Wd Season of 1872 on Steam-Cultivation. 183 



pany first started, many farmers were anxious to try steam- 

 cultivation, and a good deal of land was done (chiefly ploughed 

 or dug) in a inoist unfit state. A great deal of poor clay-land, 

 too, has been ploughed deep, and a miserable sul)soil brought 

 to the top, no help in the shape of manure being given, and, 

 when a wretched crop was the result, steam-ploughing has 

 been blamed by the employer. As regards the excessive rainfall 

 increasing the cost of steam-cultivation : when the land was 

 in the sodden soaking state in which it was during 1872, 

 we had immense difficulty in shifting about, and very great 

 breakages ; the quantity of coal was greatly increased, to say 

 nothing of men's wages having to be paid when they did 

 nothing half their time. The earnings during 1873 have been 

 about one-third more than during 1872, with but little difFer- 

 -ence in the price charged. I cannot fill in the number of days' 

 work done ; inany times we have got steam up, and, after doing 

 half-an-hour's work, had to stop. Moreover, great numbers of 

 our customers have very small fields, and we spend a very large 

 portion of our time in shifting long distances. I would add 

 that, in many cases, farmers seem to imagine that their land is 

 fit to work with horses when they will not allow us to start : 

 this is generally owing to the heavy engines making such havoc 

 -on headlands, &c., in wet weather. There is one remark I wish 

 to make, which you can take into account in comparing steam- 

 cultivation by a Company with work done by a farmer's own 

 horses : if there is one bit of land more difficult to do than 

 another, more dirty or fuller of big stones, &c., this is what a 

 company gets to do, and the immediate effect of steam-culti- 

 vating such places does not show to the advantage of steam for 

 some little time." Table III. (p. 184) is compiled from returns 

 of work done by this Company. 



With regard to these figures Mr. Bolden remarks that it 

 should be borne in mind, " 1st, that the year 1871 with us was 

 not a complete one ; 2nd, that the autumn of 1871 was wet up 

 here, the harvest late, and the land for some time wet ; 3rd, that 

 the early spring of 1873 was very wet ; indeed, our total earnings 

 for the first six months of 1873 were scarcely any larger than 

 those of the same time in 1872; it is the second half-year of 

 1873 which compares favourably with 1872, and also, but in a 

 less degree, with 1871." " Considering the number of sets at 

 work and the length of time at work, the amount done in 1872 

 was much less than in either 1871 or 1873, but I must add 

 that, Avith a Company like this, the amount of work done does 

 not in all cases necessarily increase with the prolonged dry 

 weather, that is, beyond a certain amount, for I have had sets 

 .standing in fine weather for want of work. With a very fine 



