678 Abstract licport of Agricvltural Discussions. 



wortliy of attention. Had farmers simply followed the verdict of tlie 

 Society, they must Lave spent from 800/. to 1500Z., or have let steam- 

 cultivation alone. At the same time, while sjieakiug so positively in 

 favour of the stationary system, he hoped he should not bo misunder- 

 stood. He was perfectly convinced, and the remarks of the Commis- 

 sioners bore him out in stating, that the direct system was the most 

 scientific and economical for farms of large size, and with fields 

 favourably situated ; but on farms of ordinary size, with fields of 

 ordinary shape, with ordinary covenants and leases, and with ordinary 

 purses the indirect system was generally the best, and would produce 

 the greatest result with the least risk. 



To those who asked, "Why not hire machinery on the more 

 economical and scieutific system ? " the remarks of the Commissioners 

 on the hiring system afforded a full and sufficient answer. The two 

 great advantages of steam-cultivation, namely, a reduction of the 

 number of horses required, and facilities for performing operations at 

 a rapid pace, were both to a great extent lost under the hiring system. 

 Farmers could not venture to reduce their horse-strength, if uncertain 

 whether they could have an engine to cultivate their fields when 

 they wanted it ; if, a few days after ploughing, they thought it would 

 be advantageous to give the land a good stirring with the drag- 

 harrow, which was a very valuable adjunct to steam-cultivation, they 

 could not do it if the machinery was gone. In the Litter case, they 

 would have to fall back on their horses, letting them travel over 

 the ground, thus undoing much of the very work which had just been 

 done so carefully and at such great expense. Again, under the hiring 

 system, in some cases they would have to j)ay almost double what the 

 rate of cost would be if they had tackle at home. Others might differ 

 from him on that point, but such was the result in his own case. 

 Then, again, such was the importance of judicious management, that, 

 without it, the best tackle made might be perfectly useless, while with 

 it even inferior tackle might be comjiaratively useful. Sometimes 

 persons did a great deal of mischief to their tackle by doing at once 

 what ought to be done in two or three consecutive operations. 



Again, it was most important to avoid all inmecessary hindrances. 

 When he first began cultivating by steam, he had so many stoj)i:)ages that 

 he soon began to study how he could reduce them to a minimum, and 

 ho found it most imjiortant for the tackle to be worked in the best 

 manner. An advantage of the indirect system, which had hardly been 

 sufficiently spoken of, was the saving in the exiiense of water-carriage, 

 for whereas under the direct system on many farms the water-carriage 

 must involve great cxi>ense and vexation, imder the indirect system it 

 could be done almost for a nominal sum. His object, he wished it to 

 be understood, was not to condemn tho more scientific ajijiaratus, 

 which was well adai)tcd for large and special farms, but to show the 

 great value of the cheap and stationary apparatus. He felt iierfectly 

 convinced that steam-cultivation would overcome all the obstacles it 

 had to contend with. It had needed, however, some impetus, and he 

 was sure the thanks of the country were due to the Eoyal Agricultural 



