194 Tlie hiflucncc of the 



The consumption of coal per acre for the 4 years stands thi;s : — 



1870. 1871. 1872. 1873. 



lbs. lbs. lbs. lbs. 



Cultivating 201 135 195 212 



Ridging and subsoiling .. 232 225 250 280 



The average quantity of work per day for the 4 years stands thus : — 



1870. 1871. 1872. 1873. 



Acres. Acres. Acres. Acres. 



Cultivating 8 7|- 7 7f 



Ridging and subsoiling .. o-j^ 5i b\ 5f 



The number of days' work per year for the tackle stands thus : — 



1870. 1871. 1872. 1873. 



Cultivating 6f 5 6 5 



Ridging and subsoiling ..12 17 14^ 17 



Total per year .. .. 18f 22 20^ 22 



" Now^ I will proceed to remark upon the above tables and 

 extracts from my diary. 



" The wet season of 1871 and the excessive rainfall of 1872 did 

 not in any way unusually interfere (more than in the fine years 

 of 1870 and 1873) with the working or shifting of the tackle, 

 for it may be seen that in each year I had some hindrance by 

 wet about the same time each year ; but the consumption of 

 coal in 1873 proves that the wet years of 1871 and 1872 had so 

 saturated and toughened the land, that the work to the engine 

 was harder in 1873 than in either of the wet years. When at 

 work we found such to be the fact. When my tackle is stopped 

 by wet it is not fit for men to be out at work." . ..." It may 

 be seen by the extracts from my diary that in each year there 

 is an interval of some days after finishing harvest before I started 

 my steam tackle. Take, for example, 1873, when I finished 

 harvest on September 6, I did not get my steam-power tackle to 

 work till September 22. This interval of time, excepting 

 Sundays, was occupied in carting dung upon my land. For 

 instance, No. 1, heavy land, 39 acres barley stubble, for beans, 

 was manured at the rate of 13 tons per acre. No. 2, heavy 

 land, wheat stubble 30 acres, at the rate of 7 tons per acre for 

 barley. No. 1, light land, 12 acres wheat stubble for beans, at 

 the rate of 14 tons per acre ; and No. 2, light land, 13 acres 

 wheat stubble for roots, at the rate of 14 tons per acre. To 

 carry out steam cultivation successfully, I find it necessary to 

 apply all my manure in the autumn, before working my land 

 at all for the next year's crops. 500 tons of manure were 

 had by canal from London, the rest was made from the straw 

 and hay produce of my farm, no cake or corn used in it. Now 

 to show the advantages of steam-power, especially in wet seasons, 

 I must remark upon the several portions of work done. I will 



