Claeke.] Report on Steam Cultivation. 307 



better since it has been steam-ploughed : still, Mr. Hawking 

 considers that steam tillage cannot be conveniently done upon 

 land the first year after draining, as the wheels of the plough 

 sink into the drains. The farm was entered upon in April, 

 1863, and in the three years 170 acres have been drained by 

 Mr. Hawking solely at his own expense, the Crown neither 

 paying for pipes nor labour ; this tedious but fundamental 

 operation necessitating more horse-work, and less steam-work, 

 than will be required in future years. Nevertheless, 8 horses 

 and the engine together have done all the tillage and draft 

 labour of the farm, excepting that, in extra busy times, team 

 help has been borrowed from Tholthorpe, and paid back again. 

 The force formerly kept was 12 horses. 



Mr. Hawking has thrown the fields together till they now 

 average about 30 acres apiece, instead of 10 acres ; there used to 

 be 47 fields, but now he has only 7 arable and 8 grass. This 

 has been done purposely to facilitate steam culture, and the 

 drains empty into small tanks in the field corners to supply the 

 water-cart or hand-barrow. 



The 14-horse engine, anchorage, tackle, 4-furrow plough, and 

 7-tined cultivator, were bought second-hand in 1863; and in 

 the four years have cost 230/., or 47/. per annum for repairs, 

 occasioned by wear and by breakages. This experience tells 

 against buying steam- machinery second-hand of a man whose 

 business was steam-ploughing by contract ; but much of the 

 damage arose from the employment of inexperienced hands in 

 working the apparatus. From the same cause, too, the extent of 

 work done in 1864 and in 1865 was much less than in 1866, 

 when a better staff of fellows had been found ; in fact, these 

 latter got over nearly double the quantity of ground per day. 



In 1865, 155 acres were cultivated in 24^^ days, or about 

 6i acres per day. Then 37 acres were ploughed in 10 days, 

 or an average of of acres per day, two days of the time being 

 lost by breakage of ropes. Of digging, 21 acres were done in 

 5 days, during which the rope was broken no less than eight 

 times. Mr. Hawking's estimate of the daily expense is as 

 follows : — 



£. s. d. 



Wages of 4 men aud 2 boys 14 10 



Horse, carting about 1200 gallons of water from ponds) nop 



and wells, or from the field tanks J 



Oil 10 



Coal, at 13.S. per ton, over 2 a ton 8 



Repairs, &c 1 10 



2 16 4 



This account omits removals, which require 3 horses for 3 or 



X 2 



