Claeke.] Report on Steam Cultivation. 255 



estimate) 176Z. a year. The drainage has been much improved 

 by steam cultivation, the clay dries sooner ; and Mr. Hemsley is 

 quite satisfied with having the surface flat, that is, without ridge 

 and furrow ; however, most of the fields have a good natural 

 slope. He has no dead-fallow now ; getting tares and other 

 sheep-feed (but not attempting root-crops on the clay), and occa- 

 sionally a second white crop is taken ; which Avas not allowed 

 under the old system. On the turnip-land he now gets two 

 white corn-crops after the roots, then seeds eaten with cake, next 

 wheat, and lastly, barley ; a very heavy course, requiring a great 

 deal of cake and artificial manure to keep the soil in condition. 

 He does not report any special augmentation in the produce of 

 roots, but says that a general increase of yield marks his crops, 

 and that he believes " steam cultivation, which means better cul- 

 tivation, to be the cause." 



This season Mr. Hemsley has done little cultivating, but (on 

 November 10) had just drilled two fields of wheat upon early- 

 steam-tilled clover-lea, that he could not have got in at all if it 

 had been left for horse-ploughing. He averred to us that he 

 " would give a thousand pounds rather than farm without a 

 steam-tackle ; " and considers that " sixpen'orth of coals does the 

 work of one horse," 



In March, 1861, Mr. Hemsley bought a Tuxford and Sons' 

 10-horse portable, and a Woolston apparatus made by Howard ; 

 consisting of a windlass, &c., a cultivator, 2J feet wide, another, 

 4 feet wide, and a drag, b\ feet wide ; the engine costing 278/. 95., 

 and the tackle (" second-hand," with a new rope) 133/. 15^., to 

 which was added a new 13-tine drag, 10/. ; making the whole 

 prime cost 422/. 4s. The total cost of repairs for 5 years has 

 been, — on the engine about 27/., and on porters, cultivators, new 

 shares, windlass, axles, &c., 35/. 10.?. ; or, accurately, 62/. 12s. ; 

 or 12/. 10s. bd. per annum. The apparatus has not been let out; 

 but the engine thrashes, grinds, and cuts chaff occasionally. The 

 cost of coal (at 16s. per ton, including 3 miles' cartage) is 75. 

 a day. One gallon of oil serves for 12 days ; equal to 5d. per 

 day. The water, 350 gallons per day, is carted a quarter of a 

 mile, on an average, by an old horse, worth 2s. 6d. a day. The 

 engine-man has 2s. 6d. a day ; two anchor-men, 2s. Sd. each ; 

 windlass-man, 2s. Sd. ; ploughman, 2s. Qd. ; porter-boy. Is. 2d. ; 

 and water-boy. Is. 2d. ; amounting to 14^. Id. per day ; no work 

 being done by measure. When not steaming, the engineer is 

 employed in shoeing and general smith's work at the farmstead, 

 and the other hands on the farm. A removal takes 4 horses to 

 the engine, 2 to the windlass, and 2 in carts with the porters, 

 anchors, &c., if all the tackle is moved at once ; and the time 

 occupied is two to three hours, according to distance. The dif- 



