200 Refort on Steam Cultivation. [Claeke. 



be true of all similar farms under like management ; whereas 

 general averages totalled up from a multiplicity of dissimilar 

 farms under all sorts of circumstances, are true of no one instance, 

 and are applicable only to an ideal case that does not exist. We 

 prefer that each farmer's experience shall stand on its own merits 

 and speak for itself: but, for the sake of symmetry and harmony 

 ill our Report, the farms are classified, as far as practicable, 

 according to the character of their soil, still further grouped 

 according to climate, and subordinately arranged, pretty much 

 according to the size of the occupation ; while joint-partnership 

 in apparatus, and, again, the hiring system, are treated of in 

 separate Sections. This plan of subdivision will enable the 

 reader to select for perusal the story of that class of farms in 

 which he may be most interested ; and, at the same time, a con- 

 sultation of the "reference-tables" will assist in finding the 

 various items of information scattered through the Report upon 

 any special topic sought for. 



Repetition will be avoided by our explaining in this place the 

 bases adopted in our several calculations. Working expenses for 

 " manual labour," " coal," " oil," &c., are, of course, those given 

 us in answers to the Society's Schedules of Queries, or were 

 gathered by ourselves from the employers or their workmen. 

 The value of " horse-labour," differing extremely according to 

 management, ought strictly to be taken at what it actually costs 

 in each case ; but as only an arbitrary value can be assigned to a 

 large portion of horses' food, opinions varying so much that no 

 two farmers reckon up the cost of their teams upon like data, we 

 have deemed it sufficient for the use of this Report to take the 

 averages furnished by the Society's own authorities on the sub- 

 ject. Besides, our estimates of gain by displacement of draft 

 animals do not profess to be exact, but to be near enough the mark 

 for affording us general conclusions, Mr. J. Chalmers Morton, 

 in his essay * On the Cost of Horse-power ' (Journal, vol. xix.), 

 gives a tabular synopsis of the various particulars of keeping no 

 fewer than 282 horses upon twenty-one farms ; the average being 

 for food, 23/. ; blacksmiths', saddlers', farriers' bills, and depre- 

 ciation (or maintenance of value unimpaired), 5/. 10s., or 

 28/. 10s. per horse ; to which are added, annual wear of imple- 

 ments, 3/. 2^., and share of wages of team-men, 14/, 8*, ; making 

 a total of 46/. as the yearly cost per horse. Mr. Frere's valua- 

 tion, in his paper on ' The Present Aspect of Steam Culture ' 

 (Jf)urnal, vol. xxi.), is 41/. per horse. Considering that, on the 

 one hand, higher prices of corn and better wages now tend 

 to raise these estimates, while, on the other hand, making the 

 needful allowance foi' the worth of the horses' manure, Avill reduce 

 them, perhaps we shall be very near the mark if we divide 



