Claeke.] Report on Steam Cultivation, 289 



bill, or any other result of the new husbandry, more than he 

 saves by the superior economy of the tillage-work ? A brief 

 description of the farm and its management will furnish the 

 reply. 



The 380 acres of arable lies in large fields, averaging 30 to 40 

 acres each, with low fences and few trees. This is because it is 

 part of a liberally-treated and highly improved estate, hedges 

 having been abolished, and trees removed without mercy ; and 

 new hard straight roads formed where they were wanted. Thus 

 Mr. Savidge is in a position where he can work his engine to 

 advantage ; whereas the absence of these facilities would have 

 operated against him, and very probably have prevented his 

 getting any advantage at all out of steam-ploughing. The soil 

 varies from oolite clay to gravelly loam, 3 horses commonly 

 ploughing 5 inches deep. The clay subsoil contains much lime, 

 and, so far from being afraid to touch it, Mr. Savidge spreads 

 on the surface the two bottom spits of clay out of under-drains, 

 finding the effect to be like that of "claying" in the Fens. He 

 has served an apprenticeship, as it were, with different sorts of 

 steam implements upon this land ; he greatly improved some 

 of the implements in detail, and has the merit, we believe, of 

 first applying the " digger-breasts " to the steam-plough. Some 

 of the practical deductions from his experience are, that he may 

 dip-in the cultivator tines to any depth, whereas very deep 

 digging and ploughing should be done only at long intervals of 

 time ; and again, when land is to lie fallow through the winter 

 it cannot be too rough, so that only for reducing clods to seed- 

 bed, or for immediate cleansing of root-weeds, should the " drag- 

 harrow" be used — that is, the heavy harrow worked by being 

 slung alongside the plough or digger. 



As an illustration of the management pursued, and of the use 

 made of the steam-tackle, take a 40-acre field, of 10 to 14 inches 

 of clay upon a substratum of gravel, with some higher undula- 

 tion of gravelly loam staple. We saw in this field the stubble 

 of a good wheat-crop grown after peas ; the seed-bed prepared 

 by twice grubbing the pca-stubble in July and August, 1865, 

 and then, after it had laid awhile, harrowing the stale clods by 

 horses just before drilling. For the pea-crop a wheat-stubble had 

 been steam-dug 10 to 12 inches deep after harvest, left for the 

 winter, and then simply harrowed and drilled in spring. The 

 wheat of 18(i4wasput in thus — a bean-stubble was steam-grubbed 

 10 inches deep directly after harvest, and, after a time, harrowed 

 and drilled-in by horses, Mr. Savidge not being at all afraid of 

 10-inch deep work for wheat, provided it be grubbing, and 

 sufficient time allowed before sowing. The beans had been 

 sown by horse-harrowing and drilling, in spring, a winter tilth 



VOL. III. — S. S. U 



