THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



73 



satisfactorily proved. I liave already stated, in treating 

 on the expenditure of manual labour, that light soils may 

 be ploughed from 6 in. to 9 in. in depth, at an avenige 

 rate of one and-a-half acres per day, with one 

 pair of horses ; and here I must join issue with the cal- 

 culations of our friend Mr. Smith, on the cost of 

 horse-power on light soils. I quite agree with that 

 gentleman, and others who have arrived at similar con- 

 elusions, that valuers will allow the prices put down for 

 the work performed at the rates stated by Mr. Smith in 

 his recent letter, addressed to Mr. Disraeli, on steam- 

 cultivation, page 14 ; but these prices are expected to 

 remunerate the occupier for the work performed. In 

 arriving at a correct conclusion we must confine our- 

 selves to the actual cost if we can, and if not, as near an 

 estimate as possible. I have already fixed, from the best 

 sources 1 could command, coupled with my own expe- 

 rience, £"30 as sufficient to cover every expense con- 

 nected with the maintenance, depreciation, and interest 

 on a farm horse for one year. Taking, therefore, the 

 cost of eight horses, manual labour, depreciation, and 

 repairs of implements connected therewith, as per state- 

 ment No. 6, at £'62^, we arrive at an average of £^\ 

 10s. per pair of horses, which on 200 working days, 

 gives about 8s. Id. per day. 



^ To 



From this il is evident that no steam-plough, as at 

 present worked, can compete generally with horses on 

 light soil, though I think if I could hire on fair remu- 

 nerative terms a steam cultivator, and a competent staff 

 to wor/c i(, to break up the stubbles as soon as cleared, 

 it would be advantageous, that being a period when all 

 regular hands are employed with harvest operations. I 

 feel, however, bound to dissent from calculations put 

 forth to show the saving of any peculiar system at ex- 

 treme rates ; thus we are told Mr. Redman had sold his 

 horses off at £"40 each. I have horses performing re- 

 gular draught work that would realize more than that 

 amount ; and I should think, every farmer drawing five 

 pair of horses could select some of equal value ; but I 

 find on reference to my books for ten years, that the 

 average value of my fifty draught horses, at stock-taking 

 time, did not exceed £25 each. Surely credit should 

 only have been taken for the average value of the work- 

 ing horses, if the merits of the system were to be dis- 

 passionately discussed. The last point for consideration 

 is, 071 how small a holding can steam-machinery be 

 profitably introduced except on the principle of hire. 

 It was stated by a deceased member of this Club in this 

 room some time ago (the Rev. Mr. James), that " there 

 are held by British farmers 78,000,000 of dcres in the 

 area of these kingdoms, of which 14,000,000 are unim- 

 provable waste, and a nearly similar area is uncultivated 

 but improvable land ; the farms occupy two-thirds of 

 the land of England ; their number is 223,318 ; the aver- 

 age size is 111 acres, and two-thirds of the farms are 

 under this size ; but there are 771 of above 1,000 acres, 

 the large farms abounding in the south-eastern and 

 eastern counties, the small farms in the north. There 

 are 2,000 English farmers holding nearly 2,000 acres, 

 and there are 97,000 English farmers not holding more, 

 and of this quantity there are upwards of 40,000 farmers 

 who do not employ more than five labourers each. To 

 make steam-cultivation a sufficiently payable adventure 

 for a farmer to expend the necessary capital, I have 

 shown that in my opinion he must be the occupier of a 

 strong-landed farm, and that its introduction should be 

 equivalent to the work of eight horses. I have also 

 shown that the farmer occupying 20O acres of land 

 requires four pairs of horses to carry on the farm under 

 the ordinary mode of culture ; and that the saving ef- 

 fected by the introduction of steam-power is, or ought 

 to be, equivalent to the same number. The carting of 

 manure, drilling of corn, harvesting of crops, and mar- 

 keting of produce, will still have to be performed by 

 horse-power, so that upon a holding of the area I have 

 named six horses must be retained to carry on these 

 operations at their respective seasons. The idea sug- 

 gested by some parties to meet this difficulty, is to imr- 

 chase extra horses at certain seasons, and resell them 

 when not required; this is too theoretical to need further 

 comment. I have therefore arrived at the conclusion 

 that 350 acres should be the area, but certainly not less 

 than 300 acres, as the limit for the profitable introduc- 

 tion of steam-cultivation, excepting oa the principle of 

 hire; and upon this principle, allowing a fair remunera- 

 tion to the letter out, 1 am equally satisfied that the 

 occupiers of strong land under the area named will find 

 steam-cultivation advantageous ; and when we consider 

 that 100,000 farmers' holdings are not half the area I 

 have named, and further that the smallest holdings are 

 generally of the most tenacious description of soil, it is 

 evident to my mind, that unless a system of letting out 

 be adopted on a similar principle as is now practised 

 for thrashing, but still heiier if tvith a regular work- 

 ing staff, steam- cultivation will for a lengthened period 

 be the exception to the rule. Before concluding I must 

 not omit to refer to one great advantage the farmer de- 

 rives from the aid of steam-power: I allude to the op- 



