THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE, 



35 



THE STEAM-PLOUGH— AND ITS PROGRESS. 



How often do we stand battling over comparative tri- 

 fles, while some matter of far greater import almost 

 altogether escapes us ! We obstinately refuse to heed the 

 suggestion of the A. 1. Division, and " move on," al- 

 though we may miss all the best of the business by 

 stopping where we are. We are still running heel in 

 cover, with a good fox viewed away, and despite the 

 admonitory craclc and "get on to him, there !" of an 

 anxious whipper-in. He is clean gone by this, and 

 really if some of us do not make the best use of a start, 

 we may bo never able to hold our own again. You 

 may see him steaming away four or five big fields ahead, 

 and it will never do to keep pottei-ing here amongst 

 the plough teams. It was but a slight check after all, 

 and Will Smith has hit it off again, with a scream, and 

 away we go, travelling over the large inclosures at a 

 better pace than ever. John Fowler, too, is once more 

 to the fore, and crossing the country like a workman as 

 he is. With such pioneers as these, it will be our own 

 faults surely if we do not see something of it. Eu ! 

 forward ! then — and the jolly yeoman carefully scan- 

 ning the line he has taken, settles himself firmly to it, 

 and means to go a good one. 



Is it not so? Have we not for the last few months 

 been more busy than ever, over Howard, Horneby, and 

 Ransome ? Have we not been continually trying back, 

 and pitting the wheel plough against the swing, and 

 then keenly matching one wheel against the other ! 

 And all this time there has been the steam-engine 

 stealing away from us, with a few knowing hands 

 making the most of a good start, but all the rest of the 

 field on the wrong side of the wood. Some, however, 

 are now fairly catching them, while one or two of our 

 pilots have not been quite so intent on the rings we 

 have been running in cover as might have been 

 imagined. Judiciously enough, they have each a second 

 horse out. It is very noticeable that, energetic as the 

 Messrs. Ransomes and Howards have been in main- 

 taining or improving the character of their several 

 ploughs, cither has been as actively and as directly en- 

 gaged in developing the principle of ploughing by 

 steam. To change our metaphor from the chase to 

 the turf, Woolston is brought to the post by the 

 Howards, and The Young Fowler by the Ransomes. 



Never, however, has such decided or reliable 

 progress been made as during the past autumn. 

 Ploughing by steam is now nothing less than 

 an established fact. It has been stated that 

 thirty thousand acres of stubble have been broken 

 up in this way since harvest, but we are inclined to put 

 this as much below the mark. Statistics we have 

 none, but evidence of a very high order ie before us, 

 from which we gather not only the extended use of 

 such a means, but the effectual manner in which ob- 

 stacles and objections have been overcome. Mr. 

 Fowler and Mr. Howard have just published, almost 

 simultaneously, each a number, or rather a collection 

 of testimonials from practical agriculturists, speaking 

 in the most satisfactory terms to the way in which the 

 two systems have recently been found to work. 



It is an old but too true an adage that a man rarely 

 reaps much honour amongst his own neighbours. Mr. 

 Smith of Woolston is an instance to the contrary. His 

 brother farmers and friends about him have been the 

 first to take him up, and the firmest to stand by 

 him. The pamphlet just issued opens with five testi- 



monials 5n his favour from farmers in Bedfordshire, 

 and twelve from others in Buckinghamshire, all of 

 whom have of course sets of his apparatus. Mr. Pike 

 says very pertinently to this point : — " In adding up 

 the work I have done with the steam cultivator, I find 

 it upwards of 1000 acres. I am proud to see my 

 neighbours following my example : there is now another 

 set in this small parish, and in riding from Bedford to 

 my home, a distance of five miles, four steam culti- 

 vators may be seen at work besides my own." Mr. 

 Robinson continues: " My neighbour, Mr. Pike, hav- 

 ing worked Smith's Steam Cultivator with great success 

 for two seasons, I was induced this autumn to purchase 

 an engine and a set of apparatus for myself. As my 

 farm adjoins that of Mr. Pike, I have had full oppor- 

 tunity of judging of the merits of the steam cultivator, 

 and should not certainly have made such an outlay had 

 I not been fully convinced that it is the right system 

 for working the heavy clay soils of this country." 

 Then, in Buckinghamshire, Mr. Bignell gives — " One 

 excellent proof of the estimation in which Smith's 

 Steam Cultivator is held in this small parish of 1300 

 acres — three tenant farmers have purchased a set each. 

 This parish adjoins that of Woolston, where Mr. Smith 

 originated and carried out his system." Mr. Whiting 

 narrates how " Being only a few miles from Mr. Smith, 

 I endeavoured to hire his apparatus ; and although he 

 refused to work for hire, he was good enough to lend it 

 to me in September, 1857, as well as in the following 

 April. Its work soon convinced me of the superiority 

 of steam over horses for the hard work of the farm, 

 more especially in the autumn, and that once over with 

 Mr. Smith's Cultivator on a bean stubble is worth, 

 more at this season than two ordinary ploughings. 

 I therefore determined to have a set of my own." 

 Mr. H. S. Trower "having farmed land adjoining for 

 some years, I have had every opportunity of judging of 

 the merits of Smith's system of steam cultivation : after 

 full deliberation, and constantly watching the opera- 

 tions, I was this autumn induced to purchase a steam- 

 cultivating apparatus for my own use." And Mr. 

 Revis " was the first in this district (Olney) who gave 

 an order for one of Smith's steam-cultivators. I have 

 worked it on my own and tenants' farms to great ad- 

 vantage for three years, and consider it an indispensable 

 implement where 400 or 500 acres of land are culti- 

 vated." 



We consider this testimony of the very highest 

 order. Had there been any flaw, neighbours would 

 have been the first to speak of it ; and had the principle 

 been at all defective, so assuredly would they have been 

 the last to adopt it. There are similar reports 

 from the counties of Gloucester, Huntingdon, 

 Leicester, Lincoln, Northampton, Oxford, Stafford, 

 Sussex, Worcester, York, Corli.andthe Isle of Wight, 

 where the Prince Consort has a set in use. Mr. Surman 

 has "now nine cart-horses in place of thirty-two"; 

 Messrs. Armstrong and Topham "twelve less than 

 usual" ; Mr. Sowerby has " reduced the number con- 

 siderably" ; Lord Hatherton his teams " to nearly one- 

 half"; Mr. Stevenson "fnmi eleven to seven," al- 

 though he does " not think the principal saving is iu 

 horse-flesh" ; and so on. It would be impossible here 

 to touch on the advantages of such a system of cultiva- 

 tion, the saving in expense, the convenience in use, 

 and other collateral recommendations— all of which are 



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