180 The Injiuence of the 



it might be seen elsewhere in that neighbourhood) a very great 

 excess of water during the winter months very seriously inter- 

 feres with the next year's tillages. In the wet season of 1872 

 there were many days in which no work could be done, and 

 some delay was caused by the slipping of engines on wet head- 

 lands ; but, taking the season as a whole, there was no reason 

 for dissatisfaction in this district, either with the amount or the 

 results of the work done in it. 



I will now proceed to give a summary of the replies received 

 from various correspondents to the following questions : — 



1. Have the general advantages of Steam-tillage over Horse- 

 cultivation been increased or diminished by the excessive 

 rainfall of 1872? Please compare the facilities with which the 

 land was cultivate'd by Steam and by Horse-power and note the 

 comparative results in the crops of 1873, describing any in- 

 stances in detail. 



2. Has deep tillage enabled you to disj^ense with open water- 

 furrows ? Has it in any case obviated the necessity of draining 

 the land ? 



3. Have you found Steam-cultivation hasten or retard the 

 commencement of harvest ? 



4. Has the wet season much increased the labour of trans- 

 porting Steam-tackle ? 



5. Has the wet season produced any other special advantage 

 or disadvantage in Steam-cultivation as compared with Culti- 

 vation by horses ? 



6. Please state which system of Steam-cultivation you 

 employ ; how long you have used it ; the character of your soil 

 and the average depth of the cultivations. 



It will be seen that questions 2 and 3 refer to points of 

 special importance in a wet season, but yet somewhat apart 

 from the main inquiry. For the sake of clearness, it will be 

 convenient to defer the consideration of Nos. 2 and 3 till the 

 other questions have been disposed of, and when it can be done 

 without at all affecting the context. I shall omit for the present 

 the portions of my correspondents' letters that refer to these 

 points. 



The first of the questions issued — " Have the general advan- 

 tages of steam tillage over horse cultivation been increased or 

 diminished by the excessive rainfall of 1872 " — has elicited a 

 considerable difference of opinion. A few correspondents think 

 that the relative advantages have remained unaltered ; many are 

 of opinion that the advantages of steam were diminished, and, 

 among these, are some who think that, in 1872, cultivation by 

 horses was better than by steam ; the greater number, however, 

 state that the advantages of steam over horse power were greater 



