Claeke.] Report on Steam Cultivation. 321 



help wondering if this tower had been a fortress of the hero in the 

 ' Chevy Chase' of our childhood, — 



" For Widclrin2;ton my heart is woe, 

 As one in doleful dumps, 

 For when his legs were smitten off, 

 He fought upon his stumps." 



But whatever the "pluck" of the then owner of this estate, a 

 similar spirit of determined prosecution of an enterprise must be 

 inherited by the present proprietor, who is carrying out great 

 permanent improvements in a most unpromising country. The 

 soil is generally strong, " sticky and mossy,'* upon a subsoil of 

 strong blue clay, — in some parts yellow clay mixed with sand — 

 but not naturally devoid of fertility, in fact, good wheat-land, 

 when the proper mechanical conditions for wheat-growing are 

 provided. Under-draining, good road-making, steam tillage, 

 artificial manuring, and the erection of superior farm -buildings, 

 have altered the aspect of "Houndalee" and "North Steads" 

 farms, including 850 acres of arable; and "Brown's" and 

 "Stamp's" farms are being taken into Lord Vernon's hands, to 

 be put under the ameliorating influences of the steam-plough. 

 This latter holding consists of a poor clay, ploughed two inches 

 deep, in a deplorable condition, and miserably farmed for years, 

 with the last wheat-crop apparently unlikely to yield enough 

 seed for the next. All that we could admire there were the 

 game-fov/ls, distributed in pairs about the farm, each cock and 

 hen having a field and a "kennel" to themselves — this scattering 

 being necessary to prevent continual "mains" and a rapid 

 mutual massacre of the stock. Under-draining, laying better 

 roads, throwing down fences, and so on, are the preliminary steps 

 of the coming improvement, which will thus be extended over a 

 total of 994 acres of arable and 187 pasture. The land, we 

 should add, lies generally level, and for the most part, in fields 

 averaging 25 acres each. 



The first essay here with steam cultivation was made with the 

 "Newcastle prize" "twin-engine" set — that is, two 8-horse 

 Fowler engines, with clip-drums, two plys of rope, and one 

 implement, both engines working "in conjunction" or simulta- 

 neously pulling, instead of alternately pulling and resting. This 

 f<n'm of apparatus was abandoned, and for these reasons. Instead 

 of working amicably together, the engines used to " clash." The 

 method of stopping and starting was managed in this way — when 

 the plough approached nearly to No. 1 engine, that engine 

 whistled for No. 2 to shut off steam ; No. 1 then pulled the 

 plough slowly up and again started it, whistling after the 

 plough had made its first few yards, for engine No. 2 to "join 



VOL. II r. — S. S. Y 



