TJ^'t Season of 1S72 on Steam-Cultivation. 203 



Harrowing. 



s. d. 



Single each time 4 per acre. 



Double 5 6 „ 



N.B. — 10s. per hour will be charged when the engines are kept standing 

 for want of a sufficient supply of coals and water. 



Farmers to find coals and water, and on leaving to fill the engine bunkers 

 with coal, and tanks with water, and to send on water cart to the next farm. 



These rates may at any time be altered by the Manager. 



Five per cent, discount allowed on all accounts paid within a month from 

 the completion of the field. Interest at the rate of 5 per cent, per annum will 

 be added to all accoimts not paid within sis months. 



Phu^ip Hobbs, 



General Manafjer. 



The Scottish Steam Cultivation and Traction Company, 

 Limited, only commenced working their first set of tackle in 

 the autumn of 1871 ; they had 10 sets working in 1872. 

 Although the report received from them only commences with 

 the year of excessive rainfall, it derives interest from the large 

 scale upon which the company works, and the important 

 influence it is likely to have upon the future of farming in 

 Scotland. 



This company is fortunate in having for its chairman a noble- 

 man who has paid special attention to the question of steam- 

 cultivation. Lord Dunmore has sent me the following notes, in 

 answer to queries : — 



" 1. The general advantages of steam-tillage have undoubtedly 

 been increased by the excessive rainfall of 1872. A vast area of 

 land in this country was cropped that otherwise must haAC lain 

 in fallow had not steam-cultivation been extensively employed, 

 lor the work could not have been overtaken by horse-power. 

 Many instances are known where farmers employing this Com- 

 pany's tackle have dispensed with several horses. The crops 

 grown on land that was steam-plouglied in 1872 have generally 

 been very good, and the samples in many known instances have 

 been exceptionally good : the crops raised on steam-ploughed 

 and steara-harroiced land have been stronger in straw and stood 

 the weather better than horse-wrought land. 2. Nearly all the 

 farmers who have been in the habit of employing the Company's 

 tackle have dispensed with open water-furrows. I am not aware 

 of any case where steam-cultivation has obviated the necessity 

 of draining the land ; but there can be no doubt that steam- 

 cultivation does materially assist the drainage. If land is not 

 properly drained, I should consider deep cultivation, especially 

 in wet clay soils, rather injurious than otherwise. 3. The com- 

 mencement of harvest has not, to mv knowledge, been influenced 

 to any marked extent by steam-cultivation. 4. The wet season 

 of 1872 considerably increased the labour and expense of trans- 



