272 Report on Steam Cultivation. [Clarke. 



cultivating^, and 5a-. 6fZ. an acre for ploughing or digging. 

 Water, 700 gallons in a day, is carted by one horse and boy. 

 Shil'ting occupies 8 horses for 4 hours ; that is, half-a-day, more 

 or less, according to distance. The engine is used occasionally 

 for thrashing, grinding, straw-cutting, 6cc. ; but no steam-work 

 is done off the farm. 



In the absence of Mr. Davis, the son (as sound, intelligent, and 

 business-like a young farmer as we have had the pleasure to pick up 

 for some time) conducted us over the stubbles and fallows. The 

 wheat-stubbles were wonderfully strong, and spoke well for some- 

 thing else besides wide-drilling — here 11 and sometimes 12 inches 

 between the rows. Deep-tillage, young Mr. Davis assured us, 

 does answer well for the wheat-crop ; but then it must be done 

 in July, or at any rate very early, and their tackle is kept busy 

 throughout July, September, October, and November. Then 

 the levelling of the old high-backed ridges he finds to be quite 

 right ; only it must not be done at once, but gradually, by work- 

 ing the steam-implements across ridge and furrow, so as in 

 process of time to wear them horizontal. The drainage (thanks 

 to steam cultivation) acts well on those fields which have already 

 become perfectly flattened. The double-crop system is well- 

 practised here : we saw beans in wide double rows, with very 

 good turnips growing in the intervals. Root-crops are now 

 grown to a considerable extent in place of dead-fallowing, and 

 are consumed on the land by sheep. The chief alteration in the 

 cropping has been the substitution of lucerne for clover, owing 

 to the frequent failure of the plant. 



In Mr. Davis's case, we may sum up the resultant advantages 

 of steam culture thus : — He saves very considerably (indeed, we 

 should say, very largely) in his outgoings for tillage ; he greatly 

 increases the acreage of root-crops ; and his grain-crops yield far 

 better than before, — all being attributed by him to "steam 

 cultivation and thorough drainage." 



In a letter, dated February 18th, 1867, Mr Davis says : — 

 " I write to say that, since we finished cultivating in November, 

 138 acres have been 'ploughed for beans, peas, and mangolds, at a 

 season of the year when none, except the roundabout system, is 

 available. Now this, I consider, is a great object in a year like 

 the last, when so much hindrance from wet weather occurred." 



No, 69. Mr. Benjamin Bomford, of Pitchill in Warwick- 

 shire, near Evesham, Worcestershire, occupies 1200 acres, of 

 which 900 are arable, geologically described as blue-lias clay, 

 Avith layers of bluestone in some places, and a small portion con- 

 sisting of conglomerate gravel. But there is a greater breadth 

 of good heavy loam than of strong tenacious clay. The surface, 

 level or gently undulating, is divided into large enclosures, 



