2G8 Report on Steam Cultivation. [Clakke. 



keeps, or, in other words, 22. These, at the same rate of 44/, 

 each, would have cost him 9G8Z. ; that is, the total outlaj^ for 

 draft labour would have been UOZ. a year more than at present. 

 Now, if instead of keeping a steam-cultivator himself, Mr. Ran> 

 dell (with his present reduced force of 16 horses) had paid some 

 one else to come and do the steam tillage for him (the owner of 

 the tackle finding everything), lie could have afforded to pay for 

 this work not only the 168/. which it actually costs, but also 96Z. 

 besides, without spending more in draft labour than he did before. 

 That is, the 230 acres of steam tillage, though costing 14s. per 

 acre to do, may be valued at 23.S. per acre, without increasing 

 the old disbursements in Mr. Randell's ledger. As the case 

 actually stands, our reckoning shows that the outlay for steam- 

 work is 168/., and that the 96/. a year are into pocket ; or, in 

 other words, the draft labour of the farm costs 96/. less than it 

 formerly did. As a matter of fact, we believe that the economy 

 is even more considerable, for Mr. Randell assured us that not 

 only had the steam-engine spared him at least 6 horses, it had 

 also lightened the labour of the remaining 16, so that he works 

 them less severely than before, and consequently at less expense 

 per head for maintenance. We should here remind the reader 

 that the sum of 44/., adopted by us for the total yearly cost of a 

 farm-horse is possibly greater (it may be less) than Mr. Randell 

 would allow for his teams ; it is adopted throughout our calcula- 

 tions, and is explained in the introductory part of our Report. 



It may be thought that we have not made out any very won- 

 derful results from exchano^ins^ half-a-dozen horses for a steam- 

 tackle. Well, we have been treating only of the direct money 

 saving ; now comes the effect upon the farm produce, which, 

 after all, is the great thing to be considered. Mr. Randell admits 

 that his wheats are neither better nor worse than when the farm 

 was entirely under horse culture, for they have averaged 40 bushels 

 an acre for many years. His other produce is greatly increased, 

 because he now grows a larger breadth of roots, more mangolds 

 and cabbages, and a smaller acreage of tares ; and these crops are 

 heavier in consequence of the preparation for all being completed 

 earlier, and more of it done in dry weather, which " is all-im- 

 portant," he says, " on such land." More food enables him to 

 keep more live-stock, and necessarily the manual-labour bill has 

 increased rather than diminished. More rye-grass also is now 

 grown, in place of beans, &c., for the objection that it is a bad 

 preparation for wlieat no longer holds good under steam culture ; 

 being now smashed up early it has time to get a solid bottom, and 

 the wheat-plant does not suffer as it would if the lea were 

 ploughed. We saw a striking example of directly augmented 

 yield from steam tillage in a field of mangolds — all treated alike 



