tret Season of 1872 on Stcani-Culti cation. 175 



old and beaten track of horse-culture were borne mostly in silence ; 

 -and, presenting little novelty, tliej attracted comparatively little 

 attention. On a great number of farms steam-cultivation had 

 been recently adopted ; everything that affected its success or 

 failure was therefore keenly noted and often discussed. Com- 

 panies under the Limited Liability Act had been formed to intro- 

 •duce sets of steam-tackle for hire-work into several districts of 

 the kingdom, and some of these companies only commenced their 

 Avork in the year 1872. The amount of hindrance and the diffi- 

 -culties of cultivating by steam in a wet season were so frequently 

 the subject of remark, that in some minds a doubt arose 

 whether the occasional occurrence of a season so unfavourable 

 ought not to modify to some extent the praises that had hitherto 

 been lavished upon steam as compared with horse-cultivation. 



In attempting to ascertain with accuracy the comparative facility 

 and results of tillage by steam and bv horse power, it was thought 

 best to defer the inquiry until the crops of 1873 had been harvested 

 and partly threshed out. In December, 1873, inquiries were 

 addressed to many leading agriculturists, and to the secretaries of 

 different companies for steam-cultivation that had been at work 

 long enough to enable them to compare fairly the results of 

 1872 with those obtained in other years. A sufficient number 

 •of replies have been received to give a true picture of the general 

 experience ; but a natural dislike to publishing misfortunes has 

 perhaps influenced some who have not replied, as well as one 

 Avho writes to decline on the score that an account of work 

 •<lone in 1872 would not give "a fair report" of work on his 

 farm. 



With a view to obtain some definite notion of how far the 

 total amount of work done in each year was affected by the 

 season, each contributor was invited to return the number of 

 acres ploughed, dug, cultivated, and harrowed by him in the 

 three years 1870, 1871, and 1872. From the ' British Rain- 

 fall ' compiled and published annually l)y Mr. G. J. Symons, I 

 have selected returns (p. 17()) from stations in different parts that, 

 taken in the aggregate, represent the whole country- ; and, 

 taken singly, show the rainfall of particular districts from which 

 accounts of steam cultivation have been received. A glance at 

 this Table will show that in the year 1871 we had an average 

 rainfall ; in 1870 one very much below, and in 1872 one very 

 much above the average : the rainfall in 1872 being, in many 

 cases, twice as much as in 1870. The same result, so far as the 

 years 1871 and 1872 are concerned, will be found very clearly 

 given in the ^Meteorological Report prefixed to the Journal for 

 last year, where, on page VIII., a Table is given " Showing the 

 Rainfall in different parts of England and Wales from infor- 



