The Express.
London, England, 1847-09-07 00:00:00

Two ADDITIONAL ALMSHOUSES at St. John's
Hospital are nearly completed, and will furnish, with those
previously built, accommodation fur tweury-eight inmates.
Six others are lodged in the old almshouses, making a total
of thirty-four individuals completely maintained in a chari-
table institution not owning a tenth part of the property held
by the Hospital of St. Crow, which, with its large wealth,
keeps but very indifferently thirteen brethren.

L ITB RA TUBE:
The Farmers' Friend ; a Record of Recent Discoveries, Im-
provements, and Practical Suggestions in Agriculture.—
London : Smith, Elder, and Co. 1847.
The work which stands at the head of this paper
has a far better title to the much-abused designation
of " the farmers' friend" than most of those political
mialeaders of the farmers by whom, until recently,
they were kept in a state of perpetual alarm at the
prospect of foreign competition. Now, then, foreign
competition has come, and farmers find that 61/0111111
really no reason for alarm. It is a good omen Ow
husbandry that agricultural publications, both °rigid'
and in the form of compilations, are amongst the most
attractive of the day. All other arts and sciences
have long had their year-books of facts and discove-
ries, of which the enterprise and ingenuity of those
engaged furnished a constant supply. But hus-
bandry long seemed an exception. The old
routine of ploughing, sowing, and reaping, was
supposed by the public and by the followers of
agriculture to bo one on which there could be little
improvement; as the father, grandfather, and even the
great-grandfather had done, so did the son ; and if
any educated or scientific man attempted to bring his
knowledge to bear upon farming, he was laughed at
for his panne. Now all this is changed, and the quiet
of the rural world is being moved by attempts
more or less judicious, and more or less suc-
cessful, which on all sides are making to improve
the cultivation of the soil and the manage.
ment of stock. In many quarters there is more at
talking than of acting, more of bustle than (Atomism%
and more of professed desire to advance agriculture
than of intelligent adaptation of means to ends. Still
the first step has been taken, the cis inertia has
been got over, and the cultivator of the land has be-
come convinced that fortune helps those only who
can help themselves.
The book before us, which consists of well selected
extracts from various agricultural publications, from
speeches and prize essays on particular branches
of rural economy, and so forth, affords clear evidence
of advancement; for it is proposed to continue half-
yearly the publication of similar selections, and thus
to collect and present at a view the newest prestium,
experiments, and improvements.
A few passages will place before the general
reader a glimpse of some of the topics which now
occupy the " agricultural mind." And first, there is
no branch of rural economy more important than
land draining. In fact, on strong land, which is the
most productive land, it is the very foundation of all
improvement, for until ready means of escape are found
for superfluous moisture, the land can never assume
that mechanical condition requisite for fertility. The
recent grants of public money for the purpose of
draining land afford a complete public recognition of
its importance. We shall therefore extract an account
of Mr. Smith's system of drainage, on which, however,
great improve:meats have subsalfurnitl been made:
INS DILINSTOIIII
HA LI WM W addles at a rayed, plod to the at
Lei MUM& bald s met ads at maw Mr
eureaid In imp siewindaa. MEW iel**6 deaden et woke
maw. Fmaa Ming are Ind lei hien Medal bii MIL
=ter:entaaller.."..lll6"..
=ce.erammen MIMI me add the Mb st Min in
et the Mir. Is meded thet was the ender thst
• ma de eadise aIL Awe at oils Alia Am areal elt by
thwe Mos ad It lbw asmi le him thit the am deed et
ed=LOW te dr Mb at tizeireary mid hew ellia
ssadt MMus Mir.
sidly In dyad* ini Midi* Is era rieniVrir
ent Lod= In vet matber, sal meddle Is ins.
sew atinasts. Set MIL toy Mil* mein it die pedal
(Mr ISM% weinlinen abest y te my eat lb
Mad. is Om yew INS. le was Mid le tea their asedmi as lie
am Om @thermions. esidatlng et ISO mu; ft midi In saw
mils did dad dares ime. ad apes thle be imeid Mar.
led= et ahem. &ebbs W macs varl &Mule
sable •Mia et mid edam me the Lie Am The
Ysl neeeleM daft et Se Mid Mb et de di id
Tenet
_eat et Mews Moe ; awe Ms Si Se gab-
sea shen of Wei ecaq. eel del aim MI ems
In de beam of early imeesei Si dr oh Ma
Whew mid lbe ants the lids wile et Ile
wend : the did wee wry seat latimemed aedt Imp Lelia
dm. saw et Mt my um the earlia* TM Mee soh vas In
semi my thin. *my dm net wawa* tsar Mow llsa
et di swim aisiesiM vlthrmsss art Mr Mr pima valet
Id Ms WM awe amend ant tad InM ad leans. Afar
malt aseridastiab he wiebeil Imay me Mine Me at '
age Wit the Mb mine at the thene. H. Lei dm ably Lbw
in de Met 'sail. Is swim at ass singissy d assay _ Hs Li
peso' Me et MEM Listymetbst owor HAMM* mhos
er aria id!. Mont deed Mar wit er by culls
Me ;ad he anbi thwe arida as ma ea Lib la
Me AIM. et the lws MM. tas =est
y iir
sarytni MM. Of ens
he eam
lib Mr the iris wasiday *baba slarbase- d died
=ols m the MM, ad par* Is al doss
nil Es ens
M.rn Is =men to pews Se
et the Men Me de soda dad sr slaw Mho
Crb WWI M. The Mins he hal MS isms at de
beam set imeibi tar beim is width. be Mar b mine the
Owing dew Mar le a maw amts, emery sends Ms as.
SIMI of SW and Open. lb Elni in In Min *the and el
arlb aim Mist IS Mai hew Moe le de id.
Any he the Ming Si de wisest. lie way ma limeret
the penddy Si Maly wok* (per Me oloork le tread
the Mot henheizzikibint seam Mil he weemildei by aid
s MM. In dr debeela; Mom Med mid the
NUM sii be seed ft be Impel amp Mes. Mlle Me et
dohs Se Mine mei sal
ad =dm Mem oar the vhile slam nit
ter la ad deistili, when he Meimed nmeity erheile—(a
• loandeet to air sad reme the anis
• waryllin Matadi *a TM gave rise to the in.
adism ,Si las lam apima%aflaar Miasma to stir on the M-
edi MM. YYSYwkr the yam or te at: in any Mad
apes Mt la sift Mos le bad alwie NOM laurel the
et the Mee .s 4 Ma Mat with it before leashig
=irenesumee the Men ales dr is was yem hr. smith Des.
issimairjetsima talsaig=7„Cobleis astasaraintiush2
assa Mimi ale ae
sirsos7irsa miorpAlmf and andial.
Md. lie Weil grams Illtaaattia ascsosa Ohms Is
anis aid et Ms Reim to my WM and it ass set Ilk they led
nom the rewit sambe asp. hat they foamed Id imade
den thin, they made** trbie on a small scale.
In 1836 the Speaker et the House of Commons
(Mr. Lefevre) produced Mr. Smith before a com-
mittee on agricultural distrees, to give evidence of the
nature and effects of his system of draining. ; and
front that period the attention of oar best agricultu-
rists has been constantly applied to the subject The
result has been great improvements upon Mr. Smith's
plan, which, however, in no way detracts from his
merit as a discoverer. We say discoverer, because,
though land draining or " ditching," as practised in
Essex and other of the eastern counties, was probably
introduced by the Romans (being accurately described
by Columella), Mr. Smith carried his drains to the depth
of 30 instead of 20 inches, and actually. invented the
subsoil plough, which stirs without bringing to the sur-
face the raw subsoil. The subsequent improvements
consist in carrying out the principle. Drains are now
commonly dug to the depth of from 40 to 60 inches,
and, instead of being placed only 16 feet apart, can
now, by reason of the wider operation of the
drains, be placed from 30 to 40 feet asunder.d=
has rendered the most effectual drainage not ma.
costly than the shallower but more Ikequent drains.
Tiles, and finally pipes of band clay have
been substituted for the brans geese weed
by Mr. Smith, which everywhere were ama-
brotui and expensive in wacky, and in meet
clay districts practically larmeassible. And dem
tiles and pipes, by means et machinery and eaw-
petition, are now to be bought in most diatriete at
from 124. to 20s. per thousand-, whereas they fonewly
cost from 40s. to 60s. per thousand. From improve-
ments in draining alone, greatly increased fertllititt
gradually taking place throughout England.
only other extract our limits permit is an extract
from a paper by Liebig,
ox min PRINCIPLES OF ARTIFICIAL MAIICRINO.
The imesba Si the Mil eta Sell ispedi an the mad Si
the mama dlumb of Mete ambleei is It r lb middle
=Le bur' i
ieL leidbeet yeittre=
rimber if IGieit misitenlarizelefsZed
ssonbiss ta the et the =lrk/
ILI id id mem as Mellmente di* we mewl le the
winillea of Wow& Ma S. IllaiehisssOmim
=litaitisr eaddhe the gabse Si the b ram; iss
lied maim The anbilm demob mar
to re pa all pa a heist Ms amid by Mee ems.
lben, the enverw awesmer kr tisk
"sat
the yiente. St is esey le insidee els and adman allat,
kale weese, anew ai we wowed the isleLi age
• faisiby tithe dm. Bet thew Mies en Me sot
.m age blriabtas
' asS by Owe ams. • be WM wady boa
MA Mad lessaddialeb•
aft the Me at
dee b liner ahmal..=
lweriti dele.ntairsea
i turves Y aid bile thew* et iesei si fen.
=OM mita wee *la Ms et wenM the
=the bar sei br Marry as Ilia seedastisa of the
afiodallyinAlf an WA to the Mail alrawcanan;rat ine
asillsoilla Min dos. AIeM ter sass**, diabeilis
Sir pammei Mita bet ea did assas ad pus slat
ilas, lassos sus betas by a et tas aresmasts elbow
• solassalte ma mop el pumas set ars Irpoimag It
VS emssols cum sr vie' isms mesa ossesis saps.
ffsaMoniale=fg lenesSemitt that the imemili elm
• di those lobe mar at Made tha.
Idly at the b an be ile-
tirMei WM*, ashe add le in s =rads le lb mind In
"be Mere! deemb et the Mid yiLls% Illtrid et lhe wed et