The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1860-09-25 00:00:00

agricultuu.

FIELD ANAGENIFFT OF ‘1- 'BEAT IN A WET HARVISr.
—I know few things more perplexing than a run of had
weathsa during harveat, especially if the crops be other-
wise good both as to quality and quantity. Many of
your correspondents have adverted to that of 1814 as
bearing a strong iesemblanee to our present season. I
can confirm this from my own experience. the 'chief
difference being that then the rain was insistly from the
east, whereas now it is genemlly from the west or south
rainy anion, in keeping u
into account the effect of an easterly wind, ?vett in a
idsvelysti;igthl:e.
the.
truheisie.teurmiiii.thhulefortusr ease standing ionise-
i.dijearellurwyh;oadot,n.ssste
such
is the opinion iny observation has led mato form on the
question. But he this as it may, my ;resent object is
to Point out what I consider one mode of making the
beat of A had lob. In this same Ii tof 1816. I hap-
pened to have • 20-aere field of wheat in shock during
the wettest part of the harvest. From the general dry-
ness of the climate, the practice of Issaalitr.; or eappirg
the alsesees in the field, is but wild reoirtel to in the
eastern districts ; so in the event of a rainy season, we
suffer, as perhaps we isueht, fir running no great a risk
as to leave our shocks uncovered. In my rase the out-
aide ears' soon allowed ayiuptons of awelling, then of
sprouting, and finally the change to my great annoyance
became visible enough showing in an unmistakeable
manner the mischief that was pine on. Tired, and, to
sey truth, sonesceliat &aflame"l of state of thinp, ins
a progreas fr bad to woes*, I resolved
°wan sum" lila' hint.9tlssay the
isc ofie4:stsy Latinist:l I
was regarded as little short of incauity. I got up a lost,
wet as it was, to the barn. put the bones to the thresh-
ing machine, and found to my no squall surprise and
delight, that in spite of its sodilened condition, the grain
left the ear pretty freely; and re than that, the after
°ovation of sepsrating the chaff bout the corn wass far
more effective than I expected. Altopthen it was about
mis queer • job As ever I was concerned with. it'd it
succeeded : and if in one load why not in all? The field
0:04 3.0011 CIC/41111, the crop threshed and dressed ; ths
only point 110 W left hieing how it could be beat and
qiiickest be dried for sale or keeping. Fortunately the
neighbouring malt kilna were disengaged, and in a very
leo days back came my wheat, I do list think lunch the
worrier in quantity, and as to quality perfectly safe for
soy length of t* s. On passing it againthrough the
threshing 111,0111111 e, the louse at of time sprouted graina
were easily separated f the bulk, and, with • small
portisei of barley malt, found (lie family in table beer
the whole winter. To give an idea ofthe relative value
of wend and clauiaged wheat at that time (fur the kiln-
dried could not be reckoned otherwise than damaged),
I wild the part It ted dry for 1425.. the kiln-dried
bu-111). per quarter.—Saudirl Taylor, Gloucester, Aug.
29th. . .

bgvichaner or THE ROM egons.---The present wet
cold season will have the effect of greatly diminishing
the root crop • the hay being also a good deal damaged
it will be desi;able to feed a portion of the roots with
the hay to keep the young atock in an advancing state
of condition ; but the greatest difficulty will be felt in
the early part of the spnng, previous to the growth of
the spring feed fur sheep. Then with the view of
economising the consumption of roots. I should suggest
Lying up sonie portion of our pastures from the present
time. A dressing of good nianure applied now would
increase the quantity and imieove the quality of a goad
useful milk-producing food for ewes after
Rauslry, Prrrinfield Fares, arted, Surrey.
Por %TO Do4E.hisr..-11. 13. J. feel. quite certain that
the linie, salt, and adies have prevented his potatoes
being as bad as his sleight/mane. Idsily about him kid
out 40s. per acre on their hay land. He had fully as
good a crop with ne., (it does not cost him as much).
He also thinks it prevents corn laying au touch as is
often se.•n. and strengthens the straw.
, SnAth SHIAVILS tW Coas.—The plan suggested in
the .4yricollatrul oazate lately, of drying corn in
sheaves more rapidly by dividing them into smaller
portions. is I find, during a rapiil run through Belgium.
in common practice, the sheaves being often not half
the size A our ordinary ones. The process of drying is
moreover quickened by arranging the sheaves apart
from each other. This is chiefly done in the hop
districts, the hop poles being fixed horizontally, at about
the distance of three feet from the ground, by means of
cross stints placed at each end, and the sheaves are made
to rest against the long pule facing each other in pairs.
In one plane I saw a were ingenious manner of fixing six
sheaves in an open block, but could not detect how they
were secured.—J. 0. Wesitroed.

A Ditr•lty PIOMPECT. Tho RCllie addelNy,raiße
publishes a very curious article, by Huron Ernouf.
entitled "Dr l'Appallsriaraseisl di Sul rt des 3loyess
d's Ilesahlier." Is it true that, owing to the gradual
increase of population, the Aurbee of the earth is destined
in the course of ages, to refuse its ailment to the human
race, and that a day will cool" when the sun shall shine
on an unpeopled and desert globe Such is the question
arked by the euthor of the article—a question started by
many eminent men since the colon UCClllelit of the
present century. It is a positive fact that, in oon•
seipience of the populous state of many countries which,
drug the middle age., were but feebly peopled, it has
become impossible to lesve a Lime qusntity of Issid
alternately (sllow for a certain lime, until the soil has
regsmed the phosphorus which, under different forms,
it Use yielded to the grain so necessary to the suste-
nance of nan. It is equslly true that the manure
spre ml over the fields is insufficient to renew the supply
of phosphorus; and that countries, like Mesopotamia for
instance, witch in the olden time were reeisrkehly for
their fertility, have since been transform...l into deserts.
Nor can it he denied that in taking food we absorb an
• si ironies .lua.itity of the fertilising element , pliospl owns,
in or ler to build up and repair our osseous is) stem, which
is almost exclusively posisd c phosplisto of lime.
Dial we, on quitting this sublunary abode, restore tothe
earth what we rei.eive from it, the loss to the c 1111 l inunity
. .

would be comFarstively small ; but this is what we do
nut ; our dead are enehme I . ithin stone vaults or ion-
pen trahle coffins, and thus, out of filial piety or respect
for the dead in getarral, we are induced to withhold from
our mother Earth that very nutriment which she is so

much In waut of to teml as, while we multiply in nearly
a geometric ratio and go on drawnig upon her resources
until she mint he reduce.l in the awl to • iotAte of hopeless
barrenness. Ad what is then to become of the
linumir race? Will it have to live upon fi li. or wiU
authrupophagy he its I,st resort To these dismal
presentinients, the accomplishment of which we limy
comfortably view from the convenient distance of many
centeries, Boinri E f replies by IpOilltirg olat that
from the 1111 l meet chyinista d *covere.l that the great
agent of fertilization ii phosphorus'under Valiolls forum,
the problem may be considered in a great measure
advert, since it is reduced to the simple condition of
providing that agent. Ainoug the chief remedies
any deficiency in the natural snpply, there are
the importation of gu and the applic. of mineral
phosphates to agricultural purposes ; awl. before thew
tail, other witircei will innwubteilly he discovered by
science. To these reflections of our author We may add
that increase of population is invariably regulatml by the
ine.ms of esiatsnice, and that. whenever there is any
danger of an excess of the former, nature neplies a
corrective in the form of some pestilence or other great
calamity—even when men themselves du not, following
their instincts, either destroy each other in battle, or
drain off the surplus by emigration. These, history
itself shows, are quite as natural cheeks (though
apparently of a political nature) as those alluded to
which are Independent of our will.