THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



219 



1840 at 26 bushels, and at the present time upwards of 

 28 bushels — showing an increase within the present cen- 

 turyof 70or80percent. Mr. Eond further states that meat 

 has increased 100 per cent., and that the money-value 

 produced would be from 30,000,000 to 40,000,000 

 pounds sterling more ; that the rental, as shown by 

 the property-tax returns, has increased about 

 £9,000,000 sterling since 1815, and all this with a 

 gradual decreased value in wheat of 33 per cent., and 

 an increase of rental to about 28 per cent. His sum- 

 mary of the whole being that the grain crops have in- 

 creased from 70 to 80 per cent., and the produce of 

 meat fully 100 per cent, within the present century, i. e., 

 the past 59 years ; an estimate in which I quite concur. 



Mr. J. C. Morton's valuable and laborious 

 paper — laborious for the extent of his research and the 

 collection of facts — treats upon the actual force or 

 amount of labour brought to bear upon the productions 

 of the soil, of which Mr. Bond gives the result in an in- 

 crease so great. The forces arc steam-poioer, liorse- 

 poioer, and manual labour. Horse-power is univer- 

 sally taken to mean the pull or lift of 33,000lbs. one 

 foot high per minute. This is the result of numerous 

 experiments. Such, then, is the force employed by one 

 horse, and it will be borne in mind as the various powers 

 are enumerated. The number of arable acres in the 

 country is computed to be 19,000,000, employing 

 950,000 men, 120,000 women, 300,000 lads, '70,00O 

 girls, and about 800,000 horses to cultivate and manage 

 them, i. c, this vast extent of land. The average of 

 manual labour, calculating the above by the value of 

 each per day, would bring them to about 1,150,000 

 men. Mr. Morton estimates the foi'ce of a man, as com- 

 pared with the horse, say per minute, at 250, 330, 500, 

 and 370 pounds, as instanced by four cases named — 

 i. e., a man at various work will lift these respective 

 weights one foot high per minute — the first digging, the 

 second manure-carting, the third pitching corn, and the 

 fourth loading turnips. Mr. Morton also instances 

 several farms, to estimate the horse-power engaged : on 

 oneofG75 acres, the whole horse-labour, being converted 

 into weight lifted, amounts to upwards of 100,000 cwts. 

 pulled, i. e., lifted one mile per annum — i, c, ploughing 

 27,000 cwts., harrowing, rolling, drilling, &c., 20,000 

 cwts., carriage of dung, corn, roots, &c., 60,000 cwts. 

 lifted or pulled one mile ; another, of 790 acres, the 

 ploughing is 40,000 cwts,, rolling, harrowing, drilling, 

 &c., 35,000 cwts., cartage &c. 25,000 cwts. (but 

 few roots grown, and laud level) ; another, 264 



acres, 37,000 cwts., gave 



12,000 cwts. 



cartage. 



15,000 cwts. ploughing, and the rest harrowing, &c. 

 He further estimates that no less than 40,000 

 horse-power has been added to the forces of agriculture, 

 within the past ten years, in steam-power, and that five 

 firms are alone furnishing 10,000-horse power annually 

 from their works, besides what are derived from many 

 other manufacturers. He also includes steam cultiva- 

 tion, and reaping by raaclunery, as additional forces 

 used in agriculture ; the former being a most powerful 

 auxiliary, and the latter so much increased as to be able 

 to cut more corn in a day than 40,000 men. He 

 takes a clever review of the manual labour question, 

 and shews that the average amount of money value for 

 labour expended on arable farms is about from 30s. to 

 oOs. per acre ; perhaps about 35s. would constitute a 

 fair average expenditure. For instance, I find No. 1 

 says 50s. (this on heavy land) ; several others are named 

 as from 30s. to 40s. per acre ; No . 2 323., No. 3 about 

 403., No. 4 40s., No. 5 32s., and No. 6 32s. per acre. 

 He further enters into the subject of the labourers' 

 weekly wages, which it appears vary in different parts 

 of the country considerably, and average from 8s. to 

 15s. weekly, women 4s. to 6s. weekly. In concluding 



his very able paper, he sums up the subject in one great 

 and astounding climax — " that of the 800,000 horses em- 

 ployed in agriculture, steam-power will displace at least 

 two-fifths," and " that the wealth of the country — its 

 stock and its produce — shall increase in a faster ratio 

 than the people." 



The article in the Times with great clearness 

 lays open the whole subject both in its theory 

 and practice ; the nature and object of deep culture 

 are ably considered ; the varieties of soils and their 

 advantageous management are admirably discussed ; the 

 theory of chemical influences, and how obtained from 

 the atmosphere, is ably stated — the immense force re- 

 quired to eff'ect good cultivation deep and efficient ; the 

 amount of manual and horse labour required ; thu de- 

 fective nature of the present mode of cultivation and of 

 rotations of cropping ; of tenants'-right, and tenants' re- 

 strictions ; taking a clear and comprehensive view of 

 what the enormous, the unlimited power of steam can 

 effect ; the immense increase of produce that will ulti- 

 mately result, particularly from deeply-cultivated clays ; 

 and closing with two well-selected facts of farms now 

 cultivated by steam — showing that the increase of the 

 produce is equal or equivalent to 8 bushels per acre of 

 wheat, and in value to near 40s. per acre, according to 

 present prices. The article must be read to be appre- 

 ciated. I have given a very meagre outline of it ; but 

 I view it as something auspicious of the future. 



One is agreeably surprised at reading articles like the 

 three foregoing, and appearing as they do so near the 

 beginning of the year 1860, it augurs well for the year's 

 commencement. I trust it will be a year of great pro- 

 gress, and that the results set forth by Mr. Mor- 

 ton and the writer in the Times will soon be ac- 

 complished facts. I have every faith in their anticipa- 

 tion of the achievement of steam cultivation, distant as 

 it may appear to some. It seems almost impossible to 

 increase the produce of some 4,000,000 acres of wheat 

 by 8 bushels per acre, or the country's produce be en- 

 hanced by 5,000,000 quarters of wheat, and all other 

 crops in like proportion, including root and vegetable 

 crops, by which an amount of food for stock is increased 

 to the extent of one-fourth in weight per acre, and a 

 larger breadth of heavy land is enabled by deep cul- 

 tivation to grow these crops, and they will also per- 

 mit tho stock to feed them off, in consequence of the 

 improved lairage from the dryness of these soils, owing 

 to the rain deposits being c.irried down to the substra- 

 tum and passed off by the subsoil drains. These sub- 

 soil drains are indispensable to effective cultivation by 

 steam power — one of the greatest advantages being the 

 facility given by this deep culture for the communica- 

 tion of chemical influences from the atmosphere, and the 

 ammoniacal deposits from the rains passing through the 

 soil rather than off from the surface. Every medium 

 clay soil possesses an almost inexhaustible supply of 

 mineral and ammoniacal constituents ; these only re- 

 quire a deep working, and a sufficient and continuous 

 commingling and exposure of the soil, to bring them 

 into efficient action whereby these chemical constituents 

 become the proper and suitable food for the plants or 

 crops to^be grown. It is only by the deep and con- 

 tinuous cultivation in suitable weather that this disin- 

 tegration of these conslituents can be broughtout or ab- 

 stracted from such soils. The application of a few 

 pounds of ammonia per acre in guano or other manures 

 has the effect of producing a large increase to the crop. 

 What, then, would be the result, if by deep and extended 

 cultivation this supply could always be brought out from 

 the inherent and unbounded stores abiding in the soil, 

 to be made available for the want and healthy suste- 

 nance of the crop ? For the wheat crop this order of 

 cultivation is all that is necessary ; for other corn crops 



