The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-05-03 00:00:00

Itgriculture

TEXPRItAXCL IX Tilt HARVIDIT FILLD.—A few days
'mince I found inymielf enjoying the hospitality of a gen•
Boman iii Betifonlohire, a °aunty inagistrote and lauded
proprietor, who was desirous of influencing the fanners
lii the neighbourhuud to abandon the prsetioe of paying
)art of the harvest wages of their fahourers in malt
liquor instead of money. There were gathered together
about 15 Bedfordshire farmers, the C 111.41111111 of
quartsr Seesiono, it retired captain in the army, •
neighbouring clergyman, besides some visitors from a
distance, one, a well-known London minister, and four
farmers from various parts of the country, who, having
tried the propommell innovation themselves, were Invited
to meet their brother farmers in thia way for discussion
upon it. After • pleasant social meal, the question for
the evening was introduced by our hoot's saying that lie
hoped this would not be considered as an ordinary
temperance meeting, but he wished to have • friendly
conversation on the advantages, in • business point
of view merely, of abandoning the use of malt liquors
in harvest, or at all events of giving them as part lay•
went for labour done. Then a Gloucestershire fanner,
a tried and trusty advocate of this reform, gave his
opinion that not only were these drinks useless, but
pernicious to a hard-worked harvest-man; he had
worked when • younger man as much as any one, he
knew both sides of th case, and he had no hesitation in
declaring that the labour of the harvest-field and the
atack-yaid could not be conducted to the best advantage
unless all intoxicating beverages were abandoned, and
this statement lie supported by numerous facts, argu-
ments, and anecdotes of hie own experience. his
wis ice was that the men should be paid in money only,
and left to pn,v.de themselves with such beverages as
they chose; his own men used cocoa principally. An
animated discussion followed, questions were asked,
objections started and replied to, difficultiee removed,
and the evidence of the other farmers from a distance
candidly considered, but in the language of the police
reports it tended only to corroborate that of the first
witness. Some further particulars were however elicited,
showing that modifications way be advantageously
introduced acconling to the special circumstances of •
case, as where the men are working a great distance
from their own homes it is an advantage to have
tea or something similar provided for them by the
farmer on the spot, or at the least to have a facility afforded
for obtaining hot water. As to the finance on the
subject, it appeared that by the adoption a this plan a
saving of from Xml. to Is. 21. a day might be effected,
which it was agreed the men ought to receive the full
benefit of. The most important testimony, however,
was that given by two of the Bedfordshire farmers, who
stated they had seen the experiment tried to a limited
extent during the past year by one or two nien in their
employment, who, they admitted, did their work as
efficiently without beer as with it, saving snore money
for the use of their families, proving more valuable
servants to their masters, and more respectable and
worthy members of the community. More than three
hours having been spent in this way, we again surrounded
a well-spread table, and soon after separated, an
impression having evidently been made in favour of
this new doctrine on many minds, and in some cases the
determination to give it a fair trial was fully expressed.
It is to he hoped, that, for the first year at least, some
special effort will be made by those who adopt the plan
to remove any prejudices that may exist in the nen's
minds with regard to it. The great point is to let them
clearly see that it is intended for their advantage even
more than for that of their masters. Trusting that you
will think this to be • matter of interest to your
readers, and that it may encourage others to "go and
do likewise."—Y. H. N., is Oasdciscrd Chronicle.
Da. VueLCICER ox LIQUID MANURE. The impres-
sion I received on reading Dr. Voelcker's papers on
Liquid Manure, in the last number of the Royal Agri-
cultural Society's Journal, was that in him it had not
met with a very friendly advocate. The Professor has
treated the subject in its application to various soils, as
well as its analytical value, but my own experience, and
what I have seen, lead sue to differ on the point of its
unfitness for clay soils. I have produced large crops of
Italian rye-grass on heavy cloy with the aid of liquid
manure, the whole field having been drained, deeply
ploughed, and limed ; but that the extra luxuriance of
the grass was due to the liquid application (arid not to
the previous processed of drainage, subsoiling. homing,
111 C., HA suggested by the Professor) was ununstakeably
evident by the contrast it afforded to that portion of the
field not so treated. I have applied liquid manure on a
black loam, as also on a very light soil on a subsoil of
gravel ; Mile last requires more frequent applications,
and those of a very diluted character, to produce the
same result as would be obtained by • more conoentrated
dreaming nun clay soil. It is clear that if liquid manure
did not pumas+ • greater value practically than it appears
to do theoretically, few men would trouble themselves
about it, and like the Professors "remarkably intelligent"
friend, would allow it to escape as bestaa it could, hut in
the long run tie., high price of guano and other manures
will prevent this. I have tried 2,3, and 4 cwt, of guano
per acre on Italian rye-grass, at each application
washed in with 5,0(X) or 6,000 gallons of water, but none
of the above quantities produced • crop either so thick
in the ground or so high, as 2,000 gallons of liquid, spec.
gray. I.OIS, diluted with three tones the quantity of
water. Comparing in this instanoe the superiority of
the liquid manure over the guano, it appears only to be
accounted for on the supposition that the constituents
are in a more perfect state for assimilation in the one
fertiliser than in the other. My liquid is derived from
cows and feeding cattle, with the addition of an occa•
sionol quadrupsd reduced to a fluid state, and about
2,0(10 gallons of gas liquor through the season, all md
which is collected in covered tanks, cheaply constructed.
51r. Mechi's 50,1 XX) gallons of diluted liquid per acre may
perhaps be applied in five dressings, or 10,000 gallons at
each time; its theoretical equivalent in guano would,
1 according to Professor Voeleker, amount to 441 lbs. of
guano—a q iantity which, if applied and left to the
; mercy of sunshine, drought, and wind, would be no.
where in producing • crop of grass. The expense of con.
Trying liquid manure by pipes and pumps driven by
water rower, provided the water for dilution is not pro-
cured at an extravagant expense, does not exceed Id.
per ton. The assumed cost of 24. per ton is the price at
which it can be managed by the water cart ; this I think
was stated by Mr. Csird isome time ago as the
result of his experiments. One great advantage
in collecting the liquid manure apart froui the
solid is the economy of litter; the use of sparred I
floors and the carrying away of the liquid in drains
enabling a greater number of cattle to be house'
fed 11411/1111ef and winter, than by the old plan
of making straw the absorbent. To supply the increas-
ing demand for beef a man DMA eCollolllide his straw to
the utmost, now that its value as an article of food is
becoming appreciated, for steaming and mixing with
cake, meal, or pulped roots. Mr. Horafall has shown in
Isis paper on I>airy Management that it is four times
more valuable as a feeding material than for converting
into manure. Professor feeding
in his previous wn-
tings acknowledges that cows will extract • greatdeal of
nourishment from cut straw, while now he seems to
treat a plentiful supply as, • matter of cumiiilerable in.
convenience, and of no other use than to be trodden
under foot. No man is likely to be troubled with an
"excess of straw" except from a deficiency of stock.
As to the best means of disposing of liquid manure,
underground pipes are more economical than open
channels, even where land can be irrigated by gravita-
tion. There may be localities in which liquid manure
cannot be applied with advantage, owing to a deficiency,
or the great cost of obtaining water, and in such situa-
tions sonie other absorbent must be found, but let it be
o cheaper one than straw. But where farms are so
fortunately situated as to command • good supply of
water, the greatest attention should be paid so as to
ensure the collection of every particle of the liquid in
covered tanks, and with the aid of gravitation, water-
wheel, or steam engine, it should be conveyed to the soil
in underground pipes. The land intended for its appli-
cation should be as near the farm 'Wading as possible, and
where there is motive power, let not the economy in the
first outlay mtmlude any one into -electing ground at a
distance tl at may be available for gravitation, as the
carriage of souse 60 tons of grass per acre up hill is •
sermons item of expense. Five or 10 sores laid down in
It mlian rye-grass, and under pipe irrigation, will yield
HlHee food for cumuier boiling, and at a cheaper rate
than any t see than at present known, and from its enon
1110U4 addition to the manure heap, will in its turn pn.ve
the co ien.-einent of a reproductive systems. The
growth of a uniforms supply of grass through the summer
is invaluable: towards the end of the season when the
!matures become bare • plentiful supply of food is
ensured, so that stock are always kept thriving, and free
from the many diseases emplidered by young
, annuals being +tinted, quarter ill atnoug the number.
Vegetables may be produced to great perfection and
with tolerable certainty under the liquid manure
system, the application of the liquid, or even water,
being so inexpensive, and at the same time so valuable.
On looking over many farms managed on the pipe
system, an error appears to have been committed in
laying down a greater extent of piping than can always
be kept at work through the season—Jania T. Black-
, torn, in Gardeners' Chronicle.