332 Report on Steam Cultivation. [Clarke. 



cultivated in one clay was 15 acres, on Mr, Taylor's farm. The 

 eno^ine burns about 10 cvvts. of coal per day, at 15s. per ton. 

 The engine and windlass-man (for this extra hand is requisite 

 with this form of apparatus), have Is. a day between them ; the 

 anchorman and ploughman 2^. Qid. each ; and two porter-lads 

 Is. 4:d. each. No exact account has been kept of the expenses 

 and performances during the 4 years' employment of this appa- 

 ratus ; but nothing very serious has been met with in repairs, 

 and the most important item, wear of rope, is as follows : — • 

 Messrs. Newton and Taylor have cultivated about 120U acres in 

 the last 3 years : the rope, 3 years old, is still in good condition ; 

 and yet this is very stony " grinding " land, and all the work 

 has been first breaking-up, that is, the cultivator has done no 

 crossing of already tilled ground. Absolute proof in figures was 

 not adduced, but Mr. Newton declared his belief that the steam 

 operations are of cheaper cost than horse work ; and he highly 

 values the machine as an auxiliary helper-forward of the general 

 tillage labour of the farm, as well as for numerous other direct 

 and collateral benefits. Clearly, the already-mentioned easing 

 of the passage of the horse implements through the soil and its 

 loosened stones, is not the only gain ; for Mr. Newton has 

 reduced his previous team from 19 down to 13 horses, and Mr. 

 Taylor has dispensed with no fewer than 20 oxen. Here, then, 

 we have G horses and 20 oxen displaced by a 10-horse-power 

 steam-engine ; yet the work declared to be better, easier, and 

 forwarder in season, — the apparatus being most of all prized, we 

 were told, because of the power it conferred of "getting on with 

 work." Yearly expense of draft oxen is such an indeterminate 

 quantity that (as intimated in our Introduction) we can scarcely 

 venture to fix a money value upon the saving here effected ; but 

 if we may say 15Z. per bullock (of course including men, imple- 

 ments, and every item of outlay), this, together with our assumed 

 datum of 44/. per horse, will make the whole sum 564/., to be 

 put on the credit side of the steam account. Judging by the 

 partial details afforded, the "steam" working expenses, includ- 

 ing labour, removal, water, oil, wear of rope, and petty repairs, 

 can scarcely exceed 40.?. to 45^. per day, which, at 9 acres a day, 

 will be under, or not exceeding, a crown per acre. The cost 

 price of the apparatus, with two ropes, a new one and an old 

 one, was 51G/. ; the engine, belonging to Mr. Taylor, may be 

 put at 270/., or 780/. altogether. The interest at 5 per cent., on 

 the whole, will be 39/. (J.s. a year. Deducting the value of rope 

 and other wearing parts, we may reckon 5 per cent. " deprecia- 

 tion " on say 650/., — that is 32/. 10.?. a year ; the two items 

 amounting to 71/. Ws. This divided between 400 acres of 

 work done in a year, gives os. Id. per acre ; the total cost per 



