o^i] Report on Steam Cultivation. [Claeke. 



always on clay land. Of cultivating, the greatest quantity done 

 on light land has been IG acres a day, but generally on strong 

 heavy soil, the average is 1 acre or less per hour. 



A removal is accomplished to an adjoining field in 15 or 20 

 minutes. Three men move the whole, Avithout assistance from 

 horses, except that occasionally it is convenient to pull the rope 

 across the field with a horse at starting. On the road " six men 

 are required according to the new Act." 



The rates charged per acre are, for — 



Digging 16s. to 20s. in strong land. 



Cultivating .. .. 7s. to 14s., according to soil and condition. 

 Harrowing .. .. About 5s. per acre, twice over. 



Mr. Bellhouse says, " During the first year, after 1 fully got 

 to work, the tackle worked 200 days : under favourable circum- 

 stances, I look for 150 or IGO days' work in a year ; but have 

 come to the conclusion that, generally speaking, it is not advisable 

 to attempt steam cultivation between the middle of November 

 and the middle of the next March. Since 1 exchanged my 

 engines, the most serious breakages have arisen from inattention 

 or inexperience on the part of the men." 



As an example of the hazard attending contract steam- 

 ploughing in some localities, we may mention that, a "set" had 

 to quit the Holderness district of the East Riding, because of 

 the " brack " water depositing salt in the boilers. These had to 

 be cleaned out every day, a few pounds of salt being liable to 

 damage them irretrievably. 



No. 108. Mr. C. Hill, of Dogsthorpe, Peterborough, North- 

 amptonshire has managed one of Fowler's double-engine sets for 

 three years, performing only contract work. The Committee did 

 not see Mr. Hill, as he was at the time of our call working his 

 apparatus, a dozen miles away ; but we learned that he has work 

 enough for this pair of 12-horse engines, excepting for about three 

 summer months in autumn, and could employ two or three sets 

 of engines if he had them. There is no difficulty in finding work 

 for the men during the vacation in the ploughing : they get 

 employment upon different farms because labour is in great 

 demand just at the season when the engines set them at liberty. 

 But in the first year Mr. Hill allowed one shilling a day to each 

 man when not engaged with the apparatus ; a tax for which 

 there is now no necessity whatever. 



No. 109. The Earl of Ducie has three tenants on his property 

 near Chipping Norton, who work steam-ploughs of their own ; 

 but he keeps a "set" for the use of any other tenants on the 

 Sarsden estate. The following particulars are given by Mr. Henry 

 Andrew.s. the asrent, in his replies to the Society's schedule of 



