The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1860-04-17 00:00:00

Coruspoubtnre.

PRACTICAL AGRICULTURE.

LETTER No. IX.

ON THE IMPOR ----- - Or VARYING THE CROPS AS
MUCH AS POSSIBLE; WHY NATURE REQUIRES IT;
AND HOW IT MAY SR DON&

To the Editor of the Dereet County &preen and
A gricultur al Gazette.

Dorchester, April 16th, 1860.
Si R.—For many years it has been known that corn
should succeed a green crop, and rice recoil ; but the
inirrtance of varying the crilm beyond this has nil
generally been fully consider el and effectually carried
into practice. The time has now arrived when it
behoves every farmer to look "System" in the face,
and say, " I defy thee ;" for it is his duty to go into
every field and examine its condition before he gives
orders fiir sou jug any particular crop; and 1 Lavine
him to ask himself a question, viz.—" What is the
beet seed that will snit this land f" The answer will
generally he, "That which has not been applied for
the greatest number of years."
Nature requires this change owing to the exhaust-
ing peers of plants, for 110 matter of what kind, a
certain support is required more than can be obtained
from the sun, air, rain, snow and dews ; and this
support must conic from the soil • and as different
plants do not feed on the same substance, it will be
clearly seen why nature requires a change of crop.
To illustrate this, I will suppose a garden filled with
vegetables, and a few tortoises turned in ; they will
devour all the tender plants, such as will suit their
digestion. and when these are finished they will die
of starvation. Then pigs may be turned in, and they
will do well on the nets and plants, that would not
keep the poor tortoises alive. So it is with the soil,
for if lined clover be sown, it may do well as long as
the land will afford that kind of food which it re-
quirie, and no longer; then, if some other plant -
succeeds of an opposite nature it will do well fur a
time, and then the knowledge of the farmer will be
called into operation, in order to say what shall he
the next crop, so that tbe laud may have sufficient
rest between two crops of the same variety without
fallow, or ley, both of which are quite dispensable in
profitable agriculture.
I should recommend on all common soils that an
equal quantity of wheat, barley, and oats should be
sown, in order that as many years as possible may
intervene. Of course, peculiar soils will require dif-
ferent treatment, hut even these will receive great
WIMBORNE. benefit from the change. In green crops • large field '
CooUNTT Police, Friday, April 12, 1g1;0.—(llefore C is open, for we have swedes, umarld, turnips of
J. Parke. Eni., aiel Major Portnian.)—John West ale many kinds, rape, tares, mustarl, rye, cow-grew,
°firer, ta, and Benjamin Bruns, 25, describing them broad clover, ray-grass of many varieties, and sundry
selves aa seamen, the former eupposed to belong to other things, so that no land need ever have the same
Weymouth, were charged with stealing a pair of Wet- green crop repeated oftener than once in twenty
lington boot/, and some victuals from a timber carriage, years. This will at first appear startling, but it is a
belonging to William llugdale. of Ringwood, during the
fact which Sctch bailiffs, Darnel
temporary abeenoc of the owner. Having pleaded , o Chronicle writers.
guilty they were each sentenced to six weeks' hard
labotir. end many others, with • very little /agricultural
knowledge will deny, without any possible chance of
Swope/ Jeffrey, a small farmer at Kinson, was pen. ever being able to prove that it isnot an.
tenceo to tee month's hard labour for stealing hay, the Ido not mean to say that there is no exception
property of Be. Elgie. of Alderney Cottage. P.C. but that those eactiitious are rare; and, as we have
Brown was put to watch, and caught the prisoner in the so many excellent green crops, why should not the
act at an early hour in the morning. I sod receive that which it is best able to support.

ACCIDENT. —Mr. Spooner, surgeon, drove up to
Mr. 'Atkinson's duot on Friday evening last, for the
purpose of seeing his patients who had been so
seriously injured on the previous Saturday. Having
stepped out of his phieton and gone into the house,
the lad left in charge of the vehicle turned the horse
round, and from some unknown cause the horse be- I
(AIM frightened and unmanageable, starting off at • I
fearful rate down the Salishmy-street. Fortunately
there was little passing up or down this usually
hustling street at the time, otherwise. some ten dole
must have taken place. The frightened
animal on con.ing to the bottom of the street dashed
&moss the warket•place, and came into fearful core
tact with the portico of the National Provincial '
Bank, throwing himself down, breaking off the
shafts of the vehicle, and others i.e damaging it.
The driver was neither hurt nor thrown out.
RELIGIOUS GATIIIMIN4I.—The associated dissent-
ing 'stem of the county are announced to meet
here on the '23rd inst. The programme issued is a
. very promising one, and if the subjects to be brought
1 under consideration are introduced and discussed in
accordance with the enlightened religious spirit
our times, then the series of meetings to he held will
I be souiething more than mere social gatherings.

HuKIIeIITLx.L SOCIETY. —The first show or
this useful society is intended to he held on June
26. we canliot speak to.. highly of ILE ONOCCE. and
as its success was great List year, we trust it will be
greater this.