Steam Cultivation. 679 



Society of England for tlio money wliich liad been devoted to tlie late 

 investigation, and for the ability displayed in the valuable reports 

 wliich had been published. 



Mr. Davis totally dissented from the opinion that steam-cultivation 

 would produce any eft'oct on strong land, imless thoroughly drained in 

 the first instance. Whilst complimenting the Commissioners on the 

 ability with which they had done their work, he pointed out instances 

 of divergence in their statements which he did not see how to recon- 

 cile. For instance, in one rejjort it was stated that the tackle could 

 be removed in an hour and a half, by four horses; in another, tluit 

 the work of removal would require six horses for a day and a half ! 

 He believed it was quite impossible for any man, however active, to 

 remove tackle from his farm in less than half a day. 



Mr. Edmonds said he had had a steam-plough for three or four 

 years, and liked it extremely ; in fact he should not like now to farm 

 without one, especially on strong land. He could not agree with 

 Dr. Voelcker, that with steam cultivation they could do away with 

 drainage altogether ; for in practice they found that with a depth 

 of 10 or 12 feet of clay, the rainfall would either remain on the land 

 till it was evajiorated, or nnist run away from the surface through the 

 drains, and he did not think it could remain long enough to evaporate 

 without injuring the crops. His opinion was that they must continue 

 to drain deeply in clay-soil, and one advantage of the steam-plough 

 was that it would help to do away with deep furrows. On light laud 

 he thought steam-cultivation was much less expensive than cultivation 

 with horses ; but the implements at present employed might bo im- 

 proved, and special attention should be directed to those reqiiired 

 for the after-working of the soil. Land laid uj) in autumn, and left 

 in that state in winter, might in his opinion be prepared for a crop 

 with a simi3le scarifying. In his neighbourhood coals cost about IZ. 

 per ton, and it would be well if something could be dune to economise 

 fuel. The difficulty of getting Fowler's plough on to strong land in 

 wet weather might be obviated by having roads on headlands, or by 

 having a patten, like Boydell's, on the wheels of the engine. Under 

 ordinary circumstances it took about two hours to remove a set of 

 Fowler's tackle with a pair of extra horses. 



Lord Vernon, who farms nearly 2000 acres of very heavy clay-land, 

 which he at first regarded as a hopeless task, said : — I watched very 

 carefully the series of trials, which commenced at Leeds, down to that 

 which took place at the last Show of the Society at Newcastle. I had 

 the honour to act, during almost the whole time, as one of the Stewards 

 of Implements connected with steam-ploughing ; but it was long before 

 I could satisfy my mind that any implement had sufficient power to 

 work my land. It is perfectly true, as stated by Mr. Bulstrcdc, that 

 the prize set of apparatus on the direct system, which I bought at 

 Newcastle, did not work so successfully on my farm as on the trial ; 

 but I am perfectly satisfied that, so far as the trial went, the judges, 

 who devoted an immense amount of attention to tho task, came to a 

 correct decision, and chose the best imT)lcmcnt exhibited ; and I caa 



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