, 1877-12-05
AGRICULTURAL T

1t is only a few days since that we met
with something very much like a crushing
argument against these agricultural notes
of ours. 1t was in Lord Lytton's remark
able book, "My Novel, where Squire
Hazledean is about to show young Randall
Leslie over he home-farm aud the following
suggestive conversation takes place
SQuIRE. "Ha ha l long to see how
you will astonish Stirn (the steward).
Why you'll guess in Il IN m mt wlere W.
put the top-dressing and when YOU come
TO handle my short-horns, da'e swear
you'll know to a pound how much OlFc'ke
has goue into III If sides.
RANDAL. Oh, you do me too much
honour indeed you do. l only know the
general principles of agriculture; the
de ais are eminently interesting, but L
have not had the opportunity TO acquire
ITEM
SQUIRE. .,S.uf! How eau a man know
gcnr,al principles unless he has first stu
died the details 2 Y IA are to- modest my
boy
All thought W., Randai's position is
exactly ours, we have not studied the
adrta@s and how can we know anything
about general principles Ihe squire Is
tight. aIiadn't we better stop those A9fl.
cultural notes before some PRACTICAL III nd
dJes us "too much houour"1 But thrn
we ,.fl ,cted that we were quite unlike
Randall in one respect, we had never made
any rre:ensions to understanding A3tlc" ~
ture, we had only vontuted TO use TIE
columns of our newspaper 10 circulate
among our practical friends what seemed
to US to be useful or at least 10 De worth
thi"king over. Conscience being thuS SET
at rest, we are encoulag'd to continue by
fittding that our notes are lea ana Id'Atu
over. Talked over 40 doubt Often TO be
CONDEMNED but stil our object Is accom-
piislled, the question is rals4d, and we
know that il is ouIy after repeated oIsclS-
sions and many trials that any improve
mrnts will be introduced. We have Iately
deferred to the subject OF w'de-p'an1!ng'
OF course this is nothing new Wl"e
planting has been advocated tor many
wears, and in some islands, we believe, is
carried into practice. In Barbados, we
are told, the rule is six by SIX. what Is
rew is The ground on which wide planting:
is now advocated, namely the necessity ol
admitting sunlight 10 the cdheS 4" u|
10 develop the sugar ia them MI
Espeul's experiments We're new and very
interesting, and on their results he founds
his argument for widcplaniing. Those
who grow canes to be sold by weight VIII
no doubt come TO study how much cane
they can get off their land, not how much
sugar can be got per acre ; but those who
efind their own canes will 6nd the second
problem the proper one to which TO direct
their attention. Even in regard to canes
grown for sale we think it will
hot be long before some method is found
to- purchase according to quaIlty as well
as quantity, and then it would become the
growers interest to, produce 9 as in Ger
many not sthe greatest growth but the
s largest proportion Eiof isweets. We are
fatbld that twide-planting has been otried
q5Sraahd faiied. d8Has it ever been pro-
aSN1k tRie6i AlpropFistor of large expe.
11g1hco i'ttnidrkaa the othepdaytha the adj
st6&s1ksds IS owide planting qhoald explain
4 noile1eqo 90 dois ,oi .leaa odj 10.
Il Esd liz aem86 Is bar I'd sasa waa