680 Abstract Report of Agricultural Discussions. 



only account for its not proving so successful on my own farm by tho 

 fact tliat the land was unusually stiff and ungrateful, and tliat tlie 

 breakages were, in consequence, very heavy. I am very glad to have 

 this opportunity of stating that Mr. Fowler, of whom I bought that 

 implement, supplied me with other apparatus on terms very creditable 

 to him indeed ; and that set, which has been on my farm for a year, 

 has worked very successfully in every way. I might appeal to Mr. 

 Wilson to confirm my statement that, instead of laud which was before 

 almost uuiu'oductive, I have now land which will produce some of the 

 best wheat-crops in the county, It is, I think, hardly fair to lay 

 the blame of any failm-e on the Society, for the successful adoption 

 of steam-cultivation has been very gradual. I have no doubt that, as 

 we go on, we shall improve in details. It is my opinion — I know it 

 differs from that of many of my colleagues on the Council — that trials 

 of steam-cultivators, which are enormously expensive, ought not to be 

 so frequent as they are now ; and that, as we have now a codification 

 of the results of steam-cultivation throughout England, when trials 

 hereafter recur, thrice as much attention should be paid to them as 

 has been paid hitherto. My experience as a Steward of Steam-culti- 

 vation has been that the duties of the judges have been almost more 

 than men could perform within the time allotted to them, and cer- 

 tainly more than consistent with securing a satisfactory report of 

 results. I cannot quite agree with Mr. Smith, of Woolston, that 

 when the ploughing-apparatus is not at work there is no cost attend- 

 ing it. The case has been very different with me. I have Avorked 

 my apparatus with an expensive staff; the manager has been paid 

 very high wages ; and I am firmly convinced that unless duly qua- 

 lified men, superior to ordinary agricultural labourers, are employed, 

 the cost of breakages will be enormous. If the wages paid are higher 

 than those of ordinary agricultural laboiu-ers, the excess should be 

 fairly set down to the apparatus. I may add that I pay my staff on 

 the scale recommended to me by Mr. Fowler, and I find from 

 the reports of the Commissioners that it is not higher than what is 

 generally paid elsewhere. I did not think, when Dr. Voelcker got up, 

 that he would so completely dash certain of my hopes to the ground. 

 I live, as I have intimated, in a district where the laud is very stiff, 

 and where 3000 acres have been drained at a cost of 6Z. 10s. per 

 acre ; so that his remarks on drainage have rather damped my 

 feelings. His Lordship concluded by remarking how very highly the 

 Society ought to value the labours of the Commissioners. 



Dr. Voelcker, in explanation, said it was an accepted axiom that 

 without drainage no improvement of land was possible, and he had not 

 intended to express any opinion to the contrary. His remarks ajiplied 

 to the futiu'c ; his imj)ression being that, many years hence, after 

 plenty of good steam-cultivation, the mechanical condition of the land 

 would be so improved that the want of drainage would be far less than 

 at present. Of course they must begin with drainage, and what he 

 hoped for might not be realised in some cases under 10, 20, or even 50 

 years. He had been speaking prophetically. 



