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THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



followed upon it, but merely to express our aprrobation 

 while offering one or two remarks in connection with 

 the subject. 



Mr, Bond uses Biddell's scarifier to break up the 

 wheat stubble for a few inches in depth without burying 

 the surface weeds ; first with the tips or chisel -points, 

 to make an opening in the hard-baked ground and par- 

 tially tear it to pieces, and then a second time over with 

 the paring-shares or hoes on, so as to thoroughly cut 

 under the entire soil with its imbedded weeds — an ope- 

 ration which the implement could hardly accomplish 

 without the previous course with points only. And he 

 states that it requires the equivalent of three horses per 

 acre for a common day of nine hours to perform the 

 two scarifyings and open furrows between the stetches 

 at eight feet three inches apart. Of course, it was not 

 expedient at the time for members of the Club to pro- 

 noimce upon the relative merits and demerits of the 

 implements of rival manufacturers ; but we wish that 

 some one of the speakers had alluded to the matter, as 

 much of the cost, and consequent advantage or other- 

 wise, depends upon the efficiency of the tool employed. 

 A scarifier is far preferable to a skeleton or skim-plough, 

 not only for the greater regularity and better quality of its 

 work, but because much less manual labour is needed 

 for the same number of horses — an important consider- 

 ation in harvest. But there is a great difference in the 

 work of even our first-class scarifiers. We have always 

 found the Uley cultivator or Ducie drag as effectual as 

 Biddell's, while Coleman's we should say is superior to 

 either. But we have never seen an implement for the 

 process under consideration so completely what is 

 wanted as B entail's broadshare; as it keeps so closely 

 to its work, slices and breaks up so accurately in depth 

 and all other respects, and is apparently so economical 

 of power. There is this peculiarity in its form— that the 

 points are set considerably in advance of the shares, so 

 that it accomplishes at once what Mr. Bond does in two 

 separate operations : the tines or points make a way 

 into the hardened soil, and the broadshares then easily 

 follow. On Mr. Bond's land, we should suppose that 

 the power of one horse per acre for a nine hours' day 

 would perform what he requires ; but if the ground 

 needed further crumbling, the shares should be removed, 

 additional tines with points attached to make the im- 

 plement wide, and it might then be worked crossv.'ise 

 with very little power. So that two, instead of three, 

 horses per acre would represent the power demanded for 

 his operations, by substituting this ingenious and admi- 

 rable new implement for the powerful, and for other 

 purposes perhaps equally useful, Biddell's scarifier. 



We were glad to find such unanimity of opinion 

 among the agricultui-ists present at the Club meeting 

 as to the benefits promised by autumnal culture or pre- 

 paration of land for fallow. Still, excepting localities 

 where the harvest is early, and the land and system of 

 cropping of a nature admitting tillage-work to be always 

 forward, a very valid excuse for not attempting much 

 autumn-cleaning of wheat stubbles was that the cleaning 



and preparation of a seed-bed for wheat, harvesting of 

 mangolds, of potatoes, sowing of rye and tares, and 

 the wheat-seeding itself, take up too much time between 

 a late corn-harvest and the advent of unsuitable wea- 

 ther for couch killing and weed burning. Another 

 spur, then, urges ns onward in pursuit of steam cul- 

 ture : a great saving in the eradication of couch is 

 promised to farmers of light, loamy, and heavy lands; 

 and on clays we may have abundant roots in place of 

 naked fallow. But all this profit is withheld from our 

 purses until we get the steam-plougli in the stubble- 

 field. Mr, Wallis, the chairman, expressed his hope 

 that we may soon possess the steam-cultivator, " by 

 the aid of which the system we are all desirous of carry- 

 ing out would be much more practicable than it is 

 now." Mr. Bond said, " should we succeed in the 

 economical application of steam to field operations, as 

 appears both probable and immediate, it is in autumn 

 cultivation that such an invaluable adjunct as steam 

 for a m.otive-power would be of incalculable service." 

 Mr. Pile agreed with the chaii-man that " for the pur- 

 pose ot carrying out Mr. Bond's object, we must have 

 additional power." Mr. Williams said, " if by means 

 of a simple implement, and a steam-engine driven at a 

 cost of 4s. per day, or of two implements involving a 

 cost of 8s., with five men, a boy, and a horse, they 

 could cultivate 10 or 12 acres per day, which he as- 

 serted could be done next autumn — if they could ac- 

 complish so much work without the plough, which is 

 not adapted to the purpose, they would steal a march 

 in agriculture. He asserted, as a practical man, that 

 past autumn cultivation bore scarcely any relation to 

 the future ; the latter opened up, as it were, an en- 

 tirely new view to agriculturists. Mr. Smithies 

 hoped that " ere long farmers would be enabled to 

 apply steam to their operations, as the manufac- 

 turers applied it to theirs. They were certainly going 

 in the right direction by using steam with scari- 

 fiers. He hoped Mr. Williams would take his cultiva- 

 tor to Salisbury : he should certainly purchase one as 

 soon as it was likely to work well, for himself." Mr. 

 Wood said that no one would benefit by steam-power 

 tillage more than he should; and the Chairman con- 

 cluded by stating that he was " sanguine as Mr. Wil- 

 liams himself in reference to the application of steam- 

 power to field culture. He had no doubt that in a 

 short time they would see the steam-engine as busy in 

 the field as it is now in the stackyard. He was con- 

 vinced that the greatest benefit that could be conferred 

 on agriculture was the application of steam power to 

 field cultivation." Finally the Club passed a resolution 

 embodying this opinion. 



Let Mr. Fowler, Mr. Smith, Mr. Williams, and others 

 take heart. An increased amount of autumn culture 

 will be the first-fruit from the use of their inventions ; 

 and they may see in these declarations of business-men 

 that customers will be forthcoming in plenty, directly 

 the condition of economy in expense has been clearly 

 and unmistakeably complied with. 



