Coleman,] Report on Steam Cultivation, 403 



cost of wages is as follows : — 1 engineer, 3^. ; windlass-man 

 and man with cultivator, 2s. 6rf. each ; 2 anchor-men, 25. 4f/. 

 each ; 3 porter-boys, at Is. ; and a lad for water, Is. Sd. : total, 

 17s. 4c?., to which we may add 3s. for the horse. The fields 

 average about 15 acres, and are rectangular, tolerably level, and 

 well adapted for steam. The condition of the farm was so 

 deplorable that any attempt at regular cropping last year was 

 abandoned, and it was determined to work as much as possible 

 of the filth to the surface, and, had the season been ordinarily 

 fine, the result would have been a clean farm ; but, of course, 

 success was only partial,— 124 acres were woi'ked all through 

 summer, in many cases the operations being repeated 4 and 5 

 times. We may fairly assume that something approaching 500 

 acres were cultivated last year in about ItO days. We could not 

 learn the exact cost of the apparatus, but believe it to be about 

 700/., and with these premises we make a calculation of the 

 cost per day : — 



£. s. d. 



Wages find horse 10 4 



Coals, 15 cwts. a day 9 



Oil, 1 quart 13 



Repairs 8 10^ 



Wear and tear and interest, at 12i per cent. .. 19 5;1 



2 18 lOf 



This gives the cost for last year as 265Z. Qs. 7^d., or an average 

 of 10s. 7d. an acre ; a high price it must be admitted, but 

 probably as cheap, considering the quality of the operations, as 

 horse-labour. No information could be obtained as to saving in 

 horse-labour, simply because so many horses are kept for hauling 

 drainage and building materials. 15 to 20 extra horses would 

 have been needed last summer to attempt the working of 124 

 acres of fallows in the condition of those on the Sinai Farm. 

 We walked over most of the land and inspected the drainage, 

 which appears to answer well. We found the drained land 

 much drier after steam culture than when worked with horses, 

 and we are convinced that the first deep operation by steam is of 

 great advantage to the drainage. Mr. Bestwick, the bailiff, 

 proposes to pay the hands 4s. an acre for the future, instead 

 of the day pay — this will cover all labour except water and coal 

 carting. 



No. 12G. We next saw an example of light land at Mr. Wilson's, 

 of Newlands, near Mansfield. This farm, comprising 1000 acres, 

 of which 900 are arable, was part of Sherwood Forest, and has 

 only been reclaimed from gorse and brushwood a few years. 

 The soil is a mixture of sand and gravel resting on gravel. The 

 surface is undulating, the fields mostly large, averaging 35 acres, 



2 d2 



