OR SUBSOILING PLANT. 93 



In a block of 17 acres the trenching took twenty days 

 of actual work without shifting the drum, and, if Sundays 

 and stoppages are taken into consideration, from the 23rd 

 December to the llth February. It was noticed that 

 during this work the horses travelled at the speed most 

 convenient to them, and without those jerks occurring so 

 continuously when the horses are yoked direct to the 

 trenching plough. 



The cost of the whole material (drum, cable, pulley, 

 ploughs) was 100. 



The daily expenses were 



s. d. 

 4 horses at 4s. ... ... 16 



2 bullocks at Is. 7d. ... ... 3 2 



3 men (per day Is. 7d.; premium 



on work 4 Jd.) ... ... 511 



1 boy ... ... ... 6 



Writing off interest and keeping 



material in repair ... 3 



Total 28 7 



The cost of trenching 1 acre in 1^ day would be there- 

 fore 2 10s. This cost is a minimum, and it is better to 

 allow between 3 8s. and 4 4s. for depths varying beween 

 15 \ to 17 inches. 



This is about the cost of the same work done by Verneuil, 

 a neighbour of Dufaure' s, who, not being able to utilize the 

 winding drum on account of numerous banks of rock render- 

 ing the work too irregular, yoked five pairs of bullocks 

 direct to a plough, similar to that used by Dufaure. But 

 it must be noticed that during the month of January, which 

 was very wet, Verneuil had to stop the work completely 

 and feed bullocks which were not utilized, while Dufaure 

 only lost five or six days in the same month. 



Dufaure was able to plough a block 490 yards in length 

 by lengthening the cable supported by a few runners ; this 

 great length of cable did not appear "to increase the resist- 

 ance much. The work of levelling was simplified by a 

 wooden beam 4ft. lOin. in length, 6 inches in diameter, 

 fastened at the rear and dragging on the soil, the soil being 

 left much better levelled than when harrows were used. 



