J'Vet Seasoji of 1872 on Steam-Cultivation. 181 



in 1872 than in other years. Among those who think the 

 advantages of steam were diminished, Air. W. B. Lowe, of 

 Eastington, near Stratford-on-Avon, writes : — " I consider the 

 advantage of steam cultivation was much diminished by the 

 great rainfall of 1872, to a great degree on the work done, but 

 still more because much was given up altogether in conse- 

 quence of the autumn rain, and horse-ploughed through the 

 Avinter, to the falling off of the bean crop in particular. . . . The 

 wet season increases the labour of transporting the Steam-tackle 

 from farm to farm to some extent ; more particularly in the 

 trouble it gives in taking off and putting on the irons to the 

 wheels of the engines. The wet season materially curtailed the 

 length of time the engines could be used on the clay land, but 

 there is great advantage in all seasons in being able to accom- 

 plish much work in little time. I employ a pair of Fowler's 

 lO-horse engines, with a 4-furrow balance plough, a turning 

 cultivator of Fowler's of medium size, and a narrower cultivator 

 of Howard's for hard work. I have had the engines, balance 

 plough, and Howard's cultivator about five years. The soil is 

 clay of the stiffest possible description, and I like to work 10 or 

 12 inches deep ; and as we do not like to work much beyond 90 

 lbs. pressure, we are obliged with hard work to dispense with 

 one of the ploughs, taking 3 furrows only each way." 



From a farm on the Sussex Downs of a mixed character, but 

 chiefly consisting of a stiff clay overlying the chalk, Mr. Charles 

 Ellis, of Beddingham, near Lewes, writes : — " I consider on the 

 whole the advantages of steam cultivation have been decreased by 

 the wet season of 1872. I was unfortunate enough to have the 

 main axle of my engine broken early in October 1872, and being 

 thereby delayed ten days' working, I missed a good seed-bed for 

 beans and wheat : having made myself dependent on steam- 

 power to a great extent, my loss was equal to that of the work 

 of 12 horses for 10 days ; this was the more severely felt from 

 the fact that the wet season set in, and we had great difficulty in 

 moving the engine by her own power, and could only at last get 

 out of the field in November Avith the assistance of 8 horses. 

 I mention this as one of the casualties attaching to steam power, 

 you are liable to delay from any accident, and consequently 

 deprived of its service for several days. 



" In a piece of heavy land of 44 acres, I ploughed about three- 

 fourths by steam and the remainder by horses, and I could 

 never satisfy myself, co'tcris paribus, of the superiority of the one 

 mode over the other in the crop. I may say generally that I do 

 not think on my chalk land I have had so good a crop of wheat 

 after steam as after horses, owing to the land not being suffi- 

 ciently consolidated. I feel bound to say that, notwithstanding 



