The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1861-06-11 00:00:00

agriculture.

TURNIP CULTIVATION.

It is not many years since it was found that the appli•
cation of bones in many cases maid as a complete
renovator of worn.out grazing and arable lead. For
moms time it was much disputed whether the good
eff.ctsi of these substances were owing to the animal or
earthy matter which they contained. The several and
relative pat,, however, which these two play in fer-
tilising the soil have now been in • great measure
cleared up and explained. Nowhere have bones been
used with greater benefit than on the red•loam pastures
of Cheshire. The sozaty supply of phosphates which
them otherwise a iota soils could annually yield up to the
was altogether inadequate to their wants.
grass,
Dressings of bones, therefore, had quite • magical
influent:a, and the value of the land was in many
instances at ones doubled. On the other hand, the old
dairy pastures of Suffolk, naturally rich in phosphates,
were not materially benefited by bones.
In the countries of the Continent, where few turnips
are grown, bone manure is in less request. It is no
long time sines foreign bones forund the principal
source of phosplia'es or the farmer* of Britain. This
"puree was of an exceedingly limited character. The
discovery of dissolving bones an sulphuric acid made the
same quantity do fora much larger area. This helped
materially to cheek the rise in the price of bones. The
demand still continuing soon led to the discovery of
new 'applies of phosphates in the paeudocoprolitea of
the Crag of Suffolk. Cambridgeshire, too, turned out
no mean supply of phosphatic nodules. South America
affords large quantities of hone ash ; and
one island after another in the tropics seein
to offer a supply in the shape of
pianos, which have been mostly deprived of their
nitrogen by partial rains. Should all these fail, the
Spanish phosphorite, which is found in such quantities
ais to be employed as • baildioll otons in some pout*
of Eotremadura, ntight of itself furnish as much as we
might require at some future period in our agricultural
history. Though the practice is very common is
England, there as scarcely such • thing in Scotland as
raising swedes with phosphates or superphosphate.
alone. This crop has almost always a full allowance
of farm•yard manure in addition. On deep loans, which
a-0 capable of rat-ing large crop' of swedes, dressing
with guano instead of phosphates, and sowing early, is
best calculated to produce m aimuso retsina. When
the soil, on the other hand, is of a lighter description,
awl under a regular rotation, anisly•ground bows ash or
animal charcoals will produce as large returns as guano,
when applied aloof with rich but unfermented farm.
yard manure. It is a great deal of unnecessary expense
in such circumstance, to dimly* the ash or Ansi,-
ground bones in sulphurio acid.
Instead of guano alone having a tendency on light
land to produce over luxuriance of the stems of swede+
is autumn, it is all the other way. On such soils the
roots madly tate op the more soluble parts, and leave
sufficient quantity for maintaining growth in the end of
Lint season. It over-feeds the plant in its first stages,
and ',tarifa it in its last. Farto•yard manure yields up
its riches more slowly, and hence produces shill amount
of fresh stems in autumn. without which there cannel,
be a large weight of bulbs. lead which has been
broken upout of rich old paeares may, with phosphates
alone, raise large crops of swedes after a crop or two of
rota. But on light hungry rotation-driven lands, farm-
-
THEIBISDAT. yard manure, by slowly giving up Its nitrogen, is
essential enabk the swede plant to thrive and form
In reply to • question by Leal Stanley,
Lotfrom ty.T.
Riiitneeelltish
dasiipiomad notiore...mport
abeeregn
imerecentived,„
dlse.ssing these questions
.re
have
often
thought
Canadian Volunteers having offered it, service, to thew.
oaroo' kilb4ll6ng tot •frksdaxelusiveelyereuponththutangir own out the
• light The
President of the United States to assist In coercing the rorm. . .
yartt manure is generally all applied for the wheat
Southern States, ri for the tursip but super-phosphate. Looking at this
in the south of England, so that there is nothing
Sir C. Wood, in movies for leave to introduce • Bill
turamid in certain respects the 000stitutioe of the
to question from the chemical point of view, Professor
Council of the OalinnarCiana„ Tanner, in last number of the Royal A • allure'
authorise making laws taru"'"" ,*".'• • Soeittes Journal tummies, that the reason of dung
&Ode, °I Tort °acne ,B°°_,__bayt not being applied to the turnip on light or sandy soils,
pup of Her Majesty's Indian allTfpuinioisirn is that it is apt to be washed out. Now, so far
iite mods* WIN one of the greatest importance ?wad.
UM turnip trope on such voila, it is well
to our Italian empire. He ez in detail the "
nearly, be ob. known that it ordnestogreateM perfeetion in rainy sesame
we be pelled In inlrt'dwa:_,.„. or suoitislimaiew It is INA several • washing out
saved, airrW oat • wAtellte....row,____`•"...,..'s ~* which ie the fault of them lands i they do DOI retain as
Lord Oun sod whleh bad nva" -- moth moisture ea will dissolve the 1111101101, and at the
Leh Council. Its main features were
awl
ne
number
et
members of the b. 04.0„. lame time furnish the plank with what moisture they
requirp fir healthy growth. If the farm manure has
:1111;947, to be not_ metabers 01 Owl °°_verplit bees made in boxes end is maim, it should be &pried
ne eite.,_,Toth.„ Pow: ftw'tbitattiodrerop wiliest betas fennented. On t
gartas".l. make laws Isidalbele ta worsithel mem waste hem washing m
id,. be madras sod Motalea newer " •vs the lam-yard ammare is applied for the wheat *ea the
issulattens ea local sabiesig 014. WV the mobs= at

On the motion that the Eif beaker leave the chair that
the House might go into a Committee of Hopply,
Colonel French. with reference to the matters eon.
nected with the Galway Contract, which have provoked
repeated explaritions already, entered into a statement
touching the interview between Lord Palmerston and
the Rev. Yr. Daly, and the remarks made upon that
interview and upon the subject generally by that noble
lord and Lord J. Russell, and iruidioated Irish
members from reflections which he thought implicated
their honour.

Lord Palnierston said be accepted the disclaimer of
CoWool Freach as he had done Mr. &woods's. He
adhered, however, to the statement he made on a
former occasion, which contained, he said, a tree
repneeutetion of the facts. The whole blame, he
added, mastrs t upon the Rev. Mr. Daly, for his exams
of seal.

--Lord Naas took onission to contradict a published
ateterrient *hick reflected upon him and his eollasgoes
of the late Administattioo in relation to the original
emigrant merle wit the Galway Company.
Tbs subject was paranoid by other speakers.
Mr. Gregory complained with some warmth of the
imputations cast upon Irish member.. and in particular
of certain remarks mad* by Lord J. liainell.
Se 0. Lewis, in defence of Lord John, said it wee
absolutely miceusary to give a dialect denial to the
troth of reports in circulation which he (Sir George)
conceived implicated his own personal honour,
Yr. Scully blooded • little of the facetious with his
vindication of himself as an Irish member, from what he
onsidered as slanders and ca'uomies.
. . . . .

This sUbject 'laving dropped,
Mr. Guchrane moved a reeoletion, that the Captains
of the Royal Navy who were planed on a reserved as I
dotiapisbed ffool • retired le , in accordance with
the Orders in Council of June, 1851, awl January,
1858, leave groat name to complain tint the arrange-
ment entered into with the Hoard of Admiralty has
not been fairly carried out, and that this injustice is
moat prejudicial to the public envies. He pointed out
eases of grievance arising from the mod* in which the
arrangement bad been effecnd.
The motion was seconded by Admiral Walcott.
Lord C. Paget said he greatly regretted the misunder-
standing under which he meritorious dicers in
que•tion appeared to labor. He explained the oaten
ef the arrangement, which was modified by the present
Admiralty last year to the advantage ef the gallant
Alone who, be thought, had been treated fairly.
and had no ironed fur oomplainiag of any grievance.
Major Edward* supported the amendment, which,
upon a division, was negatived by ST to 19.
The Nome then west late a Coeumitim of Supply
upon the Navy estiniatmi, the dimension of which was
soon interrupted by the cloak, and the Chairman lilt
obeir.
The remaining unopposed business was dimmed of,
and the Bosse adjourned at a fee minutes Wore 6
' &antic.

turnip crop, as it is subjectedto the dissolving influences
of the rains of winter. At that season, too, the
roots of the plant are comparatively dormant, and do
not take it up. Indeed, this agreeable writer gives tha.
true reason for applying the farin-yard manure to the
Wheat crop instead of turnips, when be afterwards tells
us that the former, being the "chief source of pruflt,
should hove a preferential claim."
. _

ngland will expend large
to ..bo expected that the
light-lafundt,
t.itr:uissniscaarceli
seine of money in the purchase of nitrogenous
manures for the turnip. •lacii it is liable to so
many accidenta. The physical condition of the
tail is such that it does not afford a sufficient
aupply of moisture to bring the plants to snythin4
within reach of th. ir limits or capabilities of growth.
In the circumstances, the cheaper dre sing of super-
phosphate produces, with what the wheat crop has
left of the farm-yard manure. • medium crop of roots.
The swede, being a rapid but short-lived pl Lot in the
smith, ...quire less ammonia, and, indeed, less of every-
thing than it does in the north.
We h•.,,e already, in the lut number of our journal,
referred to Dr. Voelcker's admirable paper on the source
and value of phosphates for agriculture. It ice valu-
able paper for reference, and at the present time
exhausts the subject. Thia chemist, viewing the
results of aumioutacal application for the turnip crep is
the thin oolitic soils of the south, apparently, has
been exceedingly slow to recognise the value of nitrogen
fur the turnip crop. At keit, lie dome not yet draw
the lines b.ddly which render its api,i,e„tion either
useless or profitable. By-the-by, no are rather amused
In reading ore the two paragraphs at page 352 rehatint
to causes of phosphates being more generally useful for '
turnips than for cereals. The suggestions are there
"offered" as if there offered for the first time. This,
no doubt, is PO far mitiafactory, as he now abandons
the chemical for the physiological explanation of the
facts. We mint say, however, that he does not yet
bold the pen quite steadily on this mbjeet, nor does he
yet apprehend some of the important principles which
lie • little beyond the points ho ban reached.—Scoffish
Farmer.