THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



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say, 20s. — but a Jednctiou of, say, 10'., may be made for the 

 two half-days' saving of fuel, water carrying, &c. Then, for 

 wear and repairs — of coarse, much depends upon the number 

 of days worked annually and the soft or stony character of the 

 country — but, taking the outlay required at £120 per annum 

 and the time of working 30 weeks, we have the heavy item of 

 £i per week. Adding these various sums and dividing by 

 the number of acres ploughed weekly, we get 93. as che utmost 

 cost of the heavy land work referred to. 



On Thursday the machine was tried on somewhat lighter 

 soil, a wheat stubble partly overspread with farmyard 

 manure. The length of furrow varied from ■220 to "236 

 yards, thus necessitating frequent changing of widening 

 gear, &c., at the cuds of the work, which, however, were 

 accomplished in an average space of half a minute. In one 

 hour nearly an aci'e was turned over seven inches deep; 

 witli the above-stated conditions as to dimensions of fields, 

 &c., this is equivalent to about 48 acres per week, at a 

 total expense of only Gs. 3d. per acre, whereas the common 

 cost in the district of such laboriovxs pair-horse ploughing 

 is 12s. an acre. The excellence of the work was, however, 

 still more the theme of universal approval than the great 

 economy with which it was performed. 



A trenching plough, taking only two furrows' breadth, but 



lifting up a stratum of subsoil ami laying ii upon the buried 

 top-slice, was also tried, and the eflFect of its action was consi- 

 dered equal to that of manual digging, whether for depth, 

 which averaged 12 ^ inches, or for the complete pulverization 

 of the dry soil by the rapid progress of the implement. To 

 perform such work by horse-power would cost, it is said, 35s. 

 per acre ; that is, if it could be done at all. But the steara- 

 plough, without trampling or injuring the soil or subsoil, 

 effected nearly half an acre of this deep trenching in an hour; 

 or say 22 acres per week, at a total cost of 13s. 9d. per acre. 



On Friday and Saturday a considerable concourse of 

 spectators assembled in tbe various trial-fields, the many 

 farmers and landowners present expressing themselves with one 

 voice as fully persuaded not only of the profitableness of the 

 steam-plough, but of the great value of its work over that done 

 by horse-teams. Mr. Fowler has been fortunate in at last 

 obtaining a sufficient trial, in a suitable district, by men of 

 business thoroughly intent upon doing justice to a novelty 

 like the steam-engine in ploughharness ; and whether or not 

 the Hij!;liland Sr.ciety may withhold its reward for want of 

 greater competition, there is no doubt that the judges' report, 

 after another day's trial at Edinburgh, will thoroughly awaken 

 the agricultural public to the great advances which have 

 lately been made in steam culture. 



A GENERAL VIEW OF AGRICULTURAL MATTERS; SALE OF CORN BY ONE 

 COMMON SCALE; AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS, &c. &c. 



A. Stafford, Esq., M. P., said at the Notthampton meet- 

 ing on Thursday, Oct. 15, " Perhaps they would allow him to 

 dilate a little on the subjects connected with agriculture which 

 had occupied Parliament. He knew that politics were ex- 

 cluded, but farming was not ; and while parliamentary politics 

 and religious differences were wisely foregone, he thought it 

 too much that questions solely affecting the land should not 

 be mentioned. When he was last elected, the necessity was 

 represented to bim of the mode of the aale of corn being 

 adjusted to orre common scale. Farmers said it was most 

 desirable, and would be more satisfactory in these days cf rapid 

 intercommunication, affording a better guide in transacting 

 business, and a far simpler way of dealing. Thus pressed, he 

 had communicated with Government on the subject, and the 

 hon. member for North Staffordshire (Mr. Adderley) announced 

 bis intention cf bringing in a bill. He (Mr. Stafford) waited 

 for this bill to state his opinion on the subject, whea the bill 

 should have been read a first time and printed. But when the 

 bill was brought in, such objections were urged and obstacles 

 raised by various interests affected, that the bill was obliged to 

 be withdrawn, and Government did not think it right to bring 

 in another bill that session. Twenty years ago, a committee 

 sat to consider the subject ; and their report was such as to 

 deter Government from going into such a difficult and thank- 

 less question. It wf.s dry iu detail, and involved perplexing 

 and complicated machinery, and unless much greater pressure 

 was put on the executive government, he could hold out no 

 hope that the adjustment desired would be carried into effect. 

 Petitions from Scotland and Ireland had also been received 

 for a uniform stat;dard. All agreed in the inconvenience of 

 the present i)ractice, but no remedy was suggested that would 

 meet the difficulties of conflicting interests ; and all such in- 

 terests had to do, in opposing a measure without such remedy, 

 was to show the difficulties that would arise from it." The hon. 

 gentleman next referred to the question of agricultural statia- 



[ tics. A bill had been brought in by Mr. Caird, that it might be 

 : considered and criticised during the recess. He (Mr. Stafford) 

 j thought the advantages and disadvantages of agricultural 

 statistics were both exaggerated. If any definite and good 

 result could be arrived at by them, he did not think that 

 £20,000 would be much felt or cared for in this high tax- 

 paying country. No bill should have his sanction that was at 

 all inquisitorial in its character : the farmer should have a 

 right to giye such returns as he thought fit, and not be re- 

 quired to give any more than he thought fit. The agricultu- 

 ral producer should be on the same footing as the Manchester 

 cotton spinner. Every pound of cotton that came into tbe 

 country, and every bushel of corn was retcistered, and no far- 

 mer objected to that. How much cotton they bought the 

 Manchester people objected to say, and would not allow any 

 one to see their books to^scertain, and the Rgriculturists had 

 a right to act in matters similarly affecting them in like man- 

 ner, and withhold their books from inspection. The tenant 

 farmer was entitled to the same privilege as other classes, and 

 that right would be considered in any future measure that 

 might be submitted to the country with respect to agricultu- 

 ral statistics. Unable to separate it from the agricultural 

 question of labour, the hon. gentleman next referred to the 

 law of settlement. They knew how, on the one hand, it was 

 required by existing arrangements, landmarks presented by 

 their parishes — the source of many dear associations, and en- 

 nobling recollections — while on the other hand, it was incom- 

 patible with that free market for labour and open competition, 

 which ought to be the labourer's right. He had seen bill after 

 bill withdrawn oa this complicated question. The only re- 

 medy seemed to be that boards of guardians should have 

 greater powers than the central board was willing to give 

 them. In Ireland a power was vested in boards to make the 

 whole union into one parish, and a suggestion to adopt snch a 

 plan in certain cases seemed to be the only method of meeting 



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