The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1858-04-06 00:00:00

WOOL.

WINYRITH FARMERS' CUT/I.—The usual monthly
meeting of this club was held at the Bear Inn, Wool,
on the 24th ult., Mr. J. A. Damen, the president,
in the chair. Mr. Darby, of Lytchett, introduced
the subject of discussion, which was on "The ad-
vantage of autumn cultivation for root crops." In
alluding to the importance of the subject, lie des-
cribed the preparation of the land in the culture of
roots, as underlying and affecting the whole system
of farming throughout the rotation followed—if it
were well performed, the effects would be visible
throughout a lengthened period, and on the contrary,
if slighted and passed over slovenly, the succeeding
crops would exhibit a deficiency in consequence. He
condemned the old system of ploughing the stubblea
at intervals of leisure, during the winter, and then
cross ploughing and working them afterwards, for
the following reasons :—That the land was fre-
quently ploughed when in too wet • condition.
That the roots of couch grass and other weeds
ploughed in with the stubble were kept in • state of
vitality throughout the winter, robbing the land of
the nutriment gathered from atmospheric and other
agencies. That the uncertainty of the weather in
the spring season often occasioned the after.eulture to
be hurried over and ill-performed. That from the
same cause the crop was frequently put in late, and
was sometimes totally lad in consequence. That
the spring and early summer clearing of land des-
tined for roots often interfered with the sowing of
barley and other crops. And lastly, the old way
was a most expensive one. He then described the
modern system of surfed:leg:wiring the stubblas with
Bentall's or Coleman's implement, immediately after
harvest; of working out the couch and weeds while
the land was in a dry state, to be subsequently burnt,
carried away, or ploughed in, and, as an addendum,
he alluded to the deep ploughing which should fol-
low, in order to render autumn cultivation perfect.
When the land MAI surfaoe.cleaned, and subsequently
ploughed deeply, he described it in a fit and proper
state to receive the disintegrating processes of frost,
snow, and rain, whereby the mineral riches of the
soil were unlocked, and its mechanical texture im-
proved. He also dwelt particularly on the large
quantities of nitrogen received into the soil, direct
from the atmosphere when properly prepared for it,
and mad, some lengthy quotations from the Rev.
0. Smith's pamphlet, and from Professor Way's ex-
perimenta on ajo"The nature of Soils," in proof of
their capacity to derive nutriment from the atmos-
phere. Another advantage from adopting the lye.
tern, also consisted in the practicability of planting
the land with cabbage, kohlrabi, or rape, after the
surface was cleaned, or of raising some other=
crop in it for early summer feeding. The p
obstacle in the way of the general adoption of the
system of autumn cleaning consisted in the want of
' sufficient horee•power on the farm to perform the
work in an efficient manner ere the autumnal rains
set in, but a remedy for this would shortly appear
in the steam plough, which now bade fair to creep
Into general favour ere long. In conclusion he stated
his conviction to be that by the more general adop-
tion of this system, root culture would -be carried on
more successfully and be more :certain in it. result.;
heavier crops would be grown to the average, and, as
a necessary omisequenoe, more sheep and cattle would
be kept on a given area of land. The system would
ultimately tend to the almost total eradication of
couch gnus and root weeds, and by the fostering of
good and clean cultivation, it was destined probably
more than anything else besides to accelerate the
march of agriculturZ progress. On the termination
of the opening address, Means. Randall, Saunders,
Jackson, Fowler, Damen, and Clark joined in the
discussion, and the following resolution was unani-
mously adopted :—" That the more general adoption
of autumn culture for the root crop is highly desira-
ble; that in comparatively clean stubble the couch
grass may be forked out with manual labour, and in
all other oases the land should be scarified or surface.
worked as soon after harvest as possible, and the
whole of the refuse either raked off for future use,
burnt or if wholly killed allowed to remain,* might
be deemed desirable; and that afterwards where the
land is not sown to a green crop for feeding off in
the succeeding spring, it should, in the generality of
oases, be deeply ploughed, and remain in that state
during the winter."