The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1860-07-03 00:00:00

Corrtsponbenct.

PRACTICAL AGRICULTURE.

LETTER No. XX-
ON I'm PROFITABLE MANAGEMENT OF ARTIVNIAL
GRANDAS ON ARABIA LAND.

To the Editor of the Dorset County Erprem tad
Agricultural Get:ette.
Dorchester, July 2nd, 1860.
Sot,—The weather of late has been so bad for the
profitable management of the hay crop that my pre-
sent task must necessarily be a difficult one; but we
must not be cast down, neither must we "give out
for one bad bout," nor is it right for us to fancy that
farmers are worse off than other classes. The
common saying that "Old tarnip-tops must be•
ruined now," is nothing more than a delusion under
which those who follow an in-door occupation are
labouring; for one thing is certain, and that is, we
must, charge it all to the consumer; so we need not
be more alarmed at the unfortunate state of the
! weather than other people. If we spoil our bay we
• must have a higher price for our beef and mutton ;
also, if we have to pay more for labour we must
charge more for produce. These things always find
their level.
I
BY Y' • -the•b e Mr. Editor, have you seen Mr
1 accounts of the ridoeulons plans being adopted in
many parts of abstaining for some time from eating
, meat, in order, as it is said, to reduce the price!'
1 The effect of this. I should imagine, would only be
!to raise the price of other articles of food. I will
just give those working-men, which I suppose they
most be, a little bit of advice. No food will enable
a man to get through a large amount of laborious
work without a moderate quantity of -meat; suit
becomes the duty of every man to supply himself
Liberally with animal food, and then he will be strong;
and if his heart is in the proper place for an English-
man. he will be enabled to get through 111011111 extra
work than will be sufficient to pay the oast of his
meat, however dear it may be.
I must not wander too far from my subject, so I
will point out the cause of the frequent failures
among the grass crops. These are chiefly owing to
the want of attention in varying the kinds of seed
sown, for many sorts are very exhausting to the
land; that is. they take up so much of a par-
ticular kind of food as can only he replaced by tune
(of course I mean replaced profitably) ; and this will
frequently be found to be the work of many years.
Now, Sir, what I would wish to impress upon the
former is, that this applies not only to broad clover
but to many other kinds, and that 'every known
variety will do better for a change; but it happens
very often that when a farmer gets a good crop of
any particular grass he will increase the quantity of
that kind till he finds that his crops are not so gool
as they used to be. This plan is decidedly wrong.
and it will be found that I am right in saying that,
in nine cases out of ten, the farmer who cultivates
the greatest number of varieties of artificial grasses
, in proportion to the number of acres sown, is the rise
who gets the best crops and at the least expense-
Care must be taken in the selection of such kinds as
! will suit the soil and climate, and a great deal in2l
be learnt. In order to ascertain this, by searching the
' hedges in the vicinity for any useful variety that
may be found growing luxuriantly in a wild date,
will generally be conclusive as to that which the
cultivated soil will delight in producing.
` A slight dressing of yard manure early in the
' 1 Spring will generally pay more profit than can be
' I derived from its application to any other crop. I
I , advise that carting manure to the artificial gra-Jab,
. deferred till after the rains and frosts of winter hate
I
I, passed away.