Cj.arkp:.] Report on Steam CuUivatiort. 337 



dental hindrances to working have been merely nominal. The 

 principal breakages which have occurred are these : — Bursting 

 off windlass-drum flanges, and breaking the windlass-pinion 

 cogs, which parts are now made stronger. Snatch-blocks, too, 

 were at first broken through careless mismanagement, which 

 hardly ever happens now : breaking of the rope sometimes 

 occurs — depending partly upon the management and partly 

 upon the quality of the rope. The destruction of rope is an item 

 not easily determined. In February, 1864, a length of 1400 

 yards of new rope was purchased ; but 600 yards of the old were 

 still kept in use, and are working now. It would appear 

 that (1760 — 600) 1160 yards of rope were destroyed in the 

 first thiee years. Of the total length purchased, namely, 

 (17(30 -f 1400) 3160 yards, the remaining 2000 yards are still 

 so good that Mr. Bulstrode does not expect to want any new 

 rope for one or two years to come. 



Up to May, 1866 (that is, five years' work), 2137 acres had 

 been cultivated, at an average depth of 8 inches, and greatest 

 depth 13 inches, and 464 aci'es had been drag-harrowed ; and if 

 we take 2 acres of this harrowing as work equivalent to one acre 

 of the grubbing, the total acreage may be stated at 2369 acres. 

 Upon this performance the wear of rope has been 1160 yards 

 worn out, jAus a proportion of damage to the 2000 yards re- 

 maining. If we may say, one-half the use of the 2000 yards 

 is chargeable upon the five years' work, the 2369 acres of work 

 will have consumed (1160 + 1000) 2160 yards of rope, which, 

 costing 94/., makes the sum per acre about 9^fZ. However, 

 Mr. Bulstrode says, " The wear and tear of rope, when I fii'st 

 had it, was fearfully great, owing to the tackle being out on hire ; 

 I therefore think that, for home work, and with proper care, 

 a charge of (xl. per acre for rope will about cover the cost." 

 Repairs (100/.) at lOf/. per acre, and rope at 6f/, to ^hd. per 

 acre, will together amount to Ls-. 4f/. or 1^. 7if/. per acre. 



The engine being employed to do the larm thrashing, an 

 allowance must be made in calculating interest and depreciation. 

 Let us take interest at 5 per cent., on say 450/., and depreciation 

 at 5 per cent., on say 350/. ; this Avill be, for the two items, in 

 five years, 200/., or l.<?. 8r/, per acre. Thus the cost due to the 

 machinery (including rope and repairs) will be os. to 3s. o^d. 

 per acre. 



Next, as to working expenses. All the hands are ordinary 

 farm-labourers, and ordinary wages are 12.?. a week. But the 

 steam-hands work 11^ hours a day (it being folly to run short 

 days with an expensive apparatus that requires no rest) ; the 

 engine-man, too, having 1^ hour to spend in getting up steam. 

 The engine-man is paid os. a day ; ploughmen and windlass- 



VOL. III.— S. s. Z 



