The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1858-06-29 00:00:00

Agriculture.

TAUNTON AGVOULTURAL ASNOCIATION.—The coin.
militia have published thela. list o! prizes for this year,
from which it appears that they will give £6 12s, lid.
for ploughing; LW for servants and labourers • four
silver cups and £47 for cattle and horses ; £l2 for
sheep ; £6 for pigs ; for extra stock ; and thrve
silver cups and £lO for roots, The ploughing will take
place on Thursday, October 21st, and the show of stock,
on Friday, November 26th. The president for the
year is J. Wood, Esq.

Tint Pawl or CORN.—It would seem that the high
prioe of corn which has prevailed for many years has
yielded to the influence of auccessive good seasons, and
that • cycle of cheep food has now fairly set in. With-
in the last 12 months the imperial average price of
wheat has fallen from 60s, per qr. to 445. 7d. per qr.
It may at this time be interesting to look back to the
periods of high and low prices of the chief neceasary of
life which we have had since the abolition of the corn
lawe in 1846. The price was then rather high, and ad-
vancing in consequence of the potato failure, and in that
and the following years the imperial averagt ntood thus :
—ln the week ending June 13, 1846, at 525. per qr.;
ditto June 12, 1847, at 88s. 10d. per qr. Then ensued a
cycle of six years of clieepnees, which kept alive the cry
tor protection and the desperate enmity of the Protee-
tionest against Sir Robert Peel, until the general elec-
cion of 1852 setteled the question for ever :—ln the
week ending June 10, 1848, the price was 475. 53. per
or.; ditto June 16, 1849, 44a. 24. per qr.; ditto June
15, 1850, 395. 10,1. ; ditto June 14, 1851, 395. 11d. ;
ditto June 12, 1852, 40s. 11d. ; ditto June 11, 1853, 435.
lid. Less favourable seasons, combined with increased
consumption (the effect of general prosperity and advano-
: ing wages, the latter consequent on the great emigra-
tion to Australia and the vest imports of gold), then
produced a rapid advance in the price of corn, which
was further sustained by the subsequent demand for the
supply of the English and French armies and fleets
during the war. The overage prioes of wheat was, in
the week ending June 10, 11354, 78s. 3d. per qr. ;
ditto June 16, 1855, 771. sd. • ditto June 14, 1856,
68s. ld. ; ditto June 13, 1857, 80s. And now, as the
effect of the exoellent harvest of last year and the great
promise of the present, we have the prices down again in
the week ending Jane 12, 1858, to 44.. 7d. per qr.
Thus, since the repeal of the Dorn laws we have had a
period of two dear years, then of six cheap years, after-
wards of four dear years, and now we have reached the
Bret of another series of cheap years. Former expert.
onos would lead to the belief that we shall probably
be favoured with three or four years of plenty and
cheapness; and if this should be so, it will be • great
mitigation of the evils of diminished trade, and will
itself be • principal means nf reviving true prosperity.
Tun POTATO BLIGHT.— Potato blight has already
made its appearance in North Lancashire. Sir. Henry
Bwarbriek, of Great Eoeleeton, • few days ago, deg up •
lot of forward kidneys, and found nearly one-half of
them badly thawed.

Drrscrion OF GUANO FRAUD& —The means by
which these frauds can be detected were-lately descri
at an agricultural meeting in Cork, as so simple that
farmers are much to blame if they allow themselves to
be so easily duped; nothing more is necessary than to
burn in an iron spoon, or on the point of a shovel, a
small quantity of the guano they are about te ; if
the ashes are of a pure white, and weigh only about one
third as much as the guano, they may rest aatislied that
they possess a genuine article. Professor Murphy ex-
hibited At this meeting at Cork lately the white 41
which resulted from burning 100 grains of pure Peruvian
guano, the weight of which ash was exactly 38 grains,
or one-third of that of the guano before it was burned.
He also exhibited the insoluble matter (sand) which
remains from • like quantity (33 grains) of the ash of
genuine Peruvian guano, digested for some minutes in
dilute muriatic acid, the weight of which sand was not
quite two grains. In contrast with these, he exhibited
the ashes which remained after bunting** impare
guano ; it weighed 60 grains, and end • ilf a brown
earthly colour, and, on subjecting it to the action of the
acid, 40 grains of sand remained. Bed Peruvian guano,
he ;stated, is quite dry to the feel, losing seemly any
weight by exposure to the warmth ef i dwelling room;
whilst other samples that are in Itlipc. respects,. equally
pure, will loose a tenth, or even more, of their weight
by such exposure ; the former woisid have been worth
at least 303. per ton more than the latter • certain
guanos, such as that known as Bolivia antlgaldanha
Bay guano, often contain mons, than Swim IS much
phosphate of lifim aS Gibbs' Peruvian guaho does, and
would, consequently, •yinkl. on burning twice the
qttantity of ash ; still it would,be pure white, and would
be soluble in acid. Guano -adulterated with plaster of
Paris or certain other white earths would possess
white sah, but its insolubility' would enable any one to
detect the adulteration.

BEITROOT.—The Time: Money Market and City In-
telligence article on the ten beetroot distillates now
permitted in the United Kingdom reports them as
seeming entirely unsuccessful. The report of the Com-
inisioners of Inland Revenue, published on Monday,
states nothing of the kind, but merely shoew that on an
average the distilleries have not yet been worked three
mouths, nor is either of them now quits finished or Per'
fectly completed, in which state 4,895 tons of bat and
marigold have been distilled, producing about 40,000
gallons of proof spirit, similar to which the greater part
of the French brandy sent to this country is made off.
The eminent French distiller, Leplay, is erecting 14 root
dittitteries this year for different proprietor' in France,
to all of whom and to many others who have earned en
the same business for years in that country I con ewe
I you reference. If it succeeds No well there why not in
I this free-trade country As a proprietor clime, havirgg
nothing to do with any other party, I believe It may
attain to great success and benefit here to the public'
generally, tending to produce • larger supply of both
corn and meat, which the growth of roots will always
promote. As one instance under • short trial, some
cull fionth down lambs I purchased on July 5 last, at
12e. ed. each, and sold last week, fatted almost entirely
on the steamed roots, at 38s. each, after taking • better
fleece of wool than wad nor could I have fatted them
so well on any other produce. And in so steaming the
roots is it not better to catch the steam and *widense it
into spirit than let it go up the chimney to evaporate
in the air? It must be bettor, MI paying for the wort
and supplying as good an article at house for nearly
half the price we now pay for the Name from France.
Let no have time and fair play, and I have no fear for
the success of the system. 31y stock are now feediag on
roots distilled last Deoember, the promos being a
great preservative of them, on which cows, sheep, pigs,
and horses feed on greedily, as other agriculturists irth
similar distilleries fully testify. —Frederick Weekt,
Boiney Lodge, Sussex.

- -
NEW POTATOES.—The potato crop in Portugal this
year has been • good one, and very large quantities have
been exported from Lisbon to England. The potato
ripens in Portugal several weeks before it does in this
country. In consequence of this fact it has been found
prolltsbls to send potato seed and implements of potato
husbandry from England to Portugal, and then import
the potatoes for early sale in Covent-garden Market.

THE RECENT HAIL STORYB.—The losses to Agricul-
turalists during the past three weeks have been enor.
mous. Scarcely a paper is published in England but
contains reports of damage done in the County where it
is issued, and yet those accounts do not contain a tithe of
the destruction which has been done to the growing
Crops. Some of the Insurance Offices have been under
the necessity of declining proposals from parties whose
crops have been recently injured, owing to the expense
of valuing the damage already done, which would be
necessary in order to distinguish between it and any other
damagethe tame crepe may hereafter sustain. The probs.
bility is that such parties will not be able to effect an Insu-
rance on their crops this year. It is universally admitted
that delays are dangerous—Does not this prove it? The
same rate %charged for the whole season as for • part—
yet a great number will always postpone Insuring until
• Storm has actually taken place, and then, if their crops
are damaged in the early part of the year, as at present,
they have • difficulty in protecting themselves during
the remainder of the season. We suppose there elways
will be parties to perpetuate the old proverb about
" shutting the stable door when the steed is stolen."
We learn that the following persons have sustained
damage in Berkshire and the adjoining County of Toilt
but have been p insurance rotected by Insuran with the
Agents of the Royal Farmers' Office. Could a fist be
made out of the "penny wise and pound foolish"
parties who have sustained damage, who are uninsured,
to what • length would it run.
BERIESHIRE. —Messrs. Sutton tc Sons, of Beading; Mr,
John Hewitt, of Tidinarsh ; Mr. G. Glasspool and Mr.
James Gale of Hurst Kr. John Manners, of Banning;
the Rev. 117Poele. of White Waltham; and Mr. Thomas
Righton, of Woodley.

WILTS.—Mr. Edward Sheppard, of Roundway ; Mr.
William Bridges, of Caine ; and Mr. William Taylor, of
Corshani.