Steam Cultivation. 675 



touched upon tlie question as to Low far steam-cultivation was a com- 

 mercial success. Indeed, the whole thing resolved itself into tho 

 question, whether it would answer for a man to buy steam tackle. 

 Upon that point Mr. Eandell said that he bought a set in 1857, and 

 had worked it ever since with the most successful and gratifying 

 results ; and the main advantage apjieared to be the production of a 

 deeper soil. What better evidence could be given of the commercial 

 results "of steam cultivation '? Similar evidence was given by Mr. 

 Stephenson of Yorkshire, who declared that he had not spent 5s. 

 upon the repair of his implements, and who pointed out that the 

 ropes and porters were the main item of wear. j\Ii', Armstrong and 

 others supported this testimony as to the wearing powers of steam 

 implements. In two cases it was shown that heavy lands had been 

 worked at a trifle over 7s. per acre, while with horse work it would 

 have cost at least 14s. The reports showed throughout that the 

 drainage was greatly improved by the breaking-up of the under- soil. 

 He (Mr. Smith) told the Society that years ago, having found it out 

 on his own land, which was cold clay, as stiff as any in England, yet 

 never a drop of rain ran off it ; it all went through into the drains, 

 leaving its fertilising properties in the soil as it passed through. If 

 land coidd be cultivated 8 or 10 inches deep, and the steam-engine 

 brought to bear upon it directly after harvest, what could the result 

 be but a complete commercial success ? The most extraordinary thing 

 in connexion with steam cultivation was, that when land had been 

 worked for some time, it required but a few days of engine work 

 annually, so that farmers could afford to let their horses be idle for 

 a portion of the year ; indeed, since he had cultivated by steam, he 

 had never used more than three horses, whereas before he used six at 

 hard labour. Mr, Bomford showed that it saved him so much in 

 horses that he was going to spend another 1400Z. If, then, by steam 

 cultivation the drainage was improved, the natiu'al consequence in 

 most soils must be an increase of produce. Professor Voelcker, in 

 his Analysis of Soils, stated that there was a vast fertilising quality 

 in our clays ; and this he had experienced on his own farm, where he 

 grew corn every year, wheat and beans going on regularly. As he 

 could not manure the land deep enough for beans every year, he had 

 occasionally to use a little artificial manure ; and no doubt with this 

 kind of cultivation he could keep growing on the cold clay for ever. 

 The great point was to keep up the productive quality by artificial 

 stimulants and deep cultivation. The most prominent feature of 

 steam cultivation, in his opinion, was that it kejit the land clean ; 

 whereas persons who had not the advantage of steam cultivation had 

 dead fallows every four or five years, and had to use three or four opera- 

 tion for their fourth crop. Another prominent feature in the report 

 was the proof it gave that a steam-engine did three or four times more 

 work in one operation than that done by a horse ; a double depth was 

 reached, and a double effect produced. Again, Mr. Prout said he had 

 saved considerably by using Fowler's apparstus. Ui)on the question 

 of produce, Mr. Eandell, who was an excellent farmer, said he did not 



