviotdale and Liddesdale, where there were some of the highest hills in the South, some of the highest ridges were so steep that a crow could scarcely sit on the slope, and in others the land was a more level upland table, but consist- ing of peat haggs and mosses at the top. He held that it was impossible to apply a general rule to places in the two counties so naturally and essen- tially different. Although Mr. Hobkirk's motion did not embody all his objections to that of Mr. Scott, it was on the whole preferable. The amendment and motion being put to the meeting, 14 voted for Mr. Hobkirk's amendment, and 11 for the original motion. The amendment was therefore declared duly carried. HEREFORD AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY'S SHOW. The Hereford Times says, Tuesday, Oct. 19, was the Slst anniversary of the society, and the show was not only the best provincial show we have ever seen, but it sur- passed all its predecessors in such a superlative degree that a new -era seems to have dawned upon its opera- tions. We may reasonably anticipate a brilliant future for the society if the county men of influence will give it that meed of support which it really demands at their hands, and if the farmers of this our beautiful county are really awakened to a sense of their own interests, and are determined to take and to sustain their proper place in the onward movement which characterizes the present age. The considerable prize of £25 for the best bull, cow, and offspring brought together a most interesting collection of animals, but several lots which had been entered did not arrive. The magnificent "Sir Benja- min," which now, as the sire, bore the palm from such celebrated animals as " Carlisle," " Arthur Napoleon," and " Young Sir David," was by " Sir David," and was bred by Mr. Benjamin Rogers, the Grove, Pem- bridge. But to us the classes for young bulls were the most attractive, for here is the great criterion of the merits of the breed, and the surest sign of its great and con- tinuous improvement. Judges and breeders will bear us out in the opinion, that however good may be the animals which have attained their maximum size and maturity of age, we have only to go a step farther, and view the young stock, and we find that it exhibits still greater excellence, and approaches still nearer to the standard of perfection. It is this continual progress which must in time place the white-faced breed of cattle at the top of the tree. Mr. Perry's "■ Salisbury," which took the first prize in Class 2, is a superb yearling bull, an opinion in which the reader will fully concur when he glances at the list of competitors. The juvenile bovine hero " Leominster" was cast in the shade, after plucking 80 many laurels to adorn his sprouting horns ; and the combined forces of Messrs. Price, Monkhouse, Lord Bateman, and all the category of distinguished winners were beaten, and fairly beaten, too, as they will all confess. The Judges were not satisfied with award- ing the three prizes, but passed an official commenda- tion upon the entire class. The two-year old bulls were not less admirable. The prize bull, " Caret," be- longing to Mr. Hill, of Golding, was the darkest Here- ford we have ever seen ; but we were informed by his attendant that both sire and dam were of a light red colour. He is a remarkably handsome animal, being cleanly made, and capable of much feeding. In this class several animals were commendea. The entire show of horned animals fully bore out the character we have given the principal beasts, and apart from the specific goodness arising from purity of breed or perfection of form which earned for the prize animals the judicial fiat, even the casual observer could not fail to be struck with the uniform actual beauty of the animals. Shapely forms, of fine proportion ; rich- coloured skins, some dappled, and sleek as an old maid's tabby; others curly as a negro's pericranium; mild white faces, handsome and almost iatelligent ; taper legs, upholding finest forms of beef, delighting the eye of the butcher, and promising to gladden the hearts and satisfy the appetites of many in the merry Christmas time. And if one class was more prominent than another in respect to this beauty of form, it was that in which the two-years old heifers were shown (Class 7). A drover bystanding expressed his admiration of these beautiful animals by saying, " If anything licks them, I'mblowed:" and no doubt the unlettered opinion was worth something. The exhibition of sheep, although far from being so extensive as we could wish to see it, was this year a great improvement upon preceding seasons. The light lands about Ross have long been noted in this locality THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 373 for the production of a splendid and uaeful breed of sheep, crossed between Cotswold and Leicesters. The breed was this year represented by some pens of prime sheep, which excited a great deal of praise. The pen of tweBty breeding ewes belonging to Mr. Wigmore, of Weston, near Ross, were really first-rate, and those be- longing to Mr. Downing, of Holm Lacy, were scarcely behind them. The other lots were all of excellent quality, and last but not least we must notice a pen of pure Shropshire Downs, pluckily shown by Mr. Clement Downes among the long-wooUed sheep, and which, though tliey had no chance in the competition, were, of their kind, a magnificent lot. Some excellent black- faced yearling wethers were exhibited by the Lady Emily Foley, whose prime stock was successful in more than one department of the show. But the conspicuous feature in the show of sheep was the pen cf long- wooUed yearling ewes exhibited by Mr. T. Beale Browne, of Andoversford, the celebrated sheep-breeder, and the present High Sheriff of Gloucestershire. They were truly magnificent animals. Of the show of pigs we have little to say. It was not large, nor particularly good : we have seen better pigs at many smaller shows. As no prizes are offered (save in the cottagers' class) for fat animals, we may presume that it is the breed that is looked to ; and there is cer- tainly room for a vast improvement in this respect. Wc want to see compact, fast-feeding pigs take the place of lantern-sided, flap-eared brutes, and although there were some nice pigs in the show, of crossed and mixed breeds, they might have been a good deal better if proper attention was paid to "bacon-culture." There were three cottagers' pigs, the one that gained the prize being immeasurably superior to the other two, but all the animals were meritorious for the trouble which had been taken in preparing them for the knife. Compared with what it ought to be, the show of horses was a failure. The breeding of useful hacks (which always command good prices) is neglected in this county; and the small competition in the equine classes proves the truth of the assertion. Not but what there were a few really handsome and prize-worthy animals exhibited ; but there were very few. The prize cart stallion, " Noble," is of a strawberry colour, with a well-knit frame, not over large, but cut out for work. The prize animals in the other classes were also exceed- ingly meritorious, and might have stood the brunt of comparison in a much larger competition. Mr. Djwnes's mare was a real beauty ; the foal is by the deceased Presteign horse " Stapleton," of whose merits we have heard much, and whose death is much lamented by the breeders of draught-horses in that vicinity. Among the extra stock, the most noticeable things were a splendid ram belonging to Mr. T. B. Browne ; a fine fat shorthorn cow, with an immense frame, be- longing to Mr. C. Hunt, butcher, Hereford ; and a pen of prime long-woolled ewes, belonging to Mr. Davies, of Web ton. LIST OF PRIZES. Judges. — Mr. Franlts, Thong, Gravesend; Mr. Yco- mans, Stretton Court; Mr. Smytnies, Marlow, Ludlow. CATTLE. For the best bull, cow, and oiVspring, the oftspring to be bred by the exhibitor, and to be calved on or after the 1st of Jul}', 1857, 1st prize, £25, Thomas Rea, Westonbury, Pembridce; 2nd, £10, Lord Bateman, Shobdon Court; 3rd, £5, Thos. Roberts, Ivinotnn Bury, Leominster. For the best bul], calved on or after the 1st of July, 1857, 1st prize, £20, William Perry, Cholstrey ; 2nd, £10, John Monlvhouse, The Stow ; 3rd, £5, Edw. Price, Court House, PembriJge. The whole of this class highly com- mended. For the best bull, calved on or after the 1st of July, 1856, 1st prize, £6, Rd. Hill, Golding, Salop ; 2nd, £3, John Williams, Kingsland. For the best bull, calved previously to the 1st of July, 185G, 1st prize (premium gift of the Rev. W. T. K. Davies), £5 OS., Edward Price, Court House; 2nd, £3, John E. Hewer, jun.. The Vern, Marden. _ To the tenant-farmer, being a subscriber, who shall ex- hibit the best lot of beasts, irrespective of sex, bred by him- self, and fed without corn or cake, undtr 2 years and 6 months old, in proportion to the quantity of land that he occupies (premium gift of the Lord Bateman), £5 5s., Wm. Judge, of Ashford (245 acres). For the best pair of heifers, calved on or after the 1st of July, 1857, 1st prize (premium gift of G. Clive, Esq., M.P.), £5 5s., Edward Price, Court House; 2nd, £3, John Williams, Kingsland. For the best pair of heifers, calved on or after the 1st of July, 185f), 1st prize (premium gift of Sir H, G. Cotterell, Bart, MP.), £5 5^., Jaracs Ren, Monachty ; 2nd, £3, Lord Bateman, Shobdon Court. For the best pair of steers, calved on or after the 1st of July, 1857, 1st prize (premium gilt of J. King King, Esq., M.P.), £5 5s., George Yeld, Twyford; 2nd, £3, Philip Turner, The Leen. For the best pair of steers, c>dved on or after the Ist of July, 1856 (premium gift of T. W. Booker BKikemrpre, Esq., M.P.), £5 5s., to Richard Hill, Golding, Salop ; 2ad, £3, to Thomas Edwards, Winterco't. For the best pair of steers, calved on or after thai at of July, 1855 (premium gift of Litut.-Col. ClitToriJ, M.P.), £5 53,, aad second £3, Thomas llobert8,Ivingtou Buiy. For the best four steers, calved ou or after the 1st of July, 1855, bred by one person, and to be the property of the exhi- bitor at the Hereford May fair, 1853 (premium gi!t of Sir Velters Cornewall, Bart.), £5 5s., Philip Turner, Tue Leen. For the best lot of breeding cows or heifers, not under three years old, that have had a calf within six mouth?, or shall bs in calf at the time of showing; (premium gift of the citizens of Hereford), £20; 2nd in this class (gift of Mr. Johu Ford, jua.), £5. The occupier, if not excerding 100 acres, to show two boosts ; 150 acres, to show three beasts ; 200 acres, to show four beasts ; and iu the same proportion for every addi- tional 50 acres. 1st prize, John Walker, Holnier, 3 cows (140 acres) ; 2nd, Rev. Archer Clive, Whitfield, 22 cowa and heifers (1,100 acres). For the best fat cow, of any age (prennum gift of F. R. Wegg Prosser, Esq.), £5 5 a., Richard Hill, Golding, Salop. SHEEP. For the best pen of twenty breeding ewes, of any breed (gift of W.P. Herrick, Esq.), £5 53,, John Wigmore, Weston. For the best pen of four yearling wethers, long-wool, £3, Charles Kersey, Glewstoue, Bridstow. For the beat pen of four yearling ewes, long-wool, £3, Thos. B. Brown, Andoversford. For the best peu of four yearling wethirs, short-wool, crosE- breeds not excluded, £3, Thomas Roberts, Iviugton Bury. For the best pen of four yearhng ewes, short-wool, cross- breeds not excluded, £3, Lady Emily Foley, Stoke Edith. PIGS. For the best boar pig, under two years old, premium £3, Lady Emily Foley, Stoke Edith. For the best breeding sow that has brought a litter of pigs within four months of the date of showing, or being in pig, shall produce a litter on or before the 19th February, 1859, premium £2. Clement Downes, Eardisley Park. 376 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. Tor the best cottager'a pig, premium £1. No cottager to be eligible to compete who is the occupier of more than half- an-acre of land, or whose rent exceeds £6 per annum. Second prize lOs , William Harris, Hereford ; first prize William Hughes, Hereford. HORSES. For the best cart stallion (premium gift of H. Lee Warner, Jan., Esq.), £5 58. It will not be presented until the October meeting, 1859, as the winner must engage that the horse ex- hibited by him shall, in the ensuing season, cover regularly ia the county of Hereford. Rev. Archer Clive, of Whitfield. For the best cart mare and foal at foot (gift of Sir E. F. S. Stanhope, Bart.), £5 Ss. Clement Dowcea, Eardisley Park. For the best three-year-old colt, geldiug, or filly, suited for huntiug purposes, to have been bred by the cxbibiter,or iu his possession ten mouths prior to the da> of 8ho.v, age to be reckoned from 1st January (gift of Mr. W, James), £5. Chas- Hunt, Hereford. THE STATE OF THE CORN TRADE. The stagnant state of the corn trade for now seve- ral months, and this notwithstanding the absence of supplies from the United States, has occasioned considerable surprise both to those engaged in it and others, who, without any immediate interest ex- cept as consumers, liave habituated themselves to watch the operations of the market. There are, however, many causes tending to pro- duce the torpidity, which has for so long a period kept the price of flour from fluctuation. Amongst these we may, in the first place, reckon the result of the late harvest, whicli has exhibited fewer cases of partial or local failure in the wheat crop than in the average of years ; and, although on the light lands some cases of deficiency occurred to a certain extent, no one now believes that the aggregate will be less than an average, the deficiency being made up by the crops on the best wheat lands. Another cause is the great abundance and excellence of the potato crop, a root that appears to have almost surmounted the fatal dis- ease whicli for upwards of ten years has more or less destroyed the produce. If we add to thi;; the unpre- cedented supply of vegetables and fruit of all kinds that has supplied in some respects the place of other food, there must have been a great falling off in the consumption of bread. Even beyond these causes the supply of wheat from Northern Europe, although not overwhelming, has been more than ade- quate to the demand, so that we may readily account for the dulness of the trade. Whether with continued absence of the usual supplies from the United States, and withshort deliveries of native wheat, a revival of the trade will take place when the further imports from the North of Europe are stopped by the frost, remains to be seen. We cannot ex- pect any great advance in prices. Still, whilst taking into consideration the expenses of transit, our prices for wheat are lower than those in America, and even imports from the Continent will scarcely afford a profit. So long, however, as the ports are open we shall get supplies from the latter, as we are now be- come the store-keepers of corn and other produce for all Europe. On looking over the returns of the Board of Trade, •we find that the imports of wheat, and flour as wheat, for the nine months up to the 30th of September amount to 4,360,182 qrs. It is probable, too, that the remaining three months of importation will nearly make it up the average amount of five millions, unless the frost sets in very early and severely in the Baltic. A good deal of the wheat imported has gone into granary, and is scarcely offered for sale at present prices. It is very likely that the disproportionately high price of both barley and oats will affect the price of wheat in some degree, in the spring. The imports of oats have been large during the last six weeks, but by no means sufficient to supply the deficiency in the crop, which amounts to several million quarters ; there is a still greater falling off on the Continent, especially in the south and centre of France, where they did not reap more than one-sixth of an average crop, either of oats or barley. Our imports of oats for the nine months up to the 30th of September have not much exceeded one-and-a-quarter million quarters, being less than were imported the corresponding period of last year. This will account for the high price that grain has borne throughout the season. We have no doubt the price will again rise, as soon as the imports from the Baltic are discontinued, as the demand will then begin to increase with the approach of the winter months and the commencement of the London season. The high price of animal food is likely to continue, if the state of the continent in regard to fodder and root crops is calculated to affect us. Never were the gra- ziers of France in a more deplorable condition, every kind of winter food for cattle having to a great extent been consumed to keep the stock alive, A great num- ber of lean stock of all kinds have been brought over to this country, the price, which is not more than half the real value, proving a great temptation to speculate in them. Those farmers who are in a condition, from the goodness of their root crops, to fatten largely, will be likely to reap a considerable advantage this season from having been able to buy in their cattle at so lowaprice. It is fortunate, too, for the graziers that the season continues so open, with moderate rains to promote the growth of the after-grass; by which they will be en- abled to keep their stock out of doors to a late period. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 377 REAPING MACHINERY. By Mk. Alfred Crosskill. A Paper read at a Meeting of the British Association at Leeds, on Tuesday, Sept. 28th, 1858. The paper on Reaping Machinery which I read before this Section iu the year 1853, at the meeting of the British Asao- ciatiou iu Hull, contained a general history of all the early inventions for reaping on record, none of which excited any interest, or were generally known to the public, prior to the Great Exhibition of 1851, when the introduction there of two reaping machines from America drew general attention to the subject. Mr. Garrett, Messrs. Ransomes (of Ipswich), Mr. Samuelsou, and the father of the writer (Mr. William Cross- kill) immediately took a prominent part in introducing reaping machinery into the harvest-fields of this country, (which are much more difficult to operate iu than those of America, owing to the crops being much heavier) ; and Mr. Crosskill succeeded in bringing into general notice, and sub- sequently into practical operation, a reaper which had been in existence iu Scotland, and worked there by its owner, for nearly twenty years, but which, for want of practical know- ledge in perfecting its mechanical construction, had scarcely been heard of during that time beyond the limits of the dis- trict in which it was originally put together. The two American reapers, known respectively as Hussey'a and M'Cormick's, and the Scotch machine, called " Bell's," after its originator, who was a minister iu Fifeshire, were iu 1853 the only implements capable of doing any practical work in the harvest fields ; and though they have during the succeed- ing five years been greatly improved, modified, and re-con- structed as experience has shown to be necessary to meet the varied requirements of English agriculture, they still retain their distinctive peculiarities sufficiently to divide these reaping machines into three separate classes or varieties, and all the schemes and novelties which have been brought forward since the year 1852 have either failed aud been laid aside, or have resolved themselves into variations of one of the three machines first established. Before describing the fundamental differencea in the con- struction of these three reapers, and briefly indicating the im- portant improvements that have been made in them since their introduction, it is desirable briefly to point out the work which has to be accomplished by an efficient machine for reap- ing. Most inventors or mechanics who for the first time turn their atleution to this subject occupy themselves almost ex- clusively with the cutting apparatus, apparently overlooking that the convenient disposal or delivery of the cut corn is a very important part of the functions of leaping machines, and has, in fact, been the real difficulty in bringing them into prac- tical use. The cutting parts of all the reapers have for a length of time been sufficiently perfect to encounter successfully every crop that they can reasonably be required to cut ; but to ob- tain an efficient means of delivery has taxed to the utmost the patience, perseverance, and ingenuity of all who have been en- gaged with the subject, and considerable difficulty has been experienced in perfecting an arrangement that will satisfac- torily deliver all descriptions of grain. The only efficient cutting apparatus hitherto brought into practical use consists of a series of V-siiapeJ knives fixed aide by side on a light moveable bar exteudiDg across the whole width of the front part of the reapers, and connected by means of gearing aud a crank to the main wheels which carry them, so that as they travel forwards a rapid reciprocating motion is communicat'jd to the knives. They pass between and cut against fixed guards or fingers, which support the straw and prevent it from yielding sideways, and serve also to protect the kuives from injury on rough and stony grounds The shape of the knives varies in the different machines ; in Hussey's they form a very acute augle with the guards, are plain-edged, sharp, aud chop off the straw by means of their rapid motion through the fingers. Mr. Cormick'a knife has a serrated edge with an obtuse angle, and requires the aid of a fan or reel to hold the corn in order to cut clean, but it is much more easily worked, more durable, and less liable to choke than Hussej's, and by those who have tried both is generally preferred. Bell's original machiue cut by means of shears resembling large scissors ; but though very efficient in opera- tion they were found difficult to keep in order, and a serrated knife somethiLig like McCormick's was substituted for the shears in the year 1854, and has been successfully used since that time. An inspection of the models will enable anyone to understand ihe general action of the cutters and guards, and the special difference between each variety of knife is shown by the specimens on the table. It is worthy of remark in connection with the cutting appa- ratus, that numerous endeavours have from time to time been made to supersede the necessity of giving a reciprocating motion to the knives, as the reverse action is a source of considerable loss of power, and the tremulous vibration it produces in the machines is a great cause of their wear and tear. All attempts have, however, hitherto failed iu producing an efficient cutter having a continuous motion, and in the opinion of the writer there is little probability of their success, as actual experience iu the harvest-field seems to prove that the reverse or recipro- cating motion of the bar and knives is necessary to shake out from the guards pieces of short straw, grass, weeds, and other substances which constantly collect there, and if not quickly removed soon choke them up and stop the action of the cutters. The different methods of delivering the cut corn will be best understood from a brief description of how it is disposed of by each machine, beginning with Hussey's, which is the simplest, and may be termed the elementary reaper. In this implement the corn falls, as it is cut, upon a platform behind the knives ; a man rides on the box, which covers the wheels and other gearing, and forms a seat for him ; and as soon as a sufficient qunntity has collected to form a sheaf, he pushes it off the phitform by means of a rake with which he is provided. When this operation is performed by a skilful workman on a mode- rately light crop, which can be managed without too much exer- ticn, it has a particularly neat and tidy appearance, the corn ia left in sheaves, ready for binding immediately ; and the result ia attained by the simplest possible means, aa there ia no gearing required except that for driving the cutters ; and the simplicity of the imp'.e.naeut contrasts strikingly with others which have machinery utcessarily more or leas complicated for 378 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. effecting the delivery of the cut corn. On the other hand, to do the work neatly and efficiently, requires a man both strong and skilful, especially where the crops are'.heavy, and such a man ia not always to be obtained. It is, therefore, not sur- prising that this machine is much better liked in America where the crops are generally thin and light than in this country, where on all good farms the weight of the produce ia too great to admit of its being readily moved as fast as cut by the unaided strength of a single workman. It will also be observed that the sheaves are deposited on the ground behind the machine, and must therefore be removed out of the way of the horses before they can pass to make the next cut ; and in practice this is found a great disadvantage in comparison with the work of the machines with self-acting deliveries, which deposit the cut corn on one side, so that its instant re- moval is not necessary. M'Cormick's reaper, as first introduced from America in 1851, resembled Hussey's in requiring a man to lide on it for the purpose of raking off the cut corn, but the gearing was placed before the platform, so that the sheaves could be raked off to the side of the machine, where they were out of the way of the horses when making the next cut ; but the work of the man was far more laborious than with Hussey's reaper ; and in most of the heavy crops of this country it could not be per- formed. This difficulty with M'Cormick's was overcome by Messrs. Burgess and Key, of London, who constructed and patented for it a self-acting apparatus for delivering, con- sisting of three rollers in the form of endless screws, which carry the cut corn off at the side of the machine, and leave it in a continuous swathe ready for taking up and binding. This engraving of the reaper at work shows the action of the screw delivery, and is a very good representation of the im- plement drawn by two horses and driven by a boy. Since the introduction of Messrs. Burgess and Key's improvements, this machine has been very extensively used ; and when managed with proper care and attention, is capable of doing excellent service. In Bell's reaper, as improved and re-constructed at Beverley under the direction of the writer, the delivery is effected by means of a number of endless bands of vulcanized Indian rubber, fitted with projecting pieces of wood, which carry and deposit it on the ground in a regular and continuous swathe, as shown in the engraving. In the original machine a cloth carried along by pitch chains was employed for this purpose, but the bands are found equally efficient, not so liable to get out of order, and more easily worked by the horses than the cloth and pitch-chains. The large model on the table is fitted with the shears and cloth, as used in the original machine, the small models show the improvements which have been made in it and the form in which it has been practically found to work best. It will be observed that both the machines, with self-acting delivery, leave the corn in a continuous swathe, which must be raked together for binding, and a practically useful inter- mittent, or sheaf delivery has not yet been effected by ma- chinery, although several attempts have, from time to time, been made to accomplish it. A cursory inspection of the models and engravings shows a striking difference in the general arrangement and construc- tion between Bell's reaper, and that of both the American machines just described. In the latter the horses walk by the side of the com to be cut, and draw by means of a pole con- nected to one side or end of the machine, a mode of attach- ment productive of considerable twist or torsion, especially when the work is severe. Bell's machine goes before the horses, and ia propelled by means of a long pole passing be- tween them, to the end of which they are harnessed, and by means of which the man who follows and drives them steers the reaper in any direction. This mode of attachment is at- tended with the great advantage of enabling the machine to deliver the cut corn on either side, while all the reapers which have the horses in front are confined to one side only for delivery and cannot go backward and forward along a field, but must either go round the crop, or, when circumstances render this impracticable, must re- turn idle ; on the other hand, machines having the horses in front are somewhat more manageable and easily turned than Bell's, and, in cases of need, a third horse can be yoked in front, which is not practicable when the machine is placed first. For these and other reasons connected with practical convenience, both makers and users of reapers are much divided in opinion as to which is the best way of attaching the horses. Both methods have warm advocates, and it appears probable that until considerably more expe- rience has been gained in the practical use of reaping ma- chinery, and perhaps even after that, on account of the varia- tion in convenience under different circumstances, both methods will continue to be employed. It will be observed, also, both the machines with self-acting delivery carry in front of the cutters an apparatus called a fan or reel, which revolves slowly as the machine advances, puts back the corn, and insures its falling in the proper direction; an operation which in Hussey's machine is done, when ne- cessary, by the man with the rake. A general description of reaping machinery would not be complete without an allusion to various ingenious contrivances which have been projected from time to time for the purpose of delivering the cut corn. Through the kindness of Messrs. Ransomes and Sims, of Ipswich, I am able to exhibit a work- ing model of one of these, consisting of an exceedingly curious automaton or self-acting rake, invented by a youth in Ame- rica named Atkins, and sent over to England in 1853. It was applied to a machine similar in construction to Hussey's, and was intended to deposit the corn on the ground in sheaves ; but it has not yet been made to do so in a sufficiently perfect manner to justify its general introduction, although its extreme beauty and ingenuity lead to the hope that it will at some time be turned to account. Another machine, with a very clever contrivance for giving a self-acting motion to a rake for performing the work done by the man on Hussey's reaper, has just been sent over from the United States to Mr. Samuelson, of Banbury, by Messrs. Seymour and Morgan, of Brockport, near New York ; it has been named the "Britannia Reaper," and the Mark Lane Express and other agricultural journals contained last week accounts of various successful trials that have just been made with it in the North of England. Hav- ing seen it for the first time on Monday last, I have been unable to get a model of it for exhibition here, and the me- chanical arrangements are so peculiar, that a description of them would be unintelligible without a model. I may state, however, that there is every probability of its turning out practical and useful as well as ingenious, and in the hands of Mr. Samuelson we may rest assured that its capabilities will be fully developed. In making a few observations on the practical use of reaping machinery, it is necessary to direct attention to the ex- tremely variable and uncertain nature of the circumstances under which it has to operate. A week of heavy rain before harvest will sometimes lay the corn in whole districts, so that it cannot even be mown with a scythe, and it is not probable that machinery will ever be made to work under unfavourable circumstances of this description. It is, however, certain that THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 379 the reapers as at present constructed are able to render impor- tant assistance to the farmer in moderately favourable seasons. The use of both reaping machines with self-acting delivery is steadily extending ; and as agriculturalists and their men become more accustomed to them, their introduction is likely to be still more rapid ; for, owing to the high price of labour during harvest, they effect a considerable saving in the cost of cutting the crop, and enable the farmer to take more advan- tage of favourable weather than he can do by the uncertain aid of the limited number of men that can be procured at that period of the year. It is also worthy of remark in connection with this part of the subject, that, excepting the locomotive engine, there is no machine in use which requires to be manufactured with so much care and regard to durability as the reaper. Almost all other machines used either in agriculture or manufactures do their work when at rest, and secured to substantial foundations. Even those constructed to move from place to place are, be- fore being put in motion, fastened down to prevent as far as possible the destructive consequences of oscillation and vibra- tion. The reaper is, on the contrary, not only exposed to all the strains consequent on passing over every description of uneven ground with its machinery in action, but it is also sub- ject to the effects of continual tremulous vibration caused by the quick reciprocating motion of the knives. It is, therefore, not surprising that the introduction of reap- ing machines has been attended with considerable difficulties, especially as they have had to be worked by men but little accustomed to the use of machinery. In this respect, how- ever, the last few years have witnessed a great change. The assistance of the steam engine is already felt by most farmers to be a necessity in carrying on all extensive operations with efficiency and economy, and the general use of improved ma- chinery cannot fail to produce a corresponding improvement in the condition of the agricultural labourer, and will accelerate the completion of that progressive revolution which, since the abrogation of legislative protection, has been rapidly taking place in every department of practical agriculture. STOCK FEEDING, &c. In entering upon this subject, which extends into various sections of practical science, it may be well to take each division in turn, and afterwards sum up the evidence. There are, in the first place, evidently two grand divisions of the subject; viz., the animals of which it is proposed to increase the flesh ; and the vegetable food, which it is the object of the stock-feeder to transmute into flesh, by intro- ducing it into the stomachs of the animals. As the feeding of stock, and not the breeding, or point- ing out their various qualities, is the subject of these articles, particular allusion to the cattle will be unneces- sary, as the treatment which will produce any desired effect upon one animal will have, generally at least, a like ten- dency with another — that is, the best means for fattening one will be the best for fattening another, and the best thing for increasing the yield of milk from one will also be the best for producing a similar result with another, under similar circumstances. Not that it is reasonable to expect that any one kind of food or treatment will produce indis- criminately various or opposite results, and in this article the present mode of fattening only will be considered. The inquiry will, therefore, be commenced with the food itself, showing of what it really consists, and what becomes of it when consumed by the animals. Vegetables will increase in weight many-fold when grow- ing, without abstracting much weight from the soil, as they derive almost their entire bulk, directly or indirectly, from the atmosphere ; which is in some degree owing to their containing in their substance, and absorbing from the soil, very small quantities of salts, &c., which, having an affinity for the gases, fix or consolidate them. It may be needful to premise, that the elementary bodies, as oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, &c. (of which, except a few salts, of very small amount, all vegetable food is entirely composed), are substances which have never been decomposed, and are presumed to be utterly incapable of being so ; for though the}^ may be changed from solid to liquid or even to vapour, they are still identical ; thus sulphur may be solid, liquid, vapour, or combine to form acid, and the acid again — with, for instance, lime — form gypsum. But still it exists as sulphur, and may be again recovered, as under no circumstances can either it or any other substance be annihilated. Yet, one of the earliest impressions in connexion with stock feeding, which strikes the mind of any one who really thinks for himself, is the very small increase of an animal, compared with the large quantity of food taken into its system, and that the balance or loss is not represented by the weight of manure. If we take the following table by Dr. Playfair, given in the 6th vol. of the Royal Agricultural Society's Journal, as being the amount of various foods necessary for producing one pound of flesh ; viz. :— 100 lbs. turnips 0 lbs. oatmeal 4 lbs. lean meat 50 „ potatoes 7.1 „ barleyraeal 3^ „ peas 50 „ carrots 7.4 „ bread 3.3 „ beans, where does the balance go." Even the flesh, which is almost identical with the product required, is shown to be reduced to one-fourth. Although there is a large quantity of water in the roots, and some also in the meals, it must be remembered that the " pound of flesh" produced, too, is in a moist state. By drying some of the usual food until every particle of water is evaporated, and noting the proportion of loss in weight, from this may be calculated what would be the weight, when dry, of any quantity of the same kind of food; and experiment will prove that the total weight of flesh added and manure made (both also dry) will not nearly amount to the weight, when dry, of the food given to the cattle. Though it is quite certain that elements cannot be anni- hilated, it is equally clear that they have here been lost to the feeder. There are in vegetables the necessary elements of which, when mixed with the air by respiration, to make flesh ; and it is only ordinary prudence to prevent, as far as possible, their loss or escape during the process ; yet out of say lOOlbs. of vegetable carbon, only a small proportion is usually transmuted into animal carbon. But if one portion of the lOOlbs. will imdergo this change, why should not another portion, or, in short, every other portion, of the whole 100 lbs. ? There is only one kind of carbon ; it is not capable of being annihilated— it is merely required to change its combinations ; and certainly there ought not to be so D D 2 380 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. great a loss in merelj'', as it were, poaring it from one vessel into another. The proportions of food wasted aud assimilated are pur- posely left somewhat indefinite j for if the (act of their being a great and unnecessary waste is made evident, the object of the present article is attained, as it is more desirable to point out precisely the source of the loss, and that it may be prevented, than to be critically exact about the amount. In fact, none of the elaborate statements in reference to nutritive properties of various foods, even though made by Sir This, or Professor That, as being the actual result of most careful, and perhaps curious experiments, published by societies or associations rejoicing in the most dignified titles, are any better, for prac- tical purposes, than the observations of sensible persons of less pretension. In practice the results vary : the roots or grain may or may not be in equally dry condition, and different ani- mals have different qualities for " putting up flesh," or the same animal may vary at different times, &c. ; consequently, any statement which descended to the utmost nicety would be less useful than another, which although not so correct in detail, examined the subject on broad principles. And as it is now purposed to show how a very large amount of the really available dry elements of food is totally lost, fine calculations are perfectly unnecessary. Vegetables consist of water, a quantity of matter called gum, sugar, starch, liguine, albumen, and gluten, according as it assumes various appearances, aud also of a small quantity of salts, &c., the latter not amounting to more than about l-500th part of the whole, and of these salts, &c., no notice will be taken at present, nor until it has been first demonstrated that to the small constituent portions of food are we chiefly in- debted for the continuance of life itself. The following table will show the proportions of water aud soluble solid matter in a few articles as examples, and also of starch, sugar, gluten, &c., in 1,000 parts of the soluble solid matter : Soluble Mucil- Gluten Article. Water. solid lage or Sugar. or Matter. Starch. Albumen. Barley ,, 80 920 790 70 60 Oats 257 743 641 15 87 Potatoes. . 770 230 180 15 35 Carrots . . 902 98 ! 3 95 0 Turnips. . 936 64 9 51 2 Clover .. 968 32 29 1 2 The most obvious difference is in the proportion of water ; but neither that nor the varying amounts of starch, sugar gluten, &c., account for the well-known different values for feeding purposes, but which these articles will gradually trace to their true cause. As for the starch, sugar, gum, &c., the subjoined table will show that they are all nearly alike, or only vary slightly in their composition, and therefore the proportions of these sub- stances contained in any kind of food are not so important as frequently has been represented : Carbon. Oxygen. Hydrogen. Nitrogen. Gum ... 42-23 . . .. 50-84 . ... 6 93 0 Sugar . . . . 42-27 .. .. 50 63 . ... 6 90 0 Starch . . . 43-55 .. .. 4368 . ... 6-77 0 Lignine . 520 .. .. 41-25 . ... 5-75 .... 0 Albumen . . 52-8 .. . , 23 8 . ... 7.5 .... 15-7 Gluten.. . 55-7 .. .. 22 0 . ... 7-8 ... 14-5 Before proceeding, it may be necessary to explain that water exists in two states in food as used, viz. : One in which it may be driven off by submitting the food for a sufficient length of time to a temperature equal to boiling water until it has eva- porated. The other, in its elementary state as oxygen and hydrogen, as shewn in the table; but whether they are in com- bination or not is not very clear, nor does it particularly signify, as they occupy about the same compass, and are not in the expanded gaseous form. By deducting from the figures in the above table the exact amounts of hydrogen necessary to combine mthall the oxygen to represent the proportions existing in water, there is found a slight excess of hydrogen in each instance. In the cases of the albumen and gluten, there must also be deducted the hydrogen and nitrogen in the proportion to form ammonia ; and here again there is still a small excess of hydrogen. But of this small excess hereafter. 1. The object is now to show the weighty loss of carbon. With the exception of carbon, all the rest of the food has been shown to consist entirely of water and its elements, and the elements of ammonia, with a slight excess of hydrogen, and a few salts, &c., of no great bulk. Therefore carhon is the only available bulky matter contained in the solid part of vegetables, be it termed gum, sugar, starch, lignine, albumen, or gluten ; for, in the animal, the oxygen and hydrogen pass off as water. And having now traced out only the bulky dispo- sable element, it will be shown what becomes of it. Carbon and oxygen have a great affinity for each other, and combine in certain proportions to form carbonic-acid gas, which is elastic, and like all other gases, is volatile, unless there be present something for which it has an affinity, and with which it will combine, and become what is termed fixed. After its introduction into the stomach of the animal, to use the language of Professor Liebig, " it signifies nothing what intermediate forms food may assume, or what changes it may undergo in the body: the last change is, uniformly, the conversion of its carbon into carbonic acid." The carbon con- tained in the food is introduced through the gullet into the stomach, and the oxygen contained in the air by respiration through the wind-pipe into the lungs ; and eventually they come in contact, form into carbonic acid, and are both removed from the system at every respiration and by every pore. The oxj'gen is, as a thief, allowed to come in and steal the carbon which the stock-feeder has expended large sums of money to obtain. But if a hare, or other similar depredator, had come into his fields, to rob him of the carbon contained in his crops, he would, probably, have made food of it, and been richer, for having both saved his carbon, and detaining the thief which came to steil it. So it shoaid be with detaining the oxygen ; but of this hereafter. As the combination of carbon and oxygen takes place in regular and definite proportions, and as the lungs of an animal, under similar circumstances as to ex- ercise, &c., inhale a regular quantity of oxygen, it is also evident that to just saturate or satisfy this oxygen, a certain regular quantity of carbon is required ; aud it is exactly this araoHut, which is contained in the food, that is found to keep an animal in a stand-still condition, neither adding to its flesh, nor losing it ; and no carbon can be deposited (leaving out the action of the small quantity of salts, &c. in the food) unless a larger quantity is put into the system than there is oxygen taken in to combine with it, or, in other words, more than the thief can carry away. It is freely admitted that animals will, and do actually im- prove in condition, and increase in bulk, by having plenty of good food given to them. So a person may fill a tub with water, though it may leak on every side, if he puts the water into it faster than it runs out of it ; but he would do so much sooner, and with less waste of water, by adopting some plan for preventing the leakage. At present our stock feeders THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 381 might be represeuted as the Daniades, who were doomed to collect water in buckets full of holes. The real question is this : Do animals retain all the nutri- ment contained in a certain amount of food, which it is possi- ble they can be enabled to retain ? or is it not true, that out of a certain quantity of food given, a large portion neither shows itself as flesh nor manure, but is lost as gas ? This matter lias never been properly attended to, and the " agricul- tural mind" has been so busy with improving the breeds of cattle, that it has not had time to see after the best mode of feeding them. No doubt there are now greatly improved specimens of stock, which will feed in shorter time and with less expense than could furmerly be done; but this is, after all, compara- tively a small improvement, for they still absolutely waste and dissipate a large proportion of the dry weight of all their food ; and the chief variation from ordinary stock will probably be found to consist in those which are the most rapid feeders, having proportionally the smallestlungs, consequently inhaling a smaller quantity of oxygen, to rob them of the carbon they have eaten. Thej- are, practically, owing to the small size of their lungs, even without restraining their exercise, (in which they would not be disposed to exceed), placed about on a par with the larger-lunged cattle when " tied up" and restrained from taking exercise, or, to speak more to the point, when prevented from inhaling so much oxygen as they otherwise would. Such cattle are, however, in a low state of vitality, and very subject to disease, and even sudden death ; for, not having in their composition that which would retain, by affinity, a good, firm hold on the mass of carbonaceous matter which they have accumulated, merely because of the smallness of their lungs, and their substance being as it were deposited, or, at most, held together by very slight affinity, they are liable to sudden decompositions, which totally disorganize their whole animal economy. To sum up this portion of the subject ; it is found that vegetation, which in some form is the food of cattle, has grown to the state in which it is generally used, by fixing gases from the air, and by absorbing water (for the present omitting the salts, &c.) It is, therefore, composed of water, and gases whicli have been, and may again become volatile. When vegetables are taken into the animal system, they are decomposed ; the water runs off; a.i\A. unless Ihere'he something present in the body, to absorb and fix the gases, they arc volatilized, and fly away, leaving no increase. It has been stated that the dry weight of food given is not equalled by the dry weight of flesh gained and manure made, and it is thus proved that a large portion does fly away. Yet no pains are usually taken to absorb and fix this gas, which is naturally only fixed in a small degree ; because it is the custom for persons to think they do well if they do as well as others, and the feeders of stock are not exempt from this feeling; they do not like to "force" animals, because it is "against nature," &c., when the truth is, that, to produce further development, it must be produced on exactly the same plan that nature does — consequently be more in accordance with the laws of nature than the wasteful method now in use. In short, it is helping nature. Where is science ? Where are the chemists ? The latter pronounce carbon to be the great constituent both of vegeta- tion and of fat, yet stand aloof whilst pounds of the former are used to produce ounces of the latter. What would be said, and done too, if the coinage was conducted on similar principles, and that a pound of gold only produced an ounce of gold coin ? Is it not probable there would be some investi- gation of the fumes which ascended the chimney of the fur- nace, and, if it proved that the precious metal was thus car- ried off, that some endeavour would be made to condense those fumes and recover the gold ? In a future article the means of preventing this extravagant waste will be pointed out ; but as it is most desirable to make good the ground already gone over, a week or two will be allowed to elapse, that any objections which may be offered or errors pointed out in the principles, so far as at present stated, may be considered, and either refuted or amended, George H. Bolton, Warrrington. Agricultural Chemist. THE NORTHAMPTONSHIRE AND BEDFORDSHIRE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES. The Northamptousliire Agricultural Society, like that of the adjoining county of Bedford, now becom- ingly represents a district famous for a spirited race of farmers. Either of these associations must trace its success to the plan of uniting the f )rces of the whole Shire in one general body. A very short experience has been sufficient to show how preferable this is to any sub- division of North and South, or yet more limited and local operation. Northamptonshire has never yet known so good a meeting as that just held at Tow- cester j and this we believe is the first year of the thorough amalgamation of the North and South. The original institution itself goes back to a very classic era in the history of British agriculture. It was founded by Lord Spencer, the leading man of his day in all matters relating to rural affairs, and for a considerable period, was kept well to its proper use and purpose. The battle of protection, however, split up the people into parties ; and a second association was spaedily established. The two have tried hard fi.>r some time to live each other out; but, fortunately for either, the cause for any continued hostility has been the first to die away, and the two sides have now joined hands again over their one commonobject — the encouragement and improvement of the agriculture of the county. We repeat that such a union could not have been cemented under more encouraging auspices. The meeting had not only the thorough support of the farmers, but was equally well backed by the township in which it was held. In fact, the arrangements of the local committee, with Mr. II. P. Jones at their head, were such as may well afford an example for other places the society will take ia its circuit. Tow- cester offered not only a hearty welcome and a good site, but with it a series of premiums from its own funds, as liberal in amount as judicious in application. The business of the occasion lacked indeed no incen- tive of this kind. There were prizes for ploughing—- with classes for farmers' sons or pupils — for men in the employment of members — for ploughboys — and an 382 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. all-England class, with a piece of plate, value £10, from the town fund, to the owner of the winning team. His Grace the Duke of Bedford took the latter; his man, George Brown, having been acknowledged to have done the best, in a great deal of excellent work. In nothing was the day's proceedings more creditable to the county than in the prize plough- ing. Then, there were premiums for shepherds and other labourers, for fathers of families, and for domestic servants ; while the other division of the cata- logue included breeding and store stock, draught and riding horses, sheep, pigs, and a strong show of poultry. The cattle of the county are here, again, the shorthorns, of which there was both a large and good entry. Many of the landlords and their tenantry are evidently going into this branch of the business with great spirit. The second prize bull, the property of Mr. Harrison, was bred by Mr. Fawkes, of Farnley ; although he would hardly bear comparison with the grand animal of Mr. Elston's that beat him. One was certainly twice the age of the other, but the first prize beast will be always difficult to catch. The strength of the county was materially assisted by the herd of a neighbour— Mr. Robinson, of Clifton — a very rising man with the shorthorns, and who had it nearly all his own way with the heifers, exhibiting some of really first-rate quality and promise. Mr. Robinson's appearance here was considerably to the detriment of the stock show of the Bedfordshire Society at Biggles- wade the day following, where, instead of being as last year a prominent exhibitor, he was content to act merely as judge of other people's animals. It was to be i-egretted there was not a little more time between the two meetings, especially as this means of com- paring the strength of the two counties may be both interesting and mutually advantageous. A very good show of long-wooUed sheep was made up from the flocks of Mr. Shaw, of Hunsbury, Mr. Lovell Cowley, Mr. Brooke, and Mr. Redgrave, who go again and again to sucli men as Mr. Sanday and Mr. Spencer for what they want in this way. Mr. Thursby and Mr. Mari'iott have a lead with pigs, for the excel- lence of which IMessra. Wiley and Watson stand re- sponsible. It will be gathered from this that all the best breeds of cattle, sheep, and swine are now carefully cultivated in Northamptonshire. In the matter of horses, the county can afford to stand on its own merits. The " shire" draught-horses have arepute of their own, while the farmers made up at this Towcester mieet- ing a very creditable show of hunting-mares and foals. In a flying county like this, they go more for blood than agriculturists generally take to; and with some quite thorough-bred dams there was scarcely a foal bat was by a horse of some character. Perhaps the lion of the whole exhibition was a two-year-old hunting - colt, the property of Mr. William Shaw, of Coton, which has now taken the first prize at every meeting he has been entered — that is, at Grantham, Manchester, and Towcester. For his age, he is really a most extraordinary animal, standing quite sixteen hands high, and looking far more like a well-grown three-year-old than what he is. He abounds in the good points of a fashionable hunter, with aneat lean blood-like head to begin with, a capital shoulder, and great depth of girth. He might have a little more bone below the knee ; but, as it is, has no- thing to do but to fill out and furnish, to make a very long price. This colt is by the Ugly Buck, as is the foal out of Mr. Wallis' hunting-mare; and clever as is the latter, the young one promises far to excel her. Lord St. John sent a capital cart-mare, and Mr, Man- ning a young chesnut stallion, with a wonderfully good back and quarters, and other points to match, that told at once in his favour. As with most of these gatherings, the worst feature of the proceedings was the dinner. And this, be it un- derstood, notwithstanding that the room was crowded, and there being a positive superabundance of good things. For five shillings there was — including a dessert — fish, and soup, and joints, and poultry, and pastry, and game, and venison, sent ready dressed, and really hot in its coating of paste, from Fawsley, by "that fine old Eng- glish gentleman," Sir Charles Knightley. But alas! as usual, there was no attendance. With half-an-hour or so between the courses, it took nearly two hours to get through the eating part of the entertainment ; while the after-dinner proceedings, so far as we witnessed them, were as slow and as tedious as it is possible to imagine, There seems to be a positive ingenuity exercised on these occasions to introduce toasts and sentiments that have the very remotest connexion with the businessoftheoccasion. For instance, they drank " The Lord Lieutenant of the County," with " cheers" of course, and we heard one man (bred and born in the county) ask another who the Lord Lieutenant was? As a rule there is a terrible deal of dead weight to be got through, and unfortunately we had to leave before the excite- ment began. This was nothing more nor less than a row, which thus originated : — Sir Henry Dryden rose to propose the Judges, and in doing so said — " Amongst all the prizes, he was surprised to see they had no cups for twitch, docks, thistles, and nettles. What ! no prize for the staple commodity of South Northamptonshire ? (laughter.) Did they not give a medal to the patriotic gentleman who had turned twitch into paper? (General Cartwright : ' And failed.') He had passed the place, and saw a large stack of it. The paper was, he believed, as brittle and as tender as it could be ; but what did that matter if they could sell it? (laughter.) General Cartwright said Mr. Mechi wanted to live to see every farmer pay £3 an acre. He (Sir Henry) had been through England, Ireland, and Scotland, and he must say that that district (South Northamptonshire) was the worst farmed and lowest rented of any in her Majesty's dominions (laughter, cheers, and cries of 'No, no.') That was the fact, and any one who had travelled through the same places as he had done would c(»me to the same conclusion (No, no). It was not only the worst farmed district, but was also the lowest rented, and if they would find better land he should very much like to go and see it (Hear, hear, and marks of disapprobation.)" THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 383 Then up rose Mr. Beasley the younger, for " He could not sit down tamely under the slur that had been cast upon them by Sir Henry Dryden's imputation (' Hear, hear,' and cheers). That was a meeting where friendship and good fellowship should prevail, and where nothing that was calculated to disturb the har- mony of it should be allowed. He would say, then, that if any one said the farming of South Northamp- tonshire was bad, he said that which was untrue; or if that was too strong a word, which was a mistake (' Hear, hear,' and great confusion). A gentleman who held an estate in the county as Sir Henry Dryden did, ought to be the last to come forward to cast impu- tations on the farmer (A voice : * Give it him !') Let them ask any stranger amongst them if such a discredit- able state of things existed in the county, and he would tell them that it did not (' Hear, hear'). Northamp- tonshire was the last place they would think of going to to look for twitch (' Hear, hear,' and discordant sounds of approbation and dissension). Let a prize for the best farm be given, open not only to the county, but to all England, and he would lay a strong wager with Sir Henry Dryden that the prize was carried off by North- amptonshire {' Hear, hear,' and cheers. A voice : 'That's a silly bet.'). He thought the feeling of the meeting was with him, that by what Sir Henry Dryden had said he meant to bring degradation upon the county in which he lived ; and he did not hesitate to say that his insinuations were utterly false and untrue (cheers, and loud sounds of disapprobation)." Next, a stranger, who waved a white hat, " could find plenty of twitch in Northamptonshire ;" but significant cries of "Turn him out" ultimately brought the un- known to order. After this Sir Henry obtained leave to explain : — " All he meant to say was, that the land was the lowest rented, and the tuorst farmed." He accepted Mr. Beasley's bet of course. And then Mr. Reginald Knightly asked to stand in with Mr. Beasley —and then the Vice-Chairman expressed his anxiety to know " whether they were going to all talk at once, or to hear one another in turn?'' They evidently never quite settled down again, and so we gather these as the great results of the Towcester Meeting — that the tenants are amongst our best breeders and feeders of stock, and, as their landlords say, about the worst far- mers in the kingdom ! It is, altogether, a matter that will bear a little more investigation. It has already been intimated that the success of the Towcester Show was achieved somewhat at the ex- pense of that to be held in the adjoining county on the next day. In fact, in no respect will Biggleswade bear comparison with what the Bedfordshire Society did at Leighton Buzzard last year. The ploughing was generally not so good, the exhibition of stock was as generally not so good, and the dinner with its concomi- tant proceedings was infinitely inferior. The one strong feature of the occasion was the display of sheep —Mr. Charles Howard showing some extraordinary Oxfordshire Downs, by far the best we have seen for some time, and Mr. Pawlett one or two of his famous Leicesters — the Chester prize tup amongst them. Next in excellence was the entry of four-year-old hunters, for which Mr. George Higgins again stood first with an own brother to the horse that took the premium last year. They are by Minataur, a stallion that has left some very good - looking stock in the county ; and Mr. Higgins' horse is a fine stylish Leicestershire sort of nag, that will do his sire every credit. The Messrs. Fowler had the run on the short- horns, notwithstanding the vicinity of the Squire's herd at Stratton. But somehow the latter did not show to advantage, and even the hounds were scarcely fit for " the flags," having had a very hard morning's work amongst the cubs the day previous. Curiously enough, the best ploughing, as at Towcester, was not in the Champion class ; in fact the latter was never perfected. Only two men finished their half-acre in the three hours and-a-half allotted, and neither of these went sufficiently deep. In plain truth, the ground worked very heavy for the horses, and with no drivers it was rather difficult to keep them going straight and pleasantly. Even all things considered. Smith's Steam Cultivator in action on a piece of rough land of Mr. Barnett's, was the attraction of the field. It appears day by day to be inci-easing in favour with those whose opinion is so essential to its success — the farmers them- selves. A custom now almost obsolete is still observed at the meetings of the Bedfordshire Society. The list of prizes is not merely read over at the dinner — which if it be done smartly and audibly, as Mr. Turneley can do it, is a very proper proceeding — but every man who wins a prize of any description is called up in turn to receive it from the chairman. An immense deal of time is cut to waste in this way : no possible good can come of it; and really the only apparent object is to bother the unfortunate President, who is expected to say something "appropriate" to each of the recipients. Beyond this there was certainly nothing "remarkable" in what we heard at the dinner. But we did not stay it out ; and by the numbers we met on the platform of the station there were many more who left after a four hours' sitting. The only business-like address we were in time for was the Secretary's, on the financial con- dition of the Society ; while Mr. Barnard, one of the members for the borough of Bedford, made his point of that great " benefactor who had made two blades of grass grow where one grew before" — and Colonel Gilpin, who fills a similar post for the county, de- clared " the less Government legislated for the farmer the better." The county member has generally had an easy time of it, and according to this reading he has really little or nothing to do. But we hardly agree with the gallant Colonel's estimate of his duties as a representative of the agricultural interest. 384 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE, HALESWORTH FARMERS' CLUB. The monthly meetings of thia club were resumed on Friday evening, the 24th Sept., Mr. Jehu Cooper presiding. There was a fair attendance of members. The subject for the overling's discussion — on drainage — was introduced by Mr. Robert Bond, Secretary to the Suffolk Agricultural Association, of Kcntwell, Long Melford, and Thorington, Saxmundhara. The ability with which the intro- ducer presented the subject before the meeting elicited the heartiest applause, and many encomiums at the manner in which he had so successfully worked in the cause of agricul- ture. The Chairman having introduced the lecturer to the meeting, Mr. Bond said : Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen,— It is with pleasure I appear before you for the purpose of introducing the subject of drainage for this evening's discussion ; and I presume we meet here to give our own individual experience in preference to quoting the published opinions and state- ments of the great and antagonistic leaders upon the ques- tions of deep and shallow draining, I shall, therefore, adhere to the accounts of my own doings and my own conclusions, knowing well that your kindly feeling will absolve me from the charge of egotism, to which I do not fear in this case to expose myself. I only desire to see the subject divested of dogma- tism, and resolved into sound and safe principles of action, that Bcience and practice may not be disunited. Hitherto drain- age discussions have been too much the battle-field of oppo- sing parties, who have aimed rather at the triumph of their own pet dogmas than at e calm philosophical deduction— it has never been the arena of insipid unanimity, and I trust this evening we shall have that friendly dissent which excites dis- cussion and leads to the general experience. We want to ad- vance the subject, if only one step, toward the solution of scientific truth ; but it will be as well for us to bear in mind that it has ever worn a cameleon hue, which for a practical demonstrative question can only be accounted for by the fact that diversity of soil and climate admits of correct and equally truthful variations in opinion and in practice. Where physical condition is the same, we can probably square ourselves to one notion, and agree upon depth and distance of drain ; but phy- sical differences as to subsoil, climate, and inclination, create practical differences in treatment. We may not attempt to discover a universal panacea for every ill applicable to the en- tire kingdom ; this has been our vain and fruitless aim, but, as in physic so in drainage, we can have no Holloway's ointmen or Morrison's pills for the cure of all hydropical disease. We must vary our treatment according to our patient ; but it is for us to pronounce our opinion .aa to the best system suited to this our own locality. To revert once moie to the controversy for universal principles, we have often been interested to ob- serve how fully the fashionable world of agriculture has fol- lowed a leader, and propounded the doctrine of deep drsins at wide intervals, even in thespirit of aCochinChina mania; whilst the advocates for a shallower system at closer intervals have home much condemnation whilst adhering to their principles, and they have in reality been somewhat prejudiced against all opposing claims. I mentioned I would confine myself to my own experience, but it is desirable I should inform you what that experience is. I have practised the different methods of drainage at various depths on different characters of soil, and my operations have extended over an area of upwards of one thousand acres of land, and containing in lineal measurement five hundred miles of drains. I have, therefore, necessarily de- voted much time and thought to this subject, and it is one in which for years past I have felt considerable interest. As to the advantages arising from draining, they are so self-evident that I need not enlarge to any extent on this point; let us remember, too, as Suffolk men, that if our forefathers were not the inventors of the art, they at least were amongst the foremost largely to adopt the practice and to appreciate its usefulness. Drainage is undoubtedly the foundation of all improvement, and I know of no greater agricultural revolution by art or nature than the effects ot good sound drainage upon wet clay lands. Only let us consider for a moment its effects from our own observa- tion. We can recal to mind the actual state of an undrained, thin-skinned, cold, clay farm. Can anything look more uninviting, or present a more unpromising and unproductive appearance ? It has the very aspect of barrenness; whilst its water-logged, sodden surface, covered and infested with every species of water-loving semi-aquatic weed natural to the soil points out the cause of its condition. Take it in its cultivation ; 'tis labour ! labour ! labour for man and beast, the result unrequited toil, and the effect upon the soil but an exchange in the extremes from homogeneous mud to baked brick earth. And what is the produce but a stunted and scanty yield, with its narrow rows of dwarfed straw and puny ears. Nor can we wonder at such results, for our cultivated plants require moisture and not saturation, percolation and not stagnation, heat and not cold, aeration of the soil and not suffocation, friability and not compactness, manure and not poison. I have before said that drainage is the foundation of all improvement ; without it, cultivation and manure are of but little avail ; and I have observed upon such undrained farms that master and men, horses and cattle, buildings and fences, usually present the appearance, and apparently imbibe the air, of the surrounding property. I can well understand that a mismanaged impoverished farm produces povertj' in the purse, parsimony in the outlay, ill- paid labourers, half-fed stock, and all ditto to match with the " Hungry hills, "" Van Diemen's fields," "Upper and Lower Wilderness," which are the appropriate cognomens of such wretched spots of mismanagement and slavery. Drainage, then, is the main point; it is desirable; it will pay. Why, by that one operation we remove the very poison and preventive of fertility ; we remove the curse to our com crops, and the food of the semi-aquatic weeds; we reduce the amount of necessary labour in cultivation ; we produce friability, admit the renovatiug air, the invigorating rays of the sun, the enriching shower ; render the manure applied available, producing so marked a change at harvest that we have an abundnnt crop of a superior character, arriving much earlier to maturity. Consequently, with the same rent-charge and rates, with diminished horse-labour, and other advantages, we have an infinitely better return ; and we are enabled to improve and extend our root culture, by adopting autumnal cultivation, thereby increasing our return in stock, which has usually ruled disproportionately high in price, especially in times of cereal depression. I repeat, I am convinced no investment pays better, whether THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 385 upon arable or pastui-e land. The arable becomes, under a sound system of continuously effective drainage, totally changed in character and fertility ; double the amount of produce may be produceil, while the previously wet pasture is equally benefited, and changes its herbage. Kemember in Job it occurs, " Can the rush grow without mire ? can the flag grow without water?" Thus the water-grasses— from the lack of food, stagnant water, to sustain them — die out, and are succeeded by clovers and other nutritious grasses. Upon one pasture in Colonel Bence's possession and occupation there is an extraordinary instance of change. It was four years since an undrained pasture, presenting that blue poverty-stricken appearance peculiar to wet grass lands. The herbage, if it deserved the name, was a short, thick, broad, rush-shaped, sharp-edged grass, which the stock neither liked nor thrived upon ; but now, since drain- age, a change has gradually taken place, and it produces an excellent crop of succulent grasses. At the present, I had rather pay a rental of thirty shillings per acre for it than fifteen shillings previously (Hear). Since drainage, the sur- face has been continuallj'' covered with the old-sered plants, which have died off, and I believe at one time many might have presumed that the pasture was even injured by over- drainage ; this would have been a great mistake, and it is cer- tainly improved fifty per cent. Allowing, then, that drain- age is desirable, and that it will pay, still the question natu- rally arises — Which is the most efficient and the most eco- nomical method ? (Hear, hear.) I have drained with pipes at the depth of three, four, and five feet, at various distances; I have also drained with whins and bushes ; and I have used the mole-plough. With your permission, I will now give you the conclusions at which I have arrived (Hear). I am decidedly in favour of tile-draining ; but, as it is an expensive operation, and a permanent improvement to the soil, it is essential that a part of the expense be borne by the landlord in connexion with the tenant ; and the proportion of the outlay must be governed by the length of lease granted. I believe, as a general rule, where no lease exists, nor an agreement for the payment of unexhausted improvements upon quitting — I believe, if the tenant's outlay is governed by the cost of bush-draining, and the landlord pays the surplus for sub- stituting pipes, it is a safe rule, aud mutually advantageous. In such cases, those gentlemen under whom I have the pleasure to act, have adopted the safer course of arranging that their own pipe-layer shall place the pipes in the drain, quite irrespective ot the men executing the digging (Hear, hear). In every case it is desirable that the men contract- ing for the draining should have nothing to do with placing the pipe, as it prevents that hurried and imperfect work- manship which has repeatedly brought pipe-drainage into disrepute. What does a man care, who is only interested in executing the work as quickly as possible ? He knows well he can bury the defects; and we have known instances in which the low spade has never been dug, and the pipes, consequently, not placed. Presuming, then, that landlord and tenant have made an equitable and fair arrangement, which is the best, the cheapest, the most eflicient, and most judicious system of draining for our neighbourhood .'* what the depth and distance ? which the best direction .'' what materials to use ? the size of the pipe ? the cost, dura- tion, and return ? Upon our clays, I do not approve of five-feet drains at intervals of forty feet, as depth, I find, does not compensate for the distance apart ; the land is- not thoroughly drained ; the crop is best nearest the drain ; and wetness is plainly perceptible in the intermediate space midway between the drains. Five feet, too, into hard, dry, blue, tenacious clay, is no joke ; and the expense of the manual labour is very considerable : but, as such drainage is not sufficient, we must discard it as unworthy of our adoption, as ours is not a subsoil of gaults and gravels, where, I believe, such drainage answers well. I have drained at four feet deep, and twenty-seven apart, in stiff, chalky clay. I am satisfied it has answered, but yet not perfectly : the extra depth has not compensated for the additional distance. I would mention a fact in connexion with one field of fifteen acres I drained in this manner. I attempted to dispense with the water-furrows ; but it would not do. The field, after a heavy fall of rain, was quite flooded, the furrows standing full; even the stetches themselves were partially under water. The watef-furrows were, of course, again resorted to as a necessity. Upon this same field, the tenant who succeeded me, not being satisfied that the drainage acted quickly enongli, cut drains of whin transversely above the pipe-drains ; but, to his astonishment, they have never acted, the pipe-drains carrying the entire quantity of water, thus most plainly proving that water enters the drain from the bottom, and not at the top and sides, as many have supposed. It is clear to reason that water gradually rises in the subsoil, with the fall of rain, till it reaches the level of the drain, when it naturally runs off in the aperture to the adjacent outlet. To return. I consider three-feet-pipe draining, at sixteen feet apart, the cheapest and most effective. It has always answered my purpose best. The land has thus been more fully drained. There has been a freedom from wetness, also fiom too great a dampness, even at the extreme points from the drains ; the crop has been even in result ; the pipes have been fully protected from in- jury, eitlier by treading, or by the roots of our cultivated crops : and I pronounce it the most economical and the most efficient system of drainage for this neighbourhood. Three feet has proved efficient depth to prevent the slight- est injury from capillary attraction : it has also allowed of ample depth for the roots of plants to work in. And it is sin- gular that, whilst in agriculture some are advocating an extreme depth of subsoil, in which the plant can search for food, as if a mine of immense wealth existed there, often in the culture of fruit-trees, even after deep drainage, the de- scent of the root is prevented, because adverse to produc- tiveness. I know objections have been raised to the use of pipes, especially on lands with but a slight fall. I have used them where comparatively flat, with perfect safety ; but in such cases I prefer the two-inch-diameter pipe, in preference to the inch-and-half : and I strongly recommend the use of the theodolite, or spirit-level, to secure the best fall. I believe it is often impossible to discover the best direction for the drain without an instrument of the kind; find I have often been surprised to find so great an inclination on such an apparently flat surface (Hear). As to the course of the drains generally, if the angle of de- scent is not too great, I drain with the best natural inclina- tion, much preferring that principle of action to crossing it diagonally. I object that the drain should be in precisely the same direction or parallel with the furrow ; consequently if the greatest gradation is in the line in which the field is generally ploughed, I afterwards alter the direction of the ploughing aa I find desirable, I observe we frequently neglect to clear the eyes of our drains, and to scour the watercourses, as necessary, I believe it desirable we should not only carefully attend to these essential points, but it is also requisite that we frequently send round, at suitable times, to examine each outlet, that we may assure ourselves the drains work freely (Hear, hear). 286 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. I am of opiniou that the pipe draiua will last for a vast number of years, probably fifty, or even for a much longer period. Thus durability is one of the great advantages which pipes have over bushes, whins, or straw bands ; where I have used such perishable substances as the latter, the drainage has been renewed after eight or twelve years. Further, whilst the pipes remain effective and the land yearly improves, the bush drains gradually fall in : even after four years they become im- paired, and gradually get worse, until renewed ; consequently during the latter part of the term the land has the disadvan- tage of partial aud imperfect drainage. Again, rats and rab- bits are great destroyers of bush drains ; and I have one field now, in which this description of drain is literally over-run with rats. The difference in cost between bushes aud pipes I have found to be about £2 Ss. per acre — £4 10s. for the pipe drain- ing, and £2 5s. for the bush draining ; consequently the tenant at will, or with a short lease, or of uncertain tenure, without a covenant for the allowance of unexhausted improvements, or without any direct assistance from his landlord in the draining, adheres to the bush system, which answers his purpose ; nor would a heavier outlay be prudent under the circumatancea. I have chiefly used the mole plough upon comparatively wet pastures, and in every case it has answered well at the small cost of 203. per acre ; and the drains have lasted eight years (Hear). As to returns generally, I have found that drainage repays the outlay, according to the amount of the first cost, in two, three, or four years ; and sorry indeed should I be, to farm wet clay land without such a system of thorough drainage. The advantage of drainage to the country at large is immense, and the benefit might be vastly increased by enlightened covenants between landlord and tenant. We want to ensure a larger ex- tent of drainage, and of better quality. If a proprietor of clay land, I should certainly make the drainage with pipe a matter of arrangement upon letting an occupation, and I know in the •ourse of years I should be greatly a gainer by the combined investment (Hear, hear). I would here remark that I am in no viray opposed to deep drainage; I have found it answer in West Suffolk upon springy land, upon gaults and gravels; but upon clays I am especially opposed to the expense, because depth does not compensate for distance. In executing the work, I plough out the drain to one foot in depth, and the drainers draw two spades of one foot each — three teet. The items are : Eight score rods of digging at 48. 6d £116 2,500 pipes at 18s 2 5 Expense of cartage, laying pipe, also drawing drains 0 9 £4 10 To recapitulate : We have considered the poverty and in- fertility of undrained lands ; we have shown that drainage is the foundation of all improvement, the precursor of many ad- vantages, ensuring a better return in grain and grass, allowing of improved and extended root culture, and of an increased profit from stock farmiog. I have recommended three-feet pipe drains at sixteen-feet intervals as the cheapest and most eflicient system for this neighbourhood, the expense to be shared by the landlord, the pipe to be laid by a trustworthy person, the directions of the drains to a certain angle to be with the fall, larger pipes to be used on flat land, the theodolite or spirit level also to be used, water-furrows to be retained, that the water enters the pipe at the bottom of the drain, the drains and furrows not to be parallel; the superiority of pipes over bushes ; the cost and probable durability of each system ; the great advantage which has accrued to the country from drainage, and the need of a better agreement between land- lord and tenant to ensure its more extended and more perfect adoption. A long and interesting discussion ensued. The following resolution was then unanimously adopted. Resolved : — " That underdrainage at three feet deep and sixteen-feet intervals is the most effective and economical sys- tem for the clay lands generally in the neighbourhood of Halesworth ; that pipes are preferable, except on very flat lands ; that a fair proportion of the expense must be borne by the landlord in connexion with the tenant." Thanks were then voted to Mr. Bond aud to the Chaiiman, and the proceedings terminated. WETHERBY AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. The nineteenth annual exhibition of cattle, horses, sheep, pigs, implements, &c.,took place at Wetherby on Wednesday, Sept. 30, and was the best show they ever had at Wetherby. The following were the prizes awarded : — Judges of horses — Mr. R. P. Hamilton, of Howsham, Brigg, Lincolnshire ; Mr. W. S. Atkinson, of Barrowby Hall, Leeds ; and Mr. Henry Sagar, of Burnley. Of shorthorns and pigs — Mr. J. Wood, of Stanwick Park, Darlington; and Mr. B. Wilson, of Brawith, Thirsk. Of sheep— Mr. R. Fisher, of Leckonfield, Beverley; and Mr. H. Makinder, of Langton Grange, Spilsby. HORSES. Best stallion for agricultural purposes, £5, Mr. Robt. Fox, Denton ; second, Mr. James Styan, Shipton. Brood mare for hunters, £2, Mr. Wm. Angas, Neswick, Driffield ; second, 10s., Mr. Wm. Gofton, Pockthorpe Hall. Driffield. Brood mare for coach horses, £2, Mr. John Smith, Marton Lodge, Bridlington; second, lOs,, Mr. Quinton Clark, Bilton. Brood mare for roadsters, £2, Mr. George Theakston, Wal- ton; second, lOs., Mr. Richard Hare, Barrowby Grange. Brood mare for agricultural purposes, £2, Mr. John Skirrow, Addlethorpe, Wetherby ; second, 10s., Mr. T. Acomb, Pop- pleton. Three-year-old gelding for hunting, £2, Mr. Geo. Turner, Sicklinghall ; second, lOs., Mr. Robert Dunn, North Ferriby, Hull. Two-year-old gelding for hunting, £2, Mr. S. Parker, Plompton ; second, 10s., Mr. R. Hare, Barrowby Grange. Yearling colt for hunting, £1, Mr. G. Turner, Sicklinghall. Three-year-old filly for hunting, £2, Mr. Harco>irt, Bolton Percy ; second, 10s., Mr. Thomas Gilling, Upsall, Thirsk. Two-year-old filly for hunting. £2, Mr. Wm. Wright, Beck- with House, Pannal; second, 10s., Mr. Thos. Bentley, Pannal Hall. Yearling filly for hunting, £1, Mr. L. Walker, Scarcroft. Three-year-old gelding for coaching, £2, Mr. John Stoker, Bickerton ; second, lOs., Mr. John Potter, Spofforth, Wetherby. Two-year-old geldmg for coaching, £2, Mr. Richard Wad- dington, Goldsbro'; second, 10s., Mr. W. K. Goodbarne, Ouston Hall, Tadcaster. Yearling colt for coaching, £1, Mr. W. Ridsdale, Rowlay. Three-year-old gelding for agriculture, £2, Mr. W. S- Clough, Eccup Grove ; second, 10s., Mr. Thos. Upton, Palla. thorpe. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 287 Two-year-old gelding for agriculture, £2, Mr. Thomas Up- ton ; second, lOs., Mr. W. Walker, Goldsbro'. Yearling colt for agriculture, £1, Mr. Jas. Harland, Kearby. Three-year-old filly for agriculture, £2, Mr. W. Proude, Thornville ; second, 10s., Mr. D. Hainsworth, Harewood. Two-year-old filly for agriculture, £2, Mr. Thos. Acomb; second, lOs,, Mr. Thos. Upton. Yearling filly for agriculture, £1, Mr. Jas. Paiker, Dun Keswick. SHORTHORNED CATTLE. Best three-year-old or aged bull, £3, Mr. C. Wright, Ogle- thorpe Hall, Tadcaster ; second, £1, to Captain Gunter, Wetherby Grange. Two-year-old bull, £3, Mr. Thos. Barber, Sproatley, Hull ; aecond, £1, Mr. Robert Tennant, Scarcroft Lodge. Yearling bull, £2, Mr. Thos. Jolly, Warlaby, Northallerton ; second, £1, Mr. Henry Ambler, Watkinson Hall, Halifax. Bull-calf under twelve months old, £1, Mr. H. Ambler. Three-year-old or aged cow iu-milk or calf, £3, Mr. H. Ambler; second, 10a., Mr. John R. Middlebrough, South Milford, Milford Junction. Two-year-old heifer, £2, Mr. Wm. B. Cox, Pickering; second, £1, Mr. H. Ambler. One-year-old heifer, £2, Captain Gunter; second £1, ditto. SHEEP. Best three-shear or aged ram, £3, Mr. W. Angas, Deswick, Driffield ; aecond, £1, Mr. J. Simpson, Spofforth Park, Wetherby. Two-shear ram, £3, Mr. Wm. Smith, Burton Leonard, Ripon ; second, £1, Mr. Joseph Simpson, Spofforth Park. One-shear-ram, £3, Mr. J. Simpson ; second, £1, Mr. Wm. Walker, Goldsbro'. Pen of five ewes, having had and suckled lambs this year, £3, Mr. Robert Crowe, Speeton, Bridlington ; second, £1 , Mr. Wra. Walker. Pen of five shearling wethers, £2, Mr. John Thompson, Bramham. Pen of five shearling gimmers, £3, Mr. John J. Simpson, Pilmoor House, Huumanby; second, £1, Messrs. T. and C. Mitchell, Market Weighton. PIGS. Best boar, large breed, £2, Mr. John Webster, Shipton, Market Weighton ; second, £1, George Lane Fox, Esq., Bramham Park. Sow, large breed, £2, Mr. T. Barker, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds; second, £1, Mr. Jas. Coates, Wetherby. Boar of the Bramham Moor or middle breed, £2, Mr. T. Barker; second £1, to Mr. Josh. Wilkinson. Sow of the Bramham Moor or middle breed, £2, Mr. J. Wilkinson ; second, £1, to Mr. Norfolk, Dun Keswick. Boar, small breed, £2, Mr. Barker; second, £1, Mr. G. Hutchinson, Prospect House, York. Sow, small breed, £2, Mr. W. Burnett, jun., Wetherby ; second, £1, Mr. J. Wilkinson. Store pigs under 15 months old, £1, and second prize, lOs., Mr. Wm. Hill, Wetherby. Store pig, age and quality considered, the property of an agricultural labourer or his widow, £1, James Grinston, Tad- caster; second, 5s., to Richard Wardle, Wetherby, EXTRA PRIZE. A silver medal for the best shorthorned bull, entered in any of the classes, Mr. Thomas Jolly, of Warlaby. EXTRA STOCK. Horses. — Mr. Thomas Acomb, Poppleton, York, £1. Sheep.— Mr. T. C. Mitchell, Market Weighton, 5s., for a fat ewe. Pigs. — Mr. Geo. Hutchinson, Prospect House, 53., for three boar pigs; and Mr. Chr. Robshaw, Wetherby, 53. for two pigs. EXTRA PREMIUMS. Andrew Montagu, Esq., offered for the best stallion for hunters £5 ; Mr. Francis Mackintosh, Barwick-in-Elmet. George Lane Fox, Esq., offered for the best hunter from 4 to 8 years old £5 ; Mr. John B. Booth, Killerby, near Mr. H. C. W. Mitchell offered for the best geldiag or filly by Matchless Merry legs £1 ; Mr. John Renton, Farnley, Otley. John Rhodes, Esq., offered for the best bull of any ag^ £3 ; Mr. Charles Wright, Oglethorpe Hall. John Rhodes, Esq., offered for the best three-year-old or aged cow, in-milk or calf, £2 ; Mr. Thomas Hill, Wetherby. George Lane Fox, Esq., offered for the best two-year-old heifer £2 ; Mr. Alexander Christie, Kirk Hammerton. George Lane Fox, Esq., offered for the best one-year-old heifer £2 ; Mrs. Hannah Dyson, Wetherby. Mr. Thomas Barber offered for the best heifer calf under twelve months old £1; Mr. Thomas Jolly, Warlaby, North- allerton. Captain Gunter offered for the best female shorthorn of any age, entered in any of the classes, £5 5s., or a silver cup of that value ; Mr. H. Ambler, Watkinson Hall, Halifax. George Lane Fox, Esq., offered for the best two-shear or aged ram £2 ; Mr. William Smith, Burton Leonard, Ripon. The Earl of Harewood offered for the best shearling ram £3 ; Mr. Joseph Simpson, Spofforth Park ; second, £2, Mr. William Walker, Goldsborough. T. Fairfax, Esq., offered for the best tup lamb £1 ; Mr. Stephen Barrett, Harewood Bridge; second, IDs., Mr. William Walker, Goldsborough. George Lane Fox, Esq., offered for the best pen of five ewes £2 10s. ; Mr. William Walker, Goldsborough ; second, 10s., Mr. Joseph Simpson, Spofforth Park. George Lane Fox, Esq., offered for the best pen of five gimmer lambs £2 lOs. ; Mr. J. Simpson, Spofforth Park ; second, 10s., Mr. Thomas Hannam, North Deighton, Wetherby . AUTUMNAL INVITATIONS. Come in the opal air. This autumn morning soon ; Health is treasuring there A " life insurance" boon. You can't imagine the calm Lolling about the heart, Inviting with open palm The fledgling muse to start. Come in the elastic air. This Autumn-painted morn ; Summer's left her jewels there. With the last queen-robe she's worn. The votary relics of Spring Are trailing about its hem ; With the light of an angel's wing The day-god's crowning them. The hills are clothed with day, In ribbony-purple light ; You'll loiter along the way, Tempted left and right. You won't think Summer's behind ; But waving a little before. Her last pet-flower, to call to mind The family gems she wore. Leaving a musk in every wind Of the perfumed wreaths she wore. Come in the opal air. This autumn morning soon ; Health's breathing in spirit there, And robin gloats with tune — Health's rosiest bantling's there, By the May-queen nursed by June. You can't imagine a type Of heaven so clear and quiet. As when robin breaks short his pipe. For the fledgling muse to try it. 288 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE, LUDLOW AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. The meeting held on Monday, Sept. 27, was considered the best of the society's meetings. Herefords, of course, are a con- spicuoua feature in this show, but this year it excelled itself, for a finer lot of this splendid breed were never, we believe, exhibited. It is questionable if a more magnificent animal than that belonging to Mr. Rea, of Weston berry — which, in addition to the society's prize of £5, carried off the sweep- stakes for the best stoclj bull of any age — could be produced. This beast was only two years seven mouths and 21 days old ; but with a frame so massive and so evenly built thit there was scarcely any demur to the decision of the judges. The bud sent by Lord Berwick was certainly much admired; and one gentlemau was so impressed with the value of his judgment that he offered to lay a guinea to a shilling that ic was "the best in the yard;"' but there was no taker of a seemingly ad- vautsgeous bet. The bull calves were excellent ; and to give sati-factiou in this class in awarding the prizes, where so mucli merit prevailed, re juired no little care. The yearling heifers of Mr. Pitt, of Chadnor, were declared to be models of sym- metry ; and the breeding cows of Mr. Hewer, of Vern Farm, were generally admired, as were also those of Mr. XJiwick, of Leinthall Starkes. Mr. Stedman, of Bedstone, was adjudged to have the best fat cow ; though it required a practised eye and hand to determine between it and Mr. Price's, of Pern- bridge. In the extra stock was a most symmetrical young Hereford bull, which was a fortnight too old to compete in claas 6, and to it was awarded a prize of £1; the same com- pliment being paid to " Regeut," the property of Mr. Bright, of Kempton, This latter was sold by auction in the course of the day, by Mr. H. A. Jones, of Shrewsbury ; but, notwith- standing that his reputation was great in the annals of cattle shows, a bid of only 39 guineas was elicited, and for that he was knocked down. Of sheep there was not a large collection, but in quality they were very superior. The display of Shropshire-downs over any other breed went far to show their popularity. In the extra stock department were some Hampshire-down rams, shown by Mr. Brown, of Affcott, near Swinburne, which were much admired, and which were awarded a prize of £6. Pigs were also limited ; but those presenting themselves to notice were fine specimens of the race. The boar, the pro- perty of Mr. Cox, of Ludlow, and the breeding sow, belonging to Mr. Matthew Evans, of the Craven Arms, were, as mem- bers of the porcine family, faultless ; whilst the cottagers' pigs rejoiced in an amount of obesity quite marvellous. The prize offered for the best cart stallion attracted but two competitors ; and of the pair a red roan horse of Mr. Bach's was declared to be the best. The other, however, owned by Mr. Maund, of Rockhill, on a smaller scale, had still a good deal of substance, and was a very smart animal. The hacks were neither numerous nor reuiarkable ; but there were a number of mares and foals which deserved attention. In addition to those which were awarded prizes, we may notice a chesnut sent by Lady Lingdale, of Eywood — with a colt foal at her foot, by a Persian Arabian, (the property of the Emperor of ihe French) which was commended, and attracted much atten- tion. She was long, low, and particularly handsome ; but the colt had been suffering from strangles, and looked weak on the legs, or it is probable he and his dam would have received high honours. The cart mares were roomy, and generally just the style of animal to brood from ; and the foals were quite in keeping with such good parentage. The following was the Prizes awarded : — Judges for cattle and sheep, Mr. Bright (of Teddesley, Stafford), Mr. Jones (of Norton, Salop), and Mr. W. James, (of Hereford) ; and for horses, Mr. John Bosley (of Hereford). CATTLE. For the best bull with four of his offspring, £5— Mr. Rea, Weston-berry. For the best buU-caU, £5— Mr. Edwards, Wintercot. For the second best bull-calf, £2 lOs.— Mr. Williams, Kings- land. For the third best bull-calf, £1— Mr. Rea, Weston-berry. For the lonr l3e9t yearling steer?, £5 — Mr. Sheriff, Coxall. For the second best steer, £2 lOs. — Mr. Tudge, Ashford. For the best pair of steers, £5 — Mr. Edwards, Wintercot. For the four best yearling heifers, £5 — Mr. Pitt, Chadnor. For the seccnd beat, £2 lOs. — Mr. Stedman, Bedstone. For the best pair of yearling heifers, £5— Mr. Stedman, Bed- stone. For the four best breeding in-calf cows or heifers, £5 — Mr. Hewer, Vtrn Farm. For the second best four, £2 10s. — Mr. Urwick, Leinthall, Starkes. For the best fat cow or fat heifer, £5— Mr. Stedman, Bed- stone. For the second best, £2 lOa. — Mr. Price, Pembridge. SHEEP. Southdown, Shropshire Down, or Dark-faced Breed. For the best yearling ram, open to all England, the gift of the Rev. W. T. Kevdl Uavies, £5— -Mr. Horton, Harnage Grange. For the second best yearling ram, £2 lOs. — Mr. Green, Mar- low. For the best ram more than two years old, £5 — Mr. Tarte, the Bach. For the second best ram, £2 lOs. — Mr. Bach, Onibury. For the best pen of ten aged ewes, £5 — Mr. Williams, Cul- miugton. For the second best pen, £2 10s. — Mr. Urwick, Felton. For "the best pen of ten yearling ewes, £5 — Mr. Brettel Vaughan, Burway. For the second best pen, £2 lOs.— Mr. James Hand, Ludlow. For the best pen of ten fat yearling wethers, £5 — Mr. James Hand, Ludlow. For the second best pen, £2 10s. — Mr. Brettel Vaughan, Burway. PIGS. For the best boar under two years old, £2 — Mr. Richard Cox, Ludlow. For the second best, £1 — Mr. Matthew Evans, Craven Arms Hotel. For the best breeding sow, £2 — Ditto. For the second best £1 — Sir Charles Rouse Boughton, Bart., Downton-hall. HORSES. For the best nag mare and foal at foot, £5 — Mr. Williams, Kingaland. For the second best, £2 lOs. — Mr. Mansell, the Jay. For the best catt mare and foal at foot, £5 — Mr. Carwardine, Stockton Berry. For the second best, £2 lOs. — Mr. J. Jones, Luston. For the best shaped nag gelding or mare, the gift of W, H. Sitwell, Esq., £5— Mr. Shirley. Bawcot. For the second best, £2 lOs. — Mr. James Hand, Ludlow. For the best cart 6t»llioo, £5— Mr, E. Bach, Cheney-Long- ville. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 3S9 For the best cart geldiug or mare, £4— Mr. Coaton, TIaytoa. For the second ditto, £2— Lord Batemau. EXTRA STOCK. A Sum of £5 divided amongst the Owners of the best Animals exhibited aa Extra Stock. £1 to Mr. James Williams, for four cows. £1 to Mr. John Aahwood.for two steers and two heifers. £1 to Mr. J. W, Brown, for four Hampshire rams. £1 to Lord Bateman, for a bull. £1 to Mr. Bfighf, for a ball. SWEEPSTAKES. A Sweepstakes of 3 sovs. each, for the best Stock Bull, open to all England, with 20 sova. added. First prize, £39— Mr. Rea, Weatoubcrry. Second, £5 — Lord Bateman. Third, £3— Lord Berwick. THE COVEHITHE SALE OF HORSES, CATTLE, SHEEP, PIGS, POULTRY, &c. BY ORDER OF THE EXECUTORS OF THE LATE MR. EDWARD COTTINGHAM. This sale has fully maintained the character Mr. Cot- tingham had earned for himself as an agriculturist. All those who knew anything of him were quite prepared to find some superior descriptions of stock ; and there was consequently a very large attendance of company. This included not merely the best men of the district, but both bidders and buyers from Kent, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk, Middlesex, and Leicestershire, headed by the Prince Lieven in person, from Russia. There were also present, the Earl of Stradbroke, and the Hon. W. Rous, Colonel Scudamore, and Messrs. J. G. Shep- pard, W. Long, G. Holmes, Fellowes, J. Peto, O. Parker, N. G. Barthropp, T. Crisp, Garrett, Allen, Sexton, Boby, Frost, Kersey Cooper, and others whose names the list of prices will supply. The great feature of the occasion was the sale of Suffolk horses ; and, the present price of corn considered, really a very wonder- ful return it was. The stock, however, quite merited the appreciation in which they were held, while for the working horses of a farm, they were a most admirable collection, almost generally remarkable for their great size, line forehands, and good action. It should be stated, moreover, that there was no culling or keeping back. The horses offered were all those on the farm on the day of Mr. Cottingham's -death, one only being with- drawn from lameness. In many respects this must be regarded as the sale of the year, at the same time that it marks the increasing reputation of the Suffolk draught borse. The piices were not kept up by the county people, but gentlemen from a distance came for more of a sort they have already some experience of. For in- stance, the purchaser of the best mare, Mr. Wall, is from Pembrokeshire, her sire Mr. Barthropp's New- castle Captain having for the last season or two been located in South Wales, whither he has been transferred by the Rev. W. Beever, of Cowbridge. It is noticeable that the highest-price gelding is also by Newcastle Captain. But Mr. Cottingham had not been trusting merely to one certain strain of blood. The pedigrees will show that Messrs. Catlin and Crisp had also contributed to the excellence of the teams, while the best-priced horse of all, the aged stallion, is of this breed. We give the sale of the Suffolk horses in full, with their pedigrees, so far as they were publi.shed in the cata- logues, prices, and names of purchasers. Mr. Freeman conducted the sale, which really realized all that even an auctioneer could say of it. CHURCH FAR M. FIRST TEAM. Diamond, 3 yrs. old filly, by Catlin'a Duke, in foal (o Suffolk Captuu, £S0 ITs., Mr.Howlett. Briton, 8 yrs. old geldinir, £44 2s., Prince Lieven. Bly, 4 yrs. old gelding, £57 ISs, Mr. Wall. Matchett, 8 yra. old mare, by Manchester Boxer, bred by thelateMr. Catlin, in foal to Suffolk Captain, £81 ISs., Mr. Kersey Cooper. SECOND TEAM. Duke, 7 yrs. old gelding, £69 6s., Mr. Bagge. Dragon, 3 yrs. old gelding, £54 12s., Hon. W. Kous. Boxer, 5 yrs. old gelding, £61 193., Mr Brandreth. Prince, 10 yrs. old, £29 8a., Mr. Howlett. THIRD TEAM. Smart, 8 yrs. old mare, in foal to Briton, £48 Gs., Prince Lieven. Nelson, 4 yrs. old gelding, £39 ISs., Mr, Bagge. Darling, 8 yrs. old mare, in foal to Briton, £65 23., Mr. Reynolds. Smiler, 9 yrs. old gelding, £31 lOs., Mr. Pratt. FOURTH TEAM. Ramper, 10 yrs. old gelding, £23 28., Mr. Bruce. Darby, 10 yrs. old mare, by Catliu's Captain, in foal to Briton, £4?, Mr. Chaston. BEACH FARM. FIRST TEAM. Fancy, 8 yrs. old mare, by Keer'a Boxer, dam Diamond mare , in foal to Mr. Cooper's horse, £6,0 63., Mr. Crisp. Snap, 7 yrs. old mare, £36 iSs., Mr. Brewster. Briton, 8 yra. old gelding, £29 83., Mr. Howlett. Jolly, 12 yrs. old gelding, £7 7a., Mr. Bloomfield. SECOND TEAM. Dapper, 7 yrs. old mare, in foal to Briton, £47 58., Mr. Howlett. Smiler, 7 yrs. old gelding, £47 5a., Mr. Pratt. Bly, 4 yrs. old gelding, £45 33., Mr. Oldfield. Brag, :', yrs. old mare, £99 15b., Mr. Oldfield. PORTE R'S FARM. FIRST TEAM. Brag, 6 yrs. old mare, by Barthropp's Newcastle Captain, in foal to Sutfolk Captain, £115 lOs., Mr. Wall. Proctor, 5 yrs. old gelding, £68 5s., Mr. Wilkinson. Briton, 7 yis. old ueiding, £45 3a., Mr. Preston. Tom, 10 yra. old bay gelding, £31 lOs., Mr. Pratt. SECOND TEAM. Fancy, 8 yrs. old mare, in foal to Briton, £53 lis., Mr. Howlett. Snap, 7 yrs. old mare, in foal to Suffolk Captain, £105, Mr, Howlett. 390 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. THIRD TEAM. Spright, 7 yri. old mare, in foal to Briton, £31 lOs., Mr. Bruce. Trimmer, 10 yrs. old gelding, £22 Is., Mr. Delf. Darby, 10 yrs. old brown mare, in foal to Briton, £34 13s., Mr. Pepper. Duke, 5 yrs. old gelding, £69 6s,, Mr. Lucas. Boxer, 8 yrs. old gelding, £29 Ss., Mr. Pratt. Dapper, 10 yrs. old red mare, in foal to Briton, £42, Mr. K.Cooper. FOURTH TEAM. Brag, 12 yrs. old mare, £29 Ss., Mr. Brandreth, Farmer, 11 yrs. old gelding, £29 8s., Mr. Howlett. Scott, 11 yrs. old mare, in foal to Briton, £30 9s., Mr. Bruce. STALLIONS. Captain, 8 yrs. old, by Crisp's Captain, dam diamond, bred by the late Mr. Shaw Kesgrave, £147, Mr. K. Cooper. Briton, by Barthropp's Newcastle Captain, dam Mr. Shaw's mare, £106, Mr. Pawsey. A yearling colt, by Briton, dam Gyp (Lot 190), £79 163., Mr. Rogers. A yeatling colt, by Briton, dam Darby (Lot 154), £57 ISs., Mr. Parker. BROOD MARES AND FOALS. Gyp, 10 yrs. old, by Crisp's old Captain, in foal to Briton, £94 10s., Mr. Pawsey. Filly foal (off Lot 184), by Briton, £54 128., Mr. Fellows. Scott, 5 yrs. old, by Suffolk Captain, dam Gyp, in foal to Briton, £105, Mr. T. Capon. Horse foal (off Lot 186), by Briton, £27 6s., Mr. Cobb. Fancy, 10 yrs. old, by Wigg's Old Briton, in foal to Briton, £58 168., Mr. Howlett. Horse foal (off Lot 188), by Briton, £37 168., Mr. Hinde. Gyp, 7 yrs. old, by Catlin's Captain, dam Gyp, in foal to Briton, £105, Mr. J. Peto. Horse foal (off Lot 190), by Briton, £52 10s., Mr. Woods. Darby, 4 yrs. old, by Mr. Sexton's horse, in foal to Briton, £65 23., Mr. Brandreth. Filly foal (off Lot 192), by Briton, £30 9s., Mr. Brandreth. A 3 yrs. old filly, by Crisp's Prince, dam Mr. Shaw's Diamond, £44 23., Mr. Cobb. A 2 yrs. old filly, by Catlin's Sultan, dam Matchett (off Lot 144), £51 9s., Mr. Howlett. A 2 yrs. old filly, by Suffolk Captain, dam Fancy (off Lot 188), £105, Mr. Pawsey. A 2 yrs. old tilly, by Briton, dam Gyp (off Lot 184), £48 68., Mr. Oldfield. A yearling filly, by Suffolk Captain, £42, Mr. Packard, THE LEADING FEATURES OF THE IMPLEMENT DEPARTMENT OF THE CHESTER SHOW. We devoted the last portion of our former article to a description of the improved mechanism adopted by Mr. Fowler in carrying out his system of steam cultivation. We now proceed to a notice of the other plans, brought to the test of practical working at Chester. Of these, the first which claims our attention is that of Mr. Smith, of Woolston, near Bletchley ; the conduct of the trial being under the care of Messrs. Howard, of Bedford, by whom also the mechanism used was manufactured. Mr. Smith's plan of operation, so celebrated from his perse- vering efforts to introduce it into practice, alms at substituting for the operation of the plough that of im- plements resembling in action the common grubber, by which he is of opinion a better — because a more phi- losophical— style of cultivation is attained. Leaving till the end of this article all consideration of this system as compared with ploughing, or the still greater innovation of "rotary cultivation," we now proceed to explain the arrangements and mechanism by which Mr. Smith carries out his system in practice. The following dia- gram will perhaps facilitate the reader's comprehension of the field arrangement as proposed by Mr. Smith. Let a represent the steam-engine, not exceeding ten- horse power; J c, the windlass (hereafter described); d efh, turn-tables, round which the wire rope shown by the dotted line passes : these turn-tables are moored firmly to the spot by anchors furnished with curved tines, which penetrate the soil, and give a firm hold when the strain of the engine is put upon the turn- tables. The wire rope as it passes from turn-table to turn-table, runs over friction pulleys or rollers, shown in the diagram by dots or points. The windlass is fur- nished with two drums, hung side by side vertically on a horizontal shaft, which revolves in bearings on the side of the framing, which is mounted on four travelling D.O"2' 2* 1 ■QE J .*■"- \ 2i 0H ! i -,*■■' - \ wheels. A spur-wheel is formed on the rim or flange of each drum, with which a pinion is made to gear alter- nately. This pinion is hung on a cross shaft, parallel to the shaft of the two drums, and by means of a sliding clutch is capable of being moved a certain distance along the shaft, so that it can be made to engage with the spur wheel of either drum as desired. The shaft carrying the pinion is driven by the steam-engine through the me- dium of a pulley and a driving band. Each drum is provided with a break, by which the winding and un- winding of the rope can be regulated. To work the ap- paratus here briefly indicated, the following attendants THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 391 are required : An engine-driver at « ; a man to attend the operation of the windlass at b c; a ploughman and assistant at the cultivating implement ff, the assistant shifting the rollers, &c. ; and two anchor-men, one at each end of the part to be ploughed, as at d and e ; a boy also should be provided to attend to various points wherever and whenever wanted. Matters being thus arranged, the operation of ploughing or cul- tivating is carried on thus : To the beam of the imple- ment a bar of iron is fastened, so shaped as to admit of the free play of the two wire ropes attached to it. Sup- pose the engine is started, and the pinion of the cross shaft gearing with the spur-wheel of the drum c, so as to pull in the wire rope 1 1, and by its means the cultivat- ing implement g, in the direction from the anchor d to that marked e. Coincident with the winding-up of the rope 1 1 on the drum c, is the paying-out of the rope 2 2 from the drum b. As soon as the implement g arrives at a point in as close proximity to the anchor e as desirable, a signal is waved, at recognition of which the engine-driver stops the engine, and the windlass- man, by means of the clutch lever, throws the pinion on the cross shaft out of gear with the spur-wheel of the drum c, and into gear with that of the drum b. The turn-table is at the same time removed a short distance down the line ef towards the turn-table/. The dis- tance from the new anchorage to the point of the old one at e is exactly equal to twice the width of land which the implement g works each time. These operations are effected in a much shorter space of time than has sufHced to describe them. The implement in its reversed position begins as soon as the engine is started to move in the direction from e to d, thu rope 2 2 being wound round the drum b, while coincidently the rope 1 1 is paid out from the periphery of the drum c. Immediately on the starting of the implement g from the end of its bout near the turn-table e, the second anchor-man removes the anchor which held the first turn-table to a point below the second anchorage. On the implement reach- ing the end of its bout towards the turn-table d, the operations above described are again gone through ; the position of the implement is again reversed : the drum c hauls in the rope 1 1, the drum b paying out that marked 2 2 ; and the operations are repeated till the anchor e reaches a point in the line e f, near to the anchor y, when the part of the field under operation is wholly broken up. The engine a in the diagram is supposed to be standing in the centre of the field ; so that, when the right-hand half is cultivated, the anchors are all reversed, occupying the same relative positions, but on the left, instead of the right hand, of the engine a. A. convenient size of land to be cultivated is set down by Mr, Smith at from ten to twelve acres, and a convenient distance between the anchors d and e at one-eighth of a mile. The implements chiefly used by Mr. Smith are four in number, one of these being a three-tined, and another a five-tined grubber. The former, used for autumn culture, consists of a frame in which are fixed three tines, curved in outline, and presenting broad points at their extremities. The cen- tral one is placed in advance of the others some thirty inches, thus : ° o ° • The frame carrying the tines is irregular, and runs on and is supported by two wheels, the height of which is regulated after the manner adopted in wheel-ploughs. To the near end of the frame two handles, or stilts, are fixed, strengthened with a cross-bar and bow. From the other end a beam composed of two flat iron bars projects : this carries at its extremity a vertical stud, provided at its lower end with a cross, at the extremities of which guiding wheels are supported. The vertical stud carrying these passes through an eye at the point of the beam, and is adjusted therein at any desired height. To a cross-lever at the upper end of the stud the forked end of a lever is fixed, this lever being carried backward to within reach of the attendant, and made to rest on a horizontal bar, the upper edge of which is notched, the notches corre- sponding to the breadth of the lever, so that it can be placed and retained in any one of them. By moving the lever from right to left, the cross carrying the two guiding wheels is moved in a reverse direction, and the frame, with its tines, guided as desired. By the relative heights of these two guiding wheels and the two wheels of the frame, the depth to which the tines penetrate the soil is regulated. When properly adjusted, the points of the tines take a firm hold of the subsoil ; and as the strain of the engine is continued, the whole mass of soil is torn from its normal position, and its parts broken up and mingled together, leaving the weeds, &c., at the sur- face. The five-tined grubber — an implement found to be well adapted to the cultivation of light and moderately-tenacious soils — in appearance and mode of adjustment is very similar to the former, above de- scribed. It is here to be noted that, although we designate these implements as "grubbers," Mr. Smith disclaims all similarity of action to that of the ordinary grubber, cultivator, or scuffler. On this point he states that, satisfied that all implements of this class were con- structed on wrong principles, or rather without attention to any principle, and that their tendency of action was to rise in, not to penetrate, the soil, he endeavoured to construct an implement the tendency of the action of which would be, to draw into the ground. To effect this, he took a ship's anchor for his model. The result of his experiments was, that he brought out an imple- ment which took hold of the soil in so complete a manner, that the question became one of im- portance, how to prevent its going too deep. This difficulty was in time obviated. " On this principle," says Mr. Smith, "both my patent cultivator and steam plough are constructed. Speaking perhaps in hyperbole, they are no more like an ordinary cultivator, scuffler, or scarifier, than the best of our ship anchors are like a great stone tied by a string, to keep a boat to the side of a pond. My steam plough is, in point of fact, three of the best-formed anchors that I can find, braced together with iron enough to support the strain upon them." Returning to our description of Mr. Smith's implements, we may state that, in construction, the "steam-plough" here referred to resembles the " five-tined" implement we described in our last article. 393 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. Instead of having five tines, it has however only two, these being at the end of the frame near the stilts ; the two front ones and the central tine are removed, and a share with a double mould- board substituted; a coulter is fixed in the frame, and precedes the mould- boards, as in the ordinary ploughs. The arrangement stands thus ; A^ \' a b the two tines, c d the double mould-board ploughs e the coulter. The ends of the framing near the stilts support two pedestuls or plummet blocks ; these carry a cross shaft, worked by a lever handle (a) at its outer extremity. Outside the pedestals two levers (b c) are keyed on to the cross shafts these carrying wheels at their outer extremities. These wheels are used to raise the plough off the ground at the end of the bout. The lever handle faj being raised towards the attendant, this depresses the outer end of the levers (dcj, &nd brings the wheels connected with them in contact with the ground, raising the plough, and making it rest upon them. This steam-plough is stated to be a useful im- plement for autumn cultivation. The tines fa b) are set to penetrate the soil some four or five inches deeper than the share (c d) which precedes them. The opera- tion of the plough trenches the land, subsoils it, and lays it up dry for the winter. The subsoil plough used by Mr. Smith consists of a strong iron beam, with guide wheel in front, and two stilts or handles at equal angles at the other end ; near the handles a central tine is fixed in the beam, and which is capable of entering the soil to a depth of twenty- two inches. It is used in conjunction with the plough described above, this forming the trenches, and the sub- soil plough subsoiliug between the ridges. It is also adapted to " cut the land in slices fifteen or twenty inches wide, to admit the air and let off the water to the drains, on land that has been trodden by sheep when eating off turnips." Mr. Smith gives an estimate of the cost of breaking up thirty acres, three fields of bean and pea-stubbles, as follows : £ s. D, 2 men at 3s. 6d. per day (6 days) 2 2 0 4 men at 2s. 6d. per day (6 days) 3 0 0 1 boy at Is. per day (0 days) 0 6 0 1 boy at 6il. per day (6 days) 0 3 0 Coals, 45 cwt , 1 18 3 , 0 5 9 Oil £'/ 15 0 being at the rate of 5s. 2d. per acre. The judges of the trials at Chester give, in their Report to the Council, the folloDg and paiaful and the owner Hon, will gain ?he cow should et and appears 38troy her ofF- iQ her. In an id with a little learn to suck, aust be milked and frequently with fresh lard ;alf, particular r inflammation purposes. If drink of warm can be given Varm oatmeal Tour days with laily cleansed r. Cows can !y are kept in selves. Their Qming, which own ; or her 00 1 at a time effects of ill- om improper when wanted ; ; and allows ield ; whereas et and docile, vs do not like ersons should as it is prac- THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 401 THE BREEDING AND MANAGEMENT OF SHORTHORN STOCK. BY A PRACTICAL MAN. After calving, and when giving milk, cows should be well fed. If on inferior grass, 2 lbs. of linseed cake per day should be given when the cows are brought in to be milked ; and if any of them are poor, double the al- lowance of linseed cake, and give a quart of oatmeal with hay-chaif. For winter food, Swedish turnips are objectionable when the milk is required for cream and butter ; but if the milk is given to the calves, the cow should have one bushel of cut swedes, given at twice, 3 lbs. of linseed cake, and a quart of oatmeal per day, with as much hay-chafF as she can eat. Orange-jelly turnips, or drumhead cabbage, are good substitutes for swedes, when sweet cream and butter are required. In February, wurtzel can be given instead of turnips, begin- ning with a small quantity, and never exceeding half-a- bushel at a meal. The value of wurtzel as food for milk- ing cows can scarcely be estimated, as it increases the supply of milk, and tends to keep the cows in health. Wurtzel will keep well until midsummer (and some until Michaelmas), so that, if the crop of grass is short, wurtzel can be given to the cows once or twice a day until the pastures improve. But neither wurtzel nor turnips should be given to cows in & frozen state ; and in the event of these roots being frozen, cabbages, bran, and brewers' grains can be substituted. Potatoes are consi- dered good food for cows ; but since they have been sub- ject to disease, potatoes have not been sufficiently cheap for this purpose. As previously suggested for heifers, the cows should be turned into yards during the day, (if they are kept tied up), or, better still, into a sound grass field near to the homestead, exercise being very desirable for them in cold weather. It is not advisable to expose them on cold wet days, or to searching east winds. Whether in the yards, sheds, or fields, cows should at all times have access to pure water ; one or two strong rubbing posts are very useful in the yards and fields, and lumps of rock salt should be liberally placed in the mangers, for stock to lick at will. A gradual change of food for cows in-calf is always de- sirable, more particularly from dry food to moist, when the grass is young. So many persons have written on the treatment of cows when in labour, and after calving, that I cannot add to the mass of information on this sub- ject ; but I may be allowed to say, that if the case appears favourable, and the presentation natural, the cow should be left to herself, in the field if the weather is dry and fine, but not in the hot sun ; nor should she be touched until the calf is sufficiently forward to be taken away. If the presentation is not natural, and the case beyond the skill of the master and cowman, it is far better to send for a veterinary surgeon, than to dis- tress the cow with long and futile eflForts to extract the calf, too frequently endangering the lives of both. To understand the management of cows at this critical period, a man 7mcst have experience. The study of writings on the treatment of cows at this time is of little avail, unless the habits of the cows themselves are inves- tigated. Some cows invariably have long and painful labours, others calve quickly and easily ; and the owner of a herd of cows, by practical application, will gain additional information from each case. The cow should be allowed to lick the calf if she is quiet and appears fond of it ; as sometimes a cow will destroy her off- spring whilst the pains are strong upon her. In an hour or two the calf will be on its legs, and with a little assistance from the cowman it will soon learn to suck, and be out of harm's way. The cow must be milked soon after calving, and her udder be well and frequently fomented with warm water, and rubbed with fresh lard for several days. If it is a heifer's first calf, particular attention should be paid to the udder, or inflammation may ensue, and destroy her for milking purposes. If the cow seems exhausted after calving, a drink of warm oatmeal gruel, with a quart of good ale, can be given her, succeeded by a warm bran mash. Warm oatmeal gruel should be continued for three or four days with some sweet hay. It is desirable to keep the cows daily cleansed from dirt, without rubbing off the hair. Cows can be cleaned at a trifling expense when they are kept in yards, as they can then lick and clean themselves. Their feet occasionally require paring and trimming, which can be readily done when the cow lies down ; or her coarse hoofs can be sawn off, placing one foot at a time on a flat board. Few animals show the effects of ill- treatment more than the cow, which from improper usage becomes restless, timid, or savage, when wanted to be milked ; refuses to give her milk ; and allows no one to approach her when in the field ; whereas the cow which is kindly treated is very quiet and docile, and can be " handled" at any time. Cows do not like fresh hands to milk them, and the same persons should be regularly engaged amongst them, as far as it is prac- ticable. I do not think that cows are affected by the season, so far as weather is concerned, in holding to the bull. A sudden change from mild or warm weather to extreme cold and wet within 24 hours after the cow has been bulled would, doubtless, have a great tendency to prevent conception, as the blood of the animal would experience a sudden chill, which is opposed to the theory of conception. But these cases are exceptional, and in the event of a whole herd frequently breaking their bulling, I should advise the state of the bull to be in- vestigated, as the fault is more likely to rest with him. Cows cease to breed at different ages ; many fail after producing one, two, or three calves, whilst others breed 402 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. regularly to fifteen years and upwards. A reference to the llth vol. of " Coates's Herd Book" aflfords strong evidence of the advantage of putting heifers to the bull before they are two years old (confirming the opinion I have expressed), such heifers usually standing to their first leap, and afterwards proving regular breeders. As examples — " Lady Jane," vol. xi, page 525, calved Oct. 17, 1845, produced her first live calf in February, 1848, when twenty-eight months old, and had six sin- gle calves registered to May, 1854. " Rose de Meaux," vol. xi. page 679, calved Oct. 1841, produced her first live calf in February, 1844, when twenty-eight months old, and had ten single calves registered to Aug. 1854. No breeding can be more satisfactory than this, and the instances are numerous in the volume alluded to. To those breeders who prefer a cow-house, or who wish to see their animals conveniently under one roof, I would recommend an inspection of Her Majesty's cow-house, at the Dairy Farm, Windsor. This splendid building, which is 132 feet long, 38 feet wide, and about 45 feet high, is erected with a span roof, under the centre of which is a raised platform, 6 feet 6 inches wide, paved with flag stones, for the accommodation of visitors to inspect the cows, which are arranged in pairs on either side, each pair having a lair 7 feet deep and 8 feet wide, the building containing 60 cows. Each cow has a separate feeding trough, with a water trough for a pair, the supply for which is derived from elevated cis- terns. At the foot of the lair is a slate gutter, 12 inches wide and about 3 inches deep, which receives the urine and droppings ; beyond which is an asphalte pathway, 6 feet wide, running round the building, with additional space at the ends. Numerous windows in the side walls afford light in the day time, and duriiig feeding and milking hours at night the cows have the advantage of gas light, several lamps being suspended from the centre. Doors are conveniently placed for ingress and egress ; and open yards with sheds adjoin, into which the cows can be at any time turned. The ventilation of this building is chiefly in the roof, and is very good. The requisite conveniences for stowing and preparing food for the cows of course appertain ; and the possession of such a building, filled with the choicest specimens of shorthorns from the show-yards of our Royal Agricul- tural Society, would in some measure reconcile me to the plan of keeping them which I have so strongly deprecated. In passing, the visitor to this " Royal cow-house " will find the homesteads at the Dairy Farm and at Shaw Farm, Windsor, well worth his inspection, as they are substantially but plainly built, and possess many conve- niences which are not ordinarily met with. The excel- lent accommodation for the labourers must not be overlooked. As evidence of the value of exercise to cows near calving, I am informed that from about 1830 to 1840 a Mr. George Lyon flourished in Yorkshire, who pur- chased great numbers of cows for London dairymen. Mr. Lyon usually selected the largest and finest cows, many of them being very fresh. The cows were driven to London at the rate of nine to twelve miles per day, the greater part of them calved on the road, the calves being sold to wayside farmers, or taken forward in carts, and the cows continuing their journey. Mr. Lyon was wont to say that he never lost a cow from calving after she had had three days' travelling. Some cows are subject to falling down of the vagina or first passage, the cause and treatment of which is thus described by Skellett : *' This is a complaint which, in cases of weakness, both precedes and follows calving ; the womb and calf's head pressing upon the passage, make the latter fall down, which it does to a certain ex- tent. Before calving little can be done to remedy it ; but when it appears after it, it admits of a certain method of cure. When the parts are replaced, which is easily done, in order to retain them in their situation a stitch or two should be passed through the sides of the shape, by means of a packing needle threaded with com- mon tape. The parts are to be embrocated with a de- coction of bark with alum, and everything done to strengthen the general habit of the animal; for, as soon as the cow is in health and vigour, this dis- placement wears ofi". Before calving, the appearance of this complaint generally alarms those who have the management of cows, and they conceive that the womb will be entirely protruded : it is only necessary here to keep the animal in a position least favourable for the descent, and to give a stitch in the manner directed , which will prevent the protrusion going farther, till the operation of calving commences, when the parts are generally retracted, or go up of themselves." Without expressing an opinion respecting the treat- ment recommended by Skellett, I quote from his work in the absence of better information. The science and skill of our modern veterinary professors may materially improve on the practitioner of twenty -five years ago. For bad cases of this kind an inclined platform is ne- cessary, so that the cow's hind quarters shall be raised from nine to twelve inches higher than her fore quarters. The cow should be tied up, and lie on sparred boards well littered, under which should be stones or flints for her water to pass through, with good drainage under- neath, as the confinement consequent to this state renders cleanliness very necessary to the cow. The ascent to the platform must be gradual, and the cow can be led out for exercise as circumstances permit. For the satisfaction of those breeders who have cows in this condition, I may say that one of the most valuable breeding cows in England is thus afflicted ; that she is constantly kept on a raised platform ; safely produced a fine bull calf in the autumn of 1857, is again with calf, and looks healthy and well. Although I do not advise the frequent use of bulling stocks, they are occasionally required, and are a neces- sary adjunct to a breeder's premises. A minute descrip- tion of the stocks would needlessly lengthen this paper, but anyone desirous of having them constructed can readily inspect them on the premises of most of our established breeders. A cattle van will be found of essential service to remove stock in times of difficulty. Such may arise from acci- dental lameness, the slippery state of the roads, or the THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 403 distance from a railway station, &c. The van should have a let-down flap at either tud, so that the animal may walk in at one end and out at thg other, on re- moving the horse. If a cow heavy with caU has to be " backed" out of the van, she may be much frightened, and endanger the safety of herself and calf. In the management of a herd of shorthorns niucli de- pends upon the cowman, who must be an early riser, quick, industrious, good-tempered, and clean in his per- son and habits. He must also be able to control and direct the young men who are under bim, and check the least exhibition of temper or violence towards the stock. The cowman should be accustomed to keep a bulling book, to check against the master or bailiff; and to report accidents or doubtful symptoms to his master without delay. He must be able to bleed cattle, and have the necessary instruments at band, in case of need ; to keep a reserve of drinks for cows, and diarrhoea powders for calves ; and watch the progress and the changes of the down-calvers with the greatest vigilance. I need scarcely say that the cowman sbould reside on the premises ; that he should always be at his post ; and that he should have a man within call at night, to assist him in taking a calf from a cow, if requisite, as favourable cases frequently need the services of two men. He should also be instructed in the use of the probang, in case a cow is choked ; and of the trochar, in case she is blown ; as either accident requires a prompt remedy, and the animal may be dead before other assist- ance can be obtained. A cowman's place is confining and anxious, though not laborious ; and a good man deserves a master's encouragement. We must now speak of bulls, the treatment best adapted to render them healthy and strong, and the condition they should be kept in for stock purposes. I consider it very important the bull-calf should have an ample supply of new milk twice a-day until he is eight months old, and if the calf has plenty of milk he will require little other food. When a month old the calf may have some sweet hay to pull at, which will induce him to ruminate ; and when four months old, in addition to hay, a small quantity of linseed-cake and a few slices of turnip may be given daily. Should the supply of milk run short, the linseed-cake can be in- creased, and a little oatmeal given, mixed with hay chaff. The food must all be of the best quality, and the milk pure, if the calf has less of it. Much watery drink and indifferent food have a tendency to weaken the organs of digestion, and to create a big belly, which is very objectionable in bull calves. The young bull should lie loose, in a roomy and airy shed, but well littered, and at the age of four months he should be ac- customed to the use of a halter or headstall, be occa- sionally led round a paddock, at other times tied up for an hour, and every means taken to render him docile and tractable. As the bull increases in strength he should be exercised daily, and treated with the greatest kindness and carefulness. After eight months the calf may be gradually weaned from milk, by substituting linseed tea ; and a peck of sliced turnips or wurzel may' be given it daily, with Slbs. linseed-cake, and a quart of oatmeal mixed with h ly chaff. When between ten and twelve months old, the young bull should have a ring put ia his nose. I prefer copper rings, wldch are made of three sizes, and are to be obtained in many parts of Yorkshire at 30s. per dozen. The nostril is usually pierced with a hot iron, or cut with a stamp nose- punch, and tlie ring riveted. The nostril will require rubbing with fresli lird for several days afterwards, and the bull should not be led by the ring until the wound is completely healed. Bull calves which are not desired for getting stock sbould be castrated at a month old, when the operation can be safely performed. A young bull will serve a heifer, and get her with calf, when he is ten months old ; but it is better not to work him until he is a year old, when the bull may be moderately used to small heifers, without fear of straining his loins or checking his growth. Bull calves are frequently allowed to run in the fields with a " nurse " cow, and suck her at will, gradually weaning themselves. Cases are known where such calves, at eight months old, have bulled their "nurse" and got her with calf. Care must be taken that the first heifers put to the bull are not too wide across the hips, and he should be brought out on an empty stomach, and have a good sight of the heifer before he is suffered to jump her. A fair commencement with a young bull is of much importance, as subsequent trouble is thereby avoided. If a heifer will stand quietly in a yard for the bull to serve her, it is far preferable to putting her into the stocks. One thorough jump is suflBcient ; and if the heifer passes six weeks without coming into season, it may be presumed the bull has " stopped " her. A bull is often suffered to run with cows in the field, and is driven to and from the homestead with them. There is no better plan of keeping and using a bull than this, and he is more likely to get the cows with calf, and continue to work, than under any other treatment. A pailful of boiled barley given to the bull once or twice a day, when he comes in with the cows, will be found beneficial. If the barley is well boiled, and diluted with a little water, the bull will drink it all. When a bull runs out, it is advisable to strap a board over his eyes, which will pre- vent him destroying trees or fences, and render hira less dangerous to human beings in the event of his turning savage. From my knowledge of the effects of peas and beans as food for young bulls, I strongly object to their use, excepting in very limited quantities, being con- vinced that many valuable animals are irreparably injured by the immoderate use of such food. A bull in full work should be well, but not extravagantly fed. In the winter, one bushel of swedes, given at twice, 3 or 4 lbs. of linseed cake, with hay or cut chaff, daily, will keep a bull in good working order." If a bull is having five or six cows a week, he will neither get lazy nor fat on this food ; but if he only has one or two cows a week, he will not require linseed cake. Barley-water is strongly re- commended for drink when a bull is being worked hard. A bull must, in fact, be fed according to his work, and his nature and dis position must be studied ; as one will not serve cows if he is poor, another will not serve if he h fresh, and a third will cease to work if he has not a 404. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. good and regular supply of cows. I have used a bull which was fed simply on barley-straw and half-a-bushel of cut swedes daily. On this diet he would serve a cow a day, and stop them ; but double his allowance of swedes, and give him 3 or 4 lbs. of linseed-cake daily, with hay, and he would soon cease to serve. Another bull, apparently short of stamina, would not serve at all on low diet, but stopped his cows when he was allowed 4 lbs. linseed-cake daily, with swedes and hay. It some- times happens that a bull which is ready and active at serving cows, and apparently labours under no defect, will not get the cows with calf. I have never been so unfortunate as to use a bull of this description ; but I know gentlemen who have, and who could in no way account for the bull's incompetency. When breeders have only one working bull, it is extremely mortifying to find him so worthless, as a whole herd of cows may lose a season before it is clearly ascertained where the fault lies. Bulls cease to work at different ages. Many fail to serve at five or six years, whilst others work satisfac- torily until ten or twelve years old. Mr. Bates' " Bel- videre" served well and got calves until sixteen. Mr. Henry Smith, of Drax Abbey, used " Pilgrim" (4701), and " Captain Shaftoe" (6833), until each of them were thirteen years old ; and I have Mr. Smith's authority for saying that the late calves by these bulls were quite equal to the early ones. Mr. Richard Booth's " Baron Warlaby," calved in May, 1845, I believe is serving cows at this time; and his " Vanguard," calved in April, 1847, is let out on hire at a great sum, and is working well. I have proved, and my opinion is con- firmed by the most experienced breeders, that a bull in full vigour and health will serve six cows a week, and is quite as likely to get all of them with calf as if he only served one cow a week. In-and-in breeding is considered detrimental to the working of bulls, and cases are cited of bulls closely bred which have proved slow and bad servers. Yet we must be cautious how we pronounce a strong condemna- tion against close breeding. We all know how nearly the late Mr. Bates' shorthorns were allied, the daughter being sometimes bulled by her sire, the dam by her own son, and so on. Yet Mr. Bates' blood, at several sub- sequent sales, realized enormous prices ; and the best strains of his stock are still eagerly contended for. The herd of Mr. Booth, of Warlaby, is a remarkable example of breeding from the same stock for a long period, the bull Exquisite (8048), from the Wiseton Sale in 1846, being the only animal introduced for a " cross" for many years. Yet this celebrated breeder not only exhibited the "best shorthorn cow," and the "best yearling heifer," at our late Chester Show of the Royal Agricultural Society, but his bulls are so eagerly sought after that he is unable to keep pace with the demand for them. The enormous sums of 100, 200, and even 250 guineas per annum are paid him for the hire of a bull ; his calves are bespoken whilst they are yet sucking ; and his income from the letting out of bulls alone (as none are sold) is equal to that of most of our country squires from their broad acres. His Imperial Majesty the Em- peror of France, and his Royal Highness the Prince Consort, each patronise this remarkable herd for a bull ; and some of his numerous stock have not been seen by Mr. Booth for ten years, having been moved from one herd to another without returning home. As it is not my object to call attention to any parti- cular herd of shorthorns further than to elucidate my subject, I refrain from pursuing this inquiry, which is, however, full of interest to the breeders of shorthorns. As the temper of no animal is more uncertain than that of the bull, he should always be approached with caution, but without fear. The same man should attend to him as much as possible ; and though the bull should usually lie loose, he should be tied up at certain times, and accustomed to be handled by the master or by strangers, as well as by his attendant. Where it is not convenient for bulls to run out with the cows, exercise must be given them in other ways. A strongly-fenced yard adjoining the bull's shed, into which he can be turned during the day, is very essential; besides which, the bull will be all the better if led out for an hour four or five days in the week. A bull constantly chained up, and not allowed exercise or liberty, is as likely to turn savage as a yard dog similarly treated. From the earliest ages our subject has caused anxiety and inquiry to all who were interested in the breeding of cattle; and Job, in his affliction, alludes to the peculiar prosperity of the wicked, inasmuch as " their bull gendereth, and faileth not : their cow calveth, and casteth not her calf." We may safely assume that "high feeding," to which so many of the mischances in breeding are attributed, was but little known or practised in the days of Job, so far as breeding animals were concerned ; yet we find the man considered fortunate and prosperous beyond his fellows who possessed a bull which "gendereth and faileth not" ; or a cow which " calveth, and casteth not her calf." I have previously spoken of the value of a good cow- man, and of the qualifications he should possess ; but an intelligent, vigilant, and watchful master is indis- pensable in the management of a herd of shorthorns. He must have a quick eye, to detect the shortcomings of his men, or the failings in his stock; and he must fre- quently inspect personally the feeding of calves, milk- ing of cows, management of bulls, the preparation and application of food ; and note the effect of different kinds of food on the animals. It is seldom also that a master can go round his premises without seeing waste- fulness to be checked, carelessness to be reproved, or temper to be subdued. Violence to bulls should be im- mediately repressed, as they do not soon forget an in- jury, and will retaliate when opportunity offers. Few descriptions of stock require greater forethought and care than a breeding herd of shorthorns. As the writer of this article, I may add that I have devoted much time and thought to the study of these interesting animals, and I am firmly convinced that in this, as in every pursuit where excellence is desired, a man's time Und energies must be largely devoted to his business. In founding a herd of shorthorns, the young breeder should commence with a choice few, and spare no pains THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 405 ia procuring them. Nor must money be a considera- tion, as the first outlay will be the least, if the selection is good. The pedigrees of the cows must be of the first class, and free from alloy. The animals themselves must be as perfect in form, and good in quality, as can be bought ; and they should be known as regular breeders, or from regular breeding tribes. The best shorthorns cannot be purchased, but they can be bred ; and any one commencing with five or six superior cows, and using a bull as good as can be found — the blood and quality of which must also be unexceptionable — may, by retaining his heifers, in a few years be the pos- sessor of a splendid herd. " The Breeder's Complete Register of Shorthorns, containing Forms of Entry for Registering the Pedigree and Produce of the Herd," by Mr. Torr, and published by Longman and Co., London, will be found fully to answer the purpose of a private herd book. Our national register, known as " Coates' Herd Book," in 12 vols. 8vo., is published by the pro- prietor, Mr. Strafford, of Euston-square, London, who receives entries from shorthorn breeders at certain times, of which he gives notice, for future publication. In the foregoing observations I have confined my re- marks to the feeding and management of breeding stock in an ordinary and economical manner, consistent with fair condition. The feeding and treatment of stock for exhibition at our best local and national shows is quite a different matter, and demands care and skill which few persons thoroughly possess, and an outlay and disregard of expense which alarms prudent men. When expense is not a consideration, other requisites are so essential and imperative, that although the competitors are numerous, the winners of prizes are generally a select few, verifying the words of an ancient motto, that— " Many go out for wool, and come home shorn." [We have permission to state that these papers are from the pen of Mr. Francis Tallant, whose position as manager of Mr. Marjoribanks' herd gives them a weight and practical authority of the highest order. — Editor F. M.] THE AGRICULTURE OF AUSTRIA. Translated from the French of the " Journal of Practical Agriculture." Those who have carefully studied the agricultural history of Austria cannot fail to be struck with the wide difference exist- ing between the present state of things and that which pre- ceded the revolution of 1848. Before that period the breeding of Merinos, the manufacture of beet-root sugar, and the distil- leries, were, of all tlie branches of rural industry, those which alone were privileged to attract the attention of the large pro- prietors. It was iu the year 1761, under the glorious reign of the Empress Maria Theresa, that the first Merinos were imported into Austria, upon the Imperial domains of Manuersdorf and Hollisch. Thanks to the landowners of Silesia, Moravia, Bo- hemia, and Hungary, and above all to the indefatigable zeal and energetic activity of the Barons de Bartenstein and Ehreufels, of Count Wrbna, Prince Liehnowsky, the Counts Colloredo Mansfeldt, Hunyade, and Karoly, and of Messrs. Chriatiaa Androe and Bernard Petri, the rearing of Merinos was conducted upon the largest scale, and has since become both the chief product of Austrian agriculture and the brightest jewel in its orown. The high price of wool, and the depressed condition of other products of the soil, have exercised a decided influence on the progress of wool-husbandry and the rearing of Merinos in Austria ; but with the progress of civilization, coupled with a consumption continually increasing, and assisted besides by the extension of the means of communication, that branch of rural production cannot fail to increase still more in impor- tance, and the enhghtened cultivators ought to think seriously of replacing with fiue-woolled animals the common races which are still met with iu their flocks. This improvement is so much the more of pressing importance that the subdivision of the land in the rest of Europe tends to banish the breeding of sheep into those countries in which large domains still exist, as Hungary, Silesia, Moravia, &c. The luiinber of sheep in Austria at the present time amounts in round numbers to thirty millions, which yield annually 33.600,000 kilos, of wool (84,000,000 lbs.), representing a value approximating to 157,000,000 florins (or £10,700,000 sterling), which forms the subject of a commercial operation the importance of which may still be increased to a very con- siderable extent. Germany, as ia well known, is the cradle of the manufacture of sugar from beet-root. It was a Prussian chemist, M. Margraaf, who first discovered, in 1747, the presence of crys- tallizable sugar in beet-root. He was followed by Achard, who established at Cunnera in Silesia the first beet-sugar ma- nufactory ; but it was not till the beginning of 1809 that the continental blockade (the Berlin and Milan decrees of Napo- leon) gave an active stimulus to the new industry, which has required not less than thirty years to acclimatise itself in Austria. The establishment of the first sugar manufactories in Austria date from the year 1830, which saw erected those of Prince Oettingen-WoUerstein at Klein-Kuchel, near Prague ; of Baron de Stratendorf, at Bedeskau in Bohemia ; of Prince Latour and Taxis at Dobrobit ; of Count Czernin at Sudkal, near Malleshau in Bohemia ; of Count Colloredo Mansfeldt at Stacy iu Lower Austria, &c. In the ten years from 1830 to 1840, 113 factories were put in operation ; but of this num- ber the greater part of those of the least importance, namely those which were worked by a naked fire, and employed less than 1,500,000 kilos, of beet-root (1,674 tons), have been suc- cessively abandoned, and to such an extent that at the present time they do not reckon more than 108, which consume about 308,000,000 kilos, of beet-root (343,750 tons), and produce 14,000,000 kdos. (or 15,625 tons) of sua;ar, 9,240,000 kilos, of molasses (14,776| tons), and 30,800,000 kilos, of residue (34,375 tons). The total amount of the duties received by the Treasury is about 1,310,000 frs. (or £52,400 sterling), being about 9f. 35 c. per 100 kilogrammes of sugar. The discovery of the ingenious process, by which we can revive the animal black (charcoal) and make it serve again in the manufacture, has enabled the manufacturers to employ a larger quantity, and thus to raise to 7 per cent, the return 406 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. in BUgar from tli3 ta>v beet-roat. This iraprovemeufc has consequently increased the product of Austrian sugar to 19,500,000 kilos, (or 21,764 tons), which represents about one-third of the consumption of the empire. Tne average return of the beet-root is 25,600 kilos, (or about 28|^ tons) per hect., (or 11| tons per acre). 13,000 hectares are devoted to this cultivation, and furnish the 508 millions of kilos, of roots annually delivered to the sugar factories. The price of the beet-roots probably approximates to 23 fr, per 1,000 kilos, (or about 19a. per ton) delivered at the factory. In certain cases they have even paid from 30 fr. 70 c. to 36 fr. 75 c. (or from 253. to 303. per ton). The average amount of the harvest will therefore be 7,205,000 fr. (or £288,000 sterling), without including the leaves, the pro- duce of which per hectare is about 6,000 kilos., equal to 1,200 kilos, of hay. In estimating the price of the sugar at 140 fr.the 100 kilos. (or S^d.per lb), that of molasses at 14 fr.(or 53. 2d. per cwt.), and, lastly, the residue at 1 fr. 50 c. (or about ISs. per ton), . we find that the 308 million kilos, of beet-root have produced Sugar 19,650,000f. Molasses 1,281.000 f. Residue 493,432 f. Total ,.. 21,425,432 f. (or £857,057 sterling), which return shows that the value of the raw beet-root is tripled by its employment in the manu- faoture of sugar. The leaves of the beet-root and the residue represent together a quantity of 25,670,000 kilos, of hay, which furnishes food for 6,500 middle-sized oxen. Let us add lastly, to complete this account, that the mauufacture of beet-sugar in Austria occupies nearly 20,000 workmen during four or five months of winter. We may form some idea of the extension that the manu- facture of beet-sugar is still destined to take in Austria, if we reflect that Hungary, Galicia, Croatia, aud Sclavonia at present possess only twenty sugar works, whilst the natural fertility and depth of their soil, and the cheapness of land, place them in conditions particularly favourable to the culti- vation of beet-root. We now come to the third of the agricultural speculations, which have more particularly fixed the attention and attracted ths capitals of the great Austrian proprietors, namely; the cultivation of the potato, aud its distillation for the extraction of alcohol. This branch of industry has exercised over Austrian agriculture a considerable influence, from which even the rest of Europe has not wholly escaped. Since the year 1317 the history of Agriculture has not had to report any general scarcity ; on the contrary, good seasons have suc- ceeded each other almost without intermission, the year 1830 being the only year in which Eastern Europe has suffered under the influence of an alimentary crisis, cccasioned, in part at least, by the political events, of which Warsaw was the theatre. The depression in the price of grain was the necessary con- sequence of the state of things that we have pointed out ; and in 1824 the market price fell to such a point that the harvest did not suffice to cover the expense of production, and the husbandman found it impossible to pay his taxes and rent. It may be supposed that, placed in such a position, the zeal of the great proprietors for agriculture would be sensibly coded, and that the majority of them would seek, in manufacture, the means of making up the deficiency in their revenues. It is to these causes that we may correctly attribute the establishment of a great numhcr (.( diatilleries and breweries, and the crea- tion of numerous factories of sterch, size, sugar, and vinegar. By its antiquity and its numerous affinities with agriculture' the distillery was necessarily the first to attract the attention Oi' those who were anxious about the means of deriving advan- tage from the produce of the soil, so as to secure a revenue. It is heiice that we saw arise in central Europe innumerable distilleries, of which some Were formed upon an extraordinary scale. The culture of the potato took an immense extension' and the products of its distillation, b}' developing amongst the populations around the fatal habit r.f intoxication, struck a heavy blow at their intellectual existence. However this may be, this revolution in the economy of rural employments was followed by a sensible improvement in the incomes from land ; aud some weut so far as to assert, in a general way, that distilleries would alone stamp a value upon the land, aud enable the owners to draw a rich revenue from the soil. Upon those domains on which the quantity of tubers did not suffice to employ in a continuous manner, the action of the distilling apparatus, they found themselves compelled to have recourse to the peasants, and engage them to make, in their culture, a large reserve for the potato. In face of the extraor- dinary reduction in the price of cereals, and an absolute want of openings for them, it was not difficult to convince them ; aud they lost no time in banishing from their rotations the beans and peas, in order to increase the extent allotted to the potato, and thus furuisii to the distilleriea the first substance they require. The mauufacture of spirits then assumed fresh activity ; but the distillers soon found out that the production must be regulated exactly by the requirements of the consump- tion, and that the benefits of the enterprise were intimately dependent on the rigorous observance of this principle. In search of markets, they deliver at a low price brandy of inferior quality, sell on credit, and, in short, agree to all kinds of sales on account, according to which the value of their goods is to be reimbursed to them in potatoes, deliverable at the time of raising. At the same time other means of seduc- tion were employed by brokers and agents; in a word, nothing was neglected to attain the end, namely, to make the large workings produce the greatest possible amount of revenue. As to the physical and moral consequences of the immoderate use of braady, they may be easily guessed ; Galicia presents an example of it which deserves to be studied ; and they have been amply exposed in the works of authors, and by temper- ance societies, who have undertaken to struggle against the abuse of alcoholic beverages. Allured by the temptation of the profits the husbandman, in spite of the extension given to the culture of th6 potato, did not take the trouble to calculate very exactly the quantity necessary for his owu use. From the small number of tubers which were not sent to the distillery, they selected the best for their own consumption ; so that when the time for plant- ing came, they found in the cellars or pits only a mass of small tubers often insufficient to ssed the surface to be planted. Slid which it was therefore necessary to cut into small pieces, at the risk of failure. It is not surprising after this, when the aeed-tubers were chosen under such objectionable conditions, that many cultivators afterwards attributed the potato disease ti a disorganization of the plant or a debility iu its consti- tution. In manufacturing on a large scale, they obtain from one hectolitre of potatoes L16-50 of brandy of 20 per cent., and L72.50 of residue (or 29 pints of brandy, and 127| pints of residue). The net cost price of an eimer (102 pints) of alco- hol, without reckoning interest on capital engaged in the busi- THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 407 nesg, ia juit 6 florins (128.) ; ami as the eimcr is sold at 10 florins (203.), there remaiua a profit of 4 florins (Sa.) per eimer, or of 4 kreutzera per mass (Ll.ll.or l^d. per 2J pints). 'No<^, a quiiital (1401bs.) of potatoes proluciug 7 mass (about 16 pints) of alcohol, the tubers will be paid for at the rate of 42 kreutzers (about IGJd.), that is to say, at a price at which it is impossible to procure them. These figures explain the motives that have induced the distillers to throw themselves again upon grain, and also show how much the advantages of their operations depend on the employment of the residue. With these residues they fatten oxen, whose food ration is calculated at the rate of ten pounds of residue for one pound of hay. According to this, 150 livres or 50 mass of residue, which are obtained from 100 livres of potatoes, are equivalent to 15 livres of hay. In fixing the price of hay at 1 florin 30 kreutzers per quintal, we find that the 50 mass of residue ought to be worth about 6 kreutzers , and it is, in fact, the price paid at the great distilleries. But it is in fattening pigs that the most advantageous ap- plication of them ia attained, and all the great distilleries fatten pigs of the Hungarian breed. This is, it may be said, one of the conditions of their success ; for if they confined themselves to fattening oxen, and the price of alcohol were to be still further reduced, their existence might become a ques- tion. But the fattiiig of pigs appears to have in Austria a prospect so mnch the more certain, that it finds at Hamburg a considerable outlet in four large establishments for salting, which do not consume less than from 2,400 to 3,000 hogs per week. The manufacture of alcohol, combined with the fatting of cattle, possesses for Austria an economic importance so much the greater, that the production of meat and skins is not equal to the requirements of the consumption, and the expense of the importations amounts annually to nearly 23 million francs (£920,000 sterling). They reckon in the Austrian monarchy 16,000 distilleries, the pnnual produce of which rises to 2,900,000 hectolitres (63,328,037 gallons) of alcohol, and 21 million hectolitres of residue, which is equivalent to 242 million kilogrammes of hay. This quantity of hay is sufficient for fatting 60,000 head of neat cattle of average size, which yield at least 504 million kilogrammes of dung, with which they manure 17,000 hectares (or 42,500 acres). We may judge by these estimates the important position the production of alcohol holds in Austria. It is a manu- facture, the interests of which demand to be taken into very sei'ious consideration ; and it will suffice to reform or to reduce the duties which are levied on the alcohols at the delivery, to give it a fresh impulse, to call forth large estab- lishment?, and to annihilate the small distillei'ies, which produce at a dear rate, and exercise a fatal infl lence over the labouring classes. In passing successively in review the breeding of Merinos, the manufacture of sugar, and the distillery, we have studied the three branches of rural industry which, up to the mid- dle of the nineteenth century, have the most particularly fixed the attention of the Austrian cultivators, and laid the foundation of their prosperity. As to the rest, with the ex- ception of the breeding of horses, they troubled themselves but little, and matters have proceeded without any other guide than chance. In the meanwhile, a few amateurs apply themselves sedu- lously to the breeding of horned cattle, and import into their domains animals of the breeds of Berne, Schwytz, the Tyrol, Pinzgau, and Murzthal. But meat, milk, butter, and cheese are sold at prices so low that they afford no en- couragement to the improvers and importers, whose choice, beside?, often falls on races not at all suited to the country. Do they not also commit an error in repeating to nausea that cattle are a " necessary evil," and that cows yield no income, but that it is still necessary lo resign themselves to keeping some of them in order to profit by their dung ? But with such conditions horned-cattle-breeding can only recede to that point that it is necessary to pass in review hundreds of animals, in order to find a bull or cow approaching to faultless. They no longer trouble themselves about race and production. They purchase at hazard ; they couple and cross without attending to the milking qualities, tendency to fattening, or aptitude to labour, and hold themselves well satisfied if they can but obtain animals of a large size. The rearing of cattle is concentrated more and more in the steppes and mountainous regions in proportion as the value of land increases in the plains ; and as the deficiency of good stallions becomes every day more apparent, it is to be feared that the breeding of horned cattle only constitutes a new stage in the bad course on which it has entered. The situation is not better in regard to the porcine race ; and if, between ourselves, the breeding of horses has made, and still makes, undoubted progress, it must be attributed to the increase in the number of stallions, and to the care thej' have taken to select them in perfect analogy with the local races. As to cultivation, properly speaking, they hold it to be ruinous ; and under this idea, it is greatly neglected. At the same time, under the influence of continually increasing demands and the advance in price, the cultivation of hops and oleaginous seeds has received a very large extension, especially in Hungary. The art of cultivating the meadows and improving the forests remains stationary, and has preserved its traditional stamp even to the middle of the nineteenth century; and neither the forest law promulgated in 1815 in Lower Aus- tria, nor the institution of forest masters and agents by arrondisscment and districts, have been able to emancipate the art of the forester from the condition in which it lan- guished. By concentrating itself in the hands of the wealthy pro- prietors, who have planted large vineyards, and have em- ployed themselves in making choice of better vine-stocks, and introducing improvements in the manner of tf eating the wines in cellars, the culture of the vine has realized in lower Austria , a progress that we cannot pass by in silence. But since the soil has been freed from the trammels which weighed upon it; since above all, the price of agricultural produce has sensibly risen, a new era of prosperity has opened to agriculture in Austria. The abolition of the statute labour has given rise to the establishment of numerous factories of aratory implements at Vienna, Prague, Pesth, Limberg, Gratz, Audutz, and Hobeumausen. Thrashing by the flail has given place to the thrashing machine ; the drill is substituted in part for the hand of man ; the ancient wooden plough, with its long mould- board, has been laid aside ; the rake has been replaced by the haymaking machine; the scythe and the sickle have been transformed; the extirpator has taken place of the band-hoe; the sub-soil plough has done the office of the spade and pick- axe. Drainage with its tiles of baked earth has facilitated the escape of the subterranean water. Lastly, steam has won its place in rural operations; and industry displays an energy and activity unexampled in the annals of Austrian agriculture. Under the empire of the dearnees of grain, meat, wool, and wood, manufactories of manure have been established at Lorber, 408 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. Fichtner, Mally, and Holbleng, the frontiers have been opened to the importation of guano, and nitrate of soda, and the pre- paration of farm-yard minure has been subjected to great im- provements. Drainage gains partisans. Societies are estab- lished for the fatting of cattle ; the merinos shew symptoms of occupying the fold at the expense of the common breeds, and the porciue race is improved by well-judged crossings. For- ester societies, and schools are established in almost all the provinces of the monarchy, and itinerant foresters convey to them instruction in the best methods. Lastly, engineers skilful in the art of cultivating the meadows, travel through the country, and lend their aid in the clearing of the lands and in the drainage of the marshes. In a word, the elevated rate of agricultural produce, or at least, the remunerative price that they obtain, ofifers a sufficient premium to the efforts of the husbandman, to engage them to launch themselves without hesitation in the course of progress. Eugene Marie. THE ANNUAL YIELD OF NITROGEN PER ACRE IN DIFFERENT CROPS. By J. B. La WES, r.R.S., F.C.S., and J. H. Gilbert, Ph.D.. F.C.S. [Read at the British Association for the Advancement of Science, Leeds. Section B., September 28th, 1858.] Abstract. In a paper given last year at the Dublin meeting, on the question of the Assimilation of Free Nitrogen by Plants, and some allied points, the authors had stated in general terms, that the amount of nitrogen yielded per acre, per annum, in different crops — even when unman ured — was considerably beyond that annually coming down, in the forms of ammonia and nitric acid, in the yet measured and analyzed aqueous deposits from the atmosphere. The investigations then re- ferred to were still in progress ; and a desirable introduction to the record of the results would obviously be to illustrate by reference to direct experiment that which had been before only assumed regarding the yield of nitrogen in our different crops. To this end, had been determined the annual produce of nitrogen per acre, in the case of various crops, which were respectively grown for many years consecutively on the same land, namely, wheat fourteen years, barley six years, meadow hay three years, clover three years out of four, beans eleven years, and turnips eight years. In the majority of the instances referred to, the yield of nitrogen had been estimated, both for the crop grown without manure of any kind, and for that with purely mineral manure — that is, excluding any arti- ficial supply of nitrogen. It was the object of the present communication to give a summary view of some of the facts thus brought to light. Beans and clover were shown to yield several times as much nitrogen per acre as wheat or barley. Yet the growth of the leguminous crops, carrying off so much nitrogen as they did, was still one of the best preparations for the growth of wheat ; whilst fallow (an important effect of which was the accumu- lation within the soil of the available nitrogen of two years into one), and adding nitrogenous matmres, had, each, much the same effect in increasing the produce of the cereal crops. Other experimeutftl results were adduced, which illustrated the fact that four years of wheat, alternated with fallow, had given as much nitrogen in the eight years as eight crops of wheat grown consecutively. Again, four crops of wheat, grown in alternation with heans, had given nearly the same amouut of nitrogen per acre as the four crops grown in alter- nation with fallow ; consequently, also much about the same as the eight crops of wheat grown consecutively. In the case of the alternation with leans therefore, the whole of the nitrogen obtained in the beans themselves was over and above that which was obtained during the same series of years in wheat alone — whether it was grown consecutively or in alter- nation with fallow. Interesting questions arose, therefore, as to the varying sources, or powers of accumulation, of nitrogen in the case of crops so characteristically differing from one another as those above referred to. It had been found, that the leguminous crops which yielded in their produce such a comparatively large amount of nitrogen, over a given area of land, were not specially benefited by the direct application of the more purely nitrogenous manures. The cereal crops, on the other hand, whose acreage yield of nitrogen under equal circumstances was comparatively so small, were very much increased by the use of direct nitrogenous manures. But it was found that, over a series of years, only about 4-1 Oths. of the nitrogen annually supplied in ma- nure for wheat or barley (in the form of ammonia-salt or ni- trates) were recovered in the immediate increase of crop. Was any considerable proportion of the unrecovered amount drained away and lost? Was the supplied nitrogenous compound transformed in the soil, and nitrogen in some form evaporated ? Did a portion remain in some fixed and unavailable state of combination in the soil ? Was ammonia, or free nitrogen, given off during the growth of the plant ? Or, how far was there an unfavourable distribution, and state of combination, within the soil, of the nitrogenous matters applied directly for the cereal crops — those, such as the leguminous crops, which assimilated so much more, gathering with greater facility, and from a different area of soil, and leaving a sufficient available nitrogenous residue within the range of collection of a succeed- ing cereal crop ? These questions, among others which their solution more or less involved, required further elucidation before some of the most prominent of agricultural facts could be satisfactorily explained. Comparing the amount of nitrogen yielded in the different crops, when grown without nitrogenous manures as above re- ferred to, with the amount falling in the measured aqueous deposits, as ammonia and nitric-acid, it appeared, taking the average result of the analysis of three years' rain, that all the crops yielded considerably more, and some very much more, than so came down to the soil. The same was the case when several of the crops had been grown in an ordinary rotation with one another, but without manure, through two or three successive courses. Was this observed excess in the yield over the yet measured source at all materially due merely to exhaustion of previously accumulated nitrogenous com- pounds within the soil ? Was it probably attributable chiefly to the absorption of ammonia or nitric-acid from the air, by the plant itself or by the soil ? Was there any notable /or?na- tion of ammonia or nitric acid, from the free nitrogen of the at- mosphere? or, did plants generally, or some in particular, assi- milate this free nitrogen ? As already intimated, some of the points which had been alluded to, were at the present time under investigation ; the authors having, in this, the able assistance of Dr. Pugh. Others, it might be hoped, would receive elucidation in the course of time. There of course still remained the wider question of the orgiual source, and of the distribution and circulation, of combined nitrogen, in the soil, iu animal and vegetable life on the earth's surface, and in the atmosphere above it. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 409 WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. LECTWRE ON THE METRICAL SYSTEM OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES, AND THE DESIRABLENESS OP ITS BEING ADOPTED BY ALL CIVILIZED NATIONS AS THEIR COMMON STANDARD, READ IN THE COUNCIL ROOM OP THE CHAM- BBR OF COMMERCE, BELFAST, ON THE EVENING OF THURSDAY, THE 23rD SEPTEMBER, 1858, BY THE REV. JOHN SCOTT PORTER. At the request of the Council of the British branch of the " International Association for obtaining a Uniform Decimal System of Measures, Weights, and Coins," I have under- taken to deliver a lecture on the subject, which has been announced for discussion this evening. I may add, that I am indebted to that society for the use of the specimens and the diagram by which my remarks will be illustrated, and to its valuable publications, especially those by Professor Hennessey and Mr. Yates — copies of which I have placed on the table before me — for many of the facts which I am about to bring forwai'd. As the subject is closely related to the business of trade and manufacture, I have thought the council-room of the Chamber of Commerce a suitable place for uttering what I have to say upon it ; but, as it has also its moral and philosophic aspect, I conceive myself, as a minister of religion, engaged in no unsuitable or unbe- coming occupation, when I venture to lay before those who do me the honour to attend to what falls from me, the con- clusions which I have reached, and an outline of the pro- cess by which they have been attained. The subject is not exciting ; it enkindles no party zeal or sectarian interest ; but I trust to show, before the close of this address, that it is calculated to enlist the sympathies and engage the attention of all who wish to advance the welfare of their fellow-men. I would especially desire to turn to it the thoughts of young men engaged in commercial pursuits. Their active life is yet before them ; and I conceive they ought to feel an enlightened desire to secure the adoption of such plans for the conduct of commerce as may render all its operations more definite and easy, and may thus promote not only their own convenience, but the happiness of their race. With- out further preface, I proceed to the discussion of the sub- ject announced— namely, the expediency of adopting an improved system of measures and weights, calculated to become the common standard for the exchange of commodi- ties throughout the whole civilized world. I begin with a retrospective glance at the early history of weights and measures. Their introduction is coeval with the dawn of civilization : society may exist without them, but not civilized society. The Laplanders, the Bushmen, the Esquimaux, the Red Indians, have neither weights nor measures ; but the business of a city could not go on for a week without them. Hence we find mention of them at a very early period in the world's history. The dimensions of the ark were given to Noah in cubits ; and Abraham weighed to Ephron, the Hittite, the silver which was the price of the field and cave of Macphelia, in shekels. The ammah, like the Latin word cubitus (a cubit), by which it is translated, signifies the fore-arm, from the elbow downwards to the point of the fingers—" the cubit of a man," as it is called in Deut. iii. 11. The shekel, like our own English pound (from 2)0)!(Zhs), denotes, etymologically, "a weight;" but among the Hebrews, the " shekel of the sanctuary" was defined to be of the weight of twenty gerahs (Exod. XXX., 13; Num. iii. 47 ; Ezek. xlv. 12), that is, of twenty beans — for so the word gerah literally signifies. Let us not despise these rude attempts to fix a common and natural standard of measures and weights. Our own system was originally formed on the very same principle. Silver among ourselves is sold by the ounce, consisting of 480 grains ; and the grain was at first what its name implies — a pickle of dried corn, taken from the middle of the ear. More bulky commodities are often sold by the stone— a term which ex- plains itself, and bespeaks the rudeness of primeval times. In measures of length we have the barley-corn, now never used, except in works of arithmetic, in which it is preserved for the sole purpose, as it would seem, of presenting an additional puzzle to the hapless children who are condemned to drudge at our dreary and unaccountable system of count- ing ; we have the hand and foot, taken, of course, from the corresponding parts of the human form ; we have the j'ai'd, anciently termed the ell (iilma), that is to say, the arm. The word ell is no longer used to signify the arm in common speech, but it is retained in the compound el-bow, which means the bow or bend of the arm. And the depths of the ocean are sounded in fathoms, that is to say, the expanse of the outstretched arms. These are very rough standards of comparison — they fluctuate in size and bulk — in fact, they are seldom exactly equivalent in any two individuals; their employment for the purposes of trade would open a door to continual fraud, and give rise to perpetual bickerings, which it is the very object of a system of weights and measures to prevent. Accordingly means were early taken to reduce them to some definitely ascertained magnitude, which should be general at least for each neighbourhood. At first the plans employed for this purpose were almost as rude as the errors which they were designed to correct. In France, for example, every province under the old monarchy had its own system of weights, and its own system of measures for lengths, surfaces, and capacities, quite independent of all the rest of the kingdom. Sometimes these standards, thus differing from each other, went by different names in the different provinces, which occasioned considerable iucon- venience to traders ; sometimes the. standards used in different provinces, and differing from each other in magni- tude, passed by the same name, which led to still greater perplexity. In two, at least, of the largest and most popu- lous provinces of France, it was the custom — which had the force of law — that the standard of length in each seig- neurie, or manor, should be the arm of the seigneur for the time being. In these districts, the death of a short seig- neur, if succeeded by a son six feet in height, and with an arm proportioned to his height, would ruin half the traders, and make the fortunes of the remainder. All this has now been rectified ; and there is no country in the world that at present enjoys the benefits of a system of weights and mea- sures more philosophical in its conception, more elegant in the relation of its different members, or more convenient in F F 410 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. its application to all the purposes of civilized man, than that now employed in the French empire. In England, the necessity of a fixed and uniform standard was felt and acknowledged at a very early period. In the Anglo-Saxon times, so early as the reign of King Edgar, about a hundred years before the Norman Conquest, a law was made requiring that a set of weights and measures should be kept at Winchester, then the capital of the king- dom, by which those employed at other places should be regulated. The troublesome and distracted state of the nation in after-times probably occasioned this law to be neglected. At all events great irregularities existed, and were complained of in the time of King Henry I., the son of the Conqueror, at least as regarded the unit of length ; to obviate them, he made a law that the length of his own right arm should be the standard yard for his dominions. This provision also failed to produce the needful uniformity. In Magna Charta, which was signed in the reign of Henry's great-grandson, King John, it was stipulated by the 41 st section that there should be only one weight and one mea- sure throughout the whole realm. In later times it was enacted by Parliament that a standard yard, a standard pound troy, and a standard gallon — all made of brass, under the direction of commissioners appointed for the purpose — should be kept in the costody of the Speaker of the House of Commons ; that compared copies of them should be lodged in several important towns ; and that all legal weights and measures should be conformed to them. The originals were lost by the fire which consumed the old House of Commons, in the autumn of 1834 ; but the certi- fied copies, which had been made with as much care and accuracy as the standards themselves, still exist ; and, so far as these three magnitudes are concerned, I have never heard a complaint of any want of uniformity throughout the United Kingdom. But there are, nevertheless, evils and imperfections in our existing systems of measures which, in my opinion, loudly call for a remedy, and to which it seems strange, and almost inconceivable, that the com- mercial community of Great Britain and Ireland should have submitted even for a single year. Some of these I shall now endeavour to point out. In the first place, it is to be remarked that three important portions of our system are quite independent of each other — I allude to the measures of weight, length, and capacity. The pound has nothing to do with the yard, nor the yard to the imperial gallon. There are thus three distinct and separate standards ; whereas, if a more rational method had been fol- lowed, one would have been sufficient, from which all the rest could easily have been d6rived. Secondly, all these standards are purely artificial and arbitrary ; there is nothing in nature that corresponds to any one of them, or from which they can in any simple or elegant manner be derived. I defy any man to give to another, by intelligible words, an exact idea of the length of a yard or the weight of a pound, otherwise than by placing specimens of these quantities before him. Hence, if our present weights and measures were lost, they could not possibly be recovered ; nor could future ages have any notion of quantities expressed in terms derived from our existing standards. Thirdly, the divisions of our scale, or rather of our manifold scales, are arbitrary, capricious, perplexing, and in most cases inconvenient, to a degree that foreigners, accus- tomed to a simple and elegant system, find it difficult to com- prehend. This is the circumstance which makes the study of commercial arithmetic so difficult and disgusting. There are very few pupils who .can learn arithmetic tolerably well in less than three years ; in most cases it reqiiircs four to master it, even under an able teacher and with the best existing text- books ; whereas, if a proper division of our money, weights, and measures were introduced, I affirm, without hesitation, that all the knowledge that is contained in Dr. Thomson's arithmetic could easily be acquired in a twelve-mouth, and when 80 acquired could never be forgotten. Let me illustrate this by a specimen of the sub-divisiou of some of th^ larger units of the scale, showing the multipliers which are to be used in bringing them to a lower denomination, as it is called : of course, in bringing lower to higher denominations, the mul- tipliers become divisors in inverted order. In reducing money, that is to say, the denominations of money in which accounts are kept— for the coins are far more numerous, and their sub-divisions go upon a different principle altogether — the multipliers are successively 20, 12, and 4. In reducing a mile to its sub-divisions in this country, the multi- pliers are 8, 40, 7, 3, 12, and 3. In reducing a ton, the mul- tipliers are 20, 4, 28, and 16; for another sort of ton, the multipliers are 20, 4, 30, and 16 ; for another sort of ton, 21, 4, 28. In reducing a yard, a carpenter uses as multipliers, 3, 12, and 8; but a draper, 4 and 4. A grocer, in bringing his pound to a lower denomination, usea as multipliers, 16 and 16; a goldsmith reduces his pound by 20 and 24; and an apothecary his by 8 and 30. Moreover, these pounds, and the ounces of which they consist, are of different weights ; the goldsmith's pound is lighter than the grocer's, but his ounce is heavier ; and not one person in ten thousand knows the exact proportion between them. In the measure of surfaces, the statute acre is successively reduced to its lower denominations, by the multipliers, 4, 40, 30^ ; the perch by 30^, 9, and 144. To take one out of many of the ways of calculating capacity, we may select the authorized division of the quarter of corn. It is to be reduced into its lower component parts by multiplying by 8, 4, 2, 4, 2, and 4. And as to the divisions of the bushel and the gallon, they are so various and so perplexing that I could not venture to set them forth without exposing myself to the chance, or rather to the certainty, of falling into some mistake ; I might make myself ridiculous, and therefore I desist. There are men whose heads caa hold all this, and more— perhaps five times as much more of the same kind — which the existing system requires to be borne in mind — and can hold it without mistake, confusion, or difficulty ; I confess myself unable to do so. Do not suppose that I have written the foregoing figures down from memory : nothing of the sort ; I have copied them from that excellent work. Dr. Thomson's arithmetic ; there I feel a full assurance that all is quite correct ; and if there be any mistake, put it down to my inadvertence or stupidity. I find it not easy to remember these things ; but consider how difficult it is to work them out ; and consider that accounts and calculations involving accuracy in all these details, and their comparison with one another, are required perhaps a hundred times a day in 10,000 counting-houses in the United Kingdom, and you will understand the impedi- diment throrm in the way of trade and manufactures. There is not a house-paiiiter or a plasterer in a score that can measure his own work, or can fell, without the help of a professional measurer, how much an employer, who has contracted with him at so much by the square yard, is in his debt : in France, any child who can perform simple multiplication can do it with ease. With us, it is still more difficult for a stone-mason, who is paid by what is called a solid perch (which, however, is not s solid perch at all), to tell the amount of his own earnings : but if we had the French system, the calculation would be as easy as the former. I had thoughts of working some of these calculations to which I have referred with chalk, upon a black THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 411 board, that you might judge of the tediousneas, complexity, and difficulty of the process ; but I refrain, because I fear the process would prove tedious beyond the power of your patience to endure ; and I am almost sure some of them would prove perplexing and difficult beyond the power of my skill to per- form. Fourthly, while the units of length, weight, and capacity are fixed by law, so many local customs prevail as to the multi- pliers and sub-multifliers of the scale, that it is very difficult from a price current list to ascertain the comparative value of the same commodities at various places in our own nation. Suppose, for example, that a farmer has got a quantity of wheat on hand which he is anxious to dispose of to the best advantage, and he looks over the prices current in all the newspapers he can find in the Commercial News-room. In one town it is quoted at so much per cwt. ; in another, at per barrel ; in another, at per quarter ; in another, at per load ; in another, at per bag ; in another, at per weight ; in another at per boll ; in another, at per coomb ; in another, at per hobbet ; in another, at per winch ; in another, at per windle ; in another, at per strike ; in another, at per measure ; in another, at per stone ! Thus there are fourteen different denominations to be compared with each other before the farmer can discover what is the average value of his wheat, or what is the most desirable market for the sale or the purchase of it. But all this, thougb puzzling enough, would be plain sailing, comparatively, if the same name signified the same weight and quantity in all places, or even at the same place ; but it does not. It wculd be strange indeed if it did, in a system where everything appears to be done that can be done to bewilder and mislead. I have here a table published by the International Association, showing the different weights and measures in use in different localities in the United Kingdom, and from it I read, confining myself, as before, to the manner of selling wheat. At Hert- ford, it is sold by the load, which is equal to 5 bushels ; at Hitchin, by the load of " about 5 bushels ;" at Bedford, by the load of 3 bushels ; at Dorking, by the load of 5 quarters ; at Bishop's Stortford, by the load of 40 bushels ! Thus there are five distinct nominal values given for the one denomina- tion— the load — expressed as so many quarters or so many bushels. What, then, is the amount of a quarter ? Why, in general, it is equal to 8 bushels by measure ; but in London it is a weight of 4801b3. In like manner the bushel is in many places not a measure, but a weight ; and in different places it signifies different weights. The following is the value in various towns and places in England : IGSlbs., VS^lbs., 621b8., SOlbs., 751b3., 721bs., 601bs., 701bs., 651bs., 631bs., 641bs., 5 quarters, 141 quarts, and 4881b3. ! In the highly en- lightened and commercial town of Manchester, a bushel of English wheat is GOlbs., but a bushel of American wheat is 701bs. 1 Here we have the bushel fluctuating from 5 quarters to the eighth part of a quarter, being a variation of 4,000 per cent, on the smaller quantity ; and the quarter itself is an un- aettled quantity ; where its value is given in pounds weight, it varies from 601bs to 4881bs. So a bag is, at Bridgenorth, 11 scores, whatever may be meant by a score (I suppose it means 201b8.); in an adjoining town, the bag is 11 scores and 411bs. ; in another place it is 12 scores ; in an- other 12 score lOlbs. ; in another, 2 busheh; but which of the many bushels is intended, the return saith not. In like manner, a weight is 14 stone, 36 stone, 40 atone. It is useless to follow this line of illustration farther. I may, however, remark that similar variations exist in the system of linen measure, of land measure, of the weights and measures of oats, of barley, of butter, of potatoes, of coals, of wool, and of flax, and, in fact, of almost every article that is in common use among us. Even in the aame town, the same name does not express the same quantity. In Belfast, a stone of oats is 141b3. ; a stone of flax is 16|lb3. A stone elsewhere means Slbs., Hlbs., 161bs., ISlbs., or 241bs., according to cir- cumstances. If I mistake not, flax is sold in Downpatrick by the stone of 24lb3. Can any man tell me, without hesitation or circumlocution, what is meant by an acre ? I fancy there are few who know the answer to that simple question. It means seven different quantities of land, varying from the Cornisli acre of 4,840 square yards to the Cheshire acre of 10,240, which is nearly half as large again as our Irish plan- tation acre of 7,840 square yards. In short, if a committee of the most skilful philosophers had set themselves to the task of devising a system of weights and measures that should most effectually hinder or render as difficult as possible the transac- tion of the common business of commercial and agricultural life, they could scarcely have hit upon any that would have answered the purpose more effectually than that which exists, and is clung to with persevering tenacity in this agricultural, manufacturing, and commercial nation I I believe it is by far the worst that is to be found in the whole world. And this leads me to the fifth and last objection that I shall urge against our present system : it is not and never can by possi- bility become international ; that is to say, no other country ever has adopted it, or ever will adopt it, unless its inhabitants be a race of idiots, with whom it will be difficult to carry on trade. By adhering to our present system, or want of system — for there is really nothing systematic in it — we are isolating ourselves from the general community of trading nations, and rendering as inconvenient and difficult as possible that com- mercial intercourse which is one of the main sources of the greatness of the British empire. I apprehend that no human being, at least no rational man, will maintain that the irregularities, inconsistencies, and ab- surdities, a part— but only a part— of which I have detailed, should remain as they are. Common sense cries out against it. They must be put down, and will be. Even the stupid and abortive attempts at a remedy which were before Parlia- ment last session, &how that a remedy is demanded by the public voice. But how is it to be applied. Two courses are open to us. We may adopt what is regarded as the most generally accepted part of the existing weights and measures, abolishing by law what are considered mere local deviations or casual irregularities. Or we may discard all concern about the existing system, and adopt by law the best system that can be found or invented. In my opinion the latter is the advisable course. Do what we will with the present system, it never can be made a good one. Its origin is purely casual ; its divisious are irre- mediably inconvenient ; its separate parts have no mutual re- lation ; and, tinker it as we may, it never will be adopted by any other people. The doing away with their local customs and special anomalies will be as obstinately relisted by the stupid and the ignorant as the abolition of the whole system. You may all remember the outcry that was made a few years a^o by persons engaged in the corn trade in this town, when our magistrates decided that a hundred-weight of grain meant a hundred-weight, and not a hunJred-weight and four pounds. Had the latter practice been agreeable to law, you may rely upon it the men who raised the outcry would have resisted any alteration of the law with tooth and nail. But the law was against them, so they had to submit ; and now they find, I believe, that they are not poorer by one farthing in conse- quence of the change. And so, everywhere, the change of local customs will give rise to an outcry from the ignorant and prejudiced. If you make any change, you are sure to have an F F 2 412 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. outcry ; then, if you are to have au outcry, have it for some- thing that will be worth the struggle — for something that is really good — and that will arouse the zeal, and call forth the energetic co-operation of the benevolent and well-informed. Therefore, in putting down bad local customs, put down at the same time a bad national system ; and in making any change, make it so that you shall not be called on to begin your work over again as soon as it is finished. I may remark, however, that the difficulty would not probably be so great as might be expected. In Ireland the currency was changed without difficulty, and in like manner the measures of capacity ; and so, I conceive, would any important change, the advantage of which would soon make itself felt. Throwing aside, as incapable of being made good (though undoubtedly it might be rendered less bad), our present con- fused and inconvenient system, let us consider what are the essential qualities of a good and philosophical system to be in- troduced in its room. And it strikes me that the following particulars embrace all that can be desired : — 1. It should have its basis in nature, and that basis should be of such a kind as not to be limited to one nation or tribe of the human family, but common to all mankind. 9. From the basis the other portions should be deduced by a simple and intelli- gible process, so that all should have a mutual relation, con- nection, and dependence ; and these portions should embrace measures of length, of superficial area, of solid capacity, and of weight. 3. In each of these departments the multiplies and sub-multiplies of the primary unit should proceed deci- mally ; that is, the larger divisions should increase upwards by tens, and the smaller decrease downwards by tenths. This would put an end to all such rules as compound addition, com- pound subtraction, multiplication, reduction, and fractions. Every arithmetical calculation would be performad by the rules applicable to whole numbers; and, in fact, one-half of the processes which now involve long and troublesome computa- tions would be solved by inspection merely, without the use of pencil or pen. And 4 — which, indeed, is implied in the three preceding conditions, it should, if possible, be such that we may expect, sooner or later, the adoption of the same sys- tem by all civilized nations. Now, a moment's consideration will satisfy us that the first thing to be determined is the unit of length, for from it the measures of surfaces, of capacity, and of weight, can easily be deduced. And according to the first of the conditions above stated, we must look for a unit that has its basis in nature, and is not peculiar to one locality or to one tribe of mankind. Various standards of this sort have been suggested. In the year 1679, Locke suggested the third part of a pendulum vibrating seconds, as the unit of linear measure : but pendu- lums require to be made of different lengths to vibrate seconds at different points on the earth's surface ; and it is a matter of great diflSculty to determine the exact length of the second's pendulum either at the equator or any particular latitude. Although this proposal has been before the world for nearly two hundred years, no one pendulum has ever yet been men- tioned as beating time with such accuracy that it would be right to adopt it as a standard of length, A similar objection applies to another suggestion, which is, that we should em- ploy, as the origin of our linear system, the space through which a heavy body falls in vacuo, in a second of time. It is evident that this suggestion involves all the difiiculties con- nected with the pendulum, and some others besides. It is difficult to procure a perfect vacuum ; it is not easy to deter- mine the space described by the falling body, by observation merely ; the space is known approximately by calculations founded on the length of the pendulum itself ; and here, still more than in the case of the pendulum, the varying force of gravity at different latit\ides wouhl give units of varying length at different points. The only proposal that remains for dis- cussion, and which it is needful to consider, is that for taking as the unit of linear measure some de- finite portion of the dimensions of the earth itself. It is confessedly difllcult to make any exact measurement- of the earth itself, or of any required portion of its surface, but the thing can be done with a very close approximation to cor- rectness ; and when this has been accomplished with as great accuracy as can be attained, the sub-division of any one of the great magnitudes thus reached will give a unit of length as accurate as can reasonably be desired. I am sure I speak in the presence of many who are well aware that there is no such thing as a perfectly exact measurement of any one object in the universe. All that we can do is to reduce the amount of error within the narrowest possible limits, and this is most easily effected by the sub-division of the dimensions of a very large body, which has itself been measured with the utmost possible correctness. Now, the earth itself is the largest body that we can touch ; the magnitudes and distances of theheaveuly bodies, though in many cases much larger than the earth, are determined primarily from the dimensions of our planet. Ac- cordingly it has been proposed to deduce our standard of length either from the dimensions of the earth's polar diameter, or from the extent of its surface, measured or computed from pole to pole, in a direct line. The latter is assuredly prefer- able, because from it the diameter of the earth is calculated, and in such cases it is better to employ the original than the derivative magnitude. The French Government deserves the credit of having first put this suggestion into practice. An arc of the meridian extending from Dunkirk, in France, to the sea-shore, near Catalonia, in Spain, was measured with the utmost care by Messieurs M(5chain and Delambre ; and from this, combined with the measurements of Maupertius and Condamine, previously extended with a view to determme the shape of the earth (its sphericity, as it is called), was deduced the length of an arc extending from the north pole to the equator. The ] -10,000,000th part of this arc was denonomi- nated the m^tre ; a bar of platinum was constructed represent- ing this length as accurately as possible ; and this bar — or others directly or indirectly copied from it — is the standard unit of length throughout France, and in many other countries which have herein followed her example. It is equal to 39 7- 50 inches of our English measure, and is about j of an inch longer than a pendulum vibrating seconds at the level of the sea in London. The m^tre is divided decimally downwards into decimetres, centimetres, and millimetres ; and multiplied deci- mally upwards into decametres, hectometres, kilometres, and myriametres ; the latter being, as is implied by its name, equal to 10,000 metres of the scale. The specimens before you show the manner in which the metre and its sub-divisions can be adapted to the purposes of drapers, carpeuters.architects, and so forth. A portion of a metrical surveyor's chain is shown in the diagram. I cas never survey these specimens without being struck by the peculiar beauty, if I may so term it, of the decimal division. A square formed upon a line of ten metres in length, is the unit of superficial or land measure ; and a cubit which has a decimetre (or 1-lOth of a metre) for its measuring line, is called a litre — the unit of capacity. Each of these is increased or diminished by multiples or sub-multiples of ten; but, for the convenience of those who prefer halves and quarters to tenths, each may be, and often is, divided in this manner, though all arithmetical calculations are performed decimally. For the unit of weight a kilogramme is used, which is the weight of a THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 413 litre of distilled water at its greatest density, which is a little above the freezing poiut. A kilogramme is rather more than two pounds Ecglish of avoirdupois weight. I need not specify the names of all the divisions and sub-divisions, because I look upon the nomenclature as a mere adjunct of the system, and a very unhappy one. I am sure the introduction of these outlandish names must have throwu many impediments in the way of the reception of the metrical system in the rural dis- tricts, and even in the towns of France ; and when this system of weights and measures is introduced into this country, as I trist it will be ere many years. I agree with Professor Henes- sey, of the Catholic University of Ireland, whose pamphlet on this subject is one of the best that I have seen, that care should be taken to discard these jaw-breaking terms derived from Greek and Latin. The metrical system has been, since 18 40, the sole standard employed in France. It is also established in Beli;ium, in Holland, in Sardinia, in Lombardy, in Greece, and in Spain ; in Portugal it is to come into operation in 1862, and it is par- tially sanctioned by law in Switzerland, Baden, and Hesse- Darmstadt. In South America, it has advanced with rapid strides. Chili, Columbia, New Grenada, Ecuador, and Brazil, hav3 already adopted it by law. Including the colonies of France and Spain, it is now sanctioned in almost every Chris- tian state or nation (except the United States of America) with which Great Britain has any considerable foreign trade ; and if Great Britain were for once to pursue her own interest and the interest of mankind conjoined, there can be no doubt that the nations which still hesitate would speedily follow her ex- ample ; so that this elegant and harmonious system would form a new link in the great chain which hold-s together all the tribes of civilized men on the face of the earth, facilitating their intercourse, and knitting them together by means of their mutual wants and reciprocal benefits. NORTHAMPTONSHIRE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. The annual meeting of this society took place at Towcester, on Thursday, Sept. 28. Both in respect of numbers and quality the show was probably as a whole one of the finest ever got together in the provinces. LIST OF PRIZES. PAT STOCK. Open to all England. — To th; owner of the best ox of any breed, excee'ling three years o'd on 1st December next. First prize £10, Earl Spencer, of Althorp ; secon'l prize £5, John Beasley, Esq., Overstone. To the owner of the best fat steer of any breed, not exceeding throe years old on 1st December next. Prize £7, Mr. Samuel Walli?, of Barton Seagrave. BREEDING AND STORE STOCK. To the exhibitor of the best bull, above two years old. First prizB £7, Mr. W. A. Elston, of Bugbrook ; second prize £i, Mr. W. H. Harrison, Clipston House. To the owner of the best bull, under two years of ag(>. Prize £5, Hon. Col. Pennant, Wicken Park. To the owner of the best cow of any breed, in-railk or in-calf. First prize £.j, W. De Capell Brolio, Esq , Geddington Grange ; second prize £3, Mr. Elias Clarke, Lillingstono Dayrell. To the owner of the best heifer of any breed, in-milk or in-calf, above three and under four years old. Prize £5, Mr. Joseph Robinson, of Clifton. To the owner of the best heifer of .iny breed, above two and under tlirce years oH. Prize £5, Earl Spencer. To the owner of the best heifer of any breed, above one and under two years old. First prize £.3, Mr. Jos. Robinson, of Clifton; second prize £i, Mr. Jos. Robinson. By P. Pain, Esq. — To the cottager, within the county, occupy- ing not niore than 10 acres of land, who sliall produce the best cow or heifer, age and quality to be taken into consideration, which has been his property from the 1st of January, 18.'58, and grazed on land in his occupation. First prize £i, John _Essam, of Broughton ; second prize £1, George Stephens, of VVoM. From the Towcester Fund.— To the exhibitor, being owner, of the best pair of Welsh runts, to have been in his possession not more than 16 months. A piece of serviceable plate, value £5, Mr. John Shaw, oiHunsbury Hill. SHEEP. For ihe best pen of six long-vpoolled ewes, that have suckled lambs to the 1st of Juno, lh5H, and bred by and the property of the exhibitor. First prize £5, Mr. Lovell Cowley, Ashby St. Ledgers; second prize £i lOs., Mr. Adam C. Keep, Wollaston. For the best pen of six long-wonUcd theaves, bred and fed by and the property of tlie exhibitor. First prize £5, W. de C. Brooke, Esq. ; second prize £1 10s., Mr. Jolin Shaw. For the best pen of five long-woolled shearhogs, bred and fed by and t!ie property of tlie exhibitor. First prize £5; and second prize £2 10s., Mr. John Shaw. For thQ best pen of six cross-bred theaves, bred and fed by and the property of ihe exhibitor. Prize £5, Mr. A. C. Keep, of Wollaston. For the best pen of five cross-bred shearhogs, bred and fed by and llio propeity of the exhibitor. First prize £5, Mr. John Woolston, of Wellingborough; second prize £i 10s., Mr. J. B. Twitchell, of Wilby. To the exhibitor of the best shearling long-woolled tup, the property of or hired by the exhibitor for his own use. Prize £7, Mr. Richard Redgrave, of Boughton. To the exhibitor of the best long-woolled tup, of any ago, that has proved himself a stock-getter, the property of or hired by the exhibitor for his own use. Prize £7, Mr. John Shaw. HORSES. To the exhibitor of the best stallion for .agricultural purposes, the property of or hired by tlie exhibitor, but the horse to have 'ravelled and served mares in the county, during the past season. Prize £10, Mr. J. Manning, Orlingbury. To the owner of the best mare and foal for agricultural pur- poses. I'rize £5, Lord St. John. To the owner of the best cart gelding, under three years old. Prize £5, Mr. John Atkins, Bugbrook. To the owner of the best cart fllly, under three years old. Prize £5, Lord St. John. To the owner of tlie best horse or mare, under five years old, adapted for riding purposes. Prize £5, Mr. George Battams, Carlton. To the owner of the best colt or filly, under three years old, adapted for riding purposes. Prize £5, Mr. William Shaw, Far Coton. To the owner of ihe best mare and foal, adapted for riding purposes. Prize £5, Mr. O. Wallis, Overstone. PIGS. • To the exhibitor of the best boar of any breed, the property of the exhibitor, which is intended to be used in the county. Prize £3, Rev. F. Thursby, Abington. To the exhibitor of the best breeding or suckling sow of any breed, the property of the exhibitor. Prize £3, Rev. F. Thursby. To the exhibitor of the best boar of a small breed, the property of the exhibitor. Prize £3, Mr. James Marriott, of Floore. By Lord Henley.-- For the bevever, go more iuto theory here, as agricultural readers like to come to the point, and after all experiment must decide. The cheapest alkali is a mixture of lime and salt, which to act elTectually on the air, must be mixed with some material that will allo'^v tlie air to pass through ; nothing fitter for this than bark from the tan pits, though possessing little or no manuring value of its own. Coal tar contains a little ammo- nia, with much soluble carbonaceous cialttr, and, well mixed with the lime, salt and bark will give them a little of a soapy character, favourable to diffusion in the soil, and increasing ita otTensiveness to insects, These considerations lead me to suggest a mixture of lime and salt with used bark and coal tar, as a compost to produce and absorb nitric acid from the air ; say two tons of lime with one of salt, the salt mistd well with the lime as soon as slaked, beaten together, like morlar, and set in a compact heap for ten or twelve hours ; and meanwhile four or five cwt. of coal tar (say an old oil hogshead three-quarters full) well mixed up with five tons of used bark ; and the whole then put together, to react upon the air. The heap should be turned over once or tmce a month, oftener in warm weather than cold. The heap would be beat where there is a good current of air; but so far sheltered by trees or otherwise, as not to get often flushed with rain, so as to wash out the alkali ; nor should it get too dry. The above are the cheapest materials. Where pilchard salt is at hand, so ns to cost but little car- THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 443 riage, it is preferable to common salt, because of toe mamuiiig matter it contains. And where used bark is objectionable (as in very light soils), hedge or ditch sods, or surface peat, may be substituted. And where coal tar is too costly carriage, ditch or pond mud may be tried instead (though not destructive to vermin). It may work in heap as long as desirable, but probably not less than six months, iucluding winter, or four months in sum- mer. How much to apply per acre can hardly be directed, aa I do not know of its ever having been tried on the principle of fixing nitric acid. According as it answer?, farmers ma? ex- pect to find out improved methods of making and using it. T. Priueaux. ROOT AND GREEN CROPS THE MAIN- STAY OF ALL GOOD FARMING. SiK, — The high farasing on (he four-cnurse system and under tecant-right, upon the LUicoloshive 'Wolds and Liticoln Heath, and tha vast improver.ient made upon the sail land, are astonishing. Shiploads of bones and artificial manures have been fetched from far distant clime«, to manure the said Wolds and Heath. This, once a wilderness, ctriles thnusauda of thinking men with admiration, to fee not only fine crops of corn, clever, and root crops, b^it a fine breed cf thort-horned cattle, long- woolled Lincolnshire sheep, and highly-valuable horses, upon land, 8 greet part of which, half a ceuti'ry back, was let as rabbit warrens, of 1,000 acres in each warren, at 2s. 6d. per acre; now let at from 253. to SOs. per acre per annum. Half the said land being clover, alias feeds and root crops, &c., and being consume 1 upon the farm with cake and corn, produces a vast deal of strong mao'are, which fills a large stack-yard full of gigantic stacks of corn and c'cver, ncres cf stacks, streets of stacks, alias rori-a of stacks, like mountains, as long as Bomc streets iu London, all produced from laud which a centnry back, was as wild as the deserts iu Africa; cspital, skill, perseverance, generosity, and tenant-right, alins justice, hive brought North Lincolnshire farming to be a fine example to all the world. The truth is neither puffing nor flattery. If any man dispute my assertion, let him take a tour through North Lincclnahir3 any year, and he will find, just after harvest, the monstrons stack-yards fall of leviathan stacks, and upon hia tour let him particularly notice the Earl of YarborougVi'a estates and his tenantry, many of whom follow the fox and hounds iu scarlet, and their good and noble lord is proud and pleased to see some of them upon horses worth hundreds of pounds, each horse ; nay, upon horses second to none in value. The above wealthy farmers r'ule their horses boldly over gigantic fences, for profit ; nay, to sell faint-hearted, timid, wealthy men, their horses at a high price. As the more brushes a faroier wins, the more horses he sells at a first-class price is the cause of farmers' throwing the dirt in rich men's faces ; one party riding for pleasure, and the other for profit. Samuel Arnsby. MiUfield, Peleriorongh, Oct. 19, SPIRIT OF ENTERPRISE AMONGST THE AGRICULTURAL CLASS. — At the North West Bucks Meeting, the Marquis of Chandos made the follow- ing pertinent remarks in reference to the present improved state of English agriculture. He said that he had been for many years connected with agricultural pursuits, and felt the warmest interest in them. When he first began to turn his attention in that direction, another large interest was rising up, and threatening to overwhelm agriculture. The niai)u<'acturing interest, it was said, was t) swamp it alto- gether. He asked hiniK-lf, at the time, why was it that the agriculturists were notk-'eping pace with the manufacturers.* He could not help thinking that much of the rapid rise and success of the manufacturing interest was owing to the inti- mate connexion they maintained, and the spirit of emulation which animated tViem. For instance, if one man thought that he was not producing a particular description of manu- facture so fast or so cheap as his neighbour, he would go to Lis mechanist, and say, "You must make a better ma- chine ;" and those repeated applications for improved ma- chinery in the manufacturing department of industry had so quickened the invention of the makers, that they had succeeded in turning out machines tha*; had astonished the world. Twenty years ago, they would all admit, th«t there was little of that spirit of improvement, and very little of that ability, as respected ngriculturc. But they all knew what a struggle thr y had had to keep their position. He believed, however, that it would be now admitted by every- body that the art of cultivating the ground liad been im- proved more in this than in any other country in the world. Farmers, as compared with manufacturers, had very great difficulties to contend with. They had not the seasons under their control ; their operation were not carried on uuder roofs ; they could not always plough their land at a time when it was convenient for them to do so. Having then, to face these difficulties, what was the course which they ought to pursue ? It was plainly this, that they must 60 improve their machinery as to enable them practically to disregard the weather, by performing those operations with great rapidity which at present took a considerable time to accomplish. They had seen that day the experiment of steara cultivation in a field near the town. Perhaps that might not be brought into general use in the days of the older farmers now living ; but he was satisfied that, sooner or later, an invention so valuable would be generally resorted to, and could not fail of success ; and it was no small credit to the town of Buckinnham that it now possessed an estab- lishment for the manufacture of steam ploughs. Nothing more surely indicated the existence of a spirit of entfrprise among the agricultural classes than the growth, here and there, in the agricultural districts, of large establishments for the purpose of supplying an improved description of machinery for the working of the land. THE THISTLE QUESTION.— Sir William Bowyer S:.ii.TTH, at the Ongar Society, hit the mark fairly, when he said, in proposing the toast of Prosperity to the Society, "What do you think about thistles? You profes-i to be labourers' friends, and I don't know how you could bo better friends to the labourer than by solving that question. If I could only raise a discussion in the county new.-papers upon the readiest way of eradicating thistles, or even upon their different varieties, for really I have never been able to discover the different species yet, I can only say that it will be perfectly worth v/ldle naming it as the subject for discussion this evening. It is a harmless one, and one upon which there may not be much difference of opirion. I therefore, gentlemen, invite your opinions upon the subject of thistles. It was only the other day that I was playing cricket on a hill across which a high wind swept westerly, where I declare the thistles were so thick that it was witli difficulty I could attend to the ball. I am sorry to say that I see great neglect on the road-ways, in the little bits of H a 2 iU THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. waste, whicli are swarming with thstl -]own, and which is exhausting the powers of the labourers in attempting to reduce it. If the Ongar Labourers' Friend Soriety could succeed in eradicating these pests from permanent pastures, it would, I am sure, be the most valuable society in the world." Sir Charles C. Smith gave his own and an un- known lady's plan for eradicating them. Was there not satire in the lady's advice ? However, hear Sir Charles. He said: " With regard to the thistle question, he had a iield which appeared as though it were going to grow no- thing but thistles, and the other day a lady noticing its state exclaimed, ' Why on earth don't you turn j'our donkey into the field y he would eat up all the thistles directly.' But he (Sir Charles) did not think the donkey would eat up all the thistles. The donkey would detect a difference, if Sir Bowyer Smijth had failed, and would only eat the sow thistles— the common thistle the donkey would not touch or look at. The only practical way of dealing with thistles he (Sir Charles) thought was to mow them down before seed-time. But the practice of getting rid of spreading fences and copses would do more towards the eradication of those obnoxious weeds than anything else, and no oue had done more in that way than his friend Sir Bowyer Smijth." AGRICULTURAL REPORTS. GENERAL AGRICULTURAL REPORT FOR OCTOBER. Although the importations of foreign wheat have not been to say extensive for the time of year, and although the supplies of English on offer in our various markets have not increased, the trade in all parts of the United Kingdom has continued heavy, and slightly reduced rates have been again submitted to. Spring corn, too, has sold slowly, and, with the exception of fine malting barley, which is very scarce even in' our best districts, prices generally have had a drooping tendencj'. The continued depression in the corn trade has given rise to serious forebodings as regards the future. Although our impression is that the quotations have seen their lowest point, we may briefly inquire into the causes which have led to the present heaviness. In the first place, we find that the importations of foreign wheat iuto the United Kingdom, during the nine months ending on the 30th September, were 3,236,038 quar- ters, against 1,312,705 quarters in the corresponding period in 1857, and 3,234,717 quarters in 1856. Compared with last year, therefore, there is a very large excets in the arrivals; con- sequently the stocks in warehouse, although extensive forced sales have taken place, have accumulated. In the second place, we must bear in mind that our farmers still hold a large quantity of wheat grown in 1857, and that they have this season grown what may be termed an average crop. And, in the last place, we may notice a similar state of thiugs in the United States, where the actual surplus produce of wheat on hand, above the wants of the people, is estimated at 4,000,000 quar- ters. Consumption in this country has certainly not fallen off; but, under the peculiar features of the trade here referred to, speculation in arrived produce has become wholly in abeyance; and the question to determine is, what feature is there in the trade calculated to give rise to speculative investments ? At present, with a knowledge on the part of the millers that ample supplies are everywhere to be met with — that little or no demand is likely to arise at the outports for inland con- sumption— and that future arrivals from abroad will be fidly adequate to our requirements — the wheat trade is conducted wholly upon the "hand to mouth" principle, A plentiful supply of money in the discount market, with the quotations for best paper aa low as 2^ i per cent., has failed to induce operations in produce. "With ample supplies, therefore— with more than usual anxiety on the part of the shippers abroad to turn their wheat into money as fast as it arrives in this country —we may safely state that there is no prospect of any upward movement in prices for some time. At one time it was thought that France was about to return to protectionist principles ; but we now find that, us rer/ards importations of food, the Decree of the 22nd of September, 1357, has been extended to the 30th September, 1859. Be it observed that the official notice extending the time for imports is wholly silent as regards exports, consequently the sliding scale respecting the latter is in operation. At present prices the export duties in France are not high, but, of course, they add materially to the ex- pense of forwarding food to England, and they tend to prove that our previous estimates of the crops in that country — viz., that they are deficient by one-fourth compared with 1357 — are tolerably correct. If the yield of wheat were large, and in excess of consumption, the French Government would hardly have deemed it necessary to impose duties upon exports. Our impression is, therefore, that in 1859 we shall import conside- rably less grain than during the present year — that there will be much less pressure upon our markets — and that prices will show more steadiness than for some time past. It must be admitted that wheat is now selling at what may be called an unnaturally low price, and that, consequently, there is ample room for an improvement in it. The potato crop, both in the United Kingdom and on the Continent, appears to have turned out much better than was at one time anticipated. The quantity of potatoes grown is enormous, and the actual losses by disease have been much exaggerated. At the corresponding period in 1857 prices raiiged from £4 to £7 per ton ; now they are quoted at from £2 15s. to £4 lOs., and the supplies coming forward exhibit very few traces of rot. Abundant supplies of potatoes must, as a matter of course, have considerable influence upon the value of the better kinds of food. Farmers have thrashed out about average supplies of wheat, and, for the most part, they have been disposed of in fair average condition. On the continent the trade has continued heavy, and in the United States produce generally has been selling at very low prices. Owing to the want of moisture out-door farm labours have made comparatively little progress. The hardness of the soil has prevented ploughing to any extent, and rain is still much wanted in nearly every county in England. The turnip and carrot crops are turning out tolerably pro- ductive; but they are certainly not e-jual to many former years either as regards quantity or quality. For hay there has been a steady demand, and prices have had an upward tendency. Straw, however, from its abun- dance, has sold slowly, at low currencies, viz., from 243. to 293. per load. Notwithstanding that the manufacturing industry of the k THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 445 country is improving — that many of the manufacturers are working to order — and that the whole of the mills are running full time — the wool trade has become heavy, and prices have had a drooping tendency. The cdusea of the depression in the demand may be attributed, not so much to the want of orders, 83 to the limit at which they are fixed, and which do not corres- pond to the advance which took place in wool during the months of August and September. Another very large growth of hops has been secured, conse- quently prices have ruled very low. When we consider that an immense supply of hops of the growths of 185G and 1857 still remains on hand, we can hardly aoticipate any improve- ment in the quotations. Throughout Ireland and Scotland produce generally has ruled dull and drooping. The shipments of wheat, oats, &c. to England have steadily increased. iREVIEW OF THE CATTLE TRADE DURING THE PAST MONTH. Since the passing of the new tariff, we have never witnessed Buch an inferior importation of foreign stock into London as during the month just concluded. From all parts of the Con- tinent, but more especially from Sweden, both beasts and sheep have come to hand in miserably low condition, and of course corresponding prices have been paid for them. The cause of this great deficiency in weight and condition has arisen from the long-continued drought, a scarcity in the sup- ply of winter food, and the great difficulties experienced on the part of the graziers in finding sustenance for the stock. Tae shipment of large supplies to England in a state which would hardly warrant the Customs' officers in allowing them to be landed for consumption, ha3 of course entailed serious losses to the owners ; and it has given rise to much discussion in more than one quarter whether it will not eventually have considerable influence upon the value of food in this country. AUhough very large sums have been drawn from England from time to time by the foreign graziers for stock, great poverty is said to exist amongst them^ (those residing in Hol- land miy, perhaps, be deemed an exception to this rule) ; hence they are not ia a pojition to follow up any advantage which might be deii/ed from a large importation of hay, straw, &c., either from London or Hull. In the early part of the month, over 2O0 tons of compressed hay were purchased here ia each week for transmiisioa abroad, but since then the transactions have fallen to under 20 tons per week ; so that we may look forward to continued imports of stock in less than a half-fat state, and, to some extent, we may agree with many parties that prices must at some future time show con- siderably more firmness than within the last six weeks. It is, however, necessary that we should approach this question with much caution, or not a few of our graziers may be led into the error — for such it may turn out — of giving more money for store animals than the future state of the trade may warrant. In the first place, we may safely assume that France and Belgium will have no stock to spare for us during the coming year ; and here we may remark that it is a fallacy to assume that, because stock has been shipped from Calais and Ostend on several occasions during the last three or four months, either beasts, sheep, or calves have been drawn from those countries, the supplies being forwarded from Holland and Germany by railway, in order to secure a shorter sea- passage ; that the importations from Holland will exhibit a falling off in number, though they may improve in quality ; and that the receipts from Holstein, Denmark, &c., will show a great deficiency. But this falling off in condition and weight will, we imagine, be made {good by additional arrivals both from Ireland and Scotland, but more especially from the former country. Who that has travelled in Ireland can but feel surprised at the wonderful improvement which has of late years been observed in the condition of its agriculture ? and who can bat feel gratified at the receipt into London week by week, dufirig what may ba termed the " sea30u,"of 1,00 J head of beasts, and an equal number of sheep, all above average quality, irrespective of the supplies forsvarded almost daily to Liverpool for some of the inland markets ? The old and de- fective breeds of stock in Ireland, though a few of them are still coming to hand from the north, are gradually receding before our shorthoraed beasts, and our Lincoln, Leicester, and half-bred sheep. It may be said, ho.vever, that there is ample room for further improvement. Doubtless ; but beasts from Ireland, to produce from £22 to £23, and sheep from 50j. to 56s. each in London, is a strong proof that Irish agriculture is flourishing under the auspicjs of a good ready-money market in England. The want of an adequate fall of rain has been severely felt in some of our own grazing districts, into which large supplies of fodder have been sent from other counties ; but we are cer- tainly better off for foo i than our Continental neighbours, whilst in Ireland no actual scarcity exists, and stock feeding may, therefore, continue to progress successfully. We can har.lly venture to state that the excess in the receipts from the various Irish ports will be very large, but we may safely predict a steady increase in it, sufficiently extensive, indeed, to compensate for any forthcoming deficiency in the importations from the Continent. But then it may be asked. What has produced the great heaviness in the trade for all kinds of stock during the past mouth, seeing that very little consum- able meat has been imported in that time? It is well known that from the period of the last famine in Ireland, until the commencement of 1857, the deficiency in the number of pigs in the United Kingdom was very great. Prices, of course, ruled high, and high quotations for pork had a corresponding influence upon the value of beef aud mutton. Last year, pigs, although they had rapidly increased in number, commanded extravaijaut rates, and everywhere they were to be met with, without checking the demand. However, it was clear that very high prices, during several consecutive years, must be followed by low prices, taking into account the rapidity with which pigs increase in a general way. The present season has, therefore, opened with wonderfully large s ipplies ; in point of fact, our markets have been literally glutted with pork, and the comequeuce is that that description of food has, from its low price, been preferred to beef and mutton j and the pig dealers have before them one of the worst winters, as to price, almost on record. It has, however, been argued that he heaviness in the cattle trade generally is the result of a falling off in the cousumption of the better kinds of food. No such thiag. Trade and commerce are steadily improving from the effects of the last commercial panic, and coasumptioa everywhere is very large, considerably larger, indeed, than aj the corresponding period in 1857. Another cause which may have reduced the price of stock in the metropolitan markets may be the lirge numbers exhibited. True, many of the foreign beasts have sold as low as £5 each, and there has been an actual deficiency of prime meat ; but we all know that great heaviness in the demand for inferior animals is sure to be followed by a somewhat dragging trade for prime stock, aud with it drooping currencies. Notwithstanding the comparative shortness in the supply of food in some quarters, the health of the stock in this coun- try has continued good, and very few losses have been sus- 446 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. tained, la France, however, the epidemic appears to have increased ; but whilst on thia subject, we may atate that the cowkeepera of London have lost fully twenty per cent, of their stock ; the cows have suddenly lost their milk, and very large numbers have been disposed of for slaughtering purposes. The following return shows the imports of foreign stock into London during the month: — Boasts ,.... 4,600 head. Sheep 24,145 „ Lambs 179 ,, • Calves 1,5(31 „ Pigs 553 „ Oct. 1857 1856 1855 1854 1853 1852 Total ,..,. 31,058 I.MPOHTS AT Corresponding Seasons. Beasts. Sheep. Calves. 5,819 8,871 8,136 6.894 8,190 7,792 24,102 10,502 21,137 16,328 30,643 26,672 1,998 1,280 1,358 1,009 1,797 1,350 Pia-3. 1,233 895 1,501 1,063 1,585 1,624 From the above comparison it appears that the arrivals of foreign stock have fallen short of some previous years ; and we may fairly assume that, had it not been for the waut of food ou the Continent, the importations, tiuce our last, would have exhibited a further great deficiency. The total supplies of stock exhibited in the Metropolitan Market have been — Beasts 26,910 head. Cows 516 „ Sheep 120,300 „ Calves 1,738 „ Pigs 2,940 „ Of the above supplies of beasts, 14,010 shorthorns came to hand from Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, and Northamptonshire ; 2,700 various breeds from other parts of England ; 276 Scots from Scotbnd; and 3,720 oxen, &c., from Ireland. Comparison of Supplies. Oct. Beasts. Cows. Sheep. Calves. 1857 26,833 497 115,409 1,572 1856 24,941 1855 24,666 1854 26,456 1853 27,3-27 1852 26,134 457 490 510 545 525 103,870 118,578 146,048 145,400 132,430 1,956 2.748 1,900 2.517 2,556 PiRS. 2,580 3,918 3,558 3,620 3,112 2,770 The pri.^3 of beef, last month, ranged from 2s. 8d. to 4s. lOd.; mutton, 23. lOd. to Ss. ; veal, Si. 4d. to 5s. ; and pork, 23. lOJ. to 43. 4d. per Bibs, to siuk the offal. These quota- tions show a very wide r.wige between the lowest and highest figures. Comparison of Pricks. Oct., 1854. Oct, 1855. s. d. s d. s. d. s. d. Beef, from 32 to 50 32 to 50 Mutton 32 — 5 0 34_50 Veal 3 0 — 4 8 3 6 — 5 4 Pork 34 — 50 3 10— 5 2 Oct., 1856. Oct., 1857. 6. d. s. d. s. d. s. d. Bfof, from 2 10 to 4 10 3 2 to 5 0 Mutton .. 3 6 — 52 34 — 56 V^al 36 — 54 34 — 54 Pork 3 6 — 5 2 3 6 — 5 4 The supplies of both town and country-killed meat on offtr in Newgate aud Leadenhali markets have been very estenaive. Tnose of pork have been unusually large. Generally speaking, the trade hss ruled heavy, at vtry low prices. Beef has sold at from 23. 6d. to 43. 4d.; mutton, 23. 6d. to 43. 4d.; veal, 33. 4d. to 43. 4d. ; pork, 23. 4d. to 43. 4d. per 81b. by the carcass. ISLE OF ELY. Since our last report, with the exception of one or two days, the weather has been uniformly dry and parching. We have also had one or two severe frosts, and a few foggy mornings. Wheat-seeding has been considerably retarded. Some of our farmers have been busily engaged putting in the wheat, and in some instances have sown it on far too dry a seed-bed, aud are in danger of realizing a weak and irregular plant. Others have selected those fields where the greatest amount of moisture prevailed, and where there was a prospect of the wheat vegetating properly, and have sown these, leaving all those other fields, where the soil was too dry aud dusty, until the fertilizing rain should drop down its fatness upon them. And yesterday this long- looked-for and anxiousl3'-desired blessing came. The wind blew from the N.E, and the barometer was low; and during the greater part of the day and evening the rain, fell steadily, and at intervals heavily. The soil was too dry to be thoroughly saturated with one day's rain ; but there has been sufficient to enable our farmers to recom- mence Eowing, and there are indications that more is at hand ; and more is certainly needed. The long-continued drought has not only interrupted the Vvheat-seeding, but has also ha 1 a prejudicial effect upon the pastures, the man- golds, and the coleseed. The pastures were beginning to look bare ; and water was becoming scarce. The mangolds have not increased so nuich in fcizc and weiglit as they would otherwise Lave done, and, although a good full crop, are by no moans so lieavy as we were led to anticipate a month aso they would be. The coleseeds on the dr}', gra- velly soils began to show yellow leaves, and were seriously iiijuied for want of moisture. Potatoes have turned out well : the crop is heavy, but not free from disease. On the dry soils it is generally sound ; but on those lands where the subsoil is damp and cool, it is a good deal aflfected by disease. Beef and mutton have continued steady in price ; but store cattle and sheep have been a slow sale, arising from the shortness of grass keeping. The corn markets during the last fortnight have evinced more tone and firm- ness, and prices for the best wheats have slightly ad- vanced ; but the trade has not generally been animated. Supplies will probably continue shorter, as the first thrash is over, and farmers will scarcely rush to market with all tlieir corn before Christmas, with a no more tempting aud remunerative price than 40s. per qr. — Oct. 19. MONTHLY RETURN. An Account shewing the Quantities of Cork Grain, Meal, and Flour, imported into thk Unitld Kingdom, and admitted to Home Con- suilption, in the month of september, 1858. Species of Corn, Graii Meal, and Flour. Wheat..... Barky Oats Rye Peas BeaiLs Maizo or Indian Corn Buck Wlieat Beer or Biecg Total of Corn au^i Grain Whuat Meal aud Flour Barley ftleal Oat ftieal Kye Meal Pea M eai Iiuliaii Meal Buck Wheat MerJ Total of Meal and Plour. T„ ,„, Imijo'ted Imported f,^,.,/ British rZl'Zl^ Possessions Countries. „mofEurope rirs. 29V..M5 1U5744 7 24.3 IS'J 0 2761 7 13112 7 36293 4 141603 5 5 0 u.iih. 6 qrs. bush 10857 0 G 0 C48 4 S386G4 4 'ts. ijr.ll).; cwts. qr.ll 1 12 18G497 3 12 iT's 1 550 1 17 0 2 0 220 2 18 11 0 10 9G8G 181**2 0 Total. cira. bush. 306812 6 105744 7 243l>'9 0 27(i7 7 13761 3 36298 4 14160G 6 5 0 8501SG 0 cwts. qr.lh; 196184 0 24 lf3 1 1 660 0 1 17 2 0 £20 2 18 11 0 10 187292 1 2 88G7 3 12497160 0 14 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 447 AGRICULTURAL INTELLIGENCE, FAIRS, &c. AXMINSTER FAIR.— The supply of sheep was large, the number being between 5,000 and 6,000, the maiu part of which changed bauds at lower rates. The supply of bul- locks was not so large as usual. Fat beef was tcarce, at from lOi. to lis. per score. Caws and calves from III. to 15/. Barreners were not iu good deniand, but good oues fetched 12^. Heifers, from 6Z. to 8/. Pigs were abundant, the highest quality averagiog from 50s. to SSs. ; slipj, according to siz^, from lOs. to 243. BLYIH FAIR.— In beasts, both bullocks and heifers sold well at about Si, a stoue. Sheep were difficult to quit, even at reduced price?. There was a considerable number of cart horjes and young ones, for which about tlie same prices as those obtained at East Retford were readily paid. In pigs the fair was extensively supplied, Mr. Roberts, of Worksop, and M.'. Parkin, of Mission, being the principal showers. But little business was done, although the quality was good. CARLISLE FAIR.— The continued fall in the price of sheep— from 3s. to 4s. a head for balf-breds, 23. to Ss. for Cheviots, and 59. t j d. for Cheviot ewes — from last year's quotdtioiip, kept buyers from purchasing largely. Up tiU t'lree o'clock very lew sales were effected. At about four o'clock most of the lots left the ground unsold, holders having got well drenched with the rain, and the appearance of the animals waa anything but improved. The shovp oi caitle was not large, and the numbers exhibited show a falliu,' off from last year, especiiliy ia black stock. There were also fewer cross- bred animals showo, and those offered met a dull inquiry. Scarcely any Ayrshire beaots offered, but a good show of milk and calving cows. Highland cattle not much sought after; and we believe, without any exception, that scarcely one chaoged bauds. Irish cattle met a dull inquiry, among which were some good bullocks, but they found no buyer. The following are the numbers shown, and the prices current : ISO black cattle, selling from iil, lOs. to 9/. ; no stirks offered ; 250 cross-bred bullocks, 9/. lOs. to IGl.; 20 Ayrshire heifers, 5/. ISs. to Tl ,aud(j do. cows, 8/. lOs. to9/. 15s. ; 40 milkcoAS, 91. to I'U. 15s. ; 40 Highland stots, 21. to 3/. ; 30 do. heifers, 5Z. 10s. to 7i. lOs.; 40 shoit-horned bnllocks, 10^. to 15/.; 300 Irish heifers and bullocks, 61. to 91. ISs. The show of horses was a veiy poor oue— tliere being no first-class animals offered of any breed — the principal stock being secondary and inferior cart-horses, which ranged from 20/. to 351 ; cart colts and fillies, of which there was about 20, selling from 30/. to 32Z., and ponies from 10/. to 15^ 10;. each. It was a very slow markef, and few animals chauE;ed hands. COLCHESTER FAIR.— Trade was duller than had beeu known for many years. In the horse market Mr. W. Martin, of Caltawade, showed 50 cart-horses and colts, the former averaging from 251. to 40/., the latter from 25/. to 35/., some of which, with a few nags, were disposed of. Mr. Holden, of Colne, showed 40 c&rt-horses, from 25/. to 40/. ; Mr. Keys, of Heybridge, 30 cart-horses at the same price; Mr. Roofe, of Colchester, 15 cart and nag horses, and a hunter, which he in- formed us realized 70/. ; Mr. Tilfiu, of Layer, 9 nag horses, 15/. to 20/. ; Mr. Patten, of Colne, 15 to 20 nag and cart horses, from 30/. to 40/. Good omnibus and cab horses asked from 20/. to 25/., and good nags from 35/. to 45/. Mr. W. Fenner, of Colchester, showed a drove of 56 Welsh colts, from 6/. IOj. to 20/. Several droves of ponies were also ahown by gypsy horse-dealers. Of beasts, the price of Here- fotds averaged from 12/. to 14/., shorthorns 9/. to 18/., Welsh 6/. to 11/., Scots 8/. to 14/., Welsh calves 4/. lOs. to 7/. 10s. There were about 2,000 sheep and lambs, of which Mr. G. Folkard showed 19 score ewes and lambs, at 283. to 36s. ; Mr. R. Joiiiiaou, Mylaud, 3(j0 ewes and lambs, 25s. to 363.; Mr. Webb, Heiitley, 18 score lambs and sheep, 253. to 353. DALKEITH ANNUAL CATTLE MARKET, Oct. 19.— The stock was in excellent coudition, but the numbers on the ground were fewer by nearly 2,000 than last year. The buyers were numerous, and from all parts of the country, The East Lothian farmers turned cut well, but did not pur- chase so extensively as they have done hitherto. The demand for good cattle of all ages was kept up for two hours in the morning, but after that the market became dull, although up to its close sales continued to be etftfCted. The stagnation that eusued about mid-day arose from a telegraphic message having been received from Wooler, reporting duhjess in the market there. At the close the stock that remained unsold consisted principally of a few lots of inferior two-year-olds and stirks. The Irish stock was rather a large sho*, and the qi.ality of all ages good. The three-year-olds brought from 12/. to 14/. IQi., and two-year-olds from 9/. to 10/. Stirks 6/. to 9/., being a good kind. At the close of the market there were a few inferior beasts of this kind left unsold, and it was allowed that upo.i an averasre three-year-olda and stirks would be 20s, a-head above last Falkirk tryst. The show of draught horses was lirge, the quality of the stock wa^ good, and the demand was brisk. Mr. HeGilcson, dealer, Edinburgh, sold several draught horses at from 30/. to 45/. Messrs. Gray and Wilson, dealers, Edinburgh, sold a good number of the same kind at from 30/. to 40/. Mr. E'lgely, dealer, GUmerton, sold vciy extensively iu the draught line at prices similar to the above quotations. Messrs. You!, Given, M'K nlay, and the other Glasgow dealers, bought extensively, more particularly amongst heavy draught horses for jolis going on in the west. Saddle and hsrneas horses were not such a good show as mtght have beeu exptcfced, from the fact of the jauatiug season being over, and what was shown deteriorated about 5 per cent, iu price from last Tuesday, at Falkirk. DEVIZES FAIR.— Sheep « ere in very large supply, and trade exceedingly dull. Ewes met a very slow and hanging sale, at from 308. to Sos. a-head ; and lambs at from 20s. to 30s. Horned cattle were generally of a rough and inferior character. Beef was in short supply, and realized from 10s. to lis. a score. There were a great mauy horses, and the sale very dull. Sheep were from 5s. to 7s. a head lower than last year. GLOUCESTER MONTHLY MARKET was well at- tended, and there was an unusual quantity of stock. The attendance of purchasers, however, was not equal to the supply, and business generP.lly waa flat. Many pens of sheep returned unsold, consequently prices generally were iu fivour of the buyer. Fut cattle fetched from 6d. to G^d. ; sheep, t^d. to 7d. per lb. ; pigs, 88. to Ss. 6d. per score. HAWICK TRYST.—Tiie show wus fully equal to, if not ov6r the average, the kinds exposed being principally two year olds and yearlings. A few old horses were shown, but the number is so small that the prices realized can scarcely be con- sidered as evidencing the state of the market. The sale was dull, and the market a slow oue throughout. Sellers demanded old prices, while buyers were expecting to get tlieir wants sup- plied at a considerable reduction. At four o'clock compara- tively few sales had taken place, and a good many animals had left the ground unsold. The fall from last year's prices is variously estimated at from 5 to 10 per cent , hut on the ave- rage 8 per cent, may be named as the rate at which they have declined. The demand was good for first-cla^s animals, but the secondary beasts were little inquired for. Mr. MitchfU, dealer, showed a lot of thirty-two young horses, and got for his two year olds £30 to £40, most of them inclining more to the for- mer than the latter price. Geldings brought £22 to £25. Mr, Foster, dealer, showed thirty horses, and sold two year olds at prices varying from £25 to £34 ; geldings bringn;g £15 to £23. Mr. Wilson, Midshiels, bought one of the bett horses on the ground for £35— £ I back. Cattle.— Mr. Campbell, dealer, showed a number of lean shorthorn stirks, for some of which he got £8 and £8 lOs. £12 Ss. was got frr some two year olds; and Mr. Elliott, Cotterscleucb, reccivtd £10 for another lot of the same class. The show of cattle was very small, comprisiDg Shorthorns and a few Highland cattle, and the gre!iter part remained unsold. A small lot of lamba was also on the grouad, but failed to meet with a pacchaser. 4IS THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. The prices of cattle were Eiaiilar to those realized at recen markets. HEREFORD FAIR.— The supply of stock was not so large as we have seen at corresponding fairs in former years, but the quality was excellent, and the attendance of buyers from a distance was very large. The gradual and general de- crease in the price of feeding stock which has pervaded other large markets for the last few weeks made itself felt here, and there was a depression upon active business, unless transacted at a lower figure than has lately ruled ia the stock market. Fat beasts were worth barely 6s. 6d. per stone, and many were sold ia lots at a less price than that. The price of lean stock was of course regulated by this standard, and some large lots changed hands for transmission to a distance. But if a com- parative amount of dulness prevailed in the trade for feeding stock, ths same could not be said of the transaction for breeding animals of both sexes. Some exceedingly high prices were obtained for pure-bred beasts belonging to breeders who have achieved a name for their prime cattle, and a few in- stances will prove this beyond a general statement. Mr. Rea, of Monachty, sold one of the raagnificeut 2-year-old prize heifers exhibited in class 7 of tlie show, for £100; and Mr. Thomas Rea, of VVestonbury, son of the former, obtained £100 for his seven months old bull. Mr. Perry, of Cholstrey, real- ised £105 for his young bull which gained the first prize ; and £50 for the own siaf ei — to go to Melbourne, Australia; the prize bull of Mr. Monkhonse, of The Stow, was also sold for £100 to go to Australia. Tne sheep fair was very far from large, but some very fine ewes and wethers were sold at prices ranging from 6d. to 7d. per lb., in proportion to their fatness for the butcher's knife. There very few pens of breeding sheep. The bueiuess in the pig market requirts no special remark. Stores and suckers went very cheap, but a superior price was gained for those which exhibited the nearest approach to "good breeding."' The show of useful draught horses and mares was unusually numerous, and there was a cousidersble number of promising foals of a heavy character. The business done in this department was both brisk and extensive ; but the value of cart colts, especially suckers, was more than fifty per cent, lower than they readily realised at our last October and Can- dlemas fairs. There was the same absence of a goodly muster of can iaj;e and hack horses which we have noticed and deplored on many previous occasions; only a few good animals of this kind were offered for sale, and even those with difficulty found purchasers, for people have almost left off looking for first-rate hacks at Hereford. ISLEY FAIR. — The supplj' of lambs was sliort, and there being a good demand an advance of Is. per head took place. In sheep the supply was larger, and the trade not so good, but prices underwent scarcely any alteration. LEOMINSTER FAIR was tolerably well attended, the state of the weather considered. Prices of all kinds of stock were lower. MARKET HARBOROUGH FAIR.— Unbroken young horses were but little sought after, but those ready for work met with a better sale Good useful horses were bought on easier term?, being £l or £5 per head less than formerly. There was a great number of beasts for sale, especially stores. Tbe trade was not over brisk, though many were sold. The sheep fair was a very larire one, there being more than 2,000 penned. The trade was very dull, and many were taken out of the pens again unsold. The very unfavourable state of the weather no doubt cause 1 the fair to be duller than usual. MELTHAM FAIR.— The stock of horned cattle exhibited was moderately large, and a few exchanged hands at rather de- clining prices. Sheep were plentiful, and a tolerable number were sold. MITCHELL FAIR was very well supplied with sheep, which in the early part of the day met a dull sale, but ulti- mately nearly all were disposed of, though at prices considera- bly lower than at the same fair last year, and from Ss. to 4s. p?r head less than at Summercourt, on the 27th ult. There was a good show of cattle, principally in the hands of the dealers, the demand for which was dull, and those sold were on easier terms than at late fairs. MUCH WENLOCK FAIR.— The quantity of store stock sent WES large ; but the attendance of buyers, though not small, especially considering the weather and the number of fairs held lu other places, did not correspond, and a great deal was in consequence sent back. Fat stock, however, was not very large. Beasts sold at 6d. and a shade higher, and sheep 6|d. to 7d. Cows and calves were moderate, £14, £15, and £16, or a shade or so higher, for good animals. It is seldom that a finer stock of pigs has been sent to this fair; prices continued very low. MUIR OF ORD MARKET was a very dull one, and few transactions occurred. Some lots of the latter order were sold at fair prices ; but the amount of business done was compa- ratively small, and there was little desire to come to the terms offered by buyer or seller. Many lots were unsold, the farmers hoping for better bids. A lot of very fine Cheviot weddera were sold by Mr. John Davidson, Comer Muir, Stratbglass, at 278. ; Mr. Ross, Kinuahaird, sold half-bred clipped hogs at 283. £-head, an 1 two-year-old diumouts (shots) at 323.; Mr. Valantyue Macrae, Carnocb, sold a lot of Cdeviot ewes at l43. 9d. ; Mr. Macrae, Conchra, sold to Mr. Tait, Keppoch, Kintail, a lot of Cheviot ewe lambs at £11 per clad score ; a fine lot of 300 lambs were purchased by Mr. Maclennan, Tomich, at a price stated at lOs. or lis. The market was dull for ordinary cattle, though good cattle fetched fair prices. The price of stock was allowed to be 10 per cent. down. Many lots of Caithness and other cattle were unsold, some never having had a bid. Mk'. Forsyth, Dingwall, sold a lot of three- year-old Skye crosses at £9 lOs., also a lot at £9 ; Mr. Anderson, Kildrummie, bought a lot of six-quarter-old crosses at £7; Mr. Maclennan, Tomich, a lot three-year-old crosses at £14 143.; Mr. France bou;e pigs, with no alteration in value; dead pigs from Ss. 9d. to 9b. 3d. per score. STRATFORD-ON-AVON FAIR.— There was a small show of beasts, but of stores a large number, which met with a dull sale owing to the wet weather, yet there were many buyeis. Beef fetched 5|d. to 6^6. per lb. Not more than 1,000 sheep were penned : ewes brought 5^d. to 6^d., best wethers 6id. to 7gd. per lb.; lambs IBs. to 24s. eacU; pigs, fat for bacon, 9s. to 93. 6d. per score. There were some fine horses shown, few charged hands at high prices. WELSHPOOL FAIR.— There was a very good attendance of dealers, many of whom came in on the previous evening, and a good show of cattle. Beef sold readily at 5^1. and 6d., mutton 6^d. to 7d per lb. There were some very good draught hor.-es, which sold at very good prices. At the pig fair, ail that could soon be converted into bacon were bought up di- rectly, but no one seemed to want little pigs. WINCHESTER FAIR.— The supply was very short, being about 8,000 leas than last year, when the numbers were some- what in excess of an average ; but the present deficiency was nearly one-fourlh of the "usual quantity penned. Business commenced by sellers asking high prices, whith the buyers would not entertain, and tales for lambs were particu'arly THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. U9 dull ; for wetberi rather better ; but ewes were most iu de- mand, for which a tolerably brisk [trade was dene. The at- tendance of dealers from a distance was not numerous, and the fair close 1 with a clearance at no quotable change of the prices from the late Wey hill fair. Ewes realized from 343. to oS)., lambs 233. to 373., wethers 35s. to 4G3. A pen of ewes belongiDg to Mr. Digweed, of Steventou, made 44s. per head, and a pen of lambs belonging to Mr. Frederick Bailey, of Candover, fetched 443. per head. There were several fine lots of ewe?, lambs, and wethers exhibited by the ilessrs. Pain, Courtney, Canning, Fitt, Bailey, and ethers, which sold at high figures. The show of cattle was limited to a few in-calf heifers of inferior quality, for which there appeared to be licile demand. WO OLE R FAIR.— There was a large number of both cattle and sheep, and an exceedingly dull slow sale. Tnree- year-o!d cattle brought £12 to £16 lOs., two-year-olds £9 to £12, and stirks £5 to £8 a-head. There was a very good lot of heifers, for which was asked £13 lOs.; but late in the day we saw them still unsold. The prices obtained show a reduc- tion, compared with last year, upon three-year-olds of £2 a- head, upon two-year-olds of 203. or 30s., and amongst stirka there was uot so great a reduction, at least not equal to the decline amongst older cattle. The trade amongst sheep was very inactive ; the large prices of last year still haunting the minds of sellers, made them unwilling to submit to the prices oflfered, so that many lots left the ground unsold. Half-bred wethtrs brought 328. to 36?. a-head, aud Cheviot wethers, of which there was a hrge show, brought 2.53. to oO). Some lots of half-bred diumonts, which brought 42s. and 443. last year, were roM this at 353. aud 369., and there was a similar decline amongst Cheviots; so that sheep for feeding may be quoted at 73. a-liead below last > ear's prices. The ewe trade was dull, and a fulling off from the prices lately given. VIRGINIA (Co. Cavai.) FAIR.— Best beef on show 503. perc.vt. ; inferior beef down to 35s. per cwt. The demand for dry cattle was pretty brisk, except the animal were medio- cre or inferior altogether. The prices were, however, decidedly down. Wether mutton caunct be quoted at a higher fi:;ure on tr is occasion than S^d. per lb. ; lambs (store) from 253. to SOs. each. In the pig fair the best bacon exhibited brought 45«. as a top figure, and pigs retrograded below 40s. per cwt. Store pigs sold from SOs. to SOs. each, and sucks and weanlings from 7s. Od. to 143. per head. All sold out early. A goodly number of long-tail hcries were cantered about, aud fetched from £15. IRISH FAIRS.— TuAM : The supply, though very large, does uot come up to that of last year, but the stock are still pouring in. Prices for any lots as yet piirchased have a down- ward tendency. From 20s. to 273. 6d. under last year for for- ward stock, and a proportionate decliue in other descriptions of cattle. The supply of stores is, generally speaking, inferior, and except for the Dublin markets this kind of stock is what is most sought after here at this time. — Dun dalk : Best beef Bold at 553. per cwt., except in a few extreme ca?es where it had reached a hi^jher figure. Second class beef sold from 453. to 503. per ctt., and iiiTerior from 403. upwards. There was a very e.xcellent show cf good wether and ewe mutton, with a large quantity of good store sheep. The prices, as taken from the victuallers' calculations, are G^d per lb. for wethers, aud ewe from Sjd. to 6d. There were little or no bacon pi: 16s. to 18s. Carrawat ,, 42s. to— s. Linseed, per qr., Baltic 563. to 588.... Bombay 60s. to 62s. Linseed Cake, perton £9 103.to£ll Os. Rapeseed, Dutch 62s. to 663. Rape Cake, per ton £5 Os. to £6 Oa. HOP MARKET. LONDON, Monday, Oct. 25. — We have no material alteration to note in our market since our last report. The demand continues active for fine samples of every description, but for second and inferior sorts the trade is heavy. Our cur- rency is as follows : Mid and East Kenta ... . 703. 843. 120s. Weald of Rents 54a. 623. 689. Sussex 483. 549. 6O3. Duty, £260,000, Mease & Wild. POTATO MARKETS. SOUTHWARK WATERSIDE, Monday, Oct. 25. During the last week the arrivals have been very moderate. The trade is quiet, and no change in prices to note. The fol- lowing are this day's quotations: — Trench Whites 6O3. to 609, Belgian Whites 503. to 558. Essex and Kent Regents 70s. to 903. Dunbar 8O3. to OOs. BOROUGH AND SPITALFIELDS. LONDON, Monday, Oct. 25. — We have no improvement to notice in the demand for any kind of potatoes. Coastwise and by railway the receipts continue on a liberal scale, and the imports since Monday last have been as follows : Rotterdam. 242 bags; Dort, 313 do.; Calais, 208 bags and 52 tons; Dunkirk, 573 bagj ; HarliogeD, 125 bags 80 tons; Emden, 15 bags; Amsterdam, 9 bags ; Boulogne, 62 do.; Ostend, 6 do.; Antwerp, 100 do. ; Hambro', 75 do.; Harburg, 4 bar- rels; and Bremen, 6 do. Present prices : York Regents, 753. to 909. ; Shaws, 553. to 758. ; Kent and Essex, 758. to 8O3. ; French, 6O3. to 753.; Belgiar, 458. to 6O3., inferior 403. to 503. per ton. COUNTRY POTATO MARKETS.— York, Oct. 16.— Potatoes sell at 6d. to 6jd. per peck, and la. lOd. to 2s. per bushel. Leeds, Oct. 19. — We had a limited show of pota- toes, which sold readily at 7d. to 75d. per 211bs. wholesale, and 8d. to 9d. retail. Thirsk, Oct. 18.— Potatoes 6d. per stone. Richmond, Oct. 16. — Potatoes 29. 4d. per bushel. Sheffield, Oct. 19. — Potatoes sell at 5s. to 83. pet load of 18 stones. Manchester, Oct. 21. — Potatoes 7a. to 93. 6d. per 2521b9. PRICES OF BUTTER, CHEESE, HAMS, &c. BUTTER, percwt.: _b. ». CHEESE, per cwt.: PriesUnd lJ2tall6 Kiel — - Dorset 116 120 Carlovr 100 110 Waterford 102 110 Cork, ,. »g 110 Limerick 96 104 eiiiro «1 110 Passu, per dozen.. 138.0d.tol6s.0d. Cheshire ". 60 Cheddar 60 Double Glouc 52 68 HAMS: York 90 ICO Westmoreland 90 100 Irish — — BACON: Wiltshire, dried 64 66 Irish, jreen 66 62 ENGLISH BUTTER MARKET. LONDON, Monday, Oct. 25. — We have now to contend against a very dull market; and prices for all, except the first quality, are quite nominal. Doraet, fine ,,,,... . 1228, to 1243. per cwt. Ditto, middling .... 1003. to 1023. „ Devon 1123. to 114s. „ Fresh Us. to 16s. per dozen. COVENT GARDEN MARKET. LONDON, Satukdat, Oct. 23. — Trade is brisl.er llian is was last week. Apples and Pears are plentiful. Lisbon Grapes continue to arrive in excellent condition. A few laio Pearlies may still be had. Barcelona Nuts fetch 20s. per bushel; new Brazils, 16s. do. ; Spanifh, 14s. do. ; Almonds, 24s.; Wal- nuts kiln-dried, 20s. do. Filberts fetch 2Gs. to 35s. per 1(0 ts, Kent Cobs are dearer, and the demand brisk; prices higher. New Oranges have arrived from Madeira. Among Vegetables are some nice Cauliflowers. Peas are now over. Greens are plentiful, French Beans scarce. Potatoes rcalife some ad- vance on last week's prices; many are diseasid. Green Artichokes fetch from 4s. to 6s. per dozen. Cucumbers plen- tiful. Cut flowers chiefly consist of Orchids, Gardenias, HeliO" tropes. Geraniums, Violets, Mignonette, Heaths, and Roses. FRUIT. a Apricots, per dot 0 Oto 0 Apples, per bushel. ... 2 0 5 Orunges, per doz 0 0 2 Melons, each 10 2 Filberts, per lb 0 6 0 Cobs per lb 0 6 0 Grapes, per lb 1 0 4 Nectarines, per dozen,, 0 0 0 Pineapples, per lb... Currants, black, p. i-i Do. red 0 u Do. while 0 0 Lemons, per dozen .... 1 0 Pears, per doz-n 0 6 Peaches, perdozen .. .. 3 0 Fi<,'s,pfrdoz 0 0 s.d. s. d. 4 Oto 6 0 0 0 n VEGETABLES. s. d. s. d. Cauliflowerseach. .,,.,, 0 4to0 Broccoli, per bundle,... 0 0 Greens, per doz. bunches2 0 Seakale. per punnet 0 0 French Beans, persive.. 0 0 Aspara^Tip, per hundle .. 0 0 Rhubarb, per bundle 0 0 Potatoes, per ton 50 0 Do.perbush 2 0 Do.percwt i 0 Do. New,perlb 0 0 Carrots, per bunch 0 2 Turnips, per hunch 0 4 Spinach, per siere I 6 Cucumbers, per dozen ..1 0 Beet, per dozen I 6 s. d. s.d' oO 0 6 0 ;< 0 0 0 0 n 0 0 0 0 HO 0 2 9 6 0 0 0 0 4 0 6 2 0 4 0 2 0 Tomatoes, per half-sieve 0 Oto 0 0 L^f ka, per bunch . C>'lery, per bundle 1 0 .Shallots, perlb 0 6 Garlic, perlb 0 6 Lettuce, cab., perscore.. I 0 Do., Cos, perscore... 1 0 Endive, per score 1 0 Radishes, turnp, per doz. 0 0 Horseradish, per l>undle. 1 6 Mushrooms, per pottle.. 2 0 Parsley, per 12 bunches. 2 0 Basil, preen, per bunch.. 0 0 Marjoram, perbunch ... 0 0 Savory, per bunch 0 J Mint, (freen, per bunch.. 0 3 0 3 1 0 0 LEADENHALL LEATHER MARKET CROP HIDES. ENGLISH lbs. lbs. 23 to 35 45 15 16 50 .... IT 55 ..,. 17 60; .,,. IS BUTTS. ENGLISH. lbs. d. 16 .... 16 .1. 14 to 16 ISJ 19i IB 19 S6 45 45 60 16 19 Ui 23 16 24 OFFAL. d. Eoplish Shoulders 13 l>o. Cheeks and Faci s 6 Do. Bellies 9J Do. Middles 12 Foreiirn Shoulders 13 Do. Necks 10 Do. Bellies 8 Do. Middles do 11 Dr.ssing Hide Shoulders. 10 Do do. Bellies.. 9 Kip Shoulders 6 Do Belliis 6 DRESSING HIDES. lbs. lbs. d. Common .. ...20 to 24 . . 14 to 16 Do. .. ...25 2K , . 14 16 Do. .. ...30 34 , . 14 16^ Do. .. ...35 40 . . Jb 17 gaddlers .. ....30 35 . . 16 18 Do. ....36 60 . . 17 19 Bulls ..... . a . IH 13 Shaved ... ...14 16 . 19 Do. ... ....17 19 . . 17 19 Do. ... ....20 23 . . 16 18i HORSE HIDES. lbs. lbs. d. d. English 13 to 18., 11 toH Do. without butt Spanish salted, 1 without butts, > 6 per hide. 1 Do. do. 14„12 15 s.d. 8. d 9..11 6 14S do. 9 12. .12 6 0 0 do. inferior.. 7 0 9 ft do. 6 8.. 8 6 II « do. 9 11. .11 0 14 g do. inferior.. 6 0 7 (j CALF SKINS. Av. weight. Unrounded. Rounded. lbs. lbs. d. d. d. e. 20to28 14 to 16 .... 17 to 23 Do. Do. Do. Do. do. dry do. do. 35. 40.. ..15 ,.15 17 18 .... 17 17 .... 17 17 24 .24 28 .IS 34 Scotch do. Coach, per Hide SOs. toS.'is. HORSE BUTTS. Shaved. d. d. d. d. English 10 to U ..14 to 15 Sfaaisb 10 11 ..14 15 60 70 15 17 .... 16 23 70 80 14 16 .... 16 22 80 90 14 16 .... 15 22 90 100 14 16 .... 15 21 100 120 13 15 .... 14 19 KIPS. lbs. lbs. d. d. Pe'ersburgh ..4 to 7 .... ]9to21 Do. ..7 9 .... 17 21 Do. .. 9 10 .... 16 20 Do. ..II 13 .... 16 19 E.Ind.drysltd. 6 7 ... 19 24 Do. do. 7 9 ... 18 21 Do.' aeconds 15 18 Do. thirds 12 14 Do. inferior 8 10 SUNDRIES. 8. 8. Hog Skins, best each 12 to 19 Do. seconds... ,, 7 12 Seal Skins, split, per d(z. . 46 66 Do. for bindings „ 34 66 Calf Skins, Sumach- tanned „ 30 45 Do. white ,, 25 35 Horse Hides, white, each., g 13 Sheep Skins — d. d. Basils, unstrained, perlb. 8 14J Do. strained „ 8 14J Do. facing, per doz. ... 58. I6b, Tan, Sheep.&Lamhs ,, '0 16 White Sheep, per 120 ... *0 90 Do. abs. Do. Sheep &LamI)8, strained, per doz. . Sumach Iteous, per c Do. Skivers, ,, Bark Skivers, , Hide Splits, per lb fi 13 7 12 » to lid. 454 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. MANURES. PllICES CURRENT OF GUANO, &c. PERUVIAN CJDANO,(pert«n,for30toiia)nominal^l2 6 0 to XI 0 Do. Do (under 30 tons).... 13 0 0 0 BOLIVIANGUANO none 0 0 0 0 ARTIFICIAL MANURES, &c. I^itrate S"d»|^|y q oto£18 0 0 (per ton)... J NitratePotftsh^ 29 0 0 ._• Saltpetre } Salpht.Ammonia 16 0 0 Muriate ditto... 27 0 0 Superphoapht. \ j jg q of liime.... J Soda A.h, or ^ j g p Alkali...... J Gypsum 2 GoproUte .• 3 30 0 0 17 0 0 28 0 0 6 0 0 10 0 0 Sulph.ofCopper) £ a.d or Kouaan Vi- { triol,forWheat { steepin)!^ J Salt 10 0 Bones, Dust, per qr.l 1 0 Do.i-inch 12 0 Oil Vitriol,} concentrated, j 0 0 1 per lb J Do. Brown 8 0 Oi 0 0 to 47 1 10 0 1 2 0 1 31) 2 10 3 10 OIL-CAKES. Marseillea £9 10 OtoXlO 0 0 Eng-lish ID 10 0 0 0 0 Rope-cakeo.prton b 0 0 6 10 0 Linsef d-cakeB, per ton — ThinAmerican.J ^,0 j5 Q^ll 5^ inhrls.orbaps J Thick do. round (none) 0 00 John Keen, 35, Leadenhall-street, (Late OJams, Pickford, and Keen.) Agricultural Chemical Works, Stowmarket, SuflFolk. Prentice's Cereal Manure for Corn Crops per ton £8 10 0 Prentice's Turnip Manure „ 7 0? Prentice's Superphosphate of Li « 10 0 HIDE AND SKIN MARKETS. LONDON, Satudat, Oct.. 23, MARKET HIDES : Bfito641ba per lb. 0 S^to 0 4 64to721b» 0 4 0 4i 72to801hs 0 4i 0 44 8flto881b8 0 4J 0 5 88to9l)lbs 0 i 0 5i 9!jtol04lbs 0 5^ 0 6 li)4t«n;Jlb. 0 6 0 6J I. d. e. d. HOnSEHIDES,eacli 8 0 tolO 0 CALF SKINS, light . 3 Do. full 6 Shearling 0 Half-bred Sheep "5 Downs 3 PoUi-d Sheep 5 Lambs 0 5 0 WOOL MARKETS. ENGLISH WOOL MARKET. LONDON, Monday, Oct. 25.— Since ourlsst report a few parcels of short woolahave changed haiKl3 at very full prices, but ill lougwooh next to nothiug has been passing, oa former terms. The supply on offer is very moderate; but dealers act cautiously, owing to the approaching public sales of coloni&l wools. Per pack of 240Il)S. Fleeces— Southdown Ho'.;s £18 10to£17 0 Do. Half bred Hogs 16 0 17 0 Do. Kent 17 0 17 10 Do. Southdown Ewesand Wethers 1110 15 10 Do. Leicester do 14 10 15 10 Sorts— Clothing, picklock 17 10 18 10 Do. Prime and idcklock 17 0 17 10 Do. Choice 16 0 17 0 Do. Super 14 0 15 0 Do. Combing— Wether matching ... 17 10 18 10 Do. Picklock 16 0 17 0 Do. Common 1* 0 15 0 Do. Ho? matching 20 0 21 0 Do. Picklock matching 17 0 18 0 Do. Supcrdo 14 10 15 10 BRADFORD WOOL MARKET.—There has been move inquiry than for some weeks past, and some few sales have been effected where any inducement has been offered. Prices leep firm, and for bright-liaired wools no ease is obtainable. Noils and brokes continue firm at the rates current a few weeks a,«;o. Yarns : There has been more inquiry amongst the Delaine raanufacturera of Lancashire than for some time, and several heavy orders sre offering, but the rates are such that the present price of wool compels the spinner to decline them. Spi.nnera continue bu?y, especially in the spool trade, where the demand is fully equal to the supply. The export houses are not doing much just now. Pieces; There is a fair business passing, and manufacturers keep their looms fuliy.employed on order at more remunerative rates than have been current for some time. Prices grow stiffer week by week , as the manufacturers find warps and wefts worse to do. •^Bradford Observer. LEEDS (ENGLIf3H AND FOREIGN WoOL MaUKETS), Oct. 23. — There has been a slight improvement in the demand for combing wool, and prices are unaltered. There is no new feature with regard to colonial, which is light in stock. Prices are well sustained ; but there ia no disposition to speculate on the part of manufacturers. LIVERPOOL WOOL MARKET, Oct. 23. Scotch Wool, — There is a better icquiry for Laid Wool; still late sales have been in favour of the b-jyers. While is ia fair demand. Cheviots and Crossed are still in limited- de- mend. 8. d. g. d. Laid Highland Wool per 24Ibs 10 eto 12 0 White Highland do 14 0 15 0 Laid Crossed do., unwashed ,,..13 0 14 6 Do. do. .washed 14 0 15 C Laid Cheviot do, .unwashed 15 6 Ifi 0 Do. do. .washed 18 0 19 0 WhiteClteviot do. .washed 26 0 30 0 Foreign Wool. — There has been a fair demand for all classes of clothing V\'ool during the neck, and considerable sales of medium Buenos Ayres have been sold at very satis- factory prices ; and for all classes of AVool also with some length of staple, there is more inquiry. FOREIGN AND COLONIAL WOOL MARKET. Per lb, s. d. s. d. German, ( ist and 2nd Elect 3 4 to 4 6 Saxcn, ) Prima 2 4 3 0 and ISecunda.... 2 0 2 4 Prussian. (Tenia 1 8 110 Colonial: -SYDNEy-Lambs , 1 t^ 2 IJ Sc.. per lb. 0 0 0 Sheeto OOU Bottomsa 0 Oil Yellow Metala 0 0 0 VTetterstedt's Patent Metalt percwt 2 0 0 ENGLISH LEAD a. Pig, per ton.... £21 0 0-21 iO 0 Sheet £22 5 0—22 10 0 FOREIGN LEAD«. Spanish in bond, p. ton £20 0-20 15 ENGLISH TIN e. Block,per ton £111 0 0—112 0 0 Bar £ 0 0 0—112 0 0 FOREIGN TINC, Banea £119 0 0—119 0 0 Straits (uncert.) £116 0 0-117 0 « TIN PLATES 6. IC Charcoal, per box £1 12-1 13 IXdo £118 0-119 rc Coke £1 5 6—1 6 IX do 1 11 0-1 13 CanadaPlates perton 14 10 QCKSILVERf.p-rlb Is.lld.— 2o • Cold Mast,f.o.b. in Wale t Discount for cash in fourteen days, 5 per cent. Printed by Rogerson and Tuxford, 246, Strand, London. ^ THE FARMEE'S MAGAZL^^E. NOVEMBER, 1858. C 0 N T E N T S. Pl.vte I.— sir EDMUND LYONS; a Shorthorn Buli- Plate II.— FISHERMAN. Top-Dressixg for Grass. — By .Cuthbert Y/. Johnson, Esa., F.R.S Manures Fresh and Fermented; Exposing of Land and Dung A National Agricultural Society for Wales Agricultural Distilleries .... Profitable Culture of the Cereals in Hilly Districts . Hereford Agricultural Society's Show. The State of the Corn Trade .... Reaping Machinery. — By Mr. Alfred Crosskill. Stock Feeding, &c. . . . . . The Xorthauptonshirh and Bedfordshire Agricutural Societi Halesworth Farmers' Club .... Wetherby- Agricultural Society Autumnal Invitations. .... LuDLOAA' Agricultural Society^ .... The Covehithe Sale of Horses, Cattle, Sheep, Pigs, Poultry, &c. The Leading Features of the Implement Department of the Chester Stall or House-Feeding Sheep versus Wintering them without Shelter Long Sutton Agricultural Association The Breeding and Management of Shorthorn Stock. — By a Practical M The Agriculture of Austria The Annual Yield of Nitrogen per Acre in Different Crops. — By J. B F.R.S., F.C.S., AND J. H. Gilbert, Ph. D., F.C.S. Weights and Measures . . . • Northamptonshire Agricultural Society Ayr Circuit Court of Justiciary Insects and Diseases injurious to the Wheat Crop. The Earthworm and Housefly. Autumnal Cultivation . . . • The Earl of Leicester and his Tenantry Cultivation of the Turnip .... Meetings of Irish Societies The English Farmer in France The Biscathorpe Lincolnshire Rams The Culture and Product of the Sorgho Plant A Farmer among the Chemists "Not Proven" . . . . • Corn Averages. — Michaelmas Rents Consuming of Root Crops . . . • Adorning and Beautifying Farmers' Homes Irish Agriculture . . . • • An American Farmer . . . • • To A many-coloured Oak-Bough Calendar of Agriculture \ . Cheap Fertilizing Compost . . • • Root and Green Crops the Mainstay of all Good Farming Spirit of Enterprise amongst the Agricultural Class The Thistle Question . . • • Agricultural Reports . . ♦ • Review of the Cattle Trade during the past Month . Agricultural Intelligence, Fairs, &c. Presentation of a Testimonial to Mr. J. Fowler, Jun . . Review of the Corn Trade ... C^RN Averages and Market Currencies how Lawes, page . 362 . 365 . 367 . 370 . 372 . 374 . 376 . 377 . 379 . 381 . 384 . 386 . 387 . 388 . 389 . 390 . 398 . 399 . 401 . 405 40S . 409 . 413 . 414 . 416 . 417 . 418 . 419 . 421 . 422 . 423 . 424 . 425 . 429 . 428 . 42Q . 430 . 431 . 433 . 440 . 441 ; 442 . ib. . 443 . ib. . ib. .'444 . 445 . 447 . 449 . 450 452-54 NEW PATENT COEN„^s||eeL^J^D SMUT MACHINE R. & J. RANKIN, UNION FOUNDRY, LIVERPOOL. THE very great improvements made in this new PATENT SMUT MACHINE comprise an arrange- ment by which (in addition to freeing and purifying the Wheat from all Smut, however badly it may he affected) all Sand, Seeds, and heavy matter are extracted in one operation. The iMachine \.-m a Double Action upon the Wheat, and combines all tl-.e important advantages of the original (Grimes') Machine, with the addition of those of a Wire Screen. The following Testiraonia.'i prove that the Machine is found to be the bast of the kind in use : — Massrs. It. & J. Rankin, Liverpool. [COPY.] Slane Mills, 14th August, 1856. Dear Sirs, — We have miicii plesaure in saying that the Patent Smut Machine has giren us every satisfaction, and fot so far has not cost us one penny. The working parts— that is, bearings, &;c., arc just as gcoi as tlie first day we put it to work, now twelve months ago, and it has run nearly every worldng-diy since. Yours, truly, (Signed) Wetherill, Powbll, & Co. Boston, 'loth July, 1857. Gbsttlemen, — Your Smut Machine I consider fo be the best invented, and after working it seven years I fii;d it to bo as effective in its operations as it was the first week it was erected. I shall be happy at any time to render an account of it and its good qualities when called upon ; and I am, Gentlemen, your obedient servant, (Signed) A. Reynolds (late Reynolds & Son). RANKINGS NEW PATENT BONE MILLS. These MILLS are adapted for the use of Farmers and Manufacturers, and are made in all sizes. They are a most decided improvement upon those in ordinary use, taking much less povrer to drive them, whilst they work far more efficiently. The Mills will Grind the largest and hardest Bones with ease to any degree of fineness that may be wished, there being provision made to regulate their v/orking as may be required. Manufacturers will find this Mill to be much more durable, to Grind quicker, and to a greater de'gree of fineness than any other. TJiSTIMONIAL. Amertham, liiicks, November 8, 1855. This is to certify that Messrs. Rankin, of Liverpool, have fixed one of their Four-horse Bone Mills for me, with which I ara pet- fectlv satisfied, not only as it regards the power taken to drive it, but also the fineness of the Bones when ground. The principle 1 consider superior In every resp«ct to the old ones. The work is exceedingly well done, not only as it regards the Mill itself, but the Hors" Gear is of a very superior character. I shall be happy to show the iviill when working, or answer any enquiries. Messrs. R. & J. Rankin, Liverpool. (Signed) Thoma.8 H. MoaTEN. Applt to R. & J. RANKIN, Solk MAKEEa, Union Founded. Liverpool RICHMOND & CHANDLER^S PRIZE CHAFF-CUTTING MACHINES. UNDER LETTERS PATENT, NO. 57 NEW PATENT CHAFF CUTTING MACHINE, price £3 I5s.. delivered at Manchester or Liverpool. PRESENT PRICES. £ s. d. No. 57 ChaflFIMachine.. . 3 15 0 No. 1a Machine 4 10 0 No. 8b Machine 7 0 0 Pulley for po(ver w^ra 0 9 0 Change Wheels, to vary the length, per pair 0 6 0 Knives, cx-tra for each 0 4 6 No. 4b Machine , 10 0 0 Pulley for power, e.Tfr(i 0 9 0 Change Wheels, per pair 0 G 0 Knives, extra for each 0 4 6 No. 5 Machine 15 0 0 Pulley for power 0 12 0 Change Wheels 0 6 0 Knives, extra for each 0 7 6 No. 1 Improved Corn Crusher 5 5 0 No. 2 Improved Corn Crusher 6 10 0 Pulley for power 0 9 0 No. 8 Improved Corn Crusher 10 0 0 Pulley for power 0 12 0 No. 4 Imi)roved Corn Crusher 14 0 0 Pulley for power 0 15 0 Richmond &, Chandler's ex'ensive application of the most ap- proved Steam Machinery in the manufacture of these Imple- ments, atVord increased facilities, together with greater mathe- matieal accuracy in every pari, obtainable by no other means. Address, RICHMOXD & CHANDLER, SALFORD ; Branch EsT4BLl?HMBNT, SOUTH JOHN STR E KT, LIVERPOOL. HAYWOOD'S mwO and THREE HORSE POWER PORTABLE STEAM ENGINES AND THRASHING MACHINES Are e'pressly adapted to suit the require i cnts of small occupations. They are the only Ma- chines made of these sizss that will thrash, wimow, and bag the corn. Illustratid Catalogues ntfrce on api>lication o— JAMES HAYWOOD, JUN., PHCENIX FOUNDRY and N 0 I N E E R I N a WORKS, DERBY. Just Published, Price Is. sewed, 2s. bound in cloth and interleaved, JOHNSON & SHAAV'S FARMER'S ALMANAC, FOR 1859, Containing Notices of every Agricultural Improve- ment up to the present time, and the fullest informa- tion as to Agricultural Implements, Manures, Seeds, &c., &c. James Ridgway, Piccadilly, and all Booksellerg. Now Ready-, Price One Shilling, MORTON'S NEW FARMER'S ALMANAC FOR 1859. Blackie & So.v, Wiirwick-sqiiaic, Newgate-street, London ; and all Booksellers. k BANK OF_]>EPOSIT. Established A.D. 1844, No 3, Pall Mall East, London. PARTIES desirous of INVESTING MONEY are requested to examine the Plan of the BANK OF DEPOSIT, by which a high rate of interest may be obtained with ample security. Deposits made by Special Agreement, may be withdrawn xoithout notice. The Interest is payable in January and July. PETER MORRISON, Managing Director. Forms for opening Accounts sent Free on application. ESTABLISHED 1812. TURNIP MANURE. — This valuable fertilizer has been used for the last twelve years with great success by most of the eminent Agriculturists throughout England, and stands unrivalled in the iveight and quality of the bulbs which it produces ; it is besides especially beneficial to the Grain Crops which follow, while Clover is rarely found to fail after the first application. Some of the crops produced by this Manure last year weighed upwards of Thirty Tons per acre. GRASS, BARLEY, CLOVER, and WHEAT MANURES; also BONE, GUANO, and SUPERPHOSPHATE of LIME, warranted of the best quality. Apply to— H. & T, PROCTOR, Cathay, Bristol. {Birmingham, Edmonscote, Warwick. And Saltney, near Chester. N.B.— A Pamphlet on "MANURES, their PROPERTIES and APPLICATION," forwarded on receipt of 12 postage stamps. DEVON AND CORNWALL MANURE WORKS, AND PATENT STEAM BONE MILLS, CATTE DOWN, PLYMOUTH. CHARLES NORRINGTON & CO.'S celebrated SUPERPHOSPHATE OF LIME stands unrivalled in the Manure Market for all Boot Crops. During the past season upwards of Forty Tons of Mangold Wurtzel, Swedes, and Common Turnips per Acre have been grown with this Superphosphate, without other Manure. C. N, & Co. bind themselves to the valuation of the various Ingredients as given by Professor Way, in the Journal of the Hoyal Agricultural Society, vol. xvi., pp. 632—42. Price je7 10s. per Ton, in Bags, delivered to any Port in the United Kingdom. CURTIS ON MANHOOD— SHILLING EDITION. A MEDICAL ESSAY ON NERVOUS AND GENERATIVE DISEASES. Just published, the 77th Thousand, with numerous plates, in a sealed envelope, price Is., or sent, post-paid by the Author, for Fourteen stamps. MANHOOD : The CAUSE and CURE of PREMATURE DECLINE, with Plain Directions for Perfect Restoration to Health and Vigour; being a Medical Review of the various Forms and modern treatment of Nervous Debility, Impotency, Loss of Mental and Physical Capacity, whether resultiug from Youthful Abuse, the Follies of Maturity, the Efi'ects of Climate or Infection ; with Observations on a new and successful mode of detecting Spermatorrhoea, and other urethral discharges, by Microscopic Examination ; to which are added, Curious and Interesting Cases, with the Author's Recipe of a Pi-eventive Lotion. By J. L, CURTIS, Surgeon, 15, Albemarle-street, Piccadilly, London At home for consultation daily, from 10 till 3, and 6 to 8. Sundays, from 10 to 1, REVIEWS OF THE WORK, " Curtis on Manhood.— Shilling Edition.— 77th Thousand.— This is a truly valuable work, and should be in the hands of young and old. The professional reputation of the author, combined with his twenty years* experience as medical referee in the treatment of nervous debility, &c., fully accounts for the immense circulation which this popular and ably-written medical treatise has obtained." — Sunday Times, 23rd March, 1856. *• Curtis on Manhood. — The author has conferred a great boon by publishing this little work, in which is described the source of those diseases which produce decline in youth or more frequently premature old age."— Daily Telegraph, March 27, 1856. Curtis on Manhood. — The book under review is one calculated to warn and instruct the erring without imparting one idea that can vitiate the mind not already tutored by the vices of which its tie&ta."—Aaval and Military Gazette, 1st Feb., 1851. " We feel no hesitation in saying that there is no member of Society by whom the book will not be found useful— whether such person hold the relation of a parent, preceptor, or a clergyman. — Sun, Evening Paper. Published by the Author; sold also in sealed envelopes, by Gilbert, 49, Paternoster-row ; H ANN ay, 63, Oxford-street; Mann, 39, Cornhill, London; Robinson, 11, Greenside-street, Edinburgh; Heywood, Oldham-street, Manchester; Howell, 6, Church-street, Liverpool; France, 8, Side, Newcastle-on-Tyne; Ashley, Pos!',- Office, Newbury; Ferris & Score, Union-street, Bristol; Pierson, Shrewsbury; Julb, Braintree; Tk3w, Lynn ; Peat, Chichester; Lurcock, Maidstone; Cook, Ipswich; Huscroft, Bury St. Edmunds; Dove, Swindon ; Jbarey, Bridewell Alley, Norwich; Smith, Cambridge ; Slatteb, Oldham, and by all Booksellers ar-CChemists in the United Kingdom. FOB THE HAI£, THE SKIN, AND THE TEETH, ai-e universally held in high estimation ; and the fact of the distinguished Patronage they enjoy, their general use in all tries, and the numerous testimonials constantly received of their efficacy, sufficiently prove the value of their " SXAC ASl OIK," *' XAXiYDOR," and " ODOISTTO." THE FIRST PRODUCTION IN THE WORD For the GROWTH and IMPROVEMENT of the HUMAN HAIR, is proved beyond question bj its successful results for MORE than HALF A CENTURY past, and when other Bpecifics ll have failed. I It prevents Hair from falling oflf or turning grev, strengthens weak HAIR, cleanses it from Scurf and Dandriflf, and m.l it BEAUTIFULLY SOFT, PLIABLE, and GLOSSY. In the growth of THIS »«:AM1>, iritl^KS^lfi^, A]¥]> MU^TACHiq it Is unfailing in its stimulative operation. For CHILDREN it is especially recommended as forming the basis of A BE.I TIFUL HEAD OF HAIR. 1 Its invaluable properties have obtained the Patronage of Rotaltt, the Nobility, and the Aeistockact throughout Euro! while its introduction into the Nursery of Royalty, and the high esteem in which it is universally held, with numerous Tel inonials constantly received of its efficacy, afford the best and surest proofs of its merits. — Price 3s. 6d. and 7s. ; Family Bot I (equal to four small), 10s. 6d. ; and double that size, 21s. I CAUTION.— On the Wrapper of each Bottle are the words, " ROWLANDS' MACASSAR OIL," &c., in white lett] and their Signature, " A. ROWLAND & SONS," in Bed Ink. A B £ A UTIFUL COMFLE X I O B| AND SOFT AND FAIR HANDS AND ARMS,1 Are realized by the use of lYDOl This Royally-patronized and universally esteemed Specific exerts the most soothing, cooling, and purifying action on the Ski eradicates Freckles, Tan, Pimples, S2H>is, Discoloration and other Cutaneous Visitations, and renders THE ^KI1¥ CXilEAH, FAIM, A]!¥l> SI^OOMIIVO^. CATTTIOIir.— Tlie words "ROWLANDS' KALYDOR," &c., are on the Wrapper, and their Signature, "A. ROV LAND & SONS," in Bed Ink, at foot, Price 4s. 6d. and 8s. 6d. per bottle. Are indispensable to PERSONAL ATTRACTION, and to health and longevity by the proper mastication of food. ©Kg [Pi/i\l^[L ©[lli^T01FKQ TOXIOBS,] [PBINTZBS, 246, STSAHD. THORI-EY'S POOD FOR CATTLE, AS USED IN HER MAJESTY'S STABLES, And also on His Royal Highness thel Prince Consort's Farm, Windsor. IMPO»TA:»fT TO EVEKY MAW WHO KEEPS A THE FIRST AND ONLY PRIZE EVER AWARDED FOR FOOD FOR CATTLE IN A CONDENSED STATE WAS GIVEN BY THE CHESHIRE ACHHCUI^TUHAI. SOCIETY I]¥ \»!t7, TO JOSEPH THORLEY, ESQ., THE INVENTOR AND SOLE PROPRIETOR OF THORLEY'S FOOD FOR CATTLE I THIS FOOD is now receiving patronage from all parts of the kingdom, including His Grace the Duke of Richmond, His Grace the Duke of Athole, the Earl of Wilton, the Earl of Eldon, the Earl of Essex, the Earl of Bessborough, the Earl of Aylestbrd, the Earl of Lisburne, the Earl Rosslyn, Viscount Strathallan, Viscount Dillon, the Right Hon. Lord Willoughby de Brooke, the Right Hon. Lord Londesborough, Lord Lurgan, Lord Macdonald, Lord Sultoua, Lord Greenock, Lord Hatherton, Lord A. Russell, Sir John Cathcart, Bart., Sir John Ribton, Bart., Sir Wm. Pavne Galway, Bart., Sir David Cunynghame, Bart., Sir Montague Cholmely, Bart., Sir John Seymour, Bart., Sir Charles Payne, Bart., Sir Thos. Erskine, the Hon. D. Astloy, the Ven. Archdeacon Freer, H. Drummond, Esq., M.P., E. Holland, Esq., M.P., Gerrart Start, Esq., M.P., General Wyndham, Col. Ames, Col. Cartwright, Colonel C. Hunter, Lieut.-Col. Candley, Lieut. Williams, Lieut, and Adjutant Holland, and many others too numerous to mention. CoHTerts tlie commonest of ^traiiv into a superior Proveniler. It is requisite you should notice the Inventor's Signature on each package or feed, as inferior sorts are often substituted. BINGLEY HALL CATTLE SHOW, BIRMINGHAM, 30th November, 1857. Class X.— FIRST PRIZE. DEVON STEERS. See Catalogue, No. 88. — The property of the Right Hon. the Earl of Aylesford. SECOND PRIZE. FEI> OIX THOMI^EY'S EOO]> FO« CATTI.E. The projierty of His Royal Highness the Prince Consort. TJie above are a few of the many Prizes obtained through the use of this invaluable Compound, which ii adapted for all kinds of Stock, and noio in use throughout the world. Sold in Cases, containing 448 Packages— each Package one feed — at the cost of 56s. per Case; also in Casks, containing 448 feeds, with measure included, price 50s. per Cask. Carriage paid to any Railway Station in the United Kingdom. None are geimine without the Signature being affixed to each Package or Feed, • ^'^•^r — ~ ^^ INVENTOR AND SOLE PROPRIETOR. Central Depot. -77, NEWGATE STREET, LONDON. i ^J^ 1 1 it. 1 J.BEurU'. i^^^/^v ma, / ^PZjeiZ/ty THE FARMEK'S MAGAZIl^E. DECEMBER, 1858. PLATE I. PORTRAIT OF JAMES MORRELL, ESQ., OF HEADINGTON HILL, OXFORD. PLATE 11. CARLISLE; A Hereford Cow. THE PROPERTY OF THE RIGHT HONOURABLE LORD BERWICK, OF CRONKHILL, SHREWSBURY. JAMES MORRELL, ESQ., OF HEADINGTON HILL, OXFORD. Few persons have ever more deservedly ranked among popular men, either as magistrate, sporstman, agriculturist, or labourer's friend, than the " Fine old English Gentleman" whose portrait we here give. Mr. Morrell, now in his forty-eighth year, was educated at Eton ; the owner of very considerable estates, he is ever ready to co-operate with, and aid the British Farmer in all matters where " Progress" is the watchword and "Onwards" the motto, in any well considered and judicious improvement or pursuit— anxiously solicitous that the honest labourer's heart may never know distress, and who, " When the poor want aid. Denies them nothing but his name." The pages of the Sporting Magazine for this month record the particulars of his never-to-be-for- gotten decade as master of the O. B. H. ; and Oxford attests the ever memorable year of his shrievalty in 1853 ; whilst within the walls of his magnificent and newly erected mansion, on which the motto of an old baronial residence might most fitly be inscribed — " Thro' this wide opening gate. None come too early, none return too late," such princely hospitality is dispensed, that we echo but the public voice in aflSrming there is but one Headington Hill to look from, one Oxford to look at, and but one James Morrell for hospitality and benevolence, as " of the olden time." OLD SERIES.] I I [VOL. XLIX.— No. G. 456 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. PLATE II. CARLISLEj A Hereford Cow. THE PROPERTY OF THE RIGHT HONOURABLE LORD BERWICK, OF CRONKHILL, SHREWSBURY. Carlisle, bred by Lord Berwick and calved in 1854, was got by Albert Edward (839), dam Silver, by Emperor (221). Albert Edward, also bred by Lord Berwick, was the first prize aged bull at the Royal Agricultural Society's Meeting at Gloucester. Carlisle has never been exhibited but three times, and on every occasion at the great National Meet- ings of the Royal Agricultural Society. In 1855, at the city from which she takes her title, she won the first prize of £lO as the best yearling heifer. In 1856, at Chelmsford, she took the first prize of £15, as the best heifer in calf. In 1857, at Salisbury, she took the first prize of £20, as the best cow in milk. There never was a better Hereford cow shown than Carlisle. It would be diflUcult to find any fault with her. She is extraordinarily level and handsome, of compact symmetrical form, deep in her frame, and a most superior "handler." She has a capital head, with horns fine and waxy — one drooping and the other up. She is full in the chest, good in the girth, has not very prominent but well covered hips, and a famous loin. In fact, for symmetry and quality, and as a perfect specimen of her breed, Cartisle stands deservedly high as a prize animal. "The origin of the Herefords," says Cecil in his recently published Hints on Agriculture, " is not accurately known, though it is related that they were imported from Flanders some two cen- turies ago. Whether there is any truth in this I will not presume to offer an opinion, or whether the report originated in the circumstance that cattle of a similar description are depicted in old Flemisli paintings. This, at least, confirms that they had in Flanders cattle similar in appearance. From what cause it is diflScult to explain, this breed has not hitherto received equal attention and patronage that the short-horns have enjoyed. In the county from whence the title is derived, and in the adjoining counties of Salop, Worcester, and Radnor, this breed flourishes most conspicuously upon its own real merits. It has for many years been held in the highest esteem ; aud although the banners of fashion have not waved over it so extensively as the short-horns, some of the best judges give it precedence. The splendid animals which have of late years been exhibited at different agricultural meetings by Lord Berwick, of Cronkhill, near Shrewsbury ; Mr. Walter Maybery, of Brecon; Mr. Carter, of Doddington, near Ludlow; Mr. Price, of Pembridge; Mr. Daniel Burnett, of Turnstone, near Hereford ; Mr. W. Racster, of Thringhill, Hereford ; Mr. Samuel Walker, of Urvvick, near Ludlow; Mr. Tudge, of Ashford, and many other gentlemen and farmers, have maintained for this excellent breed of cattle the high repute that it justly merits. It may be here remarked, that when prizes have been given at agricultural exhibitions for the best animals in any of the classes of Short-horns, Herefords, and Devons, that the Herefords have had their share of awards ; and, in some instances, when preferences have been given to the short-horns by the judges, public opinion has reversed the decisions. " Irrespective of the Herefords which are exhibited at the meetings, it is impossible to enter the county, or the adjoining counties, where the breed is prevalent, without being forcibly impressed with the general excellence of the common stock. Of course, some indiflferent animals may be seen, but they belong to small farmers and persons who do not possess the taste or judgment to make better selections. If it were possible to inculcate in the minds of such persons the difference in point of value, and the consequent profit between good and inferior animals, it would be the readiest and most certain step towards universal improvement in their stock, and in the cultivation of their farms ; but, until a more hberal and generally diffused system of education be introduced among that class, those great objects will never be accomplished. It may be accepted almost as a rule that the more enlightened a man is, the more refined will he be in the selection of his stock and the cultivation of his farm." THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 457 ARTIFICIAL FOOD. BY CTJTHBERT W. JOHNSON, ESQ., F.E.S. I have on another occasion endeavoured to show the approximate consumption of meat in our country at this time, and also at the commence- ment of the present century {Farmers^ Almanac, for 1859). These kind of inquiries will be deemed useful by my readers in several ways ; they not only serve to show the progress made in the con- sumption of meat, but they clearly prove the enor- mous advances made by the skill and energy of our agriculturists in the supply of that long and still rapidly enlarging demand. If, indeed, it is a correct estimate that the aver- age consumption of meat in Great Britain is equal to about 75lbs. per head, then it would appear that as the population of our island was 11,000,000 in 1801, and about 22,000,000 in 1859 — that 855,000,000 lbs. of meat were consumed in 1801, and double that quantity, or 1,710,000,000 lbs., » in 1859. Now as to this increased demand of 855,000,000 lbs. in 58 years, how was that satis- fied ? where did the supply come from, but from the broad lands of Britain ? It is useless to think of foreign live stock. Here the English farmer is, fortunately for himself and for his country too, not subject to a ruinous competition. To what does all the foreign supply of meat amount ? Take the ' sheep and lambs imported, for instance, in the years 1856 and 1857, from the two last official returns : why they amounted to 145,059 in 1856, and to 177,207 in 1857, being an average yearly import of 161,133 sheep and lambs. Even allow- ing these to average 100 lbs. each, here was a supply of 16,113,300 lbs. of mutton, which would, at 75 lbs. a-head, only be sufficient for the annual consumption of 214,844 persons. If you add to this the cattle, the pigs, the beef, the bacon, &c., imported, you hardly have a supply of animal food equal to the yearly demand of 1,000,000 persons ; the remaining 21,000,000 Britons are to solely rely (and that demand has been right nobly responded to) on the steadily increasing eflforts of the culti- vators of our island. If we contrast the smallness of the supply of foreign meat with that of the imports of foreign corn, how widely different is the result we obtain ! If we allow a quarter of wheat to represent the average annual consumption of each individual, then in the year 1857 there was imported into this country in only foreign wheat, meal, and flour, bread for a year's support of 4,006,285 persons, more by 3,000,000 persons than the imported animal food could supply. With these facts in our possession, need we ask why meat maintains a remunerative price, whilst bread is selling below the cost of its production? Such facts lead us also to another practical and useful portion of the inquiry— the means of pro- moting the production of meat; of still farther enlarging this, the most profitable and the most safe branch of the farmer's business— the only agricultural product, in fact, that is likely to long continue to be in increasing demand, without en- countering a corresponding foreign competition. There have been even within the last few weeks two or three valuable papers published, giving the results of valuable experiments in the production of food for stock and its consumption, well worthy of our careful consideration. The comparative value of swedes and cabbages (a crop which I think has never yet been cultivated to the extent to which in many districts it is capable) has been tried in some carefully-conducted experiments of Mr. J. M'Laren, of Rossie Priory {Trans. High. Soc, 1858, p. 373). In his prize report, after de- scribing his mode of cultivating the cabbages, and the weight per acre (cabbages 42 tons 14 cwt., swedes 26 tons 12 cwt.), he thus describes the result of his trials with two lots of Leicester sheep (10 in each lot): "On the 1st December, 1855, both lots were put into a field of well-sheltered old lea, having a division between them. All the food was cut, and given them in troughs three times a day. They also had a constant supply of hay in racks. At the end of the trial, on the 1st of March, 1856, the sheep were all re-weighed, sent to the Edinburgh market, and sold on the same day. As I had no opportunity of getting the dead weights, I requested the salesman, Mr. Swan, to give his opinion on their respective qualities. This was to the effect that no difference existed in their market value, but that the sheep fed on turnips would turn out the best quality of mutton with most profit to the butcher. Both lots were sold at the same price, viz., 52s. 6d. During the three months of trial, we found that each lot consumed about the same weight of food, viz., 8 tons 13 cwt. 47 lbs. of cabbage, being at the rate of 21| lbs. per day for each sheep; and 8 tons 10 cwt. 7 lbs. of swedes, being at the rate of 20^5 lbs. per day." It will be seen, by referring to the subjoined table, that in this trial the swede has proved of higher value for feeding purposes than the cabbage, I I 2 458 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. Fed on Cabbage St. lb. Fed ou Swede. St. lb. 90 10 • 89 3 101 7 10 9 100 7 11 4 £ s. 3 14 d. 6 . £ s. d. . 3 9 0 18 6 6 . . 12 6 7 4 10 11 . . 0 7 0 13 15 7 . . 11 19 7 1 16 0 making 1 1 st. 4 lbs. of gain in weight, whilst the cabbage made 10 st. 9 lbs. ; at the same time 3 cwt. 40 lbs. less food was consumed ; and taking the mutton gained at Gd. per lb., the swedes con- sumed become worth 9s. 3jd. per ton ; while the gain on the cabbage, at the same rate, makes them worth 8s. 7d. per ton. But from the great addi- tional weight of the one crop grown over the other, the balance at the prices, &c., mentioned, is in favour of the cabbage by £1 l6s. Od. per acre. The weight of the 10 sheep on 1st. Dec, 1855, was Weight on the 1st March, 1856 The gain was therefore . . The value of the gain at 6d. Value of each crop per acre Extra cost on each crop per acre Free value of each crop per acre Balance in favour of cabbage per acre .... On the management and feeding of breeding stock, much valuable practical matter is contained in the lately published prize essay of Mr. Edward Bowly, of Siddington {Jour. Roy. Ayri. Soc, vol. xix., p. 145). He observes, when speaking of the use of artificial food : " I never give any artificial food to animals after they have completed their growth, and not often after eighteen months old, up to which age I consider it is profitable to the breeders, whether of shorthorns or any other breed, to give a moderate quantity of oilcake, thereby increasing the size of the animal and the value of the manure. My cows have grass alone during the summer, late in the autumn a little hay at night and in the morning, and hay and roots when in milk in the winter, the dry cattle having pulped roots and straw-chaflf during that season. This comparatively new mode of feeding cattle is one of the greatest improvements of the present day : formerly, when cattle were fed on roots and straw, they ate too many of the former and not sufficient of the latter; by thus mixing the two we induce them to eat the proper proportions of each, and they do much better with little more than half the old quantity of roots. I have several dry cows now in excellent condition, being fed on 45 lbs. of pulped swedes and a bushel and a half of straw-chaff each daily, with no other food what- ever. My calves of last year, now eleven to thir- teen months old, are in a very thriving condition with 28 lbs. of pulped swedes, one bushel of straw- chafF, with 2 lbs. of oilcake each daily. I have the chaff and roots mixed only a short time before they are given to the animals ; if allowed to remain in a heap two or three days the mass will heat, and some persons maintain that it is best to give it to the cattle in this warm state. I have found no ad- vantage in it myself, and I consider it therefore best avoided, as it may sometimes tend to acidity not favourable to the health of the stock. I have never tried the system of steaming and giving the food warm to the cattle ; but a friend of mine, Mr. Anthony Bubb, of Witcombe Court, near Glou- cester, has made several experiments in feeding cattle and pigs with steamed and unsteamed food, and has found no advantage from the former, ex- cept that when hay and straw-chafF are used alone it is rendered more palatable, particularly if the hay is of inferior quality. I consider straw objec- tionable food, unless accompanied by roots or a small quantity of oilcake ; it often causes obstruc- tion in the second stomach, which is one of the most dangerous maladies we have to contend with in cows." The comparative qualities of cake, hay, &c., for sheep, have been reported in the last number of the Transactions of the Highland Society. Mr. B. Bird tells us, in his prize essay, that his experi- ments were made upon lots of five each ; that the sheep were wethers, lambed in April, 1857 ; and as to breed, that they were got by Leicester tups out of half-bred ewes (a cross between the Leicester and the Cheviot). The following table gives the weights of the five lots, when they were put into their pens on the 15th of December, 1857, and on the 22nd of Fe- bruary and the 15th of April, 1858 : — 1. Fed on turnips and 1 linseed- cake . . J 2. Turnips and rape- 1 cake J 3. Turnips and hay . . . . 4. Turnips and corn . . Dec. 15. St. lbs. Feb. 22. St. lbs. 32 11 38 0 33 0 37 1 33 1 36 3 37 4 40 11 April 16. St. lbs. 45 8 39 43 48 13 2 The general conclusions to which Mr. Bird arrives is, that when feeding whole flocks, and when given in moderate quantities, such as the sheep will readily consume, the preference must be given first to linseed cake, secondly to hay, and thirdly to corn. But if given in larger quantities, provided it possesses a good mixture of clovers through it, is uninjured by wet in the making, and given to them chopped, that then the preference must be assigned to hay first, corn second, and linseed-cake third. As to rape-cape, he is of opinion that although feeding with it in this experiment was a decided failure, yet other breeds of sheep THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 459 maybe found to eat it— such as the black or grey- faced, or aged sheep or ewes. Within the last few months various manufactured foods have been extensively advertised. It is hardly necessary to warn my readers to be cautious in the use of these mixtures. It is hardly possible that by any mixture of diflferent kinds of food an advantage can be obtained by the consumer equal to the large advance made on the commercial value of the ingredients by the manufacturers. This conclusion is entirely supported by the trials of Mr. J. B. Lawes {Jour. Roy. Agri. Soc, vol. xix., p. 199); and, as he well remarks, these foods frequently cost from 40s. to 50s. per cwt. Taking the published average prices for the six weeks ending July 17, 1859, one cwt. of the fol- 1^ lowing stock-foods would cost as under : — One cwt. of s. d. Barley 8 4 Oats , 9 2 Beans 9 4 Peas 9 6 Lentils 10 0 Oilcake 10 0 Linseed 16 6 Hay 4 0 The manufactured foods thus cost, weight for weight, four or five times as much as the most nu- tritive of the ordinary stock-foods on our farms. The following is the result, per cent., of an analysis by Mr. Segelcke, of one of these foods : — Water 12-86 Nitrogenous substance 15"51* ^ Fatty matter 6-22 Starch, sugar, iVc 55'97 Woody fibre 5*50 Mineral matter 3 94 * Nitrogen 245 per cent. Independently of the slight colouring with turmeric, and flavouring with cumin, anise, or other of the stimulating and carminative seeds used in cattle medicine, which these foods frequently exhibit, the constituents, as here stated, could be supplied by a mixture of barley-meal with some of the legumi- nous seeds enumerated, and oilcake or linseed. Such a mixture, according to the prices quoted. 355 lbs. 494 139 556 could be prepared for about one-fourth the price of the manufactured cattle-food. Mr. Lawes instituted some comparative experi- ments with the food, the analysis of which has been given. Six pigs were divided into lots of three each. To lot No. 1 a mixture was given, composed of 9 parts barley-meal and 1 part bran. To lot No. 2 the same mixture of barley-meal and bran was given, with the addition of 2 parts of the ma- nufactured food to every 10 parts of the barley and bran mixture. The food was in each case stirred up with hot water, and both lots were allowed as much of their respective foods as they chose to eat. The results were as follows : — Lot 1. Lot 2. 9 parts barley- Tlie same and 2 meal, 1 part parts manufac- bran. tured food. No. of pigs 3 3 Duration of experiment 28 days. 28 days Original weight 357 lbs. Final weight 496 ,, Increase 139 ,, Total food consumed . . 547 ,, Food consumed to pro- duce lOOlbs. of increase 393 ,, 400 ,, It is quite evident from the result of the above trials that our old friends, barley-meal and bran, produced as nearly as possible (and at less thau one-fourth the cost) as much pork as the manu- factured food. To the institutors of valuable experimental in- quiries like these, the gratitude of the stock-owner is justly due. It is utterly impossible that many farmers can carry on such trials, with the scientific and practical accuracy displayed by some of those whose labours I have referred to, and whose valu- able reports I have abridged in this paper. They possess, too, the considerable advantage of being the researches of practical farmers : men anxiously labouring in search of truth ; not seeking to sup- port preconceived theories, but wisely suspicious of novel pretensions and improbable assertions; and as such I commend them to the careful study of my readers, as they sit by the side of their own warm fires and bright- eyed circles, on a cold De- cember evening. STOCK-FEEDING. Having in the last article proved that a large amount of the carbon of food escapes during respiration, it will now be shewn how this carbon can be retained, and in a future article it will be shewn how this, as well as any other portion of the carbon of food, can be converted into flesh. It may be allowable before proceeding, to advert to a few of the causes which have supported error, and ob- structed investigation, of which the following arej perhaps, the chief: That persons who have been schooled in, and taught to believe, particular doctrines, without even being allowed to investigate them ; who have had degrees and honors conferred upon them, and who have long publicly espoused the doctrines thus "crammed" into them, are not, and cannot be expected to be sufficiently 460 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. free to examine the basis of the theory upon which they have built their reputations, as by so doing they would undermine their own position. One fallacy thus perpetuated is that of apportioning specific and separate duties to "starch," "sugar amylon," &c., &c., when they are only variations of each other, and are readily convertible from one to another ; as for instance, starch becomes sugar during malting, and when food is digested the supposed dif- ferences cease to exist. The chief available substance in all cases, as before shewn, is carbon, differing in solubility in proportion to the oxygen with which it is associated — thus sugar is more soluble than starch; starch than lignine, &c. Another obstacle is the practice of referring to the beautiful ordination by which the balance of nature is restored, by vegetables absorbing carbonic acid gas, and giving out oxygen ; and animals absorbing oxygen, and giving out carbonic acid gas. This is generally held forth as a final answer, and intended to arrest all further inquiry. It is, however, worse than foolish to suppose nature's laws can be disturbed, as it pre-sup- poses a weakness in the Maker of those laws, and leads to the ridiculous idea of an Almighty weakness ! show- ing the absurdity of allowing such doctrines to interfere with legitimate practical inquiry. It is needful now to refer to the extensively-propa- gated, and generally-accepted, view of the purpose of respiration, which is evidently erroneous, viz. — 1. That by the combination of carbon in the blood with the oxygen of respiration, animal heat is supported. 2. That the removal of the excess of carbon from the blood is essential to render it fit for circulation. Now, the union of carbon and oxygen takes place with only a trifling change of volume, and therefore can- not be productive of much heat, heat being only dis- engaged where combination is attended with a consider- able diminution of volume. Animal heat is chiefly sup- plied by the union of the hydrogen of food with the oxygen of respiration, which during combination con- denses and forms water. Then, if the blood does contain an excess of carbon, it is only an excess in relation to something else. If it were too large a quantity per se, why not abstain from adding more by the food, which consists principally of carbon ? It would, however, be more correct to say that there is a deficiency of some other elevient or ele- ments in relation to the quantity of carbon, which is the actual case. In order to make this more evident, suppose, as it occasionally happens, that a most unusual abundance of fish were caught, where there was not at hand a suf- ficiency of salt to cure them ; would not any sensible person, instead of saying there were too many fish, at once say there was a deficiency of salt ? This is exactly the case with the carbon of the blood ; but all salt is not muriate of soda. All parts of the animal system are supplied and renewed with substances derived from the blood during its circu- lation through them — carbon is the main element in the composition of animal substances — consequently it is extremely absurd to suppose there is any advantage attending the abstraction from the blood of the chief ele- ment of the flesh. Food, as generally used, always contains a larger por- tion of carbon than of salts capable of retaining it when in the body of an animal ; and this is the reason of, and is demonstrated by, the relative excess combining with oxygen, and escaping as carbonic acid gas. The obvious remedy is to supply the deficiency of salts having an affinity for this carbonic acid gas, and we have, by the natural conformation of animals, every facility for making such application effectual. The carbon contained in the blood circulates with it through the lungs, and there, coming in contact with oxygen, is transformed into carbonic acid gas ; and it must be evident that if we introduce, through the medium of the food, into the blood, soluble substances having an affinity for carbonic acid gas, and this gas, and consequently the Carbon (which is one of its con- stituents) WILL BE ABSOKBED OR FIXED, AND THUS PREVENTED ESCAPING. It is admitted that/ree carbonic acid gas is injurious to animals, and must be expelled from the system ; but when this gas is fixed, it may, on the contrary, be ren- dered highly beneficial, and the carbon it contains as conducive to the formation of flesh, as any other portion of the carbon of food. It is obvious that before any further process can be commenced with reference to the carbon becoming useful for flesh-making, it must be prevented flying off ; on the same principle that Mrs. Glass says, " first catch your hare," before detailing the process of cookery. The fixation of carbonic acid gas has been attempted by various means, but being deficient in chemical know- ledge the parties making the experiments have never yet produced any decidedly beneficial results ; for in- stance, charcoal, ashes, &c., have been used. Charcoal when fresh will undoubtedly absorb a large quantity of carbonic acid gas ; but charcoal itself being carbon, is afterwards converted into carbonic acid gas, and both it and the gas it had previously absorbed escape. Ashes, ivhen fresh and well burned, contain caustic alkalies which have an affinity for carbonic acid gas ; but before they reach the lungs they are liable to corrode parts with which they come in contact ; and not only so, but meeting with fat already formed in the animal, they unite with and form it into soap, and thus being ren- dered soluble it is evacuated and lost. If the ashes, on the contrary, have been long made and exposed to the air, they will have already become saturated with car- bonic acid gas, and consequently cannot absorb or fix any more, and are therefore inert, if not injurious. There are, however, two plans by which the fixation of carbonic acid gas can be certainly and beneficially accomplished. 1. By introducing into the system, along with the ordinary food, a soluble neutral salt, having so feeble an affinity existing between the acid and the base, that when in contact with carbonic acid gas the base will leave the acid, with which it was at first combined, to THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 461 unite with the carbonic acid gas. Hence it follows that when such a salt is absorbed during digestion, and con- veyed by the blood to the lungs, it will seize the carbonic acid gas there generated. It is, however, imperative that the acid with which the base was at first combined be of a perfectly harmless character, or one that will decompose and resolve itself into its original ele- ments (oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon), which is the case with vegetable acids. This arrangement causes the compound to remain perfectly inert until it comes in contact with the very object we wish to seize, and the presence of that object at once fits it for entering into combination with it. 2. This depends upon similar principles, and is in fact only a slight variation, viz,, that in this case the acid must have a greater affinity for elements it will meet with in the lungs than for the base with which it was at first combined ; consequently in the lungs it will sepa- rate from the alkali, which will then seize the carbonic acid gas. Of course it is here also requisite that all the compounds formed must be harmless, and this can not only be accomplished, but they shall be highly conducive to the health and vigour of the animal. These are not " theories," for there is large and ac- cumulating evidence of the results obtained by their application. Orthodox professors, having contradicted each other until it it has become a proverb that " doc- tors disagree," may attempt, when the evidence be- comes irresistible, to show that they have been for years advocating the principles now being brought forward ; but to which, as far as regards cattle-feeding, I lay ab- solute claim as the sole advocate. G. H. Bolton, Warrington. Agricultural Chemist. IRELAND AND IRISH FARMING. BY A PRACTICAL FAKMER. It is not my intention to occupy your pages by a history, or any especial report, of Irish agriculture ; but, having had the pleasure to pay two short visits to that country, within the past two years, I am desirous to give a short outline of my journeys, and some remarks of a general character, chiefly relating to the improvement of its agricultural practice, its small farms or occupa- tions. No one can be more sensitive of the presumption I assume to myself in writing upon a subject of such vast importance on such shallow information as can be ob- tained in passing so rapidly through a country as an express train can take you. My first excuse is, that no one can pass through that interesting country, possessing any knowledge of agriculture, without remarking the poverty of its farming, and the slovenliness of its graz- ing, and at once coming to the conclusion that much re- mains to be done for Irish agriculture. My next excuse is, that I am anxious to add my mite to the general fund of information by which it may be improved, and that without " turning the world upside down," but taking Irish farming as it is, i, e., that system of small farms, or cottage farming, which you see everywhere predomi- nant. My chief object then is to attempt, in a very few papers, to show that great good may ensue to the Irish peasantry by the adoption of an improved system of cottage farming, besides giving a passing view of those parts of the country through which I passed so rapidly along. My visits were both upon the eve of the Irish harvest, and in giving in detail "jottings from my note-book" on passing, something may be gathered of the state of the country at the time, and the various methods of farming, harvesting, grazing, and cropping pursued in difi'erent districts, with other useful memoranda. This I propose shall form my first papers ; and my second will refer to the improvements I would suggest, and the means for carrying them into general practice. First Journey, August 12, 1857.— Dublin to Waterford ; started by train at 12.40 ; pass the beautiful Phoenix Park, the Hyde Park of Dublin. The Park is very fine, soil good, and well grazed. Enjoyed much a drive over it this morning previous to leaving. The beautiful undulations, tastefully arranged with shrub- beries and forest trees, the Vice-Regal Lodge, the sol- diery, the equestrian and splendid equipages, gave the whole park a most enlivening effect ; and the number of Irish cars, to a stranger like myself, gave additional in- terest to the whole. I was loath to quit a scene so pleasing and exciting ; but to my journey. On our left was the Railway Company's extensive works ; soon into the country. The first thing I noticed in farm practice was the mode of securing the hay. It was got together in rather large hay-cocks, and was then fastened down with hay-bands to the soil by means of stakes. Soon come to some good grass pastures, and fair crops of corn. Some rich land now ; hay still in cocks, none carried ; wheat crops good, set out in stoukes of threies, and securely capped. Now pass through a dead level for some distance; pass some capital swedes; grass land foul, burrs, thistles, sow-thistles, ragwort, &c., &c. ; oat crop green, very backward; potatoes all right; soil apparently a heavy clayey loam ; oats green ; wheat ripe ; abundance of tall daisy weed and docks in the oat crops ; wheat crops thin here, and very little cut ; land cold and wet ; barley quite green ; oats ditto ; notice some shorthorned cattle grazing near and along our route ; arrive at Lucan Station. The soil here is poor, the subsoil shale or slate ; hay not carted anywhere. We pass oa; now a fine country for grazing ; land roughly grazed ; the herbage is not very rich, but with good grazing would surprisingly im- prove. Nothing benefits fair grass land like good judi- cious grazing— never bare, never rough, and always to be kept clean. Rough grazing destroys the finer herb- age and most nutritious grasses. Oat crops good; the 462 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. Swedish crops very good ; clover hay still in large cobs ; barley crops fair ; pass a decent, not to say respectable, farm-house ; farm-stead bad ; told it was the Earl of Lucan's property, and his residence to the right ; some wheat stacked ; potatoes clean and good ; now the stoukes of wheat are in eights and tens, and all capped. Arrive at Hazlehatch and Celbridge Station ; very dark stone subsoil, almost like black slate ; wheat crops thin and not rii)3 ; some Tartarian oats ; the land does not appear to be drained at all ; a good house to the right ; potatoes here show symptoms of disease ; soil thin and stony, and country undulating. We keep passing on ; oats and barley quite green, all fair ; grass all preserved and fruitful, but no stock ; wheat ripe and good ; plenty of good potatoes ; wheat looks safe in stoukes ; clover hay in cocks of about a load each ; green crops all good- We now pass into a flat, marshy, or fenny district, abounding with ditches, the soil rich ; hay everywhere, none carted, much to make here and there ; we have high hills all the way to our left, but distant ; on the right all flat as far as can be seen. The rail runs in a slight cutting along here ; rough grazing, but good grass ; nearly all grass lands for miles, and wofuUy pestered with weeds — abominable carelessness ! ragwort ! ragwort ! ! ragwort ! ! ! then scabious, daisy-weed, docks, sow-thistles, and all other weeds that can find room to grow. The soil a fine clayey loam, capable of anything under good culture ; now it is hay, hay, hay, hay ;* grazing the exception, but still much of it is grazed ; the stock a mixture of Irish and Shorthorns. What would not good grazing do for this district ? Many English graziers would rejoice to occupy such useful land — it would soon cut a better figure ; now it is wretchedly grazed. The shorthorns are not good, nor is the cattle generally of good character. We have now got through to the hills, " clay and pebbles ;" pass a river (the Liffey, I suppose) ; now and then through a limestone cutting; now through into the flat country again, some of it under corn crops ; we ar- rive at Sailing Station. We again deprecate the shameful state of the grass lands lately passed. Surely they could be fed completely off once in the year ; if so, it would do much to their restoration. Nothing teases me so much, in passing along, as this wasteful mode of grazing. After passing the station you are at once in a corn- growing district, producing good crops, and chiefly of white wheat ; oats very strong ; farm-houses very thin as seen along the route ; pass the river again ; now hay, hay, again — what is it all for ? rather a queer country in which to winter cattle ; but I conclude that is its destination. Oats tall and good ; grass is all in tufts and patches. Oh for Fowler's under-draining plough ! Country a little undulating now ; heavy hay crops; po- tato tops failing; land still badly grazed. Now much in railway cuttings ; grass land to the left ; on the right very rough, subsoil "clay with pebbles ;" wheat put together in very small cobs in the fields, the men are reaping, and the women tying and shocking; potatoes here very good. Now a poor district— sorry, sorry * Before leaving England tlie hay was all secured, and most of the corn cut, and much stacked. doings, hay not yet made, cold and backward ; busy mowing ; oats green ; better grazing ; Irish and Short- horns, stores and others ; no sheep. We pass on ; hay, hay, hay, and very good crops ; land badly grazed. Newbridge Station ; for once a good farm-house to our right ; flock of good sheep, and other stock ; capital oat crops ; heavy hay crops. Now getting to a higher country ; valley rich, but not managed properly ; good swedes, and fair grazing; "pebbles and loam." Through cut- tings continually, low, but sufficient to obstruct the view ; now into an extensive grazing flat, and far better done, large fields ; Wicklow mountains to the left ; hay in large hay-cocks, fastened with good hay-bands to the ground. Now at Kildare Junction ; a fine old ruin on our left, with its lofty round tower. It is an old walled town, in a fine country for agricultural purposes ; a darker and finer loam ; much hay, potatoes good, crops thin; don't like the farm-houses; cottages, now bad ; meet with the first Irish peat-bog, which extends for miles ; Killarney rail to right ; digging immense quan- tities of peat ; town off to the right ; now across the bog, extending far to the right and left of rail. It has a singular and forbidding appearance : not fen nor high land ; some portions of the bog are many feet in thick- ness, and several feet above the level — in fact, high ground ; we pass along over it ; crops near, and wood to the right ; more bog to the left; all wet and queer. The cottages are meagre and wretched hovels ; appear to be open commons and sorry doings; bog, bog — here many feet thick ; rows of eight or ten wretched Irish cabins, and some bad Irish cows ; hay-making; the bog is not black, but a reddish brown, and now on our left about two feet thick, and containing thousands of acres. A manufactory for making peat-charcoal, &c., &c., on our left. We are at length over the bog into a clayey loam district, where the crops are fair, but the land badly managed ; woful country to reside in ; fair crops ; red wheat ; farm-houses very thin, and all we see are whitewashed and slated ; cottages worse and worse ; specimens of whefst-reaping ; sheaves very small, nine inches girth. Barley-cutting; noticed want of hands; satisfied that all the Irish may keep at home in harvest- time. Now arrive at Athy Station. A large old town ; very mean-looking country, denoting poverty throughout the district ; castles apparently in town ; the country and its agriculture are both alike unfavourable ; as we proceed, it does not improve in its general features; counted six men, six women, and two lads, all at harvest work, in a space not more than twelve yards square, reaping, tieing and shocking ; pass some short- horn cattle grazing near ; good barley crop ; oats good ; more enclosures, but sadly done ; sheaves very small ; saw a flock of large heavy Irish sheep, similar in cha- racter to those found in Romney Marsh, but better ; fancy a Lincolnshire fen-farmer farming here ! Country rather better ; to the left, bad again. O for more capital to be freely expended ! What good might be effected all around 1 Better again, and fairly attended to, but badly grazed. The soil is now a convertible loam, only requiring better management. We soon arrive at a still better country, THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 463 and pass some better farming. The crops, for a wonder, tolerably clean ; but what awful cottages ! Huts ! cabins ! what are they ? Wheat good, swedes good ; now a good farm-house and farmstead ; land well grazed with very useful sheep — quite a Goshen in the country ; soil good loam, with pebbles ; seeds look well ; indeed all looks well for a mile or two, and denotes good farm- ing ; arrive at Mageney Station. I inquire who farms near here; Mr, Anderson, the Scotchman, was the reply. What good a single farmer does in his imme- diate neighbourhood by such an example ! The whole district is benefited by his knowledge and enterprising spirit. I never saw a belter proof of it than here. All may profit by his experience, and better farming is the result. Obtain a fine view to the right; here are shorthorn cows, and better grazing (see the clouds on the Wicklow mountains to left) ; on, on ; pass a herd of shorthorn cows and heifers ; no steers anywhere ; good and useful grass land ; potatoes failing ; wood to left, and gentleman's residence somewhere ; on the Park the land good. Where is the population to manage this district? certainly not to be seen on passing. Now reach Carlow, It bears the marks of a more modern town, with those fine churches and buildings, seen well from the rail ; many houses small; rows of low, wretched cottages ; land fine ; the hill on opposite side of the town has a fine effect ; potatoes failing every- where. Soon into a flat district ; potatoes worse and worse ; land wet ; the flat nearly all grazed with cattle of the country, and not useful shorthorns ; sheep to right and left ; no good cart horses anywhere ; potatoes still failing. Milford Station : The country lately passed and around here is very convertible, and would form a capital agricultural district if well cultivated and drained, much hay, corn, and many heifers grazed ; no steers ; flock of ewes ; clover in great cocks, tied down as usual ; gentleman's residence to the left, who is underdraining the farm, and all is well done ; potatoes giving way ; wheat and swedes good, some secured in fields, nearly all alike in small cobs. Bagnalstown Station ; now getting amongst rocks, which crop out above the surface. Wheat crops mostly temporarily secured in the fields, by being built into small cobs, rounded and pointed at top, and tied at top and around with straw in a peculiar way, about a small cart-load in a cob. Again in the valley, by a fine river ; potatoes worse and worse, many grown ; district near the line fairly farmed ; small en- closures, but very useful land, only requiring close atten- tion ; more grass, some much better done ; gentleman's park to left, which accounts for the improvement, and is a good omen for the future. Country gentlemen can- not adopt a wiser course than to set such bright examples, taking care to avoid expensive processes, which only tend to discourage poor and ignorant farmers. The whole district is badly drained, it is laid into small lands with wide furrows ; there is much hay to make ; counted nineteen men and women within the space of fifteen yards reaping wheat ; the country here is flat and swampy : potatoes of course bad ; shorthorn cows pre- vail, where cows are kept, some seen here ; extremely flat ; to the left are'high hills, not very distant. The fences are badly kept all along ; crops nowhere heavy. The breed of pigs is similar wherever seen, and are of the improved sort, much like the largest of the kind denominated the small breed in England ; no old coarte Irish pigs to be seen ; the breed is commendable any- where. This is evidently a fine farnoing country, only requiring enterprising industry and capital. The Irish sheep seen are very similar to the Rents in form, but larger ; however acceptable the district, you see nothing like England, no nice homes, no real comforts, apparent careless indiff"erence to these things throughout ; now strong loam, with pebbles all the way. The grass lands though good are not at all comparable with the best Lincolnshire pastures, and the grazing is less compar- able ; counted again 20 men and women in a still narrower compass reaping. Why do they keep in each other's way like this ? Here we find good white-thorn hedges, or would be so if attended to, but all is negli- gently done ; some useful implements seen ; soil now poorer, but better managed. Park to the right ; country improves fast again, wheat cobs, small and long sheaves with ears downward, capped and covering the cob. Kil- kenny Station ; Town beautifully situate ; hay cutting ; more pebbles, less clay. The Marquis of Ormond's castle is highly picturesque, and commands the whole town ; the new Catholic cathedral is a fine object from the station, which itself overlooks the town. There are two catholic colleges here ; the population about 22,000. It is in a beautiful rich valley, well wooded. The fine castle is embowered in fine forest trees all over the hill, so that you only see the upper portion of it, and all is in good keeping ; a prettier object is seldom seen. We soon leave ; the same black stone, often blue slate along the route ; potatoes dead or all going ; fine country, capable of bearing any amount of produce if highly farmed ; crops now only so-so ; again better farming ; soon get to stones ; much hay ; fine turnip crops for such ground ; on the hills the lands in six-furrow stetches ; Tartarian oats green. Bennett's Bridge Station : country abruptly undulating ; castle ofi" to the left, and a monu- ment in the distance, both old ; better farming, good clovers, &c. ; same soil, but more stone and less peb- bles ; harvest much alike, oats rather backwarder ; po- tatoes backward ; a good farm-house, for Ireland ; har- vest five to cut, two women to bind, two to set up. Thomastown Station ; Some large mills on the stream ; good sheep, and better grazing. This is a nice locality, a good stream of water turning several fine mills ; moory- looking hills in the distance; railway very high here above the valley ; soon come to poor land, and much stone cropping out and gorse ; pass fine old ruin of a church- soon amongst mountain lime-stone; fine country seen off" to the right; potatoes are here good and green ; many goats, apparently wild, near here ; country to the right fairly farmed, but the grass is, as usual, roughly grazed ; very few sheep seen ; much hay still to make ; small sort of cows— mixed breed, appa- rently of Irish and shorthorns ; fine view of the country from the rail for many miles, being an extensive valley, bounded by distant hills to the right ; same sort of 46i THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. sheep, Irish I suppose ; herd of very useful cows on the left, with good house and farmstead. Now at Bally- hall Station ; district much better ; mangolds grown ; gates of the farm here on railway numbered ; wide valley to the right, extending far, and much of it grazed (a placard of " Repeal," is upon the stable end in red chalk, with " O'Connell") ; a pleasant farm-house again, but as usual the yards join the house ; noticed the manner of making hay ; it is shaken about till dry, then seven or eight hands are engaged putting it into little cocks of two cart-loads each, by hand generally, either in yard or field ; good herd of cows : this is evidently a dairy country ; the whole looks to be well conducted. Cot- tages or cabins very indifferent ; potatoes giving way. Now in a bad country ; stone cropping out everywhere to the left — limestone ; very poor locality ; all stone again : this I jot down at intervals. Stone wall fences ; here an old tower to left ; still poor ; district wild ; grass all rough, Mullinavat Station : all wild, yet good grass in the valley below. Passed a fairly cul- tivated valley to Kilmacrow Station ; country better ; crops good ; potatoes going in part ; again amongst stone walls, and very rough pasturage; many dairy farms to be seen along the line of railway ; potatoes bad; small fields in the valley ; soon in sight of the beautiful river Barrow, and are immediately at Waterford. Here I spent a few days, and had ample opportunities of ex- amining the district. Waterford is a fine city, and the river Suir flowing through it, gives a marked cha- racter of great beauty to the view ; the country too is very fine, the soil decidedly good. I made excursions into the country, particularly the Tramore side of the city. Tramore is the Margate of Waterford, or Kings- town of Dublin. There is a splendid sea-view from the walks near the town. The country is fairly farmed, many gentlemen having residences near. Inspected two farms held by tenants ; everything business-like, but after the most economical fashion ; houses small, com- fortable, and made the most of ; no superfluous furni- ture, nothing but what was absolutely necessary, one immense iron pan sufficing for cooking, baking, and boiling : I was astonished by the tact displayed in econo- mising space ; the dairy well managed, and rather large in one case : why was I made to wade through a large and dirty fold-yard to reach the front door ? and this is not uncommon even in respectable farmsteads. The proprietors here have succeeded in accumulating land so as to form fair-sized farms, of from 100 to 250 acres, which is considered a large occupation. I am surprised to find these farmers so very homely, their common designation not more elevated than Mike or Charley — no Sir nor Mister, nor Mistress — ^just above the labourer ; and so contented ! The labourers are sadly off — ten- pence per day their regular wages, and not always em- ployed, their habits and mode of living in accordance with it, their appearance denoting great poverty, and their comforts uncared for. Can it be wondered at that they lead low and grovelling lives, fond of whiskey and sensual indulgence, without the remotest idea that their position is a degraded one, and therefore have no wish to elevate themselves, living on the coarsest fare, dwelling in the worst of huts, clothed in the worst of rags, the younger part of the family scarcely clothed at all : give him an extra shilling per week, it goes for whiskey, not to provide a family comfort or a child's frock : it is this class that philanthropists should seek to elevate and improve. LAW OF STEAM THRASHING MACHINES. When George Stephenson gave that famous reply, stating that he thought he could travel at the rate of twenty miles an hour, although he knew very well he could go sixty, he only made due allowance for the proverbial caution of his countrymen. We are justly renowned for a prudent hesitation, a coy affection, or a Fabian policy that never suffers us to hurry ourselves. Be the last discovery of the enthusiast ever so promis- ing or actually good, his most reasonable expectation is that plenty of time will be taken in testing it. An Englishman is rarely run away with. He may, per- haps, get accustomed to a great pace, but he only warms to it gradually. The Legislature itself takes especial care to put all necessary and discreet impedi- ment in the path of the sanguine innovator. You must leave us our old turnpike, if you please, straight and clear and comfortable, all the same. You must not set the Thames on fire without due notice, nor practise the art of alchemy without all proper law and licence. There was a fine old statute to ensure the burning or boiling of witches, and another to keep poor people from dressing too fine. Every now and then we stumble over one of these pre- cious enactments. A clever counsel, seeing no other hope for it, will rake one up for the benefit of bis much-injured client, "the prisoner at the bar." Or, more probably still, a bench of country magistrates will alarm the whole county by putting such an act into force. We are half inclined to believe there are good honest Justice Shallows still amongst us, who would have Mother Bunch ducked forthwith if she were only duly arraigned before them, or order Professor Brownio straightway into the stocks, on his being proved to have put sixpences into his mouth and to have brought them out of his eyes ! The wisdom of one age is clearly intended for all, and we walk in continual fear of offending against the known or unknown laws of our country. Is the intelligent agriculturist, who rather prides himself on going with the spirit of the times, fully awai'e of his own danger ? Does he know the offences he is committing over and over again with that port- able steam-engine he talks so much of ? — that great work of Hornsby, Tuxford, or Sluittlewortli ? Must ho THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 465 be told that, as often as not, iti use is regarded by the law simply as a nuisance, and that he is liable to pains and penalties accordingly ? As very possibly he may yet be in ignorance of all this, we will quote the law as it stands against him. Let him turn to the oth and 6th of William IV., cap. 50, and bearing date the 31st of August, 1835. This is an Act " To consolidate and amend the Laws relating to Highways in that part of Great Britain called England ;" passed, be it remem- bered, at a time when roads were roads, and turnpike travelling just in its zenith. Amongst, then, a variety of other items, " to make them handsome or to keep them nice," we come to see, it be further enacted: " That from and after the commencement of this Act it shall not be lawful for any person to sink any pit or shaft, or to erect or cause to be erected any steam engine, a:in, or other like machine, or any machinery attached thereto, within the distance of twenty-five yards, nor any windmill within fifty yards from any part of any carriageway or cartway, unless such pit or shaft, or steam engine, gin, or other like engine or machinerj% shall be within some house or other buildmg, or behind some wall or fence sufticient to conceal or screen the same from the said carriageway or cartway, so that the same may not be dangerous to pas- sengers, horses, or cattle ; nor shall it be lawful for any person to make or cause to be made au}'' fire for calcining or burning of ironstone, limestone, bricks, or clay, or the making ot cokes, within the distance of fifteen yards from any part of the said carriageway or cartwaj', unless the same shall be within some house or other building or behind some wall or fence, sufficient to screen the same from the same carriageway or cartway as aforesaid ; and in case any person shall oflteud in any of the cases aforesaid, every such person so offending shall forfeit and pay any sum not ex- ceeding five pounds for each and every day such pit, shaft, windmill, steam engine, gin, machine, or fire shall be per- mitted to continue contrary to the provisions of this Act ; which said penalties shall be levied, recovered, and applied in such and the same manner as any penalty or forfeiture for any other offence on any highway may be levied, re- covered, and applied : provided that nothing herein con- tained shall be construed to restraiu any person or persons from using, repairing, rebuilding, or enlarging any wind- mill, steam engine, gin, or other like machine, or any kiln or other erection used for the purpose of calcining or burning of ironstone, limestone, bricks, or clay, or the making of cokes, which may have been erected and may be in existence at the passing of this Act." It can be of no consequence nor argument whatever that this was passed before any steam thrashing ma- chine was known of. It is quite sufficient that such is the law ; and so Mr. Robert Lyne, o( Barton Farm, is brought before the worshipful bench at Marlborough, and convicted of having had a thrashing machine in use within twenty-five yards of the public highway. The magistrates, moreover, regard it as a very serious affair, " a sort of thing" no doubt that " is terribly on the in- crease throughout the country." And they give strict orders to the police to be especially vigilant in bringing all such disturbers of the public peace before them. It is by DO means so certain, after all, that the ma- gistrates have any power to convict, considering a por- table engine can hardly be considered one the farmer has "erected or caused to be ei-ected." The very wording of the clause, in fact, shows how antiquated all this is. But admitting it can be so construed, what an utter absurdity its enforcement in an age like this has become ! The hum of the engine tends to the public danger — will frighten horses, and country justices, and old women, and so forth. As to the horses, there is hardly one in the county but goes under a rail- way bridge every day of his life. " My Lord's " thorough-bred bays face the train itself at a hand- gallop when she is "just due"; while the curate's grey pony stands uncared for and unscathed, his wife waiting on the platform to help her William dows with all the shopping he is to bring home. As for a cart-horse being now alarmed at the sound of steam, we should almost as soon expect to see a soldier afraid of fire, or a duck of water. Even, beyond this, as Mr. Williams of Baydon puts it, in a good sensible letter on the subject, what are we to say to these engines being suffered to be about the roads, although not to work near them 1 Or what is to become of the nervous horses, county magistrates, and old women, when Mr. Boydell's coachman calls out to them to keep on their right side ? But still this is the law ; and unless public attention be at once directed to it, the local justices may go on committing themselves and the farmers to eter- nity. There can be no steam-ploughing after all. You must not bring it within five-and-twenty yards of the old high-road. There must be no more field-stacking nor thrashing, for you may be within five-and-twenty yards of the road. In a word, the most convenient use of steam to the farmer must be denied him, in com- pliment to an old obsolete Act that could never have contemplated the absurdity and injustice now per- petrated in its name. And then we shall have the agreeable inquisition of the policeman added to that of the keeper. Of course with his latest instructions he will be always peeping over the hedge to see how far off we are, and making mental calculations as to whether the unhappy corn- grower is really within range. As he will have, how- ever, to swear to this, we will give him and the bench the benefit of an Old Bailey anecdote. " You declare," repeated the counsel to a witness, "you distinctly heard the prisoner say this. Now, how far from him were you at the time ?" To which the man at once re- plied, " Seven yards two feet four inches and a-half.'* " How — what do you mean by that ?" asked the other in turn, astounded at the preciseness of the answer. " Why, just this: I thought some precious fool or other might be asking the question ; so I took out my foot rule and measured it." Let that efficient body of men, the Wiltshire police, bear this in mind, and stand prepared. TO THE EDITOR OF THE DEVIZES GAZETTE. Sir, — I noticed in your paper of the 4th instant the case of Mr. Robt. Lyne, of Barton Farm, being convicted before the bench of magistrates at Marlborough, for " having ERECTED a steam-thrashing machine within twenty-five yarda of a public highway, in the parish of Preshute, contrary to the provisions of the Act 5th and 6th William IV., cap. 50." Now as this is the second conviction th it has taken place in North Wilts — Mr. Sainsbury, I believe, having been pre- viously convicted at Devizes ; and I find that similar convic- tions have taken place in other counties Norfolk, for instance— 466 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. I beg a space in your Gazette this week to show what appears to me (with all due respect to the magistrates) the hardship of the above cases, if the convictions were legal — the anomaly of the law, if applicable to these cases— and, moreover, to doubt the jurisdiction of the magistrates to apply the above act against a portable steam engine. I will first raise the question of, whether the above cases were subject to a fine under the Act 5th and 6th William IV. ? It appears that Mr. Lyne was convicted for " having erected a steam thrashing machine ;" now did Mr. Lyne erect that machine, or was it the manufacturer that was the guilty party ? There is no doubt Mr. Lyne used it ; but was he liable to a penalty under the above act for drawing a portal le engine and maclune to a rick or barn within twenty five yards of a public highway, and using it for thrashing ? I think it possible that the justices who have acted on the cases referred to are not aware of the fact that at the time the Act of the 5 th and 6th AVilliam IV. was passed, nor during his Majesty's lifetime, was there a single portable engine in existence. The first that made its appearance was at the Liverpool Show, about seventeen years ago ; and it is self- evident that the act then only applied to ^ixed engines, ERECTED in buildings, with chimneys built for the purpose; and it was similar to the act for preventing windmills from being built within a certain distance from the highway ; and the law could not then have contemplated the construction of portable engines, and therefore I think the question might fairly be raised, if the magistrates have any jurisdiction to con- vict, under that act, for the use of them ? But, in the second place, assuming that they were correct in their decision, I beg to offer a few words on the anomaly of the law with respect to portable-engines. I have three steam-engines of my own, and I have made them all locomo- tive. One of my engines has travelled not less than owe hundred and sixty miles on her Majesty's highway ; the second haa moved over 100 miles of the same, and the third has rejoiced in moving about my own parish ! Now the law, which if it can be strained to make it apply to thrashing machines, can have nothing to do with my locomotive engines, seeing I do not stop to erect a machine, but have the liberty — like tlie rest of her Majesty's subjects — to make use of her highways for transit : and I am by no means the first who has set the example ; the authorities at Woolwich dock- yard having done the same thing with BoydelVs Traction Engine ! ! ! Now, if the law really does apply to portable steam-engines driving thrashing machines within 25 yards of the public high- way, it means this : — That of fthe of the barns in England the owners will be liable to the penalty of £5 per day if they dare to use any of the thousands of steam-engines that have been purchased, at a vast expense, for the purpose. Again, the farmers in making their ricks at harvest will be liable to the same penalty, unless they place those ricks 26 yards from the highway which are now placed close to the road for the facility of transit, but which must hereafter be put in the field, and the land cultivated around : thus making the owner to go over the cultivated land to get at his ricks, which of itself is quite sufficient to condemn the whole affair in the eyes of every sensible man. But let me ask what ij the motive for bringing these cases before the magistrates on the supposed idea that it is an infringement of the law ? I have been told that some gentlemen consider it is danger- ous to horses passing by ; but if so, what would they think of meeting any locomotive engines on the road, where, I main- tain, they have a right ; and where we have passed hundreds of horses, and never met with but one restive one ; the greater part of them taking no notice of the engine at all ? We are just arrived, too, at the period when a large portion of the soil of Great Britain is about to be cultivated by the steam-engine ; and I ask, where is the law, and where are the magistrates who will put such an one in force (when the farmer is made to compete with the free imports of other countries) as to prevent him from the advantage of steam power ? And yet if it can be applied in the one case, reason says it ought to be in the other ; and if so it would put a veto on (arm-work altogether, as in cultivating the fields the engine must go along the headlands. I see that orders were given at Marlborough to the police to bring all cases of the like sort before the bench. But I would respectfully suggest to the magistrates to ascertain if they ■have any jurisdiction in the case; and moreover to consider the effect (if they have the power) of putting such a law in practice ; as I am satisfied of this, that every practical man in the agricultural, the manufacturing, and the commer- cial interest will join in an application to Parliament for its repeal. In these days of steam, when the agricultural interest is just coming from the rear in which it has always been kept for want of that power in a portable shape, I cannot but think it most injudicious to attempt to throw such an obstacle in the way of agricultural improvement, as this act would be, if legally applicable to portable steam engines, and strictly carried out ; more especially as the only reason given appears to be, that horses will be afraid to pass it ; at the same time they have to pass the railway trains, and often have to wait at the gates whilst the engines are passing by. There is no doubt they will have to pass many an engine on the road, and the sooner they are broken into it the better. I trust, therefore, that you, and the press generally through your journal, will take the matter up and raise the question, if portable steam engines are subject to the said penalty under the 4th and 5 th of William IV. cap. 50, and if so, let us unite our exertions to get the same repealed. I remain, sir, yours faithfully, Baydon, \5th Nov., 1858, J. A. Williams. SOCIAL SCIENCE— AGRICULTURE. Sir,— A great deal is just at present, with much justice* being eaid about the progress in scientific and general know- ledge already made, and still making, by the classes whose pursuits are not agricultural. Will you permit rae space for sjme notice of the great advance iu agricultural knowledge aod practice which is now so evident iu every class at all con- ne.Ud with agriculture? Not many years since, as the rule, a landed proprietor was simply the recipient of rent from bis possessions, himself pos- sessed of very little knowledge of the details by which this rent was created. The landlord of a host of tenants, the cul- tivation of the land was to him a certain thing of the plough, the barn, and the fold, in the hands of a certain man paying rent for the laud he tilled, adding a great amount of outward THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 467 if not iuward respect for his landlord, with a vote at his dispo- sal at elections. The real value of the land let to the tenantry • the nature of the buildiaga required, the coat of their erection and repair, these were matters about which the landowner might have some sort of idea, but he for the most part was indebted in all such detail of estate management to the agent or steward he salaried to supervise his property. A compara- tively small number of large proprietors were also large prac- tical farmers ; it was considered an amiable and a most respect- able sort of eccentricity. Woburn and Holkham had their periodical muck and flock fights, which attracted a great deal of notice, aad did an immense deal of good ; many gentlemen farmed — home farms — were generally supposed to do so, sim- ply for amusement, at a cost the process seldom repaid. How great is the change in all this ! It has come to pass with a rapidity almost inconceivable ; it has done a work the value of which is beyond all estimate. From the Prince Con- sort to the Governor of the Scilly Islands, from the woolsack to the youngest Bishop, from the Speaker to the last peer's son, borough-born into the " House" — through these, through every grade of Upper life, farming, in its general theory, is a thing more familiar than the catechism, far more generally practised in its most arbitrary requirements than the decalogue. Noblemen, even under the despotism of dining a la Russe, surrender the whole economy of the table to the cook and the butler, or maitre d'hotel, while they usurp the office of their " agent," well " up" in every branch of his duty — they reduce him, not merely to the rank of a subaltern, but expect him to sit humbly to learn at their feet, even in the matter of manure. Some little time since I shivered several hours on a cold day in compauy with an earl (justly known far and wide for his moat useful and consistent life) ; he was in council with his bailiff and a skilled shepherd, the business on hand being the singularly delicate decision to be arrived at in the division of a flock of high-bred Southdowna into three or four separate harems for as many fleecy heroes, whose lineage and fame in their own way had given them a money value for the season more than equal to the pay of many a curate for the y«;ar, I have never forgotten the skill of eye and touch shown by my noble friend as each mother in fufuro was singly paraded, to be discussed and classed according to her points of bone, fleece, and mutton. The Earl spoke confidently, but ever and anon appealed to the crook-armed shepherd, who, pondering over the flock lore as it flowed from so exulted a source, yet hesitated not to assent to or dissent from the positions maintained, according to his own judgment. There was no wandering from the subject in hand, no scamping of the matter in impa- tient haste. Had certain friends of Henry VIIL taken half the pains about his Dutch spouse, who shall say what, even at this hour, might have beeu the result ? I have seen Ireland's first duke stand over a tank on a model farm, exquisite in its extreme filth, while one of Eng- land's beat classic scholars eloquently, as a labour of love, gave to us the primary compounds of the horrid composition ; dwelling, as we inhaled it, on its true chemical and gaseous elements, and, without moving a step, branching off into an ecstatic exordium on the wickedness, the positive guilt, of any waste of such Providence-by-beast offered wealth. I have met with men irritable to the borders of insanity at the smell of an oil-lamp which has put itself out ; who are so fastidious that one fly in the soup would condemn the whole tureen ; the smell of the groom in cotton glcves, waiting at a poorish neighbour's dinner, being so destiuctive of their appetite as to outrage the hospitality of the house by an abstemiousness irreconcilable with their evident health ; and yet these very men will dally with the smell of a pig-pit, hang over " compost' as if it had the aroma of their best claret. There can be no manner of doubt but that, were it a matter , of competitive examination, the Peerage would gain more marks for really valuable knowledge in the matter of estate management and soil cultivatiou than for any other subject whatever. The Quarlerlij and the Edinburgh hold their own places on the library tables, but the Agricultural Journal has its leaves cut first, its pages most studied. Not only are most proprietors now, to a greater or less degree, good farmers, but they are careful to procure tenants who have the capital and skill wherewith to farm well. They have had to work out the problem how best to obtain and retain such men ; this has led not only to a wiser, more liberal, more enduring covenant of tenure, but also to a more liberal provision in the way of build- ings, in the alteration of fences, draiuing, &c. The farming- landlord, if he learns something of profits, does not escape ex- perience of loss ; the tenant has an appeal on his side, always existing in the trials to which the home-farm submits bis chief. The production at market of beef, mutton, and corn is now literally the result of a system baaed on pure science. Every well-managed estate is an area comprising a certain number of cultivating factories ; whether it is soil to be worked up to carry its crops of corn, roots, pulse, or grass ; or bullocks, sheep, and pigs to be worked up to the perfection of what each can carry best for the purposes of profit. There is an amount of machinery in use, of skill put forth, of science brought to bear on the work, which has raised farming from what it was — the refuge of an industry which plodded with little thought to make gains it scarce knew how — to a pursuit taxing every faculty, calling out day by day fresh intelligence, needing considerable capital to be expended liberally and skilfully, and indebted for its success to principles the result of the severest science. There is not an agricultural county, I believe, in England, in which the face of the earth does not tell of the vast progress made in this most important matter of farming. It is fast turning fields into gardens. The order and cleanliness of the tilth, the neatness of the fences, the luxuriant crops, the well- appointed buildings, the variety, the ingenuity of the imple- ments used, their great value, the application of steam as the master-power of work for the granary, the fold and sheds — all this has come so gradually on us, and yet so coming has so rapidly developed its results, that I think we are scarcely yet alive to the real nature of the rural revolution at our own doors ; its onward course seems to heed no check, to be ap- palled by no doubt. There is at this moment of low prices the most active competition for large farms, and agricultural machinists, reckless of expense, are seizing steam after the manner of Rarey, determined to force that power into more service, to make it sweat its vapour and earn its coals, even at the plough. What of the tenantry ? Juat what common sense would have predicted— the demand has found the supply. Men of sufficient capital and enterprise could not have been enlisted as tenants, under the new aspect of things, except on favour- able conditions. Improved systems of tenure, combining more liberty to the tenant with sufficient security to the landlord ; the prospect of a more permanent, more independent occupa- tion ; farm-houses built with reference to the fair demand for comfort and convenience, which men embarking large capital had a right to expect ; buildings adapted to the nature and requirements of good modern farming — these have availed to secure to good landlords a choice of really good tenants. Such tenants have proved themselves ever ready, as the rule, to fol- 468 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. low out on their holdings every practical improvement that experimental farming has develoved. They are a class accused of over-caution ; I think them wise in their generation. Farm- ing is their livelihood ; its result the per-centage on their capi- tal ; they show no hackwardness in seizing on improvement in tillage and in machinery which has stood the test of a fair trial ; I think them wise, seeing that so many who farm for amuse- ment are content to try new things at once, if (hey wait to see whether that which may only be a theory or a toy turns out a valuable principle, a real auxiliary. It is the fashion, but one fast going out, to say the present race of tenant-farmers are above their work, that they are too much of the gentlemen ; then, they have pianofortes for their families, hunters and four-wheelers for themselves ! If it is expedient that a farmer, tenant of 1,000 acres, the owner of steam machinery, with large capital invested in live and dead stock, should be of the same brain-gauge as the old tenant of 150 acres, guileless of anything in the way of machinery more complicated than a harrow, splashing to his door through the muck, liquid and solid, in which his dozen beasts stood up to their knees, but one grade in his intelligence above his men, who were many grades below the stolidest of our present labourers — I say, if, because both were tenant-farmers, the modern man should have preserved the features and charac- teristic of these straw-yard ancients, then the present race are far too refined, are far above what the standard would imply. I think it scarcely reasonable in landowners to build houses in which squires of old would have been perplexed by their conveniences, to put to them an amount of land requiring per- haps the immediate investment of some £3,000 or £10,000 in actual cultivation outlay, and then to quarrel with the refine- ment or independence of the man who, becoming the tenant, places his all on the speculation of a lease, at best often on a precarious " agreement." Large interspaces are bad on the social surface ; it is far better that the tenant-farmer should have his plate, piano, and hunter — should in every outward sign approach the social level of his landlord, than to have an estate with a gentleman at the head of it, the only one at all like a gentleman upon it. There were many grades among the by-gone tenantry, many a real good man among them, with all the feelings of a gentleman beneath an unpolished exterior ; but how many more were there of far different character and position ? Landlords may rely upon it, the age which finds tenants at home in their drawing-rooms is an improvement upon that which met them shy, clownish, and out of place in the " justice room" of the great house. I have no hesitation in stating my belief that the improTe« ment of the position of the labourer has profited, and will yet profit, much by the advance of the tenant-farmer to a higher social condition. I know no men who can do more to advance or to retard the progress of good in a parish than the imme- diate employers of the men. By precept and by example their influence for good or evil is indeed great. There may be many exceptions ; but, as the rule, I believe each year proves that as the respectability of a tenant is in some sort the pride of the landlord, the decent and upright conduct of the servants of a farm is a matter of honour to their master. I have no wish to touch at any length on the political aspect of this, the race once so in the van of political agitation ; they fought for what they esteemed, what they were bred to think a vital interest. I must do them the Justice to say they died hard in the person of " Protection ;" let us give them now — we who so differed from them — full credit for the manful way in which, fallen, they fought to rise again. The careworn soil may indeed deplore the days of long fal- lows, easy farming ; it has since then known no rest. For ever knocked about, it never knows iu what form to expect its next blows. Drained of the moisture it treasured in the depths of its old lazy content; pierced with fistulous passages of miles of hard piping ; submitted to all manner of scarifying, crushing, drilling ; ploughed, and harrowed, and rolled, to the utter confusion and pulverization of its clod existence ; every kind of horrible compound that fish, bird, man, or beast can, conjointly or severally, affbrd, driven into its texture ; when early clothed with nature's fresh verdure, soused, irrigated, pol- luted with liquid extract of solid nastiness — thus abused, it has proved grateful ; it has shown its power to meet low prices by quick returns, and has met the depreciated value of its produc- tions by a continued increase of produce. I have no fear for the ultimate continued welldoing of the agriculturist, for I have no one misgiving as to the power of the soil to so repay every benefit, however nasty, bestowed upon it, that industry will ever reap her due, and in that due find in agriculture a pursuit worthy of the best powers of the wisest, the most active exercise of the efforts of the moat energetic. If the improvement in this branch of a nation's economy con- tinues its late evident advance, we have yet to see farming take a still higher position as a branch of scientific industry. I may in another letter agaiu trespass upon your columns, to speak of the labourer as he now is. S. G. 0. —Times. PLEURO PNEUMONIA IN THE CAPE COLONY— ITS EFFECT AND TREATMENT. We called attention some time ago to the features of that destructive disease, the Lung Sickness or Pleuro- paeumonia,as manifested in the Cape colony, and which subsequently was brought prominently into notice, from its ravages in Europe. Our last advices from Southern Africa furnish us with some information, which it is, perhaps, desirable to make public here. The agri- cultural community of the Eastern Province of the Cape Colony, who are chiefly interested in this matter, from their serious losses of stock, sent out, through the Scien- tific and Medical Society of Graham's Town, a series of queries to the principal farmers, graziers, and breeders of the colony. To these inquiries some sixty or seventy replies were received; and to these we desire to draw attention. It is chiefly in Africa that we find this disease periodically ' prevalent, and committing frightful ravages. Australia generally is remarkably free from cattle disease. This murrain has lately reappeared in Ceylon, and was very destructive by the last advices. In Canada and the United States we hear of no com- plaints of the kind. But among the South African settlers, the Dutch Boers and the Kaffir tribes, cattle are occasionally can-icd off by thousands; and the THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 469 disease seems extending far into the interior. The Kaffirs are perfectly at a loss how to manage the disease, and not only so, but a pestilence spreads among them from eating the diseased meat. Itis, there- fore, highly desirable to obtain as clear an idea as possible of the nature of the disease, and of the treat- ment, that practice and experience have declared to be the most beneficial. The general opinion appears to be, that locality has not, as in some diseases, any appreciable effect. Be tlie farm elevated or low in position, dry or swamjiy, near the coast or far in the interior, in the east or west, it appears that the cattle are everywhere liable to the attack of lung-sickness; and there is no evidence de- ducible from the answers before us to show that locality has any power to modify the progress of the disease when it has once seized on its victims. There is a great diversity of symptoms of the disease; but the following are stated to be the most general : — The animal will carry its head in a peculiar low man- ner, its neck well straightened, there will be considera- ble inflammation of the eyes and nostrils, sometimes accompanied by cough, the ears hang — the whole ap- pearance of the animal, perhaps, can best be described as restless and fidgety. In a day or two it refuses to eat. About the eighth or tenth day it begins to swell, and to eat and drink voraciously for a few hours, and then if it dies with the disease at its height, strangulation takes place. To detect the first approach of the disease seems, however, to be a difficult matter, as the early symp- toms are not of so marked a character as to call to the sufferer any special attention. It is much to be re- gretted, therefore, that the obscurity of the earlier symptoms on the one hand, and the circumstance of the stock-breeder in the colony on the other, should render it so difficult to discover them. For it is evi- dent that the success of cui-ative measures greatly de- pends on the detection of the disease in its earliest stages. After it has made such progress as to exhibit the more prominent of the symptoms above detailed, one lung is irretrievably lost ; and, if recovery takes place, the animal can no longer be regarded as sound. The next point claiming attention in the inquiry is the question of contagion ; for, as upon the considera- tion that it is a contagious disease, important enact- ments have been made, it is highly necessary that some definite conclusion should be arrived at. Although there are a few dissentients, the great ma- jority of the cattle-breeders are of opinion that the disease is highly contagious. In the majority of cases the disease has been traced to contact with sick beasts. The chief prevention relied upon is inoculation ; but even on this point opinions differ. Two methods of inoculation have been resorted to ; one in which the operation is performed on the tail, and the other in the dewlap ; the former is, however, very difficult to manage. The most general practice now is to inoculate in the extremity of the tail, and then to prevent the serious inflammation that arises from extending up- wards into the body by amputation and scarification of the remaining stump. The virus should be taken from an animal that is slightly attacked, for, if taken from beasts that are far advanced or have died from the disease, it will be certain death to the animal inoculated. The advocates of inoculation insist on the observance of certain conditions as necessary to success ; and these are — first, that the cattle operated on must be in good health at the time of the operation, that is, free from the disease altogether. If inoculation be practised on cattle that are labouring under the disease in its first stage, when but obscure external appear- ances present themselves, it is the united testimony of many observers that the passage of this disease through its several stages is accelerated — the beasts in that case quickly exhibiting the prominent signs of the true disease. As an instance, a Mr. Watkin, who had a herd of 277 cattle, after he had lost 177 by the disease, inoculated the remainder; but these seemed to die quicker than before ; being probably already affected by the disease in its first stage. From twenty to twenty-five days seems to be the period for the maturation of the disease, and hence this in a large herd will have the effect of conti- nually keeping up the supply of contagious influence. To shorten the first period of tlie disease, and compel all the affected beasts to show the violent symptoms more at the same time, is felt to bo in itself a great benefit, enabling the proprietor more effectually to put a stop to its progress. The second condition insisted on is, the use of virus that has been taken from beasts in the early stage of the disease. At first many fatal mistakes were made by not attending to this. We have given a sufficient sample of the nature of the colonial evidence furnished in the course of the in- vestigation set on foot in the Cape colony. We would recommend to the notice of the African stock-masters the simple preventive recommended in our columns last year by Mr. Mayston, of Stanshed Park, Hants, which consisted in a dose of half-a-pound to a pound (according to size and age) of Stockholm tar, with a handful or two of salt mixed, a portion rubbed well into the nostrils. This we found most effectual, and it certainly recommends itself by its simplicity. We are glad to find that a former suggestion we threw out as to the re-publication of the numerous articles which have from time to time appeared in our columns on pleuro-pneumonia has been attended to. The extended study of the opinions of European physiologists and veterinary practitioners cannot fail to be instructive and useful in a quarter where a person has to rely entirely upon his own judgment and promp- titude of action, if he wishes to save any of his herd when the disease shows itself. 470 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. MANURES AND CHEMISTRY. The certainty has been discovered that farmyard dung in the rough condition of freshly voided faeces and un- reduced straws lifted from the cattle yards in the morn- ing carryings from the stable and the cowshed, forms the best manure for wheat, and after it has been ex- posed for weeks and months on the surface of the ground. This fact was established by our very extensive practice on wheat fallows, when the heap of fermented dung having failed to complete the manuring of a field in the end of August, the necessary quantity was supplied from the cowshed and stable doors, and was spread over the surface in the condition of dry straws and fresh excre- tions. The ploughing failed to cover the rough materials, even after being placed in the furrows by the handfork that followed the plough for that purpose. The land and dung formed a most unsightly condition over the harvest ; and a rebuke was administered by my superior in office for exhibiting such a specimen of manuring cultivated lands. The seed furrow was done in October, by which time the rains, sua, and winds, and atmospheric influence in contact with the ground had commenced a decomposition and a sinking of the materials. After the ploughing, the greater part still remained on the surface, showing a wetted state and a partial decomposition. The seed was sown in broadcast on the still very unsightly con- dition of the ground ; the harrows tore in pieces and scattered the rough materials, which lay during winter over the surface as a not very uneven top-dressing. On this portion of the field the autumn braird of wheat was much more vigorous than the other parts that received the usual quantity of fermented dung that was cool and soapy. The second growth in the spring matted close and thick, a sure sign of prosperity. The colour was a darker green, which was maintained throughout the summer, along with even a distantly- visible heavier crop, in stronger and taller culms, and more plump and larger ears of grain, of a more yellow hue. The harvest showed a thicker stand of shocks, that was very visible to any observation, it bearing a pre-eminence in the quantity and quality of the grain. This result stopped all animadversions, but left no wish for adoption. Farmyard dung in a fresh condition from the cattle yards is laid on drilled grounds for beans, the ridglets being split by the plough after the beans are sown over the dung. In the county of East Lothian, in the South of Scotland, where bean husbandry is the most perfect, the stubble land is prepared by grubbing and harrowing, so soon as the opening weather will permit in February and Marcli, and the dung is applied in the condition of wetted straws and fresh excretions. At that period of the year, and in the high bean latitudes of that county, storms will occur of snows, frosts, and rains, which stop the proceedings, and leave the land and dung exposed to the weather. During these limes the dung has lain in heaps in the drills, and even spread along the in- tervals, for many days, and even for weeks, where it has been soaked by the snows, congealed by the frosts, bleached by the rains, dried by the winds, and scorched by the suns, before being covered in the drills, and then the crop of beans fully equalled the other grounds that were managed in the usual way. In some cases a superiority was thought to be visible, and the result has occurred sufficiently often to establish a fact from a majority of similar results, and has been most fully authenticated. My own practice in turnip farming showed, in three cases of different soils and climates, that freshly voided faeces from the cowshed door fully equalled, if they did not exceed, the usual quantity of fermented dung in raising a crop of turnips. The comparison was most fair and decisive. Bones have been used during my own practice, fresh ground by the mill in the forenoon, and carried to the field and immediately sown. The size was half-inch, with dust mixed that was made by the grinding. I have had bones fermented with urine, and leys, and limes, with earths, and have used the superphosphate, and found the fresh condition the most preferable, and with least trouble, and with the same quantity of each preparation. On pared and burnt lands the ashes have been carried from the surface where produced, and on that ground the crop of turnips and rape was equal to the land on which the ashes were burned and spread ; and ashes have been spread on a pared surface on which no burning had been done, when the effects were most trifling. These results were seen during my own practice, and show that the benefit from paring and burning arises from the heat of the flames raising the temperature of the ground. The ashes being produced by fire, may confer a similar benefit in a small degree. Lime is a warm body that has been incinerated by fire, and raises the temperature of the ground. Clay is a very bad conductor of caloric, and receives little or no benefit from lime. Sand being a metallic body, receives and radiates the heat very quickly, without retaining the caloric for future benefit, while mixed soils of animal and vegetable matters that have once existed in an or- ganized condition receive caloric in a proper ratio, and retain it for future use. This result is most obvious from every application of lime on clays, sands, and on mixed soils, Mr. Mechi has said that the days of dung heaps are numbered, in which I agree ; and Mr. Hudson, of Castle Acre, in Norfolk, has made the same statement I now write, on farmyard dung for wheat. However much these statements may clash with the chemistry of Kenniogtou or Hanover-square, such facts are stubborn things. J. D. lut Sept., 1858. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 471 THE LEADING FEATURES OF THE IMPLEMENT DEPARTMENT OF THE CHESTER SHOW. We now proceed to glance at the important de- partment of steam engines — the mode adopted to test their working capabilities ; and the result of the tests applied. The following we believe were the con- ditions under which the engines were admitted to compete for the honour of the prizes awarded. Portable engines : The diameter of cylinder, for eight-horse engines, not to exceed 9J inches ; above eight-horse, and not exceeding twelve, two cylinders each, not ex- ceeding 8 inches' diameter. The exhibitors were bound to provide specifications, along with longitudinal and sectional plans, to the Society, these latter showing the action of the fire upon the flues, and the whole af- fording the following particulars of information: (1) The thickness and quality of the boiler plates ; (2) The diameter of cylinder ; (3) The length of the stroke of piston ; (4) The number of revolutions, and the diameter of the crank and crank-shaft, both of which must be made of wroughtiron ; (5) Diameter and weight of fly-wheel ; (6) The diameter of driving pulley, which must not be less than six inches wide, nor move at a less velocity than 1,600 feet per minute ; (7) The number of horses' power the engine is calculated to work at. The tubes in the boiler were to be not less than 2 J inches inside measurement, nor less than No. 12 of the metal gauge in thickness. The distance between the tubes not to be less than one inch. The tube plates to be either of " Lowmoor," or " Bowling'' iron ; with the trade marks of the company on each plate. The engine to be provided with a good water-gauge, and with a stout piece of pipe tapped to fit the junction of a pressure-gauge. The force-pump not to have more than two valves, and where a " heater" is used, it must be so constructed that the engine will work inde- pendently of it. In "fixed" steam-engines, the (nominal) power en- tered was not to exceed 10 horses ; the diameter of cylinder not to exceed 11]; inches. The exhibitor to supply the Society with plans and exhibitions of the boiler employed by him. Such boiler to possess a ca- pacity of 25 superficial feet of heating surface, and i of a foot of effective fire-grate for each nominal horse- power of thej engine. No tubes of tubular boiler em- ployed are to be less than 2^ inches inside measurement, nor less in thickness than No. 12 of the metal gauge. In carrying out the trials of the engines, they were set to work for a short time with steam at a pressure of 451bs. to the square inch, and then stopped and suffered to cool down. The exhibitor of each engine was at this stage required to take the working parts of the steam- engine to pieces — in the presence of the judges — to with- draw the piston, valve slide, expansion valve, and pump valves, for examination. Two men only were allowed to assist in this operation, the time of taking to pieces and re- placing the parts being carefully noted. When the whole were put together again, the engine was put to the trial in the ordinary manner in connection with the " dynamo- meter," of which the following description will convey some idea as to its construction and mode of operation. A framing supports two upright pedestals (a a), affording bearings for a horizontal shaft (b) ; this carries a ver- tical pulley (c), three feet six inches diameter; alongside of this a large friction-wheel (d) is hung on the shaft (&) ; the friction-wheel is embraced with an iron strap (e) and friction-blocks (/"), these being tightened as desired by pinching-screws (ff) ; from a point opposite the centre of the friction- wheel (d) a pointer (/«) is attached to the friction-strap (e), and from the same point a rod is hung, which supports a dish (^), carrying a certain number of weights (k). The driving-belt from the driving pulley of the steam-engine under trial is passed over the pulley (c) on the shaft (fe) of the dy- namometer, to which motion is thus communicated, a certain weight being placed in the dish (i), and the friction-strap (e) tightened up by the pinching-screws (g) till the pointer (h) is exactly opposite the centre of shaft. The whole power of the engine is absorbed in turning the pulley (e) and friction-wheel (d), its motion of revolution being retarded by the friction generated between the strap (e) and friction-blocks (/), this fric- tion being maintained by the weight (k) in the dish (i) . These weights become therefore a measure of the power of the engine. The number of revolutio is which the pulley (c) makes during the time in which the engine is working is registered by a counter appa- ratus attached to the dynamometer. In working the engine, for each horse-power at which it is entered, fourteen pounds of coal are given to the engine man, whose duty it is to get the greatest number of revolutions out of it during the time of working, and also to extend the time at which it can continue to work with the supply of fuel allotted. According to a certain formula, the weights in pounds are calculated which are to be placed in the dish of the dynamometer for each horse-power of the engine to be tried, from four to ten horse, for every ten revolutions, from 110 to 150 revolutions per minute of the engine. The " minutes of duty" which the engine under trial has performed are ascertained thus : Multiply the dia- meter of the driving-pulley of the engine by the number of revolutions which it is intended to make per minute, and divide this by the diameter of the driving-pulley (c) of the dynamometer. Take the sum thus obtained as a divisor, and divide by it the number of revolutions which the dynamometer makes during the time of trial. The " minutes of diUy" thus obtained are used to ascertain K K 473 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE, the " duty" performed by the engine, as expressed in the pounds weight of coal consumed per hour for each horse-power of the engine. In ordinary cases the duty of a steam-engine is cal- culated at 61bs. of coal consumed per hour for each horse-power. In many engines, however, a much higher degree of efficiency than this is obtained. In the cele- brated pumping engines of Cornwall, by using steam expansively, and by due attention to boiler arrange- ments, a "duty " is obtained expressed by 31bs. of coal consumed per hour per horse-power — this, even, in some instances, being surpassed by some engines, which give a " duty " of Iflbs. per hour per horse-power. It is a matter affording not a little gratification to those interested in the progress of steam as applied to agri- cultural purposes, to know that the results of the " trials " of agricultural steam-engines at Carlisle and Chester have shown that they can display " duty " as satisfactory as the Cornish engines above referred to; some of them giving a duty so high as 3^1bs., others of 41bs. and 51b3. per hour per horse-power. The practical farmer should not, however, expect to obtain a duty so satisfactory as that displayed by the result of show-yard trials, in the ordinary every- day work of the farm. He must remember that the engines exhibited are in the best possible condition to do good work, with all parts new and in good order ; clean, unfurred tubes ; and supplied, moreover, with fuel of a much higher quality than is generally used in practice. Carefully as the " trials" are now gone through, and much as the results may be depended upon, we nevertheless think that "re- sults" of a much more highly practical nature would be obtained, could some system of trial be in- augurated, the peculiarities of which would be as much as possible in accordance with those of the every-day practice of the farm. There are many points of infinite importance to the farmer, which cannot be tested or even brought out for consideration in the ordinary routine of the show-yard trials. These must be eliminated through continued practice — that practice which alone can show the difference between a machine or implement fitted to do its work under the rough handling or the awkward management of the ordinary farm labourer, and one which is best calculated only for the comparatively elegant and gentle treatment of the show-yard. The result of a show trial, unfortunately, is not always an index to the value of a machine or implement in the field or in the steading. The nearer, therefore — we incline to think — we bring our trials to answer the condition ful- filled by ordinary farm practice, the more valuable will be the practical results to the farmer. Without being in any way desirous to find fault captiously. and while gladly and gratefully acknowledging the great benefit resulting to agriculture from the shows and their trials carried out during the last twenty years, we are nevertheless constrained to confess that the present "system" of " trials" is one which demands careful and instant revision ; taking it out of the region of dilettantism in which much of it dwells, and placing it in that of every- day practice. Trials conducted during a period of time in which it is utterly impossible to eliminate the peculiarities of working of an implement or a machine, or of its capabilities to meet all the exigencies of daily practice — and conducted, moreover, under circum- stances, in many cases, the opposite of those met with in the ordinary routine of farm-operations— can never be productive of " results" which can be unhesitatingly accepted by the farmer as an evidence of their practical value. A report from a brother-farmer as to the working of a machine which he has severely tested under all circumstances of practice, favourable and unfavourable, and which has stood the test, will be more valued by the farmer anxious to purchase than all the evidences offered by the prize-list, or the results of the trials of the show-yard, conducted on the present system ; which, although we believe that it is carried out faithfully and anxiously, is not expansive enough in principle to embrace all the points desiderated by the daily-increasing and all-important wants of the farm. These remarks, although induced by the subject of the steam-engines trials, are not meant to apply solely to that department of mechanism — the battle-ground of many disputants, in which the hard blows, but sometimes little of the " gentle courtesies" of the "lists" of old, are given and displayed — but are de- signed to embrace the whole field of agricultural im- plements, using this term in its widest acceptation. A full critique of the steam engines entered for compe- tition, their peculiarities of arrangement, and the results of the "trials," having already appeared in the columns of this Journal, as also a notice of the thrashing machines — the only special department we have not yet adverted to — we have little else to do now but to congratulate our readers, despite our apparent fault-finding, at the results of the Chester Show, those having immediate reference to the grand agent of steam, " With its happy exemplification," as we have elsewhere remarked, " of what the steam engine can do for the farmer, in thrashing his grain, in preparing it for market, in crushing the corn, cutting the fodder, pulping the turnip, or, above all, dragging the plough — the Chester Show may be said to be the apotheosis of steam as ap- plied to agriculture. It was the grand feature of the great gathering of the votaries of Ceres. Before it, all other points of interest ' paled their ineffectual fires.' It has not only afforded an opportunity to show what steam has done for agriculture, but it has yielded un- mistakable evidence of the much greater things it can yet do. It has pointed out fully and fairly the direction in which future efforts must be made if rapid progress in the future is desiderated. It was the inauguration of a new era, bright with the hopes of difficulties encountered but to be overcome ; of a time fast ap- proaching when the desert shall be made glad — when dull places, sad and sterile now, shall be bright with the trophies of peaceful and lightened labour— when great tracts shall be wrested from ocean's hands, and instead of waving sea-weeds or marshy plants, be made to yield to the sounding scythe, or the rapid reaper shocks, of the smiling corn — when the marsh shall be freed from THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 4.73 its stagnant waters, and the black moss made green with verdure — when the valleys on the hill sides shall bear their burden for the food of man, and the very hill tops — as prophesied in holy writ — shall be crowned with a golden diadem waving to the winds that sweep their sides. R. S. B. THE AGRICULTURAL LABOURER, AND THE PRIZE SYSTEM. The impertinent way in which we now meddle with the labourer's rights, privacy, and privileges is something quite monstrous ! Lanrllords are anxious to build him better cottages. i\ gents tempt him with ac- commodation land. Farmers publicly aclinowledge his good services; and clergymen and others insist on more opportunity being allowed for the education of himself and his family. It is a melancholy fact that we will not leave him alone — that we are not content with pay ing his wages and then to have done with him. Acting on the strictly commercial principle of supply and demand, there is little doubt but we are wrong. It should be a question of mere barter — of buying and selling his labour, and no more. Instead of this, we are continually prying about to know if he is comfortable ; discussing, perhaps, amongst ourselves how his state may be improved, and openly offering the same respect to a good servant who has done his duty, that we should to any other man, however high his pursuits or his ambition. The long list of autumnal gatherings has about come to an end, and Mr. Gibbs is whipping up attractive names and entries for the opening of the winter season. It is seldom that these local meetings have generally gone off so well, and never before was the good thej' are susceptible of so universally admitted. But there may be a flaw in the finest piece of workmanship, a hole in the best of coats, and the agricultural character not quite without a stain. In the midst of these pro- ceedings, when country squires and the neighbouring farmers are mutually congratulating each other on the progress their society is making, some such interlude as this occurs : — The president of the association, sheltering himself behind a corn stack, or perched in all the pomp of place on the tail of a waggon, collects around him a secretary and some few other such mani- festly official personages. Backing these is a bevy of labourers — to be called up in due turn to receive that re- ward their merits have entitled them to. One is the best ploughman, another a good shepherd, and the third fa- mous as a hedger, or the neatest of thatchers. Then, there are others who have lived a long round of years in the same service, or fathers of families who have brought up their children with that best of all examples — self- respect and self-reliance ever before their eyes. In short, the business of these high days is not confined only to distinguishing those who must be the chief supporters of them— that is, the landlords and farmers themselves. On the contrary, the labourer has equal chance of a premium and honourable mention. And it so often happens that the man who leads home the l)rize bull, or the shepherd in charge of the best pen of sheep, has a prize to take on his own account. We | can imagine nothing more gratifying or mutually grateful than such a double triumph. And yet this is all very wrong. What right has the farmer to interfere with the poor labourer in any such way ? What does he moan by degrading and insulting the man by calling him up before his fellows to receive a lisw paltry pounds ? If a servant has been a faithful one, it is his own master's duty to recompense him, and certainly not that of an agricultural society. Fancy giving a man three sovereigns for thirty years' service ! Or paying your petty compliments to another who has brought up his family without asking you to help him ! while " prizes for hedging, draining, and the like, can never be seriously regarded as affording any reasonable expectation of inducing improvement." Throw the money back in the face of him who offers it you ; or if any be mean enough to receive it, let every jolly, idle, independent, poaching vagabond hoot and deride the prize-taker as he reaches home again. There are many who would want but little in- ducement to do so ; and certainly for some years now there has been no lack of such prompting, more or less directly offered. The effect, however, of this continued hostility is both curious and suggestive. There is no such dangerous weapon, we are told, as ridicule; but for once at least, it has failed. A certain portion of the Press — the many, cameleon-like, taking their colouring from the one— have been systematically laugh- ing these premiums for agricultural servants out of use and repute ! And with this remark- able statistical result— there are now more thriving practical agricultural associations, such as those whose real purpose is the advance of agriculture, than ever there were, and there is scarcely one of these but has a series of prizes for good conduct and workman- ship ! There are gradually more and more men found to be competing in these classes ; and there is not a speaker at one of these gatherings — president or em- ployer, judge of worker country clergyman — but who testifies to the good such a means has conduced to. Tho essayist, then, who asserts that these rewards for skilled work do not tend to improve the character of that work, speaks with a whole country full of facts against him. He wlio declares that the best of the country gentle- men do not give their support to such proceedings, is as wilfully wide of the actual facts of the case. He must shut hiseyes to the more prominent points of every report he reads. Then, again, as to the absurdity of giving a man two or three pounds in return for twenty or thirty years' servitude ! Why, we do nothing of the kind. Do we offer a medal to the soldier as the paij for the battles he has fought ? The books or Degree K K 2 474 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. as the all to the scliolar for the proficiency he has dis- played ? The only absurdity is the advancement of such an argument. The very embleuis of Peace and War are tlic Sword and the Plough, and surely it is as good to honour the man who excels in the one art as in the other. But the proper way to honour him is to pay him better. Exactly so, although, unfortunately again, but a tu quoquo showing. The two or three pounds may be of some use, we readily admit, to the farm-labourer, while the medal cannot be so readily turned to account by the soldier, simply be- cause especial care is taken to prevent his disposing of it. But we trust we should be the last to disparage &uch a distinction, whoever may have earned it ; and we would say of tlie soldier's reward of merit what Mr. BuUer lately did, down in Devonshire of the labourer's : — "It is a token valuable not only through this day, but for the remainder of his life." " It is quite a mistake," said a farmer in Bedford- shire to us at one of these meetings, " for you gentle- men of the Press to laugh at these rewards for labourers. You haven't the chance of seeing the good they do." We agree with him that it is a mistake ; and we wish especially not to be classed with that por- tion of our contemporaries who indulge in this irrational ridicule. Fortunately, we repeat, it has not had the least perceptible effect. Neither landlord, employer, or labourer — president, secretary, or committee-man, have taken the slightest heed of such abuse; or, if they have, it has been only in increased energy, and determination to show how uncalled-for this has been. One might almost wonder how such a course could have been con- tinued; but we suspect what Mr. Cliowler said at Col- lingham was rather near the mark — " His own impres- sion was that they attacked these societies simply because they had originated with the agriculturists. If they had originated with the towns, probably they would have been all right; but having originated with the country people, it did seem to him that nothing sufficiently strong could be said in their disparage- ment." At the time when an Agricultural Society meant a Protection Society the orders no doubt were to turn everything into ridicule : hence the attack on any con- comitant feature in the proceedings. But Protection has now become history, and the farmer is commanded to conquer his prejudices, and to adapt himself to the spirit of the age. We may say with an honest pride that he has done so. But is there no one else with prejudices to conquer? None still apt to call the agri- culturist hard names, that might find a more fitting application for them nearer home ? Who, in this very instance, is it that is obstinate, pig-headed, and wil- fully blind to what the country is doing ? ESSAY ON INTENSIVE CULTIVATION. TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH, FROM THE " JOURNAL d'AGRICULTURE PRATIQUE." "It ought to be generally kuown that every couple of hectares, subjected to this system, will in some seasous double its cereal produce." — Le Comle de Gasparin. Sir, — After reflecting for a long while ou the advice given in the Journal of Practical Agriculture, by M. le Comte de Gasparin, our illustrious master in all things, I determined to try upon a small space of about twelve hectares the biennial course of cropping, consisting of an alternate cultivation of cattle food strongly manured, and a crop of wheat. I divide the forage crop into five sections, namely : roots ; maize for seed; broad or horse beans ; cow cabbages ; and annual herbaceous plants, chiefly a mixture that we call "winterage" {hivernagej, and which consists of winter tares, winter leutils, grey peas, and a little rye. This course receives, before winter and during the current season, a hundred cubic metres of dung per hectare, and over and above, for the maize, a half manuring in the spring before the last hoeing. la commencing this system of culture, it was at first neces- sary for me to purchase manure ; but the production of cattle food having accrued much more rapidly than that of wheat, I have been able to increase the number of my animals, and have succeeded in producing on my own land the necessary quantity of dung. To this I add only the sweep- ings of our village, which I now farm, and the night-soil, which is given to me, and costs only the expense of drawing and disinfecting. I am thus now enabled to feed abundantly, and without purchasing forage, two head of large cattle, or their equivalent in pigs or sheep, per hectare of cultivation. The former con- sists of three draught horses, eight cows or heifers, a she-ass, fourteen sheep, and a piggery, comprising a boar and three sows with their families, besides some fatting pigs. My sheep are BericJionnes improved by four generations with rams of the Charmoise breed. I procured these from my excellent neighbour and friend M. Mahngie, the manager of that school farm, who continues bo worthily the work undertaken by hia illustrious father. I have heard two principal objections against this course of cropping: 1st. " Whatever care," they say, "may be taken to prevent the impoverishment of the soil, wheat cannot without inconvenience be cultivated every other year on the same land. We are always able to supply, by manuring, the azotous matters taken from it, in sufficient quantities. But we are not so c£Srtain of being able to prevent the weakening of some of the mineral principles necessary to the formation of the grain, and above all, that of the straw, especially silica in a soluble state, and hence those wheats which shed their grain in con- sequence of the weakness of their stalks." 2nd. "That course of crops which on principle excludes oata, provides no nourishment for horses." My reply, founded upon practice, to these two objections, which are far from invalid, is as follows : In the first place, I return to the soil all that I take from it, with the exception of a portion of the wheat and meat sold away ; all the rest being consumed in the house by the family, or by the cattle, sheep, &c. The straw, the grain, the roots, and the artificial forage return in great part to the land ; THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 475 and as I add to that the produce, in duug, of the hay of my natural pastures, that of divers food consumed in my house, independent of those supplied by my land, and still more, the sweepings and night-soil of the village, saying nothing of the atmospheric manure, I have reason to hope that my laud annually receives more than it has lost, which in other respects is confirmed to me by the continually increasing fertility of my fields. At the same time, not to affect to contemn opinions which are not destitute of authority, I will make this concession : when a field has produced four harvests of wheat, although I may perceive no diminution in either the quantity or quality of the grain or straw, I withdraw it for some years from the biennial cropping, planting first potatoes, always the autumnal, which for four years past has, with one exception, caused the dis- ease completely to disappear, even in the "yellow round" of Hol- land. Afterwardsbarley laid down with sainfoin, which succeeds admirably in our calcareous lands, and yields for four or five years 5,000 or 6,000 kilos, of fodder, and 12 to 15 hectolitres of seed. On clearing off the sainfoin, I sow an oat which re- turns from 50 to 60 hectolitres per hectare, after which the field is again, with a strong manuring, brought into the biennial cropping. This feeble and accidental production of oats, which would be far from supplying the consumption of my horses, brings me naturally to the second objection. I might confine myself, in replying, to saying that, if I make a profit by selling wheat and purchasing oats, I can- not be blamed for it ; and that, even supposing the bien- nial system to be the best in practice, many years will pass before its universal adoption will prevent me from finding a supply of oats on the market. This somewhat too personal reply would have no great value, as a principle ; I therefore shall give another : I began, indeed, by purchasing oats ; but I soon put the question to myself, whether that grain was absolutely ne- cessary for feeding horses, and whether it was not possible to feed them otherwise in such a manner as to preserve not only their good condition, but also their vigour and ardour, in the midst of rough and continuous labour. I have seen horses fed in so many ways in different parts in which I have lived, that it is difficult for me to admit this exclusive necessity ; and I think I have succeeded, without leaving the produce of my own course of crops. I bruised maize and beans, and mixed them with the small quantity of oats I had, also bruised, observing the proportion of one volume of maize, or else half a volume of beans, to one of oats. My horses throve so well on them, that I have left off purchasing oats. Taking for the stand- ard of alimentary ration one decalitre (rather more than one peck) of oats per day, besides hay, bran, and half a decalitre of field carrots, I give in place of the oats five litres of maize and two-and-a-half litres of beans. This allowance of food for my draught horses, which sup- ports them in the midst of the most laborious work in a re- markable state of health and vigour, is modified during four months of the year by the partial substitution of Jerusalem artichokes for the grain. I shall speak presently of my cul- tivation of this root; but for the present I have this to say of it — I have always thought that it should only be given to cows, pigs, and sheep, altliough with much caution to these last. One of my neighbours, M. Fevie, a skilful and indus- trious farmer, assured me, two years since, that he knew from experience that draught horses may be pafely fed on them ; that the Jerusalem artichoke, independent of the saccharine matter, contains also, under its rind, like oats an aromatic and stimulant principle ; and that he had seen in Flanders, horses, exclusively fed with it during a whole winter, go through the hardest labour, not only without wasting, but preserving themselves in excellent condition. Without either adopting or rejecting the theory of nutrition by Jerusalem artichoke, I tried the practice'last winter, with some misgiving at first, by reducing half the allowance of grain, substituting for it a double volume of artichoke. I found this succeed so well, that I continue it without hesi- tation this winter, and shall probably entirely give up the corn eventually, so long as the Jerusalem artichokes last. In respect of oats, my horses get none, except when it happens that they are clearing off a piece of sainfoin or meadow hay ; and I am convinced that if they were called on to give their opinion, they would prefer the kind of food provided for them by the biennial course of cropping. Whilst speaking of Jerusalem artichokes, I wish to add a word on the cultivation of this precious and economical sup- plement of feeding. I began, according to the precept of the master's, by detaching from my crops a small piece — a quarter of a hectare — which I tilled and well manured. I obtained ten cubic metres of tubercles, which makes 400 hectolitres per hectare ; and also, in the leaves and stalks an abundance of food for sheep. Then in the second year, I met with a difficulty. I had read that one of the principal advantages of this culture, was that it cost only the expense of the first planting, with a dressing of manure every two or three years ; and that the Jerusalem artichoke will then suffi- cieutly seed itself, I did not doubt this, having frequently seen it so myself. But the question arose, whether this prac- tice— although evidently the best when we use the artichoke as a make-shift, and sacrifice to it a large extent of land, of poor quality, the careful cultivation of which would cost more than the produce of other plants would warrant — would be equally advantageous when we employ a small portion of excellent deep rich land, situated at two hundred metres from the centre of the farm ? In a word, whether intensive culture, the design of which is to draw from tlie smallest possible extent of land the greatest possible mass of produce, by continually increasing the richness and fertility of the soil — if this inten- sive culture ought to be applied to the Jerusalem artichoke as well as to the rest ? My farming steward, who is as intelli- gent as he is honest, insisted strongly on this view of the case. To avoid working blindly, I prepared my patch of Jerusalem artichokes the second year as soon as the tubers were con- sumed. I manured the whole, and left a portion of about one-quarter without fresh planting, but replanting the rest exactly as the first year. The artichokes have put out again well in the band that was not replanted; but the difference in the height and strength of the stems, as well as in the abundance and beauty of the tubers, between this part and the other, have quickly decided me to replaut every year, because the small expense it involves is largely compensated for by the increase of the produce. Some would, perhaps, be surprised at my reasoning so much upon my crop of maize, and that in the midst of central France, where it so often fails to ripen. This year particularly, I am the only one iu my neighbourhood with whom it has suc- ceeded. This also is the result of a hint I received some years ago from your excellent Journal, in an article, I think, from the pen of M. Lclieur. Thus, iu late seaions, when the mouth of October arrive.', and it is n'cessary to tliiuk about sowing wheat, many of the grains (of maize) are still, iu part, milky, the saccharine not jbsing entirely transformed into starch; and if I gathered the 476 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. ears iu that state, those grains would shrivel and remain im- perfect, even if they did not mould. I do not, therefore, gather the ears, but pull up the stalks, aud dispose them in bundles round the field, which I thtn till, and sow with wheat at freedom. At the end of about fifteen days the grains are dry and full, and I then gather the ears, and strip them, when " a la Toiissainf" they are fit to shell. And yet, on account of its large produce, I cultivate only the large yellow, one of the latest species. I may be told, and have been so already, that it is an ex- travagant practice to feed horses with grain the value of which is greater than that of oats ; and that it would be more profitable for me to either sell my maize and beans and purchase oats, or to grow the latter myself. To the first alternative I reply, that it might be reasonable, if maize and beans had a commercial value in the country in which I live. But it is not so ; and if I took them to the market, I should be the expense of the journey out of pocket. These two products, therefore, not being convertible into cash, must be carried into the consumption of the farm, not at the value they bear in the averages, but at their simple cost price, as we do with carrots and turnips, and as is done with beet- roots and Jerusalem artichokes when they are not taken to the door of the distillery. Now, then, cost price— and this is my reply to the second alternative — is more advantageous to me than would be that of oats, because these fallow crops, by the admirable way in which they prepare for wheat, are paid for, and more, by the extra value of the crop which succeeds them, and by the in- creasing amelioration of the soil. Manure applied directly to wheat has many inconveniences. First, we are obliged to modify the quantity of it, under pain of reaping only straw; whilst with beans, roots, cabbage, and, above all, maize, we may, without fear, double or triple the manure, and the produce will always rise in proportion. If manured afterwards, the dung would foul the land by the quantity of different seeds which it would bring to it ; whilst the cartage of the dung, before the last ploughing in the field intended to receive the wheat, destroys in part, how- ever moist the weather may be, which is frequently the case, the mellowness of the soil imparted by the preceding process. Instead of that, when wheat succeeds a weeded crop which has received an abundant dressing of dung, it finds a rich soil per- fectly mellowed aud cleaned by the second tilth and weeding of the summer. All the work is performed in advance, and done better, and nothing remains to be done but ploughing, harrowing, and rolling. No adventive plants in the wheat fields, no foreign seeds mixed with the grain. My sorting roller is only useful to separate the finest grain for seed, for the eye cannot discover in my heap of wheat any other grain than wheat. My wheat harvest, however, has this year yielded me, as a general average, only 30| hectolitres per hectare.* But there were many worthless ears in consequence of scalds and failures, which have lowered the average. One field has returned nearly 52 hectolitres per hectare. t This field, which was sown with winterage, was iu its fourth year of wheat. Next spriug it will be planted with maize, in order to bring it again into wheat the following year. At this time it bears as a stolen crop a sowing of colza for forage, which will be consumed during the winter. The maize aud roots have also suffered much this year, both from the co'd and humidity of the spring, and the protracted drought of the summer. They have generally failed in my neighbourhood, and in thera also I have had many worthless plants. In the meanwhile — thanks to the combined power of abundant manuring, drainage, aud deep ploughing — my roots have yielded nearly 84 cubic metres, and the maize, which is not yet shelled, but according to the number and appearance of the ears from 50 to 60 hectolitres per hectare. I have not, therefore, yet realized the promise of le Comte de Gaspariu, but I am yet only at the commencement, and the season has been against me. That promise of our venerable master I have always in view, at the end to which I do not say all cultivators should aim, but all those who are placed in con- ditions favourable for practising intensive c\iUivation, and, I repeat in conclusion, as being able alone to give some value to what I have written : " It is right that everyone should know that each couple of hectares, subjected to this system, will, in some seasons, double its cereal produce." R. Do Chambon de Mesilliae, Husbandman at Pontlevay, (Loire-et-Cher.) THE REFORM MOST WANTED. At the Knighton and Temeside Association, the chair- man (the late Chancellor of the Exchequer), Sir G. C. Lewis, and others of the meeting, made extensive speeches about Parliamentary Reform, to the almost exclusion of those other topics for the advancement of which the Asso- ciation was formed. Happily the toast of " Success to tlie Agricultural Labourer," which is so often drunk, and so often as quickly forgotten, was intrusted to the care of the Rev. T. Green, who truly remarked that — " It was to the exertions of the agricultural labourer they were all much indebted for the common necessaries of life. They might have good implements and improved manures, but much depended upon the agricultural labourer, and it behoved them to make their labourers skilful, honest, and indus- trious. ' Reform ' being the general topic of the evening, let them consider it as regarded the agricultural labourer. * About 34 bush, per acre. t 47 bush, per acre. This meeting should be a sort of review of what had been done in the past year, and he would ask. Is the state of the agricultural labourer what it should be.^ Their object should be to make the labourers more worthy of being represented, and the poor-law statistics would show that there had been an improvement in the condition of the agricultural labourers. But a glance at their cottages would suggest a subject for improvement or reform, for though there were many really commodious and nice clean cottages taking the place of wretched, miserable huts, there was still much to be done in that direction, for many of the habita- tions of the labourers were unfit for the beasts they tend. He trusted the improvement commenced in that direction would still go on ; because if the labourers were not pro- vided with proper house accommodation, how could they be expected to bring up their children with decency or with any attention to moralty.' The rising generation would grow up from their youth without any idea of morality, and THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. tn the couseqiieuces would be seeu and felt in a degraded popu- lation, increased poor rates, and the growth of a race of ser- vants virtually good for nothing. It was not an exclusive question for the consideration of landlords, or clergymen, or farmers, but primarily they must work altogether, and after that the agricultural labourer must work out his own re- form. Those who attempted these improvements must not be discouraged if at first but little fruit followed their laboura ; they must remember the way in which the labourers had been brought up, and not expect to work wonders all at once. If they failed at first in effecting great results, they should go on : use their labourers fairly, provide them with decent houses, and pay them fair wages. The result would be that they would have better servants, and would have assisted in making a contented, moral, and industrious people, which would be the greatest blessing England could ever boast. Thus they might safely go on in the path of democracy, and confer upon the labourers that share in the representation which all wished them to have." The same subject was alluded to at the Royal East Berk- shire Society by the Hon. P. P. Bouverie, M.P. He said — " It was true that of late years much had been done to improve the condition of the labourers, but much yet re- mained to be done. There was a problem aiising out of the present state of society, which had been mooted on other occasions, and which he thought ought not to be forgotten. It was a problem that was at the bottom of our social sys- tem, and without it they would not see that advance in the moral improvement of the people which they all desired. He alluded to the subject of the labourers' cottages. It was a problem not yet solved how cottages could be built, and the expenditure, or the interest of it, be met by the labour- ers at their present rate of wages. In plain terms, could gentlemen build cottages such as labourers ought to have, and look for such a rent as would be a return for the capital expended ? He was confident that there was no one thing in our social system that was more capable of improvement, or more at the foundation of all the moral improvement in this country than providing suitable houses for the working classes. They might make educational efforts, and do everything else they could ; but as long as it should be a fact that the labourers could not afford to pay the interest of the capital expended in building for them residences which would enable them to bring up their families in decency, so long there would not be that improvement in the habits and conduct in the lower orders of life. He was glad to know that many gentlemen were endeavouring to improve the cottages on their estates, but it was an expenditure of money that they could not expect the common labourer to pay the interest of. He was putting up some new ones on his property, in Somersetshire, and his plan was not to have less than three bed-rooms. He mentioned this subject, hoping that by drawing attention to it something might be done to improve the cottages of the labouring poor. He observed that this society gave premiums to industrious labourers for the good cultivation of their gardens, and for neat cottages. This he believed to be an important object, as, by encouragiug industry and cleanliness, tliey might hope to see the young grow up and become good labourers. He was much pleased in attending this meeting, and he trusted that the society might continue to be a lasting benefit to the agricultural labourers of the district." Mr. R. W. Grenpell also said— "Mr. Bouverie had remarked with great justice that there was a great dearth of accommodation for labourers in agricultural districts gener- ally, and he thought tliat as the Prince Cousort and one or two gentlemen in that neighbourhood did their best to pro- mote the interests of the farmer by offering prizes for the improved cultivation of laud, he would suggest to the tenant- farmers they would do well if they combined together to offer a prize to the landlord who should erect cottages on the most economical plan, and that would most tend to the pro- per comfort of labourers. (Laughter. ) It was a crying sin in this country — it was not bo much so now as formerly — when, from selfish feelings, the landlords and tenants joined together to pull down and destroy the cottages in the coun- try. Without at all being egotistic, he would mention that his family were erecting new houses for labourers on their property in Wales. They paid £1,670 per week to the persons in their employ for wages, and last year they laid out £3,300 in building new houses for them. They received no rent for the cottages, for there was such competition for the labourers that it was of the utmost importance they should got good and steady workmen. All the houses were built with three bedrooms, and the requisite rooms and out^ buildings below. The men were so satisfied that they now said, ' We will never leave you ; because we can live decently, by separating the boys from the girls.' " SYMONDSBURY HARVEST-HOME. Men of sinew ! hale and hearty ! Brave at scythe and sickle, come ! Come and swell our gleesome party ! Reapers ! sturdy reapers, come ! Time for all things, this for leisure; Time for all things, this for pleasure ! Sing our merry Harvest-Home. Mothers meek ! home troubles leaving, Join your husbands' joy, and come : Honour, love, respect receiving. From the honest-hearted, come ! Nought unmeet for woman's bearing. Nought unmeet for woman's hearing Blots our merry Harvest-Home. Maidens modest ! fear no roughness ; Fathers, brothers are we; come ! Kind and true, despite our bluifness : Maidens modest, come, then, come ! Far away be thoughts of lightness ; With your own unsullied brightness, Maidens, bless our Harvest-Home. Aged folks ! our hamlet's glory. Dames and grandsires ! all must come ; Come and tell again the story Of the days long bygone ; come ! Ye who with life's ills have striven. And to whom now rest is given. Welcome to our Harvest-Home ! Laughing children ! lend your rattle To our merry-making.; come ! Cxood to hear is childhood's prattle : Children ! merry children, come ! Ye have work'd as hard as others, Gleaning proud beside your mothers — Ye must share our Harvest-Home. High and low ! with one another. Young and old ! come join us, come ! Each to each, in God, a brother. To our village High-Day come ! Well it is that harvest labours. Richly cro\vn'd, should bind all neighbours In a thankful Harvest-Home. 47S THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. FOOD AND MANURES In the descriptions that are now made of organic bodies that are used for food and applied as ma- nures, there is always given, along with the natural properties and practical value of the article, the chemical analysis of the bodies, which shows the value of the composition in the number and quality of the constituent principles. But every theory yet advanced on this point, has been proved to be wholly fallacious, by means of the truths of prac- tical experience. The most recent scientific ar- rangement of the constituent parts of organic bodies places the elements in two divisions : — Nitrogenous, or flesh-forming principles ; non- nitrogenous, or free from nitrogen, and producing respiration, heat, and fat. Among the latter, starch is abundant, with sugar, gum, fat, wines, beer, and spirits. The former, or the strictly nutritive substances, contain vegetable albumen, fibrin, and casein, with animal flesh and blood. A third class comprehends the inorganic substances — water, saltSjiron, &c. All food is thus nitrogenous (or nutri- tive and flesh-forming) or non-nitrogenous (or heat-making). This briUiant fallacy has obtained almost the entire possession of physiologists, who decided that the percentage of nitrogen, large or small, in ahmentary substances, aftords a correct estimate of the value, except where gelatine enters very largely into the composition. This division of food meets with no objection, as it is a chemical fact : but the presence of nitrogen being made the test of value, and all albuminous substances form- ing an essential proportion of organized tissues, a striking example is seen of chemical reasonings applied to physiology, which a simple confrontation with nature suffices to upset. Albuminous sub- stances are certainly present ; but a larger quantity is essential in non-nitrogenous matters, as oil and salts. Wheat contains only 2.3 per cent, of nitrogen; whereas beans contain as much as 5.5 per cent.; lentils 4.4, and peas 4.3 per cent. ; and yet, with this inferiority in the quantity of nitrogen, wheat is very remarkably superior in nutritive value to the latter plants. In this case, experience flatly contradicts the standard that is applied. It is well known that in the animal kingdom no two organ- isms of the very same kin and descent possess an equal capability of assimilating the same sub- stances; and it may be inferred that vegetables are similarly endowed. Vital phenomena depend on processes that cannot be explained by che- mistry, and may be supposed to be very unlike the processes of our laboratories, and demand other tests. " From higher judgment seats, make no appeal To lower." Such is the appeal now made from physiology to chemistry. The chemists may proceed with their labours, analyzing, weighing, experimenting, and propounding hypotheses ; no doubt much aid will be obtained ; but no physiological problem will be solved, though it may leave the hope of doing more. Physiology must employ chemistry as an assistant to analyze — fat, for instance ; but not to trouble with any hypothesis about the part played by fat in the organism, or how itself is pro- duced. The assistance of chemistry is indispen- sable to the vital laboratory of physiology, as a means of explanation, not of deduction; as a pil- lar, not a pinnacle; an instrument, not an aim. The two laboratories are most diametrically oppo- site, and admit no unanimity or precision. Chemical analysis may conduct to the threshold of life, but there all its guidance ceases. A new order of complications intervenes ; a new series of laws has to be elicited. Chemistry is only able to say of what elements any substance is constructed, not how the agency is performed. Any attempt to explain the nutritive value of articles as food, by an enumeration of its constituents, must belong to "the physiology of probabilities." The cardi- nal rule is ever violated in our gropings towards the light — " Never attempt to solve the problems of one science by the order of conceptions peculiar to another." Every art and science has its own peculiar conceptions and philosophy, by which it is imderstood and advanced. The knowledge is indispensable of the physical and chemical laws that are implied in the vital processes ; but over and above, there are the specific laws of life, which cannot be deduced from physics and chemistry. The nitrogenous theory has yielded the acknow- ledgment, that nitrogen is nutritive "only" in pe- culiar combinations. The consequence is inevitable. The proportion of plastic and non-plastic mate- rials, or of nitrogen and the absence of it, has only to be observed in many cases, and the result never fails to pronounce against the theory of di- vision. In rice the ratio is 10 to 123, in beef 10 to 17, requiring ten pounds of rice to one of beef to obtain the flesh-forming materials ; and then, how dispose of the vast quantity of respiratory materials ? The body would be entirely burnt up by such an enormous heat, which does not seem THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 479 to differ in cold or hot climates. Nitrogen may be derived by the plants from the atmosphere, as well as from the soil and the manure ; and, till that point be decided, the nitrogenous theory rests un- confirmed. Potatoes are stated to contain more than double the quantity of flesh-forming and heating prin- ciples that are found in turnips ; yet turnips are well known to fatten cattle much better than pota- toes, except when boiled or steamed for swine. Cabbages and beetroot are stated to be equal, if not superior to turnips; yet practice finds those articles to be inferior for fattening. Carrots and parsnips are stated to be very much superior to turnips, the latter article almost sevenfold, being nearly equal in the elements of forming flesh, and of giving heat ; yet practice finds the very reverse, and prefers the turnips in the largest utility. If the amount of percentage fixes the value of any article as food, then a high place must be given to water in the 90 per cent, found in turnips and po- tatoes : it being hard to conceive that this large quantity does not operate a most im portant part in the construction of organisms. And the presence of this element is universal in a greater or less amount and proportion. Water may be regarded as the matrix or mould in which the other articles are compound- ed to exert the joint purposes of action. In all cases now mentioned, it is not the presence or quantity of the elements that confer their value, but the mode, way, or manner, in which the prin- ciples are combined among themselves, and with other matters. The just and reasonable inference seems to be, that a share of mixed nutrition is af- forded by the various elements found in organized bodies, nitrogenous, heat-making, and inorganic; and that no single result is effected by separate elements, but by a joint contribution of the united principles, in which all differences are annulled, and one similar result obtained. Whatever char- acter the substances may have outside the organ- ism, they must quit them shortly after their entrance into it, putting off specific differences, and merg- ing all varieties in a vital unity. This deduction is not exposed to the falsifications from practice, and withstands all examinations. The same fallacy is found in the chemical re- ports on the value of the grass plants. For instance, several plants are stated to be very much superior to the common ray grass in chemical con- stituents of nutritive value ; but whatever that va- lue may be, practice is satisfied that no grass plant, yet known, is so valuable for the purposes of the farmer, in growing readily on the greatest variety of soils, in yielding a good bulk of produce in a number of stems of medium height in the manner of a grain crop, and a quantity of sound healthy seed that is easily gathered and conveniently manu- factured. Chemistry made a most miserable failure in the attempt to fix the character of grasses : the ray grass is established on the grounds of true science, on the science of agriculture itself, which is the systematic experience of it. On this foun- dation the structure of comparisons and results must be built. Whatever the future progress of chemistry may effect in the way of simplifying physiological prob- lems— and none may doubt very large assistance from its co-operation — there is one radical distinc- tion, which will continue to keep the two sciences separate. Chemical laws are quantitative be- cause chemical actions are definite combinations ; whereas physiological laws can never become quan- titative, but only qualitatine, because vital sub- stances are indefinite, in composition ; while chemical substances are formed by unvarying com- binations of quantity, in so much acid to so much base always forming the same salt; in so many atoms of one substance always uniting with so many of another to form a third. The substances on which vital actions specially depend are never precisely and accurately definite ; they vary in dif- ferent organisms, and at different ages of the same constitution; and as every variation in composition necessarily affects the property of each substance, it is impossible that such actions can be reduced to those exact quantitative formulae, on which chemistry is founded. A salt is the same from the sea, the plant, or manufactured in the laboratory; but nerve tissue is never precisely the same; blood and milk differ from similar sources; constitution and temperament vary very considerably within cer- tain limits, but widely enough to overthrow any correct infei'ences or settled deductions, as in cases of definite and permanent constitutions. The chemical mode of fixing the exhausting powers of green crops from the ashes of straw and grain, is equally fallacious with the quality of food. The ashes of grain and straw exhibit a composition of silica, in the largest quantity, earthy phosphates, and carbonates, soluble salts, potash, and a small ratio of metallic oxides. These matters are sup- posed to be drawn from the soil, which is impover. ished by the loss ; and the restoration is made by the application of manure, lliis scientific mode of fixing the exhausting powers of plants is exposed to uncertainty, if i)lants extract from the soil, and transmit, as part of the composition, the matteis that are found both in the soil and in the plants; or, if the substances are not formed by tlie process of vegetation, from matters wholly different. It is certain that substances are found in the soil, which do not appear in the plants ; and that the plants contain matters, of which no vestige can be found 480 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. in the soil. Tliese discoveries would seem to show that other agencies, than direct transmission, are at work in producing the substances found in plants. The violent action of fire may wholly change the matters, and alter the constitution. Mineral substances may pass the fire unchanged ; but soluble matters may be altered, wholly banished, or altogether reproduced. The quality of different soils, the matured condition of the plants, and the season, will combine in producing various results in the ashes having been already found in the experiments, even in the mineral substances, which would be supposed the least liable to change. Hence arises the caution necessary in receiving the mode now formed by chemistry, in fixing the exhausting quality of plants. The labours of late years have been wholly barren in any practical results, being chemical lectures instead of agricultural lectures that are founded upon the enlightened practice of the art i and which must be deduced from a long and intimate acquaintance with the practice of the details. Plausible and brilliant, as many of the theories have been, they are all at fault when put to practice. A very general acceptance of them has been gained by reason of the simplicity which solved very abstruse problems, and the eagerness of the human mind to have explanations is readily captivated by any logical plausibility. Chemistry itself is in too imperfect a condition to give clear and satisfactory answers to its own questions on the subject of agriculture — a fact acknowledged by its warmest advocates ; and even supposing it to be perfect, the science must ever be incompetent to solve the problems of physiology from examining the results, but not reaching the means and modes of construction. The one never can explain the other. To know the component parts of a turnip and potato, gives no intelligence in what way to increase the produce, or how to use the articles in a better application. There is no agricultural light in the light of chemistry: no connection exists, except in the single point of manures ; and in that case, the laboratory of the field differs most widely from the laboratory of the closet ; and the distance that intervenes, prevents any effulgence from the latter reflecting a lustre, dim or bright, on the former, and almost wholly destroys any connection. The chasm between the two processes is deep and wide ; and all attempts to make the passage have foundered midway, being wholly lost among the new states and appearances of materials, arising from the fresh and unexpected combinations that are presented to the view and examination. The very important truth is always overlooked or concealed, that to teach any science simply by itself in its own individual and uncon- nected state, is a comparatively easy process ; but to connect it with another that is either allied or remote, subjected to other laws, and regulated by a different economy, becomes a matter of the most serious difficulty, which has hitherto ' baffled all attempts, and may ever remain insurmountaale. The great want that has attended most persons, even the most learned in other sciences, who have tried the application, consists in a total ignorance of agriculture itself; and the bare idea of connect- ing two sciences, or any objects whatever, in order to produce from their union a beneficial result or application to other purposes, must suppose a thorough and most intimate knowledge of the nature and properties of both objects to be pre- viously possessed by the persons who pretend to effect the connection; and when these essential qualifications, or one of them, are wholl)' wanting, no surprise need be excited that universal failures have happened from the presumption which attends, and the conceit that directs, the performances. And these failures will happen, without disparage- ment to the professor of any accessory science ; for an ignorance of agriculture must inevitably lead to such results ; and without that most essential qualification, the most ])rofound learning that can be attained in other branches of natural science will not qualify any scientific man for such pur- poses of interpretation ; and accordingly when he leaves the beaten track of his own department, and essays his strength and skill in attempting to elucidate the various constituent relations and pos- sible applications of Nature's works, he finds himself roaming without a guide or beacon in a field of unbounded extent, where unknown and untrodden paths bewilder and perplex the road, and from which the veil that Nature has thrown over many of her works may never be withdrawn; and the full explanation of which is probably very justly and for ever placed beyond the reach of man. It is evident that the man of true science is the person who is engaged in the practice of an ait, if the mind is liberalized, and the ideas enlarged by education; for he enjoys the daily advantages of observation, reflection, and experience, before his eyes, and the best opportunities of proving his own ideas, and of judging the probable success under the circumstances of application. Much of our knowledge is not to be applied to any purposes of life, owing to the influence of the agencies to which the action must be exposed. A very great and general mistake of scientific men, who have tried to reduce into agricultural practice the specu- lations and deductions of analytical research, con- sists in publishing the results of trials made under circumstances wholly removed from the situation of common application; assumptions have been THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 481 used for observations, and the like results have been fancied and expected to attend all similar experiments. No practical analogy exists between common farming and the processes of the garden ; nor any comparison with trials made in pots and vases placed in a room or greenhouse : all such essays, in order to be decisive and satisfactory, must be performed on similar and tangible grounds, in order to remove a very weighty and insuperable objection, and be recommended for easy and gene- ral adoption. Experiments are generally made on too favourable grounds ; and predictions require a very cautious promulgation, being so very liable to numerous and mortifying falsifications. Future practice has, in many cases, disallowed both the experiments and results, and has rendered caution to be most necessary in the drawing of inferences and deductions. Experiment is seldom wrong, if properly made and used. Deception arises in forcing results to comply with our wishes ; and in supposing that different circumstances will afford the same con- clusions, and that different minds will view objects in the same light. Nothing should receive assent without positive conviction, where reason and ex- perience can be applied to decide; and our judg- ment must not be allowed to mislead ourselves and others, by expecting and promising results that cannot be obtained, and which are refused by Nature in the varied circumstances from which the general results must be deduced. Crude concep' tions and exaggerated statements have usurped the place of sound reasoning, and of the moderate expectations enjoined by providence and experience ; and the consequent disappointments have thrown discredit on many attempts of a similar nature and object. But some little judgment and reflection will speedily set the matter in a right view, and point out the proper mode of proceeding. Chemists expect that their art will effect in agriculture the same results as in medicine, where the inert ligneous matter, formerly so hurtful to the living organs, by its decomposition, has been separated in vegetable products, and the active principle has been presented in a pure crystalline form. But the circumstances are wholly different: no hving body will suffer without harm the con- tact of decaying matter; but the earth is a dead receptacle, and can sustain no injury from that process. On the contrary, the inert ligneous mat- ter affords, by its decomposition, the material or body on which the refined matter must act in the soil. A medicine supplies no food to the body, but modifies the action of the functions of the organs; and food must be provided in order to develop its effects. The most concentrated and powerful manure would produce no effect on pure earths or oxides; nor could medicine exert any influence on the original constituents of an ani- mated body, without the living mechanism of muscular fibre and functional organs. The dif- ferent and ever varying circumstances of application have permitted Utile or no progress in these ways, and have created mutual distrust between the philosopher and practitioner; the former looking on the cultivator as a most ignorant and incurably prejudiced being; and the latter regarding the former as a visionary speculator, unable to re- duce any of his theories to practice. But the abstract philosopher may not stop, in his investiga- tions of the mysteries of Nature, to enquire and determine if his speculations and deductions be applicable to any operation of practice, but proceed, wholly regardless of such a purpose, and leave the hints and suggestions of his labours to be adopted and used, as the different employment of the arts may direct. Scientific men have, themselves, created and continued the aversion and distrust with which their labours are regarded by practical experience. This error arises from a total ignorance of agricul- ture having the confidence to publish experiments, results, and theories, that are wholly opposite to natural processes, and, from continuing the fallacies long after the means are known to effect the complete contradiction. The greatest abilities and the very best intentions are in this way ex- pended in a most fruitless employment ; and much more harm than good is done by the writing of conceit and ignorance. The philosopher, who sails in the ship of science, forgets that the disciples cannot embark without a boat; and that this essential provision being want- ing, no passage can be made from the sunken paths of practical experience into the lofty con- templations of natural research. No plank is laid to conduct the footsteps over the intervening gulf; and no helm or compass is placed to guide the wandering voyager into the haven of enjoyment. But though these abstract speculations have not afforded, either from physical or scientific theory, any assistance to the operations suggested by ex- ternal objects and impressions, yet perseverance may probably lead to some valuable discovery, as has already happened in similar pursuits, and make an ample recompence for many aggravated mis- givings. Such subjects, even if they never produce any result that is applicable to public utility, are nevertheless in themselves most worthy the atten- tion and study of rational beings ; they enlarge the circle of knowledge, ennoble our sentiments, refine and exalt our ideas, and, by directing the mind to lofty contemplations, annihilate the delusion of the senses. On these subjects, it may be presumptu- ous to be sanguine, and unphilosophical to despair. J, D. 482 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. LARD VERSUS BUTTER. BY ALEXANDER FORSYTH. Biography differs from history in tliis, that the items of biography are made up during the life-time of the party, whereas in history they relate to the fate or fortunes of the departed. Now it is quite after this fashion with butter from the cow, and pig's butter. The cow may look over the hedge and see living boys actually eating her butter ; but it is far otherwise with the pig and her butter (lard), for that article of luxury is a legacy left to mankind by the long-headed porker, whose life of ease and gluttony was past and gone before his lard had come to table in the form of butter. I may as well state here, that the word " butter" is not by any means confined to the one article of butter made from milk: the article " cocoa-nut butter" is an example of a very important article of commerce, and is as like lard in appearance as can be. Of all the articles used to adulterate milk, butter-lard is perhaps the least reprehensible ; but let no one imagine for a moment that I wish to encourage the dishonest practice of adulteration of any article, still less in this case of an article of such importance to the welfare of the whole community as butter : on the contrary, I wish to point out to poor men the importance and economy of an article equal to the best butter, when properly used, and for some purposes actually preferable to butter, and that for about half the price. But before I go any farther, I am sorry to be com- pelled to state, that whilst butter is adulterated with lard, lard also is adulterated, frequently with gummy or farinaceous substances — so much so, that in samples which I have tried, in a test tube, there was 20 per cent, of foreign matter. When the Devonshire housewife finds that her fresh butter sells at Is. 6d. per lb., and her hog's lard at 8d., she is tempted to lard the bottom of the tin milk-pan before the new milk is sieved in, and in this way during the process of scalding the milk, after the Devonshire fashion of making butter, the dead pig's lard is raised by degrees to the dignity of living cow's butter, for as the temperature rises, the lard melts and rises along with the cream ; the clotted cream is then turned a little in a shallow tub with the hand, and the result is fresh butter frequently worth Is. 6d. per lb., making the net gain upon the lard so sold lOd., or even Is. per lb. ; or in commercial figures — lard at GOs. per cwt., sold as butter at lG8s., with a margin for prolitof 108s. per cwt. When cheese is made from new milk (as it ought to be), there is a portion of the fatty matter Itft in the whey ; and when this is churned, there is manufactured the basest article that bears the name of butter. This whey-butter abounds in the northern counties where the best cheese is made, and its marbled appearance to the eye bespeaks its tainted character, and tells clearly of its contact with the decomposing agent, viz , the rennet that clotted the casein curd, and liberated the whey. To such parties as arc in the habit of buying and eating whey butter (and their name is legion), it will be no small boon to get beautifully-refined American lard at half the price of their bad butter. The colliers in the northern counties seem to have been the first in this movement of using lard with their bread instead of butter ; not, however, by spreading it on like bread-and-butter, but by having the lard baked with the bread. Corn of itself contains very little fatty matter, still it docs contain a little, and to that little beginning of fatness must be traced the store of greasy matter found in animals whose principal food has been meal or corn-flour. To increase the value of bread as an article of food it has to be greased or buttered with fat of some kind, and whether the confection be in the form of wheaten-bread cut in slices and coated with fresh butter, or in the form of oatmeal-porridge or " ban- nocks of barley-meal" eaten with lard or dripping, the substantial virtues, viz., the feeding properties, are the same. The collier finds the bread-and-butter an awk- ward article under ground ; and it is for this reason that he has his bread baked with lard, and in this dry state his grease is not affected by the atmosphere of the pit. Taken by itself this example would go for very little ; but when it is coupled with the fact that the very highest order of pastry is made with lard, and when the highly-ornamented leafy-crust of an apple tart is served up at a nobleman's table apart from the confectioner's skill in ornamentation, the principal ingredients of the nobleman's paste and the collier's bread are flourand lard. The art of cooking pig's butter is unfortunately very little understood among the class of men most interested in it, and the disgusting samples of lard frequently to be seen in shops forbids a fair trial. Refined lard should be firm as the finest butter and white as the snow, and may be seasoned with salt or other seasoning, but of itself should taste sweet like new milk. If I have shown the poor man how to fatten his homely fare with a pure butter at half the price he is in the habit of pay- ing for bad butter, I shall rest satisfied that I have not taken this trouble in vain. But it is scarcely to be credited that in England the manufacture of butter is so various. One party churns all the new milk, and gets good butter and oceans of butter-milk to sell about the streets ; another skims off the cream, and sours it before churning ; whilst a third party scalds the milk, and never churns at all, and yet gets butter. These, with the fellow (for he deserves no better name) that churns the whey, are all butter-makers ; and it may truly be said that at least half the butter made in this kingdom is of very inferior quality, although, generally speaking, made from good milk ; and it is only when this state of things is tikrn into consideration, that we see tin importance of getting an article always the s-ame in quality and at less than half the price of butter. Manchester, Oct. 22. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 483 THE DUKE OF RICHMOND AS A FARMER. Although the object of this notice will be treated more as an agriculturist than a soldier or a senator, we do not think we can pass over hia birth, parentage, and education without devoting a few lines to them. Charles Gordon Lennox, fifth Duke of Richmond, was born on the 3rd of August, 1791. His Grace is descended from a sou of Madame de Querouelle, by Charles II. The merry monarch not only created the Lady Louisa Querouelle Duchess of Ports- mouth, Countess of Farnham, and Baroness of Peters- field, but gave the titlea of Duke of Richmond and Lennox, Earl of March and Darnley, and Baron Settringtou to her BOM. At nine years of age this little scion of royalty was in- stalled as a Knight Companion of the Garter, and made Mas- ter of the Horse ; it ought to have been a rocking-horse. Nor was Louis XIV. less liberal, for he granted the ter- ritory of Aubigny, in France, to the Duchess of Portsmouth for life, and after her decease, the name, title, dignity, and land to descend to her son, the Duke of Richmond, and the heirs male to his body, as Duke of Aubigny. This fortunate youth served in Flanders during the reign of William III., as his aide-de-camp, and was also a Lord of the Bedchamber to George I. The second Duke shared some of his father's good fortune ; he was elected M.P. for the city of Chichester, and for the borough of Newport, and strange to say, between the two seats he did not fall to the ground, for he lived to be a Knight of the Bath.and of the Garter, a Lord of the Bedchamber, and aide- de- camp to George I., which post he held under George II., and at the coronation of the latter monarch acted as High Constable of England for the day. On the death of the Duchess of Ports- mouth, the dukedom of Aubigny devolved upon his Grace, who was shortly afterwards appointed Master of the Horse to the King, and one of the most honourable Privy Council. Not satisfied with these civil dignities, the Duke was speedily pro- moted from the rank of Brigadier-General to that of Lieut.- General. During this period the Duke was present at the battle of Dettingen, and shortly afterwards under the orders of the Duke of Cumberland, assisted at the reduction of Car- lisle. His Grace was subsequently made High Stev?ard of Chi- chester, and admitted to the degree of Doctor of Physic at Cambridge ; nor did his good fortune end here, for he received the Colonelcy of the Royal Horse Guards (Blues) the very year of his death. The third Duke, who succeeded to his father's titles and estates at the early age of fifteen, also chose the military profession, and before he had attained his twenty- seventh year had risen to the rank of Major-General in the Array; and at the accession of George IK received, what in those days seemed to be the hereditary right of the family, the situation of Lord of the Bedchamber. His Grace was afterwards appointed Lord Lieutenant of the County of Sus- sex, and eventually held the situations of Secretary of State, and Master-General of the Ordnance. So extensive and ex- travagant were his Grace's plans in the latter department, respecting the fortifications of our sea-girt isle, that the econo- mists of the House of Commons took the alarm, and with the casting vote of the Speaker carried their point. The fourth Duke following the steps of his ancestors, selected the Army for hia profession, and finally attained the rank of Lieutenant- Geueral, with the Colonelcy of the 35th Regiment of the Line. His duel, when Colonel Lennox, with the Duke of York, is too well known to require further notice, except to say, that nothing could exceed the coolness evinced ou both sides. Pre- vious to his elevation to the peerage, his Grace represented the county of Sussex for seven successive parliaments, and two years after it, was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, a situation he held for six years. In 1818 he was made Governor-General of the British Settlements in North Ame- rica, where he died August 1819, from hydrophobia. The question has so often been mooted, as to the cause of his death, and so many erroneous opinions have been given that we, who were in Canada at the time, can enlighten the reader as to the real state of the case. His Grace had left Giuebec, to proceed to the Upper Provinces on a tour of inspection, and had stopped for a few days at a small government fort between the former place and Montreal. It was here that in attempt- ing to separate his own spaniel and a tame chained-up fox, who were fighting, that he received the fatal bite. It was a mere scratch, and treated as such, but an acute observer remarked at the time, that the fox was in such a state of passion, that the saliva dropped from his mouth, and it is generally believed that the wound was inflicted by this animal, for the dog, who was afterwards brought to England, never showed any symp- toms of madness. We will not dwell upon the sufferings, this noble — in every sense of the word nobleman — underwent, when attempting to struggle against the dreadful calamity ; suffice it to say, he bore them with patient resignation, and died as he had lived, respected by all who had the happiness to know him. Upon his decease, the subject of our memoir, Charles, the fifth of that name, succeeded to the title and estates, and assumed the additional surname of Gordon, On the death of his maternal uncle George, fifth and last Duke of Gordon, the property in Scotland -descended by the will of his grandfather, the fourth Duke of Gordon, to the present pro- prietor of it. At au early age the youthful Lennox went to West- raiuster, previous to which he was at Mrs. Horn's school, at Chiswick, for a few months, and became a boarder at " Glover's," in Great Dean's Yard. As a boy, he was quick and intelligent, attentive to his studies, and very popular with his tutor, the late respected Dr. Dodd. With youths of his own age he was equally liked, being kind, open-hearted, good tempered, and geuerous; but perhaps his greatest triumph was the devotion with which the younger boys looked up to him. " Old Lennox," as he was called in school phraseology, having two brothers, middle and "young" uiider him. In him the oppressed ever found a ready champion, and whenever a bully was reported to him as having tyrannised over some youngster, a sound thrashing was the inevitable result. At all manly games, cricket, fives, rowing, foot-ball, quoits, run- ning and leaping, " Old Lennox " was second to none. His easy and affable manner kept him free from quarrels with his school-fellows, but whenever any attempt was made to take advantage of his good-nature, no one wss more ready to de- fend himself. He was in fine, a noble, generous, high-spirited boy, and one that it was impossible to know without feeling the deepest interest in. The future heir to the Dukedom took all his removes with credit to himself, and was often held out as a pattern of attention by the hend and under masters Cary afterwards Bishop of St. Asaph, and Dr. Page. Among his cotemporaries were two with whom in after-life he was politi- cally connected, Lord John Russell and Sir James Graham. 484 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE, There was one, however, whose friendship commenced with him at Westminster, and was only severed by death. We allude to young LifFord, a noble, open-hearted, generous crea- ture, who was ever looked upon as the son of the late Duke of York. " Old Lennox" and Lifford were inseparables, regular " cronies," the Damon and Pythias of the school. At an early age the latter got a commission in the 52nd Light Infantry, was severely wounded at Redinha, and died shortly after. With his latest breath, poor Liiford urged his old school-fellow, then Earl of March, and serving on the staff of Wellington, to deliver into the hands of the Duke of York his trusty sword. Need we say that this injunction was implicitly fol- lowed, for, upon his returning to England Lord March gave the dying gift to the reputed father of his lamented comrade. Poor Lifford, of him might the survivor say, in the lines of Halleck : " Green be the turf above thee, Friend of my ' youthful days,' None knew thee but to love thee. Nor named thee but to praise." Before we take leave of Westminster, we must not omit to mention, that in a memorsble contest between the Town boys and King's scholars, arising from an oH custom, now happily obsolete, that of slucing one another, and which always led to a general fight, the hero of tljis memoir was appointed com- mander-in-chief on the side of the Town boys, and led on his forces with a bravery and judgment that quite won the hearts of his young followers. The affray alluded to was so serious, that the authorities wisely put an end to this annual battle. Shortly after leaving Westminster, the Earl of March en- tered the army, then in his eighteenth year, as an ensign in the 8th Garrison Battalion, and was appointed extra aide-de- camp to his father, at that period Lord- Lieutenant of Ireland; but he sighed for an active life, and having " longed to follow to the field some warlike lord," quitted the gaieties of Dublin to join the array in the Peninsula, as aide-de-camp to his father's friend, the Iron Duke. Here he remained until 1814, and was present at all the actions that took place during that eventful period. In January of the above year Lord March left the staff to do duty with the gallant 52ud, Lifford's old corps, to which regiment he had been appointed as a captain during the preceding year. Within a month he was severely wounded at Orthes, while leading his company to attack the left of the height on which the right of the enemy stood. And here we must digress, for the purpose of recordmg an anecdote of the late Duke of Wellington, whose maligners falsely accused him of having been devoid of feeling. Our readers are probably aware that, except upon one occasion, the great warrior escaped without a wound. At the above men- tioned action, however, his Grace received a severe contusion upon his hip-bone from a spent ball, which prevented his directing in person the last movements of his army upon that day ; but he did not leave the field, until Soult had sounded a retreat. Upon reaching his quarters, the prcBent Dr. Hair, at that time a staff surgeon, was sent for, and Wellington's first inquiry was after the Earl of March, who had been present with him at the battles of Busaco, Fuentes D'Onor, Sala- msnca, Vittoria, the Pyrenees, storming of Cuidad Rodriga, Badajoz, and St. Sebastian, and the action at Vera. Dr. Hair in reply stated, that although the young nobleman's wound was severe, there was still a gleam of hope, as he had witnessed similar cases where the sufferers had recovered. The Duke's next anxiety was to be sufficiently recovered to resume in per- son the pursuit of the enemy on the following morning, and expressed a fear that the stiffness occasioned by the contusion would for a time prevent him mounting his horse. A simple. yet eflicacious remedy was applied, and at an early hour in the morning after the battle, his Grace, supporting himself by two sticks, crossed the street from his own quarters to those of his former aide-de-camp, and hobbled into the room where Lord March still remained in a most precarious state. Dr. Hair, who, overcome with fatigue and anxiety, was extended upon a mattress, started up at the entrance of the Duke, and made a sign that the wounded oflScer was asleep. For a few seconds Wellington leant against the mantelpiece, over- whelmed with the most poignant grief. Suddenly Lord March awoke, and recognizing his chief, faintly expressed a hope that he had been successful on the previous day ; the reply in the affirmative was conveyed in downright plain Eng- lish— " I've given them a d good licking ; and I shall follow it up " The exhausted youth then turned to doze again ; and as the duke left the room tears trickled down the cheaks of the warrior when he took leave for the last time, as he fe-ired, of his protegee — the son of one of his dearest and best friends. Another anecdote connected with the Duke of Richmond occurs to us. He was sent upon one occasion by Wellington with an order to the Royal Fusiliers, who were suffering greatly from the enemy's fire. Just as he reached this dis- tinguished regiment, he observed that some of our guns had ceased firing. Passing the artillery officer, he mentioned the object of his mission, and suggested that if he would only con- tinue to pour some grape into the enemy's cavalry, the Fusiliers would get rid of a formidable enemy. " Enemy's cavalry 1" said the artillery officer : " they belong to the German Legion." "You are wrong," responded the young aide-de-camp. "I am confident they are French. Remember, I have no orders for you to fire ; but if you ceased under the impression that they were friends, not foes, I advise you again to blaze away !" In a secand the hint was taken, and the firing renewed when, much to the satisfaction of the artillery, the Fusiliers, and Lord March, the French— for French they were — retired to the rear. In " Hart's Army List " — one of the most complete works of the sort that ever emanated from the press — we find the duke's services reported as follows : — " On the 24th July, 1810, the present Duke of Richmond, then Earl of March, joined the Duke of Wellington as Aide- de-camp and assistant military secretary, and remained with him until the year 1814. He was present with his chief at the battles of Busaco and Fuentes D'Onor, the storming of Cuidad Rodrigo and Badajoz, Battles of Salamanca, Vittoria, and Pyrenees, first storming of St. Sebastian, action at Vera. At the battle of Orthes, Lord March was, as we have pre- viously stated, in command of a company of the gallant 52nd. At Quartre Bras and Waterloo he was on the staff of the Prince of Orange, late King of Holland." His Grace's political life commenced in 1812, when he was returned to parliament as member for the city of Chichester, which he represented until 1819, when he took his seat in the House of Lordsf. Upon the dissolution of the Wellington administration, in 1830, he accepted the office of Post Master General, with a seat in the cabinet, in the government of the late Earl Grey. In 1834 the Duke of Richmond, Earl of Ripon, Sir James Graham, and Mr. Stanley (now Earl of Derby) seceded from office ; the cause of their resignation was a division of opinion with the rest of the cabinet as to the propriety of confiscating part of the property of the Irish church to other than Protestant ecclesiastical purposes. As a supporter of Church and State, the Duke felt he could no longer act with a party who, according to his views, were undermining the Protestant Church. As a friend to the THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 485 agriculturist, and an uncompromising enemy to the Ante-corn Law League, his Grace stood pre-eminently forward. As a speaker in the House of Lords, the Duke is clear, forcible, and fluent. He ia ever master of the subject he dis- cusses ; and in the absence of brilliant imagery, fanciful meta- phor, or flowery rhetoric, brings such a fund of good common sense to his aid, that he never fails to command the attention of his hearers. In reply he is quick, and generally comes off victorious when a brother legislator tries a lance with him. At public meetings his Grace is an excellent chairman. There is a bonhommie about him — an affable manner ; dignified, yet not proud ; courteous, yet not familar — which wins all hearts ; and we know no one, at an agricultural or cattle-show meet- ing, who carries those prides of their country, the British far- mer and Yeoman, so much with them as the Duke of Rich- mond. Whether he appears as a successful or unsuccessful candidate, there is still the same joyousness of manner, the same good-humoured smile, the same equanimity of temper. In private life the duke is exemplary, and in society has a fund of anecdote of the days of his services under Wellington. He possesses the peculiar talent of suiting his conversation to his hearers — the reverend divine, the military man, the politician, the county magistrate, the farmer, the man of letters, the sportsman, will all find pleasure in the conversation of the duke. As the lord lieutenant, the magistrate and guardian of the poor, the Duke is impartial, kind-hearted, and considerate; and whatever defects may exist in some of the clauses of the present poor law, few that see the West Hampsett Union, near Goodwood, could fiiid fault with the system there carried on. As a sportsman, the Duke, whea Earl of March, rode well to hounds, and was, as he ia to the present day, an excellent shot. He also carried on bis love for cricket for many years ; unfortunately the "ball" he received at Orthes, and one which the moat expert member of " Lord's " would have found quite impossible to stop, has jirevented his Grace taking up his bat for many years; a'thougi the manly game is still strongly patronized by the noble owner of the broad lands of Goodwood. With a view of aiding the cause of the army, by not only setting a brilliant example ia joining the ranks of the malitia, but of recruiting the line from his own regiment, the Duke has devoted his whole time and energies to the corps under his command. So great is his Grace's sense of Jutj% that he never, except upon urgent business, absents himself from head qnarters ; the result has been that the Royal Sussex Light Infantry stand second to none, and have done the State no little service by the quantity and quality of recruits they have furnished the army. It was a truly- gratifying scene to witness the gallant Colonel, who has bled for hia country, riding at the head of a band of volunteors,a3 they secured their places in therailway carriage to proceed to their destination at Chatham ; and happy, truly happy,must his Grace have been at the steady conduct, the martial appearance, the soldier-like march of these brave fellows, as they took leave of their comrades, with bnt one feeling in their breast— that of serving the Queen in any quarter of the globe. We ought not here to with- hold the meed of praise due to the Lieut.-Colonel, Lord Arthur Lennox, who in the field cannot be excelled ; Major the Hon. II. Gage; and Captain Fuller, late of the gallant 52nd, adjutant, for their zealous endeavours to pro- mote the discipline and honour of the corps. Before we refer to the Duke of Richmond as an agricul- turist, or allude to his farms, we will give the reader a slight description of the territorial property belonging to his Grace in the west of Sussex, The domain of the Duke includes the three contiguous estates of Goodwood, originally called Godinwood ; Halnaker, or, according to ancient phrase- ology, Halnecke and Westhampnett. The former was purchased by the first duke, the son of the " Merry Monarch," from the family of Compton, about the year 1720. Halnaker did not come into the family until 1765, when it was added by the third Duke of Richmond to the other entailed estates. Westhampnett, which comprises upwards of eighteen hundred acres, was also purchased by the last-mentioned nobleman. Halnaker House, which was built in the time of Henry the Eighth, is now a perfect ruin, and is the only specimen in that part of the country of the castellated style peculiar to the age of the Tudors. In one of those beautiful, yet ephemeral works of the day— the Annuals — we find " A Legend of Halnecke," by Lord Wm. Lennox, which contains a very graphic account of the visit of the unfortunate Edward the Sixth to this place in 1551. The park contains some magni- ficent timber, and a splendid avenue of Spanish chestnut trees. The Manor House of Westhampnett, formerly the pro- perty of Sir Hutchins Williams, Bart., is now converted to the Union-workhouse ; and let those who cavil at the new Poor-law system only visit this establishment, and they will find that every comfort and attention that can be paid to the spiritual and bodily wants of their less fortunate brethren, are here dispensed with a most liberal hand. See the aged, happy and content ; the children cheerful, well fed, and cleanly attired ; test their knowledge in the " one thing tliat is needful ;" and it will be found that many of these, poor in the eyes of the world, are rich in treasures far above earthly value. Return we to Goodwood, which in the Burrell MSS., is thus described:— "Rot. Par., 2Cth of Elizabeth. Godinwood Manor, with its appendages, and two houses, four gardens, two orchards, two hundred acres of park land, ten of arable, five hundred of pasture, and three hundred of wood." The original mansion, a gothic structure, of which we believe no print or painting is in existence, was replaced by an edifice erected under the direction of Sir William Chambers, and which now forms part of the present building. In 1800, the third Duke of Richmond, who was a great patron of the arts, and who had expended a large sum upon the improvement of the estate, commenced those additions and alterations which have produced the present noble domain. The house consists of a principal front, with a colonnade i a portico of six Doric pillars supports another of an equal number of Ionic of Portland stone, extending nearly one hundi-ed and seventy feet, and terminated by two towers with hemispherical roofs ; the wings, each presenting a front of one hundred and six feet, are also terminated by similar towers. With the exception of the front, which formed part of the building erected by Sir William Chambers, the whole of the new edifice is built with square flints, collected in the neighbouring downs, and which possess an advantage over Portland stone— namely, that the longer they are exposed to the weather the whiter and harder they become. Near the principal entrance are some fine specimens of the cork tree, famed for their size and beauty. Of the interior of the house we shall say little, except that a visit to it will amply repay the sight-seer, as it contains some fine pictures of many of the most celebrated artists— Rubens, Vandyke, Sir Peter Lely, Guido, Titian, Godfrey Kneller, Salvator Rosa, Teniers, Rembrant, Tintoretto, Ostade, Wovermans, Canaletti, Hogarth, Reynolds, Gainsborough, and Law- rence. A selection of the above were lent by the Duke 4SG THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. for the Exhibition at Manchester, and were much extolled by the lovers of fine arts. lu the park and ornamental plantations that surround the house are to be found some splendid timber, consisting of beech (which flourishes greatlj' in this soil), cedar, American oak, tulip trees, Turkey oak, cyprus, plane, and chesnut. The pleasure-grounds, orangery, and conserva- tories are planned with great taste, and the kitchen-garden is well-stocked. The whole reflect great creditto Mr. Cameron, the Paxton of Goodwood. At the extremity of the park is the Tennis court, which combines pleasure and instruction, for it is not only used for the favourite amusement of Le jeu de paume, but is annually ihe meeting-place of the West Sussex Agricultural Society, the object of which is to encourage industry, and to reward those sons of the soil whose general good conduct entitles them to the "golden opinions" of their employers. The dog-kennel and stables are the most complete establishments of their kind in England ; the former is erected on a rising ground, about a quarter of a mile from the house. It is about one hundred and fifty feet in length ; the height of the centre is twent}'- eight feet ; and of the wings eighteen, measured from the crown of the arches on which it is built. The building consists of four kenneU and two feeding-rooms, in which hot and cold air are introduced by stove pipes and venti- lators. It is now more than forty years since a pack of hounds have been kept at Goodwood. Sincerely do we hope that the time will arrive when the kennel will be restored to its original purpose ; for although it is now hunted by that truly kind-hearted and popular sportsman Colonel Wyndham, and the county of Sussex is too full of woods and downs to furnish first-rate sport, it would be a most valuable acquisition to this magnificent property to have a pack of hounds under the auspices of the Duke of Richmond and his son the Earl of March. Foxes are plentiful, and if the coverts were well rattled would furnish at least an excellent gallop. We have already alluded to the Duke as a soldier, a magis- trate, and a senator, and now propose to look at him as an agriculturist. His Grace is president of the Smithfield Club, and until his duty called him to his regiment, was constant in his attendaoce at its annual meetings. It was to the Smithfield Club, and the exertions of the then president, the Earl Spencer, and theDukeof Kichmond, that the Royal Agri- cultural Society owes its origin; for when the idea was suggested some twenty years ago by the lamented earl, it was the cheer with which the British farmers received the proposition that encouraged the noble lords to proceed in their undertaking. Like many other institutions, both the Smithfield Club and the Royal Agricultural Society have had much opposition to contend with. The Goodwood estate consists of 9,602 acres arable, ex- clusive of down pasture, which is about 4,000 more. The Duke farms 790 acres arable, and about 1,500 park and down pasture. The flock numbers 1,000 breeding ewes, and 1,100 others, composed of ewes, tegs, wethers, and rams : all the above are Southdown. His Grace has 120 head of cattle ; 20 of which are Alderney cows, the re- mainder West Highland bullocks and Devonsfor fattening. The farm is used in the four-shift system. First year — Wheat. Second — Turnips, mangold, and carrots. Third — Barley and oats. Fourth — Clover. From 30 to 40 acres of mangold are grown annually, and about 5 acres of carrots, rape, and trifolium for the sheep. To show the n-ethodical manner on which the farm is conducted, we proceed to lay before our readers four returns of live stock on the Duke's Goodwood farm, as made out by the bailiff on the first of the month : — issa. Feb. I. HORSES' ACCOUNT. No, 1. STOCK ON CHARGE, Stallion Cart , . Nags Ponies Colts., Fillies Foal . . Bought Births Total. BEASTS' ACCOUNT. 1858. No. 2. Feb. 1, STOCK ON CHARGE, Bull ^ Cows in milk Ditto in calf Calves Stores Fatting Bought Births Total . . 1 20 1 2 1 26 1 9 11 4 66 40 121 1858, Feb. 1. SHEEP ACCOUNT. No. 3, STOCK ON CHARGE. Stock ewes 1,018 Draft ditto 7 Fatting ditto 5 Stock wethers .. .. .. ., 214 Fat ditto 113 rEwes .. ., .. ,.497 ' I Wethers 170 Lambs .. .. .. .. .. — Old rams 31 Teg ditto 51 Show stock ,. .. .. ,, 11 Bought Births Total ,. 2,117 1858. Feb. 1. PIGS' ACCOUNT. No, 4. STOCK ON CHARGE. Boars Sows Sucklings .. ,. .. .. ..60 Stores 29 Bought Births Total ,. 100 The Duke's agent at Goodwood, Mr. Arras, is a Scotch- man by birth, and possesses every requisite for the import- ant situation he holds. Upright in his conduct, obliging to all, attentive to the interests of his employer, undeviating in the path of rectitude, charitable and considerate to his less fortunate brethren, hospitable to his friends and asso- ciates, he is respected bj"- peer and peasant. Under his able and judicious management the Goodwood estate is second to none in this country. Since writing the above, death has deprived the Duke of Mr. Arras's services. His successor is Mr. Wilson from Frogmore. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 487 Mr. Wilson, to use an old phrase, is " the right man in the right place ;" a more active, honourable, zealous, attentive, and kindhearted man than Mr. Wilson does not exist ; and the character he nobly won at the Royal Farm at Frogtnore, has been fully kept up on the princely estates of Goodwood. GORDON CASTLE. Having already referred to the broad acres in Sussex, we now proceed to give a brief notice of his Grace's estate in Scotland. The cultivated land which he possesses near Gordon Castle amounts to about fifty-five thousand imperial acres, four hundred of which are arable, and five hundred (the park) pasture. The flock of sheep consists of twelve hundred, five hundred being breeding-ewes ; one-half are Southdown, the other Leicester. The Duke has twenty shorthorn cows, forty West Highland cattle, besides young stock. There is a public sale of young and old ewes and rams of both breeds, and of young bulls, every year. In the five-shift is grown — 1st year turnips, 2nd year barley or wheat, 3rd year seeds, 4th year ditto, 5th year wheat or oats. A little mangel wurzel, or mangold, as it is called, is grown for the cows, but it does not succeed well, as the climate is too cold. The Duke has been extremely fortunate in liis commissioner, Mr. Balmer, a gentleman who takes the deepestinterestin the estate ; and whose practical knowledge, industrious habits, honourable feelings, and kind-hearted conduct render him alike popular to the noble proprietor as to the most humble retainer on the property. There is an old maxim that " Whatever is worth doing at all, is worth doing well ;" and the admirable manner in which the Gordon Castle estate is kept up, proves that the commissioner has heard of and fulfilled the adage. On the banks of the Spey, near Fochabers, surrounded by the most beautiful plantations, stands Gordon Castle. The castle was originially built by George, second Earl of Huntley, and altered and enlarged in every succeeding age. It was almost rebuilt by the late Duke, in all the elegant magnificence of modern architecture. It extends in front to five hundred and sixty-eight feet from east to west ; being, however, of different depth, the breaks make a varietj' of light and shade, which takes off the appearance of excess in uniformity. The body of the building is of four storeys ; and in its southern front stands the tower, entire, of the original castle, by much ingenuity making a part of the modern mansion, and rising many feet above it. The wings are magnificent pavilions, connected by galleries of two lower storej's ; and beyond the pavilions buildings are extended equally to either hand, of one floor and an attic. The whole of this vast edifice, externally, is of white free- stone, cut in the most elegant manner, and finished ell round by a rich cornice and a handsome battlement. The first floor contains the dining-room, drawing-room, breakfast-room, andseveralotherhandsomeapartments. The sideboard is within the recess of the dining-room, separated by lofty Corinthian columns of scagliola, in imitation of verd antique marble. In this room are copies, by Angelica Kauffman, of Venus and Adonis, and of Dana^, by Titian '• of Abraham and Hagar, of Joseph and Potipher's wife, by Guercino ; of Dido and St. Cecilia, by Dominichino, besides several portraits. In the drawing-room is a portrait of the late Duke of Gordon, by Raeburn ; and of the Duche.ss, grandmother to the present noble proprietor, by Sir Joshua Reynolds. In the breakfast-room is a copy, by A. Kauflf" man, of the celebrated St. Peter and St. Paul, the master- piece of Guido Rheni, esteemed the most valuable in the Lampiori Palace, at Bologna, and one of the best paintings in the world. Ten thousand sequins, it is said, have been offered for it. The library contains several thousand volumes ; among the most valuable is a folio manuscript of the vulgate bible, and two MSS missals, beautifully illuminated. There is also a MS of Bernard Gordon's LUium Medicince, with the date 1319, aud the names of the copiers at the end. The hall is embellished by a copy of the Apollo Belvidere, and of the Venus de Medicis, cleverly executed of statuary- marble, by Harwood. Here, also, b.y the same ingenious artist, are busts of Homer, Caracalla, M. Aurelius, Faustina, and a vestal. At the bottom of the great staircase are busts of Julius Cresar, Cicero, and Seneca, all raised on pedestals of Sienna marble. With these last stands a bust of Cosmo the Third, Duke of Tuscan}' (connected with the Gordon family), on an elevated pedestal. The most remarkable pictures at Gordon Castle are a full length of James the Sixth, by Mytens. At the time of the Revolution the mob had taken it out of Holyrood House, and were kicking it about the streets, when the chancellor, the Earl of Finlater, happening to pass bj', re- deemed it out of their hands. A portrait of James, Duke of Hamilton, beheaded in 1649, by Vandyke ; a half-length of his brother, killed at the battle of "Worcester, by the same artist. William, Duke of Hamilton, president of the revolution parliament, by Kneller ; old Lord Banff, aged ninety. On the highway between Fochabers and the Spey is the gate which leads to Gordon Castle, consisting of a lofty arch between two domes. It is embellished by a hand- some battlement within the gate. The road winds about a mile through a green pasture, skirted with flowering shrubs and groups of tall spreading trees, till it is lost in an oval in front of the castle. There is, besides this, another ap- proach from the east, sweeping for several miles through the varied scenery of the park, which is nearly twelve square miles, enlivened by different picturesque views of the country, with the river and the ocean. The castle stands on a low flat, at some distance from the Moray Frith ; the ground immediately rises towards the east, about twenty feet in height. A second flat of con- siderable extent succeeds, which terminates on the side of a considerable mountain. The wood, without the appearance of design, is disposed upon the plain in a variety of pleasing forms •, and on the side of the mountain above it exhibits a boundless forest, affording coverts for vast numbers of red deer, and containing in its skirts an ample enclosure, stocked with fallow deer. SALE OP EXMOOR PONIES AT BAMPTON FAIR. — Mr. Knight's ponies and Mr. R. Smith's Galloway colts were sold here. There were fifty ponies, of which the four- year-old horses reached an average of £15 lOs. each, and the horse ponies of other ages £12 6s. each. Mr. Smith's Gal- loways, by a thorough-bred horse out of Exmoor mares, brought the excellent average of £22 10?. each. The prices were considered to be very good for rough ponies, be it re- membered, that had eaten the wild grass that nothing else would eat. The whole amount realized was between seven and eight hundred pounds. Some of the picked ponies made thirty pounds each, and there were buyers aud bidders from thirteen di.l'erent counties. L L THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY OF ENGLAND. A Monthly Council was held on Wednesday, the 3rd of November : present, His Grace the Duke of Marlborough, President, in the Chair ; Lord Berners, Hon. Colonel Hood, Sir Charles Morgan, Bart, Sir Archibald Macdonald, Bart., Mr. Dyke Acland, Mr. Amos, Mr. Raymond Barker, Mr, Barnett, Mr. Bram- ston,M.P., Mr. Caldwell, Colonel Challouer, Mr. Exall, Mr. Brandreth Gibbs, Mr. Wren Hoskyns, Mr. Howard, Mr. Jonas, Mr. Milward, Mr. Pain, Mr. Shuttleworth, Professor Simonds, Mr. Thompson, Mr. Torr, Mr. George Turner, Professor Voelcker, and Mr, Wilson (of Stowlangtoft). The Earl of Carnarvon, of High-Clere, Hampshire, was elected a Governor of the Society. The following were elected members : — Barker, Thomas, Brown's Yard, WoodUouse Lane, L?ed3. Bloxsidge, SamueJ, Warwick. Bonner, Henry C, East Rudham, Rougliam, Norfolk. Booth, W. H., Artiugton Manor, Newbury, Berkshire. Bradstock, Thomas Skiuner, Cobrey Park, Ross, Hereford. Cobden, Richard, Midhurst, Sussex. Coleman, John, Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester. Collins, Francis, Aston Farm, Stone, Staffordshire. Corrigan, A., Royal Dublin Society, Dublin. Creese, William, Teddington, Teivkesbury. Davis, John, Penlaaoweu, Aberystwith, Cardiganshire. Dobaon, Samuel, Cardiff, Glamorganshire. Edmunds, Richard, Trunkweil House, Reading. Ellison, Charles, Oldbury Lodge, Bridgenorth, Salop. Glen, George, Puddingtou Hall, Chester. Grisewood, Harmau, Daylesford House, ChippingNortou,Oxon. Grundy, John, The Dales, Stand, Manchester. Halkett, Peter Alexander, Wyudham Club, St. James's. Hemming, William, Moreton-m-Marsh, Gloucestershire. Humphries, E., Pershore, Worcestershire. Ivimy, John Hill, Hiuniugton, Shiffnal, Salop. Leigh, William, jun., Woodchester Park, Stone House, Glou- cestershire. Lloyd, William Butler, Monkmoor, Shrewsbury. Lyne, Charles, R.N, Newport, Monmouthshire. Makgill, George, Winchcombe, Cheltenham. Margary, Major, Chartham Park, East Grinstead, Sussex. Marsh, William James, Loridge, Berkeley, Gloucestershire. Martin, Edward, Nonsuch Park Farm, Ewell, Surrey. Newton, Thomas, Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester. Phillips, William, The Lodge, Reigate, Surrey. Pope, Thomas, Harewood House, Bletchingley, Surrey. Potter, T. B., Buile Hill, Manchester. Powell, Thomas, jun.. The Gaer, Newport, Monmouthshire. Rowland, Edward, Claygate House, Esher, Surrey. Smith, Hugh, 2, Porchestersquare, Hyde Park. Spark, William, Shilton House, Coventry. Synge, Francis Hutchinson, Dysart, Co. of Clare, Ireland. Waller, John, Pen Park, Bristol. Wallis, Richard, Eastlauds, Basingstoke, Hampshire. Wilkinson, Joseph, Roundhay, Leeds. Finances.— Mr. Raymond Barker, Chairman of the Finance Committee, presented the report on the ac- counts of the Society ; from which it appeared that the current cash-balance in the hands of the bankers was £1,909. The Chairman also reported that a further investment had been made in the purchase of stock, by which the invested capital of the Society had been raised to .£10,000 in the New Three per Cents. The recom- mendation of the Committee that the thanks of the So- ciety should be conveyed to Messrs. Williams and Co., of Chester, for the accuracy and courtesy with which they had acted as the local bankers of the Society during the period of the Chester meeting, was adopted unani- mously. Journal. — Mr.^Thompson, Chairman of the Jour- nal Committee, laid before the Council the following report, which was unanimously adopted : — Report of Journal Committee, Nov. 3, 1858.— 1. On the 4th of May la=:t this Committee reported to the Coun- cil, " That the present Editors of the Journal would undertake to carry on the work as at present for a few mouths, on being allowed to engage such paid assistant or arsistants as they found necessary, and would report to the Council the result of the experiment." The Councd thereupon decided, " That the present Editors be requested for the present to continue to edit the Journal, and that they be allowed to expend not exceeding £300 per annum in procuring assistance." The Committee have now to report that Mr. Acland and Mr. Hoskyns fiud that their engagements are such as to preclude their taking any large share of the editorial work, and it is recommended that Mr. Thompson be the sole editor, the business of the Journal Committee being transacted as here- tofore. 2. A cheap reprint of Dr. Lang's prize essay on the Potato Disease, in the last Number of the Journal, is recom- mended. On the motion of Lord Berners, seconded by Mr. Raymond Barker, the ^best thanks of the Council were voted to Mr. Dyke Acland and Mr. Wren Hoskyns for the valuable services they had rendered to the Society, as Vice-Chairman of the Journal Committee, in co- operating with Mr. Thompson in the editing of the Journal, Agricultural Chemistry. — Mr, Wren Hoskyns, Chairman of the Chemical Committee, informed the Council that Prof. Voelcker has prepared a Report of the progress of work in his laboratory, which would be brought under the consideration of the Committee at its next meeting, and submitted to the notice of the Coun- cil. He took that opportunity of presenting to the Council, on the part of Prof. Voelcker, a little work on Agricultural Chemistry, by Mr. Sibson, the first assistant, in his laboratory at Cirencester. Certificates. — -Three cases of alleged false certifi- cates of entry at the Chester meeting were, on the motion of Colonel Challoner, referred respectively to the Stewards of Cattle and Implements, and to the Implement Committee, for their investigation and report. Cheese Prizes. — The Steward and Judges of cheese at the Chester meeting favoured the Council with valu- able suggestions and details connected with any future prizes for cheese that might be offered |at the Society's country meetings. These communications, along with a letter from Mr. George Jones against the use of colouring matter in cheese, were referred to the General Warwick Committee. Show-yard Services.— On the motion of Mr. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 489 Milward, seconded by Sir Archibald Macdonald, the Couucil voted unanimously to Mr. David Pullen ^20, and to Mr. Thomas Baldock ^10, in consideration of their long services, and of the assistance they had ren- dered to the Society in the department of the show-yard at its country meetings. Wauwick Meeting. — On the motion of Lord Berners, seconded by Mr. Milwavd, Lord Leigh was elected the Vice-Chairman of the Society's General Warwick Committee. The Couucil also appointed the eeveral members of that commiltee. Implements. — Colonel Challoner reported that the Implement Committee had made arrangements for the due consideration of the report to be made to the Council at their next meeting, on the subject of the triennial trials of implements, and on that of the prizes for implements to be offered for the Warwick'- Meeting. A memorial from implement-manufacturers, containing various practical suggestions, was presented by Mr. Shuttleworth, and referred to the Implement Com- mittee. Tkial-Lands. — Mr. Brandreth Gibbs reported, on the part of Mr. Caldwell and himself, the result of their inspection of the land in the neighbourhood of War- wick for the trials of implements next year, and the arrangements they had made for the land to be placed under suitable cultivation for the diflferent purposes required. Local Prizes. — On the motion of Mr. Brandreth Gibbs, seconded by Mr. Milward, the following resolu- tion was carried unanimously : " That, in future, if Local Prizes be given, the sa/we animals shall not be entered to compete for both the Society's and the Local Prizes." Prize Animals. — On the motion of Mr. Milwaid, seconded by Mr. Torr, the following resolution was also carried unanimously . " That, iu future, as soon as the Judges shall have, in each case, made their decision of an award, the prize animal shall be distinguished as the winner, by such means as the Steward shall think best for the purpose." Portuguese Agriculture. — A communication . having been received by the Council from the Portuguese Government, through its representative in London, stating that the Royal Academy of Sciences at Lisbon were engaged in collecting information on various topics of agricultural interest, the Council ordered, on the mo- tion of Mr. Raymond Barker, seconded by Mr. Pain, that a complete set of the Society's Journal should be presented to that scientific body. Horse Shows in France.— The Earl of Malmea- bury transmitted to the Council a copy of the circular issued by the French Minister of Agriculture to the dif- ferent prefects of France, requiring reports to be made to him of proposed horse shows in the different districts. These shows are to exclude full-blood horses (they re- ceiving already sufHcient remuneration), and are to con- sist only of breeding animals of the half-bred and draught description. The further conditions of exhibi- tion would be promulgated by the Government on having received and discussed the several reports re- quired. Drainage in France. — The Board of Trade re- turned their thanks to the Council for the answers to queries on drainage, on the part of the French Govern- ment ; transmitting at the same time a copy of the Moniteur Universel containing an Imperial decree re- lating to Goveirnment loans for the purposes of drainage. Pacific Guano. — The Earl of Malmsbury trans- mitted communications on the subject of guano at Jarvis Island. The Council having ordered their thanks for the various communications presented to them, adjourned to Wed- nesday, the 1st of December. SUGGESTIONS FOR THE BENEFIT OF AGRICULTURE. At the Euxton Court Leet, Mr. Samuel Dowues, of Livei" pool aud Cheshire, made the followiug remarks, first, in allu- sion to the differeut soils best; adapted for producing good crops, and roaking good dairies. Opinions were various on such subjects, but he had heard from a good agriculturist that the best che'se was made on cold clay farms. In hia remarks he would endeavour to adduce nothing but what was practica- ble, aud what any agriculturist might try during the present season. Ha had no doubt but some of them had discovered some new trait in agriculture, and at meetings like the pre. sent they sliould try and cnmuiunicate them to their neigh, hours. The speaker next made some remarks on the manuring of land for the growth of turnips, observing that bones, the Eiaaure of which contained the greatest quantity of phosphate of lime, were the best adapted for that purpose ; and not only for that, but for preserving the greenness of the fields. He had had the shooting over land on which such manure had been laid some years ago, and the change was very great, the herbage being as good now as when the manure was first put on. He kaew a farmer wlio on twenty acres of new clay land could not keep more th.m six cowa ; but now through the agency of manure, other thau that of the farm-yard, was able to keep 24. Allusion was next made to the transfer of real estate in the country, the expenses of which vfcre enormous. The transfer of railway property or plant was comparatively easy, but the transfer of real property was not only difficult but expensive, and it was for constituencies to endeavour to obtain a reduction of such charges. The duty should have been discharicd by those i.i authority; but he was sorry to find that most of the men of the present day who were termed eminent men did not give proiier attention to these things. But to leave that subject— as chemistry had been applied so successfully to agriculture, he thought photography might greatly assist the producer of stock in determining which animals to breed from. He would illustrate this by a simple fact. A friend of his spent 8Z. or 10^. in going to various localities iu orJer to get the best animals he could. Now if photographs could have been obtained of those different ani- mals, a saving of expense might have been effected, aud jour- neys of many miles prevented. Another difficulty under L L 2 490 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. which the poorer class of 8gricultnrist3 laboured waa the absence of cheap publications, those at present issued beirig confined to those in higher circumstances. He would like to see one published at a penny or three half-pence, and he was sure it would be appreciated by the farmers. There were some, and all honour to them, who had advanced themselves even under difficultie?, but that number would Ijc increased by cheap publications. If some had not advanc?d, even under trying circumstances, this country would have been a retro- gressive country rather than a progressive one. Speaking of the utility of salt, he said that he knew several farmers who had top-dressed potato land with a slight sprinkling of com- mon salt, now very cheap, and it had proved an entire pre- ventive of potato disease. Salt and other mineral manures mixed with farm-yard manures were now used very advan- tageously for general purposes. The chairman, G. I. Wainwright, Esq., said, it had been his fortune to attend similar meetings to the present for the last 30 years, and during that time it had been his delight to see around him a set of tenant farmers, amongst whom he had not seen the slightest discord or dissension as affecting the lords of the manor of Euxton. He hoped he might long live to occupy the position he then held, and that the same feeling might continue amongst those present. He next alluded to complimentary toasts, which at such meetings occupied the time which should be devoted to improvement ; if he were to tell them ahovit thorough draining, deep ploughing, clean weeding, and heavy manuring, they would all, no doubt, say they knew all that already. It was true they all endeavoured to improve their farms, and draining was oiiC very important part of those improvements, but it was a work of time, and could not be effected in a day. If it was not done as readily as could be wished, the farmer must not blame the landlord, nor the landlord the teoant, but they must go on endeavoi'r- ing to improve, as he hoped they had done. Improvements were constantly being made in agricultural machines, but these could not be obtained all at once, but no doubt by de- grees many would be adopted. A very important matter for farmers to notice was the construction of their farm-steads, in order to make the moat of what they posfessed. Tanks for liquid manure ought to be made, in order that it might be carted upon the land instead of trusting to the -brooks and streams to take it there. He much regretted to see the beau- tiful stream, the Yarrow, rendered stagnant and the fish de- stroyed, all by the filth sent from certain print works, and the sewage of Chorlej' ; thus instead of the stream being useful to the farms and the country, it was becoming a nuisance. Thousands of gallons per day of this filth passed down to the sea, which if proper arrangements were made, might be made of great service to the farmer, and would tend materially to lessen the price of guano. ENGLISH WHEAT SOWING, The agricultural year has again revolved, and preparations for next wheat crop are now the order of the day. In War- wickshire, seed-time has hardly commeaced; for it is found that early sowing runs the risk of becoming flaggy, tillering out largely, and becoming lodged by the mid-summer rains, or getting mildewed and blighted before ripening. This re- mark liolds good either with thin or thick sowing. At least such has been the result of our own experience, with quan- tities of seed varying from half a bushel to two and a-half bushels per acre. By sowing later in the season — say during November, instead of October — the latter q\iantity of seed will require to be drilled; less time is gi^en for tillering, the plant does not get " winter-proud," and a better sample, with a more profitable return, is in this neighbourhood the result. But this is a subject which ought not to be dogmatically treated, as there are many matters influencing the practices in different locslitias. For instance, a most accomplished farmer near Leighton Buzzard — Mr. R, Vallentine, a Mearns man — writes us last week that his wheat sowing was entirely completed, with the exception of a few acres from which the mangolds were not removed. In days bygone, the Cotswold farmers used to sow so earl}"-, on their bleak aud exposed es- carpments, that they had frequently to use old seed, the har- vest not being completed in time to supply them with that of the new crop. Now they are to be found sowing wheat on the turnip laud, after sheep feeding, nearly up to Christmas. In the order of preparation for wheat sowing, the bean and fallow fields are the first to receive attention, and then the seeds (or lea ground). Few farmers allow the latter to stand more than one year, and many fields are no.v being turned over that show a capital herbage. To a Scottish grazier, who would think of keeping the breediug ewes thereon for proba- bly the next three months, this might appear ruthless van- dalism. But with a fair breadth of permauejifc pasture to fall back upon, on most farms, the sacrifice is not recognised. In breaking up the " seeds" for wheat, at this period of the year, it is found desirable to attach a skim coulter to cut a thin slice of herbage from the outer side of the furrow. Hence, when well ploughed, none of the grass shows itself above ground ; but by so doing you generally get the furrow to lie much flatter than is approved of in the north. Where a drill is employed this is no drawback ; but for broadcast sowing a sufficient seam is not obtained. Of the two plans we prefer the one named as obtaining in this district, and for the follow- ing reasons : — First, it is well known that the wheat plant likes a solid bottom, and this is better obtained by ploughing a flat furrow than by having it standing up — nice enough to the eye certainly — in the way we have been used to see Barrowman'a awing plough, and others of the high cutting ploughs generally accomplish their work. The herbage is much more effectually buried, and thus earlier decays, so as to form food for the root- lets of the young cereal. Second, by the square cutting and perpendicular face to the upward furrow to which we have re- ferred, the wJiole of the ground is moved to an equal and re- gular depth — a point which in the other cib8 is often neglected, and a species of underground ribbing (as most farmers know) takes its place. Lastly, the use of a drill becomes a needful accompaniment. Oa the advantages of sowing corn by drill instead of the broadcast method it would seem presumptuous in us to enlarge, as they are now so fully recognised. By the free use of the skim coulter, harrowing may be at once proceeded with, and little or none of the sod will find its way to the surface. But if it lie a week or two, so much the better, as the furrows then lie better together, and form a new solid surface, which, when harrowed, affords the best possible seed-bed. It will be readily seen tliat our remarks apply in some measure to the use of the wheel plough, for which we would again ask a full aud fair trial from the intelligent and THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 491 enterprising farmers of Strathmore. To the portable out-door thrashing machine we have often referred in the columns of this journal during the past half-dozen years ; but have not of late done so, owing to its practical introduction at the base of the Grampiaas, and believing that it would moat effectually speak for itself. We unhasitatiogly add, that with an equally impartial trial, the Bedford ploughs vrill be more than equally relished. To return, however, to wheat sowing. The doctrine advo- cated by " Sigma," alias Dr. Newingtou, already finds fol- lowers in the midland counties, and several of " Sigma'a Dibbles" have found their way iuto south Warwickshire. There is no mistake about the result, even if you go to the use and wont plan of common hand dibbling. A leaf of practice is worth a volume of theory, in such a matter as this, and we therefore extract one. An excelleut farmer, Mr. Berry, of Ryton, has for several years practised dibbling cereals nearly exclusively. This has been done by the usual plan, viz., a man with two iron dibbles, and followed by four children dropping the seed. And with what result ? A saving of seed in the first iustance, and a luxuriant, even, upright crop after- wards. We have seen in his fields the stools or bunches of young braird standing almost as evenly and regularly as the rows of cabbages in a market garden. The results above named are just what we want among the small enclosures aud tenacious clays of Warwickshire ; and already others are pretty freely adopting the practice. On the Hertfordshire chalk range it has been long and widely in repute. And now as to the seed itself. Scotch samples are this sea- son in demand, as a change, and probably a beneficial one- At all events, the quality is unexceptionable. We saw some being thrashed a fortnight since, in Renfrewshire, at a consi- derable altitude, certainly ahead of the major portion of wheat as here grown. However, for our clay lands, a change every alternate year of seed corn from the chalk is found to be a very paying thing ; and any additional outlay that may be ex- pended, either iu point of quality, or by way of cnange, is sure to bring an ample margin of profit for the investment. Should any of our northern friends care to try a change of seed wheat, or other corn, from the chalk, their wants and orders will be promptly and honestly attended to by Harvey aud Raynbird, of Basingstoke. Red wheats are here our principal favourites, as the white is found more tender and precarious in harvesting. The " Golden Drop," a nice plump grain, or " Browick Red," rather a stronger wheat, are both iti vogue ; and many of the older sorts seem, like some of the fine old-fashioned mealy potatoes, of boyish recolkctions, to be wearing out altogether. Notwithstanding the large number of wheats named and classified by the indefatigable Lawaon — who deserves to be honoured by the agricultural brotherhood of both hemispheres, whatever may be the treatment he receives at the hands of any of the societies — it is surprising how few of them at any one period are fashionable throughout an extensive district. — Kenilworth, Oct. 14, 1838.— T. Bowick, in Brechin Ad- vertiser, GREAVES AS A MANURE FOR TURNIPS, Sir, — Last spring I addressed a letter to our local journals on this subject. I had just purchased a quantity of good greaves, of a moat respectable dealer, and being ignorant of their value as a manure, I sent a sample of them to Professor Voelcker to analyze. The learned chemist stated it to be bis opinion that greaves were not in themselves a bad manure, but that they could not be equally distributed over the soil, and that the fat which they contained would " prevent air and moisture from penetrating the substance, aud retard decompo- sition and its assimilation by plants." Considering the cir- cumstances, the Professor said he should not be inclined to give more than £4 per ton for greaves, as long as he could purchase the best Peruvian guano at £14 per ton. I bought my greaves at £5 lOs., and thought they must be cheap. This was the tale that science told; now for the practical re- sult. I had the greatest difliculty to cut the greaves into small pieces, aud it was a tedious process. I then had them well boiled and mixed with ashes aud chaff. By this means I hoped to be rid of chief part of the fat, and ensure a pretty even dis- tribution over the soil. All this— the chopping up, the boil- ing, the mixing, the sowing, &■:. — cost fully a pound more, to say nothing of the nuisance and trouble, and the frightful stench. The greaves were sown broadcast, at the rate of 3 cwt. per acre, and ploughed in ; and I would observe that, if not well covered up, the rooks, &c., fly off with a great por- tion. White turnip-seed was drilled, and with it was depo- sited 2 cwt. of super-phosphate per acre. Both together pro- duced a very good crop of turnips for the season; but the greaves without the super-phosphate were almost a total failure. The roots are not much bigger than marbles, except where one seems to have fastened on a large knob of scrap cake. The super-phosphate alone grew a good crop. For many weeks I could not see any difference between those and the others grown with greaves in addition ; but about six weeks since I thought the tops were greener, and I now fancy those with the mixture of the two manures are the heavier crop. But it re- quires some close attention to discover the difference, and I am sure no valuer would put them at 10s., perhaps not 53., an acre above the others. It is my opinion that the following la the cost and fair value per acre of each experiment : — Cost for Value manure. per acre, s. d. s. d. £ s. d. 3 cwt. greaves 18 6 "1 „, „ 3 0 0 2 cwt. super-phosphate 14 0 J " 2 cwt. super-phosphate 14 0 2 10 0 3 cwt. or greaves 18 6 10 0 This is a very high price for the last lot, but as they are small and now growing well, they may be uselul for ewes in the spring. These turnips have cost 3s. an acre for an extra hoe- ing, aud are now not so clean as the others. Science and practice appear to agree well in this instance ; and if I had paid Professor Voelcker lOi. for analyzing a sam- ple of the greaves before I bought the bulk, I should have saved as many pounds. I only hope the result of my expe- rience may be useful to jaj brother-farmers. — I am, sir, your obedient servant, East Norfolk. 2Qth October. 1358. 492 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. ON THE MICROSCOPIC EEL (ANGUILLULES) IN SMUTTY WHEAT. Translated from the French of the "Journal op Practical Agriculture." M. Davaine, Laureat of the Institute, has commissioned me to present to the Society of Agriculture his researches on the eel of smutty wheat, considered as relating to natural liistory and agriculture. I have coupled this presentati'jn with re- flections which comprise a succinct analysis of that fine work, crowned last year by the Academy of Sciences. " We have knowu fur a long time," said he, " that singular alteration of the cariopses of wheat which constitutes what we call smutty wheat; but it remains still to clear up a host of obscure points of its history, as, for example, what is the true nature of that disease ? what are the conditions of transmission and development of the eutozoaires to which it is owing? what, in short, if there are any, are the most efficacious means of preserving our crops from it ?" Macy agriculturists still confound under this name of "smut" very different diseases — the black rust and caries, for instance — and there are very few at present who know posi- tively that thai which we have now under considerntion is a sort of gall-nut, produced by the presence of myriads of mi- croscopic auioialcules, enjoying the marvellous faculty of re- geueratiou, or rather of reauacitatiou even many times after an apparent death, more or Itss prolonged, as soon as they are moistened with a little water. But it is not the practicians alone that we can charge with this ignorance; the accusation applies as well to distiuguished agriculturists, who know by books the affection to which it refers, but had never had an opportunity of seeing wheat smutty by nature. We feel not the slightest compunction in confessing that we ourselves were not more advanced four or five years ago ; and that will not excite any surprise if it is well considered that the disease is scarcely mentioned in the greater part of general treatises or dictionaries of agriculture, even the most modern and es- teemed, although the discovery of wheat-eels dates more than a century back, and that these helminthes (intestinal worms) have since then been a subject of stuily with many eminent naturalists, who have not said a word about it. AVe ought, in justice, to except however The Good Gardener^ Almanac, in which we find summaries, in a few lines, of the notions formerly entertained of this sporadic affection ; that is to say, scattered here and there, always serious, in the country where it prevails, but happily unknown iu certain districts, particu- larly in the north of France. It is therefore in general to works on natural history, and above all to certain memoirs of the Abbe Rosier and Tillet, that up to this period it was ne- cessary to have recourse for information on this subject. The treatise of M. Davaine is divided into two parts. The first being purely anatomical and physical would not possess with agriculturists the powerful interest the second is calcu- lated to create. It is therefore chiefly of this that we propose to speak to them a moment. The author points out the nature and physical character of the pathological alteration, its effects, its frequency, its mode of propagation and transmission, as well as the means of pre- vention and treatment. The works of Needham, which have so improperly excited the railleries of Voltaire, those of Baker, Gennani, Spallanzani, Koffridi, Bauer, TiUet, &c., had already made knoivn both the disease of the grain and its causes. Tillet, above all, had per- fectly described the symptoms presented by the stubble and leaves of what they call " ahorlive wheat." But it is reserved to the author of this new treatise to show, by following the antjuiUules in all, even the most secret, phases of their exis- tence, by what means these helminthes (intestinal worms), hidden iu the centre of a grain of smutty wheat, revive in contact with moisture, gain by degrees the straw, the leaves, and the young spike of the new plant, penetrate and finally lodge themselves iu the 'parenchyma (or pulp), still in a mu- cilaginous state, and not in accordance with the scales of the springing flowers, where their presence determines this hyper- trophy* this sort of gall-nut, which constitutes the true imut. Delicate aud multiplied experiments on the vitality of the anguillules have suggested to M. Davine prophylactic aud curative measures ; and those experiments, the extreme difli- culty of which must be apparent to everybody, have been re- peated with success, and verified by our colleague, M. De- caisue. They have, above all, served to establish this fact, that the anguillules, which are able to resist intense cold— 20 deg., for instance — cannot bear without perishing a tempera- ture of about 70 deg. above zero. Now, as the author judi- ciously observes, the grain of wheat, an essential condition of the life of the parasite, losing commonly at this last tempera- ture the germinative property, what had enabled these helmin- thes to continue the possession of a faculty become superfluous ? An acquaintance with the mode of propagation and trans- mission of the anguillules, not less than their vital properties, all subjects perfectly obscure or unknown previous to the new and interesting researches of M. Davaine, could therefore alone lead to the discovery of the means of preserving the wheat from their attacks. The following are those he considers to be the most efficacious; — 1st. The commou liming of wheat, so useful against the pro- pagation of smut and carbon, has here no efl"ect, and the cul- tivators will do well not to calculate upon it. Instead of em- ploying for this purpose lime or sulphate of copper, which acta effectually only upon the entozoaires laid naked, they will find a greater advantage from acidulated water. Thus, one part of sulphuric acid to a hundred aud fifty parts of water, and a steeping of twenty-four hours iu this water, will suffice to de- stroy infallibly all the anguillules contained in the grain. This process of preservation is clearly neither expensive nor difficult to carry out ; the wheat submitted to it is in no respect altered by it, and preserves its germinating properties. 2nd. It ha? been stated, from observation, that a diseased ear may often contain as many as sixty smutty grains. Reckoning only on an aversge of thirty, as each grain con- tains about 10,000 lavvoe, we have therefore, at the lowest estimate, 300,000 per infected ear. Now, a very small num- ber of these latv.-e being sufficient to infest a fresh plant, we see at once of what importance it will be to purge the wheat of these smutty grains, if we wish to sow it two conseciitive years on the same piece of ground. But the practice of the rotation of crops is opposed to the propagation of the anguil- lules in this way, since, cast upon the soil and buried by the * Or "a morbid enlargement of any part of the body."— Webster. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 493 plough, the grain quickly rots, and the revivified larva, finding no longer the conditions necessary to their existence, do not remain alive more than five or six months, The alternation of crops is therefore the second means of preservation. 3rd. There is still another important precaution recom- mended by the author, and which we must not pass by in ailence, namely, to avoid throwing into the dung the screen- ings of infected wheat, which carry back again the smutty grains upon the fields, because the fowls will not touch them. It is therefore desirable to burn the screenings ; and if we wish to make use of the thin or abortive grains which are often mixed with them, it will then be desirable, before throwing them to the fowls, to pass them through the oven after the bread is withdrawn. The anguillules, not being able to support a temperature of more than 70 deg., will be infallibly destroyed without return. Hitherto we have only referred to the facta interesting to rural economy, and of these we have spoken only of the most important. Those which belong to the province of natural history ere much more numerous and quite as unexpected. Thus, to mention only one, M. Davaine is satisfied, by re- peated experiments, that the faculty of awakening themselves from their repeated drowsiness is the privilege of the larvse, that is to say, of the anguillules of the wheat still destitute of the genital organs of the two sexes ; but that this faculty ceases as soon as the insect reaches the adult state, and these organs have made their appearance and entered upon their functions. For having thus reproduced by their eggs a new race of larvm, they have fulfilled the task assigned to them by nature. It is unnecessary to urge further, what we have said being sufficient to convince every one of the importance of this work, and of the novelty of the facts which it relates. Dy. Montague, Member of the Academy of Sciences, and of the Imperial and Central Society of Agriculture. THE ACTUAL PROFITS OF THE FARM Who has not felt hard-up for a subject ? " Copy is waited for," grates unkindly upon the ear; more especially when the tired braiu has been ransacked to its utmost resources to produce it. It is not that subjects are exhausted, or that follies present themselves less frequently to court a random shot as they fly past : the brain, like the tired hunts- man, requires repose ; and, although the joys of the chase are the same as they ever were, still the windine: of the horn may fall flatly upon the ear, and the view- halloo rouse to action no more. To drop the metaphor, the pursuits of the agricul- turist partiike of the monotonous round of the hunter : the most sanguine temperament must at last succumb. The seasons follow each other in rapid succession, anticipation is lost in the result ; year succeeds year, with little gain beyond that of a few additional wrinkles — a little more experience, and the reputation of having obtained profound knowledge of the science. Agriculture, as a pursuit, is perhaps the most delightful that falls to the lot of mortals to carry out. It is, however, a plant of such slow growth that we can scarcely maik its progress by its results; and few suc- ceed in it so as to raise themselves to independence, unless from some fortuitous circumstances arising over which they exercise little control. The shortest return, in a money sense, occupies a whole year to eflfect; and an investment by way of improvements occupies a long lease to again restore it. The returns are so limited, that there is but little scope for pro- fit, and less for speculation. Men upon small farms must submit to downright drudgery to live ; men on middle-sized farms barely make ends meet ; and upon large ones they generally entrust the management to others, and at length wind up with a loss of the largest portion of their property. With the wise man we can say that we have been young, and now are old ; yet we have never seen much property realized by farming. In some few instances, as in one that recently has happened near us, we have seen some fifteen thousand pounds saved by farming ; but in that case the tenant occupied a good farm, was a bachelor, kept no company, and one pony of fourteen hands high served the establishment, which consisted of a housekeeper and one maid-servant. The festive board never smoked for others, strong beer and fat bacon were the usual routine in housekeeping, and this man realized some fifteen thousand pounds upon a farm of 200 acres. But mark the contrast. In a large parish, in which we were long resident, for thirty years no other individual, but this, has realized a fifth part of that sum, although there are scarcely any of Ihem but have been painstaking men. We are aware that many of our readers will be dis- posed to cavil at these observations, and some of our younger farmers of sanguine temperament especially ; but when we come to dissect the question, and apply our reasoning to the subject, it becomes apparent why such things are, and why they will be likely so to continue. The return, in trading phrase, in faiming is too slow for the realization of profitable results of any magnitude; for, seldom less than twelve months, but more frequently for eighteen months, a large investment of capital is being occupied for a single return. And upon dividing the outlay into five portions : viz., rent and labour — keep of hor.-es — rates, taxes — seed corn, and insurance— and fifth, profit and housekeeping — it will be at once seen that the expenses cannot be much reduced upon either of these divisions without materially reducing the gross return. In fact, over four sections of the outlay little power exists; and it must therefore be to the returns that the main effort must be directed to insure success ; and it is not merely by application of capital that this can be pro- duced, but by its judicious application and attention to mimttioi as regards expenditure throughout every department of management. If we were advancing a theory, it might require considerable effort on our part 49-1 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. to convince our readers; but we are dealing with a proposition, which every one can dissect as well as ourselves. Assume 100 acres of arable land as the quantity cultivated, then ^1,000 will represent the investment, and £500 the return, ^100 will be the labour, £100 the horse labour, £100 the rent, £100 tithes, rates, taxes, seed corn, and tradesmen's bills, and the remaining i^lOO the interest of capital and profit. Examine all these separately, and reduce the returns to ^£"400, and then see from which of the before- named payments the difference in outlay is to be ob- tained, three out of five beinijf fixed payments, and not admitting of any reduction whatever. It is not our intention to throw cold water upon a pursuit which every one admits to be the most natu- ral and most pleasurable; but most persons who enter upon it to make money, we have little hesita- tion in stating will be deceived. Just weigh the con- sequences before we proceed: — j£l,000 invested, re- turns £500 in 12 months, of which £100 only can be calculated upon as interest of capital and profit, while the difference in result must be looked for rather in the time the return occupies than in the profit itself. The sum invested might, in trade, be returned from four to six times in one year, with a like profit of ten per cent, each lime. B. THE ENGLISH FARMER IN FRANCE. Sir, — In my first letter I described the appearance of the country in autumn ; it than looked like an immense ploughed field. Now that it is covered with various coloured crops, your readers may think it is like harle- quin's jacket ; but no such thing. Since writing to you last I have been in England for a few days, and I am sure the average size of the pieces is not smaller than the fields iu the Weald of Sussex, or in our manufac- turing districts, and unincumbered with the useless bustleheaded trees the hedges are filled with. It really is extraordinary how in 1858 any landlord can be so blind to his own interest and the interests of his ten- antry, as to allow his property to be so wasted and destroyed without any one reason for it, but, on the contrary, causing to all parties a serious loss. The amount of rent must be much reduced by it, and such timber when sold must fetch a mere nothing. I believe the worst trees do the most injury. Had I an estate of this nature, I would immediately give all the timber below a certain size to the ten- ants to assist in paying the expense of grubbing all the trees and hedges on the farms, &c., engaging within a certain time to replant quicks — where, and how, may be previously agreed on. T say previously, as this is just such a matter as would be likely to bring the tenants and the steward into collision ; but if the new lines of fences were mapped out, no dispute as to the direction of them could arise. The mode of protection should be entirely left to the tenant ; as, if he binds himself to do so, he should certainly have the choice of "how." I do not suppose any tenants would be found to object, but did they, it is no reason why they should not have the offer ; but in that case I think charcoal burners might be easily found who would gladly contract to do it. As my remarks are meant as comparisons between the husbandry of Flanders and England, that your readers (who have never visited the former) may think and judge for themselves as to the expediency of adopting or iooproving on them, I will make a short calculation (open to correction always) of the quantity of land lost to all profitable uses, and also the rod wide on each side the hedge injured by the roots, shade, and drippings, aye, and I may add, fallen leaves in autumn. Now, let us suppose the average of the fields in the Weald of Kent and Sussex to be 6 acres (query, is it as much ?) each, an oblong of 36 rods by 28 (we will only take two sides of each field, and will also leave out the outside hedge of two sides of the whole farm) : this is 64 rods round one side and top of every field. Now, we will say, hedge, ditch, and brotv take a rod; the shade and roots, &c., spoils another rod on each side ; this is 3 rods, or exactly one-jiftTi of the whole farm ; either the tenant pays one -fifth more rent than he ought, or (if it was deducted when the rent was " set") the landlord receives one-fifth too little. If the former is the case, he can abstain from thus injuring his tenant for the future ; and if the latter is the case, he can absolutely increase his rent-roll twenty per cent. with popularitrj and benefit to his tenant ; for what farmer would not rather pay one-fifth more rent to be rid of such nuisances, and have a fifth more land ? and the best land too on all the farm. Where an old hedge-row has once been, may always be known by the better crop on that spot. The corners of these little fields — indeed, nearly all fields — are not considered worth cultivating, and are con- sequently a nursery for docks and thistles. Now, ia Flanders the corners and outsides of the pieces of grain are the best, if there is any difference, as there is the more air ; and consequently, as regards the general crop, the more the land is subdivided the better, as the more air surrounds the corn — following out somewhat the principle of old Tull, of having fallow spaces between his " stetches" of wheat, which, when headed, arched over these unsown alternate fallow ridges, and so the ears had double the space of the roots, and by this means he attempted to grow wheat every year, in the same field, hilt not on the same land. Any gentleman having an estate of small farms should come here. I expect there is not a worse cultivated tract in Europe than the small farms of England. The tenants are not all to blame. They want the three things needful — capital, knowledge, enterprise ; and unfortu- THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 495 nately you generally find (hem located on the poorest soils. In Flanders, on the contrary, it is the best of land thus let in small holdings, and their system is especially adapted to seeds. How I should like to see one of these men placed on a hundred acres of Sussex clay ! Though he comes off such first-rate soil, he would soon show you he knew his trade. Of course he would begin by draining and stocking up all trees and hedges ; next, deep ploughing, continual hoeing, light dressing on his root and grain crops, till he had cows enough tied up winter and summer, to manure his whole farm well, in three years at least ; not a pint of liquid manure would he lose. The simple manner in which they carry and distribute it on the land, places it in the power of every little farmer. In my pamphlet on Sorgho is a sketch of how it is done. I cannot think any machine can be invented that will not clog, or cost much more than their primitive mode. What an enormous sum in value is the annual loss in England of the liquid manure which runs to waste ! Some landlords may say, " If I destroy all my trees, what am I to do for timber for repairs ?" They do not need any. Build and repair with bricks, as they do here ; or rather, build only, for so substantially is that done that repairs must be very trifling indeed. They have a very useful, but very ugly sort of elm here, growing a great height before it throws out branches, and having a very small head. I cannot imagine a tree less injurious to the soil ; but little oi it is used on the farms. The barns have buttresses like churches, the doors are all arched, the coigns are all of stone, and the base floors of clay, made most excellently. One day I was at a farmer's, of 100 acres, his own property, and I observed it was a pity he allowed the horses in harvest to go upon the floor. He said they never did ; but on this occasion they had cut up the floor a little, having gone too far \n jmshing the waggonln. They literally put the " cart before the horse." A long pole is fixed in a socket at the hinder part, and the two horses have their " weightree" hung on a hook which is on it, and so with their noses close to the tail-board, and one horse at each side the pole, they draw, and so push before them the waggon of sheaves on to the floor. By their mode of harnessing, this did not take two minutes. The eaves of all the buildings project so far as quite to clear the wall from all rain or droppings. This is good in every point of view : protection to the walls, and convenient to the farmer for ladders, harrows, and all his light implements, and, lastly, more picturesque. The latter, where it can be combined with usefulness without extra expense, I hope will never be lost sight of. The roads about a farm, or lanes in a counlry parish, are very frequently paved wide enough for one waggon in the middle. Now, in many parts of England stone is cheap, but our mode of laying them is expensive, and I do not know if it is superior to theirs. They are all laid in sand, in the most crowded towns as well ; and where any drop a little, a man and boy come round with sand and a crowbar, with which he lifts the stone and rams in as solidly as he can more sand. They certainly are excellent pavements for heavy loads. Near all towns, and in many parts of the country also, there are two stone posts erected, about a yard high, one on each side the road, to which are fastened a chain, to prevent any heavy traffic for a day or more after the breaking-up of a frost. It would seem to us a wondrous interference with our liberties and our busi- ness ; but here it is thought the lesser evil, and I think so too. Now, it strikes me this cheap mode of laying paving stones for roads might often be very effectively adopted in and about our farm-yards. The raised paths all round the yard, and the manure tank in the centre, is found as regularly in the small as the large farmery, and take them altogether (though not so attractive to the artist as the straggling yards and sheds too often seen in England), their farm-yards and buildings, and small houses forming a square, and all closed in with high gates, under an arch, are certainly the sort of warm and comfortable erections exactly adapted to the 50 or 60-acre farm. On a small hiring, in good condition, 'tis a great loss to lose a plant of anything in England. 'Tis not so much so here ; they have such a variety of crops, that we have not, that the moment one has failed, the ground is ploughed, and another sown. This year has been so dry, the " lind" is lost, and last week most was pulled up, and is in " long shocks," about two feet high. Their coleseed, to balance this, is excellent, and is being cut j on this they will sow turnips for their cows, and many will try sorgho. Here, the tenderness of the soil is a great assistance to them ; the majority of our lands are too stubborn to be pulverized as fine as sand at one ploughing; but this must not make you condemn all their practices as inapplicable to us. No ; como and see. A.N English Farmer in France. Lille. THE CULTIVATION OF MANGEL WURZEL.— A RudJingtou correspoudent furnishes some interesting parti- culars relative to the cultivation of this useful root, which may not prove uniutereating to our readers. He states that in 1857 he had a crop of mangel, which, when weighed in three different parts of the field, gave in weight the /ollowiug, viz. ; — Firbt lot, one row 20 yds. long by 2ft. wide, 40 bulbr, weight 2601b?. — equal to 42 tons 2 cwt. 2 qra. 241bs. per acre; second lot. one row 20 yds. lo^ig by 2 ft. wide, 40 bulbs, weight 2751bs. — equal to 44 tons 11 cwt. 1 qr. Sibs, per acre; third lot, one row 20 yds. long by 2 ft. wide, 40 bulbs, weight 2231b3. — equal to 36 tons 1 cwt. 0 qr. 151bs. per acre; ave- rage weif;ht per acre, 40 tons 18 cwt. 1 qr. ISlbs. In this year, 1858 :— First lot, one row 20 yds. long by 2 ft. wide, 42 bulbs, weight 3281b8. — equal to 53 tons 3 cwt. 0 qr. Slbs. per acre ; second lot, one row 20 yds. long by 2 ft. wide, 50 bulbs, weight SOTlba. — equal to 49 tous 15 cwt. 0 qr. lib. per acre; third lot, one row 20 yds. long by 2ft. wide, 48 bulbs, weight 2401b3. — equal to 33 tons 17 cwts. 3 qrs. 121b3. per acre ; ave- rage weight per acre, 47 tons 5 cwt. 1 qr, 71bs., being an in. crease in weight in 1858 over 1857 of 6 tons 6 cwts. 3 qrs- 221bs. per acre. The above^ crops could ^be shown perfectly 496 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. clean. As soon as the wheat crop is cfF, the land should be worked with Ducie's cultivator, but if free from twitch* Bentall's scarifier will do equally as well. Then manure the land as early as possible, or when the carting will do well. Plough the manure in shallow, and follow with a subsoil plough, altogether about 14 inches deep. The work should be done so as to have the benefit of the winter frosts. Sow on the flat with Garrett's drill Gibs, of seed per acre, to ensure a re- gular plant, and watch the young plants as they come up. If the slug attacks them, sow in the early morning 2 cwt. of salt mixed with 1 cwt. of guano per acre, which will greatly im- prove their growth, — Notts Guardian, LONDON, OR CENTRAL FARMERS' CLUB. " Another important feature in this Society was the relation which it bore to cottage tenants and cot- tage holders of allotments ; and no society could be more usefully employed than in improving the cultiva- tion of cottage gardens and allotments, for they could not overrate the benefits wliicli it conferred on the working man. Instead of wasting his time, when his day's work was done, at the public-house, or in idle amusement or dissipation, he employed himself in his cottage garden or allotment, whereby he was enabled to pay his rent ; and in that way it was not only the greatest possible benefit to the tenant, but also to the landlord. His agent, Mr. Mein, to whose talent and enlightened intelligence he bore a willing and heartfelt testimony, fully appreciated this system, and bad his full instructions, so far as he might be able, to carry it out to the greatest possible extent, and in the most practical manner, so as to be most beneficial to the cottage tenants." The above is from the address of a nobleman who stands officially at the hoiid of English agriculture — his Grace the Duke of Marlborough, the President of the Royal Agricultural Society of England. It was deli- vered by him at a recent meeting in his own county — that of the Chipping Is' orton Astociation. Within a few days, all that was advanced here has been very signally sup- ported in another place. The practice of the President of the national Society is confirmed by a general meet- ing of the national Farmers' Club. The benefit which the allotment system confers on the labouring man would ajipear, indeed, to have become so manliest as to admit of but little discussion. It is remarkable, moreover, to see how thoroughly the three classes to which the poor man must look agree on this point. A great good is rarely established without the opposition of some conflicting or petty in- terest. But there is none such here. The Duke of Marlborough says his agent, Mr. Mein, fully appre- ciates this system. It was Mr. Trethewy, the agent of another large lauded proprietor, the Earl de Grey, who brought the subject before the members of the Farmers' Club. And when, this summer, as a kind of prologue to the meeting in town, we spent that pleasant day at Silsoe, the representative of another nobleman, famed for his broad acres and their good management, met us there, prepared to support all his neighbour could say or show us. This was Mr. Bennett, the well-known agent of the Duke of Bedford. Wc stand, then, at once secure of Blenheim, Woburn, and Wrest— three of the great Houses of England ; show- places that people travel their hundreds and thousands of miles to see, and that are great not only in pictures and the picturesque — in horses and hounds— in ances- try and hospitality — but in a peasantry worthy of the scene. Where every man may now have his rood of ground, although without attempting the impossibilities with it poor Goldsmith sung in those sweet-flowing, mischief-making lines of his. It is by no means going too far to distinguish the last Farmers' Club discussion as the best of the year; and this despite the prevailing unanimity of opinion and the exhaustive force of the opening paper. There was, indeed, scarcely a material point but which Mr. Trethewy touched on, and as rarely but that the meeting endorsed his opinion. The first great preju- dice, that when a man has done a good day's work for his master he should neither have the time nor the heart to do anything for himself, is palpably worn out. In fact it is not now a question whether a labourer should have the chance of cultivating a bit of land or not, but rather how much he should have, where he should have it, and at what rate lie should have it. It is over these points that the nice discretion ijiust be exercised, so that his strength be not in any way over-marked. He must not have too much land for his leisure; it must not be too far from his labour ; and it must not be too high for his means. Let us keep to the poet's rood of ground, and at not more than half-a-mile or so from his cot- tage. At the first blush it would strike one as especially desirable that, wherever it is practicable, the allotment should bo nothing more nor less than a garden round about the labourer's dwelling. Nothing would pro- mise to attract him more towards home, or keep him better employed when he got there. Every idle five minutes might be spent in the garden; whereas, more particularly in the short winter days, the time con- sumed in reaching the allotment might hardly warrant his going at all. Mr. Trethewy 's experience, however, tends to show that one great advantage of the allotment system is that it creates a spirit of emulation amongst the holders. Laid strip by strip, and side by side, it becomes a point of honour amongst them who shall do his "piece" the best. And we can really, with- out much stretch of the imagination, suppose that many a man who would be but a slovenly cottage gardener might turn out a very good allotment culti- vator. This, though, only the further proACS of how much benefit the much-derided prize system is sus- ceptible. Still, we cannot see that it is altogether inapplicable to the improvement of the cottage garden. In travelling this summer by the railway between Edin- THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 497 burgh to Aberdeen, we were struck with the especial neatness and taste with which the grounds and gardens of the different stations were kept up. On inquiry, we found that the Directors were in the habit of giving a series of premiums for those the best maintained, and that on a certain day they went in judgment through the line. The same kind of thing would promise to tell almost as well with labouring tenants on an estate : although wo must allow that the daily com- parison of one man with another would be wanting. But, where practicable, we should lean for the bit of land being part and parcel of the cottage holding. A man is never so thoroughly out of temptation as when at home. There were certain other matters of a more strictly moral tendency that also came in for consideration. As, for instance, that a man should never be permitted to work his ground on a Sunday. It happily turned out that scarcely any one but the gentleman who advanced this had ever heard of such a thins, although we believe that in some lettings there is a special condition prohibiting it. As a rule, however, the less the man is controlled by any such regulations and instructions the better; and at the same time the more he is of a gardener, and the less of a farmer, the more mutually convenient will it be. There have been cases where the servant has been anxious to get in his harvest or to put in his seed just at the very time the master wanted him for the same purpose. Just, in fact, when labour is scarce and the allotment rather in the way of both of them. Then Mr. Bennett objected to a stiff clay for the purpose, while Mr. Mechi appeared to think " a good honest clay" good enough for anything. Mr. Williams would encourage a man to keep two pigs ; but others considered one well done, sufficient. But to the one great conclusion they were all agreed. Combined with ?ome few other causes, such as the New Poor Law, the allotment system has had a direct tendency to raise and improve the character of the la- bourer, and to relieve the ratepayer — to make him, in a word, more independent and self-supporting. Throughout the discussion there was but one want. We are no great advocates for the parson taking much of a lead at ai^ricultural meetings ; but this was just the time and place for the clergyman of the pari^h to say a word or two. We believe as a class they have as much to testify in favour of the system as either the landlord, his agent, or the tenant. Such evidence would have completed the case of a very able advocacy. THE ALLOTMENT SYSTEM, The first monthly meeting of the Club, after the usual autumnal recess, took place on Monday evening, Nov, 1 , at the Club-house, Blackfriars, The subject for discussion, introduced by IVIr. H, Trethewy.of Silsoe, Ampthill, was, •'The Allotment System, its Uses and Abuses," Amongst those present were Thomas Owen, Esq., of Clapton, in the chair ; supported by Messrs. B. P, Shearer, W. Bennett, H, Trethewy, J. J, Mechi, S. Skelton, E, Little, W. Gray, John Thomas, C, J. Brickwell, E. Parser, R. T. Howell, J. B. Spearing, J. G. King, J. Tyler, T. Stagg, J. A. Williams, M. Reynolds, T. Con- greve, F. Dyball, R. Marsh, Dr. Ellis, R, F. Jennings, J, Ilalkett, S. Sidney, W. Eve, E. B. Acton, R. B. Hammond, B. E, Waite, J. Russell, &c., &c, . The Chairman, in opening the proceedings, ob- served that they were again assembled together after the usual period of suspension as regarded meetings for dis- cussion. Looking back upon the last three or four months, they would, he was sure, all agree with him that they had cause to congratulate themselves and the country at large on the beautiful season which they had had (Hear, hear). Whetherthey considered the crops they had secured, or the manner in which they were se- cured, they must all recognise a boon to themselves as producers, and also a blessing to the consumers (Hear, hear). Prices were another matter ; but for the actual gathering of the crops, they could not be too thankful. The subject on the card was, "The Allotment System, its Uses and Abuses." That question would, no doubt, be well received by the Club ; and he thought they were very fortunate in having so able and competent a person as Mr, Trethewy to introduce it (Hear, hear). There was no one, he believed, who had had greater experience with regard to the allotment system, who had shown more interest in it, or who had been more successful in carrying it out (Hear, hear). Mr. Trethewy : It may be said that the subject which I have the pleasure to introduce to you this even- ing is one more calculated for the consideration of land owners, and those concerned in the management of estates, than for discussion at a farmers' club, A little reflection, however, will show us that it is one involving, if possible, even more the comfort and prosperity of the occupier than of the owner of the soil ; for it cannot be denied that much of the success of the farmer depends upon the class of labourers he may have about him, whether steady, industrious, and skilful, or otherwise. No matter what skill and capital the agriculturist can command, unless the strong arm and ready will of the labourer are at hand to carry his designs into execution. Any system, therefore, having a tendency to elevate the moral character of the labourer, and to improve his con- dition, must be worthy of encouragement ; and, therefore, I think the committee have exercised a proper discretion in selecting this subject for an evening's discussion, for it is one upon which much prejudice exists, and not without some reason, as I shall presently sTiow, Like many other useful schemes, the allotment system has suffered from the injudicious zeal of its advocates, some of whom have taught people to expect too much from it, and who themselves have regarded it almost as a panacea. Hence it has in some instances been carried to such an extent as totally to alter its character, and therefore the prejudice, which I have just alluded to, has arisen against it, A desire for the occupation of land is inherent in the human mind. From the nobleman and large landed proprietor, who cultivate their own broad acres, to the dwellers in our cities and towns, this feeling is con- tinually manifesting itself. Almost every man, whatever may be his pursuit in life, attaches himself more or less to the soil. He feels that he possesses in his garden, or paddock, at least one spot which he can call his own, and 498 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. where he can indulge his own peculiar taste. No won- der, then, that the labourer, whose very existence is identified with vegetable life, should participate in this feeling. No wonder that while the greatest portion of his time is devoted to the cultivation of the crops of his employer, he should aspire to the occupation of a small area for himself, independently of its value and convenience to him. And when we consider how influential this feeling often is, in diverting his attention from places and objects having a tendency to demorali- zation, surely it is the duty of every one interested in his well-being, so far as is consistent, to promote his wishes. How many hours, which might otherwise be passed in the alehouse, may thus be spent in profitable occupation ! But here it is possible I may be met by an objection, which I have sometimes heard made, that, if the labourer does his duty to his employer duiing the day, he can have little desire to work afterwards. In other words, that he employs that strength and exertion on his own land which of right belong to the farmer who pays him for his day's work. To this I would reply, that if the day's work is done (and I apprehend no employer would keep on a man who habitually failed in doing it), to restrain him from devoting his leisure hours to his own pursuits, would be to reduce a la- bourer to the lowest degree of serfdom. Upon this principle the cottage garden must go uncultivated, and all recreation svould have to be given up. I do not, how- ever, for one moment, anticipate such an objection at the Central Farmers' Club in the nineteenth century ; and it is, therefore, scarcely necessary to advert to it. To trace the history of the system, as it is now de- veloped, is not my intention, but rather I would seek to offer a few practical remarks upon its working, that those who are favourable to a trial may benefit by the experience of those who have already introduced it. I may, however, remark that so long ago as 179 3, (he state of the labourer attracted the attention of several influential persons, by whom a society was formed for " bettering the condition and increasing the comforts of the poor," of which King George III. was patron. This society published reports from time to time till 1814, from which it appears that one of the principal elements of success they considered the " allotments of land to the labouring population." Other attempts, having the same object in view, were shortly afterwards made ; but about the year 1830, a number of noblemen and gentlemen, " to meet the pressing exigencies of the times," formed a society called the " Labourers' Friend Society," having more especially for its object the ob- taining a small portion of land for the labourer, " at a moderate rent in addition to the fair price of his labour." They published a very interesting report in the year 1835, which I should be glad to extract largely from, would time and space permit. One cannot but feel thankful, after perusing some of their reports, and comparing the state of the labouring population of those days with that of the present generation of labourers, for the great improvements which have taken place, both in a social and moral point of view. But it would be attributing too much to the system they advocated to give it credit for all this improve- ment. Various causes have operated to accomplish this end : education, improved dwellings, and, although last, not least, an alteration in the poor laws. In Bed- fordshire allotments were laid out on the estates of the Duke of Bedford and Earl de Grey, in the year 1829. In that year it appears that on the former estate, in the parish of Maulden, 18 acres were divided into parcels of from 20 to 40 poles each ; while on the latter estate, in the same year 30 acres were set out in parcels of from 1 rood to 2 roods each. Other proprietors soon after- wards followed these examples, until garden allotments became very general. I would, however, here observe, and I beg particular attention to the remark, that it is not my opinion that allotments are suited to all districts ; and that it does not follow that, because they answer well in one locality, that they will succeed in another. It would be a task far beyond my power to point out and describe such districts, residents being by far the best judges in the matter. I would merely observe that where labourers live in villages, as in the midland coun- ties, the system would be more practicable than in those districts where they more generally reside on the farms they work upon. In selecting ground for allotments, the principal points to be attended to are situation and soil. It is of the utmost importance that they should be within an easy distance of the dwellings of the poor ; and should the village be a long and straggling one, a central position would be the best, unless it were expe- dient to have ground at each extremity. The nature more th&n the qualifi/oi the soil has to be considered ; for it is astonishing how much poor thin land is im- proved by spade husbandry, while strong heavy clays are wholly unfit for the purpose of allotments, no matter how well they may be drained. Of course, the rent would be in proportion to the quality. As in every other instance, good land would be preferable to bad ; still, its adaptation to the purpose, as being easily worked, is the main point. And now as regards the quantity for each occupier. My experience convinces me that a rood is sufficient under almost any circum- stances ; and the greatest error that has been committed, has been the allotting of too much land to one individual. To dwell upon the evils arising from such a proceeding is scarcely necessary, as it must be obvious that without sufficient capital the occupation of land cannot be at- tended with profitable results. Some instances in con- firmation of tills view have cotne under my own observa- tion, and I can confidently assert that instead of the position of such men having improved, it has retrograded. Occupied nearly the whole of their time upon their own land, they can no longer be classed under the head of labourers, and they actually injure regular workmen by throwing their labour into the market at seasons of the year when the demand for it is unusually depressed. If it be argued that the restriction of the system would have the effect of preventing a labourer from improving his condition, and effectually debar him from rising in the world by his own industry, I would answer that I am not now discussing the relative advantages of large and small farms, but am confining myself to the agricultural labourer in the broad acceptation of the term. Every employer knows, THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE, 499 and evory man of common sense must feel, that it is as important to the farmer to have his regular men at work, at all times, as it is to the manufacturer or trades- man, and that the business of the farm could not be carried on without such regularitj', I reg;ird it, then, as a fatal error for the labourer to follow any pursuit that would at all interfere with the claim of his employer upon him ; for, be it remembered, that it is upon hired labour that the working man must chiefly depend for his subsistence ; and any scheme that has a tendency to interfere with this, his chief capital, must very shortly end in disappointment and distress; but any plan that can be devised which will improve his condition, with- out interfering with his free labour, must be hailed as a great boon. Such, I believe, the allotment system properly managed to be. That there always have been, and that there always will be, men to raise themselves by their own industry above their original position, no one can deny ; nor would any man of common justice and generous feeling attempt to prevent such an occur- rence ; but such men have always risen gradually, and not at once jumped from the one state to the other. Wherever a man shows himself superior to his fellows in intelligence, skill, or application, he will be sure to push himself, and by obtaining higher wages, the natural result of his superiority, gradually improve his position. And it often happens that such men, after saving a little money, are assisted by their former employers, or by others who have watched their career, in accom- plishing the object of their desire, whether a small occupation or otherwise. By the sweat of his brow mm must ever live, and so long as society exists there must be rich and poor. A marked distinction should, however, be made between cottage allottees and market gardeners. In some counties, especially in those near London, and other large towns, there are a class of men who earn their livelihood by the occupation of a com- paratively small portion of land devoted to the production of fruit and vegetables. In some instances they are men of great capital, and carry on their business upon an ex- tensive scale ; but the men I more particularly allude to are those occupying only a few acres, and who sub- sist upon them. I say a marked distinction must be made between those men and farm labourers, and to the former my observations as to the size of allotments are not intended to apply. I will now say a few words upon rents and managements. As regards the first, I can only state that it must be an open question, as in the cases of farms and other occupations. There is no reason, that I am aware of, why the labourer should have land at a lower price than others would give for it ; nor do I see upon what principle he should be asked to pay more. After all, it is not a question of rent, so much as to have the allotment ground on a convenient spot. If situated near a village, as it should be, the land may assume the value of accommodation land, and should of course be paid for accordingly. On the estate of the Right Hon. the Earl de Grey, in Bedfordshire, with which I am con- nected as agent, the rents vary from 32s. to 72s. per acre (or from 8s. to 18s. per rood), including all rates and taxes, and the gates, fences, ditches, and water- courses are kept and maintained for them, so that they have nothing to pay but the rent. Of course, many of those rents are higher than are paid by the farmers ; but, as I before observed, they are many of them accommo- dation lands, and would readily let at the same prices to others. It is to me a matter of peculiar gratification to be able to testify to the punctuality with which those rents are paid. Including a few market-gardeners, there are on his lordship's rent-roll, in Bedfordshire, some 750 tenants. The collection occupies five days, and it rarely happens that there are any arrears. Now and then a little time is asked for, but very seldom, and then not given unless some sufficient reason, such as ill- ness, or some other visitation, is pleaded. Below is a tabular statement, showing the acreage and the number of allotment tenants in a few of the parishes where the principal portion of the Wrest estates are situate. p T^ •< < a (2 s r^ r" 03 OS Oi ^ ~-l CO Pop tion Cei 0 ■J\ X) S-a £. CD ^1 GO 05 OJ ^ ,_. J_J ^^ ti,> %o> ^ CO OI o w S2 Cl M g-->£ ^i c« !«». O ^t V — ' ? Numbe of Allot- aieuta [.^ ^_j H-i C5 CO 00 o CO • en O en > 1^ u Acreage of Allot- ment Land. o *» *- CO to CO 00 CO "oniBA ajqTO'jBJt nodu 3F 815 ni ° 2. ^^ CO Oi I-" o 1^ o 6* P- JO o o &3 00 o «3 <0 M CXI H-2 S ^^ •^ h-" 09 -^ ~a 10 oo to •-( c^ o CO o o >^ en a- a JO VX ^^ to Oi or to CO CO w hJ o Oi o o to Oi P' I-" 05 Oi Ci 05 MCO 5^ 5 »■ Many of those, especially in the parishes of Clophill, Pulloshill, and Flitton, which are what are termed " open parishes," i. e., parishes where the cottages be- long 1o several proprietors, have no ground whatever belonging to their dwellings. Hence it may be easily conceived what an advantage an allotment must be to 500 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. them. Indeed, so anxious are they for it, that wheu- ever a vacancy occurs, numerous applications are sure to pour in. No restriction as to cultivation is imposed, except such as are common to the farmer. Some people have an objeclion to cottagers being allowed to grow wheat, but I cannot say that 1 have ever found any in- convenience to have arisen from it. I see no reason v?hatever why such a restriction should be imposed ; for a crop of wheat is as mucli a change to the soil as any other crop, and at times no doubt as profitable ; while the straw comes for litter for the pig, and returns to the ground in the shape of manure. It is not found that the privilege is abused by excess of cropping ; and therefore the practice has not been prohibited. In every parish on Lord de Grey's estate, where there are allot- ments, a barn is provided for the use of these tenants alone, for the purpose of thrashing, &c., and they gene- rally agree pretty well among themselves, so that it is seldom necessary to interfere with their arrangements as to its use. The early promoters of the system seem to have been very much prompted to it by a pressure of the poor-rates. It was a very general impres-ion for a few years before the passing of the Poor Law Amendment Act, in 1834, and indeed for some time subsequently, that great relief would be given to the rate-payers by the introduction of allot- ments ; but I have not been able to learn that such was, or has been, the case to a very great extent. That it may have, and has had, a favourable effect in that direc- tion I firmly believe, but I would not overrate it. I would here notice a curious circumstance in connection with this part of the subject, which occurred in a parish v?ith which I am acquainted. It contains about 650 in- habitants, nearly all of whom would be engaged in the cultivation of the soil ; and in consequence of so many labourers being out of- employ, the poor-rates at one time amounted to nearly 16s. in the pound. In this fearful state of things the largest occupier gave up his farm, saying he could manage to pay his rent, but that the rates would ruin him. A considerable portion of his occupation was then let out to the labourers in par- cels, varying from one to five and ten acres each. In a few years the rates were considerably reduced ; but vv-hether this improved state of things was to be traced to the division of the land as described, or to the opera- tion of the new poor law, is a point which is yet open to speculation ; for both causes, as well as one or two others of a local nature, were in operation at the same time. My own conviction is that to the legislative enactment the credit principally belongs. The original allottees were allowed to remain in possession of theij land till they were removed by death, or became incapa- ble of managing it ; but it was not considered good policy to continue this system ; but rather, when one of the little holdings became vacant, to divide it into allot- ments of a rood each, thus affording land upon a sounder principle, and providing for the necessities of greater numbers. The rates are now about the same as in the adjoining ^parishes similarly situated. There may be a difference of opinion as to whether it be more desirable that each man should have a frarden of sufficient size for his wants ; or whether a piece of ground should be set apart for the whole village, in the shape of an allotment. Now we know, in many parishes, the utter impossibility of getting garden-ground attached to every cottage ; and therefore, as a rule, that plan could not be relied upon ; and even if it could be, the latter scheme offers advantages peculiarly its own. They are, first, that a spirit of emulation is excited when all are brought into a kind of friendly competi- tion, as is the case in an allotment field. Labourers are quick to discern successful cultivation, and to trace its causes. If one man succeeds beyond the rest in raising any particular crop, it will be sure to be noticed, and the reason of it inquired into, and his system most probably adopted. Every man has the advantage of the experience of the whole field, and in general bene- fits by it; whereas in a garden there are not those op- portunities. How frequently does one see a garden overrun with weeds, overgrown with trees, bushes, and fences, absolutely excluding sun and air, and producing next to nothiug to the cultivator ! In an open field- allotment, the sun and air are freely admitted ; the land is more easily kept clean, and the state of cultivation .patent to all the neighbourhood. I believe example has a strong iniluence in promoting good and clean cultivation among all classes of occupiers. With a view to encourage it amongst the allotment tenants of the district, a society, called the " Silsoe aud Ampt- hill Labourers' Friend Society," was established about seventeen years ago. It offers several prizes annually for competition, and great interest i8 excited among the exhibitors. This society is under the patronage of Earl de Grey, and has Lord Wensleydale as president ; while the stewards consist entirely of tenant farmers, who thus evince their sense of its usefulness. The subscribers comprise the clergy and gentry of the neighbourhood, and the exhi- bition is invariably fully attended. In fact, all classes unite to promote the object it has in view ; and the re- sult is an exhibition of fruits, vegetables, &c., that would surprise any one who had never before witnessed it. I believe this to be a most useful institution, and where allotments prevail to any extent I would strongly recommend the establishment of similar associations. Some persons have an objection to prizes being offered for length of service ; but I cannot conceive that any opposition can be offered to the encouragement of good cultivation, whether on a small scale or on a large one. We all know it is the practice of some large pro- prietors to offer premiums to be competed for by the tenants on their estates — in some counties such pre- miums are given by the agricultural societies. In either instance the same effect is produced — honourable com- petition among the larger occupiers. Why, then, should not the smaller ones have similar inducements held out to them ? Upon the latter part of my subject I have little to say. The chief abuse of the system (to use the word on the card) consists in giving the labourer more land than he can manage consistently with his usual occupation. Every scheme must be kept within due bounds —every system must have a limit. To extend THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. SOI the allotmeat systein beyond its legitimate bounds would have the effect of completely changing its character, and turning that which was intended to be an auxiliary into a leading pursuit. Mr. Bennett (of Cambridge) said it would have beeu far more agreeable to him to have sat and heard the sen- timeuta of his frieuds around him upon this interesting sub- ject rather than obtrude his own at so early a part of the dis- cussion. He would not, however, shrink from taking his part on a subject in which he had for many years of his life felt a very lively interest. Fist ot all, he must beg permission to tender his best thanks to Mr. Trethewy for having called at- tention to a subject of great importance to the labouring classes, and more or less so to the community at large. He felt the obligation the greater to that gentleman, because he very properly directed attention to the abuses as well as the usefulness of the cottage allatmeut system. (Cheers). For himself he thought he could more usefully follow iu the discussion, by giving somewhat greater prominence to what may be regarded as some of the leading abuses of this other- wise very beneficial practice. First and foremost of its evils was the allotting unsuitable laud, and often at a very incou- venient distance from the dwellings of the labourers. (Cheers). To allot from a rood to half an acre of poor clay land to a labourer, and that sometimes from half-a-mile to a mile from his cottage, ao far from benefiting him, they did him a great disservice. In such cases they added much to the toil of the poor body, and harassed his mind without the remotest chance of doing him good. I am aware (continued Mr. B.) that good strong land will often yield a greater crop than a lighter soil ; but iu th it case it must first be well-drained ; and most of ail aa contiguous to his home as possible : otherwise the result can only be great improvement to the land, and increased poverty and discomfiture to the labourer. (Cheers). The rent the labourer pays must not be left out of consideration. He had known land let out to labourers at such prices as pre- cluded all hope of the occupier deriving the least profit — poor wretched glebe land, for instance, let at double its value, and irrespective of its distance from the dwellings of the labourers. In such eases there was no wonder that the result should be anything than beneficial. The quantity of land granted was also sometimes more than could be well managed, offering a temptation to the labourer to apply him- self at his allotment when he should be rendering service to his master. Those were some among the many abuses of the allotment system ; and he thought Mr. Tre- thewy would agree with him (cries of Hear, hear, from that gentleman). In the teeth of all those abuses, which in many cases had been but too manifest, he (Mr, Bennett) was fully of opinion that the good results to the labourer?, where skilfully managed, far more than counterbalanced all the evils incident thereto. In some parts of the kingdom they were justly regarded as a great boon to the labourer, making a nice addition to his wages, and greatly adding to his comfort ; and perhaps nowhere more so than on the estate of the Right Hon. Earl de Grey, so skilfully watched over as it was by the gentleman who had so ably brought this subject before the attention of the club (cheers). That there had been great improvement in the condition of the British labourer within the la'.t quarter of a century must be evident to every observant agriculturist. That the establish- ment of cottage allotments, however, must not have the en- tire credit of this improvement he was free to admit. The improved poor-laws had done even more. On the old system (which offered a sort of bounty on improvidence), they could do nothing effectively in that way. They re- garded the overseer as their national parent, and flew to him on every emergency, and often from one year's end to the other. But recently the law had taught a man that his first dependence must be on his own exertions, and on the overseer only when all other means fail. Good cottage allotments were now properly prized and sought after, and had already very materially aided the honest and indubtrious labourer ; and if wisely and prudently managed, were destined to be of far higher service to the entire rural population : for it was a fact patent to all, that if a man possessed but the smallest portion of property, so that he had something he couklcallhisown, they gavehima sort of stake, and attached him more or less to the common weal of his country. He ( Mr. Bennett) thought, therefore, that every true patriot should lend his willing aid to carry out in the most efficient manner this highly beneficial system (cheers), Mr, Alderman Mechi entirely concurred in the ad- miration expressed by Mr. Bennett of the manner in which Mr. Trethewy had introduced the subject. He, for one, went very much with that gentleman in bis con- clusions j but there were some points on which he differed from him. He thought that every farm should, if pos- sible, have a sufficient number of cottages for the labourers employed upon it (Hear, hear). He was also of opinion that the cottages should invariably have at- tached to them such a portion of land as the labourer could conveniently cultivate (Hear, hear). He agreed with Mr. Trethewy that an eighth of an acre, or a little more, was generally quite enough. He did not concur with him, however, that a cottage garden so situated would not possess the same advantages of comparison as an allotment, because there would be other cottages and other cottage-gardens en the same property, or in the neighbourhood. They all knew that labourers mixed together, and they might just as easily observe the difference between good fenc- ing and trimming and bad fencing and trimming in their gardens as the farmers could make such compari- sons on their farms ; that might be done just as well from cottage to cottage, and from garden to garden, as from one allotment to another. The aggregation of cottages without gardens was a disgrace to past manage- ment. The horrid system of getting rid of labourers by driving them to another parish had placed such persons to a very great extent at the mercy of itinerant builders, who raise dwellings for them as close together as possible, and took care that there was very little land attached to them (Hear, hear). He hoped that a better feeling was now abroad among both landlords and tenants in reference to this question ; he hoped they had now begun to feel that it was as necessary to have labourers near their work as it was to have horses near their work, (Hear, hear.) In his own neighbourhood, be might remark in passing, a practical farmer was now building three cot- tages near his farm, for the occupation of some of his labourers. If a labouring man had to walk two or three miles in the morning before he could begin his work, and two or three miles on his way home when the work was over, his labour must be proportionately less valu- able to his employer. It was clear that you could only have a certain amount of physical power out of a man, 503 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. as out of a horse, and that was a truth which should always be borne in mind in reference to the situation of the dwellings of agricultural labourers. (Hear, hear.) He did not agree with Mr. Bennett as to clay land being 80 disadvantageous to those who chose to cultivate it. (Laughter.) On the contrary, he had great faith in an honest clay (laughter) ; nor did he see how the use of clay soils was to be avoided in purely clay districts. Such land should indeed be well drained previously to being let to the cottager. Was that generally done ? He knew it was hardly ever done. (Hear, hear.) When once clay lands had been effectually drained, and when once the system of burning, which was very profitable, had been carried out, the soil was often found to be more useful and enduring than soils of a different de- scription. He hoped there would ere long be some alteration of the poor law, which would tend to stimu- late the building of cottages in the immediate vicinity of farms. He knew that was not a question which they were met to discuss that evening, but he could not re- frain from remarking incidentally, that he trusted there would not much longer be any inducement to the farmer and the landlord to get rid of labourers by pushing them, as it were, into adjoining parishes. (Hear, hear.) Mr. B. P. Shearer (Bishop's Waltham) wished to ask Mr. Trethewy, whether it were customary on the estates to which he had alluded to give allotments to all persons who asked for them. Mr. H. Trethewy said, he had a list of applicants, in which every application was entered ; and whenever a vacancy occurred he selected the person whom he con- sidered most suitable. Mr. Mechi supposed that even if applicants were small tradesmen their application was not rejected on account of their calling. Mr. Trethewy : No. Mr. J.A.WiLLiAMs(Baydon,Hungerford), said, there could be no doubt that the new poor law had done much towards placing the agricultural labourer in the improved and improving position he now occupied ; and he hoped that in ten years the labourer would be in a better posi- tion than he was at present. The circumstance that he was now thrown more on his own resources than he was before the alteration of the poor law made it the more incumbent on their part to aid and assist him in bis en- deavours to improve his own position, and to make him- self comparatively independent ; and by letting him have the raw material to produce some of the necessaries of life, in addition to what he obtained in his master's service, they placed him on a footing which enabled him to rear his children honestly and respectably, and made both him and them better members of society than such persons generally were tiventy or thirty years ago. (Hear, hear.) The subject on the card had, in his opi- nion, a very close connection with the welfare of the agricultural labourer. He agreed with Mr. Trethewey that a rood of land was the very outside quantity that either landowners or occupiers should ever think of allowing labourers to cultivate. A rood would require all the spare time beyond what the labourer ought to give to the service of his master, in return for the wages he received. (Hear, hear.) Masters, of course, ex- pected an honest day's labour for a day's pay ; and if the allotment in any way interfered with the day's labour for the master, it must be classed under the latter part of Mr. Trethewy's subject — "the abuses of the system." (Hear, hear.) He be- lieved, however, that a rood was not more than a labourer could properly and conveniently cultivate ; that quantity would occupy his time usefully. During the long evenings of autumn, hs would be engaged in breaking up the soil and securing his produce ; in the spring he would be occupied in cultivation ; and in the summer in cleaning his land. And all this would tend to keep him from the public-hoiise ; while, by this oppor- tunity thus afforded to him of working up the raw material, he might make a great addition to the comforts of his household, and secure for it many comforts which could not otherwise be obtained (Hear, hear). He knew that many persons had objtcted to the production of wheat on the ground, that it might be injurious to the farmer : it should, however, be remembered that there were many instances in which the labourer could not employ a rood of land profitably unless he was permitted to cultivate a portion of it with cereal crops (Hear, hear). To say that ha should produce nothing but potatoes on a rood of land was to say, in effect, that he should follow the rotten system which prevailed in Ireland until a few years ago. If he were allowed to cultivate one-third with cereal crops, with good spade cultivation, and the refuse of the pigsty as manure, he would be enabled to manage that proportion profitably, and, with the aid of gleaning, would secure comforts to the poor man's family which they themselves, perhaps, could hardly conceive. It was of course possible that the labourer might, by the production of such an article as wheat, be tempted to turn rogue, and to increase his stock by robbing his employer ; but he did not think they ought to stand in the way of the agricultural labourer by sup- posing that ha must of necessity be a rogue (Hear, hear). If they took a fair and practical view of the question, the objection that the growth of cereal crops must be injurious to the employer would vanish. One thing that would add greatly to the comforts of the poor man's family was the possession of a fat pig. He felt quite certain that a man of industry and economy might, with a rood of land, fat two pigs. Every time the pot was boiled there was something that would aid in the subsistence of the pig. It was possible, therefore, for him to fat two pigs, and the sale of one would more than pay his rent, while he might keep the other for the con- sumption of his own family. This was a practical way of viewing the question. Many years ago he himself allotted seven acres of a farm which he occupied among labourers : that land laboured under two disadvantages, which had been condemned by Mr. Bennett and Mr. Mechi. In the first place it was strong, clay soil, and undrained ; and in the second place, some of it, instead of being close to the village where the labourers resided, was about half a mile from it. That the distance, how- ever, in this case was no obstacle in the eyes of the poor man, was evident from the fact thr.t there was as great a THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 503 demand for the allotments half a mile from the village as for those which were close to it. Of course, labourers generally would give the preference to land which was near their dwellings ; but it should be remembered that there must be reciprocity in all such matters : the party who lets an allotment must let it partly for his own benefit as well as for the benefit of the occupier, and in all cases the allotment system must be self-supporting if it was to continue to exist. Whenever there was an allotment vacant half-a-mile from the village there were plenty of applicants for it, and that appeared to him to show conclusively that the distance was not material. At all events, it was better that the labourer should have land half-a-mile or even a mile distant from his dwelling, than that he should have none at all (Hear, hear), and he was convinced that if the allotment system were well carried out, it would do much to im- prove the condition and elevate the character of the labouring population. He had only one more obser- vation to make. He recollected hearing Mr. Baker, whose absence on that occasion he much regretted, speak some years ago of one of the abuses of the allot- ment system — namely, that in some cases the poor employed the Sabbath in working on their land. That was indeed one of the greatest abuses that he could conceive, and he thought that wherever it existed the owner of the soil should put his veto on such a practice, and compel the labourers to abstain from cultivation on the Sabbath. Mr. Mechi thought Mr. Williams was mistaken in supposing that labourers having a rood of land would be able to fat two pigs with their own produce. In his (Mr. Mechi's) part of the country they generally bought two or three sacks of barley-meal for each pig. Mr. Williams said he was of course aware that labourers could not fatten a pig on nothing ; but he meant to say, that when a man had forty poles of land in his occupation, they must take into account the produce of his land, and consider how far the refuse of his cottage might, in his improved circumstances, be made use of in the cultivation of his land. He did not mean to say that it was always advantageous to grow wheat. After cropping his land for two or three years with wheat, the labourer might have recourse to barley, and he believed that was done with advantage on his own allotments. Dr. Ellis (Sudbrook Park, Richmond) thought that there was nothing more graceful to be found in the history of agriculture than the assembling of a number of owners and occupiers of the soil to consider how they might improve the condition of labourers. Half a century ago it was supposed that all farmers cared about, as regarded those whom they employed, was to get as much out of them as possible. This could no longer be imagined, when owners and occupieis met to- gether and devoted their time and thoughts to the pro- motion of the interests of agricultural labourers. Such discussions as this must tend to make labourers feel an additional interest in those who were so anxious about their welfare (Hear, hear). He had watched the allotment system ever since it came into operation with great interest, and he was convinced that it was attended with very good results, on the whole, and with very little evil. He had seen it carried out on land which had not been considered worth enclosing : he had seen that land brought into a state of improvement far su- perior to that which it could have attained under a broader system of cultivation, and he had seen people thus raised from a condition of degradation, rags, and misery, to one of sobriety, comfort, and morality. This improvement was owing, he thought, in a great degree, to the mere fact of their being employed ; for it was an universal truth, which they had probably all learnt in their childhood, that "Satan finds some mischief still for idle hands to do." If they wanted to keep a la- bouring man out of mischief, they must endeavour to keep him constantly employed (Hear, hear). Indeed, whatever grade of society they examined, it would gene- rally be found that the best and most useful members of society were persons who were nearly always occu- pied in a profitable manner. It was a mistake to sup- pose that the strength which a labouring man gave to his ordinary day's labour for hire was all that he could employ for his own advantage. There were great fun- damental errors with respect to physical strength. Strength was to be obtained from rest and repose, not by filling the body with stimulants. When the labour- ing man had returned from his day's labour for his em- ployer, if he took a wholesome meal, provided he were in good health, he would in about half an hour reno- vate his strength, and be fit for work again, although he had been occupied all day : he was now speaking of course of the fair working- day. The man might go to work for an hour and a- half, or two hours, according to the time of year, and if he produced more in his garden than was required for the wants of the household, his wife might take the surplus to market, and thus pro- cure the means of buying barley-meal, and saving part of the wages for the benefit of the family. There were, it must be admitted, two or three very serious evils con- nected with the allotment system. One evil was, that some proprietors charged too much rent for land let out in allotments. He had really felt quite ashamed some- times, on asking labouring people how much they paid, when he heard their reply. He had not, indeed, told them it was too much, not wishing to do anything to create bad feelings in the community ; but he made the inquiry because he felt deeply interested in what so much concerned the welfare of the labouring classes. He had heard of 18d. a pole being charged for what was in fact nothing scarcely but common white sand : it formed part of land which had never been enclosed. Mr. Mechi: That is £12 an acre. Dr. Ellis said he could mention a place where that rent had been charged. He hoped, for the sake of de- cency and justice, that it was not done generally. Whether, however, it were done only in a few instances, or in many, they must all feel that it was a very serious matter to charge too high a rent for land cultivated by the labourer (Hear, hear). Attempts on the part of clergymen or laymen to get an enormous rent for land was an enormous evil. Another evil was the allowing M M 504 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. persons to have too much land. He had seen instances iu which shoemakers, tailors, &c., had neglected their regular work in consequanco of having to cultivate a large garden; and the result was that they suffered both ways — they lost their customers, and they were unable to pay their rent. Another and a most grievous evil was, that in many parishes — he believed in all the parishes in his own district — a considerable number of persons cultivated their allotments on Sunday. He had been exceedingly pained at witnessing this desecration. Notwithstanding his opinion as to the ability of labourers generally io work for an hour or two for themselves in the evening, he thought nothing could be more desirable for the human frame than a Sabbath of quiet, and of perfect freedom from physical labour. " Godliness" was " profitable for all things," and nothing was more beneficial to man than the Sabbath day's rest : that rest was essential in order that the labour of the six days might be carried on successfully. He would sum up his remarks on this point by suggesting that, in letting allotments, it should always be made a condition that no labour should be performed on Sunday, and that who- ever was found spending any portion of that day in working on his land should forfeit his allotment. Mr. Mechi : What county is yours ? Dr. Ellis : Surrey. Mr. Mechi : What you speak of is never done in Essex (Hear, hear). Dr. Ellis said a question might be raised with re- gard to the impossibility in some districts of obtaining allotments, whether there should be an Act of Parliament to meet such cases, or whether they should trust to the diffusion of a feeling in the public mind which would render land always available for this purpose. There were parishes in which landowners would not allow their land to be " cut about," as they expressed it, and there were other obstacles of the same kind. He considered it a great pity that the labourer did not in all cases live in some degree by the cultivation of the soil; and he thought it very desirable that such persons should be able to feel that they had a piece of land which was their own— at all events as tenants- at-will — for the occupa- tion of their spare hours in labour. Mr. S. Sidney (Peckham) said, being a close observer of the allotment system, though not a farmer, he had listened to the remarks of gentlemen who were practically engaged in agriculture with deep interest. The allotment question had undoubtedly made very great progress since it was first agitated by the poet Southey, and he was glad that evening to find gentlemen representing different parts of the country concurring in a few leading principles. In the first place, all the gentlemen who had spoken were agreed that it was a good thing for the labourer to have a piece of laud where he might amuse himself in the evening, and where he might invest the spare capital and labour of himself and his family ; and secondly, that it was important that this land should be as near as possible tj the labourer's dwelling. Although Mr. Tre- thewy thought that the labourer might in some cases do very well with land at a distance, he evidently regarded such a state of things as exceptional, and would prefer the rood of land being always attached to the cottage (Hear, hear). No farmer would like his farm to be a mile from his own residence : and it was exceedingly desirable that as little as possible of the labourer's time and strength should be wasted in going to and from the allotment. He could not help remarking that, however they might pity them, they had no right to speak harshly of those labourers who frequented places of amusement. They all frequented such places themselves, most of them having a great many sources of amuse- ment ; and it should be borne in mind that it was only within the last few years that any earnest endeavours had been made to provide labourers with substitutes for the public-house (Hear, hear). He was glad to see a gene- ral agreement as to the limitation of the quantity of land to be cultivated by the labourers. It was clear that no man could follow two pursuits with advantage. No man could labour much for himself and labour for hire at the same time. If he had the spirit and ability which raised him above labour for hire, he would naturally seek some other employment ; but such cases were rare, and care should always be taken that the occupations of farmer and labourer did not interfere with each other. Another point on which he was glad to find general agreement was this — that the working of the allotment system should not be chained down by a number of regu- lations (Hear, hear). In the original plans of allotment, the labourer was treated altogether like a child. Just as a child was dressed and washed, and told where he might go, and what he might do ; so the agricultural labourer was formerly treated ; in a manner different from any other labourer, and not allowed to think for himself. He was very glad to hear Mr. Trethewy, and others who followed him, advocating the leaving the labourer at liberty to crop as he pleased. The labourer must, like others, be allowed to gain experience and acquire intelli- gence by his own efforts. With regard to the observa- tions of Dr. Ellis and others, as to the working of labourers on Sunday, he thought it would gene- rally be found that labourers worked on Sun- day where they had before them the example of the rich playing on Sunday. Dr. Ellis resided, he believed, in the neighbourhood of Richmond, and a great many rich people spent a portion of their time occasionally on Sunday in dining at the Star and Garter, and in drinking, and other pursuits which were certainly not of a pious character (Hear, hear). He had observed that in every parish labourers were very much influenced by the example of those who were above them in social position. There was one part of Mr. Trethewy's ex- cellent introduction which was especially valuable ; he referred to the table, giving a statistical epitome of the progress made during the last few years. He agreed with Mr. Trethewy that the improvement which had taken place in the condition of the labouring poor was attributable in a great degree to the operation of the new poor-law. Not that the poor-law had done anything directly for the labourer, but it had placed him in a better position for doing something to improve his own condition. Moreover, if they looked at the legislation THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE, 505 of the last ten years they would find the price of the labourer's tea and sugar and other leading articles of food and wearing apparel materially reduced in price ; his condition had besn improved partly by the reduction made in the cost of necessaries, partly through the in- creased demand which had arisen for his labour on public works, and partly through emigration. He thought that when the observations of preceding speakers were circulated, as they would be, throughout the country, they could not fail to produce important effects ; and those gentlemen who sometimes tried in eloquent speeches to set class against class, and more especially to set the agricultural labourers against their employers, would find that in discussions like these the best answer to their assertions. Dr. Ellis said as regarded the parishes of Ilaiu and Petersham, he was happy to be able to state that it was not the custom of the wealthier inhabitants of that dis- trict to spend Sunday at such places as the Star and Garter ; they went to church or some other place of worship, and it was London gentlemen who went to Richmond to break the Sabbath (Hear, hear). Mr. W. Gray (Courteen Hall, Northampton) said he had witnessed the satisfactory working of the allotment system in a parish in Huntingdonshire, where he lived for some years. In referring to that parish, i.: was necessary for him to go back for a few years. No doubt many in that room well recollected the agricultural disturbances, as they were called, of 1830. At that period the burning of machines and corn-stacks was the order of the day ; and after the law of the land had quelled the disorder, it wa3 considered necessary to do something to prevent a recurrence of it. Accordingly a meeting was con- vened, and it was there suggested that the allotment system might do something towards correcting what was wrong. The parish was at that time rather notoiious for badly-conducted labourers, and it was proverbially said in Huntingdonshire of any bad district, "It is as bad as the parish of Alconbury." The late Bishop of Durham, Dr. Maltby, happening to have some land contiguous to the parish, he offered it to the churchwardens, to be let out in allotments; and it was offered at the rate of 358. per acre free from parochial charges. The applications were very nume- rous, and there was some difficulty in making a selection. The system soon got into working order ; the men seemed pleased with their occupations, and it was de- lightful to observe what industry the system seemed to bring into the parish. He had heard strangers ask, " What are all those children doing with their wheel- barrows ?" There you would see twenty little children picking up manure, and it was not merely the value of the manure that was to be considered in such a case — the children were acquiring industrious habits. (Hear, hear). Well, the thing worked well, and there was a great improvement among the labouring population. He did noi mean to say that that was the only means of regenerating the parish : the poor-law of 1834 gave the finishing stroke. He himself left the parish, he believed, in 1835 ; but he kept up a connection with it, and in visiting the parieh he was very much pleased to witness the improvement which had taken place amongst the agricultural labourers. His having twenty poles of land set apart for his cultivation had taught the labourer that there was some one who cared for him : it had raised him in the scale of ambition ; and it had given him ideas which he never had before. There you saw the man and his wife well dressed, and attending church with their children. Moreover, the children were sent to school to a far greater extent than was the case pre- viously. There was hardly anything, indeed, which had more struck him through life than this — that when once you had improved the condition of the labouring-man you found him desirous of having his children educated. (Hear, hear). Now, what was the result of all this? Why, he had no hesitation in saying that at present the parish of Alconbury, the population of which was frora twelve to fourteen hundred, would bear comparison with most other parishes of the same kind. The men went round the district sweeping away the prizes for hedge-cutting, draining, and so on ; and there could be no better proof of their usefulness as labourers. He would now come a little nearer home. The parish in which he resided at present all belonged to one pro- prietor. There the allotment system had been carried out also. The labourers paid 6d. a pole for land which was honestly worth the money (they paid no rates), and which was all fenced in and drained. Col- lecting the rents, as he did, once a year, he had never had sixpence left unpaid. At Michaelinas he went round the allotments, and he saw one pig at least — in some cases there were two — in every sty. It was, he might remark, very soon discovered that if you gave a man an allotment you must also give him a pig-sty, and hence pig- sties were attached to all the allotments. He did not consider it essential that there should be white crops on allotments. In his own parish, indeed, labourers had no conveniences for growing such crops. The practice was to take one-third potatoes, one- third mangel wurzel, and one-third beans. The beans and the mangel fed the pig, and the potatoes the labourer and his family ate with the pig. He had always been an advocate for the allotment system ; and from what he had seen of its working, he was con- vinced they could do nothing more likely to improve the agricultural labourer than the giving him a small quan- tity of land to cultivate. He thought twenty poles were sufficient. He had always been on his guard against let- ting the labourer have too much land. If they did that, they turned a good labourer into a bad farmer. When the labouring man had one or two acres of land, he be- came powerless. He would mention a case which would serve to illustrate this. A noble duke, who was a very charitable man, was told by some labourers on his estate that, if he would let them each have an acre of land, they could live upon it. The duke yielded to their request ; but what was the result ? Why, entire failure. One day he (Mr. Gray) went to one of the men on his allot- ment, and said to him, what was the fact, " Why, my man, you seem to have your land in very poor condi- tion." " Yes," was his reply, " I'm beat sir— I can't doit" (Hear, hear). They all knew how much profit M M 2 506 THE FARMER'S MAGAZLNE. an acre of land would yield ; and if a man were entirely dependent on it, the result could not be satisfactory. Mr. R. T. Howell (Llanelly, Carmarthenshire) wished to bear testimony to the benefit which had been conferred on the labouring population of the district in which he resided, by that which had been this evening termed the allotment system. He lived in a district which was partly agricultural, but maiuly manufac- turing ; and he believed that nothing tended so much to the improvement of the condition and comfort of the working people there, as the system of allotting small portions of land for cultivation. In that neighbourhood it was customary to let land on long leases for cottage- building ; but the quantity of garden-ground attached was usually very small ; and, not satisfied with this, the labourers obtained from agriculturists and landowners in the neighbourhood an additional quantity — generally about 15 or 20 perches — which they cultivated in the manner which had been so ably described this evening by Mr. Trethewy. There were few only who grew wheat, barley, or other cereal crops, the general prac- tice being to use the land for growing potatoes and vegetables. He knew of nothing which contributed so much to the happiness, comfort, and prosperity of the labouring community as garden cultivation. As re- garded rent, his own experience was, that labourers looked not so much to the price of the land as to fixity of tenure. It was a common practice with farmers in his district to let out land in small allotments for a year, and to resume the occupation of it after it had been benefited by the manure which had been carted at the expense of the labourer, who would thus derive only one crop. He felt sure that men would rather pay £4, or even £6, per acre, with some certainty of longer tenure, than 20s., or even 10s., with the prospect of the farmer resuming the occupation of the land after it had been improved by cultivation. Mr. E. B. Acton was very glad that the tenant- farmer was coming forward so much to assist the labour- er. In reading Mr. Caird's useful book sometime ago, he was very much struck with the fact there stated that the average amount of wages paid to agricultural labour- ers in this country was only Ss. 6d. a week. lie need scarcely say that it was impossible for the labourer to get two pigs a year out of such wages. He was very glad that Lord de Grey had set an example to the country by reducing the rent paid for allotments. The rent now paid was, he understood, 72s. per acre. Mr. Tkethk«y: From 32s. to 72s. Mr. Acton continued : Some years ago the rent paid in many cases in the west of England was about £S an acre. Mr. Williams would bear him out in that state- ment. Mr. Williams : No. Mr. Acton said, At all events, when the question was debated there some years ago, it was admitted that £8 an acre was charged ; and he was very glad, there- fore, to hear what had been done. Such employment as that aiforded by the allotment system although admir- ably adapted to ameliorate the condition of the agricul- tural labourer, still he thought might be better carried out by industrial associations or friendly societies than by privale perse ns, so as to strengthen his independent and industrious feeliug. Mr. T. Stag (of Grafton, Wilts) said, some allu- sion having been made to the price of land let out in allotments in the West of England, he wished to say a few words on that subject. He happened to be a tenant of one of the largest landed proprietors in that part of the country — the Marquis of Aylesbury ; and he knew that in his own parish land was let to labourers at less, rather than more, than he himself paid. Some of the best land on the Marquis's estate was let at lOs. a rood. Mr. Williams had spoken of the fatting of two pigs on a quarter of an acre of land. He should like to know how t!.at was done. (Hear, hear). r.Ir. J. A.Williams wished to say one or two words in expLtiia'.ion. First, as regarded price, he would ob- serve that he himself charged 15s. for a rood of land, taking the whole of the liabilities upon himself. He occasionally met with a defaulter. The system must, as he had before remarked, be self-supporting ; but he was not aware of a single instance in the West of England in which the rent exceeded £4 an acre. As to the fatting of two pigs, he did not mean to say that that was the rule ; but, as their friend Mr. MecLi had made one of the best farms in Essex out of one of the worst, so the la- bourer might, partly from his own resources, and partly from other resources, be enabled to keep two pigs in- stead of one. Of this he was quite certain, that the labourer who used his best endeavours to fat two pigs instead of one would be better able to fat two than others. The system of high farming might, he believed, be carried out effectually on a small occupation, as it had been by Mr. Mechi, through the expenditure of a large sum on his farm. Mr. HoAVELL wished to make one additional observa- tion. In his district labourers' houses had been built too much in rows and blocks. He advocated the build- ing of detached houses, giving to each man his own separate allotment immediately contiguous to his house, especially in rural villages. Mr. E. Little (Chippenham) said there were near 700 allotments on the estates with which he was con- nected, and in no instance did the rent exceed £2 an acre. The system worked well in his part of the country wherever it had been adopted. One valuable rule which was carried out in reference to these allot- ments was, that the doing of any labour on Sunday ex- cluded the occupier from further occupation (Hear, hear). That was one of the conditions on which the land was held, and it was never violated (Hoar, hear). Mr. Mechi : The £2 includes all charges ? Mr. Little : Yes. The Chairman said he listened very attentively to the able paper read by Mr. Trethewy — a paper comprising almost everything that could be said in favour of the allotment system (Hear, hear). He thought the carry- ing out of the allotment system depended in a very great degree upon landlords. Where cottages were situated on farms the labourer generally had an opportunity of increasing the quantity of garden ground if it were not THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 507 sufficient ; and the farmer, of course, took care not to let it be augmented beyond what was required for the necessities of the family. But where the labourers' cottages were situated in a village some distance from the farm, it rested solely with the proprietor of the soil to provide land for the convenience of those who had not a sufficient quantity attached to their dwellings. He happened to receive rent from about 70 labouring tenants ; the rent charged had never exceeded 6d. a pole, the land being close to the village, some of the best land in the district, and being exempt from poor-rates and all other charges. The rents were paid regularly and cheerfully ; he did not remember a single defaulter. Speaking generally, he might say that the object of all present was, he presumed, to make the cottage-home a scene of happiness, comfort, and contentment, and to give labourers an interest in their abodes ; and he believed the labourer felt as much pleasure in walking up and down his allotment as they felt in walking round their farms (cheers). Mr. Trethewy having briefly replied, on the motion of Mr. Little, seconded by Mr. Bennett, thanks were voted to him for the able manner in which he introduced the subject. On the motion of Mr. J. A. Williams, thanks were also accorded to the Chairman ; and with this acknow- ledgment the proceedings terminated. INAUGURAL ADDRESS FROM THE CHAIR OF AGRICULTURE, QUEEN'S COLLEGE, BIRMINGHAM. Delivered by Professor Tanner, on November 8th, 1858. My present duty, in delivering before you an inaugural address on the commencement of my duties in this College, is a source at once of pleasure and anxiety. Of ■pleasure, because I cannot but feel gratified that I have been so highly honoured in beinii selected by the Council of Queen's College to fill the newly-establlshrd Chair of Agriculture and Rural Economy ; at the same time this responsibility produces a deep anxiety on my mind for the right per- formance of the duties of my position. Your presence here to-day assures me that you take a warm interest in the progress of agriculture, and especially in the step so recently taken by the establishment of a Pro- fessorship of Agriculture and Rural Economy in Queen's College. I therefore cast aside that hesitation which I might otherwise feel, and, throwing myself upon your indulgent consideration, shall proceed to glance at some of those reasons which induced the Council of Queen's College to take this important stop, and view the beneficial results which we may anticipate therefrom. The position of agriculture is at the present time somewhat singular. For some years past a conflict has been taking place amongst those connected with this important department of national industry. The contest has been severe, and prosecuted with much zeal on both sides ; whilst jealousy has been too dominant, and added a bitterness to the strife. Happily, the con- flict is over : we hear no more now of the opposing claims of Practice and Science; but all are now sur- prised at the past warfare, and with hearty good fel- lowship they form a noble band desirous of advancing the interests of agriculture, thereby contributing to the welfare of the proprietors and occupiers of the land as well as to the prosperity of the country at large, whose interest is so closely identified with the prosperity of those connected with landed property. We may, how- (.vor, review the contest with advantage, ond draw therefi'ora a caution which will influence us for the future. As in the majority of cases, when persons range themselves into distinct parties, both are apt to fall into error, whilst truth is generally found amongst the more moderate opinions. This is particularly observ- able in tho history of agriculture. We observe that certain customs and practices have been established in various parts without its being known why or where- fore they have been adopted. They are persisted in because they ai-e attended with some success ; and this is certainly a very strong argument in their favour. The advocates of science imagined that they detected many errors in various farm practices, and no doubt they were to a certain extent correct in recognizing those errors; but in too many cases they fell into the opposite error, and with sweeping censure condemned the practices entirely, and proposed substitutes without considering the peculiar circumstances of the locality ; consequently these substitutes were frequently un- successful. The men of practice refused to adopt the novel plans proposed, whilst those engaged in scientific pursuits, with too great haste, looked upon them as a stationary class opposed to all progress. It is true that, as a body, they did refuse to throw aside established practices for the new modifications ; but as soon as economical results were proved, their opposition vanished. The agriculturist may be looked upon as one who is continually inquiring of Nature ; and the operations he performs upon the land are more or less successful in proportion as they are in accordance with the laws which control the operations of Nature. Thus errors have been detected by failures, whilst more correct systems have been established by success. Nature has thus taught the observant agriculturist how he may carry out his operations with success. Such knowledge is usually known as experience; and highly indeed must 508 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. it be valued. Experience, therefore, is based upon truth, and cannot be despised with impunity. Few, if any, have arrived at that stage at which they can gather experience in its purest form ; for, with all our care, error will creep in : and thus experience, whilst it con- tains much that is true and valuable, is always more or less intermixed with error, according to the discrimina- tion of the observer in tracing results to their proper causes. If by the fan of knowledge you can winnow away the chaflf of error, you may thus separate the kernel of truth in a purer form ; but be guarded lest, in your zeal to separate them, you lose the precious corn of truth. It has been done before : let " Cau- tion ! " therefore, be your watchword, when you deal with local customs. It will always be my endeavour to advocate the importance of paying respect to old- established local customs. They are, I believe, inva- riably based upon truth, and cannot be set aside without disappointment and loss. If the experience derived from practice is thus valu- able, it may be asked. What need has the agriculturist for any other guide ? If practice alone can teach him, wherefore should science be brought to his aid ? I reply. To enable him to separate truth from error ; and from his own experience, as well as that of others, to draw those principles which are applicable to his own case, and by the aid of which the productiveness of the land may be economically increased. In ancient times, the voyager toiled along the line of shore, and feared to lose sight of the land ; but the magnetic needle subse- quently taught him how to gain the same points by a more direct course. So, in like manner, the needle of scientific knowledge will be our guide when we lose sight of our landmarks ; but, till we more fully under- stand the principles with which we have to deal, we mu£t be exceedingly cautious how we venture far away from the directions of experience. Still, with the true spirit of progress, we must endeavourto use the instruc- tion of science with judgment, without abusing it by indiscretion. Contradiction cannot exist between the principles which science dictates, and the experience which is de- rived from practice. They are the same in their origin as well as in their character. The laws of nature are fixed and definite ; and a knowledge of these laws con- stitutes what we term science : but we have already seen that experience must be traced to the operation of the same laws ; consequently, as these laws are definite in their action, there cannot be any variation between the principles of science and the practice of the art. But, whilst the laws of nature are definite, it must also be remembered that they modify each other ; and the re- sults, consequently, vary according to the several agencies which are called into operation. Thus, as we enter the palace of Nature, the mind at first becomes confused by the apparent contrariety of action observ- able. Like as the untutored eye watches with surprise and wonder the rapidity and diversity of action pre- sented by the machinery of a factory, unable to detect the elementary movements which are here combined and accelerated ; so also, in the laboratory of Nature, its operations appear to the superficial observer to consist of an indefinite number of conflicting agencies acting without system or law ; but knowledge dispels this opiiiion, for the study of the sciences reveals to us the principles which govern all creation ; and thus we are enabled to trace the laws which control all physical changes, and reduce to systematic regularity those ever-recurring changes which are presented in nature. In too many cases the suggestions of scientific men have failed from their not giving due consideration to the modifications which thus arise in practice ; whereas, experience (which is derived from Nature's instruction) gives us results which are worthy of the strictest confi- dence. Facts thus gathered are of the greatest import- ance, and it is by a careful record and examination of facts that we offer to the scientific mind the best ground- work from which to establish correct theories. Here let me draw your attention to the important difference which exists between Science and Theory. These terms are often considered synonymous, but this is very far from being correct. By the term "science" we understand a knowledge of the laws of nature; and I have already shown that science cannot contradict facts. But if with an imperfect knowledge of science you deduce from these facts certain opinions, and thereby establish a theory, such opinions will be more or less correct ac- cording to your knowledge and judgment ; consequently the theory would be more or less erroneous as you may have regarded the several agencies which influenced the result. The principles of science and the facts of expe- rience remain equally true and valuable, notwithstanding that an incorrect theory may have been formed. But in proportion as we become more fully acquainted with the laws and operations of Nature, so shall we be more competent to combine our opinions and form correct theories. The difference, however, must always be clearly borne in mind. We may with confidence rely upon the record which Nature gives us in facts, and also upon the principles of science ; but when we attempt to form theories upon them, we must remember that they are but individual opinions, and, however probable, cannot be relied upon as certain. It is one of the difficulties with which all branches of science have to contend, that those who are the pioneers of discovery are too apt to form favourite theories, rather than content themselves by being cautious observers of facts a7id principles. There is scarcely a single excep- tion in the whole range of scientific studies ; for the early students have almost invariably formed theories, often- times of the wildest and most visionary character, which have misled them and rendered their labours compara- tively useless. It has been the same with those who have devoted their attention to the science of agriculture. Many of these zealous men have thus proclaimed theories which practice has disproved, and thereby much discredit has fallen upon the cause they were most anxious to have promoted. I am happy to say that greater caution is now observable, and the most ener- getic promoters of the science are now co-operating in the investigation of the functions of Nature rather than propounding new and favourite theories. But THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 509 whilst Practice cannot contradictthe teachings of Science, it may, however, be opposed to Theory; but so far as this exists, so far is the theory influenced by error ; on the other hand, the more correct our theories are, so in like manner will they more fully harmonize with the evidence of practice. Such being the relation in which Science stands to Practice, it is evident that scientific knowledge is of the highest importance to those who are connected with the soil, and whose duty it is to convert the materials of our soils into forms endowed with vitality, and finally pre- pared for the requirements of man. Do not let me be for a moment supposed to advocate scientific knowledge alone as a sufficient preparation for the successful management of land ; for I am fully persuaded that practice can alone render a person competent for such duties ; but I would most emphatically express my con- viction, that no one is in a position to learn farming with the greatest advantage to himself, who has not been rendered a correct observer of Nature by a knowledge of her laws. I shall only be expressing the opinion of the leading agriculturists of this kingdom when I say that a course of scientific instruction must be looked upon as a proper completion to the education of those young men who are destined for taking a leading position in the agricultural body. This knowledge of science no more supersedes a knowledge of practice than a youth's ordinary school education does ; but they must be looked upon as separate stages in that course of tuition which prepares him to teach himself. I look upon a study of the sciences as a suitable preparation for gaining a knowledge of farm practice, rather than as in the least degree superseding a thorough acquaintance with the practical details. It may be desirable for us to glance at some of the circumstances which render it necessary for those con- nected with the management and improvement of land to be rendered familiar with the sciences which are directly and indirectly connected with the productions to be obtained from the soil. The duty of the agricul- turist is somewhat anomalous, for he enlists the assist- ance of Nature to produce unnatural conditions both of animal and vegetable life. If you examine the crops which receive his greatest care and attention, you will observe that they differ so widely in character from the parents whence they originally sprung, that you can scarcely recognize any relationship or similarity of form. Take, for example, the wild carrot, with its tough and woody root, seldom weighing half-an-ounce ; compare with it the fleshy, nutritious, and heavy roots you see exhibited at the Christmas Show in Bingley Hall, and you need a tolerable degree of confidence in your in- formant to believe that the latter is a descendant of the former. The processes of cultivation have encouraged and perpetuated the peculiar abnormal character which the cultivator needed. This variation can only be maintained by a proper exercise of judgment and care. If left uncared for by man, it will soon resume its original and, I may say, its natural character. In fact, nearly all our crops are unnatural developments of peculiar characters which are suited to our requirements ; and who can say whether or not, from amongst the numerous weeds we now reject as worthless, fresh pro- ductions valuable as food may not be developed under the processes of cultivation ? So also with our live stock. We have improved the native breeds, and encouraged in them certain unnatural developments of body which under the management they receive whilst in domestication we are able to main- tain ; but Nature still sets us boundaries which cannot be passed, and hence we know in practice that when we have rendered an animal most fully in accordance with our artificial standard, then tiie difficulty of perpetuating the species shows that we are on the limit over which Nature will not allow us to pass. In a state of nature animals are fitted to withstand the vicissitudes of sea- £on!<, and their frames possess that configuration and the organs of their bodies that formation which are best suited for the healthy discharge of the functions of life j but in our domesticated animal we have one less able to withstand the severity of our seasons, with a disposi- tion for rest rather than for motion, with lungs and liver small and sluggish in their action, with bones fine and an excessive tendency to form fat, whilst the powers of reproduction are diminished, and in some instances destroyed. Thus the entire produce of our farms pre- sents to us a series of unnatural and abnormal forms totally different from the parents from which they were originally obtained. These conditions, although imnatural, are still eminently desirable for our social welfare ; and the maintenance of these peculiarities is essentially necessary, for each possesses a tendency to retrograde into its original form. Can it be that the works of Nature, so perfect in their character, are capable of receiving further improvement at the hands of man ? Nature has given both to plants and animals that form and that character which are best suited /or the preservation of their species ; but to meet the require- ments of man in his civilized condition, we are per- mitted to modify their character for our special require- ments, and thus man's industry and skill are enlisted in the promotion of his own welfare ; but each plant and animal still maintains within itself a tendency to return, when no longer under man's control, to its original form — the form best suited for the preservation of its species. In order, therefore, that we may most advantageously carry-out that artificial system which constitutes our farm practice, it is clearly to our advantage to under- stand the materials we have to deal with, and the influences which control them. This, however, em- bodies a very wide range of study. The progressive changes which we observe in the irigredients of our soils becoming organized and changed into vegetable matter, and this again being consumed by animals and converted into flesh, offer an extensive field of research alike ad- vantageous and interesting. Fully to demonstrate the advantages and the scientific interest they produce would occupy an extended series of lectures ; and in the course I am now about to deliver in this College I shall have an opportunity of going somewhat into detail upon the principles of agriculture ; but as you may anti- cipate from me some reference to the practical beaelita 510 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. which result from a knowledge of the sciences connected with agriculture, I may briefly notice some of them. An acquaintance with chemistry is valuable to the cultivator of the soil, as indicating the composition of the soil, the materials removed by various crops, the crops most suited to the soil, the manures which will most economically maintain the fertility of the land, the cheapest sources of manure, their manufacture and man- agement, the time and circumstances under which their employment is most advantageous ; the selection and use of food according to the object in view, whether it be the production of flesh, fat, bone, or milk — these and numberless other points of the deepest practical im- portance are rendered familiar to the mind by the study of chemistry. If it produced no other advantage than enabling agriculturists to judge rightly of the value of food and manure — to avoid those fraudulent adultera- tions which are now so common — there would be abun- dant reason for studying this branch of science ; but the numerous and important connections existing between its principles and the practice of agriculture render an acquaintance with it absolutely essential for any one who wishes to render his farming operations superior to mere manual routine. Besides these reasons, I may show you another which appears to my mind to be enough to stimulate the feelings of any one who is directly or indirectly engaged in agriculture, because the fact I am going to relate is about the greatest insult ever offered to agriculturists as a body which has come under my knowledge. A manure was recently offered for sale, and the prospectuses contained accurate analyses made, and duly signed, by Professors Way and Campbell ; but to anyone knowing the character of the ingredients specified, the manure would immediately appear as tvorthless. But the proprietors relied upon the igno- rance of the farmers as a safeguard against discovery, presuming that it would sell readily because the analyses by two leading chemists were attached, not- withstanding that these analyses condemned it as worth, less to any one who could interpret the terms used. We are but on the threshold of a system in which artificial manure is destined to play a most important part. We know by the experience of a (ew years the extraordinary advances which have been made in the agriculture of certain districts by the use of artificial manures, whilst there is scarcely any farm in this country but has expe- rienced some benefit therefrom ; and can we doubt but that, now we are beginning to understand their mode of action, even greater advantages are yet to be deve- loped ? The agriculturists must, therefore, prepare themselves for taking advantage of this progressive movement, or else frauds will proportionately increase, and the ignorant will become the dupes of the cunning. The study of botany has also powerful claims. It is not simply the duty of the agriculturist to produce cer- tain plants in a natural condition, but, as we have already seen, to maintain and encourage certain pecu- liarities. It must evidently be an advantage, to anyone thus occupied, to understand the structure and food of plants, and their general processes of growth, so that he may enlist the assistance of the functions of life in pro- moting the object aimed at. A knowledge of botany is likewise valuable in enabling anyone to judge of the quality and capabilities of land. The weeds which land produces will enable a botanist to form a very correct idea of the nature of the land. These may be considered as natural products of the soil, and such as are suited to its condition and composition. Almost every class of soil has its peculiar plants — sandy soils, clays, clayey loams, alluvial soils, lacustrine and fluviatile beaches, gravels, drift-sand — moors, marshes, and mountain pastures ; whilst these again are modified by the subsoils being porous or retentive of moisture. These may be looked upon as natural indicators of the character of the soil, but a botanist can alone interpret the tale which Nature thus so plainly tells. In like manner geology is valuable, in developing the hidden resources of property ; and thus wealth is often accumulated from stores which the untutored mind would fail to detect. By a study of this science we like- wise gain considerable advantages in the drainage of land, in the search for water, building materials, and also in obtaining those stores of mineral phosphates and soluble silica which exist abundantly in some geological formations, and are of the greatest value as fertilizers of the land. Nor are the advantages which geology gives confined to the assistance it ofi'ers as enabling the re- sources of a property to be developed economically, but it also teaches when your search will be useless, and thus save you from loss and disappointment. The principles upon which farm buildings should be built and arranged so as to combine economy of cost in the erection, with an economy of labour in their subse- quent use, are very important subjects for study ; and so likewise are the circumstances and conditions which maintain and promote the healthy action of animal and vegetable life. Thus, to the agriculturist a study of the sciences con- nected with the practice of farming ofi'ers inducements of no ordinary value, and reveals to him the laws which regulate and govern those results, to the attainment of which all his eff"orts are directed. The advantages, how- ever, are not limited to this class, for any improvement which promotes the welfare of the occupier of the land indirectly benefits the proprietor ; for their interest being bound together, prosperity and adversity are alike influential upon each. The owner of land has another inducement ; for as the practice of agriculture becomes m.ore and more perfect, so will tenants be able to pro- duce from the land crops of greater value with even less injury to the land than under present systems. The improvement of landed property is closely connected with a knowledge of the science of agriculture ; for it is manifest that he who with equal practical knowledge is also acquainted with the nature and character of the bodies he has to operate on, must be in a better position to carry out improvements with economy and success. The record of the past justifies these hopes ; for although most of our improved agricultural practices may be traced to a foundation originally laid by experience, still the im- provements which have been introduced may in a great measure be traced to the light of knowledce and observa- THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. bll tion which has of late 3-ears been thrown upon farming. Review for a moment the history of agriculture for tlie last twenty years. Mark the progressive improvements which have become more numerous and more important every j'ear, and you will not fail to be convinced that the tide of progress is rolling onwards with an increaaiug power, and that our future advances will be even greater than the past- You may rely upon it that the practice of agriculture is destined at no distant period to be one of the most interest- ing branches of national industry, and in its prosecution the highest ability will be demanded. For this reason it be- comes of the deepest importance that those engaged in the practice of agriculture should be men of intelligence, having a clear knowledge of the processes of nature with which they are so constantly brought in contact, for then they will be prepared to record their results with accuracy, and to deduce therefrom correct opinions, which will lead them forward to a perfect knowledge of the true principles upon which their practice is based. I consider that no course is more calculated to promote the welfare and future progress of agricultural practice than a general diffusion of a know- edge of the sciences connected with agriculture; not that this, as I said before, is to make men farmers, but it is a most important preparation for enabling them to learn the practice. To those who are engaged in these duties much knowledge will be valuable, but to those who may be enter- ing upon this occupation in life it is positively essential- Our endeavour should be to increase the number of those agriculturists who combine in themselves that knowledge which has hitherto been generally divided between two classes ; I refer to the classes distinguished as men of science and men of experience. By combining these cha- racters in each individual, all opposition will be dissipated; for by his knowledge of practice his opinions will be subdued, and moderated by the guidance of science ; whilst his ac- quaintance with science will enable him to take advantage of improvements as they are introduced, to show discretion in selecting such as are suitable to his farm, and are not simply alterations but really improvements ; and it will also prepare him for co-operating in the general advance of the practice. To the lover of nature these studies are the source of much mental delight ; and I trust the day is not far distant when pecuniary advantage v/ill not be the only inducement to these studies. On every hand the agriculturist is sur- rounded by those beauties of nature which elevate the mind, whilst they render it more humble, and encourage those feelings of love and gratitude towards the Author of all good, which manifest themselves in works of love to those around us. Permit me to specify one of those agencies with which we are daily brought in contact, and yet we scarcely regard it. Observe the influence of light upon the produc- tive character of our crops. You are well aware of the fact that vegetable growth is dependent upon its presence; but we are too apt to look upon light as constant in its charac- ter ; but it is not so, for from day to day progressive changes are observable in the character of light, which opernte most powerfully upon vegetation. I may remind you of the fact that three rays, possessing distinct characters and influencesi as well as differing in their colour, combine to form colourless light. We have the red ray, the blue ray, and the yellow ray, each characterised by distinct powers, per forming different duties, but combining toformoneperfectand colourless ray — apt illustration of that Triune Creator who is so often symbolized by light ! But we have this remarkable act to add— that although light is always perfect, yet it varies in its character. In the spriug mouths we have the blue ray predominating ; this is termed the magnetic ray, and from its possessing this peculiar character we find light at this period especially endowed with au iavigoratinsf energy, which raises vegetation from the torpor of its winter sleep, excites and stimu- lates its organs again to discharge their functions, and fully to awake to the performance of the powers of vitality. But as spring passes into summer, so another influence becomes ne- cessary ; for as the energies of the plant have thus been stimu- lated into action, so now does it become necessary for the supplies of nourishmeut to be of such a character that the plant can assimilate them and build them up into its growth. The chemical chsnges which take place in the sap of plants, and render it suitable for vegetable nutrition, are to a very great extent produced by the yellow ray of light — in fact, in its ab- sence healthy growth is impossible. This yellow ray is found to gain the ascendancy as the summer advances, and by its agency the plant, which has been stimulated to vigorous action, now receives the additional supplies of duly matured nourish- ment for its rapid development. As the summer advances, and additional heat is needed for perfecting the earlier growth and ripening the seed, so the red or heat-giving ray preponderates over the others, and thus we have the development of the plant completed under its influence by the perfect formation of its seed, fitted either as food for man or beast, or else adapted for the perpetuation of the species. In this manner we have a successive variation in the character of light, each stage espe- cially adapted for the requirements of that period of growth ; but when this growth is completed, and vegetation is about to enter upon its winter of slumber and inaction, then we find the rays balancing each other, and neither of them prepon- derating. Although each of these rays in succession gains the ascendancy and preponderates over the others, still all of them continue to co-operate throughout the year ; but during the returning seasons of summer and winter, seed time and har- Test, vegetation thus derives especial assistance from these psctiliar powers of light, and it gives another illustration of the harmony existing in every department of Nature's works, and proves that all her laws may be traced to the action of the mind. Nor must this interesting provision of Nature be looked upon as a solitary example. The student of her laws finds evidences of design throughout that temple which has been raised by the grand Architect of the Universe ; and wherever he searches he finds a mice of wealth encouraging hini on- wards as a zealous inquirer after truth. I do not hesitate to say that no body of men have richer opportunities for mental gratification, and without interfering with their duties, than those whose position in life places them amidst rural scenes; I refer especially to our country gentlemen and agriculturists : and shall it be that any will willingly wander through the lovely labyrinths of Nature with eyes closed to the beauties which are around them? It cannot be that the persons who constitute these important classes can ever be content merely to fulfil the duties which devolve upon them in their respective stations, and pass through life insensible to those mental enjoy- ments with which a beneficent Creator has strewed their paths. In our universities facilities are offered for gaining knosv- ledge of this description; but how very small the proporlion of those who can take advantage of these opportunities 1 The Council of Queen's College, under a conviction of the great importance of promoting the study of the sciences in their ap- plication to the arts of li''e, have recently taken a most impor- tant step by establishing a special department for these sub- jects, in order that persons resident in the Midland Counties may have opportunities of acquiring a thorough insight into the ps'ir.ciplcs which control the arts of life. 512 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. I have very hastily glanced at the manner in which the old maxim that " knowledge is power" applies to those con- nected with the soil by the rights of ownership or of occupa- tion, and I cannot but think you will agree with me when I say that a great benefit has been conferred upon the Midland Counties by the sphere of scientific education in this college being thus extended, and an opportunity afforded for ob- taining such knowledge within the district. From the de- partment of agriculture with which I am more immediately connected I trust extensive benefit will be distributed throughout the district— a district remarkable for the wealth and intelligence of those connected with landed property ; and it will, on all occasions, be my endeavour to co-operate with the professors with whom I have the honour to be asso- ciated in this department, in order that, both within the walls of this institution as well as beyond its boundaries, the application of science to the productions of the land may be promoted; and I trust that ere long the students of this college, as well as its officers, may be seen foremost amongst those most zealous for the progress of agricultural science and practice. I would avail myself of this opportunity to explain to you that the instruction in the Agricultural Division of the De- partment of Science is adapted for two classes : First, for those whose future position in life as proprietors of the land or as occupiers of the soil renders it eminently desirable that they should have a complete knowledge of the sciences bearing upon agriculture and rural economy. Under a powerful representation of the public necessity which ex- ists for such a step, a Royal charter has been recently granted for the appointment of Examiners, who are em- powered to grant diplomas in agriculture to persons duly qualified to receive this honourable distinction. The system laid down by the examiners requires proof of a satisfactory and sufficient scientific and practical education. Two j'ears' attendance upon lectures is necessary before the candidate can appear for his examination upon the science of agricul- ture, and he must also reside upon a farm for two years before he can appear for his examination in the practice of agriculture. A complete staff of professors has been or- ganized in Queen's College for preparing persons for their examination in the science of agriculture ; and it is antici- pated that the sons of many resident in the midland counties will enter upon such a regular course of collegiate instruc- tion with the advantage of being in the immediate neigh- bourhood of their parents or guardians. Any gentleman desirous of gaining fuller information upon this point, should place himself in communication with the Rev. the Warden of Queen College. But there is a second class for whom the Council have made special arrangements, with a view to render this in- stitution as valuable as possible to the district. I refer to those whose engagements prevent them becoming regular students in the College, and attending any extended suc- cession of lectures. For their advantage, arrangements have been made by which they may attend any single course of lectures, on payment of the professors' and the college-fees ; and this arrangement applies to the course of lectures upon the principles of agriculture which I am now about to deliver in this college. I shall especially endea- vour, whilst treating the subjects which come under my consideration, to render the fundamental principles upon which the practice of agriculture is based, familiar to the minds of my hearers ; and I venture to hope that many to whom these subjects are now veiled in mystery and doubt may thereby gain clear views of those beautiful processes of nature which so wonderfully regulate the productions of animal and vegetable life. Much of the agricultural litera- ture of the present day is robbed of its interest and utility by the large proportion who are unable fully to comprehend the most important researches which are published in our agricultural journals. To those persons whose duties pre- vent any lengthened absence from their residences, the present course of lectures offers an opportunity for gaining an insight into the general principles of the science of agri- culture ; but it must be remembered that, by a complete system of lectures alone can any one hope to become fully conversant with the science of agriculture. The present course of lectures upon the principles which regulate the production, preservation, and use of farm produce, may be useful to those who cannot avail themselves of a more com- plete course of instruction ; but to every young man destined for a rural life I would sajs Do not content your- self with a general summary ; but resolve rather upon be- coming master of the subject, by attending the complete series. I think you will agree with me that, great as have been the advantages which have resulted from the assistance of science, greater benefits are }'et to be developed from the hearty co-operation now existing between all connected with, or interested in, the soil. When we see the prin- ciples of chemistry so powerfully aiding the farmer in the economical pi-oduction and employment of food and manure, proving to him the value of the hidden stores beneath, above, and around him, and teaching him how to use them most advantageously ; when we see the kindred sciences all contributing their help, and mechanics especially coming forward with numberless contrivances for promoting the production and preparation of our crops— as, for example, in our steam-cultivators, which prepare, and ere long will sow, the land ; our reaping machines, which gather the produce ; and our thrashing machines, which prepare it for market — we cannot fail to look forward into the future with bright hopes for even greater progress. I do not imagine that any agency is better calculated to promote this object than the scientific education of those who are to become the actors on the scene ; and I believe the time is not far distant when a knowledge of the sciences connected with the arts of life will be considered as essential to success as we now consider a good school-education to be. The rising generation of farmers must not content them- selves b}' preparing simply to reap the fruit which others have laboured for: they must remember that they must themselves become fellow-labourers in the cause, and con- tribute towards the general prosperity of that department with which their interests are most closely identified. It will then be a source of gratification to the Council of Queen's College, that they have in some degree contributed to this happy result ; and you, gentlemen, may possibly remember with pleasure having given 3'our support and encouragement to the early efforts made in the Agricultural Division of the Department of Science in Queen's College, Birmingham. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 513 THE USE AND ABUSE OF MANGOLD WURZEL. BY A PRACTICAL FARMER. What we should do without the " mangold wurzel," " mangold wurtzel,"" mangel wurzel, "or as it is now com- monly designated — indeed Anglisised as — "mangolds," i. e. "mangold crop," I cannot divine. On all good loams it has become the staple root-crop ; immense quan- tities have this year been grown in these favoured dis- tricts, and the crops are exceedingly good, very few crops averaging less than thirty tons per acre, many yielding forty, and some select ones nearly fifty tons an acre. The varieties now cultivated are also decided proofs of the pro- gress of this invaluable root. We have now most superior stocks of long reds and long yellows, red globes and yellow globes, all vying with each other for the predominance in quantity and quality. We have also many sub- varieties of these stocks. The long reds, for instance, comprize the long straight root, rising from twelve to twenty-two inches above the surface, with rather too strong hold upon the soil ; and the long bugle or cow's- horn sort, which loll about the ridge in every conceiva- ble way and shape of root : they are of equal size to the other, and have such slight hold of the soil as to be easily taken up by hand to be cast into the cart. Then we have the short and straight variety, which rises about twelve inches above the ridge, and buries its root and fangs so deeply as to be with difficulty taken up, and is of tough and fibrous character. The long yellows are less divided into different stocks, and the care recently bestowed upon their culture has so improved them, that they are now equal in growth and weight of crop to the reds, and are said to possess more nutritive value : cer- tainly many extraordinary crops have this year been produced. The red and yellow globes have each a dis- tinctive character — the one partaking of the true globu- lar form, of great diameter and substance; the other of an oval or oblong shape, also of great diameter and consi- derable height. Both sorts yield astonishing crops under good culture. I have grown each variety under pre- cisely similar culture, and I am free to confess that my old predilection for the long bugle variety has received a check. If the parent stocks are equally genuine and good, I know not which I should prefer upon my occupation ; but on thin soils the globes are preferable, besides being the best keepers. A crop of yellow globes grown upon the farm of one of my neighbours has this year produced above forty-eight tons to the acre; whilst the long yellows, on the farm in the occupation of another neigh- bour, have yielded above forty-seven tons. The fortieth part of an acre in each case was weighed, and gave the above result. The yellow globe plot had 303 bulbs, averaging 91bs. 2oz. each ; the long yellow plot had 358 roots, averaging 71bs. 8oz. each: these crops, with others, were entered for a local prize. The judges divided the amount, on the ground of equality, which partly led to the test of weighing an average plot in each field. What other amongst the many of our various green crops can give such a weight of highly nutritious food ? Assuredly, under proper care and judicious ap- plication, this is an invaluable crop ; and the purport of this paper is to reiterate some plain directions for the use of this crop, and to prevent its abuse. The turnip crop, particularly the Swedish turnip, has for the past few years been a very faulty one, in very many cases a failing one, in very few cases a good one. The mangold crop has, in general, been a good one. Now can this mangold crop be made a true substitute for the turnip crop — i. e., equally useful and nutritive to the general farm stock ? I thiak not. Nothing can fully compensate for the loss of the turnip or coleseed crop as food for sheep, particularly lambs. There is a quality in these roots and these plants well adapted to promote the well-doing of sheep stock, and which the mangold does not possess, at least in the autumn ; it is too much imbued with watery particles to be a safe food for sheep in the autumn. Well, then, to misapply it as food for sheep at this season is an abuse of its qualifications or pro- perties ; it is not its natural use, and it cannot safely be thus administered without other effective aids and correctives. The chief thing to be guarded against is its highly purgative character when given to young or weak stock. If the farmer is compelled to resort to his mangold crop, he must contrive to supply an astringent correc- tive as well. Now in these bad times of cheap produce — cheap wheat — what can he do better than supply his sheep with a ration of wheat-flour in moderate quantity, say about one quarter of a pound daily to each ? There are several other correctives I could name, but would say that mangolds must not to any extent be given alone. The flour from Indian corn, barley meal, or a very small quantity of pea or bean meal, will do exceedingly well. Or, again, good and sweet pea or bean straw — if two years old, all the better— good wheat, barley, or oat straw, all will do good in moderation. Then we have linseed cake, and some of the various millets now coming into general use might be applied. A judicious mixture of meals would be highly serviceable. The stock-master's eye, after all, is the great preventive, and he will often find it necessary to withhold the mangolds altogether, and to put them upon dry regimen. I am speaking more particularly as to autumn and winter feeding. As the season advances, the roots lose their watery nature, and in the months of March and April may be given freely with great advantage. The remarks above, though referring exclusively to sheep, are also equally applicable to cattle, particularly young cattle and milking cows. It is only in the spring that the mangold becomes a good, safe, wholesome, and highly nutritious food. All animals are fond of it. Horses eat these roots voraciously } young horses, and 514 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. even foals, will do well upon a moderate quantity, and plenty of straw : in this way it is a fair substitute for corn. Pigs will fatten upon them ; and the new mode of pulping is a great aid to their well-doing: even poultry will do well upon this pulped food in connection with refuse corn or meal. I have said that the in- jurious tendency of the root is owing to its laxative qualities. Well, then, cannot we so manage it as to speedily deprive it of these deleterious propensities ? Yes. In the first place, let all roots required for imme- diate use be so placed or packed that the sun, air, and wind may have full effect upon them, to dry up or dissi- pate their watery nature. For this purpose the practice of throwing them into small heaps throughout the field where grown is good ; next, the putting them into root- hovels having plenty of ventilation is good ; then the placing them in graves or oblong rows, and thatching them down, is good. Again, gathering them in mode- rate heaps, and covering them with stubble, will do well. Finally, for permanent use, the best and safest plan is to make long graves, or rows of them, with eight-feet bottom and pointed top ; thatch them down for a week or ten days, and then cover the whole with earth, suffi- ciently thick to withstand a severe frost, taking care to leave the closing of the ridge or narrow top open as long as it is safe from early frosts ; this mode ensures greater safety, in permitting any fermentation to escape. I need scarcely remark that these graves will require at- tention early in the spring, as the roots will commence growing ; they then require air, or fermentation is soon generated, and great loss from rotting ensues. If this is closely attended to, the roots will keep well, up to Midsummer, or even longer, and retain great nutritive value, and are much in request at the precise season coming between the growth of the spring grasses and forage and the finishing up of the winter provender. The leaves I do not hold in great account ; they are useful as a resort when food is very scarce, but in the general way they are quite as well thrown upon the soil, to be ploughed in. My practice has been to feed them off with breeding ewes, but the scouring it produces often does them hurt ; occasionally stripping them off, and carting them on to the grass lands, but more frequently to turn the sheep on, as they lie, immediately the roots are car- ried. Fine as this remarkable season has been, the sheep manifest the same tendency to scour, which is a bad preparation for successful wintering. BELGIAN FARMING, Dear Sir, — You are aware that Belgium has hitherto been held out to the world as the model of the small farm system, or the subdivision of the land ; and whilst advocating the contrary principle, as adopted in England, I have hitherto thought it possible that Belgium might, from local causes, form an exception to the general rule ; and that from the ready market she meets for the multifarious small products of her soil, in the British metropolis, the system of subdivision might there be found more advantageous to the commuuity than that of the aggregation of the land. The following paper, however, which I have translated from the Journal de Gand, shows that a change is taking place on the subject, in the opinions of iutelligent men in that country; and that as society becomes more dense, and the demand for cereal food more urgent, the system of subdivision must give way; and the influence of science, capital, and enterprise supersede that of traditional routine, prejudice, and parsimony. Yours truly, London, Nov. 6. An Old Norfolk Farmer. BELGIAN AGRICULTURE. " THE GENTLEMAN FARMER." Agriculture is at this moment passing through one of those transitions to which many branches of human activity have successively submitted. From a trade, it has become a great manufacture. The division of labour and an iutelligent im- petus seem on the eve of completely modifying it. This divi- sion of labour constitutes one of the principal elements of success in all mauufar-tures ; and it explains to us why the generality of employments practised on a small scale cannot sustain a competition, whatever otherwise may be their chances of success. Thus, a tailor in a village is satisfied with a very moderate income, and everything about him denotes frugality. The master tailor ia a city is extravagant in everything : he pays more taxes on his house than the whole gains of the former; and the meanest of his workmen receives wages greater than the humble day's work of the village tailor : he does hardly anything himself, and at times even assumes the airs of a fundholder, and in fact creates funds ; whilst his village contemporary leads a life of poverty. The one does everything himself, and everything is done badly, because the multiplicity of his labours are a continual obstacle to his be- coming skilful in any one branch, and he produces little, because of his unskilfulness ; and because a considerable part of his time is lost in passing from one branch of work to another. The master tailor has good workman, because each takes constantly his own department of work, and thus per- fects himself in the particular branch to which he has devoted himself. If it ia advantageous for production to divide the several branches of manual labour, it is still more so to separate intel- lectual from manual labour. This division is a fundamental one ; for the man who devotes a part of his intelligence to the direction of his own hands, is, by that single act, enabled to employ only a fraction of it in directing the hand of another. At a period fertile in instruction, the operatives, not compre- hending the power of mind, have attempted to organize work- shops without patron or masters. " Why," say they, " give so large a part of the benefits to masters who do nothing ?" They have soon found out that intelligence or mind is the soul of the workshop, and that it is as senseless to attempt to make it productive without a master, as to attempt to make a body walk without a soul ; and the national workshops, orga- nized out of hatred to patrons, have furnished the most con- clusive arguments in their favour. Mind is the first power, and furnishes the first labour in manufacture ; it is that which directs and utilizes other labour ; THE FARMER'S iMAGAZlNE. m and it frequently sports with obstacles which appear insur- mountable. What has not been alleged against the mechanical spinning of flax ! It appeared very absurd, at one period, to attempt, by means of enormous expenses in buildings and machinery, and in payment of large wages, to enter into competition with women and children, so moderate iu their requirements that frequently there was no sensible difference between the price of the thread and that of the flax which served to make it. Notwithstanding this, hand-spinning has fallen before the industrial genius which directs those expensive manu- factories; neither the moderation of its requirements, nor popular clamour, nor Governmental measures, nor public charity, nor the prejudices of consumers — nothing, in abort, has been able to save hand-spinning. Such, again, is the competition that railways have sustained with carriage-drivers. The first expenses of railways are enor- mous, and the salaries of those employed on them are large. The coachman or waggoner, conducting his vehicle himself, and economising the expense of assistants of all kinds, thought it absurd that the extravagance of railways could possibly compete with him in conveyance. Whether these changes are a good or an evil, is not now the question, for they are in operation; and the fact alone con- cerns us at the present moment. And what obstacle, we ask, prevents a similar change from i eing effected in agriculture? It would be objected to us, that it is impossible that an educated man should subject himself to all the sparings and privations to which our cultivators submit. But why must au intelligent large farmer lead the life of the small tenant farmer ? Our flax-spinners of the present day are not quite so moderate in their family mode of living as the ancient hand- spinners. When a farmer is compelled to live and supply all the wants of a numeroua family by means of a cultivation of ten hectares (about 25 acres) held on lease, he must he parsimonious. But if the farm is multiplied tenfold, it is probable that the profits will be tenfold, and the expense of management might also be tenfold without compromising the prosperity of his enterprise. If, iu the first instance, the cultivator is compelled to reduce the expense of his establishment, and the consumption of pro- visions calculated at the market price to an annual sum of twelve hundred franc?, he must subject himself to many priva- tions, especially if he has children under age. Let us deduct from this sum four hundred francs for the wages of the hus- bandman, who is at once labourer and farming bailiff ; there then remains eight hundred francs a-year, for interest of capi- tal employed in the farm, and as remuneratiou for his own mental labour. If we, besides, reflect that his live cattle, fur- niture, utensils, manure, &c., require a capital of many thou- sand francs, and are subject to many casualties, we shall be compelled to award but a very small remuneration to his intel- lectual exertions. But by multiplying this ten times, the interest of the floating capital and the remuneration of the masters will be represented by eight thousand francs, whilst it will be necessary to leave the manual labours of the small farmer to the workmen. It will be objected that large farms are not so well culti- vated as small ones. This allegation might have been true at one period ; to direct a great undertaking, it requires a degree of intelligence and a capital which are not to be found amongst agriculturists in every country. But we believe that in Eng- land the intelligence aud capital of the gentlemen-farmers place them iu a condition to cultivate better than the small farmers; and it is well known that their produce per acre is more considerable. Another objection is, that in order to conduct an operation it is necessary to be acquainted with it in all its details ; aud never would a man of family or gentleman descend to fami- liarize himself with the operations of farming, as do the small farmers. This objection was made to a gentleman-farmer who went to visit the manufactory of a skilful flax-spinner. At that inataut a thread was broken in one of the machines of a complicated construction, called continuous. The master was requested to rejoin the broken thread himself; but he handled it so awkwardly, took so long a time, and succeeded so badly, that the gentleman found there was no occasion, on the score of delicacy, to refrain from retorting upou the flax-spinner an argument, the falseness of which was evident. After five- minutes' practice the gentleman-farmer had learned to hoe better than the spinner how to fasten a broken thread. In undertaking a business it is essential for us to know well the part we intend to practise ; and if we confine ourselves to the intellectual part of the work, which is the moat important, we should well understand it. We then assume the position belonging to a man of intelligence, leaving to the winders the employment of winding, to the thrashers the thrashing, unless we have advantageous means of superseding them. The old methods have become obsolete for the conveyance of merchandise by sea and by land, for the extraction of coal aud metals, for the spinning of flax, wool, and cotton, &c., and it is very possible that the same change will take place in the manufacture of meat, butter, and other alimentary commodi- ties. This has, in fact, been the case in some places in Eng- and, Scotland, and Hanover, and hence has arisen the class of gentlemen farmers. The gentleman farmer is to the small occupier what the machine-maker is to the village blacksmith, or the privateer to the trader, or the director of a line of railway to the wag- goner, or the spinner of flax by machinery to the hand-spinner. He takes his rank in society not by reason of the nature of his profession, but of his personal advantages, his education, in- formation, and pecuniary position. It is a strange thing that we repeat every day that agricul- ture is the first of arts, and yet none have to struggle more against contempt than the agriculturists. Has the old adage become false, that " he wlie produces the wool is as worthy aa he who spins it"? or that he who grows the wheat is aa re- spectable as he who lets out his ships or waggons to convey it to market ? It appears more likely that modern society will esteem or seek out men for what they are, and not for the pro- fession they exercise. For a man to occupy a distinguished rank in society it signifies little what is the profession he exer- cises ; but it is essential that he exercises it in a distinguished manner. It is said, " There is no foolish trade, but there are many foolish tradesmen." It would be quite as just to say " There are no distinguished professions, but there are many distinguished professors." Let the agriculturist place himself by his education, information, and talents on the level with the manufacturer, and no one will dream of refusing him that consideration to which his personal qualities give him a claim. This is the place to reply to a question — Admitting that a man endowed with intelligence and talents addicts him- self to agriculture, will he find that employment the means of sustaining his personal qualities ? It must be acknowledged that in this respect the agri - culturist labours under difficulties. These are inherent: not in his occupation, but in the locality in which it must be followed. If the agriculturist wished to seek the society of cities, he would meet with a material hindrance, similar to that of a metallurgic society. Besides, it is his own fault, if, when he neglects the duties of his profession to 516 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE, addict himself to other matters, he experiences the fate of all persons who neglect their proper business. Each must regulate his manner of living according to his professional occupations, and in accordance with the place where he dwells. In the meanwhile it is right to state, that if the advantages are in default, the blame mu3t be thrown, not upon the profession he has chosen, but upon his manner of conducting it ; and there is no reason why he should not procure for himself by means of the profits he would realize, the same enjoyments as every other manufacturer removed from cities by the nature of his occupation. Let us again resume the case of two farms— the one of ten, the other of one hundred hectares. If a farmer who cultivates ten hectares can gain wherewith to supply the strict wants of his family ; if he can even, as we see many do, fatten his cattle and realize sayings, clearly he who cultivates a hundred hectares ought to realize profits sufficient to render it unnecessary to inflict upon himself the proverbial parsimony of the small farmers. According to the calculation of a Ghentish cultivator, M. Delaruye, a hectare of land, producing alternately potatoes, wheat, rye, turnips, oats, trefoil, rye and turnips, yield a gross profit averaging 530 francs per annum. If we estimate the articles at the price of the day ( February, 1857), the average would be only 330 francs— say, for 100 hectares 33,000 francs, from which it is necessary to deduct the rent, taxes, and interest of floating capital. These amount to 16,000 francs, leaving still a balance of 17,000 francs. It will be said to us, " All this is very fine in theory, but in practice these profits are not realized." Well, this is not a question of theory, for the scale of profits is taken from a work entitled " Het Pachtersrigt," written by a farmer who has realized it upon the land he cultivates, and who for a series of years has been constantly called in to arbitrate in cases of disputes between agriculturists. It may be objected to us that this refers to exceptional land ; but M. Delaruye speaks of eandy soils— of those lands called by geographers "arid a7id sandy plains," and which require mauuring every year. A more valid objection will be raised— that it refers to land situated in the neighbourhood of a large town, and that, far from the great centres of population, there exist lands incomparably better which yield much less profit. But it may justly be said that wheat, rye, and oats have, with very few exceptions, the same value in all localities of the country on account of the facility of communication ; and the same may be said of the butter and meat produced by the potatoes, turnips, and trefoil. The differences in price, as well for the manure as for the products, if they exist, are compensated for in the price of hand-labour and rent. But it is true that all localities have not equally availed themselves of the advantages offered to them, and that cultivation is far from being everywhere so advanced as in the neighbourhood of the large towns. On the other hand, it is proper also to observe that these calculations refer to the most simple and common course of husbandry. The distribution of crops given above, accord- ing to M. Delaruye, has been practised for a very longtime in a great part of the kingdom ; but it is no longer in ac- cordance either with the requirements of the consumption or with the progress of agricultural science. The gentle- man faryner will avoid it : under his management the land yields richer harvests. Thanks to higJi farming: if he cultivates wheat he obtains 43 hectolitres per hectare,* instead of 27,+ as M. Delargne admits ; and he much prefers producing green crops, by which he so greatly increases the produce, that it would be rash to think of estimating where its progress will stop. With those who have kept pace with the innovations introduced by improved cultivation, or high farming, the treatment of the soil is on the eve of undergoing a total transformation by inveatiug in it immense capitals, in order to increase its productiveness for the promotion of the well- being of all as, well as for those whose intelligence has effected it, and for whom it will provide profits and honours. Already the improved culture yields profits incomparably greater than the ancient methods. It is the only principle that men of talent and information can adopt : and who will predict what it will one day realize in their hands ? REPEAL OF THE HOP EXCISE DUTY. GREAT MEETING AT TUNBRIDGE WELLS. A very numerous and influential meeting of hop-planters and others interested in the cultivation of hops, was held in the large room of the Sussex Hotel, Tunbridge Wells, on Friday, 5th Nov., " for the purpose of taking active and im- mediate measures for promoting the freedom of the planter, by the repeal of the excise duty on hops." Tunbridge Wells had been fixed upon for the place of meeting, as mu- tually a most convenient rendezvous for the planters of both Kent and Sussex, who were earnestly urged to make a point of attending. As regards the former, however, it unfortunately happened that no less than three as^ricultural associations met on the same day. Two o'clock was the hour appointed for the meeting ; but for some time previous it became evident, from the bustle in front of the hotel, and at adjacent inns, that there would be a very large assembly of gentlemen interested in the cultivation of the hop-plant. The proceedings were commenced shortly after two, when, according to the calculation of persona experienced in the numbers of public meetings, there would be very few short of five hundred present. Upon and near to the platform were the Hon. H. Brand, M.P., J. G. Dodson, Esq., M.P., Mr. Moses Body (Chairman of the Hop Excise Duty Re- peal Associatioa) ; Mr. Henry Snelling, Alton, Hants ; Mr. Berry, Canterbury; Mr. Overy, Whatlington, near Battle; Mr. Monckton, East Peckham ; Rev. J. Foley, Vicar of Wadhurst ; Mr. J. W. Roper, Frant ; Mr. T. Bar- ton, AVadhurst; Mr. Henry Hic1 was potatoes and wheat, the wheat this year growing where the potatoes had been last year. The seed was all dibbled in with Sigma's Corn Planter, which deposits the seed at nine inches apart ; the corn now stands nearly seven feet high, and is a very heavy crop ; the length and weight of the ear is sur- prising— they average from 8 to 9 inches in length, and each ear has from 28 to 32 rows of spikelets, each spikelet having three or four grains in the row ; but what struck us with most surprise was the immense number of ears from each grain that had been sown ; the clumps of corn growing from one setting were almost sheaves ; we counted several of them, and found from 40 to 60 ears of corn growing together from one setting, and we learned that some were found to have 72 ears. It may have been that in the planting more than one grain got into each hole ; but even if there did, the armful of stalks now growing is surprising; and if the average yield of each head is 80 grains, which is far under the mark, and the number of stalks growing together is 40, which is also below the average, we have the enormous yield of 3,200 fold. Looking over this plot at a distance, or from the top of the fence, it has the appearance of a very heavj' crop ; and yet all the seed that was put into it — which, in consequence of the interlineation with the potatoes, may be called a ^ plantation acre — was four pounds. We also examined another half acre not interlined, sown afier, which received ISlbs. 4oz,, and a third piece later still, which was planted with ISlbs. 12oz. ; another acre sown in December got 361bs. seed, as Sigma recommends the quan- tity to be increased as the season advances. All these pieces are remarkably heavy crop?, and if the season is favourable, and that the yield is equal to that of last year, there will be 18 to 20 barrels to the plantation acre. We brought away as specimens a couple of ears of this Giant Wheat, and they may be seen at our office by the curious in such raatters. — Wcder- ford Mail, THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. )35 AGRICULTURAL REPORTS. GENERAL AGRICULTURAL REPORT FOR NOVEMBER. Notwithstanding the scarcity of water experienced in several parts of England during the last three months, no serious complaints have come to hand to the effect that out- door farm labours are to say backward. However, for some time past, the land has worked otherwise than kindly, and we may safely state that the present has been anything but a fine season for wheat-sowing ; nevertheless, in most of our principal counties, the young wheats are looking strong and healthy. The turnip and beet crops, owing to the absence of adequate supplies of moisture, are turning out somewhat deficient, both in weight and quality. This deficiency will, eventually, prove a serious matter to those of our graziers in the midland and eastern districts, more especially as they have much less hay in stack than in the ordinary run of years. Food is, therefore, likely to rule high in price, and enhanced quotations must lead to large purchases of hay in distant quarters, to ensure a full average supply for both beasts and sheep during the winter months. There has been rather a better feeling in the wheat trade than in the previous month. Prices, however, have not advanced ; and there has been no disposition shown on the part of the millers to get into stock. As we are now arriving at that period of the year during which transactions are restricted, we can hardly anticipate any important move- ment until after Christmas. Even then, we may not see prices much above their present level, for reasons already alluded to ; and every one must admit that we have still a large quantity of last year's wheat on hand, and that only moderate supplies of the new crop have passed into con- sumption. Spring corn still maintains its price remarkably well, although the importations from abroad have been on a liberal scale, and although the demand for grain spirit for shipment to the continent has now become trifling, when compared with many previous j'ears. The quantity of really fine barley grown in this country, this season, is unusually small, and the importations have been mostly inferior ; so that good parcels will, no doubt, continue to realize extreme— possibly, very high — quotations. The French Government have recently issued a decree compelling the bakers in all the towns and cities of France, of a certain degree of importance, to lay in a stock of flour for three months ! It really does appear a most arbitrary act on the part of any Government to interfere with the just privileges of the bakers; in other words, this measure seems to us the working up of a little political capital at other people's expense. The object sought to be attained will assuredly fail ; but, no doubt, the eff"ects of the decree will be narrowly watched by those engaged in the corn trade in this country. The potato crop, both in the United Kingdom and on the continent, has turned out much larger aud of finer quality than was at one time anticipated. The metropolitan and other markets have been abundantly supplied with all kinds of potatoes, the prices of which have ruled from GOs. to 95s. per ton. From abroad about 1,800 tons have arrived in Lon- don, iu fair condition. The low price of brea j has operated against the potato trade, which is likely to rule heavy for some time, more especially as there is now more than usual competition between the growers than iu some former seasons, arising from the increase in railway communication, and the low charges of the various companies for carrying produce to London. The demand for both hay and straw in the metropolitan markets has been far from active. Meadow hay has sold at from £3 to £4 10s., clover hay £3 ISs. to £5 Ss., and straw £1 5s. to £1 lOs. per load. The public sales of colonial wool have progressed with re- markable evenness. They opened at an advance in prices of Id. to 2d. per lb., and that improvement has since been main- tained, although the purchases for export to the continent have been on a very moderate scale. English wool has slightly advanced iu price, and the stocks in the hands of the manu- facturers are still hmited. The quantities of hops, both new aud old, now on baud, are unusually large. Fine samples have mostly sold at full quo- tations ; but inferior qualities have met a dull inquiry, and prices have shown a drooping tendency. In Ireland and Scotland wheat, barley, and oats have been in fair request, at full currencies. Oiher produce, however, has met an inactive inquiry, ou former terms. The shipments of produce to England have not increased; and the farmers, almost generally, have shown no disposition to force the markets. REVIEW OF THE CATTLE TRADE DURING THE PAST MONTH. Most of the cattle markets held during the month just con- cluded have been seasonably well supplied with beasts as to number, but their general weight and condition have exhibited a great deficiency, when compared with many previous corre- sponding periods of the year. For prime stocks, therefore, there has been a fair demand at full prices to a slight advance, but inferior breeds have changed hands slowly, at low curren- cies. As regards sheep, we may observe that little or no fm- provement has been observed in them, that their numbers have continued moderate, and that sales have progressed slowly, at further depressed rates. Other stock has commanded very little attention. The comparative inactivity in the trade in the Metropolitan Market must be chiefly attributed to the im- mense quantities of slaughtered meat forwarded both from Scotland and various parts of England to Newgate and Leaden- hall, which marketj have been completely glutted with pork. The great abundance of the latter has taken not a few persona with surprise ; but we must bear in mind that for many years past pigs have been selling at very high rates, and that the numbers, under the influence of remunerative quotations, have rapidly increased. These remarks apply not only to England, but likewise to Ireland and Scotland. The great increase iu the supplies, aud the high value of the inferior kinds of food, have led to increased slaughtering ; but whether such a course is a prudent one time alone will determine. Our impression is that we shall have much firmer markets for both beasts and sheep next year, and that prices wiil rule higher tban they now are. It roust, however, be understood that these remarks 0 O 536 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. refer more particularly to second and third rate stock, which for many months past have yielded scarcely any profit to the graziers, whose outgoings for food have been a most serious item in their expenditure, arising from the waut of adequate supplies of moisture during the past four months in not a few of our grazing districts. Again, the same state of things has prevailed in the North of Europe, from whence we have im- ported much larger supplies of stock than we had any reason to anticipate, and such is the scarcity of food in that portion of the continent that large imports of hay have been found necessary. Rather, however, than run the risk of feeding at high prices, many of the graziers have disposed of most of their stock, even at a considerable sacrifice, and hence we assume that our arrivals from abroad next year will be small, and that consequently they will have a less governing influence upon the quotations. This, of course, is a matter of no ordinary importance both to the breeders and feeders in this country. The latter important body of men may be in- duced to purchase store auimals at almost any price, and they may perhaps conclude that the available supply of stock in the United Kingdom is by no means equal to our wants. Too frequently, however, information on this important matter is extremely fallacious, and it invariably happens that stock under the inflaence of high quotations is drawn from quarters whence little was anticipated. Take for instance Ireland at this moment : our imports still continue very large, and the defi- ciency in the weight of the importations from Holland, &c., has been more than made good by the Irish graziers. When we consider that there is plenty of food in the sister country, and that stock is abundant, notwithstanding heavy exports, great care should be exercised in buying lean stock at very high quotations. Although the trade in butchers' meat in Paris has now been thrown open for some months, and although fat stock has fallen in some departments, the prices of meat in that city still continue very high — the difference between the live animal and the carcase being from 30 to 40 per cent. The absurd scheme, therefore, on the part of the authorities, to regulate the value of any particular article, is in this instance a complete failure. But why should so important a trade be interfered with at all? What, in point of fact, can bring down prices to their natural level but wholesome competition ? The imports of foreign stock into London, during the month, have been as follows — ■ Beasts 4,787 head. Sheep 18,253 „ Lambs 51 „ Calves 1,174 „ Pigs 15G „ Total 24,421 At least three- fourths of the above supplies have come to hand in miserably poor condition, and have, consequently, sold at low currencies. Had food been abundant in the North of Europe, our arrivals would have been on a much less extensive scale. As it is, they have added very little to the supply of food in the metropolis. Imports at Corresponding Pxbiods. Nov. Beasts. Sheep. Calves. Pigs. 1857 4,409 12,830 2,687 136 1856 6,102 10,380 1,152 309 1855 7,367 17,094 1,127 454 1854 7,120 16,604 1,108 369 1853 7,390 22,565 1,629 919 1852 3,102 18,152 1,215 427 The total supplies of stock exhibited in the Great Metro- politan Cattle Market are as under — Beasts 24,856 head. Cows 534 „ Sheep 114,643 „ Calves 1,437 „ Pigs 2,970 „ Comparison of Supplies. Nov. Beasts. Cows. Sheep. Calves. Pigs. 1857 25,383 505 103,120 3,002 .3,067 1856 24,711 457 97,460 1,585 3,535 1855 25,444 515 105,750 2,096 3,415 1854 23,442 512 121,031 1,848 2,726 1853 25,760 562 127,150 2,615 2,790 1852 23,583 485 115,770 1,718 3,210 Since our last, about 13,000 beasts have come to hand from Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, and Northamptonshire, 2,200 from other parts of England, 450 from Scotland, and 3,820 from Ireland. Prices have ruled as follows : Beef, from 2s. 8d. to 4s. lOd. ; Mutton, 2s. 8d.to 5s. ; Veal, 3s- 4d. to 5s. ; Pork, 23. lOd. to 43. 2d. per 81bs., to sink the offal. Comparison of Prices. Nov., 1857. Nov., 1856. Nov., 1855. s. d. s d. 8. d. s. d. s. d. s. d. Beef, from ..3 0 to 4 10 2 8 to 4 10 3 4 to 5 2 Mutton ....3 0 — 5 4 3 2 — 5 2 3 4—5 2 Veal 3 10 — 5 4 3 8 — 5 4 3 6—54 Pork 4 0—5 2 3 6 — 5 4 3 6—50 Newgate and Leadenhall markets have been heavily supplied with country-killed meat, especially pork. The trade has continued heavy, and prices almost generally have ruled low. AGEICULTURAL INTELLIGENCE, FAIRS, &c. ANDOVER SHEEP FAIR. — The number of sheep offered for sale was much below the usual average, being under 2,000 : so short a supply has not been witnessed for 40 years past. The attendance of dealers was also short, probably owing to another similar fan: being held at Ilsley on the same day Business commenced with good spirit early in the morn- ing, and sales were effected at satisfactory prices, more par- ticularly for first quality lambs, which were in great request. At the close of the fair very few sheep remained unsold. The prices obtained were about as under :— Ewes 288. to 448. ; wethers, 34s. to 50s. ; lambs, 28s, to 44s, Some superior lambs obtained higher prices. There was a large number of Shorthorns, Devons, Herefords, Welsh and Irish beasts, with some fine home-bred cows and Alderneys. Trade improved. Sales easily effected at rather more money. Best stores, three years old, £13 to £15 per head; small ditto, £10 to £11 ; Shorthorn cows, Down calving, £18 to £20; moderate ditto, £14 to £16 ; heifers, from £10 to £16 each ; fat beasts, from 73, to 83. per stone of 141bs. Of light and heavy horses there was a good supply, the trade for which was also better than at other fairs. Some fine heavy agricultural, warranted from four to six years old, were in good demand, at prices from £30 up THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 537 to £45 each. Inferior and aged animala were not so much in demand, but riding and driving horses of superior shape and breed were sold at good remunerative figures. Ponies, Welsh and Shetland, found a fair sale at from £6 to £12. AUCHTERGAVEN MARTINMAS MARKET.— The day was fine, and the attendance good. There were present from 100 to 150 beasts on the stance, which were all sold in the forenoon. One-year-olds sold at from £4 to £7, and two- year-olds from £8 to £12. There were a few milkers, but in- ferior in quality, which sold at from £8 to £10. Fat beasts brought about Bs. per stone, and sheep from lOs. to I63. per head. The market was generally very brisk. BANBURY FAIR.— There was a good supply both of beasts and sheep ; the best qualities went off tolerably brisk, the inferior, however, hanging on hand. Beef made from Ss. to 4a. per 81bs., and mutton from Ss. Sd.to 4a. 6d. Some of the best lots, both of beasts and sheep, were aa uaual bought by the London and Birmingham dealers. BEVERLEY FORTNIGHT FAIR.- We had a small sup- ply of cattle, but a fair number of sheep. Prices were rather higher than last market. CALLINGTON FAIR was pretty well stocked with most descriptions of cattle and sheep. The demand was not brisk, but towards the middle of the day a good many changed hands. Fat cattle realized from 56s. to 608., store cattle from 358. to 40s., cows and calves about 453. to 50s. per cwt. ; fat sheep 6d. per lb. CARMARTHEN FAIR was held last Monday and Tues- day, and is considered the principal fair of South Wales, the attendance being great. In the hiring fair, farm-ser- vants were very scarce, and obtained a great advance on last year's wages : males obtained from £8 to £16, and females from £4 to £8 per annum. The weather being very inclement the supply of stock was not so large as we have seen in former years, but the quality was good. The attendance of buyers for the English fairs was very large, several having disposed of their lots at Kingston fair on Saturday, and had returned. All kinds of store cattle sold slowly at the reduced prices of fairs for the last few weeks, but the average prices of two-year-old steers were from £4 to £9 a head. Fat beasts were scarce, with a dull demand at from 4Jd. to 7d. per lb., in proportion as they were suitable for the butcher. Cows with calves were few, and prices reduced. There was a large show of very infe- rior horses and colts ; the sales effected but limited, at a de- cline in prices. There was a large number of sheep penned, but the business was very dull, and only prime animals sold : store kinds were neglected. The pig fair was well supplied, and fat pigs sold slowly at from 7s. 6d. to 8s. 6d. per score ; lean stores and small pigs were nearly unsaleable. CASTLE-DOUGLAS HORSE FAIR.— There was an ave- rage show of horaes, but the draught animala were limited. There were a number of west country dealers present ; the de- mand was not brisk, however, and the market was slow and dull, except for superior animala. Prices were rather under those current at the Dumfries September fair. DONCASTER FAIR.— The show of stock was immense- much more than was ever seen on any similar occasion in Doncaster. This large supply no doubt may to some extent be attributed to the serious deficiency in many parts of the turnip crop, farmers being compelled to be sellers from want of winter keep. As might be reasonably expected, the supply considerably exceeded the demand, which caused inferior and poor beasts to be offered at a reduction in value. A large number remained unsold at the close of the fair. Fresh and well-bred stock found customers at quite as high prices as sellers anticipated. There were few fat beasts, and of prime descriptions not any that we are aware of, the top price being 6s. 9d. per stone. Newly-calved cows in abundance, and for all but the best descriptions a slow aale. A poor show of sheep, especially of hogs, with little trade at late current rates. The highest price realized for hogs we believe was 283. The horse fair was of the accustomed character, although there were customers for fiist-clasa animals if they had been on offer. DUNSE FAIR.— The supply of cattle was fully an average one. The prices obtained for etirks were from £5 to £10, according to quality. Two-year-old cattle sold at from £11 to £14; and fat cattle at from 73. to 73. 9d. per stone. There was a middling show of cows, which were selling at from £7 to £12, The snpply of sheep was smaller than usual, and hoggs brought from 12s. 6d. to 10s. 6d.; mutton, G^d. to 7d. per lb. The show of horses was lai-ge, but principally of an inferior description, and the demand was limited. EAST ILSLEY FAIR.— The supply of sheep was very short. Lambs sold at from 2s. to 3s. per head dearer than last month. Ewes and sheep about the same. FARNHAM FAIR.— The cattle and stock were of a very ordinary description, and quality, generally, and few buyers presented themselves. In consequence of which a very dull fair was the result. The little business transacted in the fat stock fetched the following prices : — Mutton, 43. Gd.to53.6d. Beef about a crown. Store pigs cheap. Horses very inferior ; fe\v changed hands. GLOUCESTER MONTHLY MARKET.— The quan- tity of stock on sale was unusually large, but trade dull ; consequently prices had a downward tendency. Sheep from Gd. to 7d. ; beef, 6d. to C|d. per lb. ; pigs, Us. to iis. 6d. per score KNIGHTON FAIR.— The supply of stock was not large, and the prices were, if anything, better than at neigh- bouring fairs. To quote the words of a farmer, " the price to-day is not much the matter with." Beef was worth from 5.^d. to 6|d. ; mutton, Gd. to GJd. ; bacon pigs, 4^d. to 4^d. per lb. lii the horse fair trade was heavy. Good first-class horses are, however, worth good prices still ; little, if any, depression having been felt in the demand for that class of horses. LAUNCESTON FAIR was well attended by farmers and dealers, and there was a good supply of useful beasts. The sale was excessively dull at declining prices, and a vast number left the fair unsold. There were some splendid animals shown as Christmas beef, and most of them sold at £3 10s, per cwt. It was not a large supply of sheep, which changed hands at Gd. per lb. York wool in demand at Is. per lb. LLANDOVERY FAIR.— Live stock suffered a considera- ble reduction in price, and consequently but little business was transacted. Horces and pigs also were affected by the present depreciation in value. Many of the farmers are ap- prehensive that their good times are passing away. MUIR OF ORD MARKET. — The show of cattle and sheep was far below that of last year in point of numbers, and was very inferior in quality. The cattle on the ground amounted to 964, being about 400 abort of last year ; the sheep amounted to 889, showing about 500 short. Horses and pigs, however, were rather above the corresponding mar- ket of last year. For all kinds of stock there was almost no demand, and what little was sold was at greatly reduced prices. Very few southern dealers were present. RUGBY HORSE FAIR.— Best carriage horses and good hunters were sought after, and brought high prices. Work- ing dray horses were lower than last year ; as were unbroken cart colts. Fillies were neglected, and those disposed of did not fetch remunerating prices. SALISBURY, (Thursday last.) — The supply was large, both of Beasts and Sheep, and the best were quickly disposed of, but generally the trade ruled dull, though prices were a trifle lower. Best Oxen realized lis. to 128.; Heifers, IO3. to lis. ; Mutton, 7d. to 7|d. per lb. Downs were scarce. WELLINGTON FAIR.— There was an aterage supply of stock, but, on the whole, very flat. Beef averaged about 6d. ; mutton, from Q^d. to 7d. per lb. YORK FAIR was numerously attended. Grazing stock had a decidedly downward tendency ; the horses shown, which were of a fair quality, for saddle, harness, or carting purposes, found buyers at a downward figure. YEOVIL FAIR was largely attended, and well supplied with stock, but the trade was very dull. Horned stock was plentiful, but very rough ; the best beef fetched lis. About 5,000 sheep were penned, but business very dull. The highest price was made by the horn sheep of Mr. Hussey, of Ilchester, which fetched 48», ahead. The best down ewes 363. to 378. Horses a poor sale. IRISH FAIRS.— DuNDALK : There was little or no prime beef. The very best quoted from 5^. to 5|d. per lb. m sink ; second quality, 45s. to 47s. 6d. ; inferior, 40s. per cwt. Mid- dling beef, fit for turnip feeding, may be noted at 4|d. per lb. The supply of sheep was inconsiderable. The buying was 0 0 2 638 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. hardly tolerable, except where victuallers bought for home consumption. Wedder (of which there was little) may be noted from 5^d. to 6d. per lb. A number of lots of ewes were bought early. A great number of heavy swine were sold. Bacon was two gnineas to 453. per cwt. in the range. Stores sold well ; suckers were very high. For the smallest 258. a couple was asked, but might be had at \l. Is. as the lowest figure. REVIEW OE THE CORN TRADE DURING THE PAST MONTH. The past month has almost been favourable be- yond precedent for clearing the land, and getting in the autumnal sowing, sufficient rain having fallen to work the surface; but the want of keep for cattle, and the deficiency of soft as well as spring water, have been some abatement in the account. The early sown wheat was getting rather too for- ward, but the frosty nights and some severely cold days have served as salutary checks. As respects prices, markets have still been on the decline moderately, say about Is. per qr. ; but they have closed with more tone, and the turn affairs have taken in France seems calculated at least to prevent the rates from going down further. The Imperial Government, which for a long time has interfered with commerce, has at last issued a decree ordering the bakers of about l6l principal towns to lay in a three months' store of reserves, either in grain or flour, as may be in future deter- mined. This is, in other words, according to care- ful calculation, nothing more or less than an order to lay up three months' demand for about eight millions of people, as the towns specified contain a population of about that number; without, how- ever, putting an equal pressure on the farmers to bring out the quantity required, as well as providing the necessary capital and storage room, immense difficulties appear in the plan. But doubtless some kind of attempt will be made; and this measure has already had the effect to raise the price of wheat in France about Is. 6d. per qr., though English markets have been comparatively un- influenced. A month is indeed given to the prefects of departments to confer with the municipalities to devise means for the execution of the decree; but this, we prognosticate, will show the impossiblity of its being fully carried out. By the admission of the Government, last year's crop is only an average one, and therefore not enough for the country without foreign help ; and 1857, with all its plenty, is not likely to have left so great a surplus. But this, we think, is a case illustrating the desirableness of general statistics ; and should the continental nations and our own country ascertain their stores, we believe it will turn out that the whole world is not in a condition to meet so heavy a claim, if it became universal ; nevertheless, we find Sardinia following the example of France. Other countries have found the corn trade dull, but lately Belgium and Holland have shown better prices with more demand. The following prices show the state of foreign markets : At Paris fine wheat was worth 40s. to 41s., Picardy wheat 38s. per qr,, native white wheat at Antwerp 42s., new red Louvain45s., Amsterdam top quotation was 54s. for fine Polish, Hambro' prices ranged from 41s. to 46s., red at Stettin 43s. Gd., high mixed at Danzic 48s. to 50s., Konigsberg 47s. 6d., BerUn 48s. 6d. Though trade at Odessa had been very dull, with supplies increasing, there was not yet a proportionate reduction in prices, from the failure in several Russian governments, and in Poland Polish was still held at 39s., and but little of this sort arrived; Ghirka 36s. 9d.; Ber- dianski was quiet, with 39s. 6d. quoted for soft wheat; Taganrog price was 31s. 9d. The new wheat at Galatz was light, 571bs. per bush, being only worth 24s. 6 J. free onboard. At Alexandria, for December delivery, the weak foul wheat of Saidi was quoted IBs. 3d.; much below beans. Smyrna having suffered by drought, was high priced, viz., 49s. 6d. ; fair quality red at Trieste was held at 43s. 6d. At Algiers both hard and soft wheats were worth 45s., there being a demand for Spain. Red Genesee at New York was quoted 3Ss. 9d. per qr., and white Kentucky as high as 49s. per qr. ; notwithstanding increasing supplies, the bulk was very inferior. The first Monday in London commenced with fair supplies of wheat, both English and foreign. From Kent and Essex the morning's show was rather below an average ; but the market opened very dull, and a dense fog prevailing till late, scarcely any business could be effected, and that only at a reduction of Is. to 2s. per qr. on English samples. Foreign factors not being disposed to give way to this extent, there was very little trade, and that in buyer's favour. Very many markets in the country fully responded to the London report, as Hull, Boston, Spalding, Bury St. Edmunds, Colchester, Gloucester, and Ports- mouth; but Leeds, Birmingham, Bristol, and several other towns were only ) s. per qr. lower. ;THE FARMER'S MAGx\ZINE. 539 and a few places were unaltered. Liverpool was 2d. per bush, cheaper on Tuesday for all but the finest qualities ; and on Friday, with a thin attend- ance, the trade was worse, and prices irregular, new French samples being 2d. to 3d. per 70lbs. down. The second Monday was rather better supplied, there being a large arrival of Russian wheat from Cronstadt. Kent and Essex, however, sent but few samples, and the tone of the market was improved, the sale of white English wheat being much more free, but not at higher rates. The same improved feeling was evinced in the foreign trade, which was firm for all sorts. The country reports were nearly all improved; Boston, Lynn, and Newbury to the extent of Is. per qr., and Spalding Is. to 2s. Generally there was only a more ready sale, but in a few instances the previous dulness obtained, Rochdale being Is. per qr. cheaper. Liverpool, on Tuesday, found better demand, at unaltered quo- tations ; Friday's market was less active, without change of rates. The third Monday commenced with smaller supplies from abroad and at home, though the number of samples from the near counties was rather increased. Millers, notwithstanding the lower rates of town-made flour were more ready buyers, and the samples of good quality went oft' smartly. There was also a fair business in foreign chiefly in middling qualities of Russian, at fully the rates of the previous week. The country markets generally were unaltered, and agreed with the London advices ; but some were dull, Birmingham and St. Ives being Is. per qr. cheaper; while, on the contrary, Stockton, Barns- ley, Bristol, and Spalding, with a few others, ad- vanced Is. per qr. Liverpool, on Tuesday, was dull, but without change, and the Friday's report there, as well as that of the metropolis, left quota- tions as at the beginning of the week. The fourth Monday was but moderately supplied from abroad, and the samples sent up from Kent and Essex were only few in number. The influence of the French decree was hardly perceptible ; but the scantiness of the supply, and firmness on the part of the country markets, produced more con- fidence, and millers nearly cleared the stands of English qualities at fully the prices of the pre- vious week. Friday's market in London was very dull, in consequence of the sudden change to mild weather. The previous advices from the country were firm. The imports into London for the four weeks have been as follows, viz., of English 26,323 qrs., of foreign 49,281 qrs., giving a weekly average of 18,901 qrs. against 19,487 qrs. for the previous month. The imports for the last four weeks, ending November loth, into the principal ports of Great Britain, in wheat and flour, have been equal to 231,195 qrs. against 210,814 qrs. for the four weeks previous. The last four weeks' sales were 433,941 qrs. against 388,631 qrs. the same time last year, showing an increase of 45,310 qrs. The course of the flour trade, like that of wheat, has been downwards as respects prices. The first Monday, with the best supply, noted a fall of 3s. per sack in town-made flour and Is. in Norfolk and country qualities — making the top price of the former 40s. per sack and the latter 29s. The successive weeks were not characterized by any peculiar features, the rates being pretty steady ; but low American samples out of condition have been quite unsaleable, and the best qualities being worth more at New York than in the London market, there is no inducement to ship them. Extra Southern in that place was quoted 7 d. 50 c. per brl. and Mis- souri 8 d. per brl.— equal, respectively, to 45s. and 47s. per Enghsh sack, to which must be added freight,iinsurance,duty, landing charges, and factor's commission. The four marks at Paris were quoted 31s. 6d. per sack : worth 35s. per sack here, duty paid. The imports in four weeks have been from the country 73,823 sacks, in foreign 8,045 sacks 2,156 brls., against 66,945 sacks Enghsh, 2,308 sacks 4,402 brls. foreign last month. The four weeks' exports in wheat and flour were only 420 qrs. wheat and 473 cwt. flour. Barley in the course of four weeks has little altered as respects the finest malting descriptions, which have been very sparingly sent to the London market, and have therefore kept their value ; but with a large influx from the Baltic and Black Sea, middling sorts have declined in value about 2s. per qr., there having been a less free sale of the lowest grinding descriptions. Since the decline in oats 53lbs. barley has been selling at 27s. 6d. per qr., and this has brought more inquiry from the country, but there has been no speculative demand for large quantities. Still, the comparatively high prices of beans and peas seem a security against much farther decline, and with an early closing of the Baltic, there may be some improvement, and farmers have the malting trade in their own hands, as foreign sources almost entirely fail. The im- ports into London for four weeks have been 14,328 qrs. English, and 40, 146 qrs. foreign; giving an aver- age v/eekly supply of 13,618 qrs., against 20,079 qrs. last month. The oat trade has experienced considerable fluctuations owing to the unprecedentedly large foreign supplies, the balance against prices being about Is. per qr. The first Monday evinced some reaction from the heavy decline of the week pre- vious, and the rates were quoted 6d. to Is. per qr. improved, but the second Monday lost this ad- 540 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. vance, and the third .brought the range of prices below what had been experienced for a long time past, the fall being a further Is. per qr. The fourth Monday with a moderate supply showed some improvement, sales being made slowly at 6d. per qr, advance. This again was lost at the week's close. The four weeks' imports into London have been 2,846 qrs. English, 4,4/0 qrs. Scotch, 11,325 qrs. Irish, and 236,353 qrs. foreign: in all 254,994 qrs., giving a weekly average of 63,748 qrs., after a weekly supply last month of 66,198 qrs., and 48,501 qrs. weekly for the month before that. The exports have lately increased, the last four weeks amounting to 7,192 qrs. Dealers are all well in stock, and the successive heavy arrivals have compelled factors to send the surplus to store, so that the market will be com- paratively independent for some time should Baltic supplies diminish ; but we cannot help thinking that as the winter deepens they must partly rally, navigation being closed at St. Petersburg and other places. Of beans there have been no heavy supplies either of home growth or foreign, yet the state of trade has been excessively dull, and rather against sellers, but the difference in fine old English is hardly quotable : they are getting scarce, and will probably continue dear ; but inferior parcels are interfered with by Egyptian and the low rates of barley. The quantities received in London in four weeks have been of native sorts 2,326 qrs., of foreign 5,642 qrs., making the weekly supply 1,992 qrs., against 4,011 qrs. last month. Sup- plies for the future from Alexandria are expected to fall oflf, the stocks being much reduced and crop light. Peas have been equally dull with beans, notwith- standing the deficiency of the crop. The supplies though only moderate have met but a languid de- mand, wheat itself having been a cheaper food for cattle than maple or dun peas, while boilers have hardly come into season, and shipments of foreign have been too early for the demand. Maples have become difficult to procure at any price, 468. to 48s. having been paid for them; but duns have fallen to 40s., and boilers only bring 42s. per qr. : for these latter there seems a good prospect of im- provement, especially should the weather prove sharp and long. The arrivals in London in four weeks of all kinds were 2,763 qrs. home grown and 3,969 qrs. foreign, against 2,144 qrs. Enghsh and 10,029 qrs. foreign last month. Linseed till lately has been but in moderate sup- ply, and the foreign demand continuing, prices have been about maintained, notwithstanding their high range. Cakes have rather given way, being too dear to use very freely for cattle. The receipts in four weeks were 33,216 qrs., and the exports 3,275 qrs. The seed trade has scarcely witnessed any change. Foreign oflfers of new red cloverseed have been continually made, but Belgian and German are far too high (viz., 57s. to 60s. per cwt.) for this market. Bordeaux has been offered at 52s. per cwt. free on board, a price which will probably be freely paid as the season wears ; but dealers found the disadvantage of early purchases last year, and remain content to wait on their small stocks till the English crop is partly thrashed. Trefoil has been steady, and canary become settled at 78s. to 80s. French winter tares hang on hand at 10s. per bush. Some new Hambro' spring have appeared, and are held high, the crop being bad abroad. Hempseed, rapeseed, coriander, and carraway remain much as last month. CURRENCY PER IMPERIAL MEASURE. Shillings per Quarter. Wheat, Essex and Kent, white 39 to 47 ...... new.. 40to47 ,, red. .37 to 43 ....« new.. S8 43 Norfolk, Lino. and TorkB., red 39 42 .... new.. 39 43 BAEtET, malting, new — to 35 Chovalier,new 38 43 Grinding, new ..26 29 Distilling 29 30 Malt, Essex, Norfolk, and Suffolk ....58 66 fine 69 72 Kingston, Ware, and town made .. 58 66 ,, 69 72 Brown 54 66 — — Rye new— — 30 36 OATB, English, feed 20 25 Potato.... » 26 32 Scotch, feed 20 25 27,. Potato 26 31 Irish, feed, white 20 23 fine 25 29 Ditto, hlaok 19 21 ,, — 22 Beans, Mazagan., .36 37 Ticks 36 38 Harrow 37 40 Pigeon 40 45 Peas, new, white boilers40 42.. Maple 42 44.. Grey 39 40 FLOUE,per8ackof2801bs., Town, Households 35s., fine 37 40 Country 29 31 Households.. 31 34 Norfolk and Suffolk, ex-ship „., 283. 29s. 6d. FOREIGN GRAIN. Shilling! per Quarter. WHEAT.Dantzle, mixed 46 — high do. — 49 extra — 61 Konigsberg ,.40 46 ,, — — — — Rostock .45 — fine 46 old 48 — — American, white ..43 49 red.... 42 45 — — Pomera.,Meckbg.,&Uckermrk,red42 45 — — Silesian.red A'i 44 white ...... 43 46 Danish and Holstein 40 43 Russian, hard 39 40 .. French. „42 43 white 42 44 St. Petersburg and Riga a 40 42 Rhine and Belgium , — 46 Bablet, grinding...... 21 26 Distilling.... 28 30 Oats, Dutch, brew, and Polands 21 27 Feed..' 20 23 Danish and Swedish, feed ...19 23 Stralsund.... 21 24 Russian , 19 21 Beans, Friesland and Holstein., 34 37 Konigsberg 34 37 Egyptian.... S3 34 Peas, feeding .....39 40 fine boilers.. 40 42 Indian Corn, white 32 33 yellow 30 32 Flour, per sack French 33 35 Spanish ..„ — — American.per barrel, sour ..19 21 sweet....... 24 26 COMPARATIVE AVERAGES— 1858-57. Fromlast Friday's (?««. s. d. Wheat 99,283 qrs., 41 10 Barley 86,713 Oats 9,440 Rye 149 Beans, 2,781 Peas...,.,.. 1,070 35 23 31 43 43 From Gazetteof 1857. Wheat.... « 91,010 qrs, ,51 Barley , 81,572 Oats. ....... 13,455 Rye 134 Beans. ....^ 4,911 SlPeas 1,912 FLUCTUATIONS IN THE AVERAGE PRICE of WHEAT. Price. Oct. 9. Oct. 16. Oct. 23. Oct.30. Nov. 6. Nov. 18. 42s. lO'l. 429. 8d. 42s. 4rt. 41s. lOd. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 541 IMPERIAL AVERAGES. Fob the last Six Wheat. Barley. OatB. Rye. Beans PesB. Wbeks: 1 B. d. s. d. 8. d. 8. d. B. d. s. d. Oct. 9, 1858 .,.. 42 8 35 10 23 7 32 7 44 2 44 7 Oct. 16, 1858 .,»«! 42 4 35 9 22 9 32 6 44 7 44 6 Oct. 23, 1858 .... 42 4 35 3 22 10 30 7 43 1 45 5 Oct. 30, 1858 .... 42 10 35 7 23 5 31 0 43 6 45 7 Nov. 6, 1853 ».„i 42 8 35 5 23 0 33 0 42 9 44 4 Nov. 13, 1358 .^..1 41 10 35 5 23 2 31 0 43 4 43 8 Aggregate average! 42 5 35 6 23 2 31 9 43 7 44 8 Sametimelastyear 54 2 42 9 25 6 36 0 45 5 44 4 MONTHLY RETURN. An Account shewing the Quantities of Corn Grain, Meal, and Flouk, imported into the United Kingdom, and admitted to Home Con- sumption, IN the month of October, 1858. Species of Corn, Grain, Meal, and Flour. Wheat Barley Oats Rye Peas Beans Maize or Indian Com Buclc Wheat Beer or Bigg Total of Corn and Grain Wheat Meal and Flour . Barley Meal Oat Meal Rye Meal., Pea Meal Bean Meal ^nn Indian Meal Buck Wheat Meal Imported . ^"^'T-f^y, e ^ f^,„„., from British r2.t ' Possessions Countries. „„( of Europe qrs. bush. 282239 0 168577 246342 20948 17330 36929 252363 210 1024941 4 cwts. qr.lb. 177204 0 0 18 1040 443 2 6 qrs. bush, 3252 6 3 4 4 5 2696 0 254 3 26 2 0 0 Total of Meal and Flour. 178972 2 19 2810 1 0 181782 3 19 5957 6 cwts. qr.lb. 2631 0 0 178**2 0 Total. Qrs. bush. 285491 6 168580 5 246347 0 20948 7 20026 7 36930 0 252363 5 210 4 1030899 2 cwts. qr.lb. 179835 3 0 18 1219 443 2 0 7 7 7 6 0 0 254 3 26 2 0 0 PRICES OF SEEDS. BRITISH SEEDS. Teefoil, new 19s.to2Is. Taees, Winter, new, per bushel 138. to 148. MnsTABDSEED.per bush., new 128. to 148., brown lOs. to 12s. CoBiANDEB,percwt. 14s.to 16s. Oanabt, per qr.^ 76s.to808. Linseed, per qr., sowing — b. to 68s... crushing 60a.to64s. Linseed Cakes, perton.... £9 10s. to £10 lOs. RAP£SEED,per qr 688. to 72s. Rape Cake, per ton £5 108.to£6 Oa. FOREIGN SEEDS, &o. Clotebseed, red — s. to 52s., white 70s. to 858. Teefoil, 17s. to 18s. Heufseed, small, 33s. per qr Dutch — s. to 388. OoEiANDER,per cwt. 16b. to 18s. Cabbawat ,, 42s. to— 8. LiN8EED,per qr., Baltic 563, to 588.... Bombay 60s. to 62s. Linseed Cake, perton £9 10s.to£ll Os. Rapeseed, Dutch 62s. to 668. Rape Cake, perton £5 Os.to £6 Os. HOP MARKET. BOROUGH, Monday, Nov. 22. — Our market continues tolerably firm, with a moderate business doing in fine and middling qualities. Brown and inferior descriptions are still neglected, and are only saleable at reduced prices. Our cur- rency is as follows : — Mid and East Kents .... TOs. 84s. 1208. Weald of Kents 528. 623. 688. •Sussex 463. 548. 6O3. Mease & Wild. WORCESTER, (Saturday last.)— Prices are 23. to Ss- higher to-day for fine and second class hops, both of which are scarce. It is in contemplation here to memorialize the Chan- cellor, that in case a moiety of the duty is remitted upon the present year's crop of hops the same shall extend to the stocks on hand held by the merchants and others, seeing that they have paid the duty upon the hops which the planters have not. The remission of the import duty was made to serve the brewers iu 1854, and it will be too bad to remit th^ excise duty in 1858 to serve the planters, and both at th* expense of the merchants and holders of hops. ANDOVER HOP FAIR.— It was computed nearly 1,000 pockets were for sale, and not a fourth of that quan- tity found purchasers. Prices as follows: — Best Farnhams, from £5 to £5 ISs. ordinary ditto, £4 15s. to £5 5s. ; Altons, £4 10s. to £4 15s.; common Sussex and country hops, best quality, £3 10s. to £4 ; Sussex ditto, £3 to £3 15s, : Year- ling hops, £2 to £3 per cwt. POTATO MARKETS. SOUTHWARK WATERSIDE, Nov. 22.— Since our last report the arrivals both coastwise and from foreign ports have been very moderate. Notwithstanding the severe weather we have had, the trade has been very languid, and prices have been with difliculty maintained. The following are this day's quotations : York Regents per ton SOs. to 958. Dunbar do SOs. to 90s. Essex and Kent do 70s. to 90s. Scotch do 70s. to SOs. French Whites 60s. to 653. Belgian Whites 60s. to OOs, Ditto Reds 70s. to 753. Dutch whites 65s. to 7O3. BOROUGH AND SPITALFIELDS, Nov. 22.— Coast- wise and by laud-carriage the arrival of potatoes, since this day se'nnight, have been tolerably good, and in fair condition. The imports have been 550 tons from Dunkirk, 620 do. from Rouen, 70 do. from Boulogne, 30 do. from Rotterdam, 256 do. from Antwerp, 140 do. from Harlingen, 85 do. from Groningen, and 50 do. from other quarters. Although a full average business is doing in most kinds, the trade is by no means active, as follows : — York Regents 85s. to 95s. per Ton. Kent and Essex do SOs. to 90a. „ Scotch 703. to 90s, „ Foreign 608. to 75s. „ COUNTRY POTATO MARKET.— York, Nov. 13: Potatoes sell at 6d. per peck, and Is. 9d.to Is. lOd. per buab. Leeds, Nov. 16: We had a fair supply of potatoes, which sold readily at 7iJ. to 8d. per 21 lbs. wholesale, and 8d. to 9d. retail. Thirsk, Nov. 15 : Potatoes 6d. per stone. Richmond, Nov. 13 : Potatoes 23. 4d. per bush. Shef- field, Nov. 16 : Potatoes sell at 5s. 6d. to 68. per load of 18 stones. Manchester, Nov. 18 : Potatoes 7s. to 9s. per 252 lbs. PRICES OF BUTTER, CHEESE, HAMS, &c. BUTTER, per cwt.. „. „. FriesUnd 120tol23 Kiel IH 120 Doraet 116 120 Carlow 100 110 Waterford 102 110 Cork, 98 110 Limerick 96 104 SXigo 94 110 Fkksh, perdozeii..l3B.0d.tol6s.0d. CHEESE, per cwt.; Cheshire 60 74 Cheddar 60 80 Double Glonc 62 68 HAMS: York 90 100 Westmoreland 90 100 Irish, new 80 94 BACON: Wiltshire, dried 66 60 Irish, green .50 64 ENGLISH BUTTER MARKET. LONDON, Monday, Nov. 22.— Our trade is much the same as for some weeks past, viz., best butter being in fair demand at late rates, but inferior qualities are neglected, and are lower in price. Dorset, fine ..,«.... 122s. to 1243. per cwt. Ditto, middling .... 96s.'to lOOs. „ Devon 1123. to 114s. „ Fresh ,. 12s. to I63. per dozen. BELFAST, (Thursdayla3t.)—Butter: Shipping price, 983. to lOSs. per cwt.; firkins and crocks, lOd. to lid. per lb. Bacon, 50s. to 54s.; Hams, prime 76s. to 80s., second quality 60s. to 66s. per cwt. Prime mees Pork, 80s. per brl. ; Beef, 120s. to ISOs. per tierce; Irish Lard, in bladders, 66s. to703.; kegs or firkins, 608. to 64s. per cwt. Pork, 42s. to 46s. per 120 lbs. ANDOVER CHEESE FAIR. — There was a large quantity of Wilts, Somerset, and Dorset, single and double, nearly 200 tons; prices about the same aa at Weyhill. 542 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. Some fine Double Cheddar or Somerset, from 70s. to 00s. ; good Gloucesters, C>5s. to 74s. ; best Wilts, GOs. to 70s. ; tliin clieese, 40$. to 50s. per cwt. BISHOPSTOKE CHEESE FAIR, (Thursday last.)— Tlie supply of cheese was very large, the trade very dull, and about half of the cheese was left unsold. CHIPPENHAM MONTHLY CHEESE MARKET was well supplied. Trade in the early part of the morning was dull, but afterwards a good clearance was effected at the follow- ing prices : — Broad doubles 50s. to 62s., prime Cheddar 663. to 708., thin 44s. to 56s., loaves 653. to 70j., skim 243. to 283. per cwt.. GLASGOW CHEESE MARKET was dull. Five tons passed the weigh-house scales, an J five carts were shown in the market. New 42s. to 453., skira 21s. to 23s. 6d. per cwt. GLOUCESTER CHEESE MARKET.— The supply was small for the season (about 70 or 80 tons), notwithstanding which trade was dull and prices lower, namely, loaves aud thick from 66s. to 703., broad doubles 6O3. to 643., beat singles 54s. to 56s., seconds 428. to 52s., skim 203. to 30s. per cwt. Several lots, principally of inferior descriptions, left the market uusold. SALISBURY MONTHLY CHEESE MARKET.— There was a large quantity of Cheese, but very few buyers present ; consequently the sale was dull : still factors did not seem in- clined to give way in prices to auy extent. Owing to the abundant supplies for the last two markets, the trade has been pretty fully stocked, and from the quantity of Cheese brought out at the present time, it is evident the make this year is considerably hrger than the last. COVENT GARDEN MARKET. LONDON, SATcaDAY, Nov. 20.— Little alteration has taken place since our last report. Apples and Pears continue plenti- ful. Among tlie latter are still some fine samples of Marie Louise, Ducliesse d'Angouleme, Crassane. and Guernsey Cliau- montels. Tlio last fetch from 3s. to 6s, per Jozen. LisbonGrapes yet arrive in excellent condition, and hotliouse kinds are also abimdant. Pineapplt.s are very plentiful, Barcelona Nuts fetch 20s. per bushel ; new Brazils 1 6s. do ; Spanish, 4s. do. ; Almonds, 24s.; Walnuts kiln-dried 20s. do. Filberts fetch '.i6s. to85s. per lOOlbs. Kent Cob are dearer, and the demand brisk ; prices higher. New Oranges have arrived from Madeira and elsewhere. Among Vegetables are some nice Cauliflowers. Greens are plentiful, French Beans scarce. Potatoes realise a trifling ad- vance on last week's prices ; Artichokes fetch from 4s. to 6s. p^^ dozen. Cucumbers plentiful. Cutflowers chiefly consist of Or- chids, Gardenias, Heliotropes, Geraniums, Violets, Mignonette, Heaths, and Roses. FRUIT. Apricots, per dox 0 Oto 0 Apples, per l)u«licl. ... 2 0 5 Orau^es, per doz ] 0 1 Melons, each 10 2 Filberts, per lb 0 6 0 Cobs per lb 0 6 0 Grapes, per lb 10 4 Nectarines, per dozen.. 0 0 Pineapples, per lb.... Currents black, p. J-s Do Lemons, per dozen .... 1 Pears, per dozfn 0 Do.stewinf^ perj-.sive 2 Peaches, perdozcn .... 0 .d. s. d- Oto 6 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 VEGETABLES. Cauliflowers each 0 4 to 0 Broccoli.per bundle.... 0 0 Greens, per doz. bunches'i 0 Seakale, per punnet .... 0 0 French Beans, persive.. 0 0 Asparajfus, per bundle .. 0 0 Rhubarb, per bundle.... 0 0 Potatoes, per ton 50 0 Do.perbush 2 0 Do.percwt 1 0 Artichokes, per duz 4 0 Carrots, per bunch 0 2 Turnips, per bunch 0 4 Bplnach, per sieve 1 6 Cucumbers, per dozen ..1 0 Beet, per dozen 1 6 oO n b 0 s 1) I) 0 0 n 0 0 0 0 90 0 2 9 « 0 (i 0 0 4 0 « 2 0 4 0 2 0 s. d. R.d. Tomatoes, per half-sieve 0 Oto 0 0 Lf^eks, per hunch 0 2 0 3 Celery, per bundle 10 1 H Shallots, perlb 0 6 0 8 Garlic, perlb 0 6 0 8 Lettuce, cab., perscore.. 10 1 (i Do,, Cos, per score ... 10 16 Endive, per score 10 16 Kadishea, tump, per doz. 0 0 0 0 Horseradish, per bundle. 1 6 4 0 Mushrooms, per pottle.. 2 0 2 6 Parsley, per 12 hunches. 2 0 4 0 Basil, green,per bunch.. 0 0 0 0 Marjoram, perbunch ... 0 0 0 o Savory, per bunch 0 2 64 Mint, green, per bunch.. 0 2 0 4 CHICORY. LONDON, Satuudat, Nov. 20.— Since our last report, all kinds of Chicory have met a dull inquiry ; and in some instances prices have luid a dr^'oplns tendency. ENGLISH, pertonflO lOto £11 0 | ANTWERP £ 9 10 to £10 5 HARLINGEN.... 9 10 ]0 OfDACKUM 0 0 0 0 BRUGES 10 0 11 0 UjUERNSEY .... in 0 0 0 HAMBURG 0 0 0 0 I BELGIUM 9 15 11 6 BREAD. LONDON, SATURnAT, Nov. 20.— Tlic prices of wheaten Breail In the metropolis arc — Whiiatkn BiiBAn, per 41bs. I;oaf 6d. (o7il, nOTTSBHTjLO J)0. ,, ,.... ^il. 61. WINES. LONDON, Friday, Nov. 19. — "Wines are unaltered since our last report. The demand for white Capes having exhausted stocks in first hands, holders arc now asking higher rates. - - £ £ Port, very super, old pr, pipe 55 f5 Goodold 45 50 (iood young ^6 40 Common and fair 30 34 1853'3 andl854'8 45 50 Red Wines, from Oporto .... 20 2B Lisbon White dry 36 38 Red 28 32 Do. old — — Bucellas 36 44 Carcavellos 38 42 FiRuera — — erry, verysuperior, p. butt 70 80 Istclass 50 60 2ndand3rddo 40 47 Eair useable qualities 34 38 Common' 20 28 Mountain, Loudon Particular , ■P'l" 2nd quality 25 30 Lower do 20 22 Spanish, red, (rood 14 IS Common and fair, per tun.. 16 25 Clarets, Iflt growths, 54's, per hhd 60 65 2nd do ...35 50 Clarets — (continued. ) Other qualities, per hhd.... 16 S6 Cargo 9 12 IIermitajfe,rd.&wh.,l8tgrth. 40 44 2nd quality 14 16 Masdeu, perpipe 28 32 French Red 12 16 Champagne, 1st qual.,pr. doz. 448 50b Other qualities 208 30s Sauterne 1 1st quality 44s 54s Barsac J other qualities.... 22s34b Hock , superior , per aum £ib £60 Other qualities 10 30 Moselle, 1st quality 20 26 2ndquality 10 16 Madeira, E. I., 1st qual.,p.pipe 80 95 West India, Ist quality 75 86 Direct 60 65 Sicilian Red J2 13 Marsala 23 24 Cape White, good 16 17 tirdinary and common .... 11 15 Cape Red, good and ordi- nary 22 23 Teneriffe, London Particular. 40 42 UnenumeratedHed — — Matthew Clark & Sons. SPIRITS. LONDON, Saturday, Nov. 20.— For most kinds of Rum, the demand has fallen oft', and prices have not been supported. Proof leewards, Is. 7d. to Is. 9d., East India, Is. 8d. per gallon. Brandy is held firmly, on former terms. Plain German spirit is selling at Is. 2d., and Geneva 2s. 2d. to 3s. 6d. per gallon. English spirit is firm in price. RUM. «. d. B. Indi»,proof pergal. 1 7 to 1 Leewards, do 17 1 10to20O.P. 2 2 3 14 8 14 0 14 6 0 0 0 0 12 6 13 0 12 6 13 0 0 0 0 0 lILds.2d. per gallonhigher. Puncheons scarce. UtherShippers 6 6 tol3 HOLLANDS,Geneva fine, for duty 3 8 4 Other qualities, to arrive and on the quay 3 2 4 BRITISH GIN, forciportation, proof hhds S 10 1 BRITISH SPIRITS. GIN, proof, «ash 10 0 0 0 HAY MARKETS. SATURDiY, Nov. 20 —SMITH FIELD.- Supplies good, and trade dull, at barely stationary prices. CUMnERLAND.— A slow inquiry. WHITEOHaPEL.— Both Hay and Straw were in slow request, at our quotations. AtperLoad of36Trusses MEADOW HAY .... CLOVER DITTO OLD STRAW I SMITHriELII, fiOs. to 903 CUMOKKLAND. 60s. to 9D». 7.'is. U'58. 26s. 30s. WUITIOBAFIL 6Us.to 90<. 75s. lOSs. 27». 32». OIL MARKET. OILS. Olive, Florence,^ half-chests '}£0 19 Gallipoli(252galB)49 0( Spanish 46 10 i Linseed (cwt.) 1 8 ' Rape, Pale 2 6 i Brown 2 2 CodCtun) 31 0 ( Seal, Pale 37 0 i Do. Brown, Yel.&c 30 0 I Sperm 82 0 I Head Matter 87 0 Southern 31 0 Cocoa. nut(cwt.) . 1 18 Palm 1 12 RESIN. Yellow(per cwt.) £0 6 i Transparent 0 6 00 10 0 0 0 0 0 6 6 3 6 0 0 10 0 10 0 1 0 PITCH. BritishCpcr cwt.)£0 6 6 0 00 Archangel 0 0 0 0 0 o Stockholm 010 0 0 00 TURPENTINE. Spirits (per cwt. )£2 0 0 0 00 In Puncheons 2 10 0 00 Rough 0 10 6 0 0 0 TAR. American £0 0 0 0 00 Archangel 0 0 0 0 I" 0 Stockholm 0 0 0 0 15 0 WHALEBONE. Greenland, full-) ^^5g 0 550 0 0 size (per ton). } SouthSea 410 0 0 00 FLAX, HEMP, COIR, &c. LONllON, Saturday, Nov. 20.— The transactions in Flax continue on a very moderate scale ; ncvcitheless, prices are well supported. In Hernp very little is doing, and the quotations have a drooping tendency. Jute has fallen fully 20s. per ton; and Coir goods are extremely inactive. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 353 LEADENHALL LEATHER MARKET LONDON, Saturdav, Nov. 20.— The demand for nearly all kinds of Leather, the fresh supplies of which continue limited, is BOinewhat active, at fully last week's quotations. CROP HIDES. ENGLISH lbs. lbs. 28 to 35 55 .... 17 60 .... 18 BUTTS. ENGLISH, lbs. d. 16 .... 16 20 .... 16 24 .... 13 d. d. 14 to 16 16 17 19i 10 19 16 19 144 23 16 24 OFFAL. d. English Shoulders 13 Do. Cheeks aad Paci-s 6 Do. Bellies 9 Do. Middles 12 Foreig:n Shoulders. 13 Do. Necks 10 Do. Bsllies 8 Do. Middles do 11 Dressing Hide Shoulders. 10 Do. do. Bellies... 9 Kip Shoulders 6 Do. Bellies 6 DRESSING HIDES. 11;8. lbs. d. Common 20 to 24 .. !4 t( Do. .30 34 .35 40 16 Saddlers .......30 35 ., 16 Do 36 Bulls , Shaved 14 Do 17 Do 20 Do 24 Scotch do 16 Coach, per Hide 30». to35s. HORSE BUTTS. Shaved. HORSE HIDES. lbs. lbs. d. d. Eng^lisb 13 to 18. .11 tol4 Do. without butts 9 14. .12 15 Spanish salted, ) a.d. s. d without butts, > 6 9. .11 6 14 6 per hide. ) Do. do. do. 9 12. .12 6 16 0 do. inferior.. 7 0 9 5 Do. dry do. do. do. do. 9 11. do. inferior < .86110 .11 0 14 6 .6070 CALF SKINS, vei^ht. Unrounded. Rounded lbs. Iba. 20to28 14 to 16 .. .15 .15 40 45 16 18 80.. 90.. 100.. 120.. .13 15 . KIPS. lbs. lbs. ..4 to 7 Petersburgh Do. ..7 9 .... 17 Do. .. 9 10 .... 16 Do. ..11 13 .... 16 E.Iad.dry sltd. 5 7 ... 19 Do. do. 7 9 ... 18 Do. seconds 15 Do. thirds 12 Do. inferior 8 d. 17 to 23 17 24 17 25 17 26 17 26 17 25 16 24 16 2j 16 22 15 22 15 2i 14 I9 a. A 10 SUNDRIES ling Skins, brst each 12 to 1 Do. seconds... , .Seal Skins, split, per doz Do. for bindings ,. Calf Skins, Sumach- tunned ,, 30 Do. white ,, 25 Horse Hides, white, each.. 8 Sheep Skins — d. Basils, unstrained, per lb. 8 Do. strained ,, 8 Do. facing, per doz. ... Ss. , Tan, Sheep.SiLambs „ 10 White Sheep, per 120 ... 60 Do. Lambs, ,, .. 40 Do. Sheep & Lambs, strained, per doz. .... ' 5 Sumach Roans, per dcz. 16 Do. Skivers, „ 8 Burk Skivers, „ 7 Hide Splits. per lb 9 to lid 12 66 34 66 30 45 25 35 13 d. Hi HIDE AND SKIN MARKETS. LONDON, Saturday, Nov. 20. MARKET HIDES : 6fi to641bs per lb. 0 64 to721bs 0 72to801bs 0 80 tosaibs 0 88 to961bs 0 »6tol041bs 0 104toll2lhs 0 3ito 0 3| " 0 4, 0 5 0 5J HORSE HIDE8,eacli 9 CALFSKINS, light . 2 Do. full 6 .Shearling 0 Half- bred Sheep 6 Polled Sheep 7 6i I Lambs 0 BARK, &c. LONDON, Saturday, Nov. 20. English,peiloadof45'>,. «, -„ „ cwt.,del. in London/" '"°='" " Coppice 18 Dutch, per ton 5 5 Hambro' 4 10 AntwerpTree 5 10 Do. Coppice 6 0 Mimosa, C4apped .... 8 10 Do. lirmnA 10 0 Do. Long 6 0 Cork Tree, Barbary ... 7 0 Do. Leghorn 6 0 Valonia, Smyrna, p. ton 16 0 Do.Camata 16 0 Do.Morea 10 0 Terra IGambier... 15 0 Japonica JCutch 32 0 DiviDivi 9 0 10 lOl Myrabolams 7 0 8 0: Suinach.Sicily, p. cwt. 0 13 6 JO 6 10 9 10 17 0 17 0 12 n 15 15 34 0 10 (I 10 0 0 15 Per load — Quebec, red ) me ..... 3 10 Yel.t'ine 3 10 Quebec Oak . White. TIMBER. 4 0 4 10 DantzicOak. ......... 4 MemelFir 3 10 Swedish 2 10 Ma8tB,(iubc.KertPine 6 5 Do. Yellow Pine.... 5 0 Lathwood, Dant/.ic fm 8 0 Do. Memel 10 0 Do. Quebec 5 0 DK*L8,perC. 12ft.by3by9i UuebecWh. Spruce. 9 0 Do. Red Pine JI 10 St.JohnWh-Srpuce 11 11 £ s. to 4 10 4 5 6 6 4 16 5 10 6 0 4 5 3 0 6 10 6 10 9 10 11 0 6 5 11 r. 17 0 JS 0 DitA.i.8,yel. Pine.perreduced C. : Canada, Ist quality. 15 Otolfi 5 Do. 2ud do. 10 0 11 3 Archangel Yellow.. 16 0 Me el 13 0 Gothenburg Yellow. 13 0 Do. White 11 - GvHe Yellow, 14 ft.. 30 Chri»tiania,per C. 12 ft. by 3 bj 9 in 14 3 14 0 12 0 Y'ellow 24 Whiti^ 19 Deck Plank, Dant/ic, per 40 ft. by 3 in.... 1 Staves, per Standard M. : (iuebec Pipe 75 Do. Puncheon.... 20 Baltic Crown Pipe. 140 28 0 0 0 0 23 II 146 ti METALS, LONDON Saturday, Nov. 20.— The transactions in Scotch pig iron Iiave been only moderate, at 63s. to 53s. 3d. cash. Manufactured qualities sell steadily, at fully last week's prices. Copper is quite as dear as last week ; but Lead commands very little attention. Tin is ratherdearer, Banca having sold at I23s,, and Straits 121s. to 122s. Tin plates are steady. Other metals rule about stationary. Prices Cdeeent, duty paid, unless otherwise stated. SPELTERc. Onthespot ....£ 0 0 0—22 10 0 To arrive 23 0 0 ENGLISH COPPER. Tile,14to281bs. o 98 0 0 Tough Caken 98 0 0 Sheath and Bolts o.. per lb. 0 0 0 Sheeto 0 0 U Bottoms a.. 0 Oil Yellow Metal o 0 0 0 Wetterstedt's Patent Metalt percwt 8 00 ENGLISH LEAD a. Pig,perton ^£21 0 0-000 Sheet £22 5 0-000 FOREIGN LEAD a. Spanish in bond, p. ton £20 0-20 16 ENGLISH TIN e. Block,per ton £111 0 0—112 0 0 Bar £ 0 0 0—112 0 0 FOREIGN TINC Banca £123 0 0—000 Straits (uncert.) £121 0 0—122 0 0 TIN PLATES 6. IC Charcoal, per box £1 12—1 13 0 IX do £118 0-119 0 IC Coke £1 5 6—1 6 0 IX do 1 11 0—1 12 0 CanadaPlates perton 14 10 0 QCKSILVER/..perlb. Is. lld.-2» ENGLISH IRON BarandBolta perton£7 0 0 InWalesa 6 0 0 In Liverpool o 8 0 0 InStaffordshireo 9 5 0 • Sheets, single .-,«. ditto;/, 11 ditto. Delivered in Liverpool, 10s. per ton less. * Cold blast, f.o.b. in Wales. i Discount lor cash in fourteen days, 5 percent. WOOL MARKETS. ENGLISH WOOL MARKET. BERMONDSEY, Nov. 20.— There has been a large amount of business transacted both in fleece and skin wool at a con- siderable advance in price. The quantity on hand is much less than has been known at this season of the year for a very long; period, as the farmers have generally sold, and also the dealers, who have been acting in the most cautious manner, feariiij^ to hold stocks at late rates. The advance has been brought on by a consumptive demand; and should this con- tinue, it is expected that considerably higher rates must be paid before long, as the general trade of this country is healthy, and more likely to progress than otherwise. ANOTHER REPORT. CITY, Monday, Nov. 22.— Holders of all kinds of home- grown wools continue to exhibit great firmness, and most of them refuse to sell either long or short qualities, except at an advaii<;e in the quotations of fully Id. per lb. The supply on offer is very moderate ; and the advices from the manufactur- ing districts are highly favourable to the article. Per pack of 2401b8. Fleeces— Southdown Hogs £ld 0to£19 0 Do, Half bred Hogs 17 10 18 0 Do. Kent 17 0 17 10 Do. Southdown Ewesanii Wethers 15 10 16 0 Do. Leicesterdo 14 10 15 10 Sorts— Clothing, picklock 17 10 18 10 Do. Prime and picklock 17 0 17 10 Do. Choice 16 0 17 0 Do. Super ." 14 0 15 0 Do. Combing— Wether matching ... 18 10 19 10 Do. Piclclock 16 10 17 10 Do. Common 14 0 15 0 Do. Ilog matching 21 0 22 0 Do. Piclclock matching 17 0 18 0 Do. Supcrdo 14 10 15 !0 BRADFORD WOOL MARKET, (Tiiursday last )— There has been decidedly less doing in wool during the week. Spin- ners are generally in good supply, and the present high rates offer no induceineut for speculative purchases. In noils and shorts there is no change either in demand or prices. Yarns : The spinners continue to be well engaged to order, but many have a profitless trade till their previous contracts are com- pleted. The pteseut prices of yarns are not in accordance with 544 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. present prices of wool, aud a further rise in yarns seems in- evitable if the demand continues. Pieces : The business of the day is a full average one for several weeks past. Stocks of all kinds are exceedingly limited. Prices are a little in fa- vour of manufacturers, especially where orders have to be given. — Bradford Observer. LEEDS (English and Foreign) WOOL MARKET, Nov.19. — Upon the whole,thetranBactione inEnglish wool have not been extensive, and prices are about the same as last week. There is a fair demand for colonial, but it is somewhat diffi- cult to get a proportionate advance to that obtained at the public sales, which is fully maintained during the current LIVERPOOL, November 20. Scotch Wool. — There has been a considerable business doing in laid Highland ; the demand has been freely met by the holders, and nothing has been established, so far, above our highest quotations. White is not so much inquired for, but stocks of this article are light. There have been some large sales of good clean Cheviot, as well as crossed, and holders are now asking rather more money. s. d. s. d. LaidHighland Woolper24Ibs..... 11 Oto 12 6 •WhiteHighlanddo..... 14 0 16 6 Laid Crossed do.. unwashed ....13 6 14 6 Do. do. .washed 14 0 J5 6 Laid Cheviot do. .unwashed .... 15 0 IR 0 Do. do. .washed ...o.. 16 6 19 6 WhiteCheviot do.. washed........ 27 9 34 0 Foreign Wool. — The sales continue to progress very favourably in London, and everything tends to increased con- fidence in present prices, and there is a good demand by private contract at rates in favour of the seller. FOREIGN AND COLONIAL WOOL MARKET. Per lb. s. d. s. d. German, ^Ist and 2nd Elect ....> 3 4 to 4 6 Saxon, 1 Prima 2 4 3 0 and ) Secunda 2 0 2 4 Prussian. (Tertia 18 110 Colonial :— Sydney — Lambs ............ 15^ 2 IJ Scoured do 1 4| 2 8 Unwashed 0 SJ 16 Locks and Pieces 0 10 19 Slips and Skin 14 19 Port Philip— Lambs 14 2 1 Scoured do 1 2J 2 3J Unwashed 0 6 1 CJ Locks and Pieces. 11 1 7^ lipe and Skin 0 8J 1 6} S. Australian— Lambs 14 19 Scoured do 13 22 Unwashed 0 9 Oil Locks and Pieces 0 7 12 V. D. L4ND— Lambs 1 5J 111 Scoured do 15 2 8 Unwashed 1 IJ 1 8 Locks and Pieces. 10 16 Cape OF Good Hope— Fleeces Oil 2 0 Lambs 0 11 1 10 Scoured 0 8 1 10 Unwashed 0 7^ 10 CITY, Monday, Nov. 22. — The public sales of foreign and colonial wool have, during the past week, been well attended, and the competition for the fine sorts, although not quite so animated as at the opening, still continues active. Prices for most descriptions have been well maintained, more particularly for Sydney and Moreton Bay wools. BRESLAU WOOL REPORT, Nov. 18.— Business during the last fortnight has been exceedingly brisk, and prices, owing to the satisfactory result of the current London sales 3 to 5 per cent, higher than last month. Sales were on a very extensive scale, amounting to nearly 5,000 cwts., and consisting of almost all descriptions. The chief demand continued for Russian fleeces, combing and clothing wools, at from 60 to 68 thalers per cwt., ditto scoured 85 to 95, Polish andPoseu one-shearing 72 to 82, ditto refuse 66 to 68, Silesian slipes 56 to 66, Sdesian fleeces, super select 105 to 110, ditto locks 80 to 82. Lambs were comparatively neglected, but provisions of this article not very abundant. The chief purchasers were the combers and wholesale buyers of the Zollverein, a Switzerland and a Ham- burgh firm, as well as French, Belgian, Beilin, and home com- missioners. There were only the English, who, owing to the continuation of the London sales, did not take any active part in the universal activity exhibited in our place. — Gunsburg, Wool-broker. MANURES. PRICES CURRENT OF GUANO, &c. PERUVIAN GUANO,(pert&n,for30tons)nominal£12 0 0 to X 0 Do. Do (under 30 tone).... 13 6 0 0 EOLIVAN GUANO none 0 0 0 0 ARTIFICIAL MANURES, &o. Sodal „,„ on)...j*lS Nitrate Soda (per to NitratePotashi on n n or Saltpetre /■'»"" Sulpht. Ammonia 14 10 0 Muriate ditto... 25 0 0 Supcrphospht.^ 6 10 0 of Lime.... J Soda A8h, or j 11 0 q Alkali i Gypsum 1 10 0 Coprolite 3 6 0 0 0toi;i8 0 0 30 0 0 15 10 0 27 0 0 6 0 0 12 0 0 2 0 0 3 10 0 B d. £ s.d. 0 0 to S7 0 0 28 0 0 Sulph. of Copper "J jE or Homan Vi- (o, triol, for V?heat i '^ steep., l6t qual.J Ditto, 2nd quality 23 0 0 Salt 10 0 Bones, Dust.perqr.l 10 12 0 Do. 4-inch 12 0 13 0 Oil Vitriol,) concentrated, > 0 0 1 0 0 0 per lb 3 Do. Brown 0 0 Of 0 00 OIL-CAKES. MarseiUea £9 10 OtOjElO 0 0 Enjflish 10 10 0 0 OO Kape-cakes,prtoc 6 00 6 10 0 Linseed-cakes, per ton — Thin Americn,brls£10 12 SjElO 15 0 Ditto bag's 10 2 6 10 « 0 Thick do. round (none) 0 0 0 John Keen, 35, Leadenhall-street, (Late Odams, Pickford, and Keen.) Agricultural Chemical Works, Stowmarket, Suffolk. Prpntice'sCereal Manure for Corn Crops nertonjES 10 0 Prentice's Turnip Manure „ 7 0 0 Prentice's Superphosphate of Lime ,, 6 10 0 . Manufactured by Hodgson & Simpson, Wakefield, and Miatthews & Co., Driffield. Nitro-Phosphate per ton £7 10 Ammonia-Phosphate ,, 8 0 Vitriol, Bone, and Manure Works, Howden Dyke, Howden. Ammonia Phosphate per ton £8 10 0 Anderton's Turnip Manure „ 8 0 0 Super-Phosphate of Lime , ,, 7 0 0 LIVERPOOL GUANO AND SEED, &c. MARKET Nov. 19. — Of Guano the import has been 335 tons from Chinchas, 200 tons from Valparaiso, and 400 tons from the Kooria Mooria; the demand is moderate. Of Nitrate of Soda 1000 bags of common quality sold at 13s. 6d. to 14s. per cwt. Oil-cakes in more request. Samuel Downes, General Broker, Exchange Court, Liverpool. Guano, Peruvian£12 0 OtOjEO 0 0 Do. Upper do. 8 0 0 10 0 0 Ichaboe 5 0 0 Puta^fonlan 4 0 0 Saldanha Bay.... 6 0 0 Kooria Mooria.... 5 0 0 •dio Keys ...... 4 0 0 Superphosphates.. 7 0 0 6 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 6 0 0 7 10 0 Bone Ash,76p.ct.i;5 10 Oto£0 0 0 Linseed Cake — American 9 15 0 10 00 English 10 0 0 0 0 0 Cottonseed Cake.. 0 0 0 0 00 Do. Meal.. 5 0 0 5 10 0 Nitra. ofSoda,p.ct.0 14 0 0 16 0 Lin3d.Bomby,p.qv.2 13 0 0 0 0 END OF VOLUME XLIX. Printed ITy Kofecrson and Tuxfbrd, 846, Striand, LonJion. THE EARMER'S MAGAZII^E. DECEMBER, 1858. CONTENTS. Plate I.—PORTRAIT OF JAMES MORRELL, Esa., of Headington Hill, Oxford. Treatment F THE Chester S Plate II.— "CARLISLE:" a Hereford Cow. Biographical Sketch of James Morrell, Esq., of Headington Hill, Oxford Description of Second Plate . Artificial Food. — By Cuthbert W, Johnson, Esq., F.R.S. Stock-Feeding. — By G, H. Bolton Ireland and Irish Farming. — By a Practical Farmer Law of Steam Thrashing Machines Social Science — Agriculture . Pleuro-Pneumonia in the Cape Colony — Its Effect and Manures and Chemistry The Leading Features of the Implement Department oi The Agricultural Labourer, and the Prize System Essay on Intensive Cultivation The Reform most avanted Food and Manures .... Lard versus Butter. — By Alexander Forsyth The Duke of Richmond as a Farmer Royal Agricultural Society of England Suggestions for the Benefit of Agriculture . English Wheat sowing Greaves as a Manure for Turnips Microscopic Eel (Anguillules) in Smutty Wheat The Actual Profits of the Farm The English Farmer in France London, or Central Farmers' Club The Allotment System Inaugural Address from the Chair of Agriculture, Queen's College, Birmingham 507 The Use and Abuse of Mangold Wurzel. — By a Practical Farmer . . 513 Belgian Farming ........ 514 Repeal of the Hop Excise Duty. — Great Meeting at Tunbridge Wells . . 516 The Value of Wheat as Food for Cattle . . . . . 518 The Introduction of European Animals into Australia. . . . 519 Farmyard Dung ........ 520 Farming Poor Land High for Profit versus Farming at a Loss. . . . 521 Money Prizes, or. Certificates of Merit. — The Bath and West of England Society 522 Monmouthshire Agricultural Societies ..... 523 Garden Ground versus Allotment ...... 524 The Getting up and Storing of Mangold Wurzel .... 525 The Improvement of the Social Condition of the Agricultural Labourer . 526 A Review of " Fever in Agricultural Districts; by H. W. Acland, M.D., F.R.S." . 531 Growth and Use of Mangold Wurzel ...... 532 Calendar of Agriculture ....... 534 Giant Wheat ......... 534 Agricultural Reports ....... 535 Review of the Cattle Trade during the past Month .... 535 Agricultural Intelligence, Fairs, &c. ..... 536 Review of the Corn Trade . ...... 538 Corn Averages and Market Currencies .... 540-44 page . 455 . 456 . 457 . 459 . 461 . 464 . 466 . 468 .• 470 . 471 . 473 . 474 . 476 . 478 . 482 . 483 . 488 . 489 . 490 . 491 . 492 . 493 . 494 . 496 497 SMITHFIELD CLUB CATTLE S HOW— DE CEMBER, 18 5 8. TUXFORD AND SONS' FIRST PRIZE PORTABLE STEAM THRASHING ENGINE OF ALL ENGLAND. THE ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY OF ENGLAND again this YEAR AWARDED THEIR FIRST PRIZE TUXFORD AND SONS, For the Best and Most EcoNOMicAiy Engine exhibited and tested at ttieir Meeting at Chester. The YORKSHIRE SOCIETY, at their great gathering at Nohtiiallerton, in August, also awarded to the same MANurAcruRERS their GREAT PRIZE POR the Best Portable Steam Engine there shown. TUXFORD AND SONS' PATENT COMBINED THRASHING, SHAKING, DRESSING, AND FINISHING MACHINE. These Machines, Fitted with Tuxford's Improved Shaker and Caving Riddle, and with Boby's Patent Screen, the best Separator for Grain known, and which has received the Special Notice and Approval of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, are the most perfect Machines out When at work they stand steady, and arr driven with a POWER less than any other FfNisHiNo Machine. Applications for Catalogues and information to be made direct to the Manufacturers, BOSTON AND SKIRBECK IRON WORKS, LINCOLNSHIRE. SMITHFIELD CATTLE SHOW, BAKER STREET BAZAAR— STAND 168. RICHMOND AND CHANDLER WILL be prepared to receive Orders, at the above Show, for their celebrated CHAFF CUTTERS, CORN CRUSHERS, TURNIP CUTTERS, &e., which have received the Prizes of every Agricultural Society of distinction both at home and abroad. " Of the various forms of Straw Cutters used in England, perhaps the best known, and the most highly esteemed, is tliat manufac- tured by Messrs. Richmond and Chandler, of Salford, Manchester." . . "Mav be cited as a good example of what agricultural mechanism ought in all cases to be."— rif/c Stephens' Book of Farm Implements and Machines, p. 429. In order to meet the increased demand for Implements of their own manufacture, RICHMOND AND CHANDLER have more tlian doubled their producing power, and are therefore able to promise immediate delivery of all orders entrusted to tlieir care. RICHMOND AND CHANDLER, SALFORD, MANCPIESTER; BRANCH ESTABLISHMENT— SOUTH JOHN STREET, LIVERPOOL. BURGESS AND KEY'S EOYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY'S FIRST PRIZE REAPING MACHINE. The great success of these Machines over every other form of Reaper is now universally acknowledged. The number sold in — 1856 was 50 1857 „ 230 1858 ,, 700 T HE Y ARE IN USE I N TUSCANY, HUNGARY, AUSTRALIA, ENGLAND, IRELAND, AND SCOTLAND. NEW ZEALAND, I RUSSIA, PORTUGAL, I They are patronized by H.R.H. The Prince Consort, and His Imperial Majesty the Emperor op the French, on whose Farms they were successfully used this last harvest. Early orders for the harvest of 1859 are particularly requested, as many orders have each year been left unexecuted, owing to the great demand. Prices and Testimonials sent on application, on receipt of four postage stamps. BURGESS & KEY, 95, Newgate Street, London ; — Manufactory, Brentwood, Essex. NETTING FOR SHEEPFOLDS. WILDEY & Co., Holland Street, Blackfriars Road, London, are the origmal intro- ducers of the COCOA-NUT FIBRE SHEEPFOLDING NETS, which fourteen years' experience has proved to possess the most extraordinary durability when exposed to alternations of weather. Cocoa-nut Fibre will wear out several sets of tarred hemj) netting, and is so light that a herdsman may, with ease, carry 200 yards of it. Wildey &, Co. wei-e awarded the Prize Medal for this Netting by the Royal Agricultural Society in 1842; at the Exhibition of All Nations in 1851 ; and at the Paris Universal Exhibition, 1855. Sold in Nets of 50 and 100 yards long, 42 inches high, by the Manufacturers, WILDEY & Co., at the Cocoa-nut Fibre Works, Holland Street, Blackfriars Road, London. ILLtrSTRATED WITH 856 ENGRAVINGS. This day is published, THE BOOK or MRM IMPLEMENTS AND MACHINES. BY JAMES SLIGHT & ROBERT SCOTT BURN, ENGINEERS. Edited by HENRY STEPHENS, F.R.S.E., Author of the " Book of the Farm," &c. In One Volume, large Octavo, uniform with the " Book of the Farm, price £2 2s. A Detailed Prospectus may be had on application to the Publishers. William Blackwood & Sons, Edinburgh and London. On the 1st December, TJOSES AT CHRISTMAS.— British Wild Flowers, Part 6, will coniain the British Roses, XV Apples, Pears, &c. Coloured, 33. j Plain, Is. 6d. To be had of all Booksellers; and of the Publisher, JOHN B. SOWERBY, 3, Mead Place, Lambeth, (S.) EANSOMES AND SIMS Invite attention to a large assortment of tlieir Implouicnts and Machines, among which will be found the Chester First Prize Bruising Mill. Prize Portable Steam Engine. Prize sigle-Blast Thrashing Machine. Chester First Prize Chaff-Cutter. ^ Chester First Prize Double-Action Root Cutter, for power. New Pattern Oilcake Breakers. Prize Iron Ploughs in several varieties. MANUFACTOUY: ORWELL WOUKS, IPSWICH. LONDON OFFICE 31, ESSEX STREET, STRAND (W.C.) Sheppard Ransome, Agent. NEW PATENT RANKIN'S COHN SCREEN AND MANUFACTURED SOLELY BY SMUT MACHINE R. & J. RANKIN, UNION FOUNDRY, LIVERPOOL. THE very great improvements made in this new PATENT SMUT MACHINE comprise an arrange- ment by which (in addition to freeing and purifying the Wheat from all Smut, however badly it may be affected) all Sand, Seeds, and heavy matter are extracted in one operation. The Machine has a Double Action upon the Wheat, and combines all the important advantages of the original (Grimes') Machine, with the addition of those of a Wire Screen. The following Testimonials prove that the Machine is found to be the best of the kind in use : — Messrs. R. & J. Rankin, Liverpool. [COPY.] Slane Mills, 14th August, 1856. Dbar Sirs,— We have much pleasure in saying that the Patent Smut Machine has given us every satisfaction, and for so far has not cost us one penny. The working parts — that is, bearings, &c., are just as good as the first day we put it to work, now twelve months ago, and it has run nearly every worlung-day since. Yours, truly, (Signed) Wbtherii,l, Powbll, fc Co. Boston, 25th July, 1857. Gehtlemen, — Your Smut Machine I consider fo be the best invented, and after working it seven years I find it to be as effective in its operations as it was the first week it was erected. I shall be happy at any time to render an account of it and its good qualities when called upon ; and I am. Gentlemen, your obedient servant, (Signed) A. Reynolds (late Reynolds & Sou). RANKIN'S NEW PATENT BONE MILLS. These MILLS are adapted for the use of Farmers and Manufacturers, and are made in all sizes. They are a most decided improvement upon those in ordinary use, taking much less power to drive them, whilst they work far more efficiently. The Mills will Grind the largest and hardest Bones with ease to any degree of fineness that may be wished, there being provision made to regulate their working as may be required. Manufacturers will find this Mill to be much more durable, to Grind quicker, and to a greater degree of fineness than any other. TESTIMONIAL. Amertham, Bucks, November 8, 1855. This is to certify thai Messrs. Rankin, of Liverpool, have fixed one of their Four-horse Bone Mills for me, with which I am pei- fectlv satisfied, not only as it regards the power taken to drive it, but also the fineness of the Bones when ground. The principle 1 consider superior in every respect to the old ones. The work is exceedingly well done, not only as it regards the Mill itself, but the Horse Gear is of a very superior character. I shall be happy to show the Mill when working, or answer any enquiries. Messrs. B. & J. Kankin, LiverpooL (Signed) TH0&rA.8 H. Mortek. Apply to R. & J. RANKIN, Solh Makers, Union Foundry. Livekpooi, WASHING MACHINES for the MILLION ! ! LiaUID MANURE. /' THE NEW PATENT ECONOMIC WASHER is admitted to be the simplest, best, and cheapest WASH- ING MACHINE yet invented. It washes thoroughly clean without rubbing or injuring the clothes, with less soap, and in less than one-third the usual time of washing, with half the firing. It only requires a strong boy or girl to work it, and it is not liable to get out of order. I, James, engages to return the whole of the purchase-money for any Machine he may supply (if not approved of), and re- turned in good condition, free of expense, within one raontli from the date of invoice. TAMES' PATENT LIQUID-MANURE DIS- tl TRIBUTOR OR WATER-CART, warranted not to choke up or otherwise get out of order. It is thoroughly adapted for Drill Crops, or Pasture Land, or for Watering Streets : has been awarded EIGHT FIRST PRIZES. Full Particulars and Testimonials may be obtained of the Patentee, Isaac James, Tivoli Waggon Works, Cheltenham. N.B.— IMPROVED LIQUID MANURE PUMPS, Either Fixed or Portable. HAYVOOD'S -mWOandTHR E HORSE POWER PORTABLE ST' AM ENGINES AND THRASHING MACHINES Are expressly adapted to suit the requirea.ents of small occupations. They are the only Ma- chines made of these sizes that will thrash, winnow, and bag the corn. " Cahirconlish House, Limerick, Oct. 21st, 1858. Sir,— I delayed writing to you till I had worked tlie Two-horse Engine and Thrashing Machine for a few days. They have been working remarkably well since yoiu man left. I moved them yesterday into a field where we had good corn, and between one o'clock and dark it had tlirashed very close on 500 stone, cleaning it fit for market. I consider it does as much work as an Eight-horse Engine and Machine which belong to a gentleman near this. You may make what use you like of this letter, as I really think, it to jbe the case. Your obedient servant, C. Momck Wilsost. " Mr. Jas. Haywood, Jun." Illustrated Catalogues sent free on application to JAMES HAYWOOD, Jun., PHCENIX FOUNDRY and ENGINEERING WORKS, DERBY. NOW READY, price Is. sewed, or 2s. bound in cloth and interleaved, JOHNSON AND SHAW'S FARMERS' il ALMANAC ANI) CALENDAR FOR 1859. Containing Notices of every Agricultural Improvement up to the present time, and the fullest information as to Agricultural Implements, Manures, Seeds, &c., &c, " It is but a simple act of justice to Mr. C. W. Johnson to say that he worthily maintains the position won before any competi- tor appeared in the field. His long experience, his tact in seizing hold of and condensing the practical information wliich is being daily cast up, and the genial spirit which pervades nearly every page of his almanac, interspersed as it is with snatches of cheerful and refining poetry, constitute altogether a claim whicli is not likely soon to be supereeded."— iJcZZ'i Messenger, Nov. 15, 1858. " We need not take the (rouble of reminding our agricultural friends of the value of this almanac, which is to them ' as fa- miliar as liousehold words,' welcome not only for its monthly hints on farming matters, but also for tlie general information it supplies. Tlie almanac for the coming year is fully equal to its precursors."— Uwea; Gazette, Nov. 12, li-58. James Ridgwat, Piccadilly, and all Booksellers and Railway Stations. BANK OF DEPOSIT. Established a.d, 1844. No 3, Pall Mall East, London. PARTIES desirous of INVESTING MONEY are requested to excamine tlie Plan of the BANK OF DEPOSIT, by which a high rate of interest may be obtained with ample security. Deposits made by Special Agreement, m.ay he toithdraion without notice. The Interest is payable in January and July. PETER MORRISON, Managing Director. Forms for opening Accounts sent Free on application. DEVON AND CORNWALL MANURE WORKS, AND PATENT STEAM BONE MILLS, CATTE DOWN, PLYMOUTH. CHARLES NORRINGTON & CO.'S celebrated SUPERPHOSPHATE OF LIME stands unrivalled in the Manure Market for all Boot Crops. During the past season upwards of Forty Tons of Mangold Wurtzel, Swedes, and Common Turnips per Acre have been grown with this Superphosphate, without other Manure. C. N. & Co. bind themselves to the valuation of the various ingredients as given by Professor Way, in the Journal of the Jtoyal Agricultural Society, vol. xvi., pp. 532—42. Price £7 10s. per Ton, in Bags, delivered to any Port in the United Kingdom. ESTABLISHED 1812. TURNIP MANURE. — This valuable fertilizer has been used for the last twelve years with great success by most of the eminent Agriculturists throughout England, and stands unrivalled in the toeiglit and qtiality of the bulbs which it produces ; it is besides especially beneficial to the Grain Crops which follow, while Clover is rarely found to fail after the first application. Some of the crops produced by this Manure last year weighed upwards of Thirty Tons per acre. GRASS, BARLEY, CLOVER, and WHEAT MANURES; also BONE, GUANO, and SUPERPHOSPHATE of LIME, warranted of the best quality. Apply to— H. & T. PROCTOR, Cathay, Bristol. {Birmingham, Edmonscote, Warwick. And Saltney, near Chester. N.B.— A Pamphlet on " MANURES, their PROPERTIES and APPLICATION," forwarded on receipt of 12 postage stamps. Copy of a Letter from the late Colonel Hawker (the well-known Author on " Guns and Shooting.") Long-parish House, near Whitchurch, Hants. Sir, — I cannot resist informing you of the extraordinary effect I have experienced by taking only a few of your Lozenges. I had a cough for several weeks that defied all that had been prescribed for me; and yet I got completely rid of it by taking about half a small box of your Lozenges, which I find are the only ones that relieve the cough without deranging the stomach or digestire organs. I am. Sir, your humble servant, To Mr. Keating, 79, St. Paul's Chnrchyard. P. HAWKER. Prepared and sold in Boxes, Is. Hd., and Tins, 2s. 9d., 4s. 6d., and 10s. 6d. each, by Thomas Keating, Chemist, &c., 79, St. Paul's Churchyard, London. Sold retail by all Druggists anil Patent Medicine Vendors in the world. K EATING'S PALE NEWFOUNDLAND COD LIVER OIL, perfectly pure, nearly tasteless, and free from adulteration of any kind, having been analyzed, reported on, and recommended by Professors Taylor and Thomson, of Guy's and St. Thomas's Hospitals, who, in the words of the late Dr. Pereira, say that " The finest oil is that most devoid of colour, odour, nwdt. flavour," characters this will be found to possess in a high degree. Half-pints, Is. Od. ; Pints, 2s. 6d. ; Quarts, 4s. 6d. ; and Five-pint Bottles, 10s. 6d., Imperial Measure. 79, St. Paul's Churchyard, London. FRAMPTON'S PILL OF HEALTH. Price Is. Ifd. and 2s. 9d. per box.— This exceUent Family Pill is a medicine of long-tried eflBcacy for purifying the blood, so very essential for the foundation of good health, and correcting all Disorders of the Stomach and Bowels. Two or three doses will convince the afflicted of its salutary effects. The stomach will speedUy regain its strength ; a healthy action of the liver, bowels, and kidneys will rapidly take place, and renewed health will be the quick result of taking this medicine, according to the directions accompanying each box. PERSONS of a FULL HABIT, who are subject to headache, giddiness, drowsiness, and singing in the ears, arising from too great flow of blood to the head, should never be without them, as many dangerous symptoms will be entirely carried off by their timely use. The following extract of a letter from Mr. Thomas Province, of Winchmore Hill, iMiddlesex, is another proof of the Invaluable Medicinal Pro- perties of FRAMPTON'S PILL OF HEALTH :— " For upwards of nine years I have experienced the efficacy of this excellent medicine. I had long previously been afflicted with headache and indigestion, but a friend having induced me to make a trial of Prampton's Pills, I now inform you that a few doses gave me great relief ; and during tliis long period of time I have taken them m preference to any other medicine ; and I have the happiness of saying that I never had a better staxe of health, which I attribute ^ •^■■^P'Pton's Pills. I beg further to add, that this medicine is in general use by my family, and we know of nothing to equal It." FOR FEMALES these pills are truly excellent, removing all obstructions, the distresfing headache so very prevalent with the sex, depression of spirits, dulness of sight, nervous affections, blotches, pimples, and sallowi;ess of the skin, and give a healthy, juvenile, bloom to the complexion. To MOTHERS they are confidently recommended as the best medicine that can be taken; and for children of all ages they are unequalled. These Pills unite the recommendation of a mild operation with the most successful ellect, and for elderly people, or where an occasional aperient is required, nothing can be better adapted. In consequence of the great and increasing demand, the Proprietor has obtained permission from her Msyesty's Commissioners to have the name and dOM oyMedidne""** ^'^*'"*' ^*^' ^^*°''' I-ondon," impressed upon the Government stamp affixed to each box. Sold by all Ven- IMPORTANT TO FLOCKMASTERS. THOMAS BIGG, AGRICULTURAL AND VETERINARY CHEMIST, APPOINTMENT, TO H. R. H. THE PRINCE CONSORT, K. G., &C. LEICESTER HOUSE, GREAT DOVER-STREET? BOROUGH, LONDON, Begs to call the attention of Farmers and Graziers to his valuable SHEEP-and LAMB DIPPING COMPOSITION, which requires no Boiling, and may be used with Warm or Cold Water, for eflfectualiy destroying the Tick Lice, and all other insects injurious to the Flock, preventing the alarming attacks of Fly and Shab, and cleansing and purifying the Skin, thereby greatly improving the Wool, both in quantity and quality, and highly contributing to the general health of the animal. Prepared only by Thomas Bigg, Chemist, &c., at his Manufac- tory as above, and sold as follows, although any other quantity may be had, if required : — 4 lb. for 20 sheep, price, jar included £0 61b. 30 8 1b. 40 JO lb. 50 20 1b. 100 SO lb. 150 40 lb. 200 50 1b. 250 60 1b. 300 80 1b. 400 100 lb. 500 (cask and measure 0 10 included) 0 15 1 0 1 3 1 7 1 17 2 5 0 Should any Flockmaster prefer boiling the Composition, it will be equally effective. He would also especially call attention to his SPECIFIC, or LOTION, for the SCAB, or SHAB, which will be found a certain remedy for eradicating that loathsome and ruinous disorder in Sheep, and which may be safely used in all climates, and at all seasons of the year, and to all descriptions of sheep, even ewes in lamb. Price 5s. per gallon — sufficient on an average for thirty Sheep (according to the viiulence of the disease); also in wine quart bottles. Is. 3d. each. IMPORTANT TESTIMONIAL, " Scoulton, near Hingham, Norfolk, April 16th, 1855. 'Dear Sir, — In answer to yours of the 4th inst, which would have been replied to before this had I been at home, I have much pleasure in bearing testimony to the efficacy of your in- valuable 'Specific for the cure of Scab in Sheep.' The 600 Sheep were all dressed in August last with 84 gallons of the ' Non- Poisonous Specific,' that was so highly recommended at the Lincoln Show, and by their own dresser, the best attention being paid to the flock by my shepherd after dressing according to instructions left ; but notwithstanding the Scab continues getting worse. In December I informed the ' Agent for the above Specific,' that the flock was not cured, and that it requires their immediate attention. The Agent informed me they should be at once seen to, but did not do so until j^ve weeks afterwards, and in the mean time the Scab spread over the whole flock, that I never saw such a disgraceful sight in my life ; and when the Dresser was sent over to inspect the Flock, he decided on not dressing them again, as one- third of the Sheep had lost half their wool. I then agreed with an experienced dresser in Norfolk to dress the flock, and when he saw the sheep he declined doing them, as they were so very bad, and the time of lambing so near. Being determined to have the Scab cured if possible, I wrote to you for a supply of your Specific, which I received the following day ; and although the weather was most severe in February during the dressing, your Specific proved itself an in- valuable remedy, for in tliree weeks the Sheep were quite cured ; and I am happy to say the young lambs are doing remarkably well at present. In conclusion, I believe it to be the safest and best remedy now in use. " I remain, dear Sir, your obedient servant, " For JOHN TINGEY, Esq., " To Mr. Tliomas Bigg." " R. RENNY, In addition to the foregoing, he has very materially improved, as well as considerably reduced the price of his Dipping Ap- paratus; and he would venture to suggest that no Flockmasterg ought now to be without one. Price in London, New and Improved Dipping Apparatus, on Wheels £14 0 0 Ditto ditto with Iron-bar Drainer 6 0 0 Ditto ditto 4 0 0 Ditto, plain, with Wooden Drainer 3 0 0 N.B. — Catalogues, containing List of Patrons, Testimonials, &c., to be had of all agents, or sent direct per post free. CURTIS ON MANHOOD— SHILLING EDITION. A MEDICAL ESSAY ON NERVOUS AND GENERATIVE DISEASES. J ust published, the 77th Thoueand, with numerous plates, in a sealed envelope, price Is., or sent, post-paid by the Author, for Fourteen stamps. MANHOOD : The CAUSE and CURE of PREMATURE DECLINE, with Plain Directions for Perfect Restoration to Health and Vigour; being a Medical Review of the various Forms and modern treatment of Nervous Debility, Impotency, Loss of Mental and Physical Capacity, whether resulting from Youthful Abuse, the Follies of Maturity, the Effects of Climate or Infection ; with Observations on a nnvi and successful mode of detecting Spermatorrhoea, and other urethral discharges, by Microscopic Examination ; to which are added. Curious and Interesting Cases, with the Author's Recipe of a Preventive Lotion. By J. L. CURTIS, Surgeon, 15, Albemarle-street, Piccadilly, London At home for consultation daily, from 10 till 3, and 6 to 8. Sundays, from 10 to 1, REVIEWS OF THE WORK. " Curtis on Manhoob.— Shilling Edition.— 77th Thousand.— This is a truly valuable work, and should be in the hands of young and old. The professional reputation of the author, combined with his twenty years* experience as medical referee in the treatment of nervous debility, &c., fully accounts for the immense circulation which this popular and ably- written medical treatise has obtained." — Sunday Times, 23rd March, 1856. " Curtis on Manhood. — The author has conferred a great boon by publishing this little work, in which is described the source of those diseases which produce decline in youth or more frequently premature old &Se."— Daily Telegraph, March 27, 1856. Curtis on Manhood. — The book under review is one calculated to warn and instruct the erring without imparting one idea that can vitiate the mind not already tutored by the vices of which its treats." — Naval and Military Gazette, Ist Feb., 1851. " We feel no hesitation in saying that there is no member of Society by whom the book will not be found useful — whether such person hold the relation of a parent, preceptor, or a clergyman. — Sun, Evening Paper. Published by the Author; sold also in sealed envelopes, by Gilbert, 49, Paternoster-row ; Hannay, 63, Oxford-street; Maun, 39, Cornhill, London; Robinson, 11, Greenside-street, Edinburgh; Heywood, Oldham-street, Manchester ; Howell, 6, Church-street, Liverpool ; France, 8, Side, New^astle-on-Tyne ; Ashley, Posi^-OflSce, Newbury; Ferris & Score, Union-street, Bristol; Pierson, Shrewsbury; Jule, Braintree; TK3W, Lynn ; Peat, Chichester; Lurcock, Maidstone; Cook, Ipswich ; Huscropt, Bury St. Edmunds; Dove, Swindon ; Jearey, Bridewell Alley, Norwich; Smith, Cambridge ; Slatter, Oldham, and by ail Booksellers ar ^Chemists in the United Kingdom. 7 Christmas has ever been i-endeted dear to the lovers of friendship and hospitality from the many charming socialities connected with it. Then the winter-log burns ruddily ; merry guests surround the festive table • the toast, the song, and the dance prevail ; and amidst music, light, and the hum of happy conversation, the cheek of beauty shines resplendent in its loveliness, and personal attraction sways the hour. It is on those occasions that the fair and youthful are more than usually desirous to shine to advantage under the gaze of many friends, and therefore devote increased attention to the duties of the Toilet. Then it is that are acknowledged to be essential for preserving the Hair in all its decorative charm, the Skin and Complexion transparent and blooming, and the Teeth in their pearl-like lustre. The Patronage of Royalty throughout Europe, their general use by Rank and Fashion, and the universally- known efficacy of these articles give them a celebrity unparalleled, and render them peculiarly ROWLAND S' MACASSAR OIL IS A DELIGHTFULLY FRAGRANT AND TRANSPARENT PREPARATION FOR THE HAIR, AND AS AN INVIGORATOR AND BEAUTIFIER BEYOND ALL PRECEDENT. In dressing the Hair nothing can equal its effect, rendering it so admirably soft that it will lie in any direction, imparting a transcendent lustre, and sustaining it in decorative charm during the heated atmosphere of crowded assemblies.— Price 33. 6d., 7s. ; Family Bottles (equal t© 4 small) 10s. 6d., and double that size, 2l8. per bottle. ROWLAND S' KALYDOR FOR TBE SKIN ANB COMFZiEXIOlNr IS UNEQUALLED FOR ITS RARE AND INESTIMABLE QUALITIES, THE RADIANT BLOOM IT IMPARTS TO THE CHEEK, THE SOFTNESS AND DELICACY WHICH IT INDUCES OF THE HANDS AND ARMS, Its capability of soothing Irritation, and removing Cutaneous Defects, Discolorations, and all unsightly appearances, render it ZNDZSFENSABZ.X! TO EVERV TOZZiZST. Price 4s. 6d. and 8s. 6d. per bottle. ROWLAND S' ODONTO, Compoundad of the choicest and most recherche ingredients of the ORIENTAL HERBAL, and of inestimable value in IMPROVING AND IMPARTING A PEARL-LIKE WHITENESS TO THE TEETH STRENGTHENING THE GUMS, Price 2s. 9d. per box. CAUTION.— The only genuine of each bears the name of "ROWLANDS'" preceding that of the article on the Wrapper or Label. V Sold by A. ROWXiAND and SONS, 20, Hatton CS-arden, Iiondon, and by Chemists and Perfumers. BEWARE OF SPURIOUS IMITATIONS ! !